PREPARATION OF ZnO CERAMIC POWDER BY SOL-GEL METHOD AND ITS VOLTAGE SENSITIVE PROPERTIES

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A New Kind of Linear NTC Sensitive Ceramics

The preparation method of a new kind of SnO2-CdO-WO3 linear NTC (negative temperature coefficient) thermal sensitive ceramics was related in this paper. The electron transfer formula of this N type semiconducting ceramics was given. Factors which affect temperature- resistance characteristic curve, such as the composition of the material, heat treatment condition, the speed of the temperature rising, heat preservation time and sintering atmosphere were thoroughly studied and analyzed.

COPRECIPITATION PREPARATION AND VOLTAGE SENSITIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF DOPED ZnO VARISTOR

A process of preparing ZnO voltage sensitive ceramics doped with some oxides by coprecipitation was described in the paper. The thermal properties of ZnO nanometer powders and the current voltage characteristics of the ceramics have been investigated. The results showed that the six additive ZnO powders with hexagonal system were homogeneous grain size distribution in microstructure, the optimal reaction pH is 6.90±0.05, the temperature for calcining and sintering was at about 500 ℃ and 1100 ℃, respectively. The powders were also examined by SEM, IR and XRD etc, and the effect of doping La 2O 3 on the electrical properties of ZnO varistor was investigated too.

Sensitivity analysis of pull-in voltage for RF MEMS switch based on modified couple stress theory

An approximate analytical model for calculating the pull-in voltage of a stepped cantilever-type radio frequency （RF） micro electro-mechanical system （MEMS） switch is developed based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam and a modified couple stress theory, and is validated by comparison with the finite element results. The sensitivity functions of the pull-in voltage to the designed parameters are derived based on the proposed model. The sensitivity investigation shows that the pull-in voltage sensitivities increase/decrease nonlinearly with the increases in the designed parameters. For the stepped cantilever beam, there exists a nonzero optimal dimensionless length ratio, where the pull-in voltage is insensitive. The optimal value of the dimensionless length ratio only depends on the dimensionless width ratio, and can be obtained by solving a nonlinear equation. The determination of the designed parameters is discussed, and some recommendations are made for the RF MEMS switch optimization.

Voltage Control in Smart Grids: An Approach Based on Sensitivity Theory

Due to the development of Distributed Generation (DG), which is installed in Medium-Voltage Distribution Networks (MVDNs) such as generators based on renewable energy (e.g., wind energy or solar energy), voltage control is currently a very important issue. The voltage is now regulated at the MV busbars acting on the On-Load Tap Changer of the HV/MV transformer. This method does not guarantee the correct voltage value in the network nodes when the distributed generators deliver their power. In this paper an approach based on Sensitivity Theory is shown, in order to control the node voltages regulating the reactive power exchanged between the network and the dispersed generators. The automatic distributed voltage regulation is a particular topic of the Smart Grids.

Optimal configuration strategy of energy storage system in high photovoltaic penetration micro-grid based on voltage sensitivity analysis

Energy storage is an effective measure to deal with internal power fluctuation of micro-grid and ensure stable operation, especially in the micro-grid with high photovoltaic(PV) penetration. Its capacity configuration is related to the steady, safety and economy of micro-grid.In order to improve the absorptive capacity of micro-grid on maximizing the use of distributed PV power in micro-grid, and improve the power quality, an optimal energy storage configuration strategy is proposed, which takes many factors into account, such as the topology of micro-grid, the change of irradiance, the load fluctuation and the cable. The strategy can optimize the energy storage allocation model to minimize the storage power capacity and optimize the node configuration.The key electrical nodes are identified by using the sensitivity coefficient of the voltage, and then the model is optimized to simplify calculation. Finally, an example of the European low-voltage micro-grid and a micro-grid system in the laboratory is used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.The results show that the proposed method can optimize the allocation of capacity and the node of the energy storage system.

