Microbiology of solar salt ponds

Science.gov (United States)

Javor, B.

1985-01-01

Solar salt ponds are shallow ponds of brines that range in salinity from that of normal seawater (3.4 percent) through NaCl saturation. Some salterns evaporate brines to the potash stage of concentration (bitterns). All the brines (except the bitterns, which are devoid of life) harbor high concentrations of microorganisms. The high concentrations of microorganisms and their adaptation to life in the salt pond are discussed.

Experimental characterization of a solar cooker with thermal energy storage based on solar salt

Science.gov (United States)

Coccia, G.; Di Nicola, G.; Tomassetti, S.; Gabrielli, G.; Chieruzzi, M.; Pierantozzi, M.

2017-11-01

High temperature solar cooking allows to cook food fast and with good efficiency. An unavoidable drawback of this technology is that it requires nearly clear-sky conditions. In addition, evening cooking is difficult to be accomplished, particularly on the winter season during which solar radiation availability is limited to a few hours in the afternoon in most of countries. These restrictions could be overcome using a cooker thermal storage unit (TSU). In this work, a TSU based on solar salt was studied. The unit consists of two metal concentric cylindrical vessels, connected together to form a double-walled vessel. The volume between walls was filled with a certain amount of nitrate based phase change material (solar salt). In order to characterize the TSU, a test bench used to assess solar cooker performance was adopted. Experimental load tests with the TSU were carried out to evaluate the cooker performance. The obtained preliminary results show that the adoption of the solar salt TSU seems to allow both the opportunity of evening cooking and the possibility to better stabilize the cooker temperature when sky conditions are variable.

Evaluation of differences between dual salt-pH gradient elution and mono gradient elution using a thermodynamic model: Simultaneous separation of six monoclonal antibody charge and size variants on preparative-scale ion exchange chromatographic resin.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yi Feng; Jöhnck, Matthias; Frech, Christian

2018-02-21

The efficiencies of mono gradient elution and dual salt-pH gradient elution for separation of six mAb charge and size variants on a preparative-scale ion exchange chromatographic resin are compared in this study. Results showed that opposite dual salt-pH gradient elution with increasing pH gradient and simultaneously decreasing salt gradient is best suited for the separation of these mAb charge and size variants on Eshmuno ® CPX. Besides giving high binding capacity, this type of opposite dual salt-pH gradient also provides better resolved mAb variant peaks and lower conductivity in the elution pools compared to single pH or salt gradients. To have a mechanistic understanding of the differences in mAb variants retention behaviors of mono pH gradient, parallel dual salt-pH gradient, and opposite dual salt-pH gradient, a linear gradient elution model was used. After determining the model parameters using the linear gradient elution model, 2D plots were used to show the pH and salt dependencies of the reciprocals of distribution coefficient, equilibrium constant, and effective ionic capacity of the mAb variants in these gradient elution systems. Comparison of the 2D plots indicated that the advantage of opposite dual salt-pH gradient system with increasing pH gradient and simultaneously decreasing salt gradient is the noncontinuous increased acceleration of protein migration. Furthermore, the fitted model parameters can be used for the prediction and optimization of mAb variants separation in dual salt-pH gradient and step elution. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2018. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Translocation of DNA Molecules through Nanopores with Salt Gradients: The Role of Osmotic Flow

Science.gov (United States)

Hatlo, Marius M.; Panja, Debabrata; van Roij, René

2011-08-01

Recent experiments of translocation of double-stranded DNA through nanopores [M. Wanunu , Nature Nanotech. 5, 160 (2009)NNAABX1748-338710.1038/nnano.2009.379] reveal that the DNA capture rate can be significantly influenced by a salt gradient across the pore. We show that osmotic flow combined with electrophoretic effects can quantitatively explain the experimental data on the salt-gradient dependence of the capture rate.

Salt Lake City, Utah: Solar in Action (Brochure)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2011-10-01

This brochure provides an overview of the challenges and successes of Salt Lake City, UT, a 2007 Solar America City awardee, on the path toward becoming a solar-powered community. Accomplishments, case studies, key lessons learned, and local resource information are given.

CAPMIX -Deploying Capacitors for Salt Gradient Power Extraction

OpenAIRE

Bijmans, M.F.M.; Burheim, O.S.; Bryjak, M.; Delgado, A.; Hack, P.; Mantegazza, F.; Tenisson, S.; Hamelers, H.V.M.

2012-01-01

The process of mixing sea and river water can be utilised as a power source. At present, three groups of technology are established for doing so; i) mechanical; Pressure Retarded Osmosis PRO, ii) electrochemical reactions; Reverse ElectroDialysis (RED) and Nano Battery Electrodes (NBE) and iii) ultra capacitors; Capacitive Double Layer Expansion (CDLE) and Capacitors charge by the Donnan Potentials (CDP). The chemical potential for salt gradient power systems is only limited by th...

Relationship between velocity gradients and magnetic turbulence in the solar wind

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garrett, H.B.

1974-01-01

The correlations among the time derivative of the solar-wind velocity, the magnitude of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), and the IMF turbulence level are examined to test the idea that interaction between two colliding solar-wind streams can generate turbulence in the solar wind and the IMF. Data obtained by Explorer 33 on the solar wind and IMF are described, and the analysis techniques are outlined. The results indicate that the IMF turbulence level, as measured by the variance, is correlated with the existence of positive velocity gradients in the solar wind. It is noted that while the variance is an increasing function of the field magnitude, it is also independently correlated with the solar-wind velocity gradient

Korean Solar Salt Ameliorates Colon Carcinogenesis in an AOM/DSS-Induced C57BL/6 Mouse Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Ju, Jaehyun; Kim, Yeung-Ju; Park, Eui Seong; Park, Kun-Young

2017-06-01

The effects of Korean solar salt on an azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colon cancer C57BL/6 mouse model were studied. Korean solar salt samples (SS-S, solar salt from S salt field; SS-Yb, solar salt from Yb salt field), nine-time-baked bamboo salt (BS-9x, made from SS-Yb), purified salt (PS), and SS-G (solar salt from Guérande, France) were orally administered at a concentration of 1% during AOM/DSS colon cancer induction, and compared for their protective effects during colon carcinogenesis in C57BL/6 mice. SS-S and SS-Yb suppressed colon length shortening and tumor counts in mouse colons. Histological evaluation by hematoxylin and eosin staining also revealed suppression of tumorigenesis by SS-S. Conversely, PS and SS-G did not show a similar suppressive efficacy as Korean solar salt. SS-S and SS-Yb promoted colon mRNA expression of an apoptosis-related factor and cell-cycle-related gene and suppressed pro-inflammatory factor. SS-Yb baked into BS-9x further promoted these anti-carcinogenic efficacies. Taken together, the results indicate that Korean solar salt, especially SS-S and SS-Yb, exhibited anti-cancer activity by modulating apoptosis- and inflammation-related gene expression during colon carcinogenesis in mice, and bamboo salt baked from SS-Yb showed enhanced anti-cancer functionality.

High-temperature molten salt thermal energy storage systems for solar applications

Science.gov (United States)

Petri, R. J.; Claar, T. D.; Ong, E.

1983-01-01

Experimental results of compatibility screening studies of 100 salt/containment/thermal conductivity enhancement (TCE) combinations for the high temperature solar thermal application range of 704 deg to 871 C (1300 to 1600 F) are presented. Nine candidate containment/HX alloy materials and two TCE materials were tested with six candidate solar thermal alkali and alkaline earth carbonate storage salts (both reagent and technical grade of each). Compatibility tests were conducted with salt encapsulated in approx. 6.0 inch x 1 inch welded containers of test material from 300 to 3000 hours. Compatibility evaluations were end application oriented, considering the potential 30 year lifetime requirement of solar thermal power plant components. Analyses were based on depth and nature of salt side corrosion of materials, containment alloy thermal aging effects, weld integrity in salt environment, air side containment oxidation, and chemical and physical analyses of the salt. A need for more reliable, and in some cases first time determined thermophysical and transport property data was also identified for molten carbonates in the 704 to 871 C temperature range. In particular, accurate melting point (mp) measurements were performed for Li2CO3 and Na2CO3 while melting point, heat of fusion, and specific heat determinations were conducted on 81.3 weight percent Na2CO3-18.7 weight percent K2CO3 and 52.2 weight percent BaCO3-47.8 weight percent Na2CO3 to support future TES system design and ultimate scale up of solar thermal energy storage (TES) subsystems.

Thermal Desalination using MEMS and Salinity-Gradient Solar Pond Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, H.; Walton, J. C.; Hein, H.

2002-08-01

MEMS (multi-effect, multi-stage) flash desalination (distillation) driven by thermal energy derived from a salinity-gradient solar pond is investigated in this study for the purpose of improving the thermodynamic efficiency and economics of this technology. Three major tasks are performed: (1) a MEMS unit is tested under various operating conditions at the El Paso Solar Pond site; (2) the operation and maintenance procedures of the salinity-gradient solar pond coupled with the MEMS operation is studied; and (3) previous test data on a 24-stage, falling-film flash distillation unit (known as the Spinflash) is analyzed and compared with the performance of the MEMS unit. The data and information obtained from this investigation is applicable to a variety of thermal desalination processes using other solar options and/or waste heat.

Solar thermal technology report, FY 1981. Volume 1: Executive summary

Science.gov (United States)

1982-01-01

The activities of the Department of Energy's Solar Thermal Technology Program are discussed. Highlights of technical activities and brief descriptions of each technology are given. Solar thermal conversion concepts are discussed in detail, particularily concentrating collectors and salt-gradient solar ponds.

Coronal heating driven by a magnetic gradient pumping mechanism in solar plasmas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tan, Baolin, E-mail: bltan@nao.cas.cn [Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China)

2014-11-10

The heating of the solar corona is a longstanding mystery in astrophysics. Considering that the solar magnetic field is spatially inhomogeneous with a considerable magnetic gradient from the solar surface to the corona, this work proposes a magnetic gradient pumping (MGP) mechanism to try to explain the formation of hot plasma upflows, such as hot type II spicules and hot plasma ejections. In the MGP mechanism, the magnetic gradient may drive the energetic particles to move upward from the underlying solar atmosphere and form hot upflows. These upflow energetic particles are deposited in the corona, causing it to become very hot. Rough estimations indicate that the solar corona can be heated to above 1 million degrees, and the upflow velocity is about 40 km s{sup –1} in the chromosphere and about 130 km s{sup –1} in the corona. The solar magnetic flux tubes act as pumpers to extract energetic particles from the underlying thermal photosphere, convey them, and deposit them in the corona. The deposit of these energetic particles causes the corona to become hot, and the escape of such particles from the photosphere leaves it a bit cold. This mechanism can present a natural explanation to the mystery of solar coronal heating.

Steam generator design for solar towers using solar salt as heat transfer fluid

Science.gov (United States)

González-Gómez, Pedro Ángel; Petrakopoulou, Fontina; Briongos, Javier Villa; Santana, Domingo

2017-06-01

Since the operation of a concentrating solar power plant depends on the intermittent character of solar energy, the steam generator is subject to daily start-ups, stops and load variations. Faster start-up and load changes increase the plant flexibility and the daily energy production. However, it involves high thermal stresses on thick-walled components. Continuous operational conditions may eventually lead to a material failure. For these reasons, it is important to evaluate the transient behavior of the proposed designs in order to assure the reliability. The aim of this work is to analyze different steam generator designs for solar power tower plants using molten salt as heat transfer fluid. A conceptual steam generator design is proposed and associated heat transfer areas and steam drum size are calculated. Then, dynamic models for the main parts of the steam generator are developed to represent its transient performance. A temperature change rate that ensures safe hot start-up conditions is studied for the molten salt. The thermal stress evolution on the steam drum is calculated as key component of the steam generator.

Domestic Material Content in Molten-Salt Concentrating Solar Power Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turchi, Craig [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Kurup, Parthiv [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Akar, Sertac [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Flores, Francisco [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2015-08-26

This study lists material composition data for two concentrating solar power (CSP) plant designs: a molten-salt power tower and a hypothetical parabolic trough plant, both of which employ a molten salt for the heat transfer fluid (HTF) and thermal storage media. The two designs have equivalent generating and thermal energy storage capacities. The material content of the saltHTF trough plant was approximately 25% lower than a comparably sized conventional oil-HTF parabolic trough plant. The significant reduction in oil, salt, metal, and insulation mass by switching to a salt-HTF design is expected to reduce the capital cost and LCOE for the parabolic trough system.

Solar gasification of biomass: design and characterization of a molten salt gasification reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Hathaway, Brandon Jay

The design and implementation of a prototype molten salt solar reactor for gasification of biomass is a significant milestone in the development of a solar gasification process. The reactor developed in this work allows for 3 kWth operation with an average aperture flux of 1530 suns at salt temperatures of 1200 K with pneumatic injection of ground or powdered dry biomass feedstocks directly into the salt melt. Laboratory scale experiments in an electrically heated reactor demonstrate the benefits of molten salt and the data was evaluated to determine the kinetics of pyrolysis and gasification of biomass or carbon in molten salt. In the presence of molten salt overall gas yields are increased by up to 22%; pyrolysis rates double due to improved heat transfer, while carbon gasification rates increase by an order of magnitude. Existing kinetic models for cellulose pyrolysis fit the data well, while carbon gasification in molten salt follows kinetics modeled with a 2/3 order shrinking-grain model with a pre-exponential factor of 1.5*106 min-1 and activation energy of 158 kJ/mol. A reactor concept is developed based around a concentric cylinder geometry with a cavity-style solar receiver immersed within a volume of molten carbonate salt. Concentrated radiation delivered to the cavity is absorbed in the cavity walls and transferred via convection to the salt volume. Feedstock is delivered into the molten salt volume where biomass gasification reactions will be carried out producing the desired product gas. The features of the cavity receiver/reactor concept are optimized based on modeling of the key physical processes. The cavity absorber geometry is optimized according to a parametric survey of radiative exchange using a Monte Carlo ray tracing model, resulting in a cavity design that achieves absorption efficiencies of 80%-90%. A parametric survey coupling the radiative exchange simulations to a CFD model of molten salt natural convection is used to size the annulus

Molten salt based nanofluids based on solar salt and alumina nanoparticles: An industrial approach

Science.gov (United States)

Muñoz-Sánchez, Belén; Nieto-Maestre, Javier; Guerreiro, Luis; Julia, José Enrique; Collares-Pereira, Manuel; García-Romero, Ana

2017-06-01

Thermal Energy Storage (TES) and its associated dispatchability is extremely important in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants since it represents the main advantage of CSP technology in relation to other renewable energy sources like photovoltaic (PV). Molten salts are used in CSP plants as a TES material because of their high operational temperature and stability of up to 600°C. Their main problems are their relative poor thermal properties and energy storage density. A simple cost-effective way to improve the thermal properties of molten salts is to dope them with nanoparticles, thus obtaining the so-called salt-based nanofluids. Additionally, the use of molten salt based nanofluids as TES materials and Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) has been attracting great interest in recent years. The addition of tiny amounts of nanoparticles to the base salt can improve its specific heat as shown by different authors1-3. The application of these nano-enhanced materials can lead to important savings on the investment costs in new TES systems for CSP plants. However, there is still a long way to go in order to achieve a commercial product. In this sense, the improvement of the stability of the nanofluids is a key factor. The stability of nanofluids will depend on the nature and size of the nanoparticles, the base salt and the interactions between them. In this work, Solar Salt (SS) commonly used in CSP plants (60% NaNO3 + 40% KNO3 wt.) was doped with alumina nanoparticles (ANPs) at a solid mass concentration of 1% wt. at laboratory scale. The tendency of nanoparticles to agglomeration and sedimentation is tested in the molten state by analyzing their size and concentration through the time. The specific heat of the nanofluid at 396 °C (molten state) is measured at different times (30 min, 1 h, 5 h). Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms of agglomeration. A good understanding of the interactions between the nanoparticle surface and the ionic media would provide

Solar pond design for Arabian Gulf conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hassab, M.A.; Tag, I.A.; Jassim, I.A.; Al-Juburi, F.Y.

1987-01-01

Collection and storage of solar energy in salt gradient solar ponds under conditions of high ambient and ground temperatures and all year-round sunny weather are investigated theoretically. A transient model based on measured local environmental conditions is developed to predict solar transmission, temperature distribution and salt distribution inside the pond for any day of the year. In the model the effects of heat dissipation into the ground, bottom reflection, pond dimensions, load extraction and variation of the pond's physical properties with temperature and concentration are investigated. The generated non-linear coupled system of heat and salt concentration equations for the composite media, considered to have isothermal boundary conditions, is solved numerically using the implicit finite-difference scheme.

Table Salt from Seawater (Solar Evaporation). What We Take from Our Environment. Science and Technology Education in Philippine Society.

Science.gov (United States)

Philippines Univ., Quezon City. Science Education Center.

This module discusses methods of obtaining table salt from seawater. Topic areas considered include: (1) obtaining salt by solar evaporation of seawater in holes; (2) obtaining salt by boiling seawater in pots; (3) how table salt is obtained from seawater in the Philippines; and (4) methods of making salt by solar evaporation of seawater in the…

Molten Salt-Carbon Nanotube Thermal Energy Storage for Concentrating Solar Power Systems Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michael Schuller; Frank Little; Darren Malik; Matt Betts; Qian Shao; Jun Luo; Wan Zhong; Sandhya Shankar; Ashwin Padmanaban

2012-03-30

We demonstrated that adding nanoparticles to a molten salt would increase its utility as a thermal energy storage medium for a concentrating solar power system. Specifically, we demonstrated that we could increase the specific heat of nitrate and carbonate salts containing 1% or less of alumina nanoparticles. We fabricated the composite materials using both evaporative and air drying methods. We tested several thermophysical properties of the composite materials, including the specific heat, thermal conductivity, latent heat, and melting point. We also assessed the stability of the composite material with repeated thermal cycling and the effects of adding the nanoparticles on the corrosion of stainless steel by the composite salt. Our results indicate that stable, repeatable 25-50% improvements in specific heat are possible for these materials. We found that using these composite salts as the thermal energy storage material for a concentrating solar thermal power system can reduce the levelized cost of electricity by 10-20%. We conclude that these materials are worth further development and inclusion in future concentrating solar power systems.

Solar Pond devices: free energy or bioreactors for Artemia biomass production?

Science.gov (United States)

Gouveia, Luisa; Sousa, João; Marques, Ana; Tavares, Célia; Giestas, Margarida

2009-08-01

The recent exponential growth in industrial aquaculture has led to a huge increase in Artemia biomass production in order to meet increased fish production needs. The present study explores the potential use of salt gradient solar ponds (SGSPs) for production of Artemia nauplii. An SGSP is a basin of water where solar energy is trapped and collected via an artificially imposed gradient. Three zones can be identified in an SGSP: upper and lower zones, which are both convective, and a middle zone, which is intended to be non-convective. The latter acts as a transparent insulation layer and allows for storage of solar energy at the bottom, where it is available for use. The combination of salt, temperature and high transparency could make SGSPs promising bioreactors for the production of Artemia nauplii. Using particle image velocymetry (PIV) and Shadowgraph visualisation techniques, the behaviour of Artemia nauplii under critical cultivation parameters (namely, salinity, temperature and light) was monitored to determine movement velocity, and how movement of Artemia affects the salt gradient. It was observed that Artemia nauplii constantly follow light, irrespective of adverse salinity and/or temperature conditions. However, despite the substantial displacement of Artemia following the light source, the salt gradient is not disrupted. The suitability of SGSPs as bioreactors for Artemia biomass production was then tested. The results were disappointing, probably due to the lack of sufficient O(2) for Artemia survival and growth. Follow-up trials were conducted aimed at using the SGSP as a green and economically attractive energy source to induce faster hatching of cysts and improved Artemia nauplii growth. The results of these trials, and a case study of Artemia nauplii production using an SGSP, are presented. The authors constructed a Solar Pond device, which they suggest as a novel way of supplying thermal energy for Artemia biomass production in an aquaculture

Compatibility tests between Solar Salt and thermal storage ceramics from inorganic industrial wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motte, Fabrice; Falcoz, Quentin; Veron, Emmanuel; Py, Xavier

2015-01-01

Highlights: • ESEM and XRD characterizations have been performed. • Compatibility of these ceramics with the conventional binary Solar Salt is tested at 500 °C. • Tested ceramics have relevant properties to store thermal energy up to 1000 °C. • Feasibility of using ceramics as filler materials in thermocline is demonstrated. - Abstract: This paper demonstrates the feasibility of using several post-industrial ceramics as filler materials in a direct thermocline storage configuration. The tested ceramics, coming from several industrial processes (asbestos containing waste treatment, coal fired power plants or metallurgic furnaces) demonstrate relevant properties to store thermal energy by sensible heat up to 1000 °C. Thus, they represent at low-cost a promising, efficient and sustainable approach for thermal energy storage. In the present study, the thermo-chemical compatibility of these ceramics with the conventional binary Solar Salt is tested at medium temperature (500 °C) under steady state. In order to determine the feasibility of using such ceramics as filler material, Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) characterizations have been performed to check for their chemical and structural evolution during corrosion tests. The final objective is to develop a molten salt thermocline direct storage system using low-cost shaped ceramic as structured filler material. Most of the tested ceramics present an excellent corrosion resistance in molten Solar Salt and should significantly decrease the current cost of concentrated solar thermal energy storage system

Thermodynamics investigation of a solar power system integrated oil and molten salt as heat transfer fluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Qibin; Bai, Zhang; Sun, Jie; Yan, Yuejun; Gao, Zhichao; Jin, Hongguang

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A new concentrating solar power system with a dual-solar field is proposed. • The superheated steam with more than 773 K is produced. • The performances of the proposed system are demonstrated. • The economic feasibility of the proposed system is validated. - Abstract: In this paper, a new parabolic trough solar power system that incorporates a dual-solar field with oil and molten salt as heat transfer fluids (HTFs) is proposed to effectively utilize the solar energy. The oil is chosen as a HTF in the low temperature solar field to heat the feeding water, and the high temperature solar field uses molten salt to superheat the steam that the temperature is higher than 773 K. The produced superheated steam enters a steam turbine to generate power. Energy analysis and exergy analysis of the system are implemented to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed system. Under considerations of variations of solar irradiation, the on-design and off-design thermodynamic performances of the system and the characteristics are investigated. The annual average solar-to-electric efficiency and the nominal efficiency under the given condition for the proposed solar thermal power generation system reach to 15.86% and 22.80%, which are higher than the reference system with a single HTF. The exergy losses within the solar heat transfer process of the proposed system are reduced by 7.8% and 45.23% compared with the solar power thermal systems using oil and molten salt as HTFs, respectively. The integrated approach with oil and molten salt as HTFs can make full use of the different physical properties of the HTFs, and optimize the heat transfer process between the HTFs and the water/steam. The exergy loss in the water evaporation and superheated process are reduced, the system efficiency and the economic performance are improved. The research findings provide a new approach for the improvement of the performances of solar thermal power plants.

Preparation and characterization of molten salt based nanothermic fluids with enhanced thermal properties for solar thermal applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madathil, Pramod Kandoth; Balagi, Nagaraj; Saha, Priyanka; Bharali, Jitalaxmi; Rao, Peddy V.C.; Choudary, Nettem V.; Ramesh, Kanaparthi

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Prepared and characterized inorganic ternary molten salt based nanothermic fluids. • MoS_2 and CuO nanoparticles incorporated ternary molten salts have been prepared. • Thermal properties enhanced by the addition of MoS_2 and CuO nanoparticles. • The amount of nanoparticles has been optimized. - Abstract: In the current energy scenario, solar energy is attracting considerable attention as a renewable energy source with ample research and commercial opportunities. The novel and efficient technologies in the solar energy are directed to develop methods for solar energy capture, storage and utilization. High temperature thermal energy storage systems can deal with a wide range of temperatures and therefore they are highly recommended for concentrated solar power (CSP) applications. In the present study, a systematic investigation has been carried out to identify the suitable inorganic nanoparticles and their addition in the molten salt has been optimized. In order to enhance the thermo-physical properties such as thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity of molten salt based HTFs, we report the utilization of MoS_2 and CuO nanoparticles. The enhancement in the above mentioned thermo-physical properties has been demonstrated for optimized compositions and the morphologies of nanoparticle-incorporated molten salts have been studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Nanoparticle addition to molten salts is an efficient method to prepare thermally stable molten salt based heat transfer fluids which can be used in CSP plants. It is also observed that the sedimentation of nanoparticles in molten salt is negligible compared to that in organic heat transfer fluids.

Methane-steam reforming by molten salt - membrane reactor using concentrated solar thermal energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanuki, K.; Nakajima, H.; Hasegawa, N.; Kaneko, H.; Tamaura, Y.

2006-01-01

By utilization of concentrated solar thermal energy for steam reforming of natural gas, which is an endothermic reaction, the chemical energy of natural gas can be up-graded. The chemical system for steam reforming of natural gas with concentrated solar thermal energy was studied to produce hydrogen by using the thermal storage with molten salt and the membrane reactor. The original steam reforming module with hydrogen permeable palladium membrane was developed and fabricated. Steam reforming of methane proceeded with the original module with palladium membrane below the decomposition temperature of molten salt (around 870 K). (authors)

Salt-body Inversion with Minimum Gradient Support and Sobolev Space Norm Regularizations

KAUST Repository

Kazei, Vladimir

2017-05-26

Full-waveform inversion (FWI) is a technique which solves the ill-posed seismic inversion problem of fitting our model data to the measured ones from the field. FWI is capable of providing high-resolution estimates of the model, and of handling wave propagation of arbitrary complexity (visco-elastic, anisotropic); yet, it often fails to retrieve high-contrast geological structures, such as salt. One of the reasons for the FWI failure is that the updates at earlier iterations are too smooth to capture the sharp edges of the salt boundary. We compare several regularization approaches, which promote sharpness of the edges. Minimum gradient support (MGS) regularization focuses the inversion on blocky models, even more than the total variation (TV) does. However, both approaches try to invert undesirable high wavenumbers in the model too early for a model of complex structure. Therefore, we apply the Sobolev space norm as a regularizing term in order to maintain a balance between sharp and smooth updates in FWI. We demonstrate the application of these regularizations on a Marmousi model, enriched by a chunk of salt. The model turns out to be too complex in some parts to retrieve its full velocity distribution, yet the salt shape and contrast are retrieved.

Evaluating the fisheries potential of solar salt works reservoirs at ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Artisanal fisheries are important livelihoods for coastal communities in many developing countries, where uncontrolled fishing can easily lead to depleted stocks in nearshore waters. Man-made reservoirs associated with solar salt works along the coast of Ungwana Bay provide alternative fishing grounds for local fishers ...

Effects of temperature, temperature gradients, stress, and irradiation on migration of brine inclusions in a salt repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jenks, G.H.

1979-07-01

Available experimental and theoretical information on brine migration in bedded salt are reviewed and analyzed. The effects of temperature, thermal gradients, stress, irradiation, and pressure in a salt repository are among the factors considered. The theoretical and experimental (with KCl) results of Anthony and Cline were used to correlate and explain the available data for rates of brine migration at temperatures up to 250 0 C in naturally occurring crystals of bedded salt from Lyons and Hutchinson, Kansas. Considerations of the effects of stressing crystals of bedded salt on the migratin properties of brine inclusions within the crystals led to the conclusion that the most probable effects are a small fractional increase in the solubility of the salt within the liquid and a concomitant and equal fractional increase in the rate of the thermal gradient-induced migration of the brine. The greatest uncertainty relative to the prediction of rates of migration of brine into a waste emplacement cavity in bedded salt is associated with questions concerning the effects of the grain boundaries (within the aggregates of single crystals which comprise a bedded salt deposit) on brine migration through the deposit. The results of some of the estimates of rates and total amounts of brine inflow to HLW and SURF waste packages emplaced in bedded salt were included to illustrate the inflow volumes which might occur in a repository. The results of the brine inflow estimates for 10-year-old HLW emplaced at 150 kW/acre indicated inflow rates starting at 0.7 liter/year and totaling 12 liters at 30 years after emplacement. The results of the estimates for 10-year-old PWR SURF emplaced at 60 kW/acre indicated a constant inflow of 0.035 liter/year for the first 35 years after emplacement

Chemical perspectives on alkali and earth alkaline nitrate and nitrite salts for concentrated solar power applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cordaro, Joseph G. [Sandia National Labsoratories, Livermore, CA (United States)

2013-04-01

Molten salts have been widely considered as the leading candidate heat transfer fluids (HTF) used in high temperature, concentrated solar power plants. Specifically, nitrate and nitrite based salts have been investigated as a HTF and even deployed in pilot plants generating up to 19.9 MW of electricity at operating temperatures above 500 C. New plant designs requiring higher operating temperatures for better efficiencies are pushing the stability limit of HTF. This paper presents an overview of the thermophysical properties of nitrate and nitrite salts and discusses thermodynamic and kinetic stability limitations as they relate to concentrated solar power generation. (orig.)

Development of Molten-Salt Heat Transfer Fluid Technology for Parabolic Trough Solar Power Plants - Public Final Technical Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grogan, Dylan C. P.

2013-08-15

Executive Summary This Final Report for the "Development of Molten-Salt Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) Technology for Parabolic Trough Solar Power Plants” describes the overall project accomplishments, results and conclusions. Phase 1 analyzed the feasibility, cost and performance of a parabolic trough solar power plant with a molten salt heat transfer fluid (HTF); researched and/or developed feasible component options, detailed cost estimates and workable operating procedures; and developed hourly performance models. As a result, a molten salt plant with 6 hours of storage was shown to reduce Thermal Energy Storage (TES) cost by 43.2%, solar field cost by 14.8%, and levelized cost of energy (LCOE) by 9.8% - 14.5% relative to a similar state-of-the-art baseline plant. The LCOE savings range met the project’s Go/No Go criteria of 10% LCOE reduction. Another primary focus of Phase 1 and 2 was risk mitigation. The large risk areas associated with a molten salt parabolic trough plant were addressed in both Phases, such as; HTF freeze prevention and recovery, collector components and piping connections, and complex component interactions. Phase 2 analyzed in more detail the technical and economic feasibility of a 140 MWe,gross molten-salt CSP plant with 6 hours of TES. Phase 2 accomplishments included developing technical solutions to the above mentioned risk areas, such as freeze protection/recovery, corrosion effects of applicable molten salts, collector design improvements for molten salt, and developing plant operating strategies for maximized plant performance and freeze risk mitigation. Phase 2 accomplishments also included developing and thoroughly analyzing a molten salt, Parabolic Trough power plant performance model, in order to achieve the project cost and performance targets. The plant performance model and an extensive basic Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) quote were used to calculate a real levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of 11.50�

On the appearance of vorticity and gradient shear bands in wormlike micellar solutions of different CPCl/salt systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mütze, Annekathrin, E-mail: muetzea@ethz.ch; Heunemann, Peggy; Fischer, Peter [ETH Zürich, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, Schmelzbergstrasse 9, 8092 Zürich (Switzerland)

2014-11-01

Wormlike micellar salt/surfactant solutions (X-salicylate, cetylpyridinium chloride) are studied with respect to the applied shear stress, concentration, temperature, and composition of the counterions (X = lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium) of the salicylate salt solute to determine vorticity and gradient shear bands. A combination of rheological measurements, laser technique, video analysis, and rheo-small-angle neutron scattering allow for a detailed exploration of number and types of shear bands. Typical flow curves of the solutions show Newtonian, shear-thinning, and shear-thickening flow behavior. In the shear-thickening regime, the solutions show vorticity and gradient shear bands simultaneously, in which vorticity shear bands dominate the visual effect, while gradient shear bands always coexist and predominate the rheological response. It is shown that gradient shear bands change their phases (turbid, clear) with the same frequency as the shear rate oscillates, whereas vorticity shear bands change their phases with half the frequency of the shear rate. Furthermore, we show that with increasing molecular mass of the counterions the number of gradient shear bands increases, while the number of vorticity shear bands remains constant. The variation of temperature, shear stress, concentration, and counterions results in a predictable change in the rheological behavior and therefore allows adjustment of the number of vorticity shear bands in the shear band regime.

Density gradients in the solar plasma observed by interplanetary scintillation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gapper, G.R.; Hewish, A.

1981-01-01

A new technique is described which overcomes the limitation set by Fresnel filtering in previous IPS studies of the small-scale density irregularities in the solar plasma. Phase gradients introduced by irregularities larger than the Fresnel limit cause transverse displacements of the small-scale scintillation pattern. In the presence of the solar wind, such refraction effects may be revealed by simultaneous measurements of intensity scintillation at two radio frequencies. Observations show that the structure corresponding to temporal frequencies approximately 0.02 Hz is in agreement with an extrapolation of the Kolmogorov spectrum derived from spacecraft data at lower frequencies. (author)

A STUDY OF SOLAR PHOTOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE GRADIENT VARIATION USING LIMB DARKENING MEASUREMENTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Criscuoli, Serena [National Solar Observatory, Boulder, CO 80303 (United States); Foukal, Peter [192 Willow Road, Nahant, MA 01908 (United States)

2017-01-20

The variation in area of quiet magnetic network measured over the sunspot cycle should modulate the spatially averaged photospheric temperature gradient, since temperature declines with optical depth more gradually in magnetic flux tube atmospheres. Yet, limb darkening measurements show no dependence upon activity level, even at an rms precision of 0.04%. We study the sensitivity of limb darkening to changes in area filling factor using a 3D MHD model of the magnetized photosphere. The limb darkening change expected from the measured 11-year area variation lies below the level of measured limb darkening variations, for a reasonable range of magnetic flux in quiet network and internetwork regions. So the remarkably constant limb darkening observed over the solar activity cycle is not inconsistent with the measured 11-year change in area of quiet magnetic network. Our findings offer an independent constraint on photospheric temperature gradient changes reported from measurements of the solar spectral irradiance from the Spectral Irradiance Monitor, and recently, from wavelength-differential spectrophotometry using the Solar Optical Telescope aboard the HINODE spacecraft.

The Characteristic of Molten Heat Salt Storage System Utilizing Solar Energy Combined with Valley Electric

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LI .Jiu-ru

2017-02-01

Full Text Available With the environmental pollution and energy consumption clue to the large difference between peak and valley of power grid，the molten salt heat storage system(MSHSS utilizing solar Energy combined with valley electric is presented for good energy saving and low emissions. The costs of MSHSS utilizing solar Energy combined with valley electric are greatly reduced. The law of heat transfer in molten salt heat storage technology is studied with the method of grey correlation analysis. The results show the effect of elbow sizes on surface convective heat transfer coefficient with different flow velocities.

Investigation of solar parabolic trough power plants with and without integrated TES (thermal energy storage) and FBS (fuel backup system) using thermic oil and solar salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boukelia, T.E.; Mecibah, M.S.; Kumar, B.N.; Reddy, K.S.

2015-01-01

Thermodynamic, economic and environmental analyses of concentrating solar power plants assist in identifying an effective and viable configuration. In this paper, a 4E (energy-exergy-environmental-economic) comparative study of 8 different configurations of parabolic trough solar thermal power plants with two different working fluids (Therminol VP-1 -oil and molten solar salt), with and without integrated thermal energy storage or/and backup fuel system is presented. The results of the comparative study indicate relevant differences among the 8 configurations. The molten solar salt configuration with integrated thermal energy storage and fossil fuel backup system exhibits the highest overall energy efficiency (18.48%) compared to other configurations. Whereas, the highest overall exergy efficiency (21.77%), capacity factor (38.20%) and annual energy generation (114 GWh) are found for the oil based configuration with integrated thermal energy storage and fossil fuel backup system. The results indicate that the configurations based on molten salt are better in terms of environmental and economical parameters. The configurations with integrated thermal energy storage and fossil fuel backup system are found to be techno-economical, but on the other hand are less environment friendly. A detailed comparison of these plants after optimization must be performed before drawing a final conclusion about the best configuration to be adopted in parabolic trough solar thermal power plant. - Highlights: • 4E comparative study of 8 configurations of PTSTPP with two different fluids. • Comparison of the configurations with and without integrated TES (thermal energy storage) and FBS (fuel backup system). • The overall energy efficiency of the salt plant with TES and FBS is the highest. • The overall exergy efficiency of the oil plant with TES and FBS is the highest. • The salt plants are the best configurations in terms of environ–eco parameters

Combining Step Gradients and Linear Gradients in Density.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Ashok A; Walz, Jenna A; Gonidec, Mathieu; Mace, Charles R; Whitesides, George M

2015-06-16

Combining aqueous multiphase systems (AMPS) and magnetic levitation (MagLev) provides a method to produce hybrid gradients in apparent density. AMPS—solutions of different polymers, salts, or surfactants that spontaneously separate into immiscible but predominantly aqueous phases—offer thermodynamically stable steps in density that can be tuned by the concentration of solutes. MagLev—the levitation of diamagnetic objects in a paramagnetic fluid within a magnetic field gradient—can be arranged to provide a near-linear gradient in effective density where the height of a levitating object above the surface of the magnet corresponds to its density; the strength of the gradient in effective density can be tuned by the choice of paramagnetic salt and its concentrations and by the strength and gradient in the magnetic field. Including paramagnetic salts (e.g., MnSO4 or MnCl2) in AMPS, and placing them in a magnetic field gradient, enables their use as media for MagLev. The potential to create large steps in density with AMPS allows separations of objects across a range of densities. The gradients produced by MagLev provide resolution over a continuous range of densities. By combining these approaches, mixtures of objects with large differences in density can be separated and analyzed simultaneously. Using MagLev to add an effective gradient in density also enables tuning the range of densities captured at an interface of an AMPS by simply changing the position of the container in the magnetic field. Further, by creating AMPS in which phases have different concentrations of paramagnetic ions, the phases can provide different resolutions in density. These results suggest that combining steps in density with gradients in density can enable new classes of separations based on density.

Emission of Volatile OrganoHalogens by Southern African Solar Salt Works

Science.gov (United States)

Kotte, Karsten; Weissflog, Ludwig; Lange, Christian Albert; Huber, Stefan; Pienaar, Jacobus J.

2010-05-01

Volatile organic compounds containing halogens - especially chlorine - have been considered for a long time of industrial origin only, and it was assumed that the production and emission of these compounds can easily be controlled by humans in case they will cause a threat for life on Earth. Since the middle of the 80ies of the last century it became clear that the biologically active organohalogens isolated by chemists are purposefully produced by nature as antibiotics or as antifeedant etc. To date more than 3800 organohalogens are known to be naturally produced by bio-geochemical processes. The global budgets of many such species are poorly understood and only now with the emergence of better analytical techniques being discovered. For example the compound chloromethane nature's production (5 GT) outdates the anthropogenic production (50 KT) by a factor of 100. Thus organohalogens are an interesting recent case in point since they can influence the ozone budget of the boundary layer, play a role in the production of aerosols and the climate change discussion. An intriguing observation is that most of the atmospheric CH3Cl and CH3Br are of terrestrial rather than of marine origin and that a number of halogenated small organic molecules are produced in soils. The high concentrations of halides in salt soils point to a possibly higher importance of natural halogenation processes as a source of volatile organohalogens. Terrestrial biota, such as fungi, plants, animals and insects, as well as marine algea, bacteria and archaea are known or suspected to be de-novo producers of volatile organohalogens. In recent years we revealed the possibility for VOX to form actively in water and bottom sediments of hyper-saline environments in the course of studying aridization processes during climatic warming. Due to the nature of their production process solar salt works, as to be found along-side the Southern African coast line but also upcountry, combine a variety of semi- and

Solar cycle dependence of the radial gradient of cosmic ray intensity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, J.A.V.

1988-01-01

Observation of the interplanetary intensity of cosmic rays (E/sub p/>80 MeV) by Pioneers 10 and 11 now spans a sixteen-year time period 1972--1988 and heliocentric radial distances, r/sub 10/ and r/sub 11/, out to 43.7 AU for Pioneer 10 and 25.8 AU for Pioneer 11. Solar modulation continues to be present at the current distances of both spacecraft. The radial gradient of intensity is measured continuously over the slowly varying, outward moving radial segment Δr = r/sub 10/--r/sub 11/. The 50-day mean values of the gradient G vary systematically and cyclically in phase with solar activity as measured by sunspot number, with a maximum value of about 2.1 percent (AU)/sup -1/ at sunspot maximum and a miminum value of about 1.2 percent (AU)/sup -1/ at sunspot minimum. Thus, the apparent scale size of the heliospheric modulation region as measured by 1/G is about 48 AU at solar max and about 83 AU at solar min: a result that is the inverse of the conjectural inference of Randall and Van Allen [1986] using most of the same body of data but a different analytical point of view. There is persuasive evidence that G is independent of radial distance over the range 2.5 to 34 AU in the mid-point of the segment Δr. No dependence of G on heliographic latitude is evident, but this result does not lend itself to a quantitative statement. copyright American Geophysical Union 1988

Solar program of the Research Institute/UPM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nimmo, B.; Dabbagh, A.; Said, S.

1980-07-01

Projects are described and results presented for three of the solar related activities presently underway: Solar Radiation Monitoring, Effects of Dust Accumulation on Collector Performance, and Salt Gradient Solar Pond Analytical and Experimental Studies. Measurements of total horizontal and direct radiation have been made continuously since May, 1979 and the data are presented in a user oriented format on an hourly basis. These results have been extended by calculation to allow presentation on an hourly basis of diffuse radiation and total radiation on a surface tilted to the local latitude angle. The system is presently being expanded to allow measurement of several additional radiation parameters of interest as well as six meteorological parameters. Some results are presented to show the effects of atmospheric dust on radiation attenuation, as well as the clearness index, anti K/sub T/. Results are also presented for a related study, the impact of surface dust accumulation on the performance of photovoltaic and thermal collectors. Continuous monitoring of the peak watt output of a small photovoltaic panel during a period which included severe dust storms showed a decrease in performance of sixty percent (60%) relative to the clean panel output. Settling of dust on the surface of a solar pond does not, on the other hand, appear to be a problem. The salt gradient solar pond work is proceeding on two fronts: analytical and experimental. Preliminary results are presented for a varying property transient one dimensional computer model currently being used in design studies. Preliminary experimental results are also presented for temperature profiles measured in our small prototype pond.

Economic Optimization of a Concentrating Solar Power Plant with Molten-salt Thermocline Storage

OpenAIRE

Flueckiger, S. M.; Iverson, B. D.; Garimella, S V

2014-01-01

System-level simulation of a molten-salt thermocline tank is undertaken in response to year-long historical weather data and corresponding plant control. Such a simulation is enabled by combining a finite-volume model of the tank that includes a sufficiently faithful representation at low computation cost with a system-level power tower plant model. Annual plant performance of a 100 MWe molten-salt power tower plant is optimized as a function of the thermocline tank size and the plant solar m...

Experimental investigation of a molten salt thermocline storage tank

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaoping; Yang, Xiaoxi; Qin, Frank G. F.; Jiang, Runhua

2016-07-01

Thermal energy storage is considered as an important subsystem for solar thermal power stations. Investigations into thermocline storage tanks have mainly focused on numerical simulations because conducting high-temperature experiments is difficult. In this paper, an experimental study of the heat transfer characteristics of a molten salt thermocline storage tank was conducted by using high-temperature molten salt as the heat transfer fluid and ceramic particle as the filler material. This experimental study can verify the effectiveness of numerical simulation results and provide reference for engineering design. Temperature distribution and thermal storage capacity during the charging process were obtained. A temperature gradient was observed during the charging process. The temperature change tendency showed that thermocline thickness increased continuously with charging time. The slope of the thermal storage capacity decreased gradually with the increase in time. The low-cost filler material can replace the expensive molten salt to achieve thermal storage purposes and help to maintain the ideal gravity flow or piston flow of molten salt fluid.

Coupled optical and thermal detailed simulations for the accurate evaluation and performance improvement of molten salts solar towers

Science.gov (United States)

García-Barberena, Javier; Mutuberria, Amaia; Palacin, Luis G.; Sanz, Javier L.; Pereira, Daniel; Bernardos, Ana; Sanchez, Marcelino; Rocha, Alberto R.

2017-06-01

The National Renewable Energy Centre of Spain, CENER, and the Technology & Innovation area of ACS Cobra, as a result of their long term expertise in the CSP field, have developed a high-quality and high level of detail optical and thermal simulation software for the accurate evaluation of Molten Salts Solar Towers. The main purpose of this software is to make a step forward in the state-of-the-art of the Solar Towers simulation programs. Generally, these programs deal with the most critical systems of such plants, i.e. the solar field and the receiver, on an independent basis. Therefore, these programs typically neglect relevant aspects in the operation of the plant as heliostat aiming strategies, solar flux shapes onto the receiver, material physical and operational limitations, transient processes as preheating and secure cloud passing operating modes, and more. The modelling approach implemented in the developed program consists on effectively coupling detailed optical simulations of the heliostat field with also detailed and full-transient thermal simulations of the molten salts tube-based external receiver. The optical model is based on an accurate Monte Carlo ray-tracing method which solves the complete solar field by simulating each of the heliostats at once according to their specific layout in the field. In the thermal side, the tube-based cylindrical external receiver of a Molten Salts Solar Tower is modelled assuming one representative tube per panel, and implementing the specific connection layout of the panels as well as the internal receiver pipes. Each tube is longitudinally discretized and the transient energy and mass balances in the temperature dependent molten salts and steel tube models are solved. For this, a one dimensional radial heat transfer model based is used. The thermal model is completed with a detailed control and operation strategy module, able to represent the appropriate operation of the plant. An integration framework has been

AMS fabric and structural record along a strain gradient in an extrusive salt diapir (Kuh-e-Namak, Dashti, Iran)

Science.gov (United States)

Zavada, Prokop; Schulmann, Karel; Lexa, Ondrej; Machek, Matej; Roxerova, Zuzana; Kusbach, Vladimir

2016-04-01

The AMS record and the halite fabrics on meso- and micro-scale were studied in detail on a well exposed salt extrusive body in Iran. In the Kuh-e-Namak (Dashti) mountain salt diapir, the deformation structures in colored salt are displayed along longitudinal profiles across the dome and two glaciers that extend from the NE and SW edge of the dome. The profiles from the dome to the frontal parts of the glaciers reveal a continuous strain gradient associated with transposition of the domal salt fabrics by axial fold cleavage development during flow of rock salt over the ridges in the channel. The extruded salt belongs to the Hormuz sequence of Neo-Proterozoic to Early Cambrian age. From central dome towards especially the northern namakier, structural record revealed zonation from; 1) gravitational collapse related recumbent isoclinal folds in the dome, 2) flat normal shears at the edge of the dome, 3) collapsed vertical layering into flat lying transpositional fabric at the toe of the dome, 4) penetrative fold cleavage transposition of earlier fabrics above the topographical ridge in the base of the flow, locally displaying strong transversal constrictional fabrics, 5) banded mylonites with isoclinal rootless folds in subhorizontally banded frontal and marginal domain of the glacier. The AMS fabric in the rock salt is generated primarily by hematite dispersed in the recrystallized halite. The AMS exhibits three main types of fabric symmetry from clustered all directions (K1,K2,K3, orthogonal fabric) to clustered K1 directions with girdle forming K2,K3 axes and clustered K3 directions with girdle of K1 and K2 directions. The AMS fabric clearly reflects the macroscopic fabric transpositions along the entire investigated strain gradient in the rock salt. Magnetic fabrics reveal continuous trends from bimodal to semi-girdle distribution of foliations in folded and cleavage present regions, to magnetic lineation clustering perpendicular to flow in completely refolded

Computational Analysis of Nanoparticles-Molten Salt Thermal Energy Storage for Concentrated Solar Power Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Vinod [Univ. of Texas, El Paso, TX (United States)

2017-05-05

High fidelity computational models of thermocline-based thermal energy storage (TES) were developed. The research goal was to advance the understanding of a single tank nanofludized molten salt based thermocline TES system under various concentration and sizes of the particles suspension. Our objectives were to utilize sensible-heat that operates with least irreversibility by using nanoscale physics. This was achieved by performing computational analysis of several storage designs, analyzing storage efficiency and estimating cost effectiveness for the TES systems under a concentrating solar power (CSP) scheme using molten salt as the storage medium. Since TES is one of the most costly but important components of a CSP plant, an efficient TES system has potential to make the electricity generated from solar technologies cost competitive with conventional sources of electricity.

Thermal performance prediction and sensitivity analysis for future deployment of molten salt cavity receiver solar power plants in Algeria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boudaoud, S.; Khellaf, A.; Mohammedi, K.; Behar, O.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Performance of power plant with molten salt cavity receiver is assessed. • A method has been used to optimize the plant solar multiple, capacity factor and LEC. • Comparison of the simulated results to those of PS20 has shown good agreement. • Higher fossil fuel fraction reduces the LEC and increases the capacity factor. • Highland and Sahara regions are suitable for CRS plants deployment. - Abstract: Of all Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies available today, the molten salt solar power plant appears to be the most important option for providing a major share of the clean and renewable electricity needed in the future. In the present paper, a technical and economic analysis for the implementation of a probable molten salt cavity receiver thermal power plant in Algeria has been carried out. In order to do so, we have investigated the effect of solar field size, storage capacity factor, solar radiation intensity, hybridization and power plant capacity on the thermal efficiency and electricity cost of the selected plant. The system advisor model has been used to perform the technical performance and the economic assessment for different locations (coastal, highland and Sahara regions) in Algeria. Taking into account various factors, a method has been applied to optimize the solar multiple and the capacity factor of the plant, to get a trade-off between the incremental investment costs of the heliostat field and the thermal energy storage. The analysis has shown that the use of higher fossil fuel fraction significantly reduces the levelized electricity cost (LEC) and sensibly increases the capacity factor (CF). The present study indicates that hybrid molten salt solar tower power technology is very promising. The CF and the LEC have been found to be respectively of the order of 71% and 0.35 $/kW e . For solar-only power plants, these parameters are respectively about 27% and 0.63 $/kW e . Therefore, hybrid central receiver systems are

Methane fluxes along a salinity gradient on a restored salt marsh, Harpswell, ME

Science.gov (United States)

Gunn, Cailene; Johnson, Beverly, ,, Dr.; Dostie, Phil; Bohlen, Curtis; Craig, Matthew

2016-04-01

This study functions as a pilot project to understand the relationship between salinity and methane emissions on a recently restored salt marsh in Casco Bay, Maine. Salt marshes are dynamic and highly productive ecosystems that provide a multitude of ecosystem services including nutrient filtration, storm-water buffering and carbon sequestration. These ecosystems are highly susceptible to anthropogenic alteration. The emplacement of causeways and narrow culverts, restricts tidal flow and leads to loss of healthy salinity gradients. Consequently, numerous salt marshes have experienced increases in freshwater vegetation growth as a result of coastal population expansion. Recent restoration efforts on Long Marsh, Harpswell, ME replaced a severely undersized culvert with a larger one in February, 2014. The salinity gradient has since been restored along much of the marsh, and freshwater vegetation that encroached on the marsh platform has died back. Vegetation and salinity are key indicators and drivers of CH4 emissions on salt marshes. Using static gas chambers, we quantified CH4 fluxes along two transects at five diverse sites ranging from healthy marsh (salinity of 27 to 31 psu) with Spartina vegetation, to regions invaded by Typha and other freshwater vegetation (salinity of 0 to 4 psu). Sampling was executed in the months of July, August and October. CH4 concentrations were determined using a gas chromatograph with a flame-ionization detector. Preliminary findings suggest reintroduction of healthy tidal flows into the marsh inhibits CH4 production, where the lowest fluxes with least variability were observed at the most saline sites with Spartina vegetation. The largest range of CH4 fluxes exhibited emissions from 0.75 μmol CH4/m2/hr to 518.4 μmol CH4/m2/hr at the Typha dominated sites from July to October. Fluxes at the saltwater and brackish regions were far less variable with ranges from 0.94 μmol CH4/m2/hr to 8.2 μmol CH4/m2/hr and 2.6 to 9.5 μmol CH4/m2

The Salt-Gradient Solar Pond.

Science.gov (United States)

1983-02-01

X rGP)**2H1*(DEFH+X1 UP)(i... X CP( *(E-’PfH+XTGP]/lo) 10851) y 1000)i(IC tZE*X~GT*0.) 109001 11110 D( I )= (,,+* IELT *PtH1 ( 2) 2/ .o+4LX ) ( I.’(Q...2.*LLX**2)( I.-(0*DRbT)/(DELX 12100 _. D *42)) +PhI()+((* iELT )/(2.*(.ELA*42) ))PHI(T-1)+(EELT/2.. -1 2 3 0 9 ... . . .... ---(1 I

Migration of brine inclusions in salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pigford, T.H.

1982-01-01

Theories of the migration of brine inclusions in salt are interpreted as simple physical processes, and theories by Russian and U.S. workers are shown to yield the same results. The migration theory is used to predict threshold temperature gradients below which migration of brine inclusions should not occur. The predicted threshold gradients are compared with the temperature gradients expected at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. The theory of a threshold gradient helps explain the existence of brine inclusions in natural salt deposits

Molten salt power towers operating at 600–650 °C: Salt selection and cost benefits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turchi, Craig S. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Vidal, Judith [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Bauer, Matthew

2018-04-01

This analysis examines the potential benefit of adopting the supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO₂) Brayton cycle at 600-650 degrees C compared to the current state-of-the-art power tower operating a steam-Rankine cycle with solar salt at approximately 574 degrees C. The analysis compares a molten-salt power tower configuration using direct storage of solar salt (60:40 wt% sodium nitrate: potassium nitrate) or single-component nitrate salts at 600 degrees C or alternative carbonate- or chloride-based salts at 650 degrees C.

Origin of salt giants in abyssal serpentinite systems

Science.gov (United States)

Scribano, Vittorio; Carbone, Serafina; Manuella, Fabio C.; Hovland, Martin; Rueslåtten, Håkon; Johnsen, Hans-K.

2017-10-01

Worldwide marine salt deposits ranging over the entire geological record are generally considered climate-related evaporites, derived from the precipitation of salts (mainly chlorides and sulfates) from saturated solutions driven by solar evaporation of seawater. This explanation may be realistic for a salt thickness ≤100 m, being therefore inadequate for thicker (>1 km) deposits. Moreover, sub-seafloor salt deposits in deep marine basins are difficult to reconcile with a surface evaporation model. Marine geology reports on abyssal serpentinite systems provide an alternative explanation for some salt deposits. Seawater-driven serpentinization consumes water and increases the salinity of the associated aqueous brines. Brines can be trapped in fractures and cavities in serpentinites and the surrounding `country' rocks. Successive thermal dehydration of buried serpentinites can mobilize and accumulate the brines, forming highly saline hydrothermal solutions. These can migrate upwards and erupt onto the seafloor as saline geysers, which may form salt-saturated water pools, as are currently observed in numerous deeps in the Red Sea and elsewhere. The drainage of deep-seated saline brines to seafloor may be a long-lasting, effective process, mainly occurring in areas characterized by strong tectonic stresses and/or igneous intrusions. Alternatively, brines could be slowly expelled from fractured serpentinites by buoyancy gradients and, hence, separated salts/brines could intrude vertically into surrounding rocks, forming salt diapirs. Serpentinization is an ubiquitous, exothermic, long-lasting process which can modify large volumes of oceanic lithosphere over geological times. Therefore, buried salt deposits in many areas of the world can be reasonably related to serpentinites.

Community solar salt production in Goa, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Mani, Kabilan; Salgaonkar, Bhakti B; Das, Deepthi; Bragança, Judith M

2012-12-01

Traditional salt farming in Goa, India has been practised for the past 1,500 years by a few communities. Goa's riverine estuaries, easy access to sea water and favourable climatic conditions makes salt production attractive during summer. Salt produced through this natural evaporation process also played an important role in the economy of Goa even during the Portuguese rule as salt was the chief export commodity. In the past there were 36 villages involved in salt production, which is now reduced to 9. Low income, lack of skilled labour, competition from industrially produced salt, losses incurred on the yearly damage of embankments are the major reasons responsible for the reduction in the number of salt pans.Salt pans (Mithagar or Mithache agor) form a part of the reclaimed waterlogged khazan lands, which are also utilised for aquaculture, pisciculture and agriculture. Salt pans in Goa experience three phases namely, the ceased phase during monsoon period of June to October, preparatory phase from December to January, and salt harvesting phase, from February to June. After the monsoons, the salt pans are prepared manually for salt production. During high tide, an influx of sea water occurs, which enters the reservoir pans through sluice gates. The sea water after 1-2 days on attaining a salinity of approximately 5ºBé, is released into the evaporator pans and kept till it attains a salinity of 23 - 25ºBé. The brine is then released to crystallizer pans, where the salt crystallises out 25 - 27ºBé and is then harvested.Salt pans form a unique ecosystem where succession of different organisms with varying environmental conditions occurs. Organisms ranging from bacteria, archaea to fungi, algae, etc., are known to colonise salt pans and may influence the quality of salt produced.The aim of this review is to describe salt farming in Goa's history, importance of salt production as a community activity, traditional method of salt production and the biota

In Situ Production of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles in a Binary Molten Salt for Concentrated Solar Power Plant Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Lasfargues, Mathieu; Stead, Graham; Amjad, Muhammad; Ding, Yulong; Wen, Dongsheng

2017-05-19

Seeding nanoparticles in molten salts has been shown recently as a promising way to improve their thermo-physical properties. The prospect of such technology is of interest to both academic and industrial sectors in order to enhance the specific heat capacity of molten salt. The latter is used in concentrated solar power plants as both heat transfer fluid and sensible storage. This work explores the feasibility of producing and dispersing nanoparticles with a novel one pot synthesis method. Using such a method, CuO nanoparticles were produced in situ via the decomposition of copper sulphate pentahydrate in a KNO₃-NaNO₃ binary salt. Analyses of the results suggested preferential disposition of atoms around produced nanoparticles in the molten salt. Thermal characterization of the produced nano-salt suspension indicated the dependence of the specific heat enhancement on particle morphology and distribution within the salts.

