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Developing a fluidic platform that combines high-throughput with reconfigurability is essential for a wide range of cutting-edge applications, but achieving both capabilities simultaneously remains a significant challenge. Herein, we propose a novel and unique method for droplet manipulation via drawing surface charge graphics on electrode-free papers in a contactless way. We find that opposite charge graphics can be written and retained on the surface layer of porous insulating paper by a controlled charge depositing method. The retained charge graphics result in high-resolution patterning of electrostatic potential wells (EPWs) on the hydrophobic porous surface, allowing for digital and high-throughput droplet handling. Since the charge graphics can be written/projected dynamically and simultaneously in large areas, allowing for on-demand and real-time reconfiguration of EPWs, we are able to develop a charge-graphic fluidic platform with both high reconfigurability and high throughput. The advantages and application potential of the platform have been demonstrated in chemical detection and dynamically controllable fluidic networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we describe the synthesis of novel electrically and magnetically dual-driven Janus particles for a handwriting-enabled twisting ball display via the microfluidic technique. One hemisphere of the Janus particles contains a charge control agent, which allows the display color to be controlled by applying a voltage and superparamagnetic nanoparticles, allows handwriting by applying a magnetic field to the display. We fabricated a twisting ball display utilizing these Janus particles and tested the electric color control and handwriting using a magnet. As a result, the display was capable of permitting handwriting with a small magnet in addition to conventional color control using an applied voltage (80 V). Handwriting performance was improved by increasing the concentration of superparamagnetic nanoparticles and was determined to be possible even when 80V was applied across the electrodes for 4 wt.% superparamagnetic nanoparticles in one hemisphere. This improvement was impossible when the concentration was reduced to 2 wt.% superparamagnetic nanoparticles. The technology presented in our work can be applied to low-cost, lightweight, highly visible, and energy-saving electronic message boards and large whiteboards because the large-size display can be fabricated easily due to its simple structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic has significant negative consequences for the environment and human health, demanding greener alternatives. Lignocellulose is a sustainable biomass material, and its paper has been considered as a potential material to replace plastics. Micro-nano lignocellulose, derived from natural plants, possesses a small size and abundant hydrogen bonding capacity. However, there is no clear explanation for the interactions between lignin and micro-nano cellulose, and little understanding of how the interaction can affect the papers' structure and optical properties. Electrostatic potential calculation is a reliable tool to explain non-covalent interactions, and can explore the binding between lignin and micro-nano cellulose. In this paper, kenaf – a non-wood fiber raw material – was employed to prepare micro-nano lignocellulose. The resulting slurry facilitated the production of transparent paper via a simple casting method. The prepared transparent micro-nano paper exhibited high transparency (~90 %), UVA resistance (~80 %), and hydrophobicity (~114°). More importantly, the electrostatic potential calculation demonstrates the inherent relationship between structure and performance, providing practical knowledge for constructing film materials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first implementation of a coupling between advanced wavefunction theories and molecular density functional theory (MDFT). This method enables the modeling of solvent effect into quantum mechanical (QM) calculations by incorporating an electrostatic potential generated by solvent charges into the electronic Hamiltonian. Solvent charges are deduced from the spatially and angularly dependent solvent particle density. Such a density is obtained through the minimization of the functional associated with the molecular mechanics (MM) Hamiltonian describing the interaction between the fluid particles. The introduced QM/MDFT framework belongs to QM/MM family of methods, but its originality lies in the use of MDFT as the MM solver, offering two main advantages. First, its functional formulation makes it competitive with respect to sampling-based molecular mechanics. Second, it preserves a molecular-level description lost in macroscopic continuum approaches. The excited state properties of water and formaldehyde molecules solvated into water have been computed at the selected configuration interaction (SCI) level. The excitation energies and dipole moments have been compared with experimental data and previous theoretical work. A key finding is that using the Hartree–Fock method to describe the solute allows for predicting the solvent charge around the ground state with sufficient precision for the subsequent SCI calculations of excited states. This significantly reduces the computational cost of the described procedure, paving the way for the study of more complex molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an investigation of the underlying mechanism behind the interface charge barrier between oil and oil immersed paper. Two types of oils and two types of cellulose papers are selected in the study. The interface charges of the samples are measured by the pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) method and the zeta potentials of different oil-paper combinations are also measured. The results show that the amount of interface charge changes with the type of oils and papers, and is much larger than the Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars (MWS) polarization charge. The difference in the amount of interface charges cannot be attributed to the difference in the conductivity and permittivity of the materials. It is suggested that the barrier for charge transport across the interface, which is formed due to the electric double layer, should be taken into consideration to explain the interface charge behavior in oil-paper insulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil-paper insulation of higher voltage winding and traction winding in on-board traction transformers frequently withstand large AC fluctuation voltages mainly combined with AC and inter-harmonic components. This paper presents the characteristics of partial discharge (PD) of oil-paper insulation under superimposed inter-harmonic AC voltages. The experimental results show that the addition of the inter-harmonic to the fundamental sinusoidal component results in variation of peak voltage and dv/dt along the phase. This superimposed inter-harmonic AC voltages has a significant impact on PD including partial discharge inception voltage (PDIV), breakdown voltage, PD repetition rate, and phase resolved partial discharge (PRPD). In addition, a dynamic characterization method of PD statistical parameters is proposed to determine the developing trend. The critical values and inflection points of PD are obtained. Besides, the theoretical mechanism is expounded to better interpret and understand the influence of inter-harmonic component on PD properties. These methods will provide the dynamic datasets and more information for insulation condition assessment of on-board traction transformer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breakdown strength is an important electrical property of insulating paper. Oil-impregnated paper of various aging states was prepared. Its breakdown voltage was then measured at pulsating direct current (DC) voltage with various ripple