In this study, the fruit of Terminalia chebula, commonly known as chebulic myrobalan, is used as the precursor for carbon for its application in supercapacitors. The Terminalia chebula biomass-derived sponge-like porous carbon (TC-SPC) is synthesized using a facile and economical method of pyrolysis. TC-SPC thus obtained is subjected to XRD, FESEM, TEM, HRTEM, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, ATR-FTIR, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption analyses for their structural and chemical composition. The examination revealed that TC-SPC has a crystalline nature and a mesoporous and microporous structure accompanied by a disordered carbon framework that is doped with heteroatoms such as nitrogen and sulfur. Electrochemical studies are performed on TC-SPC using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. TC-SPC contributed a maximum specific capacitance of 145 F g-1 obtained at 1 A g-1. The cyclic stability of TC-SPC is significant with 10,000 cycles, maintaining the capacitance retention value of 96%. The results demonstrated that by turning the fruit of Terminalia chebula into an opulent product, a supercapacitor, TC-SPC generated from biomass has proven to be a potential candidate for energy storage application.
This paper aims to study a triple flat-type air coil inductive sensor that can identify two maturity stages of oil palm fruits, ripe and unripe, based on the resonance frequency and fruitlet capacitance changes. There are two types of triple structure that have been tested, namely Triple I and II. Triple I is a triple series coil with a fixed number of turns (n = 200) with different length, and Triple II is a coil with fixed length (l = 5 mm) and a different number of turns. The peak comparison between Triple I and II is using the coefficient of variation cv, which is defined as the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean to express the precision and repeatability of data. As the fruit ripens, the resonance frequency peaks from an inductance⁻frequency curve and shifts closer to the peak curve of the air, and the fruitlet capacitance decreases. The coefficient of the variation of the inductive oil palm fruit sensor shows that Triple I is smaller and more consistent in comparison with Triple II, for both resonance frequency and fruitlet capacitance. The development of this sensor proves the capability of an inductive element such as a coil, to be used as a sensor so as to determine the ripeness of the oil palm fresh fruit bunch sample.
Reconfigurable ring filter based on single-side-access ring topology is presented. Using capacitive tuning elements, the electrical length of the ring can be manipulated to shift the nominal center frequency to a desired position. A synthesis is developed to determine the values of the capacitive elements. To show the advantage of the synthesis, it is applied to the reconfigurable filter design using RF lumped capacitors. The concept is further explored by introducing varactor-diodes to continuously tune the center frequency of the ring filter. For demonstration, two prototypes of reconfigurable ring filters are realized using microstrip technology, simulated, and measured to validate the proposed concept. The reconfigured filter using lumped elements is successfully reconfigured from 2 GHz to 984.4 MHz and miniaturized by 71% compared to the filter directly designed at the same reconfigured frequency, while, for the filter using varactor-diodes, the frequency is chosen from 1.10 GHz to 1.38 GHz spreading over 280 MHz frequency range. Both designs are found to be compact with acceptable insertion loss and high selectivity.
This paper proposes an alternative approach to extract transformer's winding parameters of resistance (R), inductance (L), capacitance (C) and conductance (G) based on Finite Element Method (FEM). The capacitance and conductance were computed based on Fast Multiple Method (FMM) and Method of Moment (MoM) through quasi-electrostatics approach. The AC resistances and inductances were computed based on MoM through quasi-magnetostatics approach. Maxwell's equations were used to compute the DC resistances and inductances. Based on the FEM computed parameters, the frequency response of the winding was obtained through the Bode plot function. The simulated frequency response by FEM model was compared with the simulated frequency response based on the Multi-conductor Transmission Line (MTL) model and the measured frequency response of a 33/11 kV, 30 MVA transformer. The statistical indices such as Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Absolute Sum of Logarithmic Error (ASLE) were used to analyze the performance of the proposed FEM model. It is found that the simulated frequency response by FEM model is quite close to measured frequency response at low and mid frequency regions as compared to simulated frequency response by MTL model based on RMSE and ASLE analysis.
A capacitive electromyography (cEMG) biomedical sensor measures the EMG signal from human body through capacitive coupling methodology. It has the flexibility to be insulated by different types of materials. Each type of insulator will yield a unique skin-electrode capacitance which determine the performance of a cEMG biomedical sensor. Most of the insulator being explored are solid and non-breathable which cause perspiration in a long-term EMG measurement process. This research aims to explore the porous medical bandages such as micropore, gauze, and crepe bandage to be used as an insulator of a cEMG biomedical sensor. These materials are breathable and hypoallergenic. Their unique properties and characteristics have been reviewed respectively. A 50 Hz digital notch filter was developed and implemented in the EMG measurement system design to further enhance the performance of these porous medical bandage insulated cEMG biomedical sensors. A series of experimental verifications such as noise floor characterization, EMG signals measurement, and performance correlation were done on all these sensors. The micropore insulated cEMG biomedical sensor yielded the lowest noise floor amplitude of 2.44 mV and achieved the highest correlation coefficient result in comparison with the EMG signals captured by the conventional wet contact electrode.
