bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of vector control systems by localization method
Authors: Kucher E S , Popov N S , Gryzunova T V
Published: November 2019

The paper presents a method for synthesis of a speed control system of induction motor drive and synthesis of output voltage control system for permanent magnet synchronous generator fed by three phase inverter with active rectifier. The mathematical model of a wind mill connected to the permanent magnet synchronous generator unit with output voltage control is considered. A structural and parametric synthesis of vector control systems can be implemented using a special localization method, which makes it possible to purposefully organize loops of slow and fast motions by establishing deep feedbacks. The developed localization method of control systems synthesis provides robust and stable operation of objects under study. The paper also examines difficulties in the differentiating filter designing. The approach of multimovement closed loops design is used to decompose the synthesis task. Deep feedbacks allow engineers to design control systems insensitive to disturbances and to compensate signal and parametric disturbances of control object. The proposed approach could be used for synthesis of wide range of nonlinear and unstable systems. The operability and robustness of proposed approach is discussed in this paper.
Implementation of the energy-saving lighting mode in the poultry-farming house due to the automated control system
Authors: Loshkarev I Yu , Shirobokova T A , Baranova I A , Batanov S D
Published: November 2019

The reduction of energy costs in the production of livestock products by maintaining the required illumination parameters is an important task. The results of studies on the development of a program for automatic control and maintenance of lighting parameters in premises for keeping birds, depending on the cross, technologies of keeping and the age of birds, using programmable logic controllers (PLC) are presented. The use of a dimming system will reduce the energy consumption of lighting equipment and increase the efficiency of electrical energy use.
Service system and monitoring of information terminals for protection of railway lines of long-distance trains
Authors: Kuznetsov S M , Myatezh A V , Rozhkova M V , Tenkovskaya S A , Akifeva E V , Ivanov A V
Published: November 2019

The paper proposes the innovative system of connecting digital terminals to a personal computer of a traction substation and a power dispatcher via remote access thus expanding control and observation over the system and facilitating the operation with In-Ter device. The real time work of In-Ter terminals can be performed by a power dispatcher and can be monitored by an engineer of the technical department of the energy service of an enterprise. This option will allow obtaining useful information quickly and changing the protection settings of a terminal if necessary, analyzing the compliance of loadings, emergency currents and settings in the technical department of the energy service of the enterprise to decrease cases of false activation of protection.
Hierarchical structure of the electronic information model of a ship
Authors: Zub O V , Nesin D U
Published: November 2019

This article focuses on approaches based on shipbuilding simulation such as digital shipbuilding, Simulation Based Design (SBD), and virtual shipyard. The article deals with the main aspects of methodology of selecting the type of the hierarchical structure of the Electronic Information Model of a Ship (EIMS). The selection of a particular representation of the EIMC structure is ambiguous: on the one hand, the model structure must include the most general elements of the object (ship) hierarchy, encompassing all stages of the lifecycle; on the other hand, as shown above, hierarchical elements of each stage are specific. General principles of structuring EIMS are considered, and influence of essential criteria of EIMS use at different stages of the ship lifecycle is analyzed. The most optimal hierarchical structure of EMIS is selected using the expert estimation method (chosen by investigation), which is based on a combined approach of the analytic hierarchy process introduced by T. Saaty. The expert analysis indicates importance of selection of EIMC structure type prior to initiation of implementing the lifecycle of a particular ship, provided that PLM systems are used.
Improving safety of the operation of pipe heaters oil and gas production
Authors: Bashirov M G , Luneva N N , Evdokimova N G , Khafizov A M
Published: November 2019

In technological processes of modern enterprises of oil and gas production flammable and explosive substances turn, which, combined with a wide range of changes and extreme values of technological parameters - temperature, pressure, flow rate, corrosivity, causes high rates of accidents risk. Pipe heating furnaces are among the most dangerous objects of oil and gas production, more than 10% of all accidents occur on them. Cause most of these accidents is leakage of pipe coil and the ingress of the process medium into the combustion space of the pipe heater. During operation, irreversible damage accumulates in the pipe coil metal, there is an uneven stress-strain state due to thermal force loading, there is a carbon deposition on the inner surface. This article discusses the process of carbon-producing in the pipe heaters on the example of a pipe heater box type using a computer predictive model of the production process. According to the results of the study, a new evaluation criterion for the level of coking of the pipe coil – the rate of carbon-producing is proposed and its value corresponding to the maximum permissible level of coking is determined. Calculation of the rate of carbon-producing is carried out by virtual quality analyzers using the process parameters of the carbon-producing.
Approximation of the parallel robot working area using the method of nonuniform covering
Authors: Gaponenko E V , Malyshev D I , Behera L
Published: November 2019