factors, and alternating current (AC) and DC voltage for comparison, respectively. The AC breakdown voltage is the smallest, and pulsating DC (r = 1/5) breakdown voltage is the greatest before the paper reaches its end of life. A dielectric model was adopted to investigate the difference in magnitude of breakdown voltage at different voltage waveforms. Meanwhile, it was found that breakdown voltage fluctuated and even increased occasionally during the thermal aging process, and a somewhat opposite changing tendency versus aging time was observed for breakdown voltage at DC voltage and pulsating DC voltage with small ripple factors (r = 1/5 and 1/3), compared with AC voltage. The degree of polymerization (DP) and moisture content of the paper were measured, and the characteristics of the pores and cracks of the paper were obtained to investigate the possible influencing factors of breakdown voltage at different aging states. The results showed that the moisture content, oil absorption ability associated with pores and cracks of paper, and the damage to paper structure all contributed to the variation of the breakdown voltage versus aging time, while the importance of their influence differed as the aging state of paper varied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel coupling between a four-phase electroextraction (EE) system and paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) for the extraction, pre-concentration, and direct analysis of target compounds in different samples. The approach, EE-PS-MS, is based on the sorption of analytes directly on the tip of a triangular-shaped chromatographic paper, with subsequent prompt analysis by PS-MS. Thus, no off-line extraction step is required before the PS analysis, improving the protocol efficiency and reducing the analysis time. In addition to functioning as a porous material to absorb the target compounds, the chromatographic paper also served as the support for one of the aqueous phases of the optimized four-phase electroextraction system. Extraction conditions, such as the composition of the donor and organic phases, applied electric potential, and extraction time, were optimized. Three different applications, involving biofluid, food, and water quality analysis, were evaluated as a proof-of-concept. These applications involved the determination of (i) cocaine and lidocaine in saliva, (ii) malachite green in tap water, and (iii) bisphenol A (BPA) in red wine. When compared with direct PS-MS, the novel EE-PS-MS protocol improved the sensitivities by factors ranging from 14 to 110, depending on the analyte and the sample. The electroextraction procedures were performed on a laboratory-built 66-well plate, which offered the functionality of simultaneous sample handling and, most importantly, improved analytical throughput. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the temporal space charge dynamics under both temperature and voltage polarity reversal of an epoxy resin impregnated crepe paper are characterized by pulsed electroacoustic method. It is found that the space charge injection and the interfacial traps located between the epoxy and paper plays an important role in determining the space charge dynamics. The results reveal that below 353 K, the calculated interfacial charge density is consistent with the Maxwell-Wagner (MW) model, while above 353 K, it is smaller than the measured value. The time constant during charging is much smaller than that predicted by the MW model and the space charge injection showed polarity effect, which leads to the interfacial charge densities under polarity poling voltage not being equal. It is proposed that the interfacial traps and space charge injection should be responsible for the observed space charge dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electro thermal papers have been widely applied in people's daily life. Compared to traditional metal alloy resistance heaters, three dimensional graphene/carbonized-PAN composite freestanding paper with lightweight, good flexibility and excellent electrothermal performance is presented. It retains intrinsic properties of graphene sheets in the bulk state, and exhibits fast electrothermal response under low operation voltage with robust mechanical property. The fastest specific heating rate could be up to 213 °C s−1 V−1, and the highest T s is 235 °C at low driving voltage just of 1.75 V, which far surpasses those of previous carbon-based film heaters, commercial nichrome wire, and Kanthal wire. These outstanding properties together with the advantage of facile and large-scale fabrication, make the composite paper with great potential applications in flexible electronics. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a technique for determining the time index of growth of the slope of reverse voltage for double insulated cables, based on the body of the theory of series. It is proved that in the vicinity of the extremum point (maximum) the function of the reverse voltage is approximated by polynomials of the nth power. It is proposed to use second-degree polynomials for practical calculations. The method for calculating relevant indicators is illustrated using real data. Analysis of deviations made it possible to conclude that the calculation method proposed in the paper is far more accurate. In the final part of the study, it was concluded that there is a promising outlook for further development of methodological guidelines for determining complex indices of the remaining life of the cable, including but not limited to the use of various mathematical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new conformal mapping method to solve 2D Laplace and Poisson equations in MOS devices. More specifically, it consists of an analytical solution of the 2D Laplace equation in a rectangular domain with Dirichlet boundary conditions, with arbitrary values on the boundaries. The advantages of the new method are that all four edges of the rectangle are taken into account and the solution consists of closed-form analytical expressions, which make it fast and suitable for compact modeling. The new model was validated against other similar methods. It was found that the new model is much faster, easier to implement, and avoids many numerical issues, especially near the boundaries, at the cost of a very small loss in accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The voltage on the valve side windings of the converter transformer is non-sinusoidal, which contains many high-order harmonic components. To calculate the nonlinear electric field distribution under the non-sinusoidal voltage, the harmonic-balanced decomposition finite element method (HBDFEM) is proposed in this paper. By using the fixed-point method, the finite element stiffness matrix of each iteration is decomposed according to the harmonic order, by which the memory consumption can be remarkably reduced. