Search results for "ELECTRICITY"
showing 10 items of 1225 documents
Difficulties in learning the concept of electric field
1998
This article analyzes students' main difficulties in learning the concept of the electric field. To carry out this analysis we have supposed that the historical study of the main qualitative leaps that have taken place in the construction of the theory of field may help to diagnose such difficulties. Thus, we have made a brief description of the main conceptual profiles within which electric interactions can be interpreted (Coulombian and Maxwellian) and examined to what extent they are used by students in sixth form and in university. To achieve this we have devised and applied an open question questionnaire and personal. The results obtained showed that most students, even university stud…
Normal metal - insulator - superconductor thermometers and coolers with titanium-gold bilayer as the normal metal
2018
We have fabricated superconductor - insulator - normal metal - insulator - superconductor (SINIS) tunnel junctions in which Al acts as the superconductor, AlOx is the insulator, and the normal metal consists of a thin Ti layer (5 nm) covered with a thicker Au layer (40 nm). We have characterized the junctions by measuring their current-voltage curves between 60 mK and 750 mK. For comparison, the same measurements have been performed for a SINIS junction pair whose normal metal is Cu. The Ti-Au bilayer decreases the SINIS tunneling resistance by an order of magnitude compared to junctions where Cu is used as normal metal, made with the same oxidation parameters. The Ti-Au devices are much mo…
Local dynamics and phase transition in quantum paraelectric SrTiO3 studied by Ti K-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy
2016
Strontium titanate is a model quantum paraelectric in which, in the region of dominating quantum statistics, the ferroelectric instability is inhibited due to nearly complete compensation of the harmonic contribution into ferroelectric soft mode frequency by the zero- point motion contribution. The enhancement of atomic masses by the substitution of 16 O with 18O decreases the zero-point atomic motion, and low-T ferroelectricity in SrTi18O3 is realized. In this study we report on the local structure of Ti in SrTi16O3 and SrTi18O3 investigated by Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure measurements in the temperature range 6 - 300 K.
Thermoelectric Heat Exchange and Growth Regulation in a Continuous Yeast Culture
2018
We have designed a thermoelectric heat exchanger (TEHE) for microbial fermentations that is able to produce electric power from a microbial continuous culture using the intrinsic heat generated by microbial growth. While the TEHE was connected, the system proved able to stably self-maintain both the temperature and the optical density of the culture. This paves the way toward a more sustainable operation of microbial fermentations, in which energy could be saved by converting part of the metabolic heat into usable electric power.
Size Dependent Breakdown of Superconductivity in Ultranarrow Nanowires
2005
Below a certain temperature Tc (typically cryogenic), some materials lose their electric resistance R entering a superconducting state. Folowing the general trend toward a large scale integration of a greater number of electronic components, it is desirable to use superconducting elements in order to minimize heat dissipation. It is expected that the basic property of a superconductor, i.e. dissipationless electric current, will be preserved at reduced scales required by modern nanoelectronics. Unfortunately, there are indications that for a certain critical size limit of the order of 10 nm, below which a "superconducting" wire is no longer a superconductor in a sense that it acquires a fin…
Analyses of phase change materials’ efficiency in warm-summer humid continental climate conditions
2017
The usage of phase change materials (PCMs) is a way to store excess energy pro- duced during the hot time of the day and release it during the night thereby reducing the overheating problem. While, in Latvian climate conditions overheating is not a big issue in traditional buildings since it happens only a couple of weeks per year air conditioners must still be installed to maintain thermal comfort. The need for cooling in recently built office buildings with large window area can increase signi cantly. It is therefore of great interest if the ther- mal comfort conditions can be maintained by PCMs alone or with reduced maximum power of installed cooling systems. Our initial studies show tha…
Experimental testing of phase change materials in a warm-summer humid continental climate
2019
Abstract The construction industry (and buildings) is one of the largest energy consuming and CO2 emitting sectors in the world. To counter this, more lightweight structures are being used and energy saving applications are being developed. Phase change materials (PCM) are materials that can be considered to tackle these new challenges. It has been proven that PCMs can be passively used to improve the thermal mass of lightweight structures, which improves thermal comfort and reduces peak cooling and heating loads and therefore provides energy savings. To use these materials in an active way, they should be used together with ventilation, cooling or heating equipment, and collectors to accum…
Experimental study of the combined RES-based generators and electric storage systems for public buildings
2019
Abstract In the present paper, a new approach to the management of energy resources in the Research and Technology Centre of Energy (CRTEn -Tunisia) is proposed and evaluated by the monitoring of a PV installation realized for the cooperation project DE.DU.ENER.T, using renewable energy and economic criteria. The aim of this project is to improve energy efficiency order to minimize the electricity cost consumed at the CRTEn laboratory. According to the bills of electricity received, we noticed that there is a high consumption of electrical current. So, we targeted to install a photovoltaic field of 12KWc to reduce these bills by using the sustainable, green and clean sources. A theoretical …
Evolutionary Design Optimization of an Alkaline Water Electrolysis Cell for Hydrogen Production
2020
Hydrogen is an excellent energy source for long-term storage and free of greenhouse gases. However, its high production cost remains an obstacle to its advancement. The two main parameters contributing to the high cost include the cost of electricity and the cost of initial financial investment. It is possible to reduce the latter by the optimization of system design and operation conditions, allowing the reduction of the cell voltage. Because the CAPEX (initial cost divided by total hydrogen production of the electrolyzer) decreases according to current density but the OPEX (operating cost depending on the cell voltage) increases depending on the current density, there exists an optimal cu…
Water splitting through model surfaces of metal oxides : ferroelectric polarization towards water adsorption processes
2019
The properties of out-of-plane polarized BaTiO3(001) thin films were investigated from first-principles calculations and photoemission spectroscopy. Firstly, density functional theory calculations (DFT) were used to unravel the nature of the Pt(001)/BaTiO3(001) interface. In particular, the influence of the substrate on the ferroelectric properties of the BaTiO3 overlayer has been studied. Among the results, it can be pointed that platinum tends to increase the ferroelectric domain size of BaTiO3.Then, the adsorption of water on BaTiO3 was described by means of DFT calculations. The impact of the polarization as well as the influence of the nature of the surface termination on water adsorpt…