Fusion: It’s Time to Color outside the Lines

There has been some good news, and some bad news in the controlled fusion community recently. The good news is that the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has recently produced a burning plasma. It succeeded on several of its shots where ~1.5 - 2 megajoules from its laser (National Ignition Facility, or NIF) has generated ~1.3 - 3 megajoules of fusion products. The highest ratio of fusion energy to laser energy it achieved, defined as its Q, was 1.5 at the time of this writing. While LLNL is sponsored by nuclear stockpile stewardship, this author sees a likely path from their result to fusion for energy for the world, a path using a very different laser and a very different target configuration. The bad news is that the International Tokamak Experimental Reactor (ITER) has continued to stumble on more and more delays and cost overruns, as its capital cost has mushroomed from ~$5 billion to ~ $25 B. This paper argues that the American fusion effort, for energy for the civilian economy, should switch its emphasis not only from magnetic fusion to inertial fusion but should also take much more seriously fusion breeding. Over the next few decades, the world might well be setting up more and more thermal nuclear reactors, and these might need fuel which only fusion breeders can supply. In other words, fusion should begin to color outside the lines.

Modeling and Analysis of A Rotary Direct Drive Servovalve

Direct drive servovalves are mostly restricted to low flow rate and low bandwidth applications due to the considerable flow forces.Current studies mainly focus on enhancing the driving force,which in turn is limited to the development of the magnetic material.Aiming at reducing the flow forces,a novel rotary direct drive servovalve（RDDV）is introduced in this paper.This RDDV servovalve is designed in a rotating structure and its axially symmetric spool rotates within a certain angle range in the valve chamber.The servovalve orifices are formed by the matching between the square wave shaped land on the spool and the rectangular ports on the sleeve.In order to study the RDDV servovalve performance,flow rate model and mechanical model are established,wherein flow rates and flow induced torques at different spool rotation angles or spool radiuses are obtained.The model analysis shows that the driving torque can be alleviated due to the proposed valve structure.Computational fluid dynamics（CFD）analysis using ANSYS/FLUENT is applied to evaluate and validate the theoretical analysis.In addition,experiments on the flow rate and the mechanical characteristic of the RDDV servovalve are carried out.Both simulation and experimental results conform to the results of the theoretical model analysis,which proves that this novel and innovative structure for direct drive servovalves can reduce the flow force on the spool and improve valve frequency response characteristics.This research proposes a novel rotary direct drive servovalve,which can reduce the flow forces effectively.

Laser-direct-drive program: Promise, challenge, and path forward

Along with laser-indirect(X-ray)-drive and magnetic-drive target concepts,laser direct drive is a viable approach to achieving ignition and gain with inertial confinement fusion.In the United States,a national program has been established to demonstrate and understand the physics of laser direct drive.The program utilizes the Omega Laser Facility to conduct implosion and coupling physics at the nominally 30-kJ scale and lasereplasma interaction and coupling physics at the MJ scale at the National Ignition Facility.This article will discuss the motivation and challenges for laser direct drive and the broad-based program presently underway in the United States.

Optimization of laser illumination configuration for directly driven inertial confinement fusion

Optimum laser configurations are presented to achieve high illumination uniformity with directly driven inertial confinement fusion targets.Assuming axisymmetric absorption pattern of individual laser beams,theoretical models are reviewed in terms of the number of laser beams,system imperfection,and laser beam patterns.Utilizing a self-organizing system of charged particles on a sphere,a simple numerical model is provided to give an optimal configuration for an arbitrary number of laser beams.As a result,such new configurations as“M48”and“M60”are found to show substantially higher illumination uniformity than any other existing direct drive systems.A new polar direct-drive scheme is proposed with the laser axes keeping off the target center,which can be applied to laser configurations designed for indirectly driven inertial fusion.

Analysis of nonlinearities and effects in direct drive electro-hydraulic position servo system

The direct drive electro-hydraulic servo system is a new approach hydraulic system. It is much smaller and easier controlled than traditional systems and is a perfect energy saver. This paper will briefly introduce the popular nonlinearities in the electro-hydraulic system and analyse the effect of nonlinearities in direct drive electro-hydraulic position servo system by means of simulation research. Some valuable conclusions are given.

