On the Maximum of Wind Power Efficiency

In our paper we demonstrate that the filtration equation used by Gorban’ et al. for determining the maximum efficiency of plane propellers of about 30 percent for free fluids plays no role in describing the flows in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) because the ABL is mainly governed by turbulent motions. We also demonstrate that the stream tube model customarily applied to derive the Rankine-Froude theorem must be corrected in the sense of Glauert to provide an appropriate value for the axial velocity at the rotor area. Including this correction leads to the Betz-Joukowsky limit, the maximum efficiency of 59.3 percent. Thus, Gorban’ et al.’s 30% value may be valid in water, but it has to be discarded for the atmosphere. We also show that Joukowsky’s constant circulation model leads to values of the maximum efficiency which are higher than the Betz-Jow-kowsky limit if the tip speed ratio is very low. Some of these values, however, have to be rejected for physical reasons. Based on Glauert’s optimum actuator disk, and the results of the blade-element analysis by Okulov and S&oslashrensen we also illustrate that the maximum efficiency of propeller-type wind turbines depends on tip-speed ratio and the number of blades.

Optimizing the power conversion processes in diluted donor/acceptor heterojunctions towards 19.4%efficiency all-polymer solar cells

All polymer solar cells(all-PSCs)promise mechanically-flexible and morphologically-stable organic photovoltaics and have aroused increased interests very recently.However,due to their disorderly conformation structures within the photoactive film,inefficient charge generation and carrier transport are observed which lead to inferior photovoltaic performance compared to smaller molecular acceptor-based photovoltaics.Here,by diluting PM6 with a cutting-edge polymeric acceptor PY-IT and diluting PY-IT with PM6 or D18,donor-dominating or acceptor-dominating heterojunctions were prepared.Synchrotron X-ray and multiple spectrometer techniques reveal that the diluted heterojunctions receive increased structural order,translating to enhanced carrier mobility,improved exciton diffusion length,and suppressed non-radiative recombination loss during the power conversion.As the results,the corresponding PM6+1%PY-IT/PY-IT+1%D18 and PM6+1%PY-IT/PY-IT+1%PM6 devices fabricated by layer-by-layer deposition received superior power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 19.4%and 18.8%respectively,along with enhanced operational lifetimes in air,outperforming the PCE of 17.5%in the PM6/PY-IT reference device.

Power transfer efficiency in an air-breathing radio frequency ion thruster

Due to a series of challenges such as low-orbit maintenance of satellites, the air-breathing electric propulsion has got widespread attention. Commonly, the radio frequency ion thruster is favored by low-orbit missions due to its high specific impulse and efficiency. In this paper, the power transfer efficiency of the radio frequency ion thruster with different gas compositions is studied experimentally, which is obtained by measuring the radio frequency power and current of the antenna coil with and without discharge operation. The results show that increasing the turns of antenna coils can effectively improve the radio frequency power transfer efficiency, which is due to the improvement of Q factor. In pure N_2 discharge,with the increase of radio frequency power, the radio frequency power transfer efficiency first rises rapidly and then exhibits a less steep increasing trend. The radio frequency power transfer efficiency increases with the increase of gas pressure at relatively high power, while declines rapidly at relatively low power. In N_(2)/O_(2) discharge, increasing the N_(2) content at high power can improve the radio frequency power transfer efficiency, but the opposite was observed at low power. In order to give a better understanding of these trends, an analytic solution in limit cases is utilized, and a Langmuir probe was employed to measure the electron density. It is found that the evolution of radio frequency power transfer efficiency can be well explained by the variation of plasma resistance, which is related to the electron density and the effective electron collision frequency.

Enhancing the crystallinity and stability of perovskite solar cells with 4-tert-butylpyridine induction for efficiency exceeding 24%

Perovskite solar cells(PSCs)have emerged as a promising photovoltaic technology because of their high light absorption coefficient,long carrier diffusion distance,and tunable bandgap.However,PSCs face challenges such as hysteresis effects and stability issues.In this study,we introduced a novel approach to improve film crystallization by leveraging 4-tert-butylpyridine(TBP)molecules,thereby enhancing the performance and stability of PSCs.Our findings demonstrate the effective removal of PbI_(2)from the perovskite surface through strong coordination with TBP molecules.Additionally,by carefully adjusting the concentration of the TBP solution,we achieved enhanced film crystallinity without disrupting the perovskite structure.The TBP-treated perovskite films exhibit a low defect density,improved crystallinity,and improved carrier lifetime.As a result,the PSCs manufactured with TBP treatment achieve power conversion efficiency(PCE)exceeding 24%.Moreover,we obtained the PCE of 21.39%for the 12.25 cm^(2)module.

