Multi-kw dc power distribution system study program

The first phase of the Multi-kw dc Power Distribution Technology Program is reported and involves the test and evaluation of a technology breadboard in a specifically designed test facility according to design concepts developed in a previous study on space vehicle electrical power processing, distribution, and control. The static and dynamic performance, fault isolation, reliability, electromagnetic interference characterisitics, and operability factors of high distribution systems were studied in order to gain a technology base for the use of high voltage dc systems in future aerospace vehicles. Detailed technical descriptions are presented and include data for the following: (1) dynamic interactions due to operation of solid state and electromechanical switchgear; (2) multiplexed and computer controlled supervision and checkout methods; (3) pulse width modulator design; and (4) cable design factors

Issues concerning centralized versus decentralized power deployment

The results of a study of proposed lunar base architectures to identify issues concerning centralized and decentralized power system deployment options are presented. The power system consists of the energy producing system (power plant), the power conditioning components used to convert the generated power into the form desired for transmission, the transmission lines that conduct this power from the power sources to the loads, and the primary power conditioning hardware located at the user end. Three power system architectures, centralized, hybrid, and decentralized, were evaluated during the course of this study. Candidate power sources were characterized with respect to mass and radiator area. Two electrical models were created for each architecture to identify the preferred method of power transmission, dc or ac. Each model allowed the transmission voltage level to be varied at assess the impact on power system mass. The ac power system models also permitted the transmission line configurations and placements to determine the best conductor construction and installation location. Key parameters used to evaluate each configuration were power source and power conditioning component efficiencies, masses, and radiator areas; transmission line masses and operating temperatures; and total system mass

Improved micro-contact resistance model that considers material deformation, electron transport and thin film characteristics

This paper reports on an improved analytic model forpredicting micro-contact resistance needed for designing microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS) switches. The originalmodel had two primary considerations: 1) contact materialdeformation (i.e. elastic, plastic, or elastic-plastic) and 2) effectivecontact area radius. The model also assumed that individual aspotswere close together and that their interactions weredependent on each other which led to using the single effective aspotcontact area model. This single effective area model wasused to determine specific electron transport regions (i.e. ballistic,quasi-ballistic, or diffusive) by comparing the effective radius andthe mean free path of an electron. Using this model required thatmicro-switch contact materials be deposited, during devicefabrication, with processes ensuring low surface roughness values(i.e. sputtered films). Sputtered thin film electric contacts,however, do not behave like bulk materials and the effects of thinfilm contacts and spreading resistance must be considered. Theimproved micro-contact resistance model accounts for the twoprimary considerations above, as well as, using thin film,sputtered, electric contact

Overview of IEC Recommendations for renewable energy and hybrid systems for rural electrification

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a universal company having a major mission to arrange International standards. IEC TS 62257 introduced herein is one of those series. It concerns about rural electrification which is further away from the national main power line. It is very expensive to get a few single users to utilise a grid to meet cost-effective. Therefore the stand-alone electrical systems are taken into account to serve better situations. In these days, rural electrification is played one of the important strategies to maximise comfort to those people in rural area as well as rural economic expansion. This thesis focuses on overview of IEC TS 62257. The project purpose concerns to five significant points. Firstly, to investigate and enable the choice of renewable energy based electrification systems to meet the requirements of customers in the field of decentralised rural electrification project. Secondly, to provide a technical specification for renewable energy and hybrid systems. Thirdly, to evaluate the minimum sufficient requirements, relevant to the field of application that is: renewable energy and hybrid off-grid systems corresponding to the high standard safety. Fourthly, to review the methodology in the standard IEC TS 62257 to achieve the best technical and economic conditions for acceptance, operation, maintenance and replacement of equipment and complete system life cycle. Lastly, to learn about the combination of diesel generator system and solar energy during the project. To attain an achievement of the five purposes as above mentioned, Rottnest Island case study was taken as an example of rural or remote Electrification in order to compare it with IEC TS 62257 series in term of similarity and difference between them. Although this project is completed, Rottnest power electrification is still a lot more to discover. Regarding to the most efficiency of the rural power project, the selection in which part of IEC TS 62257 should be taken to an appropriate consideration