Solar pond conception - experimental and theoretical studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurt, Huseyin [Zonguldak Karaelmas Univ., Technical Education Faculty, Karabuk (Turkey); Halici, Fethi [Sakarya Univ., Mechanical Engineering Dept., Adapazari (Turkey); Binark, A. Korhan [Marmara Univ., Technical Education Faculty, Istanbul (Turkey)

2000-07-01

A one dimensional transient mathematical model for predicting the thermal performance of the salt gradient solar pond is developed and presented. In this paper, the natural solar ponds and different artificial solar pond systems found in the literature are introduced. Necessary modifications are made on the experimental stand located in Istanbul Technical University, the experimental stand is introduced and natural phenomena produced in the pond by the different solar pond variations under natural conditions are observed. In the theoretical work based on a one dimensional unsteady state heat conduction model with internal heat generation, the energy and mass balance equations for the upper convective zone, the non-convective zone and the lower convective zone, all of which form the solar pond, are written in terms of differential equations. These equations are solved analytically and numerically. The results obtained from the analysis are compared with the experimental results. The temperature and the concentration profiles are separately presented in the figures. (Author)

Power generation enhancement in a salinity-gradient solar pond power plant using thermoelectric generator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ziapour, Behrooz M.; Saadat, Mohammad; Palideh, Vahid; Afzal, Sadegh

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Thermoelectric generator was used and simulated within a salinity-gradient solar pond power plant. • Results showed that the thermoelectric generator can be able to enhance the power plant efficiency. • Results showed that the presented models can be able to produce generation even in the cold months. • The optimum size of area of solar pond based on its effect on efficiency is 50,000 m 2 . - Abstract: Salinity-gradient solar pond (SGSP) has been a reliable supply of heat source for power generation when it has been integrated with low temperature thermodynamics cycles like organic Rankine cycle (ORC). Also, thermoelectric generator (TEG) plays a critical role in the production of electricity from renewable energy sources. This paper investigates the potential of thermoelectric generator as a power generation system using heat from SGSP. In this work, thermoelectric generator was used instead of condenser of ORC with the purpose of improving the performance of system. Two new models of SGSP have been presented as: (1) SGSP using TEG in condenser of ORC without heat exchanger and (2) SGSP using TEG in condenser of ORC with heat exchanger. These proposed systems was evaluated through computer simulations. The ambient conditions were collected from beach of Urmia lake in IRAN. Simulation results indicated that, for identical conditions, the model 1 has higher performance than other model 2. For models 1 and 2 in T LCZ = 90 °C, the overall thermal efficiency of the solar pond power plant, were obtained 0.21% and 0.2% more than ORC without TEG, respectively.

Renewable and high efficient syngas production from carbon dioxide and water through solar energy assisted electrolysis in eutectic molten salts

KAUST Repository

Wu, Hongjun; Liu, Yue; Ji, Deqiang; Li, Zhida; Yi, Guanlin; Yuan, Dandan; Wang, Baohui; Zhang, Zhonghai; Wang, Peng

2017-01-01

sustainable energy sources: concentrated solar light heats molten salt and solar cell supplies electricity for electrolysis. The eutectic Li0.85Na0.61K0.54CO3/nLiOH molten electrolyte is rationally designed with low melting point (<450 °C). The synthesized

Optimized molten salt receivers for ultimate trough solar fields

Science.gov (United States)

Riffelmann, Klaus-J.; Richert, Timo; Kuckelkorn, Thomas

2016-05-01

Today parabolic trough collectors are the most successful concentrating solar power (CSP) technology. For the next development step new systems with increased operation temperature and new heat transfer fluids (HTF) are currently developed. Although the first power tower projects have successfully been realized, up to now there is no evidence of an all-dominant economic or technical advantage of power tower or parabolic trough. The development of parabolic trough technology towards higher performance and significant cost reduction have led to significant improvements in competitiveness. The use of molten salt instead of synthetic oil as heat transfer fluid will bring down the levelized costs of electricity (LCOE) even further while providing dispatchable energy with high capacity factors. FLABEG has developed the Ultimate TroughTM (UT) collector, jointly with sbp Sonne GmbH and supported by public funds. Due to its validated high optical accuracy, the collector is very suitable to operate efficiently at elevated temperatures up to 550 °C. SCHOTT will drive the key-innovations by introducing the 4th generation solar receiver that addresses the most significant performance and cost improvement measures. The new receivers have been completely redesigned to provide a product platform that is ready for high temperature operation up to 550 °C. Moreover distinct product features have been introduced to reduce costs and risks in solar field assembly and installation. The increased material and design challenges incurred with the high temperature operation have been reflected in sophisticated qualification and validation procedures.

In Situ Production of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles in a Binary Molten Salt for Concentrated Solar Power Plant Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathieu Lasfargues

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Seeding nanoparticles in molten salts has been shown recently as a promising way to improve their thermo-physical properties. The prospect of such technology is of interest to both academic and industrial sectors in order to enhance the specific heat capacity of molten salt. The latter is used in concentrated solar power plants as both heat transfer fluid and sensible storage. This work explores the feasibility of producing and dispersing nanoparticles with a novel one pot synthesis method. Using such a method, CuO nanoparticles were produced in situ via the decomposition of copper sulphate pentahydrate in a KNO3-NaNO3 binary salt. Analyses of the results suggested preferential disposition of atoms around produced nanoparticles in the molten salt. Thermal characterization of the produced nano-salt suspension indicated the dependence of the specific heat enhancement on particle morphology and distribution within the salts.

Increment of specific heat capacity of solar salt with SiO2 nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Andreu-Cabedo, Patricia; Mondragon, Rosa; Hernandez, Leonor; Martinez-Cuenca, Raul; Cabedo, Luis; Julia, J Enrique

2014-01-01

Thermal energy storage (TES) is extremely important in concentrated solar power (CSP) plants since it represents the main difference and advantage of CSP plants with respect to other renewable energy sources such as wind, photovoltaic, etc. CSP represents a low-carbon emission renewable source of energy, and TES allows CSP plants to have energy availability and dispatchability using available industrial technologies. Molten salts are used in CSP plants as a TES material because of their high operational temperature and stability of up to 500°C. Their main drawbacks are their relative poor thermal properties and energy storage density. A simple cost-effective way to improve thermal properties of fluids is to dope them with nanoparticles, thus obtaining the so-called salt-based nanofluids. In this work, solar salt used in CSP plants (60% NaNO3 + 40% KNO3) was doped with silica nanoparticles at different solid mass concentrations (from 0.5% to 2%). Specific heat was measured by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). A maximum increase of 25.03% was found at an optimal concentration of 1 wt.% of nanoparticles. The size distribution of nanoparticle clusters present in the salt at each concentration was evaluated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and image processing, as well as by means of dynamic light scattering (DLS). The cluster size and the specific surface available depended on the solid content, and a relationship between the specific heat increment and the available particle surface area was obtained. It was proved that the mechanism involved in the specific heat increment is based on a surface phenomenon. Stability of samples was tested for several thermal cycles and thermogravimetric analysis at high temperature was carried out, the samples being stable. 65.: Thermal properties of condensed matter; 65.20.-w: Thermal properties of liquids; 65.20.Jk: Studies of thermodynamic properties of specific liquids.

Mineral resource of the month: salt

Science.gov (United States)

Kostick, Dennis S.

2010-01-01

The article presents information on various types of salt. Rock salt is either found from underground halite deposits or near the surface. Other types of salt include solar salt, salt brine, and vacuum pan salt. The different uses of salt are also given including its use as a flavor enhancer, as a road deicing agent, and to manufacture sodium hydroxide.

Accelerated gradient methods for the x-ray imaging of solar flares

Science.gov (United States)

Bonettini, S.; Prato, M.

2014-05-01

In this paper we present new optimization strategies for the reconstruction of x-ray images of solar flares by means of the data collected by the Reuven Ramaty high energy solar spectroscopic imager. The imaging concept of the satellite is based on rotating modulation collimator instruments, which allow the use of both Fourier imaging approaches and reconstruction techniques based on the straightforward inversion of the modulated count profiles. Although in the last decade, greater attention has been devoted to the former strategies due to their very limited computational cost, here we consider the latter model and investigate the effectiveness of different accelerated gradient methods for the solution of the corresponding constrained minimization problem. Moreover, regularization is introduced through either an early stopping of the iterative procedure, or a Tikhonov term added to the discrepancy function by means of a discrepancy principle accounting for the Poisson nature of the noise affecting the data.

Spartina alterniflora alters ecosystem DMS and CH4 emissions and their relationship along interacting tidal and vegetation gradients within a coastal salt marsh in Eastern China

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jinxin; Wang, Jinshu

2017-10-01

Invasive Spartina alterniflora accumulates organic carbon rapidly and can utilize a wide range of potential precursors for dimethyl sulfide (DMS) production, as well as a wide variety of methanogenic substrates. Therefore, we predicted that S. alterniflora invasion would alter the relationships between DMS and methane (CH4) fluxes along the interacting gradients of tidal influence and vegetation, as well as the ecosystem-atmosphere exchange of DMS and CH4. In this study, we used static flux chambers to measure DMS and CH4 fluxes in August (growing season) and December (non-growing season) of 2013, along creek and vegetation transects in an Eastern Chinese coastal salt marsh. S. alterniflora invasion dramatically increased DMS and CH4 emission rates by 3.8-513.0 and 2.0-127.1 times the emission rates within non-vegetated regions and regions populated with native species, respectively, and significantly altered the spatial distribution of DMS and CH4 emissions. We also observed a substantial amount of variation in the DMS and CH4 fluxes along the elevation gradient in the salt marsh studied. A significant relationship between DMS and CH4 fluxes was observed, with the CH4 flux passively related to the DMS flux. The correlation between CH4 and DMS emissions along the vegetation transects was more significant than along the tidal creek. In the S. alterniflora salt marsh, the relationship between DMS and CH4 fluxes was more significant than within any other salt marsh. Additionally, CH4 emissions within the S. alterniflora salt marsh were more sensitive to the variation in DMS emissions than within any other vegetation zone. The spatial variability in the relationship observed between DMS and CH4 fluxes appears to be at least partly due to the alteration of substrates involved in DMS and CH4 by S. alterniflora invasion. In the S. alterniflora salt marsh, methanogenesis was more likely to be derived from non-competitive substrates than competitive substrates, but within

Fabrication Processes to Generate Concentration Gradients in Polymer Solar Cell Active Layers

Science.gov (United States)

Inaba, Shusei; Vohra, Varun

2017-01-01

Polymer solar cells (PSCs) are considered as one of the most promising low-cost alternatives for renewable energy production with devices now reaching power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) above the milestone value of 10%. These enhanced performances were achieved by developing new electron-donor (ED) and electron-acceptor (EA) materials as well as finding the adequate morphologies in either bulk heterojunction or sequentially deposited active layers. In particular, producing adequate vertical concentration gradients with higher concentrations of ED and EA close to the anode and cathode, respectively, results in an improved charge collection and consequently higher photovoltaic parameters such as the fill factor. In this review, we relate processes to generate active layers with ED–EA vertical concentration gradients. After summarizing the formation of such concentration gradients in single layer active layers through processes such as annealing or additives, we will verify that sequential deposition of multilayered active layers can be an efficient approach to remarkably increase the fill factor and PCE of PSCs. In fact, applying this challenging approach to fabricate inverted architecture PSCs has the potential to generate low-cost, high efficiency and stable devices, which may revolutionize worldwide energy demand and/or help develop next generation devices such as semi-transparent photovoltaic windows. PMID:28772878

Pressure-driven brine migration in a salt repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Y.; Chambre, P.L.; Pigford, T.H.; Lee, W.W.L.

1989-01-01

The traditional view is that salt is the ideal rock for isolation of nuclear waste because it is ''dry'' and probably ''impermeable.'' The existence of salt through geologic time is prima facie evidence of such properties. Experiments and experience at potential salt sites for geologic repositories have indicated that while porosity and permeability of salt are low, the salt may be saturated with brine. If this hypothesis is correct, then it is possible to have brine flow due to pressure differences within the salt. If there is pressure-driven brine migration in salt repositories then it is paramount to know the magnitude of such flow because inward brine flow would affect the corrosion rate of nuclear waste containers and outward brine flow might affect radionuclide transport rates. Brine exists in natural salt as inclusions in salt crystals and in grain boundaries. Brine inclusions in crystals move to nearby grain boundaries when subjected to a temperature gradient, because of temperature-dependent solubility of salt. Brine in grain boundaries moves under the influence of a pressure gradient. When salt is mined to create a waste repository, brine from grain boundaries will migrate into the rooms, tunnels and boreholes because these cavities are at atmospheric pressure. After a heat-emitting waste package is emplaced and backfilled, the heat will impose a temperature gradient in the surrounding salt that will cause inclusions in the nearby salt to migrate to grain boundaries within a few years, adding to the brine that was already present in the grain boundaries. The formulation of brine movement with salt as a thermoelastic porous medium, in the context of the continuum theory of mixtures, has been described. In this report we show the mathematical details and discuss the results predicted by this analysis

Geothermal studies of seven interior salt domes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-06-01

This report defines and compares the geothermal environments of eight selected Gulf Coast salt domes. The thermal regimes in and around Gulf Coast salt domes are not well documented. The data base used for this study is an accumulation of bottom-hole temperature readings from oil and gas exploration wells and temperature logs run for the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) program. The bottom-hole tempreatures were corrected in order to estimate the actual geothermal environments. Prior thermal studies and models indicate temperatures in and around salt domes are elevated above the norm by 1 0 F to 25 0 F. Using existing geothermal data and accepted theory, geothermal gradients for the selected domes and surrounding sediments were estimated. This study concludes that salt domes within a given basin have similar geothermal gradients, but that the basins differ in average geothermal gradients. This relationship is probably controlled by deep basement structural trends. No evidence of residual heat of emplacement was found associated with any of the selected domes

Theoretical study on thermal stability of molten salt for solar thermal power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Xiaolan; Peng, Qiang; Ding, Jing; Yang, Xiaoxi; Yang, Jianping; Long, Bin

2013-01-01

Molten salt (HTS) composed of 53% KNO 3 , 40% NaNO 2 and 7 wt.% NaNO 3 has been used as heat transfer media and thermal storage fluid in the solar thermal power, but thermal decomposition will occur at higher temperature because of the oxidation of nitrite to nitrate in the air. In this paper, the reaction mechanism of NO 2 − oxidation is researched by quantum mechanical method. The results show that two components of the transition state (O 2 NO 2 − ) and intermediate ([NO 4 − ]) are found in the reaction. This reaction is an exothermic reaction and the activation barrier is 94.0 kJ mol −1 . The energy difference of this reaction is very large, so the reaction rate is very slow. -- Highlights: ► The mechanism of the oxidation of nitrite salt in HTS is explained. ► Two components of the transition state (O 2 NO 2 − ) and intermediate ([NO 4 − ]) are found. ► The activation barrier of the nitrite oxidation is determined

A solar-thermal energy harvesting scheme: enhanced heat capacity of molten HITEC salt mixed with Sn/SiO(x) core-shell nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Chih-Chung; Chang, Wen-Chih; Hu, Wen-Liang; Wang, Zhiming M; Lu, Ming-Chang; Chueh, Yu-Lun

2014-05-07

We demonstrated enhanced solar-thermal storage by releasing the latent heat of Sn/SiO(x) core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in a eutectic salt. The microstructures and chemical compositions of Sn/SiO(x) core-shell NPs were characterized. In situ heating XRD provides dynamic crystalline information about the Sn/SiO(x) core-shell NPs during cyclic heating processes. The latent heat of ∼29 J g(-1) for Sn/SiO(x) core-shell NPs was measured, and 30% enhanced heat capacity was achieved from 1.57 to 2.03 J g(-1) K(-1) for the HITEC solar salt without and with, respectively, a mixture of 5% Sn/SiO(x) core-shell NPs. In addition, an endurance cycle test was performed to prove a stable operation in practical applications. The approach provides a method to enhance energy storage in solar-thermal power plants.

Dietary flexibility in three representative waterbirds across salinity and depth gradients in salt ponds of San Francisco Bay

Science.gov (United States)

Takekawa, John Y.; Miles, A.K.; Tsao-Melcer, D. C.; Schoellhamer, D.H.; Fregien, S.; Athearn, N.D.

2009-01-01

Salt evaporation ponds have existed in San Francisco Bay, California, for more than a century. In the past decade, most of the salt ponds have been retired from production and purchased for resource conservation with a focus on tidal marsh restoration. However, large numbers of waterbirds are found in salt ponds, especially during migration and wintering periods. The value of these hypersaline wetlands for waterbirds is not well understood, including how different avian foraging guilds use invertebrate prey resources at different salinities and depths. The aim of this study was to investigate the dietary flexibility of waterbirds by examining the population number and diet of three feeding guilds across a salinity and depth gradient in former salt ponds of the Napa-Sonoma Marshes. Although total invertebrate biomass and species richness were greater in low than high salinity salt ponds, waterbirds fed in ponds that ranged from low (20 g l-1) to very high salinities (250 g l -1). American avocets (surface sweeper) foraged in shallow areas at pond edges and consumed a wide range of prey types (8) including seeds at low salinity, but preferred brine flies at mid salinity (40-80 g l-1). Western sandpipers (prober) focused on exposed edges and shoal habitats and consumed only a few prey types (2-4) at both low and mid salinities. Suitable depths for foraging were greatest for ruddy ducks (diving benthivore) that consumed a wide variety of invertebrate taxa (5) at low salinity, but focused on fewer prey (3) at mid salinity. We found few brine shrimp, common in higher salinity waters, in the digestive tracts of any of these species. Dietary flexibility allows different guilds to use ponds across a range of salinities, but their foraging extent is limited by available water depths. ?? 2009 USGS, US Government.

A THEORETICAL AND NUMERICAL STUDY OF THERMOSOLUTAL CONVECTION: STABILITY OF A SALINITY GRADIENT SOLAR POND

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Djamel Kalache

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A theoretical and numerical study of the effect of thermodiffusion on the stability of a gradient layer is presented. It intends to clarify the mechanisms of fluid dynamics and the processes which occur in a salinity gradient solar pond. A mathematical modelling is developed to describe the thermodiffusion contribution on the solar pond where thermal, radiative, and massive fluxes are coupled in the double diffusion. More realistic boundary conditions for temperature and concentration profiles are used. Our results are compared with those obtained experimentally by authors without extracting the heat flux from the storage zone. We have considered the stability analysis of the equilibrium solution. We assumed that the perturbation of quantities such as velocity, temperature, and concentration are infinitesimal. Linearized equations satisfying appropriate prescribed boundary conditions are then obtained and expanded into polynomials form. The Galerkin method along with a symbolic algebra code (Maple are used to solve these equations. The effect of the separation coefficient y is analyzed in the positive and negative case. We have also numerically compared the critical Rayleigh numbers for the onset of convection with those obtained by the linear stability analysis for Le = 100, µa = 0.8, and f = 0.5.

Gas Turbine/Solar Parabolic Trough Hybrid Design Using Molten Salt Heat Transfer Fluid: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turchi, C. S.; Ma, Z.

2011-08-01

Parabolic trough power plants can provide reliable power by incorporating either thermal energy storage (TES) or backup heat from fossil fuels. This paper describes a gas turbine / parabolic trough hybrid design that combines a solar contribution greater than 50% with gas heat rates that rival those of natural gas combined-cycle plants. Previous work illustrated benefits of integrating gas turbines with conventional oil heat-transfer-fluid (HTF) troughs running at 390?C. This work extends that analysis to examine the integration of gas turbines with salt-HTF troughs running at 450 degrees C and including TES. Using gas turbine waste heat to supplement the TES system provides greater operating flexibility while enhancing the efficiency of gas utilization. The analysis indicates that the hybrid plant design produces solar-derived electricity and gas-derived electricity at lower cost than either system operating alone.

Environmental change in a Mediterranean salt marsh wetland: ecological drivers of halophytes diversity along flooding frequency gradients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricia María Rodríguez-González

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Coastal wetlands are among most threatened ecosystems, owing to the intense human activity concentrated in shoreline areas together with the expected sea level rise resultant from climate change. Salt marshes are wetlands which are inundated twice daily by the sea, thus tightly dependent on frequency and duration of submergence. Identifying the factors that determine the diversity, distribution and abundance of halophyte species in salt marshes will help retaining their conservation status and adopt anticipate management measures, and this will ultimately contribute to preserve marshland biodiversity and ecological services. Reserva Natural de Castro Marim e Vila Real de Santo António (RNSCMVRSA is a natural reserve located in South Eastern Portugal, comprising the tidal area of Guadiana River mouth. In spite of their great ecological value, salt marsh ecosystems in this region have suffered intense anthropic disturbance, namely hydrologic alterations and vegetation removal to gain soils for agriculture and salt intensive production. The present study aimed at characterizing the halophyte diversity in the RNSCMVRSA salt marshes and determining their major ecological correlates. The end-point is to implement, afterward, a sustainable cultivation of autochthonous halophyte plants, with economic value, in the abandoned saltpans and degraded rangelands. This project will contribute to the conservation of halophyte diversity, promote environmental requalification, and provide an economic alternative for local populations, enabling the reduction of unregulated harvest of halophyte plant populations. Field sampling strategy included a preliminary survey of local vegetation diversity and floristic inventories of halophyte communities in plots established across the existing environmental heterogeneity in order to span the whole variation gradients of the species presence and abundance. The abiotic characterization of halophyte communities included a

Gradient elution behavior of proteins in hydrophobic interaction chromatography with U-shaped retention factor curves.

Science.gov (United States)

Creasy, Arch; Lomino, Joseph; Barker, Gregory; Khetan, Anurag; Carta, Giorgio

2018-04-27

Protein retention in hydrophobic interaction chromatography is described by the solvophobic theory as a function of the kosmostropic salt concentration. In general, an increase in salt concentration drives protein partitioning to the hydrophobic surface while a decrease reduces it. In some cases, however, protein retention also increases at low salt concentrations resulting in a U-shaped retention factor curve. During gradient elution the salt concentration is gradually decreased from a high value thereby reducing the retention factor and increasing the protein chromatographic velocity. For these conditions, a steep gradient can overtake the protein in the column, causing it to rebind. Two dynamic models, one based on the local equilibrium theory and the other based on the linear driving force approximation, are presented. We show that the normalized gradient slope determines whether the protein elutes in the gradient, partially elutes, or is trapped in the column. Experimental results are presented for two different monoclonal antibodies and for lysozyme on Capto Phenyl (High Sub) resin. One of the mAbs and lysozyme exhibit U-shaped retention factor curves and for each, we determine the critical gradient slope beyond which 100% recovery is no longer possible. Elution with a reverse gradient is also demonstrated at low salt concentrations for these proteins. Understanding this behavior has implications in the design of gradient elution since the gradient slope impacts protein recovery. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Competitive ability, stress tolerance and plant interactions along stress gradients.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Man; Sun, Tao; Xue, SuFeng; Yang, Wei; Shao, DongDong; Martínez-López, Javier

2018-04-01

Exceptions to the generality of the stress-gradient hypothesis (SGH) may be reconciled by considering species-specific traits and stress tolerance strategies. Studies have tested stress tolerance and competitive ability in mediating interaction outcomes, but few have incorporated this to predict how species interactions shift between competition and facilitation along stress gradients. We used field surveys, salt tolerance and competition experiments to develop a predictive model interspecific interaction shifts across salinity stress gradients. Field survey and greenhouse tolerance tests revealed tradeoffs between stress tolerance and competitive ability. Modeling showed that along salinity gradients, (1) plant interactions shifted from competition to facilitation at high salinities within the physiological limits of salt-intolerant plants, (2) facilitation collapsed when salinity stress exceeded the physiological tolerance of salt-intolerant plants, and (3) neighbor removal experiments overestimate interspecific facilitation by including intraspecific effects. A community-level field experiment, suggested that (1) species interactions are competitive in benign and, facilitative in harsh condition, but fuzzy under medium environmental stress due to niche differences of species and weak stress amelioration, and (2) the SGH works on strong but not weak stress gradients, so SGH confusion arises when it is applied across questionable stress gradients. Our study clarifies how species interactions vary along stress gradients. Moving forward, focusing on SGH applications rather than exceptions on weak or nonexistent gradients would be most productive. © 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.

Variance-based Salt Body Reconstruction

KAUST Repository

Ovcharenko, Oleg

2017-05-26

Seismic inversions of salt bodies are challenging when updating velocity models based on Born approximation- inspired gradient methods. We propose a variance-based method for velocity model reconstruction in regions complicated by massive salt bodies. The novel idea lies in retrieving useful information from simultaneous updates corresponding to different single frequencies. Instead of the commonly used averaging of single-iteration monofrequency gradients, our algorithm iteratively reconstructs salt bodies in an outer loop based on updates from a set of multiple frequencies after a few iterations of full-waveform inversion. The variance among these updates is used to identify areas where considerable cycle-skipping occurs. In such areas, we update velocities by interpolating maximum velocities within a certain region. The result of several recursive interpolations is later used as a new starting model to improve results of conventional full-waveform inversion. An application on part of the BP 2004 model highlights the evolution of the proposed approach and demonstrates its effectiveness.

Novel concepts in electrochemical solar cells. Second quarterly progress report, August 15, 1979-October 15, 1979. [Molten salt electrolytes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DuBow, J.; Job, R.; Krishnan, R.; Gale, B.

1979-01-01

It is considered that the short term stability of n-GaAs PEC's in a ferrocene-based, ambient temperature molten salt electrolyte is reasonably good. However, longer term evaluation is required to determine the extent and significance of corrosion, stability, etc. Extremely few fundamental studies have been made of the semiconductor/molten salt interphase and experiments in this area would be most useful. Indeed, even the design parameters for PECs of any kind have not been quantitatively delineated and present consideration will be given to models for PEC solar cells and limitations caused by ion transport in the electrolyte. The MoSe/sub 2/ and MoS/sub 2/ electrodes appear to have substrate reproducibility and transport limitations that make them unsuitable candidates for efficient PEC's at this time. Similarly, the lack of availability of high quality CuInSe/sub 2/ and CuInS/sub 2/ substrates limits the quantitative experimental evaluation of their utility for PEC applications. We are presently focusing attention on CdSe/CdTe mixtures and CdS as electrodes as well as Si and GaAs in molten salt and polyelectrolyte solutions. The system for solar cell evaluation and network analysis of substrates and cells was mode operational. Preliminary work on economic and theoretical modelling was begun. Progress is reported. (WHK)

Observations of the transmittance in two solar ponds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Almanza, R.; Bryant, M.C.

1983-11-01

A NaCl salt gradient solar pond has been in continuous operation at the University of New Mexico since the fall of 1975; a smaller pond, using KNO/sub 3/ to produce the salinity gradient, was commissioned in the fall of 1981. The distribution of absorbed radiation in the ponds is of key importance in the determination of their efficiencies for collecting and storing solar energy. The absorption coefficient of light in an aqueous solution is very dependent upon wavelength; the spectral distribution of sunlight shifts toward the blue and the amount of solar energy absorbed per unit length of path declines with depth of penetration. The presence of suspended solids and bioforms further complicate the transmittance of sun light through the pond, specially since this contamination tends to vary strongly with depth. Because of its importance to the phytoplankton population , considerable work has been done by oceanographers on the absorption and scattering of light for different wavelengths. However, in a solar pond the big question is the amount of energy reaching the lower convective layer (storage). Several attempts have been made to measure the transmittance in solar ponds, mainly NaCl but the problem is to find a temperature-insensitive submersible pyranometer. Convenient formulas have been offered for the attenuation of solar radiation in pond water by considering it to be divided into spectral bands, or by fitting simple analytical functions, or specifying the extintion coefficient. (For the first method, it is necessary to know the absorption and scattering of light for different lambda.) In this paper some measurements of transmittance in the UNM ponds, are presented thereby exhibiting a simple procedure which may be of interest to others in this field.

An Implementation of the Salt-Farm Monitoring System Using Wireless Sensor Network

Science.gov (United States)

Ju, Jonggil; Park, Ingon; Lee, Yongwoong; Cho, Jongsik; Cho, Hyunwook; Yoe, Hyun; Shin, Changsun

In producing solar salt, natural environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, solar radiation, wind direction, wind speed and rain are essential elements which influence on the productivity and quality of salt. If we can manage the above mentioned environmental elements efficiently, we could achieve improved results in production of salt with good quality. To monitor and manage the natural environments, this paper suggests the Salt-Farm Monitoring System (SFMS) which is operated with renewable energy power. The system collects environmental factors directly from the environmental measure sensors and the sensor nodes. To implement a stand-alone system, we applied solar cell and wind generator to operate this system. Finally, we showed that the SFMS could monitor the salt-farm environments by using wireless sensor nodes and operate correctly without external power supply.

thermic oil and molten salt

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Boukelia T.E, Mecibah M.S and Laouafi A

1 mai 2016 ... [27] Zavoico, AB. Solar Power Tower Design Basis Document. Tech. rep, Sandia National. Laboratories, SAND2001-2100, 2001. How to cite this article: Boukelia T.E, Mecibah M.S and Laouafi A. Performance simulation of parabolic trough solar collector using two fluids (thermic oil and molten salt).

Improvement of N-phthaloylchitosan based gel polymer electrolyte in dye-sensitized solar cells using a binary salt system.

Science.gov (United States)

Yusuf, S N F; Azzahari, A D; Selvanathan, V; Yahya, R; Careem, M A; Arof, A K

2017-02-10

A binary salt system utilizing lithium iodide (LiI) as the auxiliary component has been introduced to the N-phthaloylchitosan (PhCh) based gel polymer electrolyte consisting of ethylene carbonate (EC), dimethylformamide (DMF), tetrapropylammonium iodide (TPAI), and iodine (I 2 ) in order to improve the performance of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with efficiency of 6.36%, photocurrent density, J SC of 17.29mAcm -2 , open circuit voltage, V OC of 0.59V and fill factor, FF of 0.62. This efficiency value is an improvement from the 5.00% performance obtained by the DSSC consisting of only TPAI single salt system. The presence of the LiI in addition to the TPAI improves the charge injection rates and increases the iodide contribution to the total conductivity and both factors contribute to the increase in efficiency of the DSSC. The interaction behavior between polymer-plasticizer-salt was thoroughly investigated using EIS, FTIR spectroscopy and XRD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling and simulation of protein elution in linear pH and salt gradients on weak, strong and mixed cation exchange resins applying an extended Donnan ion exchange model.

Science.gov (United States)

Wittkopp, Felix; Peeck, Lars; Hafner, Mathias; Frech, Christian

2018-04-13

Process development and characterization based on mathematic modeling provides several advantages and has been applied more frequently over the last few years. In this work, a Donnan equilibrium ion exchange (DIX) model is applied for modelling and simulation of ion exchange chromatography of a monoclonal antibody in linear chromatography. Four different cation exchange resin prototypes consisting of weak, strong and mixed ligands are characterized using pH and salt gradient elution experiments applying the extended DIX model. The modelling results are compared with the results using a classic stoichiometric displacement model. The Donnan equilibrium model is able to describe all four prototype resins while the stoichiometric displacement model fails for the weak and mixed weak/strong ligands. Finally, in silico chromatogram simulations of pH and pH/salt dual gradients are performed to verify the results and to show the consistency of the developed model. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Robust outer-selective thin-film composite polyethersulfone hollow fiber membranes with low reverse salt flux for renewable salinity-gradient energy generation

KAUST Repository

Cheng, Zhen Lei; Li, Xue; Liu, Ying Da; Chung, Neal Tai-Shung

2016-01-01

This study reports outer-selective thin-film composite (TFC) hollow fiber membranes with extremely low reverse salt fluxes and robustness for harvesting salinity-gradient energy from pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) processes. Almost defect-free polyamide layers with impressive low salt permeabilities were synthesized on top of robust polyethersulfone porous supports. The newly developed TFC-II membrane shows a maximum power density of 7.81 W m−2 using 1 M NaCl and DI water as feeds at 20 bar. Reproducible data obtained in the 2nd and 3rd runs confirm its stability under high hydraulic pressure differences. Comparing to other PRO membranes reported in the literature, the newly developed membrane exhibits not only the smallest slope between water flux decline and ΔPΔP increase but also the lowest ratio of reverse salt flux to water flux. Thus, the effective osmotic driving force could be well maintained even under high pressure operations. For the first time, the effect of feed pressure buildup induced by feed flowrate was evaluated towards PRO performance. A slight increment in feed pressure buildup was found to be beneficial to water flux and power density up to 10.06 W m−2 without comprising the reverse salt flux. We believe this study may open up new perspectives on outer-selective PRO hollow fiber membranes and provide useful insights to understand and design next-generation outer-selective TFC hollow fiber membranes for osmotic power generation.

Robust outer-selective thin-film composite polyethersulfone hollow fiber membranes with low reverse salt flux for renewable salinity-gradient energy generation

KAUST Repository

Cheng, Zhen Lei

2016-01-08

This study reports outer-selective thin-film composite (TFC) hollow fiber membranes with extremely low reverse salt fluxes and robustness for harvesting salinity-gradient energy from pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) processes. Almost defect-free polyamide layers with impressive low salt permeabilities were synthesized on top of robust polyethersulfone porous supports. The newly developed TFC-II membrane shows a maximum power density of 7.81 W m−2 using 1 M NaCl and DI water as feeds at 20 bar. Reproducible data obtained in the 2nd and 3rd runs confirm its stability under high hydraulic pressure differences. Comparing to other PRO membranes reported in the literature, the newly developed membrane exhibits not only the smallest slope between water flux decline and ΔPΔP increase but also the lowest ratio of reverse salt flux to water flux. Thus, the effective osmotic driving force could be well maintained even under high pressure operations. For the first time, the effect of feed pressure buildup induced by feed flowrate was evaluated towards PRO performance. A slight increment in feed pressure buildup was found to be beneficial to water flux and power density up to 10.06 W m−2 without comprising the reverse salt flux. We believe this study may open up new perspectives on outer-selective PRO hollow fiber membranes and provide useful insights to understand and design next-generation outer-selective TFC hollow fiber membranes for osmotic power generation.

Heat Transfer and Latent Heat Storage in Inorganic Molten Salts for Concentrating Solar Power Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mathur, Anoop [Terrafore Inc.

2013-08-14

A key technological issue facing the success of future Concentrating Solar Thermal Power (CSP) plants is creating an economical Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system. Current TES systems use either sensible heat in fluids such as oil, or molten salts, or use thermal stratification in a dual-media consisting of a solid and a heat-transfer fluid. However, utilizing the heat of fusion in inorganic molten salt mixtures in addition to sensible heat , as in a Phase change material (PCM)-based TES, can significantly increase the energy density of storage requiring less salt and smaller containers. A major issue that is preventing the commercial use of PCM-based TES is that it is difficult to discharge the latent heat stored in the PCM melt. This is because when heat is extracted, the melt solidifies onto the heat exchanger surface decreasing the heat transfer. Even a few millimeters of thickness of solid material on heat transfer surface results in a large drop in heat transfer due to the low thermal conductivity of solid PCM. Thus, to maintain the desired heat rate, the heat exchange area must be large which increases cost. This project demonstrated that the heat transfer coefficient can be increase ten-fold by using forced convection by pumping a hyper-eutectic salt mixture over specially coated heat exchanger tubes. However,only 15% of the latent heat is used against a goal of 40% resulting in a projected cost savings of only 17% against a goal of 30%. Based on the failure mode effect analysis and experience with pumping salt at near freezing point significant care must be used during operation which can increase the operating costs. Therefore, we conclude the savings are marginal to justify using this concept for PCM-TES over a two-tank TES. The report documents the specialty coatings, the composition and morphology of hypereutectic salt mixtures and the results from the experiment conducted with the active heat exchanger along with the lessons learnt during

Optimization of elution salt concentration in stepwise elution of protein chromatography using linear gradient elution data. Reducing residual protein A by cation-exchange chromatography in monoclonal antibody purification.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishihara, Takashi; Kadoya, Toshihiko; Endo, Naomi; Yamamoto, Shuichi

2006-05-05

Our simple method for optimization of the elution salt concentration in stepwise elution was applied to the actual protein separation system, which involves several difficulties such as detection of the target. As a model separation system, reducing residual protein A by cation-exchange chromatography in human monoclonal antibody (hMab) purification was chosen. We carried out linear gradient elution experiments and obtained the data for the peak salt concentration of hMab and residual protein A, respectively. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was applied to the measurement of the residual protein A. From these data, we calculated the distribution coefficient of the hMab and the residual protein A as a function of salt concentration. The optimal salt concentration of stepwise elution to reduce the residual protein A from the hMab was determined based on the relationship between the distribution coefficient and the salt concentration. Using the optimized condition, we successfully performed the separation, resulting in high recovery of hMab and the elimination of residual protein A.

Finite elements-based 2D theoretical analysis of the effect of IEX membrane thickness and salt solution residence time on the ion transport within a salinity gradient power reverse electrodialysis half cell pair

OpenAIRE

Etienne, Brauns

2013-01-01

Reverse electrodialysis electrical power generation is based on the transport of salt ions through ion conductive membranes. The ion flux, equivalent to an electric current, results from a salinity gradient, induced by two salt solutions at significantly different concentrations. Such equivalent electric current in combination with the corresponding electrochemical potential difference across the membrane, equivalent to an electric potential, results in a battery equivalency. While having a c...

Spatial modeling of limnological parameters in a solar saltwork of northeastern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diógenes Félix da Silva Costa

2015-03-01

Full Text Available AimIn this research, we aimed to model limnological parameters in the Salina Unidos (Macau-Brazil using GIS technology. We hypothesized that in solar saltworks, the geochemical characteristics of the brines (i.e. the strong solution of salts vary considerably through the salt ponds circuit, in which drastic changes can damage the entire salt production.MethodsGeochemical parameters were monitored in seven sampling points distributed along the salt ponds circuit, during a complete cycle of salt production, i.e., from January to December 2007. The open source software Spring 5.1.6 was used to build, store, analyze and model the spatial distribution of the parameters.ResultsWe identified a spatial gradient of the salinity and temperature, with values increasing from evaporation ponds to concentration ponds, showing a relationship with the salt production. The parameters, depth, dissolved oxygen concentrations and total dissolved reactive phosphorus showed a decrease from the evaporation ponds towards the concentration ponds. Among the dissolved inorganic nitrogen forms analyzed (NH3-, NO2- and NO3-, nitrate was the predominant, namely in the concentration ponds, where it reached the highest concentrations. The concentration of chlorophyll awas higher in the initial and intermediate evaporation ponds, showing a distinct dynamics of in relation to other environmental variables.ConclusionsThe increased concentration of the analyzed limnological parameters, from the evaporation ponds towards the concentration ponds, evidenced a heterogeneous distribution varying significantly with season. The geochemical spatialization of brine, as illustrated by GIS approach, is very important for the conservation of these environments because this spatial heterogeneity can provide a high diversity of habitat types. This spatial analysis proved to be a practical tool for an adequate management of solar saltworks considering the environmental (ecosystem and the socio

The solar two power tower project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chavez, J.M.; Klimas, P.C.; Laquil, P. de III; Skowronski, M.

1993-01-01

A consortium of United States utility concerns led by Southern California Edison Company (SCE) has begun a cooperative project with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and industry to convert the 10-MWe Solar One Tower Pilot Plant to molten nitrate salt technology. Successful operation of the convert plant to be called Solar Two, will reduce the economic risks in building the initial commercial power tower projects and accelerate the commercial acceptance of this promising renewable energy technology. In a molten salt power tower plant, sunlight is concentrated by a field of sun-tracking mirrors, called heliostats, onto a centrally located receiver, atop a tower. Molten salt is heated in the receiver and stored until it is needed to generate steam to power a conventional turbine generator. Joining the SCE and DOE in sponsoring in sponsoring this project are the following organizations: Los Alamos department of Water Power, Idaho Power Company, PacifiCorp, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Arizona Public Service Company, Salt River Project, City of Pasadena, California Energy Commission, Electric Power Research Institute, South Coast Air Quality Commission, Electric Power research Institute, South Coast Air Quality Management District, and Bechtel Corporation. The Solar Two project will convert the Solar One heat transfer system from a water/steam type to molten nitrate salt by replacing the water/steam receiver and oil/rock thermal storage system with a nitrate salt receiver, salt thermal storage, and steam generator. The estimate cost of Solar Two, including 3-year test period, is 48.5 millions. The plant will be on line in early 1995. (authors)

Nekton use of intertidal creek edges in low salinity salt marshes of the Yangtze River estuary along a stream-order gradient

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Binsong; Qin, Haiming; Xu, Wang; Wu, Jihua; Zhong, Junsheng; Lei, Guangchun; Chen, Jiakuan; Fu, Cuizhang

2010-07-01

Non-vegetated creek edges were investigated to explore spatial nekton use patterns in a low salinity intertidal salt marsh creek network of the Yangtze River estuary along a stream-order gradient with four creek orders. Non-vegetated creek edges were arbitrarily defined as the approximately 3 m extending from the creek bank (the marsh-creek interface) into open water. Nekton was sampled using seine nets during daytime high slack water during spring tides for two or three days each in May through July 2008. Twenty-three nekton species (16 fishes and 7 crustaceans) were caught during the study. Fishes were dominated by gobies ( Mugilogobius abei, Periophthalmus magnuspinnatus, Periophthalmus modestus, Synechogobius ommaturus), mullets ( Chelon haematocheilus, Liza affinis) and Chinese sea bass ( Lateolabrax maculatus). Crustaceans were dominated by mud crab ( Helice tientsinensis) and white prawn ( Exopalaemon carinicauda). Rank abundance curves revealed higher evenness of nekton assemblages in lower-order creeks compared to higher-order creeks. Fish abundance tended to increase with increasing creek order. Crustacean abundance was higher in the first-third order creeks than in the fourth-order creek. Dominant nekton species displayed various trends in abundance and length-frequency distributions along the stream-order gradient. The spatial separation of nekton assemblages between the first-third order creeks and the fourth-order creek could be attributed to geomorphological factors (distance to mouth and cross-sectional area). These findings indicate that both lower- and higher-order creek edges play important yet different roles for nekton species and life history stages in salt marshes.

Experimental studies on natural circulation in molten salt loops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srivastava, A.K.; Borgohain, A.; Maheshwari, N.K.; Vijayan, P.K.

2015-01-01

Molten salts are increasingly getting attention as a coolant and storage medium in solar thermal power plants and as a liquid fuel, blanket and coolant in Molten Salt Reactors (MSR’s). Two different test facilities named Molten Salt Natural Circulation Loop (MSNCL) and Molten Active Fluoride salt Loop (MAFL) have been setup for thermal hydraulics, instrument development and material related studies relevant to MSR and solar power plants. The working medium for MSNCL is a molten nitrate salt which is a mixture of NaNO 3 and KNO 3 in 60:40 ratio and proposed as one of the coolant option for molten salt based reactor and coolant as well as storage medium for solar thermal power application. On the other hand, the working medium for MAFL is a eutectic mixture of LiF and ThF 4 and proposed as a blanket salt for Indian Molten Salt Breeder Reactor (MSBR). Steady state natural circulation experiments at different power level have been performed in the MSNCL. Transient studies for startup of natural circulation, loss of heat sink, heater trip and step change in heater power have also been carried out in the same. A 1D code LeBENC, developed in-house to simulate the natural circulation characteristics in closed loops, has been validated with the experimental data obtained from MSNCL. Further, LeBENC has been used for Pretest analysis of MAFL. This paper deals with the description of both the loops and experimental studies carried out in MSNCL. Validation of LeBENC along with the pretest analysis of MAFL using the same are also reported in this paper. (author)

Purple Salt and Tiny Drops of Water in Meteorites

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, G. J.

1999-12-01

Some meteorites, especially those called carbonaceous chondrites, have been greatly affected by reaction with water on the asteroids in which they formed. These reactions, which took place during the first 10 million years of the Solar System's history, formed assorted water-bearing minerals, but nobody has found any of the water that caused the alteration. Nobody, that is, until now. Michael Zolensky and team of scientists from the Johnson Space Center in Houston and Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, Virginia) discovered strikingly purple sodium chloride (table salt) crystals in two meteorites. The salt contains tiny droplets of salt water (with some other elements dissolved in it). The salt is as old as the Solar System, so the water trapped inside the salt is also ancient. It might give us clues to the nature of the water that so pervasively altered carbonaceous chondrites and formed oceans on Europa and perhaps other icy satellites. However, how the salt got into the two meteorites and how it trapped the water remains a mystery - at least for now.

Using solar oscillations to probe the effects of element diffusion in the solar interior

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guzik, J.A.; Cox, A.N.

1993-01-01

There is growing evidence from solar oscillation and evolution studies that the Sun's convection zone helium mass fraction has decreased by about 0.03 due to element diffusion. Evolution calculations show that diffusion also produces a steep Y and Z composition gradient below the convection zone. Comparisons between calculated and observed solar p-mode frequencies of angular degrees 5 thru 60 that are sensitive to solar structure near the convection zone bottom support this steep composition gradient, rather than one smoothed significantly by turbulent mixing. Turbulent mixing induced by convective overshoot or rotation has been the favored explanation for much of the solar surface lithium depletion by a factor of 200 from its presumed primordial value. These limits on the extent of turbulent mixing imply that either most of the solar lithium destruction occurred pre-main sequence, which is not supported by observation of young star, or that some other mechanism, for example a small amount of early main-sequence mass loss, is responsible for the low observed lithium abundance. Solar models including such mass loss as well as diffusion have a slightly steeper central density gradient. Comparisons between observed and calculated low-degree p-mode frequencies that are sensitive to the Sun's central structure can be used to probe this density gradient and constrain the possible amount of mass loss

Theory and applications of a novel ion exchange chromatographic technology using controlled pH gradients for separating proteins on anionic and cationic stationary phases.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsonev, Latchezar I; Hirsh, Allen G

2008-07-25

pISep is a major new advance in low ionic strength ion exchange chromatography. It enables the formation of externally controlled pH gradients over the very broad pH range from 2 to 12. The gradients can be generated on either cationic or anionic exchangers over arbitrary pH ranges wherein the stationary phases remain totally charged. Associated pISep software makes possible the calculation of either linear, nonlinear or combined, multi-step, multi-slope pH gradients. These highly reproducible pH gradients, while separating proteins and glycoproteins in the order of their electrophoretic pIs, provide superior chromatographic resolution compared to salt. This paper also presents a statistical mechanical model for protein binding to ion exchange stationary phases enhancing the electrostatic interaction theory for the general dependence of retention factor k, on both salt and pH simultaneously. It is shown that the retention factors computed from short time isocratic salt elution data of a model protein can be used to accurately predict its salt elution concentration in varying slope salt elution gradients formed at varying isocratic pH as well as the pH at which it will be eluted from an anionic exchange column by a pISep pH gradient in the absence of salt.

Formation and development of salt crusts on soil surfaces

KAUST Repository

Dai, Sheng; Shin, Hosung; Santamarina, Carlos

2015-01-01

The salt concentration gradually increases at the soil free surface when the evaporation rate exceeds the diffusive counter transport. Eventually, salt precipitates and crystals form a porous sodium chloride crust with a porosity of 0.43 ± 0.14. After detaching from soils, the salt crust still experiences water condensation and salt deliquescence at the bottom, brine transport across the crust driven by the humidity gradient, and continued air-side precipitation. This transport mechanism allows salt crust migration away from the soil surface at a rate of 5 μm/h forming salt domes above soil surfaces. The surface characteristics of mineral substrates and the evaporation rate affect the morphology and the crystal size of precipitated salt. In particular, substrate hydrophobicity and low evaporation rate suppress salt spreading.

Formation and development of salt crusts on soil surfaces

KAUST Repository

Dai, Sheng

2015-12-14

The salt concentration gradually increases at the soil free surface when the evaporation rate exceeds the diffusive counter transport. Eventually, salt precipitates and crystals form a porous sodium chloride crust with a porosity of 0.43 ± 0.14. After detaching from soils, the salt crust still experiences water condensation and salt deliquescence at the bottom, brine transport across the crust driven by the humidity gradient, and continued air-side precipitation. This transport mechanism allows salt crust migration away from the soil surface at a rate of 5 μm/h forming salt domes above soil surfaces. The surface characteristics of mineral substrates and the evaporation rate affect the morphology and the crystal size of precipitated salt. In particular, substrate hydrophobicity and low evaporation rate suppress salt spreading.

Preparation and thermal properties of Glauber’s salt-based phase-change materials for Qinghai-Tibet Plateau solar greenhouses

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Zipeng; Tie, Shengnian

2017-07-01

This paper reports the preparation and characterization of eutectic Glauber’s salt-based composite, phase-change materials (G-PCMs). PCMs were prepared using industrial-grade sodium sulfate decahydrate (Na2SO4 ṡ 10H2O) as the basic material. Other salts were added to obtain the eutectic Glauber’s salt-based PCMs with phase-change temperatures of 25∘C, 15∘C and 10∘C. The modification of the G-PCMs was designed using the same experimental method to select the efficient nucleating, thickening and thermal conductive agents. The results show that borax can be an effective nucleating agent, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose is an excellent thickener and carbon powder is a good thermal conductive agent. The phase-change temperature, latent heat and thermal conductivity of the three different PCMs are 23.9∘C, 15.4∘C and 9.5∘C; 179.6, 129 and 116.2 J/g; and 1.02, 1.10 and 1.23 W/(m K), respectively. These PCMs possess suitable phase-change temperature, high latent heat and good thermal conductivity, and can be used in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau agricultural solar greenhouses.

TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS IN THE SOLAR ATMOSPHERE AND THE ORIGIN OF CUTOFF FREQUENCY FOR TORSIONAL TUBE WAVES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Routh, S.; Musielak, Z. E.; Hammer, R.

2010-01-01

Fundamental modes supported by a thin magnetic flux tube embedded in the solar atmosphere are typically classified as longitudinal, transverse, and torsional waves. If the tube is isothermal, then the propagation of longitudinal and transverse tube waves is restricted to frequencies that are higher than the corresponding global cutoff frequency for each wave. However, no such global cutoff frequency exists for torsional tube waves, which means that a thin and isothermal flux tube supports torsional tube waves of any frequency. In this paper, we consider a thin and non-isothermal magnetic flux tube and demonstrate that temperature gradients inside this tube are responsible for the origin of a cutoff frequency for torsional tube waves. The cutoff frequency is used to determine conditions for the wave propagation in the solar atmosphere, and the obtained results are compared to the recent observational data that support the existence of torsional tube waves in the Sun.

Effect of Al_2O_3 nanoparticle dispersion on the specific heat capacity of a eutectic binary nitrate salt for solar power applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Yanwei; He, Yurong; Zhang, Zhenduo; Wen, Dongsheng

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Stable binary nitrate eutectic salt based Al_2O_3 nanofluids were prepared. • A maximum enhancement of 8.3% on c_p was obtained at 2.0 wt.% nanoparticles. • MD simulation results show good agreement with experimental data. • The change in Coulombic energy contributed to most of the large change in c_p. - Abstract: Molten salts can be used as heat transfer fluids or thermal storage materials in a concentrated solar power plant. Improving the thermal properties can influence the utilization efficiency of solar energy. In this study, the effect of doping eutectic binary salt solvent with Al_2O_3 nanoparticles on its specific heat capacity (c_p) was investigated. The effects of the mass fraction of nanoparticles on the c_p of the composite nanofluid were analyzed, using both differential scanning calorimetry measurements and molecular dynamics simulations. The specific heat capacity of the nanocomposites was enhanced by increasing the nanoparticle concentration. The maximum enhancement was found to be 8.3%, at a nanoparticle concentration of 2.0%. A scanning electron microscope was used to analyze the material morphology. It was observed that special nanostructures were formed and the specific heat capacity of the nanocomposites was enhanced by increasing the quantity of nanostructures. Simulation results of c_p agreed well with the experimental data, and the potential energy and interaction energy in the system were analyzed. The change in Coulombic energy contributed to most of the large change in c_p, which explains the discrepancy in values between conventional nanofluids and molten salt-based nanofluids.

Effect of iron salt counter ion in dose-response curves for inactivation of Fusarium solani in water through solar driven Fenton-like processes

Science.gov (United States)

Aurioles-López, Verónica; Polo-López, M. Inmaculada; Fernández-Ibáñez, Pilar; López-Malo, Aurelio; Bandala, Erick R.

2016-02-01

The inactivation of Fusarium solani in water was assessed by solar driven Fenton-like processes using three different iron salts: ferric acetylacetonate (Fe(acac)3), ferric chloride (FeCl3) and ferrous sulfate (FeSO4). The experimental conditions tested were [Fe] ≈ 5 mg L-1, [H2O2] ≈ 10 mg L-1 and [Fe] ≈ 10 mg L-1; [H2O2] ≈ 20 mg L-1 mild and high, respectively, and pH 3.0 and 5.0, under solar radiation. The highest inactivation rates were observed at high reaction conditions for the three iron salts tested at pH 5.0 with less than 3.0 kJ L-1 of accumulate energy (QUV) to achieve over 99.9% of F. solani inactivation. Fe(acac)3 was the best iron salt to accomplishing F. solani inactivation. The modified Fermi equation was used to fix the experimental inactivation, data showed it was helpful for modeling the process, adequately describing dose-response curves. Inactivation process using FeSO4 at pH 3.0 was modeled fairly with r2 = 0.98 and 0.99 (mild and high concentration, respectively). Fe(acac)3, FeCl3 and FeSO4 at high concentration (i.e. [Fe] ≈ 10 mg L-1; [H2O2] ≈ 20 mg L-1) and pH 5.0 showed the highest fitting values (r2 = 0.99). Iron salt type showed a remarkable influence on the Fenton-like inactivation process.

Estimation of the depth to the fresh-water/salt-water interface from vertical head gradients in wells in coastal and island aquifers

Science.gov (United States)

Izuka, Scot K.; Gingerich, Stephen B.

An accurate estimate of the depth to the theoretical interface between fresh, water and salt water is critical to estimates of well yields in coastal and island aquifers. The Ghyben-Herzberg relation, which is commonly used to estimate interface depth, can greatly underestimate or overestimate the fresh-water thickness, because it assumes no vertical head gradients and no vertical flow. Estimation of the interface depth needs to consider the vertical head gradients and aquifer anisotropy that may be present. This paper presents a method to calculate vertical head gradients using water-level measurements made during drilling of a partially penetrating well; the gradient is then used to estimate interface depth. Application of the method to a numerically simulated fresh-water/salt-water system shows that the method is most accurate when the gradient is measured in a deeply penetrating well. Even using a shallow well, the method more accurately estimates the interface position than does the Ghyben-Herzberg relation where substantial vertical head gradients exist. Application of the method to field data shows that drilling, collection methods of water-level data, and aquifer inhomogeneities can cause difficulties, but the effects of these difficulties can be minimized. Résumé Une estimation précise de la profondeur de l'interface théorique entre l'eau douce et l'eau salée est un élément critique dans les estimations de rendement des puits dans les aquifères insulaires et littoraux. La relation de Ghyben-Herzberg, qui est habituellement utilisée pour estimer la profondeur de cette interface, peut fortement sous-estimer ou surestimer l'épaisseur de l'eau douce, parce qu'elle suppose l'absence de gradient vertical de charge et d'écoulement vertical. L'estimation de la profondeur de l'interface requiert de prendre en considération les gradients verticaux de charge et l'éventuelle anisotropie de l'aquifère. Cet article propose une méthode de calcul des

Steam gasification of plant biomass using molten carbonate salts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hathaway, Brandon J.; Honda, Masanori; Kittelson, David B.; Davidson, Jane H.

2013-01-01

This paper explores the use of molten alkali-carbonate salts as a reaction and heat transfer medium for steam gasification of plant biomass with the objectives of enhanced heat transfer, faster kinetics, and increased thermal capacitance compared to gasification in an inert gas. The intended application is a solar process in which concentrated solar radiation is the sole source of heat to drive the endothermic production of synthesis gas. The benefits of gasification in a molten ternary blend of lithium, potassium, and sodium carbonate salts is demonstrated for cellulose, switchgrass, a blend of perennial plants, and corn stover through measurements of reaction rate and product composition in an electrically heated reactor. The feedstocks are gasified with steam at 1200 K in argon and in the molten salt. The use of molten salt increases the total useful syngas production by up to 25%, and increases the reactivity index by as much as 490%. Secondary products, in the form of condensable tar, are reduced by 77%. -- Highlights: ► The presence of molten salt increases the rate of gasification by up to 600%. ► Reaction rates across various feedstocks are more uniform with salt present. ► Useful syngas yield is increased by up to 30% when salt is present. ► Secondary production of liquid tars are reduced by 77% when salt is present.

