Thermal contact resistance of a particle on a substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, J.; Safa, H.; Bonin, B.

1996-01-01

It has been formerly established that field emission in RF cavities is mainly due to contamination by small micron size particles lying on the surface. When applying the RF field, these particles can melt and stick to the surface making it harder to get rid of them. In order to understand the thermal process involved, a crucial physical quantity is needed: the thermal contact resistance between the particle and the substrate. An experimental method is described to measure this quantity, with the use of a scanning electron microscope. By defocusing the beam of the SEM, one can get enough power deposited in one particle to melt it. The power level at which the particle melts gives the thermal contact resistance. Therefore, using the measured value, thermal calculations yield some hints for understanding the violent thermal processes observed in RF fields. (author)

Thermal contact resistance of a particle on a substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, J.; Safa, H.; Bonin, B.

1996-01-01

It has been formerly established that field emission in RF cavities is mainly die to contamination by small micron size particles lying on the surface. When applying the RF field, these particles can melt and stick to the surface making it harder to get rid of them. In order to understand the thermal process involved, a crucial physical quantity is needed: the thermal contact resistance between the particle and the substrate. In the present paper, an experimental method is described to measure this quantity, with the use of a scanning electron microscope. By defocusing the beam of the SEM, one can get enough power deposited in one particle to melt it. The power level at which the particle melts gives the thermal contact resistance. Therefore, using the measured value, thermal calculations yield some hints for understanding the violent thermal processes observed in RF fields. (author)

Nonlocal laser annealing to improve thermal contacts between multi-layer graphene and metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ermakov, Victor A; Alaferdov, Andrei V; Vaz, Alfredo R; Moshkalev, Stanislav A; Baranov, Alexander V

2013-01-01

The accuracy of thermal conductivity measurements by the micro-Raman technique for suspended multi-layer graphene flakes has been shown to depend critically on the quality of the thermal contacts between the flakes and the metal electrodes used as the heat sink. The quality of the contacts can be improved by nonlocal laser annealing at increased power. The improvement of the thermal contacts to initially rough metal electrodes is attributed to local melting of the metal surface under laser heating, and increased area of real metal–graphene contact. Improvement of the thermal contacts between multi-layer graphene and a silicon oxide surface was also observed, with more efficient heat transfer from graphene as compared with the graphene–metal case. (paper)

Analysis of the thermal response of a BWR Mark-I containment shell to direct contact by molten core materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kress, T.S.; Cleveland, J.C.

1988-01-01

This study was undertaken to evaluate the thermal response of a BWR Mark-I containment shell in the event of an accident severe enough for molten core materials to fall into the cavity beneath the rector vessel and eventually come into direct contact with the shell. An existing ORNL three-dimensional transient heat transport computer code, HEATING-6, was used for a specific 2-D case (and variations) for which representative melt/shell boundary conditions required as input were available from other studies. In addition to the use of HEATING-6, a simplified analytical steady-state correlation was developed and given the name BWR Liner Analysis Program (BWRLAP). BWRLAP was ''benchmarked'' by comparison with HEATING-6 and was then used to make a number of parametric calculations to investigate the sensitivities of the results to the inputs. 5 refs., 11 figs., 2 tabs

Experimental determination of fuel-cladding thermal contact resistance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maglic, K.; Zivotic, Z.

1968-01-01

Thermal resistance of the UO 2 fuel - Zr-2 cladding was measure by the same experimental apparatus which was used for measuring the thermal conductivity of ceramic fuel. Thermal resistance was measure for a series of heat flux values and the dependence of thermal resistance on the flux is given within in the range from 0.66 W/cm 2 to 13.3 W/cm 2 . The temperature drop on the contact surface was between 39 deg C and 181.7 deg C, proportional to the increase of the heat flux [sr

Influence of the degree of thermal contact in fin and tube heat exchanger

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singh, Shobhana; Sørensen, Kim; Condra, Thomas Joseph

2016-01-01

Present work aims to investigate the significance of thermal contact area between fins and tubes in a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger type selected for the study is a liquid-gas fin and tube heat exchanger. Four different cases namely I, II, III, and IV, based on a variable degree of thermal...... contact between fins and tubes are investigated. Case-I with 100% thermal contact area between the fin and tube is set as a reference to cases-II, III, and IV with a thermal contact area of approximately 70%, 50%, and 35%, respectively. Three-dimensional (3D) steady-state numerical models based on finite...... and to compare the performance of heat exchanger design in different cases. Comparative analysis indicates a significant influence of the degree of the thermal contact area between fin and tube on the overall performance. Case-I is found to have higher overall heat transfer coefficient of 47.332 W/(m2 K), higher...

Studying the Transient Thermal Contact Conductance Between the Exhaust Valve and Its Seat Using the Inverse Method

Science.gov (United States)

Nezhad, Mohsen Motahari; Shojaeefard, Mohammad Hassan; Shahraki, Saeid

2016-02-01

In this study, the experiments aimed at analyzing thermally the exhaust valve in an air-cooled internal combustion engine and estimating the thermal contact conductance in fixed and periodic contacts. Due to the nature of internal combustion engines, the duration of contact between the valve and its seat is too short, and much time is needed to reach the quasi-steady state in the periodic contact between the exhaust valve and its seat. Using the methods of linear extrapolation and the inverse solution, the surface contact temperatures and the fixed and periodic thermal contact conductance were calculated. The results of linear extrapolation and inverse methods have similar trends, and based on the error analysis, they are accurate enough to estimate the thermal contact conductance. Moreover, due to the error analysis, a linear extrapolation method using inverse ratio is preferred. The effects of pressure, contact frequency, heat flux, and cooling air speed on thermal contact conductance have been investigated. The results show that by increasing the contact pressure the thermal contact conductance increases substantially. In addition, by increasing the engine speed the thermal contact conductance decreases. On the other hand, by boosting the air speed the thermal contact conductance increases, and by raising the heat flux the thermal contact conductance reduces. The average calculated error equals to 12.9 %.

Improvement and evaluation of thermal, electrical, sealing and mechanical contacts, and their interface materials

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Xiangcheng

Material contacts, including thermal, electrical, seating (fluid sealing and electromagnetic sealing) and mechanical (pressure) contacts, together with their interface materials, were, evaluated, and in some cases, improved beyond the state of the art. The evaluation involved the use of thermal, electrical and mechanical methods. For thermal contacts, this work evaluated and improved the heat transfer efficiency between two contacting components by developing various thermal interface pastes. Sodium silicate based thermal pastes (with boron nitride particles as the thermally conductive filler) as well as polyethylene glycol (PEG) based thermal pastes were developed and evaluated. The optimum volume fractions of BN in sodium silicate based pastes and PEG based pastes were 16% and 18% respectively. The contribution of Li+ ions to the thermal contact conductance in the PEG-based paste was confirmed. For electrical contacts, the relationship between the mechanical reliability and electrical reliability of solder/copper and silver-epoxy/copper joints was addressed. Mechanical pull-out testing was conducted on solder/copper and silver-epoxy/copper joints, while the contact electrical resistivity was measured. Cleansing of the copper surface was more effective for the reliability of silver-epoxy/copper joint than that of solder/copper joint. For sealing contacts, this work evaluated flexible graphite as an electromagnetic shielding gasket material. Flexible graphite was found to be at least comparable to conductive filled silicone (the state of the art) in terms of the shielding effectiveness. The conformability of flexible graphite with its mating metal surface under repeated compression was characterized by monitoring the contact electrical resistance, as the conformability is important to both electromagnetic scaling and fluid waling using flexible graphite. For mechanical contacts, this work focused on the correlation of the interface structure (such as elastic

Workshop on Direct Contact Heat Transfer at the Solar Energy Research Institute

CERN Document Server

Boehm, R

1988-01-01

to increase the use of direct contact processes, the National Science Foundation sup­ ported a workshop on direct contact heat transfer at the Solar Energy Research Insti­ tute in the summer of 1985. We served as organizers for this workshop, which em­ phasized an area of thermal engineering that, in our opinion, has great promise for the future, but has not yet reached the point of wide-spread commercial application. Hence, a summary of the state of knowledge at this point is timely. The workshop had a dual objective: 1. To summarize the current state of knowledge in such a form that industrial practi­ tioners can make use of the available information. 2. To indicate the research and development needed to advance the state-of-the-art, indicating not only what kind of research is needed, but also the industrial poten­ tial that could be realized if the information to be obtained through the proposed research activities were available.

Metallized compliant 3D microstructures for dry contact thermal conductance enhancement

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Jin; Wang, Jicheng; Zhong, Yang; Pan, Liang; Weibel, Justin A.

2018-05-01

Microstructured three-dimensional (3D) materials can be engineered to enable new capabilities for various engineering applications; however, microfabrication of large 3D structures is typically expensive due to the conventional top-down fabrication scheme. Herein we demonstrated the use of projection micro-stereolithography and electrodeposition as cost-effective and high-throughput methods to fabricate compliant 3D microstructures as a thermal interface material (TIM). This novel TIM structure consists of an array of metallized micro-springs designed to enhance the dry contact thermal conductance between nonflat surfaces under low interface pressures (10s-100s kPa). Mechanical compliance and thermal resistance measurements confirm that this dry contact TIM can achieve conformal contact between mating surfaces with a nonflatness of approximately 5 µm under low interface pressures.

Experimental determination of thermal contact conductance between pressure and calandria tubes of Indian pressurised heavy water reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dureja, A.K., E-mail: akdureja@barc.gov.in [Reactor Design & Development Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai (India); Pawaskar, D.N.; Seshu, P. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai (India); Sinha, S.K. [Reactor Design & Development Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai (India); Sinha, R.K. [Department of Atomic Energy, OYC, Near Gateway of India, Mumbai (India)

2015-04-01

Highlights: • We established an experimental facility to measure thermal contact conductance between disc shaped specimens. • We measured thermal contact conductance between Zr-2.5Nb alloy pressure tube (PT) material and Zr-4 calandria tube (CT) material. • We concluded that thermal contact conductance is a linear function of contact pressure for interface of PT and CT up to 10 MPa contact pressure. • We concluded that thermal contact conductance is a weak function of interface temperature. - Abstract: Thermal contact conductance (TCC) is one of the most important parameters in determining the temperature distribution in contacting structures. Thermal contact conductance between the contacting structures depends on the mechanical properties of underlying materials, thermo-physical properties of the interstitial fluid and surface condition of the structures coming in contact. During a postulated accident scenario of loss of coolant with coincident loss of emergency core cooling system in a tube type heavy water nuclear reactor, the pressure tube is expected to sag/balloon and come in contact with outer cooler calandria tube to dissipate away the heat generated to the moderator. The amount of heat thus transferred is a function of thermal contact conductance and the nature of contact between the two tubes. An experimental facility was designed, fabricated and commissioned to measure thermal contact conductance between pressure tube and calandria tube specimens. Experiments were conducted on disc shaped specimens under axial contact pressure in between mandrels. Experimental results of TCC and a linear correlation as a function of contact pressure have been reported in this paper.

Non-Contact Smartphone-Based Monitoring of Thermally Stressed Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Ozturk, Turgut; Mas, David; Rizzo, Piervincenzo

2018-01-01

The in-situ measurement of thermal stress in beams or continuous welded rails may prevent structural anomalies such as buckling. This study proposed a non-contact monitoring/inspection approach based on the use of a smartphone and a computer vision algorithm to estimate the vibrating characteristics of beams subjected to thermal stress. It is hypothesized that the vibration of a beam can be captured using a smartphone operating at frame rates higher than conventional 30 Hz, and the first few natural frequencies of the beam can be extracted using a computer vision algorithm. In this study, the first mode of vibration was considered and compared to the information obtained with a conventional accelerometer attached to the two structures investigated, namely a thin beam and a thick beam. The results show excellent agreement between the conventional contact method and the non-contact sensing approach proposed here. In the future, these findings may be used to develop a monitoring/inspection smartphone application to assess the axial stress of slender structures, to predict the neutral temperature of continuous welded rails, or to prevent thermal buckling. PMID:29670034

Heat transfer characteristics of a direct contact heat exchanger

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinoshita, I.; Nishi, Y.

1993-01-01

As a first step for development of a direct contact steam generator for FBRs, fundamental heat transfer characteristics of a liquid-liquid contact heat exchanger were evaluated by heat transfer experiment with low melting point alloy and water. Distinctive characteristics of direct contact heat transfer with liquid metal and water was obtained. (author)

Transient direct-contact condensation on liquid droplets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasamehmetoglu, K.O.; Nelson, R.A.

1987-01-01

In this paper, direct-contact condensation on subcooled liquid droplets is studied in two parts. In the first part, simple design correlations for the condensation in a steady environment are developed based upon a conduction model. These correlations include the convective heat-transfer coefficient, condensation rate, total condensation, and the droplet-thermalization time. In the second part of the paper, the effect of a time-dependent saturation temperature on the condensation process is investigated. A rapid decrease in saturation temperature is typical of condensation environments in which the steam-supply rate is limited and condensation-induced depressurization becomes important. Design correlations are developed for condensation in an environment in which the saturation temperature decreases linearly with time. These correlations are graphically compared to the design correlations of the first part through a quasi-steady approach. The error associated with this approach is quantified as a function of the rate of change of the saturation temperature

Thermal imitators with single directional invisibility

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ruizhe; Xu, Liujun; Huang, Jiping

2017-12-01

Thermal metamaterials have been intensively studied during the past years to achieve the long-standing dream of invisibility, illusion, and other inconceivable thermal phenomena. However, many thermal metamaterials can only exhibit omnidirectional thermal response, which take on the distinct feature of geometrical isotropy. In this work, we theoretically design and experimentally fabricate a pair of thermal imitators by applying geometrical anisotropy provided by elliptical/ellipsoidal particles and layered structures. This pair of thermal imitators possesses thermal invisibility in one direction, while having thermal opacity in other directions. This work may open a gate in designing direction-dependent thermal metamaterials.

Method and apparatus for high-efficiency direct contact condensation

Science.gov (United States)

Bharathan, Desikan; Parent, Yves; Hassani, A. Vahab

1999-01-01

A direct contact condenser having a downward vapor flow chamber and an upward vapor flow chamber, wherein each of the vapor flow chambers includes a plurality of cooling liquid supplying pipes and a vapor-liquid contact medium disposed thereunder to facilitate contact and direct heat exchange between the vapor and cooling liquid. The contact medium includes a plurality of sheets arranged to form vertical interleaved channels or passageways for the vapor and cooling liquid streams. The upward vapor flow chamber also includes a second set of cooling liquid supplying pipes disposed beneath the vapor-liquid contact medium which operate intermittently in response to a pressure differential within the upward vapor flow chamber. The condenser further includes separate wells for collecting condensate and cooling liquid from each of the vapor flow chambers. In alternate embodiments, the condenser includes a cross-current flow chamber and an upward flow chamber, a plurality of upward flow chambers, or a single upward flow chamber. The method of use of the direct contact condenser of this invention includes passing a vapor stream sequentially through the downward and upward vapor flow chambers, where the vapor is condensed as a result of heat exchange with the cooling liquid in the contact medium. The concentration of noncondensable gases in the resulting condensate-liquid mixtures can be minimized by controlling the partial pressure of the vapor, which depends in part upon the geometry of the vapor-liquid contact medium. In another aspect of this invention, the physical and chemical performance of a direct contact condenser can be predicted based on the vapor and coolant compositions, the condensation conditions. and the geometric properties of the contact medium.

Thermal degradation of ohmic contacts on semipolar (11-22) GaN films grown on m-plane (1-100) sapphire substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Doo Soo; Kim, Deuk Young; Seo, Yong Gon; Kim, Ji Hoon; Hwang, Sung Min; Baik, Kwang Hyeon

2012-01-01

Semipolar (11-22) GaN films were grown on m-plane (1-100) sapphire substrates by using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The line widths of the omega rocking curves of the semipolar GaN films were 498 arcsec along the [11-23] GaN direction and 908 arcsec along the [10-10] GaN direction. The properties of the Ti/Al/Ni/Au metal contact were investigated using transmission-line-method patterns oriented in both the [11-23] GaN and the [10-10] GaN directions of semipolar (11-22) GaN. The minimum specific contact resistance of ∼3.6 x 10 -4 Ω·cm -2 was obtained on as-deposited metal contacts. The Ohmic contact properties of semipolar (11-22) GaN became degraded with increasing annealing temperature above 400 .deg. C. The thermal degradation of the metal contacts may be attributed to the surface property of N-polarity on the semipolar (11-22) GaN films. Also, the semipolar (11-22) GaN films did not show clear anisotropic behavior of the electrical properties for different azimuthal angles.

High thermally stable Ni /Ag(Al) alloy contacts on p-GaN

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, C. H.; Lin, C. L.; Chuang, Y. C.; Bor, H. Y.; Liu, C. Y.

2007-01-01

Ag agglomeration was found to occur at Ni /Ag to p-GaN contacts after annealing at 500°C. This Ag agglomeration led to the poor thermal stability showed by the Ni /Ag contacts in relation to the reflectivity and electrical properties. However, after alloying with 10at.% Al by e-gun deposition, the Ni /Ag(Al) p-GaN contacts were found to effectively retard Ag agglomeration thereby greatly enhancing the thermal stability. Based on the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, the authors believe that the key for the retardation of Ag agglomeration was the formation of ternary Al-Ni-O layer at p-GaN interface.

Electro-thermal analysis of contact resistance

Science.gov (United States)

Pandey, Nitin; Jain, Ishant; Reddy, Sudhakar; Gulhane, Nitin P.

2018-05-01

Electro-Mechanical characterization over copper samples are performed at the macroscopic level to understand the dependence of electrical contact resistance and temperature on surface roughness and contact pressure. For two different surface roughness levels of samples, six levels of load are selected and varied to capture the bulk temperature rise and electrical contact resistance. Accordingly, the copper samples are modelled and analysed using COMSOLTM as a simulation package and the results are validated by the experiments. The interface temperature during simulation is obtained using Mikic-Elastic correlation and by directly entering experimental contact resistance value. The load values are varied and then reversed in a similar fashion to capture the hysteresis losses. The governing equations & assumptions underlying these models and their significance are examined & possible justification for the observed variations are discussed. Equivalent Greenwood model is also predicted by mapping the results of the experiment.

Investigation of a ceramic vane with a metal disk thermal and mechanical contact in a gas turbine impeller

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Resnick S.V.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Promising directions of a new generation gas turbine engines development include using in gas turbines ceramic materials blades with high strength, thermal and chemical stability. One of the serious problems in developing such motors is insufficient knowledge of contact phenomena occurring in ceramic and metal details connection nodes. This work presents the numerical modeling results of thermal processes on ceramic and metal details rough boundaries. The investigation results are used in conducting experimental researches in conditions reproducing operating.

Direct thermal dyes

Science.gov (United States)

Ehlinger, Edward

1990-07-01

Direct thermal dyes are members of a class of compounds referred to in the imaging industry as color formers or leuco dyes. The oldest members of that class have simple triarylmethane structures, and have been employed for years in various dyeing applications. More complex triarylmethane compounds, such as phthalides and fluorans, are now used in various imaging systems to produce color. Color is derived from all of these compounds via the same mechanism, on a molecular level. That is, an event of activation produces a highly resonating cationic system whose interaction with incident light produces reflected light of a specific color. The activation event in the case of a direct thermal system is the creation of a melt on the paper involving dye and an acidic developer. The three major performance parameters in a thermal system are background color, image density, and image stability. The three major dye physical parameters affecting thermal performance are chemical constituency, purity, and particle size. Those dyes having the best combination of characteristics which can also be manufactured economically dominate the marketplace. Manufacturing high performance dyes for the thermal market involves multi-step, convergent reaction sequences performed on large scale. Intermediates must be manufactured at the right time, and at the right quality to be useful.

Direct measurement of graphene contact resistivity to pre-deposited metal in buried contact test structure

KAUST Repository

Qaisi, Ramy M.; Smith, Casey; Ghoneim, Mohamed T.; Yu, Qingkai; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2013-01-01

We demonstrate a buried contact based novel test structure for direct contact resistivity measurement of graphene-metal interfaces. We also observe excellent contact resistivity 1 μO-cm2 without any additional surface modification suggesting that the intrinsic Au-graphene contact is sufficient for achieving devices with low contact resistance. The chemical mechanical polishing less test structure and data described herein highlights an ideal methodology for systematic screening and engineering of graphene-metal contact resistivity to enable low power high speed carbon electronics. © 2013 IEEE.

Direct measurement of graphene contact resistivity to pre-deposited metal in buried contact test structure

KAUST Repository

Qaisi, Ramy M.

2013-08-01

We demonstrate a buried contact based novel test structure for direct contact resistivity measurement of graphene-metal interfaces. We also observe excellent contact resistivity 1 μO-cm2 without any additional surface modification suggesting that the intrinsic Au-graphene contact is sufficient for achieving devices with low contact resistance. The chemical mechanical polishing less test structure and data described herein highlights an ideal methodology for systematic screening and engineering of graphene-metal contact resistivity to enable low power high speed carbon electronics. © 2013 IEEE.

Thermal resistance of indium coated sapphire–copper contacts below 0.1K

CERN Document Server

Eisel, T; Koettig, T

2014-01-01

High thermal resistances exist at ultra-low temperatures for solid-solid interfaces. This is especially true for pressed metal-sapphire joints, where the heat is transferred by phonons only. For such pressed joints it is difficult to achieve good physical, i.e. thermal contacts due to surface irregularities in the microscopic or larger scale. Applying ductile indium as an intermediate layer reduces the thermal resistance of such contacts. This could be proven by measurements of several researchers. However, the majority of the measurements were performed at temperatures higher than 1 K. Consequently, it is difficult to predict the thermal resistance of pressed metal-sapphire joints at temperatures below 1 K. In this paper the thermal resistances across four different copper-sapphire-copper sandwiches are presented in a temperature range between 30 mK and 100 mK. The investigated sandwiches feature either rough or polished sapphire discs (empty set 20 mm x 1.5 mm) to investigate the phonon scattering at the bo...

Renewable water: Direct contact membrane distillation coupled with solar ponds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2015-01-01

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

Structural evolution of tunneling oxide passivating contact upon thermal annealing.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Sungjin; Min, Kwan Hong; Jeong, Myeong Sang; Lee, Jeong In; Kang, Min Gu; Song, Hee-Eun; Kang, Yoonmook; Lee, Hae-Seok; Kim, Donghwan; Kim, Ka-Hyun

2017-10-16

We report on the structural evolution of tunneling oxide passivating contact (TOPCon) for high efficient solar cells upon thermal annealing. The evolution of doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) into polycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si) by thermal annealing was accompanied with significant structural changes. Annealing at 600 °C for one minute introduced an increase in the implied open circuit voltage (V oc ) due to the hydrogen motion, but the implied V oc decreased again at 600 °C for five minutes. At annealing temperature above 800 °C, a-Si:H crystallized and formed poly-Si and thickness of tunneling oxide slightly decreased. The thickness of the interface tunneling oxide gradually decreased and the pinholes are formed through the tunneling oxide at a higher annealing temperature up to 1000 °C, which introduced the deteriorated carrier selectivity of the TOPCon structure. Our results indicate a correlation between the structural evolution of the TOPCon passivating contact and its passivation property at different stages of structural transition from the a-Si:H to the poly-Si as well as changes in the thickness profile of the tunneling oxide upon thermal annealing. Our result suggests that there is an optimum thickness of the tunneling oxide for passivating electron contact, in a range between 1.2 to 1.5 nm.

Experimental and numerical investigations on the direct contact condensation phenomenon in horizontal flow channels and its implications in nuclear safety

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ceuca, Sabin Cristian [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH, Garching (Germany); Laurinavicius, Darius [Lithuanian Energy Institute, Kaunas (Lithuania)

2016-11-15

The complex direct contact condensation phenomenon is investigated in horizontal flow channels both experimentally and numerically with special emphasis on its implications on safety assessment studies. Under certain conditions direct contact condensation can act as the driving force for the water hammer phenomenon with potentially local devastating results, thus posing a threat to the integrity of the affected NPP components. New experimental results of in-depth analysis of the direct contact condensation phenomena obtained in Kaunas at the Lithuanian Energy Institute will be presented. The German system code ATHLET employing for the calculation of the heat transfer coefficient a mechanistic model accounting for two different eddy length scales, combined with the interfacial area transport equation will be assessed against condensation induced water hammer experimental data from the integral thermal-hydraulic experimental facility PMK-2, located at the KFKI Atomic Energy Research Institute in Budapest Hungary.

Thermal stability of Ni/Ti/Al ohmic contacts to p-type 4H-SiC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Hailong; Shen, Huajun, E-mail: shenhuajun@ime.ac.cn; Tang, Yidan; Bai, Yun; Liu, Xinyu [Microwave Device and IC Department, Institute of Microelectronics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029 (China); Zhang, Xufang [School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Wu, Yudong; Liu, Kean [Zhuzhou CSR Times Electric Co., Ltd, ZhuZhou 412001 (China)

2015-01-14

Low resistivity Ni/Ti/Al ohmic contacts on p-type 4H-SiC epilayer were developed, and their thermal stabilities were also experimentally investigated through high temperature storage at 600 °C for 100 h. The contact resistance of the Al/Ti/Ni/SiC contacts degraded in different degrees, and the contact morphology deteriorated with the increases of the average surface roughness and interface voids. X-ray spectra showed that Ni{sub 2}Si and Ti{sub 3}SiC{sub 2}, which were formed during ohmic contact annealing and contributed to low contact resistivity, were stable under high temperature storage. The existence of the TiAl{sub 3} and NiAl{sub 3} intermetallic phases was helpful to prevent Al agglomeration on the interface and make the contacts thermally stable. Auger electron spectroscopy indicated that the incorporation of oxygen at the surface and interface led to the oxidation of Al or Ti resulting in increased contact resistance. Also, the formation of these oxides roughened the surface and interface. The temperature-dependence of the specific contact resistance indicated that a thermionic field emission mechanism dominates the current transport for contacts before and after the thermal treatment. It suggests that the Ni/Ti/Al composite ohmic contacts are promising for SiC devices to be used in high temperature applications.

A review of micro-contact physics, materials, and failure mechanisms in direct-contact RF MEMS switches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basu, A; Adams, G G; McGruer, N E

2016-01-01

Direct contact, ohmic MEMS switches for RF applications have several advantages over other conventional switching devices. Advantages include lower insertion loss, higher isolation, and better switching figure-of-merit (cut-off frequency). The most important aspect of a direct-contact RF MEMS switch is the metal microcontact which can dictate the lifetime and reliability of the switch. Therefore, an understanding of contact reliability is essential for developing robust MEMS switches. This paper discusses and reviews the most important work done over the past couple of decades toward understanding ohmic micro-contacts. We initially discuss the contact mechanics and multi-physics models for studying Hertzian and multi-asperity contacts. We follow this with a discussion on models and experiments for studying adhesion. We then discuss experimental setups and the development of contact test stations by various groups for accelerated testing of microcontacts, as well as for analysis of contact reliability issues. Subsequently, we analyze a number of material transfer mechanisms in microcontacts under hot and cold switching conditions. We finally review the material properties that can help determine the selection of contact materials. A trade-off between contact resistance and high reliability is almost always necessary during selection of contact material; this paper discusses how the choice of materials can help address such trade-offs. (paper)

Effect of Length, Diameter, Chirality, Deformation, and Strain on Contact Thermal Conductance between Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Varshney, Vikas; Lee, Jonghoon; Brown, Joshua S.; Farmer, Barry L.; Voevodin, Andrey A.; Roy, Ajit K.

2018-04-01

Thermal energy transfer across physically interacting single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) interconnects has been investigated using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. The role of various geometrical and structural (length, diameter, chirality) as well as external (deformation and strain) carbon nanotube (CNT) parameters has been explored to estimate total as well as area-normalized thermal conductance across cross-contact interconnects. It is shown that the CNT aspect ratio and degree of lateral as well as tensile deformation play a significant role in determining the extent of thermal energy exchange across CNT contacts, while CNT chirality has a negligible influence on thermal transport. Depending on the CNT diameter, aspect ratio, and degree of deformation at the contact interface, the thermal conductance values can vary significantly –by more than an order of magnitude for total conductance and a factor of 3 to 4 for area-normalized conductance. The observed trends are discussed from the perspective of modulation in number of low frequency out-of-plane (transverse, flexural, and radial) phonons that transmit thermal energy across the contact and govern the conductance across the interface. The established general dependencies for phonon governed thermal transport at CNT contacts are anticipated to help design and performance prediction of CNT-based flexible nanoelectronic devices, where CNT-CNT contact deformation and strain are routinely encountered during device operations.

An Experimental Study on Heat Conduction and Thermal Contact Resistance for the AlN Flake

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huann-Ming Chou

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The electrical technology has been a fast development over the past decades. Moreover, the tendency of microelements and dense division multiplex is significantly for the electrical industries. Therefore, the high thermal conductible and electrical insulating device will be popular and important. It is well known that AlN still maintains stablility in the high temperature. This is quite attractive for the research and development department. Moreover, the thermal conduct coefficient of AlN is several times larger than the others. Therefore, it has been thought to play an important role for the radiator of heat source in the future. Therefore, this paper is focused on the studies of heat conduction and thermal contact resistance between the AlN flake and the copper specimens. The heating temperatures and the contact pressures were selected as the experimental parameters. According to the experimental results, the materials are soft and the real contact areas between the interfaces significantly increase under higher temperatures. As a result, the thermal contact resistance significantly decreases and the heat transfer rate increases with increasing the heating temperature or the contact pressures.

Non-Contact Thermal Properties Measurement with Low-Power Laser and IR Camera System

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, Troy L.; Hecht, Michael H.

2011-01-01

As shown by the Phoenix Mars Lander's Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe (TECP), contact measurements of thermal conductivity and diffusivity (using a modified flux-plate or line-source heat-pulse method) are constrained by a number of factors. Robotic resources must be used to place the probe, making them unavailable for other operations for the duration of the measurement. The range of placement is also limited by mobility, particularly in the case of a lander. Placement is also subject to irregularities in contact quality, resulting in non-repeatable heat transfer to the material under test. Most important from a scientific perspective, the varieties of materials which can be measured are limited to unconsolidated or weakly-cohesive regolith materials, rocks, and ices being too hard for nominal insertion strengths. Accurately measuring thermal properties in the laboratory requires significant experimental finesse, involving sample preparation, controlled and repeatable procedures, and, practically, instrumentation much more voluminous than the sample being tested (heater plates, insulation, temperature sensors). Remote measurements (infrared images from orbiting spacecraft) can reveal composite properties like thermal inertia, but suffer both from a large footprint (low spatial resolution) and convolution of the thermal properties of a potentially layered medium. In situ measurement techniques (the Phoenix TECP is the only robotic measurement of thermal properties to date) suffer from problems of placement range, placement quality, occupation of robotic resources, and the ability to only measure materials of low mechanical strength. A spacecraft needs the ability to perform a non-contact thermal properties measurement in situ. Essential components include low power consumption, leveraging of existing or highly-developed flight technologies, and mechanical simplicity. This new in situ method, by virtue of its being non-contact, bypasses all of these

Lighting system with thermal management system having point contact synthetic jets

Science.gov (United States)

Arik, Mehmet; Weaver, Stanton Earl; Kuenzler, Glenn Howard; Wolfe, Jr., Charles Franklin; Sharma, Rajdeep

2013-12-10

Lighting system having unique configurations are provided. For instance, the lighting system may include a light source, a thermal management system and driver electronics, each contained within a housing structure. The light source is configured to provide illumination visible through an opening in the housing structure. The thermal management system includes a plurality of synthetic jets. The synthetic jets are arranged within the lighting system such that they are secured at contact points.

Effects of service condition on rolling contact fatigue failure mechanism and lifetime of thermal spray coatings—A review

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Huawei; Cui, Xiufang; Wang, Haidou; Xing, Zhiguo; Jin, Guo

2015-01-01

The service condition determines the Rolling Contact Fatigue(RCF) failure mechanism and lifetime under ascertain material structure integrity parameter of thermal spray coating. The available literature on the RCF testing of thermal spray coatings under various condition services is considerable; it is generally difficult to synthesize all of the result to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the parameters which has a great effect on a thermal spray coating's resistance of RCF. The effects of service conditions(lubrication states, contact stresses, revolve speed, and slip ratio) on the changing of thermal spray coatings' contact fatigue lifetime is introduced systematically. The effects of different service condition on RCF failure mechanism of thermal spray coating from the change of material structure integrity are also summarized. Moreover, In order to enhance the RCF performance, the parameter optimal design formula of service condition and material structure integrity is proposed based on the effect of service condition on thermal spray coatings' contact fatigue lifetime and RCF failure mechanism. The shortage of available literature and the forecast focus in future researches are discussed based on available research. The explicit result of RCF lifetime law and parameter optimal design formula in term of lubrication states, contact stresses, revolve speed, and slip ratio, is significant to improve the RCF performance on the engineering application.

Sibling Relation, Ethnic Prejudice, Direct and Indirect Contact: There is a Connection?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Alfieri

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The literature on the socialisation of prejudice has concentrated on “vertical” processes (from parents to children, ignoring siblings’ contribution. This work aims to investigate the effect of contact (direct or indirect with the outgroup that young people experience a directly or b indirectly through older or younger siblings’ friendships. Our hypotheses are a that young people with friends in the outgroup will report lower prejudice levels (direct contact, as will young people who have older or younger siblings with friends in the outgroup (indirect contact; b that other forms of contact such as having classmates/coworkers, neighbours, or employees are not effective in reducing either direct or indirect prejudice. 88 sibling dyads were administered the blatant and subtle prejudice questionnaire (Pettigrew & Meertens, 1995 and some ad hoc items aimed at investigating the typology of the contact experienced. The analysis of mixed ANOVA reveals that the first hypothesis was partially confirmed in that prejudice (subtle for the younger sibling and blatant for the older one decreases in a statistically significant way only when there is the co-presence of direct and indirect contact. The second hypothesis is fully confirmed as no statistically significant differences emerged between the groups.

Sibling Relation, Ethnic Prejudice, Direct and Indirect Contact: There is a Connection?

Science.gov (United States)

Alfieri, Sara; Marta, Elena

2015-01-01

The literature on the socialisation of prejudice has concentrated on “vertical” processes (from parents to children), ignoring siblings’ contribution. This work aims to investigate the effect of contact (direct or indirect) with the outgroup that young people experience a) directly or b) indirectly through older or younger siblings’ friendships. Our hypotheses are a) that young people with friends in the outgroup will report lower prejudice levels (direct contact), as will young people who have older or younger siblings with friends in the outgroup (indirect contact); b) that other forms of contact such as having classmates/coworkers, neighbours, or employees are not effective in reducing either direct or indirect prejudice. 88 sibling dyads were administered the blatant and subtle prejudice questionnaire (Pettigrew & Meertens, 1995) and some ad hoc items aimed at investigating the typology of the contact experienced. The analysis of mixed ANOVA reveals that the first hypothesis was partially confirmed in that prejudice (subtle for the younger sibling and blatant for the older one) decreases in a statistically significant way only when there is the co-presence of direct and indirect contact. The second hypothesis is fully confirmed as no statistically significant differences emerged between the groups. PMID:27247684

Phonon Transport through Nanoscale Contact in Tip-Based Thermal Analysis of Nanomaterials.

Science.gov (United States)

Dulhani, Jay; Lee, Bong Jae

2017-07-28

Nanomaterials have been actively employed in various applications for energy and sustainability, such as biosensing, gas sensing, solar thermal energy conversion, passive radiative cooling, etc. Understanding thermal transports inside such nanomaterials is crucial for optimizing their performance for different applications. In order to probe the thermal transport inside nanomaterials or nanostructures, tip-based nanoscale thermometry has often been employed. It has been well known that phonon transport in nanometer scale is fundamentally different from that occurred in macroscale. Therefore, Fourier's law that relies on the diffusion approximation is not ideally suitable for describing the phonon transport occurred in nanostructures and/or through nanoscale contact. In the present study, the gray Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) is numerically solved using finite volume method. Based on the gray BTE, phonon transport through the constriction formed by a probe itself as well as the nanoscale contact between the probe tip and the specimen is investigated. The interaction of a probe and a specimen (i.e., treated as a substrate) is explored qualitatively by analyzing the temperature variation in the tip-substrate configuration. Besides, each contribution of a probe tip, tip-substrate interface, and a substrate to the thermal resistance are analyzed for wide ranges of the constriction ratio of the probe.

Evidence for transmission of bluetongue virus serotype 26 through direct contact.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carrie Batten

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to assess the mechanisms of transmission of bluetongue virus serotype 26 (BTV-26 in goats. A previous study, which investigated the pathogenicity and infection kinetics of BTV-26 in goats, unexpectedly revealed that one control goat may have been infected through a direct contact transmission route. To investigate the transmission mechanisms of BTV-26 in more detail an experimental infection study was carried out in which three goats were infected with BTV-26, three goats were kept uninfected, but were housed in direct contact with the infected goats, and an additional four goats were kept in indirect contact separated from infected goats by metal gates. This barrier allowed the goats to have occasional face-to-face contact in the same airspace, but feeding, watering, sampling and environmental cleaning was carried out separately. The three experimentally infected goats did not show clinical signs of BTV, however high levels of viral RNA were detected and virus was isolated from their blood. At 21 dpi viral RNA was detected in, and virus was isolated from the blood of the three direct contact goats, which also seroconverted. The four indirect barrier contact goats remained uninfected throughout the duration of the experiment. In order to assess replication in a laboratory model species of Culicoides biting midge, more than 300 Culicoides sonorensis were fed a BTV-26 spiked blood meal and incubated for 7 days. The dissemination of BTV-26 in individual C. sonorensis was inferred from the quantity of virus RNA and indicated that none of the insects processed at day 7 possessed transmissible infections. This study shows that BTV-26 is easily transmitted through direct contact transmission between goats, and the strain does not seem to replicate in C. sonorensis midges using standard incubation conditions.

CFD investigation of thermal-hydraulic characteristics in a PBR core using different contact treatments between pebbles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferng, Y.M.; Lin, K.Y.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • It is important to study thermal-hydraulic characteristics in a PBR for a HTGR. • A CFD model is proposed to simulate flow and heat transfer in a segment of pebbles. • Area and point contact treatments for adjacent pebbles are adopted in this study. • Predicted dependences of Nu and friction factor agree with the correlations. - Abstract: A high temperature gas cooled reactor (HTGR) with a pebble bed core (PBR) can be considered as one of the possible energy generation sources in the incoming future due to its inherently safe performance, lower power density, and higher conversion efficiency, etc. It is important to study the thermal-hydraulic characteristics in a PBR for optimum design and safe operation of a HTGR. In this paper, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology is proposed to investigate the thermal-hydraulic behavior in a segment of pebbles representing the central region of a PBR. Two kinds of contact modeling between adjacent pebbles are adopted, namely area and point contact treatments. The former contact treatment is a geometric approximation modeling. Based on the comparisons of thermal-hydraulic characteristics in the pebbles predicted by both contact treatments, no significant difference is revealed except for the near-wall secondary flow pattern. In addition, compared with the calculated results from the well-known correlations, the present predicted dependence of Nu number and friction factor on the particle Reynolds number shows good agreement qualitatively and quantitatively

Effect of thermal contact resistances on fast charging of large format lithium ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ye, Yonghuang; Saw, Lip Huat; Shi, Yixiang; Somasundaram, Karthik; Tay, Andrew A.O.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The effect of thermal contact resistance on thermal performance of large format lithium ion batteries. • The effect of temperature gradient on electrochemical performance of large format batteries during fast charging. • The thermal performance of lithium ion battery utilizing pulse charging protocol. • Suggestions on battery geometry design optimization to improve thermal performance. - Abstract: A two dimensional electrochemical thermal model is developed on the cross-plane of a laminate stack plate pouch lithium ion battery to study the thermal performance of large format batteries. The effect of thermal contact resistance is taken into consideration, and is found to greatly increase the maximum temperature and temperature gradient of the battery. The resulting large temperature gradient would induce in-cell non-uniformity of charging-discharging current and state of health. Simply increasing the cooling intensity is inadequate to reduce the maximum temperature and narrow down the temperature difference due to the poor cross-plane thermal conductivity. Pulse charging protocol does not help to mitigate the temperature difference on the bias of same total charging time, because of larger time-averaged heat generation rate than constant current charging. Suggestions on battery geometry optimizations for both prismatic/pouch battery and cylindrical battery are proposed to reduce the maximum temperature and mitigate the temperature gradient within the lithium ion battery

Contact with turf algae alters the coral microbiome: contact versus systemic impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Pratte, Zoe A.; Longo, Guilherme O.; Burns, Andrew S.; Hay, Mark E.; Stewart, Frank J.

2018-03-01

Coral reefs are degrading to algae-dominated reefs worldwide, with alterations of coral microbiomes commonly co-occurring with reef demise. The severe thermal anomaly during the 2016 El Niño event in the South Pacific killed many corals and stressed others. We examined the microbiome of turf algae and of the coral Porites sp. in contact with turf during this thermal event to investigate algal turf effects on the coral microbiome during a period of environmental stress. The microbial composition of turf did not differ between coral-contacted and non-contacted turfs. However, microbiomes of corals in direct contact with turf were similar to those of the turf microbiome, but differed significantly from coral portions 5 cm from the point of turf/coral contact and from portions of the coral that looked most healthy, regardless of location. Although the majority of significant differences occurred in coral samples at the point of contact, a small subset of microbial taxa was enriched in coral tissues taken 5 cm from turf contact compared to all other sample types, including samples from areas of the coral that appeared most healthy. These results suggest that the coral microbiome is susceptible to colonization by microbes from turf, but not vice versa. Results also suggest that algal contact elicits a subtle shift in the coral microbiome just beyond the contact site. The combination of turf microbiome stability and coral microbiome vulnerability at areas of contact may contribute to the continued decline in coral cover and increase in algal cover associated with coral-algae phase shifts.

Feasibility study on applicability of direct contact heat transfer SGs or FBRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinoshita, Izumi; Nishi, Yoshihisa; Furuya, Masahiro

1997-01-01

As a candidate of an innovative steam generator for fast breeder reactors, heat exchanger with direct contact heat transfer between melting alloy and water was proposed. The objectives of this study are to obtain the technical feasibility of this concept, to evaluate the heat transfer characteristics of direct contact heat transfer and to estimate the size and volume of this SG. Followings are main results. (1) In the case of sodium tube failure, it is considered that steam and water will not enter into the primary sodium under appropriate countermeasures. (2) Under the condition of temperature and pressure of SG for FBRs, the phenomenon such as vapor explosion is not take place in this SG concept. (3) as a result of material compatibility test and analysis, it is considered that 9Cr-1Mo steel and 21/4cr-1Mo steel will be a candidate structural material. (4) It is considered that the production of oxides by the chemical reaction between melting alloy and water is mitigated by dissolving hydrogen gas in feed water. (5) The fundamental direct contact heat transfer characteristics between a melting alloy and water is obtained in following two regions. One is the evaporating region and the other is the superheating region. The effect of the system pressure on the heat transfer characteristics and the required degree of superheat of a melting alloy above the water saturation temperature are evaluated during direct contact heat transfer experiments by injecting water into a high temperature melting alloy. (6) Due to the high heat transfer performance of direct contact heat transfer, it is found that compact steam generation section will be expected. However, because of the characteristics of direct contact heat exchanger, achievement of high efficiency was difficult. In order to make a good use of this SG concept, improvement of efficiency is necessary. (author)

Direct measurement of friction of a fluctuating contact line.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Shuo; Gao, Min; Xiong, Xiaomin; Wang, Yong Jian; Wang, Xiaoping; Sheng, Ping; Tong, Penger

2013-07-12

We report a direct measurement of the friction coefficient of a fluctuating (and slipping) contact line using a thin vertical glass fiber of diameter d with one end glued onto a cantilever beam and the other end touching a liquid-air interface. By measuring the broadening of the resonant peak of the cantilever system with varying liquid viscosity η, we find the friction coefficient of the contact line has a universal form, ξ(c)≃0.8πdη, independent of the liquid-solid contact angle. The obtained scaling law is further supported by the numerical simulation based on the phase field model under the generalized Navier boundary conditions.

Simulation of thermal stresses in anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell stacks. Part II: Loss of gas-tightness, electrical contact and thermal buckling

Science.gov (United States)

Nakajo, Arata; Wuillemin, Zacharie; Van herle, Jan; Favrat, Daniel

Structural stability issues in planar solid oxide fuel cells arise from the mismatch between the coefficients of thermal expansion of the components. The stress state at operating temperature is the superposition of several contributions, which differ depending on the component. First, the cells accumulate residual stresses due to the sintering phase during the manufacturing process. Further, the load applied during assembly of the stack to ensure electric contact and flatten the cells prevents a completely stress-free expansion of each component during the heat-up. Finally, thermal gradients cause additional stresses in operation. The temperature profile generated by a thermo-electrochemical model implemented in an equation-oriented process modelling tool (gPROMS) was imported into finite-element software (ABAQUS) to calculate the distribution of stress and contact pressure on all components of a standard solid oxide fuel cell repeat unit. The different layers of the cell in exception of the cathode, i.e. anode, electrolyte and compensating layer were considered in the analysis to account for the cell curvature. Both steady-state and dynamic simulations were performed, with an emphasis on the cycling of the electrical load. The study includes two different types of cell, operation under both thermal partial oxidation and internal steam-methane reforming and two different initial thicknesses of the air and fuel compressive sealing gaskets. The results generated by the models are presented in two papers: Part I focuses on cell cracking. In the present paper, Part II, the occurrences of loss of gas-tightness in the compressive gaskets and/or electrical contact in the gas diffusion layer were identified. In addition, the dependence on temperature of both coefficients of thermal expansion and Young's modulus of the metallic interconnect (MIC) were implemented in the finite-element model to compute the plastic deformation, while the possibilities of thermal buckling

Water hammers in direct contact heater systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uffer, R.

1983-01-01

This paper discusses the causes and mitigation or prevention of water hammers occurring in direct contact heaters and their attached lines. These water hammers are generally caused by rapid pressure reductions in the heaters or by water lines not flowing full. Proper design and operating measures can prevent or mitigate water hammer occurrence. Water hammers often do not originate at the areas where damage is noted

Direct contact condensation in packed beds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Yi; Klausner, James F.; Mei, Renwei; Knight, Jessica [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States)

2006-12-15

A diffusion driven desalination process was recently described where a very effective direct contact condenser with a packed bed is used to condense water vapor out of an air/vapor mixture. A laboratory scale direct contact condenser has been fabricated as a twin tower structure with two stages, co-current and countercurrent. Experiments have been operated in each stage with respective saturated air inlet temperatures of 36, 40 and 43{sup o}C. The temperature and humidity data have been collected at the inlet and exit of the packed bed for different water to air mass flow ratios that vary between 0 and 2.5. A one-dimensional model based on conservation principles has been developed, which predicts the variation of temperature, humidity, and condensation rate through the condenser stages. Agreement between the model and experiments is very good. It is observed that the countercurrent flow stage condensation effectiveness is significantly higher than that for the co-current stage. The condensation heat and mass transfer rates were found to decrease when water blockages occur within the packed bed. Using high-speed digital cinematography, it was observed that this problem can occur at any operating condition, and is dependent on the packing surface wetting characteristics. This observation is used to explain the requirement for two different empirical constants, depending on packing diameter, suggested by Onda for the air side mass transfer coefficient correlation. (author)

Evaluating the impact of direct and indirect contact on the mental health stigma of pharmacy students.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Elizabeth; Chen, Timothy F; O'Reilly, Claire L

2012-07-01

Contact with mental health consumers has shown to be a promising strategy to address mental health stigma, particularly in the context of pharmacy education. This research aimed to compare the effectiveness of a direct (face-to-face) contact intervention with an indirect (film based) contact intervention in reducing the mental health stigma of pharmacy students. A two-group, non-randomized, comparative study was conducted with third year pharmacy students (n = 198) allocated to the direct contact arm and fourth year pharmacy students (n = 278) allocated to the indirect contact arm. Baseline and immediate post-intervention data were collected using a validated 39 item survey instrument to assess the impact of the interventions on mental health stigma as well as attitudes towards providing mental health pharmaceutical services. Participants in the direct contact group showed a significant improvement in 37 out of 39 survey items and participants in the indirect contact group showed a significant improvement in 27 out of 39 items (P direct contact had a stronger impact than indirect contact for 22 items (P interventions was equivalent. Both indirect and direct contact may positively impact mental health stigma. While the strength of the stigma-change process may be heightened by face-to-face interactions, the largely positive impact of indirect contact suggests that stigma reduction may depend less on the medium of contact but more on the transcendent messages contributed by the consumers facilitating the contact experience.

The Potential Role of Direct and Indirect Contacts on Infection Spread in Dairy Farm Networks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gianluigi Rossi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Animals' exchanges are considered the most effective route of between-farm infectious disease transmission. However, despite being often overlooked, the infection spread due to contaminated equipment, vehicles, or personnel proved to be important for several livestock epidemics. This study investigated the role of indirect contacts in a potential infection spread in the dairy farm network of the Province of Parma (Northern Italy. We built between-farm contact networks using data on cattle exchange (direct contacts, and on-farm visits by veterinarians (indirect contacts. We compared the features of the contact structures by using measures on static and temporal networks. We assessed the disease spreading potential of the direct and indirect network structures in the farm system by using data on the infection state of farms by paratuberculosis. Direct and indirect networks showed non-trivial differences with respect to connectivity, contact distribution, and super-spreaders identification. Furthermore, our analyses on paratuberculosis data suggested that the contributions of direct and indirect contacts on diseases spread are apparent at different spatial scales. Our results highlighted the potential role of indirect contacts in between-farm disease spread and underlined the need for a deeper understanding of these contacts to develop better strategies for prevention of livestock epidemics.

Experimental determination of the thermal contact conductance between two solid surfaces by the energy pulse technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubin, Gerson Antonio

1979-01-01

An experimental procedure for the determination of the thermal contact conductance between two solid surfaces as a function of the contact pressure and the energy of the laser radiation has been developed using the laser pulse method. A rubi laser with variable energy levels was employed as a radiating pulse energy source. The laser beam was allowed to impinge perpendicularly on the front face of a electrolytic iron 73 4 . The temperature fluctuations resulting on the back surface of the sample was detected by a thermocouple, which Is coupled to a PDP-11/45 Computer 32 Kbytes of memory, through a Analog-Digital Converter. A theoretical function, derived exclusively for the problem mentioned in this work, was adjusted by a method of least square fitting of experimental results. This adjustment yielded the value of a parameter related to the contact conductance between two surfaces. The experimental error obtained for the thermal contact conductance was +- 4.9%. (author)

Investigations into the thermal non-equilibrium of W UMa-type contact binaries

Science.gov (United States)

Xiong, Xiao; Liu, Liang; Qian, Sheng-Bang

2018-05-01

Traditionally, some physical details (e.g., magnetic braking, energy transfer, angular momentum loss, etc.) have to be taken into consideration during investigations into the evolution of contact binaries. However, the real evolutionary processes which usually contain several of these physical mechanisms are very complicated as a result of strong interaction between components. To avoid dealing with these factors, a linear relationship is applied to the temperatures of components. It is found that the higher the mass ratio (M 2/M 1) of a contact system, the weaker the deviation from thermal equilibrium. On this basis, a variation trend of fill-out factor (f) changing with mass ratio can be inferred, which is consistent with observations. Moreover, if we stick to this point of view, it should be natural that the number of semi-detached binaries in the predicted broken-contact phase of relaxation oscillations is less than the number in the contact phase.

