The single-phase brushless doubly-fed machine as a generator for wind turbines

This paper proposes a single-phase variant of the Brushless Doubly-Fed Machine, the Single-Phase BDFM, SPB. Like the BDFM it is a variable speed generator which requires a converter rated at only a fraction of the machine rating, using structure with no brushes. Unlike the BDFM, most of its power is delivered directly into a single-phase grid connection. As such it is a potential replacement for PM generators in small-ish wind turbines, potentially with a much lower cost. In this paper we give details of its operation, with reference to results from the first prototype SPB. We also suggest how it may be controlled, again with experimental results. © 2011 IEEE.

A novel vector control approach for Single Phase Brushless Doubly Fed Machine

This paper proposed a novel control scheme for operating the Single Phase Brushless Doubly-Fed Machine (SPB) based on Stator-Flux-Oriented control algorithm. The SPB is a new type of Brushless Doubly-Fed Machine (BDFM) which shows a potential in applications which require adjustable speed such as Wind Power generation and speed adjustable Drive. The SPB can be applied to single-phase power system and the lower cost of the SPB makes the SPB suitable for low-rated power conversion applications. This paper develops the control scheme of the SPB with explicit mathematical analysis and block diagram of the controller. Experimental verification is also given. © 2011 IEEE.

CFD modeling of single-phase flow in a packed bed with MRI validation

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are becoming increasingly widespread with the advent of more powerful computers and more sophisticated software. The aim of these developments is to facilitate more accurate reactor design and optimization methods compared to traditional lumped-parameter models. However, in order for CFD to be a trusted method, it must be validated using experimental data acquired at sufficiently high spatial resolution. This article validates an in-house CFD code by comparison with flow-field data obtained using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for a packed bed with a particle-to-column diameter ratio of 2. Flows characterized by inlet Reynolds numbers, based on particle diameter, of 27, 55, 111, and 216 are considered. The code used employs preconditioning to directly solve for pressure in low-velocity flow regimes. Excellent agreement was found between the MRI and CFD data with relative error between the experimentally determined and numerically predicted flow-fields being in the range of 3-9%. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

A self-regulating valve for single-phase liquid cooling of microelectronics

This paper reports on the design, optimization and testing of a self-regulating valve for single-phase liquid cooling of microelectronics. Its purpose is to maintain the integrated circuit (IC) at constant temperature and to reduce power consumption by diminishing flow generated by the pump as a function of the cooling requirements. It uses a thermopneumatic actuation principle that combines the advantages of zero power consumption and small size in combination with a high flow rate and low manufacturing costs. The valve actuation is provided by the thermal expansion of a liquid (actuation fluid) which, at the same time, actuates the valve and provides feed-back sensing. A maximum flow rate of 38 kg h-1 passes through the valve for a heat load up to 500 W. The valve is able to reduce the pumping power by up to 60% and it has the capability to maintain the IC at a more uniform temperature. © 2011 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Large-scale synthesis of single-phase, high-quality GaN nanocrystallites

Large-scale synthesis of high-quality GaN nano-crystallites has been achieved by direct reaction of a 4:1 molar Ga/Ga2O3 mixture with ammonia at 950degreesC. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, selected-area electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that the produced GaN nanocrystallites were single hexagonal wurtzite structure with an average particle size around 45 nm. A sharp near band edge emission peak and a blue light emission peak were observed in photoluminescence spectroscopy. The synthesis approach is simple and easy to be commercialized.

GROWTH OF GASB AND GAASSB IN THE SINGLE-PHASE REGION BY MOVPE

GaSb layers are grown on GaSb substrates; the effects of input partial pressure of trimethylantimony and the V/III ratio are studied. A model of the MOVPE phase diagram for the growth of GaSb and GaAsxSb1-x is developed which assumes thermodynamic equilibrium to be established at the solid-vapor interface.

