Development of a current detection type cable fault locator

A cable fault location instrument based on the detection of traveling wave currents was developed. It is different from the conventional pulse radar method based on voltage detection. Measurement is automated, and the distance to the fault point is displayed by merely pushing a switch. In a branched or crossbonded line, the fault point can be located without interference from the branched or the crossbonded point. Tests performed in both real and simulated lines confirmed the practical utility of this instrument     

Electrical conductivity in iodine-doped ethyl cellulose

The electrical conductivity of solution-grown ethyl cellulose (EC) films, 5–30 μm thick, has been studied in the sandwich configuration (metal–EC–metal) as a function of iodine concentration from 0.5 to 5.0 wt% ratio. The studies were conducted in the temperature range 333–383 K, while the field was varied over the range (3.0–5.5) × 10⁴V/cm. Aluminium was used as the lower electrode, while the upper electrode was of Al, Ag, Cu, Au or Sn. Certain transient effects such as a large burst of current immediately after the application of field were observed. An attempt was made to identify the nature of the current by comparing the observed dependence on electric field, electrode material and temperature with the respective characteristic features of the existing theories of electrical conduction. The results show that the electrical conduction follows Ohm's law at lower fields, while at higher fields, space-charge limited current (SCLC) was observed. It was also found that Richardson–Schottky emission was responsible, to some extent, for the transport of charge carriers in the polymer. The conductivity of the films increased on doping with iodine. The dopant molecules are considered to act as additional trapping centes and provide links between the polymer molecules in the amorphous region, thus resulting in the formation of charge transfer complexes.     

Effect of Surface Characteristics on Compressive Stress and Leakage Rate in Gasketed Flanged Joints

The effect of surface characteristics on compressive stress and leakage rate in gasketed flanged joints is discussed qualitatively and quantitatively based on experimental verifications. The sensitivity of the sealing phenomenon to the sealing surface characteristics, gas pressure and stress level is presented. Sealing surfaces produced with grinding, turning and milling procedures of different roughness values were the subject of the tests with three types of gasket, namely, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), graphite, and spiral wound. The experimental results indicated that the roughness value Ra (average arithmetic height) has no effect on the sealing performance of the gasket, except for the ground type sealing surfaces. The platen (flange) surface forms were found to be the determining factor on the leakage rate and flow regime for gasketed flanged joints. It is shown that the surface characteristics have no effect on the leakage rate and on the gasket performance for the PTFE gasket at high stress levels. However, at low stress levels the rougher ground and milled sealing surfaces having radial channels on the surface produce larger leakage rates. The effect of surface characteristics, stress level, and gas pressure was more evident on the graphite and spiral wound gasket types, at both low and high stress levels. It is also shown that the leakage rate follows an exponential law as a factor of surface stress and gas pressure, for all sealing surface characteristics and gasket types. While there is little difference in the leakage rate for the PTFE gasket when the gasket stress level is increased by a factor of two, from S3 to S5, a substantial leakage rate reduction by a ratio of 17.5 times was observed for the graphite and spiral wound gaskets for most sealing surfaces. On the other hand, when increasing the helium gas pressure from 200 to 800 p.s.i., the leakage rate increased by 5 times for the PTFE, and up to10 times for the graphite and the spiral wound gaskets. It was determined that while molecular flow regimes can be achieved for the PTFE gasket for all sealing surfaces, the two other gasket types provided laminar flow under the same operating conditions.