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, a typical model of the oil-paper insulation structure is taken for instance, and the results obtained by the HBDFEM is compared with two algorithms, the traditional HBFEM and the time step method. The calculation results show that the HBDFEM can effectively reduce the computation cost for the nonlinear electric field problems with the non-sinusoidal periodic voltage. And it can be applied to analyze the compound electric field problems of the actual converter transformer. The electric field distribution of a ±500 kV converter transformer is calculated and analyzed considering the nonlinear relationship between the electric field and the medium conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Paper spray (PS) has been developed as a method of choice for point‐of‐care analysis in many real cases, where its applications can be further expanded with delicate high‐throughput design. To achieve this goal, we developed a new PS regime, with the assembly of an induced high voltage into the ion source. Compared with regular DC high voltage, the newly developed setup is capable of high‐throughput, simple configuration and rapid switching between individual papers without complicated electric/mechanic design. Methods: A device of high‐throughput induced PS (IPS) was designed by using a two‐dimensional (2D) rotating platform equipped with a circular glass plate. The paper substrate was placed on the circular glass plate and separated from the electrode. The method avoids physical contact between the electrode and the sample. Charged droplets were generated at the paper tip once an induced high voltage was applied to a wet paper. Results: A relatively rapid analytical speed of 2.6 s per sample was achieved via IPS‐MS. Rapid quantification of amitriptyline (AMT) in complicated matrices was obtained within 1 min using an isotope internal standard method. Limits of detection for AMt in urine, FBS and blood were calculated to be 1.04, 0.84 and 1.33 ng/mL, respectively. In addition, high‐throughput IPS‐MS can be used for chemical reaction monitoring. Conclusions: We have demonstrated the versatility of high‐throughput IPS‐MS in ambient ionization, which successfully simplified the experimental installation and facilitated the experimental operation. Therefore, we believe that high‐throughput IPS‐MS analysis will be widely used for discovering drugs and screening reactions, and the present design has the potential for applications in paper chip‐MS analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with a linear theory of thermopiezoelectricity in which the second gradient of the displacement, the second gradient of the electric potential and the second temperature gradient are included in the classic set of independent constitutive variables. The present paper is based on Green–Naghdi thermomechanics. The introduction of the entropy flux tensor leads to constitutive equations that depend on the second temperature gradient. The fundamental boundary-initial-value problems are formulated and the uniqueness of the solution is studied. Two applications of the theory are presented. We study the problem of a concentrated charge density acting in an unbounded region, as well as the effects of a concentrated heat source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fast-switching low-loss field-stop insulated gate bipolar transistor with a dual control gate (DIGBT) of a semi-insulating polycrytalline silicon (SIPOS) material is proposed in this paper. Because the SIPOS has uniform high resistance, it has an approximate linear electric potential distribution. When DIGBT conducts, the higher electric potential on SIPOS causes the P-type drift region (P-drift) to generate an inversion layer of electrons, adjusting the number of carriers and making the generation of non-equilibrium carriers no longer dependent on the doping concentration in P-drift (Nd) but on the electric potential distribution on SIPOS. Therefore, it can solve the contradiction among the breakdown voltage, forward voltage drop [VCE(sat)], turn-off time (toff), and turn-off loss (Eoff) caused by the Nd. Through Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulation, the VCE(sat) of DIGBT is 30.6% lower than that of SJFS IGBT. Meanwhile, DIGBT reduces the toff by 62.8% while reducing the Eoff by 83.0% compared to SJFS IGBT. In addition, the static latch-up I–V and the forward biased safe operating area of the DIGBT have been significantly improved. This paper adjusts the number of carriers through the characteristics of SIPOS material, enabling the above-mentioned physical phenomena to be applied in insulated gate bipolar transistor power devices and achieving device performance breakthroughs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the inrush load current and develop an inrush current suppressor circuit optimized for a low-voltage DC (LVDC) distribution network. The connection of a substantial input capacitor in the DC load can induce a surge current, leading to significant issues in the LVDC distribution network, such as DC bus voltage drop and potential system damage. To address this issue, this paper presents the design of a voltage control system for a triple-active-bridge (TAB) converter in the LVDC distribution network, evaluating the need for the inrush current suppressor circuit. Control stability during the occurrence of the inrush current is analyzed using the small-signal model of the TAB converter. In addition, this paper proposes an inrush current suppressor circuit, presenting a design methodology to achieve the desired current suppression performance. Experiments are conducted on a laboratory-scale LVDC distribution network utilizing a 4-kW prototype converter to validate the performance of the suggested inrush current suppressor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel colorimetric-fluorescent dual-mode sensing sensor JT5 was successfully synthesized, and exhibited red fluorescence enhancement effect and red colorimetric sensing, and excellent applicability through solid-state fluorescent strips and biological imaging experiments on zebrafish to highly sensitive monitoring Sn4+ ions. [Display omitted] • A novel and effective rhdamine B-based sensor JT5 successful development. • JT5 can serve as a fluorescent and colorimetric on-off sensor for Sn4+. • The sensor JT5 was successfully studied using fluorescence and colorimetric of the test strips. • Biomaging experiments for the sensor JT5 were conducted on zebrafish using a confocal microscope. A novel colorimetric-fluorescent dual-mode chemosensor (JT5) based on rhodamine B has been produced for monitoring Sn4+ in the DMSO/H 2 O (4:1, v/v) medium. It has high sensitivity, a low detection limit, a short response time (1 s) and high stability, and can still be maintained after two weeks with the red dual fluorescence/ colorimetric response. Enhancement of red fluorescence (591 nm) and red colorimetric (567 nm) response of JT5 by Sn4+ addition. The electrostatic potential of the sensor JT5 molecule was simulated to speculate on the sensing mechanism, and the IR, mass spectrometry and 1H NMR titration were utilized to further demonstrate that JT5 was coordinated to Sn4+ with a 1:1 type, the rhodamine spironolactam ring of JT5 opens up to form a penta-membered ring with Sn4+, meanwhile, its system may have chelation enhanced fluorescence (CHEF) effect. In addition, theoretical calculations were carried out to give the energy gaps of JT5 and [ JT5 + Sn4+] as well as to simulate the electronic properties of the maximal absorption peaks. Notably, the sensor JT5 was successfully applied to monitoring Sn4+ in zebrafish, and the JT5 -loaded filter paper provided a solid-state platform for detecting Sn4+ by both naked eye and fluorescent methods. In summary, this work contributes to monitoring Sn4+ in organisms and solid-state materials and promotes understanding of Sn4+ functions in biological systems, environments, and solid-state materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the friction and wear properties of the paper-based friction materials, SiC particles (SiCp) were uniformly deposited onto the paper-based friction material via electrophoretic deposition with 300 V, 400 V and 500 V deposition voltages, obtaining the SiCp-content of 10.8, 15.9 and 22.9 wt%. The microstructure and thermal stability of the paper-based friction materials were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and thermogravimetry (TG). And the porosity, mechanical and tribological properties of samples were tested by mercury injection apparatus, electromechanical universal testing machine and friction tester. The results show that the uniform distribution of SiCp in the paper-based friction materials decreases the porosity and obviously improves the thermal stability and mechanical properties. Meanwhile, the incorporation of SiCp increases the stability of friction coefficient and the wear resistance of paper-based friction materials. Especially, the wear rate of paper-based friction material with 400 V deposition