Investigation and Taguchi Optimization of Microbial Fuel Cell Salt Bridge Dimensional Parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Sarma, Dhrupad; Barua, Parimal Bakul; Dey, Nabendu; Nath, Sumitro; Thakuria, Mrinmay; Mallick, Synthia

2018-01-01

One major problem of two chamber salt bridge microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is the high resistance offered by the salt bridge to anion flow. Many researchers who have studied and optimized various parameters related to salt bridge MFC, have not shed much light on the effect of salt bridge dimensional parameters on the MFC performance. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to investigate the effect of length and cross sectional area of salt bridge and the effect of solar radiation and atmospheric temperature on MFC current output. An experiment has been designed using Taguchi L9 orthogonal array, taking length and cross sectional area of salt bridge as factors having three levels. Nine MFCs were fabricated as per the nine trial conditions. Trials were conducted for 3 days and output current of each of the MFCs along with solar insolation and atmospheric temperature were recorded. Analysis of variance shows that salt bridge length has significant effect both on mean (with 53.90% contribution at 95% CL) and variance (with 56.46% contribution at 87% CL), whereas the effect of cross sectional area of the salt bridge and the interaction of these two factors is significant on mean only (with 95% CL). Optimum combination was found at 260 mm salt bridge length and 506.7 mm2 cross sectional area with 4.75 mA of mean output current. The temperature and solar insolation data when correlated with each of the MFCs average output current, revealed that both external factors have significant impact on MFC current output but the correlation coefficient varies from MFC to MFC depending on salt bridge dimensional parameters.

Radioactive waste isolation in salt: geochemistry of brine in rock salt in temperature gradients and gamma-radiation fields - a selective annotated bibliography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hull, A.B.; Williams, L.B.

1985-07-01

Evaluation of the extensive research concerning brine geochemistry and transport is critically important to successful exploitation of a salt formation for isolating high-level radioactive waste. This annotated bibliography has been compiled from documents considered to provide classic background material on the interactions between brine and rock salt, as well as the most important results from more recent research. Each summary elucidates the information or data most pertinent to situations encountered in siting, constructing, and operating a mined repository in salt for high-level radioactive waste. The research topics covered include the basic geology, depositional environment, mineralogy, and structure of evaporite and domal salts, as well as fluid inclusions, brine chemistry, thermal and gamma-radiation effects, radionuclide migration, and thermodynamic properties of salts and brines. 4 figs., 6 tabs

Radioactive waste isolation in salt: geochemistry of brine in rock salt in temperature gradients and gamma-radiation fields - a selective annotated bibliography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hull, A.B.; Williams, L.B.

1985-07-01

Evaluation of the extensive research concerning brine geochemistry and transport is critically important to successful exploitation of a salt formation for isolating high-level radioactive waste. This annotated bibliography has been compiled from documents considered to provide classic background material on the interactions between brine and rock salt, as well as the most important results from more recent research. Each summary elucidates the information or data most pertinent to situations encountered in siting, constructing, and operating a mined repository in salt for high-level radioactive waste. The research topics covered include the basic geology, depositional environment, mineralogy, and structure of evaporite and domal salts, as well as fluid inclusions, brine chemistry, thermal and gamma-radiation effects, radionuclide migration, and thermodynamic properties of salts and brines. 4 figs., 6 tabs.

Experimental and theoretical studies in Molten Salt Natural Circulation Loop (MSNCL)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srivastava, A.K.; Borgohain, A.; Jana, S.S.; Bagul, R.K.; Singh, R.R.; Maheshwari, N.K.; Belokar, D.G.; Vijayan, P.K.

2014-12-01

High Temperature Reactors (HTR) and solar thermal power plants use molten salt as a coolant, as it has low melting point and high boiling point, enabling us to operate the system at low pressure. Molten fluoride salt and molten nitrate salt are proposed as a candidate coolant for High Temperature Reactors (HTR) and solar power plant respectively. BARC is developing a 600 MWth pebble bed high temperature reactor, cooled by natural circulation of fluoride salt and capable of supplying process heat at 1000°C to facilitate hydrogen production by splitting water. Beside this, BARC is also developing a 2MWe solar power tower system using molten nitrate salt. With these requirements, a Molten Salt Natural Circulation Loop (MSNCL) has been designed, fabricated, installed and commissioned in Hall-7, BARC for thermal hydraulic, instrumentation development and material compatibility related studies. Steady state natural circulation experiments with molten nitrate salt (mixture of NaNO 3 and KNO 3 in 60:40 ratio) have been carried out in the loop at different power level. Various transients viz. startup of natural circulation, step power change, loss of heat sink and heater trip has also been studied in the loop. A well known steady state correlation given by Vijayan et. al. has been compared with experimental data. In-house developed code LeBENC has also been validated against all steady state and transient experimental results. The detailed description of MSNCL, steady state and transient experimental results and validation of in-house developed code LeBENC have been described in this report. (author)

Rheological stratification of the Hormuz Salt Formation in Iran - microstructural study of the dirty and pure rock salts from the Kuh-e-Namak (Dashti) salt diapir

Science.gov (United States)

Závada, Prokop; Desbois, Guillaume; Urai, Janos; Schulmann, Karel; Rahmati, Mahmoud; Lexa, Ondrej; Wollenberg, Uwe

2014-05-01

Significant viscosity contrasts displayed in flow structures of a mountain namakier (Kuh-e-Namak - Dashti), between 'weak' terrestrial debris bearing rock salt types and 'strong' pure rock salt types are questioned for deformation mechanisms using detailed quantitative microstructural study including crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) mapping of halite grains. While the solid impurity rich ("dirty") rock salts contain disaggregated siltstone and dolomite interlayers, "clean" salts (debris free) reveal microscopic hematite and remnants of abundant fluid inclusions in non-recrystallized cores of porphyroclasts. Although flow in both, the recrystallized dirty and clean salt types is accommodated by combined mechanisms of pressure-solution creep (PS), grain boundary sliding (GBS) and dislocation creep accommodated grain boundary migration (GBM), their viscosity contrasts are explained by significantly slower rates of intergranular diffusion and piling up of dislocations at hematite inclusions in clean salt types. Porphyroclasts of clean salts deform by semi-brittle and plastic mechanisms with intra-crystalline damage being induced also by fluid inclusions that explode in the crystals at high fluid pressures. Boudins of clean salt types with coarse grained and original sedimentary microstructure suggest that clean rock salts are associated with dislocation creep dominated power law flow in the source layer and the diapiric stem. Rheological contrasts between both rock salt classes apply in general for the variegated and terrestrial debris rich ("dirty") Lower Hormuz and the "clean" rock salt forming the Upper Hormuz, respectively, and suggest that large strain rate gradients likely exist along horizons of mobilized salt types of different composition and microstructure.

76 FR 78021 - Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Rice Solar Energy, LLC, Rice Solar...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-15

... LVRWB10B3780] Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Rice Solar Energy, LLC, Rice Solar... Solar Energy, LLC, a subsidiary of SolarReserve, LLC plans to construct a 150 megawatt (MW) solar... allows solar energy to be captured throughout the day and retained in a molten salt heat transfer fluid...

Heat transfer investigation of molten salts under laminar and turbulent flow regimes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srivastava, A.K.; Vaidya, A.M.; Maheshwari, N.K.; Vijayan, P.K.

2014-01-01

High temperature reactor and solar thermal power plants use Molten Salt as a coolant, as it has low melting point and high boiling point, enabling us to operate the system at low pressure. Molten fluoride salt (eutectic mixture of LiF-NaF-KF) and molten nitrate salt (mixture of NaNO 3 and KNO 3 in 60:40 ratios by weight) are proposed as a candidate coolant for High Temperature Reactors (HTR) and solar power plant respectively. BARC is developing a 600 MWth pebble bed high temperature reactor, cooled by natural circulation of fluoride salt and capable of supplying process heat at 1000℃ to facilitate hydrogen production by splitting water. Beside this, BARC is also developing a 2MWe solar power tower system using molten nitrate salt as a primary coolant and storage medium. In order to design this, it is necessary to study the heat transfer characteristics of various molten salts. Most of the previous studies related to molten salts are based on the experimental works. These experiments essentially measured the physical properties of molten salts and their heat transfer characteristics. Ferri et al. introduced the property definitions for molten salts in the RELAP5 code to perform transient simulations at the ProvaCollettoriSolari (PCS) test facility. In this paper, a CFD analysis has been performed to study the heat transfer characteristics of molten fluoride salt and molten nitrate salt flowing in a circular pipe for various regimes of flow. Simulation is performed with the help of in-house developed CFD code, NAFA, acronym for Numerical Analysis of Flows in Axi-symmetric geometries. Uniform velocity and temperature distribution are set as the inlet boundary condition and pressure is employed at the outlet boundary condition. The inlet temperature for all simulation is set as 300℃ for nitrate salt and 500℃ for fluoride salt and the operating pressure is 1 atm in both the cases

Metallic materials corrosion problems in molten salt reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chauvin, G.; Dixmier, J.; Jarny, P.

1977-01-01

The USA forecastings concerning the molten salt reactors are reviewed (mixtures of fluorides containing the fuel, operating between 560 and 700 0 C). Corrosion problems are important in these reactors. The effects of certain characteristic factors on corrosion are analyzed: humidity and metallic impurities in the salts, temperature gradients, speed of circulation of salts, tellurium from fission products, coupling. In the molten fluorides and experimental conditions, the materials with high Ni content are particularly corrosion resistant alloys (hastelloy N). The corrosion of this material is about 2.6 mg.cm -2 at 700 0 C [fr

Electrokinetic salt removal from porous building materials using ion exchange membranes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kamran, K.; Van Soestbergen, M.; Pel, L.

The removal of salt from porous building materials under the influence of an applied voltage gradient normally results in high pH gradients due to the formation of protons and hydroxyl ions at the electrodes. The formed acidic and alkaline regions not only lead to disintegration of the porous

Electrokinetic salt removal from porous building materials using ion exchange membranes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kamran, K.; Soestbergen, van M.; Pel, L.

2012-01-01

The removal of salt from porous building materials under the influence of an applied voltage gradient normally results in high pH gradients due to the formation of protons and hydroxyl ions at the electrodes. The formed acidic and alkaline regions not only lead to disintegration of the porous

Artificial coastal lagoons at solar salt-working sites: A network of habitats for specialised, protected and alien biodiversity

Science.gov (United States)

Herbert, Roger J. H.; Broderick, Lee G.; Ross, Kathryn; Moody, Chris; Cruz, Tamira; Clarke, Leo; Stillman, Richard A.

2018-04-01

There are concerns that novel structures might displace protected species, facilitate the spread of non-indigenous species, or modify native habitats. It is also predicted that ocean warming and the associated effects of climate change will significantly increase biodiversity loss within coastal regions. Resilience is to a large extent influenced by the magnitude of dispersal and level of connectivity within and between populations. Therefore it is important to investigate the distribution and ecological significance of novel and artificial habitats, the presence of protected and alien species and potential vectors of propagule dispersal. The legacy of solar salt-making in tropical and warm temperate regions is regionally extensive areas of artificial hypersaline ponds, canals and ditches. Yet the broad-scale contribution of salt-working to a network of benthic biodiversity has not been fully established. Artisanal, abandoned and historic salt-working sites were investigated along the Atlantic coast of Europe between southern England (50°N) and Andalucía, Spain (36°N). Natural lagoons are scarce along this macrotidal coast and are vulnerable to environmental change; however it is suspected that avian propagule dispersal is important in maintaining population connectivity. During bird migration periods, benthic cores were collected for infauna from 70 waterbodies across 21 salt-working sites in 5 coastal regions. Bird ringing data were used to investigate potential avian connectivity between locations. Lagoonal specialist species, some of international conservation importance, were recorded across all regions in the storage reservoirs and evaporation ponds of continental salinas, yet few non-indigenous species were observed. Potential avian propagule transport and connectivity within and between extant salt-working sites is high and these artificial habitats are likely to contribute significantly to a network of coastal lagoon biodiversity in Europe.

Molten Salt Test Loop (MSTL) system customer interface document.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gill, David Dennis; Kolb, William J.; Briggs, Ronald D.

2013-09-01

The National Solar Thermal Test Facility at Sandia National Laboratories has a unique test capability called the Molten Salt Test Loop (MSTL) system. MSTL is a test capability that allows customers and researchers to test components in flowing, molten nitrate salt. The components tested can range from materials samples, to individual components such as flex hoses, ball joints, and valves, up to full solar collecting systems such as central receiver panels, parabolic troughs, or linear Fresnel systems. MSTL provides realistic conditions similar to a portion of a concentrating solar power facility. The facility currently uses 60/40 nitrate %E2%80%9Csolar salt%E2%80%9D and can circulate the salt at pressure up to 40 bar (600psi), temperature to 585%C2%B0C, and flow rate of 44-50kg/s(400-600GPM) depending on temperature. The purpose of this document is to provide a basis for customers to evaluate the applicability to their testing needs, and to provide an outline of expectations for conducting testing on MSTL. The document can serve as the basis for testing agreements including Work for Others (WFO) and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA). While this document provides the basis for these agreements and describes some of the requirements for testing using MSTL and on the site at Sandia, the document is not sufficient by itself as a test agreement. The document, however, does provide customers with a uniform set of information to begin the test planning process.

Renewable and high efficient syngas production from carbon dioxide and water through solar energy assisted electrolysis in eutectic molten salts

KAUST Repository

Wu, Hongjun

2017-07-13

Over-reliance on non-renewable fossil fuel leads to steadily increasing concentration of atmospheric CO2, which has been implicated as a critical factor contributing to global warming. The efficient conversion of CO2 into useful product is highly sought after both in academic and industry. Herein, a novel conversion strategy is proposed to one-step transform CO2/H2O into syngas (CO/H2) in molten salt with electrolysis method. All the energy consumption in this system are contributed from sustainable energy sources: concentrated solar light heats molten salt and solar cell supplies electricity for electrolysis. The eutectic Li0.85Na0.61K0.54CO3/nLiOH molten electrolyte is rationally designed with low melting point (<450 °C). The synthesized syngas contains very desirable content of H2 and CO, with tuneable molar ratios (H2/CO) from 0.6 to 7.8, and with an efficient faradaic efficiency of ∼94.5%. The synthesis of syngas from CO2 with renewable energy at a such low electrolytic temperature not only alleviates heat loss, mitigates system corrosion, and heightens operational safety, but also decreases the generation of methane, thus increases the yield of syngas, which is a remarkable technological breakthrough and this work thus represents a stride in sustainable conversion of CO2 to value-added product.

Renewable and high efficient syngas production from carbon dioxide and water through solar energy assisted electrolysis in eutectic molten salts

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Hongjun; Liu, Yue; Ji, Deqiang; Li, Zhida; Yi, Guanlin; Yuan, Dandan; Wang, Baohui; Zhang, Zhonghai; Wang, Peng

2017-09-01

Over-reliance on non-renewable fossil fuel leads to steadily increasing concentration of atmospheric CO2, which has been implicated as a critical factor contributing to global warming. The efficient conversion of CO2 into useful product is highly sought after both in academic and industry. Herein, a novel conversion strategy is proposed to one-step transform CO2/H2O into syngas (CO/H2) in molten salt with electrolysis method. All the energy consumption in this system are contributed from sustainable energy sources: concentrated solar light heats molten salt and solar cell supplies electricity for electrolysis. The eutectic Li0.85Na0.61K0.54CO3/nLiOH molten electrolyte is rationally designed with low melting point (<450 °C). The synthesized syngas contains very desirable content of H2 and CO, with tuneable molar ratios (H2/CO) from 0.6 to 7.8, and with an efficient faradaic efficiency of ∼94.5%. The synthesis of syngas from CO2 with renewable energy at a such low electrolytic temperature not only alleviates heat loss, mitigates system corrosion, and heightens operational safety, but also decreases the generation of methane, thus increases the yield of syngas, which is a remarkable technological breakthrough and this work thus represents a stride in sustainable conversion of CO2 to value-added product.

Study on corrosion of metal materials in nitrate molten salts

Science.gov (United States)

Zhai, Wei; Yang, Bo; Li, Maodong; Li, Shiping; Xin, Mingliang; Zhang, Shuanghong; Huang, Guojia

2017-01-01

High temperature molten salts as a heat transfer heat storage medium has been more widely used in the field of concentrated solar thermal power generation. In the thermal heat storage system, metal material stability and performance at high temperatures are of one major limitation in increasing this operating temperature. In this paper, study on corrosion of 321H, 304, 316L, P91 metal materials in modified solar two molten salts. The corrosion kinetics of 304, 316L, 321H, P91 metal material in the modified solar two molten salts at 450°C, 500°C is also investigated. Under the same condition it was found that 304, 321H corroded at a rate of 40% less than P91. Spallation of corrosion products was observed on P91 steel, while no obvious observed on other kinds of stainless steel. Corrosion rates of 304, 321H, and 316L slowly increased with temperature. Oxidation mechanisms little varied with temperature. Corrosion products of metal materials observed at 450°C, 500°C were primarily Fe oxide and Fe, Cr oxide.

The influence of mixing water on the thermophysical properties of nanofluids based on solar salt and silica nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Muñoz-Sánchez, B.; Nieto-Maestre, J.; Iparraguirre-Torres, I.; Sánchez-García, J. A.; Julia, J. E.; García-Romero, A.

2016-05-01

The use of nanofluids (NFs) based on Solar Salt (SS) and nanoparticles (NPs), either as Thermal Energy Storage (TES) material or as Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF), is attracting great interest in recent years. Many authors [1,3] have reported important improvements on the thermophysical properties (specific heat capacity cp,thermal conductivity k) of NFs based on SS and ceramic NPs. These improvements would lead to important savings and better performance of TES facilities on new Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants due to lower quantities of material required and smaller storage tanks. To achieve these advantageous features in the final NFs, it is essential to avoid NP agglomeration during their preparation. Different synthesis procedures have been reported: mixing of solid NPs within a SS solution by means of ultrasounds [1-3], direct mixing of solid NPs and molten salt [4]. In this work, NFs based on SS and 1% by wt. of silica NPs were synthetized from a SS-water solution and a commercial water-silica NF called Ludox HS 30% (Sigma-Aldrich). The influence of the mixing water volume (MW) on the cp of NFs was evaluated. With this aim, the cp of these samples was measured by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) both in the solid and the liquid state. In addition, the distribution of sizes was measured during the whole preparation process by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). Further information about sizes and uniformity of the final NFs was obtained from Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns of the SS and final NF were performed.

Mass transfer and transport in salt repositories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pigford, T.H.; Chambre, P.L.; Lee, W.W.L.

1989-02-01

Salt is a unique rock isolation of nuclear waste because it is ''dry'' and nearly impermeable. In this paper we summarize some mass-transfer and transport analyses of salt repositories. First we analyses brine migration. Heating by high-level waste can cause brine in grain boundaries to move due to pressure-gradients. We analyze brine migration treating salt as a thermoelastic solid and found that brine migration is transient and localized. We use previously developed techniques to estimate release rates from waste packages by diffusion. Interbeds exist in salt and may be conduits for radionuclide migration. We analyze steady-state migration due to brine flow in the interbed, as a function of the Peclet number. Then we analyze transient mass transfer, both into the interbed and directly to salt, due only to diffusion. Finally we compare mass transfer rates of a waste cylinder in granite facing a fracture and in salt facing an interbed. In all cases, numerical illustrations of the analytic solution are given. 10 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs

Halomonas sp. BS4, A biosurfactant producing halophilic bacterium isolated from solar salt works in India and their biomedical importance

OpenAIRE

Donio, Mariathason Birdilla Selva; Ronica, Fernando Arul; Viji, Vijayaragavan Thanga; Velmurugan, Subramanian; Jenifer, John Selesteen Charles Adlin; Michaelbabu, Mariavincent; Dhar, Prasenjit; Citarasu, Thavasimuthu

2013-01-01

Halophilic bacteria were isolated from Thamaraikulam solar salt works in India. After routine biosurfactant screening by various methods, the biosurfactant producing bacteria, Halomonas sp BS4 was confirmed by 16?S rRNA sequencing. The growth optimization of Halomonas sp BS4 revealed their optimum growth at 8% NaCl and 6-8?pH in the growth medium. Further the partially purified biosurfactants were characterized by TLC, FTIR and GC-MS analysis. GC-MS results revealed that, the partial purified...

Total variation regularization for seismic waveform inversion using an adaptive primal dual hybrid gradient method

Science.gov (United States)

Yong, Peng; Liao, Wenyuan; Huang, Jianping; Li, Zhenchuan

2018-04-01

Full waveform inversion is an effective tool for recovering the properties of the Earth from seismograms. However, it suffers from local minima caused mainly by the limited accuracy of the starting model and the lack of a low-frequency component in the seismic data. Because of the high velocity contrast between salt and sediment, the relation between the waveform and velocity perturbation is strongly nonlinear. Therefore, salt inversion can easily get trapped in the local minima. Since the velocity of salt is nearly constant, we can make the most of this characteristic with total variation regularization to mitigate the local minima. In this paper, we develop an adaptive primal dual hybrid gradient method to implement total variation regularization by projecting the solution onto a total variation norm constrained convex set, through which the total variation norm constraint is satisfied at every model iteration. The smooth background velocities are first inverted and the perturbations are gradually obtained by successively relaxing the total variation norm constraints. Numerical experiment of the projection of the BP model onto the intersection of the total variation norm and box constraints has demonstrated the accuracy and efficiency of our adaptive primal dual hybrid gradient method. A workflow is designed to recover complex salt structures in the BP 2004 model and the 2D SEG/EAGE salt model, starting from a linear gradient model without using low-frequency data below 3 Hz. The salt inversion processes demonstrate that wavefield reconstruction inversion with a total variation norm and box constraints is able to overcome local minima and inverts the complex salt velocity layer by layer.

An evaluation of possible next-generation high temperature molten-salt power towers.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kolb, Gregory J.

2011-12-01

Since completion of the Solar Two molten-salt power tower demonstration in 1999, the solar industry has been developing initial commercial-scale projects that are 3 to 14 times larger. Like Solar Two, these initial plants will power subcritical steam-Rankine cycles using molten salt with a temperature of 565 C. The main question explored in this study is whether there is significant economic benefit to develop future molten-salt plants that operate at a higher receiver outlet temperature. Higher temperatures would allow the use of supercritical steam cycles that achieve an improved efficiency relative to today's subcritical cycle ({approx}50% versus {approx}42%). The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of a 565 C subcritical baseline plant was compared with possible future-generation plants that operate at 600 or 650 C. The analysis suggests that {approx}8% reduction in LCOE can be expected by raising salt temperature to 650 C. However, most of that benefit can be achieved by raising the temperature to only 600 C. Several other important insights regarding possible next-generation power towers were also drawn: (1) the evaluation of receiver-tube materials that are capable of higher fluxes and temperatures, (2) suggested plant reliability improvements based on a detailed evaluation of the Solar Two experience, and (3) a thorough evaluation of analysis uncertainties.

Customer interface document for the Molten Salt Test Loop (MSTL) system.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pettit, Kathleen; Kolb, William J.; Gill, David Dennis; Briggs, Ronald D.

2012-03-01

The National Solar Thermal Test Facility at Sandia National Laboratories has a unique test capability called the Molten Salt Test Loop (MSTL) system. MSTL is a test capability that allows customers and researchers to test components in flowing, molten nitrate salt. The components tested can range from materials samples, to individual components such as flex hoses, ball joints, and valves, up to full solar collecting systems such as central receiver panels, parabolic troughs, or linear Fresnel systems. MSTL provides realistic conditions similar to a portion of a concentrating solar power facility. The facility currently uses 60/40 nitrate 'solar salt' and can circulate the salt at pressure up to 600psi, temperature to 585 C, and flow rate of 400-600GPM depending on temperature. The purpose of this document is to provide a basis for customers to evaluate the applicability to their testing needs, and to provide an outline of expectations for conducting testing on MSTL. The document can serve as the basis for testing agreements including Work for Others (WFO) and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA). While this document provides the basis for these agreements and describes some of the requirements for testing using MSTL and on the site at Sandia, the document is not sufficient by itself as a test agreement. The document, however, does provide customers with a uniform set of information to begin the test planning process.

Laboratory simulation of salt dissolution during waste removal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiersma, B.J.; Parish, W.R.

1997-01-01

Laboratory experiments were performed to support the field demonstration of improved techniques for salt dissolution in waste tanks at the Savannah River Site. The tests were designed to investigate three density driven techniques for salt dissolution: (1) Drain-Add-Sit-Remove, (2) Modified Density Gradient, and (3) Continuous Salt Mining. Salt dissolution was observed to be a very rapid process as salt solutions with densities between 1.38-1.4 were frequently removed. Slower addition and removal rates and locating the outlet line at deeper levels below the top of the saltcake provided the best contact between the dissolution water and the saltcake. It was observed that dissolution with 1 M sodium hydroxide solution resulted in salt solutions that were within the current inhibitor requirements for the prevention of stress corrosion cracking. This result was independent of the density driven technique. However, if inhibited water (0.01 M sodium hydroxide and 0.011 M sodium nitrite) was utilized, the salt solutions were frequently outside the inhibitor requirements. Corrosion testing at conditions similar to the environments expected during waste removal was recommended

Stabilization of molten salt materials using metal chlorides for solar thermal storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunlop, T O; Jarvis, D J; Voice, W E; Sullivan, J H

2018-05-29

The effect of a variety of metal-chlorides additions on the melting behavior and thermal stability of commercially available salts was investigated. Ternary salts comprised of KNO 3, NaNO 2, and NaNO 3 were produced with additions of a variety of chlorides (KCl, LiCl, CaCl 2 , ZnCl 2 , NaCl and MgCl 2 ). Thermogravimetric analysis and weight loss experiments showed that the quaternary salt containing a 5 wt% addition of LiCl and KCl led to an increase in short term thermal stability compared to the ternary control salts. These additions allowed the salts to remain stable up to a temperature of 630 °C. Long term weight loss experiments showed an upper stability increase of 50 °C. A 5 wt% LiCl addition resulted in a weight loss of only 25% after 30 hours in comparison to a 61% loss for control ternary salts. Calorimetry showed that LiCl additions allow partial melting at 80 °C, in comparison to the 142 °C of ternary salts. This drop in melting point, combined with increased stability, provided a molten working range increase of almost 100 °C in total, in comparison to the control ternary salts. XRD analysis showed the oxidation effect of decomposing salts and the additional phase created with LiCl additions to allow melting point changes to occur.

Summary of the Solar Two Test and Evaluation Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

PACHECO,JAMES E.; REILLY,HUGH E.; KOLB,GREGORY J.; TYNER,CRAIG E.

2000-02-08

Solar Two was a collaborative, cost-shared project between eleven US industry and utility partners and the U. S. Department of Energy to validate molten-salt power tower technology. The Solar Two plant, located east of Barstow, CA, was comprised of 1926 heliostats, a receiver, a thermal storage system and a steam generation system. Molten nitrate salt was used as the heat transfer fluid and storage media. The steam generator powered a 10 MWe, conventional Rankine cycle turbine. Solar Two operated from June 1996 to April 1999. The major objective of the test and evaluation phase of the project was to validate the technical characteristics of a molten salt power tower. This paper describes the significant results from the test and evaluation activities.

Solar thermal electricity generation

Science.gov (United States)

Gasemagha, Khairy Ramadan

1993-01-01

This report presents the results of modeling the thermal performance and economic feasibility of large (utility scale) and small solar thermal power plants for electricity generation. A number of solar concepts for power systems applications have been investigated. Each concept has been analyzed over a range of plant power ratings from 1 MW(sub e) to 300 MW(sub e) and over a range of capacity factors from a no-storage case (capacity factor of about 0.25 to 0.30) up to intermediate load capacity factors in the range of 0.46 to 0.60. The solar plant's economic viability is investigated by examining the effect of various parameters on the plant costs (both capital and O & M) and the levelized energy costs (LEC). The cost components are reported in six categories: collectors, energy transport, energy storage, energy conversion, balance of plant, and indirect/contingency costs. Concentrator and receiver costs are included in the collector category. Thermal and electric energy transport costs are included in the energy transport category. Costs for the thermal or electric storage are included in the energy storage category; energy conversion costs are included in the energy conversion category. The balance of plant cost category comprises the structures, land, service facilities, power conditioning, instrumentation and controls, and spare part costs. The indirect/contingency category consists of the indirect construction and the contingency costs. The concepts included in the study are (1) molten salt cavity central receiver with salt storage (PFCR/R-C-Salt); (2) molten salt external central receiver with salt storage (PFCR/R-E-Salt); (3) sodium external central receiver with sodium storage (PFCR/RE-Na); (4) sodium external central receiver with salt storage (PFCR/R-E-Na/Salt); (5) water/steam external central receiver with oil/rock storage (PFCR/R-E-W/S); (6) parabolic dish with stirling engine conversion and lead acid battery storage (PFDR/SLAB); (7) parabolic dish

Effects of Various Kinds of Salt on the Quality and Storage Characteristics of Tteokgalbi.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hyun-Joo; Lee, Jae-Joon

2014-01-01

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of various kinds of salt on the quality and storage characteristics of tteokgalbi. The tteokgalbi was prepared using four types of salt: 1.5% purified salt (control, C), 1.5% five-year-old solar salt (FS), 1.5% Topan solar salt (TS), and 1.5% French Guérande solar salt (GS). The moisture, crude lipid, crude ash, crude protein and calorie contents, water holding capacity, and cooking loss were not significantly different between control and all other treatments. As for the textural characteristics, the use of GS increased the hardness of the tteokgalbi. According to the sensory evaluation, the use of TS had the best score in springiness. Tteokgalbi made with TS and GS had the two highest scores in flavor and total acceptability. During 15 d of storage, the contents of 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) and the total microbial counts increased, while the pH decreased. The TBA values of the tteokgalbi containing TS and GS were lower than that of C. Lightness (L) and yellowness (b) values decreased during storage, but redness (a) displayed no significant difference during storage. Overall, the best results, in terms of TBA value and sensory attributes, were obtained for the tteokgalbi containing TS and GS.

Investigation of lattice defects and compositional gradients in Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} thin films for solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dietrich, Jens; Boit, Christian [Department of Semiconductor Devices, Berlin University of Technology, Einsteinufer 19, 10587 Berlin (Germany); Abou-Ras, Daniel; Rissom, Thorsten; Unold, Thomas; Schock, Hans-Werner [Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fuer Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin (Germany)

2011-07-01

Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} absorber layers used in thin-film solar cells exhibit, when grown in a multi-stage process, compositional gradients of gallium and indium, dependent on process parameters such as the Ga content. The high lateral resolution of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) allows the determination of lattice defects and the elemental concentrations at identical sample positions. Cross-sectional TEM samples of ZnO/CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2}/Mo/glass stacks were prepared with varying [Ga]/([In]+[Ga]) ratio in the absorber. The shape of the Ga distribution was measured by means of EDX and differs for the various [Ga]/([In]+[Ga]) ratios. Linear (dislocations) and planar defects (stacking faults, microtwins) were studied by means of TEM bright field and dark field images along the lengths of the Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} layers. Strong Ga compositional gradients were found even within individual grains. It appears that these Ga gradients correlate with the occurrence of dislocation networks in large grains (diameter > 1 {mu}m). We assume that these dislocations compensate for lattice mismatch due to the change in composition in this area of the lattice.

Experimental investigation of stepped solar still with continuous water circulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Agouz, S.A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Comparison between modified stepped and conventional solar still was carried out. • Effect of storage tank and cotton absorber on productivity was investigated. • Efficiency for modified stepped still is higher than conventional still by 20%. • The day and night efficiency increases by 5% and 3.5% for salt and sea water. - Abstract: This paper presents a modification of stepped solar still with continuous water circulation using a storage tank for sea and salt water. Total dissolved solids (TDS) of seawater and salt water before desalination is 57,100 and 2370 mg/l. A comparison study between modified stepped and conventional solar still was carried out to evaluate the developed desalination system performance under the same climate conditions. The effect of installing a storage tank and cotton black absorber for modified stepped solar still on the distillate productivity was investigated. The results indicate that, the productivity of the modified stepped still is higher than that for conventional still approximately by 43% and 48% for sea and salt water with black absorber respectively, while 53% and 47% of sea and salt water, respectively with cotton absorber. Also, the daily efficiency for modified stepped still is higher than that for conventional still approximately by 20%. The maximum efficiency of modified stepped still is occurring at a feed water flow rate of 1 LPM for sea water and 3 LPM for salt water. Total dissolved solids (TDS) of seawater and salt water after desalination is 41, and 27 mg/l

Site-Specific Research Conducted in Support of the Salton Sea Solar Pond Project - FY 1982 Report

Science.gov (United States)

French, R. L.; Marsh, H. E.; Roschke, E. J.; Wu, Y. C.

1984-01-01

The design and operation of a salt-gradient solar pond power plant at the Salton Sea presents problems not encountered at small research ponds that were built in the United States. The specific characteristics of the Salton Sea site and the desire to construct the pond using the local clay as a sealant represent major deviations from previous solar pond experience. The site-specific research in support of the plant design is described. The research activity included validation of the spectrophotometric light transmission measurement technique, a search for options for clarifying the turbid and colored water of the Salton Sea, development of water clarification specifications in terms common to industry practice, quantification of gas production from microbiological reactions in the ground, a determination of the combined effects of temperature and salinity on the permeation of the local clays, and a preliminary evaluation of material corrosion.

Thermal energy storage using chloride salts and their eutectics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myers, Philip D.; Goswami, D. Yogi

2016-01-01

Achieving the goals of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Sunshot initiative requires (1) higher operating temperatures for concentrating solar power (CSP) plants to increase theoretical efficiency, and (2) effective thermal energy storage (TES) strategies to ensure dispatchability. Current inorganic salt-based TES systems in large-scale CSP plants generally employ molten nitrate salts for energy storage, but nitrate salts are limited in application to lower temperatures—generally, below 600 °C. These materials are sufficient for parabolic trough power plants, but they are inadequate for use at higher temperatures. At the higher operating temperatures achievable in solar power tower-type CSP plants, chloride salts are promising candidates for application as TES materials, owing to their thermal stability and generally lower cost compared to nitrate salts. In light of this, a recent study was conducted, which included a preliminary survey of chloride salts and binary eutectic systems that show promise as high temperature TES media. This study provided some basic information about the salts, including phase equilibria data and estimates of latent heat of fusion for some of the eutectics. Cost estimates were obtained through a review of bulk pricing for the pure salts among various vendors. This review paper updates that prior study, adding data for additional salt eutectic systems obtained from the literature. Where possible, data are obtained from the thermodynamic database software, FactSage. Radiative properties are presented, as well, since at higher temperatures, thermal radiation becomes a significant mode of heat transfer. Material compatibility for inorganic salts is another important consideration (e.g., with regard to piping and/or containment), so a summary of corrosion studies with various materials is also presented. Lastly, cost data for these systems are presented, allowing for meaningful comparison among these systems and other materials for TES

Comparative productivity of distillation and reverse osmosis desalination using energy from solar ponds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tleimat, B.W.; Howe, E.D.

1982-11-01

This paper presents comparative analyses of two methods for producing desalted water using the heat collected by a solar pond - the first by distillation, and the second by reverse osmosis. The distillation scheme uses a multiple-effect distiller supplied with steam generated in a flash boiler using heat from a solar pond. Solar pond water passes through a heat exchanger in the water system ahead of the flash boiler. The second scheme uses a similar arrangement to generate hydrocarbon vapor which drives a Rankine cycle engine. This engine produces mechanical/ electrical power for the RO plant. The analyses use two pond water temperatures -82.2/sup 0/C (180/sup 0/F) and 71.1/sup 0/C (160/sup 0/F) -- which seem to cover the range expected from salt-gradient ponds. In each case, the pond water temperature drops by 5.56/sup 0/C (10/sup 0/F) while passing through the vapor generator system. Results of these analyses show that, based on the assumptions made, desalted water could be produced by distillation at productivity rates much greater than those estimated for the RO plant.

Comparative productivity of distillation and reverse osmosis desalination using energy from solar ponds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tleimat, B.W.; Howe, E.D.

1982-11-01

This paper presents comparative analyses of two methods for producing desalted water using the heat collected by a solar pond - the first by distillation, and the second by reverse osmosis. The distillation scheme uses a multiple-effect distiller supplied with steam generated in a flash boiler using heat from a solar pond. Solar pond water passes through a heat exchanger in the water system ahead of the flash boiler. The second scheme uses a similar arrangement to generate hydrocarbon vapor which drives a Rankine cycle engine. This engine produces mechanical/ electrical power for the RO plant. The analyses use two pond water temperatures 82.2/sup 0/C (180/sup 0/F) and 71.1/sup 0/C (160/sup 0/F) - which seem to cover the range expected from salt-gradient ponds. In each case, the pond water temperature drops by 5.56/sup 0/C (10/sup 0/F) while passing through the vapor generator system. Results of these analyses show that, based on the assumptions made, desalted water could be produced by distillation at productivity rates much greater than those estimated for the RO plant.

Fluid inclusions in salt: an annotated bibliography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isherwood, D.J.

1979-01-01

An annotated bibliography is presented which was compiled while searching the literature for information on fluid inclusions in salt for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's study on the deep-geologic disposal of nuclear waste. The migration of fluid inclusions in a thermal gradient is a potential hazard to the safe disposal of nuclear waste in a salt repository. At the present time, a prediction as to whether this hazard precludes the use of salt for waste disposal can not be made. Limited data from the Salt-Vault in situ heater experiments in the early 1960's (Bradshaw and McClain, 1971) leave little doubt that fluid inclusions can migrate towards a heat source. In addition to the bibliography, there is a brief summary of the physical and chemical characteristics that together with the temperature of the waste will determine the chemical composition of the brine in contact with the waste canister, the rate of fluid migration, and the brine-canister-waste interactions

Thermal energy storage for CSP (Concentrating Solar Power)

Science.gov (United States)

Py, Xavier; Sadiki, Najim; Olives, Régis; Goetz, Vincent; Falcoz, Quentin

2017-07-01

The major advantage of concentrating solar power before photovoltaic is the possibility to store thermal energy at large scale allowing dispatchability. Then, only CSP solar power plants including thermal storage can be operated 24 h/day using exclusively the solar resource. Nevertheless, due to a too low availability in mined nitrate salts, the actual mature technology of the two tanks molten salts cannot be applied to achieve the expected international share in the power production for 2050. Then alternative storage materials are under studies such as natural rocks and recycled ceramics made from industrial wastes. The present paper is a review of those alternative approaches.

Thermal energy storage for CSP (Concentrating Solar Power

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Py Xavier

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The major advantage of concentrating solar power before photovoltaic is the possibility to store thermal energy at large scale allowing dispatchability. Then, only CSP solar power plants including thermal storage can be operated 24 h/day using exclusively the solar resource. Nevertheless, due to a too low availability in mined nitrate salts, the actual mature technology of the two tanks molten salts cannot be applied to achieve the expected international share in the power production for 2050. Then alternative storage materials are under studies such as natural rocks and recycled ceramics made from industrial wastes. The present paper is a review of those alternative approaches.

Novel thixotropic gel electrolytes based on dicationic bis-imidazolium salts for quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jun Young; Kim, Tae Ho; Kim, Dong Young; Park, Nam-Gyu; Ahn, Kwang-Duk

Novel thixotropic gel electrolytes have been successfully prepared by utilizing oligomeric poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based bis-imidazolium diiodide salts and hydrophilic silica nanoparticles for application in quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The thixotropic gel-state of the ionic liquid-based composite electrolytes is confirmed by observing the typical hysteresis loop and temporary hydrogen bonding. On using the PEO-based composite electrolyte, a quasi-solid-state DSSC exhibited highly improved properties such as easy penetration of the electrolyte into the cell without leakage, long-term stability, high open-circuit voltage without the use of 4- tert-butylpyridine, and a high energy-conversion efficiency of 5.25% under AM 1.5 illumination (100 mW cm -2).

Modeling and simulation of a molten salt cavity receiver with Dymola

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Qiangqiang; Li, Xin; Wang, Zhifeng; Zhang, Jinbai; El-Hefni, Baligh; Xu, Li

2015-01-01

Molten salt receivers play an important role in converting solar energy to thermal energy in concentrating solar power plants. This paper describes a dynamic mathematical model of the molten salt cavity receiver that couples the conduction, convection and radiation heat transfer processes in the receiver. The temperature dependence of the material properties is also considered. The radiosity method is used to calculate the radiation heat transfer inside the cavity. The outlet temperature of the receiver is calculated for 11 sets of transient working conditions. The simulation results compare well with experimental data, thus the model can be further used in system simulations of entire power plants. - Highlights: • A detailed model for molten salt cavity receiver is presented. • The model couples the conduction, convection and thermal radiation. • The simulation results compare well with experimental data. • The model can be further used for many purposes.

Vertical gradients of sunspot magnetic fields

Science.gov (United States)

Hagyard, M. J.; Teuber, D.; West, E. A.; Tandberg-Hanssen, E.; Henze, W., Jr.; Beckers, J. M.; Bruner, M.; Hyder, C. L.; Woodgate, B. E.

1983-01-01

The results of a Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) guest investigation to determine the vertical gradients of sunspot magnetic fields for the first time from coordinated observations of photospheric and transition-region fields are described. Descriptions are given of both the photospheric vector field of a sunspot, derived from observations using the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center vector magnetograph, and of the line-of-sight component in the transition region, obtained from the SMM Ultraviolet Spectrometer and Polarimeter instrument. On the basis of these data, vertical gradients of the line-of-sight magnetic field component are calculated using three methods. It is found that the vertical gradient of Bz is lower than values from previous studies and that the transition-region field occurs at a height of approximately 4000-6000 km above the photosphere.

Solar advanced internal film receiver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torre Cabezas, M. de la

1990-01-01

In a Solar Central Internal Film Receiver, the heat absorbing fluid (a molten nitrate salt) flows in a thin film down over the non illuminated side of an absorber panel. Since the molten salt working fluid is not contained in complicated tube manifolds, the receiver design is simples than a conventional tube type-receiver resulting in a lower cost and a more reliable receiver. The Internal Film Receiver can be considered as an alternative to the Direct Absorption Receiver, in the event that the current problems of the last one can not be solved. It also describes here the test facility which will be used for its solar test, and the test plans foreseen. (Author) 17 refs

Integration of membrane distillation into traditional salt farming method: Process development and modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Hizam, S.; Bilad, M. R.; Putra, Z. A.

2017-10-01

Farmers still practice the traditional salt farming in many regions, particularly in Indonesia. This archaic method not only produces low yield and poor salt quality, it is also laborious. Furthermore, the farming locations typically have poor access to fresh water and are far away from electricity grid, which restrict upgrade to a more advanced technology for salt production. This paper proposes a new concept of salt harvesting method that improves the salt yield and at the same time facilitates recovery of fresh water from seawater. The new concept integrates solar powered membrane distillation (MD) and photovoltaic cells to drive the pumping. We performed basic solar still experiments to quantify the heat flux received by a pond. The data were used as insight for designing the proposed concept, particularly on operational strategy and the most effective way to integrate MD. After the conceptual design had been developed, we formulated mass and energy balance to estimate the performance of the proposed concept. Based on our data and design, it is expected that the system would improve the yield and quality of the salt production, maximizing fresh water harvesting, and eventually provides economical gain for salt farmers hence improving their quality of life. The key performance can only be measured via experiment using gain output ratio as performance indicator, which will be done in a future study.

Impact of solid second phases on deformation mechanisms of naturally deformed salt rocks (Kuh-e-Namak, Dashti, Iran) and rheological stratification of the Hormuz Salt Formation

Science.gov (United States)

Závada, P.; Desbois, G.; Urai, J. L.; Schulmann, K.; Rahmati, M.; Lexa, O.; Wollenberg, U.

2015-05-01

Viscosity contrasts displayed in flow structures of a mountain namakier (Kuh-e-Namak - Dashti), between 'weak' second phase bearing rock salt and 'strong' pure rock salt types are studied for deformation mechanisms using detailed quantitative microstructural study. While the solid inclusions rich ("dirty") rock salts contain disaggregated siltstone and dolomite interlayers, "clean" salts reveal microscopic hematite and remnants of abundant fluid inclusions in non-recrystallized cores of porphyroclasts. Although the flow in both, the recrystallized "dirty" and "clean" salt types is accommodated by combined mechanisms of pressure-solution creep (PS), grain boundary sliding (GBS), transgranular microcracking and dislocation creep accommodated grain boundary migration (GBM), their viscosity contrasts observed in the field outcrops are explained by: 1) enhanced ductility of "dirty" salts due to increased diffusion rates along the solid inclusion-halite contacts than along halite-halite contacts, and 2) slow rates of intergranular diffusion due to dissolved iron and inhibited dislocation creep due to hematite inclusions for "clean" salt types Rheological contrasts inferred by microstructural analysis between both salt rock classes apply in general for the "dirty" salt forming Lower Hormuz and the "clean" salt forming the Upper Hormuz of the Hormuz Formation and imply strain rate gradients or decoupling along horizons of mobilized salt types of different composition and microstructure.

Proposal of a fluid flow layout to improve the heat transfer in the active absorber surface of solar central cavity receivers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montes, M.J.; Rovira, A.; Martínez-Val, J.M.; Ramos, A.

2012-01-01

The main objective of concentrated solar power is to increase the thermal energy of a fluid, for the fluid to be used, for example, in a power cycle to generate electricity. Such applications present the requirement of appropriately designing the receiver active absorber surface, as the incident radiation flux can be very high. Besides that, the solar image in the receiver is not uniform, so conventional boilers designs are not well suited for these purposes. That point is particularly critical in solar central receivers systems (CRS), where concentrated solar flux is usually above 500 kW/m 2 , causing thermal and mechanical stress in the absorber panels. This paper analyzes a new thermofluidynamic design of a solar central receiver, which optimizes the heat transfer in the absorber surface. This conceptual receiver presents the following characteristics: the fluid flow pattern is designed according to the radiation flux map symmetry, so more uniform fluid temperatures at the receiver outlet are achieved; the heat transfer irreversibilities are reduced by circulating the fluid from the lower temperature region to the higher temperature region of the absorber surface; the width of each pass is adjusted to the solar flux gradient, to get lower temperature differences between the side tubes of the same pass; and the cooling requirement is ensured by means of adjusting the fluid flow velocity per tube, taking into account the pressure drop. This conceptual scheme has been applied to the particular case of a molten salt single cavity receiver, although the configuration proposed is suitable for other receiver designs and working fluids. - Highlights: ► The solar receiver design proposed optimizes heat transfer in the absorber surface. ► The fluid flow pattern is designed according to the solar flux map symmetry at noon. ► The fluid circulates from the lower to the higher temperature regions. ► The width of each pass is adjusted to the solar flux gradient. �

Solar-Induced Fluorescence of Maize Across A Water Stress Gradient in the Midwestern USA

Science.gov (United States)

Miao, G.; Guan, K.; Suyker, A.; Yang, X.; Benarcchi, C. J.; Gamon, J. A.; Berry, J. A.; DeLucia, E.; Franz, T.; Arkebauer, T. J.; Zygielbaum, A. I.; Walter-Shea, E. A.; Moore, C.; Zhang, Y.; Kim, H.; Hmimina, G.

2017-12-01

In the coming decades, agricultural ecosystems will be challenged by rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and increasing extreme weather. Understanding how crops respond to weather variability and how humans manage agriculture to mitigate and adapt to climate change is critical for improving agricultural sustainability and supporting increasing global food demands. Accurately estimating gross primary productivity (GPP) of crops is of importance to evaluate their sustainability and capability but remains a challenge. The recent development of solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) technology is stimulating studies to use SIF to approximate GPP. It has been observed that agricultural lands have remarkably high SIF and the SIF signal could be used as an indicator of vegetation stress, which is particularly valuable for improved monitoring of crop productivity and stress. To investigate the applicability of SIF for detecting maize stress and estimating GPP, we deployed three FluoSpec2 systems in 2017 at three long-term eddy covariance flux sites across the US Corn Belt, a rain-fed maize field (AmeriFlux sites US-NE3) and an irrigated maize field (US-NE2) at Mead, Nebraska and a rain-fed maize field at Urbana, Illinois. Together these form a water stress gradient. Variations in GPP, SIF, photosynthetic efficiency (LUE), SIF yield (SIFy), and relationships between GPP and SIF, LUE and SIFy will be compared as indications of the difference in maize growth across the water stress gradient. More importantly, differences in GPP and SIF signals will be examined over multiple growth stages to assess the potential of SIF in identifying the growth stages that are mostly affected by water stress and the ones that play the most important roles on the crop yield.

Salt-body Inversion with Minimum Gradient Support and Sobolev Space Norm Regularizations

KAUST Repository

Kazei, Vladimir; Kalita, Mahesh; Alkhalifah, Tariq Ali

2017-01-01

propagation of arbitrary complexity (visco-elastic, anisotropic); yet, it often fails to retrieve high-contrast geological structures, such as salt. One of the reasons for the FWI failure is that the updates at earlier iterations are too smooth to capture

Optimal offering strategy for a concentrating solar power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dominguez, R.; Baringo, L.; Conejo, A.J.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Concentrating solar power (CSP) plants are becoming economically viable. ► CSP production is positively correlated with the demand. ► CSP plants can be made dispatchable by using molten salt storage facilities. ► Integrating CSP plants in a market constitutes a relevant challenge. -- Abstract: This paper provides a methodology to build offering curves for a concentrating solar power plant. This methodology takes into account the uncertainty in the thermal production from the solar field and the volatility of market prices. The solar plant owner is a price-taker producer that participates in a pool-based electricity market with the aim of maximizing its expected profit. To enhance the value of the concentrating solar power plant, a molten salt heat storage is considered, which allows producing electricity during periods without availability of the solar resource. To derive offering curves, a mixed-integer linear programming model is proposed, which is robust from the point of view of the uncertainty associated with the thermal production of the solar field and stochastic from the point of view of the uncertain market prices.

Novel thixotropic gel electrolytes based on dicationic bis-imidazolium salts for quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jun Young [Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, SungKyunKwan University, Suwon, Kyunggi-do 440-746 (Korea); Functional Polymer Lab., Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791 (Korea); Kim, Tae Ho [Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, SungKyunKwan University, Suwon, Kyunggi-do 440-746 (Korea); Kim, Dong Young; Park, Nam-Gyu [Energy Materials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791 (Korea); Ahn, Kwang-Duk [Functional Polymer Lab., Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791 (Korea)

2008-01-03

Novel thixotropic gel electrolytes have been successfully prepared by utilizing oligomeric poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based bis-imidazolium diiodide salts and hydrophilic silica nanoparticles for application in quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The thixotropic gel-state of the ionic liquid-based composite electrolytes is confirmed by observing the typical hysteresis loop and temporary hydrogen bonding. On using the PEO-based composite electrolyte, a quasi-solid-state DSSC exhibited highly improved properties such as easy penetration of the electrolyte into the cell without leakage, long-term stability, high open-circuit voltage without the use of 4-tert-butylpyridine, and a high energy-conversion efficiency of 5.25% under AM 1.5 illumination (100 mW cm{sup -2}). (author)

Artisanal salt production in Aveiro/Portugal - an ecofriendly process.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, Carolina M; Bio, Ana; Amat, Francisco; Vieira, Natividade

2011-11-04

Solar salinas are man-made systems exploited for the extraction of salt, by solar and wind evaporation of seawater. Salt production achieved by traditional methods is associated with landscapes and environmental and patrimonial values generated throughout history. Since the mid-twentieth century, this activity has been facing a marked decline in Portugal, with most salinas either abandoned or subjected to destruction, making it necessary to find a strategy to reverse this trend.It is, however, possible to generate revenue from salinas at several levels, not merely in terms of good quality salt production, but also by obtaining other products that can be commercialized, or by exploring their potential for tourism, and as research facilities, among others. Furthermore, with an adequate management, biodiversity can be restored to abandoned salinas, which constitute important feeding and breeding grounds for resident and migratory aquatic birds, many of which are protected by European Community Directives.The aims of this manuscript are to present a brief overview on the current state of sea salt exploitation in Portugal and to stress the importance of recovering these salinas for the conservation of this particular environment, for the regional economy, the scientific community and the general public. The Aveiro salina complex is presented in detail, to exemplify salina structure and functioning, as well as current problems and potential solutions for artisanal salinas.

Thermal performances of molten salt steam generator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan, Yibo; He, Canming; Lu, Jianfeng; Ding, Jing

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Thermal performances of molten salt steam generator were experimentally studied. • Overall heat transfer coefficient reached maximum with optimal molten salt flow rate. • Energy efficiency first rose and then decreased with salt flow rate and temperature. • Optimal molten salt flow rate and temperature existed for good thermal performance. • High inlet water temperature benefited steam generating rate and energy efficiency. - Abstract: Molten salt steam generator is the key technology for thermal energy conversion from high temperature molten salt to steam, and it is used in solar thermal power station and molten salt reactor. A shell and tube type molten salt steam generator was set up, and its thermal performance and heat transfer mechanism were studied. As a coupling heat transfer process, molten salt steam generation is mainly affected by molten salt convective heat transfer and boiling heat transfer, while its energy efficiency is also affected by the heat loss. As molten salt temperature increased, the energy efficiency first rose with the increase of heat flow absorbed by water/steam, and then slightly decreased for large heat loss as the absorbed heat flow still rising. At very high molten salt temperature, the absorbed heat flow decreased as boiling heat transfer coefficient dropping, and then the energy efficiency quickly dropped. As the inlet water temperature increased, the boiling region in the steam generator remarkably expanded, and then the steam generation rate and energy efficiency both rose with the overall heat transfer coefficient increasing. As the molten salt flow rate increased, the wall temperature rose and the boiling heat transfer coefficient first increased and then decreased according to the boiling curve, so the overall heat transfer coefficient first increased and then decreased, and then the steam generation rate and energy efficiency of steam generator both had maxima.

Recovery of Residual LiCl-KCl Eutectic Salts in Radioactive Rare Earth Precipitates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eun, Hee Chul; Yang, Hee Chul; Kim, In Tae; Lee, Han Soo; Cho, Yung Zun

2010-01-01

For the pyrochemical process of spent nuclear fuels, recovery of LiCl-KCl eutectic salts is needed to reduce radioactive waste volume and to recycle resource materials. This paper is about recovery of residual LiCl-KCl eutectic salts in radioactive rare earth precipitates (rare earth oxychlorides or oxides) by using a vacuum distillation process. In the vacuum distillation test apparatus, the salts in the rare earth precipitates were vaporized and were separated effectively. The separated salts were deposited in three positions of the vacuum distillation test apparatus or were collected in the filter and it is difficult to recover them. To resolve the problem, a vacuum distillation and condensation system, which is subjected to the force of a temperature gradient at a reduced pressure, was developed. In a preliminary test of the vacuum distillation/condensation recovery system, it was confirmed that it was possible to condense the vaporized salts only in the salt collector and to recover the condensed salts from the salt collector easily

Kocuria marina BS-15 a biosurfactant producing halophilic bacteria isolated from solar salt works in India

Science.gov (United States)

Sarafin, Yesurethinam; Donio, Mariathasan Birdilla Selva; Velmurugan, Subramanian; Michaelbabu, Mariavincent; Citarasu, Thavasimuthu

2014-01-01

Biosurfactant screening was made among the eight halophilic bacterial genera isolated from Kovalam solar salt works in Kanyakumari of India. After initial screening, Kocuria sp. (Km), Kurthia sp. (Ku) and Halococcus sp. (Hc) were found to have positive biosurfactant activity. Biosurfactant derived from Kocuria sp. emulsified more than 50% of the crude oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil, olive oil and kerosene when compared to the other strains. Further, Kocuria marina BS-15 derived biosurfactant was purified and characterized by TLC, FTIR and GC–MS analysis. The TLC analysis revealed that, the purified biosurfactants belong to the lipopeptide group. The IR spectrum results revealed that functional groups are R2C 000000000000 000000000000 000000000000 111111111111 000000000000 111111111111 000000000000 000000000000 000000000000 NN, alkenes and N–H. The GC–MS analysis confirmed the compound as Nonanoic acid and Cyclopropane with the retention time of 12.78 and 24.65, respectively. PMID:25473358

Greenhouse gas emissions in salt marshes and their response to nitrogen loading

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, J.; Moseman-Valtierra, S.; Kroeger, K. D.; Morkeski, K.; Carey, J.

