WorldWideScience

Sample records for helium 4

  1. CALCULATED REGENERATOR PERFORMANCE AT 4 K WITH HELIUM-4 AND HELIUM-3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Radebaugh, Ray; Huang Yonghua; O'Gallagher, Agnes; Gary, John

    2008-01-01

    The helium-4 working fluid in regenerative cryocoolers operating with the cold end near 4 K deviates considerably from an ideal gas. As a result, losses in the regenerator, given by the time-averaged enthalpy flux, are increased and are strong functions of the operating pressure and temperature. Helium-3, with its lower boiling point, behaves somewhat closer to an ideal gas in this low temperature range and can reduce the losses in 4 K regenerators. An analytical model is used to find the fluid properties that strongly influence the regenerator losses as well as the gross refrigeration power. The thermodynamic and transport properties of helium-3 were incorporated into the latest NIST regenerator numerical model, known as REGEN3.3, which was used to model regenerator performance with either helium-4 or helium-3. With this model we show how the use of helium-3 in place of helium-4 can improve the performance of 4 K regenerative cryocoolers. The effects of operating pressure, warm-end temperature, and frequency on regenerators with helium-4 and helium-3 are investigated and compared. The results are used to find optimum operating conditions. The frequency range investigated varies from 1 Hz to 30 Hz, with particular emphasis on higher frequencies

  2. Quantum statistics and liquid helium 3 - helum 4 mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, E.G.D.

    1979-01-01

    The behaviour of liquid helium 3-helium 4 mixtures is considered from the point of view of manifestation of quantum statistics effects in macrophysics. The Boze=Einstein statistics is shown to be of great importance for understanding superfluid helium-4 properties whereas the Fermi-Dirac statistics is of importance for understanding helium-3 properties. Without taking into consideration the interaction between the helium atoms it is impossible to understand the basic properties of liquid helium 33 - helium 4 mixtures at constant pressure. Proposed is a simple model of the liquid helium 3-helium 4 mixture, namely the binary mixture consisting of solid spheres of two types subjecting to the Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics relatively. This model predicts correctly the most surprising peculiarities of phase diagrams of concentration dependence on temperature for helium solutions. In particular, the helium 4 Bose-Einstein statistics is responsible for the phase lamination of helium solutions at low temperatures. It starts in the peculiar critical point. The helium 4 Fermi-Dirac statistics results in incomplete phase lamination close to the absolute zero temperatures, that permits operation of a powerful cooling facility, namely refrigerating machine on helium solution

  3. Mixed helium-3 - helium-4 calorimeter. Very low temperature calorimetry; Calorimetre mixte a helium-3 et helium-4. Calorimetrie a tres basse temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Testard, O [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

    1966-06-01

    A description is given of a double-racket calorimeter using helium-4 and helium-3 as the cryogenic fluids and making it possible to vary the temperature continuously from 0.35 K to 4.2 K. By using an electric thermal regulator together with liquid hydrogen it is possible to extend this range up to about 30 K. In the second part, a review is made of the various, methods available for measuring specific heats. The method actually used in the apparatus previously described is described in detail. The difficulties arising from the use of an exchange gas for the thermal contact have been solved by the use of adsorption pumps. (author) [French] On decrit un calorimetre a double enceinte utilisant comme fluide cryogenique l'helium-4 et l'helium-3 et permettant de varier continuement la temperature de 0,35 K a 4,2 K. L'utilisation d'un regulateur thermique electrique ainsi que celle d'hydrogene, liquide permettent d'etendre cette gamme jusqu'a 30 K environ. Dans une deuxieme partie, on passe en revue les diverses methodes de mesure des chaleurs specifiques. La methode concrete utilisee dans l'appareil precedemment decrit est exposee en detail. Les difficultes inherentes a l'utilisation de gaz d'echange comme agent de contact thermique ont ete levees par la mise en oeuvre de pompes a adsorbant. (auteur)

  4. Superfluid helium-4: An introductory review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vinen, W.F.

    1983-01-01

    Helium was first liquefied by Kamerlingh Onnes in Leiden in July 1908, an achievement that followed much careful and painstaking work. On the same day Onnes reduced the temperature of his helium to a value approaching lK, and he must therefore have produced and observed the superfluid phase. These experimental discoveries led very quickly to a series of remarkable theoretical contributions that laid the foundations for all subsequent work. The period since the second world war has of course seen an enormous amount of work on superfluid helium-4. In reviewing it the author tries to see it in terms of two threads: one originating from Landau; the other from London

  5. International thermodynamic tables of the fluid state helium-4

    CERN Document Server

    de Reuck, K M; McCarty, R D

    2013-01-01

    International Thermodynamic Tables of the Fluid State Helium-4 presents the IUPAC Thermodynamic Tables for the thermodynamic properties of helium. The IUPAC Thermodynamic Tables Project has therefore encouraged the critical analysis of the available thermodynamic measurements for helium and their synthesis into tables. This book is divided into three chapters. The first chapter discusses the experimental results and compares with the equations used to generate the tables. These equations are supplemented by a vapor pressure equation, which represents the 1958 He-4 scale of temperature that is

  6. Helium-3 and helium-4 acceleration by high power laser pulses for hadron therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. S. Bulanov

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The laser driven acceleration of ions is considered a promising candidate for an ion source for hadron therapy of oncological diseases. Though proton and carbon ion sources are conventionally used for therapy, other light ions can also be utilized. Whereas carbon ions require 400 MeV per nucleon to reach the same penetration depth as 250 MeV protons, helium ions require only 250 MeV per nucleon, which is the lowest energy per nucleon among the light ions (heavier than protons. This fact along with the larger biological damage to cancer cells achieved by helium ions, than that by protons, makes this species an interesting candidate for the laser driven ion source. Two mechanisms (magnetic vortex acceleration and hole-boring radiation pressure acceleration of PW-class laser driven ion acceleration from liquid and gaseous helium targets are studied with the goal of producing 250 MeV per nucleon helium ion beams that meet the hadron therapy requirements. We show that He^{3} ions, having almost the same penetration depth as He^{4} with the same energy per nucleon, require less laser power to be accelerated to the required energy for the hadron therapy.

  7. Cryopumping of deuterium hydrogen and helium mixtures on smooth 4.2 K surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chou, T.S.; Halama, H.J.

    1977-01-01

    The large quantities of deuterium and hydrogen to be pumped in a fusion reactor and its subsystems favor cryopumping over other pumping methods. Cryogen consumption and the operating pressure will not only depend on the gas to be pumped, but also on the amount of helium gas present in the system. In fact, residual helium pressure between pulses will determine the power dissipation of the pump, and hence, influence the choice of cryocondensation or cryosorption. In this paper we will present the results of our studies on (1) cryotrapping of helium in thick D 2 and H 2 films and hydrogen in D 2 films at 4.2 K; (2) diffusion of He and H 2 from D 2 films; (3) steady-state liquid helium consumption; (4) liquid helium consumption as a function of D 2 and H 2 fluxes being pumped; (5) liquid helium consumption as a function of He partial pressure in the system. Finally, these measurements will suggest maximum permissible He to D 2 and He to H 2 ratios in a cryocondensation pump

  8. Research and development of a helium-4 based solar neutrino detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lanou, R.E.; Maris, H.J.; Seidel, G.M.

    1993-05-01

    Superfluid helium possesses unique properties that enable it to be used as the major component of a very sensitive calorimetric detector: it is extremely pure, and the energy deposited in it is carried out by elementary excitations of the liquid which can produce quantum evaporation of He atoms at a free surface. It has a major advantage of being able to achieve very low background levels. Experimental results presented on the development of helium-4 detector include sensitivity, heat capacity of wafer-calorimeters, coincidence measurements, spectrum of alpha particles in helium, and quantum evaporation: angular dependence and efficiency. 29 refs., 16 figs., 1 tab

  9. Symmetric structures of coherent states in superfluid helium-4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad, M.

    1981-02-01

    Coherent States in superfluid helium-4 are discussed and symmetric structures are assigned to these states. Discrete and continuous series functions are exhibited for such states. Coherent State structure has been assigned to oscillating condensed bosons and their inter-relations and their effects on the superfluid system are analysed. (author)

  10. Liquid helium target

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujii, Y.; Kitami, T.; Torikoshi, M.

    1984-12-01

    A liquid helium target system has been built and used for the experiment on the reaction 4 He(γ, p). The target system has worked satisfactorily; the consumption rate of liquid helium is 360 ml/h and the cryogenic system retains liquid helium for about ten hours. The structure, operation and performance of the target system are reported. (author)

  11. Observation of the antimatter helium-4 nucleus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-19

    High-energy nuclear collisions create an energy density similar to that of the Universe microseconds after the Big Bang; in both cases, matter and antimatter are formed with comparable abundance. However, the relatively short-lived expansion in nuclear collisions allows antimatter to decouple quickly from matter, and avoid annihilation. Thus, a high-energy accelerator of heavy nuclei provides an efficient means of producing and studying antimatter. The antimatter helium-4 nucleus (4He), also known as the anti-α (α), consists of two antiprotons and two antineutrons (baryon number B = -4). It has not been observed previously, although the α-particle was identified a century ago by Rutherford and is present in cosmic radiation at the ten per cent level. Antimatter nuclei with B antimatter nuclei and a benchmark for possible future observations of 4He in cosmic radiation.

  12. Propagative modes along a superfluid helium-4 meniscus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poujade, M.; Guthmann, C.; Rolley, E.

    2002-01-01

    We have studied the dynamics of a superfluid helium-4 meniscus on a solid substrate. In a pseudo-non-wetting situation, there is no hysteresis of the contact angle. We show that distortions of a liquid meniscus do propagate along the contact line. We have analyzed the propagation of pulses. We find a good agreement with theoretical predictions by Brochard for the dispersion relation of oscillation modes of the contact line. (authors)

  13. Effect of HTGR helium on fatigue and creep properties of 2 1/4Cr-1Mo steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurumaji, T.; Yamazaki, H.; Kudo, A.

    1982-01-01

    Low cycle fatigue and creep tests have been carried out on 2 1/4Cr-1Mo steel (candidate steel for VHTR reactor pressure vessel) in helium environment containing 200 approx. 300 μatm of H 2 , 100 approx. 150 μatm CO, 7 approx. 10 μatm CH 4 , 7 approx. 10 μatm CO 2 and 1 μatm H 2 O (JAERI B Helium). Fatigue life in helium environment was longer than that in air at 450 0 C. This results can be explained by supposing that oxidation at the crack tip causes the wedge effect to promote crack propagation in air. On the otherhand, creep rupture strength showed no significant difference in both helium and air. Equivalent creep rupture strength in both helium and air may be due to the fact that detrimental internal oxidation and carburization or decarburization hardly occur at 400 approx. 450 0 C

  14. A model for the operation of helium-filled proportional counter at low temperatures near 4.2 K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masaoka, Sei; Katano, Rintaro; Kishimoto, Shunji; Isozumi, Yasuhito

    2000-01-01

    In order to understand the operation of helium-filled proportional counter (HFPC) from the standpoint of fundamental atomic and molecular processes, we have surveyed previous works on collision processes in discharged helium gas. By analyzing gas gain curve, after-pulses and discharge current experimentally observed at 4.2 K, the electron avalanche and the secondary electron emission from cathode have been related to the collision processes in helium. A simplified model for the HFPC operation at low temperatures near 4.2 K has been constructed with the related processes

  15. Post-giant evolution of helium stars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schoenberner, D.

    1977-01-01

    Extremely hydrogen deficient stars (helium stars and R Coronae Borealis variables) are considered to be remnants of double shell source stars (of the asymptotic giant branch). The evolution of stars with a condensed C/O-core and a helium envelope is followed numerically from the red giant stage to the white dwarf domain, crossing the regions of R CrB- and helium stars (so far analyzed). They have typically masses M/M(sun) = 0.7 and luminosities log L/L(sun) = 4.1. The time for crossing the helium star domain is some 10 3 years. The corresponding times in the R CrB-region amounts up to several 10 4 years. The lower limit of the death rate of helium stars is estimated to be 4 x 10 -14 pc -3 yr -1 . This value is only a factor of ten lower than the birth rate of all non-DA white dwarfs. It is therefore possible that the helium stars are the precursors of helium rich white dwarfs. As a consequence, a significant fraction of all stars which end their lives as white dwarfs should pass through the helium star phase. (orig.) [de

  16. Pulse Shape Analysis and Discrimination for Silicon-Photomultipliers in Helium-4 Gas Scintillation Neutron Detector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barker, Cathleen; Zhu, Ting; Rolison, Lucas; Kiff, Scott; Jordan, Kelly; Enqvist, Andreas

    2018-01-01

    Using natural helium (helium-4), the Arktis 180-bar pressurized gas scintillator is capable of detecting and distinguishing fast neutrons and gammas. The detector has a unique design of three optically separated segments in which 12 silicon-photomultiplier (SiPM) pairs are positioned equilaterally across the detector to allow for them to be fully immersed in the helium-4 gas volume; consequently, no additional optical interfaces are necessary. The SiPM signals were amplified, shaped, and readout by an analog board; a 250 MHz, 14-bit digitizer was used to examine the output pulses from each SiPMpair channel. The SiPM over-voltage had to be adjusted in order to reduce pulse clipping and negative overshoot, which was observed for events with high scintillation production. Pulse shaped discrimination (PSD) was conducted by evaluating three different parameters: time over threshold (TOT), pulse amplitude, and pulse integral. In order to differentiate high and low energy events, a 30ns gate window was implemented to group pulses from two SiPM channels or more for the calculation of TOT. It was demonstrated that pulses from a single SiPM channel within the 30ns window corresponded to low-energy gamma events while groups of pulses from two-channels or more were most likely neutron events. Due to gamma pulses having lower pulse amplitude, the percentage of measured gamma also depends on the threshold value in TOT calculations. Similarly, the threshold values were varied for the optimal PSD methods of using pulse amplitude and pulse area parameters. Helium-4 detectors equipped with SiPMs are excellent for in-the-field radiation measurement of nuclear spent fuel casks. With optimized PSD methods, the goal of developing a fuel cask content monitoring and inspection system based on these helium-4 detectors will be achieved.

  17. Electron diffraction of CBr{sub 4} in superfluid helium droplets: A step towards single molecule diffraction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He, Yunteng; Zhang, Jie; Kong, Wei, E-mail: wei.kong@oregonstate.edu [Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-4003 (United States)

    2016-07-21

    We demonstrate the practicality of electron diffraction of single molecules inside superfluid helium droplets using CBr{sub 4} as a testing case. By reducing the background from pure undoped droplets via multiple doping, with small corrections for dimers and trimers, clearly resolved diffraction rings of CBr{sub 4} similar to those of gas phase molecules can be observed. The experimental data from CBr{sub 4} doped droplets are in agreement with both theoretical calculations and with experimental results of gaseous species. The abundance of monomers and clusters in the droplet beam also qualitatively agrees with the Poisson statistics. Possible extensions of this approach to macromolecular ions will also be discussed. This result marks the first step in building a molecular goniometer using superfluid helium droplet cooling and field induced orientation. The superior cooling effect of helium droplets is ideal for field induced orientation, but the diffraction background from helium is a concern. This work addresses this background issue and identifies a possible solution. Accumulation of diffraction images only becomes meaningful when all images are produced from molecules oriented in the same direction, and hence a molecular goniometer is a crucial technology for serial diffraction of single molecules.

  18. Helium ion distributions in a 4 kJ plasma focus device by 1 mm-thick large-size polycarbonate detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sohrabi, M., E-mail: dr_msohrabi@yahoo.com; Habibi, M.; Ramezani, V.

    2014-11-14

    Helium ion beam profile, angular and iso-ion beam distributions in 4 kJ Amirkabir plasma focus (APF) device were effectively observed by the unaided eyes and studied in single 1 mm-thick large-diameter (20 cm) polycarbonate track detectors (PCTD). The PCTDs were processed by 50 Hz–HV electrochemical etching using a large-size ECE chamber. The results show that helium ions produced in the APF device have a ring-shaped angular distribution peaked at an angle of ∼±60° with respect to the top of the anode. Some information on the helium ion energy and distributions is also provided. The method is highly effective for ion beam studies. - Highlights: • Helium iso-ion beam profile and angular distributions were studied in the 4 kJ APF device. • Large-area 1 mm-thick polycarbonate detectors were processed by 50 Hz-HV ECE. • Helium ion beam profile and distributions were observed by unaided eyes in a single detector. • Helium ion profile has ring-shaped distributions with energies lower at the ring location. • Helium iso-ion track density, diameter and energy distributions are estimated.

  19. Liquid helium-free 15 T superconducting magnet at 4 K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakuraba, J.; Mikami, Y.; Watazawa, K.; Watanabe, K.; Awaji, S.

    2000-01-01

    We have successfully demonstrated a 15.1 T liquid helium-free superconducting magnet with a room-temperature bore of 52 mm using a Nb 3 Sn/NbTi hybrid coil, Bi2223 current leads and two Gifford-McMahon cryocoolers. The magnet has 830 mm outside diameter, 1221 mm height and 720 kg weight. The magnet was cooled to 3.6 K in 114 h. A central magnetic field of 15.1 T was achieved in 38 min. The temperature of the coil increased to 5.7 K due to ac losses during the excitation, but it decreased to 4.0 K before reaching 15.1 T. The temperature of the coil remained at a constant value of 3.8 K over the 24 h of operation. The demonstration indicated the usefulness of a liquid helium-free superconducting magnet to generate high magnetic fields up to 15 T. (author)

  20. A new approach to constrain basal helium flux into aquifers for better estimation of groundwater ages by Helium 4

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsumoto, Takuya; Sturchio, Neil C.; Chang, Hung K.; Gastmans, Didier; Araguas-Araguas, Luis J.; Jiang, Wei; Lu, Zheng-Tian; Mueller, Peter; Yokochi, Reika; Purtschert, Roland; Zongyu, Chen; Shuiming, Hu; Aggarwal, Pradeep K.

    2016-04-01

    Estimation of groundwater age through the combined use of isotope methods and groundwater flow modelling is the common approach used for developing the required level of knowledge in the case of groundwater pumped from deep aquifers. For more than 50 years radiocarbon and tritium have been the common tools used in isotope hydrology studies to provide first estimates of groundwater age and dynamics. The half-life of carbon-14 (5730 years) and the complex geochemistry of carbon species in most environments have limited the proper characterization of groundwater flow patterns in large sedimentary basins and deep aquifers to ages more recent than about 40 000 years. Over the last years, a number of long-live radionuclides and other isotopes have been tested as more reliable age indicators by specialised laboratories. Among these methods, chlorine-36 (half-life of 300 000 yr) has been used with mixed results, mainly due to problems derived from in-situ production of this radionuclide. Uranium isotopes have also been used in a few instances, but never became a routine tool. Accumulation of helium-4 in deep groundwaters has also been proposed and used in a few instance, but one major obstacle in the 4He dating method is a difficulty in assessing a rate constant of 4He input into aquifers (namely, the entering basal 4He flux). In this context, recent breakthrough developments in analytical methods allow the precise determination of dissolved noble gases in groundwater as well as trace-level noble gas radionuclides present in very old groundwaters. Atom trap trace analysis, or ATTA, has dramatically improved over the last years the processing of very small amount of noble gases, providing now real possibilities for routine measurements of extremely low concentration of exotic radionuclides dissolved in groundwater, such as krypton-81 (half-life 229 000 years). Atom trap trace analysis involves the selective capture of individual atoms of a given isotope using six laser

  1. Canada's helium output rising fast

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1966-12-01

    About 12 months from now, International Helium Limited will be almost ready to start up Canada's second helium extraction plant at Mankota, in Saskatchewan's Wood Mountain area about 100 miles southwest of Moose Jaw. Another 80 miles north is Saskatchewan's (and Canada's) first helium plant, operated by Canadian Helium and sitting on a gas deposit at Wilhelm, 9 miles north of Swift Current. It contains almost 2% helium, some COD2U, and the rest nitrogen. One year in production was apparently enough to convince Canadian Helium that the export market (it sells most of its helium in W. Europe) can take a lot more than it's getting. Construction began this summer on an addition to the Swift Current plant that will raise its capacity from 12 to 36MMcf per yr when it goes on stream next spring. Six months later, International Helium's 40 MMcf per yr plant to be located about 4 miles from its 2 Wood Mountain wells will double Canada's helium output again.

  2. Research and development of a helium-4 based solar neutrino detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lanou, R.E.; Maris, H.J.; Seidel, G.M.

    1990-12-01

    We report on work accomplished in the first 30 months of a research and development program to investigate the feasibility of a new technique to detect solar neutrinos in superfluid helium. Accomplishments include the successful completion of design, construction and operation of the entire cryogenic, mechanical and electronic apparatus. During the last several months we have begun a series of experiments in superfluid helium to test the method. Experimental results include the first observation of the combined physical processes essential to the detection technique: ballistic roton generation by energetic charged particles, quantum evaporation of helium at a free surface and bolometric detection of the evaporated helium by physisorption on a cold silicon wafer. Additional results are also presented

  3. Helium localization around the microscopic impurities embedded to liquid helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gordon, E.B.; Shestakov, A.F.

    2000-01-01

    The structure and properties of the environment round the impurity atoms (Im) embedded in liquid helium are considered. It is shown that there are two qualitatively different types of structure of the He atom layer next to Im - attraction and repulsion structures. For the center attraction structure (strong Im-He interaction) the Im-He separation is longer than the equilibrium one for the pair Im-He potential, and the density and localization of He atoms are higher than in the bulk. It this case the He atom content in the layer, n, is almost independent of applied pressure. In the repulsion structure realized for alkaline metal atoms the Im-He separation is shorter than the equilibrium one and the density is lower than in the helium bulk. At T approx 1 K occupied are several states with different n and their energies differ only by approx 0.1 K, an increase in pressure resulting in a considerable reduction of n. The optical and EPR spectra of the atoms embedded to liquid and solid helium are interpreted on the basis of the analysis carried out. A simple model is proposed to evaluate the helium surroundings characteristics from the experimental pressure dependences of atomic line shifts in the absorption and emission spectra. The attraction structures in 3 He - 4 He mixtures are suggested to be highly enriched by 4 He atoms which the repulsion structures - by 3 He atoms. a possibility for existence of phase transitions in helium shells surrounding impurity atoms is considered

  4. Detecting the anti-hypertriton and anti-helium-4 from the RHIC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ma Yu-Gang

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Recent progress on the dectection of antimatter particles at RHIC is briefly reviewed. The observations of the anti-hypertriton (H¯⊼3${}_ \\mathbin{\\buildrel\\relbar \\over{\\smash{\\scriptstyle\\wedge}\\vphantom{_x}}} ^3\\overline {\\rm{H}} $and anti-helium-4 nuclei ( (4He¯, or α¯$\\left( {^4\\overline {{\\rm{He}}} ,\\,{\\rm{or}}\\,\\overline {\\rm{\\alpha }} } \\right$, or ᾱ from the RHIC-STAR Collaboration are highlighted. In addition, preliminary lifetime measurement of H¯Λ3${}_\\Lambda ^3\\overline {\\rm{H}} $ and energy dependence of strangeness population factor are presented. The mechanism of light antinuclei production is also discussed.

  5. Use of separating nozzles or ultra-centrifuges for obtaining helium from gas mixtures containing helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reimann, T.

    1987-01-01

    To obtain helium from gas mixtures containing helium, particularly from natural gas, it is proposed to match the dimensions of the separation devices for a ratio of the molecular weights to be separated of 4:1 of more, which ensures a higher separation factor and therefore a smaller number of separation stages to be connected in series. The process should make reasonably priced separation of helium possible. (orig./HP) [de

  6. Clustering of Helium Atoms at a ½

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Berg, F. v.d.; Heugten, W. v.; Caspers, L.M.; Veen, A. v.; Hosson, J.Th.M. de

    1977-01-01

    Atomistic calculations on a ½<111>{110} edge dislocation show a restricted tendency of clustering of helium atom along this dislocation. Clusters with up to 4 helium atoms have been studied. A cluster with 3 helium proved to be most stable.

  7. Helium in inert matrix dispersion fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Veen, A. van; Konings, R.J.M.; Fedorov, A.V.

    2003-01-01

    The behaviour of helium, an important decay product in the transmutation chains of actinides, in dispersion-type inert matrix fuels is discussed. A phenomenological description of its accumulation and release in CERCER and CERMET fuel is given. A summary of recent He-implantation studies with inert matrix metal oxides (ZrO 2 , MgAl 2 O 4 , MgO and Al 2 O 3 ) is presented. A general picture is that for high helium concentrations helium and vacancy defects form helium clusters which convert into over-pressurized bubbles. At elevated temperature helium is released from the bubbles. On some occasions thermal stable nano-cavities or nano-pores remain. On the basis of these results the consequences for helium induced swelling and helium storage in oxide matrices kept at 800-1000 deg. C will be discussed. In addition, results of He-implantation studies for metal matrices (W, Mo, Nb and V alloys) will be presented. Introduction of helium in metals at elevated temperatures leads to clustering of helium to bubbles. When operational temperatures are higher than 0.5 melting temperature, swelling and helium embrittlement might occur

  8. HeREF-2003: Helium Refrigeration Techniques

    CERN Multimedia

    2003-01-01

    CERN Technical Training 2003: Learning for the LHC ! Theory, Technology, Maintenance and Control of Helium Refrigerators HeREF-2003 is a course in the framework of the 2002 Technical Training Programme, that will provide a complete introduction to Helium refrigeration, with a practical approach to theory, technology, maintenance and control of Helium refrigeration installations. Theoretical aspects and equations will be limited to a minimum. HeREF-2003 targets an audience of technicians and operators of Helium refrigeration plants at CERN, as well as physicists and engineers needing an overview of current Helium refrigeration techniques. HeREF-2003 will address, among other, issues related to component technology, installation maintenance, process control and Helium purity. A commented visit to a couple of CERN Helium refrigeration or liquefaction plants will also take place. Duration: 7 half days (4 mornings and 3 afternoons), 6-10 October, 2003 Cost per participant: 500.- CHF Language: Bilingual English...

