AC side harmonic and phenomena accompanying DC-injection of utility-interactive PV system

The experiments investigated phenomena related to direct contact between the DC output of a PV array and the AC power from the utility grid. The results show that the DC power flows through the distribution transformers (DC-injection) saturating their magnetic circuits. The saturation of magnetic circuits makes peak currents, incorporating a large portion of even harmonics, flow through the high-voltage side of the distribution transformer, adding the level of harmonic distortion of its exciting current. With the increase of injecting DC-current to the utility grid, peak currents at the primary side of distribution transformer increases the most, and even among the same effective (rms) values, the increase of primary side current is larger than that of the secondary side current.     

Preparation of submicrometer-sized titania hollow spheres by templating sulfonated polystyrene latex particles

Submicrometer-sized titania hollow spheres with tunable shell thickness and smooth surfaces have been successfully synthesized by employing sulfonated polystyrene (PS) latex particles as a template in sol-gel method. The structure of the particles was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The shell thickness was readily tuned by altering the concentration of titanium tetrabutoxide (TBOT) in ethanol solutions. The surface roughness as well as the shell thickness has the tendency to increase with the increase in the concentration of TBOT. The diameter of the hollow spheres was on the average of 20-26% smaller than the diameter of template PS latex particles. Some titania fragments were also observed for the sample with the highest TBOT concentration.     

Silica-Based Solid Acid Catalyst with Different Concentration of H2SO4 and Calcination Temperature: Preparation and Characterization

Silicon - Silica-based solid acid catalysts have been successfully prepared and characterized. This research aimed to study the effect of sulfuric acid and calcination temperature on the properties...     

Synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles at low hydrothermal temperature and its performance for DSSC sensitized using natural dye extracted from Melastoma malabathricum L. seeds

Efficiency of a dye‐sensitized solar cell (DSSC) device depends on its semiconductor layer and the sensitizing dye to absorb the light. This work seeks to obtain the best solvent for the natural dye extraction from Melastoma malabathricum L. seeds. The extracted dye is used as sensitizer on TiO₂ nanoparticles produced via hydrothermal but optimized at relatively low temperature. Infrared characterization of the extracted dyes showed differences in functional groups using different solvents, whereas ultraviolet visible examination of the dyes showed differences in intensity along the spectrum ranges of 600 to 400 nm with maximum absorption around 550 to 500 nm. Thermal analysis revealed that the natural dye should be stable around room temperature. Analysis on the synthesized TiO₂ nanoparticles showed that the average crystallite size reported in the previous work is consistent with crystallite sizes observed in the transmission electron microscope images. Photoactivity examination showed that the DSSC sensitized using natural dye extracted with ethanol containing 20% distilled water on TiO₂ synthesized at 150°C has an efficiency of 5.7%, whereas the one on commercial TiO₂ P25 Degussa has an efficiency of 3.0%. The DSSC device sensitized using commercial dye on TiO₂ synthesized at 150°C has an efficiency of 4.4%, whereas the one on TiO₂ P25 Degussa has an efficiency of 4.0%. This result is promising for further development of the DSSC device using TiO₂ nanoparticles synthesized at low hydrothermal temperature and sensitized with the natural dye.     

Outdoor performance of amorphous silicon and polycrystalline silicon PV modules

The daily watt-hour efficiency (η_Wh) and daily integrated output power (P_Wh) of the a-Si and poly-Si module have been used to examine the performances of both modules on the basis of two years' data accumulated at outdoor conditions. Results from the analysis of experimental data taken under incident solar energy higher than 3.0 kWh/m² per day show that the annual average of η_Wh of the a-Si module is about 95% and 92.5% of its efficiency at STC condition at the first and second year, respectively, while the values are nearly unchanged at about 89% for the poly-Si module. During a one year period, the average P_Wh of the a-Si and poly-Si module was about 60% and 56%, respectively, of their calculated output power at STC condition, so that the P_Wh for each watt-peak (W_p) of the maximum power of a-Si module is about 11% higher than that of the poly-Si module.     

Colour control in fly ash as a combined function of particle size and chemical composition

This paper presents the results of an investigation on the combined effect of particle size and chemical composition on the colour of fly ash - a property that determines whether fly ash polymer composites can be engineered to have very light appearance satisfying the need for a wide range of commodity applications, particularly in the building material and computer housing industry. Four fly ash samples were collected from Tarong power plant Queensland, Australia, namely fly ash from first hopper (T59), classified fly ash from first hopper (T60), grinded and then classified fly ash from first hopper (T63) and fly ash from fourth hopper (T64). It was found that the particle size of T64 is smaller but still in the same order as T63. Colour measurement and chemical composition analysis of the different FA samples showed that there is a correlation between the particle size, chemical composition and colour of the fly ash. This information could be effectively used in fly ash recycling industry.     

Formation and Evolution of Body-Centered Orthorhombic Mesophase in TiO2 Thin Films

A new mesophase orientation has been established in TiO₂ thin films formed by self-assembling of a poly(ethylene oxide)- b -poly(propylene oxide)- b -poly(ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer (Pluronic F127). They were then characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and X-ray diffraction. This new mesophase was identified and indexed as a body-centered orthorhombic mesophase structure with the (001) plane parallel to the substrate. It may well originate from a body-centered tetragonal structure, orienting with the square base perpendicular to the substrate. The mesophase then underwent a uniaxial contraction in the direction normal to the substrate upon drying and thermal treatment. As a result, the in-plane parameters were preserved whereas the out-of-plane parameters were markedly reduced by heating.     

Titania-PMMA nanohybrids of enhanced nanocrystallinity

Nanohybrid thin films consisting of titania nanoparticles embedded in a suitable polymer matrix represent a new class of functional materials for optoelectronic applications. For instance, our previous studies show that titania-poly(methylmethacrylate) or TiO₂-PMMA nanohybrids derived from in situ sol-gel technique are promising as nonlinear optical materials since they can demonstrate a very fast recovery time of ∼1.5 picosecond and a large third-order nonlinear susceptibility, χ⁽³⁾ up to 1.93 × 10⁻⁹ esu, as observed by pump-probe and Z-scan techniques. However, it was realized that the conventional in situ sol-gel technique employed led to a largely amorphous TiO₂ phase in the PMMA matrix. In order to overcome this limitation, we have performed two modification approaches making use of high pressure water vapor, i.e.: pre-and post-hydrothermal treatments applied on the sol-gel precursors. The degree of TiO₂ crystallinity in the resulting nanohybrids was studied by XRD, FTIR, and TEM. Both approaches can enhance the nanocrystallinity TiO₂ phase considerably and at the same time preserve the integrity of polymer matrix. It was found, however, that while the nanohybrid thin films derived from the pre-hydrothermal treatment show a high absorption in the visible length, those derived from the post-hydrothermal treatment are highly transparent. Nonlinear optical measurement using the Z-scan technique on the latter sample shows a significant enhancement in χ⁽³⁾ as high as 5.27 × 10⁻⁹ esu.     

Applying fuzzy decision for a single channel SSVEP-based BCI on automatic feeding robot

Microsystem Technologies - An application of steady state evoked potential (SSVEP) based brain–computer interface (BCI) has been developed by implementing the fuzzy decision model for the...