Maria Samarakou

Optimization of a combined wind and solar power plant

The combined generation of electricity by wind and solar energy is a very attractive solution for isolated regions with high levels of yearly wind energy and insolation. A computer model is developed for the simulation of the electricity system of a Mediterranean island, including a wind power plant, a photovoltaic power plant and a storage system. In order to obtain an overall view of the system performance and economic aspects, the model also incorporates a number of diesel generators. Daily simulations for the Greek island Kythnos show that such a combined system of moderate size can provide a large fraction of the electrical energy requirements. Various parameters calculated in the simulation can be used to improve the configuration of the system and to estimate the cost of the electrical energy unit.

Figure of Image Quality and Information Capacity in Digital Mammography

Objectives. In this work, a simple technique to assess the image quality characteristics of the postprocessed image is developed and an easy to use figure of image quality (FIQ) is introduced. This FIQ characterizes images in terms of resolution and noise. In addition information capacity, defined within the context of Shannons information theory, was used as an overall image quality index. Materials and Methods. A digital mammographic image was postprocessed with three digital filters. Resolution and noise were calculated via the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), the coefficient of variation, and the figure of image quality. In addition, frequency dependent parameters such as the noise power spectrum (NPS) and noise equivalent quanta (NEQ) were estimated and used to assess information capacity. Results. FIQs for the “raw image” data and the image processed with the “sharpen edges” filter were found 907.3 and 1906.1, correspondingly. The information capacity values were 60.86 × 103 and 78.96 × 103 bits/mm2. Conclusion. It was found that, after the application of the postprocessing techniques (even commercial nondedicated software) on the raw digital mammograms, MTF, NPS, and NEQ are improved for medium to high spatial frequencies leading to resolving smaller structures in the final image.

Computer-Aided Modelling and Analysis of PV Systems: A Comparative Study

Modern scientific advances have enabled remarkable efficacy for photovoltaic systems with regard to the exploitation of solar energy, boosting them into having a rapidly growing position among the systems developed for the production of renewable energy. However, in many cases the design, analysis, and control of photovoltaic systems are tasks which are quite complex and thus difficult to be carried out. In order to cope with this kind of problems, appropriate software tools have been developed either as standalone products or parts of general purpose software platforms used to model and simulate the generation, transmission, and distribution of solar energy. The utilization of this kind of software tools may be extremely helpful to the successful performance evaluation of energy systems with maximum accuracy and minimum cost in time and effort. The work presented in this paper aims on a first level at the performance analysis of various configurations of photovoltaic systems through computer-aided modelling. On a second level, it provides a comparative evaluation of the credibility of two of the most advanced graphical programming environments, namely, Simulink and LabVIEW, with regard to their application in photovoltaic systems.

Fuzzy Regulator Design for Wind Turbine Yaw Control

This paper proposes the development of an advanced fuzzy logic controller which aims to perform intelligent automatic control of the yaw movement of wind turbines. The specific fuzzy controller takes into account both the wind velocity and the acceptable yaw error correlation in order to achieve maximum performance efficacy. In this way, the proposed yaw control system is remarkably adaptive to the existing conditions. In this way, the wind turbine is enabled to retain its power output close to its nominal value and at the same time preserve its yaw system from pointless movement. Thorough simulation tests evaluate the proposed system effectiveness.

Enhancing Web Document Accessibility by Authoring Texts and Text Comprehension Activities

In this paper we discuss recent directions concerning the structural analysis of science documents and cognitive aspects of document elements aiming at document comprehension. Structural analysis of documents, according to text comprehension theory, promotes document understanding and enhances universal accessibility of documents. We outline the process of structuring science documents and activities for comprehension using the authoring tool ReTuDiSAuth. This process improves universal accessibility of document supporting authors to structure text and text activities for students with different abilities, requirements and preferences.

How an open learning environment affects the motivation of secondary and higher education students

Technology mediated learning is very actively and widely researched, yet there are few studies on if and how open learning environments (OLEs) affect the motivation of students. It is very important to showcase not only the effect on different groups of students but on students in various educational levels. This paper is a report on the findings of a study conducted in parallel, using the same OLE, on the students of a postgraduate engineering course and on the lyceum students attending their mandatory secondary education curriculum. The students used the Student Diagnosis, Assistance, Evaluation System based on Artificial Intelligence (StuDiAsE), an open learning system for unattended student diagnosis, assistance and evaluation based on artificial intelligence. The report indicates that the use of the OLE has particularly beneficial effects on the performance of certain student groups.

Star-Delta Switches Evaluation for Use in Grid-Connected Wind Farm Installations

Electrical generators are designed to perform best under permanent rotation velocity and fixed loads conditions. However, such ideal conditions are not practically feasible during the operation of real wind turbines. Generally, the voltage output of electrical generators can be regulated without redesigning the electrical or/and mechanical parts constituting such a system, by simply changing the connection of the generator to the grid from Star to Delta or by using combined windings. The present work attempts to investigate the behavior of grid-connected wind turbines with Star-Delta, Delta, and Star connection switches in a variety of simulation scenarios, by taking into consideration the influence of both internal and external factors such as the inertia factor and the wind speed.