  9. HeREF-2003 : Helium Refrigeration Techniques

    CERN Multimedia

    2003-01-01

    CERN Technical Training 2003: Learning for the LHC ! Theory, Technology, Maintenance and Control of Helium Refrigerators HeREF-2003 is a course in the framework of the 2002 Technical Training Programme, that will provide a complete introduction to Helium refrigeration, with a practical approach to theory, technology, maintenance and control of Helium refrigeration installations. Theoretical aspects and equations will be limited to a minimum. HeREF-2003 targets an audience of technicians and operators of Helium refrigeration plants at CERN, as well as physicists and engineers needing an overview of current Helium refrigeration techniques. HeREF-2003 will address, among other, issues related to component technology, installation maintenance, process control and Helium purity. A commented visit to a couple of CERN Helium refrigeration or liquefaction plants will also take place. • Duration: 7 half days (4 mornings and 3 afternoons), 6-10 October, 2003 • Cost per participant: 500.- CHF ...

  10. Flow visualization in superfluid helium-4 using He2 molecular tracers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Wei

    Flow visualization in superfluid helium is challenging, yet crucial for attaining a detailed understanding of quantum turbulence. Two problems have impeded progress: finding and introducing suitable tracers that are small yet visible; and unambiguous interpretation of the tracer motion. We show that metastable He2 triplet molecules are outstanding tracers compared with other particles used in helium. These molecular tracers have small size and relatively simple behavior in superfluid helium: they follow the normal fluid motion at above 1 K and will bind to quantized vortex lines below about 0.6 K. A laser-induced fluorescence technique has been developed for imaging the He2 tracers. We will present our recent experimental work on studying the normal-fluid motion by tracking thin lines of He2 tracers created via femtosecond laser-field ionization in helium. We will also discuss a newly launched experiment on visualizing vortex lines in a magnetically levitated superfluid helium drop by imaging the He2 tracers trapped on the vortex cores. This experiment will enable unprecedented insight into the behavior of a rotating superfluid drop and will untangle several key issues in quantum turbulence research. We acknowledge the support from the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DMR-1507386 and the US Department of Energy under Grant No. DE-FG02 96ER40952.

  11. Neutron-induced helium implantation in GCFR cladding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, H.; Poeppel, R.B.; Sevy, R.H.

    1980-10-01

    The neutron-induced implantation of helium atoms on the exterior surfaces of the cladding of a prototypic gas-cooled fast reactor (GCFR) has been investigated analytically. A flux of recoil helium particles as high as 4.2 x 10 10 He/cm 2 .s at the cladding surface has been calculated at the peak power location in the core of a 300-MWe GCFR. The calculated profile of the helium implantation rates indicates that although some helium is implanted as deep as 20 μm, more than 99% of helium particles are implanted in the first 2-μm-deep layer below the cladding surface. Therefore, the implanted helium particles should mainly affect surface properties of the GCFR cladding

  12. Helium behaviour in implanted boron carbide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Motte Vianney

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available When boron carbide is used as a neutron absorber in nuclear power plants, large quantities of helium are produced. To simulate the gas behaviour, helium implantations were carried out in boron carbide. The samples were then annealed up to 1500 °C in order to observe the influence of temperature and duration of annealing. The determination of the helium diffusion coefficient was carried out using the 3He(d,p4He nuclear reaction (NRA method. From the evolution of the width of implanted 3He helium profiles (fluence 1 × 1015/cm2, 3 MeV corresponding to a maximum helium concentration of about 1020/cm3 as a function of annealing temperatures, an Arrhenius diagram was plotted and an apparent diffusion coefficient was deduced (Ea = 0.52 ± 0.11 eV/atom. The dynamic of helium clusters was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM of samples implanted with 1.5 × 1016/cm2, 2.8 to 3 MeV 4He ions, leading to an implanted slab about 1 μm wide with a maximum helium concentration of about 1021/cm3. After annealing at 900 °C and 1100 °C, small (5–20 nm flat oriented bubbles appeared in the grain, then at the grain boundaries. At 1500 °C, due to long-range diffusion, intra-granular bubbles were no longer observed; helium segregates at the grain boundaries, either as bubbles or inducing grain boundaries opening.

  13. Commercial helium reserves, continental rifting and volcanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ballentine, C. J.; Barry, P. H.; Hillegonds, D.; Fontijn, K.; Bluett, J.; Abraham-James, T.; Danabalan, D.; Gluyas, J.; Brennwald, M. S.; Pluess, B.; Seneshens, D.; Sherwood Lollar, B.

    2017-12-01

    Helium has many industrial applications, but notably provides the unique cooling medium for superconducting magnets in medical MRI scanners and high energy beam lines. In 2013 the global supply chainfailed to meet demand causing significant concern - the `Liquid Helium Crisis' [1]. The 2017 closure of Quatar borders, a major helium supplier, is likely to further disrupt helium supply, and accentuates the urgent need to diversify supply. Helium is found in very few natural gas reservoirs that have focused 4He produced by the dispersed decay (a-particle) of U and Th in the crust. We show here, using the example of the Rukwa section of the Tanzanian East African Rift, how continental rifting and local volcanism provides the combination of processes required to generate helium reserves. The ancient continental crust provides the source of 4He. Rifting and associated magmatism provides the tectonic and thermal mechanism to mobilise deep fluid circulation, focusing flow to the near surface along major basement faults. Helium-rich springs in the Tanzanian Great Rift Valley were first identified in the 1950's[2]. The isotopic compositions and major element chemistry of the gases from springs and seeps are consistent with their release from the crystalline basement during rifting [3]. Within the Rukwa Rift Valley, helium seeps occur in the vicinity of trapping structures that have the potential to store significant reserves of helium [3]. Soil gas surveys over 6 prospective trapping structures (1m depth, n=1486) show helium anomalies in 5 out of the 6 at levels similar to those observed over a known helium-rich gas reservoir at 1200m depth (7% He - Harley Dome, Utah). Detailed macroseep gas compositions collected over two days (n=17) at one site allows us to distinguish shallow gas contributions and shows the deep gas to contain between 8-10% helium, significantly increasing resource estimates based on uncorrected values (1.8-4.2%)[2,3]. The remainder of the deep gas is

  14. Study of interstellar helium from photometric observations at 58.4 nm of the interplanetary environment from Prognoz 6 satellite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dalaudier, Francis.

    1981-06-01

    This thesis is devoted to an ''interplanetary helium'' experiment, the aim of the work being to acquire a greater understanding of the local interstellar environment and its interaction with the solar system. Measurements made from the Prognoz 6 satellite on ultraviolet fluxes from hydrogen (121.6 nm) and neutral and ionized helium (58.4 nm and 30.4 nm respectively) were used to construct a computer model. Most of the work performed deals with comparing and interpreting the results obtained [fr

  15. Low helium flux from the mantle inferred from simulations of oceanic helium isotope data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bianchi, Daniele; Sarmiento, Jorge L.; Gnanadesikan, Anand; Key, Robert M.; Schlosser, Peter; Newton, Robert

    2010-09-01

    The high 3He/ 4He isotopic ratio of oceanic helium relative to the atmosphere has long been recognized as the signature of mantle 3He outgassing from the Earth's interior. The outgassing flux of helium is frequently used to normalize estimates of chemical fluxes of elements from the solid Earth, and provides a strong constraint to models of mantle degassing. Here we use a suite of ocean general circulation models and helium isotope data obtained by the World Ocean Circulation Experiment to constrain the flux of helium from the mantle to the oceans. Our results suggest that the currently accepted flux is overestimated by a factor of 2. We show that a flux of 527 ± 102 mol year - 1 is required for ocean general circulation models that produce distributions of ocean ventilation tracers such as radiocarbon and chlorofluorocarbons that match observations. This new estimate calls for a reevaluation of the degassing fluxes of elements that are currently tied to the helium fluxes, including noble gases and carbon dioxide.

  16. Adsorption pump for helium pumping out

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Donde, A.L.; Semenenko, Yu.E.

    1981-01-01

    Adsorption pump with adsorbent cooling by liquid helium is described. Shuttered shield protecting adsorbent against radiation is cooled with evaporating helium passing along the coil positioned on the shield. The pump is also equipped with primed cylindrical shield, cooled with liquid nitrogen. The nitrogen shield has in the lower part the shuttered shield, on the pump casing there is a valve used for pump pre-burning, and valves for connection to recipient as well. Pumping- out rates are presented at different pressures and temperatures of adsorbent. The pumping-out rate according to air at absorbent cooling with liquid nitrogen constituted 5x10 -4 Pa-3000 l/s, at 2x10 -2 Pa-630 l/s. During the absorbent cooling with liquid hydrogen the pumping-out rate according to air was at 4x10 -4 Pa-580 l/s, at 2x10 -3 Pa-680 l/s, according to hydrogen - at 8x10 -5 Pa-2500 l/s, at 5x10 -3 Pa-4200 l/s. During adsorbent cooling with liquid helium the rate of pumping-out according to hydrogen at 3x10 5 Pa-2400% l/s, at 6x10 3 Pa-1200 l/s, and according to helium at 3.5x10 -5 Pa-2800 l/s, at 4x10 -3 Pa-1150 l/s. The limit vacuum is equal to 1x10 -7 Pa. The volume of the vessel with liquid helium is equal to 3.5 l. Helium consumption is 80 cm 3 /h. Consumption of liquid nitrogen from the shield is 400 cm 3 /h. The limit pressure in the pump is obtained after forevacuum pumping-out (adsorbent regeneration) at 300 K temperature. The pump is made of copper. The pump height together with primed tubes is 800 mm diameter-380 mm [ru

  17. Investigation of impurity-helium solid phase decomposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boltnev, R.E.; Gordon, E.B.; Krushinskaya, I.N.; Martynenko, M.V.; Pel'menev, A.A.; Popov, E.A.; Khmelenko, V.V.; Shestakov, A.F.

    1997-01-01

    The element composition of the impurity-helium solid phase (IHSP), grown by injecting helium gas jet, involving Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe atoms and N 2 molecules, into superfluid helium, has been studied. The measured stoichiometric ratios, S = N H e / N I m, are well over the values expected from the model of frozen together monolayer helium clusters. The theoretical possibility for the freezing of two layers helium clusters is justified in the context of the model of IHSP helium subsystem, filled the space between rigid impurity centers. The process of decomposition of impurity-helium (IH)-samples taken out of liquid helium in the temperature range 1,5 - 12 K and the pressure range 10-500 Torr has been studied. It is found that there are two stages of samples decomposition: a slow stage characterized by sample self cooling and a fast one accompanied by heat release. These results suggest, that the IHSP consists of two types of helium - weakly bound and strongly bound helium - that can be assigned to the second and the first coordination helium spheres, respectively, formed around heavy impurity particles. A tendency for enhancement of IHSP thermo stability with increasing the impurity mass is observed. Increase of helium vapor pressure above the sample causes the improvement of IH sample stability. Upon destruction of IH samples, containing nitrogen atoms, a thermoluminescence induced by atom recombination has been detected in the temperature region 3-4,5 K. This suggests that numerous chemical reactions may be realized in solidified helium

  18. Helium trapping in aluminum and sintered aluminum powders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Das, S.K.; Kaminsky, M.; Rossing, T.

    1975-01-01

    The surface erosion of annealed aluminum and of sintered aluminum powder (SAP) due to blistering from implantation of 100-keV 4 He + ions at room temperature has been investigated. A substantial reduction in the blistering erosion rate in SAP was observed from that in pure annealed aluminum. In order to determine whether the observed reduction in blistering is due to enhanced helium trapping or due to helium released, the implanted helium profiles in annealed aluminum and in SAP have been studied by Rutherford backscattering. The results show that more helium is trapped in SAP than in aluminum for identical irradiation conditions. The observed reduction in erosion from helium blistering in SAP is more likely due to the dispersion of trapped helium at the large Al-Al 2 O 3 interfaces and at the large grain boundaries in SAP than to helium release

  19. Helium ion distributions in a 4 kJ plasma focus device by 1 mm-thick large-size polycarbonate detectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sohrabi, M.; Habibi, M.; Ramezani, V.

    2014-11-01

    Helium ion beam profile, angular and iso-ion beam distributions in 4 kJ Amirkabir plasma focus (APF) device were effectively observed by the unaided eyes and studied in single 1 mm-thick large-diameter (20 cm) polycarbonate track detectors (PCTD). The PCTDs were processed by 50 Hz-HV electrochemical etching using a large-size ECE chamber. The results show that helium ions produced in the APF device have a ring-shaped angular distribution peaked at an angle of ∼ ± 60 ° with respect to the top of the anode. Some information on the helium ion energy and distributions is also provided. The method is highly effective for ion beam studies.

  20. Helium behaviour in nuclear glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fares, T.

    2011-01-01

    The present thesis focuses on the study of helium behavior in R7T7 nuclear waste glass. Helium is generated by the minor actinides alpha decays incorporated in the glass matrix. Therefore, four types of materials were used in this work. These are non radioactive R7T7 glasses saturated with helium under pressure, glasses implanted with 3 He + ions, glasses doped with curium and glasses irradiated in nuclear reactor. The study of helium solubility in saturated R7T7 glass has shown that helium atoms are inserted in the glass free volume. The results yielded a solubility of about 10 16 at. cm -3 atm. -1 . The incorporation limit of helium in this type of glass has been determined; its value amounted to about 2*10 21 at. cm -3 , corresponding to 2.5 at.%. Diffusion studies have shown that the helium migration is controlled by the single population dissolved in the glass free volume. An ideal diffusion model was used to simulate the helium release data which allowed to determine diffusion coefficients obeying to the following Arrhenius law: D = D 0 exp(-E a /kBT), where D 0 = 2.2*10 -2 and 5.4*10 -3 cm 2 s -1 and E a = 0.61 eV for the helium saturated and the curium doped glass respectively. These results reflect a thermally activated diffusion mechanism which seems to be not influenced by the glass radiation damage and helium concentrations studied in the present work (up to 8*10 19 at. g -1 , corresponding to 0.1 at.%). Characterizations of the macroscopic, structural and microstructural properties of glasses irradiated in nuclear reactor did not reveal any impact associated with the presence of helium at high concentrations. The observed modifications i.e. a swelling of 0.7 %, a decrease in hardness by 38 %, an increase between 8 and 34 % of the fracture toughness and a stabilization of the glass structure under irradiation, were attributed to the glass nuclear damage induced by the irradiation in reactor. Characterizations by SEM and TEM of R7T7 glasses implanted

  1. Measurement of density and electron temperature of a decaying plasma in 4.2 K helium gases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimura, T.; Minami, K.

    1986-01-01

    As is well known, the coupling constant Γ of a plasma is defined as the ratio of the average Coulomb energy to the average kinetic energy. Plasmas with Γ not much less than unity are called strongly coupled plasmas or non-ideal plasmas. Such plasmas, high density or low temperature, can be produced by laser implosion, shock waves etc. In the present report, the authors' attempt to generate a non-ideal plasma in a different way from previous ones. They observe a late period of a decaying plasma in helium gases at a temperature less than 4.2 K. An afterglow in cryogenic helium gases was studied previously. In that study, the authors measured the density of the order of 10/sup 12/ cm/sup -3/ by the method of transmission of X-band microwaves. In the present case, plasma is observed in a cylindrical cavity of TE/sub 011/ mode at 2.83 GHz immersed in liquid helium. The size of the cavity is 166 mm inner diameter and 83 mm length. One end wall is made by thin mesh through which plasmas produced by pulse discharge of 750 A, 1 μsec are fed. The loaded Q without plasma is 5300. The pressure of helium gas is changed from 0.03 to 1.3 Torr

  2. Atmospheric helium and geomagnetic field reversals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheldon, W. R.; Kern, J. W.

    1972-01-01

    The problem of the earth's helium budget is examined in the light of recent work on the interaction of the solar wind with nonmagnetic planets. It is proposed that the dominant mode of helium (He4) loss is ion pumping by the solar wind during geomagnetic field reversals, when the earth's magnetic field is very small. The interaction of the solar wind with the earth's upper atmosphere during such a period is found to involve the formation of a bow shock. The penetration altitude of the shock-heated solar plasma is calculated to be about 700 km, and ionization rates above this level are estimated for a cascade ionization (electron avalanche) process to average 10 to the 9th power ions/sq cm/sec. The calculated ionization rates and the capacity of the solar wind to remove ionized helium (He4) from the upper atmosphere during geomagnetic dipole reversals are sufficient to yield a secular equilibrium over geologic time scales. The upward transport of helium from the lower atmosphere under these conditions is found to be adequate to sustain the proposed loss rate.

  3. An efficient continuous flow helium cooling unit for Moessbauer experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herbert, I.R.; Campbell, S.J.

    1976-01-01

    A Moessbauer continuous flow cooling unit for use with liquid helium over the temperature range 4.2 to 300K is described. The cooling unit can be used for either absorber or source studies in the horizontal plane and it is positioned directly on top of a helium storage vessel. The helium transfer line forms an integral part of the cooling unit and feeds directly into the storage vessel so that helium losses are kept to the minimum. The helium consumption is 0.12 l h -1 at 4.2 K decreasing to 0.055 l h -1 at 40 K. The unit is top loading and the exchange gas cooled samples can be changed easily and quickly. (author)

  4. Effect of 3.0 MeV helium implantation on electrical characteristics of 4H-SiC BJTs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Usman, Muhammad; Hallen, Anders; Ghandi, Reza; Domeij, Martin

    2010-01-01

    Degradation of 4H-SiC power bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) under the influence of a high-energy helium ion beam was studied. Epitaxially grown npn BJTs were implanted with 3.0 MeV helium in the fluence range of 10 10 -10 11 cm -2 . The devices were characterized by their current-voltage (I-V) behaviour before and after the implantation, and the results showed a clear degradation of the output characteristics of the devices. Annealing these implanted devices increased the interface traps between passivation oxide and the semiconductor, resulting in an increase of base current in the low-voltage operation range.

  5. Cryogenic filter method produces super-pure helium and helium isotopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hildebrandt, A. F.

    1964-01-01

    Helium is purified when cooled in a low pressure environment until it becomes superfluid. The liquid helium is then filtered through iron oxide particles. Heating, cooling and filtering processes continue until the purified liquid helium is heated to a gas.

  6. Superfluid helium at subcritical active core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasil'ev, V.V.; Lopatkin, A.V.; Muratov, V.G.; Rakhno, I.L.

    2002-01-01

    Power range and neutron flux wherein super thermal source was realized at high volume of superfluid helium were investigated. MCU, BRAND, MCNP codes were used for the calculation of reactors. It is shown that the availability of full-size diameter for cryogenic source of ultracold neutrons, as the source with superfluid helium is considered, is possible in the reflector of subcritical assembly. Results obtained from the MCNP-4B code application demonstrated that the density of thermal neutron flux in helium must be not higher than 2.3 x 10 11 s -1 cm -2 [ru

  7. Tritium Decay Helium-3 Effects in Tungsten

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shimada, M. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Merrill, B. J. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2016-06-01

    A critical challenge for long-term operation of ITER and beyond to a Demonstration reactor (DEMO) and future fusion reactor will be the development of plasma-facing components (PFCs) that demonstrate erosion resistance to steady-state/transient heat fluxes and intense neutral/ion particle fluxes under the extreme fusion nuclear environment, while at the same time minimizing in-vessel tritium inventories and permeation fluxes into the PFC’s coolant. Tritium will diffuse in bulk tungsten at elevated temperatures, and can be trapped in radiation-induced trap site (up to 1 at. % T/W) in tungsten [1,2]. Tritium decay into helium-3 may also play a major role in microstructural evolution (e.g. helium embrittlement) in tungsten due to relatively low helium-4 production (e.g. He/dpa ratio of 0.4-0.7 appm [3]) in tungsten. Tritium-decay helium-3 effect on tungsten is hardly understood, and its database is very limited. Two tungsten samples (99.99 at. % purity from A.L.M.T. Co., Japan) were exposed to high flux (ion flux of 1.0x1022 m-2s-1 and ion fluence of 1.0x1026 m-2) 0.5%T2/D2 plasma at two different temperatures (200, and 500°C) in Tritium Plasma Experiment (TPE) at Idaho National Laboratory. Tritium implanted samples were stored at ambient temperature in air for more than 3 years to investigate tritium decay helium-3 effect in tungsten. The tritium distributions on plasma-exposed was monitored by a tritium imaging plate technique during storage period [4]. Thermal desorption spectroscopy was performed with a ramp rate of 10°C/min up to 900°C to outgas residual deuterium and tritium but keep helium-3 in tungsten. These helium-3 implanted samples were exposed to deuterium plasma in TPE to investigate helium-3 effect on deuterium behavior in tungsten. The results show that tritium surface concentration in 200°C sample decreased to 30 %, but tritium surface concentration in 500°C sample did not alter over the 3 years storage period, indicating possible tritium

  8. The distribution of helium isotopes of natural gas and tectonic environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Mingliang; Tao Mingxin

    1993-01-01

    Based on the 3 He/ 4 He data of the main oil-gas bearing basins in continental China, a systematic study has been made for the first time on the relations between the space distribution of the helium isotopes of natural gas and the tectonic environment. The average value R-bar of 3 He/ 4 He in eastern China bordering on the Pacific Ocean is 2.08 x 10 -6 >Ra, and that is dualistic mixed helium containing mantle source helium. The R-bar of central and western China is 4.96 x 10 -8 , and that is mainly crust source radioactive helium. The R-bar of Huabei and Zhongyuan oil-gas fields is 8.00 x 10 -7 , and that is a kind of transitional helium intercepted between the eastern region and the central western region of China. On the whole, the 3 He/ 4 He values decrease gradually with the distance from the subduction zone of the Western Pacific Ocean. The results show that the space distributions of the helium isotopes is controlled by the tectonic environment, that is the environment of tensile rift, especially in the neighborhood of deep megafractures advantageous to the rise of mantle source helium, so then and there the 3 He/ 4 He value is the highest; In the most stable craton basins, the value is the lowest and the helium is a typical crust source radioactive one. Between the active area (rift) and stable area, there is the transitional helium and its value is 10 -7 , as is the case in Huabei-Zhongyuan oil-gas field

  9. Helium cryogenics

    CERN Document Server

    Van Sciver, Steven W

    2012-01-01

    Twenty five years have elapsed since the original publication of Helium Cryogenics. During this time, a considerable amount of research and development involving helium fluids has been carried out culminating in several large-scale projects. Furthermore, the field has matured through these efforts so that there is now a broad engineering base to assist the development of future projects. Helium Cryogenics, 2nd edition brings these advances in helium cryogenics together in an updated form. As in the original edition, the author's approach is to survey the field of cryogenics with emphasis on helium fluids. This approach is more specialized and fundamental than that contained in other cryogenics books, which treat the associated range of cryogenic fluids. As a result, the level of treatment is more advanced and assumes a certain knowledge of fundamental engineering and physics principles, including some quantum mechanics. The goal throughout the work is to bridge the gap between the physics and engineering aspe...

  10. Helium mobility in advanced nuclear ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agarwal, Shradha

    2014-01-01

    The main goal of this work is to improve our knowledge on the mechanisms able to drive the helium behaviour in transition metal carbides and nitrides submitted to thermal annealing or ion irradiation. TiC, TiN and ZrC polycrystals were implanted with 3 MeV 3 He ions at room temperature in the fluence range 2 * 10 15 et 6 * 10 16 cm -2 . Some of them have been pre-irradiated with self-ions (14 MeV Ti or Zr). Fully controlled thermal annealing tests were subsequently carried out in the temperature range 1000 - 1600 C for two hours. The evolution of the helium depth distribution in function of implantation dose, temperature and pre-irradiation dose was measured thanks to the deuteron-induced nuclear reaction 3 He(d, p 0 ) 4 He between 900 keV and 1.8 MeV. The microstructure of implanted and annealed samples was investigated by transmission electron microscopy on thin foils prepared using the FIB technique. Additional characterization tools, as X-ray diffraction and Raman microspectrometry, have been also applied in order to obtain complementary information. Among the most relevant results obtained, the following have to be outlined: - double-peak helium depth profile was measured on as implanted sample for the three compounds. The first peak is located near the end of range and includes the major part of helium, a second peak located close to the surface corresponds to the helium atoms trapped by the native vacancies; - the helium retention capacity in transition metal carbides and nitrides submitted to fully controlled thermal treatments varies according to ZrC 0.92 ≤ TiC 0.96 ≤ TiN 0.96 ; - whatever the investigated material, a self-ion-induced pre-damaging does not modify the initial helium profile extent. The influence of the post-implantation thermal treatment remains preponderant in any case; - the apparent diffusion coefficient of helium is in the range 4 * 10 -18 - 2 * 10 -17 m 2 s -1 in TiC0.96 and 3.5 * 10 -19 - 5.3 * 10 -18 m 2 s -1 in TiN 0.96 between

  11. Effect of 3.0 MeV helium implantation on electrical characteristics of 4H-SiC BJTs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Usman, Muhammad; Hallen, Anders; Ghandi, Reza; Domeij, Martin, E-mail: musman@kth.s [Microelectronics and Applied Physics, School of Communication and Information Technology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Electrum 229, 16440 Kista (Sweden)

    2010-11-01

    Degradation of 4H-SiC power bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) under the influence of a high-energy helium ion beam was studied. Epitaxially grown npn BJTs were implanted with 3.0 MeV helium in the fluence range of 10{sup 10}-10{sup 11} cm{sup -2}. The devices were characterized by their current-voltage (I-V) behaviour before and after the implantation, and the results showed a clear degradation of the output characteristics of the devices. Annealing these implanted devices increased the interface traps between passivation oxide and the semiconductor, resulting in an increase of base current in the low-voltage operation range.

  12. Liquid helium plant in Dubna

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agapov, N.N.; Baldin, A.M.; Kovalenko, A.D.

