PURPOSEThe purpose of this study was to compare the linear sintering behavior of presintered zirconia blocks of various densities. The mechanical properties of the resulting sintered...Full Text Available
BackgroundTitanium and titanium alloys are widely used for fabrication of dental implants. Since the material composition and the surface topography of a biomaterial play a fundamental...Full Text Available
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro behaviour of all-ceramic zirconia molar crowns in regard to different core designs and marginal fit. Methods: Identically shaped methacrylate molars were prepared according to the ceramic restoration directives resulting in a 1-mm deep circular shoulder preparation. They were embedded in polymethylmethacrylate resin after covering their roots with a polyether layer to simulate periodontal mobility. The crown cores were made of yttria-stabilized zirconia veneered with a corresponding veneering ceramic. The crowns were divided into 5 groups (n=8) which differed in core design and cement gap thickness: #1: simple core, 40mm cement; #2: core with minimal occlusal support, 40mm cement; #3: core with optimized cusp support, 40mm ceme...
Zirconia-toughened sialon composites have been fabricated using conventional hot-pressing techniques. The fracture toughness and microstructure were determined for CeO_2- and Y_2O_3-stabilized ZrO_2 additives and also as a function of volume percent ZrO_2. The Yttria system showed a linear increase in fracture toughness with increasing volume fraction zirconia content while the ceria-stabilized system exhibited a peak in fracture toughness at 20 vol% ZrO_2 content. The fracture toughness at 800 C was measured and correlated with the microstructure. High-temperature stability was determined and it was found that the deleterious nitride phases of zirconium could be precluded from the microstructure.
Liquid radioactive raffinates from nuclear fuel reprocessing at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory were solidified, or calcines, in a fluidized bed reactor at approximately 500 C to form a dry granular material. This calcine has been provisionally stored near-surface in concrete-encased stainless steel bins at the Idaho Nuclear Technology Engineering Center. Research addressing the permanent immobilization of radioactive waste has been ongoing. One option is to separate the radioactive constituents from the calcine, thereby reducing the radioactive waste volume to be ultimately stored at a national nuclear waste repository. Nitric acid dissolution of the calcine is a key front-end unit operation in the separations option. In order to design calcine dissolution equipment, quantification of dissolution reaction rate parameters is required. A pilot-plant-produced, non-radioactive calcine was utilized to study the dissolution kinetics of a ...
The RECH-1 MTR reactor has been converted from HEU to MEU (45% enrichment) and the decision to a LEU (20% enrichment) conversion was taken some years ago. This LEU conversion decision involved a local fuel development and fabrication based on U{sub 3}Si{sub 2}-Al dispersion fuel, and a fabrication qualification stage that resulted in four fuel elements fully complying with established fabrication standards for this type of fuel. This report-presents relevant points of these four leaders fuel elements fabrication, in particular a fuel plate core homogeneity control development. A summary of the intended in core follow-up studies for the leaders fuel elements is also presented here. (author)
One-dimensional core-shell polymer nanowires offer many advantages and great potential for many different applications. In this paper we introduce a highly versatile two-step template wetting process to fabricate two-component core-shell polymer nanowires with controllable shell thickness. PLLA and PMMA were chosen as model polymers to demonstrate the feasibility of this process. Solution wetting with different concentrations of polymer solutions was used to fabricate the shell layer and melt wetting was used to fill the shell with the core polymer. The shell thickness was analyzed as a function of the polymer solution concentration and viscosity, and the core-shell morphology was observed with TEM. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of fabricating polymer core-shell nanostructures using our two-step template ...
The authors report the fabrication and characterization of a low temperature (200--400 C) thin film gas sensor constructed from a MOCVD-grown yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) layer sandwiched between two platinum thin film electrodes. A reproducible gas-sensing response is produced by applying a cyclic voltage which generates voltammograms with gas-specific current peaks and shapes. Growth conditions are optimized for preparing YSZ films having dense microstructures, low leakage currents, and maximum ion conductivities. In particular, the effect of growth temperature on film morphology and texture is discussed and related to the electrical and gas-sensing properties of the thin film sensor device.
Zirconia-based restorations are widely used in prosthetic dentistry; however, their susceptibility to hydrothermal degradation remains elusive. We hypothesized that CAD/CAM machining and subsequent...Full Text Available
This ETP defines the task and deliverables associated with the design, fabrication and testing of an improved spray wash system for the Rotary Mode Core Sampling (RMCS)Spray Wash Trailer.
A major initiative to develop and irradiate a long-life, mixed-oxide fuel system in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) has been implemented by Westinghouse Hanford Company for the US Department of Energy. The FFTF, shown in Figures 1 and 2, is a 400 megawatt thermal, fast liquid metal reactor that tests liquid metal, space and fusion fuels and materials. The new fuel system, called the Core Demonstration Experiment (CDE) demonstrates the capability of achieving a three- to four-year life in a prototypic heterogeneous reactor environment under prototypic power and temperature conditions. This fuel system will greatly increase fuel performance and lifetime from the current standard FFTF driver fuel. New design features, fabrication development, CDE assembly fabrication, and irradiation status have been described.
An advanced process for the separation of hydrogen sulfide (H{sub 2}S) from coal gasification product streams through an electrochemical membrane is being developed. H{sub 2}S is removed from the syn-gas stream, split into hydrogen, which enriches the exiting syn-gas, and sulfur, which is condensed from an inert sweep gas stream. The process allows removal of H{sub 2}S without cooling the gas stream and with negligible pressure loss through the separator. The process is made economically attractive by the lack of need for a Claus process for sulfur recovery. Membrane manufacturing coupled with full-cell experimentation was the primary focus this quarter. A tape-casted zirconia membrane was developed and utilized in one full-cell experiment (run 25); run 24 utilized a fabricated membrane purchased from Zircar Corporation. Results are discussed.
One of the major limitations of the nickel (Ni) - yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) anode support for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) is its low capability to withstand transients between reducing and oxidizing atmospheres (''RedOx'' cycle), owing to the Ni-to-NiO volume expansion. This work presents results on different anode supports fabricated by tape casting. Three compositions are prepared, as the outcome of a preceding design of experiment approach. The NiO proportion is 40, 50 and 60wt% of the anode composite. The anode support characteristics like shrinkage during sintering, in-situ conductivity at high temperature, electrochemical performance and tolerance against RedOx cycles have been measured. Performance up to 0.72Wcm^-^2 (0.62V, 800^oC) is recorded for the 60wt% NiO sample on sm...
BackgroundThe successful use of zirconia ceramics in orthopedic surgery led to a demand for dental zirconium-based implant systems. Because of its excellent biomechanical characteristics,...Full Text Available
Mixed Uranium Plutonium Carbide ((U, Pu) C), in the form of pellets encapsulated in stainless steel tubes is the fuel for Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at Kalpakkam. For the fabrication of fuel for enlarging the core of this reactor, high burn up plutonium is used. The external exposure in these labs was significantly higher than that with low burn up Pu fuel. Dose evaluation to the organs was carried out using experimental TLDs during various operations of FBTR fuel fabrication to study the dose distribution pattern. (author)
An experimental investigation of premixed methane-air combustion within the one-dimensional porous ceramic burners for various burner configurations is presented. The burner is nonhomogeneous because of different pore size ceramic block used in different section of the burner. Therefore, the thermophysical and transport properties are nonuniform along the burner core length. The burners are constructed of partially stabilized zirconia. The CO and NO{sub x} emissions, flame speed, and flame stability are examined and compared at lean equivalence ratios for five different burner configurations. The sandwich-structured burner has very favorable flame stabilizing characteristic due to the radiation reflecting region. While the combustion proceeds at faster rate than other burner configurations, the radiation reflecting region and the exit surface have low temperature. Thus the NO{sub x} emission can be kept at the same low level as the other burner ...
This paper reports on an experimental investigation of premixed methane/air combustion stabilized within a reticulated partially stabilized zirconia foam burner that was performed. A flame holder was used to extend the stability range to allow a stable flame to be maintained for a variety of flow rate and equivalence ratio combinations. The stability range, temperature distributions, and emissions were examined over a range of equivalence ratios and flow rates. The flame was found to be axisymmetric for all conditions in which the reactants were sufficiently well mixed and the flow distribution was sufficiently uniform. Burning speeds were measured that were well in excess of the laminar flame speed. The axial temperature distribution (measured around the burner annulus) in the postflame zone was found to be relatively insensitive to flow rate but dependent upon the burner core length. Very low concentrations of NO_x were found for fuel/air ...
A major new initiative to develop and irradiate a long-lived, mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel system in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) has been implemented by Westinghouse Hanford Company for the U.S. Department of Energy. The purpose of this new fuel system, called the core demonstration experiment (CDE), is to demonstrate the capability of achieving a 3-yr life in a prototypical, heterogeneous reactor environment under prototypical power and temperature conditions. Ten fuel and six blanket CDEs are establishing the performance characteristics of entire fuel assemblies of wire-wrapped, large-diameter, annular-pellet, advanced MOX fuel pins with the tempered martensitic HT-9 alloy cladding and end caps, HT-9 wire wrap, and an HT-9 duct in a heterogeneous array with the blanket assemblies. The CDE performance characteristics are confirming the basis for design, fabrication, and irradiation of the CDE.
We are developing a refuelable zinc/air battery (6-cells) for evaluation under the five USABC `core` test protocols. In the first half of the two year project ($1OOK, FY1997), an advanced refuelable design was developed, fabricated and tested at power levels up to 415 W. Performance matched or exceeded that of earlier multicell systems. A computer program was developed for automated data acquisition and drive cycle simulation. Small mockup cells (80 cm 2) were constructed for rapid testing of components. In the follow-on effort (FY1998, $1OOK) we will make minor advances in system design and fabrication efficiency, and seek to improve cathode performance and life, before delivery of two final units for test at DOE laboratory.
Mesoporous films of platinized carbon nanotube-zirconia-Nafion composite have been used for the immobilization of tris(2,2prime-bipyridyl)ruthenium (II) (Ru(bpy)32+) on an electrode surface to yield a solid-state electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) sensor. The composite films of Pt-CNT-zirconia-Nafion exhibit much larger pore diameter (3.55 nm) than that of Nafion (2.82 nm) and thus leading to much larger ECL response for tripropylamine (TPA) because of the fast diffusion of the analyte within the films. Due to the conducting and electrocatalytic features of CNTs and Pt nanoparticles, their incorporation into the zirconia-Nafion composite films resulted in the decreased electron transfer resistance within the films. The present ECL sensor based on the Pt-CNT-zirconia-Nafion gave a lin...
Zirconia has demonstrated a very moderate toughening effect in nitrogen-based ceramic composites because the reaction between tetragonal zirconia (t-ZrO_2) and nitrogen results in additional zirconia stabilization to a nontransformable t' or cubic structure. In O'-SiAlON matrices, the oxygen concentration increases and the oxygen-rich intergranular glassy phase prevents zirconia from nitridation. As a result, tetragonal ZrO_2 is maintained and is transformable in the O'-SiAlON materials. The present study has provided transmission electron microscopy (TEM) evidence of the zirconia transformation and the associated toughening effect in a ZrO_2/O'-SiAlON composite. The implications and limitations of the transformation on toughening of the material are discussed.
A major new initiative to develop and irradiate a long-life mixed oxide fuel system in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) has been implemented by the Westinghouse Hanford Company at the Hanford Engineering Development Lab. for the US Dept. of Energy. The purpose of this new fuel system, called the Core Demonstration Experiment (CDE), is to demonstrate the capability of achieving a 3-yr life in a prototypical heterogeneous reactor environment under prototypical power and temperature conditions. Three Core Demonstration Lead Experiments (CDLEs) will establish the performance characteristics of entire fuel assemblies of wire-wrapped, large diameter, advanced oxide fuel pins with HT-9 stainless steel alloy cladding and wire wrap and an HT-9 duct. Their performance characteristics provided the basis for design, fabrication, and irradiation of the CDE.
Mixed additions of Sm_2O_3 and Y_2O_3 were used in the formation of zirconia-containing O'-sialon composites, where Sm_2O_3 was used for the purpose of densification and Y_2O_3 for zirconia stabilization. Dense ZrO_2/O' -sialon composites were produced at 1500 deg C. by sintering in nitrogen for 4 hours. Tetragonal zirconia remained in the product and t#->#m transformation was observed when the sample was ground into powder. However, the improvement in fracture toughness was not significant and this was attributed to the weakened transformability of the tetragonal zirconia phase in the nitrogen-based materials. 18 refs., 4 tabs., 2 figs.
BackgroundOsseointegration is crucial for the long-term success of dental implants and depends on the tissue reaction at the tissue-implant interface. Mechanical properties and biocompatibility...Full Text Available
The Rotary Mode Core Sample System (RMCSS) is used to obtain stratified samples of the waste deposits in single-shell and double-shell waste tanks at the Hanford Site. The samples are used to characterize the waste in support of ongoing and future waste remediation efforts. Four sampling trucks have been developed to obtain these samples. Truck I was the first in operation and is currently being used to obtain samples where the push mode is appropriate (i.e., no rotation of drill). Truck 2 is similar to truck 1, except for added safety features, and is in operation to obtain samples using either a push mode or rotary drill mode. Trucks 3 and 4 are now being fabricated to be essentially identical to truck 2.
#alpha#/#beta# sialon based composites containing silicon nitride whisker and silicon carbide platelet were fabricated by hot pressing. Effect of the reinforcing agents on the #alpha# to #beta# phase transformation of the sialon as well as on the mechanical properties was investigated. Silicon nitride whisker and silicon carbide platelet promoted the phase transformation. TEM/EDS analysis revealed that the grain containing the whisker had 'core-rim' structure; core being high purity Si_3N_4 whisker and rim being #beta#-sialon. Flexural strength of the composite decreased with the reinforcement addition which, on the other hand, improved fracture toughness of it. High temperature strength was measured at 1300 deg C to be about 130 MPa lower than that measured at RT for the whisker reinforced composite. (author).
A program under the sponsorship of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission was intiated at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in late 1977. The program, Advanced Instrumentation for Reflood Studies (AIRS), is charged with developing instrumentation for measurement of in-vessel fluid phenomena in pressurized water reactor reflood facilities. The goal of the ORNL program is to develop techniques and systems for measuring fluid flow in-core, deentrainment in the upper plenum and liquid fallback from the upper plenum into the core. A large portion of the development at ORNL is devoted to the impedance probes for measurement of two-phase flow velocities and void fractions. Film probe development at ORNL is limited to adapting the present techniques to the environment of a reflood facility. As the development progresses on all the measurement techniques, ORNL will fabricate and supply instrument systems to the ...
WC-Co hardmetals with gradient structure comprising neither -phase nor grain growth inhibitors were produced for the first time by regulating the WC re-crystallisation and carbon content in their near-surface layer and core. Hardmetals with low Co contents in the surface region were obtained by selective carburisation of the near-surface zone of green articles with the original low carbon content and their consequent liquid-phase sintering. The surface region of such gradient hardmetals has a hardness of up 150 Vickers units higher and fracture toughness significantly superior than those of the core. Gradient hardmetals with high Co contents in the surface region were obtained by selective decarburisation of the near-surface zone of green articles with the original high carbon content and ...
"Precision manufacture of ceramic parts with CNC machining capability for aerospace, lasers, semiconductors and other industries. Materials include alumina, zirconia, glass, ferrites, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, sapphire, cordierite, mullite and others. A.C.T. has seen the number of applications and demand for high-realiability ceramics (aluminum oxide, zirconia, glass, ferrites, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, sapphire, cordierite, mullite, etc...) increase continually within the aerospace, computer and the industrial markets."
ZrO_2/O'-sialon composites were obtained via reaction sintering of ZrSiO_4 and Si_3N_4 powders at about 1700 deg C. Y_2O_3 was effective in both stabilizing of zirconia and densifying the composites. However, it is not easy to select an optimum value of the single additive to balance these two requirements simultaneously. With low Y_2O_3 addition, some tetragonal zirconia grains in the sintered samples are transformable during mechanical grinding but the full densification of the material is then sacrificed. On the other hand, addition more Y_2O_3 to achieve complete densification results in the zirconia being stabilized into undesirable t' or cubic forms. Therefore no improved toughening effects have been achieved in the composites. Heat-treatment of the materials at 1400 deg C. results in the diffusion of yttria from the grain boundary phase to zirconia and the formation of the O'-cubic ...
Microstructural analyses by advanced metallographic techniques were conducted on mockup welds and a cracked BWR core shroud weld fabricated from Type 304L stainless steel. heat-affected zones of the shroud weld and mockup shielded-metal-arc welds were free of grain-boundary carbide, martensite, delta ferrite, or Cr depletion near grain boundaries. However, as a result of exposure to welding fumes, the heat-affected zones of the welds were significantly contaminated by fluorine and oxygen which migrate to grain boundaries. Significant oxygen contamination promotes fluorine contamination and suppresses classical thermal sensitization, even in Type 304 steels. Results of slow-strain-rate tensile tests indicate that fluorine exacerbates the susceptibility of irradiated steels to intergranular stress corrosion cracking. These observations, combined with previous reports on the strong influence of weld flux, indicate that oxygen and fluorine ...
Nuclear fuel vendors in Japan are now studying reprocessed uranium (RepU) fuel in order to prepare for full scale utilization in the future. Separate studies are made for PWR and BWR fuel. The study consists of 2 phrases. The purposes of phase-1 are to understand various RepU characteristics in the fuel fabrication process, to analyze the core characteristics by loading RepU assemblies, to solve the problems clarified in the study, and to collect basic data for licensing. In phase-2, the effects of impurities on the fabrication process will be evaluated, and the safety of RepU fuel manufacturing will be confirmed with a RepU fuel fabrication campaign in 1990. The neutronic data will be collected after insertion into power reactors, and the data will be used to verify plant safety for full utilization of RepU in the future. This paper summarizes the phase-1 study results. 1. RepU Characteristics. The ...
Irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) of several types of BWR field components fabricated from solution-annealed austenitic stainless steels (SSs), including a core internal weld, were investigated by means of slow-strain-rate test (SSRT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and field-emission-gun advanced analytical electron microscopy (FEG-AAEM). Based on the results of the tests and analyses, separate effects of neutron fluence, tensile properties, alloying elements and major impurities identified in the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specifications, minor impurities, water chemistry, and fabrication-related variables were determined. The results indicate strongly that minor impurities not specified by the ASTM-specifications play important roles, probably through a complex synergism with grain-boundary Cr depletion. These impurities, typically ...
NO{sub x} compounds, specifically NO and NO{sub 2}, are pollutants and potent greenhouse gases. Compact and inexpensive NO{sub x} sensors are necessary in the next generation of diesel (CIDI) automobiles to meet government emission requirements and enable the more rapid introduction of more efficient, higher fuel economy CIDI vehicles. Because the need for a NO{sub x} sensor is recent and the performance requirements are extremely challenging, most are still in the development phase. Currently, there is only one type of NO{sub x} sensor that is sold commercially, and it seems unlikely to meet more stringent future emission requirements. Automotive exhaust sensor development has focused on solid-state electrochemical technology, which has proven to be robust for in-situ operation in harsh, high-temperature environments (e.g., the oxygen stoichiometric sensor). Solid-state sensors typically rely on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) as the oxygen-ion conducting ...
The large uranium fission cross section leading to iodine and the behaviour of this element in the cladding tube during energy production and afterwards during waste storage is a crucial problem, especially for {sup 129}I which is a very long half-life isotope (T=1.59 x 10{sup 7} yr). Since a combined external and internal oxidation of the zircaloy cladding tube occurs during the reactor processing, iodine diffusion parameters in zirconia are needed. In order to obtain these data, stable iodine atoms were first introduced by ion implantation into zirconia with an energy of 200 keV and a dose equal to 8 x 10{sup 15} at cm{sup -2}. Diffusion profiles were measured using 3 MeV alpha-particle Rutherford backscattering spectrometry at each step of the annealing procedure between 700 C and 900 C. In such experiments a reduced iodine concentration was observed, which correlated to a diffusion-like process. Similar analysis has been performed using ...
Twelve powders of TiO_2-Y_2O_3-ZrO_2 solid solution of the methodically changed composition were prepared by a coprecipitation-calcination technique. After mixing with phenol-formaldehyde resin, the powders were calcinated for 2 hours at 1200"oC in vacuum. The resultant composite powders contained TiC and non-reacted carbon. Green compacts were sintered in vacuum at 1500"oC for 2 hours. A temperature increase was stopped at 1200"oC to react remains of carbon. There were two carbides in the composites TiC and ZrC. TiC non-stoichiometry depended on carbon content in the system. Phase composition of the depended on of titania and yttria in zirconia solid solution. The majority of the samples showed two tetragonal zirconia phases differing in lattice parameter and tetragonality. (author)
The influence of material configuration and impact parameters on the damage tolerance characteristics of sandwich composites comprised of carbon-epoxy woven fabric facesheets and Nomex honeycomb cores was investigated using empirically based response surfaces. A series of carefully selected tests were used to isolate the coupled influence of various combinations of the number of facesheet plies, core density, core thickness, impact energy, impactor diameter, and impact velocity on the damage formation and residual strength degradation due to normal impact. The ranges of selected material parameters were typical of those found in common aircraft applications. The diameter of the planar damage area associated with Through Transmission Ultrasonic C-scan measurements and the peak residual facesheet indentation depth were used to describe the extent of internal and detectable surface damage, respectively. ...
High-spatial-resolution microfocus-based X-ray imaging technology, both real-time and film, has been used to study the thickness variation that occurs in the oxide core of silver-sheathed BSCCO ribbons produced by the powder-in-tube method. This thickness variation (also called ``sausaging``) occurs during incremental rolling and degrades the critical current densities of the ribbons. Using X-ray image data the authors determined the onset and severity of sausaging. Onset occurred at a ribbon thickness of 203 {micro}m, and the severity increased with subsequent rolling reductions. Scanning electron microscopy was used to confirm the X-ray image data. X-ray imaging provides several advantages over more traditional methods for characterizing the superconductors such as optical or scanning electron microscopy. The X-ray imaging provides nondestructive information about the entire width of the ribbon, with far greater speed, lower cost, and more flexibility than the ...
A preliminary guideline for the design and evaluation of LMR high temperature structure is presented based upon ASME B and PV Code, Section III, Subsection NH. The main contents of this guideline are the materials, general design, vessel, piping, core support structure, pumps, valves, fabrication, examination, and testing for the class 1 components. The ratcheting evaluation, enhanced creep assessment, welds design and evaluation, inelastic analysis approach, piping design alternatives, and bellows design method are described in appendices. A user of this guideline should follow the essential procedures and may refer to other pertinent codes, standards, laws, regulations, or other pertinent documents when this guideline does not lead to proper design of the structure. While this guideline adopts major procedures of Subsection NH, it refers to the RCC-MR and/or DDS in some amount for the items where these codes have excellency to improve this ...
We discuss the possibility of extending solid state laser technology to high average power and of improving the efficiency of such lasers sufficiently to make them reasonable candidates for a number of demanding applications. A variety of new design concepts, materials, and techniques have emerged over the past decade that, collectively, suggest that the traditional technical limitations on power (a few hundred watts or less) and efficiency (less than 1%) can be removed. The core idea is configuring the laser medium in relatively thin, large-area plates, rather than using the traditional low-aspect-ratio rods or blocks. This presents a large surface area for cooling, and assures that deposited heat is relatively close to a cooled surface. It also minimizes the laser volume distorted by edge effects. The feasibility of such configurations is supported by recent developments in materials, fabrication processes, and optical pumps. Two types of ...
The newly developed techniques by the Hot Laboratory (JMTR HL) have provided for us the key information on behavior of specimens due to mechanical / physical / chemical / synergistic effects of radiation, stress and water for fission and fusion reactor environment. These techniques are focused on several topics as follows; (1) miniaturized specimen test for the development of fusion reactor materials, (2) slow strain rate tensile testing (SSRT) and crack propagation measuring tests for the study of Irradiation Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking (IASCC) of core internals of LWR, (3) handling technique on specimens including tritium for the research and development of tritium breeders and neutron multiplier as fusion blanket materials, (4) joining method using the Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding technique for re-assembling of capsule and re-fabrication of specimen and (5) nondestructive evaluation using ultrasonic wave and infrared thermography ...
A combined PVD/PECVD process for the vacuum deposition of titanium containing amorphous hydrogenated carbon films is described. Elemental compositions of the deposited films have been determined by in situ core level photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The long-term stability of the plasma process has been demonstrated. Target poisoning has not been observed. We have fabricated optical selective surfaces by the deposition of a-C:H/Ti multilayers onto aluminum substrates. Even though we have not optimized layer thicknesses and stoichiometries so far, the experimental results are promising: solar absorptance {alpha}{sub S} of 0.876 and thermal emittance {epsilon}{sub 100C} of 0.061 have been achieved yielding an optical selectivity sis defined as{alpha}{sub S}/{epsilon}{sub 100C} of 14.4. Accelerated aging tests of these coatings have demonstrated their aging stability: the service lifetime is predicted to amount to more than 25 years. Raman ...
A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) electrochemical model has been created to model high-temperature electrolysis stack performance and steam electrolysis in the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Integrated Lab Scale (ILS) experiment. The model is made of 60 planar cells stacked on top of each other operated as Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOEC). Details of the model geometry are specific to a stack that was fabricated by Ceramatec, Inc. and tested at INL. Inlet and outlet plenum flow and distribution are considered. Mass, momentum, energy, and species conservation and transport are provided via the core features of the commercial CFD code FLUENT. A solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) model adds the electrochemical reactions and loss mechanisms and computation of the electric field throughout the cell. The FLUENT SOFC user defined subroutine was modified for this work to allow for operation in the SOEC mode. Model results provide ...
A core preservation package was developed to maintain the reservoir characteristics of core samples and consequently to improve the quality of data obtained through laboratory core analyses. The package is a heat-sealable plastic-aluminum laminate similar to those common in the food-packaging industry. The laminated core preservation package acts as an impermeable barrier to water vapor and gases, and is resistant to chemical alteration and degradation by core fluids. These performance characteristics result in effective core preservation by maintaining the fluid content of the core. Other advantages of the laminated package are that it is fast and simple to use and eliminates the cumbersome dip-coat step used in some core preservation methods.
Iron oxide as sintering aid to Ce-TZP ceramics produces a beneficial effect on the tetragonal phase stabilization. It was found that ceria powder particle size of 2,0 #mu#m turns the grain-boundary electrical conductivity higher than ceria powder of smaller grain size. (author)
This invention pertains to a Fischer Tropsch process for converting synthesis gas to an oxygenated hydrocarbon with particular emphasis on dimethyl ether. Synthesis gas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen are converted to dimethyl ether by carrying out the reaction in the presence of an alkali metal-manganese-iron carbonyl cluster incorporated onto a zirconia-alumina support.
Large, complex, high purity ceramic shapes are required by a variety of emerging technologies for their electrical insulation and high temperature strength properties coupled with their refractoriness and purity. Ceramic sealant bonding, using crystalline and vitreous sealant materials, has recently shown significant potential for joining technical ceramics to form the required shapes. Materials and techniques for joining technical ceramics including alumina, magnesia, zirconia and thoria are discussed. (orig.).
The FFTF is a 400-MWt sodium-cooled fast neutron flux test reactor located on the US government-owned Hanford Site in southeastern Washington state. The reactor is operated for the US Department of Energy by the Westinghouse Hanford Company. Since FFTF started routine operation in 1982, the commercially fabricated driver fuel has performed flawlessly to well beyond the design goal peak burnup of 80 MWd/kgM. The core average discharge exposure is now some 60% beyond the original design expectations and attests to the ruggedness and reliability of the mixed oxide fuel system. In Cycle 9 sixteen long-life assemblies were installed to begin the irradiation of mixed oxides in the advanced low-swelling alloy HT-9 as the Core Demonstration Experiment (CDE). Operation of the plant from initial startup testing to ten cycles of operation has confirmed that the nuclear characteristics are well within the design predictions, and all ...
From the start of commercial operation in 1983 until the end of 1985, the Wolsung Nuclear Power Plant operated for about 800 effective full power days (EFPDs). During this relatively short operational period it experienced various problems but achieved high reliability in operation. Wolsung recorded economical fuel utilization, particularly in 1985, together with a 94.4% plant capacity factor; it also showed successful in-pile test results as part of a fuel localization project. The actual fuelling rate was 16.3 bundles per EFPD in 1985, i.e. a saving of about 11% compared with the design fuelling rate of 18.2 bundles per EFPD. Better fuel performance was achieved because minimum excess reactivity was maintained in the core, characteristics unique to the core were found and the spatial flux distribution was controlled. The average discharge fuel burnup in 1985 was 6993 MW#centre dot#d/t U, which was 8.5% more than the design value of 6446 ...
A set of materials property data for potential wear resistant materials was collected. These materials are designated for use as the ''core'' materials in the Fibrous Monolith structure. The material properties of hardness, toughness, thermal conductivity and cost were selected as determining factors for material choice. Data for these four properties were normalized, and weighting factors were assigned for each property to establish priority and evaluate the effects of priority fluctuation. Materials were then given a score based on the normalized parameters and weighting values. Using the initial estimates for parameter priority, the highest ranking material was tungsten carbide, with diamond as the second ranked material. Several materials were included in the trade study, and five were selected as promising ''core'' materials to include in this effort. These materials ...
The Secure Automated Fabrication (SAF) line, an automated and remotely controlled manufacturing process, is scheduled for startup in 1987 and will produce mixed uranium/plutonium oxide fuel pins for the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). The application of robotics in the fuel fabrication and supporting operations is described.