Novel morphology in ring-banded spherulites from single-phase mixtures of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) with poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile)

Novel morphology of ring-banded spherulites in the surface of poly(epsilon-caprolactone)/poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (PCL/SAN) blends was discovered and studied by SEM and TEM. The ring-banded spherulites separate into those exhibiting a very dark contrast, of relatively regular bundles of lamellae and others appearing with a much brighter intensity, of a coarse and irregular aggregates of lamellae. The origin of the novel morphology is not due to different crystalline structures as in the case of isotactic polypropylene because only one crystal structure exists in PCL/SAN blends. The formation may reflect whether spherulites in PCL/SAN blends are nucleated at the bottom surface or at the top (free) surface.

Single-phase fluid flow distribution and heat transfer in microstructured reactors

Single-phase microreactors and micro-heat-exchangers have been widely used in industrial and scientific applications over the last decade. In several cases, operation of microreactors has shown that their expected efficiency cannot be reached either due to non-uniform distribution of reactants between different channels or due to flow maldistribution between individual microreactors working in parallel. The latter problem can result in substantial temperature deviations between different microreactors resulting in thermal run away which could arise from an exothermicreaction. Thus advances in the understanding of heat transfer and fluid flow distribution continue to be crucial in achieving improved performance, efficiency and safety in microstructured reactors used for different applications. This paper presents a review of the experimental and numerical results on fluid flow distribution, heat transfer and combination thereof, available in the open literature. Heat transfer in microchannels can be suitably described by standard theory and correlations, but scaling effects (entrance effects, conjugate heat transfer, viscous heating, and temperature-dependent properties) have often to be accounted for in microsystems. Experiments with single channels are in good agreement with predictions from the published correlations. The accuracy of multichannel experiments is lower due to flow maldistribution. Special attention is devoted to theoretical and experimental studies on the effect of a flow maldistribution on the thermal and conversion response of catalytic microreactors. There view concludes with a set of design recommendations aimed at improving the reactor performance. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Room-temperature single phase multiferroic magnetoelectrics: Pb(Fe,M)x(Zr,Ti)(1−x)O3 [M=Ta, Nb]

We describe extensive studies on a family of perovskite oxides that are ferroelectric and ferromagnetic at ambient temperatures. The data include x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, measurements of ferroelectric and magnetic hysteresis, dielectric constants, Curie temperatures, electron microscopy
(both scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)) studies, and both longitudinal and transverse magnetoelectric constants a33 and a31. The study extends earlier work to lower Fe, Ta, and Nb concentrations at the B-site (from 15%–20% down to 5%). The magnetoelectric
constants increase supralinearly with Fe concentrations, supporting the earlier conclusions of a key role for Fe spin clustering. The room-temperature orthorhombic C2v point group symmetry inferred from earlier x-ray diffraction studies is confirmed via TEM, and the primitive unit cell size is found to be the basic perovskite Z¼1 structure of BaTiO3, also the sequence of phase transitions with increasing temperature from rhombohedral to orthorhombic to tetragonal to cubic mimics barium titanate.

Estimation of zero-sequence impedance of undergrounds cables for single-phase fault location in distribution systems with electric arc

This paper focus on the problem of locating single-phase faults in mixed distribution electric systems, with overhead lines and underground cables, using voltage and current measurements at the sending-end and sequence model of the network. Since calculating series impedance for underground cables is not as simple as in the case of overhead lines, the paper proposes a methodology to obtain an estimation of zero-sequence impedance of underground cables starting from previous single-faults occurred in the system, in which an electric arc occurred at the fault location. For this reason, the signal is previously pretreated to eliminate its peaks voltage and the analysis can be done working with a signal as close as a sinus wave as possible

Neural Network-Based Approach for Identification of the Harmonic Content of a Nonlinear Load in a Single-Phase System

In this paper an alternative method based on artificial neural networks is presented to determine harmonic components in the load current of a single-phase electric power system with nonlinear loads, whose parameters can vary so much in reason of the loads characteristic behaviors as because of the human intervention. The first six components in the load current are determined using the information contained in the time-varying waveforms. The effectiveness of this method is verified by using it in a single-phase active power filter with selective compensation of the current drained by an AC controller. The proposed method is compared with the fast Fourier transform.