High performance multi-layer varistor (MLV) from doped ZnO nanopowders by water based tape casting: Rheology,sintering, microstructure and properties

In this work, we report the fabrication of a high performance multi-layer varistor (MLV) via water based tape casting method using novel compositions of nanomaterials. Bi₂O₃, CaO and Co₃O₄ doped ZnO nanopowders were prepared by solution combustion synthesis (SCS) route, calcined at different temperatures (550, 650, 750 and 850?°C) and characterized by TEM, XRD, SEM and AFM. The nanopowder (crystallite size ~30?nm) calcined at 650?°C for 1?h was used as the starting material for MLV fabrication. Compositions of the slurry containing doped ZnO nanopowders, binder and plasticizer in water solvent were optimized for the fabrication of thick film. The rheological properties of the slurries having different solid loadings were analysed and thick films of various thicknesses (50–500?µm) were prepared by varying the feeding rate of tape casting. The film roughness of 38.3?nm for the thick film made from 40?wt% solid slurry was found to be superior compared to other samples due to the presence of reduced crack and shrinkage. MLV fired at 950?°C for 1.5?h exhibited a coefficient of nonlinearity of 18 and breakdown voltage of 291.5?V that yields superior properties compared to commercial MLVs.     

Direct model-based predictive control scheme without cost function for voltage source inverters with reduced common-mode voltage

This paper presents a direct model-based predictive control scheme for voltage source inverters (VSIs) with reduced common-mode voltages (CMVs). The developed method directly finds optimal vectors without using repetitive calculation of a cost function. To adjust output currents with the CMVs in the range of –V_dc/6 to +V_dc/6, the developed method uses voltage vectors, as finite control resources, excluding zero voltage vectors which produce the CMVs in the VSI within ±V_dc/2. In a model-based predictive control (MPC), not using zero voltage vectors increases the output current ripples and the current errors. To alleviate these problems, the developed method uses two non-zero voltage vectors in one sampling step. In addition, the voltage vectors scheduled to be used are directly selected at every sampling step once the developed method calculates the future reference voltage vector, saving the efforts of repeatedly calculating the cost function. And the two non-zero voltage vectors are optimally allocated to make the output current approach the reference current as close as possible. Thus, low CMV, rapid current-following capability and sufficient output current ripple performance are attained by the developed method. The results of a simulation and an experiment verify the effectiveness of the developed method.     

Parallel Multipopulation Differential Evolutionary Particle Swarm Optimization for Voltage and Reactive Power Control

This paper presents parallel multipopulation differential evolutionary particle swarm optimization (DEEPSO) for voltage and reactive power control (VQC). The problem can be formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear optimization problem and various evolutionary computation techniques have been applied to the problem including PSO, differential evolution (DE), and DEEPSO. Since VQC is one of the online controls, speed‐up of computation is required. Moreover, there is still room for improvement in solution quality. This paper applies parallel multipopulation DEEPSO in order to speed up the calculation and improve solution quality. The proposed method is applied to IEEE 30, 57, and 118 bus systems. The results indicate that the proposed method can realize fast computation and minimize more active power losses than the conventional evolutionary computation techniques.     

阳极导电材料对铁钨锡合金粉电解铁的影响

研究阳极导电材料碳素钢、316L不锈钢、铅钙合金、石墨、钛涂钌板、钛板和铜板在硫酸盐和氯盐体系中对铁钨锡合金粉电解铁的影响。结果表明:电解24 h,上述阳极导电材料在氯盐中的阴极电流效率为90%、90%、66%、66%、54%、49%、33%,在硫酸盐中的阴极电流效率为90%、87%、82%、81%、73%、68%、54%。槽电压均逐渐升高,在氯盐体系中,石墨、铅钙合金、钛涂钌板和钛板作阳极导电材料时,电解液pH逐渐降低;碳素钢、316L不锈钢和铜板作阳极导电材料时,电解液pH逐渐升高。在硫酸盐体系中,铜板和碳素钢作阳极导电材料时,电解液pH基本不变;316L不锈钢作阳极导电材料时,pH逐渐升高;铅钙合金、石墨和钛板作阳极导电材料时,pH先升高后降低。基于槽电压、阴极电流效率,选择适宜的电解体系为硫酸盐体系,该体系中适宜的阳极导电材料为铅钙合金。     

Experimental research on temperature rise and electric characteristics of aluminum air battery under open‐circuit condition for new energy vehicle

Due to lack of systematic research on open‐circuit voltage (OCV) and electrolyte temperature rise characteristics of aluminum air battery, in order to explore the influential factors on the OCV and electrolyte temperature rise of aluminum air battery, in this paper, for the first time, we studied the effects of different ambient temperature conditions, different concentrations of NaOH and KOH electrolyte, and pure aluminum and aluminum alloy on the OCV and electrolyte temperature rise of aluminum air battery. Results show that the OCV of aluminum air battery is obviously affected by ambient temperature conditions, electrolyte concentration, and different anode materials. The OCV range is 1.5 to 1.8 V at 0°C under different KOH‐electrolyte concentrations when aluminum alloy is used as anode material; with the increase of ambient temperature, the OCV will rise, and the range is 1.8 to 1.95 V. The working process of aluminum air battery is accompanied by the phenomenon of heat release, and the temperature rise range of electrolyte will not exceed 7°C when aluminum alloy is used as the anode material; however, the highest temperature of the electrolyte can reach 100°C when pure aluminum is used as the negative electrode material. The results of this study will provide theoretical guidance for designing aluminum air batteries and identifying their optimal operating conditions.     

