- / In this thesis new advanced nonlinear control methods that solve the power system stabilization problem in a more efficient and integrated manner are considered. The proposed methods mainly concern with the primary level control of a power system that plays a central role in maintaining transient stability and obtaining a desired system performance. To this end, several new nonlinear control schemes mainly applicable on power system stabilizers (PSS) have been designed and extensively analyzed. For a theoretical assessment of the system operation the concepts of passivity and passivity margin are analyzed while the concept of Ω--passivity is introduced. Using partial feedback linearization and backstepping design techniques on suitable models of the system under consideration (power system) the Ω--passivity property of the system is proved. This property is further improved through the control in the closed-loop design. To this end, several control schemes are developed and a series of different theoretical problems have been solved on using simple output feedback and advanced nonlinear control methods like sliding mode control, adaptive control or a combination of them. A significant breakthrough has been achieved with the use of fuzzy techniques in these schemes yielding designs with combined advantages of both fuzzy and adaptive control methods. A detailed stability analysis, based on Lyapunov functions, has been used to prove that the proposed controllers guarantee either uniform ultimate boundedness or asymptotic stability for the closed-loop system. The proposed schemes are examined assuming that the system operates under parameter uncertainties as well as external disturbances. The theoretical analysis indicates that regulating some design parameters of the proposed controllers one can significantly improve the robustness and the disturbance attenuation capability of the system. Extensive simulations on a two machines infinite bus test system have been carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed schemes as these are applied on the PSS of each machine. Hard cases of three phase faults or significant power demand changes have been simulated. The simulation results show that the proposed nonlinear controllers enhance the damping of the electromechanical oscillations with respect to classical AVR/PSS and improve their robustness to parameter uncertainties and disturbance attenuation capability. Using similar techniques, speed governor controls (SGC) are also designed. An adaptive control scheme is proposed that ensures asymptotic stabilization of the closed-loop system as proved by standard Lyapunov techniques. Simulations are carried out for the one generator system connected to infinite bus. The simulation results confirm a significant improvement in the electromechanical oscillations damping compared to conventional speed governor controls. An important contribution of the thesis involves the coordination and management of the controls at the primary level. The design is carried out so that each control is not competing with the action of the other and it is cooperating to complement the action of the other. In this frame, first, the coordinated operation of the designed nonlinear power system stabilizers with the classical AVR/PSS is proposed. Particularly, the sequential operation of these controllers is considered in the following way: immediately after a fault, only the nonlinear controller operates but when the fault attenuates the classical AVR/PSS takes over. In this way, significant transient enhancement and voltage regulation after the large transients can be achieved. To implement this kind of operation a soft-switching logic from the one controller to the other is proposed by using a fuzzy logic mechanism to determine which controller will act each time period. In this way, it is avoided a discontinuous switching that can create a number of problems and may even lead to instabilities. The analysis and the simulation results confirm the validity of this approach since it is shown that the coordinated control scheme has an almost identical transient performance with the nonlinear controllers ensuring simultaneously the voltage regulation at the desired set-point. The same approach is used for the coordinated operation of FACTS with the excitation controllers. To this end, a static var compensator (SVC) controller is developed which, during a fault, acts to improve the transient stability. During the transient period, the SVC uses as inputs not the voltage at the connecting point but suitable signals from neighbor stations in order to contribute to the electromechanical oscillations damping; in the sequel, it returns to its normal operation maintaining the voltage level at the connecting point at a specified value. A soft switching scheme is also applied while signal transmission delays are taken into the account. The simulation results of a three phase short-circuit in a system with a single machine connected to infinite bus through a bus that has a SVC attached, indicate that this coordinated control scheme improves the transient stability even more (in comparison to the previous coordinated scheme). Finally, coordinated control logic is used for the design of both the speed governor control and the PSS. This is needed when the operation of the PSS cannot be considered completely independent and decoupled from the speed governor dynamics (in the case of fast valve operation). In this combined system a parallel design of both the SGC and the PSS ensures the uniform ultimate boundedness of the complete closed-loop system. Moreover, the use of continuous switching through fuzzy logic, as mentioned before, between these controllers and the classical AVR/PSS (for the excitation system) and a PID control (for the SGC) is proposed. The simulation results on the two machines infinite bus system clearly confirm the superiority of the coordinated control scheme with respect to the classical AVR/PSS excitation controllers and PID speed governor controllers. As a conclusion, new combined advanced nonlinear control schemes are analyzed and proposed for power systems. From the stability analysis and the simulation results it is clearly confirmed that the application of these nonlinear controls can be effectively improve the transient behavior as well as the robustness and disturbance attenuation of a power system. It is also proved that, without extreme cost, coordinated control schemes implemented through the proposed soft-switching techniques further enhance the transient and dynamic performance of the system.

