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At least 955 records · Page 53

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1995

Forback DC-to-DC converter

A pulse-width modulated DC-to-DC power converter including a first inductor, i.e. a transformer or an equivalent fixed inductor equal to the inductance of the secondary winding of the transformer, coupled across a source of DC input voltage via a transistor switch which is rendered alternately conductive (ON) and nonconductive (OFF) in accordance with a signal from a feedback control circuit is described. A first capacitor capacitively couples one side of the first inductor to a second inductor which is connected to a second capacitor which is coupled to the other side of the first inductor. A circuit load shunts the second capacitor. A semiconductor diode is additionally coupled from a common circuit connection between the first capacitor and the second inductor to the other side of the first inductor. A current sense transformer generating a current feedback signal for the switch control circuit is directly coupled in series with the other side of the first inductor so that the first capacitor, the second inductor and the current sense transformer are connected in series through the first inductor. The inductance values of the first and second inductors, moreover, are made identical. Such a converter topology results in a simultaneous voltsecond balance in the first inductance and ampere-second balance in the current sense transformer.

Lukemire, Alan T.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Edge smoothing for real-time simulation of a polygon face object system as viewed by a moving observer

The visual system within an aircraft flight simulation system receives flight data and terrain data which is formated into a buffer memory. The image data is forwarded to an image processor which translates the image data into face vertex vectors Vf, defining the position relationship between the vertices of each terrain object and the aircraft. The image processor then rotates, clips, and projects the image data into two-dimensional display vectors (Vd). A display generator receives the Vd faces, and other image data to provide analog inputs to CRT devices which provide the window displays for the simulated aircraft. The video signal to the CRT devices passes through an edge smoothing device which prolongs the rise time (and fall time) of the video data inversely as the slope of the edge being smoothed. An operational amplifier within the edge smoothing device has a plurality of independently selectable feedback capacitors each having a different value. The values of the capacitors form a series which doubles as a power of two. Each feedback capacitor has a fast switch responsive to the corresponding bit of a digital binary control word for selecting (1) or not selecting (0) that capacitor. The control word is determined by the slope of each edge. The resulting actual feedback capacitance for each edge is the sum of all the selected capacitors and is directly proportional to the value of the binary control word. The output rise time (or fall time) is a function of the feedback capacitance, and is controlled by the slope through the binary control word.

Lotz, Robert W.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Hold-up power supply for flash memory

A hold-up power supply for flash memory systems is provided. The hold-up power supply provides the flash memory with the power needed to temporarily operate when a power loss exists. This allows the flash memory system to complete any erasures and writes, and thus allows it to shut down gracefully. The hold-up power supply detects when a power loss on a power supply bus is occurring and supplies the power needed for the flash memory system to temporally operate. The hold-up power supply stores power in at least one capacitor. During normal operation, power from a high voltage supply bus is used to charge the storage capacitors. When a power supply loss is detected, the power supply bus is disconnected from the flash memory system. A hold-up controller controls the power flow from the storage capacitors to the flash memory system. The hold-up controller uses feedback to assure that the proper voltage is provided from the storage capacitors to the flash memory system. This power supplied by the storage capacitors allows the flash memory system to complete any erasures and writes, and thus allows the flash memory system to shut down gracefully.

Ott, William E.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Radiant energy to electric energy converter

Radiant energy is converted into electric energy by irradiating a capacitor including an ionic dielectric. The dielectric is a sintered crystal superionic conductor, e.g., lanthanum trifluoride, lanthanum trichloride, or silver bromide, so that a multiplicity of crystallites exist between electrodes of the capacitor. The radiant energy cyclically irradiates the dielectric so that the dielectric exhibits a cyclic photocapacitive like effect. Adjacent crystallites have abutting surfaces that enable the crystallites to effectively form a multiplicity of series capacitor elements between the electrodes. Each of the capacitor elements has a dipole layer only on or near its surface. The capacitor is initially charged to a voltage just below the dielectric breakdown voltage by connecting it across a DC source causing a current to flow through a charging resistor to the dielectric. The device can be utilized as a radiant energy detector or as a solar energy cell.

