In this study, an adaptive driving method for synchronous rectification in bidirectional full-bridge LLC resonant converters used in railway applications is proposed. The drain to source voltage of the synchronous rectifier is utilized to detect the conduction of the body diode, and a suitable driving signal for synchronous rectification is generated accordingly. The proposed driving scheme is simple and can be realized using a low-cost digital signal processor (DSP). According to the experimental results, which averaged 0.4625% and 1.097%, improvement can be observed under charging and discharging mode, respectively.

Industry testing procedures such as ANSI/API 13B-1 describe a method for measuring fluid loss and studying filter-cake formation against a medium of either a filter paper or a porous disc, without giving information about potential formation damage. Considering the thickness of the discs, it may also be possible to extend the method to gain an insight into aspects of formation damage. A new experimental set-up and methodology was created to evaluate changes to the porous discs after HTHP testing to generate insight into signs of formation damage, such as changes in disc mass and permeability. Such measurements were enabled by placing the disc in a cell, which allowed for reverse flow of fluid to lift off the filter-cake. Experiments were conducted with different drilling fluid compositions to evaluate the use of the new methodology. The first test series showed consistent changes in disc mass as a function of the additives applied into the fluid. The data yield insights into how the di... [more]

Deterministic channel models, such as the three-dimensional (3D) ray launching method, can yield wireless channel parameters. In the non-line-of-sight (NLOS) propagation, the outdoor 3D ray launching method that considers diffraction effects is more accurate than the one that does not. While considering the diffraction effect, obtaining the diffraction point is challenging. This paper proposed a method for determining diffracted rays using the receiving sphere method in 3D ray launching. The diffraction point is determined using the shortest distance method between two straight lines, and the signal loss from the transmitting to receiving antennas is obtained. Furthermore, experiments on a millimeter wave in a microcell scenario were performed. The test results of the wireless channel parameters were compared with theoretical calculations. The results obtained via the 3D ray launching method that only considers the specular reflection and direct rays agree with the experimental results... [more]

The combustion characteristics of laminar biogas premixed and diffusion flames in the presence of upward decreasing magnetic fields have been investigated in this study. The mechanism of magnet−flame interaction in the literature, in which magnetic fields change the behaviors of laminar flames due to the paramagnetic and diamagnetic properties of the constituent gases, is examined and the results are as follows. The magnetic field has no noticeable effect on premixed flames due to low oxygen concentration of the mixed gas at the injection and the relatively high flow momentum. However, due to the diffusion nature of diffusion flames and paramagnetic property of oxygen in ambient air, oxygen distributions are subjected to the gradient of magnetic flux, thus shortening the height of diffusion flames. Results also show that the flame volume is more strongly varied than flame height. Altered oxygen distributions result in improved combustion and higher flame temperature. In the case of cur... [more]

The paper focuses on the influence of the reshaped elbow geometry of the draft tube on the unsteady pressure field under different operating conditions. The experimental investigations are conducted considering two simplified geometrical configurations of the draft tubes with sharp heel elbow and modified/reshaped elbow, respectively. The discriminated power spectra (rotating and plunging components) of the acquired pressure signals on the wall are determined on five levels for seven operating conditions to quantify the influence of the reshaped elbow. The influence of the reshaped elbow on the fundamental frequencies of both rotating and plunging components and on the amplitude of the rotating component is negligible. In contrast, the equivalent amplitude associated with the root mean square of the plunging power spectrum that propagates along the hydraulic passage is mitigated up to 25% by the reshaped geometry of the elbow. The equivalent amplitude on the narrow band around the fund... [more]

In this study, changes in the droplet formation mechanism and the law of droplet length in a two-phase liquid−liquid system in 400 × 400 μm standard T-junction microchannels were experimentally studied using a high-speed camera. The study investigated the effects of various dispersed phase viscosities, various continuous phase viscosities, and two-phase flow parameters on droplet length. Two basic flow patterns were observed: slug flow dominated by the squeezing mechanism, and droplet flow dominated by the shear mechanism. The dispersed phase viscosity had almost no effect on droplet length. However, the droplet length decreased with increasing continuous phase viscosity, increasing volume flow rate in the continuous phase, and the continuous-phase capillary number Cac. Droplet length also increased with increasing volume flow rate in the dispersed phase and with the volume flow rate ratio. Based on the droplet formation mechanism, a scaling law governing slug and droplet length was pr... [more]

