The current pulses characteristics of the negative corona discharge in SF_(6)/CF_(4)mixtures

This paper presents the results of numerical investigation of the current pulses characteristics in SF_(6)/CF_(4)mixtures for the negative point-plane corona discharge.The pressure and the temperature of gas mixtures are 0.4 MPa and 300 K,respectively.The CF_(4)content varies from20%to 80%.The 2D axisymmetric geometry with point-plane electrodes is investigated,and the three drift-diffusion equations are solved to predict the characteristics of the negative corona discharge.In addition,Poisson’s equation is coupled with the above three continuity equations to calculate the electric field.In order to calculate the electron impact coefficients,including the Townsend ionization and attachment coefficients,as well as the mobilities and diffusion coefficients for electrons,the two-term Boltzmann equation is solved.The characteristics of three ionic species at five stages of the first current pulse in 60%SF_(6)-40%CF_(4)and20%SF_(6)-80%CF_(4)mixtures are selected to discuss the development mechanism of current pulses.Moreover,the reduced electric field strengths at the corresponding time instants are presented to help understand the discharge process.The current waveform and the total number of three species are compared in all the cases to analyze the effects of the CF_(4)content on the discharge.The reduced electric field strength is also helpful in understanding the effects of CF_(4)content.When the CF_(4)content increases to 80%,the discharge is more intensive and the pulse frequency also increases.

Compounded Surface Modification of ZK60 Mg Alloy by High Current Pulsed Electron Beam+Micro-plasma Oxidation

In this study, compounded surface modification technology-high current pulsed electron beam （HCPEB） ＋ micro-plasma oxidation （MPO） was applied to treat ZK60 Mg alloys. The characteristics of the microstructure of ZK60 Mg alloy after single MPO and HCPEB＋MPO compounded treatment were investigated by SEM. The results showed that the density of the ceramic layer of HCPEB＋MPO-treated ZK60 Mg alloy was improved and defects were reduced compared to that under MPO treatment alone. Surface modified layer of ZK60 Mg alloys treated by HCPEB＋MPO was divided into three zones, namely the top loose ceramic zone, middle compact zone and inside HCPEB-induced melted zone. Corrosion resistance of ZK60 Mg alloy before and after the compounded surface modification was measured in a solution of 3.5% NaCl by potentiodynamic polarization curves. It was found that the corrosion current density of ZK60 Mg alloys could be reduced by about three orders of magnitude, from 311μA/cm^2 of the original sample to 0.2μA/cm^2 of the HCPEB＋MPO-treated sample. This indicates the great application potential of the HCPEB＋MPO compounded surface modification technology in improving the corrosion resistance of ZK60 Mg alloys in the future.

EFFECT OF ELECTRIC CURRENT PULSE ON SUPERPLASTICITY OF ALUMINIUM ALLOY 7475

The superplastic deformation of aluminium alloy 7475 applied electric current pulse has been studied.The results presented that applying a high density current pulse raises both the elongation rate and the m value,and makes supperior superplastic properties at high strain rate of 10^(-2)s^(-1),the optimum deformation temperature could move from 530℃to 480~510℃,TEM observation showed the superplastic deformation of the alloy is the results of grain boundary slips and dislocation slips in grains under function of the electron wind;the intergranular tear is a main behavior of fracture of the alloy.

A novel simulation method for positive corona current pulses

A novel two-dimensional （2D） simulation method of positive corona current pulses is proposed. A control-volume- based finite element method （CV-FEM） is used to solve continuity equations, and the Galerkin finite element method （FEM） is used to solve Poisson＇s equation. In the proposed method, photoionization is considered by adopting an exact Helmholtz photoionization model. Furthermore, fully implicit discretization and variable time step are used to ensure the time-efficiency of the present method. Finally, the method is applied to a positive rod-plane corona problem. The numerical results are in agreement with the experimental results, and the validity of the proposed method is verified.

Characterizing modified surface layer of 316L stainless steel treated by high current pulsed electron beam

High current pulsed electron beam(HCPEB) is now developing as a useful tool for surface modification of materials.When concentrated electron flux transferring its energy into the surface layer of target material within a short pulse time,coupled thermal and stress processes would lead to the formation of metastalbe microstructure with improved properties.In the present work,HCPEB treatment of 316L stainless steel(SS) was carried out and the microstructural changes in modified surface layer were characterized with optical microscopy,X-ray diffractometry and electron backscatter diffractometry(EBSD) techniques.The corrosion resistance of modified surface was measured in a 5wt.% salt solution.The evolution regularity of surface craters and grain refinement effect,as well as the preferred orientation of(111) crystal plane occurring in the HCPEB treatment under different working parameters were discussed along with their influence on corrosion resistance.

