NIMROD simulations and physics assessment of possible designs for a next generation Steady Inductive Helicity Injection HIT device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penna, James; Morgan, Kyle; Grubb, Isaac; Jarboe, Thomas

2017-10-01

The Helicity Injected Torus - Steady Inductive 3 (HIT-SI3) experiment forms and maintains spheromaks via Steady Inductive Helicity Injection (SIHI) using discrete injectors that inject magnetic helicity via a non-axisymmetric perturbation and drive toroidally symmetric current. Newer designs for larger SIHI-driven spheromaks incorporate a set of injectors connected to a single external manifold to allow more freedom for the toroidal structure of the applied perturbation. Simulations have been carried out using the NIMROD code to assess the effectiveness of various imposed mode structures and injector schema in driving current via Imposed Dynamo Current Drive (IDCD). The results are presented here for varying flux conserver shapes on a device approximately 1.5 times larger than the current HIT-SI3 experiment. The imposed mode structures and spectra of simulated spheromaks are analyzed in order to examine magnetic structure and stability and determine an optimal regime for IDCD sustainment in a large device. The development of scaling laws for manifold operation is also presented, and simulation results are analyzed and assessed as part of the development path for the large scale device.

Multilevel DC Link Inverter for Brushless Permanent Magnet Motors with Very Low Inductance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Su, G.J.

2001-10-29

Due to their long effective air gaps, permanent magnet motors tend to have low inductance. The use of ironless stator structure in present high power PM motors (several tens of kWs) reduces the inductance even further (< 100 {micro}H). This low inductance imposes stringent current regulation demands for the inverter to obtain acceptable current ripple. An analysis of the current ripple for these low inductance brushless PM motors shows that a standard inverter with the most commonly used IGBT switching devices cannot meet the current regulation demands and will produce unacceptable current ripples due to the IGBT's limited switching frequency.more » This paper introduces a new multilevel dc link inverter, which can dramatically reduce the current ripple for brushless PM motor drives. The operating principle and design guidelines are included.« less

Heating and current drive requirements towards steady state operation in ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poli, F. M.; Bonoli, P. T.; Kessel, C. E.; Batchelor, D. B.; Gorelenkova, M.; Harvey, B.; Petrov, Y.

2014-02-01

Steady state scenarios envisaged for ITER aim at optimizing the bootstrap current, while maintaining sufficient confinement and stability to provide the necessary fusion yield. Non-inductive scenarios will need to operate with Internal Transport Barriers (ITBs) in order to reach adequate fusion gain at typical currents of 9 MA. However, the large pressure gradients associated with ITBs in regions of weak or negative magnetic shear can be conducive to ideal MHD instabilities, reducing the no-wall limit. The E × B flow shear from toroidal plasma rotation is expected to be low in ITER, with a major role in the ITB dynamics being played by magnetic geometry. Combinations of H/CD sources that maintain weakly reversed magnetic shear profiles throughout the discharge are the focus of this work. Time-dependent transport simulations indicate that, with a trade-off of the EC equatorial and upper launcher, the formation and sustainment of quasi-steady state ITBs could be demonstrated in ITER with the baseline heating configuration. However, with proper constraints from peeling-ballooning theory on the pedestal width and height, the fusion gain and the maximum non-inductive current are below the ITER target. Upgrades of the heating and current drive system in ITER, like the use of Lower Hybrid current drive, could overcome these limitations, sustaining higher non-inductive current and confinement, more expanded ITBs which are ideal MHD stable.

Design and simulation of control algorithms for stored energy and plasma current in non-inductive scenarios on NSTX-U

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyer, Mark; Andre, Robert; Gates, David; Gerhardt, Stefan; Menard, Jonathan; Poli, Francesca

2015-11-01

One of the major goals of NSTX-U is to demonstrate non-inductive operation. To facilitate this and other program goals, the center stack has been upgraded and a second neutral beam line has been added with three sources aimed more tangentially to provide higher current drive efficiency and the ability to shape the current drive profile. While non-inductive start-up and ramp-up scenarios are being developed, initial non-inductive studies will likely rely on clamping the Ohmic coil current after the plasma current has been established inductively. In this work the ability to maintain control of stored energy and plasma current once the Ohmic coil has been clamped is explored. The six neutral beam sources and the mid-plane outer gap of the plasma are considered as actuators. System identification is done using TRANSP simulations in which the actuators are modulated around a reference shot. The resulting reduced model is used to design an optimal control law with anti-windup and a recently developed framework for closed loop simulations in TRANSP is used to test the control. Limitations due to actuator saturation are assessed and robustness to beam modulation, changes in the plasma density and confinement, and changes in density and temperature profile shapes are studied. Supported by US DOE contract DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Modifications to the edge current profile with auxiliary edge current drive and improved confinement in a reversed-field pinch

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chapman, B. E.; Biewer, T. M.; Chattopadhyay, P. K.

2000-09-01

Auxiliary edge current drive is routinely applied in the Madison Symmetric Torus [R. N. Dexter, D. W. Kerst, T. W. Lovell et al., Fusion Technol. 19, 131 (1991)] with the goal of modifying the parallel current profile to reduce current-driven magnetic fluctuations and the associated particle and energy transport. Provided by an inductive electric field, the current drive successfully reduces fluctuations and transport. First-time measurements of the modified edge current profile reveal that, relative to discharges without auxiliary current drive, the edge current density decreases. This decrease is explicable in terms of newly measured reductions in the dynamo (fluctuation-based) electricmore » field and the electrical conductivity. Induced by the current drive, these two changes to the edge plasma play as much of a role in determining the resultant edge current profile as does the current drive itself. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.« less

Transistorized PWM inverter-induction motor drive system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peak, S. C.; Plunkett, A. B.

1982-01-01

This paper describes the development of a transistorized PWM inverter-induction motor traction drive system. A vehicle performance analysis was performed to establish the vehicle tractive effort-speed requirements. These requirements were then converted into a set of inverter and motor specifications. The inverter was a transistorized three-phase bridge using General Electric power Darlington transistors. The description of the design and development of this inverter is the principal object of this paper. The high-speed induction motor is a design which is optimized for use with an inverter power source. The primary feedback control is a torque angle control with voltage and torque outer loop controls. A current-controlled PWM technique is used to control the motor voltage. The drive has a constant torque output with PWM operation to base motor speed and a constant horsepower output with square wave operation to maximum speed. The drive system was dynamometer tested and the results are presented.

Predictions for the drive capabilities of the RancheroS Flux Compression Generator into various load inductances using the Eulerian AMR Code Roxane

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Watt, Robert Gregory

The Ranchero Magnetic Flux Compression Generator (FCG) has been used to create current pulses in the 10-­100 MA range for driving both “static” low inductance (0.5 nH) loads1 for generator demonstration purposes and high inductance (10-­20 nH) imploding liner loads2 for ultimate use in physics experiments at very high energy density. Simulations of the standard Ranchero generator have recently shown that it had a design issue that could lead to flux trapping in the generator, and a non-­ robust predictability in its use in high energy density experiments. A re-­examination of the design concept for the standard Ranchero generator, promptedmore » by the possible appearance of an aneurism at the output glide plane, has led to a new generation of Ranchero generators designated the RancheroS (for swooped). This generator has removed the problematic output glide plane and replaced it with a region of constantly increasing diameter in the output end of the FCG cavity in which the armature is driven outward under the influence of an additional HE load not present in the original Ranchero. The resultant RancheroS generator, to be tested in LA43S-­L13, probably in early FY17, has a significantly increased initial inductance and may be able to drive a somewhat higher load inductance than the standard Ranchero. This report will use the Eulerian AMR code Roxane to study the ability of the new design to drive static loads, with a goal of providing a database corresponding to the load inductances for which the generator might be used and the anticipated peak currents such loads might produce in physics experiments. Such a database, combined with a simple analytic model of an ideal generator, where d(LI)/dt = 0, and supplemented by earlier estimates of losses in actual use of the standard Ranchero, scaled to estimate the increase in losses due to the longer current carrying perimeter in the RancheroS, can then be used to bound the expectations for the current drive one may apply to any load assembly in future experiments.« less

Advanced simulation model for IPM motor drive with considering phase voltage and stator inductance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Dong-Myung; Park, Hyun-Jong; Lee, Ju

2016-10-01

This paper proposes an advanced simulation model of driving system for Interior Permanent Magnet (IPM) BrushLess Direct Current (BLDC) motors driven by 120-degree conduction method (two-phase conduction method, TPCM) that is widely used for sensorless control of BLDC motors. BLDC motors can be classified as SPM (Surface mounted Permanent Magnet) and IPM motors. Simulation model of driving system with SPM motors is simple due to the constant stator inductance regardless of the rotor position. Simulation models of SPM motor driving system have been proposed in many researches. On the other hand, simulation models for IPM driving system by graphic-based simulation tool such as Matlab/Simulink have not been proposed. Simulation study about driving system of IPMs with TPCM is complex because stator inductances of IPM vary with the rotor position, as permanent magnets are embedded in the rotor. To develop sensorless scheme or improve control performance, development of control algorithm through simulation study is essential, and the simulation model that accurately reflects the characteristic of IPM is required. Therefore, this paper presents the advanced simulation model of IPM driving system, which takes into account the unique characteristic of IPM due to the position-dependent inductances. The validity of the proposed simulation model is validated by comparison to experimental and simulation results using IPM with TPCM control scheme.

Power Balance Modeling and Validation for ST Startup Using Local Helicity Injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barr, J. L.; Bodner, G. M.; Bongard, M. W.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Hinson, E. T.; Perry, J. M.; Reusch, J. A.; Schlossberg, D. J.

2015-11-01

Local Helicity Injection (LHI) uses localized current injectors for routine Ip<0.18 MA non-solenoidal startup on the Pegasus ST. A power-balance model is under development for predictive Ip t using helicity-balance to quantify LHI's effective current drive, Veff. Analytic formulas for low-A plasma inductance and vertical field are used to account for the inductive effects of dynamic shape evolution. These formulas are being validated against magnetic reconstructions of LHI discharges with varied shape evolutions. Initial results match experimental Ip t within 20 kA with assumed shaping and average resistivity (Spitzer, Te = 60 eV). Geometric effects and inductive drive provide 2.0 V along with Veff = 0.3 V to balance 1.1 V of resistive losses and 1.2 V inductive reactance to ramping Ip. The model is especially sensitive to resistivity when Te<150 eV. Initial Thomson Scattering results give core Te = 72 +/-22 eV, and at times suggest higher central electron energies. Spatial and temporal scans are underway to quantify LHI plasma resistivity and transport. MA-class startup in NSTX-U will require increased area (Ainj >= 40 cm2) LHI systems that play a larger role in current drive than geometric effects, with Veff dropping from >10 V to on-par with inductive effects. This regime is accessed in Pegasus at Ip ≅ 300 kA. Work supported by US DOE grants DE-FG02-96ER54375 and DE-SC0006928.

ICRF fast wave current drive and mode conversion current drive in EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, L.; Yang, C.; Gong, X. Y.; Lu, X. Q.; Du, D.; Chen, Y.

2017-10-01

Fast wave in the ion-cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) range is a promising candidate for non-inductive current drive (CD), which is essential for long pulse and high performance operation of tokamaks. A numerical study on the ICRF fast wave current drive (FWCD) and mode-conversion current drive (MCCD) in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) is carried out by means of the coupled full wave and Ehst-Karney parameterization methods. The results show that FWCD efficiency is notable in two frequency regimes, i.e., f ≥ 85 MHz and f = 50-65 MHz, where ion cyclotron absorption is effectively avoided, and the maximum on-axis driven current per unit power can reach 120 kA/MW. The sensitivity of the CD efficiency to the minority ion concentration is confirmed, owing to fast wave mode conversion, and the peak MCCD efficiency is reached for 22% minority-ion concentration. The effects of the wave-launch position and the toroidal wavenumber on the efficiency of current drive are also investigated.

Electron Temperature Evolution During Local Helicity Injection on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlossberg, D. J.; Barr, J. L.; Bodner, G. M.; Bongard, M. W.; Fonck, R. J.; Perry, J. M.; Reusch, J. A.; Rodriguez Sanchez, C.

2016-10-01

Understanding the electron temperature (Te) evolution during local helicity injection (LHI) is critical for scaling up this non-solenoidal startup technique to MA-class devices. The first comprehensive Te measurements during LHI reveal centrally-peaked profiles with Te > 100 eV for plasma current Ip > 120 kA, toroidal field 0.15 T, and electron density ne 1019 m-3. Te rises and is sustained from just after magnetic relaxation through the plasma decoupling from edge-localized injectors. Results are presented for two injector edge locations: outboard midplane and inboard divertor. Outboard midplane injection couples LHI with inductive drive from poloidal field ramps and radial compression during inward plasma growth. Comparisons of Te at different LHI-to-inductive drive ratios show some profile flattening for higher LHI drive fraction. The latter, constant-shape discharges were necessarily lower performance, with Ip 50 kA and reduced Te , max. Inboard divertor injection achieves higher Ip using minimal inductive drive and thus isolates effects of LHI drive on Te. Initial results in this configuration show Te rising rapidly at the injector location as the discharge grows, settling to a roughly flat profile 100 eV. Thus far, both scenarios provide relatively stable discharges with moderate ne and high-Te, suitable for coupling to auxiliary current drive. Detailed studies of confinement dynamics and discharge optimization are planned for the near future. Work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

Performance Analysis of Three-Phase Induction Motor with AC Direct and VFD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Dinesh

2018-03-01

The electrical machine analysis and performance calculation is a very important aspect of efficient drive system design. The development of power electronics devices and power converters provide smooth speed control of Induction Motors by changing the frequency of input supply. These converters, on one hand are providing a more flexible speed control that also leads to problems of harmonics and their associated ailments like pulsating torque, distorted current and voltage waveforms, increasing losses etc. This paper includes the performance analysis of three phase induction motor with three-phase AC direct and variable frequency drives (VFD). The comparison has been concluded with respect to various parameters. MATLAB-SIMULINKTM is used for the analysis.

Analysis of field-oriented controlled induction motor drives under sensor faults and an overview of sensorless schemes.

PubMed

Arun Dominic, D; Chelliah, Thanga Raj

2014-09-01

To obtain high dynamic performance on induction motor drives (IMD), variable voltage and variable frequency operation has to be performed by measuring speed of rotation and stator currents through sensors and fed back them to the controllers. When the sensors are undergone a fault, the stability of control system, may be designed for an industrial process, is disturbed. This paper studies the negative effects on a 12.5 hp induction motor drives when the field oriented control system is subjected to sensor faults. To illustrate the importance of this study mine hoist load diagram is considered as shaft load of the tested machine. The methods to recover the system from sensor faults are discussed. In addition, the various speed sensorless schemes are reviewed comprehensively. Copyright © 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Progress of long pulse operation with high performance plasma in KSTAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bae, Young; Kstar Team

2015-11-01

Recent KSTAR experiments showed the sustained H-mode operation up to the pulse duration of 46 s at the plasma current of 600 kA. The long-pulse H-mode operation has been supported by long-pulse capable neutral beam injection (NBI) system with high NB current drive efficiency attributed by highly tangential injections of three beam sources. In next phase, aiming to demonstrate the long pulse stationary high performance plasma operation, we are attempting the long pulse inductive operation at the higher performance (MA plasma current, high normalized beta, and low q95) for the final goal of demonstration of ITER-like baseline scenario in KSTAR with progressive improvement of the plasma shape control and higher neutral beam injection power. This paper presents the progress of long pulse operation and the analysis of energy confinement time and non-inductive current drive in KSTAR.

3D model of a matrix source of negative ions: RF driving by a large area planar coil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demerdzhiev, A.; Lishev, St.; Tarnev, Kh.; Shivarova, A.

2015-04-01

Based on three-dimensional (3D) modeling, different manners of a planar-coil inductive discharge driving of a plasma source completed as a matrix of small-radius hydrogen discharges are studied regarding a proper choice of an efficient and alike rf power deposition into the separate discharges of the matrix. Driving the whole matrix by a single coil and splitting it to blocks of discharge tubes, with single coil driving of each block, are the two cases considered. The results from the self-consistent model presented for a block of discharge tubes show its reliability in ensuring the same spatial distribution of the plasma parameters in the discharges completing the block. Since regarding the construction of the matrix, its driving as a whole by a single coil is the most reasonable decision, three modifications of the coil design have been tested: two zigzag coils with straight conductors passing, respectively, between and through the bottoms of the discharge tubes and a coil with an "omega" shaped conductor on the bottom of each tube. Among these three configurations, the latter ‒ a coil with an Ω-shaped conductor on the bottom of each tube ‒ shows up with the highest rf efficiency of an inductive discharge driving, shown by results for the rf current induced in the discharges obtained from an electrodynamical description. In all the cases considered the spatial distribution of the induced current density is analysed based on the manner of the penetration into the plasma of the wave field sustaining the inductive discharges.

A 1 MA, variable risetime pulse generator for high energy density plasma research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenly, J. B.; Douglas, J. D.; Hammer, D. A.; Kusse, B. R.; Glidden, S. C.; Sanders, H. D.

2008-07-01

COBRA is a 0.5Ω pulse generator driving loads of order 10nH inductance to >1MA current. The design is based on independently timed, laser-triggered switching of four water pulse-forming lines whose outputs are added in parallel to drive the load current pulse. The detailed design and operation of the switching to give a wide variety of current pulse shapes and rise times from 95to230ns is described. The design and operation of a simple inductive load voltage monitor are described which allows good accounting of load impedance and energy dissipation. A method of eliminating gas bubbles on the underside of nearly horizontal insulator surfaces in water was required for reliable operation of COBRA; a novel and effective solution to this problem is described.

Simulation of Trolleybus Traction Induction Drive With Supercapacitor Energy Storage System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brazis, V.; Latkovskis, L.; Grigans, L.

2010-01-01

The article considers the possibilities of saving the regenerative braking energy in Škoda 24Tr type trolleybuses by installing the onboard supercapacitor energy storage system (ESS) and improving its performance with automated switching to the autonomous traction mode. Proposed is an ESS control system with constant DC bus voltage in the supercapacitor charging mode and supercapacitor current proportional to the AC drive current in the discharging mode. The authors investigate stability of the trolleybus ESS control system operating together with AC traction drive in various overhead voltage failure modes. The co-simulation of ESS operation was done by Matlab/Simulink AC drive and PSIM ESS continuous models.

Induction logging device

DOEpatents

Koelle, A.R.; Landt, J.A.

An instrument is disclosed for mapping vertical conductive fractures in a resistive bedrock, magnetically inducing eddy currents by a pair of vertically oriented, mutually perpendicular, coplanar coils. The eddy currents drive magnetic fields which are picked up by a second, similar pair of coils.

Harmonic reduction of Direct Torque Control of six-phase induction motor.

PubMed

Taheri, A

2016-07-01

In this paper, a new switching method in Direct Torque Control (DTC) of a six-phase induction machine for reduction of current harmonics is introduced. Selecting a suitable vector in each sampling period is an ordinal method in the ST-DTC drive of a six-phase induction machine. The six-phase induction machine has 64 voltage vectors and divided further into four groups. In the proposed DTC method, the suitable voltage vectors are selected from two vector groups. By a suitable selection of two vectors in each sampling period, the harmonic amplitude is decreased more, in and various comparison to that of the ST-DTC drive. The harmonics loss is greater reduced, while the electromechanical energy is decreased with switching loss showing a little increase. Spectrum analysis of the phase current in the standard and new switching table DTC of the six-phase induction machine and determination for the amplitude of each harmonics is proposed in this paper. The proposed method has a less sampling time in comparison to the ordinary method. The Harmonic analyses of the current in the low and high speed shows the performance of the presented method. The simplicity of the proposed method and its implementation without any extra hardware is other advantages of the proposed method. The simulation and experimental results show the preference of the proposed method. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Derivation of dynamo current drive in a closed-current volume and stable current sustainment in the HIT-SI experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossack, A. C.; Sutherland, D. A.; Jarboe, T. R.

2017-02-01

A derivation is given showing that the current inside a closed-current volume can be sustained against resistive dissipation by appropriately phased magnetic perturbations. Imposed-dynamo current drive theory is used to predict the toroidal current evolution in the helicity injected torus with steady inductive helicity injection (HIT-SI) experiment as a function of magnetic fluctuations at the edge. Analysis of magnetic fields from a HIT-SI discharge shows that the injector-imposed fluctuations are sufficient to sustain the measured toroidal current without instabilities whereas the small, plasma-generated magnetic fluctuations are not sufficiently large to sustain the current.

Improving driving advice provided to cardiology patients on discharge.

PubMed

Vusirikala, Amoolya; Backhouse, Mark; Schimansky, Sarah

2018-01-01

Certain cardiac conditions can limit patients' ability to drive. It remains the doctors' responsibility to advise patients of any driving restrictions and is particularly important after certain diagnoses or procedures. We identified that the quality of documented advice was variable and frequently no written driving advice was recorded on discharge. It was apparent that there was a lack of awareness and knowledge of the current Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) guidance among junior doctors. We therefore designed a quality improvement project using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) methodology to improve the provision of driving advice on discharge from a cardiology ward by focusing on staff education. After collecting baseline data, we created a template with cardiology-specific DVLA advice. During the second PDSA cycle, we improved the electronic template and also introduced a hard copy on the ward. During the third PDSA cycle, we incorporated information on DVLA guidance in the specialty induction session. We also evaluated junior doctors' confidence of providing driving advice before and after this intervention. Baseline measurements showed that 10% (9/92) of all discharge summaries included driving advice. This improved to 49% (34/69) after the third PDSA cycle. Importantly, after receiving information on driving advice in the induction, junior doctors felt more confident in providing driving advice to cardiology patients on discharge. In conclusion, the provision of driving advice on discharge is an important element of patient safety. However, clinicians' knowledge and awareness of current DVLA guidance is often limited. We demonstrated a significant increase in the provision of driving advice by introducing a standardised template.

Improving driving advice provided to cardiology patients on discharge

PubMed Central

Vusirikala, Amoolya; Backhouse, Mark; Schimansky, Sarah

2018-01-01

Certain cardiac conditions can limit patients’ ability to drive. It remains the doctors' responsibility to advise patients of any driving restrictions and is particularly important after certain diagnoses or procedures. We identified that the quality of documented advice was variable and frequently no written driving advice was recorded on discharge. It was apparent that there was a lack of awareness and knowledge of the current Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) guidance among junior doctors. We therefore designed a quality improvement project using Plan–Do–Study–Act (PDSA) methodology to improve the provision of driving advice on discharge from a cardiology ward by focusing on staff education. After collecting baseline data, we created a template with cardiology-specific DVLA advice. During the second PDSA cycle, we improved the electronic template and also introduced a hard copy on the ward. During the third PDSA cycle, we incorporated information on DVLA guidance in the specialty induction session. We also evaluated junior doctors’ confidence of providing driving advice before and after this intervention. Baseline measurements showed that 10% (9/92) of all discharge summaries included driving advice. This improved to 49% (34/69) after the third PDSA cycle. Importantly, after receiving information on driving advice in the induction, junior doctors felt more confident in providing driving advice to cardiology patients on discharge. In conclusion, the provision of driving advice on discharge is an important element of patient safety. However, clinicians’ knowledge and awareness of current DVLA guidance is often limited. We demonstrated a significant increase in the provision of driving advice by introducing a standardised template. PMID:29610769

Ebw Assisted Plasma Current Startup in Mast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shevchenko, Vladimir; Saveliev, Alexander

2009-04-01

EBW current drive assisted plasma current start-up has been demonstrated for the first time in a tokamak. It was shown that plasma currents up to 17 kA can be generated non-inductively by 100 kW of RF power injected. With optimized vertical field ramps, plasma currents up to 33 kA have been achieved without the use of solenoid flux. With limited solenoid assist (0.2 V × 20 ms, less than 0.5% of total solenoid flux), plasma currents up to 55 kA have been generated and sustained further non-inductively. Experimentally obtained plasma currents are consistent with Fokker-Planck modelling.

High-beta, steady-state hybrid scenario on DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Petty, C. C.; Kinsey, J. E.; Holcomb, C. T.; ...

2015-12-17

Here, the potential of the hybrid scenario (first developed as an advanced inductive scenario for high fluence) as a regime for high-beta, steady-state plasmas is demonstrated on the DIII-D tokamak. These experiments show that the beneficial characteristics of hybrids, namely safety factor ≥1 with low central magnetic shear, high stability limits and excellent confinement, are maintained when strong central current drive (electron cyclotron and neutral beam) is applied to increase the calculated non-inductive fraction to ≈100% (≈50% bootstrap current). The best discharges achieve normalized beta of 3.4, IPB98(y,2) confinement factor of 1.4, surface loop voltage of 0.01 V, and nearlymore » equal electron and ion temperatures at low collisionality. A zero-dimensional physics model shows that steady-state hybrid operation with Q fus ~ 5 is feasible in FDF and ITER. The advantage of the hybrid scenario as an Advanced Tokamak regime is that the external current drive can be deposited near the plasma axis where the efficiency is high; additionally, good alignment between the current drive and plasma current profiles is not necessary as the poloidal magnetic flux pumping self-organizes the current density profile in hybrids with an m/n=3/2 tearing mode.« less

Current Drive

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Faulconer, D.W

2004-03-15

Certain devices aimed at magnetic confinement of thermonuclear plasma rely on the steady flow of an electric current in the plasma. In view of the dominant place it occupies in both the world magnetic-confinement fusion effort and the author's own activity, the tokamak toroidal configuration is selected as prototype for discussing the question of how such a current can be maintained. Tokamaks require a stationary toroidal plasma current, this being traditionally provided by a pulsed magnetic induction which drives the plasma ring as the secondary of a transformer. Since this mechanism is essentially transient, and steady-state fusion reactor operation hasmore » manifold advantages, significant effort is now devoted to developing alternate steady-state means of generating toroidal current. These methods are classed under the global heading of 'noninductive current drive' or simply 'current drive', generally, though not exclusively, employing the injection of waves and/or toroidally directed particle beams. In what follows we highlight the physical mechanisms underlying surprisingly various approaches to driving current in a tokamak, downplaying a number of practical and technical issues. When a significant data base exists for a given method, its experimental current drive efficiency and future prospects are detailed.« less

Power Balance Modeling of Local Helicity Injection for Non-Solenoidal ST Startup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weberski, J. D.; Barr, J. L.; Bongard, M. W.; Fonck, R. J.; Perry, J. M.; Reusch, J. A.

2017-10-01

A zero-dimensional power balance model for predicting Ip(t) for Local Helicity Injection (LHI) discharges has been used to interpret experimental results from recent experimental campaigns using high-field-side (HFS) helicity injection. This model quantifies LHI's effective drive (Veff) through helicity balance while enforcing the Taylor relaxation current limit and tracking inductive effects to determine Ip(t) . Recent analysis of HFS LHI discharges indicate LHI is the dominant source of drive and provides Veff up to 1.3 V while geometric effects and inductive drive provide < 0.1 V throughout much of the discharge. In contrast to previous analysis of low-field-side (LFS) LHI discharges, which were driven by Veff = 0.3 V and 2.0 V from geometric effects and inductive drive. A significant remaining uncertainty in the model is the resistive dissipation of LHI discharges. This requires greater understanding of LHI confinement scaling and impurity content, which are currently under investigation. However, the model and experimental Ip(t) exhibit good agreement for parameters consistent with previous experimental findings. Extrapolation of plasma parameters and shaping from recent experiments allow for the model to project the performance of LHI systems. These projections indicate Ip 0.3 MA can be accessed on Pegasus via HFS LHI through changes to injector geometry to provide more Veff. This regime can be accessed via a LFS system by increasing the Taylor relaxation current limit early in the discharge. Work supported by US DOE Grants DE-FG02-96ER54375 and DE-SC0006928.

Apparatus and method for monitoring the presence of a conductive media

DOEpatents

DuVall, Bruce W.; Valentine, James W.; Morey, Kenneth O.

1979-01-01

An inductive level sensor has inductively coupled primary and secondary windings. Circuitry drives the primary with an AC signal of constant current magnitude and selected frequency f to induce in the secondary, a voltage signal V of magnitude .vertline.V.vertline., frequency f and phase difference .phi. from the driving signal. Circuitry operates to generate a voltage output signal proportional to .vertline.V.vertline. cos (.phi.-.theta.), where .theta. is a selectively set phase shift factor. By properly and selectively adjusting the frequency f and phase shift factor .theta., an output signal .vertline.V.vertline. cos (.phi.-.theta.) can be provided which self-compensates for changes in mutual inductance caused by operating temperature variations so that an output signal is produced which is substantially linearly proportional to changes in the level of a pool of liquid metal being monitored. Disclosed also is calibration circuitry and circuitry for converting the voltage signal .vertline.V.vertline. cos (.phi.-.theta.) into a current signal.

Increased confinement and beta by inductive poloidal current drive in the RFP

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sarff, J.S.; Lanier, N.E.; Prager, S.C.

1996-10-01

Progress in understanding magnetic-fluctuation-induced transport in the reversed field pinch (RFP) has led to the idea of current profile control to reduce fluctuations and transport. With the addition of inductive poloidal current drive in the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST), the magnetic fluctuation amplitude is halved, leading to a four- to five-fold increase in the energy confinement time to {tau}{sub E}{approximately}5 ms as a result of both decreased plasma resistance and increased stored thermal energy. The record low fluctuation amplitude coincides with a record high electron temperature of {approximately}600 eV (for MST), and beta {beta} = 2{mu}{sub 0} / B(a){sup 2}more » increases from 6% to 8% compared with conventional MST RFP plasmas. Other improvements include increased particle confinement and impurity reduction. 19 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.« less

Dynamics of current sheath in a hollow electrode Z-pinch discharge using slug model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abd Al-Halim, Mohamed A.; Afify, M. S.

2017-03-01

The hollow electrode Z-pinch (HEZP) experiment is a new construction for the electromagnetic propulsion application in which the plasma is formed by the discharge between a plate and ring electrodes through which the plasma is propelled. The experimental results for 8 kV charging voltage shows that the peak discharge current is about 109 kA, which is in good agreement with the value obtained from the simulation in the slug model that simulates the sheath dynamics in the HEZP. The fitting of the discharge current from the slug model indicates that the total system inductance is 238 nH which is relatively a high static inductance accompanied with a deeper pinch depth indicating that the fitted anomalous resistance would be about 95 mΩ. The current and mass factors vary with the changing the gas pressure and the charging voltage. The current factor is between 0.4 and 0.5 on average which is relatively low value. The mass factor decreases by increasing the gas pressure indicating that the sheath is heavy to be driven by the magnetic pressure, which is also indicated from the decreases of the drive factor, hence the radial sheath velocity decreases. The plasma inductance and temperature increase with the increase of the drive factor while the minimum pinch radius decreases.

Low profile, highly configurable, current sharing paralleled wide band gap power device power module

DOEpatents

McPherson, Brice; Killeen, Peter D.; Lostetter, Alex; Shaw, Robert; Passmore, Brandon; Hornberger, Jared; Berry, Tony M

2016-08-23

A power module with multiple equalized parallel power paths supporting multiple parallel bare die power devices constructed with low inductance equalized current paths for even current sharing and clean switching events. Wide low profile power contacts provide low inductance, short current paths, and large conductor cross section area provides for massive current carrying. An internal gate & source kelvin interconnection substrate is provided with individual ballast resistors and simple bolted construction. Gate drive connectors are provided on either left or right size of the module. The module is configurable as half bridge, full bridge, common source, and common drain topologies.

DC switching regulated power supply for driving an inductive load

DOEpatents

Dyer, George R.

1986-01-01

A power supply for driving an inductive load current from a dc power supply hrough a regulator circuit including a bridge arrangement of diodes and switching transistors controlled by a servo controller which regulates switching in response to the load current to maintain a selected load current. First and second opposite legs of the bridge are formed by first and second parallel-connected transistor arrays, respectively, while the third and fourth legs of the bridge are formed by appropriately connected first and second parallel connected diode arrays, respectively. The regulator may be operated in three "stages" or modes: (1) For current runup in the load, both first and second transistor switch arrays are turned "on" and current is supplied to the load through both transistor arrays. (2) When load current reaches the desired level, the first switch is turned "off", and load current "flywheels" through the second switch array and the fourth leg diode array connecting the second switch array in series with the load. Current is maintained by alternating between modes 1 and 2 at a suitable duty cycle and switching rate set by the controller. (3) Rapid current rundown is accomplished by turning both switch arrays "off", allowing load current to be dumped back into the source through the third and fourth diode arrays connecting the source in series opposition with the load to recover energy from the inductive load. The three operating states are controlled automatically by the controller.

Simulation of three-phase induction motor drives using indirect field oriented control in PSIM environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aziri, Hasif; Patakor, Fizatul Aini; Sulaiman, Marizan; Salleh, Zulhisyam

2017-09-01

This paper presents the simulation of three-phase induction motor drives using Indirect Field Oriented Control (IFOC) in PSIM environment. The asynchronous machine is well known about natural limitations fact of highly nonlinearity and complexity of motor model. In order to resolve these problems, the IFOC is applied to control the instantaneous electrical quantities such as torque and flux component. As FOC is controlling the stator current that represented by a vector, the torque component is aligned with d coordinate while the flux component is aligned with q coordinate. There are five levels of the incremental system are gradually built up to verify and testing the software module in the system. Indeed, all of system build levels are verified and successfully tested in PSIM environment. Moreover, the corresponding system of five build levels are simulated in PSIM environment which is user-friendly for simulation studies in order to explore the performance of speed responses based on IFOC algorithm for three-phase induction motor drives.

Using AORSA to simulate helicon waves in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lau, C.; Jaeger, E. F.; Bertelli, N.; Berry, L. A.; Blazevski, D.; Green, D. L.; Murakami, M.; Park, J. M.; Pinsker, R. I.; Prater, R.

2015-12-01

Recent efforts have shown that helicon waves (fast waves at > 20ωci) may be an attractive option for driving efficient off-axis current drive during non-inductive tokamak operation for DIII-D, ITER and DEMO. For DIII-D scenarios, the ray tracing code, GENRAY, has been extensively used to study helicon current drive efficiency and location as a function of many plasma parameters. The full wave code, AORSA, which is applicable to arbitrary Larmor radius and can resolve arbitrary ion cyclotron harmonic order, has been recently used to validate the ray tracing technique at these high cyclotron harmonics. If the SOL is ignored, it will be shown that the GENRAY and AORSA calculated current drive profiles are comparable for the envisioned high beta advanced scenarios for DIII-D, where there is high single pass absorption due to electron Landau damping and minimal ion damping. AORSA is also been used to estimate possible SOL effects on helicon current drive coupling and SOL absorption due to collisional and slow wave effects.

Induction logging device with a pair of mutually perpendicular bucking coils

DOEpatents

Koelle, Alfred R.; Landt, Jeremy A.

1981-01-01

An instrument is disclosed for mapping vertical conductive fractures in a resistive bedrock, magnetically inducing eddy currents by a pair of vertically oriented, mutually perpendicular, coplanar coils. The eddy currents drive magnetic fields which are picked up by a second, similar pair of coils.

Extended Constant Power Speed Range of the Brushless DC Motor Through Dual Mode Inverter Control

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lawler, J.S.

2000-06-23

The trapezoidal back electromotive force (emf) brushless direct current (dc) motor (BDCM) with surface-mounted magnets has high-power density and efficiency especially when rare-earth magnet materials are used. Traction applications, such as electric vehicles, could benefit significantly from the use of such motors. Unfortunately, a practical means for driving the motor over a constant power speed ratio (CPSR) of 5:1 or more has not yet been developed. A key feature of these motors is that they have low internal inductance. The phase advance method is effective in controlling the motor power over such a speed range, but the current at highmore » speed may be several times greater than that required at the base speed. The increase in current during high-speed operation is due to the low motor inductance and the action of the bypass diodes of the inverter. The use of such a control would require increased current rating of the inverter semiconductors and additional cooling for the inverter, where the conduction losses increase proportionally with current, and especially for the motor, where the losses increase with the square of the current. The high current problems of phase advance can be mitigated by adding series inductance; however, this reduces power density, requires significant increase in supply voltage, and leaves the CPSR performance of the system highly sensitive to variations in the available voltage. A new inverter topology and control scheme has been developed that can drive low-inductance BDCMs over the CPSR that would be required in electric vehicle applications. This new controller is called the dual-mode inverter control (DMIC). It is shown that the BDCM has an infinite CPSR when it is driven by the DMIC.« less

Heating and current drive requirements towards steady state operation in ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poli, Francesca; Kessel, Charles; Bonoli, Paul; Batchelor, Donald; Harvey, Bob

2013-10-01

Steady state scenarios envisaged for ITER aim at optimizing the bootstrap current, while maintaining sufficient confinement and stability. Non-inductive scenarios will need to operate with Internal Transport Barriers (ITBs) to reach adequate fusion gain at typical currents of 9 MA. Scenarios are established as relaxed flattop states with time-dependent transport simulations with TSC. The E × B flow shear from toroidal plasma rotation is expected to be low in ITER, with a major role in the ITB dynamics being played by magnetic geometry. Combinations of external sources that maintain weakly reversed shear profiles and ρ (qmin >= 0 . 5 are the focus of this work. Simulations indicate that, with a trade-off of the EC equatorial and upper launcher, the formation and sustainment of ITBs could be demonstrated with the baseline configuration. However, with proper constraints from peeling-ballooning theory on the pedestal width and height, the fusion gain and the maximum non-inductive current (6.2MA) are below the target. Upgrades of the heating and current drive system, like the use of Lower Hybrid current drive, could overcome these limitations. With 30MW of coupled LH in the flattop and operating at the Greenwald density, plasmas can sustain ~ 9 MA and achieve Q ~ 4 . Work supported by the US Department of Energy under DE-AC02-CH0911466.

DC switching regulated power supply for driving an inductive load

DOEpatents

Dyer, G.R.

1983-11-29

A dc switching regulated power supply for driving an inductive load is provided. The regulator basic circuit is a bridge arrangement of diodes and transistors. First and second opposite legs of the bridge are formed by first and second parallel-connected transistor arrays, respectively, while the third and fourth legs of the bridge are formed by appropriately connected first and second parallel connected diode arrays, respectively. A dc power supply is connected to the input of the bridge and the output is connected to the load. A servo controller is provided to control the switching rate of the transistors to maintain a desired current to the load. The regulator may be operated in three stages or modes: (1) for current runup in the load, both first and second transistor switch arrays are turned on and current is supplied to the load through both transistor arrays. (2) When load current reaches the desired level, the first switch is turned off, and load current flywheels through the second switch array and the fourth leg diode array connecting the second switch array in series with the load. Current is maintained by alternating between modes 1 and 2 at a suitable duty cycle and switching rate set by the controller. (3) Rapid current rundown is accomplished by turning both switch arrays off, allowing load current to be dumped back into the source through the third and fourth diode arrays connecting the source in series opposition with the load to recover energy from the inductive load.

Fuzzy efficiency optimization of AC induction motors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jani, Yashvant; Sousa, Gilberto; Turner, Wayne; Spiegel, Ron; Chappell, Jeff

1993-01-01

This paper describes the early states of work to implement a fuzzy logic controller to optimize the efficiency of AC induction motor/adjustable speed drive (ASD) systems running at less than optimal speed and torque conditions. In this paper, the process by which the membership functions of the controller were tuned is discussed and a controller which operates on frequency as well as voltage is proposed. The membership functions for this dual-variable controller are sketched. Additional topics include an approach for fuzzy logic to motor current control which can be used with vector-controlled drives. Incorporation of a fuzzy controller as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) microchip is planned.

59. VIEW OF FUSES AND A CURRENT TRANSFORMER LOCATED IN ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

59. VIEW OF FUSES AND A CURRENT TRANSFORMER LOCATED IN THE SIGNAL POWER CONDITIONING ROOM. THE CURRENT TRANSFORMER (UPPER RIGHT) IS AN INDUCTION COUPLED SENSOR WHICH IS USED TO REDUCE HIGH CURRENT TO ANALOGOUS LOW VALUES SAFE TO USE IN CONTROL ROOM CIRCUITRY. - New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Cos Cob Power Plant, Sound Shore Drive, Greenwich, Fairfield County, CT

The Helicity Injected Torus (HIT) Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarboe, T. R.; Gu, P.; Hamp, W.; Izzo, V.; Jewell, P.; Liptac, J.; McCollam, K. J.; Nelson, B. A.; Raman, R.; Redd, A. J.; Shumlak, U.; Sieck, P. E.; Smith, R. J.; Jain, K. K.; Nagata, M.; Uyama, T.

2000-10-01

The purpose of the Helicity Injected Torus (HIT) program is to develop current drive techniques for low-aspect-ratio toroidal plasmas. The present HIT-II spherical tokamak experiment is capable of both Coaxial Helicity Injection (CHI) and transformer action current drive. The HIT-II device itself is modestly sized (major radius R = 0.3 m, minor radius a = 0.2 m, with an on-axis magnetic field of up to Bo = 0.5 T), but has demonstrated toroidal plasma currents of up to 200 kA, using either CHI or transformer drive. An overview of ongoing research on HIT-II plasmas, including recent results, will be presented. An electron-locking model has been developed for helicity injection current drive; a description of this model will be presented, as well as comparisons to experimental results from the HIT and HIT-II devices. Empirical results from both the HIT program and past spheromak research, buttressed by theoretical developments, have led to the design of the upcoming HIT-SI (Helicity Injected Torus with Steady Inductive helicity injection) device (T.R. Jarboe, Fusion Technology 36, p. 85, 1999). HIT-SI will be able to form a high-beta spheromak, a low aspect ratio RFP or a spherical tokamak using constant inductive helicity injection. The HIT-SI design and construction progress will be presented.

Induction linear accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birx, Daniel

1992-03-01

Among the family of particle accelerators, the Induction Linear Accelerator is the best suited for the acceleration of high current electron beams. Because the electromagnetic radiation used to accelerate the electron beam is not stored in the cavities but is supplied by transmission lines during the beam pulse it is possible to utilize very low Q (typically<10) structures and very large beam pipes. This combination increases the beam breakup limited maximum currents to of order kiloamperes. The micropulse lengths of these machines are measured in 10's of nanoseconds and duty factors as high as 10-4 have been achieved. Until recently the major problem with these machines has been associated with the pulse power drive. Beam currents of kiloamperes and accelerating potentials of megavolts require peak power drives of gigawatts since no energy is stored in the structure. The marriage of liner accelerator technology and nonlinear magnetic compressors has produced some unique capabilities. It now appears possible to produce electron beams with average currents measured in amperes, peak currents in kiloamperes and gradients exceeding 1 MeV/meter, with power efficiencies approaching 50%. The nonlinear magnetic compression technology has replaced the spark gap drivers used on earlier accelerators with state-of-the-art all-solid-state SCR commutated compression chains. The reliability of these machines is now approaching 1010 shot MTBF. In the following paper we will briefly review the historical development of induction linear accelerators and then discuss the design considerations.

Fuel magnetization without external field coils (AutoMag)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slutz, Stephen; Jennings, Christopher; Awe, Thomas; Shipley, Gabe; Lamppa, Derek; McBride, Ryan

2016-10-01

Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) has produced fusion-relevant plasma conditions on the Z accelerator where the fuel was magnetized using external field coils. We present a novel concept that does not need external field coils. This concept (AutoMag) magnetizes the fuel during the early part of the drive current by using a composite liner with helical conduction paths separated by insulating material. The drive is designed so the current rises slowly enough to avoid electrical breakdown of the insulators until a sufficiently strong magnetic field is established. Then the current rises more quickly, which causes the insulators to break down allowing the drive current to follow an axial path and implode the liner. Low inductance magnetically insulated power feeds can be used with AutoMag to increase the drive current without interfering with diagnostic access. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Predictive Power-balance Modeling of PEGASUS and NSTX-U Local Helicity Injection Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barr, J. L.; Bongard, M. W.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Hinson, E. T.; Perry, J. M.; Redd, A. J.; Schlossberg, D. J.

2013-10-01

Local helicity injection (LHI) with outer poloidal-field (PF) induction for solenoid-free startup is being studied on PEGASUS, reaching Ip <= 0 . 175 MA with 6 kA of injected current. A lumped-parameter circuit model for predicting the performance of LHI initiated plasmas is under development. The model employs energy and helicity balance, and includes applied PF ramping and the inductive effects of shape evolution. Low- A formulations for both the plasma external inductance and a uniform equilibrium-field are used to estimate inductive voltages. PEGASUS LHI plasmas are created near the outboard injectors with aspect ratio (A) ~ 5-6.5 and grow inward to fill the confinement region at A <= 1 . 3 . Initial results match experimental Ip (t) trajectories within 15 kA with a prescribed geometry evolution. Helicity injection is the largest driving term in the initial phase, but in the later phase is reduced to 20-45% of the total drive as PF induction and decreasing plasma inductance become dominant. In contrast, attaining ~1 MA non-solenoidal startup via LHI on NSTX-U will require operation in the regime where helicity injection drive exceeds inductive and geometric changes at full size. A large-area multi-injector array will increase available helicity injection by 3-4 times and allow exploration of this helicity-dominated regime at Ip ~ 0 . 3 MA in PEGASUS. Comparison of model predictions with time-evolving magnetic equilibria is in progress for model validation. Work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

A power-balance model for local helicity injection startup in a spherical tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barr, Jayson L.; Bongard, Michael W.; Burke, Marcus G.

A 0D circuit model for predicting I p( t) in Local Helicity Injection (LHI) discharges is developed. Analytic formulas for estimating the surface flux of finite-A plasmas developed are modified and expanded to treat highly shaped, ultralow-A tokamak geometry using a database of representative equilibria. Model predictions are compared to sample LHI discharges in the A ~ 1 Pegasus spherical tokamak, and are found to agree within 15% of experimental I p( t). High performance LHI discharges are found to follow the Taylor relaxation current limit for approximately the first half of the current ramp, or I p ≲ 75more » kA. The second half of the current ramp follows a limit imposed by power-balance as plasmas expand from high- A to ultralow- A. Here, this shape evolution generates a significant drop in external plasma inductance, effectively using the plasma’s initially high inductance to drive the current ramp and provide > 70% of the current drive V-s. Projections using this model indicate the relative influences of higher helicity input rate and injector current on the attainable total plasma current.« less

A power-balance model for local helicity injection startup in a spherical tokamak

DOE PAGES

Barr, Jayson L.; Bongard, Michael W.; Burke, Marcus G.; ...

2018-05-15

A 0D circuit model for predicting I p( t) in Local Helicity Injection (LHI) discharges is developed. Analytic formulas for estimating the surface flux of finite-A plasmas developed are modified and expanded to treat highly shaped, ultralow-A tokamak geometry using a database of representative equilibria. Model predictions are compared to sample LHI discharges in the A ~ 1 Pegasus spherical tokamak, and are found to agree within 15% of experimental I p( t). High performance LHI discharges are found to follow the Taylor relaxation current limit for approximately the first half of the current ramp, or I p ≲ 75more » kA. The second half of the current ramp follows a limit imposed by power-balance as plasmas expand from high- A to ultralow- A. Here, this shape evolution generates a significant drop in external plasma inductance, effectively using the plasma’s initially high inductance to drive the current ramp and provide > 70% of the current drive V-s. Projections using this model indicate the relative influences of higher helicity input rate and injector current on the attainable total plasma current.« less

Improved transistorized AC motor controller for battery powered urban electric passenger vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peak, S. C.

1982-01-01

An ac motor controller for an induction motor electric vehicle drive system was designed, fabricated, tested, evaluated, and cost analyzed. A vehicle performance analysis was done to establish the vehicle tractive effort-speed requirements. These requirements were then converted into a set of ac motor and ac controller requirements. The power inverter is a three-phase bridge using power Darlington transistors. The induction motor was optimized for use with an inverter power source. The drive system has a constant torque output to base motor speed and a constant horsepower output to maximum speed. A gear shifting transmission is not required. The ac controller was scaled from the base 20 hp (41 hp peak) at 108 volts dec to an expanded horsepower and battery voltage range. Motor reversal was accomplished by electronic reversal of the inverter phase sequence. The ac controller can also be used as a boost chopper battery charger. The drive system was tested on a dynamometer and results are presented. The current-controlled pulse width modulation control scheme yielded improved motor current waveforms. The ac controller favors a higher system voltage.

Non-inductive current driven by Alfvén waves in solar coronal loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elfimov, A. G.; de Azevedo, C. A.; de Assis, A. S.

1996-08-01

It has been shown that Alfvén waves can drive non-inductive current in solar coronal loops via collisional or collisionless damping. Assuming that all the coronal-loop density of dissipated wave power (W= 10-3 erg cm-3 s-1), which is necessary to keep the plasma hot, is due to Alfvén wave electron heating, we have estimated the axial current density driven by Alfvén waves to be ≈ 103 105 statA cm-2. This current can indeed support the quasi-stationary equilibrium and stability of coronal loops and create the poloidal magnetic field up to B θ≈1-5 G.

Characterization and snubbing of a bidirectional MCT in a resonant ac link converter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Tony; Elbuluk, Malik E.; Zinger, Donald S.

1993-01-01

The MOS-Controlled Thyristor (MCT) is emerging as a powerful switch that combines the better characteristics of existing power devices. A study of switching stresses on an MCT switch under zero voltage resonant switching is presented. The MCT is used as a bidirectional switch in an ac/ac pulse density modulated inverter for induction motor drive. Current and voltage spikes are observed and analyzed with variations in the timing of the switching. Different snubber circuit configurations are under investigation to minimize the effect of these transients. The results will be extended to study and test the MCT switching in a medium power (5 hp) induction motor drive.

Using AORSA to simulate helicon waves in DIII-D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lau, C., E-mail: lauch@ornl.gov; Blazevski, D.; Green, D. L.

2015-12-10

Recent efforts have shown that helicon waves (fast waves at > 20ω{sub ci}) may be an attractive option for driving efficient off-axis current drive during non-inductive tokamak operation for DIII-D, ITER and DEMO. For DIII-D scenarios, the ray tracing code, GENRAY, has been extensively used to study helicon current drive efficiency and location as a function of many plasma parameters. The full wave code, AORSA, which is applicable to arbitrary Larmor radius and can resolve arbitrary ion cyclotron harmonic order, has been recently used to validate the ray tracing technique at these high cyclotron harmonics. If the SOL is ignored,more » it will be shown that the GENRAY and AORSA calculated current drive profiles are comparable for the envisioned high beta advanced scenarios for DIII-D, where there is high single pass absorption due to electron Landau damping and minimal ion damping. AORSA is also been used to estimate possible SOL effects on helicon current drive coupling and SOL absorption due to collisional and slow wave effects.« less

Using AORSA to simulate helicon waves in DIII-D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lau, Cornwall H; Jaeger, E. F.; Bertelli, Nicola

2015-01-01

Recent efforts have shown that helicon waves (fast waves at >20 omega(ci)) may be an attractive option for driving efficient off-axis current drive during non-inductive tokamak operation for DIII-D, ITER and DEMO. For DIII-D scenarios, the ray tracing code, GENRAY, has been extensively used to study helicon current drive efficiency and location as a function of many plasma parameters. The full wave code, AORSA, which is applicable to arbitrary Larmor radius and can resolve arbitrary ion cyclotron harmonic order, has been recently used to validate the ray tracing technique at these high cyclotron harmonics. If the SOL is ignored, itmore » will be shown that the GENRAY and AORSA calculated current drive profiles are comparable for the envisioned high beta advanced scenarios for DIII-D, where there is high single pass absorption due to electron Landau damping and minimal ion damping. AORSA is also been used to estimate possible SOL effects on helicon current drive coupling and SOL absorption due to collisional and slow wave effects.« less

Determination of eddy current response with magnetic measurements.

PubMed

Jiang, Y Z; Tan, Y; Gao, Z; Nakamura, K; Liu, W B; Wang, S Z; Zhong, H; Wang, B B

2017-09-01

Accurate mutual inductances between magnetic diagnostics and poloidal field coils are an essential requirement for determining the poloidal flux for plasma equilibrium reconstruction. The mutual inductance calibration of the flux loops and magnetic probes requires time-varying coil currents, which also simultaneously drive eddy currents in electrically conducting structures. The eddy current-induced field appearing in the magnetic measurements can substantially increase the calibration error in the model if the eddy currents are neglected. In this paper, an expression of the magnetic diagnostic response to the coil currents is used to calibrate the mutual inductances, estimate the conductor time constant, and predict the eddy currents response. It is found that the eddy current effects in magnetic signals can be well-explained by the eddy current response determination. A set of experiments using a specially shaped saddle coil diagnostic are conducted to measure the SUNIST-like eddy current response and to examine the accuracy of this method. In shots that include plasmas, this approach can more accurately determine the plasma-related response in the magnetic signals by eliminating the field due to the eddy currents produced by the external field.

A Novelty Design Of Minimization Of Electrical Losses In A Vector Controlled Induction Machine Drive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aryza, Solly; Irwanto, M.; Lubis, Zulkarnain; Putera Utama Siahaan, Andysah; Rahim, Robbi; Furqan, Mhd.

2018-01-01

The induction motor has in the industry . More attention has been a focus to develop and design of induction motor drive. With the method of vector control novelty prove the efficiency of induction motor over their entire speed range. In this paper desirable to design a loss minimization controller which can improve the efficiency. Also, this research described Modeling of an induction motor with core loss included. Realization of methods vector control for an induction motor drive with loss element included. The case of the loss minimization condition. The procedure was successful to calculate the gains of a PI controller. Though the problem of obtaining a robust and sensorless induction motor drive is by no means completely solved, the results obtained as part of this work point in a promising direction.

Ion Heating During Local Helicity Injection Plasma Startup in the Pegasus ST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burke, M. G.; Barr, J. L.; Bongard, M. W.; Fonck, R. J.; Hinson, E. T.; Perry, J. M.; Reusch, J. A.

2015-11-01

Plasmas in the Pegasus ST are initiated either through standard, MHD stable, inductive current drive or non-solenoidal local helicity injection (LHI) current drive with strong reconnection activity, providing a rich environment to study ion dynamics. During LHI discharges, a large amount of impurity ion heating has been observed, with the passively measured impurity Ti as high as 800 eV compared to Ti ~ 60 eV and Te ~ 175 eV during standard inductive current drive discharges. In addition, non-thermal ion velocity distributions are observed and appear to be strongest near the helicity injectors. The ion heating is hypothesized to be a result of large-scale magnetic reconnection activity, as the amount of heating scales with increasing fluctuation amplitude of the dominant, edge localized, n =1 MHD mode. An approximate temporal scaling of the heating with the amplitude of higher frequency magnetic fluctuations has also been observed, with large amounts of power spectral density present at several impurity ion cyclotron frequencies. Recent experiments have focused on investigating the impurity ion heating scaling with the ion charge to mass ratio as well as the reconnecting field strength. The ion charge to mass ratio was modified by observing different impurity charge states in similar LHI plasmas while the reconnecting field strength was modified by changing the amount of injected edge current. Work supported by US DOE grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

Advanced tokamak investigations in full-tungsten ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bock, A.; Doerk, H.; Fischer, R.; Rittich, D.; Stober, J.; Burckhart, A.; Fable, E.; Geiger, B.; Mlynek, A.; Reich, M.; Zohm, H.; ASDEX Upgrade Team

2018-05-01

The appropriate tailoring of the q-profile is the key to accessing Advanced Tokamak (AT) scenarios, which are of great benefit to future all-metal fusion power plants. Such scenarios depend on low collisionality ν* which permits efficient external current drive and high amounts of intrinsic bootstrap current. At constant pressure, lowering of the electron density ne leads to a strong decrease in the collisionality with increasing electron temperature ν* ˜ Te-3 . Simultaneously, the conditions for low ne also benefit impurity accumulation. This paper reports on how radiative collapses due to central W accumulation were overcome by improved understanding of the changes to recycling and pumping, substantially expanded ECRH capacities for both heating and current drive, and a new solid W divertor capable of withstanding the power loads at low ne. Furthermore, it reports on various improvements to the reliability of the q-profile reconstruction. A candidate steady state scenario for ITER/DEMO (q95 = 5.3, βN = 2.7, fbs > 40%) is presented. The ion temperature profiles are steeper than predicted by TGLF, but nonlinear electromagnetic gyro-kinetic analyses with GENE including fast particle effects matched the experimental heat fluxes. A fully non-inductive scenario at higher q95 = 7.1 for current drive model validation is also discussed. The results show that non-inductive operation is principally compatible with full-metal machines.

The Helicity Injected Torus Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarboe, T. R.; Nelson, B. A.; Jewell, P. D.; Liptac, J. E.; McCollam, K. J.; Raman, R.; Redd, A. J.; Rogers, J. A.; Sieck, P. E.; Shumlak, U.; Smith, R. J.; Nagata, M.; Uyama, T.

1999-11-01

The Helicity Injected Torus--II (HIT--II) spherical torus is capable of both Coaxial Helicity Injection (CHI) and transformer action current drive. HIT--II has a major radius R = 0.3, minor radius a = 0.2, aspect ratio A = R/a = 1.5, with an on axis magnetic field of up to Bo = 0.67 T. HIT--II provides equilibrium control, CHI flux boundary conditions, and transformer action using 28 poloidal field coils, using active flux feedback control. HIT--II has driven up to 200 kA of plasma current, using either CHI or transformer drive. An overview and recent results of the HIT--II program will be presented. The development of a locked-electron current drive model for HIT and HIT--II has led to the design of a constant inductive helicity injection method for spherical torii. This method is incorporated in the design of the Helicity Injected Torus -- Steady Inductive (HIT-- SI)(T.R. Jarboe, Fusion Technology, 36) (1), p. 85, 1999 experiment. HIT--SI can form a high-beta spheromak, a low aspect ratio RFP, or a spherical tokamak in a steady-state manner without using electrodes. The HIT--SI design and methodology will be presented.

Two-Dimensional Analysis of Conical Pulsed Inductive Plasma Thruster Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hallock, A. K.; Polzin, K. A.; Emsellem, G. D.

2011-01-01

A model of the maximum achievable exhaust velocity of a conical theta pinch pulsed inductive thruster is presented. A semi-empirical formula relating coil inductance to both axial and radial current sheet location is developed and incorporated into a circuit model coupled to a momentum equation to evaluate the effect of coil geometry on the axial directed kinetic energy of the exhaust. Inductance measurements as a function of the axial and radial displacement of simulated current sheets from four coils of different geometries are t to a two-dimensional expression to allow the calculation of the Lorentz force at any relevant averaged current sheet location. This relation for two-dimensional inductance, along with an estimate of the maximum possible change in gas-dynamic pressure as the current sheet accelerates into downstream propellant, enables the expansion of a one-dimensional circuit model to two dimensions. The results of this two-dimensional model indicate that radial current sheet motion acts to rapidly decouple the current sheet from the driving coil, leading to losses in axial kinetic energy 10-50 times larger than estimations of the maximum available energy in the compressed propellant. The decreased available energy in the compressed propellant as compared to that of other inductive plasma propulsion concepts suggests that a recovery in the directed axial kinetic energy of the exhaust is unlikely, and that radial compression of the current sheet leads to a loss in exhaust velocity for the operating conditions considered here.

Fully non-inductive plasma start-up with lower-hybrid waves using the outboard-launch and top-launch antennas on the TST-2 spherical tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsujii, Naoto; Takase, Yuichi; Ejiri, Akira; Shinya, Takahiro; Yajima, Satoru; Yamazaki, Hibiki; Togashi, Hiro; Moeller, Charles P.; Roidl, Benedikt; Takahashi, Wataru; Toida, Kazuya; Yoshida, Yusuke

2017-10-01

Removal of the central solenoid is essential to realize an economical spherical tokamak fusion reactor, but non-inductive plasma start-up is a challenge. On the TST-2 spherical tokamak, non-inductive plasma start-up using lower-hybrid (LH) waves has been investigated. Using the capacitively-coupled combline (CCC) antenna installed at the outboard midplane, fully non-inductive plasma current ramp-up up to a quarter of that of the typical Ohmic discharges has been achieved. Although it was desirable to keep the density low during the plasma current ramp-up to avoid the LH density limit, it was recognized that there was a maximum current density that could be carried by a given electron density. Since the density needed to increase as the plasma current was ramped-up, the achievable plasma current was limited by the maximum operational toroidal field of TST-2. The top-launch CCC antenna was installed to access higher density with up-shift of the parallel index of refraction. Numerical analysis of LH current drive with the outboard-launch and top-launch antennas was performed and the results were qualitatively consistent with the experimental observations.

Numerical modeling of lower hybrid current drive in fully non-inductive plasma start-up experiments on TST-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsujii, N.; Takase, Y.; Ejiri, A.; Shinya, T.; Togashi, H.; Yajima, S.; Yamazaki, H.; Moeller, C. P.; Roidl, B.; Sonehara, M.; Takahashi, W.; Toida, K.; Yoshida, Y.

2017-12-01

Non-inductive plasma start-up is a critical issue for spherical tokamaks since there is not enough room to provide neutron shielding for the center solenoid. Start-up using lower hybrid (LH) waves has been studied on the TST-2 spherical tokamak. Because of the low magnetic field of a spherical tokamak, the plasma density needs to be kept at a very low value during the plasma current ramp-up so that the plasma core remains accessible to the LH waves. However, we have found that higher density was required to sustain larger plasma current. The achievable plasma current was limited by the maximum operational toroidal field of TST-2. The existence of an optimum density for LH current drive and its toroidal field dependence is explained through a numerical simulation based on a ray tracing code and a Fokker-Planck solver. In order to access higher density at the same magnetic field, a top-launch antenna was recently installed in addition to the existing outboard-launch antenna. Increase in the density limit was observed when the power was launched from the top antenna, consistently with the numerical predictions.

Circuit models and three-dimensional electromagnetic simulations of a 1-MA linear transformer driver stage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, D. V.; Miller, C. L.; Welch, D. R.; Clark, R. E.; Madrid, E. A.; Mostrom, C. B.; Stygar, W. A.; Lechien, K. R.; Mazarakis, M. A.; Langston, W. L.; Porter, J. L.; Woodworth, J. R.

2010-09-01

A 3D fully electromagnetic (EM) model of the principal pulsed-power components of a high-current linear transformer driver (LTD) has been developed. LTD systems are a relatively new modular and compact pulsed-power technology based on high-energy density capacitors and low-inductance switches located within a linear-induction cavity. We model 1-MA, 100-kV, 100-ns rise-time LTD cavities [A. A. Kim , Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 12, 050402 (2009)PRABFM1098-440210.1103/PhysRevSTAB.12.050402] which can be used to drive z-pinch and material dynamics experiments. The model simulates the generation and propagation of electromagnetic power from individual capacitors and triggered gas switches to a radially symmetric output line. Multiple cavities, combined to provide voltage addition, drive a water-filled coaxial transmission line. A 3D fully EM model of a single 1-MA 100-kV LTD cavity driving a simple resistive load is presented and compared to electrical measurements. A new model of the current loss through the ferromagnetic cores is developed for use both in circuit representations of an LTD cavity and in the 3D EM simulations. Good agreement between the measured core current, a simple circuit model, and the 3D simulation model is obtained. A 3D EM model of an idealized ten-cavity LTD accelerator is also developed. The model results demonstrate efficient voltage addition when driving a matched impedance load, in good agreement with an idealized circuit model.

Automatic control in multidrive electrotechnical complexes with semiconductor converters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasilev, B. U.; Mardashov, D. V.

2017-01-01

The frequency convertor and the automatic control system, which can be used in the multi-drive electromechanical system with a few induction motions, are considered. The paper presents the structure of existing modern multi-drive electric drives inverters, namely, electric drives with a total frequency converter and few electric motions, and an electric drive, in which the converter is used for power supply and control of the independent frequency. It was shown that such technical solutions of frequency converters possess a number of drawbacks. The drawbacks are given. It was shown that the control of technological processes using the electric drive of this structure may be provided under very limited conditions, as the energy efficiency and the level of electromagnetic compatibility of electric drives is low. The authors proposed using a multi-inverter structure with an active rectifier in multidrive electric drives with induction motors frequency converters. The application of such frequency converter may solve the problem of electromagnetic compatibility, namely, consumption of sinusoidal currents from the network and the maintenance of a sinusoidal voltage and energy compatibility, namely, consumption of practically active energy from the network. Also, the paper proposes the use of the automatic control system, which by means of a multi-inverter frequency converter provides separate control of drive machines and flexible regulation of technological processes. The authors present oscillograms, which confirm the described characteristics of the developed electrical drive. The possible subsequent ways to improve the multi-motor drives are also described.

UAV Mothership

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-01

ship with five large switchboards. Two motor drives control two permanent magnet motors (PMM), which are currently in development, powering hybrid...an 80 percent MCR and a full hotel load. The next important decision that was made concerned the motor. Induction motors and permanent magnet motors were

Analysis of non-destructive current simulators of flux compression generators.

PubMed

O'Connor, K A; Curry, R D

2014-06-01

Development and evaluation of power conditioning systems and high power microwave components often used with flux compression generators (FCGs) requires repeated testing and characterization. In an effort to minimize the cost and time required for testing with explosive generators, non-destructive simulators of an FCG's output current have been developed. Flux compression generators and simulators of FCGs are unique pulsed power sources in that the current waveform exhibits a quasi-exponential increasing rate at which the current rises. Accurately reproducing the quasi-exponential current waveform of a FCG can be important in designing electroexplosive opening switches and other power conditioning components that are dependent on the integral of current action and the rate of energy dissipation. Three versions of FCG simulators have been developed that include an inductive network with decreasing impedance in time. A primary difference between these simulators is the voltage source driving them. It is shown that a capacitor-inductor-capacitor network driving a constant or decreasing inductive load can produce the desired high-order derivatives of the load current to replicate a quasi-exponential waveform. The operation of the FCG simulators is reviewed and described mathematically for the first time to aid in the design of new simulators. Experimental and calculated results of two recent simulators are reported with recommendations for future designs.

High-voltage, low-inductance gas switch

DOEpatents

Gruner, Frederick R.; Stygar, William A.

2016-03-22

A low-inductance, air-insulated gas switch uses a de-enhanced annular trigger ring disposed between two opposing high voltage electrodes. The switch is DC chargeable to 200 kilovolts or more, triggerable, has low jitter (5 ns or less), has pre-fire and no-fire rates of no more than one in 10,000 shots, and has a lifetime of greater than 100,000 shots. Importantly, the switch also has a low inductance (less than 60 nH) and the ability to conduct currents with less than 100 ns rise times. The switch can be used with linear transformer drives or other pulsed-power systems.

Magnetic field line reconnection experiments. V - Current disruptions and double layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stenzel, R. L.; Gekelman, W.; Wild, N.

1983-01-01

An investigation is conducted of the stability of a large laboratory plasma current sheet, which has been generated in the process of magnetic field line reconnection, with respect to local current increases. Magnetic flux variations in regions remote from the current sheet generate an inductive voltage in the current loop that drops off inside the plasma in the form of a potential double layer, leading to particle acceleration with velocities much larger than those expected from the steady state electric fields in the plasma. A model for the mechanism of the current disruptions is formulated in which the potential structure leads to ion expulsion, creating a localized density drop. The associated current drop in an inductive circuit drives the potential structure, providing feedback for the disruptive instability. Similarities to, and differences from, magnetospheric substorm phenomena are noted.

