Book categories

Instrumentation and Measurement in Electrical Engineering

by Roman Malaric

2011

The inclusion of an electrical measurement course in the undergraduate curriculum of electrical engineering is important in forming the technical and scientific knowledge of future electrical engineers. This book explains the basic measurement techniques, instruments, and methods used in everyday practice. It covers in detail both analogue and digital instruments, measurements errors and uncertainty, instrument transformers, bridges, amplifiers, oscilloscopes, data acquisition, sensors, instrument controls and measurement systems. The reader will learn how to apply the most appropriate measurement method and instrument for a particular application, and how to assemble the measurement system from physical quantity to the digital data in a computer. The book is primarily intended to cover...

Digital Signal Processing Laboratory

LabVIEW-Based FPGA Implementation

by Nasser Kehtarnavaz and Sidharth Mahotra

2010

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are increasingly becoming the platform of choice to implement DSP algorithms. This book is designed to allow DSP students or DSP engineers to achieve FPGA implementation of DSP algorithms in a one-semester DSP laboratory course or in a short design cycle time based on the LabVIEW FPGA Module. Features: - The first DSP laboratory book that uses the FPGA platform instead of the DSP platform for implementation of DSP algorithms - Incorporating introductions to LabVIEW and VHDL - Lab experiments covering FPGA implementation of basic DSP topics including convolution, digital filtering, fixed-point data representation, adaptive filtering, frequency domain processing - Hardware FPGA implementation applications including wavelet transform, software-de...

Urban Paleontology

Evolution of Urban Forms

by Ming Tang & Dihua Yang

2008

More than ten years ago, when I first read Mario Gandelsonas’ book The Urban Context, the beautiful abstract diagrams that the book presented -the street network of Chicago- fascinated me with the profound historical and cultural background that they suggested. Without knowing how this would direct me, I started to draw something related with the street network of Beijing. That is the beginning of this book. Among tons of the diagrams that I have created, most of them have not been incorporated into this book, while they have directed me into this fascinating research area which focuses on the "mineralized skeleton," rather than the "soft tissue" of urban forms. It was not until the recent five years when Yang and I came across some theories and approaches in paleontology that we started...

Modulated Measurement and Engineering Systems for Microwave Power Transistors

Characterisation and Linearisation of Nonlinear Microwave Devices for Wireless Communication Systems

by Muhammad Akmal Chaudhary, Ph.D.

2019

The complexity requirements of future wireless communication systems now indeed demand a more general theoretically robust design methodology for nonlinear circuits, such as the power amplifiers. The present design methodology for nonlinear Radio Frequency components and circuits has become a key hindrance in the evaluation, development and testing of modern communication systems. The fundamental nature of this engineering challenge makes it highly unlikely to be addressed within the competitive Radio Frequency industry with short-term profitability, time to market and risk aversion considerations.The book, therefore, includes developing advanced waveform measurement setups, multi-tone measurement techniques, characterization and modelling of nonlinear distortion in microwave power transis...

Moisture Control and Insulation Systems in Buildings, Chilled Water Pipes and Underground Pipes

A Guide for Architects, Engineers, Contractors, Facility Managers, Construction Professionals and Homeowners

by William A. Lotz (author) and Joseph M. Hough (editor)

2021

This book shows you one thing: How to deal with moisture problems in buildings and their components: Roofs, walls, attics, heating/ventilation/air conditioning systems, etc.; as well as how to deal with moisture problems in insulated chilled water pipes and underground pipes. You'll discover the basics of moisture control in an easy-to-understand manner through real-life moisture problems that the author himself has been through, and managed to solve. Not only does Mr. William A. Lotz, P.E. write about his extensive moisture control experience with 2000 buildings and projects, but also convey the moisture control facts in a forthright, solution-oriented, jargon-free language. This language can be grasped by all building professionals: Architects, engineers, builders, facility managers, con...

