Voltage Control of Static Var Compensator for a Remote System Interconnected by Long‐Distance AC Cables

The voltage variation in a remote system is large when the system is connected by long‐distance AC cables due to the cable capacitance. In Japan, the longest 54‐km 66‐kV AC submarine cable interconnection between the Kyushu mainland and Goto Islands was commissioned in 2005. It was requested to mitigate the voltage variation caused by switching off and on one circuit of the two circuits in the AC cables when a fault occurs. Since the conventional voltage control methods such as transformer tap changer or shunt capacitor and reactor banks are not sufficient because of their slow response time, a static var compensator (SVC) was installed on the Goto Islands. In such an application, an SVC control method should be developed so as not to override the existing voltage control systems. This paper describes the SVC control method developed for the Goto Islands AC interconnection project, which can be applied to similar situations. The effectiveness of the control method was verified by the results of effective value simulation and of field testing, which was implemented before the SVC was commissioned in 2007. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 186(3): 19–30, 2014; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22337     

Non-contact measurements of water jet spreading width with a laser instrument

Jet spreading width is one of the important characteristics of water jets discharging into the air. Many researchers have dealt with measuring this width, and contact measuring methods on the water jet surface were employed in a lot of the cases. In order to avoid undesirable effects caused by the contact on the jet surface, we introduce non-contact measuring methods with a laser instrument to the measurements of jet spreading width. In measurements, a transmitter emits sheet-like laser beam to a receiver. The water jet between the transmitter and the receiver interrupts the laser beam and makes a shadow. The minimum and maximum values of the shadow width are measured. In addition, pictures of the water jet are taken with a scale, and the shadow width is measured from the pictures. The experiments on various needle strokes were performed. Three kinds of width consistent with the jet structure were obtained. In the results, it can be concluded that our non-contact measuring methods are feasible. The data of jet spreading widths and jet taper were obtained and are useful for future applications.     

Evaluation of Young’s modulus of imprinted hydrogen silsesquioxane pillar after residual layer removal by reactive ion etching

Nanoimprint lithography has two basic steps. The first is the imprint step in which a mold with nanostructures on its surface is pressed into a resin film on a substrate, followed by removal of the mold. The second step is the residual layer removal by a reactive ion etching (RIE). There is no report whether the properties of the imprinted structure after RIE change or not. In this work, the authors evaluated the Young’s modulus of the imprinted pillar after residual layer removal by RIE. In this experiment, hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ), a type of spin-on-glass, was used as an imprint material. The residual layer was etched by RIE using CHF₃ gas. The Young’s modulus of imprinted pillar after RIE was measured via cantilever method. The Young’s modulus of HSQ pillar after RIE was twice as much as that of HSQ pillar before RIE. From the Fourier transform infrared measurement, it was founds the chemical structure of HSQ was changed by forming network structure due to heating by RIE plasma energy. These results indicate that the mechanical property of imprinted structure was changed in the residual layer removal step by using RIE.     

Experimental investigation on optimization of invert trap configuration for sewer solid management

Invert traps have been successfully used to collect sediments at convenient locations within the sewer network, where large volumes of solids can be stored. In the present study, experiments have been performed in 15 cm wide and 5 m long channel for the measurement of retention ratios of five different invert trap configurations (namely, rectangular, trapezoidal with one side vertical, trapezoidal, trapezoidal with rectangular base, rectangular with trapezoidal base) having top width of 32 cm and depth of 28 cm with slots of three different sizes (namely, 5, 9 and 15 cm) for the flow of seven different sediment types (namely, two types of sand, glass beads and four types of plastic beads) at different flow rates for each trap. The flow rates selected in present study cover entire range of flow rate expected in channels during dry weather flow and monsoon. Flow field and retention ratio predictions for each invert trap configuration have been carried out using CFD modeling with the help of FLUENT software using Renormalization Group (RNG) k–ε along with Discrete Phase Model (DPM). The simulation results are capable of showing particle trajectories, the effect of flow rate and trap geometry on the flow patterns, developed within the trap. Based on CFD modeling and experimental measurements, it is concluded that the invert trap having rectangular shape with trapezoidal base is the most efficient trap configuration with highest sediment retention ratio.     

Moisture profiles of wheat noodles containing hydroxypropylated tapioca starch

Wheat noodles were prepared using flour to which hydroxypropylated tapioca starch was added, and the effect of this addition on the moisture distribution within the noodles during cooking was examined using a digital image processing technique. The addition of the modified starch slightly increased the moisture content and narrowed the flat distribution near the noodle surface. The distribution features reflected the changes in the water absorption behaviour caused by the properties of the modified starch and the reduction in the gluten content. Addition of the modified starch lowered Young's modulus and the energy for 99% strain of the noodles in the texture analysis to, at maximum 35% and 65%, and decreased the breakability of the noodles. These changes in the moisture distribution and textural properties have been ascribed to changes in both the state of the starch granules near the surface and the structure of the gluten network.     

Effects of drying temperature and relative humidity on spaghetti characteristics

This study aimed at investigating the effect of drying conditions on spaghetti properties, i.e., its color, surface structure, rupture strength, rehydration characteristics, texture, and sauce retention capacity. The effects of temperature and humidity were independently examined under constant drying conditions, which were compared to those applied industrially, where the temperature and relative humidity are changed stepwise with time. The knowledge obtained in this study is considered useful for reasonably determining the drying conditions for producing spaghetti with desired properties.