Field test of two high-pressure, direct-contact downhole steam generators. Volume I. Air/diesel system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marshall, B.W.

1983-05-01

As a part of the Project DEEP STEAM to develop technology to more efficiently utilize steam for the recovery of heavy oil from deep reservoirs, a field test of a downhole steam generator (DSG) was performed. The DSG burned No. 2 diesel fuel in air and was a direct-contact, high pressure device which mixed the steam with the combustion products and injected the resulting mixture directly into the oil reservoir. The objectives of the test program included demonstration of long-term operation of a DSG, development of operational methods, assessment of the effects of the steam/combustion gases on the reservoir and comparison of this air/diesel DSG with an adjacent oxygen/diesel direct contact generator. Downhole operation of the air/diesel DSG was started in June 1981 and was terminated in late February 1982. During this period two units were placed downhole with the first operating for about 20 days. It was removed, the support systems were slightly modified, and the second one was operated for 106 days. During this latter interval the generator operated for 70% of the time with surface air compressor problems the primary source of the down time. Thermal contact, as evidenced by a temperature increase in the production well casing gases, and an oil production increase were measured in one of the four wells in the air/diesel pattern. Reservoir scrubbing of carbon monoxide was observed, but no conclusive data on scrubbing of SO/sub x/ and NO/sub x/ were obtained. Corrosion of the DSG combustor walls and some other parts of the downhole package were noted. Metallurgical studies have been completed and recommendations made for other materials that are expected to better withstand the downhole combustion environment. 39 figures, 8 tables.

DURABILITY AND TRIBOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THERMALLY SPRAYED WC CERMET COATING IN LUBRICATED ROLLING WITH SLIDING CONTACT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Ali

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Durability and tribological properties of thermally sprayed WC-Cr-Ni cermet coating were investigated experimentally in lubricated rolling with sliding contact conditions. By means of the high energy type flame spraying (Hi-HVOF method, the coating was formed onto the axially ground and circumferentially ground roller specimens made of a thermally refined carbon steel. In the experiments, the WC cermet coated steel roller was mated with the carburized hardened steel roller without coating in line contact condition. The coated roller was mated with the smooth non-coated roller under a contact pressure of 1.0 or 1.2 GPa, and it was mated with the rough non-coated roller under a contact pressure of 0.6 or 0.8 GPa. As a result, it was found that in general, the coating on the circumferentially ground substrate shows a lower durability compared with that on the axially ground substrate and this difference appears more distinctly for the higher contact pressure for both smooth mating surface and rough mating surface. It was also found that there are significant differences in the tribological properties of WC cermet coating depending on the contact pressure. In addition, depending on the smooth or rough mating surface, remarkable differences in the tribological properties were found.

Non-Contact Measurement of Thermal Diffusivity in Ion-Implanted Nuclear Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Hofmann, F.; Mason, D. R.; Eliason, J. K.; Maznev, A. A.; Nelson, K. A.; Dudarev, S. L.

2015-11-01

Knowledge of mechanical and physical property evolution due to irradiation damage is essential for the development of future fission and fusion reactors. Ion-irradiation provides an excellent proxy for studying irradiation damage, allowing high damage doses without sample activation. Limited ion-penetration-depth means that only few-micron-thick damaged layers are produced. Substantial effort has been devoted to probing the mechanical properties of these thin implanted layers. Yet, whilst key to reactor design, their thermal transport properties remain largely unexplored due to a lack of suitable measurement techniques. Here we demonstrate non-contact thermal diffusivity measurements in ion-implanted tungsten for nuclear fusion armour. Alloying with transmutation elements and the interaction of retained gas with implantation-induced defects both lead to dramatic reductions in thermal diffusivity. These changes are well captured by our modelling approaches. Our observations have important implications for the design of future fusion power plants.

Non-Contact Measurement of Thermal Diffusivity in Ion-Implanted Nuclear Materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofmann, F.; Mason, D. R.; Eliason, J. K.; Maznev, A. A.; Nelson, K. A.; Dudarev, S. L.

2015-01-01

Knowledge of mechanical and physical property evolution due to irradiation damage is essential for the development of future fission and fusion reactors. Ion-irradiation provides an excellent proxy for studying irradiation damage, allowing high damage doses without sample activation. Limited ion-penetration-depth means that only few-micron-thick damaged layers are produced. Substantial effort has been devoted to probing the mechanical properties of these thin implanted layers. Yet, whilst key to reactor design, their thermal transport properties remain largely unexplored due to a lack of suitable measurement techniques. Here we demonstrate non-contact thermal diffusivity measurements in ion-implanted tungsten for nuclear fusion armour. Alloying with transmutation elements and the interaction of retained gas with implantation-induced defects both lead to dramatic reductions in thermal diffusivity. These changes are well captured by our modelling approaches. Our observations have important implications for the design of future fusion power plants

Structural and Contact Analysis of a 3-Dimensional Disc-Pad Model with and without Thermal Effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Belhocine

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The motivation of this work is to identify thermal effects on the structural and contact behaviour of a disc-pad assembly using a finite element approach. The first analysis is performed on the disc-pad model without the presence of thermal properties. Structural performance of the disc-pad model such as deformation and Von Mises stress is predicted. Next, thermomechanical analysis is performed on the same disc-pad model with the inclusion of convection, adiabatic and heat flux elements. The prediction results of temperature distribution, deformation, stress and contact pressure are presented. Comparison of the structural performance between the two analyses (mechanical and thermomechanical is also made. From this study, it can assist brake engineers to choose a suitable analysis in order to critically evaluate structural and contact behaviour of the disc brake assembly.

37 CFR 10.33 - Direct contact with prospective clients.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 37 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Direct contact with prospective clients. 10.33 Section 10.33 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights UNITED STATES PATENT AND... clients. A practitioner may not solicit professional employment from a prospective client with whom the...

Plasmonic direct writing lithography with a macroscopical contact probe

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yuerong; Liu, Ling; Wang, Changtao; Chen, Weidong; Liu, Yunyue; Li, Ling

2018-05-01

In this work, we design a plasmonic direct writing lithography system with a macroscopical contact probe to achieve nanometer scale spots. The probe with bowtie-shaped aperture array adopts spring hinge and beam deflection method (BDM) to realize near-field lithography. Lithography results show that a macroscopical plasmonic contact probe can achieve a patterning resolution of around 75 nm at 365 nm wavelength, and demonstrate that the lithography system is promising for practical applications due to beyond the diffraction limit, low cost, and simplification of system configuration. CST calculations provide a guide for the design of recording structure and the arrangement of placing polarizer.

Analysis of direct contact membrane distillation based on a lumped-parameter dynamic predictive model

KAUST Repository

Karam, Ayman M.; Alsaadi, Ahmad Salem; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Laleg-Kirati, Taous-Meriem

2016-01-01

Membrane distillation (MD) is an emerging technology that has a great potential for sustainable water desalination. In order to pave the way for successful commercialization of MD-based water desalination techniques, adequate and accurate dynamical models of the process are essential. This paper presents the predictive capabilities of a lumped-parameter dynamic model for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) and discusses the results under wide range of steady-state and dynamic conditions. Unlike previous studies, the proposed model captures the time response of the spacial temperature distribution along the flow direction. It also directly solves for the local temperatures at the membrane interfaces, which allows to accurately model and calculate local flux values along with other intrinsic variables of great influence on the process, like the temperature polarization coefficient (TPC). The proposed model is based on energy and mass conservation principles and analogy between thermal and electrical systems. Experimental data was collected to validated the steady-state and dynamic responses of the model. The obtained results shows great agreement with the experimental data. The paper discusses the results of several simulations under various conditions to optimize the DCMD process efficiency and analyze its response. This demonstrates some potential applications of the proposed model to carry out scale up and design studies. © 2016

Analysis of direct contact membrane distillation based on a lumped-parameter dynamic predictive model

KAUST Repository

Karam, Ayman M.

2016-10-03

Membrane distillation (MD) is an emerging technology that has a great potential for sustainable water desalination. In order to pave the way for successful commercialization of MD-based water desalination techniques, adequate and accurate dynamical models of the process are essential. This paper presents the predictive capabilities of a lumped-parameter dynamic model for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) and discusses the results under wide range of steady-state and dynamic conditions. Unlike previous studies, the proposed model captures the time response of the spacial temperature distribution along the flow direction. It also directly solves for the local temperatures at the membrane interfaces, which allows to accurately model and calculate local flux values along with other intrinsic variables of great influence on the process, like the temperature polarization coefficient (TPC). The proposed model is based on energy and mass conservation principles and analogy between thermal and electrical systems. Experimental data was collected to validated the steady-state and dynamic responses of the model. The obtained results shows great agreement with the experimental data. The paper discusses the results of several simulations under various conditions to optimize the DCMD process efficiency and analyze its response. This demonstrates some potential applications of the proposed model to carry out scale up and design studies. © 2016

Binding Direction-Based Two-Dimensional Flattened Contact Area Computing Algorithm for Protein-Protein Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Beom Sik; Pugalendhi, GaneshKumar; Kim, Ku-Jin

2017-10-13

Interactions between protein molecules are essential for the assembly, function, and regulation of proteins. The contact region between two protein molecules in a protein complex is usually complementary in shape for both molecules and the area of the contact region can be used to estimate the binding strength between two molecules. Although the area is a value calculated from the three-dimensional surface, it cannot represent the three-dimensional shape of the surface. Therefore, we propose an original concept of two-dimensional contact area which provides further information such as the ruggedness of the contact region. We present a novel algorithm for calculating the binding direction between two molecules in a protein complex, and then suggest a method to compute the two-dimensional flattened area of the contact region between two molecules based on the binding direction.

Binding Direction-Based Two-Dimensional Flattened Contact Area Computing Algorithm for Protein–Protein Interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beom Sik Kang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Interactions between protein molecules are essential for the assembly, function, and regulation of proteins. The contact region between two protein molecules in a protein complex is usually complementary in shape for both molecules and the area of the contact region can be used to estimate the binding strength between two molecules. Although the area is a value calculated from the three-dimensional surface, it cannot represent the three-dimensional shape of the surface. Therefore, we propose an original concept of two-dimensional contact area which provides further information such as the ruggedness of the contact region. We present a novel algorithm for calculating the binding direction between two molecules in a protein complex, and then suggest a method to compute the two-dimensional flattened area of the contact region between two molecules based on the binding direction.

Explosive Evaporating Phenomena of Cryogenic Fluids by Direct Contacting Normal Temperature Fluids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T Watanabe

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Cryogenic fluids have characteristics such as thermal stratification and flashing by pressure release in storage vessel. The mixture of the extreme low temperature fluid and the normal temperature fluid becomes the cause which causes pressure vessel and piping system crush due to explosive boiling and rapid freezing. In recent years in Japan, the demand of cryogenic fluids like a LH2, LNG is increasing because of the advance of fuel cell device technology, hydrogen of engine, and stream of consciousness for environmental agreement. These fuel liquids are cryogenic fluids. On the other hand, as for fisheries as well, the use of a source of energy that environment load is small has been being a pressing need. And, the need of the ice is high, as before, for keeping freshness of marine products in fisheries. Therefore, we carried out the experiments related to promotion of evaporating cryogenic fluids and generation of ice, in the contact directly of the water and liquid nitrogen. From the results of visualization, phenomena of explosive evaporating and ice forming were observed by using video camera.

Comparison of four-probe thermal and thermoelectric transport measurements of thin films and nanostructures with microfabricated electro-thermal transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jaehyun; Fleming, Evan; Zhou, Yuanyuan; Shi, Li

2018-03-01

Two different four-probe thermal and thermoelectric measurement methods have been reported for measuring the thermal conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and electrical conductivity of suspended thin films and nanostructures with microfabricated electro-thermal transducers. The thermal contact resistance was extracted from the measured thermoelectric voltage drop at the contacts in the earlier four-probe method based on the assumption of constant thermal and thermoelectric properties along the sample. In comparison, the latter four-probe method can directly obtain the contact thermal resistance together with the intrinsic sample thermal resistance without making this assumption. Here, the measurement theory and data reduction processes of the latter four-probe measurement method are re-examined and improved. The measured thermal conductivity result of this improved method on representative thin film samples are found to agree with those obtained from the earlier four-probe method, which has obtained similar Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity as those measured with a different method for a supported thin film. The agreement provides further validation of the latest four-probe thermal transport measurement method of thin films and nanostructures.

Wettability Control of Gold Surfaces Modified with Benzenethiol Derivatives: Water Contact Angle and Thermal Stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Tatara, Shingo; Kuzumoto, Yasutaka; Kitamura, Masatoshi

2016-04-01

The water wettability of Au surfaces has been controlled using various benzenethiol derivatives including 4-methylbenzenethiol, pentafluorobenzenethiol, 4-flubrobenzenethiol, 4-methoxy-benzenethiol, 4-nitrobenzenethiol, and 4-hydroxybenzenethiol. The water contact angle of the Au surface modified with the benzenethiol derivative was found to vary in the wide range of 30.9° to 88.3°. The contact angle of the modified Au films annealed was also measured in order to investigate their thermal stability. The change in the contact angle indicated that the modified surface is stable at temperatures below about 400 K. Meanwhile, the activation energy of desorption from the modified surface was estimated from the change in the contact angle. The modified Au surface was also examined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Convective heat transfer measurements in a vapour-liquid-liquid three-phase direct contact heat exchanger

Science.gov (United States)

Mahood, Hameed B.; Campbell, A. N.; Baqir, Ali Sh.; Sharif, A. O.; Thorpe, R. B.

2017-12-01

Energy usage is increasing around the world due to the continued development of technology, and population growth. Solar energy is a promising low-grade energy resource that can be harvested and utilised in different applications, such solar heater systems, which are used in both domestic and industrial settings. However, the implementation of an efficient energy conversion system or heat exchanger would enhance such low-grade energy processes. The direct contact heat exchanger could be the right choice due to its ability to efficiently transfer significant amounts of heat, simple design, and low cost. In this work, the heat transfer associated with the direct contact condensation of pentane vapour bubbles in a three-phase direct contact condenser is investigated experimentally. Such a condenser could be used in a cycle with a solar water heater and heat recovery systems. The experiments on the steady state operation of the three-phase direct contact condenser were carried out using a short Perspex tube of 70 cm in total height and an internal diameter of 4 cm. Only a height of 48 cm was active as the direct contact condenser. Pentane vapour, (the dispersed phase) with three different initial temperatures (40° C, 43.5° C and 47.5° C) was directly contacted with water (the continuous phase) at 19° C. The experimental results showed that the total heat transfer rate per unit volume along the direct contact condenser gradually decreased upon moving higher up the condenser. Additionally, the heat transfer rate increases with increasing mass flow rate ratio, but no significant effect on the heat transfer rate of varying the initial temperature of the dispersed phase was seen. Furthermore, both the outlet temperature of the continuous phase and the void fraction were positively correlated with the total heat transfer rate per unit volume, with no considerable effect of the initial temperature difference between the dispersed and continuous phases.

Convective heat transfer measurements in a vapour-liquid-liquid three-phase direct contact heat exchanger

Science.gov (United States)

Mahood, Hameed B.; Campbell, A. N.; Baqir, Ali Sh.; Sharif, A. O.; Thorpe, R. B.

2018-06-01

Energy usage is increasing around the world due to the continued development of technology, and population growth. Solar energy is a promising low-grade energy resource that can be harvested and utilised in different applications, such solar heater systems, which are used in both domestic and industrial settings. However, the implementation of an efficient energy conversion system or heat exchanger would enhance such low-grade energy processes. The direct contact heat exchanger could be the right choice due to its ability to efficiently transfer significant amounts of heat, simple design, and low cost. In this work, the heat transfer associated with the direct contact condensation of pentane vapour bubbles in a three-phase direct contact condenser is investigated experimentally. Such a condenser could be used in a cycle with a solar water heater and heat recovery systems. The experiments on the steady state operation of the three-phase direct contact condenser were carried out using a short Perspex tube of 70 cm in total height and an internal diameter of 4 cm. Only a height of 48 cm was active as the direct contact condenser. Pentane vapour, (the dispersed phase) with three different initial temperatures (40° C, 43.5° C and 47.5° C) was directly contacted with water (the continuous phase) at 19° C. The experimental results showed that the total heat transfer rate per unit volume along the direct contact condenser gradually decreased upon moving higher up the condenser. Additionally, the heat transfer rate increases with increasing mass flow rate ratio, but no significant effect on the heat transfer rate of varying the initial temperature of the dispersed phase was seen. Furthermore, both the outlet temperature of the continuous phase and the void fraction were positively correlated with the total heat transfer rate per unit volume, with no considerable effect of the initial temperature difference between the dispersed and continuous phases.

The Variations of Thermal Contact Resistance and Heat Transfer Rate of the AlN Film Compositing with PCM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huann-Ming Chou

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The electrical industries have been fast developing over the past decades. Moreover, the trend of microelements and packed division multiplex is obviously for the electrical industry. Hence, the high heat dissipative and the electrical insulating device have been popular and necessary. The thermal conduct coefficient of aluminum nitride (i.e., AlN is many times larger than the other materials. Moreover, the green technology of composite with phase change materials (i.e., PCMs is worked as a constant temperature cooler. Therefore, PCMs have been used frequently for saving energy and the green environment. Based on the above statements, it does show great potential in heat dissipative for the AlN film compositing with PCM. Therefore, this paper is focused on the research of thermal contact resistance and heat transfer between the AlN/PCM pairs. According to the experimental results, the heat transfer decreases and the thermal contact resistance increases under the melting process of PCM. However, the suitable parameters such as contact pressures can be used to improve the above defects.

Performance investigation of a solar-assisted direct contact membrane distillation system

KAUST Repository

Kim, Youngdeuk

2013-01-01

This paper presents a solar-assisted direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system with novel energy recovery concepts for a continuous 24-h-a-day operation. A temperature modulating scheme is introduced to the solar-thermal system that supplies feed seawater to the DCMD modules. This scheme attenuates extreme temperature fluctuations of the feed water by storing the collected energy during solar-peak hours and reutilizing it throughout the day. Thus, the energy savings is realized yet the feed seawater temperature is maintained within the desired range. Additionally, the system employs heat recovery from the permeate and brine streams to the feed seawater. The simulations for such a system with a shell-and-tube type DCMD modules are carried out to examine the spatial property variations and the sensitivity of system performance (i.e., transmembrane pressure, permeate flux and performance ratio) to the operating conditions (inlet temperature and flow rate) and the fiber dimensions (fiber length and packing density). It is found that there are trade-offs between mean permeate flux and performance ratio with respect to permeate inlet temperature and flow rate and between total distillate production and performance ratio with respect to packing density. For the solar-assisted DCMD system having evacuated-tube collectors of 3360m2 with 160m3 seawater storage tanks and 50 DCMD modules, the annual solar fraction and the collector efficiency are found to be 77% and 53%, respectively, whilst the overall permeate production capacity is 31m3/day. The overall specific thermal energy consumption of the DCMD system with heat recovery is found to be 436kWh/m3 and it is about 43% lower as compared to the system without heat recovery. It is observed that the specific thermal energy consumption decreases significantly by 55% with increased collector area from 1983m2 to 3360m2 whereas the specific electrical energy consumption increases slightly by 16%. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Direct contact heat transfer characteristics between melting alloy and water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinoshita, Izumi; Nishi, Yoshihisa; Furuya, Masahiro

1995-01-01

As a candidate for an innovative steam generator for fast breeder reactors, a heat exchanger with direct contact heat transfer between melting alloy and water was proposed. The evaluation of heat transfer characteristics of this heat exchanger is one of the research subjects for the design and development of the steam generator. In this study, the effect of the pressure on heat transfer characteristics and the required degree of superheating of melting alloy above water saturation temperature are evaluated during the direct contact heat transfer experiment by injecting water into Wood's alloy. In the experiment, the pressure, the temperature of the Wood's alloy, the flow rate of feed water, and the depth of the feed water injection point are varied as parameters. As a result of the experiment, the product of the degree of Wood's alloy superheating above water saturation temperature and the depth of the feed water injection point is constant for each pressure. This constant increases as the pressure rises. (author)

Directed Thermal Diffusions through Metamaterial Source Illusion with Homogeneous Natural Media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guoqiang Xu

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Owing to the utilization of transformation optics, many significant research and development achievements have expanded the applications of illusion devices into thermal fields. However, most of the current studies on relevant thermal illusions used to reshape the thermal fields are dependent of certain pre-designed geometric profiles with complicated conductivity configurations. In this paper, we propose a methodology for designing a new class of thermal source illusion devices for achieving directed thermal diffusions with natural homogeneous media. The employments of the space rotations in the linear transformation processes allow the directed thermal diffusions to be independent of the geometric profiles, and the utilization of natural homogeneous media improve the feasibility. Four schemes, with fewer types of homogeneous media filling the functional regions, are demonstrated in transient states. The expected performances are observed in each scheme. The related performance are analyzed by comparing the thermal distribution characteristics and the illusion effectiveness on the measured lines. The findings obtained in this paper see applications in the development of directed diffusions with minimal thermal loss, used in novel “multi-beam” thermal generation, thermal lenses, solar receivers, and waveguide.

Improved Ohmic-contact to AlGaN/GaN using Ohmic region recesses by self-terminating thermal oxidation assisted wet etching technique

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, J.; Wang, J.; Wang, H.; Zhu, L.; Wu, W.

2017-06-01

Lower Ti/Al/Ni/Au Ohmic contact resistance on AlGaN/GaN with wider rapid thermal annealing (RTA) temperature window was achieved using recessed Ohmic contact structure based on self-terminating thermal oxidation assisted wet etching technique (STOAWET), in comparison with conventional Ohmic contacts. Even at lower temperature such as 650°C, recessed structure by STOAWET could still obtain Ohmic contact with contact resistance of 1.97Ω·mm, while conventional Ohmic structure mainly featured as Schottky contact. Actually, both Ohmic contact recess and mesa isolation processes could be accomplished by STOAWET in one process step and the process window of STOAWET is wide, simplifying AlGaN/GaN HEMT device process. Our experiment shows that the isolation leakage current by STOAWET is about one order of magnitude lower than that by inductivity coupled plasma (ICP) performed on the same wafer.

Effect of direct contact with iron on gas evolution behavior of aluminum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashizume, Shuji; Matsumoto, Junko; Banba, Tsunetaka

1998-01-01

Dry Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLW), incombustible solid LLW, generated from nuclear power stations is planed to be solidified with cement backfill in drums. The solidified dry LLW will be buried to shallow underground at Rokkasyo LLW Disposal Center. It is well known that corrosion of aluminum and hydrogen gas evolution occur in high pH environments such as mortar. Gas evolution from aluminum is likely to effect the leachability of solidified dry LLW with mortar. Though aluminum removal from dry LLW is planed, a small amount of aluminum will be actually included in dry LLW. Large effects of pH and temperature on corrosion rate of aluminum and gas evolution were recognized in our previous study. It was also found that 1.5 mole hydrogen gas evolves while 1 mole aluminum corrodes under 60degC. Actually aluminum in drums is likely to contact with carbon steel of which main element is iron. The gas evolution behavior of aluminum is expected to be affected by its direct contact with iron. Therefore, effect of direct contact with iron on gas evolution behavior of aluminum was studied. The corrosion rate of aluminum increased by contacting it with iron in simulating mortar environments. The amount of gas evolution from aluminum was reduced by contacting with iron. The reduction in gas evolution was considered to result from the change of cathode reaction from hydrogen evolution to oxygen reduction. When aluminum contacts with iron, the corrosion and gas evolution behavior of aluminum is significantly affected oxygen in environment. (author)

Numerical investigations on unstable direct contact condensation of cryogenic fluids

Science.gov (United States)

Jayachandran, K. N.; Arnab, Roy; Parthasarathi, Ghosh

2017-02-01

A typical problem of Direct Contact Condensation (DCC) occurs at the liquid oxygen (LOX) booster turbopump exit of oxidiser rich staged combustion cycle based semi-cryogenic rocket engines, where the hot gas mixture (predominantly oxygen and small amounts of combustion products) that runs the turbine mixes with LOX from the pump exit. This complex multiphase phenomena leads to the formation of solid CO2 & H2O, which is undesirable for the functioning of the main LOX turbopump. As a starting point for solving this complex problem, in this study, the hot gas mixture is taken as pure oxygen and hence, DCC of pure oxygen vapour jets in subcooled liquid oxygen is simulated using the commercial CFD package ANSYS CFX®. A two fluid model along with the thermal phase change model is employed for capturing the heat and mass transfer effects. The study mainly focuses on the subsonic DCC bubbling regime, which is reported as unstable with bubble formation, elongation, necking and collapsing effects. The heat transfer coefficients over a period of time have been computed and the various stages of bubbling have been analysed with the help of vapour volume fraction and pressure profiles. The results obtained for DCC of oxygen vapour-liquid mixtures is in qualitative agreement with the experimental results on DCC of steam-water mixtures.

Thermal conductivity of a graphite bipolar plate (BPP) and its thermal contact resistance with fuel cell gas diffusion layers: Effect of compression, PTFE, micro porous layer (MPL), BPP out-of-flatness and cyclic load

Science.gov (United States)

Sadeghifar, Hamidreza; Djilali, Ned; Bahrami, Majid

2015-01-01

This paper reports on measurements of thermal conductivity of a graphite bipolar plate (BPP) as a function of temperature and its thermal contact resistance (TCR) with treated and untreated gas diffusion layers (GDLs). The thermal conductivity of the BPP decreases with temperature and its thermal contact resistance with GDLs, which has been overlooked in the literature, is found to be dominant over a relatively wide range of compression. The effects of PTFE loading, micro porous layer (MPL), compression, and BPP out-of-flatness are also investigated experimentally. It is found that high PTFE loadings, MPL and even small BPP out-of-flatness increase the BPP-GDL thermal contact resistance dramatically. The paper also presents the effect of cyclic load on the total resistance of a GDL-BPP assembly, which sheds light on the behavior of these materials under operating conditions in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.

Thermal effect on the thermomechanical behavior of contacts in a Traveling Wave Tube

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chbiki Mounir

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A new elasto-plastic study of the contact between the helix and the rods of the delay line of Traveling Waves Tubes (TWT was realized. Our study is focused on the analysis of the hot lines shrinking phenomenon. In the studied case, unlike brazed configuration, the contact areas are not perfect, resulting in a diminution of the heat transfer process. In order to maximize the contact area and to homogenize the contact pressure, a soft thermal conductive material is coated on the helix: copper was chosen for this study. In the present work, an analytical model is used to identify the properties of the copper coating at a given temperature. We focused on the mechanical properties in order to improve the assembly process with a better numerical study. Experimental method have been made to validate the proposed model. The first comparison results seem to indicate that the model represents the reality with a good agreement. It is very clearly shown that the temperature decreases the mechanical properties. (Young’s modulus, yield strength, tensile strength…. And the thickness of the coating increases the contact area. This last point is less important at room temperature (6% of increase than at 140°C (22%.

Thermal contact through a two-temperature kinetic Ising chain

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, M.; Cornu, F.

2018-05-01

We consider a model for thermal contact through a diathermal interface between two macroscopic bodies at different temperatures: an Ising spin chain with nearest neighbor interactions is endowed with a Glauber dynamics with different temperatures and kinetic parameters on alternating sites. The inhomogeneity of the kinetic parameter is a novelty with respect to the model of Racz and Zia (1994 Phys. Rev. E 49 139), and we exhibit its influence upon the stationary non equilibrium values of the two-spin correlations at any distance. By mapping to the dynamics of spin domain walls and using free fermion techniques, we determine the scaled generating function for the cumulants of the exchanged heat amounts per unit of time in the long time limit.

Effect of direct and indirect contact with mental illness on dangerousness and social distance.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Minhwa; Seo, Mikyung

2018-03-01

This study is based on the contact hypothesis that contact with mental illness is the most effective anti-stigma strategy. This study aims to analyze which form of contact can most effectively decrease the dangerousness and social distance associated with schizophrenia, depression and alcoholism. In total, 573 Korean adults ( M age  = 43.71 years, standard deviation ( SD) = 13.41; 54.1% male, 45.9% female) were surveyed about randomly assigned vignettes of schizophrenia, depression and alcoholism. The participants were questioned on the dangerousness and social distance associated with the assigned vignette, as well as direct and indirect contact experience with the mental illness. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the main effect and interaction effect that the type of mental illness and contact experience have on the two dependent variables (dangerousness and social distance). The findings show that the type of mental illness has a significant main effect on dangerousness and social distance, but contact type only has a significant main effect on social distance. Moreover, the two independent variables (mental illness subtype and contact experience) have an interaction effect on two dependent variables (dangerousness and social distance). Therefore, the anti-stigma effect of contact varies according to the type of mental illness. Our findings suggest that appropriate anti-stigma strategies are required for each type of mental illness. Considering that opportunities for direct contact with persons with mental illness are highly limited, it is necessary to actively utilize indirect contact.

Direct contact thermoelectric generator (DCTEG): A concept for removing the contact resistance between thermoelectric modules and heat source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Tae Young; Negash, Assmelash; Cho, Gyubaek

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A design concept of a direct contact thermoelectric generator (DCTEG) is proposed. • Power generation characteristics of the DCTEG on a diesel engine are examined. • Maximum power output of ∼45 W and conversion efficiency of ∼2.0% are obtained. • Effect of clearance on energy conversion of the DCTEG is numerically investigated. • A 132% increase in output power with a flush mounted configuration is obtained. - Abstract: This paper proposes the concept of a direct contact thermoelectric generator (DCTEG) to enhance the practicality and widen the application areas of thermoelectric generators (TEGs). In the DCTEG, one thermoelectric module (TEM) surface is directly exposed to a heat source, and the other surface is in direct contact with a coolant flow. The current direct-contact configuration is beneficial for system fabrication, maintenance, long-term reliability, and maximizing energy usage in cooperation with other energy systems because of its simple configuration and lack of interfaces between the TEMs and heat sources. In order to validate the proposed concept experimentally, a DCTEG was constructed by fabricating customized TEMs and exhaust gas and coolant channels with openings to mount the TEMs. A diesel engine served as a heat source by providing hot exhaust gas into the DCTEG, while the coolant (water–ethylene glycol mixture) was pumped into the coolant channels to remove heat. Based on the experimental results obtained under various engine operating conditions, the power generation of the DCTEG was characterized in the form of current–voltage and power–voltage curves. The maximum output power of 43 W and conversion efficiency of 2.0% were obtained under the highest engine load and rotation speed conditions. A series of numerical simulations was carried out to investigate the effect of the system configuration on the DCTEG power generation performance with the clearance between the TEM surfaces and exhaust gas

Thermal management of next-generation contact-cooled synchrotron x-ray mirrors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khounsary, A.

1999-10-29

In the past decade, several third-generation synchrotrons x-ray sources have been constructed and commissioned around the world. Many of the major problems in the development and design of the optical components capable of handling the extremely high heat loads of the generated x-ray beams have been resolved. It is expected, however, that in the next few years even more powerful x-ray beams will be produced at these facilities, for example, by increasing the particle beam current. In this paper, the design of a next generation of synchrotron x-ray mirrors is discussed. The author shows that the design of contact-cooled mirrors capable of handing x-ray beam heat fluxes in excess of 500 W/mm{sup 2} - or more than three times the present level - is well within reach, and the limiting factor is the thermal stress rather then thermally induced slope error.

Dynamic solar-powered multi-stage direct contact membrane distillation system: Concept design, modeling and simulation

KAUST Repository

Lee, Jung Gil

2017-04-26

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the monthly average daily and hourly performances of a solar-powered multi-stage direct contact membrane distillation (SMDCMD) system with an energy recovery scheme and dynamic operating system. Mid-latitude meteorological data from Busan, Korea is employed, featuring large climate variation over the course of one year. The number of module stages used by the dynamic operating scheme changes dynamically based on the inlet feed temperature of the successive modules, which results in an improvement of the water production and thermal efficiency. The simulations of the SMDCMD system are carried out to investigate the spatial and temporal variations in the feed and permeate temperatures and permeate flux. The monthly average daily water production increases from 0.37m3/day to 0.4m3/day and thermal efficiency increases from 31% to 45% when comparing systems both without and with dynamic operation in December. The water production with respect to collector area ranged from 350m2 to 550m2 and the seawater storage tank volume ranged from 16m3 to 28.8m3, and the solar fraction at various desired feed temperatures from 50°C to 80°C have been investigated in October and December.

Thermal stability of TaN Schottky contacts on n-GaN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hayes, J.R.; Kim, D-W.; Meidia, H.; Mahajan, S

2003-02-07

The thermal stability and electrical characteristics of tantalum-nitrogen alloy Schottky contacts on n-GaN were investigated. Non-stoichiometric {delta}-phase (40 atomic percent nitrogen) tantalum nitride contacts exhibited good electrical properties up to an annealing temperature of 600 deg. C. However, they degrade rapidly above this temperature due to outward diffusion of Ga and presumably nitrogen into the {delta}-phase tantalum nitride. It is surmised that excess Ta reacts with N at the GaN surface, freeing Ga which then diffuses into the TaN layer. Stoichiometric TaN Schottky contacts were stable at temperatures as high as 800 deg. C and had far superior electrical performance. This stems from the thermodynamic stability of the stoichiometric TaN/GaN interface. {delta}-phase TaN had I-V and C-V barrier heights of 0.55 eV and 0.8 eV respectively. On the other hand, TaN had an I-V barrier height near 0.7 eV and a C-V barrier height near 1.2 eV. The ideality factors for both {delta}-phase TaN and TaN were above 1.8 at all annealing temperatures, suggesting tunneling contributes significantly to current transport.

Thermal impedance at the interface of contacting bodies: 1-D examples solved by semi-derivatives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hristov Jordan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Simple 1-D semi-infinite heat conduction problems enable to demonstrate the potential of the fractional calculus in determination of transient thermal impedances of two bodies with different initial temperatures contacting at the interface ( x = 0 at t = 0 . The approach is purely analytic and uses only semi-derivatives (half-time and semi-integrals in the Riemann-Liouville sense. The example solved clearly reveals that the fractional calculus is more effective in calculation the thermal resistances than the entire domain solutions.

Economic impact of latent heat thermal energy storage systems within direct steam generating solar thermal power plants with parabolic troughs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seitz, M.; Johnson, M.; Hübner, S.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Integration of a latent heat thermal energy storage system into a solar direct steam generation power cycle. • Parametric study of solar field and storage size for determination of the optimal layout. • Evaluation of storage impact on the economic performance of the solar thermal power plant. • Economic comparison of new direct steam generation plant layout with state-of-the-art oil plant layout. - Abstract: One possible way to further reduce levelized costs of electricity of concentrated solar thermal energy is to directly use water/steam as the primary heat transfer fluid within a concentrated collector field. This so-called direct steam generation offers the opportunity of higher operating temperatures and better exergy efficiency. A technical challenge of the direct steam generation technology compared to oil-driven power cycles is a competitive storage technology for heat transfer fluids with a phase change. Latent heat thermal energy storages are suitable for storing heat at a constant temperature and can be used for direct steam generation power plants. The calculation of the economic impact of an economically optimized thermal energy storage system, based on a latent heat thermal energy storage system with phase change material, is the main focus of the presented work. To reach that goal, a thermal energy storage system for a direct steam generation power plant with parabolic troughs in the solar field was thermally designed to determine the boundary conditions. This paper discusses the economic impact of the designed thermal energy storage system based on the levelized costs of electricity results, provided via a wide parametric study. A state-of-the-art power cycle with a primary and a secondary heat transfer fluid and a two-tank thermal energy storage is used as a benchmark technology for electricity generation with solar thermal energy. The benchmark and direct steam generation systems are compared to each other, based respectively

Photothermal radiometry applied to characterization and control of thermal contact resistance of crimped metals; Radiometrie photothermique appliquee a la caracterisation et au controle de la resistance thermique de contact de metaux sertis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Schel, Etienne

1989-11-15

Modulated photothermal radiometry is used to study the thermal contact between two metals. At first, two models using a bidimensional axisymmetric geometry are proposed to describe the interface: the first one deals with thermal contact resistance, the second one with an equivalent layer. A thorough calculation of the photothermal signal taking into account the nature of the sample and the detection is here presented. Theoretical simulations show the influence of several parameters (frequency. dimensions of the excitation and the detection) on the sensitivity of the method applied to the detection of the thermal resistance. The comparison, with a three layer-model justifies the use of thermal resistance in periodical regime, for air layers between metals. Then, we present an experimental device that is used to validate the model. The results, obtained on duralumin-copper samples, show the sensitivity of the method and lead us to propose values of thermal contact resistance for different crimpings. At last an industrial testing equipment is described. The results, obtained on laboratory samples, are confirmed. Heat exchanger pipes, including voluntary defects are tested. Thanks to this device, we are able to make an in situ crimping control that can also be applied to other types of contacts. [French] La radiometrie photothermique est utilisee pour etudier le contact thermique entre deux metaux. Tout d'abord, deux modeles utilisant une geometrie bidimensionnelle axisymetrique sont proposes pour decrire l'interface: le premier utilise une resistance thermique de contact, le second un milieu equivalent Un calcul complet du signal photothermique, prenant en compte la nature de l'echantillon et de la detection, est presente. Des simulations theoriques montrent l'influence de quelques parametres (frequence, dimensions de l'excitation et de la detection) sur la sensibilite de la methode a la detection de la resistance thermique. La comparaison, avec un modele a trois

Modeling directional thermal radiance from a forest canopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGuire, M.J.; Balick, L.K.; Smith, J.A.; Hutchison, B.A.

1989-01-01

Recent advances in remote sensing technology have increased interest in utilizing the thermal-infared region to gain additional information about surface features such as vegetation canopies. Studies have shown that sensor view angle, canopy structure, and percentage of canopy coverage can affect the response of a thermal sensor. These studies have been primarily of agricultural regions and there have been relatively few examples describing the thermal characteristics of forested regions. This paper describes an extension of an existing thermal vegetation canopy radiance model which has been modified to partially account for the geometrically rough structure of a forest canopy. Fourier series expansion of a canopy height profile is used to calculate improved view factors which partially account for the directional variations in canopy thermal radiance transfers. The original and updated radiance model predictions are compared with experimental data obtained over a deciduous (oak-hickory) forest site. The experimental observations are also used to document azimuthal and nadir directional radiance variations. Maximum angular variations in measured canopy temperatures were 4–6°C (azimuth) and 2.5°C (nadir). Maximum angular variations in simulated temperatures using the modified rough surface model was 4°C. The rough surface model appeared to be sensitive to large gaps in the canopy height profile, which influenced the resultant predicted temperature. (author)

Transmission of African swine fever virus from infected pigs by direct contact and aerosol routes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Ann Sofie; Lohse, Louise; Boklund, Anette

2017-01-01

from Poland (designated here POL/2015/Podlaskie/Lindholm). In both studies, pigs were inoculated intranasally with the virus and contact pigs were exposed to the experimentally infected pigs, either directly (contact within and between pens) or by air. Pigs exposed to the virus by intranasal...... and occasionally infectious virus was found in nasal-, oral-, and rectal swabs obtained from the pigs, and ASFV DNA was detected in air samples. No anti-ASFV antibodies were detected in sera.In conclusion, the study shows that the currently circulating strain of ASFV can be efficiently transmitted via direct...... contact and by aerosols. Also, the results provide quantitative transmission parameters and knowledge of infection stages in pigs infected with this ASFV....

Transport mechanisms in low-resistance ohmic contacts to p-InP formed by rapid thermal annealing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Thomas; Leistiko, Otto

1993-01-01

process is related to interdiffusion and compound formation between the metal elements and the InP. The onset of low specific contact resistance is characterized by a change in the dominant transport mechanism; from predominantly a combination of thermionic emission and field emission to purely thermionic......Thermionic emission across a very small effective Schottky barrier (0-0.2 eV) are reported as being the dominant transport process mechanism in very low-resistance ohmic contacts for conventional AuZn(Ni) metallization systems top-InP formed by rapid thermal annealing. The barrier modulation...

Three-dimensional direct laser written graphitic electrical contacts to randomly distributed components

Science.gov (United States)

Dorin, Bryce; Parkinson, Patrick; Scully, Patricia

2018-04-01

The development of cost-effective electrical packaging for randomly distributed micro/nano-scale devices is a widely recognized challenge for fabrication technologies. Three-dimensional direct laser writing (DLW) has been proposed as a solution to this challenge, and has enabled the creation of rapid and low resistance graphitic wires within commercial polyimide substrates. In this work, we utilize the DLW technique to electrically contact three fully encapsulated and randomly positioned light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in a one-step process. The resolution of the contacts is in the order of 20 μ m, with an average circuit resistance of 29 ± 18 kΩ per LED contacted. The speed and simplicity of this technique is promising to meet the needs of future microelectronics and device packaging.

Polyoxadiazole hollow fibers for produced water treatment by direct contact membrane distillation

KAUST Repository

Xu, Jingli; Srivatsa Bettahalli, N.M.; Chisca, Stefan; Khalid, Mohammed Khalil; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Vilagines, Ré gis; Nunes, Suzana Pereira

2018-01-01

Treatment of produced water in the petroleum industry has been a challenge worldwide. In this study, we evaluated the use of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) for this purpose, removing oil and dissolved elements and supplying clean water

Investigation of the Dynamic Contact Angle Using a Direct Numerical Simulation Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Guangpu; Yao, Jun; Zhang, Lei; Sun, Hai; Li, Aifen; Shams, Bilal

2016-11-15

A large amount of residual oil, which exists as isolated oil slugs, remains trapped in reservoirs after water flooding. Numerous numerical studies are performed to investigate the fundamental flow mechanism of oil slugs to improve flooding efficiency. Dynamic contact angle models are usually introduced to simulate an accurate contact angle and meniscus displacement of oil slugs under a high capillary number. Nevertheless, in the oil slug flow simulation process, it is unnecessary to introduce the dynamic contact angle model because of a negligible change in the meniscus displacement after using the dynamic contact angle model when the capillary number is small. Therefore, a critical capillary number should be introduced to judge whether the dynamic contact model should be incorporated into simulations. In this study, a direct numerical simulation method is employed to simulate the oil slug flow in a capillary tube at the pore scale. The position of the interface between water and the oil slug is determined using the phase-field method. The capacity and accuracy of the model are validated using a classical benchmark: a dynamic capillary filling process. Then, different dynamic contact angle models and the factors that affect the dynamic contact angle are analyzed. The meniscus displacements of oil slugs with a dynamic contact angle and a static contact angle (SCA) are obtained during simulations, and the relative error between them is calculated automatically. The relative error limit has been defined to be 5%, beyond which the dynamic contact angle model needs to be incorporated into the simulation to approach the realistic displacement. Thus, the desired critical capillary number can be determined. A three-dimensional universal chart of critical capillary number, which functions as static contact angle and viscosity ratio, is given to provide a guideline for oil slug simulation. Also, a fitting formula is presented for ease of use.

Technologies for hydrogen production based on direct contact of gaseous hydrocarbons and evaporated water with Molten Pb or Pb-Bi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gulevich, A. V.; Martynov, P. N.; Gulevsky, V. A.; Ulyanov, V. V.

2007-01-01

Results of studies intended for the substantiation of a new energy-saving and safe technology for low cost hydrogen production have been presented. The technology's basis is direct mixing of water and (or) gaseous hydrocarbons with heavy liquid metal coolants (HLMC) Pb or Pb-Bi. Preliminary research has been done on thermal dynamics and kinetics of the processes taking place in the interaction of HLMC with hydrocarbon-containing gases. It has been shown as a result that water and gaseous hydrocarbons interact with molten Pb and Pb-Bi relatively quietly in chemical aspect (without ignition and explosions). Therefore, (and taking into account the thermal physics, physical and chemical properties of HLMC such as low pressure of saturated vapor of Pb and Pb- Bi in enhanced temperatures, their good heat conductivity and heat capacity, low viscosity, etc.) heat transfer is possible from the molten metal to water and hydrocarbons without heat transferring partitions (that is, by direct contact of the working media). Devices to implement this method of heating liquid and gaseous media provide essential advantages: - A simple design; - None heat-transferring surfaces subject to corrosion, contamination, thermal fatigue, vibration impacts; - A high effectiveness owing to a larger heat exchanging surface per volume unit; - A small hydraulic resistance. The possibility and effectiveness of heating various gaseous and liquid media in their direct contact with molten Pb and Pb-Bi has been substantiated convincingly by experimental results at IPPE. Besides, the following processes of hydrogen-containing media conversion have been proved feasible thereby. 1. Water decomposition into hydrogen and oxygen. The process can develop at temperatures of 400-1000 degree C. It is necessary to provide constant removal of oxygen from the reaction zone and maintain a minimum possible content of chemically active oxygen in the melt. 2. Pyrolytic decomposition of hydrocarbons into carbon and

Direct Observation of 2D Electrostatics and Ohmic Contacts in Template-Grown Graphene/WS2 Heterostructures.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Changxi; Zhang, Qianhui; Weber, Bent; Ilatikhameneh, Hesameddin; Chen, Fan; Sahasrabudhe, Harshad; Rahman, Rajib; Li, Shiqiang; Chen, Zhen; Hellerstedt, Jack; Zhang, Yupeng; Duan, Wen Hui; Bao, Qiaoliang; Fuhrer, Michael S

2017-03-28

Large-area two-dimensional (2D) heterojunctions are promising building blocks of 2D circuits. Understanding their intriguing electrostatics is pivotal but largely hindered by the lack of direct observations. Here graphene-WS 2 heterojunctions are prepared over large areas using a seedless ambient-pressure chemical vapor deposition technique. Kelvin probe force microscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and scanning tunneling microscopy characterize the doping in graphene-WS 2 heterojunctions as-grown on sapphire and transferred to SiO 2 with and without thermal annealing. Both p-n and n-n junctions are observed, and a flat-band condition (zero Schottky barrier height) is found for lightly n-doped WS 2 , promising low-resistance ohmic contacts. This indicates a more favorable band alignment for graphene-WS 2 than has been predicted, likely explaining the low barriers observed in transport experiments on similar heterojunctions. Electrostatic modeling demonstrates that the large depletion width of the graphene-WS 2 junction reflects the electrostatics of the one-dimensional junction between two-dimensional materials.

Analysis of heat transfer in the water meniscus at the tip-sample contact in scanning thermal microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Assy, Ali; Lefèvre, Stéphane; Chapuis, Pierre-Olivier; Gomès, Séverine

2014-01-01

Quantitative measurements of local nanometer-scale thermal measurements are difficult to achieve because heat flux may be transferred from the heated sensor to the cold sample through various elusive mixed thermal channels. This paper addresses one of these channels, the water meniscus at the nano-contact between a heated atomic force microscopy probe and a hydrophilic sample. This heat transfer mechanism is found to depend strongly on the probe temperature. The analysis of the pull-off forces as a function of temperature indicates that the water film almost vanishes above a probe mean temperature between 120 and 150 ºC. In particular, a methodology that allows for correlating the thermal conductance of the water meniscus to the capillary forces is applied. In the case of the standard scanning thermal microscopy Wollaston probe, values of this thermal conductance show that the water meniscus mechanism is not dominant in the thermal interaction between the probe and the sample, regardless of probe temperature. (fast track communication)

Ex-reactor determination of thermal gap and contact conductance between uranium dioxide: zircaloy-4 interfaces. Stage I: low gas pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garnier, J.E.; Begej, S.

1979-04-01

A study of thermal gap and contact conductance between depleted uranium dioxide (UO 2 ) and Zircaloy-4 (Zr4) has been made utilizing two measurement apparatuses developed as part of this program. The Modified Pulse Design (MPD) apparatus is a transient technique employing a heat pulse (laser) and a signal detector to monitor the thermal energy transmitted through a UO 2 /Zr4 sample pair which are either physically separated or in contact. The Modified Longitudinal Design (MLD) apparatus is a steady-state technique based on a modified cylindrical column design with a self-guarding sample geometry. Description of the MPD and MLD apparatus, data acquisition, reduction and error analysis is presented along with information on specimen preparation, thermal property and surface characterization. A technique using an optical height gauge to determine the average mean-plane of separation between the simple pairs is also presented

Electrokinetic desalination of protruded areas of stone avoiding the direct contact with electrodes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Feijoo, J.; Matyscák, O.; Ottosen, Lisbeth M.

2017-01-01

of the sandstone highly contaminated with salts. Therefore, these results confirmed that it was possible to desalinate the sandstone using electrokinetic methods without the need to put in contact the affected areas with the equipment, reducing the possibility of altering it by manipulation.......Soluble salts are considered one of the main deterioration factors of porous building materials such as rocks, bricks or granites. The desalination treatments currently used in order to mitigate this alteration process are usually applied directly on the affected areas, which have often a low...... degree of cohesion precisely due to the deteriorating effect of the salts. The present study aimed to investigate the evaluation of a new approach based on electrokinetic techniques to desalinate rocks in monuments, specifically to desalinate carved reliefs. The procedure avoids the direct contact...

Frequency and direction of competitive anger in contact sports.

Science.gov (United States)

Robazza, B; Bertollo, M; Bortoli, L

2006-09-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether athletes involved in physical contact sports may interpret their feelings of anger as facilitative of performance, and to examine differences in the interpretation of anger as a function of the type of sport (team vs individual) or the competitive skill level (high vs low). A modified version of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory was administered to 100 Italian adult male athletes practicing rugby or individual combat sports (judo, freestyle wrestling, or Greco-Roman wrestling). The questionnaire was intended to measure the frequency and the direction (i.e., the facilitative-debilitative interpretation) of competitive anger. Many athletes engaged in contact sports tended interpret their competitive anger as facilitative of performance rather than debilitative. The type of sport and the athlete's standard level can mediate the individual's interpretation of the effects of anger symptoms upon performance. Competitors can interpret their anger as helpful to energize behavior and channel physical and mental resources for skill execution. Practitioners should assist athletes in gaining control over anger rather than attempting to suppress it.

Microelectromechanical (MEM) thermal actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, Ernest J [Albuquerque, NM; Fulcher, Clay W. G. [Sandia Park, NM

2012-07-31

Microelectromechanical (MEM) buckling beam thermal actuators are disclosed wherein the buckling direction of a beam is constrained to a desired direction of actuation, which can be in-plane or out-of-plane with respect to a support substrate. The actuators comprise as-fabricated, linear beams of uniform cross section supported above the substrate by supports which rigidly attach a beam to the substrate. The beams can be heated by methods including the passage of an electrical current through them. The buckling direction of an initially straight beam upon heating and expansion is controlled by incorporating one or more directional constraints attached to the substrate and proximal to the mid-point of the beam. In the event that the beam initially buckles in an undesired direction, deformation of the beam induced by contact with a directional constraint generates an opposing force to re-direct the buckling beam into the desired direction. The displacement and force generated by the movement of the buckling beam can be harnessed to perform useful work, such as closing contacts in an electrical switch.

