Narrow Slot Research Articles

Highly efficient fabrication of reentrant microchannels with micro serrated pin fins using a micro staggered multi-edge ball-end milling tool in a single process

Microchannels with micro pin fins and reentrant cavities can increase the heat dissipation area and enhance heat transfer, which are promising for high-performance microchannel heat sinks for heat dissipation of high-heat-flux devices. Nevertheless, their fabrication is time-consuming and cost-inefficient for conventional methods. To this aim, we in this study developed a novel micro staggered multi-edge ball end milling tool (SMBMT) to fabricate a unique type of reentrant microchannels with micro serrated pin fins (RMSPF) in a single process. The formation feasibility of the RMSPF was demonstrated, and they were of narrow exit slots with a width of 500 μm on the top, reentrant circular cavities with a diameter of 800 μm at the bottom, and micro serrated pin fins with a width of about 52 μm and a height of 35 μm on the wall surface of reentrant cavities. More microscale serrated pin fins with much smaller sizes than the micro cutting edges of the SMBMT were obtained due to the staggered arrangement and overlapping effect of the multiple micro cutting edge. A geometrical model of the SMBMT with discrete multiple edges was developed by considering the structure of the RMSPF. The formation process mechanism of RMSPF and its chip formation process was investigated with both experiments and finite element (FE) simulations. Compared to conventional micro ball end milling tool (CBM) with continuous cutting edges, the SMBMT suppressed the burr formation inside reentrant microchannels and improved the surface quality, and reduced the cutting force by up to 53%. The enhanced cutting performance of SMBMT can be attributed to that the multiple discrete cutting edges of SMBMT effectively decreased the contact area of tool-workpiece and the friction between cutting tool and chips. This study offered a highly efficient method to fabricate microchannels with surface microstructures in a single micromilling process, which provided valuable insights for the development of high-performance microchannel heat sinks in a wide range of application areas.

Efficient and broadband sound absorption properties of slotted aluminum foam

To enhance the sound absorption performance of aluminum foam, a slotted structure was developed. Firstly, the theoretical model of sound absorption for the slotted aluminum foam was established by the transfer matrix method. Secondly, the finite element model was established using COMSOL software to predict the sound absorption coefficient. The reliability of the theoretical and finite element models was validated through impedance tube experiments. The sound absorption mechanism is investigated by analyzing the internal sound field. Finally, the sound absorption properties of aluminum foam with other slot patterns are investigated. Additionally, the factors that influence sound absorption properties are investigated. The results indicate that the slots alter the sound pressure distribution within the material, inducing a pressure diffusion effect. When sound waves enter the interior of the material through the narrow slots, they are absorbed and dissipated by the matrix material on the sides of the slots. The sound absorption coefficient can be improved by increasing the thickness, slot scale, and slot depth of the slotted aluminum foam. Specifically, when the slot depth is 15 mm, and the slot width is 5 mm, the average sound absorption coefficient of incompletely slotted aluminum foam in the frequency range of 1000 ∼ 6300 Hz is 0.86, which can realize broadband sound absorption. With the increase of slot depth, the sound absorption peak becomes more pronounced.

Electrically switchable behavior in coupled EIT-like meta-molecule and Fabry-Pérot cavity

In this paper, we propose a microstrip Fabry–Pérot (FP) cavity embedded with an active electromagnetically-induced-transparency-like (EIT-like) meta-molecule to investigate the electrically switchable behavior. The phenomenon of EIT is achieved by coupling a ‘bright’ comb-line resonator with a ‘dark’ split-ring resonator. The FP cavity is fabricated by etching two narrow slots on a microstrip line. With two different resonance mechanisms working together, the proposed composite EIT-cavity design is shown to exhibit the enhanced EIT-like transmission characteristics, accompanied by two sharp Fano-type line-shapes. By incorporating PIN diodes into the composite EIT-cavity structure, we can dramatically modulate the transmission spectrum via external DC voltage. In particular, we show the multi-band unity modulations through biasing the proposed active samples. Moreover, the slow light on-to-off switching processes are also obtained with modifying the state of PIN diode from dielectric to conductive. Our results may open important opportunities for fabricating dynamic functional photonic devices in the future.