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Die Untersuchung der Reaktionen des Hydroxylradikals mit ungesättigten Kohlenwasserstoffen (Ethin, Ethen, Propen und Isopren) bei tiefen Temperaturen spielt für das Verständnis der Chemie der Troposphäre eine bedeutende Rolle. Aus der Temperaturabhängigkeit der Geschwindigkeitskonstanten können zunächst Informationen über die mechanistischen Details der Reaktionen abgeleitet werden. Dabei sind bimolekulare Geschwindigkeitskonstanten empfindlich auf Details der Potentialfläche in chemisch relevanten Energiebereichen.In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden experimentelle Untersuchungen der Reaktionen des Hydroxylradikals (OH) mit verschiedenen ungesättigten Kohlenwasserstoffen bei tiefen Temperaturen präsentiert. Die Abkühlung der Reaktanden auf bis zu 58K erfolgte durch die Expansion in einer Lavaldüse. Die Lavaldüse erzeugt einen in Temperatur, Dichte und Machzahl konstanten Strahl aus einem Trägergas (Stickstoff). OH- Radikale werden durch Laserphotolyse von Wasserstoffperoxid bei 193 nm und 248 nm erzeugt. Die zeitliche Entwicklung der Hydroxylradikalkonzentration in einem Überschuss des Reaktionspartners wurde mit Hilfe der laserinduzierten Fluoreszenz (LIF) gemessen.Begleitend zu den experimentellen Studien wird eine Abschätzung der bestimmten Geschwindigkeitskonstanten nach dem Modell der statistischen adiabatischen Reaktionskanäle (SACM) durchgeführt. Die Eigenschaften der Edukte und Produkte wurden mit Hilfe von DFT-Methoden berechnet. Die bestimmten Geschwindigkeitskonstanten zwischen 60 und 300K erstrecken sich über zwei Größenordnungen zwischen 10-12 und 10-10 cm3s-1. Dabei ist eine systematische Zunahme der Reaktionsgeschwindigkeiten von Ethin nach Ethen, Propen und Isopren zu erkennen. Weiterhin wird für alle OH-Alken-Reaktionen (zumindest bis 100K) eine negative Temperaturabhängigkeit der Geschwindigkeitskonstanten beobachtet. Diese Tatsachen können durch die Annahme von langreichweitigen Multipol-Wechselwirkungen und den damit verbundenen weit außen liegenden Übergangszuständen der Reaktionen erklärt werden.Für die Reaktionen des OH-Radikals mit Ethin und Ethen wurden Hochdruckgrenzwerte der Reaktionen über die Schwingungsrelaxation des Hydroxylradikals ermittelt. Für die OH-Rekombinationsreaktion des Propens und besonders für Isopren wurde ein Absinken der Geschwindigkeitskonstanten bei Temperaturen unterhalb von 100K gefunden. Ein Effekt, der möglicherweise mit dem Vorhandensein von intermediären Isomeren erklärt werden kann. Die Analyse zeigt, dass die Reaktion OH + Ethin eine deutliche Barriere besitzt, die die geringe Temperaturabhängigkeit im Bereich zwischen 300 und 60K dominiert. Die Reaktion von OH und Ethen zeigt über den gesamten gemessenen Temperaturbereich eine negative Temperaturabhängigkeit.