The NASA SBIR product catalog

The purpose of this catalog is to assist small business firms in making the community aware of products emerging from their efforts in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. It contains descriptions of some products that have advanced into Phase 3 and others that are identified as prospective products. Both lists of products in this catalog are based on information supplied by NASA SBIR contractors in responding to an invitation to be represented in this document. Generally, all products suggested by the small firms were included in order to meet the goals of information exchange for SBIR results. Of the 444 SBIR contractors NASA queried, 137 provided information on 219 products. The catalog presents the product information in the technology areas listed in the table of contents. Within each area, the products are listed in alphabetical order by product name and are given identifying numbers. Also included is an alphabetical listing of the companies that have products described. This listing cross-references the product list and provides information on the business activity of each firm. In addition, there are three indexes: one a list of firms by states, one that lists the products according to NASA Centers that managed the SBIR projects, and one that lists the products by the relevant Technical Topics utilized in NASA's annual program solicitation under which each SBIR project was selected

A new technicque for metal oxide surge arresters failure diagnostic using return voltage measurement

Due to their reliability and accuracy, many modern diagnostics based on dielectric voltage response, such as polarization/depolarization current (PDC), voltage decay (VD) and return voltage (RV) measurements, have been used in monitoring ageing processes of metal oxide (MO) varistors, which is the main part of a surge arrester. Among these diagnostics, recently, RV measurement (RVM) seems to be an increasingly popular method as it has high sensitivity to the condition of varistors and low sensitivity to disturbances in vicinity of the field measurements. Nonetheless, the basic interpretation based on the RVM essential parameters – peak RV, time-to-peak RV and initial slope of RV - provides insufficient information of the MO varistors condition since they are inevitably dependent on the measuring parameters such as the charging and discharging times as well as the test object temperature. Hence, this project focuses on a new way in interpreting the RVM parameters based on dielectric time constants analysis using an equivalent circuit of varistor microstructure, namely the Maxwell-Model. In order to investigate the ageing processes of MO varistors, two types of accelerated degradation techniques – impulse and heat degradations – are systematically conducted on test samples. Experimental results are presented and discussed in detail according to the underlying physical mechanism. On the basis of this concept, a sensible ageing parameter, p-factor, is used for better characterization of the ageing status of varistors

Effect of water on electrical properties of Refined, Bleached, and Deodorized Palm Oil (RBDPO) as electrical insulating material

This paper describes the properties of refined, bleached, deodorized palm oil (RBDPO) as having the potential to be used as insulating liquid. There are several important properties such as electrical breakdown, dielectric dissipation factor, specific gravity, flash point, viscosity and pour point of RBDPO that was measured and compared to commercial mineral oil which is largely in current use as insulating liquid in power transformers. Experimental results of the electrical properties revealed that the average breakdown voltage of the RBDPO sample, without the addition of water at room temperature, is 13.368 kV. The result also revealed that due to effect of water, the breakdown voltage is lower than that of commercial mineral oil (Hyrax). However, the flash point and the pour point of RBDPO is very high compared to mineral oil thus giving it advantageous possibility to be used safely as insulating liquid. The results showed that RBDPO is greatly influenced by water, causing the breakdown voltage to decrease and the dissipation factor to increase; this is attributable to the high amounts of dissolved water

Pregled različitih tehnologija upravljanja naprednim mrežama za povećanje fleksibilnosti elektroenergetskih sustava i omogućavanje masovne integracije obnovljivih izvora energije