    1995-01-01

    The liquid-helium cooling capacity installed at the Laboratory of High Energies is about 5 kw at a 4.5 K temperature level. It is provided with four industrial helium liquefiers of 1.6 kw/4.5 K each. They have been made by the Russian enterprise NPO GELYMASH and upgraded by the specialists of the Laboratory. The first one was put into operation in 1980, the two others in 1991, and the last one is under commissioning. The development of the LHE cryoplant was concerned with the construction of the new superconducting accelerator Nuclotron aimed to accelerate nuclei and heavy ions up to energies of 6 GeV/u. The first test run at the Nuclotron was carried out in March 1993, and the total running time has been about 2000 hours up to now. Since 1992 the cryoplant has been intensively used by the users outside the Laboratory. More than a million liters of liquid helium was provided in 1993 for such users. The reliability of the cryoplant system was as high as 98 percent for 4500 hours of operation in 1993-1994. 7 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

  13. Liquid helium

    CERN Document Server

    Atkins, K R

    1959-01-01

    Originally published in 1959 as part of the Cambridge Monographs on Physics series, this book addresses liquid helium from the dual perspectives of statistical mechanics and hydrodynamics. Atkins looks at both Helium Three and Helium Four, as well as the properties of a combination of the two isotopes. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the history of science and the study of one of the universe's most fundamental elements.

  14. Prodigious degassing of a billion years of accumulated radiogenic helium at Yellowstone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowenstern, Jacob B.; Evans, William C.; Bergfeld, D.; Hunt, Andrew G.

    2014-01-01

    Helium is used as a critical tracer throughout the Earth sciences, where its relatively simple isotopic systematics is used to trace degassing from the mantle, to date groundwater and to time the rise of continents1. The hydrothermal system at Yellowstone National Park is famous for its high helium-3/helium-4 isotope ratio, commonly cited as evidence for a deep mantle source for the Yellowstone hotspot2. However, much of the helium emitted from this region is actually radiogenic helium-4 produced within the crust by α-decay of uranium and thorium. Here we show, by combining gas emission rates with chemistry and isotopic analyses, that crustal helium-4 emission rates from Yellowstone exceed (by orders of magnitude) any conceivable rate of generation within the crust. It seems that helium has accumulated for (at least) many hundreds of millions of years in Archaean (more than 2.5 billion years old) cratonic rocks beneath Yellowstone, only to be liberated over the past two million years by intense crustal metamorphism induced by the Yellowstone hotspot. Our results demonstrate the extremes in variability of crustal helium efflux on geologic timescales and imply crustal-scale open-system behaviour of helium in tectonically and magmatically active regions.

  15. Temperature control for liquid-helium cryostats below 4.2 K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Escorne, M.; Mauger, A.

    1983-01-01

    We report the operational characteristics of a membrane type of manostat and of a throttle valve system which we have constructed to regulate the pressure P above the liquid-helium bath. The choice of the manostat rather than the other device depends on the nature of the experiments to be performed: in the membrane type of manostat, the temperature is determined with an accuracy limited by the fluctuations ΔT around the mean value T. With throttle valves, the accuracy is limited by the drift of T in time. The performance of both devices prove to be sufficiently good as they stand, since the departure from T in the course of the experiments is lower than 10 -2 K in the whole range 1.4< T<4.2 K, being well inside this limit below 2 K. The need for expensive and complex electronic regulations to improve the temperature control is thus exceptional

  16. Charged condensate and helium dwarf stars

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gabadadze, Gregory; Rosen, Rachel A, E-mail: gg32@nyu.edu, E-mail: rar339@nyu.edu [Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, Department of Physics, New York University, New York, NY 10003 (United States)

    2008-10-15

    White dwarf stars composed of carbon, oxygen and heavier elements are expected to crystallize as they cool down below certain temperatures. Yet, simple arguments suggest that the helium white dwarf cores may not solidify, mostly because of zero-point oscillations of the helium ions that would dissolve the crystalline structure. We argue that the interior of the helium dwarfs may instead form a macroscopic quantum state in which the charged helium-4 nuclei are in a Bose-Einstein condensate, while the relativistic electrons form a neutralizing degenerate Fermi liquid. We discuss the electric charge screening, and the spectrum of this substance, showing that the bosonic long-wavelength fluctuations exhibit a mass gap. Hence, there is a suppression at low temperatures of the boson contribution to the specific heat-the latter being dominated by the specific heat of the electrons near the Fermi surface. This state of matter may have observational signatures.

  17. On the helium gas leak test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishikawa, Akira; Ozaki, Susumu

    1975-01-01

    The helium gas leak test (Helium mass spectrometer testing) has a leak detection capacity of the highest level in practical leak tests and is going to be widely applied to high pressure vessels, atomic and vacuum equipments that require high tightness. To establish a standard test procedure several series of experiments were conducted and the results were investigated. The conclusions are summarized as follows: (1) The hood method is quantitatively the most reliable method. The leak rate obtained by tests using 100% helium concentration should be the basis of the other method of test. (2) The integrating method, bell jar method, and vacuum spray method can be considered quantitative when particular conditions are satisfied. (3) The sniffer method is not to be considered quantitive. (4) The leak rate of the hood, integrating, and bell jar methods is approximately proportional to the square of the helium partial pressure. (auth.)

  18. High-temperature helium-loop facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tokarz, R.D.

    1981-09-01

    The high-temperature helium loop is a facility for materials testing in ultrapure helium gas at high temperatures. The closed loop system is capable of recirculating high-purity helium or helium with controlled impurities. The gas loop maximum operating conditions are as follows: 300 psi pressure, 500 lb/h flow rate, and 2100 0 F temperature. The two test sections can accept samples up to 3.5 in. diameter and 5 ft long. The gas loop is fully instrumented to continuously monitor all parameters of loop operation as well as helium impurities. The loop is fully automated to operate continuously and requires only a daily servicing by a qualified operator to replenish recorder charts and helium makeup gas. Because of its versatility and high degree of parameter control, the helium loop is applicable to many types of materials research. This report describes the test apparatus, operating parameters, peripheral systems, and instrumentation system. The experimental capabilities and test conand presents the results that have been obtained. The study has been conducted using a four-phase approach. The first phase develops the solution to the steady-state radon-diffusion equation in one-dimensieered barriers; disposal charge analysis; analysis of spent fuel policy implementation; spent f water. Field measurements and observations are reported for each site. Analytical data and field measurements are presented in tables and maps. Uranium concentrations in the sediments which were above detection limits ranged from 0.10 t 51.2 ppM. The mean of the logarithms of the uranium concentrations was 0.53. A group of high uranium concentrations occurs near the junctions of quadrangles AB, AC, BB, a 200 mK. In case 2), x-ray studies of isotopic phase separation in 3 He-- 4 He bcc solids were carried out by B. A. Fraass

  19. New helium spectrum variable and a new helium-rich star

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walborn, N.R.

    1974-01-01

    HD 184927, known previously as a helium-rich star, has been found to have a variable helium spectrum; the equivalent widths of five He I lines are larger by an average of 46 percent on a 1974 spectrogram than on one obtained with the same equipment in 1970. HD 186205 has been found to be a new, pronounced helium-rich star. (auth)

  20. Preliminary Overview of a Helium Cooling System for the Secondary Helium Loop in VHTR-based SI Hydrogen Production Facilities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shin, Youngjoon; Cho, Mintaek; Kim, Dahee; Lee, Taehoon; Lee, Kiyoung; Kim, Yongwan [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-05-15

    Nuclear hydrogen production facilities consist of a very high temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor (VHTR) system, intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) system, and a sulfur-iodine (SI) thermochemical process. This study focuses on the coupling system between the IHX system and SI thermochemical process. To prevent the propagation of the thermal disturbance owing to the abnormal operation of the SI process components from the IHX system to the VHTR system, a helium cooling system for the secondary helium of the IHX is required. In this paper, the helium cooling system has been studied. The temperature fluctuation of the secondary helium owing to the abnormal operation of the SI process was then calculated based on the proposed coupling system model. Finally, the preliminary conceptual design of the helium cooling system with a steam generator and forced-draft air-cooled heat exchanger to mitigate the thermal disturbance has been carried out. A conceptual flow diagram of a helium cooling system between the IHX and SI thermochemical processes in VHTR-based SI hydrogen production facilities has been proposed. A helium cooling system for the secondary helium of the IHX in this flow diagram prevents the propagation of the thermal disturbance from the IHX system to the VHTR system, owing to the abnormal operation of the SI process components. As a result of a dynamic simulation to anticipate the fluctuations of the secondary helium temperature owing to the abnormal operation of the SI process components with a hydrogen production rate of 60 mol·H{sub 2}/s, it is recommended that the maximum helium cooling capacity to recover the normal operation temperature of 450 .deg. C is 31,933.4 kJ/s. To satisfy this helium cooling capacity, a U-type steam generator, which has a heat transfer area of 12 m{sup 2}, and a forced-draft air-cooled condenser, which has a heat transfer area of 12,388.67 m{sup 2}, are required for the secondary helium cooling system.

  1. KSTAR Helium Refrigeration System Design and Manufacturing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dauguet, P.; Briend, P.; Abe, I.; Fauve, E.; Bernhardt, J.-M.; Andrieu, F.; Beauvisage, J.

    2006-01-01

    The tokamak developed in the KSTAR (Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research) project makes intensive use of superconducting magnets operated at 4.5 K. The cold components of the KSTAR tokamak require forced flow of supercritical helium for magnets/structure, boiling liquid helium for current leads, and gaseous helium for thermal shields. The cryogenic system will provide stable operation and full automatic control. A three-pressure helium cycle composed of six turbines has been customised design for this project. The '' design '' operating mode results with a system composed of a 9 kW refrigerator (including safety margin) and using gas and liquid storages for mass balancing. During Shot/Standby mode, the heat loads are highly time-dependent. A thermal damper is used to smooth these variations and will allow stable operation. (author)

  2. Resource letter SH-1: superfluid helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hallock, R.B.

    1982-01-01

    The resource letter covers the general subject of superfluid helium and treats 3 He and 3 He-- 4 He mixtures as well as 4 He. No effort has been made to include the fascinating experiments on either solid helium or the equally fascinating work on adsorbed helium where the helium coverage is below that necessary for superfluidity. An earlier resource letter by C. T. Lane [Am. J. Phys. 35, 367 (1967)] may be consulted for additional comments on some of the cited earlier manuscripts, but the present work is self-contained and may be used independently. Many high-quality research reports have not been cited here. Rather, the author has tried in most cases to include works particularly readable or relevant. There is a relatively heavy emphasis on experimental references. The primary reason is that these works tend to be more generally readable. No doubt some works that might have been included, have not, and for this the author takes responsibility with apology. Articles selected for incorporation in a reprint volume (to be published separately by the American Association of Physics Teachers) are marked with an asterisk(*). Following each referenced work the general level of difficulty is indicated by E, I, or A for elementary, intermediate, or advanced

  3. Microscopic model for the non-linear fluctuating hydrodynamic of 4 He superfluid helium deduced by maximum entropy method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alvarez R, J.T.

    1998-01-01

    This thesis presents a microscopic model for the non-linear fluctuating hydrodynamic of superfluid helium ( 4 He), model developed by means of the Maximum Entropy Method (Maxent). In the chapter 1, it is demonstrated the necessity to developing a microscopic model for the fluctuating hydrodynamic of the superfluid helium, starting from to show a brief overview of the theories and experiments developed in order to explain the behavior of the superfluid helium. On the other hand, it is presented the Morozov heuristic method for the construction of the non-linear hydrodynamic fluctuating of simple fluid. Method that will be generalized for the construction of the non-linear fluctuating hydrodynamic of the superfluid helium. Besides, it is presented a brief summary of the content of the thesis. In the chapter 2, it is reproduced the construction of a Generalized Fokker-Planck equation, (GFP), for a distribution function associated with the coarse grained variables. Function defined with aid of a nonequilibrium statistical operator ρhut FP that is evaluated as Wigneris function through ρ CG obtained by Maxent. Later this equation of GFP is reduced to a non-linear local FP equation from considering a slow and Markov process in the coarse grained variables. In this equation appears a matrix D mn defined with a nonequilibrium coarse grained statistical operator ρhut CG , matrix elements are used in the construction of the non-linear fluctuating hydrodynamics equations of the superfluid helium. In the chapter 3, the Lagrange multipliers are evaluated for to determine ρhut CG by means of the local equilibrium statistical operator ρhut l -tilde with the hypothesis that the system presents small fluctuations. Also are determined the currents associated with the coarse grained variables and furthermore are evaluated the matrix elements D mn but with aid of a quasi equilibrium statistical operator ρhut qe instead of the local equilibrium operator ρhut l -tilde. Matrix

  4. Helium the disappearing element

    CERN Document Server

    Sears, Wheeler M

    2015-01-01

    The subject of the book is helium, the element, and its use in myriad applications including MRI machines, particle accelerators, space telescopes, and of course balloons and blimps. It was at the birth of our Universe, or the Big Bang, where the majority of cosmic helium was created; and stellar helium production continues. Although helium is the second most abundant element in the Universe, it is actually quite rare here on Earth and only exists because of radioactive elements deep within the Earth. This book includes a detailed history of the discovery of helium, of the commercial industry built around it, how the helium we actually encounter is produced within the Earth, and the state of the helium industry today. The gas that most people associate with birthday party balloons is running out. “Who cares?” you might ask. Well, without helium, MRI machines could not function, rockets could not go into space, particle accelerators such as those used by CERN could not operate, fiber optic cables would not...

  5. On the mechanism of formation of the Efimov states in the helium 4He trimer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kolganova, E.A.; Motovilov, A.K.

    1998-01-01

    A mechanism of disappearance and formation of the Efimov levels of the helium 4 He 3 trimer is studied when the force of interatomic interaction is changed. It is shown that these levels arise from virtual levels which are in turn formed from (quasi)resonances settled on the real axis. The resonances including virtual levels are calculated by the method based on the solution of the boundary value problem, at complex energies, for the Faddeev differential equations describing the scattering processes (2 + 1 → 2 + 1; 1 + 1 + 1). All the calculations are performed with the known interatomic Aziz He-He-potential HFD-B. A very strong repulsive component of this potential at short distances between helium atoms is approximated by a hard core. A special attention is paid to the substantiation of the method used for computing resonances and to the investigation of its applicability range

  6. Helium-Charged La-Ni-Al Thin Films Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi Liqun; Chen Deming; Xu Shilin; Liu Chaozhu; Hao Wanli; Zhou Zhuyin

    2005-01-01

    An advanced implantation of low energy helium-4 atoms during the La-Ni-Al film growth by adopting magnetron sputtering with Ar/He mixture gases is discussed. Both proton backscattering spectroscopy (PBS) and elastic recoil detection (ERD) analyses were adopted to measure helium concentration of the films and distribution in the near-surface region. Helium atoms with a high concentration incorporate evenly in deposited film. The introduction of the helium with no extra irradiation damage is expected by choosing suitable deposition conditions. It was found that amorphous and crystalline LaNi 5 -type structures can be achieved when sputtered with pure Ar and Ar/He mixture gases at room temperature, respectively. Thermal desorption experiments proposes that a part of hydrogen atoms are bound to trapped helium at crystal and releases together with helium. Only a small fraction of helium is released from the helium-vacancy clusters in lower temperature range and most of helium is released from small size helium bubbles in the high temperature range

  7. Continuous magnetic refrigeration in the superfluid helium range

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lacaze, Alain.

    1982-10-01

    An experimental prototype magnetic refrigerator based on the well known adiabatic demagnetization principle is described. A continuous process is employed in which gadolinium garnet follows successive magnetization-demagnetization cycles between a hot liquid helium source at 4.2K and a cold superfluid helium source at T [fr

  8. Helium isotopes in rocks, waters and gases of the earth's crust

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tolstikhin, L.H.

    1984-01-01

    In this chapter the distribution of helium isotopes in various samples (rocks, minerals, terrestrial fluids, gases etc.) is interpreted from the genetic point of view, namely what sources and processes provide the abundance of helium isotopes observed in a sample. The mixing of mantle, juvenile helium with pure radiogenic helium is the main process responsible for the helium isotope composition in any sample of the earth's crust, the share of each component (reflected in the 3 He/ 4 He ratio) depending on the history of the tectono-magnetic activity in the given region. A specific chemical composition of a rock or mineral, peculiarities of losses or trapping and a peculiar kind of distribution of radioactive elements can lead to unusual isotopic ratios of 3 He/ 4 He in radiogenic helium. Lastly, technogenic radioactive isotopes are widespread in nature; one of them, tritium ( 3 H), yields 3 He excess in terrestrial waters. (orig.)

  9. Construction and testing of a double acting bellows liquid helium pump

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burns, W.A.; Green, M.A.; Ross, R.R.; Van Slyke, H.

    1980-05-01

    The double acting reciprocating bellows liquid helium pump built and tested at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory is described. The pump is capable of delivering 50 gs -1 of liquid helium to supply the two-phase cooling sytem for a large superconducting magnet. The pump is driven by a torque motor at room temperature; the reciprocating motion is transmitted to the pump through a shaft which operates between room temperature and 4 0 K. The design details of this liquid helium pump are presented. The helium pump has operated in a helium bath and in pumped forced flow helium circuits. The results of these experimental tests are presented in this report

  10. A liquid helium saver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Avenel, O.; Der Nigohossian, G.; Roubeau, P.

    1976-01-01

    A cryostat equipped with a 'liquid helium saver' is described. A mass flow rate M of helium gas at high pressure is injected in a counter-flow heat exchanger extending from room to liquid helium temperature. After isenthalpic expansion through a calibrated flow impedance this helium gas returns via the low pressure side of the heat exchanger. The helium boil-off of the cryostat represents a mass flow rate m, which provides additional precooling of the incoming helium gas. Two operating regimes appear possible giving nearly the same efficiency: (1) high pressure (20 to 25 atm) and minimum flow (M . L/W approximately = 1.5) which would be used in an open circuit with helium taken from a high pressure cylinder; and (2) low pressure (approximately = 3 atm), high flow (M . L/W > 10) which would be used in a closed circuit with a rubber diaphragm pumping-compressing unit; both provide a minimum theoretical boil-off factor of about 8%. Experimental results are reported. (U.K.)

  11. Tables of thermodynamic properties of helium magnet coolant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McAshan, M.

    1992-07-01

    The most complete treatment of the thermodynamic properties of helium at the present time is the monograph by McCarty: ''Thermodynamic Properties of Helium 4 from 2 to 1500 K at Pressures to 10 8 Pa'', Robert D. McCarty, Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, Vol. 2, page 923--1040 (1973). In this work the complete range of data on helium is examined and the P-V-T surface is described by an equation of state consisting of three functions P(r,T) covering different regions together with rules for making the transition from one region to another. From this thermodynamic compilation together with correlations of the transport properties of helium was published the well-known NBS Technical Note: ''Thermophysical Properties of Helium 4 from 2 to 1500 K with pressures to 1000 Atmospheres'', Robert D. McCarty, US Department of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards Technical Note 631 (1972). This is the standard reference for helium cryogenics. The NBS 631 tables cover a wide range of temperature and pressure, and as a consequence, the number of points tabulated in the region of the single phase coolant for the SSC magnets are relatively few. The present work sets out to cover the range of interest in more detail in a way that is consistent with NBS 631. This new table is essentially identical to the older one and can be used as an auxiliary to it

  12. Diffusion of helium and nucleation-growth of helium-bubbles in metallic materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Chonghong; Chen Keqin; Wang Yinshu

    2001-01-01

    Studies of diffusion and aggregation behaviour of helium in metallic materials are very important to solve the problem of helium embrittlement in structural materials used in the environment of nuclear power. Experimental studies on helium diffusion and aggregation in austenitic stainless steels in a wide temperature range have been performed in authors' research group and the main results obtained are briefly summarized. The mechanism of nucleation-growth of helium-bubbles has been discussed and some problems to be solved are also given

  13. Mutual-friction induced instability of normal-fluid vortex tubes in superfluid helium-4

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kivotides, Demosthenes

    2018-06-01

    It is shown that, as a result of its interactions with superfluid vorticity, a normal-fluid vortex tube in helium-4 becomes unstable and disintegrates. The superfluid vorticity acquires only a small (few percents of normal-fluid tube strength) polarization, whilst expanding in a front-like manner in the intervortex space of the normal-fluid, forming a dense, unstructured tangle in the process. The accompanied energy spectra scalings offer a structural explanation of analogous scalings in fully developed finite-temperature superfluid turbulence. A macroscopic mutual-friction model incorporating these findings is proposed.

  14. Effect of helium on tensile properties of vanadium alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, H.M.; Billone, M.C.; Smith, D.L. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)

    1997-08-01

    Tensile properties of V-4Cr-4Ti (Heat BL-47), 3Ti-1Si (BL-45), and V-5Ti (BL-46) alloys after irradiation in a conventional irradiation experiment and in the Dynamic Helium Charging Experiment (DHCE) were reported previously. This paper presents revised tensile properties of these alloys, with a focus on the effects of dynamically generated helium of ductility and work-hardening capability at <500{degrees}C. After conventional irradiation (negligible helium generation) at {approx}427{degrees}C, a 30-kg heat of V-4Cr-4Ti (BL-47) exhibited very low uniform elongation, manifesting a strong susceptibility to loss of work-hardening capability. In contrast, a 15-kg heat of V-3Ti-1Si (BL -45) exhibited relatively high uniform elongation ({approx}4%) during conventional irradiation at {approx}427{degrees}C, showing that the heat is resistant to loss of work-hardening capability.

  15. Diffusion of helium in the Sun

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noerdlinger, P D [Michigan State Univ., East Lansing (USA). Dept. of Astronomy and Astrophysics; Amsterdam Univ. (Netherlands). Sterrenkundig Instituut)

    1977-05-01

    I have reduced the set of diffusion and flow equations developed by Burgers for a multi-component gas to a workable scheme for the actual evaluation of the relative diffusion of hydrogen and helium in stars. Previous analyses have used the Aller and Chapman equations, which apply only to trace constitutents and whose coefficients are not believed to be as accurate as Burgers'. Furthermore, the resulting equations have been combined consistently with Paczynski's stellar evolution code to demonstrate small but significant effects in the Sun, from the thermal and gravitational settling of Helium. The core helium content of a 1 M star goes up about 0.04 and the surface helium content down by about -0.03 in 4.5 10/sup 9/ years. The results are still somewhat uncertain because of uncertainties in the underlying plasma physics, and further research is suggested. In any case, the diffusion process speeds up with time, due to increased temperature gradient, and it will be of interest to follow the process in older stars and in later stellar evolution.

  16. Exotic helium molecules; Molecules exotiques d'helium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Portier, M

    2007-12-15

    We study the photo-association of an ultracold cloud of magnetically trapped helium atoms: pairs of colliding atoms interact with one or two laser fields to produce a purely long range {sup 4}He{sub 2}(2{sup 3}S{sub 1}-2{sup 3}P{sub 0}) molecule, or a {sup 4}He{sub 2}(2{sup 3}S{sub 1}-2{sup 3}S{sub 1}) long range molecule. Light shifts in one photon photo-association spectra are measured and studied as a function of the laser polarization and intensity, and the vibrational state of the excited molecule. They result from the light-induced coupling between the excited molecule, and bound and scattering states of the interaction between two metastable atoms. Their analysis leads to the determination of the scattering length a = (7.2 {+-} 0.6) ruling collisions between spin polarized atoms. The two photon photo-association spectra show evidence of the production of polarized, long-range {sup 4}He{sub 2}(2{sup 3}S{sub 1}-2{sup 3}S{sub 1}) molecules. They are said to be exotic as they are made of two metastable atoms, each one carrying a enough energy to ionize the other. The corresponding lineshapes are calculated and decomposed in sums and products of Breit-Wigner and Fano profiles associated to one and two photon processes. The experimental spectra are fit, and an intrinsic lifetime {tau} = (1.4 {+-} 0.3) {mu}s is deduced. It is checked whether this lifetime could be limited by spin-dipole induced Penning autoionization. This interpretation requires that there is a quasi-bound state close to the dissociation threshold in the singlet interaction potential between metastable helium atoms for the theory to match the experiment. (author)

  17. Helium release from neutron-irradiated Li{sub 2}O single crystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamaki, Daiju; Tanifuji, Takaaki; Noda, Kenji [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    1998-03-01

    Helium release behavior in post-irradiation heating tests was investigated for Li{sub 2}O single crystals which had been irradiated with thermal neutrons in JRR-4 and JRR-2, and fast neutrons in FFTF. It is clarified that the helium release curves from JRR-4 and JRR-2 specimens consists of only one broad peak. From the dependence of the peak temperatures on the neutron fluence and the crystal diameter, and the comparison with the results obtained for sintered pellets, it is considered that the helium generated in the specimen is released through the process of bulk diffusion with trapping by irradiation defects such as some defect clusters. For the helium release from FFTF specimens, two broad peaks were observed in the release curves. It is considered to suggest that two different diffusion paths exist for helium migration in the specimen, that is, bulk diffusion and diffusion through the micro-crack due to the heavy irradiation. In addition, helium bubble formation after irradiation due to the high temperature over 800K is suggested. (J.P.N.)

  18. Pitch angle distribution of trapped energetic protons and helium isotope nuclei measured along the Resurs-01 No. 4 LEO satellite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Leonov

    2005-11-01

    Full Text Available The NINA detector on board the Resurs-01 No. 4 satellite (835 km, 98° inclination is equipped with particle trackers based on silicon strip detectors. From the energy deposited in each of its silicon layers the mass, the momentum direction and energy of incident particles have been determined. The resolutions in mass and energy allow identification of H and He isotopes over the 10-50 MeV/n energy range. The angular resolution is about 2.5°. We present the direct measurements of proton and helium isotopes pitch angle distributions derived from Resurs-01 No.4/NINA observations and their variations as functions of (B, L coordinates and energy. The measurements of trapped helium isotopes spectrum are also presented.

  19. The role of plumes in mantle helium fluxes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kellogg, L.H.; Wasserburg, G.J.

