Zero-current Switching Series Resonant High-voltage DC-DC Converter with Series-connected Primary Windings of Center-tapped Transformer

Abstract—This article proposes a novel zero-current switching series resonant inverter-fed voltage multiplier based high-voltage DC-DC converter. The series resonant inverter in the proposed topology has two power switches (insulated-gate bipolar transistors), two resonant capacitors, and only one high-voltage transformer with center-tapped primary windings. The power switches are connected in the form of a half-bridge network. The leakage inductances of the transformer's primary windings together with resonant capacitors form two series resonant circuits. The series resonant circuits are fed alternately by operating power switches with an interleaved half-switching cycle. The secondary winding of the high-voltage transformer is connected to a voltage multiplier circuit to rectify and boost the voltage. The converter operates in discontinuous conduction mode, and its output voltage is regulated by pulse-frequency modulation. Therefore, all the power switches turn ON and OFF at the zero-current switching condition. The main features of the proposed converter are lower power loss, less cost, and smaller size compared to previously proposed series resonant high-voltage DC-DC converters. The experimental results of a 130-W prototype of the proposed converter are presented both for dynamic and steady-state operation. The results confirm the excellent operation and performance of the converter.     

Fabrication of oxide pellets containing lumped Gd2O3 using Y2O3‐stabilized ZrO2 for burnable absorber fuel applications

In this paper, the fabrication of novel burnable absorber fuel concepts with oxide pellets, containing either a lumped Gd₂O₃ rod, a mini‐pellet, or a spherical particle in the centerline of the oxide pellet, is investigated to propose the lumped Gd₂O₃ burnable absorber fuel concept to improve nuclear fuel performance with longer fuel cycle lengths and better fuel utilization. The unique characteristic of the lumped Gd₂O₃ burnable absorber fuel is its high spatial self‐shielding factor that reduces its burnout rate and, therefore, improves the reactivity control. Oxide pellets containing lumped Gd₂O₃ were fabricated by using a combination of cold isostatic pressing and microwave sintering at 1500°C to understand the potential technical issues in the fabrication of duplex burnable absorber fuel. The effect of the sintering temperature on the densification and phase transformation of 8 wt.% yttria‐stabilized zirconia, a surrogate for UO₂, was investigated. Spherical Gd₂O₃ particles were fabricated by the drip casting of a Gd₂O₃‐based Na alginate solution. The fabrication of duplex oxide pellets by using presintered Gd₂O₃ mini‐pellets resulted in internal cracks at the interface between the Gd₂O₃ and 8 wt.% yttria‐stabilized zirconia layers because of the mismatch of their densification. However, the formation of interfacial cracks was eliminated by controlling the initial sintered density of the lumped Gd₂O₃.     

DOE applied to multi-response optimisation study on performance,combustion and emission characteristics of a VCR diesel engine

There are various parameters which may influence the IC engine performance. The trial and error method is a technique used to identify the best parameters. However, this method demands extensive experimental work and results in a great waste of time and resources. Thus, the design of experiments (DOEs) developed by Taguchi is employed. The multi-responses which need to be maximised are brake thermal efficiency, mechanical efficiency, cylinder pressure and cumulative heat release rate, whereas the responses which are to be minimised are specific fuel consumption, oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide. In the present study, an optimised DOE(L9) orthogonal array based on the Taguchi statistical method was formulated and a series of experiments were conducted under controlled supervision by considering three different injection operating pressures (IOPs) (200, 220 and 240 bar) and three different compression ratios (CRs) (16.5, 17.5 and 18.5). The main objective of this paper is to find the best suited IOP and CR values which obtain higher performance, better combustion and lower emissions.     

Characteristics of fat,and saponin and tannin contents of 11 varieties of rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.) seed

Rambutan seed is discarded during fruit processing. However, the seed contains a considerable amount of crude fat. Hence, the objective of this study was to determine two anti-nutritional constituents, namely saponin and tannin, and to characterize the fat of the seeds of 11 varieties of rambutan fruit. Results showed that the range of crude fat content is fairly narrow (36.13–39.13 g/100 g dried seeds). The iodine value and free fatty acid content of the fat were 38.50–50.61 g I₂/100 g fat and 0.99–2.18% as oleic acid, respectively. Oleic (33.35–46.64%) and arachidic (26.03–33.27%) acids were the main fatty acids in the fat. HPLC analysis showed that the fat comprised mainly five unknown triacylglycerols (83.94–95.33%). The melting and crystallization curves showed that the fat exhibited four to nine non-distinct peaks. The complete melting and crystallization onset temperatures of the fat were 24.8–50.6°C and 24.1–39.4°C, respectively, while the melting and crystallization enthalpies of the fat ranged from 71.2 to 141.7 J/g and from 60.4 to 88.9 J/g, respectively. At 0°C, the solid fat index of the fat ranged between 87.4% and 91.6% and the fats of some varieties melted completely at human body temperature. The saponin and tannin contents of the seed were 14.27–18.96 mg soya saponin/100 g and 4.40–26.68 mg catechin equivalent/100 g, respectively. Findings showed that rambutan seed fat has potential to be used in various sectors of food industry.     

