A Review of Recent Advancements in Offshore Wind Turbine Technology

Offshore wind turbines are becoming increasingly popular due to their higher wind energy harnessing capabilities and lower visual pollution. Researchers around the globe have been reporting significant scientific advancements in offshore wind turbines technology, addressing key issues, such as aerodynamic characteristics of turbine blades, dynamic response of the turbine, structural integrity of the turbine foundation, design of the mooring cables, ground scouring and cost modelling for commercial viability. These investigations range from component-level design and analysis to system-level response and optimization using a multitude of analytical, empirical and numerical techniques. With such wide-ranging studies available in the public domain, there is a need to carry out an extensive yet critical literature review on the recent advancements in offshore wind turbine technology. Offshore wind turbine blades’ aerodynamics and the structural integrity of offshore wind turbines are of particular importance, which can lead towards system’s optimal design and operation, leading to reduced maintenance costs. Thus, in this study, our focus is to highlight key knowledge gaps in the scientific investigations on offshore wind turbines’ aerodynamic and structural response. It is envisaged that this study will pave the way for future concentrated efforts in better understanding the complex behavior of these machines.

Research on Real-Time Model of Turboshaft Engine with Surge Process

The main data source for the verification of surge detection methods still rely on test rigs of the compressor or the whole engine, which makes the development of models of the whole engine surge process an urgent need to replace the high-cost and high-risk surge test. In this paper, a novel real-time surge model based on the surge mechanism is proposed. Firstly, the turboshaft engine component level model (CLM) and the classic surge dynamic model, Moore-Greitzer (MG) model is established. Then the stability of the MG model is analyzed and the compressor characteristics in the classical MG model are extended to establish the extended MG model. Finally, this paper considers the coupling relationship of the compressor’s rotor speed, mass flow and pressure between CLM and the extended MG model to establish the real-time model of the turboshaft engine with surge process. The simulation results show that this model can realize the whole surge process of the turboshaft engine under multiple operating states. The change characteristics of the rotor speed, compressor outlet pressure, mass flow, exhaust gas temperature and other parameters are consistent with the test data, which means that the model proposed can be further applied to the research of surge detection and anti-surge control.

Voice User Interface: Literature review, challenges and future directions

Natural user interfaces are increasingly popular these days. One of the most common of these user interfaces today are voice-activated interfaces, in particular intelligent voice assistants such as Google Assistant, Alexa, Cortana and Siri. However, the results show that although there are many services available, there is still a lot to be done to improve the usability of these systems. Speech recognition, contextual understanding and human interaction are the issues that are not yet solved in this field. In this context, this research paper focuses on the state of the art and knowledge of work on intelligent voice interfaces, challenges and issues related to this field, in particular on interaction quality, usability, security and usability. As such, the study also examines voice assistant architecture components following the expansion of the use of technologies such as wearable computing in order to improve the user experience. Moreover, the presentation of new emerging technologies in this field will be the subject of a section in this work. The main contributions of this paper are therefore: (1) overview of existing research, (2) analysis and exploration of the field of intelligent voice assistant systems, with details at the component level, (3) identification of areas that require further research and development, with the aim of increasing its use, (4) various proposals for research directions and orientations for future work, and finally, (5) study of the feasibility of designing a new type of voice assistant and general presentation of the latter, whose realisation will be the subject of a thesis.

Domestic component level analysis for multipurpose autonomous robot

Multipurpose autonomous robot technology has been developed to assist transportation sectors or the current emergency as the Covid-19 pandemic. A practical issue in the robotic industry concerns the domestic content in commodities, services, and a combination of goods and services commonly determined as domestic component level (DCL). To be considered a standardized national product, a product's DCL must surpass a certain level of local content composition. This research aims to investigate the DCL of a developed multipurpose autonomous robot in Indonesia called ROM20. The research was initiated by interviewing specialists in DCL calculation and robotics research to perform DCL analysis on ROM20. The next step was breaking down the ROM20 components into a second layer component, in which the amount of domestic component and overseas components can be derived. Finally, the ROM20 DCL value was calculated by dividing the cost of domestic components by the total cost of domestic and overseas components. As a digital product, the ROM20 DCL calculation result showed that the manufacturing aspect is 70 %, and the development aspect is 30 %. The overall ROM20 DCL value has been calculated as 52.23 %, which surpasses the national standard threshold at 40 % DCL value. Therefore, ROM20 can be considered a high-value standardized national product, impacting the competitiveness of local products and the fast-growing medical device industry in Indonesia.