    1990-01-01

    We present a simple model of 3 He and 4 He transport in the mantle using the appropriate rates of mass and species transfer and 4 He production. Previous workers have shown the presence of excess 3 He in hotspots such as Hawaii and Iceland and inferred that these hotspots tap a source with a higher 3 He/ 4 He ratio than the source region of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB). Hotspot ocean islands probably originate over upwelling plumes which carry material from the lower mantle to the upper mantle. Melting at hotspots and at mid-ocean ridges degasses the mantle of volatiles such as helium. The upper mantle is outgassed largely of helium due to melting at mid-ocean ridges and hotspots. We postulate that the excess 3 He seen in MORB originates in material that was carried from the lower mantle in plumes but not completely outgassed at hotspots. This helium is incoporated into the depleted upper mantle. Assuming that the upper mantle is in a quasi-steady-state with respect to helium, a simple model balancing 3 He and 4 He fluxes in the upper mantle indicates that the hotspots significantly outgas the lower mantle of 3 He. The concentration of 4 He in the plume source reservoir is 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than the concentration in carbonaceous chondrites. The residence time of helium in the upper mantle depends on the outgassing efficiency at hotspots, since the hotspots may outgas some upper mantle material which has been entrained in the plumes. The residence time of He in the upper mantle is about 1.4x10 9 yr. We conclude that the efficiency of outgassing of He from plumes is high and that the plumes dominate the present 3 He loss to the atmosphere. The 4 He in the less depleted layer of the mantle is not trapped ''primordial'' but is predominantly from in situ decay of U and Th in the depleted layer over ≅ 1.4x10 9 yr. The 4 He in the lower mantle is dominantly from in situ decay of U and Th over 4.4x10 9 yr. (orig./WL)

  20. Screw compressor system for industrial-scale helium refrigerators or industrial ammonia screw compressors for helium refrigeration systems; Schraubenkompressor-System fuer Helium-Grosskaelteanlage oder Ammoniak-Schraubenverdichter aus Industrieanwendungen fuer Helium-Kaelteanlagen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fredrich, O.; Mosemann, D.; Zaytsev, D. [GEA Grasso GmbH Refrigeration Technology, Berlin (Germany)

    2007-07-01

    Material characteristics, requirements and measured data of ammonia and helium compression are compared. The compressor lines for industrial ammonia and helium refrigerators are presented, and important characteristics of the compressors are explained. The test stand for performance measurements with helium and ammonia is described, and results are presented. In spite of the different characteristics of the fluids, the compressor-specific efficiencies (supply characteristic, quality characteristic) were found to be largely identical. The values calculated for helium on the basis of NH3 test runs were found to be realistic, which means that the decades of experience with ammonia in industrial applications can be applied to helium compression as well. The design of screw compressor aggregates (skids) in industrial refrigeration is discussed and illustrated by examples. (orig.)

  1. Development of helium isotopic database in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kusano, Tomohiro; Asamori, Koichi; Umeda, Koji

    2012-09-01

    We constructed “Helium Isotopic Database in Japan”, which includes isotope ratios of noble gases and chemical compositions of gas samples collected from hot springs and drinking water wells. The helium isotopes are excellent natural tracers for indicating the presence of mantle derived volatiles, because they are chemically inert and thus conserved in crustal rock-water systems. It is common knowledge that mantle degassing does not occur homogeneously over the Earth's surface. The 3 He/ 4 He ratios higher than the typical crustal values are interpreted to indicate that transfer of mantle volatiles into the crust by processes or mechanisms such as magmatic intrusion, faulting. In particular the spatial variation of helium isotope ratios could provide a valuable information to identify volcanic regions and tectonically active areas. The database was compiled geochemical data of hot spring gas etc. from 108 published papers. As a result of the data compiling, the database has 1728 helium isotopic data. A CD-ROM is attached as an appendix. (author)

  2. Technologies of 1.8 K / 2.4 kW helium refrigerators and cold compressors for LHC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saji, Nobuyoshi; Yoshinaga, Seiichirou; Asakura, Hiroshi; Shimba, Toru; Honda, Tadaaki; Mori, Mikio

    2005-01-01

    For the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) project of the CERN (Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire), the Swiss-Japanese consortium IHI/Linde Kryotechnik AG delivered a 1.8 K helium refrigeration system. Linde has produced many helium refrigeration systems and IHI has designed and manufactured cold compressors that utilize many advanced technologies and innovative ideas for turbo machinery. The compressor has the characteristics of the highest efficiency in the world. This paper describes the 1.8 K helium refrigeration system and performance test results at CERN. (author)

  3. Properties of vanadium-base alloys irradiated in the Dynamic Helium Charging Experiment*1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, H. M.; Loomis, B. A.; Smith, D. L.

    1996-10-01

    One property of vanadium-base alloys that is not well understood in terms of their potential use a fusion reactor structural materials, is the effect of simultaneous generation of helium and neutron damage. In the present Dynamic Helium Charging Experiment (DHCE), helium was produced uniformly in the specimen at linear rates of ≈ 0.4 to 4.2 appm helium/dpa by the decay of tritium during irradiation to 18-31 dpa at 425-600°C in Li-filled capsules in a sodium-cooled fast reactor. This paper presents results of postirradiation examination and tests of microstructure and mechanical properties of V5Ti, V3Ti1Si, V8Cr6Ti, and V4Cr4Ti (the latter alloy has been identified as the most promising candidate vanadium alloy). Effects of helium on tensile strength and ductility were insignificant after irradiation and testing at > 420°C. However, postirradiation ductilities at irradiation. Ductile—brittle transition behavior of the DHCE specimens was also determined from bend tests and fracture appearance of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) disks and broken tensile specimens. No brittle behavior was observed at temperatures > - 150°C in DHCE specimens. Predominantly brittle-cleavage fracture morphologies were observed only at - 196°C in some specimens that were irradiated to 31 dpa at 425°C during the DHCE. For the helium generation rates in this experiment (≈ 0.4-4.2 appm He/dpa), grain-boundary coalescence of helium microcavities was negligible and intergranular fracture was not observed.

  4. Self-trapping of helium in metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, W.D.; Bisson, C.L.; Baskes, M.I.

    1981-01-01

    Atomistic calculations are presented which demonstrate that helium atoms in a metal lattice are able to cluster with each other, producing vacancies and nearby self-interstitial defects. Even a small number of helium atoms is found to be sufficient to create these large distortions. As few as five interstitial helium can spontaneously produce a lattice vacancy and nearby self-interstitial. An eight-helium-atom cluster gives rise to two such defects, and 16 helium atoms to more than five self-interstitial vacancy pairs. It was noted that the self-interstitials prefer to agglomerate on the same ''side'' of the helium cluster rather than to spread themselves out uniformly. The binding energy of each additional helium atom to these clusters increases with helium concentration and the trap is apparently unsaturable. A rate theory using these atomistic binding energies has been used to calculate the kinetics of helium-bubble nucleation and growth. The results are consistent with measurements of the properties of helium resulting from tritium decay

  5. Improvement of helium characteristics using argon in cylindrical ion source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdel salam, F.W.; El-Khabeary, H.; Abdel reheem, A.M.; Kassem, N.E.; Ahmed, M.M.

    2004-01-01

    the discharge characteristics of pure helium gas were measured at different pressures in the range of 10 -4 torr. in order o improve its characteristics, argon gas was added . different percentages of argon gas ,1%,2%,3%,4%,5%,10% and 20% were used at constant values of pressures . Measurements of the efficiency of the cylindrical ion source in case of adding different percentages of argon gas to pure helium gas were made . an optimum value of the output ion beam current was obtained when 2% argon gas was added to pure helium gas . an output ion beam current of 105 μA was obtained at a pressure of 7X10 -4 torr inside the vacuum chamber and discharge current of 0.6 m A

  6. Study of the short distance interaction between two nucleons in helium-3 and helium-4 nuclei through (e,e'p) reaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Le Goff, Jean-Marc

    1991-01-01

    A recent experiment has shown that it was possible to scatter inelastically on a pair of nucleons interacting at short distance inside a 3-Helium nucleus without interacting with the third nucleon. In order to study the same process in a more compact nucleus, 4-Helium, we have measured the cross section of the 4 He(e,e'p)x reaction for recoil momenta between 225 and 500 MeV/c. This experiment clearly exhibits a pair of nucleons interacting inside the 4-helium nucleus. From the kinematical point of view, the continuum shows a 'bumpy' shape, this bump shifts with increasing recoil momentum in a characteristic way. From the dynamical point of view, an overall agreement is observed between the data and a microscopic calculation, this calculation predicts that scattering on an interacting pair is the dominant process. Furthermore, above 250 MeV/c, the momentum distribution in the continuum appears very close to the momentum distribution of deuterium. In order to get a better understanding of the reaction mechanism in these measurements of high momentum, we have performed a transverse longitudinal separation of the 3 He(e,e'p)x cross section at the highest possible recoil momentum, 260 MeV/c. Since the two responses involve different couplings (respectively magnetic and coulomb coupling), this technique provides us with a very good test of our understanding of the reaction. The experimental responses have been compared to a microscopic calculation. This calculation cannot reproduce simultaneously the two responses. According to the wave function, it either slightly overestimates the longitudinal and strongly underestimates the transverse, or it clearly overestimates the longitudinal and slightly underestimates the transverse. It is interesting to consider the ratio between the integral of the longitudinal and the transverse one, since it is independent of the wave function: its theoretical value is 0.429, whereas a ratio of 0.175±0.046±0.049 is

  7. Helium production cross section Measurement of Pb and Sn for 14.9 MeV neutrons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takao, Yoshiyuki; Fujimoto, Toshihiro; Ozaki, Shuji; Muramasu, Masatomo; Nakashima, Hideki [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan); Kanda, Yukinori; Ikeda, Yujiro

    1998-03-01

    Helium production cross sections of lead and tin for 14.9 MeV neutrons were measured by helium accumulation method. Lead and tin samples were irradiated with FNS, an intense d-T neutron source of JAERI. The amount of helium produced in the samples by the neutron irradiation was measured with the Helium Atoms Measurement System (HAMS) at Kyushu University. As the samples contained a small amount of helium because of their small helium production cross sections at 14.9 MeV, the samples were evaporated by radiation from a tungsten filament to decrease background gases at helium measurement. Uncertainties of the present results were less than {+-}4.4%. The results were compared with other experimental data in the literature and also compared with the evaluated values in JENDL-3.2. (author)

  8. Convective mixing in helium white dwarfs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vauclair, G.; Fontaine, G.

    1979-01-01

    The conditions under which convective mixing episodes take place between the helium envelopes and the underlying carbon layers in helium-rich white dwarfs are investigated. It is found that, for essentially any value of the initial helium content less than the maximum mass a helium convection zone can have, mixing does occur, and leads, in the vast majority of cases, to an almost pure carbon superficial composition. Mixing products that show only traces of carbon while retaining helium-dominated envelopes are possible only if the initial helium content is quite close to the maximum possible mass of the helium convection zone. In the presence of turbulence, this restriction could be relaxed, however, and the helium-rich lambda4670 stars may possibly be explained in this fashion

  9. Friendly fermions of helium-three

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leggatt, T.

    1976-01-01

    The importance of helium in showing up the effects of atomic indistinguishability and as a material by which to test some of the most fundamental principles of quantum mechanics is discussed. Helium not only remains liquid down to zero temperature but of the two isotopes helium-three has intrinsic spin 1/2 and should therefore obey the Pauli principle, while helium-four has spin zero and is expected to undergo Bose condensation. Helium-three becomes superfluid at temperatures of a few thousandths of a degree above absolute zero by the bulk liquid collecting its atoms into spinning pairs. There are three different superfluid phases, now conveniently called A, B and A 1 and each is characterised by a different behaviour of the spin and/or relative angular motion of the atoms composing the Cooper pairs. Problems surrounding the complicated physical system of helium-three are discussed. It is suggested that the combined coherence and directionality of superfluid helium-three should create some fascinating physics. (U.K.)

  10. Helium turbo-expander with an alternator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akiyama, Yoshitane

    1980-01-01

    Study was made on a helium turbo-expander, the heart of helium refrigerator systems, in order to develop a system which satisfies the required conditions. A helium turbo-expander with externally pressurized helium gas bearings at the temperature of liquid nitrogen and an alternator as a brake have been employed. The essential difference between a helium turbo-expander and a nitrogen turbo-expander was clarified. The gas bearing lubricated with nitrogen at room temperature and the gas bearing lubricated with helium at low temperature were tested. The flow rate of helium in a helium refrigerator for a large superconducting magnet is comparatively small, therefore a helium turbine must be small, but the standard for large turbine design can be applied to such small turbine. Using the alternator as a brake, the turbo-expander was easily controllable electrically. The prototype turbo-expander was made, and the liquefaction test with it and MHD power generation test were carried out. (Kako, I.)

  11. Exotic helium molecules; Molecules exotiques d'helium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Portier, M

    2007-12-15

    We study the photo-association of an ultracold cloud of magnetically trapped helium atoms: pairs of colliding atoms interact with one or two laser fields to produce a purely long range {sup 4}He{sub 2}(2{sup 3}S{sub 1}-2{sup 3}P{sub 0}) molecule, or a {sup 4}He{sub 2}(2{sup 3}S{sub 1}-2{sup 3}S{sub 1}) long range molecule. Light shifts in one photon photo-association spectra are measured and studied as a function of the laser polarization and intensity, and the vibrational state of the excited molecule. They result from the light-induced coupling between the excited molecule, and bound and scattering states of the interaction between two metastable atoms. Their analysis leads to the determination of the scattering length a = (7.2 {+-} 0.6) ruling collisions between spin polarized atoms. The two photon photo-association spectra show evidence of the production of polarized, long-range {sup 4}He{sub 2}(2{sup 3}S{sub 1}-2{sup 3}S{sub 1}) molecules. They are said to be exotic as they are made of two metastable atoms, each one carrying a enough energy to ionize the other. The corresponding lineshapes are calculated and decomposed in sums and products of Breit-Wigner and Fano profiles associated to one and two photon processes. The experimental spectra are fit, and an intrinsic lifetime {tau} = (1.4 {+-} 0.3) {mu}s is deduced. It is checked whether this lifetime could be limited by spin-dipole induced Penning autoionization. This interpretation requires that there is a quasi-bound state close to the dissociation threshold in the singlet interaction potential between metastable helium atoms for the theory to match the experiment. (author)

  12. Operating Manual of Helium Refrigerator (Rev. 2)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, K.M.; Son, S.H.; Kim, K.S.; Lee, S.K.; Kim, M.S. [Korea Electric Power Research Institute, Taejon (Korea)

    2002-07-01

    A helium refrigerator was installed as a supplier of 20K cold helium to the cryogenic distillation system of WTRF pilot plant. The operating procedures of the helium refrigerator, helium compressor and auxiliary apparatus are described for the safety and efficient operation in this manual. The function of the helium refrigerator is to remove the impurities from the compressed helium of about 250psig, to cool down the helium from ambient temperature to 20K through the heat exchanger and expansion engine and to transfer the cold helium to the cryogenic distillation system. For the smoothly operation of helium refrigerator, the preparation, the start-up, the cool-down and the shut-down of the helium refrigerator are described in this operating manual. (author). 3 refs., 14 tabs.

  13. Helium solubility and bubble growth in metals under high pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laakmann, J.

    1985-07-01

    Helium solubility and bubble growth in metals under high pressure polycrystals and single crystals of gold were heated in helium at temperatures between 475 K and 1250 K in a pressure regime of 200 to 2700 bar to measure the solubility of helium in gold. After quenching to room temperature the helium content, measured by mass spectrometry, showed the following properties: 1) A linear dependence of the He solubility on pressure. 2) Thinning of the specimen reduces the helium content by a factor 10 to 100 but does not change the linear pressure dependence. 3) The thermal release of He from thinned polycrystals and single crystals occurs mainly in a single peak at 500 K. 4) The He concentration of the thinned single crystals was lower by a factor of 10 to 50 than that of the thinned polycrystals. 5) The He solubility in single crystals can be described by an enthalpy of solution Hsub(s)sup(f) = 0.85 +- 0.7 eV and a non-configurational entropy of Ssub(s)sup(f) between 0 k and 1 k (k: Boltzmann-constant). In order to measure the pressure dependence of helium bubble growth in nickel polycrystal Ni-foils were α-implanted to a helium content of 130 appm. The evaluation of the size distribution of the helium bubbles after heat treatments shows 1) The helium content of the observable bubbles - assumed to be in equilibrium - equals the amount of helium implanted into the specimen. 2) The activation energy for the growth of helium bubbles is 1.25 +- 0.3 eV. The comparison of specimen which had been heated at low pressures up to 10 bar with others heated at 2500-2700 bar does not show an unequivocal pressure dependence for helium bubble growth. (orig./IHOE) [de

  14. Ultralow temperature helium compressor for Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asakura, Hiroshi

    1988-01-01

    Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. started the development of an ultralow temperature helium compressor for helium liquefaction in 1984 jointly with Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, and has delivered the first practical machine to the Superconductive Magnet Laboratory of JAERI. For a large superconductive magnet to be used in the stable state for a fusion reactor, conventional superconductive materials (NbTi, NbTi 3 Sn, etc.) must be used, being cooled forcibly with supercritical helium. The supercritical helium which is compressed above the critical pressure of 228 kPa has a stable cooling effect since the thermal conductivity does not change due to the evaporation of liquid helium. In order to maintain the temperature of the supercritical helium below 4 K before it enters a magnet, a heat exchanger is used. The compressor that IHI has developed has the ability to reduce the vapor pressure of liquid helium from atmospheric pressure to 50.7 kPa, and can attain the temperature of 3.5 K. The specification of this single stage centrifugal compressor is: mass flow rate 25 - 64 g/s, speed 80,000 rpm, adiabatic efficiency 62 - 69 %. The structure and the performance are reported. (K.I.)

  15. RELAP/SCDAPSIM/MOD4.0 modification for transient accident scenario of Test Blanket Modules in ITER involving helium flows into heavy liquid metal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Freixa, J.; Pérez, M.; Mas de les Valls, E.; Batet, L.; Sandeep, T.; Chaudhari, V.; Reventós, F.

    2015-07-01

    The Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), India, is currently involved in the design and development of its Test Blanket Module (TBM) for testing in ITER (International Thermo nuclear Experimental Reactor). The Indian TBM concept is a Lead-Lithium cooled Ceramic Breeder (LLCB), which utilizes lead-lithium eutectic alloy (LLE) as tritium breeder, neutron multiplier and coolant. The first wall facing the plasma is cooled by helium gas. In preparation of the regulatory safety files of ITER-TBM, a number of off-normal event sequences have been postulated. Thermal hydraulic safety analyses of the TBM system will be carried out with the system code RELAP/SCDAPSIM/MOD4.0 which was initially designed to predict the behavior of light water reactor systems during normal and accidental conditions. In order to analyze some of the postulated off-normal events, there is the need to simulate the mixing of Helium and Lead-Lithium fluids. The Technical University of Catalonia is cooperating with IPR to implement the necessary changes in the code to allow for the mixing of helium and liquid metal. In the present study, the RELAP/SCDAPSIM/MOD4 two-phase flow 6-equations structure has been modified to allow for the mixture of LLE in the liquid phase with dry Helium in the gas phase. Practically obtaining a two-fluid 6-equation model where each fluid is simulated with a set of energy, mass and momentum balance equations. A preliminary flow regime map for LLE and helium flow has been developed on the basis of numerical simulations with the OpenFOAM CFD toolkit. The new code modifications have been verified for vertical and horizontal configurations. (Author)

  16. Relation between the conditions of helium ion implantation and helium void equilibrium parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neklyudov, I.M.; Rybalko, V.F.; Ruzhitskij, V.V.; Tolstolutskaya, G.D.

    1981-01-01

    The conditions of helium thermodynamic equilibrium in a system of voids produced by helium ion bombardment of a metal sample are studied. As an initial equation for description of the equilibrium the Clapeyron equation was used. The equation is obtained relating basic parameters of helium voids (average diameter and density) to irradiation parameters (dose, ion energy (straggling)) and properties of the metal (surface tension coefficient, yield strength). Comparison of the calculations with experimental data on helium in nickel found in literature shows that the equation yields satisfactory resutls for the dose range 1.10 16 -1x10 17 cm -2 and temperatures T [ru

  17. Laser Induced Fluorescence of Helium Ions in a Helicon Plasma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Compton, C. S.; Biloui, C.; Hardin, R. A.; Keesee, A. M.; Scime, E. E.; Boivin, R.

    2003-10-01

    The lack of a suitable Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) scheme for helium ions at visible wavelengths has prevented LIF from being employed in helium plasmas for measurements of ion temperature and bulk ion flow speeds. In this work, we will discuss our attempts to perform LIF of helium ions in a helicon source plasma using an infrared, tunable diode laser operating at 1012.36 nm. The infrared transition corresponds to excitation from the n = 4 level (4f ^2F) to the n = 5 (5g ^2G) level of singly ionized helium and therefore requires substantial electron temperatures (> 10 eV) to maintain an adequate ion population in the n = 4 state. Calculations using a steady state coronal model predict that the n = 4 state population will be 25% larger than the n = 5 population for our experimental conditions. The fluorescence decay from the n = 5 (5f ^2F) level of singly ionized helium level to the n = 3 (3d ^2D) level at 320.31 nm is monitored as the diode laser is swept through 10 GHz around the 1012.36 nm line. Note that the fluorescence emission requires a collisionally coupled transition between two different n = 5 quantum states. We will also present measurements of the emission intensities of both the 1012.36 nm and the 320.31 nm lines as a function of source neutral pressure, rf power, and plasma density. This work supported by the U.S. DoE EPSCoR Lab Partnership Program.

  18. Cooling with Superfluid Helium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lebrun, P; Tavian, L [European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneva (Switzerland)

    2014-07-01

    The technical properties of helium II (‘superfluid’ helium) are presented in view of its applications to the cooling of superconducting devices, particularly in particle accelerators. Cooling schemes are discussed in terms of heat transfer performance and limitations. Large-capacity refrigeration techniques below 2 K are reviewed, with regard to thermodynamic cycles as well as process machinery. Examples drawn from existing or planned projects illustrate the presentation. Keywords: superfluid helium, cryogenics.

  19. Laser Spectroscopy of Antiprotonic Helium Atoms

    CERN Multimedia

    2002-01-01

    %PS205 %title\\\\ \\\\Following the discovery of metastable antiprotonic helium atoms ($\\overline{p}He^{+} $) at KEK in 1991, systematic studies of their properties were made at LEAR from 1991 to 1996. In the first two years the lifetime of $\\overline{p}He^{+}$ in liquid and gaseous helium at various temperatures and pressures was measured and the effect of foreign gases on the lifetime of these atoms was investigated. Effects were also discovered which gave the antiproton a 14\\% longer lifetime in $^4$He than in $^3$He, and resulted in important differences in the shape of the annihilation time spectra in the two isotopes.\\\\ \\\\Since 1993 laser spectroscopy of the metastable $\\overline{p}He^{+}$ atoms became the main focus of PS205. Transitions were stimulated between metastable and non-metastable states of the $\\overline{p}He^{+}$ atom by firing a pulsed dye laser beam into the helium target every time an identified metastable atom was present (Figure 1). If the laser frequency matched the transition energy, the...

  20. Electron capture in collisions of S4+ with helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, J.G.; Stancil, P.C.; Turner, A.R.; Cooper, D.L.; Schultz, D.R.; Rakovic, M.J.; Fritsch, W.; Zygelman, B.

    2002-01-01

    Charge transfer due to collisions of ground-state S 4+ (3s 2 1 S) ions with helium is investigated for energies between 0.1 meV u -1 and 10 MeV u -1 . Total and state-selective single electron capture (SEC) cross sections and rate coefficients are obtained utilizing the quantum mechanical molecular-orbital close-coupling (MOCC), atomic-orbital close-coupling (AOCC), classical trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC) and continuum distorted wave methods. The MOCC calculations utilize ab initio adiabatic potentials and nonadiabatic radial coupling matrix elements obtained with the spin-coupled valence-bond approach. Previous data are limited to a calculation of the total SEC rate coefficient using the Landau-Zener model that is, in comparison to the results presented here, three orders of magnitude smaller. The MOCC SEC cross sections at low energy reveal a multichannel interference effect. True double capture is also investigated with the AOCC and CTMC approaches while autoionizing double capture and transfer ionization (TI) is explored with CTMC. SEC is found to be the dominant process except for E>200 keV u -1 when TI becomes the primary capture channel. Astrophysical implications are briefly discussed. (author)

  1. Electron capture in collisions of S4+ with helium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, J. G.; Turner, A. R.; Cooper, D. L.; Schultz, D. R.; Rakovic, M. J.; Fritsch, W.; Stancil, P. C.; Zygelman, B.

    2002-07-01

    Charge transfer due to collisions of ground-state S4+(3s2 1S) ions with helium is investigated for energies between 0.1 meV u-1 and 10 MeV u-1. Total and state-selective single electron capture (SEC) cross sections and rate coefficients are obtained utilizing the quantum mechanical molecular-orbital close-coupling (MOCC), atomic-orbital close-coupling (AOCC), classical trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC) and continuum distorted wave methods. The MOCC calculations utilize ab initio adiabatic potentials and nonadiabatic radial coupling matrix elements obtained with the spin-coupled valence-bond approach. Previous data are limited to a calculation of the total SEC rate coefficient using the Landau-Zener model that is, in comparison to the results presented here, three orders of magnitude smaller. The MOCC SEC cross sections at low energy reveal a multichannel interference effect. True double capture is also investigated with the AOCC and CTMC approaches while autoionizing double capture and transfer ionization (TI) is explored with CTMC. SEC is found to be the dominant process except for E>200 keV u-1 when TI becomes the primary capture channel. Astrophysical implications are briefly discussed.

  2. The thermodynamic properties of normal liquid helium 3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Modarres, M.; Moshfegh, H. R.

    2009-09-01

    The thermodynamic properties of normal liquid helium 3 are calculated by using the lowest order constrained variational (LOCV) method. The Landau Fermi liquid model and Fermi-Dirac distribution function are considered as our statistical model for the uncorrelated quantum fluid picture and the Lennard-Jones and Aziz potentials are used in our truncated cluster expansion (LOCV) to calculate the correlated energy. The single particle energy is treated variationally through an effective mass. The free energy, pressure, entropy, chemical potential and liquid phase diagram as well as the helium 3 specific heat are evaluated, discussed and compared with the corresponding available experimental data. It is found that the critical temperature for the existence of the pure gas phase is about 4.90 K (4.45 K), which is higher than the experimental prediction of 3.3 K, and the helium 3 flashing temperature is around 0.61 K (0.50 K) for the Lennard-Jones (Aziz) potential.