2015-12-01

Salt marshes play an important role in global and regional carbon and nitrogen cycling. Anthropogenic nitrogen loading may alter greenhouse gas (GHG, including CO2, CH4, and N2O) emissions and carbon sequestration in salt marshes. We measured GHG emissions biweekly for two growing seasons across a nitrogen-loading gradient of four Spartina salt marshes in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts. In addition, we conducted nitrogen addition experiments in a pristine marsh by adding low and high nitrate bi-weekly during the summer. The GHG flux measurements were made in situ with a state-of-the-art mobile gas measurement system using the cavity ring down technology that consists of a CO2/CH4 analyzer (Picarro) and an N2O/CO analyzer (Los Gatos). We observed strong seasonal variations in greenhouse gas emissions. The differences in gas emissions across the nitrogen gradient (between 1 and 10 gN m-2y-1) were not significant, but strong pulse emissions of N2O were observed after nitrogen was artificially added to the marsh. We found that the studied salt marsh was a significant carbon sink (NEP ~ 380 gC m-2y-1). CH4 fluxes are 3 orders of magnitude less than CO2 fluxes in the salt marsh. Carbon fluxes are driven by light, salinity, tide, and temperature. We conclude that restoration or conservation of this carbon sink has a significant social benefit for carbon credit.

Results of molten salt panel and component experiments for solar central receivers: Cold fill, freeze/thaw, thermal cycling and shock, and instrumentation tests

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pacheco, J.E.; Ralph, M.E.; Chavez, J.M.; Dunkin, S.R.; Rush, E.E.; Ghanbari, C.M.; Matthews, M.W.

1995-01-01

Experiments have been conducted with a molten salt loop at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM to resolve issues associated with the operation of the 10MW{sub e} Solar Two Central Receiver Power Plant located near Barstow, CA. The salt loop contained two receiver panels, components such as flanges and a check valve, vortex shedding and ultrasonic flow meters, and an impedance pressure transducer. Tests were conducted on procedures for filling and thawing a panel, and assessing components and instrumentation in a molten salt environment. Four categories of experiments were conducted: (1) cold filling procedures, (2) freeze/thaw procedures, (3) component tests, and (4) instrumentation tests. Cold-panel and -piping fill experiments are described, in which the panels and piping were preheated to temperatures below the salt freezing point prior to initiating flow, to determine the feasibility of cold filling the receiver and piping. The transient thermal response was measured, and heat transfer coefficients and transient stresses were calculated from the data. Freeze/thaw experiments were conducted with the panels, in which the salt was intentionally allowed to freeze in the receiver tubes, then thawed with heliostat beams. Slow thermal cycling tests were conducted to measure both how well various designs of flanges (e.g., tapered flanges or clamp type flanges) hold a seal under thermal conditions typical of nightly shut down, and the practicality of using these flanges on high maintenance components. In addition, the flanges were thermally shocked to simulate cold starting the system. Instrumentation such as vortex shedding and ultrasonic flow meters were tested alongside each other, and compared with flow measurements from calibration tanks in the flow loop.

Saving assessment using the PERS in solar power towers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez-Sanchez, M.R.; Sanchez-Gonzalez, A.; Marugan-Cruz, C.; Santana, D.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The lamination of the solar salt is avoided using the PERS and the main energy sink. • The PERS using salt pump as turbine saves 30–50% of the parasitic power. • The most appropriate configuration is a similar turbine three times one salt pump. • The payback period is around two years, and the economical savings from 1 to 4 M$. - Abstract: The improvement of the solar power tower using solar salt is one of the main goals of researchers. Any method or invention to improve the efficiency of this technology contributes to promote the renewable energies. The use of a Potential Energy Recovery System (PERS) in two different solar power tower plants of 20 and 100 MW has been analysed. The PERS is formed, at least, by one turbine, located at the hot salt pipe coming from the receiver. The turbine is engaged to the shaft of the feed pump, which raises the heat transfer fluid from the cold tank to the receiver. It reduces the parasitic power consumption of the plant, and increases its global efficiency. Different PERS configurations have been modelled. Based on an energetic and economic analysis, the optimal configuration is a geometrical similar turbine of three times the volume flow rate of one feed pump. The PERS has been proven to be a cost reductive and clean tool. For a 100 MW power plant of 30-year lifetime the investment cost is 1.26 M$ and the annual cash flow is 0.89 M$, while for a plant of 20 MW these values are 0.26 M$ and 0.19 M$, respectively

Effects of nitrogen loading on greenhouse gas emissions in salt marshes

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, J.; Moseman-Valtierra, S.; Kroeger, K. D.; Morkeski, K.; Mora, J.; Chen, X.; Carey, J.

2014-12-01

Salt marshes play an important role in global and regional carbon and nitrogen cycling. We tested the hypothesis that anthropogenic nitrogen loading alters greenhouse gas (GHG, including CO2, CH4, and N2O) emissions and carbon sequestration in salt marshes. We measured GHG emissions biweekly for two growing seasons across a nitrogen-loading gradient of four Spartina salt marshes in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts. In addition, we conducted nitrogen addition experiments in a pristine marsh by adding low and high nitrate to triplicate plots bi-weekly during the summer. The GHG flux measurements were made in situ with a state-of-the-art mobile gas measurement system using the cavity ring down technology that consists of a CO2/CH4 analyzer (Picarro) and an N2O/CO analyzer (Los Gatos). We observed strong seasonal variations in greenhouse gas emissions. The differences in gas emissions across the nitrogen gradient were not significant, but strong pulse emissions of N2O were observed after nitrogen was artificially added to the marsh. Our results will facilitate model development to simulate GHG emissions in coastal wetlands and support methodology development to assess carbon credits in preserving and restoring coastal wetlands.

Solar thermal repowering systems integration. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dubberly, L. J.; Gormely, J. E.; McKenzie, A. W.

1979-08-01

This report is a solar repowering integration analysis which defines the balance-of-plant characteristics and costs associated with the solar thermal repowering of existing gas/oil-fired electric generating plants. Solar repowering interface requirements for water/steam and salt or sodium-cooled central receivers are defined for unit sizes ranging from 50 MWe non-reheat to 350 MWe reheat. Finally balance-of-plant cost estimates are presented for each of six combinations of plant type, receiver type and percent solar repowering.

Solar field control for desalination plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roca, Lidia [Convenio Universidad de Almeria, Plataforma Solar de Almeria, Ctra. Senes s/n, 04200 Tabernas, Almeria (Spain); Berenguel, Manuel [Universidad de Almeria, Dpto. Lenguajes y Computacion, Ctra. Sacramento s/n, 04120 Almeria (Spain); Yebra, Luis; Alarcon-Padilla, Diego C. [CIEMAT, Plataforma Solar de Almeria, Ctra. Senes s/n, 04200 Tabernas, Almeria (Spain)

2008-09-15

This paper presents the development and application of a feedback linearization control strategy for a solar collector field supplying process heat to a multi-effect seawater distillation plant. Since one objective is to use as much as possible the solar resource, control techniques can be used to produce the maximum heat process in the solar field. The main purpose of the controller presented in this paper is to manipulate the water flow rate to maintain an outlet-inlet temperature gradient in the collectors, thereby ensuring continuous process heating, or in other words, continuous production of fresh water in spite of disturbances. The dynamic behaviour of this solar field was approximated by a simplified lumped-parameters nonlinear model based on differential equations, validated with real data and used in the feedback linearization control design. Experimental results in the seawater desalination plant at the Plataforma Solar de Almeria (Spain) show good agreement of the model and real data despite the approximations included. Moreover, by using feedback linearization control it is possible to track a constant gradient temperature reference in the solar field with good results. (author)

Advances in molten salt electrochemistry towards future energy systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Yasuhiko

2005-01-01

This review article describes some selected novel molten salt electrochemical processes which have been created/developed by the author and his coworkers, with emphasis on the applications towards future energy systems. After showing a perspective of the applications of molten salt electrochemistry from the viewpoints of energy and environment, several selected topics are described in detail, which include nitride fuel cycle in a nuclear field, hydrogen energy system coupled with ammonia economy, thermally regenerative fuel cell systems, novel Si production process for solar cell and novel molten salt electrochemical processes for various energy and environment related functional materials including nitrides, rare earth-transition metal alloys, fine particles obtained by plasma-induced electrolysis, and carbon film. And finally, the author stresses again, the importance and potential of molten salt electrochemistry, and encourages young students, scientists and researchers to march in a procession hand in hand towards a bright future of molten salts. (author)

Thermal conductivity measurements in relation to the geothermal exploration of the Gorleben salt dome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kopietz, J.

1985-01-01

The results of thermal conductivity measurements on rock salt and associated structures are presented in this paper. Thermal conductivity data obtained from laboratory measurements on the core material are compared with high-precision temperature gradient logs from the exploration boreholes. This work is part of an extensive investigation into the suitability of the Gorleben salt done in northern Germany as a radioactive waste disposal site

Cross-field gradients: general concept, importance of multi-spacecraft measurements and study at 1 AU of the source intensity gradient for E > 30 keV solar event electrons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. A. Chaizy

Full Text Available Three main physical processes (and associated properties are currently used to describe the flux and anisotropy time profiles of solar energetic par- ticle events, called SEP profiles. They are (1 the particle scattering (due to magnetic waves, (2 the particle focusing (due to the decrease of the amplitude of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF with the radial distance to the Sun and (3 the finite injection profile at the source. If their features change from one field line to another, i.e. if there is a cross IMF gradient (CFG, then the shape of the SEP profiles will depend, at onset time, on the relative position of the spacecraft to the IMF and might vary significantly on small distance scale (e.g. 10⁶ km. One type of CFG is studied here. It is called intensity CFG and considers variations, at the solar surface, only of the intensity of the event. It is shown here that drops of about two orders of magnitude over distances of ~10⁴ km at the Sun (1° of angular distance can influence dramatically the SEP profiles at 1 AU. This CFG can lead to either an under or overestimation of both the parallel mean free path and of the injection parameters by factor up to, at least, ~2-3 and 18, respectively. Multi-spacecraft analysis can be used to identify CFG. Three basic requirements are proposed to identify, from the observation, the type of the CFG being measured.

Key words: Solar physics, astrophysics, and astronomy (energetic particles; flares and mass ejections - Space plasma physics (transport processes

Natural heat storage in a brine-filled solar pond in the Tully Valley of central New York

Science.gov (United States)

Hayhurst, Brett; Kappel, William M.

2014-01-01

The Tully Valley, located in southern Onondaga County, New York, has a long history of unusual natural hydrogeologic phenomena including mudboils (Kappel, 2009), landslides (Tamulonis and others, 2009; Pair and others, 2000), landsurface subsidence (Hackett and others, 2009; Kappel, 2009), and a brine-filled sinkhole or “Solar pond” (fig. 1), which is documented in this report. A solar pond is a pool of salty water (brine) which stores the sun’s energy in the form of heat. The saltwater naturally forms distinct layers with increasing density between transitional zones (haloclines) of rapidly changing specific conductance with depth. In a typical solar pond, the top layer has a low salt content and is often times referred to as the upper convective zone (Lu and others, 2002). The bottom layer is a concentrated brine that is either convective or temperature stratified dependent on the surrounding environment. Solar insolation is absorbed and stored in the lower, denser brine while the overlying halocline acts as an insulating layer and prevents heat from moving upwards from the lower zone (Lu and others, 2002). In the case of the Tully Valley solar pond, water within the pond can be over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (°F) in late summer and early fall. The purpose of this report is to summarize observations at the Tully Valley brine-filled sinkhole and provide supplemental climate data which might affect the pond salinity gradients insolation (solar energy).

Lunar fingerprints in the modulated incoming solar radiation: In situ insolation and latitudinal insolation gradients as two important interpretative metrics for paleoclimatic data records and theoretical climate modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Cionco, Rodolfo Gustavo; Valentini, José Ernesto; Quaranta, Nancy Esther; Soon, Willie W.-H.

2018-01-01

We present a new set of solar radiation forcing that now incorporated not only the gravitational perturbation of the Sun-Earth-Moon geometrical orbits but also the intrinsic solar magnetic modulation of the total solar irradiance (TSI). This new dataset, covering the past 2000 years as well as a forward projection for about 100 years based on recent result by Velasco-Herrera et al. (2015), should provide a realistic basis to examine and evaluate the role of external solar forcing on Earth climate on decadal, multidecadal to multicentennial timescales. A second goal of this paper is to propose both in situ insolation forcing variable and the latitudinal insolation gradients (LIG) as two key metrics that are subjected to a deterministic modulation by lunar nodal cycle which are often confused with tidal forcing impacts as assumed and interpreted in previous studies of instrumental and paleoclimatic records. Our new results and datasets are made publicly available for all at PANGAEA site.

Material Research on Salt Hydrates for Seasonal Heat Storage Application in a Residential Environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferchaud, C.J.; Zondag, H.A.; De Boer, R. [ECN Biomass and Energy Efficiency, Petten (Netherlands)

2013-09-15

Water vapor sorption in salt hydrates is a promising method to realize seasonal solar heat storage in the residential sector. Several materials already showed promising performance for this application. However, the stability of these materials needs to be improved for long-term (30 year) application in seasonal solar heat storages. The purpose of this article is to identify the influence of the material properties of the salt hydrates on the performance and the reaction kinetics of the sorption process. The experimental investigation presented in this article shows that the two salt hydrates Li2SO4.H2O and CuSO4.5H2O can store and release heat under the operating conditions of a seasonal solar heat storage in a fully reversible way. However, these two materials show differences in terms of energy density and reaction kinetics. Li2SO4.H2O can release heat with an energy density of around 0.80 GJ/m{sup 3} within 4 hours of rehydration at 25C, while CuSO4.5H2O needs around 130 hours at the same temperature to be fully rehydrated and reaches an energy density of 1.85 GJ/m{sup 3}. Since the two salts are dehydrated and hydrated under the same conditions, this difference in behavior is directly related to the intrinsic properties of the materials.

Identification of salt-alloy combinations for thermal energy storage applications in advanced solar dynamic power systems

Science.gov (United States)

Whittenberger, J. D.; Misra, A. K.

1987-01-01

Thermodynamic calculations based on the available data for flouride salt systems reveal that a number of congruently melting compositions and eutectics exist which have the potential to meet the lightweight, high energy storage requirements imposed for advanced solar dynamic systems operating between about 1000 and 1400 K. Compatibility studies to determine suitable containment alloys to be used with NaF-22CaF2-13MgF2, NaF-32CaF2, and NaF-23MgF2 have been conducted at the eutectic temperature + 25 K for each system. For these three NaF-based eutectics, none of the common, commercially available high temperature alloys appear to offer adequate corrosion resistance for a long lifetime; however mild steel, pure nickel and Nb-1Zr could prove useful. These latter materials suggest the possibility that a strong, corrosion resistant, nonrefractory, elevated temperature alloy based on the Ni-Ni3Nb system could be developed.

Rise and fall of road salt contamination of water-supply springs

Science.gov (United States)

Werner, Eberhard; Dipretoro, Richard S.

2006-12-01

A storage pile of de-icing agent consisting principally of sodium chloride was placed in the recharge area of two springs, and remained there for 2 years. Water flow is through fractures in rocks with low matrix permeability, along a hydraulic gradient developed along fracture zones. Salt contamination in the springs was noticed about 1 year after the salt was placed. When the salt was removed 1 year later, chloride concentrations in the springs exceeded 500 mg/L. Monitoring for the following 5 years showed salt contamination rising for the first year, but receding to normal background after 5 years. Chloride to sodium ratios of the spring waters indicated that some sodium was initially sequestered, probably by ion exchange on clay minerals, in the early part of the monitoring period, and released during the latter part; thereby extending the period of contamination.

Gradient pattern analysis of short solar radio bursts

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Rosa, R. R.; Karlický, Marian; Veronese, T.B.; Vijaykumar, N. L.; Sawant, H. S.; Borgazzi, A. I.; Dantas, M. S.; Barbosa, E. M. B.; Sych, R.A.; Mendes, O.

2008-01-01

Roč. 42, č. 5 (2008), s. 844-851 ISSN 0273-1177 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10030501 Keywords : solar radio bursts * stochastic processes * wavelets Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics Impact factor: 0.860, year: 2008

Solar Power Tower Design Basis Document, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ZAVOICO,ALEXIS B.

2001-07-01

This report contains the design basis for a generic molten-salt solar power tower. A solar power tower uses a field of tracking mirrors (heliostats) that redirect sunlight on to a centrally located receiver mounted on top a tower, which absorbs the concentrated sunlight. Molten nitrate salt, pumped from a tank at ground level, absorbs the sunlight, heating it up to 565 C. The heated salt flows back to ground level into another tank where it is stored, then pumped through a steam generator to produce steam and make electricity. This report establishes a set of criteria upon which the next generation of solar power towers will be designed. The report contains detailed criteria for each of the major systems: Collector System, Receiver System, Thermal Storage System, Steam Generator System, Master Control System, and Electric Heat Tracing System. The Electric Power Generation System and Balance of Plant discussions are limited to interface requirements. This design basis builds on the extensive experience gained from the Solar Two project and includes potential design innovations that will improve reliability and lower technical risk. This design basis document is a living document and contains several areas that require trade-studies and design analysis to fully complete the design basis. Project- and site-specific conditions and requirements will also resolve open To Be Determined issues.

Solar Energy - An Option for Future Energy Production

Science.gov (United States)

Glaser, Peter E.

1972-01-01

Discusses the exponential growth of energy consumption and future consequences. Possible methods of converting solar energy to power such as direct energy conversion, focusing collectors, selective rediation absorbers, ocean thermal gradient, and space solar power are considered. (DF)

Effect of water in salt repositories. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baes, C.F. Jr.; Gilpatrick, L.O.; Kitts, F.G.; Bronstein, H.R.; Shor, A.J.

1983-09-01

Additional results confirm that during most of the consolidation of polycrystalline salt in brine, the previously proposed rate expression applies. The final consolidation, however, proceeds at a lower rate than predicted. The presence of clay hastens the consolidation process but does not greatly affect the previously observed relationship between permeability and void fraction. Studies of the migration of brine within polycrystalline salt specimens under stress indicate that the principal effect is the exclusion of brine as a result of consolidation, a process that evidently can proceed to completion. No clear effect of a temperature gradient could be identified. A previously reported linear increase with time of the reciprocal permeability of salt-crystal interfaces to brine was confirmed, though the rate of increase appears more nearly proportional to the product of sigma ΔP rather than sigma ΔP 2 (sigma is the uniaxial stress normal to the interface and ΔP is the hydraulic pressure drop). The new results suggest that a limiting permeability may be reached. A model for the permeability of salt-crystal interfaces to brine is developed that is reasonably consistent with the present results and may be used to predict the permeability of bedded salt. More measurements are needed, however, to choose between two limiting forms of the model

Effect of water in salt repositories. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baes, C.F. Jr.; Gilpatrick, L.O.; Kitts, F.G.; Bronstein, H.R.; Shor, A.J.

1983-09-01

Additional results confirm that during most of the consolidation of polycrystalline salt in brine, the previously proposed rate expression applies. The final consolidation, however, proceeds at a lower rate than predicted. The presence of clay hastens the consolidation process but does not greatly affect the previously observed relationship between permeability and void fraction. Studies of the migration of brine within polycrystalline salt specimens under stress indicate that the principal effect is the exclusion of brine as a result of consolidation, a process that evidently can proceed to completion. No clear effect of a temperature gradient could be identified. A previously reported linear increase with time of the reciprocal permeability of salt-crystal interfaces to brine was confirmed, though the rate of increase appears more nearly proportional to the product of sigma ..delta..P rather than sigma ..delta..P/sup 2/ (sigma is the uniaxial stress normal to the interface and ..delta..P is the hydraulic pressure drop). The new results suggest that a limiting permeability may be reached. A model for the permeability of salt-crystal interfaces to brine is developed that is reasonably consistent with the present results and may be used to predict the permeability of bedded salt. More measurements are needed, however, to choose between two limiting forms of the model.

Organic matter dynamics along a salinity gradient in Siberian steppe soils

Science.gov (United States)

Bischoff, Norbert; Mikutta, Robert; Shibistova, Olga; Dohrmann, Reiner; Herdtle, Daniel; Gerhard, Lukas; Fritzsche, Franziska; Puzanov, Alexander; Silanteva, Marina; Grebennikova, Anna; Guggenberger, Georg

2018-01-01

Salt-affected soils will become more frequent in the next decades as arid and semiarid ecosystems are predicted to expand as a result of climate change. Nevertheless, little is known about organic matter (OM) dynamics in these soils, though OM is crucial for soil fertility and represents an important carbon sink. We aimed at investigating OM dynamics along a salinity and sodicity gradient in the soils of the southwestern Siberian Kulunda steppe (Kastanozem, non-sodic Solonchak, Sodic Solonchak) by assessing the organic carbon (OC) stocks, the quantity and quality of particulate and mineral-associated OM in terms of non-cellulosic neutral sugar contents and carbon isotopes (δ13C, 14C activity), and the microbial community composition based on phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) patterns. Aboveground biomass was measured as a proxy for plant growth and soil OC inputs. Our hypotheses were that (i) soil OC stocks decrease along the salinity gradient, (ii) the proportion and stability of particulate OM is larger in salt-affected Solonchaks compared to non-salt-affected Kastanozems, (iii) sodicity reduces the proportion and stability of mineral-associated OM, and (iv) the fungi : bacteria ratio is negatively correlated with salinity. Against our first hypothesis, OC stocks increased along the salinity gradient with the most pronounced differences between topsoils. In contrast to our second hypothesis, the proportion of particulate OM was unaffected by salinity, thereby accounting for only soil types, while mineral-associated OM contributed > 90 %. Isotopic data (δ13C, 14C activity) and neutral sugars in the OM fractions indicated a comparable degree of OM transformation along the salinity gradient and that particulate OM was not more persistent under saline conditions. Our third hypothesis was also rejected, as Sodic Solonchaks contained more than twice as much mineral-bound OC than the Kastanozems, which we ascribe to the flocculation of OM and mineral components under

Gradient SiNO anti-reflective layers in solar selective coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Zhifeng; Cao, Feng; Sun, Tianyi; Chen, Gang

2017-08-01

A solar selective coating includes a substrate, a cermet layer having nanoparticles therein deposited on the substrate, and an anti-reflection layer deposited on the cermet layer. The cermet layer and the anti-reflection layer may each be formed of intermediate layers. A method for constructing a solar-selective coating is disclosed and includes preparing a substrate, depositing a cermet layer on the substrate, and depositing an anti-reflection layer on the cermet layer.

Ionic diffusion and salt dissociation conditions of lithium liquid crystal electrolytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, Yuria; Hirai, Kenichi; Murata, Shuuhei; Kishii, Yutaka; Kii, Keisuke; Yoshio, Masafumi; Kato, Takashi

2005-06-16

Salt dissociation conditions and dynamic properties of ionic species in liquid crystal electrolytes of lithium were investigated by a combination of NMR spectra and diffusion coefficient estimations using the pulsed gradient spin-echo NMR techniques. Activation energies of diffusion (Ea) of ionic species changed with the phase transition of the electrolyte. That is, Ea of the nematic phase was lower than that of the isotropic phase. This indicates that the aligned liquid crystal molecules prepared efficient conduction pathways for migration of ionic species. The dissociation degree of the salt was lower compared with those of the conventional electrolyte solutions and polymer gel electrolytes. This is attributed to the low concentration of polar sites, which attract the dissolved salt and promote salt dissociation, on the liquid crystal molecules. Furthermore, motional restriction of the molecules due to high viscosity and molecular oriented configuration in the nematic phase caused inefficient attraction of the sites for the salt. With a decreased dissolved salt concentration of the liquid crystal electrolyte, salt dissociation proceeded, and two diffusion components attributed to the ion and ion pair were detected independently. This means that the exchange rate between the ion and the ion pair is fairly slow once the salt is dissociated in the liquid crystal electrolytes due to the low motility of the medium molecules that initiate salt dissociation.

Mapping the Salinity Gradient in a Microfluidic Device with Schlieren Imaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen-li Sun

2015-05-01

Full Text Available This work presents the use of the schlieren imaging to quantify the salinity gradients in a microfluidic device. By partially blocking the back focal plane of the objective lens, the schlieren microscope produces an image with patterns that correspond to spatial derivative of refractive index in the specimen. Since salinity variation leads to change in refractive index, the fluid mixing of an aqueous salt solution of a known concentration and water in a T-microchannel is used to establish the relation between salinity gradients and grayscale readouts. This relation is then employed to map the salinity gradients in the target microfluidic device from the grayscale readouts of the corresponding micro-schlieren image. For saline solution with salinity close to that of the seawater, the grayscale readouts vary linearly with the salinity gradient, and the regression line is independent of the flow condition and the salinity of the injected solution. It is shown that the schlieren technique is well suited to quantify the salinity gradients in microfluidic devices, for it provides a spatially resolved, non-invasive, full-field measurement.

Coastal microbial mat diversity along a natural salinity gradient.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henk Bolhuis

Full Text Available The North Sea coast of the Dutch barrier island of Schiermonnikoog is covered by microbial mats that initiate a succession of plant communities that eventually results in the development of a densely vegetated salt marsh. The North Sea beach has a natural elevation running from the low water mark to the dunes resulting in gradients of environmental factors perpendicular to the beach. These gradients are due to the input of seawater at the low water mark and of freshwater from upwelling groundwater at the dunes and rainfall. The result is a natural and dynamic salinity gradient depending on the tide, rainfall and wind. We studied the microbial community composition in thirty three samples taken every ten meters along this natural salinity gradient by using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE of rRNA gene fragments. We looked at representatives from each Domain of life (Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya and with a particular emphasis on Cyanobacteria. Analysis of the DGGE fingerprints together with pigment composition revealed three distinct microbial mat communities, a marine community dominated by diatoms as primary producers, an intermediate brackish community dominated by Cyanobacteria as primary producers and a freshwater community with Cyanobacteria and freshwater green algae.

Use of clays as liners in solar ponds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, Gerardo [Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Anahuac Mexico Norte, Huixquilucan, Edo. de Mexico 52786 (Mexico); Almanza, Rafael [Instituto de Ingenieria, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico D.F. 04510 (Mexico)

2009-06-15

An alternative to synthetic materials for use in solar pond liners is to select clayey soils as hydraulic barriers. This option reduces the cost of construction and the risk of contamination of subsoil and groundwater by hot brines. This paper deals with the physical, chemical and hydraulic properties of different soils tested mainly as compacted clay liners. The underdeveloped nations have the option to use this type of liner, but before doing so several tests are recommended, including those for soil and water composition, permeability, plasticity and X-ray diffraction analysis. In this investigation the following samples are analyzed: native clayey soils with illite, montmorillonite and halloysite, treated and non-treated bentonites in powder and granulated form, a mixture of zeolite and sodium bentonite, and industrial minerals composed largely of halloysite, kaolinite and attapulgite selected clays. Neutral salt aqueous solutions (NaCl and KCl) at different concentrations and under temperature gradients were used for compatibility testing conducted on these specimens. Experiment setup and particular testing procedures are also discussed. (author)

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH OF THE INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS TYPES OF SOLAR COLLECTORS FOR PERFORMANCE SOLAR DESALINATION PLANT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rakhmatulin I.R.

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the possibility of using renewable energy for water purification. Results of analysis of a preferred energy source for a water purification using installed in places where fresh water shortages and a lack of electrical energy. The possibility of desalination of salt water using solar energy for regions with temperate climate. Presented desalination plant working on energy vacuum solar collectors, principles of action developed by the desalination plant. The experimental results of a constructed distiller when working with vacuum glass tubes and vacuum tubes with copper core inside. Conclusions about the possibility of using solar collectors for water desalination, are tips and tricks to improve the performance of solar desalination plant.

Effects assessment of 10 functioning years on the main components of the molten salt PCS experimental facility of ENEA

Science.gov (United States)

Gaggioli, Walter; Di Ascenzi, Primo; Rinaldi, Luca; Tarquini, Pietro; Fabrizi, Fabrizio

2016-05-01

In the frame of the Solar Thermodynamic Laboratory, ENEA has improved CSP Parabolic Trough technologies by adopting new advanced solutions for linear tube receivers and by implementing a binary mixture of molten salt (60% NaNO3 and 40% KNO3) [1] as both heat transfer fluid and heat storage medium in solar field and in storage tanks, thus allowing the solar plants to operate at high temperatures up to 550°C. Further improvements have regarded parabolic mirror collectors, piping and process instrumentation. All the innovative components developed by ENEA, together with other standard parts of the plant, have been tested and qualified under actual solar operating conditions on the PCS experimental facility at the ENEA Casaccia Research Center in Rome (Italy). The PCS (Prova Collettori Solari, i.e. Test of Solar Collectors) facility is the main testing loop built by ENEA and it is unique in the world for what concerns the high operating temperature and the fluid used (mixture of molten salt). It consists in one line of parabolic trough collectors (test section of 100 m long life-size solar collectors) using, as heat transfer fluid, the aforesaid binary mixture of molten salt up to 10 bar, at high temperature in the range 270° and 550°C and a flow rate up to 6.5 kg/s. It has been working since early 2004 [2] till now; it consists in a unique closed loop, and it is totally instrumented. In this paper the effects of over ten years qualification tests on the pressurized tank will be presented, together with the characterization of the thermal losses of the piping of the molten salt circuit, and some observations performed on the PCS facility during its first ten years of operation.

Solidification of high temperature molten salts for thermal energy storage systems

Science.gov (United States)

Sheffield, J. W.

1981-01-01

The solidification of phase change materials for the high temperature thermal energy storage system of an advanced solar thermal power system has been examined theoretically. In light of the particular thermophysical properties of candidate phase change high temperature salts, such as the eutectic mixture of NaF - MgF2, the heat transfer characteristics of one-dimensional inward solidification for a cylindrical geometry have been studied. The Biot number for the solidified salt is shown to be the critical design parameter for constant extraction heat flux. A fin-on-fin design concept of heat transfer surface augmentation is proposed in an effort to minimize the effects of the salt's low thermal conductivity and large volume change upon fusing.

Salt tolerance at single cell level in giant-celled Characeae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mary Jane eBeilby

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Characean plants provide an excellent experimental system for electrophysiology and physiology due to: (i very large cell size, (ii position on phylogenetic tree near the origin of land plants and (iii continuous spectrum from very salt sensitive to very salt tolerant species. A range of experimental techniques is described, some unique to characean plants. Application of these methods provided electrical characteristics of membrane transporters, which dominate the membrane conductance under different outside conditions. With this considerable background knowledge the electrophysiology of salt sensitive and salt tolerant genera can be compared under salt and/or osmotic stress. Both salt tolerant and salt sensitive Characeae show a rise in membrane conductance and simultaneous increase in Na+ influx upon exposure to saline medium. Salt tolerant Chara longifolia and Lamprothamnium sp. exhibit proton pump stimulation upon both turgor decrease and salinity increase, allowing the membrane PD to remain negative. The turgor is regulated through the inward K+ rectifier and 2H+/Cl- symporter. Lamprothamnium plants can survive in hypersaline media up to twice seawater strength and withstand large sudden changes in salinity. Salt-sensitive Chara australis succumbs to 50 - 100 mM NaCl in few days. Cells exhibit no pump stimulation upon turgor decrease and at best transient pump stimulation upon salinity increase. Turgor is not regulated. The membrane PD exhibits characteristic noise upon exposure to salinity. Depolarization of membrane PD to excitation threshold sets off trains of action potentials, leading to further loses of K+ and Cl-. In final stages of salt damage the H+/OH- channels are thought to become the dominant transporter, dissipating the proton gradient and bringing the cell PD close to 0. The differences in transporter electrophysiology and their synergy under osmotic and/or saline stress in salt sensitive and salt tolerant characean cells

Solar potential in Turkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soezen, Adnan; Arcaklioglu, Erol

2005-01-01

Most of the locations in Turkey receive abundant solar-energy, because Turkey lies in a sunny belt between 36 deg. and 42 deg. N latitudes. Average annual temperature is 18 to 20 deg. C on the south coast, falls to 14-16 deg. C on the west coat, and fluctuates between 4 and 18 deg. C in the central parts. The yearly average solar-radiation is 3.6 kW h/m 2 day, and the total yearly radiation period is ∼2610 h. In this study, a new formulation based on meteorological and geographical data was developed to determine the solar-energy potential in Turkey using artificial neural-networks (ANNs). Scaled conjugate gradient (SCG), Pola-Ribiere conjugate gradient (CGP), and Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) learning algorithms and logistic sigmoid (logsig) transfer function were used in the networks. Meteorological data for last four years (2000-2003) from 12 cities (Canakkale, Kars, Hakkari, Sakarya, Erzurum, Zonguldak, Balikesir, Artvin, Corum, Konya, Siirt, and Tekirdag) spread over Turkey were used in order to train the neural-network. Meteorological and geographical data (latitude, longitude, altitude, month, mean sunshine-duration, and mean temperature) are used in the input layer of the network. Solar-radiation is in the output layer. The maximum mean absolute percentage error was found to be less than 3.832% and R 2 values to be about 99.9738% for the selected stations. The ANN models show greater accuracy for evaluating solar-resource possibilities in regions where a network of monitoring stations has not been established in Turkey. This study confirms the ability of the ANN to predict solar-radiation values accurately

Measurement of dissolved reactive phosphorus in water with polyquaternary ammonium salt as a binding agent in diffusive gradients in thin-films technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hong; Zhang, Meng-Han; Gu, Jia-Li; Zhao, Gang; Zhang, Yu; Li, Jian-Rong

2014-12-17

Diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) sampler with a polyquaternary ammonium salt (PQAS) aqueous solution as a binding phase and a dialysis membrane as a diffusive phase (PQAS DGT) was developed for the measurement of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) in water. The performance of PQAS DGT was not dependent upon pH 3-10 and ionic strength from 1 × 10(-4) to 1 mol L(-1). The effective binding capacity of PQAS DGT containing 2.0 mL of 0.050 mol L(-1) PQAS solution was estimated as 9.9 μg cm(-2). The measurement of DRP in a synthetic solution by PQAS DGT over a 48 h deployment period demonstrated high consistency with the concentration of DRP in the synthetic solution measured directly by the ammonium molybdate spectrophotometric method. Field deployments of PQAS DGT samplers allowed for accurate measurement of the DRP concentration in situ. The advantages of PQAS DGT include no requirement of the elution steps and direct concentration measurements of the binding phase.

Radionuclide concentrations in salt pans in the coastal area of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alam, M.N.; Chowdhury, M.I.; Zafar, M.; Kamal, M.; Ghose, S.; Kamal, A.H.M.

1998-01-01

Radionuclide concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th, 137 Cs, 134 Cs and 40 K in samples of water, soil and salt from three gradients of salt pans (reservoir, condenser and crystalliser) in the coastal area of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh and in samples of refined salts were measured using γ-spectrometry. The activities of 226 Ra in the salt pans were found to be in the range 3·18±1·02 Bq l -1 in water to 25·17±5·76 Bq kg -1 in soil; 232 Th activities were 2·01±0·89 Bq l -1 in water to 42·33±2·54 Bq kg -1 in soil, and 40 K activities ranged from 109·60±27·77 Bq l -1 in water to 651·89±65·89 Bq kg -1 in soil. No 137 Cs or 134 Cs was found in soil, salt and water from the salt pans investigated. (Copyright (c) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

Organic matter dynamics along a salinity gradient in Siberian steppe soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Bischoff

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Salt-affected soils will become more frequent in the next decades as arid and semiarid ecosystems are predicted to expand as a result of climate change. Nevertheless, little is known about organic matter (OM dynamics in these soils, though OM is crucial for soil fertility and represents an important carbon sink. We aimed at investigating OM dynamics along a salinity and sodicity gradient in the soils of the southwestern Siberian Kulunda steppe (Kastanozem, non-sodic Solonchak, Sodic Solonchak by assessing the organic carbon (OC stocks, the quantity and quality of particulate and mineral-associated OM in terms of non-cellulosic neutral sugar contents and carbon isotopes (δ13C, 14C activity, and the microbial community composition based on phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA patterns. Aboveground biomass was measured as a proxy for plant growth and soil OC inputs. Our hypotheses were that (i soil OC stocks decrease along the salinity gradient, (ii the proportion and stability of particulate OM is larger in salt-affected Solonchaks compared to non-salt-affected Kastanozems, (iii sodicity reduces the proportion and stability of mineral-associated OM, and (iv the fungi : bacteria ratio is negatively correlated with salinity. Against our first hypothesis, OC stocks increased along the salinity gradient with the most pronounced differences between topsoils. In contrast to our second hypothesis, the proportion of particulate OM was unaffected by salinity, thereby accounting for only  <  10 % in all three soil types, while mineral-associated OM contributed  >  90 %. Isotopic data (δ13C, 14C activity and neutral sugars in the OM fractions indicated a comparable degree of OM transformation along the salinity gradient and that particulate OM was not more persistent under saline conditions. Our third hypothesis was also rejected, as Sodic Solonchaks contained more than twice as much mineral-bound OC than the Kastanozems, which we ascribe

Heat recovery from ground below the solar pond

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ganguly, S.; Date, Abhijit; Akbarzadeh, Aliakbar

2017-01-01

The method of heat recovery from the ground below solar ponds is investigated in the present brief note. Solar ponds lose considerable amount of heat from its bottom to the ground due to temperature gradient between them. This waste heat from ground, which is at different temperature at different

Enhanced heat transfer performances of molten salt receiver with spirally grooved pipe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Jianfeng; Ding, Jing; Yu, Tao; Shen, Xiangyang

2015-01-01

The enhanced heat transfer performances of solar receiver with spirally grooved pipe were theoretically investigated. The physical model of heat absorption process was proposed using the general heat transfer correlation of molten salt in smooth and spirally grooved pipe. According to the calculation results, the convective heat transfer inside the receiver can remarkably enhance the heat absorption process, and the absorption efficiency increased with the flow velocity and groove height, while the wall temperature dropped. As the groove height increased, the heat losses of convection and radiation dropped with the decrease of wall temperature, and the average absorption efficiency of the heat receiver can be increased. Compared with the heat receiver with smooth pipe, the heat absorption efficiency of heat receiver with spirally grooved pipe e/d = 0.0475 can rise for 0.7%, and the maximum bulk fluid temperature can be increased for 31.1 °C. As a conclusion, spirally grooved pipe can be a very effective way for heat absorption enhancement of solar receiver, and it can also increase the operating temperature of molten salt. - Highlights: • Spirally grooved tube is a very effective way for solar receiver enhancement. • Heat absorption model of receiver is proposed with general heat transfer correlation. • Spirally groove tube increases absorption efficiency and reduces wall temperature. • Operating temperature of molten salt remarkably increases with groove height. • Heat absorption performance is promoted for first and second thermodynamics laws

Solar central receiver hybrid power system, Phase I. Volume 3. Appendices. Final technical report, October 1978-August 1979

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1979-09-01

A design study for a central receiver/fossil fuel hybrid power system using molten salts for heat transfer and heat storage is presented. This volume contains the appendices: (A) parametric salt piping data; (B) sample heat exchanger calculations; (C) salt chemistry and salt/materials compatibility evaluation; (D) heliostat field coordinates; (E) data lists; (F) STEAEC program input data; (G) hybrid receiver design drawings; (H) hybrid receiver absorber tube thermal math model; (I) piping stress analysis; (J) 100-MWe 18-hour storage solar central receiver hybrid power system capital cost worksheets; and (K) 500-MWe 18-hour solar central receiver hybrid power system cost breakdown. (WHK)

Effects of salt-drought stress on growth and physiobiochemical characteristics of Tamarix chinensis seedlings.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Junhua; Xia, Jiangbao; Fang, Yanming; Li, Tian; Liu, Jingtao

2014-01-01

The present study was designed to clarify the effects of salinity and water intercross stresses on the growth and physiobiochemical characteristics of Tamarix chinensis seedlings by pots culture under the artificial simulated conditions. The growth, activities of SOD, POD, and contents of MDA and osmotic adjusting substances of three years old seedlings of T. chinensis were studied under different salt-drought intercross stress. Results showed that the influence of salt stress on growth was greater than drought stress, the oxidation resistance of SOD and POD weakened gradually with salt and drought stresses intensified, and the content of MDA was higher under severe drought and mild and moderate salt stresses. The proline contents increased with the stress intensified but only significantly higher than control under the intercross stresses of severe salt-severe drought. It implied that T. chinensis could improve its stress resistance by adjusted self-growth and physiobiochemical characteristics, and the intercross compatibility of T. chinensis to salt and drought stresses can enhance the salt resistance under appropriate drought stress, but the dominant factors influencing the physiological biochemical characteristics of T. chinensis were various with the changing of salt-drought intercross stresses gradients.

Effects of Salt-Drought Stress on Growth and Physiobiochemical Characteristics of Tamarix chinensis Seedlings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junhua Liu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The present study was designed to clarify the effects of salinity and water intercross stresses on the growth and physiobiochemical characteristics of Tamarix chinensis seedlings by pots culture under the artificial simulated conditions. The growth, activities of SOD, POD, and contents of MDA and osmotic adjusting substances of three years old seedlings of T. chinensis were studied under different salt-drought intercross stress. Results showed that the influence of salt stress on growth was greater than drought stress, the oxidation resistance of SOD and POD weakened gradually with salt and drought stresses intensified, and the content of MDA was higher under severe drought and mild and moderate salt stresses. The proline contents increased with the stress intensified but only significantly higher than control under the intercross stresses of severe salt-severe drought. It implied that T. chinensis could improve its stress resistance by adjusted self-growth and physiobiochemical characteristics, and the intercross compatibility of T. chinensis to salt and drought stresses can enhance the salt resistance under appropriate drought stress, but the dominant factors influencing the physiological biochemical characteristics of T. chinensis were various with the changing of salt-drought intercross stresses gradients.

High-temperature thermal storage systems for advanced solar receivers materials selections

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, D. F.; Devan, J. H.; Howell, M.

1990-01-01

Advanced space power systems that use solar energy and Brayton or Stirling heat engines require thermal energy storage (TES) systems to operate continuously through periods of shade. The receiver storage units, key elements in both Brayton and Stirling systems, are designed to use the latent heat of fusion of phase-change materials (PCMs). The power systems under current consideration for near-future National Aeronautics and Space Administration space missions require working fluid temperatures in the 1100 to 1400 K range. The PCMs under current investigation that gave liquid temperatures within this range are the fluoride family of salts. However, these salts have low thermal conductivity, which causes large temperature gradients in the storage systems. Improvements can be obtained, however, with the use of thermal conductivity enhancements or metallic PCMs. In fact, if suitable containment materials can be found, the use of metallic PCMs would virtually eliminate the orbit associated temperature variations in TES systems. The high thermal conductivity and generally low volume change on melting of germanium and alloys based on silicon make them attractive for storage of thermal energy in space power systems. An approach to solving the containment problem, involving both chemical and physical compatibility, preparation of NiSi/NiSi2, and initial results for containment of germanium and NiSi/NiSi2, are presented.

Spatial gradients of GCR protons in the inner heliosphere derived from Ulysses COSPIN/KET and PAMELA measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Gieseler, J.; Heber, B.

2016-05-01

Context. During the transition from solar cycle 23 to 24 from 2006 to 2009, the Sun was in an unusual solar minimum with very low activity over a long period. These exceptional conditions included a very low interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength and a high tilt angle, which both play an important role in the modulation of galactic cosmic rays (GCR) in the heliosphere. Thus, the radial and latitudinal gradients of GCRs are very much expected to depend not only on the solar magnetic epoch, but also on the overall modulation level. Aims: We determine the non-local radial and the latitudinal gradients of protons in the rigidity range from ~0.45 to 2 GV. Methods: This was accomplished by using data from the satellite-borne experiment Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics (PAMELA) at Earth and the Kiel Electron Telescope (KET) onboard Ulysses on its highly inclined Keplerian orbit around the Sun with the aphelion at Jupiter's orbit. Results: In comparison to the previous A> 0 solar magnetic epoch, we find that the absolute value of the latitudinal gradient is lower at higher and higher at lower rigidities. This energy dependence is therefore a crucial test for models that describe the cosmic ray transport in the inner heliosphere.

Influence of the external conditions on salt retention and pressure-induced electrical potential measured across a composite membrane

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Benavente, Juana; Jonsson, Gunnar Eigil

1999-01-01

Transport on single electrolyte solutions (NaCl and MgCl2) due to pressure gradients across a commercial reverse osmosis membrane was studied by measuring volume flux (J(v)), salt rejection (S) and pressure induced electrical potential (Delta E) in a crossflow cell. The influence on these paramet......Transport on single electrolyte solutions (NaCl and MgCl2) due to pressure gradients across a commercial reverse osmosis membrane was studied by measuring volume flux (J(v)), salt rejection (S) and pressure induced electrical potential (Delta E) in a crossflow cell. The influence......, r = 1, 0.5 and 0.1), respectively. Results show that J(v), S and Delta E values slightly increase when the velocity of the feed solution increases, but the mixed electrolytes strongly affect both salt rejection and pressure-induced electrical potential. A change in the sign of both parameters...... with respect to the value determined with single electrolytes at the same concentration was obtained, which is attributed to a strong coupling among the fluxes of individual ions and their distribution in the membrane when transport of mixed salt is studied. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved....

Influence of salting and drying, and gamma irradiation on the quality and shelf life of salted and dried Silver belly (Leiognathus spp.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uikey, Mahendra

2015-01-01

In India about 17% of the total fishes caught are being used for salting and drying. On the global basis, 74% of the marine landings are processed by curing. Fresh Silver belly (Leognathus spp.) were procured from the fish landing centre and washed with potable water. Salting was done using food grade salt in the ratio of 1:3 (Fish to salt) in perforated steel pans by keeping the salt and fish in layer by layer fashion for 24 hrs. Drying of salted fishes was done in solar biomass hybrid drier, the final moisture content in the dried fish was 20.03%. The quality of both fresh, salted and dried fishes were analysed for chemical (Protein, fat, moisture, ash, TVB-N, TMA-N, TBARS, FFA, PV, pH) and microbial quality (TPC, halophilic count). Batches of salted and dried silver bellies were packed in high density polyethylene bags aseptically and exposed to low dose gamma irradiation (1 and 3 kGy), the non-irradiated samples were kept as control and stored at room temperature. The irradiated and control samples were analysed periodically (upto 90 days) for chemical and microbial quality. The results showed that the combined effect of salting and drying, and low dose gamma irradiation had a significant effect on microbial load (p< 0.05). The chemical parameters such as TMA-N, TVB-N and TBARS values for irradiated samples were significantly lower than the non-irradiated samples (p<0.05). The results revealed that the combination of salting and drying, and low dose gamma irradiation resulted in a significant reduction of microbial growth and chemical parameters were within the limit up to 90 days at room temperature. (author)

The Salt Overly Sensitive (SOS) pathway: established and emerging roles.

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Hongtao; Pardo, José M; Batelli, Giorgia; Van Oosten, Michael J; Bressan, Ray A; Li, Xia

2013-03-01

Soil salinity is a growing problem around the world with special relevance in farmlands. The ability to sense and respond to environmental stimuli is among the most fundamental processes that enable plants to survive. At the cellular level, the Salt Overly Sensitive (SOS) signaling pathway that comprises SOS3, SOS2, and SOS1 has been proposed to mediate cellular signaling under salt stress, to maintain ion homeostasis. Less well known is how cellularly heterogenous organs couple the salt signals to homeostasis maintenance of different types of cells and to appropriate growth of the entire organ and plant. Recent evidence strongly indicates that different regulatory mechanisms are adopted by roots and shoots in response to salt stress. Several reports have stated that, in roots, the SOS proteins may have novel roles in addition to their functions in sodium homeostasis. SOS3 plays a critical role in plastic development of lateral roots through modulation of auxin gradients and maxima in roots under mild salt conditions. The SOS proteins also play a role in the dynamics of cytoskeleton under stress. These results imply a high complexity of the regulatory networks involved in plant response to salinity. This review focuses on the emerging complexity of the SOS signaling and SOS protein functions, and highlights recent understanding on how the SOS proteins contribute to different responses to salt stress besides ion homeostasis.

Solar tower enhanced natural draft dry cooling tower

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Huiqiang; Xu, Yan; Acosta-Iborra, Alberto; Santana, Domingo

2017-06-01

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants are located in desert areas where the Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) value is very high. Since water resource is scarcely available, mechanical draft cooing technology is commonly used, with power consumption of mechanical fans being approximately 2% of the total power generated. Today, there is only one solar power plant (Khi Solar One in South Africa) uses a condenser installed in a Natural Draft Cooling (NDC) tower that avoids the windage loss of water occurring in wet cooling towers. Although, Khi Solar One is a cavity receiver power tower, the receivers can be hung onto the NDC tower. This paper looks at a novel integration of a NDC tower into an external molten salt receiver of a solar power plant, which is one of a largest commercial molten salt tower in China, with 100MWe power capacity. In this configuration study, the NDC tower surrounds the concrete tower of the receiver concentrically. In this way, the receiver concrete tower is the central support of the NDC tower, which consists of cable networks that are fixed to the concrete tower and suspended at a certain height over the floor. The cable networks support the shell of the NDC tower. To perform a preliminary analysis of the behavior of this novel configuration, two cases of numerical simulation in three dimensional (3D) models have been solved using the commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code, ANSYS Fluent 6.3. The results show that the integration of the NDC tower into an external central receiver tower is feasible. Additionally, the total heat transfer rate is not reduced but slightly increases when the molten salt receiver is in operation because of the additional natural draft induced by the high temperature of the receiver.

Elemental composition and ionization state of the solar atmosphere and solar wind

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joselyn, J.A.C.

1978-01-01

Abundance measurements have always proved useful in generating and refining astrophysical theories. Some of the classical problems of astrophysics involve determining the relative abundances of elements in the atmosphere of a star from observations of its line spectrum, and then synthesizing the physical processes which would produce such abundances. Theories of the formation of the solar system are critically tested by their ability to explain observed abundances, and, elemental abundances can serve as tracers, helping to determine the origin and transport of ions. Since the solar wind originates at the sun, it can act as a diagnostic probe of solar conditions. In particular, measurements of the composition of the solar wind should be related to the solar composition. And, assuming ionization equilibrium, measurements of the relative abundances of the ionization states in the solar wind should infer coronal temperatures and temperature gradients. However, most spherically symmetric models of the solar wind are unable to explain the relationship between the composition estimated from solar observations and as measured at 1 AU; and, recent observations of significant flow speeds in the transition region raise doubts about the validity of the assumption of ionization equilibrium

Solar thermal central receivers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vant-Hull, L.L.

1993-01-01

Market issues, environmental impact, and technology issues related to the Solar Central Receiver concept are addressed. The rationale for selection of the preferred configuration and working fluid are presented as the result of a joint utility-industry analysis. A $30 million conversion of Solar One to an external molten salt receiver would provide the intermediate step to a commercial demonstration plant. The first plant in this series could produce electricity at 11.2 cents/kWhr and the seventh at 8.2 cents/kWhr, completely competitive with projected costs of new utility plants in 1992

Conductivity gradients as inferred by electromagnetic-induction meter (EM38) readings within a salt-affected wetland in Saskatchewan, Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Mirck, Jaconette; Schroeder, William

2018-01-01

The change from deep-rooted grass and shrub vegetation to annual-cropping dryland farming has contributed to serious soil salinization challenges on the semi-arid North American Great Plains. In some cases, cultivation of the Great Plains has increased the availability of water, causing dominant sulfate salts to travel from the uphill areas to depressions where it will surface when water evaporates at the soil surface. A potential solution could include the replanting of the native deep-rooted vegetation, which requires knowledge of the spatial distribution of soil salinity. This study tested the soil factors influencing electromagnetic-induction meter (EM38) readings of soil salinity distribution around wetlands. The objectives were to: (1) predict growth and survival of Salix dasyclados Wimm. (cv. `India') along a salinity gradient in a small wetland, and (2) investigate whether newly established willows affected water-table fluctuations, which would indicate their phreatophytic nature or their ability to obtain their water supply from the zone of saturation. Results indicated significantly lower salinity values for sampling points with EM38 readings above 175 and 250 mS m-1 for height and survival, respectively. In addition, diurnal fluxes of the water table in areas of good willow growth and lower salinity indicated that cultivar `India' was phreatophytic in these areas and therefore has great potential for being used to combat saline seeps.

Electrochemical energy: the green face of the salt-affected lands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashraf, M.; Mahmood, K.; Waheed, A.

2013-01-01

A high soluble salt content make the salt-stressed terrestrial and the aquatic habitats electrically more active than the normal ecosystems. The salt-tolerant plants and the microbial populations adapted to the salt-stressed environments have developed special mechanisms to resist the ionic and the osmotic stresses. The study evaluated the bioelectricity or electrochemical energy potential of soil and bio-resources of a salt-affected land. The electrical conductivity and the charge resistance ability exhibited the various categories of salt-tolerant plants suitable for a range of salt-stressed conditions and the root activities including extrusion of proton (H+) in the rooting media. The microbial biofilms formed with plant roots, soil particles and the solid surface by exo-polysaccharides producing biofilm bacteria could regulate and monitor ion flux across the bio-membranes and the electrode surfaces. The ionic gradients thus created by plants and the microbial processes could be a continuous and uninterrupted valuable source of bio-energy of the salt-stressed and contaminated soil and water habitats. The bio-energy can be harnessed and utilized by especially designed microbial biofuel cells (MBFC). The biofilms developed on anode or cathode of MBFC could act as half cells for source and sink of the electrons released during oxidation reduction processes carried by microbial consortia while the exo-polysaccharides, the microbial biopolymer could support transfer of charge to the electrodes. The salt-affected soil and the soil organic matter constituents, microbial biopolymers and the brackish water, as a mediators and the cathode passivation inhibitors, thus could help enhance and increase the output intensity of the electrochemical energy and efficiency of the biofuel cells. The study suggested an enormous potential of the salt-affected lands for non-conventional renewable bio-energy source useful in the remote areas and for the small power requiring electrical

A review on the properties of salt hydrates for thermochemical storage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Trausel, F.; Jong, A.J. de; Cuypers, R.

2014-01-01

Solar energy is capable of supplying enough energy to answer the total demand of energy in dwellings. However, because of the discrepancy between energy supply and energy demand, an efficient way of storing thermal energy is crucial. Thermochemical storage of heat in salt hydrates provides an

Salt distribution in dry-cured ham measured by computed tomography and image analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vestergaard, Christian Sylvest; Erbou, Søren G.; Thauland, T.

2005-01-01

Forty-seven hams were scanned four times by computed tomography (CT) while being manufactured into dry-cured hams. An image-processing algorithm measured CT values in the lean part of the hams and provided line profiles reflecting the magnitude and spatial location of salt gradients. At the end...... of manufacturing, seven entire hams were dissected and the salt content of the lean part determined. Likewise, in the remaining 40 hams, the lean meat of the slices corresponding to the CT images was dissected, analyzed chemically for NaCl and compared to the CT value. The salt content of entire dry-cured hams...... section were demonstrated. Line profiles illustrating the combined salt tribution and dehydration within a ham related to the physical characteristics of the ham as well as to the manufacturing process. These findings reveal that the effects of altered manufacturing practices can be followed non...

Heat of Fusion Storage with High Solar Fraction for Solar Low Energy Buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schultz, Jørgen Munthe; Furbo, Simon

2006-01-01

to achieve 100% coverage of space heating and domestic hot water in a low energy house in a Danish climate with a solar heating system with 36 m² flat plate solar collector and approximately 10 m³ storage with sodium acetate. A traditional water storage solution aiming at 100% coverage will require a storage...... of the storage to cool down below the melting point without solidification preserving the heat of fusion energy. If the supercooled storage reaches the surrounding temperature no heat loss will take place until the supercooled salt is activated. The investigation shows that this concept makes it possible...

The impact of herbivores on nitrogen mineralization rate : consequences for salt-marsh succession

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Wijnen, HJ; van der Wal, R; Bakker, JP

Soil net N-mineralization rate was measured along a successional gradient in salt-marsh sites that were grazed by vertebrate herbivores, and in 5-year-old exclosures from which the animals were excluded. Mineralization rate was significantly higher at ungrazed than at grazed sites. In the absence of

Specificity of salt marsh diazotrophs for vegetation zones and plant hosts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Debra Aline Davis

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Salt marshes located on the east coast of temperate North America are highly productive, typically nitrogen-limited, and support diverse assemblages of nitrogen fixing (diazotrophic bacteria. The distributions of these diazotrophs are strongly influenced by plant host and abiotic environmental parameters. Crab Haul Creek Basin, North Inlet, SC, USA is a tidally dominated marsh that displays discrete plant zones distributed along an elevation gradient from the tidal creek bank to the terrestrial forest. These zones are defined by gradients of abiotic environmental variables, particularly salinity and sulfide. DGGE fingerprinting and phylogenetic analyses of recovered sequences demonstrated that the distributions of some diazotrophs indicate plant host specificity and that diazotroph assemblages across the marsh gradient are heavily influenced by edaphic conditions. Broadly distributed diazotrophs capable of maintaining populations in all environmental conditions across the gradient are also present in these assemblages. Parsimony test results confirm that diazotroph assemblages in different plant zones are significantly (p<0.01 different across the marsh landscape. Results also indicated that diazotroph assemblages associated with different plant hosts growing in the same area of the marsh were structurally similar confirming the influence of edaphic parameters on these assemblages. Principal Component Analysis of DGGE gel banding patterns confirmed these results. This article reviews and analyzes data from North Inlet Estuary, addressing diazotroph assemblage structure and the influence of plant host and environmental conditions. New data demonstrate the heterogeneity of salt marsh rhizosphere microenvironments, and corroborate previous findings from different plant hosts growing at several locations within this estuary. These data support the hypothesis that the biogeography of microorganisms is non-random and is partially driven by

Fluid inclusion brine compositions from Palo Duro Basin salt sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moody, J.B.

