DC voltage control and harmonic current suppression in a single‐phase PFC converter

This paper presents a DC voltage control scheme for a single‐phase PFC converter which can realize both the harmonic suppression of the input current and the fast dynamic response to the DC voltage. Instead of using a constant DC voltage reference, the controller calculates a fluctuating DC voltage reference, having the frequency at twice the source frequency. In the calculation of the DC voltage reference, the circuit parameters are used. Since the parameter errors may cause an error in the DC voltage reference, parameter identification is also described. The effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm has been verified experimentally. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 141(1): 54–64, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10060     

Experimental studies of the improvement of power system stability by superconducting fault current limiters

With increasing demands for electric power, the electric power system is becoming more and more complicated, and the stable, highly reliable delivery of electric power is encountering two major problems, namely, large fault currents and power system instability. In particular, the fault currents occurring in power systems are tending to increase. To solve this problem, superconducting fault current limiters (SCFCLs) have been developed, and it is hoped that they will also solve the problem of power system stability. This paper describes the results of experiments on the improvement of power system stability and the suppression of fault currents with SCFCLs, performed with power transmission simulators. An experiment using an R‐type SCFCL in a power system was performed. An R‐type SCFCL was simulated by using a resistor and an electromagnetic contactor with thyristors. It was found that the inclusion of an SCFCL in the electric power system gives improved suppression of fault currents and improved power system transient stability. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 133(4): 41–52, 2000     

Ablated mass of PTFE nozzle due to high‐current SF6 arc exposure: Formulation of ablated mass

Characteristics of PTFE ablation due to SF₆ arc exposure were studied to predict the ablated mass of PTFE nozzle in high‐voltage circuit breaker. From the measurement of the ablated mass, the predominant factor of the PTFE ablation was revealed as a radiation power of SF₆ arc. Subsequently, the radiation power absorbed in PTFE was formulated on the basis of the radiation transfer property and the arc physics. The formulation for the prediction of the PTFE ablated mass was established with the formulated radiation power and the measured masses. Finally, the validity of the PTFE ablated mass prediction was shown from the results of the error verification with the measured masses.     

Characterization of an insertion sequence-like element,ISBlo15, identified in a size-increased cryptic plasmid pBK283 in Bifidobacterium longum BK28

The characteristics of mobile genetic elements in bifidobacteria are not well understood. We characterized an insertion sequence-like element of the IS200/IS605 family found in a size-increased cryptic plasmid in Bifidobacterium longum. During a plasmid profile analysis of B. longum BK strains, we encountered a 6.5-kbp cryptic plasmid pBK283 in B. longum BK28, the size of which has not been identified in bifidobacteria. Nucleotide sequence analysis indicated that an insertion sequence-like element was inserted into the 5.0-kbp pKJ50-like plasmid and resulted in a size increase of pBK283. The element, named ISBlo15, was 1593 bp in length and contained a single ORF encoding a putative transposase, which is similar to the transposase OrfB encoded by IS200/IS605 family elements. Several sequence characteristics, including conserved transposase motifs in OrfB and terminal palindromic sequences that differ from the typical terminal inverted repeats, strongly suggested that ISBlo15 is a member of the IS200/IS605 family. Sequences similar to ISBlo15 were widely distributed among the nine Bifidobacterium species tested, and those of highly homologous sequences were detected only in Bifidobacterium gallicum JCM8224^T.     

Characteristics of Spherical Shock Wave and Circular Pulse Jet Generated by Discharge of Propagating Shock Wave at Open End of Tube

When the shock wave propagating in the straight circular tube reaches at the open end, the impulsive wave is generated by the emission of a shock wave from an open end, and unsteady pulse jet is formed near the open end behind the impulsive wave under the specific condition. The pulse jet transits to spherical shock wave with the increase in the strength of shock wave. The strength is dependent on the Mach number of shock wave, which attenuates by propagation distance from the open end. In this study, the mechanism of generating the unsteady pulse jet, the characteristics of the pressure distribution in the flow field and the emission of shock wave from straight circular tube which has the infinite flange at open end are analyzed numerically by the TVD method. Strength of spherical shock wave, relation of shock wave Mach number, distance decay of spherical shock wave and directional characteristics are clarified.     

Nucleate boiling of two and three-component mixtures

For three pure fluids and their two- and three-component mixtures, heat transfer coefficients were measured in nucleate pool boiling on the upward facing copper surface of 40 mm diameter. The more-, moderate- and less-volatile components in mixtures are refrigerants R-134a, R-142b and R-123, respectively. Heat transfer coefficients of mixtures were less than the interpolated heat transfer coefficients between pure components, with more reduction at higher heat flux. Two correlations originally developed for two-component mixtures by Thome and Shakir and by Fujita and Tsutsui reproduced well the measured heat transfer coefficients of three- as well as two-component mixtures. This result implies that the boiling range included in the correlations accounts for heat transfer reduction in mixture boiling.     

Particle composition and heat capacity of high‐temperature SF6 present at constant volume: Discussion on formula expressing relationship between constant‐pressure and constant‐volume heat capacities

Until now, the high‐temperature properties of SF₆ have been derived as a function of T for a given constant pressure P. This was based on the adoption of T and P as gas state parameters. In contrast, this paper adopts T and the gas volume V as the gas state parameters and then evaluates the particle composition and gas pressure for high‐temperature SF₆ present at a constant volume state. This evaluation is achieved by the minimization of Helmholtz free energy of the high‐temperature SF₆. A further derivation for the SF₆ gas at constant volume is performed to reveal the temperature dependence of the molar heat capacity C_Vm [J/(mol·K)] and the specific heat C_Vg [J/(kg·K)]. Use of the obtained C_Vm enabled us to discuss whether the formula C_Pm−C_Vm=R_m holds true for the high‐temperature SF₆ or not, where C_Pm and R_m are the molar heat capacity at constant pressure and the universal gas constant, respectively. Similar discussion is also performed on the formula indicating the relation between C_Pg and C_Vg, where C_Pg is the specific heat at constant pressure. © 2015 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.