Pre-breakdown to stable phase and origin of multiple current pulses in argon dielectric barrier discharge

We report on the results of numerical models of the(i)initial growth and(ii)steady state phases of atmospheric-pressure homogeneous dielectric barrier discharge in argon.We employ our new inhouse code called Py DBD,which solves continuity equations for both particles and energy,shows exceptional stability,is accelerated by adaptive time stepping and is openly available to the scientific community.Modeling argon plasma is numerically challenging due to the lower speeds of more inertial ions compared to more commonly modeled neon and helium,but its common use for plasma jets in medicine makes its modeling compelling.Py DBD is here applied to modeling two setups:(i)the exponential growth from natural electron-ion seeds(onset phase)until saturation is reached and(ii)the multiple current pulses that naturally appear during the steady state phase.We find that the time required for the onset phase,when the plasma density grows from 10^(9)m^(-3)to 10^(17)m^(-3),varies from 80μs at 4.5 k V down to a fewμs above 6.5 k V,for voltage frequency f=80 k Hz and gap width d_(g)=0.9 mm.At the steady state,our model reproduces two previously observed features of the current in dielectric barrier discharge reactors:(1)an oscillatory behavior associated to the capacitative character of the circuit and(2)several(N_(p))current pulses occurring every half sinusoidal cycle.We show that the oscillations are present during the exponential growth,while current pulses appear approaching the steady state.After each micro-discharge,the gas voltage decreases abruptly and charged particles rapidly accumulate at the dielectric boundaries,causing avalanches of charged particles near the reactor boundaries.Finally,we run a parametric study finding that N_(p)increases linearly with voltage amplitude V_(amp),is inversely proportional to dielectric gap d_(g)and decreases when voltage frequency f increases.The code developed for this publication is freely available at the address https://github.com/gabersyd/PyDBD.

Design of a Rogowski Coil with a Magnetic Core Used for Measurements of Nanosecond Current Pulses

A Rogowski coil is developed to detect the nanosecond pulse signals of the discharge current with a wide bandwidth of 800 kHz to 106 MHz and high sensitivity of 2.22 V/A. Performance tests show that the Rogowski coil has both excellent dynamic and static characteristics. Calibrating results and the comparison between the standard current shunt and the developed Rogowski coil for the measurement of nanosecond discharge pulses demonstrate that the developed Rogowski coil can reproduce the actual waveform of the discharge current accurately.

Microstructure and properties of Nb/Ta multilayer films irradiated by a high current pulse electron beam

Nb/Ta multilayer films deposited on Ti6A14V substrate with Nb and Ta monolayer thicknesses of 30 nm, 120 nm, and 240 nm were irradiated by a high current pulse electron beam （HCPEB） to prepare Nb-Ta alloyed layers. The mi- crostructure and the composition of the outmost surface of melted alloyed layers were investigated using a transmission electron microscope （TEM） equipped with an X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer （EDS） attachment. The Ta content of the alloyed surface layer prepared from the monolayer of thickness 30 nm, 120 nm, and 240 nm was- 27.7 at.%, 6.37 at.%, and 0 at.%, respectively. It was found that the Ta content in the alloyed layer plays a dominant role in the microstructure of the films. The hardness and the wear rate of the alloyed layers decrease with the increasing content of Ta in the surface laver.

Effect of Concurrent Pulse in Holding Duration on Superplasticity of 2091Al-Li Alloy

The effects of concurrent pulses in holding duration on superplasticity of 2091 Al-Li alloy have been investigated in this paper.The results of superplastic deformation showed that concurrent pulses in holding duration decreased the optimum holding time for superplastic deformation(ε=3.33× 10^(-2) s~,T=500℃)from 15 to 5 min and increased elongation(δ)from 530 to 550%.The metallographic observations showed that the specimens appliedly by concurrent pulse were com- pletely recrystallized after holding 5 min at 500℃,and grains refined to about 2μm,and those spec- imens unapplied current pulses were partly recrystallized even after holding 15 min at 500℃.the electron probe analyses indicated that concurrent pulses promoted atomic diffusion.It is pointed out that concurrent pulses accelerate atom diffusion and dislocation motion.increase nucleation rate of recrystallization and decrease the optimum holding time for superplastic deformation and increase superplastic properties.