Computer Aided State Estimation of Electric Power Networks

An Introduction to Data Attacks, Cloud Computing and Distribution System State Estimation

by Subramanian Srikrishna, Ganesan Sivarajan, Hariprasath Manoharan

2020

Computer Aided State Estimation of Electric Power Networks is a fundamental introduction to the topic of state estimation at an advanced textbook level for teaching a course at either the graduate or undergraduate level, as well as for Post Graduate students and Research Scholars who want to review of the latest techniques and best mathematical approaches for estimating the state of a general system. Theory as well as practice of Distribution System State Estimation (DSSE) is covered with imperative rigidity. The authors present the theory of state estimation clearly providing the right amount of essential information and linked reports in order to enable the researchers and graduate students to apply state estimation techniques across a variety of fields in power systems engineering. A pr...

An Introduction to UMTS Technology

Testing, Specifications and Standard Bodies for Engineers and Managers

by Dr. Faris Muhammad

2008

An Introduction to UMTS: Specifications, Testing and Standards Bodies is the most comprehensive text for practicing engineers and technicians about testing, specification and standards bodies of cellular communications equipment. It is aimed at those responsible for developing and maintaining both mobile and base station units. Each chapter discusses in detail the necessary elements moving to the more advanced components. In addition to testing, specification and standards bodies, readers will learn: the development life cycle of UE and Node-B building blocks; what needs to be tested; when and how testing should be performed; as well as certification formalities, including processes and procedures; and testing tools and languages. Buy or Review at Amazon.com Paperback edition $89.95 ...

Nanotechnology for Water Purification

by Tania Dey (editor)

2013

Nanotechnology is a highly inter- and multi- disciplinary application oriented research area. Not only does it find its use in nanomedicine, solar cells, sensor development and so on, but can also be effectively utilized to prevent water pollution. Nanostructured materials such as magnetic nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, silver-impregnated cyclodextrin nanocomposites, nanostructured iron-zeolites, carbo-iron nanomaterials, photocatalytic titania nanoparticles, nanofiltration membranes and functionalized silica nanoparticles can be employed in water treatment to remove heavy metals, sediments, chemical effluents, charged particles, bacteria and other pathogens. This edited book comprises several review-style chapters written by world experts. The chapters are devoted to each of these nanot...

The Adaptation Process of a Resettled Community to the Newly-Built Environment

A Study of the Nubian Experience in Egypt

by Wael Salah Fahmi

2014

Generally, construction of dams is regarded as means of economic progress in many countries. However, major consequences of such projects are the inundation of upstream areas and the resettlement of entire communities in newly built environments where they experience dramatic transformation in their lifestyles. The present study takes the Nubian resettlement experience after the creation of Lake Nasser that submerged their old settlements, along the river Nile. Following their resettlement, the design of the newly-built environment disrupted the Nubian traditional lifestyles and patterns of privacy mechanisms, territoriality and social interaction. However, the inadequacy of the newly-built environment was mainly attributed to the Nubians' transfer from spacious homes in the old village...

Predicting the Admission Decision of a Participant to the School of Physical Education and Sports at Cukurova University by Using Different Machine Learning Methods Combined with Feature Selection

by Gozde Yigit Ozsert & Mehmet Fatih Akay (advisor)

2017

The purpose of this thesis is to develop new hybrid admission decision prediction models by using different machine learning methods including Support Vector Machines (SVM), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Radial Basis Function (RBF) Network, TreeBoost (TB) and K-Means Clustering (KMC) combined with feature selection algorithms to investigate the effect of the predictor variables on the admission decision of a candidate to the School of Physical Education and Sports at Cukurova University. Three feature selection algorithms including Relief-F, F-Score and Correlation-based Feature Selection (CFS) have been considered. Experiments have been conducted on the datasets, which contain data of participants who applied to the School in 2006 and 2007. The datasets have been randomly split into train...