Heating and current drive requirements for ideal MHD stability and ITB sustainment in ITER steady state scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poli, Francesca

2012-10-01

Steady state scenarios envisaged for ITER aim at optimizing the bootstrap current, while maintaining sufficient confinement and stability to provide the necessary fusion yield. Non-inductive scenarios will need to operate with Internal Transport Barriers (ITBs) in order to reach adequate fusion gain at typical currents of 9 MA. However, the large pressure gradients associated with ITBs in regions of weak or negative magnetic shear can be conducive to ideal MHD instabilities in a wide range of βN, reducing the no-wall limit. Scenarios are established as relaxed flattop states with time-dependent transport simulations with TSC [1]. Fully non-inductive configurations with current in the range of 7-10 MA and various heating mixes (NB, EC, IC and LH) have been studied against variations of the pressure profile peaking and of the Greenwald fraction. It is found that stable equilibria have qmin> 2 and moderate ITBs at 2/3 of the minor radius [2]. The ExB flow shear from toroidal plasma rotation is expected to be low in ITER, with a major role in the ITB dynamics being played by magnetic geometry. Combinations of H&CD sources that maintain reverse or weak magnetic shear profiles throughout the discharge and ρ(qmin)>=0.5 are the focus of this work. The ITER EC upper launcher, designed for NTM control, can provide enough current drive off-axis to sustain moderate ITBs at mid-radius and maintain a non-inductive current of 8-9MA and H98>=1.5 with the day one heating mix. LH heating and current drive is effective in modifying the current profile off-axis, facilitating the formation of stronger ITBs in the rampup phase, their sustainment at larger radii and larger bootstrap fraction. The implications for steady state operation and fusion performance are discussed.[4pt] [1] Jardin S.C. et al, J. Comput. Phys. 66 (1986) 481[0pt] [2] Poli F.M. et al, Nucl. Fusion 52 (2012) 063027.

Motor torque compensation of an induction electric motor by adjusting a slip command during periods of supposed change in motor temperature

DOEpatents

Kelledes, William L.; St. John, Don K.

1992-01-01

The present invention maintains constant torque in an inverter driven AC induction motor during variations in rotor temperature. It is known that the torque output of a given AC induction motor is dependent upon rotor temperature. At rotor temperatures higher than the nominal operating condition the rotor impedance increases, reducing the rotor current and motor torque. In a similar fashion, the rotor impedance is reduced resulting in increased rotor current and motor torque when the rotor temperature is lower than the nominal operating condition. The present invention monitors the bus current from the DC supply to the inverter and adjusts the slip frequency of the inverter drive to maintain a constant motor torque. This adjustment is based upon whether predetermined conditions implying increased rotor temperature or decreased rotor temperature exist for longer that a predetermined interval of time.

The ETA-II induction linac as a high-average-power FEL driver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nexsen, W. E.; Atkinson, D. P.; Barrett, D. M.; Chen, Y.-J.; Clark, J. C.; Griffith, L. V.; Kirbie, H. C.; Newton, M. A.; Paul, A. C.; Sampayan, S.; Throop, A. L.; Turner, W. C.

1990-10-01

The Experimental Test Accelerator II (ETA-II) is the first induction linac designed specifically to FEL requirements. It is primarily intended to demonstrate induction accelerator technology for high-average-power, high-brightness electron beams, and will be used to drive a 140 and 250 GHz microwave FEL for plasma heating experiments in the Microwave Tokamak Experiment (MTX) at LLNL. Its features include high-vacuum design which allows the use of an intrinsically bright dispenser cathode, induction cells designed to minimize BBU growth rate, and careful attention to magnetic alignment to minimize radial sweep due to beam corkscrew. The use of magnetic switches allows high-average-power operation. At present ETA-II is being used to drive 140 GHz plasma heating experiments. These experiments require nominal beam parameters of 6 MeV energy, 2 kA current, 20 ns pulse width and a brightness of 1 × 108 A/(m rad)2 at the wiggler with a pulse repetition frequency (prf) of 0.5 Hz. Future 250 GHz experiments require beam parameters of 10 MeV energy, 3 kA current, 50 ns pulse width and a brightness of 1 × 108 A/(m rad)2 with a 5 kHz prf for 0.5 s. In this paper we discuss the present status of ETA-II parameters and the phased development program necessary to satisfy these future requirements.

Extending the Constant Power Speed Range of the Brushless DC Motor through Dual Mode Inverter Control -- Part I: Theory and Simulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lawler, J.S.

2001-10-29

An inverter topology and control scheme has been developed that can drive low-inductance, surface-mounted permanent magnet motors over the wide constant power speed range required in electric vehicle applications. This new controller is called the dual-mode inverter control (DMIC) [1]. The DMIC can drive either the Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine (PMSM) with sinusoidal back emf, or the brushless dc machine (BDCM) with trapezoidal emf in the motoring and regenerative braking modes. In this paper we concentrate on the BDCM under high-speed motoring conditions. Simulation results show that if all motor and inverter loss mechanisms are neglected, the constant power speedmore » range of the DMIC is infinite. The simulation results are supported by closed form expressions for peak and rms motor current and average power derived from analytical solution to the differential equations governing the DMIC/BDCM drive for the lossless case. The analytical solution shows that the range of motor inductance that can be accommodated by the DMIC is more than an order of magnitude such that the DMIC is compatible with both low- and high-inductance BDCMs. Finally, method is given for integrating the classical hysteresis band current control, used for motor control below base speed, with the phase advance of DMIC that is applied above base speed. The power versus speed performance of the DMIC is then simulated across the entire speed range.« less

Ideal MHD stability and performance of ITER steady-state scenarios with ITBs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poli, F. M.; Kessel, C. E.; Chance, M. S.; Jardin, S. C.; Manickam, J.

2012-06-01

Non-inductive steady-state scenarios on ITER will need to operate with internal transport barriers (ITBs) in order to reach adequate fusion gain at typical currents of 9 MA. The large pressure gradients at the location of the internal barrier are conducive to the development of ideal MHD instabilities that may limit the plasma performance and may lead to plasma disruptions. Fully non-inductive scenario simulations with five combinations of heating and current drive sources are presented in this work, with plasma currents in the range 7-10 MA. For each configuration the linear, ideal MHD stability is analysed for variations of the Greenwald fraction and of the pressure peaking factor around the operating point, aiming at defining an operational space for stable, steady-state operations at optimized performance. It is shown that plasmas with lower hybrid heating and current drive maintain the minimum safety factor above 1.5, which is desirable in steady-state operations to avoid neoclassical tearing modes. Operating with moderate ITBs at 2/3 of the minor radius, these plasmas have a minimum safety factor above 2, are ideal MHD stable and reach Q ≳ 5 operating above the ideal no-wall limit.

Electric-Drive Propulsion for U.S. Navy Ships: Background and Issues for Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-07-31

over electric drive concerns electric motors. The five basic types in question – synchronous motors, induction motors, permanent magnet motors , superconducting...drive technology for ships – synchronous motors, induction motors, permanent magnet motors , superconducting synchronous motors, and superconducting...synchronous motors and is also developing systems featuring induction and permanent magnet motors . ! an industry team led by General Dynamics Corporation

A Comparative Analysis of Digital and Passive Filters for IFOC based Induction Motor Drive (EV) fed through ZSI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedi, Tarun; Heema, Dave; Singh, Dheerendra

2018-03-01

It is known that harmonics are generated in any power electronics based application. Since presence of harmonics is not desirable, it is necessary to remove the harmonics. The IFOC is based on stator current regulation, and the stator currents are sensed and used in the speed control algorithm. The current needs to be free from noise and harmonics for accurate further processing. In this paper, a passive analog filter, as well as a 50th order FIR filter is designed in MATLAB and implemented in Code Composer Studio to remove noise and distortion, and a comparative analysis has been done, for the speed control of an induction motor fed through ZSI, for electric vehicle application.

Oscillating field current drive experiments in the Madison Symmetric Torus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blair, Arthur P., Jr.

Oscillating Field Current Drive (OFCD) is an inductive current drive method for toroidal pinches. To test OFCD, two 280 Hz 2 MVA oscillators were installed in the toroidal and poloidal magnetic field circuits of the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) Reversed Field Pinch (RFP.) Partial sustainment experiments were conducted where the two voltage oscillations were superimposed on the standard MST power supplies. Supplementary current drive of about 10% has been demonstrated, comparable to theoretical predictions. However, maximum current drive does not coincide with maximum helicity injection rate - possibly due to an observed dependence of core and edge tearing modes on the relative phase of the oscillators. A dependence of wall interactions on phase was also observed, the largest interaction coinciding with negative current drive. Experiments were conducted at 280 and 530 Hz. 530 Hz proved to be too high and yielded little or no net current drive. Experiments at 280 Hz proved more fruitful. A 1D relaxed state model was used to predict the effects of voltage amplitudes, frequencies, and waveforms on performance and to optimize the design of OFCD hardware. Predicted current drive was comparable to experimental values, though the aforementioned phase dependence was not. Comparisons were also made with a more comprehensive 3D model which proved to be a more accurate predictor of current drive. Both 1D and 3D models predicted the feasability of full sustainment via OFCD. Experiments were also conducted with only the toroidal field oscillator applied. An entrainment of the natural sawtooth frequency to our applied oscillation was observed as well as a slow modulation of the edge tearing mode amplitudes. A large modulation (20 to 80 eV) of the ion temperature was also observed that can be partially accounted for by collisional heating via magnetic pumping. Work is in progress to increase the power of the existing OFCD hardware.

Analysis of High Power IGBT Short Circuit Failures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pappas, G.

2005-02-11

The Next Linear Collider (NLC) accelerator proposal at SLAC requires a highly efficient and reliable, low cost, pulsed-power modulator to drive the klystrons. A solid-state induction modulator has been developed at SLAC to power the klystrons; this modulator uses commercial high voltage and high current Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) modules. Testing of these IGBT modules under pulsed conditions was very successful; however, the IGBTs failed when tests were performed into a low inductance short circuit. The internal electrical connections of a commercial IGBT module have been analyzed to extract self and mutual partial inductances for the main current pathsmore » as well as for the gate structure. The IGBT module, together with the partial inductances, has been modeled using PSpice. Predictions for electrical paths that carry the highest current correlate with the sites of failed die under short circuit tests. A similar analysis has been carried out for a SLAC proposal for an IGBT module layout. This paper discusses the mathematical model of the IGBT module geometry and presents simulation results.« less

Limitations of the Conventional Phase Advance Method for Constant Power Operation of the Brushless DC Motor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lawler, J.S.

2001-10-29

The brushless dc motor (BDCM) has high-power density and efficiency relative to other motor types. These properties make the BDCM well suited for applications in electric vehicles provided a method can be developed for driving the motor over the 4 to 6:1 constant power speed range (CPSR) required by such applications. The present state of the art for constant power operation of the BDCM is conventional phase advance (CPA) [1]. In this paper, we identify key limitations of CPA. It is shown that the CPA has effective control over the developed power but that the current magnitude is relatively insensitivemore » to power output and is inversely proportional to motor inductance. If the motor inductance is low, then the rms current at rated power and high speed may be several times larger than the current rating. The inductance required to maintain rms current within rating is derived analytically and is found to be large relative to that of BDCM designs using high-strength rare earth magnets. Th us, the CPA requires a BDCM with a large equivalent inductance.« less

Pulsed Eddy Current Probe Design Based on Transient Circuit Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cadeau, Trevor J.; Krause, Thomas W.

2009-03-01

Probe design parameters affecting depth of penetration of pulsed eddy currents in multi-layer aluminum 2024-T3 were examined. Several probe designs were evaluated for their ability to detect a discontinuity at the bottom of a stack of aluminum plates. The reflection type probes, consisting of pick-up coil and encircling drive coil, were characterized based on their transient response to a square pulse excitation. Probes with longer fundamental time constants, equivalent to a lower driving frequency, generated greater depth of penetration. However, additional factors such as inductive and resistive load, and excessive coil heating were also factors that limited signal-to-noise response with increasing layer thickness.

Study of Conical Pulsed Inductive Thruster with Multiple Modes of Operation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Robert; Eskridge, Richard; Martin, Adam; Rose, Frank

2008-01-01

An electrodeless, pulsed, inductively coupled thruster has several advantages over current electric propulsion designs. The efficiency of a pulsed inductive thruster is dependent upon the pulse characteristics of the device. Therefore, these thrusters are throttleable over a wide range of thrust levels by varying the pulse rate without affecting the thruster efficiency. In addition, by controlling the pulse energy and the mass bit together, the ISP of the thruster can also be varied with minimal efficiency loss over a wide range of ISP levels. Pulsed inductive thrusters will work with a multitude of propellants, including ammonia. Thus, a single pulsed inductive thruster could be used to handle a multitude of mission needs from high thrust to high ISP with one propulsion solution that would be variable in flight. A conical pulsed inductive lab thruster has been built to study this form of electric propulsion in detail. This thruster incorporates many advantages that are meant to enable this technology as a viable space propulsion technology. These advantages include incorporation of solid state switch technology for all switching needs of the thruster and pre-ionization of the propellant gas prior to acceleration. Pre-ionizing will significantly improve coupling efficiency between drive and bias fields and the plasma. This enables lower pulse energy levels without efficiency reduction. Pre-ionization can be accomplished at a small fraction of the drive pulse energy.

Veff Scaling of Te and ne Measurements During Local Helicity Injection on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodner, G. M.; Bongard, M. W.; Fonck, R. J.; Perry, J. M.; Reusch, J. A.; Rodriguez Sanchez, C.

2017-10-01

Understanding the electron confinement of local helicity injection (LHI) is critical in order to evaluate its scalability as a startup technique to MA-class devices. Electron confinement in the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment is investigated using multi-point Thomson scattering (TS). The Pegasus TS system utilizes a set of high-throughput transmission gratings and intensified CCDs to measure Te and ne profiles. Previous TS measurements indicated peaked Te profiles 120 eV in outboard injector discharges characterized by strong inductive drive and low LHI drive. Injectors designed to have dominant non-inductive drive have recently been installed in the divertor region of Pegasus to understand the relationship between effective drive voltage, Veff, and plasma performance. At low Veff and reduced plasma current, Ip 60 kA, TS measurements reveal a flat Te profile 50 eV, with a peaked ne profile 1 ×1019 m-3, resulting in a slightly peaked pe profile. As current drive is increased, the Te profiles become hollow with a core Te 50 eV and an edge Te 120 -150 eV. These hollow profiles appear after the start of the Ip flattop and are sustained until the discharge terminates. The ne profiles drop in magnitude to < 1 ×1019 m-3 but remain somewhat peaked. Initial results suggest a weak scaling between input power and core Te. Additional studies are planned to identify the mechanisms behind the anomalous profile features. Work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

Burning plasma regime for Fussion-Fission Research Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakharov, Leonid E.

2010-11-01

The basic aspects of burning plasma regimes of Fusion-Fission Research Facility (FFRF, R/a=4/1 m/m, Ipl=5 MA, Btor=4-6 T, P^DT=50-100 MW, P^fission=80-4000 MW, 1 m thick blanket), which is suggested as the next step device for Chinese fusion program, are presented. The mission of FFRF is to advance magnetic fusion to the level of a stationary neutron source and to create a technical, scientific, and technology basis for the utilization of high-energy fusion neutrons for the needs of nuclear energy and technology. FFRF will rely as much as possible on ITER design. Thus, the magnetic system, especially TFC, will take advantage of ITER experience. TFC will use the same superconductor as ITER. The plasma regimes will represent an extension of the stationary plasma regimes on HT-7 and EAST tokamaks at ASIPP. Both inductive discharges and stationary non-inductive Lower Hybrid Current Drive (LHCD) will be possible. FFRF strongly relies on new, Lithium Wall Fusion (LiWF) plasma regimes, the development of which will be done on NSTX, HT-7, EAST in parallel with the design work. This regime will eliminate a number of uncertainties, still remaining unresolved in the ITER project. Well controlled, hours long inductive current drive operation at P^DT=50-100 MW is predicted.

The ETA-2 induction linac as a high average power FEL driver

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nexsen, W.E.; Atkinson, D.P.; Barrett, D.M.

1989-10-16

The Experimental Test Accelerator-II (ETA-II) is the first induction linac designed specifically to FEL requirements. It primarily is intended to demonstrate induction accelerator technology for high average power, high brightness electron beams, and will be used to drive a 140 and 250 GHz microwave FEL for plasma heating experiments in the Microwave Tokamak Experiment (MTX) at LLNL. Its features include high vacuum design which allows the use of an intrinsically bright dispenser cathode, induction cells designed to minimize BBU growth rate, and careful attention to magnetic alignment to minimize radial sweep due to beam corkscrew. The use of magnetic switchesmore » allows high average power operation. At present ETA-II is being used to drive 140 GHz plasma heating experiments. These experiments require nominal beam parameters of 6 Mev energy, 2kA current, 20ns pulse width and a brightness of 1 {times} 10{sup 8} A/(m-rad){sup 2} at the wiggler with a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 0.5 Hz. Future 250 GHz experiments require beam parameters of 10 Mev energy, 3kA current, 50ns pulse width and a brightness of 1 {times} 10{sup 8} A/(m-rad){sup 2} with a 5 kHz PRF for 0.5 sec. In this paper we discuss the present status of ETA-II parameters and the phased development program necessary to satisfy these future requirements. 13 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.« less

FUZZY-LOGIC-BASED CONTROLLERS FOR EFFICIENCY OPTIMIZATION OF INVERTER-FED INDUCTION MOTOR DRIVES

EPA Science Inventory

This paper describes a fuzzy-logic-based energy optimizing controller to improve the efficiency of induction motor/drives operating at various load (torque) and speed conditions. Improvement of induction motor efficiency is important not only from the considerations of energy sav...

Operational Characteristics and Plasma Measurements in a Low-Energy FARAD Thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polzin, K. A.; Best, S.; Rose, M. F.; Miller, R.; Owens, T.

2008-01-01

Pulsed inductive plasma accelerators are spacecraft propulsion devices in which energy is stored in a capacitor and then discharged through an inductive coil. The device is electrodeless, inducing a plasma current sheet in propellant located near the face of the coil. The propellant is accelerated and expelled at a high exhaust velocity (order of 10 km/s) through the interaction of the plasma current with an induced magnetic field. The Faraday Accelerator with RF-Assisted Discharge (FARAD) thruster is a type of pulsed inductive plasma accelerator in which the plasma is preionized by a mechanism separate from that used to form the current sheet and accelerate the gas. Employing a separate preionization mechanism in this manner allows for the formation of an inductive current sheet at much lower discharge energies and voltages than those found in previous pulsed inductive accelerators like the Pulsed Inductive Thruster (PIT). In this paper, we present measurements aimed at quantifying the thruster's overall operational characteristics and providing additional insight into the nature of operation. Measurements of the terminal current and voltage characteristics during the pulse help quantify the output of the pulsed power train driving the acceleration coil. A fast ionization gauge is used to measure the evolution of the neutral gas distribution in the accelerator prior to a pulse. The preionization process is diagnosed by monitoring light emission from the gas using a photodiode, and a time-resolved global view of the evolving, accelerating current sheet is obtained using a fast-framing camera. Local plasma and field measurements are obtained using an array of intrusive probes. The local induced magnetic field and azimuthal current density are measured using B-dot probes and mini-Rogowski coils, respectively. Direct probing of the number density and electron temperature is performed using a triple probe.

Advanced ST plasma scenario simulations for NSTX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kessel, C. E.; Synakowski, E. J.; Bell, M. E.; Gates, D. A.; Harvey, R. W.; Kaye, S. M.; Mau, T. K.; Menard, J.; Phillips, C. K.; Taylor, G.; Wilson, R.; NSTX Research Team

2005-08-01

Integrated scenario simulations are done for NSTX that address four primary objectives for developing advanced spherical torus (ST) configurations: high β and high βN inductive discharges to study all aspects of ST physics in the high β regime; non-inductively sustained discharges for flattop times greater than the skin time to study the various current drive techniques; non-inductively sustained discharges at high β for flattop times much greater than a skin time which provides the integrated advanced ST target for NSTX and non-solenoidal startup and plasma current rampup. The simulations done here use the tokamak simulation code and are based on a discharge 109070. TRANSP analysis of the discharge provided the thermal diffusivities for electrons and ions, the neutral beam deposition profile and other characteristics. CURRAY is used to calculate the high harmonic fast wave (HHFW) heating depositions and current drive. GENRAY/CQL3D is used to establish the heating and CD deposition profiles for electron Bernstein waves (EBW). Analysis of the ideal MHD stability is done with JSOLVER, BALMSC and PEST2. The simulations indicate that the integrated advanced ST plasma is reachable, obtaining stable plasmas with βT ap 40% at βN's of 7.7-9, IP = 1.0 MA and BT = 0.35 T. The plasma is 100% non-inductive and has a flattop of four skin times. The resulting global energy confinement corresponds to a multiplier of H98(y),2 = 1.5. The simulations have demonstrated the importance of HHFW heating and CD, EBW off-axis CD, strong plasma shaping, density control and early heating/H-mode transition for producing and optimizing these plasma configurations.

Non-inductive current generation in fusion plasmas with turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Weixing; Ethier, S.; Startsev, E.; Chen, J.; Hahm, T. S.; Yoo, M. G.

2017-10-01

It is found that plasma turbulence may strongly influence non-inductive current generation. This may have radical impact on various aspects of tokamak physics. Our simulation study employs a global gyrokinetic model coupling self-consistent neoclassical and turbulent dynamics with focus on electron current. Distinct phases in electron current generation are illustrated in the initial value simulation. In the early phase before turbulence develops, the electron bootstrap current is established in a time scale of a few electron collision times, which closely agrees with the neoclassical prediction. The second phase follows when turbulence begins to saturate, during which turbulent fluctuations are found to strongly affect electron current. The profile structure, amplitude and phase space structure of electron current density are all significantly modified relative to the neoclassical bootstrap current by the presence of turbulence. Both electron parallel acceleration and parallel residual stress drive are shown to play important roles in turbulence-induced current generation. The current density profile is modified in a way that correlates with the fluctuation intensity gradient through its effect on k//-symmetry breaking in fluctuation spectrum. Turbulence is shown to deduct (enhance) plasma self-generated current in low (high) collisionality regime, and the reduction of total electron current relative to the neoclassical bootstrap current increases as collisionality decreases. The implication of this result to the fully non-inductive current operation in steady state burning plasma regime should be investigated. Finally, significant non-inductive current is observed in flat pressure region, which is a nonlocal effect and results from turbulence spreading induced current diffusion. Work supported by U.S. DOE Contract DE-AC02-09-CH11466.

Pushing Particles with Waves: Current Drive and α-Channeling

DOE PAGES

FISCH, Nathaniel J.

2016-01-01

It can be advantageous to push particles with waves in tokamaks or other magnetic confinement devices, relying on wave-particle resonances to accomplish specific goals. Waves that damp on electrons or ions in toroidal fusion devises can drive currents if the waves are launched with toroidal asymmetry. Theses currents are important for tokamaks, since they operate in the absence of an electric field with curl, enabling steady state operation. The lower hybrid wave and the electron cyclotron wave have been demonstrated to drive significant currents. Non-inductive current also stabilizes deleterious tearing modes. Waves can also be used to broker the energymore » transfer between energetic alpha particles and the background plasma. Alpha particles born through fusion reactions in a tokamak reactor tend to slow down on electrons, but that could take up to hundreds of milliseconds. Before that happens, the energy in these alpha particles can destabilize on collisionless timescales toroidal Alfven modes and other waves, in a way deleterious to energy confinement. However, it has been speculated that this energy might be instead be channeled instead into useful energy, that heats fuel ions or drives current. Furthermore, an important question is the extent to which these effects can be accomplished together.« less

Simulation model for a seven-phase BLDCM drive system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Sang-Hoon; Lee, Won-Cheol; Lee, Jung-Hyo; Yu, Jae-Sung; Kim, Gyu-Sik; Won, Chung-Yuen

2007-12-01

BLDC motors have many advantages over brushed DC motors and induction motors. So, BLDC motors extend their application to many industrial fields. In this paper, the digital simulation and modeling of a 7-phase brushless DC motor have been presented. The 14-switch inverter and a 7-phase brushless DC motor drive system are simulated using hysteresis current controller and logic of switching pattern with the Boolean¡s function. Through some simulations, we found that our modeling and analysis of a 7-phase BLDCM with PWM inverter would be helpful for the further studies of the multi-phase BLDCM drive systems.

Speed Sensorless Induction Motor Drives for Electrical Actuators: Schemes, Trends and Tradeoffs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elbuluk, Malik E.; Kankam, M. David

1997-01-01

For a decade, induction motor drive-based electrical actuators have been under investigation as potential replacement for the conventional hydraulic and pneumatic actuators in aircraft. Advantages of electric actuator include lower weight and size, reduced maintenance and operating costs, improved safety due to the elimination of hazardous fluids and high pressure hydraulic and pneumatic actuators, and increased efficiency. Recently, the emphasis of research on induction motor drives has been on sensorless vector control which eliminates flux and speed sensors mounted on the motor. Also, the development of effective speed and flux estimators has allowed good rotor flux-oriented (RFO) performance at all speeds except those close to zero. Sensorless control has improved the motor performance, compared to the Volts/Hertz (or constant flux) controls. This report evaluates documented schemes for speed sensorless drives, and discusses the trends and tradeoffs involved in selecting a particular scheme. These schemes combine the attributes of the direct and indirect field-oriented control (FOC) or use model adaptive reference systems (MRAS) with a speed-dependent current model for flux estimation which tracks the voltage model-based flux estimator. Many factors are important in comparing the effectiveness of a speed sensorless scheme. Among them are the wide speed range capability, motor parameter insensitivity and noise reduction. Although a number of schemes have been proposed for solving the speed estimation, zero-speed FOC with robustness against parameter variations still remains an area of research for speed sensorless control.

Advances in the steady-state hybrid regime in DIII-D – a fully non-inductive, ELM-suppressed scenario for ITER

DOE PAGES

Petty, Craig C.; Nazikian, Raffi; Park, Jin Myung; ...

2017-07-19

Here, the hybrid regime with beta, collisionality, safety factor and plasma shape relevant to the ITER steady-state mission has been successfully integrated with ELM suppression by applying an odd parity n=3 resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP). Fully non-inductive hybrids in the DIII-D tokamak with high beta (β ≤ 2.8%) and high confinement (98y2 ≤ 1.4) in the ITER similar shape have achieved zero surface loop voltage for up to two current relaxation times using efficient central current drive from ECCD and NBCD. The n=3 RMP causes surprisingly little increase in thermal transport during ELM suppression. Poloidal magnetic flux pumping in hybridmore » plasmas maintains q above 1 without loss of current drive efficiency, except that experiments show that extremely peaked ECCD profiles can create sawteeth. During ECCD, Alfvén eigenmode (AE) activity is replaced by a more benign fishbone-like mode, reducing anomalous beam ion diffusion by a factor of 2. While the electron and ion thermal diffusivities substantially increase with higher ECCD power, the loss of confinement can be offset by the decreased fast ion transport resulting from AE suppression. Extrapolations from DIII-D along a dimensionless parameter scaling path as well as those using self-consistent theory-based modeling show that these ELM-suppressed, fully non-inductive hybrids can achieve the Q = 5 ITER steady-state mission.« less

SUNIST Microwave Power System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Songlin; Yang, Xuanzong; Feng, Chunhua; Wang, Long; Rao, Jun; Feng, Kecheng

2005-06-01

Experiments on the start-up and formation of spherical tokamak plasmas by electron cyclotron heating alone without ohmic heating and electrode discharge assisted electron cyclotron wave current start-up will be carried out on the SUNIST (Sino United Spherical Tokamak) device. The 2.45 GHz/100kW/30 ms microwave power system and 1000 V/50 A power supply for electrode discharge are ready for experiments with non-inductive current drive.

Calculation of the non-inductive current profile in high-performance NSTX plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerhardt, S. P.; Fredrickson, E.; Gates, D.; Kaye, S.; Menard, J.; Bell, M. G.; Bell, R. E.; Le Blanc, B. P.; Kugel, H.; Sabbagh, S. A.; Yuh, H.

2011-03-01

The constituents of the current profile have been computed for a wide range of high-performance plasmas in NSTX (Ono et al 2000 Nucl. Fusion 40 557); these include cases designed to maximize the non-inductive fraction, pulse length, toroidal-β or stored energy. In the absence of low-frequency MHD activity, good agreement is found between the reconstructed current profile and that predicted by summing the independently calculated inductive, pressure-driven and neutral beam currents, without the need to invoke any anomalous beam ion diffusion. Exceptions occur, for instance, when there are toroidal Alfvén eigenmode avalanches or coupled m/n = 1/1 + 2/1 kink-tearing modes. In these cases, the addition of a spatially and temporally dependent fast-ion diffusivity can reduce the core beam current drive, restoring agreement between the reconstructed profile and the summed constituents, as well as bringing better agreement between the simulated and measured neutron emission rate. An upper bound on the fast-ion diffusivity of ~0.5-1 m2 s-1 is found in 'MHD-free' discharges, based on the neutron emission, the time rate of change in the neutron signal when a neutral beam is stepped and reconstructed on-axis current density.

Noninductively Driven Tokamak Plasmas at Near-Unity Toroidal Beta

DOE PAGES

Schlossberg, David J.; Bodner, Grant M.; Bongard, Michael W.; ...

2017-07-01

Access to and characterization of sustained, toroidally confined plasmas with a very high plasma-to-magnetic pressure ratio (β t), low internal inductance, high elongation, and nonsolenoidal current drive is a central goal of present tokamak plasma research. Stable access to this desirable parameter space is demonstrated in plasmas with ultralow aspect ratio and high elongation. Local helicity injection provides nonsolenoidal sustainment, low internal inductance, and ion heating. Equilibrium analyses indicate β t up to ~100% with a minimum |B| well spanning up to ~50% of the plasma volume.

Prostate organogenesis: tissue induction, hormonal regulation and cell type specification

PubMed Central

Toivanen, Roxanne

2017-01-01

Prostate organogenesis is a complex process that is primarily mediated by the presence of androgens and subsequent mesenchyme-epithelial interactions. The investigation of prostate development is partly driven by its potential relevance to prostate cancer, in particular the apparent re-awakening of key developmental programs that occur during tumorigenesis. However, our current knowledge of the mechanisms that drive prostate organogenesis is far from complete. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of prostate development, focusing on recent findings regarding sexual dimorphism, bud induction, branching morphogenesis and cellular differentiation. PMID:28400434

Noninductively Driven Tokamak Plasmas at Near-Unity Toroidal Beta.

PubMed

Schlossberg, D J; Bodner, G M; Bongard, M W; Burke, M G; Fonck, R J; Perry, J M; Reusch, J A

2017-07-21

Access to and characterization of sustained, toroidally confined plasmas with a very high plasma-to-magnetic pressure ratio (β_{t}), low internal inductance, high elongation, and nonsolenoidal current drive is a central goal of present tokamak plasma research. Stable access to this desirable parameter space is demonstrated in plasmas with ultralow aspect ratio and high elongation. Local helicity injection provides nonsolenoidal sustainment, low internal inductance, and ion heating. Equilibrium analyses indicate β_{t} up to ∼100% with a minimum |B| well spanning up to ∼50% of the plasma volume.

Consolidation of materials by pulse-discharge processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strizhakov, E. L.; Nescoromniy, S. V.

2017-07-01

The article presents the research and the analysis of the pulse-discharge processes of capacitor discharge sintering: CD Stud Welding, capacitor discharge percussion welding (CDPW), high-voltage capacitor welding with an inductive-dynamic drive (HVCW with IDD), pulse electric current sintering (PECS) of powders. The comparative analysis of the impact parameter is presented.

Equilibrium evolution in oscillating-field current-drive experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCollam, K. J.; Anderson, J. K.; Blair, A. P.; Craig, D.; Den Hartog, D. J.; Ebrahimi, F.; O'Connell, R.; Reusch, J. A.; Sarff, J. S.; Stephens, H. D.; Stone, D. R.; Brower, D. L.; Deng, B. H.; Ding, W. X.

2010-08-01

Oscillating-field current drive (OFCD) is a proposed method of steady-state toroidal plasma sustainment in which ac poloidal and toroidal loop voltages are applied to produce a dc plasma current. OFCD is added to standard, inductively sustained reversed-field pinch plasmas in the Madison Symmetric Torus [R. N. Dexter et al., Fusion Technol. 19, 131 (1991)]. Equilibrium profiles and fluctuations during a single cycle are measured and analyzed for different relative phases between the two OFCD voltages and for OFCD off. For OFCD phases leading to the most added plasma current, the measured energy confinement is slightly better than that for OFCD off. By contrast, the phase of the maximum OFCD helicity-injection rate also has the maximum decay rate, which is ascribed to transport losses during discrete magnetic-fluctuation events induced by OFCD. Resistive-magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the experiments reproduce the observed phase dependence of the added current.

Realizing steady-state tokamak operation for fusion energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luce, T. C.

2011-03-01

Continuous operation of a tokamak for fusion energy has clear engineering advantages but requires conditions beyond those sufficient for a burning plasma. The fusion reactions and external sources must support both the pressure and the current equilibrium without inductive current drive, leading to demands on stability, confinement, current drive, and plasma-wall interactions that exceed those for pulsed tokamaks. These conditions have been met individually, and significant progress has been made in the past decade to realize scenarios where the required conditions are obtained simultaneously. Tokamaks are operated routinely without disruptions near pressure limits, as needed for steady-state operation. Fully noninductive sustainment with more than half of the current from intrinsic currents has been obtained for a resistive time with normalized pressure and confinement approaching those needed for steady-state conditions. One remaining challenge is handling the heat and particle fluxes expected in a steady-state tokamak without compromising the core plasma performance.

Inductive voltage adder (IVA) for submillimeter radius electron beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mazarakis, M.G.; Poukey, J.W.; Maenchen, J.E.

The authors have already demonstrated the utility of inductive voltage adder accelerators for production of small-size electron beams. In this approach, the inductive voltage adder drives a magnetically immersed foilless diode to produce high-energy (10--20 MeV), high-brightness pencil electron beams. This concept was first demonstrated with the successful experiments which converted the linear induction accelerator RADLAC II into an IVA fitted with a small 1-cm radius cathode magnetically immersed foilless diode (RADLAC II/SMILE). They present here first validations of extending this idea to mm-scale electron beams using the SABRE and HERMES-III inductive voltage adders as test beds. The SABRE experimentsmore » are already completed and have produced 30-kA, 9-MeV electron beams with envelope diameter of 1.5-mm FWHM. The HERMES-III experiments are currently underway.« less

Constant Switching Frequency DTC for Matrix Converter Fed Speed Sensorless Induction Motor Drive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mir, Tabish Nazir; Singh, Bhim; Bhat, Abdul Hamid

2018-05-01

The paper presents a constant switching frequency scheme for speed sensorless Direct Torque Control (DTC) of Matrix Converter fed Induction Motor Drive. The use of matrix converter facilitates improved power quality on input as well as motor side, along with Input Power Factor control, besides eliminating the need for heavy passive elements. Moreover, DTC through Space Vector Modulation helps in achieving a fast control over the torque and flux of the motor, with added benefit of constant switching frequency. A constant switching frequency aids in maintaining desired power quality of AC mains current even at low motor speeds, and simplifies input filter design of the matrix converter, as compared to conventional hysteresis based DTC. Further, stator voltage estimation from sensed input voltage, and subsequent stator (and rotor) flux estimation is done. For speed sensorless operation, a Model Reference Adaptive System is used, which emulates the speed dependent rotor flux equations of the induction motor. The error between conventionally estimated rotor flux (reference model) and the rotor flux estimated through the adaptive observer is processed through PI controller to generate the rotor speed estimate.

Status of Electron Bernstein Wave (EBW) Research on NSTX and CDX-U

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, G.; Efthimion, P. C.; Jones, B. M.; Wilson, J. R.; Wilgen, J. B.; Bell, G. L.; Bigelow, T. S.; Rasmussen, D. A.; Ram, A. K.; Bers, A.; Harvey, R. W.

2002-11-01

Recent studies of EBWs, via mode conversion (MC) to X-mode electromagnetic radiation on the CDX-U and NSTX spherical torus (ST) plasmas, support the use of EBWs to measure the Te profile and allow local heating and current drive in ST plasmas. An in-vessel antenna with a local adjustable limiter has successfully controlled the density scale length at the MC layer in CDX-U increasing the MC by an order of magnitude to ˜ 100%. A similar technique on NSTX has so far increased MC efficiency fivefold to ˜ 50%. Both results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions. Experiments focused on achieving >= 80% MC on NSTX are planned for the coming year. Ray tracing and Fokker-Planck modeling support the design of a ˜ 1 MW EBW heating and current drive system for NSTX that will assist plasma startup, locally heat electrons, drive non-inductive current and may suppress tearing modes or other MHD that limit high β operation.

An Efficient Power Regeneration and Drive Method of an Induction Motor by Means of an Optimal Torque Derived by Variational Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inoue, Kaoru; Ogata, Kenji; Kato, Toshiji

When the motor speed is reduced by using a regenerative brake, the mechanical energy of rotation is converted to the electrical energy. When the regenerative torque is large, the corresponding current increases so that the copper loss also becomes large. On the other hand, the damping effect of rotation increases according to the time elapse when the regenerative torque is small. In order to use the limited energy effectively, an optimal regenerative torque should be discussed in order to regenerate electrical energy as much as possible. This paper proposes a design methodology of a regenerative torque for an induction motor to maximize the regenerative electric energy by means of the variational method. Similarly, an optimal torque for acceleration is derived in order to minimize the energy to drive. Finally, an efficient motor drive system with the proposed optimal torque and the power storage system stabilizing the DC link voltage will be proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed methods are illustrated by both simulations and experiments.

Method of correcting eddy current magnetic fields in particle accelerator vacuum chambers

DOEpatents

Danby, G.T.; Jackson, J.W.

1990-03-19

A method for correcting magnetic field aberrations produced by eddy currents induced in a particle accelerator vacuum chamber housing is provided wherein correction windings are attached to selected positions on the housing and the windings are energized by transformer action from secondary coils, which coils are inductively coupled to the poles of electro-magnets that are powered to confine the charged particle beam within a desired orbit as the charged particles are accelerated through the vacuum chamber by a particle-driving rf field. The power inductively coupled to the secondary coils varies as a function of variations in the power supplied by the particle-accelerating rf field to a beam of particles accelerated through the vacuum chamber, so the current in the energized correction coils is effective to cancel eddy current flux fields that would otherwise be induced in the vacuum chamber by power variations (dB/dt) in the particle beam.

Method of correcting eddy current magnetic fields in particle accelerator vacuum chambers

DOEpatents

Danby, Gordon T.; Jackson, John W.

1991-01-01

A method for correcting magnetic field aberrations produced by eddy currents induced in a particle accelerator vacuum chamber housing is provided wherein correction windings are attached to selected positions on the housing and the windings are energized by transformer action from secondary coils, which coils are inductively coupled to the poles of electro-magnets that are powered to confine the charged particle beam within a desired orbit as the charged particles are accelerated through the vacuum chamber by a particle-driving rf field. The power inductively coupled to the secondary coils varies as a function of variations in the power supplied by the particle-accelerating rf field to a beam of particles accelerated through the vacuum chamber, so the current in the energized correction coils is effective to cancel eddy current flux fields that would otherwise be induced in the vacuum chamber by power variations in the particle beam.

MRAS state estimator for speed sensorless ISFOC induction motor drives with Luenberger load torque estimation.

PubMed

Zorgani, Youssef Agrebi; Koubaa, Yassine; Boussak, Mohamed

2016-03-01

This paper presents a novel method for estimating the load torque of a sensorless indirect stator flux oriented controlled (ISFOC) induction motor drive based on the model reference adaptive system (MRAS) scheme. As a matter of fact, this method is meant to inter-connect a speed estimator with the load torque observer. For this purpose, a MRAS has been applied to estimate the rotor speed with tuned load torque in order to obtain a high performance ISFOC induction motor drive. The reference and adjustable models, developed in the stationary stator reference frame, are used in the MRAS scheme in an attempt to estimate the speed of the measured terminal voltages and currents. The load torque is estimated by means of a Luenberger observer defined throughout the mechanical equation. Every observer state matrix depends on the mechanical characteristics of the machine taking into account the vicious friction coefficient and inertia moment. Accordingly, some simulation results are presented to validate the proposed method and to highlight the influence of the variation of the inertia moment and the friction coefficient on the speed and the estimated load torque. The experimental results, concerning to the sensorless speed with a load torque estimation, are elaborated in order to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The complete sensorless ISFOC with load torque estimation is successfully implemented in real time using a digital signal processor board DSpace DS1104 for a laboratory 3 kW induction motor. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MTPA control of mechanical sensorless IPMSM based on adaptive nonlinear control.

PubMed

Najjar-Khodabakhsh, Abbas; Soltani, Jafar

2016-03-01

In this paper, an adaptive nonlinear control scheme has been proposed for implementing maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) control strategy corresponding to interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) drive. This control scheme is developed in the rotor d-q axis reference frame using adaptive input-output state feedback linearization (AIOFL) method. The drive system control stability is supported by Lyapunov theory. The motor inductances are online estimated by an estimation law obtained by AIOFL. The estimation errors of these parameters are proved to be asymptotically converged to zero. Based on minimizing the motor current amplitude, the MTPA control strategy is performed by using the nonlinear optimization technique while considering the online reference torque. The motor reference torque is generated by a conventional rotor speed PI controller. By performing MTPA control strategy, the generated online motor d-q reference currents were used in AIOFL controller to obtain the SV-PWM reference voltages and the online estimation of the motor d-q inductances. In addition, the stator resistance is online estimated using a conventional PI controller. Moreover, the rotor position is detected using the online estimation of the stator flux and online estimation of the motor q-axis inductance. Simulation and experimental results obtained prove the effectiveness and the capability of the proposed control method. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

External heating and current drive source requirements towards steady-state operation in ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poli, F. M.; Kessel, C. E.; Bonoli, P. T.; Batchelor, D. B.; Harvey, R. W.; Snyder, P. B.

2014-07-01

Steady state scenarios envisaged for ITER aim at optimizing the bootstrap current, while maintaining sufficient confinement and stability to provide the necessary fusion yield. Non-inductive scenarios will need to operate with internal transport barriers (ITBs) in order to reach adequate fusion gain at typical currents of 9 MA. However, the large pressure gradients associated with ITBs in regions of weak or negative magnetic shear can be conducive to ideal MHD instabilities, reducing the no-wall limit. The E × B flow shear from toroidal plasma rotation is expected to be low in ITER, with a major role in the ITB dynamics being played by magnetic geometry. Combinations of heating and current drive (H/CD) sources that sustain reversed magnetic shear profiles throughout the discharge are the focus of this work. Time-dependent transport simulations indicate that a combination of electron cyclotron (EC) and lower hybrid (LH) waves is a promising route towards steady state operation in ITER. The LH forms and sustains expanded barriers and the EC deposition at mid-radius freezes the bootstrap current profile stabilizing the barrier and leading to confinement levels 50% higher than typical H-mode energy confinement times. Using LH spectra with spectrum centred on parallel refractive index of 1.75-1.85, the performance of these plasma scenarios is close to the ITER target of 9 MA non-inductive current, global confinement gain H98 = 1.6 and fusion gain Q = 5.

Advances in the steady-state hybrid regime in DIII-D—a fully non-inductive, ELM-suppressed scenario for ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petty, C. C.; Nazikian, R.; Park, J. M.; Turco, F.; Chen, Xi; Cui, L.; Evans, T. E.; Ferraro, N. M.; Ferron, J. R.; Garofalo, A. M.; Grierson, B. A.; Holcomb, C. T.; Hyatt, A. W.; Kolemen, E.; La Haye, R. J.; Lasnier, C.; Logan, N.; Luce, T. C.; McKee, G. R.; Orlov, D.; Osborne, T. H.; Pace, D. C.; Paz-Soldan, C.; Petrie, T. W.; Snyder, P. B.; Solomon, W. M.; Taylor, N. Z.; Thome, K. E.; Van Zeeland, M. A.; Zhu, Y.

2017-11-01

The hybrid regime with beta, collisionality, safety factor and plasma shape relevant to the ITER steady-state mission has been successfully integrated with ELM suppression by applying an odd parity n  =  3 resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP). Fully non-inductive hybrids in the DIII-D tokamak with high beta (≤ft< β \\right>   ⩽  2.8%) and high confinement (H98y2  ⩽  1.4) in the ITER similar shape have achieved zero surface loop voltage for up to two current relaxation times using efficient central current drive from ECCD and NBCD. The n  =  3 RMP causes surprisingly little increase in thermal transport during ELM suppression. Poloidal magnetic flux pumping in hybrid plasmas maintains q above 1 without loss of current drive efficiency, except that experiments show that extremely peaked ECCD profiles can create sawteeth. During ECCD, Alfvén eigenmode (AE) activity is replaced by a more benign fishbone-like mode, reducing anomalous beam ion diffusion by a factor of 2. While the electron and ion thermal diffusivities substantially increase with higher ECCD power, the loss of confinement can be offset by the decreased fast ion transport resulting from AE suppression. Extrapolations from DIII-D along a dimensionless parameter scaling path as well as those using self-consistent theory-based modeling show that these ELM-suppressed, fully non-inductive hybrids can achieve the Q fus  =  5 ITER steady-state mission.

Optimization of the ITER electron cyclotron equatorial launcher for improved heating and current drive functional capabilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farina, D.; Figini, L.; Henderson, M.

2014-06-15

The design of the ITER Electron Cyclotron Heating and Current Drive (EC H and CD) system has evolved in the last years both in goals and functionalities by considering an expanded range of applications. A large effort has been devoted to a better integration of the equatorial and the upper launchers, both from the point of view of the performance and of the design impact on the engineering constraints. However, from the analysis of the ECCD performance in two references H-mode scenarios at burn (the inductive H-mode and the advanced non-inductive scenario), it was clear that the EC power depositionmore » was not optimal for steady-state applications in the plasma region around mid radius. An optimization study of the equatorial launcher is presented here aiming at removing this limitation of the EC system capabilities. Changing the steering of the equatorial launcher from toroidal to poloidal ensures EC power deposition out to the normalized toroidal radius ρ ≈ 0.6, and nearly doubles the EC driven current around mid radius, without significant performance degradation in the core plasma region. In addition to the improved performance, the proposed design change is able to relax some engineering design constraints on both launchers.« less

Long Pulse Operation on Tore-Supra: Towards Steady State

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moreau, P.; Bucalossi, J.; Brosset, C.

The experimental programme of Tore Supra is devoted to the study of technology and physics issues associated to long-duration high performance discharges. This new domain of operation requires simultaneously and in steady state: heat removal capability, particle exhaust, fully non-inductive current drive, advanced technology integration and real time plasma control. The long discharge allows for addressing new time scale physic such as the wall particle retention and erosion. Moreover, the physics of fully non-inductive discharges is full of novelty, namely: the MHD stability, the slow spontaneous oscillation of the central electron temperature or the outstanding inward particle pinch.

Research of energy characteristics of frequency-regulated electric drive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arsentiev, O. V.; Arsentiev, G. O.; Dunaev, M. P.

2018-03-01

The paper considers the urgency of the research problems of the inverter as a part of the frequency converter. Experimental studies on the influence of the nature of the load on the structure of the distribution of power consumption are used. The authors described virtual models, allowing for analysis of changes in the cardinality of the inverter-factor when using it on an active-inductive load. According to the results, there are research conclusions to determine the relationship between the current form in the DC- link constant voltage and the mode of operation of the induction motor.

Auto-magnetizing liners for magnetized inertial fusion

DOE PAGES

Slutz, S. A.; Jennings, C. A.; Awe, T. J.; ...

2017-01-20

Here, the MagLIF (Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion) concept has demonstrated fusion-relevant plasma conditions on the Z accelerator using external field coils to magnetize the fuel before compression. We present a novel concept (AutoMag), which uses a composite liner with helical conduction paths separated by insulating material to provide fuel magnetization from the early part of the drive current, which by design rises slowly enough to avoid electrical breakdown of the insulators. Once the magnetization field is established, the drive current rises more quickly, which causes the insulators to break down allowing the drive current to follow an axial path andmore » implode the liner in the conventional z-pinch manner. There are two important advantages to AutoMag over external field coils for the operation of MagLIF. Low inductance magnetically insulated power feeds can be used to increase the drive current, and AutoMag does not interfere with diagnostic access. Also, AutoMag enables a pathway to energy applications for MagLIF, since expensive field coils will not be damaged each shot. Finally, it should be possible to generate Field Reversed Configurations (FRC) by using both external field coils and AutoMag in opposite polarities. This would provide a means to studying FRC liner implosions on the 100 ns time scale.« less

Four quadrant control of induction motors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansen, Irving G.

1991-01-01

Induction motors are the nation's workhorse, being the motor of choice in most applications due to their simple rugged construction. It has been estimated that 14 to 27 percent of the country's total electricity use could be saved with adjustable speed drives. Until now, induction motors have not been suited well for variable speed or servo-drives, due to the inherent complexity, size, and inefficiency of their variable speed controls. Work at NASA Lewis Research Center on field oriented control of induction motors using pulse population modulation method holds the promise for the desired drive electronics. The system allows for a variable voltage to frequency ratio which enables the user to operate the motor at maximum efficiency, while having independent control of both the speed and torque of an induction motor in all four quadrants of the speed torque map. Multiple horsepower machine drives were demonstrated, and work is on-going to develop a 20 hp average, 40 hp peak class of machine. The pulse population technique, results to date, and projections for implementation of this existing new motor control technology are discussed.

Analysis, design, and testing of a low cost, direct force command linear proof mass actuator for structural control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slater, G. L.; Shelley, Stuart; Jacobson, Mark

1993-01-01

In this paper, the design, analysis, and test of a low cost, linear proof mass actuator for vibration control is presented. The actuator is based on a linear induction coil from a large computer disk drive. Such disk drives are readily available and provide the linear actuator, current feedback amplifier, and power supply for a highly effective, yet inexpensive, experimental laboratory actuator. The device is implemented as a force command input system, and the performance is virtually the same as other, more sophisticated, linear proof mass systems.

Optimization of parameters of special asynchronous electric drives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karandey, V. Yu; Popov, B. K.; Popova, O. B.; Afanasyev, V. L.

2018-03-01

The article considers the solution of the problem of parameters optimization of special asynchronous electric drives. The solution of the problem will allow one to project and create special asynchronous electric drives for various industries. The created types of electric drives will have optimum mass-dimensional and power parameters. It will allow one to realize and fulfill the set characteristics of management of technological processes with optimum level of expenses of electric energy, time of completing the process or other set parameters. The received decision allows one not only to solve a certain optimizing problem, but also to construct dependences between the optimized parameters of special asynchronous electric drives, for example, with the change of power, current in a winding of the stator or rotor, induction in a gap or steel of magnetic conductors and other parameters. On the constructed dependences, it is possible to choose necessary optimum values of parameters of special asynchronous electric drives and their components without carrying out repeated calculations.

Design of the Helicity Injected Torus with Steady Inductive Helicity Injection (HIT-SI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sieck, P. E.; Gu, P.; Hamp, W. T.; Izzo, V. A.; McCollam, K. J.; Jarboe, T. R.; Nelson, B. A.; Redd, A. J.; Rogers, J. A.; Shumlak, U.

2000-10-01

Steady Inductive Helicity Injection (SIHI) is an inductive current drive method that injects helicity at a nearly constant rate, without open field lines, and without removing any helicity or magnetic energy from the plasma(T.R. Jarboe, Fusion Technology 36), p. 85, 1999. SIHI directly produces a rotating magnetic field structure, and the current profile is nearly time independent in the frame of the rotating field. The Helicity Injected Torus with SIHI (HIT-SI) is a ``bow tie'' spheromak designed to implement SIHI so that the current profile in the rotating frame is optimized. SIHI is accomplished using two inductive helicity injectors that operate 90^o out of phase with each other. Each helicity injector is a 180^o segment of a ZT-P size (a ≈ 8cm, R ≈ 32cm) RFP. The presence of a spheromak equilibrium will be readily apparent on several diagnostics, including the surface magnetic probes. The design of HIT-SI is presented, including the manufacturing techniques and metallurgical processes being used in the construction of the one-meter diameter close-fitting flux conserver. Several small prototype tests have been performed to prove the vacuum seal and electrical insulation capabilities of the design, and a finite element stress analysis of the flux conserver will be presented.

Validation of extended magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the HIT-SI3 experiment using the NIMROD code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, K. D.; Jarboe, T. R.; Hossack, A. C.; Chandra, R. N.; Everson, C. J.

2017-12-01

The HIT-SI3 experiment uses a set of inductively driven helicity injectors to apply a non-axisymmetric current drive on the edge of the plasma, driving an axisymmetric spheromak equilibrium in a central confinement volume. These helicity injectors drive a non-axisymmetric perturbation that oscillates in time, with relative temporal phasing of the injectors modifying the mode structure of the applied perturbation. A set of three experimental discharges with different perturbation spectra are modelled using the NIMROD extended magnetohydrodynamics code, and comparisons are made to both magnetic and fluid measurements. These models successfully capture the bulk dynamics of both the perturbation and the equilibrium, though disagreements related to the pressure gradients experimentally measured exist.

Low-inductance switch and capacitor energy storage modules made of packages of industrial condensers IK50-3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bykov, Yu A.; Krastelev, E. G.; Sedin, A. A.; Feduschak, V. F.

2017-05-01

A low-inductance module of a high-current capacitive energy storage with an operating voltage of 40 kV is developed. The design of the module is based on the application of capacitive sections of the industrial condenser IK50-3. The module includes two capacitors of 0.35 μF each, one common low-jitter triggered gas switch and 2 groups of output cables of 4 from each capacitor. A bus bars topology developed for the switch and cables connections provides a small total inductance of the discharge circuit, for the module with the output cables KVIM of 0.5 m long, it is lower than 40 nH. The set of 10 modules is now used for driving the 20 stages linear transformer for a fast charging of the pulse forming line of the high-current nanosecond accelerator. A design of the module and the results of tests of a single module and a set of 10 are presented.

Rail Brake System Using a Linear Induction Motor for Dynamic Braking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakamoto, Yasuaki; Kashiwagi, Takayuki; Tanaka, Minoru; Hasegawa, Hitoshi; Sasakawa, Takashi; Fujii, Nobuo

One type of braking system for railway vehicles is the eddy current brake. Because this type of brake has the problem of rail heating, it has not been used for practical applications in Japan. Therefore, we proposed the use of a linear induction motor (LIM) for dynamic braking in eddy current brake systems. The LIM reduces rail heating and uses an inverter for self excitation. In this paper, we estimated the performance of an LIM from experimental results of a fundamental test machine and confirmed that the LIM generates an approximately constant braking force under constant current excitation. At relatively low frequencies, this braking force remains unaffected by frequency changes. The reduction ratio of rail heating is also approximately proportional to the frequency. We also confirmed that dynamic braking resulting in no electrical output can be used for drive control of the LIM. These characteristics are convenient for the realization of the LIM rail brake system.

Improvement in magnetic field immunity of externally-coupled transcutaneous energy transmission system for a totally implantable artificial heart.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Takahiko; Koshiji, Kohji; Homma, Akihiko; Tatsumi, Eisuke; Taenaka, Yoshiyuki

2008-01-01

Transcutaneous energy transmission (TET) that uses electromagnetic induction between the external and internal coils of a transformer is the most promising method to supply driving energy to a totally implantable artificial heart without invasion. Induction-heating (IH) cookers generate magnetic flux, and if a cooker is operated near a transcutaneous transformer, the magnetic flux generated will link with the external and internal coils of the transcutaneous transformer. This will affect the performance of the TET and the artificial heart system. Hence, it is necessary to improve the magnetic field immunity of the TET system. During operation of the system, if the transcutaneous transformer is in close proximity to an IH cooker, the electric power generated by the cooker and coupled to the transformer can drive the artificial heart system. To prevent this coupling, the external coil was shielded with a conductive shield that had a slit in it. This reduces the coupling between the transformer and the magnetic field generated by the induction cooker. However, the temperature of the shield increased due to heating by eddy currents. The temperature of the shield can be reduced by separating the IH cooker and the shield.

Novel Observer Scheme of Fuzzy-MRAS Sensorless Speed Control of Induction Motor Drive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chekroun, S.; Zerikat, M.; Mechernene, A.; Benharir, N.

2017-01-01

This paper presents a novel approach Fuzzy-MRAS conception for robust accurate tracking of induction motor drive operating in a high-performance drives environment. Of the different methods for sensorless control of induction motor drive the model reference adaptive system (MRAS) finds lot of attention due to its good performance. The analysis of the sensorless vector control system using MRAS is presented and the resistance parameters variations and speed observer using new Fuzzy Self-Tuning adaptive IP Controller is proposed. In fact, fuzzy logic is reminiscent of human thinking processes and natural language enabling decisions to be made based on vague information. The present approach helps to achieve a good dynamic response, disturbance rejection and low to plant parameter variations of the induction motor. In order to verify the performances of the proposed observer and control algorithms and to test behaviour of the controlled system, numerical simulation is achieved. Simulation results are presented and discussed to shown the validity and the performance of the proposed observer.

Integrated modeling of high βN steady state scenario on DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Park, Jin Myung; Ferron, J. R.; Holcomb, Christopher T.; ...

2018-01-10

Theory-based integrated modeling validated against DIII-D experiments predicts that fully non-inductive DIII-D operation with β N > 4.5 is possible with certain upgrades. IPS-FASTRAN is a new iterative numerical procedure that integrates models of core transport, edge pedestal, equilibrium, stability, heating, and current drive self-consistently to find steady-state ( d/dt = 0) solutions and reproduces most features of DIII-D high β N discharges with a stationary current profile. Projecting forward to scenarios possible on DIII-D with future upgrades, the high q min > 2 scenario achieves stable operation at β N as high as 5 by using a very broadmore » current density profile to improve the ideal-wall stabilization of low- n instabilities along with confinement enhancement from low magnetic shear. This modeling guides the necessary upgrades of the heating and current drive system to realize reactor-relevant high β N steady-state scenarios on DIII-D by simultaneous optimization of the current and pressure profiles.« less

Integrated modeling of high βN steady state scenario on DIII-D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, Jin Myung; Ferron, J. R.; Holcomb, Christopher T.

Theory-based integrated modeling validated against DIII-D experiments predicts that fully non-inductive DIII-D operation with β N > 4.5 is possible with certain upgrades. IPS-FASTRAN is a new iterative numerical procedure that integrates models of core transport, edge pedestal, equilibrium, stability, heating, and current drive self-consistently to find steady-state ( d/dt = 0) solutions and reproduces most features of DIII-D high β N discharges with a stationary current profile. Projecting forward to scenarios possible on DIII-D with future upgrades, the high q min > 2 scenario achieves stable operation at β N as high as 5 by using a very broadmore » current density profile to improve the ideal-wall stabilization of low- n instabilities along with confinement enhancement from low magnetic shear. This modeling guides the necessary upgrades of the heating and current drive system to realize reactor-relevant high β N steady-state scenarios on DIII-D by simultaneous optimization of the current and pressure profiles.« less

Integrated modeling of high βN steady state scenario on DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, J. M.; Ferron, J. R.; Holcomb, C. T.; Buttery, R. J.; Solomon, W. M.; Batchelor, D. B.; Elwasif, W.; Green, D. L.; Kim, K.; Meneghini, O.; Murakami, M.; Snyder, P. B.

2018-01-01

Theory-based integrated modeling validated against DIII-D experiments predicts that fully non-inductive DIII-D operation with βN > 4.5 is possible with certain upgrades. IPS-FASTRAN is a new iterative numerical procedure that integrates models of core transport, edge pedestal, equilibrium, stability, heating, and current drive self-consistently to find steady-state (d/dt = 0) solutions and reproduces most features of DIII-D high βN discharges with a stationary current profile. Projecting forward to scenarios possible on DIII-D with future upgrades, the high qmin > 2 scenario achieves stable operation at βN as high as 5 by using a very broad current density profile to improve the ideal-wall stabilization of low-n instabilities along with confinement enhancement from low magnetic shear. This modeling guides the necessary upgrades of the heating and current drive system to realize reactor-relevant high βN steady-state scenarios on DIII-D by simultaneous optimization of the current and pressure profiles.

Integrated Scenario Modeling of NSTX Advanced Plasma Configurations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kessel, Charles; Synakowski, Edward

2003-10-01

The Spherical Torus will provide an attractive fusion energy source if it can demonstrate the following major features: high elongation and triangularity, 100% non-inductive current with a credible path to high bootstrap fractions, non-solenoidal startup and current rampup, high beta with stabilization of RWM instabilities, and sufficiently high energy confinement. NSTX has specific experimental milestones to examine these features, and integrated scenario modeling is helping to understand how these configurations might be produced and what tools are needed to access this operating space. Simulations with the Tokamak Simulation Code (TSC), CURRAY, and JSOLVER/BALMSC/PEST2 have identified fully non-inductively sustained, high beta plasmas that rely on strong plasma shaping accomplished with a PF coil modification, off-axis current drive from Electron Bernstein Waves (EBW), flexible on-axis heating and CD from High Harmonic Fast Wave (HHFW) and Neutral Beam Injection (NBI), and density control. Ideal MHD stability shows that with wall stabilization through plasma rotation and/or RWM feedback coils, a beta of 40% is achievable, with 100% non-inductive current sustained for 4 current diffusion times. Experimental data and theory are combined to produce a best extrapolation to these regimes, which is continuously improved as the discharges approach these parameters, and theoretical/computational methods expand. Further investigations and development for integrated scenario modeling on NSTX is discussed.

About increasing informativity of diagnostic system of asynchronous electric motor by extracting additional information from values of consumed current parameter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhukovskiy, Y.; Korolev, N.; Koteleva, N.

2018-05-01

This article is devoted to expanding the possibilities of assessing the technical state of the current consumption of asynchronous electric drives, as well as increasing the information capacity of diagnostic methods, in conditions of limited access to equipment and incompleteness of information. The method of spectral analysis of the electric drive current can be supplemented by an analysis of the components of the current of the Park's vector. The research of the hodograph evolution in the moment of appearance and development of defects was carried out using the example of current asymmetry in the phases of an induction motor. The result of the study is the new diagnostic parameters of the asynchronous electric drive. During the research, it was proved that the proposed diagnostic parameters allow determining the type and level of the defect. At the same time, there is no need to stop the equipment and taky it out of service for repair. Modern digital control and monitoring systems can use the proposed parameters based on the stator current of an electrical machine to improve the accuracy and reliability of obtaining diagnostic patterns and predicting their changes in order to improve the equipment maintenance systems. This approach can also be used in systems and objects where there are significant parasitic vibrations and unsteady loads. The extraction of useful information can be carried out in electric drive systems in the structure of which there is a power electric converter.

Performance of dual inverter fed open end winding induction motor drive using carrier shift PWM techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Priya Darshini, B.; Ranjit, M.; Babu, V. Ramesh

2018-04-01

In this paper different Multicarrier PWM (MCPWM) techniques are proposed for dual inverter fed open end induction motor (IM) drive to achieve multilevel operation. To generate the switching pulses for the dual inverter sinusoidal modulating signal is compared with multi carrier signals. A common mode voltage (CMV) has been analyzed in the proposed open end winding induction motor drive. All the proposed techniques mitigate the CMV along with the harmonic distortion in the phase voltage. To authenticate the proposed work several simulation techniques have been carried out using MATLAB/SIMULINK and the corresponding results are presented and compared.

Increased Efficiency of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator through Optimization of NdFeB Magnet Arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khazdozian, Helena; Hadimani, Ravi; Jiles, David

2014-03-01

The United States is currently dependent on fossil fuels for the majority of its energy needs, which has many negative consequences such as climate change. Wind turbines present a viable alternative, with the highest energy return on investment among even fossil fuel generation. Traditional commercial wind turbines use an induction generator for energy conversion. However, induction generators require a gearbox to increase the rotational speed of the drive shaft. These gearboxes increase the overall cost of the wind turbine and account for about 35 percent of reported wind turbine failures. Direct drive permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs) offer an alternative to induction generators which eliminate the need for a gearbox. Yet, PMSGs can be more expensive than induction generators at large power output due to their size and weight. To increase the efficiency of PMSGs, the geometry and configuration of NdFeB permanent magnets were investigated using finite element techniques. The optimized design of the PMSG increases flux density and minimizes cogging torque with NdFeB permanent magnets of a reduced volume. These factors serve to increase the efficiency and reduce the overall cost of the PMSG. This work is supported by a National Science Foundation IGERT fellowship and the Barbara and James Palmer Endowment at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Iowa State University.

29. INDUCTION MOTOR (6600 VOLTS, 5750 H.P.) DRIVES THE 21INCH ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

29. INDUCTION MOTOR (6600 VOLTS, 5750 H.P.) DRIVES THE 21-INCH AND 18-INCH BILLET MILLS. MOTOR WAS MANUFACTURED BY THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK. - Corrigan, McKinney Steel Company, 3100 East Forty-fifth Street, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, OH

A New Type Hi-Speed BLDC Control System Base on Indirect Current Control Strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, D. P.; Wang, Y. C.; Zhang, F. G.; Jin, S.

2017-05-01

High speed BLDC has the characteristic as larger air gap smaller armature inductance, traditional PWM modulation will produce a great number of high frequency current harmonics which led problem like large torque ripple and serious motor heat. In the meantime traditional PWM modulation use the diode rectifier which cause harmonic pollution in electric power net. To solve the problem above, proposes a new motor controller topology. Using the IGBT device to replace the diode on frequency converter rectifier side, apply the power factor correction technology, reduce the pollution on the grid. Using busbar current modulation on the inverter, driving bridge-arm use 3-phase 6-state open as driving Mode, realize the control on a 10000r/min,10kw BLDC. The results of Simulation on matlab show the topological structure as proposed can effectively improve the network side power factor and reduce the motor armature winding harmonic and motor torque ripple.

Investigation of the electrical discharge parameters in electrodeless inductive lamps with a re-entrant coupler and magnetic core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Statnic, Eugen; Tanach, Valentin

2006-08-01

The inductively coupled fluorescent lamp with a cored induction coil placed in a re-entrant cavity is in fact a coaxial transformer operated in the radiofrequency range between 100 kHz and a few MHz. The magnetic coupling coefficient k between the primary coil and the plasma ring is relatively low because of the open magnetic circuit. The acting mutual inductance M enables us to quantify the interaction between the magnetic field produced by the primary coil current I1 and the opposing magnetic field produced by the powerful plasma current I2. A contra-electromotive force jωMI2 is induced in the induction coil L1, defining the primary voltage V1 = I1(R1 + jω L1) - jωMI2. The current I1 induces in the secondary conductive plasma the driving electromotive force jωMI1 supplying the secondary load consisting of the average plasma resistance R2 and the secondary inductance L2, according to the equation jωMI2 = I2(R2 + jωL2). It is the aim of this paper to find a model to determine k on the basis of the measured primary parameters V1, I1, P1, L1, R1 and finally all electrical inaccessible parameters, such as M, V2, I2, phiv2, L2, R2, in order to optimize the discharge and lamp efficacy. The complex characteristic of plasma inductance for this type of lamp is analysed and clarified. Some reflexive basic relations verifying the correctness of the inferred plasma parameters are also developed. The described experiments are related to a lamp working at about 2.6 MHz.

