Simon Blake

Defining and Evaluating the Capacity Value of Distributed Generation

Installed capacities of distributed generation (DG) are projected to increase substantially in Great Britain and many other power systems. This paper will discuss the definition of capacity value of DG arising from its ability to support additional demand without the need for new network capacity, in analogy with the definition of effective load carrying capability (ELCC) at transmission level. This calculated ELCC depends on the precise detail of its definition; in particular in a demand group fed by a pair of circuits where the double outage state dominates the calculated reliability index, the ELCC will be very small unless the generator can run in islanded mode. Finally, requirements for use in practical planning studies and development of formal planning standards will be discussed.

New Microslice Technology for Hyperspectral Imaging

We present the results of a project to develop a proof of concept for a novel hyperspectral imager based on the use of advanced micro-optics technology. The technology gives considerably more spatial elements than a classic pushbroom which translates into far more light being integrated per unit of time. This permits us to observe at higher spatial and/or spectral resolution, darker targets and under lower illumination, as in the early morning. Observations of faint glow at night should also be possible but need further studies. A full instrument for laboratory demonstration and field tests has now been built and tested. It has about 10,000 spatial elements and spectra 150 pixel long. It is made of a set of cylindrical fore-optics followed by a new innovative optical system called a microslice Integral Field Unit (IFU) which is itself followed by a standard spectrograph. The fore-optics plus microslice IFU split the field into a large number of small slit-like images that are dispersed in the spectrograph. Our goal is to build instruments with at least hundreds of thousands of spatial elements.

SST-GATE: an innovative telescope for very high energy astronomy

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is an international collaboration that aims to create the worlds largest (ever) Very High Energy gamma-ray telescope array, consisting of more than 100 telescopes covering an area of several square kilometers to observe the electromagnetic showers generated by incoming cosmic gamma-rays with very high energies (from a few tens of GeV up to over 100 TeV). Observing such sources requires - amongst many other things - a large FoV (Field of View). In the framework of CTA, SST-GATE (Small Size Telescope - GAmma-ray Telescope Elements) aims to investigate and to build one of the two first CTA prototypes based on the Schwarzschild-Couder (SC) optical design that delivers a FoV close to 10 degrees in diameter. To achieve the required performance per unit cost, many improvements in mirror manufacturing and in other technologies are required. We present in this paper the current status of our project. After a brief introduction of the very high energy context, we present the opto-mechanical design, discuss the technological tradeoffs and explain the electronics philosophy that will ensure the telescopes cost is minimised without limiting its capabilities. We then describe the software nedeed to operate the telescope and conclude by presenting the expected telescope performance and some management considerations.

Mechanical design of SST-GATE, a dual-mirror telescope for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) project aims to create the next generation Very High Energy (VHE) gamma-ray telescope array. It will be devoted to the observation of gamma rays over a wide band of energy, from a few tens of GeV to more than 100 TeV. Two sites are foreseen to view the whole sky where about 100 telescopes, composed of three different classes, related to the specific energy region to be investigated, will be installed. Among these, the Small Size class of Telescopes, SSTs, are devoted to the highest energy region, to beyond 100 TeV. Due to the large number of SSTs, their unit cost is an important parameter. At the Observatoire de Paris, we have designed a prototype of a Small Size Telescope named SST-GATE, based on the dual-mirror Schwarzschild-Couder optical formula, which has never before been implemented in the design of a telescope. Over the last two years, we developed a mechanical design for SST-GATE from the optical and preliminary mechanical designs made by the University of Durham. The integration of this telescope is currently in progress. Since the early stages of mechanical design of SST-GATE, finite element method has been used employing shape and topology optimization techniques to help design several elements of the telescope. This allowed optimization of the mechanical stiffness/mass ratio, leading to a lightweight and less expensive mechanical structure. These techniques and the resulting mechanical design are detailed in this paper. We will also describe the finite element analyses carried out to calculate the mechanical deformations and the stresses in the structure under observing and survival conditions.

