AC impedance study of Ni, Fe, Cu, Mn doped ceria stabilized zirconia ceramics

Doped zirconia has been used in electronic applications in the cubic crystalline phase. Ceria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia presents high toughness and can also be applied as solid electrolytes. The tetragonal phase of zirconia can be stabilized at room temperature with ceria in a broad range of composition. However, CeO2-ZrO2 has low sinterability. so it is important to investigate the effect of sintering dopants. In this study the effect of iron, copper. manganese and nickel was investigated. The dopants such as iron and copper lowered the sintering temperature from 1600 degreesC down to 1450 degreesC, with a percentage of tetragonal phase retained at room temperature higher than 98% and also with an increase of the electrical conductivity. The electrical conductivity was measured using impedance spectroscopy. The grain boundary contribution was determined and the activation energy associated with the ionic conduction was 1.04 eV. The dopants can also promote a grain boundary cleanliness verified by blocking effect measurement. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

ac conductivity and conduction mechanism of NaNbO3 semiconductor antiferroelectric ceramic: A relaxational approach at high temperature

The electric properties of the sodium niobate perovskite ceramic were investigated by impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range from 5 Hz to 13 MHz and from room temperature up to 1073 K, in a thermal cycle. Both capacitance and conductivity exhibit an anomaly at around 600 K as a function of the temperature and frequency. The electric conductivity as a function of angular frequency sigma(omega) follows the relation sigma(omega)=Aomega(s). The values of the exponent s lie in the range 0.15less than or equal tosless than or equal to0.44. These results were discussed considering the conduction mechanism as being a type of polaron hopping. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.

AC biosusceptometry in the study of drug delivery

Conventionally, pharmaceutical substances are administered orally because the gastrointestinal tract possesses the appropriate features for drug absorption. Nevertheless, the gastrointestinal tract physiology is complex and influenced by many factors. These factors must be completely understood for the optimization of oral drug delivery systems. Although in vitro tests provide information about release and drug absorption profiles, in vivo studies are essential, due to the biological variability. Several techniques have been employed in an attempt to conveniently characterize the behavior of solid dosage forms in vivo. The noninvasive biomagnetic technique of alternate current biosusceptometry (ACB) has been used in studies focusing on gastrointestinal motility and, more recently, to evaluate the performance of magnetic dosage forms. This article will discuss the main characteristics of AC biosusceptometry and its applicability for determination of the relationship between the human gastrointestinal tract and orally administered pharmaceutical dosage forms. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Power system transmission network expansion planning using AC model

An optimisation technique to solve transmission network expansion planning problem, using the AC model, is presented. This is a very complex mixed integer nonlinear programming problem. A constructive heuristic algorithm aimed at obtaining an excellent quality solution for this problem is presented. An interior point method is employed to solve nonlinear programming problems during the solution steps of the algorithm. Results of the tests, carried out with three electrical energy systems, show the capabilities of the method and also the viability of using the AC model to solve the problem.

Uma aplicacao da celula de comutacao ZVS-PWM-GEPAE ao conversor DC-AC

This work presents the design and procedure of a DC-to-AC converter using a ZVS Commutation Cell developed by Barbi and Martins (1991) and applied to the family of DC-to-DC PWM converters. Firstly, we show the cell applied to buck converter. The stages of operation and the main current and voltage equations of the resonant devices are presented. Next, we adapt the converter to the regenerative operation mode. Hence, the full bridge converter at low frequency operation is conected on the DC-to-DC stage (at high frequency) output ends (Seixas, 1993). Commutation of zero voltage for all switches, PWM at constant frequency and neither overvoltage nor additional current stress are observed by digital simulation. The design example and experimental results obtained by prototype rated at 275 V, 1 kW and 40 kHz are also presented.

The ZVS-PWM commutation cell applied to the DC-AC converter

This paper presents the analysis of a dc-ac converter using a zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) commutation cell. First, we show the cell applied to the buck converter. The stages of operation are presented along with the main current and voltage equations. Next, we adapt the converter to the regenerative-operation mode. Hence, the full-bridge converter at low-frequency operation is connected in the dc-dc output stage (at high frequency). The main switches commute at zero voltage. The converter operated at constant frequency with pulse-width modulation (PWM), and neither overvoltage nor additional current stress was observed by digital simulation. A design example and experimental results obtained by prototype, rated at 275 V and 1 kW, are also presented. © 1997 IEEE.

New 12kW three-phase 18-pulse high power factor AC-DC converter with regulated output voltage for rectifier units

This work presents a new high power factor three-phase rectifier based on a Y-connected differential autotransformer with reduced kVA and 18-pulse input current followed by three DC-DC boost converters. The topology provides a regulated output voltage and natural three-phase input power factor correction. The lowest input current harmonic components are the 17th and the 19th. Three boost converters, with constant input currents and regulated parallel connected output voltages are used to process 4kW each one. Analytical results from Fourier analyses of winding currents and the vector diagram of winding voltages are presented. Simulation results to verify the proposed concept and experimental results are shown in the paper.