NIMROD Simulations of the HIT-SI and HIT-SI3 Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, Kyle; Jarboe, Tom; Hossack, Aaron; Chandra, Rian; Everson, Chris

2017-10-01

The Helicity Injected Torus with Steady Inductive helicity injection (HIT-SI) experiment uses a set of inductively driven helicity injectors to apply non-axisymmetric current drive on the edge of the plasma, driving an axisymmetric spheromak equilibrium in a central confinement volume. Significant improvements have been made to extended MHD modeling of HIT-SI, with both the resolution of disagreement at high injector frequencies in HIT-SI in addition to successes with the new upgraded HIT-SI3 device. Previous numerical studies of HIT-SI, using a zero-beta eMHD model, focused on operations with a drive frequency of 14.5 kHz, and found reduced agreement with both the magnetic profile and current amplification at higher frequencies (30-70 kHz). HIT-SI3 has three helicity injectors which are able to operate with different mode structures of perturbations through the different relative temporal phasing of the injectors. Simulations that allow for pressure gradients have been performed in the parameter regimes of both devices using the NIMROD code and show improved agreement with experimental results, most notably capturing the observed Shafranov-shift due to increased beta observed at higher finj in HIT-SI and the variety of toroidal perturbation spectra available in HIT-SI3. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences under Award Number DE-FG02- 96ER54361.

Non-inductively driven tokamak plasmas at near-unity βt in the Pegasus toroidal experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reusch, J. A.; Bodner, G. M.; Bongard, M. W.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Pachicano, J. L.; Perry, J. M.; Pierren, C.; Rhodes, A. T.; Richner, N. J.; Rodriguez Sanchez, C.; Schlossberg, D. J.; Weberski, J. D.

2018-05-01

A major goal of the spherical tokamak (ST) research program is accessing a state of low internal inductance ℓi, high elongation κ, and high toroidal and normalized beta ( βt and βN) without solenoidal current drive. Local helicity injection (LHI) in the Pegasus ST [Garstka et al., Nucl. Fusion 46, S603 (2006)] provides non-solenoidally driven plasmas that exhibit these characteristics. LHI utilizes compact, edge-localized current sources for plasma startup and sustainment. It results in hollow current density profiles with low ℓi. The low aspect ratio ( R0/a ˜1.2 ) of Pegasus allows access to high κ and high normalized plasma currents ( IN=Ip/a BT>14 ). Magnetic reconnection during LHI provides auxiliary ion heating. Together, these features provide access to very high βt plasmas. Equilibrium analyses indicate that βt up to ˜100% is achieved. These high βt discharges disrupt at the ideal no-wall β limit at βN˜7.

A Preliminary Cost Study of the Dual Mode Inverter Controller

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McKeever, J.W.

2005-01-28

In 1998, the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Center (PEEMRC) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) started a program to investigate alternate field weakening schemes for permanent magnet (PM) motors. The adjective ''alternate'' was used because at that time, outside research emphasis was on motors with interior-mounted PMs (IPMs). The PEEMRC emphasis was placed on motors with surface-mounted PMs (SPMs) because of the relative ease of manufacturing SPM motors compared with the IPM motors. Today the PEEMRC is continuing research on SPMs while examining the IPMs that have been developed by industry. Out of this task--the goal ofmore » which was to find ways to drive PM motors that inherently have low inductance at high speeds where their back-emf exceeds the supply voltage--ORNL developed and demonstrated the dual mode inverter control (DMIC) [1,2] method of field weakening for SPM motors. The predecessor of DMIC is conventional phase advance (CPA), which was developed by UQM Technologies, Inc. [3]. Fig. 1 shows the three sets of anti-parallel thyristors in the dashed box that comprise the DMIC. If one removes the dashed box by shorting each set of anti-parallel thyristors, the configuration becomes a conventional full bridge inverter on the left driving a three phase motor on the right. CPA may be used to drive this configuration ORNL's initial analyses of CPA and DMIC were based on driving motors with trapezoidal back-emfs [4-6], obtained using double layer lapped stator windings with one slot per pole per phase. A PM motor with a sinusoidal back-emf obtained with two poles per slot per phase has been analyzed under DMIC operation as a University of Tennessee-Knoxville (UTK) doctoral dissertation [7]. In the process of this research, ORNL has completed an analysis that explains and quantifies the role of inductance in these methods of control. The Appendix includes information on the equations for the three components of phase inductance, L{sub gap}, L{sub slot}, and L{sub endturns}. PM motors inherently have a lower inductance because of the increase in effective air gap caused by the magnet, which is in the denominator of the equation for L{sub gap}. L{sub gap} accounts for about half of the phase inductance. Because of the low inductance, there is a propensity for currents to exceed the motor's rated value. DMIC solves this problem for low-inductance PM motors and, in addition, provides a number of safety features that protect against uncontrolled generator mode operation [8,9]; however, the DMIC topology adds a pair of anti-parallel thyristors in each of the three phases, thereby introducing additional silicon costs as well as additional voltage drops during operation. It poses the tradeoff question; under what conditions can the beneficial features of DMIC offset its additional silicon cost and voltage drop losses? The purpose of this report is to address the tradeoff question. Sections of the report will: (1) review the role of self-inductance in performance and control of PM motors, (2) discuss the bounding inductances for motors with trapezoidal back-emfs under CPA control, (3) discuss the bounding inductances for trapezoidal back-emfs under DMIC, (4) discuss the bounding inductances for the PM synchronous motor (PMSM), (5) present the analysis showing how DMIC minimizes current in PMSMs, (6) present the results of a cost study conducted for two motors driven using a CPA inverter and for two motors driven using DMIC, (7) discuss estimating life cycle cost benefits, and (8) present conclusions.« less

Variable frequency inverter for ac induction motors with torque, speed and braking control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nola, F. J. (Inventor)

1975-01-01

A variable frequency inverter was designed for driving an ac induction motor which varies the frequency and voltage to the motor windings in response to varying torque requirements for the motor so that the applied voltage amplitude and frequency are of optimal value for any motor load and speed requirement. The slip frequency of the motor is caused to vary proportionally to the torque and feedback is provided so that the most efficient operating voltage is applied to the motor. Winding current surge is limited and a controlled negative slip causes motor braking and return of load energy to a dc power source.

Current distribution in tissues with conducted electrical weapons operated in drive-stun mode.

PubMed

Panescu, Dorin; Kroll, Mark W; Brave, Michael

2016-08-01

The TASER® conducted electrical weapon (CEW) is best known for delivering electrical pulses that can temporarily incapacitate subjects by overriding normal motor control. The alternative drive-stun mode is less understood and the goal of this paper is to analyze the distribution of currents in tissues when the CEW is operated in this mode. Finite element modeling (FEM) was used to approximate current density in tissues with boundary electrical sources placed 40 mm apart. This separation was equivalent to the distance between drive-stun mode TASER X26™, X26P, X2 CEW electrodes located on the device itself and between those located on the expended CEW cartridge. The FEMs estimated the amount of current flowing through various body tissues located underneath the electrodes. The FEM simulated the attenuating effects of both a thin and of a normal layer of fat. The resulting current density distributions were used to compute the residual amount of current flowing through deeper layers of tissue. Numerical modeling estimated that the skin, fat and skeletal muscle layers passed at least 86% or 91% of total CEW current, assuming a thin or normal fat layer thickness, respectively. The current density and electric field strength only exceeded thresholds which have increased probability for ventricular fibrillation (VFTJ), or for cardiac capture (CCTE), in the skin and the subdermal fat layers. The fat layer provided significant attenuation of drive-stun CEW currents. Beyond the skeletal muscle layer, only fractional amounts of the total CEW current were estimated to flow. The regions presenting risk for VF induction or for cardiac capture were well away from the typical heart depth.

Evaluation of half wave induction motor drive for use in passenger vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoft, R. G.; Kawamura, A.; Goodarzi, A.; Yang, G. Q.; Erickson, C. L.

1985-01-01

Research performed at the University of Missouri-Columbia to devise and design a lower cost inverter induction motor drive for electrical propulsion of passenger vehicles is described. A two phase inverter motor system is recommended. The new design is predicted to provide comparable vehicle performance, improved reliability and a cost advantage for a high production vehicle, decreased total rating of the power semiconductor switches, and a somewhat simpler control hardware compared to the conventional three phase bridge inverter motor drive system. The major disadvantages of the two phase inverter motor drive are that it is larger and more expensive than a three phase machine, the design of snubbers for the power leakage inductances produce higher transient voltages, and the torque pulsations are relatively large because of the necessity to limit the inverter switching frequency to achieve high efficiency.

Using AORSA to simulate helicon waves in DIIID and ITER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lau, Cornwall H; Jaeger, E. F.; Berry, Lee Alan

2014-01-01

Recent efforts by Vdovin [1] and Prater [2] have shown that helicon waves (fast waves at ~30 ion cyclotron frequency harmonic) may be an attractive option for driving efficient off-axis current drive during non-inductive tokamak operation for DIIID, ITER and DEMO. For DIIID scenarios, the ray tracing code GENRAY has been extensively used to study helicon current drive efficiency and location as a function many plasma parameters. has some limitations on absorption at high cyclotron harmonics, so the full wave code AORSA, which is applicable to arbitrary Larmor radius and can therefore resolve high ion cyclotron harmonics, has been recentlymore » used to validate the GENRAY model. It will be shown that the GENRAY and AORSA driven current drive profiles are comparable for the envisioned high temperature and density advanced scenarios for DIIID, where there is high single pass absorption due to electron Landau damping. AORSA results will be shown for various plasma parameters for DIIID and for ITER. Computational difficulties in achieving these AORSA results will also be discussed. * Work supported by USDOE Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 [1] V. L. Vdovin, Plasma Physics Reports, V.39, No.2, 2013 [2] R. Prater et al, Nucl. Fusion, 52, 083024, 2014« less

Demonstration of plasma start-up by Coaxial Helicity Injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raman, Roger

2003-10-01

Experimental results on the first successful transfer of a Coaxial-Helicity-Injection- (CHI)-produced discharge to inductive operation are reported. CHI assisted plasma start-up is more robust than inductive-only operation and reduces volt-seconds consumption. After hand-off for inductive operation, the initial 100 kA of CHI-produced current drops to 44 kA, then ramps up to 180 kA, using only 30 mVs, more than 30induction alone. Coupling a CHI-produced discharge to induction from a pre-charged central solenoid has produced record plasma currents of 265kA in HIT-II. CHI discharges can also be generated while the central transformer is in the process of being pre-charged, during which period it induces a negative loop voltage on the CHI discharge. Such capability is believed to be important for a short pulse burning plasma experiment that could contain a solenoid. In the latest results, which improve upon the earlier work (Raman et. al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 90, (2003) 075005-1), no transient coil currents are necessary for the CHI produced closed flux generation. This is particularly important for a reactor in which the poloidal field coils would be located outside blanket structures. Three important results are reported. First, CHI is shown to produce closed flux plasma. Second, it is shown that electrode-based CHI plasmas can be sufficiently clean for fusion research purposes. Finally, it is shown that CHI discharges, in addition to generating useful startup current, improve the performance of inductive discharges. This work was motivated by earlier experiments on HIT-II and NSTX that showed coupling of the inductive drive to the external CHI power supply circuit, instead of to the main plasma discharge. These important results were obtained on the HIT-II spherical torus experiment (R/a of 0.3/0.2m, elongation of 1.5).

Anomalous Ion Heating, Intrinsic and Induced Rotation in the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burke, M. G.; Barr, J. L.; Bongard, M. W.; Fonck, R. J.; Hinson, E. T.; Perry, J. M.; Redd, A. J.; Thome, K. E.

2014-10-01

Pegasus plasmas are initiated through either standard, MHD stable, inductive current drive or non-solenoidal local helicity injection (LHI) current drive with strong reconnection activity, providing a rich environment to study ion dynamics. During LHI discharges, a large amount of anomalous impurity ion heating has been observed, with Ti ~ 800 eV but Te < 100 eV. The ion heating is hypothesized to be a result of large-scale magnetic reconnection activity, as the amount of heating scales with increasing fluctuation amplitude of the dominant, edge localized, n = 1 MHD mode. Chordal Ti spatial profiles indicate centrally peaked temperatures, suggesting a region of good confinement near the plasma core surrounded by a stochastic region. LHI plasmas are observed to rotate, perhaps due to an inward radial current generated by the stochastization of the plasma edge by the injected current streams. H-mode plasmas are initiated using a combination of high-field side fueling and Ohmic current drive. This regime shows a significant increase in rotation shear compared to L-mode plasmas. In addition, these plasmas have been observed to rotate in the counter-Ip direction without any external momentum sources. The intrinsic rotation direction is consistent with predictions from the saturated Ohmic confinement regime. Work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

Eddy current imaging with an atomic radio-frequency magnetometer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wickenbrock, Arne, E-mail: wickenbr@uni-mainz.de; Leefer, Nathan; Blanchard, John W.

2016-05-02

We use a radio-frequency {sup 85}Rb alkali-vapor cell magnetometer based on a paraffin-coated cell with long spin-coherence time and a small, low-inductance driving coil to create highly resolved conductivity maps of different objects. We resolve sub-mm features in conductive objects, we characterize the frequency response of our technique, and by operating at frequencies up to 250 kHz we are able to discriminate between differently conductive materials based on the induced response. The method is suited to cover a wide range of driving frequencies and can potentially be used for detecting non-metallic objects with low DC conductivity.

Using multi-scale entropy and principal component analysis to monitor gears degradation via the motor current signature analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aouabdi, Salim; Taibi, Mahmoud; Bouras, Slimane; Boutasseta, Nadir

2017-06-01

This paper describes an approach for identifying localized gear tooth defects, such as pitting, using phase currents measured from an induction machine driving the gearbox. A new tool of anomaly detection based on multi-scale entropy (MSE) algorithm SampEn which allows correlations in signals to be identified over multiple time scales. The motor current signature analysis (MCSA) in conjunction with principal component analysis (PCA) and the comparison of observed values with those predicted from a model built using nominally healthy data. The Simulation results show that the proposed method is able to detect gear tooth pitting in current signals.

PV Array Driven Adjustable Speed Drive for a Lunar Base Heat Pump

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Domijan, Alexander, Jr.; Buchh, Tariq Aslam

1995-01-01

A study of various aspects of Adjustable Speed Drives (ASD) is presented. A summary of the relative merits of different ASD systems presently in vogue is discussed. The advantages of using microcomputer based ASDs is now widely understood and accepted. Of the three most popular drive systems, namely the Induction Motor Drive, Switched Reluctance Motor Drive and Brushless DC Motor Drive, any one may be chosen. The choice would depend on the nature of the application and its requirements. The suitability of the above mentioned drive systems for a photovoltaic array driven ASD for an aerospace application are discussed. The discussion is based on the experience of the authors, various researchers and industry. In chapter 2 a PV array power supply scheme has been proposed, this scheme will have an enhanced reliability in addition to the other known advantages of the case where a stand alone PV array is feeding the heat pump. In chapter 3 the results of computer simulation of PV array driven induction motor drive system have been included. A discussion on these preliminary simulation results have also been included in this chapter. Chapter 4 includes a brief discussion on various control techniques for three phase induction motors. A discussion on different power devices and their various performance characteristics is given in Chapter 5.

NIMROD simulations of HIT-SI plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akcay, Cihan; Jarboe, Thomas; Nelson, Brian; Kim, Charlson

2011-10-01

HIT-SI (Steady Inductive Helicity Injected Torus) is a current drive experiment that uses two semi-toroidal helicity injectors driven at 5-15 kHz to generate steady inductive helicity injection (SIHI). All the plasma-facing walls of the experiment are coated with an insulating material to guarantee an inductive discharge. NIMROD is a 3-D extended MHD code that can only model toroidally-uniform geometries. The helicity injectors of the experiment are simulated as flux and voltage boundary conditions with odd toroidal symmetry. A highly resistive, thin edge-layer approximates the insulating walls. The simulations are initial-value calculations that use a zero β resistive MHD (rMHD) model with uniform density. The Prandtl number (Pr = 10), and Lundquist number (S = 5 - 50) closely match the experimental values. rMHD calculations at S ~ 10 show no growth of an n = 0 mode and only a few kA of toroidal current whereas HIT-SI has demonstrated toroidal currents greater than 50 kA with a current amplification of 3. At higher S (>= 20) the simulations exhibit significant n = 0 magnetic energy growth and a current amplification exceeding unity: Itor/Iinj >= 1 . While HIT-SI has shown evidence for separatrix formation, rMHD calculations indicate an entirely stochastic magnetic structure during sustainment. Results will also presented for Hall MHD, anticipated to play a crucial role in the physics of SIHI.

Current drive for stability of thermonuclear plasma reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amicucci, L.; Cardinali, A.; Castaldo, C.; Cesario, R.; Galli, A.; Panaccione, L.; Paoletti, F.; Schettini, G.; Spigler, R.; Tuccillo, A.

2016-01-01

To produce in a thermonuclear fusion reactor based on the tokamak concept a sufficiently high fusion gain together stability necessary for operations represent a major challenge, which depends on the capability of driving non-inductive current in the hydrogen plasma. This request should be satisfied by radio-frequency (RF) power suitable for producing the lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) effect, recently demonstrated successfully occurring also at reactor-graded high plasma densities. An LHCD-based tool should be in principle capable of tailoring the plasma current density in the outer radial half of plasma column, where other methods are much less effective, in order to ensure operations in the presence of unpredictably changes of the plasma pressure profiles. In the presence of too high electron temperatures even at the periphery of the plasma column, as envisaged in DEMO reactor, the penetration of the coupled RF power into the plasma core was believed for long time problematic and, only recently, numerical modelling results based on standard plasma wave theory, have shown that this problem should be solved by using suitable parameter of the antenna power spectrum. We show here further information on the new understanding of the RF power deposition profile dependence on antenna parameters, which supports the conclusion that current can be actively driven over a broad layer of the outer radial half of plasma column, thus enabling current profile control necessary for the stability of a reactor.

Reexamination of Induction Heating of Primitive Bodies in Protoplanetary Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menzel, Raymond L.; Roberge, Wayne G.

2013-10-01

We reexamine the unipolar induction mechanism for heating asteroids originally proposed in a classic series of papers by Sonett and collaborators. As originally conceived, induction heating is caused by the "motional electric field" that appears in the frame of an asteroid immersed in a fully ionized, magnetized solar wind and drives currents through its interior. However, we point out that classical induction heating contains a subtle conceptual error, in consequence of which the electric field inside the asteroid was calculated incorrectly. The problem is that the motional electric field used by Sonett et al. is the electric field in the freely streaming plasma far from the asteroid; in fact, the motional field vanishes at the asteroid surface for realistic assumptions about the plasma density. In this paper we revisit and improve the induction heating scenario by (1) correcting the conceptual error by self-consistently calculating the electric field in and around the boundary layer at the asteroid-plasma interface; (2) considering weakly ionized plasmas consistent with current ideas about protoplanetary disks; and (3) considering more realistic scenarios that do not require a fully ionized, powerful T Tauri wind in the disk midplane. We present exemplary solutions for two highly idealized flows that show that the interior electric field can either vanish or be comparable to the fields predicted by classical induction depending on the flow geometry. We term the heating driven by these flows "electrodynamic heating," calculate its upper limits, and compare them to heating produced by short-lived radionuclides.

Design of an RF System for Electron Bernstein Wave Studies in MST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kauffold, J. X.; Seltzman, A. H.; Anderson, J. K.; Nonn, P. D.; Forest, C. B.

2010-11-01

Motivated by the possibility of current profile control a 5.5GHz RF system for EBW is being developed. The central component is a standard radar Klystron with 1.2MW peak power and 4μs typical pulse length. Meaningful experiments require RF pulse lengths similar to the characteristic electron confinement times in MST necessitating the creation of a power supply providing 80kV at 40A for 10ms. A low inductance IGBT network switches power at 20kHz from an electrolytic capacitor bank into the primary of a three-phase resonant transformer system that is then rectified and filtered. The system uses three magnetically separate transformers with microcrystalline iron cores to provide suitable volt-seconds and low hysteresis losses. Each phase has a secondary with a large leakage inductance and a parallel capacitor providing a boost ratio greater than 60:1 with a physical turns ratio of 13.5:1. A microprocessor feedback control system varies the drive frequency around resonance to regulate the boost ratio and provide a stable output as the storage bank discharges. The completed system will deliver RF to the plasma boundary where coupling to the Bernstein mode and subsequent heating and current drive can occur.

Smart Sensor for Online Detection of Multiple-Combined Faults in VSD-Fed Induction Motors

PubMed Central

Garcia-Ramirez, Armando G.; Osornio-Rios, Roque A.; Granados-Lieberman, David; Garcia-Perez, Arturo; Romero-Troncoso, Rene J.

2012-01-01

Induction motors fed through variable speed drives (VSD) are widely used in different industrial processes. Nowadays, the industry demands the integration of smart sensors to improve the fault detection in order to reduce cost, maintenance and power consumption. Induction motors can develop one or more faults at the same time that can be produce severe damages. The combined fault identification in induction motors is a demanding task, but it has been rarely considered in spite of being a common situation, because it is difficult to identify two or more faults simultaneously. This work presents a smart sensor for online detection of simple and multiple-combined faults in induction motors fed through a VSD in a wide frequency range covering low frequencies from 3 Hz and high frequencies up to 60 Hz based on a primary sensor being a commercially available current clamp or a hall-effect sensor. The proposed smart sensor implements a methodology based on the fast Fourier transform (FFT), RMS calculation and artificial neural networks (ANN), which are processed online using digital hardware signal processing based on field programmable gate array (FPGA).

Superconducting nanowires as nonlinear inductive elements for qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ku, Jaseung; Manucharyan, Vladimir; Bezryadin, Alexey

2010-10-01

We report microwave transmission measurements of superconducting Fabry-Perot resonators, having a superconducting nanowire placed at a supercurrent antinode. As the plasma oscillation is excited, the supercurrent is forced to flow through the nanowire. The microwave transmission of the resonator-nanowire device shows a nonlinear resonance behavior, significantly dependent on the amplitude of the supercurrent oscillation. We show that such amplitude-dependent response is due to the nonlinearity of the current-phase relationship of the nanowire. The results are explained within a nonlinear oscillator model of the Duffing oscillator, in which the nanowire acts as a purely inductive element, in the limit of low temperatures and low amplitudes. The low-quality factor sample exhibits a “crater” at the resonance peak at higher driving power, which is due to dissipation. We observe a hysteretic bifurcation behavior of the transmission response to frequency sweep in a sample with a higher quality factor. The Duffing model is used to explain the Duffing bistability diagram. We also propose a concept of a nanowire-based qubit that relies on the current dependence of the kinetic inductance of a superconducting nanowire.

System and component design and test of a 10 hp, 18,000 rpm AC dynamometer utilizing a high frequency AC voltage link, part 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lipo, Thomas A.; Alan, Irfan

1991-01-01

Hard and soft switching test results conducted with one of the samples of first generation MOS-controlled thyristor (MCTs) and similar test results with several different samples of second generation MCT's are reported. A simple chopper circuit is used to investigate the basic switching characteristics of MCT under hard switching and various types of resonant circuits are used to determine soft switching characteristics of MCT under both zero voltage and zero current switching. Next, operation principles of a pulse density modulated converter (PDMC) for three phase (3F) to 3F two-step power conversion via parallel resonant high frequency (HF) AC link are reviewed. The details for the selection of power switches and other power components required for the construction of the power circuit for the second generation 3F to 3F converter system are discussed. The problems encountered in the first generation system are considered. Design and performance of the first generation 3F to 3F power converter system and field oriented induction moter drive based upon a 3 kVA, 20 kHz parallel resonant HF AC link are described. Low harmonic current at the input and output, unity power factor operation of input, and bidirectional flow capability of the system are shown via both computer and experimental results. The work completed on the construction and testing of the second generation converter and field oriented induction motor drive based upon specifications for a 10 hp squirrel cage dynamometer and a 20 kHz parallel resonant HF AC link is discussed. The induction machine is designed to deliver 10 hp or 7.46 kW when operated as an AC-dynamo with power fed back to the source through the converter. Results presented reveal that the proposed power level requires additional energy storage elements to overcome difficulties with a peak link voltage variation problem that limits reaching to the desired power level. The power level test of the second generation converter after the addition of extra energy storage elements to the HF link are described. The importance of the source voltage level to achieve a better current regulation for the source side PDMC is also briefly discussed. The power levels achieved in the motoring mode of operation show that the proposed power levels achieved in the generating mode of operation can also be easily achieved provided that no mechanical speed limitation were present to drive the induction machine at the proposed power level.

The contribution of inductive electric fields to particle energization in the inner magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilie, R.; Toth, G.; Liemohn, M. W.; Chan, A. A.

2017-12-01

Assessing the relative contribution of potential versus inductive electric fields at the energization of the hot ion population in the inner magnetosphere is only possible by thorough examination of the time varying magnetic field and current systems using global modeling of the entire system. We present here a method to calculate the inductive and potential components of electric field in the entire magnetosphere region. This method is based on the Helmholtz vector decomposition of the motional electric field as calculated by the BATS-R-US model, and is subject to boundary conditions. This approach removes the need to trace independent field lines and lifts the assumption that the magnetic field lines can be treated as frozen in a stationary ionosphere. In order to quantify the relative contributions of potential and inductive electric fields at driving plasma sheet ions into the inner magnetosphere, we apply this method for the March 17th, 2013 geomagnetic storm. We present here the consequences of slow continuous changes in the geomagnetic field as well as the strong tail dipolarizations on the distortion of the near-Earth magnetic field and current systems. Our findings indicate that the inductive component of the electric field is comparable, and even higher at times than the potential component, suggesting that the electric field induced by the time varying magnetic field plays a crucial role in the overall particle energization in the inner magnetosphere.

Lower hybrid current drive in experiments for transport barriers at high βN of JET (Joint European Torus)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cesario, R. C.; Castaldo, C.; Fonseca, A.; De Angelis, R.; Parail, V.; Smeulders, P.; Beurskens, M.; Brix, M.; Calabrò, G.; De Vries, P.; Mailloux, J.; Pericoli, V.; Ravera, G.; Zagorski, R.

2007-09-01

LHCD has been used in JET experiments aimed at producing internal transport barriers (ITBs) in highly triangular plasmas (δ≈0.4) at high βN (up to 3) for steady-state application. The LHCD is a potentially valuable tool for (i) modifying the target q-profile, which can help avoid deleterious MHD modes and favour the formation of ITBs, and (ii) contributing to the non-inductive current drive required to prolong such plasma regimes. The q-profile evolution has been simulated during the current ramp-up phase for such a discharge (B0 = 2.3 T, IP = 1.5 MA) where 2 MW of LHCD has been coupled. The JETTO code was used taking measured plasma profiles, and the LHCD profile modeled by the LHstar code. The results are in agreement with MSE measurements and indicate the importance of the elevated electron temperature due to LHCD, as well as the driven current. During main heating with 18 MW of NBI and 3 MW of ICRH the bootstrap current density at the edge also becomes large, consistently with the observed reduction of the local turbulence and of the MHD activity. JETTO modelling suggests that the bootstrap current can reduce the magnetic shear (sh) at large radius, potentially affecting the MHD stability and turbulence behaviour in this region. Keywords: lower hybrid current drive (LHCD), bootstrap current, q (safety factor) and shear (sh) profile evolutions.

High frequency inductive lamp and power oscillator

DOEpatents

MacLennan, Donald A.; Dymond, Jr., Lauren E.; Gitsevich, Aleksandr; Grimm, William G.; Kipling, Kent; Kirkpatrick, Douglas A.; Ola, Samuel A.; Simpson, James E.; Trimble, William C.; Tsai, Peter; Turner, Brian P.

2001-01-01

A high frequency inductively coupled electrodeless lamp includes an excitation coil with an effective electrical length which is less than one half wavelength of a driving frequency applied thereto, preferably much less. The driving frequency may be greater than 100 MHz and is preferably as high as 915 MHz. Preferably, the excitation coil is configured as a non-helical, semi-cylindrical conductive surface having less than one turn, in the general shape of a wedding ring. At high frequencies, the current in the coil forms two loops which are spaced apart and parallel to each other. Configured appropriately, the coil approximates a Helmholtz configuration. The lamp preferably utilizes an bulb encased in a reflective ceramic cup with a pre-formed aperture defined therethrough. The ceramic cup may include structural features to aid in alignment and I or a flanged face to aid in thermal management. The lamp head is preferably an integrated lamp head comprising a metal matrix composite surrounding an insulating ceramic with the excitation integrally formed on the ceramic. A novel solid-state oscillator preferably provides RF power to the lamp. The oscillator is a single active element device capable of providing over 70 watts of power at over 70% efficiency. Various control circuits may be employed to adjust the driving frequency of the oscillator.

Apparatus for and method of operating a cylindrical pulsed induction mass launcher

DOEpatents

Cowan, M. Jr.; Duggin, B.W.; Widner, M.M.

1992-06-30

An electromagnetic cylindrical projectile mass launcher and a method of operation is provided which includes a cylindrical projectile having a conducting armature, a cylindrical barrel in which the armature is received, a plurality of electromagnetic drive coil stages, a plurality of pulse energy sources, and a pulsed power arrangement for generating magnetic pulses forming a pulsed magnetic wave along the length of the launcher barrel. The pulsed magnetic wave provides a propelling force on the projectile along the drive coil. The pulsed magnetic wave of the drive coil stages is advanced along the armature faster than the projectile to thereby generate an induced current wave in the armature. The pulsed generation of the magnetic wave minimizes electromagnetic heating of the projectile and provides for smooth acceleration of the projectile through the barrel of the launcher. 2 figs.

Apparatus for and method of operating a cylindrical pulsed induction mass launcher

DOEpatents

Cowan, Jr., Maynard; Duggin, Billy W.; Widner, Melvin M.

1992-01-01

An electromagnetic cylindrical projectile mass launcher and a method of operation is provided which includes a cylindrical projectile having a conducting armature, a cylindrical barrel in which the armature is received, a plurality of electromagnetic drive coil stages, a plurality of pulse energy sources, and a pulsed power arrangement for generating magnetic pulses forming a pulsed magnetic wave along the length of the launcher barrel. The pulsed magnetic wave provides a propelling force on the projectile along the drive coil. The pulsed magnetic wave of the drive coil stages is advanced along the armature faster than the projectile to thereby generate an induced current wave in the armature. The pulsed generation of the magnetic wave minimizes electromagnetic heating of the projectile and provides for smooth acceleration of the projectile through the barrel of the launcher.

Induction motor broken rotor bar fault location detection through envelope analysis of start-up current using Hilbert transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abd-el-Malek, Mina; Abdelsalam, Ahmed K.; Hassan, Ola E.

2017-09-01

Robustness, low running cost and reduced maintenance lead Induction Motors (IMs) to pioneerly penetrate the industrial drive system fields. Broken rotor bars (BRBs) can be considered as an important fault that needs to be early assessed to minimize the maintenance cost and labor time. The majority of recent BRBs' fault diagnostic techniques focus on differentiating between healthy and faulty rotor cage. In this paper, a new technique is proposed for detecting the location of the broken bar in the rotor. The proposed technique relies on monitoring certain statistical parameters estimated from the analysis of the start-up stator current envelope. The envelope of the signal is obtained using Hilbert Transformation (HT). The proposed technique offers non-invasive, fast computational and accurate location diagnostic process. Various simulation scenarios are presented that validate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.

The analysis of the quality of the frequency control of induction motor carried out on the basis of the processes in the rotor circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kodkin, V. L.; Anikin, A. S.; Baldenkov, A. A.

2018-01-01

The results of researches of asynchronous electric drives with the frequency control which are carried out for the purpose of establishment of causes and effect relationships between a control method, the implementable standard frequency converter of the Schneider Electric company (ATV-71, ATV-32) and its efficiency are given in article. Tests with asynchronous motors with wound rotor were for the first time carried out. It allowed registering during the experiments the instantaneous values not only the stator currents, but also rotor currents. Authors for the first time applied spectrum analysis of stator and rotor currents, it showed that «sensorless vector» control leads to origin of high-frequency harmonicas with the considerable amplitude and, as a result of they are non-sinusoidal of the created torque and inefficiency of the electric drive. The accelerations that are carried out during the researches to 94, 157 and 251 Rad/s confirmed this feature of vector control that appears incapable to linearize the asynchronous electric drive as it was supposed authors of a method. These results do not contradict theoretical provisions if not to neglect assumptions which usually become in case of an output of the equations of vector control. Unfortunately, the modern researchers do not subject these assumptions to doubts. Continued studies make it possible to create an effective frequency management of asynchronous electric drives required for current technology.

Sensored Field Oriented Control of a Robust Induction Motor Drive Using a Novel Boundary Layer Fuzzy Controller

PubMed Central

Saghafinia, Ali; Ping, Hew Wooi; Uddin, Mohammad Nasir

2013-01-01

Physical sensors have a key role in implementation of real-time vector control for an induction motor (IM) drive. This paper presents a novel boundary layer fuzzy controller (NBLFC) based on the boundary layer approach for speed control of an indirect field-oriented control (IFOC) of an induction motor (IM) drive using physical sensors. The boundary layer approach leads to a trade-off between control performances and chattering elimination. For the NBLFC, a fuzzy system is used to adjust the boundary layer thickness to improve the tracking performance and eliminate the chattering problem under small uncertainties. Also, to eliminate the chattering under the possibility of large uncertainties, the integral filter is proposed inside the variable boundary layer. In addition, the stability of the system is analyzed through the Lyapunov stability theorem. The proposed NBLFC based IM drive is implemented in real-time using digital signal processor (DSP) board TI TMS320F28335. The experimental and simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed NBLFC based IM drive at different operating conditions.

Laboratory-Model Integrated-System FARAD Thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polzin, K.A.; Best, S.; Miller, R.; Rose, M.F.; Owens, T.

2008-01-01

Pulsed inductive plasma accelerators are spacecraft propulsion devices in which energy is stored in a capacitor and then discharged through an inductive coil. The device is electrodeless, inducing a plasma current sheet in propellant located near the face of the coil. The propellant is accelerated and expelled at a high exhaust velocity (order of 10 km/s) through the interaction of the plasma current with an induced magnetic field. The Faraday Accelerator with RF-Assisted Discharge (FARAD) thruster [1,2] is a type of pulsed inductive plasma accelerator in which the plasma is preionized by a mechanism separate from that used to form the current sheet and accelerate the gas. Employing a separate preionization mechanism in this manner allows for the formation of an inductive current sheet at much lower discharge energies and voltages than those found in previous pulsed inductive accelerators like the Pulsed Inductive Thruster (PIT). In a previous paper [3], the authors presented a basic design for a 100 J/pulse FARAD laboratory-version thruster. The design was based upon guidelines and performance scaling parameters presented in Refs. [4, 5]. In this paper, we expand upon the design presented in Ref. [3] by presenting a fully-assembled and operational FARAD laboratory-model thruster and addressing system and subsystem-integration issues (concerning mass injection, preionization, and acceleration) that arose during assembly. Experimental data quantifying the operation of this thruster, including detailed internal plasma measurements, are presented by the authors in a companion paper [6]. The thruster operates by first injecting neutral gas over the face of a flat, inductive acceleration coil and at some later time preionizing the gas. Once the gas is preionized current is passed through the acceleration coil, inducing a plasma current sheet in the propellant that is accelerated away from the coil through electromagnetic interaction with the time-varying magnetic field. Neutral gas is injected over the face of the acceleration coil through a fast-acting valve that feeds a central distribution manifold. The thruster is designed to preionize the gas using an RF-frequency ringing signal produced by a discharging Vector Inversion Generator (VIG). The acceleration stage consists of a multiple-turn, multiple-strand spiral induction coil (see Fig. 1, left panel) and is designed for operation at discharge energies on the order of 100 J/pulse. Several different pulsed power train modules can be used to drive current through the acceleration coil. One such power train is based upon the Bernardes and Merryman circuit topology, which restricts voltage reversal on the capacitor banks and can be clamped to eliminate current reversal in the coil. A second option is a pulse-compression-ring power train (see Fig. 1, right panel), which takesa temporally broad, low current pulse and transforms it into a short, high current pulse.

Non-inductively driven tokamak plasmas at near-unity β t in the Pegasus toroidal experiment

DOE PAGES

Reusch, Joshua A.; Bodner, Grant M.; Bongard, Michael W.; ...

2018-03-14

Amore » major goal of the spherical tokamak (ST) research program is accessing a state of low internal inductance ℓ i , high elongation κ , and high toroidal and normalized beta ( β t and β N ) without solenoidal current drive. Local helicity injection (LHI) in the Pegasus ST [Garstka et al., Nucl. Fusion 46, S603 (2006)] provides non-solenoidally driven plasmas that exhibit these characteristics. LHI utilizes compact, edge-localized current sources for plasma startup and sustainment. It results in hollow current density profiles with low ℓ i . The low aspect ratio ( R 0 / a ~ 1.2 ) of Pegasus allows access to high κ and high normalized plasma currents I N = I p / a B T > 14 ). Magnetic reconnection during LHI provides auxiliary ion heating. Together, these features provide access to very high β t plasmas. Equilibrium analyses indicate that β t up to ~100% is achieved. Finally, these high β t discharges disrupt at the ideal no-wall β limit at β N ~ 7. « less

Non-inductively driven tokamak plasmas at near-unity β t in the Pegasus toroidal experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reusch, Joshua A.; Bodner, Grant M.; Bongard, Michael W.

Amore » major goal of the spherical tokamak (ST) research program is accessing a state of low internal inductance ℓ i , high elongation κ , and high toroidal and normalized beta ( β t and β N ) without solenoidal current drive. Local helicity injection (LHI) in the Pegasus ST [Garstka et al., Nucl. Fusion 46, S603 (2006)] provides non-solenoidally driven plasmas that exhibit these characteristics. LHI utilizes compact, edge-localized current sources for plasma startup and sustainment. It results in hollow current density profiles with low ℓ i . The low aspect ratio ( R 0 / a ~ 1.2 ) of Pegasus allows access to high κ and high normalized plasma currents I N = I p / a B T > 14 ). Magnetic reconnection during LHI provides auxiliary ion heating. Together, these features provide access to very high β t plasmas. Equilibrium analyses indicate that β t up to ~100% is achieved. Finally, these high β t discharges disrupt at the ideal no-wall β limit at β N ~ 7. « less

Local Helicity Injection Systems for Non-solenoidal Startup in the PEGASUS Toroidal Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perry, J. M.; Barr, J. L.; Bongard, M. W.; Fonck, R. J.; Hinson, E. T.; Lewicki, B. T.; Redd, A. J.

2013-10-01

Local helicity injection is being developed in the PEGASUS Toroidal Experiment for non-solenoidal startup in spherical tokamaks. The effective loop voltage due to helicity injection scales with the area of the injectors, requiring the development of electron current injectors with areas much larger than the 2 cm2 plasma arc injectors used to date. Solid and gas-effused metallic electrodes were found to be unusable due to reduced injector area utilization from localized cathode spots and narrow operational regimes. An integrated array of 8 compact plasma arc sources is thus being developed for high current startup. It employs two monolithic power systems, for the plasma arc sources and the bias current extraction system. The array effectively eliminates impurity fueling from plasma-material interaction by incorporating a local scraper-limiter and conical-frustum bias electrodes to mitigate the effects of cathode spots. An energy balance model of helicity injection indicates that the resulting 20 cm2 of total injection area should provide sufficient current drive to reach 0.3 MA. At that level, helicity injection drive exceeds that from poloidal induction, which is the relevant operational regime for large-scale spherical tokamaks. Future placement of the injector array near an expanded boundary divertor region will test simultaneous optimization of helicity drive and the Taylor relaxation current limit. Work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFET-based Full-Bridge for Fusion Science Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziemba, Timothy; Miller, Kenneth; Prager, James; Picard, Julian; Hashim, Akel

2014-10-01

Switching power amplifiers (SPAs) have a wide variety of applications within the fusion science community, including feedback and control systems for dynamic plasma stabilization in tokamaks, inductive and arc plasma sources, Radio Frequency (RF) helicity and flux injection, RF plasma heating and current drive schemes, ion beam generation, and RF pre-ionizer systems. SiC MOSFETs offer many advantages over IGBTs including lower drive energy requirements, lower conduction and switching losses, and higher switching frequency capabilities. When comparing SiC and traditional silicon-based MOSFETs, SiC MOSFETs provide higher current carrying capability allowing for smaller package weights and sizes and lower operating temperature. Eagle Harbor Technologies (EHT) is designing, constructing, and testing a SiC MOSFET-based full-bridge SPA. EHT will leverage the proprietary gate drive technology previously developed with the support of a DOE SBIR, which will enable fast, efficient switching in a small form factor. The primary goal is to develop a SiC MOSFET-based SPA for fusion science applications. Work supported in part by the DOE under Contract Number DE-SC0011907.

Field oriented control of induction motors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burrows, Linda M.; Zinger, Don S.; Roth, Mary Ellen

1990-01-01

Induction motors have always been known for their simple rugged construction, but until lately were not suitable for variable speed or servo drives due to the inherent complexity of the controls. With the advent of field oriented control (FOC), however, the induction motor has become an attractive option for these types of drive systems. An FOC system which utilizes the pulse population modulation method to synthesize the motor drive frequencies is examined. This system allows for a variable voltage to frequency ratio and enables the user to have independent control of both the speed and torque of an induction motor. A second generation of the control boards were developed and tested with the next point of focus being the minimization of the size and complexity of these controls. Many options were considered with the best approach being the use of a digital signal processor (DSP) due to its inherent ability to quickly evaluate control algorithms. The present test results of the system and the status of the optimization process using a DSP are discussed.

A compact submicrosecond, high current generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovalchuk, B. M.; Kharlov, A. V.; Zorin, V. B.; Zherlitsyn, A. A.

2009-08-01

Pulsed current generator was developed for experiments with current carrying pulsed plasma. Main parts of the generator are capacitor bank, low inductive current driving lines, and central load part. Generator consists of four identical sections, connected in parallel to one load. Capacitor bank is assembled from 24 capacitor blocks (100 kV, 80 nF), connected in parallel. It stores 9.6 kJ at 100 kV charging voltage. Each capacitor block incorporates a multigap spark switch, which is able to commute by six parallel channels. Switches operate in dry air at atmospheric pressure. The generator was tested with an inductive load and a liner load. At 17.5 nH inductive load and 100 kV of charging voltage it provides 650 kA of current amplitude with 390 ns rise time with 0.6 Ω damping resistors in discharge circuit of each capacitor block. The net generator inductance without a load was optimized to be as low as 15 nH, which results in extremely low impedance of the generator (˜0.08 Ω). It ensures effective energy coupling with a low impedance load such as Z pinch. The generator operates reliably without any adjustments in 70-100 kV range of charging voltage. Jitter in delay between output pulse and triggering pulse is less than 5 ns at 70-100 kV charging voltage. Operation and handling are very simple, because no oil or purified gases are required for the generator. The generator has dimensions 5.24×1.2×0.18 m3 and total weight about 1400 kg, thus manifesting itself as simple, robust, and cost effective apparatus.

Basic principles of coaxial launch technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kolm, H.; Mongeau, P.

1984-01-01

Already in the 1930s, a discrete-coil mechanically synchronized launcher was built. At the present time, research is almost entirely directed towards railguns. However, although coaxial accelerators are more complex than railguns, they have certain unique advantages. Some of these advantages are related to the absence of physical contact requirements with the projectile, the possibility of a scale-up to very large projectile size, and the availability of up to 100 times more thrust for a given current. The price of the advantages is the need for a drive current in the form of pulses synchronized precisely with transit of each projectile coil through each drive coil. At high velocities, high voltages are required, and high voltage switching represents the technology limit on launch velocity. Attention is given to inductance gradients, the double hump, methods of excitation, methods of synchronization, projectile configuration, energy supply, fundamental limits, trends, and research needs.

Discrete wavelet transform and energy eigen value for rotor bars fault detection in variable speed field-oriented control of induction motor drive.

PubMed

Ameid, Tarek; Menacer, Arezki; Talhaoui, Hicham; Azzoug, Youness

2018-05-03

This paper presents a methodology for the broken rotor bars fault detection is considered when the rotor speed varies continuously and the induction machine is controlled by Field-Oriented Control (FOC). The rotor fault detection is obtained by analyzing a several mechanical and electrical quantities (i.e., rotor speed, stator phase current and output signal of the speed regulator) by the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) in variable speed drives. The severity of the fault is obtained by stored energy calculation for active power signal. Hence, it can be a useful solution as fault indicator. The FOC is implemented in order to preserve a good performance speed control; to compensate the broken rotor bars effect in the mechanical speed and to ensure the operation continuity and to investigate the fault effect in the variable speed. The effectiveness of the technique is evaluated in simulation and in a real-time implementation by using Matlab/Simulink with the real-time interface (RTI) based on dSpace 1104 board. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Time-Dependent Simulations of Fast-Wave Heated High-Non-Inductive-Fraction H-Mode Plasmas in the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Gary; Bertelli, Nicola; Gerhardt, Stefan P.; Hosea, Joel C.; Mueller, Dennis; Perkins, Rory J.; Poli, Francesca M.; Wilson, James R.; Raman, Roger

2017-10-01

30 MHz fast-wave heating may be an effective tool for non-inductively ramping low-current plasmas to a level suitable for initiating up to 12 MW of neutral beam injection on the National Spherical Tokamak Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U). Previously on NSTX 30 MHz fast wave heating was shown to efficiently and rapidly heat electrons; at the NSTX maximum axial toroidal magnetic field (BT(0)) of 0.55 T, 1.4 MW of 30 MHz heating increased the central electron temperature from 0.2 to 2 keV in 30 ms and generated an H-mode plasma with a non-inductive fraction (fNI) ˜ 0.7 at a plasma current (Ip) of 300 kA. NSTX-U will operate at BT(0) up to 1 T, with up to 4 MW of 30 MHz power (Prf). Predictive TRANSP free boundary transport simulations, using the TORIC full wave spectral code to calculate the fast-wave heating and current drive, have been run for NSTX-U Ip = 300 kA H-mode plasmas. Favorable scaling of fNI with 30 MHz heating power is predicted, with fNI ≥ 1 for Prf ≥ 2 MW.

Using music to change mood while driving.

PubMed

van der Zwaag, Marjolein D; Janssen, Joris H; Nass, Clifford; Westerink, Joyce H D M; Chowdhury, Shrestha; de Waard, Dick

2013-01-01

This study investigated whether gradual or abrupt music change towards more calming music is most effective in calming drivers during high-demand driving situations. Twenty-eight participants were subjected to two types of music change (gradual, abrupt) in a within-subject design. First, a relatively happy mood was induced with personally selected music during an eight-minute simulated high-demand drive. The drive then continued and the mood was changed either gradually or abruptly. Subjective results showed successful music mood induction irrespective of gradual or abrupt changes. The results further showed lower skin conductance (less arousal) and more facial corrugator muscle tension (more sadness) during the abrupt music change. Fewer accidents occurred during the abrupt music mood change. To conclude, the results support the abrupt way of changing music type to down-regulate one's mood: during high-demand driving, abrupt changes in music led to more physiological calmness and improved driving performance, and were thus safer and more effective. The current study shows that during high-demand drives, drivers are calmed more effectively using abrupt music changes compared to gradual music changes. This is illustrated by reductions in physiological arousal and improved driving behaviour. Hence, in-car music presentation can be used as a tool to improve driver's mood and behaviour.

REEXAMINATION OF INDUCTION HEATING OF PRIMITIVE BODIES IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Menzel, Raymond L.; Roberge, Wayne G., E-mail: menzer@rpi.edu, E-mail: roberw@rpi.edu

2013-10-20

We reexamine the unipolar induction mechanism for heating asteroids originally proposed in a classic series of papers by Sonett and collaborators. As originally conceived, induction heating is caused by the 'motional electric field' that appears in the frame of an asteroid immersed in a fully ionized, magnetized solar wind and drives currents through its interior. However, we point out that classical induction heating contains a subtle conceptual error, in consequence of which the electric field inside the asteroid was calculated incorrectly. The problem is that the motional electric field used by Sonett et al. is the electric field in themore » freely streaming plasma far from the asteroid; in fact, the motional field vanishes at the asteroid surface for realistic assumptions about the plasma density. In this paper we revisit and improve the induction heating scenario by (1) correcting the conceptual error by self-consistently calculating the electric field in and around the boundary layer at the asteroid-plasma interface; (2) considering weakly ionized plasmas consistent with current ideas about protoplanetary disks; and (3) considering more realistic scenarios that do not require a fully ionized, powerful T Tauri wind in the disk midplane. We present exemplary solutions for two highly idealized flows that show that the interior electric field can either vanish or be comparable to the fields predicted by classical induction depending on the flow geometry. We term the heating driven by these flows 'electrodynamic heating', calculate its upper limits, and compare them to heating produced by short-lived radionuclides.« less

Non-Solenoidal Tokamak Startup via Inboard Local Helicity Injection on the Pegasus ST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perry, J. M.; Barr, J. L.; Bodner, G. M.; Bongard, M. W.; Fonck, R. J.; Pachicano, J. L.; Reusch, J. A.; Rodriguez Sanchez, C.; Richner, N. J.; Schlossberg, D. J.

2016-10-01

Local helicity injection (LHI) is a non-solenoidal startup technique utilizing small injectors at the plasma edge to source current along helical magnetic field lines. Unstable injected current streams relax to a tokamak-like configuration with high toroidal current multiplication. Flexible placement of injectors permits tradeoffs between helicity injection rate, poloidal field induction, and magnetic geometry requirements for initial relaxation. Experiments using a new set of large-area injectors in the lower divertor explore the efficacy of high-field-side (HFS) injection. The increased area (4 cm2) current source is functional up to full Pegasus toroidal field (BT , inj = 0.23 T). However, relaxation to a tokamak state is increasingly frustrated for BT , inj > 0.15 T with uniform vacuum vertical field. Paths to relaxation at increased field include: manipulation of vacuum poloidal field geometry; increased injector current; and plasma initiation with outboard injectors, subsequently transitioning to divertor injector drive. During initial tests of HFS injectors, achieved Vinj was limited to 600 V by plasma-material interactions on the divertor plate, which may be mitigated by increasing injector elevation. In experiments with helicity injection as the dominant current drive Ip 0.13 MA has been attained, with T̲e > 100 eV and ne 1019 m-3. Extrapolation to full BT, longer pulse length, and Vinj 1 kV suggest Ip > 0.25 MA should be attainable in a plasma dominated by helicity drive. Work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

Electromagnetic interference modeling and suppression techniques in variable-frequency drive systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Le; Wang, Shuo; Feng, Jianghua

2017-11-01

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) causes electromechanical damage to the motors and degrades the reliability of variable-frequency drive (VFD) systems. Unlike fundamental frequency components in motor drive systems, high-frequency EMI noise, coupled with the parasitic parameters of the trough system, are difficult to analyze and reduce. In this article, EMI modeling techniques for different function units in a VFD system, including induction motors, motor bearings, and rectifierinverters, are reviewed and evaluated in terms of applied frequency range, model parameterization, and model accuracy. The EMI models for the motors are categorized based on modeling techniques and model topologies. Motor bearing and shaft models are also reviewed, and techniques that are used to eliminate bearing current are evaluated. Modeling techniques for conventional rectifierinverter systems are also summarized. EMI noise suppression techniques, including passive filter, Wheatstone bridge balance, active filter, and optimized modulation, are reviewed and compared based on the VFD system models.

Motor Drive Technologies for the Power-by-Wire (PBW) Program: Options, Trends and Tradeoffs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elbuluk, Malik E.; Kankam, M. David

1995-01-01

Power-By-Wire (PBW) is a program involving the replacement of hydraulic and pneumatic systems currently used in aircraft with an all-electric secondary power system. One of the largest loads of the all-electric secondary power system will be the motor loads which include pumps, compressors and Electrical Actuators (EA's). Issues of improved reliability, reduced maintenance and efficiency, among other advantages, are the motivation for replacing the existing aircraft actuators with electrical actuators. An EA system contains four major components. These are the motor, the power electronic converters, the actuator and the control system, including the sensors. This paper is a comparative literature review in motor drive technologies, with a focus on the trends and tradeoffs involved in the selection of a particular motor drive technology. The reported research comprises three motor drive technologies. These are the induction motor (IM), the brushless dc motor (BLDCM) and the switched reluctance motor (SRM). Each of the three drives has the potential for application in the PBW program. Many issues remain to be investigated and compared between the three motor drives, using actual mechanical loads expected in the PBW program.

Overview of Non-Solenoidal Startup Studies in the Pegasus ST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bongard, M. W.; Barr, J. L.; Bodner, G. M.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Pachicano, J. L.; Perry, J. M.; Reusch, J. A.; Richner, N. J.; Rodriguez Sanchez, C.; Schlossberg, D. J.

2016-10-01

Local helicity injection (LHI) is a non-solenoidal startup method pursued on Pegasus utilizing compact, high power current sources (Ainj 2 - 4 cm2, Iinj 10 kA, Vinj 1 kV) at the plasma edge. Outboard injectors (Ninj = 4 , Ainj = 8 cm2) produce Ip 170 kA plasmas compatible with Ohmic drive. A 0-D model that treats the plasma as a resistive element with time-varying inductance and enforces Ip limits from Taylor relaxation is used to interpret experimental Ip(t) in several scenarios. Strong inductive drive arises from the plasma shape evolution, in addition to poloidal field induction. A new injector system has recently been installed in the lower divertor region (Ninj = 2 , Ainj = 8 cm2) to explore the implications of geometric placement of the helicity injectors on LHI startup. This geometry supports tests of reconnection dynamics seen in NIMROD simulations, high-BT effects expected in larger devices, and LHI electron confinement with and without inductive assist. Plasmas with Ip > 130 kA, Vinj 0.5 kV, Δtpulse 8 ms and BT /BT , max <= 50 % are produced with the inboard system to date, consistent with performance expectations. Higher Ip is expected with increased BT, Vinj, and Δtpulse . Thomson scattering data in both geometries indicate high Te >= 100 eV during LHI, suggesting the confinement is not strongly stochastic. Conceptual design work is exploring the feasibility of coaxial helicity injection and ECH heating on Pegasus in addition to LHI. Work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

Advancing Non-Solenoidal Startup on the Pegasus ST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reusch, J. A.; Barr, J. L.; Bodner, G. M.; Bongard, M. W.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Pachicano, J. L.; Perry, J. M.; Richner, N. J.; Rodriguez Sanchez, C.; Schlossberg, D. J.

2016-10-01

The Pegasus experiment utilizes compact, edge-localized current sources (Ainj 2 - 4 cm2, Iinj 10 kA, Vinj 1 kV) for non-solenoidal local helicity injection (LHI) startup. Recent campaigns are comparing two injector geometries that vary the differing relative contributions of DC helicity input and non-solenoidal inductive voltages. A predictive 0-D model that treats the plasma as a resistive element with time-varying inductance and enforces Ip limits from Taylor relaxation was tested with inward growth of the plasma current channel using injectors on the outboard midplane. Strong inductive drive arises from plasma shape evolution and poloidal field (PF) induction. A major unknown in the model is the resistive dissipation, and hence the electron confinement. Te (R) profile measurements in LHI show centrally-peaked Te > 100 eV while the plasma is coupled to the injectors, suggesting LHI confinement is not strongly stochastic. A second campaign utilizes new injectors in the lower divertor region. This geometry trades subtler relaxation field programming and reduced PF induction for higher HI rates. Present efforts are developing relaxation methods at high BT, with relaxation at BT , inj > 0.15 T achieved to date via higher Iinj and PF manipulation. Conceptual design studies of coaxial helicity injection (CHI) and ECH heating systems for Pegasus have been initiated to explore direct comparison of LHI to CHI with and without ECH assist. Supported by US DOE Grants DE-FG02-96ER54375, DE-SC0006928.

Coil design considerations for a high-frequency electromagnetic induction sensing instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sigman, John B.; Barrowes, Benjamin E.; Wang, Yinlin; Bennett, Hollis J.; Simms, Janet E.; Yule, Donald E.; O'Neill, Kevin; Shubitidze, Fridon

2016-05-01

Intermediate electrical conductivity (IEC) materials (101S/m < σ < 104S/m), such as carbon fiber (CF), have recently been used to make smart bombs. In addition, homemade improvised explosive devices (IED) can be produced with low conducting materials (10-4S/m < σ < 1S/m), such as Ammonium Nitrate (AN). To collect unexploded ordnance (UXO) from military training ranges and thwart deadly IEDs, the US military has urgent need for technology capable of detection and identification of subsurface IEC objects. Recent analytical and numerical studies have showed that these targets exhibit characteristic quadrature response peaks at high induction frequencies (100kHz - 15MHz, the High Frequency Electromagnetic Induction (HFEMI) band), and they are not detectable with traditional ultra wideband (UWB) electromagnetic induction (EMI) metal detectors operating between 100Hz - 100kHz. Using the HFEMI band for induction sensing is not so simple as driving existing instruments at higher frequencies, though. At low frequency, EMI systems use more wire turns in transmit and receive coils to boost signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), but at higher frequencies, the transmitter current has non-uniform distribution along the coil length. These non-uniform currents change the spatial distribution of the primary magnetic field and disturb axial symmetry and thwart established approaches for inferring subsurface metallic object properties. This paper discusses engineering tradeoffs for sensing with a broader band of frequencies ever used for EMI sensing, with particular focus on coil geometries.

"Non-Contact Ultrasonic Treatment of Metals in a Magnetic Field"

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ludtka, Gerard Michael; Wilgen, John B; Kisner, Roger A

2007-01-01

A concept has been originated for non-contact ultrasonic treatment of metals based on the use of an induction coil located in a high-field superconducting magnet. An advantage of using a high magnetic field environment (> 9 T) is that this allows the induced surface current in the sample to be decreased proportionately. As a result, the incidental induction heating associated with the use of the EMAT (Electromagnetic Acoustical Transducer) is greatly reduced, which improves the energy efficiency of the EMAT approach. The method can be coupled with high-field magnetic processing, but can also be used where only ultrasonic treatment ismore » beneficial. In the proof-of-principle experiments, a high-field EMAT was used for non-contact ultrasonic processing of aluminum samples during solidification. The magnetic field for the EMAT was supplied by a high-field (20 Tesla) resistive magnet, and the current was provided by an induction coil. This resulted in a highly efficient EMAT that delivered 0.5 MPa (~5 atmospheres) of acoustic drive to the surface of the sample while coupling less than 100 watts of incidental induction heating. The exceptionally high energy efficiency of the electromagnetic transducer is due to the use of the high magnetic field, which reduces the current needed to achieve the same acoustic pressure. In these initial experiments, aluminum samples of A356 alloy were heated to the liquid state and allowed to solidify at a controlled cooling rate while subjected to the non-contact ultrasonic stimulation (0.5 MPa @ 165 kHz) provided by an induction coil located within the 200 mm (~8-inch) bore of a 20-T Bitter resistive magnet.« less

Advances in X-Ray Simulator Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-07-01

d’Etudes de Gramat ; I. Vitkovitsky, Logicon RDA INTRODUCTION DNA’s future x-ray simulators are based upon inductive energy storage, a technology which...switch. SYRINX, a proposed design to be built by the Centre d’Etudes de Gramat (CEG) in France would employ a modular approach, possibly with a...called SYRINX, would be built at the Centred’ Etudes de Gramat (CEG). It would employ a modular.long conduction time current source to drive a PRS

Broadband sidebands generated by parametric instability in lower hybrid current drive experiments on EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amicucci, L.; Ding, B. J.; Castaldo, C.; Cesario, R.; Giovannozzi, E.; Li, M. H.; Tuccillo, A. A.

2015-12-01

Modern research on nuclear fusion energy, based on the tokamak concept, has strong need of tools for actively driving non-inductive current especially at the periphery of plasma column, where tools available so far have poor efficiency. This is essential for solving one of the most critical problems for thermonuclear reactor, consisting in how to achieve the figure of fusion gain in the context of sufficient stability. The lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) effect has the potential capability of driving current at large radii of reactor plasma with high efficiency [1]. Experiments recently carried out on EAST showed that a strong activity of LH sideband waves (from the RF probe spectra), accompanied by weak core penetration of the coupled LH power, is present when operating at relatively high plasma densities. Previous theoretical results, confirmed by experiments on FTU, showed that the LH sideband phenomenon is produced by parametric instability (PI), which are mitigated by higher plasma edge temperatures. This condition is thus useful for enabling the LH power propagation when operating with profiles having high plasma densities even at the edge. In the present work, we show new PI modeling of EAST plasmas data, obtained in condition of higher plasma edge temperature due to chamber lithisation. The obtained trend of the PI frequencies and growth rates is consistent with data of RF probe spectra, available in different regimes of lithisated and not lithisated vessel. Moreover, these spectra are interpreted as PI effect occurring at the periphery of plasma column, however in the low field side where the LH power is coupled.

Advanced electric motor technology flux mapping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doane, George B., III; Campbell, Warren; Dean, Garvin

1993-01-01

Design of electric motors which fulfill the needs of Thrust Vector Control (TVC) actuators used in large rocket propelled launch vehicles is covered. To accomplish this end the methodology of design is laid out in some detail. In addition a point design of a motor to fulfill the requirements of a certain actuator specified by MSFC is accomplished and reported upon. In the course of this design great stress has been placed on ridding the actuator of internally generated heat. To conduct the heat out of the motor use is made of the unique properties of the in house MSFC designed driving electronics. This property is that as along as they are operated in a quasi-linear mode the electronics nullify the effects of armature inductance as far as the phase of the armature current versus the rotor position is concerned. Actually the additional inductance due to the extended end turns in this design is of benefit because in the shorted armature failure mode the armature current in the fault (caused by the rotor flux sweeping past the armature) is diminished at a given rotor speed when compared to a more conventional motor with lower inductance. The magnetic circuit is analyzed using electromagnetic finite element methods.

Subphotospheric current systems and flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hudson, Hugh S.

1987-01-01

Subphotospheric current systems inferred from recent vector magnetograph observations imply the existence of electric currents penetrating the photosphere and thus flowing deep in the solar convection zone. These currents presumably originate in an internal dynamo that supplies the observed photospheric magnetic fields through the buoyant motions of the initially deeply-buried flux tubes. The coronal fields resulting from this process therefore must carry slowly-varying currents driven by emfs remote from the surface. These currents may then drive solar-flare energy release. This paper discusses the consequences of such a deep origin of the coronal parallel currents. Simple estimates for a large active region suggest a mean current-closure depth of not less than 10,000 km, with a subphotospheric inductance of not less than 100 H and a subphotospheric stored energy of not less than 10 to the 33rd ergs.

High frequency inductive lamp and power oscillator

DOEpatents

MacLennan, Donald A.; Turner, Brian P.; Dolan, James T.; Kirkpatrick, Douglas A.; Leng, Yongzhang

2000-01-01

A high frequency inductively coupled electrodeless lamp includes an excitation coil with an effective electrical length which is less than one half wavelength of a driving frequency applied thereto, preferably much less. The driving frequency may be greater than 100 MHz and is preferably as high as 915 MHz. Preferably, the excitation coil is configured as a non-helical, semi-cylindrical conductive surface having less than one turn, in the general shape of a wedding ring. At high frequencies, the current in the coil forms two loops which are spaced apart and parallel to each other. Configured appropriately, the coil approximates a Helmholtz configuration. The lamp preferably utilizes an bulb encased in a reflective ceramic cup with a pre-formed aperture defined therethrough. The ceramic cup may include structural features to aid in alignment and/or a flanged face to aid in thermal management. The lamp head is preferably an integrated lamp head comprising a metal matrix composite surrounding an insulating ceramic with the excitation integrally formed on the ceramic. A novel solid-state oscillator preferably provides RF power to the lamp. The oscillator is a single active element device capable of providing over 70 watts of power at over 70% efficiency. Various control circuits may be employed to match the driving frequency of the oscillator to a plurality of tuning states of the lamp.

Sensorless FOC Performance Improved with On-Line Speed and Rotor Resistance Estimator Based on an Artificial Neural Network for an Induction Motor Drive

PubMed Central

Gutierrez-Villalobos, Jose M.; Rodriguez-Resendiz, Juvenal; Rivas-Araiza, Edgar A.; Martínez-Hernández, Moisés A.

2015-01-01

Three-phase induction motor drive requires high accuracy in high performance processes in industrial applications. Field oriented control, which is one of the most employed control schemes for induction motors, bases its function on the electrical parameter estimation coming from the motor. These parameters make an electrical machine driver work improperly, since these electrical parameter values change at low speeds, temperature changes, and especially with load and duty changes. The focus of this paper is the real-time and on-line electrical parameters with a CMAC-ADALINE block added in the standard FOC scheme to improve the IM driver performance and endure the driver and the induction motor lifetime. Two kinds of neural network structures are used; one to estimate rotor speed and the other one to estimate rotor resistance of an induction motor. PMID:26131677

Sensorless FOC Performance Improved with On-Line Speed and Rotor Resistance Estimator Based on an Artificial Neural Network for an Induction Motor Drive.

PubMed

Gutierrez-Villalobos, Jose M; Rodriguez-Resendiz, Juvenal; Rivas-Araiza, Edgar A; Martínez-Hernández, Moisés A

2015-06-29

Three-phase induction motor drive requires high accuracy in high performance processes in industrial applications. Field oriented control, which is one of the most employed control schemes for induction motors, bases its function on the electrical parameter estimation coming from the motor. These parameters make an electrical machine driver work improperly, since these electrical parameter values change at low speeds, temperature changes, and especially with load and duty changes. The focus of this paper is the real-time and on-line electrical parameters with a CMAC-ADALINE block added in the standard FOC scheme to improve the IM driver performance and endure the driver and the induction motor lifetime. Two kinds of neural network structures are used; one to estimate rotor speed and the other one to estimate rotor resistance of an induction motor.

100-kA vacuum current breaker of a modular design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, V. P.; Vozdvijenskii, V. A.; Jagnov, V. A.; Solodovnikov, S. G.; Mazulin, A. V.; Ryjkov, V. M.

1994-05-01

Direct current breaker of a modular design is developed for the strong field tokamak power supply system. The power supply system comprises four 800 MW alternative current generators with 4 GJ flywheels, thyristor rectifiers providing inductive stores pumping by a current up to 100 kA for 1 - 4 sec. To form current pulses of various shapes in the tokamak windings current breakers are used with either pneumatic or explosive drive, at a current switching synchronously of not worse than 100 mks. Current breakers of these types require that the current conducting elements be replaced after each shot. For recent years vacuum arc quenching chambers with an axial magnetic field are successfully employed as repetitive performance current breakers, basically for currents up to 40 kA. In the report some results of researches of a vacuum switch modular are presented which we used as prototype switch for currents of the order of 100 kA.

Non-Solenoidal Startup via Helicity Injection in the Pegasus ST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bongard, M. W.; Bodner, G. M.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Pachicano, J. L.; Perry, J. M.; Pierren, C.; Richner, N. J.; Rodriguez Sanchez, C.; Schlossberg, D. J.; Reusch, J. A.; Weberski, J. D.