Development of New Models Using Machine Learning Methods Combined with Different Time Lags for Network Traffic Forecasting

by Derman Akgol & Mehmet Fatih Akay (advisor)

2017

The purpose of this thesis is to forecast the amount of network traffic in Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) -based networks by using different time lags and various machine learning methods including Support Vector Machines (SVM), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Radial Basis Function (RBF) Neural Network, M5P (a decision tree with linear regression functions at the nodes), Random Forest (RF), Random Tree (RT), and Reduced Error Prunning Error (REPTree), and statistical regression methods including Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Holt-Winters and compare the performance of statistical and machine learning methods. Two different Internet Service Providers' (ISPs) traffic data have been utilized to build traffic forecasting models. The first 66% of the data sets has ...

Fundamental Building Materials

Fourth Edition

by Ken Ward-Harvey

2009

Written by an architect with many years' experience in practice and teaching, this book is a well-illustrated introduction to the great range of materials used in much of the world's building and construction. It is the only book of its type on the market, and suitable for anyone teaching or studying for building trades, architecture, building, landscape design, structural engineering, and allied disciplines. When first published, a reviewer commented, "This book has filled a large gap in publications available to both students and the building professions."

The Fourth (2009) Edition is now available, incorporating many references to current standard codes, research, manufacturers, and other authoritative information on the internet, to expand content further if needed.

Performance Evaluation of Vision Algorithms on FPGA

by Mahendra Gunathilaka Samarawickrama

2010

The modern FPGAs enable system designers to develop high-performance computing (HPC) applications with a large amount of parallelism. Real-time image processing is such a requirement that demands much more processing power than a conventional processor can deliver. In this research, we implemented software and hardware based architectures on FPGA to achieve real-time image processing. Furthermore, we benchmark and compare our implemented architectures with existing architectures. The operational structures of those systems consist of on-chip processors or custom vision coprocessors implemented in a parallel manner with efficient memory and bus architectures. The performance properties such as the accuracy, throughput and efficiency are measured and presented. According to results, FPGA ...

The End of Project Overruns

Lean and Beyond for Engineering, Procurement and Construction

by Robert M. Patty & Michael A. Denton

2010

Applying the principles in this book unleashes ingenuity that achieves, solidifies and perpetuates a new performance culture of mutual benefit. In this culture, project teams will prepare their work in task packages and enable workflow necessary to leave inefficiency of time and resource, literally, no place to hide. Project examples will help teams implement the principles that shorten cycle times, eliminate error, improve quality and reduce costs to succeed in meeting project commitments. Emerging Lean enterprise relationships between clients, EPC contractors and their entire supply chain will advance what constitutes the new, market-differentiating performance of individuals, project teams and companies - justifying high levels of trust and inter-organizational efforts to improve. Clie...

Process Planning Optimization in Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems

by Farayi Musharavati

2010

Trends and perspectives in dynamic environments point towards a need for optimal operating levels in reconfigurable manufacturing activities. Central to the goal of meeting this need is the issue of appropriate techniques for manufacturing process planning optimization in reconfigurable manufacturing, i.e. (i) what decision making models and (ii) what computational techniques, provide an optimal manufacturing process planning solution in a multidimensional decision variables space? Conventional optimization techniques are not robust, hence; they are not suitable for handling multidimensional search spaces. On the other hand, process planning optimization for reconfigurable manufacturing is not amenable to classical modeling approaches due to the presence of complex system dynamics. Therefo...

Investigations on Multi-Sensor Image System and Its Surveillance Applications

by Zheng Liu

2010

This thesis investigates the issues of implementing multi-sensor imaging system for surveillance applications. Three topics for the fusion of infrared and electro-optic images are studied, i.e. registration, fusion, and evaluation. The first topic is the image registration or alignment, which is to associate corresponding pixels in multiple images to the same physical point in the scene. A trajectory-based method for registering infrared and electro-optic video sequences is proposed in this study. The initial registration parameters are derived from matching the trajectories across the consecutive video frames. Further refinement can be carried out by applying a maximum mutual information approach. The frame difference, from which the feature point is detected, is found with an...

