• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.256-267
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• 2015

Grid-connected transformerless photovoltaic (PV) inverters (TPVIs) are increasingly dominating the market due to their higher efficiency, lower cost, lighter weight, and reduced size when compared to their transformer based counterparts. However, due to the lack of galvanic isolation in the low voltage grid interconnections of these inverters, the PV systems become vulnerable to leakage currents flowing through the grounded star point of the distribution transformer, the earth, and the distributed parasitic capacitance of the PV modules. These leakage currents are prohibitive, since they constitute an issue for safety, reliability, protection coordination, electromagnetic compatibility, and module lifetime. This paper investigates a wide range of multi-kW range power rating TPVI topologies and classifies them in terms of their leakage current attributes. This systematic classification places most topologies under a small number of classes with basic leakage current attributes. Thus, understanding and evaluating these topologies becomes an easy task. In addition, based on these observations, new topologies with reduced leakage current characteristics are proposed in this paper. Furthermore, the important efficiency and cost determining characteristics of converters are studied to allow design engineers to include cost and efficiency as deciding factors in selecting a converter topology for PV applications.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.555-567
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• 2013

An Remote Corrosion Monitoring (RCM) system consists of an anode with low potential, the metallic structures against corrosion, an electrode to provide reference potential, and a data-acquisition system to ensure the potential difference for anticorrosion. In more detail, the data-acquisition (DAQ) system monitors the potential difference between the metallic structures and a reference electrode to identify the correct potential level against the corrosion of the infrastructures. Then, the measured data are transmitted to a central office to remotely keep track of the status of the corrosion monitoring (CM) system. To date, the RCM system is designed to achieve low power consumption, so that it can be simply powered by batteries. However, due to memory effect and the limited number of recharge cycles, it can entail the maintenance fee or sometimes cause failure to protect the metallic structures. To address this issue, the low-overhead energy harvesting circuitry for the RCM systems has designed to replenish energy storage elements (ESEs) along with redeeming the leakage of supercapacitors. Our developed energy harvester can scavenge the ambient energy from the corrosion monitoring environments and store it as useful electrical energy for powering local data-acquisition systems. In particular, this paper considers the energy harvesting from potential difference due to galvanic corrosion between a metallic infrastructure and a permanent copper/copper sulfate reference electrode. In addition, supercapacitors are adopted as an ESE to compensate for or overcome the limitations of batteries. Experimental results show that our proposed harvesting schemes significantly reduce the overhead of the charging circuitry, which enable fully charging up to a 350-F supercapacitor under the low corrosion power of 3 mW (i.e., 1 V/3 mA).

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2010.05a
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• pp.6.2-6.2
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• 2010

Stainless steel is widely known to have superior corrosion properties. However, in some harsh conditions it still suffers various kinds of corrosions such as galvanic corrosion, pitting corrosion, intergranular corrosion, chloride stress corrosion cracking, and etc. For the corrosion protection of stainless steel, the ceramic coatings such as protective silica film can be used. The sol-gel coating technique for the silica film has been extensively studied especially because of the cost effectiveness. It has been proved that silica can improve the oxidation and the acidic corrosion resistance of metal surface in a wide range of temperatures due to its high heat and chemical resistance. However, in the sol-gel coating process there used to engage a heat treatment at an elevated temperature like $500^{\circ}C{\sim}600^{\circ}C$ where cracks in the silica film would be formed because of the thermal expansion mismatch with the metal. The cracks and pores of the film would deteriorate the corrosion resistance. When the heat treatment temperature is reduced while keeping the adhesion and the density of the film, it could possibly give the enhanced corrosion resistance. In this respect, inorganic protective silica film was tried on the surface of stainless steel using a sol-gel chemical route where silica nanoparticles, tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) were used. Silica nanoparticles with different sizes were mixed and then the film was deposited on the stainless steel substrate. It was intended by mixing the small and the large particles at the same time a sufficient consolidation of the film is possible because of the high surface activity of the small nanoparticles and a modest silica film is obtained with a low temperature heat treatment at as low as $200^{\circ}C$. The prepared film showed enhanced adhesion when compared with a silica film without nanoparticle addition. The films also showed improved protect ability against corrosion.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.13 no.1 s.53
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• pp.97-105
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• 2009

Development and use of blended cement concrete is gaining more importance in the construction industry with reference to durability mainly due to the pore refinement and reduction in permeability. Cracks play a major role on important parameters like permeability, rate of chloride ingress, compressive strength and thus affect the reinforcement corrosion protection. Furthermore, when a crack occurs in the cover concrete, the corrosion of the steel reinforcement may be accelerated because the deterioration causing factors can pass through the crack. In recent years the effect of cracking on the penetration of concrete has been the subject of numerous investigations. Therefore assessing the service life using blended concrete becomes obviously in considering the durability. In the present study, the corrosion assessment of composite concrete beams with and without crack with of 0.3mm using OPC, 30% PFA, 60% GGBS, 10% SF was performed using half cell potential measurement, galvanic potential measurement, mass loss of steel over a period of 60days under marine environmental conditions and the results were discussed in detail.