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important biological molecule within the body, which over production of this molecule in response to different stimulations can cause various inflammatory diseases. Over production of this molecule is caused by the induction of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) enzyme. This enzyme uses L-arginine as a substrate and therefore the presence and transport of this amino acid into the cells can be a key factor in regulating NO over production. Different signalling mechanisms have been implicated in the regulation of this pathway and one of which involves the Mitogen Activated Protein Kinases (MAPK). This family of proteins respond to inflammatory conditions and may mediate effects induced by inflammatory mediators. Of the MAPKs, the role of the c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway in the induction of iNOS is still controversial. JNK and its downstream target, the transcription factor Activator Protein-1 (AP-1), have shown contradictory effects on iNOS induction leading to controversies over their role in regulating iNOS expression in different cell systems or with various stimuli. The studies described in this thesis have determined the role of JNK/AP-1 on iNOS expression, NO production, L-arginine uptake and also on the transporters responsible for L-arginine transport into the cells. The studies were carried out in two different cell types: rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs) and J774 macrophages which are both critically associated with the over production of NO in vascular inflammatory disease states. The first approach was to block the expression of the inducible L-arginine-NO pathway using SP600125 and JNK Inhibitor VIII which are both pharmacological inhibitors of JNK. The results from these studies showed that the pharmacological intervention was without effect in RASMCs, but inhibited iNOS, NO and L-arginine transport in J774 macrophages. In contrast, the molecular approach employed using two dominant negative constructs of AP-1 (TAM-67 and a-Fos) revealed a different profile of effects in RASMCs, where a-Fos caused an induction in iNOS and NO while TAM-67 had an inhibitory effect on iNOS, NO, L-arginine transport and CAT-2B mRNA expression. The latter was unaffected in RASMCs but suppressed in J774 macrophages by SP600125. Examination of JNK isoforms expression showed the presence of JNK1 and 2 in both cell systems. Moreover, stimulation with LPS/IFN- or LPS alone resulted in JNK phosphorylation which did not reveal any difference between smooth muscle cells and macrophages. In contrast, expression and activation of AP-1 subunits revealed differences between the two cell systems. Activation of cells with LPS and IFN- (RASMCs) or LPS alone (J774 macrophages) resulted in changes in the activated status of the different AP-1 subunit which was different for the two cell systems. In both cell types c-Jun, JunD and Fra-1 were increased and in macrophages, FosB activity was also enhanced. Inhibition of JNK with SP600125 caused down-regulation in c-Jun in both cell types. Interestingly this down-regulation was in parallel with increases in the subunits JunB, JunD, c-Fos and Fra-1 in RASMCs or JunB and Fra-1 in J774 macrophages. Since, SP600125 was able to exert inhibitory effects in the latter cell type but not in RASMCs, it is possible that the compensatory up-regulation of certain AP-1 subunits in the smooth muscle cells may compensate for c-Jun inhibition thereby preventing suppression of iNOS expression. This notion clearly needs to be confirmed but it is potentially likely that hetero-dimers formed between JunB, JunD, c-Fos and Fra-1 could sustain gene transcription in the absence of c-Jun. The precise dimer required has not been addressed but unlikely to exclusively involve JunB and Fra-1 as these are up-regulated in macrophages but did not sustain iNOS, NO or induced L-arginine transport in the presence of SP600125. To further support the argument above, the dominant negatives caused varied effects on the activation of the different subunits. a-Fos down-regulated c-Jun, c-Fos, FosB, Fra-1 whereas TAM-67 reduced c-Jun and c-Fos but marginally induced Fra-1 activity. Associated with these changes was an up-regulation of iNOS-NO by a-Fos and inhibition by TAM-67. Taken together, the data proposes a complex mechanism(s) that regulate the expression of the inducible L-arginine-NO pathway in different cell systems and the complexity may reflect diverse intracellular changes that may be different in each cell type and not always be apparent using one experimental approach especially where this is pharmacological. Moreover, these findings strongly suggest exercising caution when interpreting pure pharmacological findings in cell-based systems particularly where these are inconsistent or contradictory.

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