Evaluation of fluctuating voltage topology with fuel cells and supercapacitors for automotive applications

To develop a single‐stage power conversion topology in which energy storage devices can be directly coupled, a fluctuating voltage topology is applied, leading to lower cost and more compactness with the absence of DC/DC converters. This paper investigates such a topology for automotive applications where fuel cells are directly connected to the DC bus of the inverter, resulting in fluctuating voltage across the DC bus. Further, a supercapacitor pack is also introduced to maintain the power capacity and voltage stability. The hybridization principle and practical application of such a topology are then discussed in the time domain and frequency domain. Furthermore, the transient power requirement is decomposed to design the size of fuel cells and supercapacitors. Simulation results from the modeling of the fuel cell‐supercapacitor powertrain demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of this topology. The supercapacitors can serve as a low‐pass filter for the fuel cells. In conclusion, the peak power requirement can be successfully achieved because of the lowered system impedance, and the fuel cells only need to supply the average power.     

基于过程免疫力的动态电压恢复器优化配置

优质电力园区以最低成本满足用户对电能质量的特殊需求,成为解决电压暂降问题的新途径,已在国内外开展了广泛的试点应用。针对中国优质电力园区规划缺少经济高效的优化配置方法的实际情况,提出了一种基于过程免疫力的动态电压恢复器优化配置方法。基于工业过程电压暂降免疫力,以满足用户用电需求为目标,以治理设备购置费用最低为约束,采用遗传算法对园区供电质量分级制定动态电压恢复器的优化配置方案,实现工业园区电压暂降治理的经济性。对大型精密温控系统的电压暂降治理装置的优化配置方法进行仿真计算,验证了所提方法的有效性与经济性。     

The impact of a 360° virtual tour on the reduction of psychological stress caused by COVID-19

The continuous spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is causing people to feel anxiety and stress. This study constructs a four-layer research model to examine how a 360° virtual tour can reduce people's psychological stress through two types of presence (the sense of presence and telepresence) and affective-motivational states (enjoyment and involvement) in this extraordinary period of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to test the moderating effect of involvement, partial least squares (PLS) analysis is employed to analyse valid data collected from 235 individuals. The results of this study indicate that telepresence has a higher impact in generating affective-motivational states than the sense of presence. Among the factors, enjoyment shows the highest effect on satisfaction with the 360° virtual tour experience and stress reduction; involvement moderates the effect of telepresence on satisfaction with the 360° virtual tour experience. This study also contributes to virtual reality research by distinguishing the concepts of ‘sense of presence’ and ‘telepresence’ as well as demonstrating the mechanisms whereby virtual reality technology influences people's psychological well-being. Timely recommendations are provided for people in order to reduce psychological stress during and after COVID-19 pandemic.     

基于虚拟导航线的农业机器人精确视觉导航方法

针对农田、野外环境中无人工标记情况下的导航问题，提出了一种基于虚拟导航线的农业机器人精确视觉导航方法。该方法不需要铺设导航线或者路标即可引导机器人行走直线。首先，根据需求确定需要跟踪的目标区域，之后控制机器人调整方向直到目标移至视野中央；其次，根据机器人和目标的位置确定参照目标，并依据两个目标的位置确定虚拟导航线；然后，动态更新导航线，并结合虚拟定标线和虚拟导航线确定偏移角度和偏移距离；最后，利用偏移参数构建模糊控制表，并以此实现对机器人旋转角度和行走速度的调整。实验结果表明，该算法能较为精确地实现对导航路线的识别，进而利用模糊控制策略使机器人沿直线向目标行走，且导航精度在10 cm以内。     

Probabilistic learning on manifolds (PLoM) with partition

The probabilistic learning on manifolds (PLoM) introduced in 2016 has solved difficult supervised problems for the “small data” limit where the number N of points in the training set is small. Many extensions have since been proposed, making it possible to deal with increasingly complex cases. However, the performance limit has been observed and explained for applications for which N is very small and for which the dimension of the diffusion-map basis is close to N. For these cases, we propose a novel extension based on the introduction of a partition in independent random vectors. We take advantage of this development to present improvements of the PLoM such as a simplified algorithm for constructing the diffusion-map basis and a new mathematical result for quantifying the concentration of the probability measure in terms of a probability upper bound. The analysis of the efficiency of this extension is presented through two applications.