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At least 1,765 records · Page 98

Systems and methods of delivering rectified voltage to a load

A solid state light source driver circuit that operates in either a buck convertor or a boost convertor configuration is provided. The driver circuit includes a controller, a boost switch circuit and a buck switch circuit, each coupled to the controller, and a feedback circuit, coupled to the light source. The feedback circuit provides feedback to the controller, representing a DC output of the driver circuit. The controller controls the boost switch circuit and the buck switch circuit in response to the feedback signal, to regulate current to the light source. The controller places the driver circuit in its boost converter configuration when the DC output is less than a rectified AC voltage coupled to the driver circuit at an input node. The controller places the driver circuit in its buck converter configuration when the DC output is greater than the rectified AC voltage at the input node.

Palmer, Fred↗

High voltage DC power conversion system and method of operating the same

A fraction rated conversion system for coupling a plurality of high voltage direct current (HVDC) power strings in parallel to an HVDC transmission system includes at least one fraction rated power converter coupled to the plurality of HVDC power strings and at least one capacitive device coupled to the at least one fraction rated power converter. The at least one fraction rated power converter and the at least one capacitive device regulate a differential voltage across each HVDC power string of the plurality of HVDC power strings to be substantially similar to each other.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Voltage-controlled magnetic devices

Voltage controlled magnetic components are described. The magnetic components include a thin layer of ferromagnet adjacent to an oxide layer. The magnetic properties of the ferromagnet may be controlled in a reversible manner via application of an external electric field and voltage-induced reversible oxidation of the ferromagnet.

Wang, Weigang↗

Levelized-Cost-of-Electricity-Driven Design Optimization for Medium-Voltage Transformerless Photovoltaic Converters: Preprint

Design approaches for power electronics are typically focused on efficiency and power density; however, these strategies do not guarantee cost optimality in any well-defined sense. To overcome this shortcoming, we propose a design framework that yields circuit parameters that minimize the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of a generation system. LCOE serves as a meaningful metric since it captures total lifetime costs -- including hardware, balance of system, and maintenance costs\textemdash and includes the impacts of power conversion efficiency and revenue from harvested energy. To obtain a tractable design problem, we formulate an approximate LCOE improvement model that quantifies the changes in LCOE resulting from a candidate converter design. We apply this framework to a multilevel cascaded topology for low-voltage dc to medium-voltage ac conversion without line-frequency transformers. An example 200-kW commercial-scale system is studied and the solution yields a design with 15 cascaded stages, 98.89% efficiency, and an LCOE reduction of 3.6%.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Sampling Rate Comparison for Distribution System Voltage Measurements

Measurement of the voltage delivered by an electric distribution is a relatively straight forward task. When determining the harmonic distortion in the voltage, matters associated with what orders of the 50/60 Hz harmonics to be analyzed dictate the sampling rate. A study addressing this matter is presented.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Evaluation of Low-Pressure-Sintered Multi-Layer Substrates for Medium-Voltage SiC Power Modules: Preprint

Direct-bonded aluminum (DBA) multi-layer substrates have been fabricated using low-pressure silver sintering. These multi-layer substrates can be used to reduce the peak electric field strength inside power modules. This benefit is particularly important for medium-voltage silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs due to their higher operating voltages. The voiding content and defect density of the bond used to create the multi-layer substrate stackup is critical to the thermal performance and reliability of the power module. This work two low-pressure-assisted sintering techniques; one using nano-silver preform and the other using nano-silver paste to bond 23 mm by 49 mm DBA substrates. Scanning acoustic microscopy (C-SAM) is used to evaluate the bond quality after sintering. To evaluate the reliability of the sintered multi-layer substrates, passive thermal cycling from –40 °C to 200 °C was performed. Cross-sections were cut at pre-determined intervals and imaged with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). After 1,000 thermal cycles, minor cracking was observed, but no failures have occurred.

28 EE - Advanced Manufacturing Office (EE-5A)↗

High efficiency electrolytes for high voltage battery systems

Disclosed herein are embodiments of an electrolyte that is stable and efficient at high voltages. The electrolyte can be used in combination with certain cathodes that exhibit poor activity at such high voltages with other types of electrolytes and can further be used in combination with a variety of anodes. In some embodiments, the electrolyte can be used in battery systems comprising a lithium cobalt oxide cathode and lithium metal anodes, silicon anodes, silicon/graphite composite anodes, graphite anodes, and the like.