High Efficiency Formamidinium-Cesium Perovskite-Based Radio-Photovoltaic Cells

Radio-photovoltaic cell is a micro nuclear battery for devices operating in extreme environments,which converts the decay energy of a radioisotope into electric energy by using a phosphor and a photovoltaic converter.Many phosphors with high light yield and good environmental stability have been developed,but the performance of radio-photovoltaic cells remains far behind expectations in terms of power density and power conversion efficiency,because of the poor photoelectric conversion efficiency of traditional photovoltaic converters under low-light conditions.This paper reports an radio-photovoltaic cell based on an intrinsically stable formamidinium-cesium perovskite photovoltaic converter exhibiting a wide light wavelength response from 300 to 800 nm,high open-circuit voltage(V_(oc)),and remarkable efficiency at low-light intensity.When a He ions accelerator is adopted as a mimickedαradioisotope source with an equivalent activity of 0.83 mCi cm^(-2),the formamidinium-cesium perovskite radio-photovoltaic cell achieves a V_(oc)of 0.498 V,a short-circuit current(J_(sc))of 423.94 nA cm^(-2),and a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 0.886%,which is 6.6 times that of the Si reference radio-photovoltaic cell,as well as the highest among all radio-photovoltaic cells reported so far.This work provides a theoretical basis for enhancing the performance of radio-photovoltaic cells.

An area-saving and high power efficiency charge pump built in a TFT-LCD driver IC

An area-saving and high power efficiency charge pump is proposed, and methods for optimizing the operation frequency and improving the power efficiency are discussed. Through sharing coupling capacitors the proposed charge pump realizes two DC-DC functions in one circuit, which can generate both positive and negative high voltages. Due to sharing of the coupling capacitors, as compared with a previous charge pump designed by us for a TFT-LCD driver IC, the die area and the amounts of necessary external capacitors are reduced by 40% and 33%, respectively. Furthermore, the charge pump＇s power efficiency is improved by 8% as a result of employing the new topology. The designed circuit has been successfully applied in a one-chip TFT-LCD driver IC implemented in a 0.18 μm low/mid/high mixed-voltage CMOS process.

A new perspective to develop regiorandom polymer acceptors with high active layer ductility,excellent device stability,and high efficiency approaching 17%

The recently reported efficient polymerized small-molecule acceptors(PSMAs)usually adopt a regioregular backbone by polymerizing small-molecule acceptors precursors with a low-reactivity 5-brominated 3-(dicyanomethylidene)indan-1-one(IC)end group or its derivatives,leading to low molecular weight,and thus reduce active layer mechanical properties.Herein,a series of newly designed chlorinated PSMAs originating from isomeric IC end groups are developed by adjusting chlorinated positions and copolymerized sites on end groups to achieve high molecular weight,favorable intermolecular interaction,and improved physicochemical properties.Compared with regioregular PY2Se-Cl-o and PY2Se-Cl-m,regiorandom PY2Se-Cl-ran has a similar absorption profile,moderate lowest unoccupied molecular orbital level,and favorable intermolecular packing and crystallization properties.Moreover,the binary PM6:PY2Se-Cl-ran blend achieves better ductility with a crack-onset strain of 17.5% and improved power conversion efficiency(PCE)of 16.23% in all-polymer solar cells(all-PSCs)due to the higher molecular weight of PY2Se-Cl-ran and optimized blend morphology,while the ternary PM6:J71:PY2Se-Cl-ran blend offers an impressive PCE approaching 17% and excellent device stability,which are all crucial for potential practical applications of all-PSCs in wearable electronics.To date,the efficiency of 16.86% is the highest value reported for the regiorandom PSMAs-based all-PSCs and is also one of the best values reported for the all-PSCs.Our work provides a new perspective to develop efficient all-PSCs,with all high active layer ductility,impressive PCE,and excellent device stability,towards practical applications.

High power-added-efficiency AlGaN/GaN HEMTs fabricated by atomic level controlled etching

An atomic-level controlled etching(ACE)technology is invstigated for the fabrication of recessed gate AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors(HEMTs)with high power added efficiency.We compare the recessed gate HEMTs with conventional etching(CE)based chlorine,Cl_(2)-only ACE and BCl^(3)/Cl_(2)ACE,respectively.The mixed radicals of BCl_(3)/Cl_(2)were used as the active reactants in the step of chemical modification.For ensuring precise and controllable etching depth and low etching damage,the kinetic energy of argon ions was accurately controlled.These argon ions were used precisely to remove the chemical modified surface atomic layer.Compared to the HEMTs with CE,the characteristics of devices fabricated by ACE are significantly improved,which benefits from significant reduction of etching damage.For BCl_(3)/Cl_(2)ACE recessed HEMTs,the load pull test at 17 GHz shows a high power added efficiency(PAE)of 59.8%with an output power density of 1.6 W/mm at Vd=10 V,and a peak PAE of 44.8%with an output power density of 3.2 W/mm at Vd=20 V in a continuous-wave mode.

