High Voltage Electricity Research Articles

A Significant Breakthrough in the Incidence of Childhood Cancers and Evaluation of its Risk Factors in Southern Iran.

Background and Objective:This study investigates epidemiologic and practical information about the incidence and risk factors of childhood cancer in a population of Southern Iranian children.Materials and Methods:A total number of 300 cancer patients along with 600 age- and gender-matched healthy control were interviewed by a trained physician regarding their demographic characteristics, and major family-associated risk factors, childhood malignancies.Results:The average annual percentage change for cancers in the studied population is calculated as 45%. Our study indicated that possible risk factors which could contribute to the development of childhood cancer are maternal oral contraceptive pill use during pregnancy, exposure to radiation during pregnancy, parental smoking, residence near high voltage electricity lines, exposure to pesticides and fertilizers, patient allergy, contact with domestic animals and father's educational degree. Furthermore, new ecological risk factors such as air pollution due to nonstandard petroleum or toxic inhalant particles, nonhealthy food consumption, and satellite jamming are other predisposing factors.Conclusion:Our study reported a higher average annual percentage change of childhood cancers in our area, compared to the existing literature. In conclusion, detection and prevention of the consistent and possible new environmental risk factors such as nonstandard petroleum or satellite jamming from all around the country should be taking into consideration.

Mapping of Areas Presenting Specific Risks to Firefighters Due to Buried Technical Networks

Vehicles or freight cars on fire below a bridge or inside a tunnel are exceptional events and imply difficult intervention conditions for firefighters. A buried technical network like high voltage electricity line, gas or steam pipeline around such a fire causes additional specifics risks. Vulnerability areas for firefighters are zones where both factors exist: a difficult incident area together with a specific risk like buried networks. They require intervention teams with specific emergency response capabilities. The paper proposes a method developed for the Paris Fire Brigade for vulnerability mapping. Results aim at improving the mobilization in allocating directly the specific responses capabilities intervention teams. Results are debated from an operational point of view. Cutting off several network lines during firefighters' interventions may strongly affect the society. In case of simultaneous incidents in vulnerable areas, firefighters could be an early warning system and inform authorities of the risk of services disruption.

Memory loss risk assessment for the students nearby high-voltage power lines-a case study.

With increasing sources of alternating current electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in everyday life, their possible harmful effects on human health are a main area of concern in many countries. Given that children are the most valuable assets of each country, it is of utmost importance to study the effect(s) of EMF exposure on various health aspects of members within this age group. The present research is the first systematic study of the effects of exposure to electric substations on the memory status of male students in the age group of 10 to 12years. The flux density values of extremely low frequency magnetic field were measured at four elementary schools in Tehran in accordance with IEEE std 644-1994. The device was 3-axis (X, Y, and Z) Gauss Meter, model: TES-1394. The students from two schools nearby a high voltage electricity substation (at distances of 30 and 50m) were selected as the exposed group, and the students of two other schools at further distances of 1390 and 610m were considered as the control group. To determine the status of working memory in the students, the questionnaire was adapted from Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV). The completed questionnaires were analyzed by t test and chi-square using SPSS 20. The average magnetic flux density was 0.245μT at case schools and 0.164μT at control schools, P < 0.01. The demographic characteristics of the students in the two groups were not statistically different. However, the difference in working memory was significant at the level of 5%. The results of the questionnaire data showed that students in the control group had better working memory compared to students in case group. The findings revealed a reverse correlation between magnetic flux density and working memory of students (R = -0.255). It is concluded that extremely low frequency magnetic field exposure may have a negative impact on the working memory of children, but further studies are necessary to reach a definitive conclusion.

US and CT of the Liver after Electric Shock.

Liver injuries caused by high voltage electricity are rare and result in high mortality and morbidity. They are produced by the resistance to the passage of electrical current through the tissue, which creates heat that leads to coagulation necrosis and rupture of the cell membrane. We present a case of an electrical injury to the liver, diagnosed by ultrasound and CT in a 39-year-old man who presented with skin burns on his right hand and right hemiabdomen. Injuries occurred after the contact with 220 kV high voltage electricity.