Pyrene Degradation by Mycobacterium sp. KMS

Biochemical Pathway, Enzymatic Mechanisms, and Humic Acid Effect

by Yanna Liang

2010

Pyrene, a four-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), was identified as the chemical that requires the largest land area for soil bioremediation due to the slow rate of biodegradation at the Libby, Montana Superfund site. Prepared bed land treatment is the specific bioremediation technology that is currently employed at this site. Although bioremediation has been widely accepted for treatment of contaminated soil due to its low cost, the effective application of bioremediation is often hindered by the lack of information related to: 1) biochemical pathways, 2) enzymatic mechanisms, and 3) effects of amendments. Mycobacterium sp. KMS is a new strain isolated from the land treatment units of the Libby site and has been found to utilize pyrene as a carbon and energy source. The genome o...

Compacted Oxide Layer Formation under Conditions of Limited Debris Retention at the Wear Interface during High Temperature Sliding Wear of Superalloys

by Ian A. Inman

2006

For many applications, including power generation, aerospace and the automobile industry, high temperature wear provides serious difficulties where two or more surfaces move or slide relative to one another. In aerospace, for example, demands for more powerful, efficient engines operating at ever higher temperatures, mean that conventional lubrication is no longer sufficient to prevent direct contact between metallic sliding surfaces, accelerating wear. However, one high temperature phenomenon observed to reduce metallic contact, and thus wear and friction, is the formation of ‘glazes’,essentially compacted oxide wear debris layers that sinter together to form wear resistant surfaces. This thesis studies the nature of wear encountered with four different combinations of Superalloys, sli...

Pattern Recognition Methods for Crop Classification from Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Images

Metodos de Clasificacion Aplicados al Reconocimiento de Campos de Cultivo a partir de Imagenes Hiperespectrales

by Luis Gomez Chova

2004

(Complete work in Spanish) Remote sensing aerial spectral imaging was one of the first application areas where spectral imaging was used in order to identify and monitor the natural resources and covers on earth surface. Aerial spectral imaging is being developed with the aim of monitoring natural resources like coastal areas, forestry and extensive crops. The information contained in hyperspectral images allows the reconstruction of the energy curve radiated by the terrestrial surface throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. Hence, the characterization, identification and classification of the observed material from their spectral curve is an interesting possibility. Pattern recognition methods have proven to be effective techniques in this kind of applications. In fact, classification of...

Control of Sensory Perception for Discrete Event Systems

by Geir E. Hovland

1999

The problem of controlling sensory perception for use in discrete event feedback control systems is addressed in this thesis. The sensory perception controller (SPC) is formulated as a sequential Markov decision problem. The SPC has two main objectives; 1) to collect perceptual information to identify discrete events with high levels of confidence and 2) to keep the sensing costs low. Several event recognition techniques are available where each of the event recognisers produces confidence levels of recognised events. For a discrete event control system running in normal operation, the confidence levels are typically large and only a few event recognisers are needed. Then, as the event recognition becomes harder, the confidence levels will decrease and additional event recognisers are uti...

Separating Data from Instructions

Investigating a New Programming Paradigm

by Yasushi Kambayashi

2002

We have experienced different theories of software construction paradigms in the last few decades; such as "structured programming" in the 1970's and "object-oriented programming" in the 1980's. The object-oriented paradigm is considered a standard for many software development activities, from the analysis phase to various support phases. There is little quantitative research, however, regarding the question whether object-oriented programming improves productivity. Many assume that object-oriented programming is more productive than traditional structured programming. This assumption lacks concrete, empirical data that support such belief. This dissertation identifies problems in the current object-oriented programming practice, and then presents an alternative paradigm to help overcome ...

Terrain Aided Localisation of Autonomous Vehicles in Unstructured Environments

by Rajmohan Madhavan

2003

This thesis is concerned with the theoretical and practical development of reliable and robust localisation algorithms for autonomous land vehicles operating at high speeds in unstructured, expansive and harsh environments. Localisation is the ability of a vehicle to determine its position and orientation within an operating environment. The need for such a localisation system is motivated by the requirement of developing autonomous vehicles in applications such as mining, agriculture and cargo handling. The main drivers in these applications are for safety, efficiency and productivity. The approach taken to the localisation problem in this thesis guarantees that the safety and reliability requirements imposed by such applications are achieved. The ...