28/38 GHz compact rhombic-shaped antenna for future generations of mobile communications

ABSTRACT It is mandatory for the modern antennas to be designed to operate in the millimetre-wave (mm-wave) range of the electromagnetic spectrum for future generations of mobile communication requires multiband operation of a single antenna. The present work proposes a dual-band antenna to operate at 28 and 38 GHz . The design stages of the proposed antenna and examples of the parametric study performed to arrive at the final antenna design are demonstrated and discussed in detail. The proposed antenna is constructed as a main patch with parasitic element that is capacitively coupled to the main patch through a narrow slot. The main patch is a rhombic-in-shape and excited through a microstrip live with inset feed. This rhombic shaped patch antenna is originally designed to operate at 28 GHz . To achieve the dual-band operation, the geometry of the main patch is modified and is loaded by a parasitic element. The antenna is fabricated for experimental assessment through measurement of the antenna impedance, radiation patterns, maximum gain and radiation efficiency. The proper operation at 28 and 38 GHz is confirmed by experimental verification of the simulation results. Both the simulation and measurements show that the proposed antenna has 50 Ω -matched impedance over the frequency bands 27.7 − 28.4 GHz and 37.7 − 38.4 GHz . The proposed antenna has been designed to enhance the communications system performance when used in the mobile networks through noise rejection by limiting the operation within relatively narrow bands around the resonant frequencies. The values of the maximum gain obtained at 28 and 38 GHz are 6.98 and 8.8 dBi , respectively. The radiation efficiencies of the proposed antenna are 89 % and 87 % , respectively, and the total efficiency is also calculated.

Thermal-hydraulic analysis of once-through steam generator with annular narrow slot tube

Integrated small modular reactors (SMR) have garnered significant attention in the field of nuclear energy, with the high-performance integrated steam generator being a critical technology for their advancement. The high-performance once-through steam generator (HP-OTSG) featuring an annular narrow slot tube, which leverages narrow channel enhanced heat transfer technology, holds significant potential for future applications. However, research on the design and experimental studies related to this type of steam generator remains significantly limited. This paper establishes a thermo-hydraulic analysis method for the OTSG based on the segmented heat exchanger design ideas, and the analysis method is verified by comparing the calculation results with those in the literatures. Then, the experimental studies conducted in the annular narrow slot tube and the related conclusions are comprehensively reviewed and subjected to an accurate assessment. The design parameters of a typical SMR, 200 MW Nuclear Heating Reactor-II (NHR200-II), are selected to evaluate and analyze the accuracy and validity of the correlation based on the annular narrow slot tube in the different heat transfer regions including the onset of nucleate boiling (ONB) point, saturated boiling heat transfer coefficient (hsat), dry-out point, and the post-dryout heat transfer coefficient (hpdo). Finally, the influences of operational and geometrical parameters on the performance of the HP-OTSG are analyzed, and the design optimization of the HP-OTSG is performed according to several performance indicators including Power Density (PD), Area Density (AD), pressure drop (Δp), secondary steam temperature (T2out), heat transfer factor (j), the proportion of nucleate boiling zone length in H (PNL), the point of dry-out (Xdryout), and the length of heat exchange tube (L). The model developed in this paper extends the application range of high-performance steam generators to annular narrow slot tubes. The calculation model including both of the analysis method and the heat transfer correlations established in the present study can serve as a useful tool for the design and optimization of HP-OTSG, which further prompts the development of integrated SMR with built-in steam generator.

