Characterization of Power Transformer Frequency Response Signature using Finite Element Analysis

Power transformers are a vital link in electrical transmission and distribution networks. Monitoring and diagnostic techniques are essential to decrease maintenance and improve the reliability of the equipment.This research has developed a novel, versatile, reliable and robust technique for modelling high frequency power transformers. The purpose of this modelling is to enable engineers to conduct sensitivity analyses of FRA in the course of evaluating mechanical defects of power transformer windings. The importance of this new development is that it can be applied successfully to industry transformers of real geometries

A Tesla-Blumlein PFL-Bipolar pulsed power generator

A Tesla-Blumlein PFL-Bipolar pulsed power generator, has been successfully designed, manufactured and demonstrated. The compact Tesla transformer that it employs has successfully charged capacitive loads to peak voltages up to 0.6 MV with an overall energy efficiency in excess of 90%. The Tesla driven Blumlein PFL generator is capable of producing a voltage impulse approaching 0.6 MV with a rise time close to 2 ns, generating a peak electrical power of up to 10 GW for 5 ns when connected to a 30 Ω resistive load. Potentially for medical application, a bipolar former has been designed and successfully implemented as an extension to the system and to enable the generation of a sinusoid-like voltage impulse with a peak-to-peak value reaching 650 kV and having a frequency bandwidth beyond 1 GHz. This thesis describes the application of various numerical techniques used to design a successful generator, such as filamentary modelling, electrostatic and transient (PSpice) circuit analysis, and Computer Simulation Technology (CST) simulation. All the major parameters of both the Tesla transformer, the Blumlein pulse forming line and the bipolar former were determined, enabling accurate modelling of the overall unit to be performed. The wide bandwidth and ultrafast embedded sensors used to monitor the dynamic characteristics of the overall system are also presented. Experimental results obtained during this major experimental programme are compared with theoretical predictions and the way ahead towards connecting to an antenna for medical application is considered

Surface and inter-phase analysis of Composite Materials using Electromagnetic Techniques based on SQUID Sensors

In this thesis an electromagnetic characterization and a non-destructive evaluation of new advanced composite materials, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) and Fiber-Glass Aluminium (FGA) laminates, using an eddy-current technique based on HTS dc-SQUID (Superconductive QUantum Interference Device) magnetometer is proposed. The main goal of this thesis is to propose a prototype based on a superconducting sensor, such as SQUID, to guarantee a more accuracy in the quality control at research level of the composite materials employed in the aeronautical applications. A briefly introduction about the superconductivity, a complete description of the SQUID properties and its basic working principles have been reported. Moreover, an overview of the most widely used non destructive technique employed in several industrial and research fields have been described. Particular attention is given to the eddy current testing and the technical improvement obtained using SQUID in NDE. The attention has been focused on two particular application, that are the main topics of this thesis. The first concerns with the investigation of the damage due to impact loading on the composites materials, and the second is the study of the corrosion process on the metallic surface. The electrical and mechanical properties of the tested advanced composite materials, such as Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRPs) and Fiber-glass Aluminium (FGA) laminates are investigated. The experimental results concern the non-destructive evaluation of impact loading on the CFRPs and FGA composites, by means of the electromagnetic techniques; the investigation of the electromechanical effect in the CFRPs using the SQUID based prototype and the AFM analyses; and the study of corrosion activity of the metallic surface using magnetic field measurement

Analysis of wide-band oscillation of hybrid MMC interfacing weak AC power system

The wide-band oscillation of the hybrid MMC induced by excessive power infeed under weak AC power system integration is analyzed in this paper. A closed-loop state-space-based time-domain small-signal model is firstly established to investigate the instability problem. Different from the findings in two-level VSCs or half-bridge MMCs, the root locus analysis and participation factor analysis in this paper reveals that the oscillation frequency and involved control loops are highly related to the operation status. When hybrid MMC operates as a rectifier, a low-frequency oscillation is observed with the d-channel control loop mainly participated. In contrast, a high-frequency oscillation occurs with a q-channel control loop mainly involved when the hybrid MMC operates as an inverter. This wide-band oscillation phenomenon is explored with the aid of two simplified loop-gain-based s-domain models, which are derived referring to the selective modal analysis approach. To suppress the oscillation, sensitivity analysis regarding the impact of parameters on the phase margin is conducted to recognize effective parameter adjustment methods. The analysis results are validated by detailed electromagnetic simulations