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The article deals with the problem of a distributed system operation reliability. The system core is an open integration platform that provides interaction of varied software for modeling gas transportation. Some of them provide an access through thin clients on the cloud technology “software as a service”. Mathematical models of operation, transmission and computing are to ensure the operation of an automated dispatching system for oil and gas transportation. The paper presents a system solution based on the theory of Markov random processes and considers the stable operation stage. The stationary operation mode of the Markov chain with continuous time and discrete states is described by a system of Chapman–Kolmogorov equations with respect to the average numbers (mathematical expectations) of the objects in certain states. The objects of research are both system elements that are present in a large number – thin clients and computing modules, and individual ones – a server, a network manager (message broker). Together, they are interacting Markov random processes. The interaction is determined by the fact that the transition probabilities in one group of elements depend on the average numbers of other elements groups.

The authors propose a multi-criteria dispersion model of risk assessment for such systems (both in the broad and narrow sense, in accordance with the IEC standard). The risk is the standard deviation of estimated object parameter from its average value. The dispersion risk model makes possible to define optimality criteria and whole system functioning risks. In particular, for a thin client, the following is calculated: the loss profit risk, the total risk of losses due to non-productive element states, and the total risk of all system states losses.

Finally the paper proposes compromise schemes for solving the multi-criteria problem of choosing the optimal operation strategy based on the selected set of compromise criteria.

We describe an engineering-psychological experiment that continues the study of ways to adapt a person to the increasing complexity of logical problems by presenting a series of problems of increasing complexity, which is determined by the volume of initial data. Tasks require calculations in an associative or non-associative system of operations. By the nature of the change in the time of solving the problem, depending on the number of necessary operations, we can conclude that a purely sequential method of solving problems or connecting additional brain resources to the solution in parallel mode. In a previously published experimental work, a person in the process of solving an associative problem recognized color images with meaningful images. In the new study, a similar problem is solved for abstract monochrome geometric shapes. Analysis of the result showed that for the second case, the probability of the subject switching to a parallel method of processing visual information is significantly reduced. The research method is based on presenting a person with two types of tasks. One type of problem contains associative calculations and allows a parallel solution algorithm. Another type of problem is the control one, which contains problems in which calculations are not associative and parallel algorithms are ineffective. The task of recognizing and searching for a given object is associative. A parallel strategy significantly speeds up the solution with relatively small additional resources. As a control series of problems (to separate parallel work from the acceleration of a sequential algorithm), we use, as in the previous experiment, a non-associative comparison problem in cyclic arithmetic, presented in the visual form of the game “rock, paper, scissors”. In this problem, the parallel algorithm requires a large number of processors with a small efficiency coefficient. Therefore, the transition of a person to a parallel algorithm for solving this problem is almost impossible, and the acceleration of processing input information is possible only by increasing the speed. Comparing the dependence of the solution time on the volume of source data for two types of problems allows us to identify four types of strategies for adapting to the increasing complexity of the problem: uniform sequential, accelerated sequential, parallel computing (where possible), or undefined (for this method) strategy. The Reducing of the number of subjects, who switch to a parallel strategy when encoding input information with formal images, shows the effectiveness of codes that cause subject associations. They increase the speed of human perception and processing of information. The article contains a preliminary mathematical model that explains this phenomenon. It is based on the appearance of a second set of initial data, which occurs in a person as a result of recognizing the depicted objects.

This paper presents a methodology for modeling centrifugal pumps using the example of the NM 1250 260 main oil centrifugal pump. We use FlowVision CFD software as the numerical modeling instrument. Bench tests and numerical modeling use water as a working fluid. The geometrical model of the pump is fully three-dimensional and includes the pump housing to account for leakages. In order to reduce the required computational resources, the methodology specifies leakages using flow rate rather than directly modeling them. Surface roughness influences flow through the wall function model. The wall function model uses an equivalent sand roughness, and a formula for converting real roughness into equivalent sand roughness is applied in this work. FlowVision uses the sliding mesh method for simulation of the rotation of the impeller. This approach takes into account the nonstationary interaction between the rotor and diffuser of the pump, allowing for accurate resolution of recirculation vortices that occur at low flow rates.