Ren, Xiaodi↗

Fault location in High Voltage Multi-terminal dc Networks Using Ensemble Learning

Precise location of faults for large distance power transmission networks is essential for faster repair and restoration process. High Voltage direct current (HVdc) networks using modular multi-level converter (MMC) technology has found its prominence for interconnected multi-terminal networks. This allows for large distance bulk power transmission at lower costs. However, they cope with the challenge of dc faults. Fast and efficient methods to isolate the network under dc faults have been widely studied and investigated. After successful isolation, it is essential to precisely locate the fault. The post-fault voltage and current signatures are a function of multiple factors and thus accurately locating faults on a multi-terminal network is challenging. In this paper, we discuss a novel data-driven ensemble learning based approach for accurate fault location. Here we utilize the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) method for accurate fault location. The sensitivity of the proposed algorithm to measurement noise, fault location, resistance and current limiting inductance are performed on a radial three-terminal MTdc network designed in Power System Computer Aided Design (PSCAD)/Electromagnetic Transients including dc (EMTdc).

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

An Inner-Loop Control Method for the Filter-less, Voltage Sensor-less, and PLL-less Grid-Following Inverter-Based Resource

This paper presents a novel inner-loop control method for the inverter-based resource (IBR). The innovative concepts include removing the voltage sensors at the point of common coupling (PCC), removing the inverter interface inductance, and removing the traditional phase-locked loop (PLL) circuits. Simulation is conducted to verify the feasibility of the method. Furthermore, the virtual impedance is applied to the control loop to improve the current THD and dynamics. Compared to the traditional control, the proposed one helps offload the system by reducing the bulky inductors and voltage sensors without compromising the control performance.

grid-forming inverter, inner-loop control, filterl↗

Methods and devices configured to operated scanning tunneling microscopes using out-of-bandwidth frequency components added to bias voltage and related software

In the system and method disclosed, an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip is used to selectively desorb hydrogen atoms from the Si(100)-2X1:H surface by injecting electrons at a negative sample bias voltage. A new lithography method is disclosed that allows the STM to operate under imaging conditions and simultaneously desorb H atoms as required. A high frequency signal is added to the negative sample bias voltage to deliver the required energy for hydrogen removal. The resulted current at this frequency and its harmonics are filtered to minimize their effect on the operation of the STM's feedback loop. This approach offers a significant potential for controlled and precise removal of hydrogen atoms from a hydrogen-terminated silicon surface and thus may be used for the fabrication of practical silicon-based atomic-scale devices.

Moheimani, Seyed Omid Reza↗

DERMS Online: A New Voltage Sensitivity-Enabled Feedback Optimization Framework: Preprint

This paper proposes a distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) solution by developing a new voltage sensitivity enabled feedback optimization framework. The key idea is to adopt a measurement feedback scheme to reformulate the original nonlinear optimization into a linear programming (LP) problem via perturb and observe-based voltage sensitivity analysis. The proposed solution eliminates the dependence on load knowledge and can be implemented online thanks to an efficient open-source solver for LP problems. The proposed DERMS online platform is generalizable to deal with various types of distributed energy resources (DERs), including distributed photovoltaics (PVs), energy storage, electric vehicles, demand response, etc. Comparison results with other control methods on a realistic distribution feeder in Southern California highlight the feasibility as well as benefits for the proposed framework.

distributed energy resources management↗

Coordinated voltage control and reactive power regulation between transmission and distribution systems

Systems and methods are described for coordinating volt-var control between sub-transmission and distribution systems. Distributed energy resources of a distribution system are aggregated into virtual power plants from which reactive power can optimally be dispatched to the sub-transmission system. A sub-transmission controller executes a volt-var AC optimal power flow optimisation function to minimize voltage fluctuations that might otherwise occur when coordinating with a distribution system having distributed energy resources. The distribution system can use a sensitivity matrix for regulating voltage at distribution feeders while fulfilling a transmission or sub-transmission system's demand requests.

Samaan, Nader A.↗

Charge Lifetime Study of K 2 CsSb Photocathode Inside a Jlab DC High Voltage Gun

Two photocathodes are frequently considered for generating high average current electron beams and/or beams with high brightness for current and future accelerator applications: GaAs:Cs and K 2 CsSb. Each photocathode has advantages and disadvantages, and need to demonstrate performance at "production" accelerator facilities. To this end a K 2 CsSb photocathode was manufactured at Brookhaven National Lab and delivered to Jefferson Lab within a compact vacuum apparatus at pressure ~ 5x10 -11 Torr. This photocathode was installed inside a dc high voltage photogun biased at voltages up to 200 kV, and illuminated with laser light at 440 or 532 nm, to generate beams up to 20 mA. Photocathode charge lifetime measurements indicate that under some conditions this cathode has exceptionally high charge lifetime, without measurable QE decay, even from the center of the photocathode where operation using GaAs photocathodes is precluded due to ion bombardment. These studies also suggest a complex QE decay mechanism likely related to chemistry and localized heating via the laser beam.

