Passive Electrical Damping of a Quartz Tuning Fork as a Path to Fast Resonance Tracking in QEPAS

In Quartz-Enhanced PhotoAcoustic Spectroscopy (QEPAS) gas sensors, the acoustic wave is detected by the piezoelectric Quartz Tuning Fork (QTF). Due to its high-quality factor, the QTF can detect very low-pressure variations, but its resonance can also be affected by the environmental variations (temperature, humidity, …), which causes an unwanted signal drift. Recently, we presented the RT-QEPAS technique that consistently corrects the signal drift by continuously measuring the QTF resonance. In this article, we present an improvement of RT-QEPAS to fasten the QTF characterization time by adding a passive electronic circuit, which causes the damping of the QTF resonance. The damping circuit is optimized analytically and through SPICE simulation. The results are supported by experimental observations, showing a 70 times improvement of the relaxation times compared to the lone QTF, which opens the way to a fast and drift-free QEPAS sensor.

Research on Mechanism and Damping Control Strategy of DFIG-Based Wind Farm Grid-Connected System SSR Based on the Complex Torque Method

The subsynchronous resonance (SSR) of a double-fed induction generator (DFIG) and its suppression method are studied in this paper. The SSR may be aroused by the interaction between the double-fed induction generator and the series-compensated transmission lines. This paper proposes an expression of the electrical damping for assessing the SSR stability based on the complex torque method. The expression is derived by linearizing the DFIG model at the operating point. When the mechanical damping is neglected, the expression can be used to calculate whether the electrical damping is positive or negative to judge the SSR stability. The expression can quantitatively analyze the impact of the wind speed, the compensation degree, and the parameters of the rotor speed controller and the rotor-side converter controller on the SSR stability. Furthermore, a subsynchronous damping control (SDC) strategy is designed to suppress the SSR. The parameters of the SDC are optimized by particle swarm optimization (PSO) based on the electrical damping. Finally, the above research is verified by the PSCAD/EMTDC time-domain simulations. The results show that the stability of SSR decreases with the decrease of wind speed, the increase of series compensation degree, the increase of proportional coefficient, and the decrease of integral coefficient in rotor speed controller and rotor-side converter. The designed subsynchronous oscillation controller can suppress the SSR of a DFIG.

Upper Bound of Power Harvested by an On-Off Electrical Damping in a State Space System

This paper presents the theoretical upper bound of the harvested power, which is amplified by a generalized electrical damping switching controller in a linear time invariant system. The upper bound is found by maximizing a single-variable function with respect to the switching time. The upper bound shows the possibility of raising the power-frequency curve over the optimal passive curves reported in literature. The optimal switching time of the upper bound shows the mechanics that determine the optimality. The upper bound solution is not only a good benchmark to evaluate but also a clear guide to design any other practical controllers. To demonstrate these two benefits, four examples in literature were revisited: the Single DOF electromagnetic and piezoelectric energy harvesters, the Dual-mass vibration energy harvester and the quarter car hybrid electromagnetic suspension. A demonstration controller is proposed in all examples. The upper bound is used to evaluate the demonstration controller. The optimal switching time is used to explain the reason of a good or bad controller.

Broadband and Enhanced Energy Harvesting Using Inerter Pendulum Vibration Absorber

Inerter-based vibration energy harvesters (VEHs) have been widely studied to harvest energy from large-scale structural vibrations. Recently, there have been efforts to increase the operation frequency bandwidth of VEHs by introducing a variety of stiffness and inertia nonlinearity. This paper proposes a new inerter-based VEH comprising an epicyclic-gearing inerter and a pendulum vibration absorber. The centrifugal force of the pendulum introduces a new type of inertia nonlinearity that broadens the frequency bandwidth. This inerter-pendulum VEH (IPVEH) is incorporated in a single-degree-of-freedom structure to demonstrate its performance and the equations of motion of the system are derived. The method of multiple scales is applied to derive the amplitude–frequency response relationship of the harvested power in the primary resonance. The harvested power is optimized through tuning the harvester’s electrical damping and the optimum power is benchmarked with that of conventional linear inerter-based VEHs. The results show that the IPVEH has larger bandwidth and harvested power and the improvement is correlated with the strength of its inertia nonlinearity.

Electrical Damping Assessment and Sensitivity Analysis of a Liquefied Natural Gas Plant: Experimental Validation

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plants are commonly island-operated weak grids where the interaction of high-power Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) with the Turbine-Generator (TG) units might cause Sub-Synchronous Torsional Interaction (SSTI) phenomena. SSTI phenomena can lead the LNG plant to instability conditions. Each LNG plant configuration is characterized by a risk level, which is considered high when the electrical damping at the TG Torsional Natural Frequencies (TNFs) is negative. Starting from a real case study, a detailed electromechanical model of an LNG plant is presented. The model is comprehensive of the control system of the power conversion stage and of the TG unit. Sensitivity analysis, performed on control system parameters, allows one to detect the parameters that impact the electrical damping and the stability of the overall LNG plant. A complete simulation platform is developed. Experimental results are carried out on a real LNG plant considering four different configurations. The theoretical model and the simulation platform allow one to estimate the electrical damping and the results are confirmed by the experimental validation. It is demonstrated that fine tuning of the power conversion stage control parameters can reduce the risk related to torsional instability.

Electrical Damping Assessment and Stability Considerations for a Highly Electrified Liquefied Natural Gas Plant

In recent years, the Oil & Gas industry has been subjected to a progressive electrification process aiming to comply with global environmental requirements on CO2 emissions reduction. High-power electric motors fed by Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) have replaced gas turbines as drivers for gas compression applications. In Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plants, unexpected downturns could be experienced in case of high torsional vibrations of power generations units. These torsional vibrations derive from the interaction among turbine-generator (TG) units and VFDs and are known as Sub-Synchronous Torsional Interactions (SSTIs). SSTIs can lead to instability when the overall electromechanical system lacks sufficient damping. In this scenario, electrical damping assessment is fundamental in order to ensure stability and reliable operation of an LNG plant. Negative electrical damping is strictly related to the negative incremental resistance behavior of the power converters and it is influenced by the converter’s control system. In this paper, a real case study based on Thyristor Variable Frequency Drives (TVFDs) is considered. Ad hoc dynamic models of the power converters and of the TG unit are developed and combined in order to provide an accurate estimation of the electrical damping. It is demonstrated that the electrical damping is affected by variations of the main control system parameters and how the use of a simplified model instead of an ad hoc model can impact the stability evaluation.

Amplification of useful vibration using on-off damping

This paper points out how much useful vibration can be extracted from a base-excited oscillator, which is controlled by the on-off electrical damping. We study the class of on-off electrical damping controller, which switches the damping level from high to low and back at fixed times every quarter of period. The problem reduces to the maximization of a single-variable function. This result can open the new direction to amplify the useful vibration using controllable dampings.