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This study was designed to examine methanol as a new aging marker of insulating paper. An analytical GC-MS method coupled to headspace injection was developed, followed by a validation. To further validate the possible applicability of methanol for different transformer conditions some laboratory studies were performed such as a stability and an aging test. Oil samples of power transformers of several Belgian nuclear and coal-fired power plants have been analyzed since mid 2009 and are followed-up periodically to correlate the results with the analysis of the furanic compounds which have been used since mid 1980s as oil soluble degradation products of the insulating winding paper. It seemed that while no 2FAL was present some considerable amount of MeOH was detected which revealed some paper degradation. A second real case study was started to further correlate MeOH and 2FAL results. From these laboratory and real case studies it seemed that MeOH is a very promising marker for paper degradation in power transformers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information on the February 1, 2006 issue of the journal "IEEE Transactions on Semiconductor Manufacturing." This issue presents a selection of nine papers from the 18th International Conference on Microelectronic Test Structures, which was held in Leuven, Belgium. Papers presented in this issue were selected on the basis of merit and to demonstrate the broad spectrum of test structure design. Most of the papers addresses material manufacturing topics such as the characterization of non-standard cleanroom materials like gold and silver using suspended Greek-cross test structures for sheet resistivity estimation. For monitoring MOSFET ac characteristics for digital applications ring oscillators were used, allowing rapid investigation of delay variations. In order to investigate electromigration of the metal-line highly accelerated reliability tests are used. There is growing interest in precise characterization methods for interconnect capacitances, capacitances of thin oxide devices, and reliability of via connections between metal lines.

This paper considers the problem of fingerprinting localization in wireless networks based on received-signal-strength (RSS) observations. First, the performance of static localization using power maps (PMs) is improved with a new approach called the base-station-strict (BS-strict) methodology, which emphasizes the effect of BS identities in the classical fingerprinting. Second, dynamic motion models with and without road network information are used to further improve the accuracy via particle filters. The likelihood-calculation mechanism proposed for the particle filters is interpreted as a soft version (called BS-soft) of the BS-strict approach applied in the static case. The results of the proposed approaches are illustrated and compared with an example whose data were collected from a WiMAX network in a challenging urban area in the capitol city of Brussels, Belgium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results from a project in cooperation with the Belgian National Grid Operator ELIA are presented in this paper. Starting from a set of 245 time series, each one corresponding to four years of measurements from a HVLV substation, individual modeling using Periodic Time Series yields satisfactory results for short-term forecasting or simulation purposes. In addition, we use the stationarity properties of the estimated models to identify typical daily customer profiles. As each one of the 245 substations can be represented by its unique daily profile, it is possible to cluster the 245 profiles in order to obtain a segmentation of the original sample in different classes of customer profiles. This methodology provides a unified framework for the forecasting and clustering problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a case study of how Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was applied to generate objective cross-project comparisons of project duration within an engineering department of the Belgian Armed Forces. To date, DEA has been applied to study projects within certain domains (e.g., software and R&D); however, DEA has not been proposed as a general project evaluation tool within the project management literature. In this case study, we demonstrate how DEA fills a gap not addressed by commonly applied project evaluation methods (such as earned value management) by allowing the objective comparison of projects on actual measures, such as duration and cost, by explicitly considering differences in key input characteristics across these projects. Thus, DEA can overcome the paradigm of project uniqueness and facilitate cross-project learning. We describe how DEA allowed the department to gain new insight about the impact of changes to its engineering design process (redesigned based on ISO 15288), creating a performance index that simultaneously considers project duration and key input variables that determine project duration. We conclude with directions for future research on the application of DEA as a project evaluation tool for project managers, program office managers, and other decision-makers in project-based organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Part III. Reports on the completion of the extensive reference list with papers describing cases of ferroresonance experienced in Belgium. Clarification regarding the use of frequency domain methods with respect to nonlinear circuits; Use of scientific software to detect bifurcations.

DVB-H networks allow high data rate broadcast access for hand-held terminals. Building penetration loss measurements of a DVB-H signal at 602 MHz are performed in 100 buildings in Belgium. Buildings are categorized in different types (office buildings, apartments, villas, mansions, row houses, stations) and the rooms are classified according to the number of outside radiated walls. The cumulative distribution function of the penetration loss is determined and lognormality is investigated. Models are developed to calculate the penetration loss as a function of the number of radiated walls. Also models for apartments as a function of the floor level are developed. This research enables the calculation of indoor coverage probability for wireless networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the 2008 European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC), which was held in Brussels, Belgium from September 21-25, is presented. The topics of the conference were divided into six categories, and covered a wide range of technologies, including 100G transmission, coherent detection and fiber radio convergence. The conference was held together with an exposition with 330 exhibitors.

The 2nd IEEE International Conference on Smart Grid Communications (SmartGridComm) recently concluded in Brussels, Belgium with hundreds of global experts attending nearly 150 presentations dedicated to the world?s power delivery infrastructure. Developed by IEEE ComSoc to provide an interdisciplinary approach for facilitating the production, delivery and use of electricity worldwide, IEEE SmartGridComm 2011 was highlighted by four days of technical sessions, keynotes, panels, tutorials and workshops designed to detail the latest methods for supporting the efficient consumption of energy, two-way flow of energy and information, rapid response to power outages and integration of renewable energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents a short-term project on microwave planar circuits proposed to undergraduate engineering students at Universite Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. Basic course on microwave engineering; Familiarization of students with all circuit aspects at microwaves and millimeter waves; Combination of theoretical models, modern etching facilities and measurement equipment.