Optimal oxide-aperture for improving the power conversion efficiency of VCSEL arrays

The maximum power conversion efficiencies of the top-emitting,oxide-confined,two-dimensional integrated 2×2 and4×4 vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser（VCSEL） arrays with the oxide-apertures of 6 μm,16 μm,19 μm,26 μm,29 μm,36 μm,39 μm,and 46 urn are fabricated and characterized,respectively.The maximum power conversion efficiencies increase rapidly with the augment of oxide-aperture at the beginning and then decrease slowly.A maximum value of27.91%at an oxide-aperture of 18.6 μm is achieved by simulation.The experimental data are well consistent with the simulation results,which are analyzed by utilizing an empirical model.

Sensitivity Analysis of a 50+ Coal-Fired Power Unit Efficiency

The coal-fired power unit integration with a CO2 capture and compression installation involves a considerable rise in the costs of electricity generation. Therefore, there is a need for a continuous search for methods of improving the electricity generation efficiency in steam power plants. One technology which is especially promising is the advanced ultra-supercritical (A-USC) power unit. Apart from steam parameters upstream the turbine, the overall efficiency also depends on the efficiency values of individual elements of the plant and the size of energy consumption of the process of CO2 sequestration from the boiler flue gases. These problems are considered herein to emphasize that without specifying the efficiency values of the power plant main elements the information concerning its electricity generation efficiency is incomplete. This paper presents the influence of the efficiency of individual elements of the power plant on its electricity generation efficiency. The lack of information of the efficiencies of the power plant individual elements, by presenting its overall efficiency, may lead to the false conclusions.

An SDN-Based Algorithm for Caching,Routing,and Load Balancing in ICN

One of the challenges of Informationcentric Networking(ICN)is finding the optimal location for caching content and processing users’requests.In this paper,we address this challenge by leveraging Software-defined Networking(SDN)for efficient ICN management.To achieve this,we formulate the problem as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming(MINLP)model,incorporating caching,routing,and load balancing decisions.We explore two distinct scenarios to tackle the problem.Firstly,we solve the problem in an offline mode using the GAMS environment,assuming a stable network state to demonstrate the superior performance of the cacheenabled network compared to non-cache networks.Subsequently,we investigate the problem in an online mode where the network state dynamically changes over time.Given the computational complexity associated with MINLP,we propose the software-defined caching,routing,and load balancing(SDCRL)algorithm as an efficient and scalable solution.Our evaluation demonstrates that the SDCRL algorithm significantly reduces computational time while maintaining results that closely resemble those achieved by GAMS.

Development of a power control system for AUVs probing for underwater mineral resources

Valuable mineral resources are widely distributed throughout the seabed. autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are preferable to remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) when probing for such mineral resources as the extensive exploration area makes it difficult to maintain contact with operators. AUVs depend on batteries, so their power consumption should be reduced to extend exploration time. Power for conventional marine instrument systems is incorporated in their waterproof sealing. External intermittent control of this power source until termination of exploration is challenging due to limitations imposed by the underwater environment. Thus, the AUV must have a power control system that can improve performance and maximize use of battery capacity. The authors developed such a power control system with a three-step algorithm. It automatically detects underwater operational states and can limit power, effectively decreasing power consumption by about 15%.

Recess-free enhancement-mode AlGaN/GaN RF HEMTs on Si substrate

Enhancement-mode(E-mode)GaN-on-Si radio-frequency(RF)high-electron-mobility transistors(HEMTs)were fabri-cated on an ultrathin-barrier(UTB)AlGaN(<6 nm)/GaN heterostructure featuring a naturally depleted 2-D electron gas(2DEG)channel.The fabricated E-mode HEMTs exhibit a relatively high threshold voltage(VTH)of+1.1 V with good uniformity.A maxi-mum current/power gain cut-off frequency(fT/fMAX)of 31.3/99.6 GHz with a power added efficiency(PAE)of 52.47%and an out-put power density(Pout)of 1.0 W/mm at 3.5 GHz were achieved on the fabricated E-mode HEMTs with 1-μm gate and Au-free ohmic contact.

