Innovatory rainfall simulator design – A concept of moving storm automation

We developed an advanced design programmable rainfall simulator (RS) to simulate a moving storm rainfall condition. The RS consists of an automated nozzle control system coupled with a pressure regulator mechanism for an operating range of 50 kPa to 180 kPa at a drop height of 2000 mm above the soil flume surface. Additionally, a programmable mobile application was developed to regulate all RS valves. Near natural rainfall conditions were simulated at varying spatial and temporal resolutions in a controlled environment. A soil flume of 2500 mm × 1400 mm × 500 mm was fabricated to conduct different hydrological experiments. The flume was designed to record overland, subsurface, and base flows simultaneously. This study focused on a detailed analysis of moving storms and their impact on hydrograph characteristics. Experimental results showed a considerable difference in terms of time to peak (tp), peak discharge (Qp), and hydrograph recession for two different storm movement directions (upstream and downstream). Two multiple regression models indicate a statistically significant relationship between the dependent variable (tp or Qp) and the independent variables (i.e. storm movement direction, storm velocity, and bed slope gradient) at a 5 % level of significance. Further, the impact of these moving storm phenomena reduces with the increase in the storm movement velocity.

A Guide for Using Flight Simulators to Study the Sensory Basis of Long-Distance Migration in Insects

Studying the routes flown by long-distance migratory insects comes with the obvious challenge that the animal’s body size and weight is comparably low. This makes it difficult to attach relatively heavy transmitters to these insects in order to monitor their migratory routes (as has been done for instance in several species of migratory birds. However, the rather delicate anatomy of insects can be advantageous for testing their capacity to orient with respect to putative compass cues during indoor experiments under controlled conditions. Almost 20 years ago, Barrie Frost and Henrik Mouritsen developed a flight simulator which enabled them to monitor the heading directions of tethered migratory Monarch butterflies, both indoors and outdoors. The design described in the original paper has been used in many follow-up studies to describe the orientation capacities of mainly diurnal lepidopteran species. Here we present a modification of this flight simulator design that enables studies of nocturnal long-distance migration in moths while allowing controlled magnetic, visual and mechanosensory stimulation. This modified flight simulator has so far been successfully used to study the sensory basis of migration in two European and one Australian migratory noctuid species.

Process simulation of biodiesel production from vegetable oil deodorization distillate using hydrotalcite-hydroxyapatite as catalyst

In There are few simulation studies in the literature focusing on the production of biodiesel from vegetable oil deodorization distillate (VODD), a waste originating from the vegetable oil processing stage, using hydrotalcite-hydroxyapatite as a heterogeneous catalyst. In this study, the simulation process was performed using open interface software DWSIM® Version 6.3. The motivation relied on the positive performance of the catalyst during the experimental studies. So, in the simulator design, the lipid raw material, ethanol, and the catalyst were fed together in a CSTR-01 conversion reactor. The thermodynamic fluid package used for this process was the Non-Random Two-Liquid (NRTL) activity coefficient model. The process flowchart consisted of the reaction step (oil transesterification), and separation steps of the ethyl esters produced, excess ethanol and purification of biodiesel. As a result, different scenarios were simulated, using commercial soybean oil as a comparative form, different types of catalysts and different molar ratios of alcohol and VODD. Among the main differences between the simulated cases, it was demonstrated that the excess of alcohol (1:45) caused greater quantity of VODD consumption, and consequently the greater formation of ethyl esters (biodiesel), resulting higher conversions (> 95%). In addition, the results obtained confirmed the adequacy of VODD as a potential raw material to produce biodiesel, as it is relatively cheaper than edible oils and contributes to the use of waste. Thus, confirming that the chemical catalyst was able to form the main esters of fatty acids even using a residual raw material.

Rancang Bangun Simulator Kincir Pembangkit Listrik Floating Hydro

Energy consumption in Indonesia is increasing every year, the fulfillment of the energy needed must be overcome. Energy is something that is really needed by anyone, from humans or animals to be able to do something or work. This energy is also abstract, its existence can be felt, but it is difficult to prove. Electricity needs of the community today are a basic need. Electricity usage is almost 24 hours nonstop. To cope with the increasing demand for electricity, it is necessary to utilize natural resources that can be used as new energy resources. The floating hydro power plant simulator is a hydroelectric power plant that utilizes the flow of water from a pump to drive a waterwheel, a device designed to make it easier for students to learn basic electrical engineering and fluid mechanics. The purpose of this design is to design and build a floating hydro power plant and test the tool. The design method used the VDI 2222 method approach, which includes planning, conceptualizing, designing, finishing. The results of the design were according to the method used, namely in the form of a waterwheel simulator design for power plants. The estimated production process time for the manufacture of a floating hydro simulator for cutting 3.9 hours; process of gurdi 3.08 hours; lathe process 1.3 hours; 1.58 hours assembly process; finishing process 2.75 hours = 1.2 days (1 day = 8 hours). The total cost of making the machine was Rp. 2.605,740.00. The driven pulley test results in 65.4 rpm and the driven pulley produced 304 rpm and the output was 12.3 volts.

Real-time digital simulator for distributed systems

Simulation has been widely adopted as a support tool for the validation and experimentation of distributed systems. It allows different devices and applications to be evaluated and analyzed without requiring the actual presence of those machines. Although the simulation plays an important role in investigating and evaluating the behaviors of devices, it results in a serious simulator building problem as the distributed systems become more and more complicated and dynamically data driven. Most of the existing simulators are designed and developed to target a specific type of application, lacking the capabilities to be a configurable and standardized tool for researchers. To solve the adaptability and reusability problems of simulators, this paper proposes a new approach to design and implement a configurable real-time digital simulator for hardware devices that are connected via data buses in distributed systems. First, the proposed simulator uses a logic automaton to simulate the activities of a real device, and generates the incentive data for tested equipment according to the predefined XML-based files. Then with a virtual bus, the simulator can receive, handle, and send data in various network environments, improving the flexibility and adaptability of a simulator design. Experimental results show that the proposed simulator has a high real-time performance, and can meet the increasing requirements of modern simulations of distributed systems.