  3. Bed system performance in helium circulation mode

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Yean Jin; Jung, Kwang Jin; Ahn, Do Hee; Chung, Hong Suk [UST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Hee Suk [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Yun, Sei Hun [NFRI, Deajeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-05-15

    As a part of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Project, We have conducted an experiment for storing hydrogen to depleted uranium and zirconium cobalt. The helium blanket effect has been observed in experiments using metal hydrides. The collapse of the hydrogen isotopes are accompanied by the decay heat and helium-3. Helium-3 dramatically reduces the hydrogen isotope storage capacity by surrounding the metal. This phenomenon is called a helium blanket effect. In addition the authors are working on the recovery and removal techniques of helium-3. In this paper, we discuss the equipment used to test the helium blanket effect and the results of a helium circulation experiment. The helium-3 produced surrounds the storage material surface and thus disturbs the reaction of the storage material and the hydrogen isotope. Even if the amount of helium-3 is small, the storage capacity of the SDS bed significantly drops. This phenomenon is the helium blanket effect. To resolve this phenomenon, a circulating loop was introduced. Using a circulating system, helium can be separated from the storage material. We made a helium loop that includes a ZrCo bed. Then using a metal bellows pump, we tested the helium circulation.

  4. Helium supply demand in future years

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laverick, C.

    1975-01-01

    Adequate helium will be available to the year 2000 AD to meet anticipated helium demands for present day applications and the development of new superconducting technologies of potential importance to the nation. It is almost certain that there will not be enough helium at acceptable financial and energy cost after the turn of the century to meet the needs of the many promising helium based technologies now under development. Serious consideration should be given to establishing priorities in development and application based upon their relative value to the country. In the first half of the next century, three ways of estimating helium demand lead to cumulative ranges of from 75 to 125 Gcf (economic study), 89 to 470 Gcf (projected national energy growth rates) and 154 to 328 Gcf (needs for new technologies). These needs contrast with estimated helium resources in natural gas after 2000 AD which may be as low as 10 or 126 Gcf depending upon how the federal helium program is managed and the nation's natural gas resources are utilized. The technological and financial return on a modest national investment in further helium storage and a rational long term helium program promises to be considerable

  5. Surface electrons of helium films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Studart, N.; Hipolito, O.

    1986-01-01

    Theoretical calculations of some properties of two-dimensional electrons on a liquid helium film adsorbed on a solid substrate are reviewed. We describe the spectrum of electron bound states on bulk helium as well on helium films. The correlational properties, such as the structure factor and correlation energy, are determined as functions of the film thickness for different types of substrates in the framework of a Generalized Random-Phase Approximation. The collective excitations of this system are also described. The results for electrons on the surface of thin films and bulk helium are easily obtained. we examine the electron interaction with the excitations of the liquid helium surface resulting in a new polaron state, which was observed very recently. The ground state energy and the effective mass of this polaron are determined by using the path-integral formalism and unitary-transformation method. Recent speculations about the phase diagram of electrons on the helium film are also discussed. (Author) [pt

  6. Helium dilution refrigerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1973-01-01

    A new system of continuous heat exchange for a helium dilution refrigerator is proposed. The 3 He effluent tube is concurrent with the affluent mixed helium tube in a vertical downward direction. Heat exchange efficiency is enhanced by placing in series a number of elements with an enlarged surface area

  7. Rotary magnetic refrigerator for superfluid helium production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hakuraku, Y.; Ogata, H.

    1986-01-01

    A new rotary-magnetic refrigerator designed to obtain superfluid helium temperatures by executing a magnetic Carnot cycle is developed. A rotor containing 12 magnetic refrigerants (gadolinium-gallium-garnet) is immersed in liquid helium at 4.2 K and rotated at constant speed in a steady magnetic field distribution. Performance tests demonstrate that the new rotary refrigerator is capable of obtaining a temperature of 1.48 K. The maximum useful cooling power obtained at 1.8 K is 1.81 W which corresponds to a refrigeration efficiency of 34%

  8. Configuration and testing of a saturated vapor helium compressor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ludwigsen, J.L.; Iwasa, Y.; Smith, J.L.

    1986-01-01

    A saturated vapor helium compressor was designed and tested as a component of a helium-temperature refrigeration cycle. The use of the cold compressor allows reduction of both the precooling heat exchanger area and main compressor size compared to a conventional cycle due to increased pressure of the return gas. The compressor tested was a single-piston reciprocating device which was controlled with programmable hydraulic/pneumatic logic. The compressor was mounted at the cold end of a CTI Model 1400 helium liquefier. An average compression ratio of 2.4 was obtained and an average efficiency of 82% was achieved. In computing compressor efficiency, external heat leaks to the compressor were neglected

  9. Operations aspects of the Fermilab Central Helium Liquefier facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geynisman, M.G.; Makara, J.N.

    1996-09-01

    The Fermilab Central Helium Liquefier (CHL) facility consists of helium and nitrogen reliquefier plants operated 24 hours-a-day to supply LHe at 4.6 K and LN 2 for the Fermilab Tevatron superconducting proton-antiproton collider ring and to recover warm return gases. Operating aspects of CHL, including different equipment and systems reliability, availability, maintenance experience, safety concerns, and economics aspects are discussed

  10. Operations aspects of the Fermilab Central Helium Liquefier Facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geynisman, M.G.; Makara, J.N.

    1995-03-01

    The Fermilab Central Helium Liquefier (CHL) facility consists of helium and nitrogen reliquefier plants operated 24 hours-a-day to supply LHe at 4.6 degrees K and LN 2 for the Fermilab Tevatron superconducting proton-antiproton collider ring and to recover warm return gases. Operating aspects of CHL, including different equipment and systems reliability, availability, maintenance experience, safety concerns, and economics aspects are discussed

  11. Small machinery for pumping and compressing helium near 40K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swift, W.L.; Sixsmith, H.

    1984-01-01

    There is a significant need for small, reliable pumps and compressors suitable for circulating helium at temperatures near 4 0 K. Most pumps or compressors which have been developed to data for these applications are designed for relatively limited use. They are generally used in laboratory environments where life requirements for the experiments may be relatively short, being of the order of several hundred hours. In recent years, several applications have been identified where pumps or compressors (at liquid helium temperatures) must have high reliability if they are to be used successfully. These applications include liquid helium circulation systems through superconducting magnets and transmission lines, and cold compression applications where the compressor is used as a vacuum pump to lower the temperature of a liquid helium bath. This paper discusses the technical considerations which must be taken into account in the design and development of machinery to meet these needs. The design of a centrifugal machine which can act as a helium pump or compressor is presented

  12. Backscattered Helium Spectroscopy in the Helium Ion Microscope: Principles, Resolution and Applications

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Gastel, Raoul; Hlawacek, G.; Dutta, S.; Poelsema, Bene

    2015-01-01

    We demonstrate the possibilities and limitations for microstructure characterization using backscattered particles from a sharply focused helium ion beam. The interaction of helium ions with matter enables the imaging, spectroscopic characterization, as well as the nanometer scale modification of

  13. Cost Analysis of NEDU’s Helium Reclaimer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1981-09-01

    T ITLE (and Subtitle) S . TYPE OF REPORT 6 PERIOD COVERED COST ANALYSIS OF NEDU’S HELIUM RECLAIMER . Survey 6 . PERFORMING ORG. REPORT NUMSER 7...telephone conversation). 5. Charles T. Horngren , "Introduction tu Management Accounting " Fourth Edition. 3 . .4m mmnssmmlm~ • FIGURE 1 PRESENT, FUTURE AND...FEET COST OF PERIODIC MAINTENANCE OF HELIUM ELECTRIiC COST COST OF TOTAL RECLAIMED POWER NEW COST PRESENT WORTH YEAR N PER YEAR ( S /1000 FT

  14. Thermohydraulics of a horizontal diphasic flow of superfluid helium; Thermo-hydraulique d'un ecoulement horizontal d'helium superfluide diphasique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perraud, S

    2007-12-15

    This study aims at characterizing helium two phase flows, and to identify the dependence of their characteristics on various thermo-hydraulic parameters: vapour velocity, liquid height, vapour density, specificities of superfluidity. Both the engineer and the physicist's points of view are taken into consideration: the first one in terms of optimization of a particular cooling scheme based on a two-phase flow, and these second one in terms of more fundamental atomization-related questions. It has been shown that for velocities around 3 to 4 m/s, the liquid phase that was initially stratified undergoes an atomization through the presence of a drop haze carried by the vapor phase.This happens for superfluid helium as well as for normal helium without main differences on atomization.

  15. A 6 kW at 4.5 K helium refrigerator for CERN's Cryogenic Test Station

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gistau, G.M.; Bonneton, M.

    1994-01-01

    For purposes of testing the present LEP superconducting resonant cavities and the future LHC magnets, CERN built a test station the cryogenic power of which is presently supplied by a dedicated 6 kW at 4.5 K helium refrigerator. The thermodynamic cycle is discussed and special emphasis is put on a new cryogenic expansion turbine operating in the liquid phase. Information is given about: the cycle screw compressors' performances, the general performance of the refrigerator, the expected efficiency enhancement due to the liquid turbine, an off-design turn down operation

  16. Characteristics of an activated carbon monolith for a helium adsorption compressor

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lozano-Castello, D.; Jorda-Beneyto, M.; Cazorla-Amoros, D.; Linares-Solano, A.; Burger, Johannes Faas; ter Brake, Hermanus J.M.; Holland, Herman J.

    2010-01-01

    An activated carbon monolith (ACM) with a high helium adsorption/desorption capacity, high density, low pressure drop, low thermal expansion and good mechanical properties was prepared and applied successfully in a helium adsorption compressor as a part of a 4.5 K sorption cooler. The activated

  17. Test of a cryogenic helium pump

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lue, J.W.; Miller, J.R.; Walstrom, P.L.; Herz, W.

    1981-01-01

    The design of a cryogenic helium pump for circulating liquid helium in a magnet and the design of a test loop for measuring the pump performance in terms of mass flow vs pump head at various pump speeds are described. A commercial cryogenic helium pump was tested successfully. Despite flaws in the demountable connections, the piston pump itself has performed satisfactorily. A helium pump of this type is suitable for the use of flowing supercritical helium through Internally Cooled Superconductor (ICS) magnets. It has pumped supercritical helium up to 7.5 atm with a pump head up to 2.8 atm. The maximum mass flow rate obtained was about 16 g/s. Performance of the pump was degraded at lower pumping speeds

  18. ELECTRON ENERGY DECAY IN HELIUM AFTERGLOW PLASMAS AT CRYOGENIC TEMPERATURES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goldan, P. D.; Cahn, J. H.; Goldstein, L.

    1963-10-15

    Studies of decaying afterglow plasmas in helium were ined near 4 deg K by immersion in a liquid helium bath. By means of a Maser Radiometer System, the electron temperature was followed below 200 deg K. Guided microwave propagation and wave interaction techniques premit determination of election number density and collision frequencies for momentum transfer. Electron temperature decay rates of the order of 150 mu sec/p(mm Hg alpha 4.2 deg K) were found. Since thermal relaxation by elastic collisions should be some two orders of magnitude faster than this, the electrons appear to be in quasiequilibrium with a slowly decaying internal heating source. Correlation of the expected decay rates of singlet metastable helium atoms with the electron temperature decay gives good agreement with the present experiment. (auth)

  19. Constraints on helium enhancement in the globular cluster M4 (NGC 6121): The horizontal branch test

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Valcarce, A. A. R.; De Medeiros, J. R. [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Departamento de Física, 59072-970 Natal, RN (Brazil); Catelan, M. [Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Centro de Astroingeniería, Av. Vicuña Mackena 4860, 782-0436 Macul, Santiago (Chile); Alonso-García, J. [Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Instituto de Astrofísica, Facultad de Física, Av. Vicuña Mackena 4860, 782-0436 Macul, Santiago (Chile); Cortés, C. [Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Departamento de Física, Av. José Pedro Alessandri 774, Santiago (Chile)

    2014-02-20

    Recent pieces of evidence have revealed that most, and possibly all, globular star clusters are composed of groups of stars that formed in multiple episodes with different chemical compositions. In this sense, it has also been argued that variations in the initial helium abundance (Y) from one population to the next are also the rule, rather than the exception. In the case of the metal-intermediate globular cluster M4 (NGC 6121), recent high-resolution spectroscopic observations of blue horizontal branch (HB) stars (i.e., HB stars hotter than the RR Lyrae instability strip) suggest that a large fraction of blue HB stars are second-generation stars formed with high helium abundances. In this paper, we test this scenario by using recent photometric and spectroscopic data together with theoretical evolutionary computations for different Y values. Comparing the photometric data with the theoretically derived color-magnitude diagrams, we find that the bulk of the blue HB stars in M4 have ΔY ≲ 0.01 with respect to the cluster's red HB stars (i.e., HB stars cooler than the RR Lyrae strip)—a result which is corroborated by comparison with spectroscopically derived gravities and temperatures, which also favor little He enhancement. However, the possible existence of a minority population on the blue HB of the cluster with a significant He enhancement level is also discussed.

  20. Constraints on helium enhancement in the globular cluster M4 (NGC 6121): The horizontal branch test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valcarce, A. A. R.; De Medeiros, J. R.; Catelan, M.; Alonso-García, J.; Cortés, C.

    2014-01-01

    Recent pieces of evidence have revealed that most, and possibly all, globular star clusters are composed of groups of stars that formed in multiple episodes with different chemical compositions. In this sense, it has also been argued that variations in the initial helium abundance (Y) from one population to the next are also the rule, rather than the exception. In the case of the metal-intermediate globular cluster M4 (NGC 6121), recent high-resolution spectroscopic observations of blue horizontal branch (HB) stars (i.e., HB stars hotter than the RR Lyrae instability strip) suggest that a large fraction of blue HB stars are second-generation stars formed with high helium abundances. In this paper, we test this scenario by using recent photometric and spectroscopic data together with theoretical evolutionary computations for different Y values. Comparing the photometric data with the theoretically derived color-magnitude diagrams, we find that the bulk of the blue HB stars in M4 have ΔY ≲ 0.01 with respect to the cluster's red HB stars (i.e., HB stars cooler than the RR Lyrae strip)—a result which is corroborated by comparison with spectroscopically derived gravities and temperatures, which also favor little He enhancement. However, the possible existence of a minority population on the blue HB of the cluster with a significant He enhancement level is also discussed.

  1. Thermal-hydraulic optimization of flexible transfer lines for liquid helium; Thermohydraulische Optimierung flexibler Transferleitungen fuer Fluessighelium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dittmar, Nico; Haberstroh, Christoph; Hesse, U. [Technische Univ. Dresden (Germany). Bitzer-Stiftungsprofessur fuer Kaelte-, Kryo- und Kompressorentechnik; Wolfram, M.; Krzyzowski, M.; Raccanelli, A. [CryoVac Gesellschaft fuer Tieftemperaturtechnik mbH und Co. KG, Troisdorf (Germany)

    2014-07-01

    Cooling systems and applications at very low temperatures are based on the use of liquid helium as cryogenic agent; the normal boiling temperature of helium-4 is 4.2 K. Due to the restricted economic production possibilities and the high energetic expenditure for helium liquefaction an efficient and sustainable handling with the resources is recommended. In university facilities the liquid helium is usually stored in containers and filled into smaller containers for transport using cryogenic transfer lines. This procedure can cause 20% loss by evaporation due to heat input and friction pressure losses. The gaseous helium has to be collected for re-liquefaction. The contribution shows that using systematic measurements an increase of the transfer rate and the efficiency of the helium filling system can be reached by a modified transfer line design.

  2. Low temperature calorimetry and transmission electron microscopy of helium bubbles in Cu

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Syskakis, E.

    1985-08-01

    Helium has been introduced into 100 μm thick pure Cu specimens by implantation of α-particles at T = 300 K. Post-implantation annealing of the specimens at high temperatures caused helium to precipitate into bubbles. We have measured the low-temperature heat capacity of helium confined in bubbles of average radius of less than 100 A. The size of the bubbles was obtained by transmission electron microscope investigations. We have observed that helium liquifies at low temperatures and undergoes the transition to the superfluid state in bubbles of average radius larger than 35 A. The confining geometry of bubbles is new and possesses unique features for investigations of confined helium. It provides the possibility to study properties of extremely small, spherical, completely isolated Bose ''particles'' consisting of 10 4 helium atoms each. Furthermore, as we show, it can be known with better accuracy than formerly investigated confining geometries. (orig./BHO)

  3. Does One Need a 4.5 K Screen in Cryostats of Superconducting Accelerator Devices Operating in Superfluid Helium? Lessons from the LHC

    CERN Document Server

    Lebrun, Ph; Tavian, L

    2014-01-01

    Superfluid helium is increasingly used as a coolant for superconducting devices in particle accelerators: the lower temperature enhances the performance of superconductors in high-field magnets and reduces BCS losses in RF acceleration cavities, while the excellent transport properties of superfluid helium can be put to work in efficient distributed cooling systems. The thermodynamic penalty of operating at lower temperature however requires careful management of the heat loads, achieved inter alia through proper design and construction of the cryostats. A recurrent question appears to be that of the need and practical feasibility of an additional screen cooled by normal helium at around 4.5 K surrounding the cold mass at about 2 K, in such cryostats equipped with a standard 80 K screen. We introduce the issue in terms of first principles applied to the configuration of the cryostats, discuss technical constraints and economical limitations, and illustrate the argumentation with examples taken from large proj...

  4. Theoretical and experimental investigation of magnetic field related helium leak in helium vessel of a large superconducting magnet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattachryya, Pranab; Gupta, Anjan Dutta; Dhar, S.; Sarma, P. R.; Mukherjee, Paramita

    2017-06-01

    The helium vessel of the superconducting cyclotron (SCC) at the Variable Energy Cyclotron centre (VECC), Kolkata shows a gradual loss of insulation vacuum from 10-7 mbar to 10-4 mbar with increasing coil current in the magnet. The insulation vacuum restores back to its initial value with the withdrawal of current. The origin of such behavior has been thought to be related to the electromagnetic stress in the magnet. The electromagnetic stress distribution in the median plane of the helium vessel was studied to figure out the possible location of the helium leak. The stress field from the possible location was transferred to a simplified 2D model with different leak geometries to study the changes in conductance with coil current. The leak rate calculated from the changes in the leak geometry was compared with the leak rate calculated from the experimental insulation vacuum degradation behavior to estimate the initial leak shape and size.

  5. Tritium decay helium-3 effects in tungsten

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Shimada

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Tritium (T implanted by plasmas diffuses into bulk material, especially rapidly at elevated temperatures, and becomes trapped in neutron radiation-induced defects in materials that act as trapping sites for the tritium. The trapped tritium atoms will decay to produce helium-3 (3He atoms at a half-life of 12.3 years. 3He has a large cross section for absorbing thermal neutrons, which after absorbing a neutron produces hydrogen (H and tritium ions with a combined kinetic energy of 0.76 MeV through the 3He(n,HT nuclear reaction. The purpose of this paper is to quantify the 3He produced in tungsten by tritium decay compared to the neutron-induced helium-4 (4He produced in tungsten. This is important given the fact that helium in materials not only creates microstructural damage in the bulk of the material but alters surface morphology of the material effecting plasma-surface interaction process (e.g. material evolution, erosion and tritium behavior of plasma-facing component materials. Effects of tritium decay 3He in tungsten are investigated here with a simple model that predicts quantity of 3He produced in a fusion DEMO FW based on a neutron energy spectrum found in literature. This study reveals that: (1 helium-3 concentration was equilibrated to ∼6% of initial/trapped tritium concentration, (2 tritium concentration remained approximately constant (94% of initial tritium concentration, and (3 displacement damage from 3He(n,HT nuclear reaction became >1 dpa/year in DEMO FW.

  6. Hydrogen and helium shell burning during white dwarf accretion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Xiao; Meng, Xiang-Cun; Han, Zhan-Wen

    2018-05-01

    Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are believed to be thermonuclear explosions of carbon oxygen (CO) white dwarfs (WDs) with masses close to the Chandrasekhar mass limit. How a CO WD accretes matter and grows in mass to this limit is not well understood, hindering our understanding of SN Ia explosions and the reliability of using SNe Ia as a cosmological distance indicator. In this work, we employed the stellar evolution code MESA to simulate the accretion process of hydrogen-rich material onto a 1.0 M ⊙ CO WD at a high rate (over the Eddington limit) of 4.3 × 10‑7 M ⊙ yr‑1. The simulation demonstrates the characteristics of the double shell burning on top of the WD, with a hydrogen shell burning on top of a helium burning shell. The results show that helium shell burning is not steady (i.e. it flashes). Flashes from the helium shell are weaker than those in the case of accretion of helium-rich material onto a CO WD. The carbon to oxygen mass ratio resulting from the helium shell burning is higher than what was previously thought. Interestingly, the CO WD growing due to accretion has an outer part containing a small fraction of helium in addition to carbon and oxygen. The flashes become weaker and weaker as the accretion continues.

  7. Liquid helium-cooled MOSFET preamplifier for use with astronomical bolometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goebel, J. H.

    1977-01-01

    A liquid helium-cooled p-channel enhancement mode MOSFET, the 3N167, is found to have sufficiently low noise for use as a preamplifier with helium-cooled bolometers that are used in infrared astronomy. Its characteristics at 300, 77, and 4.2 K are presented. It is also shown to have useful application with certain photoconductive and photovoltaic infrared detectors.

  8. Determination of migration of ion-implanted helium in silica by proton backscattering spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Szakacs, G. [KFKI Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, P.O. Box 49, H-1525 Budapest (Hungary); Szilagyi, E. [KFKI Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, P.O. Box 49, H-1525 Budapest (Hungary)], E-mail: szilagyi@rmki.kfki.hu; Paszti, F.; Kotai, E. [KFKI Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, P.O. Box 49, H-1525 Budapest (Hungary)

    2008-04-15

    Understanding the processes caused by ion implantation of light ions in dielectric materials such as silica is important for developing the diagnostic systems used in fusion and fission environments. Recently, it has been shown that ion-implanted helium is able to escape from SiO{sub 2} films. To study this process in details, helium was implanted into the central part of a buried SiO{sub 2} island up to a fluence of 4 x 10{sup 17} He/cm{sup 2}. The implanted helium could be detected in the SiO{sub 2} island, if the oxide was insulated properly from the vacuum. The shape of the helium depth distributions was far from SRIM simulation because helium distributed in the whole 1 {mu}m thick oxide layer. After the ion implantation, helium was observed only on the implanted spot. After nine months the implanted helium filled out the whole oxide island as it was expected from the high diffusivity.

  9. Determination of migration of ion-implanted helium in silica by proton backscattering spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Szakacs, G.; Szilagyi, E.; Paszti, F.; Kotai, E.

    2008-01-01

    Understanding the processes caused by ion implantation of light ions in dielectric materials such as silica is important for developing the diagnostic systems used in fusion and fission environments. Recently, it has been shown that ion-implanted helium is able to escape from SiO 2 films. To study this process in details, helium was implanted into the central part of a buried SiO 2 island up to a fluence of 4 x 10 17 He/cm 2 . The implanted helium could be detected in the SiO 2 island, if the oxide was insulated properly from the vacuum. The shape of the helium depth distributions was far from SRIM simulation because helium distributed in the whole 1 μm thick oxide layer. After the ion implantation, helium was observed only on the implanted spot. After nine months the implanted helium filled out the whole oxide island as it was expected from the high diffusivity

  10. Chromatographic method of measurement of helium concentration in underground waters for dating in hydrological questions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Najman, J.

    2008-04-01

    Research methods which use natural environmental indicators are widely applied in hydrology. Different concentrations of indicators and their isotopic components in ground waters allow to determine the genesis of waters and are valuable source of information about the water flow dynamics. One of the significant indicator is helium. The concentration of 4 He (helium) in ground water is a fine indicator in water dating in a range from a hundreds to millions of years (Aeschbach-Hertig i in., 1999; Andrews i in., 1989; Castro i in., 2000; Zuber i in., 2007). 4 He is also used for dating young waters of age about 10 years (Solomon i in., 1996). Thesis consist the description of elaborated in IFJ PAN in Krakow chromatographic measurement method of helium concentration in ground waters in aim of dating. Chapter 1 contain short introduction about ground water dating and chapter 2 description of helium property and chosen applications of helium for example in technology and earthquake predictions. Helium sources in ground waters are described in chapter 3. Helium concentration in water after infiltration (originated from atmosphere) to the ground water system depends mainly on the helium concentration coming from the equilibration with the atmosphere increased by additional concentration from '' excess air ''. With the increasing resistance time of ground water during the flow, radiogenic, non-atmospheric component of helium dissolves also in water. In chapter 4 two measurement methods of helium concentration in ground waters were introduced: mass spectrometric and gas chromatographic method. Detailed description of elaborated chromatographic measurement method of helium concentration in ground water contain chapter 5. To verify developed method the concentration of helium in ground waters from the regions of Krakow and Busko Zdroj were measured. For this waters the concentrations of helium are known from the earlier mass spectrometric measurements. The results of

  11. Lamb shift in helium-like uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Munger, C.T. Jr.

    1987-01-01

    The author reports an experimental value of 70.4 (8.3) ev for the one-electron Lamb shift in uranium, in agreement with the theoretical value of 75.3 (0.4) ev. He extracts the Lamb shift from a beam-foil time-of-flight measurement of the 54.4 (3.4) ps lifetime of the 1s2p/sub 1/2/ 3 P 0 state of helium-like (two electron) uranium

  12. Contribution to the experimental study of the polarized liquid helium-3; Contributions a l'etude experimentale de l'helium-3 liquide polarise

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Villard, B

    1999-07-15

    Spin-polarized liquid helium-3 is prepared by laser optical pumping in low magnetic field and at room temperature, prior to fast liquefaction of the polarized sample. The use of a new helium-3 cryostat enabled us to obtain liquid helium-3 with polarization rates up to 25 % at well-stabilized temperatures (around 0.5 K). We could thereby study the effect of nuclear polarization on liquid-vapour equilibrium, and particularly on the saturated vapour pressure. Very sensitive capacitive gauges were developed. We estimated (to first order in M{sup 2}) the expected effects when the polarization M is suddenly destroyed. These effects were experimentally observed in helium-3/helium-4 mixtures, in pure helium-3, only a transient increase in pressure has been recorded. We then describe in a third part a preliminary experiment which aimed at determining the longitudinal relaxation time T1 in mixtures. Relaxation on the walls is efficiently reduced by a cesium coating and T1s of order 20 minutes were observed. A careful determination of the helium-3 concentration in the liquid phase was made. Finally we studied the effects of dipolar field on transverse polarisation decay in our strongly polarized samples. We observed the free precession of polarization after a NMR pulse, and analysed in detail its decay time constant as a function of different parameters. This time constant drastically varied with the tipping angle, an effect which could be linked to NMR dynamical instabilities. (author)

  13. Determination of helium in beryl minerals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Souza Barcellos, E. de.

