scholarly journals An investigation into the mechanical damping characteristics of catenary contact wires and their effect on aerodynamic galloping instability

Author(s):  
M. T. Stickland ◽  
T. J. Scanlon ◽  
I. A. Craighead ◽  
J Fernandez

Measurement of the damped oscillation of a section of the UK East Coast Main Line (ECML) catenary/contact wire system was undertaken, and the natural frequency and mechanical damping were found to be 1.4Hz and 0.05 respectively. This information was used to assess the effect of increasing the mechanical damping ratio on the susceptibility of the system to an aerodynamic galloping instability. The section of line tested was known to gallop at wind speeds of approximately 40 mile/h, and theoretical and experimental work verified this. A friction damper arm was designed and three units were fitted to the section of line affected. The introduction of increased mechanical damping was found to raise the mechanical damping coefficient of the line to between 0.095 and 0.18, and the mathematical analysis produced a theoretical wind speed for galloping oscillation of between 75 and 141 mile/h respectively. For over a year since the units were fitted, no problems with galloping instability have been observed.

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Petros P. Kritharas ◽  
Simon J. Watson

This paper presents a time series analysis of historical observations of wind speed in order to project future wind speed trends. For this study, 52 years of data have been used from seven suitable stations across the UK. Four parsimonious models have been employed, and the data were split into two different segments: the training and the validation data sets. During the fitting process, the optimum parameters for each model were determined in order to minimize the mean square error in the predictions. The results suggest that the seasonal pattern in wind speeds is the most important factor but that there is some monthly autocorrelation in the data, which can improve forecasts. This is confirmed by testing the four models with the model having considered both autocorrelation and seasonality achieving the smallest errors. The approach proposed for forecasting wind speeds a month ahead may be deemed useful to suppliers for purchasing base load in advance and to system operators for power system maintenance scheduling up to a month ahead.


Author(s):  
Muthomi Munyua

This paper provides guidance on the use of existing wind data in Kenya with the Eurocodes despite the absence of the local national annexes. The determination of wind loads in the structural design of buildings according to the Eurocode Standard KS EN 1991-1-4:2005 in Kenya is challenging because of the lack of the Kenya National Annex. The design code commonly used in Kenya is CP3-Chapter V-2:1972 that uses the three-second gust duration. This gust duration results in higher magnitudes of wind loads that end up making the structures unnecessarily robust and uneconomical. Using the Eurocodes has the promise of achieving more economical designs because it uses the 10-minute gust duration. The 10-minute gust duration results in typically lower magnitudes of wind loads than the three-second gust duration for the same wind speed. Kenya adopted the Eurocodes in September 2012 but has not yet developed its national annexes opting instead to use the UK National Annexes. The UK National Annexes are applicable to Kenya in some scenarios but not in others such as wind loading. The lack of the Kenya National Annexes has led to difficulties in the adoption of the Eurocodes. This paper outlines a procedure in which the existing wind data given in three-second gusts could be converted to 10-minute wind speeds. Once converted, the method described in the UK National Annex could then be followed selectively to determine the wind load on a structure. Lastly, the paper recommends that wind data collected from 1977 to 2021 by the Kenya Meteorological Department be incorporated to the development of the wind map for the Kenya National Annex to KS EN 1991-1-4:2005


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik M. Bette ◽  
Edgar Jungblut ◽  
Thomas Guhr

Abstract. Modern utility-scale wind turbines are equipped with a Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system gathering vast amounts of operational data that can be used for failure analysis and prediction to improve operation and maintenance of turbines. We analyse high freqeuency SCADA-data from the Thanet offshore windpark in the UK and evaluate Pearson correlation matrices for a variety of observables with a moving time window. This renders possible an asessment of non-stationarity in mutual dependcies of different types of data. Drawing from our experience in other complex systems, such as financial markets and traffic, we show this by employing a hierarchichal k-means clustering algorithm on the correlation matrices. The different clusters exhibit distinct typical correlation structures to which we refer as states. Looking first at only one and later at multiple turbines, the main dependence of these states is shown to be on wind speed. In accordance, we identify them as operational states arising from different settings in the turbine control system based on the available wind speed. We model the boundary wind speeds seperating the states based on the clustering solution. This allows the usage of our methodology for failure analysis or prediction by sorting new data based on wind speed and comparing it to the respective operational state, thereby taking the non-stationarity into account.


