Surrogate DC Microgrid Models for Optimization of Charging Electric Vehicles under Partial Observability

Many electric vehicles (EVs) are using today’s distribution grids, and their flexibility can be highly beneficial for the grid operators. This flexibility can be best exploited by DC power networks, as they allow charging and discharging without extra power electronics and transformation losses. From the grid control perspective, algorithms for...

Fuel cell systems applied in expedition cruise ships: A comparative impact analysis

Global endeavors to reduce emissions in the shipping industry are accelerating the interest in fuel cell system. This paper explores the application of different fuel cell types (LT-PEMFC, HT-PEMFC and SOFC) in combination with different fuels (LH2, LNG, MeOH and NH3) in expedition cruise ships. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the impact...

Using particle packing technology for sustainable concrete mixture design

The annual production of Portland cement, estimated at 3.4 billion tons in 2011, is responsible for about 7% of the total worldwide CO2-emission. To reduce this environmental impact it is important to use innovative technologies for the design of concrete structures and mixtures. In this paper, it is shown how particle packing technology can be...

Robustness of networks

Our society depends more strongly than ever on large networks such as transportation networks, the Internet and power grids. Engineers are confronted with fundamental questions such as “how to evaluate the robustness of networks for a given service?”, “how to design a robust network?”, because networks always affect the functioning of a service....

Model-based lifecycle optimization of well locations and production settings in petroleum reservoirs

The coming years there is a need to increase production from petroleum reservoirs, and there is an enormous potential to do so by increasing the recovery factor. This is possible by making better use of recent technological developments, such as horizontal wells, downhole valves and sensors. However, actually making better use of these improved...

Generating saddle points in the merit function landscape of optical systems

Finding multiple local minima in the merit function landscape of optical system optimization is a difficult task, especially for complex designs that have a large number of variables. We discuss here a method that enables a rapid generation of new local minima for optical systems of arbitrary complexity. We have recently shown that saddle points...