2017-10-01

Research on the A 1 . 2 Pegasus ST is developing the physics and technology basis for optimal non-solenoidal tokamak startup. Recent work explores startup via Local Helicity Injection (LHI) using compact, multi-MW current sources placed at the plasma edge in the lower divertor region. This minimizes inductive drive from poloidal fields and dynamic shaping. Plasmas with Ip <= 200 kA, Δtpulse 20 ms and BT <= 0 . 15 T are produced to date, sustained by two injectors with Ainj = 4 cm2 , Vinj 1 . 5 kV, and Iinj 8 kA, facilitated by improvements to the injectors, limiters, and divertor plates that mitigate deleterious PMI. These plasmas feature anomalous, reconnection-driven ion heating with Ti >=Te >= 50 - 100 eV and large-amplitude MHD activity driven by the injectors. Under some conditions, MHD fluctuations abruptly decrease by over an order of magnitude without loss of LHI drive, improving realized Ip , and suggesting short-wavelength modes may relate to the current drive mechanism. The high IN >= 10 , ion heating, and low li driven by LHI, and the favorable stability of A 1 STs allows access to record βt 100 % and high βN 6 . 5 . Such high-βt plasmas have a minimum | B | well spanning 50 % of the plasma volume. Enhancements to the Pegasus facility are considered to increase BT towards NSTX-U levels; establish coaxial helicity injection capabilities; and add auxiliary heating and current drive. Work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

Magnetoacoustic Tomography with Magnetic Induction (MAT-MI) for Imaging Electrical Conductivity of Biological Tissue: A Tutorial Review

PubMed Central

Li, Xu; Yu, Kai; He, Bin

2016-01-01

Magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction (MAT-MI) is a noninvasive imaging method developed to map electrical conductivity of biological tissue with millimeter level spatial resolution. In MAT-MI, a time-varying magnetic stimulation is applied to induce eddy current inside the conductive tissue sample. With the existence of a static magnetic field, the Lorentz force acting on the induced eddy current drives mechanical vibrations producing detectable ultrasound signals. These ultrasound signals can then be acquired to reconstruct a map related to the sample’s electrical conductivity contrast. This work reviews fundamental ideas of MAT-MI and major techniques developed in these years. First, the physical mechanisms underlying MAT-MI imaging are described including the magnetic induction and Lorentz force induced acoustic wave propagation. Second, experimental setups and various imaging strategies for MAT-MI are reviewed and compared together with the corresponding experimental results. In addition, as a recently developed reverse mode of MAT-MI, magneto-acousto-electrical tomography with magnetic induction (MAET-MI) is briefly reviewed in terms of its theory and experimental studies. Finally, we give our opinions on existing challenges and future directions for MAT-MI research. With all the reported and future technical advancement, MAT-MI has the potential to become an important noninvasive modality for electrical conductivity imaging of biological tissue. PMID:27542088

Induction machine bearing faults detection based on a multi-dimensional MUSIC algorithm and maximum likelihood estimation.

PubMed

Elbouchikhi, Elhoussin; Choqueuse, Vincent; Benbouzid, Mohamed

2016-07-01

Condition monitoring of electric drives is of paramount importance since it contributes to enhance the system reliability and availability. Moreover, the knowledge about the fault mode behavior is extremely important in order to improve system protection and fault-tolerant control. Fault detection and diagnosis in squirrel cage induction machines based on motor current signature analysis (MCSA) has been widely investigated. Several high resolution spectral estimation techniques have been developed and used to detect induction machine abnormal operating conditions. This paper focuses on the application of MCSA for the detection of abnormal mechanical conditions that may lead to induction machines failure. In fact, this paper is devoted to the detection of single-point defects in bearings based on parametric spectral estimation. A multi-dimensional MUSIC (MD MUSIC) algorithm has been developed for bearing faults detection based on bearing faults characteristic frequencies. This method has been used to estimate the fundamental frequency and the fault related frequency. Then, an amplitude estimator of the fault characteristic frequencies has been proposed and fault indicator has been derived for fault severity measurement. The proposed bearing faults detection approach is assessed using simulated stator currents data, issued from a coupled electromagnetic circuits approach for air-gap eccentricity emulating bearing faults. Then, experimental data are used for validation purposes. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An improved fault-tolerant control scheme for PWM inverter-fed induction motor-based EVs.

PubMed

Tabbache, Bekheïra; Benbouzid, Mohamed; Kheloui, Abdelaziz; Bourgeot, Jean-Matthieu; Mamoune, Abdeslam

2013-11-01

This paper proposes an improved fault-tolerant control scheme for PWM inverter-fed induction motor-based electric vehicles. The proposed strategy deals with power switch (IGBTs) failures mitigation within a reconfigurable induction motor control. To increase the vehicle powertrain reliability regarding IGBT open-circuit failures, 4-wire and 4-leg PWM inverter topologies are investigated and their performances discussed in a vehicle context. The proposed fault-tolerant topologies require only minimum hardware modifications to the conventional off-the-shelf six-switch three-phase drive, mitigating the IGBTs failures by specific inverter control. Indeed, the two topologies exploit the induction motor neutral accessibility for fault-tolerant purposes. The 4-wire topology uses then classical hysteresis controllers to account for the IGBT failures. The 4-leg topology, meanwhile, uses a specific 3D space vector PWM to handle vehicle requirements in terms of size (DC bus capacitors) and cost (IGBTs number). Experiments on an induction motor drive and simulations on an electric vehicle are carried-out using a European urban driving cycle to show that the proposed fault-tolerant control approach is effective and provides a simple configuration with high performance in terms of speed and torque responses. Copyright © 2013 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High voltage MOSFET switching circuit

DOEpatents

McEwan, Thomas E.

1994-01-01

The problem of source lead inductance in a MOSFET switching circuit is compensated for by adding an inductor to the gate circuit. The gate circuit inductor produces an inductive spike which counters the source lead inductive drop to produce a rectangular drive voltage waveform at the internal gate-source terminals of the MOSFET.

Development of RF Sensor Based on Two-Cell Squid

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-15

to (8) is proportional to the reduced drive detuning, ωp0 is the resonant frequency for small oscillations, i.e. the plasma frequency of the combined...2 Φ= cnc IRπω (16) where Rn is the normal resistance of the Josephson junction in the SQUID, and L the inductance of the...were about 9 fF. The critical current I0 of each junction in the SQUID was 17.7 μA, normal resistance 110.9 Ω, plasma frequency ωp 124 GHz and

ITER-FEAT operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimomura, Y.; Aymar, R.; Chuyanov, V. A.; Huguet, M.; Matsumoto, H.; Mizoguchi, T.; Murakami, Y.; Polevoi, A. R.; Shimada, M.; ITER Joint Central Team; ITER Home Teams

2001-03-01

ITER is planned to be the first fusion experimental reactor in the world operating for research in physics and engineering. The first ten years of operation will be devoted primarily to physics issues at low neutron fluence and the following ten years of operation to engineering testing at higher fluence. ITER can accommodate various plasma configurations and plasma operation modes, such as inductive high Q modes, long pulse hybrid modes and non-inductive steady state modes, with large ranges of plasma current, density, beta and fusion power, and with various heating and current drive methods. This flexibility will provide an advantage for coping with uncertainties in the physics database, in studying burning plasmas, in introducing advanced features and in optimizing the plasma performance for the different programme objectives. Remote sites will be able to participate in the ITER experiment. This concept will provide an advantage not only in operating ITER for 24 hours a day but also in involving the worldwide fusion community and in promoting scientific competition among the ITER Parties.

Determination of efficiencies, loss mechanisms, and performance degradation factors in chopper controlled dc vehical motors. Section 2: The time dependent finite element modeling of the electromagnetic field in electrical machines: Methods and applications. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamilton, H. B.; Strangas, E.

1980-01-01

The time dependent solution of the magnetic field is introduced as a method for accounting for the variation, in time, of the machine parameters in predicting and analyzing the performance of the electrical machines. The method of time dependent finite element was used in combination with an also time dependent construction of a grid for the air gap region. The Maxwell stress tensor was used to calculate the airgap torque from the magnetic vector potential distribution. Incremental inductances were defined and calculated as functions of time, depending on eddy currents and saturation. The currents in all the machine circuits were calculated in the time domain based on these inductances, which were continuously updated. The method was applied to a chopper controlled DC series motor used for electric vehicle drive, and to a salient pole sychronous motor with damper bars. Simulation results were compared to experimentally obtained ones.

High internal inductance for steady-state operation in ITER and a reactor

DOE PAGES

Ferron, John R.; Holcomb, Christopher T.; Luce, Timothy C.; ...

2015-06-26

Increased confinement and ideal stability limits at relatively high values of the internal inductance (more » $${{\\ell}_{i}}$$ ) have enabled an attractive scenario for steady-state tokamak operation to be demonstrated in DIII-D. Normalized plasma pressure in the range appropriate for a reactor has been achieved in high elongation and triangularity double-null divertor discharges with $${{\\beta}_{\\text{N}}}\\approx 5$$ at $${{\\ell}_{i}}\\approx 1.3$$ , near the ideal $n=1$ kink stability limit calculated without the effect of a stabilizing vacuum vessel wall, with the ideal-wall limit still higher at $${{\\beta}_{\\text{N}}}>5.5$$ . Confinement is above the H-mode level with $${{H}_{98\\left(\\text{y},2\\right)}}\\approx 1.8$$ . At $${{q}_{95}}\\approx 7.5$$ , the current is overdriven, with bootstrap current fraction $${{f}_{\\text{BS}}}\\approx 0.8$$ , noninductive current fraction $${{f}_{\\text{NI}}}>1$$ and negative surface voltage. For ITER (which has a single-null divertor shape), operation at $${{\\ell}_{i}}\\approx 1$$ is a promising option with $${{f}_{\\text{BS}}}\\approx 0.5$$ and the remaining current driven externally near the axis where the electron cyclotron current drive efficiency is high. This scenario has been tested in the ITER shape in DIII-D at $${{q}_{95}}=4.8$$ , so far reaching $${{f}_{\\text{NI}}}=0.7$$ and $${{f}_{\\text{BS}}}=0.4$$ at $${{\\beta}_{\\text{N}}}\\approx 3.5$$ with performance appropriate for the ITER Q=5 mission, $${{H}_{89}}{{\\beta}_{\\text{N}}}/q_{95}^{2}\\approx 0.3$$ . Modeling studies explored how increased current drive power for DIII-D could be applied to maintain a stationary, fully noninductive high $${{\\ell}_{i}}$$ discharge. Lastly, stable solutions in the double-null shape are found without the vacuum vessel wall at $${{\\beta}_{\\text{N}}}=4$$ , $${{\\ell}_{i}}=1.07$$ and $${{f}_{\\text{BS}}}=0.5$$ , and at $${{\\beta}_{\\text{N}}}=5$$ with the vacuum vessel wall.« less

Voltage oriented control of self-excited induction generator for wind energy system with MPPT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amieur, Toufik; Taibi, Djamel; Amieur, Oualid

2018-05-01

This paper presents the study and simulation of the self-excited induction generator in the wind power production in isolated sites. With this intention, a model of the wind turbine was established. Extremum-seeking control algorithm method by using Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is proposed control solution aims at driving the average position of the operating point near to optimality. The reference of turbine rotor speed is adjusted such that the turbine operates around maximum power for the current wind speed value. After a brief review of the concepts of converting wind energy into electrical energy. The proposed modeling tools were developed to study the performance of standalone induction generators connected to capacitor bank. The purpose of this technique is to maintain a constant voltage at the output of the rectifier whatever the loads and speeds. The system studied in this work is developed and tested in MATLAB/Simulink environment. Simulation results validate the performance and effectiveness of the proposed control methods.

Designs and Plans for MAIZE: a 1 MA LTD-Driven Z-Pinch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilgenbach, R. M.; Gomez, M. R.; Zier, J.; Tang, W.; French, D. M.; Hoff, B. W.; Jordan, N.; Cruz, E.; Lau, Y. Y.; Fowler-Guzzardo, T.; Meisel, J.; Mazarakis, M. G.; Cuneo, M. E.; Johnston, M. D.; Mehlhorn, T. A.; Kim, A. A.; Sinebryukhov, V. A.

2007-11-01

We present designs and experimental plans of the first 1 MA z-pinch in the USA to be driven by a Linear Transformer Driver (LTD). The Michigan Accelerator for Inductive Z-pinch Experiments, (MAIZE), is based on the LTD developed at the Institute for High Current Electronics, utilizing 80 capacitors and 40 spark gap switches to deliver a 1 MA, 100 kV pulse with <100 ns risetime. Designs will be presented of a low-inductance MITL terminated in a wire-array z-pinch. Initial, planned experiments will evaluate the LTD driving time-changing inductance of imploding 4-16 wire-array z-pinches. Wire ablation dynamics, axial-correlations and instability development will be explored. *This work was supported by U. S. DoE through Sandia National Laboratories award number 240985 to the University of Michigan. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

An optimal design of coreless direct-drive axial flux permanent magnet generator for wind turbine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, D.; Ahmad, A.

2013-06-01

Different types of generators are currently being used in wind power technology. The commonly used are induction generator (IG), doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG), electrically excited synchronous generator (EESG) and permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). However, the use of PMSG is rapidly increasing because of advantages such as higher power density, better controllability and higher reliability. This paper presents an innovative design of a low-speed modular, direct-drive axial flux permanent magnet (AFPM) generator with coreless stator and rotor for a wind turbine power generation system that is developed using mathematical and analytical methods. This innovative design is implemented in MATLAB / Simulink environment using dynamic modelling techniques. The main focus of this research is to improve efficiency of the wind power generation system by investigating electromagnetic and structural features of AFPM generator during its operation in wind turbine. The design is validated by comparing its performance with standard models of existing wind power generators. The comparison results demonstrate that the proposed model for the wind power generator exhibits number of advantages such as improved efficiency with variable speed operation, higher energy yield, lighter weight and better wind power utilization.

Fault tolerant vector control of induction motor drive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Odnokopylov, G.; Bragin, A.

2014-10-01

For electric composed of technical objects hazardous industries, such as nuclear, military, chemical, etc. an urgent task is to increase their resiliency and survivability. The construction principle of vector control system fault-tolerant asynchronous electric. Displaying recovery efficiency three-phase induction motor drive in emergency mode using two-phase vector control system. The process of formation of a simulation model of the asynchronous electric unbalance in emergency mode. When modeling used coordinate transformation, providing emergency operation electric unbalance work. The results of modeling transient phase loss motor stator. During a power failure phase induction motor cannot save circular rotating field in the air gap of the motor and ensure the restoration of its efficiency at rated torque and speed.

High voltage MOSFET switching circuit

DOEpatents

McEwan, T.E.

1994-07-26

The problem of source lead inductance in a MOSFET switching circuit is compensated for by adding an inductor to the gate circuit. The gate circuit inductor produces an inductive spike which counters the source lead inductive drop to produce a rectangular drive voltage waveform at the internal gate-source terminals of the MOSFET. 2 figs.

Factors affecting energy deposition and expansion in single wire low current experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duselis, Peter U.; Vaughan, Jeffrey A.; Kusse, Bruce R.

2004-08-01

Single wire experiments were performed on a low current pulse generator at Cornell University. A 220 nF capacitor charged to 15-25 kV was used to drive single wire experiments. The capacitor and wire holder were connected in series through an external variable inductor to control the current rise rate. This external series inductance was adjustable from 0.2 to 2 μH. When coupled with the range of charging voltages this results in current rise rates from 5 to 50 A/ns. The current heated the wire through liquid and vapor phases until plasma formed around the wire. Energy deposition and expansion rates were measured as functions of the current rise rate. These results indicated better energy deposition and higher expansion rates with faster current rise rates. Effects of the wire-electrode connection method and wire polarity were also studied.

Advanced induction accelerator designs for ground based and space based FELs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birx, Daniel

1994-04-01

The primary goal of this program was to improve the performance of induction accelerators with particular regards to their being used to drive Free Electron Lasers (FEL's). It is hoped that FEL's operating at visible wavelengths might someday be used to beam power from earth to extraterrestrial locations. One application of this technology might be strategic theater defense, but this power source might be used to propel vehicles or supplement solar energized systems. Our path toward achieving this goal was directed first toward optimization of the nonlinear magnetic material used in induction accelerator construction and secondly at the overall design in terms of cost, size and efficiency. We began this research effort with an in depth study into the properties of various nonlinear magnetic materials. With the data on nonlinear magnetic materials, so important to the optimization of efficiency, in hand, we envisioned a new induction accelerator design where all of the components were packaged together in one container. This induction accelerator module would combine an /ll-solid-state, nonlinear magnetic driver and the induction accelerator cells all in one convenient package. Each accelerator module (denoted SNOMAD-IVB) would produce 1.0 MeV of acceleration with the exception of the SNOMAD-IV injector module which would produce 0.5 MeV of acceleration for an electron beam current up to 1000 amperes.

Maximizing MST's inductive capability with a Bp programmable power supply

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapman, B. E.; Holly, D. J.; Jacobson, C. M.; McCollam, K. J.; Morin, J. C.; Sarff, J. S.; Squitieri, A.

2016-10-01

A major goal of the MST program is the advancement of inductive control for the development of both the RFP's fusion potential and, synergistically, the predictive capability of fusion science. This entails programmable power supplies (PPS's) for the Bt and Bp circuits. A Bt PPS is already in place, allowing advanced RFP operation and the production of tokamak plasmas, and a Bp PPS prototype is under construction. To explore some of the new capabilities to be provided by the Bp PPS, the existing Bt PPS has been temporarily connected to the Bp circuit. One key result is new-found access to very low Ip (20 kA) and very low Lundquist number, S (104). At this low S, simulation of RFP plasmas with the MHD code NIMROD is readily achievable, and work toward validation of extended MHD models using NIMROD is underway with direct comparisons to these MST plasmas. The full Bp PPS will also provide higher Ip and S than presently possible, allowing MST to produce plasmas with S spanning as much as five orders of magnitude, a dramatic extension of MST's capability. In these initial tests, the PPS has also increased five-fold MST's Ip flattop duration, to about 100 ms. This, coupled with the recently demonstrated PPS ability to drive large-amplitude sinusoidal oscillations in Ip, will allow tests of extended-duration oscillating field current drive, the goal of which is ac sustainment of a quasi-dc plasma current. Work supported by US DOE.

Features of electric drive sucker rod pumps for oil production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gizatullin, F. A.; Khakimyanov, M. I.; Khusainov, F. F.

2018-01-01

This article is about modes of operation of electric drives of downhole sucker rod pumps. Downhole oil production processes are very energy intensive. Oil fields contain many oil wells; many of them operate in inefficient modes with significant additional losses. Authors propose technical solutions to improve energy performance of a pump unit drives: counterweight balancing, reducing of electric motor power, replacing induction motors with permanent magnet motors, replacing balancer drives with chain drives, using of variable frequency drives.

Power-Quality Improvement in PFC Bridgeless SEPIC-Fed BLDC Motor Drive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Bhim; Bist, Vashist

2013-06-01

This article presents a design of a power factor correction (PFC)-based brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive. The speed control of BLDC motor is achieved by controlling the DC link voltage of the voltage source inverter (VSI) feeding BLDC motor using a single voltage sensor. A front-end bridgeless single-ended primary inductance converter (SEPIC) is used for DC link voltage control and PFC operation. A bridgeless SEPIC is designed to operate in discontinuous inductor current mode (DICM) thus utilizing a simple control scheme of voltage follower. An electronic commutation of BLDC motor is used for VSI to operate in a low-frequency operation for reduced switching losses in the VSI. Moreover, a bridgeless topology offers less conduction losses due to absence of diode bridge rectifier for further increasing the efficiency. The proposed BLDC motor drive is designed to operate over a wide range of speed control with an improved power-quality at the AC mains under the recommended international power-quality standards such as IEC 61000-3-2.

Linear inductive voltage adders (IVA) for advanced hydrodynamic radiography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mazarakis, M.G.; Boyes, J.D.; Johnson, D.L.

The electron beam which drifts through the multiple cavities of conventional induction linacs (LIA) is replaced in an IVA by a cylindrical metal conductor which extends along the entire length of the device and effectuates the addition of the accelerator cavity voltages. In the approach to radiography, the linear inductive voltage adder drives a magnetically immersed electron diode with a millimeter diameter cathode electrode and a planar anode/bremsstrahlung converter. Both anode and cathode electrodes are immersed in a strong (15--50 T) solenoidal magnetic field. The electron beam cross section is approximately of the same size as the cathode needle andmore » generates a similar size, very intense x-ray beam when it strikes the anode converter. An IVA driven diode can produce electron beams of equal size and energy as a LIA but with much higher currents (40--50 kA versus 4--5 kA), simpler hardware and thus lower cost. The authors present here first experimental validations of the technology utilizing HERMES 3 and SABRE IVA accelerators. The electron beam voltage and current were respectively of the order of 10 MV and 40 kA. X-ray doses of up to 1 kR {at} 1 m and spot sizes as small as 1.7 mm (at 200 R doses) were measured.« less

Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of an Induction Planar Actuator with Different Secondaries—A Planar Driver Application for Metallic Surface Inspection

PubMed Central

Treviso, Felipe; Silveira, Marilia A.; Flores Filho, Aly F.; Dorrell, David G.

2016-01-01

This paper presents a study on an induction planar actuator concept. The device uses the same principles as a linear induction motor in which the interaction between a travelling magnetic field and a conducting surface produces eddy currents that leads to the generation of a thrust force and can result in movement over a metallic surface. This can benefit the inspection of metallic surfaces based on the driving platform provided by the induction planar actuator. Equations of the magnetic and electric fields are presented and, by means of these equations, the forces involved were calculated. The behaviour of thrust and normal forces was analysed through the equations and by numerical models, and compared with the results obtained by measurements on a device prototype built in the laboratory as part of the study. With relation to the surface under inspection that forms the secondary, three cases were analysed: (1) a double-layered secondary formed by aluminium and ferromagnetic slabs; (2) a single aluminium layer and (3) a single ferromagnetic layer. Theoretical and measured values of thrust and normal forces showed good correlation. PMID:27007377

First-Principles-Driven Model-Based Optimal Control of the Current Profile in NSTX-U

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilhan, Zeki; Barton, Justin; Wehner, William; Schuster, Eugenio; Gates, David; Gerhardt, Stefan; Kolemen, Egemen; Menard, Jonathan

2014-10-01

Regulation in time of the toroidal current profile is one of the main challenges toward the realization of the next-step operational goals for NSTX-U. A nonlinear, control-oriented, physics-based model describing the temporal evolution of the current profile is obtained by combining the magnetic diffusion equation with empirical correlations obtained at NSTX-U for the electron density, electron temperature, and non-inductive current drives. In this work, the proposed model is embedded into the control design process to synthesize a time-variant, linear-quadratic-integral, optimal controller capable of regulating the safety factor profile around a desired target profile while rejecting disturbances. Neutral beam injectors and the total plasma current are used as actuators to shape the current profile. The effectiveness of the proposed controller in regulating the safety factor profile in NSTX-U is demonstrated via closed-loop predictive simulations carried out in PTRANSP. Supported by PPPL.

Progress on advanced dc and ac induction drives for electric vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, H. J.

1982-01-01

Progress is reported in the development of complete electric vehicle propulsion systems, and the results of tests on the Road Load Simulator of two such systems representative of advanced dc and ac drive technology are presented. One is the system used in the DOE's ETV-1 integrated test vehicle which consists of a shunt wound dc traction motor under microprocessor control using a transistorized controller. The motor drives the vehicle through a fixed ratio transmission. The second system uses an ac induction motor controlled by transistorized pulse width modulated inverter which drives through a two speed automatically shifted transmission. The inverter and transmission both operate under the control of a microprocessor. The characteristics of these systems are also compared with the propulsion system technology available in vehicles being manufactured at the inception of the DOE program and with an advanced, highly integrated propulsion system upon which technology development was recently initiated.

Steady state scenario development with elevated minimum safety factor on DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Holcomb, Christopher T.; Ferron, John R.; Luce, Timothy C.; ...

2014-08-15

On DIII-D, a high β scenario with minimum safety factor (q min) near 1.4 has been optimized with new tools and shown to be a favourable candidate for long pulse or steady state operation in future devices. Furthermore, the new capability to redirect up to 5 MW of neutral beam injection (NBI) from on- to off-axis improves the ability to sustain elevated q min with a less peaked pressure profile. The observed changes increase the ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) n = 1 mode β N limit thus providing a path forward for increasing the noninductive current drive fraction by operating atmore » high β N. Quasi-stationary discharges free of tearing modes have been sustained at βN = 3.5 and β T = 3.6% for two current profile diffusion timescales (about 3 s) limited by neutral beam duration. The discharge performance has normalized fusion performance expected to give fusion gain Q ≈ 5 in a device the size of ITER. Analysis of the poloidal flux evolution and current drive balance show that the loop voltage profile is almost relaxed even with 25% of the current driven inductively, and q min remains elevated near 1.4. Our observations increase confidence that the current profile will not evolve to one unstable to a tearing mode. In preliminary tests a divertor heat flux reduction technique based on producing a radiating mantle with neon injection appears compatible with this operating scenario. 0D model extrapolations suggest it may be possible to push this scenario up to 100% noninductive current drive by raising β N. Similar discharges with q min = 1.5–2 were susceptible to tearing modes and off-axis fishbones, and with q min > 2 lower normalized global energy confinement time is observed.« less

Characterization of beam-driven instabilities and current redistribution in MST plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parke, E.

2015-11-01

A unique, high-rep-rate (>10 kHz) Thomson scattering diagnostic and a high-bandwidth FIR interferometer-polarimeter on MST have enabled characterization of beam-driven instabilities and magnetic equilibrium changes observed during high power (1 MW) neutral beam injection (NBI). While NBI leads to negligible net current drive, an increase in on-axis current density observed through Faraday rotation is offset by a reduction in mid-radius current. Identification of the phase flip in temperature fluctuations associated with tearing modes provides a sensitive measure of rational surface locations. This technique strongly constrains the safety factor for equilibrium reconstruction and provides a powerful new tool for measuring the equilibrium magnetic field. For example, the n = 6 temperature structure is observed to shift inward 1.1 +/- 0.6 cm, with an estimated reduction of q0 by 5%. This is consistent with a mid-radius reduction in current, and together the Faraday rotation and Thomson scattering measurements corroborate an inductive redistribution of current that compares well with TRANSP/MSTFit predictions. Interpreting tearing mode temperature structures in the RFP remains challenging; the effects of multiple, closely-spaced tearing modes on the mode phase measurement require further verification. In addition to equilibrium changes, previous work has shown that the large fast ion population drives instabilities at higher frequencies near the Alfvén continuum. Recent observations reveal a new instability at much lower frequency (~7 kHz) with strongly chirping behavior. It participates in extensive avalanches of the higher frequency energetic particle and Alfvénic modes to drive enhanced fast ion transport. Internal structures measured from Te and ne fluctuations, their dependence on the safety factor, as well as frequency scaling motivate speculation about mode identity. Work supported by U.S. DOE.

Switching Characteristics of a 4H-SiC Based Bipolar Junction Transistor to 200 C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niedra, Janis M.

2006-01-01

Static curves and resistive load switching characteristics of a 600 V, 4 A rated, SiC-based NPN bipolar power transistor (BJT) were observed at selected temperatures from room to 200 C. All testing was done in a pulse mode at low duty cycle (approx.0.1 percent). Turn-on was driven by an adjustable base current pulse and turn-off was accelerated by a negative base voltage pulse of 7 V. These base drive signals were implemented by 850 V, gated power pulsers, having rise-times of roughly 10 ns, or less. Base charge sweep-out with a 7 V negative pulse did not produce the large reverse base current pulse seen in a comparably rated Si-based BJT. This may be due to a very low charge storage time. The decay of the collector current was more linear than its exponential-like rise. Switching observations were done at base drive currents (I(sub B)) up to 400 mA and collector currents (I(sub C)) up to 4 A, using a 100 Omega non-inductive load. At I(sub B) = 400 mA and I(sub C) = 4 A, turn-on times typically varied from 80 to 94 ns, over temperatures from 23 to 200 C. As expected, lowering the base drive greatly extended the turn-on time. Similarly, decreasing the load current to I(sub C) = 1 A with I(sub B) = 400 mA produced turn-on times as short as 34 ns. Over the 23 to 200 C range, with I(sub B) = 400 mA and I(sub C) = 4 A, turn-off times were in the range of 72 to 84 ns with the 7 V sweep-out.

Prototype Solid State Induction Modulator for SLAC NLC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassel, R. L.; DeLamare, J. E.; Nguyen, M. N.; Pappas, G. C.; Cook, E.

2002-08-01

The Next Linear Collider accelerator proposal at SLAC requires a high efficiency, highly reliable, and low cost pulsed power modulator to drive the X band klystrons. The present NLC envisions a solid-state induction modulator design to drive up to 8 klystrons to 500kV for 3muS at 120 PPS with one modulator (>1,000 megawatt pulse, 500kW average). A prototype modulator is presently under construction, which well power 4 each 5045 SLAC klystron to greater than 380 kV for 3muS (>600 megawatt pulse, >300 kW Ave.). The modulator will be capable of driving the 8 each X band klystrons when they become available. The paper covers the design, construction, fabrication and preliminary testing of the prototype modulator.

Modeling and Simulation of a 5.8kV SiC PiN Diode for Inductive Pulsed Plasma Thruster Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toftul, Alexandra; Hudgins, Jerry L.; Polzin, Kurt A.; Martin, Adam K.

2014-01-01

Current ringing in an Inductive Pulsed Plasma Thruster (IPPT) can lead to reduced energy efficiency, excess heating, and wear on circuit components such as capacitors and solid state devices. Clamping off the current using a fast turn-off power diode is an effective way to reduce current ringing and increase energy efficiency. A diode with a shorter reverse recovery time will allow the least amount of current to ring back through the circuit, as well as minimize switching losses. The reverse recovery response of a new 5.8 kilovolt SiC PiN diode from Cree, Inc. in the IPPT plasma drive circuit is investigated using a physicsbased Simulink model, and compared with that of a 5SDF 02D6004 5.5 kilovolt fast-switching Si diode from ABB. Parameter extraction was carried out for each diode using both datasheet specifications and experimental waveforms, in order to most accurately adapt the model to the specific device. Further experimental data will be discussed using a flat-plate IPPT developed at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and used to verify the simulation results. A final quantitative measure of circuit efficiency will be described for both the Si and SiC diode configuration.

ac propulsion system for an electric vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geppert, S.

1980-01-01

It is pointed out that dc drives will be the logical choice for current production electric vehicles (EV). However, by the mid-80's, there is a good chance that the price and reliability of suitable high-power semiconductors will allow for a competitive ac system. The driving force behind the ac approach is the induction motor, which has specific advantages relative to a dc shunt or series traction motor. These advantages would be an important factor in the case of a vehicle for which low maintenance characteristics are of primary importance. A description of an EV ac propulsion system is provided, taking into account the logic controller, the inverter, the motor, and a two-speed transmission-differential-axle assembly. The main barrier to the employment of the considered propulsion system in EV is not any technical problem, but inverter transistor cost.

Microbial-derived lithocholic acid and vitamin K2 drive the metabolic maturation of pluripotent stem cells-derived and fetal hepatocytes.

PubMed

Avior, Yishai; Levy, Gahl; Zimerman, Michal; Kitsberg, Daniel; Schwartz, Robert; Sadeh, Ronen; Moussaieff, Arieh; Cohen, Merav; Itskovitz-Eldor, Joseph; Nahmias, Yaakov

2015-07-01

The liver is the main organ responsible for the modification, clearance, and transformational toxicity of most xenobiotics owing to its abundance in cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes. However, the scarcity and variability of primary hepatocytes currently limits their utility. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) represent an excellent source of differentiated hepatocytes; however, current protocols still produce fetal-like hepatocytes with limited mature function. Interestingly, fetal hepatocytes acquire mature CYP450 expression only postpartum, suggesting that nutritional cues may drive hepatic maturation. We show that vitamin K2 and lithocholic acid, a by-product of intestinal flora, activate pregnane X receptor (PXR) and subsequent CYP3A4 and CYP2C9 expression in hPSC-derived and isolated fetal hepatocytes. Differentiated cells produce albumin and apolipoprotein B100 at levels equivalent to primary human hepatocytes, while demonstrating an 8-fold induction of CYP450 activity in response to aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist omeprazole and a 10-fold induction in response to PXR agonist rifampicin. Flow cytometry showed that over 83% of cells were albumin and hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4α) positive, permitting high-content screening in a 96-well plate format. Analysis of 12 compounds showed an R(2) correlation of 0.94 between TC50 values obtained in stem cell-derived hepatocytes and primary cells, compared to 0.62 for HepG2 cells. Finally, stem cell-derived hepatocytes demonstrate all toxicological endpoints examined, including steatosis, apoptosis, and cholestasis, when exposed to nine known hepatotoxins. Our work provides fresh insights into liver development, suggesting that microbial-derived cues may drive the maturation of CYP450 enzymes postpartum. Addition of these cues results in the first functional, inducible, hPSC-derived hepatocyte for predictive toxicology. © 2015 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

The light ion pulsed power induction accelerator for ETF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mazarakis, M.G.; Olson, R.E.; Olson, C.L.

1994-12-31

Our Engineering Test Facility (ETF) driver concept is based on HERMES III and RHEPP technologies. Actually, it is a scaled-down version of the LMF design incorporating repetition rate capabilities of up to 10 Hz CW. The preconceptual design presented here provides 200-TW peak power to the ETF target during 10 ns, equal to 2-MJ total ion beam energy. Linear inductive voltage addition driving a self-magnetically insulated transmission line (MITL) is utilized to generate the 36-MV peak voltage needed for lithium ion beams. The {approximately} 3-MA ion current is achieved by utilizing many accelerating modules in parallel. Since the current permore » module is relatively modest ({approximately}300 kA), two-stage or one-stage extraction diodes can be utilized for the generation of singly charged lithium ions. The accelerating modules are arranged symmetrically around the fusion chamber in order to provide uniform irradiation onto the ETF target. In addition, the modules are fired in a programmed sequence in order to generate the optimum power pulse shape onto the target. This design utilizes RHEPP accelerator modules as the principal power source.« less

Induction motor control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansen, Irving G.

1990-01-01

Electromechanical actuators developed to date have commonly utilized permanent magnet (PM) synchronous motors. More recently switched reluctance (SR) motors have been advocated due to their robust characteristics. Implications of work which utilizes induction motors and advanced control techniques are discussed. When induction motors are operated from an energy source capable of controlling voltages and frequencies independently, drive characteristics are obtained which are superior to either PM or SR motors. By synthesizing the machine frequency from a high frequency carrier (nominally 20 kHz), high efficiencies, low distortion, and rapid torque response are available. At this time multiple horsepower machine drives were demonstrated, and work is on-going to develop a 20 hp average, 40 hp peak class of aerospace actuators. This effort is based upon high frequency power distribution and management techniques developed by NASA for Space Station Freedom.

Induction motor control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansen, Irving G.

1990-01-01

Electromechanical actuators developed to date have commonly ultilized permanent magnet (PM) synchronous motors. More recently switched reluctance (SR) motors have been advocated due to their robust characteristics. Implications of work which utilized induction motors and advanced control techniques are discussed. When induction motors are operated from an energy source capable of controlling voltages and frequencies independently, drive characteristics are obtained which are superior to either PM or SR motors. By synthesizing the machine frequency from a high-frequency carrier (nominally 20 kHz), high efficiencies, low distortion, and rapid torque response are available. At this time multiple horsepower machine drives were demonstrated, and work is on-going to develop a 20 hp average, 40 hp peak class of aerospace actuators. This effort is based upon high-frequency power distribution and management techniques developed by NASA for Space Station Freedom.

Electric Drive Study. Volume 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-12-21

CONDITIONER HIGH VOLTAGE DC ICONDITIONER 3 ,300-50 VOLT5), dCONTROL! Figure 5-4. Typical AC Drive System 20 system usable with an induction motor. The...controlling component in an AC drive is the motor power conditioner . This component changes the high voltage DC power to controlled AC power of...selected voltage and frequency which is applied to the drive motors. Since the vehicle gains stored energy as it is accelerated, the motor power conditioner

Extending the Constant Power Speed Range of the Brushless DC Motor through Dual Mode Inverter Control -- Part II: Laboratory Proof-of-Principle

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lawler, J.S.

2001-10-29

Previous theoretical work has shown that when all loss mechanisms are neglected the constant power speed range (CPSR) of a brushless dc motor (BDCM) is infinite when the motor is driven by the dual-mode inverter control (DMIC) [1,2]. In a physical drive, losses, particularly speed-sensitive losses, will limit the CPSR to a finite value. In this paper we report the results of laboratory testing of a low-inductance, 7.5-hp BDCM driven by the DMIC. The speed rating of the test motor rotor limited the upper speed of the testing, and the results show that the CPSR of the test machine ismore » greater than 6:1 when driven by the DMIC. Current wave shape, peak, and rms values remained controlled and within rating over the entire speed range. The laboratory measurements allowed the speed-sensitive losses to be quantified and incorporated into computer simulation models, which then accurately reproduce the results of lab testing. The simulator shows that the limiting CPSR of the test motor is 8:1. These results confirm that the DMIC is capable of driving low-inductance BDCMs over the wide CPSR that would be required in electric vehicle applications.« less

Adaptive control schemes for improving dynamic performance of efficiency-optimized induction motor drives.

PubMed

Kumar, Navneet; Raj Chelliah, Thanga; Srivastava, S P

2015-07-01

Model Based Control (MBC) is one of the energy optimal controllers used in vector-controlled Induction Motor (IM) for controlling the excitation of motor in accordance with torque and speed. MBC offers energy conservation especially at part-load operation, but it creates ripples in torque and speed during load transition, leading to poor dynamic performance of the drive. This study investigates the opportunity for improving dynamic performance of a three-phase IM operating with MBC and proposes three control schemes: (i) MBC with a low pass filter (ii) torque producing current (iqs) injection in the output of speed controller (iii) Variable Structure Speed Controller (VSSC). The pre and post operation of MBC during load transition is also analyzed. The dynamic performance of a 1-hp, three-phase squirrel-cage IM with mine-hoist load diagram is tested. Test results are provided for the conventional field-oriented (constant flux) control and MBC (adjustable excitation) with proposed schemes. The effectiveness of proposed schemes is also illustrated for parametric variations. The test results and subsequent analysis confer that the motor dynamics improves significantly with all three proposed schemes in terms of overshoot/undershoot peak amplitude of torque and DC link power in addition to energy saving during load transitions. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PWM-switching pattern-based diagnosis scheme for single and multiple open-switch damages in VSI-fed induction motor drives.

PubMed

Trabelsi, Mohamed; Boussak, Mohamed; Gossa, Moncef

2012-03-01

This paper deals with a fault detection technique for insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) open-circuit faults in voltage source inverter (VSI)-fed induction motor drives. The novelty of this idea consists in analyzing the pulse-width modulation (PWM) switching signals and the line-to-line voltage levels during the switching times, under both healthy and faulty operating conditions. The proposed method requires line-to-line voltage measurement, which provides information about switching states and is not affected by the load. The fault diagnosis scheme is achieved using simple hardware and can be included in the existing inverter system without any difficulty. In addition, it allows not only accurate single and multiple faults diagnosis but also minimization of the fault detection time to a maximum of one switching period (T(c)). Simulated and experimental results on a 3-kW squirrel-cage induction motor drive are displayed to validate the feasibility and the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overview of EAST experiments on the development of high-performance steady-state scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, B. N.; Liang, Y. F.; Gong, X. Z.; Li, J. G.; Xiang, N.; Xu, G. S.; Sun, Y. W.; Wang, L.; Qian, J. P.; Liu, H. Q.; Zhang, X. D.; Hu, L. Q.; Hu, J. S.; Liu, F. K.; Hu, C. D.; Zhao, Y. P.; Zeng, L.; Wang, M.; Xu, H. D.; Luo, G. N.; Garofalo, A. M.; Ekedahl, A.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, X. J.; Huang, J.; Ding, B. J.; Zang, Q.; Li, M. H.; Ding, F.; Ding, S. Y.; Lyu, B.; Yu, Y. W.; Zhang, T.; Zhang, Y.; Li, G. Q.; Xia, T. Y.; the EAST Team; Collaborators

2017-10-01

The EAST research program aims to demonstrate steady-state long-pulse advanced high-performance H-mode operations with ITER-like poloidal configuration and RF-dominated heating schemes. Since the 2014 IAEA FEC, EAST has been upgraded with all ITER-relevant auxiliary heating and current drive systems, enabling the investigation of plasma profile control by the coupling/integration of various auxiliary heating combinations. Fully non-inductive steady-state H-mode plasma (H 98,y2  >  1.1) was extended over 60 s for the first time with sole RF heating plus good power coupling and impurity and particle control. By means of the 4.6 GHz and 2.45 GHz LHCD systems, H-mode can be obtained and maintained at relatively high density, even up to n e ~ 4.5  ×  1019 m-3, where a current drive effect is still observed. Significant progress has been achieved on EAST, including: (i) demonstration of a steady-state scenario (fully non-inductive with V loop ~ 0.0 V at high β P ~ 1.8 and high-performance in upper single-null (ɛ ~ 1.6) configuration with the tungsten divertor; (ii) discovery of a stationary H-mode regime with no/small ELM using 4.6 GHz LHCD, and; (iii) achievement of ELM suppression in slowly rotating H-mode plasma with n  =  1 and 2 RMP compatible with long-pulse operations. The new advances in scenario development provide an integrated solution in achieving long-pulse steady-state operations on EAST.

Study on magnetic force of electromagnetic levitation circular knitting machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, X. G.; Zhang, C.; Xu, X. S.; Zhang, J. G.; Yan, N.; Zhang, G. Z.

2018-06-01

The structure of the driving coil and the electromagnetic force of the test prototype of electromagnetic-levitation (EL) circular knitting machine are studied. In this paper, the driving coil’s structure and working principle of the EL circular knitting machine are firstly introduced, then the mathematical modelling analysis of the driving electromagnetic force is carried out, and through the Ansoft Maxwell finite element simulation software the coil’s magnetic induction intensity and the needle’s electromagnetic force is simulated, finally an experimental platform is built to measure the coil’s magnetic induction intensity and the needle’s electromagnetic force. The results show that the theoretical analysis, the simulation analysis and the results of the test are very close, which proves the correctness of the proposed model.

Non-Inductively Driven Tokamak Plasmas at Near-Unity Toroidal Beta in the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reusch, Joshua

2017-10-01

A major goal of the spherical tokamak research program is accessing a state of low internal inductance li, high elongation κ, high toroidal and normalized beta (βt and βN) , and low collisionality without solenoidal current drive. A new local helicity injection (LHI) system in the lower divertor region of the ultra-low aspect ratio Pegasus ST provides non-solenoidally driven plasmas that exhibit most of these characteristics. LHI utilizes compact, edge-localized current sources (Ainj 4 cm2, Iinj 8 kA, Vinj 1.5 kV) for plasma startup and sustainment, and can sustain more than 200 kA of plasma current. Plasma growth via LHI is enhanced by a transition from a regime of high kink-like MHD activity to one of reduced MHD activity at higher frequencies and presumably shorter wavelengths. The strong edge current drive provided by LHI results in a hollow current density profile with low li. The low aspect ratio (R0 / a 1.2) of Pegasus allows ready access to high κ and MHD stable operation at very high normalized plasma currents (IN =Ip /aBT> 15). Thomson scattering measurements indicate Te 100 eV and ne 1 ×19 m-3. The impurity Ti evolution is correlated in time with high frequency magnetic fluctuations, implying substantial reconnection ion heating is driven by the applied helicity injection. Doppler spectroscopy indicates Ti >=Te and that the anomalous ion heating scales consistently with two fluid reconnection theory. Taken together, these features provide access to very high βt plasmas. Equilibrium analyses indicate βt up to 100% and βN 6.5 is achieved. At increasingly low BT, the discharge disrupts at the no-wall ideal stability limit. In these high βt discharges, a minimum |B| well forms over 50% of the plasma volume. This unique magnetic configuration may be of interest for testing predictions of stabilizing drift wave turbulence and/or improving energetic particle confinement. This work supported by US DOE Grants DE-FG02-96ER54375 and DE-SC0006928.

Overview of long pulse H-mode operation on EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, X.; Garofalo, A. M.; Wan, B.; Li, J.; Qian, J.; Li, E.; Liu, F.; Zhao, Y.; Wang, M.; Xu, H.; EAST Team

2017-10-01

The EAST research program aims to demonstrate steady-state long-pulse high-performance H-mode operations with ITER-like poloidal configuration and RF-dominated heating schemes. In the recent experimental campaign, a long pulse fully non-inductive H-mode discharge lasting over 100 seconds using the upper ITER-like tungsten divertor has been achieved in EAST. This scenario used only RF heating and current drive, but also benefitted from an integrated control of the wall conditioning, plasma configuration, divertor heat flux, particle exhaust, impurity management and superconducting coils safety. Maintaining effective coupling of multiple RF heating and current drive sources on EAST is a critical ingredient. This long pulse discharge had good energy confinement, H98,y2 1.1-1.2, and all of the plasma parameters reach a true steady-state. Power balance indicates that the confinement improvement is due partly to a significantly reduced core electron transport inside minor radius rho<0.4. This work was supported by the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Program of China Contract No. 2015GB10200 and the US Department of Energy Contract No. DE-SC0010685.

Inductive Pulsed Plasma Thruster Development and Testing at NASA-MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polzin, Kurt A.

2013-01-01

THE inductive pulsed plasma thruster (IPPT) is an electrodeless space propulsion device where a capacitor is charged to an initial voltage and then discharged producing a high current pulse through a coil. The field produced by this pulse ionizes propellant, inductively driving current in a plasma located near the face of the coil. Once the plasma is formed it can be accelerated and expelled at a high exhaust velocity by the electromagnetic Lorentz body force arising from the interaction of the induced plasma current and the magnetic field produced by the current in the coil. In the present work, we present a summary of the IPPT research and development conducted at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). As a higher-power, still relatively low readiness level system, there are many issues associated with the eventual deployment and use of the IPPT as a primary propulsion system on spacecraft that remain to be addressed. The present program aimed to fabricate and test hardware to explore how these issues could be addressed. The following specific areas were addressed within the program and will be discussed within this paper. a) Conical theta-pinch IPPT geometry thruster configuration. b) Repetition-rate multi-kW thruster pulsing. c) Long-lifetime pulsed gas valve. d) Fast pulsed gas valve driver and controller. e) High-voltage, repetitive capacitor charging power processing unit. During the course of testing, a number of specific tests were conducted, including several that, to our knowledge, have either never been previously conducted (such as multi-KW repetition-rate operation) or have not been performed since the early 1990s (direct IPPT thrust measurements).2 Conical theta-pinch IPPT thrust stand measurements are presented in Fig. 1 while various time-integrated and time

Control of plasma profiles and stability through localised Electron Cyclotron Current Drive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merkulov, Oleksiy

2006-06-01

The work presented in this thesis addresses several topics from the physics of the magnetically confined plasma inside a tokamak. At the moment, the tokamak is the most successful concept for becoming a future thermonuclear reactor. However, there are plenty of physics and engineering problems to surpass before the prototype can become an economically and environmentally feasible device. The plasma in the tokamak experiences periodic oscillations of the central temperature and density when the safety factor, q, drops below unity on-axis. These oscillations are called the sawtooth instability and are the subject of the first part of this thesis. The sawtooth oscillations are characterised by the relatively slow rise phase, when the central temperature increases, and a following crash phase, when the central temperature drops. The energy, particles and plasma current are redistributed during the sawtooth crash. Obviously, this leads to a confinement degradation and moreover, the sawtooth instability can trigger potentially other more dangerous instabilities, such as a neoclassical tearing mode. The sawtooth period control is realised on the basis of the sawtooth trigger model, derived by Porcelli. The main idea of this model is that the sawtooth crash is triggered when the magnetic shear at the q=1 surface, s1, reaches a critical value which depends on the local plasma parameters. The magnetic shear, s, is a measure for the rate of change in the direction of the field line as a function of the position in the plasma. The sawtooth period can be changed by affecting the evolution of s1. The effects of the electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) on the shear evolution are studied with a simple model for the poloidal field evolution. The results of the model are summarised in a form of a criterion for the amount of the non-inductive current drive required for sawtooth period control. The effects of the ECCD have been studied in the TEXTOR tokamak in order to confirm the outcome of the model. The observations are complicated by the unavoidable presence of concurrent heating, which also affects the sawtooth period. The effects of additional heating have been separated from the effects of current drive by normalising the sawtooth period, as a function of the power deposition radius, to a case with heating only. The results are in qualitative agreement with the predictions of the theory and confirm that the shear around the q=1 surface determines the moment of the sawtooth crash. The next topic addresses the current diffusion in the presence of the ECCD. It is known that the synergy between non-inductively driven current and the ohmic current can affect the current penetration. However, the standard method of calculations, which assumes neoclassical plasma resistivity, cannot describe the synergistic effects. We propose a model which combines a Fokker-Planck code and magnetic diffusion calculation in a self-consistent manner; where the plasma resistivity is approximated from the Fokker-Planck code at every time step. In this way the parallel electric field is no longer a constant input profile for the Fokker-Planck code, but is a result of calculations of the magnetic diffusion. This model allowed us to identify situations where the synergy between the driven and the ohmic currents becomes significant and affects the current penetration. Both the ECCD power and the electron density have been varied over a wide range of parameters, thus changing the well known non-linearity criterion for ECCD after Harvey. This criterion indicates the non-linear behaviour of the current drive efficiency and also appears to be a good predictor for the synergistic effects. The results are compared with the standard method of calculations which were supplied by the ASTRA transport code. The standard method and the Fokker-Planck code with the self-consistent electric field show similar results in the absence of the synergy and therefore for low values of the Harvey parameter. For co-ECCD and high values of the Harvey parameter substantial synergy between ECCD and the ohmic current is observed and leads to the generation of a large population of suprathermal electrons and slows down the current penetration. The synergy between counter-ECCD and the inductive current results in a decrease of the total driven current and a much smaller population of suprathermal electrons. Another plasma stability problem has been studied during the current ramp-up phase. Quiet and MHD free current ramp-up is a necessary requirement for a long and efficient flat-top phase. The current penetration in the plasma scenarios with various plasma ramp-up rates has been modelled with the ASTRA transport code. It is shown that in the absence of MHD activity the predictions of the ASTRA code are in a agreement with the experimental results.

Universal Parameter Measurement and Sensorless Vector Control of Induction and Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Shu; Ara, Takahiro

Recently, induction motors (IMs) and permanent-magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) have been used in various industrial drive systems. The features of the hardware device used for controlling the adjustable-speed drive in these motors are almost identical. Despite this, different techniques are generally used for parameter measurement and speed-sensorless control of these motors. If the same technique can be used for parameter measurement and sensorless control, a highly versatile adjustable-speed-drive system can be realized. In this paper, the authors describe a new universal sensorless control technique for both IMs and PMSMs (including salient pole and nonsalient pole machines). A mathematical model applicable for IMs and PMSMs is discussed. Using this model, the authors derive the proposed universal sensorless vector control algorithm on the basis of estimation of the stator flux linkage vector. All the electrical motor parameters are determined by a unified test procedure. The proposed method is implemented on three test machines. The actual driving test results demonstrate the validity of the proposed method.

A Principle and Winding Design of Consequent-Pole Bearingless Motors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takenaga, Tomohiro; Kubota, Yutaka; Chiba, Akira; Fukao, Tadashi

Recently, bearingless motors have been developed to enhance motor drive systems with magnetic suspension. Several types of motors have been proposed as bearingless motors, such as induction, surface mounted permanent magnet, inset permanent magnet, interior permanent magnet, buried permanent magnet, homopolar, hybrid, and switched reluctance bearingless motors. Permanent magnet bearingless motors have been attracting more interests in these years because of the high efficiency. In this paper, a consequent-pole bearingless motor is proposed. A rotor has buried permanent magnets, of which polarities are like. The radial force of a consequent-pole bearingless motor is generated by dc current. Thus, rotational angular position is not needed in a magnetic suspension controller. Radial force variations caused by a rotor rotation are minimized by improving arrangement of stator suspension conductors. A prototype bearingless motor and its controller are built. In experiment, principles of magnetic suspension in the proposed consequent-pole bearingless drive are confirmed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Platania, P., E-mail: platania@ifp.cnr.it; Figini, L.; Farina, D.

The purpose of this work is the optical modeling and physical performances evaluations of the JT-60SA ECRF launcher system. The beams have been simulated with the electromagnetic code GRASP® and used as input for ECCD calculations performed with the beam tracing code GRAY, capable of modeling propagation, absorption and current drive of an EC Gaussion beam with general astigmatism. Full details of the optical analysis has been taken into account to model the launched beams. Inductive and advanced reference scenarios has been analysed for physical evaluations in the full poloidal and toroidal steering ranges for two slightly different layouts ofmore » the launcher system.« less

Causal Relations Drive Young Children's Induction, Naming, and Categorization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Opfer, John E.; Bulloch, Megan J.

2007-01-01

A number of recent models and experiments have suggested that evidence of early category-based induction is an artifact of perceptual cues provided by experimenters. We tested these accounts against the prediction that different relations (causal versus non-causal) determine the types of perceptual similarity by which children generalize. Young…

Magnetic compression laser driving circuit

DOEpatents

Ball, D.G.; Birx, D.; Cook, E.G.

1993-01-05

A magnetic compression laser driving circuit is disclosed. The magnetic compression laser driving circuit compresses voltage pulses in the range of 1.5 microseconds at 20 kilovolts of amplitude to pulses in the range of 40 nanoseconds and 60 kilovolts of amplitude. The magnetic compression laser driving circuit includes a multi-stage magnetic switch where the last stage includes a switch having at least two turns which has larger saturated inductance with less core material so that the efficiency of the circuit and hence the laser is increased.

Magnetic compression laser driving circuit

DOEpatents

Ball, Don G.; Birx, Dan; Cook, Edward G.

1993-01-01

A magnetic compression laser driving circuit is disclosed. The magnetic compression laser driving circuit compresses voltage pulses in the range of 1.5 microseconds at 20 Kilovolts of amplitude to pulses in the range of 40 nanoseconds and 60 Kilovolts of amplitude. The magnetic compression laser driving circuit includes a multi-stage magnetic switch where the last stage includes a switch having at least two turns which has larger saturated inductance with less core material so that the efficiency of the circuit and hence the laser is increased.

CHI during an ohmic discharge in HIT-II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, Dennis; Nelson, Brian A.; Redd, Aaron J.; Hamp, William T.

2004-11-01

Coaxial Helicity Injection (CHI) has been used on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), the Helicity Injected Torus (HIT) and HIT-II to initiate plasma and to drive up to 400 kA of toroidal current. The primary goal of the CHI systems is to provide a start-up plasma with substantial toroidal current that can be heated and sustained with other methods. We have investigated the use of CHI systems to add current to an established, inductively driven plasma. This may be an attractive method to add edge current that may modify the stability characteristics of the discharge or modify the particle and energy transport in a spherical torus. For example, divertor biasing experiments have been successful in modifying particle and energy transport in the scrape-off layer of tokamaks. Use of IGBT power supplies to modulate the injector current makes analysis of current penetration feasible by comparisons of before and after CHI using EFIT analysis of the data.

Solenoid-free plasma start-up in spherical tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raman, R.; Shevchenko, V. F.

2014-10-01

The central solenoid is an intrinsic part of all present-day tokamaks and most spherical tokamaks. The spherical torus (ST) confinement concept is projected to operate at high toroidal beta and at a high fraction of the non-inductive bootstrap current as required for an efficient reactor system. The use of a conventional solenoid in a ST-based fusion nuclear facility is generally believed to not be a possibility. Solenoid-free plasma start-up is therefore an area of extensive worldwide research activity. Solenoid-free plasma start-up is also relevant to steady-state tokamak operation, as the central transformer coil of a conventional aspect ratio tokamak reactor would be located in a high radiation environment but would be needed only during the initial discharge initiation and current ramp-up phases. Solenoid-free operation also provides greater flexibility in the selection of the aspect ratio and simplifies the reactor design. Plasma start-up methods based on induction from external poloidal field coils, helicity injection and radio frequency current drive have all made substantial progress towards meeting this important need for the ST. Some of these systems will now undergo the final stages of test in a new generation of large STs, which are scheduled to begin operations during the next two years. This paper reviews research to date on methods for inducing the initial start-up current in STs without reliance on the conventional central solenoid.

Discharge start-up and ramp-up development for NSTX-U and MAST-U

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battaglia, D. J.; Boyer, M. D.; Gerhardt, S. P.; Menard, J. E.; Mueller, D.; Cunningham, G.; Kirk, A.; Kogan, L.; McArdle, G.; Pangione, L.; Thornton, A. J.; Ren, E.

2017-10-01

A collaborative modeling effort is underway to develop robust inductive start-up and ramp-up scenarios for NSTX-U and MAST-U. These complementary spherical tokamak devices aim to generate the physics basis for achieving steady-state, high-beta and high-confinement plasma discharges with a self-consistent solution for managing the divertor heat flux. High-performance discharges in these devices require sufficient plasma elongation (κ = 2.4 - 2.8) to maximize the bootstrap and beam-driven current drive, increase MHD stability at high Ip and high βN, and realize advanced divertor geometries such as the snowflake and super-X. Achieving the target elongation on NSTX-U is enabled by an L-H transition in the current ramp-up that slows the current diffusion and maintains a low internal inductance (li <= 0.8). Modeling focuses on developing scenarios that achieve a suitable field null for breakdown and discharge conditions conducive to an early L-H transition while maintaining vertical and MHD stability, with appropriate margin for variation in experimental conditions. The toroidal currents induced in conducting structures and the specifications of the real-time control and power supply systems are unique constraints for the two devices. Work Supported by U.S. DOE Contract No. DE-AC02-09CH11466 and the RCUK Energy Programme [Grant Number EP/P012450/1].

Comparative modelling of lower hybrid current drive with two launcher designs in the Tore Supra tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nilsson, E.; Decker, J.; Peysson, Y.; Artaud, J.-F.; Ekedahl, A.; Hillairet, J.; Aniel, T.; Basiuk, V.; Goniche, M.; Imbeaux, F.; Mazon, D.; Sharma, P.

2013-08-01

Fully non-inductive operation with lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) in the Tore Supra tokamak is achieved using either a fully active multijunction (FAM) launcher or a more recent ITER-relevant passive active multijunction (PAM) launcher, or both launchers simultaneously. While both antennas show comparable experimental efficiencies, the analysis of stability properties in long discharges suggest different current profiles. We present comparative modelling of LHCD with the two different launchers to characterize the effect of the respective antenna spectra on the driven current profile. The interpretative modelling of LHCD is carried out using a chain of codes calculating, respectively, the global discharge evolution (tokamak simulator METIS), the spectrum at the antenna mouth (LH coupling code ALOHA), the LH wave propagation (ray-tracing code C3PO), and the distribution function (3D Fokker-Planck code LUKE). Essential aspects of the fast electron dynamics in time, space and energy are obtained from hard x-ray measurements of fast electron bremsstrahlung emission using a dedicated tomographic system. LHCD simulations are validated by systematic comparisons between these experimental measurements and the reconstructed signal calculated by the code R5X2 from the LUKE electron distribution. An excellent agreement is obtained in the presence of strong Landau damping (found under low density and high-power conditions in Tore Supra) for which the ray-tracing model is valid for modelling the LH wave propagation. Two aspects of the antenna spectra are found to have a significant effect on LHCD. First, the driven current is found to be proportional to the directivity, which depends upon the respective weight of the main positive and main negative lobes and is particularly sensitive to the density in front of the antenna. Second, the position of the main negative lobe in the spectrum is different for the two launchers. As this lobe drives a counter-current, the resulting driven current profile is also different for the FAM and PAM launchers.

Destabilization of counter-propagating TAEs by off-axis, co-current Neutral Beam Injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podesta', M.; Fredrickson, E.; Gorelenkova, M.

2017-10-01

Neutral Beam injection (NBI) is a common tool to heat the plasma and drive current non-inductively in fusion devices. Energetic particles (EP) resulting from NBI can drive instabilities that are detrimental for the performance and the predictability of plasma discharges. A broad NBI deposition profile, e.g. by off-axis injection aiming near the plasma mid-radius, is often assumed to limit those undesired effects by reducing the radial gradient of the EP density, thus reducing the ``universal'' drive for instabilities. However, this work presents new evidence that off-axis NBI can also lead to undesired effects such as the destabilization of Alfvénic instabilities, as observed in NSTX-U plasmas. Experimental observations indicate that counter propagating toroidal AEs are destabilized as the radial EP density profile becomes hollow as a result of off-axis NBI. Time-dependent analysis with the TRANSP code, augmented by a reduced fast ion transport model (known as kick model), indicates that instabilities are driven by a combination of radial and energy gradients in the EP distribution. Understanding the mechanisms for wave-particle interaction, revealed by the phase space resolved analysis, is the basis to identify strategies to mitigate or suppress the observed instabilities. Work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences under Contract Number DE-AC02-09CH11466.

An energy-efficient, adiabatic electrode stimulator with inductive energy recycling and feedback current regulation.

PubMed

Arfin, Scott K; Sarpeshkar, Rahul

2012-02-01

In this paper, we present a novel energy-efficient electrode stimulator. Our stimulator uses inductive storage and recycling of energy in a dynamic power supply. This supply drives an electrode in an adiabatic fashion such that energy consumption is minimized. It also utilizes a shunt current-sensor to monitor and regulate the current through the electrode via feedback, thus enabling flexible and safe stimulation. Since there are no explicit current sources or current limiters, wasteful energy dissipation across such elements is naturally avoided. The dynamic power supply allows efficient transfer of energy both to and from the electrode and is based on a DC-DC converter topology that we use in a bidirectional fashion in forward-buck or reverse-boost modes. In an exemplary electrode implementation intended for neural stimulation, we show how the stimulator combines the efficiency of voltage control and the safety and accuracy of current control in a single low-power integrated-circuit built in a standard .35 μm CMOS process. This stimulator achieves a 2x-3x reduction in energy consumption as compared to a conventional current-source-based stimulator operating from a fixed power supply. We perform a theoretical analysis of the energy efficiency that is in accord with experimental measurements. This theoretical analysis reveals that further improvements in energy efficiency may be achievable with better implementations in the future. Our electrode stimulator could be widely useful for neural, cardiac, retinal, cochlear, muscular and other biomedical implants where low power operation is important.

Design and application of electromechanical actuators for deep space missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haskew, Tim A.; Wander, John

1993-01-01

The annual report Design and Application of Electromechanical Actuators for Deep Space Missions is presented. The reporting period is 16 Aug. 1992 to 15 Aug. 1993. However, the primary focus will be work performed since submission of our semi-annual progress report in Feb. 1993. Substantial progress was made. We currently feel confident in providing guidelines for motor and control strategy selection in electromechanical actuators to be used in thrust vector control (TVC) applications. A small portion was presented in the semi-annual report. At this point, we have implemented highly detailed simulations of various motor/drive systems. The primary motor candidates were the brushless dc machine, permanent magnet synchronous machine, and the induction machine. The primary control implementations were pulse width modulation and hysteresis current control. Each of the two control strategies were applied to each of the three motor choices. With either pulse width modulation or hysteresis current control, the induction machine was always vector controlled. A standard test position command sequence for system performance evaluation is defined. Currently, we are gathering all of the necessary data for formal presentation of the results. Briefly stated for TVC application, we feel that the brushless dc machine operating under PWM current control is the best option. Substantial details on the topic, with supporting simulation results, will be provided later, in the form of a technical paper prepared for submission and also in the next progress report with more detail than allowed for paper publication.

Dynamometer Research Facilities | Wind | NREL

Science.gov Websites

drivetrains by replacing the rotor and blades of a turbine with a powerful motor. The National Renewable -horsepower variable-speed induction motor, with AC grid connections of 120, 240, and 480 volts (V) and a dynamometer features a 3,351-horsepower (hp), 415-amp AC induction motor with variable-frequency drive that

Overview of HIT-SI3 experiment: Simulations, Diagnostics, and Summary of Current Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penna, James; Jarboe, Thomas; Nelson, Brian; Hossack, Aaron; Sutherland, Derek; Morgan, Kyle; Hansen, Chris; Benedett, Thomas; Everson, Chris; Victor, Brian

2016-10-01

The Helicity Injected Torus - Steady Inductive 3(HIT-SI3)experiment forms and maintains spheromaks via Steady Inductive Helicity Injection (SIHI). Three injector units allow for continuous injection of helicity into a copper flux conserver in order to sustain a spheromak. Firing of the injectors with a phase difference allows finite rotation of the plasma to provide a stabilizing effect. Simulations in the MHD code NIMROD and the fluid-model code PSI-TET provide validation and a basis for interpretation of the observed experimental data. Thompson Scattering (TS) and Far Infrared (FIR) Interferometer systems allow temperature and line-averaged density measurements to be taken. An Ion Doppler Spectroscopy (IDS) system allows measurement of the plasma rotation and velocity. HIT-SI3 data has been used for validation of IDCD predictions, in particular the projected impedance of helicity injectors according to the theory. The experimental impedances have been calculated here for the first time for different HIT-SI3 regimes. Such experimental evidence will contribute to the design of future experiments employing IDCD as a current-drive mechanism. Work supported by the D.O.E., Office of Science, Office of Fusion Science.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation modulates the impact of a negative mood induction

PubMed Central

Lacomblé, Lylis; Meyer, Thomas; Schutter, Dennis J.L.G.; Gielkens, Tom; Becker, Eni S.; Tendolkar, Indira; van Eijndhoven, Philip

2017-01-01

Abstract High frequency repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been found to alleviate depressive symptoms. However, the mechanisms driving these effects are still poorly understood. In the current study, we tested the idea that this intervention protects against negative mood shifts following emotional provocation. We furthermore explored changes in EEG activity (frontal alpha asymmetry) and effects on attentional processing (emotional Stroop). To this end, 23 healthy individuals participated in two sessions separated by one week, whereby they once received 15 min of 10Hz rTMS stimulation (1500 pulses) at 110% of the individual motor threshold, and once sham stimulation. Then, negative mood was induced using sad movie clips. The results revealed a significantly stronger mood decline following rTMS compared to sham stimulation. No changes were observed in frontal alpha asymmetry and attentional processing. Our findings are at odds with the view that high frequency rTMS over the left DLPFC directly protects against the induction of negative mood, but rather suggest that it enhances the effects of emotional provocation. Possibly, in healthy young individuals, this stimulation protocol heightens susceptibility to mood induction procedures in general. PMID:28008080

Plasma Source Development for LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pribyl, P.; Gekelman, W.; Drandell, M.; Grunspen, S.; Nakamoto, M.; McBarron, A.

2003-10-01

The Large Plasma Device (LAPD) relies on an indirectly heated Barium Oxide (BaO) cathode to generate an extremely repeatable low-noise plasma. However there are two defects of this system: one is that the cathode is subject to oxygen poisoning in the event of accidental air leaks, requiring a lengthy recoating and regeneration process. Second, the indirect radiative heating is only about 50 % efficient, leading to a series of reliability issues. Alternate plasma sources are being investigated, including two types of directly heated BaO cathode and several configurations of inductively coupled RF plasmas. Direct heating for a cathode can be achieved either by embedding heaters within the nickel substrate, or by using inductive heating techniques to drive currents within the nickel itself. In both cases, the BaO coating still serves to emit the electrons and thus generate the plasma arc. An improved system would generate the plasma without the use of a "cathode" e.g. by inductively coupling energy directly into the plasma discharge. This technique is being investigated from the point of view of whether a) the bulk of the plasma column can be made sufficiently low-noise to be of experimental value and b) sufficiently dense plasmas can be formed.

Variable-Speed Induction Motor Drives for Aircraft Environmental Control Compressors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mildice, J. W.; Hansen, I. G.; Schreiner, K. E.; Roth, M. E.

1996-01-01

New, more-efficient designs for aircraft jet engines are not capable of supplying the large quantities of bleed air necessary to provide pressurization and air conditioning for the environmental control systems (ECS) of the next generation of large passenger aircraft. System analysis and engineering have determined that electrically-driven ECS can help to maintain the improved fuel efficiencies; and electronic controllers and induction motors are now being developed in a NASA/NPD SBIR Program to drive both types of ECS compressors. Previous variable-speed induction motor/controller system developments and publications have primarily focused on field-oriented control, with large transient reserve power, for maximum acceleration and optimum response in actuator and robotics systems. The application area addressed herein is characterized by slowly-changing inputs and outputs, small reserve power capability for acceleration, and optimization for maximum efficiency. This paper therefore focuses on the differences between this case and the optimum response case, and shows the development of this new motor/controller approach. It starts with the creation of a new set of controller requirements. In response to those requirements, new control algorithms are being developed and implemented in an embedded computer, which is integrated into the motor controller closed loop. Buffered logic outputs are used to drive the power switches in a resonant-technology, power processor/motor-controller, at switching/resonant frequencies high enough to support efficient high-frequency induction motor operation at speeds up to 50,000-RPA

5.8kV SiC PiN Diode for Switching of High-Efficiency Inductive Pulsed Plasma Thruster Circuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toftul, Alexandra; Polzin, Kurt A.; Hudgins, Jerry L.

