Cookies Policy
The website need some cookies and similar means to function. If you permit us, we will use those means to collect data on your visits for aggregated statistics to improve our service. Find out More
Accept Reject
  • Menu
Publications

2024

Grid-Forming Photovoltaic Generators Operating During Power System Transients

Authors
Roldán-Pérez, J; Prodanovic, M; Rodrigues, J; Moreira, C;

Publication
IEEE 15TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON POWER ELECTRONICS FOR DISTRIBUTED GENERATION SYSTEMS, PEDG 2024

Abstract
Grid-forming (GF) converters based on renewable energy sources are a fundamental piece of future power systems. In particular, the design specifications of GF converters in photovoltaic (PV) applications are difficult to meet because PV inverters lack energy storage. The operation of GF-PV inverters under normal conditions has already been addressed in the existing literature. However, the operation in case of large disturbances, such as faults, has rarely been explored. In this paper, a GF controller for a two-stage PV inverter that is robust against faults is presented. This control system includes several improvements compared to the traditional GF controller. Power feedforwards and saturations are applied to improve the transient performance. Also, a method to keep the virtual swing equation synchronised when the current saturates is presented. Remarkably, there is no need to change the controller structure during faults. Simulations of a PV inverter connected to a simple power system based on a diesel generator and loads are conducted. The results show that the proposed countermeasures improve the performance of GF-PV inverters in case of faults. In addition, it is shown that keeping the phase of the virtual swing equation and the grid voltage space vector synchronised is important to avoid the collapse of the dc-link voltage. Suggestions for further research are presented in the last part of the work.

2024

Work-in-progress—Introduction to Virtual Reality Headset: Experiments with Secondary and Higher Education students

Authors
Almeida, D; Castelhano, M; Morgado, L; Pedrosa, D;

Publication
Academic Proceedings of the 10th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN2024)

Abstract
This work-in-progress aims to analyze perspectives of secondary and higher education students regarding the feasibility of integrating immersive Virtual Reality (VR) into the classroom. The harvesting of students' opinions was conducted through oral and written questionnaires after a Virtual Reality Environment activity held during two sessions of an event and other in an undergraduate class. The answers enable the understanding of challenges they faced during the activity, identifying elements that contributed to participants' immersion, assessment of perceived realism, and individuals' opinions on the integration of VR in the classroom. Conclusions regarding the applicability of VR from the perspective of secondary and higher education students can be drawn.

2024

Program Synthesis using Inductive Logic Programming for the Abstraction and Reasoning Corpus

Authors
Rocha, FM; Dutra, I; Costa, VS;

Publication
CoRR

Abstract
The Abstraction and Reasoning Corpus (ARC) is a general artificial intelligence benchmark that is currently unsolvable by any Machine Learning method. It demands strong generalization and reasoning capabilities, which are known to be weaknesses of Neural Network-based systems. In this work, we propose a Program synthesis system to solve ARC, Induce Logic Programs for Abstract Reasoning (ILPAR), which casts an ARC problem as a sequence of Inductive Logic Programming (ILP) problems. We have implemented a simple Domain Specific Language (DSL) that corresponds to a small set of object-centric abstractions relevant to ARC. This is Background Knowledge used by ILP to create abstract Logic Programs that provide reasoning capabilities to our system. When solving each ARC task, ILPAR can generalize from a few training examples: pairs of Input-Output grids. The Logic Programs are able to generate objects present in the Output grid and the combination of these can transform an Input grid into an Output grid. We randomly chose some tasks from ARC that do not require more than the small number of primitives we implemented in our DSL and showed that providing only this to ILPAR, it can solve tasks that require each different reasoning. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

2024

Determination of the spectral dispersion for the heart muscle - A Kramers-Kronig approach

Authors
Oliveira L.M.; Pinheiro M.R.; Oliveira H.P.; Carvalho M.I.; Tuchin V.V.;

Publication
2024 International Conference Laser Optics Iclo 2024 Proceedings

Abstract
The refractive index of the pigs heart was measured at wavelengths between 255 and 850 nm to calculate the dispersion. The total transmittance and total reflectance spectra of the pig heart were measured between 200 and 1000 nm to calculate the spectral absorption coefficient. Using Kramers-Kronig relations, the dispersion of the heart was matched to experimental refractive index values.

2024

Exploring the dynamics of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in paraxial fluids of light

Authors
Ferreira, TD; Garwola, J; Silva, NA;

Publication
PHYSICAL REVIEW A

Abstract
Paraxial fluids of light have recently emerged as promising analog physical simulators of quantum fluids using laser propagation inside nonlinear optical media. In particular, recent works have explored the versatility of such systems for the observation of two-dimensional quantum-like turbulence regimes, dominated by quantized vortex formation and interaction that results in distinctive kinetic energy power laws and inverse energy cascades. In this manuscript, we explore a regime analog to Kelvin-Helmholtz instability to examine in further detail the qualitative dynamics involved in the transition from smooth laminar flow to turbulence at the interface of two fluids with distinct velocities. Both numerical and experimental results reveal the formation of a vortex sheet as expected, with a quantized number of vortices determined by initial conditions. Using an effective length transformation scale we get a deeper insight into the vortex formation phase, observing the appearance of characteristic power laws in the incompressible kinetic energy spectrum that are related to the single vortex structures. The results enclosed demonstrate the versatility of paraxial fluids of light and may set the stage for the future observation of distinct classes of phenomena recently predicted to occur in these systems, such as radiant instability and superradiance.

2024

Efficient Runtime Firmware Update Mechanism for LoRaWAN Class A Devices

Authors
Neves, BP; Valente, A; Santos, VDN;

Publication
ENG

Abstract
This paper presents an efficient and secure method for updating firmware in IoT devices using LoRaWAN network resources and communication protocols. The proposed method involves dividing the firmware into fragments, storing them in the application server's database, and transmitting them to remote IoT devices via downlink messages, without necessitating any changes to the device's class. This approach can be replicated across any IoT LoRaWAN device, offering a robust and scalable solution for large-scale firmware updates while ensuring data security and integrity. The proposed method significantly reduces the downtime of IoT devices and enhances the energy efficiency of the update process. The method was validated by updating a block in the program memory, associated to a specific functionality of the IoT end device. The associated Intel Hex file was segmented into 17 LoRaWAN downlink frames with an average size of 46 bytes. Upon receiving the complete firmware update, the microcontroller employs self-programming techniques that restrict the update process to specific rows of the program memory, avoiding interruptions or reboots. The update process was successfully completed in 51.33 ms, resulting in a downtime of 16.88 ms. This method demonstrates improved energy efficiency compared to existing solutions while preserving the communication network's capacity, making it an adequate solution for remote devices in LoRaWAN networks.

  • 203
  • 4201