Hydrodynamic Performance of An Integrated System of Breakwater and A Multi-Chamber OWC Wave Energy Converter

A multi-chamber oscillating water column wave energy converter(OWC-WEC)integrated to a breakwater is investigated.The hydrodynamic characteristics of the device are analyzed using an analytical model based on the linear potential flow theory.A pneumatic model is employed to investigate the relationship between the air mass flux in the chamber and the turbine characteristics.The effects of chamber width,wall draft and wall thickness on the hydrodynamic performance of a dual-chamber OWC-WEC are investigated.The results demonstrate that the device,with a smaller front wall draft and a wider rear chamber exhibits a broader effective frequency bandwidth.The device with a chamber-width-ratio of 1:3 performs better in terms of power absorption.Additionally,results from the analysis of a triplechamber OWC-WEC demonstrate that reducing the front chamber width and increasing the rearward chamber width can improve the total performance of the device.Increasing the number of chambers from 1 to 2 or 3 can widen the effective frequency bandwidth.

Simulation analysis of a high efficiency GaInP/Si multijunction solar cell

The solar power conversion efficiency of a gallium indium phosphide(GaInP)/silicon(Si)tandem solar cell has been investigated by means of a physical device simulator considering both mechanically stacked and monolithic structures.In particular,to interconnect the bottom and top sub-cells of the monolithic tandem,a gallium arsenide(GaAs)-based tunnel-junction,i.e.GaAs(n+)/GaAs(p+),which assures a low electrical resistance and an optically low-loss connection,has been considered.The J–V characteristics of the single junction cells,monolithic tandem,and mechanically stacked structure have been calculated extracting the main photovoltaic parameters.An analysis of the tunnel-junction behaviour has been also developed.The mechanically stacked cell achieves an efficiency of 24.27%whereas the monolithic tandem reaches an efficiency of 31.11%under AM1.5 spectral conditions.External quantum efficiency simulations have evaluated the useful wavelength range.The results and discussion could be helpful in designing high efficiency monolithic multijunction GaInP/Si solar cells involving a thin GaAs(n+)/GaAs(p+)tunnel junction.

Wind Power Potential in Interior Alaska from a Micrometeorological Perspective

The wind power potential in Interior Alaska is evaluated from a micrometeorological perspective. Based on the local balance equation of momentum and the equation of continuity we derive the local balance equation of kinetic energy for macroscopic and turbulent systems, and in a further step, Bernoulli’s equation and integral equations that customarily serve as the key equations in momentum theory and blade-element analysis, where the Lanchester-Betz-Joukowsky limit, Glauert’s optimum actuator disk, and the results of the blade-element analysis by Okulov and Sorensen are exemplarily illustrated. The wind power potential at three different sites in Interior Alaska (Delta Junction, Eva Creek, and Poker Flat) is assessed by considering the results of wind field predictions for the winter period from October 1, 2008, to April 1, 2009 provided by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to avoid time-consuming and expensive tall-tower observations in Interior Alaska which is characterized by a relatively low degree of infrastructure outside of the city of Fairbanks. To predict the average power output we use the Weibull distributions derived from the predicted wind fields for these three different sites and the power curves of five different propeller-type wind turbines with rated powers ranging from 2 MW to 2.5 MW. These power curves are represented by general logistic functions. The predicted power capacity for the Eva Creek site is compared with that of the Eva Creek wind farm established in 2012. The results of our predictions for the winter period 2008/2009 are nearly 20 percent lower than those of the Eva Creek wind farm for the period from January to September 2013.

ZP-CI/OFDM:A Power Efficient Wireless Transmission Technology

Low power efficiency is a deficiency in traditional Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing （OFDM） systems. To counter this problem, a new wireless transmission technology based on Zero-Padding Carrier Interferometry OFDM （ZP-CI/OFDM） is proposed. In a ZP-CI/OFDM system, transmission symbols are spread to all OFDM subcarriers via carrier interferometry codes. This reduces the Peak-to-Average Power Ratio （PAPR） that traditional OFDM suffers and also exploits frequency diversity gain. By zero-padding at the transmitter, advanced receiver technologies can be adopted for ZP-CI/OFDM so that frequency diversity gain can be further utilized and the power efficiency of the system is improved.