Over the last 15 years, major changes have taken place in the electricity sector. A significant increase in the share of renewable energy sources (RES) with variable generation, followed by the decommissioning of conventional power plants based on fossil fuels, has dramatically changed the way of the power system (EPS) operation. During this time, there has been inadequate and untimely investment in the transmission infrastructure. This occurred partly due to the lack of funding, and partly due to the climate change and the rising environmental awareness, as well as the influence of green activists making it difficult to obtain permits to build electrical grid facilities. Additionally, electricity consumption is steadily increasing due to population growth in the undeveloped and developing countries, and due to the rising living standard in the developed countries. Therefore, global electricity consumption is expected to triple by 2050. To meet the new demands, Transmission System Operators (TSOs) are deploying advanced transmission technologies based on a comprehensive application of information and communication solutions. These technologies increase the capacity, efficiency, and reliability of both the existing and new elements of the transmission system. These solutions applied vary from system to system and depend on many influencing factors. The application of these advanced technologies is particularly important for congestion management, as the power system operates closer and closer to stability limits, increasing the risk of collapse. The paper describes the technologies that transform the existing network into smart grids, primarily from the point of view of increasing the capacity of the existing infrastructure through different smart grid investments.U posljednjih 15 godina u elektroenergetskom sektoru dogodile su se velike promjene. Značajno povećanje udjela obnovljivih izvora energije (OIE) s varijabilnom proizvodnjom, praćeno gašenjem konvencionalnih elektrana na fosilna goriva, dramatično je promijenilo način rada elektroenergetskog sustava (EES). Tijekom tog vremena bilo je neodgovarajućih i nepravovremenih ulaganja u prijenosnu infrastrukturu. To se dogodilo dijelom zbog nedostatka financijskih sredstava, a dijelom zbog klimatskih promjena i porasta ekološke svijesti, kao i utjecaja zelenih aktivista koji su otežali dobivanje dozvola za izgradnju energetskih objekata. Osim toga, potrošnja električne energije u stalnom je porastu zbog rasta stanovništva u nerazvijenim zemljama i zemljama u razvoju te zbog povećanja životnog standarda u razvijenim zemljama. Stoga se očekuje da će se globalna potrošnja električne energije utrostručiti do 2050. Kako bi zadovoljili nove zahtjeve, operatori prijenosnih sustava (TSO) uvode napredne tehnologije prijenosa temeljene na sveobuhvatnoj primjeni informacijskih i komunikacijskih rješenja. Ove tehnologije povećavaju kapacitet, učinkovitost i pouzdanost postojećih i novih elemenata prijenosnog sustava. Ova primijenjena rješenja razlikuju se od sustava do sustava i ovise o mnogim utjecajnim čimbenicima. Primjena ovih naprednih tehnologija posebno je važna za upravljanje zagušenjima jer elektroenergetski sustav radi sve bliže i bliže granicama stabilnosti, povećavajući rizik od njegovog sloma. U radu su opisane tehnologije koje transformiraju postojeću mrežu u napredne elektroenergetske mreže, prvenstveno sa stajališta povećanja kapaciteta postojeće infrastrukture kroz različite investicije u napredne tehnologije

Index to NASA Tech Briefs, 1975

This index contains abstracts and four indexes--subject, personal author, originating Center, and Tech Brief number--for 1975 Tech Briefs

Current measurement in power electronic and motor drive applications - a comprehensive study

Current measurement has many applications in power electronics and motor drives. Current measurement is used for control, protection, monitoring, and power management purposes. Parameters such as low cost, accuracy, high current measurement, isolation needs, broad frequency bandwidth, linearity and stability with temperature variations, high immunity to dv/dt, low realization effort, fast response time, and compatibility with integration process are required to ensure high performance of current sensors. Various current sensing techniques based on different physical effects such as Faraday\u27s induction law, Ohm\u27s law, Lorentz force law, magneto-resistance effect, and magnetic saturation are studied in this thesis. Review and examination of these current measurement methods are presented. The most common current sensing method is to insert a sensing resistor in the path of an unknown current. This method incurs significant power loss in a sense resistor at high output currents. Alternatives for accurate and lossless current measurement are presented in this thesis. Various current sensing techniques with self-tuning and self-calibration for accurate and continuous current measurement are also discussed. Isolation and large bandwidth from dc to several kilo-hertz or mega-hertz are the most difficult, but also most crucial characteristics of current measurement. Electromagnetic-based current sensing techniques, which are used to achieve these characteristics, are analyzed. Many applications require average current information for control purposes. Different average current sensing methods of measuring average current are also reviewed. --Abstract, page iii