1987-01-01

The fluid inclusion analyses were done on salt samples from Lower San Andres Cycle 4 and 5. The stable isotope composition of the fluid inclusion brines was measured on duplicate samples taken from the same fluid inclusion brine for correlation of geochemical content with the stable isotopic content. The analyzed Palo Duro Basin salt fluid inclusions are predominantly one phase, i.e., the presence of a fluid only. However, many of the larger fluid inclusions do have a small vapor bubble. This liquid/vapor ratio is so high in these vapor-containing fluid inclusions that their behavior in a thermal gradient would be almost identical to that of all liquid inclusions. Closely associated with the fluid inclusions are cryptomelane where some fibers penetrate into halite host crystal. The fluid inclusions have a wide variability in content for those components that were analyzed, even within the same salt type. The fluid inclusion brines are also acidic, ranging from 3 to 6 as measured with pH test papers

Solar wind velocity and temperature in the outer heliosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Gazis, P. R.; Barnes, A.; Mihalov, J. D.; Lazarus, A. J.

1994-01-01

At the end of 1992, the Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, and Voyager 2 spacecraft were at heliocentric distances of 56.0, 37.3, and 39.0 AU and heliographic latitudes of 3.3 deg N, 17.4 deg N, and 8.6 deg S, respectively. Pioneer 11 and Voyager 2 are at similar celestial longitudes, while Pioneer 10 is on the opposite side of the Sun. All three spacecraft have working plasma analyzers, so intercomparison of data from these spacecraft provides important information about the global character of the solar wind in the outer heliosphere. The averaged solar wind speed continued to exhibit its well-known variation with solar cycle: Even at heliocentric distances greater than 50 AU, the average speed is highest during the declining phase of the solar cycle and lowest near solar minimum. There was a strong latitudinal gradient in solar wind speed between 3 deg and 17 deg N during the last solar minimum, but this gradient has since disappeared. The solar wind temperature declined with increasing heliocentric distance out to a heliocentric distance of at least 20 AU; this decline appeared to continue at larger heliocentric distances, but temperatures in the outer heliosphere were suprisingly high. While Pioneer 10 and Voyager 2 observed comparable solar wind temperatures, the temperature at Pioneer 11 was significantly higher, which suggests the existence of a large-scale variation of temperature with heliographic longitude. There was also some suggestion that solar wind temperatures were higher near solar minimum.

On purpose simulation model for molten salt CSP parabolic trough

Science.gov (United States)

Caranese, Carlo; Matino, Francesca; Maccari, Augusto

2017-06-01

The utilization of computer codes and simulation software is one of the fundamental aspects for the development of any kind of technology and, in particular, in CSP sector for researchers, energy institutions, EPC and others stakeholders. In that extent, several models for the simulation of CSP plant have been developed with different main objectives (dynamic simulation, productivity analysis, techno economic optimization, etc.), each of which has shown its own validity and suitability. Some of those models have been designed to study several plant configurations taking into account different CSP plant technologies (Parabolic trough, Linear Fresnel, Solar Tower or Dish) and different settings for the heat transfer fluid, the thermal storage systems and for the overall plant operating logic. Due to a lack of direct experience of Molten Salt Parabolic Trough (MSPT) commercial plant operation, most of the simulation tools do not foresee a suitable management of the thermal energy storage logic and of the solar field freeze protection system, but follow standard schemes. ASSALT, Ase Software for SALT csp plants, has been developed to improve MSPT plant's simulations, by exploiting the most correct operational strategies in order to provide more accurate technical and economical results. In particular, ASSALT applies MSPT specific control logics for the electric energy production and delivery strategy as well as the operation modes of the Solar Field in off-normal sunshine condition. With this approach, the estimated plant efficiency is increased and the electricity consumptions required for the plant operation and management is drastically reduced. Here we present a first comparative study on a real case 55 MWe Molten Salt Parabolic Trough CSP plant placed in the Tibetan highlands, using ASSALT and SAM (System Advisor Model), which is a commercially available simulation tool.

Gas-Foamed Scaffold Gradients for Combinatorial Screening in 3D

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joachim Kohn

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Current methods for screening cell-material interactions typically utilize a two-dimensional (2D culture format where cells are cultured on flat surfaces. However, there is a need for combinatorial and high-throughput screening methods to systematically screen cell-biomaterial interactions in three-dimensional (3D tissue scaffolds for tissue engineering. Previously, we developed a two-syringe pump approach for making 3D scaffold gradients for use in combinatorial screening of salt-leached scaffolds. Herein, we demonstrate that the two-syringe pump approach can also be used to create scaffold gradients using a gas-foaming approach. Macroporous foams prepared by a gas-foaming technique are commonly used for fabrication of tissue engineering scaffolds due to their high interconnectivity and good mechanical properties. Gas-foamed scaffold gradient libraries were fabricated from two biodegradable tyrosine-derived polycarbonates: poly(desaminotyrosyl-tyrosine ethyl ester carbonate (pDTEc and poly(desaminotyrosyl-tyrosine octyl ester carbonate (pDTOc. The composition of the libraries was assessed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR and showed that pDTEc/pDTOc gas-foamed scaffold gradients could be repeatably fabricated. Scanning electron microscopy showed that scaffold morphology was similar between the pDTEc-rich ends and the pDTOc-rich ends of the gradient. These results introduce a method for fabricating gas-foamed polymer scaffold gradients that can be used for combinatorial screening of cell-material interactions in 3D.

Solar advanced internal film receiver; Receptor avanzado de pelicular interna

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Torre Cabezas, M. de la

1990-07-01

In a Solar Central Internal Film Receiver, the heat absorbing fluid (a molten nitrate salt) flows in a thin film down over the non illuminated side of an absorber panel. Since the molten salt working fluid is not contained in complicated tube manifolds, the receiver design is simples than a conventional tube type-receiver resulting in a lower cost and a more reliable receiver. The Internal Film Receiver can be considered as an alternative to the Direct Absorption Receiver, in the event that the current problems of the last one can not be solved. It also describes here the test facility which will be used for its solar test, and the test plans foreseen. (Author) 17 refs.

Solar energy powered microbial fuel cell with a reversible bioelectrode.

Science.gov (United States)

Strik, David P B T B; Hamelers, Hubertus V M; Buisman, Cees J N

2010-01-01

The solar energy powered microbial fuel cell is an emerging technology for electricity generation via electrochemically active microorganisms fueled by solar energy via in situ photosynthesized metabolites from algae, cyanobacteria, or living higher plants. A general problem with microbial fuel cells is the pH membrane gradient which reduces cell voltage and power output. This problem is caused by acid production at the anode, alkaline production at the cathode, and the nonspecific proton exchange through the membrane. Here we report a solution for a new kind of solar energy powered microbial fuel cell via development of a reversible bioelectrode responsible for both biocatalyzed anodic and cathodic electron transfer. Anodic produced protons were used for the cathodic reduction reaction which held the formation of a pH membrane gradient. The microbial fuel cell continuously generated electricity and repeatedly reversed polarity dependent on aeration or solar energy exposure. Identified organisms within biocatalyzing biofilm of the reversible bioelectrode were algae, (cyano)bacteria and protozoa. These results encourage application of solar energy powered microbial fuel cells.

Ethanol steam reforming heated up by molten salt CSP : reactor assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Falco, de M.; Gallucci, F.

2010-01-01

In this paper hydrogen production via reforming of ethanol has been studied in a novel hybrid plant consisting in a ethanol reformer and a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant using molten salt as heat carrier fluid. The heat needed for the reforming of ethanol has been supplied to the system by

Ethanol steam reforming heated up by molten salt CSP: Reactor assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Falco, Marcello; Gallucci, F.

2010-01-01

In this paper hydrogen production via reforming of ethanol has been studied in a novel hybrid plant consisting in a ethanol reformer and a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant using molten salt as heat carrier fluid. The heat needed for the reforming of ethanol has been supplied to the system by

Application of linear pH gradients for the modeling of ion exchange chromatography: Separation of monoclonal antibody monomer from aggregates.

Science.gov (United States)

Kluters, Simon; Wittkopp, Felix; Jöhnck, Matthias; Frech, Christian

2016-02-01

The mobile phase pH is a key parameter of every ion exchange chromatography process. However, mechanistic insights into the pH influence on the ion exchange chromatography equilibrium are rare. This work describes a mechanistic model capturing salt and pH influence in ion exchange chromatography. The pH dependence of the characteristic protein charge and the equilibrium constant is introduced to the steric mass action model based on a protein net charge model considering the number of amino acids interacting with the stationary phase. This allows the description of the adsorption equilibrium of the chromatographed proteins as a function of pH. The model parameters were determined for a monoclonal antibody monomer, dimer, and a higher aggregated species based on a manageable set of pH gradient experiments. Without further modification of the model parameters the transfer to salt gradient elution at fixed pH is demonstrated. A lumped rate model was used to predict the separation of the monoclonal antibody monomer/aggregate mixture in pH gradient elution and for a pH step elution procedure-also at increased protein loadings up to 48 g/L packed resin. The presented model combines both salt and pH influence and may be useful for the development and deeper understanding of an ion exchange chromatography separation. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Geospatial Estimates of Road Salt Usage Across a Gradient of Urbanizing Watersheds in Southern Ontario:Thesis for Masters in Spatial Analysis (MSA)

Science.gov (United States)

Giberson, G. K.; Oswald, C.

2015-12-01

In areas affected by snow, chloride (Cl) salts are widely used as a de-icing agent to improve road conditions. While the improvement in road safety is indisputable, there are environmental consequences to local aquatic ecosystems. In many waterways, Cl concentrations have been increasing since the early 1990s, often exceeding national water quality guidelines. To determine the quantity of Cl that is accumulating in urban and urbanizing watersheds, accurate estimates of road salt usage at the watershed-scale are needed. The complex jurisdictional control over road salt application in southern Ontario lends itself to a geospatial approach for calculating Cl inputs to improve the accuracy of watershed-scale Cl mass balance estimates. This study will develop a geospatial protocol for combining information on road salt applications and road network areas to refine watershed-scale Cl inputs, as well as assess spatiotemporal patterns in road salt application across the southern Ontario study region. The overall objective of this project is to use geospatial methods (predominantly ArcGIS) to develop high-accuracy estimates of road salt usage in urbanizing watersheds in southern Ontario. Specifically, the aims will be to map and summarize the types and areas ("lane-lengths") of roadways in each watershed that have road salt applied to them, to determine the most appropriate source(s) of road salt usage data for each watershed, taking into consideration multiple levels of jurisdiction (e.g. municipal, regional, provincial), to calculate and summarize sub-watershed and watershed-scale road salt usage estimates for multiple years, and to analyze intra-watershed spatiotemporal patterns of road salt usage, especially focusing on impervious surfaces. These analyses will recommend areas of concern exacerbated by high-levels of road salt distribution; recommendations around modifying on-the-ground operations will be the next step in helping to correct these issues.

Solar wind reconstruction from magnetosheath data using an adjoint approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nabert, C.; Othmer, C.

2015-01-01

We present a new method to reconstruct solar wind conditions from spacecraft data taken during magnetosheath passages, which can be used to support, e.g., magnetospheric models. The unknown parameters of the solar wind are used as boundary conditions of an MHD (magnetohydrodynamics) magnetosheath model. The boundary conditions are varied until the spacecraft data matches the model predictions. The matching process is performed using a gradient-based minimization of the misfit between data and model. To achieve this time-consuming procedure, we introduce the adjoint of the magnetosheath model, which allows efficient calculation of the gradients. An automatic differentiation tool is used to generate the adjoint source code of the model. The reconstruction method is applied to THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) data to calculate the solar wind conditions during spacecraft magnetosheath transitions. The results are compared to actual solar wind data. This allows validation of our reconstruction method and indicates the limitations of the MHD magnetosheath model used.

Solar wind reconstruction from magnetosheath data using an adjoint approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nabert, C.; Othmer, C. [Technische Univ. Braunschweig (Germany). Inst. fuer Geophysik und extraterrestrische Physik; Glassmeier, K.H. [Technische Univ. Braunschweig (Germany). Inst. fuer Geophysik und extraterrestrische Physik; Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Goettingen (Germany)

2015-07-01

We present a new method to reconstruct solar wind conditions from spacecraft data taken during magnetosheath passages, which can be used to support, e.g., magnetospheric models. The unknown parameters of the solar wind are used as boundary conditions of an MHD (magnetohydrodynamics) magnetosheath model. The boundary conditions are varied until the spacecraft data matches the model predictions. The matching process is performed using a gradient-based minimization of the misfit between data and model. To achieve this time-consuming procedure, we introduce the adjoint of the magnetosheath model, which allows efficient calculation of the gradients. An automatic differentiation tool is used to generate the adjoint source code of the model. The reconstruction method is applied to THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) data to calculate the solar wind conditions during spacecraft magnetosheath transitions. The results are compared to actual solar wind data. This allows validation of our reconstruction method and indicates the limitations of the MHD magnetosheath model used.

U.S. Solar Holdings Final Technical Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stephens, Jake [U.S. Solar Holdings, Boise, ID (United States); Stekli, Joe [U.S. Solar Holdings, Boise, ID (United States); Rueckert, Tommy [U.S. Solar Holdings, Boise, ID (United States); Irwin, Levi [U.S. Solar Holdings, Boise, ID (United States); Mehos, Mark [U.S. Solar Holdings, Boise, ID (United States); Ho, Cliff [U.S. Solar Holdings, Boise, ID (United States)

2012-03-06

This report summarizes the work of the US Solar Thermal Storage LLC (“USSTS”) team on SandShifter subproject for Phase 2 of U.S. Department of Energy’s FOA #DE-FC36-08GO18155.005. This subproject develops a new-to-the-world, disruptive technology which leverages an abundant, inexpensive, and benign material, Sand, for application in Thermal Energy Storage (TES) in association with power generation from Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) systems. Sand, as a standalone TES media, has a 10 to 25X cost per unit of storage capacity cost advantage over the prevailing technology, molten salt. The work summarized herein suggests that SandShifter, which has a non-linear cost curve favoring higher hours of storage, could likely achieve economics of $15 per kWh-th or less for several hours of storage in high temperature steam- or salt-as-HTF configurations with further technology development.

Solar Energy within the Central Valley, CA: Current Practices and Potential

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffacker, M. K.; Hernandez, R. R.; Allen, M. F.

2015-12-01

Utility-scale solar energy (USSE, ≥ 1 megawatt [MW]) systems are rapidly being deployed in the Central Valley of California, generating clean electricity and new job opportunities. Utility-scale solar energy systems require substantial quantities of land or space, often prompting an evaluation of environmental impacts and trade-offs when selecting their placement. Utilizing salt-contaminated agricultural land (as the sodium absorption and electrical conductivity values are unsuitably high), unsuitable for food production, and lands within the built environment (developed), can serve as a co-benefit opportunity when reclamation of these lands for USSE development is prioritized. In this study, we quantify the theoretical and generation-based solar energy potential for the Central Valley according to land-cover type, crop type, and for salt-contaminated lands. Further, we utilize the Carnegie Energy and Environmental Compatibility (CEEC) model to identify and prioritize solar energy, integrating environmental resource opportunities and constraints most relevant to the Central Valley. We use the CEEC model to generate a value-based environmental compatibility output for the Central Valley. The Central Valley extends across nearly 60,000 km2 of California with the potential of generating 21,800 - 30,300 TWh y-1 and 41,600 TWh y-1 of solar energy for photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP), respectively. Pasture, hay, and cultivated crops comprise over half of the Central Valley, much of which is considered prime agriculture or of statewide or local importance for farming (28,200 km2). Together, approximately one-third of this region is salt-contaminated (16%) or developed (11%). This confers a generation-based potential of 5713 - 7891 TWh y-1 and 2770 TWh y-1 for PV and CSP, respectively. As energy, food, and land are inextricably linked, our study shows how land favorable for renewable energy systems can be used more effectively in places where land is

A Numerical Study on the Heat Transfer Characteristics of a Solar Thermal Receiver with High-temperature Heat Pipes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Young Hark; Jung, Eui Guk; Boo, Joon Hong

2007-01-01

A numerical analysis was conducted to predict the heat transfer characteristics of a solar receiver which is subject to very high heat fluxes and temperatures for solar thermal applications. The concentration ratio of the solar receiver ranges from 200 to 1000 and the concentrated heat is required to be transported to a certain distance for specific applications. The study deals with a solar receiver incorporating high-temperature sodium heat pipe as well as typical one that employs a molten-salt circulation loop. The isothermal characteristics in the receiver section is of major concern. The diameter of the solar thermal receiver was 120 mm and the length was 400 mm. For the molten-salt circulation type receiver, 48 axial channels of the same dimensions were attached to the outer wall of the receiver with even spacing in the circumferential direction. The molten salt fed through the channels by forced convection using a special pump. For the heat pipe receiver, the channels are changed to high-temperature sodium heat pipes. Commercial softwares were employed to deal with the radiative heat transfer inside the receiver cavity and the convection heat transfer along the channels. The numerical results are compared and analyzed from the view point of high-temperature solar receiver

Refractory organic matter in coastal salt marshes-effect on C sequestration calculations.

Science.gov (United States)

Leorri, Eduardo; Zimmerman, Andrew R; Mitra, Siddhartha; Christian, Robert R; Fatela, Francisco; Mallinson, David J

2018-08-15

The age and ability of salt marshes to accumulate and sequester carbon is often assessed using the carbon isotopic signatures (Δ 14 C and δ 13 C) of sedimentary organic matter. However, transfers of allochthonous refractory carbon (C RF ) from the watershed to marshes would not represent new C sequestration. To better understand how refractory carbon (C RF ) inputs affect assessments of marsh age and C sequestration, Δ 14 C and δ 13 C of both total organic carbon (TOC), C RF , and non-C RF organic matter fractions were measured in salt marshes from four contrasting systems on the North Atlantic coast. To our knowledge, no salt marsh sediment study has considered refractory or allochthonous carbon in carbon budget calculations or the impact on chronologies. Stable and radiogenic isotope data suggest that while TOC was dominated by autochthonous plant inputs, C RF was dominated by locally recycled or allochthonous C, the delivery of which was controlled by the size and slope of each watershed. Steep-gradient rivers analyzed delivered Δ 14 C-depleted C RF to their estuarine marshes, while the site located in the low-gradient river was associated with larger C RF content. Finally, the marsh isolated from riverine input contained the least fraction of TOC as C RF . Laterally transported C RF caused only a small offset in Δ 14 C in relation to TOC in low-gradient systems (average Δ 14 C offset was -44.4 and -24.2‰ at each location). However, the presence of allochthonous Δ 14 C-depleted C RF in sediments of steep-gradient rivers led to large overestimates of the time of organic matter deposition (i.e. apparent age was older than the 'true' time of deposition) (Δ 14 C offset ranged from -170.6 to -528.9‰). Further, reliance on TOC or loss on ignition analyses to calculate C sequestration by marshes might produce overestimates of at least as much as 10 to 20% since neither account for the lateral transport of allochthonous carbon. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B

Molten salt steam generator subsystem research experiment. Volume I. Phase 1 - Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1984-10-01

A study was conducted for Phase 1 of a two-phase project whose objectives were to develop a reliable, cost-effective molten salt steam generating subsystem for solar thermal plants, minimize uncertainty in capital, operating, and maintenance costs, and demonstrate the ability of molten salt to generate high-pressure, high-temperature steam. The Phase 1 study involved the conceptual design of molten salt steam generating subsystems for a nominal 100-MWe net stand-alone solar central receiver electric generating plant, and a nominal 100-MWe net hybrid fossil-fueled electric power generating plant that is 50% repowered by a solar central receiver system. As part of Phase 1, a proposal was prepared for Phase 2, which involves the design, construction, testing and evaluation of a Subsystem Research Experiment of sufficient size to ensure successful operation of the full-size subsystem designed in Phase 1. Evaluation of several concepts resulted in the selection of a four-component (preheater, evaporator, superheater, reheater), natural circulation, vertically oriented, shell and tube (straight) heat exchanger arrangement. Thermal hydraulic analysis of the system included full and part load performance, circulation requirements, stability, and critical heat flux analysis. Flow-induced tube vibration, tube buckling, fatigue evaluation of tubesheet junctions, steady-state tubesheet analysis, and a simplified transient analysis were included in the structural analysis of the system. Operating modes and system dynamic response to load changes were identified. Auxiliary equipment, fabrication, erection, and maintenance requirements were also defined. Installed capital costs and a project schedule were prepared for each design.

Effect of indomethacin and salt depletion on renal proton MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heyman, S.N.; Mammen, M.

1991-01-01

Blockade of the synthesis of vasodilating prostaglandins with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) renders the renal medulla susceptible to hypoxic injury with reduced renal function, especially in clinical conditions characterized by volume depletion. Alterations in renal hemodynamics and urine production may effect renal MR imaging under these circumstances. We injected salt-depleted and control rats undergoing proton MR imaging with indomethacin 10 mg/kg. Indomethacin abolished the cortico-medullary T2-gradient and markedly diminished the overall renal signal in salt-depleted rats only. These changes, which progressed over a period of 40 min after indomethacin was injected, probably result from renal oligemia and decreased urine production, with an associated decrease in T2-values. We suggest that a history of consumption of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be obtained and taken into account in the evaluation of renal proton MR imaging, especially in the presence of salt and volume depletion. (orig.)

Endogenous Magnetic Reconnection in Solar Coronal Loops

Science.gov (United States)

Asgari-Targhi, M.; Coppi, B.; Basu, B.; Fletcher, A.; Golub, L.

2017-12-01

We propose that a magneto-thermal reconnection process occurring in coronal loops be the source of the heating of the Solar Corona [1]. In the adopted model, magnetic reconnection is associated with electron temperature gradients, anisotropic electron temperature fluctuations and plasma current density gradients [2]. The input parameters for our theoretical model are derived from the most recent observations of the Solar Corona. In addition, the relevant (endogenous) collective modes can produce high energy particle populations. An endogenous reconnection process is defined as being driven by factors internal to the region where reconnection takes place. *Sponsored in part by the U.S. D.O.E. and the Kavli Foundation* [1] Beafume, P., Coppi, B. and Golub, L., (1992) Ap. J. 393, 396. [2] Coppi, B. and Basu, B. (2017) MIT-LNS Report HEP 17/01.

Seawater desalination with solar-energy-integrated vacuum membrane distillation system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fang Wang

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This study designed and tested a novel type of solar-energy-integrated vacuum membrane distillation (VMD system for seawater desalination under actual environmental conditions in Wuhan, China. The system consists of eight parts: a seawater tank, solar collector, solar cooker, inclined VMD evaporator, circulating water vacuum pump, heat exchanger, fresh water tank, and brine tank. Natural seawater was used as feed and a hydrophobic hollow-fiber membrane module was used to improve seawater desalination. The experiment was conducted during a typical summer day. Results showed that when the highest ambient temperature was 33 °C, the maximum value of the average solar intensity was 1,080 W/m2. The system was able to generate 36 kg (per m2 membrane module distilled fresh water during 1 day (7:00 am until 6:00 pm, the retention rate was between 99.67 and 99.987%, and electrical conductivity was between 0.00276 and 0.0673 mS/cm. The average salt rejection was over 90%. The proposed VMD system shows favorable potential application in desalination of brackish waters or high-salt wastewater treatment, as well.

Stability considerations and a double-diffusive convection model for solar ponds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, E.I.H.; Sha, W.T.; Soo, S.L.

1979-04-01

A brief survey is made on the basic principles, current designs and economic advantages of salinity-gradient solar ponds as solar collectors and reservoirs. Solar ponds are well-suited for various AIPH (agricultural and industrial process heat) applications, and as annual storage devices for space heating and cooling. The benefit of an efficient pond is demonstrated via a preliminary economic analysis which suggests the idea of energy farming as a profitable alternative for land usage in the face of rising fuel cost. The economy and reliability of solar-pond operation depend crucially on the stability of the nonconvective gradient zone against disturbances such as generated by a severe weather condition. Attention is focused on the subject of stability, and pertinent existing results are summarized and discussed. Details of the derivation of three-dimensional stability criteria for thermohaline convection with linear gradients are presented. Ten key questions pertaining to stability are posed, whose answers must be sought through extensive analytical and numerical studies. Possible methods of approach toward enhancing solar-pond stability are also discussed. For the numerical studies of pond behavior and stability characteristics, a double-diffusive convection model is proposed. The model can be constructed by extending the three-dimensional thermohydrodynamic computer code COMMIX-SA, following the necessary steps outlined; computational plans are described. Similarities exist between the halothermocline and the thermocline storage systems, and an extended COMMIX-SA will be a valuable tool for the investigation of both.

Engineering aspects of the salt diapirs; Aspectos de engenharia do diapirismo de sal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borges, Ricardo Garske [Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (PETROBRAS/CENPES), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas e Desenvolvimento

2012-07-01

From the viewpoint of drilling and well bore integrity, salt presents new significant challenges of geomechanical nature. Saline rocks have a characteristic feature of deforming slowly over time, phenomenon known as creep. Salt bodies affect present geomechanical environment by change of the local stress state. This is due mainly by the fact that salt is not able to withstand deviatoric stresses. In particular, changes in stresses can happen in the vicinity of salt bodies which are of enough magnitude to affect the fracture gradient and well bore stability, the salt-sediment interface region being the one which concentrates the majority of drilling difficulties. During the drilling of an evaporitic section in an oil well, the accumulated strain over a time period can be enough to restrain the passing of the drilling column and even stuck it in an irretrievable way. After the well has been cased, the salt creep can manifest undesirably causing, in some situations, constraints to passing tools along the casing or even causing its rupture by collapse. In order to address this issue, this work seeks to assess how saline structures affect the present geomechanics environment through changes in the local state of stresses, in addition to the consequences to well bore drilling arising from this modified stress state inside and close to the salt. A historic summary is also presented concerning operational problems in well bore drilling in regions influenced by salt movement. (author)

Effects of Spatial Gradients on Electron Runaway Acceleration

Science.gov (United States)

MacNeice, Peter; Ljepojevic, N. N.

1996-01-01

The runaway process is known to accelerate electrons in many laboratory plasmas and has been suggested as an acceleration mechanism in some astrophysical plasmas, including solar flares. Current calculations of the electron velocity distributions resulting from the runaway process are greatly restricted because they impose spatial homogeneity on the distribution. We have computed runaway distributions which include consistent development of spatial gradients in the energetic tail. Our solution for the electron velocity distribution is presented as a function of distance along a finite length acceleration region, and is compared with the equivalent distribution for the infinitely long homogenous system (i.e., no spatial gradients), as considered in the existing literature. All these results are for the weak field regime. We also discuss the severe restrictiveness of this weak field assumption.

Baseload Nitrate Salt Central Receiver Power Plant Design Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tilley, Drake [Abengoa Solar LLC, Lakewood, CO (United States); Kelly, Bruce [Abengoa Solar LLC, Lakewood, CO (United States); Burkholder, Frank [Abengoa Solar LLC, Lakewood, CO (United States)

2014-12-12

The objectives of the work were to demonstrate that a 100 MWe central receiver plant, using nitrate salt as the receiver coolant, thermal storage medium, and heat transport fluid in the steam generator, can 1) operate, at full load, for 6,400 hours each year using only solar energy, and 2) satisfy the DOE levelized energy cost goal of $0.09/kWhe (real 2009 $). To achieve these objectives the work incorporated a large range of tasks relating to many different aspects of a molten salt tower plant. The first Phase of the project focused on developing a baseline design for a Molten Salt Tower and validating areas for improvement. Tasks included a market study, receiver design, heat exchanger design, preliminary heliostat design, solar field optimization, baseline system design including PFDs and P&IDs and detailed cost estimate. The baseline plant met the initial goal of less than $0.14/kWhe, and reinforced the need to reduce costs in several key areas to reach the overall $0.09/kWhe goal. The major improvements identified from Phase I were: 1) higher temperature salt to improve cycle efficiency and reduce storage requirements, 2) an improved receiver coating to increase the efficiency of the receiver, 3) a large receiver design to maximize storage and meet the baseload hours objective, and 4) lower cost heliostat field. The second Phase of the project looked at advancing the baseline tower with the identified improvements and included key prototypes. To validate increasing the standard solar salt temperature to 600 °C a dynamic test was conducted at Sandia. The results ultimately proved the hypothesis incorrect and showed high oxide production and corrosion rates. The results lead to further testing of systems to mitigate the oxide production to be able to increase the salt temperature for a commercial plant. Foster Wheeler worked on the receiver design in both Phase I and Phase II looking at both design and lowering costs utilizing commercial fossil boiler

Advanced heat exchanger development for molten salts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sabharwall, Piyush, E-mail: Piyush.Sabharwall@inl.gov [Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 (United States); Clark, Denis; Glazoff, Michael [Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 (United States); Zheng, Guiqiu; Sridharan, Kumar; Anderson, Mark [University of Wisconsin, Madison (United States)

2014-12-15

Highlights: • Hastelloy N and 242, shows corrosion resistance to molten salt at nominal operating temperatures. • Both diffusion welds and sheet material in Hastelloy N were corrosion tested in at 650, 700, and 850 °C for 200, 500, and 1000 h. • Thermal gradients and galvanic couples in the molten salts enhance corrosion rates. • Corrosion rates found were typically <10 mils per year. - Abstract: This study addresses present work concerned with advanced heat exchanger development for molten salt in nuclear and non-nuclear thermal systems. The molten salt systems discussed herein use alloys, such as Hastelloy N and 242, that show good corrosion resistance in molten salt at nominal operating temperatures up to 700 °C. These alloys were diffusion welded, and the corresponding information is presented. Test specimens were prepared for exposing diffusion welds to molten salt environments. Hastelloy N and 242 were found to be weldable by diffusion welding, with ultimate tensile strengths about 90% of base metal values. Both diffusion welds and sheet material in Hastelloy N were corrosion tested in 58 mol% KF and 42 mol% ZrF{sub 4} at 650, 700, and 850 °C for 200, 500, and 1000 h. Corrosion rates were similar between welded and nonwelded materials, typically <100 μm per year after 1000 h of corrosion tests. No catastrophic corrosion was observed in the diffusion welded regions. For materials of construction, nickel-based alloys and alloys with dense nickel coatings are effectively inert to corrosion in fluorides, but not so in chlorides. Hence, additional testing of selected alloys for resistance to intergranular corrosion is needed, as is a determination of corrosion rate as a function of the type of salt impurity and alloy composition, with respect to chromium and carbon, to better define the best conditions for corrosion resistance. Also presented is the division of the nuclear reactor and high-temperature components per American Society of Mechanical

METALLICITY GRADIENTS OF THICK DISK DWARF STARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carrell, Kenneth; Chen Yuqin; Zhao Gang, E-mail: carrell@nao.cas.cn [Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China)

2012-12-01

We examine the metallicity distribution of the Galactic thick disk using F, G, and K dwarf stars selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Data Release 8. Using the large sample of dwarf stars with proper motions and spectroscopically determined stellar parameters, metallicity gradients in the radial direction for various heights above the Galactic plane and in the vertical direction for various radial distances from the Galaxy center have been found. In particular, we find a vertical metallicity gradient of -0.113 {+-} 0.010 (-0.125 {+-} 0.008) dex kpc{sup -1} using an isochrone (photometric) distance determination in the range 1 kpc <|Z| < 3 kpc, which is the vertical height range most consistent with the thick disk of our Galaxy. In the radial direction, we find metallicity gradients between +0.02 and +0.03 dex kpc{sup -1} for bins in the vertical direction between 1 kpc <|Z| < 3 kpc. Both of these results agree with similar values determined from other populations of stars, but this is the first time a radial metallicity gradient for the thick disk has been found at these vertical heights. We are also able to separate thin and thick disk stars based on kinematic and spatial probabilities in the vertical height range where there is significant overlap of these two populations. This should aid further studies of the metallicity gradients of the disk for vertical heights lower than those studied here but above the solar neighborhood. Metallicity gradients in the thin and thick disks are important probes into possible formation scenarios for our Galaxy and a consistent picture is beginning to emerge from results using large spectroscopic surveys, such as the ones presented here.

Multi-site solar power forecasting using gradient boosted regression trees

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Persson, Caroline Stougård; Bacher, Peder; Shiga, Takahiro

2017-01-01

The challenges to optimally utilize weather dependent renewable energy sources call for powerful tools for forecasting. This paper presents a non-parametric machine learning approach used for multi-site prediction of solar power generation on a forecast horizon of one to six hours. Historical pow...

Optimization, selection and feasibility study of solar parabolic trough power plants for Algerian conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boukelia, T.E.; Mecibah, M.S.; Kumar, B.N.; Reddy, K.S.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Evaluation of solar resources in the absence of measured data. • Optimization of 2 PTSTPPs integrated with TES and FBS and using oil and salt as HTFs. • 4E comparative study of the two optimized plants alongside the Andasol 1 plant. • The salt plant resulting as the best one and has been chosen for the viability study. • Tamanrasset is the best location for construction of PTSTPPs. - Abstract: In the present study, optimization of two parabolic trough solar thermal power plants integrated with thermal energy storage (TES), and fuel backup system (FBS) has been performed. The first plant uses Therminol VP-1 as heat transfer fluid in the solar field and the second plant uses molten salt. The optimization is carried out with solar multiple (SM) and full load hours of TES as the parameters, with an objective of minimizing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) and maximizing the annual energy yield. A 4E (energy–exergy–environment–economic) comparison of the optimized plants alongside the Andasol 1 as reference plant is studied. The molten salt plant resulting as the best technology, from the optimization and 4E comparative study has been chosen for the viability analysis of ten locations in Algeria with semi-arid and arid climatic conditions. The results indicate that Andasol 1 reference plant has the highest mean annual energy efficiency (17.25%) and exergy efficiency (23.30%). Whereas, the highest capacity factor (54.60%) and power generation (236.90 GW h) are exhibited by the molten salt plant. The molten salt plant has least annual water usage of about 800,482 m 3 , but demands more land for the operation. Nevertheless the oil plant emits the lowest amount of CO 2 gas (less than 40.3 kilo tonnes). From the economic viewpoint, molten salt seems to be the best technology compared to other plants due to its lowest investment cost (less than 360 million dollars) and lower levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) (8.48 ¢/kW h). The

Hybrid solar central receiver for combined cycle power plant

Science.gov (United States)

Bharathan, Desikan; Bohn, Mark S.; Williams, Thomas A.

1995-01-01

A hybrid combined cycle power plant including a solar central receiver for receiving solar radiation and converting it to thermal energy. The power plant includes a molten salt heat transfer medium for transferring the thermal energy to an air heater. The air heater uses the thermal energy to preheat the air from the compressor of the gas cycle. The exhaust gases from the gas cycle are directed to a steam turbine for additional energy production.

Selective sampling and measurement of Cr (VI) in water with polyquaternary ammonium salt as a binding agent in diffusive gradients in thin-films technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Hong, E-mail: redastar@163.com [College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Food Safety, Bohai University (China); Research Institute of Food Science, Bohai University (China); Food Safety Key Lab of Liaoning Province, Jinzhou 121013 (China); Zhang, Yang-Yang; Zhong, Ke-Li; Guo, Lian-Wen [College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Food Safety, Bohai University (China); Research Institute of Food Science, Bohai University (China); Food Safety Key Lab of Liaoning Province, Jinzhou 121013 (China); Gu, Jia-Li [College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Food Safety, Bohai University (China); Bo, Le; Zhang, Meng-Han [College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Food Safety, Bohai University (China); Research Institute of Food Science, Bohai University (China); Food Safety Key Lab of Liaoning Province, Jinzhou 121013 (China); Li, Jian-Rong, E-mail: lijianrong@zjgsu.edu.cn [College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Food Safety, Bohai University (China); Research Institute of Food Science, Bohai University (China); Food Safety Key Lab of Liaoning Province, Jinzhou 121013 (China)

2014-04-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We develop a new DGT device for in situ sampling Cr (VI) in water. • Polyquaternary ammonium salt (PQAS) was used as binding agent of DGT device. • Cr (VI) can be accumulated in the PQAS binding phase whereas Cr (III) cannot. • The DGT performance was independent of pH 3–12 and ionic strength 1 × 10{sup −3}–1 mol L{sup −1}. - Abstract: A diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) device with polyquaternary ammonium salt (PQAS) as a novel binding agent (PQAS DGT) combined with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) was developed for the selective sampling and measurement of Cr (VI) in water. The performance of PQAS DGT was independent of pH 3–12 and ionic strength from 1 × 10{sup −3} to 1 mol L{sup −1}. DGT validation experiments showed that Cr (VI) was measured accurately as well as selectively by PQAS DGT, whereas Cr (III) was not determined quantitatively. Compared with diphenylcarbazide spectrophotometric method (DPC), the measurement of Cr (VI) with PQAS DGT was agreement with that of DPC method in the industrial wastewater. PQAS-DGT device had been successfully deployed in local freshwater. The concentrations of Cr (VI) determined by PQAS DGT coupled with GFAAS in Nuer River, Ling River and North Lake were 0.73 ± 0.09 μg L{sup −1}, 0.50 ± 0.07 μg L{sup −1} and 0.61 ± 0.07 μg L{sup −1}, respectively. The results indicate that PQAS DGT device can be used for the selective sampling and measurement Cr (VI) in water and its detection limit is lower than that of DPC method.

Selective sampling and measurement of Cr (VI) in water with polyquaternary ammonium salt as a binding agent in diffusive gradients in thin-films technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Hong; Zhang, Yang-Yang; Zhong, Ke-Li; Guo, Lian-Wen; Gu, Jia-Li; Bo, Le; Zhang, Meng-Han; Li, Jian-Rong

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We develop a new DGT device for in situ sampling Cr (VI) in water. • Polyquaternary ammonium salt (PQAS) was used as binding agent of DGT device. • Cr (VI) can be accumulated in the PQAS binding phase whereas Cr (III) cannot. • The DGT performance was independent of pH 3–12 and ionic strength 1 × 10 −3 –1 mol L −1 . - Abstract: A diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) device with polyquaternary ammonium salt (PQAS) as a novel binding agent (PQAS DGT) combined with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) was developed for the selective sampling and measurement of Cr (VI) in water. The performance of PQAS DGT was independent of pH 3–12 and ionic strength from 1 × 10 −3 to 1 mol L −1 . DGT validation experiments showed that Cr (VI) was measured accurately as well as selectively by PQAS DGT, whereas Cr (III) was not determined quantitatively. Compared with diphenylcarbazide spectrophotometric method (DPC), the measurement of Cr (VI) with PQAS DGT was agreement with that of DPC method in the industrial wastewater. PQAS-DGT device had been successfully deployed in local freshwater. The concentrations of Cr (VI) determined by PQAS DGT coupled with GFAAS in Nuer River, Ling River and North Lake were 0.73 ± 0.09 μg L −1 , 0.50 ± 0.07 μg L −1 and 0.61 ± 0.07 μg L −1 , respectively. The results indicate that PQAS DGT device can be used for the selective sampling and measurement Cr (VI) in water and its detection limit is lower than that of DPC method

Solar Hybrid Hydrogen Production in Sunbelt and Shipping to Japan as a Liquid fuel of Methanol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamaura, Y.; Hasegawa, N.; Kaneko, H.; Utamura, M.; Katayama, Y.; Onozaki, M.; Hasuike, H.

2006-01-01

Solar hybrid methanol (SH-methanol) production (6000 t/day) from natural gas and coal using H 2 and O 2 gases, which are produced by electrolysis with solar thermal power (Tokyo Tech Beam-down concentration solar power generation with molten salt heat-storage system) at Sunbelt in Australia was studied from the economical view point. This system is the combined system of O 2 -burning coal gasification (C+1/2O 2 =CO), natural gas reforming by O 2 -partial oxidation (CH 4 + 1/2O 2 = CO + 2H 2 ), and water decomposition by electrolysis with solar thermal power (H 2 O = H 2 + 1/2O 2 ). In this production system, the SH-methanol is produced with zero CO 2 emission, shipped to Japan by oil tanker, and can be used as solar hybrid hydrogen in Japan for fuel cell. The solar hybrid methanol production cost of 24 yen/kg (58 US dollars bbl crude oil equivalent, April, 2006) is obtained with the solar power cost of the Tokyo Tech Beam-down solar concentration solar power generation with molten salt heat-storage. This cost is lower than the crude oil (67 US dollars bbl crude oil equivalent, April, 2006) and LPG (72 US dollars/ bbl crude oil equivalent, January, 2006). (authors)

Special problems in making geotechnical measurements in salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verslvis, S.; Lindner, E.N.

1983-01-01

The transfer of experience, theory, and instrumentation suitable for hard rock media has posed numerous problems which this paper will address. Foremost of these pertains to the time-dependent (creep) behavior of salt. The theoretical mechanism is elusive; creep laws formulated to predict this behavior represent the state of the art in regression analysis. Furthermore, long term experiments (1 year) that would be necessary to determine creep mechanism(s) are enormously expensive and tie-up test equipment. Second, tests for determining in situ stress are based on the theory of elasticity. However anelastic (non-recoverable) strains contribute a significant portion of the material behavior precluding back calculating in situ stresses. Another problem pertains to the rate-dependent behavior of salt. Loading and temperature gradients experienced in the laboratory are more severe than would be experienced in a repository. Significant differences in material behavior can be expected along with special problems with instrumentation

Liking, salt taste perception and use of table salt when consuming reduced-salt chicken stews in light of South Africa's new salt regulations.

Science.gov (United States)

De Kock, H L; Zandstra, E H; Sayed, N; Wentzel-Viljoen, E

2016-01-01

This study investigated the impact of salt reduction on liking, salt taste perception, and use of table salt when consuming chicken stew in light of South Africa's new salt recommendations. In total, 432 South-African consumers (aged 35.2 ± 12.3 years) consumed a full portion of a chicken stew meal once at a central location. Four stock cube powders varying in salt content were used to prepare chicken stews: 1) no reduction - 2013 Na level; regular salt level as currently available on the South African market (24473 mg Na/100 g), 2) salt reduction smaller than 2016 level, i.e. 10%-reduced (22025 mg Na/100 g), 3) 2016 salt level, as per regulatory prescriptions (18000 mg Na/100 g), 4) 2019 salt level, as per regulatory prescriptions (13000 mg Na/100 g). Consumers were randomly allocated to consume one of the four meals. Liking, salt taste perception, and use of table salt and pepper were measured. Chicken stews prepared with reduced-salt stock powders were equally well-liked as chicken stews with the current salt level. Moreover, a gradual reduction of the salt in the chicken stews resulted in a reduced salt intake, up to an average of 19% for the total group compared to the benchmark 2013 Na level stew. However, 19% of consumers compensated by adding salt back to full compensation in some cases. More salt was added with increased reductions of salt in the meals, even to the point of full compensation. Further investigation into the impacts of nutrition communication and education about salt reduction on salt taste perception and use is needed. This research provides new consumer insights on salt use and emphasises the need for consumer-focused behaviour change approaches, in addition to reformulation of products. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of High Throughput Salt Separation System with Integrated Liquid Salt Separation - Salt Distillation Assembly

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kwon, Sangwoon; Park, K. M.; Kim, J. G.; Jeong, J. H.; Lee, S. J.; Park, S. B.; Kim, S. S.

2013-01-15

The capacity of a salt distiller should be sufficiently large to reach the throughput of uranium electro-refining process. In this study, an assembly composing a liquid separation sieve and a distillation crucible was developed for the sequential operation of a liquid salt separation and a vacuum distillation in the same tower. The feasibility of the sequential salt separation was examined by the rotation test of the sieve-crucible assembly and sequential operation of a liquid salt separation and a vacuum distillation. The adhered salt in the uranium deposits was removed successfully. The salt content in the deposits was below 0.1 wt% after the sequential operation of the liquid salt separation - salt distillation. From the results of this study, it could be concluded that efficient salt separation can be realized by the sequential operation of liquid salt separation and vacuum distillation in one distillation tower since the operation procedures are simplified and no extra operation of cooling and reheating is necessary.

Sea Salt vs. Table Salt: What's the Difference?

Science.gov (United States)

... and healthy eating What's the difference between sea salt and table salt? Answers from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. The main differences between sea salt and table salt are in their taste, texture ...

Renewable water: Direct contact membrane distillation coupled with solar ponds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suárez, Francisco; Ruskowitz, Jeffrey A.; Tyler, Scott W.; Childress, Amy E.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Experimental investigation of direct contact membrane distillation driven by solar ponds. • The DCMD/SGSP system treats ∼6 times the water flow treated by an AGMD/SGSP system. • Half of the energy extracted from the SGSP was used to transport water across the membrane. • Reducing heat losses through the DCMD/SGSP system would yield higher water fluxes. - Abstract: Desalination powered by renewable energy sources is an attractive solution to address the worldwide water-shortage problem without contributing significant to greenhouse gas emissions. A promising system for renewable energy desalination is the utilization of low-temperature direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) driven by a thermal solar energy system, such as a salt-gradient solar pond (SGSP). This investigation presents the first experimental study of fresh water production in a coupled DCMD/SGSP system. The objectives of this work are to determine the experimental fresh water production rates and the energetic requirements of the different components of the system. From the laboratory results, it was found that the coupled DCMD/SGSP system treats approximately six times the water flow treated by a similar system that consisted of an air–gap membrane distillation unit driven by an SGSP. In terms of the energetic requirements, approximately 70% of the heat extracted from the SGSP was utilized to drive thermal desalination and the rest was lost in different locations of the system. In the membrane module, only half of the useful heat was actually used to transport water across the membrane and the remainder was lost by conduction in the membrane. It was also found that by reducing heat losses throughout the system would yield higher water fluxes, pointing out the need to improve the efficiency throughout the DCMD/SGSP coupled system. Therefore, further investigation of membrane properties, insulation of the system, or optimal design of the solar pond must be addressed in

Blanching, salting and sun drying of different pumpkin fruit slices.

Science.gov (United States)

Workneh, T S; Zinash, A; Woldetsadik, K

2014-11-01

The study was aimed at assessing the quality of pumpkin (Cucuribita Spp.) slices that were subjected to pre-drying treatments and drying using two drying methods (uncontrolled sun and oven) fruit accessions. Pre-drying had significant (P ≤ 0.05) effect on the quality of dried pumpkin slices. 10 % salt solution dipped pumpkin fruit slices had good chemical quality. The two-way interaction between drying methods and pre-drying treatments had significant (P ≤ 0.05) effect on chemical qualities. Pumpkin subjected to salt solution dipping treatment and oven dried had higher chemical concentrations. Among the pumpkin fruit accessions, pumpkin accession 8007 had the superior TSS, total sugar and sugar to acid ratio after drying. Among the three pre-drying treatment, salt solution dipping treatment had significant (P ≤ 0.05) effect and the most efficient pre-drying treatment to retain the quality of dried pumpkin fruits without significant chemical quality deterioration. Salt dipping treatment combined with low temperature (60 °C) oven air circulation drying is recommended to maintain quality of dried pumpkin slices. However, since direct sun drying needs extended drying time due to fluctuation in temperature, it is recommended to develop or select best successful solar dryer for use in combination with pre-drying salt dipping or blanching treatments.

MODULATION OF GALACTIC COSMIC RAY PROTONS AND ELECTRONS DURING AN UNUSUAL SOLAR MINIMUM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heber, B.; Kopp, A.; Gieseler, J.; Mueller-Mellin, R.; Fichtner, H.; Scherer, K.; Potgieter, M. S.; Ferreira, S. E. S.

2009-01-01

During the latest Ulysses out-of-ecliptic orbit the solar wind density, pressure, and magnetic field strength have been the lowest ever observed in the history of space exploration. Since cosmic ray particles respond to the heliospheric magnetic field in the expanding solar wind and its turbulence, the weak heliospheric magnetic field as well as the low plasma density and pressure are expected to cause the smallest modulation since the 1970s. In contrast to this expectation, the galactic cosmic ray (GCR) proton flux at 2.5 GV measured by Ulysses in 2008 does not exceed the one observed in the 1990s significantly, while the 2.5 GV GCR electron intensity exceeds the one measured during the 1990s by 30%-40%. At true solar minimum conditions, however, the intensities of both electrons and protons are expected to be the same. In contrast to the 1987 solar minimum, the tilt angle of the solar magnetic field has remained at about 30 deg. in 2008. In order to compare the Ulysses measurements during the 2000 solar magnetic epoch with those obtained 20 years ago, the former have been corrected for the spacecraft trajectory using latitudinal gradients of 0.25% deg. -1 and 0.19% deg. -1 for protons and electrons, respectively, and a radial gradient of 3% AU -1 . In 2008 and 1987, solar activity, as indicated by the sunspot number, was low. Thus, our observations confirm the prediction of modulation models that current sheet and gradient drifts prevent the GCR flux to rise to typical solar minimum values. In addition, measurements of electrons and protons allow us to predict that the 2.5 GV GCR proton intensity will increase by a factor of 1.3 if the tilt angle reaches values below 10 deg.

Rapid analysis of charge variants of monoclonal antibodies using non-linear salt gradient in cation-exchange high performance liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Joshi, Varsha; Kumar, Vijesh; Rathore, Anurag S

2015-08-07

A method is proposed for rapid development of a short, analytical cation exchange high performance liquid chromatography method for analysis of charge heterogeneity in monoclonal antibody products. The parameters investigated and optimized include pH, shape of elution gradient and length of the column. It is found that the most important parameter for development of a shorter method is the choice of the shape of elution gradient. In this paper, we propose a step by step approach to develop a non-linear sigmoidal shape gradient for analysis of charge heterogeneity for two different monoclonal antibody products. The use of this gradient not only decreases the run time of the method to 4min against the conventional method that takes more than 40min but also the resolution is retained. Superiority of the phosphate gradient over sodium chloride gradient for elution of mAbs is also observed. The method has been successfully evaluated for specificity, sensitivity, linearity, limit of detection, and limit of quantification. Application of this method as a potential at-line process analytical technology tool has been suggested. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of alternative phase change materials for energy storage in solar dynamic applications

Science.gov (United States)

Crane, R. A.; Dustin, M. O.

1988-01-01

The performance of fluoride salt and metallic thermal energy storage materials are compared in terms of basic performance as applied to solar dynamic power generation. Specific performance considerations include uniformity of cycle inlet temperature, peak cavity temperature, TES utilization, and system weights. Also investigated were means of enhancing the thermal conductivity of the salts and its effect on the system performance.

ASCA observation of NGC 4636: Dark matter and metallicity gradient

Science.gov (United States)

Mushotzky, R. F.; Loewenstein, M.; Awaki, H.; Makishima, K.; Matsushita, K.; Matsumoto, H.

1994-01-01

We present our analysis of ASCA PV phase observation of the elliptical galaxy NGC 4636. Solid state imaging spectrometer (SIS) spectra in six concentric annuli centered on NGC 4636 are used to derive temperature, metallicity, and column density profiles for the hot interstellar medium. Outside of the central 3 min the temperature is roughly constant at approximately 0.85 keV, while the metallicity decreases from greater than 0.36 solar at the center to less than 0.12 solar at R approximately 9 min. The implications of this gradient for elliptical galaxy formation and the enrichment of intracluster gas are discussed. We derive a detailed mass profile consistent with the stellar velocity dispersion and with ROSAT position sensitive proportional counter (PSPC) and ASCA SIS X-ray temperature profiles. We find that NGC 4636 becomes dark matter dominated at roughly the de Vaucouleurs radius, and, at r approximately 100 kpc, the ratio of dark to luminous matter density is approximately 80 and solar mass/solar luminosity approximately equal to 150. Evidence for the presence of a cooling flow is also discussed.

Salt-saturated concrete strength and permeability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pfeifle, T.W.; Hansen, F.D.; Knowles, M.K.

1996-01-01

Laboratory-scale experiments applicable to the use of salt-saturated concrete as a seal material for a transuranic waste repository have been completed. Nitrogen gas permeability measurements were made using a flexible-wall permeameter, a confining pressure of 1 MPa, and gas pressure gradients ranging from 0.3 MPa to 0.75 MPa. Results show that salt-saturated concrete has very low intrinsic permeability with values ranging from 9.4 x 10 -22 m 2 to 9.7 x 10 -17 m 2 . Strength and deformation characteristics were investigated under conditions of triaxial compression with confining pressures ranging from 0 to 15 MPa using either axial strain-rate or axial stress-rate control and show that the failure strength of concrete increases with confining pressure which can be adequately described through pressure-sensitive failure criteria. Axial, radial, and volumetric strains were also measured during each test and these data were used to determine elastic properties. Experimental results are applicable in the design and analysis of scale-related functions and apply to other concrete structures subjected to compressive loadings such as dams and prestressed structural members

Crystallization of inorganic salts from aqueous solutions in a microwave field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kochetkov, S. E.; Kuznetsov, V. A.; Lyashenko, A. V.; Bakshutov, V. S.

2006-01-01

The crystallization of some inorganic salts (KH 2 PO 4 , NaCl, Sr(NO 3 ) 2 , KNO 2 , Ca(OH) 2 ) by the thermal-gradient (with decreasing temperature) and solvent-evaporation methods using microwave heating of solutions is investigated. It is established that the growth rates of single crystals in a microwave field are an order of magnitude higher than obtained in other known techniques at comparable crystallization temperatures and supersaturations. For example, the growth rate of prismatic faces {100} of KH 2 PO 4 crystals is as high as 11 mm/day at supersaturations of ∼1.2%. The results obtained are discussed in the context of the effect of microwave radiation on the adsorption surface layers of crystals. Fine-grained phases of the salts under study are obtained by evaporation of the solvent

Conclusions from INTRAVAL working group 3: salt- and clay-related cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogorinski, P.

1995-01-01

A number of countries consider sedimentary rocks to host a nuclear waste repository, the isolation potential of which relies mainly on very low permeabilities of those formations. To establish confidence in models used in future safety assessments, INTRAVAL working group 3 analysed three test cases addressing the relevant processes which govern the transport of radionuclides in the host formation as well as in the overburden. The WIPP 1 test case studied the flow of brine from a bedded salt formation into open excavations under pressure gradients. Experiments carried out at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, USA, were carefully analysed and compared to numerical simulations. The Mol test case studied the main transport mechanisms for solutes through clay. Experiments with radioactive tracers were carried out for several years at the Mol underground laboratory, Belgium, and compared to numerical simulations. The Gorleben test case studied the influences of salt leached from a salt dome on the groundwater flow field by density variations. Measurements from a pumping test and of salt content with depth collected at boreholes throughout the investigation area at Gorleben, Germany, were compared with the results of analytical and numerical studies. (J.S.). 8 figs., 1 tab

Photogenerated Exciton Dissociation in Highly Coupled Lead Salt Nanocrystal Assemblies

KAUST Repository

Choi, Joshua J.; Luria, Justin; Hyun, Byung-Ryool; Bartnik, Adam C.; Sun, Liangfeng; Lim, Yee-Fun; Marohn, John A.; Wise, Frank W.; Hanrath, Tobias

2010-01-01

Internanocrystal coupling induced excitons dissociation in lead salt nanocrystal assemblies is investigated. By combining transient photoluminescence spectroscopy, grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering, and time-resolved electric force microscopy, we show that excitons can dissociate, without the aid of an external bias or chemical potential gradient, via tunneling through a potential barrier when the coupling energy is comparable to the exciton binding energy. Our results have important implications for the design of nanocrystal-based optoelectronic devices. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Photogenerated Exciton Dissociation in Highly Coupled Lead Salt Nanocrystal Assemblies

KAUST Repository

Choi, Joshua J.

2010-05-12

Internanocrystal coupling induced excitons dissociation in lead salt nanocrystal assemblies is investigated. By combining transient photoluminescence spectroscopy, grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering, and time-resolved electric force microscopy, we show that excitons can dissociate, without the aid of an external bias or chemical potential gradient, via tunneling through a potential barrier when the coupling energy is comparable to the exciton binding energy. Our results have important implications for the design of nanocrystal-based optoelectronic devices. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Thermal Analysis of Disposal of High-Level Nuclear Waste in a Generic Bedded Salt repository using the Semi-Analytical Method.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hadgu, Teklu [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Matteo, Edward N. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-05-01

An example case is presented for testing analytical thermal models. The example case represents thermal analysis of a generic repository in bedded salt at 500 m depth. The analysis is part of the study reported in Matteo et al. (2016). Ambient average ground surface temperature of 15°C, and a natural geothermal gradient of 25°C/km, were assumed to calculate temperature at the near field. For generic salt repository concept crushed salt backfill is assumed. For the semi-analytical analysis crushed salt thermal conductivity of 0.57 W/m-K was used. With time the crushed salt is expected to consolidate into intact salt. In this study a backfill thermal conductivity of 3.2 W/m-K (same as intact) is used for sensitivity analysis. Decay heat data for SRS glass is given in Table 1. The rest of the parameter values are shown below. Results of peak temperatures at the waste package surface are given in Table 2.

