General Design Issues of Sliding-Mode Controllers in DC–DC Converters

This paper examines the practical design issues of sliding-mode (SM) controllers as applied to the control of dc-dc converters. A comprehensive review of the relevant literature is first provided. Major problems that prevent the use of SM control in dc-dc converters for industrial and commercial applications are investigated. Possible solutions are derived, and practical design procedures are outlined. The performance of SM control is compared with that of conventional linear control in terms of transient characteristics. It has been shown that the use of SM control can lead to an improved robustness in providing consistent transient responses over a wide range of operating conditions.     

Bifurcation behaviour in parallel‐connected boost converters

This paper describes the bifurcation phenomena of a system of parallel‐connected d.c./d.c. boost converters. The results provide important information for the design of stable current sharing in a master–slave configuration. Computer simulations and experiments are performed to capture the effects of variation of some chosen parameters on the qualitative behaviour of the system. In particular, it is found that variation of some parameters leads to Neimark–Sacker bifurcation. Analysis is presented to establish the possibility of the bifurcation phenomena. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Indirect Sliding Mode Control of Power Converters Via Double Integral Sliding Surface

The steady-state regulation error in power converters that use the conventional hysteresis-modulation-based sliding mode controller can be suppressed through the incorporation of an additional integral term of the state variables into the controller. However, it is found that with the indirect type of sliding mode controller (derived based on the equivalent control approach), the same approach of integral sliding mode control is ineffective in alleviating the converter's steady-state error. Moreover, the error increases as the converter's switching frequency decreases. This paper presents an in-depth study of the phenomenon and offers a solution to the problem. Specifically, it is proposed that an additional double-integral term of the controlled variables to be adopted for constructing the sliding surface of indirect sliding mode controllers. Simulation and experimental results are provided for verification.     

A theoretical study of inlet relative humidity control in PEM fuel cell

In this paper, the individual roles of inlet anode and cathode humidification, and their influences on PEM fuel cell’s electrical performance are discussed systematically by using a pseudo two-dimensional, two-phase PEM fuel cell model. It follows that the maximum power density point of a PEM fuel cell is strongly dependent on the combination of the inlet anode and cathode humidification conditions. Their influences, however, are predicted to be highly asymmetrical, with the anode and cathode humidification mainly affecting ohmic and concentration overpotential, respectively. The physical explanation to this asymmetry is given with the aid of a detailed set of simulation results. Finally, the developed understanding of their influences are employed to formulate two examples on the use of inlet relative humidity control as a simple and effective method for maximizing the volumetric power density and operating range of PEM fuel cell, respectively.     

The benefits and costs of repeated testing on the learning of face–name pairs in healthy older adults.

We compared the benefits of repeated testing and repeated study on cued recall of unfamiliar face–name pairs in healthy middle-aged and older adults. We extended Karpicke and Roediger's (2008) paradigm to compare the effects of repeated study versus repeated testing after each face–name pair was correctly recalled once. The results from Experiment 1, which provided no feedback during the acquisition phase, yielded a crossover interaction: Middle-aged adults showed the expected benefit of repeated testing, whereas older adults produced a benefit of repeated study. When participants were given feedback in Experiment 2, both middle-aged and older adults benefited from repeated testing. We suggest that for face–name pairs, feedback may be particularly important for individuals who have relatively poor memory to produce benefits from repeated testing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Capacity and mutual information of wideband multipath fadingchannels

We investigate the capacity and mutual information of a broadband fading channel consisting of a finite number of time-varying paths. We show that the capacity of the channel in the wideband limit is the same as that of a wideband Gaussian channel with the same average received power. However, the input signals needed to achieve the capacity must be “peaky” in time or frequency. In particular, we show that if white-like signals are used instead (as is common in spread-spectrum systems), the mutual information is inversely proportional to the number of resolvable paths L˜ with energy spread out, and in fact approaches 0 as the number of paths gets large. This is true even when the paths are assumed to be tracked perfectly at the receiver. A critical parameter L˜_crit is defined in terms of system parameters to delineate the threshold on L over which such overspreading phenomenon occurs     

Spectral characteristics of randomly switched PWM DC/DC convertersoperating in discontinuous conduction mode

This paper addresses a comparative study of the spectral characteristics of four random-switching schemes that apply to the basic pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) DC/DC converters operating in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). They include randomized pulse position modulation, randomized pulsewidth modulation, and randomized carrier frequency modulation with fixed duty cycle and with fixed duty time, respectively. Mathematical models that characterize the input current and output voltage of the three basic PWM converters operating in DCM are derived. In particular, the effectiveness of spreading the dominant switching harmonics in the input current that normally exist in the standard PWM scheme and the introduction of low-frequency harmonics in the output voltage with respect to the randomness level are investigated. The validity of the models and analyses are confirmed experimentally by using a DC/DC buck converter     