The developed methodology has achieved high consistency between numerical simulations results and experiments at all pump operating conditions. The deviation in efficiency at nominal conditions is 0.42%, and in head is 1.9%. The deviation of calculated characteristics from experimental ones increases as the flow rate increases and reaches a maximum at the far-right point of the characteristic curve (up to 4.8% in head). This phenomenon occurs due to a slight mismatch between the geometric model of the impeller used in the calculation and the real pump model from the experiment. However, the average arithmetic relative deviation between numerical modeling and experiment for pump efficiency at 6 points is 0.39%, with an experimental efficiency measurement error of 0.72%. This meets the accuracy requirements for calculations. In the future, this methodology can be used for a series of optimization and strength calculations, as modeling does not require significant computational resources and takes into account the non-stationary nature of flow in the pump.

An approach to numerical analysis of thermo-hydraulic processes proceeding in a fast-neutron reactor is described in the given article. The description covers physical models, numerical schemes and geometry simplifications accepted in the computational model. Steady-state and dynamic regimes of reactor operation are considered. The steady-state regimes simulate the reactor operation at nominal power. The dynamic regimes simulate the shutdown reactor cooling by means of the heat-removal system.

Simulation of thermo-hydraulic processes is carried out in the FlowVision CFD software. A mathematical model describing the coolant flow in the first loop of the fast-neutron reactor was developed on the basis of the available geometrical model. The flow of the working fluid in the reactor simulator is calculated under the assumption that the fluid density does not depend on pressure, with use a $k–\varepsilon$ turbulence model, with use of a model of dispersed medium, and with account of conjugate heat exchange. The model of dispersed medium implemented in the FlowVision software allowed taking into account heat exchange between the heat-exchanger lops. Due to geometric complexity of the core region, the zones occupied by the two heat exchangers were modeled by hydraulic resistances and heat sources.

Numerical simulation of the coolant flow in the FlowVision software enabled obtaining the distributions of temperature, velocity and pressure in the entire computational domain. Using the model of dispersed medium allowed calculation of the temperature distributions in the second loops of the heat exchangers. Besides that, the variation of the coolant temperature along the two thermal probes is determined. The probes were located in the cool and hot chambers of the fast-neutron reactor simulator. Comparative analysis of the numerical and experimental data has shown that the developed mathematical model is correct and, therefore, it can be used for simulation of thermo-hydraulic processes proceeding in fast-neutron reactors with sodium coolant.

This paper studies electromagnetic fields, frequencies of lasing, and emission thresholds of a drop-shaped microcavity laser. From the mathematical point of view, the original problem is a nonstandard two-parametric eigenvalue problem for the Helmholtz equation on the whole plane. The desired positive parameters are the lasing frequency and the threshold gain, the corresponding eigenfunctions are the amplitudes of the lasing modes. This problem is usually referred to as the lasing eigenvalue problem. In this study, spectral characteristics are calculated numerically, by solving the lasing eigenvalue problem on the basis of the set of Muller boundary integral equations, which is approximated by the Nystr¨om method. The Muller equations have weakly singular kernels, hence the corresponding operator is Fredholm with zero index. The Nyström method is a special modification of the polynomial quadrature method for boundary integral equations with weakly singular kernels. This algorithm is accurate for functions that are well approximated by trigonometric polynomials, for example, for eigenmodes of resonators with smooth boundaries. This approach leads to a characteristic equation for mode frequencies and lasing thresholds. It is a nonlinear algebraic eigenvalue problem, which is solved numerically by the residual inverse iteration method. In this paper, this technique is extended to the numerical modeling of microcavity lasers having a more complicated form. In contrast to the microcavity lasers with smooth contours, which were previously investigated by the Nyström method, the drop has a corner. We propose a special modification of the Nyström method for contours with corners, which takes also the symmetry of the resonator into account. The results of numerical experiments presented in the paper demonstrate the practical effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