Buyers' Perceptions of the Proximity of High-Voltage Overhead Electricity Transmission Lines on Residential Land Values in Auchi, Nigeria

In this study, we examined buyers' perceptions of the proximity of high-voltage overhead electricity transmission lines (HVOETLs) on residential land values in Auchi, Nigeria. In the Nigerian property market, little or nothing is known about the impact of transmission lines on the values of nearby residential land. A total of 115 respondents were purposively selected from a population of prospective buyers of residential land in Auchi and environs. Conjoint orthogonal plan was used to elicit respondents' preference ranks of residential land attributes. Results showed that HVOETLs proximity has negative effects on buyers' stated preferences for residential land by showing reduction in the selling prices of residential land proximate to transmission lines.

Medical applications of nanotechnology.

Nanotechnologies are new areas of research focusing on affecting matter at the atomic and molecular levels. It is beyond doubt that modern medicine can benefit greatly from it; thus nanomedicine has become one of the main branches of nanotechnological research. Currently it focuses on developing new methods of preventing, diagnosing and treating various diseases. Nanomaterials show very high efficiency in destroying cancer cells and are already undergoing clinical trials. The results are so promising that nanomaterials might become an alternative to traditional cancer therapy, mostly due to the fact that they allow cancer cells to be targeted specifically and enable detailed imaging of tissues, making planning further therapy much easier. Nanoscience might also be a source of the needed breakthrough in the fight against atherosclerosis, since nanostructures may be used in both preventing and increasing the stability of atherosclerotic lesions. One area of interest is creating nanomaterials that are not only efficient, but also well tolerated by the human body. Other potential applications of nanotechnology in medicine include: nanoadjuvants with immunomodulatory properties used to deliver vaccine antigens; the nano-knife, an almost non-invasive method of destroying cancer cells with high voltage electricity; and carbon nanotubes, which are already a popular way of repairing damaged tissues and might be used to regenerate nerves in the future. The aim of this article is to outline the potential uses of nanotechnology in medicine. Original articles and reviews have been used to present the new developments and directions of studies.

Radiometric Wireless Sensor Network Monitoring of Partial Discharge Sources in Electrical Substations

A wireless sensor network (WSN) with the potential to monitor and locate partial discharge (PD) in high-voltage electricity substations using only received signal strength (RSS) is proposed. The advantages of an RSS-based operating principle over more traditional methods (e.g., time-of-arrival and time-difference-of-arrival) are described. Laboratory measurements of PD that emulate the operation of a PD WSN are presented. The hardware architecture of a prototype PD WSN is described and the particular challenges of an RSS-based location approach in an environment with an unknown, and spatially varying, path-loss index are discussed. It is concluded that an RSS-based PD WSN is a plausible solution for the monitoring of insulation integrity in electricity substations.

The importance of electrocardiography in the clinical course of electric injuries

The aim of the present study was to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of electrical injuries, type of electrical current and the importance of electrocardiography in clinical course. Fifty-three patients (50 males [94.3%], 3 females [5.7%]; mean age 34.5±9.6; range 19 to 61 years) with electrical injuries treated in the burn center between 2011 and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were evaluated for demographic and clinical characteristics, electrocardiographic findings and clinical outcomes. The electrocardiography findings of the patients were as follows: twenty-seven normal, twelve sinus tachycardia, three atrial fibrillation, seven right bundle brunch block, and four ventricular extra-systole. There was no mortality among patients with electrocardiographic findings of normal, right bundle brunch block, and ventricular extra-systole. Four patients with sinus tachycardia and one patient with atrial fibrillation died. Electrocardiographic findings of the patients wounded by high-voltage electricity were: two normal, two sinus tachycardia, and one atrial fibrillation. Mortality was higher in patients with sinus tachycardia and atrial fibrillation in the electrocardiography at the time of admission. These ECG findings were more often in patients wounded by high-voltage electricity. Therefore, electrocardiographic findings and type of the electrical current may provide prognostic value in the clinical course of patients.