The article describes the application of optimization algorithms for solving the problem of determining the working area of a parallel 6-DOF relative mechanism device, which includes a flat 3-RRR mechanism and a tripod mechanism. The method for approximation of the set of nonlinear inequalities system solutions describing constraints on the geometric parameters of the robot, based on the concept of nonuniform coverings, is considered. Based on the method, external and internal approximations are obtained, given as a set of parallelepipeds. The working area of the relative mechanism device has been obtained, taking into account the restrictions on the geometric parameters of the workpiece located in a moving coordinate system located in the center of a flat 3-RRR mechanism. The moving coordinate system is located in the center of the planar mechanism.
Determination of external power factors influencing un-manned aerial vehicle of “flying wing” type
Authors: Smirnov A N , Govorkov A S , Fokin I V
Published: November 2019

This article touches upon the issue of determination of external force factors influencing an unmanned aerial vehicle or drone in critical flight modes for further transition to the full-scale engineering development. A brief review of the design of the developing vehicle is given. A simplified three-dimensional model is created. On the basis of the 3d model and with the help of the FloEFD computer complex, the aerodynamic analysis of the chosen design of the developed unmanned aerial vehicle is carried out. The dependences of the available speed and disposable tangential overloads of flight acceleration are obtained. The minimum permissible horizontal flight acceleration is calculated. The aerodynamic coefficients of the used wing profile are given. The value of the available tangential overload for different flight speeds is defined. The relation of the maximum trajectory angle of inclination against the flight speed when flying above the ground is calculated. The minimum allowable catapulted take-off speed is calculated. This speed allows determining an allowable trajectory angle of the incline for the rectilinear altitude gain. The pressure distribution over the outer surface of the fuselage and the wing consoles of an unmanned aerial vehicle is obtained. The value of the acting axial force is calculated for take-off modes with different angles of inclination of the trajectory and for a horizontal straight-line flight at a constant speed.
Building a conceptual model of the chain harmonic drive
Authors: Kamenev S V
Published: November 2019

The harmonic drive is a relatively new type of mechanical drives which application increases continuously in different fields of the industry. The rapid growth of application is driven by a number of advantages in comparison to the conventional drives such as gear and belt drives. The effective use of the harmonic drive, however, is limited because of difficulties in designing of such drives. One of the problems is the non-optimal typical design of the harmonic drive that can be improved in different ways. They include designing the harmonic drives in the framework of the closed roller chain using different modelling approaches. The mathematical modelling on the basis of CAD/CAE software appears to be the most effective of them. This article presents the method for building an alternate design of the harmonic drive based on the standard roller chain using commercial software «Siemens NX». Implementation of this method involves the CAD-modelling and multibody simulation to obtain the final geometry of the drive.
A blockchain-based technique for making swarm robots distributed decision
Authors: Melnik E V , Klimenko A B , Ivanov D Y
Published: November 2019

The paper considers the problem of distributed decision making in the robot swarm. The enhancement technique of the related study approach is proposed using the data transmission distance constraints and the weighted voting strategy. The decision making process is organized by means of distributed ledger usage. The information propagation through the swarm is implemented via spreading randomized rumor. The avoidance of routing in the swarm improves the overall energy efficiency of the system. The weighted voting transactions take into account the positions of the robots relating to the unknown objects or obstacles, as well as the voting history, which is stored in a distributed ledger
A model of the water environment action on anthropomorphic robot arms
Authors: Kramar V A , Dushko V R
Published: November 2019

The article deals with the technology of constructing a 3-D velocity field mathematical model for flow around manipulators of anthropomorphic robots, such as the SAR-400 robot, when subjected to wave and constant currents. The studies show that when building control systems for manipulators operating underwater, it is necessary to take into account the arising forces acting on the manipulators as external disturbances that impede the precise fulfillment of control tasks. Methods for calculating 3-D velocity fields under the influence of wave and constant currents on the structural elements of manipulators of an underwater anthropomorphic robot as cylinders of large and small elongations are considered. A numerical simulation of the evolution of the flow velocity and pressure fields in a flow past a cylinder has been performed. The proposed approaches will allow the simulation of external disturbances acting on the manipulators of the robot working under water when constructing their control laws.
Analysis of energy conversion in the instantaneous power transfer process in the electromechanical system with variable inductance
Authors: Neyman V Yu
Published: November 2019