Direct Yaw Moment Control for Distributed Drive Electric Vehicle Handling Performance Improvement

For a distributed drive electric vehicle（DDEV） driven by four in-wheel motors, advanced vehicle dynamic control methods can be realized easily because motors can be controlled independently, quickly and precisely. And direct yaw-moment control（DYC） has been widely studied and applied to vehicle stability control. Good vehicle handling performance： quick yaw rate transient response, small overshoot, high steady yaw rate gain, etc, is required by drivers under normal conditions, which is less concerned, however. Based on the hierarchical control methodology, a novel control system using direct yaw moment control for improving handling performance of a distributed drive electric vehicle especially under normal driving conditions has been proposed. The upper-loop control system consists of two parts： a state feedback controller, which aims to realize the ideal transient response of yaw rate, with a vehicle sideslip angle observer; and a steering wheel angle feedforward controller designed to achieve a desired yaw rate steady gain. Under the restriction of the effect of poles and zeros in the closed-loop transfer function on the system response and the capacity of in-wheel motors, the integrated time and absolute error（ITAE） function is utilized as the cost function in the optimal control to calculate the ideal eigen frequency and damper coefficient of the system and obtain optimal feedback matrix and feedforward matrix. Simulations and experiments with a DDEV under multiple maneuvers are carried out and show the effectiveness of the proposed method： yaw rate rising time is reduced, steady yaw rate gain is increased, vehicle steering characteristic is close to neutral steer and drivers burdens are also reduced. The control system improves vehicle handling performance under normal conditions in both transient and steady response. State feedback control instead of model following control is introduced in the control system so that the sense of control intervention to drivers is relieved.

DIRECT DIGITAL DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF MESHING IN WORM-GEAR DRIVE

A direct digital design method （DDDM） of worm-gear drive is proposed. It is directly based on the simulation of manufacturing process and completely different from the conventional modeling method. The loaded tooth contact analysis （LTCA） method is analyzed, in which the advanced surface to surface searching technique is included. The influence of misalignment errors and contact deformations on contact zone and transmission error （TE） is discussed. Combined modification approach on worm tooth surface is presented. By means of DDDM and LTCA, it is very conven- ient to verify the effect of worm-gear drive＇s modification approach. The analysis results show that, the modification in profile direction reduces the sensitivity of worm-gear drive to misalignment errors and the modification in longitudinal direction decreases the TE. Thus the optimization design of worm-gear drive can be achieved prior to the actual manufacturing process.

Novel AC Servo Rotating and Linear Composite Driving Device for Plastic Forming Equipment

The existing plastic forming equipment are mostly driven by traditional AC motors with long trans- mission chains, low efficiency, large size, low precision and poor dynamic response are the common disadvantages. In order to realize high performance forming processes, the driving device should be improved, especially for com- plicated processing motions. Based on electric servo direct drive technology, a novel AC servo rotating and linear composite driving device is proposed, which features implementing both spindle rotation and feed motion with- out transmission, so that compact structure and precise control can be achieved. Flux switching topology is employed in the rotating drive component for strong robustness, and fractional slot is employed in the linear direct drive component for large force capability. Then the mechanical structure for compositing rotation and linear motion is designed. A device prototype is manufactured, machining of each component and the whole assembly are presented respectively. Commercial servo amplifiers are utilized to construct the control system of the proposed device. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed composite driving device, experimental study on thedynamic test benches are conducted. The results indicate that the output torque can attain to 420 N-m and the dynamic tracking errors are less than about 0.3 rad in the rotating drive, the dynamic tracking errors are less than about 1.6 mm in the linear feed. The proposed research provides a method to construct high efficiency and accu- racy direct driving device in plastic forming equipment.

A simple analytical model of laser direct-drive thin shell target implosion

A high-neutron yield platform imploded by a thin shell target is generally built to probe nuclear science problems,and it has the advantages of high neutron yield,ultrashort fusion time,micro fusion zone,isotropic and monoenergetic neutron.Some analytical models have been proposed to interpret exploding-pusher target implosion driven by a long wavelength laser,whereas they are imperfect for a 0.35 μm laser implosion experiment.When using the 0.35 μm laser,the shell is ablated and accelerated to high implosion velocity governed by Newton’s law,ablation acceleration and quasi-adiabatic compression models are suitable to explain the implosion of a laser direct-drive thin shell target.The new analytical model scales bang time,ion temperature and neutron yield for large variations in laser power,target radius,shell thickness,and fuel pressure.The predicted results of the analytical model are in agreement with experimental data on the ShenguangIII prototype laser facility,100 kJ laser facility,Omega,and NIF,it demonstrates that the analytical model benefits the understanding of experiment performance and optimizing the target design of high neutron yield implosion.

