No description available.

Generators in an interconnected power system normally remain in synchronism with one another. However, severe faults that lead to loss of heavily loaded generators or large load blocks can cause oscillations in the generator rotor angles that are large enough to result in a pole slip in which a generator, or a group of generators, loses synchronism with the rest of the power system. When a generator pole slips and falls out-of-step with the power system, the generator and system voltages sweep past one another at a slip frequency, producing a pulsating current, which can be greater than a three-phase fault at the generator terminals. An out-of-step generator should therefore be isolated from the power system to prevent damage to the generator, generator transformer and the turbine. This dissertation analyses the dynamic performance of generator-pole-slip protection during various stable and unstable power swing events. For the purpose of this dissertation, the Siemens 7UM622 machine protection relay is used to test the response of generator-pole-slip protection. This is done in two stages, firstly, within the DigSilent PowerFactory software by modelling the Siemens 7UM622 relay and then applying simulated time domain stable and unstable power swing conditions to the relay model to evaluate its response. Secondly, the actual 7UM622 hardware relay is injected with currents and voltages, which are produced during the time domain pole-slip simulations to determine if the relay hardware device operates in accordance with the Siemens relay technical manual. The power system analysed in the dissertation was heavily interconnected and a generator pole slip was rather unlikely. If an unlikely generator pole slip were to occur when the system is operating in a normal configuration (all power station outgoing feeders in service), the generator-pole-slip protection was able to detect and disconnect the generator after a single pole-slip cycle. v The critical fault clearing time decreases when an outgoing power station feeder is out of service (n-1 contingency) and therefore the probability of a generator pole slip increases. If a generator pole slip occurs when operating the network under a n-1 contingency, the pole-slip system electrical centre is usually located within the transmission network. In practice, the generator-pole-slip protection settings that are implemented at the power station do not reach into the transmission network (zone 2 disabled). Therefore, if a pole slip were to occur under a n-1 contingency, the generator-pole-slip protection would not be able to detect this condition. The zone 2 generator-pole-slip protection should rather reach into the transmission network, but the trip should only be issued after the third or fourth pole-slip cycle to allow the transmission line out-of-step protection sufficient time to separate the network into islands. The pole-slip function of the Siemens 7UM622 relay model within DigSilent PowerFactory operated in accordance with the Siemens relay technical manual and can be used in future to optimise and test generator-pole-slip protection settings. In the majority of cases, the Siemens 7UM622 relay hardware device operated in accordance with the Siemens relay technical manual. The only time that the relay operated incorrectly was when the measured impedance trajectory of a three-phase fault lingers on the inside and outside edge of the pole-slip impedance characteristic before exiting the pole-slip impedance characteristic. The stable and unstable power swing COMTRADE files that were generated for the tests performed in this dissertation can be used in future to test the generator-pole-slip protection at Kendal power station since it is rather difficult to test the pole-slip protection function properly without a COMTRADE file. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 169-182) Also available in print.