Investigations on Penta Band High Isolation MIMO Antenna for 5G NR Bands and HIPERLAN Applications Using TCMA

The present article proposes a penta band Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna for 5G New Radio (NR) bands and HIPERLAN applications using Characteristic Mode Analysis (CMA). The design is obtained and optimised in step-by-step procedure using novel CMA approach and by perturbing the conventional rectangular structure with slots on the patch (left and right sides) and the ground plane (wide slot + narrow slots) for enhancing the isolation at multi bands. The MIMO configuration has a total dimension of 0.58 l0 × 0.35 l0 × 0.01 l0 mm3 with an optimum element separation of 0.05 l0 (l0 is the lowest frequency operating wavelength). Multiband resonance is produced at 2.2, 4.2, 7.2, 16, 17.5 GHz. The radiating elements can excite various characteristic modes that support wider bandwidth. The -10 dB impedance bandwidth at working region are 0.2, 0.2, 0.38, 3.6, 2 GHz respectively. The suggested design yields a gain of 2.1, 5.7, 3.5, 3.5, 5.2 dBi and consistent radiation patterns at the working frequencies. The analysis of the diversity performance considers the Diversity Gain (DG) and Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC), whose values are near 9.9 dB and 0, respectively. Additionally, the assessed parameters are the CCL and TARC. The structure prototype has been developed, and the observed findings are highly coherent with the simulated results, making it appropriate for use in 5G NR bands, HIPERLAN, and IoT applications.

Compact narrow slot antenna with stable radiation pattern and wide bandwidth

One of the most crucial parameters for any antenna is bandwidth. Over the whole extended bandwidth, the antenna achieves a high gain of 5dBi and a steady bidirectional radiation pattern. A novel design concept for increasing bandwidth and maintaining a consistent radiation pattern has been proposed for the radiated fields of a slot antenna. First, the radiated fields of the standard slot antenna are examined theoretically using characteristic modes (CMs). Its three CMs vibrate at 2.45, 4.78, and 7.17 GHz, respectively, according to the results. CM1 and CM3 both continue to emit radiation in both directions, but CM2 generates a radiation null in the broadside direction. After that, the linear slot is appropriately folded to change CM2’s non-bidirectional pattern into a bidirectional one, allowing for the broad bandwidth use of the neighbouring CM1 and CM2. The narrow slot is then used to create the stepped scheme, which reallocates these dual modes in close proximity to one another. By using these designs, the antenna’s radiation pattern consistency and small size of 0.022λo can be preserved, but its impedance bandwidth can be significantly expanded. After that, the proposed antenna is constructed and assessed. Measurements show that the antenna has a broad bandwidth (|S11|<−10 dB) of around 35.14%, covering the frequency range of 3.3 to 4.6 GHz.

A compact SIW dual-functional design with integrated filter and self-diplexing antenna

ABSTRACT This paper proposes a compact dual-functional design (DFD) which integrates a bandpass filter (BPF) and self-diplexing antenna in a half-mode substrate-integrated waveguide (HMSIW) cavity. The design consists of four eighth-mode SIW (EMSIW) sub-cavities that are formed by etching three slots on an HMSIW cavity. Two of the sub-cavities are coupled to form a BPF with low insertion loss with a controllable transmission zero and a wide out-of-band rejection > 33 dB. In contrast, the other two sub-cavities are used to create a self-diplexing antenna with wide frequency tunability (2.8–5.0 GHz) with two additional narrow slots and high isolation (>22 dB). Detailed parametric studies confirmed that tuning of self-diplexing antenna has no significant impact on the performance of integrated BPF. An equivalent circuit model of the design is developed and validated with simulation and measurement results. The proposed design has a simple and compact structure, good isolation, and controllability, making it suitable for modern handheld wireless systems.

A Compact Millimeter-Wave Multilayer Patch Antenna Array Based on a Mixed CPW-Slot-Couple Feeding Network.

