Experimental Verification for Practical Application of Inductive Power Transfer System for Railway

Inductive Power Transfer systems (IPT systems) for moving Electrical Vehicles (EVs) are often discussed. However, an IPT system for moving railway vehicles has not been sufficiently examined. In order to employ the IPT system for railway vehicles, this paper examines the characteristics of railway IPT systems, such as efficiency, temperature rise, and durability. Because the required characteristics of the IPT system for railway are different from those of EV, one example of a railway IPT system is proposed, and the verification items for practical use are examined. Moreover, we manufactured test equipment that can imitate the field environment in order to verify these items before practical use in the field. The test procedure and test results demonstrate the possibility of practical use of a railway IPT system.     

Uncertain variance in an optimal linear system with white gain

For scalar quadratic optimal linear systems with a white gain coefficient, the influence of the uncertainty of the gain variance is analysed by means of elementary methods. First, the mean-square stability of the closed loop systems is analysed on the assumption that the controller is designed with an erroneous variance. It is shown that the use of an overestimated value of the variance less than a threshold value, which is infinite for the stable free systems, does not damage the stability of closed-loop systems. A relative underestimation error bound guaranteeing the stability of closed-loop systems is obtained. Secondly, performance of the controller designed with an erroneous variance is compared analytically with that of the certainty equivalence controller. An explicit relative overestimation error bound on the variance guaranteeing the superiority of the controller over the certainty equivalence controller is obtained.     

Winding Method to Reduce Vibration and Loss Caused by Fractional Slot of Synchronous Machine

Fractional‐slot windings are widely used in rotating machines in order to improve the output voltage waveform, increase the design flexibility, and gain many other advantages. However, fractional‐slot windings are known to produce different harmonic components such as an even order and/or fractional number of space flux harmonics compared to integral‐slot windings. These harmonics may increase stray losses and cause stator core vibration. This paper describes an analysis of space flux harmonics and proposes new winding methods such as “novel interspersed windings” to reduce these harmonic components. The proposed winding methods were verified by numerical analysis and model tests.     

Computed tomographic evaluation of gas hole formation and structural quality in Gouda‐type cheese

Computed tomography (CT) was performed on Gouda‐type cheese during ripening to evaluate gas hole formation and structural quality. The cheese was exposed to different ripening conditions, including variations in ripening temperature and concentration of butyric acid bacteria. Computed tomography images were obtained every 2 weeks for 16 weeks to assess the volume, shape and location of gas holes. The results demonstrate that CT makes the nondestructive monitoring of cheese gas hole formation and evaluation of the structural features of cheese possible throughout the ripening period.     

A Flux‐Modulating Synchronous Machine with Permanent Magnet Excitation

This paper presents a novel type of flux‐modulating synchronous machine (FMSM) in which permanent magnets (PMs) are embedded in the stator back‐iron. The rotor has neither windings nor PMs. A prototype machine with an outer‐rotor configuration was designed and manufactured to validate the operating principle of the FMSM. The characteristics in the motor mode of the prototype machine were also investigated with a vector control system. The results of the investigations show that, as in surface‐mounted PM motors, the torque of the FMSM is predominantly generated by the PM flux and can be controlled using the armature current.     

EFFECT OF VISCOSITY ON PERCEIVED SWEETNESS INTENSITY OF SWEETENED SODIUM CARBOXYMETHYLCELLULOSE SOLUTIONS

To establish a relationship between perceived sweetness intensity (Y), sucrose concentration (A%) and viscosity of mixed solutions (B poise), mixtures of sucrose solutions in various concentration and sodium carboxymethylcellulose with medium viscosity (CMC–M) in various concentrations were used, resulting in the equation: where "Y"= sucrose concentration of reference solutions. This equation was effective within the ranges of 4% to 16% sucrose and viscosities of from 1 to 100 poises. This equation was applicable to low and high as well as medium viscosity forms of CMC.     

Propagation Characteristics of kHz Band PLC Signal on MV–LV Distribution System

The kHz band power line communication (PLC) is one of the convincing mediums of the communication system for smart meter reading. Data transmission between medium‐voltage (MV) and low‐voltage (LV) points to pass the transformer by PLC is interested. In this paper, the PLC signal propagation characteristics between points of MV at substation and LV at customer are calculated and analyzed. The results show that direct communication between points on MV distribution line and most LV customers is impossible due to large propagation losses at MV–LV transformer and on LV distribution line.     

Pressure Rise due to SF6 Arcing and Energy Balance in a Closed Container

From an environmental viewpoint, when carrying out internal arc tests on SF₆‐insulated power equipment, it is necessary to prevent SF₆ from being released into the atmosphere or to replace SF₆ with air in accordance with IEC standards. However, the pressure rise and the thermal effect of the hot gas exhausted during arcing when testing in air are still considerably different from those for testing in SF₆. Thus, it is necessary to propose a specific procedure to replace SF₆ with air and to select appropriate parameters for the tests. Therefore, it is desirable to clarify the equivalent conditions causing these phenomena both experimentally and analytically. In this paper, we describe the effect of the charged gas pressure in a closed container on the pressure rise due to air and SF₆ arcing and the ratio of the arc energy to the energy contributing to the internal pressure rise () from an experimental viewpoint. Additionally, to research the energy balance resulting from SF₆ arcing in the container, the energy balance is discussed on the basis of chemical reactions, radiation, and the melting and vaporization of the electrodes. It is found that the maximum pressure rise increases for both gases upon increasing the gas pressure from 0.1 MPa to 0.4 MPa. Subsequently, good agreement with the energy balance was obtained under reasonable assumptions by taking account of the energy components related to the chemical reactions, radiation, and the melting and vaporization of the electrodes. The ratio of the radiation energy loss to the total consumption energy increased upon increasing the charged gas pressure.     

Fractal Structure of Deformed Potato Starch and Its Sorption Characteristics

A deformation of microstructure was attempted on native potato starch and the change in the microstructure was analyzed from the fractal view point. The surface area calculated from the monolayer molecular number was different depending on the molecules used (Ar, N₂, Kr, 1-propanol, and benzene), which showed the surface microstructure was a fractal with the dimension 2.1-2.4. The specific surface area measured using N₂ and benzene was a function of the mean diameter of the material particles, which also showed that the porous structure of the particle was a fractal with the dimension 2.2-3.0. On the other hand, the sorption isotherm of water vapor was independent of particle diameter.     

Effect of Rare-Earth Ions on Electrical Conductivity of BaTiO3 Ceramics

Lattice constants, grain size, electrical conductivity, and luminescence were measured for sintered BaTiO₃ ceramics doped with 0 to 1.2 at.% rare-earth ions. BaTiO₃ doped with low levels of rare-earth ions contains grains 10 μm in size and has lattice constants nearly equal to those of undoped ceramics. In this case, rare-earth ions occupy Ba²⁺ sites and yield donors. When grain growth is inhibited by high doping levels or by insufficient sintering, the lattice constants change, the rare-earth ions occupy both Ba²⁺ and Ti⁴⁺ sites, and, consequently, BaTiO₃ becomes insulative because of charge compensation.