Sher, Arden↗

NASA NTRS1987

Temperature responsive transmitter

A temperature responsive transmitter is provided in which frequency varies linearly with temperature. The transmitter includes two identically biased transistors connected in parallel. A capacitor, which reflects into the common bases to generate negative resistance effectively in parallel with the capacitor, is connected to the common emitters. A crystal is effectively in parallel with the capacitor and the negative resistance. Oscillations occur if the magnitude of the absolute value of the negative resistance is less than the positive resistive impedance of the capacitor and the inductance of the crystal. The crystal has a large linear temperature coefficient and a resonant frequency which is substantially less than the gain-bandwidth product of the transistors to ensure that the crystal primarily determines the frequency of oscillation. A high-Q tank circuit having an inductor and a capacitor is connected to the common collectors to increase the collector current flow which in turn enhances the radiation of the oscillator frequency by the inductor.

Kleinberg, Leonard L.↗

DOE OSTI2013

An Inverter Packaging Scheme for an Integrated Segmented Traction Drive System

The standard voltage source inverter (VSI), widely used in electric vehicle/hybrid electric vehicle (EV/HEV) traction drives, requires a bulky dc bus capacitor to absorb the large switching ripple currents and prevent them from shortening the battery s life. The dc bus capacitor presents a significant barrier to meeting inverter cost, volume, and weight requirements for mass production of affordable EVs/HEVs. The large ripple currents become even more problematic for the film capacitors (the capacitor technology of choice for EVs/HEVs) in high temperature environments as their ripple current handling capability decreases rapidly with rising temperatures. It is shown in previous work that segmenting the VSI based traction drive system can significantly decrease the ripple currents and thus the size of the dc bus capacitor. This paper presents an integrated packaging scheme to reduce the system cost of a segmented traction drive.

Su, Gui-Jia↗

DOE OSTI2021

Supply voltage decoupling circuits for voltage droop mitigation

Circuits and methods are provided for utilizing decoupling capacitors to mitigate voltage droop on power supply lines of a power distribution network. A power supply line is capacitively decoupled using a first decoupling capacitor connected to the power supply line and charged to a first voltage level of the power supply line. A second decoupling capacitor is pre-charged to a second voltage level greater than the first voltage level and held in standby. A control circuit determines or predicts an occurrence of a droop event in which the first voltage decreases to a level which is at or below a droop threshold voltage level, and selectively connects the pre-charged second decoupling capacitor to the power supply line to source additional boosting current through discharging of the second decoupling capacitor and thereby capacitively decouple the power supply line using the higher second voltage and additional boosting current.

Zhang, Xin↗

DOE OSTI2024

Pulse generator

A pulse shaping device includes an inductor that is selectively output-coupled to a first port of a capacitor. The inductor is charged to a selected current throughput and then coupled to the first port to generate a first characteristic within the current flowing at a second port of the capacitor. The capacitor is charged until reaching a clamping voltage at the first port. A voltage clamp of the shaping device clamps the first port of the capacitor at the clamping voltage to generate a second characteristic within the current flowing at a second port of the capacitor.

Zan, Xin↗

DOE OSTI2015

Flowable conducting particle networks in redox-active electrolytes for grid energy storage

This paper reports a new hybrid approach toward achieving high volumetric energy and power densities in an electrochemical flow capacitor for grid energy storage. The electrochemical flow capacitor suffers from high self-discharge and low energy density because charge storage is limited to the available surface area (electric double layer charge storage). Here, we examine two carbon materials as conducting particles in a flow battery electrolyte containing the VO 2+ /VO 2 + redox couple. Highly porous activated carbon spheres (CSs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are investigated as conducting particle networks that facilitate both faradaic and electric double layer charge storage. Charge storage contributions (electric double layer and faradaic) are distinguished for flow-electrodes composed of MWCNTs and activated CSs. A MWCNT flow-electrode based in a redox-active electrolyte containing the VO 2+ /VO 2 + redox couple demonstrates 18% less self-discharge, 10 X more energy density, and 20 X greater power densities (at 20 mV s -1 ) than one based on a non-redox active electrolyte. Additionally, a MWCNT redox-active flow electrode demonstrates 80% capacitance retention, and >95% coulombic efficiency over 100 cycles, indicating the feasibility of utilizing conducting networks with redox chemistries for grid energy storage.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2014