A compact Ka-band antenna array has been proposed to realize broadband and high gain for millimeter-wave applications. The antenna array is divided into a multilayer composed of a driven slot patch layer and a parasitic patch array layer, which is excited by a mixed CPW-Slot-Couple feeding network layer. According to characteristic mode analysis, a pair of narrow coupling slots are introduced in the driven patch to move the resonant frequency of characteristic mode 3 to the resonant frequency of characteristic mode 2 for enhanced bandwidth. In this article, a 1to4 CPW-Slot-Couple feeding network for a 2 × 2 driven slot patch array is implemented, and then each driven slot patch excites a 2 × 2 parasitic patch array. Finally, a proposed 4 × 4 × 3 (row × column × layer) Ka-band antenna array is fabricated to verify the design concepts. The measured results show that the frequency bandwidth of the antenna array is 25 GHz to 32 GHz, and the relative bandwidth is 24.5%. The peak gain is 20.1 dBi. Due to its attractive properties of miniaturization, broadband, and high gain, the proposed antenna array could be applied to millimeter-wave wireless communication systems.

Satellite-Derived Estimate of City-Level Methane Emissions from Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Cities are important sources of anthropogenic methane emissions. Municipal governments can play a role in reducing those emissions to support climate change mitigation, but they need information on the emission rate to contextualize mitigation actions and track progress. Herein, we examine the application of satellite data from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) to estimate city-level methane emission rates in a case study of the City of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Due to low and variable annual observational coverage, we integrated valid TROPOMI observations over three years (2020–2022) and used mass balance modeling to derive a long-term mean estimate of the emission rate. The resulting column-mean dry-air mole fraction (XCH4) enhancement over Calgary was small (4.7 ppb), but within the city boundaries, we identified local hot spots in the vicinity of known emission sources (wastewater treatment facilities and landfills). The city-level emission estimate from mass balance was 215.4 ± 132.8 t CH4/d. This estimate is approximately four times larger than estimates from Canada’s gridded National Inventory Report of anthropogenic CH4 emissions and six times larger than the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR v8.0). We note that valid TROPOMI observations are more common in warmer months and occur during a narrow daily overpass time slot over Calgary. The limited valid observations in combination with the constrained temporal observational coverage may bias the emission estimate. Overall, the findings from this case study highlight an approach to derive a screening-level estimate of city-level methane emission rates using TROPOMI data in settings with low observational coverage.

Slot fed circularly polarized magneto-electric dipole antenna array fed by optimized printed microstrip gap waveguide network

&lt;p&gt;A compact, circularly polarized 8 × 8 antenna array is designed for the 60 GHz band. The array comprises circularly polarized magneto-electric dipoles (CP-ME-Dipole) excited by narrow slots. The slots are fed by a printed gap waveguide (PGWG) cooperative network optimized based on the termination of the effective impedance of the array elements. Thus, it accounts for the space mutual coupling of the antenna elements. A procedure based on the full-wave analysis of a 4 ´ 4 array is used to estimate each element’s 8 × 8 array effective port impedance. The cooperative feeding network is designed based on the known effective impedances. The array is divided into two half subarrays out of phase from each other, and a rectangular waveguide feeds both sides. The commonly measured bandwidth of 18.3% achieves return loss better than 10 dB and an axial ratio below 3 dB (AR) of less than 3 dB. A maximum gain of 26.2 dBic with a high radiation efficiency of 82% radiation efficiency.&lt;/p&gt;

Weak resonance transmission through partially covered narrow slot in thick conducting screen

Weak resonance transmission through partially covered narrow slot in thick conducting screen

Metamaterial Engineering for Superior HgTe cQD Photodetector Performance

AbstractHighly responsive, low noise, and inexpensive photodetectors that operate in the mid‐infrared (MIR) wavelength regime are in high demand for applications ranging from fundamental science to large scale industries. However, simultaneously achieving all this in one device architecture is very challenging. In this work, mercury telluride (HgTe) colloidal quantum dot (cQD) based photodetectors are systematically improved by the introduction of new metamaterial designs. The new designs are found by utilizing simulations. Thereby the structures are optimized to increase the responsivity and simultaneously decrease the noise spectral current density. This is achieved by focusing on improving the photogenerated charge carrier collection efficiency while reducing the active material volume without altering the near unity absorption. A standard metamaterial perfect absorber architecture based on disc resonators is used as a starting point for the optimization process. By optimizing the carrier extraction through contact engineering, resulting in a narrow slot metamaterial, an overall ≈13‐fold responsivity and ≈345‐fold detectivity increase is achieved. The final metamaterial design reaches a responsivity of 16.2 A W−1 and detectivity of 6×108 Jones at a wavelength of 2710 nm. The analysis therefore provides a route to improve the responsivity and noise characteristics of mid‐infrared photodetectors based on cost‐efficient colloidal quantum dots.

