Effect of Discharge Electrode Parameters on the Flow Velocity Profile of the Wire?rod Type Electrohydrodynamic Gas Pump Exit

Experimental investigation has been conducted to study the effects of corona wire diameter, pipe length, and corona polarity on outlet flow velocity distribution profile of a wire-rod type electrohydrodynamic (EHD) gas pump. Upon applying negative or positive dc high voltage between a wire electrode (outer diameter (o.d.) 60 μm, 200 μm, or 300 μm) and a rod electrode (o.d. 3 mm) in atmospheric air, corona discharge occurs and EHD gas flow is generated in the direction from the wire electrode to the rod electrode through a cylindrical pipe (inner diameter (i.d.) 20 mm). For both polarities, the discharge current and average flow velocity increase monotonically on increasing the applied voltage before the onset of spark discharge. Using wire electrodes with a smaller diameter, stable corona discharge between corona onset and spark onset is generated in a wider voltage range, and the discharge current becomes larger, resulting in a higher flow velocity. The maximum average flow velocity of 2.0 m/s, corresponding to a flow rate of 38 l/min, was achieved with a wire of diameter 60 μm by applying a voltage of ?16 kV.     

Effect of Zr/Ti ratio on piezoelectric and dielectric properties of PNW–PMS–PZT ceramics

(Pb_0.95Sr_0.05)[(Ni_1/2W_1/2)_0.02(Mn_1/3Sb_2/3)0.06(Zr_XTi_Y)_0.92]O₃ piezoelectric ceramics (abbreviated as PNW–PMS–PZT) with 1%mol excess PbO, 0.25 wt% CeO₂ and 0.2 wt% MnO₂ were prepared by traditional ceramics process. The phase structure of ceramics sintered at 1150°C were analyzed. Results show that the pure perovskite phase was in all ceramics specimens, the phase structure of PNW–PMS–PZT piezoelectric ceramics was transformed from tetragonal to rhombohedral, with Zr/Ti ratio increased in system; Effect of Zr/Ti ratio on piezoelectric and dielectric properties was investigated. Results show that ? _r , tanδ, k _p and d ₃₃ increased with an increase of Zr/Ti ratio and reached the maximum values at Zr/Ti ratio of 50/50, then decreased with further increase of Zr/Ti ratio, whereas the variation of Q _m with an increase of Zr/Ti ratio showed the opposite trend, T _c showed a tendency to decrease with an increase of Zr/Ti ratio. The piezoelectric ceramics with Zr/Ti ratio of 50/50 was applied in high-power multilayer piezoelectric transformer, and properties parameter were ? _r ?=?2100, tanδ?=?0.006, k _p ?=?0.613, Q _m ?=?1300, d ₃₃ ?=?380pC/N, T _c ?=?205 °C.     

Investigation of Buck-boost DC–DC Converter Operation in Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM) and the Effect of Converter Elements on Output Response Using a Mathematical Model Based on Laplace and Z-Transforms

In this paper, a new method based on Laplace and Z-transforms is proposed for mathematical modeling of a buck-boost DC–DC converter in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). The Laplace transform is used to obtain the time response of the output voltage and inductor current. The Z-transform is used to analyze the transient and steady state responses. Using the determined initial values of output voltage and inductor current which are obtained by the final value theorem of Z-transform, the effect of converter elements on transient and steady state responses can be analyzed by using the proposed method. Finally, the results of theoretical analysis are compared to experimental and simulation results in PSCAD/EMTDC software.     

Effect of sintering temperature on microstructure and piezoelectric properties of Pb-free BiFeO3–BaTiO3 ceramics in the composition range of large BiFeO3 concentrations

Lead-free (1-x)BiFeO₃–xBaTiO₃ [(1-x)BF-xBT] piezoelectric ceramics in the range of large BF concentrations were prepared by conventional oxide-mixed method at various sintering temperatures. The sintering temperatures have a significant effect on the microstructure of the ceramics, and the composition has a remarkable effect on optimal sintering temperature of the ceramics, which are closely related with piezoelectric properties. The grain size increased with increasing sintering temperature and the optimal sintering temperature increased with increasing BT content. The ceramics with x?=?0.275 sintered at 990 °C exhibit enhanced electrical properties of d ₃₃?=?136pC/N and k _p?=?0.312 due to the polarization rotation mechanisms at MPB and desired microstructure. These results show that the ceramic with x?=?0.275 is a promising lead-free high-temperature piezoelectric material.     