Thermal gradient migration of brine inclusions in synthetic alkali halide single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olander, D.R.; Machiels, A.J.; Balooch, M.; Yagnik, S.K.

1982-01-01

An apparatus consisting of an optical microscope with a hot stage attachment capable of simultaneously nonuniformly heating and mechanically loading small single crystals of salt was used to measure the velocities of all-liquid inclusions NaC1 and KC1 specimens under various conditions of temperature, temperature gradient, and uniaxial stress. The rate-controlling elementary step in the migration of the inclusions was found to be associated with interfacial processes, probably dissolution of the hot face. Dislocations are required for this step to take place. The small number of dislocation intersections with small inclusions in nearly perfect crystals causes substantial variations in the velocity, a sensitivity of the velocity to mechanical loading of the crystal, and a velocity which varies approximately as the second power of the temperature gradient

Solar structure without computers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clayton, D.D.

1986-01-01

We derive succinctly the equations of solar structure. We first present models of objects in hydrostatic equilibrium that fail as models of the sun in order to illustrate important physical requirements. Then by arguing physically that the pressure gradient can be matched to the simple function dP/dr = -kre/sup( -r//a) 2 , we derive a complete analytic representation of the solar interior in terms of a one-parameter family of models. Two different conditions are then used to select the appropriate value of the parameter specifying the best model within the family: (1) the solar luminosity is equated to the thermonuclear power generated near the center and/or (2) the solar luminosity is equated to the radiative diffusion of energy from a central region. The two methods of selecting the parameter agree to within a few percent. The central conditions of the sun are well calculated by these analytic formulas, all without aid of a computer. This is an original treatment, yielding much the best description of the solar center to be found by methods of differential and integral calculus, rendering it an excellent laboratory for applied calculus

Preliminary design of an osmotic-type salinity gradient energy converter. Phase I, design effort

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1979-04-30

The base case that was studied for this Phase I Interim Report is a 50 kWe design with 3.5% salt water (seawater) on one side and saturated salt water on the other side of the semi-permeable membrane. This case included a solar evaporation pond. The report includes system descriptions, system component descriptions, siting restrictions, environmental considerations, pretreatment, membrane characteristics, preliminary system capital costs, and recommendations for further work. During the course of the study and investigations, it was decided to extend the review to develop an additional basic flow sheet using brackish water instead of seawater with a solar pond. This option requires reduced flow rates and therefore can utilize smaller and less expensive components as compared to the seawater base case. Based on data for reverse osmosis water purification systems, the operating costs for pretreatment and labor would also be expected to be less for the brackish water system than for the seawater system. Finally, the use of brackish water systems greatly increases the potential number of sites available for a practical Osmo-Hydro Power System.

Mass transport in bedded salt and salt interbeds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Y.; Pigford, T.H.; Chambre, P.L.; Lee, W.W.L.

1989-08-01

Salt is the proposed host rock for geologic repositories of nuclear waste in several nations because it is nearly dry and probably impermeable. Although experiments and experience at potential salt sites indicate that salt may contain brine, the low porosity, creep, and permeability of salt make it still a good choice for geologic isolation. In this paper we summarize several mass-transfer and transport analyses of salt repositories. The mathematical details are given in our technical reports

A final report on the Phase 1 testing of a molten-salt cavity receiver

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chavez, J M [ed.; Smith, D C [Babcock and Wilcox Co., Barberton, OH (United States). Nuclear Equipment Div.

1992-05-01

This report describes the design, construction, and testing of a solar central receiver using molten nitrate salt as a heat exchange fluid. Design studies for large commercial plants (30--100 MWe) have shown molten salt to be an excellent fluid for solar thermal plants as it allows for efficient thermal storage. Plant design studies concluded that an advanced receiver test was required to address uncertainties not covered in prior receiver tests. This recommendation led to the current test program managed by Sandia National Laboratories for the US Department of Energy. The 4.5 MWt receiver is installed at Sandia National Laboratories' Central Receiver Test Facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The receiver incorporates features of large commercial receiver designs. This report describes the receiver's configuration, heat absorption surface (design and sizing), the structure and supporting systems, and the methods for control. The receiver was solar tested during a six-month period at the Central Receiver Test Facility in Albuquerque, NM. The purpose of the testing was to characterize the operational capabilities of the receiver under a number of solar operating and stand-by conditions. This testing consisted of initial check-out of the systems, followed by steady-state performance, transient receiver operation, receiver operation in clouds, receiver thermal loss testing, receiver start-up operation, and overnight thermal conditioning tests. This report describes the design, fabrication, and results of testing of the receiver.

State-of-the-art review of brine migration studies in salt. Technical memorandum report RSI-0075

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gnirk, P.F.; Krause, W.B.; Fossum, A.F.

1981-09-01

This report provides a state-of-the-art review of brine migration studies in rock salt. Emphasis is placed on the review of literature relating to brine migration phenomena around nuclear waste canisters. This review includes experimental work which has been conducted in the laboratory and in the field. In addition to the literature review, some additional thoughts on brine migration are given and a series of laboratory experiments is proposed. The proposed laboratory experiments are designed to determine whether or not a relationship exists between brine migration and temperature, temperature gradient and stress in rock salt. 34 references, 9 figures, 3 tables

Optical performance of the SO/PHI full disk telescope due to temperature gradients effect on the heat rejection entrance window

Science.gov (United States)

Garranzo, D.; Núñez, A.; Zuluaga-Ramírez, P.; Barandiarán, J.; Fernández-Medina, A.; Belenguer, T.; Álvarez-Herrero, A.

2017-11-01

The Polarimetric Helioseismic Imager for Solar Orbiter (SO/PHI) is an instrument on board in the Solar Orbiter mission. The Full Disk Telescope (FDT) will have the capability of providing images of the solar disk in all orbital faces with an image quality diffraction-limited. The Heat Rejection Entrance Window (HREW) is the first optical element of the instrument. Its function is to protect the instrument by filtering most of the Solar Spectrum radiation. The HREW consists of two parallel-plane plates made from Suprasil and each surface has a coating with a different function: an UV shield coating, a low pass band filter coating, a high pass band filter coating and an IR shield coating, respectively. The temperature gradient on the HREW during the mission produces a distortion of the transmitted wave-front due to the dependence of the refractive index with the temperature (thermo-optic effect) mainly. The purpose of this work is to determine the capability of the PHI/FDT refocusing system to compensate this distortion. A thermal gradient profile has been considered for each surface of the plates and a thermal-elastic analysis has been done by Finite Element Analysis to determine the deformation of the optical elements. The Optical Path Difference (OPD) between the incident and transmitted wavefronts has been calculated as a function of the ray tracing and the thermo-optic effect on the optical properties of Suprasil (at the work wavelength of PHI) by means of mathematical algorithms based on the 3D Snell Law. The resultant wavefronts have been introduced in the optical design of the FDT to evaluate the performance degradation of the image at the scientific focal plane and to estimate the capability of the PHI refocusing system for maintaining the image quality diffraction-limited. The analysis has been carried out considering two different situations: thermal gradients due to on axis attitude of the instrument and thermal gradients due to 1° off pointing attitude

Solar influence on meteor rates and atmospheric density variations at meteor heights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellyett, C.

1977-01-01

A full analysis of radar-determined meteor rates from New Zealand, involving 3,085,574 meteors recorded over a total of 3 1/2 years, and 12,391,976 meteors recorded by the National Research Council of Canada in 8 1/2 years confirms an inverse relationship between meteor rates and solar activity as measured by sunspot numbers. The relationship, significant at the 1% level, appears in the Canadian annual average when the abnormal 1963 increase is removed, in monthly and 1/3-monthly results for the total Canadian period, and in monthly intervals for 1 year of the New Zealand data. This proven relationship of meteor rates with the solar cycle calls for a significant density gradient change over the solar cycle in the 70- to-120-km height range. Although some definite negative results have been reported, no unambiguous positive results are yet available supporting such a density gradient change. It is possible that density variations due to annual, semiannual, diurnal, and latitudinal changes obscure any 11-year density gradient change occurring at these heights. It is uncertain whether the 1963 increase represents density gradient changes in the meteor ablation region regularly brought about 1-2 years before each sunspot minimum or is a special event due to volcanic dust. The following additional facts have emerged from the present analysis. (1) Within a 1-year period the seasonal rate change of astronomical origin overrides any density gradient change in controlling the meteor rates in one of the two hemispheres. (2) The earth's daily rotation alters rates in phase with probable diurnal density gradient changes. (3) An effect due to D region absorption has been observed in the Canadian data

Opportunities to integrate solar technologies into the Chilean lithium mining industry - reducing process related GHG emissions of a strategic storage resource

Science.gov (United States)

Telsnig, Thomas; Potz, Christian; Haas, Jannik; Eltrop, Ludger; Palma-Behnke, Rodrigo

2017-06-01

The arid northern regions of Chile are characterized by an intensive mineral mining industry and high solar irradiance levels. Besides Chile's main mining products, copper, molybdenum and iron, the production of lithium carbonate from lithium containing brines has become strategically important due to the rising demand for battery technologies worldwide. Its energy-intensive production may affect the ecological footprint of the product and the country's climate targets. Thus, the use of solar technologies for electricity and heat production might constitute an interesting option for CO2 mitigation. This study aims to quantify the impacts of the lithium carbonate production processes in Chile on climate change, and to identify site-specific integration options of solar energy technologies to reduce GHG life-cycle emissions. The considered solar integration options include a parabolic trough power plant with a molten salt storage, a solar tower power plant with molten salt receiver and molten salt storage, a one-axis tracking photovoltaic energy system for electricity, and two solar thermal power plants with Ruths storage (steam accumulator) for thermal heat production. CSP plants were identified as measures with the highest GHG mitigation potential reducing the CO2 emissions for the entire production chain and the lithium production between 16% and 33%. In a scenario that combines solar technologies for electricity and thermal energy generation, up to 59% of the CO2 emissions at the lithium production sites in Chile can be avoided. A comparison of the GHG abatement costs of the proposed solar integration options indicates that the photovoltaic system, the solar thermal plant with limited storage and the solar tower power plant are the most cost effective options.

Salinity-gradient energy driven microbial electrosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Xiaohu; Angelidaki, Irini; Zhang, Yifeng

2017-01-01

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a strong oxidant, is widely used in various chemical industries and environmental remediation processes. In this study, we developed an innovative method for cost-effective production of H2O2 by using a microbial reverse-electrodialysis electrolysis cell (MREC). In the......Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a strong oxidant, is widely used in various chemical industries and environmental remediation processes. In this study, we developed an innovative method for cost-effective production of H2O2 by using a microbial reverse-electrodialysis electrolysis cell (MREC......). In the MREC, electrical potential generated by the exoelectrogens and the salinity-gradient between salt and fresh water were utilized to drive the high-rate H2O2 production. Operational parameters such as air flow rate, pH, cathodic potential, flow rate of salt and fresh water were investigated. The optimal...... H2O2 production was observed at salt and fresh water flow rate of 0.5 mL min−1, air flow rate of 12–20 mL min−1, cathode potential of −0.485 ± 0.025 V (vs Ag/AgCl). The maximum H2O2 accumulated concentration of 778 ± 11 mg L−1 was obtained at corresponding production rate of 11.5 ± 0.5 mg L−1 h−1...

Mass transfer in a salt repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pigford, T.H.; Chambre, P.L.

1985-05-01

To meet regulatory requirements for radioactive waste in a salt repository it is necessary to predict the rates of corrosion of the waste container, the release rates of radionuclides from the waste package, and the cumulative release of radionuclides into the accessible environment. The mechanisms that may control these rates and an approach to predicting these rates from mass-transfer theory are described. This new mechanistic approach is suggested by three premises: (a) a brine inclusion originally in a salt crystal moves along grain boundaries after thermal-induced migration out of the crystal, (b) brine moves along a grain boundary under the influence of a pressure gradient, and (c) salt surrounding a heat-generating waste package will soon creep and consolidate as a monolithic medium surrounding and in contact with the waste package. After consolidation there may be very little migration of intergranular and intragranular brine to the waste package. The corrosion rate of the waste container may then be limited by the rate at which brine reaches the container and may be calculable from mass-transfer theory, and the rate at which dissolved radionuclides leave the waste package may be limited by molecular diffusion in intragranular brine and may be calculable from mass-transfer theory. If porous nonsalt interbeds intersect the waste-package borehole, the release rate of dissolved radionuclides to interbed brine may also be calculable from mass-transfer theory. The logic of these conclusions is described, as an aid in formulating the calculations that are to be made

Ionic liquid electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Gorlov, Mikhail; Kloo, Lars

2008-05-28

The potential of room-temperature molten salts (ionic liquids) as solvents for electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells has been investigated during the last decade. The non-volatility, good solvent properties and high electrochemical stability of ionic liquids make them attractive solvents in contrast to volatile organic solvents. Despite this, the relatively high viscosity of ionic liquids leads to mass-transport limitations. Here we review recent developments in the application of different ionic liquids as solvents or components of liquid and quasi-solid electrolytes for dye-sensitized solar cells.

ASTRID© - Advanced Solar Tubular ReceIver Design: A powerful tool for receiver design and optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Frantz, Cathy; Fritsch, Andreas; Uhlig, Ralf

2017-06-01

In solar tower power plants the receiver is one of the critical components. It converts the solar radiation into heat and must withstand high heat flux densities and high daily or even hourly gradients (due to passage of clouds). For this reason, the challenge during receiver design is to find a reasonable compromise between receiver efficiency, reliability, lifetime and cost. There is a strong interaction between the heliostat field, the receiver and the heat transfer fluid. Therefore, a proper receiver design needs to consider these components within the receiver optimization. There are several design and optimization tools for receivers, but most of them focus only on the receiver, ignoring the heliostat field and other parts of the plant. During the last years DLR developed the ASTRIDcode for tubular receiver concept simulation. The code comprises both a high and a low-detail model. The low-detail model utilizes a number of simplifications which allow the user to screen a high number of receiver concepts for optimization purposes. The high-detail model uses a FE model and is able to compute local absorber and salt temperatures with high accuracy. One key strength of the ASTRIDcode is its interface to a ray tracing software which simulates a realistic heat flux distributions on the receiver surface. The results generated by the ASTRIDcode have been validated by CFD simulations and measurement data.

Effect of Elevated Salt Concentrations on the Aerobic Granular Sludge Process : Linking Microbial Activity with Microbial Community Structure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bassin, J.P.; Pronk, M.; Muyzer, G.; Kleerebezem, R.; Dezotti, M.; Van Loosdrecht, M.C.M.

2011-01-01

The long- and short-term effects of salt on biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal processes were studied in an aerobic granular sludge reactor. The microbial community structure was investigated by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) on 16S rRNA and amoA genes. PCR products

Cause of solar wind speed variations observed at 1 a.u

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hakamada, K.; Akasofu, S.

1981-01-01

An attempt is made to interpret solar wind variations observed at the earth's distance, namely the solar cycle variations, the semi-annual variations, and the 27-day variations, as well as the polarity changes of the interplanetary magnetic field, mainly in terms of two effects, a positive latitudinal gradient of the solar wind speed and a wobbling solar dipole, combined with the annual (heliospheric) latitudinal excursion of the earth. It is shown that a significant part of the solar wind variations observed at the earth's distance and the changes of polarity pattern of the interplanetary magnetic field can be reasonably well reproduced by the two effects

21 CFR 100.155 - Salt and iodized salt.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Salt and iodized salt. 100.155 Section 100.155 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION GENERAL Specific Administrative Rulings and Decisions § 100.155 Salt and iodized salt. (a) For the purposes of this section, the...

Corrosion aspects of high-level waste disposal in salt domes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roerbo, K.

1979-12-01

In the ELSAM/ELKRAT waste management project it is planned that the high-level waste is glassified, encapsuled in canisters and finally deposited in a deep hole drilled in a salt dome. In the present report corrosion aspects of the canisters after deposition are discussed. The chemical environment will probably be a limited amount of brine coming from brine inclusions in the surrounding salt and moving up against the temperature gradient, the temperature at the canister surface being in the range of 100-150degC. The possible types of corrosion and the expected corrosion rates for a number of potential canister materials (mild steel, austenitic and ferritic stainless steels, Ni-base alloys, copper, titanium and a few combinations of materials) are discussed. Mild steel (possibly combined with an inner layer of copper or titanium) might possibly be an appropriate choice of material for the canister. (author)

The Dead Sea Mud and Salt: A Review of Its Characterization, Contaminants, and Beneficial Effects

Science.gov (United States)

Bawab, Abeer Al; Bozeya, Ayat; Abu-Mallouh, Saida; Abu Irmaileh, Basha'er; Daqour, Ismail; Abu-Zurayk, Rund A.

2018-02-01

The Dead Sea has been known for its therapeutic and cosmetic properties. The unique climatic conditions in the Dead Sea area make it a renowned site worldwide for the field of climatotherapy, which is a natural approach for the provision of medications for many human diseases including unusual exclusive salt composition of the water, a special natural mud, thermal mineral springs, solar irradiation, oxygen-rich and bromine-rich haze. This review focuses on the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the Dead Sea mud and salts, in addition to their contaminants, allowing this review to serve as a guide to interested researchers to their risks and the importance of treatment. Beneficial effects of Dead Sea mud and salts are discussed in terms of therapy and cosmetics. Additional benefits of both Dead Sea mud and salts are also discussed, such as antimicrobial action of the mud in relation to its therapeutic properties, and the potency of mud and salts to be a good medium for the growth of a halophilic unicellular algae, used for the commercial production of β-carotene Dunaliella.

Halomonas sp. BS4, A biosurfactant producing halophilic bacterium isolated from solar salt works in India and their biomedical importance.

Science.gov (United States)

Donio, Mariathason Birdilla Selva; Ronica, Fernando Arul; Viji, Vijayaragavan Thanga; Velmurugan, Subramanian; Jenifer, John Selesteen Charles Adlin; Michaelbabu, Mariavincent; Dhar, Prasenjit; Citarasu, Thavasimuthu

2013-12-01

Halophilic bacteria were isolated from Thamaraikulam solar salt works in India. After routine biosurfactant screening by various methods, the biosurfactant producing bacteria, Halomonas sp BS4 was confirmed by 16 S rRNA sequencing. The growth optimization of Halomonas sp BS4 revealed their optimum growth at 8% NaCl and 6-8 pH in the growth medium. Further the partially purified biosurfactants were characterized by TLC, FTIR and GC-MS analysis. GC-MS results revealed that, the partial purified biosurfactants contain 1, 2-Ethanediamine N, N, N', N'-tetra, 8-Methyl-6-nonenamide, (Z)-9-octadecenamide and a fatty acid derivative. Pharmacological screening of antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anticancer assays revealed that, the biosurfactant extracted from Halomonas sp BS4 effectively controlled the human pathogenic bacteria and fungi an aquaculturally important virus, WSSV. The biosurfactant also suppressed the proliferation of mammary epithelial carcinoma cell by 46.77% at 2.5 μg concentration. Based on these findings, the present study concluded that, there is a possibility to develop eco-friendly antimicrobial and anticancer drugs from the extremophilic origin.

Effects of exogenous salinity (NaCl) gradient on Cd release in acidified contaminated brown soil

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lina; Rong, Yong; Mao, Li; Gao, Zhiyuan; Liu, Xiaoyu; Dong, Zhicheng

2018-02-01

Taking acidified Cd contaminated brown soil in Yantai as the research object, based on different exogenous salinity (NaCl) gradient (0%, 0.3%, 0.6%, 0.9%, 1.5%, 2% and 5%), indoor simulation experiments of Cd release were carried out after field investigation. Results showed that there was a significantly positive relation (r>0.90) between Cd release concentration/amount/ratio and exogenous salt (NaCl). Besides, the more exogenous salt (NaCl) was added; maximum release concentration/amount of Cd appeared the earlier. It was found that exogenous salt (NaCl) addition could obviously promote Cd release from acidified Cd contaminated brown soil. It was believed that this could be mainly due to the cation exchange between Cd2+ and Na+, together with the dissociation and/or complexation between Cl- and Cd2+. In addition, available adsorption sites reduction by exchange base in soil causing Cd changed from solid state to soil solution was also a probable reason.

Molten Salt: Concept Definition and Capital Cost Estimate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stoddard, Larry [Black & Veatch, Kansas City, MO (United States); Andrew, Daniel [Black & Veatch, Kansas City, MO (United States); Adams, Shannon [Black & Veatch, Kansas City, MO (United States); Galluzzo, Geoff [Black & Veatch, Kansas City, MO (United States)

2016-06-30

The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Renewable Power (ORP) has been tasked to provide effective program management and strategic direction for all of the DOE’s Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) renewable power programs. The ORP’s efforts to accomplish this mission are aligned with national energy policies, DOE strategic planning, EERE’s strategic planning, Congressional appropriation, and stakeholder advice. ORP is supported by three renewable energy offices, of which one is the Solar Energy Technology Office (SETO) whose SunShot Initiative has a mission to accelerate research, development and large scale deployment of solar technologies in the United States. SETO has a goal of reducing the cost of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) by 75 percent of 2010 costs by 2020 to reach parity with base-load energy rates, and to reduce costs 30 percent further by 2030. The SunShot Initiative is promoting the implementation of high temperature CSP with thermal energy storage allowing generation during high demand hours. The SunShot Initiative has funded significant research and development work on component testing, with attention to high temperature molten salts, heliostats, receiver designs, and high efficiency high temperature supercritical CO₂ (sCO2) cycles. DOE retained Black & Veatch to support SETO’s SunShot Initiative for CSP solar power tower technology in the following areas: 1. Concept definition, including costs and schedule, of a flexible test facility to be used to test and prove components in part to support financing. 2. Concept definition, including costs and schedule, of an integrated high temperature molten salt (MS) facility with thermal energy storage and with a supercritical CO₂ cycle generating approximately 10MWe. 3. Concept definition, including costs and schedule, of an integrated high temperature falling particle facility with thermal energy storage and with a supercritical CO₂

Design considerations and construction of an experimental prototype of concentrating solar power tower system in Saudi Arabia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abu-Hamdeh, Nidal H.; Alnefaie, Khaled A.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Article is about designing and building a small scale prototype solar power tower system. • Calculations revealed that 10 heliostats are required to direct incident solar rays. • Design requirements showed that a solar tower of 7 m height should be used. • Storage tanks are cylindrical vessels with height of 1 m and a diameter of 1.5 m each. • The percentage error in the thermal power obtained from this system is about 5.3%. - Abstract: A prototype of a solar power tower system was designed and constructed to produce electricity from solar energy. This prototype of a solar power tower system was constructed and installed at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia where solar intensity is excessive. Heliostats were implemented to capture the solar rays during daylight. These mirrors are used to direct the solar energy to a solar receiver that is made of alloy steel so that thermal energy is conveyed to a thermal fluid inside the receiver. Based on a detailed selection procedure presented in this article, a final number of ten heliostats were chosen to direct the solar energy to the solar receiver. In addition; two motors were used to control the heliostat rotational and elevation movements. The thermal fluid is a molten salt mixture (which consists of 60% NaNO_3 and 40% KNO_3). Cold and hot storage tanks were manufactured from steel and they were insulated with calcium silicate from all sides. A one-meter high and one and a half-meter cylindrical vessel was adopted for each of the cold and hot tanks. In this article, a detailed design analysis of each component is presented. The thermal power transferred to the water in the heat exchanger as it is heated by the molten salt was measured and found to be 11.26 kW. The thermal power given by the molten salt in the heat exchanger was also measured and found to be 12.31 kW. The design thermal power was 13 kW. The percentage error in the thermal power obtained is about 5.3%.

Strong Solar Control of Infrared Aurora on Jupiter: Correlation Since the Last Solar Maximum

Science.gov (United States)

Kostiuk, T.; Livengood, T. A.; Hewagama, T.

2009-01-01

Polar aurorae in Jupiter's atmosphere radiate throughout the electromagnetic spectrum from X ray through mid-infrared (mid-IR, 5 - 20 micron wavelength). Voyager IRIS data and ground-based spectroscopic measurements of Jupiter's northern mid-IR aurora, acquired since 1982, reveal a correlation between auroral brightness and solar activity that has not been observed in Jovian aurora at other wavelengths. Over nearly three solar cycles, Jupiter auroral ethane emission brightness and solar 10.7 cm radio flux and sunspot number are positively correlated with high confidence. Ethane line emission intensity varies over tenfold between low and high solar activity periods. Detailed measurements have been made using the GSFC HIPWAC spectrometer at the NASA IRTF since the last solar maximum, following the mid-IR emission through the declining phase toward solar minimum. An even more convincing correlation with solar activity is evident in these data. Current analyses of these results will be described, including planned measurements on polar ethane line emission scheduled through the rise of the next solar maximum beginning in 2009, with a steep gradient to a maximum in 2012. This work is relevant to the Juno mission and to the development of the Europa Jupiter System Mission. Results of observations at the Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) operated by the University of Hawaii under Cooperative Agreement no. NCC5-538 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Science Mission Directorate, Planetary Astronomy Program. This work was supported by the NASA Planetary Astronomy Program.

Solar Pond Potential as A New Renewable Energy in South Sulawesi

Science.gov (United States)

Fadliah Baso, Nur; Chaerah Gunadin, Indar; Yusran

2018-03-01

Renewable energy sources need to be developed to maintain the electric energy availability by utilizing oceanic energy, namely solar pond energy. This energy is highly influenced by several factors including salinity, air temperature and solar radiation. This study was focused on finding the potential of solar pond in South Sulawesi, a region with fairly high solar radiation and abundant salt water raw materials availability. The method used in this study was analyzing the values from the mathematic models of daily horizontal solar radiation, air temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure for the last 22 years which were finalized using MATLAB. The findings of this study will show the areas with good potentials to apply solar pond in South Sulawesi that can be utilized in various fields including power generator, industrial heating process, desalination and heating for biomass conversion.

Atmospheric salt deposition in a tropical mountain rainforest at the eastern Andean slopes of south Ecuador – Pacific or Atlantic origin?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Makowski Giannoni

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Sea salt (NaCl has recently been proven to be of the utmost importance for ecosystem functioning in Amazon lowland forests because of its impact on herbivory, litter decomposition and, thus, carbon cycling. Sea salt deposition should generally decline as distance from its marine source increases. For the Amazon, a negative east–west gradient of sea salt availability is assumed as a consequence of the barrier effect of the Andes Mountains for Pacific air masses. However, this generalized pattern may not hold for the tropical mountain rainforest in the Andes of southern Ecuador. To analyse sea salt availability, we investigated the deposition of sodium (Na+ and chloride (Cl−, which are good proxies of sea spray aerosol. Because of the complexity of the terrain and related cloud and rain formation processes, sea salt deposition was analysed from both, rain and occult precipitation (OP along an altitudinal gradient over a period between 2004 and 2009. To assess the influence of easterly and westerly air masses on the deposition of sodium and chloride over southern Ecuador, sea salt aerosol concentration data from the Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate (MACC reanalysis data set and back-trajectory statistical methods were combined. Our results, based on deposition time series, show a clear difference in the temporal variation of sodium and chloride concentration and Na+ ∕ Cl− ratio in relation to height and exposure to winds. At higher elevations, sodium and chloride present a higher seasonality and the Na+ ∕ Cl− ratio is closer to that of sea salt. Medium- to long-range sea salt transport exhibited a similar seasonality, which shows the link between our measurements at high elevations and the sea salt synoptic transport. Although the influence of the easterlies was predominant regarding the atmospheric circulation, the statistical analysis of trajectories and hybrid receptor models revealed a stronger impact of the

Migrational polarization in high-current density molten salt electrochemical devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Braunstein, J.; Vallet, C.E.

1977-01-01

Electrochemical flux equations based on the thermodynamics of irreversible processes have been derived in terms of experimental transport coefficients for binary molten salt mixtures analogous to those proposed for high temperature batteries and fuel cells. The equations and some numerical solutions indicate steady state composition gradients of significant magnitude. The effects of migrational separation must be considered along with other melt properties in the characterization of electrode behavior, melt composition, operating temperatures and differences of phase stability, wettability and other physicochemical properties at positive and negative electrodes of high current density devices with mixed electrolytes.

Salt supply to and significance of asymmetric salt diapirs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koyi, H.; Burliga, S.; Chemia, Zurab

2012-01-01

Salt diapirs can be asymmetric both internally and externally reflecting their evolution history. As such, this asymmetry bear a significant amount of information about the differential loading (± lateral forces) and in turn the salt supply that have shaped the diapir. In two dimensions......, In this study we compare results of analogue and numerical models of diapirs with two natural salt diapris (Klodawa and Gorleben diapirs) to explain their salt supply and asymmetric evolution. In a NW-SE section, the Gorleben salt diapir possesses an asymmetric external geometry represented by a large...... southeastern overhang due to salt extrusion during Middle Cretaceous followed by its burial in Tertiary. This external asymmetry is also reflected in the internal configuration of the diapir which shows different rates of salt flow on the two halves of the structure. The asymmetric external and internal...

Selective sampling and measurement of Cr (VI) in water with polyquaternary ammonium salt as a binding agent in diffusive gradients in thin-films technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hong; Zhang, Yang-Yang; Zhong, Ke-Li; Guo, Lian-Wen; Gu, Jia-Li; Bo, Le; Zhang, Meng-Han; Li, Jian-Rong

2014-04-30

A diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) device with polyquaternary ammonium salt (PQAS) as a novel binding agent (PQAS DGT) combined with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) was developed for the selective sampling and measurement of Cr (VI) in water. The performance of PQAS DGT was independent of pH 3-12 and ionic strength from 1 × 10(-3) to 1 molL(-1). DGT validation experiments showed that Cr (VI) was measured accurately as well as selectively by PQAS DGT, whereas Cr (III) was not determined quantitatively. Compared with diphenylcarbazide spectrophotometric method (DPC), the measurement of Cr (VI) with PQAS DGT was agreement with that of DPC method in the industrial wastewater. PQAS-DGT device had been successfully deployed in local freshwater. The concentrations of Cr (VI) determined by PQAS DGT coupled with GFAAS in Nuer River, Ling River and North Lake were 0.73 ± 0.09 μg L(-1), 0.50 ± 0.07 μg L(-1) and 0.61 ± 0.07 μg L(-1), respectively. The results indicate that PQAS DGT device can be used for the selective sampling and measurement Cr (VI) in water and its detection limit is lower than that of DPC method. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improving the performance of fluorine-doped tin oxide by adding salt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Purwanto, Agus, E-mail: Aguspur@uns.ac.id [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Sebelas Maret University, Jl. Ir. Sutami 36 A, Surakarta, Central Java 57126 (Indonesia); Widiyandari, Hendri [Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, Diponegoro University, Jl. Prof. Dr. Soedarto, Tembalang, Semarang 50275 (Indonesia); Suryana, Risa [Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Sebelas Maret University, Jl. Ir. Sutami 36 A, Surakarta, Central Java 57126 (Indonesia); Jumari, Arif [Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Sebelas Maret University, Jl. Ir. Sutami 36 A, Surakarta, Central Java 57126 (Indonesia)

2015-07-01

High-performance fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) films were fabricated via a spray deposition technique with salt added to the precursor. The addition of NaCl in the precursor improved the conductivity of the FTO films. Increasing the NaCl concentration to its optimal concentration reduced the sheet resistance of the FTO film. The optimal values for the addition of a NaCl were 0.5, 0.5, 1.5, and 1.5 at.% for the FTO film prepared using NH{sub 4}F concentration of 4, 10, 16, and 22 at.%, respectively. The lowest sheet resistance of the salt-added FTO film was 4.8 Ω/□. The FTO film averaged a transmittance of more than 80% in the visible range region (λ = 400–800 nm). XRD diffractograms confirmed that the crystal structure of the as-grown FTO film was that of a tetragonal SnO{sub 2} and that the addition of salt improved its crystallinity. This film has the potential for use as an electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). - Highlights: • A method to improve FTO performance using the addition of salt • The FTO film exhibited high performance of conductivity and light transmittance. • This technique is low-cost, fast and scales-up easily using simple devices.

Molten Chloride Salts for Heat Transfer in Nuclear Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Ambrosek, James Wallace

2011-12-01

A forced convection loop was designed and constructed to examine the thermal-hydraulic performance of molten KCl-MgCl2 (68-32 at %) salt for use in nuclear co-generation facilities. As part of this research, methods for prediction of the thermo-physical properties of salt mixtures for selection of the coolant salt were studied. In addition, corrosion studies of 10 different alloys were exposed to the KCl-MgCl2 to determine a suitable construction material for the loop. Using experimental data found in literature for unary and binary salt systems, models were found, or developed to extrapolate the available experimental data to unstudied salt systems. These property models were then used to investigate the thermo-physical properties of the LINO3-NaNO3-KNO 3-Ca(NO3), system used in solar energy applications. Using these models, the density, viscosity, adiabatic compressibility, thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and melting temperatures of higher order systems can be approximated. These models may be applied to other molten salt systems. Coupons of 10 different alloys were exposed to the chloride salt for 100 hours at 850°C was undertaken to help determine with which alloy to construct the loop. Of the alloys exposed, Haynes 230 had the least amount of weight loss per area. Nickel and Hastelloy N performed best based on maximum depth of attack. Inconel 625 and 718 had a nearly uniform depletion of Cr from the surface of the sample. All other alloys tested had depletion of Cr along the grain boundaries. The Nb in Inconel 625 and 718 changed the way the Cr is depleted in these alloys. Grain-boundary engineering (GBE) of Incoloy 800H improved the corrosion resistance (weight loss and maximum depth of attack) by nearly 50% as compared to the as-received Incoloy 800H sample. A high temperature pump, thermal flow meter, and pressure differential device was designed, constructed and tested for use in the loop, The heat transfer of the molten chloride salt was found to

Low-Thermal Conductivity Suspensions Used in the Isolation of the Salt Pills Aboard the Astro-H Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator

Science.gov (United States)

Kimball, Mark O.; Shirron, Peter J.; Wegel, Donald C.; James, Bryan L.; Galassi, Nicholas M.; Faulkner, Richard L.; San Sebastian, Marcelino

2011-01-01

An adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) utilizes the magnetocholoric effect in a paramagnetic salt to produce sub-Kelvin temperatures. It is a solid-state device that has no moving parts and does not rely upon a density gradient in a working fluid. This makes it ideal for cooling space-based instruments. ·Typically the salt is enclosed in a cylindrical pill that is suspended within the bore of a magnet. The suspension between the salt pill and magnet must be robust enough to survive a launch yet have a thermal conductance that minimizes heat from the magnet that is mechanically, and thermally, anchored to a stage at a higher temperature. Here we detail such a design that uses Kevlar(Trade Mark) as the supporting media in a system that limits motion of the salt pill axial as well as laterally with respect to the magnet bore.

Cu2ZnSnSe4 Thin Film Solar Cell with Depth Gradient Composition Prepared by Selenization of Sputtered Novel Precursors.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Fang-I; Yang, Jui-Fu; Chen, Wei-Chun; Kuo, Shou-Yi

2017-11-22

In this study, we proposed a new method for the synthesis of the target material used in a two stage process for preparation of a high quality CZTSe thin film. The target material consisting of a mixture of Cu x Se and Zn x Sn 1-x alloy was synthesized, providing a quality CZTSe precursor layer for highly efficient CZTSe thin film solar cells. The CZTSe thin film can be obtained by annealing the precursor layers through a 30 min selenization process under a selenium atmosphere at 550 °C. The CZTSe thin films prepared by using the new precursor thin film were investigated and characterized using X-ray diffraction, Raman scattering, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. It was found that diffusion of Sn occurred and formed the CTSe phase and Cu x Se phase in the resultant CZTSe thin film. By selective area electron diffraction transmission electron microscopy images, the crystallinity of the CZTSe thin film was verified to be single crystal. By secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements, it was confirmed that a double-gradient band gap profile across the CZTSe absorber layer was successfully achieved. The CZTSe solar cell with the CZTSe absorber layer consisting of the precursor stack exhibited a high efficiency of 5.46%, high short circuit current (J SC ) of 37.47 mA/cm 2 , open circuit voltage (V OC ) of 0.31 V, and fill factor (F.F.) of 47%, at a device area of 0.28 cm 2 . No crossover of the light and dark current-voltage (I-V) curves of the CZTSe solar cell was observed, and also, no red kink was observed under red light illumination, indicating a low defect concentration in the CZTSe absorber layer. Shunt leakage current with a characteristic metal/CZTSe/metal leakage current model was observed by temperature-dependent I-V curves, which led to the discovery of metal incursion through the CdS buffer layer on the CZTSe absorber layer. This leakage current, also known as space charge-limited current, grew larger as the measurement temperature increased and

An experimental and theoretical investigation of novel configurations of solar ponds for use in Iraq.

OpenAIRE

Sayer, Asaad Hameed

2017-01-01

Solar energy is likely to be the energy of the future; solar ponds, especially salinity gradient solar ponds (SGSPs), facilitate simple and cost-effective thermal energy storage. Research on maximising their potential is of particular relevance to developing countries, which often have an abundance of solar energy and a critical need for increased power supplies. For this research, a theoretical model for heat transfer in a SGSP was developed to study the energy balance in the three separate ...

High Temperature Fluoride Salt Test Loop

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aaron, Adam M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Cunningham, Richard Burns [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Fugate, David L. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Holcomb, David Eugene [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Kisner, Roger A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Peretz, Fred J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Robb, Kevin R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Wilson, Dane F. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Yoder, Jr, Graydon L. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2015-12-01

Effective high-temperature thermal energy exchange and delivery at temperatures over 600°C has the potential of significant impact by reducing both the capital and operating cost of energy conversion and transport systems. It is one of the key technologies necessary for efficient hydrogen production and could potentially enhance efficiencies of high-temperature solar systems. Today, there are no standard commercially available high-performance heat transfer fluids above 600°C. High pressures associated with water and gaseous coolants (such as helium) at elevated temperatures impose limiting design conditions for the materials in most energy systems. Liquid salts offer high-temperature capabilities at low vapor pressures, good heat transport properties, and reasonable costs and are therefore leading candidate fluids for next-generation energy production. Liquid-fluoride-salt-cooled, graphite-moderated reactors, referred to as Fluoride Salt Reactors (FHRs), are specifically designed to exploit the excellent heat transfer properties of liquid fluoride salts while maximizing their thermal efficiency and minimizing cost. The FHR s outstanding heat transfer properties, combined with its fully passive safety, make this reactor the most technologically desirable nuclear power reactor class for next-generation energy production. Multiple FHR designs are presently being considered. These range from the Pebble Bed Advanced High Temperature Reactor (PB-AHTR) [1] design originally developed by UC-Berkeley to the Small Advanced High-Temperature Reactor (SmAHTR) and the large scale FHR both being developed at ORNL [2]. The value of high-temperature, molten-salt-cooled reactors is also recognized internationally, and Czechoslovakia, France, India, and China all have salt-cooled reactor development under way. The liquid salt experiment presently being developed uses the PB-AHTR as its focus. One core design of the PB-AHTR features multiple 20 cm diameter, 3.2 m long fuel channels

Forest gradient response in Sierran landscapes: the physical template

Science.gov (United States)

Urban, Dean L.; Miller, Carol; Halpin, Patrick N.; Stephenson, Nathan L.

2000-01-01

Vegetation pattern on landscapes is the manifestation of physical gradients, biotic response to these gradients, and disturbances. Here we focus on the physical template as it governs the distribution of mixed-conifer forests in California's Sierra Nevada. We extended a forest simulation model to examine montane environmental gradients, emphasizing factors affecting the water balance in these summer-dry landscapes. The model simulates the soil moisture regime in terms of the interaction of water supply and demand: supply depends on precipitation and water storage, while evapotranspirational demand varies with solar radiation and temperature. The forest cover itself can affect the water balance via canopy interception and evapotranspiration. We simulated Sierran forests as slope facets, defined as gridded stands of homogeneous topographic exposure, and verified simulated gradient response against sample quadrats distributed across Sequoia National Park. We then performed a modified sensitivity analysis of abiotic factors governing the physical gradient. Importantly, the model's sensitivity to temperature, precipitation, and soil depth varies considerably over the physical template, particularly relative to elevation. The physical drivers of the water balance have characteristic spatial scales that differ by orders of magnitude. Across large spatial extents, temperature and precipitation as defined by elevation primarily govern the location of the mixed conifer zone. If the analysis is constrained to elevations within the mixed-conifer zone, local topography comes into play as it influences drainage. Soil depth varies considerably at all measured scales, and is especially dominant at fine (within-stand) scales. Physical site variables can influence soil moisture deficit either by affecting water supply or water demand; these effects have qualitatively different implications for forest response. These results have clear implications about purely inferential approaches

Infrared investigation of the temperature structure of the solar atmosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, R.G.

1978-01-01

Narrow-band continuum limb darkening observations of the sun were taken with the Infrared Spectrometer and the West Auxiliary of the McMath Solar Telescope during the first half of 1974. The infrared limb darkening measures were used with a few absolute intensity and limb darkening measures of other investigators to develop a series of empirical solar models. The temperatures in most of the solar models were adjusted until the predictions of the model atmosphere program matched the observational measures as well as possible. Limb darkening residuals were calculated by subtracting the observational measures of the limb darkening from the limb darkening measures that were computed from the program. Experiments with several models indicated that a steep temperature gradient was needed to fit the observations at short wavelengths while a rather low temperature gradient was needed at long wavelengths. Non-LTE effects and errors in the H - opacity were ruled out as possible sources of this discrepancy. An excellent fit to the observations was ultimately achieved with a two-component LTE solar model. The hot component of this model represents the half of the solar surface that is above the median temperature at each depth; while the cool component represents the half of the solar surface that is below the median temperature. Most of the observations are fitted to within the expected errors by this model. Discrepancies below 4500 A are probably due to line blanketing. The splitting between the hot and cool components of the model is consistent with current estimates of the rms intensity fluctuations in the solar atmosphere. The model also resembles several theoretical two-component models that have recently appeared in the literature

Salt-assisted and salt-suppressed sol-gel transitions of methylcellulose in water.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Y; Wang, C; Tam, K C; Li, L

2004-02-03

The effects of various salts on the sol-gel transition of aqueous methylcellulose (MC) solutions have been studied systematically by means of a micro differential scanning calorimeter. It was found that the heating process was endothermic while the cooling process was exothermic for both MC solutions with and without salts. The addition of salts did not change the patterns of gelation and degelation of MC. However, the salts could shift the sol-gel transition and the gel-sol transition to lower or higher temperatures from a pure MC solution, depending on the salt type. These opposite effects were termed the salt-assisted and salt-suppressed sol-gel transitions. Either the salt-assisted transition or the salt-suppressed sol-gel transition was a function of salt concentration. In addition, each salt was found to have its own concentration limit for producing a stable aqueous solution of MC at a given concentration of MC, which was related to the anionic charge density of the salt. Cations were proved to have weaker effects than anions. The "salt-out strength", defined as the salt effect per mole of anion, was obtained for each anion studied. The thermodynamic mechanisms involved in the salt-assisted and salt-suppressed sol-gel transitions are discussed.

A simple orbit-attitude coupled modelling method for large solar power satellites

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qingjun; Wang, Bo; Deng, Zichen; Ouyang, Huajiang; Wei, Yi

2018-04-01

A simple modelling method is proposed to study the orbit-attitude coupled dynamics of large solar power satellites based on natural coordinate formulation. The generalized coordinates are composed of Cartesian coordinates of two points and Cartesian components of two unitary vectors instead of Euler angles and angular velocities, which is the reason for its simplicity. Firstly, in order to develop natural coordinate formulation to take gravitational force and gravity gradient torque of a rigid body into account, Taylor series expansion is adopted to approximate the gravitational potential energy. The equations of motion are constructed through constrained Hamilton's equations. Then, an energy- and constraint-conserving algorithm is presented to solve the differential-algebraic equations. Finally, the proposed method is applied to simulate the orbit-attitude coupled dynamics and control of a large solar power satellite considering gravity gradient torque and solar radiation pressure. This method is also applicable to dynamic modelling of other rigid multibody aerospace systems.

Cosmic ray intensity distribution in the vertical direction to solar equator plane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nosaka, Toru; Mori, Satoru; Sagisaka, Shuji.

1983-01-01

The data of the annual variation of cosmic ray intensity measured by neutron detectors were used to study the distribution of cosmic ray intensity vertical to the solar equator plane and its long term variation. The data used were obtained at Deep River, Kiel, Kerguelen Island, McMurdo, Ottawa, and Mt. Washington. All data showed annual variation. The patterns and degree of variation obtained in northern and southern hemisphere were similar. The summation dial representation of the annual variation and semi-annual variation of cosmic ray was obtained. The inversion of annual variation in 1958 - 1959 and 1968 - 1969 corresponded to the inversion of polarity of solar pole magnetic field. The semi-annual variation showed a complex behavior. The helio-latitudial distribution of cosmic ray intensity was obtained. The asymmetric distribution in relation to the solar equator was observed in the annual variation. The northward gradient of density in 1955 - 1958 and southward gradient in 1959 - 1968 were seen. (Kato, T.)

Ultrastructural and physiological responses of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plantlets to gradient saline stress

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Hui-Juan; Yang, Hong-Yu; Bai, Jiang-Ping; Liang, Xin-Yue; Lou, Yan; Zhang, Jun-Lian; Wang, Di; Zhang, Jin-Lin; Niu, Shu-Qi; Chen, Ying-Long

2015-01-01

Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses that impacts plant growth and reduces the productivity of field crops. Compared to field plants, test tube plantlets offer a direct and fast approach to investigate the mechanism of salt tolerance. Here we examined the ultrastructural and physiological responses of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. c.v. “Longshu No. 3”) plantlets to gradient saline stress (0, 25, 50, 100, and 200 mM NaCl) with two consequent observations (2 and 6 weeks, respectively). The results showed that, with the increase of external NaCl concentration and the duration of treatments, (1) the number of chloroplasts and cell intercellular spaces markedly decreased, (2) cell walls were thickened and even ruptured, (3) mesophyll cells and chloroplasts were gradually damaged to a complete disorganization containing more starch, (4) leaf Na and Cl contents increased while leaf K content decreased, (5) leaf proline content and the activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) increased significantly, and (6) leaf malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased significantly and stomatal area and chlorophyll content decline were also detected. Severe salt stress (200 mM NaCl) inhibited plantlet growth. These results indicated that potato plantlets adapt to salt stress to some extent through accumulating osmoprotectants, such as proline, increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as CAT and SOD. The outcomes of this study provide ultrastructural and physiological insights into characterizing potential damages induced by salt stress for selecting salt-tolerant potato cultivars. PMID:25628634

Small-scale gradients of charged particles in the heliospheric magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Fan; Giacalone, Joe

2014-01-01

Using numerical simulations of charged-particles propagating in the heliospheric magnetic field, we study small-scale gradients, or 'dropouts,' in the intensity of solar energetic particles seen at 1 AU. We use two turbulence models, the foot-point random motion model and the two-component model, to generate fluctuating magnetic fields similar to spacecraft observations at 1 AU. The turbulence models include a Kolmogorov-like magnetic field power spectrum containing a broad range of spatial scales from those that lead to large-scale field-line random walk to small scales leading to resonant pitch-angle scattering of energetic particles. We release energetic protons (20 keV-10 MeV) from a spatially compact and instantaneous source. The trajectories of energetic charged particles in turbulent magnetic fields are numerically integrated. Spacecraft observations are mimicked by collecting particles in small windows when they pass the windows at a distance of 1 AU. We show that small-scale gradients in the intensity of energetic particles and velocity dispersions observed by spacecraft can be reproduced using the foot-point random motion model. However, no dropouts are seen in simulations using the two-component magnetic turbulence model. We also show that particle scattering in the solar wind magnetic field needs to be infrequent for intensity dropouts to form.

Where Does Road Salt Go - a Static Salt Model

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, C. W.; Liu, F.; Moriarty, V. W.

2017-12-01

Each winter, more than 15 million tons of road salt is applied in the United States for the de-icing purpose. Considerable amount of chloride in road salt flows into streams/drainage systems with the snow melt runoff and spring storms, and eventually goes into ecologically sensitive low-lying areas in the watershed, such as ponds and lakes. In many watersheds in the northern part of US, the chloride level in the water body has increased significantly in the past decades, and continues an upward trend. The environmental and ecological impact of the elevated chloride level can no longer be ignored. However although there are many studies on the biological impact of elevated chloride levels, there are few investigations on how the spatially distributed road salt application affects various parts of the watershed. In this presentation, we propose a static road salt model as a first-order metric to address spacial distribution of salt loading. Derived from the Topological Wetness Index (TWI) in many hydrological models, this static salt model provides a spatial impact as- sessment of road salt applications. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the static model, National Elevation Dataset (NED) of ten-meter resolution of Lake George watershed in New York State is used to generate the TWI, which is used to compute a spatially dis- tributed "salt-loading coefficient" of the whole watershed. Spatially varying salt applica- tion rate is then aggregated, using the salt-loading coefficients as weights, to provide salt loading assessments of streams in the watershed. Time-aggregated data from five CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) sensors in selected streams are used for calibration. The model outputs and the sensor data demonstrate a strong linear correlation, with the R value of 0.97. The investigation shows that the static modeling approach may provide an effective method for the understanding the input and transport of road salt to within watersheds.

Optimized dispatch in a first-principles concentrating solar power production model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagner, Michael J.; Newman, Alexandra M.; Hamilton, William T.; Braun, Robert J.

2017-10-01

Concentrating solar power towers, which include a steam-Rankine cycle with molten salt thermal energy storage, is an emerging technology whose maximum effectiveness relies on an optimal operational and dispatch policy. Given parameters such as start-up and shut-down penalties, expected electricity price profiles, solar availability, and system interoperability requirements, this paper seeks a profit-maximizing solution that determines start-up and shut-down times for the power cycle and solar receiver, and the times at which to dispatch stored and instantaneous quantities of energy over a 48-h horizon at hourly fidelity. The mixed-integer linear program (MIP) is subject to constraints including: (i) minimum and maximum rates of start-up and shut-down, (ii) energy balance, including energetic state of the system as a whole and its components, (iii) logical rules governing the operational modes of the power cycle and solar receiver, and (iv) operational consistency between time periods. The novelty in this work lies in the successful integration of a dispatch optimization model into a detailed techno-economic analysis tool, specifically, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's System Advisor Model (SAM). The MIP produces an optimized operating strategy, historically determined via a heuristic. Using several market electricity pricing profiles, we present comparative results for a system with and without dispatch optimization, indicating that dispatch optimization can improve plant profitability by 5-20% and thereby alter the economics of concentrating solar power technology. While we examine a molten salt power tower system, this analysis is equally applicable to the more mature concentrating solar parabolic trough system with thermal energy storage.

Long-lived sources of solar cosmic rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mullan, D.J.

1979-01-01

The high correlation between prompt solar cosmic rays and a flare-induced MHD shock is well known. We point out that the propagation properties of such a shock cause shock heating of the solar atmosphere to be confined to a unipolar magnetic region. As a result, if particles can be accelerated within the shock-processed part of the corona, the fluxes of suc particles will exhibit sharp spatial gradients near quiescent filaments. The passage of an MHD shock leads to the rapid collapse of magnetic neutral regions which prior to shock passage were collapsing too slowly to accelerate particles. We suggest that these newly triggered magnetic acceleration regions provide a third phase of solar flare acceleration regions provide a third phase of solar flare acceleration which may persist for many days after a flare. Collapsing magnetic regions with lengths scales of order 100 km can explain a variety of coronal phenomena

Elucidating the effects of solar panel waste glass substitution on the physical and mechanical characteristics of clay bricks.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Kae-Long; Huang, Long-Sheng; Shie, Je-Lueng; Cheng, Ching-Jung; Lee, Ching-Hwa; Chang, Tien-Chin

2013-01-01

This study deals with the effect of solar panel waste glass on fired clay bricks. Brick samples were heated to temperatures which varied from 700-1000 degrees C for 6 h, with a heating rate of 10 degrees C min(-1). The material properties of the resultant material were then determined, including speciation variation, loss on ignition, shrinkage, bulk density, 24-h absorption rate, compressive strength and salt crystallization. The results indicate that increasing the amount of solar panel waste glass resulted in a decrease in the water absorption rate and an increase in the compressive strength of the solar panel waste glass bricks. The 24-h absorption rate and compressive strength of the solar panel waste glass brick made from samples containing 30% solar panel waste glass sintered at 1000 degrees C all met the Chinese National Standard (CNS) building requirements for first-class brick (compressive strengths and water absorption of the bricks were 300 kg cm(-2) and 10% of the brick, respectively). The addition of solar panel waste glass to the mixture reduced the degree of firing shrinkage. The salt crystallization test and wet-dry tests showed that the addition of solar panel waste glass had highly beneficial effects in that it increased the durability of the bricks. This indicates that solar panel waste glass is indeed suitable for the partial replacement of clay in bricks.

INTERNAL-CYCLE VARIATION OF SOLAR DIFFERENTIAL ROTATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, K. J.; Xie, J. L.; Shi, X. J.

2013-01-01

The latitudinal distributions of the yearly mean rotation rates measured by Suzuki in 1998 and 2012 and Pulkkinen and Tuominen in 1998 are utilized to investigate internal-cycle variation of solar differential rotation. The rotation rate at the solar equator seems to have decreased since cycle 10 onward. The coefficient B of solar differential rotation, which represents the latitudinal gradient of rotation, is found to be smaller in the several years after the minimum of a solar cycle than in the several years after the maximum time of the cycle, and it peaks several years after the maximum time of the solar cycle. The internal-cycle variation of the solar rotation rates looks similar in profile to that of the coefficient B. A new explanation is proposed to address such a solar-cycle-related variation of the solar rotation rates. Weak magnetic fields may more effectively reflect differentiation at low latitudes with high rotation rates than at high latitudes with low rotation rates, and strong magnetic fields may more effectively repress differentiation at relatively low latitudes than at high latitudes. The internal-cycle variation is inferred as the result of both the latitudinal migration of the surface torsional pattern and the repression of strong magnetic activity in differentiation.

Solar-Powered Desalination: A Modelling and Experimental Study

Science.gov (United States)

Leblanc, Jimmy; Andrews, John

2007-10-01

Water shortage is becoming one of the major problems worldwide. As such, desalination technologies have been implemented to meet growing demands for fresh water. Among the desalination technologies, thermal desalination, including multi stage flash (MSF) and multi effect evaporation (MEE), is the current leading desalination process. Reverse osmosis (RO) is also being increasingly used. Despite technological improvements, thermal desalination and reverse osmosis continue to be intensive fossil-fuel consumers and contribute to increased levels of greenhouse gases. As energy costs rise, thermal desalination by solar energy and/or low cost waste heat is likely to become increasingly attractive. As part of a project investigating the productive use of saline land and the development of sustainable desalination systems, the feasibility of producing potable water from seawater or brackish water using desalination systems powered by renewable energy in the form of low-temperature solar-thermal sources has been studied. A salinity-gradient solar pond and an evacuated tube solar collector system have been used as heat sources. Solar ponds combine solar energy collection with long-term storage and can provide reliable thermal energy at temperature ranges from 50 to 90 °C. A visual basic computer model of the different multi-stage flash desalination processes coupled with a salinity-gradient solar pond was developed to determine which process is preferable in regards to performance and greenhouse impact. The governing mathematical equations are derived from mass balances, heat energy balances, and heat transfer characteristics. Using the results from the modelling, a small-scale solar-powered desalination system, capable of producing up to 500 litres of fresh water per day, was designed and manufactured. This single-stage flash system consists of two main units: the heat supply and storage system and the flash desalination unit. Two different condenser heat exchanger

Molten salt fueled reactors with a fast salt draining

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ventre, Edmond; Blum, J.M.

1976-01-01

This invention relates to a molten salt nuclear reactor which comprises a new arrangement for shutting it down in complete safety. This nuclear reactor has a molten salt primary circuit comprising, in particular, the core of this reactor. It includes a leak tight vessel the capacity of which is appreciably greater than that of the molten salt volume of the circuit and placed so that the level of the molten salt, when all the molten salt of the circuit is contained in this vessel, is less than that of the base of the core. There are facilities for establishing and maintaining an inert gas pressure in the vessel above the molten salt, for releasing the compressed gas and for connecting the vessel to the primary circuit entering this vessel at a lower level than that of the molten salt and enabling molten salt to enter or leave the vessel according to the pressure of the inert gas. The particular advantage of this reactor is that it can be shut down safely since the draining of the primary circuit no longer results from a 'positive action' but from the suppression of an arrangement essential for the operation of the reactor consisting of the build-up of the said inert gas pressure in the said vessel [fr

Metagenomic Signatures of Bacterial Adaptation to Life in the Phyllosphere of a Salt-Secreting Desert Tree.

