High efficiency smart voltage regulating module for green mobile computing

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.In this thesis a design for a smart high efficiency voltage regulating module capable of supplying the core of modern microprocessors incorporating dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVS) capability is accomplished using a RISC based microcontroller to facilitate all the functions required to control, protect, and supply the core with the required variable operating voltage as set by the DVS management system. Normally voltage regulating modules provide maximum power efficiency at designed peak load, and the efficiency falls off as the load moves towards lesser values. A mathematical model has been derived for the main converter and small signal analysis has been performed in order to determine system operation stability and select a control scheme that would improve converter operation response to transients and not requiring intense computational power to realize. A Simulation model was built using Matlab/Simulink and after experimenting with tuned PID controller and fuzzy logic controllers, a simple fuzzy logic control scheme was selected to control the pulse width modulated converter and several methods were devised to reduce the requirements for computational power making the whole system operation realizable using a low power RISC based microcontroller. The same microcontroller provides circuit adaptations operation in addition to providing protection to load in terms of over voltage and over current protection. A novel circuit technique and operation control scheme enables the designed module to selectively change some of the circuit elements in the main pulse width modulated buck converter so as to improve efficiency over a wider range of loads. In case of very light loads as the case when the device goes into standby, sleep or hibernation mode, a secondary converter starts operating and the main converter stops. The secondary converter adapts a different operation scheme using switched capacitor technique which provides high efficiency at low load currents. A fuzzy logic control scheme was chosen for the main converter for its lighter computational power requirement promoting implementation using ultra low power embedded controllers. Passive and active components were carefully selected to augment operational efficiency. These aspects enabled the designed voltage regulating module to operate with efficiency improvement in off peak load region in the range of 3% to 5%. At low loads as the case when the computer system goes to standby or sleep mode, the efficiency improvent is better than 13% which will have noticeable contribution in extending battery run time thus contributing to lowering the carbon footprint of human consumption

Topical Workshop on Electronics for Particle Physics

The purpose of the workshop was to present results and original concepts for electronics research and development relevant to particle physics experiments as well as accelerator and beam instrumentation at future facilities; to review the status of electronics for the LHC experiments; to identify and encourage common efforts for the development of electronics; and to promote information exchange and collaboration in the relevant engineering and physics communities

Development of the readout electronics for the high luminosity upgrade of the CMS outer strip tracker

The High-luminosity upgrade of the LHC will deliver the dramatic increase in luminosity required for precision measurements and to probe Beyond the Standard Model theories. At the same time, it will present unprecedented challenges in terms of pileup and radiation degradation. The CMS experiment is set for an extensive upgrade campaign, which includes the replacement of the current Tracker with another all-silicon detector with improved performance and reduced mass. One of the most ambitious aspects of the future Tracker will be the ability to identify high transverse momentum track candidates at every bunch crossing and with very low latency, in order to include tracking information at the L1 hardware trigger stage, a critical and effective step to achieve triggers with high purity and low threshold. This thesis presents the development and the testing of the CMS Binary Chip 2 (CBC2), a prototype Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) for the binary front-end readout of silicon strip detectors modules in the Outer Tracker, which also integrates the logic necessary to identify high transverse momentum candidates by correlating hits from two silicon strip detectors, separated by a few millimetres. The design exploits the relation between the transverse momentum and the curvature in the trajectory of charged particles subject to the large magnetic field of CMS. The logic which follows the analogue amplification and binary conversion rejects clusters wider than a programmable maximum number of adjacent strips, compensates for the geometrical offset in the alignment of the module, and correlates the hits between the two sensor layers. Data are stored in a memory buffer before being transferred to an additional buffer stage and being serially read-out upon receipt of a Level 1 trigger. The CBC2 has been subject to extensive testing since its production in January 2013: this work reports the results of electrical characterization, of the total ionizing dose irradiation tests, and the performance of a prototype module instrumented with CBC2 in realistic conditions in a beam test. The latter is the first experimental demonstration of the Pt-selection principle central to the future of CMS. Several total-ionizing-dose tests highlighted no functional issue, but observed significant excess static current for doses <1 Mrad. The source of the excess was traced to static leakage current in the memory pipeline, and is believed to be a consequence of the high instantaneous dose delivered by the x-ray setup. Nevertheless, a new SRAM layout aimed at removing the leakage path was proposed for the CBC3. The results of single event upset testing of the chip are also reported, two of the three distinct memory circuits used in the chip were proven to meet the expected robustness, while the third will be replaced in the next iteration of the chip. Finally, the next version of the ASIC is presented, highlighting the additional features of the final prototype, such as half-strip resolution, additional trigger logic functionality, longer trigger latency and higher rate, and fully synchronous stub readout.Open Acces

Development of biomedical devices for the extracorporeal real-time monitoring and perfusion of transplant organs