Condensation heat transfer of pure steam and steam from gas–steam mixture in tubes of AES-2006 PHRS SG heat exchanger

Results of experimental determination of the average heat transfer coefficient upon condensation of pure steam α_c and steam from air–steam mixture α_as.m in tubes of a large-scale model of the emergency cooling heat exchanger in the system of passive heat removal through steam generators of AES-2006 project at Leningrad II NPP are presented. The model contained 16 parallel tubes with a diameter of 16 × 2 mm and a length of 2.9 m connected to the upper steam distributing and lower condensate gathering horizontal collectors; the distance between their axes was 2.28 m. The tube segments were vertical, horizontal, or inclined. The internal diameter of the collectors was 40 or 60 mm. The model was placed in the lower part of a tank with a height of 6.5 m and a volume of 5.85 m³ filled with boiling water at atmospheric pressure. The experimental parameters were as follows: pressure range 0.43–7.77 MPa, condensate Reynolds number Re_f = (0.87–9.3) × 10³, and average air volume fraction at the segment with air–steam mixture 0.18–0.85. The studies showed that nonuniformity of static pressure distribution along the steam-distributing collector strongly influences the reduction of α_c value (ejecting effect). The agreement between experimental and calculated according to statutory guidelines values of α_c for vertical tubes is achieved if the dynamic head of the steam flow at the input of the steam-distributing collector does not exceed 1 kPa. Equations for calculation of the diffusion heat transfer coefficient at steam condensation from the air–steam mixture α_as.m on the internal tube surface are proposed. In the considered conditions, air is completely displaced by steam flow from the upper to the lower part of the tubes. The boundary between these regions is characterized by an average reduced steam velocity through this cross section of 1.6 ± 0.4 m/s. Above the boundary cross section, it is recommended to calculate α_c. according to [1].     

Effect of band parameters on interband optical absorption in quantum wire structure of low band gap III–V semiconductors

A generalized theory is presented to study the effect of band parameters on inter band optical absorption in quantum wire structure of III–V compound semiconductors considering the wave-vector ( $\vec{k}$ ) dependence of the optical transition matrix element (OME). The band structures of these low band gap semiconducting materials with sufficiently separated split-off valance band are frequently described by the three energy band model of Kane. This has been adopted to calculate the inter band optical absorption coefficient (IOAC) for a wide range of III–V compound semiconductors like, InAs, InSb, Hg_1?x Cd _x Te and In_1?x Ga _x As _y P_1?y lattice matched to InP, having varied split-off energy band compared to their energy band gap. It has been found that IOAC for quantum wires (QWRs) increases in oscillatory manner with increasing incident photon energy and the positions of peaks of oscillation of the coefficient are more closely spaced in the three band model of Kane than those with parabolic energy band approximations reflecting the direct the influence of band energy constants. This effect of band parameters is better revealed from the study of light polarization dependence of the absorption coefficient.     

Effect of Spatial Distribution of Magnetic Dipoles on Lamor Frequency Distribution and MR Signal Decay – a Numerical Approach Under Static Dephasing Conditions

Cells loaded with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) cause relatively strong magnetic field distortions, implying that field position effects of neighboring SPIO loaded cells have to be accounted for. We treated SPIO loaded cells as magnetic dipoles in a homogeneous magnetic field and computed the 3D frequency distribution and the related signal decay using a numerical approach under static dephasing conditions. The volume fraction of dipoles was kept constant for all simulations. For larger randomly distributed magnetic dipoles we found a non-Lorentzian frequency distribution and a non-monoexponential signal decay whereas, for smaller dipoles, the frequency distribution was more Lorentzian and the signal decay was well fitted monoexponentially. Moreover, based on our numerical and experimental findings, we found the gradient echo signal decay due to a single SPIO labeled cell to be non-monoexponential. The numerical approach provides deeper understanding of how the spatial distribution of SPIO loaded cells affects the MR signal decay. This fact has to be considered for the in vivo quantification of SPIO loaded cells, implying that in tissues with different spatial distributions of identical SPIO concentrations, different signal decays might be observed.     

Reliability of velocity pulsatility in small vessels on 3Tesla MRI in the basal ganglia: a test–retest study

Objective

Recent work showed the feasibility of measuring velocity pulsatility in the perforating arteries at the level of the BG using 3T MRI. However, test–retest measurements have not been performed, yet. This study assessed the test–retest reliability of 3T MRI blood flow velocity measurements in perforating arteries in the BG.

Materials and methods

Two-dimensional phase-contrast cardiac gated (2D-PC) images were acquired for 35 healthy controls and repeated with and without repositioning. 2D-PC images were processed and analyzed, to assess the number of detected perforating arteries (N_detected), mean blood flow velocity (V_mean), and velocity pulsatility index (vPI). Paired t-tests and Bland–Altman plots were used to compare variance in outcome parameters with and without repositioning, and limits of agreement (LoA) were calculated.

Results

The LoA was smallest for V_mean (35%) and highest for vPI (79%). Test–retest reliability was similar with and without repositioning of the subject.