2014-01-01

Inductive Pulsed Plasma Thruster (IPPT) pulse circuits, such as those needed to operate the Pulsed Inductive Thruster (PIT), are required to quickly switch capacitor banks operating at a period of µs while conducting current at levels on the order of at least 10 kA. [1,2] For all iterations of the PIT to date, spark gaps have been used to discharge the capacitor bank through an inductive coil. Recent availability of fast, high-power solid state switching devices makes it possible to consider the use of semiconductor switches in modern IPPTs. In addition, novel pre-ionization schemes have led to a reduction in discharge energy per pulse for electric thrusters of this type, relaxing the switching requirements for these thrusters. [3,4] Solid state switches offer the advantage of greater controllability and reliability, as well as decreased drive circuit dimensions and mass relative to spark gap switches. The use of solid state devices such as Integrated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs), Gate Turn-off Thyristors (GTOs) and Silicon-Controlled Rectifiers (SCRs) often involves the use of power diodes. These semiconductor devices may be connected antiparallel to the switch for protection from reverse current, or used to reduce power loss in a circuit by clamping off current ringing. In each case, higher circuit efficiency may be achieved by using a diode that is able to transition, or 'switch,' from the forward conducting state ('on' state) to the reverse blocking state ('off' state) in the shortest amount of time, thereby minimizing current ringing and switching losses. Silicon Carbide (SiC) PiN diodes offer significant advantages to conventional fast-switching Silicon (Si) diodes for high power and fast switching applications. A wider band gap results in a breakdown voltage 10 times that of Si, so that a SiC device may have a thinner drift region for a given blocking voltage. [5] This leads to smaller, lighter devices for high voltage applications, as well as reduced forward conduction losses, faster reverse recovery time (faster turn-off), and lower-magnitude reverse recovery current. In addition, SiC devices have lower leakage current as compared to their Si counterparts, and a high thermal conductivity, potentially allowing the former to operate at higher temperatures with a smaller, lighter heatsink (or no heatsink at all).

A double layer model for solar X-ray and microwave pulsations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tapping, K. F.

1986-01-01

The wide range of wavelengths over which quasi-periodic pulsations have been observed suggests that the mechanism causing them acts upon the supply of high energy electrons driving the emission processes. A model is described which is based upon the radial shrinkage of a magnetic flux tube. The concentration of the current, along with the reduction in the number of available charge carriers, can rise to a condition where the current demand exceeds the capacity of the thermal electrons. Driven by the large inductance of the external current circuit, an instability takes place in the tube throat, resulting in the formation of a potential double layer, which then accelerates electrons and ions to MeV energies. The double layer can be unstable, collapsing and reforming repeatedly. The resulting pulsed particle beams give rise to pulsating emission which are observed at radio and X-ray wavelengths.

Development of Integrated Magnetic and Kinetic Control-oriented Transport Model for q-profile Response Prediction in EAST Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hexiang; Schuster, Eugenio; Rafiq, Tariq; Kritz, Arnold; Ding, Siye

2016-10-01

Extensive research has been conducted to find high-performance operating scenarios characterized by high fusion gain, good confinement, plasma stability and possible steady-state operation. A key plasma property that is related to both the stability and performance of these advanced plasma scenarios is the safety factor profile. A key component of the EAST research program is the exploration of non-inductively driven steady-state plasmas with the recently upgraded heating and current drive capabilities that include lower hybrid current drive and neutral beam injection. Anticipating the need for tight regulation of the safety factor profile in these plasma scenarios, a first-principles-driven (FPD)control-oriented model is proposed to describe the safety factor profile evolution in EAST in response to the different actuators. The TRANSP simulation code is employed to tailor the FPD model to the EAST tokamak geometry and to convert it into a form suitable for control design. The FPD control-oriented model's prediction capabilities are demonstrated by comparing predictions with experimental data from EAST. Supported by the US DOE under DE-SC0010537,DE-FG02-92ER54141 and DE-SC0013977.

Coherent quantum dynamics of a superconducting flux qubit.

PubMed

Chiorescu, I; Nakamura, Y; Harmans, C J P M; Mooij, J E

2003-03-21

We have observed coherent time evolution between two quantum states of a superconducting flux qubit comprising three Josephson junctions in a loop. The superposition of the two states carrying opposite macroscopic persistent currents is manipulated by resonant microwave pulses. Readout by means of switching-event measurement with an attached superconducting quantum interference device revealed quantum-state oscillations with high fidelity. Under strong microwave driving, it was possible to induce hundreds of coherent oscillations. Pulsed operations on this first sample yielded a relaxation time of 900 nanoseconds and a free-induction dephasing time of 20 nanoseconds. These results are promising for future solid-state quantum computing.

Fast-acting self-healing metallic fuse.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, F. C.; Renton, C. A.; Rabinovici, B.

1971-01-01

Description of a fast-acting nonmechanical self-healing mercury fuse capable of protecting a high current circuit or device from overcurrent fault damages. Basically the self-healing fuse consists of two enclosed mercury reservoirs connected by a fine capillary tube filled with mercury that serves as the fusing element. It is pointed out that a better understanding of the energy conversion process involved in the operation of the device could help explore other device configurations (such as a tapering geometry and use of magnetic field to drive the arc into the fuse wall on inductive loads, etc.) and thus extend the range of capabilities for this type of protective device.

Performance Assessment of Model-Based Optimal Feedforward and Feedback Current Profile Control in NSTX-U using the TRANSP Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilhan, Z.; Wehner, W. P.; Schuster, E.; Boyer, M. D.; Gates, D. A.; Gerhardt, S.; Menard, J.

2015-11-01

Active control of the toroidal current density profile is crucial to achieve and maintain high-performance, MHD-stable plasma operation in NSTX-U. A first-principles-driven, control-oriented model describing the temporal evolution of the current profile has been proposed earlier by combining the magnetic diffusion equation with empirical correlations obtained at NSTX-U for the electron density, electron temperature, and non-inductive current drives. A feedforward + feedback control scheme for the requlation of the current profile is constructed by embedding the proposed nonlinear, physics-based model into the control design process. Firstly, nonlinear optimization techniques are used to design feedforward actuator trajectories that steer the plasma to a desired operating state with the objective of supporting the traditional trial-and-error experimental process of advanced scenario planning. Secondly, a feedback control algorithm to track a desired current profile evolution is developed with the goal of adding robustness to the overall control scheme. The effectiveness of the combined feedforward + feedback control algorithm for current profile regulation is tested in predictive simulations carried out in TRANSP. Supported by PPPL.

A 350 MHz, 200 kW CW, Multiple Beam Inductive Output Tube - Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

R.Lawrece Ives; George Collins; David Marsden Michael Read

2012-11-28

This program developed a 200 kW CW, 350 MHz, multiple beam inductive output tube (MBIOT) for driving accelerator cavities. The MBIOT operates at 30 kV with a gain of 23 dB. The estimated efficiency is 70%. The device uses seven electron beams, each transmitting 1.4 A of current. The tube is approximately six feet long and weighs approximately 400 lbs. The prototype device will be evaluated as a potential RF source for the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Because of issues related to delivery of the electron guns, it was not possible to complete assembly and testmore » of the MBIOT during the Phase II program. The device is being completed with support from Calabazas Creek Research, Inc., Communications & Power Industries, LLC. and the Naval Surface Weapons Center (NSWC) in Dahlgren, VA. The MBIOT will be initially tested at NSWC before delivery to ANL. The testing at NSWC is scheduled for February 2013.« less

Superconducting nanowires as nonlinear inductive elements for qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ku, Jaseung; Manucharyan, Vladimir; Bezryadin, Alexey

2011-03-01

We report microwave transmission measurements of superconducting Fabry-Perot resonators, having a superconducting nanowire placed at a supercurrent antinode. As the plasma oscillation is excited, the supercurrent is forced to flow through the nanowire. The microwave transmission of the resonator-nanowire device shows a nonlinear resonance behavior, significantly dependent on the amplitude of the supercurrent oscillation. We show that such amplitude-dependent response is due to the nonlinearity of the current-phase relationship of the nanowire. The results are explained within a nonlinear oscillator model of the Duffing oscillator, in which the nanowire acts as a purely inductive element, in the limit of low temperatures and low amplitudes. The low-quality factor sample exhibits a ``crater'' at the resonance peak at higher driving power, which is due to dissipation. We observe a hysteretic bifurcation behavior of the transmission response to frequency sweep in a sample with a higher quality factor. The Duffing model is used to explain the Duffing bistability diagram. NSF DMR-1005645, DOE DO-FG02-07ER46453.

INDUCTION OF GENE EXPRESSION IN SHEEPSHEAD MINNOWS (CYPRINODON VARIEGATUS) TREATED WITH 17B-ESTRADIOL, DIETHYLSTILBESTROL, OR ETHINYLESTRADIOL: THE USE OF MRNA FINGERPRINTS AS AN INDICATOR OF GENE REGULATION

EPA Science Inventory

The recent interest in hormonally active environmental contaminants has sparked a drive to find sensitive methods to measure their effects on wildlife. A molecular-based assay has been developed to measure the induction of gene expression in sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variega...

Adjustable speed drive study, part 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, A.

1989-08-01

Advances in speed control for motors in recent years, notably those in power electronics, have widened the range of application for several adjustable speed drive (ASD) types to include the smaller horsepower sizes. The dc motor drive, formerly in almost universal use for speed control, is being challenged by the high efficiency induction motor/pulse width modulation (PWM) drive; and for special small horsepower size applications, by the permanent magnet motor/PWM inverter drive or by the switched reluctance motor drive. The main characteristics of the several ASD types suitable for small horsepower size applications are discussed, as well as their unwanted side effects: poor power factor, harmonic distortion of the supply, acoustic noise, and electromagnetic interference. A procedure is recommended for determining which, if any, ASD to use.

Adjustable, High Voltage Pulse Generator with Isolated Output for Plasma Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziemba, Timothy; Miller, Kenneth E.; Prager, James; Slobodov, Ilia

2015-09-01

Eagle Harbor Technologies (EHT), Inc. has developed a high voltage pulse generator with isolated output for etch, sputtering, and ion implantation applications within the materials science and semiconductor processing communities. The output parameters are independently user adjustable: output voltage (0 - 2.5 kV), pulse repetition frequency (0 - 100 kHz), and duty cycle (0 - 100%). The pulser can drive loads down to 200 Ω. Higher voltage pulsers have also been tested. The isolated output allows the pulse generator to be connected to loads that need to be biased. These pulser generators take advantage modern silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs. These new solid-state switches decrease the switching and conduction losses while allowing for higher switching frequency capabilities. This pulse generator has applications for RF plasma heating; inductive and arc plasma sources; magnetron driving; and generation of arbitrary pulses at high voltage, high current, and high pulse repetition frequency. This work was supported in part by a DOE SBIR.

Regarding the optimization of O1-mode ECRH and the feasibility of EBW startup on NSTX-U

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez, N. A.; Poli, F. M.

2018-06-01

Recently published scenarios for fully non-inductive startup and operation on the National Spherical Torus eXperiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) (Menard et al 2012 Nucl. Fusion 52 083015) show Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) as an important component in preparing a target plasma for efficient High Harmonic Fast Wave and Neutral Beam heating. The modeling of the propagation and absorption of EC waves in the evolving plasma is required to define the most effective window of operation, and to optimize the launcher geometry for maximal heating and current drive during this window. Here, we extend a previous optimization of O1-mode ECRH on NSTX-U to account for the full time-dependent performance of the ECRH using simulations performed with TRANSP. We find that the evolution of the density profile has a prominent role in the optimization by defining the time window of operation, which in certain cases may be a more important metric to compare launcher performance than the average power absorption. This feature cannot be captured by analysis on static profiles, and should be accounted for when optimizing ECRH on any device that operates near the cutoff density. Additionally, the utility of the electron Bernstein wave (EBW) in driving current and generating closed flux surfaces in the early startup phase has been demonstrated on a number of devices. Using standalone GENRAY simulations, we find that efficient EBW current drive is possible on NSTX-U if the injection angle is shifted below the midplane and aimed towards the top half of the vacuum vessel. However, collisional damping of the EBW is projected to be significant, in some cases accounting for up to 97% of the absorbed EBW power.

Regarding the optimization of O1-mode ECRH and the feasibility of EBW startup on NSTX-U

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lopez, Nicolas; Poli, Francesca M.

Recently published scenarios for fully non-inductive startup and operation on the National Spherical Torus eXperiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) [Menard J et al 2012 Nucl. Fusion 52 083015] show Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) as an important component in preparing a target plasma for efficient High Harmonic Fast Wave and Neutral Beam heating. The modelling of the propagation and absorption of EC waves in the evolving plasma is required to define the most effective window of operation, and to optimize the launcher geometry for maximal heating and current drive during this window. Here in this paper, we extend a previous optimization ofmore » O1-mode ECRH on NSTX-U to account for the full time-dependent performance of the ECRH using simulations performed with TRANSP. We find that the evolution of the density profile has a prominent role in the optimization by defining the time window of operation, which in certain cases may be a more important metric to compare launcher performance than the average power absorption. This feature cannot be captured by analysis on static profiles, and should be accounted for when optimizing ECRH on any device that operates near the cutoff density. Additionally, the utility of the electron Bernstein wave (EBW) in driving current and generating closed flux surfaces in the early startup phase has been demonstrated on a number of devices. Using standalone GENRAY simulations, we find that efficient EBW current drive is possible on NSTX-U if the injection angle is shifted below the midplane and aimed towards the top half of the vacuum vessel. However, collisional damping of the EBW is projected to be significant, in some cases accounting for up to 97\\% of the absorbed EBW power.« less

Regarding the optimization of O1-mode ECRH and the feasibility of EBW startup on NSTX-U

DOE PAGES

Lopez, Nicolas; Poli, Francesca M.

2018-03-29

Recently published scenarios for fully non-inductive startup and operation on the National Spherical Torus eXperiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) [Menard J et al 2012 Nucl. Fusion 52 083015] show Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) as an important component in preparing a target plasma for efficient High Harmonic Fast Wave and Neutral Beam heating. The modelling of the propagation and absorption of EC waves in the evolving plasma is required to define the most effective window of operation, and to optimize the launcher geometry for maximal heating and current drive during this window. Here in this paper, we extend a previous optimization ofmore » O1-mode ECRH on NSTX-U to account for the full time-dependent performance of the ECRH using simulations performed with TRANSP. We find that the evolution of the density profile has a prominent role in the optimization by defining the time window of operation, which in certain cases may be a more important metric to compare launcher performance than the average power absorption. This feature cannot be captured by analysis on static profiles, and should be accounted for when optimizing ECRH on any device that operates near the cutoff density. Additionally, the utility of the electron Bernstein wave (EBW) in driving current and generating closed flux surfaces in the early startup phase has been demonstrated on a number of devices. Using standalone GENRAY simulations, we find that efficient EBW current drive is possible on NSTX-U if the injection angle is shifted below the midplane and aimed towards the top half of the vacuum vessel. However, collisional damping of the EBW is projected to be significant, in some cases accounting for up to 97\\% of the absorbed EBW power.« less

Non-solenoidal Startup with High-Field-Side Local Helicity Injection on the Pegasus ST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perry, J. M.; Bodner, G. M.; Bongard, M. W.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Pachicano, J. L.; Pierren, C.; Richner, N. J.; Rodriguez Sanchez, C.; Schlossberg, D. J.; Reusch, J. A.; Weberski, J. D.

2017-10-01

Local Helicity Injection (LHI) is a non-solenoidal startup technique utilizing electron current injectors at the plasma edge to initiate a tokamak-like plasma at high Ip . Recent experiments on Pegasus explore the inherent tradeoffs between high-field-side (HFS) injection in the lower divertor region and low-field-side (LFS) injection at the outboard midplane. Trade-offs include the relative current drive contributions of HI and poloidal induction, and the magnetic geometry required for relaxation to a tokamak-like state. HFS injection using a set of two increased-area injectors (Ainj = 4 cm2, Vinj 1.5 kV, and Iinj 8 kA) in the lower divertor is demonstrated over the full range of toroidal field available on Pegasus (BT 0 <= 0.15 T). Increased PMI on both the injectors and the lower divertor plates was observed during HFS injection, and was substantively mitigated through optimization of injector geometry and placement of local limiters to reduce scrape-off density in the divertor region. Ip up to 200 kA is achieved with LHI as the dominant current drive, consistent with expectations from helicity balance. To date, experiments support Ip increasing linearly with helicity injection rate. The high normalized current (IN >= 10) attainable with LHI and the favorable stability of the ultra-low aspect ratio, low-li LHI-driven plasmas allow access to high βt-up to 100 % , as indicated by kinetically-constrained equilibrium reconstructions. Work supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

Development of rotating magnetic field coil system in the HIST spherical torus device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshikawa, T.; Kikuchi, Y.; Yamada, S.; Hashimoto, S.; Nishioka, T.; Fukumoto, N.; Nagata, M.

2007-11-01

Coaxial Helicity Injection (CHI) is one of most attractive methods to achieve non-inductive current drive in spherical torus devices. The current drive mechanism of CHI relies on MHD relaxation process of rotating kink behavior [1], so that there is a possibility to control the CHI by using an externally applied rotating magnetic field (RMF). We have recently started to develop a RMF coil system in the HIST spherical torus device. Eight coils are located above and below the midplane at four toroidal locations so that the RMF is resonant with n = 1 rotating kink mode driven by the CHI. In addition, the RMF coil set is installed inside a flux conserver of 5 mm thickness (cut-off frequency ˜ 170 Hz) so that the RMF penetrates into the plasma. The coil winding is made of 20 turns of enameled copper circular wires (1.5 mm^2 conductor cross section), covered with a thin stainless steal case of 0.5 mm thickness (cut-off frequency ˜ 710 kHz). The RMF system is driven by an IGBT inverter power supply (nominal current: 1 kA, nominal voltage: 1 kV) with an operating frequency band from 10 kHz to 30 kHz. The estimated amplitude of RMF neglecting effects of image current at the flux conserver is a few tens Gauss at around the magnetic axis. A preliminary experimental result will be shown in the conference. [1] M. Nagata, et al., Physics of Plasmas 10, 2932 (2003).

Transport modeling of the DIII-D high $${{\\beta}_{p}}$$ scenario and extrapolations to ITER steady-state operation

DOE PAGES

McClenaghan, Joseph; Garofalo, Andrea M.; Meneghini, Orso; ...

2017-08-03

In this study, transport modeling of a proposed ITER steady-state scenario based on DIII-D high poloidal-beta (more » $${{\\beta}_{p}}$$ ) discharges finds that ITB formation can occur with either sufficient rotation or a negative central shear q-profile. The high $${{\\beta}_{p}}$$ scenario is characterized by a large bootstrap current fraction (80%) which reduces the demands on the external current drive, and a large radius internal transport barrier which is associated with excellent normalized confinement. Modeling predictions of the electron transport in the high $${{\\beta}_{p}}$$ scenario improve as $${{q}_{95}}$$ approaches levels similar to typical existing models of ITER steady-state and the ion transport is turbulence dominated. Typical temperature and density profiles from the non-inductive high $${{\\beta}_{p}}$$ scenario on DIII-D are scaled according to 0D modeling predictions of the requirements for achieving a $Q=5$ steady-state fusion gain in ITER with 'day one' heating and current drive capabilities. Then, TGLF turbulence modeling is carried out under systematic variations of the toroidal rotation and the core q-profile. A high bootstrap fraction, high $${{\\beta}_{p}}$$ scenario is found to be near an ITB formation threshold, and either strong negative central magnetic shear or rotation in a high bootstrap fraction are found to successfully provide the turbulence suppression required to achieve $Q=5$.« less

The high-βN hybrid scenario for ITER and FNSF steady-state missions

DOE PAGES

Turco, Francesca; Petty, Clinton C.; Luce, Timothy C.; ...

2015-05-15

New experiments on DIII-D have demonstrated the steady-state potential of the hybrid scenario, with 1 MA of plasma current driven fully non-inductively and βN up to 3.7 sustained for ~3 s (~1.5 current diffusion time, τ R, in DIII-D), providing the basis for an attractive option for steady-state operation in ITER and FNSF. Excellent confinement is achieved (H 98y2~1.6) without performance limiting tearing modes. Furthermore, the hybrid regime overcomes the need for off-axis current drive efficiency, taking advantage of poloidal magnetic flux pumping that is believed to be the result of a saturated 3/2 tearing mode. This allows for efficientmore » current drive close to the axis, without deleterious sawtooth instabilities. In these experiments, the edge surface loop voltage is driven down to zero for >1 τ R when the poloidal β is increased above 1.9 at a plasma current of 1.0 MA and the ECH power is increased to 3.2 MW. Stationary operation of hybrid plasmas with all on-axis current drive is sustained at pressures slightly above the ideal no-wall limit, while the calculated ideal with-wall MHD limit is β N~4-4.5. Off-axis NBI power has been used to broaden the pressure and current profiles in this scenario, seeking to take advantage of higher predicted kink stability limits and lower values of the tearing stability index Δ', as calculated by the DCON and PEST3 codes. Our results are based on measured profiles that predict ideal limits at βN>4.5, 10% higher than the cases with on-axis NBI. A 0-D model, based on the present confinement, βN and shape values of the DIII-D hybrid scenario, shows that these plasmas are consistent with the ITER 9 MA, Q=5 mission and the FNSF 6.7 MA scenario with Q=3.5. With collisionality and edge safety factor values comparable to those envisioned for ITER and FNSF, the high-βN hybrid represents an attractive high performance option for the steady-state missions of these devices.« less

Realizing Steady State Tokamak Operation for Fusion Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luce, T. C.

2009-11-01

Continuous operation of a tokamak for fusion energy has obvious engineering advantages, but also presents physics challenges beyond the achievement of conditions needed for a burning plasma. The power from fusion reactions and external sources must support both the pressure and the current equilibrium without inductive current drive, leading to demands on stability, confinement, current drive, and plasma-wall interactions that exceed those for pulsed tokamaks. These conditions have been met individually in the present generation of tokamaks, and significant progress has been made in the last decade to realize scenarios where the required conditions are obtained simultaneously. Tokamaks are now operated routinely without disruptions close to the ideal MHD pressure limit, as needed for steady-state operation. Scenarios that project to high fusion gain have been demonstrated where more than half of the current is supplied by the ``bootstrap'' current generated by the pressure gradient in the plasma. Fully noninductive sustainment has been obtained for about a resistive time (the longest intrinsic time scale in the confined plasma) with normalized pressure and confinement approaching those needed for demonstration of steady-state conditions in ITER. One key challenge remaining to be addressed is how to handle the demanding heat and particle fluxes expected in a steady-state tokamak without compromising the high level of core plasma performance. Rather than attempt a comprehensive historical survey, this review will start from the plasma requirements of a steady-state tokamak powerplant, illustrate with examples the progress made in both experimental and theoretical understanding, and point to the remaining physics challenges.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation modulates the impact of a negative mood induction.

PubMed

Möbius, Martin; Lacomblé, Lylis; Meyer, Thomas; Schutter, Dennis J L G; Gielkens, Tom; Becker, Eni S; Tendolkar, Indira; van Eijndhoven, Philip

2017-04-01

High frequency repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been found to alleviate depressive symptoms. However, the mechanisms driving these effects are still poorly understood. In the current study, we tested the idea that this intervention protects against negative mood shifts following emotional provocation. We furthermore explored changes in EEG activity (frontal alpha asymmetry) and effects on attentional processing (emotional Stroop). To this end, 23 healthy individuals participated in two sessions separated by one week, whereby they once received 15 min of 10Hz rTMS stimulation (1500 pulses) at 110% of the individual motor threshold, and once sham stimulation. Then, negative mood was induced using sad movie clips. The results revealed a significantly stronger mood decline following rTMS compared to sham stimulation. No changes were observed in frontal alpha asymmetry and attentional processing. Our findings are at odds with the view that high frequency rTMS over the left DLPFC directly protects against the induction of negative mood, but rather suggest that it enhances the effects of emotional provocation. Possibly, in healthy young individuals, this stimulation protocol heightens susceptibility to mood induction procedures in general. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press.

Oscillatory nonohomic current drive for maintaining a plasma current

DOEpatents

Fisch, N.J.

1984-01-01

Apparatus and methods are described for maintaining a plasma current with an oscillatory nonohmic current drive. Each cycle of operation has a generation period in which current driving energy is applied to the plasma, and a relaxation period in which current driving energy is removed. Plasma parameters, such as plasma temperature or plasma average ionic charge state, are modified during the generation period so as to oscillate plasma resistivity in synchronism with the application of current driving energy. The invention improves overall current drive efficiencies.

Oscillatory nonhmic current drive for maintaining a plasma current

DOEpatents

Fisch, Nathaniel J.

1986-01-01

Apparatus and method of the invention maintain a plasma current with an oscillatory nonohmic current drive. Each cycle of operation has a generation period in which current driving energy is applied to the plasma, and a relaxation period in which current driving energy is removed. Plasma parameters, such as plasma temperature or plasma average ionic charge state, are modified during the generation period so as to oscillate plasma resistivity in synchronism with the application of current driving energy. The invention improves overall current drive efficiencies.

Adjustable speed drive study, June 1985 to September 1988. Part 2: Appendices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, Alan

1989-08-01

Advances in speed control for motors in recent years, notably those in power electronics, have widened the range of application for several adjustable speed drive (ASD) types to include the smaller horsepower sizes. The dc motor drive, formerly in almost universal use for speed control, is being challenged by the high efficiency induction motor/pulse width modulation (PWM) drive; and for special small horsepower size applications, by the permanent magnet motor/PWM inverter drive or by the switched reluctance motor drive. The main characteristics of the several ASD types suitable for small horsepower size applications are discussed, as well as their unwanted side effects: poor power factor, harmonic distortion of the supply, acoustic noise, and electromagnetic interference. A procedure is recommended for determining which, if any, ASD to use.

Improved methods for nightside time domain Lunar Electromagnetic Sounding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuqua-Haviland, H.; Poppe, A. R.; Fatemi, S.; Delory, G. T.; De Pater, I.

2017-12-01

Time Domain Electromagnetic (TDEM) Sounding isolates induced magnetic fields to remotely deduce material properties at depth. The first step of performing TDEM Sounding at the Moon is to fully characterize the dynamic plasma environment, and isolate geophysically induced currents from concurrently present plasma currents. The transfer function method requires a two-point measurement: an upstream reference measuring the pristine solar wind, and one downstream near the Moon. This method was last performed during Apollo assuming the induced fields on the nightside of the Moon expand as in an undisturbed vacuum within the wake cavity [1]. Here we present an approach to isolating induction and performing TDEM with any two point magnetometer measurement at or near the surface of the Moon. Our models include a plasma induction model capturing the kinetic plasma environment within the wake cavity around a conducting Moon, and a geophysical forward model capturing induction in a vacuum. The combination of these two models enable the analysis of magnetometer data within the wake cavity. Plasma hybrid models use the upstream plasma conditions and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) to capture the wake current systems formed around the Moon. The plasma kinetic equations are solved for ion particles with electrons as a charge-neutralizing fluid. These models accurately capture the large scale lunar wake dynamics for a variety of solar wind conditions: ion density, temperature, solar wind velocity, and IMF orientation [2]. Given the 3D orientation variability coupled with the large range of conditions seen within the lunar plasma environment, we characterize the environment one case at a time. The global electromagnetic induction response of the Moon in a vacuum has been solved numerically for a variety of electrical conductivity models using the finite-element method implemented within the COMSOL software. This model solves for the geophysically induced response in vacuum to any driving transient event for any specified 3D conductivity profile. Our models fit the analytic solutions to a Root-Mean-Square Error of better than 1%. Solutions are non-unique, however, serve to better understand and constrain the global interior composition and 3D structure of the Moon. [1] Dyal & Parkin (1971) JGR; [2] Fatemi et al. (2013) GRL.

Effect of different methods of pulse width modulation on power losses in an induction motor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulyaev, Alexander; Fokin, Dmitrii; Shuharev, Sergey; Ten, Evgenii

2017-10-01

We consider the calculation of modulation power losses in a system “induction motor-inverter” for various pulse width modulation (PWM) methods of the supply voltage. Presented values of modulation power losses are the result of modeling a system “DC link - two-level three-phase voltage inverter - induction motor - load”. In this study the power losses in a system “induction motor - inverter” are computed, as well as losses caused by higher harmonics of PWM supply voltage, followed by definition of active power consumed by the DC link for a specified value mechanical power on the induction motor shaft. Mechanical power was determined by the rotation speed and the torque on the motor shaft in various quasi-sinusoidal supply voltage PWM modes. These calculations reveal the best coefficient of performance (COP) in a system of a variable frequency drive (VFD) with independent voltage inverter controlled by induction motor PWM.

School safe driving climate: Theoretical and practical considerations for promoting teen driver safety in school settings.

PubMed

Mirman, Jessica H; Roche, Brianne; Higgins-D'Alessandro, Ann

2018-06-21

The aims of this study were to extend the current literature on school climate that is focused on understanding how teacher, administrator, and student perceptions about driving-focused aspects of the social, educational, and institutional climate of schools can affect students' achievement, behavior, and adjustment towards the development of the concept of school safe driving climate (SSDC) and initiate the development of tools and processes for assessing SSDC. A mixed-methods approach was used to develop an initial version of a survey-based measure of SSDC that involved self-report surveys (students) and in-depth interviews (teachers). Exploratory factor analytic procedures identified SSDC constructs and a regression framework was used to examine associations among SSDC constructs and self-reported driver behaviors. Qualitative data were subjected to inductive analysis, with a goal of elucidating teachers' perspectives on SSDC and an SSDC intervention. The study sample consisted of 947 adolescents (48% male) from one large high school and 44 teacher advisors. Participants were recruited from a school participating in a state-wide effort to promote transportation safety through peer-led programming. Two SSDC factors were identified: Administrative Contributions to School Safety and Value of School Safety, which were associated with adolescents' perceptions of their driving behaviors. Adolescents' perceived that the intervention affected administrative safety. Teacher interviews contextualized these results and provided guidance on program revisions. Safe driving climate may be an important, modifiable, and measurable aspect of school climate. Additional research is needed to refine the assessment tool and to use it in longitudinal and experimental studies.

Direct measurements of safety factor profiles with motional Stark effect for KSTAR tokamak discharges with internal transport barriers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ko, J.; Chung, J.

2017-06-01

The safety factor profile evolutions have been measured from the plasma discharges with the external current drive mechanism such as the multi-ion-source neutral beam injection for the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) for the first time. This measurement has been possible by the newly installed motional Stark effect (MSE) diagnostic system that utilizes the polarized Balmer-alpha emission from the energetic neutral deuterium atoms induced by the Stark effect under the Lorentz electric field. The 25-channel KSTAR MSE diagnostic is based on the conventional photoelastic modulator approach with the spatial and temporal resolutions less than 2 cm (for the most of the channels except 2 to 3 channels inside the magnetic axis) and about 10 ms, respectively. The strong Faraday rotation imposed on the optical elements in the diagnostic system is calibrated out from a separate and well-designed polarization measurement procedure using an in-vessel reference polarizer during the toroidal-field ramp-up phase before the plasma experiment starts. The combination of the non-inductive current drive during the ramp-up and shape control enables the formation of the internal transport barrier where the pitch angle profiles indicate flat or slightly hollow profiles in the safety factor.

Highlights of the Alcator C-Mod Research Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenwald, Martin; Alcator Team

2011-10-01

Alcator C-Mod has completed an experimental campaign focusing on broad scientific issues with particular emphasis on ITER needs and requests. Experiments with no NBI torque have investigated spontaneous flow reversal, creation of transport barriers aided by the shear of intrinsic rotation and a variety of RF flow drive schemes. Studies of I-mode have found conditions where a wide operating regime opens up, allowing easy access to long-lived, high-performance discharges with L-mode like particle confinement. We are validating the EPED and BOUT++ models for pedestal height/width and ELM onset using extended parameter scans in ELMy H-mode. The challenge of high-Z impurity generation with ICRF is being addressed first by deployment of a novel antenna whose current straps and antenna box are perpendicular to the total magnetic field -second by studies of the modification of edge impurity transport, where fine-scale Er structures in the SOL in the presence of ICRF heating have been found. LH current drive has produced non-inductive reversed shear regimes at n ~ 5x1019 which exhibit electron temperature ITBs. The first observations have been made of in-tokamak production of divertor tungsten nano-structures (fuzz), which had previously been seen only in linear laboratory experiments. Supported by DoE DE-FC02-99ER54512.

Finite Element Analysis in the Estimation of Air-Gap Torque and Surface Temperature of Induction Machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mr., J. Ravi Kumar; Banakara, Basavaraja, Dr.

2017-08-01

This paper presents electromagnetic and thermal behavior of Induction Motor (IM) through the modeling and analysis by applying multiphysics coupled Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Therefore prediction of the magnetic flux, electromagnetic torque, stator and rotor losses and temperature distribution inside an operating electric motor are the most important issues during its design. Prediction and estimation of these parameters allows design engineers to decide capability of the machine for the proposed load, temperature rating and its application for which it is being designed ensuring normal motor operation at rated conditions. In this work, multiphysics coupled electromagnetic - thermal modeling and analysis of induction motor at rated and high frequency has carried out applying Arkkio’s torque method. COMSOL Multiphysics software is used for modeling and finite element analysis of IM. Transient electromagnetic torque, magnetic field distribution, speed-torque characteristics of IM were plotted and studied at different frequencies. This proposed work helps in the design and prediction of accurate performance of induction motor specific to various industrial drive applications. Results obtained are also validated with experimental analysis. The main purpose of this model is to use it as an integral part of the design aiming to system optimization of Variable Speed Drive (VSD) and its components using coupled simulations.

Frequency Splitting Analysis and Compensation Method for Inductive Wireless Powering of Implantable Biosensors.

PubMed

Schormans, Matthew; Valente, Virgilio; Demosthenous, Andreas

2016-08-04

Inductive powering for implanted medical devices, such as implantable biosensors, is a safe and effective technique that allows power to be delivered to implants wirelessly, avoiding the use of transcutaneous wires or implanted batteries. Wireless powering is very sensitive to a number of link parameters, including coil distance, alignment, shape, and load conditions. The optimum drive frequency of an inductive link varies depending on the coil spacing and load. This paper presents an optimum frequency tracking (OFT) method, in which an inductive power link is driven at a frequency that is maintained at an optimum value to ensure that the link is working at resonance, and the output voltage is maximised. The method is shown to provide significant improvements in maintained secondary voltage and system efficiency for a range of loads when the link is overcoupled. The OFT method does not require the use of variable capacitors or inductors. When tested at frequencies around a nominal frequency of 5 MHz, the OFT method provides up to a twofold efficiency improvement compared to a fixed frequency drive. The system can be readily interfaced with passive implants or implantable biosensors, and lends itself to interfacing with designs such as distributed implanted sensor networks, where each implant is operating at a different frequency.

Feature-based versus category-based induction with uncertain categories.

PubMed

Griffiths, Oren; Hayes, Brett K; Newell, Ben R

2012-05-01

Previous research has suggested that when feature inferences have to be made about an instance whose category membership is uncertain, feature-based inductive reasoning is used to the exclusion of category-based induction. These results contrast with the observation that people can and do use category-based induction when category membership is known. The present experiments examined the conditions that drive feature-based and category-based strategies in induction under category uncertainty. Specifically, 2 experiments investigated whether reliance on feature-based inductive strategies is a product of the lack of coherence in the categories used in previous research or is due to the use of a decision-only induction procedure. Experiment 1 found that feature-based reasoning remained the preferred strategy even when categories with relatively high internal coherence were used. Experiment 2 found a shift toward category-based reasoning when participants were trained to classify category members prior to feature induction. Together, these results suggest that an appropriate conceptual representation must be formed through experience with a category before it is likely to be used as a basis for feature induction. (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Multi-pulse power injection and spheromak sustainment in SSPX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stallard, B. W.; Hill, D. N.; Hooper, E. B.; Bulmer, R. H.; McLean, H. S.; Wood, R. D.; Woodruff, S.; Sspx Team

2000-10-01

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550, USA. Spheromak formation (gun injection phase) and sustainment experiments are now routine in SSPX using a multi-bank power system. Gun voltage, impedance, and power coupling show a clear current threshold dependence on gun flux (I_th~=λ_0φ_gun/μ_0), increasing with current above the threshold, and are compared with CTX results. The characteristic gun inductance, L_gun~=0.6 μH, derived from the gun voltage dependence on di/dt, is larger than expected from Corsica modeling of the spheromak equilibrium. It’s value is consistent with the n=1 ‘doughook’ mode structure reported in SPHEX and believed important for helicity injection and toroidal current drive. Results of helicity and power balance calculations of spheromak poloidal field buildup are compared with experiment and used to project sustainment with a future longer pulse power supply. This work was performed under the auspices of US DOE by the University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-48.

Mechanisms of Rapid Induction of Interleukin-22 in Activated T Cells and Its Modulation by Cyclosporin A*

PubMed Central

Rudloff, Ina; Bachmann, Malte; Pfeilschifter, Josef; Mühl, Heiko

2012-01-01

IL-22 is an immunoregulatory cytokine displaying pathological functions in models of autoimmunity like experimental psoriasis. Understanding molecular mechanisms driving IL-22, together with knowledge on the capacity of current immunosuppressive drugs to target this process, may open an avenue to novel therapeutic options. Here, we sought to characterize regulation of human IL22 gene expression with focus on the established model of Jurkat T cells. Moreover, effects of the prototypic immunosuppressant cyclosporin A (CsA) were investigated. We report that IL-22 induction by TPA/A23187 (T/A) or αCD3 is inhibited by CsA or related FK506. Similar data were obtained with peripheral blood mononuclear cells or purified CD3+ T cells. IL22 promoter analysis (−1074 to +156 bp) revealed a role of an NF-AT (−95/−91 nt) and a CREB (−194/−190 nt) binding site for gene induction. Indeed, binding of CREB and NF-ATc2, but not c-Rel, under the influence of T/A to those elements could be proven by ChIP. Because CsA has the capability to impair IκB kinase (IKK) complex activation, the IKKα/β inhibitor IKKVII was evaluated. IKKVII likewise reduced IL-22 induction in Jurkat cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Interestingly, transfection of Jurkat cells with siRNA directed against IKKα impaired IL22 gene expression. Data presented suggest that NF-AT, CREB, and IKKα contribute to rapid IL22 gene induction. In particular the crucial role of NF-AT detected herein may form the basis of direct action of CsA on IL-22 expression by T cells, which may contribute to therapeutic efficacy of the drug in autoimmunity. PMID:22170067

Thermoacoustic magnetohydrodynamic electrical generator

DOEpatents

Wheatley, J.C.; Swift, G.W.; Migliori, A.

1984-11-16

A thermoacoustic magnetohydrodynamic electrical generator includes an intrinsically irreversible thermoacoustic heat engine coupled to a magnetohydrodynamic electrical generator. The heat engine includes an electrically conductive liquid metal as the working fluid and includes two heat exchange and thermoacoustic structure assemblies which drive the liquid in a push-pull arrangement to cause the liquid metal to oscillate at a resonant acoustic frequency on the order of 1000 Hz. The engine is positioned in the field of a magnet and is oriented such that the liquid metal oscillates in a direction orthogonal to the field of the magnet, whereby an alternating electrical potential is generated in the liquid metal. Low-loss, low-inductance electrical conductors electrically connected to opposite sides of the liquid metal conduct an output signal to a transformer adapted to convert the low-voltage, high-current output signal to a more usable higher voltage, lower current signal.

Experimental study of unipolar arcs in a low pressure mercury discharge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, C.T.

1979-12-31

An experimental study of unipolar arcs was conducted in a low pressure mercury discharge inductively heated with RF. The results were found to be consistent with the concept of a sheath mechanism for driving the unipolar arcs. Floating double-probe measurements of the unipolar arc plasma parameters yielded electron temperatures of approx. 2 eV and electron number densities of approx. 1 x 10/sup 11/ cm/sup -3/ assuming quasi-neutral plasma conditions. The variation of the unipolar arc current with: (1) the RF power input; and (2) the metal surface area exposed to the plasma verified the predicted dependence of the arc currentmore » on the plasma parameters and the metal surface area. Finally, alternative mechanisms for sustaining the observed arcs by high frequency rectification were ruled out on the basis of the recorded current waveforms of the unipolar arcs.« less

Electron Bernstein Wave Research on NSTX and CDX-U

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, G.; Efthimion, P. C.; Jones, B.; Bell, G. L.; Bers, A.; Bigelow, T. S.; Carter, M. D.; Harvey, R. W.; Ram, A. K.; Rasmussen, D. A.; Smirnov, A. P.; Wilgen, J. B.; Wilson, J. R.

2003-12-01

Studies of thermally emitted electron Bernstein waves (EBWs) on CDX-U and NSTX, via mode conversion (MC) to electromagnetic radiation, support the use of EBWs to measure the Te profile and provide local electron heating and current drive (CD) in overdense spherical torus plasmas. An X-mode antenna with radially adjustable limiters successfully controlled EBW MC on CDX-U and enhanced MC efficiency to ˜ 100%. So far the X-mode MC efficiency on NSTX has been increased by a similar technique to 40-50% and future experiments are focused on achieving ⩾ 80% MC. MC efficiencies on both machines agree well with theoretical predictions. Ray tracing and Fokker-Planck modeling for NSTX equilibria are being conducted to support the design of a 3 MW, 15 GHz EBW heating and CD system for NSTX to assist non-inductive plasma startup, current ramp up, and to provide local electron heating and CD in high β NSTX plasmas.

Thermoacoustic magnetohydrodynamic electrical generator

DOEpatents

Wheatley, John C.; Swift, Gregory W.; Migliori, Albert

1986-01-01

A thermoacoustic magnetohydrodynamic electrical generator includes an intrinsically irreversible thermoacoustic heat engine coupled to a magnetohydrodynamic electrical generator. The heat engine includes an electrically conductive liquid metal as the working fluid and includes two heat exchange and thermoacoustic structure assemblies which drive the liquid in a push-pull arrangement to cause the liquid metal to oscillate at a resonant acoustic frequency on the order of 1,000 Hz. The engine is positioned in the field of a magnet and is oriented such that the liquid metal oscillates in a direction orthogonal to the field of the magnet, whereby an alternating electrical potential is generated in the liquid metal. Low-loss, low-inductance electrical conductors electrically connected to opposite sides of the liquid metal conduct an output signal to a transformer adapted to convert the low-voltage, high-current output signal to a more usable higher voltage, lower current signal.

Validation and Continued Development of Methods for Spheromak Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedett, Thomas

2017-10-01

The HIT-SI experiment has demonstrated stable sustainment of spheromaks. Determining how the underlying physics extrapolate to larger, higher-temperature regimes is of prime importance in determining the viability of the inductively-driven spheromak. It is thus prudent to develop and validate a computational model that can be used to study current results and study the effect of possible design choices on plasma behavior. An extended MHD model has shown good agreement with experimental data at 14 kHz injector operation. Efforts to extend the existing validation to a range of higher frequencies (36, 53, 68 kHz) using the PSI-Tet 3D extended MHD code will be presented, along with simulations of potential combinations of flux conserver features and helicity injector configurations and their impact on current drive performance, density control, and temperature for future SIHI experiments. Work supported by USDoE.

Reconfigurable Drive Current System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alhorn, Dean C. (Inventor); Dutton, Kenneth R. (Inventor); Howard, David E. (Inventor); Smith, Dennis A. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

A reconfigurable drive current system includes drive stages, each of which includes a high-side transistor and a low-side transistor in a totem pole configuration. A current monitor is coupled to an output of each drive stage. Input channels are provided to receive input signals. A processor is coupled to the input channels and to each current monitor for generating at least one drive signal using at least one of the input signals and current measured by at least one of the current monitors. A pulse width modulation generator is coupled to the processor and each drive stage for varying the drive signals as a function of time prior to being supplied to at least one of the drive stages.

System and method of adjusting the equilibrium temperature of an inductively-heated susceptor

DOEpatents

Matsen, Marc R; Negley, Mark A; Geren, William Preston

2015-02-24

A system for inductively heating a workpiece may include an induction coil, at least one susceptor face sheet, and a current controller coupled. The induction coil may be configured to conduct an alternating current and generate a magnetic field in response to the alternating current. The susceptor face sheet may be configured to have a workpiece positioned therewith. The susceptor face sheet may be formed of a ferromagnetic alloy having a Curie temperature and being inductively heatable to an equilibrium temperature approaching the Curie temperature in response to the magnetic field. The current controller may be coupled to the induction coil and may be configured to adjust the alternating current in a manner causing a change in at least one heating parameter of the susceptor face sheet.

Online tuning of impedance matching circuit for long pulse inductively coupled plasma source operation—An alternate approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sudhir, Dass; Bandyopadhyay, M., E-mail: mainak@ter-india.org; Chakraborty, A.

2014-01-15

Impedance matching circuit between radio frequency (RF) generator and the plasma load, placed between them, determines the RF power transfer from RF generator to the plasma load. The impedance of plasma load depends on the plasma parameters through skin depth and plasma conductivity or resistivity. Therefore, for long pulse operation of inductively coupled plasmas, particularly for high power (∼100 kW or more) where plasma load condition may vary due to different reasons (e.g., pressure, power, and thermal), online tuning of impedance matching circuit is necessary through feedback. In fusion grade ion source operation, such online methodology through feedback is notmore » present but offline remote tuning by adjusting the matching circuit capacitors and tuning the driving frequency of the RF generator between the ion source operation pulses is envisaged. The present model is an approach for remote impedance tuning methodology for long pulse operation and corresponding online impedance matching algorithm based on RF coil antenna current measurement or coil antenna calorimetric measurement may be useful in this regard.« less

Improved SCR ac Motor Controller for Battery Powered Urban Electric Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Latos, T. S.

1982-01-01

An improved ac motor controller, which when coupled to a standard ac induction motor and a dc propulsion battery would provide a complete electric vehicle power train with the exception of the mechanical transmission and drive wheels was designed. In such a system, the motor controller converts the dc electrical power available at the battery terminals to ac electrical power for the induction motor in response to the drivers commands. The performance requirements of a hypothetical electric vehicle with an upper weight bound of 1590 kg (3500 lb) were used to determine the power rating of the controller. Vehicle acceleration capability, top speed, and gradeability requisites were contained in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Schedule 227a(d) driving cycle. The important capabilities contained in this driving cycle are a vehicle acceleration requirement of 0 to 72.4 kmph (0 to 45 mph) in 28 seconds a top speed of 88.5 kmph (55 mph), and the ability to negotiate a 10% grade at 48 kmph (30 mph). A 10% grade is defined as one foot of vertical rise per 10 feet of horizontal distance.

Real time PI-backstepping induction machine drive with efficiency optimization.

PubMed

Farhani, Fethi; Ben Regaya, Chiheb; Zaafouri, Abderrahmen; Chaari, Abdelkader

2017-09-01

This paper describes a robust and efficient speed control of a three phase induction machine (IM) subjected to load disturbances. First, a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) PI-Backstepping controller is proposed for a robust and highly accurate tracking of the mechanical speed and rotor flux. Asymptotic stability of the control scheme is proven by Lyapunov Stability Theory. Second, an active online optimization algorithm is used to optimize the efficiency of the drive system. The efficiency improvement approach consists of adjusting the rotor flux with respect to the load torque in order to minimize total losses in the IM. A dSPACE DS1104 R&D board is used to implement the proposed solution. The experimental results released on 3kW squirrel cage IM, show that the reference speed as well as the rotor flux are rapidly achieved with a fast transient response and without overshoot. A good load disturbances rejection response and IM parameters variation are fairly handled. The improvement of drive system efficiency reaches up to 180% at light load. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Adaptive Supervisory Sliding Fuzzy Cerebellar Model Articulation Controller for Sensorless Vector-Controlled Induction Motor Drive Systems

PubMed Central

Wang, Shun-Yuan; Tseng, Chwan-Lu; Lin, Shou-Chuang; Chiu, Chun-Jung; Chou, Jen-Hsiang

2015-01-01

This paper presents the implementation of an adaptive supervisory sliding fuzzy cerebellar model articulation controller (FCMAC) in the speed sensorless vector control of an induction motor (IM) drive system. The proposed adaptive supervisory sliding FCMAC comprised a supervisory controller, integral sliding surface, and an adaptive FCMAC. The integral sliding surface was employed to eliminate steady-state errors and enhance the responsiveness of the system. The adaptive FCMAC incorporated an FCMAC with a compensating controller to perform a desired control action. The proposed controller was derived using the Lyapunov approach, which guarantees learning-error convergence. The implementation of three intelligent control schemes—the adaptive supervisory sliding FCMAC, adaptive sliding FCMAC, and adaptive sliding CMAC—were experimentally investigated under various conditions in a realistic sensorless vector-controlled IM drive system. The root mean square error (RMSE) was used as a performance index to evaluate the experimental results of each control scheme. The analysis results indicated that the proposed adaptive supervisory sliding FCMAC substantially improved the system performance compared with the other control schemes. PMID:25815450

An adaptive supervisory sliding fuzzy cerebellar model articulation controller for sensorless vector-controlled induction motor drive systems.

PubMed

Wang, Shun-Yuan; Tseng, Chwan-Lu; Lin, Shou-Chuang; Chiu, Chun-Jung; Chou, Jen-Hsiang

2015-03-25

This paper presents the implementation of an adaptive supervisory sliding fuzzy cerebellar model articulation controller (FCMAC) in the speed sensorless vector control of an induction motor (IM) drive system. The proposed adaptive supervisory sliding FCMAC comprised a supervisory controller, integral sliding surface, and an adaptive FCMAC. The integral sliding surface was employed to eliminate steady-state errors and enhance the responsiveness of the system. The adaptive FCMAC incorporated an FCMAC with a compensating controller to perform a desired control action. The proposed controller was derived using the Lyapunov approach, which guarantees learning-error convergence. The implementation of three intelligent control schemes--the adaptive supervisory sliding FCMAC, adaptive sliding FCMAC, and adaptive sliding CMAC--were experimentally investigated under various conditions in a realistic sensorless vector-controlled IM drive system. The root mean square error (RMSE) was used as a performance index to evaluate the experimental results of each control scheme. The analysis results indicated that the proposed adaptive supervisory sliding FCMAC substantially improved the system performance compared with the other control schemes.

First Plasma Results from the HIT-SI Spheromak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sieck, P. E.; Hamp, W. T.; Izzo, V. A.; Jarboe, T. R.; Nelson, B. A.; O'Neill, R. G.; Redd, A. J.; Smith, R. J.

2003-10-01

HIT-SI is the newest device in the Helicity Injected Torus (HIT) program. HIT-SI is a ``bow tie'' spheromak formed and sustained by Steady Inductive Helicity Injection (SIHI) current drive. SIHI injects helicity at a nearly constant rate with no open field lines intersecting the boundary. (T. R. Jarboe, Fusion Technology 36) (1), p. 85, 1999 HIT-SI has been designed with a bow tie geometry to achieve stable high-β (>10%) spheromak equilibria. (U. Shumlak and T. R. Jarboe, Phys. Plasmas 7) (7), p. 2959, 2000 Diagnostics currently include surface magnetic probes and flux loops, visible light imaging, H-alpha line radiation monitors, voltage measurements across insulating breaks, injector current Rogowski coils, and injector flux loops. HIT-SI is currently operating in parallel with experiments on HIT-II. At the conclusion of HIT-II operations, HIT-SI will inherit a multi-point Thomson Scattering system, a scanning two-chord FIR interferometer, and other advanced diagnostics, as well as more power supplies to extend the discharge duration. Results are presented which characterize injector operation and possible evidence for spheromak formation.

Time-frequency vibration analysis for the detection of motor damages caused by bearing currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prudhom, Aurelien; Antonino-Daviu, Jose; Razik, Hubert; Climente-Alarcon, Vicente

2017-02-01

Motor failure due to bearing currents is an issue that has drawn an increasing industrial interest over recent years. Bearing currents usually appear in motors operated by variable frequency drives (VFD); these drives may lead to common voltage modes which cause currents induced in the motor shaft that are discharged through the bearings. The presence of these currents may lead to the motor bearing failure only few months after system startup. Vibration monitoring is one of the most common ways for detecting bearing damages caused by circulating currents; the evaluation of the amplitudes of well-known characteristic components in the vibration Fourier spectrum that are associated with race, ball or cage defects enables to evaluate the bearing condition and, hence, to identify an eventual damage due to bearing currents. However, the inherent constraints of the Fourier transform may complicate the detection of the progressive bearing degradation; for instance, in some cases, other frequency components may mask or be confused with bearing defect-related while, in other cases, the analysis may not be suitable due to the eventual non-stationary nature of the captured vibration signals. Moreover, the fact that this analysis implies to lose the time-dimension limits the amount of information obtained from this technique. This work proposes the use of time-frequency (T-F) transforms to analyse vibration data in motors affected by bearing currents. The experimental results obtained in real machines show that the vibration analysis via T-F tools may provide significant advantages for the detection of bearing current damages; among other, these techniques enable to visualise the progressive degradation of the bearing while providing an effective discrimination versus other components that are not related with the fault. Moreover, their application is valid regardless of the operation regime of the machine. Both factors confirm the robustness and reliability of these tools that may be an interesting alternative for detecting this type of failure in induction motors.

Simulation of Theoretical Most-Extreme Geomagnetic Sudden Commencements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welling, D. T.; Love, J. J.; Wiltberger, M. J.; Rigler, E. J.

2016-12-01

We report results from a numerical simulation of geomagnetic sudden commencements driven by solar wind conditions given by theoretical-limit extreme coronal-mass ejections (CMEs) estimated by Tsurutani and Lakhina [2014]. The CME characteristics at Earth are a step function that jumps from typical quiet values to 2700 km/s flow speed and a magnetic field magnitude of 127 nT. These values are used to drive three coupled models: a global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) magnetospheric model (BATS-R-US), a ring current model (the Rice Convection Model, RCM), and a height-integrated ionospheric electrodynamics model (the Ridley Ionosphere Model, RIM), all coupled together using the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF). Additionally, simulations from the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry MHD model are performed for comparison. The commencement is simulated with both purely northward and southward IMF orientations. Low-latitude ground-level geomagnetic variations, both B and dB/dt, are estimated in response to the storm sudden commencement. For a northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) storm, the combined models predict a maximum sudden commencement response, Dst-equivalent of +200 nT and a maximum local dB/dt of 200nT/s. While this positive Dst response is driven mainly by magnetopause currents, complicated and dynamic Birkeland current patterns also develop, which drive the strong dB/dt responses at high latitude. For southward IMF conditions, erosion of dayside magnetic flux allows magnetopause currents to approach much closer to the Earth, leading to a stronger terrestrial response (Dst-equivalent of +250 nT). Further, high latitude signals from Region 1 Birkeland currents move to lower latitudes during the southward IMF case, increasing the risk to populated areas around the globe. Results inform fundamental understanding of solar-terrestrial interaction and benchmark estimates for induction hazards of interest to the electric-power grid industry.

Energy sweep compensation of induction accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sampayan, S.E.; Caporaso, G.J.; Chen, Y-J

1990-09-12

The ETA-II linear induction accelerator (LIA) is designed to drive a microwave free electron laser (FEL). Beam energy sweep must be limited to {plus minus}1% for 50 ns to limit beam corkscrew motion and ensure high power FEL output over the full duration of the beam flattop. To achieve this energy sweep requirement, we have implemented a pulse distribution system and are planning implementation of a tapered pulse forming line (PFL) in the pulse generators driving acceleration gaps. The pulse distribution system assures proper phasing of the high voltage pulse to the electron beam. Additionally, cell-to-cell coupling of beam inducedmore » transients is reduced. The tapered PFL compensates for accelerator cell and loading nonlinearities. Circuit simulations show good agreement with preliminary data and predict the required energy sweep requirement can be met.« less

A Cost-Effective Energy-Recovering Sustain Driving Circuit for ac Plasma Display Panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Jae Kwang; Tae, Heung-Sik; Choi, Byungcho; Kim, Seok Gi

A new sustain driving circuit, featuring an energy-recovering function with simple structure and minimal component count, is proposed as a cost-effective solution for driving plasma display panels during the sustaining period. Compared with existing solutions, the proposed circuit reduces the number of semiconductor switches and reactive circuit components without compromising the circuit performance and gas-discharging characteristics. In addition, the proposed circuit utilizes the harness wire as an inductive circuit component, thereby further simplifying the circuit structure. The performance of the proposed circuit is confirmed with a 42-inch plasma display panel.

Control Technologies for Room Air-conditioner and Packaged Air-conditioner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, Nobuhisa

Trends of control technologies about air-conditioning machineries, especially room or packaged air conditioners, are presented in this paper. Multiple air conditioning systems for office buildings are mainly described as one application of the refrigeration cycle control technologies including sensors for thermal comfort and heating/ cooling loads are also described as one of the system control technologies. Inverter systems and related technologies for driving variable speed compressors are described in both case of including induction motors and brushless DC motors. Technologies for more accurate control to meet various kind of regulations such as ozone layer destruction, energy saving and global warming, and for eliminating harmonic distortion of power source current, as a typical EMC problem, will be urgently desired.

Super-Alfvénic translation of a field-reversed configuration into a large-bore dielectric chamber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sekiguchi, J.; Asai, T.; Takahashi, T.

2018-01-01

An experimental device to demonstrate additional heating and control methods for a field-reversed configuration (FRC) has been developed. The newly developed device, named FRC Amplification via Translation (FAT), has a field-reversed theta-pinch plasma source and a low-elongation dielectric (transparent quartz) confinement chamber with quasi-static confinement field. In the initial experiments on the FAT device, FRC translation and trapping were successfully demonstrated. Although the typical elongation of the trapped FRC in the confinement region was roughly three, no disruptive global instability, such as tilt, was observed. The FAT device increases the latitude to perform translation-related experiments, such as those concerning inductive current drive, equivalent neutral beam injection effects, and wave applications.

Observation of the inductive to helicon mode transition in a weakly magnetized solenoidal inductive discharge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Min-Hyong; Chung, Chin-Wook

2008-10-13

A mode transition from an inductive mode to a helicon mode is observed in a solenoidal inductive discharge immersed in a weak dc magnetic field. The measured electron temperature and the plasma density at the reactor radial boundary show a sudden increase when the magnetic field strength reaches the critical value and the electron cyclotron frequency exceeds the rf driving frequency. These increases are due to the electron heating by the helicon wave. Such increases in the temperature and the density are not observed at the plasma center because the helicon wave cannot propagate to the center of the solenoidalmore » type reactor unless the magnetic field is very high. These results show that the transition of the discharge from the inductive to the helicon mode occurs at the critical magnetic field strength.« less

Optimal Control of Induction Machines to Minimize Transient Energy Losses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plathottam, Siby Jose

Induction machines are electromechanical energy conversion devices comprised of a stator and a rotor. Torque is generated due to the interaction between the rotating magnetic field from the stator, and the current induced in the rotor conductors. Their speed and torque output can be precisely controlled by manipulating the magnitude, frequency, and phase of the three input sinusoidal voltage waveforms. Their ruggedness, low cost, and high efficiency have made them ubiquitous component of nearly every industrial application. Thus, even a small improvement in their energy efficient tend to give a large amount of electrical energy savings over the lifetime of the machine. Hence, increasing energy efficiency (reducing energy losses) in induction machines is a constrained optimization problem that has attracted attention from researchers. The energy conversion efficiency of induction machines depends on both the speed-torque operating point, as well as the input voltage waveform. It also depends on whether the machine is in the transient or steady state. Maximizing energy efficiency during steady state is a Static Optimization problem, that has been extensively studied, with commercial solutions available. On the other hand, improving energy efficiency during transients is a Dynamic Optimization problem that is sparsely studied. This dissertation exclusively focuses on improving energy efficiency during transients. This dissertation treats the transient energy loss minimization problem as an optimal control problem which consists of a dynamic model of the machine, and a cost functional. The rotor field oriented current fed model of the induction machine is selected as the dynamic model. The rotor speed and rotor d-axis flux are the state variables in the dynamic model. The stator currents referred to as d-and q-axis currents are the control inputs. A cost functional is proposed that assigns a cost to both the energy losses in the induction machine, as well as the deviations from desired speed-torque-magnetic flux setpoints. Using Pontryagin's minimum principle, a set of necessary conditions that must be satisfied by the optimal control trajectories are derived. The conditions are in the form a two-point boundary value problem, that can be solved numerically. The conjugate gradient method that was modified using the Hestenes-Stiefel formula was used to obtain the numerical solution of both the control and state trajectories. Using the distinctive shape of the numerical trajectories as inspiration, analytical expressions were derived for the state, and control trajectories. It was shown that the trajectory could be fully described by finding the solution of a one-dimensional optimization problem. The sensitivity of both the optimal trajectory and the optimal energy efficiency to different induction machine parameters were analyzed. A non-iterative solution that can use feedback for generating optimal control trajectories in real time was explored. It was found that an artificial neural network could be trained using the numerical solutions and made to emulate the optimal control trajectories with a high degree of accuracy. Hence a neural network along with a supervisory logic was implemented and used in a real-time simulation to control the Finite Element Method model of the induction machine. The results were compared with three other control regimes and the optimal control system was found to have the highest energy efficiency for the same drive cycle.

Recent progress of RF-dominated experiments on EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, F. K.; Zhao, Y. P.; Shan, J. F.; Zhang, X. J.; Ding, B. J.; Wang, X. J.; Wang, M.; Xu, H. D.; Qin, C. M.; Li, M. H.; Gong, X. Z.; Hu, L. Q.; Wan, B. N.; Song, Y. T.; Li, J. G.

2017-10-01

The research of EAST program is mostly focused on the development of high performance steady state scenario with ITER-like poloidal configuration and RF-dominated heating schemes. With the enhanced ITER-relevant auxiliary heating and current drive systems, the plasma profile control by coupling/integration of various combinations has been investigated, including lower hybrid current drive (LHCD), electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) and ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH). The 12 MW ICRH system has been installed on EAST. Heating and confinement studies using the Hydrogen Minority Heating scheme have been investigated. One of the importance challenges for EAST is coupling higher power into the core plasma, experiments including changing plasma position, electron density, local gas puffing and antenna phasing scanning were performed to improve ICRF coupling efficiency on EAST. Results show that local gas injection and reducing the k|| can improve the coupling efficiency directly. By means of the 4.6 GHz and 2.45 GHz LHCD systems, H-mode can be obtained and sustained at relatively high density, even up to ne ˜ 4.5 × 1019 m-3, where a current drive effect is still observed. Meanwhile, effect of source frequency (2.45GHz and 4.6GHz) on LHCD characteristic has been studied on EAST, showing that higher frequency improves penetration of the coupled LH (lower hybrid) power into the plasma core and leads to a better effect on plasma characteristics. Studies demonstrate the role of parasitic effects of edge plasma in LHCD and the mitigation by increasing source frequency. Experiments of effect of LH spectrum and plasma density on plasma characteristics are performed, suggesting the possibility of plasma control for high performance. The development of a 4MW ECRH system is in progress for the purpose of plasma heating and MHD control. The built ECRH system with 1MW source power has been successfully put into use on EAST in 2015. H-mode discharges with L-H transition triggered by ECRH injection were obtained and its effects on the electron temperature, particle confinement and the core MHD stabilities were observed. By further exploring and optimizing the RF combination for the sole RF heating and current drive regime, fully non-inductive H-mode discharges with Vloop˜0V has progressed steadily in the 2016 campaign. The overview of the significant progress of RF dominated experiments is presented in this paper.

Modernization of gas-turbine engines with high-frequency induction motors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abramovich, B. N.; Sychev, Yu A.; Kuznetsov, P. A.

2018-03-01

Main tendencies of growth of electric energy consumption in general and mining industries were analyzed in the paper. A key role of electric drive in this process was designated. A review about advantages and disadvantages of unregulated gearboxes with mechanical units that are commonly used in domestically produced gas-turbine engines was made. This review allows one to propose different gas-turbine engines modernization schemes with the help of PWM-driven high-frequency induction motors. Induction motors with the double rotor winding were examined. A simulation of high-frequency induction motors with double rotor windings in Matlab-Simulink software was carried out based on equivalent circuit parameters. Obtained characteristics of new motors were compared with serially produced analogues. After the simulation, results were implemented in the real prototype.

Effect of Inductive Coil Geometry and Current Sheet Trajectory of a Conical Theta Pinch Pulsed Inductive Plasma Accelerator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hallock, Ashley K.; Polzin, Kurt A.; Bonds, Kevin W.; Emsellem, Gregory D.

2011-01-01

Results are presented demonstrating the e ect of inductive coil geometry and current sheet trajectory on the exhaust velocity of propellant in conical theta pinch pulsed induc- tive plasma accelerators. The electromagnetic coupling between the inductive coil of the accelerator and a plasma current sheet is simulated, substituting a conical copper frustum for the plasma. The variation of system inductance as a function of plasma position is obtained by displacing the simulated current sheet from the coil while measuring the total inductance of the coil. Four coils of differing geometries were employed, and the total inductance of each coil was measured as a function of the axial displacement of two sep- arate copper frusta both having the same cone angle and length as the coil but with one compressed to a smaller size relative to the coil. The measured relationship between total coil inductance and current sheet position closes a dynamical circuit model that is used to calculate the resulting current sheet velocity for various coil and current sheet con gura- tions. The results of this model, which neglects the pinching contribution to thrust, radial propellant con nement, and plume divergence, indicate that in a conical theta pinch ge- ometry current sheet pinching is detrimental to thruster performance, reducing the kinetic energy of the exhausting propellant by up to 50% (at the upper bound for the parameter range of the study). The decrease in exhaust velocity was larger for coils and simulated current sheets of smaller half cone angles. An upper bound for the pinching contribution to thrust is estimated for typical operating parameters. Measurements of coil inductance for three di erent current sheet pinching conditions are used to estimate the magnetic pressure as a function of current sheet radial compression. The gas-dynamic contribution to axial acceleration is also estimated and shown to not compensate for the decrease in axial electromagnetic acceleration that accompanies the radial compression of the plasma in conical theta pinches.

Two-fluid dynamo relaxation and momentum transport induced by CHI on HIST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagata, Masayoshi; Hirono, Hidetoshi; Hanao, Takafumi; Hyobu, Takahiro; Ito, Kengo; Matsumoto, Keisuke; Nakayama, Takashi; Oki, Nobuharu; Kikuchi, Yusuke; Fukumoto, Naoyuki

2013-10-01

Non-inductive current drive by using Multi-pulsing coaxial helicity injection was studied on HIST. In the double-pulsing CHI experiment, we have examined two-fluid effects by reversing polarity of the bias poloidal coil current. In the ST magnetic configurations with the right-handed magnetic field (positive CHI), there are a diamagnetic structure in the open flux column region and a paramagnetic structure in the closed flux region. It is naturally understood that the direction of the poloidal magnetic field (toroidal current) is reversed in reversing the polarity of the bias flux from positive to negative. However, the poloidal current is surprisingly reversed in reversing the magnetic helicity polarity. The direction of the poloidal current is opposite in the each region. The toroidal flow is reversed, but a shear profile of the poloidal flow is not changed significantly. In this configuration, the diamagnetic structure appears in the closed flux region. Thus, not only Jt×Bp but also Jp×Bt force contributes on pressure balance leading to a higher beta. We are studying a more general helicity conservation that constrains the interaction between flows and magnetic fields and momentum transport in the two-fluid framework.

