Snapover is particularly relevant to Earth-orbiting spacecraft powered by high-voltage solar arrays. During snapover, the current collected by a positively biased conductor that is immersed in a plasma suddenly increases when two conditions are met: i) there is an immediately adjacent insulator; ii) the conductor exceeds a positive threshold voltage with respect to the plasma. The enhanced current develops as a consequence of the insulator, either through secondary electron (SE) emission or by material ionization. Experiments were performed to examine snapover onset potential and current collection dependence on conductor and insulator materials, conductor size and shape, sample history, biasing rate, and contamination and smoothness of the dielectric surface. Numerous current jumps were observed between applied voltages of 100 V and 1000 V. Both surface roughening and surface coatings were found to inhibit snapover. In general, the results did not support previous simple interpretations of the SE model.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第20551号 / 理博第4309号 / 新制||理||1619(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科化学専攻 / (主査)教授 北川 宏, 教授 竹腰 清乃理, 教授 吉村 一良 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

As global energy consumption moves away from fossil fuel sources to alternative energy, the concern for energy storage is paramount. Through lithium ion batteries (LIBs), secondary battery storage has been secured for both large applications of electric vehicles, solar storage, and smaller items like personal cell phones and laptops. However, LIBs use flammable liquid electrolytes and due to engineering defects or dendritic short-circuits have the potential to swell, catch on fire, or even explode because of the volatile organic solvents within the battery. In the pursuit of new commercial lithium ion battery technologies that are safe, nonflammable, and highly conductive, solid-state electrolytes (SSE) are promising candidates for these critical innovations. To achieve SSEs with electrochemically and functionally desirable properties such as ease of manufacturing, good adherence to electrodes, and high ionic conductivities, continued efforts are devoted to improving electrolyte materials. The two main electrolyte types of interest are polymer electrolytes and ceramic electrolytes. Although polymer electrolytes have desirable physical flexibility to form good contact with electrode surfaces, they continually suffer from low ionic conductivities comparatively. Meanwhile ceramic electrolytes have high ionic conductivities (especially high cationic conductivities) but suffer from both poor electrode contact and brittleness. Single-ion conductive materials (like most ceramic conductors) are necessary to increase lifetime performance of batteries. An avenue to access these necessary attributes in LIB-SSEs is explored through novel boron-containing polymers and polymer-ceramic hybrids with the focus to synthesize a material with a high lithium transference number. By exploiting the Lewis basic nature of borane centers to form negatively charged polymer backbones, novel solid-state electrolytes were synthesized with the goal of creating only cation-conductive polymer networks by incorporating the anionic component within the polymer matrix. The synthesis, chemical and electrochemical characterization of these types of polymers and polymer-ceramic hybrids are analyzed by various techniques including x-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis, nuclear magnetic spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and lithium transference number characterization. / Chemistry

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Due to increasing weight of electrical component and wiring harnesses in a vehicle contrary to the demand of light constructed vehicles as well as the constantly increasing and fluctuating price of copper compared to aluminium’s stable and far lower price, the use of aluminium conductors as an alternative have been promoted.  This thesis work lay theoretical research of the available methods used for electrical connection of aluminium conductors in order to increase the knowledge about the available termination techniques.  Due to aluminium’s characteristics such as lower conductivity and strength, tendency to form oxides and relax over time, differences in thermal expansion coefficient and high potential for galvanic corrosion, there is a risk of deterioration and degradation of the connection if the termination of aluminium conductors is not done correctly without being aware of the challenges when it comes to aluminium connection.  The founded solutions are different welding and soldering techniques such as friction welding, ultrasonic welding, resistance welding, plasma soldering and many other modifications of conventional crimp.  A robust termination system that faces all those challenges and ensure a reliable connection during the entire life length of the vehicle and in order to inhibit corrosion different type of sealing of the contact interface will be required.  In order to evaluate the performance of the founded connection method, testing with evaluation of, tensile strength of conductor to contact attachment, tightness demand, corrosion resistance, vibration and heat evolution at the contact attachment have to be conducted.

<p> The microstrip transmission line has been theoretically analysed using conformal transformation and variational techniques. The variational method has been used to compute the line capacitance, characteristic impedance and guide wavelength of the following microstrip structures: (i) Microstrip transmission lines having negligible and finite strip conductor thickness. (ii) Microstrip transmission lines on two layer dielectric substrates having negligible and finite strip conductor thickness.</p><p> The total losses incurred in microstrip lines on semiconductor substrates have been included. An experimental technique (based on the Deschamps method) for measuring the characteristic impedance of microstrip lines through a lossy junction using a high precision microwave reflection bridge has been described. Measurements of the characteristic impedance of microstrip lines on intrinsic germanium substrates have been carried out at 9.38 GHz, and good agreement between the theoretical and experimental results have been obtained.</p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

<p> This thesis deals with the theory and application of semi-conductor detectors to timing measurements. The theory section discusses the charge collection times in the coaxial detector. The third chapter describes the experimental procedure for the γ-γ coincidence work, and the fourth part reports the results of studies of the timing characteristics of the coaxial detector.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

As climate change continues to worsen, environmental effects are felt by many people around the world. In California, some of its most damaging wildfires have been found to be started by utilities. As the state continues to suffer from worsening wildfire conditions, the utilities need to implement a variety of wildfire mitigations to help reduce the risk of wildfires that can affect the state and its residents. This paper analyzes the effectiveness of four mitigations employed across three California utilities and suggests potential ways for the mitigations to be used together. The technologies evaluated are covered conductor, rapid earth fault current limiter, distribution fault analysis, and early fault detection. Each of these mitigate different failure drivers of utility lines, whether it is due to a contact from a foreign object, an equipment failure, or another driver. Because each mitigation is more effective against different drivers, a suggestion for multiple mitigations to use together is given. This also includes a path for utilities to evaluate mitigation effectiveness in a different way that may more accurately represent how many fires are stopped by the mitigations employed.

No description available.

No description available.