Abstract

Higher speeds and higher capacity will cause the Swedish rail network to be exposed to disturbing dynamic effects. Higher speeds cause higher vertical acceleration levels of the bridge deck. In this thesis, a numerical analysis of a three span end-frame bridge subjected to train induced vibrations is performed. The aim is to identify which structural components and boundary conditions that affect the dynamic behavior of the bridge. Furthermore, the influence of soil structure interaction (SSI) will be investigated as it may have contribution to the stiffness and damping of the structural system.  In order to capture the dynamic response of the bridge, an analysis in the frequency domain was preformed where frequency response functions (FRF) and acceleration envelopes were obtained. For this purpose, a detailed FE-model in 3D was created. Three different cases were studied, model subjected to ballast, model subjected to soil and model subjected to both ballast and soil in coherence. A high speed load model (HSLM) was used to create simulation of train passages at different speeds and applied to all cases so that the bridge deck accelerations could be studied. A simplified 2D-model with impedance functions representing the soil-structure interaction was created to validate the results from the detailed 3D-model and for practical design purposes.  The result of this numerical analysis showed that the vertical accelerations were within acceptable levels of the maximum allowed limits given in governing publications. Considering the surrounding soil, the results revealed an increase of the dynamic response in the midspan at resonant frequency. However, it was identified that this behavior is not explained by the influence of soil structure interaction but rather the change in boundary conditions of the end-shields. The same dynamic behavior was identified for the simplified 2D-model, with a slight underestimation of the vertical accelerations at resonance.

Abstract

Today humankind is facing numerous sustainability challenges that require us to question CO2 intensive practices like those present in the transport and energy sector. To meet those challenges, many countries have adopted ambitious climate targets. Achieving such targets requires an understanding of the wider socio-technical context of transitions. The aim of this licentiate thesis is therefore to analyse such socio-technical transitions towards low-emission futures enabled by the electrification of passenger cars and high voltage grid development. A combination of different transitions theories (for ex. Multi-level perspective and Technological innovation systems) and institutional theory has been used. To reach the aim paper I analyses the climate impacts of electric vehicles (EVs) and policy measures to achieve a breakthrough scenario for EVs. The results show that a mixture of short and long term policies are needed that take into account the technology development stage and behavioural aspects of EV adopters. Paper II addresses the need to include the high voltage transmission grid and its planning procedures as a central part of debates on transitions. Therefore the opportunities, challenges and reasons for conflict in the established regime are studied. The results show that in order to achieve a sustainable grid development regime, it is necessary to spend time on achieving legitimacy and social sustainability. The third paper uses semi-structured expert interviews and focuses on innovation dynamics for EV adoption. By focusing on dynamics instead of single policy measures, it is possible to grasp interactions within a niche, but also in between a niche, regime and landscape. The results show that strong initial technology legitimacy was needed to start substantial innovation dynamics. This could be further strengthened with a strong and broad coalition of actors. Both those factors led, if present, to an improved variety and match of policy instruments. As such this thesis has shown that transitions are not just about technology or policy instruments as such but about the dynamics and processes needed to enable them. This can be relevant in other transitions that otherwise may underestimate the importance of these components. "p"QC 20170512"/p" Norstr

Abstract

The increasing need for High-Speed Railway (HSR) to reduce the travelling time requires increasing research within this field. Bridges are main components of any railway network, including HSR networks, and the optimization of their design for this purpose would contribute to a faster and more cost effective development of the HSR network. The initial investment, the running and maintenance costs of the bridges can be decreased through better understanding of the their dynamic behaviour. This thesis studies the dynamic behaviour of end-shield railway bridges under HSR operation. 2D beam analysis is used to study the effect of the distribution of the train’s axle load. Relatively accurate 3D FE-models are developed to study the effect of Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) and the dynamic response of the bridges. Modelling alternatives are studied to develop an accurate model. A full scale test of a simply supported Bridge with end-shields using load-controlled forced excitation was performed and the results were used to verify the theoretical models. A manual model updating process of the material properties of the 3D FE-model is performed using FRFs from the field measurements. A Simple 2D model is also developed, where a spring/dashpot system is implemented to simplify SSI, and updated to reproduce the field measured responses. The conclusions of the project emphasize the importance of SSI effects in the dynamic analysis of end-shield bridges for predicting their dynamic behaviour. The conclusions also show that the modelling of the surrounding soil and the assumption of the soil material parameters have significant effect on the dynamic response. Even the boundary conditions, bedrock level and the ballast on the railway track affects the response. The results also show that the bridge’s concrete section behaves as uncracked section under the studied dynamic loading. "p"QC 20170403