Absolute Wall Thickness Measurement of Conducting Plates Using Pulsed Eddy Currents

The method using pulsed eddy currents to determine the thickness of a conduction plate is extended to enable the simultaneous measurement of the plate thickness and material properties. For optimal performance, a probe must be designed depending on the thickness range that should be accessible. The need for a calibration of the material properties of a conducting plate to enable the measurement of its thickness has been removed. All that is needed is a probe with known dimensions and suitable hardware to create a current pulse and measure a transient magnetic induction.

Columnar to Equiaxed Transition During Solidification of Small Ingot by Using Electric Current Pulse

A new approach to applying the electric current pulse （ECP） with parallel electrodes to the promotion of the transition from columnar crystal to equiaxed crystal and the improvement of macrosegregation was introduced. The ECP was applied to different stages of the solidification. The results showed that the application of the ECP in both the initial stage （the thickness of solidified shell reached 2 mm approximately） and the late stage （the thickness of solidified shell reached 14 mm approximately） of solidification can promote the columnar to equiaxed transition （CET）. The analysis showed that during solidification, a large number of nuclei around the upper surface fell off due to ECP, which subsequently showered on the melt and impinged the growth front of the columnar crystal. Therefore, the CEToccurred. In addition, this method was also employed to influence the solidification process of bearing steel, and the results showed that the structure was changed from columnar crystal to equiaxed crystal, indicating that ECP can enhance the homogeneity of structure and composition of bearing steel.

Formation of Dense Inclusion Buildup on Submerged Entry Nozzle by Electric Current Pulse

In this work, low-density electric current pulse （ECP） has been applied to submerged entry nozzle （SEN） and its effect on the morphology of the inclusion buildup and the distribution of the inclusions in slab has been explored. The results reveal that under the unique effects of ECP, part of small inclusions less than 10 μm is expelled through the boundary layer along the current direction to form dense inclusion buildup. This method is of great potential to prolong the service life of SEN and improve the quality of the steel product.

Solidification of Pb–Al Alloys Under the Influence of Electric Current Pulses

Continuous solidification experiments are carried out with Pb–Al alloys under the influence of the electric current pulses（ECPs）. The results demonstrate that the ECPs mainly affect the microstructure formation through changing the energy barrier for the nucleation of the minority phase droplets（MPDs） and minority phase particles（MPPs） during cooling Pb–Al alloys in the liquid–liquid and liquid–solid phase transformation temperature ranges in advance of the solidification of the matrix liquid. For Pb–Al alloys with Al-rich droplets/particles as the minority phase, the ECPs lower the energy barriers for the nucleation of the MPDs/MPPs and cause a significant increase in the nucleation rate of the MPDs/MPPs and, thus,promote the formation of Pb–Al alloys with a well-dispersed or even nanoparticles dispersed microstructure. The ECPs parameters show an important influence on the microstructure formation of Pb–Al alloys. The refinement extent of the MPDs/MPPs increases with the increase in the peak current density. For a given peak current density, the refinement extent of the MPDs/MPPs increases with the increases in the pulse frequency and pulse width first, and then level off and become asymptotic.

Influence of AC Voltage on the Positive DC Corona Current Pulses in a Wire-cylinder Gap

In the development of hybrid HVDC and HVAC transmission lines,the study of radio interference is an important issue.Positive corona current pulses from high voltage transmission lines are the main source of radio interference.In this paper,the design of a wire-cylinder gap electrode system is presented to study the influence of AC voltage on the characteristics of positive corona current pulses.The study shows that the mode of the current pulses is different from that of either DC or AC corona discharge.Waveform parameters of the pulses,such as rise time,half wave time,duration time,repetition rates,average amplitude,and time intervals of secondary pulses are all statistically analyzed in this study.The empirical formulas for the repetition rates with different AC voltages are presented.A theoretical explanation based on an ion cloud model is given to reveal the mechanism behind the influence of AC voltage on positive corona discharge.The experimental results could provide some references for the prediction of radio interference from hybrid AC/DC transmission lines.

Evolution of Solidification Structure of Hypereutectic Al-Si Alloy Under a Novel Low-Voltage Alternating Current Pulse

The effect of a novel low-voltage alternating current pulse(ACP)controlled by transformer and silicon controlled rectifier on the solidification structure of Al-20%Si alloy was investigated.The results indicated that the remarkable segregation of primary Si occurred during the solidification,and even dendrites of a-Al phase appeared at the center of samples under ACP.The thickness of segregation layer decreased first and then increased with current density increasing from 0 to 300 Acm^(-2).The primary Si existed with long pole or five petal star-shaped without ACP.However, the morphology of primary Si phases changed to block under ACP,and the sizes of blocky Si decreased obviously with increasing current density from 110 to 300 Acm^(-2).The formation mechanism of the structure of hypereutectic AI-20%Si alloy was also discussed under ACP.

