A novel robust finite time disturbance observer (RFTDO) based on an independent output-finite time composite control (FTCC) scheme is proposed for an air conditioning-system temperature and humidity regulation. The variable air volume (VAV) of the system is represented by two first-order mathematical models for the temperature and humidity dynamics. In the temperature loop dynamics, a RFTDO temperature (RFTDO-T) and an FTCC temperature (FTCC-T) are designed to estimate and reject the lumped disturbances of the temperature subsystem. In the humidity loop, a robust output of the FTCC humidity (FTCC-H) and RFTDO humidity (RFTDO-H) are also designed to estimate and reject the lumped disturbances of the humidity subsystem. Based on Lyapunov theory, the stability proof of the two closed-loop controllers and observers is presented. Comparative simulations are carried out to confirm that the proposed controller outperforms conventional methods and offers greater accuracy of temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration, having superior regulation performance in terms of a rapid finite time convergence, an outstanding disturbance rejection property, and better energy consumption. In addition to presenting the comparative simulation results from the control applications on the VAV system, the quantitative values are provided to further confirm the superiority of the proposed controller. In particular, the proposed method exhibits the shortest settling time of, respectively, 15 and 40 min to reach the expected temperature and humidity, whereas other comparative controllers require a longer time to settle down.
Equilibrium and rate of mixing of free flowing solid materials are found using gas fluidized bed. The solid materials were sand (size 0.7 mm), sugar (size0.7 mm) and 15% cast iron used as a tracer. The fluidizing gas was air with velocity ranged from 0.45-0.65 m/s while the mixing time was up to 10 minutes. The mixing index for each experiment was calculated by averaging the results of 10 samples taken from different radial and axial positions in fluidized QVF column 150 mm ID and 900 mm height.
The experimental results were used in solving a mathematical model of mixing rate and mixing index at an equilibrium proposed by Rose. The results show that mixing index increases with inc
... Show MoreThe reduction of vibration properties for composite material (woven roving E-glass fiber plies in thermosetting polyester matrix) is investigated at the prediction time under varied combined temperatures (60 to -15) using three types of boundary conditions like (CFCF, CCCF, and CFCC). The vibration properties are the amplitude, natural frequency, dynamic elastic moduli (young modulus in x, y directions and shear modulus in 1, 2 plane) and damping factor. The natural frequency of a system is a function of its elastic properties, dimensions, and mass. The woven roving glass fiber has been especially engineered for polymer reinforcement; but the unsaturated thermosetting polyester is widely used, offering a good balance of vibration p
... Show MoreTime-domain spectral matching commonly used to define seismic inputs to dynamic analysis in terms of acceleration time history compatible with a specific target response spectrum is used in this study to investigate the second-order geometric effect of P-delta on the seismic response of base-isolated high-rise buildings. A synthetic time series is generated by adjusting reference time series that consist of available readings from a past earthquake of the 1940 El Centro earthquake adopted as an initial time series. The superstructure of a 20-story base isolated building is represented by a 3-D finite element model using ETABS software. The results of the base isolated building show that base isolation technique significantly reduces inter-s
... Show MoreThis study is qualitative, it illustrates H.G. Wells\\'s The Time Machine through the scientific and social framework of the Victorian Era. Wells\\'s portrayal of future societies examines the rapid technological progress and social changes of the 19th century. The analysis scrutinizes the division between the Eloi and the Morlocks, tracing the consequences of social division. To meet the objective of the study, Victorian frame of mind is utilized to examine the class struggle that is symbolized by the Eloi and the Morlocks. The analysis highlights the economic and social effects of industrialization and how Wells examines the capitalist system and its impact on human relationships and class division. The study also utilizes concepts from D
... Show MoreThis article aims to determine the time-dependent heat coefficient together with the temperature solution for a type of semi-linear time-fractional inverse source problem by applying a method based on the finite difference scheme and Tikhonov regularization. An unconditionally stable implicit finite difference scheme is used as a direct (forward) solver. While by the MATLAB routine lsqnonlin from the optimization toolbox, the inverse problem is reformulated as nonlinear least square minimization and solved efficiently. Since the problem is generally incorrect or ill-posed that means any error inclusion in the input data will produce a large error in the output data. Therefore, the Tikhonov regularization technique is applie
... Show MoreExperiments were conducted to study the behavior of the solid particles (proppant) inside the hydraulic fracture during the formation stimulation, and study the effect of the proppant concentration on the hydraulic fracturing process, which lead to bridge and screen-out conditions inside the fractures across the fracture width that restricts fracturing fluid to flow into the hydraulic fracture. The research also studies the effect of the ratio between the fracture size and the average particles diameter “proppant", on fracture bridging. In this study two ratios were considered β= 2 and 3 ,where β=Dt / Dp where: Dt= hydraulic fracture size (width) and Dp=Average particles diameter.
This work pr
... Show MoreReduce the required time for measuring the permeability of clayey soils by using new manufactured cell