Silicene has attracted remarkable attention in the semiconductor research community due to its silicon (Si) nature. It is predicted as one of the most promising candidates for the next generation nanoelectronic devices. In this paper, an efficient non-iterative technique is employed to create the SPICE models for p-type and n-type uniformly doped silicene field-effect transistors (FETs). The current-voltage characteristics show that the proposed silicene FET models exhibit high on-to-off current ratio under ballistic transport. In order to obtain practical digital logic timing diagrams, a parasitic load capacitance, which is dependent on the interconnect length, is attached at the output terminal of the logic circuits. Furthermore, the key circuit performance metrics, including the propagation delay, average power, power-delay product and energy-delay product of the proposed silicene-based logic gates are extracted and benchmarked with published results. The effects of the interconnect length to the propagation delay and average power are also investigated. The results of this work further envisage the uniformly doped silicene as a promising candidate for future nanoelectronic applications.
This paper presents the design of a non-intrusive system to measure ultra-low water content in crude oil. The system is based on a capacitance to phase angle conversion method. Water content is measured with a capacitance sensor comprising two semi-cylindrical electrodes mounted on the outer side of a glass tube. The presence of water induces a capacitance change that in turn converts into a phase angle, with respect to a main oscillator. A differential sensing technique is adopted not only to ensure high immunity against temperature variation and background noise, but also to eliminate phase jitter and amplitude variation of the main oscillator that could destabilize the output. The complete capacitive sensing system was implemented in hardware and experiment results using crude oil samples demonstrated that a resolution of ± 50 ppm of water content in crude oil was achieved by the proposed design.
Over the past few years, high step-up dc-dc converters have been drawn substantial attention because of their wide-ranging application not only in the renewable energy sector but also in many other applications. To acquire a high voltage gain in photovoltaic (PV) and other renewable energy applications, a high step-up dc-dc converter is proposed in this paper. The proposed converter structure consists of a full-bridge (FB) module along with an input boost inductor and a voltage multiplier based on the Cockcroft-Walton (CW) principle with a parallel inductor. The key features of the proposed converter are: 1) high voltage gain with lower voltage stress on the switches, diodes and other passive elements without affecting the number of cascaded stages, 2) a minimum size of boost inductance and cascaded stage capacitance that ensures its compactness and low cost, and 3) a minimal number of major components. Circuit operation, steady-state analysis and various design parameters of the proposed converter are explained in details. In order to prove the performance of the theoretical analysis, a laboratory prototype is also implemented. The peak voltage gain and the maximum efficiency obtained are 11.9 and 94.6% respectively with very low input current ripple and output voltage ripple generated.
Piezoelectric (PZT) shunt damping is an effective method to dissipate energy from a vibrating structure; however, most of the applications focus on targeting specific modes for structures vibrating at low-frequency range, i.e. deterministic substructure (DS). To optimally attenuate structures vibrating at high-frequency range, i.e. non-deterministic substructure (Non-DS) using a PZT shunt damper, it is found that the impedance of the PZT patch's terminal needs to be the complex conjugate of its inherent capacitance paralleled with the impedance 'faced' by its non-deterministic host structure underline moment actuation. The latter was derived in terms of estimation of the effective line moment mobility of a PZT patch on a Non-DS plate by integrating the expression of driving point moment mobility of an infinite thin plate. This paper conducts a parametric investigation to study the effect of changing the size, quantity and configuration of the PZT patch to the performance of the optimal PZT shunt dampers in dissipating the energy of its non-deterministic host structure. Results are shown in terms of energy reduction ratio of the thin plate when attached with optimal PZT shunt damper(s).
Two different supercapacitor configurations were fabricated using coconut shell-based activated
carbon. Results for cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and charge-discharge measurements are presented and discussed for both configurations. The results show that coconut shell-based activated carbon is viable economical alternative electrode material to expensive activated carbon (AC) and carbon nano tubes (CNT). Meanwhile, the calculations from the charge-discharge characteristics show that the disk-shape supercapacitor, with 10% polyvinylidene fluoride binder (PVdF), has the highest specific capacitance (70F/g). Thus, the testing shows that the flat-laminated super-capacitor with 10% binder (PVdF) has the lowest (10.1ohms). Sources of high equivalent series resistance (ESR) are proposed and methods of reducing it are also discussed in this paper.