The article reports the findings of an investigation into pollution migration processes at the municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill located in the water protection zone of Lake Seliger (Tver Region). The distribution of pollutants is investigated and migration parameters are determined in field and laboratory conditions at the landfill site. A mathematical model describing physical and chemical processes of substance migration in soil strata is constructed. Pollutant migration is found to be due to a variety of factors. The major ones, having a significant impact on the migration of MSW ingredients and taken into account mathematically, include convective transport, diffusion and sorption processes. A modified mathematical model differs from its conventional counterparts by considering a number of parameters reflecting the decrease in the concentration of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen ions in ground water (transpiration by plant roots, dilution with infiltration waters, etc.). An analytical solution to assess the pollutant spread from the landfill is presented. The mathematical model provides a set of simulation models helping to obtain a computational solution of specific problems, vertical and horizontal migration of substances in the underground flow. Numerical experiments, analytical solutions, as well as field and laboratory data was studied the dynamics of pollutant distribution in the object under study up to the lake. A long-term forecast for the spread of landfill pollution is made. Simulation experiments showed that some zones of clean groundwater interact with those of contaminated groundwater during the pollution migration from the landfill, each characterized by a different pollutant content. The data of a computational experiments and analytical calculations are consistent with the findings of field and laboratory investigations of the object and give grounds to recommend the proposed models for predicting pollution migration from a landfill. The analysis of the pollution migration simulation allows to substantiate the numerical estimates of the increase in $NH_4^+$ and $NO_3^-$ ion concentration with the landfill operation time. It is found that, after 100 years following the landfill opening, toxic filtrate components will fill the entire pore space from the landfill to the lake resulting in a significant deterioration of the ecosystem of Lake Seliger.

The paper reviews possibilities to predict buckling of thin cylindrical shells with non-destructive techniques during operation. It studies shallow shells made of high strength materials. Such structures are known for surface displacements exceeding the thickness of the elements. In the explored shells relaxation oscillations of significant amplitude can be generated even under relatively low internal stresses. The problem of the cylindrical shell oscillation is mechanically and mathematically modeled in a simplified form by conversion into an ordinary differential equation. To create the model, the researches of many authors were used who studied the geometry of the surface formed after buckling (postbuckling behavior). The nonlinear ordinary differential equation for the oscillating shell matches the well-known Duffing equation. It is important that there is a small parameter before the second time derivative in the Duffing equation. The latter circumstance enables making a detailed analysis of the obtained equation and describing the physical phenomena — relaxation oscillations — that are unique to thin high-strength shells.

It is shown that harmonic oscillations of the shell around the equilibrium position and stable relaxation oscillations are defined by the bifurcation point of the solutions to the Duffing equation. This is the first point in the Feigenbaum sequence to convert the stable periodic motions into dynamic chaos. The amplitude and the period of relaxation oscillations are calculated based on the physical properties and the level of internal stresses within the shell. Two cases of loading are reviewed: compression along generating elements and external pressure.

It is highlighted that if external forces vary in time according to the harmonic law, the periodic oscillation of the shell (nonlinear resonance) is a combination of slow and stick-slip movements. Since the amplitude and the frequency of the oscillations are known, this fact enables proposing an experimental facility for prediction of the shell buckling with non-destructive techniques. The following requirement is set as a safety factor: maximum load combinations must not cause displacements exceeding specified limits. Based on the results of the experimental measurements a formula is obtained to estimate safety against buckling (safety factor) of the structure.

Corrosion damage to metals and alloys is one of the main problems of strength and durability of metal structures and products operated in contact with chemically aggressive environments. Recently, there has been a growing interest in computer modeling of the evolution of corrosion damage, especially pitting corrosion, for a deeper understanding of the corrosion process, its impact on the morphology, physical and chemical properties of the surface and mechanical strength of the material. This is mainly due to the complexity of analytical and high cost of experimental in situ studies of real corrosion processes. However, the computing power of modern computers allows you to calculate corrosion with high accuracy only on relatively small areas of the surface. Therefore, the development of new mathematical models that allow calculating large areas for predicting the evolution of corrosion damage to metals is currently an urgent problem.