Discussion

We found similar LoA with and without repositioning indicating that the measurement uncertainty is dominated by scanner and physiological noise, rather than by planning. This enables to study hemodynamic parameters in perforating arteries at clinically available scanners, provided sufficiently large sample sizes are used to mitigate the contribution of scanner- and physiological noise.

     

Application of a system with distributed architecture for information acquisition and processing in tasks of active–adaptive voltage control in distribution electric grids

An active–adaptive control system for power grids with distributed architecture of data acquisition and processing is considered. The advantages of the proposed control principle are compared with commonly used methods. A domestic apparatus—a programmable recording bay controller (PRBC)—is described. This hardware was designed to measure the basic electrical parameters and create distributed systems for data acquisition and processing. The procedure is considered of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) by the SONATA system based on a multicore distributed architecture having high reliability and supporting a rigid real-time mode. A full-function full-scale model of active–adaptive voltage control system (AAVC) was set up using proposed software and hardware. The AAVC makes it possible to use the results of calculating–measuring procedures to select a corresponding on-load tap-changer (OLTC) on the actual voltage levels in the nodes of distribution grid. This approach to centralized voltage control in distribution grids makes it possible to ensure the required level of voltage in the greatest possible number of power consumers owing to prediction of voltage change. The effect of emergencies (random failure of control equipment) during the operation of an active–adaptive voltage control system is analyzed. A qualitative evaluation of the effect of faults on regulation quality and choice of OLTC connection is carried out. It is shown that, for undisturbed operation of an active–adaptive voltage control system, additional diagnostic tools, backup, and data loss compensation are needed.     

Feasibility of intravoxel incoherent motion in the assessment of tumor microvasculature and blood–brain barrier integrity: a case-based evaluation of gliomas

Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine - To evaluate the feasibility of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) in assessing blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity and...     

Effect of B2O3 Nano-Coating on the Sintering Behaviors and Electrical Microwave Properties of Ba(Nd2 − x Sm x )Ti4O12 Ceramics

Ba(Nd_0.8Sm_0.2)₂Ti₄O₁₂ ceramics prepared by conventional solid-state sintering have a dielectric constant of about 80 and a nearly zero temperature coefficient of resonant frequency; however, the sintering temperature is above 1350_C. Doping with B₂O₃ (up to 5 wt%) promotes the densification and dielectric properties of BNST ceramics. It is found that coating BNST powder with thin B₂O₃ layer of about 180 nm reduces the sintering temperature to below 1020_C. The effects of B₂O₃ nano-coating on the dielectric microwave properties and the microstructures of BNST ceramics are investigated. Ninety-six percent of theoretical densities is obtained for specimens coated with 2 wt% B₂O₃ sintered at 960_C and the samples exhibit significant (002) preferred orientation and columnar structure.     

Weighted couple-group consensus for a kind of discrete heterogeneous multiagent systems in cooperative–competitive networks based on self-adaptive controller

In this article, the weighted couple-group consensus is studied for a kind of discrete heterogeneous multiagent systems with time delays. Based on self-adaptive controller and cooperative–competitive relation, a novel weighted couple-group protocol is proposed for this system without satisfying the in-degree balance of the vertex. By applying complex frequency method, matrix analysis and graph algebraic theory, some sufficient conditions are given to ensure the success of couple-group consensus under directed or undirected topology. The upper limit of the input time delay can be computed according to the weighted parameters. Some simulation examples show the validity of the achieved results.     

Analysis of a thermal generator’s participation in the Western Energy Imbalance Market and the resulting effects on overall performance and emissions

The inception of the Western Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) in November of 2014 has had significant impacts on participating balancing authorities (BAs) and individual generators. The EIM serves to balance available energy across a large geographical footprint. Since the market’s creation, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) has reported that many benefits have been realized by participating BAs, including savings of $502 million and the avoided curtailment of an estimated 734,000 MWh of energy produced by variable renewable energy (VRE). Balancing energy across a larger geographic footprint, in conjunction with other factors (e.g., fluctuating fuel prices, new environmental policies), has also resulted in significant changes in the operation of some thermal generating stations which have traditionally operated as baseload units. The effects of these new operating practices on baseload units have not been characterized. This study analyzes the detailed operational history of a single coal-fired thermal generating station experiencing a large degree of load flexing located within the footprint of the EIM. A dataset comprised of hourly operational data from two and one-half years before and after beginning market participation was analyzed. Changes in operating practices, unit performance, and emission rates from this unit between the two periods were identified from this analysis. It was observed that the operational range of the unit has expanded by 65% and the unit has experienced ramping situations approximately 4.6 times more often since entering the EIM. Continual load changes have contributed to 18 times more turbine cycles, the impact of which on unit health and longevity cannot be fully characterized. The unit has demonstrated a strong adaptive ability in altering operational practices to meet the needs of the new market. Primarily due to lower average load operation, overall efficiency has decreased by 2.7%.     

