| 1. |
- Akram, Shazad, et al.
(författare)
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Battery powered inductive welding system for electrofusion joints in optical fiber microducts
- 2021
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Ingår i: Electronics. - : MDPI AG. - 2079-9292. ; 10:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical fiber microducts are joined together by mechanical joints. These mechanical joints are bulky, require more space per joint, and are prone to air pressure leakage and water seepage during service. A battery powered electrofusion welding system with a resistive-type joint has been recently developed to replace mechanical joints. These resistive-type electrofusion joints require physical connectors for power input. Due to a different installation environment, the power input connectors of resistive optical fiber microduct joints may corrode over time. This corrosion of connectors will eventually cause water seepage or air pressure leakage in the long run. Moreover, due to connector corrosion, resistive-type optical fiber microduct joints cannot be re-heated in future if the need arises. In this study, an inductively coupled electrofusion-type joint was proposed and investigated. This inductive-type electrofusion joint is not prone to long-term corrosion risk, due to the absence of power connectors. Inductive-type electrofusion joints can be re-heated again for resealing or removal in the long run, as no metal part is exposed to the environment. The battery powered inductive welding system can be easily powered with a 38 volts 160 watt-hour battery. The inductive-type electrofusion joint was welded within one second, and passed a 300-newton pull strength test and a 10-bar air pressure leakage test. It was demonstrated that the power input requirement for inductive electrofusion joints is 64% higher than that of resistive electrofusion joints. However, these inductive joints are relatively easy to manufacture, inexpensive, have no air leakage, and no water seepage risk in highly corrosive environments.
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| 2. |
- Akram, Shazad, et al.
(författare)
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Capacitive and optical sensing for automatic detection and characterization of cleaning sponges in fiber optic microduct installations
- 2019
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Ingår i: Proceedings - 2019 8th International Workshop on Advances in Sensors and Interfaces, IWASI 2019. - : IEEE. - 9781728105574 ; , s. 274-278
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical fiber duct installation requires blowing of cleaning sponges for dirt and moisture removal before blowing the fiber cables. The traditional method requires one operator that blows the sponge and one operator in the receiving end that manually evaluate the sponges until a dry sponge is received. The proposed system eliminates the need of a second operator by introducing a solution for automatic sponge detection and characterization of moisture in sponges at the receiving end. An optical sensor is used for detection and a capacitive sensor is developed to measure the sponge's wetness. Sensor data is automatically transmitted back to the operator at the feeding end via a mobile phone. The system is characterized to work with sponges ranging from saturated with wetness to what is deemed as dry.
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| 3. |
- Akram, Shazad, et al.
(författare)
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Design and Development of a Battery Powered Electrofusion Welding System for Optical Fiber Microducts
- 2020
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Ingår i: IEEE Access. - 2169-3536. ; 8, s. 173024-173043
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- At present, optical fiber microducts are coupled together by mechanical types of joints. Mechanical joints are thick, require a large space, and reduce the installation distance in multi-microduct installation. They may leak or explode in the blown fiber installation process. Mechanical joints are subjected to time dependent deterioration under long service times beneath the earth's surface. It may start with a small leakage, followed by damage due to water freezing inside the optical fiber microduct. Optical fiber microducts are made up of high-density polyethylene, which is considered most suitable for thermoelectric welding. For thermoelectric welding of two optical fiber microducts, the welding time should be one second, and should not cause any damage to the inner structure of the microducts that are being coupled. To fulfill these requirements, an LTspice simulation model for the welding system was developed and validated. The developed LTspice model has two parts. The first part models the power input to joule heating wire and the second part models the heat propagation inside the different layers of the optical fiber microduct and surrounding joint by using electro-thermal analogy. In order to validate the simulation results, a battery powered prototype welding system was developed and tested. The prototype welding system consists of a custom-built electrofusion joint and a controller board. A 40 volt 4 ampere-hour Li-Ion battery was used to power the complete system. The power drawn from the battery was controlled by charging and discharging of a capacitor bank, which makes sure that the battery is not overloaded. After successful welding, a pull strength test and an air pressure leakage test were performed to ensure that the welded joints met the requirements set by the mechanical joints. The results show that this new kind of joint and welding system can effectively replace mechanical joints in future optical fiber duct installations.