voltage treatment (CP400) for optimal SiCp-content of 15.9% decreases by 51.2% from 5.8 × 10 −14 to 2.8 × 10 −14 m 3 /(N·m) compared with that of the bare paper-based friction material (CP0). The electrophoretic deposition techniques provide the possibility of uniform addition of micro-nano particles to the paper-based friction material, which is beneficial to improve the friction and wear properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface light-emitting transparent nanocellulose papers operating by alternating current voltages were demonstrated, where phosphors were embedded in the paper and silver nanowire electrodes were formed on both side of the paper. Silver nanowire electrodes were first coated on membrane filter with vacuum filtration using wet wiper tissues and then successfully transferred to the paper surface by a mechanical compression. The power consumption of a light-emitting paper was small in less than 0.36 W/cm². We could control the luminescent color and intensity from light-emitting papers by adjusting electrical frequency and the applied voltage level. White light emission was also demonstrated by using phosphors with a broad luminescence spectrum. The results develop into a versatile approach for commercializing the nanofibrillated cellulose and pave the way towards the realization of commercially viable, flexible and transparent light-emitting papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental work investigating the failure data of oil-impregnated paper under pulsating DC voltage. The failure data of the oil-impregnated paper specimens were obtained through constant voltage stress tests; the Weibull distribution was used to estimate the statistical distribution of failure data. The exponential function (EF) and the inverse power function (IPF) were used to modify the Weibull distribution of failure data, so as to obtain two dual-variable Weibull failure distributions (WFDs), which were used to analyze failure data of oil-paper specimens obtained under pulsating DC and individual DC and AC voltages. Their adequacies were evaluated by using failure data obtained through the constant stress tests under various voltages. Both EF-modified and IPF-modified WFDs show more adequacy for failure data of oil-paper insulation under DC and pulsating DC voltages than AC voltages. The EF-modified WFD was more adequate than IPF-modified WFD in estimating the statistical distribution of failure data. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The oil-paper insulation of valve-side windings in a high voltage direct current (HVDC) converter transformer is subjected to both complicated voltage and severe thermal stresses. Partial discharge (PD) occurring in oil-paper bounded cavities is influenced by voltage stress type as well as temperature. This paper presents PD behaviors in an oil-paper bounded gas cavity under pulsating DC voltages. The voltage across the gas cavity and PD inception voltages at different test conditions are analyzed. Influences of temperature on statistical PD distributions and parameters are also presented. A numerical model is used to interpret PD behaviors under pulsating DC voltages and various temperatures. Experimental results and theoretical statements show that the temperature exhibits a great influence on the behaviors of cavity discharge under pulsating DC voltages. Volume resistivity, gas pressure, charge decay time constant, and electron generation rate are the primary parameters influencing PD behaviors at different temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To facilitate better interpretation of dielectric response measurements--thereby directing numerical evidence for condition assessments of oil-paper-insulated equipment in high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) transmission systems--a novel approach is presented to estimate the parameters in the extended Debye model (EDM) using wideband frequency domain spectroscopy (FDS). A syncretic algorithm that integrates a genetic algorithm (GA) and the Levenberg-Marquardt (L-M) algorithm is introduced in the present study to parameterize EDM using the FDS measurements of a real-life 126 kV oil-impregnated paper (OIP) bushing under different controlled temperatures. As for the uncertainty of the EDM structure due to variable branch quantity, Akaike's information criterion (AIC) is employed to determine the model orders. For verification, comparative analysis of FDS reconstruction and results of FDS transformation to polarization--depolarization current (PDC)/return voltage measurement (RVM) are presented. The comparison demonstrates good agreement between the measured and reconstructed spectroscopies of complex capacitance and tan δover the full tested frequency band (10-4 Hz-10³ Hz) with goodness of fit over 0.99. Deviations between the tested and modelled PDC/RVM from FDS are then discussed. Compared with the previous studies to parameterize the model using time domain dielectric responses, the proposed method solves the problematic matching between EDM and FDS especially in a wide frequency band, and therefore assures a basis for quantitative insulation condition assessment of OIP-insulated apparatus in energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work describes an experimental investigation dealing with the harmonic distortion of the voltage applied to samples of pressboard paper. The investigation especially concerns the study of dielectric losses in order to determine the contribution of each component in these losses. The influence of the moisture level of the samples is also discussed with respect to the influence of the humidity on the insulating system. A new method of determining the losses is proposed; it permits the weighing of the contribution of each harmonic. Three different power supplies with different distortion rates were used in this work. For each experiment, the form and the RMS value of the current and the voltage are reported. The harmonic analysis was carried out, and the results show an important effect of the distortion rate on the voltage and the moisture level on the dielectric losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of HV impulses on surface and cavity partial discharges (PD) of oil-impregnated paper (OIP) is investigated in this work, by subjecting specimens to impulse voltages superimposed on a continuous AC voltage. The superposition of transient and AC voltage is relevant to insulation systems in power-system equipment, which is exposed to transients such as lightning and switching impulses during its operation. For several different PD-generating defects in oil-impregnated paper, the PD behaviors before and after the impulse are compared. The influence of moisture content is studied by using OIP with moisture content <0.5%, 3.0% and 5.5%. The results show a distinctive behavior of PD due to the impulse for each defect and insulation condition, either by change in the PD rate and magnitude or by causing PD inception or extinction. Recordings of the voltage signals and associated PD measurements during and after the incidence of a high voltage transient are of potential use for condition assessment of the insulation of power transformers and their bushings, as a form of online diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In comparison with the AC and DC working voltages, the effect of switching impulse voltage on insulation is very different because of its fast-rising rate and large amplitude. This paper mainly focuses on the characteristics of PD in oil-impregnated paper insulation under switching impulse voltage. First, a robust experimental platform was set up including the impulse power source, test samples with uniform gas and oil gap, and the signal acquisition and processing system. PD characteristics in the air and oil gap are analyzed and compared involving the time-domain waveforms, the variation tendency of the average amplitude and numbers of PD pulses, the occurrence time and the instantaneous