Abstract

The energy system is being transitioned to increase sustainability. This transition has been accelerated by the increased awareness about the adverse effects of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere. The transition includes switching to electricity as the energy carrier in some sectors, e.g., transportation, increasing the contribution of renewable energy sources (RES) to the grid, and digitalizing the grid services. Electric vehicles (EVs) are promoted and subsidized in many countries among the sustainability initiatives. Consequently, the global sales of EVs rapidly increased in the recent years. Many EV owners might charge their EVs only at home, thereby increasing the residential load. The residential load might further increase due to the initiatives to electrify the heating/cooling sector. This thesis contributes to the knowledge about the operation of the future energy system by modeling the spatial charging load of private EVs in cities, and by proposing a forecasting model to predict the residential load. Both models can be used to evaluate the impacts of both technologies on the local electricity grid. In addition, demand response (DR) schemes can be proposed to reduce the adverse effects of both the charging load of EVs and the residential load. A case study of the EV model on the Herrljunga city grid showed that 100% EV penetration with 3.7 kW (charging rate of 14.8 km/h) chargers will not cause voltage violations in the grid. Winter load is responsible for 5% voltage drop at the weakest bus, and EVs add only 1% to this drop. In a Swedish city, charging EVs will require adding extra 1.43 kW/car to the grid capacity—assuming 22 kW (charging rate of 88 km/h) residential chargers. If the EV charging is not restricted to residential locations, an increase of 1.23 kW/car is expected. The proposed forecasting model is comparable in accuracy to previously developed models. As an advantage, the model produces a probability density function (PDF) describing the model’s certainty in the forecast. In contrast, many previous contributions provided only point forecasts.

Abstract

The Swedish transportation sector needs to undergo major changes in order to achieve the established goals for climate and environment. The largest change is the replacement of fossil-fuelled vehicles to vehicles propelled by renewable energy sources, such as biofuels and electricity. To account for an increase in local electric power consumption, the electric power infrastructure of Sweden needs to adapt through expansion and reconstruction of the electric power grid. However, changes in infrastructure are usually expensive. It is therefore suitable to also examine alternative solutions, which could potentially be more cost efficient. One of these solutions are vehicle-to-grid (V2G), where electric vehicles acts as local electric power control and provides auxiliary services to the electric power grid. This thesis is a case study of a part of a low-voltage electric power grid on Gotland, with the goal of analysing the potential of V2G in the investigated area. The study focused on utilizing V2G for balancing electric power consumption and generation, and for adjusting voltage levels. Simulations of the area were executed in PSS®E for three different cases; one high-load case, low-load case and average-load case. It was found that by utilizing V2G a ramp up of electric power during mornings was delayed by approximately one hour, making the electric power grid potentially more compatible with photovoltaics (PV). However, the overall effects from V2G was fairly low. This outcome can partly be explained by the assumptions made in the report, and also due to some odd behaviour of the system model. 

Abstract

The integration of photovoltaic (PV) and electric vehicle (EV) charging in residential buildings has increased in recent years. At high latitudes, both pose new challenges to the residential power systems due to the negative correlation between household load and PV power production and the increase in household peak load by EV charging. EV smart charging schemes can be an option to overcome these challenges. This paper presents a distributed and a centralized EV smart charging scheme for residential buildings based on installed photovoltaic (PV) power output and household electricity consumption. The proposed smart charging schemes are designed to determine the optimal EV charging schedules with the objective to minimize the net load variability or to flatten the net load profile. Minimizing the net load variability implies both increasing the PV self-consumption and reducing the peak loads. The charging scheduling problems are formulated and solved with quadratic programming approaches. The departure and arrival time and the distance covered by vehicles in each trip are specifically modeled based on available statistical data from the Swedish travel survey. The schemes are applied on simulated typical Swedish detached houses without electric heating. Results show that both improved PV self-consumption and peak load reduction are achieved. The aggregation of distributed smart charging in multiple households is conducted, and the results are compared to the smart charging for a single household. On the community level, both results from distributed and centralized charging approaches are compared. Document type: Article