The paper presents the analysis of energy conversion processes in the dc electromechanical devices with variable inductances. With respect to the instantaneous power balance in the electromechanical system, the mechanical power transfer is considered for the operating cycle. The generalized structural model of the electromechanical converter with variable inductance is proposed. The model consists of three subsystems which are cascaded by instantaneous power transfer channels. The model is distinguished by the internal magnetic energy source in the magnetic subsystem with additional channels for magnetic power transfer. Energy conversion conditions influence the instantaneous power transfer channel operation. The magnetic energy restoring factor and its sign are the criterions of the energy conversion processes difference. The instantaneous power flux circulation accompanied by complicated electromagnetic energy conversion processes in dynamic modes is established by experiments.
The Russian draft bill of “the Grishin Law” in terms of improving the legal regulation of relations in the field of robotics: critical analysis
Authors: Vasilyev A A , Ibragimov Zh I , Gubernatorova E V
Published: November 2019

The article presents a critical review of the Russian draft bill of “the Grishin Law” on the regulation of relations in the field of robotics. The subject of the research is the problem of vesting autonomous robots with legal personality characteristics. The theoretical basis of the article is the modern scientific achievements in the field of artificial intelligence and neural networks, the legal debate on the social and legal implications of the use of autonomous robots. The authors analyze the approaches of the bill developers in terms of endowing autonomous robots with the characteristics of a subject of law. The authors come to the conclusion that it is necessary to develop a universal international document on the matter of establishing liability for harm caused by autonomous robots and introducing a safety requirement of this technology for a person at the level of technical standards.
Automation of control of parameters of batteries in the process of their tests and operation
Authors: Ermakov A V , Fedorov A F , Chekster O P , Atlasov R A
Published: November 2019

The article discusses technical solutions that allow one to comprehensively automate the processes of discharge and charge of accumulator batteries by applying methods of adaptive combination of electronic and resistive loads, control of their resistances and computer processing of the obtained measurement results. All these solutions reduce laboriousness of testing batteries, eliminates the human factor in registration of their results, provides possibility of implementing a continuous objective control of battery parameters, accumulation and subsequent analysis of the information about the characteristics of accumulator batteries to optimize their operation modes. The described device can be useful to those who sell batteries or power supply equipment complete with batteries, as well as to those companies that have distributed or remote objects with batteries and want to monitor the status of batteries with minimal need for qualified personnel.
Zone phase rectifier with fractional number of zones
Authors: Ivanov V V , Myatezh S V , Kapustin A V , Alekseeva I K
Published: November 2019

In the work, simple provisions of the structural synthesis method are used to create new controlled three-phase AC rectifiers with a fractional number of zones. The capabilities of the method are demonstrated by the example of obtaining a simple three-phase two-zone rectifier. The analysis of operating modes indicates the achievement of high energy performance. Calculated expressions setting the relationship between the medium-straightened voltage and the value of the SPD opening angle delay for different zones are obtained. The possibility of rectified voltage smooth regulation relative to the current value of the phase winding voltage is shown: in the first zone from 0 to 2.34, in the intermediate fractional zone from 2.34 to 3.7, in the second zone from 3.7 to 4.68. Due to the intermediate fractional zone, partial overlaps in the specified voltage ranges are allowed.
Measuring system for studying quality of welded joints of titanium plates by using subminiature eddy current transducers
Authors: Dmitriev S F , Sagalakov A M , Ishkov A V , Malikov V N , Grigorev A A
Published: November 2019

This article contains the main technical information on the eddy-current transducer (ECT) used. This article describes the measurement procedure to control welds of titanium alloys, including the use of two supermimiature ECT, one of which is to be fixed above the weld, and another is to be used directly for scanning. The experimental results obtained by means of the developed measuring system for samples of various titanium plates joined by welds are presented. Likewise, a poor-quality weld can also be detected by a dramatic drop in amplitude of the signal when scanning the weld / welded material. The article presents the results of studies of titanium samples joined by a faulty weld, samples joined by a completely faulty weld, and also samples joined by a defect-free weld. The obtained dependences make it possible to determine the quality of the weld by the signal of an eddy-current transducer and to draw a conclusion about the reliability of welding.
Significance estimation of the rejected part of the signal spectrum from the magnetometer sensors of the prototype of the AIST small spacecraft
Authors: Sedelnikov A V , Safronov S L , Khnyryova E S
Published: November 2019