Woven Kevlar fabrics exhibit a number of beneficial mechanical properties which include strength, flexibility, and relatively low density. The desire to engineer or design Kevlar fabrics for specific applications has stimulated interest in the development of theoretical models which relate their effective mechanical properties to specific aspects of the fabric morphology and microstructure. In this work the author provides a theoretical investigation of the large deformation elastic response of a plane woven Kevlar fabric and compares these theoretical results with experimental data obtained from uniaxially loaded Kevlar fabrics. The theoretical analysis assumes the woven fabric to be a regular network of orthogonal interlaced yarns and the individual yarns are modeled as extensible elastica, thus coupling stretching and bending effects at the outset. This ...
The fabrication and characterization of tungsten nanoelectrodes insulated with cathodic electrophoretic paint is described together with their application within the field of neurophysiology....Full Text Available
In this study nanocrystalline powders of yttria-stabilized zirconia (ZrO_2-8Y_2O_3) have been synthesized through 'polymerized complex method'. Zirconium chloride, yttrium nitrate, citric acid and ethylene glycol were polymerized at 80 "oC to produce a gel-like mass in which metallic ions were uniformly distributed. During the thermal treatment of dried gel, nanocrystalline powder was formed at 450 "oC and 650 "oC for 2 h. Thermal reactions and crystalline phase formation of the dried gel were investigated through thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis, respectively. The results of thermal analysis and XRD showed the formation of nanocrystalline powder at less than 600 "oC. Chemical bonding of the dried gel was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Morphology of powder calcined at 650 "oC was analyzed by scanning electron microscope. Yttria-stabilized zirconia powders with the mean crystallite size of 6 nm ...
Fine ceramic particles of zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA), titania toughened alumina (TTA), and zirconia-titania toughened alumina (ZTTA) have been synthesized by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) at various temperatures from starting salt solutions of various compositions aiming for the development of catalytic material. These particles were characterized for properties such as shape, size and size distribution, diffraction pattern, and chemical and phase composition of elements by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size analyzer (PSA), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Chemical compositions and sizes of ceramic composites have been controlled by the stoichiometry of salt solutions and the flow rate of spraying solutions. The optimum experimental conditions for the various composite particle synthesis have been proposed.
Fine ceramic particles of zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA), titania toughened alumina (TTA), and zirconia-titania toughened alumina (ZTTA) have been synthesized by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) at various temperatures from starting salt solutions of various compositions aiming for the development of catalytic material. These particles were characterized for properties such as shape, size and size distribution, diffraction pattern, and chemical and phase composition of elements by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size analyzer (PSA), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Chemical compositions and sizes of ceramic composites have been controlled by the stoichiometry of salt solutions and the flow rate of spraying solutions. The optimum experimental conditions for the various composite particle synthesis have been proposed.
Highly conductive biaxially textured RuO_2 thin films were deposited on technically important SiO_2/Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition, where yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) produced by ion-beam-assisted-deposition (IBAD) was used as a template to enhance the biaxial texture of RuO_2 on SiO_2/Si. The biaxially oriented RuO_2 had a room-temperature resistivity of 37 #mu##OMEGA#-cm and residual resistivity ratio above 2. We then deposited Ba_0_._5Sr_0_._5TiO_3 thin films on RuO_2/IBAD-YSZ/SiO_2/Si. The Ba_0_._5Sr_0_._5TiO_3 had a pure (111) orientation normal to the substrate surface and a dielectric constant above 360 at 100 kHz. copyright 1998 Materials Research Society.
Three dispersants (stearic acid, oleic acid, and poly-(12-hydroxystearic acid)) are compared for their ability to produce low-viscosity suspensions of zirconia in kerosene. Rheological measurements and sediment packing density measurements show that poly(12-hydroxystearic acid) is a better dispersant than stearic acid or oleic acid; this is explained in terms of the longer tail of the poly-(12-hydroxystearic acid) surfactant molecule. The amount of dispersant can be optimized to reduce viscosity and yield point of the suspension, and to eliminate thixotropic hysteresis. The use of a dispersion medium of lower viscosity than the dispersant makes it easy to detect when complete monolayer coverage has been achieved. The loss of pseudoplasticity, brought about by a higher degree of deflocculation, can be recovered by increasing the volume fraction of solids of a suspension and this is beneficial in the plastic forming of ceramics. Rheological measurements showed that ...
A study has been made of the precipitation and growth processes which occur during cooling from solution treatment and under isothermal hold conditions in a magnesia-partially-stabilized zirconia alloy. Three types of precipitate have been identified which develop during cooling or during isothermal hold treatments just above and below the eutectoid temperature. These precipitate forms are termed (i) primary, (ii) large random, and (iii) secondary. Further precipitation, slow growth of existing precipitates, and subeutectoid decomposition result when an additional 1100/sup 0/C aging treatment is given to the previously cooled material. It is shown that type (iii) secondary precipitates from rapidly within the temperature range of 1300/sup 0/ to 1375/sup 0/C. The secondary precipitates are largely responsible for the improved room-temperature strength properties of the heat-treated samples. The formation and effects on mechanical properties of each type of ...
A study has been made of the precipitation and growth processes which occur during cooling from solution treatment and under isothermal hold conditions in a magnesia-partially-stabilized zirconia alloy. Three types of precipitate have been identified which develop during cooling or during isothermal hold treatments just above and below the eutectoid temperature. These precipitate forms are termed (i) primary, (ii) large random, and (iii) secondary. Further precipitation, slow growth of existing precipitates, and subeutectoid decomposition result when an additional 1100"0C aging treatment is given to the previously cooled material. It is shown that type (iii) secondary precipitates from rapidly within the temperature range of 1300"0 to 1375"0C. The secondary precipitates are largely responsible for the improved room-temperature strength properties of the heat-treated samples. The formation and effects on mechanical properties of each type of precipitate are ...
Anisotropy finite element analysis was performed to study stresses associated with the tetragonal precipitates and the tetragonal to monoclinic transformation in MgO partially stabilized zirconia. Stresses were assumed to be caused by the lattice misfits between the product phase and the parent phase. In the finite element calculations, the tetragonal and monoclinic precipitates were assumed to be lenticular in shape, and the anisotropic elastic constants of the cubic, tetragonal and monoclinic phases were considered. The purpose of this paper is to obtain some knowledge about how stresses respond when the microstructure is changed, and how stress fields affect microstructure development. The finite element results show that increasing a{sub t}/a{sub c} and decreasing c{sub t}/a{sub c} can create a favorable stress field to reduce the growth rate of tetragonal precipitates during the heat treatment. Stresses associated with the single tetragonal precipitate in an ...
Ceramic matrix composites in the TiC-Ti, Y-TZP system can be synthesized by the reaction between carbon and the TiO_2-Y_2O_3-ZrO_2 solid solution nanopowder. This method results in the more homogeneous powders than those prepared by the physical mixing of TiC and zirconia s.s. powders. Twelve TiO_2-Y_2O_3-ZrO_2 solid solution nanopowders differing in the proportions of the constituent oxides were prepared by the coprecipitation- calcination route. They were reacted with the pyrolytic carbon evenly distributed within the system. Carbon was introduced by the thermal decomposition of the phenol-formaldehyde resin dissolved in ethyl alcohol and mixed with the zirconia s.s. nanopowder. Reaction was performed in vacuum. Compacts of the composite powders sintered in vacuum give dense materials of evenly distributed TiC inclusions of sizes not surpassing 400 nm. Hardness of such materials was dependent on their chemical and phase composition but was ...
This paper presents the results of experimental study carried out to know whether the salicylic acid used as an additive during the precipitation of zirconium using ammonium hydroxide solution goes into the filtrate, remains in the hydrated zirconia or gets distributed between the both under the ambient conditions of precipitation. Keeping its simplicity and amenability to adopt on a routine basis, spectrophotometric method has been chosen for the purpose among the many methods available and the problems associated in determining salicylic acid in the presence of zirconium and the medial measures to circumvent the same have been brought out in detail. (author)
A practical method to determine the ionic diffusion coefficient and activation energy by using quasielastic light scattering (QELS) is presented. It is shown that a temperature dependence curve of the QELS intensity at a fixed frequency can be well fitted by Jonscher's formula and that the diffusion parameters can be obtained from this curve fitting. This method is successfully applied not only to crystals with high optical quality, as reported earlier, but also to opaque ceramics, which are more important than the crystals from a practical point of view. The composition dependence of the ionic diffusion coefficient is studied in sintered YbSZ to show the usefulness of this method.
Due to the low thermal conductivity of ceramics large temperature gradients are present through the powder particles during plasma spray deposition. As a result the particles often impinge at the substrate in a semi-molten form; which in turn substantially affects the final characteristics of the coating being formed. This study is dedicated to the novel modelling development and simulation of a semi-molten droplet impingement. The study examines the impingement process during impact, spreading and solidification of semi-molten zirconia. The simulation provides an insight to the heat transfer process during impact and solidification of a semi-molten powder particle and illustrates the freezing-induced break-up mechanism at the splat periphery.
Catalytic testing of inorganic catalysts was continued with the highly active sulfate-modified zirconia catalyst prepared here. Using isobutanol as the only reactant over this catalyst, it was demonstrated that high conversion and selectivity to isobutene was achieved at 175[degrees]C. In addition, the high selectivity to isobutene, i.e. 79--86 mol%, was maintained at higher space velocities and higher temperatures. A high productivity of 11.35 mol isobutene was achieved at 225[degrees]C. Utilizing a methanol/isobutanol = 2/1 molar ratio reactant mixture over the ZrO[sub 2]/SO[sub 4][sup 2[minus
Suspension direct current plasma spraying allows achieving finely structured coatings whose thickness is between few tens and few hundreds of micrometres. Drops (200-300 ?m in diameter) or liquid jets are mechanically injected in the plasma jet. With radial injection they are rapidly (a few ?s) fragmented into droplets (a few ?m in diameter). The latter are vaporized (in a few ?s) and the solid particles contained in suspension droplets are accelerated and melted by the plasma jet. As in conventional plasma spraying (CPS), much smaller splats (with diameters between 0.2 and 3 ?m and thicknesses between 30 and 200 nm) are arranged in layers up to form the coating. The low inertia of particles requires spray distances between 40 and 60 mm which induces plasma heat fluxes up to 22 MW m-2 participating in coating densification. Even more than in CPS, the plasma jet fluctuations, particularly for plasmas containing di-atomic gases, perturb drops penetration and fragmentation. It has been ...
In support of the efforts to apply ceramics in advanced heat engines, a study was made of the sliding performance of ceramics at the ring/cylinder interface of low heat rejection engines. The objective was to understand the basic mechanisms controlling the wear of candidate ceramics and thereby identify means for applying these ceramics effectively. Attempts to operate three different zirconias, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and several plasma-sprayed ceramic coatings without lubrication were unsuccessful because of high friction and high wear rates. Experiments using a polyalphaolefin lubricant at temperatures to 260 C identified several combinations having wear rates in the general range likely to be acceptable for engines. Plasma-sprayed coatings of chromium oxide and hypersonic powder flame sprayed coatings of cobalt-bonded tungsten carbide performed particularly well as ring coatings. Similar performance was obtained with these ring coatings operating ...
The fabrication of a Prototype 275/sup 0/C Geothermal Temperature Tool is reviewed. This tool fabrication uses hybrid circuits that were developed at Sandia National Laboratories and are now being built at Teledyne Philbrick. To achieve high-temperature operation, the standard military specification hybrid technology was modified in fabrication processes and materials.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Engineering Directorate has two primary discretionary avenues for its investment in technologies: the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program and the ''Tech Base'' program. This volume summarizes progress on the projects funded for technology-base efforts in FY2004. The Engineering Technical Reports exemplify Engineering's more than 50-year history of researching and developing (LDRD), and reducing to practice (technology-base) the engineering technologies needed to support the Laboratory's missions. Engineering has been a partner in every major program and project at the Laboratory throughout its existence, and has prepared for this role with a skilled workforce and technical resources. This accomplishment is well summarized by Engineering's mission: ''Enable program success today and ensure the Laboratory's vitality ...
Full text: Dissolution test (DT) is one of the important specifications of PFBR MOX fuel. It is a macro homogeneity test used to ascertain that the dissolution of spent fuel will be easier during reprocessing. The DT specification limit for PFBR MOX fuel is ? 1.0 wt.% residue of the whole pellet when it is dissolved in HNO3 under reflux conditions. For this test, sintered MOX pellet is dissolved in reflux condition in 60 ml of 12M HNO3 for 10 hours. This test is carried out for each batch and during complete MOX campaign a lot of MOX waste in liquid form is being generated. This liquid waste is in clean form and U and Pu is required to be recovered from the clean waste. Different methods like direct denitration, precipitation and solvent extraction are available but either the product is not of good quality for pelletization or secondary liquid wastes are generated. Microwave denitration is a faster and cleaner method which has different heat transfer mechanism and temperature profile ...
In this project we developed photonic crystal modeling capability and fabrication technology that is scaleable to large area. An intelligent optimization code was developed to find the optimal structure for the desired spectral response. In terms of fabrication, an exhaustive survey of fabrication techniques that would meet the large area requirement was reduced to Deep X-ray Lithography (DXRL) and nano-imprint. Using DXRL, we fabricated a gold logpile photonic crystal in the <100> plane. For the nano-imprint technique, we fabricated a cubic array of gold squares. These two examples also represent two classes of metallic photonic crystal topologies, the connected network and cermet arrangement.
and streambed sediment samples 2-6. Graphs showing: 2. Cesium-137 profile in HOE core 3. PAH trends in Lake Houston cores 4. DDE trends in Lake Houston cores 5. Trends in six trace...
A theoretical derivation of the intershell mass--core mass relation of Paczynski is attempted. Formulae developed by Sugimoto and Fujimoto are extended to less massive (m/sub c/< or approx. =1) cores.
An overview is presented of the FFTF reactor and plant together with descriptions of core components, core internals, core system, primary and secondary control rod system, reactor instrumentation, reactor vessel and closure head, and supporting test programs. (DG)
An overview is presented of the FFTF reactor and plant together with descriptions of core components, core internals, core system, primary and secondary control rod system, reactor instrumentation, reactor vessel and closure head, and supporting test programs.
The accurate prediction of local hot spot during normal operation is important to ensure core thermal margin in a very high temperature gas-cooled reactor because of production of its high temperature output. The active cooling of the reactor core determining local hot spot is strongly affected by core bypass flows through the inter-column gaps between graphite blocks and the cross gaps between two stacked fuel blocks. The bypass gap sizes vary during core life cycle by the thermal expansion at the elevated temperature and the shrinkage/swelling by fast neutron irradiation. This study is to investigate the impacts of the variation of bypass gaps during core life cycle as well as core restraint mechanism on the amount of bypass flow and thus maximum fuel temperature. The core thermo fluid analysis is performed using the GAMMA+ code for the ...
The accurate prediction of local hot spot during normal operation is important to ensure core thermal margin in a very high temperature gas-cooled reactor because of production of its high temperature output. The active cooling of the reactor core determining local hot spot is strongly affected by core bypass flows through the inter-column gaps between graphite blocks and the cross gaps between two stacked fuel blocks. The bypass gap sizes vary during core life cycle by the thermal expansion at the elevated temperature and the shrinkage/swelling by fast neutron irradiation. This study is to investigate the impacts of the variation of bypass gaps during core life cycle as well as core restraint mechanism on the amount of bypass flow and thus maximum fuel temperature. The core thermo fluid analysis is performed using the GAMMA+ code for the ...
The US National Energy Policy of 2001 advocated the development of advanced fuel and fuel cycle technologies that are cleaner, more efficient, less waste-intensive, and more proliferation resistant. The need for advanced fuel development is emphasized in on-going DOE-supported programs, e.g., Global Nuclear Energy Initiative (GNEI), Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI), and GEN-IV Technology Development. The Directorates of Energy & Environment (E&E) and Chemistry & Material Sciences (C&MS) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are interested in advanced fuel research and manufacturing using its multi-disciplinary capability and facilities to support a design concept of a small, secure, transportable, and autonomous reactor (SSTAR). The E&E and C&MS Directorates co-sponsored this Laboratory Directed Research & Development (LDRD) Project on Mono-Uranium Nitride Fuel Development for SSTAR and Space Applications. In fact, three out ...
In nuclear reactor safety research, the question of the possible consequences of delayed core reflood during severe accidents or anticipated transient without scram transients in boiling water reactors (BWRs) has been raised. One can envisage a very low probability accident scenario leading to core uncovery and core heat-up, followed by control blade melting and subsequential delayed reflooding of the core with unborated water before its degradation. Reflooding of the hot core causes significant increases in the peak heating, melting, and hydrogen production rates, thus increasing the probability of core degradation. However, as has been established, debris beds formed from shattered fuel rods and quenched fuel melt will be undermoderated. The reflood process of a voided, intact core was examined using the TRAC/BFI CODE.
We investigate the magnetic braking of the core of an axisymmetric cloud whose rotation axis is parallel to the mean direction of the magnetic field. (author).
This document describes the development testing phase associated with the OTA Shear activity and defines the controls to be in place throughout the testing. The purpose of the OTA Shear Program was to provide equipment that is needed for the processing of 40 foot long, sodium wetted, irradiated core components previously used in the FFTF reactor to monitor fuel and materials tests. There are currently 15 of these OTA test stalks located in the Test Assembly Conditioning Station (TACS) inerted vault. These need to be dispositioned for a shutdown mission to eliminate this highly activated, high dose inventory prior to turnover to the ERC since they must be handled by remote operations. These would also need to be dispositioned for a restart mission to free up the vault they currently reside in. The waste handling and cleaning equipment in the J33M Cell was designed and built for the handling of reactor components up to the standard 12 foot length. This program will ...
Stabilized austenitic steels can suffer intercrystalline stress corrosion cracking under BWR water conditions. This experience of the last three years, which is important for German nuclear power station technology, has resulted from the discovery of cracks, which were detected in pipework made from titanium-stabilized 1.4541 charged with hot reactor water in six boiling water reactors and in core components made from niobium-stabilized 1.4550 of one BWR plant. Remedies to the pipework have been found by applying optimized materials and fabrication procedures and also by improving water chemistry conditions. (orig.) [Deutsch] Stabilisierte austenitische Staehle koennen unter SWR-Reaktorwasser-Bedingungen interkristalline Spannungsrisskorrosion (IKSpRK) erleiden. Diese fuer die deutsche Kernkraftwerkstechnik bedeutsame Erfahrung der letzten drei Jahre ergab sich aus Rissbefunden, die in mit heissem Reaktorwasser beaufschlagten Rohrleitungen aus ...
The Upper Jurassic Hith Anhydrite is a major hydrocarbon seal in the Arabian Gulf region. Outcrops, core samples from the subsurface, and the literature indicate that the Hith Formation is composed mainly of anhydrite. In most locations where a section of the Hith Formation has been measured, this unit contains less than 20% carbonate much of which is in the form of thin laminations. This lack of carbonate, locally thick layers of salt, and the predominance of anhydrite favor a playa for the setting in which this sediment was accumulated. In fact, much of the Hith has the sedimentary characteristics of the Holocene Lake MacLeod playa of Western Australia, which is dominated by layers of gypsum and halite (what little carbonate that occurs is found in layers at the base of the section). Locally the Hith appears to have accumulated in a sabkha setting, particularly toward central Abu Dhabi where it pinches out into shallow-water, and peritidal carbonate. This sabkha ...
Dynamical models are presented that start with interstellar gas in an initial diffuse state and consider their gravitational collapse and the formation of dense cores. Frozen-in tangled magnetic fields are included to mimic forces that might oppose gravitational contraction and whose effectiveness may increase with increasing core densities. Results suggest the possibility that dense cloud cores may be dynamically evolving ephemeral objects, such that their lifespan at a given core density decreases as that density increases. 66 refs.
Low power wire activations are being performed in the Oak Ridge Research Reactor (ORR) as part of the whole-core LEU demonstration experiments. Calculations of the demonstration cores, including simulation of the wire activations, are being performed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). This paper presents the results of comparisons for 293 wires from five cores and shows that, on the average, the integrated activities agree within 6%.
The gravitational torque applied on the Earth by the other celestial bodies generates periodic variations in the orientation of the Earth's rotation axis in space which are called nutations. Observations of Earth's nutations allow for insights into the physical properties of the inner core because of the presence of a normal mode, the Free Inner Core Nutation (FICN), which is characterized by a tilt of the inner core figure and rotation axes with respect to the mantle and outer core. The frequency of the FICN is controlled by the strength of the mechanical coupling acting at the inner core boundary (ICB) and by the ability of the inner core to deform under the action of centrifugal and gravitational forces. Attenuation of the FICN reflects energy dissipated by electromagnetic (EM) and visc...
A comparative core design study is performed on Pb-Bi cooled reactors with forced and natural convection (FC and NC) cooling. Major interests of the study are core performance and core safety features. The designed core concepts with nitride fuel achieve reasonable breeding capability. The results of unprotected event analyses such as UTOP and ULOF show that both of concepts have possible features to withstand unprotected events due to negative reactivity feedback by Doppler effect, control rod drive line expansion, etc. These results lead to a conclusion that both of concepts have possible capability as one of future promising core concepts. A FC cooling core concept has more advantage if fuel recycle viewpoint is emphasized. (author)
We demonstrate rapid fabrication of submicrometer-diameter pores in borosilicate glass using femtosecond laser machining and subsequent wet-etch techniques. This approach allows direct and repeatable...Full Text Available
Progress is reported in fabrication and coating activities being conducted for the weapons program, nuclear test program, nuclear design program, magnetic fusion program, and miscellaneous applications. (DLC)
In support of the efforts to apply ceramics to advanced heat engines, a study is being performed of the performance of ceramics at the ring/cylinder interface of advanced (low heat rejection) engines. The objective of the study, managed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is to understand the basic mechanisms controlling the wear of ceramics and thereby identify means for applying ceramics effectively. Attempts to operate three different zirconias, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and plasma-sprayed ceramic coatings without lubrication have not been successful because of excessive friction and high wear rates. Silicon carbide and silicon nitride perform well at ambient temperatures with fully formulated mineral oil lubrication, but are limited to temperatures of 500F because of the lack of suitable liquid lubricants for higher temperatures.
Yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) with 8 mol% Y was deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering onto oxidized (100) silicon substrates. It was possible to switch film texture from (111) to (200) by applying a strong RF substrate bias. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the film deposited under bias is porous and exhibits nanoscaled grains, whereas the film deposited without bias is dense and columnar. The ionic conductivity as a function of temperature revealed an activation energy of 1.04 eV. The mechanical stress could be tuned to low values by thermal post-annealing. Using the dense (111) film as electrolyte layer, and the porous (200) film as an interlayer to a porous Pt anode, an open circuit voltage of 0.85 V was obtained in a micro machined fuel cell structure.
Abstract Within the framework of the CRC 799 -TRIP-Matrix-Composites- at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg new composite materials consisting of TRIP steel and zirconium dioxide ceramics are designed in a powder route and a casting route. To manufacture faultless samples basic investigations of the feeding and infiltration behaviour within macro porous ceramics such as filters were needed. The effects of bottom pouring and top pouring were investigated as well as the effects of different preheating temperatures, contents of phosphorous in the steel and flow trough rates. Bottom pouring corrupts the feeding mainly of filters with high ppi (pores per inch). Top pouring improves the feeding, but generates inhomogeneous infiltration qualities, which can affected and enhanced by a increasing preheat...
In order to apply chemical-looping combustion to a practical power plant, carbon deposition on the solid particle is one of the key problems to be overcome. Six kinds of solid particles were examined to clarify the kinetic behavior of carbon deposition. The effects of the solid composition, feed gas composition, and reaction temperature on carbon deposition were investigated by thermogravimetrical reactor on the basis of NiO/YSZ particle. From the viewpoints of both reactivity and resistance against carbon deposition, the particle of NiO mixed with YSZ (i.e., yttria-stabilized zirconia) was found to be a good candidate for chemical-looping combustion. It has been observed that carbon deposition could be completely avoided with very low concentration of water vapor. By means of a proposed model, the condition that carbon deposition would be avoided was identified. 12 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.
Objective.The interest of dental research in metal-free restorations has been rising in the last 20 years following the introduction of innovative all-ceramic materials in the daily practice. In particular, high strength ceramics and related CAD/CAM techniques have widely increased the clinical indications of metal-free prostheses, showing more favourable mechanical characteristics compared to the early ceramic materials.The purpose of the present paper is providing a brief review on the all-ceramic dental materials, evaluating pros and cons in the light of the most recent scientific results and of the authors? clinical experience.Materials. A structured review of the literature was given on the basis of medical and engineering papers published in the last decades on the use of dental cera...
Course website from Cambridge on ceramic materials. This site contains eight lectures in PDF format (Adobe Reader required), two question sheets, five practicals (including answers), digital movies and further useful links. "There is a strong relationship between the structure of a material and its physical properties. The properties of a material whether mechanical, electrical, optical or magnetic, determine how it can be used in practical applications. In this course, the focus is on the structure / property relationship for ionic materials with electrical properties utilised in various transducer devices. The materials considered include perovskites, which have special polarisation properties exploited in ferroelectric, pyroelectric and piezoelectric devices. Other oxides, such as zirconia, have structures permitting rapid diffusion of ions, making them suitable for use in sensors, fuel cells and batteries. The scientific principles underlying the properties of ...
The use of a selective epitaxial growth technique for fabricating YBCO thin-film microstructures is described. No film post-deposition processing is required; hence damage to the structure is minimized. The technique is compatible with a passivation process to protect the structure without exposure to air. The microbridges, Josephson junctions and rf SQUIDs protected by an amorphous YBCO passivation have long lifetime even after severe accelerated aging tests. Rf SQUIDs fabricated by this technique show a significant reduction of low-frequency noise when operating in weak magnetic fields compared with SQUIDs fabricated by the conventional ion beam etching technique. (author)
The high-power model of Disk-and Washer (DAW) cavity for electron acceleration is under fabrication. Basic Dimensions of the cavity were determined from aluminum model measurement and electromagnetic field calculation. We have fabricated model made of OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) five times in total. Some details are optimized and corrected, and then the final brazing are proceeding. These model results and present status are described. (author)
Ti honeycombs with the side of 800 and 400 nm were fabricated by focused ion beam (FIB), though the surfaces of the bottom and wall of the Ti honeycombs were rough, as compared with the surfaces of the bottom and wall of the Si honeycomb. It is demonstrated that the nanoscale Ti components can be fabricated in a short time by FIB.
CuAg core-shell nanoparticles are synthesized by ultra-high vacuum thermal evaporation. We show on this system how the Energy-Filtered Transmission Electron Microscopy (EFTEM) technique allows one to improve the characterization by precisely pointing out the formation of core-shell arrangements in bimetallic nanoparticle assemblies. A criterion to measure the shell thickness from EFTEM images on unique core-shell nanoparticles is defined, that can be used for core-shell nanoparticles of any sizes, with shell thicknesses over 1 nm. It is based on the intensity variation along a line drawn across a core-shell nanoparticle on a EFTEM image. This criterion has been validated by a close comparison of the shell thickness measurements performed in this work and the ones obtained by acoustic micro-Raman spectroscopy. Using this criterion, we report a strong correlation between the size of ...
The device of the present invention improves reactor safety by suppressing lowering of water level in a shroud which surrounds a reactor core, even upon occurrence of rupture of pipelines in an emergency reactor core cooling system in a recycling pump-incorporated type reactor. Namely, an opening of each of cooling systems which forms the emergency reactor core cooling device in a reactor pressure vessel is disposed above the upper end of the reactor core. Further, it also comprises an independent high pressure water injection system, gravitational dropping type water injection system and an automatic depressurization system. With such a constitution, even if rupture of pipelines in the system should be assumed, coolants never flow directly from the shroud which surrounds the reactor core. In addition, there are no pipelines to be ruptured below the upper end of the reactor ...
The methods of superconducting device fabrication by lithography and multilevel processing usually require a number of processing steps with lithographic resolution and alignment adequate for the scale of the device be fabricated. As an alternative, the focused ion beam (FIB) microscope is increasingly being used directly to fabricate devices. A major advantage of using a FIB compared to other lithography methods is its flexibility and high resolution. It allows in-situ, milling (#propor to#5 nm at a beam current of 1 pA) to a variety of depths, and imaging (2 nm) of the sample. In this paper we describe our development of junction fabrication techniques using the FIB and their application in creating a range of potential sensor devices and quantum electronics applications. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)
In order to assess various core parameters a reference equilibrium core with Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) fuel for Pakistan Research Reactor (PARR-1) was assembled. Due to increased volume of reference core, the average neutron flux reduced as compared to the first higher power operation. To get a higher neutron flux an irradiation facility was created in centre of the reference equilibrium core where the advantage of the neutron flux peaking was taken. Various low power experiments were performed in order to evaluate control rods worth and neutron flux mapping inside the core. The neutron flux inside the central irradiation facility almost doubled. With this arrangement reactor operation time was cut down from 72 hours to 48 hours for the production of the required specific radioactivity. (author)
The effects of gamma and e-beam irradiation on mechanical and structural properties of nylon 66 (Ny 66), nylon 6 (Ny 6) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabrics used in tyres were investigated. The untreated (greige), treated cords and calendered fabrics were irradiated at different doses. It is found that the effects of high energy irradiation on greige, treated cords and calendered fabrics are similar. No protective effect of compounds used in calendering was observed against radiation-induced oxidative degradation. The deterioration effect of gamma irradiation on mechanical properties is much higher than that of e-beam irradiation for all types of samples. Limiting viscosity numbers of both gamma and e-beam irradiated nylon 6 and nylon 66 cords were found to decrease with increasing dose. It is concluded that PET calendered fabric has higher resistance to ionizing radiation. Ny 6 and Ny 66 ...