Cost Estimation of Voltage Dips in Small Industries Based on Equipment Sensitivity Analysis

Voltage dip is one of the detrimental power quality problems that can lead to huge financial losses in industries. Its economic impact is not only associated with the quality of the supply but also with sensitivity of electronic controls and equipment of the industry which are susceptible to voltage dips. Mitigating solutions are available but the choice depends on the careful assessment of the economic impact of voltage dips and economic gains of solutions. This paper presents an approach for estimating the economic cost of voltage dips based on sensitivity analysis. The voltage-tolerance curves of the sensitive equipment are obtained from experimental tests under different conditions. From the behavior and interaction of process equipment, different failure modes and economic sensitivity density are determined for different types of voltage dips. Voltage events monitored in the MV-network for several years are assessed to determine the frequency and severity of voltage dips at the customer terminal. The economic values of equipment and processes are assessed to get insight into alternative solutions with more rewarding measures. Then, cost-benefit analysis is performed to compare the economic gains of solutions protecting equipment or processes showing more rewarding economic values.

Dopant Behaviours of Sm_2O_3 on Microstructure and Properties of Barium Zirconium Titanate Ceramics

The effect of Sm 2O 3 dopant on the sintering characteristics and dielectric properties of barium zirconium titanate ceramics (BaZr x Ti 1- x O 3) was investigated. It is shown that trace amount of Sm 2O 3 can greatly affect the grain growth and densification of barium zirconium titanate ceramics during sintering. At the same time, the dielectric peak at high temperature shifts to lower temperature and that at low temperature shifts to higher temperature. The two dielectric peaks overlap with each other when the Sm 2O 3 dopant content varies from 0 25% to 1%, and the maximum relative dielectric constant is greatly enhanced. These effects may be attributed to the substitution actions of the rare earth element in perovskite lattice. At the doping content of 0 75%, the dielectric constant maximum of 23570 can be obtained. By adopting some proper additives, an excellent Y5V dielective material is obtained, and the room temperature properties are as follows: relative dielectric constant ε RT ≥23,000, dielectric loss tgδ≤0 0075 and the breakdown strength under alternating field E b≥5 kV·mm -1 .

Influence of soaking time on nonlinear electrical behavior and dielectric properties of TiO_2-based varistor ceramics

The influence of soaking time on the nonlinear electrical behavior and dielectric properties of TiO2-based varistor ceramics was investigated. Based on single sintering process, six disk samples of （Sr, Bi, Si, Ta）-doped TiO2-based varistor ceramics were fabricated by sintering at 1 250 ℃ for 0.5-5.0 h. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, voltage-current characteristics, energy spectra, metallographs, breakdown voltages, and apparent dielectric constant. It is found that the breakdown electrical field intensity at a current density of 10 mA/cma decreases from 5.5 to 4.1 V/mm first and then increases to 7.0 V/mm, the nonlinear coefficient increases from 2.39 to 2.62 first and then decreases to 2.42, and the apparent dielectric constant increases from 98 200 to 1l5 049 first and then decreases to 73 865 with the soaking time increasing from 0.5 to 5.0 h. These indicate that the optimal soaking time is 2.0-3.0 h considering both nonlinear electrical behavior and dielectric properties.

Influence of size of seed grains and sintering condition on varistor properties of ZnO-Bi_2O_3-TiO_2-Sb_2O_3 ceramics

Varistor ceramics of ZnO Bi 2O 3 TiO 2 Sb 2O 3 system have been fabricated by introducing pre fabricated ZnO seed grains with different size distributions respectively. The results show that the varistor properties were significantly influenced by the size of introduced seed grains, and introducing larger seed grains is more advantageous to the modification of microstructure and the improvement of varistor properties. The varistor properties were considerably improved with a moderately increased sintering temperature or time, whereas degraded apparently when the sintering temperature or time was excessively increased. Compared with the sintering time, the sintering temperature plays a more critical role in determining the varistor properties. By introducing pre fabricated ZnO seed grains into the original powders, low voltage ZnO varistor ceramics possessing the desired electrical properties have been produced with a sintering temperature of about 1 210 ℃ and a sintering temperature of 2～2.5 h. [

Effects of Composition of ZnO Ceramics Containing TiO_2 onVaristor Properties

The development of low-voltage ZnO varistor ceramics containing TiO2 is presented in this report. The varistor properties of ZnO ceramics with different compositions were measured, and microstructure of the ceramics was investigated by XRD and SEM. The results show that the addition of TiO2 is beneficial to the decrease of varistor voltage (V1mA). whereas it leads to the recession of nonlinear coefficient (α) and leakage current (lL). The varistor properties of ZnO ceramics containing TiO2 can be effectively improved by introducing moderate amount of pre-fabricated ZnO seed grains. The behaviors of TiO2 and seed grains, as well as the mechanisms by which TiO2 and seed grains influence varistor properties, are discussed.