The paper presents the results of the investigation of the significance of the rejected part of the signal spectrum obtained from the magnetometer sensors. Sensors were installed in the prototype of the AIST small spacecraft. The measurement interval of the sensors significantly limited the spectral range of the measured signal from 0 to π / 6 rad/s. The problem of significance of the signal spectrum rejected part was solved by restoring an analog signal from its discrete readings using the Kotelnikov series. Then the spectrum of the restored signal was constructed. In addition, the interval of simulated measurements was significantly reduced. Significance estimation of the rejected part of the signal spectrum allows us to make a conclusion about the accuracy of the signal restoration from the raw data. The results of our work can be used in estimating various characteristics in cases of abnormal operation of measuring devices or spacecraft’s degraded performance.
Modelling and analysis of functional modes of active compensators in distributed generation systems
Authors: Sychev Yu A , Abramovich B N , Zimin R Yu
Published: November 2019

The modelling and analysis of functional modes of active compensators in conditions of distributed generation are presented in the paper. The functions of uninterruptable power supply, harmonic compensation, power factor correction by means of the shunt active compensator with the output passive filter and the common direct current link with the load power converter are detected during modelling. The dependences, which help to properly choose the structure and main parameters of the active compensator for implementation of the mentioned functions, are obtained during modelling. According to the modelling results the structure of the shunt active compensator is proposed and proved for conditions of distributed generation and combined power supply systems.
Study of influence of test case parameters on test suite optimality in order to automate the information systems design process
Authors: Artyukhova A S , Rodzin S I
Published: November 2019

The paper presents data on the influence of test parameters like average execution time, number of runs, test’s severity and complexity, number of related bugs on test’s optimality to include a test set for regression testing of information system software components. The paper includes research using such methods as analysis of variance, correlation and regression analysis of test parameters. The studies have shown a degree of the influence of test’s parameters to test suite efficiency and optimality in order to perform regression testing. Solving the problem of creation of optimal test suites aimed at regression testing gives a chance to automate the information systems design process.
Digital city: the characteristics of development indicators of new technologies
Authors: Kurcheeva G I , Klochkov G A , Aletdinova T A , Lapina A A
Published: November 2019

There is a need in modern society for regular monitoring of changes in the quality of life of the population as an important criterion for the effective management. Monitoring today is one of the main parts of any project. The authors identify indicators that reflect the introduction of smart city technologies and the corresponding possible implementation of new technologies based on such concepts as inter-machine interaction (M2M) with a centralized management server and blockchain network organization. Monitoring, because of its focus on tracking a process, becomes the basis for making decisions in investment distribution. It makes recommendations that will allow one to move away from considering the static state of the processes and adjust the development of the “smart city” trends.
Economic-mathematical simulation modeling of management and innovative activities of the industrial enterprises
Authors: Shanin I I , Boris O A
Published: November 2019

The essence of transformational processes which happen in the Russian economic system now consists in “diffusion” of innovative business in the system of the economic factors causing changes in the market relations. These transformations, first of all, are shown in acquisition by production and the market of social orientation. Respectively more and more relevant are socially oriented innovative enterprises (SOIE) which are developed and introduce in production the new technologies and products making long-term positive impact on level of quality of life and welfare of the population. When carrying out imitating modeling processes of economic-mathematical modeling can be divided into a number of stages: identification of an object, the specification of model, identification and assessment of specific signs of model, definition and check of interrelations between them, and their configuration, the mathematical description. At the same time all cycle is usually repeated several times, and in each cycle the mathematical model is specified, in particular, if it is about the model important for practical calculations. In this case additional requirements for implementation of algorithmic technology and programming are imposed to it. For achievement of goals in a research the mathematical description on the basis of the device of matrixes is used. In the course of carrying out economic-mathematical modeling the matrix device at creation of mathematical matrixes was used, for the description of type socially oriented business of structure of holistic management.
The application of Krone model to describe the production facilities of the Industry 4.0 smart factories
Authors: Zakoldaev D A , Gurjanov A V , Shukalov A V , Zharinov I O
Published: November 2019

An actual task is to synthesize project solutions of production facilities of the synthesis of Industry 4.0. Project solutions is based on the description of digital production and its functionality. The description must be based on the Krone model. The Krone models use morphological tables to create general descriptions. This approach supposes the modified model of Krone when the morphological tables are changed with mathematical matrices. A mathematical apparatus of algebra may create the automatic processes descriptions to generate project solutions to create a production facility of the Industry 4.0. A scheme of the Krone model components may interact where you can use multi-parameter criteria. You may generate a project solution to create a digital production facility with given optimal requirements. It is clear that the synthesis of the digital production model must be done after the creation of construction, program and technological documentation for an item designing component. A perspective way of digital production projection is a way of automatic generation of project solutions being done with a mathematical apparatus of genetic algorithms.
Education management to prepare the specialists for the industrial companies Industry 4.0
Authors: Zakoldaev D A , Shukalov A V , Zharinov I O , Grunicheva Ja V
Published: November 2019