Thermal contact conductance of metallic coated BiCaSrCuO superconductor/copper interfaces at cryogenic temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ochterbeck, J.M.; Peterson, G.P.; Fletcher, L.S.

1992-01-01

The effects of vapor deposited coatings on the thermal contact conductance of cold pressed, normal state BiCaSrCuO superconductor/oxygen-free copper interfaces were experimentally investigated over a pressure range of 200 to 2,000 kPa. Using traditional vapor deposition processes, thin coatings of indium or lead were applied to the superconductor material to determine the effect on the heat transfer occurring at the interface. The test data indicate that the contact conductance can be enhanced using these coatings, with indium providing the greater enhancement. The experimental program revealed the need for a better understanding and control of the vapor deposition process when using soft metallic coatings. Also, the temperature-dependent microhardness of copper was experimentally determined and found to increase by approximately 35 percent as the temperature decreased from 300 to 85 K. An empirical model was developed to predict the effect of soft coatings on the thermal contact conductance of the superconductor/copper interfaces. When applied, the model agreed well with the data obtained in this investigation at low coating thicknesses but overpredicted the data as the thickness increased. In addition, the model agreed very well with data obtained in a previous investigation for silvercoated nickel substrates at all coating thicknesses

Effects of chemical intermixing on electrical and thermal contact conductances at metallized bismuth and antimony telluride interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Devender,; Mehta, Rutvik J.; Ramanath, Ganpati, E-mail: Ramanath@rpi.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180 (United States); Lofgreen, Kelly; Mahajan, Ravi [Intel Corporation, Assembly Test and Technology Development, Chandler, Arizona 85226 (United States); Yamaguchi, Masashi [Department of Physics, Applied Physics and Astronomy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180 (United States); Borca-Tasciuc, Theodorian [Department of Mechanical Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180 (United States)

2015-03-15

Tailoring electrical and thermal contact conductivities (Σ{sub c} and Γ{sub c}) across metallized pnictogen chalcogenide interfaces is key for realizing efficient thermoelectric devices. The authors report that Cu, Ni, Ti, and Ta diffusion and interfacial telluride formation with n-Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} and p-Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} influence both Σ{sub c} and Γ{sub c}. Cu metallization yields the highest Γ{sub c} and the lowest Σ{sub c}, correlating with maximal metal diffusion and copper telluride formation. Ni diffuses less and yields the highest Σ{sub c} with Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 3} due to p-type nickel telluride formation, which diminishes Σ{sub c} improvement with n-Bi{sub 2}Te{sub 3} interfaces. Ta and Ti contacts yield the lowest properties similar to that in Ni-metallized structures. These correlations between interfacial diffusion and phase formation on electronic and thermal transport properties will be important for devising suitable metallization for thermoelectric devices.

Experimental Characterization and Modeling of Thermal Contact Resistance of Electric Machine Stator-to-Cooling Jacket Interface Under Interference Fit Loading

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cousineau, Justine E [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Bennion, Kevin S [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Chieduko, Victor [UQM Technologies, Inc.; Lall, Rajiv [UQM Technologies, Inc.; Gilbert, Alan [UQM Technologies, Inc.

2018-05-08

Cooling of electric machines is a key to increasing power density and improving reliability. This paper focuses on the design of a machine using a cooling jacket wrapped around the stator. The thermal contact resistance (TCR) between the electric machine stator and cooling jacket is a significant factor in overall performance and is not well characterized. This interface is typically an interference fit subject to compressive pressure exceeding 5 MPa. An experimental investigation of this interface was carried out using a thermal transmittance setup using pressures between 5 and 10 MPa. The results were compared to currently available models for contact resistance, and one model was adapted for prediction of TCR in future motor designs.

A review on the effects of different parameters on contact heat transfer

Science.gov (United States)

Abdollahi, H.; Shahraki, S.; Motahari-Nezhad, M.

2017-07-01

In this paper, a complete literature review for thermal contact between fixed and periodic contacting surfaces and also thermal contact between exhaust valve and its seat in internal combustion engines is presented. Furthermore, the effects of some parameters such as contact pressure, contact frequency, the contacting surfaces topography and roughness, curvature radius of surfaces, loading-unloading cycles, gas gap conductance and properties, interface interstitial material properties, surfaces coatings and surfaces temperature on thermal contact conductance are investigated according to the papers presented in this field. The reviewed papers and studies included theoretical/ analytical/experimental and numerical studies on thermal contact conductance. In studying the thermal contact between exhaust valve and its seat, most of the experimental studies include two axial rods as the exhaust valve, and seat and the one ends of both rods are considered at constant and different temperatures. In the experimental methods, the temperatures of multi-points on rods are measured in different conditions, and thermal contact conductance is estimated using them.

Clonogenic growth of human breast cancer cells co-cultured in direct contact with serum-activated fibroblasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samoszuk, Michael; Tan, Jenny; Chorn, Guillaume

2005-01-01

Accumulating evidence suggests that fibroblasts play a pivotal role in promoting the growth of breast cancer cells. The objective of the present study was to characterize and validate an in vitro model of the interaction between small numbers of human breast cancer cells and human fibroblasts. We measured the clonogenic growth of small numbers of human breast cancer cells co-cultured in direct contact with serum-activated, normal human fibroblasts. Using DNA microarrays, we also characterized the gene expression profile of the serum-activated fibroblasts. In order to validate the in vivo relevance of our experiments, we then analyzed clinical samples of metastatic breast cancer for the presence of myofibroblasts expressing α-smooth muscle actin. Clonogenic growth of human breast cancer cells obtained directly from in situ and invasive tumors was dramatically and consistently enhanced when the tumor cells were co-cultured in direct contact with serum-activated fibroblasts. This effect was abolished when the cells were co-cultured in transwells separated by permeable inserts. The fibroblasts in our experimental model exhibited a gene expression signature characteristic of 'serum response' (i.e. myofibroblasts). Immunostaining of human samples of metastatic breast cancer tissue confirmed that myofibroblasts are in direct contact with breast cancer cells. Serum-activated fibroblasts promote the clonogenic growth of human breast cancer cells in vitro through a mechanism that involves direct physical contact between the cells. This model shares many important molecular and phenotypic similarities with the fibroblasts that are naturally found in breast cancers

Directly Printable Flexible Strain Sensors for Bending and Contact Feedback of Soft Actuators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khaled Elgeneidy

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a fully printable sensorized bending actuator that can be calibrated to provide reliable bending feedback and simple contact detection. A soft bending actuator following a pleated morphology, as well as a flexible resistive strain sensor, were directly 3D printed using easily accessible FDM printer hardware with a dual-extrusion tool head. The flexible sensor was directly welded to the bending actuator’s body and systematically tested to characterize and evaluate its response under variable input pressure. A signal conditioning circuit was developed to enhance the quality of the sensory feedback, and flexible conductive threads were used for wiring. The sensorized actuator’s response was then calibrated using a vision system to convert the sensory readings to real bending angle values. The empirical relationship was derived using linear regression and validated at untrained input conditions to evaluate its accuracy. Furthermore, the sensorized actuator was tested in a constrained setup that prevents bending, to evaluate the potential of using the same sensor for simple contact detection by comparing the constrained and free-bending responses at the same input pressures. The results of this work demonstrated how a dual-extrusion FDM printing process can be tuned to directly print highly customizable flexible strain sensors that were able to provide reliable bending feedback and basic contact detection. The addition of such sensing capability to bending actuators enhances their functionality and reliability for applications such as controlled soft grasping, flexible wearables, and haptic devices.

Development of a direct push based in-situ thermal conductivity measurement system

Science.gov (United States)

Chirla, Marian Andrei; Vienken, Thomas; Dietrich, Peter; Bumberger, Jan

2016-04-01

Heat pump systems are commonly utilized in Europe, for the exploitation of the shallow geothermal potential. To guarantee a sustainable use of the geothermal heat pump systems by saving resources and minimizing potential negative impacts induced by temperature changes within soil and groundwater, new geothermal exploration methods and tools are required. The knowledge of the underground thermal properties is a necessity for a correct and optimum design of borehole heat exchangers. The most important parameter that indicates the performance of the systems is thermal conductivity of the ground. Mapping the spatial variability of thermal conductivity, with high resolution in the shallow subsurface for geothermal purposes, requires a high degree of technical effort to procure adequate samples for thermal analysis. A collection of such samples from the soil can disturb sample structure, so great care must be taken during collection to avoid this. Factors such as transportation and sample storage can also influence measurement results. The use of technologies like Thermal Response Test (TRT) require complex mechanical and electrical systems for convective heat transport in the subsurface and longer monitoring times, often three days. Finally, by using thermal response tests, often only one integral value is obtained for the entire coupled subsurface with the borehole heat exchanger. The common thermal conductivity measurement systems (thermal analyzers) can perform vertical thermal conductivity logs only with the aid of sample procurement, or by integration into a drilling system. However, thermal conductivity measurements using direct push with this type of probes are not possible, due to physical and mechanical limitations. Applying vertical forces using direct push technology, in order to penetrate the shallow subsurface, can damage the probe and the sensors systems. The aim of this study is to develop a new, robust thermal conductivity measurement probe, for direct

Transport phenomena and fouling in vacuum enhanced direct contact membrane distillation: Experimental and modelling

KAUST Repository

Naidu, Gayathri

2016-08-27

The application of vacuum to direct contact membrane distillation (vacuum enhanced direct contact membrane distillation, V-DCMD) removed condensable gasses and reduced partial pressure in the membrane pores, achieving 37.6% higher flux than DCMD at the same feed temperature. Transfer mechanism and temperature distribution profile in V-DCMD were studied. The empirical flux decline (EFD) model represented fouling profiles of V-DCMD. In a continuous V-DCMD operation with moderate temperature (55 degrees C) and permeate pressure (300 mbar) for treating wastewater ROC, a flux of 16.0 +/- 0.3 L/m(2) h and high quality distillate were achieved with water flushing, showing the suitability of V-DCMD for ROC treatment. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transport phenomena and fouling in vacuum enhanced direct contact membrane distillation: Experimental and modelling

KAUST Repository

Naidu, Gayathri; Shim, Wang Geun; Jeong, Sanghyun; Choi, YoungKwon; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Vigneswaran, Saravanamuthu

2016-01-01

The application of vacuum to direct contact membrane distillation (vacuum enhanced direct contact membrane distillation, V-DCMD) removed condensable gasses and reduced partial pressure in the membrane pores, achieving 37.6% higher flux than DCMD at the same feed temperature. Transfer mechanism and temperature distribution profile in V-DCMD were studied. The empirical flux decline (EFD) model represented fouling profiles of V-DCMD. In a continuous V-DCMD operation with moderate temperature (55 degrees C) and permeate pressure (300 mbar) for treating wastewater ROC, a flux of 16.0 +/- 0.3 L/m(2) h and high quality distillate were achieved with water flushing, showing the suitability of V-DCMD for ROC treatment. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Direct-contact condensers for open-cycle OTEC applications: Model validation with fresh water experiments for structured packings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bharathan, D.; Parsons, B.K.; Althof, J.A.

1988-10-01

The objective of the reported work was to develop analytical methods for evaluating the design and performance of advanced high-performance heat exchangers for use in open-cycle thermal energy conversion (OC-OTEC) systems. This report describes the progress made on validating a one-dimensional, steady-state analytical computer of fresh water experiments. The condenser model represents the state of the art in direct-contact heat exchange for condensation for OC-OTEC applications. This is expected to provide a basis for optimizing OC-OTEC plant configurations. Using the model, we examined two condenser geometries, a cocurrent and a countercurrent configuration. This report provides detailed validation results for important condenser parameters for cocurrent and countercurrent flows. Based on the comparisons and uncertainty overlap between the experimental data and predictions, the model is shown to predict critical condenser performance parameters with an uncertainty acceptable for general engineering design and performance evaluations. 33 refs., 69 figs., 38 tabs.

Direct observation of free-exciton thermalization in quantum-well structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Umlauff, M.; Hoffmann, J.; Kalt, H.

1998-01-01

We report on a direct observation of free-exciton thermalization in quantum-well structures. A narrow energy distribution of free 1s excitons is created in ZnSe-based quantum wells by emission of one LO phonon after optical excitation of the continuum stales with picosecond laser pulses. The subs......We report on a direct observation of free-exciton thermalization in quantum-well structures. A narrow energy distribution of free 1s excitons is created in ZnSe-based quantum wells by emission of one LO phonon after optical excitation of the continuum stales with picosecond laser pulses...

THERMAL AND DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF PINE WOOD IN THE TRANSVERSE DIRECTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamiyet Şahin Kol

2009-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the thermal conductivity and dielectric parameters for pine [Pinus sylvestris (L.] woods were determined in transverse directions for moisture conditions from oven-dry to 22 percent at a room temperature of 22 to 24 °C. Results indicate that the behaviors of thermal conductivity and dielectric parameters with moisture content and structural directions were similar. In general, the properties increased within the range studied with increasing moisture content. The radial values were similar to tangential values for both thermal conductivity and dielectric properties. The data presented here should be useful in most design problems where pine wood is subjected to microwave electric fields and heat changes.

Modeling 3D conjugate heat and mass transfer for turbulent air drying of Chilean papaya in a direct contact dryer

Science.gov (United States)

Lemus-Mondaca, Roberto A.; Vega-Gálvez, Antonio; Zambra, Carlos E.; Moraga, Nelson O.

2017-01-01

A 3D model considering heat and mass transfer for food dehydration inside a direct contact dryer is studied. The k- ɛ model is used to describe turbulent air flow. The samples thermophysical properties as density, specific heat, and thermal conductivity are assumed to vary non-linearly with temperature. FVM, SIMPLE algorithm based on a FORTRAN code are used. Results unsteady velocity, temperature, moisture, kinetic energy and dissipation rate for the air flow are presented, whilst temperature and moisture values for the food also are presented. The validation procedure includes a comparison with experimental and numerical temperature and moisture content results obtained from experimental data, reaching a deviation 7-10 %. In addition, this turbulent k- ɛ model provided a better understanding of the transport phenomenon inside the dryer and sample.

Design, materials and R and D issues of innovative thermal contact joints for high heat flux applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Federici, G.; Haines, J.; Tillack, M.S.; Ulrickson, M.

1995-01-01

Plasma facing components in fusion machines are designed with a layer of sacrificial armour material facing the plasma and a high-conductivity material in contact with the coolant. One of the most critical issues associated with making the proposed design concept work, from a power handling point of view, is achieving the necessary contact conductance between the armour and the heat sink.This paper presents a novel idea for the interface joint between the sacrificial armour and the actively cooled permanent heat sink. It consists of a thermal bond layer of a binary or more complex alloy, treated in the semi-solid region in such a way as to lead to a fine dispersion of a globular solid phase into a liquid matrix (rheocast process). The alloy in this ''mushy state'' exhibits a time-dependent, shear rate-dependent viscosity, which is maintained reversibly when the material is solidified and heated again in the semi-solid state. The function of the thermal bond layer is to facilitate heat transfer between the replaceable armour and the permanent heat sink without building up excessive thermal stresses, as in conventional brazed joints, and allow an easy replacement whenever needed without disturbing the coolant system. No contact pressure is required in this case to provide the desired heat transfer conductance, and the reversible thixotropic properties of the rheocast material should guarantee the stability of the layer in the semi-solid conditions.Key design, material and testing issues are identified and discussed in this paper with emphasis on specific needs for future research and development work. Examples of suitable material options which are being considered are reported together with some initial heat transfer analysis results. (orig.)

Thermal Diffusion Processes in Metal-Tip-Surface Interactions: Contact Formation and Adatom Mobility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Mads Reinholdt; Jacobsen, Karsten Wedel; Jonsson, Hannes

1996-01-01

and the surface can occur by a sequence of atomic hop and exchange processes which become active on a millisecond time scale when the tip is about 3-5 Angstrom from the surface. Adatoms on the surface are stabilized by the presence of the tip and energy barriers for diffusion processes in the region under the tip......We have carried out computer simulations to identify and characterize various thermally activated atomic scale processes that can play an important role in room temperature experiments where a metal tip is brought close to a metal surface. We find that contact formation between the tip...

Liquid-Metal/Water Direct Contact Heat Exchange: Flow Visualization, Flow Stability, and Heat Transfer Using Real-Time X-Ray Imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdulla, Sherif H.; Liu Xin; Anderson, Mark H.; Bonazza, Riccardo; Corradini, Michael L.; Cho, Dae; Page, Richard

2005-01-01

Advanced reactor system designs are being considered with liquid-metal cooling connected to a steam power cycle. In addition, current reactor safety systems are considering auxiliary cooling schemes that assure ex-vessel debris coolability utilizing direct water injection into molten material pools to achieve core quenching and eventual coolability. The phenomenon common in both applications is direct contact heat exchange. The current study focuses on detailed measurements of liquid-metal/water direct contact heat exchange that is directly applicable to improvements in effective heat transfer in devices that are being considered for both of these purposes.In this study, a test facility was designed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to map the operating range of liquid-metal/water direct contact heat exchange. The test section (184-cm height, 45.75-cm width, and 10-cm depth) is a rectangular slice of a larger heat exchange device. This apparatus was used not only to provide measurements of integral thermal performance (i.e., volumetric heat transfer coefficient), but also local heat transfer coefficients in a bubbly flow regime with X-ray imaging based on measured parameters such as bubble formation time, bubble rise velocity, and bubble diameters.To determine these local heat transfer coefficients, a complete methodology of the X-ray radiography for two-phase flow measurement has been developed. With this methodology, a high-energy X-ray imaging system is optimized for our heat exchange experiments. With this real-time, large-area, high-energy X-ray imaging system, the two-phase flow was quantitatively visualized. An efficient image processing strategy was developed by combining several optimal digital image-processing algorithms into a software computational tool written in MATLAB called T-XIP. Time-dependent heat transfer-related variables such as bubble volumes and velocities, were determined. Finally, an error analysis associated with these measurements

Direct Contact Membrane Distillation of Dairy Process Streams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mike Weeks

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Membrane distillation (MD was applied for the concentration of a range of dairy streams, such as whole milk, skim milk and whey. MD of a pure lactose solution was also investigated. Direct contact MD (DCMD mode experiments were carried out in continuous concentration mode, keeping the warm feed/retentate and cold permeate stream temperatures at 54 °C and 5 °C respectively. Performance in terms of flux and retention was assessed. The flux was found to decrease with an increase of dry-matter concentration in the feed. Retention of dissolved solids was found to be close to 100% and independent of the dry-matter concentration in the feed. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR of the fouled membranes confirms organics being present in the fouling layer.

Ceramic thermal wind sensor based on advanced direct chip attaching package

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Lin; Qin Ming; Chen Shengqi; Chen Bei

2014-01-01

An advanced direct chip attaching packaged two-dimensional ceramic thermal wind sensor is studied. The thermal wind sensor chip is fabricated by metal lift-off processes on the ceramic substrate. An advanced direct chip attaching (DCA) packaging is adopted and this new packaged method simplifies the processes of packaging further. Simulations of the advanced DCA packaged sensor based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model show the sensor can detect wind speed and direction effectively. The wind tunnel testing results show the advanced DCA packaged sensor can detect the wind direction from 0° to 360° and wind speed from 0 to 20 m/s with the error less than 0.5 m/s. The nonlinear fitting based least square method in Matlab is used to analyze the performance of the sensor. (semiconductor devices)

State-of-the-art and needs for jet instability and direct contact condensation model improvements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bousbia-Salah, A.; Moretti, F.; D'auria, F.; Bousbia-Salah, A.)

2007-01-01

There is a common understanding among thermal-hydraulic experts that the system analysis codes have currently reached an acceptable degree of maturity. Reliable application, however, is still limited to the validated domain. There is a growing need for qualified codes in assessing the safety of the existing reactors and for developing advanced reactor systems. Under conditions involving multi-phase flow simulations, the use of classical methods, mainly based upon the one dimensional approach, is not appropriate at all. The use of new computational models, such as the direct numerical simulation, large-eddy simulation or other advanced computational fluid dynamics methods, seems to be more suitable for more complex events. For this purpose, the European Commission financed NURESIM Integrated Project (as a part of the FP6 programme), was adopted to provide the initial step towards a Common European Standard Software Platform for modelling, recording and recovering computer data for nuclear reactor simulations. Some of the studies carried out at the University of Pisa within the framework of the NURESIM project are presented in this paper. They mainly concern the investigation of two critical phenomena connected with jet instabilities and direct contact condensation that occur during emergency core cooling. Through these examples, the state-of-the-art and the need for model improvements and validation against new experimental data for the sake of getting a better understanding and more accurate predictions are discussed. (author)

Ex-reactor determination of thermal gap and contact conductance between uranium dioxide: zircaloy-4 interfaces. Stage I: low gas pressure. [PWR; BWR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garnier, J.E.; Begej, S.

1979-04-01

A study of thermal gap and contact conductance between depleted uranium dioxide (UO/sub 2/) and Zircaloy-4 (Zr4) has been made utilizing two measurement apparatuses developed as part of this program. The Modified Pulse Design (MPD) apparatus is a transient technique employing a heat pulse (laser) and a signal detector to monitor the thermal energy transmitted through a UO/sub 2//Zr4 sample pair which are either physically separated or in contact. The Modified Longitudinal Design (MLD) apparatus is a steady-state technique based on a modified cylindrical column design with a self-guarding sample geometry. Description of the MPD and MLD apparatus, data acquisition, reduction and error analysis is presented along with information on specimen preparation, thermal property and surface characterization. A technique using an optical height gauge to determine the average mean-plane of separation between the simple pairs is also presented.

77 FR 14022 - Guidance for Industry: Testing for Salmonella Species in Human Foods and Direct-Human-Contact...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-08

...-contact animal foods, and the interpretation of test results, when the presence of Salmonella spp. in the... eggs) and direct-human-contact animal foods, and the interpretation of test results, when the presence... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2011-D-0091...

Low operation voltage of GaN-based LEDs with Al-doped ZnO upper contact directly on p-type GaN without insert layer

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, P. H.; Chen, Yu An; Chang, L. C.; Lai, W. C.; Kuo, Cheng Huang

2015-07-01

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) film was evaporated on double-side polished sapphire, p-GaN layers, n+-InGaN-GaN short-period superlattice (SPS) structures, and GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) by e-beam. The AZO film on the p-GaN layer after thermal annealing exhibited an extremely high transparency (98% at 450 nm) and a small specific contact resistance of 2.19 × 10-2 Ω cm2, which was almost the same as that of as-deposited AZO on n+-SPS structure. With 20 mA injection current, the forward voltages were 3.30 and 3.27 V, whereas the output powers were 4.32 and 4.07 mW for the LED with AZO on insert n+-SPS upper contact and the LED with AZO on p-GaN upper contact (without insert layer), respectively. The small specific contact resistance and low operation voltage of LED with AZO on p-GaN upper contact was achieved by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process.

Improving the thermal stability of cellobiohydrolase Cel7A from Hypocrea jecorina by directed evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Goedegebuur, Frits; Dankmeyer, Lydia; Gualfetti, Peter; Karkehabadi, Saeid; Hansson, Henrik; Jana, Suvamay; Huynh, Vicky; Kelemen, Bradley R; Kruithof, Paulien; Larenas, Edmund A; Teunissen, Pauline J M; Ståhlberg, Jerry; Payne, Christina M; Mitchinson, Colin; Sandgren, Mats

2017-10-20

Secreted mixtures of Hypocrea jecorina cellulases are able to efficiently degrade cellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars at large, commercially relevant scales. H. jecorina Cel7A, cellobiohydrolase I, from glycoside hydrolase family 7, is the workhorse enzyme of the process. However, the thermal stability of Cel7A limits its use to processes where temperatures are no higher than 50 °C. Enhanced thermal stability is desirable to enable the use of higher processing temperatures and to improve the economic feasibility of industrial biomass conversion. Here, we enhanced the thermal stability of Cel7A through directed evolution. Sites with increased thermal stability properties were combined, and a Cel7A variant (FCA398) was obtained, which exhibited a 10.4 °C increase in T m and a 44-fold greater half-life compared with the wild-type enzyme. This Cel7A variant contains 18 mutated sites and is active under application conditions up to at least 75 °C. The X-ray crystal structure of the catalytic domain was determined at 2.1 Å resolution and showed that the effects of the mutations are local and do not introduce major backbone conformational changes. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the catalytic domain of wild-type Cel7A and the FCA398 variant exhibit similar behavior at 300 K, whereas at elevated temperature (475 and 525 K), the FCA398 variant fluctuates less and maintains more native contacts over time. Combining the structural and dynamic investigations, rationales were developed for the stabilizing effect at many of the mutated sites. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Differential and directional effects of perfusion on electrical and thermal conductivities in liver.

Science.gov (United States)

Podhajsky, Ronald J; Yi, Ming; Mahajan, Roop L

2009-01-01

Two different measurement probes--an electrical probe and a thermal conductivity probe--were designed, fabricated, calibrated, and used in experimental studies on a pig liver model that was designed to control perfusion rates. These probes were fabricated by photolithography and mounted in 1.5-mm diameter catheters. We measured the local impedance and thermal conductivity, respectively, of the artificially perfused liver at different flow rates and, by rotating the probes, in different directions. The results show that both the local electrical conductivity and the thermal conductivity varied location to location, that thermal conductivity increased with decreased distance to large blood vessels, and that significant directional differences exist in both electrical and thermal conductivities. Measurements at different perfusion rates demonstrated that both the local electrical and local thermal conductivities increased linearly with the square root of perfusion rate. These correlations may be of great value to many energy-based biomedical applications.

Polyazole hollow fiber membranes for direct contact membrane distillation

KAUST Repository

Maab, Husnul; Alsaadi, Ahmad Salem; Francis, Lijo; Livazovic, Sara; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Amy, Gary L.; Nunes, Suzana Pereira

2013-01-01

Porous hollow fiber membranes were fabricated from fluorinated polyoxadiazole and polytriazole by a dry-wet spinning method for application in desalination of Red Sea water by direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). The data were compared with commercially available hollow fiber MD membranes prepared from poly(vinylidene fluoride). The membranes were characterized by electron microscopy, liquid entry pressure (LEP), and pore diameter measurements. Finally, the hollow fiber membranes were tested for DCMD. Salt selectivity as high as 99.95% and water fluxes as high as 35 and 41 L m -2 h-1 were demonstrated, respectively, for polyoxadiazole and polytriazole hollow fiber membranes, operating at 80 C feed temperature and 20 C permeate. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Polyazole hollow fiber membranes for direct contact membrane distillation

KAUST Repository

Maab, Husnul

2013-08-07

Porous hollow fiber membranes were fabricated from fluorinated polyoxadiazole and polytriazole by a dry-wet spinning method for application in desalination of Red Sea water by direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). The data were compared with commercially available hollow fiber MD membranes prepared from poly(vinylidene fluoride). The membranes were characterized by electron microscopy, liquid entry pressure (LEP), and pore diameter measurements. Finally, the hollow fiber membranes were tested for DCMD. Salt selectivity as high as 99.95% and water fluxes as high as 35 and 41 L m -2 h-1 were demonstrated, respectively, for polyoxadiazole and polytriazole hollow fiber membranes, operating at 80 C feed temperature and 20 C permeate. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Role of Firing Temperature, Sheet Resistance, and Contact Area in Contact Formation on Screen-Printed Metal Contact of Silicon Solar Cell

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Samir Mahmmod; Leong, Cheow Siu; Sopian, K.; Zaidi, Saleem H.

2018-03-01

Formation of an Ohmic contact requires a suitable firing temperature, appropriate doping profile, and contact dimensions within resolution limits of the screen-printing process. In this study, the role of the peak firing temperature in standard rapid thermal annealing (RTA) six-zone conveyor belt furnace (CBF) and two inexpensive alternate RTA systems [a custom-designed, three-zone, 5″-diameter quartz tube furnace (QTF) and a tabletop, 3″-diameter rapid thermal processing (RTP)] has been investigated. In addition, the role of sheet resistance and contact area in achieving low-resistance ohmic contacts has been examined. Electrical measurements of ohmic contacts between silver paste/ n +-emitter layer with varying sheet resistances and aluminum paste/ p-doped wafer were carried out in transmission line method configuration. Experimental measurements of the contact resistivity ( ρ c) exhibited the lowest values for CBF at 0.14 mΩ cm2 for Ag and 100 mΩ cm2 for Al at a peak firing temperature of 870°C. For the QTF configuration, lowest measured contact resistivities were 3.1 mΩ cm2 for Ag and 74.1 mΩ cm2 for Al at a peak firing temperature of 925°C. Finally, for the RTP configuration, lowest measured contact resistivities were 1.2 mΩ cm2 for Ag and 68.5 mΩ cm2 for Al at a peak firing temperature of 780°C. The measured contact resistivity exhibits strong linear dependence on sheet resistance. The contact resistivity for Ag decreases with contact area, while for Al the opposite behavior is observed.

THERMAL AND SPECTROSCOPIC ANALYSES OF CAUSTIC SIDE SOLVENT EXTRACTION SOLVENT CONTACTED WITH 16 MOLAR AND 8 MOLAR NITRIC ACID

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fondeur, F; David Hobbs, D; Samuel Fink, S

2007-01-01

Thermal and spectroscopic analyses were performed on multiple layers formed from contacting Caustic Side Solvent Extraction (CSSX) solvent with 1 M or 3 M nitric acid. A slow chemical reaction occurs (i.e., over several weeks) between the solvent and 1 M or 3 M nitric acid as evidenced by color changes and the detection of nitro groups in the infrared spectrum of the aged samples. Thermal analysis revealed that decomposition of the resulting mixture does not meet the definition of explosive or deflagrating material

The effects of indirect intergroup contact on willingness to engage in direct contact with former adversary

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Voca, S.; Graf, Sylvie

2018-01-01

Roč. 12, č. 1 (2018), s. 47-57 ISSN 2309-3455 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA17-14387S Institutional support: RVO:68081740 Keywords : positive intergroup contact * negative intergroup contact * extended intergroup contact * mass-mediated intergroup contact * willingness to engage in intergroup contact * empathy * outgroup trust Subject RIV: AN - Psychology OBOR OECD: Psychology (including human - machine relations)

Studies of Electrical and Thermal Conductivities of Sheared Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube with Isotactic Polypropylene Polymer Composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parvathalu Kalakonda

2015-01-01

at higher temperature due to isotropic electrical and thermal contact in both directions. Oriented MWCNT/iPP nanocomposites exhibit higher electrical and thermal conductivities, attributed primarily by orientation of nanotubes due to the shearing fabrication process.

Direct measurement of thermal conductivity in solid iron at planetary core conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Konôpková, Zuzana; McWilliams, R Stewart; Gómez-Pérez, Natalia; Goncharov, Alexander F

2016-06-02

The conduction of heat through minerals and melts at extreme pressures and temperatures is of central importance to the evolution and dynamics of planets. In the cooling Earth's core, the thermal conductivity of iron alloys defines the adiabatic heat flux and therefore the thermal and compositional energy available to support the production of Earth's magnetic field via dynamo action. Attempts to describe thermal transport in Earth's core have been problematic, with predictions of high thermal conductivity at odds with traditional geophysical models and direct evidence for a primordial magnetic field in the rock record. Measurements of core heat transport are needed to resolve this difference. Here we present direct measurements of the thermal conductivity of solid iron at pressure and temperature conditions relevant to the cores of Mercury-sized to Earth-sized planets, using a dynamically laser-heated diamond-anvil cell. Our measurements place the thermal conductivity of Earth's core near the low end of previous estimates, at 18-44 watts per metre per kelvin. The result is in agreement with palaeomagnetic measurements indicating that Earth's geodynamo has persisted since the beginning of Earth's history, and allows for a solid inner core as old as the dynamo.

Participant observation of time allocation, direct patient contact and simultaneous activities in hospital physicians

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zupanc Andrea

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Hospital physicians' time is a critical resource in medical care. Two aspects are of interest. First, the time spent in direct patient contact – a key principle of effective medical care. Second, simultaneous task performance ('multitasking' which may contribute to medical error, impaired safety behaviour, and stress. There is a call for instruments to assess these aspects. A preliminary study to gain insight into activity patterns, time allocation and simultaneous activities of hospital physicians was carried out. Therefore an observation instrument for time-motion-studies in hospital settings was developed and tested. Methods 35 participant observations of internists and surgeons of a German municipal 300-bed hospital were conducted. Complete day shifts of hospital physicians on wards, emergency ward, intensive care unit, and operating room were continuously observed. Assessed variables of interest were time allocation, share of direct patient contact, and simultaneous activities. Inter-rater agreement of Kappa = .71 points to good reliability of the instrument. Results Hospital physicians spent 25.5% of their time at work in direct contact with patients. Most time was allocated to documentation and conversation with colleagues and nursing staff. Physicians performed parallel simultaneous activities for 17–20% of their work time. Communication with patients, documentation, and conversation with colleagues and nursing staff were the most frequently observed simultaneous activities. Applying logit-linear analyses, specific primary activities increase the probability of particular simultaneous activities. Conclusion Patient-related working time in hospitals is limited. The potential detrimental effects of frequently observed simultaneous activities on performance outcomes need further consideration.

Direct Laser Writing of Nanophotonic Structures on Contact Lenses.

Science.gov (United States)

AlQattan, Bader; Yetisen, Ali K; Butt, Haider

2018-04-24

Contact lenses are ubiquitous biomedical devices used for vision correction and cosmetic purposes. Their application as quantitative analytical devices is highly promising for point-of-care diagnostics. However, it is a challenge to integrate nanoscale features into commercial contact lenses for application in low-cost biosensors. A neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser (1064 nm, 3 ns pulse, 240 mJ) in holographic interference patterning mode was utilized to produce optical nanostructures over the surface of a hydrogel contact lens. One-dimensional (925 nm) and two-dimensional (925 nm × 925 nm) nanostructures were produced on contact lenses and analyzed by spectroscopy and angle-resolve measurements. The holographic properties of these nanostructures were tested in ambient moisture, fully hydrated, and artificial tear conditions. The measurements showed a rapid tuning of optical diffraction from these nanostructures from 41 to 48°. The nanostructures were patterned near the edges of the contact lens to avoid any interference and obstruction to the human vision. The formation of 2D nanostructures on lenses increased the diffraction efficiency by more than 10%. The versatility of the holographic laser ablation method was demonstrated by producing four different 2D nanopattern geometries on contact lenses. Hydrophobicity of the contact lens was characterized by contact angle measurements, which increased from 59.0° at pristine condition to 62.5° at post-nanofabrication. The holographic nanostructures on the contact lens were used to sense the concentration of Na + ions. Artificial tear solution was used to simulate the conditions in dry eye syndrome, and nanostructures on the contact lenses were used to detect the electrolyte concentration changes (±47 mmol L -1 ). Nanopatterns on a contact lens may be used to sense other ocular diseases in early stages at point-of-care settings.

Direct-Current Forced Interruption and Breaking Performance of Spiral-Type Contacts in Aero Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenlei Huo

2017-05-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses the transient characteristics and breaking performance of direct-current (DC forced-interruption vacuum interrupters in 270 V power-supply systems. Three stages are identified in forced interruption: the DC-arcing stage, current-commutation stage, and voltage-recovery stage. During the current-commutation stage, the reverse peak-current coefficient k, which is a key design factor, is used to calculate the rate of current at zero-crossing (di/dt. MATLAB/Simulink simulation models are established to obtain the transient characteristics influenced by the forced-commutation branch parameters and the coefficient k. To study the breaking performance of spiral-type contacts, experiments are conducted for different contact materials and arcing times for currents less than 3.5 kA. During the DC-arcing stage, a locally intensive burning arc is observed in the CuW80 contact; however, it is not observed in the CuCr50 contact. On examining the re-ignition interruption results of the CuW80 contact, the intensive burning arc is found to be positioned within a possible re-ignition region. When the arcing time is longer than 1 ms, the intensive burning arc occurs and affects the breaking performance of the spiral-type contacts. If the DC-arcing stage is prolonged, the total arcing energy increases, which leads to a lower breaking capacity.

Thermal response of Ru electrodes in contact with SiO2 and Hf-based high-k gate dielectrics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wen, H.-C.; Lysaght, P.; Alshareef, H.N.; Huffman, C.; Harris, H.R.; Choi, K.; Senzaki, Y.; Luan, H.; Majhi, P.; Lee, B.H.; Campin, M. J.; Foran, B.; Lian, G.D.; Kwong, D.-L.

2005-01-01

A systematic experimental evaluation of the thermal stability of Ru metal gate electrodes in direct contact with SiO 2 and Hf-based dielectric layers was performed and correlated with electrical device measurements. The distinctly different interfacial reactions in the Ru/SiO 2 , Ru/HfO 2 , and Ru/HfSiO x film systems were observed through cross-sectional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy with electron-energy-loss spectra, and energy dispersive x-ray spectra analysis. Ru interacted with SiO 2 , but remained stable on HfO 2 at 1000 deg. C. The onset of Ru/SiO 2 interfacial interactions is identified via silicon substrate pitting possibly from Ru diffusion into the dielectric in samples exposed to a 900 deg. C/10-s anneal. The dependence of capacitor device degradation with decreasing SiO 2 thickness suggests Ru diffuses through SiO 2 , followed by an abrupt, rapid, nonuniform interaction of ruthenium silicide as Ru contacts the Si substrate. Local interdiffusion detected on Ru/HfSiO x samples may be due to phase separation of HfSiO x into HfO 2 grains within a SiO 2 matrix, suggesting that SiO 2 provides a diffusion pathway for Ru. Detailed evidence consistent with a dual reaction mechanism for the Ru/SiO 2 system at 1000 deg. C is presented

Dynamic solar-powered multi-stage direct contact membrane distillation system: Concept design, modeling and simulation

KAUST Repository

Lee, Jung Gil; Kim, Woo-Seung; Choi, June-Seok; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Kim, Young-Deuk

2017-01-01

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the monthly average daily and hourly performances of a solar-powered multi-stage direct contact membrane distillation (SMDCMD) system with an energy recovery scheme and dynamic operating system. Mid

Thermal stability study of Cr/Au contact formed on n-type Ga-polar GaN, N-polar GaN, and wet-etched N-polar GaN surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Yunju; Kim, Yangsoo; Ahn, Kwang-Soon; Kim, Hyunsoo

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The Cr/Au contact on n-type Ga-polar (0 0 0 1) GaN, N-polar (0 0 0 −1) GaN, and wet-etched N-polar GaN were investigated. • Thermal annealing led to a significant degradation of contact formed on N-polar n-GaN samples. • Contact degradation was shown to be closely related to the increase in the electrical resistivity of n-GaN. • Out-diffusion of Ga and N atoms was clearly observed in N-polar samples. - Abstract: The electrical characteristics and thermal stability of a Cr/Au contact formed on n-type Ga-polar (0 0 0 1) GaN, N-polar GaN, and wet-etched N-polar GaN were investigated. As-deposited Cr/Au showed a nearly ohmic contact behavior for all samples, i.e., the specific contact resistance was 3.2 × 10 −3 , 4.3 × 10 −4 , and 1.1 × 10 −3 Ω cm 2 for the Ga-polar, flat N-polar, and roughened N-polar samples, respectively. However, thermal annealing performed at 250 °C for 1 min in a N 2 ambient led to a significant degradation of contact, i.e., the contact resistance increased by 186, 3260, and 2030% after annealing for Ga-polar, flat N-polar, and roughened N-polar samples, respectively. This could be due to the different disruption degree of Cr/Au and GaN interface after annealing, i.e., the insignificant interfacial reaction occurred in the Ga-polar sample, while out-diffusion of Ga and N atoms was clearly observed in N-polar samples

Thermal stability study of Cr/Au contact formed on n-type Ga-polar GaN, N-polar GaN, and wet-etched N-polar GaN surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Yunju [School of Semiconductor and Chemical Engineering, Semiconductor Physics Research Center, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756 (Korea, Republic of); Suncheon Center, Korea Basic Science Institute, Suncheon 540-742 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Yangsoo [Suncheon Center, Korea Basic Science Institute, Suncheon 540-742 (Korea, Republic of); Ahn, Kwang-Soon, E-mail: kstheory@ynu.ac.kr [School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 712-749 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hyunsoo, E-mail: hskim7@jbnu.ac.kr [School of Semiconductor and Chemical Engineering, Semiconductor Physics Research Center, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756 (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-30

Highlights: • The Cr/Au contact on n-type Ga-polar (0 0 0 1) GaN, N-polar (0 0 0 −1) GaN, and wet-etched N-polar GaN were investigated. • Thermal annealing led to a significant degradation of contact formed on N-polar n-GaN samples. • Contact degradation was shown to be closely related to the increase in the electrical resistivity of n-GaN. • Out-diffusion of Ga and N atoms was clearly observed in N-polar samples. - Abstract: The electrical characteristics and thermal stability of a Cr/Au contact formed on n-type Ga-polar (0 0 0 1) GaN, N-polar GaN, and wet-etched N-polar GaN were investigated. As-deposited Cr/Au showed a nearly ohmic contact behavior for all samples, i.e., the specific contact resistance was 3.2 × 10{sup −3}, 4.3 × 10{sup −4}, and 1.1 × 10{sup −3} Ω cm{sup 2} for the Ga-polar, flat N-polar, and roughened N-polar samples, respectively. However, thermal annealing performed at 250 °C for 1 min in a N{sub 2} ambient led to a significant degradation of contact, i.e., the contact resistance increased by 186, 3260, and 2030% after annealing for Ga-polar, flat N-polar, and roughened N-polar samples, respectively. This could be due to the different disruption degree of Cr/Au and GaN interface after annealing, i.e., the insignificant interfacial reaction occurred in the Ga-polar sample, while out-diffusion of Ga and N atoms was clearly observed in N-polar samples.

Turbostar: an ICF reactor using both direct and thermal power conversion. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pitts, J.H.

1986-01-01

Combining direct and thermal power conversion results in a 52% gross plant efficiency with DT fuel and 68% with advanced DD fuel. We maximize the fraction of fusion-yield energy converted to kinetic energy in a liquid-lithium blanket, and use this energy directly with turbine generators to produce electricity. We use the remainder of the energy to produce electricity in a standard Rankine thermal power conversion cycle

Thermal contact resistance measurement of conduction cooled binary current lead joint block in cryocooler based self field I-V characterization facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kundu, Ananya, E-mail: ananya@ipr.res.in; Das, Subrat Kumar; Agarwal, Anees Bano Pooja; Pradhan, Subrata [Institute for Plasma Research, Bhat, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382428 (India)

2016-05-23

In the present study thermal resistance of conduction cooled current lead joint block employing two different interfacial material namely AlN sheet and Kapton Film have been studied in the temperature range 5K-35K. In each case, the performance of different interlayer materials e.g. Indium foil for moderately pressurized contacts (contact pressure <1 MPa), and Apiezon N Grease, GE varnish for low pressurized contact (contact pressure <1 MPa) is studied. The performances of AlN joint with Indium foil and with Apeizon N Grease are studied and it is observed that the contact resistance reduces more with indium foil as compared to greased contact. The contact resistance measurements of Kapton film with Apiezon N grease and with GE varnish were also carried out in the same temperature range. A comparative study of AlN joint with Indium foil and Kapton with GE varnish as filler material is carried out to demonstrate better candidate material among Kapton and AlN for a particular filler material in the same temperature range.

A Model of Direct Contact Membrane Distillation of Black Currant Juice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Morten Busch; Christensen, Knud Villy; Andrésen, René

2011-01-01

A numerical model to describe a direct contact membrane distillation proces has been developed. Said model is based on the Dusty Gas model and shell mass and energy balances over a tubular membrane module.  "The solution is applicable to laminar, incompressible and continuous flow in shell......-side spacing of tubular-type unit."  Turtuosity and porosity are characteristics of the membrane in use and have been estimated base don eksperimental studies on destillation of pure water. The fitted model shows a good fit to experimental data obtained by destillation of black currant juice....

Experimental investigation of direct contact three phase boiling heat transfer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruce, W.D.

1981-01-01

The system which was studied in the present work consisted of one liquid undergoing vaporization by contact with a hotter immiscible liquid. The liquids and vapor were contacted in a counterflow spray column with only differential increases in vapor quality. Experiments yielded vertical temperature profiles, flow rates of the phases, liquid holdups, pressure drops, and a characterization of flow patterns. A micro-computer was utilized for measuring temperatures in the column at the rate of 1500 to 1600 times per second at several depths. Analysis of the experimental data indicate that the maximum temperature difference between the phases is 0.5F 0 , and that a temperature crossover occurs at the lower end of the column. The heat transfer fluid undergoes flash vaporization at its inlet at the top of the column, and much of its sensible heat is tranferred to the dispersed phase near the top of the column. Temperature profiles along the length of the boiler are nearly flat, and very little heat transfer occurs in the lower part of the boiler. A chemical method was developed for measuring effective interfacial area in a direct contact boiler. The theoretical basis of the method is discussed, and physico-chemical data necessary for application of the technique are reported. Water solubility of methyl salicylate was measured as a function of temperature, and the second order reaction rate coefficient for saponification of methyl salicylate by sodium hydroxide was determined from sodium hydroxide concentration versus time data and a computer model of a well-mixed semibatch reactor. The activation energy for the reaction was found to be 9.58 kilocalories per gram mole

Direct physical contact between intercalated cells in the distal convoluted tubule and the afferent arteriole in mouse kidneys.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Ren

Full Text Available Recent physiological studies in the kidney proposed the existence of a secondary feedback mechanism termed 'crosstalk' localized after the macula densa. This newly discovered crosstalk contact between the nephron tubule and its own afferent arteriole may potentially revolutionize our understanding of renal vascular resistance and electrolyte regulation. However, the nature of such a crosstalk mechanism is still debated due to a lack of direct and comprehensive morphological evidence. Its exact location along the nephron, its prevalence among the different types of nephrons, and the type of cells involved are yet unknown. To address these issues, computer assisted 3-dimensional nephron tracing was applied in combination with direct immunohistochemistry on plastic sections and electron microscopy. 'Random' contacts in the cortex were identified by the tracing and excluded. We investigated a total of 168 nephrons from all cortical regions. The results demonstrated that the crosstalk contact existed, and that it was only present in certain nephrons (90% of the short-looped and 75% of the long-looped nephrons. The crosstalk contacts always occurred at a specific position--the last 10% of the distal convoluted tubule. Importantly, we demonstrated, for the first time, that the cells found in the tubule wall at the contact site were always type nonA-nonB intercalated cells. In conclusion, the present work confirmed the existence of a post macula densa physical crosstalk contact.

Direct physical contact between intercalated cells in the distal convoluted tubule and the afferent arteriole in mouse kidneys.

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Hao; Liu, Ning-Yu; Andreasen, Arne; Thomsen, Jesper S; Cao, Liu; Christensen, Erik I; Zhai, Xiao-Yue

2013-01-01

Recent physiological studies in the kidney proposed the existence of a secondary feedback mechanism termed 'crosstalk' localized after the macula densa. This newly discovered crosstalk contact between the nephron tubule and its own afferent arteriole may potentially revolutionize our understanding of renal vascular resistance and electrolyte regulation. However, the nature of such a crosstalk mechanism is still debated due to a lack of direct and comprehensive morphological evidence. Its exact location along the nephron, its prevalence among the different types of nephrons, and the type of cells involved are yet unknown. To address these issues, computer assisted 3-dimensional nephron tracing was applied in combination with direct immunohistochemistry on plastic sections and electron microscopy. 'Random' contacts in the cortex were identified by the tracing and excluded. We investigated a total of 168 nephrons from all cortical regions. The results demonstrated that the crosstalk contact existed, and that it was only present in certain nephrons (90% of the short-looped and 75% of the long-looped nephrons). The crosstalk contacts always occurred at a specific position--the last 10% of the distal convoluted tubule. Importantly, we demonstrated, for the first time, that the cells found in the tubule wall at the contact site were always type nonA-nonB intercalated cells. In conclusion, the present work confirmed the existence of a post macula densa physical crosstalk contact.

Safety design of Pb-Bi-cooled direct contact boiling water fast reactor (PBWFR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Minoru; Uchida, Shoji; Yamada, Yumi; Koyama, Kazuya

2008-01-01

In Pb-Bi-cooled direct contact boiling water small fast reactor (PBWFR), steam is generated by direct contact of feedwater with primary Pb-Bi coolant above the core, and Pb-Bi coolant is circulated by steam lift pump in chimneys. Safety design has been developed to show safety features of PBWFR. Negative void reactivity is inserted even if whole of the core and upper plenum are voided hypothetically by steam intrusion from above. The control rod ejection due to coolant pressure is prevented using in-vessel type control rod driving mechanism. At coolant leak from reactor vessel and feedwater pipes, Pb-Bi coolant level in the reactor vessel required for decay heat removal is kept using closed guard vessel. Dual pipes for feedwater are employed to avoid leak of water. Although there is no concern of loss of flow accident due to primary pump trip, feedwater pump trip initiates loss of coolant flow (LOF). Injection of high pressure water slows down the flow coast down of feedwater at the LOF event. The unprotected loss of flow and heat sink (ATWS) has been evaluated, which shows that the fuel temperatures are kept lower than the safety limits. (author)

Thermal singularity and droplet motion in one-component fluids on solid substrates with thermal gradients

KAUST Repository

Xu, Xinpeng

2012-06-26

Using a continuum model capable of describing the one-component liquid-gas hydrodynamics down to the contact line scale, we carry out numerical simulation and physical analysis for the droplet motion driven by thermal singularity. For liquid droplets in one-component fluids on heated or cooled substrates, the liquid-gas interface is nearly isothermal. Consequently, a thermal singularity occurs at the contact line and the Marangoni effect due to temperature gradient is suppressed. Through evaporation or condensation in the vicinity of the contact line, the thermal singularity makes the contact angle increase with the increasing substrate temperature. This effect on the contact angle can be used to move the droplets on substrates with thermal gradients. Our numerical results for this kind of droplet motion are explained by a simple fluid dynamical model at the droplet length scale. Since the mechanism for droplet motion is based on the change of contact angle, a separation of length scales is exhibited through a comparison between the droplet motion induced by a wettability gradient and that by a thermal gradient. It is shown that the flow field at the droplet length scale is independent of the statics or dynamics at the contact line scale.

