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The objective of this paper is to propose a multi-input DC-DC converter with bidirectional power flow control capability. Compared to the traditional power converter, the multi-input converter (MIC) can save on the number of components and the circuit cost. Under normal conditions, the MIC is able to transfer energy from different input sources to the load. However, if the battery module is adopted, both the charging or discharging features should be considered. Therefore, the bidirectional power flow control of the MIC is necessary. On the other hand, because of the inconsistency characteristics of batteries, unbalanced circuit operation might occur whereby the circuit and the battery might be damaged. Therefore, dynamic current regulation strategies are developed for the MIC. Consequently, the proposed MIC circuit is able to achieve the bidirectional power flow control capability as well as control the input currents independently. Detailed circuit analysis and comprehensive mathematical derivation and of the proposed MIC will be presented in this paper. Finally, both simulation and experimental results obtained from a 500 W prototype circuit verify the performance and feasibility of the proposed bidirectional multi-input converter.

Packaging was recently identified as an essential element in addressing the key challenge of sustainable food supply and is gaining interest among researchers. It is a central element in food quality preservation due to its role in heat and mass exchange with the external atmosphere, contributing to the preservation of food quality during storage and extending food shelf life. This work proposes three new packaging configurations with the same size but different geometry and ventilation hole sizes and geometry, that change the conditions in which the heat and mass exchange occurs, during either the cooling period of fruits, inside the cooling chamber, or during the period when the packaging is exposed to ambient conditions, outside the cooling chamber. For this purpose, packages with fruit models that replicate the properties of real fruit were subjected to a cooling process inside a cooling chamber for 8 h. Subsequently, during the heating phase, the packages were exposed to ambient conditions for 10 h. Thermal conditions were also monitored, both inside and outside the chamber. Additionally, for comparative purposes, the thermal behavior of commercial packaging was also evaluated for the same operating conditions in the cooling and heating phases. The results show that the new packages do not substantially promote the preservation of fruits in the cooling phase, but in the heating phase, they ensure an extension of the period with proper thermal conditions of up to 50% in relation to the conventional packaging. This result is particularly important since the heating phase, in which fruits are outside the storage chamber, is the period with the greatest impact on the fruits’ useful life.

Reliability assessment in traditional power distribution systems has played a key role in power system planning, design, and operation. Recently, new information and communication technologies have been introduced in power systems automation and asset management, making the distribution network even more complex. In order to achieve efficient energy management, the distribution grid has to adopt a new configuration and operational conditions that are changing the paradigm of the actual electrical system. Therefore, the emergence of the cyber-physical systems concept to face future energetic needs requires alternative approaches for evaluating the reliability of modern distribution systems, especially in the smart grids environment. In this paper, a reliability approach that makes use of failure modes of power and cyber network main components is proposed to evaluate risk analysis in smart electrical distribution systems. We introduce the application of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) method in future smart grid systems in order to establish the impact of different failure modes on their performance. A smart grid test system is defined and failure modes and their effects for both power and the cyber components are presented. Preventive maintenance tasks are proposed and systematized to minimize the impact of high-risk failures and increase reliability.

Power grid dispatching is a high-risk process, and its execution depends on an available cyber system. However, the effects of cyber systems have not caught enough attention in current research on risk assessments in dispatching processes, which may cause optimistic risk results. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes a risk assessment model that considers the impact of a cyber system on power grid dispatching processes. Firstly, a cyber-physical switchgear state model that integrates the reliability states of both cyber system functions and switchgears is proposed, based on the transition of switchgear states in the dispatching process. Then, the potential effects of each operating step on power grid states are analyzed considering the failure model of cyber-physical system (CPS) components. The risk probabilities and consequences of the power grid states are calculated to quantify the risk index. Finally, the workings and effectiveness of this model are illustrated using the IEEE Reliability Test System-1979.

In a traditional inductive coupling power transfer (ICPT) system, the converter and the resonant network are strongly coupled. Since the coupling coefficient and the parameters of the resonant network usually vary, the resonant network easily detunes, and the system efficiency, power source capacity, power control, and soft switching conditions of the ICPT system are considerably affected. This paper presents an ICPT system based on a power converter decoupled from the resonant network. In the proposed system, the primary inductor is disconnected from the resonant network during the energy injection stage. After storing a certain amount of energy, the primary inductor is reconnects with the resonant network. Through this method, the converter can be decoupled from the resonant network, and the resonant network can be tuned under various coupling coefficients. Theoretical analysis was explored first. Simulations and experimental work are carried out to verify the theoretical analysis. The results show that the proposed ICPT system has the virtues of low power source capacity, independent power control, and soft switching operation under different coupling coefficients.

This paper presents the theoretical screening of 23 low-cost deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as absorbents for effective removal of the main impurities from biogas streams using a conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS). Based on thermodynamic parameters, i.e., the activity coefficient, excess enthalpy, and Henry’s constant, two DESs composed of choline chloride: urea in a 1:2 molar ratio (ChCl:U 1:2), and choline chloride: oxalic acid in a 1:2 molar ratio (ChCl:OA 1:2) were selected as the most effective absorbents. The σ-profile and σ-potential were used in order to explain the mechanism of the absorptive removal of CO2, H2S, and siloxanes from a biogas stream. In addition, an economic analysis was prepared to demonstrate the competitiveness of new DESs in the sorbents market. The unit cost of 1 m3 of pure bio-methane was estimated to be in the range of 0.35–0.37 EUR, which is comparable to currently used technologies.