The task is to organize specialists training for working in the industrial companies Industry 4.0. The companies have technological equipment (cyber and physical system) and informative technologies which future specialists will use. To work in the Industry 4.0 company the personnel must highly-qualified and have knowledge and skills in the field of new professions. The specialists must be trained at educational institutes having practical programs. There is a scheme of infrastructure ecosystem of production and educative components to prepare the specialists for the Industry 4.0 companies. There is a scheme how educative program components interact after the education projection and when the students have taken the programs. The ecosystem for preparation of specialists of the Industry 4.0 company has some professional and educative standards where the student competence is in accordance with workers of industrial companies.
Utilizing the 3D modeling technology to design a welding fixture
Authors: Fedorov A L , Mkrtychev S V , Enik O A
Published: November 2019

The article discusses utilizing the 3D modeling technology to design a welding fixture for the mechanical engineering industry. To improve the efficiency of the design process, we used the NX computer-aided design (CAD) system as a design tool. We describe the process of developing 3D models for individual components of a welding fixture with the said system. The possibilities of utilizing the created 3D model to analyze the finished product in kinematics by means of the NX system are considered. An algorithm to compute the parameters of the welding fixture using the finite element analysis (FEA) is described. As evidenced from practice, utilizing the 3D modeling technology allows design engineers to significantly reduce the time spent on a welding fixture design and implementation at a machine-building enterprise.
Computer-aided analysis of system dynamics models
Authors: Shornikov Yu V , Popov E A
Published: November 2019

The system dynamics methodology originally developed by J. W. Forrester for modelling and simulation of decision-making processes at enterprises is nowadays applied to many different fields, such as transportation, ecology, healthcare, biology, economics, etc. Instead of traditional flow diagrams and equations in the DYNAMO language, a block-textual specification is proposed. This form is considered to be more convenient for engineers familiar with control engineering. A model of transportation of kimberlite ore created in the modelling and simulation environment ISMA is given in order to illustrate the approach.
Quality assessment of the internet portal academic unit of the higher educational establishment with the help of the fuzzle set
Authors: Stativko R U
Published: November 2019

The article focuses on the importance of education. Education is presented as an educational service regardless of the type and method of receipt. The components of the educational service are indicated as a combination of the educational component, the managerial component and the financial and economic component of the educational institution. A scheme describing the complexity of decision making by the consumer of educational services is presented. It concerns the need to expand positions in the Internet space of the higher educational institution. The components are listed and a diagram is presented containing a list of the necessary components that make up the Internet portal of a higher education institution. The approaches to the evaluation are given, the choice of the apparatus of fuzzy sets is justified, which allows one to evaluate indicators of a different nature in one numerical scale. A system of indicators has been proposed, the value of which is most significant for the consumer of educational services, but cannot be independently assessed due to the complexity of the task. The approaches to assessing the quality indicators of the educational unit of the Internet portal of the educational organization, as a tool to enhance competitiveness in the market of educational services, are considered. The choice of the type of the membership function was determined and an approach was proposed for obtaining estimated values of indicators affecting the quality of the educational unit of the Internet portal of a different nature in a single numerical scale.
Numerical implementation of the Lame equation with complex boundary conditions
Authors: Sorokin S B , Maksimova A G , Lazareva G G , Arakcheev A S
Published: November 2019

A discrete model is constructed for calculating the Lame equation with complex boundary conditions. The model is tested on an analytical solution. A complex boundary condition arises when a microcrack is specified on one of the boundaries. Calculation of microcracks will enable better assessment of the relevance of the simulation and finding out which mechanisms will occur in the case of plasma flow heating in modern plasma and future thermonuclear installations.
On sub-Alfven MHD flows with acceleration in coaxial channels
Authors: Stepin E V
Published: November 2019

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows in coaxial channels of plasma accelerators with a longitudinal magnetic field are considered. Sub-Alfven MHD flows with acceleration transonic to the slow magnetosonic speed are studied. Sub-Alfven MHD flows are related to the case when the plasma flow velocity doesn’t exceed the Alfven speed corresponding to the longitudinal field along the channel. A narrow coaxial nozzle channel with a constant lower bound is considered. The non-stationary and stationary mathematical MHD models are considered in the quasi-one-dimensional approximation. The corresponding MHD problems are solved numerically. Features of the relaxation process and characteristics of the transonic sub-Alfven flow type with acceleration in the channel are studied. The influence of the longitudinal magnetic field on the steady-state plasma flows are researched. The mechanism of energy transformations is described.
3D numerical modeling of the plasma beam expansion using the MHD-kinetic approach
Authors: Vshivkova Lyudmila , Vshivkov Konstantin , Dudnikova Galina
Published: November 2019