Fractal approach to ac impedance spectroscopy studies of ceramic materials

A novel fractal model for grain boundary regions of ceramic materials was developed. The model considers laterally inhomogeneous distribution of charge carriers in the vicinity of grain boundaries as the main cause of the non-Debye behaviour and distribution of relaxation times in ceramic materials. Considering the equivalent circuit the impedance of the grain boundary region was expressed. It was shown that the impedance of the grain boundary region has the form of the Davidson-Cole equation. The fractal dimension of the inhomogeneous distribution of charge carriers in the region close to the grain boundaries could be calculated based on the relation ds = 1 + β, where β is the constant from the Davidson-Cole equation.

An AC voltage regulator with high-power-factor, and control using a FPGA device

This paper presents the analysis, design, simulation, and experimental results for a high frequency high Power-Factor (PF) AC (Alternate Current) voltage regulator, using a Sepic converter as power stage. The control technique employed to impose a sinusoidal input current waveform, with low Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), is the sinusoidal variable hysteresis control. The control technique was implemented in a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) device, using a Hardware Description Language (VHDL). Through the use of the proposed control technique, the AC voltage regulator performs active power-factor correction, and low THD in the input current, for linear and non-linear loads, satisfying the requirements of the EEC61000-3-2 standards. Experimental results from an example prototype, designed for 300W of nominal output power, 50kHz (switching frequency), and 127Vrms of nominal input and output voltages, are presented in order to validate the proposed AC regulator. © 2005 IEEE.

Magnetic multiparticulate colonic delivery systems evaluated by AC Biosusceptometry

The biomagnetic technique called Alternate Current Biosusceptometry (ACB) is a proposal to evaluate a multiparticulate drug delivery system in the human gastrointestinal tract. Results show that ACB was able to quantify the gastrointestinal transit and spreading of the magnetic material and is an attractive tool for pharmaceutical research. © 2007.

Effect of erythromycin on motility and gastric emptying in dogs, by AC Biosusceptometry

We employed ACB to characterize Gastric Emptying Time (GET - T1/2) and Gastric Activity Contraction (GAC) in dogs after erythromycin administration. An erythromycin dose of 50 mg was infused, after 24 h of fasting. Without erythromycin administration, ACB recorded GET of 157.5 ± 13.6 min (mean ± SD) and GAC of 4.4 ± 0.5 cpm (cycles per minute). After erythromycin administration was measured a GET of 84.2 ± 19.7 min. GAC was measured before, during and after erythromycin administration and results were, respectively, 4.4 ± 0.5, 4.9 ± 0.6 and 4.2 ± 0.3 cpm. Erythromycin produced efficient prokinetic action in gastric emptying and increased gastric motility in dogs. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modelo AC para el despacho combinado de contratos bilaterales y bolsa de energía considerando restricciones de seguridad

Reliability is a key aspect in power system design and planning. Maintaining a reliable power system is a very important issue for their design and operation. Under the new competitive framework of the electricity sector, power systems find ever more and more strained to operate near their limits. Under this new scenario, it is crucial for the system operator to use tools that facilitate an energy dispatch that minimizes possible power cuts. This paper presents a mathematical model to calculate an energy dispatch that considers security constraints (single contingencies in transmission lines and transformers). The model involves pool markets and fixed bilateral contracts. Traditional methodologies that include security constraints are usually based in multistage dispatch processes. In this case, we propose a single-stage model that avoids the economic inefficiencies which result when conventional multi-stage dispatch approaches are applied. The proposed model includes an AC representation of the transport system and allows calculating the cost overruns incurred in due to reliability restrictions. We found that complying with fixed bilateral contracts, when they go above certain levels, might lead to congestion problems in transmission lines.

Proposal of a hybrid rectifier structure with HPF and low THD suitable for front-end trolleybuses systems supplied by AC distribution networks

This paper presents the development and the experimental analysis of a new single-phase hybrid rectifier structure with high power factor (PF) and low harmonic distortion of current (THDI), suitable for application in traction systems of electrical vehicles pulled by electrical motors (trolleybus), which are powered by urban distribution network. This front-end rectifier structure is capable of providing significant improvements in trolleybuses systems and in the urban distribution network costs, and efficiency. The proposed structure is composed by an ordinary single-phase diode rectifier with parallel connection of a switched converter. It is outlined that the switched converter is capable of composing the input line current waveform assuring high power factor (HPF) and low THDI, as well as ordinary front-end converter. However, the power rating of the switched converter is about 34% of the total output power, assuring robustness and reliability. Therefore, the proposed structure was named single-phase HPF hybrid rectifier. A prototype rated at 15kW was developed and analyzed in laboratory. It was found that the input line current harmonic spectrum is in accordance with the harmonic limits imposed by IEC61000-3-4. The principle of operation, the mathematical analysis, the PWM control strategy, and experimental results are also presented in this paper. © 2009 IEEE.

Flujo de potencia AC descentralizado para sistemas de potencia multi-área usando un método de descomposición basado en relajación Lagrangiana

A decentralized solution method to the AC power flow problem in power systems with interconnected areas is presented. The proposed methodology allows finding the operation point of a particular area without explicit knowledge of network data of adjacent areas, being only necessary to exchange border information related to the interconnection lines between areas. The methodology is based on the decomposition of the first-order optimality conditions of the AC power flow, which is formulated as a nonlinear programming problem. A 9-bus didactic system, the IEEE Three Area RTS-96 and the IEEE 118 bus test systems are used in order to show the operation and effectiveness of the distributed AC power flow.