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| 4. |
- Akram, Shazad, et al.
(författare)
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LTspice electro-thermal model of joule heating in high density polyethylene optical fiber microducts
- 2019
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Ingår i: Electronics. - : MDPI AG. - 2079-9292. ; 8:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- At present, optical fiber microducts are joined together by mechanical type joints. Mechanical joints are bulky, require more space in multiple duct installations, and have poor water sealing capability. Optical fiber microducts are made of high-density polyethylene which is considered best for welding by remelting. Mechanical joints can be replaced with welded joints if the outer surface layer of the optical fiber microduct is remelted within one second and without thermal damage to the inner surface of the optical fiber duct. To fulfill these requirements, an electro-thermal model of Joule heat generation using a copper coil and heat propagation inside different layers of optical fiber microducts was developed and validated. The electro-thermal model is based on electro-thermal analogy that uses the electrical equivalent to thermal parameters. Depending upon the geometric shape and material properties of the high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, and copper coil, the thermal resistance and thermal capacitance values were calculated and connected to the Cauer RC-ladder configuration. The power input to Joule heating coil and thermal convection resistance to surrounding air were also calculated and modelled. The calculated thermal model was then simulated in LTspice, and real measurements with 50 µm K-type thermocouples were conducted to check the validity of the model. Due to the non-linear transient thermal behavior of polyethylene and variations in the convection resistance values, the calculated thermal model was then optimized for best curve fitting. Optimizations were conducted for convection resistance and the power input model only. The calculated thermal parameters of the polyethylene layers were kept intact to preserve the thermal model to physical structure relationship. Simulation of the optimized electro-thermal model and actual measurements showed to be in good agreement.
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| 5. |
- Alishah, Rasoul Shalchi, et al.
(författare)
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Analysis and Design of a New Extendable Sepic Converter with High Voltage Gain and Reduced Components for Photovoltaic Applications
- 2019
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Ingår i: 2019 10th International Power Electronics, Drive Systems and Technologies Conference (PEDSTC). - : IEEE. - 9781538692547 ; , s. 492-497
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents a high step-up DC-DC converter which is appropriate for Photovoltaic systems. This topology has been combined from an extended switched-capacitor and a common SEPIC converter. Low components and high-voltage-gain are the main benefits of the introduced topology. Low rate current ripple, easy control and continuous input current are other advantages of the presented structure. Integrating the switched-capacitor with the SEPIC converter leads to increase the output voltage with variable conversion ratio which can be used for a wide range of loads. The switched-capacitor converter provides a constant dc output voltage while the SEPIC converter extracts maximum power of PV panels because it operates under control of duty cycle. Continuous input current is highly suitable for PV applications. The operating principles and steady-state analysis of the suggested topology are discussed in detail. In order to assess the effectiveness of the presented topology, it has been simulated on PSCAD/EMTDC software.
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| 6. |
- Ambatipudi, Radhika, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Comparison of Two Layered and Three Layered Coreless Printed Circuit Board Step-Down Power Transformers
- 2011
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Ingår i: 2011 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INSTRUMENTATION, MEASUREMENT, CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS (ICIMCS 2011), VOL 2: FUTURE COMMUNICATION AND NETWORKING. - Shenzhen : IEEE conference proceedings. - 9780791859902 ; , s. 59-62
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper the comparative results of two layered and three layered coreless Printed Circuit Board (PCB) step down 2:1 power transformers operating in MHz frequency were addressed. The two different step down transformers approximately having same self inductances, one in two layer and the other in three layer were designed and evaluated for the given power transfer application. The performance characteristics of these transformers under similar conditions were measured and the comparative parameters of these transformers in terms of their resistances, self, leakage, mutual inductances, and coupling coefficient are analyzed. For the given output power, the measured energy efficiency of the three layered transformer is improved by 3% and the area is reduced by 32% compared to two layered transformer. The efficiency of the three layered transformer is 94.5% approximately for an output power level of 25W at an operating frequency of 2.5MHz
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| 7. |
- Ambatipudi, Radhika, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Coreless Printed Circuit Board (PCB) StepdownTransformers for DC-DC ConverterApplications
- 2010
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Ingår i: PROCEEDINGS OF WORLD ACADEMY OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, ISSUE 70, OCTOBER 2010, ISSN:1307-6892. - France : World Academy of Science Engineering and Technology. ; , s. 380-389
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, multilayered coreless printed circuit board (PCB) step-down power transformers for DC-DC converter applications have been designed, manufactured and evaluated. A set of two different circular spiral step-down transformers were fabricated in the four layered PCB. These transformers have been modelled with the assistance of high frequency equivalent circuit and characterized with both sinusoidal and square wave excitation. This paper provides the comparative results of these two different transformers in te rms of their resistances, self, leakage, mutual inductances, coupling coefficient and also their energy efficiencies. The operating regions for optimal performance of these transformers for power transfer applications are determined. These transformers were tested for the output power levels of about 30 Watts within the input voltage range of 12-50 Vrms. The energy efficiency for these step down transformers is observed to be in the range of 90%-97% in MHz frequency region.
