Electric and magnetic properties of polymer electrolyte/carbon black composites

Measurements of 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) relaxation times, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) and AC Impedance Spectroscopy (IS) are reported for composites based on PEO8:LiClO4 and carbon black (CB), prepared by two methods: solvent and fusion processing. Three nuclear relaxation processes were identified for 1H nuclei: (i) belonging to the polymer chains in the amorphous phase, loosely bound to the CB particles, whose dynamics is almost the same as for unfilled polymer, (ii) belonging to the polymer chains which are tightly attached to the CB particles, and (iii) belonging to the crystalline phase in the loose polymer chain. The paramagnetic electronic susceptibility of the composite samples, measured by EPR, was interpreted by assuming a contribution of localized spin states that follow a Curie law, and a Pauli-like contribution of delocalized spins. A significant change of the EPR linewidth was observed at 40 K, which is the temperature where the Curie and Pauli susceptibilities equally contribute to the paramagnetic electronic susceptibility. The electrical properties are very sensitive to the preparation methods of the composites, which conditions the interaction between carbon particle-carbon particle and carbon particle-polymer chain. Classical statistic models to describe the conductivity in these media were not satisfactory. © 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Two definitions of the electric polarizability of a bound system in relativistic quantum theory

For the electric polarizability of a bound system in relativistic quantum theory, there are two definitions that have appeared in the literature. They differ depending on whether or not the vacuum background is included in the system. A recent confusion in this connection is clarified. © 1999 American Associations of Physics Teachers.

Remark on the vectorlike nature of electromagnetism and electric charge quantization

In this work we study the structure of electromagnetic interactions and electric charge quantization in gauge theories of electroweak interactions based on semisimple groups. We show that in the standard model of electroweak interactions the structure of electromagnetic interactions is strongly correlated to the quantization pattern of electric charges. We examine these two questions also in all possible chiral bilepton gauge models of electroweak interactions. In all, we can explain the vectorlike nature of electromagnetic interactions and electric charge quantization together demanding nonvanishing fermion masses and anomaly cancellations. ©1999 The American Physical Society.

Production grinding burn detection using acoustic emission and electric power signals

This work uses a monitoring system based on a PC platform, where the acoustic emission and electric power signals generated during the grinding process are used to investigate superficial burning occurrence in a surface grinding operation using two types of steel, three grinding conditions and an Al203 vitrified grinding wheel. Acoustic emission signals on the workpiece and grinding power were measured during a surface plunge operation until the grinding burn happened. From the results the standard deviation of the acoustic emission signal and the maximum electric power were calculated for each grinding pass. The proposed DPO parameter is the product between the power level and acoustic emission standard deviation. The results show that both signals can be used for burning detection, and the parameter DPO is the best indicator for the burning studied in this work. This can be explained by the high dispersion of the acoustic emission RMS level associated to the high power consumption when the grinding wheel lose its sharpness.

A fast electric load forecasting using neural networks

The objective of this work is the development of a methodology for electric load forecasting based on a neural network. Here, it is used Backpropagation algorithm with an adaptive process based on fuzzy logic. This methodology results in fast training, when compared to the conventional formulation of Backpropagation algorithm. Results are presented using data from a Brazilian Electric Company and the performance is very good for the proposal objective.

The use of pulsed electric acoustic technique for measuring the polarization reversal in ferroelectric ceramic samples

The pulsed electric acoustic technique, PEA, has been usually applied to probe space charge profiles in polymers. Preliminary PEA results using a ferroelectric ceramic are presented. If the reverse applied electric field i of the order of the coercive field the switching polarization process occurs in a period larger than hundreds of seconds. Such a slow process allows one to use the PEA setup to follow the polarization switching dynamics and determine the electric field profile. The PEA signal obtained in the lead zirconate-titanate doped with niobium ceramic, PZTN, indicates that the polarization distribution and field are not uniform during the switching period. We were also able to observe that the acoustic wave velocity and attenuation depends on the stage of the polarization switching, which agrees with results obtained using the ultrasonic method.

Light-induced electric dipole relaxation in synthetic and natural alexandrite

We present results of thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) measurements in synthetic and natural alexandrite, which show TSDC bands related to the presence of electric dipoles in both types of samples. Synthetic material shows a wide TSDC band with a peak at 179 K, which can be fitted by two distinct relaxing dipole distributions. For natural alexandrite the TSDC band has a maximum around 195 K and can be fitted by three different distributions. Both samples present one of the calculated curves with a peak about 179 K, with activation energy of 0.57 eV and constant relaxation time of 1 × 10-14 sec. Photo-induced TSDC shows that TSDC bands can also be generated by simultaneous application of light and an electric field at 77 K.

The use of pulsed electric acoustic technique for measuring electric field profiles in ferroelectric ceramic

The pulsed electric acoustic technique, PEA, have been usually applied to probe space charge profiles in polymers. In this work we show preliminary results obtained with lead zirconate-titanate and niobium, PZTN, ferroelectric ceramic samples. Experiments showed that induced charge densities on sample electrodes are mainly due to the ferroelectric polarization of the sample. We present results of the typical PEA response and the procedure to deconvolute the signal in order to obtain the charge densities and the electric field profiles. The PEA setup allows us to show a non-uniform polarization during ferroelectric switching.