A Preliminary Study of the Structural Dynamic Behavior of the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) Centrifuge

by Frederick W. Palmieri

2003

This dissertation involves a preliminary study into the structural dynamic behavior of the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), located in the Flight Acceleration Facility, bldg 29, in Houston, Texas. The 50-ft. arm can swing the three-man gondola to create g-forces astronauts will experience during controlled flight and during reentry. The centrifuge was designed primarily for training Apollo astronauts. During operation of the centrifuge, the astronauts can control the motion of the gondola in two gimbal axes, while the gondola is rotating about its principal axis, to simulate flight activity. The result of these coupled motions lead to transient loading functions, which arise due to rigid body kinematics. The study ...

Implementacion de Redes Neuro-Difusas para ser Aplicadas en Problemas de Clasificacion y Modelizacion

by Jose D. Martin

2000

Se analiza el uso de redes neuro-difusas para solucionar problemas de clasificación y modelización. El objetivo es intentar combinar las cualidades de las redes neuronales y de la descripción de sistemas mediante Lógica Difusa. Las redes neuronales son conocidas por su alta capacidad de aprendizaje, lo que permite una adecuada generalización en el tipo de problemas comentado anteriormente. Su aplicación a problemas reales no ha dejado de crecer durante los últimos años. Por otro lado, la Lógica Difusa es una herramienta más novedosa, cuya propiedad más atractiva es la capacidad que posee de poder tratar con variables numéricas y variables lingüísticas simultáneamente. Las variables lingüísticas permiten un tratamiento del problema más comprensible y cercano al conocimiento intuitivo...

Expert and Novice Performance in an Industrial Engineering Virtual World Simulation

by John L. Elson II

2007

Expert and novice problem solving has been a subject of research for many years. Problem solving of textbook problems and case studies in various domains such as math, physics, chess, music, system design, medical diagnosis, and business sub-domains have been the norm as the subject of this type of research. Few if any research efforts have undertaken the study of real world problem solving that occurs over an extended time such as those solved by industrial engineers in a manufacturing setting. This research studies the expert and novice problem solving performance in a scaled-world simulation of a manufacturing company experiencing a high backlog of customer orders. Research time consists of eight hours of problem solving behavior for teams of two as they diagnose the problem and make de...

Flood Routing in Ungauged Catchments Using Muskingum Methods

by Mesfin H. Tewolde

2008

River stage or flow rates are required for the design and evaluation of hydraulic structures. Most river reaches are ungauged and a methodology is needed to estimate the stages, or rates of flow, at specific locations in streams where no measurements are available. Flood routing techniques are utilised to estimate the stages, or rates of flow, in order to predict flood wave propagation along river reaches. Models can be developed for gauged catchments and their parameters related to physical characteristics such as slope, reach width, reach length so that the approach can be applied to ungauged catchments in the region. The objective of this study is to assess Muskingum-based methods for flow routing in ungauged river reaches, both with and without lateral inflows. Using observed data, th...

Deficit Irrigation for Wheat Cultivation Under Limited Water Supply Condition

by Md. Hossain Ali

2008

Vertical and horizontal expansion of irrigated agriculture to feed the increasing population has contributed to excessive groundwater withdrawal and affected the availability of water in terms of both quality and quantity. To sustain agricultural growth, strategic measures should be adopted to reduce water consumption while minimizing adverse effect on yield. The effect of deficit irrigation on wheat yield was studied in three consecutive years (2002-03 to 2004-05) in field and pot. Ten irrigation treatments were imposed in a randomized complete block (RCB) design covering full deficit, no deficit at all, single deficit at different stages, and alternate deficits. Water deficit was created by withholding irrigation at different growth stages. The results indicate that deficit irrigation st...

Issues in the Analysis and Testing of Textile Composites with Large Representative Volume Elements

by Gerd Weissenbach

2004

The high degree of heterogeneity of textile composites was found to be the primary problem in analysis and testing. A concept was developed based on a description of the local variation of the material stiffness matrix using a spline interpolation. The role of this stiffness function is to facilitate the calculation of the material stiffness matrix at any given position or for arbitrary domains in the form of finite elements.Based on this approach, two different methods were developed. In the first method the average material stiffness matrix is calculated for a finite element and subsequently the elemental stiffness matrix of this element is assembled. In the second approach the elemental stiffness matrix is calculated directly using the local material stiffness at the integration points ...