In the current work a three-dimensional numerical model of a plasma beam expansion in the background plasma based on the kinetic description of an ion plasma component is proposed. To describe electrons the magneto-hydrodynamics equations are used. The Vlasov kinetic equations have been solved using the particle-in-cell (PIC) method. The finite-difference schemes have been utilized to solve the Maxwell system of equations and equations for electrons. The series of computations have been carried out to study collisionless mechanisms of the plasma flow interaction and a structure of the generated waves dealing with the conditions of laboratory experiments on the facility of ILP SB RAS.
Correlation of urban built form, density and energy performance
Authors: Ahmadian Ehsan , Sodagar Behzad , Mills Glen , Bingham Chris
Published: November 2019

In order to optimize the energy consumption in cities and enhance the potential of using renewable energy sources, the form of the city is considered as an influential factor. Numerous indicators have been used to analyse the effect of density and other characteristics of urban form on energy use. The paper presents results of an investigation into the relationships of building energy performance with two important urban density indicators, namely site coverage and volume-area ratio. Generic mathematical model of pavilion urban built form has been developed in order to compare and contrast its land-use/density characteristics with energy performance. Energy analysis has been performed on geometrical models using urban simulation software. The relationship between energy and density indicators are compared by considering an important variables, namely plan depth, cut-off angle and number of storeys. The city of London, representing a temperate climate, is considered as a case study. According to the results, high-rise buildings with deeper plans achieve higher energy efficiency. However, in case of including PV energy generation, low-rise buildings with deeper plans illustrate better total energy performance. Graphical results provide urban planning guidelines that can be used by urban designers, planners and architects to facilitate the most energy-efficient built form density for promoting more sustainable cities.
A novel decision support tool for climate-responsive urban design
Authors: Zhong Sailin , Nevat Ido , Acero Juan Angel , Rüfenacht Lea Alexandra , Jan Perhac , Koh Elliot
Published: November 2019

With the increase of temperature, a tropical country like Singapore will face the challenge of mitigating the anthropogenic heat emissions and urban heat storage to maintain its quality of urban life. However, due to the complex nature of climate and urban fabric, it is difficult for urban planners to make climate-sensitive informed decisions on how to achieve better Outdoor Thermal Comfort (OTC) in an intuitive while holistic way. We develop a holistic and principled decision process via an implementation of a decision support tool which interactively visualizes how climatic factors, urban design scenarios, importance of spatial use, and various acceptability criteria impact the OTC assessment in a simple step-by-step manner. The advantage of this tool is that it serves as an agent-based climate-responsive urban design system that presupposes planner’s trust. A complete working example is provided which demonstrates how a user could choose the optimal scenario for a new public housing estate located at the northeast of Singapore.
An integrated, agile approach for estimating solar radiation on building facades in complex urban environments
Authors: Mahmoud Eldesoky Ahmed Hazem , Colaninno Nicola , Morello Eugenio
Published: November 2019

Urban solar radiation is a primary factor affecting indoor and outdoor thermal and lighting comfort. However, although 3D solar radiation models are achieving remarkable advances in urban climate planning support and decision making, they are time-consuming and cost-intensive. We aim at compensating for such limitations by providing an agile approach to estimate shadows and solar radiation on building facades, using elevation models (2.5D) and image processing techniques. This is achieved by making the best use of the new visibility toolset for raster processing, provided in ArcGIS, and GRASS GIS solar radiation 2D model. Results give a clear and detailed picture of the radiation condition in the study area, which offers promising opportunities for urban solar planning and assessment in complex urban areas.
Combined geospatial and techno-economic analysis of deep building envelope retrofit
Authors: Streicher Kai Nino , Berger Matthias , Chambers Jonathan , Schneider Stefan , Patel Martin K.
Published: November 2019

In this study, the Swiss residential building stock model (SwissRes model) is used to conduct a geospatial analysis of the techno-economic potential of deep building envelope retrofit packages in Switzerland. Element and building characteristics of 8242 archetype buildings are combined with high-resolution spatio-temporal weather data. We estimate final energy demand before and after retrofit, while correcting for the energy performance gap. Levelized costs of energy savings are calculated in two ways, i.e. based on full costs and investment cost related only to thermal improvement of the envelope. Results show that, technically, a 57% reduction of the final energy demand for space heating could be achieved with the deep envelope retrofit. For full costs, less than 1% of these measures would be cost-effective, whereas for improvement costs nearly the full retrofit potential is cost-effective. We identified primarily rural and mountainous regions as well as historic city centres to show highest cost-effectiveness.
A critical comparison of methods to estimate solar rooftop photovoltaic potential in Switzerland
Authors: Walch Alina , Mohajeri Nahid , Scartezzini Jean-Louis
Published: November 2019