Damage and cyclic fatigue failure under alternating loading in transformation-toughened zirconia ceramics is reviewed and compared to corresponding behavior under quasi-static loading (static fatigue). Current understanding of the role of transformation toughening in influencing cyclic fatigue-crack propagation behavior is examined based on studies which altered the extent of the tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transformation in MG-PSZ through subeutectoid aging. These studies suggest that near-tip computations of the crack-driving force (in terms of the local stress intensity) can be used to predict crack-growth behavior under constant amplitude and variable-amplitude (spectrum) loading, using spatially resolved Raman spectroscopy to measure the extent of the transformation zones. In addition, results are reviewed which rationalize distinctions between the crack-growth behavior of preexisting, long'' (> 2 mm), through-thickness cracks and ...
Sodium-ion-conducting glasses are considered a promising alternative to the ceramic electrolytes. The glass upon which the most development work has been done is a sodium borate glass, which has an ionic resistivity of about 2 x 10/sup 4/ #OMEGA#-cm at 300"0C. Because of its high resistivity, cells using this borate glass require thousands of hollow glass fibers, each about 80 micrometers outer diameter (15 micrometer wall). In spite of its greater complexity, the cell with the glass electrolyte is of interest because of its potential for lower cost and higher power than the cell with ceramic electrolyte. Recently, silicate glasses of lower resistivity have been proposed for this application. These include: a soda-alumina-silica glass (900 #OMEGA#-cm at 300"0C), a soda-zirconia-magnesia-silica glass (700 #OMEGA#-cm at 300"0C), and a soda-zirconia-silica glass (600 #OMEGA#-cm at 300"0C). These lower resistivity glasses would allow a reduction in ...
The contaminants that are potentially present in the coal-derived gas stream and their thermochemical nature are discussed. Accelerated testing was carried out on Ni-YSZ/YSZ/LSM solid oxide fuel cells (YSZ: yttria stabilized zirconia and LSM: lanthanum strontium manganese oxide) for eight main kind of contaminants: CH{sub 3}Cl, HCl, As, P, Zn, Hg, Cd and Sb at the temperature range of 750-850 C. The As and P species, at 10 and 35 ppm, respectively, resulted in severe power density degradation at temperatures 800 C and below. SEM and EDX analysis indicated that As attacked the Ni region of the anode surface and the Ni current collector, caused the break of the current collector and the eventual cell failure at 800 C. The phosphorous containing species were found in the bulk of the anode, they were segregated and formed ''grain boundary'' like phases separating large Ni patches. These species are presumably nickel ...
A critical factor in the advancement of biomedical research is the ease with which data can be integrated, redistributed and analyzed both within and across domains. This paper summarizes the Biomedical Information Core Infrastructure built by National Cancer Institute Center for Bioinformatics in America (NCICB). The main product from the Core Infrastructure is caCORE--cancer Common Ontologic Reference Environment, which is the infrastructure backbone supporting data management and application development at NCICB. The paper explains the structure and function of caCORE: (1) Enterprise Vocabulary Services (EVS). They provide controlled vocabulary, dictionary and thesaurus services, and EVS produces the NCI Thesaurus and the NCI Metathesaurus; (2) The Cancer Data Standards Repository (caDSR). It provides a metadata registry for common data elements. (3) Cancer Bioinformatics Infrastructure Objects ...
Reactor COre Protection System (RCOPS), an advanced core protection calculator system, is a digitized one which provides core protection function based on two reactor core operation parameters, Departure from Nucleate Boiling Ratio (DNBR) and Local Power Density (LPD). It generates a reactor trip signal when the core condition exceeds the DNBR or LPD design limit. It consists of four independent channels adapted a two-out-of-four trip logic. System configuration, hardware platform and an improved algorithm of the newly designed core protection calculator system are described in this paper. One channel of RCOPS was implemented as a single channel facility for this R and D project where we performed final integration software testing. To implement custom function blocks, pSET is used. Software test is performed by two methods. The first method is a 'Software ...
For a number of starless cores, self-absorbed molecular line and column density observations have implied the presence of large-amplitude oscillations. We examine the consequences of these oscillations on the evolution of the cores and the interpretation of their observations. We find that the pulsation energy helps support the cores and that the dissipation of this energy can lead toward instability and star formation. In this picture, the core lifetimes are limited by the pulsation-decay timescales, dominated by non-linear mode-mode coupling, and on the order of #approx =# few x 10"5-10"6 yr. Notably, this is similar to what is required to explain the relatively low rate of conversion of cores into stars. For cores with large-amplitude oscillations, dust continuum observations may appear asymmetric or irregular. As a consequence, some of the ...
This work describes the synthesis and characterization of novel thermoresponsive highly-branched polyamidoamine-polyethylene glycol-poly (D, L-lactide) (PAMAM-PEG-PDLLA) core-shell nanoparticles....Full Text Available
Several low-mass models with an inhomogeneous radiative core and a convective envelope are investigated, the entire core or its upper portion being treated as a zone of neutral stability. Mixing by convective overshoot will then give rise to unstable structure.
Enediynes are potent antitumor antibiotics that are classified as 9- or 10-membered according to the size of the enediyne core structure. However, almost nothing is known about enediyne core biosynthesis,...Full Text Available
The core of Prismatic Modular Reactor (PMR) consists of assemblies of hexagonal graphite fuel and reflector elements. The core bypass flow of Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) is defined as the core flow that does not pass through the coolant channels but passes through the bypass gap between fuel elements. The increase in bypass flow makes the decrease in effective coolant flow. Since the core bypass flow has a negative impact on safety and efficiency of VHTR, core bypass phenomena have to be investigated to improve the core thermal margin of VHTR. For this purpose, the international project, I-NERI project, has been carried out since 2008. I-NERI project is collaborative project that KAERI and SNU of Korea side and INL, ANL and TAMU of U.S side are involved. In order to evaluate the core bypass flow, the multicolumn and multi-layer ...
The extensive work on the measurement technology of total and local flow rates in BWR core has been performed using in-core neutron fluctuating signals. Based on a large amount of actual data acquired from commercial BWR plants in operation, physical interpretation was discussed on the transit time of the neutron fluctuating signals. The new findings against the logical inconsistency of the transit time between the different LPRM detector positions lead to a promised core flow measurement algorithm using in-core neutron fluctuating signals. The advanced on-line core flow measurement system was developed and tested during the startup phase of the first ABWR. The measurement test results demonstrate the present core flow measurement system within the errors of 5 through 10% over the wide operating area besides the capability for the local void fraction and ...
Core-collapse supernovae are among Nature's most energetic events. They mark the end of massive star evolution and pollute the interstellar medium with the life-enabling ashes of thermonuclear burning. Despite their importance for the evolution of galaxies and life in the universe, the details of the core-collapse supernova explosion mechanism remain in the dark and pose a daunting computational challenge. We outline the multi-dimensional, multi-scale, and multi-physics nature of the core-collapse supernova problem and discuss computational strategies and requirements for its solution. Specifically, we highlight the axisymmetric (2D) radiation-MHD code VULCAN/2D and present results obtained from the first full-2D angle-dependent neutrino radiation-hydrodynamics simulations of the post-core-bounce supernova evolution. We then go on to discuss the new code Zelmani which is based on the open-source HPC ...
We have used a sintered glass bead core to simulate the spaces and surfaces of reservoir rock in studies of the bacterial plugging phenomenon that affects waterflood oil recovery operations. The passage...Full Text Available
Nitrogenase activity was measured by the C2H2 reduction method in large soil cores (29 cm in diameter by 20 cm in depth) of maize (Zea mays) and sorghum (Sorghum...Full Text Available
A novel acidizing process is used to increase the permeability of carbonate rock cores in the laboratory and to remove drilling fluid damage from cores and wafers. Field results show the benefits of the technology as applied both to injector and producer wells.
The global neutronic activity fields of a nuclear core can be reconstructed using data assimilation. Indeed, data assimilation allows to combine both measurements from instruments and information from a model, to evaluate the best possible neutronic activity within the core. We present and apply a specific procedure which evaluates the influence of measures by adding or removing instruments in a given measurement network (possibly empty). The study of various network configurations for the instruments in the nuclear core establishes that the influence of the instruments depends both on the independent instrumentation location and on the chosen network.
The Fast Flux Test Facility near Richland, Washington, utilizes computer control for reactor refueling and other related core component handling and processing tasks. The computer controlled tasks described in this paper include core component transfers within the reactor vessel, core component transfers into and out of the reactor vessel, remote duct measurements of irradiated core components, remote duct cutting, and finally, transferring irradiated components out of the reactor containment building for off-site shipments or to long term storage. 3 refs., 16 figs.
The WBURN (2-D, 2-group, coarse mesh) code is developed to analyze the equilibrium core characteristics of CANDU-PHWR. The equilibrium characteristics of Wolsung reactor computed by using WBURN are compared with the values given in the Wolsung FSR. The changes of equilibrium core characteristics caused by the variation of design parameters for operating conditions are also investigated. The numerical results indicate that the average discharge irradiation in the Wolsung reactor can be increased up to about 5%.
The WBURN (2-D, 2-group, coarse mesh) code is developed to analyze the equilibrium core characteristics of CANDU-PHWR. The equilibrium characteristics of Wolsung reactor computed by using WBURN are compared with the values given in the Wolsung FSR. The changes of equilibrium core characteristics caused by the variation of design parameters for operating conditions are also investigated. The numerical results indicate that the average discharge irradiation in the Wolsung reactor can be increased up to about 5%. (Author).
Calculations have been performed to study the dependence on model parameters of convectively heating the region interior to the core convection zone for core helium flash models. We find that interior heating always occurs on a time scale significantly shorter than the evolutionary time scale even at the peak of the flash.
A flutter-motion equation is presently derived for a 2D composite sandwich panel considering the total lateral displacement of the plate as the sum of the displacement due to bending of the plate, and that which is due to shear deformation at the core. The effects of core thickness and stacking sequence of the faces on the flutter boundary of the plate are discussed; it is shown that the sandwich panel greatly improves the flutter boundary over that of a composite laminate panel, provided it has sufficient core thickness.
A refined map for the linear arrangement of histones along DNA in nucleosomal core particles has been determined by DNA-protein crosslinking. On one strand of 145-bp core DNA, histones are aligned in...Full Text Available
The interaction between core and envelope in stars with central helium burning is investigated. If core and envelope are treated as independent systems, feedback terms arise. All feedback terms are discussed in detail. The approximative treatment of feedback terms in the earlier papers of Lauterborn, Refsdal, and Weigert is found to be fully justified. The problem of secular instabilities in models with central helium burning is rediscussed. (auth)
The in-core reload design procedure, computer codes, design contents and comparison between expected design values and measured values for Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station are presented. The in-core reload design for Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station performed by Nuclear Power Institute of China satisfies the requirements of safety and economy. The expected design values are fit well with measured values
The collaboration between the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), started in 1979, has led to the development of an advanced c-w microtron accelerator design. The four 2380-MHz NBS accelerating structures, containing a total of 184 accelerating cavities, have been fabricated and delivered. New fabrication methods, coupled with refinements of hydrogen-furnace brazing techniques described in this paper, allow efficient production of side-coupled structures. Success with the NBS RTM led to Los Alamos efforts on similar 2450-MHz accelerators for the microtron accelerator operated by the Nuclear Physics Department of the University of Illinois. Two accelerators (each with 17 cavities) have been fabricated; in 1986, a 45-cavity accelerator is being fabricated by private industry with some assistance from Los Alamos. Further private industry experience and refinement of ...
In the last two years, rapid progress has been made in the energy conversion efficiencies of GaAs solar cells fabricated from molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) material. The efficiencies of cells fabricated from MBE material are now comparable with those fabricated from metal-organic chemical vapor deposition material, even for cells of dimension 2 cmx4 cm. This paper reviews the progress in MBE cell efficiencies. Also discussed is the role oval defects play in GaAs diode and solar cell performance. (orig.).
Processing techniques utilizing low temperature depositions and pulsed lasers allow the fabrication of polysilicon thin film transistors (TFT`s) on plastic substrates. By limiting the silicon, SiO2, and aluminum deposition temperatures to 100(degrees)C, and by using pulsed laser crystallization and doping of the silicon, we have demonstrated functioning polysilicon TFT`s fabricated on polyester substrates with channel mobilities of up to 7.5 cm2/V-sec and Ion/Ioff current ratios of up to 1x10(to the 6th power).
A compliant cantilevered three-dimensional micromold is provided. The compliant cantilevered micromold is suitable for use in the replication of cantilevered microparts and greatly simplifies the replication of such cantilevered parts. The compliant cantilevered micromold may be used to fabricate microparts using casting or electroforming techniques. When the compliant micromold is used to fabricate electroformed cantilevered parts, the micromold will also comprise an electrically conducting base formed by a porous metal substrate that is embedded within the compliant cantilevered micromold. Methods for fabricating the compliant cantilevered micromold as well as methods of replicating cantilevered microparts using the compliant cantilevered micromold are also provided.
Since January, 1981, the project of development of nuclear fuel fabrication technology for Wolsung reactor (CANDU type) was undertaken by KAERI(Korea Advanced Energy Research Institute) and successfully fulfilled with loading 24 fuel bundles made by KAERI in Wolsung reactor in September, 1984. On the basis of this accumulated technology and experience, mass production plan to supply all the nuclear fuels for Wolsung reactor is under way. In this presentation, the Korean experience in the development of the nuclear fuel fabrication technology, safety and performance evaluation of KAERI fuel and the results of irradiation of KAERI fuels in Wolsung reactor will be described.
Since January, 1981, the project of development of nuclear fuel fabrication technology for Wolsung reactor (CANDU type) was undertaken by KAERI(Korea Advanced Energy Research Institute) and successfully fulfilled with loading 24 fuel bundles made by KAERI in Wolsung reactor in September, 1984. On the basis of this accumulated technology and experience, mass production plan to supply all the nuclear fuels for Wolsung reactor is under way. In this presentation, the Korean experience in the development of the nuclear fuel fabrication technology, safety and performance evaluation of KAERI fuel and the results of irradiation of KAERI fuels in Wolsung reactor will be described.
Within the framework of the EU power plant conceptual study (PPCS), a modular He-cooled divertor concept with integrated pin array (HEMP) is being developed at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe. The design goal is to achieve a high heat flux of at least about 10-15 MW/m"2, which is proposed for a near-term reactor model like DEMO. The development and optimization of the divertor concept require a close link between the main issues: design, analyses, materials and fabrication technology, and experiments with feedbacks between them to be accounted for. Design-specific requirements on materials and fabrication issues will be discussed.
A compliant cantilevered three-dimensional micromold is provided. The compliant cantilevered micromold is suitable for use in the replication of cantilevered microparts and greatly simplifies the replication of such cantilevered parts. The compliant cantilevered micromold may be used to fabricate microparts using casting or electroforming techniques. When the compliant micromold is used to fabricate electroformed cantilevered parts, the micromold will also comprise an electrically conducting base formed by a porous metal substrate that is embedded within the compliant cantilevered micromold. Methods for fabricating the compliant cantilevered micromold as well as methods of replicating cantilevered microparts using the compliant cantilevered micromold are also provided.
A cost effectively method to fabricate nanopores in silicon by only using the conventional wet-etching technique is developed in this research. The main concept of the proposed method is a two-step etching process, including a premier double-sided wet etching and a succeeding track-etching. A special fixture is designed to hold the pre-etched silicon wafer inside it such that the track-etching can be effectively carried out. An electrochemical system is employed to detect and record the ion diffusion current once the pre-etched cavities are etched into a through nanopore. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method can cost effectively fabricate nanopores in silicon.
This study deals with the neutronics analysis of the current core configuration of a 3MW TRIGA Mark-II research reactor at Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE), Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh and validation of the results by benchmarking with the experimental, operational and available Safety Analysis Report (SAR) values. The comprehensive neutronics code system SRAC was used to develop a versatile and accurate full-core model of the TRIGA core. The model represents in detail all components of the core with literally no physical approximation. All fresh fuel and control elements as well as the vicinity of the core were precisely described. Cross-section data library generated from JENDL-3.2 were used. The validation of the model against benchmark experimental results is presented. The SRA...
The Monte-Carlo transport code MCNP was used to evaluate possible arrangements of cores for the MIT Reactor using monolithic LEU fuel. Plate and moderator thicknesses were varied, and fixed absorbers and inner reflectors added in an effort to maximize available neutron fluxes at in-core and ex-core locations of experimental facilities. Addition of D_2O in the H_2O moderator was also evaluated. Comparisons of the fast, epithermal, and thermal fluxes were made at selected locations. Keff was also evaluated and critical blade heights compared with the existing HEU core. Results indicate that the LEU fluxes could approach HEU values with the use of a fueled in-core experimental facility, a fixed boron absorber spider and an inner beryllium reflector. (author)
Fuel Management at the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) involves more than just the usual ex-core and in-core management of standard fuel and non-fuel components between storage locations and within the core since it is primarily an irradiation test facility. This mission involves testing an ever increasing variety of fueled and non-fueled experiments, each having unique requirements on the reactor core as well as having its own individual impact on the reload design. This paper describes the fuel management process used by the Westinghouse Hanford Company Core Engineering group that has led to the successful reload design of nine operating cycles and the irradiation of over 120 tests.
The CO laser is superior in the absorption characteristic to materials to the CO2 laser due to its shorter wavelength. In consideration of this characteristic Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation is studying this applicability sponsored by the Ministry of International Trade Industry of Japan to cutting of reactor core internals of commercial nuclear power plant. In decommissioning of reactor core internals it is necessary to cut stainless steel plates of 305 mm thick. The authors cut stainless steel plates of up to 310mm thick in air and those of up to 150 mm thick underwater with a 20kW class laser. Further, models simulating key structural elements of PWR core internals were cut and secondary products to clarify the applicability of the CO laser cutting to reactor core internals were evaluated. (author)
TAPP-3 and 4 reactors use large number of Self Powered Neutron Detectors (SPNDs) for Neutronic lower measurement and control. To perform in-situ calibration of these detectors in select locations and to validate the reactor physics codes which predict flux at various points in the core, traveling in-core probes (TIP) are required. The TIP assembly consists of a miniature neutron sensitive detector. The detector is driven in and out of core using a mechanism which facilitates positioning of the detector anywhere inside a vertical tube (Central carrier tube of any of the six select Vertical Flux Units) in the core. TIP is driven through retractable feed mechanism for a stroke of 13 m. This paper describes the developmental efforts and the operational feedback of the retractable feed mechanism for the stroke of 13 m used at TAPP 3 and 4 reactor. (author)
The present emphasis on inherent safety for LMR designs has resulted in a need to represent the various reactivity feedback mechanisms as accurately as possible. The dominant negative reactivity feedback has been found to result from radial expansion of the core for most postulated ATWS events. For this reason, a more detailed model for calculating the reactivity feedback from radial core expansion has been recently developed for use with the SASSYS/SAS4A Code System. The purpose of this summary is to present an extension to the model so that it is more suitable for handling a core restraint design as used in FFTF, and to compare the SASSYS/SAS4A results using this model to the empirical correlation presently being used to account for radial core expansion reactivity feedback to FFTF.
This report presents a brief description of the fabrication and advantages of a composite, carbon-metal fiber material which does not require lubrication.
... Title : Wear Rate and Friction Coefficient in Liquid Nitrogen and Hydrogen of Steel Sliding on Polymer Laminates (Various Fabrics and Polymers. ...
... ge aircraft engines (geae) has taken to development an induction plasma deposition (ipd) processing method for the fabrication of ti6242/sic mmc ...
Here we describe the fabrication, optimization, and application of a microfluidic device that integrates microdialysis (MD) sampling, microchip electrophoresis (ME), and electrochemical detection...Full Text Available
Counting characteristics of X-ray detectors fabricated from indium-doped, gallium-doped, and chlorine-doped CdTe have been investigated. The detectors fabricated from indium-doped and gallium-doped crystals showed radiation-induced polarization, namely, a progressive decrease of count rate with an increase of photon fluence in the high-photon-fluence region, while the detectors fabricated from chlorine-doped crystals did not. Results from current-voltage characteristics of the detectors indicated that the different counting characteristics of these detectors originated from the difference in internal electric fields in each detector.
hlgh fiber content composites met the minlmum requirements. (1400 O F ) , the hlgher fiber content as-fabricated composites have impact strengths distinctly ...
... design, and manufacturing knowledge have been acquired and used to develop an 'in-house' capability for the fabrication of magnetic forming coils ...
The total amount of uranium dissolved in seawater at a uniform concentration of 3 mg U/m{sup 3} in the world's oceans is 4.5 billion tons. An adsorption method using polymeric adsorbents capable of specifically recovering uranium from seawater is reported to be economically feasible. A uranium-specific nonwoven fabric was used as the adsorbent packed in an adsorption cage 16 m{sup 2} in cross-sectional area and 16 cm in height. We submerged three adsorption cages in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 20 m at 7 km offshore of Japan. The three adsorption cages consisted of stacks of 52 000 sheets of the uranium-specific non-woven fabric with a total mass of 350 kg. The total amount of uranium recovered by the nonwoven fabric was >1 kg in terms of yellow cake during a total submersion time of 240 days in the ocean.
The total amount of uranium dissolved in seawater at a uniform concentration of 3 mg U/m3 in the world's oceans is 4.5 billion tons. An adsorption method using polymeric adsorbents capable of specifically recovering uranium from seawater is reported to be economically feasible. A uranium-specific nonwoven fabric was used as the adsorbent packed in an adsorption cage 16 m2 in cross-sectional area and 16 cm in height. We submerged three adsorption cages in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 20 m at 7 km offshore of Japan. The three adsorption cages consisted of stacks of 52 000 sheets of the uranium-specific non-woven fabric with a total mass of 350 kg. The total amount of uranium recovered by the nonwoven fabric was >1 kg in terms of yellow cake during a total submersion time of 240 days in the ocean.
In this work, we investigated self-heating related instability in polysilicon thin film transistors (poly-Si TFTs) fabricated on polyimide (PI) substrates. Indeed, when Joule heating becomes relevant, the temperature of the active layer can substantially rise, since the devices are fabricated on thermally insulating substrates. As a result, electrical instability is triggered and attributed to the generation of interface states, due to the Si-H bond breaking, and charge trapping into the gate insulator. In addition, by using 3-dimensional numerical simulations, coupling the thermodynamic and transport models, we analyzed the temperature distribution of the device under operating conditions and found that self-heating is more severe for devices fabricated on plastic substrates.
SummaryA microreactor for electrochemical synthesis has been designed and fabricated. It has been shown that different reactions can be carried out successfully using simple protocols.
Live cores were obtained from five reservoirs using special precautions to prevent contamination by exogenous microorganisms and minimize exposure to oxygen. The depths from which the cores were obtained ranged from 2,705 ft to 6,568 ft. Core plugs were cut radially from live cores, encased in heat-shrink plastic tubes, placed in core holders, and fitted with inlets and outlets. Nutrient additions stimulated the in-situ microbial population to increase, dissolve stratal material, produce gases, and release oil. Reduction in flow through the core plugs was observed in some cases, while in other cases flow was increased, probably due to the dissolution of carbonates in the formation. A field demonstration of the ability of the in-situ microbial population to increase oil recovery by blocking the more permeable zones of the reservoir is currently underway. This ...
The SMART (System-integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor) which is a 330 MWt advanced integral PWR was developed by the KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Institute) for electricity generation and seawater desalination. A thermal hydraulic evaluation and analysis of the SMART is performed by the TASS /SMR-S (Transient And Setpoint Simulation/System integrated Modular Reactor-Safety). The TASS/SMR-S code has various models reflecting the design features of the SMART such as the drift flux model, the core models (core power and core heat transfer model), the component models, and the specific models. One of the core models is the core heat transfer model. The role of this model is to calculate the heat flux and radial temperature profiles at a fuel rod surface using the relevant heat transfer correlations for all of the heat transfer modes. Also it is modeled to meet the requirements of the 10 ...
To obtain reactor physics parameters for high-moderation mixed-oxide (MOX) cores, Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (NPEC), the French Atomic Commission (CEA), and their industrial partners have conducted a MOX core physics experimental program called MISTRAL with the EOLE critical facility of the Cadarache research center. This program consists of four high-moderation cores and was successfully completed in July 2000. This paper describes the analysis results of MISTRAL-3 that is a homogeneous full MOX cylindrical core (H/HM = 6.2) with an 80-cm height and a 59-cm diameter consisting of 1388 standard pressurized water reactor-type MOX fuel rods of 7.0 wt% plutonium-enrichment in a square pitch of 1.39 cm. NPEC has been analyzing the experimental results by using the SRAC and MVP code systems. SRAC and MVP calculate the nuclear core characteristics correctly for the ...
Sulfated zirconia (SO4-ZrO2) catalysts, prepared with three different sulfur loading contents (0.75%, 1.8% and 2.5%) at two calcination temperatures (500degreeC and 700degreeC), were tested for use in the transesterification of purified palm oil (PPO) and the esterification of palm fatty acid (PFA) in near-critical and super-critical methanol. Techniques including BET, XRD, NH3- and CO2-TPD revealed that the sulfur content and calcination temperature strongly affects the catalyst base-acid site, specific surface area, average pore size, phase structure, and thus the catalytic reactivity. The most suitable sulfur loading content was found to be 1.8% and the optimum calcination temperature 500degreeC. The results show that the use of SO4-ZrO2 reduces esterification reaction times, the amount...
The project has been developing Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ)-Alumina Composites as an electrolyte of a self-support type planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) from the following points of view: a path of alumina particles with high thermal conductivity can be designed as an electrolyte sheet; there are some possibilities that the electrolyte can be enhanced in mechanical strength. As previously reported, these composite materials have higher mechanical strength and better thermal shock resistance than those of YSZ. These composites containing 0-30 wt% of Al[sub 2]O[sub 3] were measured by AC impedance method at temperatures of 250-1,000[degree]C. Electrical conductivities of 8YSZ without Al[sub 2]O[sub 3] and a composite consisting of 80 wt% YSZ and 20 wt%Al[sub 2]O[sub 3] as sintered samples were 1.2 x 10[sup -1]S/cm and 1.0 x 10[sup -1]S/cm respectively at 1,000[degree]C. The composite containing 20 wt% of Al[sub 2]O[sub 3] is the most promising candidate ...
A neutron irradiation test on superplastic ceramic materials at high temperature has been proposed as an innovative basic research on high-temperature engineering using the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR). We investigated mechanical properties, such as the hardness and Young's modulus, of ceramic specimens after superplastic deformation. The tested material was 3Y-TZP (3mol% Yttria stabilized Tetragonal Zirconia Polycrystal) which is one of the representative superplastic ceramics. The properties were measured by a microindentation method. We also studied the relationship between crystal microstructures and the mechanical properties of deformed 3Y-TZP by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The indentation test showed that the mechanical properties of the specimens were reduced to about 1/2 by 30% deformation and to about 1/4 by 150% deformation. The SEM images showed that average grain size and deviation of grain size of each specimen ...
A family of sealant materials has been developed for use in the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and in other applications in the temperature range of 800 endash 1000 degree C. These materials are based on glasses and glass-ceramics in the SrO endash La_2O_3 endash Al_2O_3 endash B_2O_3 endash SiO_2 system. The coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) for these materials are in the range of 8 endash 13x10"-"6/degree C, a good match with those of the SOFC components. These sealant materials bond well with the ceramics of the SOFC and, more importantly, form bonds that can be thermally cycled without failure. At the fuel cell operating temperature, the sealants have viscosities in the range of 10"4-10"6 Pa-s, which allow them to tolerate a CTE mismatch of about 20% among the bonded substrates. The gas tightness of a sample seal was demonstrated in a simple zirconia-based oxygen concentration cell. copyright 1996 Materials Research Society.
BaTiO{sub 3} compacts, when fluxed with {lt} 2 vol% of a complex borate glass phase, were sintered to near theoretical density at temperatures {lt} 1175{degrees}C in 2 h. Microstructural analysis showed a uniform grain size {lt} 1.0 {mu}m with 0.75 wt% ZrO{sub 2} added to the flux phase as a grain growth inhibitor. TEM analysis revealed a microcrystalline grain-boundary phase with the ZrO{sub 2} resident along the grain boundaries. These samples displayed an essentially flat dielectric profile, low dissipation factors ({lt} 2%) over the range 25{degrees} to 125{degrees}C, a near linear dependence ({approx} {+-} 15%) between 25{degrees} and {minus} 55{degrees}C, and significantly increased voltage stability. X-ray diffraction analysis of these small-grained materials indicates a suppression of the tetragonal structure toward a more cubic modification.
BaTiO_3 compacts, when fluxed with < 2 vol% of a complex borate glass phase, were sintered to near theoretical density at temperatures < 1175 degrees C in 2 h. Microstructural analysis showed a uniform grain size < 1.0 #mu#m with 0.75 wt% ZrO_2 added to the flux phase as a grain growth inhibitor. TEM analysis revealed a microcrystalline grain-boundary phase with the ZrO_2 resident along the grain boundaries. These samples displayed an essentially flat dielectric profile, low dissipation factors (< 2%) over the range 25 degrees to 125 degrees C, a near linear dependence (#approx# #+-# 15%) between 25 degrees and - 55 degrees C, and significantly increased voltage stability. X-ray diffraction analysis of these small-grained materials indicates a suppression of the tetragonal structure toward a more cubic modification.
The feasibility of using hydrogen as the sole fuel in a direct injection diesel engine was investigated. An air cooled single cylinder Lister ST1 diesel engine was modified to operate as a low-heat-rejection engine for this study. Partially stabilized zirconia ceramic parts were used to shield the combustion space of the engine. Using a compression ratio of 17.9:1 and motoring the test engine at 21000 rpm, a maximum compression temperature of approximately 900 K was achieved. Under these operating conditions, all lubricants tested were found to burn. Lowering the speed to 1450 rpm and the compression ratio to 17.1, lubricant combustion and hot spots were successfully eliminated. The maximum compression temperature, when compression ignition of hydrogen was tried, was in the 800 K range. The corresponding ceramic surface temperature was estimated to reach 600-700 K. Only sporadic compression ignition of hydrogen was achievable. (author).