The goal of this Thesis is to develop a range of technologies that could enable a paradigm shift in organ preservation for renal transplantation, transitioning from static cold storage to warm normothermic blood perfusion. This transition could enable the development of novel pre-implantation therapies, and even serve as the foundation for a global donor pool. A low-hæmolysis pump was developed, based on a design first proposed by Nikola Tesla in 1913. Simulations demonstrated the theoretical superiority of this design over existing centrifugal pumps for blood recirculation, and provided insights for future avenues of research into this technology. A miniature, battery-powered, multimodal sensor suite for the in-line monitoring of a blood perfusion circuit was designed and implemented. This was named the ‘SmartPipe’, and proved capable of simultaneously monitoring temperature, pressure and blood oxygen saturations over the biologically-relevant ranges of each modality. Finally, the Thesis details the successful implementation and optimisation of a combined microfluidic and microdialysis system for the real-time quantitation of creatinine in blood or urine through amperometric sensing, to act as a live renal function monitor. The range of detection was 4.3μM – 500μM, with the possibility of extending this in both directions. This work also details and explores a novel methodology for functional monitoring in closed-loop systems which avoids the need for sensor calibration, and potentially overcomes the problems of sensor drift and desensitisation.Open Acces

PCB-associated steatohepatitis and the role of nuclear receptors.

Metabolic diseases, including fatty liver disease, hyperglycemia, and obesity, result when body systems responsible for managing allostasis (dynamic homeostasis across systems) are pressured beyond their collective compensatory reserve. Nutritional excess contributes to this state, the capacity of which is limited by genetic variation, and failure of one system will gradually lead to pathological overload in the others. Agents which act directly on the communication machinery linking these connected systems can also change the point at which allostatic load becomes allostatic overload. Environmental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a class of persistent organic pollutant, is associated with a specific form of toxicant-associated steatohepatitis, fatty liver disease with inflammatory infiltration. PCBs are known to be ligands for the xenobiotic receptors, which, when activated, modulate the transcription of both xenobiotic and intermediary metabolic targets. We investigated the prevalence and characteristics of liver disease in a human population with high environmental PCB exposure, transcriptional changes in the liver in a mouse model of PCB/high-fat diet coexposure, and transcriptional changes attributable to xenobiotic receptors in a primary hepatocyte model

A series facts controller as a voltage fluctuation mitigation equipment: an experimental investigation

This research project addresses the mitigation of voltage fluctuations using a series-connected power electronics-based controller, which belongs to the family of Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) controllers. These are emerging technologies which have been under continuous development for over a decade, and are now available to the electricity supply industry world-wide, helping to ameliorate a wide range of power system phenomena, to increase power transfers and stability margins. Voltage fluctuation is a complex phenomenon affecting adversely transmission and distribution networks. Bulky fluctuating load, wind farms and large induction motor are the major sources of voltage fluctuations. As the phenomenon propagates, it interacts with other voltage fluctuations contributed by different sources, and affecting neighbouring lighting circuits, giving raise to a phenomenon termed light flicker. To ameliorate such a problem, a well-coordinated operation of advanced voltage mitigation equipment, control strategy and specialised measurements instruments are required. Considerable progress has been made in voltage fluctuations mitigation using shunt FACTS controllers. However, very little work has been reported in tackling the very complex issue of mitigation of voltage fluctuation propagating in the network using series FACTS controllers. To advance this area of research, this project addresses the design and construction of a three-phase scaled-down TCSC prototype and a voltage fluctuations experimental environment, suitable for real-time hardware-in-the-loop testing. The research work carries out a fundamental study of TCSC resonances, which are termed resonance modes. It is found that a non-explicit resonance mode at a=90° exists, and it is termed intrinsic resonance mode. For a well-designed TCSC, only the fundamental and the intrinsic resonance mode should be active. To facilitate the design, a procedure has been identified, based in the synchronisation of resonance modes. To achieve mitigation successfully, a new tailor-made TCSC control strategy, named RT-DIMR, and a flexible virtual flickermeter based on the IEC-61000-4-15 standard are thoroughly developed and integrated under the same real-time computing platform. The RT-DIMR demonstrates its capability for controlling the TCSC under different voltage fluctuation conditions. The lEC-Flickermeter provides online flicker severity indices, information which may be used to asses whether or not the electrical network has been effectively improved. The aim of this research work is to experimentally evaluate the TCSC capabilities to mitigate travelling voltage fluctuations. A scaled-down network and voltage fluctuation sources are constructed to mimic a voltage fluctuations propagation environment. A comprehensive number of experiments are carried out to test the mitigation scheme under a wide range of conditions. The robustness and effectiveness of the mitigation schemes have been thoroughly demonstrated. The newly developed TCSC prototype, scaled-down testing environment and RT-DIMR control strategy recommend themselves not only as an imaginative voltage fluctuations mitigation research tool, but also as a general advanced FACTS research tool

EUROSENSORS XVII : book of abstracts

Fundação Calouste Gulbenkien (FCG).Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)