An increase of a down-hole nuclear magnetic resonance tool’s reliability and accuracy by the cancellation of a multi-module DC/AC converter's output’s higher harmonics

Abstract: Described in this paper is a method for improving higher harmonic cancellation in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) transmitters, which are used in oil and gas well logging tools operating at 175°C. Multi-module multi-level topology which combines the outputs of several identical power modules operating at 50% duty cycle at the fundamental frequency provide the versatility needed for both low harmonic sine voltage synthesis and amplitude control. Cancellation of the output voltage higher harmonics is achieved by creating fixed relative phase shifts between the individual modules of the multi-module converter. The amplitude control employs the Chireix-Doherty outphasing modulation principle with added feed forward correction circuitry. The possibilities of a 20% increase of the tool signal to noise ratio (SNR), as compared to that of a two-module transmitter has also demonstrated significant increase in the tool life expectancy

Porous Aluminium Oxide Coating for the Development of Spectroscopic Ellipsometry Based Biosensor: Evaluation of Human Serum Albumin Adsorption

An electrochemically synthesised porous anodic aluminium oxide (pAAO) layer has been analysed by means of spectroscopic ellipsometry. The determined thickness of the formed pAAO layer obtained from spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements and modelling was 322.75 ± 0.12 nm. The radius of the nanopores estimated from SEM images was 39 ± 5 nm and the distance between nanopores was 107 ± 6 nm. The investigation of human serum albumin (HSA) adsorption on the pAAO coating showed that: (i) the protein concentration inside nanopores, depending on exposure time, approximately was from 200 up to 600 times higher than that determined in buffer solution; (ii) the initial phase of the adsorption process is slow (3.23 mg·cm−3·min−1) in comparison with the protein desorption rate (21.2 mg·cm−3·min−1) by means of pAAO layer washing; (iii) conventional washing with PBS solution and deionised water does not completely remove HSA molecules from pAAO pores and, therefore, the HSA concentration inside nanopores after 16 h of washing still remains almost 100 times higher than that present in PBS solution. Thus, due to such binding ability, HSA can be successfully used for the blocking of the remaining free surface, which is applied for the reduction in non-specific binding after the immobilisation of biorecognition molecules on the pAAO surface. It was determined that some desorption of HSA molecules from the pAAO layer occurred during the sensor’s surface washing step; however, HSA concentration inside the nanopores still remained rather high. These results recommend the continued application of pAAO in the development of biosensors.This work is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 778157 CanBioS

An Increase of a Down-Hole Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Tool’s Reliability and Accuracy by the Cancellation of a Multi-Module DC/AC Converter’s Output’s Higher Harmonics

Described in this paper is a method for improving higher harmonic cancellation in nuclear magnetic resonance transmitters, which are used in oil and gas well logging tools operating at 175 °C. Multi-module multi-level topology which combines the outputs of several identical power modules operating at 50% duty cycle at the fundamental frequency provides the versatility needed for both low harmonic sine voltage synthesis and amplitude control. Cancellation of the output voltage higher harmonics is achieved by creating fixed relative phase shifts between the individual modules of the multi-module converter. The amplitude control employs the Chireix-Doherty outphasing modulation principle with added feed forward correction circuitry. The possibilities of a 20% increase of the tool signal-to-noise ratio, as compared with that of a two-module transmitter has also demonstrated significant increase in the tool life expectancy

The Application of a CMR-B-Scalar Sensor for the Investigation of the Electromagnetic Acceleration of Type II Superconductors

In this paper, we investigated the behavior of a type II superconducting armature when accelerated by a pulsed magnetic field generated by a single-stage pancake coil. While conducting this investigation, we performed a numerical finite element simulation and an experimental study of the magnetic field dynamics at the edge of the pancake coil when the payload was a superconducting disc made from YBa2Cu3O7−x, cooled down to 77 K. The magnetic field measurements were performed using a CMR-B-scalar sensor, which was able to measure the absolute magnitude of the magnetic field and was specifically manufactured in order to increase the sensor’s sensitivity up to 500 mT. It was obtained that type II superconducting armatures can outperform normal metals when the launch conditions are tailored to their electromagnetic properties

Compact Square-Wave Pulse Electroporator with Controlled Electroporation Efficiency and Cell Viability

The design and development of a compact square-wave pulse generator for the electroporation of biological cells is presented. This electroporator can generate square-wave pulses with durations from 3 μs up to 10 ms, voltage amplitudes up to 3500 V, and currents up to 250 A. The quantity of the accumulated energy is optimized by means of a variable capacitor bank. The pulse forming unit design uses a crowbar circuit, which gives better control of the pulse form and its duration, independent of the load impedance. In such cases, the square-wave pulse form ensures better control of electroporation efficiency by choosing parameters determined in advance. The device has an integrated graphic LCD screen and measurement modules for the visualization of the current pulse, allowing for express control of the electroporation quality and does not require an external oscilloscope for current pulse recording. This electroporator was tested on suspensions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells, during which, it was demonstrated that the application of such square-wave pulses ensured better control of the electroporation efficiency and cell viability after treatment using the pulsed electric field (PEF)