Thermal singularity and droplet motion in one-component fluids on solid substrates with thermal gradients

KAUST Repository

Xu, Xinpeng; Qian, Tiezheng

2012-01-01

Using a continuum model capable of describing the one-component liquid-gas hydrodynamics down to the contact line scale, we carry out numerical simulation and physical analysis for the droplet motion driven by thermal singularity. For liquid droplets in one-component fluids on heated or cooled substrates, the liquid-gas interface is nearly isothermal. Consequently, a thermal singularity occurs at the contact line and the Marangoni effect due to temperature gradient is suppressed. Through evaporation or condensation in the vicinity of the contact line, the thermal singularity makes the contact angle increase with the increasing substrate temperature. This effect on the contact angle can be used to move the droplets on substrates with thermal gradients. Our numerical results for this kind of droplet motion are explained by a simple fluid dynamical model at the droplet length scale. Since the mechanism for droplet motion is based on the change of contact angle, a separation of length scales is exhibited through a comparison between the droplet motion induced by a wettability gradient and that by a thermal gradient. It is shown that the flow field at the droplet length scale is independent of the statics or dynamics at the contact line scale.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induce Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Colon Cancer Cells through Direct Cell-to-Cell Contact

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hidehiko Takigawa

2017-05-01

Full Text Available We previously reported that in an orthotopic nude mouse model of human colon cancer, bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs migrated to the tumor stroma and promoted tumor growth and metastasis. Here, we evaluated the proliferation and migration ability of cancer cells cocultured with MSCs to elucidate the mechanism of interaction between cancer cells and MSCs. Proliferation and migration of cancer cells increased following direct coculture with MSCs but not following indirect coculture. Thus, we hypothesized that direct contact between cancer cells and MSCs was important. We performed a microarray analysis of gene expression in KM12SM colon cancer cells directly cocultured with MSCs. Expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT–related genes such as fibronectin (FN, SPARC, and galectin 1 was increased by direct coculture with MSCs. We also confirmed the upregulation of these genes with real-time polymerase chain reaction. Gene expression was not elevated in cancer cells indirectly cocultured with MSCs. Among the EMT-related genes upregulated by direct coculture with MSCs, we examined the immune localization of FN, a well-known EMT marker. In coculture assay in chamber slides, expression of FN was seen only at the edges of cancer clusters where cancer cells directly contacted MSCs. FN expression in cancer cells increased at the tumor periphery and invasive edge in orthotopic nude mouse tumors and human colon cancer tissues. These results suggest that MSCs induce EMT in colon cancer cells via direct cell-to-cell contact and may play an important role in colon cancer metastasis.

Open-cycle magnetohydrodynamic power plant based upon direct-contact closed-loop high-temperature heat exchanger

Science.gov (United States)

Berry, G.F.; Minkov, V.; Petrick, M.

1981-11-02

A magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) power generating system is described in which ionized combustion gases with slag and seed are discharged from an MHD combustor and pressurized high temperature inlet air is introduced into the combustor for supporting fuel combustion at high temperatures necessary to ionize the combustion gases, and including a heat exchanger in the form of a continuous loop with a circulating heat transfer liquid such as copper oxide. The heat exchanger has an upper horizontal channel for providing direct contact between the heat transfer liquid and the combustion gases to cool the gases and condense the slag which thereupon floats on the heat transfer liquid and can be removed from the channel, and a lower horizontal channel for providing direct contact between the heat transfer liquid and pressurized air for preheating the inlet air. The system further includes a seed separator downstream of the heat exchanger.

Humidification-Dehumidification (HDH) Spray Column Direct Contact Condenser Part I: Countercurrent Flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karameldin, A.; Shouman, L.; Fadel, D.

2016-01-01

Humidification-De humidification (HDH) is a low grade energy desalination technology. Hot humid air and cooling spray water in counter current flow with direct contact is theoretically analyzed in the present work. Direct contact spray condenser is studied to obtain the effect of various parameters on its performance. A computer program describing the theoretical model is designed to solve one-dimensional differential equations by using Rung-Kutta method. The results show that the column length has a great effect on the performance of the spray condenser. At a column height of 2, 5,10, and 20 m the humidity of the outlet air decreases by 72, 89, 97, and 99% respectively. The humid air temperature has a great influence on the productivity; me an while the temperature difference between the humid air and sprayed water has less effect. A case study of a contiguous co-generation electricity and water in Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) shows that the optimal productivity by HDH is feasible and can reach more than 15 m"3 /day.m"2, enabling a total productivity that varied from 120,000 to 300,000 m"3 /day. The design curves describing the process are obtained together in addition to a formula for the optimal productivity in terms of humid air and sprayed water fluxes at different humid air temperatures is derived

Direct Estimation of Power Distribution in Reactors for Nuclear Thermal Space Propulsion

Science.gov (United States)

Aldemir, Tunc; Miller, Don W.; Burghelea, Andrei

2004-02-01

A recently proposed constant temperature power sensor (CTPS) has the capability to directly measure the local power deposition rate in nuclear reactor cores proposed for space thermal propulsion. Such a capability reduces the uncertainties in the estimated power peaking factors and hence increases the reliability of the nuclear engine. The CTPS operation is sensitive to the changes in the local thermal conditions. A procedure is described for the automatic on-line calibration of the sensor through estimation of changes in thermal .conditions.

Reducing Contact Resistance Errors In Measuring Thermal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Values of thermal conductivity (k) of glass beads, quartz sand, stone dust and clay were determined using a thermal probe with and without heat sink compounds (arctic silver grease (ASG) and white grease (WG)) at different water contents, bulk densities and particle sizes. The heat sink compounds (HSC) increased k at ...

Humidification Dehumidification Spray Column Direct Contact Condenser Part I: Countercurrent Flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shouman, L.; Karameldin, A.; Fadel, D.

2015-01-01

Humidification-dehumidification (HDH) is a low grade energy desalination technology. The waste heat from power plant (such NPP) can be used as heat source to preheat water (in evaporator) and air (in condenser) . Hot humid air and cooled spray water in counter current flow with direct contact is theoretically analyzing in the present work. Direct contact spray condenser is studied to provide the effect of various parameters on its performance. A computer programme describing the theoretical model is designed to solve a one-dimensional differential equations by using Rung–Kutta method. The programme predicts the droplet radius, velocity and temperature, besides, the humidity and temperature of air. The results show that, the length of column has great effect on the performance of spray condenser. At column height of 0.762, 2, 5, 10, and 20 m the humidity of the output air decreases by 50%, 72%, 89%, 97%, and 99% respectively. The condensate increases about 35% when the length increase from 5 to 10 m at ΔT = 25°C while increase only 18% at ΔT = 30°C. Also, it is found that, at ΔT = 25°C the condensate decrease from H = 10 to 5 m about 31% and increases from 10 to 20 m about 32%. While these results for ΔT = 25°C are 32% from H = 10 to 5 m and 36% from 10 to 20 m.The increase of both water and air mass fluxes increases the condensate mass flow rate. (author)

Segmental equivalent temperature determined by means of a thermal manikin: A method for correcting errors due to incomplete contact of the body with a surface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Melikov, Arsen Krikor; Janieas, N.R.D.J.; Silva, M.C.G.

2004-01-01

of the thermal manikins used at present is not as flexible as the human body and is divided into body segments with a surface area that differs from that of the human body in contact with a surface. The area of the segment in contact with a surface will depend on the shape and flexibility of the surface...

Laser-annealed GaP OHMIC contacts for high-temperature devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eknoyan, O.; Van der Hoeven, W.; Richardson, T.; Porter, W.A.; Coquat, J.A.

1980-01-01

The results of successful Nd:YAG laser annealed ohmic contacts on n-type GaP are reported. Comparisons on identical laser and thermal annealed contacts on the same substrates are performed. Aging investigations are also studied. The results indicate that laser annealed contacts have far superior electrical characteristics, much better surface morphology and are substantially more stable with aging than the same but thermally alloyed ones

Electric Motor Thermal Management R&D. Annual Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bennion, Kevin [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-04-01

With the push to reduce component volumes, lower costs, and reduce weight without sacrificing performance or reliability, the challenges associated with thermal management increase for power electronics and electric motors. Thermal management for electric motors will become more important as the automotive industry continues the transition to more electrically dominant vehicle propulsion systems. The transition to more electrically dominant propulsion systems leads to higher-power duty cycles for electric drive systems. Thermal constraints place significant limitations on how electric motors ultimately perform, and as thermal management improves, there will be a direct trade-off between motor performance, efficiency, cost, and the sizing of electric motors to operate within the thermal constraints. The goal of this research project is to support broad industry demand for data, analysis methods, and experimental techniques to improve and better understand motor thermal management. Work in FY15 focused on two areas related to motor thermal management: passive thermal performance and active convective cooling. Passive thermal performance emphasized the thermal impact of materials and thermal interfaces among materials within an assembled motor. The research tasks supported the publication of test methods and data for thermal contact resistances and direction-dependent thermal conductivity within an electric motor. Active convective cooling focused on measuring convective heat-transfer coefficients using automatic transmission fluid (ATF). Data for average convective heat transfer coefficients for direct impingement of ATF jets was published. Also, experimental hardware for mapping local-scale and stator-scale convective heat transfer coefficients for ATF jet impingement were developed.

Mechanical design of thin-film diamond crystal mounting apparatus with optimized thermal contact and crystal strain for coherence preservation x-ray optics

Science.gov (United States)

Shu, Deming; Shvydko, Yury; Stoupin, Stanislav; Kim, Kwang-Je

2018-05-08

A method and mechanical design for a thin-film diamond crystal mounting apparatus for coherence preservation x-ray optics with optimized thermal contact and minimized crystal strain are provided. The novel thin-film diamond crystal mounting apparatus mounts a thin-film diamond crystal supported by a thick chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond film spacer with a thickness slightly thicker than the thin-film diamond crystal, and two groups of thin film thermal conductors, such as thin CVD diamond film thermal conductor groups separated by the thick CVD diamond spacer. The two groups of thin CVD film thermal conductors provide thermal conducting interface media with the thin-film diamond crystal. A piezoelectric actuator is integrated into a flexural clamping mechanism generating clamping force from zero to an optimal level.

Direct contact with endoderm-like cells efficiently induces cardiac progenitors from mouse and human pluripotent stem cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hideki Uosaki

Full Text Available RATIONALE: Pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs have emerged as a powerful tool to study cardiogenesis in vitro and a potential cell source for cardiac regenerative medicine. However, available methods to induce CPCs are not efficient or require high-cost cytokines with extensive optimization due to cell line variations. OBJECTIVE: Based on our in-vivo observation that early endodermal cells maintain contact with nascent pre-cardiac mesoderm, we hypothesized that direct physical contact with endoderm promotes induction of CPCs from pluripotent cells. METHOD AND RESULT: To test the hypothesis, we cocultured mouse embryonic stem (ES cells with the endodermal cell line End2 by co-aggregation or End2-conditioned medium. Co-aggregation resulted in strong induction of Flk1(+ PDGFRa(+ CPCs in a dose-dependent manner, but the conditioned medium did not, indicating that direct contact is necessary for this process. To determine if direct contact with End2 cells also promotes the induction of committed cardiac progenitors, we utilized several mouse ES and induced pluripotent (iPS cell lines expressing fluorescent proteins under regulation of the CPC lineage markers Nkx2.5 or Isl1. In agreement with earlier data, co-aggregation with End2 cells potently induces both Nkx2.5(+ and Isl1(+ CPCs, leading to a sheet of beating cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, co-aggregation with End2 cells greatly promotes the induction of KDR(+ PDGFRa(+ CPCs from human ES cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our co-aggregation method provides an efficient, simple and cost-effective way to induce CPCs from mouse and human pluripotent cells.

Contact resistance and stability study for Au, Ti, Hf and Ni contacts on thin-film Mg2Si

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Bo

2016-12-28

We present a detailed study of post-deposition annealing effects on contact resistance of Au, Ti, Hf and Ni electrodes on Mg2Si thin films. Thin-film Mg2Si and metal contacts were deposited using magnetron sputtering. Various post-annealing temperatures were studied to determine the thermal stability of each contact metal. The specific contact resistivity (SCR) was determined using the Cross Bridge Kelvin Resistor (CBKR) method. Ni contacts exhibits the best thermal stability, maintaining stability up to 400 °C, with a SCR of approximately 10−2 Ω-cm2 after annealing. The increased SCR after high temperature annealing is correlated with the formation of a Mg-Si-Ni mixture identified by cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) characterization, X-ray diffraction characterization (XRD) and other elemental analyses. The formation of this Mg-Si-Ni mixture is attributed to Ni diffusion and its reaction with the Mg2Si film.

Directional radiative cooling thermal compensation for gravitational wave interferometer mirrors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Justin Kamp, Carl [Department of Chemical Reaction Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Goteborg (Sweden)], E-mail: carl.kamp@chalmers.se; Kawamura, Hinata [Yokoyama Junior High School, Sanda, Hachioji, Tokyo 193-0832 (Japan); Passaquieti, Roberto [Dipartimento di Fisica ' Enrico Fermi' and INFN Sezione di Pisa, Universita' di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); DeSalvo, Riccardo [LIGO Observatories, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2009-08-21

The concept of utilizing directional radiative cooling to correct the problem of thermal lensing in the mirrors of the LIGO/VIRGO gravitational wave detectors has been shown and has prospects for future use. Two different designs utilizing this concept, referred to as the baffled and parabolic mirror solutions, have been proposed with different means of controlling the cooling power. The technique takes advantage of the power naturally radiated by the mirror surfaces at room temperature to prevent their heating by the powerful stored laser beams. The baffled solution has been simulated via COMSOL Multiphysics as a design tool. Finally, the parabolic mirror concept was experimentally validated with the results falling in close agreement with theoretical cooling calculations. The technique of directional radiative thermal correction can be reversed to image heat rings on the mirrors periphery to remotely and dynamically correct their radius of curvature without subjecting the mirror to relevant perturbations.

Effects of Thermal Resistance on One-Dimensional Thermal Analysis of the Epidermal Flexible Electronic Devices Integrated with Human Skin

Science.gov (United States)

Li, He; Cui, Yun

2017-12-01

Nowadays, flexible electronic devices are increasingly used in direct contact with human skin to monitor the real-time health of human body. Based on the Fourier heat conduction equation and Pennes bio-heat transfer equation, this paper deduces the analytical solutions of one - dimensional heat transfer for flexible electronic devices integrated with human skin under the condition of a constant power. The influence of contact thermal resistance between devices and skin is considered as well. The corresponding finite element model is established to verify the correctness of analytical solutions. The results show that the finite element analysis agrees well with the analytical solution. With bigger thermal resistance, temperature increase of skin surface will decrease. This result can provide guidance for the design of flexible electronic devices to reduce the negative impact that exceeding temperature leave on human skin.

Direct numerical simulation of thermally-stratified turbulent boundary layer subjected to adverse pressure gradient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hattori, Hirofumi; Kono, Amane; Houra, Tomoya

2016-01-01

Highlights: • We study various thermally-stratified turbulent boundary layers having adverse pressure gradient (APG) by means of DNS. • The detailed turbulent statistics and structures in various thermally-stratified turbulent boundary layers having APG are discussed. • It is found that the friction coefficient and Stanton number decrease along the streamwise direction due to the effects of stable thermal stratification and APG, but those again increase due to the APG effect in the case of weak stable thermal stratification. • In the case of strong stable stratification with or without APG, the flow separation is observed in the downstream region. - Abstract: The objective of this study is to investigate and observe turbulent heat transfer structures and statistics in thermally-stratified turbulent boundary layers subjected to a non-equilibrium adverse pressure gradient (APG) by means of direct numerical simulation (DNS). DNSs are carried out under conditions of neutral, stable and unstable thermal stratifications with a non-equilibrium APG, in which DNS results reveal heat transfer characteristics of thermally-stratified non-equilibrium APG turbulent boundary layers. In cases of thermally-stratified turbulent boundary layers affected by APG, heat transfer performances increase in comparison with a turbulent boundary layer with neutral thermal stratification and zero pressure gradient (ZPG). Especially, it is found that the friction coefficient and Stanton number decrease along the streamwise direction due to the effects of stable thermal stratification and APG, but those again increase due to the APG effect in the case of weak stable thermal stratification (WSBL). Thus, the analysis for both the friction coefficient and Stanton number in the case of WSBL with/without APG is conducted using the FIK identity in order to investigate contributions from the transport equations, in which it is found that both Reynolds-shear-stress and the mean convection terms

Progress in Effect of Nano-modified Coatings and Welding Process Parameters on Wear of Contact Tube for Non-copper Coated Solid Wires

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LI Zhuo-xin

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Environment-friendly non-copper coated solid wire is the main developing trend for gas shielded solid wires, whereas wear of contact tube limits their wide application. The effect of nano-modified coatings and welding process parameters on wear of contact tube for non-copper coated solid wires was reviewed. It was found that the wear of contact tube can be reduced due to the formation of tribo-films on the rubbing surfaces of welding wires against contact tube; it is feasible to decrease contact tube wear when non-copper coated solid wires are coated with nano-modified lubricants, thereby displaying excellent lubricating and thermal or electrical conduction characteristics. The wear of contact tube increases with the increase of welding current. The wear of contact tube is worse in direct-current electrode positive (DCEP than in direct-current electrode negative (DCEN. Arc ablation and electrical erosion are the dominant wear mechanisms of contact tube.

State of technology of direct contact heat exchanging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vallario, R.W.; DeBellis, D.E.

1984-05-01

Specific objectives of this study were to assess the state of technology development and to identify and evaluate the constraints to wider use of direct contact heat exchanger (DCHE) technology in the U.S. The scope of this study is relatively broad; it includes many types of generic systems and end-use applications, both current and future. Domestic and foreign experience with DCHE technology are compared, although the primary focus is on domestic experience. Twenty-two distinct applications of DCHE technology were identified in this study and are examined in this report. The general format is to describe each system, explore its potential applications, discuss current and past research activities and identify major implementation barriers. Finally, as a result of discussions with principal users of DCHE systems and with other knowledgeable sources, generic and specific R and D needs to overcome specific implementation barriers have been identified. The following list of DCHE systems/concepts has been classified into four major end-uses; there is also a category for specialized (other) applications.

Small Reactor Designs Suitable for Direct Nuclear Thermal Propulsion: Interim Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schnitzler, Bruce G.

2012-01-01

open loop systems for direct nuclear thermal propulsion. Although a number of fast spectrum reactor and engine designs suitable for direct nuclear thermal propulsion were proposed and designed, none were built. This report summarizes status results of evaluations of small nuclear reactor designs suitable for direct nuclear thermal propulsion.

No-contact method of determining average working-surface temperature of plate-type radiation-absorbing thermal exchange panels of flat solar collectors for heating heat-transfer fluid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avezova, N.R.; Avezov, R.R.

2015-01-01

A brand new no-contact method of determining the average working-surface temperature of plate-type radiation-absorbing thermal exchange panels (RATEPs) of flat solar collectors (FSCs) for heating a heat-transfer fluid (HTF) is suggested on the basis of the results of thermal tests in full-scale quasistationary conditions. (authors)

Contact Lens Risks

Science.gov (United States)

... There is a risk of eye infection from bacteria in swimming pool water, hot tubs, lakes and the ocean Replace your contact lens storage case every 3 months or as directed by your eye care professional. Other Risks of Contact Lenses Other risks of contact lenses include pink eye ( ...

Experimental and numerical study of waste heat recovery characteristics of direct contact thermoelectric generator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Tae Young; Negash, Assmelash; Cho, Gyubaek

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Energy harvesting performance of direct contact thermoelectric generator was studied. • Power-current and voltage-current curves were given for various operating conditions. • Output power prediction using numerical results and empirical correlation was verified. • A 1.0–2.0% conversion efficiency and 5.7–11.1% heat recovery efficiency were obtained. • A 0.25% increase in efficiency was found with a 10 K decrease in coolant temperature. - Abstract: In this study, waste heat recovery performance of a direct contact thermoelectric generator (DCTEG) is experimentally investigated on a diesel engine. In order to conduct an insightful analysis of the DCTEG characteristics, three experimental parameters—engine load, rotation speed, and coolant temperature—are chosen to vary over ranges during the experiments. Experimental results show that higher temperature differences across thermoelectric modules (TEM), larger engine loads, and rotation speeds lead to an improved energy conversion efficiency of the DCTEG, which lies in the range of approximately 1.0–2.0%, while the output power ranges approximately 12–45 W. The increase in the conversion efficiency for an increased engine load becomes more noticeable with a higher engine rotation speed. A 10 K decrease in the coolant temperature yields an approximately 0.25% increase in the conversion efficiency for the engine operating conditions tested. In addition, 3D numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the heat transfer and pressure characteristics of the DCTEG. Numerically obtained exhaust gas temperatures exiting the DCTEG were in good agreement with experimental results. It is also revealed that incorporation of the temperature fields from the numerical simulation and an empirical correlation for a temperature-power relationship provides a good predictor for output power from the DCTEG, especially at low engine load conditions, which deviates from experimental results as the

Rapid, non-destructive and non-contact inspection of solid foods by means of photothermal radiometry; thermal effusivity and initial heating coefficient

Science.gov (United States)

Gijsbertsen, A.; Bicanic, D.; Gielen, J. L. W.; Chirtoc, M.

2004-03-01

CO 2-laser photothermal radiometry (PTR) was demonstrated to be suitable for the non-destructive and non-contact characterization (both optical and thermal) of solid phase agricultural commodities (fresh vegetables, fruits) and confectionery products (candy). Proper interpretation of PTR signals enable one to calculate two parameters, i.e. the well known thermal effusivity e ( e= λρc p, where λ and ρcp are the thermal conductivity and the volume specific heat, respectively) and a newly introduced physical quantity termed 'initial heating coefficient' chi ( χ= β/( ρcp), β is the absorption coefficient). Obtained values for e are in a good agreement with data reported in the literature. PTR enables one to rapidly determine e via a single measurement. As opposed to this, the knowledge of two out of three thermophysical parameters (thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and volume specific heat) is a condition sine qua non for determining effusivity in the conventional manner.

Hydro-thermal analysis of the sudden contact of two molten materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elbeshbeshy, R.A.

1982-01-01

High pressure pulses can be generated when extremely hot molten material comes into contact with relatively cold molten material. Such high pressure is attributed to the rapid heat transfer rate between the two materials as a result of a fragmentation process of the hot material. A new mechanism of fragmentation is introduced based on a cavitation mechanism within the hot molten material. Cavitation in a liquid can occur either as a result of superheating the liquid or as a result of a negative pressure (hydrostatic tension) within the liquid. The results of the one-dimensional model in the present study indicates a large negative pressure pulse traveling away from the interface of the two molten materials. It is proposed that this negative pressure can be the driving mechanism for initiating the fragmentation process. This will then lead to an increase in the rate of heat transfer between the two materials, and to an explosion which is thermal in nature. A specific example of UO 2 -Na interactions is discussed

Ti/Al Ohmic Contacts to n-Type GaN Nanowires

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gangfeng Ye

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Titanium/aluminum ohmic contacts to tapered n-type GaN nanowires with triangular cross-sections were studied. To extract the specific contact resistance, the commonly used transmission line model was adapted to the particular nanowire geometry. The most Al-rich composition of the contact provided a low specific contact resistance (mid 10−8 Ωcm2 upon annealing at 600 °C for 15 s, but it exhibited poor thermal stability due to oxidation of excess elemental Al remaining after annealing, as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. On the other hand, less Al-rich contacts required higher annealing temperatures (850 or 900 °C to reach a minimum specific contact resistance but exhibited better thermal stability. A spread in the specific contact resistance from contact to contact was tentatively attributed to the different facets that were contacted on the GaN nanowires with a triangular cross-section.

The effect of non-condensable gas on direct contact condensation of steam/air mixture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, H. C.; Park, S. K.; Kim, M. H.

1998-01-01

To investigate the effects of noncondensable gas on the direct contact film condensation of vapor mixture, a series of experiments has been carried out. The rectangular duct inclined 87.deg. to the horizontal plane was used for this experiment. The average heat transfer coefficient of the steam-air mixture was obtained at the atmospheric pressure with four main parameters, air-mass fraction, vapor velocity, film Reynolds number,and the degree of water film subcooling having an influence on the condensation heat transfer coefficient. With the analysis on 88 cases of experiments, a correlation of the average Nusselt number for direct contact film condensation of steam-air mixture at a vertical wall proposed as functions of film Reynolds number, mixture Reynolds number, air mass fraction, and Jacob number. The average heat transfer coefficient for steam-air mixture condensation decreased significantly while air mass fraction increases with the same inlet mixture velocity and inlet film temperature. The average heat transfer coefficients also decreased with the degree of film subcooling increasing and were scarcely affected by film Reynolds number below the mixture Reynolds number about 30,000

Direct contact between dendritic cells and bronchial epithelial cells inhibits T cell recall responses towards mite and pollen allergen extracts in vitro

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Papazian, Dick; Wagtmann, Valery R; Hansen, Soren

2015-01-01

(DCs), we have investigated recall T cell responses in allergic patients sensitized to house dust mite, grass, and birch pollen. Conclusions: Using allergen extract-loaded DCs to stimulate autologous allergen-specific T cell lines, we show that AEC-imprinted DCs inhibit T cell proliferation...... production of both Th1 and Th2 cytokines upon re-challenge. The inhibitory effects of AECs' contact with DCs were absent when allergen extract-loaded DCs had only been exposed to AECs supernatants, but present after direct contact with AECs. We conclude that direct contact between DCs and AECs inhibits T...

Contact allergy to the 26 specific fragrance ingredients to be declared on cosmetic products in accordance with the EU cosmetics directive

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heisterberg, Maria V; Menné, Torkil; Johansen, Jeanne D

2011-01-01

Background. Fragrance ingredients are a frequent cause of allergic contact dermatitis. The EU Cosmetics Directive states that 26 specific fragrance ingredients, known to cause allergic contact dermatitis, must be declared on the ingredient lists of cosmetic products. Objectives. To investigate...

The influence of thermal annealing on the characteristics of Au/Ni Schottky contacts on n-type 4 H-SiC

Science.gov (United States)

Omotoso, E.; Auret, F. D.; Igumbor, E.; Tunhuma, S. M.; Danga, H. T.; Ngoepe, P. N. M.; Taleatu, B. A.; Meyer, W. E.

2018-05-01

The effects of isochronal annealing on the electrical, morphological and structural characteristics of Au/Ni/4 H-SiC Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) have been studied. Current-voltage ( I- V), capacitance-voltage ( C- V), deep-level transient spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction measurements were employed to study the thermal effect on the characteristics of the SBDs. Prior to thermal annealing of Schottky contacts, the I- V measurements results confirmed the good rectification behaviour with ideality factor of 1.06, Schottky barrier height of 1.20 eV and series resistance of 7 Ω. The rectification properties after annealing was maintained up to an annealing temperature of 500 °C, but deviated slightly above 500 °C. The uncompensated ionized donor concentration decreased with annealing temperature, which could be attributed to out-diffusion of the 4 H-SiC into the Au/Ni contacts and decrease in bonding due to formation of nickel silicides. We observed the presence of four deep-level defects with energies 0.09, 0.11, 0.16 and 0.65 eV below the conduction band before and after the isochronal annealing up to 600 °C. The conclusion drawn was that annealing did not affect the number of deep-level defects present in Au/Ni/4 H-SiC contacts. The variations in electrical properties of the devices were attributed to the phase transformations and interfacial reactions that occurred after isochronal annealing.

THERMAL CONDUCTANCE IN AQUATIC BIRDS IN RELATION TO THE DEGREE OF WATER CONTACT, BODY-MASS, AND BODY-FAT - ENERGETIC IMPLICATIONS OF LIVING IN A STRONG COOLING ENVIRONMENT

NARCIS (Netherlands)

DEVRIES, J; VANEERDEN, MR

1995-01-01

Thermal conductance of carcasses of 14 aquatic bird species was determined by the warming constant technique. The effect on thermal conductance of body mass, age sex, fat deposits, and the degree of contact with water were studied. Only body mass and the degree of submergence in water had an effect.

Design and Construction of a Thermal Contact Resistance and Thermal Conductivity Measurement System

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-01

thank my Mom, Dad , Allison, Jessica, and father-in-law, Tom, for always being there to listen and encourage me. xxiv THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY...thermal conductivity is temperature measurement inaccuracies. A probe constructed of a poor thermally conductive material when inserted into a hot...interface- resistance-measurement-using-a-transient-method/ [26] H. Fukushima, L. T. Drzal, B. P. Rook and M. J. Rich , “Thermal conductivity of exfoliated

Reduced-Order Dynamic Modeling, Fouling Detection, and Optimal Control of Solar-Powered Direct Contact Membrane Distillation

KAUST Repository

Karam, Ayman M.

2016-12-01

Membrane Distillation (MD) is an emerging sustainable desalination technique. While MD has many advantages and can be powered by solar thermal energy, its main drawback is the low water production rate. However, the MD process has not been fully optimized in terms of its manipulated and controlled variables. This is largely due to the lack of adequate dynamic models to study and simulate the process. In addition, MD is prone to membrane fouling, which is a fault that degrades the performance of the MD process. This work has three contributions to address these challenges. First, we derive a mathematical model of Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD), which is the building block for the next parts. Then, the proposed model is extended to account for membrane fouling and an observer-based fouling detection method is developed. Finally, various control strategies are implemented to optimize the performance of the DCMD solar-powered process. In part one, a reduced-order dynamic model of DCMD is developed based on lumped capacitance method and electrical analogy to thermal systems. The result is an electrical equivalent thermal network to the DCMD process, which is modeled by a system of nonlinear differential algebraic equations (DAEs). This model predicts the water-vapor flux and the temperature distribution along the module length. Experimental data is collected to validate the steady-state and dynamic responses of the proposed model, with great agreement demonstrated in both. The second part proposes an extension of the model to account for membrane fouling. An adaptive observer for DAE systems is developed and convergence proof is presented. A method for membrane fouling detection is then proposed based on adaptive observers. Simulation results demonstrate the performance of the membrane fouling detection method. Finally, an optimization problem is formulated to maximize the process efficiency of a solar-powered DCMD. The adapted method is known as Extremum

Who is the Usual Suspect? Evidence of a Selection Bias Toward Faces That Make Direct Eye Contact in a Lineup Task

Science.gov (United States)

van Golde, Celine; Verstraten, Frans A. J.

2017-01-01

The speed and ease with which we recognize the faces of our friends and family members belies the difficulty we have recognizing less familiar individuals. Nonetheless, overconfidence in our ability to recognize faces has carried over into various aspects of our legal system; for instance, eyewitness identification serves a critical role in criminal proceedings. For this reason, understanding the perceptual and psychological processes that underlie false identification is of the utmost importance. Gaze direction is a salient social signal and direct eye contact, in particular, is thought to capture attention. Here, we tested the hypothesis that differences in gaze direction may influence difficult decisions in a lineup context. In a series of experiments, we show that when a group of faces differed in their gaze direction, the faces that were making eye contact with the participants were more likely to be misidentified. Interestingly, this bias disappeared when the faces are presented with their eyes closed. These findings open a critical conversation between social neuroscience and forensic psychology, and imply that direct eye contact may (wrongly) increase the perceived familiarity of a face. PMID:28203355

Who is the Usual Suspect? Evidence of a Selection Bias Toward Faces That Make Direct Eye Contact in a Lineup Task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica Taubert

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The speed and ease with which we recognize the faces of our friends and family members belies the difficulty we have recognizing less familiar individuals. Nonetheless, overconfidence in our ability to recognize faces has carried over into various aspects of our legal system; for instance, eyewitness identification serves a critical role in criminal proceedings. For this reason, understanding the perceptual and psychological processes that underlie false identification is of the utmost importance. Gaze direction is a salient social signal and direct eye contact, in particular, is thought to capture attention. Here, we tested the hypothesis that differences in gaze direction may influence difficult decisions in a lineup context. In a series of experiments, we show that when a group of faces differed in their gaze direction, the faces that were making eye contact with the participants were more likely to be misidentified. Interestingly, this bias disappeared when the faces are presented with their eyes closed. These findings open a critical conversation between social neuroscience and forensic psychology, and imply that direct eye contact may (wrongly increase the perceived familiarity of a face.

Direct plasma interaction with living tissue

Science.gov (United States)

Fridman, Gregory

For some time, plasma has been used in medicine to cauterize or cut tissue using heat and mechanical energy. In the recent decade, some researchers around the world have started to investigate how gas jets that pass through thermal plasma can be employed in medicine. This thesis presents the first investigation of biomedical uses of non-thermal plasma discharge which comes in direct contact with living tissue. It is demonstrated that the direct application of non-thermal plasma in air can cause rapid deactivation of bacteria on surfaces of tissues without causing any visible tissue damage. Medical need for such a device is discussed. Construction and operation of various types of non-thermal plasma power supplies and many types of treatment electrodes are presented as well. Application of this plasma to living organisms is shown to be safe from both the electrical perspective and from the biological perspective. Biological safety is revealed through a series of differential skin toxicity trials on human cadaver tissue, live hairless mouse skin tissue, live pig skin tissue, and finally in an open wound model on pigs. Direct non-thermal plasma in air is shown to deactivate bacteria about 100 times faster than indirect application using jets. A series of experiments reveal that this effectiveness is due to the ability of direct discharge to bring charges to tissue surfaces. It is demonstrated that neither ultraviolet (UV) radiation nor neutral active species such as hydroxyl radicals or ozone produced in plasma are responsible for the main effect on bacteria. Although much additional work remains on establishing detailed mechanism by which charges from plasma achieve this effect, the work carried out in this thesis clearly demonstrates that direct application of non-thermal plasma in air can be a very useful tool in medicine.

Direct observation of contact and channel resistance in pentacene four-terminal thin-film transistor patterned by laser ablation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yagi, Iwao; Tsukagoshi, Kazuhito; Aoyagi, Yoshinobu

2004-01-01

We established a dry-etching patterning process for the channel formation of pentacene thin-film transistor, and fabricated a four-terminal device equipped with a gate electrode. The four-terminal device enabled us to divide two-terminal source-drain resistance into two components of contact resistance and pentacene channel resistance. We obtained direct evidence of a gate-voltagedependent contact resistance change: the gate-induced charge significantly reduced the contact resistance and increased source-drain current. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of the device clearly indicated that the contact resistance was much higher than the channel resistance and was dominated in the two-terminal total resistance of the device below 120 K. An observed activation energy of 80 meV for contact resistance was higher than that of 42 meV for pentacene channel resistance

Non-Contact Acousto-Thermal Signatures of Plastic Deformation in TI-6AL-4V

Science.gov (United States)

Welter, J. T.; Malott, G.; Schehl, N.; Sathish, S.; Jata, K. V.; Blodgett, M. P.

2010-02-01

Plastic deformation introduces changes in a material which include increases in: dislocations, strains, residual stress, and yield stress. However, these changes have a very small impact on the material properties such as elastic modulus, conductivity and ultrasonic wave speed. This is due to the fact that interatomic forces govern these properties, and they are not affected by plastic deformation to any large degree. This is evident from the fact that the changes in electrical resistance and ultrasonic velocity in plastically deformed and virgin samples are very small and can only be determined by highly controlled experiments. Except for X-ray diffraction, there are no direct nondestructive methods for measuring strain and the residual stress. This paper presents an application of the non-contact acousto-thermal signature (NCATS) NDE methodology to detect plastic deformation in flat dog bone Ti-6Al-4V samples. Results of the NCATS measurements on samples subjected to incremental amounts of plastic deformation are presented. The maximum temperature attained by the sample due to acoustic excitation is found to be sensitive to the amount of plastic strain. It is observed that the temperature induced by acoustic excitation increases to a peak followed by a decrease to failure. The maximum temperature peak occurs at plastic strains of 12-14%. It is observed that there is a correlation between the peak in maximum temperature rise and the strain at the experimentally determined ultimate tensile strength. A microstructural based explanation for this will be presented. The results are discussed in reference to utilizing this technique for detection and evaluation of plastic deformation.

Direct soil contact values for ecological receptors exposed to weathered petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) fraction 2.

Science.gov (United States)

Angell, Robin A; Kullman, Steve; Shrive, Emma; Stephenson, Gladys L; Tindal, Miles

2012-11-01

Ecological tier 1 Canada-wide standards (CWS) for petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) fraction 2 (F2; >nC10-C16) in soil were derived using ecotoxicological assessment endpoints (effective concentrations [ECs]/lethal concentrations [LCs]/inhibitory concentrations, 25% [IC25s]) with freshly spiked (fresh) fine- and coarse-grained soils. These soil standards might be needlessly conservative when applied to field samples with weathered hydrocarbons. The purpose of the present study was to assess the degradation and toxicity of weathered PHC F2 in a fine-grained soil and to derive direct soil contact values for ecological receptors. Fine-grained reference soils were spiked with distilled F2 and weathered for 183 d. Toxicity tests using plants and invertebrates were conducted with the weathered F2-spiked soils. Endpoint EC/IC25s were calculated and used to derive soil standards for weathered F2 in fine-grained soil protective of ecological receptors exposed via direct soil contact. The values derived for weathered F2 were less restrictive than current ecological tier 1 CWS for F2 in soil. Copyright © 2012 SETAC.

Heat transfer modelling of two-phase bubbles swarm condensing in three - phase direct - contact condenser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahood Hameed B.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available An analytical model for the convective heat transfer coefficient and the two-phase bubble size of a three-phase direct contact heat exchanger was developed. Until the present, there has only been a theoretical model available that deals with a single two-phase bubble and a bubble train condensation in an immiscible liquid. However, to understand the actual heat transfer process within the three-phase direct contact condenser, characteristic models are required. A quasi - steady energy equation in a spherical coordinate system with a potential flow assumption and a cell model configuration has been simplified and solved analytically. The convective heat transfer in terms of Nu number has been derived, and it was found to be a function to Pe number and a system void fraction. In addition, the two-phase bubble size relates to the system void fraction and has been developed by solving a simple energy balance equation and using the derived convective heat transfer coefficient expression. Furthermore, the model correlates well with previous experimental data and theoretical results.

Morphological study of polymer surfaces exposed to non-thermal plasma based on contact angle and the use of scaling laws

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Felix, T., E-mail: tsfelix81@gmail.com [Chemistry Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil); Cassini, F.A.; Benetoli, L.O.B. [Chemistry Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil); Dotto, M.E.R. [Physics Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil); Debacher, N.A. [Chemistry Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Trindade, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC (Brazil)

2017-05-01

Highlights: • Polymeric surfaces were etched using non-thermal plasma at different intensities. • Polymers of low mechanical hardness reached the saturation level faster. • A mathematical model based on scaling laws was proposed. - Abstract: The experiments presented in this communication have the purpose to elaborate an explanation for the morphological evolution of the growth of polymeric surfaces provided by the treatment of non-thermal plasma. According to the roughness analysis and the model proposed by scaling laws it is possible relate to a predictable or merely random effect. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and poly(etherether)ketone (PEEK) samples were exposed to a non-thermal plasma discharge and the resulting surfaces roughness were analyzed based on the measurements from contact angle, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy coupled with scaling laws analysis which can help to describe and understand the dynamic of formation of a wide variety of rough surfaces. The roughness, R{sub RMS} (RMS- Root Mean Square) values for polymer surface range between 19.8 nm and 110.9 nm. The contact angle and the AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) measurements as a function of the plasma exposure time were in agreement with both polar and dispersive components according to the surface roughness and also with the morphology evaluated described by Wolf-Villain model, with proximate values of α between 0.91{sub (PET)} and 0.88{sub (PEEK)}, β = 0.25{sub (PET)} and z = 3,64{sub (PET)}.

Morphological study of polymer surfaces exposed to non-thermal plasma based on contact angle and the use of scaling laws

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Felix, T.; Cassini, F.A.; Benetoli, L.O.B.; Dotto, M.E.R.; Debacher, N.A.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Polymeric surfaces were etched using non-thermal plasma at different intensities. • Polymers of low mechanical hardness reached the saturation level faster. • A mathematical model based on scaling laws was proposed. - Abstract: The experiments presented in this communication have the purpose to elaborate an explanation for the morphological evolution of the growth of polymeric surfaces provided by the treatment of non-thermal plasma. According to the roughness analysis and the model proposed by scaling laws it is possible relate to a predictable or merely random effect. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and poly(etherether)ketone (PEEK) samples were exposed to a non-thermal plasma discharge and the resulting surfaces roughness were analyzed based on the measurements from contact angle, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy coupled with scaling laws analysis which can help to describe and understand the dynamic of formation of a wide variety of rough surfaces. The roughness, R_R_M_S (RMS- Root Mean Square) values for polymer surface range between 19.8 nm and 110.9 nm. The contact angle and the AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) measurements as a function of the plasma exposure time were in agreement with both polar and dispersive components according to the surface roughness and also with the morphology evaluated described by Wolf-Villain model, with proximate values of α between 0.91_(_P_E_T_) and 0.88_(_P_E_E_K_), β = 0.25_(_P_E_T_) and z = 3,64_(_P_E_T_).

Nanoscale roughness contact in a slider-disk interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Hua, Wei; Liu, Bo; Yu, Shengkai; Zhou, Weidong

2009-07-15

The nanoscale roughness contact between molecularly smooth surfaces of a slider-disk interface in a hard disk drive is analyzed, and the lubricant behavior at very high shear rate is presented. A new contact model is developed to study the nanoscale roughness contact behavior by classifying various forms of contact into slider-lubricant contact, slider-disk elastic contact and plastic contact. The contact pressure and the contact probabilities of the three types of contact are investigated. The new contact model is employed to explain and provide insight to an interesting experimental result found in a thermal protrusion slider. The protrusion budget for head surfing in the lubricant, which is the ideal state for contact recording, is also discussed.

Nanoscale roughness contact in a slider-disk interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hua Wei; Liu Bo; Yu Shengkai; Zhou Weidong

2009-01-01

The nanoscale roughness contact between molecularly smooth surfaces of a slider-disk interface in a hard disk drive is analyzed, and the lubricant behavior at very high shear rate is presented. A new contact model is developed to study the nanoscale roughness contact behavior by classifying various forms of contact into slider-lubricant contact, slider-disk elastic contact and plastic contact. The contact pressure and the contact probabilities of the three types of contact are investigated. The new contact model is employed to explain and provide insight to an interesting experimental result found in a thermal protrusion slider. The protrusion budget for head surfing in the lubricant, which is the ideal state for contact recording, is also discussed.

Direct observation of thermal disorder and decomposition of black phosphorus

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Seung Jo; Kim, Heejin; Lee, Ji-Hyun; Kim, Jin-Gyu

2018-02-01

Theoretical research has been devoted to reveal the properties of black phosphorus as a two-dimensional nanomaterial, but little attention has been paid for the experimental characterization. In this study, the thermal disorder and decomposition of black phosphorus were examined using in situ heating transmission electron microscopy experiments. We observed that the breaking of crystallographic symmetry begins at 380 °C under vacuum condition, followed by the phosphorus evaporates after long-term heating at 400 °C. This decomposition process can be initiated by the surficial vacancy and proceeds toward both interlayer ([010]) and intralayer ([001]) directions. The results on the thermal behavior of black phosphorus provide useful guidance for thin film deposition and fabrication processes with black phosphorus.

Nanofluid Types, Their Synthesis, Properties and Incorporation in Direct Solar Thermal Collectors: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Chamsa-Ard, Wisut; Brundavanam, Sridevi; Fung, Chun Che; Fawcett, Derek; Poinern, Gerrard

2017-05-31

The global demand for energy is increasing and the detrimental consequences of rising greenhouse gas emissions, global warming and environmental degradation present major challenges. Solar energy offers a clean and viable renewable energy source with the potential to alleviate the detrimental consequences normally associated with fossil fuel-based energy generation. However, there are two inherent problems associated with conventional solar thermal energy conversion systems. The first involves low thermal conductivity values of heat transfer fluids, and the second involves the poor optical properties of many absorbers and their coating. Hence, there is an imperative need to improve both thermal and optical properties of current solar conversion systems. Direct solar thermal absorption collectors incorporating a nanofluid offers the opportunity to achieve significant improvements in both optical and thermal performance. Since nanofluids offer much greater heat absorbing and heat transfer properties compared to traditional working fluids. The review summarizes current research in this innovative field. It discusses direct solar absorber collectors and methods for improving their performance. This is followed by a discussion of the various types of nanofluids available and the synthesis techniques used to manufacture them. In closing, a brief discussion of nanofluid property modelling is also presented.

Influence of Thermal Effects During Blade-Casing Contact Experiments

OpenAIRE

Millecamps , Antoine; Brunel , Jean-François; Dufrenoy , Philippe; Garcin , François; Nucci , Marco

2009-01-01

International audience; In rotating machinery, notably in modern high efficiency compressors, a critical requirement for optimal performance consists in minimizing radial clearances between the rotating bladed disk and the casing. This solution significantly increases the risks of contact between rotating bladed disk and casing and may lead in specific conditions to catastrophic behavior (component failure, etc.). The physical phenomena and mechanisms involved in blade-casing contact interact...

High throughput integrated thermal characterization with non-contact optical calorimetry

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Sichao; Huo, Ruiqing; Su, Ming

2017-10-01

Commonly used thermal analysis tools such as calorimeter and thermal conductivity meter are separated instruments and limited by low throughput, where only one sample is examined each time. This work reports an infrared based optical calorimetry with its theoretical foundation, which is able to provide an integrated solution to characterize thermal properties of materials with high throughput. By taking time domain temperature information of spatially distributed samples, this method allows a single device (infrared camera) to determine the thermal properties of both phase change systems (melting temperature and latent heat of fusion) and non-phase change systems (thermal conductivity and heat capacity). This method further allows these thermal properties of multiple samples to be determined rapidly, remotely, and simultaneously. In this proof-of-concept experiment, the thermal properties of a panel of 16 samples including melting temperatures, latent heats of fusion, heat capacities, and thermal conductivities have been determined in 2 min with high accuracy. Given the high thermal, spatial, and temporal resolutions of the advanced infrared camera, this method has the potential to revolutionize the thermal characterization of materials by providing an integrated solution with high throughput, high sensitivity, and short analysis time.

Stable and low contact resistance electrical contacts for high temperature SiGe thermoelectric generators

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Bo

2018-04-14

The thermal stability and contact resistance of TaAlN thin films as electrical contacts to SiGe thermoelectric elements are reported. We demonstrate that a sharp interface is maintained after the device annealed at 800°C for over 100h, indicating that no interdiffusion takes place between TaAlN and SiGe. A specific contact resistivity of (2.1±1.3)×10−6Ω-cm2 for p-type SiGe and (2.8±1.6)×10−5 Ω-cm2 for n-type SiGe is demonstrated after the high temperature annealing. These results show that TaAlN is a promising contact material for high temperature thermoelectrics such as SiGe.

Identification of black-box linear models : the case of thermal periodic contact of exhaust valves in internal combustion engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shojaeefard, M.H.; Fazelpour, M. [Iran Univ. of Science and Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Dept. of Automotive Engineering; Goudarzi, K. [Iran Univ. of Science and Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2009-07-01

In internal combustion engines, hot exhaust gases that pass through the exhaust valve lead to high temperatures in the exhaust valve and the valve seat. Heat must be transferred from the exhaust valve to valve seat as they come in contact with each other during the opening and closing cycle in order to avoid damaging the exhaust valve. The heat transfer rate from the valve to valve seat is a function of many factors, including the thermal contact conductance (TCC) between the valve and valve seat. The objective of this study was to experimentally calculate the TCC for six different frequencies in the quasi-steady-state condition and also to obtain a transfer function to estimate the exhaust valve temperature by using black-box models of system identification. Periodic contact was taken into consideration in the study. The paper presented the experimental setup including the loading system, heat and cooling system, temperature measurement system, specimens properties, and data acquisition system. The paper also described the test procedure and experimental results. System identification was also described. It was concluded that the TCC decreased as the frequency of contact increased. The temperature transfer function was calculated by using the system identification method and having the temperatures at both sides of the contact surface. By knowing the temperature of one rod, the temperature of the other rod was estimated with high accuracy. 16 refs., 4 tabs., 7 figs.

Methodical Specifics of Thermal Experiments with Thin Carbon Reinforced Plates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. V. Denisov

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Polymer composite materials (CM are widely used in creation of large space constructions, especially reflectors of space antennas. Composite materials should provide high level of specific stiffness and strength for space structures. Thermal conductivity in reinforcement plane is a significant factor in case of irregular heating space antennas. Nowadays, data on CM reinforcement plane thermal conductivity are limited and existing methods of its defining are imperfect. Basically, traditional methods allow us to define thermal conductivity in perpendicular direction towards the reinforcement plane on the samples of round or rectangular plate. In addition, the thickness of standard samples is larger than space antenna thickness. Consequently, new methods are required. Method of contact heating, which was developed by BMSTU specialists with long hollow carbon beam, could be a perspective way. This article is devoted to the experimental method of contact heating on the thin carbon plates.Thermal tests were supposed to provide a non-stationary temperature field with a gradient being co-directional with the plane reinforcement in the material sample. Experiments were conducted in vacuum chamber to prevent unstructured convection. Experimental thermo-grams processing were calculated by 1-d thermal model for a thin plate. Influence of uncertainty of experimental parameters, such as (radiation emission coefficients of sample surface, glue, temperature sensors and uncertainty of sensors placement on the result of defined thermal conductivity has been estimated. New data on the thermal conductivity in reinforcement plane were obtained within 295 - 375 K temperature range, which can be used to design and develop reflectors of precision space antennas. In the future it is expedient to conduct tests of thin-wall plates from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic in wide temperature range, especially in the low-range temperatures.

Effect of direct eye contact in PTSD related to interpersonal trauma: an fMRI study of activation of an innate alarm system.

Science.gov (United States)

Steuwe, Carolin; Daniels, Judith K; Frewen, Paul A; Densmore, Maria; Pannasch, Sebastian; Beblo, Thomas; Reiss, Jeffrey; Lanius, Ruth A

2014-01-01

In healthy individuals, direct eye contact initially leads to activation of a fast subcortical pathway, which then modulates a cortical route eliciting social cognitive processes. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the neurobiological effects of direct eye-to-eye contact using a virtual reality paradigm in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to prolonged childhood abuse. We examined 16 healthy comparison subjects and 16 patients with a primary diagnosis of PTSD using a virtual reality functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm involving direct vs averted gaze (happy, sad, neutral) as developed by Schrammel et al. in 2009. Irrespective of the displayed emotion, controls exhibited an increased blood oxygenation level-dependent response during direct vs averted gaze within the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, left temporoparietal junction and right temporal pole. Under the same conditions, individuals with PTSD showed increased activation within the superior colliculus (SC)/periaqueductal gray (PAG) and locus coeruleus. Our findings suggest that healthy controls react to the exposure of direct gaze with an activation of a cortical route that enhances evaluative 'top-down' processes underlying social interactions. In individuals with PTSD, however, direct gaze leads to sustained activation of a subcortical route of eye-contact processing, an innate alarm system involving the SC and the underlying circuits of the PAG.

Are diverse societies less cohesive? Testing contact and mediated contact theories.