Artificial Invention

Synthesis of Innovative Thermal Networks, Power Cycles, Process Flowsheets and Other Systems

by Alexander Kott

2005

This dissertation proposes a computational technique for automated "invention" of conceptual schemes of thermal systems. The input provided to the automated problem solver is a description of the streams entering and leaving the system. The output is a network of elementary processes: compression, expansion, heating, cooling, and chemical processes. The problem solver seeks a network that is feasible, and offers an optimal (or at least favorable) combination of energy and capital costs. The synthesis process is modeled as a heuristic search conducted in a state-space of all possible design versions. The main ideas of the dissertation have been implemented in a computer program called TED, which invented a number of nontrivial schemes. TED starts with an initial state (or states), which ma...

Design of Real Time Data Processing Systems in HEP Experiments

by Jose Torres Pais

2005

The object of this work is the design, programming and integration of the Transition Module (TM4Plus1) in the Test Beam that exists in the European Laboratory of Physics of Particles (CERN). There treats itself about a step before the accomplishment of the System Read Out Driver final (ROD) who will install in the ATLAS detector inside the accelerator of particles (LHC) that is being constructed in the CERN.

Design of the Filtering and Sensing Part of the SmartSpectra Camera

by Joan Vila Frances

2005

This document shows the current state of the research work done around the SmartSpectra project. The SmartSpectra project is a Research, Technological development and Demonstration (RTD) project funded under EU’s Fifth Framework Programme (FP5) by the Information Society Technologies (IST) Programme. The project pursues the development of a Smart Multispectral System for Commercial Applications. SmartSpectra is an acronym of "Smart Multispectral System for Commercial Applications." In this project, a Smart Multispectral System will be designed and implemented. The system will allow multispectral imaging with an aff ordable cost and proven robustness, in order to achieve a broad use of multispectral techniques in several commercial areas and applications. The system will have the capa...

Modelling non Linear Magnetic Cores at High Frequencies for PSpice Simulation

by Rafael Garcia-Gil

2005

(Dissertation is written in Spanish.) Using PSpice of MiscroSim to simulate power converters sometimes brings awkward complications such as the simulation of real magnetic components. It deals a little bit of work to bring a good agreement between experimental and simulated results. Simulation with linear inductors or transformers does not produce good results. The reason is that real magnetic components present saturation and hysteresis, a phenomenon that characterises magnetic materials. The hysteresis or B-H loop of a magnetic component is highly dependent on frequency, waveform (not very important for ferrite material), temperature, excitation level, etc. Although PSpice includes in its magnetic library a list of non-linear components, rarely these parameters are coincident with our w...

Design and Implementation of an AC to DC Matrix Converter with High-Frequency Isolation and Power Factor Correction (for particle accelerator applications)

by Rafael Garcia-Gil

2005

This thesis (written in Spanish) presents the analysis, design and implementation of a four-quadrant power supply with high-frequency isolation, which is expected to be used to feed the low-energy correction magnet of a particle accelerator. In particle accelerator applications the magnetic field during beam acceleration may be either positive or negative, and true bipolar power converters are needed. The selected bipolar topology consists of a bidirectional three-phase to single-phase reduced matrix converter (RMC) with power factor correction and a bidirectional active rectifier. Main features of this power converter are the ability to regenerate energy back to the utility when the magnet acts as generator, unity power factor at the mains and reduction of volume and weight thanks to the ...