Voltage stability analysis considering the uncertainties of dynamic load parameters

Many uncertainties exist in power systems and they will affect the stability analysis results. Voltage stability considering uncertainty in load parameters will be discussed. With the assumption that parameter variation is normal distribution, the probabilistic characteristics of eigenvalues under the uncertainties of dynamic load parameters can be obtained. Distribution of the critical eigenvalue will determine the stability probability of a power system. The stability margin can be inferred from the probabilistic critical load level, which is the maximal load level where system is `probabilistically` stable. Case studies on three test systems illustrate that the stability margin will be reduced with load uncertainty. The proposed probabilistic results are validated using deterministic method of Monte Carlo on multi 10`000 sample studies.     

Web crippling behaviour of laterally restrained cold-formed steel re-entrant profiled deckings

Web crippling failure is often found to be critical in cold-formed steel profiled deckings during construction of composite slabs. Therefore, accurate prediction to the web crippling resistances of profiled deckings over internal supports under hogging moment is highly desirable. This paper presents an extensive experimental investigation into the structural behaviour of laterally restrained re-entrant profiled deckings under concentrated loads. A total of 104 web crippling tests on fully supported re-entrant profiled deckings with nominal yield strengths at 235 and 550 N/mm² are carried out to provide data for direct comparison with design resistances obtained from codified design rules. It should be noted that in the past, little attention has been paid to establish the lateral restraint condition of profiled deckings under concentrated loads in tests. Hence, local section distortion or ‘section spreading’ is often observed in tests but seldom dealt with rigorously during design development. In the present study, effective lateral restraints are provided to the test specimens in order to fully mobilize the web crippling resistances of the profiled deckings. It is found that the measured web crippling resistances are typically 20%–40% higher than those obtained from the codified design rules given in BS5950: Part 6, Eurocode 3: Part 1.3 and the North America Specification, depending on the steel grades and thicknesses, the load bearing lengths as well as the loading conditions.

In general, both BS5950 and Eurocode 3 give conservative web crippling resistances for re-entrant profiled deckings with both low and high strength steel under internal and end loading conditions. Moreover, the corresponding resistance factors determined according to a codified reliability analysis are considerably larger than the required values. Thus, the design rules are reliable and conservative, although they tend to be very conservative for profiled deckings under end loading condition. However, an examination on the design rules given in the NAS shows that only some of them are applicable to predict the web crippling resistances of low and high strength steel re-entrant profiled steel deckings. The design rule for IOF condition always gives both conservative and reliable resistances for both low and high strength steel profiled deckings, compared to the measured values. The design rule for EOF condition is also found to be both conservative and reliable for low strength steel profiled deckings only, but not for high strength steel profiled deckings. The design rules for ITF and ETF conditions are not applicable for both low and high strength steel profiled deckings according to the reliability analyses.

It is demonstrated that a set of new design rules specifically for re-entrant profiled deckings is needed for both improved efficiency and reliability. Moreover, the comprehensive set of test data is readily adopted to calibrate both finite element models and design expressions in subsequent studies.     

Distribution patterns of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the sediments and fish at Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve, Hong Kong

Sediment samples were collected monthly from eight shrimp shallow ponds (local name gei wais) from July 2003 to January 2004, and from mangrove swamps and inter-tidal mudflats in July and November 2003, respectively. Fish samples (tilapia) were also collected. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results indicated that under wet season wet deposition and suspended particulates brought in by nearby rivers, such as the Peal River, served as an important source of PAHs entering Mai Po Marshes. Total organic matter in the sediments showed significant correlations (p<0.01) with PAHs in the sediments, mainly due to the mechanism that organic matter such as humic substances increased PAH persistence by binding and occluding PAHs. Except for naphthalene, biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAF) of the PAHs in tilapia were below 1.7, which may be caused by biotransformation and the lower uptake in fish. In addition, aqueous route dominated accumulation of non-biodegradable PAHs in tilapia because higher levels were detected in larger fish than in smaller ones. A general trend was observed that BSAFs declined with the increase of K(ow) values, which suggested that bioavailability of low K(ow) isomers was high due to higher gill transfer efficiencies (aqueous uptake) in fish but enhanced biotransformation and decreased gut assimilation (dietary uptake) resulted in decreased accumulation of more hydrophobic PAHs (high K(ow)). Lastly, viscera appeared to be a promising tissue for biomonitoring, as it contained much higher concentrations than the muscle (3.5 magnitudes), and the levels in the muscle were significantly correlated with those in the viscera (r2=0.938, p<0.0001).