A Polynomial Current Controller for a Third-Harmonic Modulated Power Factor Correction Rectifier Feeding a Vector Controlled Induction Motor Drive

This paper presents the analysis, design, and hardware implementation of a digital polynomial Regulation, Steady-State Error and Tracking (RST) current controller-based third-harmonic modulated boost-type power factor correction (PFC) rectifier. The proposed rectifier is used at the front end of a vector controlled induction motor drive (VCIMD) to eliminate harmonics at the input AC supply. The proposed PFC rectifier modifies the input current to a sinusoid with unity power factor apart from offering DC bus voltage regulation. In this paper, a digital proportional-integral (PI) and RST current controllers are compared in terms of total harmonic distortion (THD) and power factor (PF) at the point of common coupling for different loading conditions. The RST current controller tracks the set-point accurately with zero steady-state error and offers good disturbance rejection that enables further reduction of supply current THD as compared to a conventional PI current controller. The control algorithm for the PFC front end rectifier along with vector control technique is implemented using a digital signal processor, and the dynamic performance is analyzed for step changes in reference speed and load torques, demonstrating significant improvement in the performance indices.     

Scanned Pipette Techniques for the Highly Localized Electrochemical Fabrication and Characterization of Conducting Polymer Thin Films,Microspots, Microribbons,and Nanowires

The limited toolbox for conducting polymer (CP) microscale fabrication and characterization hampers the development of applications such as sensors and actuators. To address this issue, a robust and integrated methodology is presented, capable of electrochemical fabrication and characterization of CPs in a highly localized manner, allowing for CP patterning and spatial mapping of voltammetric response. This is enabled by scanning probe microscopy (SPM) tipped with a single‐barreled micropipette to electrochemically polymerize CP microspot arrays, demonstrated for 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene and aniline monomers. Stationary electropolymerization produces individual microspots; lateral movement produces long microribbons; retraction produces extruded microstructures. Subsequently the same SPM setup is tipped with a double‐barreled micropipette to carry out localized cyclic voltammetry. The micropipettes are filled with saline solutions in contact with Ag/AgCl electrodes, forming a thin meniscus of solution at the micropipette tip, which enable an automated approach in air and subsequent contact with the surface. The flexibility of this novel technique is demonstrated by application to 2D poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) microspots, microribbons and nanowires, plus polyaniline (PANI) microstructures and self‐assembled thin films. Finally, setting up a dynamic electrochemical cell allowed for voltammetric–amperometric imaging, simultaneously mapping the morphology and current response of CPs. Future refinements towards the nanoscale through smaller‐tipped pipettes should open up new opportunities for voltammetric response mapping of individual CP nanostructures.     

Harmonic Mitigation in AC–DC Converters for Vector Controlled Induction Motor Drives

This paper deals with autotransformer-based multipulse ac--dc converters with reduced magnetics feeding vector controlled induction motor drives for improving the power quality at the point of common coupling. The proposed 12-pulse ac--dc converter-based harmonic mitigator consists of an autotransformer alongwith a passive shunt filter tuned for 11th harmonic frequency. This results in the elimination of 5th, 7th, and 11th harmonic currents. Similarly, the proposed 18-pulse ac--dc converter-based harmonic mitigator eliminates the 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th, and 17th harmonic currents, thereby improving the power quality at ac mains. The experimentation is carried out on the developed prototype of autotransformers-based ac--dc converters. Different power quality indexes of the proposed 12-pulse and 18-pulse ac--dc converters are obtained from simulation and verified from experimental results.     

Numerical Study on Double Diffusive Mixed Convection with a Soret Effect in a Two-Sided Lid-Driven Cavity

In the present study, a numerical analysis is performed to understand the mixed convection flow, and heat and mass transfer with Soret effect in a two-sided lid-driven square cavity. The horizontal walls of the cavity are adiabatic and impermeable, while vertical walls are kept at constant but different temperatures and concentrations. The vertical walls move in a constant velocity. According to the direction of the movement of walls, three cases have been studied for different combinations of parameters involved in the study. The governing unsteady equations are solved numerically by the finite volume method with the SIMPLE algorithm. The results are presented graphically in the form of streamlines, isotherms, and velocity profiles. Heat and mass transfer rates are reduced if both walls are moving the in same direction, while heat and mass transfer rates are enhanced if the walls are moving in the opposite direction.     

Optimized Model Based Controller with Model Plant Mismatch for NMP Mitigation in Boost Converter

In this paper, an optimized Genetic Algorithm (GA) based internal model controller-proportional integral derivative (IMC-PID) controller has been designed for the control variable to output variable transfer function of dc-dc boost converter to mitigate the effect of non-minimum phase (NMP) behavior due to the presence of a right-half plane zero (RHPZ). This RHPZ limits the dynamic performance of the converter and leads to internal instability. The IMC PID is a streamlined counterpart of the standard feedback controller and easily achieves optimal set point and load change performance with a single filter tuning parameter λ. Also, this paper addresses the influences of the model-based controller with model plant mismatch on the closed-loop control. The conventional IMC PID design is realized as an optimization problem with a resilient controller being determined through a genetic algorithm. Computed results suggested that GA–IMC PID coheres to the optimum designs with a fast convergence rate and outperforms conventional IMC PID controllers.     