    1985-08-01

    In order to obtain the diffusion coefficients of helium in beryl and phenacite samples at various temperatures, helium leak rates were measured in these minerals at these temperatures. Mass spectrometry (MS) was used to obtain helium leak rates and the gas flow was plotted against time. The gas quantity determined by MS was first obtained at various temperatures until no helium leak rate was detected. After that, these samples were irradiated with fast neutrons to produce helium which was measured again. This procedure was used to estimate the experimental error. The quantity of helium produced by interaction of gamma radiation with beryl minerals was theoretically calculated from the amount of thorium-232 at the neighbourhood of the samples. The quantity of helium produced in the minerals due to uranium and thorium decay was calculated using the amount of these heavy elements, and the results were compared with the amounts determined by MS. The amount of potassium-40 was determined in order to derive the quantity of argonium-40, since some workers found argonium in excess in these minerals. The quantity of helium in the beryl samples (s) was determined in the center and in the surface of the samples in order to obtain informations about the effectiveness of the Be(α, η) He reaction. Beryl and phenacite minerals were choosen in this research since they are opposite each other with respect to the helium contents. Both have beryllium in their compositon but beryl hold a large amount of helium while phenacite, in spite of having about three times more beryllium than beryl, do not hold the gas. (author) [pt

  14. Helium localisation in tritides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flament, J.L.; Lozes, G.

    1982-06-01

    Study of titanium and LaNi 5 type alloys tritides lattice parameters evolution revealed that helium created by tritium decay remains in interstitial sites up to a limit material dependant concentration. Beyond this one exceeding helium precipites in voids [fr

  15. Measurement of OH density and air-helium mixture ratio in an atmospheric-pressure helium plasma jet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yonemori, Seiya; Ono, Ryo; Nakagawa, Yusuke; Oda, Tetsuji

    2012-01-01

    The absolute density of OH radicals in an atmospheric-pressure helium plasma jet is measured using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). The plasma jet is generated in room air by applying a pulsed high voltage onto a quartz tube with helium gas flow. The time-averaged OH density is 0.10 ppm near the quartz tube nozzle, decreasing away from the nozzle. OH radicals are produced from water vapour in the helium flow, which is humidified by water adsorbed on the inner surface of the helium line and the quartz tube. When helium is artificially humidified using a water bubbler, the OH density increases with humidity and reaches 2.5 ppm when the water vapour content is 200 ppm. Two-dimensional distribution of air-helium mixture ratio in the plasma jet is also measured using the decay rate of the LIF signal waveform which is determined by the quenching rate of laser-excited OH radicals. (paper)

  16. Exotic helium molecules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Portier, M.

    2007-12-01

    We study the photo-association of an ultracold cloud of magnetically trapped helium atoms: pairs of colliding atoms interact with one or two laser fields to produce a purely long range 4 He 2 (2 3 S 1 -2 3 P 0 ) molecule, or a 4 He 2 (2 3 S 1 -2 3 S 1 ) long range molecule. Light shifts in one photon photo-association spectra are measured and studied as a function of the laser polarization and intensity, and the vibrational state of the excited molecule. They result from the light-induced coupling between the excited molecule, and bound and scattering states of the interaction between two metastable atoms. Their analysis leads to the determination of the scattering length a = (7.2 ± 0.6) ruling collisions between spin polarized atoms. The two photon photo-association spectra show evidence of the production of polarized, long-range 4 He 2 (2 3 S 1 -2 3 S 1 ) molecules. They are said to be exotic as they are made of two metastable atoms, each one carrying a enough energy to ionize the other. The corresponding lineshapes are calculated and decomposed in sums and products of Breit-Wigner and Fano profiles associated to one and two photon processes. The experimental spectra are fit, and an intrinsic lifetime τ = (1.4 ± 0.3) μs is deduced. It is checked whether this lifetime could be limited by spin-dipole induced Penning autoionization. This interpretation requires that there is a quasi-bound state close to the dissociation threshold in the singlet interaction potential between metastable helium atoms for the theory to match the experiment. (author)

  17. Wide-range vortex shedding flowmeter for high-temperature helium gas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baker, S.P.; Herndon, P.G.; Ennis, R.M. Jr.

    1983-01-01

    The existing design of a commercially available vortex shedding flowmeter (VSFM) was modified and optimized to produce three 4-in. and one 6-in. high-performance VSFMs for measuring helium flow in a gas-cooled fast reactor (GCFR) test loop. The project was undertaken because of the significant economic and performance advantages to be realized by using a single flowmeter capable of covering the 166:1 flow range (at 350/sup 0/C and 45:1 pressure range) of the tests. A detailed calibration in air and helium at the Colorado Engineering Experiment Station showed an accuracy of +-1% of reading for a 100:1 helium flow range and +-1.75% of reading for a 288:1 flow range in both helium and air. At an extended gas temperature of 450/sup 0/C, water cooling was necessary for reliable flowmeter operation.

  18. Helium nanodroplets. Pump-probe ionization of alkali dopings and spin-echo scattering on undoped drops; Helium-Nanotroepfchen. Pump-Probe-Ionisation von Alkalidotierungen und Spinechostreuung an undotierten Tropfen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Droppelmann, G.

    2005-09-15

    In the framework of this thesis several aspects of the properties of helium nanodroplets and their dopings. The formation of the exciplexes RbHe and KHe on helium droplets was studied by means of pump-probe ionization in real time, whereby the main interest lied on the influence of the applied helium isotopes. The experiments with cesium atoms on the droplet surface aimed on the elucidation of the relaxation dynamics of the surface under regardment both of isotope and size effects. From the pump-probe measurements on the formation of the exciplex RbHe on helium nanodroplets performed in the framework of this thesis formation times of 8.5 ps for Rb{sup 4}He and 11.6 ps for Rb{sup 3}He resulted.

  19. Neutral transport and helium pumping of ITER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruzic, D.N.

    1990-08-01

    A 2-D Monte-Carlo simulation of the neutral atom densities in the divertor, divertor throat and pump duct of ITER was made using the DEGAS code. Plasma conditions in the scrape-off layer and region near the separatrix were modeled using the B2 plasma transport code. Wall reflection coefficients including the effect of realistic surface roughness were determined by using the fractal TRIM code. The DEGAS and B2 coupling was iterated until a consistent recycling was predicted. Results were obtained for a helium and a deuterium/tritium mixture on 7 different ITER divertor throat geometries for both the physics phase reference base case and a technology phase case. The geometry with a larger structure on the midplane-side of the throat opening closing the divertor throat and a divertor plate which maintains a steep slope well into the throat removed helium 1.5 times better than the reference geometry for the physics phase case and 2.2 times better for the technology phase case. At the same time the helium to hydrogen pumping ratio shows a factor of 2.34 ± .41 enhancement over the ratio of helium to hydrogen incident on the divertor plate in the physics phase and an improvement of 1.61 ± .31 in the technology phase. If the helium flux profile on the divertor plate is moved outward by 20 cm with respect to the D/T flux profile for this particular geometry, the enhancement increases to 4.36 ± .90 in the physics phase and 5.10 ± .92 in the technology phase

  20. Evaluation of helium cooling for fusion divertors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baxi, C.B.

    1993-09-01

    The divertors of future fusion reactors will have a power throughput of several hundred MW. The peak heat flux on the diverter surface is estimated to be 5 to 15 MW/m 2 at an average heat flux of 2 MW/m 2 . The divertors have a requirement of both minimum temperature (100 degrees C) and maximum temperature. The minimum temperature is dictated by the requirement to reduce the absorption of plasma, and the maximum temperature is determined by the thermo-mechanical properties of the plasma facing materials. Coolants that have been considered for fusion reactors are water, liquid metals and helium. Helium cooling has been shown to be very attractive from safety and other considerations. Helium is chemically and neutronically inert and is suitable for power conversion. The challenges associated with helium cooling are: (1) Manifold sizes; (2) Pumping power; and (3) Leak prevention. In this paper the first two of the above design issues are addressed. A variety of heat transfer enhancement techniques are considered to demonstrate that the manifold sizes and the pumping power can be reduced to acceptable levels. A helium-cooled diverter module was designed and fabricated by GA for steady-state heat flux of 10 MW/m 2 . This module was recently tested at Sandia National Laboratories. At an inlet pressure of 4 MPa, the module was tested at a steady-state heat flux of 10 MW/m 2 . The pumping power required was less than 1% of the power removed. These results verified the design prediction

  1. Resistivity studies of interstitial helium mobility in niobium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, C.G.; Birnbaum, H.K.; Johnson, A.B. Jr.

    1979-01-01

    The mobility of interstitial helium in Nb and Nb-O alloys was studied in the temperature range of 10-383 K using resistivity measurements. The helium was introduced by radioactive decay of solute tritium (approximately 1 at%). At T < 100 K the resistivity increased due to conversion of tritium trapped at oxygen interstititals to helium. The formation of helium caused a very significant resistance increase at room temperature and above. The results suggest that helium is mobile at temperatures above 295 K and that the precipitation of large helium bubbles occurs along grain boundaries. The mobile helium species may either be single interstitials or small helium clusters. The activation enthalpy for the diffusion of the mobile helium species was estimated to be about 55 kJ/mol (0.66 eV). (Auth.)

  2. Helium-induced hardening effect in polycrystalline tungsten

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Fanhang; Qu, Miao; Yan, Sha; Zhang, Ailin; Peng, Shixiang; Xue, Jianming; Wang, Yugang

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, helium induced hardening effect of tungsten was investigated. 50 keV He2+ ions at fluences vary from 5 × 1015 cm-2 to 5 × 1017 cm-2 were implanted into polycrystalline tungsten at RT to create helium bubble-rich layers near the surface. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the irradiated specimens were studied by TEM and nano-indentor. Helium bubble rich layers are formed in near surface region, and the layers become thicker with the rise of fluences. Helium bubbles in the area of helium concentration peak are found to grow up, while the bubble density is almost unchanged. Obvious hardening effect is induced by helium implantation in tungsten. Micro hardness increases rapidly with the fluence firstly, and more slowly when the fluence is above 5 × 1016 cm-2. The hardening effect of tungsten can be attributed to helium bubbles, which is found to be in agreement with the Bacon-Orowan stress formula. The growing diameter is the major factor rather than helium bubbles density (voids distance) in the process of helium implantation at fluences below 5 × 1017 cm-2.

  3. Helium refrigeration system for BNL colliding beam accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, D.P.; Farah, Y.; Gibbs, R.J.; Schlafke, A.P.; Schneider, W.J.; Sondericker, J.H.; Wu, K.C.

    1983-01-01

    A Helium Refrigeration System which will supply the cooling required for the Colliding Beam Accelerator at Brookhaven National Laboratory is under construction. Testing of the compressor system is scheduled for late 1983 and will be followed by refrigerator acceptance tests in 1984. The refrigerator has a design capacity of 24.8 kW at a temperature level near 4K while simultaneously producing 55 kW for heat shield loads at 55K. When completed, the helium refrigerator will be the world's largest. Twenty-five oil-injected screw compressors with an installed total of 23,250 horsepower will supply the gas required. One of the unique features of the cycle is the application of three centrifugal compressors used at liquid helium temperature to produce the low temperatures (2.5K) and high flow rates (4154 g/s) required for this service

  4. Observation of visible emission from the molecular helium ion in the afterglow of a dense helium Z-pinch plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tucker, J.E.; Brake, M.L.; Gilgenbach, R.M.

    1986-01-01

    The authors present the results of axial and radial time resolved visible emission spectroscopy from the afterglow of a dense helium Z-pinch. These results show that the visible emissions in the pinch afterglow are dominated by line emissions from molecular helium and He II. Axial spectroscopy measurements show the occurrence of several absorption bands which cannot be identified as molecular or atomic helium nor impurities from the discharge chamber materials. The authors believe that these absorption bands are attributable to the molecular helium ion which is present in the discharge. The molecular ion has been observed by others in low pressure and temperature helium discharges directly by means of mass spectrometry and indirectly by the presence of helium atoms in the 2/sup 3/S state, (the He 2/sup 3/S state is believed to result from molecular helium ion recombination). However, the molecular helium ion has not previously been observed spectroscopically

  5. Feasibility of lunar Helium-3 mining

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kleinschneider, Andreas; Van Overstraeten, Dmitry; Van der Reijnst, Roy; Van Hoorn, Niels; Lamers, Marvin; Hubert, Laurent; Dijk, Bert; Blangé, Joey; Hogeveen, Joel; De Boer, Lennaert; Noomen, Ron

    -3 fusion were calculated using a predicted minimum energy price in 2040 of 30.4 Euro/MWh. Annual costs are between 427.7 to 1,347.9 billion Euro, with annual expected profit ranging from -724.0 to 260.0 billion Euro. Due to the large scale of the mission, it has also been evaluated for providing 0.1% and 1% of the global energy demand in 2040. For 1%, the annual costs are 45.6 to 140.3 billion Euro and the expected annual profits are -78.0 to 23.1 billion Euro. For 0.1%, the annual costs are 7.7 to 20.5 billion Euro. The annual expected profits are -14.3 to -0.8 billion Euro. Feasibility has been addressed in three aspects. Technically, the mission is extremely challenging and complex. However, most required technologies exist or could be developed within a reasonable time span. From a political and legal perspective, the current international treaties hardly provide any framework for a lunar mining operation. Financially, the mission only produces a net profit in the best case, and only for medium- to large-scale operations, which require a very large initial investment. To make lunar Helium-3 usage possible, further research should concentrate on the mining operation and costs of fusion plants, as their impact by far outranks all other mission elements. Different transportation concepts may be investigated nevertheless. Many - not only technical - challenges concerning Helium-3 mining are still to be addressed. Although only a starting point for further investigations, this study shows that, despite popular claims, lunar Helium-3 is unsuitable to provide a significant percentage of the global energy demand in 2040.

  6. THE HELIUM CONTENT OF GLOBULAR CLUSTERS: NGC 6121 (M4)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Villanova, S.; Geisler, D.; Piotto, G.; Gratton, R. G.

    2012-01-01

    In the context of the multiple stellar population scenario in globular clusters, helium (He) has been proposed as a key element to interpret the observed multiple main sequences, subgiant branches, and red giant branches, as well as the complex horizontal branch (HB) morphology. In particular, second-generation stars belonging to the bluer part of the HB are thought to be more He-rich (ΔY = 0.03 or more) but also more Na-rich/O-poor than those located in the redder part that should have Y equal to the cosmological value. Up to now this hypothesis was only partially confirmed in NGC 6752, where stars of the redder zero-age HB showed an He content of Y = 0.25 ± 0.01, fully compatible with the primordial He content of the universe, and were all Na-poor/O-rich. Here we study hot blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars in the GC NGC 6121 (M4) to measure their He plus O/Na content. Our goal is to complete the partial results obtained for NGC 6752, focusing our attention on targets located on the bluer part of the HB of M4. We observed six BHB stars using the VLT2/UVES spectroscopic facility. Spectra of signal-to-noise ratio ∼ 150 were obtained and the very weak He line at 5875 Å measured for all our targets. We compared this feature with synthetic spectra to obtain He abundances. In addition O, Na, and Fe abundances were estimated. Stars turned out to be all Na-rich and O-poor and to have a homogeneous He content with a mean value of Y = 0.29 ± 0.01(random) ± 0.01(systematic), which is enhanced by ΔY ∼ 0.04 with respect to the most recent measurements of the primordial He content of the universe (Y ∼ 0.24/0.25). The high He content of blue HB stars in M4 is also confirmed by the fact that they are brighter than red HB stars (RHB). Theoretical models suggest the BHB stars are He-enhanced by Δ(Y) = 0.02/0.03 with respect to the RHB stars. The whole sample of stars has a metallicity of [Fe/H] = –1.06 ± 0.02 (internal error), in agreement with other studies

  7. The Helium Content of Globular Clusters: NGC 6121 (M4)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villanova, S.; Geisler, D.; Piotto, G.; Gratton, R. G.

    2012-03-01

    In the context of the multiple stellar population scenario in globular clusters, helium (He) has been proposed as a key element to interpret the observed multiple main sequences, subgiant branches, and red giant branches, as well as the complex horizontal branch (HB) morphology. In particular, second-generation stars belonging to the bluer part of the HB are thought to be more He-rich (ΔY = 0.03 or more) but also more Na-rich/O-poor than those located in the redder part that should have Y equal to the cosmological value. Up to now this hypothesis was only partially confirmed in NGC 6752, where stars of the redder zero-age HB showed an He content of Y = 0.25 ± 0.01, fully compatible with the primordial He content of the universe, and were all Na-poor/O-rich. Here we study hot blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars in the GC NGC 6121 (M4) to measure their He plus O/Na content. Our goal is to complete the partial results obtained for NGC 6752, focusing our attention on targets located on the bluer part of the HB of M4. We observed six BHB stars using the VLT2/UVES spectroscopic facility. Spectra of signal-to-noise ratio ~ 150 were obtained and the very weak He line at 5875 Å measured for all our targets. We compared this feature with synthetic spectra to obtain He abundances. In addition O, Na, and Fe abundances were estimated. Stars turned out to be all Na-rich and O-poor and to have a homogeneous He content with a mean value of Y = 0.29 ± 0.01(random) ± 0.01(systematic), which is enhanced by ΔY ~ 0.04 with respect to the most recent measurements of the primordial He content of the universe (Y ~ 0.24/0.25). The high He content of blue HB stars in M4 is also confirmed by the fact that they are brighter than red HB stars (RHB). Theoretical models suggest the BHB stars are He-enhanced by Δ(Y) = 0.02/0.03 with respect to the RHB stars. The whole sample of stars has a metallicity of [Fe/H] = -1.06 ± 0.02 (internal error), in agreement with other studies available in

  8. Phase diagram and transport properties for hydrogen-helium fluid planets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stevenson, D.J.; Salpeter, E.E.

    1977-01-01

    Hydrogen and helium are the major constituents of Jupiter and Saturn, and phase transitions can have important effects on the planetary structure. In this paper, the relevant phase diagrams and microscopic transport properties are analyzed in detail. The following paper (Paper II) applies these results to the evolution and present dynamic structure of the Jovian planets.Pure hydrogen is first discussed, especially the nature of the molecular-metallic transition and the melting curves for the two phases. It is concluded that at the temperatures and pressures of interest (Tapprox. =10 4 K, Papprox. =1--10 Mbar), both phases are fluid, but the transition between them might nevertheless be first-order. The insulator-metal transition in helium occurs at a much higher pressure (approx.70 Mbars) and is not of interest.The phase diagrams for both molecular and metallic hydrogen-helium mixtures are discussed. In the metallic mixture, calculations indicate a miscibility gap for T9 or approx. =10 4 K. Immiscibility in the molecular mixture is more difficult to predict but almost certainly occurs at much lower temperatures. A fluid-state model is constructed which predicts the likely topology of the three-dimensional phase diagram. The greater solubility of helium in the molecular phase leads to the prediction that the He/H mass ratio is typically twice as large in the molecular phase as in the coexisting metallic phase. Under these circumstances a ''density inversion'' is possible in which the molecular phase becomes more dense than the metallic phase.The partitioning of minor constituents is also considered: The deuterium/hydrogen mass ratio is essentially the same for all coexisting hydrogen-helium phases, at least for T> or approx. =5000 K. The partitioning of H 2 O, CH 4 , and NH 3 probably favors the molecular (or helium-rich) phase. Substances with high conduction electron density (e.g., Al) may partition into the metallic phase

  9. Helium Extraction from LNG End Flash

    OpenAIRE

    Kim, Donghoi

    2014-01-01

    Helium is an invaluable element as it is widely used in industry such as cryo-genics and welding due to its unique properties. However, helium shortage is expected in near future because of increasing demand and the anxiety of sup-ply. Consequently, helium production has attracted the attention of industry. The main source of He is natural gas and extracting it from LNG end-flash is considered as the most promising way of producing crude helium. Thus, many process suppliers have proposed proc...

  10. Helium release rates and ODH calculations from RHIC magnet cooling line failure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liaw, C.J.; Than, Y.; Tuozzolo, J.

    2011-03-28

    A catastrophic failure of the magnet cooling lines, similar to the LHC superconducting bus failure incident, could discharge cold helium into the RHIC tunnel and cause an Oxygen Deficiency Hazard (ODH) problem. A SINDA/FLUINT{reg_sign} model, which simulated the 4.5K/4 atm helium flowing through the magnet cooling system distribution lines, then through a line break into the insulating vacuum volumes and discharging via the reliefs into the RHIC tunnel, had been developed. Arc flash energy deposition and heat load from the ambient temperature cryostat surfaces are included in the simulations. Three typical areas: the sextant arc, the Triplet/DX/D0 magnets, and the injection area, had been analyzed. Results, including helium discharge rates, helium inventory loss, and the resulting oxygen concentration in the RHIC tunnel area, are reported. Good agreement had been achieved when comparing the simulation results, a RHIC sector depressurization test measurement, and some simple analytical calculations.

  11. Theoretical Study of Triatomic Systems Involving Helium Atoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suno, H.; Hiyama, E.; Kamimura, M.

    2013-01-01

    The triatomic 4 He system and its isotopic species 4 He 2 3 He are theoretically investigated. By adopting the best empirical helium interaction potentials, we calculate the bound state energy levels as well as the rates for the three-body recombination processes: 4 He + 4 He + 4 He → 4 He 2 + 4 He and 4 He + 4 He + 3 He → 4 He 2 + 3 He. We consider not only zero total angular momentum J = 0 states, but also J > 0 states. We also extend our study to mixed helium-alkali triatomic systems, that is 4 He 2 X with X = 7 Li, 23 Na, 39 K, 85 Rb, and 133 Cs. The energy levels of all the J ≥ 0 bound states for these species are calculated as well as the rates for three-body recombination processes such as 4 He + 4 He + 7 Li → 4 He 2 + 7 Li and 4 He + 4 He + 7 Li → 4 He 7 Li + 4 He. In our calculations, the adiabatic hyperspherical representation is employed but we also obtain preliminary results using the Gaussian expansion method. (author)

  12. High efficiency nebulization for helium inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jorabchi, Kaveh; McCormick, Ryan; Levine, Jonathan A.; Liu Huiying; Nam, S.-H.; Montaser, Akbar

    2006-01-01

    A pneumatically-driven, high efficiency nebulizer is explored for helium inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The aerosol characteristics and analyte transport efficiencies of the high efficiency nebulizer for nebulization with helium are measured and compared to the results obtained with argon. Analytical performance indices of the helium inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry are evaluated in terms of detection limits and precision. The helium inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection limits obtained with the high efficiency nebulizer at 200 μL/min are higher than those achieved with the ultrasonic nebulizer consuming 2 mL/min solution, however, precision is generally better with high efficiency nebulizer (1-4% vs. 3-8% with ultrasonic nebulizer). Detection limits with the high efficiency nebulizer at 200 μL/min solution uptake rate approach those using ultrasonic nebulizer upon efficient desolvation with a heated spray chamber followed by a Peltier-cooled multipass condenser

  13. Helium diffusion in nickel at high temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Philipps, V.

    1980-09-01

    Helium has been implanted at certain temperatures between 800 and 1250 0 C into single and polycrystalline Ni-samples with implantation depths between 15 and 90 μm. Simultaneously the helium reemission from the sample is measured by a mass-spectrometer. It has been shown that the time dependence of the observed reemission rate is governed by volume diffusion of the helium. Measuring this time dependence as a function of temperature the helium diffusion constant has been determined. The He-diffusion is interpreted as a interstitial diffusion hindered by thermal vacancies. Depending on the implantation depth more or less of the implanted helium remains in the sample and forms large helium bubbles. (orig./GSCH)

  14. Does one need a 4.5 K screen in cryostats of superconducting accelerator devices operating in superfluid helium? lessons from the LHL

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lebrun, Philippe; Parma, Vittorio; Tavian, Laurent

    2014-01-01

    Superfluid helium is increasingly used as a coolant for superconducting devices in particle accelerators: the lower temperature enhances the performance of superconductors in high-field magnets and reduces BCS losses in RF acceleration cavities, while the excellent transport properties of superfluid helium can be put to work in efficient distributed cooling systems. The thermodynamic penalty of operating at lower temperature however requires careful management of the heat loads, achieved inter alia through proper design and construction of the cryostats. A recurrent question appears to be that of the need and practical feasibility of an additional screen cooled by normal helium at around 4.5 K surrounding the cold mass at about 2 K, in such cryostats equipped with a standard 80 K screen. We introduce the issue in terms of first principles applied to the configuration of the cryostats, discuss technical constraints and economical limitations, and illustrate the argumentation with examples taken from large projects confronted with this issue, i.e. CEBAF, SPL, ESS, LHC, TESLA, European X-FEL, ILC.

  15. Molecular dynamics simulations of the diffusion and coalescence of helium in tungsten

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Y.L.; Wang, J.; Hou, Q.; Deng, A.H.

    2014-01-01

    Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed on the diffusion and coalescence of helium in tungsten. A new method for determining the effective capture radii (ECRs) and the dissociation energies of helium-related defects is proposed in this work. It is observed that the ECR of an interstitial helium atom trapping helium interstitials (denoted as He–He n , n = 1–3) decreases with increasing temperature, except for He–He 2 at T n for helium clusters are also investigated. He 2 migrates more quickly than a single He atom does at T 2 changes at higher temperatures. Another counterintuitive observation is that D 5 > D 3 > D 4 at T 5 . The Arrhenius relation describes the diffusion of He n well in the temperature range from 300 K to 550 K, whereas the diffusion is not a standard thermally activated process at higher temperatures. Taken together, these results help elucidate the initial stage of helium bubble formation in tungsten as well as the requirements of long-term evolution methods such as KMC or RT models

  16. High Efficiency Regenerative Helium Compressor, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Helium plays several critical rolls in spacecraft propulsion. High pressure helium is commonly used to pressurize propellant fuel tanks. Helium cryocoolers can be...