Author(s):  
Muthomi Munyua

This study provided guidance on the use of existing wind data in Kenya with the Eurocodes despite the absence of the local national annexes. The determination of wind loads in the structural design of buildings according to the Eurocode Standard KS EN 1991-1-4:2005 had several challenges. The code of practice commonly used in Kenya was CP3-Chapter V-2:1972 that used the three-second gust duration. This gust duration resulted in higher magnitudes of wind loads that ended up making the structures unnecessarily robust and uneconomical. Using the Eurocodes had the promise of achieving more economical designs because it used the 10-minute gust duration. The 10-minute gust duration resulted in typically lower magnitudes of wind loads than the three-second gust duration for the same wind speed. Kenya adopted the Eurocodes in September 2012 but had not yet developed its national annexes opting instead to use the UK National Annexes. The UK National Annexes were applicable to Kenya in some scenarios but not in others such as wind loading. The lack of the Kenya National Annexes led to difficulties in the adoption of the Eurocodes. This paper outlined a procedure in which the existing wind data given in three-second gusts could be converted to 10-minute wind speeds. Once converted, the method described in the UK National Annex could then be followed selectively to determine the wind load on a structure. Lastly, the paper recommended that wind data collected from 1977 to 2021 by the Kenya Meteorological Department be incorporated to the development of the wind map for the Kenya National Annex to KS EN 1991-1-4:2005.


Author(s):  
Naohiro Kado

To clarify the feasibility of a novel, semi-active friction damper, its damping characteristics were investigated theoretically and numerically. The proposed damper suppresses vibrations by changing the direction of the frictional force, in contrast to the conventional passive and semi-active friction dampers that only focus on the magnitude of the frictional force. The theoretical analysis indicates that the proposed damper can behave as a conventional friction damper or a viscous damper depending on the use conditions; further, its effective damping ratio can be controlled by the velocity of a friction plate moving in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the vibration. The numerical simulations clarified that damping characteristics can be controlled by the ratio of the amplitude of the excitation force to the frictional force. Finally, the design criteria of the proposed damper were derived.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain S. Weaver ◽  
Hywel T. P. Williams ◽  
Rudy Arthur

AbstractPeople often talk about the weather on social media, using different vocabulary to describe different conditions. Here we combine a large collection of wind-related Twitter posts (tweets) and UK Met Office wind speed observations to explore the relationship between tweet volume, tweet language and wind speeds in the UK. We find that wind speeds are experienced subjectively relative to the local baseline, so that the same absolute wind speed is reported as stronger or weaker depending on the typical weather conditions in the local area. Different linguistic tokens (words and emojis) are associated with different wind speeds. These associations can be used to create a simple text classifier to detect ‘high-wind’ tweets with reasonable accuracy; this can be used to detect high winds in a locality using only a single tweet. We also construct a ‘social Beaufort scale’ to infer wind speeds based only on the language used in tweets. Together with the classifier, this demonstrates that language alone is indicative of weather conditions, independent of tweet volume. However, the number of high-wind tweets shows a strong temporal correlation with local wind speeds, increasing the ability of a combined language-plus-volume system to successfully detect high winds. Our findings complement previous work in social sensing of weather hazards that has focused on the relationship between tweet volume and severity. These results show that impacts of wind and storms are found in how people communicate and use language, a novel dimension in understanding the social impacts of extreme weather.


Author(s):  
S. G. Ignatiev ◽  
S. V. Kiseleva

Optimization of the autonomous wind-diesel plants composition and of their power for guaranteed energy supply, despite the long history of research, the diversity of approaches and methods, is an urgent problem. In this paper, a detailed analysis of the wind energy characteristics is proposed to shape an autonomous power system for a guaranteed power supply with predominance wind energy. The analysis was carried out on the basis of wind speed measurements in the south of the European part of Russia during 8 months at different heights with a discreteness of 10 minutes. As a result, we have obtained a sequence of average daily wind speeds and the sequences constructed by arbitrary variations in the distribution of average daily wind speeds in this interval. These sequences have been used to calculate energy balances in systems (wind turbines + diesel generator + consumer with constant and limited daily energy demand) and (wind turbines + diesel generator + consumer with constant and limited daily energy demand + energy storage). In order to maximize the use of wind energy, the wind turbine integrally for the period in question is assumed to produce the required amount of energy. For the generality of consideration, we have introduced the relative values of the required energy, relative energy produced by the wind turbine and the diesel generator and relative storage capacity by normalizing them to the swept area of the wind wheel. The paper shows the effect of the average wind speed over the period on the energy characteristics of the system (wind turbine + diesel generator + consumer). It was found that the wind turbine energy produced, wind turbine energy used by the consumer, fuel consumption, and fuel economy depend (close to cubic dependence) upon the specified average wind speed. It was found that, for the same system with a limited amount of required energy and high average wind speed over the period, the wind turbines with lower generator power and smaller wind wheel radius use wind energy more efficiently than the wind turbines with higher generator power and larger wind wheel radius at less average wind speed. For the system (wind turbine + diesel generator + energy storage + consumer) with increasing average speed for a given amount of energy required, which in general is covered by the energy production of wind turbines for the period, the maximum size capacity of the storage device decreases. With decreasing the energy storage capacity, the influence of the random nature of the change in wind speed decreases, and at some values of the relative capacity, it can be neglected.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 311
Author(s):  
Ben R. Evans ◽  
Iris Möller ◽  
Tom Spencer

