The following report describes the work done during my internship in AlbaTERN Ltd, a company focused in the design and construction of wave energy devices that capture energy from ocean waves and convert it into sustainable low- carbon electricity. A background of existing research in the area of Wave Energy conversion and its potential around the world is given in the first chapters. The main objective of my thesis has been support the design and construction of a unique wave energy conversion system constructed from multiple SQUID modules in a hexagonal array configuration. The project has been focused to look specifically at improving the hydraulic energy conversion efficiency, the feasibility of auto-setting operational variables according to the sea conditions, and the overall adaptability of the design to suit the specifications of the site and power requirements. Simulations using SimHydraulics have been developed to assess the design an optimal Hydraulic energy conversion system. With the output of the several simulations and hydraulic laboratory tests have been possible the sizing of its different components, and the design of special manifold blocks with self-setting hydraulic control, reducing the quantity and complexity the electronic devices for the general control. The key challenge facing the Wave Energy conversion Industry is lowering the cost of energy generation, where is required research and Development in order to design a device with high efficiency, high availability and low cost for the mass production. So achieving a viable wave energy future depends as much upon developing a technology that can be rapidly and economically scaled to high volume production. This project provides a solid foundation for scaling WaveNET arrays in excess of 10 MW.

With the advent of ubiquitous computing, interaction design has broadened its object of inquiry into how smart computational artifacts inconspicuously act in  people’s everyday lives. Although user-centered design approaches remains useful for exploring how people cope with interactive systems, they cannot explain how this new breed of artifact participates in people’s sociality. User-centered design approach assumes that humans control interactive systems, but neglects any possibility of the agency of smart artifacts.Following Actor-network Theory, this research recognizes that artifacts and humans share the capacity of influencing society and meshing with each other, constituting hybrid social actors. From that standpoint, the research offers a triadic structure of networked social interaction as a methodological basis to investigate how smart devices perceive their social setting and adaptively mediate people’s interactions within activities. These triadic units of analysis account for the interactions within and between humannonhuman collectives in the actor-network. The within interactions are those that hold together humans and smart artifacts inside a collective and put forward the collective’s assembled meaning for other actors in the network.The between interactions are those that occur among collectives and characterize the dominant relational model of the actor-network. This triadic approach was modeled and used to analyze the interactions of participants in three empirical studies of social activities with communal goals, each mediated by a smart artifact that enacted – signified – a balanced distribution of obligations and privileges among subjects. Overall, the studies found that actor-networks exhibit a social viscosity that hinders people’s interactions. This is because when people try to collectively accomplish goals, they offer resistance to one another. The studies also show that the intervention of smart artifacts can facilitate the achievement of cooperative and collaborative interaction between actors when the artifacts enact the dominant moral principles which prompt the preservation of social balance, enhance the network’s information integrity, and are located at the focus of activity. The articulation of Actor-Network Theory principles with interaction design methods opens up the traditional user-artifact dyad towards triadic collective enactment by embracing diverse kinds of participants and practices, thus facilitating the design of enhanced sociality. The theoretical conceptual framework, methods and tools developed in this research are relevant to product and interaction designers, ubiquitous computing and Science and technology studies (STS) researchers; as well as practitioners interested in making the interaction between humans and computers smarter, more intuitive and more enjoyable. The outcome of this research is addressed to designers, engineers and urban planners who are responsible for the design of the new generation of computational artifacts that will cohabitate today’s transportation terminals and vehicles, offices, parks, streets, among other social spaces of the constructed world.

Wind power is one of the key players in the European Union target of 20% share of energy from renewable sources in 2020 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on energy supply. In order to accomplish such target, some European countries are placing the wind farms further from the coast to exploit the higher wind speeds at open sea. However the traditional transmission system for offshore wind farms based on High Voltage Alternate Current (HVAC) is not appropriate for long distances. Hence, this research work was carried out to examine and determine the most suitable transmission system for offshore wind farms in terms of technical, environmental and economic costs. The methodological approach employed in the investigations was arranged in two parts. First, a quantitative and qualitative method of literature review involving critical examination of documented information and experiences of the two commercially available transmission systems: HVAC and HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current); second, a quantitative method that investigates and analyzes an adequate transmission system for a propose an offshore wind cluster in terms of economic and environmental costs. From the analysis, HVDC based on Voltage Source Converters (VSC) exhibited technical superiority over HVAC for long distance submarine transmission, control of active and reactive power, grid support and connection of asynchronous grids. Furthermore, in the proposed offshore wind farm cluster of 1 GW of installed capacity located at 150 km from the point of connection, after a distance of 90 km HVDC becomes more economic due to reduced system losses, and after a distance of 125 km HVDC presents lower environmental impacts associated with the raw materials used in the transmission system. At such point, particular to each transmission project, VSC-HVDC surpasses HVAC in technical, environmental and economic terms.

Fanzine con la traducción de un poema que leyó Tonino Guerra a Andrei Tarkoski en su casa. En Italia. Al comienzo de una película. Mi favorita.

This research is part of the project entitled ""CANOPOR"". Overall, this project aims to carry out studies of forest canopy dynamics through Airborne LiDAR scanning. From this perspective, this study focus on developing a methodology for segmentation automatic or semi-automatic tree crowns in tropical rain forest. The study area corresponds to Paracou experimental in French Guiana. On this scenario, a combination of combination of high resolution optical images and LiDAR scanners is used. The present document provides full details about the pre-treatment process, images treatment, results and comparisons with different segmentation approaches. The validation method is also discussed. Results revealed that the use of LiDAR and variables such as elevation and intensity are a valuable source of information for understanding the structure of complex ecosystems in tropical forests. 

La incorporación de tecnologías de información y comunicación en los sistemas de control, supervisión, medida y protección de la infraestructura eléctrica ha generado que el sector energético presente una vulnerabilidad a nivel de seguridad informática, de tal manera que si se dieran ataques cibernéticos podrían afectar el suministro de energía para la comunidad en general. En este trabajo de grado se propone un método para la evaluación de la vulnerabilidad en sistemas de transmisión de energía eléctrica en el ámbito de ciberseguridad. A partir del análisis de la normativa, regulaciones, guías de buenas prácticas y vulnerabilidades relacionadas con la seguridad informática específicamente para la infraestructura eléctrica de Colombia. Con base en los resultados obtenidos en esta investigación se aplicó la metodología desarrollada, para evaluar la ciber vulnerabilidad de una subestación eléctrica de 230kV del sistema de transmisión nacional colombiano, mostrando un diagnóstico del sistema y determinando el grado de exposición de esta. Con la metodología propuesta en esta investigación se podrá tener una guía de evaluación, que fortalecerá las capacidades del sector energético en el ámbito de ciberseguridad y facilitará la ejecución de un diagnóstico en sistemas eléctricos semejantes al estudio de caso presentado.

23 hojas : ilustraciones, fotografías.

21 hojas : ilustraciones, fotografías.

16 hojas : ilustraciones, fotografías.

9 hojas : ilustraciones, fotografías.