Science.gov (United States)

McKenna, Sarah; Lee, Eunro; Klik, Kathleen A; Markus, Andrew; Hewstone, Miles; Reynolds, Katherine J

2018-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated that there is a negative relationship between ethnic diversity in a local community and social cohesion. Often the way social cohesion is assessed, though, varies across studies and only some aspects of the construct are included (e.g., trust). The current research explores the relationship between diversity and social cohesion across a number of indicators of social cohesion including neighbourhood social capital, safety, belonging, generalized trust, and volunteering. Furthermore, social psychological theories concerning the role of positive contact and its impact on feelings of threat are investigated. Using a sample of 1070 third generation 'majority' Australians and structural equation modelling (SEM), findings suggest ethnic diversity is related to positive intergroup contact, and that contact showed beneficial impacts for some indicators of social cohesion both directly and indirectly through reducing perceived threat. When interethnic contact and perceived threat are included in the model there is no direct negative effect between diversity and social cohesion. The theoretical implications of these findings are outlined including the importance of facilitating opportunities for positive contact in diverse communities.

Feedback control for distributed heat transfer mechanisms in direct-contact membrane distillation system

KAUST Repository

Eleiwi, Fadi; N'Doye, Ibrahima; Laleg-Kirati, Taous-Meriem

2015-01-01

In this paper, the problem of stabilization and production rate reference tracking for a Direct-Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD) system is addressed. Sufficient conditions for the asymptotic and exponential stabilization for DCMD system are presented using the Gronwall-Bellman lemma and Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs) approaches, respectively. A nonlinear observer is then proposed to estimate the temperature distribution among the DCMD domain. This contributes to propose a reference production rate control design for the DCMD process via observer-based output control approach. Finally, numerical simulations are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Feedback control for distributed heat transfer mechanisms in direct-contact membrane distillation system

KAUST Repository

Eleiwi, Fadi

2015-09-21

In this paper, the problem of stabilization and production rate reference tracking for a Direct-Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD) system is addressed. Sufficient conditions for the asymptotic and exponential stabilization for DCMD system are presented using the Gronwall-Bellman lemma and Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs) approaches, respectively. A nonlinear observer is then proposed to estimate the temperature distribution among the DCMD domain. This contributes to propose a reference production rate control design for the DCMD process via observer-based output control approach. Finally, numerical simulations are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Thermal conductivity in one-dimensional nonlinear systems

Science.gov (United States)

Politi, Antonio; Giardinà, Cristian; Livi, Roberto; Vassalli, Massimo

2000-03-01

Thermal conducitivity of one-dimensional nonlinear systems typically diverges in the thermodynamic limit, whenever the momentum is conserved (i.e. in the absence of interactions with an external substrate). Evidence comes from detailed studies of Fermi-Pasta-Ulam and diatomic Toda chains. Here, we discuss the first example of a one-dimensional system obeying Fourier law : a chain of coupled rotators. Numerical estimates of the thermal conductivity obtained by simulating a chain in contact with two thermal baths at different temperatures are found to be consistent with those ones based on linear response theory. The dynamics of the Fourier modes provides direct evidence of energy diffusion. The finiteness of the conductivity is traced back to the occurrence of phase-jumps. Our conclusions are confirmed by the analysis of two variants of the rotator model.

Development of a novel non-contact inspection technique to detect micro cracks under the surface of a glass substrate by thermal stress-induced light scattering method

Science.gov (United States)

Sakata, Yoshitaro; Terasaki, Nao; Nonaka, Kazuhiro

2017-05-01

Fine polishing techniques, such as a chemical mechanical polishing treatment, are important techniques in glass substrate manufacturing. However, these techniques may cause micro cracks under the surface of glass substrates because they used mechanical friction. A stress-induced light scattering method (SILSM), which was combined with light scattering method and mechanical stress effects, was proposed for inspecting surfaces to detect polishing-induced micro cracks. However, in the conventional SILSM, samples need to be loaded with physical contact, and the loading point is invisible in transparent materials. Here, we introduced a novel non-contact SILSM using a heating device. A glass substrate was heated first, and then the light scattering intensity of micro cracks was detected by a cooled charge-couple device camera during the natural cooling process. Results clearly showed during the decreasing surface temperature of a glass substrate, appropriate thermal stress is generated for detecting micro cracks by using the SILSM and light scattering intensity from micro cracks changes. We confirmed that non-contact thermal SILSM (T-SILSM) can detect micro cracks under the surface of transparent materials.

Nanofluid Types, Their Synthesis, Properties and Incorporation in Direct Solar Thermal Collectors: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wisut Chamsa-ard

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The global demand for energy is increasing and the detrimental consequences of rising greenhouse gas emissions, global warming and environmental degradation present major challenges. Solar energy offers a clean and viable renewable energy source with the potential to alleviate the detrimental consequences normally associated with fossil fuel-based energy generation. However, there are two inherent problems associated with conventional solar thermal energy conversion systems. The first involves low thermal conductivity values of heat transfer fluids, and the second involves the poor optical properties of many absorbers and their coating. Hence, there is an imperative need to improve both thermal and optical properties of current solar conversion systems. Direct solar thermal absorption collectors incorporating a nanofluid offers the opportunity to achieve significant improvements in both optical and thermal performance. Since nanofluids offer much greater heat absorbing and heat transfer properties compared to traditional working fluids. The review summarizes current research in this innovative field. It discusses direct solar absorber collectors and methods for improving their performance. This is followed by a discussion of the various types of nanofluids available and the synthesis techniques used to manufacture them. In closing, a brief discussion of nanofluid property modelling is also presented.

Direct numerical simulation of stable and unstable turbulent thermal boundary layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hattori, Hirofumi; Houra, Tomoya; Nagano, Yasutaka

2007-01-01

This paper presents direct numerical simulations (DNS) of stable and unstable turbulent thermal boundary layers. Since a buoyancy-affected boundary layer is often encountered in an urban environmental space where stable and unstable stratifications exist, exploring a buoyancy-affected boundary layer is very important to know the transport phenomena of the flow in an urban space. Although actual observation may qualitatively provide the characteristics of these flows, the relevant quantitative turbulent quantities are very difficult to measure. Thus, in order to quantitatively investigate a buoyancy-affected boundary layer in detail, we have here carried out for the first time time- and space-developing DNS of slightly stable and unstable turbulent thermal boundary layers. The DNS results show the quantitative turbulent statistics and structures of stable and unstable thermal boundary layers, in which the characteristic transport phenomena of thermally stratified boundary layers are demonstrated by indicating the budgets of turbulent shear stress and turbulent heat flux. Even though the input of buoyant force is not large, the influence of buoyancy is clearly revealed in both stable and unstable turbulent boundary layers. In particular, it is found that both stable and unstable thermal stratifications caused by the weak buoyant force remarkably alter the structure of near-wall turbulence

Morphological study of polymer surfaces exposed to non-thermal plasma based on contact angle and the use of scaling laws

Science.gov (United States)

Felix, T.; Cassini, F. A.; Benetoli, L. O. B.; Dotto, M. E. R.; Debacher, N. A.

2017-05-01

The experiments presented in this communication have the purpose to elaborate an explanation for the morphological evolution of the growth of polymeric surfaces provided by the treatment of non-thermal plasma. According to the roughness analysis and the model proposed by scaling laws it is possible relate to a predictable or merely random effect. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and poly(etherether)ketone (PEEK) samples were exposed to a non-thermal plasma discharge and the resulting surfaces roughness were analyzed based on the measurements from contact angle, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy coupled with scaling laws analysis which can help to describe and understand the dynamic of formation of a wide variety of rough surfaces. The roughness, RRMS (RMS- Root Mean Square) values for polymer surface range between 19.8 nm and 110.9 nm. The contact angle and the AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) measurements as a function of the plasma exposure time were in agreement with both polar and dispersive components according to the surface roughness and also with the morphology evaluated described by Wolf-Villain model, with proximate values of α between 0.91(PET) and 0.88(PEEK), β = 0.25(PET) and z = 3,64(PET).

Contact Dermatitis in Pediatrics.

Science.gov (United States)

Pelletier, Janice L; Perez, Caroline; Jacob, Sharon E

2016-08-01

Contact dermatitis is an umbrella term that describes the skin's reaction to contacted noxious or allergenic substances. The two main categories of contact dermatitis are irritant type and allergic type. This review discusses the signs, symptoms, causes, and complications of contact dermatitis. It addresses the testing, treatment, and prevention of contact dermatitis. Proper management of contact dermatitis includes avoidance measures for susceptible children. Implementation of a nickel directive (regulating the use of nickel in jewelry and other products that come into contact with the skin) could further reduce exposure to the most common allergens in the pediatric population. [Pediatr Ann. 2016;45(8):e287-e292.]. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Tailoring the contact thermal resistance at metal-carbon nanotube interface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Firkowska, Izabela; Boden, Andre; Vogt, Anna-Maria; Reich, Stephanie [Department of Physics, Freie Universitaet, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin (Germany)

2011-11-15

Copper-decorated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were synthesized and used as conductive filler to improve the heat transport capabilities of copper matrix. Thermal properties, i.e., thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity, of copper composite were measured and compared with those containing pristine and functionalized CNTs. Experimental results revealed that composites enriched with nanohybrids where Cu nanoparticles were covalently bonded to CNTs had thermal conductivity four times higher than those containing the same content of pristine CNTs. Evaluation of thermal interface resistance in copper-CNTs composites by means of the flash method. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Effect of rapid thermal annealing on the composition of Au/Ti/Al/Ti ohmic contacts for GaN-based microdevices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Redondo-Cubero, A.; Ynsa, M.D.; Romero, M.F.; Alves, L.C.; Muñoz, E.

2013-01-01

The homogeneity of Au/Ti/Al/Ti ohmic contacts for AlGaN/GaN devices was analyzed as a function of the thickness of the Ti barrier (30 nm 50 nm, although several compositional deficiencies were identified in the distribution maps obtained with the ion microprobe, including the formation of craters. A clear interplay between Ti and Au was found, suggesting the relevance of lateral flows during the rapid thermal annealing

Effect of feed flow pattern on the distribution of permeate fluxes in desalination by direct contact membrane distillation

KAUST Repository

Soukane, Sofiane; Naceur, Mohamed W.; Francis, Lijo; Alsaadi, Ahmad Salem; Ghaffour, NorEddine

2017-01-01

The current study aims to highlight the effect of flow pattern on the variations of permeate fluxes over the membrane surface during desalination in a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) flat module. To do so, a three dimensional (3D

Shape memory thermal conduction switch

Science.gov (United States)

Vaidyanathan, Rajan (Inventor); Krishnan, Vinu (Inventor); Notardonato, William U. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A thermal conduction switch includes a thermally-conductive first member having a first thermal contacting structure for securing the first member as a stationary member to a thermally regulated body or a body requiring thermal regulation. A movable thermally-conductive second member has a second thermal contacting surface. A thermally conductive coupler is interposed between the first member and the second member for thermally coupling the first member to the second member. At least one control spring is coupled between the first member and the second member. The control spring includes a NiTiFe comprising shape memory (SM) material that provides a phase change temperature <273 K, a transformation range <40 K, and a hysteresis of <10 K. A bias spring is between the first member and the second member. At the phase change the switch provides a distance change (displacement) between first and second member by at least 1 mm, such as 2 to 4 mm.

Colored Contact Lens Dangers

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... prescription. Follow the contact lens care directions for cleaning, disinfecting, and wearing the lenses. Never share contact ... with Industry Medical Disclaimer Privacy Policy Terms of Service For Advertisers For Media Ophthalmology Job Center © American ...

Carbon nanotube thermal interfaces and related applications

Science.gov (United States)

Hodson, Stephen L.

The development of thermal interface materials (TIMs) is necessitated by the temperature drop across interfacing materials arising from macro and microscopic irregularities of their surfaces that constricts heat through small contact regions as well as mismatches in their thermal properties. Similar to other types of TIMs, CNT TIMs alleviate the thermal resistance across the interface by thermally bridging two materials together with cylindrical, high-aspect ratio, and nominally vertical conducting elements. Within the community of TIM engineers, the vision driving the development of CNT TIMs was born from measurements that revealed impressively high thermal conductivities of individual CNTs. This vision was then projected to efforts focused on packing many individual CNTs on a single substrate that efficiently conduct heat in parallel and ultimately through many contact regions at CNT-to-substrate contacts. This thesis encompasses a comprehensive investigation of the viability of carbon nanotube based thermal interface materials (CNT TIMs) to efficiently conduct heat across two contacting materials. The efforts in this work were initially devoted to engaging CNT TIMs with an opposing substrate using two bonding techniques. Using palladium hexadecanethiolate, Pd(SC16H35)2 the CNT ends were bonded to an opposing substrate (one-sided interface) or opposing CNT array (two-sided interface) to enhance contact conductance while maintaining a compliant joint. The palladium weld is particularly attractive for its mechanical stability at high temperatures. The engagement of CNT TIMs with an opposing substrate was also achieved by inserting a solder foil between the CNT TIM and opposing substrate and subsequently raising the temperature of the interface above the eutectic point of the solder foil. This bonding technique creates a strong weld that not only reduces the thermal resistance significantly but also minimizes the change in thermal resistance with an applied

Study of Direct-Contact HfO2/Si Interfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noriyuki Miyata

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Controlling monolayer Si oxide at the HfO2/Si interface is a challenging issue in scaling the equivalent oxide thickness of HfO2/Si gate stack structures. A concept that the author proposes to control the Si oxide interface by using ultra-high vacuum electron-beam HfO2 deposition is described in this review paper, which enables the so-called direct-contact HfO2/Si structures to be prepared. The electrical characteristics of the HfO2/Si metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors are reviewed, which suggest a sufficiently low interface state density for the operation of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs but reveal the formation of an unexpected strong interface dipole. Kelvin probe measurements of the HfO2/Si structures provide obvious evidence for the formation of dipoles at the HfO2/Si interfaces. The author proposes that one-monolayer Si-O bonds at the HfO2/Si interface naturally lead to a large potential difference, mainly due to the large dielectric constant of the HfO2. Dipole scattering is demonstrated to not be a major concern in the channel mobility of MOSFETs.

Direct calculation of modal contributions to thermal conductivity via Green–Kubo modal analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lv, Wei; Henry, Asegun

2016-01-01

We derived a new method for direct calculation of the modal contributions to thermal conductivity, which is termed Green–Kubo modal analysis (GKMA). The GKMA method combines the lattice dynamics formalism with the Green–Kubo formula for thermal conductivity, such that the thermal conductivity becomes a direct summation of modal contributions, where one need not define the phonon velocity. As a result, the GKMA method can be applied to any material/group of atoms, where the atoms vibrate around stable equilibrium positions, which includes non-stoichiometric compounds, random alloys, amorphous materials and even rigid molecules. By using molecular dynamics simulations to obtain the time history of each mode’s contribution to the heat current, one naturally includes anharmonicity to full order and can obtain insight into the interactions between different modes through the cross-correlations. As an example, we applied the GMKA method to crystalline and amorphous silicon. The modal contributions at each frequency result from the analysis and thereby allow one to apply a quantum correction to the mode heat capacity to determine the temperature dependence of thermal conductivity. The predicted temperature dependent thermal conductivity for amorphous silicon shows the best agreement with experiments to date. The GKMA method provides new insight into the nature of phonon transport, as it casts the problem in terms of mode–mode correlation instead of scattering, and provides a general unified formalism that can be used to understand phonon–phonon interactions in essentially any class of materials or structures where the atoms vibrate around stable equilibrium sites. (paper)

Dynamics of the Molten Contact Line

Science.gov (United States)

Sonin, Ain A.; Duthaler, Gregg; Liu, Michael; Torresola, Javier; Qiu, Taiqing

1999-01-01

materials- molten wax on solid wax, water on ice, and mercury on frozen mercury- which between them span a considerable range of the deposition/solidification similarity parameters. Correlations are obtained for the spreading velocity, spreading time scales, the spreading factor (i.e. ratio of deposited drop's final footprint radius and the drop's initial radius), post-spreading liquid oscillation amplitudes and time scales, and bulk solidification time scales. Duthaler carried out an experimental and theoretical investigation of the relationship between the liquid's apparent contact angle and the Capillary number Ca=mu U/sigma based on contact line speed, for molten materials spreading over subcooled solids. This relationship is required for modeling of melt spreading. We have adapted Voinov's methodology to the molten contact line and formulated a theoretical model for the Ca vs. contact angle relationship, based Schiaffino and Sonin#s (1997a,b) wedge-like solidification front model. With the solidification front angle taken from Schiaffino and Sonin, the model is in good agreement with the experimental results for Ca vs. contact angle. Duthaler also extended the experimental investigation of droplet deposition and contact line freezing to more materials, including solder on glass, solder on solder, water on ice, and molten microcrystalline wax on wax. The latter also included tests on inclined targets. Deposition tests have also been done with molten octacosane (C28H58) on various targets. An important objective of our program has been the development of micron-scale sensors for measuring the transient temperature at a point on the substrate surface as a molten contact line moves over it. The expectation is that this temperature history will yield a better understanding of the thermal process in the contact line region. The sensors are of the thermistor type, either 2.5 microns or 1.5 microns square, microfabricated with silicon-based technology on either pure silicon or

Contact metallurgy optimization for ohmic contacts to InP

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Thomas; Pedersen, Arne Skyggebjerg; Leistiko, Otto

1991-01-01

AuGeNi and AuZnNi metallizations to n- and p-InP were studied as a function of the annealing temperature in a Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) system. For n-InP (S:8×1018cm-3) a broad minimum existed from 385°C to 500°C, in which the specific contact resistance, rc, was about 10-7 ¿cm2. The lowe...

The effect of thermal annealing on pentacene thin film transistor with micro contact printing.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Hong-Sik; Yun, Ho-Jin; Baek, Kyu-Ha; Ham, Yong-Hyun; Park, Kun-Sik; Kim, Dong-Pyo; Lee, Ga-Won; Lee, Hi-Deok; Lee, Kijun; Do, Lee-Mi

2012-07-01

We used micro contact printing (micro-CP) to fabricate inverted coplanar pentacene thin film transistors (TFTs) with 1-microm channels. The patterning of micro-scale source/drain electrodes without etch process was successfully achieved using Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer stamp. We used the Ag nano particle ink as an electrode material, and the sheet resistance and surface roughness of the Ag electrodes were effectively reduced with the 2-step thermal annealing on a hotplate, which improved the mobility, the on-off ratio, and the subthreshold slope (SS) of the pentacene TFTs. In addition, the device annealing on a hotplate in a N2 atmosphere for 30 sec can enhance the off-current and the mobility properties of OTFTs without damaging the pentacene thin films and increase the adhesion between pentacene and dielectric layer (SiO2), which was investigated with the pentacene films phase change of the XRD spectrum after device annealing.

A new technique for direct traceability of contact thermometry Co-C eutectic cells to the ITS-90

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Failleau, G.; Deuzé, T.; Bourson, F.; Briaudeau, S.; Sadli, M. [Laboratoire Commun de Métrologie LNE-Cnam, 61 rue du Landy 93210 La Plaine Saint Denis (France)

2013-09-11

The eutectic Co-C melting point is a promising system to serve as a thermometric fixed-point in the temperature range above 1084.62 °C (copper freezing point). During the last decade, LNE-Cnam has developed and characterized some fixed-point devices, based on eutectic Co-C alloy, for applications to contact and radiation thermometry. Above 962 °C, the ITS-90 is realized by radiation thermometry by the extrapolation from a Ag, Au or Cu fixed point using the Planck law for radiation. So the only way for assigning a temperature in the scale to a Co-C cell (∼1324 °C) is by radiation thermometry. An indirect method is commonly used to assign a temperature to a high-temperature fixed point (HTFP) cell designed for contact thermometry is to fill a pyrometric cell with the same mixture as the contact thermometry cell. In this case, the temperature assigned to the pyrometric cell is attributed to the contact cell. This paper describes a direct method allowing the determination of the melting temperature realized by a 'contact thermometry' Co-C cell by comparison to a 'radiation thermometry' Co-C cell whose melting temperature was assigned in accordance to the scale by extrapolation from the Cu point. In addition, the same Co-C cell is studied with a standard Pt/Pd thermocouple.

New aspects in allergic contact dermatitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mørtz, Charlotte G; Andersen, Klaus Ejner

2008-01-01

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To give selected new information on contact allergy and allergic contact dermatitis with focus on diagnostic procedures and pitfalls. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies dealing with common contact allergens have improved our understanding of the relationship between positive patch...... contact dermatitis. The main culprits include fragrance chemicals, preservatives, and hair dyes. We are all more or less exposed to cosmetics and topical drugs on a daily basis. The labelling requirements given in the Cosmetics Directive is of great help in tracing the causative allergenic ingredients...... tests and the clinical interpretation and consequences for the patient. SUMMARY: Nickel allergy is still the most common contact allergy in Europe in spite of full implementation of the EU Nickel Directive in 2001. Contact allergens in cosmetics and topical drugs are another common cause of allergic...

Interlayer thermal conductance within a phosphorene and graphene bilayer.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Yang; Zhang, Jingchao; Zeng, Xiao Cheng

2016-11-24

Monolayer graphene possesses unusual thermal properties, and is often considered as a prototype system for the study of thermal physics of low-dimensional electronic/thermal materials, despite the absence of a direct bandgap. Another two-dimensional (2D) atomic layered material, phosphorene, is a natural p-type semiconductor and it has attracted growing interest in recent years. When a graphene monolayer is overlaid on phosphorene, the hybrid van der Waals (vdW) bilayer becomes a potential candidate for high-performance thermal/electronic applications, owing to the combination of the direct-bandgap properties of phosphorene with the exceptional thermal properties of graphene. In this work, the interlayer thermal conductance at the phosphorene/graphene interface is systematically investigated using classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The transient pump-probe heating method is employed to compute the interfacial thermal resistance (R) of the bilayer. The predicted R value at the phosphorene/graphene interface is 8.41 × 10 -8 K m 2 W -1 at room temperature. Different external and internal conditions, i.e., temperature, contact pressure, vacancy defect, and chemical functionalization, can all effectively reduce R at the interface. Numerical results of R reduction as a function of temperature, interfacial coupling strength, defect ratio, or hydrogen coverage are reported with the most R reduction amounting to 56.5%, 70.4%, 34.8% and 84.5%, respectively.

Head-disk interface nanotribology for Tbit/inch2 recording densities: near-contact and contact recording

Science.gov (United States)

Vakis, Antonis I.; Polycarpou, Andreas A.

2010-06-01

In the effort to achieve Tbit/inch2 recording densities, thermal fly-height control (TFC) nanotechnology was developed to effectively reduce the clearance (which is of the order of a few nanometres) at the head-disk interface (HDI) of hard-disk drives. In this work, we present a model of the HDI that can predict the dynamic flying and nanotribological contacting behaviour, allowing for accurate predictions and characterization of the operating regime as a function of TFC actuation. A geometric model for TFC is presented and an improved definition of contact at the interface is developed in the presence of nanoscale topographical roughness and dynamic microwaviness. A new methodology is proposed for the calculation of the nominal area of contact, which affects both near- and at-contact behaviour, while the stiffening of the air bearing force with TFC actuation is also accounted for. Slider behaviour is analysed by quantifying the approach, jump-to-contact, lubricant and solid contact regimes of operation and identifying the critical and optimum TFC actuations. The feasibility of near-contact, light molecularly thin lubricant contact versus solid contact recording is explored under the effect of the interfacial forces and stresses present at the HDI. The clearance and the state of vibrations are analysed and design guidelines are proposed for improved performance.

Head-disk interface nanotribology for Tbit/inch2 recording densities: near-contact and contact recording

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vakis, Antonis I; Polycarpou, Andreas A

2010-01-01

In the effort to achieve Tbit/inch 2 recording densities, thermal fly-height control (TFC) nanotechnology was developed to effectively reduce the clearance (which is of the order of a few nanometres) at the head-disk interface (HDI) of hard-disk drives. In this work, we present a model of the HDI that can predict the dynamic flying and nanotribological contacting behaviour, allowing for accurate predictions and characterization of the operating regime as a function of TFC actuation. A geometric model for TFC is presented and an improved definition of contact at the interface is developed in the presence of nanoscale topographical roughness and dynamic microwaviness. A new methodology is proposed for the calculation of the nominal area of contact, which affects both near- and at-contact behaviour, while the stiffening of the air bearing force with TFC actuation is also accounted for. Slider behaviour is analysed by quantifying the approach, jump-to-contact, lubricant and solid contact regimes of operation and identifying the critical and optimum TFC actuations. The feasibility of near-contact, light molecularly thin lubricant contact versus solid contact recording is explored under the effect of the interfacial forces and stresses present at the HDI. The clearance and the state of vibrations are analysed and design guidelines are proposed for improved performance.

APCVD hexagonal boron nitride thin films for passive near-junction thermal management of electronics

Science.gov (United States)

KC, Pratik; Rai, Amit; Ashton, Taylor S.; Moore, Arden L.

2017-12-01

The ability of graphene to serve as an ultrathin heat spreader has been previously demonstrated with impressive results. However, graphene is electrically conductive, making its use in contact with electronic devices problematic from a reliability and integration perspective. As an alternative, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a similarly structured material with large in-plane thermal conductivity but which possesses a wide band gap, thereby giving it potential to be utilized for directing contact, near-junction thermal management of electronics without shorting or the need for an insulating intermediate layer. In this work, the viability of using large area, continuous h-BN thin films as direct contact, near-junction heat spreaders for electronic devices is experimentally evaluated. Thin films of h-BN several square millimeters in size were synthesized via an atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) method that is both simple and scalable. These were subsequently transferred onto a microfabricated test device that simulated a multigate transistor while also allowing for measurements of the device temperature at various locations via precision resistance thermometry. Results showed that these large-area h-BN films with thicknesses of 77-125 nm are indeed capable of significantly lowering microdevice temperatures, with the best sample showing the presence of the h-BN thin film reduced the effective thermal resistance by 15.9% ± 4.6% compared to a bare microdevice at the same power density. Finally, finite element simulations of these experiments were utilized to estimate the thermal conductivity of the h-BN thin films and identify means by which further heat spreading performance gains could be attained.

Radial lip seals, thermal aspects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stakenborg, M.J.L.; van Ostaijen, R.A.J.; Dowson, D.

1989-01-01

In this paper the influence of temperature on tne seal-snarc contact is studied, using coupled temperature-stress FEH analysis. A thermal network model is used to calculate the seal-shaft contact temperature for steady-state and transient conditions. Contact temperatures were measured under the seal

A theoretical study of a direct contact membrane distillation system coupled to a salt-gradient solar pond for terminal lakes reclamation.

Science.gov (United States)

Suárez, Francisco; Tyler, Scott W; Childress, Amy E

2010-08-01

Terminal lakes are water bodies that are located in closed watersheds with the only output of water occurring through evaporation or infiltration. The majority of these lakes, which are commonly located in the desert and influenced by human activities, are increasing in salinity. Treatment options are limited, due to energy costs, and many of these lakes provide an excellent opportunity to test solar-powered desalination systems. This paper theoretically investigates utilization of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) coupled to a salt-gradient solar pond (SGSP) for sustainable freshwater production at terminal lakes. A model for heat and mass transport in the DCMD module and a thermal model for an SGSP were developed and coupled to evaluate the feasibility of freshwater production. The construction of an SGSP outside and inside of a terminal lake was studied. As results showed that freshwater flows are on the same order of magnitude as evaporation, these systems will only be successful if the SGSP is constructed inside the terminal lake so that there is little or no net increase in surface area. For the study site of this investigation, water production on the order of 2.7 x 10(-3) m(3) d(-1) per m(2) of SGSP is possible. The major advantages of this system are that renewable thermal energy is used so that little electrical energy is required, the coupled system requires low maintenance, and the terminal lake provides a source of salts to create the stratification in the SGSP. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A general design strategy for block copolymer directed self-assembly patterning of integrated circuits contact holes using an alphabet approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, He; Bao, Xin-Yu; Tiberio, Richard; Wong, H-S Philip

2015-02-11

Directed self-assembly (DSA) is a promising lithography candidate for technology nodes beyond 14 nm. Researchers have shown contact hole patterning for random logic circuits using DSA with small physical templates. This paper introduces an alphabet approach that uses a minimal set of small physical templates to pattern all contacts configurations on integrated circuits. We illustrate, through experiments, a general and scalable template design strategy that links the DSA material properties to the technology node requirements.

A four-probe thermal transport measurement method for nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jaehyun; Ou, Eric; Sellan, Daniel P.; Shi, Li, E-mail: lishi@mail.utexas.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States)

2015-04-15

Several experimental techniques reported in recent years have enabled the measurement of thermal transport properties of nanostructures. However, eliminating the contact thermal resistance error from the measurement results has remained a critical challenge. Here, we report a different four-probe measurement method that can separately obtain both the intrinsic thermal conductance and the contact thermal resistance of individual nanostructures. The measurement device consists of four microfabricated, suspended metal lines that act as resistive heaters and thermometers, across which the nanostructure sample is assembled. The method takes advantage of the variation in the heat flow along the suspended nanostructure and across its contacts to the four suspended heater and thermometer lines, and uses sixteen sets of temperature and heat flow measurements to obtain nine of the thermal resistances in the measurement device and the nanostructure sample, including the intrinsic thermal resistance and the two contact thermal resistances to the middle suspended segment of the nanostructure. Two single crystalline Si nanowires with different cross sections are measured in this work to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. This four-probe thermal transport measurement method can lead to future discoveries of unique size-dependent thermal transport phenomena in nanostructures and low-dimensional materials, in addition to providing reliable experimental data for calibrating theoretical models.

A four-probe thermal transport measurement method for nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jaehyun; Ou, Eric; Sellan, Daniel P.; Shi, Li

2015-01-01

Several experimental techniques reported in recent years have enabled the measurement of thermal transport properties of nanostructures. However, eliminating the contact thermal resistance error from the measurement results has remained a critical challenge. Here, we report a different four-probe measurement method that can separately obtain both the intrinsic thermal conductance and the contact thermal resistance of individual nanostructures. The measurement device consists of four microfabricated, suspended metal lines that act as resistive heaters and thermometers, across which the nanostructure sample is assembled. The method takes advantage of the variation in the heat flow along the suspended nanostructure and across its contacts to the four suspended heater and thermometer lines, and uses sixteen sets of temperature and heat flow measurements to obtain nine of the thermal resistances in the measurement device and the nanostructure sample, including the intrinsic thermal resistance and the two contact thermal resistances to the middle suspended segment of the nanostructure. Two single crystalline Si nanowires with different cross sections are measured in this work to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. This four-probe thermal transport measurement method can lead to future discoveries of unique size-dependent thermal transport phenomena in nanostructures and low-dimensional materials, in addition to providing reliable experimental data for calibrating theoretical models

A Continuous 3D-Graphene Network to Overcome Threshold Issues and Contact Resistance in Thermally Conductive Graphene Nanocomposites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Federico Conrado

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In order to overcome thermal resistance issues in polymeric matrix composites, self-standing graphene aerogels were synthetized and infiltrated with an epoxy resin, in order to create conductive preferential pathways through which heat can be easily transported. These continuous highly thermally conductive 3D-structures show, due to the high interconnection degree of graphene flakes, enhanced transport properties. Two kinds of aerogels were investigated, obtained by hydrothermal synthesis (HS and ice-templated direct freeze synthesis (DFS. Following HS method an isotropic structure is obtained, and following DFS method instead an anisotropic arrangement of graphene flakes results. The density of the structure can be tuned leading to a different amount of graphene inside the final composite. The residual oxygen, known to be detrimental to thermal properties, was removed by thermal treatment before the infiltration process. With 1,25 wt.% of graphene, using HS method, the thermal conductivity of the polymeric resin was increased by 80%, suggesting that this technique is a valid route to improve the thermal performance of graphene-based composites. When preferential orientation of the filler was present (DFS case, thermal conductivity was increased more than 25% with a graphene content of only 0,27 wt.%, demonstrating that oriented structures can further improve the thermal transport efficiency.

Analysis and hazard evaluation of heat-transfer fluids for the direct contact cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Joo Hi; Lee, Yeon Hee; Shin, You Hwan; Karng, Sarng Woo; Kim, Seo Young; Kim, Young Gil

2006-01-01

This paper discusses several low-temperature heat-transfer fluids, including water-based inorganic salt, organic salt, alcohol/glycol mixtures, silicones, and halogenated hydrocarbons in order to choose the best heat-transfer fluid for the newly designed direct contact refrigeration system. So, it contains a survey on commercial products such as propylene glycol and potassium formate as newly used in super market and food processing refrigeration. The stability of commercial fluids at the working temperature of -20 .deg. C was monitored as a function of time up to two months. And organic and inorganic compositions of candidate fluids were obtained by analytical instruments such as ES, XRF, AAS, ICP-AES, GC, and GC-MS. Analysis results indicate that commercial propylene glycol is very efficient and safe heat transfer fluids for the direct cooling system with liquid phase

The Solar Thermal Design Assistance Center report of its activities and accomplishments in Fiscal Year 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Menicucci, D.F.

1994-03-01

The Solar Thermal Design Assistance Center (STDAC) at Sandia National Laboratories is a resource provided by the US Department of Energy`s Solar Thermal Program. Its major objectives are to accelerate the use of solar thermal systems through (a) direct technical assistance to users, (b) cooperative test, evaluation, and development efforts with private industry, and (c) educational outreach activities. This report outlines the major activities and accomplishments of the STDAC in Fiscal Year 1993. The report also contains a comprehensive list of persons who contacted the STDAC by telephone for information or technical consulting.

Influence of thermal stress on the relative permittivity of the AlGaN barrier layer in an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure Schottky contacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lü Yuan-Jie; Lin Zhao-Jun; Zhang Yu; Meng Ling-Guo; Cao Zhi-Fang; Luan Chong-Biao; Chen Hong; Wang Zhan-Guo

2011-01-01

Ni Schottky contacts on AlGaN/GaN heterostructures were fabricated. Some samples were thermally treated in a furnace with N 2 ambience at 600 °C for different times (0.5 h, 4.5 h, 10.5 h, 18 h, 33 h, 48 h, and 72 h), the others were thermally treated for 0.5 h at different temperatures (500 °C, 600 °C, 700 °C, and 800 °C). With the measured current—voltage (I—V) and capacitance—voltage (C—V) curves and by self-consistently solving Schrodinger's and Poisson's equations, we found that the relative permittivity of the AlGaN barrier layer was related to the piezoelectric and the spontaneous polarization of the AlGaN barrier layer. The relative permittivity was in proportion to the strain of the AlGaN barrier layer. The relative permittivity and the strain reduced with the increased thermal stress time until the AlGaN barrier totally relaxed (after 18 h at 600 °C in the current study), and then the relative permittivity was almost a constant with the increased thermal stress time. When the sample was treated at 800 °C for 0.5 h, the relative permittivity was less than the constant due to the huge diffusion of the contact metal atoms. Considering the relation between the relative permittivity of the AlGaN barrier layer and the converse piezoelectric effect, the conclusion can be made that a moderate thermal stress can restrain the converse piezoelectric effect and can improve the stability of AlGaN/GaN heterostructure devices. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

DUPIC fuel irradiation test and performance evaluation; the performance analysis of pellet-cladding contact fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ho, K. I.; Kim, H. M.; Yang, K. B.; Choi, S. J. [Suwon University, Whasung (Korea)

2002-04-01

Thermal and mechanical models were reviewed, and selected for the analysis of nuclear fuel performance in reactor. 2 dimensional FEM software was developed. Thermal models-gap conductances, thermal conductivity of pellets, fission gas release, temperature distribution-were set and packaged into a software. Both thermal and mechanical models were interrelated to each other, and the final results, fuel performance during irradiation is obtained by iteration calculation. Also, the contact phenomena between pellet and cladding was analysed by mechanical computer software which was developed during this work. dimensional FEM program was developed which estimate the mechanical behavior and the thermal behaviors of nuclear fuel during irradiation. Since there is a importance during the mechanical deformation analysis in describing pellet-cladding contact phenomena, simplified 2 dimensional calculation method is used after the contact. The estimation of thermal fuel behavior during irradiation was compared with the results of other. 8 refs., 17 figs. (Author)

A comparative study of the electrical properties of Pd/ZnO Schottky contacts fabricated using electron beam deposition and resistive/thermal evaporation techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mtangi, W.; Auret, F. D.; Janse van Rensburg, P. J.; Coelho, S. M. M.; Legodi, M. J.; Nel, J. M.; Meyer, W. E.; Chawanda, A.

2011-01-01

A systematic investigation to check the quality of Pd Schottky contacts deposited on ZnO has been performed on electron beam (e-beam) deposited and resistively/thermally evaporated samples using current-voltage, IV, and conventional deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) measurements. Room temperature IV measurements reveal the dominance of pure thermionic emission on the resistively evaporated contacts, while the e-beam deposited contacts show the dominance of generation recombination at low voltages, -10 A at a reverse voltage of 1.0 V whereas the e-beam deposited contacts have reverse currents of the order of 10 -6 A at 1.0 V. Average ideality factors have been determined as (1.43 ± 0.01) and (1.66 ± 0.02) for the resistively evaporated contacts and e-beam deposited contacts, respectively. The IV barrier heights have been calculated as (0.721 ± 0.002) eV and (0.624 ± 0.005) eV for the resistively evaporated and e-beam deposited contacts, respectively. Conventional DLTS measurements reveal the presence of three prominent defects in both the resistive and e-beam contacts. Two extra peaks with energy levels of 0.60 and 0.81 eV below the conduction band minimum have been observed in the e-beam deposited contacts. These have been explained as contributing to the generation recombination current that dominates at low voltages and high leakage currents. Based on the reverse current at 1.0 V, the degree of rectification, the dominant current transport mechanism and the observed defects, we conclude that the resistive evaporation technique yields better quality Schottky contacts for use in solar cells and ultraviolet detectors compared to the e-beam deposition technique. The 0.60 eV has been identified as possibly related to the unoccupied level for the doubly charged oxygen vacancy, V o 2+ .

Effect of Temperature and Vibration on Electrical Connectors with Different Number of Contact Cores

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Song W. L.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we presented the results from three related analysis performed by adopting the failure models, which provided an explanation of performance influencing factors caused by different number of contact cores, for the purpose of measuring the temperature change and deformation value, which were the factors causing contact failure. The failures were localized in contact parts of the connectors. Performed investigations included thermal analysis, modal analysis, harmonic response analysis and contact failure analysis. From the results of these simulations, related temperature and vibration analysis nephograms were got respectively. And the correctness of results of thermal analysis was verified by Fourier law. The research results of this paper provide a reference for thermal analysis and vibration analysis of electrical connectors, which is important for ensuring the reliability and safety of electrical connectors.

Contact stress sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Kotovsky, Jack [Oakland, CA

2012-02-07

A contact stress sensor includes one or more MEMS fabricated sensor elements, where each sensor element of includes a thin non-recessed portion, a recessed portion and a pressure sensitive element adjacent to the recessed portion. An electric circuit is connected to the pressure sensitive element. The circuit includes a thermal compensator and a pressure signal circuit element configured to provide a signal upon movement of the pressure sensitive element.

Power density of piezoelectric transformers improved using a contact heat transfer structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, Wei Wei; Chen, Li Juan; Pan, Cheng Liang; Liu, Yong Bin; Feng, Zhi Hua

2012-01-01

Based on contact heat transfer, a novel method to increase power density of piezoelectric transformers is proposed. A heat transfer structure is realized by directly attaching a dissipater to the piezoelectric transformer plate. By maintaining the vibration mode of the transformer and limiting additional energy losses from the contact interface, an appropriate design can improve power density of the transformer on a large scale, resulting from effective suppression of its working temperature rise. A prototype device was fabricated from a rectangular piezoelectric transformer, a copper heat transfer sheet, a thermal grease insulation pad, and an aluminum heat radiator. The experimental results show the transformer maintains a maximum power density of 135 W/cm(3) and an efficiency of 90.8% with a temperature rise of less than 10 °C after more than 36 h, without notable changes in performance. © 2012 IEEE

Effects of thermal efficiency in DCMD and the preparation of membranes with low thermal conductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Zhehao, E-mail: ccgri_lzh@163.com [Changchun Gold Research Institute, 130012 (China); Peng, Yuelian, E-mail: pyl@live.com.au [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Environmental and Energy Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124 (China); Dong, Yajun; Fan, Hongwei [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Environmental and Energy Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124 (China); Chen, Ping [The Research Institute of Environmental Protection, North China Pharmaceutical Group Corporation, 050015 (China); Qiu, Lin [Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Jiang, Qi [National Major Science and Technology Program Management Office for Water Pollution Control and Treatment, MEP, 100029 (China)

2014-10-30

Highlights: • The effects on vapor flux and thermal efficiency were simulated. • The conditions favoring vapor flux also favored thermal efficiency. • Four microporous polymer membranes were compared. • The SiO{sub 2} aerogel coating reduced the thermal conductivity of polymer membranes. • A 3ω technique was used to measure the thermal conductivity of membranes. - Abstract: The effects of the membrane characteristics and operational conditions on the vapor flux and thermal efficiency in a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process were studied with a mathematical simulation. The membrane temperature, driving force of vapor transfer, membrane distillation coefficient, etc. were used to analyze the effects. The operating conditions that increased the vapor flux improved the thermal efficiency. The membrane characteristics of four microporous membranes and their performances in DCMD were compared. A polysulfone (PSf) membrane prepared via vapor-induced phase separation exhibited the lowest thermal conductivity. The PSf and polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes were modified using SiO{sub 2} aerogel blending and coating to reduce the thermal conductivity of the membrane. The coating process was more effective than the blending process toward this end. The changes in the structure of the modified membrane were observed with a scanning electron microscope. Si was found on the modified membrane surface with an energy spectrometer. The PVDF composite and support membranes were tested during the DCMD process; the composite membrane had a higher vapor flux and a better thermal efficiency than the support. A new method based on a 3ω technique was used to measure the thermal conductivity of the membranes.

Effects of thermal efficiency in DCMD and the preparation of membranes with low thermal conductivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Zhehao; Peng, Yuelian; Dong, Yajun; Fan, Hongwei; Chen, Ping; Qiu, Lin; Jiang, Qi

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The effects on vapor flux and thermal efficiency were simulated. • The conditions favoring vapor flux also favored thermal efficiency. • Four microporous polymer membranes were compared. • The SiO 2 aerogel coating reduced the thermal conductivity of polymer membranes. • A 3ω technique was used to measure the thermal conductivity of membranes. - Abstract: The effects of the membrane characteristics and operational conditions on the vapor flux and thermal efficiency in a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process were studied with a mathematical simulation. The membrane temperature, driving force of vapor transfer, membrane distillation coefficient, etc. were used to analyze the effects. The operating conditions that increased the vapor flux improved the thermal efficiency. The membrane characteristics of four microporous membranes and their performances in DCMD were compared. A polysulfone (PSf) membrane prepared via vapor-induced phase separation exhibited the lowest thermal conductivity. The PSf and polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes were modified using SiO 2 aerogel blending and coating to reduce the thermal conductivity of the membrane. The coating process was more effective than the blending process toward this end. The changes in the structure of the modified membrane were observed with a scanning electron microscope. Si was found on the modified membrane surface with an energy spectrometer. The PVDF composite and support membranes were tested during the DCMD process; the composite membrane had a higher vapor flux and a better thermal efficiency than the support. A new method based on a 3ω technique was used to measure the thermal conductivity of the membranes

Organic light-emitting diodes with direct contact-printed red, green, blue, and white light-emitting layers

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Sun-Zen; Peng, Shiang-Hau; Ting, Tzu-Yu; Wu, Po-Shien; Lin, Chun-Hao; Chang, Chin-Yeh; Shyue, Jing-Jong; Jou, Jwo-Huei

2012-10-01

We demonstrate the feasibility of using direct contact-printing in the fabrication of monochromatic and polychromatic organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Bright devices with red, green, blue, and white contact-printed light-emitting layers with a respective maximum luminance of 29 000, 29 000, 4000, and 18 000 cd/m2 were obtained with sound film integrity by blending a polymeric host into a molecular host. For the red OLED as example, the maximum luminance was decreased from 29 000 to 5000 cd/m2 as only the polymeric host was used, or decreased to 7000 cd/m2 as only the molecular host was used. The markedly improved device performance achieved in the devices with blended hosts may be attributed to the employed polymeric host that contributed a good film-forming character, and the molecular host that contributed a good electroluminescence character.

Adaptation of H9N2 AIV in guinea pigs enables efficient transmission by direct contact and inefficient transmission by respiratory droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Sang, Xiaoyu; Wang, Airong; Ding, Jie; Kong, Huihui; Gao, Xiaolong; Li, Lin; Chai, Tongjie; Li, Yuanguo; Zhang, Kun; Wang, Chengyu; Wan, Zhonghai; Huang, Geng; Wang, Tiecheng; Feng, Na; Zheng, Xuexing; Wang, Hualei; Zhao, Yongkun; Yang, Songtao; Qian, Jun; Hu, Guixue; Gao, Yuwei; Xia, Xianzhu

2015-01-01

H9N2 avian influenza viruses circulate worldwide in poultry and have sporadically infected humans, raising concern whether H9N2 viruses have pandemic potential. Here, we use a guinea pig model to examine whether serial passage results in adaptive viral changes that confer a transmissible phenotype to a wild-type H9N2 virus. After nine serial passages of an H9N2 virus through guinea pigs, productive transmission by direct contact occurred in 2/3 guinea pig pairs. The efficiency of transmission by direct contact increased following the fifteenth passage and occurred in 3/3 guinea pig pairs. In contrast, airborne transmission of the passaged virus was less efficient and occurred in 1/6 guinea pig pairs and 0/6 ferret pairs after the fifteenth passage. Three amino acid substitutions, HA1-Q227P, HA2-D46E, and NP-E434K, were sufficient for contact transmission in guinea pigs (2/3 pairs). The two HA amino acid substitutions enhanced receptor binding to α2,3-linked sialic acid receptors. Additionally, the HA2-D46E substitution increased virus thermostability whereas the NP-E434K mutation enhanced viral RNA polymerase activity in vitro. Our findings suggest that adaptive changes that enhance viral receptor binding, thermostability, and replicative capacity in mammalian cells can collectively enhance the transmissibility of H9N2 AIVs by direct contact in the guinea pig model. PMID:26552719

Effect of the post-annealing temperature on the thermal-decomposed NiOx hole contact layer for perovskite solar cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuxiao Guo

2018-02-01

Full Text Available A hysteresis-less inverted perovskite solar cell (PSC with power conversion efficiency (PCE of 13.57% was successfully achieved based on the thermal-decomposed NiOx hole contact layer, possessing better electron blocking and hole extraction properties for its suitable work function and high-conduction band edge position. Herein, the transparent and high-crystalline NiOx film is prepared by thermal-decomposing of the solution-derived Ni(OH2 film in our study, which is then employed as hole transport layer (HTL of the organic–inorganic hybrid PSCs. Reasonably, the post-annealing treatment, especially for the annealing temperature, could greatly affect the Ni(OH2 decomposition process and the quality of decomposed NiOx nanoparticles. The vital NiOx HTLs with discrepant morphology, crystallinity and transmission certainly lead to a wide range of device performance. As a result, an annealing process of 400∘C/2h significantly promotes the photovoltaic properties of the NiOx layer and the further device performance.

Numerical Modeling of Electrical Contact Conductance of Rough Bodies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. V. Murashov

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Since the beginning of the 20th century to the present time, efforts have been made to develop a model of the electrical contact conductance. The development of micro- and nanotechnologies make contact conductance problem more essential. To conduct borrowing from a welldeveloped thermal contact conductance models on the basis of thermal and electrical conductivity analogy is often not possible due to a number of fundamental differences. While some 3Dmodels of rough bodies deformation have been developed in one way or another, a 3D-model of the electrical conductance through rough bodies contact is still not. A spatial model of electrical contact of rough bodies is proposed, allows one to calculate the electrical contact conductance as a function of the contact pressure. Representative elements of the bodies are parallelepipeds with deterministic roughness on the contacting surfaces. First the non-linear elastic-plastic deformation of rough surface under external pressure is solved using the finite element software ANSYS. Then the solution of electrostatic problem goes on the same finite element mesh. Aluminum AD1 is used as the material of the contacting bodies with properties that account for cold work hardening of the surface. The numerical model is built within the continuum mechanics and nanoscale effects are not taken into account. The electrical contact conductance was calculated on the basis of the concept of electrical resistance of the model as the sum of the electrical resistances of the contacting bodies and the contact itself. It was assumed that there is no air in the gap between the bodies. The dependence of the electrical contact conductance on the contact pressure is calculated as well as voltage and current density distributions in the contact bodies. It is determined that the multi-asperity contact mode, adequate to real roughness, is achieved at pressures higher than 3MPa, while results within the single contact spot are

Direct Laser Interference Patterning: Tailoring of Contact Area for Frictional and Antibacterial Properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas Rosenkranz

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Surface functionalization by topographic micro- and nano-structures in order to achieve unique properties, like super-hydrophobicity or ultrahigh light absorption, is a common strategy in nature. In this paper, direct laser interference patterning (DLIP is presented as a promising tool allowing for the generation of such surface patterns on technical surfaces in order to mimic these biological surfaces and effects. Friction optimization and antibacterial effects by DLIP are exemplarily described. Topographic surface patterns on the micro- and nano-scale demonstrated a significant reduction in the coefficient of friction and bacterial adhesion. It was shown that in both cases, the control of the contact area between surfaces or between surface and bacteria is of utmost importance.

Study of non-contact measurement of the thermal expansion coefficients of materials based on laser feedback interferometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Fasong [The State Key Lab of Precision Measurement Technology and Instrument, Department of Precision Instruments, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Departments of Physics, College of Science, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China); Tan, Yidong; Zhang, Shulian, E-mail: zsl-dpi@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn [The State Key Lab of Precision Measurement Technology and Instrument, Department of Precision Instruments, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Lin, Jing; Ding, Yingchun [Departments of Physics, College of Science, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China)

2015-04-15

The noncooperative and ultrahigh sensitive length measurement approach is of great significance to the study of a high-precision thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) determination of materials at a wide temperature range. The novel approach is presented in this paper based on the Nd:YAG microchip laser feedback interferometry with 1064 nm wavelength, the beam frequency of which is shifted by a pair of acousto-optic modulators and then the heterodyne phase measurement technique is used. The sample is placed in a muffle furnace with two coaxial holes opened on the opposite furnace walls. The measurement beams are perpendicular and coaxial on each surface of the sample, the configuration which can not only achieve the length measurement of sample but also eliminate the influence of the distortion of the sample supporter. The reference beams inject on the reference mirrors which are put as possible as near the holes, respectively, to eliminate the air disturbances and the influence of thermal lens effect out of the furnace chamber. For validation, the thermal expansion coefficients of aluminum and steel 45 samples are measured from room temperature to 748 K, which proved measurement repeatability of TECs is better than 0.6 × 10{sup −6}(K{sup −1}) at the range of 298 K–598 K and the high-sensitive non-contact measurement of the low reflectivity surface induced by the oxidization of the samples at the range of 598 K–748 K.