A core competency is a distinguishing integration of capabilities which enables an organization to deliver mission results. Core competencies represent the collective learning of an organization and provide the capacity to perform present and future missions. Core competencies are distinguishing characteristics which offer comparative advantage and are difficult to reproduce. They exhibit customer focus, mission relevance, and vertical integration from research through applications. They are demonstrable by metrics such as level of investment, uniqueness of facilities and expertise, and national impact. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has identified four core competencies which satisfy the above criteria. Each core competency represents an annual investment of at least $100M and is characterized by an integration of Laboratory technical foundations in physical, chemical, ...
In this Communication, we report the fabrication of well-crystallized rutile-phase TiO2 hollow spheres using potassium titanium oxalate as the precursor. The spheres exhibited unique three-dimensional hierarchical architectures and demonstrated a significantly improved photocatalytic performance. The synthetic strategy used in this process represents a general approach and therefore may contribute to the formation mechanisms of hollow nanostructures. PMID:16634578
The feasibility of using a thermoplastic-powder metallurgy technique for the fabrication of porous niobium rods was investigated. Some early problems were overcome to successfully extrude the polymer coated niobium powder into long lengths. The effects of certain process variables were investigated. Residual porosity and extrusion pressure were found to be regulated by the polymer fraction. The procedures for taking the extruded polystyrene--niobium rods through the heat treatments to the final, tin infiltrated stage are explained.
In this work, a focused ion beam (FIB) milling process has been developed to fabricate 50 nm Bi nanowire and transistor structures using FEI-200 dual beam FIB system. For the fabrication, 50 nm bismuth film was thermally evaporated through EBL patterned PMMA windows onto SiO_2 substrates with pre-defined contact pads. Bi nanowire widths ranging from 30 nm to 100 nm have been successfully fabricated by milling out unwanted areas using 30 KeV Ga+ ion beam. A single-pixel-line ion beam blanking technique has been utilised to fabricate Bi nanowire as small as 30 nm in diameter and few micrometers long. In order to form good ohmic contacts for sub 50 nm bismuth nanowires, a drill-and-fill process has been developed using FIB to sputter away the surface oxide of bismuth after the in-situ platinum nanowire contacts deposition. To our knowledge, this is the first time a focused ion beam process has been used to ...
A prototype of a muffin-tin accelerating structure operating at 32 times the SLAC frequency (2.856 GHz) was built for research in high gradient acceleration. A traveling-wave design with single input and output feeds was chosen for the prototype which was fabricated by wire electrodischarge machining. Features of the mechanical design for the prototype are described. Design improvements are presented including considerations of cooling and vacuum.
Boron/aluminum skins and channels were used in the fabrication of a prototype honeycomb sandwich avionics shelf. The avionic shelves are stiffness-critical and must be vibration tolerant. In conjunction with the shelf mounting system, they must isolate the avionics equipment from the severe vibration of the primary and secondary structure nearby. Design rationale, fabrication procedures, vibration test criteria and test results are presented. (9 fig) (U.S.).
Lunar resource utilization has focused principally on the extraction of oxygen from the lunar regolith. A number of schemes have been proposed for oxygen extraction from Ilmenite and Anorthite. Serendipitously, these schemes have as their by-products (or more directly as their "waste products"), materials needed for the fabrication of thin film silicon solar cells. Thus lunar surface possesses both the elemental components needed for the fabrication of silicon solar cells and a vacuum environment that allows for vacuum deposition of thin film solar cells directly on the surface of the Moon without the need for vacuum chambers. In support of the US space exploration initiative a new architecture for the production of thin film solar cells on directly on the lunar surface is proposed. The paper discusses experimental data on the fabrication and properties of lunar glass substrates, evaporated lunar regolith thin films ...
The cooperative project was a joint development program between Ceradyne and Oak Ridge National Laboratory through Lockheed Martin Energy Research (LMER). Cooperative work was of benefit to both parties. ORNL was able to assess the effect of the microwave nitridation process coupled with gas-pressure sintering for fabrication of parts for advanced diesel engines. Ceradyne gained access to gelcasting expertise and microwave facilities and experience for the nitridation of SRBSN materials. The broad objective of the CRADA between Ceradyne and OIWL was to (1) examine the applicability of the gelcasting technology to fabricate parts from SRBSN, and (2) to assess the effect of the microwave nitridation of silicon process coupled with gas-pressure sintering for fabrication of parts for advanced diesel engines. The following conclusions can be made from the work performed under the CRADA: (1) Gelcasting is a viable method to ...
High-performance polysilicon thin-film transistors (TFT`s) are fabricated using an excimer laser to recrystallize the undoped channel and dope the source-drain regions. Using a technique the authors call grain engineering they are able to control grain microstructure using laser parameters. Resulting polysilicon films are obtained with average grain sizes of {approximately}4--9 {micro}m in sub-100 nm thick polysilicon films without substrate heating during the laser recrystallization process. Using a simple four-mask self-aligned aluminum top-gate structure, they fabricate TFT`s in these films. By combining the grain-engineered channel polysilicon regions with laser-doped source-drain regions, TFT`s are fabricated with electron mobilities up to 260 cm{sup 2}/Vs and on/off current ratios greater than 10{sup 7} To their knowledge, these devices represent the highest performance laser-processed TFT`s reported to date ...
Microstructural analyses by several advanced metallographic techniques were conducted on austenitic stainless steel mockup and core shroud welds that had cracked in boiling water reactors. Contrary to previous beliefs, heat-affected zones of the cracked Type 304L, as well as 304 SS core shroud welds and mockup shielded-metal-arc welds, were free of grain-boundary carbides, which shows that core shroud failure cannot be explained by classical intergranular stress corrosion cracking. Neither martensite nor delta-ferrite films were present on the grain boundaries. However, as a result of exposure to welding fumes, the heat-affected zones of the core shroud welds were significantly contaminated by oxygen and fluorine, which migrate to grain boundaries. Significant oxygen contamination seems to promote fluorine contamination and suppress thermal sensitization. Results of slow-strain-rate tensile tests also ...
Three dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) calculations of a typical prismatic very high temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR) were conducted to investigate the influence of gap geometry on flow and temperature distributions in the reactor core using commercial CFD code FLUENT. Parametric calculations changing the gap width in a whole core length model of fuel and reflector columns were performed. The simulations show the effects of core by-pass flows in the heated core region by comparing results for several gap widths including zero gap width. The calculation results underline the importance of considering inter-column gap width for the evaluation of maximum fuel temperatures and temperature gradients in fuel blocks. In addition, it is shown that temperatures of core outlet flow from gaps and channels are strongly affected by the gap width of by-pass flow in the reactor ...
This patent discloses an oil-filled, multi-core, electric cable having three cores within a metal sheath suitable for underwater applications. Each core has a conductor surrounded by insulation and has substantially the same outer dimensions as the other cores. One conductor is made of copper and has a central oil duct. The other conductors are made of stranded aluminum wires in side-by-side and contacting relation and the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the metal of the copper conductor to the cross-sectional area of the metal of each aluminum conductor is the reciprocal of the ratio of the electrical conductivities thereof. One object of this invention is that of overcoming the drawbacks existing in the known oil-filled, multi-core cables, i.e. to provide cable which, in case of a rupture of the cable sheath, has fairly small leakages of insulating, fluid oil from the cable ...
The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) was designed to test fast-reactor fuels and other nonfuel materials. In its 37 reactor cycles of operations, the FFTF reactor has performed very well and successfully completed all the irradiation testings with an operating efficiency factor as high as 98%. Since FFTF is an experimental reactor, its core loading changed from cycle to cycle. Depending on the number of test assemblies in the core and their location, the core loading can change significantly from an essentially homogeneous core loading to a relatively nonhomogeneous or even highly localized heterogeneous loading. Consequently, the core reload design and initial criticality analyses were required for each operating cycle. The zero power initial critical control rod bank height was predicted before each reactor startup. The initial critical prediction depends on the reactivity ...
The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF)is a 400 MW (th) sodium-cooled fast flux test reactor located on the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. The FFTF is operated by the Westinghouse Hanford Company for the United States Department of Energy. The FFTF is a three loop plant designed primarily for the purpose of testing full-scale core components in an environment prototypic of future liquid metal reactors. The plant design emphasizes features to enhance this test capability, especially in the area of the core, reactor vessel, and refueling system. Eight special test positions are provided in the vessel head to permit contact instrumented experiments to be installed and irradiated. These test positions effectively divide the core into three sectors. Each sector requires its own In-Vessel Handling Machine (IVHM) to access all the core positions. Since the core and the in-vessel ...
JAERI has been performing transient core thermal-hydraulic test program. In the program, authors performed BWR/ABWR DBE simulation tests with a test facility, which can simulate BWR/ABWR transients. The test facility has a 4 x 4 bundle core simulator with 15-rod heaters and one non-heated rod. Through the tests, authors quantified the thermal safety margin for core cooling. In order to quantify the thermal safety margin, authors collected experimental data on post-CHF. The data are essential for the evaluation of clad temperature transient when core heat-up occurs during DBEs. In comparison with previous post-CHF tests, present experiments were performed in much wider experimental condition, covering high clad temperature, low to high pressure and low to high mass flux. Further, data at wider elevation (lower to higher elevation of core) were obtained in the present experiments, ...
To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy, complications, and therapeutic impact of CT-guided percutaneous core biopsies of pulmonary lesions. Material and methods: Seventy-nine patients underwent diagnostic CT-guided percutaneous core biopsies of pulmonary lesions between July 1995 and March 1999. Evaluation included corresponding clinical data, pathologic results, and therapeutic consequences. Results: There were 29 benign and 50 malignant lesions. Percutaneous core biopsy had an overall diagnostic accuracy of 95%. For malignant lesions, core biopsy was positive in 48 patients (sensitivity 96%), and for benign lesions, in 27 (sensitivity 93%). There were no false-positive findings. Pneumothoraces were observed in 19 patients (24%) and 4 of them required a chest drain (5%). There were no hematothoraces or major bleeding complications; however, postinterventional local hemorrhages were observed in 23 patients ...
For light water reactors, loss of coolant is an important point in safety analysis, whereas for gas-cooled reactors the ingress of water into the core region is an incident of safety relevance. The applicability of the computer code system GAMTEREX to pebble beds of spherical high-temperature gas-cooled reactor fuel elements with simulated water ingress is verified by experiment. The measurements were performed at a Siemens-Argonaut reactor, using its ring core as a driver zone for a pebble-bed core in the center of the reactor.
This guide is applied for the reload pattern's formation for mirror symmetry of a core room and in accordance with the Control Cell core technique (of the english Control Cell Core - CCC) for the PRESTO-B code. (Author)
Indian PHWRs are designed to operate with natural uranium (NU) as the main fuel. Earlier in the initial fresh core, to achieve flux flattening and hence to operate the reactor at design rated power, limited number of depleted uranium bundles were loaded in the central portion of the core. Presently even in fresh core about 40 % of the core is loaded with depleted uranium bundles (?0.6 wt % 235U) from the consideration of conserving the natural uranium fuel. This is achieved by loading most of the depleted bundles in the peripheral locations of the channels. Successful operation with large number of DU bundles in the fresh core has been proven in MAPS - 2 and MAPS - 1cores after EMCCR as well as in TAPP - 4. In these three reactors 100 % FP was possible even with 40 % DU bundles in the core. In TAPP-4 and 3 initial core, ...
Purpose : To obtain an emergency core cooling device in a FBR type reactor by utilizing heat pipes which are not actuated at usual operation condition but actuated reliably upon emergency. Constitution : A system for injecting heat medium into heat pipes is provided. By injecting the heat medium into the heat pipes upon emergency to actuate the heat pipes, the reactor core is cooled. During normal reactor operation, the inside of the heat pipes is evacuated from a vacuum pump and no heat medium is filled therein, whereby unnecessary heat loss during the normal operation can be prevented. (Ikeda, J.).
Properties of unique parity states in odd-proton (/sub 77/Ir, /sub 79/Au) and odd-neutron nuclei (/sub 78/Pt) are investigated in the framework of the interacting boson-fermion approximation model. The core (boson)-particle (fermion) interaction is represented by a quadrupole-quadrupole interaction and an exchange term, which takes into account the effects of the Pauli exclusion principle. The even-even core nucleus is described in terms of the IBA-1 hamiltonian. The change in the properties of the corresponding odd-A nuclei can be interpreted in terms of a transition of the core hamiltonian between the O(6) and SU(3) limiting cases.
Properties of unique parity states in odd-proton (_7_7Ir, _7_9Au) and odd-neutron nuclei (_7_8Pt) are investigated in the framework of the interacting boson-fermion approximation model. The core (boson)-particle (fermion) interaction is represented by a quadrupole-quadrupole interaction and an exchange term, which takes into account the effects of the Pauli exclusion principle. The even-even core nucleus is described in terms of the IBA-1 hamiltonian. The change in the properties of the corresponding odd-A nuclei can be interpreted in terms of a transition of the core hamiltonian between the O(6) and SU(3) limiting cases. (orig.).
This paper reports that, to obtain better simulation results for a Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) reactor operation, a new simulation method is developed that uses actual detector readings as a correction factor. Detector readings from a CANDU reactor are used to correct the calculated flux distribution during core calculation iterations. A suitable function is found to describe the relationship between the detector flux and the fluxes of mesh points around the detector. The new simulation method is tested by performing numerical calculations for the Wolsung reactor (a CANDU-600). The results show that the new method predicts the core state more accurately with fewer iterations.
The WWR-SM reactor at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences (INP AS) in Uzbekistan was converted to 6-tube IRT-4M LEU (19.7%) fuel in 2009. Presently, INP intends to also use IRT-4M 8-tube FA, and a safety analysis for these 'mixed' (8-tube and 6-tube FA) cores is required by the regulatory authorities. This paper presents results of control rod ejection transient analysis for these mixed cores
Minimum critical fissile concentrations are calculated for U-233, U-235, Pu-239, and Am-242m mixed homogeneously with hydrogen at temperatures to 15,000K. Minimum critical masses of the same mixtures in a 1000 liter sphere are also calculated. It is shown that propellent efficiencies of a gas core fizzler engine using Am-242m as fuel would exceed those in a solid core engine as small as 1000L operating at 100 atmospheres pressure. The same would be true for Pu-239 and possibly U-233 at pressures of 1000 atm. or at larger volumes.
One of the requirements for a federated information system is interoperability, the ability of one computer system to access and use the resources of another system. This feature is particularly important in biomedical research systems, which need to coordinate a variety of disparate types of data. In order to meet this need, the National Cancer Institute Center for Bioinformatics (NCICB) has created the cancer Common Ontologic Representation Environment (caCORE), an interoperability infrastructure based on Model Driven Architecture. The caCORE infrastructure provides a mechanism to create interoperable biomedical information systems. Systems built using the caCORE paradigm address both aspects of interoperability: the ability to access data (syntactic interoperability) and understand the ...
Why we sleep remains one of the enduring unanswered questions in biology. At its core, sleep can be defined behaviorally as a homeostatically regulated state of reduced movement and sensory...Full Text Available
... and high-quality photospheric-phase Type II SN spectra to constrain core- collapse SN explosions, massive star evolution, and distances in the Universe ...
The Reduced-Moderation Water Reactor (RMWR) is a next generation water-cooled reactor, based on the experienced light water reactor (LWR) technology, aiming at effective utilization of uranium resources, high burn-up and long operation cycle and plutonium multiple recycling. These characteristics can be achieved by the high conversion ratio from {sup 238}U to {sup 239}Pu resulted from the higher neutron energy spectrum in comparison to conventional LWRs. Considering the extension of LWR utilization, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) started the research on it in 1997 and then started a collaboration in the conceptual design study with the Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) in 1998, under technical cooperation with three Japanese reactor vendors. In the core design study of the RMWR, several basic core designs with the high conversion ratio more than 1 and the negative void reactivity coefficient have been proposed, and then, ...
Form as the end result of massive star evolution; Type II supernova: collapse of iron core in highly evolved massive star; outer regions blasted away in ...
Microorganisms associated with fractured basalt core were compared to those suspended in groundwater pumped from the same well in the eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer (Idaho, USA). Two wells influenced to different degrees by a mixed-waste plume in the fractured basalt aquifer were examined. In one well, an array of dialysis cells filled with either deionized water or crushed basalt was equilibrated to compare the microorganisms collected in this fashion with those from core and groundwater samples collected in a traditional manner from the same well. Analyses were performed to characterize these samples and to provide a basis for comparison. These included total cell counts by microscopy; total biomass by phospholipid fatty acid analysis; enumerations of viable aerobic heterotrophs, groups of putative aerobic co-metabolic TCE-degraders and aerobic H2-oxidizing bacteria; mineralization of 14C- labeled acetate; and enrichments for dissimilatory ...
The present study describes an efficient chemoenzymatic method for introducing a core N-glycan of glycoprotein origin into various lipophilic natural products. It was found...Full Text Available
Core radii and central surface brightnesses of bulges and elliptical galaxies are measured using CCD photometry obtained with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (scale = 0''.22 pixel"-"1; seeing = 0''.45--1''.0 FWHM). The correlations between core parameters are derived and compared for ellipticals, bulges, dwarf spheroidal galaxies, dwarf irregular galaxies, and globular clusters. The results are as follows. 1. Ihe data confirm the existence of well-defined correlations between the core parameters of elliptical galaxies. More luminous ellipticals have larger core radii r/sub c/ and lower central surface brightnesses #mu#/sub 0v/. Galaxies with larger core radii have larger central velocity dispersions. The small, bright core of M32 is normal for a galaxy of M/sub B/ = -15.2. Radio ellipticals and brightest cluster galaxies satisfy the correlations. 2. The ...
As an integral part of the Fast Test Reactor Vibration Program for Reactor Internals, the flow-induced vibrational characteristics of scaled Fast Test Reactor core internal and peripheral components were assessed under scaled and simulated prototype flow conditions in the Hydraulic Core Mockup. The Hydraulic Core Mockup, a 0.285 geometric scale model, was designed to model the vibrational and hydraulic characteristics of the Fast Test Reactor. Model component vibrational characteristics were measured and determined over a range of 36 percent to 111 percent of the scaled prototype design flow. Selected model and prototype components were shaker tested to establish modal characteristics. The dynamic response of the Hydraulic Core Mockup components exhibited no anomalous flow-rate dependent or modal characteristics, and prototype response predictions were adjudged acceptable.
A theoretical study of an exciton confined in a quantum ring is presented. The quantum ring is described as a two-dimensional circular quantum dot with a repulsive core, which is modelled with the help of two Gaussian functions. We have applied the variational method and investigated the evolution of the low-energy exciton spectrum with the change of the confinement potential. The calculations have been performed for the recently produced self-assembled ring-shaped InGaAs quantum dots. We have shown that the repulsive core strongly increases the radiative transition probability from the exciton ground state at the expense of the decreasing probability of the transitions from the excited states. This effect results from the orthogonality properties of the exciton wavefunctions, which are specific to the quantum-ring confinement potential. We have studied the characteristic features of the exciton spectrum, which can be used as a signature of the ...
SAMPSON is an integration of twelve analysis modules under the final development phase (phase-2) and will be capable of simulating hypothesized severe accidents in a nuclear power plant. One of these modules, the Molten Core Relocation Analysis (MCRA) module, simulates the relocation behavior of a molten core during a severe accident. MCRA models severe accident phenomena by using mechanistic formulations for multi-phase, multi-component, and multi-velocity field. As one of the verification studies of SAMPSON in Phase-1, the in-core phenomena of PHEBUS/FPT0 was analyzed with three modules, MCRA, fuel rod heat up analysis (FRHA) module, and the analysis control module (ACM) of SAMPSON. (author)
In order to develop a numerical tool for the fast evaluation of CANDU refuelling schemes, a Linear Sensitivity Matrix method (LSM) is developed. It assumes that all the effects caused by various perturbations to the core state are independent to each other and the core response to a perturbation is proportional to its magnitude. In this way, the main core parameters of a refuelling scheme can be derived by simple algebraic operations with the use of pre-calculated sensitivity matrices, without resorting to the complicated and time-consuming 3D core calculation. Verification against the Qinshan CANDU reactor operation history demonstrates that LSM is capable of generating accurate results and running very fast for evaluating a refuelling scheme. (authors)
Purpose: To flatten temperature distribution of coolant within a core. Constitution: The control device of the present invention is to vary reactivity of a fast breeder to control a reactor power. In general, the control device of this kind comprises a guide pipe arranged within the core and a control rod movable up and down within the guide pipe, and a coolant flows from bottom toward top within the guide pipe. Since a cooling flow rate has a margin, temperature of coolant outlet is extremely low as compared to a fuel assembly, and therefore temperature gradient in the vicinity of the top of the control rod becomes sharp to possibly impart thermal shock to the structural material. In the present invention, the flow passage of coolant is varied to thereby avoid outflow thereof into the core, thus flattening the temperature distribution of the coolant within the core. (Kamimura, M.).
The core bypass flow in a prismatic very high temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR) is one of the important design considerations which impacts considerably on the integrity of reactor core internals including operating fuels. The interstitial gaps are an inherent presence in the reactor core because of tolerances in manufacturing the blocks and the inexact nature of their installation. Furthermore, the geometry of the graphite blocks changes over the lifetime of the reactor because of thermal expansion and irradiation damage. The occurrence of hot spots in the core and lower plenum and hot streaking in the lower plenum (regions of very hot gas flow) will be affected by the bypass flow. In the present study, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) calculations of a typical prismatic VHTR are conducted to understand better the bypass flow phenomenon and establish the evaluation method in the ...
The SCDAP computer code, which is being developed under the sponsorship of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, models the progression of light water reactor core damage including core heatup, core disruption and debris formation, debris heatup, and debris melting. SCDAP is being used to help identify and understand the phenomena that control core behavior during a severe accident, to help quantify uncertainties in risk assessment analysis, and to support planning and interpretation of severe fuel damage experiments and data. Comparisons between SCDAP calculations and the experimental data showed good agreement. Calculated and measured bundle temperatures for SFD-ST were within 200 K for the entire bundle and within 20 K for maximum cladding temperatures. For ESSI-2, calculated and measured maximum cladding temperatures were within 50 K, and the extensive liquefaction and relocation that was ...
It is shown numerically that on a time scale of order 1 msec a neutron star with pion condensation will undergo separation into a core and an envelope with a sharp interface. The envelope will not, however, be ejected.
Mar 1, 2011 ... thermal behavior and structural changes of composite sandwich panels with a honeycomb core subjected to a variety of environmental effects. ...
MOX fuel for FBR is allowed to contain impurities within several thousand ppm, which means less than 1000 of decontamination factor (DF) in reprocessing is enough for Pu and U recycle use. The Advanced Fuel Recycle proposed by PNC is on this basis. The concept consists of innovations on both MOX fuel fabrication and aqueous reprocessing technologies based on the Purex process and it is believed that successful optimization of fuel cycle interface condition is the key issue to realize the concept. The lower DF such as 1000 can be easily obtained by the simplified Purex flowsheet which has no purification steps. However, new subject arises in MOX fuel fabrication, that is, fabrication is conducted in the shielding cell using equipment which is maintained remotely. A simplified fabrication technology becomes essential to establish the remote maintenance system and is one of the critical path for achieving ...
20 nm thick permalloy elements, with dimensions of 500 x 500 nm"2 and 1000 x 200 nm"2, have been fabricated on 50 nm thick silicon nitride substrate by milling using a focussed ion beam (FIB) microscope. The dose of ion beam used for the milling was varied in order to achieve the best definition for the milled areas. The FIB milled elements were characterised physically by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and bright field transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and magnetically by Fresnel imaging on a TEM modified for magnetic imaging. The FIB milled elements were found to have a more irregular edge and lower magnetic fields for events such as vortex annihilation when compared to elements of the same dimensions fabricated by conventional electron beam microscopy (EBL).
We report the fabrication and characterization of glucose-tolerant Raney-platinum cathodes for oxygen reduction in potentially implantable glucose fuel. Fabricated by extraction of aluminum from 1mm thin platinum-aluminum bi-layers annealed at 300^oC, the novel cathodes show excellent resistance against hydrolytic and oxidative attack. This renders them superior over previous cathodes fabricated from hydrogel-bound catalyst particles. Annealing times of 60, 120, and 240min result in approximately 400-550nm thin porous films (roughness factors ~100-150), which contain platinum and aluminum in a ratio of ~9:1. Aluminum release during electrode operation can be expected to have no significant effect on physiological normal levels, which promises good biocompatibility. Annealing time has a dis...
In this paper, we report an optical fiber sensor for measuring temperature based on bimetallic concept. The sensor is designed by following the basic principle of Fabry-Perot interferometer and theoretical detail of the sensor has been outlined here with a numerical study. An important feature of the proposed sensor is that the fabrication will be done on a commercial multimode optical fiber. The Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) based fabrication process could be performed directly on a multimode optical fiber end face which will eliminate the need for adhesive in packaging. The sensor could be fabricated as sensor arrays for micro level applications. The potential application of the proposed optical sensor includes biomedical applications, nano research, microfluidics, and other ME...
In an effort to develop a simple low-temperature high-performance polysilicon thin-film transistor (TFT) technology, the authors report a fabrication process featuring laser-crystallized sputtered-silicon films. This top Al-gate coplanar TFT process subjects the substrate to a maximum temperature of 300 C, and produces devices with mobilities up to 450 cm{sup 2}/Vs, on/off current ratios greater than 10{sup 7}, without using a post-hydrogenation step. They believe these results represent the highest performance TFT`s to date fabricated from sputtered silicon films.
Low-temperature polysilicon thin-film transistors (TFT's) have been fabricated from sputtered silicon films and characterized as a function of as-deposited hydrogen (H) content and laser crystallization fluence. A general trend is observed where TFT performance improves as the H content is lowered. Devices made from {approximately}0% H sputtered films perform similar to those made from low-pressure chemical-vapor deposition processes (LPCVD), but are fabricated at a much lower process temperature (300 C). The best sputtered TFT's had mobilities of {approximately}200 cm{sup 2}/Vs, and on/off current ratios of more than 10{sup 8}.
Abstract A highly efficient enzyme immobilization method has been developed for electrochemical biosensors using polydopamine films with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) embedded. This simple enzyme fabrication method can be performed in very mild conditions and stored in a long time with high bioactivity. The fabricated amperometric glucose biosensor exhibited a high and reproducible sensitivity, wide linear dynamic range and low limit of detection (LOD) (0.1 molL-1). A low value of 1.5 mmolL-1 for the apparent Michaelis-Menten constant KappM was obtained. The high sensitivity, wide linear range, good reproducibility and stability make this biosensor a promising candidate for portable amperometric glucose biosensor.
The performance of scanning driver circuits fabricated with self-aligned aluminum gate polysilicon thin-film transistors (TFT's) is demonstrated. After the gate electrode patterning, the fabrication process temperature is kept below 400degC to enable the use of aluminum gate electrodes. The low-temperature crystallization phenomenon, which occurs when protons are implanted simultaneously with boron or phosphorus dopants, is employed to eliminate the 600degC activation-annealing process. A maximum clock frequency of about 2.0 MHz is achieved when the driver operating voltage is 24 V and the TFT channel length is 12 [mu]m. (author).
The performance of scanning driver circuits fabricated with self-aligned aluminum gate polysilicon thin-film transistors (TFT's) is demonstrated. After the gate electrode patterning, the fabrication process temperature is kept below 400degC to enable the use of aluminum gate electrodes. The low-temperature crystallization phenomenon, which occurs when protons are implanted simultaneously with boron or phosphorus dopants, is employed to eliminate the 600degC activation-annealing process. A maximum clock frequency of about 2.0 MHz is achieved when the driver operating voltage is 24 V and the TFT channel length is 12 #mu#m. (author).
Herein, we demonstrate the structure of the PS colloidal crystals which were fabricated on the hydrophilic/hydrophobic Si wafers by a spin-coating technique. Monodisperse PS colloids are spin-coated onto self-assembled monolayers of 3-(aminopropyl)triethoxysilane and propyltrimethoxysilane coated Si wafers. PS spheres organized as ordered close-packed face-centered cubic structure with (111) planes on the hydrophilic surface while they gathered without the crystal structure on the hydrophobic surface. This paper also reports a simple and rapid method to fabricate the close-packed structure of hollow TiO2 spheres. The colloidal crystal of TiO2 hollow spheres was prepared using the PS sphere template on the hydrophobic surface. The mechanism for the growing multilayers of self-assembled PS p...
Rapid nitridation was used to fabricate reaction-bonded and postsintered -Si6-ZAlZOZN8-Z (Z=1) ceramics with monoclinic ZrO2 added to the starting powder. Thermo-gravimetric analysis revealed that the addition of ZrO2 reduced the starting temperature of the main nitridation reaction. Using a reaction-bonding route with heating rates of 5, 10, and 20C/min, to fabricate -SiAlON ceramics without ZrO2 resulted in unreacted silicon that bled out of the specimens and the Z=1 composition samples did not maintain the original green compact morphology. On the other hand, no such bleeding of melted silicon was observed for samples with ZrO2 additions and the samples following nitridation maintained the original green morphology. The microstructure and mechanical properties of samples produced by rap...
Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fabric (CF) was modified with strong HNO3 oxidation and then introduced into polyimide (PI) composites. The friction and wear properties of the carbon fabric reinforced polyimide composites (CFRP), sliding against GCr15 stainless steel rings, were investigated on an M-2000 model ring-on-block test rig under dry sliding. Experimental results revealed that the carbon fiber surface treatment largely reduced the friction and wear of the CFRP. Compared with the untreated ones, the surface-modified CF can enhance the tribological properties of CFRP efficiently due to the improved adhesion between the CF and the PI matrix. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study of the carbon fiber surface showed that the fiber surfa...
To improve the friction and wear behavior of carbon fabric reinforced polymer composites (CFRP), nano-SiO2 was deposited on the fabric surface. The friction and wear behavior of the resulting composites were investigated on a model ring-on-block test rig. Experimental results revealed that fiber surface treatment contributed to largely improve the tribological properties of the CFRP composites. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) investigation showed that the worn surface of the surface modified CFRP composite was smoother under given load and sliding rate. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies of the carbon fiber surface showed that nanostructured Sio2 thin film can be obtained by SiO2 sols deposition, which improved th...
In this paper, the design of large thin PIN detector with a membrane stress avoidance configuration is proposed, and the related device fabrication process is developed. Ultra-thin PIN detector {approx} 1.13 cm{sup 2} in area is fabricated on a thin ( {approx} 35{mu}m) silicon membrane, and characterized. Detector performance improvement has been successfully demonstrated. With the membrane stress avoidance design, the improved detector exhibits a leakage of 6nA, which is at least 5 times lower than that of detector of identical junction area. The new detector features a full depleted capacitance of 110 pF, and a FWHM of 40.86 keV energy resolution for 5.486 MeV alpha particle spectrography.
In 1976 the design and fabrication began of an 1 MWt Bench Model Solar Receiver (BMSR) to demonstrate and further develop the ceramic tube central receiver concept. Although many of the properties of silicon carbide are well documented, this material has never been utilized in an application of this type and size. Further investigation was undertaken to confirm the choice of silicon carbide against available metals and other ceramic materials. The BMSR is configured for testing at the Department of Energy's Central Receiver Test Facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Design and fabrication of the BMSR are highlighted in this report. Completion and testing of the BMSR are planned for the next phase of the project.
The scale-down of a liquid mini-pump (order of 10 mm) to a micrometre scale has been attempted using a novel valveless nozzle-diffuser design and new application of an organic physical vapor-deposited membrane. The micropump employs no moving parts other than the membrane and accomplishes the rectification of fluid flow due to pressure recovery differences in the nozzle and diffuser flow directions. More specifically, liquids flow with less resistance (i.e. conduct more fluid) in the diffuser direction than the nozzle direction, for a given pressure differential. At the micrometre scale, the fabrication of the critical nozzle and diffuser elements was performed by focused ion beam (FIB) microlithography of glass slides. Etched slides were sandwiched to make two-dimensional venturis. Sternme and Sternme noted the importance of a lower Reynolds Number linfit on the desired pressure recovery which challenged the fabrication of this pump design at ...
Micro-batteries are one of the key components that restrict the application of autonomous Microsystems. However little efforts were made to solve the problem. We have proposed a new planar zinc/air micro-battery, suitable for autonomous microsystem applications. The micro-battery has a layered structure of zinc electrode/alkaline electrolyte/air cathode. A 3D zinc electrode with a high density of posts was designed to obtain a high porosity, hence to offer a best performance. A model of the micro-battery is developed and the device performances were simulated and discussed. A four-mask process was developed to fabricate the prototype micro-batteries. The preliminary testing results showed the micro-batteries is able to deliver a maximum power up to 5 mW, and with an average power of 100 {mu}W at a steady period for up to 2hrs. Fabrication process is still under optimization for further improvement.
This paper describes the design, fabrication and application of a micro-fabricated salinity sensor system. The theoretical electrochemical behaviour is described using electrical equivalent diagrams and simple scaling properties are investigated analytically and numerically using finite element method (FEM). The chip design and fabrication is described and measurement results of two different electrode designs are presented. The 4mm Formula Not Shown 4mm multi-sensor allows for salinity determination with an accuracy of Formula Not Shown 0.5psu through determination of the electrical conductivity, temperature and pressure with accuracies of Formula Not Shown 0.6mS, Formula Not Shown 0.065 Formula Not Shown C and Formula Not Shown 0.05bar, respectively.
The mechanism proposed by Kormendy (1984) for the formation of counterrotating cores in elliptical galaxies is investigated using self-consistent numerical simulations of mergers between a high- and a low-luminosity elliptical galaxies. The conditions for a counterrotation to appear are determined, observational properties of the remnants are described, and the evolution of the structural and kinematic parameters of the larger galaxy is analyzed. It is shown that a counterrotation results only when the merging orbits are retrograde, due to a large change in the secondary spin during the merger. 36 refs.
The suggestion has been made that stars with collapsing iron cores may be unable to explode, and hence may generate black holes. The situation when the collapsing core is rotating and magnetized is investigated and it is tentatively concluded that these effects make the situation even more conducive to the formation of black holes. (auth)
MPFDs are a new class of detectors that utilize properties from existing radiation detector designs. A majority of these characteristics come from fission chamber designs. These include radiation hardness, gamma-ray background insensitivity, and large signal output.
Four unique deisgn features are described which make the Fast Flux Test Facility eminently suitable for irradiation test programs. These features are a fast flux level of 7 x 10"1"5 neutrons/cm"2/sec, a 36-inch reference (breeder reactor) core height, test volumes suitable for testing of statistical quantities of materials, and the capability for direct (contact) or indirect (proximity) instrumentation of active core experiments.
We study the dynamics of scroll vortices in excitable reaction-diffusion systems analytically and numerically. We demonstrate that intrinsic three-dimensional instability of a straight scroll leads to the formation of helicoidal structures. This behavior originates from the competition between the scroll curvature and unstable core dynamics. We show that the obtained instability persists even beyond the meander core instability of the two-dimensional spiral wave. copyright 1998 The American Physical Society.
This document provides data on aerosol concentrations in tank headspaces, total mass of aerosols in the tank headspace, and mass of aerosols sent to the exhauster during rotary mode core sampling from November 1994 through June 1999. A decontamination factor for the RMCS exhauster filter housing is calculated based upon operational data and non-destructive assay.
This document provides data on aerosol concentrations in tank head spaces, total mass of aerosols in the tank head space and mass of aerosols sent to the exhauster during Rotary Mode Core Sampling from November 1994 through June 1999. A decontamination factor for the RMCS exhauster filter housing is calculated based on operation data.
Calculations for a single-j nucleon coupled to an axially symmetric core with both #beta#_2 and #beta#_4 deformation have been performed for "1"8"7Ir. Using #beta#_4=-0.08, consistent with previously measured and predicted values of #beta#_4, the calculated spectrum is competitive with recent calculations assuming an asymmetric core.
Following a postulated meltdown accident, the integrity of containment building structural material under attack by hot molten core debris and the safeguard of environment against radiological releases constitutes the final line of defense in PAHR safety assessment. Such assessment requires a good knowledge of UO/sub 2//interaction and penetration with different types of concrete. The present study focuses on the phenomena associated with core debris interaction/penetration with substrate basalt concrete.
The kinetic parameters, ..cap alpha.. the coupling coefficient and tau-bar the mean neutron transit time have been determined using a reactor oscillator on the coupled-core of the Queen Mary College research reactor. By using correlation techniques it has proved possible to use detectors small enough to be inserted in the fuel tanks. It is shown that the simplified Baldwin model with one-group diffusion theory is inadequate to describe the kinetic behaviour and the experimentally-determined parameters are dependent upon the positioning of the detectors.
The abundant microbial population in a 3,043-m-deep Greenland glacier ice core was dominated by ultrasmall cells (<0.1 μm3) that may represent intrinsically small organisms...Full Text Available
The high-frequency precessional mode of a hot-electron-stabilized magnetic configuration has previously been shown to be stable in a window of core-plasma mass. Under conditions of frequency matching, the resulting stable negative-energy precessional wave can be destabilized by coupling to positive-energy shear-Alfven waves. Coupling is avoided when the hot-electron precession frequency exceeds the core-plasma ion gyrofrequency.
For the first time in China, Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station applied the advanced technology of worldwide commercial pressurized reactors to the in-core detectors, the leading excore six-chamber instrumentation for precise axial power distribution, and the related data processing. Described in this article are the neutron flux measurement in Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station, and the detailed data processing.
The long operating cycle simplified boiling water reactor is a reactor concept that pursues both safety and the economy by employing a natural circulation reactor core without a refueling, a passive decay heat removal, and an integrated building for the reactor and turbine. Throughout the entire spectrum of the design basis accident, the reactor core is kept covered by the passive emergency core cooling system. The decay heat is removed by the conventional active low-pressure residual heat removal system. As for a postulated severe accident, the suppression pool water floods the lower part of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) in the case when core damage occurs, and the in-vessel retention that keeps the melt inside the RPV is achieved by supplying the coolant. The containment adopts a parallel-double-steel-plate structure similar to a hull structure, which contains coolant between the inner and outer ...
At Tarapur Atomic Power Station 3 and 4, 540 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors, core being large in size requires a continuous in core monitoring for local flux disturbances. Nearly 200 Self Powered Neutron Detectors (SPNDs) of the Straight Individually Replaceable (SIR) type are distributed in the reactor core. For purpose of reactor regulation and protection, cobalt SPNDs that have a prompt response for changes in power is used for in-core flux mapping, vanadium SPNDs that provide accurate measure of neutron flux, even though having slow response is used In core SPNDs are placed in Vertical Flux Units (VFU) and Horizontal Flux Units (HFUs). These SPNDs were to be replaced at regular intervals to meet the design intent. Cobalt SPNDs have dose rates of the order of 1000 Gy/h and the Mineral Insulated (MI) cables of Vanadium SPNDs have dose rates of the order of 100 Gy/h. So far 3 ...
Research highlights: #-># Welding parameters affect pitting corrosion resistance of AL-6XN laser welds. #-># Lower heat input laser welds correspond to higher critical pitting temperature. #-># Depletion of Mo and Cr at dendrite cores causes preferential pitting corrosion. #-># Local Mo level at dendrite cores dominates weld pitting corrosion susceptibility. #-># Lower heat input laser welds manifest lower degree of microsegregation of Mo. - Abstract: Pitting corrosion resistance of laser welds of AL-6XN superaustenitic stainless steel (SASS) was investigated in acidic chloride ion medium. It was found that the critical pitting temperature (CPT) of the laser welds increased with increasing welding speed or decreasing laser power. Pitting attack preferentially occurred at selective dendrite cores of the laser welds. Analytical electron microscope (AEM) microanalysis revealed that depletion of Mo at dendrite ...
This study deals with a research field started at the LFI (Laboratorio de Fabricacion Integrada) of the ULPGC (Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria). Its aim is to analyse and propose improvements in the electroformed nickel cores manufacture. The main application of these cores is to be used as plastic injection molds. It has been considered an important part of this study taking under consideration internal stresses that appear in the nickel electroformed core. These stresses play a determinant role towards reaching a dimensional and resistant quality standard of the shells, which will be later transformed into cores. The investigation includes not only a theoretic study but also an experimental one. the testing method has the remarkable advantage of a wide industrial application because of its simplicity, low cost and reproducibility of the electrolytic bath actual conditions. (Author) 7 refs.
Purpose: To effectively cool the reactor core in a steam atmosphere by upwardly directing several of spray nozzles attached to a ring header thereby increasing the flying distance of the spray. Constitution: Ring headers in two upper and lower stages are disposed above the outer circumference of a reactor core and each of the ring headers is mounted with spray nozzles. Among the spray nozzles, at least several nozzles mounted to the ring header at the lower stage are directed such that the center axis for each of the nozzle is raised above the horizontal axis and other several nozzles are mounted with the nozzle center axis directed downwardly from the horizontal axis. Accordingly, even if collapsing phenomenon occurs in the jetting stream due to the condensation in the steams that forms the operation atmosphere of the reactor core spray cooling device, a sufficient amount of emergency cooling water can be distributed over ...
The present emphasis on inherent safety for liquid-metal reactor designs has resulted in a need to represent the various reactivity feedback mechanisms as accurately as possible. The dominant negative reactivity feedback has been found to result from radial expansion of the core for most postulated anticipated transient without scram events. For this reasons, a more detailed model for calculating the reactivity feedback from radial core expansion, including subassembly bowing has been recently developed for use with the SASSYS/SAS4A code system. The purpose of this summary is to present an extension to the model so that it is more suitable for handling a core restraint design as used in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), and to compare the SASSYS/SAS4A results using this model to the empirical correlation presently being used to account for radial core expansion reactivity feedback in the FFTF.
Two sediment cores (Southern Branch, PC-1, and Western Branch, WB-2) were taken from the highly industrialized Elizabeth River, Virginia. The concentrations of trace metals cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc, major elements iron, manganese and aluminum, organic carbon content and the specific surface area of the sediments were determined in each of the cores. Down-core variations in metals varied significantly in each core with maximum contamination events occurring at different times in different portions of the river. In PC-1, maximum metal concentrations were seen after the appearance of "1"3"7Cs. In contrast, the highest levels in WB-2 occurred well before the appearance of "1"3"7Cs. Although stricter environmental regulations have caused a decrease in metal concentrations since the 1980s, the concentrations in the surface sediments of many trace metals were elevated to levels ...
Quartz has a dissipation factor of approximately 10(-4), which is an order of magnitude less than that of the best glasses previously used to fabricate patch pipettes; it's dielectric constant of 3.8...Full Text Available
This paper addresses one source of degradation in OPV devices: the metal/organic interface. The basic approach was to study the completed device stability vs. the stability of the organic film itself as shown in subsequent devices fabricated from the films.
Electrospinning, a flexible jet-based fiber, scaffold, and membrane fabrication approach, has been elucidated as having significance to the heath sciences. Its capabilities have been most impressive...Full Text Available
We present device results from polysilicon thin film transistors (TFTs) fabricated at a maximum temperature of 100&hthinsp;{degree}C on polyester substrates. Critical to our success has been the development of a processing cluster tool containing chambers dedicated to laser crystallization, dopant deposition, and gate oxidation. Our TFT fabrication process integrates multiple steps in this tool, and uses the laser to crystallize deposited amorphous silicon as well as create heavily doped TFT source/drain regions. By combining laser crystallization and doping, a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition SiO{sub 2} layer for the gate dielectric, and postfabrication annealing at 150&hthinsp;{degree}C, we have succeeded in fabricating TFTs with I{sub ON}/I{sub OFF} ratios {gt}5{times}10{sup 5} and electron mobilities {gt}40 cm{sup 2}/V&hthinsp;s on polyester substrates. {copyright} {ital 1999 American Vacuum ...
The purpose of work - to estimate opportunities of scintigraphy using "9"9"mTc-MIBI, her necessities and demerits in parathyroid glands adenoma, also to compare her results to conclusions of other radiological methods and results of research of an operational fabric. (author)
The installation procedure, the fabrication, fitting up, positioning, adjustment and welding of piping, examinations, hydrostatics testing and insulation of piping for reactor primary circuit piping of Daya Bay Nuclear power Plant are briefly described.
Topics covered include various aspects of solar cell fabrication and performance. Aluminium-gallium arsenides, cadmium telluride, amorphous silicon, and copper-indium-gallium selenides are all characterized in their applicability in solar cells.
A feasibility study to determine what materials and geometric systems would be required for fabrication of a camouflage system that would instantaneously cover a military vehicle in order to disrupt its characteristic shape or outline. The program involve...
To perform the localization project of WOLSUNG reactor fuel, mass-production system of irradiation-stable and sound fuel pellet must be established. The following subjects have been carried out to set up CANDU fuel fabrication process for continuous produ...
Two manufacturing processes have been developed for fabricating PLZT bonded lens assemblies (BLA's) for the USAF EEU-2/P Thermal/Flash Protective Goggle. One process utilizes thin Sylgard spacers which remain in the BLA to establish bond thickness between...
Solving the maintenance and repair problems of electronic instruments, we have supported the research and development work, and reduced operation costs of the pilot plants in KAERI. In addition, we have improved the maintainability of instruments to use effectively. 18 tabs., 17 figs., 13 refs. (Author) .new.
Solving the maintenance and repair problems of electronic instruments, we have supported the research and development work, and reduced operation costs of the pilot plants in KAERI. In addition, we have imposed the maintainability of instruments to use effectively. 15 tabs., 14 figs., 14 refs. (Author) .new.
This standard provides the general requirements used in the design, construction, testing, and commissioning of concrete containment structures for CANDU nuclear power plants designated as class containment and is directed to the owners, designers, manufacturers, fabricators, and constructors of the concrete components and parts.
The authors report on the nano-fabrication of GaN/AlGaN device structures using focused ion beam (FIB) etching, illustrated on a GaN/AlGaN heterostructure field effect transistor (HFET). Pillars as small as 20nm to 300nm in diameter were fabricated from the GaN/AlGaN HFET. Micro-photoluminescence and UV micro-Raman maps were recorded from the FIB-etched pattern to assess its material quality. Photoluminescence was detected from 300nm-size GaN/AlGaN HFET pillars, i.e., from the AlGaN as well as the GaN layers in the device structure, despite the induced etch damage. Properties of the GaN and the AlGaN layers in the FIB-etched areas were mapped using UV Micro-Raman spectroscopy. Damage introduced by FIB-etching was assessed. The fabricated nanometer-size GaN/AlGaN structures were found to be of good quality. The results demonstrate the potential of FIB-etching for the nano-fabrication of III-V nitride ...
BackgroundVascular stents are small tubular scaffolds used in the treatment of arterial stenosis (narrowing of the vessel). Most vascular stents are metallic and are deployed either...Full Text Available
Cu/YSZ cermet (40 and 60 vol.% Cu powder with balance YSZ) is a more economical cathode material than the conventional Ni/YSZ cermet for high temperature electrolysis (HTE) of water vapor and it was successfully fabricated by high-energy ball-milling of Cu and YSZ powders, pressing into pellets (o 13 mm x 2 mm) and subsequent sintering process at 700 deg. C under flowing 5%-H{sub 2}/Ar gas. The Cu/YSZ composite material thus fabricated was characterized using various analytical tools such as XRD, SEM, and laser diffraction and scattering method. Electrical conductivity of sintered Cu/YSZ cermet pellets thus fabricated was measured by using 4-probe technique for comparison with that of conventional Ni/YSZ cermets. The effect of composite composition on the electrical conductivity was investigated and a marked increase in electrical conductivity for copper contents greater than 40 vol.% in the composite was explained by ...
;Contents: Energy Use; Building Fabric Performance; Ventilation and Infiltration; Passive Solar Design; Heating Systems and Controls; Hot and Cold Water Provision; and Lighting and Electrical Appliances.
Contents: Energy Use; Building Fabric Performance; Ventilation and Infiltration; Passive Solar Design; Heating Systems and Controls; Hot and Cold Water Provision; and Lighting and Electrical Appliances.
Nanoporous materials have become indispensable in many fields ranging from photonics, catalysis and semiconductor processing to biosensor infrastructure. Rapid and energy efficient process fabrication of these materials is, however, nontrivial. In this communication, we describe a simple method for the rapid fabrication of these materials from colloidal dispersions of Polymethyl Silsesquioxane nanoparticles. Nanoparticle-polymer composites above the decomposition temperature of the polymer are examined and the entropic gain experienced by the nanoparticles in this rubric is harnessed to fabricate novel highly porous films composed of nanoparticles. Optically smooth, hydrophobic films with low refractive indices (as low as 1.048) and high surface areas (as high as 1325 m2 g-1) have been achieved with this approach. In this communication we address the behavior of such systems that are both temperature and substrate surface ...
The effects of gate and drain bias stresses on thin film transistors fabricated in polysilicon films crystallized using the advanced sequential lateral solidification excimer laser annealing (SLS ELA) process, which yields very elongated polysilicon grains and allows the fabrication of TFTs without grain boundary barriers to current flow, are investigated as a function of the active layer thickness and of the TFT orientation relative to the grains. The application of hot carrier stress, with a condition of V{sub GS} = V{sub DS}/2, was determined to induce threshold voltage, subthreshold swing and transconductance degradation for TFTs in thicker polysilicon films and the associated stress-induced increase in the active layer trap density was evaluated. However, this device degradation was drastically reduced for TFTs fabricated in ultra-thin films. Furthermore, the application of the same stress condition to TFTs oriented ...
The effects of gate and drain bias stresses on thin film transistors fabricated in polysilicon films crystallized using the advanced sequential lateral solidification excimer laser annealing (SLS ELA) process, which yields very elongated polysilicon grains and allows the fabrication of TFTs without grain boundary barriers to current flow, are investigated as a function of the active layer thickness and of the TFT orientation relative to the grains. The application of hot carrier stress, with a condition of V_G_S = V_D_S/2, was determined to induce threshold voltage, subthreshold swing and transconductance degradation for TFTs in thicker polysilicon films and the associated stress-induced increase in the active layer trap density was evaluated. However, this device degradation was drastically reduced for TFTs fabricated in ultra-thin films. Furthermore, the application of the same stress condition to TFTs oriented vertically ...
... impact criterion, as demonstrated by the materials research community. These include training ... designing new materials or new processing/fabrication routes to existing materials; exploring and ...
Korea Advanced Energy Research Institute (KAERI) started a research project to develop the PHWR (CANDU) nuclear fuel fabrication technology in 1981. Based on the results of the intensive developmental work, several prototype fuel bundles were fabricated and tested in the Hot Test Loop at KAERI continuously in 1983 and 1984. After that, irradiation test and post-irradiation examination were carried out for two KAERI-made fuel bundles at Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories in Canada in 1984. Since the results of in-pile and out-of-pile tests with prototype fuel bundles proved to be satisfactory, 48 additional fuel bundles were loaded in Wolsung reactor (CANDU) in 1984 and 1985, and all of them were discharged without a defect after excellent performance in the power reactor. In 1985, the Korean government decided that KAERI supplies all the fuel necessary for the Wolsung reactor. For the mass production of nuclear fuel bundle, several process ...
An image slicing spectrometer (ISS) for microscopy applications is presented. Its principle is based on the redirecting of image zones by specially organized thin mirrors within a custom fabricated...Full Text Available
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project is the international collaboration one for the commercialization of nuclear fusion energy through the technical and engineering verification. In ITER project, we plan to procure the blanket systems which has the risk of technology and cost when it is newly developed. We are developing the manufacturing process and joining technology for the ITER blanket to complete the procurement with qualified blanket system. To evaluate the soundness of manufacturing process, specimen and mock-up tests are being prepared. Finally, we can obtain the key technology of nuclear fusion reactor especially on the blanket design, joining and manufacturing technology through the present project and these technologies will help the construction of Korea fusion DEMO reactor and the development of commercial nuclear fusion reactor in Korea. In 1st year, through the fabrication of the Cu/SS and Be/Cu joint specimen, ...
In this note it is suggested that binuclear platinum(II) complexes with a solely inorganic bridging pyrophosphito ligand also possess many of the complementary advantages of inorganic and organic dyes. They are evaluated for their potential use as a luminescent solar concentrator material. The disadvantages include: the high cost of platinum; the absorption spectra in solution shows a weaker absorption at 452 nm which may cause reabsorption of emitted light; the positions of the absorption and emission maxima are not at the optimal wavelengths for absorption of sunlight and emission to a solar cell. In spite of these drawbacks the author believes the platinum complexes merit consideration for fabrication of solar concentrator devices.
Lithium orthosilicate (Li_4SiO_4) powder was synthesized by the solid-state reaction of lithium oxide with amorphous silica, and the effects of fabrication parameters on the structural characteristics of the product were investigated. Processing considerations such as milling media, drying technique, calcination time and temperature, pressing behavior, sintering time and temperatures, and impurity concentration were addressed. The initial powder particle size was observed to be important in achieving high sintered density, with densities as high as 98% TD achieved with a particle size of approximately 1 #mu#m. 9 refs., 6 figs.
This paper reports progress in the fabrication and characterization of an array of 1nm-scale colloidal particles (i.e., quantum-dot array) that can be operated to execute nontrivial and innovative computations, possibly including quantum logic. We discuss the actual fabrication of 2-nm metal clusters as an example of possible quantum dot implementation. Innovative and unconventional paradigms underlie the different stages of this work. For example, regular array geometry is achieved by directing appropriately derivatized metal clusters to preselected locations along a stretched strand of an engineered DNA sequence.
Technologic regimes of cryomotor rotor fabrication are determined. Blanks of yttrium ceramics powder are molded hydrostatically at 400-600 MPa. To confirm the serviceability of electric machines of the considered, a hysteretic 10 W power electric motor with the following dimensions of HTSC-ceramics rotor: external diameter - 56 mm; internal diameter - 45 mm, height - 60 mm, is developed and tested in the liquid nitrogen medium. 8 refs.; 8 figs.; 1 tab.
Several short model SSC 50 mm bore dipoles are being built and tested at Fermilab. Mechanical design of these magnets has been determined from experience involved in the construction and testing of 40 mm dipoles. Construction experience includes coil winding, curing and measuring, coil end part design and fabrication, ground insulation, instrumentation, collaring and yoke assembly. Fabrication techniques are explained and construction problems are discussed. Similarities and differences from the 40 mm dipole tooling and management components are outlined. Test results from the first models are presented. 19 refs., 12 figs.
The fabrication of the ZT-40 torus, a large complex all-ceramic toroidal plasma containment vessel, is described. Several glass sealants covering the temperature range of 500 to 1300"0C, were developed and used to ''braze'' segments of the torus together, sapphire windows to the torus and the required pump-out and diagnostic parts to the ceramic vacuum vessel. Designs of window seals were developed that allowed sealing of the sapphire windows in a vertical position with minimum sealing glass flow.
This specification establishes requirements for design, testing, and quality assurance for electric heaters that will be used to maintain primary Sodium temperature in the Fast Test Facility (FFTF) reactor vessel. The Test Specification (WHC-SD-FF-SDS-003) has been revised to Rev. 1. This change modifies the fabrication of approximately 25 feet of the subject heater using ceramic insulators over the heater lead wire rather than compressed magnesium oxide. Also, 304 or 316 stainless steel can be used for the heater sheath. This change should simplify fabrication and improve the heater operational reliability.
Indian Nuclear Power Programme is based on closed nuclear fuel cycle for efficient utilization of its nuclear resources. This strategy also enables waste classification and gives an elegant solution to long-lived waste disposal problem. The three stage nuclear programme envisages mainly pressurized heavy water reactors in the first stage, fast breeder reactors in the second stage and thorium utilization in the third stage. Advanced Fuels in the context of this paper refer to Pu bearing fuels used or proposed to be used in our three stage programme. Fabrication of (U-Pu) Mixed Carbide fuel for FBTR is carried out at Radio Metallurgy Division at Trombay which has also an excellent Characterization facility required for development of all types of advanced Fuels. A (U-Pu) MOX fuel required for Proto-type Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR-500 MWe) is carried out at Advanced Fuel Fabrication Facility (AFFF), Tarapur which has also ...
During the last years, boron dilution events with the potential of reactivity transients were an important issue of German PWR safety analyses. A coolant with a low-boron concentration could be collected in localized areas of the reactor coolant system, e.g., by separation of a borated reactor coolant into highly concentrated and diluted fractions (inherent dilution) which can occur during reflux-condenser heat transfer after a small break loss of coolant accident with a limited availability of the emergency core cooling systems. During the course of follower core assessments, TUV NORD SysTec appraises safety analyses of boron dilution events presented by the utilities. These analyses are based on the simulation of boron dilution and transport processes in conjunction with a number of dedicated experiments. The analyses demonstrate that boron dilution events cannot lead to recriticality of the core. Hence, the boron ...
Inverted annular flow can be visualized as a liquid jet-like core surrounded by a vapor annulus. While many analytical and experimental studies of heat transfer in this regime have been performed, there is very little understanding of the basic hydrodynamics of the post-CHF flow field. However, a recent experimental study was done that was able to successfully investigate the effects of various steady-state inlet flow parameters on the post-CHF hydrodynamics of the film boiling of a single phase liquid jet. This study was carried out by means of a visual photographic analysis of an idealized single phase core inverted annular flow initial geometry (single phase liquid jet core surrounded by a coaxial annulus of gas). In order to extend this study, a subsequent flow visualization of an idealized two-phase core inverted annular flow geometry (two-phase central jet core, surrounded by ...
The central feature of the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) is the fast test reactor (FTR), which is a liquid-sodium-cooled fast reactor providing high fast-neutron flux for irradiation testing of fuels and materials. The FTR also provides a means to develop breeder reactor core components and to gain reactor systems operating experience for future liquid-metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBRs). In the FTR core, there are 82 incore positions (within rows 1 through 6) available for driver fuel assemblies and/or test assemblies. In addition, there are three safety rods and six control rods located in rows 3 and 5, respectively, in the three symmetric core sectors. The FFTF has been successfully and continuously operated for more than 11 reactor cycles. For the first 8 cycles, the core loadings were composed of the mixed-oxide driver fuel assemblies and some test assemblies. These assemblies have an active ...
The core bypass flow in a prismatic very high temperature reactor (VHTR) is an important design consideration and can have considerable impact on the condition of reactor core internals including fuels. The interstitial gaps are an inherent presence in the reactor core because of tolerances in manufacturing the blocks and the inexact nature of their installation. Furthermore, the geometry of the graphite blocks changes over the lifetime of the reactor because of thermal expansion and irradiation damage. The occurrence of hot spots in the core and lower plenum and hot streaking in the lower plenum (regions of very hot gas flow) are affected by bypass flow. In the present study, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic (CFD) calculations of a typical prismatic VHTR are conducted to better understand bypass flow phenomena and establish an evaluation method for the reactor core ...