Science.gov (United States)

Finkel, Omri M; Delmont, Tom O; Post, Anton F; Belkin, Shimshon

2016-05-01

The leaves of Tamarix aphylla, a globally distributed, salt-secreting desert tree, are dotted with alkaline droplets of high salinity. To successfully inhabit these organic carbon-rich droplets, bacteria need to be adapted to multiple stress factors, including high salinity, high alkalinity, high UV radiation, and periodic desiccation. To identify genes that are important for survival in this harsh habitat, microbial community DNA was extracted from the leaf surfaces of 10 Tamarix aphylla trees along a 350-km longitudinal gradient. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing, contig assembly, and binning yielded 17 genome bins, six of which were >80% complete. These genomic bins, representing three phyla (Proteobacteria,Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes), were closely related to halophilic and alkaliphilic taxa isolated from aquatic and soil environments. Comparison of these genomic bins to the genomes of their closest relatives revealed functional traits characteristic of bacterial populations inhabiting the Tamarix phyllosphere, independent of their taxonomic affiliation. These functions, most notably light-sensing genes, are postulated to represent important adaptations toward colonization of this habitat. Plant leaves are an extensive and diverse microbial habitat, forming the main interface between solar energy and the terrestrial biosphere. There are hundreds of thousands of plant species in the world, exhibiting a wide range of morphologies, leaf surface chemistries, and ecological ranges. In order to understand the core adaptations of microorganisms to this habitat, it is important to diversify the type of leaves that are studied. This study provides an analysis of the genomic content of the most abundant bacterial inhabitants of the globally distributed, salt-secreting desert tree Tamarix aphylla Draft genomes of these bacteria were assembled, using the culture-independent technique of assembly and binning of metagenomic data. Analysis of the genomes reveals traits that

Quasi-Static Evolution, Catastrophe, and Failed Eruption of Solar Flux Ropes

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-30

Ropes James Chen Beam Physics Branch Plasma Physics Division December 30, 2016 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. i REPORT...pressure gradient force combine to balance the major radial hoop force. The macroscopic forces on the flux ropes and onset conditions are quantified...Solar physics theory 67-4989-07 Quasi-Static Evolution, Catastrophe, and “Failed” Eruption of Solar Flux Ropes James Chen1 Plasma Physics Division

Chemical Storage of Solar Energy Using an Old Color Change Demonstration.

Science.gov (United States)

Spears, L. Gene, Jr.; Spears, Larry G.

1984-01-01

Background information, procedures, and typical results are provided for an experiment illustrating the potential of hydrated salts for solar energy storage. The experiment involves a demonstration often used to illustrate the ease with which some transition metal ions can change their coordination numbers. (JN)

Experimental study of a combined system of solar Kang and solar air collector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Wei; Ji, Jie; Chow, Tin-Tai; He, Wei; Chen, Haifei; Guo, Chao; Yu, Hancheng

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A combined system of solar Kang and solar air collector is proposed. • An experimental study on the combined system is made. • The mean air temperature reaches 18.5 °C and maintains above 18 °C for 13 h. • The corresponding mean indoor air temperature of the reference room is 8.9 °C. • The Kang surface temperature reaches 27 °C and maintains above 18 °C for 23 h. - Abstract: Chinese Kang is widely used as heated bed and for heat recovery of cooking stove in Northern China. However there are main drawbacks of indoor and outdoor air pollutant generation and heavy demands on solid fuel handling. A novel combined Kang system, which integrates solar Kang and solar air collector, is here proposed. Experiments were conducted to examine the alternative operating modes: (i) only solar air collector in service, (ii) only solar Kang in service, and (iii) both solar Kang and solar air collector in service. The results show that these three modes behave differently and have distinct effects on room thermal environment in winter. When this pollution-free system operates under the third combined mode, the room temperature increases significantly and the vertical temperature gradient reduces. The Kang surface temperature increases and its uniformity is improved. It is also found that the room air temperature is closely related to the Kang surface temperature. Furthermore, most of the time the thermal environment meets the occupant need. This paper reports the experimental work and investigates into the effects on indoor thermal environment as in rural residences in Northern China

Molten salt oxidation of organic hazardous waste with high salt content.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chengqian; Chi, Yong; Jin, Yuqi; Jiang, Xuguang; Buekens, Alfons; Zhang, Qi; Chen, Jian

2018-02-01

Organic hazardous waste often contains some salt, owing to the widespread use of alkali salts during industrial manufacturing processes. These salts cause complications during the treatment of this type of waste. Molten salt oxidation is a flameless, robust thermal process, with inherent capability of destroying the organic constituents of wastes, while retaining the inorganic ingredients in the molten salt. In the present study, molten salt oxidation is employed for treating a typical organic hazardous waste with a high content of alkali salts. The hazardous waste derives from the production of thiotriazinone. Molten salt oxidation experiments have been conducted using a lab-scale molten salt oxidation reactor, and the emissions of CO, NO, SO 2 , HCl and dioxins are studied. Impacts are investigated from the composition of the molten salts, the types of feeding tube, the temperature of molten carbonates and the air factor. Results show that the waste can be oxidised effectively in a molten salt bath. Temperature of molten carbonates plays the most important role. With the temperature rising from 600 °C to 750 °C, the oxidation efficiency increases from 91.1% to 98.3%. Compared with the temperature, air factor has but a minor effect, as well as the composition of the molten salts and the type of feeding tube. The molten carbonates retain chlorine with an efficiency higher than 99.9% and the emissions of dioxins are below 8 pg TEQ g -1 sample. The present study shows that molten salt oxidation is a promising alternative for the disposal of organic hazardous wastes containing a high salt content.

Halite depositional facies in a solar salt pond: A key to interpreting physical energy and water depth in ancient deposits?

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson Handford, C.

1990-08-01

Subaqueous deposits of aragonite, gypsum, and halite are accumulating in shallow solar salt ponds constructed in the Pekelmeer, a sea-level sauna on Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. Several halite facies are deposited in the crystallizer ponds in response to differences in water depth and wave energy. Cumulate halite, which originates as floating rafts, is present only along the protected, upwind margins of ponds where low-energy conditions foster their formation and preservation. Cornet crystals with peculiar mushroom- and mortarboard-shaped caps precipitate in centimetre-deep brine sheets within a couple of metres of the upwind or low-energy margins. Downwind from these margins, cornet and chevron halite precipitate on the pond floors in water depths ranging from a few centimetres to ˜60 cm. Halite pisoids with radial-concentric structure are precipitated in the swash zone along downwind high-energy shorelines where they form pebbly beaches. This study suggests that primary halite facies are energy and/or depth dependent and that some primary features, if preserved in ancient halite deposits, can be used to infer physical energy conditions, subenvironments such as low- to high-energy shorelines, and extremely shallow water depths in ancient evaporite basins.

Thermomigration of fluid inclusions in rock salt. Implications for the disposal of nuclear wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noack, W.; Runge, K.

1984-01-01

A mathematical model has been suggested to predict the time-dependent accumulation of brine at nuclear waste packages emplaced in a rock salt repository owing to thermomigration of brine inclusions. The model is based mainly on a description of the migration rate as a function of the temperature, temperature gradient, inclusion size and gas/liquid ratio of inclusions. Other factors are treated merely as disturbing quantities with respect to the migration rate. (author)

Solar activity monitoring and forecasting capabilities at Big Bear Solar Observatory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. T. Gallagher

2002-07-01

Full Text Available The availability of full-disk, high-resolution Ha images from Big Bear Solar Observatory (USA, Kanzelhöhe Solar Observatory (Austria, and Yunnan Astronomical Observatory (China allows for the continual monitoring of solar activity with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. Typically, this Global Ha Network (GHN provides almost uninterrupted Ha images with a cadence of 1 min and an image scale of 1'' per pixel.  Every hour, GHN images are transferred to the web-based BBSO Active Region Monitor (ARM; www.bbso.njit.edu/arm, which includes the most recent EUV, continuum, and magnetogram data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, together with magnetograms from the Global Oscillation Network Group. ARM also includes a variety of active region properties from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Environment Center, such as up-to-date active region positions, GOES 5-min X-ray data, and flare identification. Stokes I, V, Q, and U images are available from the recently operational BBSO Digital Vector Magnetograph and the Vector Magnetograph at the Huairou Solar Observing Station of Beijing Observatory. Vector magnetograms provide complete information on the photospheric magnetic field, and allow for magnetic flux gradients, electric currents, and shear forces to be calculated: these measurements are extremely sensitive to conditions resulting in flaring activity. Furthermore, we have developed a Flare Prediction System which estimates the probability for each region to produce C-, M-, or X-class flares based on nearly eight years of NOAA data from cycle 22. This, in addition to BBSO’s daily solar activity reports, has proven a useful resource for activity forecasting.Key words. Solar physics, astronomy and astrophysics (flares and mass ejections; instruments and techniques; photosphere and chromosphere

From solar energy to hydrogen via magnesium: a challenging approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Aal, H.K.

2006-01-01

In the proposed scheme, solar energy is used first to vaporize a dynamic stream of sea water flowing along an inclined Preferential Salt Separator (P S S). Magnesium chloride salts - soluble in seawater - will separate as end products. Once obtained, anhydrous magnesium chloride is to be electrolysed to produce magnesium metal, a reliable source of stored energy. When shipped to remote locations, it is used as electrode to construct a 'galvanic - electrolytic' cell, in which water is electrolysed producing hydrogen as end product. Small scale experimental results are presented. Reference to the work reported by Pacheco is made. (authors)

The influence of ALN-Al gradient material gradient index on ballistic performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Youcong; Liu Qiwen; Li Yao; Shen Qiang

2013-01-01

Ballistic performance of the gradient material is superior to laminated material, and gradient materials have different gradient types. Using ls-dyna to simulate the ballistic performance of ALN-AL gradient target plates which contain three gradient index (b = 1, b = 0.5, b = 2). Through Hopkinson bar numerical simulation to the target plate materials, we obtained the reflection stress wave and transmission stress wave state of gradient material to get the best gradient index. The internal stress state of gradient material is simulated by amplification processing of the target plate model. When the gradient index b is equal to 1, the gradient target plate is best of all.

Microbial Growth in the Magnesium- Chloride - Sodium- Sulphate Ion System: Implications for Habitability in Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Salts

Science.gov (United States)

Loudon, C. M.; Aka, S.; Cockell, C. S.

2017-12-01

Icy moons in the outer solar system are key targets in the search for extra-terrestrial life as there is evidence that they harbour subsurface oceans. Observational evidence of icy moons such as Europa suggest that these likely brine oceans should be composed of chloride and sulphate salts. The effects of the ions that compose these salts on biology and how the interactions between them can create geochemical and geophysical barriers to life are poorly understood. Here we present an in depth study of four microorganisms grown in solutions with varying combinations of the magnesium- chloride- sodium- sulphate ions. We find that the ion composition of the brine solution can have a large effect on growth. Whilst the water activity must be permissible for growth we found that this alone could not predict the effects of the ions on growth, chaotropic effects and ion specific effects influenced by the specific physiology of organisms are also evident. For this reason we conclude that simply knowing which salts are present on icy moons is not sufficient information to determine their potential habitibility. A full sample of any brine ocean would need to be studied to fully determine the potential for biology on these outer solar system satellites.

Subsurface geology of a potential waste emplacement site, Salt Valley Anticline, Grand County, Utah

Science.gov (United States)

Hite, R.J.

1977-01-01

The Salt Valley anticline, which is located about 32 km northeast of Moab, Utah, is perhaps one of the most favorable waste emplacement sites in the Paradox basin. The site, which includes about 7.8 km 2, is highly accessible and is adjacent to a railroad. The anticline is one of a series of northwest-trending salt anticlines lying along the northeast edge of the Paradox basin. These anticlines are cored by evaporites of the Paradox Member of the Hermosa Formation of Middle Pennsylvanian age. The central core of the Salt Valley anticline forms a ridgelike mass of evaporites that has an estimated amplitude of 3,600 m. The evaporite core consists of about 87 percent halite rock, which includes some potash deposits; the remainder is black shale, silty dolomite, and anhydrite. The latter three lithologies are referred to as 'marker beds.' Using geophysical logs from drill holes on the anticline, it is possible to demonstrate that the marker beds are complexly folded and faulted. Available data concerning the geothermal gradient and heatflow at the site indicate that heat from emplaced wastes should be rapidly dissipated. Potentially exploitable resources of potash and petroleum are present at Salt Valley. Development of these resources may conflict with use of the site for waste emplacement.

Subsurface geology of a potential waste emplacement site, Salt Valley Anticline, Grand County, Utah

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hite, R.J.

1977-01-01

The Salt Valley anticline, which is located about 32 km northeast of Moab, Utah, is perhaps one of the most favorable waste emplacement sites in the Paradox basin. The site, which includes about 7.8 km 2 , is highly accessible and is adjacent to a railroad. The anticline is one of a series of northwest-trending salt antilcines lying along the northeast edge of the Paradox basin. These anticlines are cored by evaporites of the Paradox Member of the Hermosa Formation of Middle Pennsylvanian age. The central core of the Salt Valley anticline forms a ridgelike mass of evaporites that has an estimated amplitude of 3,600 m. The evaporite core consists of about 87 percent halite rock, which includes some potash deposits; the remainder is black shale, silty dolomite, and anhydrite. The latter three lithologies are referred to as ''marker beds.'' Using geophysical logs from drill holes on the anticline, it is possible to demonstrate that the marker beds are complexly folded and faulted. Available data concerning the geothermal gradient and heatflow at the site indicate that heat from emplaced wastes should be rapidly dissipated. Potentially exploitable resources of potash and petroleum are present at Salt Valley. Development of these resources may conflict with use of the site for waste emplacement

Solar wind temperature observations in the outer heliosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Gazis, P. R.; Barnes, A.; Mihalov, J. D.; Lazarus, A. J.

1992-01-01

The Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, and Voyager 2 spacecraft are now at heliocentric distances of 50, 32 and 33 AU, and heliographic latitudes of 3.5 deg N, 17 deg N, and 0 deg N, respectively. Pioneer 11 and Voyager 2 are at similar celestial longitudes, while Pioneer l0 is on the opposite side of the sun. The baselines defined by these spacecraft make it possible to resolve radial, longitudinal, and latitudinal variations of solar wind parameters. The solar wind temperature decreases with increasing heliocentric distance out to a distance of 10-15 AU. At larger heliocentric distances, this gradient disappears. These high solar wind temperatures in the outer heliosphere have persisted for at least 10 years, which suggests that they are not a solar cycle effect. The solar wind temperature varied with heliographic latitude during the most recent solar minimum. The solar wind temperature at Pioneer 11 and Voyager 2 was higher than that seen at Pioneer 10 for an extended period of time, which suggests the existence of a large-scale variation of temperature with celestial longitude, but the contribution of transient phenomena is yet to be clarified.

An Investigation on the Thermophysical Properties of a Binary Molten Salt System Containing Both Aluminum Oxide and Titanium Oxide Nanoparticle Suspensions

Science.gov (United States)

Giridhar, Kunal

Molten salts are showing great potential to replace current heat transfer and thermal energy storage fluids in concentrated solar plants because of their capability to maximize thermal energy storage, greater stability, cost effectiveness and significant thermal properties. However one of the major drawbacks of using molten salt as heat transfer fluid is that they are in solid state at room temperature and they have a high freezing point. Hence, significant resources would be required to maintain it in liquid form. If molten salt freezes while in operation, it would eventually damage piping network due to its volume shrinkage along with rendering the entire plant inoperable. It is long known that addition of nanoparticle suspensions has led to significant changes in thermal properties of fluids. In this investigation, aluminum oxide and titanium oxide nanoparticles of varying concentrations are added to molten salt/solar salt system consisting of 60% sodium nitrate and 40% potassium nitrate. Using differential scanning calorimeter, an attempt will be made to investigate changes in heat capacity of system, depression in freezing point and changes in latent heat of fusion. Scanning electron microscope will be used to take images of samples to study changes in micro-structure of mixture, ensure uniform distribution of nanoparticle in system and verify authenticity of materials used for experimentation. Due to enormous magnitude of CSP plant, actual implementation of molten salt system is on a large scale. With this investigation, even microscopic enhancement in heat capacity and slight lowering of freezing point will lead to greater benefits in terms of efficiency and cost of operation of plant. These results will further the argument for viability of molten salt as a heat transfer fluid and thermal storage system in CSP. One of the objective of this experimentation is to also collect experimental data which can be used for establishing relation between concentration

Concentrating Solar Power Central Receiver Panel Component Fabrication and Testing FINAL REPORT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McDowell, Michael W [Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne; Miner, Kris [Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne

2013-03-30

The objective of this project is to complete a design of an advanced concentrated solar panel and demonstrate the manufacturability of key components. Then confirm the operation of the key components under prototypic solar flux conditions. This work is an important step in reducing the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) from a central receiver solar power plant. The key technical risk to building larger power towers is building the larger receiver systems. Therefore, this proposed technology project includes the design of an advanced molten salt prototypic sub-scale receiver panel that can be utilized into a large receiver system. Then complete the fabrication and testing of key components of the receive design that will be used to validate the design. This project shall have a significant impact on solar thermal power plant design. Receiver panels of suitable size for utility scale plants are a key element to a solar power tower plant. Many subtle and complex manufacturing processes are involved in producing a reliable, robust receiver panel. Given the substantial size difference between receiver panels manufactured in the past and those needed for large plant designs, the manufacture and demonstration on prototype receiver panel components with representative features of a full-sized panel will be important to improving the build process for commercial success. Given the thermal flux limitations of the test facility, the panel components cannot be rendered full size. Significance changes occurred in the projects technical strategies from project initiation to the accomplishments described herein. The initial strategy was to define cost improvements for the receiver, design and build a scale prototype receiver and test, on sun, with a molten salt heat transport system. DOE had committed to constructing a molten salt heat transport loop to support receiver testing at the top of the NSTTF tower. Because of funding constraints this did not happen. A subsequent plan to

Ultrastructural and physiological responses of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. plantlets to gradient saline stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui-Juan eGao

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses that impacts plant growth and reduces the productivity of field crops. Compared to field plants, test tube plantlets offer a direct and fast approach to investigate the mechanism of salt tolerance. Here we examined the ultrastructural and physiological responses of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. c.v. ‘Longshu No. 3’ plantlets to gradient saline stress (0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mM NaCl with two consequent observations (two and six weeks, respectively. The results showed that, with the increase of external NaCl concentration and the duration of treatments, (1 the number of chloroplasts and cell intercellular spaces markedly decreased, (2 cell walls were thickened and even ruptured, (3 mesophyll cells and chloroplasts were gradually damaged to a complete disorganization containing more starch, (4 leaf Na and Cl contents increased while leaf K content decreased, (5 leaf proline content and the activities of catalase (CAT and superoxide dismutase (SOD increased significantly, and (6 leaf malondialdehyde (MDA content increased significantly and stomatal area and chlorophyll content decline were also detected. Severe salt stress (200 mM NaCl inhibited plantlet growth. These results indicated that potato plantlets adapt to salt stress to some extent through accumulating osmoprotectants, such as proline, increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as CAT and SOD. The outcomes of this study provide ultrastructural and physiological insights into characterizing potential damages induced by salt stress for selecting salt-tolerant potato cultivars.

Optimal year-round operation of a concentrated solar energy plant in the south of Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martín, Lidia; Martín, Mariano

2013-01-01

We present the year-round optimization of the operation of a concentrated solar power facility evaluating the molten salts storage, the power block and cooling. We locate the plant in the south of Europe, Almería (Spain), where high solar radiation is available. The operation of the plant is a function of the solar incidence as well as the climate and atmospheric conditions. The optimization of the system is formulated as a multiperiod Non-linear Programming problem (NLP) that is solved for the optimal production of electricity over a year defining the main operating variables of the thermal and cooling cycles. For a maximum of 25 MW in summer and a minimum of 9.5 MW in winter the annual production cost of electricity is 0.15 €/kWh consuming an average of 2.1 L water /kWh. The investment for the plant is 260 M€. Scale-up studies reveal that the production cost can decrease by half while the investment per unit of power should become competitive with current coal based power plants if solar and coal facilities present similar production capacities. -- Highlights: • Plant design so far relies on process simulation and only partial optimization studies. • We optimize the operation of a concentrated solar power plant. • The facility involves solar field, molten salts, steam and electricity generation and cooling. • The results are promising and validate literature sensitive studies

Salt brickwork as long-term sealing in salt formations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walter, F.; Yaramanci, U.

1993-01-01

Radioactive wastes can be disposed of in deep salt formations. Rock salt is a suitable geologic medium because of its unique characteristics. Open boreholes, shafts and drifts are created to provide physical access to the repository. Long-term seals must be emplaced in these potential pathways to prevent radioactive release into the biosphere. The sealing materials must be mechanically and, most important, geochemically stable within the host rock. Salt bricks made from compressed salt-powder are understood to be the first choice long-term sealing material. Seals built of salt bricks will be ductile. Large sealing systems are built by combining the individual bricks with mortar. Raw materials for mortar are fine-grained halite powder and ground saliferous clay. This provides for the good adhesive strength of the mortar to the bricks and the high shear-strength of the mortar itself. To test the interaction of rock salt with an emplaced long-term seal, experiments will be carried out in situ, in the Asse salt mine in Germany. Simple borehole sealing experiments will be performed in horizontal holes and a complicated drift sealing experiment is planned, to demonstrate the technology of sealing a standard size drift or shaft inside a disturbed rock mass. Especially, the mechanical stability of the sealing system has to be demonstrated

Gradient waveform synthesis for magnetic propulsion using MRI gradient coils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, B H; Lee, S Y; Park, S

2008-01-01

Navigating an untethered micro device in a living subject is of great interest for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Magnetic propulsion of an untethered device carrying a magnetic core in it is one of the promising methods to navigate the device. MRI gradients coils are thought to be suitable for navigating the device since they are capable of magnetic propulsion in any direction while providing magnetic resonance images. For precise navigation of the device, especially in the peripheral region of the gradient coils, the concomitant gradient fields, as well as the linear gradient fields in the main magnetic field direction, should be considered in driving the gradient coils. For simple gradient coil configurations, the Maxwell coil in the z-direction and the Golay coil in the x- and y-directions, we have calculated the magnetic force fields, which are not necessarily the same as the conventional linear gradient fields of MRI. Using the calculated magnetic force fields, we have synthesized gradient waveforms to navigate the device along a desired path

Arc discharge characteristics of molten salts used in an MHD generator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korenaga, Sadayoshi; Mohri, Motoichi.

1981-01-01

The seed arc discharge phenomena in an MHD generator were studied. The behavior of arc was observed, which was generated by using K 2 CO 3 and K 2 SO 4 heated up to 1150 degree C as cathodes and a water-cooled copper as an anode. The generated arcs were classified into 3 types, such as free spot arc (point arc), line emission arc (line arc) and plane arc. The estimated temperature of arc foot was lower than the boiling point of seed material. The relation between arc voltage and arc length and that between arc voltage and arc current were measured. From these data, the potential gradient of arc was obtained. The gradients were same for almost all materials of cathode. The potential drop at cathodes depended remarkably on the kinds of molten salt, and also depended on the shapes of cathodes. The evaporation rate of cathode materials was larger when the cathode potential drop was larger and the arc current was larger. (Kato, T.)

Signatures of Biogeomorphic Feedbacks in Salt-Marsh Systems

Science.gov (United States)

D'Alpaos, Andrea; Marani, Marco

2015-04-01

Salt-marsh ecosystems which play a large role in the bio-geomorphological evolution of intertidal areas. Dense stands of halophytic vegetations which populate salt marshes largely control the dynamics of these ecosystems influencing marsh hydrodynamics and sediment transport through enhanced flow resistance and settling, and direct particle capture by plant stems. Moreover, plants are also known to increase vertical accretion through direct organic accretion. Field evidence and the results of biomorphodynamic models indeed show that the interplay between physical and biological processes generates some striking biological and morphological patterns at different scales. One such pattern, vegetation zonation, consists in a mosaic of vegetation patches, of approximately uniform composition, displaying sharp transitions in the presence of extremely small topographic gradients. Here we develop a two-dimensional model which describes the mutual interaction and adjustment between tidal flows, sediment transport and morphology mediated by vegetation influence. The model allows us describe the coupled evolution of marsh platforms and channel networks cutting through them. A number of different scenarios were modelled to analyze the changes induced in bio-geomorphic patterns by plants with different characteristics, within marshes characterized by different drainage densities, or subjected to changing environmental forcing such as rates of relative sea level rise and sediment supply. Model results emphasize that zonation patterns are a signature of bio-geomorphic feedbacks with vegetation acting as a landscape constructor which feeds back on, directly alters, and contributes to shape tidal environments. In addition, model results show that biogeomorphic feedbacks critically affect the response and the resilience of salt-marsh landscapes to changes in the environmental forcing.

The Pioneer 9 electric field experiment. III - Radial gradients and storm observations.

Science.gov (United States)

Scarf, F. L.; Green, I. M.; Burgess, J. S.

1973-01-01

We present a detailed analysis of the Pioneer 9 VLF electric field observations for 20 selected storm periods covering a heliocentric range extending from 0.754 AU to 0.99 AU. Although data from only two low frequency channels are available, the results of the present study tend to confirm the preliminary speculation by Scarf and Siscoe (1971) that the turbulent E-field spectrum in the disturbed solar wind has a significant radial gradient.

Leaf ultraviolet optical properties along a latitudinal gradient in the Arctic-Alpine life zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robberecht, R.; Caldwell, M.M.; Billings, W.D.

1980-01-01

Leaf epidermal transmittance of terrestrial solar ultraviolet-B radiation (295 to 320 nm) was examined along a latitudinal gradient of solar uv-B radiation. In high uv-B radiation zones, e.g., equatorial and tropical regions, mean epidermal transmittance for the species examined was less than 2%. At higher latitudes, mean epidermal transmittance exceeded 5%. Although this latitudinal solar uv-B gradient represents more than a seven-fold difference in daily integrated uv-B irradiance, the calculated mean effective uv-B irradiance at the mesophyll of low-latitude species is not substantially different from that of species at higher latitudes. Species in high uv-B radiation environments appear to attenuate this radiation more effectively than those in lower irradiance environments. In most cases, absorption of uv-B in the epidermis is the major parameter effecting low transmittance. Reflectance from glabrous leaves is generally less than 10%. In some species, pubescent or glaucous leaf surfaces can reflect more than 40% of the uv-B radiation incident on a horizontal leaf, although such surface characteristics do not necessarily indicate high uv-B reflectance. Under controlled conditions, epidermal transmittance in Pisum sativum L. decreased in response to uv-B irradiation. The modification of epidermal transmittance, resulting in lower uv-B irradiance at the mesophyll, may represent a mechanism of plant acclimation to uv-B radiation. Such acclimation may have occurred in several wildland species of temperate-latitude origin that have invaded high uv-B irradiance equatorial and tropical regions

実験室系ソーラポンドに関する基礎的研究（風速の影響と水面の透明膜被覆や塩水濃度分布の効果）

OpenAIRE

田中, 芳久; 福田, 研二; 長谷川, 修; Tanaka, Yoshihisa; Fukuda, Kenji; Hasegawa, Shu

1989-01-01

In order to improve the storage efficiency of the solar pond effect of the heat loss due to the evaporation and/or the wind is investigated experimentally with a laboratory solar pond. The effect of the salt-gradient is also studied. It is found that the covering of the water surface with a plastic sheet prevents the water evaporation and makes the surface temperature more than the double of that without the cover. The degree of the temperature rise decreases to its half if the wind speed is ...

Ionic solubility and solutal advection governed augmented evaporation kinetics of salt solution pendant droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Jaiswal, Vivek; Harikrishnan, A. R.; Khurana, Gargi; Dhar, Purbarun

2018-01-01

The presence of dispersed inclusions is known to modify the interfacial characteristics in liquids by adsorption-desorption of the ions at interfaces. The present article reports the influencing role of dissolved ions in a polar fluid on its evaporation dynamics. The evaporation dynamics of pendant droplets of aqueous solutions of variant simple salts and concentrations have been experimentally studied. The presence of salts is observed to enhance the evaporation rate (obeying the classical D2 law), and the enhancement has been found to hold a direct proportionality to the concentration of the dissolved salt. Furthermore, it is observed that the degree of enhancement in the evaporation rate is also directly proportional to the solubility of the salt in question. The phenomenon is explained based on the chemical kinetics and thermodynamics of hydration of the ionic species in the polar fluid. The classical evaporation rate constant formulation is found to be inadequate in modeling the enhanced species transport. Additional probing via particle image velocimetry reveals augmented internal circulation within the evaporating salt based drops compared to pure water. Mapping the dynamic surface tension reveals that a salt concentration gradient is generated between the bulk and periphery of the droplet and it could be responsible for the internal advection cells visualized. A thermo-solutal Marangoni and Rayleigh convection based mathematical formulation has been put forward, and it is shown that the enhanced solute-thermal convection could play a major role in enhanced evaporation. The internal circulation mapped from experiments is found to be in good quantitative agreement with the model predictions. Scaling analysis further reveals that the stability of the solutal Marangoni convection surpasses the thermal counterpart with higher salt concentration and solubility. The present article sheds insight into the possible domineering role of conjugate thermohydraulic and

The solar wind at solar maximum: comparisons of EISCAT IPS and in situ observations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. R. Breen

Full Text Available The solar maximum solar wind is highly structured in latitude, longitude and in time. Coronal measurements show a very high degree of variability, with large variations that are less apparent within in situ spacecraft measurements. Interplanetary scintillation (IPS observations from EISCAT, covering distances from 20 to 100 solar radii (R_S, are an ideal source of information on the inner solar wind and can be used, therefore, to cast light on its evolution with distance from the Sun. Earlier comparisons of in situ and IPS measurements under solar minimum conditions showed good large-scale agreement, particularly in the fast wind. In this study we attempt a quantitative comparison of measurements made over solar maximum by EISCAT (20–100 R_S and the Wind and Ulysses spacecraft (at 215 R_S and 300–1000 R_S, respectively. The intervals studied were August–September 1999, May 2000, September 2000 and May 2001, the last-named being the period of the second Ulysses fast latitude scan. Both ballistic and – when possible – MHD/ballistic hybrid models were used to relate the data sets, and we compare the results obtained from these two mapping methods. The results of this study suggest that solar wind velocities measured in situ were less variable than those estimated from IPS measurements closer to the Sun, with the greatest divergence between IPS velocities and in situ measurements occurring in regions where steep longitudinal velocity gradients were seen in situ. We suggest that the interaction between streams of solar wind with different velocities leads to "smoothing" of solar wind velocities between 30–60 R_S and 1 AU, and that this process continues at greater distances from the Sun.

Key words. Interplanetary physics (solar wind plasma; sources of the solar wind; instruments and techniques

Chemical modeling of nuclear waste repositories in the salt repository project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jansen, G.; Raines, G.E.; Kircher, J.F.; Hubbard, N.

1985-01-01

Salt deposits contain small amounts of water as brine in fluid inclusions in halite and in hydrous minerals, e.g., clays, kieserite (MgSO 4 . H 2 O) and carnallite (KMgCl 3 . 6H 2 O). For the candidate salt deposits, the total amounts of water as volume % brine are: Palo Duro Basin, Texas, approximately 1.8; Paradox Basin, Utah, approximately 5.0 for the carnallite-marker zone, and less than approximately 0.5 below this zone; Gulf Coast salt domes, less than 0.15. For the Palo Duro and Paradox salt, the brines are Mg-rich (approximately 20,000 mg/L to approximately 100,000 mg/L) and sometimes Ca-rich (up to about 20,000 mg/L) NaCl brines. Brine migration calculations have been made using calculations of the time-variant thermal gradient around the waste packages and conservatively high brine volumes in the salt (5.0 volume % for the Texas and Utah sites and 0.5 volume % for the Gulf Coast) as input data. The maximum amounts of brine that eventually migrate to each waste package are about 1.0m 3 (for 5.0 volume % brine) and 0.2m 3 (for 0.5 volume % brine). With current conceptual designs for waste package overpacks (10 to 15 cm thick low-carbon steel), the waste package is not breached by uniform corrosion within 10,000 years. In brines this material thus far shows only uniform corrosion. For the expected conditions, where the brine is provided solely by brine migration, the brine is consumed by reaction with the iron of the overpack nearly as fast as it migrates to the waste package. Therefore, for the expected conditions, data about corrosion rates, radiolysis, etc., are not important. However, it is essential that accurate volumes of in-migrating brine can be calculated

Salt-Marsh Landscapes and the Signatures of Biogeomorphic Feedbacks

Science.gov (United States)

D'Alpaos, A.; Marani, M.

2014-12-01

Salt marshes are coastal ecosystems which play a large role in the bio-geomorphological evolution of intertidal areas. The dense stands of halophytic plants which populate salt-marsh systems largely contribute to govern their dynamics, influencing marsh hydrodynamics and sediment transport through enhanced flow resistance and settling, and direct particle capture by plant stems. In addition, plants are known to increase vertical accretion through direct organic accretion. Looking across the salt-marsh landscape can one see the signatures of feedbacks between landscape and biota? Field evidence and the results of biomorphodynamic models indeed show that the interplay between physical and biological processes generates some striking biological and morphological patterns at different scales. One such pattern, vegetation zonation, consists in a mosaic of vegetation patches, of approximately uniform composition, displaying sharp transitions in the presence of extremely small topographic gradients. Here we extend the model proposed by Marani et al. (2013) to a two-dimensional framework, furthermore including the effect of direct capture of sediment particles by plant stems. This allows us to account for the effect of the drainage density of tidal networks on the observed biogeomorphic patterns and to model the coupled evolution of marsh platforms and channel networks cutting through them. A number of different scenarios have been modelled to analyze the changes induced in bio-geomorphic patterns by plants with different characteristics, within marshes characterized by different drainage densities, or subjected to changing environmental forcing such as rates of relative sea level rise and sediment supply. Model results emphasize that zonation patterns are a signature of bio-geomorphic feedbacks with vegetation acting as a landscape constructor which feeds back on, directly alters, and contributes to shape tidal environments. In addition, model results show that

Comparative miRomics of Salt-Tolerant and Salt-Sensitive Rice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goswami Kavita

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Increase in soil salt causes osmotic and ionic stress to plants, which inhibits their growth and productivity. Rice production is also hampered by salinity and the effect of salt is most severe at the seedling and reproductive stages. Salainity tolerance is a quantitative property controlled by multiple genes coding for signaling molecules, ion transporters, metabolic enzymes and transcription regulators. MicroRNAs are key modulators of gene-expression that act at the post-transcriptional level by translation repression or transcript cleavage. They also play an important role in regulating plant’s response to salt-stress. In this work we adopted the approach of comparative and integrated data-mining to understand the miRNA-mediated regulation of salt-stress in rice. We profiled and compared the miRNA regulations using natural varieties and transgenic lines with contrasting behaviors in response to salt-stress. The information obtained from sRNAseq, RNAseq and degradome datasets was integrated to identify the salt-deregulated miRNAs, their targets and the associated metabolic pathways. The analysis revealed the modulation of many biological pathways, which are involved in salt-tolerance and play an important role in plant phenotype and physiology. The end modifications of the miRNAs were also studied in our analysis and isomiRs having a dynamic role in salt-tolerance mechanism were identified.

Star formation rates and abundance gradients in disk galaxies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wyse, R.F.G.; Silk, J.

1989-01-01

Analytic models for the evolution of disk galaxies are presented, placing special emphasis on the radial properties. These models are straightforward extensions of the original Schmidt (1959, 1963) models, with a dependence of star formation rate on gas density. The models provide successful descriptions of several measures of galactic disk evolution, including solar neighborhood chemical evolution, the presence and amplitude of metallicity and color gradients in disk galaxies, and the global rates of star formation in disk galaxies, and aid in the understanding of the apparent connection between young and old stellar populations in spiral galaxies. 67 refs

Effect of indomethacin and salt depletion on renal proton MR imaging; An experimental study in the rat

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heyman, S.N.; Mammen, M. (Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States). Charles A Dana Research Inst. Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA (United States))

1991-11-01

Blockade of the synthesis of vasodilating prostaglandins with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) renders the renal medulla susceptible to hypoxic injury with reduced renal function, especially in clinical conditions characterized by volume depletion. Alterations in renal hemodynamics and urine production may effect renal MR imaging under these circumstances. We injected salt-depleted and control rats undergoing proton MR imaging with indomethacin 10 mg/kg. Indomethacin abolished the cortico-medullary T2-gradient and markedly diminished the overall renal signal in salt-depleted rats only. These changes, which progressed over a period of 40 min after indomethacin was injected, probably result from renal oligemia and decreased urine production, with an associated decrease in T2-values. We suggest that a history of consumption of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be obtained and taken into account in the evaluation of renal proton MR imaging, especially in the presence of salt and volume depletion. (orig.).

Cooking without salt

Science.gov (United States)

... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000760.htm Cooking without salt To use the sharing features on ... other dishes to add zest. Try Salt-free Cooking Explore cooking with salt substitutes. Add a splash ...

Fibers and cylinders of cryptomelane-hollandite in Permian bedded salt, Palo Duro Basin, Texas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belkin, H.E.; Libelo, E.L.

1987-01-01

Fibers and thin-walled, hollow cylinders of cryptomelane-hollandite have been found in both the chevron and the clear salt from various drill cores in Permian bedded salt from the Palo Duro Basin, Texas. The authors have found fibers or cylinders from only the lower San Andres Formation units 4 and 5, the upper San Andres Formation, and the Salado-Transill salt. The fibers are inorganic, light to dark reddish brown, pleochroic, highly birefringent, filamentary single crystals, < 1 to ∼ 5 μm in diameter, with length-to-diameter ratios of at least 20:1. The fibers can be straight and/or curved, can bifurcate, can form loops, waves or spirals, and can be isolated or in parallel groups. Detailed petrographic analyses show no evidence for recrystallization or deformation of the enclosing salt after fiber formation. Although the authors observations do not provide a definitive explanation for fiber origin, they suggest that the fibers grew in situ by a solid-state diffusional process at low temperatures. The cylinders are pleochroic, highly birefringent, light to dark reddish brown, hollow, thin-walled, open-ended right cylinders, having a 1- to 2-μm wall thickness and variable lengths and diameters. There also appear to be single crystals of cryptomelane-hollandite, but these are found almost entirely in fluid inclusions in the chevron and clear salt. Their presence in the primary halite suggests that they were formed contemporaneously with the chevron structure and were accidentally trapped in the fluid inclusions. The observation of cylinders partially or completely enclosed by salt stratigraphically above large fluid inclusions suggests that natural downward fluid-inclusion migration has occurred, in response to the geothermal gradient

Review of Thermal Materials for CSP Plants and LCOE Evaluation for Performance Improvement using Chilean Strategic Minerals: Lithium Salts and Copper Foams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gustavo Cáceres

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The improvement of solar thermal technologies in emerging economies like Chile is particularly attractive because the country is endowed with one of the most consistently high solar potentials, lithium and copper reserves. In recent years, growing interests for lithium based salts and copper foams in application of thermal technologies could change the landscape of Chile transforming its lithium reserves and copper availability into competitive energy produced in the region. This study reviews the technical advantages of using lithium based salts—applied as heat storage media and heat transfer fluid—and copper foam/Phase Change Materials (PCM alternatives—applied as heat storage media—within tower and parabolic trough Concentrated Solar Power (CSP plants, and presents a first systematic evaluation of the costs of these alternatives based on real plant data. The methodology applied is based on material data base compilation of price and technical properties, selection of CSP plant and estimation of amount of required material, and analysis of Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE. Results confirm that some lithium based salts are effective in reducing the amount of required material and costs for the Thermal Energy Storage (TES systems for both plant cases, with savings of up to 68% and 4.14% in tons of salts and LCOE, respectively. Copper foam/PCM composites significantly increase thermal conductivity, decreasing the volume of the TES system, but costs of implementation are still higher than traditional options.

Observation of Enhanced Hole Extraction in Br Concentration Gradient Perovskite Materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Min-Cheol; Kim, Byeong Jo; Son, Dae-Yong; Park, Nam-Gyu; Jung, Hyun Suk; Choi, Mansoo

2016-09-14

Enhancing hole extraction inside the perovskite layer is the key factor for boosting photovoltaic performance. Realization of halide concentration gradient perovskite materials has been expected to exhibit rapid hole extraction due to the precise bandgap tuning. Moreover, a formation of Br-rich region on the tri-iodide perovskite layer is expected to enhance moisture stability without a loss of current density. However, conventional synthetic techniques of perovskite materials such as the solution process have not achieved the realization of halide concentration gradient perovskite materials. In this report, we demonstrate the fabrication of Br concentration gradient mixed halide perovskite materials using a novel and facile halide conversion method based on vaporized hydrobromic acid. Accelerated hole extraction and enhanced lifetime due to Br gradient was verified by observing photoluminescence properties. Through the combination of secondary ion mass spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis, the diffusion behavior of Br ions in perovskite materials was investigated. The Br-gradient was found to be eventually converted into a homogeneous mixed halide layer after undergoing an intermixing process. Br-substituted perovskite solar cells exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 18.94% due to an increase in open circuit voltage from 1.08 to 1.11 V and an advance in fill-factor from 0.71 to 0.74. Long-term stability was also dramatically enhanced after the conversion process, i.e., the power conversion efficiency of the post-treated device has remained over 97% of the initial value under high humid conditions (40-90%) without any encapsulation for 4 weeks.

Aerodynamics of solid bodies in the solar nebula

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weidenschilling, S J [Carnegie Institution of Washington, D.C. (USA). Dept. of Terrestrial Magnetism

1977-07-01

On a centrally condensed solar nebula, the pressure gradient in the gas causes the nebula to rotate more slowly than the free orbital velocity. Drag forces cause the orbits of solid bodies to decay. Their motions have been investigated analytically and numerically for all applicable drag laws. The maximum radial velocity developed is independent of the drag law, and insensitive to the nebular mass. Results are presented for a variety of model nebulae. Radial velocities depend strongly on particle size, reaching values of the order of 10/sup 4/ cm/s for metre-sized objects. Possible consequences include: mixing of solid matter with the solar nebula on short timescales, collisions leading to rapid accumulation of planetesimals, fractionation of bodies by size or density, and production of regions of anomalous composition in the solar nebula.

Design concepts for solar heating in a Mediterranean climate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schneider, M; Berger, X; Bourdeau, L; Jaffrin, A; Sylvain, J D

1977-01-01

Solar heating is often designed in a similar way to classical central heating. The consequence is a very high cost which can only be reduced by using a calorific fluid at a lower temperature than is customary, improved architectural design and a further research into new passive heating methods. The collection area and storage volume necessary to obtain good solar efficiency were computed in a Mediterranean climate. Emphasis is put on large thermal inertia which is best achieved by using the latent heat of materials. The result of an experiment performed with salt hydrates is most promising but many problems of time instability have still to be solved.

Salt Tolerance

OpenAIRE

Xiong, Liming; Zhu, Jian-Kang

2002-01-01

Studying salt stress is an important means to the understanding of plant ion homeostasis and osmo-balance. Salt stress research also benefits agriculture because soil salinity significantly limits plant productivity on agricultural lands. Decades of physiological and molecular studies have generated a large body of literature regarding potential salt tolerance determinants. Recent advances in applying molecular genetic analysis and genomics tools in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana are sh...

An Improved Local Gradient Method for Sea Surface Wind Direction Retrieval from SAR Imagery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lizhang Zhou

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Sea surface wind affects the fluxes of energy, mass and momentum between the atmosphere and ocean, and therefore regional and global weather and climate. With various satellite microwave sensors, sea surface wind can be measured with large spatial coverage in almost all-weather conditions, day or night. Like any other remote sensing measurements, sea surface wind measurement is also indirect. Therefore, it is important to develop appropriate wind speed and direction retrieval models for different types of microwave instruments. In this paper, a new sea surface wind direction retrieval method from synthetic aperture radar (SAR imagery is developed. In the method, local gradients are computed in frequency domain by combining the operation of smoothing and computing local gradients in one step to simplify the process and avoid the difference approximation. This improved local gradients (ILG method is compared with the traditional two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (2D FFT method and local gradients (LG method, using interpolating wind directions from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF reanalysis data and the Cross-Calibrated Multi-Platform (CCMP wind vector product. The sensitivities to the salt-and-pepper noise, the additive noise and the multiplicative noise are analyzed. The ILG method shows a better performance of retrieval wind directions than the other two methods.

Momentum-weighted conjugate gradient descent algorithm for gradient coil optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Hanbing; Jesmanowicz, Andrzej; Li, Shi-Jiang; Hyde, James S

2004-01-01

MRI gradient coil design is a type of nonlinear constrained optimization. A practical problem in transverse gradient coil design using the conjugate gradient descent (CGD) method is that wire elements move at different rates along orthogonal directions (r, phi, z), and tend to cross, breaking the constraints. A momentum-weighted conjugate gradient descent (MW-CGD) method is presented to overcome this problem. This method takes advantage of the efficiency of the CGD method combined with momentum weighting, which is also an intrinsic property of the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, to adjust step sizes along the three orthogonal directions. A water-cooled, 12.8 cm inner diameter, three axis torque-balanced gradient coil for rat imaging was developed based on this method, with an efficiency of 2.13, 2.08, and 4.12 mT.m(-1).A(-1) along X, Y, and Z, respectively. Experimental data demonstrate that this method can improve efficiency by 40% and field uniformity by 27%. This method has also been applied to the design of a gradient coil for the human brain, employing remote current return paths. The benefits of this design include improved gradient field uniformity and efficiency, with a shorter length than gradient coil designs using coaxial return paths. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

New solar components studied in an experimental solar house in Spain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trimboli, A [IBESA (ES); Cusido, J A; Puigdomenech, J [Escola Tecnica Superior d' Arquitectura del Valles, Barcelona (ES)

1990-09-01

A prototype experimental solar building has been built in the School of Architecture of Valles, Spain. Its final design takes advantage of beneficial climatic effects in order to maintain indoor thermal comfort and to lower auxiliary energy usage. The building has 100 sq m of usable surface, 55 sq m of which are habitable. The remaining area is a greenhouse which is intended for experimental hydroponic cultivation. One of the main features is a thermal regulation system named the ''thermal shield''. This device, placed on the South facade of the building, is composed of a series of plastic translucent layers. Fan-forced air passes through the outer layer and circulates through the special recticular structure of the building to provide daytime heating. A heat absorbing fluid circulating through the innermost layer transfers heat via an exchanger to a storage tank of eutectic salts. The diurnal stored energy can be retrieved to heat the house at night. The thermal shield, which is computer controlled, can also be used to reduce solar gains in summer. (author).

Sea salt

OpenAIRE

Galvis-Sánchez, Andrea C.; Lopes, João Almeida; Delgadillo, Ivone; Rangel, António O. S. S.

2013-01-01

The geographical indication (GI) status links a product with the territory and with the biodiversity involved. Besides, the specific knowledge and cultural practices of a human group that permit transforming a resource into a useful good is protected under a GI designation. Traditional sea salt is a hand-harvested product originating exclusively from salt marshes from specific geographical regions. Once salt is harvested, no washing, artificial drying or addition of anti-caking agents are all...

Submarine Salt Karst Terrains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nico Augustin

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Karst terrains that develop in bodies of rock salt (taken as mainly of halite, NaCl are special not only for developing in one of the most soluble of all rocks, but also for developing in one of the weakest rocks. Salt is so weak that many surface-piercing salt diapirs extrude slow fountains of salt that that gravity spread downslope over deserts on land and over sea floors. Salt fountains in the deserts of Iran are usually so dry that they flow at only a few cm/yr but the few rain storms a decade so soak and weaken them that they surge at dm/day for a few days. We illustrate the only case where the rates at which different parts of one of the many tens of subaerial salt karst terrains in Iran flows downslope constrains the rates at which its subaerial salt karst terrains form. Normal seawater is only 10% saturated in NaCl. It should therefore be sufficiently aggressive to erode karst terrains into exposures of salt on the thousands of known submarine salt extrusions that have flowed or are still flowing over the floors of hundreds of submarine basins worldwide. However, we know of no attempt to constrain the processes that form submarine salt karst terrains on any of these of submarine salt extrusions. As on land, many potential submarine karst terrains are cloaked by clastic and pelagic sediments that are often hundreds of m thick. Nevertheless, detailed geophysical and bathymetric surveys have already mapped likely submarine salt karst terrains in at least the Gulf of Mexico, and the Red Sea. New images of these two areas are offered as clear evidence of submarine salt dissolution due to sinking or rising aggressive fluids. We suggest that repeated 3D surveys of distinctive features (± fixed seismic reflectors of such terrains could measure any downslope salt flow and thus offer an exceptional opportunity to constrain the rates at which submarine salt karst terrains develop. Such rates are of interest to all salt tectonicians and the many

Molten Salt Power Tower Cost Model for the System Advisor Model (SAM)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turchi, C. S.; Heath, G. A.

2013-02-01

This report describes a component-based cost model developed for molten-salt power tower solar power plants. The cost model was developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), using data from several prior studies, including a contracted analysis from WorleyParsons Group, which is included herein as an Appendix. The WorleyParsons' analysis also estimated material composition and mass for the plant to facilitate a life cycle analysis of the molten salt power tower technology. Details of the life cycle assessment have been published elsewhere. The cost model provides a reference plant that interfaces with NREL's System Advisor Model or SAM. The reference plant assumes a nominal 100-MWe (net) power tower running with a nitrate salt heat transfer fluid (HTF). Thermal energy storage is provided by direct storage of the HTF in a two-tank system. The design assumes dry-cooling. The model includes a spreadsheet that interfaces with SAM via the Excel Exchange option in SAM. The spreadsheet allows users to estimate the costs of different-size plants and to take into account changes in commodity prices. This report and the accompanying Excel spreadsheet can be downloaded at https://sam.nrel.gov/cost.

Value and cost analyses for solar thermal-storage systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luft, W.; Copeland, R.J.

1983-04-01

Value and cost data for thermal energy storage are presented for solar thermal central receiver systems for which thermal energy storage appears to be attractive. Both solar thermal electric power and industrial process heat applications are evaluated. The value of storage is based on the cost for fossil fuel and solar thermal collector systems in 1990. The costing uses a standard lifetime methodology with the storage capacity as a parameter. Both value and costs are functions of storage capacity. However, the value function depends on the application. Value/cost analyses for first-generation storage concepts for five central receiver systems (molten salt, water/steam, organic fluid, air, and liquid metal) established the reference against which new systems were compared. Some promising second-generation energy storage concepts have been identified, and some more advanced concepts have also been evaluated.

Convective instability of sludge storage under evaporation and solar radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Tsiberkin, Kirill; Tatyana, Lyubimova

2014-05-01

The sludge storages are an important part of production cycle at salt manufacturing, water supply, etc. A quality of water in the storage depends on mixing of pure water and settled sediment. One of the leading factors is thermal convection. There are two main mechanisms of the layer instability exist. First, it is instability of water due to evaporation from the free surface [1]. It cools the water from upside, increases the particles concentration and leads to the instability in the near-surface layer. Second, the sediment absorbs a solar radiation and heats the liquid from below making it unstable in the near-bottom area. We assume the initial state is the mechanical equilibrium. The water and sediment particles are motionless, the sediment forms a uniform sludge layer of thickness z0, there are no evaporation and heating by solar energy, and the temperature has a linear profile is determined by fixed upper and bottom temperatures of the layer. Taking into account the evaporation and solar radiation absorption, we obtain a non-stationary solution for the temperature using Fourier series method. The local temperature gradients increases rapidly with time, and local Rayleigh number can be estimated by thermal conduction length Lt: Raloc(z,t) = gβ(δT(z,t)/δz)L4t-/νΞ , Lt ~ √Ξt, (1) where g is gravity acceleration, β, ν and Ξ are thermal volume expansion coefficient, kinematic viscosity and thermal conductivity of the liquid, respectively. Raloc* reaches the critical value at finite time t* and water motion begins. The maximal power of solar radiation in visible band equals 230 Wt/m2 at the latitude of "Uralkalii" salt manufacturer (Berezniki, Perm Region, Russian Federation). We neglect IR and UV radiation because of its huge absorption by water [2]. The evaporation speed is found using results for shallow water reservoir [3] and meteorological data for Berezniki [4]. We get the t*~ 6 · 102 s (10 min) for the layer of 1 m depth and t*~ 2 · 103 s (40

Integration between direct steam generation in linear solar collectors and supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton power cycles

OpenAIRE

Coco Enríquez, Luis; Muñoz Antón, Javier; Martínez-Val Peñalosa, José María

2015-01-01

Direct Steam Generation in Parabolic Troughs or Linear Fresnel solar collectors is a technology under development since beginning of nineties (1990's) for replacing thermal oils and molten salts as heat transfer fluids in concentrated solar power plants, avoiding environmental impacts. In parallel to the direct steam generation technology development, supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton power cycles are maturing as an alternative to traditional Rankine cycles for increasing net plant efficie...

Particle and solute migration in porous media. Modeling of simultaneous transport of clay particles and radionuclides in a salinity gradient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faure, M.H.

1994-03-01

Understanding the mechanisms which control the transient transport of particles and radionuclides in natural and artificial porous media is a key problem for the assessment of safety of radioactive waste disposals. An experimental study has been performed to characterize the clayey particle mobility in porous media: a laboratory- made column, packed with an unconsolidated sand bentonite (5% weight) sample, is flushed with a salt solution. An original method of salinity gradient allowed us to show and to quantify some typical behaviours of this system: threshold effects in the peptization of particles, creation of preferential pathways, formation of immobile water zones induce solute-transfer limitation. The mathematical modelling accounts for a phenomenological law, where the distribution of particles between the stagnant water zone and the porous medium is a function of sodium chloride concentration. This distribution function is associated with a radionuclide adsorption model, and is included in a convective dispersive transport model with stagnant water zones. It allowed us to simulate the particle and solute transport when the salt environment is modified. The complete model has been validated with experiments involving cesium, calcium and neptunium in a sodium chloride gradient. (author). refs., figs., tabs

Estudio preliminar de tres modelos de destiladores solares para producir sal y agua potable (ING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shyam S. Nandwani

2016-03-01

Full Text Available We have constructed three solar stills of areas 0.5-1.0 m2 to produce salt and potable water, using local technology and local materials. We have studied the thermal efficiency of these stills as a function of solar intensity, covers, geometrical configuration, quantity of water, salt concentration and artificial cooling of the cover. Some of the important results are: still with glass cover destill more water than still with plastic cover, thermal efficiency vary between 10-30%, amount of water which can be evaporated and condense is 2-4 l/day/m2, exist 25-60% of loss of water in the still and finally artificial cooling of the cover can be accelerate the process of condensation, etc. Finally we have mentioned the chemical analysis of destilled and normal tap water.

Actinide removal from molten salts by chemical oxidation and salt distillation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McNeese, J.A.; Garcia, E.; Dole, V.R. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM (United States)] [and others

1995-10-01

Actinide removal from molten salts can be accomplished by a two step process where the actinide is first oxidized to the oxide using a chemical oxidant such as calcium carbonate or sodium carbonate. After the actinide is precipitated as an oxide the molten salt is distilled away from the actinide oxides leaving a oxide powder heel and an actinide free distilled salt that can be recycled back into the processing stream. This paper discusses the chemistry of the oxidation process and the physical conditions required to accomplish a salt distillation. Possible application of an analogous process sequence for a proposed accelerator driven transmutation molten salt process is also discussed.

Actinide removal from molten salts by chemical oxidation and salt distillation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McNeese, James A.; Garcia, Eduardo; Dole, Vonda R.; Griego, Walter J.

1995-01-01

Actinide removal from molten salts can be accomplished by a two step process where the actinide is first oxidized to the oxide using a chemical oxidant such as calcium carbonate or sodium carbonate. After the actinide is precipitated as an oxide the molten salt is distilled away from the actinide oxides leaving a oxide powder heel and an actinide free distilled salt that can be recycled back into the processing stream. This paper discusses the chemistry of the oxidation process and the physical conditions required to accomplish a salt distillation. Possible application of an analogous process sequence for a proposed accelerator driven transmutation molten salt process is also discussed

Salt consumption and the effect of salt on mineral metabolism in horses.

Science.gov (United States)

Schryver, H F; Parker, M T; Daniluk, P D; Pagan, K I; Williams, J; Soderholm, L V; Hintz, H F

1987-04-01

The voluntary salt consumption of mature unexercised horses was measured weekly for up to 45 weeks. Voluntary intake among horses was quite variable ranging from 19 to 143 g of salt per day and was inversely related to total salt intake (salt in feeds plus voluntary intake). Mean daily voluntary salt consumption was 53 g. Season of the year did not influence voluntary intake. In preference tests which evaluated every two choice combination of 0.2% and 4% NaCl in test diets fed daily for four days, ponies generally preferred diets containing the lower amount of salt. In similar preference studies which used NaHCO3 as a sodium source, ponies always preferred the diet containing the lower level of NaHCO3. Metabolism studies employing diets containing 1, 3 or 5% NaCl showed that urinary excretion was the major excretory pathway for sodium and chloride. Fecal excretion, intestinal absorption and retention of sodium were not affected by level of salt intake. Urinary calcium excretion was unaffected by salt intake but calcium and phosphorus absorption and retention were enhanced when ponies were fed diets containing 3 or 5% sodium chloride. Magnesium and copper metabolism were unaffected by salt intake. Horses voluntarily consume relatively large amounts of sodium chloride but it is likely that not all voluntary consumption is related to the salt requirement of the horse. Habit and taste preference could also be involved. Salt consumption at the levels used in these studies does not appear to be detrimental to the metabolism of other minerals in the horse.

