Earticle

Battery balancing technology is essential to prevent thermal runaway in electric vehicles consisting of more than 7,000 battery cells. In this paper, an isolated balancing circuit is proposed to maintain stable balancing of each unit battery within a high-voltage battery pack structure. The control circuit signals are transmitted via a photo diode, and the balancing operation is controlled through a photo detector in an isolated structure. This design ensures that the low-voltage control circuit remains electrically isolated from the high-voltage system, allowing reliable balancing operation even at voltages of several thousand volts. Furthermore, the circuit is designed to function stably in PVT (Process, Voltage, Temperature) variation environments. Additionally, a cell-level register operation method is employed to ensure noise immunity and enable simultaneous balancing of multiple cells. The proposed balancing circuit operates at an ultra-low power of 180 μW, minimizing battery energy consumption during balancing operations.

In this study, we present a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)-based pipeline designed to extract key values from scientific literature on Silicon Carbide (SiC) crystal growth using the Physical Vapor Transport (PVT) method. To improve the relevance and completeness of the retrieved context, we implemented a hybrid retrieval strategy that combines dense retrieval via FAISS with sparse retrieval using BM25. We employed two distinct prompting approaches for key value extraction. The first approach addresses interactive user queries by utilizing the retrieved context to generate informed responses. The second approach, intended for bulk extraction, follows a two-step process: a binary classification prompt first checks for the presence of relevant information related to a query. If relevant information is confirmed, a subsequent prompt extracts the value under strict constraints-requiring exact phrasing without guessing or explanation. This binary pre-check significantly enhances the identification of true negative cases, thereby reducing irrelevant or missing data. For the generative component of our pipeline, we evaluated three large language models (LLMs): Llama 8B, Gemma 7B, and Mistral 7B, all operating on a local multi-GPU environment using FP16 precision. The results reveal differences in the efficiency of these models within our customized RAG system, particularly in their performance in extracting over 156 targeted technical key-value pairs from 13 benchmark papers.

N-substituted acrylamide hydrogel is reported to have the feature of bing transparent and sensitive enough to response to a temperature stimulus below the temperature of phase transition. Especially at the near of 35 C it becomes shrunk and opaque very quickly. It has also the characteristic of reversing swelling and shrinking. The experiment showed that it is possible to produce a functional gel of super water absorption with the process of free radical polymerizing PVA(polyvinylalcohol) and PAA(polyacrylamide), and crosslinking. The ratio of shrinking and swelling caused by copolymerization rises 10% to 80% at the each temperature of 20 C, 30 C, 40 C, respectively. Phase transition temperature of this gel by copolymerization is50 C while that of ordinary N-substituted acrylamides is between 32~35 C. This temperature reaches the rearing limit of animals and plants so that volumetric transition polymer gel can be ulilized in varying fields such as agriculture/gardening which are water-using field, on-off switch sensing temperature and volumetric variation, processing of liquid wastes and civil engineering works, architecture and electronics. We have no doubt that this material will be the high-functional resin in the hi-tech age of the near future.

In the extreme conditions of launch vehicle in a space, such as cryogenic temperature and low-gravity environment, the mass gauging of remaining propellants becomes a difficult problem. Pressure–volume -temperature (PVT) method is one of the attractive mass gauging methods under low-gravity due to its simplicity and reliability. PVT gauging experiment with various mass flow rates of helium injection is carried out with the experimental apparatus creating cryogenic homogeneous condition as the condition of low-gravity. Experimental results are analyzed by a novel PVT gauging analysis method which considers all instantaneous changes of pressure and temperature in the ullage volume with small time intervals. It is observed that the gauging error from the novel PVT gauging analysis is –0.11% with 2 slpm mass flow rate of helium injection.