  17. Extreme incompatibility of helium during mantle melting: Evidence from undegassed mid-ocean ridge basalts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graham, David W.; Michael, Peter J.; Shea, Thomas

    2016-11-01

    We report total helium concentrations (vesicles + glass) for a suite of thirteen ultradepleted mid-ocean ridge basalts (UD-MORBs) that were previously studied for volatile contents (CO2, H2O) plus major and trace elements. The selected basalts are undersaturated in CO2 + H2O at their depths of eruption and represent rare cases of undegassed MORBs. Sample localities from the Atlantic (2), Indian (1) and Pacific (7) Oceans collectively show excellent linear correlations (r2 = 0.75- 0.92) between the concentrations of helium and the highly incompatible elements C, K, Rb, Ba, Nb, Th and U. Three basalts from Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic were also studied but show anomalous behavior marked by excess lithophile trace element abundances. In the Atlantic-Pacific-Indian suite, incompatible element concentrations vary by factors of 3-4.3, while helium concentration varies by a factor of 13. The strong correlations between the concentrations of helium and incompatible elements are explained by helium behavior as the most incompatible element during mantle melting. Partial melting of an ultradepleted mantle source, formed as a residue of earlier melt extraction, accounts for the observed concentrations. The earlier melting event involved removal of a small degree melt (∼1%) at low but non-zero porosity (0.01-0.5%), leading to a small amount of melt retention that strongly leveraged the incompatible element budget of the ultradepleted mantle source. Equilibrium melting models that produce the range of trace element and helium concentrations from this source require a bulk solid/melt distribution coefficient for helium that is lower than that for other incompatible elements by about a factor of ten. Alternatively, the bulk solid/melt distribution coefficient for helium could be similar to or even larger than that for other incompatible elements, but the much larger diffusivity of helium in peridotite leads to its more effective incompatibility and efficient extraction from a

  18. Apparatus to measure low level helium for neutron dosimetry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ozaki, Shuji; Takao, Yoshiyuki; Muramasu, Masatomo; Hida, Tomoya; Sou, Hirofumi; Nakashima, Hideki [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan); Kanda, Yukinori

    1998-03-01

    An apparatus to measure low level helium in a solid sample for neutron dosimetry in the practical use such as area monitoring in the long-term and reactor surveillance was reported. In our previous work, the helium atoms measurement system (HAMS) was developed. A sample was evaporated in the furnace and the released gas from the sample was analyzed with the mass spectrometer of the system to determine the amount of helium contained in it. The system has been improved to advance the lower helium measurement limit in a solid sample for its application to an area monitoring system. The mass of a solid is up to 100mg. Two important points should be considered to advance the lower limit. One was to produce a high quality vacuum in the system chamber for suppressing background gases during the sample measurement. The other important point was to detect very small output from the mass spectrometer. A pulse counting system was used to get high sensitivity in the mass 4 analyzing. (author)

  19. Seismological measurement of solar helium abundance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vorontsov, S.V.; Pamyatnykh, A.A.

    1991-01-01

    The internal structure and evolution of the Sun depends on its chemical composition, particularly the helium abundance. In addition, the helium abundance in the solar envelope is thought to represent the protosolar value, making it a datum of cosmological significance. Spectroscopic measurements of the helium abundance are uncertain, and the most reliable estimates until now have come from the calibration of solar evolutionary models. The frequencies of solar acoustic oscillations are sensitive, however, to the behaviour of the speed of sound in the Sun's helium ionization zone, which allows a helioseismological determination of the helium abundance. Sound-speed inversion of helioseismological data can be used for this purpose, but precise frequency measurements of high-degree oscillation modes are needed. Here we describe a new approach based on an analysis of the phase shift of acoustic waves of intermediate-degree modes. From the accurate intermediate-mode data now available, we obtain a helium mass fraction Y=0.25±0.01 in the solar convection zone, significantly smaller than the value Y=0.27-0.29 predicted by recent solar evolutionary models. The discrepancy indicates either that initial helium abundance was reduced in the envelope by downward diffusion or that the protosolar value was lower than currently accepted. (author)

  20. Review of Membranes for Helium Separation and Purification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Colin A. Scholes

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Membrane gas separation has potential for the recovery and purification of helium, because the majority of membranes have selectivity for helium. This review reports on the current state of the research and patent literature for membranes undertaking helium separation. This includes direct recovery from natural gas, as an ancillary stage in natural gas processing, as well as niche applications where helium recycling has potential. A review of the available polymeric and inorganic membranes for helium separation is provided. Commercial gas separation membranes in comparable gas industries are discussed in terms of their potential in helium separation. Also presented are the various membrane process designs patented for the recovery and purification of helium from various sources, as these demonstrate that it is viable to separate helium through currently available polymeric membranes. This review places a particular focus on those processes where membranes are combined in series with another separation technology, commonly pressure swing adsorption. These combined processes have the most potential for membranes to produce a high purity helium product. The review demonstrates that membrane gas separation is technically feasible for helium recovery and purification, though membranes are currently only applied in niche applications focused on reusing helium rather than separation from natural sources.

  1. Optimization of Helium Vessel Design for ILC Cavities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fratangelo, Enrico [Univ. of Pisa (Italy)

    2009-01-01

    The ILC (International Linear Collider) is a proposed new major particle accelerator. It consists of two 20 km long linear accelerators colliding electrons and positrons at an energy exceeding 500 GeV, Achieving this collision energy while keeping reasonable accelerator dimensions requires the use of high electric field superconducting cavities as the main acceleration element. These cavities are operated at l.3 GHz inside an appropriate container (He vessel) at temperatures as low as 1.4 K using superfluid Helium as the refrigerating medium. The purpose of this thesis, in the context of the ILC R&D activities currently in progress at Fermilab (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), is the mechanical study of an ILC superconducting cavity and Helium vessel prototype. The main goals of these studies are the determination of the limiting working conditions of the whole He vessel assembly, the simulation of the manufacturing process of the cavity end-caps and the assessment of the Helium vessel's efficiency. In addition this thesis studies the requirements to certify the compliance with the ASME Code of the whole cavity/vessel assembly. Several Finite Elements Analyses were performed by the candidate himself in order to perform the studies listed above and described in detail in Chapters 4 through 8. ln particular the candidate has developed an improved procedure to obtain more accurate results with lower computational times. These procedures will be accurately described in the following chapters. After an introduction that briefly describes the Fennilab and in particular the Technical Division (where all the activities concerning with this thesis were developed), the first part of this thesis (Chapters 2 and 3) explains some of the main aspects of modem particle accelerators. Moreover it describes the most important particle accelerators working at the moment and the basic features of the ILC project. Chapter 4 describes all the activities that were done to

  2. D0 Silicon Upgrade: Commissioning Test Results for D-Zero's Helium Refrigerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rucinski, Russ

    1997-01-01

    The test objectives are: (1) Make liquid helium and measure refrigerator capacity; (2) Measure liquid helium dewar heat leak, transfer line heat leak, and liquid nitrogen consumption rates; (3) Operate all cryogenic transfer lines; (4) Get some running time on all components; (5) Debug mechanical components, instrumentation, DMACs user interface, tune loops, and otherwise shake out any problems; (6) Get some operating time in to get familiar with system behavior; (7) Revise and/or improve operating procedures to actual practice; and (8) Identify areas for future improvement. D-Zero's stand alone helium refrigerator (STAR) liquified helium at a rate of 114 L/hr. This is consistent with other STAR installations. Refrigeration capacity was not measured due to lack of a calibrated heat load. Measured heat leaks were within design values. The helium dewar loss was measured at 2 to 4 watts or 9% per day, the solenoid and VLPC helium transfer lines had a heat leak of about 20 watts each. The liquid nitrogen consumption rates of the mobile purifier, STAR, and LN2 subcooler were measured at 20 gph, 20 to 64 gph, and 3 gph respectively. All cryogenic transfer lines including the solenoid and visible light photon counter (VLPC) transfer lines were cooled to their cryogenic operating temperatures. This included independent cooling of nitrogen shields and liquid helium components. No major problems were observed. The system ran quite well. Many problems were identified and corrected as they came up. Areas for improvement were noted and will be implemented in the future. The instrumentation and control system operated commendably during the test. The commissioning test run was a worthwhile and successful venture.

  3. Linear series of stellar models. Pt. 4. Helium-carbon stars of 3.5Msub(o) and 1Msub(o)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kozlowski, M.; Paczynski, B.; Popova, K.

    1973-01-01

    One linear series of models for a star of 3.5Msub(o) and two linear series of models for a star of 1Msub(o) are constructed. Models consist of helium rich envelopes (Y = 0.97, Z = 0.03) and pure carbon cores, and they have a rectangular helium profile, Y(Msub(r)). The linear series for a star of 3.5Msub(o) begins on the normal branch of the helium main sequence and terminates on the normal branch of the carbon main sequence. This series has eight turning points at which the core mass attains a local extremum. One of the two linear series for a star of 1Msub(o) begins on the normal branch of the helium main sequence, terminates on the high density branch of the helium main sequence, and has one turning point. The second linear series for a star of 1Msub(o) begins on the normal branch of the carbon main sequence, terminates on the high density branch of the carbon main sequence, and has three turning points. Two such linear series may have a common bifurcation point for a star of about 1.26Msub(o). (author)

  4. Effect of Fe and C doping on the thermal release of helium from aluminum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiang, X.; Chen, C.A.; Liu, K.Z.; Peng, L.X.; Rao, Y.C.

    2010-01-01

    The effect of Fe and C doping on the thermal release of helium from Al implanted with 10 keV, 4.0 x 10 21 ion/m 2 He at room temperature (RT) has been investigated by thermal helium desorption spectrometry (THDS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results show that Fe and C doping have significant impact on the release of helium from Al and the extent depends on the doping fluence. Proper fluence of Fe and C doping would lead to the retardation of the release of helium from Al, while excessive fluence of Fe and C doping would result in more desorption peaks and the release of helium in lower temperature ranges. Fe and C doping have different influence on the release of helium from Al, and the difference is related with the secondary phases forming in the samples.

  5. Separation of compressor oil from helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strauss, R.; Perrotta, K.A.

    1982-01-01

    Compression of helium by an oil-sealed rorary screw compressor entrains as much as 4000 parts per million by weight of liquid and vapor oil impurities in the gas. The reduction below about 0.1 ppm for cryogenic applications is discussed. Oil seperation equipment designed for compressed air must be modified significantly to produce the desired results with helium. The main differences between air and helium filtration are described. A description of the coalescers is given with the continuous coalescing of liquid mist from air or other gas illustrated. Oil vapor in helium is discussed in terms of typical compressor oils, experimental procedure for measuring oil vapor concentration, measured volatile hydrocarbons in the lubricants, and calculated concentration of oil vapor in Helium. Liquid oil contamination in helium gas can be reduced well below 0.1 ppm by a properly designed multiple state coalescing filter system containing graded efficiency filter elements. The oil vapor problem is best attached by efficiently treating the oil to remove most of the colatiles before charging the compressor

  6. Nuclear fuel rod helium leak inspection apparatus and method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmed, H.J.

    1991-01-01

    This patent describes an inspection apparatus for testing nuclear fuel rods for helium leaks. It comprises a test chamber being openable and closable for receiving at least one nuclear fuel rod; means separate from the fuel rod for supplying helium and constantly leaking helium at a predetermined known positive value into the test chamber to constantly provide an atmosphere of helium at the predetermined known positive value in the test chamber; and means for sampling the atmosphere within the chamber and measuring the helium in the atmosphere such that a measured helium value below a preset minimum helium value substantially equal to the predetermined known positive value of the atmosphere of helium being constantly provided in the test chamber indicates a malfunction in the inspection apparatus, above a preset maximum helium value greater than the predetermined known positive in the test chamber indicates the existence of a helium leak from the fuel rod, or between the preset minimum and maximum helium values indicates the absence of a helium leak from the fuel rod

  7. Impulse approximation in solid helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glyde, H.R.

    1985-01-01

    The incoherent dynamic form factor S/sub i/(Q, ω) is evaluated in solid helium for comparison with the impulse approximation (IA). The purpose is to determine the Q values for which the IA is valid for systems such a helium where the atoms interact via a potential having a steeply repulsive but not infinite hard core. For 3 He, S/sub i/(Q, ω) is evaluated from first principles, beginning with the pair potential. The density of states g(ω) is evaluated using the self-consistent phonon theory and S/sub i/(Q,ω) is expressed in terms of g(ω). For solid 4 He resonable models of g(ω) using observed input parameters are used to evaluate S/sub i/(Q,ω). In both cases S/sub i/(Q, ω) is found to approach the impulse approximation S/sub IA/(Q, ω) closely for wave vector transfers Q> or approx. =20 A -1 . The difference between S/sub i/ and S/sub IA/, which is due to final state interactions of the scattering atom with the remainder of the atoms in the solid, is also predominantly antisymmetric in (ω-ω/sub R/), where ω/sub R/ is the recoil frequency. This suggests that the symmetrization procedure proposed by Sears to eliminate final state contributions should work well in solid helium

  8. Effective interactions, elementary excitations, and transport in the helium liquids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pines, D.

    1986-01-01

    Polarization potentials, the self-consistent fields which describe the primary consequences of the strong atom-atom interaction in the helium liquids, are developed for liquid 4 He and 3 He. Emphasis is placed on the common physical origin of the effective interactions in all helium liquids, and the hierarchy of physical effects (very short-range atomic correlations, zero point motion, and the Pauli principle) which determine their strength is reviewed. An overview is then given of the application of polarization potential theory to experiment, including the phonon-maxon-roton spectra of 4 He and 3 He- 4 He mixtures, the phonon-maxon spectrum of normal and spin-polarized 3 He, and the transport properties of superfluid 4 He and of normal and spin-polarized 3 He

  9. Helium storage and control system for the PBMR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verkerk, E.C.

    1997-01-01

    The power conversion unit will convert the heat energy in the reactor core to electrical power. The direct-closed cycle recuperated Brayton Cycle employed for this concept consists of a primary helium cycle with helium powered turbo compressors and a power turbine. The helium is actively cooled with water before the compression stages. A recuperator is used to preheat the helium before entering the core. The start of the direct cycle is initiated by a mass flow from the helium inventory and control system via a jet pump. When the PBMR is connected to the grid, changes in power demand can be followed by changing the helium flow and pressure inside the primary loop. Small rapid adjustments can be performed without changing the helium inventory of the primary loop. The stator blade settings on the turbines and compressors are adjustable and it is possible to bypass reactor and turbine. This temporarily reduces the efficiency at which the power conversion unit is operating. Larger or long term adjustments require storage or addition of helium in order to maintain a sufficient level of efficiency in the power conversion unit. The helium will be temporarily stored in high pressure tanks. After a rise in power demand it will be injected back into the system. Some possibilities how to store the helium are presented in this paper. The change of helium inventory will cause transients in the primary helium loop in order to acquire the desired power level. At this stage, it seems that the change of helium inventory does not strongly effect the stability of the power conversion unit. (author)

  10. Quantum dissipative dynamics and decoherence of dimers on helium droplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schlesinger, Martin

    2011-01-01

    In this thesis, quantum dynamical simulations are performed in order to describe the vibrational motion of diatomic molecules in a highly quantum environment, so-called helium droplets. We aim to reproduce and explain experimental findings which were obtained from dimers on helium droplets. Nanometer-sized helium droplets contain several thousands of 4 He atoms. They serve as a host for embedded atoms or molecules and provide an ultracold ''refrigerator'' for them. Spectroscopy of molecules in or on these droplets reveals information on both the molecule and the helium environment. The droplets are known to be in the superfluid He II phase. Superfluidity in nanoscale systems is a steadily growing field of research. Spectra obtained from full quantum simulations for the unperturbed dimer show deviations from measurements with dimers on helium droplets. These deviations result from the influence of the helium environment on the dimer dynamics. In this work, a well-established quantum optical master equation is used in order to describe the dimer dynamics effectively. The master equation allows to describe damping fully quantum mechanically. By employing that equation in the quantum dynamical simulation, one can study the role of dissipation and decoherence in dimers on helium droplets. The effective description allows to explain experiments with Rb 2 dimers on helium droplets. Here, we identify vibrational damping and associated decoherence as the main explanation for the experimental results. The relation between decoherence and dissipation in Morse-like systems at zero temperature is studied in more detail. The dissipative model is also used to investigate experiments with K 2 dimers on helium droplets. However, by comparing numerical simulations with experimental data, one finds that further mechanisms are active. Here, a good agreement is obtained through accounting for rapid desorption of dimers. We find that decoherence occurs in the electronic manifold of the

  11. Ab Initio Values of the Thermophysical Properties of Helium as Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hurly, John J.; Moldover, Michael R.

    2000-01-01

    Recent quantum mechanical calculations of the interaction energy of pairs of helium atoms are accurate and some include reliable estimates of their uncertainty. We combined these ab initio results with earlier published results to obtain a helium-helium interatomic potential that includes relativistic retardation effects over all ranges of interaction. From this potential, we calculated the thermophysical properties of helium, i.e., the second virial coefficients, the dilute-gas viscosities, and the dilute-gas thermal conductivities of 3He, 4He, and their equimolar mixture from 1 K to 104 K. We also calculated the diffusion and thermal diffusion coefficients of mixtures of 3He and 4He. For the pure fluids, the uncertainties of the calculated values are dominated by the uncertainties of the potential; for the mixtures, the uncertainties of the transport properties also include contributions from approximations in the transport theory. In all cases, the uncertainties are smaller than the corresponding experimental uncertainties; therefore, we recommend the ab initio results be used as standards for calibrating instruments relying on these thermophysical properties. We present the calculated thermophysical properties in easy-to-use tabular form. PMID:27551630

  12. Helium behaviour in aluminium under hydrostatic pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sokurskij, Yu.N.; Tebus, V.N.; Zudilin, V.A.; Tumanova, G.M.

    1989-01-01

    Effect of hydrostatic compression on equilibrium helium bubbles in low aluminium-lithium alloy irradiated in reactor at 570 K is investigated. Measurements of hydrostatic density and electron-microscopic investigations have shown, that application of up to 2 GPa pressure reduces equilibrium size of helium bubbles and reduces helium swelling. Kinetics and thermodynamics of the process are considered with application of 'rigid sphere' equation which describes helium state in bubbles

  13. Spectroscopy of antiproton helium atoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayano, Ryugo

    2005-01-01

    Antiproton helium atom is three-body system consisting of an antiproton, electrons and a helium nucleus (denoted by the chemical symbol, p-bar H + ). The authors produced abundant atoms of p-bar 4 He + , and p-bar 3 He + in a cooled He gas target chamber stopping the p-bar beam decelerated to approximately 100 keV in the Antiproton Decelerator at CERN. A precision laser spectroscopy on the atomic transitions in the p-bar 4 He + , and in p-bar 3 He + was performed. Principle of laser spectroscopy and various modifications of the system to eliminate factors affecting the accuracy of the experiment were described. Deduced mass ratio of antiproton and proton, (|m p -bar - m p |)/m p reached to the accuracy of 10 ppb (10 -8 ) as of 2002, as adopted in the recent article of the Particle Data Group by P.J. Mohr and B.N. Taylor. This value is the highest precise data for the CPT invariance in baryon. In future, antihydrogen atoms will be produced in the same facility, and will provide far accurate value of antiproton mass thus enabling a better confirmation of CPT theorem in baryon. (T. Tamura)

  14. Nucleation path of helium bubbles in metals during irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morishita, Kazunori

    2008-01-01

    Thermodynamical formalization is made for description of the nucleation and growth of helium bubbles in metals during irradiation. The proposed formalization is available or evaluating both microstructural changes in fusion first wall materials where helium is produced by (n, α) nuclear transmutation reactions, and those in fusion divertor materials where helium particles with low energy are directly implanted. Calculated nucleation barrier is significantly reduced by the presence of helium, showing that a helium bubble with an appropriate number of helium atoms depending on bubble size can nucleate without any large nucleation barriers, even at a condition where an empty void has very large nucleation barrier without helium. With the proposed thermodynamical formalization, the nucleation and growth process of helium bubbles in iron during irradiation is simulated by the kinetic Monte-Carlo (KMC) technique. It shows the nucleation path of a helium bubble on the (N He , N V ) space as functions of temperatures and the concentration of helium in the matrix, where N He and N V are the number of helium atoms and vacancies in the helium bubble, respectively. Bubble growth rates depend on the nucleation path and suggest that two different mechanisms operate for bubble growth: one is controlled by vacancy diffusion and the other is controlled by interstitial helium diffusion. (author)

  15. Effects of Impurity on the Corrosion Behavior of Alloy 617 in the Helium Environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Sujin; Kim, Dong Jin; Lee, Gyeong Geun

    2013-01-01

    The helium coolant in the primary circuit inevitably includes minor impurities such as H 2 , CO, CH 4 , and H 2 O under operating condition. Material degradation is aggravated through oxidation, carburization, and decarburization under the impure helium environment. In this study, high-temperature corrosion tests were carried out at 850-950 .deg. C in the impure helium environment. The mass changes of the specimens were measured and the microstructures were analyzed quantitatively. In addition, all corrosion tests were conducted in the pure helium environment and the results were compared to the results under the impure helium. Alloy 617 specimens showed a parabolic oxidation behavior at all temperatures under the impure helium environment. All specimens had similar microstructure in the outer Cr-oxide layers, internal Al-oxides, and carbide-depleted zone. The weight increase of the corroded specimens in the pure helium was relatively reduced. Microstructure result, oxide layer and carbide depleted zone were hardly ever observed. The impurity in helium affected the corrosion behavior of Alloy 617 and may cause a decrease in the mechanical properties. Therefore, the control of minor impurities in VHTR helium is necessary for the application of Alloy 617 to the IHX material of a VHTR

  16. Measurement of helium production cross sections of iron for d-T neutrons by helium accumulation method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takao, Yoshiyuki; Kanda, Yukinori; Nagae, Koji; Fujimoto, Toshihiro [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan); Ikeda, Yujiro

    1997-03-01

    Helium production cross sections of Iron were measured by helium accumulation method for neutron energies from 13.5 to 14.9 MeV. Iron samples were irradiated with FNS, an intense d-T neutron source of JAERI. As the neutron energy varies according to the emission angle at the neutron source, the samples were set around the neutron source and were irradiated by neutrons of different energy depending on each sample position. The amount of helium produced in a sample was measured by Helium Atoms Measurement System at Kyushu University. The results of this work are in good agreement with other experimental data in the literature and also compared with the evaluated values in JENDL-3. (author)

  17. Effect of helium on void swelling in vanadium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brimhall, J.L.; Simonen, E.P.

    1975-01-01

    Little difference in void microstructural swelling of vanadium is observed when helium is injected simultaneously with a 46- or 5-MeV nickel beam as compared to no helium injection, at least at high dose rates. At lower dose rates, a strong helium effect is seen when the helium is injected prior to heavy ion bombardment. The effect of the helium is shown to be a strong function of the overall displacement damage rate

  18. Exfoliation on stainless steel and inconel produced by 0.8-4 MeV helium ion bombardment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paszti, F.; Mezey, G.; Pogany, L.; Fried, M.; Manuaba, A.; Kotai, E.; Lohner, T.; Pocs, L.

    1982-11-01

    Trying to outline the energy dependence of surface deformations such as exfoliation and flaking on candidate CTR first-wall materials, stainless steel and two types of inconels were bombarded by 0.8, 1 and 4 MeV helium ions. All the bombarded spots could be characterized by by large exfoliations covering almost the total implanted area. No spontaneous rupture was observed except on one type of inconel where flaking took place right after reaching the critical dose. After mechanical opening of the formations, similar inner morphology was found as in our previous studies on gold. (author)

  19. Effect of helium on void formation in nickel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brimhall, J.L.; Simonen, E.P.

    1977-01-01

    This study examines the influence of helium on void formation in self-ion irradiated nickel. Helium was injected either simultaneously with, or prior to, the self-ion bombardment. The void microstructure was characterized as a function of helium deposition rate and the total heavy-ion dose. In particular, at 575 0 C and 5 X 10 -3 displacements per atom per second the void density is found to be proportional to the helium deposition rate. The dose dependence of swelling is initially dominated by helium driven nucleation. The void density rapidly saturates after which swelling continues with increasing dose only from void growth. It is concluded that helium promotes void nucleation in nickel with either helium implantation technique, pre-injection or simultaneous injection. Qualitative differences, however, are recognized. (Auth.)

  20. The installation of helium auxiliary systems in HTGR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qin Zhenya; Fu Xiaodong

    1993-01-01

    The inert gas Helium was chosen as reactor coolant in high temperature gas coolant reactor, therefore a set of Special and uncomplex helium auxiliary systems will be installed, the safe operation of HTR-10 can be safeguarded. It does not effect the inherent safety of HTR-10 MW if any one of all those systems were damaged during operation condition. This article introduces the design function and the system principle of all helium auxiliary systems to be installed in HTR-10. Those systems include: helium purification and its regeneration system, helium supply and storage system, pressure control and release system of primary system, dump system for helium auxiliary system and fuel handling, gaseous waste storage system, water extraction system for helium auxiliary systems and evacuation system for primary system

  1. Thirty years of screw compressors for helium; Dreissig Jahre Schraubenkompressoren fuer Helium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wahl, H. [Kaeser Kompressoren GmbH, Coburg (Germany). Technisches Buero/Auftragskonstruktion

    2007-07-01

    KAESER helium compressors, as well as their other industrial compressors, will be further developed with the intention to improve the availability and reliability of helium liquefaction systems. Further improvement of compressor and control system efficiency will ensure a low and sustainable operating cost. Fast supply of replacement parts with several years of warranty is ensured by a world-wide distribution system and is also worked on continuously. (orig.)