Management to Facilitate Compliance with Global Conventions During Hazardous and Toxic Waste Cleanup Projects in Asia

by Ron Laurence McDowall

2006

The management of hazardous and toxic waste projects in Asia (especially that related to intractable chemicals) has had a less than acceptable performance profile during the last 20 years. There have been numerous documented cases of management and systems failures in intractable chemical recovery projects, despite the establishment of global conventions designed to avoid such problems. A research programme was undertaken with the aim of producing a management model for companies to help prevent such failures in the future. The research began in the field with an exploration of management culture and its impact on project management. This involved multiple visits to five Asian countries and interviewing people involved in intractable waste management at both strategic and operational ...

System-specific PI Control Theory for Fluid and Motion Systems (Second Edition)

by Kalman I. Krakow

2006

A system-specific feedback control theory for fluid process control and for motion control has been developed to enable analytical tuning. The system-specific theory enables the determination of the coefficients required to implement (i.e., tune) a proportional-integral (PI) control system analytically from physical characteristics of the fluid or motion system. PI control is essentially PID control with the derivative (D) coefficient set equal to zero. (A derivative coefficient is not essential and may have a detrimental effect on system response characteristics.) System-specific theory, based on the fundamental algorithm for PID control systems, was developed from a 'back-to-basics' perspective considering digital, not analog, control of fluid systems and motion systems independe...

Miracle of Petrochemicals

Olefins Industry: An In-Depth Look at Steam-Crackers

by Fahad H. Falqi

2009

The purpose of this book is to provide readers with a thorough introduction to the essential design and operation aspects of olefins plants. For this purpose, it is necessary to develop the knowledge of the readers who are interested to know more about olefins plants employing steam-cracking technology. The author has gathered and developed this book based on extensive experience in many olefins projects as well as olefins operating plants. Included with this book are valuable materials provided by some contributions representing top and reputable olefins licensors and olefins equipment manufacturers for readers to gain insight information and content about steam-cracker plants. The contributors are Linde, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company (CP-Chem), TSKE, Graham, NATCO, SNM, and YJ-TMC...

Proceedings of the 2009 International Conference on Signals, Systems and Automation (ICSSA 2009)

by Himanshu Soni (Editor-in-Chief)

2010

This book is a collection of papers from the 2009 International Conference on Signals, Systems and Automation (ICSSA 2009). The conference at a glance:

- Pre-conference Workshops/Tutorials on 27th Dec, 2009
- Five Plenary talks
- Paper/Poster Presentation: 28-29 Dec, 2009
- Demonstrations by SKYVIEWInc, SLS Inc., BSNL, Baroda Electric Meters, SIS
- On line paper submission facility on website
- 200+ papers are received from India and abroad
- Delegates from different countries including Poland, Iran, USA
- Delegates from 16 states of India
- Conference website is seen by more than 3000 persons across the world (27 countries and 120 cities)

Application of Pattern Recognition and Adaptive DSP Methods for Spatio-temporal Analysis of Satellite Based Hydrological Datasets

by Anish Chand Turlapaty

2010

Data assimilation of satellite-based observations of hydrological variables with full numerical physics models can be used to downscale these observations from coarse to high resolution to improve microwave sensor-based soil moisture observations. Moreover, assimilation can also be used to predict related hydrological variables, e.g., precipitation products can be assimilated in a land information system to estimate soil moisture. High quality spatio-temporal observations of these processes are vital for a successful assimilation which in turn needs a detailed analysis and improvement. In this research, pattern recognition and adaptive signal processing methods are developed for the spatio-temporal analysis and enhancement of soil moisture and precipitation datasets. These methods are app...

Crown Molding & Trim: Install It Like A PRO!

Master any compound miter angle

by Wayne Drake

2012

This unique book (printed in full color) contains all the information needed to cut and install crown molding and trim. Cathedral/vaulted ceilings are rarely attempted because of the many diverse compound miter joints necessary. With our easy to follow 3-Step Method, written for the novice do-it-yourself person and the professional alike, you will be amazed how easy it is. This 144-page book contains over 400 color photographs and illustrations with easy-to-understand instructions. Nowhere else will you find cutting and installing crown molding for horizontal or cathedral/vaulted ceilings made so quick and easy. Crown Molding & Trim also contains our proven easy-to-use Miter Table©, Crown Molding Table©, and Compound Miter Chart© which contain over 24,000 saw settings. Create inexp...