Development of high poloidal beta, steady-state scenario with ITER-like tungsten divertor on EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garofalo, A. M.; Gong, X. Z.; Qian, J.; Chen, J.; Li, G.; Li, K.; Li, M. H.; Zhai, X.; Bonoli, P.; Brower, D.; Cao, L.; Cui, L.; Ding, S.; Ding, W. X.; Guo, W.; Holcomb, C.; Huang, J.; Hyatt, A.; Lanctot, M.; Lao, L. L.; Liu, H.; Lyu, B.; McClenaghan, J.; Peysson, Y.; Ren, Q.; Shiraiwa, S.; Solomon, W.; Zang, Q.; Wan, B.

2017-07-01

Recent experiments on EAST have achieved the first long pulse H-mode (61 s) with zero loop voltage and an ITER-like tungsten divertor, and have demonstrated access to broad plasma current profiles by increasing the density in fully-noninductive lower hybrid current-driven discharges. These long pulse discharges reach wall thermal and particle balance, exhibit stationary good confinement (H 98y2 ~ 1.1) with low core electron transport, and are only possible with optimal active cooling of the tungsten armors. In separate experiments, the electron density was systematically varied in order to study its effect on the deposition profile of the external lower hybrid current drive (LHCD), while keeping the plasma in fully-noninductive conditions and with divertor strike points on the tungsten divertor. A broadening of the current profile is found, as indicated by lower values of the internal inductance at higher density. A broad current profile is attractive because, among other reasons, it enables internal transport barriers at large minor radius, leading to improved confinement as shown in companion DIII-D experiments. These experiments strengthen the physics basis for achieving high performance, steady state discharges in future burning plasmas.

Improved Speed Control System for the 87,000 HP Wind Tunnel Drive

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Becks, Edward A.; Bencic, Timothy J.; Blumenthal, Philip Z.

1995-01-01

This paper describes the design, installation, and integrated systems tests for a new drive motor speed control system which was part of a recent rehab project for the NASA Lewis 8x6 Supersonic Wind Tunnel. The tunnel drive consists of three mechanically-coupled 29,000 HP wound rotor induction motors driving an axial flow compressor. Liquid rheostats are used to vary the impedance of the rotor circuits, thus varying the speed of the drive system. The new design utilizes a distributed digital control system with a dual touch screen CRT operator console to provide alarm monitoring, logging, and trending. The liquid rheostats are driven by brushtype servomotor systems with magnetostrictive linear displacement transducers used for position feedback. The new system achieved all goals for speed variations with load, motor load balance, and control of total power.

Improved speed control system for the 87,000 HP wind tunnel drive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becks, Edward A.; Bencic, Timothy J.; Blumenthal, Philip Z.

1995-01-01

This paper describes the design, installation, and integrated systems tests for a new drive motor speed control system which was part of a recent rehab project for the NASA Lewis 8x6 Supersonic Wind Tunnel. The tunnel drive consists of three mechanically-coupled 29,000 HP wound rotor induction motors driving an axial flow compressor. Liquid rheostats are used to vary the impedance of the rotor circuits, thus varying the speed of the drive system. The new design utilizes a distributed digital control system with a dual touch screen CRT operator console to provide alarm monitoring, logging, and trending. The liquid rheostats are driven by brushtype servomotor systems with magnetostrictive linear displacement transducers used for position feedback. The new system achieved all goals for speed variations with load, motor load balance, and control of total power.

How similar are recognition memory and inductive reasoning?

PubMed

Hayes, Brett K; Heit, Evan

2013-07-01

Conventionally, memory and reasoning are seen as different types of cognitive activities driven by different processes. In two experiments, we challenged this view by examining the relationship between recognition memory and inductive reasoning involving multiple forms of similarity. A common study set (members of a conjunctive category) was followed by a test set containing old and new category members, as well as items that matched the study set on only one dimension. The study and test sets were presented under recognition or induction instructions. In Experiments 1 and 2, the inductive property being generalized was varied in order to direct attention to different dimensions of similarity. When there was no time pressure on decisions, patterns of positive responding were strongly affected by property type, indicating that different types of similarity were driving recognition and induction. By comparison, speeded judgments showed weaker property effects and could be explained by generalization based on overall similarity. An exemplar model, GEN-EX (GENeralization from EXamples), could account for both the induction and recognition data. These findings show that induction and recognition share core component processes, even when the tasks involve flexible forms of similarity.

Passive wide spectrum harmonic filter for adjustable speed drives in oil and gas industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al Jaafari, Khaled Ali

Non-linear loads such as variable speed drives constitute the bulky load of oil and gas industry power systems. They are widely used in driving induction and permanent magnet motors for variable speed applications. That is because variable speed drives provide high static and dynamic performance. Moreover, they are known of their high energy efficiency and high motion quality, and high starting torque. However, these non-linear loads are main sources of current and voltage harmonics and lower the quality of electric power system. In fact, it is the six-pulse and twelve-pulse diode and thyristor rectifiers that spoil the AC power line with the dominant harmonics (5th, 7th, 11th). They provide DC voltage to the inverter of the variable speed drives. Typical problems that arise from these harmonics are Harmonic resonances', harmonic losses, interference with electronic equipment, and line voltage distortion at the Point of Common Coupling (PCC). Thus, it is necessary to find efficient, reliable, and economical harmonic filters. The passive filters have definite advantage over active filters in terms of components count, cost and reliability. Reliability and maintenance is a serious issue in drilling rigs which are located in offshore and onshore with extreme operating conditions. Passive filters are tuned to eliminate a certain frequency and therefore there is a need to equip the system with more than one passive filter to eliminate all unwanted frequencies. An alternative solution is Wide Spectrum Harmonic passive filter. The wide spectrum harmonic filters are becoming increasingly popular in these applications and found to overcome some of the limitations of conventional tuned passive filter. The most important feature of wide spectrum harmonic passive filters is that only one capacitor is required to filter a wide range of harmonics. Wide spectrum filter is essentially a low-pass filter for the harmonic at fundamental frequency. It can also be considered as a single-stage passive filter plus input and output inductors. The work proposed gives a complete analysis of wide spectrum harmonic passive filters, the methodology to choose its parameters according to the operational condition, effect of load and source inductance on its characteristics. Also, comparison of the performance of the wide band passive filter with tuned filter is given. The analyses are supported with the simulation results and were verified experimentally. The analysis given in this thesis will be useful for the selection of proper wide spectrum harmonic filters for harmonic mitigation applications in oil and gas industry.

Gene expression analysis of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells during the initial steps of in vitro osteogenesis.

PubMed

Robert, Anny Waloski; Angulski, Addeli Bez Batti; Spangenberg, Lucia; Shigunov, Patrícia; Pereira, Isabela Tiemy; Bettes, Paulo Sergio Loiacono; Naya, Hugo; Correa, Alejandro; Dallagiovanna, Bruno; Stimamiglio, Marco Augusto

2018-03-16

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been widely studied with regard to their potential use in cell therapy protocols and regenerative medicine. However, a better comprehension about the factors and molecular mechanisms driving cell differentiation is now mandatory to improve our chance to manipulate MSC behavior and to benefit future applications. In this work, we aimed to study gene regulatory networks at an early step of osteogenic differentiation. Therefore, we analyzed both the total mRNA and the mRNA fraction associated with polysomes on human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (hASCs) at 24 h of osteogenesis induction. The RNA-seq results evidenced that hASC fate is not compromised with osteogenesis at this time and that 21 days of continuous cell culture stimuli are necessary for full osteogenic differentiation of hASCs. Furthermore, early stages of osteogenesis induction involved gene regulation that was linked to the management of cell behavior in culture, such as the control of cell adhesion and proliferation. In conclusion, although discrete initial gene regulation related to osteogenesis occur, the first 24 h of induction is not sufficient to trigger and drive in vitro osteogenic differentiation of hASCs.

A tip/tilt mirror with large dynamic range for the ESO VLT Four Laser Guide Star Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rijnveld, N.; Henselmans, R.; Nijland, B.

2011-09-01

One of the critical elements in the Four Laser Guide Star Facility (4LGSF) for the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) is the Optical Tube Assembly (OTA), consisting of a stable 20x laser beam expander and an active tip/tilt mirror, the Field Selector Mechanism (FSM). This paper describes the design and performance testing of the FSM. The driving requirement for the FSM is its large stroke of +/-6.1 mrad, in combination with less than 1.5 μrad RMS absolute accuracy. The FSM design consists of a Zerodur mirror, bonded to a membrane spring and strut combination to allow only tip and tilt. Two spindle drives actuate the mirror, using a stiffness based transmission to increase resolution. Absolute accuracy is achieved with two differential inductive sensor pairs. A prototype of the FSM is realized to optimize the control configuration and measure its performance. Friction in the spindle drive is overcome by creating a local velocity control loop between the spindle drives and the shaft encoders. Accuracy is achieved by using a cascaded low bandwidth control loop with feedback from the inductive sensors. The pointing jitter and settling time of the FSM are measured with an autocollimator. The system performance meets the strict requirements, and is ready to be implemented in the first OTA.

Controllability of Free-piston Stirling Engine/linear Alternator Driving a Dynamic Load

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kankam, M. David; Rauch, Jeffrey S.

1994-01-01

This paper presents the dynamic behavior of a Free-Piston Stirling Engine/linear alternator (FPSE/LA) driving a single-phase fractional horse-power induction motor. The controllability and dynamic stability of the system are discussed by means of sensitivity effects of variations in system parameters, engine controller, operating conditions, and mechanical loading on the induction motor. The approach used expands on a combined mechanical and thermodynamic formulation employed in a previous paper. The application of state-space technique and frequency domain analysis enhances understanding of the dynamic interactions. Engine-alternator parametric sensitivity studies, similar to those of the previous paper, are summarized. Detailed discussions are provided for parametric variations which relate to the engine controller and system operating conditions. The results suggest that the controllability of a FPSE-based power system is enhanced by proper operating conditions and built-in controls.

Feasibility study of ECRH in NSTX-U startup plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez, N. A.; Poli, F.; Taylor, G.; Harvey, R.; Petrov, Yu.

2016-10-01

A key mission goal of the National Spherical Torus eXperiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) is the demonstration of fully non-inductive startup and operation. In part to accomplish this, a 1MW, 28 GHz ECRH system is presently being developed for implementation on NSTX-U in 2018. Like most spherical tokamaks, NSTX-U operates in the overdense regime (fpe>fce) , which limits traditional ECRH to the early startup phase. An extensive modelling effort of the propagation and absorption of EC waves in the evolving plasma is thus required to define the most effective window of operation, and to optimize the launcher geometry for maximal heating and for current drive during this window. In fact, the ECRH system will play an important role in preparing a target plasma for subsequent injection of IC waves and NBI. Here we assess the feasibility of O1-mode ECRH in NSTX-U startup plasma at full field of 1T through time-dependent simulations performed with the transport solver TRANSP. Linear ray-tracing calculations conducted by GENRAY are coupled into the TRANSP framework, allowing the plasma equilibrium and the temperature profiles to evolve self-consistently in response to the injected microwave power. Furthermore, we investigate additional possibilities of heating and current drive made available through coupling the injected O-mode power to the electrostatic EBW via the slow X-mode as an intermediary.

Development of a high power Helicon system for DIII-D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tooker, Joseph F.; Nagy, Alexander; deGrassie, John

A mechanism for driving current off-axis in high beta tokamaks using fast electromagnetic waves, called Helicons, will be experimentally tested in the DIII-D tokamak. This method is calculated to be more efficient than current drive using electron cyclotron waves or neutral beam injection, and it may be well suited to reactor-like configurations. A low power (100 W) 476 MHz “combline” antenna, consisting of 12 inductively coupled, electrostatically shielded, modular resonators, was recently installed in DIII-D. Initial operation showed that the plasma operating conditions were achieved under which helicon waves can be launched. Plasma operations also showed that the location ofmore » the antenna has not reduced the performance of, or introduced excessive impurities into, the discharges produced in DIII-D. The development of a high power (1 MW) Helicon system is underway. This antenna consists of 30 modules mounted on the inside of the outer wall of the vacuum vessel slightly above the midplane. Carbon tiles around the antenna protect the antenna from thermal plasma streaming along field lines. A 1.2 MW, 476 MHz klystron system will be transferred from the Stanford Linear Accelerator to DIII-D to provide the RF input power to the antenna. Lastly, a description of the design and fabrication of high power antenna and the RF feeds, the klystron and RF distribution systems, and their installation will be presented.« less

Status of Europe's contribution to the ITER EC system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albajar, F.; Aiello, G.; Alberti, S.; Arnold, F.; Avramidis, K.; Bader, M.; Batista, R.; Bertizzolo, R.; Bonicelli, T.; Braunmueller, F.; Brescan, C.; Bruschi, A.; von Burg, B.; Camino, K.; Carannante, G.; Casarin, V.; Castillo, A.; Cauvard, F.; Cavalieri, C.; Cavinato, M.; Chavan, R.; Chelis, J.; Cismondi, F.; Combescure, D.; Darbos, C.; Farina, D.; Fasel, D.; Figini, L.; Gagliardi, M.; Gandini, F.; Gantenbein, G.; Gassmann, T.; Gessner, R.; Goodman, T. P.; Gracia, V.; Grossetti, G.; Heemskerk, C.; Henderson, M.; Hermann, V.; Hogge, J. P.; Illy, S.; Ioannidis, Z.; Jelonnek, J.; Jin, J.; Kasparek, W.; Koning, J.; Krause, A. S.; Landis, J. D.; Latsas, G.; Li, F.; Mazzocchi, F.; Meier, A.; Moro, A.; Nousiainen, R.; Purohit, D.; Nowak, S.; Omori, T.; van Oosterhout, J.; Pacheco, J.; Pagonakis, I.; Platania, P.; Poli, E.; Preis, A. K.; Ronden, D.; Rozier, Y.; Rzesnicki, T.; Saibene, G.; Sanchez, F.; Sartori, F.; Sauter, O.; Scherer, T.; Schlatter, C.; Schreck, S.; Serikov, A.; Siravo, U.; Sozzi, C.; Spaeh, P.; Spichiger, A.; Strauss, D.; Takahashi, K.; Thumm, M.; Tigelis, I.; Vaccaro, A.; Vomvoridis, J.; Tran, M. Q.; Weinhorst, B.

2015-03-01

The electron cyclotron (EC) system of ITER for the initial configuration is designed to provide 20MW of RF power into the plasma during 3600s and a duty cycle of up to 25% for heating and (co and counter) non-inductive current drive, also used to control the MHD plasma instabilities. The EC system is being procured by 5 domestic agencies plus the ITER Organization (IO). F4E has the largest fraction of the EC procurements, which includes 8 high voltage power supplies (HVPS), 6 gyrotrons, the ex-vessel waveguides (includes isolation valves and diamond windows) for all launchers, 4 upper launchers and the main control system. F4E is working with IO to improve the overall design of the EC system by integrating consolidated technological advances, simplifying the interfaces, and doing global engineering analysis and assessments of EC heating and current drive physics and technology capabilities. Examples are the optimization of the HVPS and gyrotron requirements and performance relative to power modulation for MHD control, common qualification programs for diamond window procurements, assessment of the EC grounding system, and the optimization of the launcher steering angles for improved EC access. Here we provide an update on the status of Europe's contribution to the ITER EC system, and a summary of the global activities underway by F4E in collaboration with IO for the optimization of the subsystems.

Development of a high power Helicon system for DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Tooker, Joseph F.; Nagy, Alexander; deGrassie, John; ...

2017-03-29

A mechanism for driving current off-axis in high beta tokamaks using fast electromagnetic waves, called Helicons, will be experimentally tested in the DIII-D tokamak. This method is calculated to be more efficient than current drive using electron cyclotron waves or neutral beam injection, and it may be well suited to reactor-like configurations. A low power (100 W) 476 MHz “combline” antenna, consisting of 12 inductively coupled, electrostatically shielded, modular resonators, was recently installed in DIII-D. Initial operation showed that the plasma operating conditions were achieved under which helicon waves can be launched. Plasma operations also showed that the location ofmore » the antenna has not reduced the performance of, or introduced excessive impurities into, the discharges produced in DIII-D. The development of a high power (1 MW) Helicon system is underway. This antenna consists of 30 modules mounted on the inside of the outer wall of the vacuum vessel slightly above the midplane. Carbon tiles around the antenna protect the antenna from thermal plasma streaming along field lines. A 1.2 MW, 476 MHz klystron system will be transferred from the Stanford Linear Accelerator to DIII-D to provide the RF input power to the antenna. Lastly, a description of the design and fabrication of high power antenna and the RF feeds, the klystron and RF distribution systems, and their installation will be presented.« less

Development of RF Sensor Based on Two-cell SQUID

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

according to (8) is proportional to the reduced drive detuning, ωp0 is the resonant frequency for small oscillations, i.e. the plasma frequency of the...0/2 Φ= cnc IRπω (16) where Rn is the normal resistance of the Josephson junction in the SQUID, and L the inductance of the...17.7 μA, normal resistance 110.9 Ω, plasma frequency ωp 124 GHz and characteristic frequency 948 GHz. While the loop inductance of SQUID was 60 pH

A mechanism for the dynamo terms to sustain closed-flux current, including helicity balance, by driving current which crosses the magnetic field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jarboe, T. R.; Nelson, B. A.; Sutherland, D. A.

2015-07-15

An analysis of imposed dynamo current drive (IDCD) [T.R. Jarboe et al., Nucl. Fusion 52 083017 (2012)] reveals: (a) current drive on closed flux surfaces seems possible without relaxation, reconnection, or other flux-surface-breaking large events; (b) the scale size of the key physics may be smaller than is often computationally resolved; (c) helicity can be sustained across closed flux; and (d) IDCD current drive is parallel to the current which crosses the magnetic field to produce the current driving force. In addition to agreeing with spheromak data, IDCD agrees with selected tokamak data.

Effects of mood induction via music on cardiovascular measures of negative emotion during simulated driving.

PubMed

Fairclough, Stephen H; van der Zwaag, Marjolein; Spiridon, Elena; Westerink, Joyce

2014-04-22

A study was conducted to investigate the potential of mood induction via music to influence cardiovascular correlates of negative emotions experience during driving behaviour. One hundred participants were randomly assigned to one of five groups, four of whom experienced different categories of music: High activation/positive valence (HA/PV), high activation/negative valence (HA/NV), low activation/positive valence (LA/PV) and low activation/negative valence (LA/NV). Following exposure to their respective categories of music, participants were required to complete a simulated driving journey with a fixed time schedule. Negative emotion was induced via exposure to stationary traffic during the simulated route. Cardiovascular reactivity was measured via blood pressure, heart rate and cardiovascular impedance. Subjective self-assessment of anger and mood was also recorded. Results indicated that low activation music, regardless of valence, reduced systolic reactivity during the simulated journey relative to HA/NV music and the control (no music) condition. Self-reported data indicated that participants were not consciously aware of any influence of music on their subjective mood. It is concluded that cardiovascular reactivity to negative mood may be mediated by the emotional properties of music. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stygar, W.A.; Spielman, R.B.; Allshouse, G.O.

The 36-module Z accelerator was designed to drive z-pinch loads for weapon-physics and inertial-confinement-fusion experiments, and to serve as a testing facility for pulsed-power research required to develop higher-current drivers. The authors have designed and tested a 10-nH 1.5-m-radius vacuum section for the Z accelerator. The vacuum section consists of four vacuum flares, four conical 1.3-m-radius magnetically-insulated transmission lines, a 7.6-cm-radius 12-post double-post-hole convolute which connects the four outer MITLs in parallel, and a 5-cm-long inner MITL which connects the output of the convolute to a z-pinch load. IVORY and ELECTRO calculations were performed to minimize the inductance of themore » vacuum flares with the constraint that there be no significant electron emission from the insulator-stack grading rings. Iterative TLCODE calculations were performed to minimize the inductance of the outer MITLs with the constraint that the MITL electron-flow-current fraction be {le} 7% at peak current. The TLCODE simulations assume a 2.5 cm/{micro}s MITL-cathode-plasma expansion velocity. The design limits the electron dose to the outer-MITL anodes to 50 J/g to prevent the formation of an anode plasma. The TLCODE results were confirmed by SCREAMER, TRIFL, TWOQUICK, IVORY, and LASNEX simulations. For the TLCODE, SCREAMER, and TRIFL calculations, the authors assume that after magnetic insulation is established, the electron-flow current launched in the outer MITLs is lost at the convolute. This assumption has been validated by 3-D QUICKSILVER simulations for load impedances {le} 0.36 ohms. LASNEX calculations suggest that ohmic resistance of the pinch and conduction-current-induced energy loss to the MITL electrodes can be neglected in Z power-flow modeling that is accurate to first order. To date, the Z vacuum section has been tested on 100 shots. They have demonstrated they can deliver a 100-ns rise-time 20-MA current pulse to the baseline z-pinch load.« less

Effect of Inductive Coil Geometry on the Thrust Efficiency of a Microwave Assisted Discharge Inductive Plasma Accelerator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hallock, Ashley; Polzin, Kurt; Emsellem, Gregory

2012-01-01

Pulsed inductive plasma thrusters [1-3] are spacecraft propulsion devices in which electrical energy is capacitively stored and then discharged through an inductive coil. The thruster is electrodeless, with a time-varying current in the coil interacting with a plasma covering the face of the coil to induce a plasma current. Propellant is accelerated and expelled at a high exhaust velocity (O(10-100 km/s)) by the Lorentz body force arising from the interaction of the magnetic field and the induced plasma current. While this class of thruster mitigates the life-limiting issues associated with electrode erosion, pulsed inductive plasma thrusters require high pulse energies to inductively ionize propellant. The Microwave Assisted Discharge Inductive Plasma Accelerator (MAD-IPA) [4, 5] is a pulsed inductive plasma thruster that addressees this issue by partially ionizing propellant inside a conical inductive coil via an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) discharge. The ECR plasma is produced using microwaves and permanent magnets that are arranged to create a thin resonance region along the inner surface of the coil, restricting plasma formation, and in turn current sheet formation, to a region where the magnetic coupling between the plasma and the inductive coil is high. The use of a conical theta-pinch coil is under investigation. The conical geometry serves to provide neutral propellant containment and plasma plume focusing that is improved relative to the more common planar geometry of the Pulsed Inductive Thruster (PIT) [2, 3], however a conical coil imparts a direct radial acceleration of the current sheet that serves to rapidly decouple the propellant from the coil, limiting the direct axial electromagnetic acceleration in favor of an indirect acceleration mechanism that requires significant heating of the propellant within the volume bounded by the current sheet. In this paper, we describe thrust stand measurements performed to characterize the performance (specific impulse, thrust efficiency) of the MAD-IPA thruster. Impulse data are obtained at various pulse energies, mass flow rates and inductive coil. geometries. Dependencies on these experimental parameters are discussed in the context of the current sheet formation and electromagnetic plasma acceleration processes.

Nonlinear dynamics of a magnetically driven Duffing-type spring-magnet oscillator in the static magnetic field of a coil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donoso, Guillermo; Ladera, Celso L.

2012-11-01

We study the nonlinear oscillations of a forced and weakly dissipative spring-magnet system moving in the magnetic fields of two fixed coaxial, hollow induction coils. As the first coil is excited with a dc current, both a linear and a cubic magnet-position dependent force appear on the magnet-spring system. The second coil, located below the first, excited with an ac current, provides the oscillating magnetic driving force on the system. From the magnet-coil interactions, we obtain, analytically, the nonlinear motion equation of the system, found to be a forced and damped cubic Duffing oscillator moving in a quartic potential. The relative strengths of the coefficients of the motion equation can be easily set by varying the coils’ dc and ac currents. We demonstrate, theoretically and experimentally, the nonlinear behaviour of this oscillator, including its oscillation modes and nonlinear resonances, the fold-over effect, the hysteresis and amplitude jumps, and its chaotic behaviour. It is an oscillating system suitable for teaching an advanced experiment in nonlinear dynamics both at senior undergraduate and graduate levels.

Critical current density and third-harmonic voltage in superconducting films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mawatari, Yasunori; Yamasaki, Hirofumi; Nakagawa, Yoshihiko

2002-09-01

When a sinusoidal drive current I0cos ωt flows in a small coil close to the surface of a superconducting film, third-harmonic voltage V3 cos(3ωt+θ3) is induced in the coil if the film causes a nonlinear response. We have developed an approximate theoretical method yielding the relationships among I0, V3, and θ3, thus providing the scientific basis for a widely used inductive method for measuring the critical current density Jc in large-area superconducting films. Our results show that V3 is near zero when I0 is smaller than a threshold value Ic0∝Jcd, where d is the film thickness. When I0>Ic0, on the other hand, the third-harmonic voltage is expressed as V3 exp(-iθ3)=ωIc0G(I0/Ic0), where G(x) is a scaling function determined by the configuration of the coil. We demonstrate the scaling law of V3/Ic0 vs I0/Ic0 in a YBa2Cu3O7-δ film.

Electron cyclotron heating/current-drive system using high power tubes for QUEST spherical tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onchi, Takumi; Idei, H.; Hasegawa, M.; Nagata, T.; Kuroda, K.; Hanada, K.; Kariya, T.; Kubo, S.; Tsujimura, T. I.; Kobayashi, S.; Quest Team

2017-10-01

Electron cyclotron heating (ECH) is the primary method to ramp up plasma current non-inductively in QUEST spherical tokamak. A 28 GHz gyrotron is employed for short pulses, where the radio frequency (RF) power is about 300 kW. Current ramp-up efficiency of 0.5 A/W has been obtained with focused beam of the second harmonic X-mode. A quasi-optical polarizer unit has been newly installed to avoid arcing events. For steady-state tokamak operation, 8.56 GHz klystron with power of 200 kW is used as the CW-RF source. The high voltage power supply (54 kV/13 A) for the klystron has been built recently, and initial bench test of the CW-ECH system is starting. The array of insulated-gate bipolar transistor works to quickly cut off the input power for protecting the klystron. This work is supported by JSPS KAKENHI (15H04231), NIFS Collaboration Research program (NIFS13KUTR085, NIFS17KUTR128), and through MEXT funding for young scientists associated with active promotion of national university reforms.

Design and Construction of Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus (VEST) at Seoul National University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

An, Younghwa; Chung, Kyoung-Jae; Jung, Bongki; Lee, Hyunyeong; Sung, Choongki; Kim, Hyun-Seok; Na, Yong-Su; Hwang, Yong-Seok

2011-10-01

A new spherical torus, named as VEST (Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus), has been built at Seoul National University to investigate versatile research topics such as double null merging start-up, divertor engineering and non-inductive current drive. VEST is characterized by two partial solenoid coils installed at both vertical ends of a center stack, which will be used for double null merging start-up schemes. A poloidal field (PF) coil system including the partial solenoids for break-down and a long solenoid for the sustainment of merged plasma has been designed by solving circuit equations for the PF coils and vacuum vessel elements in consideration of required volt-second, null configuration and eddy current. To supply required currents to the PF coils and solenoids, power supplies based on double-swing circuit have been designed and fabricated with capacitor banks and thyristor switch assemblies. Also a power supply utilizing cost-effective commercial batteries has been developed for toroidal field(TF) coils. Detailed descriptions on the design of VEST and some initial test results will be presented.

HSP70 induction during baculovirus infection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Baculoviruses are arthropod-specific double-stranded DNA viruses that have been employed as bio-insecticides against crop pests and to produce heterologous proteins in baculovirus expression systems. Although a consensus has emerged on the dominant molecular events driving baculovirus replication i...

PRESERVATION OF TRACE METALS IN WATER SAMPLES

EPA Science Inventory

Questions about trace metal preservation are resurfacing because the health effect risks associated with certain metals continue to drive the required reporting limits lower. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry was used in this study to analyze preservation of samples co...

The high-β{sub N} hybrid scenario for ITER and FNSF steady-state missions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Turco, F.; Petty, C. C.; Luce, T. C.

2015-05-15

New experiments on DIII-D have demonstrated the steady-state potential of the hybrid scenario, with 1 MA of plasma current driven fully non-inductively and β{sub N} up to 3.7 sustained for ∼3 s (∼1.5 current diffusion time, τ{sub R}, in DIII-D), providing the basis for an attractive option for steady-state operation in ITER and FNSF. Excellent confinement is achieved (H{sub 98y2} ∼ 1.6) without performance limiting tearing modes. The hybrid regime overcomes the need for off-axis current drive efficiency, taking advantage of poloidal magnetic flux pumping that is believed to be the result of a saturated 3/2 tearing mode. This allows for efficient currentmore » drive close to the axis, without deleterious sawtooth instabilities. In these experiments, the edge surface loop voltage is driven down to zero for >1 τ{sub R} when the poloidal β is increased above 1.9 at a plasma current of 1.0 MA and the ECH power is increased to 3.2 MW. Stationary operation of hybrid plasmas with all on-axis current drive is sustained at pressures slightly above the ideal no-wall limit, while the calculated ideal with-wall MHD limit is β{sub N} ∼ 4–4.5. Off-axis Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) power has been used to broaden the pressure and current profiles in this scenario, seeking to take advantage of higher predicted kink stability limits and lower values of the tearing stability index Δ′, as calculated by the DCON and PEST3 codes. Results based on measured profiles predict ideal limits at β{sub N} > 4.5, 10% higher than the cases with on-axis NBI. A 0-D model, based on the present confinement, β{sub N} and shape values of the DIII-D hybrid scenario, shows that these plasmas are consistent with the ITER 9 MA, Q = 5 mission and the FNSF 6.7 MA scenario with Q = 3.5. With collisionality and edge safety factor values comparable to those envisioned for ITER and FNSF, the high-β{sub N} hybrid represents an attractive high performance option for the steady-state missions of these devices.« less

An Efficient Fuzzy Controller Design for Parallel Connected Induction Motor Drives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usha, S.; Subramani, C.

2018-04-01

Generally, an induction motors are highly non-linear and has a complex time varying dynamics. This makes the speed control of an induction motor a challenging issue in the industries. But, due to the recent trends in the power electronic devices and intelligent controllers, the speed control of the induction motor is achieved by including non-linear characteristics also. Conventionally a single inverter is used to run one induction motor in industries. In the traction applications, two or more inductions motors are operated in parallel to reduce the size and cost of induction motors. In this application, the parallel connected induction motors can be driven by a single inverter unit. The stability problems may introduce in the parallel operation under low speed operating conditions. Hence, the speed deviations should be reduce with help of suitable controllers. The speed control of the parallel connected system is performed by PID controller and fuzzy logic controller. In this paper the speed response of the induction motor for the rating of IHP, 1440 rpm, and 50Hz with these controller are compared in time domain specifications. The stability analysis of the system also performed under low speed using matlab platform. The hardware model is developed for speed control using fuzzy logic controller which exhibited superior performances over the other controller.

Design of inductive sensors for tongue control system for computers and assistive devices.

PubMed

Lontis, Eugen R; Struijk, Lotte N S A

2010-07-01

The paper introduces a novel design of air-core inductive sensors in printed circuit board (PCB) technology for a tongue control system. The tongue control system provides a quadriplegic person with a keyboard and a joystick type of mouse for interaction with a computer or for control of an assistive device. Activation of inductive sensors was performed with a cylindrical, soft ferromagnetic material (activation unit). Comparative analysis of inductive sensors in PCB technology with existing hand-made inductive sensors was performed with respect to inductance, resistance, and sensitivity to activation when the activation unit was placed in the center of the sensor. Optimisation of the activation unit was performed in a finite element model. PCBs with air-core inductive sensors were manufactured in a 10 layers, 100 microm and 120 microm line width technology. These sensors provided quality signals that could drive the electronics of the hand-made sensors. Furthermore, changing the geometry of the sensors allowed generation of variable signals correlated with the 2D movement of the activation unit at the sensors' surface. PCB technology for inductive sensors allows flexibility in design, automation of production and ease of possible integration with supplying electronics. The basic switch function of the inductive sensor can be extended to two-dimensional movement detection for pointing devices.

Screening Doses for Induction of Cancers Calculated with the Interactive RadioEpidemiological Program (IREP)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

unlimited. March 2007 DTRA01-03-C-0064 David C. Kocher and Julian A. Apostoaei Prepared by: SENES Oak Ridge, lnc. 102 Donner Drive Oak Ridge, TN 37830 W... 37830 8. PERFORMINGORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER DTRA-TR-07-4 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Defense Threat Reduction Agency N...DARE L3 Communications 11410 Isaac Newton Square North, Suite 103 Reston, VA 20190-5005 Senes Oak Ridge, Inc. 102 Donner Drive Oak Ridge, TN 37830

A PWM transistor inverter for an ac electric vehicle drive

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slicker, J. M.

1981-01-01

A prototype system consisting of closely integrated motor, inverter, and transaxle has been built in order to demonstrate the feasibility of a three-phase ac transistorized inverter for electric vehicle applications. The microprocessor-controlled inverter employs monolithic power transistors to drive an oil-cooled, three-phase induction traction motor at a peak output power of 30 kW from a 144 V battery pack. Transistor safe switching requirements are discussed, and a circuit is presented for recovering trapped snubber inductor energy at transistor turn-off.

Simple Motor Control Concept Results High Efficiency at High Velocities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starin, Scott; Engel, Chris

2013-09-01

The need for high velocity motors in space applications for reaction wheels and detectors has stressed the limits of Brushless Permanent Magnet Motors (BPMM). Due to inherent hysteresis core losses, conventional BPMMs try to balance the need for torque verses hysteresis losses. Cong-less motors have significantly less hysteresis losses but suffer from lower efficiencies. Additionally, the inherent low inductance in cog-less motors result in high ripple currents or high switching frequencies, which lowers overall efficiency and increases performance demands on the control electronics.However, using a somewhat forgotten but fully qualified technology of Isotropic Magnet Motors (IMM), extremely high velocities may be achieved at low power input using conventional drive electronics. This paper will discuss the trade study efforts and empirical test data on a 34,000 RPM IMM.

Resonant mode controllers for launch vehicle applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schreiner, Ken E.; Roth, Mary Ellen

1992-01-01

Electro-mechanical actuator (EMA) systems are currently being investigated for the National Launch System (NLS) as a replacement for hydraulic actuators due to the large amount of manpower and support hardware required to maintain the hydraulic systems. EMA systems in weight sensitive applications, such as launch vehicles, have been limited to around 5 hp due to system size, controller efficiency, thermal management, and battery size. Presented here are design and test data for an EMA system that competes favorably in weight and is superior in maintainability to the hydraulic system. An EMA system uses dc power provided by a high energy density bipolar lithium thionyl chloride battery, with power conversion performed by low loss resonant topologies, and a high efficiency induction motor controlled with a high performance field oriented controller to drive a linear actuator.

Current concepts in the management of hidradenitis suppurativa in children.

PubMed

Danby, F William

2015-08-01

This review is intended to provide the background aetiopathogenetic framework upon which management of this disorder can be based, particularly with relation to new concepts of the pathogenesis of the disorder. The emphasis is on the prevention of the disorder's full expression by addressing the metabolic changes that drive the underlying structural damage and the immune system's subsequent reaction to this damage. The mechanism by which dietary factors impact on this disease are elucidated, the anatomic defect suspected to be responsible for the disorder is introduced, and an updated flow sheet describing and linking the clinicopathological changes recently described are provided. Recent work in the understanding of the induction and evolution of the lesions provides a background upon which the preventive regimen and both the medical and surgical approaches can be effectively based.

Point-source helicity injection for ST plasma startup in Pegasus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Redd, A. J.; Battaglia, D. J.; Bongard, M. W.; Fonck, R. J.; Schlossberg, D. J.

2009-11-01

Plasma current guns are used as point-source DC helicity injectors for forming non-solenoidal tokamak plasmas in the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment. Discharges driven by this injection scheme have achieved Ip>= 100 kA using Iinj<= 4 kA. They form at the outboard midplane, transition to a tokamak-like equilibrium, and continue to grow inward as Ip increases due to helicity injection and outer- PF induction. The maximum Ip is determined by helicity balance (injection rate vs resistive dissipation) and a Taylor relaxation limit, in which Ip√ITF Iinj/w, where w is the radial thickness of the gun-driven edge. Preliminary experiments tentatively confirm these scalings with ITF, Iinj, and w, increasing confidence in this simple relaxation model. Adding solenoidal inductive drive during helicity injection can push Ip up to, but not beyond, the predicted relaxation limit, demonstrating that this is a hard performance limit. Present experiments are focused on increasing the injection voltage (i.e., helicity injection rate) and reducing w. Near-term goals are to further test scalings predicted by the simple relaxation model and to study in detail the observed bursty n=1 activity correlated with rapid increases in Ip.

Fast Magnetotail Reconnection: Challenge to Global MHD Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuznetsova, M. M.; Hesse, M.; Rastaetter, L.; Toth, G.; de Zeeuw, D.; Gombosi, T.

2005-05-01

Representation of fast magnetotail reconnection rates during substorm onset is one of the major challenges to global MHD modeling. Our previous comparative study of collisionless magnetic reconnection in GEM Challenge geometry demonstrated that the reconnection rate is controlled by ion nongyrotropic behavior near the reconnection site and that it can be described in terms of nongyrotropic corrections to the magnetic induction equation. To further test the approach we performed MHD simulations with nongyrotropic corrections of forced reconnection for the Newton Challenge setup. As a next step we employ the global MHD code BATSRUS and test different methods to model fast magnetotail reconnection rates by introducing non-ideal corrections to the induction equation in terms of nongyrotropic corrections, spatially localized resistivity, or current dependent resistivity. The BATSRUS adaptive grid structure allows to perform global simulations with spatial resolution near the reconnection site comparable with spatial resolution of local MHD simulations for the Newton Challenge. We select solar wind conditions which drive the accumulation of magnetic field in the tail lobes and subsequent magnetic reconnection and energy release. Testing the ability of global MHD models to describe magnetotail evolution during substroms is one of the elements of science based validation efforts at the Community Coordinated Modeling Center.

Characterization of Pax3 and Sox10 transgenic Xenopus laevis embryos as tools to study neural crest development.

PubMed

Alkobtawi, Mansour; Ray, Heather; Barriga, Elias H; Moreno, Mauricio; Kerney, Ryan; Monsoro-Burq, Anne-Helene; Saint-Jeannet, Jean-Pierre; Mayor, Roberto

2018-03-06

The neural crest is a multipotent population of cells that originates a variety of cell types. Many animal models are used to study neural crest induction, migration and differentiation, with amphibians and birds being the most widely used systems. A major technological advance to study neural crest development in mouse, chick and zebrafish has been the generation of transgenic animals in which neural crest specific enhancers/promoters drive the expression of either fluorescent proteins for use as lineage tracers, or modified genes for use in functional studies. Unfortunately, no such transgenic animals currently exist for the amphibians Xenopus laevis and tropicalis, key model systems for studying neural crest development. Here we describe the generation and characterization of two transgenic Xenopus laevis lines, Pax3-GFP and Sox10-GFP, in which GFP is expressed in the pre-migratory and migratory neural crest, respectively. We show that Pax3-GFP could be a powerful tool to study neural crest induction, whereas Sox10-GFP could be used in the study of neural crest migration in living embryos. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DAPT mediates atoh1 expression to induce hair cell-like cells.

PubMed

Ren, Hongmiao; Guo, Weiwei; Liu, Wei; Gao, Weiqiang; Xie, Dinghua; Yin, Tuanfang; Yang, Shiming; Ren, Jihao

2016-01-01

Hearing loss is currently an incurable degenerative disease characterized by a paucity of hair cells (HCs), which cannot be spontaneously replaced in mammals. Recent technological advancements in gene therapy and local drug delivery have shed new light for hearing loss. Atoh1, also known as Math1, Hath1, and Cath1, is a proneural basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor that is essential for HC differentiation. At various stages in development, Atoh1 activity is sufficient to drive HC differentiation in the cochlea. Thus, Atoh1 related gene therapy is the most promising option for HC induction. DAPT, an inhibitor of Notch signaling, enhances the expression of Atoh1 indirectly, which in turn promotes the induction of a HC fate. Here, we show that DAPT cooperates with Atoh1 to synergistically promote HC fate in ependymal cells in vitro and promote hair cell regeneration in the cultured basilar membrane (BM) which mimics the microenvironment in vivo. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that DAPT is sufficient to induce HC-like cells via enhancing of the expression of Atoh1 to inhibit the progression of HC apoptosis and to induce new HC formation.

High speed displacement measurement based on electro-magnetic induction applied to electromagnetically driven ring expansion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Xiaotao; Wu, Jiawei; Huang, Lantao; Qiu, Lei; Chen, Qi; Cao, Quanliang; Herlach, Fritz; Li, Liang

2017-11-01

Investigating the mechanism of electromagnetic forming (EMF) becomes a hot topic in the field of metal forming. The high speed up to 200 m/s in EMF makes it a real challenge to capture the forming process. To this end, a new method for measuring displacement at high speed based on electromagnetic induction has been developed. Specifically this is used to measure the displacement of an expanding metal ring driven by a pulsed magnetic field; this is one of the basic EMF processes. The new method is simple and practical, and it combines high-speed response with adequate precision. The new measurement system consists of a printed circuit board (PCB) and a Rogowski probe. Eleven coaxial annular detecting probes are arranged in the PCB plate to acquire induced voltage at different positions, and a Rogowski probe is used to measure the current in the driving coil. The displacement of the ring is deduced by analyzing the output voltages of the detecting probes and the Rogowski probe. The feasibility of the method is verified by comparing the results with pictures from a high speed camera taken simultaneously.

Evaluation of power transfer efficiency for a high power inductively coupled radio-frequency hydrogen ion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, P.; Recchia, M.; Cavenago, M.; Fantz, U.; Gaio, E.; Kraus, W.; Maistrello, A.; Veltri, P.

2018-04-01

Neutral beam injection (NBI) for plasma heating and current drive is necessary for International Thermonuclear Experimental reactor (ITER) tokamak. Due to its various advantages, a radio frequency (RF) driven plasma source type was selected as a reference ion source for the ITER heating NBI. The ITER relevant RF negative ion sources are inductively coupled (IC) devices whose operational working frequency has been chosen to be 1 MHz and are characterized by high RF power density (˜9.4 W cm-3) and low operational pressure (around 0.3 Pa). The RF field is produced by a coil in a cylindrical chamber leading to a plasma generation followed by its expansion inside the chamber. This paper recalls different concepts based on which a methodology is developed to evaluate the efficiency of the RF power transfer to hydrogen plasma. This efficiency is then analyzed as a function of the working frequency and in dependence of other operating source and plasma parameters. The study is applied to a high power IC RF hydrogen ion source which is similar to one simplified driver of the ELISE source (half the size of the ITER NBI source).

Exploration of spherical torus physics in the NSTX device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ono, M.; Kaye, S. M.; Peng, Y.-K. M.; Barnes, G.; Blanchard, W.; Carter, M. D.; Chrzanowski, J.; Dudek, L.; Ewig, R.; Gates, D.; Hatcher, R. E.; Jarboe, T.; Jardin, S. C.; Johnson, D.; Kaita, R.; Kalish, M.; Kessel, C. E.; Kugel, H. W.; Maingi, R.; Majeski, R.; Manickam, J.; McCormack, B.; Menard, J.; Mueller, D.; Nelson, B. A.; Nelson, B. E.; Neumeyer, C.; Oliaro, G.; Paoletti, F.; Parsells, R.; Perry, E.; Pomphrey, N.; Ramakrishnan, S.; Raman, R.; Rewoldt, G.; Robinson, J.; Roquemore, A. L.; Ryan, P.; Sabbagh, S.; Swain, D.; Synakowski, E. J.; Viola, M.; Williams, M.; Wilson, J. R.; NSTX Team

2000-03-01

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) is being built at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory to test the fusion physics principles for the spherical torus concept at the MA level. The NSTX nominal plasma parameters are R0 = 85 cm, a = 67 cm, R/a >= 1.26, Bt = 3 kG, Ip = 1 MA, q95 = 14, elongation κ <= 2.2, triangularity δ <= 0.5 and a plasma pulse length of up to 5 s. The plasma heating/current drive tools are high harmonic fast wave (6 MW, 5 s), neutral beam injection (5 MW, 80 keV, 5 s) and coaxial helicity injection. Theoretical calculations predict that NSTX should provide exciting possibilities for exploring a number of important new physics regimes, including very high plasma β, naturally high plasma elongation, high bootstrap current fraction, absolute magnetic well and high pressure driven sheared flow. In addition, the NSTX programme plans to explore fully non-inductive plasma startup as well as a dispersive scrape-off layer for heat and particle flux handling.

PIC simulation of the vacuum power flow for a 5 terawatt, 5 MV, 1 MA pulsed power system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Laqun; Zou, Wenkang; Liu, Dagang; Guo, Fan; Wang, Huihui; Chen, Lin

2018-03-01

In this paper, a 5 Terawatt, 5 MV, 1 MA pulsed power system based on vacuum magnetic insulation is simulated by the particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation method. The system consists of 50 100-kV linear transformer drive (LTD) cavities in series, using magnetically insulated induction voltage adder (MIVA) technology for pulsed power addition and transmission. The pulsed power formation and the vacuum power flow are simulated when the system works in self-limited flow and load-limited flow. When the pulsed power system isn't connected to the load, the downstream magnetically insulated transmission line (MITL) works in the self-limited flow, the maximum of output current is 1.14 MA and the amplitude of voltage is 4.63 MV. The ratio of the electron current to the total current is 67.5%, when the output current reached the peak value. When the impedance of the load is 3.0 Ω, the downstream MITL works in the self-limited flow, the maximums of output current and the amplitude of voltage are 1.28 MA and 3.96 MV, and the ratio of the electron current to the total current is 11.7% when the output current reached the peak value. In addition, when the switches are triggered in synchronism with the passage of the pulse power flow, it effectively reduces the rise time of the pulse current.

Current Challenges in the First Principle Quantitative Modelling of the Lower Hybrid Current Drive in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peysson, Y.; Bonoli, P. T.; Chen, J.; Garofalo, A.; Hillairet, J.; Li, M.; Qian, J.; Shiraiwa, S.; Decker, J.; Ding, B. J.; Ekedahl, A.; Goniche, M.; Zhai, X.

2017-10-01

The Lower Hybrid (LH) wave is widely used in existing tokamaks for tailoring current density profile or extending pulse duration to steady-state regimes. Its high efficiency makes it particularly attractive for a fusion reactor, leading to consider it for this purpose in ITER tokamak. Nevertheless, if basics of the LH wave in tokamak plasma are well known, quantitative modeling of experimental observations based on first principles remains a highly challenging exercise, despite considerable numerical efforts achieved so far. In this context, a rigorous methodology must be carried out in the simulations to identify the minimum number of physical mechanisms that must be considered to reproduce experimental shot to shot observations and also scalings (density, power spectrum). Based on recent simulations carried out for EAST, Alcator C-Mod and Tore Supra tokamaks, the state of the art in LH modeling is reviewed. The capability of fast electron bremsstrahlung, internal inductance li and LH driven current at zero loop voltage to constrain all together LH simulations is discussed, as well as the needs of further improvements (diagnostics, codes, LH model), for robust interpretative and predictive simulations.

Contributions a l'etude et a l'application industrielle de la machine asynchrone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouhrouche, Mohand-Ameziane

The work presented in this thesis, done in the Electrical Drives Laboratory of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, deals with the industrial applications of a three-phase induction machine (electrical drives and electricity generation). This thesis, characterized by its multidisciplinary content, has two major parts. The first one deals with the on-line and off-line parametric identification of the induction machine model necessary to achieve accurate vector control strategy. The second part, which is a resume of a research work sponsored by Hydro-Quebec, deals with the application of an induction machine in Asynchronous Non Utility Generators units (ANUG). As it is shown in the following, major scientific contributions are made in both two parts. In the first part of our research work, we propose a new speed sensorless vector control strategy for an induction machine, which is adaptive to the rotor resistance variations. The proposed control strategy is based on the Extended Kalman Filter approach and a decoupling controller which takes into account the rotor resistance variations. The consideration of coupled electrical and mechanical modes leads to a fifth order nonlinear model of the induction machine. The load torque is taken as a function of the rotor angular speed. The Extended Kalman Filter, based on the process's nonlinear (bilinear) model, estimate simultaneously the rotor resistance, angular speed and the flux vector from the startup to the steady state equilibrium point. The machine-converter-control system is implemented in MATLAB/SIMULINK environment and the obtained results confirm the robustness of the proposed scheme. As in the electrical drives erea, the induction machine is now widely used by small to medium power Non Utility Generator units (NUG) to produce electricity. In Quebec, these NUGs units are integrated into the Hydro-Quebec 25 kV distribution system via transformer which exhibit nonlinear characteristics. We have shown by using the ElectroMagnetic Program (EMTP) that, in some islanding scenarios, i.e. that the NUG unit is disconnected from the power grid, in addition to frequency variations, appearence of high an abnormal overvoltages, ferroresonance should occur. As a consequence, normal protective devices could fail to securely operate, which could cause serious damages to the equipment and the maintenance staff. This result, established for the first time , can be useful to improve the reliability of the NUGs units and is considered important by the power engineering community. This has led to a publication in the John Wiley & Sons Encyclopedia of Electrical and Electronics Engineering which will be available in February 1999 ( http://www.engr.wisc.edu/ ece/ece).

Combination induction plasma tube and current concentrator for introducing a sample into a plasma

DOEpatents

Hull, Donald E.; Bieniewski, Thomas M.

1988-01-01

An induction plasma tube in combination with a current concentrator. The rent concentrator has a substantially cylindrical body having an open end and a partially closed end which defines an aperture. A first slot extends the longitudinal length of the cylindrical body and a second slot extends radially outward from the aperture. Together the first and second slots form a single L-shaped slot. The current concentrator is disposed within a volume bounded by an induction coil substantially along the axis thereof, and when power is applied to the induction coil a concentrated current is induced within the current concentrator aperture. The concentrator is moveable relative to the coil along the longitudinal axis of the coil to control the amount of current which is concentrated at the aperture.

Reducing current reversal time in electric motor control

DOEpatents

Bredemann, Michael V

2014-11-04

The time required to reverse current flow in an electric motor is reduced by exploiting inductive current that persists in the motor when power is temporarily removed. Energy associated with this inductive current is used to initiate reverse current flow in the motor.

Inductance parameter design based seamless transfer strategy for three-phase converter in microgrid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Guopeng; Zhou, Xinwei; Jiang, Chao; Lu, Yi; Wang, Yanjie

2018-06-01

During the operation of microgrid, especially when the unplanned islanding occurs, the voltage of the point of common coupling (PCC) needs to be maintained within a certain range, otherwise it would affect the operation of loads in microgrid. This paper proposes a seamless transfer strategy based on the inductance parameter design for three-phase converter in microgrid, which considers both the fundamental component of voltage on the inductance and the ripple current in the inductance. In grid-connected mode, the PCC voltage is supported by the grid. When the unplanned islanding occurs, the PCC voltage is affected by the output voltage of converter and the voltage on the inductance. According to the single phase equivalent circuit, analyzing the phasor diagram of voltage and current vector, considering the prescribed range of PCC voltage and satisfying the requirement of the magnitude of ripple current, the inductance parameter is designed. At last, the simulation result shows that the designed inductance can ensure the PCC voltage does not exceed the prescribed range and restrain the ripple current.

Access to high beta advanced inductive plasmas at low injected torque

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solomon, W. M.; Politzer, P. A.; Buttery, R. J.; Holcomb, C. T.; Ferron, J. R.; Garofalo, A. M.; Grierson, B. A.; Hanson, J. M.; In, Y.; Jackson, G. L.; Kinsey, J. E.; La Haye, R. J.; Lanctot, M. J.; Luce, T. C.; Okabayashi, M.; Petty, C. C.; Turco, F.; Welander, A. S.

2013-09-01

Recent experiments on DIII-D demonstrate that advanced inductive (AI) discharges with high equivalent normalized fusion gain can be accessed and sustained with very low amounts (∼1 N m) of externally injected torque, a level of torque that is anticipated to drive a similar amount of rotation as the beams on ITER, via simple consideration of the scaling of the moment of inertia and confinement time. The AI regime is typically characterized by high confinement, and high βN, allowing the possibility for high performance, high gain operation at reduced plasma current. Discharges achieved βN ∼ 3.1 with H98(y,2) ∼ 1 at q95 ∼ 4, and are sustained for the maximum duration of the counter neutral beams (NBs). In addition, plasmas using zero net NB torque from the startup all the way through to the high βN phase have been created. AI discharges are found to become increasingly susceptible to m/n = 2/1 neoclassical tearing modes as the torque is decreased, which if left unmitigated, generally slow and lock, terminating the high performance phase of the discharge. Access is not notably different whether one ramps the torque down at high βN, or ramps βN up at low torque. The use of electron cyclotron heating (ECH) and current drive proved to be an effective method of avoiding such modes, enabling stable operation at high beta and low torque, a portion of phase space that has otherwise been inaccessible. Thermal confinement is significantly reduced at low rotation, a result that is reproduced using the TGLF transport model. Although it is thought that stiffness is increased in regions of low magnetic shear, in these AI plasmas, the reduced confinement occurs at radii outside the low shear, and in fact, higher temperature gradients can be found in the low shear region at low rotation. Momentum transport is also larger at low rotation, but a significant intrinsic torque is measured that is consistent with a previous scaling considering the role of the turbulent Reynolds stress and thermal ion orbit loss. Although high normalized fusion performance has been achieved in these discharges, more detailed projections suggest that enhancement in the confinement needs to be realized in order to obtain a low current solution consistent with ITER Q = 10 performance, and this remains a future research challenge.

Controlling hollow relativistic electron beam orbits with an inductive current divider

DOE PAGES

Swanekamp, S. B.; Richardson, A. S.; Angus, J. R.; ...

2015-02-06

A passive method for controlling the trajectory of an intense, hollow electron beam is proposed using a vacuum structure that inductively splits the beam's return current. A central post carries a portion of the return current (I 1), while the outer conductor carries the remainder (I 2). An envelope equation appropriate for a hollow electron beam is derived and applied to the current divider. The force on the beam trajectory is shown to be proportional to (I 2-I 1), while the average force on the envelope (the beam width) is proportional to the beam current I b = (I 2more » + I 1). The values of I 1 and I 2 depend on the inductances in the return-current path geometries. Proper choice of the return-current geometries determines these inductances and offers control over the beam trajectory. As a result, solutions using realistic beam parameters show that, for appropriate choices of the return-current-path geometry, the inductive current divider can produce a beam that is both pinched and straightened so that it approaches a target at near-normal incidence with a beam diameter that is on the order of a few mm.« less

The Biology of the Germ line in Echinoderms

PubMed Central

Wessel, Gary M.; Brayboy, Lynae; Fresques, Tara; Gustafson, Eric A.; Oulhen, Nathalie; Ramos, Isabela; Reich, Adrian; Swartz, S. Zachary; Yajima, Mamiko; Zazueta, Vanessa

2014-01-01

SUMMARY The formation of the germ line in an embryo marks a fresh round of reproductive potential. The developmental stage and location within the embryo where the primordial germ cells (PGCs) form, however, differs markedly among species. In many animals, the germ line is formed by an inherited mechanism, in which molecules made and selectively partitioned within the oocyte drive the early development of cells that acquire this material to a germ-line fate. In contrast, the germ line of other animals is fated by an inductive mechanism that involves signaling between cells that directs this specialized fate. In this review, we explore the mechanisms of germ-line determination in echinoderms, an early-branching sister group to the chordates. One member of the phylum, sea urchins, appears to use an inherited mechanism of germ-line formation, whereas their relatives, the sea stars, appear to use an inductive mechanism. We first integrate the experimental results currently available for germ line determination in the sea urchin, for which considerable new information is available, and then broaden the investigation to the lesser-known mechanisms in sea stars and other echinoderms. Even with this limited insight, it appears that sea stars, and perhaps the majority of the echinoderm taxon, rely on inductive mechanisms for germ-line fate determination. This enables a strongly contrasted picture for germ-line determination in this phylum, but one for which transitions between different modes of germ-line determination might now be experimentally addressed. PMID:23900765

Particle-in-cell simulations of electron beam control using an inductive current divider

DOE PAGES

Swanekamp, S. B.; Angus, J. R.; Cooperstein, G.; ...

2015-11-18

Kinetic, time-dependent, electromagnetic, particle-in-cell simulations of the inductive current divider are presented. The inductive current divider is a passive method for controlling the trajectory of an intense, hollow electron beam using a vacuum structure that inductively splits the beam’s return current. The current divider concept was proposed and studied theoretically in a previous publication [Phys. Plasmas 22, 023107 (2015)] A central post carries a portion of the return current (I 1) while the outer conductor carries the remainder (I 2) with the injected beam current given by I b=I 1+I 2. The simulations are in agreement with the theory whichmore » predicts that the total force on the beam trajectory is proportional to (I 2-I 1) and the force on the beam envelope is proportional to I b. For a fixed central post, the beam trajectory is controlled by varying the outer conductor radius which changes the inductance in the return-current path. The simulations show that the beam emittance is approximately constant as the beam propagates through the current divider to the target. As a result, independent control over both the current density and the beam angle at the target is possible by choosing the appropriate return-current geometry.« less

An inductance Fourier decomposition-based current-hysteresis control strategy for switched reluctance motors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hua, Wei; Qi, Ji; Jia, Meng

2017-05-01

Switched reluctance machines (SRMs) have attracted extensive attentions due to the inherent advantages, including simple and robust structure, low cost, excellent fault-tolerance and wide speed range, etc. However, one of the bottlenecks limiting the SRMs for further applications is its unfavorable torque ripple, and consequently noise and vibration due to the unique doubly-salient structure and pulse-current-based power supply method. In this paper, an inductance Fourier decomposition-based current-hysteresis-control (IFD-CHC) strategy is proposed to reduce torque ripple of SRMs. After obtaining a nonlinear inductance-current-position model based Fourier decomposition, reference currents can be calculated by reference torque and the derived inductance model. Both the simulations and experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

Electron density and plasma dynamics of a spherical theta pinch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teske, C.; Liu, Y.; Blaes, S.; Jacoby, J.

2012-03-01

A spherical theta pinch for plasma stripper applications has been developed and investigated regarding the electron density and the plasma confinement during the pinching sequence. The setup consists of a 6 μH induction coil surrounding a 4000 ml spherical discharge vessel and a capacitor bank with interchangeable capacitors leading to an overall capacitance of 34 μF and 50 μF, respectively. A thyristor switch is used for driving the resonant circuit. Pulsed coil currents reached values of up to 26 kA with maximum induction of 500 mT. Typical gas pressures were 0.7 Pa up to 120 Pa with ArH2 (2.8% H2)-gas as a discharge medium. Stark broadening measurements of the Hβ emission line were carried out in order to evaluate the electron density of the discharge. In accordance with the density measurements, the transfer efficiency was estimated and a scaling law between electron density and discharge energy was established for the current setup. The densities reached values of up to 8 × 1022 m-3 for an energy of 1.6 kJ transferred into the plasma. Further, the pinching of the discharge plasma was documented and the different stages of the pinching process were analyzed. The experimental evidence suggests that concerning the recent setup of the spherical theta pinch, a linear scaling law between the transferred energy and the achievable plasma density can be applied for various applications like plasma strippers and pulsed ion sources.

A New Method for Control of the Efficiency of Gear Reducers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

E Kozlov, K.; Egorov, A. V.; Belogusev, V. N.

2017-04-01

This article proposes a new method to control the energy efficiency of gear reducers. The method allows evaluating the friction losses in a drive motor, drive motor bearing assemblies, and toothing both at the stage of control of the finished product and in the course of its operation, maintenance, and repair. The proposed method, unlike currently used methods for control of the efficiency of gear reducers, allows determining the friction losses without the use of strain measurement, which requires calibration of tensometric sensors and expensive equipment. The method is based on the idea of invariability of mechanical characteristics of the induction motor at constant voltage, resistance of windings, and mains frequency, regardless of the driven inertia mass. This paper presents experimental results which verify the theoretical predictions. The proposed method can be implemented in the procedure of acceptance test at the companies that manufacture gear reducers, thereby assess their effectiveness and the level of degradation processes that significantly affect the service life of the research object. The method can be implemented both with universal and with specialized hardware and software complexes. At that, both an increment of the inertia moment and acceleration time of a gear reducer may serve as a performance criterion.

Wedding ring shaped excitation coil

DOEpatents

MacLennan, Donald A.; Tsai, Peter

2001-01-01

A high frequency inductively coupled electrodeless lamp includes an excitation coil with an effective electrical length which is less than one half wavelength of a driving frequency applied thereto, preferably much less. The driving frequency may be greater than 100 MHz and is preferably as high as 915 MHz. Preferably, the excitation coil is configured as a non-helical, semi-cylindrical conductive surface having less than one turn, in the general shape of a wedding ring. At high frequencies, the current in the coil forms two loops which are spaced apart and parallel to each other. Configured appropriately, the coil approximates a Helmholtz configuration. The lamp preferably utilizes an bulb encased in a reflective ceramic cup with a pre-formed aperture defined therethrough. The ceramic cup may include structural features to aid in alignment and/or a flanged face to aid in thermal management. The lamp head is preferably an integrated lamp head comprising a metal matrix composite surrounding an insulating ceramic with the excitation integrally formed on the ceramic. A novel solid-state oscillator preferably provides RF power to the lamp. The oscillator is a single active element device capable of providing over 70 watts of power at over 70% efficiency.

Plasma Measurements in an Integrated-System FARAD Thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polzin, K. A.; Rose, M. F.; Miller, R.; Best, S.

2007-01-01

Pulsed inductive plasma accelerators are spacecraft propulsion devices in which energy is stored in a capacitor and then discharged through an inductive coil. The device is electrodeless, inducing a current sheet in a plasma located near the face of the coil. The propellant is accelerated and expelled at a high exhaust velocity (order of 10 km/s) through the interaction of the plasma current and the induced magnetic field. The Faraday Accelerator with RF-Assisted Discharge (FARAD) thruster[1,2] is a type of pulsed inductive plasma accelerator in which the plasma is preionized by a mechanism separate from that used to form the current sheet and accelerate the gas. Employing a separate preionization mechanism allows for the formation of an inductive current sheet at much lower discharge energies and voltages than those used in previous pulsed inductive accelerators like the Pulsed Inductive Thruster (PIT). A benchtop FARAD thruster was designed following guidelines and similarity performance parameters presented in Refs. [3,4]. This design is described in detail in Ref. [5]. In this paper, we present the temporally and spatially resolved measurements of the preionized plasma and inductively-accelerated current sheet in the FARAD thruster operating with a Vector Inversion Generator (VIG) to preionize the gas and a Bernardes and Merryman circuit topology to provide inductive acceleration. The acceleration stage operates on the order of 100 J/pulse. Fast-framing photography will be used to produce a time-resolved, global view of the evolving current sheet. Local diagnostics used include a fast ionization gauge capable of mapping the gas distribution prior to plasma initiation; direct measurement of the induced magnetic field using B-dot probes, induced azimuthal current measurement using a mini-Rogowski coil, and direct probing of the number density and electron temperature using triple probes.

Fully non-inductive second harmonic electron cyclotron plasma ramp-up in the QUEST spherical tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Idei, H.; Kariya, T.; Imai, T.; Mishra, K.; Onchi, T.; Watanabe, O.; Zushi, H.; Hanada, K.; Qian, J.; Ejiri, A.; Alam, M. M.; Nakamura, K.; Fujisawa, A.; Nagashima, Y.; Hasegawa, M.; Matsuoka, K.; Fukuyama, A.; Kubo, S.; Shimozuma, T.; Yoshikawa, M.; Sakamoto, M.; Kawasaki, S.; Nakashima, H.; Higashijima, A.; Ide, S.; Maekawa, T.; Takase, Y.; Toi, K.

2017-12-01

Fully non-inductive second (2nd) harmonic electron cyclotron (EC) plasma current ramp-up was demonstrated with a newlly developed 28 GHz system in the QUEST spherical tokamak. A high plasma current of 54 kA was non-inductively ramped up and sustained stably for 0.9 s with a 270 kW 28 GHz wave. A higher plasma current of 66 kA was also non-inductively achieved with a slow ramp-up of the vertical field. We have achieved a significantly higher plasma current than those achieved previously with the 2nd harmonic EC waves. This fully non-inductive 2nd harmonic EC plasma ramp-up method might be useful for future burning plasma devices and fusion reactors, in particular for operations at half magnetic field with the same EC heating equipment.

Design of an intelligent car

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Na, Yongyi

2017-03-01

The design of simple intelligent car, using AT89S52 single chip microcomputer as the car detection and control core; The metal sensor TL - Q5MC induction to iron, to detect the way to send feedback to the signal of single chip microcomputer, make SCM according to the scheduled work mode to control the car in the area according to the predetermined speed, and the operation mode of the microcontroller choose different also can control the car driving along s-shaped iron; Use A44E hall element to detect the car speeds; Adopts 1602 LCD display time of car driving, driving the car to stop, take turns to show the car driving time, distance, average speed and the speed of time. This design has simple structure and is easy to implement, but are highly intelligent, humane, to a certain extent reflects the intelligence.

Circulating Current Suppressing Control’s Impact on Arm Inductance Selection for Modular Multilevel Converter

DOE PAGES

Li, Yalong; Jones, Edward A.; Wang, Fred

2016-10-13

Arm inductor in a modular multilevel converter (MMC) is used to limit the circulating current and dc short circuit fault current. The circulating current in MMC is dominated by second-order harmonic, which can be largely reduced with circulating current suppressing control. By analyzing the mechanism of the circulating current suppressing control, it is found that the circulating current at switching frequency becomes the main harmonic when suppression control is implemented. Unlike the second-order harmonic that circulates only within the three phases, switching frequency harmonic also flows through the dc side and may further cause high-frequency dc voltage harmonic. This articlemore » develops the theoretical relationship between the arm inductance and switching frequency circulating current, which can be used to guide the arm inductance selection. The experimental results with a downscaled MMC prototype verify the existence of the switching frequency circulating current and its relationship with arm inductance.« less

Experimental Results of OH Regime Investigation in Globus-M Spherical Torus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golant, Victor; Gusev, Vasily; Levin, Roman; Petrov, Yuriy; Sakharov, Nikolay

2001-10-01

Plasma parameters were measured in novel spherical torus Globus-M in highly shaped plasmas with aspect ratio, A > 1.5, elongation, k < 1.9, triangularity < 0.5. Plasma column was created by direct induction method with the currents up to Ip 0.3 MA in the magnetic field, Bt - 0.08 - 0.5 T. In Globus-M spherical torus plasma column is closely fitted into the vacuum vessel and wall conditioning technology described in [1] was used to achieve good plasma performance. Plasma experiments were focused around achievement of ultimate OH regimes allowed by power supplies. The operational limits of the device were investigated. In the regime with extreme low q(cy1) < 1 and high normalized current > 4, the plasma current of almost 100kA was sustained transiently in low magnetic field 800 Gs. The first results on stability analysis with numerical code are presented. The runaway electrons behavior was studied in spherical tokamak conditions. Influence of plasma current and density ramp-up speeds, MHD events on plasma performance and stability was demonstrated. Magnetic reconstruction was performed with EFIT version adopted for PC simulations. Plans for auxiliary heating and current drive are discussed. 1. V.K. Gusev, …, V.E. Golant, et al., Nucl. Fusion 41, No 7, (2001), to be published

Comparison of fusion alpha performance in JET advanced scenario and H-mode plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asunta, O.; Kurki-Suonio, T.; Tala, T.; Sipilä, S.; Salomaa, R.; contributors, JET-EFDA

2008-12-01

Currently, plasmas with internal transport barriers (ITBs) appear the most likely candidates for steady-state scenarios for future fusion reactors. In such plasmas, the broad hot and dense region in the plasma core leads to high fusion gain, while the cool edge protects the integrity of the first wall. Economically desirable large bootstrap current fraction and low inductive current drive may, however, lead to degraded fast ion confinement. In this work the confinement and heating profile of fusion alphas were compared between H-mode and ITB plasmas in realistic JET geometry. The work was carried out using the Monte Carlo-based guiding-center-following code ASCOT. For the same plasma current, the ITB discharges were found to produce four to eight times more fusion power than a comparable ELMy H-mode discharge. Unfortunately, also the alpha particle losses were larger (~16%) compared with the H-mode discharge (7%). In the H-mode discharges, alpha power was deposited to the plasma symmetrically around the magnetic axis, whereas in the current-hole discharge, the power was spread out to a larger volume in the plasma center. This was due to wider particle orbits, and the magnetic structure allowing for a broader hot region in the centre.