Technological innovations in sociotechnical transitions are usually found in market or spatial niches. These novel niches may sometimes emerge and expand, and eventually may erode an established sociotechnical system regime. In this paper, we redefined niche emergence as potentially consequent from the convergence of different regimes. That is, it is proposed that innovative niches may be grounded in established regimes but subsequently expand or bridge to previously distinct and separate other sociotechnical system regimes. However, the extension of overlapping regimes creates new forms of “external” competition for industrial participants inside each regime. This paper therefore proposes that regime−regime confluence may be observed in (1) the boundaries between regimes potentially being broken via emergent new niches; (2) pre-existing local networks being fragmented and reformed into exclusive and/or wider networks; and (3) competitive challenges and pressures arising both from insi... [more]

The transient analysis model of grounding systems is an important tool to analyze the lightning characteristics of grounding devices. When lightning enters the soil through the grounding device, there is a centralized discharge channel. The spatial structure of the discharge channel in the soil has a great effect on the accuracy of the transient analysis model of the soil impulse discharge. In this paper, based on the gray information analysis method, the volume of successive impulse discharge channels in the ground under various currents and soil conditions is calculated, and the changing law with time interval is analyzed. According to the experimental results, an analysis method of the model considering the discharge channel structure is proposed, and an example is analyzed. The results show that the time interval has an effect on the volume of the discharge channel. In a certain range, the volume of the channel increases with the time interval of successive impulse discharges. Taki... [more]

The gas flow regime and pressure drop in a gas−solid packed bed with irregularly shaped sinter particles were experimentally investigated. Using a self-made experimental facility for data measurement, the gas flow pressure drop in a sinter bed layer was determined for various experimental conditions. According to the changes in the modified coefficients, α and β, for different flow regimes, the flow transitions from one regime to another in packed beds with different particle diameters were described. Furthermore, the pressure drop correlations for different flow regimes were determined, and the reliabilities of the obtained correlations were contrastively analyzed. The results show that, when the particle diameter is constant, the modified pressure drop per unit height, ΔP/Hu, increases linearly with the increasing gas superficial velocity. When the gas superficial velocity is larger than 1.15 m/s under atmospheric conditions, the gas flow regime in the sinter bed layer is the turbule... [more]

Power lines are often placed in ground or sea water, which are weakly conductive media. In the paper, a new analytical formula, taking into account the proximity effect in a twin line placed in a weakly conductive medium, is derived, and the effect of the conductive medium is considered. In the first step, one of the wires is replaced by a current filament, and the solution is sought for magnetic vector potential around the filament. In the next step, an analytical formula for eddy currents induced in a long straight conductor of circular cross-section placed near to the current filament in the extensive conductive medium is found by using the method of separation of variables. The correctness of the formula is checked by comparison with the results obtained via other methods like finite and boundary element methods. Then, the effect of various parameters on the eddy current distribution is tested. Next, the proximity effect in a twin symmetrical line is considered, and the effect of t... [more]

The management of electricity consumption by household consumers requires multiple ways of consumer monitoring. One of these is the signature i(v) determined by monitoring the consumer voltage-current trajectory. The paper proposes a novel method for obtaining signatures of 2-multiple consumers, i.e., a pair of consumers connected in parallel. Signatures are obtained from samples of the voltage at the consumers’ terminals and of the total current absorbed by the consumers, measured at a frequency of only 20 Hz. Within the method, signatures are calculated using genetic algorithms (GA) and nonlinear regression, according to a procedure developed by the authors in a previous paper. The management of the data selected for the signature assignment represents the novelty. The method proposed in this paper is applied in two case studies, one concerning household consumers within the same power level, the other for household consumers of different power levels. The results confirm the possibi... [more]

It is commonly believed that matrix and natural fractures randomly distribute in carbonate gas reservoirs. In order to increase the effective connected area to the storage space as much as possible, highly deviated wells are widely used for development. Although there have been some studies on the composite model for highly deviated wells, they have not considered the effects of stress sensitivity and threshold pressure gradient in a dual-porosity gas reservoir. In this paper, a semi-analytical composite model for low permeability carbonate gas reservoir was established to study the effect of non-Darcy flow. By employing source function, Fourier transform and the perturbation method, the pressure performance and typical well test curves were obtained. Eight flow regimes were identified, and their characteristics were discussed. As a result, it can be concluded that the effects of stress sensitivity and threshold pressure gradient would make pseudo-pressure and derivative curves rise, w... [more]