As a part of the compatibility analysis of DUPIC fuel in CANDU reactors, the radiation physics calculations have been performed for the CANDU primary shielding system, thermal shield, radiation damage, transportation cask and storage. At first, the primary shield system was assessed for the DUPIC fuel core, which has shown that the dose rates and heat deposition rates through the primary shield of the DUPIC fuel core are not much different from those of natural uranium core because the power levels on the core periphery are similar for both cores. Secondly, the radiation effects on the critical components and the themal shields were assessed when the DUPIC fuel is loaded in CANDU reactors. Compared with the displacement per atom (DPA) of the critical component for natural uranium core, that for the DUPIC fuel core was increased by -30% for ...
The collapse and fragmentation of initially prolate and oblate, magnetic molecular clouds is calculated in three dimensions with a gravitational, radiative hydrodynamics code. The code includes magnetic field effects in an approximate manner: magnetic pressure, tension, braking, and ambipolar diffusion are all modeled. The parameters varied for both the initially prolate and oblate clouds are the initial degree of central concentration of the radial density profile, the initial angular velocity, and the efficiency of magnetic braking (represented by a factor f _m_b = 10"-"4 or 10"-"3). The oblate cores all collapse to form rings that might be susceptible to fragmentation into multiple systems. The outcome of the collapse of the prolate cores depends strongly on the initial density profile. Prolate cores with central densities 20 times higher than their boundary densities collapse and fragment into binary or quadruple ...
We consider chemical reaction networks taken with mass action kinetics. The steady states of such a system are solutions to a system of polynomial equations. Even for small systems the task of finding the solutions is daunting. We develop an algebraic framework and procedure for linear elimination of variables. The procedure reduces the variables in the system to a set of "core" variables by eliminating variables corresponding to a set of non-interacting species. The steady states are parameterized algebraically by the core variables, and a graphical condition is given for when a steady state with positive core variables necessarily have all variables positive. Further, we characterize graphically the sets of eliminated variables that are constrained by a conservation law and show that this conservation law takes a specific form.
In this work it is intended a methodology to validate a new version of the software used for monitoring the reactor core, which requires of the evaluation of the thermal limits settled down in the Operation Technical Specifications, for the Unit 2 of Laguna Verde with ARTS (improvements to the APRMs, Rod Block Monitor and Technical specifications). According to the proposed methodology, those are shown differences found in the thermal limits determined with the new versions and previous of the core monitoring software. Author)
A series of tests were completed at the Fast Flux Test Facility to demonstrate the passive safety characteristics of liquid metal reactors with natural circulation flow. The first test consisted of transition from forced to natural circulation flow at an initial decay power of 0.3%. The second test represented an unprotected loss-of-flow transient to natural circulation from 50% power with the control rods prevented from scramming into the core. The third test was a steady-state, natural circulation condition with core fission powers up ato about 2.3%. Core sodium data and results of single and multi-channel computer models confirmed the reliability and effectiveness of natural circulation flow for liquid metal reactor safety.
Abstract The Hippo pathway is an evolutionally conserved protein kinase cascade involved in regulating organ size in vivo and cell contact inhibition in vitro by governing cell proliferation and apoptosis. Deregulation of the Hippo pathway is linked to cancer development. Its first core kinase Warts was identified in Drosophila more than 15 years ago, but it gained much attention when other core components of the pathway were identified 8 years later. Major discoveries of the pathway were made during past several years. The core kinase components Hippo, Salvador, Warts, and Mats in the fly and Mst1/2, WW45, Lats1/2, and Mob1 in mammals phosphorylate and inactivate downstream transcriptional co-activators Yorkie in the fly, Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional co-activator with ...
A micellar method has been used to prepare silver-coated cobalt (Co-Ag) nanoparticles. The synthesized particles have been deeply characterized by several methods, i.e., XRD, UV-Vis, TEM, XPS, and electrochemical techniques. There is every indication that the obtained particles show a truly core-shell structure. All the nanoparticles obtained under different conditions are in the size range 3-5 nm. High-resolution TEM (HRTEM), Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT), and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) indicated that the presence of hcp-Co and fcc-Ag, in which cobalt is located in the central area; meanwhile silver is at the edges of the nanoparticle. The absorption band of the Co-Ag colloid shifts to a longer wavelength and broadens relative to that of pure silver colloid. Voltammetric characterization allowed to determine the coverage of the cobalt core.
Stable boiloff of core water during a severe LWR accident, that is, boiloff driven only by the decay power generated below the water level, is tractable analytically and is relatively insensitive to axial power distribution. As might be expected, calculated accident event times are sensitive to the fidelity of the decay power model. During later stages of boiloff, heat transfer or transport of energy from above the water level to the residual water can result in an unstable condition during which the boiloff rate increases greatly. The unstable boiloff phenomenon illustrates the highly nonlinear influence of core heat transfer during meltdown and emphasizes the great accuracy requirements which attend the modeling of the accident during periods of enhanced heat transfer when significant zirconium oxidation is possible.
The shrinking core model is examined for gas-solid noncatalytic reactions with a self-inhibited rate form and it is shown that multiple reaction pathways are possible for solid particles reacted under identical conditions. The observed reaction rate can have up to two discontinuities (jumps) during reaction for particles of spherical and cylindrical shape. The geometric instability analysis reveals that the reaction interface is stable under a very limited set of conditions only for solid particles of slab geometry. For a sphere or cylinder at large Biot numbers the reaction interface is always potentially unstable. This model provides a plausible explanation for gas-solid reactions which exhibit erratic shrinking core behavior.
The ORR operated at an average power level of 29.7 MW for 85.3% of the time during this period. The reactor was shut down on fifteen occasions, nine of which were unscheduled. Reactor downtime needed for refueling and checks was normal. The reactor remained available for operation 88.3% of the time. Special tests completed during the quarter included: (1) transfer of LEU fuel elements CLE-202 and NLE-201 from core positions B-9 and B-2 to core positions C-5 and C-6 for continued operation; and (2) calculation of maximum heat flux in LEU elements CLE-201 and NLE-202 in core positions A-2 and A-8. In-service inspections included inspections of ORR decay tank, primary heat exchanger No. 4, and the 24-in. strainer.
We investigate the influence of the turbulence forcing on the mass distributions of gravitationally unstable cores by postprocessing data from simulations of non-selfgravitating isothermal supersonic turbulence with varying resolution. In one set of simulations solenoidal forcing is applied, while the second set uses purely compressive forcing to excite turbulent motions. From the resulting density field, we compute the mass distribution of gravitationally unstable cores by means of a clump-finding algorithm. Using the time-averaged probability density functions of the mass density, semi-analytic mass distributions are calculated from analytical theories. We apply stability criteria that are based on the Bonnor-Ebert mass resulting from the thermal pressure and from the sum of thermal and turbulent pressure. Although there are uncertainties in the application of the clump-finding algorithm, we find systematic differences in the mass ...
The HEU and LEU fuel elements used in the ORR whole-core demonstration were gamma-scanned to determine the axial distribution of the {sup 140}La and {sup 137}Cs activities. Analysis of this data is now complete. From the {sup 140}La activity distributions cycle-averaged powers were determined while the {sup 137}Cs data provided a measure of the final {sup 235}U burnup in the fuel elements. A method for calculating correction factors for activity gradients transverse to the fuel element axis is presented and is applied to the first mixed core used in the demonstration during the gradual transition to an all LEU core. Results based on the gamma-scanning of the LEU fuel followers are also presented. Improved burnup calculations against which the experimental results are to be compared are now in progress. 7 refs., 21 figs., 3 tabs.
Sensitive and quick-response nonlinear inductance characteristics are found for high Tc superconducting (YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-chi/) disk cores at 77K in which soft magnetic BH hysteresis loops are observed. Various quick response magnetic devices such as modulators, amplifiers and sensors are built using these cores. The magnetizing frequency can be set to more than 20 MHz, which is difficult for conventional ferromagnetic bulk materials such as Permalloy amorphous alloys and ferrite. New quick-response fluxgate type magnetic-field sensors are made using ac and dc voltage sources. The former is used for second-harmonic type sensors, while the latter is for voltage-output multivibrator type sensors. Stable and quick-response sensor characteristics were obtained for two-core type multivibrators.
We consider typeIIA supergravity solution of D2-branes and D3-branes localized within D6-branes in the near-core region of D6-branes. With these solutions we can calculate the spectrum of the glueball mass in QCD3 and QCD4. The equation of motion describing the dilaton has the same eigenvalues and the same glueball masses in QCD3 and QCD4. Glueball mass spectrum is the same in the near core region of D6-branes of their M-theory counterpart is KK monopole. We conclude that the glueball mass spectrum is the same in QCD3 and QCD4 by considering the `near-core' limit of D6-branes of which M-theory counterpart (KK monopole background) becomes an ALE space with an $A_{N-1}$ singularity times 7 dimensional Minkowski space $M^{(6,1)}$.
We describe a simple one-pot thermal decomposition method for the production of a stable colloidal suspension of narrowly dispersed superparamagnetic Fe3O4-Ag core-shell nanostructures. These biocompatible nanostructures are highly toxic to microorganisms. Antimicrobial activity studies were carried out on both Gram negative (Escherichia coli and Proteus vulgaris) and Gram positive (Bacillus megaterium and Staphylococcus aureus) bacterial strains. Efforts have been made to understand the underlying molecular mechanism of such antibacterial actions. The effect of the core-shell nanostructures on Gram negative strains was found to be better than that observed for silver nanoparticles. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of these nanostructures were found to be considerably lowe...
The incidence of columnar cell lesions in breast core needle biopsies since full-field digital mammography in comparison with screen-filmed mammography was analyzed. As tiny microcalcifications characterize columnar cell lesions at mammography, we hypothesized that more columnar cell lesions are diagnosed since full-field digital mammography due to its higher sensitivity for microcalcifications. In all, 3437 breast core needle biopsies performed in three hospitals and resulting from in total 55?159 mammographies were revised: 1424 taken in the screen-filmed mammography and 2013 in the full-field digital mammography period. Between the screen-filmed mammography and full-field digital mammography periods, we compared the proportion of mammographies that led to core needle biopsies, the...
Development drilling from Chevron-operated Platform Hermosa, located on OCS-P 0316 of the Point Arguello field, began on January 30, 1987. To date, seven development wells have been drilled in to the northwest-southeast-trending, doubly plunging anticlinal structure. The results from drilling have confirmed the presence of intense folding and fracturing in the targeted Monterey Formation. Over 700 ft of conventional core were recovered from the B-2 well in the lower Sisquoc and Monterey Formations. Analysis of the core material has yielded important information on lithologic variations and fracture patterns in the productive Monterey Formation. Initial results of core studies, DST data, and wireline studies indicate a correlation between rock type and fracturing. Fracture trends and directional permeability suggested by drill-stem testing may affect future drilling patterns in the field.
The Yaojia Formation recovered by CCSD-SK-Is borehole (China Cretaceous Continental Scientific Drilling-SongkeI-the south borehole) is 157.67 m long and 99.96% of cores recovery. The age of the formation corresponds with a range from the Santonian to the early Campanian. The sequences and processes of lithology-lithofacies and cyclic stratigraphy are revealed by a detailed core description. Eleven rock types and three kinds of sedimentary subfacies, including shallow lake, deep lake, and delta front, are recognized from the drilling core. There are eleven sedimentary microfacies including dolostone, argillaceous limestone, shallow lake turbidite, deep lake turbidite, subaqueous mouth bar, distal bar, sheet sandstone, subaqueous distributary bay, slump deposits, shallow lake mudstone, and d...
The Quantou Formation recovered by CCSD-SK-Is borehole (China Cretaceous Continental Scientific Drilling-SongkeI-the south borehole) is 132.07 m long and the recovery of cores is 100%. The sequence and process of lithology-lithofacies and cyclostratigraphy are revealed by a detailed core description. Nine rock types and three kinds of sedimentary facies including meandering river, shallow lake, and delta front are recognized from the drilling core, there are ten sedimentary microfacies, which are point bar, natural levee, crevasse splay, crevasse channel, floodplain, flood lake, distributary mouth bar, interdistributary bay, mudstone of still water, and turbidite. The Quantou Formation represents seventy-six meter-scale cycles (sixth-order cycle), twenty-five fifth-order cycles, eight four...
We investigate the chemical and observational implications of repetitive transient dense core formation in molecular clouds. We allow a transient density fluctuation to form and disperse over a period of 1 Myr, tracing its chemical evolution. We then allow the same gas immediately to undergo further such formation and dispersion cycles. The chemistry of the dense gas in subsequent cycles is similar to that of the first, and a limit cycle is reached quickly (2 - 3 cycles). Enhancement of hydrocarbon abundances during a specific period of evolution is the strongest indicator of previous dynamical history. The molecular content of the diffuse background gas in the molecular cloud is expected to be strongly enhanced by the core formation and dispersion process. Such enhancement may remain for as long as 0.5 Myr. The frequency of repetitive core formation should strongly determine the level of background molecular enhancement. ...
Gold-coated iron nanoparticles (NPs) selectively and significantly (P <0.0001) inhibit proliferation of oral- and colorectal-cancer cells in vitro at doses as low as 5 mg/mL, but have little adverse effect on normal healthy control cells. The particle treatment caused delay in cell-cycle progression, especially in the S-phase. There was no significant difference in the NP uptake between cancer and control cells, and cytotoxicity resulted primarily from the iron core, before oxidation, rather than from the Fe ions released from the core. In contrast with magnetic NPs that usually serve as drug carriers, diagnostic probes or hyperthermia media, the iron, before oxidation, in the NPs selectively suppressed cancer cell growth and left healthy control cells unaffected in vitro and in vivo. This...
From self-consistent band structure calculations using the 'augmented plane wave'(APW) method, the density of states can be decomposed into local partial (according to azimuthal quantum number l) components, the l-character densities. Within the APW formalism the intensity of X-ray emission spectra is determined by radial transition probabilities and l-character densities of such valence states, which reside inside the same atomic sphere as the core vacancy and whose quantum number l differs by +-1 from the one corresponding to the core state. By taking into account lifetime broadening of the core and valence states and also the instrumental broadening the computed spectra (non-metal K-, vanadium K- and Lsub(III)-spectra) agree well with experiment. (orig.).
The principal objective of this study is to formulate an effective optimal fuel management strategy for the TRIGA MARK II research reactor at AERE, Savar. The core management study has been performed by utilizing four basic types of information calculated for the reactor: criticality, power peaking, neutron flux and burnup calculation. This paper presents the results of the burnup calculations for TRIGA LEU fuel elements. The fuel element burnup for approximately 20 years of operation was calculated using the TRIGAP compute code. The calculation is performed in one-dimensional radial geometry in TRIGAP. Inter-comparison of TRIGAP results with other two calculations performed by MVP-BURN and MCNP4C-ORIGEN2.1 show very good agreement. Reshuffling at 20,000MWh step provides the highest core l...
This article discusses the use of five-core cables to provide utility customers with the best possible prerequisites for trouble-free operation of electrical installations and equipment. The TN-S system in buildings and the new TN-S-five-core house-connection cable for connections between the mains distribution point and buildings is introduced. The long-term target of providing TN-S-systems in power distribution even as far as the local transformer is also discussed. The advantages of the system are discussed and various configurations for different types of supply are described.
The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) core loading during its ninth operating cycle was significantly different from that of previous cycles because of the presence of the Core Demonstration Experiment (CDE). The CDE consists of a number of axially blanketed fuel assemblies and internal blankets prototypic of advanced oxide cores in Liquid Metal Reactors (LMR). In preparation for the Cycle 9 reload design effort, a careful assessment of control rod worth and reactivity calculations for Cycles 1 through 8 was made. The goal of this study was to establish calculational biases and reduce uncertainties factored into the reload design calculations. These analyses helped assure that the operational objectives for Cycle 9 were met.
The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) core loading during its ninth operating cycle was significantly different from that of previous cycles because of the presence of the Core Demonstration Experiment (CDE). The CDE consists of a number of axially blanketed fuel assemblies and internal blankets prototypic of advanced oxide cores in Liquid Metal Reactors (LMR). In preparation for the Cycle 9 reload design effort, a careful assessment of control rod worth and reactivity calculations for Cycles 1 through 8 was made. The goal of this study was to establish calculational biases and reduce uncertainties factored into the reload design calculations. These analyses helped assure that the operational objectives for Cycle 9 were met.
A gas core fission reactor that utilizes americium in place of uranium is examined for potential utilization as a nuclear rocket for space propulsion. The isomer [sup 242m]Am with a half life of 141 years is obtained from an (n, [gamma]) capture reaction with [sup 241]Am, and has the highest known thermal fission cross section. We consider a 7500 MW reactor, whose propulsion characteristics with [sup 235]U have already been established, and re-examine it using americium. We find that the same performance can be achieved at a comparable fuel density, and a radial size reduction (of both core and moderator/reflector) of about 70%.
The core-shell luminol-doped SiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized and immobilized on the surface of chitosan film coating graphite electrode by the self-assembled technique. Then, a novel electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) sensor for pyrogallol was developed based on its ECL enhancing effect for the core-shell luminol-doped silica nanoparticles. The ECL analytical performances and the sensing mechanism of this ECL sensor for pyrogallol were investigated in detail. The corresponding results showed that: compared with the conventional ECL reaction procedures by luminol ECL reaction system, the electrochemical (EC) reaction of pyrogallol and its subsequent chemiluminescence (CL) reaction occurred in the different spatial region whilst offering a high efficiency to couple the EC with the ...
Investigations of alternative renewable energy resources continue, with many studies concentrating on hydrogen storage. However, there are a few problems such as storage, transportation, delivery to the user and usage safely, to be addressed to facilitate commercialization and wide usage of the hydrogen. The absorbed form within the metal hydrides seems to be the best solution of this problem. Since Li is the lightest metal, it has the advantage as the stored amount of hydrogen mass ratio. LiBH{sub 4} production process was investigated using elemental Li, B and H{sub 2}. Spex type ball milling with tungsten carbide, stainless steel and zirconia type vessels, was used to mix the different amount of Li and B under argon atmosphere. X-ray diffraction pattern demonstrated that the LiB was obtained. A system was designed to provide a hydrogen atmosphere of 60 bars to force hydrogen into the LiB structure. FTIR analysis strongly indicated the LiBH{sub 4} compound when ...
The objective of the first project period is to: make a study into materials suitable for the non-premix radiant burners (NPRB); choose the materials for the construction; make proposals for the design of the NPRB; test the different proposals with a CFD-model. In pursuit of finding a suitable material it is necessary first to estimate the maximum temperature that will occur in the burner. It has been estimated that the maximum adiabatic flame temperature will be about 2400-2500 K. The maximum temperature in the burner will of course never reach this level. A more realistic temperature was estimated to 2100-2300 K. The final choice was made after having contacted some of the leading producers. It was possible to find one producer that could produce burners of one of the suggested materials, zirconia. Several construction ideas for the NPRB have been discussed and some of them tested with a CFD-model. The proposed burner concept has been modified in order to obtain ...
One of the requirements for a federated information system is interoperability, the ability of one computer system to access and use the resources of another system. This feature is particularly important in biomedical research systems, which need to coordinate a variety of disparate types of data. In order to meet this need, the National Cancer Institute Center for Bioinformatics (NCICB) has created the cancer Common Ontologic Representation Environment (caCORE), an interoperability infrastructure based on Model Driven Architecture. The caCORE infrastructure provides a mechanism to create interoperable biomedical information systems. Systems built using the caCORE paradigm address both aspects of interoperability: the ability to access data (syntactic interoperability) and understand the data once retrieved (semantic interoperability). This infrastructure consists of an integrated set of three major components: a ...
One of the requirements for a federated information system is interoperability, the ability of one computer system to access and use the resources of another system. This feature is particularly...Full Text Available
Fuel assemblies in a reactor pressure vessel are disposed in a reactor core shroud. The own weight of the fuel assembly is supported by a reactor core support plate, and is supported, for the horizontal direction, by an upper lattice plate and the reactor core support plate. A support portion for the upper portion of the fuel assembly is disposed above the fuel assembly, and a support portion for the support portion described above is joined to a shroud head by welding. The support portion for the upper portion of the fuel assembly has a network-like portion which absorbs and disperses rising force which exerted on the fuel assembly when the fuel assembly is risen by seismic forces. The rising force exerted on the fuel assembly absorbed by the network-like portion is effectively transferred to the shroud head by the support portion. With such a constitution, rising of the fuel assembly can be prevented against the seismic ...
Temperature sensing is crucial for homeotherms, including human beings, to maintain a stable body core temperature and respond to the ambient environment. A group of exquisitely temperature-sensitive...Full Text Available
The ability to respond to stress is at the core of an organism's survival. The hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine play a central role in stress responses in mammals, which require the synchronized...Full Text Available
There is a pressing need for medical graduates to be fully prepared to take on the responsibilities of prescribing and to be able to respond to continual inevitable rapid changes in therapeutics. The...Full Text Available
SYNOPSISRhomboid proteases are a fascinating class of enzymes that combine a serine protease active site within the core of an integral membrane protein. Despite having key roles...Full Text Available
The purpose of this study was to synthesize biocompatible polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated iron oxide (PVP-IO) nanoparticles and to evaluate their efficacy as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)...Full Text Available
Digestion of plant chromatin from Brassica pekinensis and Matthiola incana with staphylococcus nuclease leads to a DNA repeat of 175 plus or minus 8 and a core size of 140 base pairs. DNase I digestion...Full Text Available
Hibernators are unique among mammals in their ability to survive extended periods of time with core body temperatures near freezing and with dramatically reduced heart, respiratory, and metabolic rates...Full Text Available
During the torpor phase of mammalian hibernation when core body temperature is near 4°C, the autonomic system continues to maintain respiration, blood pressure and heartbeat despite...Full Text Available
Fast Test Reactor core internal and peripheral components were assessed for flow-induced vibrational characteristics under scaled and simulated prototype flow conditions in the Hydraulic Core Mockup as an integral part of the Fast Test Reactor Vibration Program. The Hydraulic Core Mockup was an 0.285 geometric scale model of the Fast Test Reactor internals designed to simulate prototype vibrational and hydraulic characteristics. Using water to simulate sodium coolant, vibrational characteristics were measured and determined for selected model components over the scaled flow range of 36 to 110%. Additionally, in-situ shaker tests were conducted on selected Hydraulic Core Mockup outlet plenum components to establish modal characteristics. Most components exhibited resonant response at all test flow rates; however, the measured dynamic response was neither abnormal nor anomalously flow-rate dependent, and ...
In mice and humans the circadian rhythm of many biochemical reactions, physiology, and behavior is generated by a transcriptional-translation feedback loop (TTFL) made up of the so-called core clock...Full Text Available
In this article are presented main results on electric potential investigations in stellarator/torsatron TJ-II and tokamak T-10 in a comparable regimes of device operation.
Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation is the treatment of choice for osteoid osteoma of the appendicular skeleton. However, difficulties in localizing the lesion in the spine and its proximity to neural...Full Text Available
Since its establishment in 1945, the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) has predominately adhered to a Diversified model of chiropractic technique in the core curriculum; however, many students...Full Text Available
...this pathway study the following two focus modules (in addition to the six core modules) and carry out a research investigation within this theme: Agricultural Production Systems Considers the type of farming systems that have evolved globally in relation to the prevailing agro-climatic zones, the influences of economic factors ...
High resolution Monte-Carlo simulations show that the neutron spectrum, fuel burnup and fuel temperature feedback effect of a PWR core loaded with Thoria-based fuel (Th/Pu-O_2) do not significantly differ from the MOX fuelled one due to the similar neutronic characteristics of both fertile materials (Th-232, U-238). The core physics of this fuel variant is characterized by an enhanced moderator/void temperature coefficient (by factor 2.4) and high incineration rate for Pu (approx. 60 %). A PWR core loaded with the Molybdenum-based inert matrix fuel (IMF) - in contrast to MOX-, shows a harder spectrum, resulting in small temperature coefficients of reactivity and particularly in a higher fuel depletion rate as well as an enhanced TRU reduction performance. The incineration of Pu amounts to 46 % resulting, in turn, in generation of minor actinides of about 10 % of the total Pu consumption. The higher excess reactivity ...
A featfinding committee of the German Federal Parliament in July 1980 recommended to perform a ''risk-oriented study'' of the SNR-300, the German 300 MW fast breeder prototype reactor being under construction in Kalkar. The main aim of this study was to allow a comparative safety evaluation between the SNR-300 and a modern PWR, thus to prepare a basis for a political decision on the SNR-300. Methods and main results of the study are presented in this paper. In the first step of the risk analysis six groups of accidents have been identified which may initiate core destruction. These groups comprise all conceivable courses, potentially leading to core destruction. By reliability analyses, expected frequency of each group has been calculated. In the accident analysis potential failure modes of the reactor tank have been investigated. Core destruction may be accompanied by the release of significant amounts of mechanical ...
The identification of predictive biomarkers is at the core of modern toxicology. So far, a number of approaches have been proposed. These rely on statistical inference of toxicity response from either...Full Text Available
End binding proteins (EBs) are highly conserved core components of microtubule plus-end tracking protein networks. Here we investigated the roles of the three mammalian EBs in controlling microtubule...Full Text Available
Records of past climates contained in ice cores, ocean sediments, and other archives show that large, abrupt, widespread climate changes have occurred repeatedly in the past. These changes were especially...Full Text Available
Special Operations Forces (SOF) within a Joint Task Force are controlled by a Joint Special Operations Task Force (JSOTF). Presently, JSOTF headquarters are formed around the core of the Theater Special Operations Command (TSOC), a service SOF headquarter...
The temperature elevations in anatomically based human phantoms of an adult and a 3-year-old child were calculated for radio-frequency whole-body exposure. Thermoregulation in children, however, has not yet been clarified. In the present study, we developed a computational thermal model of a child that is reasonable for simulating body-core temperature elevation. Comparison of measured and simulated temperatures revealed thermoregulation in children to be similar to that of adults. Based on this finding, we calculated the body-core temperature elevation in a 3-year-old child and an adult for plane-wave exposure at the basic restriction in the international guidelines. The body-core temperature elevation in the 3-year-old child phantom was 0.03 deg. C at a whole-body-averaged specific absorption rate of 0.08 W kg{sup -1}, which was 35% smaller than in the adult female. This difference is attributed to the child's ...
Animals sense changes in ambient temperature irrespective of whether core body temperature is internally maintained (homeotherms) or subject to environmental variation (poikilotherms). Here we show...Full Text Available
This thesis enters the field of highly compressed materials equation of state studies. In particular, it focuses on the case of laser shock compressed iron. This work indeed aims at getting to the conditions of the earth's core, comprising a solid inner core and a liquid outer core. The understanding of phenomena governing the core's thermodynamics and the geodynamic process requires the knowledge of iron melting line locus around the solid-liquid interface at 3.3 Mbar. Several experiments were performed to that extent. First, an absolute measurement of iron Hugoniot was obtained. Following is a study of partially released states of iron into a window material: lithium fluoride (LiF). This configuration enables direct access to compressed iron optical properties such as reflectivity and self-emission. Interface velocity measurement is dominated by compressed LiF optical properties and ...
In an existent emergency reactor core cooling device, if a ruptures should occure in a pipeline of a gravitational dropping type reactor core cooling system pool (GDCS) due to some or other causes, a portion of GDCS pool water was flown out of the ruptured port and could not be used for reactor core cooling. Then, a difference pressure detector is disposed to a GDCS pipeline at the inlet of a reactor pressure vessel. When it is judged by the detector, that coolants flow to the outside of the injection pipeline, an injection value disposed to the GDCS pipeline is closed by the difference pressure signal. Even if a rupture should occur on the side of the pressure vessel at downstream to the check value of the GDCS pipeline, since backflow is caused at the pressure container inlet of the GDCS pipeline with the rupture port, the rupture is detected by the difference pressure detector to close the injection valve. Therefore, ...
Understanding the pathogenesis of obesity is now more important than ever, given the remarkable world-wide epidemic. This paper explores the potential role of core temperature in energy balance, and...Full Text Available
At Wolsung NPP, three more CANDU reactors will be operated soon, and the tritium accumulation in the moderator and coolant systems was estimated to be greatly increased. In order to reduce tritium exposure for nuclear safety at Wolsung, a study was carrie...
Circadian clock is implicated in the regulation of aging. The transcription factor CLOCK, a core component of the circadian system, operates in complex with another circadian clock protein BMAL1. Recently...Full Text Available
In case of operating both Wolsung Nuclear Units 1 and 2 without operating tritium removal facilities, it is estimated that tritium in 2013 would be accumulated up to about 30 million Ci that would result in about 2,300 man-rem of tritium exposure to opera...
With the objective to improve the reactor physics calculation on a 2D and 3D nuclear reactor via the Diffusion Equation, an adaptive automatic finite element remeshing method, based on the elementary area (2D) or volume (3D) constraints, has been developed. The adaptive remeshing technique, guided by a posteriori error estimator, makes use of two external mesh generator programs: Triangle and TetGen. The use of these free external finite element mesh generators and an adaptive remeshing technique based on the current field continuity show that they are powerful tools to improve the neutron flux distribution calculation and by consequence the power solution of the reactor core even though they have a minor influence on the critical coefficient of the calculated reactor core examples. Two numerical examples are presented: the 2D IAEA reactor core numerical benchmark and the 3D model of the Argonauta research reactor, built in ...