A simulation study of short channel effects with a QET model based on Fermi–Dirac statistics and nonparabolicity for high-mobility MOSFETs

In this paper, the quantum confinement and short channel effects of Si, Ge, and \(\hbox {In}_{0.53}\hbox {Ga}_{0.47}\)As n-MOSFETs are evaluated. Both bulk and double-gate structures are simulated using a quantum energy transport model based on Fermi–Dirac statistics. Nonparabolic band effects are further considered. The QET model allows us to simulate carrier transport including quantum confinement and hot carrier effects. The charge control by the gate is reduced in the Ge and \(\hbox {In}_{0.53}\hbox {Ga}_{0.47}\)As bulk n-MOSFETs due to the low effective mass and high permittivity. This charge control reduction induces the degradation of short channel effects. In double-gate structures, different improvements of drain induced barrier lowering (DIBL) and subthreshold slope (SS) are seen. The double-gate structure is effective in the suppression of DIBL for all channel materials. The SS degradation depends on channel materials even in double-gate structure.     

Some features of the effect the pH value and the physicochemical properties of boric acid have on mass transfer in a VVER reactor’s core

Certain features of the effect of boric acid in the reactor coolant of nuclear power installations equipped with a VVER-440 reactor on mass transfer in the reactor core are considered. It is determined that formation of boric acid polyborate complexes begins under field conditions at a temperature of 300°C when the boric acid concentration is equal to around 0.065 mol/L (4 g/L). Operations for decontaminating the reactor coolant system entail a growth of corrosion product concentration in the coolant, which gives rise to formation of iron borates in the zones where subcooled boiling of coolant takes place and to the effect of axial offset anomalies. A model for simulating variation of pressure drop in a VVER-440 reactor’s core that has invariable parameters during the entire fuel campaign is developed by additionally taking into account the concentrations of boric acid polyborate complexes and the quantity of corrosion products (Fe, Ni) represented by the ratio of their solubilities.     

Effect of the air–fuel mixing on the NO<Subscript> <Emphasis Type="Italic">х</Emphasis> </Subscript> yield in a low-emission gas-turbine plant combustor

The article deals with construction of a simplified model of inhibition of nitric oxides formed in the combustors of the gas-turbine plants (GTPs) operating on natural gas. A combustor in which premixed, lean air–fuel mixtures are burnt is studied theoretically and experimentally. The research was carried out using a full-scale combustor that had parameters characteristic of modern GTPs. The article presents the results computed by the FlowVision software and the results of the experiments carried out on the test bench of the All-Russia Thermal Engineering Institute. The calculations and the tests were conducted under the following conditions: a flow rate of approximately 4.6 kg/s, a pressure to 450 kPa, an air temperature at the combustor inlet of approximately 400°C, the outlet temperature t₃ ≤ 1200°C, and natural gas as the fuel. The comparison of the simulated parameters with the experimental results underlies the constructed correlation dependence of the experimental NO_x emission on the calculated parameter of nonuniform fuel concentration at the premixing zone outlet. The postulate about a weak dependence of the emission of NO_x formed upon combustion of a perfectly mixed air–fuel mixture—when the methane concentration in air is constant at any point of the air–fuel mixture, i.e., constant in the mixture bulk—on the pressure in the combustor has been experimentally proven. The correctness and the practicability of the stationary mathematical model of the mixing process used to assess the NO_x emission by the calculated amount of the air–fuel mixture generated in the premixing zone has been validated. This eliminates some difficulties that arise in the course of calculation of combustion and formation of NO_x.     

Effect of Temperature on the Elastic and Anelastic Behaviour of Magneto-Ferroelectric Composites Ba0.8Pb0.2TiO3 + Ni0.93Co0.02Mn0.05Fe1.95O4-δ in the Ferroelectric Rich Region

Composites with composition xBa_0.8Pb_0.2TiO₃+ (1 –x) Ni_0.93Co_0.02Mn_0.05Fe_1.95O_4- in which x varies as 1.0, 0.9, 0.7 and 0.5 in molar percent have been prepared by the conventional ceramic double sintering process. The presence of the two phases has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction. These composites were prepared for their use as magnetoferrolectric devices. Variation of longitudinal modulus (L) and internal friction loss (Q ^–1) of these samples with temperature at 142 kHz has been studied in the wide temperature range 300 to 630 K. The elastic behaviour (L) showed a break at the ferroelectric Curie temperature (498 K) in the case of pure ferroelectric material (Ba_0.8Pb_0.2TiO₃). This break shifted to lower temperature side as the ferrite component increases in the composite. The temperature variation of internal friction loss (Q ^–1) showed a corresponding stress induced relaxation peak at the ferroelectric-non-ferroelectric phase transition. This behaviour is explained in the light of structural phase transition.