Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on January 8, 2008) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Florida, 2005. / Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 194 pages. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.

a control, power quality and stability perspective. This is chiefly due to the future influence on power system behaviour resulting from the rapid cumulative growth of grid integrated wind power, and the improved control characteristics afforded by modern variable speed wind power generators. There is consequently strong motivation to enhance the inherent control robustness, power quality and fault-ride-through characteristics of modern wind power generators. By so doing, the attributes essential for power system operation regarding security of supply, reliability, and power quality can be assured. The work presented in this thesis employs a two-fold methodology in order to improve the inherent control, power quality and fault tolerance characteristics of a modern wind power generator based on a 2MW medium-voltage directly-driven permanently-excited architecture employing full-scale power conversion. Firstly, due to the complexity of modern wind power generators, accurate and complementary detailed non-linear (circuit orientated) and linear analytical (state-space based) wind generator models are developed. Collectively, these facilitate a wide range of detailed transient and smallsignal, control, stability and fault analysis studies. Ultimately, this facilitates the means by which advanced AC voltage controls are developed that significantly extend the wind power generator stable operating range for grid strength variations (grid impedance variation). Secondly, a supercapacitor based electrical energy storage system is designed and integrated within the developed wind generator models in order to facilitate the means by which fault-ridethrough characteristics and power quality can be improved. Fault-ride-through characteristics are ultimately improved by absorbing a proportion of generated power in the integrated storage system during grid-side faults. Power quality is ultimately improved by effectively buffering wind speed fluctuations in the integrated storage system so that a ‘smoothed’ version of the generated power results at the wind generator terminals.

The main aim of diploma thesis "China - real threat for American hegemony?" is to answer the question whether China is trying to threaten American position of world hegemon. After the dissolution of USSR and the fall of Iron Curtain USA became the only world superpower. Balance of power theory assumes that the occurrence of leading actor in the system will invoke attempts of others to balance the power of the leader, or to weaken him. In current world political system there are powers whose power potential is growing. One of them is China, mainly because its fast growing and prospering economy. Author of the thesis works with the concept of hegemony based on hard and soft power and three types of exercising of power - three faces of power - as means of achieving its goals. Author analyses Chinese use of hard and soft power resources, that can be classified under three types of use of power. All policies are then examined from "balance of power" theory view. Author tries to find out which one of behavior "balancing" attempts to balance, weaken USA or "bandwagoning" - support of USA is prevailing in Chinese policies. According to the prevailing tendency of Chinese behavior towards USA the author is capable to state whether China can be considered as a threat for US hegemony.

The thesis aims to study Germany's foreign policy methods to answer the research question if Germany is still a civilian power. The presented work aims to establish that Germany's foreign policy methods and decision-making process are guided by civilian power theory's normative principles and values, thereby making Germany a civilian power. The author will test this through case study analysis on four diverse case study topics that explore Germany's foreign policy methods over a period of time, thus analyzing the evolution of Germany's foreign policy methods furthermore, if this evolution displays continuity or change of modification in Germany's foreign policy methods. The thesis studied Germany's role in Eastern European enlargement, non-military engagement specifically in combat operations in Iraq, military engagement and combat operations in Afghanistan, and Germany's engagement in the developmental policies for Africa. The formulated hypotheses of the four case studies stand to be correct. Germany's foreign policy methods are guided by civilian power norms and principles since its unification until now under the leadership of three different chancelleries. Because of this, Germany is still a civilian power and adapts to the challenges faced at the time and modifies its methods only after...

The purpose of this investigation is to identify appropriate location of capacitor banks and sources of reactive power by studying power system stability in the vicinity of system equilibrium states. The locations for reactive power sources are determined by identifying those modes of the system that participate most in the system behavior in general and in dictating the final state of the system after experiencing faults or disturbances. To identify the relevant modes of the system that participate most in the system dynamic, we shall make use of modal and participation analysis for different system conditions. We also apply modal and participation analysis to a system in order to identify the components of greatest impact that result in the most efficient system control. The ideas developed in this study are used to analyze and identify weak boundaries of the IEEE 39- Bus system that contribute to the system’s instability.

Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 31-34).