CF-23“The biggest stumbling block for biological sciences turned out to be synthetic organic chemistry” – Elias A. Zerhouni, Former NIH Director in Chemical...Full Text Available
Mass balance relations, valid for any counterflow system, are derived and applied to a central core model of the renal medulla, in which descending Henle's limbs (DHL), ascending Henle's limbs (AHL),...Full Text Available
Coaxial nanocables with a single-crystalline zinc telluride (ZnTe) nanowire core and an amorphous silicon oxide (SiO_x) shell have been synthesized via a simple one-step chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method on gold-decorated silicon substrates. The single-crystal ZnTe nanowire core is in zinc-blende structure along the [111] direction, while the uniform SiO_x shell fully covers the core with no observable pin-hole or crack. Formation mechanisms of the ZnTe-SiO_x nanocables are discussed. The ZnTe nanowire core shows p-type electrical properties while the SiO_x shell acts as an effective insulating layer. The ZnTe-SiO_x nanocables may have potential applications in nanoscale devices, such as p-type FETs and nanosensors.
A broad range of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and selected heavy metals has been analysed in sediment cores of North-East Germany. The pollutants analysed include polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), several pesticides (DDT, HCH, CBz) and its metabolites as well as selected heavy metals. The sediment cores were sampled at five locations, reflecting a range of anthropogenic influences and background contamination: Arkona Basin (AK) representing a remote marine site, Lake Bugsin (BS) a background location only with atmospheric deposition, Lake Quenz (QS) close to the industrial city of Brandenburg, Teltowkanal (TK) in the suburban-industrial zone of Berlin and Lake White (WS) in the centre of Berlin. The age of the lower part of the AK, BS and TK cores were dated at 100-150 years. Results of selected pollutants (PCDD/Fs) have been ...
We present the X-ray properties of a sample of 17 radio sources observed with the Chandra X-ray Observatory as part of a project aimed at studying the X-ray emission from their radio jets. In this paper, we concentrate on the X-ray properties of the unresolved cores. The sample includes 16 quasars (11 core-dominated and 5 lobe-dominated) in the redshift range z=0.30--1.96, and one low-power radio-galaxy at z=0.064. No diffuse X-ray emission is present around the cores of the quasars, except for the nearby low-power galaxy that has diffuse emission on a scale and with a luminosity consistent with other FRIs. No high-amplitude, short-term variability is detected within the relatively short Chandra exposures. However, 1510-089 shows low-amplitude flux changes with a timescale of $\\sim$25 minutes. The X-ray spectra of the quasar cores are generally well described by a single power law model with Galactic ...
Discrete masses are commonly detected during mammographic screening and most such lesions are benign. For lesions without pathognomonically benign imaging features that are still regarded likely to...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe aim of this paper is to discuss the controversial origins of petals from tepals or stamens and the links between the morphological expression of petals and floral organ...Full Text Available
Magnetic drug targeting, using core-shell magnetic carrier particles loaded with anti-cancer drugs, is an emerging and significant method of cancer treatment. Gold shell-iron core nanoparticles (Fe@Au) were synthesized by the reverse micelle method with aqueous reactants, surfactant, co-surfactant and oil phase. XRD, XPS, TEM and magnetic property measurements were utilized to characterize these core-shell nanoparticles. Magnetic measurements showed that the particles were superparamagnetic at room temperature and that the saturation magnetization decreased with increasing gold concentration. The anti-cancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) was loaded onto these Fe@Au nanoparticle carriers and the drug release profiles showed that upto 25% of adsorbed drug was released in 80 h. It was found that the amine (-NH2) group of DOX binds to the gold shell. An in vitro apparatus simulating the human circulatory system was used to determine ...
Recent studies have reported that cognitive inflexibility associated with impairments in a frontal-striatal circuit and parietal region is a core cognitive deficit of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)....Full Text Available
Essential in mitosis, the human Kinesin-5 protein is a target for >80 classes of allosteric compounds that bind to a surface-exposed site formed by the L5 loop. Not established is why there...Full Text Available
We investigated the deep-sea fossil record of benthic ostracodes during periods of rapid climate and oceanographic change over the past 20,000 years in a core from intermediate depth in the northwestern...Full Text Available
We have developed a new method for calculating common envelope (CE) events based on explicit consideration of the donor star's structural response to adiabatic mass loss. In contrast to existing CE prescriptions, which specify a priori the donor's remnant mass, we determine this quantity self-consistently and find that it depends on binary and CE parameters. This aspect of our model is particularly important to realistic modeling for upper main-sequence star donors without strongly degenerate cores (and hence without a clear core/envelope boundary). We illustrate the central features of our method by considering CE events involving 10 M_s_u_n donors on or before their red giant branch. For such donors, the remnant core mass can be as much as 30% larger than the star's He-core mass. Applied across a population of such binaries, our methodology results in a significantly broader remnant mass and final ...
Although previous intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) radiofrequency-based analysis data showed acceptable reproducibility for plaque composition, measurements are not easily obtained, particularly that...Full Text Available
The design of the ITER primary first wall incorporates a multi-layered structure consisting of a layer of beryllium bonded to a layer of copper alloy with embedded stainless steel tubes which in turn is bonded to a stainless steel structure. In this configuration, the stainless steel provides structural support, the copper alloy improved resistance to high heat loads, and the beryllium layer a low Z metal interface with plasma. Fabrication, testing and control of this multi-layered structure, and indeed the entire blanket shield module, calls for advanced methods. Several associations in the four home teams and their industrial partners have been involved in various fabrication and joining tasks now grouped under L4 blanket project. In this paper, an overview of the work done so far for joining stainless steel to stainless steel, stainless steel to copper alloy, copper alloy to copper alloy, and copper alloy to beryllium is presented. ...
Over the past few years there has been a great deal of interest in reducing experimental systems to a lab-on-a-chip scale. There has been particular interest in conducting high-throughput screening studies using microscale devices, for example in stem cell research. Microwells have emerged as the structure of choice for such tests. Most manufacturing approaches for microwell fabrication are based on photolithography, soft lithography, and etching. However, some of these approaches require extensive equipment, lengthy fabrication process, and modifications to the existing microwell patterns are costly. Here we show a convenient, fast, and low-cost method for fabricating microwells for cell culture applications by laser ablation of a polyester film coated with silicone glue. Microwell diameter was controlled by adjusting the laser power and speed, and the well depth by stacking several layers of film. By using this setup, a ...
Nanometre-sized materials, like nanowires, nanoparticles or nanobelts, are gaining huge interest as building blocks of modern electronic nanodevices. Their fabrication feasibility has been demonstrated in the last years, and different routes are already well established in order to synthesize these materials. However, the assessment of their electrical properties is still a challenging issue, due to the difficulty to perform a precise nanolithography process allowing the access to such small structures. The fabrication of metallic contacts with precision in the nanometre range is necessary, as well as achieving a flexible system that allows to contact individual structures. Such a system could be a dual-beam Focused Ion Beam instrument, which combines Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Focused Ion Beam (FIB) in one machine, able to assist deposition of materials with nanometre precision. In this work, the methodology of ...
Nanometre-sized materials, like nanowires, nanoparticles or nanobelts, are gaining huge interest as building blocks of modern electronic nanodevices. Their fabrication feasibility has been demonstrated in the last years, and different routes are already well established in order to synthesize these materials. However, the assessment of their electrical properties is still a challenging issue, due to the difficulty to perform a precise nanolithography process allowing the access to such small structures. The fabrication of metallic contacts with precision in the nanometre range is necessary, as well as achieving a flexible system that allows to contact individual structures. Such a system could be a dual-beam Focused Ion Beam instrument, which combines Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Focused Ion Beam (FIB) in one machine, able to assist deposition of materials with nanometre precision. In this work, the methodology of ...
Small scale mock-ups of the primary first wall, the baffle first wall, the shield block and a partial model for the edge of the primary first wall module were designed and fabricated incorporating most of the key design features of the ITER shielding blanket. All mock-ups featured the DSCu heat sink, the built-in SS coolant tubes within the heat sink and the SS shield block. CFC tiles was used as the protection armor for the baffle first wall mock-up. The small scale shield block mock-up, integrated with the first wall, was designed to have a poloidal curvature specified in the ITER design. Fabrication routes of mock-ups were decided based on the single step solid HIP of DSCu/DSCu, DSCu/SS and SS/SS reflecting the results of previous joining techniques development and testing. For attaching the CFC tiles onto DSCu heat sink in the fabrication of the baffle first wall mock-up, a two-step brazing was tried. All mock-ups and ...
For obtaining radiation less damagable laser mirrors, a preliminary optimization of film fabrication suitable for the analysis of laser damage mechanism has been done as the first step. Here, the optimization requires not only the stable fabrication process but also the ideal film structure i.e., the amorphous and smooth film structure simultaneously, eliminating latently unwanted secondary effects such as light scattering during laser damage test. For this purpose, we adopted the ion assisted deposition (IAD) method and modified the deposition conditions for titanium and tantalum oxide films, both of which compose typical high index layers, and where SiO_2 layers are also chosen as low index layers because of their amorphous and smooth nature, in alternative multilayer laser mirrors. Surface and cross sectional film structures and film crystallinity are compared and characterized, using a high resolution SEM and a x-ray diffractometer, ...
This report describes the preliminary thermalhydraulic analysis of HTR-10 steady state full power initial core to provide a benchmark calculation of VHTGR(Very High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors) safety analysis code of GAMMA(GAs Multicomponent Mixture Analysis). The input data of GAMMA code are produced for the models of fluid block, wall block, radiation heat transfer and each component material properties in HTR-10 reactor. The temperature and flow distributions of HTR-10 steady state 10 MW{sub th} full power initial core are calculated by GAMMA code with boundary conditions of total reactor inlet flow rate of 4.32 kg/s, inlet temperature of 250 .deg. C, inlet pressure of 3 MPa, outlet pressure of 2.992 MPa and the fixed temperature at RCCS water cooling tube of 50 .deg C. The calculation results are compared with the measured solid material temperatures at 22 fixed instrumentation positions in HTR-10. The wall temperature distribution in ...
The JUPITER-II Program is the Joint Physics Large Heterogeneous Core Critical Experiments Program between the U.S. Department of Energy (US DOE) and PNC, Japan. The experiments began in May 1982 and ended in April 1984, as a part of the ZPPR-13 program. The ZPPR-13 is a series of critical assemblies designed to study the fundamental neutronic behavior of large, radially-heterogeneous LMFBR cores. This report describes the results of analysis of ZPPR-13A and preliminary analysis of ZPPR-13B, and some topics of recent activities in fast reactor physics.
The analysis for priority rankings of the recommendations to reduce the total core damage frequency (CDF) of Wolsong nuclear power plant units 2/3/4 was performed in this paper. In order to derive the recommendations, the sensitivity analysis of CDF on which major contributors effect was performed based on the accident quantification results during Level 1 probabilistic safety assessments (PSA). Priorities were ranked in the way that compares the CDF reduction rate with the efforts required to implement those recommendations using risk matrix.
This paper presents the objective, scope, and status of the US Department of Energy's Materials and Structures Program to develop a data base on mechanical properties of structural materials for out-of-core structures and components for LMFBRs. Information on the development of a reference data base on materials for the reactor system, reactor enclosure system, primary heat transport system, intermediate heat transport system, and steam generator system is included. In addition, the development of the data and analyses to account for the effects of temperature and stress, as well as water/steam, sodium, and radiation environments, is described. Plans for the development of alternative materials for future out-of-core applications are presented.
This paper presents the objective, scope, and status of the U.S. Department of Energy's Materials and Structures Program to develop a data base on mechanical properties of structural materials for out-of-core structures and components for LMFBRs. Information on the development of a reference data base on materials for the reactor system, reactor enclosure system, primary heat transport system, intermediate heat transport system, and steam generator system is included. In addition, the development of the data and analyses to account for the effects of temperature and stress, as well as water/steam, sodium, and radiation environments, is described. Plans for the development of alternative materials for future out-of-core applications are presented. (author).
Results of analytical study of early stages of a single star evolution are used investigation of the rotational fragmentation of the collapsing gas-dust cloud which leads to formation of two types of binaries. Wide ..cap alpha..-systems (Psub(orb) > or approximately 100 yrs) with usually unequal masses of components are formed before the formation of gas-dust core in hydrostatical equilibrium. Close ..beta..-systems (Psub(orb) < or approximation 100 yrs) with usually nearly equal masses of components are formed in the course of the collapse of gas-dust core.
A combination of computer codes such as LATREP, HWRAXAV and CITATION is utilized in an attempt to analyze the nuclear design characteristics of the CAXDU-PHWR of the Wolsung Unit 1. The major nuclear properties to be computed are the lattice properties of CANDU fuel channel and the core channel power distribution. The computed results are compared with the preliminary safety reports documentation for the Wolsung reactor. The observed discrepancies between our computations and the preliminary safety reports values are discussed in terms of incomplete information on the description of the core configuration in the preliminary safety reports and the different calculation methods. (author).
To investigate the magnetic fluctuations and for further transport study, the poloidal and radial magnetic field measurement is conducted on the Sino United Spherical Tokamak (SUNIST). Auto-power spectral density indicates that the magnetic fluctuation energy mainly concentrates in the frequency region lower than 10 kHz. The magnetic field oscillations, which are characterized by harmonic frequencies of 40 kHz, are observed in the scrape-off layer; by contrast, in the plasma core, the magnetic fluctuations are of Gaussian type. The time-frequency profiles show that the poloidal magnetic fluctuations are temporally intermittent. The autocorrelation calculation indicates that the fluctuations in decorrelation time vary between the core and the edge. (authors)
Norwegian authorities regard with some disquiet the possibility of a criticality accident in a ship propulsion reactor core at the Kola coast. Along this coast, in land storages, floating storages and in submarines taken out of service, the total number of spent fuel reactor cores amount to two hundred. The total Cs-137 radioactivity in spent ship propulsion reactor fuel at the Kola peninsula can be assessed to 600,000 TBq. A worst case release may amount to more than 5,000 TBq Cs-137, a quantity which under unfavourable conditions might cause serious contamination locally and even across the border to Norway.
This article discusses the Daya Bay nuclear power plant in-core flux thimble tube in-service inspection method and strategy. High light of the multiple frequency eddy current technology adopted including frequency and probe choice, standard design, data acquisition process are involved. The wear defect-growing trends are studied on base of the history data, which contribute to the in-service inspection strategy decision. (authors)
Nanoparticles represent versatile building blocks in material science and nanotechnology. Thereby, the defined assembly of nanostructures (13 and 56 nm in diameter, respectively) is of significant importance. Short DNA sequences can be bound to the nanoparticle surface thus enabling highly specific DNA hybridization-driven events that direct the formation of nanoparticle constructs.In this paper, examples for the defined formation of gold nanoparticle constructs are demonstrated. In addition, gold-silver core-shell nanoparticles are introduced as further building blocks for the hybridization-controlled formation of nanoparticle constructs.
Major contributions during this contract period have been in developing an analytical procedure for Pu measurement, and in applying the developed procedures to determining the plutonium concentration and distribution in coral from the Bikini Atoll. In conjunction with these contributions, measurements using the fission-track method have been made of the uranium distribution and concentrations in several carbonate samples from drill cores obtained from the Runit Island Enewetak Atoll. Petrographic studies on these drill core samples have been made to correlate the uranium data with the mineralogical data.
Major contributions during this contract period have been in developing an analytical procedure for Pu measurement, and in applying the developed procedures to determining the plutonium concentration and distribution in coral from the Bikini Atoll. In conjunction with these contributions, measurements using the fission-track method have been made of the uranium distribution and concentrations in several carbonate samples from drill cores obtained from the Runit Island Enewetak Atoll. Petrographic studies on these drill core samples have been made to correlate the uranium data with the mineralogical data. (auth)
Plans, engineering parameters, and some test results for several FFTF core and primary sodium circuit instrument systems are presented. The systems discussed include temperature, flow, pressure, leak detectors, level sensors, fuel failure monitoring, sodium impurity analysis and cover gas monitors. Since many of these instruments are similar to those used in other fast reactors around the world, only a brief description is presented for these systems. Results of recent demonstration tests of the FFTF Under-Sodium Viewing and Ranging system are also presented. (U.K.).
We investigate how 'extra' or 'excess' central light in the surface brightness profiles of cusp or power-law elliptical galaxies relates to the profiles of ellipticals with cores. The envelopes of cusp ellipticals are established by violent relaxation in mergers acting on stars present in gas-rich progenitor disks, while their centers are structured by the relics of dissipational, compact starbursts. Ellipticals with cores are formed by the subsequent merging of the now gas-poor cusp ellipticals, with the fossil starburst components combining to preserve a dense, compact component in these galaxies as well (although mixing of stars smooths the transition from the outer to inner components in the profiles). By comparing extensive hydrodynamical simulations to observed profiles spanning a broad mass range, we show how to observationally isolate and characterize the relic starburst component in core ellipticals. Our method ...
The characteristics and evolution of dwarf spheroidal galaxies (DSGs) are modeled on the basis of high-resolution CCD photometry obtained with the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope and reported by Kormendy (1986). The data and the results of core-parameter correlation studies are presented in extensive graphs and discussed. It is inferred that at least some DSGs are formed by the stripping of gas from dwarf spiral and irregular galaxies, although internal gas processes may also be important. The hypothesis that DSGs represent the faint end of the elliptical-galaxy sequence appears to be ruled out. 50 references.
It has been issued that ROP(Regional Overpower Protection) for Wolsong Unit 1 needed to be reanalyzed due to the aging effect. Thermo-hydraulics and core simulation have to be performed for calculation of the fuel bundle power, channel power and detector signal production. PPV/MULTICELL/RFSP code system was used to calculate the power distribution for the ROP analysis. In this study, 232 cases out of 926 scenarios which include postulated accidents such as Startup after Short Shutdown, Shim Cases, Stepback, Insertion and Withdrawal of Reactivity Control Rods were simulated.
Toroidal Alfven eigenmodes (TAE) destabilized by the pressure gradient of energetic alpha particles may expel the alpha particles before thermalization. TAE is important for tokamaks, and for helical systems (stellarators) as well. In CHS (compact helical system) TAE localized in the plasma core are destabilized when the plasma current is induced by co-injection of neutral beams. The observed TAE exhibits a ballooning nature. The internal structure of TAE was measured with a soft X-ray detector. The soft X-ray fluctuations level for TAE is too low to obtain the radial profiles of fluctuation intensities. (Tanaka, M.)
A radioactively contaminated marine sediment core stemming from Irish Sea has been characterized by radiometric and mass spectrometric techniques as for "2"3"7Np, "2"4"1Am, "2"3"9Pu, "2"4"0Pu, "2"4"1Pu, "1"3"7Cs and "1"5"4Eu. The data obtained with independent methods in the framework of a QA/QC program as compared with the source term discharges, as well as with those reported in literature, are in good agreement. (author)
This handbook breaks down the complex field of nuclear reactor calculations into major steps. Each step presents a detailed analysis of the problems to be solved, the parameters involved, and the elaborate computer programs developed to perform the calculations. This book bridges the gap between nuclear reactor theory and the implementation of that theory, including the problems to be encountered and the level of confidence that should be given to the methods described. Volume II: Monte Carlo Calculations for Nuclear Reactors. In-Core Management of Four Reactor Types. In-Core Management in CANDU-PHW Reactors. Reactor Dynamics. The Theory of Neutron Leakage in Reactor Lattices. Index.
The existence of characteristic longitudinal optical and transverse optical phonons of cubic ZnO in ZnO nano-tetrapods is determined by Raman spectroscopy and first-principles calculations. Stacking sequence change at the boundary of the core and legs is also identified by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Based on this experimental and theoretical evidence, we demonstrate that the lattice structure of ZnO nano-tetrapods is hierarchical with a zinc blende core connecting to four wurtzite legs. Furthermore, we establish the atomic configuration and propose a formation mechanism induced by Laplace pressure in the initial growth stage of ZnO nano-tetrapods.
The 3-D neutronics code COREDAX has been developed based on AFEN (Analytic Function Expansion Nodal) method for x-y-z geometry and for hex-z geometry. In this study, the COREDAX code, as a regulatory review tool independent of the designer's, was applied to the SMART reactor core that was designed by KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute). For nuclear cross section generation, the HELIOS lattice code was used in this study. The preliminary results for steady state in various conditions are presented in this paper
A computer code based on Nodal expansion method has been developed for solving two groups three dimensional diffusion equation. This code can be used for fuel management and time average core calculation. Explicit Xenon and fuel temperature estimation are also incorporated in this code. TAPP-4 phase-B physics experimental results were analyzed using this code and a code based on FD method. This paper gives the comparison of the observed data and the results obtained with this code and FD code. (author)
During the last years one focus of German PWR safety analysis was boron dilution events with the potential of reactivity transients. Coolant with a low boron concentration could be collected in localized areas of the reactor coolant system e.g. by separation of borated reactor coolant into highly concentrated and diluted fractions (inherent dilution) which can occur during reflux- condenser heat transfer after a small break loss of coolant accident with a limited availability of the emergency core cooling systems. The TUeV NORD SysTec was charged by German supervisory authorities with the assessment of the safety analyses of boron dilution events presented by the utilities. These analyses are based on the simulation of boron dilution and transport processes in conjunction with a number of dedicated experiments. The analyses shall demonstrate that boron dilution events cannot lead to recriticality of the core. Hence the boron concentration at ...
During the last years one focus of German PWR safety analysis was boron dilution events with the potential of reactivity transients. Coolant with a low boron concentration could be collected in localized areas of the reactor coolant system e.g. by separation of borated reactor coolant into highly concentrated and diluted fractions (inherent dilution) which can occur during reflux- condenser heat transfer after a small break loss of coolant accident with a limited availability of the emergency core cooling systems. The TUeV NORD SysTec was charged by German supervisory authorities with the assessment of the safety analyses of boron dilution events presented by the utilities. These analyses are based on the simulation of boron dilution and transport processes in conjunction with a number of dedicated experiments. The analyses shall demonstrate that boron dilution events cannot lead to recriticality of the core. Hence the boron concentration at ...
The presented paper describes the formulation of the fractional mass balances which are used to calculate the concentration and size distribution of char in the balance cells of a circulating fluidized bed boiler. In case of using the shrinking core model additionally the distribution of conversion of the char particles is calculated. Basically two reaction models (a shrinking particle and a shrinking core model) are available to describe the combustion process. The model considers all essential physico/chemical phenomena (primary fragmentation, attrition, mass transfer to gas phase) which have to be taken into account for the description of the combustion process. The model is part of an overall simulation program for circulating fluidized bed boilers. This engineering simulator has been developed to return the main performance parameters of such systems like temperature along the furnace height, size distribution of balanced solid components, ...
The massive star-forming core MM1 of W75N was observed using the Submillimeter Array with #approx#1'' and 2'' spatial resolutions at 217 and 347 GHz, respectively. From the 217 GHz continuum we found that the MM1 core consists of two sources, separated by about 1'': MM1a (#approx#0.6 M_s_u_n) and MM1b (#approx#1.4 M_s_u_n), located near the radio continuum sources VLA 2/VLA 3 and VLA 1, respectively. Within MM1b, two gas clumps were found to be expanding away from VLA 1 at about #+-#3 km s"-"1, as a result of the most recent star formation activity in the region. Observed molecular lines show emission peaks at two positions, MM1a and MM1b: sulfur-bearing species have emission peaks toward MM1a, but methanol and saturated species at MM1b. We identified high-temperature (#approx#200 K) gas toward MM1a and the hot core in MM1b. This segregation may result from the evolution of the massive star-forming ...
An experiment was performed with a mock-up of the core of the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) reactor to evaluate three reactivity measurement methods for application to liquid-metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBR): modified source multiplication measurements with the low-level flux monitor for refueling (35 dollars subcritical) of FFTF, noise analysis to 35 dollars subcritical, and inverse kinetics rod drop to 12 dollars subcritical. To investigate the spatial dependence of these measurement methods and to resolve discrepancies previously reported, detectors were placed in the core, reflector, and radial shield, and experimental data were collected with the reactivity at near delayed criticality to 35 dollars subcritical. Conclusions from this experiment are the following. Low-level flux monitors in the shield of the FFTF will be adequate for reactivity surveillance during refueling, using the modified source multiplication method calibrated near ...
The sixth AER benchmark is the second AER benchmark for couplings of the thermal hydraulic codes and three dimensional neutron kinetic core models. It concerns a double end break of one main steam line in a WWER-440 plant. The core is at the end of its first cycle in full power conditions. In VTT HEXTRAN2.9 is used for the core kinetics and dynamics and SMABRE4.8 as a thermal hydraulic model for the primary and secondary loop. The plant model for SMABRE consists mainly of two input models, Loviisa model and a standard WWER-440/213 plant model. The primary loop includes six separate loops, the pressure vessel is divided into six parallel channels in SMABRE and the whole core calculation is performed in the core with HEXTRAN. The horizontal steam generators are modelled with heat transfer tubes in five levels and vertically with two parts, riser and downcomer. With this kind of ...
The formation and evolution of the circumstellar disk in unmagnetized molecular clouds is investigated using three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations from the prestellar core until the end of the main accretion phase. In collapsing cloud cores, the first (adiabatic) core with a size of #approx#>3 AU forms prior to the formation of the protostar. At its formation, the first core has a thick disk-like structure and is mainly supported by the thermal pressure. After the protostar formation, it decreases the thickness gradually and becomes supported by the centrifugal force. We found that the first core is a precursor of the circumstellar disk with a size of >3 AU. This means that unmagnetized protoplanetary disk smaller than <3 AU does not exist. Reflecting the thermodynamics of the collapsing gas, at the protostar formation epoch, the first core (or the ...
In the case where uranium recovered by an advanced aqueous reprocessing is utilized in light water reactors (LWRs) with the thermal neutron spectrum, the effects of the decontamination factor (DF) of the reprocessing on core neutronic characteristics were examined. The amounts of transuranium (TRU) elements and fission products (FPs) contained in the recovered uranium depend on the DF of reprocessing, and also "2"3"6U is generated by neutron capture of "2"3"5U during a reactor operation. These all act as poisons in the fuel. Therefore, in this paper, the additional "2"3"5U enrichment necessary to compensate for the produced TRU elements, FPs, and "2"3"6U was evaluated for three representative DF values: 10"2, 10"3, and infinity. The low value of 10"2 corresponds to the advanced aqueous reprocessing investigated here. An APWR core with a discharge burnup of 49 GWd/t when the initial "2"3"5U enrichment is 4.6% was considered as the reference ...
This paper reports on Run SB-CL-05, a test similar to Semiscale Run S-UT-8. The test results show that the core was uncovered briefly during the accident and that the rods overheated at certain core locations. Liquid holdup on the upflow side of the steam-generator tubes was observed. After the loop seal cleared, the core refilled and the rods cooled. These behaviors were similar to those observed in the Semiscale run. The Large-Scale Test Facility (LSTF) Run SB-CL-06 is a counterpart test to Semiscale Run S-LH-01. The comparison of the results of both tests shows similar phenomena. The similarity of phenomena in these two facilities build confidence that these results can be expected to occur in a PWR. Similar holdup has now been observed in the 6 tubes of Semiscale and in the 141 tubes of LSTF. It is now more believable that holdup may occur in a full-scale steam generator with 3000 or more tubes. These results confirm ...
Regional arterial CO2 tension (PaCO2) reactivity of cerebral blood flow (CBF) and the effect of PaCO2 on the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of CBF were investigated by using autoradiographically determined CBF in the rat middle cerebral artery occlusion model after a 2-h period under pentobarbital anesthesia to clarify the relation between PaCO2 reactivity, CBF heterogeneity, and the temporal cycling of CBF. PaCO2 was adjusted to one of four levels. CBF was determined in four cortical areas and white matter using the tissue fractionation of [14C]iodoantipyrine [( 14C]IAP) in combination with vessel mapping using in vivo 4% thioflavine S. Specific PaCO2 reactivity and CBF were normal in the nonischemic cortex, normal, although slightly depressed, in the border zone far from the ischemic core area, and depressed in the border zone adjacent to the ischemic core area (P less than 0.001) and the ischemic core (P less than ...
An x-ray zone plate was fabricated using the novel approach of focused ion beam (FIB) milling. The FIB technique was developed in recent years, it has been successfully used for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation, lithographic mask repair, and failure analysis of semiconductor devices. During FIB milling, material is removed by the physical sputtering action of ion bombardment. The sputter yield is high enough to remove a substantial amount of material, therefore FIB can perform a direct patterning with submicron accuracy. The authors succeeded in fabricating an x-ray phase zone plate using the Micrion 9500HT FIB station, which has a 50 kV Ga{sup +} column. Circular Fresnel zones were milled in a 1.0-{micro}m-thick TaSiN film deposited on a silicon wafer. The outermost zone width of the zone plate is 170 nm at a radius of 60 {micro}m. An achieved aspect ratio was 6:1.
A hose lining process, used widely for underground service structures, such as for city gas, and water and sewerage pipes, was adopted to repair interiors of underground wire raceways, and improvements were made for power cable pipe use, including long size construction, inner diameter assurance, and flame retardation. The sealing hose as a lining material consists of a fabric layer woven by warps of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and wefts of combined PBT fibers and glassfibers, the fabric being coated with polyurethane resin on one side. The other side of the fabric is coated with heat hardening resin made of epoxy resin as the main ingredient and aromatic amine as the hardening agent to assure close adhesion of the sealing hose onto the pipe interior. Mimic raceways were used to verify the lining material for its abrasion coefficient, mechanical strength, wear resistance, water cut-off performance, chemical resistance, ...
In this work we present the electrical characterization of non self-aligned p-channel thin film transistors fabricated by using laser doping technique for source/drain contact formation and gate oxide deposited at room temperature by Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition. These techniques are suitable for a very low temperature process for TFT fabrication. The output characteristics show a current increase at high drain voltage ('kink' effect) rather moderate, if compared to self aligned polysilicon TFTs, probably due to the gradual doping profile induced by laser doping process. After bias stress at low gate voltage and high drain voltage condition a strong reduction of kink current has been observed in the output characteristics at high drain voltage, whereas minor changes has been observed in the transfer characteristics. This behaviour is similar to what observed in n-channel Gate ...