Variants of Secondary Control with Power Recovery for Loading Hydraulic Driving Device

Current high power load simulators are generally incapable of obtaining both high loading performance and high energy efficiency. Simulators with high energy efficiency are used to simulate static-state load, and those with high dynamic performance typically have low energy efficiency. In this paper, the variants of secondary control（VSC） with power recovery are developed to solve this problem for loading hydraulic driving devices that operate under variable pressure, unlike classical secondary control（CSC） that operates in constant pressure network. Hydrostatic secondary control units are used as the loading components, by which the absorbed mechanical power from the tested device is converted into hydraulic power and then fed back into the tested system through 4 types of feedback passages（FPs）. The loading subsystem can operate in constant pressure network, controlled variable pressure network, or the same variable pressure network as that of the tested device by using different FPs. The 4 types of systems are defined, and their key techniques are analyzed, including work principle, simulating the work state of original tested device, static operation points, loading performance, energy efficiency, and control strategy, etc. The important technical merits of the 4 schemes are compared, and 3 of the schemes are selected, designed, simulated using AMESim and evaluated. The researching results show that the investigated systems can simulate the given loads effectively, realize the work conditions of the tested device, and furthermore attain a high power recovery efficiency that ranges from 0.54 to 0.85, even though the 3 schemes have different loading performances and energy efficiencies. This paper proposes several loading schemes that can achieve both high dynamic performance and high power recovery efficiency.

Novel polymer acceptors achieving 10.18% efficiency for all-polymer solar cells

Polymer acceptors based on extended fused ring p skeleton has been proven to be promising candidates for all-polymer solar cells(all-PSCs), due to their remarkable improved light absorption than the traditional imide-based polymer acceptors. To expand structural diversity of the polymer acceptors, herein,two polymer acceptors PSF-IDIC and PSi-IDIC with extended fused ring p skeleton are developed by copolymerization of 2,20-((2 Z,20 Z)-((4,4,9,9-tetrahexadecyl-4,9-dihydro-s-indaceno [1,2-b:5,6-b']dithio phene-2,7-diyl)bis(methanylylidene))bis(3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1 H-indene-2,1-diylidene))dimalononitrile(IDIC-C16) block with sulfur(S) and fluorine(F) functionalized benzodithiophene(BDT) unit and silicon(Si) atom functionalized BDT unit, respectively. Both polymer acceptors exhibit strong light absorption.The PSF-IDIC exhibits similar energy levels and slightly higher absorption coefficient relative to the PSi-IDIC. After blended with the donor polymer PM6, the functional atoms on the polymer acceptors show quite different effect on the device performance. Both of the acceptors deliver a notably high open circuit voltage(V_(OC)) of the devices, but PSi-IDIC achieves higher V OCthan PSF-IDIC. All-PSC based on PM6:PSi-IDIC attains a power conversion efficiency(PCE) of 8.29%, while PM6:PSF-IDIC-based device achieves a much higher PCE of 10.18%, which is one of the highest values for the all-PSCs reported so far. The superior device performance of PM6:PSF-IDIC is attributed to its higher exciton dissociation and charge transport, decreased charge recombination, and optimized morphology than PM6:PSi-IDIC counterpart. These results suggest that optimizing the functional atoms of the side chain provide an effective strategy to develop high performance polymer acceptors for all-PSCs.

Gadolinium-incorporated CsPbI_(2)Br for boosting efficiency and long-term stability of all-inorganic perovskite solar cells

All-inorganic CsPbI_(2)Br perovskite solar cells(PSCs)have received extensive research interests recently.Nevertheless,their low efficiency and poor long-term stability are still obstacles for further commercial application.Herein,we demonstrate that high efficiency and exceptional long-term stability are realized by incorporating gadolinium(III)chloride(GdCl_(3))into the CsPbI_(2)Br perovskite film.The incorporation of GdCl_(3) enhances the Goldschmidt tolerance factor of CsPbI_(2)Br perovskite,yielding a dense perovskite film with small grains,thus the a-phase CsPbI_(2)Br is remarkably stabilized.Additionally,it is found that the GdCl_(3)-incorporated perovskite film achieves suppressed charge recombination and appropriate energy level alignment compared with the pristine CsPbI_(2)Br film.The noticeable increment in efficiency from14.01%(control PSC)to 16.24%is achieved for GdCl_(3)-incorporated PSC.Moreover,the nonencapsulated GdCl_(3)-incorporated PSC exhibits excellent environmental and thermal stability,remaining over 91%or90%of the original efficiency after 1200 h aging at 40%relative humidity or 480 h heating at 85℃ in nitrogen glove box respectively.The encapsulated GdCl_(3)-incorporated PSC presents an improved operational stability with over 88%of initial efficiency under maximum power point(MPP)tracking at 45℃ for1000 h.This work presents an effective ion-incorporation approach for boosting efficiency and long-term stability of all-inorganic PSCs.