Photovoltaic effect of lead-free (Na{sub 0.82}K{sub 0.18}){sub 0.5}Bi{sub 4.5}Ti{sub 4}O{sub 15} ferroelectric thin film using Pt and indium tin oxide top electrodes

We have grown a Bi-layer structure (Na{sub 0.82}K{sub 0.18}){sub 0.5}Bi{sub 4.5}Ti{sub 4}O{sub 15} (NKBiT) ferroelectric thin film on Pt(111)/TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2}/Si(100) substrate by using the chemical solution deposition method and deposited two kinds of thin Pt and indium tin oxide (ITO) top electrodes. The photovoltaic behaviors of Pt/NKBiT/Pt and ITO/NKBit/Pt capacitors were investigated over the wavelength range of 300–500 nm. When NKBiT thin film is illuminated by the corresponding wavelength of the film's energy band gap (E{sub g}), a photocurrent is generated due to the Schottky barrier between electrode and film, and an internal electric field is originated by the depolarization field. The maximum photocurrent density and power conversion efficiency of the ITO/NKBiT/Pt capacitor in the poled-up state are obtained as 45.75 nA/cm{sup 2} and 0.035%, respectively, at 352 nm. The photocurrent density and power conversion efficiency of the ITO/NKBiT/Pt capacitor increased to 3.5 times higher than that of the Pt/NKBiT/Pt capacitor.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2014

Realizing a supercapacitor in an electrical circuit

Capacitors are commonly used in electronic resonance circuits; however, capacitors have not been used for storing large amounts of electrical energy in electrical circuits. Here, we report a superior RC circuit which serves as an electrical storage system characterized by quick charging and long-term discharging of electricity. The improved energy storage characteristics in this mixed electric circuit (R{sub 1} + R{sub 2}C{sub 1}) with small resistor R{sub 1}, large resistor R{sub 2}, and large capacitor C{sub 1} are derived from the damming effect by large R{sub 2} in simple parallel R{sub 2}C{sub 1} circuit. However, no research work has been carried out previously on the use of capacitors as electrical energy storage devices in circuits. Combined with nanotechnology, we hope that our finding will play a remarkable role in a variety of applications such as hybrid electric vehicles and backup power supplies.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2015

Thermal-noise suppression in nano-scale Si field-effect transistors by feedback control based on single-electron detection

We perform feedback (FB) control for suppressing thermal fluctuation in the number of electrons in a silicon single-electron (SE) device composed of a small transistor and capacitor. SEs enter and leave the capacitor via the transistor randomly at thermal equilibrium, which is monitored in real time using a high-charge-sensitivity detector. In order to suppress such random motion or thermal fluctuation of the electrons, SEs are injected and removed using the transistor according to the monitored change in the number of electrons in the capacitor, which is exactly the FB control. As a result, thermal fluctuation in the number of electrons in a SE device is suppressed by 60%, which corresponds to the so-called FB cooling from 300 to 110 K. Moreover, a thermodynamics analysis of this FB cooling reveals that entropy in the capacitor is reduced and the device is at non-equilibrium; i.e., the free energy of the device increases. Since this entropy reduction originates from information about the electrons' motion monitored by the detector, our results by the FB control represent one type of information-to-energy conversion.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2016

Model predictive direct power control for active power decoupled single-phase quasi- Z -source inverter

In this study, the active power filter (APF) that consists of a half-bridge leg and an ac capacitor is integrated in the single-phase quasi-Z-source inverter (qZSI) in this paper to avoid the second harmonic power flowing into the dc side. The capacitor of APF buffers the second harmonic power of the load, and the ac capacitor allows highly pulsating ac voltage, so that the capacitances of both dc and ac sides can be small. A model predictive direct power control (DPC) is further proposed to achieve the purpose of this newtopology through predicting the capacitor voltage of APF at each sampling period and ensuring the APF power to track the second harmonic power of single-phase qZSI. Simulation and experimental results verify the model predictive DPC for the APF-integrated single-phase qZSI.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

DOE OSTI2018

Behavioral Features of MIS Memristors with a Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} Nanolayer Fabricated on a Conductive Si Substrate