Detection of fresh palm oil adulteration with recycled cooking oil using fatty acid composition and FTIR spectral analysis

There is a growing concern over the food safety issue related to increased incidence of cooking oil adulteration with recycled cooking oil (RCO). The objective of this study was to detect fresh palm olein (FPO) adulteration with RCO using fatty acid composition (FAC) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectral analyses combined with chemometrics. RCO prepared in the laboratory was mixed with FPO in the proportion ranged from 1% to 50% (v/v) to obtain the adulterated oil samples (AO). FACs for FPO, RCO, and AO were determined using gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The compositions of most fatty acids in RCO lied within the normal ranges of Codex standard, except for C8:0, C10:0, C11:0, C15:0, trans C18:1, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), C20:5. PUFAs showed a consistent decreasing trend with increasing magnitude of change with respect to increasing adulteration level and thus might be a good indicator for detecting FPO adulteration with RCO. The evaluation parameters (coefficient of determination, root mean standard error) of the FTIR-partial least square (PLS) model of palm oil adulteration with recycled oil are R² = 0.995 and 3.25, respectively. For FTIR spectral analysis, the distinct variations in spectral regions and aberrations in characteristic bands between FPO and RCO were observed. The optimized PLS calibration model developed from normal spectral of the combined region at 3602–3398, 3016–2642, and 1845–650 cm^?1 overpredict the adulteration level. On the other hand, the discriminant analysis classification model was able to classify the FPO and AO into two distinct groups. Improvement of the principles of combined techniques in authenticating AO from fresh oil is beneficial as a guideline to detect adulteration in cooking oil.     

Adapting technology: effect of high-involvement HRM and organisational trust

This study is designed to empirically test a model of high-involvement human resource management (HIHRM), organisational trust, and technology adaptation grounded on social exchange theory in the context of the private banking sector. The proposed model intends to add to the understanding of the effect of HIHRM on technology adaptation via the mediating influence of organisational trust. Frontline employees were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. Results from partial least square-structural equation modelling suggest that there is a significant influence of HIHRM on technology adaptation. Organisational trust further mediates the relationship. Thus, this paper finds an answer to the ‘black box’ of human resource management (HRM) practices, explaining how HIHRM influences employees’ attitudes towards technology adaptation. The study can help management have a better understanding of the importance of employee involvement-oriented HRM in introducing and implementing a new technology through the integration of trust processes in the organisation.     

Enhanced backstepping sliding mode controller for motion tracking of a nonlinear 2-DOF piezo-actuated micromanipulation system

Microsystem Technologies - In this paper a robust backstepping sliding mode controller is developed for tracking control of 2-DOF piezo-actuated micromanipulation system. The control approach is...     

Parallel query execution over encrypted data in database-as-a-service (DaaS)

The Journal of Supercomputing - The main challenge in database-as-a-service is the security and privacy of data because service providers are not usually considered as trustworthy. So, the data...     

An optimized skin texture model using gray-level co-occurrence matrix

Neural Computing and Applications - Texture analysis is devised to address the weakness of color-based image segmentation models by considering the statistical and spatial relations among the group...     

High frequency response to the impedance complex properties of Nb-doped CaCu3Ti4O12 electroceramics

Impedance analyses was performed on undoped and Nb-doped CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CaCu₃Ti_4−xNb_xO_12+x/2; x = 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.1) to investigate their electrical properties. The pellet samples were prepared using the solid state reaction method. Silver electrode was deposited on both pellets’ surfaces for electrical measurement. The thermally etched samples showed tiny bumped domains within the grains. The existence of both domain and grain boundaries are believed to strongly influence the dielectric constant of CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO). Undoped CCTO showed two arcs of impedance complex plane while Nb-doped samples have three arcs. Each arc represents the constituent elements of the CCTO. The highest frequency arc is evidence that CCTO consists of conductive domains which measure about 1 Ω and are insulated by two types of barriers, i.e. domain boundary and grain boundary.