Le procédé de frittage ultra rapide « flash sintering » a vu le jour il y a cinq ans. Cette technique permet le frittage de céramiques conductrices en moins de 5 secondes, avec des températures de four beaucoup plus basses que le frittage conventionnel. L’utilisation des capacités du flash sintering en tant que procédé nécessite d’en comprendre les mécanismes, qui sont encore mal connus et très discutés. L’objectif cette thèse est la compréhension du phénomène de flash sintering et de son origine. Les travaux se sont concentrés sur la zircone et les composites alumine-zircone, et sur les phénomènes observés lorsqu’un champ électrique constant est appliqué. Ils s’appuient sur deux types d’expériences : le chauffage à vitesse constante et le frittage en palier de température. Une attention particulière a été portée à la conductivité effective des matériaux. En s’appuyant sur le frittage conventionnel de ces matériaux et des mesures d’évolution de leur conductivité, ce travail a permis de montrer que l’origine du frittage ultrarapide est la puissance dissipée par effet Joule dans le matériau. Cette dissipation couplée à l’activation thermique de la conductivité ionique provoque un emballement couplé de la température et du courant électrique. Cette interprétation est en accord avec l’ensemble des données expérimentales, qui ne nécessitent pas l’existence d’autres effets du courant ou du champ, même s’ils ne peuvent être exclus a priori. / “Flash sintering” is an ultrafast sintering technique which enables the densification of conductive ceramics in less than 5 seconds, using furnace temperatures far below the usual temperatures required by pressureless sintering. The use of flash sintering as an industrial technique however needs understanding the involved mechanisms, which are still widely controversial.This PhD work aims at understanding the flash sintering phenomenon and its origin. The investigations have been focused on zirconia and zirconia-alumina composites, and on the phenomena observed when a constant electric field is applied. They are based on two types of experiments: constant heating rate and isothermal stage sintering. Particular attention was paid to the effective conductivity of the materials. Using the knowledge on conventional sintering of the studied materials and measurements of the evolution of their conductivity with temperature, the present work shows that ultrafast sintering is mainly driven by the Joule power dissipated inside the material. This dissipation, coupled with the thermally activated conductivity, leads to thermal and electrical runaway. This analysis is consistent with the whole set of experimental data obtained in this work, which do not need any specific effects of current and/or electrical field to explain the results, although such effects cannot be excluded.

Este trabalho descreve a construção e caracterização de um novo transdutor dedicado às medições susceptométricas e ultrassônicas de amostras marcadas com partículas magnéticas. Este transdutor, denominado de magnetoacústico, consiste de um sistema híbrido formado pela junção de um Biossusceptômetro de Corrente Alternada (BCA) e um transdutor ultrassônico. Seu principio básico de funcionamento consiste na medida simultânea da magnetização de um meio material marcado com partículas magnéticas e das microvibrações da estrutura interna deste meio quando excitado por um campo magnético alternado externo gerado pelas próprias bobinas de excitação do BCA. Estudos in vitro foram realizados para auxiliar no desenvolvimento e caracterização do protótipo apresentado neste trabalho. A técnica de medida empregando este transdutor híbrido foi denominada de vibromagnetoacustografia. As amostras utilizadas consistiram de meios fluidos marcados com traçadores magnéticos (micropartículas de ferrita de tamanhos variando entre 30 m e 70 m de diâmetro). Foi avaliada a dependência da resposta do sistema com diferentes parâmetros físicos tais como: viscosidade do material base o qual foi misturado as partículas ferromagnéticas; concentração dessas partículas misturadas ao material base; frequência de oscilação do campo magnético de excitação; tensão nas bobinas de excitação e a distância entre a amostra e o transdutores. A resposta do transdutor magnetoacústico apresentou melhor relação sinal/ruído em torno de 200 Hz de frequência de magnetização, considerando uma concentração de 4% de ferrita. Acima desta concentração a viscosidade do material base era alterada e interferia na medida. As respostas do susceptômetro e do ultrassom Doppler contínuo possuem uma relação linear com o nível de tensão aplicada nas bobinas de excitação e uma dependência quase linear com baixas concentrações de partículas ferromagnéticas ( 4%). Também foi realizado um teste de repetibilidade no protótipo obtendo um desvio relativo de 0,94% e 0,25% nas medições Doppler e susceptométricas, respectivamente. A medida de vibração das micropartículas ferromagnéticas realizadas in vitro, usando um transdutor Doppler contínuo, apresentou alta sensibilidade para baixas concentrações de material ferromagnético inseridos em meio fluido (~ 1%). / This work describes the construction and characterization of a new transducer dedicated to the susceptometrics and ultrasonic measurements of samples labeled with magnetic particles. This transducer, called magneto-acoustic, consists of a hybrid system formed by the junction of an Alternating Current Biosusceptometer (ACB) and an ultrasonic transducer. Its basic operation principle is the