High-efficient isolated DC/DC converters with a high-efficiency synchronous reluctance generator (SRG) are the ultimate solutions in DC microgrid systems. The design and modeling of isolated DC/DC converters with the performance of SRG are carried out. Reactive and active powers are used as PWM control variables on the generator side. Further, the flux estimator is used. Three-phase pulse width modulation (PWM) rectifier is used by applying space vector modulation (SVM) with a constant switching frequency for direct power control. Further, the paper also includes the experimental validation of the results.

    The paper also proposes that highly efficient power converters and synchronous reluctance generators are required to achieve high performance for hybrid renewable energy systems applications.

SAN ANTONIO — November 5, 2024 —Southwest Research Institute’s Dr. James Walker has received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Hypervelocity Impact Society. This honor recognizes individuals who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of hypervelocity science. Hypervelocity impact is typically viewed as impacts at speeds above 2 kilometers per second (4,475 miles per hour); for some materials, however, lower speed impacts display hypervelocity impact effects.

A new study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics by researchers from the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), the University of Bologna and Indiana University presents the first 3D kinematic analysis of multiple stellar populations in globular clusters, offering unprecedented insights into their formation and evolution. Examining 16 representative clusters in the Milky Way, this research reveals key kinematic differences that shape our understanding of how these ancient, densely packed star groups, typically containing 1-2 million stars, formed and evolved over time. Lead author Emanuele Dalessandro from INAF highlights that these findings provide the first solid evidence of multiple star formation events in globular clusters, advancing a major topic of debate in astrophysics over the last two decades.

“One of the most important scientific questions today is how many potential Earth-like Habitats (EHs) exist in the Galaxy, and how many of these planets could, in principle, support aerobic life?” according to an article in the peer-reviewed journal Astrobiology by Helmut Lammer and Manuel Scherf, from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Space Research Institute. In two additional articles in Astrobiology, the authors, together with Laurenz Spross, from the University of Graz, derived a new formula that can be used to estimate the maximum occurrence rate of EHs in the Galaxy, and applied this formulation to the galactic disk by considering only requirements that are already scientifically quantifiable.