Measuremental analysis of thermal performance of direct gain houses in Kanto district. Effects of thermal mass and caves; Kanto chiho ni tatsu direct gain jutaku no netsuseino jissoku. Netsuyoryo to hisashi no koka

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Inoue, K; Sunaga, N; Muro, K [Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo (Japan)

1996-10-27

The thermal performance of direct gain passive solar houses was measured. Mr. M`s two-storied RC residence with double glazing windows and thermal storage floors, walls and ceilings of brick or concrete was provided for measurement. Its double eaves of the south window and both SE and SW overhanging exterior walls play a role in sunshade. Mr. I`s two-storied wooden residence with thermal storage RC floors and brick walls, and no eaves of the south window and no overhanging exterior walls was also provided. The summer and winter measurement results were in complete contrast between the residences. In summer, large thermal mass and eaves of Mr. M`s residence were effective, while in winter, small thermal mass and no eaves of Mr. I`s residence were effective. The following ideas are important in design from the viewpoint of indoor thermal environment: a movable sunshade for taking in solar radiation as much as possible in winter, well-balanced arrangement of thermal storage parts with suitable thermal mass corresponding to movement of the sun, a large screen door for cross ventilation in summer, and a night insulation shutter for reducing heat loss in winter. 2 refs., 10 figs., 1 tab.

Rapid thermal processing by stamping

Science.gov (United States)

Stradins, Pauls; Wang, Qi

2013-03-05

A rapid thermal processing device and methods are provided for thermal processing of samples such as semiconductor wafers. The device has components including a stamp (35) having a stamping surface and a heater or cooler (40) to bring it to a selected processing temperature, a sample holder (20) for holding a sample (10) in position for intimate contact with the stamping surface; and positioning components (25) for moving the stamping surface and the stamp (35) in and away from intimate, substantially non-pressured contact. Methods for using and making such devices are also provided. These devices and methods allow inexpensive, efficient, easily controllable thermal processing.

Multifunctional Thermal Structures Using Cellular Contact-Aided Complaint Mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

2016-10-31

that it transfers heat away from (or insulates) the electronics modules in order to ensure that the electronics do not overheat (or become too cold...conventional active thermal control systems whenever possible. The basic aim of a passive thermal control system is to control heat transfer from...electronic devices to a radiating exterior surface. Heat may need to be retained when the devices generate little heat , and high heat transfer

Thermal performance analysis of a direct-expansion solar-assisted heat pump water heater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong, X.Q.; Zhang, D.; Li, Y.; Yang, Q.M.

2011-01-01

A direct-expansion solar-assisted heat pump water heater (DX-SAHPWH) is described, which can supply hot water for domestic use during the whole year. The system mainly employs a bare flat-plate collector/evaporator with a surface area of 4.2 m 2 , an electrical rotary-type hermetic compressor, a hot water tank with the volume of 150 L and a thermostatic expansion valve. R-22 is used as working fluid in the system. A simulation model based on lumped and distributed parameter approach is developed to predict the thermal performance of the system. Given the structure parameters, meteorological parameters, time step and final water temperature, the numerical model can output operational parameters, such as heat capacity, system COP and collector efficiency. Comparisons between the simulation results and the experimental measurements show that the model is able to give satisfactory predictions. The effect of various parameters, including solar radiation, ambient temperature, wind speed and compressor speed, has been analyzed on the thermal performance of the system. -- Highlights: ► A direct-expansion solar-assisted heat pump water heater (DX-SAHPWH) is described. ► A simulation model based on lumped and distributed parameter approach is developed to predict the thermal performance of the system. ► The numerical model can output operational parameters, such as heat capacity, system COP and collector efficiency. ► Comparisons between the simulation results and the experimental measurements show that the model is able to give satisfactory predictions. ► The effect of various parameters has been analyzed on the thermal performance of the system.

Cryogenic cooler thermal coupler

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, K.E.; Talbourdet, J.A.

1984-01-01

A thermal coupler assembly mounted to the coldfinger of a cryogenic cooler which provides improved thermal transfer between the coldfinger and the detector assembly mounted on the dewar endwell. The thermal coupler design comprises a stud and spring-loaded cap mounted on the coldfinger assembly. Thermal transfer is made primarily through the air space between the cap and coldwell walls along the radial surfaces. The cap is spring loaded to provide thermal contact between the cap and endwell end surfaces

Thermal expansion of doped lanthanum gallates

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

Since the components are in intimate mechanical contact, any stress generated due to their thermal expansion mis- match during thermal cycling could lead to catastrophic failure of the cell. The functional materials must have similar thermal expansions to avoid mechanical stresses. Hence it is useful to study the thermal ...

Electron Barrier Formation at the Organic-Back Contact Interface is the First Step in Thermal Degradation of Polymer Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Sachs-Quintana, I. T.

2014-03-24

Long-term stability of polymer solar cells is determined by many factors, one of which is thermal stability. Although many thermal stability studies occur far beyond the operating temperature of a solar cell which is almost always less than 65 °C, thermal degradation is studied at temperatures that the solar cell would encounter in real-world operating conditions. At these temperatures, movement of the polymer and fullerenes, along with adhesion of the polymer to the back contact, creates a barrier for electron extraction. The polymer barrier can be removed and the performance can be restored by peeling off the electrode and depositing a new one. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements reveal a larger amount of polymer adhered to electrodes peeled from aged devices than electrodes peeled from fresh devices. The degradation caused by hole-transporting polymer adhering to the electrode can be suppressed by using an inverted device where instead of electrons, holes are extracted at the back metal electrode. The problem can be ultimately eliminated by choosing a polymer with a high glass transition temperature. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Pulsed Current Static Electrical Contact Experiment

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Jones, Harry N; Neri, Jesse M; Boyer, Craig N; Cooper, Khershed P; Meger, Robert A

2006-01-01

.... The voltage developed across the interface is directly related to the contact temperature and pressure, the number of a-spots, the thermophysical and mechanical properties of the contacting materials...

Current contact device for a superconducting magnet coil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hieronymus, H.

1987-01-01

The invention concerns a current supply device for a superconducting magnet coil to be shortcircuited, with a separating device per coil end, which contains a fixed cooled contact and a moving contact connected to a power supply device and a mechanical actuating device for closing and opening the contacts. When closing the heated contact on to the cooled contact, relatively large quantities of heat can be transferred to the cooled contact and therefore to the connected superconducting coil end and can cause normal conduction there. The invention therefore provides that the mass ratio of the cooled contact to the moving contact is at least 5:1, preferably at least 10:1, and that the cooled contact part is provided, at the end away from the contact area, with means for increasing the area, for example cooling fins and is connected to the coil end has a thermal resistance between the contact area and the coil end of at least 0.2 k/W, preferably at least 0.5 k/W per 1000 A of current to be transmitted. (orig.) [de

Thermal Stability of Hexamethyldisiloxane (MM for High-Temperature Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Markus Preißinger

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The design of efficient Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC units for the usage of industrial waste heat at high temperatures requires direct contact evaporators without intermediate thermal oil circuits. Therefore, the thermal stability of high-temperature working fluids gains importance. In this study, the thermal degradation of hexamethyldisiloxane (MM is investigated in an electrically heated tube. Qualitative results concerning remarks on degradation products as well as quantitative results like the annual degradation rate are presented. It is shown that MM is stable up to a temperature of 300 °C with annual degradation rates of less than 3.5%. Furthermore, the break of a silicon–carbon bond can be a main chemical reaction that influences the thermal degradation. Finally, it is discussed how the results may impact the future design of ORC units.

Mechanical Contact Experiments and Simulations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Chris Valentin; Martins, P; Zhang, W.

2011-01-01

Mechanical contact is studied under dynamic development by means of a combined numerical and experimental investigation. The experiments are designed to allow dynamical development of non-planar contact areas with significant expansion in all three directions as the load is increased. Different....... The overall investigation serves for testing and validating the numerical implementation of the mechanical contact, which is one of the main contributions to a system intended for 3D simulation of resistance welding. Correct modelling of contact between parts to be welded, as well as contact with electrodes......, is crucial for satisfactory modelling of the resistance welding process. The resistance heating at the contact interfaces depends on both contact area and pressure, and as the contact areas develop dynamically, the presented tests are relevant for assessing the validity and accuracy of the mechanical contact...

Thermal neutron moderating device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takigami, Hiroyuki.

1995-01-01

In a thermal neutron moderating device, superconductive coils for generating magnetic fields capable of applying magnetic fields vertical to the longitudinal direction of a thermal neutron passing tube, and superconductive coils for magnetic field gradient for causing magnetic field gradient in the longitudinal direction of the thermal neutron passing tube are disposed being stacked at the outside of the thermal neutron passing tube. When magnetic field gradient is present vertically to the direction of a magnetic moment, thermal neutrons undergo forces in the direction of the magnetic field gradient in proportion to the magnetic moment. Then, the magnetic moment of the thermal neutrons is aligned with the direction vertical to the passing direction of the thermal neutrons, to cause the magnetic field gradient in the passing direction of the thermal neutrons. The speed of the thermal neutrons can be optionally selected and the wavelength can freely be changed by applying forces to the thermal neutrons and changing the extent and direction of the magnetic field gradient. Superconductive coils are used as the coils for generating magnetic fields and the magnetic field gradient in order to change extremely high energy of the thermal neutrons. (N.H.)

Assessment of MARS for Direct Contact Condensation in the Core Make-up Tank

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Keun Tae; Park, Ik Kyu; Lee, Seung Wook

2013-01-01

In order to improve safety features under loss of coolant accident (LOCA) conditions, in many advanced light water reactors, gravity driven passive safety injection systems (PSISs) replace active pump driven emergency core cooling systems. Among various PSISs, the core make-up tank (CMT) with the pressure balancing line (PBL) and the coolant injection line (IL) represents an effective means of providing core cooling. Because the fluid is always sensing the reactor coolant system (RCS) through the PBL connecting the inlet of the CMT to the pressurizer in the case of CP1300 or to the cold legs in the case of AP600/1000, the CMT can provide cold water at any RCS pressure by gravity force. However, after the initiation of LOCAs, if the injection (or isolation) valve is opened, and the steam from the RCS is jetting into the highly subcooled liquid in the CMT and the enhanced interfacial area results in rapid condensation, which in turn, causes a rapid pressure drop in the CMT. As a result, the CMT pressure becomes less than the RCS pressure, and the injection of the CMT can be delayed until the CMT pressure builds up due to greatly reduced condensation in the CMT by the thermal stratification. In order to identify the parameters having significant effects on the gravity-driven injection and the major condensation modes, Lee and No (1998) conducted the separated effect tests of CMT with a small-scale facility. MARS has been developed as a multi-dimensional thermal-hydraulic (TH) system analysis code for the realistic simulation of two-phase TH transients for pressurized water reactor plants. As the backbones for the MARS code, the RELAP5/MOD3.2 and the COB-RA-TF codes were adopted. Recently, Chun et al. (2013) evaluated performance of the SMART passive safety system for SBLOCA using MARS code. However, it is not clarified that MARS can simulate properly the direct contact condensation in the CMT. Thus, in this study, we assess the analysis capability of the MARS code for

Contact Estimation in Robot Interaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filippo D'Ippolito

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In the paper, safety issues are examined in a scenario in which a robot manipulator and a human perform the same task in the same workspace. During the task execution, the human should be able to physically interact with the robot, and in this case an estimation algorithm for both interaction forces and a contact point is proposed in order to guarantee safety conditions. The method, starting from residual joint torque estimation, allows both direct and adaptive computation of the contact point and force, based on a principle of equivalence of the contact forces. At the same time, all the unintended contacts must be avoided, and a suitable post-collision strategy is considered to move the robot away from the collision area or else to reduce impact effects. Proper experimental tests have demonstrated the applicability in practice of both the post-impact strategy and the estimation algorithms; furthermore, experiments demonstrate the different behaviour resulting from the adaptation of the contact point as opposed to direct calculation.

Stress analysis of disconnected structures in contact through finite element gaps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stadter, J.T.; Weiss, R.O.

1976-07-01

A numerical procedure is presented for analyzing thermal stress problems of disconnected structures in contact across separations or gaps. The new procedure is called SAASGAPS, an adaptation of the basic SAAS III computer program. The SAAS program uses the finite element method and allows analyses of plane and axisymmetric bodies with temperature dependent material properties, subject to thermal and mechanical loads. A secant modulus approach with a bilinear stress-strain curve is used for elastic-plastic problems. The SAASGAPS version contains all of the features of the original SAAS program. A special gap element is used together with a stress invariance principle to model the contact process. The iterative procedure implemented in SAASGAPS is described. Results are discussed for five problems involving frictionless contact. Two of these problems are associated with the thermal stress analysis of the heat shield for the Multi-Hundred Watt Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator. Input instructions for the program are described in an appendix

Direct contact membrane distillation: Capability to desalt raw water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Boubakri

2017-05-01

Full Text Available In this work, the potentialities of membrane distillation to desalt raw waters were investigated. The experiments were performed on a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD unit using a flat sheet polypropylene (PP membrane with a low pore size of 0.064 μm. The effect of relevant operating parameters such as transmembrane temperature difference, hydrodynamic conditions and ionic strength on permeate flux and conductivity was studied. The results indicated that a permeate flux increases with increasing transmembrane temperature difference and Reynolds number, and slightly decreases with increasing ionic strength. The permeate flux reached 4.24 L/m2 h at a temperature difference of 60 °C and Reynolds number of 3740 and ionic strength of 8.56 × 10−2 M. DCMD process using PP with low pore size membrane present a very low salt passage through the membrane which was not affected by feed concentration. DCMD process has been applied during a long period to desalt raw water without any pretreatment. For brackish water, the variation of permeate flux and conductivity were slightly changed as function of operating time. For seawater, the permeate flux decreased slightly and the permeate conductivity increased sharply in which a simple pretreatment step is recommended to ameliorate the performance of DCMD process.

Knee medial and lateral contact forces in a musculoskeletal model with subject-specific contact point trajectories.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeighami, A; Aissaoui, R; Dumas, R

2018-03-01

Contact point (CP) trajectory is a crucial parameter in estimating medial/lateral tibio-femoral contact forces from the musculoskeletal (MSK) models. The objective of the present study was to develop a method to incorporate the subject-specific CP trajectories into the MSK model. Ten healthy subjects performed 45 s treadmill gait trials. The subject-specific CP trajectories were constructed on the tibia and femur as a function of extension-flexion using low-dose bi-plane X-ray images during a quasi-static squat. At each extension-flexion position, the tibia and femur CPs were superimposed in the three directions on the medial side, and in the anterior-posterior and proximal-distal directions on the lateral side to form the five kinematic constraints of the knee joint. The Lagrange multipliers associated to these constraints directly yielded the medial/lateral contact forces. The results from the personalized CP trajectory model were compared against the linear CP trajectory and sphere-on-plane CP trajectory models which were adapted from the commonly used MSK models. Changing the CP trajectory had a remarkable impact on the knee kinematics and changed the medial and lateral contact forces by 1.03 BW and 0.65 BW respectively, in certain subjects. The direction and magnitude of the medial/lateral contact force were highly variable among the subjects and the medial-lateral shift of the CPs alone could not determine the increase/decrease pattern of the contact forces. The suggested kinematic constraints are adaptable to the CP trajectories derived from a variety of joint models and those experimentally measured from the 3D imaging techniques. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

First contact diagnosis and management of contact lens-related complications.

Science.gov (United States)

Fagan, Xavier J; Jhanji, Vishal; Constantinou, Marios; Amirul Islam, F M; Taylor, Hugh R; Vajpayee, Rasik B

2012-08-01

To describe the spectrum of contact lens-related problems in cases presenting to a tertiary referral eye hospital. A retrospective case record analysis of 111 eyes of 97 consecutive patients was undertaken over a period of five months at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. Contact lens-related complications (CLRC) were classified into microbial keratitis, sterile corneal infiltrates, corneal epitheliopathy and contact lens-related red eye (CLARE). Main parameters examined were nature of the first contact, clinical diagnosis, and management pattern. Forty-two percent of the initial presentations were to health care practitioners (HCPs) other than ophthalmologists. Mean duration from the onset of symptoms to presentation was 6.3 ± 10.9 days. Forty-nine percent (n = 54) of patients had an associated risk factor, most commonly overnight use of contact lenses (n = 14, 13 %). Most common diagnosis at presentation was corneal epitheliopathy (68 %) followed by sterile infiltrates (10 %), CLARE (8 %) and microbial keratitis (6 %). No significant differences were found in the pattern of treatment modalities administered by ophthalmologists and other HCPs. HCPs other than ophthalmologists are the first contact for contact lens-related problems in a significant proportion of patients. These HCPs manage the majority of CLRC by direct treatment or immediate referral.

Frequency shift and hysteresis suppression in contact-mode AFM using contact stiffness modulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belhaq M.

2012-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper the frequency response shift and hysteresis suppression of contact-mode atomic force microscopy is investigated using parametric modulation of the contact stiffness. Based on the Hertzian contact theory, a lumped single degree of freedom oscillator is considered for modeling the cantilever dynamics contact-mode atomic force microscopy. We use the technique of direct partition of motion and the method of multiple scales to obtain, respectively, the slow dynamic and the corresponding slow flow of the system. As results, this study shows that the amplitude of the contact stiffness modulation has a significant effect on the frequency response. Specifically, increasing the amplitude of the stiffness modulation suppresses hysteresis, decreases the peak amplitude and produces shifts towards higher and lower frequencies.

Contact allergy to the 26 specific fragrance ingredients to be declared on cosmetic products in accordance with the EU cosmetics directive

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heisterberg, Maria V; Menné, Torkil; Johansen, Jeanne D

2011-01-01

Background. Fragrance ingredients are a frequent cause of allergic contact dermatitis. The EU Cosmetics Directive states that 26 specific fragrance ingredients, known to cause allergic contact dermatitis, must be declared on the ingredient lists of cosmetic products. Objectives. To investigate...... frequencies of sensitization to the 26 individual fragrances and evaluate their importance as screening markers of fragrance allergy. Method. This was a retrospective study based on data from the Department of Dermato-Allergology, Copenhagen University Hospital Gentofte. Eczema patients (n = 1508) were patch...

Computational simulations of direct contact condensation as the driving force for water hammer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ceuca, Sabin-Cristian

2015-01-01

An analysis, based on Computer Simulations of the Direct Contact Condensation as the Driving Force for the Condensation Induced Water Hammer phenomenon is performed within this thesis. The goal of the work is to develop a mechanistic HTC model, with predictive capabilities for the simulation of horizontal or nearly horizontal two-phase ows with complex patterns including the e ect of interfacial heat and mass transfer. The newly developed HTC model was implemented into the system code ATHLET and into the CFD tools ANSYS CFX and OpenFOAM. Validation calculations have been performed for horizontal or nearly horizontal ows, where simulation results have been compared against the local measurement data such as void and temperature or area averaged data delivered by a wire mesh sensor.

Computational simulations of direct contact condensation as the driving force for water hammer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ceuca, Sabin-Cristian

2015-04-27

An analysis, based on Computer Simulations of the Direct Contact Condensation as the Driving Force for the Condensation Induced Water Hammer phenomenon is performed within this thesis. The goal of the work is to develop a mechanistic HTC model, with predictive capabilities for the simulation of horizontal or nearly horizontal two-phase ows with complex patterns including the e ect of interfacial heat and mass transfer. The newly developed HTC model was implemented into the system code ATHLET and into the CFD tools ANSYS CFX and OpenFOAM. Validation calculations have been performed for horizontal or nearly horizontal ows, where simulation results have been compared against the local measurement data such as void and temperature or area averaged data delivered by a wire mesh sensor.

Stability analysis of direct contact heat exchangers subject to system perturbations. Final report, Task 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jacobs, H.R.

1985-01-01

This report includes a project summary, copies of two papers resulting from the work and the Ph.D. Dissertation of Dr. Mehdi Golafshani entitled, ''Stability of a Direct Contact Heat Exchanger''. Specifically, the work deals with the operational stability of a spray column type heat exchanger subject to disturbances typical of those which can occur for geothermal applications. A computer program was developed to solve the one-dimensional transient two-phase flow problem and it was applied to the design of a spray column. The operation and design of the East Mesa 500kW/sub e/ direct contactor was assessed. It is shown that the heat transfer is governed by the internal resistance of the dispersed phase. In fact, the performance is well-represented by diffusion of heat within the drops. 5 refs.

Detailed partial load investigation of a thermal energy storage concept for solar thermal power plants with direct steam generation

Science.gov (United States)

Seitz, M.; Hübner, S.; Johnson, M.

2016-05-01

Direct steam generation enables the implementation of a higher steam temperature for parabolic trough concentrated solar power plants. This leads to much better cycle efficiencies and lower electricity generating costs. For a flexible and more economic operation of such a power plant, it is necessary to develop thermal energy storage systems for the extension of the production time of the power plant. In the case of steam as the heat transfer fluid, it is important to use a storage material that uses latent heat for the storage process. This leads to a minimum of exergy losses during the storage process. In the case of a concentrating solar power plant, superheated steam is needed during the discharging process. This steam cannot be superheated by the latent heat storage system. Therefore, a sensible molten salt storage system is used for this task. In contrast to the state-of-the-art thermal energy storages within the concentrating solar power area of application, a storage system for a direct steam generation plant consists of a latent and a sensible storage part. Thus far, no partial load behaviors of sensible and latent heat storage systems have been analyzed in detail. In this work, an optimized fin structure was developed in order to minimize the costs of the latent heat storage. A complete system simulation of the power plant process, including the solar field, power block and sensible and latent heat energy storage calculates the interaction between the solar field, the power block and the thermal energy storage system.

Schottky contact analysis of photovoltaic chalcopyrite thin film absorbers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlenker, E.; Mertens, V.; Parisi, J.; Reineke-Koch, R.; Koentges, M.

2007-01-01

Current-voltage and capacitance-voltage measurements serve to analyze thermally evaporated Al Schottky contacts on Cu(In, Ga)Se 2 based photovoltaic thin film devices, either taken as grown or etched in a bromine-methanol solution. The characteristics of the Schottky contacts on the as-grown films give evidence for some dielectric layer developing between the metal and the semiconductor. Etching the semiconductor surface prior to evaporation of the Al front contact yields a pure metal-semiconductor behavior, including effects that can be attributed to an additional diode at the Mo contact. Simulations confirm the experimental results

A three-dimensional vertically aligned functionalized multilayer graphene architecture: an approach for graphene-based thermal interfacial materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Qizhen; Yao, Xuxia; Wang, Wei; Liu, Yan; Wong, Ching Ping

2011-03-22

Thermally conductive functionalized multilayer graphene sheets (fMGs) are efficiently aligned in large-scale by a vacuum filtration method at room temperature, as evidenced by SEM images and polarized Raman spectroscopy. A remarkably strong anisotropy in properties of aligned fMGs is observed. High electrical (∼386 S cm(-1)) and thermal conductivity (∼112 W m(-1) K(-1) at 25 °C) and ultralow coefficient of thermal expansion (∼-0.71 ppm K(-1)) in the in-plane direction of A-fMGs are obtained without any reduction process. Aligned fMGs are vertically assembled between contacted silicon/silicon surfaces with pure indium as a metallic medium. Thus-constructed three-dimensional vertically aligned fMG thermal interfacial material (VA-fMG TIM) architecture has significantly higher equivalent thermal conductivity (75.5 W m(-1) K(-1)) and lower contact thermal resistance (5.1 mm2 K W(-1)), compared with their counterpart from A-fMGs that are recumbent between silicon surfaces. This finding provides a throughout approach for a graphene-based TIM assembly as well as knowledge of vertically aligned graphene architectures, which may not only facilitate graphene's application in current demanding thermal management but also promote its widespread applications in electrodes of energy storage devices, conductive polymeric composites, etc.

Contact lens surface by electron beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Jung Hyuck; Lee, Suk Ju; Hwang, Kwang Ha; Jeon Jin

2011-01-01

Contact lens materials needs good biocompatibility, high refractive index, high optical transparency, high water content etc. Surface treat method by using plasma and radiation can modify the physical and/or chemical properties of the contact lens surface. Radiation technology such as electron beam irradiation can apply to polymerization reaction and enhance the functionality of the polymer.The purpose of this study is to modify of contact lens surface by using Eb irradiation technology. Electron beam was irradiated to the contact lens surface which was synthesized thermal polymerization method and commercial contact lens to modify physical and chemical properties. Ft-IR, XP, UV-vis spectrophotometer, water content, oxygen trans-metastability were used to characterize the surface state, physicochemical, and optical property of the contact lens treated with Eb. The water content and oxygen transmissibility of the contact lens treated with Eb were increased due to increase in the hydrophilic group such as O-C=O and OH group on the contact lens surface which could be produced by possible reaction between carbon and oxygen during the Eb irradiation. All of the lenses showed the high optical transmittance above 90%. In this case of B/Es, TES, Ti contact lens, the optical transmittance decreased about 5% with increasing Eb dose in the wavelength of UV-B region. The contact lens modified by Eb irradiation could improve the physical properties of the contact lens such as water content and oxygen transmissibility

Low-Thermal-Resistance Baseplate Mounting

Science.gov (United States)

Perreault, W. T.

1984-01-01

Low-thermal-resistance mounting achieved by preloading baseplate to slight convexity with screws threaded through beam. As mounting bolts around edge of base-place tightened, baseplate and cold plate contact first in center, with region of intimate contact spreading outward as bolts tightened.

Decommissioning: dismantling of thickwalled steel structures using the contact-arc-metal-drilling technique. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bach, F.W.; Lindemaier, J.; Philipp, E.

1998-01-01

1. Status of the technology: Today austenitic steel components with a material thickness of more than 200 mm cannot be cut surely by using conventional thermal cutting techniques. A reduction of the wall thickness, by using an effective cutting technique with low restoring forces, is necessary but not available, now. 2. Objectives: Target of the project was the qualification of the thermal contact-arc-metal-drilling technique, based on the contact-arc-metal-cutting technique for the reduction of the wall thickness of steel components in preparation for other cutting techniques to finish the dismantling task if necessary. 3. Methode: Development of the contact-arc-metal-drilling technique for the production of deep (>200 mm) blind holes with non-circular cross sections. Optimization of the drilling parameters and quantification of the released emissions under a radiological aspect. Development of a monitoring system for the electrode wear and a device for changing weared electrodes automatically. 4. Result: The contact-arc-metal-drilling technique was qualified by producing blind holes with a depth of 230 mm. The aerosols, hydrosols and gas emissions of the process were quantified and various monitoring techniques for the wear of the electrode were tested. A pneumatically aided clamping and changing device for electrodes was designed and tested. 5. Applications: The designed clamping device with its integrated pneumatically aided electrode release can be adapted directly to a tool guiding machine. Using this cutting technique steel components with a material thickness of 230 mm can be reduced to a remaining wall thickness and the released emissions can be estimated. (orig.) [de

Operation of ohmic Ti/Al/Pt/Au multilayer contacts to GaN at 600 °C in air

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Minmin; Senesky, Debbie G.

2014-08-01

The high-temperature characteristics (at 600 °C) of Ti/Al/Pt/Au multilayer contacts to gallium nitride (GaN) in air are reported. Microfabricated circular-transfer-line-method test structures were subject to 10 h of thermal storage at 600 °C. Intermittent electrical characterization during thermal storage showed minimal variation in the contact resistance after 2 h and that the specific contact resistivity remained on the order of 10-5 Ω-cm2. In addition, the thermally stored multilayer contacts to GaN showed ohmic I-V characteristics when electrically probed at 600 °C. The microstructural analysis with atomic force microscopy showed minimal changes in surface roughness after thermal storage. Observations of the thermochemical reactions after thermal storage using Auger electron spectroscopy chemical depth profiling showed diffusion of Pt and minimal additional Al oxidation. The results support the use of Ti/Al/Pt/Au multilayer metallization for GaN-based sensors and electronic devices that will operate within a high-temperature and oxidizing ambient.

Thermal modeling of pluton emplacement and associated contact metamorphism:Parashi stock emplacement in the Serranía de Jarara (Alta Guajira, Colombia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zuluaga C. Carlos A.

2010-12-01

Full Text Available

In the northernmost portion of the Serrania de Jarara (Alta Guajira, Colombia, low - medium grade metamorphic rocks from the Etpana Metamorphic Suite were thermally affected by emplacement of a small calc-alkaline intrusion (Parashi Stock. Detailed petrographic analysis in collected rock samples across the NE and NW plutonic contacts show occurrences of textural and mineralogical changes in the country rock fabric that evidence contact metamorphism overprinting regional metamorphism of the Etpana Suite. These changes include growth of andalusite (chiastolite, calcic clinopyroxeneand amphibole porphyroblast crosscutting Sn+1 metamorphicfoliation. Hornblende-plagioclase barometry (ca. 3.1 kbar and cooling models for the stock show maximum time temperature evolution in the country rock at the interpreted depth of intrusion (ca. 11 km and help to evaluate the behavior of the country rock with the changing local geotherm.

Out-of-plane platforms with bi-directional thermal bimorph actuation for transducer applications

KAUST Repository

Conchouso Gonzalez, David

2015-04-01

This paper reports on the Buckled Cantilever Platform (BCP) that allows the manipulation of the out of plane structures through the adjustment of the pitch angle using thermal bimorph micro-Actuators. Due to the micro-fabrication process used, the bimorph actuators can be designed to move in both: Counter Clockwise (CCW) and Clockwise (CW) directions with a resolution of up to 110 μm/V, with smallest step in the range of nanometers. Thermal and electrical characterization of the thermal bimorph actuators showed low influence in the platforms temperature and low power consumption (< 35μW) mainly due to the natural isolation of the structure. Tip displacements larger than 500μm were achieved. The precise angle adjustment achieved through these mechanisms makes them optimal for a range of different MEMS applications, like optical benches and low frequency sweeping sensors and antennas. © 2015 IEEE.

An effect-directed strategy for characterizing emerging chemicals in food contact materials made from paper and board

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosenmai, Anna Kjerstine; Bengtström, Linda; Taxvig, Camilla

2017-01-01

Food contact materials (FCM) are any type of item intended to come into contact with foods and thus represent a potential source for human exposure to chemicals. Regarding FCMs made of paper and board, information pertaining to their chemical constituents and the potential impacts on human health...... FCMs exhibited activities in at least one assay. As proof-of-principle, FCM samples obtained from a sandwich wrapper and a pizza box were carried through a complete step-by-step multi-tiered approach. The pizza box exhibited ER activity, likely caused by the presence of bisphenol A, dibutyl phthalate......, and benzylbutyl phthalate. The sandwich wrapper exhibited AR antagonism, likely caused by abietic acid and dehydroabietic acid. Migration studies confirmed that the active chemicals can transfer from FCMs to food simulants. In conclusion, we report an effect-directed strategy that can identify hazards posed...

Novel hybrid drilling protocol: evaluation for the implant healing--thermal changes, crestal bone loss, and bone-to-implant contact.

Science.gov (United States)

Calvo-Guirado, José Luis; Delgado-Peña, Jorge; Maté-Sánchez, Jose E; Mareque Bueno, Javier; Delgado-Ruiz, Rafael Arcesio; Romanos, Georgios E

2015-07-01

To evaluate a new hybrid drilling protocol, by the analysis of thermal changes in vitro, and their effects in the crestal bone loss and bone-to-implant contact in vivo. Temperature changes during simulated osteotomies with a hybrid drilling technique (biologic plus simplified) (test) versus an incremental drilling technique (control) were investigated. One hundred and twenty random osteotomies were performed (60 by group) in pig ribs up to 3.75-mm-diameter drill to a depth of 10 mm. Thermal changes and time were recorded by paired thermocouples. In a parallel experiment, bilateral mandibular premolars P2, P3, P4, and first molar M1 were extracted from six dogs. After 2-month healing, implant sites were randomly prepared using either of the drilling techniques. Forty eight implants of 3.75 mm diameter and 10 mm length were inserted. The dogs were euthanized at 30 and 90 days, and crestal bone loss (CBL) and bone-to-implant contact (BIC) were evaluated. The control group showed maximum temperatures of 35.3 °C ± 1.8 °C, ΔT of 10.4 °C, and a mean time of 100 s/procedure; meanwhile, the test group showed maximum temperatures of 36.7 °C ± 1.2 °C, ΔT of 8.1 °C, and a mean time of 240 s/procedure. After 30 days, CBL values for both groups (test: 1.168 ± 0.194 mm; control: 1.181 ± 0.113 mm) and BIC values (test: 43 ± 2.8%; control: 45 ± 1.3%) were similar, without significant differences (P > 0.05). After 90 days, CBL (test: 1.173 ± 0.187 mm; control: 1.205 ± 0.122 mm) and BIC (test: 64 ± 3.3%; control: 64 ± 2.4%) values were similar, without significant differences (P > 0.05). The BIC values were increased at 90 days in both groups compared with the 30-day period (P drilling procedure in vitro. Crestal bone loss and bone-to-implant contact in the hybrid drilling protocol are comparable with the conventional drilling protocol and do not affect the osseointegration process in vivo. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Perspectives on setting limits for RF contact currents: a commentary.

Science.gov (United States)

Tell, Richard A; Tell, Christopher A

2018-01-15

Limits for exposure to radiofrequency (RF) contact currents are specified in the two dominant RF safety standards and guidelines developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). These limits are intended to prevent RF burns when contacting RF energized objects caused by high local tissue current densities. We explain what contact currents are and review some history of the relevant limits with an emphasis on so-called "touch" contacts, i.e., contact between a person and a contact current source during touch via a very small contact area. Contact current limits were originally set on the basis of controlling the specific absorption rate resulting from the current flowing through regions of small conductive cross section within the body, such as the wrist or ankle. More recently, contact currents have been based on thresholds of perceived heating. In the latest standard from the IEEE developed for NATO, contact currents have been based on two research studies in which thresholds for perception of thermal warmth or thermal pain have been measured. Importantly, these studies maximized conductive contact between the subject and the contact current source. This factor was found to dominate the response to heating wherein high resistance contact, such as from dry skin, can result in local heating many times that from a highly conductive contact. Other factors such as electrode size and shape, frequency of the current and the physical force associated with contact are found to introduce uncertainty in threshold values when comparing data across multiple studies. Relying on studies in which the contact current is minimized for a given threshold does not result in conservative protection limits. Future efforts to develop limits on contact currents should include consideration of (1) the basis for the limits (perception, pain, tissue damage); (2) understanding of the

Performance and Fouling Study of Asymmetric PVDF Membrane Applied in the Concentration of Organic Fertilizer by Direct Contact Membrane Distillation (DCMD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanfei Liu

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This study proposes using membrane distillation (MD as an alternative to the conventional multi-stage flushing (MSF process to concentrate a semi-product of organic fertilizer. By applying a unique asymmetric polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF membrane, which was specifically designed for MD applications using a nonsolvent thermally induced phase separation (NTIPS method, the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD performance was investigated in terms of its sustainability in permeation flux, fouling resistance, and anti-wetting properties. It was found that the permeation flux increased with increasing flow rate, while the top-surface facing feed mode was the preferred orientation to achieve 25% higher flux than the bottom-surface facing feed mode. Compared to the commercial polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE membrane, the asymmetric PVDF membrane exhibited excellent anti-fouling and sustainable flux, with less than 8% flux decline in a 15 h continuous operation, i.e., flux decreased slightly and was maintained as high as 74 kg·m−2·h−1 at 70 °C. Meanwhile, the lost flux was easily recovered by clean water rinsing. Overall 2.6 times concentration factor was achieved in 15 h MD operation, with 63.4% water being removed from the fertilizer sample. Further concentration could be achieved to reach the desired industrial standard of 5x concentration factor.

Hybrid indirect/direct contactor for thermal management of counter-current processes

Science.gov (United States)

Hornbostel, Marc D.; Krishnan, Gopala N.; Sanjurjo, Angel

2018-03-20

The invention relates to contactors suitable for use, for example, in manufacturing and chemical refinement processes. In an aspect is a hybrid indirect/direct contactor for thermal management of counter-current processes, the contactor comprising a vertical reactor column, an array of interconnected heat transfer tubes within the reactor column, and a plurality of stream path diverters, wherein the tubes and diverters are configured to block all straight-line paths from the top to bottom ends of the reactor column.

Thermal characterization of radiation processed contact lens material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varshney, L.; Choughule, S.V.

1998-01-01

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermomechanical analysis (TMA) and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) were used to characterize radiation processed contact lens gel material of 2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate(HEMA). DSC revealed two types of water in the gels. DSC and TGA in combination were used to quantitate the percentage of different types of the water in the gel material. Temperature expansion coefficients values indicate more dimensions stability in the radiation processed lenses of similar water contents. (author)

Biodiesel from waste cooking oils via direct sonication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gude, Veera Gnaneswar; Grant, Georgene Elizabeth

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Thermal effects of direct sonication on transesterification reaction were studied. • Ultrasonics may effectively transesterify waste oils without external heating. • Intense mixing with temperature rise completes transesterification instantly. • Plug flow process reactor design with ultrasound may prove energy efficient. • Process optimization and biodiesel conversion analysis was presented. - Abstract: This study investigates the effect of direct sonication in conversion of waste cooking oil into biodiesel. Waste cooking oils may cause environmental hazards if not disposed properly. However, waste cooking oils can serve as low-cost feedstock for biodiesel production. Ultrasonics, a non-conventional process technique, was applied to directly convert waste cooking oil into biodiesel in a single step. Ultrasonics transesterify waste cooking oils very efficiently due to increased mass/heat transfer phenomena and specific thermal/athermal effects at molecular levels. Thus, energy and chemical consumption in the overall process is greatly reduced compared to conventional biodiesel processes. Specific to this research, thermal effects of ultrasonics in transesterification reaction without external conventional heating along with effects of different ultrasonic, energy intensities and energy density are reported. Optimization of process parameters such as methanol to oil ratio, catalyst concentration and reaction time are also presented. It was observed that small reactor design such as plug-flow or contact-type reactor design may improve overall ultrasonic utilization in the transesterification reaction due to increased energy density and ultrasonic intensity

Ohmic contacts to semiconducting diamond

Science.gov (United States)

Zeidler, James R.; Taylor, M. J.; Zeisse, Carl R.; Hewett, C. A.; Delahoussaye, Paul R.

1990-10-01

Work was carried out to improve the electron beam evaporation system in order to achieve better deposited films. The basic system is an ion pumped vacuum chamber, with a three-hearth, single-gun e-beam evaporator. Four improvements were made to the system. The system was thoroughly cleaned and new ion pump elements, an e-gun beam adjust unit, and a more accurate crystal monitor were installed. The system now has a base pressure of 3 X 10(exp -9) Torr, and can easily deposit high-melting-temperature metals such as Ta with an accurately controlled thickness. Improved shadow masks were also fabricated for better alignment and control of corner contacts for electrical transport measurements. Appendices include: A Thermally Activated Solid State Reaction Process for Fabricating Ohmic Contacts to Semiconducting Diamond; Tantalum Ohmic Contacts to Diamond by a Solid State Reaction Process; Metallization of Semiconducting Diamond: Mo, Mo/Au, and Mo/Ni/Au; Specific Contact Resistance Measurements of Ohmic Contracts to Diamond; and Electrical Activation of Boron Implanted into Diamond.

Evidence of multiband superconductivity in the quaternary borocarbide superconductor YNi2B2C using directional point-contact spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raychaudhuri, Pratap; Sheet, Goutam; Mukhopadhyay, Sourin; Takeya, H.

2007-01-01

In this paper, we review our recent investigations on the gap anisotropy of the quaternary borocarbide superconductor YNi 2 B 2 C using directional point-contact spectroscopy. Through a detailed study of the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the superconducting energy gaps we show that the gap anisotropy in this material originates from electrons on different Fermi sheets having very different Fermi velocities. The gap anisotropy in this material is therefore well explained through a multiband scenario where electrons in different k-directions have very different electron-phonon coupling strength

Endoplasmic Reticulum-Plasma Membrane Contact Sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Saheki, Yasunori; De Camilli, Pietro

2017-06-20

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has a broad localization throughout the cell and forms direct physical contacts with all other classes of membranous organelles, including the plasma membrane (PM). A number of protein tethers that mediate these contacts have been identified, and study of these protein tethers has revealed a multiplicity of roles in cell physiology, including regulation of intracellular Ca 2+ dynamics and signaling as well as control of lipid traffic and homeostasis. In this review, we discuss the cross talk between the ER and the PM mediated by direct contacts. We review factors that tether the two membranes, their properties, and their dynamics in response to the functional state of the cell. We focus in particular on the role of ER-PM contacts in nonvesicular lipid transport between the two bilayers mediated by lipid transfer proteins.

Analysis of Heat Transfer in Power Split Device for Hybrid Electric Vehicle Using Thermal Network Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jixin Wang

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a rational prediction of temperature field on the differential hybrid system (DHS based on the thermal network method (TNM. The whole thermal network model is built by considering both the contact thermal resistance between gasket and planet gear and the temperature effect on the physical property parameters of lubricant. The contact thermal resistance is obtained by using the concept of contact branch thermal resistance and G-W elastic model. By building an elaborate thermal network model and computing models for power losses and thermal resistances between components, the whole temperature field of DHS under typical operating condition is predicted. Results show that thermal network method can be effectively used to predict the temperature distribution and the rule of temperature variation, the surface roughness significantly affects contact thermal conduction, and the decrease in the thermal resistance of the natural convection between air and DHS housing can effectively improve the thermal environment of DHS.

Environmental Assisted Fatigue Evaluation of Direct Vessel Injection Piping Considering Thermal Stratification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Taesoon; Lee, Dohwan

2016-01-01

As the environmentally assisted fatigue (EAF) due to the primary water conditions is to be a critical issue, the fatigue evaluation for the components and pipes exposed to light water reactor coolant conditions has become increasingly important. Therefore, many studies to evaluate the fatigue life of the components and pipes in LWR coolant environments on fatigue life of materials have been conducted. Among many components and pipes of nuclear power plants, the direct vessel injection piping is known to one of the most vulnerable pipe systems because of thermal stratification occurred in that systems. Thermal stratification occurs because the density of water changes significantly with temperature. In this study, fatigue analysis for DVI piping using finite element analysis has been conducted and those results showed that the results met design conditions related with the environmental fatigue evaluation of safety class 1 pipes in nuclear power plants. Structural and fatigue integrity for the DVI piping system that thermal stratification occurred during the plant operation has conducted. First of all, thermal distribution of the piping system is calculated by computational fluid dynamic analysis to analyze the structural integrity of that piping system. And the fatigue life evaluation considering environmental effects was carried out. Our results showed that the DVI piping system had enough structural integrity and fatigue life during the design lifetime of 60 years

Temperature-modulated direct thermoelectric gas sensors: thermal modeling and results for fast hydrocarbon sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rettig, Frank; Moos, Ralf

2009-01-01

Direct thermoelectric gas sensors are a promising alternative to conductometric gas sensors. For accurate results, a temperature modulation technique in combination with a regression analysis is advantageous. However, the thermal time constant of screen-printed sensors is quite large. As a result, up to now the temperature modulation frequency (20 mHz) has been too low and the corresponding principle-related response time (50 s) has been too high for many applications. With a special design, respecting the physical properties of thermal waves and the use of signal processing similar to a lock-in-amplifier, it is possible to achieve response times of about 1 s. As a result, direct thermoelectric gas sensors with SnO 2 as a gas-sensitive material respond fast and are reproducible to the propane concentration in the ambient atmosphere. Due to the path-independent behavior of the thermovoltage and the temperature, the measured thermopower of two sensors is almost identical

Metal-clad waveguide characterization for contact-based light transmission into tissue

Science.gov (United States)

Chininis, Jeffrey; Whiteside, Paul; Hunt, Heather K.

2016-02-01

As contemporary laser dermatology procedures, like tattoo removal and skin resurfacing, become more popular, the complications of their operation are also becoming more prevalent. Frequent incidences of over-exposure, ocular injury, and excessive thermal damage represent mounting concerns for those seeking such procedures; moreover, each of these problems is a direct consequence of the standard, free-space method of laser transmission predominantly used in clinical settings. Therefore, an alternative method of light transmission is needed to minimize these problems. Here, we demonstrate and characterize an alternative method that uses planar waveguides to deliver light into sample tissue via direct contact. To do this, slab substrates made from glass were clad in layers of titanium and silver, constraining the light within the waveguide along the waveguide's length. By creating active areas on the waveguide surface, the propagating light could then optically tunnel into the tissue sample, when the waveguide was brought into contact with the tissue. SEM and EDS were used to characterize the metal film thickness and deposition rates onto the glass substrates. Laser light from a Q-switched Nd:YAG source operating at 532nm was coupled into the waveguide and transmitted into samples of pig skin. The amount of light transmitted was measured using photoacoustics techniques, in conjunction with a photodiode and integrating sphere. Transmitting light into tissue in this manner effectively resolves or circumvents the complications caused by free-space propagation methods as it reduces the operating distance to 0, which prevents hazardous back-reflections and allows for the ready incorporation of contact cooling technologies.

Development of gas-solid direct contact heat exchanger by use of axial flow cyclone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimizu, Akihiko; Yokomine, Takehiko [Kyushu University (Japan). Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences; Nagafuchi, Tatsuro [Miura Co. Ltd., Matsuyamashi (Japan)

2004-10-01

A heat exchanger between particulate or granular materials and gas is developed. It makes use of a swirling gas flow similar to the usual cyclone separators but the difference from them is that the swirl making gas is issued into the cyclone chamber with downward axial velocity component. After it turns the flow direction near the bottom of the chamber, the low temperature gas receives heat from high temperature particles supplied from above at the chamber's center. Through this configuration, a direct contact and quasi counter-flow heat exchange pattern is realized so that the effective recovery of heat carried by particles is achieved. A model heat exchanger was manufactured via several numerical experiments and its performances of heat exchange as well as particle recovery were examined. Attaching a small particle diffuser below the particle-feeding nozzle brought about a drastic improvement of the heat exchange performance without deteriorating the particle recovery efficiency. The outlet gas temperature much higher than the particle outlet temperature was finally obtained, which is never realized in the parallel flow heat exchanger. (author)

Formation and Evolution of Contact Binaries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter P. Eggleton

2012-06-01

Full Text Available describe a series of processes, including hierarchical fragmentation, gravitational scattering, Kozai cycles within triple systems, tidal friction and magnetic braking, that I believe are responsible for producing the modest but significant fraction of stars that are observed as contact binaries. I also discuss further processes, namely heat transport, mass transport, nuclear evolution, thermal relaxation oscillations, and further magnetic braking with tidal friction, that influence the evolution during contact. The endpoint, for contact, is that the two components merge into a single star, as recently was observed in the remarkable system V1309 Sco. The single star probably throws off some mass and rotates rapidly at first, and then slows by magnetic braking to become a rather inconspicuous but normal dwarf or subgiant. If however the contact binary was part of a triple system originally–as I suggested above was rather likely–then the result could be a widish binary with apparently non-coeval components. There are several such known.

Dynamic modeling and experimental validation for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process

KAUST Repository

Eleiwi, Fadi

2016-02-01

This work proposes a mathematical dynamic model for the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process. The model is based on a 2D Advection–Diffusion Equation (ADE), which describes the heat and mass transfer mechanisms that take place inside the DCMD module. The model studies the behavior of the process in the time varying and the steady state phases, contributing to understanding the process performance, especially when it is driven by intermittent energy supply, such as the solar energy. The model is experimentally validated in the steady state phase, where the permeate flux is measured for different feed inlet temperatures and the maximum absolute error recorded is 2.78 °C. Moreover, experimental validation includes the time variation phase, where the feed inlet temperature ranges from 30 °C to 75 °C with 0.1 °C increment every 2min. The validation marks relative error to be less than 5%, which leads to a strong correlation between the model predictions and the experiments.

Dynamic modeling and experimental validation for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process

KAUST Repository

Eleiwi, Fadi; Ghaffour, NorEddine; Alsaadi, Ahmad Salem; Francis, Lijo; Laleg-Kirati, Taous-Meriem

2016-01-01

This work proposes a mathematical dynamic model for the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process. The model is based on a 2D Advection–Diffusion Equation (ADE), which describes the heat and mass transfer mechanisms that take place inside the DCMD module. The model studies the behavior of the process in the time varying and the steady state phases, contributing to understanding the process performance, especially when it is driven by intermittent energy supply, such as the solar energy. The model is experimentally validated in the steady state phase, where the permeate flux is measured for different feed inlet temperatures and the maximum absolute error recorded is 2.78 °C. Moreover, experimental validation includes the time variation phase, where the feed inlet temperature ranges from 30 °C to 75 °C with 0.1 °C increment every 2min. The validation marks relative error to be less than 5%, which leads to a strong correlation between the model predictions and the experiments.

CFD simulation of direct contact condensation with ANSYS CFX using surface renewal theory based heat transfer coefficients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wanninger, Andreas; Ceuca, Sabin Cristian; Macian-Juan, Rafael [Technische Univ. Muenchen, Garching (Germany). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering

2013-07-01

Different approaches for the calculation of Direct Contact Condensation (DCC) using Heat Transfer Coefficients (HTC) based on the Surface Renewal Theory (SRT) are tested using the CFD simulation tool ANSYS CFX. The present work constitutes a preliminary study of the flow patterns and conditions observed using different HTC models. A complex 3D flow pattern will be observed in the CFD simulations as well as a strong coupling between the condensation rate and the two-phase flow dynamics. (orig.)

Under Water Thermal Cutting of the Moderator Vessel and Thermal Shield

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loeb, A.; Sokcic-Kostic, M.; Eisenmann, B.; Prechtl, E.

2007-01-01

This paper presents the segmentation of the in 8 meter depth of water and for cutting through super alloyed moderator vessel and of the thermal shield of the MZFR stainless steel up to 130 mm wall thickness. Depending on the research reactor by means of under water plasma and contact arc metal cutting. The moderator vessel and the thermal shield are the most essential parts of the MZFR reactor vessel internals. These components have been segmented in 2005 by means of remotely controlled under water cutting utilizing a special manipulator system, a plasma torch and CAMC (Contact Arc Metal Cutting) as cutting tools. The engineered equipment used is a highly advanced design developed in a two years R and D program. It was qualified to cut through steel walls of more than 100 mm thickness in 8 meters water depth. Both the moderator vessel and the thermal shield had to be cut into such size that the segments could afterwards be packed into shielded waste containers each with a volume of roughly 1 m 3 . Segmentation of the moderator vessel and of the thermal shield was performed within 15 months. (author)

Computational and experimental research on infrared trace by human being contact

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiong Zonglong; Yang Kuntao; Ding Wenxiu; Zhang Nanyangsheng; Zheng Wenheng

2010-06-20

The indoor detection of the human body's thermal trace plays an important role in the fields of infrared detecting, scouting, infrared camouflage, and infrared rescuing and tracking. Currently, quantitative description and analysis for this technology are lacking due to the absence of human infrared radiation analysis. To solve this problem, we study the heating and cooling process by observing body contact and removal on an object, respectively. Through finite-element simulation and carefully designed experiments, an analytical model of the infrared trace of body contact is developed based on infrared physics and heat transfer theory. Using this model, the impact of body temperature on material thermal parameters is investigated. The sensitivity of material thermal parameters, the thermal distribution, and the changes of the thermograph's contrast are then found and analyzed. Excellent matching results achieved between the simulation and the experiments demonstrate the strong impact of temperature on material thermal parameters. Conclusively, the new model, simulation, and experimental results are beneficial to the future development and implementation of infrared trace technology.