Development of an Intelligent Voltage Control System for Jeju Island Power System in Korea

As the voltage has local characteristics in a power system, system voltage control has depended on human experts in distribution substation local reactive power control station so far in Korea. Since coordinative automatic control has been possible due to the recent advances in computers and communication networks, the hierarchical voltage control system, consisting of primary, secondary, and tertiary control, has been applied in several European countries. Recently the Korea power system has been operated more closely to stability limits because of rapid growth in load-demand as seen in Europe. For this reasons, Korea electric power corporation recognized the need of the voltage control system and developed the voltage control system. This paper presents an intelligent voltage control system for domestic power system using numerical algorithm based on the sensitivity matrix and the expert system. Dynamic characteristics of the developed system are investigated using EMTDC （electromagnetic transient DC analysis program） and RTDS （real time digital simulator）. Several case studies showed the promising performance.

Studies on Gas Sensitive Materials of γ-Fe_2O_3 Doped with Rare Earth Oxides

Fine powders of γ-Fe_2O_3,doped with Y_2O_3,CeO_2,Eu_2O_3 or Tb_2O_3 have been prepared by the chemical co-precipitation method.The sensitivity of gas sensation has been measured with respect to the relative resist- ance change in the ceramic matrix upon introduction of inflammable gases.The structure of the materials has been studied with X-ray diffraction spectroscopy(XRD),electron diffraction spectroscopy( ED) and transmis- sion electron microscopy(TEM).The addition of rare earth oxides,which improves ceramic microstructure of γ-Fe_2O_3,improves gas sensitivity of γ-Fe_2O_3.The stability can be increased because of the increase of phase transition temperature.In addition,the selectivity of gas sensation of γ-Fe_2O_3 can be improved because of the variation of rare earth oxides.

Voltage Dependence of Resistivity in Semiconducting Ceramics

Voltage dependence of resistivity(VDR)is a widely existing phenomenon insemiconducting ceramics, but there is no quantitative study on this phenomenon. Inthis note, the quantitative results of voltage dependence of resistivity insemiconducting ceramics are obtained from the grain boundary barrier model, andthe methods to decrease the voltage dependence of resistivity in sendconductingceramics are proposed.

Resistance Measurements and Interpretations Relating to Flashover of Artificially Contaminated Ceramic Insulator Strings

The flashover of insulator strings occurring at normal working voltages undercontaminated/polluted conditions, obviously deserves serious consideration. Though much researchhas been gone into pollution-induced flashover phenomena but grey areas still exist in ourknowledge. In the present experimental study the breakdown (flashover) voltages across gaps oninsulator top surfaces and gaps between sheds (on the underside of an insulator), also the flashoverstudies on a single unit and a 3-unit insulator strings were carried out. An attempt has been madeto correlate the values obtained for all the cases. From the present investigation it was found thatresistance measurement of individual units of a polluted 3-unit string before and after flashoverindicates that strongly differing resistances could be the cause of flashover of ceramic discinsulator strings.