value of impulse corresponding to the first PD. Based on the dielectric barrier discharge (filament) theory, a parallel microcircuit model was established to explain the similarities and dissimilarities, and to evaluate the gap discharge intensity. The occurrence and development of PD under switching impulse voltage of typical oil-impregnated paper defect were studied systematically with simulation, experiments, and modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the application of the Cole-Cole model for determining the runs of the return voltage of the paper-oil insulation sample through a computer simulation. Different insulation conditions were simulated through an adequate selection of parameters a and T of the Cole-Cole model. For calculation purposes, a series - parallel substitute scheme, obtained through approximation of discrete characteristic operator impedance Za of the model applied, was used. The diagnostics of the simulated insulation condition was based on the analysis of a few selected parameters of the return voltage, obtained from time characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new concept for reusable eco-friendly hydrogel electrolytes based on cellulose is introduced. The reported electrolytes are designed and engineered through a simple, fast, low-cost, and eco-friendly dissolution method of microcrystalline cellulose at low temperature using an aqueous LiOH/urea solvent system. The cellulose solution is combined with carboxymethyl cellulose, followed by the regeneration and simultaneous ion incorporation. The produced free standing cellulose-based electrolyte films exhibit interesting properties for application in flexible electrochemical devices, such as biosensors or electrolyte-gated transistors (EGTs), because of their high specific capacitances (4-5 µF cm−2), transparency, and flexibility. Indium-gallium-zinc-oxide EGTs on glass with laminated cellulose-based hydrogel electrolytes (CHEs) as the gate dielectric are produced presenting a low working voltage (<2 V), showing an on-off current ratio ( Ion/off) of 106, a subthreshold swing lower than 0.2 V dec−1, and saturation mobility (μSat) reaching 26 cm2 V−1 s−1. The flexible CHE-gated transistors on paper are also demonstrated, which operate at switching frequencies up to 100 Hz. Combining the flexibility of the EGTs on paper with the reusability of the developed CHEs is a breakthrough toward biodegradable advanced functional materials allied with disposable/recyclable and low-cost electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oil-impregnated paper, which is the major section in converter transformer, plays a considerable role in the reliability and safety of power grid. However, the insulation degradation will be accelerated by the accumulation of charges that are on the surface of oil-impregnated paper. Therefore, the operating overvoltage occurs and irremediable damage will appear. Direct fluorination is an effective method of modifying the chemical components of polymer matrix so as to have effects on the surface characteristic of the insulating material without reforming the bulk properties. In this research, for studying effects of fluorination on charge behavior on the surface of oil-impregnated paper under the application of DC and impulse voltage, the F2/N2 compound, which the volume fraction for the F2 gas occupied 10 % and the pressure was 0.05 MPa in a reaction kettle for 5, 30 and 60 min respectively, was applied. Meanwhile, the chemical bond groups and the surface morphology of the fluorinated specimen were tested. Besides, the DC voltage amplitude was 4 kV and the applied time was 4 min. The impulse frequency was 500 Hz and the impulse voltage amplitude was 1, 2, 3 and 4 kV, respectively. The charge properties under various situations were investigated. From the research under the application of different fluorination time, impulse voltage amplitudes and polarities, conclusions can be drawn that, fluorination has significant effects on the chemical structure properties and surface characteristic of oil-impregnated paper. Furthermore, the initial potential can be reduced and the decay process of surface charge can be accelerated with different fluorination time increasing from 0 to 30 min. Nevertheless, the tendency is the opposite when the fluorination time continuously extends from 30 to 60 min. The trap distribution also exhibits alternation through the fluorination. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The oil-impregnated paper, as a vital part in the oil-paper insulation system, serves as the main insulation medium in converter transformer suffering various electric fields. However, the accumulated surface charge on the paper would accelerate the degradation of insulation system and may lead to surface flashover. Direct-fluorination is a method to change the chemical components of polymer matrix thus could affect the surface property of the dielectric material without the alternation of bulk property. This paper presents a method to modify the surface structure of the paper applied in transformers. The paper used in the experiment was treated using the F2/N2 mixture with a volume fraction of 10% for the F2 gas at a pressure of 0.05 MPa in a reaction vessel for 2, 5, 10 and 15 min, respectively. The chemical elements, functional group and physical morphology of the paper before and after modification were measured with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) and scanning electron micrographs (SEM), respectively. Surface and volume resistivity of the fluorinated paper were measured. Furthermore, the surface charge property of the oil-impregnated paper was measured under various positive and negative voltages. Obtained results showed that the fluorination had an obvious influence on the chemical property and surface structure of the paper leading to the reduction of surface and volume resistivity. The treatment was shown to reduce the initial potential and cause acceleration in charge decay process. The trap distribution of the paper surface presented alternation as well. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Due to its excellent performance, oil-paper insulation has been widely used in many power apparatuses including converter transformer of high voltage direct current (HVDC) system. Space charge accumulation phenomena may significantly distort local electric field inside transformer and cause oil-paper insulation overstressing. As a result of long term operation, oil-paper gradually degrades. In most severe cases, the breakdown of insulation system may occur. In this work, the effect of space charge on breakdown characteristics of aged oil-paper insulation is investigated. Oil-paper samples with different aging states are obtained by thermally accelerated aging for various periods of time, categorized by the degree of polymerization (DP) of 1107 (new), 725, 504, 376 and 241, respectively. Experimental results show that the breakdown voltage of oil-paper samples without pre-stressing remains almost constant with thermal degradation. After the homo-polarity pre-stress, when the DP value is higher than ∼300 (from 1107 to 376), the breakdown voltage has an increasing tendency with an increase in thermal degradation. On the contrary, the breakdown voltage presents a decreasing tendency after the hetero-polarity pre-stress. When the DP is lower than ∼300 (DP241), the changes of breakdown voltage does not remain the same trend as previous samples after pre-stressing. Meanwhile, space charge distributions in different aged samples are measured by the pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) method, and the trap parameters are correspondingly evaluated. It has been experimentally demonstrated that special attention should be paid to space charge accumulation and aging state of oil-paper insulation, which may lead to severe insulation accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil-paper insulation system is an extraordinarily