This Master 's thesis focuses on the rising power of China in contemporary international relations. The rise of China faces the post-Cold-War international system with one of the most significant changes in power distribution; as such, it is of significant importance for the entire field of international relations. The thesis aims to evaluate the Chinese rise to power, and determine whether the country should be considered a great power affecting the international system. To achieve this goal, the author performs a two-level analysis based on the theory of realism, which first analyzes China's position as a state and then its impact on the international system. The thesis is divided into six chapters. The first one sets the theoretical framework. Chapters two to five look into China's position of power in the military, economic, political and socio-environmental dimension. The sixth chapter analyzes the influence of China on the international system in the case study of the current China-U.S. relations. The thesis concludes that China could be considered a great power, but only a partial one with a limited impact on the international system.

There has been renewed significance for innovative energy conversion technologies, particularly the heat recovery-to-power technologies for sustainable power generation from renewable energies and waste heat. This is due to the increasing concern over high demand for electricity, energy shortage, global warming and thermal pollution. Among the innovative heat recovery-to- power technologies, the proposed trilateral flash cycle (TFC) is a promising option, which presents a great potential for development. Unlike the Rankine cycles, the TFC starts the working fluid expansion from the saturated liquid condition rather than the saturated, superheated or supercritical vapour phase, bypassing the isothermal boiling phase. The challenges associated with the need to establish system design basis and facilitate system configuration design-supporting analysis from proof-of-concept towards a market-ready TFC technology are significant. Thus, there is a great need for research to improve the understanding of its operation, behaviour and performance. The objective of this study is to develop and establish simulation tools of the TFCs for improving the understanding of their operation, physics of performance metrics and to evaluate novel system configurations for low-grade heat recovery-to-power generation. This study examined modelling and process simulation of the TFC engines in order to evaluate their performance metrics, predictions for guiding system design and parameters estimations. A detailed thermodynamic analysis, performance optimization and parametric analysis of the cycles were conducted, and their optimized performance metrics compared. These were aimed at evaluating the effects of the key parameters on system performances and to improve the understanding of the performance behaviour. Four distinct system configurations of the TFC, comprising the simple TFC, TFC with IHE, reheat TFC and TFC with feed fluid-heating (or regenerative TFC) were examined. Steady-state steady-flow models of the TFC power plants, corresponding to their thermodynamic processes were thermodynamically modelled and implemented using engineering equation solver (ESS). These models were used to determine the optimum synthesis/ design parameters of the cycles and to evaluate their performance metrics, at the subcritical operating conditions and design criteria. Thus, they can be valuable tools in the preliminary prototype system design of the power plants. The results depict that the thermal efficiencies of the simple TFC, TFC with IHE, reheat TFC and regenerative TFC employing n-pentane are 11.85 - 21.97%, 12.32 - 23.91%, 11.86 - 22.07% and 12.01 - 22.9% respectively over the cycle high temperature limit of 393 - 473 K. These suggest that the integration of an IHE, fluid-feed heating and reheating in optimized design of the TFC engine enhanced the heat exchange efficiencies and system performances. The effects of varying the expander inlet pressure at the cycle high temperature and expander isentropic efficiency on performance metrics of the cycles were significant. They have assisted in selecting the optimum-operating limits for the maximum performance metrics. The thermal efficiencies of all the cycles increased as the inlet pressures increased from 2 - 3 MPa and increased as the expander isentropic efficiencies increased from 50 - 100%, while their exergy efficiencies increased. This is due to increased net work outputs that suggest optimal value of pressure ratios between the expander inlets and their outlets. A comprehensive evaluation depicted that the TFC with IHE attained the best performance metrics among the cycles. This is followed by the regenerative TFC whereas the simple TFC and reheat TFC have the lowest at the same subcritical operating conditions. The results presented show that the performance metrics of the cycles depend on the system configuration, and the operating conditions of the cycles, heat source and heat sink. The results also illustrate how system configuration design and sizing might be altered for improved performance and experimental measurements for preliminary prototype development.

This diploma thesis describes the design of a suitable filling turbocharger for gasoline engine Honda 1.98L. Includes professional research existing systems used for charged gasoline engines. Another part is a calculation to determine the correct parameters of the compressor and turbine. At the end is a simulation of selected turbocharger and engine work together using GT Power software simulation.