Pulsed Electromagnetic Excitation of a Narrow Slot Between Two Dielectric Halfspaces

The transient electromagnetic (EM) excitation of a narrow slot in a perfectly electrically conducting (PEC) screen that separates two homogeneous dielectric halfspaces, a simplified model of a typical feeding structure of leaky lens antennas, is analyzed numerically in the time domain (TD). The problem is formulated using the TD reciprocity theorem of the time-convolution type and subsequently solved with the aid of the Cagniard-DeHoop method of moments (CdH-MoM). Numerical results are validated using a general-purpose EM-field solver.

Narrow band absorption and sensing properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes at terahertz metasurface

Due to their excellent electrical and optical properties, carbon nanotubes have unique application prospects in the field of optoelectronics. In this work the vacuum self-assembly method is used to obtain an isotropic single-walled carbon nanotube film with a thickness of 2 μm by the dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotube powder through vacuum filtration; on the basis of extracting the dielectric parameters of the thin film in a range from 0.4 to 2.0 THz, a novel terahertz metasurface narrowband absorber based on single-walled carbon nanotube films is designed and prepared. This metasurface absorber is composed of square and I-shaped narrow slot resonators. The experimental and simulation results show that the proposed terahertz metasurface absorber exhibits four distinct resonance absorption peaks at 0.65, 0.85, 1.16, and 1.31 THz, respectively, achieving a perfect absorption of up to 90%. The absorption mechanism of this novel multi band terahertz metasurface is elucidated by using the theory of multiple reflection interference. By setting analytical layers with different refractive indices on the surface of metasurface device, the sensing performance of metasurface acting as refractive index sensor is studied in depth. The research results indicate that this new type of metasurface absorber has high sensitivity for refractive index sensing, providing new ideas and solutions for further developing carbon-based new terahertz metasurface absorbers.

Fractal Cross-Slot-Coupled Antenna with Dielectric Resonator Elements having Circular Polarization

This article presents the design and analysis of an “ultra-wideband (UWB)” Fractal Cross-slot-Coupled Antenna with “Dielectric Resonator Elements (DREs)” exhibiting circular polarization and band-notched characteristics. The proposed antenna aims to reject the frequency range of 5.1 GHz to 5.9 GHz while maintaining high impedance bandwidth and radiation efficiency. A coplanar waveguide feeds the planar UWB antenna, featuring a narrow slot on the radiating element and a dielectric resonator mounted on top. Simulation results demonstrate excellent performance in terms of impedance bandwidth and radiation efficiency. To further improve the design for wireless applications, Fractal-slot-aperture coupled DRE antennas are employed. The proposed configuration takes into account the radiative efficiency and concomitant excitation of the rectangular DRE by a “Circularly Polarized Dielectric Resonator Antenna (CPDRA)” coupled through a fractal cross-slot. By appropriately adjusting the fractal cross-slot size, a wider “axial ratio (AR)” bandwidth is achieved through the combination of its resonance with the dielectric resonator. The antenna is designed utilizing the proposed fractal cross-slot-coupled CPDRA, with its architecture and efficiencies thoroughly investigated. The performance of the proposed antenna demonstrates its potential for various wireless communication applications, highlighting the advantages of integrating Fractal Cross-slot-coupled DREs in antenna design.

Multiparameter Control of Energy Characteristics of Waveguide-Cavity Resonator-Slot Radiators

The problem of connecting three electrodynamic volumes with ideally conducting walls through electrically narrow rectilinear connecting slots and a radiating slot is solved by the generalized method of induced magnetomotive forces (MMF). The solution is obtained in an analytical form, taking into account the finite thickness of the walls of the connected volumes. The volumes are an infinite rectangular waveguide excited by a fundamental wave, a rectangular cavity resonator, and a half-space above an infinite plane. The energy characteristics of this system have been comprehensively studied depending on the geometric parameters of the constituent elements of the structure under consideration.