Four-quadrant Force Control with Minimal Ripple for Linear Switched Reluctance Machines

Linear switch reluctance machine(LSRM)has been tried to act as an alternative generator for direct drive linear wave energy converter(WEC).Many researchers have proposed new topologies of LSRM to improve the power density,efficiency and reliability.However,the control methods for LSRM applied in direct drive WEC have been paid little attention,especially control methods considering the wave energy generator operating characteristics.In this paper,according to the generator control requirements of the direct drive WEC,force control algorithm for LSRM operating in four quadrants without a speed closed loop is put forward.The force ripple of LSRM is suppressed using force sharing function method.The four-quadrant control is easy to realize requiring only phase currents information.Simulation results validate the proposed method and indicate that LSRM is able to be used as the generator for direct drive WEC.

Novel sucker rod pumping system based on linear motor technology

Obtaining petroleum at the cost of electrical energy is a common problem in almost all oil fields, and it is mainly caused by low duty radio of induction motor used in beam pumping units. Traditional beam-pumping units have many intrinsic disadvantages such as low efficiency, complex transmission devices, poor flexibility, tremendous volume and weight in long stroke, etc.Therefore, a novel direct driven linear electromagnetic pumping unit (EMPU) has been developed by combining oil extraction technology with linear motor technology. The thrust of EMPU matches the changing of suspension center load to improve the system efficiency and cut down the consumption of energy. Based on previous experience, a small-scale prototype was developed and a simulation was conducted with it. Both theoretical analyses and experimental study showed that the problems exiting in beam pumping units can be solved with EMPU system, and this is a new method which can be used to solve high energy waste in oil fields.

A New-style Permanent-magnet Motor with Double-stator Structure

A new-style direct drive motor with double-stator structure is proposed. The structure and principle of the permanent-magnet (PM) brushless motor are discussed. On the basis of numerical calculation, the cogging torque waveforms of the prototype motor when staggering two stators are analyzed. The method that can reduce torque ripple making use of the structure features of this motor is investigated. The results of numerical calculation and experiment indicate that designing motor with this kind of structure is a good scheme for increasing the power density.

Extreme Dynamics on Electronic Cam Linear Drive

One of the requirements for modem production machine is versatility and easy reconfiguration to produce new products. The production machines use fixed gearing and mechanical cams in history. The cams were used for specific stokes and cam switches were used for commissioning of technological process. This solution has disadvantages in lower production speed and no flexibility of production. This article summaries practical steps for machine modernization and highlight practical problems in modernization of older production machine. The electronic cam with direct linear drive was used for traversal motion with high peak acceleration. This paper discusses cam stoke curve design, redesign and fitting.

Dynamic characteristics of large permanent magnet direct‐drive generators considering electromagnetic–structural coupling effects

Dynamic characteristics of large permanent magnet direct‐drive generators(PMDGs)considering electromagnetic–structural coupling effects are analyzed in this study.Using the conformal mapping method,the scalar magnetic potential of the air gap magnetic field considering the slot effect is calculated.On the basis of the discrete current element and magnetic equivalent circuit model,the local magnetic saturation effect of the stator and rotor is quantitatively simulated and the air gap magnetic field intensity distribution is obtained via numerical simulation.A series of uniformly distributed equivalent electromagnetic springs are introduced to develop an electromagnetic–structural coupling finite element PMDG model.The proposed air gap field analysis method is verified by the finite element analysis results.On the basis of the test platform for the Goldwind 1.5MW PMDG,both modal and dynamic response tests for the stator/rotor coupling system are conducted,and the results are compared with the natural frequencies,mode shapes,and vibration responses obtained using the numerical model.The effects of the air gap length and rotor speed on the natural frequencies of the coupling system are analyzed.The proposed model has the potential to accurately evaluate the PMDG vibration energy,avoiding resonance points,and maintaining stable operations of the unit.

A fault-tolerant triple-redundant voice coil motor for direct drive valves:Design, optimization, and experiment

A direct drive actuator （DDA） with direct drive valves （DDVs） as the control device is an ideal solution for a flight actuation system. This paper presents a novel triple-redundant voice coil motor （TRVCM） used for redundant DDVs. The TRVCM features electrical/mechanical hybrid triple-redundancy by securing three stators along with three moving coils in the same frame. A permanent magnet （PM） Halbach array is employed in each redundant VCM to simplify the system structure. A back-to-back design between neighborly redundancies is adopted to decouple the magnetic flux linkage. The particle swarm optimization （PSO） method is implemented to optimize design parameters based on the analytical magnetic circuit model. The optimization objective function is defined as the acceleration capacity of the motor to achieve high dynamic performance. The optimal geometric parameters are verified with 3D magnetic field finite element analysis （FEA）. A research prototype has been developed for experimental purpose. The experimental results of magnetic field density and force output show that the proposed TRVCM has great potential of applications in DDA systems.