simultaneous measurement of the magnetization and the internal structure micro-vibrations of a medium labeled with magnetic particles when excited by an external alternating magnetic field generated by the ACB excitation coils. In vitro measurements were performed to support the prototype development and characterization presented in this work. The measurement technique employing this hybrid transducer was called vibromagnetoacoustography. The samples consisted of fluid medium labeled with magnetic tracers (ferrite micro particles of diameter ranging from 30 m and 70 m). It was evaluated the system response dependence with different physical parameters such as: base material viscosity in which ferromagnetic particles was mixed; the particles concentration in the base material; the oscillation frequency of the magnetic field excitation; the voltage applied on magnetizing coils and the distance between sample and transducers. The magneto-acoustic transducer response showed a better signal to noise ratio for magnetization frequency around 200 Hz and a 4% ferrite concentration. Above this concentration the base material viscosity changed disrupting the measurements. The responses of susceptometer and Doppler ultrasound have a linear dependence with the applied voltage level in the magnetizing coils and an quasi linear dependence with low ferromagnetic particles concentrations (4%). A repeatability test was also performed to the prototype which indicated a deviation of 0.94% and 0.25% in the Doppler and susceptometric measurements, respectively. The vibration measurement of ferromagnetic micro-particles performed in vitro, using a Doppler transducer, showed high sensitivity to low ferromagnetic material concentrations (~1%) immersed in a fluid medium.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Fundação de Apoio a Pesquisa e à Inovação Tecnológica do Estado de Sergipe - FAPITEC/SE / Introduction: Electrical stimulation, a non-pharmacological resource, has been widely used for pain relief. The aussie current has presented analgesic potential effect, however, its form of action is still hypothetical. Objective: to evaluate the effect of aussie current on nociception and motor behavior in an animal model of inflammatory joint pain. Methods: 36 male Wistar rats were used and the inflammation was induced in the knee by intra-articular injection of a mixture of 3% carrageenan and 3% kaolin. The animals, randomly distributed, were separated into six groups: four groups were treated with aussie current with high or low intensity combined with high or low frequency, burst duration of 4 ms and burst frequency of 50 Hz for 20 minutes; negative control group was remained anesthetized during this same period and the positive one was treated with morphine (5 mg/kg), each group consisting of 6 animals. Primary, secondary and thermalv hiperalgesy, as well as the exploratory locomotor activity of the animals were evaluated. A single investigator performed all assessments, in addition to being masked, and the therapist did not interfere in the assessments. The results were expressed as mean ± SEM. Differences between the groups were related by the two-way ANOVA with the post hoc Tukey test. Values of p <0.05 were considered significant. Results: There was a significant reduction of the deep mechanical threshold 24 hours after induction of inflammation when compared to baseline in all groups (p <0.002). No significant differences were observed in the post-treatment evaluations with the aussie current at moments 0h, 2h, 4h, 6h immediately after the first application and after repeated applications for five consecutive days, only the morphine treated group presented reduction of hyperalgesia (p <0.02). Conclusion: the aussie current did not show antinoceptive effect in animal model of inflammatory pain. / Introdução: A estimulação elétrica, um recurso não-farmacológico, tem sido bastante utilizada para alívio da dor. A corrente aussie tem apresentado potencial efeito analgésico, porém, sua forma de ação tem sido pouco estudada. Objetivo: Avaliar o possível efeito da corrente aussie na nocicepção e no comportamento motor em modelo animal de dor articular inflamatória. Métodos: Foram utilizados 36 ratos Wistar machos e a inflamação foi induzida no joelho pela injeção intra-articular de uma mistura de 3% de carragenina e 3% de caolina. Os animais, distribuídos aleatoriamente, foram separados em seis grupos: quatro grupos tratados com a corrente aussie com alta ou baixa intensidade combinada com alta ou baixa frequência, duração de burst de 4 ms e a frequência em burst de 50 Hz, durante 20 minutos; grupo controle negativo que permaneceu anestesiado durante esse mesmo período e o positivo tratado com morfina (5 mg/kg) sendo cada grupo composto por 6 animais. Foram avaliadas hiperalgesia primária, secundária e térmica, além da atividade locomotora exploratória dos animais. Um único pesquisador realizou todas as avaliações, além de ter sido mascarado, e o aplicador da terapia não interferiu nas avaliações. Os resultados foram expressos em média +/- EPM. Diferenças entre os grupos foram analisadas pela ANOVA de duas vias com o teste post hoc de Tukey. Valores de p<0,05 foram considerados significativos. Resultados: Houve redução significativa do limiar mecânico profundo 24 horas após indução da inflamação quando comparado ao momento basal em todos os grupos (p<0,002). Não foram observadas diferenças significativas nas avaliações de hiperalgesia primária, secundária e térmica, nem da atividade locomotora exploratória pós-tratamento com a corrente aussie nos momentos 0, 2, 4 e 6 h imediatamente após a primeira aplicação e após aplicações repetidas por cinco dias consecutivos, apenas o grupo tratado com morfina apresentou redução dessas variáveis avaliadas. Conclusão: A corrente aussie não mostrou efeito antinoceptivo em modelo animal de dor inflamatória. / Aracaju