To understand the opportunities and challenges of large shares of solar photovoltaics (PV) in our electricity mix, various large-scale studies of PV potential on building roofs have been conducted in recent years. The use of different datasets, methods and spatio-temporal resolutions leads to widely varying results, making a comparison across different studies intrinsically difficult. In this work, six studies carried out in Switzerland are compared in a quantitative way, in order to understand how different methods impact the potential estimates. We observe a strong trend towards increasing spatial and temporal resolutions, using larger and more accurate datasets for the analysis. While the earliest study relies on rules of thumb, later studies use data-driven estimations, enabled by the use of Machine Learning, scalable algorithms and powerful computational engines. Our analysis shows that the largest differences are caused by the source of the solar radiation input data, the computation of shading effects on rooftops and the estimation of available roof area for PV panel installation. The latter is the most uncertain parameter in the presented studies and offers opportunities for future work.
Data-driven short-term load forecasting for heating and cooling demand in office buildings
Authors: Ashouri Araz , Shi Zixiao , Gunay H. Burak
Published: November 2019

Short-term forecasts of energy demand in buildings serve as key information for various operational schemes such as predictive control and demand response programs. Despite this, developing forecast models for heating and cooling loads has received little attention in the literature compared to models for electricity load. In this paper, we present data-driven approaches to forecast hourly heating and cooling energy use in office buildings based on temporal, autoregressive, and exogenous variables. The proposed models calculate hourly loads for a horizon between one hour and 12 hours ahead. Individual models based on artificial neural networks (ANN) and change-point models (CPM) as well as a hybrid of the two methods are developed. A case study is conducted based on hourly thermal load data collected from several office buildings located on the same campus in Ottawa, Canada. The models are trained with more than two years of hourly energy-use data and tested on a separate part of the dataset to enable unbiased validation. The results show that the ANN model can achieve higher forecasting accuracy for the longest forecast horizon and outperforms the results obtained by a Naïve approach and the CPM. However, the performance of the hybrid CPM-ANN method is superior compared to individual models for all studied buildings.
Exploratory study on clustering methods to identify electricity use patterns in building sector
Authors: Yilmaz Selin , Chambers Jonathan , Cozza Stefano , Patel Martin K.
Published: November 2019

In this paper, we perform a cluster analysis using smart meter electricity demand data from 656 households in Switzerland, collected during one year. First, we present the silhouette analysis to determine the optimum number of clusters for a k-means clustering approach. Secondly, we try different distance functions used in the k-means clustering to partition the samples into different categories. We find that the choice of distance function has no effect on the clustering performance. Finally, we investigate the “dimensionality curse” and find that low dimensions should be preferred to increase the quality of the clustering outcome.
Wind profile prediction in an urban canyon: a machine learning approach
Authors: Mauree Dasaraden , Castello Roberto , Mancini Gianluca , Nutta Tullio , Zhang Tianchu , Scartezzini Jean-Louis
Published: November 2019

Resolving the wind profile in an urban canyon environment means dealing with the turbulent nature of the stream and the presence of non-negligible flux exchanges with the atmosphere inside the canopy, making any deterministic model solution computationally very intensive. In this paper, a learning-from-data method is explored, which is able to predict the wind speed in an urban canyon at different heights, given a minimal set of input features. The experimental location is provided by a street canyon located at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology campus in Lausanne, equipped with several measuring stations to record data at high temporal resolution. Different machine learning approaches are compared in order to predict the wind speed in two directions and at different heights inside the urban canyon: an optimized Ridge Regression outperforms the Random Forest algorithm. We find particularly high accuracy in predicting the wind speed in the highest part of the canyon. None of the proposed algorithms however is able to model in an accurate way the variation of the wind speed close to the ground.
Analysis of solar PV potential for roofs and façades in high dense residential urban scenario of Singapore
Authors: Ramkumar Thambiraj , Gamage Hansika , Xiao Erwan W. , Cassat Maxime
Published: November 2019

This paper aims to understand the potential of solar photovoltaics (PV) on building’s roof and façades in the dense residential neighborhoods of Singapore. The physical urban morphological parameters such as height, built form, distance between the buildings, orientation, plot ratio, building volume ratio and site coverage have impacts on the solar irradiation on the roof and façades at various intensities. With these parameters in consideration, solar irradiation has been simulated and analyzed for 12 existing neighborhoods of Singapore along with 36 additional modified neighborhoods.
Data-driven statistical analysis of energy performance and energy saving potential in the Flemish public building sector
Authors: Ma Yixiao , Reynders Glenn
Published: November 2019

