Željko Jakopović

High Power Soft-Switching IGBT DC-DC Converter

A soft-switching topology for high power buck converter is proposed. Zero-current turn-on and zero-voltage turn-off is achieved without auxiliary switches. All active switches in the converter transmit power to the load equally. Converter control is simple despite four active switches. Converter operation is described and DC analysis is carried out. All operation modes are identified. The condition for soft-switching is derived. A full-scale 38 kW laboratory prototype with 1700 V IGBT modules is built for railway application. Switching frequency is fixed at 20 kHz. Experimental results are shown. The results confirm the analysis. A high efficiency of 97 % is achieved.

Isolation and Characterisation of L. plantarum O1 Producer of Plantaricin as Potential Starter Culture for the Biopreservation of Aquatic Food Products

SUMMARY Lactobacillus plantarum O1 was isolated from the gut of sea bream (Sparus aurata) and identified with the API biochemical test and MALDI-TOF MS. This strain was further characterised according to the selection criteria for lactic acid bacteria as starter cultures for aquatic food production. L. plantarum O1 showed good antimicrobial activity against pathogenic test microorganisms. Further investigation confirmed it as the producer of the bacteriocin plantaricin. This strain also showed good growth at a wide range of temperatures (from 4 to 45 °C) and a wide range of pH (2–12), even in the presence of 3.5% NaCl. Its viability was also good after lyophilisation and in simulated gastric and small intestinal juice. The strain is a promising probiotic, and our further research will focus on its application in the biopreservation of fresh fish and shellfish.

Properties and Fermentation Activity of Industrial Yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S. uvarum, Candida utilis and Kluyveromyces marxianus Exposed to AFB1, OTA and ZEA

In this paper the effect of aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A and zearalenon on morphology, growth parameters and metabolic activity of yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces uvarum, Candida utilis and Kluyveromyces marxianus was determined. The results showed that the three mycotoxins affected the morphology of all these yeasts, primarily the cell diameter, but not their final cell count. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the yeast membranes bound the mycotoxins, C. utilis in particular. The cell membranes of most yeasts underwent denaturation, except S. uvarum exposed to ochratoxin A and zearalenone. In the early stage of fermentation, all mycotoxin-exposed yeasts had lower metabolic activity and biomass growth than controls, but fermentation products and biomass concentrations reached the control levels by the end of the fermentation, except for C. utilis exposed to 20 µg/mL of zearalenone. The adaptive response to mycotoxins suggests that certain yeasts could be used to control mycotoxin concentrations in the production of fermented food and beverages.

High Power Soft-switching IGBT Converter

A soft-switching topology for high power buck converter is proposed. Zero-current turn-on and zero-voltage turn-off is achieved without auxiliary switches. All active switches in the converter transmit power to the load equally. Converter control is simple despite four active switches. Converter operation is described and DC analysis is carried out. All operation modes are identified. The condition for soft-switching is derived. A full-scale 38 kW laboratory prototype with 1700 V IGBT modules is built for railway application. Switching frequency is fixed at 20 kHz. Experimental results are shown. The results confirm the analysis. A high efficiency of 97 % is achieved.

IGBT pretvarač za velike snage s mekim sklapanjem

A soft-switching topology for high power buck converter is proposed. Zero-current turn-on and zero-voltage turn-off is achieved without auxiliary switches. All active switches in the converter transmit power to the load equally. Converter control is simple despite four active switches. Converter operation is described and DC analysis is carried out. All operation modes are identified. The condition for soft-switching is derived. A full-scale 38 kW laboratory prototype with 1700 V IGBT modules is built for railway application. Switching frequency is fixed at 20 kHz. Experimental results are shown. The results confirm the analysis. A high efficiency of 97 % is achieved.