Polarization diversity enabled flexible directional UWB monopole antenna for WBAN communications

This article presents the design of an ultra‐wideband (UWB) quasi‐circular monopole antenna with directional characteristics for use in wireless body area network (WBAN) applications. The proposed antenna has hybrid geometry and it is constructed using a semicircular and square patch on a very thin substrate of thickness 0.2 mm. The antenna has a compact geometry with a footprint of 30 × 20 mm. The proposed antenna covers 3.1 to 10.6 GHz with a measured peak gain of 5.37 dBi at 6 GHz. The proximity effect of the human body is resolved by incorporating the reflector behind the antenna. The antenna with reflector provides a directional pattern with a measured peak gain of 8.84 dBi at 6 GHz. Further to improve the link reliability between the sensor and the cluster head in WBAN, polarization diversity technique is adopted and the performance metrics are evaluated. The proposed flexible antenna simultaneously offers large gain and high impedance bandwidth. The prototype antenna is fabricated and the simulation results are validated using experimental measurements. The measurement results are in good agreement with the simulation results.     

Effect of substrate temperature on the structural,morphological and optical properties of copper bismuth sulfide thin films deposited by electron beam evaporation method

Copper bismuth sulfide thin films were deposited at 200 °C, 300 °C, 400 °C and 500 °C on the glass substrates by electron beam evaporation method. X-ray diffraction study revealed that the copper bismuth sulfide films of single and mixed phases were formed as a function of substrate temperatures. Substrate temperature of 300 °C and 400 °C formed single phase Cu₄Bi₄S₉ and Cu₄Bi₅S₁₀ films respectively whereas substrate temperature of 500 °C formed mixed phases of Cu₄Bi₄S₉ and Cu₄Bi₅S₁₀ film. Crystallite size, dislocation density and microstrain of the films were modified by the various substrate temperatures. Surface morphology of the film Cu₄Bi₅S₁₀ deposited at 400 °C examined by scanning electron microscopy showed the distribution of spherical shaped particles on the film surface. The presence of copper, bismuth and sulfur elements in the deposited films was confirmed using energy dispersive spectral studies. The calculated direct optical band gap energy of the films deposited at different substrate temperature varied from 1.47 to 1.64 eV and the absorption coefficient is in the order of 10⁶ cm^?1.     

Image Segmentation of Brain MR Images Using Otsu’s Based Hybrid WCMFO Algorithm

In this study, a novel hybrid Water Cycle Moth-Flame Optimization (WCMFO) algorithm is proposed for multilevel thresholding brain image segmentation in Magnetic Resonance (MR) image slices. WCMFO constitutes a hybrid between the two techniques, comprising the water cycle and moth-flame optimization algorithms. The optimal thresholds are obtained by maximizing the between class variance (Otsu’s function) of the image. To test the performance of threshold searching process, the proposed algorithm has been evaluated on standard benchmark of ten axial T₂-weighted brain MR images for image segmentation. The experimental outcomes infer that it produces better optimal threshold values at a greater and quicker convergence rate. In contrast to other state-of-the-art methods, namely Adaptive Wind Driven Optimization (AWDO), Adaptive Bacterial Foraging (ABF) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), the proposed algorithm has been found to be better at producing the best objective function, Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), Standard Deviation (STD) and lower computational time values. Further, it was observed thatthe segmented image gives greater detail when the threshold level increases. Moreover, the statistical test result confirms that the best and mean values are almost zero and the average difference between best and mean value 1.86 is obtained through the 30 executions of the proposed algorithm.Thus, these images will lead to better segments of gray, white and cerebrospinal fluid that enable better clinical choices and diagnoses using a proposed algorithm.     

Nanoarchitectonics of Cerium Oxide/Zinc Oxide/Graphene Oxide Composites for Evaluation of Cytotoxicity and Apoptotic Behavior in HeLa and VERO Cell Lines

Journal of Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers and Materials - Using the ultrasonic approach, we produced a morphology involving a cerium oxide/ zinc oxide/graphene oxide nanocomposite-based...     

Power Quality Improvement in Three-phase Telecommunication Power Supply System

This article proposes power quality improvement in a three-phase AC mains-fed telecommunication power supply by using an improved power quality converter. Conventional telecommunication tower power supplies suffer from power quality problems, such as high input current harmonic distortion, low power factor, and voltage distortions at the utility interface. To mitigate these problems, modern AC-DC converters with power factor correction circuits are used at the utility interface. An integrated boost converter is used as a power factor corrector with an isolated DC-DC converter at the load end to form the proposed telecommunication power supply. The power factor correction converter mitigates the harmonic contents of the AC mains current and improves the power factor, whereas the isolated converter provides regulated load voltage and isolation. Voltage control is used for regulating the DC voltage of the isolated converter, while the power factor correction integrated boost converter employs a current control loop to shape input current to sinusoidal in-phase with voltage. The design, modeling, and simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the power supply at various AC mains voltages and loads. A prototype of the front-end converter is developed, and recorded test results are presented here to validate the simulated performance.