Technics
SwRI Software
Allows Increased Collaboration with Remote Sites
High-rise Window Cleaning Device
Updated
Diesel
Particulate Emissions Reduced Through the Use of Alternative Fuels
SwRI Software Allows Increased Collaboration with Remote Sites
SwRI analysts have developed map-oriented software that allows
increased collaboration with remote sites using a combination of Java and web technology.
With this software, users can manipulate geographical data, which has practical
application for various industries such as utility and pipeline networks, railroad and
highway management systems, the military, telecommunications and county services, or any
industry that relies on maps to plan, monitor, or manipulate objects such as roads, zones,
or networks.
Web technology allows users to interact from anywhere in the world. "Because it was written using the Java programming language, any computer platform - Apple Macintosh, IBM-compatible, or workstation - can access it through a web browser," says Senior Research Analyst Stephen R. Johns of the SwRI Automation and Data Systems Division. "Also, because the software resides on a single server, updates to the software need only be performed on that server and are 'invisible' to users."
To run the software, users access the web page and log into a collaboration. Once in the collaboration, the user has access to the collaboration object repository (COR) and can view the maps, objects, and object properties available. "An object can be anything from a piece of real estate to a length of railroad track," says Johns. Information specific to those objects are called properties. For example, owner name, address, size, zoning code, tax history, and assessed value are properties relevant to real estate. "What's most useful about the software is that separate county offices, for example, can work to solve a zoning dispute without leaving their offices."
To modify an object, the user must "check out" the object. The user can then also change the properties assigned to that object or flag properties for later modifications. Additional users can log into the collaboration from anywhere in the world and pull up the same object to view the modifications of the first user. The other users cannot directly make changes to the object while it is checked out, but can use a chat feature to communicate, giving direction as to the needed modifications.
The COR, which runs as a Java application, controls the objects within and the distribution of changes made to those objects, as well as defines who is allowed in the collaboration. The graphical user interface (GUI) was developed as a Java applet, which allows for the web interface. The GUI draws background maps, a variety of graphical primitives, icons, and complex polygons. It also provides pan and zoom functions for the maps, as well as object manipulation functions to control visibility, stacking order, object location, object shape, and object properties.
SwRI analysts developed the technology as part of an internal research program to allow users from remote locations to manipulate spatial data in a distributed environment. The system displays static spatial data, as well as real time information from data feeds and model and simulation outputs. Using this software, agencies such as regional, state, and nationwide offices can easily track and modify such entities as communications networks, power grids, phone lines, school zones, sewer lines, and zoning areas.
High-rise Window Cleaning Device Updated
Engineers at SwRI are giving a new look to an old, but reliable
invention: a window-washing system, originally built by the Institute in the late 1960s to
clean the observation deck windows of San Antonio's Tower of the Americas, 579 feet above
the ground.
The original unit was a simple system, based on a slave and master magnet, designed to clean both sides of a window. The slave assembly had a hose through which either soap or water was dispensed, as well as a squeegee-like attachment for wiping the window. The master assembly controlled the action of the slave.
To operate the device, one person, located on the outside at the top of the Tower, used a long wand to position the slave assembly against the glass. Meanwhile, a person on the inside operated the master assembly. The inside person communicated via walkie-talkie with the outside person, ordering either soapy or clean water. The inside person then positioned the master against the window's interior, opposite the slave assembly. The magnets allowed the inside person to move both inside and outside assemblies at the same time, using an up-and-down motion to clean the window. However, nearly 30 years of twice-a-year use took a toll on the system. SwRI engineers have designed a safer, more cost-efficient system as a replacement.
The 10-inch squeegee is being replaced with a 16-inch blade. Fifteen-gallon, polyethylene tanks fitted with hoses will be used as the sprayers, one each for soap and water. The tanks fit into a plastic cart for ease of mobility around the observation deck. The device can now be switched on using a remote control unit, and the walkie-talkies have been replaced with closed-circuit video. The system operates on 12 volts of electricity and can be battery-operated as well.
The outside device has been redesigned to allow it to move side to side as well as up and down. The design team also believes it can speed up the process. Three days were needed to clean the windows using the old system. The goal is to cut that time to one day.
Diesel Particulate Emissions Reduced Through the Use of Alternative Fuels
Recently completed tests demonstrated the benefits of alternative diesel fuel formulations in an advanced passenger car engine. A series of steady-state emissions tests were conducted for six alternative diesel fuels, with a standard 2D diesel fuel serving as the baseline for comparisons.
The tests were conducted in an advanced, direct-injection diesel engine which utilizes a high-presure, common-rail fuel injection system. Emission levels were measured at 13 steady-state, speed/load points. The alternative test fuels included: a fuel which closely meets the specifications for a CARB certification diesel; an ultra-low sulfur, low-aromatics diesel; a Fischer-Tropsch synthetic diesel; a 20 percent blend of the Fischer-Tropsch fuel in the low-sulfur, low-aromatics fuel; a 20 percent blend of biodiesel in the low-sulfur, low-aromatics fuel, and a 15 percent blend of dimethoxymethane (DMM) in the low-sulfur fuel.
All six alternative fuel formulations demonstrated benefits by reducing particulate matter (PM) emissions without significant increases in oxides of nitrogen (NOx). The largest decrease in PM emissions was achieved with the blend of 15 percent DMM in 85 percent low-sulfur, low-aromatic fuel. On average over the 13 test points, the DMM blend reduced PM emissions by 50 percent in comparison to the baseline, 2D diesel fuel.
Very large reductions in PM emissions were also achieved with the 20 percent blend of Fischer-Tropsch, the 20 percent blend of biodiesel, and the 100 percent Fischer-Tropsch fuels, ranging from about 25-40 percent reduction from the 2D fuel. Tests will continue into a second phase of work where the test engine will be specifically tuned to minimize the emissions without sacrificing fuel economy.
The tests were sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Transportation Technologies. The agency funded the research to support the industry/government Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) project.
Reductions in PM emissions are necessary to meet tighter emissions standards that are expected in 2004. Work is continuing at SwRI and other laboratories around the country on additional means to reduce diesel emissions including improved combustion, after-treatment technologies, and advanced fuel formulations.
Published in the Fall 1998 issue of Technology Today®, published by Southwest Research Institute. For more information, contact Joe Fohn.