In this paper, the evolution of the corrosion front in the interaction of a polycrystalline metal surface with a liquid aggressive medium was studied using a computer model based on a cellular automat. A distinctive feature of the model is the specification of the solid body structure in the form of Voronoi polygons used for modeling polycrystalline alloys. Corrosion destruction was performed by setting the probability function of the transition between cells of the cellular automaton. It was taken into account that the corrosion strength of the grains varies due to crystallographic anisotropy. It is shown that this leads to the formation of a rough phase boundary during the corrosion process. Reducing the concentration of active particles in a solution of an aggressive medium during a chemical reaction leads to corrosion attenuation in a finite number of calculation iterations. It is established that the final morphology of the phase boundary has a fractal structure with a dimension of 1.323 ± 0.002 close to the dimension of the gradient percolation front, which is in good agreement with the fractal dimension of the etching front of a polycrystalline aluminum-magnesium alloy AlMg6 with a concentrated solution of hydrochloric acid. It is shown that corrosion of a polycrystalline metal in a liquid aggressive medium is a new example of a topochemical process, the kinetics of which is described by the Kolmogorov–Johnson– Meil–Avrami theory.

Technical carbon (soot) is a product obtained by thermal decomposition (pyrolysis) of hydrocarbons (usually oil) in a stream of heat carrier gas. Technical carbon is widely used as a reinforcing component in the production of rubber and plastic masses. Tire production uses 70% of all carbon produced. In furnace carbon production, the liquid hydrocarbon feedstock is injected into the natural gas combustion product stream through nozzles. The raw material is atomized and vaporized with further pyrolysis. It is important for the raw material to be completely evaporated before the pyrolysis process starts, otherwise coke, that contaminates the product, will be produced. It is impossible to operate without mathematical modeling of the process itself in order to improve the carbon production technology, in particular, to provide the complete evaporation of the raw material prior to the pyrolysis process. Mathematical modelling is the most important way to obtain the most complete and detailed information about the peculiarities of reactor operation.

A three-dimensional mathematical model and calculation method for raw material atomization and evaporation in the thermal gas flow are being developed in the FlowVision software package PC. Water is selected as a raw material to work out the modeling technique. The working substances in the reactor chamber are the combustion products of natural gas. The motion of raw material droplets and evaporation in the gas stream are modeled in the framework of the Eulerian approach of interaction between dispersed and continuous media. The simulation results of raw materials atomization and evaporation in a real reactor for technical carbon production are presented. Numerical method allows to determine an important atomization characteristic: average Sauter diameter. That parameter could be defined from distribution of droplets of raw material at each time of spray forming.

The advent of laser scanning technologies has revolutionized forestry. Their use made it possible to switch from studying woodlands using manual measurements to computer analysis of stereo point images called point clouds.

Automatic calculation of some tree parameters (such as trunk diameter) using a point cloud requires the removal of foliage points. To perform this operation, a preliminary segmentation of the stereo image into the “foliage” and “trunk” classes is required. The solution to this problem often involves the use of machine learning methods.

One of the most popular classifiers used for segmentation of stereo images of trees is a random forest. This classifier is quite demanding on the amount of memory. At the same time, the size of the machine learning model can be critical if it needs to be sent by wire, which is required, for example, when performing distributed learning. In this paper, the goal is to find a classifier that would be less demanding in terms of memory, but at the same time would have comparable segmentation accuracy. The search is performed among classifiers such as logistic regression, naive Bayes classifier, and decision tree. In addition, a method for segmentation refinement performed by a decision tree using logistic regression is being investigated.

The experiments were conducted on data from the collection of the University of Heidelberg. The collection contains hand-marked stereo images of trees of various species, both coniferous and deciduous, typical of the forests of Central Europe.

It has been shown that classification using a decision tree, adjusted using logistic regression, is able to produce a result that is only slightly inferior to the result of a random forest in accuracy, while spending less time and RAM. The difference in balanced accuracy is no more than one percent on all the clouds considered, while the total size and inference time of the decision tree and logistic regression classifiers is an order of magnitude smaller than of the random forest classifier.