A fast electric load forecasting using adaptive neural networks

This work presents a procedure for electric load forecasting based on adaptive multilayer feedforward neural networks trained by the Backpropagation algorithm. The neural network architecture is formulated by two parameters, the scaling and translation of the postsynaptic functions at each node, and the use of the gradient-descendent method for the adjustment in an iterative way. Besides, the neural network also uses an adaptive process based on fuzzy logic to adjust the network training rate. This methodology provides an efficient modification of the neural network that results in faster convergence and more precise results, in comparison to the conventional formulation Backpropagation algorithm. The adapting of the training rate is effectuated using the information of the global error and global error variation. After finishing the training, the neural network is capable to forecast the electric load of 24 hours ahead. To illustrate the proposed methodology it is used data from a Brazilian Electric Company. © 2003 IEEE.

PMUs optimized allocation using a tabu search algorithm for fault location in electric power distribution system

Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) optimized allocation allows control, monitoring and accurate operation of electric power distribution systems, improving reliability and service quality. Good quality and considerable results are obtained for transmission systems using fault location techniques based on voltage measurements. Based on these techniques and performing PMUs optimized allocation it is possible to develop an electric power distribution system fault locator, which provides accurate results. The PMUs allocation problem presents combinatorial features related to devices number that can be allocated, and also probably places for allocation. Tabu search algorithm is the proposed technique to carry out PMUs allocation. This technique applied in a 141 buses real-life distribution urban feeder improved significantly the fault location results. © 2004 IEEE.

Effects of the thyristor controlled serie capacitor on the electric power system

This work deals with the effects of the series compensation on the electric power system for small-signal stability studies. Therefore, the system is modeled admitting the existence of the compensation and then, the equations are linearized and a linear model is obtained for a single machine-infinite bus power system with a compensator installed. The resulting model with nine defined constants is very similar to the Heffron & Phillips linear model widely used on the existent literature. Finally, simulations are executed for an example system, to analyze the behavior of these constants when loading the system. © 2004 IEEE.

Microcontrolled pyro-electric instrument for measuring X-ray intensity in mammography

A novel instrument for measurement of X-ray intensity from mammography consists of a sensitive pyro-electric detector, a high-sensitivity, low-noise current-to-voltage converter, a microcontroller and a digital display. The heart of this device, and what makes it unique is the pyro-electric detector, which measures radiation by converting heat from absorbed incident X-rays into an electric current. This current is then converted to a voltage and digitised. The detector consists of a ferro-electric crystal; two types were tested; lithium tantalate and lithium niobate. X-ray measurement in mammography is challenging because of its relatively low photon energy range, from 11 keV to 15 keV equivalent mean energy, corresponding to a peak tube potential from 22 to 36 kV. Consequently, energy fluence rate or intensity is low compared with that of common diagnostic X-ray. The instrument is capable of measuring intensities as low as 0.25 mWm -2 with precision greater than 99%. Not only was the instrument capable of performing in the clinical environment, with high background electromagnetic interference and vibration, but its performance was not degraded after being subjected to 140 roentgen (3.6 × 10 -2 C kg -2 air) as measured by piezo-electric (d 33) or pyro-electric coefficients. © IFMBE 2005.

Investigation of the relationship between load and loss factors for a Brazilian electric utility

With the considerable increase of the losses in electric utilities of developing countries, such as Brazil, there is an investigation for loss calculation methodologies, considering both technical (inherent of the system) and non-technical (usually associated to the electricity theft) losses. In general, all distribution networks know the load factor, obtained by measuring parameters directly from the network. However, the loss factor, important for the energy loss cost calculation, can only be obtained in a laborious way. Consequently, several formulas have been developed for obtaining the loss factor. Generally, it is used the expression that relates both factors, through the use of a coefficient k. Last reviews introduce a range of factor k within 0.04 - 0.30. In this work, an analysis with real life load curves is presented, determining new values for the coefficient k in a Brazilian electric utility. © 2006 IEEE.

Substitution-newton-Raphson method for the solution of electric network equations

The power flow problem, in transmission networks, has been well solved, for most cases, using Newton-Raphson method (NR) and its decoupled versions. Generally speaking, the solution of a non-linear system of equations refers to two methods: NR and Successive Substitution. The proposal of this paper is to evaluate the potential of the Substitution-Newton-Raphson Method (SNR), which combines both methods, on the solution of the power flow problem. Simulations were performed using a two-bus test network in order to observe the characteristics of these methods. It was verified that the NR is faster than SNR, in terms of convergence, considering non-stressed scenarios. For those cases where the power flow in the network is closed to the limits (stressed system), the SNR converges faster. This paper presents the power flow formulation of the SNR and describes its potential for its application in special cases such as stressed scenarios. © 2006 IEEE.

Low-cost PWM speed controller for an electric mini-baja type vehicle

This paperwork presents a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) speed controller for an electric mini-baja-type car. A battery-fed 1-kW three-phase induction motor provides the electric vehicle traction. The open-loop speed control is implemented with an equal voltage/frequency ratio, in order to maintain a constant amount of torque on all velocities. The PWM is implemented by a low-cost 8-bit microcontroller provided with optimized ROM charts for distinct speed value implementations, synchronized transition between different charts and reduced odd harmonics generation. This technique was implemented using a single passenger mini-baja vehicle, and the essays have shown that its application resulted on reduced current consumption, besides eliminating mechanical parts. Copyright © 2007 by ABCM.