President Barack Obama’s new pollution limits for power plants have set off an avalanche of information about what the rules will cost, how they will affect your health and how far they will go toward curbing climate change. There’s just one problem: Almost none of it is based in reality. Read: Obama: Climate Change Deniers […]
Power Electronic Tips
DC/DC converters provide 2,000 VDC of input-output isolation
A new addition to the economical F-Series line of DC/DC converters from Beta Dyne (Bridgewater, MA), the DIP package style products are available in output power levels of 3W, 5W, 6W, and 10W. All provide 2,000 VDC of input-output isolation and come in industry-standard packages and pinouts. Other features include: Typical efficiencies of 86%. 2:1 […]
Improvements in Image-Detection Applications on the Horizon
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories, along with collaborators from Rice University and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, are developing new terahertz detectors based on carbon nanotubes that could lead to significant improvements in medical imaging, airport passenger screening, food inspection and other applications. A paper in Nano Letters journal, “Carbon Nanotube Terahertz Detector,” debuted in […]
Inductors target high-density power circuitry
Magnetically shielded Sumida (Schaumburg, IL) CDRH3D23 Series Power Inductors are suitable for high-density power circuitry. With ferrite drum construction and a unique geometry, these devices yield higher inductance values than other inductors with a similar footprint, according to the company. The inductors measure 3.92 x 3.92 x 2.5 mm. Inductance values range from 0.47 μH […]
June 2014: Electric Cars
Electric cars are finally becoming a serious contender in the automotive world. The mileage is increasing, the price is decreasing, and the batteries are no longer on fire. But it’s been a long road for the technology and with over 175,000 plug-in vehicles on the road today, the challenges won’t stop anytime soon. Take Charge […]
Engineer Indicted in Trade Secrets Case
A Dallas-area chemical engineer has been accused of stealing trade secrets from a New Jersey-based company where he formerly worked. Federal prosecutors in Dallas say Mattias Tezock of Terrell is charged with four counts of unauthorized possession of stolen trade secrets. He made his initial court appearance Monday afternoon and was released on bond. Investigators […]
Designing Ion ‘Highway Systems’ for Batteries
Since the early 1970s, lithium has been the most popular element for batteries: it’s the lightest of all metals and has the greatest electrochemical potential. But a lithium-based battery has a major disadvantage: it’s highly flammable, and when it overheats, it can burst into flames. For years, scientists have searched for safer battery materials that […]
Connecting Dead Ends to Increase Power Grid Stability
Climate change mitigation strategies such as the German Energiewende require linking vast numbers of new power generation facilities to the grid. As the input from many renewable sources is rather volatile, depending on how much the wind blows or the sun shines, there’s a higher risk of local power instabilities and eventually blackouts. Scientists from […]
New Class of Nanoparticle Brings Cheaper, Lighter Solar Cells Outdoors
Think those flat, glassy solar panels on your neighbour’s roof are the pinnacle of solar technology? Think again. Researchers in the University of Toronto’s Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering have designed and tested a new class of solar-sensitive nanoparticle that outshines the current state of the art employing this new […]
Seeing How a Lithium-Ion Battery Works
New observations by researchers at MIT have revealed the inner workings of a type of electrode widely used in lithium-ion batteries. The new findings explain the unexpectedly high power and long cycle life of such batteries, the researchers say. The findings appear in a paper in the journal Nano Letters co-authored by MIT postdoc Jun […]