A 360° twisted helical capacitance sensor was developed for holdup measurement in horizontal two-phase stratified flow. Instead of suppressing nonlinear response, the sensor was optimized in such a way that a 'sine-like' function was displayed on top of the linear function. This concept of design had been implemented and verified in both software and hardware. A good agreement was achieved between the finite element model of proposed design and the approximation model (pure sinusoidal function), with a maximum difference of ±1.2%. In addition, the design parameters of the sensor were analysed and investigated. It was found that the error in symmetry of the sinusoidal function could be minimized by adjusting the pitch of helix. The experiments of air-water and oil-water stratified flows were carried out and validated the sinusoidal relationship with a maximum difference of ±1.2% and ±1.3% for the range of water holdup from 0.15 to 0.85. The proposed design concept therefore may pose a promising alternative for the optimization of capacitance sensor design.
Top-Oil Temperature (TOT) is one of the basic components to estimate the Hot-Spot temperature (HST) of the transformers. This paper presents an alternative TOT model based on the heat transfer theory that utilises Nonlinear Thermal Resistance (NTR) and Lumped Capacitance (LC) approaches. It is applied in a thermal-electrical analogy and the heat transfer equivalent equation is determined. This model is tested on a measured TOT of 250 MVA ONAF and 400 MVA ONAF transformers obtained from IEC 60076-7 and previous research. A comparison of TOT is carried out with the existing models IEC 60076-7 exponential and IEEE Loading Guide clause 7 methods. It is found that the thermal model based on the NTR and LC approach could determine the measured TOT closer than the existing methods available in the standards.
In recent years, the utility grid system is more essential for the power
transmission and distribution system because it cannot produce harmful
gases or no discharge waste in the environment. PWM based phase
synchronous invert systems are generally utilised in the high efficiency
energy supply, long distance and higher power quality. The inverter output
voltage depends on the coupling transformer, input sources and invert
controllers. An inverter using a three leg IGBT has been designed for utility
grid and simulated by using MATLAB2014a. In this paper, both sides of
the LCL filters are used for removing the DC ripple current, reducing the
noise and synchronous the output phase between inverter and the utility
grid. The PWM controller has created pulse signal to control the inverter,
electronic switches and precisely synchronise with grid line frequency. In
this system, the input DC voltage 500V, switching frequency 1.65 kHz, grid
frequency 50Hz, 20 km feeder (resistance, inductance and capacitance per
unit length, which are 0.1153, 1.05e-3 and 11.33e-09 ohms/km) with 30MW
three phase load (active and inductive reactive power which are 30e6 W
and 2e6 var) and also a balanced utility grid load of star configuration (00,
1200, and 2400 degree) are considered in the design. On the other hand,
three phase transformer consists of three signal phase transformers, normal
power 100e3, magnetization resistance and inductance which are 500 pu and
416.67pu are considered in this design. The system conversion efficiency
is 99.94% and 99.96%, while the total THD are 0.06% on inverter side
and 0.04% on grid side.
A compact, cylindrical dielectric resonator antenna (CDRA), using radio frequency signals to identify different liquids is proposed in this paper. The proposed CDRA sensor is excited by a rectangular slot through a 3-mm-wide microstrip line. The rectangular slot has been used to excite the CDRA for H E M 11 mode at 5.25 GHz. Circuit model values (capacitance, inductance, resistance and transformer ratios) of the proposed CDRA are derived to show the true behaviour of the system. The proposed CDRA acts as a sensor due to the fact that different liquids have different dielectric permittivities and, hence, will be having different resonance frequencies. Two different types of CDRA sensors are designed and experimentally validated with four different liquids (Isopropyl, ethanol, methanol and water).
A miniaturized antenna employing a negative index metamaterial with modified split-ring resonator (SRR) and capacitance-loaded strip (CLS) unit cells is presented for Ultra wideband (UWB) microwave imaging applications. Four left-handed (LH) metamaterial (MTM) unit cells are located along one axis of the antenna as the radiating element. Each left-handed metamaterial unit cell combines a modified split-ring resonator (SRR) with a capacitance-loaded strip (CLS) to obtain a design architecture that simultaneously exhibits both negative permittivity and negative permeability, which ensures a stable negative refractive index to improve the antenna performance for microwave imaging. The antenna structure, with dimension of 16 × 21 × 1.6 mm³, is printed on a low dielectric FR4 material with a slotted ground plane and a microstrip feed. The measured reflection coefficient demonstrates that this antenna attains 114.5% bandwidth covering the frequency band of 3.4-12.5 GHz for a voltage standing wave ratio of less than 2 with a maximum gain of 5.16 dBi at 10.15 GHz. There is a stable harmony between the simulated and measured results that indicate improved nearly omni-directional radiation characteristics within the operational frequency band. The stable surface current distribution, negative refractive index characteristic, considerable gain and radiation properties make this proposed negative index metamaterial antenna optimal for UWB microwave imaging applications.