Salt marshes are important coastal environments and provide multiple benefits to society. They are considered to be declining in extent globally, including on the UK east coast. The dynamics and characteristics of interior parts of salt marsh systems are spatially variable and can fundamentally affect biotic distributions and the way in which the landscape delivers ecosystem services. It is therefore important to understand, and be able to predict, how these landscape configurations may evolve over time and where the greatest dynamism will occur. This study estimates morphodynamic changes in salt marsh areas for a regional domain over a multi-decadal timescale. We demonstrate at a landscape scale that relationships exist between the topology and morphology of a salt marsh and changes in its condition over time. We present an inherently scalable satellite-derived measure of change in marsh platform integrity that allows the monitoring of changes in marsh condition. We then demonstrate that easily derived geospatial and morphometric parameters can be used to determine the probability of marsh degradation. We draw comparisons with previous work conducted on the east coast of the USA, finding differences in marsh responses according to their position within the wider coastal system between the two regions, but relatively consistent in relation to the within-marsh situation. We describe the sub-pixel-scale marsh morphometry using a morphological segmentation algorithm applied to 25 cm-resolution maps of vegetated marsh surface. We also find strong relationships between morphometric indices and change in marsh platform integrity which allow for the inference of past dynamism but also suggest that current morphology may be predictive of future change. We thus provide insight into the factors governing marsh degradation that will assist the anticipation of adverse changes to the attributes and functions of these critical coastal environments and inform ongoing ecogeomorphic modelling developments.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 2796
Author(s):  
Andrzej Osuch ◽  
Ewa Osuch ◽  
Stanisław Podsiadłowski ◽  
Piotr Rybacki

In the introduction to this paper, the characteristics of Góreckie lake and the construction and operation of the wind-driven pulverizing aerator are presented. The purpose of this manuscript is to determine the efficiency of the pulverizing aerator unit in the windy conditions of Góreckie Lake. The efficiency of the pulverization aerator depends on the wind conditions at the lake. It was necessary to conduct thorough research to determine the efficiency of water flow through the pulverization segment (water pump). It was necessary to determine the rotational speed of the paddle wheel, which depended on the average wind speed. Throughout the research period, measurements of hourly average wind speed were carried out. It was possible to determine the efficiency of the machine by developing a dedicated mathematical model. The latest method was used in the research, consisting of determining the theoretical volumetric flow rates of water in the pulverizing aerator unit, based on average hourly wind speeds. Pulverization efficiency under the conditions of Góreckie Lake was determined based on 6600 average wind speeds for spring, summer and autumn, 2018. Based on the model, the theoretical efficiency of the machine was calculated, which, under the conditions of Góreckie Lake, amounted to 75,000 m3 per year.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1587
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Wrobel ◽  
Krzysztof Tomczewski ◽  
Artur Sliwinski ◽  
Andrzej Tomczewski

This article presents a method to adjust the elements of a small wind power plant to the wind speed characterized by the highest annual level of energy. Tests were carried out on the basis of annual wind distributions at three locations. The standard range of wind speeds was reduced to that resulting from the annual wind speed distributions in these locations. The construction of the generators and the method of their excitation were adapted to the characteristics of the turbines. The results obtained for the designed power plants were compared with those obtained for a power plant with a commercial turbine adapted to a wind speed of 10 mps. The generator structure and control method were optimized using a genetic algorithm in the MATLAB program (Mathworks, Natick, MA, USA); magnetostatic calculations were carried out using the FEMM program; the simulations were conducted using a proprietary simulation program. The simulation results were verified by measurement for a switched reluctance machine of the same voltage, power, and design. Finally, the yields of the designed generators in various locations were determined.


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