System construction of a four-side primary permanent-magnet linear motor drive mechanical press

A primary permanent-magnet linear motor (PPMLM) has a robust secondary structure and high force density and is appropriate for direct-drive mechanical press. The structure of a four-side PPMLM drive press is presented based on our previous research. The entire press control system is constructed to realize various flexible forming processes. The control system scheme is determined in accordance with the mathematical model of PPMLM, and active disturbance rejection control is implemented in the servo controller. Field-circuit coupling simulation is applied to estimate the system’s performance. Then, a press prototype with 6 kN nominal force is fabricated, and the hardware platform of the control system is constructed for experimental study. Punch strokes with 0.06 m displacement are implemented at trapezoidal speeds of 0.1 and 0.2 m/s;the dynamic position tracking errors are less than 0.45 and 0.82 mm, respectively. Afterward, continuous reciprocating strokes are performed, and the positioning errors at the bottom dead center are less than 0.015 mm. Complex pulse trajectories are also achieved. The proposed PPMLM drive press exhibits a fast dynamic response and favorable tracking precision and is suitable for various forming processes.

Development Trends of Transmissions for Hybrid Electric Vehicles Using an Optimized Energy Management Strategy

Energy conservation and emissions reduction have become increasingly significant for automobiles due to the severity of the current energy situation.Hybrid electric vehicle(HEV)technology is one of the most promising solutions.This study investigated the total efficiency of a HEV powertrain.To improve the total efficiency,the engine should be regulated to work at its highest efficiency and drive the wheels directly as much as possible.To accomplish this,we developed an energy management strategy based on the direct drive area(DDA)of the engine’s efficiency map.Several typical HEV models were built to compare the fuel consumption using DDA and rule-based strategies.Furthermore,the function of the HEV transmission system with DDA was considered.The transmission in a HEV should regulate the engine to work at its highest efficiency as much as possible,which is rather different than the regulation in an internal combustion engine vehicle.The functional change may lead to transmission systems with fewer gears but optimal gear ratios.If this trend is realized,the manufacturing cost of HEVs could be largely reduced.

Parallel-Path Power Flows in Magnetic-Geared Permanent Magnet Machines with Sandwiched Armature Stator

Due to the large torque density of magnetic gears(MGs),magnetic-geared permanent magnet machines(MGPMs)have become promising competitors in the family of direct-drive machines.According to the deployment of armature stators,MGPMs can be generally classified into three types,viz.,MGPM with inner armature stator(MGPM-IAS),MGPM with outer armature stator(MGPM-OAS),and MGPM with sandwiched armature stator(MGPM-SAS).Our investigation finds out that the MGPM-SAS can achieve parallel-path power flows better than the MGPM-OAS,while the MGPM-IAS is with serial power flow paths.Therefore,the torque capability of MGPM-IAS is limited by the torque transmission capability of its integrated MG.However,the MGPM-SAS has the possibility to offer even higher output torque than its integrated MG.This paper focuses on the MGPM-SAS.And three typical MGPMs and their power flow paths are introduced;the interaction of electromagnetic fields in MGPM-SAS is analyzed;simulation calculation and experimental verification are conducted to demonstrate the validity of the theoretical analysis.

Improvements on permanent magnet synchronous motor by integrating heat pipes into windings for solar unmanned aerial vehicle

The successful market uptake of all-electric propulsion systems is closely related to the performance metrics of the electrical motor used within.In light of this,various road-maps have been set for the next two decades by aerospace and automotive bodies targeting ambitious future targets of the motor's power densities and efficiencies.In achieving motors with such step-improvement performance metrics,often the thermal management is a key challenge.In this paper,a cooling structure for a propulsion motor of solar unmanned aircraft is proposed which combines the stator windings with heat pipes,and which is shown to simultaneously improve the heat dissipation as well as the efficiency.This paper firstly determines the heat transfer characteristic of the heat pipe experimentally which is then used in the development of a bespoke thermal network model of the motor.The effects of the cooling structure on the motor's temperature rise,copper losses,torque,and efficiency are studied in detail.Finally,a prototype is developed and a test platform is built.The experimental results are consistent with the analytical result,verifying the correctness of the thermal network model and the benefits of the proposed mechanism.Compared to the motor without heat pipes,the temperature rise of the motor is reduced by 35%,while its efficiency is improved by a significant 1.5%.