essential system of converter transformers as well as HVDC bushings. When the system changes its state, such as switching the thyristors, operating over-voltage appears, and the charge will deform the dielectric internal electric field, thus easily leading to the occurrence of discharge or insulation failure, so charge accumulation and dissipation on oil-paper insulation under pulse voltage need more investigation. This paper studies the surface charge behavior on double-layer oil-paper insulation under pulse voltage and inducing electrification was used to charge the oil-paper composite. Studies of various voltage amplitudes, pulse frequencies, numbers and polarities showed that the decay is fast initially, and then becomes slower with the time. Eventually the dissipation of charge behaviors tends to be flat. With the increase of voltage amplitudes, the surface potential rises, and less positive charges are accumulated on the surface than negative charges. The increase of the pulse frequency causes the initial values of surface potential a little smaller and the charge to dissipate more quickly. Also, with the increase of pulse numbers, the initial value gets bigger and the surface charge would be slowly dissipated. From the tdV/dt and decay time curves, the figures of positive voltage usually have two peaks, while there is only one peak in most of the curves under the negative one. With the increase of voltage amplitudes, the charge will dissipate more quickly. Additionally, the peak value and the characteristic time increase with the reduction of pulse frequency and the addition of numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Planning maintenance of medium voltage overhead lines is one of the most important issues in the studies on power distribution network, which will prevent and reduce unwanted interruption. In this paper, long‐term maintenance of medium voltage networks was planned by multi‐objective function, including an extended mixed‐integer linear model to optimize costs, energy not supplied (ENS), and average interruption duration index (SAIDI). In addition, the uncertainty about the annual growth rate of the load, the increase in the cost of goods and services and the increase in the selling price of energy as well as various constraints are all included in the desired objective function, which is one of the main innovations of this paper compared to other published studies. To apply the uncertainties, information gap decision theory (IGDT) has been used, and to solve the objective functions, LP‐Metric method has been used. The proposed method was implemented on the standard 11‐bus RBTS network by MATLAB and GAMS. The results showed that three different long‐term maintenance plans proposed here lead to the optimization of the annual maintenance costs of network, reduction in ENS and interruption, and increase in the reliability of the network based on the uncertainty of each feeder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: amides; carbodications; carbocations; cations; Lewis acids EN amides carbodications carbocations cations Lewis acids 1 1 1 10/24/23 20231018 NES 231018 B Dicationic diiminium pyridine adducts b distinctively concentrate their positive charges at the diiminium carbon atom, a characteristic vividly portrayed in their molecular electrostatic potential. Amides, carbodications, carbocations, cations, Lewis acids. [Extracted from the article]

A compact and flexible multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-coated paper electrode was fabricated in this study. The shape of the paper electrode could be varied simply by cutting it. Further, its electrical resistance did not change appreciably either when it was bent with different curvatures or when it was subjected to repeated bending and stretching. An nanoscale energetic material (nEM)-on-MWCNTs paper chip formed by depositing an nEM thin film on the MWCNTs-coated paper electrode could be stably ignited by applying voltages higher than ∼ 15 V. The ignition and explosion characteristics of the chip were investigated systematically. It was found that the explosion reactivity of the chip increased with an increase in the thickness of the nEM thin film. Finally, the remote ignition of the nEM-on-MWCNTs paper chip was successfully demonstrated by explosively breaching a door, suggesting that such nEM-on-MWCNTs paper chips can be used as compact, flexible, and versatile igniters in various civil and military applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil-paper insulation system is an extraordinarily essential system of converter transformer as well as HVDC bushing. This paper studies the interface charge accumulation and dissipation characteristics of oil-paper insulation system under DC voltage. In this paper, an induced electrification was used to charge the oil-paper samples. The amplitudes of the DC voltage varied from 1 to 4 kV and the paper was 0.13 mm in thickness. From the research of different voltage amplitudes and charging times of the paper, conclusions can be drawn that the decay is fast initially, and then becomes slower with the lapse of time. At last the dissipation trend tends to be flat. With the increase of the voltage amplitudes, the surface potential rises more rapidly, and higher voltage would also cause the charge to dissipate more quickly. Longer charging times would cause the charge to dissipate a bit more slowly. The decay rate of the negative voltage is a little smaller than that of the positive charge. Moreover, when it comes to the effect on the interface charge of the paper layers, the surface potential is more proportional to the increase of paper layers. When the amplitude of the voltage applied in the test is small or the charging time is short enough, the interface charge can be hardly accumulated on the bottom layer. In addition, the tdV/dt and the decay time curves under the positive voltage usually have two peak values, while there is only one peak value in most of the curves under the negative condition. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Here we report a new conductivity sensing mechanism using a closed bipolar electrode (BPE) system for the first time. Briefly, the voltage dropping across the ECL reporting cell will change with the sample conductivity of the analytes cell in a closed bipolar system. Thus, a quantitative relation between the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) response and the sample conductivity is established. Based on this principle, chemicals those are not electroactive materials and do not participate in the ECL process can be detected now, which greatly expands the application range of the BPE and the powerful ECL technique. Then a paper-based bipolar ECL conductivity sensing platform was constructed and carefully characterized, and the results proved the rationality of this newly-proposed bipolar conductivity sensing mechanism. More importantly, this design is also a universal sensing platform, suitable for all the electrolytes without electroactivity (newly proposed), electroactive chemicals and chemicals directly related to the ECL reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heretofore, unlike HVAC transformers, there is not much experience in both insulation design guides and test methods for ultra HV converter transformers. This special insulation phenomenon is very prominent due to the complication of voltage applied on valve-side windings of converter transformers. There is a severe lack of empirical research on partial discharge in oil-paper insulation under the combined ACDC voltage. The study in this paper provides a timely research into the issues. Nine possible configurations, which intent to simulate different defects in the transformer, have been investigated. The PD inception voltages varied ratios of combined AC-DC voltages were conducted. The discharge magnitude and its relation with the applied voltage for selected four common configurations were obtained during voltage