Critical Nuclei Size, Rate, and Activation Energy of H2 Gas Nucleation.

PubMed

German, Sean R; Edwards, Martin A; Ren, Hang; White, Henry S

2018-03-21

Electrochemical measurements of the nucleation rate of individual H 2 bubbles at the surface of Pt nanoelectrodes (radius = 7-41 nm) are used to determine the critical size and geometry of H 2 nuclei leading to stable bubbles. Precise knowledge of the H 2 concentration at the electrode surface, C H 2 surf , is obtained by controlled current reduction of H + in a H 2 SO 4 solution. Induction times of single-bubble nucleation events are measured by stepping the current, to control C H 2 surf , while monitoring the voltage. We find that gas nucleation follows a first-order rate process; a bubble spontaneously nucleates after a stochastic time delay, as indicated by a sudden voltage spike that results from impeded transport of H + to the electrode. Hundreds of individual induction times, at different applied currents and using different Pt nanoelectrodes, are used to characterize the kinetics of phase nucleation. The rate of bubble nucleation increases by four orders of magnitude (0.3-2000 s -1 ) over a very small relative change in C H 2 surf (0.21-0.26 M, corresponding to a ∼0.025 V increase in driving force). Classical nucleation theory yields thermodynamic radii of curvature for critical nuclei of 4.4 to 5.3 nm, corresponding to internal pressures of 330 to 270 atm, and activation energies for nuclei formation of 14 to 26 kT, respectively. The dependence of nucleation rate on H 2 concentration indicates that nucleation occurs by a heterogeneous mechanism, where the nuclei have a contact angle of ∼150° with the electrode surface and contain between 35 and 55 H 2 molecules.

Control of power to an inductively heated part

DOEpatents

Adkins, Douglas R.; Frost, Charles A.; Kahle, Philip M.; Kelley, J. Bruce; Stanton, Suzanne L.

1997-01-01

A process for induction hardening a part to a desired depth with an AC signal applied to the part from a closely coupled induction coil includes measuring the voltage of the AC signal at the coil and the current passing through the coil; and controlling the depth of hardening of the part from the measured voltage and current. The control system determines parameters of the part that are functions of applied voltage and current to the induction coil, and uses a neural network to control the application of the AC signal based on the detected functions for each part.

Control of power to an inductively heated part

DOEpatents

Adkins, D.R.; Frost, C.A.; Kahle, P.M.; Kelley, J.B.; Stanton, S.L.

1997-05-20

A process for induction hardening a part to a desired depth with an AC signal applied to the part from a closely coupled induction coil includes measuring the voltage of the AC signal at the coil and the current passing through the coil; and controlling the depth of hardening of the part from the measured voltage and current. The control system determines parameters of the part that are functions of applied voltage and current to the induction coil, and uses a neural network to control the application of the AC signal based on the detected functions for each part. 6 figs.

Controlling hollow relativistic electron beam orbits with an inductive current divider

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Swanekamp, S. B.; Richardson, A. S.; Angus, J. R.

2015-02-15

A passive method for controlling the trajectory of an intense, hollow electron beam is proposed using a vacuum structure that inductively splits the beam's return current. A central post carries a portion of the return current (I{sub 1}), while the outer conductor carries the remainder (I{sub 2}). An envelope equation appropriate for a hollow electron beam is derived and applied to the current divider. The force on the beam trajectory is shown to be proportional to (I{sub 2}-I{sub 1}), while the average force on the envelope (the beam width) is proportional to the beam current I{sub b} = (I{sub 2} + I{sub 1}). Themore » values of I{sub 1} and I{sub 2} depend on the inductances in the return-current path geometries. Proper choice of the return-current geometries determines these inductances and offers control over the beam trajectory. Solutions using realistic beam parameters show that, for appropriate choices of the return-current-path geometry, the inductive current divider can produce a beam that is both pinched and straightened so that it approaches a target at near-normal incidence with a beam diameter that is on the order of a few mm.« less

EFFICIENCY OPTIMIZATIN CONTROL OF AC INDUCTION MOTORS: INITIAL LABORATORY RESULTS

EPA Science Inventory

The report discusses the development of a fuzzy logic, energy-optimizing controller to improve the efficiency of motor/drive combinations that operate at varying loads and speeds. This energy optimizer is complemented by a sensorless speed controller that maintains motor shaft re...

Vehicle automation: a remedy for driver stress?

PubMed

Funke, G; Matthews, G; Warm, J S; Emo, A K

2007-08-01

The present study addressed the effects of stress, vehicle automation and subjective state on driver performance and mood in a simulated driving task. A total of 168 college students participated. Participants in the stress-induction condition completed a 'winter' drive, which included periodic loss of control episodes. Participants in the no-stress-induction condition were not exposed to loss of control. An additional, independent manipulation of vehicle speed was also conducted, consisting of two control conditions requiring manual speed regulation and a third in which vehicle speed was automatically regulated by the simulation. Stress and automation both influenced subjective distress, but the two factors did not interact. Driver performance data indicated that vehicle automation impacted performance similarly in the stress and no-stress conditions. Individual differences in subjective stress response and performance were also investigated. Resource theory provides a framework that partially but not completely explains the relationship between vehicle automation and driver stress. Implications for driver workload, safety and training are discussed.

Stem cell senescence drives age-attenuated induction of pituitary tumours in mouse models of paediatric craniopharyngioma.

PubMed

Mario Gonzalez-Meljem, Jose; Haston, Scott; Carreno, Gabriela; Apps, John R; Pozzi, Sara; Stache, Christina; Kaushal, Grace; Virasami, Alex; Panousopoulos, Leonidas; Neda Mousavy-Gharavy, Seyedeh; Guerrero, Ana; Rashid, Mamunur; Jani, Nital; Goding, Colin R; Jacques, Thomas S; Adams, David J; Gil, Jesus; Andoniadou, Cynthia L; Martinez-Barbera, Juan Pedro

2017-11-28

Senescent cells may promote tumour progression through the activation of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), whether these cells are capable of initiating tumourigenesis in vivo is not known. Expression of oncogenic β-catenin in Sox2+ young adult pituitary stem cells leads to formation of clusters of stem cells and induction of tumours resembling human adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP), derived from Sox2- cells in a paracrine manner. Here, we uncover the mechanisms underlying this paracrine tumourigenesis. We show that expression of oncogenic β-catenin in Hesx1+ embryonic precursors also results in stem cell clusters and paracrine tumours. We reveal that human and mouse clusters are analogous and share a common signature of senescence and SASP. Finally, we show that mice with reduced senescence and SASP responses exhibit decreased tumour-inducing potential. Together, we provide evidence that senescence and a stem cell-associated SASP drive cell transformation and tumour initiation in vivo in an age-dependent fashion.

Effect of resistivity profile on current decay time of initial phase of current quench in neon-gas-puff inducing disruptions of JT-60U

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kawakami, S.; Ohno, N.; Shibata, Y.

2013-11-15

According to an early work [Y. Shibata et al., Nucl. Fusion 50, 025015 (2010)] on the behavior of the plasma current decay in the JT-60U disruptive discharges caused by the radiative collapse with a massive neon-gas-puff, the increase of the internal inductance mainly determined the current decay time of plasma current during the initial phase of current quench. To investigate what determines the increase of the internal inductance, we focus attention on the relationship between the electron temperature (or the resistivity) profile and the time evolution of the current density profile and carry out numerical calculations. As a result, wemore » find the reason of the increase of the internal inductance: The current density profile at the start of the current quench is broader than an expected current density profile in the steady state, which is determined by the temperature (or resistivity) profile. The current density profile evolves into peaked one and the internal inductance is increasing.« less

Power Electronic Transformer based Three-Phase PWM AC Drives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basu, Kaushik

A Transformer is used to provide galvanic isolation and to connect systems at different voltage levels. It is one of the largest and most expensive component in most of the high voltage and high power systems. Its size is inversely proportional to the operating frequency. The central idea behind a power electronic transformer (PET) also known as solid state transformer is to reduce the size of the transformer by increasing the frequency. Power electronic converters are used to change the frequency of operation. Steady reduction in the cost of the semiconductor switches and the advent of advanced magnetic materials with very low loss density and high saturation flux density implies economic viability and feasibility of a design with high power density. Application of PET is in generation of power from renewable energy sources, especially wind and solar. Other important application include grid tied inverters, UPS e.t.c. In this thesis non-resonant, single stage, bi-directional PET is considered. The main objective of this converter is to generate adjustable speed and magnitude pulse width modulated (PWM) ac waveforms from an ac or dc grid with a high frequency ac link. The windings of a high frequency transformer contains leakage inductance. Any switching transition of the power electronic converter connecting the inductive load and the transformer requires commutation of leakage energy. Commutation by passive means results in power loss, decrease in the frequency of operation, distortion in the output voltage waveform, reduction in reliability and power density. In this work a source based partially loss-less commutation of leakage energy has been proposed. This technique also results in partial soft-switching. A series of converters with novel PWM strategies have been proposed to minimize the frequency of leakage inductance commutation. These PETs achieve most of the important features of modern PWM ac drives including 1) Input power factor correction, 2) Common-mode voltage suppression at the load end, 3) High quality output voltage waveform (comparable to conventional space vector PWM modulated two level inverter) and 4) Minimization of output voltage loss, common-mode voltage switching and distortion of the load current waveform due to leakage inductance commutation. All of the proposed topologies along with the proposed control schemes have been analyzed and simulated in MATLABSimulink. A hardware prototype has been fabricated and tested. The simulation and experimental results verify the operation and advantages of the proposed topologies and their control.

Projecting High Beta Steady-State Scenarios from DIII-D Advanced Tokamk Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, J. M.

2013-10-01

Fusion power plant studies based on steady-state tokamak operation suggest that normalized beta in the range of 4-6 is needed for economic viability. DIII-D is exploring a range of candidate high beta scenarios guided by FASTRAN modeling in a repeated cycle of experiment and modeling validation. FASTRAN is a new iterative numerical procedure coupled to the Integrated Plasma Simulator (IPS) that integrates models of core transport, heating and current drive, equilibrium and stability self-consistently to find steady state (d / dt = 0) solutions, and reproduces most features of DIII-D high beta discharges with a stationary current profile. Separately, modeling components such as core transport (TGLF) and off-axis neutral beam current drive (NUBEAM) show reasonable agreement with experiment. Projecting forward to scenarios possible on DIII-D with future upgrades, two self-consistent noninductive scenarios at βN > 4 are found: high qmin and high internal inductance li. Both have bootstrap current fraction fBS > 0 . 5 and rely on the planned addition of a second off-axis neutral beamline and increased electron cyclotron heating. The high qmin > 2 scenario achieves stable operation at βN as high as 5 by a very broad current density profile to improve the ideal-wall stabilization of low-n instabilities along with confinement enhancement from low magnetic shear. The li near 1 scenario does not depend on ideal-wall stabilization. Improved confinement from strong magnetic shear makes up for the lower pedestal needed to maintain li high. The tradeoff between increasing li and reduced edge pedestal determines the achievable βN (near 4) and fBS (near 0.5). This modeling identifies the necessary upgrades to achieve target scenarios and clarifies the pros and cons of particular scenarios to better inform the development of steady-state fusion. Supported by the US Department of Energy under DE-AC05-00OR22725 & DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Radio-frequency current drive efficiency in the presence of ITBs and a dc electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosa, P. R. da S.; Mourão, R.; Ziebell, L. F.

2009-05-01

This paper discusses the current drive efficiency by the combined action of EC and LH waves in the presence of a dc electric field and transport, with an internal transport barrier. The transport is assumed to be produced by magnetic fluctuations. The study explores the different barrier parameters and their influence on the current drive efficiency. We study the subject by numerically solving the Fokker-Planck equation. Our main result is that the barrier depth and barrier width are important to determine the correct shape of the current density profile but not to determine the current drive efficiency, which is very little influenced by these parameters. We also found similar results for the influence of the level of magnetic fluctuations on the current density profile and on the current drive efficiency.

Control Demonstration of Multiple Doubly-Fed Induction Motors for Hybrid Electric Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sadey, David J.; Bodson, Marc; Csank, Jeffrey T.; Hunker, Keith R.; Theman, Casey J.; Taylor, Linda M.

2017-01-01

The Convergent Aeronautics Solutions (CAS) High Voltage-Hybrid Electric Propulsion (HVHEP) task was formulated to support the move into future hybrid-electric aircraft. The goal of this project is to develop a new AC power architecture to support the needs of higher efficiency and lower emissions. This proposed architecture will adopt the use of the doubly-fed induction machine (DFIM) for propulsor drive motor application.The Convergent Aeronautics Solutions (CAS) High Voltage-Hybrid Electric Propulsion (HVHEP) task was formulated to support the move into future hybrid-electric aircraft. The goal of this project is to develop a new AC power architecture to support the needs of higher efficiency and lower emissions. This proposed architecture will adopt the use of the doubly-fed induction machine (DFIM) for propulsor drive motor application. DFIMs are attractive for several reasons, including but not limited to the ability to self-start, ability to operate sub- and super-synchronously, and requiring only fractionally rated power converters on a per-unit basis depending on the required range of operation. The focus of this paper is based specifically on the presentation and analysis of a novel strategy which allows for independent operation of each of the aforementioned doubly-fed induction motors. This strategy includes synchronization, soft-start, and closed loop speed control of each motor as a means of controlling output thrust; be it concurrently or differentially. The demonstration of this strategy has recently been proven out on a low power test bed using fractional horsepower machines. Simulation and hardware test results are presented in the paper.

Holding on and letting go: the perspectives of pre-seniors and seniors on driving self-regulation in later life.

PubMed

Rudman, Deborah Laliberte; Friedland, Judith; Chipman, Mary; Sciortino, Paola

2006-01-01

Although decisions related to driving are vital to well-being in later life, little is known about how aging drivers who do not experience a medical condition that requires driving cessation regulate their driving. This exploratory, qualitative study used focus groups with 79 such community-dwelling individuals to examine driving self-regulation from the perspective of pre-senior (aged 55-64) drivers, senior (aged 65 years or over) drivers, and senior ex-drivers. Themes resulting from inductive analysis addressed the importance of driving, mechanisms of self-monitoring and self-regulation, people who influenced decision making, and opinions regarding licensing regulations. A preliminary model of the process of self-regulation that highlights intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental influences on why, how, and when aging drivers adapt or cease driving is presented. The model identifies areas for future research to enhance understanding of this process, including the effectiveness of self-regulation. Findings suggest that increased public awareness of issues related to driving and aging could assist aging drivers, their families, and their family physicians in optimizing driving safety for this population. Since a near accident or accident was seen as the only factor that would lead many informants to stop driving and few informants planned for driving cessation, there is a need for interventions that help aging drivers make the transition to ex-driver in a timely and personally acceptable way.

Why do drivers become safer over the first three months of driving? A longitudinal qualitative study.

PubMed

Day, Marianne R; Thompson, Andrew R; Poulter, Damian R; Stride, Christopher B; Rowe, Richard

2018-08-01

Drivers are at high crash risk when they begin independent driving, with liability decreasing steeply over the first three months. Their behavioural development, and other changes underlying improved safety are not well understood. We adopted an innovative longitudinal qualitative design, with thirteen newly qualified drivers completing a total of 36 semi-structured interviews, one, two and three months after acquiring a full UK driving license. The interviews probed high-risk factors for new drivers, as well as allowing space for generating novel road safety issues. Analysis adopted a dual deductive and inductive interpretative thematic approach, identifying three super-ordinate themes: (1) Improvements in car control skills and situation awareness; (2) A reduction in the thrill of taking risks when driving against a background of generally increasing driving speed; (3) Early concerns about their social status in the eyes of other road users during the early stages of driving, which may put pressure on them to drive faster than they felt comfortable with. The study provides important new leads towards understanding how novice driving becomes safer over the first few months of driving, including how well-studied concepts of driving skill and style may change during development of independent driving, and bringing the less rigorously studied concept of social status into focus. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Ultraviolet light-induced keratinocyte apoptosis: a potential mechanism for the induction of skin lesions and autoantibody production in LE.

PubMed

Casciola-Rosen, L; Rosen, A

1997-01-01

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototype systemic autoimmune disease which is characterized clinically by pleiotropy and periodicity. The immune features which accompany the characteristic flares of the disease have strongly suggested that the autoimmune response is driven by self antigen, and is T cell-dependent. These features have prompted the search for potential initiating process(es) which induce the release of self-antigens in a form which causes T cell tolerance to those self molecules to be broken. We review here several recent observations which implicate apoptotic cells as an important potential source of clustered and concentrated autoantigens in SLE, and present our current model whereby the novel autoantigen fragments generated in apoptotic surface blebs initiate and drive the autoimmune response in this disease.

On current drive by Ohkawa mechanism of electron cyclotron wave in large inverse aspect ratio tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Pingwei; Gong, Xueyu; Lu, Xingqiang; He, Lihua; Cao, Jingjia; Huang, Qianhong; Deng, Sheng

2018-03-01

A localized and efficient current drive method in the outer-half region of the tokamak with a large inverse aspect ratio is proposed via the Ohkawa mechanism of electron cyclotron (EC) waves. Further off-axis Ohkawa current drive (OKCD) via EC waves was investigated in high electron beta β e HL-2M-like tokamaks with a large inverse aspect ratio, and in EAST-like tokamaks with a low inverse aspect ratio. OKCD can be driven efficiently, and the driven current profile is spatially localized in the radial region, ranging from 0.62 to 0.85, where the large fraction of trapped electrons provides an excellent advantage for OKCD. Furthermore, the current drive efficiency increases with an increase in minor radius, and then drops when the minor radius beyond a certain value. The effect of trapped electrons greatly enhances the current driving capability of the OKCD mechanism. The highest current drive efficiency can reach 0.183 by adjusting the steering mirror to change the toroidal and poloidal incident angle, and the total driven current by OKCD can reach 20-32 kA MW-1 in HL-2M-like tokamaks. The current drive is less efficient for the EAST-like scenario due to the lower inverse aspect ratio. The results show that OKCD may be a valuable alternative current drive method in large inverse aspect ratio tokamaks, and the potential capabilities of OKCD can be used to suppress some important magnetohydrodynamics instabilities in the far off-axis region.

Distributed Non-Parametric Representations for Vital Filtering: UW at TREC KBA 2014

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-01

formation about the entity, every new document would drive an update to the entity profile, strongly suggesting vitalness. Figure 3 represents...of the Twenty-Second Text REtrieval Conference (TREC 2013), 2013. Caruana, Richard. Multitask Learning: A Knowledge-Based Source of Inductive Bias. In

Approximate analytical solution for induction heating of solid cylinders

DOE PAGES

Jankowski, Todd Andrew; Pawley, Norma Helen; Gonzales, Lindsey Michal; ...

2015-10-20

An approximate solution to the mathematical model for induction heating of a solid cylinder in a cylindrical induction coil is presented here. The coupled multiphysics model includes equations describing the electromagnetic field in the heated object, a heat transfer simulation to determine temperature of the heated object, and an AC circuit simulation of the induction heating power supply. A multiple-scale perturbation method is used to solve the multiphysics model. The approximate analytical solution yields simple closed-form expressions for the electromagnetic field and heat generation rate in the solid cylinder, for the equivalent impedance of the associated tank circuit, and formore » the frequency response of a variable frequency power supply driving the tank circuit. The solution developed here is validated by comparing predicted power supply frequency to both experimental measurements and calculated values from finite element analysis for heating of graphite cylinders in an induction furnace. The simple expressions from the analytical solution clearly show the functional dependence of the power supply frequency on the material properties of the load and the geometrical characteristics of the furnace installation. In conclusion, the expressions developed here provide physical insight into observations made during load signature analysis of induction heating.« less

A High Power Helicon Antenna Design for DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Nagy, A.; deGrassie, J.; Moeller, C.; ...

2017-08-02

A new antenna design for driving current in high beta tokamaks using electromagnetic waves, called Helicons, will be experimentally tested for the first time at power approaching 1 megawatt (MW) in the DIII-D Tokamak. This method is expected to be more efficient than current drive using electron cyclotron waves or neutral beam injection, and may be well suited to reactor-like configurations. A low power (100 watt (W)) 476 megahertz (MHz) “comb-line” antenna, consisting of 12 inductively coupled electrostatically shielded, modular resonators, was tested in DIII-D and showed strong coupling to the plasma without disturbing its characteristics or introducing metal impurities.more » The high power antenna consists of 30 modules affixed to back-plates and mounted on the outer wall of the vacuum vessel above the mid-plane. The antenna design follows a similar low power antenna design modified to minimize RF loss. Heat removal is provided by water cooling and a novel heat conducting path using pyrolytic graphite sheet. The CuCrZr antenna modules are designed to handle high eddy current forces. The modules use molybdenum Faraday shields that have the plasma side coated with boron carbide to enhance thermal resistance and minimize high Z impurities. A RF strip-line feed routes the RF power from coaxial vacuum feed-throughs to the antenna. Multipactor analysis of the antenna, strip line, and feedthrough will be performed. A 1.2 MW, 476 MHz klystron system, provided by the Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC) will provide RF power to the new antenna. Lastly, a description of the design of the high power antenna, the RF strip-line feeds, and the vessel installation will be presented.« less

A High Power Helicon Antenna Design for DIII-D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nagy, A.; deGrassie, J.; Moeller, C.

A new antenna design for driving current in high beta tokamaks using electromagnetic waves, called Helicons, will be experimentally tested for the first time at power approaching 1 megawatt (MW) in the DIII-D Tokamak. This method is expected to be more efficient than current drive using electron cyclotron waves or neutral beam injection, and may be well suited to reactor-like configurations. A low power (100 watt (W)) 476 megahertz (MHz) “comb-line” antenna, consisting of 12 inductively coupled electrostatically shielded, modular resonators, was tested in DIII-D and showed strong coupling to the plasma without disturbing its characteristics or introducing metal impurities.more » The high power antenna consists of 30 modules affixed to back-plates and mounted on the outer wall of the vacuum vessel above the mid-plane. The antenna design follows a similar low power antenna design modified to minimize RF loss. Heat removal is provided by water cooling and a novel heat conducting path using pyrolytic graphite sheet. The CuCrZr antenna modules are designed to handle high eddy current forces. The modules use molybdenum Faraday shields that have the plasma side coated with boron carbide to enhance thermal resistance and minimize high Z impurities. A RF strip-line feed routes the RF power from coaxial vacuum feed-throughs to the antenna. Multipactor analysis of the antenna, strip line, and feedthrough will be performed. A 1.2 MW, 476 MHz klystron system, provided by the Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC) will provide RF power to the new antenna. Lastly, a description of the design of the high power antenna, the RF strip-line feeds, and the vessel installation will be presented.« less

Integrated tokamak modeling: when physics informs engineering and research planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poli, Francesca

2017-10-01

Simulations that integrate virtually all the relevant engineering and physics aspects of a real tokamak experiment are a power tool for experimental interpretation, model validation and planning for both present and future devices. This tutorial will guide through the building blocks of an ``integrated'' tokamak simulation, such as magnetic flux diffusion, thermal, momentum and particle transport, external heating and current drive sources, wall particle sources and sinks. Emphasis is given to the connection and interplay between external actuators and plasma response, between the slow time scales of the current diffusion and the fast time scales of transport, and how reduced and high-fidelity models can contribute to simulate a whole device. To illustrate the potential and limitations of integrated tokamak modeling for discharge prediction, a helium plasma scenario for the ITER pre-nuclear phase is taken as an example. This scenario presents challenges because it requires core-edge integration and advanced models for interaction between waves and fast-ions, which are subject to a limited experimental database for validation and guidance. Starting from a scenario obtained by re-scaling parameters from the demonstration inductive ``ITER baseline'', it is shown how self-consistent simulations that encompass both core and edge plasma regions, as well as high-fidelity heating and current drive source models are needed to set constraints on the density, magnetic field and heating scheme. This tutorial aims at demonstrating how integrated modeling, when used with adequate level of criticism, can not only support design of operational scenarios, but also help to asses the limitations and gaps in the available models, thus indicating where improved modeling tools are required and how present experiments can help their validation and inform research planning. Work supported by DOE under DE-AC02-09CH1146.

A dynamic model of reasoning and memory.

PubMed

Hawkins, Guy E; Hayes, Brett K; Heit, Evan

2016-02-01

Previous models of category-based induction have neglected how the process of induction unfolds over time. We conceive of induction as a dynamic process and provide the first fine-grained examination of the distribution of response times observed in inductive reasoning. We used these data to develop and empirically test the first major quantitative modeling scheme that simultaneously accounts for inductive decisions and their time course. The model assumes that knowledge of similarity relations among novel test probes and items stored in memory drive an accumulation-to-bound sequential sampling process: Test probes with high similarity to studied exemplars are more likely to trigger a generalization response, and more rapidly, than items with low exemplar similarity. We contrast data and model predictions for inductive decisions with a recognition memory task using a common stimulus set. Hierarchical Bayesian analyses across 2 experiments demonstrated that inductive reasoning and recognition memory primarily differ in the threshold to trigger a decision: Observers required less evidence to make a property generalization judgment (induction) than an identity statement about a previously studied item (recognition). Experiment 1 and a condition emphasizing decision speed in Experiment 2 also found evidence that inductive decisions use lower quality similarity-based information than recognition. The findings suggest that induction might represent a less cautious form of recognition. We conclude that sequential sampling models grounded in exemplar-based similarity, combined with hierarchical Bayesian analysis, provide a more fine-grained and informative analysis of the processes involved in inductive reasoning than is possible solely through examination of choice data. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved.

High reliability linear drive device for artificial hearts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Jinghua; Zhao, Wenxiang; Liu, Guohai; Shen, Yue; Wang, Fangqun

2012-04-01

In this paper, a new high reliability linear drive device, termed as stator-permanent-magnet tubular oscillating actuator (SPM-TOA), is proposed for artificial hearts (AHs). The key is to incorporate the concept of two independent phases into this linear AH device, hence achieving high reliability operation. The fault-tolerant teeth are employed to provide the desired decoupling phases in magnetic circuit. Also, as the magnets and the coils are located in the stator, the proposed SPM-TOA takes the definite advantages of robust mover and direct-drive capability. By using the time-stepping finite element method, the electromagnetic characteristics of the proposed SPM-TOA are analyzed, including magnetic field distributions, flux linkages, back- electromotive forces (back-EMFs) self- and mutual inductances, as well as cogging and thrust forces. The results confirm that the proposed SPM-TOA meets the dimension, weight, and force requirements of the AH drive device.

Improved motors for utility applications: Volume 6, Squirrel-cage rotor analysis: Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Griffith, J.W.; McCoy, R.M.

1986-11-01

An analysis of squirrel cage induction motor rotors was undertaken in response to an Industry Assessment Study finding 10% of motor failures to be rotor related. The analysis focuses on evaluating rotor design life. The evaluation combines state-of-the-art electromagnetic, thermal, and structural solution techniques into an integrated analysis and presents a simple summary. Finite element techniques are central tools in the analysis. The analysis is applied to a specific forced draft fan drive design. Fans as a category of application have a higher failure rate than other categories of power station auxiliary motor applications. Forced-draft fan drives are one ofmore » the major fan drives which accelerate a relatively high value of rotor load inertia. Various starting and operating conditions are studied for this forced-draft fan drive motor including a representative application duty cycle.« less

The effects of social interactions with in-vehicle agents on a driver's anger level, driving performance, situation awareness, and perceived workload.

PubMed

Jeon, Myounghoon; Walker, Bruce N; Gable, Thomas M

2015-09-01

Research has suggested that interaction with an in-vehicle software agent can improve a driver's psychological state and increase road safety. The present study explored the possibility of using an in-vehicle software agent to mitigate effects of driver anger on driving behavior. After either anger or neutral mood induction, 60 undergraduates drove in a simulator with two types of agent intervention. Results showed that both speech-based agents not only enhance driver situation awareness and driving performance, but also reduce their anger level and perceived workload. Regression models show that a driver's anger influences driving performance measures, mediated by situation awareness. The practical implications include design guidelines for the design of social interaction with in-vehicle software agents. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Recurrent neural network control for LCC-resonant ultrasonic motor drive.

PubMed

Lin, F J; Wai, R J; Hong, C M

2000-01-01

A newly designed driving circuit for the traveling wave-type ultrasonic motor (USM), which consists of a push-pull DC-DC power converter and a two-phase voltage source inverter using one inductance and two capacitances (LCC) resonant technique, is presented in this study. Moreover, because the dynamic characteristics of the USM are difficult to obtain and the motor parameters are time varying, a recurrent neural network (RNN) controller is proposed to control the USM drive system. In the proposed controller, the dynamic backpropagation algorithm is adopted to train the RNN on-line using the proposed delta adaptation law. Furthermore, to guarantee the convergence of tracking error, analytical methods based on a discrete-type Lyapunov function are proposed to determine the varied learning rates for the training of the RNN. Finally, the effectiveness of the RNN-controlled USM drive system is demonstrated by some experimental results.

Introduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takayama, Ken; Briggs*, Richard J.

The motivation for the initial development of linear induction accelerators starting in the early 1960s came mainly from applications requiring intense electron pulses with beam currents and a charge per pulse above the range accessible to RF accelerators, and with particle energies beyond the capabilities of single stage pulsed-power diodes. The linear induction accelerators developed to meet these needs utilize a series of induction cells containing magnetic cores (torroidal geometry) driven directly by pulse modulators (pulsed power sources). This multistage "one-to-one transformer" configuration with non-resonant, low impedance induction cells accelerates kilo-Ampere-scale electron beam current pulses in induction linacs.

Assessment of duration of the drive operation in the mode of kinetic energy recovery under power supply voltage sags in electrical grids of mechanical engineering enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shonin, O. B.; Novozhilov, N. G.

2017-02-01

Voltage sags in electric grids of mechanical engineering enterprises may lead to disconnection of important power consumers with variable frequency drives from the power grid and further interruption of the production process. The paper considers a sensorless V/f control system of еру induction motor drive under normal conditions and under voltage sags on the basis of a computer model of the drive and derivation of a formula for assessment of possible duration of the drive operation in the mode of controlled recovery of kinetic energy accumulated in rotating mass of the drive. Results of simulations have been used to validate results of calculations of the rotor velocity deceleration made in a closed form obtained from the equation reflecting the balance of torques. It is shown that results of calculations practically coincide with results of simulations in the range up to 5% of the velocity initial value. The proposed formula may be useful for estimation of the duration of the drive operation in the mode of recovery of kinetic energy depending on parameters of the motor and driven mechanisms.

Overview of MST Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarff, J. S.; MST Team

2011-10-01

MST progress in advancing the RFP for (1) fusion plasma confinement with minimal external magnetization, (2) toroidal confinement physics, and (3) basic plasma physics is summarized. New tools and diagnostics are accessing physics barely studied in the RFP. Several diagnostic advances are important for ITER/burning plasma. A 1 MW neutral beam injector operates routinely for fast ion, heating, and transport investigations. Energetic ions are also created spontaneously by tearing mode reconnection, reminiscent of astrophysical plasmas. Classical confinement of impurity ions is measured in reduced-tearing plasmas. Fast ion slowing-down is also classical. Alfven-eigenmode-like activity occurs with NBI, but apparently not TAE. Stellarator-like helical structure appears in the core of high current plasmas, with improved confinement characteristics. FIR interferometry, Thomson scattering, and HIBP diagnostics are beginning to explore microturbulence scales, an opportunity to exploit the RFP's high beta and strong magnetic shear parameter space. A programmable power supply for the toroidal field flexibly explores scenarios from advanced inductive profile control to low current tokamak operation. A 1 MW 5.5 GHz source for electron Bernstein wave injection is nearly complete to investigate heating and current drive in over-dense plasmas. Supported by DOE and NSF.

Numerical optimization of actuator trajectories for ITER hybrid scenario profile evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Dongen, J.; Felici, F.; Hogeweij, G. M. D.; Geelen, P.; Maljaars, E.

2014-12-01

Optimal actuator trajectories for an ITER hybrid scenario ramp-up are computed using a numerical optimization method. For both L-mode and H-mode scenarios, the time trajectory of plasma current, EC heating and current drive distribution is determined that minimizes a chosen cost function, while satisfying constraints. The cost function is formulated to reflect two desired properties of the plasma q profile at the end of the ramp-up. The first objective is to maximize the ITG turbulence threshold by maximizing the volume-averaged s/q ratio. The second objective is to achieve a stationary q profile by having a flat loop voltage profile. Actuator and physics-derived constraints are included, imposing limits on plasma current, ramp rates, internal inductance and q profile. This numerical method uses the fast control-oriented plasma profile evolution code RAPTOR, which is successfully benchmarked against more complete CRONOS simulations for L-mode and H-mode mode ITER hybrid scenarios. It is shown that the optimized trajectories computed using RAPTOR also result in an improved ramp-up scenario for CRONOS simulations using the same input trajectories. Furthermore, the optimal trajectories are shown to vary depending on the precise timing of the L-H transition.

Electrical motor/generator drive apparatus and method

DOEpatents

Su, Gui Jia

2013-02-12

The present disclosure includes electrical motor/generator drive systems and methods that significantly reduce inverter direct-current (DC) bus ripple currents and thus the volume and cost of a capacitor. The drive methodology is based on a segmented drive system that does not add switches or passive components but involves reconfiguring inverter switches and motor stator winding connections in a way that allows the formation of multiple, independent drive units and the use of simple alternated switching and optimized Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) schemes to eliminate or significantly reduce the capacitor ripple current.

Effect of a Second, Parallel Capacitor on the Performance of a Pulse Inductive Plasma Thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polzin, Kurt A.; Balla, Joseph V.

2010-01-01

Pulsed inductive plasma accelerators are electrodeless space propulsion devices where a capacitor is charged to an initial voltage and is then discharged through an inductive coil that couples energy into the propellant, ionizing and accelerating it to produce thrust. A model that employs a set of circuit equations (as illustrated in Fig. 1a) coupled to a one-dimensional momentum equation has been previously used by Lovberg and Dailey [1] and Polzin et al. [2-4] to model the plasma acceleration process in pulsed inductive thrusters. In this paper an extra capacitor, inductor, and resistor are added to the system in the manner illustrated in the schematic shown in Fig. 1b. If the second capacitor has a smaller value than the initially charged capacitor, it can serve to increase the current rise rate through the inductive coil. Increasing the current rise rate should serve to better ionize the propellant. The equation of motion is solved to find the effect of an increased current rise rate on the acceleration process. We examine the tradeoffs between enhancing the breakdown process (increasing current rise rate) and altering the plasma acceleration process. These results provide insight into the performance of modified circuits in an inductive thruster, revealing how this design permutation can affect an inductive thruster's performance.

Driving lamps by induction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laue, H. H.; Clough, L. G. (Inventor)

1973-01-01

An electrodeless lamp circuit with a coil surrounding a krypton lamp is driven by an RF input source. A coil surrounding a mercury lamp is tapped across the connection of the input central to the krypton-lamp coil. Each coil is connected in parallel with separate capacitors which form resonant circuits at the input frequency.

Design optimization of high frequency transformer with controlled leakage inductance for current fed dual active bridge converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Tae-Uk; Kim, Myung-Hwan; Yoo, Jin-Hyung

2018-05-01

Current fed dual active bridge converters for photovoltaic generation may typically require a given leakage or extra inductance in order to provide proper control of the currents. Therefore, the many researches have been focused on the leakage inductance control of high frequency transformer to integrate an extra inductor. In this paper, an asymmetric winding arrangement to get the controlled leakage inductance for the high frequency transformer is proposed to improve the efficiency of the current fed dual active bridge converter. In order to accurate analysis, a coupled electromagnetic analysis model of transformer connected with high frequency switching circuit is used. A design optimization procedure for high efficiency is also presented using design analysis model, and it is verified by the experimental result.

Circuit analysis on the inductance evolution based on electrical signal from various type plasma focus device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamad, Saiful Najmee; Ismail, Fairuz Diana; Noorden, Ahmad Fakhrurrazi Ahmad; Haider, Zuhaib; Ali, Jalil

2017-03-01

Numerous configurations of plasma focus devices (PFD) have been introduced around the globe. The distinct electrode configuration of the PFD will give out different inductance profile. A circuit analysis has been done to study on the significant difference between the inductance evolution in a coaxial discharge based on various published results of PFD. The discharge current signal, tube voltage and current derivative of the particular shots from distinct PFD was digitized and analyze. The investigation was piloted for three different types of PFD. It was observed that there is a significant difference for the normalize inductance profile during the discharge between the individual PFD with different electrode configuration. The depletion of the radial start current with the normalised inductance development for Mather type (PF-1000) is found to be 25.9% from static discharge. The current depletion continues to drop 1.1% and 1.3% more for a Spherical type (PNK-13) and Filippov type (PF-3) respectively.

A Soft-Switching Inverter for High-Temperature Advanced Hybrid Electric Vehicle Traction Motor Drives

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lai, Jason; Yu, Wensong; Sun, Pengwei

2012-03-31

The state-of-the-art hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) require the inverter cooling system to have a separate loop to avoid power semiconductor junction over temperatures because the engine coolant temperature of 105°C does not allow for much temperature rise in silicon devices. The proposed work is to develop an advanced soft-switching inverter that will eliminate the device switching loss and cut down the power loss so that the inverter can operate at high-temperature conditions while operating at high switching frequencies with small current ripple in low inductance based permanent magnet motors. The proposed tasks also include high-temperature packaging and thermal modeling andmore » simulation to ensure the packaged module can operate at the desired temperature. The developed module will be integrated with the motor and vehicle controller for dynamometer and in-vehicle testing to prove its superiority. This report will describe the detailed technical design of the soft-switching inverters and their test results. The experiments were conducted both in module level for the module conduction and switching characteristics and in inverter level for its efficiency under inductive and dynamometer load conditions. The performance will be compared with the DOE original specification.« less

Current knowledge on psoriasis and autoimmune diseases

PubMed Central

Ayala-Fontánez, Nilmarie; Soler, David C; McCormick, Thomas S

2016-01-01

Psoriasis is a prevalent, chronic inflammatory disease of the skin, mediated by crosstalk between epidermal keratinocytes, dermal vascular cells, and immunocytes such as antigen presenting cells (APCs) and T cells. Exclusive cellular “responsibility” for the induction and maintenance of psoriatic plaques has not been clearly defined. Increased proliferation of keratinocytes and endothelial cells in conjunction with APC/T cell/monocyte/macrophage inflammation leads to the distinct epidermal and vascular hyperplasia that is characteristic of lesional psoriatic skin. Despite the identification of numerous susceptibility loci, no single genetic determinant has been identified as responsible for the induction of psoriasis. Thus, numerous other triggers of disease, such as environmental, microbial and complex cellular interactions must also be considered as participants in the development of this multifactorial disease. Recent advances in therapeutics, especially systemic so-called “biologics” have provided new hope for identifying the critical cellular targets that drive psoriasis pathogenesis. Recent recognition of the numerous co-morbidities and other autoimmune disorders associated with psoriasis, including inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus suggest common signaling elements and cellular mediators may direct disease pathogenesis. In this review, we discuss common cellular pathways and participants that mediate psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders that share these cellular signaling pathways. PMID:29387591

Isotopic effect in experiments on lower hybrid current drive in the FT-2 tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lashkul, S. I., E-mail: Serguey.lashkul@mail.ioffe.ru; Altukhov, A. B.; Gurchenko, A. D., E-mail: aleksey.gurchenko@mail.ioffe.ru

To analyze factors influencing the limiting value of the plasma density at which lower hybrid (LH) current drive terminates, the isotopic factor (the difference in the LH resonance densities in hydrogen and deuterium plasmas) was used for the first time in experiments carried out at the FT-2 tokamak. It is experimentally found that the efficiency of LH current drive in deuterium plasma is appreciably higher than that in hydrogen plasma. The significant role of the parametric decay of the LH pumping wave, which hampers the use of the LH range of RF waves for current drive at high plasma densities,more » is confirmed. It is demonstrated that the parameters characterizing LH current drive agree well with the earlier results obtained at large tokamaks.« less

Universal power transistor base drive control unit

DOEpatents

Gale, Allan R.; Gritter, David J.

1988-01-01

A saturation condition regulator system for a power transistor which achieves the regulation objectives of a Baker clamp but without dumping excess base drive current into the transistor output circuit. The base drive current of the transistor is sensed and used through an active feedback circuit to produce an error signal which modulates the base drive current through a linearly operating FET. The collector base voltage of the power transistor is independently monitored to develop a second error signal which is also used to regulate base drive current. The current-sensitive circuit operates as a limiter. In addition, a fail-safe timing circuit is disclosed which automatically resets to a turn OFF condition in the event the transistor does not turn ON within a predetermined time after the input signal transition.

Universal power transistor base drive control unit

DOEpatents

Gale, A.R.; Gritter, D.J.

1988-06-07

A saturation condition regulator system for a power transistor is disclosed which achieves the regulation objectives of a Baker clamp but without dumping excess base drive current into the transistor output circuit. The base drive current of the transistor is sensed and used through an active feedback circuit to produce an error signal which modulates the base drive current through a linearly operating FET. The collector base voltage of the power transistor is independently monitored to develop a second error signal which is also used to regulate base drive current. The current-sensitive circuit operates as a limiter. In addition, a fail-safe timing circuit is disclosed which automatically resets to a turn OFF condition in the event the transistor does not turn ON within a predetermined time after the input signal transition. 2 figs.

Bootstrap and fast wave current drive for tokamak reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ehst, D.A.

1991-09-01

Using the multi-species neoclassical treatment of Hirshman and Sigmar we study steady state bootstrap equilibria with seed currents provided by low frequency (ICRF) fast waves and with additional surface current density driven by lower hybrid waves. This study applies to reactor plasmas of arbitrary aspect ratio. IN one limit the bootstrap component can supply nearly the total equilibrium current with minimal driving power (< 20 MW). However, for larger total currents considerable driving power is required (for ITER: I{sub o} = 18 MA needs P{sub FW} = 15 MW, P{sub LH} = 75 MW). A computational survey of bootstrap fractionmore » and current drive efficiency is presented. 11 refs., 8 figs.« less

ACOG Committee Opinion no. 597: Committee on Obstetric Practice: Labor induction or augmentation and autism.

PubMed

2014-05-01

Functional oxytocin deficiency and a faulty oxytocin signaling pathway have been observed in conjunction with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Because exogenous synthetic oxytocin commonly is administered for labor induction and augmentation, some have hypothesized that synthetic oxytocin used for these purposes may alter fetal oxytocin receptors and predispose exposed offspring to ASD. However, current evidence does not identify a causal relationship between labor induction or augmentation in general, or oxytocin labor induction specifically, and autism or ASD. Recognizing the limitations of available study design, conflicting data, and the potential consequences of limiting labor induction and augmentation, the Committee on Obstetric Practice recommends against a change in current guidance regarding counseling and indications for and methods of labor induction and augmentation.

Design and test of a simple fast electromagnetic inductive gas valve for planar pulsed inductive plasma thruster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Dawei; Cheng, Mousen; Li, Xiaokang

2017-10-01

In support of our planar pulsed inductive plasma thruster research, a fast electromagnetic inductive valve for a gas propellant injection system has been built and tested. A new and important design feature is the use of a conical diaphragm as the action part, which greatly contributes to the virtue of simplicity for adopting the resultant force of the diaphragm deformation as the closing force. An optical transmission technique is adopted to measure the opening and closing characters of the valve while the gas throughput is determined by measuring the pressure change per pulse in a test chamber with a capacitance manometer. The experimental results revealed that the delay time before the valve reaction is less than 40 μs, and the valve pulse width is no longer than 160 μs full width at half maximum. The valve delivers 0-2.5 mg of argon gas per pulse varied by adjusting the drive voltage and gas pressure.

Design and test of a simple fast electromagnetic inductive gas valve for planar pulsed inductive plasma thruster.

PubMed

Guo, Dawei; Cheng, Mousen; Li, Xiaokang

2017-10-01

In support of our planar pulsed inductive plasma thruster research, a fast electromagnetic inductive valve for a gas propellant injection system has been built and tested. A new and important design feature is the use of a conical diaphragm as the action part, which greatly contributes to the virtue of simplicity for adopting the resultant force of the diaphragm deformation as the closing force. An optical transmission technique is adopted to measure the opening and closing characters of the valve while the gas throughput is determined by measuring the pressure change per pulse in a test chamber with a capacitance manometer. The experimental results revealed that the delay time before the valve reaction is less than 40 μs, and the valve pulse width is no longer than 160 μs full width at half maximum. The valve delivers 0-2.5 mg of argon gas per pulse varied by adjusting the drive voltage and gas pressure.

Steady state plasma operation in RF dominated regimes on EAST

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, X. J.; Zhao, Y. P.; Gong, X. Z.

Significant progress has recently been made on EAST in the 2014 campaign, including the enhanced CW H&CD system over 20MW heating power (LHCD, ICRH and NBI), more than 70 diagnostics, ITER-like W-monoblock on upper divertor, two inner cryo-pumps and RMP coils, enabling EAST to investigate long pulse H mode operation with dominant electron heating and low torque to address the critical issues for ITER. H-mode plasmas were achieved by new H&CD system or 4.6GHz LHCD alone for the first time. Long pulse high performance H mode has been obtained by LHCD alone up to 28s at H{sub 98}∼1.2 or bymore » combing of ICRH and LHCD, no or small ELM was found in RF plasmas, which is essential for steady state operation in the future Tokamak. Plasma operation in low collision regimes were implemented by new 4.6GHz LHCD with core Te∼4.5keV. The non-inductive scenarios with high performance at high bootstrap current fraction have been demonstrated in RF dominated regimes for long pulse operation. Near full non-inductive CD discharges have been achieved. In addition, effective heating and decoupling method under multi-transmitter for ICRF system were developed in this campaign, etc. EAST could be in operation with over 30MW CW heating and current drive power (LHCD ICRH NBI and ECRH), enhanced diagnostic capabilities and full actively-cooled metal wall from 2015. It will therefore allow to access new confinement regimes and to extend these regimes towards to steady state operation.« less

Brief Report: Driving and Young Adults with ASD--Parents' Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, Neill Broderick; Reeve, Ronald E.; Cox, Stephany M.; Cox, Daniel J.

2012-01-01

A paucity of research exists regarding driving skills and individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The current study sought to gain a better understanding of driving and ASD by surveying parents/caregivers of adolescents/young adults with ASD who were currently attempting, or had previously attempted, to learn to drive. Respondents…

Extrapolation of the DIII-D high poloidal beta scenario to ITER steady-state using transport modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McClenaghan, J.; Garofalo, A. M.; Meneghini, O.; Smith, S. P.

2016-10-01

Transport modeling of a proposed ITER steady-state scenario based on DIII-D high βP discharges finds that the core confinement may be improved with either sufficient rotation or a negative central shear q-profile. The high poloidal beta scenario is characterized by a large bootstrap current fraction( 80%) which reduces the demands on the external current drive, and a large radius internal transport barrier which is associated with improved normalized confinement. Typical temperature and density profiles from the non-inductive high poloidal beta scenario on DIII-D are scaled according to 0D modeling predictions of the requirements for achieving Q=5 steady state performance in ITER with ``day one'' H&CD capabilities. Then, TGLF turbulence modeling is carried out under systematic variations of the toroidal rotation and the core q-profile. Either strong negative central magnetic shear or rotation are found to successfully provide the turbulence suppression required to maintain the temperature and density profiles. This work supported by the US Department of Energy under DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Temperature-Dependent Characterization, Modeling, and Switching Speed-Limitation Analysis of Third-Generation 10-kV SiC MOSFET

DOE PAGES

Ji, Shiqi; Zheng, Sheng; Wang, Fei; ...

2017-07-06

The temperature-dependent characteristics of the third-generation 10-kV/20-A SiC MOSFET including the static characteristics and switching performance are carried out in this paper. The steady-state characteristics, including saturation current, output characteristics, antiparallel diode, and parasitic capacitance, are tested. Here, a double pulse test platform is constructed including a circuit breaker and gate drive with >10-kV insulation and also a hotplate under the device under test for temperature-dependent characterization during switching transients. The switching performance is tested under various load currents and gate resistances at a 7-kV dc-link voltage from 25 to 125 C and compared with previous 10-kV MOSFETs. A simplemore » behavioral model with its parameter extraction method is proposed to predict the temperature-dependent characteristics of the 10-kV SiC MOSFET. The switching speed limitations, including the reverse recovery of SiC MOSFET's body diode, overvoltage caused by stray inductance, crosstalk, heat sink, and electromagnetic interference to the control are discussed based on simulations and experimental results.« less

Current-Tunable NbTiN Coplanar Photonic Bandgap Resonators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asfaw, A.; Sigillito, A. J.; Tyryshkin, A. M.; Lyon, S. A.

Coplanar waveguide resonators have been used in several experimental settings, from superconducting qubits to electron spin resonance. In our particular application of electron spin resonance, these resonators provide increased sensitivity to electron spins due to the small mode volume. Experiments have shown that these resonators can be used to readout as few as 300 spins per shot. Recently, photonic bandgap resonators have been shown to extend the advantages of traditional CPW resonators by allowing spin manipulation both at microwave and radio frequencies, thereby enabling both electron and nuclear spin resonance within the same resonator. We present measurements made using photonic bandgap resonators fabricated with thin NbTiN films which demonstrate microwave tunability of the resonator by modulating the kinetic inductance of the superconductor. Driving a small direct current through the center pin of the resonator allows us to tune the resonant frequency by over 30 MHz around 6.4 GHz while maintaining a quality factor over 8000 at 4.8K. This provides fast and simple tunability of coplanar waveguide resonators and opens new possibilities for multiple frequency electron spin resonance experiments.

Temperature-Dependent Characterization, Modeling, and Switching Speed-Limitation Analysis of Third-Generation 10-kV SiC MOSFET

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ji, Shiqi; Zheng, Sheng; Wang, Fei

The temperature-dependent characteristics of the third-generation 10-kV/20-A SiC MOSFET including the static characteristics and switching performance are carried out in this paper. The steady-state characteristics, including saturation current, output characteristics, antiparallel diode, and parasitic capacitance, are tested. Here, a double pulse test platform is constructed including a circuit breaker and gate drive with >10-kV insulation and also a hotplate under the device under test for temperature-dependent characterization during switching transients. The switching performance is tested under various load currents and gate resistances at a 7-kV dc-link voltage from 25 to 125 C and compared with previous 10-kV MOSFETs. A simplemore » behavioral model with its parameter extraction method is proposed to predict the temperature-dependent characteristics of the 10-kV SiC MOSFET. The switching speed limitations, including the reverse recovery of SiC MOSFET's body diode, overvoltage caused by stray inductance, crosstalk, heat sink, and electromagnetic interference to the control are discussed based on simulations and experimental results.« less

A wireless integrated circuit for 100-channel charge-balanced neural stimulation.

PubMed

Thurgood, B K; Warren, D J; Ledbetter, N M; Clark, G A; Harrison, R R

2009-12-01

The authors present the design of an integrated circuit for wireless neural stimulation, along with benchtop and in - vivo experimental results. The chip has the ability to drive 100 individual stimulation electrodes with constant-current pulses of varying amplitude, duration, interphasic delay, and repetition rate. The stimulation is performed by using a biphasic (cathodic and anodic) current source, injecting and retracting charge from the nervous system. Wireless communication and power are delivered over a 2.765-MHz inductive link. Only three off-chip components are needed to operate the stimulator: a 10-nF capacitor to aid in power-supply regulation, a small capacitor (< 100 pF) for tuning the coil to resonance, and a coil for power and command reception. The chip was fabricated in a commercially available 0.6- mum 2P3M BiCMOS process. The chip was able to activate motor fibers to produce muscle twitches via a Utah Slanted Electrode Array implanted in cat sciatic nerve, and to activate sensory fibers to recruit evoked potentials in somatosensory cortex.

Evaluation of heat and particle controllability on the JT-60SA divertor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawashima, H.; Hoshino, K.; Shimizu, K.; Takizuka, T.; Ide, S.; Sakurai, S.; Asakura, N.

2011-08-01

The JT-60SA divertor design has been established on the basis of engineering requirements and physics analysis. Heat and particle fluxes under the full input power of 41 MW can give severe heat loads on the divertor targets, while the allowable heat load is limited below 15 MW/m2. Dependence of the heat flux mitigation on a D2 gas-puff is evaluated by SONIC simulations for high density (ne_ave ˜ 1 × 1020 m-3) high current plasmas. It is found that the peak heat load 10 MW/m2 with dense (ned > 4 × 1020 m-3) and cold (Ted, Tid ⩽ 1 eV) divertor plasmas are obtained at a moderate gas-puff of Γpuff = 15 × 1021 s-1. Divertor plasmas are controlled from attached to detached condition using the divertor pump with pumping-speed below 100 m3/s. In full non-inductive current drive plasmas with low density (ne_ave ˜ 5 × 1019 m-3), the reduction of divertor heat load is achieved with the Ar injection.

Symposium on Electromagnetic Launcher Technology, 5th, Sandestin, FL, Apr. 3-5, 1990, Proceedings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gooden, Clarence E.

1991-01-01

The present conference on electromagnetic accelerators (EMAs) and railguns (RGs) discusses active-current management for four-rail RGs, the design of a compulsator-drive 60-caliber RG, EMA studies with augmented rails, muzzle-shunt augmentation of conventional RGs, effect of in-bore gas on RG performance, the distributed-energy store RG, plasma diagnostics for high power ignitron development, a review of EMA armature research, RG hybrid armatures, a new solid-armature design concept, and the electrodynamics of RG plasma armatures. Also discussed is RG modeling at speed using three-dimensional finite elements, power supply technology for EMAs, rotating machine power supplies for next-generation EMAs, advanced EMA power supplies with magnetic-flux compression, metal-to-metal switches for large currents, lightweight high-effiency energy-storage transformers, hypervelocity projectile development for EMAs, structural design issues for EMA projectiles, stiff RGs, a reinforced Al conductor for cryogenic applications, mass-stabilized projectile designs for EMA launch, indictively-commutated coilguns, an actively switched pulsed induction accelerator, a plasma gun-augmented electrothermal accelerator, a symmetrical rail accelerator, and a travelling-wave synchronous coil gun.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Martel, Peter M.; Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Medical School; Bingham, Chad M.

Most breast cancers exhibit brisk lipogenesis, and require it for growth. S14 is a lipogenesis-related nuclear protein that is overexpressed in most breast cancers. Sterol response element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) is required for induction of lipogenesis-related genes, including S14 and fatty acid synthase (FAS), in hepatocytes, and correlation of SREBP-1c and FAS expression suggested that SREBP-1c drives lipogenesis in tumors as well. We directly tested the hypothesis that SREBP-1c drives S14 expression and mediates lipogenic effects of progestin in T47D breast cancer cells. Dominant-negative SREBP-1c inhibited induction of S14 and FAS mRNAs by progestin, while active SREBP-1c induced without hormone andmore » superinduced in its presence. Changes in S14 mRNA were reflected in protein levels. A lag time and lack of progestin response elements indicated that S14 and FAS gene activation by progestin is indirect. Knockdown of S14 reduced, whereas overexpression stimulated, T47D cell growth, while nonlipogenic MCF10a mammary epithelial cells were not growth-inhibited. These data directly demonstrate that SREBP-1c drives S14 gene expression in breast cancer cells, and progestin magnifies that effect via an indirect mechanism. This supports the prediction, based on S14 gene amplification and overexpression in breast tumors, that S14 augments breast cancer cell growth and survival.« less

Plasma heating and current drive using intense, pulsed microwaves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cohen, B.I.; Cohen, R.H.; Nevins, W.M.

1988-01-01

The use of powerful new microwave sources, e.g., free-electron lasers and relativistic gyrotrons, provide unique opportunities for novel heating and current-drive schemes in the electron-cyclotron and lower-hybrid ranges of frequencies. These high-power, pulsed sources have a number of technical advantages over conventional, low-intensity sources; and their use can lead to improved current-drive efficiencies and better penetration into a reactor-grade plasma in specific cases. The Microwave Tokamak Experiment at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will provide a test for some of these new heating and current-drive schemes. This paper reports theoretical progress both in modeling absorption and current drive for intense pulsesmore » and in analyzing some of the possible complications that may arise, e.g., parametric instabilities and nonlinear self-focusing. 22 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.« less

Sensorless optimal sinusoidal brushless direct current for hard disk drives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soh, C. S.; Bi, C.

2009-04-01

Initiated by the availability of digital signal processors and emergence of new applications, market demands for permanent magnet synchronous motors have been surging. As its back-emf is sinusoidal, the drive current should also be sinusoidal for reducing the torque ripple. However, in applications like hard disk drives, brushless direct current (BLDC) drive is adopted instead of sinusoidal drive for simplification. The adoption, however, comes at the expense of increased harmonics, losses, torque pulsations, and acoustics. In this paper, we propose a sensorless optimal sinusoidal BLDC drive. First and foremost, the derivation for an optimal sinusoidal drive is presented, and a power angle control scheme is proposed to achieve an optimal sinusoidal BLDC. The scheme maintains linear relationship between the motor speed and drive voltage. In an attempt to execute the sensorless drive, an innovative power angle measurement scheme is devised, which takes advantage of the freewheeling diodes and measures the power angle through the detection of diode voltage drops. The objectives as laid out will be presented and discussed in this paper, supported by derivations, simulations, and experimental results. The proposed scheme is straightforward, brings about the benefits of sensorless sinusoidal drive, negates the need for current sensors by utilizing the freewheeling diodes, and does not incur additional cost.

Modelling of minority ion cyclotron current drive during the activated phase of ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laxåback, M.; Hellsten, T.

2005-12-01

Neoclassical tearing modes, triggered by the long-period sawteeth expected in tokamaks with large non-thermal α-particle populations, may impose a severe β limit on experiments with large fusion yields and on reactors. Sawtooth destabilization by localized current drive could relax the β limit and improve plasma performance. 3He minority ion cyclotron current drive around the sawtooth inversion radius has been planned for ITER. Several ion species, including beam injected D ions and fusion born α particles, are however also resonant in the plasma and may represent a parasitic absorption of RF power. Modelling of minority ion cyclotron current drive in an ITER-FEAT-like plasma is presented, including the effects of ion trapping, finite ion drift orbit widths, wave-induced radial transport and the coupled evolution of wave fields and resonant ion distributions. The parasitic absorption of RF power by the other resonant species is concluded to be relatively small, but the 3He minority current drive is nevertheless negligible due to the strong collisionality of the 3He ions and the drag current by toroidally counter-rotating background ions and co-rotating electrons. H minority current drive is found to be a significantly more effective alternative.

Method for reducing peak phase current and decreasing staring time for an internal combustion engine having an induction machine

DOEpatents

Amey, David L.; Degner, Michael W.

2002-01-01

A method for reducing the starting time and reducing the peak phase currents for an internal combustion engine that is started using an induction machine starter/alternator. The starting time is reduced by pre-fluxing the induction machine and the peak phase currents are reduced by reducing the flux current command after a predetermined period of time has elapsed and concurrent to the application of the torque current command. The method of the present invention also provides a strategy for anticipating the start command for an internal combustion engine and determines a start strategy based on the start command and the operating state of the internal combustion engine.

Advanced Tokamak Investigations in Full-Tungsten ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bock, Alexander

2017-10-01

The tailoring of the q-profile is the foundation of Advanced Tokamak (AT) scenarios. It depends on low collisionality ν* which permits efficient external current drive and high amounts of intrinsic bootstrap current. At constant pressure, lowering ne leads to a strong decrease of ν* Te - 3 . After the conversion of ASDEX Upgrade to fully W-coated plasma facing components, radiative collapses of H-modes with little gas puffing due to central W accumulation could only be avoided partially with central ECRH. Also, operation at high β with low ne presented a challenge for the divertor. Together, these issues prevented meaningful AT investigations. To overcome this, several major feats have been accomplished: Access to lower ne was achieved through a better understanding of the changes to recycling and pumping, and optionally the density pump-out phenomenon due to RMPs. ECRH capacities were substantially expanded for both heating and current drive, and a solid W divertor capable of withstanding the power loads was installed. A major overhaul improved the reliability of the current profile diagnostics. This contribution will detail the efforts needed to re-access AT scenarios and report on the development of candidate steady state scenarios for ITER/DEMO. Starting from the `hybrid scenario,' a non-inductive scenario (q95 = 5.3 , βN = 2.7 , fbs > 40 %) was developed. It can be sustained for many τE, limited only by technical boundaries, and is also independent of the ramp-up scenario. The β-limit is set by ideal modes that convert into NTMs. The Ti-profiles are steeper than predicted by TGLF, but nonlinear electromagnetic gyro-kinetic analyses with GENE including fast particle effects matched the experimental heat fluxes. We will also report on scenarios at higher q95, similar to the EAST/DIII-D steady state scenario. The extrapolation of these scenarios to ITER/DEMO will be discussed.

Induction motor speed drive improvement using fuzzy IP-self-tuning controller. A real time implementation.

PubMed

Lokriti, Abdesslam; Salhi, Issam; Doubabi, Said; Zidani, Youssef

2013-05-01

An IP-self-tuning controller tuned by a fuzzy adjustor, is proposed to improve induction machine speed control. The interest of such controller is the possibility to adjust only one gain, instead of two gains for the case of the PI-self-tuning controllers commonly used in the literature. This paper presents simulation and experimental results. These latter were obtained by practical implementation on a DSPace 1104 board of three different speed controllers (the classical IP, the fuzzy-like-PI and the IP-self-tuning), for a 1.5KW induction machine. The paper presents different tests used to compare the performances of the proposed controller to the two others in terms of computation time, tracking performances and disturbances rejection. Copyright © 2012 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Knowledge discovery with classification rules in a cardiovascular dataset.

PubMed

Podgorelec, Vili; Kokol, Peter; Stiglic, Milojka Molan; Hericko, Marjan; Rozman, Ivan

2005-12-01

In this paper we study an evolutionary machine learning approach to data mining and knowledge discovery based on the induction of classification rules. A method for automatic rules induction called AREX using evolutionary induction of decision trees and automatic programming is introduced. The proposed algorithm is applied to a cardiovascular dataset consisting of different groups of attributes which should possibly reveal the presence of some specific cardiovascular problems in young patients. A case study is presented that shows the use of AREX for the classification of patients and for discovering possible new medical knowledge from the dataset. The defined knowledge discovery loop comprises a medical expert's assessment of induced rules to drive the evolution of rule sets towards more appropriate solutions. The final result is the discovery of a possible new medical knowledge in the field of pediatric cardiology.

Turbulent current drive mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDevitt, Christopher J.; Tang, Xian-Zhu; Guo, Zehua

2017-08-01

Mechanisms through which plasma microturbulence can drive a mean electron plasma current are derived. The efficiency through which these turbulent contributions can drive deviations from neoclassical predictions of the electron current profile is computed by employing a linearized Coulomb collision operator. It is found that a non-diffusive contribution to the electron momentum flux as well as an anomalous electron-ion momentum exchange term provide the most efficient means through which turbulence can modify the mean electron current for the cases considered. Such turbulent contributions appear as an effective EMF within Ohm's law and hence provide an ideal means for driving deviations from neoclassical predictions.

Do drives drive the train of thought?-Effects of hunger and sexual arousal on mind-wandering behavior.

PubMed

Rummel, Jan; Nied, Laura

2017-10-01

Physiological needs that are currently unfulfilled are known to affect human cognition and behavior. The present study investigates whether and how the temporary activation of two primary physiological needs, namely hunger and sexual arousal, influence both the frequency and the contents of mind-wandering episodes. To induce hunger, one group of participants fasted for a minimum of five hours whereas another group of participants was exposed to audio material with explicit sexual content to provoke sexual arousal. Both groups as well as an additional control group, which had not received hunger instructions and had not been exposed to arousing material of any kind beforehand, performed a reading task during which mind wandering was assessed using a standard experience-sampling method. Results showed that acute hunger but not elevated sexual arousal renders the occurrence of mind-wandering episodes more likely. Induction of both hunger and sexual arousal rendered the occurrence of need-related off-task thoughts more likely and changed time orientations of mind wandering. The present findings are well in line with the assumption that unfulfilled needs regularly achieve cognitive priority and extend the cognitive-priority idea to self-generated thoughts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

GeneratorSE: A Sizing Tool for Variable-Speed Wind Turbine Generators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sethuraman, Latha; Dykes, Katherine L

This report documents a set of analytical models employed by the optimization algorithms within the GeneratorSE framework. The initial values and boundary conditions employed for the generation of the various designs and initial estimates for basic design dimensions, masses, and efficiency for the four different models of generators are presented and compared with empirical data collected from previous studies and some existing commercial turbines. These models include designs applicable for variable-speed, high-torque application featuring direct-drive synchronous generators and low-torque application featuring induction generators. In all of the four models presented, the main focus of optimization is electromagnetic design with themore » exception of permanent-magnet and wire-wound synchronous generators, wherein the structural design is also optimized. Thermal design is accommodated in GeneratorSE as a secondary attribute by limiting the winding current densities to acceptable limits. A preliminary validation of electromagnetic design was carried out by comparing the optimized magnetic loading against those predicted by numerical simulation in FEMM4.2, a finite-element software for analyzing electromagnetic and thermal physics problems for electrical machines. For direct-drive synchronous generators, the analytical models for the structural design are validated by static structural analysis in ANSYS.« less

Inductive ion acceleration and heating in picket fence geometry: Theory and simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leboeuf, J. N.; Dawson, J. M.; Ratliff, S. T.; Rhodes, M.; Luhmann, N. C., Jr.

1982-11-01

Particle simulations and analytic theory confirm the experimental observation of preferential ion acceleration and heating by an inductive electric field Edc in picket-fence geometry. The ions which are unmagnetized over most of the current channel are freely accelerated by the inductive field; the magnetized electrons are tied to the field lines and do not run away as long as the binding ev×B/c force is greater than the detrapping inductive force eEdc. Consequently, most of the current is carried by the ions which are also Ohmically heated.

Capacitively-coupled inductive sensors for measurements of pulsed currents and pulsed magnetic fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ekdahl, C.A.

In experiments involving pulsed high magnetic fields the appearance of the full induced voltage at the output terminals of large-area inductive sensors such as diamagnetic loops and Rogowski belts imposes severe requirements on the insulation near the output. Capacitive detection of the inductive-sensor output voltage provides an ideal geometry for high-voltage insulation, and also accomplishes the necessary voltage division. An inductive-shunt current monitor was designed to utilize the capacitive-detection principle. The contruction of this device and its performance are described in this paper.