Effect of High Density Current Pulses on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Dual-Phase Wrought Superalloy

In this study,high density electric current pulse(ECP)treatment was introduced instead of the conventional solution treatment,and theγ′phase was completely dissolved under the ECP treatment within only several milliseconds at 1148°C.Due to the extremely short treatment time and high cooling rate,the growth ofγ-phase matrix grain andγ′phase precipitate was effectively retarded.By comparing with the conventional heat process,the grain size of ECP treated sample was controlled to about 15μm,the size of the re-precipitatedγ′phase reduced from 65 to 35 nm,and the number density ofγ′precipitate increased from 1.46×108 to 3.03×108/mm2.The Vickers hardness,ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of the ECP treated sample were significantly improved.According to the theoretical derivation of kinetics,the ECP treatment introduces an extra electrical free energy which promoted the dissolution ofγ′phase.The ECP treatment may provide a new method for solution treatment of the Ni-based superalloy.

Transcranial pulse current stimulation improves the locomotor function in a rat model of stroke

Previous studies have shown that transcranial pulse current stimulation(tPCS) can increase cerebral neural plasticity and improve patients' locomotor function.However, the precise mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear.In the present study, rat models of stroke established by occlusion of the right cerebral middle artery were subjected to tPCS, 20 minutes per day for 7 successive days.tPCS significantly reduced the Bederson score, increased the foot print area of the affected limbs, and reduced the standing time of affected limbs of rats with stroke compared with that before intervention.Immunofluorescence staining and western blot assay revealed that tPCS significantly increased the expression of microtubule-associated protein-2 and growth-associated protein-43 around the ischemic penumbra.This finding suggests that tPCS can improve the locomotor function of rats with stroke by regulating the expression of microtubule-associated protein-2 and growth-associated protein-43 around the ischemic penumbra.These findings may provide a new method for the clinical treatment of poststroke motor dysfunction and a theoretical basis for clinical application of tPCS.The study was approved by the Animal Use and Management Committee of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine of China(approval No.PZSHUTCM190315003) on February 22, 2019.

Effect of Rectangle Wave Pulse Current on Solidification Structure of ZA27 Alloy

The effect of rectangle wave pulse current on solidification structure of ZA27 alloy was studied. The restdts show that the wave pattern relies on the frequency range of harmonic wave and the energy of pulse current within the frequency range of pulse current. Imposed pulse current could induce the solidification system to oscillate. The frequency range and the relevant energy distribution of pulse current exert an influence on the amount of atoms involved for forming critical nucleus, the surface states of dusters in melt, the oscillating state of melt on the surface of dusters, the active energy of atom diffusion , the frequnce response of the resonance of bulk melt and the absorbability of the solidification system to the external work. Rectangle wave pulse current involves rich harmonic waves ; the amplitudes of high order of harmonic waves are higher and reduce slowly, so it has a better effect on inoculation and modification.

Optimizing the Pulsed Current Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Parameters

The selection of process parameter in the gas tungsten arc （GTA） welding of titanium alloy was presented for obtaining optimum grain size and hardness. Titanium alloy （Ti-6Al-4V） is one of the most important non-ferrous metals which offers great potential application in aerospace, biomedical and chemical industries, because of its low density （4.5 g/cm^3）, excellent corrosion resistance, high strength, attractive fracture behaviour and high melting point （1678℃）. The preferred welding process for titanium alloy is frequent GTA welding due to its comparatively easier applicability and better economy. In the case of single pass （GTA） welding of thinner section of this alloy, the pulsed current has been found beneficial due to its advantages over the conventional continuous current process. Many considerations come into the picture and one needs to carefully balance various pulse current parameters to reach an optimum combination. Four factors, five level, central composite, rotatable design matrix were used to optimize the required number of experimental conditions. Mathematical models were developed to predict the fusion zone grain size using analysis of variance （ANOVA） and regression analysis. The developed models were optimized using the traditional Hooke and Jeeve＇s algorithm. Experimental results were provided to illustrate the proposed approach.

Performance improvement of lithium-ion battery by pulse current

Periodically changed current is called pulse current.It has been found that using the pulse current to charge/discharge lithium-ion batteries can improve the safety and cycle stability of the battery.In this short review,the mechanisms of pulse current improving the performance of lithium-ion batteries are summarized from four aspects:activation,warming up,fast charging and inhibition of lithium dendrites.Related content may help us use the pulse current to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries and further optimize pulse current technology.