Dual nanocomposite materials that enhance the radiation characteristics of flexible circular antenna

A novel dual nanocomposite filled circular shaped flexible slot antenna is introduced for WLAN/WiMAX/5G/Wi-Fi applications. The circular radiating patch is given two slots that are filled with nanocomposite materials PANI/CCo and PDMS/AgNW, which enhances antenna radiation properties in both lower and upper band independently. The antenna is fabricated deploying a coplanar waveguide (CPW) fed system that encompasses a patch featuring a circular shape and CPW ground combined with a circular ring shape. The dual band is formed by introducing a narrow rectangular slot on the circular radiating patch and is designed for a mid-frequency 3.85 GHz, of two resonance frequencies. Different bending radii are used to evaluate antenna flexibility, and findings are in good match for a flat antenna. With good radiating qualities over the whole dual band, the suggested fabricated antenna covers the 2.4/5.2/5.8 GHz WLAN, 2.5/5.5 GHz WiMAX, 2.3/2.6 GHz 5G, 2.4/4.9/5.2/5.5/5.8 GHz Wi-Fi, and 5G SUB 6 GHz bands.

Self-triplexing HMSIW antenna with enhanced isolation and extremely low frequency ratio

A self-triplexing antenna based on half-mode substrate integrated waveguide (HMSIW) cavity is proposed in this paper. The HMSIW cavity is designed as a combination of two eighth-mode substrate integrated waveguide (EMSIW) cavities and a single quarter-mode substrate integrated waveguide (QMSIW) cavity. The self-triplexing property is achieved by placing a narrow longitudinal slot on one of the EMSIW cavities and an annular cut on the QMSIW cavity. The proposed triplexer antenna operates at three distinct yet closely spaced frequencies 3.85 GHz, 4.12 GHz and 4.54 GHz with an extremely low frequency ratio (FR) of 1.18. The three operating bands are 3.82 - 3.88 GHz, 4.08 – 4.14 GHz and 4.51 – 4.57 GHz. The operating frequencies can be tuned independently by varying the dimensions of the slots. A minimum port isolation of 29 dB is achieved between the three cavities that contributes for self-triplexing property. The measured gain at three resonant frequencies is 6.02, 5.74 and 6.35 dBi, respectively. The proposed HMSIW self-triplexing antenna occupies a very small area of 0.14 λ02 (λ0 is the free space wavelength at the lowest operating frequency) and it is extremely useful for fixed wireless access and point-to-point commercial microwave applications.

Reducing impacts of artificial ponding in modeling salt marshes using a conductivity-formulated subgrid model

The landforms of salt marsh systems are rather complex, with meandering channel networks cutting through low-lying, extensive marsh platforms. Some small-scale topographic details are critical to flooding and draining processes but cannot be reflected in the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) due to limited measurement resolution and vegetation bias. Numerical models need a grid with high enough resolution to capture the small-scale connectivity to correctly model the small-scale flow processes, making the model computationally unaffordable. In this study, we derived a subgrid model, which couples two flow components, one is the regular subgrid model for simulating the subgrid-resolved flows, and the other is a conductivity-formulated porous flow model for modeling small-scale gut flows unresolved at the subgrid level. The model validation was performed using an idealized case with a narrow slot that was unresolved in the coupled flow model. Model results were compared with a slot-resolved regular subgrid model where only surface flows are solved and suggested that, with a proper model parameterization, the coupled flow model is capable of reproducing flooding and draining processes similar to the slot-resolved subgrid model of surface flow. The model was applied to simulating flooding and draining processes in a meso-tidal salt marsh. The model results demonstrate that the coupled subgrid model can be used to reduce the impacts of artificial ponding that usually occur in numerical simulations of salt marshes with numerous narrow gullies and creeks.