increasing and decreasing respectively, which presented the PD initiating process and also reflected the insulation behavior of dielectrics. Besides, the Finite Element Analysis Soft was used to propose the effect of morphology of electrode surface (3 dimensional roughness is approximately 0.03 mm) on PD characteristics, which is very lacking in the previous references. The roles of DC and AC component in PD characteristics were discussed in the context of the relevant work in literatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transformer oil, insulating paper, high voltage direct current (HVDC) bushings and on-load tap changer (OLTC) are essential parts of converter transformers. When the power flow of the HVDC system is reversed or a sudden outrage occurs, the charge field will deform the dielectric internal electric field, thus easily leading to the occurrence of discharge or insulation damage. In this case, it is necessary to carry out the characterization of the oil?paper interface to avoid these consequences. This paper analyses the interface charge accumulation and dissipation characteristics of an oil?paper insulation system under DC and polarity reversal voltages. In this paper, induced electrification was used to charge the composite oil?paper insulation. The amplitude of DC and polarity reversal voltages applied in this paper was 4 kV, and paper with thicknesses of 0.08 and 0.13 mm was used. This research offers a theoretical exploration to optimize the transformer oil? paper insulation structure and prevent damage to its insulation systems. From the research on different layers and thicknesses of paper, it can be concluded that the decay is fast in the initial period and then becomes slower with the lapse of time until finally the decay curve tends to become flat. With an increase in the number of the paper layers, the interface charge density decreases. So in real life multilayer paper is used to avoid failures owing to its structural weakness. Regarding the DC polarity reversal effect, increasing the thickness of the paper is equivalent to adding paper layers. The dissipation rate of the positive interface charge is quicker than that of the negative one. In the polarity reversal test, the dissipation rate becomes smaller as the reversal time gets longer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The in situ and direct extraction, desorption and ionization of in-gel intact proteins after electrophoresis has been achieved by carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-modified paper spray mass spectrometry at ambient conditions. Characteristics of CNTs (including larger surface area, smaller pore diameter and enhanced conductivity) were endowed to the porous filter paper substrate by uniformly dispersing the CNTs on the filter paper. Upon applying electric potential to the CNTs-modified paper, the in-gel proteins were extracted from the gel and subsequently migrated to the tip of the filter paper by electrophoresis-like behavior for paper spray ionization, which was monitored by extracted ion chronograms. The characterizations of modified filter papers and CNTs nanoparticles further confirmed the role of CNTs in in-gel protein extraction, protein migration as well as spray ionization at the paper tip. Under optimized conditions, a mixture of cytochrome c, lysozyme and myoglobin was successfully separated by native electrophoresis and subsequently analysed by the present method, showing a limit of detection of 10 ng per gel band. The present strategy offers a new pathway for the direct detection of in-gel intact proteins at ambient conditions without any pre-treatment (e.g. digestion, chemical extraction and desalting), which exhibits potential applications in top-down proteomics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An oil-paper insulation system which will withstand DC voltage under normal conditions is a key component of converter transformers as well as high voltage direct current (HVDC) bushings. When the system changes its state, operating overvoltage appears. This kind of overvoltage will consequently affect the application of oilimmersed facilities and the safety of entire grid. Therefore, this paper studies the charge coupling behavior of double-layer oil-paper insulation under DC and pulse voltages. From the research of different pulse voltage amplitudes, pulse numbers and polarity, conclusions can be drawn that, with the increase of the pulse voltage amplitudes, DC and pulse voltages in the same polarity cause the absolute value of the initial surface potential to decrease and then rise; while in different polarities, the charge with the same polarity as the pulse voltage increases. Furthermore, for the same pulse voltage, the absolute initial value of the DC voltage applied in the same polarity is higher than that in different polarities. Considering the pulse number effect, it is obvious that the initial value increases with the increase in the pulse number, and then reaches saturation. Also, with the increase in pulse number, the decay rate decreases and thus the charge is slowly dissipated. From the tdV/dt and the decay time curves, the peak value increases with the increase in the pulse number, while the characteristic time varies by the polarity of the DC and pulse voltages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents new diagnostic method applied to assess aging degree for paper-oil insulation used in professional electrical power device, primarily including medium and high power transformers. The described method is based on modified diagnostics using the recovery voltage effect occurring in dielectrics (RVM ? Recovery Voltage Methods). Modification of the RVM method applied so far, which is now used only to assess moistening degree for paper-oil insulation in power transformers, consists in a new parametric analysis of recovery voltage time characteristics. Simulation and experimental tests carried out in laboratory conditions for adequately prepared insulation samples have proven that the time-constant of recovery voltage decay (?R_MIN) is the most susceptible parameter as regards quantitative change in the function of aging of the examined insulation. This conclusion is also confirmed by statistical studies, in which a multi-parameter variance analysis method has been applied. An original equivalent circuit diagram of the insulation has been used to simulate aging degree of paper-oil insulation samples in numerical tests. The diagram is based on the Cole-Cole type dielectric response model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the characteristics of micro bridges and their interactions with partial discharge (PD) in oil-paper insulation under DC voltage, an experimental platform with two-copper-electrode models is established. Generation and growth of micro bridge impurities are observed. PDs in experimental process are detected and analyzed. The result shows that the generation and growth of micro bridges have three stages based on their quantity and shape. At first stage PD accelerates the generation of micro bridges. At second stage the grown bridges trigger stronger discharges. At the last stage a so-called "hazardous bridge" that triggers highly intensive PDs emerges, through which breakdown happens. Therefore, bridges and PDs promote each other to cause insulation failure. In addition, impurities at the second stage are observed to transform into pile-like, bridge-like or particle-like shapes. The transformation process is considered to relate with the change of composition force on fiber bundles. Besides, a "cluster discharging" phenomenon is observed at the second stage, which is associated with the generation and disappearance of micro bridge impurities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the modulation process of the VSI motor drive system, the nonlinear errors caused by the dead-time and conduction voltage drop will increase the phase current harmonic distortion and the torque ripple. To solve