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| 8. |
- Ambatipudi, Radhika, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of Air Gap on the Performance of Hybrid Planar Power Transformer in High Frequency (MHz) Switch Mode Power Supplies (SMPS)
- 2012
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Ingår i: Proceedings of INDUCTICA 2012, Coil Winding, Insulation and Electrical Manufacturing International Conference and Exhibition (CWIEME), Berlin, Germany 26-28 June 2012.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- A half bridge transformer with novel winding strategy was designed and tested up to the output power level of 50W with a maximum energy efficiency of 98% in 1-6 MHz frequency region. In this paper, the effect of air gap on the performance of the designed transformer for high frequency (MHz) Switch Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) was studied and analyzed. The air gap of the transformer was varied from 0 – 2mm and the effect on self, leakage, mutual inductances, coupling coefficient and power transfer capability was recorded in 1 - 6MHz. The parameters of the transformer with different air gaps were extracted using network analyzer. The transformer was excited with sinusoidal voltages using power amplifier and the performance characteristics such as input impedance, power transfer capability and hence the energy efficiency was measured. At a particular operating frequency of 3MHz, the maximum power transferred for the given excitation voltage with 0mm air gap was found to be 22W whereas it is only 8W with the 2mm air gap . The measured energy efficiency of the transformer at 3MHz with 0mm and 2mm air gap was found to be 93% and 79% respectively. With this study, for the given power transfer application, at a particular high frequency operation of converter, an optimum air gap without sacrificing the energy efficiency and core saturation was proposed
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| 9. |
- Ambatipudi, Radhika, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of Dielectric Material on the Performance of Planar Power Transformers in MHz Frequency Region
- 2012
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Ingår i: Proceedings of INDUCTICA 2012, Coil Winding, Insulation and Electrical Manufacturing International Conference and Exhibition (CWIEME), Berlin, Germany 26-28 June 2012.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, the effect of two different dielectric materials in planar printed circuit board (PCB) transformers applicable for power transfer applications in MHz frequency region is discussed. The 2-D model of the planar transformer was developed and the effect of the dielectric material on the magnetic field and the current distribution in the transformer was analyzed. Based on the FEA analysis, the power transformers of two different dielectric materials were designed, manufactured and characterized by using ‘S’ parameters obtained from network analyzer in order to determine the performance of dielectrics at high frequencies. The electrical parameters such as inductances, capacitances and resistances of the transformers were obtained and the changes in these parameters with the variation of the dielectric material were analyzed in the MHz frequency. This paper discusses the effect of dielectric material on the magnetic field distribution and the current density which results in the variation of the coupling coefficient and the eddy current losses of the transformer. By changing the dielectric material from a traditional FR-4 to a Rogers, the coupling coefficient was improved by a maximum of 5% and the copper losses of transformer were also decreased in the MHz frequency region. The power gain/energy efficiency obtained from the network analyzer with a resonant capacitor is verified with those obtained using a power amplifier and the simulations. An overall energy efficiency improvement of about 2-5% was achieved with a Rogers’s material in MHz frequency region compared to traditional FR-4 laminate.