A new methodology of determination of the theoretical and actual working volume of a hydraulic motor based on the characteristics of the delivered flow rate into hydraulic motor vs. the rotational speed at a constant pressure drop in the working chambers is described in this paper. A new method of describing the delivered flow rate into a motor per one shaft revolution as a nonlinear function of the pressure drop in the motor working chamber is proposed. The influence of the flowmeter location in the measurement system on the result of the theoretical and actual working volume calculation is described. It is shown that, in order to assess the energy losses (volumetric and mechanical) in the motor, the actual working volume must be a polynomial function (third degree) of its pressure drop in the working chambers. The result of the experimental tests of the satellite hydraulic motor confirmed the validity of the proposed method. The result of the calculation of the theoretical working vo... [more]

In this study, four ammonium hydroxide ionic liquids (AHILs) with varying alkyl chains were evaluated for their kinetic hydrate inhibition (KHI) impact on pure carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) gas hydrate systems. The constant cooling technique was used to determine the induction time, the initial rate of hydrate formation, and the amount of gas uptake for CH4-AHILs and CO2-AHILs systems at 8.0 and 3.50 MPa, respectively, at 1 wt.% aqueous AHILs solutions. In addition, the effect of hydrate formation sub-cooling temperature on the performance of the AHILs was conducted at experimental temperatures 274.0 and 277.0 K. The tested AHILs kinetically inhibited both CH4 and CO2 hydrates at the studied sub-cooling temperatures by delaying the hydrate induction time and reducing the initial rate of hydrate formation and gas uptake. The hydrate inhibition performance of AHILs increases with increasing alkyl chain length, due to the better surface adsorption on the hydrate crystal surface w... [more]

The prestrike phenomenon in vacuum circuit breakers (VCBs) is interesting but complicated. Previous studies mainly focus on the prestrike phenomenon in single-break VCBs. However, experimental work on prestrike characteristics of double-break VCBs cannot be found in literature. This paper aims to experimentally determine the probabilistic characteristics of prestrike gaps in a double-break VCB consisting of two commercial vacuum interrupters (VIs) in series under direct current (DC) voltages. As a benchmark, single-break prestrike gaps were measured by short-circuiting one of the VIs in a double break. The experimental results show that the 50% prestrike gap d50 of each VI in a double break, which is calculated with the complementary Weibull distribution, was significantly reduced by 25% to 72.7% compared with that in a single break. Due to the voltage-sharing effect in the double-break VCB, scatters in prestrike gaps of each VI in a double break was smaller than that in a single break... [more]

This article presents the effectiveness of bispectrum analysis for the detection of the rotor unbalance of an induction motor supplied by the mains and a frequency converter. Two diagnostic signals were analyzed, as well as the stator current and mechanical vibrations of the tested motors. The experimental tests were realized for two low-power induction motors, with one and two pole pairs, respectively. The unbalance was modeled using a test mass mounted on a specially prepared disc and directly on the rotor and the influence of this unbalance location was tested and discussed. The results of the bispectrum analysis are compared with results of Fourier transform and the effectiveness of unbalance detection are discussed and compared. The influence of the registration time of the analyzed signal on the quality of fault symptom analyses using both transforms was also tested. It is shown that the bispectrum analysis provides an increased number of fault symptoms in comparison with the cla... [more]

This paper uses practical experimentation to analyse the effect of replacing SF6 with pure CO2 in conventional gas insulated transmission line sections by studying partial discharge measurements taken with applied voltages up to 242 kV (rms). The results can also help in understanding the properties of new alternative gas mixtures which can be utilised with a ratio of up to and over 95% CO2. The experiments undertaken involved filling a gas insulated line demonstrator with 3 bars of CO2 and applying voltages up to 242 kV in both clean conditions and particle-contaminated enclosure conditions. The results demonstrate that CO2 can be used to insulate gas equipment without breakdown at high voltage, however, a higher gas-filling pressure may be needed to reduce the partial discharge found in the tests presented in this paper. Another aspect of the work showed that partial discharge (PD) measurements from internal ultra-high frequency (UHF) sensors compared with a direct measurement from a... [more]

Piezoelectric actuation is a promising principle for insect-scaled robots. A major concern while utilizing a piezoelectric actuator is energy loss due to its parasitic capacitance. In this paper, we propose a new concept to recover the charge stored in the parasitic capacitance; it requires only three additional lightweight passive components: two diodes and a resistor. The advantages of our concept are its small additional mass and simple operating procedure compared with existing charge recovery circuits. We provided a guideline for selecting a resistor using a simplified theoretical model and found that half of the charge can be recovered by employing a resistor that has a resistance sufficiently larger than the forward resistance of the additional diode. In addition, we experimentally demonstrated the concept. With a capacitive load (as a replacement for the piezoelectric actuator), it was successfully observed that the proposed concept decreased the power consumption to 58% of tha... [more]