Regional Approach to Large Scale Wind Integration in South East Europe

The Southeast Europe Cooperation Initiative Transmission System Planning Project (SECI TSP) is a unique development assistance collaboration supported by the transmission system operators of Southeast Europe (SEE), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States Energy Association (USEA). Members of the SECI TSP include 10 transmission system operators from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania and Turkey. Slovenia, Greece and Italy participate in the SECI TSP as observers. This paper provides a brief introduction to the SECI TSP and reviews results of a SECI TSP study of the capacity of the high voltage electricity transmission network in SEE to integrate wind power. The analysis results from wind power plant (WPP) data collected and verified by 12 TSOs (including Slovenia and Greece) through a series of detailed questionnaires (324 inputs collected) and intensive regional cooperation supported by USAID and USEA since 2000. Besides that, large set of input data on hourly WPP generation profiles for each SECI country for the 2020 planning horizon was employed from the Pan-European Market Database (87,600 output data). Historical data on WPP generation was used as a reference when such data was available, as well as the data available from the national wind integration studies. The study identifies limiting factors for large scale WPP integration in SEE, contains an analysis of expected WPP output variation, forecasts reserve capacities in the region, identifies network bottleneck resulting from large scale wind integration, and calculates the impact of WPP on regional network losses. The study results indicate that owing to the sub-regional characteristics of wind patterns, the countries of SEE could reduce by approximately 50% the amount of reserve capacity needed to balance intermittent wind production if such capacity is provided on a regional basis as opposed to the traditional country-by-country approach. This would open up more than 2,000 MW of capacity to be available to the regional electricity market as opposed to holding them in reserve on an individual, country-by country basis. Also, more than 30 regional network bottlenecks were identified as a result of large scale WPP integration through different load flow scenarios.

THE BELGIAN OFFSHORE GRID : TRANSPORTING RENEWABLE ENERGY FROM OFFSHORE TO ONSHORE

The new planned offshore windparks at the Belgian Continental Shelf have to be connected with the Belgian high-voltage electricity network (grid) developed by Elia. A possible way for this connection is the development of an island on which high voltage offshore substations are installed. These substations are connected with the wind farms and can transmit the electricity with a few common cables to land.This paper highlight some benefits and design aspects of this concept, together with design aspects of the cable installation.

Reconstruction of transhumeral amputation stumps with ipsilateral pedicled latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap in high voltage electrical burns

Injury due to high-voltage (>1000V) electricity is one of the most challenging problems in emergency medicine and plastic surgery. Extremity amputation because of electrical injury yields a stump that leaves vital structures, such as bone, muscle, blood vessels, and nerves, exposed; these structures should be covered with appropriate tissue. We designed a retrospective study that included twelve patients with a high-voltage electrical injury followed by trans-humeral amputation who were evaluated between 2004 and 2013. The ages of the patients ranged between 8 and 35 years (mean, 16.9 years). Following amputation, the defects were covered with an ipsilateral pedicled latissimus dorsi (LD) myocutaneous flap for stump protection and functional transfer.We concluded that the use of an ipsilateral LD myocutaneous flap is an adequate surgical operation in upper extremity amputations resulting from high-voltage electrical burn injuries and that this procedure permits stump length maintenance, contributes to arm functioning, avoids extended operation times, and prepares patients for prosthesis usage.

Cold plasma rapid decontamination of food contact surfaces contaminated with Salmonella biofilms.

Cross-contamination of foods from persistent pathogen reservoirs is a known risk factor in processing environments. Industry requires a rapid, waterless, zero-contact, chemical-free method for removing pathogens from food contact surfaces. Cold plasma was tested for its ability to inactivate Salmonella biofilms. A 3-strain Salmonella culture was grown to form adherent biofilms for 24, 48, or 72 h on a test surface (glass slides). These were placed on a conveyor belt and passed at various line speeds to provide exposure times of 5, 10, or 15 s. The test plate was either 5 or 7.5 cm under a plasma jet emitter operating at 1 atm using filtered air as the feed gas. The frequency of high-voltage electricity was varied from 23 to 48 kHz. At the closer spacing (5 cm), cold plasma reduced Salmonella biofilms by up to 1.57 log CFU/mL (5 s), 1.82 log CFU/mL (10 s), and 2.13 log CFU/mL (15 s). Increasing the distance to 7.5 cm generally reduced the efficacy of the 15 s treatment, but had variable effects on the 5 and 10 s treatments. Variation of the high-voltage electricity had a greater effect on 10 and 15 s treatments, particularly at the 7.5 cm spacing. For each combination of time, distance, and frequency, Salmonella biofilms of 24, 48, and 72 h growth responded consistently with each other. The results show that short treatments with cold plasma yielded up to a 2.13 log reduction of a durable form of Salmonella contamination on a model food contact surface. This technology shows promise as a possible tool for rapid disinfection of materials associated with food processing. Pathogens such as Salmonella can form chemical-resistant biofilms, making them difficult to remove from food contact surfaces. A 15 s treatment with cold plasma reduced mature Salmonella biofilms by up to 2.13 log CFU/mL (99.3%). This contact-free, waterless method uses no chemical sanitizers. Cold plasma may therefore have a practical application for conveyor belts, equipment, and other food contact surfaces where a rapid, dry antimicrobial process is required.

Unilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Facial Nerve Paralysis Associated with Low-Voltage Electrical Shock

Electrical injuries can occur as a result of contact with low- or high-voltage electricity. Low-voltage injuries are more common, as they usually occur in the home, but reports in the literature are few. After exposure to electric current, almost every organ system in the body is affected. The severity of an injury depends on many factors, including the type of current, the duration of exposure, and the resistance of the tissue involved. Reported cases of hearing loss and facial nerve paralysis associated with low-voltage electrical shock are rare, and minimal information is available about this circumstance. In this article, the author describes a case of low-voltage electrical shock in a 20-year-old man. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first report in the literature of a resolution of unilateral sensorineural hearing loss and facial nerve paralysis caused by a low-voltage electrical shock.

Developing Long-Distance Power-Distribution Systems

The vision of installing large subsea production facilities in remote offshore locations is today, simply not feasible. The problem is that subsea power systems are not designed to transmit high-voltage electricity to a production facility or pipeline tieback that may be under thousands of feet of water and 100 miles away from the nearest power plant. Today’s subsea power-distribution technology is largely based on alternating- current (AC) technology, which, because of its electrical characteristics, can only be efficiently transmitted across a distance of 90 miles. In most cases, however, the effective distance is much less. On average, subsea tiebacks receive power from a platform or vessel located not more than 10 miles away and, in the case of most subsea processing systems, even closer. In an AC-supplied system, the flow of electricity alternates back and forth across the transmission line and is the form of electricity most commonly used in homes and businesses around the world. When long distances are involved, AC power distribution becomes a complicated operation and requires a great amount of attention to detail because of the physics involved with voltage regulation. The search for an alternative to conventional AC systems has revealed the need for multiple technological advancements, from pressure compensated electrical switches to highly-conductive cables able to deliver power more efficiently. About 5 years ago, “We were looking at going to farther distances with alternating current instead of direct current (DC) because most of the equipment we have right now is AC powered,” said James Pappas, vice president of the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America’s (RPSEA) ultradeepwater program. He said that, after studying the issue, however, it was determined that using AC power could result in a 35% power loss in a 100-mile-long cable because of resistivity and other factors. Not long after that conclusion was reached, General Electric (GE) approached RPSEA with a concept to transfer all the power to a deepwater field with DC and then use a subsea transformer module located within the field to convert some of the power to AC. With this system, the expected power loss over 100 miles could be as low as 25%. “So, if you have AC components, it can convert power to AC for those components, and if you need DC, then it has DC components,” Pappas said. “It all sounds pretty simple until you want to put it in a package and then set it down in 10,000 ft of salt water.”

Electrodiagnostic Study of Peripheral Nerves in High-Voltage Electrical Injury

It is well known that peripheral nerves are very vulnerable to electricity. However, only a small portion of individuals who have had high-voltage electrical injury exhibit peripheral nerve damage. The aim of this study was to investigate peripheral nerve damage in high-voltage electrical injury, which often occurs in the industrial field. The authors reviewed the medical records of patients who were admitted to their hospital from January 2009 to December 2011, because of electrical injuries. The results of nerve conduction studies (NCSs) were reviewed retrospectively. NCS data of the injured site were compared with those of the opposite noninjured site and follow-up data. Thirty-seven extremities were reviewed. The authors found that 18 of 33 median nerves (48.6%) showed abnormalities in at least one parameter and 15 of 36 ulnar nerves (41.7%) exhibited abnormalities. There was no evidence of demyelination. Eight patients had undergone NCS on the opposite normal extremities. The compound muscle action potential and nerve conduction velocity were higher at the normal site. Follow-up NCS were performed in 14 patients: the compound muscle action potential and nerve conduction velocity values of all patients were improved. High-voltage electricity damaged peripheral nerves by causing axonal injury rather than demyelinating injury. Hence, even if NCSs yield normal findings, peripheral nerves may be damaged. F/U studies and opposite examinations are required for the exact evaluation of peripheral nerve damage.

