A combined stochastic/decision-aided SNR estimator
A problem of a blind stochastic SNR estimator and a principle of SNR estimation combining a blind estimator and decision-aided estimator are presented. Signal and noise can be detected from the received signal by a decision depending on a decision threshold that is made available by using the second and fourth-order moments of the received signal. Subsequently, the SNR is computed from the detected signal and the detected noise. The bias of SNR estimation (based on detection errors) is removed by applying analytically bias correction.
An SNR estimation algorithm using fourth-order moments
An algorithm is presented that allows an estimation of the SNR just by the observation of the noisy signal. For the estimation, shape factors of the signal's and the noise's probability density functions are used. The algorithm is based on the second and fourth order moments of the observed noisy signal.<<ETX>>
Thermal properties of the Florida Current as related to Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)
The thermal properties of the Florida Current are presented and analyzed for the available ocean thermal energy. For a cold water intake depth equal to or greater than 600 m, potential sites for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) power plants appear to exist in the Straits of Florida and, to a lesser extent, off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina. The maximum thermal differences occur on the continental shelf because of the geostrophic motion of the Gulf Stream. An estimate of the total available ocean thermal energy from the Florida Current, delivered in the form of electricity, is 3.5 × 1012 kWh yr−1. For a cold water suction depth of 600 m or more, seasonal variability in the ocean thermal resource is approx. ±35 per cent of average annual output.