The energy density of conventional supercapacitors is in the range of 6-10 Wh kg-1, which has restricted them from many applications that require devices with long durations. Herein, we report a method for enhancing the energy density of a device through the parallel stacking of five copper foils coated on each side with graphene nanoplatelets. Microporous papers immersed in 2 M aqueous sodium sulphate were used as separators. With a low contact resistance of 0.05 Ω, the supercapacitor yielded an optimum specific energy density and a specific power density of 24.64 Wh kg-1 and 402 W kg-1 at 0.8 V, respectively. The working potential was increased to 2.4 V when three of the supercapacitors were connected in series, forming a tandem device. Its potential for real applications was manifested by the ability to light up a light-emitting diode for 40 s after charging for 60 s.
Ionogels are hybrid materials comprising an ionic liquid confined within a polymer matrix. They have garnered significant interest due to their unique properties, such as high ionic conductivity, mechanical stability, and wide electrochemical stability. These properties make ionogels suitable for various applications, including energy storage devices, sensors, and solar cells. However, optimizing the electrochemical performance of ionogels remains a challenge, as the relationship between specific capacitance, ionic conductivity, and electrolyte solution concentration is yet to be fully understood. In this study, we investigate the impact of electrolyte solution concentration on the electrochemical properties of ionogels to identify the correlation for enhanced performance. Our findings demonstrate a clear relationship between the specific capacitance and ionic conductivity of ionogels, which depends on the availability of mobile ions. The reduced number of ions at low electrolyte solution concentrations leads to decreased ionic conductivity and specific capacitance due to the scarcity of a double layer, constraining charge storage capacity. However, at a 31 vol% electrolyte solution concentration, an ample quantity of ions becomes accessible, resulting in increased ionic conductivity and specific capacitance, reaching maximum values of 58 ± 1.48 μS/cm and 45.74 F/g, respectively. Furthermore, the synthesized ionogel demonstrates a wide electrochemical stability of 3.5 V, enabling diverse practical applications. This study provides valuable insights into determining the optimal electrolyte solution concentration for enhancing ionogel electrochemical performance for energy applications. It highlights the impact of ion pairs and aggregates on ion mobility within ionogels, subsequently affecting their resultant electrochemical properties.
This study presents an innovative method for synthesizing activated carbon with an exceptionally high surface area (3359 m2 g-1) using kenaf fiber-based biochar through chemical activation. The achieved specific surface area surpasses activated carbon derived from other reported fiber-based precursors. The resulting activated carbon was investigated as electrodes for supercapacitors, revealing a remarkable maximum capacitance of 312 F g-1 at a current density of 0.5 A g-1. An aqueous symmetric supercapacitor employing these high-surface-area electrodes exhibited an outstanding energy density of 18.9 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 250 W kg-1. Notably, the supercapacitor retained exceptional capacitance, maintaining 93% of its initial capacitance even after 5000 charge-discharge cycles.
Van Hove singularities (VHSs) are a hallmark of reduced dimensionality, leading to a divergent density of states in one and two dimensions and predictions of new electronic properties when the Fermi energy is close to these divergences. In carbon nanotubes, VHSs mark the onset of new subbands. They are elusive in standard electronic transport characterization measurements because they do not typically appear as notable features and therefore their effect on the nanotube conductance is largely unexplored. Here we report conductance measurements of carbon nanotubes where VHSs are clearly revealed by interference patterns of the electronic wave functions, showing both a sharp increase of quantum capacitance, and a sharp reduction of energy level spacing, consistent with an upsurge of density of states. At VHSs, we also measure an anomalous increase of conductance below a temperature of about 30 K. We argue that this transport feature is consistent with the formation of Cooper pairs in the nanotube.
This paper presents a new type diode connected MOS transistor to improve CMOS conventional rectifier's performance in RF energy harvester systems for wireless sensor networks in which the circuits are designed in 0.18 μm TSMC CMOS technology. The proposed diode connected MOS transistor uses a new bulk connection which leads to reduction in the threshold voltage and leakage current; therefore, it contributes to increment of the rectifier's output voltage, output current, and efficiency when it is well important in the conventional CMOS rectifiers. The design technique for the rectifiers is explained and a matching network has been proposed to increase the sensitivity of the proposed rectifier. Five-stage rectifier with a matching network is proposed based on the optimization. The simulation results shows 18.2% improvement in the efficiency of the rectifier circuit and increase in sensitivity of RF energy harvester circuit. All circuits are designed in 0.18 μm TSMC CMOS technology.