Background: Surface soil radiation monitoring around nuclear facilities is important to classify and characterize the contaminated areas. A scanning and direct measurement technique can survey the sites rapidly before starting sampling analysis. Materials and Methods: Regarding this, we test and suggest a measurement technique for gross alpha/beta and 90Sr activities in surface soil based on a mobile ZnS(Ag)/PVT (polyvinyltoluene) array and a handheld PVT rod, respectively. To detect 90Sr selectively in soil mixed with naturally occurring radioactive materials, chosen energy channel counts from the multichannel analyzers were used instead of whole channel counts. Soil samples contaminated with exempt liquid 90Sr with 1 Bq· g-1, 3 Bq· g-1, and 10 Bq· g-1 were prepared and hardened by flocculation. Results and Discussion: The mobile ZnS(Ag)/PVT array could discriminate gross alpha, gross beta, and gamma radiation by the different pulse-shaped signal features of each sensor material. If the array is deployed on a vehicle, the scan minimum detectable concentration (MDC) range will be about 0.11–0.17 Bq· g-1 at 18 km·h-1 speed, highly sensitive to actual sites. The handheld PVT rod with 12 mm (Φ) × 20 mm (H) size can directly measure 90Sr selectively if channels on which energies are from 1,470 and 2,279 keV are gated, minimizing crossdetection of other radionuclides. These methods were verified by measuring soil samples fabricated with homogeneous 90Sr concentrations, showing static MDC of 2.16 Bq· g-1 at a measurement time of 300 seconds. Conclusion: Based on the results, comprehensive procedures using these detectors are suggested to optimize soil sites survey.

The Photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) collector is a single device that combines a photovoltaic module and a solar thermal collector, producing thermal energy and generating electricity simultaneously. PVT collectors produce more energy per unit surface area than side-by-side PV modules and solar thermal collectors. They can be classified into air-type and water-type collectors according to the thermal medium used for collecting heat in the collector. The water-type PVT collector tends to show better thermal performance than the air-type PVT collector. The thermal energy from water-type PVT collectors can be used in buildings for hot water and heating. It is important to understand the overall energy performance of building heating systems that work in conjunction with PVT collectors to demonstrate the potential of their building applications. The aim of this study is to analyze the performance of heating system combined with PVT collectors that are integrated on a building roof. For this study, a 1.5kWp roof-integrated water-type PVT system was installed onto an experimental house and was incorporated into its heating system. The experimental results showed that the total heat gain from the collector is 9.7 kWh, while the average thermal and electrical efficiency levels of the system are 30% and 17%, respectively. It was also found that the heating energy for the house can be reduced by 47%, as the heat gained from roof-integrated PVT system pre-heated the water used for heating system.

The development of photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) technology has been introduced in recent years specifically to increase PV efficiency. One of the characteristics of PV systems is that the electricity generation increases as the solar radiation increases whereas the efficiency decreases because of high surface temperatures. Using a photovoltaic-thermal system, the surface temperature can be decreased by capturing the excess heat and the efficiency can be increased due to these characteristics. In this paper, three cases are introduced : 1) PV_r as the reference case, 2) PVT_a, which uses air as a heat source, and 3) PVT_w, which uses water as a heat source. Experiments were performed, analyzed, and compared to examine the effect of the PVT type on the efficiency of the system. The results showed that ETC($%/^{\circ}C$) efficiency of the PVT cases was increased versus the reference case due to decreasing surface temperature. Total efficiencies, which are electrical efficiency and thermal efficiency, for each PVT are tested and found to be 12.22% for PV_r, 29.50% for PVT_a, and 68.74% for PVT_w.

본 연구에서는 SiC(Silicon Carbide) 분말의 순도와 결정 성장 후 냉각 속도를 제어하여 PVT(Physical Vapor Transport) 방법으로 성장한 4인치 HPSI(High-Purity Semi-Insulating)-SiC 단결정의 저항 특성을 조사하였다. 순도가 다른 2개의 β-SiC 분말을 사용하였고, 성장 후 냉각 속도를 조절하여 다양한 저항값을 얻었다. 성장된 결정의 투과/흡수 스펙트럼 및 결정 품질은 각각 UV/VIs/NIR 분석과 XRD Rocking curve 분석을 이용하였으며, 비접촉 비저항 분석을 통해 전기적 특성을 조사하여 비저항 특성에 우세한 영향을 미치는 주요 요인을 확인하였다.