D.Ing. / Alternating current systems employing single-frequency sinusoidal waveforms render optimal service when the currents in that system are also sinusoidal and have a fixed phase relationship to the voltages that drive them. Under unity- power factor conditions, the currents are in phase with the voltages and optimal net-energy transfer takes place under minimum loading conditions, i.e. with the lowest effective values of current and voltage in the system. The above conditions were realised in the earlier years, because supply authorities generated 50 Hz sinusoidal voltages and consumers drew 50 Hz sinusoidal currents with fixed phase relationships to these voltages. Static and rotating electrical equipment like transformers, motors, heating and lighting equipment were equally compatible with this requirement and well-behaved AC networks were more the rule than the exception. The fact that three-phase systems conveyed the bulk of the power from one topographical location to the next did not constrain the utilisation of that concept at all, even though poly-phase transmission systems were necessary to increase the economy of transmission and to furnish non-pulsating power transfer. Also, additional theory had to be developed to handle unbalanced conditions in these multi-phase systems and to take care of complex network analysis and fault conditions. Difficulties begin to manifest themselves when equipment not meeting these requirements is connected to the network and when the currents it draws are not sinusoidal. An increasing number of applications demand DC-voltage supplies from which DC-currents are to be drawn. Because power transmission is carried out by means of AC networks, the DC is furnished by converting or rectifying the AC-supply. Power-electronic circuits, of which the R 2P2 power supplies the AEC employs are no exception, employ line-commutated AC/DC converters in their front-ends, and fall into that category. Although these line-commutated, phase-controlled AC/DC converters are capable of handling giga-watt power levels, line-frequency commutation causes the currents they draw on the AC-side to be distorted, even though still to be periodic. These non-sinusoidal currents, drawn from the source, along the transmission lines and through other distribution system immittances, also give rise to non-sinusoidal voltage drops between the source and the load, which results in distorted voltage waveforms at other nodes and at the load. Harmonic penetration studies are essential to evaluate the performance of transmission systems in the presence of current distortion sources. These sources do not only bring about voltage distortion within the confines of their own borders, but extend their influence outside into those of other consumers as well. Supplyutilities are wary of the distortion introduced into their networks by consumers and initial recommendations have now given way to rigid standards for curbing harmonic pollution by consumers Because conventional steady-state alternating current circuit theory fails in the presence of distortion there are only two ways in which harmonic penetration studies can be carried out. Numerical integration methods are mandatory in the study of transient performance of electrical networks during switching and similar occurrences, but become cumbersome when the networks contain more than just a few nodes and are impossible to use when several tens or hundreds of nodes are encountered. Fortunately, harmonic penetration studies can be confined to steady-state operating conditions in a network in which voltages and currents are distorted but remain periodic and are therefore Fourier transformable. When viewed in the frequency-domain, non-sinusoidal but periodic current and voltage waveforms can be represented by discrete frequency spectra. Frequency-domain analysis offers a number of advantages. From the frequency-domain point of view, distortion can be quantified in terms of complex phasor values of voltages and currents at discrete harmonic frequencies that individually lend themselves to conventional circuit theory, permitting calculations to be carried out in extensive networks. Solutions that apply to these individual harmonic frequencies can then be summated across the spectrum to furnish aggregate or joint parameters of currents, voltages and powers and can also be transformed back into the time-domain for the reconstruction of the relevant time-dependent waveforms. Both the frequency and time-domain waveforms, of voltage and current, constructed in the above manner are concise and convey the same numerical information. When attempting, however, to quantify the circuit behaviour in terms of the classical definitions of active, reactive and apparent power, it is soon discovered that different definitions are possible. The different definitions, unfortunately, lead to divergent results and it is impossible to assess the utility of each different theory on a general basis. Only by applying the different theories in dedicated measurements, can their relative worth be established in terms of specific circumstances. That is the main theme of this dissertation.