TRANSP-based Trajectory Optimization of the Current Profile Evolution to Facilitate Robust Non-inductive Ramp-up in NSTX-U

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wehner, William; Schuster, Eugenio; Poli, Francesca

2016-10-01

Initial progress towards the design of non-inductive current ramp-up scenarios in the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) has been made through the use of TRANSP predictive simulations. The strategy involves, first, ramping the plasma current with high harmonic fast waves (HHFW) to about 400 kA, and then further ramping to 900 kA with neutral beam injection (NBI). However, the early ramping of neutral beams and application of HHFW leads to an undesirably peaked current profile making the plasma unstable to ballooning modes. We present an optimization-based control approach to improve on the non-inductive ramp-up strategy. We combine the TRANSP code with an optimization algorithm based on sequential quadratic programming to search for time evolutions of the NBI powers, the HHFW powers, and the line averaged density that define an open-loop actuator strategy that maximizes the non-inductive current while satisfying constraints associated with the current profile evolution for MHD stable plasmas. This technique has the potential of playing a critical role in achieving robustly stable non-inductive ramp-up, which will ultimately be necessary to demonstrate applicability of the spherical torus concept to larger devices without sufficient room for a central coil. Supported by the US DOE under the SCGSR Program.

Electric characteristics of a surface barrier discharge with a plasma induction electrode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alemskii, I. N.; Lelevkin, V. M.; Tokarev, A. V.

2006-07-15

Static and dynamic current-voltage and charge-voltage characteristics of a surface barrier discharge with a plasma induction electrode have been investigated experimentally. The dependences of the discharge current on both the gas pressure in the induction electrode tube and the winding pitch of the corona electrode, as well as of the discharge power efficiency on the applied voltage, have been measured.

Current Concepts of Hyperinflammation in Chronic Granulomatous Disease

PubMed Central

Rieber, Nikolaus; Hector, Andreas; Kuijpers, Taco; Roos, Dirk; Hartl, Dominik

2012-01-01

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is the most common inherited disorder of phagocytic functions, caused by genetic defects in the leukocyte nicotinamide dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase. Consequently, CGD phagocytes are impaired in destroying phagocytosed microorganisms, rendering the patients susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections. Besides this immunodeficiency, CGD patients suffer from various autoinflammatory symptoms, such as granuloma formation in the skin or urinary tract and Crohn-like colitis. Owing to improved antimicrobial treatment strategies, the majority of CGD patients reaches adulthood, yet the autoinflammatory manifestations become more prominent by lack of causative treatment options. The underlying pathomechanisms driving hyperinflammatory reactions in CGD are poorly understood, but recent studies implicate reduced neutrophil apoptosis and efferocytosis, dysbalanced innate immune receptors, altered T-cell surface redox levels, induction of Th17 cells, the enzyme indolamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), impaired Nrf2 activity, and inflammasome activation. Here we discuss immunological mechanisms of hyperinflammation and their potential therapeutic implications in CGD. PMID:21808651

Electron cyclotron resonance plasma reactor for production of carbon stripper foil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faith Romero, Camille; Kanamori, Keita; Kinsho, Michikazu; Yoshimoto, Masahiro; Wada, Motoi

2018-01-01

A graphite antenna for the production of carbon-containing hydrogen plasmas is being developed to prepare impurity-free charge exchange foils for high-energy synchrotrons. Microwave power at 2.45 GHz frequency drives a coaxial structure antenna with a 12-mm-diameter central graphite cylinder and a tapered surrounding cylinder serving as the ground electrode. The antenna was placed in a linear magnetic field to investigate how it performs under an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) condition. A clear resonance phenomenon was observed in plasma luminosity, microwave power absorption, and microwave power reflection when the induction current used to produce a linear magnetic field was changed. The antenna realized the best microwave coupling to the plasma with the ECR zone formed 5 mm from the end of the center electrode. The antenna realized stable operation for more than 5 h with 100 W input microwave power and with operating hydrogen pressure from 0.5 to 50 Pa.

Turbulence in high-beta ASDEX upgrade advanced scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doerk, H.; Bock, A.; Di Siena, A.; Fable, E.; Görler, T.; Jenko, F.; Stober, J.; The ASDEX Upgrade Team

2018-01-01

Recent experiments at ASDEX Upgrade achieve non-inductive operation in full tungsten wall conditions by applying electron cyclotron and neutral beam current drive. These discharges are characterised by a well-measured safety factor profile, which does not drop below one, and a good energy confinement. By reproducing the experimental heat fluxes, nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations suggest that the observed strong peaking of the ion temperature in the core is caused by the stabilising impact of a significant beam ion content, as well as strong electromagnetic effects on turbulent transport. Quasilinear transport models are not yet applicable in this interesting and reactor relevant parameter regime, but available simulation data may serve as a testbed for improvements. As the present plasma is close to the kinetic ballooning (KBM) threshold, elevating the safety factor profile under otherwise identical conditions is proposed to clarify, whether profiles are ultimately limited by KBM turbulence, or by global stability constraints.

MEMS-based thermally-actuated image stabilizer for cellular phone camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Chun-Ying; Chiou, Jin-Chern

2012-11-01

This work develops an image stabilizer (IS) that is fabricated using micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology and is designed to counteract the vibrations when human using cellular phone cameras. The proposed IS has dimensions of 8.8 × 8.8 × 0.3 mm3 and is strong enough to suspend an image sensor. The processes that is utilized to fabricate the IS includes inductive coupled plasma (ICP) processes, reactive ion etching (RIE) processes and the flip-chip bonding method. The IS is designed to enable the electrical signals from the suspended image sensor to be successfully emitted out using signal output beams, and the maximum actuating distance of the stage exceeds 24.835 µm when the driving current is 155 mA. Depending on integration of MEMS device and designed controller, the proposed IS can decrease the hand tremor by 72.5%.

Prospects for Off-axis Current Drive via High Field Side Lower Hybrid Current Drive in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wukitch, S. J.; Shiraiwa, S.; Wallace, G. M.; Bonoli, P. T.; Holcomb, C.; Park, J. M.; Pinsker, R. I.

2017-10-01

An outstanding challenge for an economical, steady state tokamak is efficient off-axis current drive scalable to reactors. Previous studies have focused on high field side (HFS) launch of lower hybrid waves for current drive (LHCD) in double null configurations in reactor grade plasmas. The goal of this work is to find a HFS LHCD scenario for DIII-D that balances coupling, power penetration and damping. The higher magnetic field on the HFS improves wave accessibility, which allows for lower n||waves to be launched. These waves penetrate farther into the plasma core before damping at higher Te yielding a higher current drive efficiency. Utilizing advanced ray tracing and Fokker Planck simulation tools (GENRAY+CQL3D), wave penetration, absorption and drive current profiles in high performance DIII-D H-Mode plasmas were investigated. We found LH scenarios with single pass absorption, excellent wave penetration to r/a 0.6-0.8, FWHM r/a=0.2 and driven current up to 0.37 MA/MW coupled. These simulations indicate that HFS LHCD has potential to achieve efficient off-axis current drive in DIII-D and the latest results will be presented. Work supported by U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, using User Facility DIII-D, under Award No. DE-FC02-04ER54698 and Contract No. DE-FC02-01ER54648 under Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing Initiative.

Investigation of Combined Motor/Magnetic Bearings for Flywheel Energy Storage Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hofmann, Heath

2003-01-01

Dr. Hofmann's work in the summer of 2003 consisted of two separate projects. In the first part of the summer, Dr. Hofmann prepared and collected information regarding rotor losses in synchronous machines; in particular, machines with low rotor losses operating in vacuum and supported by magnetic bearings, such as the motor/generator for flywheel energy storage systems. This work culminated in a presentation at NASA Glenn Research Center on this topic. In the second part, Dr. Hofmann investigated an approach to flywheel energy storage where the phases of the flywheel motor/generator are connected in parallel with the phases of an induction machine driving a mechanical actuator. With this approach, additional power electronics for driving the flywheel unit are not required. Simulations of the connection of a flywheel energy storage system to a model of an electromechanical actuator testbed at NASA Glenn were performed that validated the proposed approach. A proof-of-concept experiment using the D1 flywheel unit at NASA Glenn and a Sundstrand induction machine connected to a dynamometer was successfully conducted.

Steady State Advanced Tokamak (SSAT): The mission and the machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomassen, K.; Goldston, R.; Nevins, B.; Neilson, H.; Shannon, T.; Montgomery, B.

1992-03-01

Extending the tokamak concept to the steady state regime and pursuing advances in tokamak physics are important and complementary steps for the magnetic fusion energy program. The required transition away from inductive current drive will provide exciting opportunities for advances in tokamak physics, as well as important impetus to drive advances in fusion technology. Recognizing this, the Fusion Policy Advisory Committee and the U.S. National Energy Strategy identified the development of steady state tokamak physics and technology, and improvements in the tokamak concept, as vital elements in the magnetic fusion energy development plan. Both called for the construction of a steady state tokamak facility to address these plan elements. Advances in physics that produce better confinement and higher pressure limits are required for a similar unit size reactor. Regimes with largely self-driven plasma current are required to permit a steady-state tokamak reactor with acceptable recirculating power. Reliable techniques of disruption control will be needed to achieve the availability goals of an economic reactor. Thus the central role of this new tokamak facility is to point the way to a more attractive demonstration reactor (DEMO) than the present data base would support. To meet the challenges, we propose a new 'Steady State Advanced Tokamak' (SSAT) facility that would develop and demonstrate optimized steady state tokamak operating mode. While other tokamaks in the world program employ superconducting toroidal field coils, SSAT would be the first major tokamak to operate with a fully superconducting coil set in the elongated, divertor geometry planned for ITER and DEMO.

Visual function and fitness to drive.

PubMed

Kotecha, Aachal; Spratt, Alexander; Viswanathan, Ananth

2008-01-01

Driving is recognized to be a visually intensive task and accordingly there is a legal minimum standard of vision required for all motorists. The purpose of this paper is to review the current United Kingdom (UK) visual requirements for driving and discuss the evidence base behind these legal rules. The role of newer, alternative tests of visual function that may be better indicators of driving safety will also be considered. Finally, the implications of ageing on driving ability are discussed. A search of Medline and PubMed databases was performed using the following keywords: driving, vision, visual function, fitness to drive and ageing. In addition, papers from the Department of Transport website and UK Royal College of Ophthalmologists guidelines were studied. Current UK visual standards for driving are based upon historical concepts, but recent advances in technology have brought about more sophisticated methods for assessing the status of the binocular visual field and examining visual attention. These tests appear to be better predictors of driving performance. Further work is required to establish whether these newer tests should be incorporated in the current UK visual standards when examining an individual's fitness to drive.

Experimental Study for Reduction of Noises and Vibrations in Hermetic Type Compressor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sano, Kiyoshi; Kawahara, Sadao; Akazawa, Teruyuki; Ishii, Noriaki

A brushless DC motor with a permanent magnet rotor has been adopted for a scroll compressor for domestic-use air-conditioners because of a demand for compressor high efficiency. A waveform of the driving voltage in the inverter power supply unit is chopped by the PWM signal. Its duty ratio is increased/decreased to control the DC voltage in order to provide a wide range of rotation frequencies for the compressor. The driving voltage includes the carrier frequency and its harmonic components, which produce an electro-magnetic force in the moter, resulting in high electro-magnetic noise. In the present report, the author clarifies the relationships between the noise and the waveform of driving voltage and frequency response function of the motor. A method to improve the frequency response function by changing the stator shape in order to reduce electro-magnetic noise is presented. Subsequently, the influence on electro-magnetic noise from the waveform of driving voltage is examined. Furthermore, the electro-magnetic noises during inverter driving of an induction motor are presented.

Changes in membrane lipids drive increased endocytosis following Fas ligation.

PubMed

Degli Esposti, Mauro; Matarrese, Paola; Tinari, Antonella; Longo, Agostina; Recalchi, Serena; Khosravi-Far, Roya; Malorni, Walter; Misasi, Roberta; Garofalo, Tina; Sorice, Maurizio

2017-05-01

Once activated, some surface receptors promote membrane movements that open new portals of endocytosis, in part to facilitate the internalization of their activated complexes. The prototypic death receptor Fas (CD95/Apo1) promotes a wave of enhanced endocytosis that induces a transient intermixing of endosomes with mitochondria in cells that require mitochondria to amplify death signaling. This initiates a global alteration in membrane traffic that originates from changes in key membrane lipids occurring in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We have focused the current study on specific lipid changes occurring early after Fas ligation. We analyzed the interaction between endosomes and mitochondria in Jurkat T cells by nanospray-Time-of-flight (ToF) Mass Spectrometry. Immediately after Fas ligation, we found a transient wave of lipid changes that drives a subpopulation of early endosomes to merge with mitochondria. The earliest event appears to be a decrease of phosphatidylcholine (PC), linked to a metabolic switch enhancing phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphoinositides, which are crucial for the formation of vacuolar membranes and endocytosis. Lipid changes occur independently of caspase activation and appear to be exacerbated by caspase inhibition. Conversely, inhibition or compensation of PC deficiency attenuates endocytosis, endosome-mitochondria mixing and the induction of cell death. Deficiency of receptor interacting protein, RIP, also limits the specific changes in membrane lipids that are induced by Fas activation, with parallel reduction of endocytosis. Thus, Fas activation rapidly changes the interconversion of PC and PI, which then drives enhanced endocytosis, thus likely propagating death signaling from the cell surface to mitochondria and other organelles.

The effects of positive emotion priming on self-reported reckless driving.

PubMed

Taubman-Ben-Ari, Orit

2012-03-01

Five studies examined the effects of positive emotion priming on the willingness to drive recklessly. In all five, young drivers were exposed to one of the following primes of positive affect: a positive mood story; happy memories; an exciting film; a relaxing film; or thoughts on the meaning in life. Following the prime, the participants were asked to report on their willingness to drive recklessly. The responses were compared to those of groups exposed either to neutral affect, another kind of positive affect, or negative affect priming. In two of the studies, participants were also asked to report on their driving styles (risky, anxious, angry, or careful) as a second dependent variable. Positive affect, especially in the form of arousal, was found to be related to higher willingness to drive recklessly. Although men tended to report higher intentions to drive recklessly, men and women did not react differently to the emotional induction. Most interestingly, positive emotions of a relaxing nature, as well as thinking about the meaning in life, lowered the willingness to engage in risky driving. The discussion emphasizes the importance of looking for new ways to use positive emotions effectively in road safety interventions, and considers the practical implications of the studies. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neutron detection using the superconducting Nb-based current-biased kinetic inductance detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shishido, Hiroaki; Yamaguchi, Hiroyuki; Miki, Yuya; Miyajima, Shigeyuki; Oikawa, Kenichi; Harada, Masahide; Hidaka, Mutsuo; Oku, Takayuki; Arai, Masatoshi; Fujimaki, Akira; Ishida, Takekazu

2017-09-01

We demonstrate neutron detection using a solid-state 3He-free superconducting current-biased kinetic inductance detector (CB-KID), which consists of a superconducting Nb meander line and 10B neutron absorption layer. The CB-KID is based on the transient process of kinetic inductance of Cooper pairs induced by the nuclear reaction between 10B and neutrons. Therefore, the CB-KID can be operated in a wide superconducting region in the bias current-temperature diagram, as demonstrated in this paper. The transient change of the kinetic inductance induces the electromagnetic wave pulse under a DC bias current. The signal propagates along the meander line toward both sides with opposite polarity, where the signal polarity is dominated by the bias current direction. The full width at half maximum of the signals remains on the order of a few tens of ns, which confirms the high-speed operation of our detectors. We determine the neutron incident position within 1.3 mm accuracy in one dimension using the multichannel CB-KIDs.

MESSENGER: Exploring Mercury's Magnetosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slavin, James A.; Krimigis, Stamatios M.; Acuna, Mario H.; Anderson, Brian J.; Baker, Daniel N.; Koehn, Patrick L.; Korth, Haje; Levi, Stefano; Mauk, Barry H.; Solomon, Sean C.;

A multi-port power electronics interface for battery powered electric vehicles: Application of inductively coupled wireless power transfer and hybrid energy storage system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDonough, Matthew Kelly

Climate change, pollution, and geopolitical conflicts arising from the extreme wealth concentrations caused by fossil fuel deposits are just a few of the side-effects of the way that we fuel our society. A new method to power our civilization is becoming more and more necessary. Research for new, more sustainable fuel sources is already underway due to research in wind, solar, geothermal, and hydro power. However this focus is mainly on stationary applications. A large portion of fossil fuel usage comes from transportation. Unfortunately, the transition to cleaner transportation fuels is being stunted by the inability to store adequate amounts of energy in electro-chemical batteries. The idea of charging while driving has been proposed by many researchers, however several challenges still exist. In this work some of these challenges are addressed. Specifically, the ability to route power from multiple sources/loads is investigated. Special attention is paid to adjusting the time constant of particular converters, namely the battery and ultra-capacitor converters to reduce the high frequency and high magnitude current components applied to the battery terminals. This is done by developing a closed loop model of the entire multi-port converter, including the state of charge of the ultra-capacitors. The development of closed loop models and two experimental testbeds for use as stationary vehicle charging platforms with their unique set of sources/loads are presented along-side an on-board charger to demonstrate the similarities and differences between stationary charging and mobile charging. Experimental results from each are given showing that it is not only possible, but feasible to utilize Inductively Coupled Wireless Power Transfer (ICWPT) to charge a battery powered electric vehicle while driving and still protect the life-span of the batteries under the new, harsher conditions generated by the ICWPT system.

Inductive Non-Contact Position Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Youngquist, Robert; Garcia, Alyssa; Simmons, Stephen

2010-01-01

Optical hardware has been developed to measure the depth of defects in the Space Shuttle Orbiter's windows. In this hardware, a mirror is translated such that its position corresponds to the defect's depth, so the depth measurement problem is transferred to a mirror-position measurement problem. This is preferable because the mirror is internal to the optical system and thus accessible. Based on requirements supplied by the window inspectors, the depth of the defects needs to be measured over a range of 200 microns with a resolution of about 100 nm and an accuracy of about 400 nm. These same requirements then apply to measuring the position of the mirror, and in addition, since this is a scanning system, a response time of about 10 ms is needed. A market search was conducted and no sensor that met these requirements that also fit into the available housing volume (less than one cubic inch) was found, so a novel sensor configuration was constructed to meet the requirements. This new sensor generates a nearly linearly varying magnetic field over a small region of space, which can easily be sampled, resulting in a voltage proportional to position. Experiments were done with a range of inductor values, drive voltages, drive frequencies, and inductor shapes. A rough mathematical model was developed for the device that, in most aspects, describes how it operates and what electrical parameters should be chosen for best performance. The final configuration met all the requirements, yielding a small rugged sensor that was easy to use and had nanometer resolution over more than the 200-micron range required. The inductive position sensor is a compact device (potentially as small as 2 cubic centimeters), which offers nanometer-position resolution over a demonstrated range of nearly 1 mm. One of its advantages is the simplicity of its electrical design. Also, the sensor resolution is nearly uniform across its operational range, which is in contrast to eddy current and capacitive sensors whose sensitivity is dependent upon position.

The development and testing of a linear induction motor being fed from the source with limited electric power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiunov, V. V.

2018-02-01

The report provides results of the research related to the tubular linear induction motors’ application. The motors’ design features, a calculation model, a description of test specimens for mining and electric power industry are introduced. The most attention is given to the single-phase motors for high voltage switches drives with the usage of inexpensive standard single-phase transformers for motors’ power supply. The method of the motor’s parameters determination, when the motor is being fed from the transformer, working in the overload mode, was described, and the results of it practical usage were good enough for the engineering practice.

Emotional Learning Based Intelligent Controllers for Rotor Flux Oriented Control of Induction Motor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdollahi, Rohollah; Farhangi, Reza; Yarahmadi, Ali

2014-08-01

This paper presents design and evaluation of a novel approach based on emotional learning to improve the speed control system of rotor flux oriented control of induction motor. The controller includes a neuro-fuzzy system with speed error and its derivative as inputs. A fuzzy critic evaluates the present situation, and provides the emotional signal (stress). The controller modifies its characteristics so that the critics stress is reduced. The comparative simulation results show that the proposed controller is more robust and hence found to be a suitable replacement of the conventional PI controller for the high performance industrial drive applications.

High-efficiency induction motor drives using type-2 fuzzy logic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khemis, A.; Benlaloui, I.; Drid, S.; Chrifi-Alaoui, L.; Khamari, D.; Menacer, A.

2018-03-01

In this work we propose to develop an algorithm for improving the efficiency of an induction motor using type-2 fuzzy logic. Vector control is used to control this motor due to the high performances of this strategy. The type-2 fuzzy logic regulators are developed to obtain the optimal rotor flux for each torque load by minimizing the copper losses. We have compared the performances of our fuzzy type-2 algorithm with the type-1 fuzzy one proposed in the literature. The proposed algorithm is tested with success on the dSPACE DS1104 system even if there is parameters variance.

Turbulent current drive mechanisms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McDevitt, Christopher J.; Tang, Xian-Zhu; Guo, Zehua

Mechanisms through which plasma microturbulence can drive a mean electron plasma current are derived. The efficiency through which these turbulent contributions can drive deviations from neoclassical predictions of the electron current profile is computed by employing a linearized Coulomb collision operator. It is found that a non-diffusive contribution to the electron momentum flux as well as an anomalous electron-ion momentum exchange term provide the most efficient means through which turbulence can modify the mean electron current for the cases considered. Such turbulent contributions appear as an effective EMF within Ohm’s law, and hence provide an ideal means for driving deviationsmore » from neoclassical predictions.« less

Turbulent current drive mechanisms

DOE PAGES

McDevitt, Christopher J.; Tang, Xian-Zhu; Guo, Zehua

2017-07-01

Mechanisms through which plasma microturbulence can drive a mean electron plasma current are derived. The efficiency through which these turbulent contributions can drive deviations from neoclassical predictions of the electron current profile is computed by employing a linearized Coulomb collision operator. It is found that a non-diffusive contribution to the electron momentum flux as well as an anomalous electron-ion momentum exchange term provide the most efficient means through which turbulence can modify the mean electron current for the cases considered. Such turbulent contributions appear as an effective EMF within Ohm’s law, and hence provide an ideal means for driving deviationsmore » from neoclassical predictions.« less

Demonstration of Tokamak Ohmic Flux Saving by Transient Coaxial Helicity Injection in the National Spherical Torus Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raman, R.; Mueller, D.; Nelson, B. A.; Jarboe, T. R.; Gerhardt, S.; Kugel, H. W.; Leblanc, B.; Maingi, R.; Menard, J.; Ono, M.; Paul, S.; Roquemore, L.; Sabbagh, S.; Soukhanovskii, V.

2010-03-01

Transient coaxial helicity injection (CHI) started discharges in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) have attained peak currents up to 300 kA and when coupled to induction, it has produced up to 200 kA additional current over inductive-only operation. CHI in NSTX has shown to be energetically quite efficient, producing a plasma current of about 10 A/J of capacitor bank energy. In addition, for the first time, the CHI-produced toroidal current that couples to induction continues to increase with the energy supplied by the CHI power supply at otherwise similar values of the injector flux, indicating the potential for substantial current generation capability by CHI in NSTX and in future toroidal devices.

Beam-return current systems in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spicer, D. S.; Sudan, R. N.

1984-01-01

It is demonstrated that the common assumption made in solar flare beam transport theory that the beam-accompanied return current is purely electrostatically driven is incorrect, and that the return current is both electrostatically and inductively driven, in accordance with Lenz's law, with the inductive effects dominating for times greater than a few plasma periods. In addition, it is shown that a beam can only exist in a solar plasma for a finite time which is much smaller than the inductive return current dissipation time. The importance of accounting for the role of the acceleration mechanism in forming the beam is discussed. In addition, the role of return current driven anomalous resistivity and its subsequent anomalous Joule heating during the flare process is elucidated.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Yalong; Jones, Edward A.; Wang, Fred

Arm inductor in a modular multilevel converter (MMC) is used to limit the circulating current and dc short circuit fault current. The circulating current in MMC is dominated by second-order harmonic, which can be largely reduced with circulating current suppressing control. By analyzing the mechanism of the circulating current suppressing control, it is found that the circulating current at switching frequency becomes the main harmonic when suppression control is implemented. Unlike the second-order harmonic that circulates only within the three phases, switching frequency harmonic also flows through the dc side and may further cause high-frequency dc voltage harmonic. This articlemore » develops the theoretical relationship between the arm inductance and switching frequency circulating current, which can be used to guide the arm inductance selection. The experimental results with a downscaled MMC prototype verify the existence of the switching frequency circulating current and its relationship with arm inductance.« less

CRADA Final Report: Application of Dual-Mode Inverter Control to Commercially Available Radial-Gap Mermanent Magnet Motors - Vol. I

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McKeever, John W; Lawler, Jack; Downing, Mark

2006-05-01

John Deere and Company (Deere), their partner, UQM Technologies, Inc. (UQM), and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (ORNL's) Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Center (PEEMRC) recently completed work on the cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) Number ORNL 04-0691 outlined in this report. CRADA 04-0691 addresses two topical issues of interest to Deere: (1) Improved characterization of hydrogen storage and heat-transfer management; and (2) Potential benefits from advanced electric motor traction-drive technologies. This report presents the findings of the collaborative examination of potential operational and cost benefits from using ORNL/PEEMRC dual-mode inverter control (DMIC) to drive permanent magnet (PM)more » motors in applications of interest to Deere. DMIC was initially developed and patented by ORNL to enable PM motors to be driven to speeds far above base speed where the back-electromotive force (emf) equals the source voltage where it is increasingly difficult to inject current into the motor. DMIC is a modification of conventional phase advance (CPA). DMIC's dual-speed modes are below base speed, where traditional pulse-width modulation (PWM) achieves maximum torque per ampere (amp), and above base speed, where six-step operation achieves maximum power per amp. The modification that enables DMIC adds two anti-parallel thyristors in each of the three motor phases, which consequently adds the cost of six thyristors. Two features evaluated in this collaboration with potential to justify the additional thyristor cost were a possible reduction in motor cost and savings during operation because of higher efficiency, both permitted because of lower current. The collaborative analysis showed that the reduction of motor cost and base cost of the inverter was small, while the cost of adding six thyristors was greater than anticipated. Modeling the DMIC control displayed inverter efficiency gains due to reduced current, especially under light load and higher speed. This current reduction, which is the salient feature of DMIC, may be significant when operating duty cycles have low loads at high frequencies. Reduced copper losses make operation more efficient thereby reducing operating costs. In the Deere applications selected for this study, the operating benefit was overshadowed by the motor's rotational losses. Rotational losses of Deere 1 and Deere 2 dominate the overall drive efficiency so that their reduction has the greatest potential to improve performance. A good follow-up project would be to explore cost erective ways to reduce the rotational losses buy 66%. During this analysis it has been shown that, for a PM synchronous motor (PMSM), the DMIC's salient feature is its ability to minimize the current required to deliver a given power. The root-mean-square (rms) current of a motor is determined by the speed, power, motor drive parameters, and controls as I{sub rms} = (n, P, motor drive parameters, controls), where n is the relative speed, {omega}/{omega}{sub base} = {Omega}/{Omega}{sub base}, {omega} is the mechanical frequency, {Omega} is the electrical frequency, and P is the power. The characteristic current is the rms current at infinite speed, when all resistance and rotational losses are neglected. Expressions have been derived for the characteristic currents of PMSMs when the motor is controlled by CPA and by DMIC. The expression for CPA characteristic current is I{sub n{yields}{infinity}}{sup CPA} = nE{sub base}/X = nE{sub base}/n{Omega}{sub b}L = E{sub base}/{Omega}{sub b}L, which is strictly a function of the machine parameters, back-emf at base speed, base speed electrical frequency, and inductance. At high speeds, the rms current tends to remain constant even when the load-power requirements are reduced. The expression for DMIC characteristic current is I{sub n{yields}{infinity}}{sup DMIC} = P/3V{sub max} = P{pi}/3{radical}2V{sub dc}, which has nothing to do with machine parameters. This interesting result shows that at high speeds under DMIC control, the rms current diminishes as the load-power requirements are reduced. It also shows that the DMIC characteristic current can be further reduced by increasing the dc supply voltage. This explains the main benefit of DMIC; its ability to minimize the current required to meet a required load.« less

Experimental study of current loss and plasma formation in the Z machine post-hole convolute

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez, M. R.; Gilgenbach, R. M.; Cuneo, M. E.; Jennings, C. A.; McBride, R. D.; Waisman, E. M.; Hutsel, B. T.; Stygar, W. A.; Rose, D. V.; Maron, Y.

2017-01-01

The Z pulsed-power generator at Sandia National Laboratories drives high energy density physics experiments with load currents of up to 26 MA. Z utilizes a double post-hole convolute to combine the current from four parallel magnetically insulated transmission lines into a single transmission line just upstream of the load. Current loss is observed in most experiments and is traditionally attributed to inefficient convolute performance. The apparent loss current varies substantially for z-pinch loads with different inductance histories; however, a similar convolute impedance history is observed for all load types. This paper details direct spectroscopic measurements of plasma density, temperature, and apparent and actual plasma closure velocities within the convolute. Spectral measurements indicate a correlation between impedance collapse and plasma formation in the convolute. Absorption features in the spectra show the convolute plasma consists primarily of hydrogen, which likely forms from desorbed electrode contaminant species such as H2O , H2 , and hydrocarbons. Plasma densities increase from 1 ×1016 cm-3 (level of detectability) just before peak current to over 1 ×1017 cm-3 at stagnation (tens of ns later). The density seems to be highest near the cathode surface, with an apparent cathode to anode plasma velocity in the range of 35 - 50 cm /μ s . Similar plasma conditions and convolute impedance histories are observed in experiments with high and low losses, suggesting that losses are driven largely by load dynamics, which determine the voltage on the convolute.

Plasma current start-up using the lower hybrid wave on the TST-2 spherical tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takase, Y.; Ejiri, A.; Inada, T.; Moeller, C. P.; Shinya, T.; Tsujii, N.; Yajima, S.; Furui, H.; Homma, H.; Imamura, K.; Nakamura, K.; Nakamura, K.; Sonehara, M.; Takeuchi, T.; Togashi, H.; Tsuda, S.; Yoshida, Y.

2015-12-01

Non-inductive plasma current start-up, ramp-up and sustainment by waves in the lower hybrid wave (LHW) frequency range at 200 MHz were investigated on the TST-2 spherical tokamak (R0 ≤ 0.38 m, a ≤ 0.25 m, Bt0 ≤ 0.3T, Ip ≤ 0.14 MA). Experimental results obtained using three types of antenna were compared. Both the highest plasma current (Ip = 18 kA) and the highest current drive figure of merit ηCD≡n¯eIpR0/PRF=1.4 ×1017 A/W/m2 were achieved using the capacitively-coupled combline (CCC) antenna, designed to excite the LHW with a sharp and highly directional wavenumber spectrum. For Ip greater than about 5 kA, high energy electrons accelerated by the LHW become the dominant carrier of plasma current. The low value of ηCD observed so far are believed to be caused by a rapid loss of energetic electrons and parasitic losses of the LHW energy in the plasma periphery. ηCD is expected to improve by an order of magnitude by increasing the plasma current to improve energetic electron confinement. In addition, edge power losses are expected to be reduced by increasing the toroidal magnetic field to improve wave accessibility to the plasma core, and by launching the LHW from the inboard upper region of the torus to achieve better single-pass absorption.

Phosphorylation of a WRKY transcription factor by two pathogen-responsive MAPKs drives phytoalexin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Mao, Guohong; Meng, Xiangzong; Liu, Yidong; Zheng, Zuyu; Chen, Zhixiang; Zhang, Shuqun

2011-04-01

Plant sensing of invading pathogens triggers massive metabolic reprogramming, including the induction of secondary antimicrobial compounds known as phytoalexins. We recently reported that MPK3 and MPK6, two pathogen-responsive mitogen-activated protein kinases, play essential roles in the induction of camalexin, the major phytoalexin in Arabidopsis thaliana. In search of the transcription factors downstream of MPK3/MPK6, we found that WRKY33 is required for MPK3/MPK6-induced camalexin biosynthesis. In wrky33 mutants, both gain-of-function MPK3/MPK6- and pathogen-induced camalexin production are compromised, which is associated with the loss of camalexin biosynthetic gene activation. WRKY33 is a pathogen-inducible transcription factor, whose expression is regulated by the MPK3/MPK6 cascade. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays reveal that WRKY33 binds to its own promoter in vivo, suggesting a potential positive feedback regulatory loop. Furthermore, WRKY33 is a substrate of MPK3/MPK6. Mutation of MPK3/MPK6 phosphorylation sites in WRKY33 compromises its ability to complement the camalexin induction in the wrky33 mutant. Using a phospho-protein mobility shift assay, we demonstrate that WRKY33 is phosphorylated by MPK3/MPK6 in vivo in response to Botrytis cinerea infection. Based on these data, we conclude that WRKY33 functions downstream of MPK3/MPK6 in reprogramming the expression of camalexin biosynthetic genes, which drives the metabolic flow to camalexin production in Arabidopsis challenged by pathogens.

The classification of explosion-proof protected induction motor into adequate temperature and efficiency class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brinovar, Iztok; Srpčič, Gregor; Seme, Sebastijan; Štumberger, Bojan; Hadžiselimović, Miralem

2017-07-01

This article deals with the classification of explosion-proof protected induction motors, which are used in hazardous areas, into adequate temperature and efficiency class. Hazardous areas are defined as locations with a potentially explosive atmosphere where explosion may occur due to present of flammable gasses, liquids or combustible dusts (industrial plants, mines, etc.). Electric motors and electrical equipment used in such locations must be specially designed and tested to prevent electrical initiation of explosion due to high surface temperature and arcing contacts. This article presents the basic tests of three-phase explosion-proof protected induction motor with special emphasis on the measuring system and temperature rise test. All the measurements were performed with high-accuracy instrumentation and accessory equipment and carried out at the Institute of energy technology in the Electric machines and drives laboratory and Applied electrical engineering laboratory.

Performance testing of a high frequency link converter for Space Station power distribution system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sul, S. K.; Alan, I.; Lipo, T. A.

1989-01-01

The testing of a brassboard version of a 20-kHz high-frequency ac voltage link prototype converter dynamics for Space Station application is presented. The converter is based on a three-phase six-pulse bridge concept. The testing includes details of the operation of the converter when it is driving an induction machine source/load. By adapting a field orientation controller (FOC) to the converter, four-quadrant operation of the induction machine from the converter has been achieved. Circuit modifications carried out to improve the performance of the converter are described. The performance of two 400-Hz induction machines powered by the converter with simple V/f regulation mode is reported. The testing and performance results for the converter utilizing the FOC, which provides the capability for rapid torque changes, speed reversal, and four-quadrant operation, are reported.

The Safety of Aircraft Exposed to Electromagnetic Fields: HIRF Testing of Aircraft Using Direct Current Injection

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

massive RF power to the antenna feed points without providing an inductive path to earth. Given all the above challenges, and especially the... circuit theory currents are flowing limited by the three parallel 50 ohm resistances and low inductive reactance. This plateaus at eigencurrent...relative to nett TEM cell input power has been calculated: Figure 86 Expected power output from probe, neglecting probe inductance DSTO-RR-0329

Numerical analysis on the synergy between electron cyclotron current drive and lower hybrid current drive in tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, S. Y.; Hong, B. B.; Liu, Y.; Lu, W.; Huang, J.; Tang, C. J.; Ding, X. T.; Zhang, X. J.; Hu, Y. J.

2012-11-01

The synergy between electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) and lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) is investigated numerically with the parameters of the HL-2A tokamak. Based on the understanding of the synergy mechanisms, a high current driven efficiency or a desired radial current profile can be achieved through properly matching the parameters of ECCD and LHCD due to the flexibility of ECCD. Meanwhile, it is found that the total current driven by the electron cyclotron wave (ECW) and the lower hybrid wave (LHW) simultaneously can be smaller than the sum of the currents driven by the ECW and LHW separately, when the power of the ECW is much larger than the LHW power. One of the reasons leading to this phenomenon (referred to as negative synergy in this context) is that fast current-carrying electrons tend to be trapped, when the perpendicular velocity driven by the ECW is large and the parallel velocity decided by the LHW is correspondingly small.

Apparatus for characterizing conductivity of materials by measuring the effect of induced shielding currents therein

DOEpatents

Doss, James D.

1991-01-01

Apparatus and method for noncontact, radio-frequency shielding current characterization of materials. Self- or mutual inductance changes in one or more inductive elements, respectively, occur when materials capable of supporting shielding currents are placed in proximity thereto, or undergo change in resistivity while in place. Such changes can be observed by incorporating the inductor(s) in a resonant circuit and determining the frequency of oscillation or by measuring the voltage induced on a coupled inductive element. The present invention is useful for determining the critical temperature and superconducting transition width for superconducting samples.

High magnetic field ohmically decoupled non-contact technology

DOEpatents

Wilgen, John [Oak Ridge, TN; Kisner, Roger [Knoxville, TN; Ludtka, Gerard [Oak Ridge, TN; Ludtka, Gail [Oak Ridge, TN; Jaramillo, Roger [Knoxville, TN

2009-05-19

Methods and apparatus are described for high magnetic field ohmically decoupled non-contact treatment of conductive materials in a high magnetic field. A method includes applying a high magnetic field to at least a portion of a conductive material; and applying an inductive magnetic field to at least a fraction of the conductive material to induce a surface current within the fraction of the conductive material, the surface current generating a substantially bi-directional force that defines a vibration. The high magnetic field and the inductive magnetic field are substantially confocal, the fraction of the conductive material is located within the portion of the conductive material and ohmic heating from the surface current is ohmically decoupled from the vibration. An apparatus includes a high magnetic field coil defining an applied high magnetic field; an inductive magnetic field coil coupled to the high magnetic field coil, the inductive magnetic field coil defining an applied inductive magnetic field; and a processing zone located within both the applied high magnetic field and the applied inductive magnetic field. The high magnetic field and the inductive magnetic field are substantially confocal, and ohmic heating of a conductive material located in the processing zone is ohmically decoupled from a vibration of the conductive material.

Design of an Integrated-System FARAD Thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polzin, K.A.; Rose, R.F.; Miller, R.; Owens, T.

2007-01-01

Pulsed inductive plasma accelerators are spacecraft propulsion devices in which energy is stored in a capacitor and then discharged through an inductive coil. The device is electrodeless, inducing a current s heet in a plasma located near the face of the coil. The propellant is accelerated and expelled at a high exhaust velocity (order of 10 km/s) through the interaction of the plasma current and the induced magne tic field, The Faraday Accelerator with RF-Assisted Discharge (FARAD) thruster is a type of pulsed inductive plasma accelerator in which t he plasma is preionized by a mechanism separate from that used to for m the current sheet and accelerate the gas. Employing a separate preionization mechanism allows for the formation of an inductive current s heet at much lower discharge energies and voltages than those used in previous pulsed inductive accelerators like the Pulsed Inductive Thr uster (PIT). In this paper, we present the design of a benchtop FARAD thruster with all the subsystems (mass injection, preionization, and acceleration) integrated into a single unit. Design of the thruster follows the guidelines and similarity performance parameters presented elsewhere. The system is designed to use the ringing, RF-frequency s ignal produced by a discharging Vector Inversion Generator (VIG) to p reionize the gas. The acceleration stage operates on the order of 100 J/pulse and can be driven by several different pulsed powertrains. These include a simple capacitor coupled to the system, a Bernardes and Merryman configuration, and a pulsecompression circuit that takes a temporally broad, low current pulse and transforms it into a short, h igh current pulse. A set of applied magnetic field coils are integrated into the system to guide the preionized propellant as it spreads ov er the face of the inductive acceleration coil. The coils are operate d in a pulsed mode, and the thruster can be operated without using the coils to determine if there is a performance improvement gain realiz ed when an applied field is present.

Out on a Limb: The Efficacy of Teacher Induction in Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shockley, Robert; Watlington, Eliah; Felsher, Rivka

2013-01-01

This article reports the results of a qualitative meta-analysis study of the research and literature on the efficacy of teacher induction on the retention of high-quality secondary school teachers and challenges current assumptions about the efficacy of induction despite the proliferation of induction programs nationwide. A theoretical model for…

Global electromagnetic induction in the moon and planets. [poloidal eddy current transient response

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dyal, P.; Parkin, C. W.

1973-01-01

Experiments and analyses concerning electromagnetic induction in the moon and other extraterrestrial bodies are summarized. The theory of classical electromagnetic induction in a sphere is first considered, and this treatment is extended to the case of the moon, where poloidal eddy-current response has been found experimentally to dominate other induction modes. Analysis of lunar poloidal induction yields lunar internal electrical conductivity and temperature profiles. Two poloidal-induction analytical techniques are discussed: a transient-response method applied to time-series magnetometer data, and a harmonic-analysis method applied to data numerically Fourier-transformed to the frequency domain, with emphasis on the former technique. Attention is given to complicating effects of the solar wind interaction with both induced poloidal fields and remanent steady fields. The static magnetization field induction mode is described, from which are calculated bulk magnetic permeability profiles. Magnetic field measurements obtained from the moon and from fly-bys of Venus and Mars are studied to determine the feasibility of extending theoretical and experimental induction techniques to other bodies in the solar system.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harvey, R. W.

This DOE grant supported fusion energy research, a potential long-term solution to the world's energy needs. Magnetic fusion, exemplified by confinement of very hot ionized gases, i.e., plasmas, in donut-shaped tokamak vessels is a leading approach for this energy source. Thus far, a mixture of hydrogen isotopes has produced 10's of megawatts of fusion power for seconds in a tokamak reactor at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in New Jersey. The research grant under consideration, ER54684, uses computer models to aid in understanding and projecting efficacy of heating and current drive sources in the National Spherical Torus Experiment, a tokamak variant,more » at PPPL. The NSTX experiment explores the physics of very tight aspect ratio, almost spherical tokamaks, aiming at producing steady-state fusion plasmas. The current drive is an integral part of the steady-state concept, maintaining the magnetic geometry in the steady-state tokamak. CompX further developed and applied models for radiofrequency (rf) heating and current drive for applications to NSTX. These models build on a 30 year development of rf ray tracing (the all-frequencies GENRAY code) and higher dimensional Fokker-Planck rf-collisional modeling (the 3D collisional-quasilinear CQL3D code) at CompX. Two mainline current-drive rf modes are proposed for injection into NSTX: (1) electron Bernstein wave (EBW), and (2) high harmonic fast wave (HHFW) modes. Both these current drive systems provide a means for the rf to access the especially high density plasma--termed high beta plasma--compared to the strength of the required magnetic fields. The CompX studies entailed detailed modeling of the EBW to calculate the efficiency of the current drive system, and to determine its range of flexibility for driving current at spatial locations in the plasma cross-section. The ray tracing showed penetration into NSTX bulk plasma, relatively efficient current drive, but a limited ability to produce current over the whole radial plasma cross-section. The actual EBW experiment will cost several million dollars, and remains in the proposal stage. The HHFW current drive system has been experimentally implemented on NSTX, and successfully drives substantial current. The understanding of the experiment is to be accomplished in terms of general concepts of rf current drive, and also detailed modeling of the experiment which can discern the various competing processes which necessarily occur simultaneously in the experiment. An early discovery of the CompX codes, GENRAY and CQL3D, was that there could be significant interference between the neutral beam injection fast ions in the machine (injected for plasma heating) and the HHFW energy. Under many NSTX experimental conditions, power which could go to the fast ions would then be unavailable for current drive by the desired HHFW interaction with electrons. This result has been born out by experiments; the modeling helps in understanding difficulties with HHFW current drive, and has enabled adjustment of the experiment to avoid interaction with neutral beam injected fast ions thereby achieving stronger HHFW current drive. The detailed physics modeling of the various competing processes is almost always required in fusion energy plasma physics, to ensure a reasonably accurate and certain interpretation of the experiment, enabling the confident design of future, more advanced experiments and ultimately a commercial fusion reactor. More recent work entails detailed investigation of the interaction of the HHFW radiation for fast ions, accounting for the particularly large radius orbits in NSTX, and correlations between multiple HHFW-ion interactions. The spherical aspect of the NSTX experiment emphasized particular physics such as the large orbits which are present to some degree in all tokamaks, but gives clearer clues on the resulting physics phenomena since competing physics effects are reduced.« less

Effect of Frequency and Spatial-Harmonics on Rotary and Linear Induction Motor Characteristics

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1972-03-01

A computer analysis is made of the effect of current and MMF airgap harmonics on the output characteristics of rotary and linear induction motors. The current harmonics accompanying thyristor-control operation are evaluated by Fourier analyzing the p...

Demonstration of a non-contact x-ray source using an inductively heated pyroelectric accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klopfer, Michael; Satchouk, Vladimir; Cao, Anh; Wolowiec, Thomas; Alivov, Yahya; Molloi, Sabee

2015-04-01

X-ray emission from pyroelectric sources can be produced through non-contact thermal cycling using induction heating. In this study, we demonstrated a proof of concept non-contact x-ray source powered via induction heating. An induction heater operating at 62.5 kHz provided a total of 6.5 W of delivered peak thermal power with 140 V DC of driving voltage. The heat was applied to a ferrous substrate mechanically coupled to a cubic 1 cm3 Lithium Niobate (LiNbO3) pyroelectric crystal maintained in a 3-12 mTorr vacuum. The maximum temperature reached was 175 °C in 86 s of heating. The cooling cycle began immediately after heating and was provided by passive radiative cooling. The total combined cycle time was 250 s. x-ray photons were produced and analyzed in both heating and cooling phases. Maximum photon energies of 59 keV and 55 keV were observed during heating and cooling, respectively. Non-contact devices such as this, may find applications in cancer therapy (brachytherapy), non-destructive testing, medical imaging, and physics education fields.

Type-2 fuzzy logic control based MRAS speed estimator for speed sensorless direct torque and flux control of an induction motor drive.

PubMed

Ramesh, Tejavathu; Kumar Panda, Anup; Shiva Kumar, S

2015-07-01

In this research study, a model reference adaptive system (MRAS) speed estimator for speed sensorless direct torque and flux control (DTFC) of an induction motor drive (IMD) using two adaptation mechanism schemes are proposed to replace the conventional proportional integral controller (PIC). The first adaptation mechanism scheme is based on Type-1 fuzzy logic controller (T1FLC), which is used to achieve high performance sensorless drive in both transient as well as steady state conditions. However, the Type-1 fuzzy sets are certain and unable to work effectively when higher degree of uncertainties presents in the system which can be caused by sudden change in speed or different load disturbances, process noise etc. Therefore, a new Type-2 fuzzy logic controller (T2FLC) based adaptation mechanism scheme is proposed to better handle the higher degree of uncertainties and improves the performance and also robust to various load torque and sudden change in speed conditions, respectively. The detailed performances of various adaptation mechanism schemes are carried out in a MATLAB/Simulink environment with a speed sensor and speed sensorless modes of operation when an IMD is operating under different operating conditions, such as, no-load, load and sudden change in speed, respectively. To validate the different control approaches, the system also implemented on real-time system and adequate results are reported for its validation. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design of a Microwave Assisted Discharge Inductive Plasma Accelerator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hallock, Ashley K.; Polzin, Kurt A.

2010-01-01

A new plasma accelerator concept that employs electrodeless plasma preionization and pulsed inductive acceleration is presented. Preionization is achieved through an electron cyclotron resonance discharge that produces a weakly-ionized plasma at the face of a conical theta pinch-shaped inductive coil. The presence of the preionized plasma allows for current sheet formation at lower discharge voltages than those found in other pulsed inductive accelerators. The location of an electron cyclotron resonance discharge can be controlled through the design of the applied magnetic field in the thruster. A finite-element model of the magnetic field was used as a design tool, allowing for the implementation of an arrangement of permanent magnets that yields a small volume of preionized propellant at the coil face. This allows for current sheet formation at the face of the inductive coil, minimizing the initial inductance of the pulse circuit and maximizing the potential efficiency of the new accelerator.

Expanding Non-solenoidal Startup with Local Helicity Injection to Increased Toroidal Field and Helicity Injection Rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perry, J. M.; Barr, J. L.; Bodner, G. M.; Bongard, M. W.; Burke, M. G.; Fonck, R. J.; Hinson, E. T.; Lewicki, B. T.; Reusch, J. A.; Schlossberg, D. J.; Winz, G. R.

2015-11-01

Local helicity injection (LHI) is a non-solenoidal startup technique under development on the Pegasus ST. Plasma currents up to 0.18 MA have been initiated by LHI in conjunction with poloidal field induction. A 0-D power balance model has been developed to predict plasma current evolution by balancing helicity input against resistive dissipation. The model is being validated against a set of experimental measurements and magnetic reconstructions with radically varied plasma geometric evolutions. Outstanding physics issues with LHI startup are the scalings of confinement and MHD activity with helicity injection rate and toroidal field strength, as well as injector behavior at high field. Preliminary results from the newly-installed Thomson scattering system suggest core temperatures of a few hundred eV during LHI startup. Measurements are being expanded to multiple spatial points for ongoing confinement studies. A set of larger-area injectors is being installed in the lower divertor region, where increased toroidal field will provide a helicity injection rate over 3 times that of outboard injectors. In this regime helicity injection will be the dominant current drive. Experiments with divertor injectors will permit experimental differentiation of several possible confinement models, and demonstrate the feasibility of LHI startup at high field. Work supported by US DOE grant DE-FG02-96ER54375.

Experimental Investigation of the Effects of an Axial Magnetic Field on the Magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor Instability in Ablating Planar Foils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yager-Elorriaga, D. A.; Patel, S. G.; Steiner, A. M.; Jordan, N. M.; Weiss, M. R.; Gilgenbach, R. M.; Lau, Y. Y.

2014-10-01

Experiments are underway to study the effects an axial magnetic field on the magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability (MRT) in ablating planar foils on the 1-MA LTD at the Michigan Accelerator for Inductive Z-pinch Experiments (MAIZE) facility at the University of Michigan. For 600 kA drive current, a 15 T axial magnetic field is produced using helical return current posts. During the current pulse, the magnetic field may diffuse into the foil, creating a sheared magnetic field along with the possibility of shear stabilization of the MRT instability. Theoretical investigation at UM has shown that a sheared azimuthal magnetic field coupled with an axial magnetic field reduces the MRT growth rate in general. In order to study this effect, the amount of magnetic shear is controlled by offsetting the initial position of the foil. A 775 nm Ti:sapphire laser will be used to shadowgraph the foil in order to measure the MRT growth rate. By comparing these results to previous experiments at UM, the effects of magnetic shear and an axial magnetic field will be determined. This work was supported by US DoE. S.G. Patel and A.M. Steiner supported by NPSC funded by Sandia. D.A. Yager-Elorriaga supported by NSF fellowship Grant DGE 1256260.

Quasi-steady-state high confinement at high density by lower hybrid waves in the HT-6M tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiangang; Luo, Jiarong; Wan, Baonian; Wan, Yuanxi; Liu, Yuexiu; Yin, Finxian; Gong, Xianzu; Li, Duochuan; Liu, Shen; Jie, Yinxian; Gao, Xiang; Luo, Nancang; Jiang, Jiaguang; Han, Yuqing; Wu, Mingjun; Wang, Guangxin; Liang, Yunfeng; Yao, Ailing; Wu, Zhenwei; Zhang, Shouyin; Mao, Jiansan; Cui, Lingzhuo; Xu, Yuhong; Meng, Yuedong; Zhao, Junyu; Ding, Bolong; Li, Guiming; Xu, Xiangdong; Lin, Bili; Wei, Meishen; Yie, Weiwei

2000-03-01

The quasi-steady-state (tH > 10 τEoh) H mode with high plasma density (ELMy and ELM free) was routinely obtained by the injection of lower hybrid wave heating and lower hybrid current drive with a power threshold of 50 kW. The antenna spectrum was scanned over a wide range and τE was about 1.5-2.0 times that of the L mode scaling. The density increases by almost a factor of 3 during the H phase by gas puffing and the particle confinement time increases by more than this factor even with a line averaged density of 3 × 1013cm-3, which is about 60% of the Greenwald density limit. A hollow Te profile was achieved in the high density case. The experimental results reproducibly show a good agreement with the theoretical prediction for the LH off-axis power deposition profile. When a certain fraction of the plasma current is non-inductively sustained by the LH waves, a hollow current density profile is formed and the magnetic shear is reversed. This off-axis hollow profile and enhanced confinement improvement are attributed to a strong reduction of the electron thermal diffusivity in the reversed shear region.

Chapter 8: Plasma operation and control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ITER Physics Expert Group on Disruptions, Control, Plasma, and MHD; ITER Physics Expert Group on Energetic Particles, Heating, Current and Drive; ITER Physics Expert Group on Diagnostics; ITER Physics Basis Editors

1999-12-01

Wall conditioning of fusion devices involves removal of desorbable hydrogen isotopes and impurities from interior device surfaces to permit reliable plasma operation. Techniques used in present devices include baking, metal film gettering, deposition of thin films of low-Z material, pulse discharge cleaning, glow discharge cleaning, radio frequency discharge cleaning, and in situ limiter and divertor pumping. Although wall conditioning techniques have become increasingly sophisticated, a reactor scale facility will involve significant new challenges, including the development of techniques applicable in the presence of a magnetic field and of methods for efficient removal of tritium incorporated into co-deposited layers on plasma facing components and their support structures. The current status of various approaches is reviewed, and the implications for reactor scale devices are summarized. Creation and magnetic control of shaped and vertically unstable elongated plasmas have been mastered in many present tokamaks. The physics of equilibrium control for reactor scale plasmas will rely on the same principles, but will face additional challenges, exemplified by the ITER/FDR design. The absolute positioning of outermost flux surface and divertor strike points will have to be precise and reliable in view of the high heat fluxes at the separatrix. Long pulses will require minimal control actions, to reduce accumulation of AC losses in superconducting PF and TF coils. To this end, more complex feedback controllers are envisaged, and the experimental validation of the plasma equilibrium response models on which such controllers are designed is encouraging. Present simulation codes provide an adequate platform on which equilibrium response techniques can be validated. Burning plasmas require kinetic control in addition to traditional magnetic shape and position control. Kinetic control refers to measures controlling density, rotation and temperature in the plasma core as well as in plasma periphery and divertor. The planned diagnostics (Chapter 7) serve as sensors for kinetic control, while gas and pellet fuelling, auxiliary power and angular momentum input, impurity injection, and non-inductive current drive constitute the control actuators. For example, in an ignited plasma, core density controls fusion power output. Kinetic control algorithms vary according to the plasma state, e.g. H- or L-mode. Generally, present facilities have demonstrated the kinetic control methods required for a reactor scale device. Plasma initiation - breakdown, burnthrough and initial current ramp - in reactor scale tokamaks will not involve physics differing from that found in present day devices. For ITER, the induced electric field in the chamber will be ~0.3V· m-1 - comparable to that required by breakdown theory but somewhat smaller than in present devices. Thus, a start-up 3MW electron cyclotron heating system will be employed to assure burnthrough. Simulations show that plasma current ramp up and termination in a reactor scale device can follow procedures developed to avoid disruption in present devices. In particular, simulations remain in the stable area of the li-q plane. For design purposes, the resistive V·s consumed during initiation is found, by experiments, to follow the Ejima expression, 0.45μ0 RIp. Advanced tokamak control has two distinct goals. First, control of density, auxiliary power, and inductive current ramping to attain reverse shear q profiles and internal transport barriers, which persist until dissipated by magnetic flux diffusion. Such internal transport barriers can lead to transient ignition. Second, combined use poloidal field shape control with non-inductive current drive and NBI angular momentum injection to create and control steady state, high bootstrap fraction, reverse shear discharges. Active n = 1 magnetic feedback and/or driven rotation will be required to suppress resistive wall modes for steady state plasmas that must operate in the wall stabilized regime for reactor levels of β >= 0.03.

The use of modified scaling factors in the design of high-power, non-linear, transmitting rod-core antennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, Jared Williams; Dvorak, Steven L.; Sternberg, Ben K.

2010-10-01

In this paper, we develop a technique for designing high-power, non-linear, transmitting rod-core antennas by using simple modified scale factors rather than running labor-intensive numerical models. By using modified scale factors, a designer can predict changes in magnetic moment, inductance, core series loss resistance, etc. We define modified scale factors as the case when all physical dimensions of the rod antenna are scaled by p, except for the cross-sectional area of the individual wires or strips that are used to construct the core. This allows one to make measurements on a scaled-down version of the rod antenna using the same core material that will be used in the final antenna design. The modified scale factors were derived from prolate spheroidal analytical expressions for a finite-length rod antenna and were verified with experimental results. The modified scaling factors can only be used if the magnetic flux densities within the two scaled cores are the same. With the magnetic flux density constant, the two scaled cores will operate with the same complex permeability, thus changing the non-linear problem to a quasi-linear problem. We also demonstrate that by holding the number of turns times the drive current constant, while changing the number of turns, the inductance and core series loss resistance change by the number of turns squared. Experimental measurements were made on rod cores made from varying diameters of black oxide, low carbon steel wires and different widths of Metglas foil. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the modified scale factors work even in the presence of eddy currents within the core material.

Spin-Valve and Spin-Tunneling Devices: Read Heads, MRAMs, Field Sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freitas, P. P.

Hard disk magnetic data storage is increasing at a steady state in terms of units sold, with 144 million drives sold in 1998 (107 million for desktops, 18 million for portables, and 19 million for enterprise drives), corresponding to a total business of 34 billion US [1]. The growing need for storage coming from new PC operating systems, INTERNET applications, and a foreseen explosion of applications connected to consumer electronics (digital TV, video, digital cameras, GPS systems, etc.), keep the magnetics community actively looking for new solutions, concerning media, heads, tribology, and system electronics. Current state of the art disk drives (January 2000), using dual inductive-write, magnetoresistive-read (MR) integrated heads reach areal densities of 15 to 23 bit/μm2, capable of putting a full 20 GB in one platter (a 2 hour film occupies 10 GB). Densities beyond 80 bit/μm2 have already been demonstrated in the laboratory (Fujitsu 87 bit/μm2-Intermag 2000, Hitachi 81 bit/μm2, Read-Rite 78 bit/μ m2, Seagate 70 bit/μ m2 - all the last three demos done in the first 6 months of 2000, with IBM having demonstrated 56 bit/μ m2 already at the end of 1999). At densities near 60 bit/μm2, the linear bit size is sim 43 nm, and the width of the written tracks is sim 0.23 μm. Areal density in commercial drives is increasing steadily at a rate of nearly 100% per year [1], and consumer products above 60 bit/μm2 are expected by 2002. These remarkable achievements are only possible by a stream of technological innovations, in media [2], write heads [3], read heads [4], and system electronics [5]. In this chapter, recent advances on spin valve materials and spin valve sensor architectures, low resistance tunnel junctions and tunnel junction head architectures will be addressed.

The Mucosal Adjuvant Cholera Toxin B Instructs Non-Mucosal Dendritic Cells to Promote IgA Production Via Retinoic Acid and TGF-β

PubMed Central

Gloudemans, Anouk K.; Plantinga, Maud; Guilliams, Martin; Willart, Monique A.; Ozir-Fazalalikhan, Arifa; van der Ham, Alwin; Boon, Louis; Harris, Nicola L.; Hammad, Hamida; Hoogsteden, Henk C.; Yazdanbakhsh, Maria; Hendriks, Rudi W.

2013-01-01

It is currently unknown how mucosal adjuvants cause induction of secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA), and how T cell-dependent (TD) or -independent (TI) pathways might be involved. Mucosal dendritic cells (DCs) are the primary antigen presenting cells driving TI IgA synthesis, by producing a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), B cell activating factor (BAFF), Retinoic Acid (RA), TGF-β or nitric oxide (NO). We hypothesized that the mucosal adjuvant Cholera Toxin subunit B (CTB) could imprint non-mucosal DCs to induce IgA synthesis, and studied the mechanism of its induction. In vitro, CTB-treated bone marrow derived DCs primed for IgA production by B cells without the help of T cells, yet required co-signaling by different Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands acting via the MyD88 pathway. CTB-DC induced IgA production was blocked in vitro or in vivo when RA receptor antagonist, TGF-β signaling inhibitor or neutralizing anti-TGF-β was added, demonstrating the involvement of RA and TGF-β in promoting IgA responses. There was no major involvement for BAFF, APRIL or NO. This study highlights that synergism between CTB and MyD88-dependent TLR signals selectively imprints a TI IgA-inducing capacity in non-mucosal DCs, explaining how CTB acts as an IgA promoting adjuvant. PMID:23527272

The mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin B instructs non-mucosal dendritic cells to promote IgA production via retinoic acid and TGF-β.

PubMed

Gloudemans, Anouk K; Plantinga, Maud; Guilliams, Martin; Willart, Monique A; Ozir-Fazalalikhan, Arifa; van der Ham, Alwin; Boon, Louis; Harris, Nicola L; Hammad, Hamida; Hoogsteden, Henk C; Yazdanbakhsh, Maria; Hendriks, Rudi W; Lambrecht, Bart N; Smits, Hermelijn H

2013-01-01

It is currently unknown how mucosal adjuvants cause induction of secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA), and how T cell-dependent (TD) or -independent (TI) pathways might be involved. Mucosal dendritic cells (DCs) are the primary antigen presenting cells driving TI IgA synthesis, by producing a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), B cell activating factor (BAFF), Retinoic Acid (RA), TGF-β or nitric oxide (NO). We hypothesized that the mucosal adjuvant Cholera Toxin subunit B (CTB) could imprint non-mucosal DCs to induce IgA synthesis, and studied the mechanism of its induction. In vitro, CTB-treated bone marrow derived DCs primed for IgA production by B cells without the help of T cells, yet required co-signaling by different Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands acting via the MyD88 pathway. CTB-DC induced IgA production was blocked in vitro or in vivo when RA receptor antagonist, TGF-β signaling inhibitor or neutralizing anti-TGF-β was added, demonstrating the involvement of RA and TGF-β in promoting IgA responses. There was no major involvement for BAFF, APRIL or NO. This study highlights that synergism between CTB and MyD88-dependent TLR signals selectively imprints a TI IgA-inducing capacity in non-mucosal DCs, explaining how CTB acts as an IgA promoting adjuvant.

Epithelium-generated neuropeptide Y induces smooth muscle contraction to promote airway hyperresponsiveness.

PubMed

Li, Shanru; Koziol-White, Cynthia; Jude, Joseph; Jiang, Meiqi; Zhao, Hengjiang; Cao, Gaoyuan; Yoo, Edwin; Jester, William; Morley, Michael P; Zhou, Su; Wang, Yi; Lu, Min Min; Panettieri, Reynold A; Morrisey, Edward E

2016-05-02

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases globally and can be divided into presenting with or without an immune response. Current therapies have little effect on nonimmune disease, and the mechanisms that drive this type of asthma are poorly understood. Here, we have shown that loss of the transcription factors forkhead box P1 (Foxp1) and Foxp4, which are critical for lung epithelial development, in the adult airway epithelium evokes a non-Th2 asthma phenotype that is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) without eosinophilic inflammation. Transcriptome analysis revealed that loss of Foxp1 and Foxp4 expression induces ectopic expression of neuropeptide Y (Npy), which has been reported to be present in the airways of asthma patients, but whose importance in disease pathogenesis remains unclear. Treatment of human lung airway explants with recombinant NPY increased airway contractility. Conversely, loss of Npy in Foxp1- and Foxp4-mutant airway epithelium rescued the AHR phenotype. We determined that NPY promotes AHR through the induction of Rho kinase activity and phosphorylation of myosin light chain, which induces airway smooth muscle contraction. Together, these studies highlight the importance of paracrine signals from the airway epithelium to the underlying smooth muscle to induce AHR and suggest that therapies targeting epithelial induction of this phenotype may prove useful in treatment of noneosinophilic asthma.

Design of a Radiographic Integrated Test Stand (RITS) Based on a Voltage Adder, To Drive a Diode Immersed in a High Magnetic Field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bailey, V.L.; Corcoran, P.; Droemer, D.

Recent experiments (1) have adapted existing magne-tically insulated induction voltage adders (Sabre, Hermes III) to drive a 10 MV diode immersed in magnetic fields as high as 50 T. In such a diode, an electron beam of tens of kA can be confined by the magnetic field to a diameter of about 1 mm, and when it strikes a high-Z anode it can create a bremsstrahlung x-ray source intense enough to radiograph massive objects with high resolution. RITS is an adder system designed specially to drive such diodes, and it will be used to develop and exploit them. As inmore » other adder-based pulsers such as Sabre, Hermes III, and Kalif-Heliq the induction cells have amorphous- iron cores, and the pulse-forming system consists of water dielectric pulse lines and self-closing water switches that are pulse-charged from Marx-charged intermediate water capacitors through laser-triggered Rimfire switches. An oil prepulse switch in series with each pulse line is designed to reduce cathode prepulse to less than ± 5 kV, and a means is provided to bias the cathode and avoid negative prepulse entirely. The RITS pulse-forming system consists of two modules. Each module has one Marx that charges two 3 MV intermediate stores, each of which charges three 7.8 ohm pulselines, making six pulselines per module. The two modules in concert can supply 1.35 MV, 50 ns pulses to a twelve-cell adder and thus drive a 16 MV diode with a single pulse. The 1.35 MV induction cells each have a single-point feed, from which a single, slotted azimuthal oil transmission line distributes energy uniformly around the cell. The modules can also be pulsed separately at different times, either to power two 8 MV adders that each drive one of two closely-spaced cathodes immersed in a common magnetic field, or to provide two separate pulses to a common six- cell adder and a single 8 NIV diode; in these two-pulse modes, the spacing of the two 50 ns pulses may be chosen to be anything from a few hundred ns upward. The use of only one pulse line per cell has been shown to increase the extent to which the cell voltages can vary with the timing of closure of the water switches. This and all other functions of RITS have been simulated in detail, and a conservative electrical design has been developed. This will be illustrated, along with the conceptual design of a pulse-sorting network that can couple two pulselines efilciently to one cell when the two RITS modules drive a common adder in two-pulse mode.« less

Electric generator

DOEpatents

Foster, Jr., John S.; Wilson, James R.; McDonald, Jr., Charles A.

1983-01-01

1. In an electrical energy generator, the combination comprising a first elongated annular electrical current conductor having at least one bare surface extending longitudinally and facing radially inwards therein, a second elongated annular electrical current conductor disposed coaxially within said first conductor and having an outer bare surface area extending longitudinally and facing said bare surface of said first conductor, the contiguous coaxial areas of said first and second conductors defining an inductive element, means for applying an electrical current to at least one of said conductors for generating a magnetic field encompassing said inductive element, and explosive charge means disposed concentrically with respect to said conductors including at least the area of said inductive element, said explosive charge means including means disposed to initiate an explosive wave front in said explosive advancing longitudinally along said inductive element, said wave front being effective to progressively deform at least one of said conductors to bring said bare surfaces thereof into electrically conductive contact to progressively reduce the inductance of the inductive element defined by said conductors and transferring explosive energy to said magnetic field effective to generate an electrical potential between undeformed portions of said conductors ahead of said explosive wave front.

Transformer-rectifier flux pump using inductive current transfer and thermally controlled Nb(3)Sn cryotrons.

PubMed

Atherton, D L; Davies, R

1979-10-01

Transformer-rectifier flux pumps using thermally switched Nb(3)Sn cryotrons are being investigated as a loss make-up device for the proposed isochorically operated (sealed) superconducting magnets for the Canadian Maglev vehicle. High currents (1000 A) were obtained in an experimental flux pump using inductive current transfer and operating at 2 Hz.