Computational and experimental research on infrared trace by human being contact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiong Zonglong; Yang Kuntao; Ding Wenxiu; Zhang Nanyangsheng; Zheng Wenheng

2010-01-01

The indoor detection of the human body's thermal trace plays an important role in the fields of infrared detecting, scouting, infrared camouflage, and infrared rescuing and tracking. Currently, quantitative description and analysis for this technology are lacking due to the absence of human infrared radiation analysis. To solve this problem, we study the heating and cooling process by observing body contact and removal on an object, respectively. Through finite-element simulation and carefully designed experiments, an analytical model of the infrared trace of body contact is developed based on infrared physics and heat transfer theory. Using this model, the impact of body temperature on material thermal parameters is investigated. The sensitivity of material thermal parameters, the thermal distribution, and the changes of the thermograph's contrast are then found and analyzed. Excellent matching results achieved between the simulation and the experiments demonstrate the strong impact of temperature on material thermal parameters. Conclusively, the new model, simulation, and experimental results are beneficial to the future development and implementation of infrared trace technology.

Total water production capacity inversion phenomenon in multi-stage direct contact membrane distillation: A theoretical study

KAUST Repository

Lee, Jung Gil

2017-09-09

The low thermal efficiency and low water production are among the major challenges that prevent membrane distillation (MD) process from being commercialized. In an effort to design an efficient multi-stage direct contact MD (DCMD) unit through mathematical simulation, a new phenomenon that we refer to as total water production capacity inversion (WPI) has been detected. It is represented by a decrease in the total water production beyond a number of stages or a certain module length. WPI phenomenon, which was confirmed by using two different mathematical models validated experimentally, was found to take place due to the decrease in water vapor flux across the membrane as well as the increase in heat loss by conduction as the membrane length increases. Therefore, WPI should be considered as a critical MD design-criterion, especially for large scale units. Investigations conducted for a simulated multi-stage DCMD process showed that inlet feed and permeate temperatures difference, feed and permeate flow rates, and feed salinity have different effects on WPI. The number of stages (or module length at constant width) that leads to a maximum water production has been determined for different operating parameters. Decreasing inlet feed and permeate temperatures difference, or inlet feed and permeate flow rates and increasing inlet feed temperature at constant temperature difference or inlet feed salinity cause the WPI to take place at lower number of stages. Even though the feed salinity affects negligibly the mean permeate flux, it was clearly shown that it can affect WPI. The results presented herein unveil a hidden phenomenon that is likely to occur during process scale-up procedures and should be considered by process engineers for a proper choice of system design and operating conditions.

Field test of two high-pressure direct-contact downhole steam generators. Volume II. Oxygen/diesel system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moreno, J.B.

1983-07-01

A field test of an oxygen/diesel fuel, direct contact steam generator has been completed. The field test, which was a part of Project DEEP STEAM and was sponsored by the US Department of Energy, involved the thermal stimulation of a well pattern in the Tar Zone of the Wilmington Oil Field. The activity was carried out in cooperation with the City of Long Beach and the Long Beach Oil Development Company. The steam generator was operated at ground level, with the steam and combustion products delivered to the reservoir through 2022 feet of calcium-silicate insulated tubing. The objectives of the test included demonstrations of safety, operational ease, reliability and lifetime; investigations of reservoir response, environmental impact, and economics; and comparison of those points with a second generator that used air rather than oxygen. The test was extensively instrumented to provide the required data. Excluding interruptions not attributable to the oxygen/diesel system, steam was injected 78% of the time. System lifetime was limited by the combustor, which required some parts replacement every 2 to 3 weeks. For the conditions of this particular test, the use of trucked-in LOX resulted in liess expense than did the production of the equivalent amount of high pressure air using on site compressors. No statistically significant production change in the eight-acre oxygen system well pattern occurred during the test, nor were any adverse effects on the reservoir character detected. Gas analyses during the field test showed very low levels of SOX (less than or equal to 1 ppM) in the generator gaseous effluent. The SOX and NOX data did not permit any conclusion to be drawn regarding reservoir scrubbing. Appreciable levels of CO (less than or equal to 5%) were measured at the generator, and in this case produced-gas analyses showed evidence of significant gas scrubbing. 64 figures, 10 tables.

Characterization of Deposited Platinum Contacts onto Discrete Graphene Flakes for Electrical Devices

KAUST Repository

Holguin Lerma, Jorge A.

2016-05-03

For years, electron beam induced deposition has been used to fabricate electrical contacts for micro and nanostructures. The role of the contact resistance is key to achieve high performance and efficiency in electrical devices. The present thesis reports on the electrical, structural and chemical characterization of electron beam deposited platinum electrodes that are exposed to different steps of thermal annealing and how they are used in four-probe devices of ultrathin graphite (uG) flakes (<100nm thickness). The device integration of liquid phase exfoliated uG is demonstrated, and its performance compared to devices made with analogous mechanically exfoliated uG. For both devices, similar contact resistances of ~2kΩ were obtained. The electrical measurements confirm a 99.5% reduction in contact resistance after vacuum thermal annealing at 300 °C. Parallel to this, Raman characterization confirms the formation of a nanocrystalline carbon structure over the electrode. While this could suggest an enhancement of the electrical transport in the device, an additional thermal annealing step in air at 300 °C, promoted the oxidation and removal of the carbon shell and confirmed that the contact resistance remained the same. Overall this shows that the carbon shell along the electrode has no significant role in the contact resistance. Finally, the challenges based on topographical analysis of the deposited electrodes are discussed. Reduction of the electrode’s height down to one-third of the initial value, increased surface roughness, formation of voids along the electrodes and the onset of platinum nanoparticles near the area of deposition, represent a challenge for future work.

Effects of Brass (Cu3Zn2) as High Thermal Expansion Material on Shrink Disc Performance During High Thermal Loading

Science.gov (United States)

Mazlan, MIS; Mohd, SA; Bahar, ND; Aziz, SAA

2018-03-01

This research work is focused on shrink disc operation at high temperature. Geometrical and material design selections have been done by taking into consideration the existing shrink disc operating at high temperature condition. The existing shrink disc confronted slip between shaft and shaft sleeve during thermal loading condition. The assessment has been obtained through virtual experiment by using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) -Thermal Transient Stress for 900 seconds with 300 °C of thermal loading. This investigation consists of the current and improved version of shrink disc, where identical geometries and material properties were utilized. High Thermal Expansion (HTE) material has been introduced to overcome the current design of the shrink disc. Brass (Cu3Zn2) has been selected as the HTE material in the improved shrink disc design due to its high thermal expansion properties. The HTE has shown a significant improvement on the total contact area and contact pressure on the shaft and the shaft sleeve. The improved shrink disc embedded with HTE during thermal loading exhibit a minimum of 1244.1 mm2 of the total area on shaft and shaft sleeve which uninfluenced the total contact area at normal condition which is 1254.3 mm2. Meanwhile, the total pressure of improved shrink disc had an increment of 108.1 MPa while existing shrink disc total pressure has lost 17.2 MPa during thermal loading.

An analysis direct-contact condensation in horizontal cocurrent stratified flow of steam and cold water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Suk Ho; Kim, Hho Jung

1992-01-01

The physical benchmark problem on the direct-contact condensation under the horizontal cocurrent stratified flow was analyzed using the RELAP5/MOD2 and /MOD3 one-dimensional model. Analysis was performed for the Northwestern experiments, which involved condensing steam/water flow in a rectangular channel. The study showed that the RELAP5 interfacial heat transfer model, under the horizontal stratified flow regime, predicted the condensation rate well though the interfacial heat transfer area was underpredicted. However, some discrepancies in water layer thickness and local heat transfer coefficient with experimental results were found especially when there is a wavy interface, and those were satisfied only within the range. (Author)

Contact and contagion: Probability of transmission given contact varies with demographic state in bighorn sheep.

Science.gov (United States)

Manlove, Kezia R; Cassirer, E Frances; Plowright, Raina K; Cross, Paul C; Hudson, Peter J

2017-07-01

Understanding both contact and probability of transmission given contact are key to managing wildlife disease. However, wildlife disease research tends to focus on contact heterogeneity, in part because the probability of transmission given contact is notoriously difficult to measure. Here, we present a first step towards empirically investigating the probability of transmission given contact in free-ranging wildlife. We used measured contact networks to test whether bighorn sheep demographic states vary systematically in infectiousness or susceptibility to Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, an agent responsible for bighorn sheep pneumonia. We built covariates using contact network metrics, demographic information and infection status, and used logistic regression to relate those covariates to lamb survival. The covariate set contained degree, a classic network metric describing node centrality, but also included covariates breaking the network metrics into subsets that differentiated between contacts with yearlings, ewes with lambs, and ewes without lambs, and animals with and without active infections. Yearlings, ewes with lambs, and ewes without lambs showed similar group membership patterns, but direct interactions involving touch occurred at a rate two orders of magnitude higher between lambs and reproductive ewes than between any classes of adults or yearlings, and one order of magnitude higher than direct interactions between multiple lambs. Although yearlings and non-reproductive bighorn ewes regularly carried M. ovipneumoniae, our models suggest that a contact with an infected reproductive ewe had approximately five times the odds of producing a lamb mortality event of an identical contact with an infected dry ewe or yearling. Consequently, management actions targeting infected animals might lead to unnecessary removal of young animals that carry pathogens but rarely transmit. This analysis demonstrates a simple logistic regression approach for testing a priori

Determination of the carbon isotopic composition of whole/intact biological specimens using at-line direct thermal desorption to effect thermally assisted hydrolysis/methylation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Akoto, L.; Vreuls, R.J.J.; Irth, H.; Floris, V.; Hoogveld, H.L.; Pel, R.

2008-01-01

In this paper, we discuss the use of a direct thermal desorption (DTD) interface as an alternative to Curie-point flash pyrolysis system as an inlet technique in gas chromatography–combustion isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C-IRMS) analysis of whole/intact phytoplankton and zooplankton

Eye contact facilitates awareness of faces during interocular suppression

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stein, T.; Senju, A.; Peelen, M.V.; Sterzer, P.

Eye contact captures attention and receives prioritized visual processing. Here we asked whether eye contact might be processed outside conscious awareness. Faces with direct and averted gaze were rendered invisible using interocular suppression. In two experiments we found that faces with direct

The effect of linear imperfection in [001] direction on the thermal properties of silver crystal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J Davoodi

2013-09-01

Full Text Available  The aim of this investigation was to calculate the thermal properties of silver crystal in the presence of linear imperfection. The simulations were performed by molecular dynamics simulation technique in NPT as well as NVT ensemble based on quantum Sutton-Chen many body potential. The thermal properties including cohesive energy, melting temperature, isobaric heat capacity and thermal expansion of imperfect silver crystal were calculated and compared to those of the perfect crystal. Moreover, the quantities such as radial distribution function, order parameter and lindemann index were calculated in order to obtain information on crystal structure and disorder in atoms. All calculations were done both with liner imperfection in [001] direction and without imperfection at different temperature. The simulation results show that cohesive energy, linear thermal expansion coefficient increase and melting temperature, latent heat of fusion decrease with increasing linear imperfection. Also, the results show that linear imperfection has no effect on the heat capacity.

Degradation Characterization of Thermal Interface Greases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Major, Joshua [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Narumanchi, Sreekant V [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Paret, Paul P [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Blackman, Gregory [DuPont; Wong, Arnold [DuPont; Meth, Jeffery [DuPont

2018-02-12

Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are used in power electronics packaging to minimize thermal resistance between the heat generating component and the heat sink. Thermal greases are one such class. The conformability and thin bond line thickness (BLT) of these TIMs can potentially provide low thermal resistance throughout the operation lifetime of a component. However, their performance degrades over time due to pump-out and dry-out during thermal and power cycling. The reliability performance of greases through operational cycling needs to be quantified to develop new materials with superior properties. NREL, in collaboration with DuPont, has performed thermal and reliability characterization of several commercially available thermal greases. Initial bulk and contact thermal resistance of grease samples were measured, and then the thermal degradation that occurred due to pump-out and dry-out during temperature cycling was monitored. The thermal resistances of five different grease materials were evaluated using NREL's steady-state thermal resistance tester based on the ASTM test method D5470. Greases were then applied, utilizing a 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm stencil, between invar and aluminum plates to compare the thermomechanical performance of the materials in a representative test fixture. Scanning Acoustic microscopy, thermal, and compositional analyses were performed periodically during thermal cycling from -40 degrees C to 125 degrees C. Completion of this characterization has allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of thermal greases both for their initial bulk and contact thermal performance, as well as their degradation mechanisms under accelerated thermal cycling conditions.

Fabrication of bioinspired composite nanofiber membranes with robust superhydrophobicity for direct contact membrane distillation.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Yuan; Wang, Rong; Fane, Anthony G

2014-06-03

The practical application of membrane distillation (MD) for water purification is hindered by the absence of desirable membranes that can fulfill the special requirements of the MD process. Compared to the membranes fabricated by other methods, nanofiber membranes produced by electrospinning are of great interest due to their high porosity, low tortuosity, large surface pore size, and high surface hydrophobicity. However, the stable performance of the nanofiber membranes in the MD process is still unsatisfactory. Inspired by the unique structure of the lotus leaf, this study aimed to develop a strategy to construct superhydrophobic composite nanofiber membranes with robust superhydrophobicity and high porosity suitable for use in MD. The newly developed membrane consists of a superhydrophobic silica-PVDF composite selective skin formed on a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) porous nanofiber scaffold via electrospinning. This fabrication method could be easily scaled up due to its simple preparation procedures. The effects of silica diameter and concentration on membrane contact angle, sliding angle, and MD performance were investigated thoroughly. For the first time, the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) tests demonstrate that the newly developed membranes are able to present stable high performance over 50 h of testing time, and the superhydrophobic selective layer exhibits excellent durability in ultrasonic treatment and a continuous DCMD test. It is believed that this novel design strategy has great potential for MD membrane fabrication.

Improvements To Micro Contact Performance And Reliability

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-22

layers approximately 0.2mm thick. The extruder is controlled in both the x and y directions by servo motors while the plate height is controlled with a...and contact area as the contacts pressed together and shared more surface area as the contacts elastically or plastically pressed together[164]. Figure...CrossRef 33. M. Braunovic, N. K. Myshkin, and V. V. Konchits, Electrical contacts: funda- mentals, applications and technology. CRC press , 2010, vol

Metal contacts on ZnSe and GaN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duxstad, Kristin Joy [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Materials Science and Mineral Engineering

1997-05-01

Recently, considerable interest has been focused on the development of blue light emitting materials and devices. The focus has been on GaN and ZnSe, direct band gap semiconductors with bands gaps of 3.4 and 2.6 eV, respectively. To have efficient, reliable devices it is necessary to have thermally and electrically stable Ohmic contacts. This requires knowledge of the metal-semiconductor reaction behavior. To date few studies have investigated this behavior. Much information has accumulated over the years on the behavior of metals on Si and GaAs. This thesis provides new knowledge for the more ionic wide band gap semiconductors. The initial reaction temperatures, first phases formed, and phase stability of Pt, Pd, and Ni on both semiconductors were investigated. The reactions of these metals on ZnSe and GaN are discussed in detail and correlated with predicted behavior. In addition, comparisons are made between these highly ionic semiconductors and Si and GaAs. The trends observed here should also be applicable to other II-VI and III-Nitride semiconductor systems, while the information on phase formation and stability should be useful in the development of contacts for ZnSe and GaN devices.

A Langevin model for fluctuating contact angle behaviour parametrised using molecular dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, E R; Müller, E A; Craster, R V; Matar, O K

2016-12-06

Molecular dynamics simulations are employed to develop a theoretical model to predict the fluid-solid contact angle as a function of wall-sliding speed incorporating thermal fluctuations. A liquid bridge between counter-sliding walls is studied, with liquid-vapour interface-tracking, to explore the impact of wall-sliding speed on contact angle. The behaviour of the macroscopic contact angle varies linearly over a range of capillary numbers beyond which the liquid bridge pinches off, a behaviour supported by experimental results. Nonetheless, the liquid bridge provides an ideal test case to study molecular scale thermal fluctuations, which are shown to be well described by Gaussian distributions. A Langevin model for contact angle is parametrised to incorporate the mean, fluctuation and auto-correlations over a range of sliding speeds and temperatures. The resulting equations can be used as a proxy for the fully-detailed molecular dynamics simulation allowing them to be integrated within a continuum-scale solver.

Thermal and electrical energy yield analysis of a directly water cooled photovoltaic module

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mtunzi Busiso

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Electrical energy of photovoltaic modules drops by 0.5% for each degree increase in temperature. Direct water cooling of photovoltaic modules was found to give improved electrical and thermal yield. A prototype was put in place to analyse the field data for a period of a year. The results showed an initial high performance ratio and electrical power output. The monthly energy saving efficiency of the directly water cooled module was found to be approximately 61%. The solar utilisation of the naturally cooled photovoltaic module was found to be 8.79% and for the directly water cooled module its solar utilisation was 47.93%. Implementation of such systems on households may reduce the load from the utility company, bring about huge savings on electricity bills and help in reducing carbon emissions.

Multi-sphere unit cell model to calculate the effective thermal conductivity in pebble bed reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Antwerpen, W.; Rousseau, P.G.; Du Toit, C.G.

2010-01-01

A proper understanding of the mechanisms of heat transfer, fluid flow and pressure drop through a packed bed of spheres is of utmost importance in the design of a high temperature Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR). While the gas flows predominantly in the axial direction through the bed, the total effective thermal conductivity is a lumped parameter that characterises the total heat transfer in the radial direction through the packed bed. The study of the effective thermal conductivity is important because it forms an intricate part of the self-acting decay heat removal chain, which is directly related to the PBR safety case. The effective thermal conductivity is the summation of various heat transport phenomena. These are the enhanced thermal conductivity due to turbulent mixing as the fluid passes through the voids between pebbles, heat transfer due to the movement of the solid spheres and thermal conduction and thermal radiation between the spheres in a stagnant fluid environment. In this study, the conduction and radiation between the spheres are investigated. Firstly, existing correlations for the effective thermal conductivity are investigated, with particular attention given to its applicability in the near-wall region. Several phenomena in particular are examined namely: conduction through the spheres, conduction through the contact area between the spheres, conduction through the gas phase and radiation between solid surfaces. A new approach to simulate the effective thermal conductivity for randomly packed beds is then presented, namely the so-called Multi-sphere Unit Cell Model. The model is validated by comparing the results with that obtained in experiments. (authors)

Two gap superconductivity in Ba0.55K0.45Fe2As2 single crystals studied by the directional point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szabo, P.; Pribulova, Z.; Pristas, G.; Bud'ko, S.L.; Canfield, P.C.; Samuely, P.

2009-01-01

First directional point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy on the Ba 0.55 K 0.45 Fe 2 As 2 single crystals is presented. The spectra show significant differences when measured in the ab plane in comparison with those measured in the c direction. In the latter case no traces of superconducting energy gap could be found, just a reduced point-contact conductance persisting up to about 100 K and indicating reduced density of states. On the other hand within the ab plane two nodeless superconducting energy gaps Δ S ∼2-5 meV and Δ L ∼9-11 meV are detected.

Influence of Crucible Thermal Conductivity on Crystal Growth in an Industrial Directional Solidification Process for Silicon Ingots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zaoyang Li

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We carried out transient global simulations of heating, melting, growing, annealing, and cooling stages for an industrial directional solidification (DS process for silicon ingots. The crucible thermal conductivity is varied in a reasonable range to investigate its influence on the global heat transfer and silicon crystal growth. It is found that the crucible plays an important role in heat transfer, and therefore its thermal conductivity can influence the crystal growth significantly in the entire DS process. Increasing the crucible thermal conductivity can shorten the time for melting of silicon feedstock and growing of silicon crystal significantly, and therefore large thermal conductivity is helpful in saving both production time and power energy. However, the high temperature gradient in the silicon ingots and the locally concave melt-crystal interface shape for large crucible thermal conductivity indicate that high thermal stress and dislocation propagation are likely to occur during both growing and annealing stages. Based on the numerical simulations, some discussions on designing and choosing the crucible thermal conductivity are presented.

Response of Primary Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cells and Dermal Keratinocytes to Thermal Printer Materials In Vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmelzer, Eva; Over, Patrick; Gridelli, Bruno; Gerlach, Jörg C

Advancement in thermal three-dimensional printing techniques has greatly increased the possible applications of various materials in medical applications and tissue engineering. Yet, potential toxic effects on primary human cells have been rarely investigated. Therefore, we compared four materials commonly used in thermal printing for bioengineering, namely thermally printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, MED610, polycarbonate, and polylactic acid, and investigated their effects on primary human adult skin epidermal keratinocytes and bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) in vitro. We investigated indirect effects on both cell types caused by potential liberation of soluble substances from the materials, and also analyzed BM-MSCs in direct contact with the materials. We found that even in culture without direct contact with the materials, the culture with MED610 (and to a lesser extent acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) significantly affected keratinocytes, reducing cell numbers and proliferation marker Ki67 expression, and increasing glucose consumption, lactate secretion, and expression of differentiation-associated genes. BM-MSCs had decreased metabolic activity, and exhibited increased cell death in direct culture on the materials. MED610 and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene induced the strongest expression of genes associated to differentiation and estrogen receptor activation. In conclusion, we found strong cell-type-specific effects of the materials, suggesting that materials for applications in regenerative medicine should be carefully selected not only based on their mechanical properties but also based on their cell-type-specific biological effects.

Remarks on the thermal stability of an Ohmic-heated nanowire

Science.gov (United States)

Timsit, Roland S.

2018-05-01

The rise in temperature of a wire made from specific materials, due to ohmic heating by a DC electrical current, may lead to uncontrollable thermal runaway with ensuing melting. Thermal runaway stems from a steep decrease with increasing temperature of the thermal conductivity of the conducting material and subsequent trapping of the ohmic heat in the wire, i.e., from the inability of the wire to dissipate the heat sufficiently quickly by conduction to the cooler ends of the wire. In this paper, we show that the theory used to evaluate the temperature of contacting surfaces in a bulk electrical contact may be applied to calculate the conditions for thermal runaway in a nanowire. Implications of this effect for electrical contacts are addressed. A possible implication for memory devices using ohmic-heated nanofilms or nanowires is also discussed.

Modeling the thermal absorption factor of photovoltaic/thermal combi-panels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santbergen, R.; Zolingen, R.J.Ch. van

2006-01-01

In a photovoltaic/thermal combi-panel solar cells generate electricity while residual heat is extracted to be used for tap water heating or room heating. In such a panel the entire solar spectrum can be used in principle. Unfortunately long wavelength solar irradiance is poorly absorbed by the semiconductor material in standard solar cells. A computer model was developed to determine the thermal absorption factor of crystalline silicon solar cells. It was found that for a standard untextured solar cell with a silver back contact a relatively large amount of long wavelength irradiance is lost by reflection resulting in an absorption factor of only 74%. The model was then used to investigate ways to increase this absorption factor. One way is absorbing long wavelength irradiance in a second absorber behind a semi-transparent solar cell. According to the model this will increase the total absorption factor to 87%. The second way is to absorb irradiance in the back contact of the solar cell by using rough interfaces in combination with a non-standard metal as back contact. Theoretically the absorption factor can then be increased to 85%

Epidemic spreading in annealed directed networks: susceptible-infected-susceptible model and contact process.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Sungchul; Kim, Yup

2013-01-01

We investigate epidemic spreading in annealed directed scale-free networks with the in-degree (k) distribution P(in)(k)~k(-γ(in)) and the out-degree (ℓ) distribution, P(out)(ℓ)~ℓ(-γ(out)). The correlation of each node on the networks is controlled by the probability r(0≤r≤1) in two different algorithms, the so-called k and ℓ algorithms. For r=1, the k algorithm gives =, whereas the ℓ algorithm gives =. For r=0, = for both algorithms. As the prototype of epidemic spreading, the susceptible-infected-susceptible model and contact process on the networks are analyzed using the heterogeneous mean-field theory and Monte Carlo simulations. The directedness of links and the correlation of the network are found to play important roles in the spreading, so that critical behaviors of both models are distinct from those on undirected scale-free networks.

Feasibility on Ultrasonic Velocity using Contact and Non-Contact Nondestructive Techniques for Carbon/Carbon Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Im, K. H.; Chang, M.; Hsu, D. K.; Song, S. J.; Cho, H.; Park, J. W.; Kweon, Y. S.; Sim, J. K.; Yang, I. Y.

2007-03-01

Advanced materials are to be required to have specific functions associated with extremely environments. One of them is carbon/carbon(C/C) composite material, which has obvious advantages over conventional materials. The C/Cs have become to be utilized as parts of aerospace applications and its low density, high thermal conductivity and excellent mechanical properties at elevated temperatures make it an ideal material for aircraft brake disks. Because of permeation of coupling medium such as water, it is desirable to perform contact-less nondestructive evaluation to assess material properties and part homogeneity. In this work, a C/C composite material was characterized with non-contact and contact ultrasonic methods using a scanner with automatic-data acquisition function. Also through transmission mode was performed because of the main limitation for air-coupled transducers, which is the acoustic impedance mismatch between most materials and air. Especially ultrasonic images and velocities for C/C composite disk brake were compared and found to be consistent to some degree with the non-contact and contact ultrasonic measurement methods. Low frequency through-transmission scans based on both amplitude of the ultrasonic pulse was used for mapping out the material property inhomogeneity. Measured results were compared with those obtained by the dry-coupling ultrasonic UT system and through transmission method in immersion. Finally, feasibility has been found to measure and compare ultrasonic velocities of C/C composites with using the contact/noncontact peak-delay measurement method based on the pulse overlap method.

New Method Developed to Measure Contact Angles of a Sessile Drop

Science.gov (United States)

Chao, David F.; Zhang, Nengli

2002-01-01

The spreading of an evaporating liquid on a solid surface occurs in many practical processes and is of importance in a number of practical situations such as painting, textile dyeing, coating, gluing, and thermal engineering. Typical processes involving heat transfer where the contact angle plays an important role are film cooling, boiling, and the heat transfer through heat pipes. The biological phenomenon of cell spreading also is analogous to a drop spreading (ref. 1). In the study of spreading, the dynamic contact angle describes the interfacial properties on solid substrates and, therefore, has been studied by physicists and fluid mechanics investigators. The dynamic contact angle of a spreading nonvolatile liquid drop provides a simple tool in the study of the free-boundary problem, but the study of the spreading of a volatile liquid drop is of more practical interest because the evaporation of common liquids is inevitable in practical processes. The most common method to measure the contact angle, the contact radius, and the height of a sessile drop on a solid surface is to view the drop from its edge through an optical microscope. However, this method gives only local information in the view direction. Zhang and Yang (ref. 2) developed a laser shadowgraphy method to investigate the evaporation of sessile drop on a glass plate. As described here, Zhang and Chao (refs. 3 and 4) improved the method and suggested a new optical arrangement to measure the dynamic contact angle and the instant evaporation rate of a sessile drop with much higher accuracy (less than 1 percent). With this method, any fluid motion in the evaporating drop can be visualized through shadowgraphy without using a tracer, which often affects the field under investigation.

Eye Contact Facilitates Awareness of Faces during Interocular Suppression

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, Timo; Senju, Atsushi; Peelen, Marius V.; Sterzer, Philipp

2011-01-01

Eye contact captures attention and receives prioritized visual processing. Here we asked whether eye contact might be processed outside conscious awareness. Faces with direct and averted gaze were rendered invisible using interocular suppression. In two experiments we found that faces with direct gaze overcame such suppression more rapidly than…

The structure-directed effect of Al-based metal–organic frameworks on fabrication of alumina by thermal treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Dandan; Dai, Fangna; Tang, Zhe; Liu, Yunqi; Liu, Chenguang

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We use Al-MOFs as precursor in the fabrication process of mesoporous alumina by thermal treatment. • The obtained mesoporous alumina has dual pore system and five-fold aluminum. • The aluminum building units in the precursor show structure-directed effect on the formation of alumina. - Abstract: In this work, the block-shaped Al-based metal–organic frameworks (Al-MOFs) MIL-53 have been synthesized by hydrothermal method. To detect the correlation between the structure of Al-MOFs and the formation of alumina, the ligands are eliminated by thermal treatment. MIL-53 and the calcination products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption–desorption and solid-state 27 Al nuclear magnetic resonance ( 27 Al NMR). It was found that after calcination, the block-shaped Al-MOFs precursor turns into high-crystallinity mesoporous alumina nanosheets, and the thermal treatment product γ-alumina possesses a dual pore system and a large surface area (146 m 2 /g), with five-fold aluminum. During the thermal treatment process, the structure of MIL-53 and its secondary building units have structure-directed effect in the formation of alumina

Effect of rapid thermal annealing on the Mo back contact properties for Cu_2ZnSnSe_4 solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Placidi, Marcel; Espindola-Rodriguez, Moises; Lopez-Marino, Simon; Sanchez, Yudania; Giraldo, Sergio; Acebo, Laura; Neuschitzer, Markus; Alcobé, Xavier; Pérez-Rodríguez, Alejandro; Saucedo, Edgardo

2016-01-01

The effect of a rapid thermal process (RTP) on the molybdenum (Mo) back contact for Cu_2ZnSnSe_4 (CZTSe) solar cells is here investigated. It is shown that the annealing of the Mo layer during 5 min at 550 °C, not only improves the crystalline quality of the back contact (avoiding the absorber decomposition at this region because Mo becomes more resistant to the selenization), but also helps achieving higher crystalline quality of the absorber with bigger grains, reducing the current leakage through the heterojunction. We demonstrate that this is related to the relaxation of the compressive stress of the CZTSe absorber, when synthesized on the RTP annealed substrates. CZTSe solar cells prepared on annealed Mo films exhibited higher short circuit current densities and higher open circuit voltages, resulting in 10% and 33% higher fill factors and efficiencies. - Highlights: • An RTP annealing applied for the first time on Mo for CZTSe solar cells. • Clear improvement of the efficiency from 5.7 to 7.6% with RTP treatment. • Discussion of this improvement with adequate material/device characterizations. • Stress-induced defects responsible of the electrical leakage are revealed.

Polyoxadiazole hollow fibers for produced water treatment by direct contact membrane distillation

KAUST Repository

Xu, Jingli

2018-01-08

Treatment of produced water in the petroleum industry has been a challenge worldwide. In this study, we evaluated the use of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) for this purpose, removing oil and dissolved elements and supplying clean water from waste. We synthesized fluorinated polyoxadiazole, a highly hydrophobic polymer, to fabricate hollow fiber membranes, which were optimized and tested for simulated produced water and real produced water treatment. The process performance was investigated under different operating parameters, such as feed temperature, feed flow velocity and length of the membrane module for 4 days. The results indicate that by increasing feed temperature and feed flow rate the vapor flux increases. The flux decreased with increasing the length of the module due to the decrease of the driving force along the module. The fouling behavior, which corresponds to flux decline and cleaning efficiency of the membrane, was studied. The performance of the fabricated hollow fiber membranes was demonstrated for the treatment of produced water, complying with the industrial reuse and discharge limits.

Prediction of the optimal set of contacts to fold the smallest knotted protein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dabrowski-Tumanski, P; Jarmolinska, A I; Sulkowska, J I

2015-01-01

Knotted protein chains represent a new motif in protein folds. They have been linked to various diseases, and recent extensive analysis of the Protein Data Bank shows that they constitute 1.5% of all deposited protein structures. Despite thorough theoretical and experimental investigations, the role of knots in proteins still remains elusive. Nonetheless, it is believed that knots play an important role in mechanical and thermal stability of proteins. Here, we perform a comprehensive analysis of native, shadow-specific and non-native interactions which describe free energy landscape of the smallest knotted protein (PDB id 2efv). We show that the addition of shadow-specific contacts in the loop region greatly enhances folding kinetics, while the addition of shadow-specific contacts along the C-terminal region (H3 or H4) results in a new folding route with slower kinetics. By means of direct coupling analysis (DCA) we predict non-native contacts which also can accelerate kinetics. Next, we show that the length of the C-terminal knot tail is responsible for the shape of the free energy barrier, while the influence of the elongation of the N-terminus is not significant. Finally, we develop a concept of a minimal contact map sufficient for 2efv protein to fold and analyze properties of this protein using this map. (paper)

Prediction of the optimal set of contacts to fold the smallest knotted protein

Science.gov (United States)

Dabrowski-Tumanski, P.; Jarmolinska, A. I.; Sulkowska, J. I.

2015-09-01

Knotted protein chains represent a new motif in protein folds. They have been linked to various diseases, and recent extensive analysis of the Protein Data Bank shows that they constitute 1.5% of all deposited protein structures. Despite thorough theoretical and experimental investigations, the role of knots in proteins still remains elusive. Nonetheless, it is believed that knots play an important role in mechanical and thermal stability of proteins. Here, we perform a comprehensive analysis of native, shadow-specific and non-native interactions which describe free energy landscape of the smallest knotted protein (PDB id 2efv). We show that the addition of shadow-specific contacts in the loop region greatly enhances folding kinetics, while the addition of shadow-specific contacts along the C-terminal region (H3 or H4) results in a new folding route with slower kinetics. By means of direct coupling analysis (DCA) we predict non-native contacts which also can accelerate kinetics. Next, we show that the length of the C-terminal knot tail is responsible for the shape of the free energy barrier, while the influence of the elongation of the N-terminus is not significant. Finally, we develop a concept of a minimal contact map sufficient for 2efv protein to fold and analyze properties of this protein using this map.

Experimental studies of direct contact heat transfer in a slurry bubble column at high gas temperature of a helium–water–alumina system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdulrahman, M.W.

2015-01-01

In this paper, the direct contact heat transfer is investigated experimentally for a helium gas at 90 °C injected through a slurry of water at 22 °C and alumina solid particles in a slurry bubble column reactor. This work examines the effects of superficial gas velocity, static liquid height, solid particles concentration and solid particle size, on the volumetric heat transfer coefficient and slurry temperature of the slurry bubble column reactor. These effects are formulated in forms of empirical equations. From the experimental work, it is found that the volumetric heat transfer coefficient and the slurry temperature increase by increasing the superficial gas velocity with a higher rate of increase at lower superficial gas velocity. In addition, the volumetric heat transfer coefficient and the slurry temperature decrease by increasing the static liquid height and/or the solid concentration at any given superficial gas velocity. Furthermore, it is found that the rate of decrease of the volumetric heat transfer coefficient with the solid concentration is approximately the same for different superficial gas velocities, and the decrease of the slurry temperature with the solid concentration is negligible. - Highlights: • Direct contact heat transfer is investigated experimentally in a slurry bubble column. • Empirical equation of direct contact heat transfer Nusselt number is formulated. • The volumetric heat transfer coefficient increases with superficial gas velocity. • The volumetric heat transfer coefficient decreases with the static liquid height. • The volumetric heat transfer coefficient decreases with the solid concentration.

Quantized conductance in an atom-sized point contact

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, L.; Laegsgaard, E.; Stensgaard, I.

1994-01-01

We present direct measurements at room temperature of the conductance of a point contact between a scanning tunneling microscope tip and Ni, Cu, and Pt surfaces. As the contact is stretched the conductance jumps in units of 2e2/h. Atomistic simulations of the stretch of the contact combined...

Contact angle control of sessile drops on a tensioned web

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Janghoon; Kim, Dongguk; Lee, Changwoo

2018-04-01

In this study, the influence of the change of tension applied to flexible and thin web substrate on the contact angle of sessile drop in roll-to-roll system was investigated. Graphene oxide and deionized water solutions were used in the experiments. Tension was changed to 29, 49, and 69 N, and the casting distance of the micropipette and the material was set to 10, 20, and 40 mm, and the droplet volume was set to 10, 20, and 30 μL, respectively. Statistical analysis of three variables and analysis of the variance methodology showed that the casting distance was most significant for the contact angle change, and the most interesting tension variable was also affected. The change in tension caused the maximum contact angle to change by 5.5°. The tension was not uniform in the width direction. When the droplet was applied in the same direction in the width direction, it was confirmed that the tension unevenness had great influence on the contact angle up to 11°. Finally, the casting distance, which has a large effect on the contact angle, was calibrated in the width direction to reduce the width direction contact angle deviation to 1%. This study can be applied to fine patterning research using continuous inkjet printing and aerosol jet printing, which are roll-to-roll processes based on droplet handling.

Importance of the Direct Contact of Amorphous Solid Particles with the Surface of Monolayers for the Transepithelial Permeation of Curcumin.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimura, Shunsuke; Kasatani, Sachiha; Tanaka, Megumi; Araki, Kaeko; Enomura, Masakazu; Moriyama, Kei; Inoue, Daisuke; Furubayashi, Tomoyuki; Tanaka, Akiko; Kusamori, Kosuke; Katsumi, Hidemasa; Sakane, Toshiyasu; Yamamoto, Akira

2016-02-01

The amorphization has been generally known to improve the absorption and permeation of poorly water-soluble drugs through the enhancement of the solubility. The present study focused on the direct contact of amorphous solid particles with the surface of the membrane using curcumin as a model for water-insoluble drugs. Amorphous nanoparticles of curcumin (ANC) were prepared with antisolvent crystallization method using a microreactor. The solubility of curcumin from ANC was two orders of magnitude higher than that of crystalline curcumin (CC). However, the permeation of curcumin from the saturated solution of ANC was negligible. The transepithelial permeation of curcumin from ANC suspension was significantly increased as compared to CC suspension, while the permeation was unlikely correlated with the solubility, and the increase in the permeation was dependent on the total concentration of curcumin in ANC suspension. The absorptive transport of curcumin (from apical to basal, A to B) from ANC suspension was much higher than the secretory transport (from basal to apical, B to A). In vitro transport of curcumin through air-interface monolayers is large from ANC but negligible from CC particles. These findings suggest that the direct contact of ANC with the absorptive membrane can play an important role in the transport of curcumin from ANC suspension. The results of the study suggest that amorphous particles may be directly involved in the transepithlial permeation of curcumin.

State of the art and challenges in development of electrical contact materials in the light of the RoHS directive

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ćosović V.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The article surveys current state of the art and challenges in the development of the electrical contact materials in the light of the EU Directive on Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS. The focus was placed on widely used silver-cadmium alloys. According to this directive, as of July 1, 2006, use of six hazardous materials, including cadmium, are restricted for applicable electrical and electronic products intended for the EU market. In contrast, traditionally preferred material for production of electrical contacts is Ag-CdO, due to its outstanding functional properties. These conflicting interests result in present state where RoHS directive has not yet been implemented in its original form and has undergone numerous amendments and exceptions regarding the use of cadmium. Main reason for this seems to be the unrealistic time frame imposed by legislation. Although, significant effort has been put into research and development of alternative materials, there are still cases where adequate replacement materials had not been found. Therefore, importance of synchronicity between legislation and technological progress i.e. communication between legislative administration and industry and academia is brought to light as well as some common issues that may arise with an introduction of new replacement materials or product modification. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike SRbije, br. OI 172037 and TR 34023

Contact and non-contact ultrasonic measurement in the food industry: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Khairi, Mohd Taufiq; Ibrahim, Sallehuddin; Md Yunus, Mohd Amri; Faramarzi, Mahdi

2016-01-01

The monitoring of the food manufacturing process is vital since it determines the safety and quality level of foods which directly affect the consumers’ health. Companies which produce high quality products will gain trust from consumers. This factor helps the companies to make profits. The use of efficient and appropriate sensors for the monitoring process can also reduce cost. The food assessing process based on an ultrasonic sensor has attracted the attention of the food industry due to its excellent capabilities in several applications. The utilization of low or high frequencies for the ultrasonic transducer has provided an enormous benefit for analysing, modifying and guaranteeing the quality of food. The contact and non-contact ultrasonic modes for measurement also contributed significantly to the food processing. This paper presents a review of the application of the contact and non-contact mode of ultrasonic measurement focusing on safety and quality control areas. The results from previous researches are shown and elaborated. (topical review)

Contact and non-contact ultrasonic measurement in the food industry: a review

Science.gov (United States)

Taufiq Mohd Khairi, Mohd; Ibrahim, Sallehuddin; Yunus, Mohd Amri Md; Faramarzi, Mahdi

2016-01-01

The monitoring of the food manufacturing process is vital since it determines the safety and quality level of foods which directly affect the consumers’ health. Companies which produce high quality products will gain trust from consumers. This factor helps the companies to make profits. The use of efficient and appropriate sensors for the monitoring process can also reduce cost. The food assessing process based on an ultrasonic sensor has attracted the attention of the food industry due to its excellent capabilities in several applications. The utilization of low or high frequencies for the ultrasonic transducer has provided an enormous benefit for analysing, modifying and guaranteeing the quality of food. The contact and non-contact ultrasonic modes for measurement also contributed significantly to the food processing. This paper presents a review of the application of the contact and non-contact mode of ultrasonic measurement focusing on safety and quality control areas. The results from previous researches are shown and elaborated.

Colour-the-INSight : Combining a direct view rifle sight with fused intensified and thermal imagery

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hogervorst, M.A.; Jansen, C.; Toet, A.; Bijl, P.; Bakker, P.J.; Hiddema, A.C.; Vliet, S.F. van

2012-01-01

We present the design and evaluation of a new demonstrator rifle sight viewing system containing direct view, red aim point and fusion of an (uncooled, LWIR) thermal sensor with a digital image intensifier. Our goal is to create a system that performs well under a wide variety of (weather)

Mathematical Modeling of Contact Problems of Elasticity Theory with Unilateral Discrete Contact

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. V. Stankevich

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Development and operation of modern machinery and latest technology require reliable estimates of the strength characteristics of the critical elements of structures and technological equipment under the impact of high-intensity thermomechanical loading, accompanied, as a rule, by complex contact interaction. Mathematical modeling of stress-strain state of such parts and components in the contact area, based on adequate mathematical models, modern numerical methods and efficient algorithms that implement the direct determination of displacement fields, strains and stresses, is the main tool that allows fast acquisition of data required for the calculations of strength and durability. The paper considers an algorithm for constructing the numerical solution of the contact problem of elasticity theory in relation to the body, which has an obvious one-sided discrete contact interaction with an elastic half-space. The proposed algorithm is specially designed to have a correction of the tangential forces at discrete contact points, allowing us to achieve sufficiently accurate implementation of the adopted law of friction. The algorithm is embedded in a general finite element technology, with which the application code is generated. Numerical study of discrete unilateral contact interaction of an elastic plate and a rigid half-space showed a high efficiency of the developed algorithm and the application code that implements it.

FreeContact: fast and free software for protein contact prediction from residue co-evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaján, László; Hopf, Thomas A; Kalaš, Matúš; Marks, Debora S; Rost, Burkhard

2014-03-26

20 years of improved technology and growing sequences now renders residue-residue contact constraints in large protein families through correlated mutations accurate enough to drive de novo predictions of protein three-dimensional structure. The method EVfold broke new ground using mean-field Direct Coupling Analysis (EVfold-mfDCA); the method PSICOV applied a related concept by estimating a sparse inverse covariance matrix. Both methods (EVfold-mfDCA and PSICOV) are publicly available, but both require too much CPU time for interactive applications. On top, EVfold-mfDCA depends on proprietary software. Here, we present FreeContact, a fast, open source implementation of EVfold-mfDCA and PSICOV. On a test set of 140 proteins, FreeContact was almost eight times faster than PSICOV without decreasing prediction performance. The EVfold-mfDCA implementation of FreeContact was over 220 times faster than PSICOV with negligible performance decrease. EVfold-mfDCA was unavailable for testing due to its dependency on proprietary software. FreeContact is implemented as the free C++ library "libfreecontact", complete with command line tool "freecontact", as well as Perl and Python modules. All components are available as Debian packages. FreeContact supports the BioXSD format for interoperability. FreeContact provides the opportunity to compute reliable contact predictions in any environment (desktop or cloud).

In-volume structuring of a bilayered polymer foil using direct laser interference patterning

Science.gov (United States)

Rößler, Florian; Günther, Katja; Lasagni, Andrés F.

2018-05-01

Periodic surface patterns can provide materials with special optical properties, which are usable in decorative or security applications. However, they can be sensitive to contact wear and thus their lifetime and functionality are limited. This study describes the use of direct laser interference patterning for structuring a multilayered polymer film at its interface creating periodic in-volume structures which are resistant to contact wear. The spatial period of the structures are varied in the range of 1.0 μm to 2.0 μm in order to produce decorative elements. The pattern formation at the interface is explained using cross sectional observations and a thermal simulation of the temperature evolution during the laser treatment at the interface. Both, the diffraction efficiency and direct transmission are characterized by light intensity measurements to describe the optical behavior of the produced periodic structures and a decorative application example is presented.

Performance evaluation of four directional emissivity analytical models with thermal SAIL model and airborne images.

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Huazhong; Liu, Rongyuan; Yan, Guangjian; Li, Zhao-Liang; Qin, Qiming; Liu, Qiang; Nerry, Françoise

2015-04-06

Land surface emissivity is a crucial parameter in the surface status monitoring. This study aims at the evaluation of four directional emissivity models, including two bi-directional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) models and two gap-frequency-based models. Results showed that the kernel-driven BRDF model could well represent directional emissivity with an error less than 0.002, and was consequently used to retrieve emissivity with an accuracy of about 0.012 from an airborne multi-angular thermal infrared data set. Furthermore, we updated the cavity effect factor relating to multiple scattering inside canopy, which improved the performance of the gap-frequency-based models.

Contact mechanics: contact area and interfacial separation from small contact to full contact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, C; Persson, B N J

2008-01-01

We present a molecular dynamics study of the contact between a rigid solid with a randomly rough surface and an elastic block with a flat surface. The numerical calculations mainly focus on the contact area and the interfacial separation from small contact (low load) to full contact (high load). For a small load the contact area varies linearly with the load and the interfacial separation depends logarithmically on the load. For a high load the contact area approaches the nominal contact area (i.e. complete contact), and the interfacial separation approaches zero. The numerical results have been compared with analytical theory and experimental results. They are in good agreement with each other. The present findings may be very important for soft solids, e.g. rubber, or for very smooth surfaces, where complete contact can be reached at moderately high loads without plastic deformation of the solids

Effect of pool turbulence on direct contact condensation at a steam/water interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, J.D.; Zhao, C.L.; Doerffer, S.; Byrne, J.E.; Falaki, H.

2000-01-01

Measurements of direct contact condensation beat transfer have been made for the case where the process takes place at the horizontal interface between saturated steam and a pool of water in a vertical cylindrical test section. A submerged vertical jet of subcooled water was injected upwards on the axis to promote the condensation and water was withdrawn at the same rate from the bottom of the pool. In conjunction with the above study, measurements of the turbulent velocity fluctuations just below a free surface produced by the injection of a vertical submerged jet have been measured using hot film anemometry on an isothermal air-water test facility of similar geometry for similar flow conditions at ambient temperature. A correlation is proposed in terms of a Stanton number based on turbulent velocity fluctuation near the interface on the liquid-side. Our results are in good agreement with those of others for similar configurations when compared in terms of condensation Stanton number. (author)

Josephson Thermal Memory

Science.gov (United States)

Guarcello, Claudio; Solinas, Paolo; Braggio, Alessandro; Di Ventra, Massimiliano; Giazotto, Francesco

2018-01-01

We propose a superconducting thermal memory device that exploits the thermal hysteresis in a flux-controlled temperature-biased superconducting quantum-interference device (SQUID). This system reveals a flux-controllable temperature bistability, which can be used to define two well-distinguishable thermal logic states. We discuss a suitable writing-reading procedure for these memory states. The time of the memory writing operation is expected to be on the order of approximately 0.2 ns for a Nb-based SQUID in thermal contact with a phonon bath at 4.2 K. We suggest a noninvasive readout scheme for the memory states based on the measurement of the effective resonance frequency of a tank circuit inductively coupled to the SQUID. The proposed device paves the way for a practical implementation of thermal logic and computation. The advantage of this proposal is that it represents also an example of harvesting thermal energy in superconducting circuits.

Coupled electrochemical thermal modelling of a novel Li-ion battery pack thermal management system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basu, Suman; Hariharan, Krishnan S.; Kolake, Subramanya Mayya; Song, Taewon; Sohn, Dong Kee; Yeo, Taejung

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Three-dimensional electrochemical thermal model of Li-ion battery pack using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). • Novel pack design for compact liquid cooling based thermal management system. • Simple temperature estimation algorithm for the cells in the pack using the results from the model. • Sensitivity of the thermal performance to contact resistance has been investigated. - Abstract: Thermal management system is of critical importance for a Li-ion battery pack, as high performance and long battery pack life can be simultaneously achieved when operated within a narrow range of temperature around the room temperature. An efficient thermal management system is required to keep the battery temperature in this range, despite widely varying operating conditions. A novel liquid coolant based thermal management system, for 18,650 battery pack has been introduced herein. This system is designed to be compact and economical without compromising safety. A coupled three-dimensional (3D) electrochemical thermal model is constructed for the proposed Li-ion battery pack. The model is used to evaluate the effects of different operating conditions like coolant flow-rate and discharge current on the pack temperature. Contact resistance is found to have the strongest impact on the thermal performance of the pack. From the numerical solution, a simple and novel temperature correlation of predicting the temperatures of all the individual cells given the temperature measurement of one cell is devised and validated with experimental results. Such coefficients have great potential of reducing the sensor requirement and complexity in a large Li-ion battery pack, typical of an electric vehicle.

At-line gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of fatty acid profiles of green microalgae using a direct thermal desorption interface

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blokker, P.; Pel, R.; Akoto, L.; Udo, A.; Brinkman, U.A.Th.; Vreuls, R.J.J.

2002-01-01

Thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation¯gas chromatography (THM¯GC) is an important tool to analyse fatty acid in complex matrices. Since THM¯GC has major drawbacks such as isomerisation when applied to fatty acids in natural matrices, a direct thermal desorption (DTD) interface and an

Carbon nanotube thermal interfaces and related applications

OpenAIRE

Hodson, Stephen L

2016-01-01

The development of thermal interface materials (TIMs) is necessitated by the temperature drop across interfacing materials arising from macro and microscopic irregularities of their surfaces that constricts heat through small contact regions as well as mismatches in their thermal properties. Similar to other types of TIMs, CNT TIMs alleviate the thermal resistance across the interface by thermally bridging two materials together with cylindrical, high-aspect ratio, and nominally vertical cond...

