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The structure and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline PrCo3 prepared by high-energy milling technique have been investigated by means of x-ray diffraction using the Rietveld method coupled to Curie temperature and magnetic measurements. The as-milled samples were subsequently annealed in temperature range from 750 to 1050 °C for 30 min to optimize the extrinsic properties. From x-ray studies of magnetic aligned samples, the magnetic anisotropy of this compounds is found uniaxial. The Curie temperature is 349 K and no saturation reached at room temperature for applied field of 90 kOe. The coercive field of 55 kOe and 12 kOe measured at 10 K and 293 K, respectively is obtained after annealing at 750 °C for 30 min suggests that nanocrystalline PrCo3 are interesting candidates in the field of permanent magnets. We have completed this experimental study by simulations in the micromagnetic framework in order to get a qualitative picture of the microstructure effect on the macroscopic magnetization curve. From this simple model calculation, we can suggest that the after annealing the system behaves as magnetically hard crystallites embedded in a weakly magnetized amorphous matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driving is often a highly complex task mainly because of the growing traffic density. Car manufacturers and equipment suppliers propose more and more driving assistance systems in order to keep safety at the higher possible level. Some of these assistance systems deal with longitudinal aspects of the driving task (ABS, ACC…) but few with lateral aspects. However, systems dedicated to the prevention of hazardous lane changes should significantly improve road safety. Our work focuses on this issue and aims, in a first step, at a better knowledge of driving behaviors during overtaking situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the annual global electricity production exceeding 30,000 TWh, the safe transmission of electric power has been heavily relying on SF 6 , the most potent industrial greenhouse gas. While promising SF 6 alternatives have been proposed, their compatibilities with materials used in gas-insulated equipment (GIE) must be thoroughly studied. This is particularly true as the emerging SF 6 alternatives generally leverage their relatively higher reactivity to achieve lower global warming potentials (GWPs). Here, a high-throughput compatibility screening of common GIE materials was conducted with a representative SF 6 alternative, namely, C 4 F 7 N (2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(trifluoromethyl)propanenitrile)/CO 2 gas mixtures. In this screening, the insulation performance of C 4 F 7 N/CO 2 gas mixtures, as an indicator of the C 4 F 7 N/materials compatibility level, was periodically monitored during the thermal aging with tens of materials from SF 6 -insulated GIE, including desiccants/adsorbents, rubber, plastics, composites, ceramics, metals, etc. The identification of incompatible materials and the follow-up mechanism studies suggested that the acidity of materials represents the primary cause for C 4 F 7 N/materials incompatibility when C 4 F 7 N/CO 2 gas mixtures are used as a drop-in replacement solution for existing SF 6 -insulated apparatuses. Mitigation strategies tackling the acidity of materials were then proposed and validated. Additionally, the amphoteric characteristics of C 4 F 7 N were briefly discussed. This work provides insight into the materials incompatibility of SF 6 alternatives, along with validated mitigation strategies, for the selection and design of materials used in future eco-friendly GIE.

In the design of MV AC and DC spacers, the predominant factors are surface and interface conditions. Design is generally carried out on specifications and standards which are based on long-term experience and lab testing. However, the diffusion of power electronics with a trend to increase electric field, switching frequency, and rise time to achieve higher power density calls for an innovative, global approach to optimized insulation system design. A new methodology, based on field simulation, discharge modeling, and partial discharge inception measurements, called the three-leg approach, can form the basis to optimize insulation design for any type of supply voltage waveform. This paper focuses on the influence of the type of electrode on the inception and phenomenology of surface discharges and, as a consequence, on the interpretation of the results used for application of the three-leg approach. It is demonstrated that a typical electrode system used for insulating material testing can generate both gas and surface discharges at the triple point, when the electrodes have a smooth profile that is used to avoid corona or flashover. Hence, testing partial discharge may not provide a straightforward indication of the surface discharge inception and, thus, be partially misleading for insulation design. Another takeover is that such analysis must benefit from PD testing tools endowed with analytics able to provide automatic identification of the type of defect generating PD, i.e., internal, surface, and corona, since design and remedy actions can be taken, and adequate insulating materials developed, only knowing the type of source generating PD. Hence, testing partial discharge may not provide a straightforward indication of surface discharge inception and, thus, be partially misleading for insulation design. In addition to the importance of the three-leg approach to favor reliable and optimized design of insulation systems, there is a clear need to have a PD testing tool endowed with analytics. It should preferably be able to provide automatic identification of the type of defect generating PD, i.e., internal, surface, and corona.

Nanocrystalline PrCo(3) powder has been synthesized by high-energy milling and was subsequently annealed from 873 to 1273 K for 30 min to optimize the extrinsic properties. The structure and magnetic properties of the nanocrystalline PrCo(3) have been investigated by means of x-ray and neutron diffraction as well as magnetization measurements. All compounds crystallize in the same PuNi(3) type structure, with grain sizes between 28 and 47 nm. As the annealing temperature increases, a maximum coercive field of 12 kOe at 300 K (55 kOe at 10 K) was obtained by annealing at 1023 K for a grain size of 35 nm. The refinement of the neutron powder diffraction patterns (NPD) of PrCo(3) from 1.8 to 300 K shows an expansion of the parameter a and a contraction of the parameter c, leading to a decrease of the ratio c/a. The evolution of the Co and Pr magnetic sublattices measured by NPD indicates that this compound is a highly anisotropic uniaxial ferromagnet with the easy magnetization axis parallel to c(-->). This experimental study has been completed by a theoretical investigation of the electronic structure of the PrCo(x) (x = 2, 3 and 5) compounds. Band structure calculations with collinear spin polarization were performed by using the local approximation of the density functional theory scheme implemented in the projector-augmented wave method. The electronic structure of PrCo(3) compound in both directions of spin shows that the majority of occupied states are dominated by the 3d states of Co, with a strong electronic charge transfer from Pr to Co. The PrCo(3) electronic structure can be explained by a superimposition of those of PrCo(2) and PrCo(5), as expected from its crystal structure. The magnetic anisotropy has been confirmed for PrCo(3), as a non-collinear spin calculation with the polarization along the c axis is shown to be more stable than with the polarization in the (a(-->),b(-->)) plane.