Mammei, R.↗

GUI Control System for the Mu2e Electrostatic Septum High Voltage at Fermilab

The Mu2e Experiment has stringent beam structure requirements; namely, its proton bunches with a time structure of 1.7 $\mu$s in the Fermilab Delivery Ring. This beam structure will be delivered using the Fermilab 8-GeV Booster, the 8-GeV Recycler Ring, and the Delivery Ring. The 1.7-$\mu$s period of the Delivery Ring will generate the required beam structure by means of a third order resonant extraction system operating on a single circulating bunch. The electrostatic septum (ESS) for this system is particularly challenging, requiring mechanical precision in a ultra high vacuum of 1 x 10$^-8$ Torr to generate 100 kV across 15 mm. This paper describes a graphical user interface that has been developed to automate the conditioning and commissioning process for the electrostatic septa. It is based on an interface to the Fermilab ACNET system using the ACSys Python Data Pool Manager (DPM) Client produced and maintained by Fermilab Accelerator Controls. Network interfacing between data pool managers made by the application and ACNET devices introduce an inherent (approximately 1 s) latency in throughput of the readouts. This delay is utilized to process and graph incoming data events of devices crucial to conditioning of a electrostatic septum (ESS). 'Ramping' and 'Monitoring' modes adjust settings of the power supply based on internal logic to efficaciously increase and maintain the high voltage (HV) in the ESS, easing the voltage setting on incidence of sparking or other possibly damaging events. A timestamped log file is produced as the application runs.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Methods and devices configured to operated scanning tunneling microscopes using out-of-bandwidth frequency components added to bias voltage and related software

In the system and method disclosed, an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip is used to selectively desorb hydrogen atoms from the Si(100)-2X1:H surface by injecting electrons at a negative sample bias voltage. A new lithography method is disclosed that allows the STM to operate under imaging conditions and simultaneously desorb H atoms as required. A high frequency signal is added to the negative sample bias voltage to deliver the required energy for hydrogen removal. The resulted current at this frequency and its harmonics are filtered to minimize their effect on the operation of the STM's feedback loop. This approach offers a significant potential for controlled and precise removal of hydrogen atoms from a hydrogen-terminated silicon surface and thus may be used for the fabrication of practical silicon-based atomic-scale devices.

Moheimani, Seyed Omid Reza↗

High voltage switch with cascaded transistor topology

A switching apparatus includes three or more series-connected transistors, and it further includes a balancing network. The balancing network includes a resistor network configured to divide a voltage from a voltage source across the series-connected transistors. The resistor network includes at least two resistive legs connected in parallel. In each resistive leg, two or more resistors are connected in series. The balancing network may further comprise at least one capacitive leg of series-connected capacitors connected across the series-connected transistors, and it may further comprise at least one leg of series-connected avalanche diodes connected across the series-connected transistors for overvoltage protection. In example embodiments, the series-connected transistors are JFETs. In other example embodiments, the series-connected transistors may be HEMTs or GaN transistors.

Gill, Lee↗

System and method for power converter interfacing with multiple series-stacked voltage domains

According to various embodiments, a power conversion circuit is disclosed. The power conversion circuit includes at least one DC bus. The power conversion circuit further includes a plurality of DC-AC conversion units coupled to the DC bus and configured to convert a DC voltage into an AC voltage. The power conversion circuit also includes a multi-winding transformer comprising a magnetic core and a plurality of windings, where each DC-AC conversion unit is coupled to a corresponding winding of the multi-winding transformer.

Chen, Minjie↗

Calibration and Performance of Germanium High Voltage Detectors for SuperCDMS SNOLAB

As SuperCDMS SNOLAB is getting ready to search for low mass dark matter particles, using cryogenic Ge and Si detectors, a set of six of the new SuperCDMS High Voltage (HV) detectors (four Ge and two Si) were tested in the Cryogenic Underground TEst facility (CUTE) at SNOLAB. This provided the first opportunity to gain experience with this new detector type and assess their performance thoroughly under low background conditions. Here we describe the SuperCDMS HV detector concept and discuss some of the newly developed analysis methods and approaches. Focusing on the Ge detectors, we investigate the detector performance under voltage bias (up to 90 V), exercise the low energy (keV to sub-keV range) calibration based on the electron capture peaks generated by the decay of $^{71}$Ge, assess the detector resolution, and demonstrate the unexpected (and encouraging) ability of these detectors to also measure high energy interactions in the hundreds of keV range with good resolution (better than 3% at 356 keV).

Albakry, M. F. [British Columbia U.; TRIUMF]↗