GRADIENTES TÉRMICOS NATURAIS NA ESTIMATIVA DO FLUXO DE SEIVA PELO MÉTODO GRANIER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LUCAS MELO VELLAME

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The effects of thermal gradients on stem add one methodological constraint for estimating sap flow through the Granier method (thermal dissipation probe. The present work studied the effect of natural thermal gradients on estimates of sap flow by using thermal dissipation probe in mango plants. The study was carried by using mango plants of the cultivar Tommy Atkins during two development stages: (a during the initial development phase of plants with leaf area of 0.66, 0.73, 1.78 m2 , planted in 15 and 50 liters pots. The study was carried in a greenhouse environment and in the field. Different thermal shields were used around the stem of plants in pots in order to minimize the effects of thermal natural gradients. The measurements of thermal differences were obtained from an adult plant with high leaf density and small exposition of branches to solar radiation. Sensors placed in stems of adult plant with high leaf density provided smaller thermal gradients compared to those inserted in young plant stems. It is necessary to cover the whole branch with neoprene and a shield (skirt type of aluminum paper above and below the location of probe insertion for exposed branches. The air temperature at 2 m height may be used efficiently to correct thermal gradients. It is indispensable the correction of natural thermal gradients in the stem for adequate estimating sap flow density by the Granier method.

Solar fuels and chemicals system design study (ammonia/nitric acid production process). Volume 2. Conceptual design. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1986-06-01

As part of the Solar Central Receiver Fuels and Chemicals Program, Foster Wheeler Solar Development Corporation (FWSDC), under contract to Sandia National Laboratories-Livermore (SNLL), developed a conceptual design of a facility to produce ammonia and nitric acid using solar energy as the principal external source of process heat. In the selected process, ammonia is produced in an endothermic reaction within a steam methane (natural gas) reformer. The heat of reaction is provided by molten carbonate salt heated by both a solar central receiver and an exothermic ammonia-fired heater. After absorption by water, the product of the latter reaction is nitric acid.

Lateral transport of solutes in microfluidic channels using electrochemically generated gradients in redox-active surfactants.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiaoyang; Abbott, Nicholas L

2011-04-15

We report principles for a continuous flow process that can separate solutes based on a driving force for selective transport that is generated by a lateral concentration gradient of a redox-active surfactant across a microfluidic channel. Microfluidic channels fabricated with gold electrodes lining each vertical wall were used to electrochemically generate concentration gradients of the redox-active surfactant 11-ferrocenylundecyl-trimethylammonium bromide (FTMA) in a direction perpendicular to the flow. The interactions of three solutes (a hydrophobic dye, 1-phenylazo-2-naphthylamine (yellow AB), an amphiphilic molecule, 2-(4,4-difluoro-5,7-dimethyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene-3-pentanoyl)-1-hexadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (BODIPY C(5)-HPC), and an organic salt, 1-methylpyridinium-3-sulfonate (MPS)) with the lateral gradients in surfactant/micelle concentration were shown to drive the formation of solute-specific concentration gradients. Two distinct physical mechanisms were identified to lead to the solute concentration gradients: solubilization of solutes by micelles and differential adsorption of the solutes onto the walls of the microchannels in the presence of the surfactant concentration gradient. These two mechanisms were used to demonstrate delipidation of a mixture of BODIPY C(5)-HPC (lipid) and MPS and purification of BODIPY C(5)-HPC from a mixture of BODIPY C(5)-HPC and yellow AB. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that lateral concentration gradients of redox-active surfactants formed within microfluidic channels can be used to transport solutes across the microfluidic channels in a solute-dependent manner. The approach employs electrical potentials (solutions having high ionic strength (>0.1M), and offers the basis of continuous processes for the purification or separation of solutes in microscale systems. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Molten salt reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouchter, J.C.; Dufour, P.; Guidez, J.; Simon, N.; Renault, C.

2014-01-01

Molten salt reactors are one of the 6 concepts retained for the 4. generation of nuclear reactors. The principle of this reactor is very innovative: the nuclear fuel is dissolved in the coolant which allows the online reprocessing of the fuel and the online recovery of the fission products. A small prototype: the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE - 8 MWt) was operating a few years in the sixties in the USA. The passage towards a fast reactor by the suppression of the graphite moderator leads to the concept of Molten Salt Fast Reactor (MSFR) which is presently studied through different European projects such as MOST, ALISIA and EVOL. Worldwide the main topics of research are: the adequate materials resisting to the high level of corrosiveness of the molten salts, fuel salt reprocessing, the 3-side coupling between neutron transport, thermohydraulics and thermo-chemistry, the management of the changing chemical composition of the salt, the enrichment of lithium with Li 7 in the case of the use of lithium fluoride salt and the use of MSFR using U 233 fuel (thorium cycle). The last part of the article presents a preliminary safety analysis of the MSFR. (A.C.)

On the co-alignment of solar telescopes. A new approach to solar pointing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staiger, J

2013-01-01

Helioseismological measurements require long observing times and thus may be adversely affected by lateral image drifts as caused by pointing instabilities. At the Vacuum Tower Telescope VTT, Tenerife we have recorded drift values of up to 5'' per hour under unstable thermal conditions (dome opening, strong day-to-day thermal gradients). Typically drifts of 0.5'' – 1.0'' per hour may be encountered under more favorable conditions. Past experience has shown that most high-resolution solar telescopes may be affected by this problem to some degree. This inherent shortcoming of solar pointing is caused by the fact that the guiding loop can be closed only within the guiding beam but not within the telescope's main beam. We have developed a new approach to this problem. We correlate continuum brightness patterns observed from within the telescope main beam with patterns originating from a full disk telescope. We show that brightness patterns of sufficient size are unique with respect to solar location at any instant of time and may serve as a location identifier. We make use of the fact that averaged location information of solar structures is invariant with respect to telescope resolution. We have carried out tests at the VTT together with SDO. We have used SDO as a full disk reference. We were able to reduce lateral image drifts by an order of magnitude.

Galactic cosmic ray gradients, field-aligned and latitudinal, among Voyagers 1/2 and IMP-8

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roelof, E.C.; Decker, R.B.; Krimigis, S.M.; Venkatesan, D.; Lazarus, A.J.

1982-01-01

The tandem Earth-Jupiter trajectories of the Voyager 1/2 spacecraft, combined with baseline measurements from the earth-orbiting IMP-7/8 spacecraft, provide the first opportunity for unambiguously separating latitude from radial or field-aligned effects in galactic cosmic ray gradients. Anti-coincidence solid-state detectors on the Voyager 1/2 LECP experiment measure nucleons > or approximately 20 MeV/nuc with large (28 cm 2 ) omnidirectional geometry factors. Anti-coincidence scintillators on the IMP-7/8 CPME with omnidirectional geometry factors comparable to those on Voyager measure nucleons > or approximately 35 MeV/nuc. Because the Voyagers are well-connected via the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) to the near-Earth vicinity throughout their transit from 1-5 AU (September 1977 - February 1979), we obtained the first direct measurement of field-aligned gradients, i.e., those that do not depend upon ''corotation'' from one spacecraft to another over many days. Another new result is the unambiguous identification of nonuniform latitudinal gradients approximately 2-5% degree -1 in structures lasting 10-30 days. There is additional evidence for somewhat smaller latitudinal gradients, north to south and probably mixed with small field-aligned gradients -1 , which persist for several solar rotations

A history of salt.

Science.gov (United States)

Cirillo, M; Capasso, G; Di Leo, V A; De Santo, N G

1994-01-01

The medical history of salt begins in ancient times and is closely related to different aspects of human history. Salt may be extracted from sea water, mineral deposits, surface encrustations, saline lakes and brine springs. In many inland areas, wood was used as a fuel source for evaporation of brine and this practice led to major deafforestation in central Europe. Salt played a central role in the economies of many regions, and is often reflected in place names. Salt was also used as a basis for population censuses and taxation, and salt monopolies were practised in many states. Salt was sometimes implicated in the outbreak of conflict, e.g. the French Revolution and the Indian War of Independence. Salt has also been invested with many cultural and religious meanings, from the ancient Egyptians to the Middle Ages. Man's innate appetite for salt may be related to his evolution from predominantly vegetarian anthropoids, and it is noteworthy that those people who live mainly on protein and milk or who drink salty water do not generally salt their food, whereas those who live mainly on vegetables, rice and cereals use much more salt. Medicinal use tended to emphasize the positive aspects of salt, e.g. prevention of putrefaction, reduction of tissue swelling, treatment of diarrhea. Evidence was also available to ancient peoples of its relationship to fertility, particularly in domestic animals. The history of salt thus represents a unique example for studying the impact of a widely used dietary substance on different important aspects of man's life, including medical philosophy.

New solar desalination system using humidification/ dehumidification process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdel Dayem, Adel M. [Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Islamic Architecture, Umm Al-Qura University, 5555 Makah (Saudi Arabia)

2013-07-01

An innovative solar desalination system is successfully designed, manufactured and experimentally tested at Makkah, 21.4 °N. The system consists of 1.15 m2 flat-plate collector as a heat source and a desalination unit. The unit is about 400 liter vertical cylindrical insulated tank. It includes storage, evaporator and condenser of hot salt-water that is fed from the collector. The heated water in the collector is raised naturally to the unit bottom at which it is used as storage. A high pressure pump is used to inject the water vertically up through 1-mm three nozzles inside the unit. The hot salt-water is atomized inside the unit where the produced vapor is condensed on the inner surfaces of the unit outer walls to outside. The system was experimentally tested under different weather conditions. It is obtained that the system can produce about 9 liter a day per quadratic meter of collector surface area. By that it can produce about 1.6 liters per kWh of solar energy. Moreover the water temperature has a great effect on the system performance although the scaling possibility is becoming significant. By that way the cost of a liter water production is relatively high and is obtained as 0.5 US$.

[Effect of exogenous sucrose on growth and active ingredient content of licorice seedlings under salt stress conditions].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fu-zhi; Yang, Jun

2015-11-01

Licorice seedlings were taken as experimental materials, an experiment was conducted to study the effects of exogenous sucrose on growth and active ingredient content of licorice seedlings under NaCl stress conditions. The results of this study showed that under salt stress conditions, after adding a certain concentration of exogenous sucrose, the licorice seedlings day of relative growth rate was increasing, and this stress can be a significant weakening effect, indicating that exogenous sucrose salt stress-relieving effect. The total flavonoids and phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity were significantly increased, the exogenous sucrose can mitigated the seedling roots under salt stress, the licorice flavonoid content in the enhanced growth was largely due to the activity of PAL an increased, when the concentration of exogenous sucrose wae 10 mmol x L(-1), PAL activity reaching a maximum, when the concentration of exogenous sucrose was 15 mmol x L(-1), PAL activity turned into a downward trend, the results indicating that this mitigation has concentration effect. After applying different concentrations of exogenous sugar, the contents of liquiritin changes with the change of flavonoids content was similar. After applying different concentrations of exogenous sucrose, the content of licorice acid under salt stress was higher than the levels were not reached during salt stress, the impact of exogenous sucrose concentration gradient of licorice acid accumulation was not obvious.

Particle and solute migration in porous media. Modeling of simultaneous transport of clay particles and radionuclides in a salinity gradient; Migration de particules et de solutes en milieu poreux. Modelisation du transport simultane de particules argileuses et de radionucleides sous l`effet d`un gradient de salinite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faure, M H

1994-03-01

Understanding the mechanisms which control the transient transport of particles and radionuclides in natural and artificial porous media is a key problem for the assessment of safety of radioactive waste disposals. An experimental study has been performed to characterize the clayey particle mobility in porous media: a laboratory- made column, packed with an unconsolidated sand bentonite (5% weight) sample, is flushed with a salt solution. An original method of salinity gradient allowed us to show and to quantify some typical behaviours of this system: threshold effects in the peptization of particles, creation of preferential pathways, formation of immobile water zones induce solute-transfer limitation. The mathematical modelling accounts for a phenomenological law, where the distribution of particles between the stagnant water zone and the porous medium is a function of sodium chloride concentration. This distribution function is associated with a radionuclide adsorption model, and is included in a convective dispersive transport model with stagnant water zones. It allowed us to simulate the particle and solute transport when the salt environment is modified. The complete model has been validated with experiments involving cesium, calcium and neptunium in a sodium chloride gradient. (author). refs., figs., tabs.

Thermal analysis of heat storage canisters for a solar dynamic, space power system

Science.gov (United States)

Wichner, R. P.; Solomon, A. D.; Drake, J. B.; Williams, P. T.

1988-01-01

A thermal analysis was performed of a thermal energy storage canister of a type suggested for use in a solar receiver for an orbiting Brayton cycle power system. Energy storage for the eclipse portion of the cycle is provided by the latent heat of a eutectic mixture of LiF and CaF2 contained in the canister. The chief motivation for the study is the prediction of vapor void effects on temperature profiles and the identification of possible differences between ground test data and projected behavior in microgravity. The first phase of this study is based on a two-dimensional, cylindrical coordinates model using an interim procedure for describing void behavor in 1-g and microgravity. The thermal analysis includes the effects of solidification front behavior, conduction in liquid/solid salt and canister materials, void growth and shrinkage, radiant heat transfer across the void, and convection in the melt due to Marangoni-induced flow and, in 1-g, flow due to density gradients. A number of significant differences between 1-g and o-g behavior were found. This resulted from differences in void location relative to the maximum heat flux and a significantly smaller effective conductance in 0-g due to the absence of gravity-induced convection.

Radial evolution of the solar wind from IMP 8 to Voyager 2

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, John D.; Paularena, Karolen I.; Lazarus, Alan J.; Belcher, John W.

1995-01-01

Voyager 2 and Interplanetary Monitoring Platform (IMP) 8 data from 1977 through 1994 are presented and compared. Radial velocity and temperature structures remain intact over the distance from 1 to 43 AU, but density structures do not. Temperature and velocity changes are correlated and nearly in phase at 1 AU, but in the outer heliosphere temperature changes lead velocity changes by tens of days. Solar cycle variations are detected by both spacecraft, with minima in flux density and dynamic pressure near solar maxima. Differences between Voyager 2 and IMP 8 observations near the solar minimum in 1986-1987 are attributed to latitudinal gradients in solar wind properties. Solar rotation variations are often present even at 40 AU. The Voyager 2 temperature profile is best fit with a R(exp -0.49 +/- 0.01) decrease, much less steep than an adiabatic profile.

Balancing sub- and supra-salt strain in salt-influenced rifts: Implications for extension estimates

Science.gov (United States)

Coleman, Alexander J.; Jackson, Christopher A.-L.; Duffy, Oliver B.

2017-09-01

The structural style of salt-influenced rifts may differ from those formed in predominantly brittle crust. Salt can decouple sub- and supra-salt strain, causing sub-salt faults to be geometrically decoupled from, but kinematically coupled to and responsible for, supra-salt forced folding. Salt-influenced rifts thus contain more folds than their brittle counterparts, an observation often ignored in extension estimates. Fundamental to determining whether sub- and supra-salt structures are kinematically coherent, and the relative contributions of thin- (i.e. gravity-driven) and thick-skinned (i.e. whole-plate stretching) deformation to accommodating rift-related strain, is our ability to measure extension at both structural levels. We here use published physical models of salt-influenced extension to show that line-length estimates yield more accurate values of sub- and supra-salt extension compared to fault-heave, before applying these methods to seismic data from the Halten Terrace, offshore Norway. We show that, given the abundance of ductile deformation in salt-influenced rifts, significant amounts of extension may be ignored, leading to the erroneous interpretations of thin-skinned, gravity-gliding. If a system is kinematically coherent, supra-salt structures can help predict the occurrence and kinematics of sub-salt faults that may be poorly imaged and otherwise poorly constrained.

Reducing the Salt Added to Takeaway Food: Within-Subjects Comparison of Salt Delivered by Five and 17 Holed Salt Shakers in Controlled Conditions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Louis Goffe

Full Text Available To determine if the amount of salt delivered by standard salt shakers commonly used in English independent takeaways varies between those with five and 17 holes; and to determine if any differences are robust to variations in: the amount of salt in the shaker, the length of time spent shaking, and the person serving.Four laboratory experiments comparing the amount of salt delivered by shakers. Independent variables considered were: type of shaker used (five or 17 holes, amount of salt in the shaker before shaking commences (shaker full, half full or nearly empty, time spent shaking (3s, 5s or 10s, and individual serving.Controlled, laboratory, conditions.A quota-based convenience sample of 10 participants (five women aged 18-59 years.Amount of salt delivered by salt shakers.Across all trials, the 17 holed shaker delivered a mean (SD of 7.86g (4.54 per trial, whilst the five holed shaker delivered 2.65g (1.22. The five holed shaker delivered a mean of 33.7% of the salt of the 17 holed shaker. There was a significant difference in salt delivered between the five and 17 holed salt shakers when time spent shaking, amount of salt in the shaker and participant were all kept constant (p<0.001. This difference was robust to variations in the starting weight of shakers, time spent shaking and participant shaking (pssalt shakers have the potential to reduce the salt content of takeaway food, and particularly food from Fish & Chip shops, where these shakers are particularly used. Further research will be required to determine the effects of this intervention on customers' salt intake with takeaway food and on total dietary salt intake.

The impact of herbivores on nitrogen mineralization rate: consequences for salt-marsh succession.

Science.gov (United States)

van Wijnen, Harm J; van der Wal, René; Bakker, Jan P

1999-02-01

Soil net N-mineralization rate was measured along a successional gradient in salt-marsh sites that were grazed by vertebrate herbivores, and in 5-year-old exclosures from which the animals were excluded. Mineralization rate was significantly higher at ungrazed than at grazed sites. In the absence of grazing, mineralization rate increased over the course of succession, whereas it remained relatively low when sites were grazed. The largest differences in mineralization rate between grazed and ungrazed sites were found at late successional stages where grazing pressure was lowest. The amount of plant litter was significantly lower at grazed sites. In addition, the amount of litter and potential litter (non-woody, live shoots) was linearly related to net N-mineralization rate. This implies that herbivores reduced mineralization rate by preventing litter accumulation. Bulk density was higher at grazed salt-marsh sites than at ungrazed sites. This factor may also have contributed to the differences in net N-mineralization rate between grazed and ungrazed sites.

Heat transfer studies in salt and granite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Just, R.A.

1978-10-01

Results are presented of a scoping study on the feasibility of using a multi-layer terminal repository design in both salt and granite formations to store either high-level waste or spent fuel. Calculations have been made to determine temperature profiles within the repository and to provide an estimate of the thermal uplift that can be expected. Near-field models developed to compare temperature profiles in the regions close to the waste canisters indicated that maximum thermal gradients and maximum temperature increases could be significantly reduced by changing from a single to a multi-layer repository design. For both high-level waste and for spent fuel, the maximum temperature increase in the multi-level repositories was reduced to approximately 60 percent of the temperature increase predicted for the single-level repositories at the same areal loading. After the near-field models had verified that maximum thermal gradients and temperature increases could be reduced by using a multilevel repository design, a series of far-field models was developed. The far-field models used to provide qualitative comparisons of the maximum thermal uplift indicate that the thermal uplift is roughly proportional to the energy supplied to the formation. Changing from a single- to a multi-layer repository but keeping the areal loading constant results in increased thermal uplifts

Accelerator molten-salt breeder reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furukawa, Kazuo; Kuroi, Hideo; Kato, Yoshio; Oomichi, Toshihiko.

1979-01-01

Purpose: To obtain fission products and to transmute transuranium elements and other radioactive wastes by the use of Accelerator Molten-Salt Breeder Reactor. Constitution: Beams from an accelerator pipe at one end of a target vessel is injected through a window into target molten salts filled inside of the target vessel. The target molten salts are subjected to pump recycling or spontaneous convection while forcively cooled by blanket molten salts in an outer vessel. Then, energy is recovered from the blanket molten salts or the target molten salts at high temperatures through electric power generation or the like. Those salts containing such as thorium 232 and uranium 238 are used as the blanket molten salts so that fission products may be produced by neutrons generated in the target molten salts. PbCl 2 -PbF 2 and LiF-BeF 2 -ThF 4 can be used as the target molten salts and as the blanket molten salts respectively. (Seki, T.)

Economical investigation of solar water distillation in Egypt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakr, I A; Khalil, M A; Delyannis, A; Delyannis, E [eds.

1976-01-01

Many ways of solar water distillation have been suggested but most of them are either too expensive or only a practical solution to different processes under investigation. Solar heat distillation has a bright future because the greatest potential needs appear to be in those sections where the availability of solar energy is high and the availability of potable water is low as in our Egyptian deserts where the solar intensity has a yearly mean value of about 6000 kcal/(m/sup 2/day). The solar distillation method has a number of economic characteristics which are different from other sea water conversion methods, including: The processing equipment is very simple and results in low equipment costs. No special skills are required for both erection and operation. It can be used with saline water of wide range of salt concentration. The still design is essentially modular, and can be made to meet any desired capacity. Scale formation and corrosion are minor problems as compared with other methods. Power requirements are negligible. The cost of unit construction is not markedly influenced by the size of the still. The lack of quantitative and operative data of solar water distillation techniques with respect to their cost needs in investigation from the economical standpoint of view in Egypt. The subject of this work is to find the order of magnitude of the fresh water cost by solar distillation.

Molten salt thermal energy storage systems: salt selection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maru, H.C.; Dullea, J.F.; Huang, V.S.

1976-08-01

A research program aimed at the development of a molten salt thermal energy storage system commenced in June 1976. This topical report describes Work performed under Task I: Salt Selection is described. A total of 31 inorganic salts and salt mixtures, including 9 alkali and alkaline earth carbonate mixtures, were evaluated for their suitability as heat-of-fusion thermal energy storage materials at temperatures of 850 to 1000/sup 0/F. Thermophysical properties, safety hazards, corrosion, and cost of these salts were compared on a common basis. We concluded that because alkali carbonate mixtures show high thermal conductivity, low volumetric expansion on melting, low corrosivity and good stability, they are attractive as heat-of-fusion storage materials in this temperature range. A 35 wt percent Li/sub 2/CO/sub 3/-65 wt percent K/sub 2/CO/sub 3/ (50 mole percent Li/sub 2/CO/sub 3/-50 mole percent K/sub 2/CO/sub 3/) mixture was selected as a model system for further experimental work. This is a eutectoid mixture having a heat of fusion of 148 Btu/lb (82 cal/g) that forms an equimolar compound, LiKCO/sub 3/. The Li/sub 2/CO/sub 3/-K/sub 2/CO/sub 3/ mixture is intended to serve as a model system to define heat transfer characteristics, potential problems, and to provide ''first-cut'' engineering data required for the prototype system. The cost of a thermal energy storage system containing this mixture cannot be predicted until system characteristics are better defined. However, our comparison of different salts indicated that alkali and alkaline earth chlorides may be more attractive from a salt cost point of view. The long-term corrosion characteristics and the effects of volume change on melting for the chlorides should be investigated to determine their overall suitability as a heat-of-fusion storage medium.

Study Effect of Salt Washing Process on Content and Iodium Stability of Salt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nelson Saksono

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Effect of Salt Washing Process on Content and Iodium Stability of Salt. Salt washing process should increase the saltquality. It should clean the salt from sludge or clay and also reduce the impurity compound such as Mg, Ca and the reductor content. The objective of these reseach is to assess the effect of washing process on the content og hygroscopic impurities compound (Ca and Mg, and reductor content of salt. The research also investigate the water absorbing, pH, KIO3 content as function of time to obtain effect of washing process on KIO3 stability in salt. The experiment result shows that the lowest content of Mg and reductor compound 0.016 % wt and 2.65 ppm respectively which is reached at the fi ne salt washing process using 27 % wt brine. The analysis of water content indicates an increase the Ca and Mg content, causing an water absorbtion in salt , However the effect on pH the is not clear.

Salt og forbrugervalg

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mørk, Trine; Grunert, Klaus G

af saltreducerede fødevarer og deres købsintention af disse. Dette blev undersøgt ved at måle forbrugerens viden om salt, anvendelse af salt, ønske om reduktion af salt og købsintention af saltreducerede fødevarer i en web-baseret undersøgelse. Efter den web-baserede undersøgelse, blev de samme mål...... undersøgt, men i et supermarked, hvor deltagerne blev inddelt i fire grupper for at undersøge effekten af priming og saltmærkning. Desuden blev der foretaget 15 kvalitative interviews, for at studere hvem og hvad der karakteriserer de deltagere i eksperimentet, som enten ender med ingen salt......-reducerede produkter at købe eller som ender med at købe alle de salt-reducerede produkter....

Full magnetic gradient tensor from triaxial aeromagnetic gradient measurements: Calculation and application

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Yao; Wu, Mei-Ping; Wang, Ping; Duan, Shu-Ling; Liu, Hao-Jun; Wang, Jin-Long; An, Zhan-Feng

2015-09-01

The full magnetic gradient tensor (MGT) refers to the spatial change rate of the three field components of the geomagnetic field vector along three mutually orthogonal axes. The tensor is of use to geological mapping, resources exploration, magnetic navigation, and others. However, it is very difficult to measure the full magnetic tensor gradient using existing engineering technology. We present a method to use triaxial aeromagnetic gradient measurements for deriving the full MGT. The method uses the triaxial gradient data and makes full use of the variation of the magnetic anomaly modulus in three dimensions to obtain a self-consistent magnetic tensor gradient. Numerical simulations show that the full MGT data obtained with the proposed method are of high precision and satisfy the requirements of data processing. We selected triaxial aeromagnetic gradient data from the Hebei Province for calculating the full MGT. Data processing shows that using triaxial tensor gradient data allows to take advantage of the spatial rate of change of the total field in three dimensions and suppresses part of the independent noise in the aeromagnetic gradient. The calculated tensor components have improved resolution, and the transformed full tensor gradient satisfies the requirement of geological mapping and interpretation.

[Historical roles of salt].

Science.gov (United States)

Ritz, E; Ritz, C

2004-12-17

Recently increasing evidence has been provided pointing to a close relation of salt consumption to hypertension as well as to target organ damage. It is interesting to note that the discussion concerning salt is unusually emotional. This may be explained, at least in part, by the fact that since ancient times salt had deep symbolic significance, as exemplified, mostly subconsciously, by many customs and expressions still in current use. In the past salt was essential to preserve food. The past importance of salt as a commodity can well be compared with that of oil today. These and further historical aspects of the role of salt are briefly dealt with in this article.

Intermittency Statistics in the Expanding Solar Wind

Science.gov (United States)

Cuesta, M. E.; Parashar, T. N.; Matthaeus, W. H.

2017-12-01

The solar wind is observed to be turbulent. One of the open questions in solar wind research is how the turbulence evolves as the solar wind expands to great distances. Some studies have focused on evolution of the outer scale but not much has been done to understand how intermittency evolves in the expanding wind beyond 1 AU (see [1,2]). We use magnetic field data from Voyager I spacecraft from 1 to 10AU to study the evolution of statistics of magnetic discontinuities. We perform various statistical tests on these discontinuities and make connections to the physical processes occurring in the expanding wind.[1] Tsurutani, Bruce T., and Edward J. Smith. "Interplanetary discontinuities: Temporal variations and the radial gradient from 1 to 8.5 AU." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 84.A6 (1979): 2773-2787.[2] Greco, A., et al. "Evidence for nonlinear development of magnetohydrodynamic scale intermittency in the inner heliosphere." The Astrophysical Journal 749.2 (2012): 105.

High-Temperature High-Efficiency Solar Thermoelectric Generators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baranowski, LL; Warren, EL; Toberer, ES

2014-03-01

Inspired by recent high-efficiency thermoelectric modules, we consider thermoelectrics for terrestrial applications in concentrated solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs). The STEG is modeled as two subsystems: a TEG, and a solar absorber that efficiently captures the concentrated sunlight and limits radiative losses from the system. The TEG subsystem is modeled using thermoelectric compatibility theory; this model does not constrain the material properties to be constant with temperature. Considering a three-stage TEG based on current record modules, this model suggests that 18% efficiency could be experimentally expected with a temperature gradient of 1000A degrees C to 100A degrees C. Achieving 15% overall STEG efficiency thus requires an absorber efficiency above 85%, and we consider two methods to achieve this: solar-selective absorbers and thermally insulating cavities. When the TEG and absorber subsystem models are combined, we expect that the STEG modeled here could achieve 15% efficiency with optical concentration between 250 and 300 suns.

Characterization of the molten salt reactor experiment fuel and flush salts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, D.F.; Peretz, F.J.

1996-01-01

Wise decisions about the handling and disposition of spent fuel from the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) must be based upon an understanding of the physical, chemical, and radiological properties of the frozen fuel and flush salts. These open-quotes staticclose quotes properties can be inferred from the extensive documentation of process history maintained during reactor operation and the knowledge gained in laboratory development studies. Just as important as the description of the salt itself is an understanding of the dynamic processes which continue to transform the salt composition and govern its present and potential physicochemical behavior. A complete characterization must include a phenomenological characterization in addition to the typical summary of properties. This paper reports on the current state of characterization of the fuel and flush salts needed to support waste management decisions

Environmental Factors Correlated with the Metabolite Profile of Vitis vinifera cv. Pinot Noir Berry Skins along a European Latitudinal Gradient

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Del-Castillo-Alonso, M. Á.; Castagna, A.; Csepregi, K.; Hideg, É.; Jakab, G.; Jansen, M. A. K.; Jug, T.; Llorens, L.; Mátai, A.; Martínez-Lüscher, J.; Monforte, L.; Neugart, S.; Olejníčková, Julie; Ranieri, A.; Schödl-Hummel, K.; Schreiner, M.; Soriano, G.; Teszlák, P.; Tittmann, S.; Urban, Otmar; Verdaguer, D.; Zipoli, G.; Martínez-Abaigar, J.; Núñez-Olivera, E.

2016-01-01

Roč. 64, č. 46 (2016), s. 8722-8734 ISSN 0021-8561 Institutional support: RVO:67179843 Keywords : berry skins * Europe * hydroxylation ratios * latitudinal gradient * phenolic composition * solar radiation * ultraviolet radiation * Vitis vinifera cv. Pinot Noir Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 3.154, year: 2016

In vitro selection of induced mutants to salt-tolerance: Inducible gene regulation for salt tolerance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winicov, I [Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, Univ. of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV (United States)

1997-07-01

A selection protocol to obtain salt tolerant calli, followed by regeneration and progeny-test of the regenerated plants for salt tolerance in rice was investigated. Callus cultures were initiated from salt-sensitive US elite rice lines and cv. `Pokkali`. Salt-tolerant cell lines were selected from these by a single step selection procedure. The selected salt-tolerant lines grew well on medium with {+-} 0.5% or 1% NaCl, while the parent lines occasionally survived, but did not grow at these salt concentrations. Plants were regenerated from these cell lines through different passages on medium containing salt. Seed was collected from the regenerated plants and salt tolerance of R2 seedlings was compared with those regenerated without salt selection. Salt-tolerance was measured by survival and productive growth of newly germinated seedlings in Hoagland solution with 0.3% and 0.5% NaCl for 4 weeks. Heritable improvement in salt tolerance was obtained in R2 seedlings from one plant regenerated after 5 months selection. Survival and growth of these seedlings was equivalent to that from `Pokkali` seedlings. These results show that cellular tolerance can provide salt-tolerance in rice plants. (author). 6 refs, 2 tabs.

In vitro selection of induced mutants to salt-tolerance: Inducible gene regulation for salt tolerance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winicov, I.

1997-01-01

A selection protocol to obtain salt tolerant calli, followed by regeneration and progeny-test of the regenerated plants for salt tolerance in rice was investigated. Callus cultures were initiated from salt-sensitive US elite rice lines and cv. 'Pokkali'. Salt-tolerant cell lines were selected from these by a single step selection procedure. The selected salt-tolerant lines grew well on medium with ± 0.5% or 1% NaCl, while the parent lines occasionally survived, but did not grow at these salt concentrations. Plants were regenerated from these cell lines through different passages on medium containing salt. Seed was collected from the regenerated plants and salt tolerance of R2 seedlings was compared with those regenerated without salt selection. Salt-tolerance was measured by survival and productive growth of newly germinated seedlings in Hoagland solution with 0.3% and 0.5% NaCl for 4 weeks. Heritable improvement in salt tolerance was obtained in R2 seedlings from one plant regenerated after 5 months selection. Survival and growth of these seedlings was equivalent to that from 'Pokkali' seedlings. These results show that cellular tolerance can provide salt-tolerance in rice plants. (author). 6 refs, 2 tabs

Orbital forcing and role of the latitudinal insolation/temperature gradient

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davis, Basil A.S. [University of Newcastle, School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle upon Tyne (United Kingdom); ARVE Group, ISTE, EPFL, Lausanne (Switzerland); Brewer, Simon [CEREGE, Europole de l' Arbois, Aix-en-Provence (France)

2009-02-15

Orbital forcing of the climate system is clearly shown in the Earths record of glacial-interglacial cycles, but the mechanism underlying this forcing is poorly understood. Traditional Milankovitch theory suggests that these cycles are driven by changes in high latitude summer insolation, yet this forcing is dominated by precession, and cannot account for the importance of obliquity in the Ice Age record. Here, we investigate an alternative forcing based on the latitudinal insolation gradient (LIG), which is dominated by both obliquity (in summer) and precession (in winter). The insolation gradient acts on the climate system through differential solar heating, which creates the Earths latitudinal temperature gradient (LTG) that drives the atmospheric and ocean circulation. A new pollen-based reconstruction of the LTG during the Holocene is used to demonstrate that the LTG may be much more sensitive to changes in the LIG than previously thought. From this, it is shown how LIG forcing of the LTG may help explain the propagation of orbital signatures throughout the climate system, including the Monsoon, Arctic Oscillation and ocean circulation. These relationships are validated over the last (Eemian) Interglacial, which occurred under a different orbital configuration to the Holocene. We conclude that LIG forcing of the LTG explains many criticisms of classic Milankovitch theory, while being poorly represented in climate models. (orig.)

Preretinal partial pressure of oxygen gradients before and after experimental pars plana vitrectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Petropoulos, Ioannis K; Pournaras, Jean-Antoine C; Stangos, Alexandros N; Pournaras, Constantin J

2013-01-01

To evaluate preretinal partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) gradients before and after experimental pars plana vitrectomy. Arteriolar, venous, and intervascular preretinal PO2 gradients were recorded in 7 minipigs during slow withdrawal of oxygen-sensitive microelectrodes (10-μm tip diameter) from the vitreoretinal interface to 2 mm into the vitreous cavity. Recordings were repeated after pars plana vitrectomy and balanced salt solution (BSS) intraocular perfusion. Arteriolar, venous, and intervascular preretinal PO2 at the vitreoretinal interface were 62.3 ± 13.8, 22.5 ± 3.3, and 17.0 ± 7.5 mmHg, respectively, before vitrectomy; 97.7 ± 19.9, 40.0 ± 21.9, and 56.3 ± 28.4 mmHg, respectively, immediately after vitrectomy; and 59.0 ± 27.4, 25.2 ± 3.0, and 21.5 ± 4.5 mmHg, respectively, 2½ hours after interruption of BSS perfusion. PO2 2 mm from the vitreoretinal interface was 28.4 ± 3.6 mmHg before vitrectomy; 151.8 ± 4.5 mmHg immediately after vitrectomy; and 34.8 ± 4.1 mmHg 2½ hours after interruption of BSS perfusion. PO2 gradients were still present after vitrectomy, with the same patterns as before vitrectomy. Preretinal PO2 gradients are not eliminated after pars plana vitrectomy. During BSS perfusion, vitreous cavity PO2 is very high. Interruption of BSS perfusion evokes progressive equilibration of vitreous cavity PO2 with concomitant progressive return of preretinal PO2 gradients to their previtrectomy patterns. This indicates that preretinal diffusion of oxygen is not altered after vitrectomy. The beneficial effect of vitrectomy in ischemic retinal diseases or macular edema may be related to other mechanisms, such as increased oxygen convection currents or removal of growth factors and cytokines secreted in the vitreous.

Water purification using organic salts

Science.gov (United States)

Currier, Robert P.

2004-11-23

Water purification using organic salts. Feed water is mixed with at least one organic salt at a temperature sufficiently low to form organic salt hydrate crystals and brine. The crystals are separated from the brine, rinsed, and melted to form an aqueous solution of organic salt. Some of the water is removed from the aqueous organic salt solution. The purified water is collected, and the remaining more concentrated aqueous organic salt solution is reused.

Pioneer and Voyager observations of the solar wind at large heliocentric distances and latitudes

Science.gov (United States)

Gazis, P. R.; Mihalov, J. D.; Barnes, A.; Lazarus, A. J.; Smith, E. J.

1989-01-01

Data obtained from the electrostatic analyzers aboard the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft and from the Faraday cup aboard Voyager 2 were used to study spatial gradients in the distant solar wind. Prior to mid-1985, both spacecraft observed nearly identical solar wind structures. After day 150 of 1985, the velocity structure at Voyager 2 became flatter, and the Voyager 2 velocities were smaller than those observed by Pioneer 11. It is suggested that these changes in the solar wind at low latitudes may be related to a change which occurred in the coronal hole structure in early 1985.

Fluoride salts and container materials for thermal energy storage applications in the temperature range 973 - 1400 K

Science.gov (United States)

Misra, Ajay K.; Whittenberger, J. Daniel

1987-01-01

Multicomponent fluoride salt mixtures were characterized for use as latent heat of fusion heat storage materials in advanced solar dynamic space power systems with operating temperatures in the range of 973 to 1400 K. The melting points and eutectic composition for many systems with published phase diagrams were verified, and several new eutectic compositions were identified. Additionally, the heats of fusion of several binary and ternary eutectics and congruently melting intermediate compounds were measured by differential scanning calorimetry. The extent of corrosion of various metals by fluoride melts was estimated from thermodynamic considerations, and equilibrium conditions inside a containment vessel were calculated as functions of the initial moisture content of the salt and free volume above the molten salt. Preliminary experimental data on the corrosion of commercial, high-temperature alloys in LiF-19.5CaF2 and NaF-27CaF2-36MgF2 melts are presented and compared to the thermodynamic predictions.

Experimental results on salt concrete for barrier elements made of salt concrete in a repository for radioactive waste in a salt mine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gutsch, Alex-W.; Preuss, Juergen; Mauke, Ralf

2012-01-01

The Bartensleben rock salt mine in Germany was used as a repository for low and intermediate level radioactive waste from 1971 to 1991 and from 1994 to 1998. The repository with an overall volume of about 6 million m 3 has to be closed. Salt concrete is used for the refill of the voids of the repository. The concrete mixtures contain crushed salt instead of natural aggregates as the void filling material should be as similar to the salt rock as possible. Very high requirements regarding low heat development and little or even no cracking during concrete hardening had to be fulfilled even for the barrier elements made from salt concrete which separate the radioactive waste from the environment. Requirements for the salt concrete were set up with regard to the fluidity of the fresh concrete during the hardening process and its durability. In the view of a comprehensive numerical calculations of the temperature development and thermal stresses in the massive salt concrete elements of the backfill of the voids, experimental results for material properties of the salt concrete are presented: mixture of the salt concrete, thermodynamic properties (adiabatic heat release, thermal dilatation, thermal conductivity and heat capacity), mechanical short term properties, creep (under tension, under compression), autogenous shrinkage

Microbial reduction of [Co(III)-EDTA]⁻ by Bacillus licheniformis SPB-2 strain isolated from a solar salt pan.

Science.gov (United States)

Paraneeiswaran, Arunachalam; Shukla, Sudhir K; Prashanth, K; Rao, T Subba

2015-01-01

Naturally stressed habitats are known to be repositories for novel microorganisms with potential bioremediation applications. In this study, we isolated a [Co(III)-EDTA](-) reducing bacterium Bacillus licheniformis SPB-2 from a solar salt pan that is exposed to constant cycles of hydration and desiccation in nature. [Co(III)-EDTA](-) generated during nuclear waste management process is difficult to remove from the waste due to its high stability and solubility. It is reduced form i.e. [Co(II)-EDTA](2-) is less stable though it is toxic. This study showed that B. licheniformis SPB-2 reduced 1mM [Co(III)-EDTA](-) in 14 days when grown in a batch mode. However, subsequent cycles showed an increase in the reduction activity, which was observed up to four cycles. Interestingly, the present study also showed that [Co(III)-EDTA](-) acted as an inducer for B. licheniformis SPB-2 spore germination. Vegetative cells germinated from the spores were found to be involved in [Co(III)-EDTA](-) reduction. More detailed investigations showed that after [Co(III)-EDTA](-) reduction, i.e. [Co(II)-EDTA](2-) complex was removed by B. licheniformis SPB-2 from the bulk liquid by adsorption phenomenon. The bacterium showed a D10 value (radiation dose required to kill 90% cells) of ∼250 Gray (Gy), which signifies the potential use of B. licheniformis SPB-2 for bioremediation of moderately active nuclear waste. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rank gradient and p-gradient of amalgamated free products and HNN extensions

OpenAIRE

Pappas, Nathaniel

2013-01-01

We calculate the rank gradient and p-gradient of free products, free products with amalgamation over an amenable subgroup, and HNN extensions with an amenable associated subgroup. The notion of cost is used to compute the rank gradient of amalgamated free products and HNN extensions. For the p-gradient the Kurosh subgroup theorems for amalgamated free products and HNN extensions will be used.

A universal salt model based on under-ground precipitation of solid salts due to supercritical water `out-salting'

Science.gov (United States)

Rueslåtten, H.; Hovland, M. T.

2010-12-01

One of the common characteristics of planets Earth and Mars is that both host water (H2O) and large accumulations of salt. Whereas Earth’s surface-environment can be regarded as ‘water-friendly’ and ‘salt hostile’, the reverse can be said for the surface of Mars. This is because liquid water is stable on Earth, and the atmosphere transports humidity around the globe, whereas on planet Mars, liquid water is unstable, rendering the atmosphere dry and, therefore, ‘salt-friendly’. The riddle as to how the salt accumulated in various locations on those two planets, is one of long-lasting and great debate. The salt accumulations on Earth are traditionally termed ‘evaporites’, meaning that they formed as a consequence of the evaporation of large masses of seawater. How the accumulations on Mars formed is much harder to explain, as an ocean only existed briefly. Although water molecules and OH-groups may exist in abundance in bound form (crystal water, adsorbed water, etc.), the only place where free water is expected to be stable on Mars is within underground faults, fractures, and crevices. Here it likely occurs as brine or in the form of ice. Based on these conditions, a key to understanding the accumulation of large deposits of salt on both planets is linked to how brines behave in the subsurface when pressurized and heated beyond their supercritical point. At depths greater than about 3 km (P>300 bars) water will no longer boil in a steam phase. Rather, it becomes supercritical and will attain the phase of supercritical water vapor (SCRIW) with a specific gravity of typically 0.3 g/cm3. An important characteristic of SCRIW is its inability to dissolve the common sea salts. The salt dissolved in the brines will therefore precipitate as solid particles when brines (seawater on the Earth) move into the supercritical P&T-domain (T>400°C, P>300 bars). Numerical modeling of a hydrothermal system in the Atlantis II Deep of the Red Sea indicates that a

Worth its salt?

Science.gov (United States)

The idea that all underground salt deposits can serve as storage sites for toxic and nuclear waste does not always hold water—literally. According to Daniel Ronen and Brian Berkowitz of Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science and Yoseph Yechieli of the Geological Survey of Israel, some buried salt layers are in fact highly conductive of liquids, suggesting that wastes buried in their confines could easily leech into groundwater and nearby soil.When drilling three wells into a 10,000-year-old salt layer near the Dead Sea, the researchers found that groundwater had seeped into the layer and had absorbed some of its salt.

Towards a theory of ecotone resilience: coastal vegetation on a salinity gradient.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Jiang; Gao, Daozhou; DeAngelis, Donald L

2012-08-01

Ecotones represent locations where vegetation change is likely to occur as a result of climate and other environmental changes. Using a model of an ecotone vulnerable to such future changes, we estimated the resilience of the ecotone to disturbances. The specific ecotone is that between two different vegetation types, salinity-tolerant and salinity-intolerant, along a gradient in groundwater salinity. In the case studied, each vegetation type, through soil feedback loops, promoted local soil salinity levels that favor itself in competition with the other type. Bifurcation analysis was used to study the system of equations for the two vegetation types and soil salinity. Alternative stable equilibria, one for salinity-tolerant and one for salinity intolerant vegetation, were shown to exist over a region of the groundwater salinity gradient, bounded by two bifurcation points. This region was shown to depend sensitively on parameters such as the rate of upward infiltration of salinity from groundwater into the soil due to evaporation. We showed also that increasing diffusion rates of vegetation can lead to shrinkage of the range between the two bifurcation points. Sharp ecotones are typical of salt-tolerant vegetation (mangroves) near the coastline and salt-intolerant vegetation inland, even though the underlying elevation and groundwater salinity change very gradually. A disturbance such as an input of salinity to the soil from a storm surge could upset this stable boundary, leading to a regime shift of salinity-tolerant vegetation inland. We showed, however, that, for our model as least, a simple pulse disturbance would not be sufficient; the salinity would have to be held at a high level, as a 'press', for some time. The approach used here should be generalizable to study the resilience of a variety of ecotones to disturbances. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Soil Fertility Gradient in the Restinga Ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

América Castelar da Cunha, Joana; Casagrande, José Carlos; Soares, Marcio Roberto; Martins Bonilha, Rodolfo

2013-04-01

The restinga ecosystem (coastal plain vegetation) can be termed as a set of plant communities that suffer strong influenced by fluvial and marine factors and is characterized as an ecosystem of great biological diversity, therefore, represents areas of great importance in the context of ecological preservation. The degradation processes from many forms of anthropogenic disturbances that has taken place since the colonization of the country, made studies on the characterization and dynamics of soil fertility of these areas even more important in relation to the maintenance of its biodiversity and conservation. The sites studied were the Cardoso Island and Comprida Island, and in these, we analyzed four physiognomies, restinga, low restinga, dune and antedune (from continent to ocean). Chemical analyses were performed and soil salinity in these areas in depths 0-5; 0-10; 0-20; 20-40; 40-60 cm. In all soils the cationic exchange capacity was intimately associated with the concentration of soil organic matter, which makes this parameter essential to the maintenance of soil fertility of these areas; in more superficial layers (0-20 cm) there was an increase of pH and base saturation and decline of organic matter, aluminum saturation and cationic exchange capacity in the nearby sea, physiognomies what determines the existence of fertility gradient towards the continent-coast; restinga forests showed a chemical standard that is heavily marked by sandy texture, high degree of leaching, nutrient poverty, low base saturation, high saturation by aluminum and acidity, opposite conditions to soils of the dunes and antedunes, with the exception of sandy texture; despite the existence of a chemical gradient of fertility among the physiognomies studied it is possible to determine the soil acts more strongly as a physical support than as provider of fertility; as for salinity, soil collected in Cardoso Island did not present salinity in any depth, a fact which can be explained due

Salt Stability - The Effect of pHmax on Salt to Free Base Conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Yi-Ling; Merritt, Jeremy M; Yu, Weili; Taylor, Lynne S

2015-09-01

The aim of this study was to investigate how the disproportionation process can be impacted by the properties of the salt, specifically pHmax. Five miconazole salts and four sertraline salts were selected for this study. The extent of conversion was quantified using Raman spectroscopy. A mathematical model was utilized to estimate the theoretical amount of conversion. A trend was observed that for a given series of salts of a particular basic compound (both sertraline and miconazole are bases), the extent of disproportionation increases as pHmax decreases. Miconazole phosphate monohydrate and sertraline mesylate, although exhibiting significantly different pHmax values (more than 2 units apart), underwent a similar extent of disproportionation, which may be attributed to the lower buffering capacity of sertraline salts. This work shows that the disproportionation tendency can be influenced by pHmax and buffering capacity and thus highlights the importance of selecting the appropriate salt form during the screening process in order to avoid salt-to-free form conversion.

Accelerated aging tests on ENEA-ASE solar coating for receiver tube suitable to operate up to 550 °C

Science.gov (United States)

Antonaia, A.; D'Angelo, A.; Esposito, S.; Addonizio, M. L.; Castaldo, A.; Ferrara, M.; Guglielmo, A.; Maccari, A.

2016-05-01

A patented solar coating for evacuated receiver, based on innovative graded WN-AlN cermet layer, has been optically designed and optimized to operate at high temperature with high performance and high thermal stability. This solar coating, being designed to operate in solar field with molten salt as heat transfer fluid, has to be thermally stable up to the maximum temperature of 550 °C. With the aim of determining degradation behaviour and lifetime prediction of the solar coating, we chose to monitor the variation of the solar absorptance αs after each thermal annealing cycle carried out at accelerated temperatures under vacuum. This prediction method was coupled with a preliminary Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) in order to give evidence for any chemical-physical coating modification in the temperature range of interest before performing accelerated aging tests. In the accelerated aging tests we assumed that the temperature dependence of the degradation processes could be described by Arrhenius behaviour and we hypothesized that a linear correlation occurs between optical parameter variation rate (specifically, Δαs/Δt) and degradation process rate. Starting from Δαs/Δt values evaluated at 650 and 690 °C, Arrhenius plot gave an activation energy of 325 kJ mol-1 for the degradation phenomenon, where the prediction on the coating degradation gave a solar absorptance decrease of only 1.65 % after 25 years at 550 °C. This very low αs decrease gave evidence for an excellent stability of our solar coating, also when employed at the maximum temperature (550 °C) of a solar field operating with molten salt as heat transfer fluid.

Compact high order schemes with gradient-direction derivatives for absorbing boundary conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, Dan; Gordon, Rachel; Turkel, Eli

2015-09-01

We consider several compact high order absorbing boundary conditions (ABCs) for the Helmholtz equation in three dimensions. A technique called "the gradient method" (GM) for ABCs is also introduced and combined with the high order ABCs. GM is based on the principle of using directional derivatives in the direction of the wavefront propagation. The new ABCs are used together with the recently introduced compact sixth order finite difference scheme for variable wave numbers. Experiments on problems with known analytic solutions produced very accurate results, demonstrating the efficacy of the high order schemes, particularly when combined with GM. The new ABCs are then applied to the SEG/EAGE Salt model, showing the advantages of the new schemes.

Release consequence analysis for a hypothetical geologic radioactive waste repository in salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-08-01

One subtask conducted under the INFCE program is to evaluate and compare the health and safety impacts of different fuel cycles in which all radioactive wastes (except those from mining and milling) are placed in a geologic repository in salt. To achieve this objective, INFCE Working Group 7 examined the radiologic dose to humans from geologic repositories containing waste arisings as defined for seven reference fuel cycles. This report examines the release consequences for a generic waste repository in bedded salt. The top of the salt formation and the top of the repository are assumed to be 250 and 600 m, respectively, below the surface. The hydrogeologic structure above the salt consists of two aquifers and two aquitards. The aquifers connect to a river 6.2 km from the repository. The regional gradient to the river is 1 m/km in all aquifers. Hydrologic, transport, and dose models were used to model two release scenarios for each fuel cycle, one without a major disturbance and one in which a major geologic perturbation breached the repository immediately after it was sealed. The purpose of the modeling was to predict the rate of transport of radioactive contaminants from the repository through the geosphere to the biosphere, and to determine the potential dose to humans. Of the many radionuclides in the waste, only 129 I and 226 Ra arrived at the river in sufficient concentrations for a measurable dose calculation. Radionuclide concentrations in the ground water pose no threat to man because the ground water is a concentrated brine and it is diluted by a factor of 10 6 to 10 7 upon entering the river

Dye-sensitized solar cells and complexes between pyridines and iodines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Poul Erik; Phuong, Nguyen Tuyet; Krake, Jacob

2012-01-01

Interactions between triiodide (I3–) and 4-tert-butylpyridine (4TBP) as postulated in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC) are investigated by means of 13C NMR and IR spectroscopy supported by DFT calculations. The charge transfer (CT) complex 4TBP∙I2 and potential salts such as (4TBP)2I+, I3– were...... synthesized and characterized by IR and 13C NMR spectroscopy. However, mixing (butyl)4N+, I3– and 4TBP at concentrations comparable to those of the DSC solar cell did not lead to any reaction. Neither CT complexes nor cationic species like (4TBP)2I+ were observed, judging from the 13C NMR spectroscopic...

The material flow of salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostick, D.S.

1993-01-01

Salt (NaCl) is a universal mineral commodity used by virtually every person in the world. Although a very common mineral today, at one time it was considered as precious as gold in certain cultures. This study traces the material flow of salt from its origin through the postconsumer phase of usage. The final disposition of salt in the estimated 14,000 different uses, grouped into several macrocategories, is traced from the dispersive loss of salt into the environment to the ultimate disposal of salt-base products into the waste stream after consumption. The base year for this study is 1990, in which an estimated 196 million short tons of municipal solid waste was discarded by the US population. Approximately three-fourths of domestic salt consumed is released to the environment and unrecovered while about one-fourth is discharged to landfills and incinerators as products derived from salt. Cumulative historical domestic production, trade, and consumption data have been compiled to illustrate the long-term trends within the US salt industry and the cumulative contribution that highway deicing salt has had on the environment. Salt is an important component of drilling fluids in well drilling. It is used to flocculate and to increase the density of the drilling fluid in order to overcome high down-well gas pressures. Whenever drilling activities encounter salt formations, salt is added to the drilling fluid to saturate the solution and minimize the dissolution within the salt strata. Salt is also used to increase the set rate of concrete in cemented casings. This subsector includes companies engaged in oil, gas, and crude petroleum exploration and in refining and compounding lubricating oil. It includes SIC major groups 13 and 29. 13 refs., 14 figs., 6 tabs

Molten salt breeder reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

MSBR Study Group formed in October 1974 has studied molten salt breeder reactor and its various aspects. Usage of a molten salt fuel, extremely interesting as reactor chemistry, is a great feature to MSBR; there is no need for separate fuel making, reprocessing, waste storage facilities. The group studied the following, and these results are presented: molten salt technology, molten salt fuel chemistry and reprocessing, reactor characteristics, economy, reactor structural materials, etc. (Mori, K.)

Structure and thermodynamics of molten salts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papatheodorou, G.N.

1983-01-01

This chapter investigates single-component molten salts and multicomponent salt mixtures. Molten salts provide an important testing ground for theories of liquids, solutions, and plasmas. Topics considered include molten salts as liquids (the pair potential, the radial distribution function, methods of characterization), single salts (structure, thermodynamic correlations), and salt mixtures (the thermodynamics of mixing; spectroscopy and structure). Neutron and X-ray scattering techniques are used to determine the structure of molten metal halide salts. The corresponding-states theory is used to obtain thermodynamic correlations on single salts. Structural information on salt mixtures is obtained by using vibrational (Raman) and electronic absorption spectroscopy. Charge-symmetrical systems and charge-unsymmetrical systems are used to examine the thermodynamics of salt mixtures

Mechanical stratification of autochthonous salt: Implications from basin-scale numerical models of rifted margin salt tectonics

Science.gov (United States)

Ings, Steven; Albertz, Markus

2014-05-01

Deformation of salt and sediments owing to the flow of weak evaporites is a common phenomenon in sedimentary basins worldwide, and the resulting structures and thermal regimes have a significant impact on hydrocarbon exploration. Evaporite sequences ('salt') of significant thickness (e.g., >1km) are typically deposited in many cycles of seawater inundation and evaporation in restricted basins resulting in layered autochthonous evaporite packages. However, analogue and numerical models of salt tectonics typically treat salt as a homogeneous viscous material, often with properties of halite, the weakest evaporite. In this study, we present results of two-dimensional plane-strain numerical experiments designed to illustrate the effects of variable evaporite viscosity and embedded frictional-plastic ('brittle') sediment layers on the style of salt flow and associated deformation of the sedimentary overburden. Evaporite viscosity is a first-order control on salt flow rate and the style of overburden deformation. Near-complete evacuation of low-viscosity salt occurs beneath expulsion basins, whereas significant salt is trapped when viscosity is high. Embedded frictional-plastic sediment layers (with finite yield strength) partition salt flow and develop transient contractional structures (folds, thrust faults, and folded faults) in a seaward salt-squeeze flow regime. Multiple internal sediment layers reduce the overall seaward salt flow during sediment aggradation, leaving more salt behind to be re-mobilized during subsequent progradation. This produces more seaward extensive allochthonous salt sheets. If there is a density difference between the embedded layers and the surrounding salt, then the embedded layers 'fractionate' during deformation and either float to the surface or sink to the bottom (depending on density), creating a thick zone of pure halite. Such a process of 'buoyancy fractionation' may partially explain the apparent paradox of layered salt in