In this study, the resistance characteristics of semi-insulating SiC single crystals grown using the PVT method were investigated, considering the purity level of SiC source powders used in PVT growth and the cooling procedure after crystal growth. Two β-SiC powders with different purities were employed, and the cooling rate after growth was adjusted to achieve various resistance values. 4-inch HPSI-SiC ingots were grown using the PVT method, utilizing SiC powders with low nitrogen concentration and relatively high nitrogen concentration. These ingots were then subjected to different cooling procedures to modify the cooling rate. Transmission/absorption spectra and crystal quality of the grown crystals were analyzed through UV/VIs/NIR spectroscopy and X-ray rocking curve analysis, respectively. Additionally, electrical properties were investigated through non-contact resistivity analysis to identify the dominant factors influencing resistivity properties.

본 논문에서는 PVT(process, voltage, and temperature) 변화에 대한 보상기능을 가지는 시간-디지털 변환기(time-to-digital converter : TDC)를 제안한다. 일반적인 지연 라인(delay line) 기반의 TDC는 인버터의 전파 지연을 기반으로 시간을 측정하기 때문에 근본적으로 PVT 변화에 민감하다. 이 논문은 PVT 변화에 의한 전파 지연을 보상하여 TDC의 해상도 변화를 최소화시키는 방법을 제안한다. 또한 넓은 입력 측정 범위(detection range)를 갖기 위해 Cyclic Vernier TDC (CVTDC) 구조를 채택한다. 제안하는 PVT보상 기능의 CVTDC는 45nm CMOS 공정으로 설계되어, 8mW의 전력을 소모하며, 5 ps의 TDC 해상도 및 약 5.1 ns 입력 측정 범위를 갖는다.

In this paper, we propose a time-to-digital converter (TDC) with compensation capability for PVT (process, voltage, and temperature) variations. A typical delay line-based TDC measures time based on the inverter's propagation delay, making it fundamentally sensitive to PVT variations. This paper presents a method to minimize the resolution change of TDC by compensating for the propagation delay caused by the PVT variations. Additionally, it dopts Cyclic Vernier TDC (CVTDC) structure to provide a wide input detection range. The proposed CVTDC with PVT compensation function is designed using a 45nm CMOS process, consumes 8mW of power, offers a TDC resolution of 5 ps, and has an input detection range of about 5.1 ns.

We develop a purification process of $Hg_2Br_2$ raw powders using a physical vapor transport(PVT) process, which is essential for the fabrication of a high performance acousto-optic tunable filter(AOTF) module. Specifically, we characterize and compare three $Hg_2Br_2$ powders: $Hg_2Br_2$ raw powder, $Hg_2Br_2$ powder purified under pumping conditions, and $Hg_2Br_2$ powder purified under vacuum sealing. Before and after purification, we characterize the powder samples through X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The corresponding results indicate that physical properties of the $Hg_2Br_2$ compound are not damaged even after the purification process. The impurities and concentration in the purified $Hg_2Br_2$ powder are evaluated by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy. Notably, compared to the sample purified under pumping conditions, the purification process under vacuum sealing results in a higher purity $Hg_2Br_2$ (99.999 %). In addition, when the second vacuum sealing purification process is performed, the remaining impurities are almost removed, giving rise to $Hg_2Br_2$ with ultra-high purity. This high purification process might be possible due to independent control of impurities and $Hg_2Br_2$ materials under the optimized vacuum sealing. Preparation of such a highly purified $Hg_2Br_2$ materials will pave a promising way toward a high-quality $Hg_2Br_2$ single crystal and then high performance AOTF modules.