Proceedings of First International Conference on Emerging Trends in Mechanical Engineering

ICETME-2013

by Himanshu B. Soni (organizer)

2013

The first International Conference on Emerging Trends in Mechanical Engineering (ICETME-2013) was held from 4-5 January, 2013. The main objective of this conference was to provide a common platform to academicians, research scholars, and students from India and abroad to share their ideas and research experiences in various aspects of Mechnical Engineering. ICETME-2013 was organized by the Department of Mechnical Engineering, G.H. Patel College of Engineering and Technology (A. Charutar Vidya Mandal Institution).

How Passion Relates to Performance

A Study of Consultant Civil Engineers

by Trevor J. Cadieux

2011

Many company slogans and mantras profess that passion is part of the way they work and that it is important to them. Passion over the centuries has been defined as something that makes humans slaves to their emotions and exerts an almost overwhelming compulsion to participate in an activity or relationship. In a profession such as consultant civil engineering that is so strongly anchored in the objective and scientific, what place has a motivator such as passion? This research takes a sample of consultant civil engineers and assesses two types of passion, harmonious passion and obsessive passion, and secondly measures their job performance. It was found amongst the engineers sampled that those who were more obsessively passionate achieved higher performance levels across the items meas...

Calibration of Deterministic Parameters

Reassessment of Offshore Platforms in the Arabian Gulf

by Hassan Zaghloul

2011

The Arabian Gulf oil and gas production reserves have made it one of the world's strategic producers since the early 1960s, with many of the existing platforms stretched beyond their original design life. Advances in drilling technology and reservoir assessments have extended the requirement for the service life of those existing platforms even further. Extension of the life span of an existing platform requires satisfactory reassessment of its various structural components, including piled foundations. The American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 2A (API RP2A) is commonly used in the Arabian Gulf for reassessment of existing platforms. The API guidelines have been developed for conditions in the Gulf of Mexico, the waters off Alaska and the Pacific and Atlantic seaboards of t...

Optical Fiber Sensors for Residential Environments

by Raimundo García-Olcina

2011

The aim of this project is to start creating awareness and to convey the idea that optical sensor technologies are now technically and economically mature enough to provide safety enhancement features in the residential environment and market. A first application of these technologies can be that of real time building structural health diagnosis: a utility company or telecommunications operator is in a position to provide it as a service by means of its urban optical fiber infrastructure and service management expertise. There are several advantages accruing from continuously monitoring the structural health of buildings. However, among them there is one that stands up as the overriding driver for the long term measurement of mechanical strain in key points of building structures: the p...

Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of Dissipative Beam-to-Column Joints in Moment Resisting Steel Frames

by Massimo Latour

2011

Before the seismic events of Northridge (Los Angeles, 17 January 1994) and Hyogoken-Nanbu (Kobe, 17 January 1995), MRFs were supposed to be the most reliable seismic resistant systems due to the high number of dissipative zones that are able to develop. Before these earthquakes, especially in the United States, MRFs were realized, generally, by adopting fully welded connections, which, at the time, were retained to perform better compared to other joint typologies. In addition, the economic advantages deriving from the adoption of field fully welded connections strongly influenced choices of building owners and, as a result, led to the adoption of this joint typology in almost all pre-Northridge steel MRFs. After the Northridge earthquake, even though the loss of life was limited, the unex...

Development of an Artificial Intelligence System for the Instruction and Control of Cooperating Mobile Robots

by Praneel Chand

2012

This thesis focuses on the development of an artificial intelligence system for a heterogeneous ensemble of mobile robots. Many robots in the ensemble may have limited processing, communication, sensing, and/or actuation capabilities. This means that each robot may not be able to execute all tasks that are input to the system. A hierarchical system is proposed to permit robots with superior processing and communication abilities to assign tasks and coordinate the less computationally able robots. The limited processing robots may also utilise the resources of superior robots during task execution. Effective task allocation and coordination should result in efficient execution of a global task. Many existing approaches to robot task allocation assume expert knowledge for task specification....