A new solution to the coupled problems of aero-propulsion system deceleration under supersonic state

Under supersonic state, the aero-propulsion system exhibits different coupled characters in deceleration from that in acceleration. However, the deceleration control has not been fully studied. In order to solve the coupled problems, an integrated component-level model including inlet and turbofan engine was established. Based on the integrated model, the particularity of inlet adjustment during deceleration was analyzed. And the analyzed results showed that the inlet regulation is not necessary to keep the inlet and engine working in well-matched at any time under supersonic state. Due to the coupled relationship between inlet and turbofan engine, a new optimal integrated control scheme is proposed in this paper. The inlet ramp angle is taken as an optimal control variable as the same as main fuel mass flow and nozzle throat area. The simulation results indicate that inlet ramp angle regulation showed a more effective control quality in the rapid drop of aero-propulsion–installed thrust. Furthermore, the deceleration could be completed in a shorter control time.

Modeling and Parameter Sensitivity Analysis of Valve-controlled Helical Hydraulic Rotary Actuator System

As a kind of hydraulic rotary actuator, helical hydraulic rotary actuator has the excellent characteristics of large angle, high torque and compact structure, which has been widely used in various fields. However, the core technology is in the hands of several companies and has not been disclosed, and the relevant reports are mostly limited to the component level. From the perspective of designing the driving system, the dynamic characteristics of the output when the helical rotary actuator is applied to the closed-loop system are explored. There are two main problems to be studied: one is to establish a reliable mathematical model, and the other is to consider the influence of system parameter perturbation on the output in practice. In this paper, firstly, the dynamic model of valve-controlled helical rotary actuator angle closed-loop system is derived in detail, which has never been reported in the existing literature. Then, the sensitivity analysis of 23 main parameters in the model with perturbation of 10% is carried out under nine working conditions. Finally, the system dynamics model and the sensitivity analysis results are verified by the prototype experiment and co-simulation, which shows the reliability of the theoretical results in this paper.

Addressing Corrosion Stress Cracking Issue of Magnesium Frac Plugs Used in Ultra HPHT Shale Well Development

The paper discusses the unrecognized issue of accelerated cracking and dissolution of stressed high strength dissolvable magnesium components at elevated temperature. A high strength dissolvable magnesium alloy was selected for inclusion in a frac plug designed for 125°C to 175°C service after thorough tensile, compression, and dissolution testing of the alloy. After a 125°C plug field test, the plug exhibited catastrophic, premature failure. Laboratory plug testing of two magnesium alloys for the slips replicated the failure at 140°C in tap water. Dissolution testing of coupons in a more aggressive media showed inadequate mass loss to compromise functionality. It was theorized that the passivating magnesium layer was unable to form due to the stress applied to the components with magnesium's inherent reactivity with water. Slow strain rate testing was used to study the potential mechanism causing stress corrosion cracking. Two high temperature high strength alloys, DM-1 and DM-2, were tested at 4 x 10^-6 in/in/s in 140°C tap water. DM-1 demonstrated a decrease in yield from 52.4 ksi to 33 ksi, a 37% reduction as well as a decrease in ductility from 10.9% to 0.8%, a 93% decrease. DM-2 demonstrated a decrease in yield from 59.3 ksi to 32.3 ksi, a 46% reduction as well as a decrease in ductility from 10.3% to 0.7%, a 93% decrease. A scanning electron microscope evaluation showed both materials possessed a highly developed secondary phase surrounding the grain boundaries. The development and subsequent investigation of an alternative magnesium alloy, DM-3, showed semi-continuous secondary phases and was investigated for a substitute at a component level. While the ultimate tensile strength decreased minimally, the ductility decreased by 36%. Laboratory testing of the plug in identical conditions with the DM-3 slips was still successful. It is imperative for high temperature magnesium plug material selection to ensure the alloy does not have highly interconnected secondary phases which may cause sudden failure during field operation.