Stability Improvement in Power Systems Using Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC)

Flexible AC transmission system (FACTS) is a system composed of static equipments used for ac transmission of electric energy to improve the power transfer capability and to enhance controllability of interconnected network. Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) is the most widely used FACTS device for providing fast acting reactive power compensation on high voltage electricity transmission network. This paper deals with the designing of Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference controller (ANFIC) and fuzzy based Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) controller for the performance analysis of UPFC. The controller have been designed and tested for controlling the real and reactive power of UPFC. Fuzzy-PI controller is used to control the shunt part of UPFC. The system response under high short circuit level is tested on 5-bus system and 118-bus system. Computer simulation by MATLAB/SIMULINK has been used to verify proposed control strategies.

Line Selection Algorithm of Coal Mine High Leakage Based on Fuzzy

In order to solve the high-voltage grid electricity coal mine one-phase ground fault (high leak), choose the theory of fuzzy algorithm. According to the current harmonic fault diagnostic, zero sequence active power method and transient zero sequence current mutual product summation method, three methods set fault measure membership function and weight coefficient membership function, realize fuzzy comprehensive decision, judge single-phase grounding line. Through the Matlab/Simulink simulation experiment, fuzzy theory algorithm can accurately choose single-phase grounding line.

Simulation Research on Cross-Sectional Stability of Expanded Diameter Conductors Based on ANSYS

The expanded diameter conductors are widely used for high voltage electricity power transmission due to its superior ability to prevent electronic corona phenomenon. However an undesired stability problem of wire distribution configuration within the cross-section of the conductor often occurs during the power line stringing processes, especially for the not-well-designed conductor structures. This phenomenon is typically characterized by the appearance of outer wire/wires jumping out of the layer; therefore it is also referred as wire jump-out problem. Finite element model which can predict the wire jump-out phenomenon has been successfully developed in this research project. Series of stimulations have been carried out to investigate the key factors to cause the wire jump-out problem. The reduction of radial distances between the adjacent aluminum wire layers due to the obvious indentation deformation at the trellis contact points were identified to be one of the most significant factors to lead to the wire jump-out problem. Numerical results show that keeping sufficient initial gap between the adjacent outer layer wires in the initial design can be a simple effective way to relieve/avoid the wire jump-out problem.

Appraisal of the Economic Activities of Termites: A Review

Termites can be found through out the world largely in the tropical and sub-tropical countries. They are social insects, feeding on cellulosic materials and live in colonies. Termites comprise the Order Isoptera with six families, 170 genera and 2600 species, of which six species are present in Nigeria. The most striking aspects of termites is their destructive tendency. They feed on wood indiscriminately, and tend to destroy timber and other wooden materials of importance to man, and this brought them into direct competition with man. However, their beneficial aspect to man is very significant. In most countries, where termites exist in abundance they are edible. Their burrowing within the soil increases the rate of percolation of water into the soil, thereby promoting water absorbent of the soil. Their feeding habit includes decomposition of dead trees, and incorporation into the soil, mineral nutrients of these trees. Man in response to the destructive activities of termites, developed various controlled methods towards them, which include the use of pesticides such as DDT ( Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane), BHC ( Benzene Hexachloride ), Aldrin, Dieldrin, soil barrier termiticides, treated zone termiticides, dust and fumigant, and, non chemical control methods such as mud tube removal, debris removal, pathogenic fungi, mechanical barriers, heat, high voltage electricity or electrocution and wood replacement. The control of termites however, does not seek to totally exterminate them, but to bring their activities to a manageable level. The objective of this paper is to appraise the economic activities of termites.

Role of network topology in the synchronization of power systems

We study synchronization dynamics in networks of coupled oscillators with bimodal distribution of natural frequencies. This setup can be interpreted as a simple model of frequency synchronization dynamics among generators and loads working in a power network. We derive the minimum coupling strength required to ensure global frequency synchronization. This threshold value can be efficiently found by solving a binary optimization problem, even for large networks. In order to validate our procedure, we compare its results with numerical simulations on a realistic network describing the European interconnected high-voltage electricity system, finding a very good agreement. Our synchronization threshold can be used to test the stability of frequency synchronization to link removals. As the threshold value changes only in very few cases when aplied to the European realistic network, we conclude that network is resilient in this regard. Since the threshold calculation depends on the local connectivity, it can also be used to identify critical network partitions acting as synchronization bottlenecks. In our stability experiments we observe that when a link removal triggers a change in the critical partition, its limits tend to converge to national borders. This phenomenon, which can have important consequences to synchronization dynamics in case of cascading failure, signals the influence of the uncomplete topological integration of national power grids at the European scale.