Analysis of PCB discontinuities using FD-TD and wavelets

A wavelet-based technique is proposed for the extraction of a two-port equivalent circuit of typical printed circuit board (PCB) discontinuities from full-wave FD-TD results. An equivalent representation in the wavelet domain of the discontinuity is obtained by expanding the computed time domain quantities. Hence the wavelet transformed scattering parameters can be included in a wavelet equivalent of TEM wave propagation paths along the PCB in order to obtain an overall equivalent of the entire structure. The wavelet representation drastically minimizes the CPU time and computer storage requirements while maintaining excellent accuracy, so that it proves to be a very useful modeling tool especially in the design stage

Tower models for power systems transients. A Review

Fast-front transients play an important role in the insulation design of any power system. When a stroke hits the shield wire or the tower of high-voltage overhead power lines, flashover may occur either along the span or across tower insulators, depending on the relevant voltages and insulation strength. As a result, backflashover may take place from the tower structure to the phase conductor whenever a huge impulse current flows along the tower towards considerably high footing impedances. For these reasons, tower modeling for transients studies is an important step in the insulation design, and also for lower voltage applications, where indirect lightning effects may play a predominant role. However, after decades of research on tower modeling, starting from the 1930s with the first model proposed by Jordan, no consensus has been reached neither on a widely accepted tower model nor on the quantitative effect of the tower models on insulation design. Moreover, the fundamental mechanisms at the base of the transient response of towers and the definition of some fundamental parameters have not been totally clarified yet. The aim of this review is to present the available tower models developed through the years in the power community, focussing mainly on lumped/distributed circuit models, and to help the reader to obtain a deeper understanding of them

Ultrasubwavelength ferroelectric leaky wave antenna in a planar substrate-superstrate configuration

The possibility of achieving directive fan-beam radiation with planar Fabry-Pérot cavity antennas constituted by an upper ferroelectric thin film and a lower ground plane having ultrasubwavelength thickness is studied by means of a simple transverse-equivalent-network approach and a cylindrical leakywave analysis, deriving simple design formulas. The performance of the proposed antenna is investigated in terms of power density radiated at broadside and directivity in the principal planes, pointing out the main limitations and tradeoffs associated with the reduced thickness

Modeling of conductors catenary in power lines: effects on the surge propagation due to direct and indirect lightning

In this article, the effects of the variable height in overhead power lines are investigated with reference to the surges produced by direct and indirect lightning events. Simulations are carried out both by an implicit finite-difference time-domain scheme and by the commercial tool EMTP-RV. Differences in the waveforms computed by the two approaches are discussed and clarified. Additionally, the validity of the commonly adopted assumption of weakly varying vertical component of the incident electric field is investigated

Efficient Modeling of Discontinuities and Dispersive Media in Printed Transmission Lines

The finite-difference time-domain method is applied to the analysis of transmission lines on printed circuit boards. The lossy, dispersive behavior of the dielectric substrate is accurately accounted for by means of several algorithms whose accuracy is discussed and compared. Numerical results are validated by comparisons with measurements and an equivalent circuit of slot in the ground plane is proposed

Recent trends in power systems modeling and analysis

In recent years, the explosion of renewable energy sources, the increase in the demand for electrical energy, and several improvements in related technologies have fostered research in many relevant areas of interest

Differential Signalling in PCBs: Modeling and Validation of Dielectric Losses and Effects of Discontinuities

This paper focuses on differential signal transmission above ground planes with gaps, taking into account the dielectric and conductive losses of the substrate. An equivalent lumped-circuit is proposed and its suitability is investigated by comparing the obtained numerical results with the measured data. Furthermore the differential to common mode conversion of the waves, while crossing the gap, is theoretically analyzed and experimentally verified

Analysis of metal oxide varistor arresters for protection of multiconductor transmission lines using unconditionally-stable Crank-Nicolson FDTD

Surge arresters may represent an efficient choice for limiting lightning surge effects, significantly reducing the outage rate of power lines. The present work firstly presents an efficient numerical approach suitable for insulation coordination studies based on an implicit Crank-Nicolson finite difference time domain method; then, the IEEE recommended surge arrester model is reviewed and implemented by means of a local implicit scheme, based on a set of non-linear equations, that are recast in a suitable form for efficient solution. The model is proven to ensure robustness and second-order accuracy. The implementation of the arrester model in the implicit Crank-Nicolson scheme represents the added value brought by the present study. Indeed, its preserved stability for larger time steps allows reducing running time by more than 60% compared to the well-known finite difference time domain method based on the explicit leap-frog scheme. The reduced computation time allows faster repeated solutions, which need to be looked for on assessing the lightning performance (randomly changing, parameters such as peak current, rise time, tail time, location of the vertical leader channel, phase conductor voltages, footing resistance, insulator strength, etc. would need to be changed thousands of times)

Ultrasubwavelength Ferroelectric Leaky Wave Antenna in a Planar Substrate-Superstrate Configuration

The possibility of achieving directive fan-beam radiation with planar Fabry-Pérot cavity antennas constituted by an upper ferroelectric thin film and a lower ground plane having ultrasubwavelength thickness is studied by means of a simple transverseequivalent-network approach and a cylindrical leakywave analysis, deriving simple design formulas. The performance of the proposed antenna is investigated in terms of power density radiated at broadside and directivity in the principal planes, pointing out the main limitations and tradeoffs associated with the reduced thickness

Spin Accumulation at Ferromagnet/Non-magnetic Material Interfaces

Many proposed and realized spintronic devices involve spin injection and accumulation at an interface between a ferromagnet and a non-magnetic material. We examine the electric field, voltage profile, charge distribution, spin fluxes, and spin accumulation at such an interface. We include the effects of both screening and spin scattering. We also include both the spin-dependent chemical potentials {\mu}_{\uparrow,\downarrow} and the effective magnetic field H* that is zero in equilibrium. For a Co/Cu interface, we find that the spin accumulation in the copper is an order of magnitude larger when both chemical potential and effective magnetic field are included. We also show that screening contributes to the spin accumulation in the ferromagnet; this contribution can be significant.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, 2 table