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This paper presents a review of isolated matrix inverters. The study contributes to creating a point of reference for a comprehensive classification of existing solutions. Over 30 topologies were reviewed, and the main advantages and disadvantages discussed. Applications of isolated matrix inverters are summarized in a tabular form to demonstrate their flexibility for different power and voltage levels achieved due to the presence of a transformer. These inverters have been proposed for the uninterruptible power supplies, high and low-voltage/power photovoltaic systems, low-power fuel cell, different low- and high-voltage battery and/or electric vehicle chargers, audio amplifiers. The fully controlled switches on both terminals of these converters typically can provide the bidirectional power transfer capability, which is also addressed for most of the topologies, but requires some modification in their modulation strategy. Average efficiency of today’s isolated matrix inverters is com... [more]

Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) provides the possibility to design new “electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) friendly” control techniques for power electronic converters. Such control techniques use pseudo-random modulators (RanM) to control the converter switches. However, some issues connected with the FPGA-based design of RanM, such as matching the range of fixed-point numbers, might be challenging. The modern programming tools, such as LabVIEW, may facilitate the design process, but there are still fixed-point operations and limitations in arithmetic operations. This paper presents the design insights on the FPGA-based EMC friendly control system for DC/DC converter. Probability density functions (PDF) are used to analyse and improve pseudo-random algorithms. The theoretical algorithms, hardware details and experimental results are presented and discussed in terms of conducted electromagnetic interference emission.

Battery-less sensors need a fast and stable wireless charging mechanism to ensure that they are being correctly activated and properly working. The major drawback of state-of-the-art wireless power transfer solutions stands in the maximum Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) established from local regulations, even using directional antennas. Indeed, the maximum transferred power to the load is limited, making the charging process slow. To overcome such limitation, a novel method for implementing an effective wireless charging system is described. The proposed solution is designed to guarantee many independent charging contributions, i.e., multiple tones are used to distribute power along transmitted carriers. The proposed rectenna system is composed by a set of narrow-band rectifiers resonating at specific target frequencies, while combining at DC. Such orthogonal frequency schema, providing independent charging contributions, is not affected by the phase shift of incident signa... [more]

Recently we demonstrated the simultaneous detection of the chemiluminescence of the radicals OH* (310 nm) and CH* (430 nm), as well as the thermal radiation of soot in laminar and turbulent methane/air diffusion flames. As expected, a strong spatial and temporal coupling of OH* and CH* in laminar and moderate turbulent flames was observed. Taking advantage of this coupling, multispecies tomography enables us to quantify the reconstruction quality completely independent of any phantom studies by simply utilizing the reconstructed distribution of both species. This is especially important in turbulent flames, where it is difficult to separate measurement noise from turbulent fluctuations. It is shown that reconstruction methods based on Tikhonov regularization should be preferred over the widely used algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) and multiplicative algebraic reconstruction techniques (MART), especially for high-speed imaging or generally in the limit of low signal-to-noise rat... [more]

In recent years, the tomographic visualization of laminar and turbulent flames has received much attention due to the possibility of observing combustion processes on-line and with high temporal resolution. In most cases, either the spectrally non-resolved flame luminescence or the chemiluminescence of a single species is detected and used for the tomographic reconstruction. In this work, we present a novel 2D emission tomographic setup that allows for the simultaneous detection of multiple species (e.g., OH*, CH* and soot but not limited to these) using a single image intensified CCD camera. We demonstrate the simultaneous detection of OH* (310 nm), CH* (430 nm) and soot (750 nm) in laminar methane/air, as well as turbulent methane/air and ethylene/air diffusion flames. As expected, the reconstructed distributions of OH* and CH* in laminar and turbulent flames are highly correlated, which supports the feasibility of tomographic measurements on these kinds of flames and at timescales d... [more]

Transient behavior analysis, including rate transient analysis (RTA) and pressure transient analysis (PTA), is a powerful tool to investigate the production performance of the vertical commingled well from long-term production data and capture the formation parameters of the multilayer reservoir from transient well testing data. Current transient behavior analysis models hardly consider the effect of vertical non-uniform boundary radii (VNBR) on transient performances (rate decline and pressure response). The VNBR may cause an obvious novel radial flow regime and rate decline type, which can easily be mistaken as a radial composite reservoir. In this paper, we present a VNBR transient behavior analysis model, the extended vertical uniform boundary radii (VUBR), to investigate the rate decline behavior and pressure response characteristics through diagnostic type curves. Results indicate that the dimensionless production integral derivative curve or pressure derivative curve can magnify... [more]