Automatic performance budget: towards a risk reduction

In this paper, we discuss the performance matrix of the SST-GATE telescope developed to allow us to partition and allocate the important characteristics to the various subsystems as well as to describe the process in order to verify that the current design will deliver the required performance. Due to the integrated nature of the telescope, a large number of parameters have to be controlled and effective calculation tools must be developed such as an automatic performance budget. Its main advantages consist in alleviating the work of the system engineer when changes occur in the design, in avoiding errors during any re-allocation process and recalculate automatically the scientific performance of the instrument. We explain in this paper the method to convert the ensquared energy (EE) and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) required by the science cases into the “as designed” instrument. To ensure successful design, integration and verification of the next generation instruments, it is of the utmost importance to have methods to control and manage the instrument’s critical performance characteristics at its very early design steps to limit technical and cost risks in the project development. Such a performance budget is a tool towards this goal.

SST-GATE telescope: An innovative dual-mirror prototype for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Observatoire de Paris is involved in the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) project by designing and constructing on the site of Meudon a Small Size Telescope prototype, named SST-GATE, in collaboration with the CHEC team (Compact High Energy Camera) which is providing the camera. The telescope structure is based on the Schwarzschild- Couder optical design which has never been adopted before in the design of a ground-based telescope. This concept allows a larger field of view and cheaper and smaller telescope and camera design with improved performance compared to the Davies-Cotton design traditionally used in very high energy gamma-ray telescopes. The SST-GATE telescope has been designed with the prime objectives of being light, versatile and simple to assemble with a minimal maintenance cost. This papers aims at reviewing the SST-GATE telescope structure from mechanics to optics along with the control command architecture; several innovative developments implemented within the design are discussed. Updates of the project status and perspectives are made.

Investigation into the use of hydrogen technology with a wind farm constrained by the grid

The risk of future power shortages makes it vital to maximize the potential of new and renewable forms of energy. Hydrogen storage can be used to increase the capacity factor of a wind farm which would otherwise be limited by grid constraints. A case study based on a Scottish island shows that this is technically feasible, but that it may be economically marginal unless costs reduce or prices improve.

Seismic analysis of the 4-meter telescope SST-GATE for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) project aims to create a next generation Very High Energy (VHE)γ-ray telescope array, devoted to the observation in a wide band of energy, from a few tens of GeV to more than 100 TeV. Two sites are foreseen to view the whole sky, with the main one in the Southern Hemisphere where about 100 telescopes of three different classes, related to the specific energy region to be investigated, will be installed. Among these, the Small Size class of Telescopes, SSTs, are 4-meter telescopes and are devoted to the highest energy region, from 1 TeV to beyond 100 TeV. Some of these sites considered for CTA exhibit strong seismic constraints. At the Observatoire de Paris, we have designed a prototype of a Small Size Telescope named SST-GATE, based on the dual-mirror Schwarzschild-Couder optical formula, which was never before implemented in the design of a Cherenkov telescope. The integration of this telescope on the site of the Observatoire de Paris is currently in progress. Technical solutions exist in the literature to protect structures from dynamic loads caused by earthquakes without increasing the mass and cost of the structure. This paper presents a state of the art of these techniques by keeping in mind that the operational performance of the telescope should not be compromised. The preliminary seismic analysis of SSTGATE performed by the finite element method is described before.

SST dual-mirror telescopes for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is an international collaboration that aims to create the worlds foremost very high energy gamma-ray observatory, composed of large, medium and small size telescopes (SST). The SSTs will be the most numerous telescopes on site and will focus on capturing the rarer highest energy photons. Three prototypes of SST are designed and currently under construction; two of them, ASTRI and SST-GATE, have been designed, based on a dual-mirror Schwarzschild-Couder (SC) design which has never been built before for any astronomical observation. The SC optical design allows for a small plate scale, a wide field of view and a lightweight cameras aiming to minimize the cost of SST telescopes in order to increase their number in the array. The aim of this article is to report the progress of the two telescope projects prototyping telescope structures and cameras for the Small Size Telescopes for CTA. After a discussion of the CTA project and its scientific objectives, the performance of the SC design is described, with focus on the specific designs of SST-GATE and ASTRI telescopes. The design of both prototypes and their progress is reported in the current prototyping phase. The designs of Cherenkov cameras, CHEC and ASTRI, to be mounted on these telescopes are discussed and progresses are reported.

Case Study: Innovative Methodologies for Measuring and Mitigating Network Risk in the Electricity Distribution Industry

Northern Powergrid are responsible for the distribution of electrical energy to 3.8 million customers in the North East of England, Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. They are accountable to the industry regulator OFGEM, in particular for the level of network risk, as measured by the frequency and duration of interruptions of supply to customers. Durham University has extensive experience of research into Power Systems, and of working with the electricity distribution industry both in the UK and overseas.