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| 10. |
- Ambatipudi, Radhika, 1982-
(författare)
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High Frequency (MHz) Planar Transformers for Next Generation Switch Mode Power Supplies
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Increasing the power density of power electronic converters while reducing or maintaining the same cost, offers a higher potential to meet the current trend inrelation to various power electronic applications. High power density converters can be achieved by increasing the switching frequency, due to which the bulkiest parts, such as transformer, inductors and the capacitor's size in the convertercircuit can be drastically reduced. In this regard, highly integrated planar magnetics are considered as an effective approach compared to the conventional wire wound transformers in modern switch mode power supplies (SMPS). However, as the operating frequency of the transformers increase from several hundred kHz to MHz, numerous problems arise such as skin and proximity effects due to the induced eddy currents in the windings, leakage inductance and unbalanced magnetic flux distribution. In addition to this, the core losses whichare functional dependent on frequency gets elevated as the operating frequency increases. Therefore, this thesis provides an insight towards the problems related to the high frequency magnetics and proposes a solution with regards to different aspects in relation to designing high power density, energy efficient transformers.The first part of the thesis concentrates on the investigation of high power density and highly energy efficient coreless printed circuit board (PCB) step-down transformers useful for stringent height DC-DC converter applications, where the core losses are being completely eliminated. These transformers also maintain the advantages offered by existing core based transformers such as, high coupling coefficient, sufficient input impedance, high energy efficiency and wide frequencyband width with the assistance of a resonant technique. In this regard, several coreless PCB step down transformers of different turn’s ratio for power transfer applications have been designed and evaluated. The designed multilayered coreless PCB transformers for telecom and PoE applications of 8,15 and 30W show that the volume reduction of approximately 40 - 90% is possible when compared to its existing core based counterparts while maintaining the energy efficiency of the transformers in the range of 90 - 97%. The estimation of EMI emissions from the designed transformers for the given power transfer application proves that the amount of radiated EMI from a multilayered transformer is lessthan that of the two layered transformer because of the decreased radius for thesame amount of inductance.The design guidelines for the multilayered coreless PCB step-down transformer for the given power transfer application has been proposed. The designed transformer of 10mm radius has been characterized up to the power level of 50Wand possesses a record power density of 107W/cm3 with a peak energy efficiency of 96%. In addition to this, the design guidelines of the signal transformer fordriving the high side MOSFET in double ended converter topologies have been proposed. The measured power consumption of the high side gate drive circuitvitogether with the designed signal transformer is 0.37W. Both these signal andpower transformers have been successfully implemented in a resonant converter topology in the switching frequency range of 2.4 – 2.75MHz for the maximum load power of 34.5W resulting in the peak energy efficiency of converter as 86.5%.This thesis also investigates the indirect effect of the dielectric laminate on the magnetic field intensity and current density distribution in the planar power transformers with the assistance of finite element analysis (FEA). The significanceof the high frequency dielectric laminate compared to FR-4 laminate in terms of energy efficiency of planar power transformers in MHz frequency region is also explored.The investigations were also conducted on different winding strategies such as conventional solid winding and the parallel winding strategies, which play an important role in the design and development of a high frequency transformer and suggested a better choice in the case of transformers operating in the MHz frequency region.In the second part of the thesis, a novel planar power transformer with hybrid core structure has been designed and evaluated in the MHz frequency region. The design guidelines of the energy efficient high frequency planar power transformerfor the given power transfer application have been proposed. The designed corebased planar transformer has been characterized up to the power level of 50W and possess a power density of 47W/cm3 with maximum energy efficiency of 97%. This transformer has been evaluated successfully in the resonant converter topology within the switching frequency range of 3 – 4.5MHz. The peak energy efficiency ofthe converter is reported to be 92% and the converter has been tested for the maximum power level of 45W, which is suitable for consumer applications such as laptop adapters. In addition to this, a record power density transformer has been designed with a custom made pot core and has been characterized in thefrequency range of 1 - 10MHz. The power density of this custom core transformer operating at 6.78MHz frequency is 67W/cm3 and with the peak energy efficiency of 98%.In conclusion, the research in this dissertation proposed a solution for obtaining high power density converters by designing the highly integrated, high frequency(1 - 10MHz) coreless and core based planar magnetics with energy efficiencies inthe range of 92 - 97%. This solution together with the latest semiconductor GaN/SiC switching devices provides an excellent choice to meet the requirements of the next generation ultra flat low profile switch mode power supplies (SMPS).
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