The effect of the material of the metal plates (Au, Ta, W) and exposure to a high-power blue laser on the memristive characteristics of metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) capacitors with a Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} film 6 nm thick fabricated on the basis of n{sup +}-Si is studied. It is shown that bipolar switching by the current appears only in capacitors with Au. The causes of the absence of bipolar switching in capacitors with Ta and W are explained. The switching of capacitors with Ta by the current and light and the photomemory effect are detected. It is shown that, despite the high doping level of the semiconductor substrate, it decreases the MIS memristor response rate due to a high density of surface states localized at the Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}/n{sup +}-Si interface. However, illumination allows a significant increase in the response rate due to a decrease in the semiconductor resistivity. The surface state densities are determined. To improve the frequency characteristics of MIS memristors, it is necessary to achieve a low surface state density.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2019

Dielectric Parameters of Elastically Strained Heteroepitaxial SrTiO{sub 3} Films

Three-layer epitaxial SrRuO{sub 3}/SrTiO{sub 3}/SrRuO{sub 3} heterostructures with the 900-nm-thick intermediate layer of strontium titanate have been grown on single-crystal (001)La{sub 0.29}Sr{sub 0.71}Al{sub 0.65}Ta{sub 0.35}O{sub 3} substrates by the laser evaporation method. Plane-parallel film capacitors have been formed on the basis of the grown heterostructures using photolithography and ion etching. Temperature dependences of the dissipation factor have been measured for these capacitors at different bias voltages applied to strontium ruthenate electrodes. Temperature dependences of the permittivity of the intermediate SrTiO{sub 3} layer in the formed capacitor structures are visualized with compensation of the internal electric field and without it. The reasons for the sharp increase in the dielectric loss in the formed film capacitors at temperatures below 50 K are analyzed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2012

Fully Integrated Applications of Thin Films on Low Temperature Cofired Ceramic (LTCC)

Thin film multilayers have previously been introduced on multilayer low temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC), as well as initial thin film capacitors on LTCC. The ruggedness of a multipurpose Ti-Cu-Pt-Au stack for connectivity and RF conductivity has continued to benefit fabrication and reliability in state of-the-art modules, while the capacitors have followed the traditional Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) style. The full integration of thin film passives with thin film connectivity traces is presented. Certain passives, such as capacitors, require specifically tailored and separately patterned thin film (multi-)layers, including a dielectric. Different capacitance values are achieved by variation of both the insulator layer thickness and the active area of the capacitor. Other passives, such as filters, require only the conductor - a single thin film multilayer. This can be patterned from the same connectivity thin film material (Ti-Cu-Pt-Au), or a specially tailored thin film material (e.g. Ti-Cu-Au) can be deposited. Both versions are described, including process and integration details. Examples are discussed, ranging from patterning for maximum tolerances, to space and performance-optimized designs. Cross-sectional issues associated with integration are also highlighted in the discussion.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2012

Analysis of beam loss induced abort kicker instability

Through more than a decade of operation, we have noticed the phenomena of beam loss induced kicker instability in the RHIC beam abort systems. In this study, we analyze the short term beam loss before abort kicker pre-fire events and operation conditions before capacitor failures. Beam loss has caused capacitor failures and elevated radiation level concentrated at failed end of capacitor has been observed. We are interested in beam loss induced radiation and heat dissipation in large oil filled capacitors and beam triggered thyratron conduction. We hope the analysis result would lead to better protection of the abort systems and improved stability of the RHIC operation.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2011

Characterization of a theta-pinch plasma using triple probe diagnostic

Plasma diagnostics were carried out in a theta-pinch device to investigate the applicability for plasma-material interaction under fusion-like conditions. A series of triple probe diagnostics show that the plasma is sustained for approximately 80 {micro}s at each pulse, with 3.0 (10){sup 21} m{sup -3} plasma density and up to 40 eV electron temperature when a 32 {micro}F main capacitor is discharged at 20 kV. In order to increase plasma density and temperature, an RF antenna is installed near one end of a Pyrex tube and a 50 {micro}F preionization capacitor is connected to an electrode placed at the same end as the antenna. In this configuration, several time delays between the main and preionization capacitors are tested. When the preionization capacitor was triggered 45 {micro}s before the main bank discharge, it resulted in high energetic plasma being obtained with a few density spikes at 10{sup 22} m{sup -3} and electron temperature around 100 eV.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