In this work we present the electrical characterization of non self-aligned p-channel thin film transistors fabricated by using laser doping technique for source/drain contact formation and gate oxide deposited at room temperature by Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition. These techniques are suitable for a very low temperature process for TFT fabrication. The output characteristics show a current increase at high drain voltage ('kink' effect) rather moderate, if compared to self aligned polysilicon TFTs, probably due to the gradual doping profile induced by laser doping process. After bias stress at low gate voltage and high drain voltage condition a strong reduction of kink current has been observed in the output characteristics at high drain voltage, whereas minor changes has been observed in the transfer characteristics. This behaviour is similar to what observed in n-channel Gate Overlapped Thin Film ...
The present invention provides a fuel cladding tube having an excellent corrosion resistance and thus a long life, and a suitable manufacturing method therefor. Namely, in the fuel cladding tube, the outer circumference of an inner layer made of a zirconium base alloy is coated with an outer layer made of a metal more corrosion resistant than the zirconium base alloy. Ti or a titanium alloy is suitable for the corrosion resistant metal. In addition, the outer layer can be coated by a method such as vapor deposition or plating, not limited to joining of the inner layer material and the outer layer material. Specifically, a composite material having an inner layer made of a zirconium alloy coated by the outer material made of a titanium alloy is applied with hot fabrication at a temperature within a range of from 500 to 850degC and at a fabrication rate of not less than 5%. The fabrication method includes any of extrusion, ...
A dipole magnet based on the common coil design, using prereacted Nb{sub 3}Sn superconductor, is under development at Fermilab, for a future Very Large Hadron Collider. This magnet has some innovative design and technological features such as single layer coils, a 22 mm wide 60-strand Rutherford type cable and stainless steel collars reinforced by horizontal bridges inserted between coil blocks. Both left and right coils are wound simultaneously into the collar structure and then impregnated with epoxy. In order to optimize the design and fabrication techniques an R&D program is underway. The production of cables with the required characteristics was shown possible. Collar laminations were produced, assembled and tested in order to check the effectiveness of the bridges and the validity of the mechanical design. A mechanical model consisting of a 165 mm long section of the magnet straight section was assembled and tested. This paper summarizes the status of ...
Inexpensive activated carbon assembly(ACA) was prepared with glass fabrics coated by 10 wt%, 25 wt%, 50 wt% phenolic resin solution, followed by activation at 700{sup o} C under N{sub 2} atmosphere and subsequent surface modification with N{sub 2}, NH{sub 3}, CO{sub 2} gas, respectively. The conversion chemistry of resin to carbon was analyzed by using FT-IR, TGA, SEM, XPS, and the SO{sub 2} adsorption characteristics of the ACA were compared to that of commercial activated carbon fabrics(ACF). The ACA modified by NH{sub 3} showed the best SO{sub 2} adsorption behavior due to the presence of basic functional groups such as amine on the surface, confirmed by XPS. The ACA modified by NH{sub 3} displayed relatively high adsorption capacity of 116.5 mg/g carbon, which is corresponding to 75% adsorption of the commercial ACF(153.4 mg/g) treated with the same method. 14 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs.
Focused ion beam (FIB) milling is a powerful and versatile tool for the maskless fabrication of structures and devices at micro- and nanometer scales. The approach is based on the milling and deposition capabilities of a focused ion beam, where the latter is achieved by ion-beam-assisted decomposition of a metalorganic gas precursor of the specific material that has to be deposited. The combination of FIB and scanning electron microscopy in the same unit (so-called dual-beam unit) further expands the capabilities of the approach by the possibility of performing electron-beam-assisted deposition and inspection. Permalloy nanowires with electrical contacts patterned by FIB-Pt deposition were prepared in the dual-beam unit. Various types of notches to pin magnetic domain walls were additionally fabricated by means of FIB. The fabrication parameters for a structural modification of the Permalloy structures without too strongly ...
Topographic and optical patterns have been fabricated in a-SiC films with a focused high-energy (1 MeV) H"+ and He"+ ion beam and examined with near-field techniques. The patterns have been characterized with atomic force microscopy and scanning near-field optical microscopy to reveal local topography and optical absorption changes as a result of the focused high-energy ion beam induced modification. Apart of a considerable thickness change (thinning tendency), which has been observed in the ion-irradiated areas, the near-field measurements confirm increases of optical absorption in these areas. Although the size of the fabricated optical patterns is in the micron-scale, the present development of the technique allows in principle writing optical patterns up to the nanoscale (several tens of nanometers). The observed values of the optical contrast modulation are sufficient to justify the efficiency of the method for optical data recording using ...
This invention is a manufacturing method of a metal-hydrogen alkali battery cell consisting of a positive electrode of metal oxides, alkaline electrolyte solution and a separator containing an amide-radical, wherein the above treating solution is aqueous solution of KOH (or NaOH) which is heated at least at 40 centigrade and the separator is first immersiion-treated and then water-washed and dried. The amide-radical-containing separaator uses a nylon non-woven fabrics. Average molecular weight of nylon 66 is 12,000 - 20,000. In this invention, in order to improve the storage ability and the cycle characteristics which are caused by corrosion of a separator which takes place in the cell after its assembly, the separator is immersed in a hot alkali in order to obtain a non-woven fabric of nylon 66 consisting of alkali-stable high molecular weight portion, which is assembled into a battery. By this, the dissolving of the non-woven ...
Nanocrystalline ZnO films were fabricated via a simple method involving the oxidation of Zn films at a remarkably low temperature of 380 C. X-ray diffraction study confirmed that the Zn films were completely oxidized even at the low temperature of 380 C and the ZnO films fabricated were of polycrystalline wurtzite structure. Room temperature optical pumping using a frequency-quintupled Q-switched Nd:YAG laser ({lambda}=213 nm) exhibited that sharp peaks at around 3.12 eV emerged above excitation powers of {proportional_to}7 MW/cm{sup 2}, demonstrating lasing in the ZnO films. These results represent that the process is a simple, promising approach for fabricating ZnO of sufficient optical performance for use as ultraviolet (UV) light emitters and an alternative UV laser source; both are key components in short-wavelength photonic devices. (orig.)
In this paper, we propose to characterize boron transient enhanced diffusion (TED) for processes currently used for P{sup +}/N ultra-shallow junctions (USJ) fabrication. Indeed, the fundamental understanding of boron diffusion for low energy boron implantation is mandatory to evaluate the scalability of such processes for the coming complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) transistor generations. In these experiments, we characterize the boron anomalous diffusion, thanks to boron buried marker-layers obtained by epitaxial growth. B{sup +} and BF{sub 2}{sup +} ultra-low energy (ULE) implantations and plasma doping (PLAD) using BF{sub 3} as precursor gas are carried out to compare the two techniques used for advanced USJ fabrication. Boron diffusion behaviors are analyzed via secondary ion mass spectrometry for annealing at 700 deg. C for 5 min and 15 min. Finally this paper brings some physical insights explaining the technological benefit ...
In this paper, we propose to characterize boron transient enhanced diffusion (TED) for processes currently used for P"+/N ultra-shallow junctions (USJ) fabrication. Indeed, the fundamental understanding of boron diffusion for low energy boron implantation is mandatory to evaluate the scalability of such processes for the coming complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) transistor generations. In these experiments, we characterize the boron anomalous diffusion, thanks to boron buried marker-layers obtained by epitaxial growth. B"+ and BF_2"+ ultra-low energy (ULE) implantations and plasma doping (PLAD) using BF_3 as precursor gas are carried out to compare the two techniques used for advanced USJ fabrication. Boron diffusion behaviors are analyzed via secondary ion mass spectrometry for annealing at 700 deg. C for 5 min and 15 min. Finally this paper brings some physical insights explaining the technological benefit coming from PLAD ...
Ferroelectric thin films such as BST, PZT and PLZT are extensively being studied for the fabrication of DRAMS since they have high dielectric constant. The large and reversible remnant polarization of these materials makes it attractive for nonvolatile ferroelectric RAM application. In this paper we report the characterization of Ba0.7Sr0.3TiO3 (BST) thin films grown by pulsed laser ablation on oxide electrodes. The structural and electrical properties of the fabricated devices were studied. Growth of crystalline BST films was observed on La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 (LSCO) thin film electrodes at relatively low substrate temperature compared to BST grown on PtSi substrates. Electrical characterization was carried out by fabricating PtSi/LSCO/BST/LSCO heterostructures. The leakage current of the heteros...
This hazard analysis (HA) has been prepared for the 300 Area N Reactor Fuel Fabrication and Storage Facility (Facility), in compliance with the requirements of Westinghouse Hanford Company (Westinghouse Hanford) controlled manual WHC-CM-4-46, Nonreactor Facility Safety Analysis Manual, and to the direction of WHC-IP-0690, Safety Analysis and Regulation Desk Instructions, (WHC 1992). An HA identifies potentially hazardous conditions in a facility and the associated potential accident scenarios. Unlike the Facility hazard classification documented in WHC-SD-NR-HC-004, Hazard Classification for 300 Area N Reactor Fuel Fabrication and Storage Facility, (Huang 1993), which is based on unmitigated consequences, credit is taken in an HA for administrative controls or engineered safety features planned or in place. The HA is the foundation for the accident analysis. The significant event scenarios identified by this HA will be further evaluated in a ...
We have researched several new focused ion beam (FIB) micro-fabrication techniques that offer control of feature shape and the ability to accurately define features onto nonplanar substrates. These FIB-based processes are considered useful for prototyping, reverse engineering, and small-lot manufacturing. Ion beam-based techniques have been developed for defining features in miniature, nonplanar substrates. We demonstrate helices in cylindrical substrates having diameters from 100 {micro}m to 3 mm. Ion beam lathe processes sputter-define 10-{micro}m wide features in cylindrical substrates and tubes. For larger substrates, we combine focused ion beam milling with ultra-precision lathe turning techniques to accurately define 25-100 {micro}m features over many meters of path length. In several cases, we combine the feature defining capability of focused ion beam bombardment with additive techniques such as evaporation, sputter deposition and electroplating in order to ...
A flame retardant tarpaulin is used for protecting equipments upon periodical repairing in places for handling radioactive materials such as a nuclear power plant. It is formed by coating a woven fabric, a knitted fabric or a non-woven fabric with from 100 to 1000% by weight of a composition formed by blending from 3 to 10 parts by weight of red phosphorus and from 7 to 25 parts by weight of melamine sulfate to 100 parts by weight of an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer having a vinyl acetate content of from 8 to 28% by weight. Further, it comprises metal hydroxides such as Mg hydroxide and Al hydroxide. Aids such as plasticizers, stabilizers, lubricants and colorants can optionally be blended so long as they do not inhibit the flame retardant effect. It has an excellent flame retardancy, and does not produce poisonous gases or a great amount of ashes when burnt and discarded. It can be processed with satisfactory ...
Focused-ion beam (FIB) milling provides rapid fabrication of individual cylindrical submicrometer channels with reproducible dimensions (#+-#5% diameters) through 8-#mu#m thick poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) films. PMMA films are spincast on sacrificial Si carriers and sputter-coated with Au before the 30-kV gallium FIB milling process. By adding a trace amount of poly(ethyleneoxide) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) to the PMMA solution before casting, the films can be released for subsequent mounting in microfluidic devices to create hybrid microfluidic-nanofluidic multilevel architectures. In situ FIB sectioning demonstrates the smooth cylindrical surface within the pore. Placing a milled film in contact with an aqueous fluorescein solution fills the channel by capillary action, as verified by confocal fluorescence microscopy. Confocal fluorescence of dyed films reveals that the pores span the thickness of the PMMA film. Small arrays of channels with a defined number ...
Electrospun nanofibers composed of biodegradable polymers are attractive candidates for cell culture scaffolds in tissue engineering. Their fine-meshed structures, resembling natural extracellular matrices, effectively interact with cell surfaces and promote cell proliferation. The application of electrospinning, however, is limited to two-dimensional (2D) or single tube-like scaffolds, and the fabrication of arbitrary three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds from electrospun nanofibers is still very difficult due to the fibers' continuous and entangled form. To address this issue, in this paper, we describe the use of phase-separation-assisted electrospray and electrostatic focusing to perform continuous direct 3D patterning of nanofibrous microcapsules of biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA). These microcapsules exhibit fiber-particle duality because they are composed of nanofibers suitable for cell attachment while also being easy to handle as particles for direct 3D ...
U3Si2 Al fuel plate is one of the dispersion fuel structure materials recently developed and widely used in research reactors. The mechanical properties of this structural material, especially the fatigue performance, are strongly dependent on its fabrication process. To investigate the effects of these processing technologies, the fatigue tests for the different specimens were carried out. The S N curves indicate that the fabrication processing technologies of U3Si2 fuel plate, such as the addition of U3Si2 particles into aluminum powder to form the fuel meat, holding and rolling the processes of meat and cladding of 6061-Al alloy, plays an important role in improving the mechanical properties and fatigue performance of this fuel plate. In addition, some factors that influence the crack initiation and propagation are summarized based on the fatigue images that are in situ observations with SEM. The critical criterion for fatigue damage is ...
This thesis reports on the fabrication and test of a new gaseous detector with a very large number of readout channels. This detector is intended for measuring the tracks of charged particles with an unprecedented sensitivity to single electrons of almost 100 %. It combines a metal grid for signal amplification called the Micromegas with a pixel readout chip as signal collecting anode and is dubbed GridPix. GridPix is a potential candidate for a sub-detector at a future electron linear collider (ILC) foreseen to work in parallel with the LHC around 2020--2030. The tracking capability of GridPix is best exploited if the Micromegas is integrated on the pixel chip. This integrated grid is called InGrid and is precisely fabricated by wafer post-processing. The various steps of the fabrication process and the measurements of its gain, energy resolution and ion back-flow property are reported in this document. Studies of the ...
180 deg magnet chamber is used in Folded Tandem Ion Accelerator for passage and 180 deg bending of ion beam. The chamber is placed between 180 deg terminal magnet (Electro-magnet), which is used for bending, and analysing the beams. Magnet with a particular magnetic field strength bends ions of only specified mass energy product through a precise path. There is also a space limitation in the direction of magnetic field. Both of them require the magnet chamber to be of a close tolerance. Accuracy of center distance between inlet and outlet port of the magnet chamber has to be at par with the concentricity of high energy and low energy beam line. To achieve this we started the fabrication of magnet chamber by following two methods: a) Circular rolling and bending of rectangular tube for 180 deg sector of magnet chamber b) Machining 180 deg sector in two half and welding. By first method we could not achieve the desired result although the method is very promising. ...
A carbon-bonded carbon fiber (CBCF) insulation developed for a radioisotope heat source is made from chopped rayon fiber about 10..mu..m long, which is carbonized and bonded with phenolic resin particles. The CBCF is an excellent lightweight insulating material with a nominal density of 0.2 Mg/m/sup 3/ and a thermal conductivity of 0.24 W/(m-K) in vacuum at 2000/sup 0/C. (Several attributes that make CBCF particularly suitable for the heat source application have been identified.) These include light weight, low thermal conductivity, chemical compatibility, and hightemperature capabilities. The mechanical strength of CBCF insulation is satisfactory for the application. The basic fabrication technique was refined to eliminate undesirable large pores and cracks often present in materials fabricated by earlier techniques. Also, processing was scaled up to increase the fabrication rate by a factor of 10. The specific properties ...
A carbon-bonded carbon fiber (CBCF) insulation developed for a radioisotope heat source is made from chopped rayon fiber about 10 ..mu..m in diameter and 250 ..mu..m long, which is carbonized and bonded with phenolic resin particles. The CBCF is an excellent lightweight insulating material with a nominal density of 0.2 Mg/m/sup 3/ and a thermal conductivity of 0.24 W/(m-K) in vacuum at 2000/sup 0/C. Several attributes that make CBCF particularly suitable for the heat source application have been identified. These include light weight, low thermal conductivity, chemical compatibility, and high-temperature capabilities. The mechanical strength of CBCF insulation is satisfactory for the application. The basic fabrication technique was refined to eliminate undesirable large pores and cracks often present in materials fabricated by earlier techniques. Also, processing was scaled up to increase the fabrication rate by a factor of ...
In this paper we describe how cleavable surfactants decompose into water-insoluble silanols and two water-soluble products when subjected to vacuum plasma treatment. We used Raman spectroscopic analysis to confirm these structural changes, and we performed contact angle measurements and employed scanning electron microscopy to observe the surface morphologies of these compounds. Our contact angle measurements confirm that the products had degraded on nylon fabrics during argon gas plasma treatment. All of the PEG-silicone polyesters displayed excellent water-repellency; PEG6000-silicone exhibited the largest contact angle (130?) and, hence, the greatest water-repellency. Our results indicate that the silanols that form upon plasma treatment may be useful in coatings applications. We also f...
Supercritical CO2 is used as a new solvent for immersion deposition, a galvanic displacement process traditionally carried out in aqueous HF solutions containing metal ions, to selectively develop metal films on featured or non-featured silicon substrates. Components of supercritical fluid immersion deposition (SFID) solutions for fabricating Cu and Pd films on silicon substrates are described along with the corresponding experimental setup and procedure. Only silicon substrates exposed and reactive to SFID solutions can be coated. The highly pressurized and gas-like supercritical CO2, combined with the galvanic displacement property of immersion deposition, enables the SFID technique to selectively deposit metal films in small features. SFID may also provide a new method to fabricate palladium silicide in small features or to metallize porous silicon.
Multifilamentary superconductors with 2.5 micron sized NbTi filaments are being proposed for the High Energy Booster part of the SSC project. The small filament size and the large number of filaments in the superconductor strands make the fabrication a challenge, especially in view of the high critical current performance required of them. IGC has produced two 309 mm diameter prototype billets and fabricated both the 'Inner' and the 'Outer' grade strands. The production approach was based on a triple extrusion process incorporating Cu-0.6 st.% Mn as the interfilament matrix material. The results of this pilot development effort, in terms of critical current density and mechanical properties, are presented in this paper. Appropriate comparisons with past performances are made.
The major problem of measurement of a power spectral density (PSD) distribution of surface heights with surface profilometers arises due to the unknown Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) of the instruments, which tends to distort the PSD at higher spatial frequencies. The special mathematical properties of binary pseudo-random patterns make them an ideal basis for developing MTF calibration test surfaces. Two-dimensional binary pseudo-random arrays (BPRAs) have been fabricated and used for the MTF calibration of the MicroMap{trademark}-570 interferometric microscope with all available objectives. An investigation into the effects of fabrication imperfections on the quality of the MTF calibration and a procedure for accounting for such imperfections are presented.
SnO2/graphene nanocomposites have been fabricated by a simple chemical method. In the fabrication process, the control of surface charge causes echinoid-like SnO2 nanoparticles to be formed and uniformly decorated on the graphene. The electrostatic attraction between a graphene nanosheet (GNS) and the echinoid-like SnO2 particles under controlled pH creates a unique nanostructure in which extremely small SnO2 particles are uniformly dispersed on the GNS. The SnO2/graphene nanocomposite has been shown to perform as a high capacity anode with good cycling behavior in lithium rechargeable batteries. The anode retained a reversible capacity of 634 mA?h?g?1 with a coulombic efficiency of 98% after 50 cycles. The high reversibility can be attributed to the mechanical buffering by the GNS against...
Size-controllable Ag nanoparticle ultrathin films, which were fabricated by vacuum deposition method from high purity Ag wire onto cleaned indium tin oxide conducting glass, have different color fabricated by variation of preparation conditions. The UV/Vis spectra showed that optical absorption peak of these Ag nanoparticle films can be tuned in a range from 457nm to >650nm. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that with increasing film thickness Ag particle size was larger. Ag/WO3 composite films were prepared by cathodic electrodeposition of WO3 onto the surface of Ag nanoparticle films. Spectroelectrochemistry and electrochromic properties of the resulting composite films were characterized. It was found that the electrochemical and electrochromatic properties of the composite fil...
Abstract A fabrication process for Emitter-Wrap-Through solar cells on monocrystalline material with high quality gap passivation by wet thermal silicon dioxide is investigated. Masking and structuring steps are performed by screen-printing technology. Via-holes are created by an industrially applicable high-speed laser drilling process. The cell structure features a selective emitter structure fabricated in a single high temperature step: a highly doped emitter at the via-holes and the rear side, allowing for a low via-hole resistivity as well as a low resistivity contact to screen-printed pastes, and a moderately doped front side emitter exhibiting high quantum efficiency in the low wavelength range. Therefore a novel approach is applied depositing either doped or undoped PECVD silicon d...
Properties of photoconductive ultraviolet detectors fabricated on ZnO films were presented. Highly c-axis oriented ZnO films were grown on glass substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Ultraviolet photodetectors were fabricated based on metal-semiconductor-metal planar structures. The photoresponsivity and the quantum efficiency are much higher in the ultraviolet range than in the visible range, and the peak values are around 360nm. Photocurrent transients show that the detector has a large photocurrent with the peak value of 2.8mA, and a slow photoresponse with a rise time of 5min and a decay time of 7min. The response curve of the detector is fitted well with exponential curve. The large photocurrent should result from the both effects of the accumulation of conduction electrons and the d...
The presentation describes the status of modern weld overlay technology for refurbishment, upgrading and life extension of boilers. The approaches to life extension of boilers include field overlay application, shop-fabricated panels for replacement of the worn, corroded waterwall and shop-fabricated overlay tubing for replacement of individual tubes in superheaters, generating banks and other areas. The characteristics of weld overlay products are briefly described. Also discussed are successful applications of various corrosion-resistant overlays for life extension of boiler tubes in waste-to-energy boilers, coal-fired boilers and chemical recovery boilers. Types of corrosion and selection of weld overlay alloys in these systems are also discussed. (orig.) 14 refs.
We described the use of silica nanoparticles as building blocks for the immobilization of electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) reagent Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+} and the fabrication of layer-by-layer assembly film by alternating the deposition of the Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+}-doped silica nanoparticles and Au nanoparticles. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry and ECL were used to characterize the uniform growth of the multilayer film. Since Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+} could still maintain its ECL property when doped into the silica nanoparticles, the as-prepared multilayer film could be used as an effective ECL sensor, and the sensor showed high sensitivity and good stability.
We described the use of silica nanoparticles as building blocks for the immobilization of electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) reagent Ru(bpy)_3"2"+ and the fabrication of layer-by-layer assembly film by alternating the deposition of the Ru(bpy)_3"2"+-doped silica nanoparticles and Au nanoparticles. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry and ECL were used to characterize the uniform growth of the multilayer film. Since Ru(bpy)_3"2"+ could still maintain its ECL property when doped into the silica nanoparticles, the as-prepared multilayer film could be used as an effective ECL sensor, and the sensor showed high sensitivity and good stability.
We described the use of silica nanoparticles as building blocks for the immobilization of electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) reagent Ru(bpy)32+ and the fabrication of layer-by-layer assembly film by alternating the deposition of the Ru(bpy)32+-doped silica nanoparticles and Au nanoparticles. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry and ECL were used to characterize the uniform growth of the multilayer film. Since Ru(bpy)32+ could still maintain its ECL property when doped into the silica nanoparticles, the as-prepared multilayer film could be used as an effective ECL sensor, and the sensor showed high sensitivity and good stability.
Focused Ion Beam (FIB) technology has become an indispensable enabling tool for micro nano fabrications. One important application is to use FIB for patterning conducting nanowires of metals down to a few tens of nanometre for applications such as interconnects, heaters and temperature nanosensors. A series of experiments on Au nanowires fabricated by FIB on SixNy membrane show that nanowires with width 50nm have structural instabilities. These are liquid like and first show-up as undulations in nanowire width with clearly defined wave lengths. For smaller widths (20nm) the instabilities grow and the wires eventually break-up into spherical balls. Further experiments show that the nanowires can be made stable to smaller widths by the use of a Cr underlayer to enhance surface wetting. The o...
Field-annealed Co-based amorphous ribbon (Metglas? 2705M) with a meander structure is fabricated by MEMS technology and the giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) effects are studied at different magnetic fields and frequencies. The maximum longitudinal GMI ratio of the ribbon is 193.7% and the magnetic field sensitivity is 17.4%/Oe. The maximum GMI ratio of the meander ribbon is much larger than the single strip ribbon mainly due to the larger change ratio of inductance L. The sensitivity of an output U reach up to 10 V/A and U thermal fluctuation is less than 15 mV in the temperature range of ?20 to 40?C. This meander shape ribbon can be considered as a good candidate for the GMI-based sensor fabrication.
Focussed ion beam (FIB) processing has been applied to the fabrication of novel InP-based cleaved coupled cavity (CCC) quantum cascade lasers (QCL). Gas assisted etching using XeF{sub 2} has been shown to significantly reduce the redeposition of sputtered material onto the mirror surfaces during final milling. For the unprocessed laser a broad spread of lasing peaks are observed between 9.72{mu}m to 9.78{mu}m at a current of 380mA (1kA/cm{sup -2}). After FIB processing, substantial side mode suppression is observed on applying a current of 20mA (100A/cm{sup -2}) to the short section and the main lasing peak is observed at 9.77{mu}m.
Focussed ion beam (FIB) processing has been applied to the fabrication of novel InP-based cleaved coupled cavity (CCC) quantum cascade lasers (QCL). Gas assisted etching using XeF_2 has been shown to significantly reduce the redeposition of sputtered material onto the mirror surfaces during final milling. For the unprocessed laser a broad spread of lasing peaks are observed between 9.72#mu#m to 9.78#mu#m at a current of 380mA (1kA/cm"-"2). After FIB processing, substantial side mode suppression is observed on applying a current of 20mA (100A/cm"-"2) to the short section and the main lasing peak is observed at 9.77#mu#m.
Intrinsic spherical aberrations of electron lenses have been the major resolution limiting factor in electron microscopes for several decades. While effective correctors have recently been implemented, an alternative to correct these aberrations is to circumvent them by scaling down lens dimensions by several orders of magnitude. We have fabricated electrostatic lenses exhibiting one micrometer diameter apertures and evaluated their beam forming properties against predictions from numerical ray tracing simulations. It turns out that it is routinely possible to shape a paraxial low-energy electron beam by such micron-sized lenses. Beam profiles have been measured both at a distant detector as well as in a plane close to the lens. It is shown that the lens can form a parallel beam extending ...
Most surface-acoustic-wave and thin-film optical devices are made by the planar fabrication process. The exposure of the pattern in the polymer film is the first and most crucial step in ensuring desired device geometry, dimensional control, and freedom from pattern distortion. The methods of exposing the polymer film include: optical projection, conventional contact printing, conformable photomask contact printing, holographic recording, scanning electron beam lithography, projection electron lithography, and x-ray lithography. In this paper scanning electron beam lithography, conformable photomask contact printing, holographic recording, and x-ray lithography are discussed. In the last section, ion beam etching of relief structures is discussed.
We explore a novel phenomenon of focused ion beam (FIB) induced bending of carbon nanopillars or cantilever structures. The bending occurs towards the ion beam during scanning. The explanation of this bending has been sought on the basis of a model which considers temperature rise and gradients caused by the impinging ion beam. The process is controllable and reversible, which makes it highly suitable for in situ manipulation to make desired 3D shapes by the piecewise bending of the nanopillars and cantilever structures during their fabrication using electron beam or FIB chemical vapor deposition (EB-CVD or FIB-CVD). Its usefulness in the fabrication of nanosize mechanical components has been demonstrated by making a branch structure from a single cantilever.
A study of the stability of conducting fabrics of polyester (PES) coated with polypyrrole/PW12O40^3^- (organic/inorganic hybrid material) in different pH solutions (1, 7, 13) has been done. Washing tests were also done in views of its possible application in electronic textiles such as antistatic clothing. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies have been done to quantify the amount of counter ion that remains in the polymer matrix and determine the doping ratio (N^+/N) after the different tests. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also used to observe morphological differences after the different tests. Surface resistivity changes were measured by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) was employed to measure changes in ...
The North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) approach to removing NO{sub x} from flue gas emitted by coal-fired utility boilers or for the control of NO{sub x} formation by advanced combustion techniques involves the development of a catalytic fabric filter (CFF) for simultaneous NO{sub x} and particulate control. The NO{sub x}is removed by catalytic reduction with ammonia to form nitrogen and water. Bench-scale experimental results have shown that over 90% NO{sub x} removal can be achieved. This report details the strengths and areas for for development in this project.
For the purpose of solving the limitations such as shape and dimension for magnetic compact fabricated by conventional anisotropic forming under magnetic orienting field, the feasibility of a new magnetic forming process was studied. Ferrite powder mixed with UV resin was compacted in the die mold and followed by alignment under the magnetic field. Effects of viscosity of UV resin and forming condition on magnetic characteristics of the compact was investigated. Maximum degree of alignment for the ferrite powder reached to 0.826. It was predicted that the proposed method had make it possible to fabricate a high performance magnet having the anisotropic alignment of the magnetic powder. The UV resin is desirable to have low viscosity, good properties such as formability and configuration stability for the compact and also parting- ability between the metal mold and the compact. (author)
Hierarchical TiO2 hollow spheres had been prepared based on bubble templates by a simple one-step hydrothermal method. The diameter of hollow spheres was about 700nm and the shell thickness of them was 69nm. They were composed of similar spindle- or needle-like building units. Furthermore, hydrothermal time had an important influence on the morphology and crystallinity of hollow spheres. Moreover, the UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra of TiO2 hollow spheres heated at 150^oC for 10h showed the strongest absorption in the UV-Vis region and the Raman spectrum demonstrated the anatase sample. Additionally, a possible formation mechanism of TiO2 hollow spheres was proposed. So this novel and simple method would provide a development direction to fabricate all kinds of inorganic hollow spheres ...