No description available.

With an increasing number of regulatory and economic factors making the operation of power systems more challenging, utilities must take full advantage of technological advances which allow more flexibility for operation. One of these advances is the combination of power electronic controllers and compensation devices known as F1exible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) technology. This thesis will examine the ability of FACTS technology to improve dynamic stability when controlled with data obtained from another recent advancement, phasor measurement units (PMUs). Based on an overview of the relative capabilities of presently available FACTS devices, a specific device will be chosen to be modeled in a dynamic stability study. Eigenvalue sensitivity analysis will be used to determine the optimal placement for this FACTS device in regards to stability for a test power system. Then a state space model will be developed for the FACTS compensated test system, and eigenvalue sensitivity and time-domain methods will be used to determine the optimal controller characteristics for the modeled FACTS device. Stability results will be verified using eigenvalue analysis and time simulation techniques. / Master of Science

It was the purpose of this investigation to study the effect of varying the direct to reverse time ratio of periodically reversed direct current from 1.0 to 20.0 on the electrolytic production of lead chromate at an average anode current density of 0.0059 amperes per square centimeter, and to study the effect of 60 and 502.3 ± 7.7 cycles per second from 0.00113 to 0.01546 amperes per square centimeter of peak superimposed alternating current on direct current on the yield of lead chromate prepared by the electrolysis of a bath containing potassium chromate and sodium nitrate between lead electrodes. Electrolysis of a bath containing 3.60 grams of potassium chromate, 11.62 grams of sodium nitrate, end 1000 grams of water with simple direct current yielded 6.07 grams of lead chromate per ampere-hour, the purity being 92.7 percent lead chromate. The anode current density was 0.0049 amperes per square centimeter, and the current efficiency was 98.1 percent. During the electrolysis, by maintaining the ph of the electrolyte at 6.0, by adding a solution to 2.0 weight percent chromic acid, the purity of the product was increased. Electrolysis of the same bath using periodically reversed direct current yielded 4.53 grams of lead chromate per ampere-hour, the purity being 93.9 percent lead chromate. The time ratio was 20.0, the anode current density was 0.0049 amperes per square centimeter, and the current efficiency was 66.75 percent. Decreasing the direct to reverse time ratio gave lower yields and purities. Apparently, there is no advantage in using periodically reversed direct current over the use of direct current for this reaction under the above conditions. Electrolysis of the same bath with alternating current superimposed on direct current yielded 5.49 grams of lead chromate per direct current ampere-hour, at a purity of 99.4 percent lead chromate, when using 494.7 cycle alternating current. The alternating and direct current densities were 0.0078 and 0.0048 amperes per square centimeter, respectively. This was the purest product obtained in this investigation. Use of 60 cycle alternating current yielded 3.83 grams of lead chromate per direct current ampere-hour, at a purity of 93.9 percent lead chromate. The alternating and direct current densities were 0.00141 and 0.00484 amperes per square centimeter. Further experiments were made using direct current and periodically reversed direct current on a bath containing 6.80 grams of potassium chromate, 8.14 grams of sodium nitrate, and 1000 grams of water. Results from these electrolytes were much poorer than those obtained with the previous bath, so no experiments with superimposed alternating current on direct current were carried out with this latter bath. / Master of Science