Enhanced transient photovoltaic characteristics of core–shell ZnSe/ZnS/L-Cys quantum-dot-sensitized TiO_2 thin-film

Photoanodic properties greatly determine the overall performance of quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells（QDSCs）. In the present report, the microdynamic behaviors of carriers in the nanocomposite thin-film, a Zn Se QD-sensitized mesoporous La-doped nano-TiO2 thin-film, as a potential candidate for photoanode, are probed via nanosecond transient photovoltaic（TPV） spectroscopy. The results confirm that the L-Cys ligand has a dual function serving as a stabilizer and molecular linker. Large quantities of interface states are located at the energy level with a photoelectric threshold of1.58 eV and a quantum well（QW） depth of 0.67 eV. This QW depth is approximately 0.14 eV deeper than the depth of QW buried in the Zn Se QDs, and a deeper QW results in a higher quantum confinement energy. A strong quantum confinement effect of the interface state may be responsible for the excellent TPV characteristics of the photoanode. For example, the peak intensity of the TPV response of the QD-sensitized thin-film lasts a long time, from 9.40 × 10^（-7） s to 2.96 × 10^（-4） s,and the end time of the PTV response of the QD-sensitized thin-film is extended by approximately an order of magnitude compared with those of the TiO2 substrate and the QDs. The TPV characteristics of the QD-sensitized thin-film change from p-type to n-type for the QDs before and after sensitizing. These properties strongly depend on the extended diffusion length of the photogenerated carries and the reduced recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, resulting in prolonged carrier lifetime and an increased level of electron injection into the TiO2 thin-film substrate.

Large photovoltaic effect with ultrahigh open-circuit voltage in relaxor-based ferroelectric Pb(In_(1/2)Nb_(1/2))O_(3)-Pb(Mg_(1/3)Nb_(2/3))O_(3)-PbTiO_(3)ceramics

Recently,the anomalous photovoltaic effect of ferroelectric materials has attracted considerable attention in the construction of efficient solar cells owing to the above-bandgap photovoltage of these materials.In this study,we investigate the anomalous photovoltaic effect of relaxor-based ferroelectric Pb(In_(1/2)Nb_(1/2))O_(3)-Pb(Mg_(1/3)Nb_(2/3))O_(3)-PbTiO_(3)(PIMN-PT)ceramics with large remnant polarization and a narrow optical bandgap.Excellent photovoltaic performance with an ultrahigh open-circuit voltage of 23 V(575 V/cm)is achieved,which is higher than the open-circuit voltages of all reported polycrystalline materials with similar thickness.The phase structure,microstructure morphology,domain structure,ferroelectric and optical characteristics are analyzed,which could provide clues to the origin of the ultrahigh open-circuit voltage of PIMN-PT ceramics.The results suggest that the relaxor-based ferroelectric PIMNPT system is a potential candidate for photovoltaic solar energy conversion devices.

Relationship Between Electric Properties and Temperature of ZrB_2-SiC Composite Ceramic Heating Element

ZrB2 -SiC composite ceramic has been successfully introduced as heating element in super high temperature .field. This paper further investigated the microstructure of ZrB2 - SiC composite ceramic heating element and the relationship between electric properties and temperature. SEM photos show that the heating element consists of SiC grains and ZrBz grains smaller than 10 μm. The voltage and current gradually increase and the furnace tempera- ture rises lineally with heating time prolonging. The electric resistance increases linearly with the temperature rising. The service temperatltre of the heating element can reach 1 800 ℃ and 2 150 ℃ in air and argon at- mosphere, respectively.

Facile fabrication of TiO_2 nanoparticle–TiO_2 nanofiber composites by co-electrospinning–electrospraying for dye-sensitized solar cells

We report a facile method for the fabrication of TiO2 nanofiber-nanoparticle composite （FP） via. simulta- neous electrospraying and electrospinning for dye-sensitized solar cell （DSC） applications. The loading of nanoparticles on the fibers is controlled by varying their feed rates during electrospinning. The FP composites having three different particle loading are prepared by the methodology and the FP with the highest particle loading （denoted as FP-3 in the manuscript） showed the best overall efficiency of 9.15% in comparison to the other compositions of the FP （FP-2, 8.15% and FP-1, Z51%, respectively） and nanofibers （F） and nanoparticles （P） separately （7.21 and 7.81, respectively）. All the material systems are characterized by spec- troscopy, microscopy, surface area measurements and the devices are characterized by current-voltage （I-V）, incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency （IPCE）, electrochemical impedance measurements, etc. I-V, dye-loading and reflectance measurements throw light on the overall performance of the DSC devices.