This paper will focus on the energy performance of the public building sector in Flanders (Belgium) by analysing the recently published EPC database. The main aim of this paper is to firstly have a qualitive and quantitative overview of the current energy performance of different building categories in the Flemish public building sector. The non-residential building types (office, educational, healthcare etc.) will be categorized. Within each category, a set of typologically representative non-residential buildings will be further identified, while a data driven cluster analysis will be carried out in order to define these non-residential archetypes. Moreover, the less energy efficient building sets will be identified by benchmarking the energy performance within the defined building categories, and the relative potential energy saving targets and pathways will be quantified and evaluated in order to provide policy support in improving energy efficiency of the poorly performing public buildings.
Location-based data driven model for real estate market value analysis based on energy performance certification
Authors: Moretti Nicola , Tagliabue Lavinia Chiara , Dejaco Mario Claudio , Cecconi Fulvio Re
Published: November 2019

The market value of physical assets varies over time as a function of different factors. These factors are related, for instance, to the correct execution of construction works and installation of systems, the procedures for the operation of systems and equipment, the continuous implementation of maintenance operations and to the location and the perceived value. However, there is no clear evidence, in Italy, of how buildings’ market value is affected by the energy performance measured by the Energy Performance Certification (EPC), promoted thanks to the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in order to drive the assets’ energy efficiency. The aim of the research is the definition of a methodology for the identification of the impact of the energy performance on the market value of the assets. An analysis of the market values of assets has been carried out based on a public database. On this basis, an investigation of homogeneous assets’ price areas has been performed. The results have been geolocated and further processed, which allowed to associate differences in the market values to the energy performance retrieved from the Certificazione Energetica degli EDifici (CENED) database (the Italian regional EPC database). The buildings included in the analysis are residential buildings distributed in the regional territory (Lombardy Region). The methodology has been tested at national level but is potentially scalable in different contexts. It has been developed and applied in two case studies, cities with different size and characteristics located in the northern Italy.
Demonstration of heating demand peak shaving in smart homes
Authors: Beltram Lucas , Christensen Morten Herget , Li Rongling
Published: November 2019

Flexible heating demand in buildings plays an important role in achieving a carbon neutral society. For the district heating system of Copenhagen, heating demand flexibility can help to eliminate the use of fossil-fueled boilers that are used during peak-load periods. In this project, field tests in 16 apartments were conducted, aiming to gain insights into the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to manage heating systems operation for flexible demand. The apartments are equipped with sensors and devices interfaced to an ICT system composed of blocks responsible for data storage, monitoring and control. In the experiments, we controlled temperature setpoints of individual rooms during defined periods of the day, and continuously developed control strategies throughout the tests in the heating season 2018/19. The final algorithm was implemented with features to reduce the rebound effect and include residents feedback. All the algorithms are generic and can be applied in other smart homes where heating supply to rooms is controlled using thermostats. The ICT system architecture used in the experiments showed to be a feasible way to implement demand side management (DSM) in the heating system, and the learning process of the experiments resulted in improvements on the control strategies, leading to a better system performance.
Multi-agent reinforcement learning for adaptive demand response in smart cities
Authors: Vazquez-Canteli Jose , Detjeen Thomas , Henze Gregor , Kämpf Jérôme , Nagy Zoltan
Published: November 2019

Buildings account for over 70% of the electricity use in the US. As cities grow, high peaks of electricity consumption are becoming more frequent, which leads to higher prices for electricity. Demand response is the coordination of electrical loads such that they react to price signals and coordinate with each other to shave the peaks of electricity consumption. We explore the use of multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG), an adaptive and model-free reinforcement learning control algorithm, for coordination of several buildings in a demand response scenario. We conduct our experiment in a simulated environment with 10 buildings.
An algorithm for the optimal management of air-source heat pumps and PV systems
Authors: Vivian Jacopo , Mazzi Nicolò
Published: November 2019

The progressive decentralization and decarbonisation of the energy system calls for an increased flexibility of the demand side. Model predictive control techniques can help users consume more efficiently by shifting their energy demand toward most convenient time windows. The present work proposes an algorithm to optimally shift the heating demand of a residential building equipped with an air-source heat pump and PV panels by exploiting the inertia provided by its thermal mass. Results show that the proposed look-ahead control strategy is able to achieve significant cost savings for the users without affecting the thermal comfort in the indoor environment.