Degradation Characterization of Thermal Interface Greases: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DeVoto, Douglas J [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Major, Joshua [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Paret, Paul P [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Blackman, G. S. [DuPont Experimental Station; Wong, A. [DuPont Experimental Station; Meth, J. S. [DuPont Experimental Station

2017-08-03

Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are used in power electronics packaging to minimize thermal resistance between the heat generating component and the heat sink. Thermal greases are one such class. The conformability and thin bond line thickness (BLT) of these TIMs can potentially provide low thermal resistance throughout the operation lifetime of a component. However, their performance degrades over time due to pump-out and dry-out during thermal and power cycling. The reliability performance of greases through operational cycling needs to be quantified to develop new materials with superior properties. NREL, in collaboration with DuPont, has performed thermal and reliability characterization of several commercially available thermal greases. Initial bulk and contact thermal resistance of grease samples were measured, and then the thermal degradation that occurred due to pump-out and dry-out during temperature cycling was monitored. The thermal resistances of five different grease materials were evaluated using NREL's steady-state thermal resistance tester based on the ASTM test method D5470. Greases were then applied, utilizing a 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm stencil, between invar and aluminum plates to compare the thermomechanical performance of the materials in a representative test fixture. Scanning Acoustic microscopy, thermal, and compositional analyses were performed periodically during thermal cycling from -40 degrees Celcius to 125 degrees Celcius. Completion of this characterization has allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of thermal greases both for their initial bulk and contact thermal performance, as well as their degradation mechanisms under accelerated thermal cycling conditions.

Evaluation of a direct contact heat exchanger; Evaluacion de un intercambiador de calor de contacto directo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siqueiros, J.; Bonilla, O. [Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, Cuernavaca (Mexico)

1997-12-31

In this paper the application areas of the direct contact heat exchangers is discussed, as well as its main characteristics. A description is made of the experimental equipment designed and built at pilot scale including the instrumentation employed. The methodology employed as well as the analysis and the discussion of the results are also presented. [Espanol] Se mencionan las areas de aplicacion de los intercambiadores de calor de contacto directo, asi como sus caracteristicas principales. Se describe el equipo experimental a nivel piloto disenado y construido incluyendo la instrumentacion utilizada. Se presenta la metodologia empleada asi como el analisis y discusion de los resultados.

Evaluation of a direct contact heat exchanger; Evaluacion de un intercambiador de calor de contacto directo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siqueiros, J; Bonilla, O [Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, Cuernavaca (Mexico)

1998-12-31

In this paper the application areas of the direct contact heat exchangers is discussed, as well as its main characteristics. A description is made of the experimental equipment designed and built at pilot scale including the instrumentation employed. The methodology employed as well as the analysis and the discussion of the results are also presented. [Espanol] Se mencionan las areas de aplicacion de los intercambiadores de calor de contacto directo, asi como sus caracteristicas principales. Se describe el equipo experimental a nivel piloto disenado y construido incluyendo la instrumentacion utilizada. Se presenta la metodologia empleada asi como el analisis y discusion de los resultados.

Molecular dynamics simulations for the motion of evaporative droplets driven by thermal gradients along nanochannels

KAUST Repository

Wu, Congmin

2013-04-04

For a one-component fluid on a solid substrate, a thermal singularity may occur at the contact line where the liquid-vapor interface intersects the solid surface. Physically, the liquid-vapor interface is almost isothermal at the liquid-vapor coexistence temperature in one-component fluids while the solid surface is almost isothermal for solids of high thermal conductivity. Therefore, a temperature discontinuity is formed if the two isothermal interfaces are of different temperatures and intersect at the contact line. This leads to the so-called thermal singularity. The localized hydrodynamics involving evaporation/condensation near the contact line leads to a contact angle depending on the underlying substrate temperature. This dependence has been shown to lead to the motion of liquid droplets on solid substrates with thermal gradients (Xu and Qian 2012 Phys. Rev. E 85 061603). In the present work, we carry out molecular dynamics (MD) simulations as numerical experiments to further confirm the predictions made from our previous continuum hydrodynamic modeling and simulations, which are actually semi-quantitatively accurate down to the small length scales in the problem. Using MD simulations, we investigate the motion of evaporative droplets in one-component Lennard-Jones fluids confined in nanochannels with thermal gradients. The droplet is found to migrate in the direction of decreasing temperature of solid walls, with a migration velocity linearly proportional to the temperature gradient. This agrees with the prediction of our continuum model. We then measure the effect of droplet size on the droplet motion. It is found that the droplet mobility is inversely proportional to a dimensionless coefficient associated with the total rate of dissipation due to droplet movement. Our results show that this coefficient is of order unity and increases with the droplet size for the small droplets (∼10 nm) simulated in the present work. These findings are in semi

Characterization of Contact and Bulk Thermal Resistance of Laminations for Electric Machines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cousineau, J. Emily [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Bennion, Kevin [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); DeVoto, Doug [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Mihalic, Mark [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Narumanchi, Sreekant [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2015-06-30

The ability to remove heat from an electric machine depends on the passive stack thermal resistances within the machine and the convective cooling performance of the selected cooling technology. This report focuses on the passive thermal design, specifically properties of the stator and rotor lamination stacks. Orthotropic thermal conductivity, specific heat, and density are reported. Four materials commonly used in electric machines were tested, including M19 (29 and 26 gauge), HF10, and Arnon 7 materials.

Liquid immersion thermal crosslinking of 3D polymer nanopatterns for direct carbonisation with high structural integrity

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Da-Young; Kim, Cheolho; Park, Gyurim; Moon, Jun Hyuk

2015-12-01

The direct pyrolytic carbonisation of polymer patterns has attracted interest for its use in obtaining carbon materials. In the case of carbonisation of nanopatterned polymers, the polymer flow and subsequent pattern change may occur in order to relieve their high surface energies. Here, we demonstrated that liquid immersion thermal crosslinking of polymer nanopatterns effectively enhanced the thermal resistance and maintained the structure integrity during the heat treatment. We employed the liquid immersion thermal crosslinking for 3D porous SU8 photoresist nanopatterns and successfully converted them to carbon nanopatterns while maintaining their porous features. The thermal crosslinking reaction and carbonisation of SU8 nanopatterns were characterised. The micro-crystallinity of the SU8-derived carbon nanopatterns was also characterised. The liquid immersion heat treatment can be extended to the carbonisation of various polymer or photoresist nanopatterns and also provide a facile way to control the surface energy of polymer nanopatterns for various purposes, for example, to block copolymer or surfactant self-assemblies.

Investigation of Thermal Interface Materials Using Phase-Sensitive Transient Thermoreflectance Technique: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng, X.; King, C.; DeVoto, D.; Mihalic, M.; Narumanchi, S.

2014-08-01

With increasing power density in electronics packages/modules, thermal resistances at multiple interfaces are a bottleneck to efficient heat removal from the package. In this work, the performance of thermal interface materials such as grease, thermoplastic adhesives and diffusion-bonded interfaces are characterized using the phase-sensitive transient thermoreflectance technique. A multi-layer heat conduction model was constructed and theoretical solutions were derived to obtain the relation between phase lag and the thermal/physical properties. This technique enables simultaneous extraction of the contact resistance and bulk thermal conductivity of the TIMs. With the measurements, the bulk thermal conductivity of Dow TC-5022 thermal grease (70 to 75 um bondline thickness) was 3 to 5 W/(m-K) and the contact resistance was 5 to 10 mm2-K/W. For the Btech thermoplastic material (45 to 80 μm bondline thickness), the bulk thermal conductivity was 20 to 50 W/(m-K) and the contact resistance was 2 to 5 mm2-K/W. Measurements were also conducted to quantify the thermal performance of diffusion-bonded interface for power electronics applications. Results with the diffusion-bonded sample showed that the interfacial thermal resistance is more than one order of magnitude lower than those of traditional TIMs, suggesting potential pathways to efficient thermal management.

Scaling behavior of the thermal conductivity of width-modulated nanowires and nanofilms for heat transfer control at the nanoscale.

Science.gov (United States)

Zianni, Xanthippi; Jean, Valentin; Termentzidis, Konstantinos; Lacroix, David

2014-11-21

We report on scaling behavior of the thermal conductivity of width-modulated nanowires and nanofilms that have been studied with the phonon Monte Carlo technique. It has been found that the reduction of the thermal conductivity scales with the nanostructure transmissivity, a property entirely determined by the modulation geometry, irrespectively of the material choice. Tuning of the thermal conductivity is possible by the nanostructure width-modulation without strict limitations for the modulation profile. In addition, a very significant constriction thermal resistance due to width-discontinuity has been identified, in analogy to the contact thermal resistance between two dissimilar materials. The constriction thermal resistance also scales with the modulated nanostructure transmissivity. Our conclusions are generic indicating that a wide range of materials can be used for the modulated nanostructures. Direct heat flow control can be provided by designing the nanostructure width-modulation.

Contact dermatitis in cement workers in Isfahan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iraji Fariba

2006-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Due to recent industrialization and inadequately protected workers or in other words poor supervision on constructive workers habits in our large city of Isfahan cement contact dermatitis is relatively high especially among cement factory workers and constructive personnel. PURPOSES: To investigate the prevalence rate of cement contact dermatitis in cement factory workers in Isfahan. METHODS: A case-control clinical study was carried out by randomly selecing 150 factory workders and 150 official clerks in a cement factory in Isfahan in 2001. After a complete physical examination, data was recorded in observational checklists. FINDINGS: The percentages of contact dermatitis prevalences in the first and the second groups were 22% and 5.3% respectively. About 60% of cement workers with contact dermatitis were between 30-40 years of age. There was a direct relationship with age in both groups of the workers. In the high-exposure group, the hand eczema along was 70% but in the other group the percentage of involvement was the same in exposed and unexposed anatomical areas. CONCLUSIONS: There was a direct relationship between occurrence and the severity of involvement and duration of contact in the first group. Cent percent of cement workers had contact dermatitis after 10 or less years, but the percentage among the other group was 35%. LIMITATION: Irritant contact dermatitis to cement has not been detected.

Real time optimization of solar powered direct contact membrane distillation based on multivariable extremum seeking

KAUST Repository

Karam, Ayman M.; Laleg-Kirati, Taous-Meriem

2015-01-01

This paper presents a real time optimization scheme for a solar powered direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) water desalination system. The sun and weather conditions vary and are inconsistent throughout the day. Therefore, the solar powered DCMD feed inlet temperature is never constant, which influences the distilled water flux. The problem of DCMD process optimization has not been studied enough. In this work, the response of the process under various feed inlet temperatures is investigated, which demonstrates the need for an optimal controller. To address this issue, we propose a multivariable Newton-based extremum seeking controller which optimizes the inlet feed and permeate mass flow rates as the feed inlet temperature varies. Results are presented and discussed for a realistic temperature profile.

Real time optimization of solar powered direct contact membrane distillation based on multivariable extremum seeking

KAUST Repository

Karam, Ayman M.

2015-09-21

This paper presents a real time optimization scheme for a solar powered direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) water desalination system. The sun and weather conditions vary and are inconsistent throughout the day. Therefore, the solar powered DCMD feed inlet temperature is never constant, which influences the distilled water flux. The problem of DCMD process optimization has not been studied enough. In this work, the response of the process under various feed inlet temperatures is investigated, which demonstrates the need for an optimal controller. To address this issue, we propose a multivariable Newton-based extremum seeking controller which optimizes the inlet feed and permeate mass flow rates as the feed inlet temperature varies. Results are presented and discussed for a realistic temperature profile.

Solar thermal aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Charles L.

2007-09-18

A solar thermal powered aircraft powered by heat energy from the sun. A heat engine, such as a Stirling engine, is carried by the aircraft body for producing power for a propulsion mechanism, such as a propeller. The heat engine has a thermal battery in thermal contact with it so that heat is supplied from the thermal battery. A solar concentrator, such as reflective parabolic trough, is movably connected to an optically transparent section of the aircraft body for receiving and concentrating solar energy from within the aircraft. Concentrated solar energy is collected by a heat collection and transport conduit, and heat transported to the thermal battery. A solar tracker includes a heliostat for determining optimal alignment with the sun, and a drive motor actuating the solar concentrator into optimal alignment with the sun based on a determination by the heliostat.

Thermal transport of carbon nanotubes and graphene under optical and electrical heating measured by Raman spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, I.-Kai

This thesis presents systematic studies of thermal transport in individual single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and graphene by optical and electrical approaches using Raman spectroscopy. In the work presented from Chapter 2 to Chapter 6, individual suspended CNTs are preferentially measured in order to explore their intrinsic thermal properties. Moreover, the Raman thermometry is developed to detect the temperature of the carbon nanotube (CNT). A parabolic temperature profile is observed in the suspended region of the CNT while a heating laser scans across it, providing a direct evidence of diffusive thermal transport in an individual suspended CNT. Based on the curvature of the temperature profile, we can solve for the ratio of thermal contact resistance to the thermal resistance of the CNT, which spans the range from 0.02 to 17. The influence of thermal contact resistance on the thermal transport in an individual suspended CNT is also studied. The Raman thermometry is carried out in the center of a CNT, while its contact length is successively shortened by an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip cutting technique. By investigating the dependence of the CNT temperature on its thermal contact length, the temperature of a CNT is found to increase dramatically as the contact length is made shorter. This work reveals the importance of manipulating the CNT thermal contact length when adopting CNT as a thermal management material. In using a focused laser to induce heating in a suspended CNT, one open question that remains unanswered is how many of the incident photons are absorbed by the CNT of interest. To address this question, micro-fabricated platinum thermometers, together with micro-Raman spectroscopy are used to quantify the optical absorption of an individual CNT. The absorbed power in the CNT is equal to the power detected by two thermometers at the end of the CNT. Our result shows that the optical absorption lies in the range between 0.03 to 0.44%. In

Direct laser writing of polymeric nanostructures via optically induced local thermal effect

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tong, Quang Cong [Laboratoire de Photonique Quantique et Moléculaire, UMR 8537, École Normale Supérieure de Cachan, CentraleSupélec, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 61 avenue du Président Wilson, 94235 Cachan (France); Institute of Materials Science, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, 10000 Hanoi (Viet Nam); Nguyen, Dam Thuy Trang; Do, Minh Thanh; Luong, Mai Hoang; Journet, Bernard; Ledoux-Rak, Isabelle; Lai, Ngoc Diep, E-mail: nlai@lpqm.ens-cachan.fr [Laboratoire de Photonique Quantique et Moléculaire, UMR 8537, École Normale Supérieure de Cachan, CentraleSupélec, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 61 avenue du Président Wilson, 94235 Cachan (France)

2016-05-02

We demonstrate the fabrication of desired structures with feature size below the diffraction limit by use of a positive photoresist. The direct laser writing technique employing a continuous-wave laser was used to optically induce a local thermal effect in a positive photoresist, which then allowed the formation of solid nanostructures. This technique enabled us to realize multi-dimensional sub-microstructures by use of a positive photoresist, with a feature size down to 57 nm. This mechanism acting on positive photoresists opens a simple and low-cost way for nanofabrication.

Time Dependent Frictional Changes in Ice due to Contact Area Changes

Science.gov (United States)

Sevostianov, V.; Lipovsky, B. P.; Rubinstein, S.; Dillavou, S.

2017-12-01

Sliding processes along the ice-bed interface of Earth's great ice sheets are the largest contributor to our uncertainty in future sea level rise. Laboratory experiments that have probed sliding processes have ubiquitously shown that ice-rock interfaces strengthen while in stationary contact (Schulson and Fortt, 2013; Zoet et al., 2013; McCarthy et al., 2017). This so-called frictional ageing effect may have profound consequences for ice sheet dynamics because it introduces the possibility of basal strength hysteresis. Furthermore this effect is quite strong in ice-rock interfaces (more than an order of magnitude more pronounced than in rock-rock sliding) and can double in frictional strength in a matter of minutes, much faster than most frictional aging (Dieterich, 1972; Baumberger and Caroli, 2006). Despite this importance, the underling physics of frictional ageing of ice remain poorly understood. Here we conduct laboratory experiments to image the microscopic points of contact along an ice-glass interface. We optically measure changes in the real area of contact over time using measurements of this reflected optical light intensity. We show that contact area increases with time of stationary contact. This result suggests that thermally enhanced creep of microscopic icy contacts is responsible for the much larger frictional ageing observed in ice-rock versus rock-rock interfaces. Furthermore, this supports a more physically detailed description of the thermal dependence of basal sliding than that used in the current generation of large scale ice sheet models.

Irritant Contact Dermatitis : Diagnosis and Risk Factors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schuttelaar, Maria; Johansen, Jeanne Duus; Lepoittevin, Jean-Pierre; Thyssen, Jacob P.

2016-01-01

Irritant contact dermatitis is frequent and is induced by direct and repeated contact with skin irritants such as detergents, abrasives, solvents and physical factors such as dry air and occlusion (by wearing gloves) but also water. When dermatitis has developed, even a minimal skin irritation, like

Influence of Asymmetric Contact Form on Contact Resistance and Schottky Barrier, and Corresponding Applications of Diode.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yudan; Xiao, Xiaoyang; Huo, Yujia; Wang, Yingcheng; Zhang, Tianfu; Jiang, Kaili; Wang, Jiaping; Fan, Shoushan; Li, Qunqing

2017-06-07

We have fabricated carbon nanotube and MoS 2 field-effect transistors with asymmetric contact forms of source-drain electrodes, from which we found the current directionality of the devices and different contact resistances under the two current directions. By designing various structures, we can conclude that the asymmetric electrical performance was caused by the difference in the effective Schottky barrier height (Φ SB ) caused by the different contact forms. A detailed temperature-dependent study was used to extract and compare the Φ SB for both contact forms of CNT and MoS 2 devices; we found that the Φ SB for the metal-on-semiconductor form was much lower than that of the semiconductor-on-metal form and is suitable for all p-type, n-type, or ambipolar semiconductors. This conclusion is meaningful with respect to the design and application of nanomaterial electronic devices. Additionally, using the difference in barrier height caused by the contact forms, we have also proposed and fabricated Schottky barrier diodes with a current ratio up to 10 4 ; rectifying circuits consisting of these diodes were able to work in a wide frequency range. This design avoided the use of complex chemical doping or heterojunction methods to achieve fundamental diodes that are relatively simple and use only a single material; these may be suitable for future application in nanoelectronic radio frequency or integrated circuits.

Numerical Investigation on the Performance of an Automotive Thermoelectric Generator with Exhaust-Module-Coolant Direct Contact

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yiping; Tang, Yulin; Deng, Yadong; Su, Chuqi

2018-06-01

Energy conservation and environmental protection have typically been a concern of research. Researchers have confirmed that in automotive engines, just 12-25% of the fuel energy converts into effective work and 30-40% gets wasted in the form of exhaust. Saidur et al. (Energy Policy 37:3650, 2009) and Hasanuzzaman et al. (Energy 36:233, 2011). It will be significant to enhance fuel availability and decrease environmental pollution if the waste heat in the exhaust could be recovered. Thermoelectric generators (TEGs), which can translate heat into electricity, have become a topic of interest for vehicle exhaust waste heat recovery. In conventional automotive TEGs, the thermoelectric modules (TEMs) are arranged between the exhaust tank and the coolant tank. The TEMs do not contact the hot exhaust and coolant, which leads to low heat transfer efficiency. Moreover, to provide enough packing force to keep good contact with the exhaust tank and the coolant tank, the framework required is so robust that the TEGs become too heavy. Therefore, in current study, an automotive TEG was designed which included one exhaust channel, one coolant channel and several TEMs. In the TEG, the TEMs which contacted the exhaust and coolant directly were inserted into the walls of each coolant channel. To evaluate the performance of the automotive TEG, the flow field and temperature field were computed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Based on the temperature distribution obtained by CFD and the performance parameters of the modules, the total power generation was obtained by some proved empirical formulas. Compared with conventional automotive TEGs, the power generation per unit volume exhaust was boosted.

Numerical Investigation on the Performance of an Automotive Thermoelectric Generator with Exhaust-Module-Coolant Direct Contact

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yiping; Tang, Yulin; Deng, Yadong; Su, Chuqi

2017-12-01

Energy conservation and environmental protection have typically been a concern of research. Researchers have confirmed that in automotive engines, just 12-25% of the fuel energy converts into effective work and 30-40% gets wasted in the form of exhaust. Saidur et al. (Energy Policy 37:3650, 2009) and Hasanuzzaman et al. (Energy 36:233, 2011). It will be significant to enhance fuel availability and decrease environmental pollution if the waste heat in the exhaust could be recovered. Thermoelectric generators (TEGs), which can translate heat into electricity, have become a topic of interest for vehicle exhaust waste heat recovery. In conventional automotive TEGs, the thermoelectric modules (TEMs) are arranged between the exhaust tank and the coolant tank. The TEMs do not contact the hot exhaust and coolant, which leads to low heat transfer efficiency. Moreover, to provide enough packing force to keep good contact with the exhaust tank and the coolant tank, the framework required is so robust that the TEGs become too heavy. Therefore, in current study, an automotive TEG was designed which included one exhaust channel, one coolant channel and several TEMs. In the TEG, the TEMs which contacted the exhaust and coolant directly were inserted into the walls of each coolant channel. To evaluate the performance of the automotive TEG, the flow field and temperature field were computed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Based on the temperature distribution obtained by CFD and the performance parameters of the modules, the total power generation was obtained by some proved empirical formulas. Compared with conventional automotive TEGs, the power generation per unit volume exhaust was boosted.

Relationship between thermal stratification and flow patterns in steam-quenching suppression pool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Daehun; Erkan, Nejdet; Jo, Byeongnam; Okamoto, Koji

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Thermal stratification mechanism by direct contact condensation is investigated. • Thermal stratification condition changes according to the flow pattern. • Thermal stratification depends on the force balance between buoyancy and momentum. • Flow pattern change was observed even in the same regime. • Flow pattern is affected by the sensitive force balance. - Abstract: This study aims to examine the relationship between thermal stratification and flow patterns in a steam-quenching suppression pool using particle image velocimetry. Thermal stratification was experimentally evaluated in a depressurized water pool under different steam mass flux conditions. The time evolution of the temperature profile of the suppression pool was presented with the variation of condensation regimes, and steam condensation processes were visualized using a high-speed camera. The thermal stratification condition was classified into full mixing, gradual thermal stratification, and developed thermal stratification. It was found that the condition was determined by the flow patterns depending on the force balance between buoyancy and momentum. The force balance affected both the condensation regime and the flow pattern, and hence, the flow pattern was changed with the condensation regime. However, the force balance had a sensitive influence on the flow in the pool; therefore, distinct flow patterns were observed even in the same condensation regime.

Modelling of thermal conductance during microthermal machining with scanning thermal microscope using an inverse methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Yuching; Chang Winjin; Fang Tehua; Fang Shihchung

2008-01-01

In this study, a general methodology for determining the thermal conductance between the probe tip and the workpiece during microthermal machining using Scanning Thermal Microscopy (SThM) has been proposed. The processing system was considered as an inverse heat conduction problem with an unknown thermal conductance. Temperature dependence for the material properties and thermal conductance in the analysis of heat conduction is taken into account. The conjugate gradient method is used to solve the inverse problem. Furthermore, this methodology can also be applied to estimate the thermal contact conductance in other transient heat conduction problems, like metal casting process, injection molding process, and electronic circuit systems

Existence of negative differential thermal conductance in one-dimensional diffusive thermal transport

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jiuning; Chen, Yong P.

2013-06-01

We show that in a finite one-dimensional (1D) system with diffusive thermal transport described by the Fourier's law, negative differential thermal conductance (NDTC) cannot occur when the temperature at one end is fixed and there are no abrupt junctions. We demonstrate that NDTC in this case requires the presence of junction(s) with temperature-dependent thermal contact resistance (TCR). We derive a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of NDTC in terms of the properties of the TCR for systems with a single junction. We show that under certain circumstances we even could have infinite (negative or positive) differential thermal conductance in the presence of the TCR. Our predictions provide theoretical basis for constructing NDTC-based devices, such as thermal amplifiers, oscillators, and logic devices.

Experimental study on thermal hazard of tributyl phosphate-nitric acid mixtures using micro calorimeter technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Qi; Jiang, Lin; Gong, Liang; Sun, Jin-Hua, E-mail: sunjh@ustc.edu.cn

2016-08-15

Highlights: • Heat flows after mixing TBP with nitric acid are of different orders of magnitude. • Thermodynamics and kinetics of tributyl phosphate-nitric acid mixtures are derived. • Tributyl phosphate directly reacts with nitric acid and form organic red oil. • Thermal runaway could occur at 79 °C with a high nitric acid concentration. - Abstract: During PUREX spent nuclear fuel reprocessing, mixture of tributyl phosphate (TBP) and hydrocarbon solvent are employed as organic solvent to extract uranium in consideration of radiation contaminated safety and resource recycling, meanwhile nitric acid is utilized to dissolve the spent fuel into small pieces. However, once TBP contacts with nitric acid or nitrates above 130 °C, a heavy “red oil” layer would occur accompanied by thermal runaway reactions, even caused several nuclear safety accident. Considering nitric acid volatility and weak exothermic detection, C80 micro calorimeter technique was used in this study to investigate thermal decomposition of TBP mixed with nitric acid. Results show that the concentration of nitric acid greatly influences thermal hazard of the system by direct reactions. Even with a low heating rate, if the concentration of nitric acid increases due to evaporation of water or improper operations, thermal runaway in the closed system could start at a low temperature.

Characterization of Deposited Platinum Contacts onto Discrete Graphene Flakes for Electrical Devices

KAUST Repository

Holguin Lerma, Jorge Alberto

2016-01-01

The electrical measurements confirm a 99.5% reduction in contact resistance after vacuum thermal annealing at 300 °C. Parallel to this, Raman characterization confirms the formation of a nanocrystalline carbon structure over the electrode. While this could suggest an enhancement of the electrical transport in the device, an additional thermal annealing step in air at 300 °C, promoted the oxidation and removal of the carbon shell and confirmed that the contact resistance remained the same. Overall this shows that the carbon shell along the electrode has no significant role in the contact resistance. Finally, the challenges based on topographical analysis of the deposited electrodes are discussed. Reduction of the electrode’s height down to one-third of the initial value, increased surface roughness, formation of voids along the electrodes and the onset of platinum nanoparticles near the area of deposition, represent a challenge for future work.

The influence of thermal regime on gasoline direct injection engine performance and emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Leahu, C. I.; Tarulescu, S.

2016-08-01

This paper presents the experimental research regarding to the effects of a low thermal regime on fuel consumption and pollutant emissions from a gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine. During the experimental researches, the temperature of the coolant and oil used by the engine were modified 4 times (55, 65, 75 and 85 oC), monitoring the effects over the fuel consumption and emissions (CO2, CO and NOx). The variations in temperature of the coolant and oil have been achieved through AVL coolant and oil conditioning unit, integrated in the test bed. The obtained experimental results reveals the poor quality of exhaust gases and increases of fuel consumption for the gasoline direct injection engines that runs outside the optimal ranges for coolant and oil temperatures.

Thermal analysis and two-directional air flow thermal management for lithium-ion battery pack

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Kuahai; Yang, Xi; Cheng, Yongzhou; Li, Changhao

2014-12-01

Thermal management is a routine but crucial strategy to ensure thermal stability and long-term durability of the lithium-ion batteries. An air-flow-integrated thermal management system is designed in the present study to dissipate heat generation and uniformize the distribution of temperature in the lithium-ion batteries. The system contains of two types of air ducts with independent intake channels and fans. One is to cool the batteries through the regular channel, and the other minimizes the heat accumulations in the middle pack of batteries through jet cooling. A three-dimensional anisotropic heat transfer model is developed to describe the thermal behavior of the lithium-ion batteries with the integration of heat generation theory, and validated through both simulations and experiments. Moreover, the simulations and experiments show that the maximum temperature can be decreased to 33.1 °C through the new thermal management system in comparison with 42.3 °C through the traditional ones, and temperature uniformity of the lithium-ion battery packs is enhanced, significantly.

Control performances of a piezoactuator direct drive valve system at high temperatures with thermal insulation

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Yung-Min; Han, Chulhee; Kim, Wan Ho; Seong, Ho Yong; Choi, Seung-Bok

2016-09-01

This technical note presents control performances of a piezoactuator direct drive valve (PDDV) operated at high temperature environment. After briefly discussing operating principle and mechanical dimensions of the proposed PDDV, an appropriate size of the PDDV is manufactured. As a first step, the temperature effect on the valve performance is experimentally investigated by measuring the spool displacement at various temperatures. Subsequently, the PDDV is thermally insulated using aerogel and installed in a large-size heat chamber in which the pneumatic-hydraulic cylinders and sensors are equipped. A proportional-integral-derivative feedback controller is then designed and implemented to control the spool displacement of the valve system. In this work, the spool displacement is chosen as a control variable since it is directly related to the flow rate of the valve system. Three different sinusoidal displacements with different frequencies of 1, 10 and 50 Hz are used as reference spool displacement and tracking controls are undertaken up to 150 °C. It is shown that the proposed PDDV with the thermal insulation can provide favorable control responses without significant tracking errors at high temperatures.

Role of copper oxides in contact killing of bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Hans, Michael; Erbe, Andreas; Mathews, Salima; Chen, Ying; Solioz, Marc; Mücklich, Frank

2013-12-31

The potential of metallic copper as an intrinsically antibacterial material is gaining increasing attention in the face of growing antibiotics resistance of bacteria. However, the mechanism of the so-called "contact killing" of bacteria by copper surfaces is poorly understood and requires further investigation. In particular, the influences of bacteria-metal interaction, media composition, and copper surface chemistry on contact killing are not fully understood. In this study, copper oxide formation on copper during standard antimicrobial testing was measured in situ by spectroscopic ellipsometry. In parallel, contact killing under these conditions was assessed with bacteria in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) or Tris-Cl. For comparison, defined Cu2O and CuO layers were thermally generated and characterized by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction. The antibacterial properties of these copper oxides were tested under the conditions used above. Finally, copper ion release was recorded for both buffer systems by inductively coupled plasma atomic absorption spectroscopy, and exposed copper samples were analyzed for topographical surface alterations. It was found that there was a fairly even growth of CuO under wet plating conditions, reaching 4-10 nm in 300 min, but no measurable Cu2O was formed during this time. CuO was found to significantly inhibit contact killing, compared to pure copper. In contrast, thermally generated Cu2O was essentially as effective in contact killing as pure copper. Copper ion release from the different surfaces roughly correlated with their antibacterial efficacy and was highest for pure copper, followed by Cu2O and CuO. Tris-Cl induced a 10-50-fold faster copper ion release compared to PBS. Since the Cu2O that primarily forms on copper under ambient conditions is as active in contact killing as pure copper, antimicrobial objects will retain their antimicrobial properties even after oxide formation.

Structural changes of electron and ion beam-deposited contacts in annealed carbon-based electrical devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Batra, Nitin M; Patole, Shashikant P; Abdelkader, Ahmed; Anjum, Dalaver H; Deepak, Francis L; Costa, Pedro M F J

2015-11-06

The use of electron and ion beam deposition to make devices containing discrete nanostructures as interconnectors is a well-known nanofabrication process. Classically, one-dimensional materials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been electrically characterized by resorting to these beam deposition methods. While much attention has been given to the interconnectors, less is known about the contacting electrodes (or leads). In particular, the structure and chemistry of the electrode-interconnector interface is a topic that deserves more attention, as it is critical to understand the device behavior. Here, the structure and chemistry of Pt electrodes, deposited either with electron or ion beams and contacted to a CNT, are analyzed before and after thermally annealing the device in a vacuum. Free-standing Pt nanorods, acting as beam-deposited electrode models, are also characterized pre- and post-annealing. Overall, the as-deposited leads contain a non-negligible amount of amorphous carbon that is consolidated, upon heating, as a partially graphitized outer shell enveloping a Pt core. This observation raises pertinent questions regarding the definition of electrode-nanostructure interfaces in electrical devices, in particular long-standing assumptions of metal-CNT contacts fabricated by direct beam deposition methods.

Structural changes of electron and ion beam-deposited contacts in annealed carbon-based electrical devices

KAUST Repository

Batra, Nitin M; Patole, Shashikant P.; Abdelkader, Ahmed; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Deepak, Francis L; Da Costa, Pedro M. F. J.

2015-01-01

The use of electron and ion beam deposition to make devices containing discrete nanostructures as interconnectors is a well-known nanofabrication process. Classically, one-dimensional materials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been electrically characterized by resorting to these beam deposition methods. While much attention has been given to the interconnectors, less is known about the contacting electrodes (or leads). In particular, the structure and chemistry of the electrode–interconnector interface is a topic that deserves more attention, as it is critical to understand the device behavior. Here, the structure and chemistry of Pt electrodes, deposited either with electron or ion beams and contacted to a CNT, are analyzed before and after thermally annealing the device in a vacuum. Free-standing Pt nanorods, acting as beam-deposited electrode models, are also characterized pre- and post-annealing. Overall, the as-deposited leads contain a non-negligible amount of amorphous carbon that is consolidated, upon heating, as a partially graphitized outer shell enveloping a Pt core. This observation raises pertinent questions regarding the definition of electrode–nanostructure interfaces in electrical devices, in particular long-standing assumptions of metal-CNT contacts fabricated by direct beam deposition methods.

Structural changes of electron and ion beam-deposited contacts in annealed carbon-based electrical devices

KAUST Repository

Batra, Nitin M

2015-10-09

The use of electron and ion beam deposition to make devices containing discrete nanostructures as interconnectors is a well-known nanofabrication process. Classically, one-dimensional materials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been electrically characterized by resorting to these beam deposition methods. While much attention has been given to the interconnectors, less is known about the contacting electrodes (or leads). In particular, the structure and chemistry of the electrode–interconnector interface is a topic that deserves more attention, as it is critical to understand the device behavior. Here, the structure and chemistry of Pt electrodes, deposited either with electron or ion beams and contacted to a CNT, are analyzed before and after thermally annealing the device in a vacuum. Free-standing Pt nanorods, acting as beam-deposited electrode models, are also characterized pre- and post-annealing. Overall, the as-deposited leads contain a non-negligible amount of amorphous carbon that is consolidated, upon heating, as a partially graphitized outer shell enveloping a Pt core. This observation raises pertinent questions regarding the definition of electrode–nanostructure interfaces in electrical devices, in particular long-standing assumptions of metal-CNT contacts fabricated by direct beam deposition methods.

Thermal Wigner Operator in Coherent Thermal State Representation and Its Application

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

FAN HongYi

2002-01-01

In the coherent thermal state representation we introduce thermal Wigner operator and find that it is"squeezed" under the thermal transformation. The thermal Wigner operator provides us with a new direct and neatapproach for deriving Wigner functions of thermal states.

Temperature dependence of contact resistance at metal/MWNT interface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Sang-Eui; Moon, Kyoung-Seok; Sohn, Yoonchul, E-mail: yoonchul.son@samsung.com [Materials Research Center, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Samsung Electronics, Suwon 443-803 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-07-11

Although contact resistance of carbon nanotube (CNT) is one of the most important factors for practical application of electronic devices, a study regarding temperature dependence on contact resistance of CNTs with metal electrodes has not been found. Here, we report an investigation of contact resistance at multiwalled nanotube (MWNT)/Ag interface as a function of temperature, using MWNT/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite. Electrical resistance of MWNT/PDMS composite revealed negative temperature coefficient (NTC). Excluding the contact resistance with Ag electrode, the NTC effect became less pronounced, showing lower intrinsic resistivity with the activation energy of 0.019 eV. Activation energy of the contact resistance of MWNT/Ag interface was determined to be 0.04 eV, two times larger than that of MWNT-MWNT network. The increase in the thermal fluctuation assisted electron tunneling is attributed to conductivity enhancement at both MWNT/MWNT and MWNT/Ag interfaces with increasing temperature.

Experimental study on direct-contact liquid film cooling simulated dense-array solar cells in high concentrating photovoltaic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Yiping; Shi, Xusheng; Huang, Qunwu; Cui, Yong; Kang, Xue

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Direct-contact liquid film cooling dense-array solar cells was first proposed. • Average temperature was controlled well below 80 °C. • The maximum temperature difference was less than 10 °C. • The heat transfer coefficient reached up to 11.91 kW/(m"2·K) under 589X. - Abstract: This paper presented a new method of cooling dense-array solar cells in high concentrating photovoltaic system by direct-contact liquid film, and water was used as working fluid. An electric heating plate was designed to simulate the dense-array solar cells in high concentrating photovoltaic system. The input power of electric heating plate simulated the concentration ratios. By heat transfer experiments, the effect of water temperatures and flow rates on heat transfer performance was investigated. The results indicated that: the average temperature of simulated solar cells was controlled well below 80 °C under water temperature of 30 °C and flow rate of 300 L/h when concentration ratio ranged between 300X and 600X. The maximum temperature difference among temperature measurement points was less than 10 °C, which showed the temperature distribution was well uniform. The heat transfer coefficient reached up to 11.91 kW/(m"2·K) under concentration ratio of 589X. To improve heat transfer performance and obtain low average temperature of dense-array solar cells, lower water temperature and suitable water flow rate are preferred.

Contact Modelling in Resistance Welding, Part II: Experimental Validation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Song, Quanfeng; Zhang, Wenqi; Bay, Niels

2006-01-01

Contact algorithms in resistance welding presented in the previous paper are experimentally validated in the present paper. In order to verify the mechanical contact algorithm, two types of experiments, i.e. sandwich upsetting of circular, cylindrical specimens and compression tests of discs...... with a solid ring projection towards a flat ring, are carried out at room temperature. The complete algorithm, involving not only the mechanical model but also the thermal and electrical models, is validated by projection welding experiments. The experimental results are in satisfactory agreement...

Radiation influence on heterogenous processes in stainless steel contact with sea-water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agayev, T.N.; Garibov, A.A.; Velibekova, G.Z.; Aliyev, A.Q.; Aliyev, S.M.

2005-01-01

Full text: Austenitic stainless steel (s.s.) with Cr content 16 %, Ni - 15 % is widely used in nuclear reactors as construction material, for fuel cladding production and also is used in oil and gas production and transportation. They possess comparatively large section of slow neutron capture and as a result high corrosion resistance. In real exploitation condition of nuclear reactors s.s. are exposed to ionizing radiation influence in contact of different media. That's why during their corrosion and destruction processes the surface defect formation processes and further heterogenous processes with their participation are of great importance. The research results of mechanism during radiation-heterogenous processes in nuclear reactor stainless steel contact with sea-water under the influence of γ-radiation in temperature interval 300-1074 K are represented in the given work. Radiolytic processes in water are comprehensively studied and therefore it was taken as model system for dating the surface defects and secondary electrons emitted from metal. The same model system was applied also in sea-water radiolysis processes. It's been established that radiation processes in s.s. lead to molecular hydrogen yield increase and at T=300 K up to 6.5 molec./100 eV. With the temperature increase molecular hydrogen yield increase up to 25.3 molec./100 eV at T≤773 K. During the further temperature increase up to 1073 K radiation constituent of radiation-thermal process in comparison with thermal becomes unnoticeable and W T (H 2 )≅W p (H 2 ). The kinetics of oxide phase formation of investigated sample surface in the result of thermal and radiation-thermal processes in their contact with sea-water has been studied. At that it's been shown that radiation leads to protective oxidation process rate increase and promotes the beginning of stainless steel destruction oxidation in contact with sea-water. At T≥573 K insoluble oxide phase is formed on metal surface that promotes

Single-sweep spectral analysis of contact heat evoked potentials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Tine M; Graversen, Carina; Frøkjaer, Jens B

2015-01-01

AIMS: The cortical response to nociceptive thermal stimuli recorded as contact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs) may be altered by morphine. However, previous studies have averaged CHEPs over multiple stimuli, which are confounded by jitter between sweeps. Thus, the aim was to assess single-sweep ch......AIMS: The cortical response to nociceptive thermal stimuli recorded as contact heat evoked potentials (CHEPs) may be altered by morphine. However, previous studies have averaged CHEPs over multiple stimuli, which are confounded by jitter between sweeps. Thus, the aim was to assess single...... by 13% (P = 0.04) and 9% (P = 0.007), while the beta and gamma bands were increased by 10% (P = 0.006) and 24% (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The decreases in the delta and theta band are suggested to represent a decrease in the pain specific morphology of the CHEPs, which indicates a diminished pain response...

Estimating single molecule conductance from spontaneous evolution of a molecular contact

Science.gov (United States)

Gil, M.; Malinowski, T.; Iazykov, M.; Klein, H. R.

2018-03-01

We present an original method to estimate the conductivity of a single molecule anchored to nanometric-sized metallic electrodes, using a Mechanically Controlled Break Junction operated at room temperature in the liquid. We record the conductance through the metal/molecules/metal nanocontact while keeping the metallic electrodes at a fixed distance. Taking advantage of thermal diffusion and electromigration, we let the contact naturally explore the more stable configurations around a chosen conductance value. The conductance of a single molecule is estimated from a statistical analysis of raw conductance and conductance standard deviation data for molecular contacts containing up to 14 molecules. The single molecule conductance values are interpreted as time-averaged conductance of an ensemble of conformers at thermal equilibrium.

Effect of Virtual Reality Exposure and Aural Stimuli on Eye Contact, Directional Focus, and Focus of Attention of Novice Wind Band Conductors

Science.gov (United States)

Orman, Evelyn K.

2016-01-01

This study examined the effects of virtual reality immersion with audio on eye contact, directional focus and focus of attention for novice wind band conductors. Participants (N = 34) included a control group (n = 12) and two virtual reality groups with (n = 10) and without (n = 12) head tracking. Participants completed conducting/score study…

Thermal Wigner Operator in Coherent Thermal State Representation and Its Application

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

FANHong－Yi

2002-01-01

In the coherent thermal state representation we introduce thermal Wigner operator and find that it is “squeezed” under the thermal transformation.The thermal Wigner operator provides us with a new direct and neat approach for deriving Wigner functions of thermal states.

Transient thermal-mechanical coupling behavior analysis of mechanical seals during start-up operation

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, B. C.; Meng, X. K.; Shen, M. X.; Peng, X. D.

2016-05-01

A transient thermal-mechanical coupling model for a contacting mechanical seal during start-up has been developed. It takes into consideration the coupling relationship among thermal-mechanical deformation, film thickness, temperature and heat generation. The finite element method and multi-iteration technology are applied to solve the temperature distribution and thermal-mechanical deformation as well as their evolution behavior. Results show that the seal gap transforms from negative coning to positive coning and the contact area of the mechanical seal gradually decreases during start-up. The location of the maximum temperature and maximum contact pressure move from the outer diameter to inside diameter. The heat generation and the friction torque increase sharply at first and then decrease. Meanwhile, the contact force decreases and the fluid film force and leakage rate increase.

Using customer contact centres as relationship marketing instruments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Aa, Zanna; Bloemer, Josée; Henseler, Jörg

2015-01-01

This article investigates whether, to what extent and how customer contact centres influence customer–firm relationships through customer contact centre quality. The proposed model compiles direct and indirect effects of this form of quality on focal relationship marketing constructs, including

A study of thermal deformation in the carriage of a permanent magnet direct drive linear motor stage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chow, J.H.; Zhong, Z.W.; Lin, W.; Khoo, L.P.

2012-01-01

Carriage deformation due to temperature gradients within the materials of the carriage affects the accuracy of precision machines. This is largely due to the indeterminist temperature distribution in the carriage's material caused by the non-linearity of heat transfer. The joule heat from the motor coil forms the main heat source. When coupled with the heat loss through convection and radiation, the temperature variation in the motor's carriage also increases. In this study, the Finite Element Analysis was used together with a set of boundary conditions, which was obtained empirically, to analyze the distortion of the motor's carriage. The simulated results were compared with those obtained through experiments. The study shows that it is important to know, rather than to assume, the thermal boundary conditions of the motor's carriage of a precision machine in order to accurately estimate the thermal deformation of the carriage in precision machining. - Highlights: ► Deformation occurs in carriages which are mounted with linear motor. ► The convective coefficient, which is assumed to be 10 W mm −2 , is shown to be invalid. ► The perfect contact conductance is shown to be invalid too. ► To have an accurate thermal model, boundary conditions have to be realistic. ► Boundary conditions are the heat source, convective and conductance values.

Improvement of direct contact condensation model of relap5/mod3.1 for passive high-pressure injection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sang, Il Lee; Hee, Cheon No

1998-01-01

A simple set of the transition criterion of the condensation regimes and the heat transfer coefficients on the direct contact condensation in the core makeup tank was developed, and implemented in RELAP5/MOD3.1. The condensation regimes were divided into two ones: supply limit and condensation limit. In modeling the transition criterion between two regimes, a large-eddy model developed by Theofanous was used. The modified code better predicted the experiments on the core makeup tank using small scale test facility than the original code did

Proposed ICDRG Classification of the Clinical Presentation of Contact Allergy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pongpairoj, Korbkarn; Ale, Iris; Andersen, Klaus Ejner

2016-01-01

The International Contact Dermatitis Research Group proposes a classification for the clinical presentation of contact allergy. The classification is based primarily on the mode of clinical presentation. The categories are direct exposure/contact dermatitis, mimicking or exacerbation of preexisting....../mucosal symptoms, oral contact dermatitis, erythroderma/exfoliative dermatitis, minor forms of presentation, and extracutaneous manifestations....

System and method of providing quick thermal comfort with reduced energy by using directed spot conditioning

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Mingyu; Kadle, Prasad S.; Ghosh, Debashis; Zima, Mark J.; Wolfe, IV, Edward; Craig, Timothy D

2016-10-04

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and a method of controlling a HVAC system that is configured to provide a perceived comfortable ambient environment to an occupant seated in a vehicle cabin. The system includes a nozzle configured to direct an air stream from the HVAC system to the location of a thermally sensitive portion of the body of the occupant. The system also includes a controller configured to determine an air stream temperature and an air stream flow rate necessary to establish the desired heat supply rate for the sensitive portion and provide a comfortable thermal environment by thermally isolating the occupant from the ambient vehicle cabin temperature. The system may include a sensor to determine the location of the sensitive portion. The nozzle may include a thermoelectric device to heat or cool the air stream.

Diminution of contact angle hysteresis under the influence of an oscillating force.

Science.gov (United States)

Manor, Ofer

2014-06-17

We suggest a simple quantitative model for the diminution of contact angle hysteresis under the influence of an oscillatory force invoked by thermal fluctuations, substrate vibrations, acoustic waves, or oscillating electric fields. Employing force balance rather than the usual description of contact angle hysteresis in terms of Gibbs energy, we highlight that a wetting system, such as a sessile drop or a bubble adhered to a solid substrate, appears at long times to be partially or fully independent of contact angle hysteresis and thus independent of static friction forces, as a result of contact line pinning. We verify this theory by studying several well-known experimental observations such as the approach of an arbitrary contact angle toward the Young contact angle and the apparent decrease (or increase) in an advancing (or a receding) contact angle under the influence of an external oscillating force.

Kinetics, Stability, and Thermal Contact Resistance of Nickel–Ca3Co4O9 Interfaces Formed by Spark Plasma Sintering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holgate, Tim; Wu, NingYu; Søndergaard, M.

2013-01-01

3Co4O9) have been formed directly by spark plasma sintering (SPS). An intermediate NiO phase is formed during the SPS processes, which grows during post-heating with Co entering from the cobaltate side to form a graded Ni1xCoxO interfacial layer. The electrical and thermal transport across...

In the eye of the beholder: eye contact increases resistance to persuasion.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Frances S; Minson, Julia A; Schöne, Maren; Heinrichs, Markus

2013-11-01

Popular belief holds that eye contact increases the success of persuasive communication, and prior research suggests that speakers who direct their gaze more toward their listeners are perceived as more persuasive. In contrast, we demonstrate that more eye contact between the listener and speaker during persuasive communication predicts less attitude change in the direction advocated. In Study 1, participants freely watched videos of speakers expressing various views on controversial sociopolitical issues. Greater direct gaze at the speaker's eyes was associated with less attitude change in the direction advocated by the speaker. In Study 2, we instructed participants to look at either the eyes or the mouths of speakers presenting arguments counter to participants' own attitudes. Intentionally maintaining direct eye contact led to less persuasion than did gazing at the mouth. These findings suggest that efforts at increasing eye contact may be counterproductive across a variety of persuasion contexts.

Quantitative Method to Measure Thermal Conductivity of One-Dimensional Nanostructures Based on Scanning Thermal Wave Microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Kyung Bae; Chung, Jae Hun; Hwang, Gwang Seok; Jung, Eui Han; Kwon, Oh Myoung [Korea University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2014-12-15

We present a method to quantitatively measure the thermal conductivity of one-dimensional nanostructures by utilizing scanning thermal wave microscopy (STWM) at a nanoscale spatial resolution. In this paper, we explain the principle for measuring the thermal diffusivity of one-dimensional nanostructures using STWM and the theoretical analysis procedure for quantifying the thermal diffusivity. The SWTM measurement method obtains the thermal conductivity by measuring the thermal diffusivity, which has only a phase lag relative to the distance corresponding to the transferred thermal wave. It is not affected by the thermal contact resistances between the heat source and nanostructure and between the nanostructure and probe. Thus, the heat flux applied to the nanostructure is accurately obtained. The proposed method provides a very simple and quantitative measurement relative to conventional measurement techniques.

Progressive buckling analysis for a cylindrical shell structure with the free edge subjected to moving thermal cycles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, Gyeong-Hoi; Lee, Jae-Han

2004-01-01

In the KALIMER (Korea Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor) design, the reactor baffle structure is adopted to prevent the hot pool sodium from directly contacting the reactor vessel and to guide the hot sodium overflow in severe transient operating conditions. The parts in the vicinity of the hot pool free surface region could be repeatedly subjected to a moving axial temperature gradient and this might result in thermal ratcheting deformation. In this paper, the progressive thermal buckling behaviour following thermal ratcheting due to the moving axial temperature gradients in a cylindrical shell structure with an open free edge is investigated using numerical inelastic analysis with Chaboche's model. To do this, the analyses of the moving temperature distribution are carried out with a simple model and the severe moving axial temperature gradients are assumed to be sufficient for the evolution of thermal ratcheting

Thermal conductivity of granular porous media: A pore scale modeling approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Askari

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Pore scale modeling method has been widely used in the petrophysical studies to estimate macroscopic properties (e.g. porosity, permeability, and electrical resistivity of porous media with respect to their micro structures. Although there is a sumptuous literature about the application of the method to study flow in porous media, there are fewer studies regarding its application to thermal conduction characterization, and the estimation of effective thermal conductivity, which is a salient parameter in many engineering surveys (e.g. geothermal resources and heavy oil recovery. By considering thermal contact resistance, we demonstrate the robustness of the method for predicting the effective thermal conductivity. According to our results obtained from Utah oil sand samples simulations, the simulation of thermal contact resistance is pivotal to grant reliable estimates of effective thermal conductivity. Our estimated effective thermal conductivities exhibit a better compatibility with the experimental data in companion with some famous experimental and analytical equations for the calculation of the effective thermal conductivity. In addition, we reconstruct a porous medium for an Alberta oil sand sample. By increasing roughness, we observe the effect of thermal contact resistance in the decrease of the effective thermal conductivity. However, the roughness effect becomes more noticeable when there is a higher thermal conductivity of solid to fluid ratio. Moreover, by considering the thermal resistance in porous media with different grains sizes, we find that the effective thermal conductivity augments with increased grain size. Our observation is in a reasonable accordance with experimental results. This demonstrates the usefulness of our modeling approach for further computational studies of heat transfer in porous media.