EE&T News: November 21, 2011

Electric bikes on the rise

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The fundamentals of energy harvesting design

New power management products can squeeze usable power out of intermittent and often miniscule outputs from such energy harvesting transducers as TEGs (thermo-electric generators), photovoltaics, piezoelectric materials, and electromagnetics. But designing for these minute amounts of power requires a new way of specifying and analyzing power management devices.

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The energy efficient machine tool

When the topic of energy efficiency comes up, machine tools don't typically spring to mind. Yet machine tools contain motors and auxiliary components whose energy consumption varies widely during machining operations. For example, the main spindle drive and coolant system work near their rated power during roughing operations with high stock-removal rates. But they consume much less power during finishing operations.

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First, the good news........

At the Center for the Built Environment, at the University of California at Berkeley, researchers have been working out ways to make people comfortable using tiny amounts of energy..... Rather than ever more use of energy-intensive refrigerated air, researchers have focused on factors like the effect of air movement. Not surprisingly, a bit of air movement can make a big difference in most people's perceptions of comfort when temperatures are rising.

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Video: When solar arrays catch fire

Can solar arrays catch fire? You bet. And solar array fires can be particularly problematic because local fire departments often don't know how to isolate the array from the power line. Stephane Poutissou, Technical Advisor, CSA International, spoke about these and other issues at his EE&T Tech Day presentation. Watch his explanation on video.

Energy shorts

HVDC pumps up the power
New smart phone apps for energy efficiency
Circuit topology boosts power density in power conversion platforms
Programmable CFL ballast control
IGBTs target solar applications
Power factor correction chip for SSL

New Products

Diaphragm brushless-dc pumps

The new 1410 and 1420 Series of Jade diaphragm, miniature brushless-dc pumps are equipped with an electronically commutated brushless-dc motor. The motor's high torque and speed range allows stepless variation of the pneumatic diaphragm pumps, ranging from 2.5 to 11.0 lpm, so that the flow versus pressure/vacuum curve is held more linear than with standard dc or other BLDC motors.
Available in 12 or 24 V, the motors are equipped with integrated control electronics and are powered by a four-wire cable with male connector.
Thomas Div., Gardner Denver

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Advanced materials for solar inverters

A wide range of materials with expanded electrical insulation, heat dissipation, and EMC/EMI materials are well suited for solar inverters.
Insulation for discrete or multilayer custom parts are manufactured to specifications such as dielectric strength, temperature resistance, and resistance to tearing and puncturing during assembly. Materials include electrical grade papers, films, coated cloths, laminates, and tapes for core, barrier, layer, and magnetic wire insulation; lead pads; and phase separators.
Thermally conductive materials disperse heat in temperature-sensitive inverter applications. These materials help transfer heat away from components into heat sinks, the ambient environment, or across the surface of the entire assembly where it can be further dissipated. Materials include foil tapes, metal-filled elastomers, and wire mesh.
Fabrico

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