this problem, a novel dead-time free modulation scheme is proposed in this paper. In the non-zero crossing region of the phase current, the switching tube, whose body diode can provide a continuation path, is set as off-state, the driving signal is only implemented on another switching tube with the same bridge arm, and the errors caused by the conduction voltage drop and switching delay are compensated to the pulse duration. At the same time, to suppress the zero current clamp effect that exists near the zero crossing point of the phase current, another modulation scheme for the phase current crossing zero in advance is proposed, which avoids the complicated determination and calculation of the current polarity near the zero crossing point of the current. Both of the above modulation schemes eliminate the dead-time, and the switching principle is presented. In addition, to suppress the impact of the current ripple and high-frequency noise on the accuracy of the phase current detection, a second-order resonance digital filter without phase shift is introduced. Finally, compared to two deadtime compensation methods, the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed dead-time free modulation scheme are verified by the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual-output three-level converters are widely used in multiphase motor drives, and their common-mode voltage (CMV) and neutral point (NP) balance problems can affect the safe and stable operation of systems. Owing to their unique structure, certain disabled switching states exist. Suppressing the CMV to comply with operational constraints is worthy of further investigation. In this paper, an improved time-sharing virtual space vector (ITVSV) modulation strategy is proposed. In addition, the working principle of the converter is analyzed and divided into two effective working modes. The proposed strategy defines two kinds of virtual vector synthesis methods, using virtual vectors instead of the basic small vector of large CMV to reduce the degrees of freedom of voltage fluctuation. The switching loss can be reduced by adjusting the switching sequence in some areas. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the NP voltage is self-balancing within one primitive period. Finally, the effectiveness of the ITVSV for suppressing CMV and NP voltage balance is verified by experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The article proposes a new DC‐link voltage balancing method for a single‐phase, five‐level DC/AC neutral point clamped (NPC) inverter. Nowadays, the NPC converter is a suitable solution for various applications; however, the unequal voltage of the DC‐link capacitors is a significant disadvantage of this topology. In this paper, a simple auxiliary unit is inserted in the DC‐link to enable a self‐balancing capacitor voltage. The auxiliary circuit is composed of two capacitors and four active switching devices. The idea of the proposed method is to construct an active DC‐link bus; thus, the two DC‐link capacitors can be connected in series during the charging process and in parallel during the discharging process. As a result, its capacitance and root mean square (RMS) current are greatly reduced. Unlike other auxiliary circuits, the new method requires no additional storage elements or complex control systems. The operating principle and switching schemes are analyzed. The effectiveness of the introduced method is evaluated experimentally using the balancing circuits under different load conditions and different value of modulation indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the effect of doping and nanostructuring on the electrostatic potential across the electrochemical interface between a transition metal oxide and a water electrolyte is investigated by means of the Poisson–Boltzmann model. For spherical nanoparticles and nanorods, compact expressions for the limiting potentials at which the space charge layer includes the whole semiconductor are reported. We provide a quantitative analysis of the distribution of the potential drop between the solid and the liquid and show that the relative importance changes with doping. It is usually assumed that high doping improves charge dynamics in the semiconductor but reduces the width of the space charge layer. However, nanostructuring counterbalances the latter negative effect; we show quantitatively that in highly doped nanoparticles the space charge layer can occupy a similar volume fraction as in low-doped microparticles. Moreover, as shown by some recent experiments, under conditions of high doping the electric fields in the Helmholtz layer can be as high as 100 mV/Å, comparable to electric fields inducing freezing in water. This work provides a systematic quantitative framework for understanding the effects of doping and nanostructuring on electrochemical interfaces, and suggests that it is necessary to better characterize the interface at the atomistic level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, transition metal dichalcogenide photocatalysts have been substantially explored as efficient catalysts for water splitting. This paper systematically investigates the electronic structure and related properties of four, hitherto uninvestigated, Janus MoSSe/Ga 2 SSe vdW heterostructures using first-principles calculations. The results indicate that two out of the four heterostructures exhibit a type-II energy band arrangement, which facilitates the effective separation of electron-hole pairs in space. Additionally, the electrostatic potential, charge density difference and Bader charges analyses indicate that charge transfer in the interfacial region creates a built-in electric field that effectively inhibits electron and hole complexation, and that one out of the four heterostructures corresponds to a direct Z-scheme heterojunction. The optical absorption coefficients show that the MoSSe/Ga 2 SSe vdW heterostructures have a broad absorption range from visible to ultraviolet. These findings suggest that the Janus SMoSe/SGa 2 Se and SMoSe/SeGa 2 S vdW heterostructures could be suitable for photocatalytic water decomposition. The SMoSe/SGa 2 Se and SMoSe/SeGa 2 S vdW heterostructures have high corrected solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency of 11.84% and 10.13%, respectively. [Display omitted] • Two Janus MoSSe/Ga 2 SSe vdW heterostructures are found type-II heterojunctions. • One of the type-II heterojunctions is a candidate as direct Z-scheme photocatalyst. • The built-in electric field can promote the separation of charge carriers. • Heterostructures band positioning are suitable for water splitting. • The heterostructures exhibit a broad absorption range from visible to ultraviolet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new methodology for sensitivity analysis evaluation, fast and with high precision of the electric potential distribution near the transmission lines (TL's). The TL is modeled by the finite element method and the sensitivity of the cable positions is obtained using the adjoint method. The sensitivity of the objective function during the optimization process by using methods based on gradient information is obtained by using the adjoint method. The exact sensitivity obtained by the adjoint method concerning the numeric model of the TL's results in new geometries of the bundles conductors with high surge impedance loading. These geometries are not possible to get using analytic models. The sensitivities of a large number of conductors by phase are obtained with high precision and very low computational cost using adjoint sensitivities, which are independent of the number of design variables. The central finite difference method is used to calculate the sensitivities and to validate the adjoint method. With this methodology, the FEM model of the TL can be used during the optimization process without compromising the required computational processing time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]