  2. Electron capture in collisions of S{sup 4+} with helium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, J.G.; Stancil, P.C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy and Center for Simulational Physics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)]. E-mails: wangjg@physast.uga.edu; stancil@physast.uga.edu; Turner, A.R.; Cooper, D.L. [Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: dlc@liv.ac.uk; Schultz, D.R.; Rakovic, M.J. [Physics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)]. E-mails: schultzd@ornl.gov; milun@mail.phy.ornl.gov; Fritsch, W. [Abteilung Theoretische Physik, Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin, Berlin (Germany)]. E-mail: fritsch@hmi.de; Zygelman, B. [Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV (United States)]. E-mail: bernard@physics.unlv.edu

    2002-07-28

    Charge transfer due to collisions of ground-state S{sup 4+}(3s{sup 2} {sup 1}S) ions with helium is investigated for energies between 0.1 meV u{sup -1} and 10 MeV u{sup -1}. Total and state-selective single electron capture (SEC) cross sections and rate coefficients are obtained utilizing the quantum mechanical molecular-orbital close-coupling (MOCC), atomic-orbital close-coupling (AOCC), classical trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC) and continuum distorted wave methods. The MOCC calculations utilize ab initio adiabatic potentials and nonadiabatic radial coupling matrix elements obtained with the spin-coupled valence-bond approach. Previous data are limited to a calculation of the total SEC rate coefficient using the Landau-Zener model that is, in comparison to the results presented here, three orders of magnitude smaller. The MOCC SEC cross sections at low energy reveal a multichannel interference effect. True double capture is also investigated with the AOCC and CTMC approaches while autoionizing double capture and transfer ionization (TI) is explored with CTMC. SEC is found to be the dominant process except for E>200 keV u{sup -1} when TI becomes the primary capture channel. Astrophysical implications are briefly discussed. (author)

  3. Crustal contamination processes traced by helium isotopes: Examples from the Sunda arc, Indonesia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gasparon, M.; Hilton, D. R.; Varne, R.

    1994-08-01

    Helium isotope data have been obtained on well-characterised olivine and clinopyroxene phenocrysts and xenocrysts from thirteen volcanic centres located between central Sumatra and Sumbawa in the Sunda arc of Indonesia. Olivine crystals in mantle xenoliths (Iherzolite) from Bukit Telor basalts are primitive (Mg# = 90), and their He-3/He-4 value (R/R(sub A) = 8.8) indicates that the Sumatran mantle wedge is MORB-like in helium isotope composition. All other samples have lower He-3/He-4 ratios ranging from 8.5R(sub A) to 4.5R(sub A), with most (thirteen out of eighteen) following a trend of more radiogenic He-3/He-4 values with decreasing Mg#. The only exceptions to this trend are phenocrysts from Batur, Agung and Kerinci, which have MORB-like He-3/He-4 values but relatively low Mg# (Mg# = 70-71), and two highly inclusion-rich clinopyroxenes which have He-3/He-4 values lower than other samples of similar Mg#. The results indicate that crustal contamination unrelated to subduction in the Sunda arc is clearly recorded in the He-3/He-4 characteristics of mafic phenocrysts of subaerial volcanics, and that addition of radiogenic helium is related to low-pressure differentiation processes affecting the melts prior to eruption. These conclusions may have widespread applicability and indicate that helium isotope variations can act as an extremely sensitive tracer of upper crustal contamination.

  4. Mass spectrometric analysis of helium in stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Isagawa, Hiroto; Wada, Yukio; Asakura, Yoshiro; Tsuji, Nobuo; Sato, Hitoshi; Tsutsumi, Kenichi

    1974-01-01

    Vacuum fusion mass-spectrometry was adopted for the analysis of helium in stainless steel. Samples were heated in a vacuum crucible, and helium in the samples was extracted and collected into a reservoir tank. The gas was then introduced through an orifice into a mass spectrometer, where the amount of helium was determined. The maspeq 070 quadrupole type mass spectrometer made by Shimazu Seisakusho, Ltd. was used. The resolving power was 150, and the mass range of the apparatus was 0-150. The determination limit of helium was about 2 x 10 -3 μg when standard helium gas was analyzed, and was about 10 -2 μg when the helium in stainless steel was analyzed. The relative standard deviation of helium intensity in repetitive measurement was about 2% in the amount of helium of 0.05 μg. Helium was injected into stainless steel by means of alpha particle irradiation with a cyclotron. The amount of helium in stainless steel was then determined. The energy of alpha particles was 34 MeV, and the beam area was 10 mm x 10 mm. The experimental data were higher than the expected value in one case, and were lower in the other case. This difference was attributable to the fluctuation of alpha particle beam, misplacement of sample plates, and unevenness of the alpha beam. (Fukutomi, T.)

  5. Cryosorption of helium on argon frost in Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor neutral beamlines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamperschroer, J.H.; Cropper, M.B.; Dylla, H.F.; Garzotto, V.; Dudek, L.E.; Grisham, L.R.; Martin, G.D.; O'Connor, T.E.; Stevenson, T.N.; von Halle, A.; Williams, M.D.; Kim, J.

    1990-01-01

    Helium pumping on argon frost has been investigated on Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) neutral beam injectors and shown to be viable for limited helium beam operation. Maximum pumping speeds are ∼25% less than those measured for pumping of deuterium. Helium pumping efficiency is low, >20 argon atoms are required to pump each helium atom. Adsorption isotherms are exponential and exhibit a twofold increase in adsorption capacity as the cryopanel temperature is reduced from 4.3 K to 3.7 K. Pumping speed was found to be independent of cryopanel temperature over the temperature range studied. After pumping a total of 2000 Torr l of helium, the beamline base pressure rose to 2x10 -5 Torr from an initial value of 10 -8 Torr. Accompanying this three order of magnitude increase in pressure was a modest 40% decrease in pumping speed. The introduction of 168 Torr l of deuterium prior to helium injection reduced the pumping speed by a factor of two with no decrease in adsorption capacity

  6. Cryosorption of helium on argon frost TFTR [Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor] neutral beamlines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamperschroer, J.H.; Cropper, M.B.; Dylla, H.F.

    1989-11-01

    Helium pumping on argon frost has been investigated on TFTR neutral beam injectors and shown to be viable for limited helium beam operation. Maximum pumping speeds are ∼ 25% less than those measured for pumping of deuterium. Helium pumping efficiency is low, > 20 argon atoms are required to pump each helium atom. Adsorption isotherms are exponential and exhibit a two-fold increase in adsorption capacity as the cryopanel temperature is reduced from 4.3 K to 3.7 K. Pumping speed was found to be independent of cryopanel temperature over the temperature range studied. After pumping a total of 2000 torr-l of helium, the beamline base pressure rose to 2x10 -5 torr from an initial value of 10 -8 torr. Accompanying this three order of magnitude increase in pressure was a modest 40% decrease in pumping speed. The introduction of 168 torr-l of deuterium prior to helium injection reduced the pumping speed by a factor of two with no decrease in adsorption capacity. 29 refs., 7 figs

  7. Helium cooling of fusion reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, C.P.C.; Baxi, C.; Bourque, R.; Dahms, C.; Inamati, S.; Ryder, R.; Sager, G.; Schleicher, R.

    1994-01-01

    On the basis of worldwide design experience and in coordination with the evolution of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) program, the application of helium as a coolant for fusion appears to be at the verge of a transition from conceptual design to engineering development. This paper presents a review of the use of helium as the coolant for fusion reactor blanket and divertor designs. The concept of a high-pressure helium cooling radial plate design was studied for both ITER and PULSAR. These designs can resolve many engineering issues, and can help with reaching the goals of low activation and high performance designs. The combination of helium cooling, advanced low-activation materials, and gas turbine technology may permit high thermal efficiency and reduced costs, resulting in the environmental advantages and competitive economics required to make fusion a 21st century power source. ((orig.))

  8. Microstructural observation on helium injected and creep ruptured JPCA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, N.; Shiraishi, H.; Hishinuma, A.

    1986-01-01

    Detailed and quantitative TEM observation was performed on high temperature helium injected and creep ruptured JPCA to seek the prominent TiC distribution developed for suppression of helium embrittlement. Three different preinjection treatments were adopted for changing the TiC distribution. Considerable degradation in creep rupture strength by helium occurred in solution-annealed specimens, although there was much less effect of other treatments which included aging prior to injection. The concentration of helium at grain boundaries and the promotion of precipitation by helium during injection were responsible for the degradation. Therefore, the presence of TiC precipitates before helium introduction will help prevent degradation. On the other hand, the rupture elongation was reduced by helium after all treatments, although helium trapping by TiC precipitates in the matrix was successfully achieved. Consequently, the combined use of several methods may be necessary for further suppression of helium embrittlement. (orig.)

  9. The polarizability of diatomic helium. Ph.D. Thesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fortune, P. J.

    1974-01-01

    The calculation of the electric dipole polarizability tensor of the He 2 dimer is described, and the results are used in the computation of several dielectric and optical properties of helium gas, at both high (322 K) and low (4 K) temperatures. The properties considered are the second dielectric virial coefficient, the second Kerr virial coefficient, and the depolarization ratio of the integrated intensities for the Raman scattering experiments. The thesis consists of five parts: the polarizability and various properties are defined; the calculation of the polarizability in the long-range region in terms of a quantum mechanical multipole expansion is described; the calculation of the He2 polarizability in the overlap region via coupled Hartree-Fock perturbation theory is described; the calculation of the quantum pair distribution function for both the He-3 and He-4 isotopes at 4 K is discussed; and the calculated values of the properties of helium gas are given.

  10. Helium induced fine structure in the electronic spectra of anthracene derivatives doped into superfluid helium nanodroplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pentlehner, D.; Slenczka, A.

    2015-01-01

    Electronic spectra of organic molecules doped into superfluid helium nanodroplets show characteristic features induced by the helium environment. Besides a solvent induced shift of the electronic transition frequency, in many cases, a spectral fine structure can be resolved for electronic and vibronic transitions which goes beyond the expected feature of a zero phonon line accompanied by a phonon wing as known from matrix isolation spectroscopy. The spectral shape of the zero phonon line and the helium induced phonon wing depends strongly on the dopant species. Phonon wings, for example, are reported ranging from single or multiple sharp transitions to broad (Δν > 100 cm −1 ) diffuse signals. Despite the large number of example spectra in the literature, a quantitative understanding of the helium induced fine structure of the zero phonon line and the phonon wing is missing. Our approach is a systematic investigation of related molecular compounds, which may help to shed light on this key feature of microsolvation in superfluid helium droplets. This paper is part of a comparative study of the helium induced fine structure observed in electronic spectra of anthracene derivatives with particular emphasis on a spectrally sharp multiplet splitting at the electronic origin. In addition to previously discussed species, 9-cyanoanthracene and 9-chloroanthracene will be presented in this study for the first time

  11. The future of helium as a natural resource

    CERN Document Server

    Glowacki, Bartek A; Nuttall, William J

    2012-01-01

    The book reveals the changing dynamics of the helium industry on both the supply-side and the demand-side. The helium industry has a long-term future and this important gas will have a role to play for many decades to come. Major new users of helium are expected to enter the market, especially in nuclear energy (both fission and fusion). Prices and volumes supplied and expected to rise and this will prompt greater efforts towards the development of new helium sources and helium conservation and recycling.

  12. Electronic properties of physisorbed helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kossler, Sarah

    2011-01-01

    This thesis deals with electronic excitations of helium physisorbed on metal substrates. It is studied to what extent the electronic properties change compared to the gas phase due to the increased helium density and the proximity of the metal. Furthermore, the influence of different substrate materials is investigated systematically. To this end, up to two helium layers were adsorbed onto Ru (001), Pt (111), Cu (111), and Ag (111) surfaces in a custom-made cryostat. These samples were studied spectroscopically using synchrotron radiation and a time-of-flight detector. The experimental results were then analyzed in comparison with extensive theoretical model calculations.

  13. Electronic properties of physisorbed helium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kossler, Sarah

    2011-09-22

    This thesis deals with electronic excitations of helium physisorbed on metal substrates. It is studied to what extent the electronic properties change compared to the gas phase due to the increased helium density and the proximity of the metal. Furthermore, the influence of different substrate materials is investigated systematically. To this end, up to two helium layers were adsorbed onto Ru (001), Pt (111), Cu (111), and Ag (111) surfaces in a custom-made cryostat. These samples were studied spectroscopically using synchrotron radiation and a time-of-flight detector. The experimental results were then analyzed in comparison with extensive theoretical model calculations.

  14. Principles and characteristics of surface radon and helium techniques used in uranium exploration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pacer, J.C.; Czarnecki, R.F.

    1980-09-01

    Studies were carried out to determine the nature of some of the surface radon and helium techniques used for uranium exploration. By performing radon and helium measurements at three sites with differing geology and accessibility, we were able to examine the constraints on the features determined. The sites are the Red Desert in south central Wyoming, Copper Mountain in central Wyoming, and Spokane Mountain in eastern Washington. The radon techniques employed were: zinc sulfide detectors, an ionization chamber, alpha track detectors, thermoluminescence detectors, charcoal canisters, and the partial extraction of lead-210 from soil samples. Helium was measured in soil-gas samples, soil gas from collectors, and soil samples. The ratio helium-4/argon-36 was measured in soil gas

  15. Laser spectroscopy of antiprotonic helium

    CERN Document Server

    Hori, M

    2005-01-01

    When antiprotons (i.e. the antimatter counterpart of protons) are stopped in helium gas, 97% of them annihilate within picoseconds by reacting with the helium nuclei; a 3% fraction, however, survive with an anomalously long lifetime of several microseconds. This longevity is due to the formation of antiprotonic helium, which is a three-body Rydberg atom composed of an antiproton, electron, and helium nucleus. The ASACUSA experimental collaboration has recently synthesized large numbers of these atoms using CERN's Antiproton Decelerator facility, and measured the atom's transition frequencies to 60 parts per billion by laser spectroscopy. By comparing the experimental results with recent three-body QED calculations and the known antiproton cyclotron frequency, we were able to show that the antiproton mass and charge are the same as the corresponding proton values to a precision of 10 parts per billion. Ongoing and future series of experiments will further improve the experimental precision by using chirp-compe...

  16. Hydrogen retention properties of polycrystalline tungsten and helium irradiated tungsten

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hino, T.; Koyama, K.; Yamauchi, Y.; Hirohata, Y.

    1998-01-01

    The hydrogen retention properties of a polycrystalline tungsten and tungsten irradiated by helium ions with an energy of 5 keV were examined by using an ECR ion irradiation apparatus and a technique of thermal desorption spectroscopy, TDS. The polycrystalline tungsten was irradiated at RT with energetic hydrogen ions, with a flux of 10 15 H cm -2 and an energy of 1.7 keV up to a fluence of 5 x 10 18 H cm -2 . Subsequently, the amount of retained hydrogen was measured by TDS. The heating temperature was increased from RT to 1000 C, and the heating rate was 50 C min -1 . Below 1000 C, two distinct hydrogen desorption peaks were observed at 200 C and 400 C. The retained amount of hydrogen was observed to be five times smaller than that of graphite, but the concentration in the implantation layer was comparable with that of graphite. Also, the polycrystalline tungsten was irradiated with 5 keV helium ions up to a fluence of 1.4 x 10 18 He cm -2 , and then re-irradiated with 1.7 keV hydrogen ions. The amount of retained hydrogen in this later experiment was close to the value in the case without prior helium ion irradiation. However, the amount of hydrogen which desorbed around the low temperature peak, 200 C, was largely enhanced. The desorption amount at 200 C saturated for the helium fluence of more than 5 x 10 17 He cm -2 . The present data shows that the trapping state of hydrogen is largely changed by the helium ion irradiation. Additionally, 5 keV helium ion irradiation was conducted on a sample pre-implanted with hydrogen ions to simulate a helium ion impact desorption of hydrogen retained in tungsten. The amount of the hydrogen was reduced as much as 50%. (orig.)

  17. Four-body conversion of atomic helium ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    de Vries, C.P.; Oskam, H.J.

    1980-01-01

    The conversion of atomic helium ions into molecular ions was studied in pure helium and in helium-neon mixtures containing between 0.1 at. % and 50 at. % neon. The experiments showed that the termolecular conversion reaction, He + +2He → He 2 + +He, is augmented by the four-body conversion reaction He + +3He → products, where the products could include either He 2 + or He 3 + ions. Conversion rate coefficients of (5.7 +- 0.8) x 10 -32 cm 6 sec -1 and (2.6 +- 0.4) x 10 -49 cm 9 sec -1 were found for the termolecular and four-body conversion reactions, respectively. In addition, rate coefficients for the following Ne + conversion reactions were measured: Ne + +He+He → (HeNe) + +He, (2.3 +- 0.1) x 10 -32 cm 6 sec -1 ; Ne + +He+Ne → (HeNe) + +Ne or Ne 2 + +He, (8.0 +- 0.8) x 10 -32 cm 6 sec -1 ; and Ne + +Ne+Ne → Ne 2 + +Ne, (5.1 +- 0.3) x 10 -32 cm 6 sec -1 . All rate coefficients are at a gas temperature of 295 K

  18. Femtosecond spectroscopy on alkali-doped helium nanodroplets; Femtosekundenspektroskopie an alkalidotierten Helium-Nanotroepfchen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Claas, P.

    2006-01-15

    In the present thesis first studies on the short-time dynamics in alkali dimers and microclusters, which were bound on the surface of superfluid helium droplets, were presented. The experiments comprehended pump-probe measurements on the fs scale on the vibration dynamics on the dimers and on the fragmentation dynamics on the clusters. Generally by the studies it was shown that such extremely short slopes can also be observed on helium droplets by means of the femtosecond spectroscopy.

  19. Helium accumulation and bubble formation in FeCoNiCr alloy under high fluence He+ implantation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Da; Tong, Y.; Li, H.; Wang, J.; Zhao, Y. L.; Hu, Alice; Kai, J. J.

    2018-04-01

    Face-centered cubic (FCC) high-entropy alloys (HEA), as emerging alloys with equal-molar or near equal-molar constituents, show a promising radiation damage resistance under heavy ion bombardment, making them potential for structural material application in next-generation nuclear reactors, but the accumulation of light helium ions, a product of nuclear fission reaction, has not been studied. The present work experimentally studied the helium accumulation and bubble formation at implantation temperatures of 523 K, 573 K and 673 K in a homogenized FCC FeCoNiCr HEA, a HEA showing excellent radiation damage resistance under heavy ion irradiation. The size and population density of helium bubbles in FeCoNiCr samples were quantitatively analyzed through transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the helium content existing in bubbles were estimated from a high-pressure Equation of State (EOS). We found that the helium diffusion in such condition was dominated by the self-interstitial/He replacement mechanism, and the corresponding activation energy in FeCoNiCr is comparable with the vacancy migration energy in Ni and austenitic stainless steel but only 14.3%, 31.4% and 51.4% of the accumulated helium precipitated into helium bubbles at 523 K, 573 K and 673 K, respectively, smaller than the pure Ni case. Importantly, the small bubble size suggested that FeCoNiCr HEA has a high resistance of helium bubble formation compared with Ni and steels.

  20. Helium 3 precipitation in AISI 316L stainless steel induced by radioactive decay of tritium: Microstructural study of helium bubble precipitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brass, A.M.; Chene, J.

    1994-01-01

    The development of the thermonuclear technology has given rise to a renewed interest in the study of the behavior of helium in metals. A great amount of work is still required for the understanding of the role of helium on the mechanical properties of structural materials for fusion technology, especially austenitic stainless steels. This article deals with the study of the influence of thermomechanical heat treatments, aging conditions (temperature and time), and helium concentration of helium bubble precipitation in a 316L austenitic steel. Helium was generated by the radioactive decay of tritium (tritium trick). Helium bubbles impede the grain growth in 316L steel aged at 1,373 K and also the recrystallization reaction at this temperature if cold working is performed prior to aging. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations indicated a weak helium precipitation at 1,073 and 1,223 K, presumably due to the presence of trapping sites for tritium, and no bubble growth after aging up to 100 hours. Precipitation sites are mainly dislocations in the matrix at 1,073 K and grain boundaries and individual dislocations in the matrix at 1,223 K. The large bubble size (50 nm) observed at 1,373 K, even for short aging times (0.083), can partly be attributed to bubble dragging by dislocations toward the grain boundaries. Cold deformation prior to aging leads to a larger bubble size due to growth enhancement during recrystallization. Decreasing the helium content leads to a smaller helium bubble size and density. Tritium trapping at helium bubbles may favor helium 3 accumulation on defects such as grain boundaries, as observed by tritium autoradiography

  1. Advanced Gas Cooled Reactor Materials Program. Reducing helium impurity depletion in HTGR materials testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baldwin, D.H.

    1984-08-01

    Moisture depletion in HTGR materials testing rigs has been empirically studied in the GE High Temperature Reactor Materials Testing Laboratory (HTRMTL). Tests have shown that increased helium flow rates and reduction in reactive (oxidizable) surface area are effective means of reducing depletion. Further, a portion of the depletion has been shown to be due to the presence of free C released by the dissociation of CH 4 . This depletion component can be reduced by reducing the helium residence time (increasing the helium flow rate) or by reducing the CH 4 concentration in the test gas. Equipment modifications to reduce depletion have been developed, tested, and in most cases implemented in the HTRMTL to date. These include increasing the Helium Loop No. 1 pumping capacity, conversion of metallic retorts and radiation shields to alumina, isolation of thermocouple probes from the test gas by alumina thermowells, and substitution of non-reactive Mo-TZM for reactive metallic structural components

  2. The Mechanism of Helium-Induced Preconditioning: A Direct Role for Nitric Oxide in Rabbits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pagel, Paul S.; Krolikowski, John G.; Pratt, Phillip F.; Shim, Yon Hee; Amour, Julien; Warltier, David C.; Weihrauch, Dorothee

    2008-01-01

    BACKGROUND Helium produces preconditioning against myocardial infarction by activating prosurvival signaling, but whether nitric oxide (NO) generated by endothelial NO synthase plays a role in this phenomenon is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that NO mediates helium-induced cardioprotection in vivo. METHODS Rabbits (n = 62) instrumented for hemodynamic measurement were subjected to a 30-min left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion and 3 h reperfusion, and received 0.9% saline (control) or three cycles of 70% helium–30% oxygen administered for 5 min interspersed with 5 min of an air–oxygen mixture before left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion in the absence or presence of pretreatment with the nonselective NOS inhibitor N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 10 mg/kg), the selective inducible NOS inhibitor aminoguanidine hydrochloride (AG; 300 mg/kg), or selective neuronal NOS inhibitor 7-nitroindazole (7-NI; 50 mg/kg). In additional rabbits, the fluorescent probe 4,5-diaminofluroscein diacetate (DAF-2DA) and confocal laser microscopy were used to detect NO production in the absence or presence of helium with or without L-NAME pretreatment. RESULTS Helium reduced (P < 0.05) infarct size (24% ± 4% of the left ventricular area at risk; mean ± sd) compared with control (46% ± 3%). L-NAME, AG, and 7-NI did not alter myocardial infarct size when administered alone. L-NAME, but not 7-NI or AG, abolished helium-induced cardioprotection. Helium enhanced DAF-2DA fluorescence compared with control (26 ± 8 vs 15 ± 5 U, respectively). Pretreatment with L-NAME abolished these helium-induced increases in DAF-2DA fluorescence. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that cardioprotection by helium is mediated by NO that is probably generated by endothelial NOS in vivo. PMID:18713880

  3. The adsorption of helium atoms on coronene cations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kurzthaler, Thomas; Rasul, Bilal; Kuhn, Martin; Scheier, Paul, E-mail: Paul.Scheier@uibk.ac.at, E-mail: andrew.ellis@le.ac.uk [Institut für Ionenphysik und Angewandte Physik, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck (Austria); Lindinger, Albrecht [Institut für Experimentalphysik, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin (Germany); Ellis, Andrew M., E-mail: Paul.Scheier@uibk.ac.at, E-mail: andrew.ellis@le.ac.uk [Department of Chemistry, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom)

    2016-08-14

    We report the first experimental study of the attachment of multiple foreign atoms to a cationic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). The chosen PAH was coronene, C{sub 24}H{sub 12}, which was added to liquid helium nanodroplets and then subjected to electron bombardment. Using mass spectrometry, coronene cations decorated with helium atoms were clearly seen and the spectrum shows peaks with anomalously high intensities (“magic number” peaks), which represent ion-helium complexes with added stability. The data suggest the formation of a rigid helium layer consisting of 38 helium atoms that completely cover both faces of the coronene ion. Additional magic numbers can be seen for the further addition of 3 and 6 helium atoms, which are thought to attach to the edge of the coronene. The observation of magic numbers for the addition of 38 and 44 helium atoms is in good agreement with a recent path integral Monte Carlo prediction for helium atoms on neutral coronene. An understanding of how atoms and molecules attach to PAH ions is important for a number of reasons including the potential role such complexes might play in the chemistry of the interstellar medium.

  4. Steady-state exhaust of helium ash in the W-shaped divertor of JT-60U

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakasai, A.; Takenaga, H.; Hosogane, N.

    2001-01-01

    By injecting a neutral beam of 60 keV helium (He) atoms as central fueling of helium into the ELMy H-mode plasmas, helium exhaust has been studied in the W-shaped pumped divertor on JT-60U. Efficient He exhaust was realized by He pumping using argon frosted cryopumps in the JT-60U new divertor. In steady state, good He exhaust capability (τ He */τ E =4 and high enrichment factor, where τ He * is a global particle confinement time of helium and τ E is the energy confinement time) was successfully demonstrated in attached ELMy H-mode plasmas. Good He exhaust capability was also obtained in detached ELMy H-mode plasmas, which was comparable to one in attached plasmas. This result of the helium exhaust is sufficient to support a detached divertor operation on ITER. After the divertor modification, helium exhaust in reversed shear plasmas has been investigated using He gas puff. Helium removal inside the internal transport barrier (ITB) is about two times as difficult as that outside the ITB in reversed shear discharges. (author)

  5. Helium release from radioisotope heat sources

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peterson, D.E.; Early, J.W.; Starzynski, J.S.; Land, C.C.

    1984-05-01

    Diffusion of helium in /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/ fuel was characterized as a function of the heating rate and the fuel microstructure. The samples were thermally ramped in an induction furnace and the helium release rates measured with an automated mass spectrometer. The diffusion constants and activation energies were obtained from the data using a simple diffusion model. The release rates of helium were correlated with the fuel microstructure by metallographic examination of fuel samples. The release mechanism consists of four regimes, which are dependent upon the temperature. Initially, the release is controlled by movement of point defects combined with trapping along grain boundaries. This regime is followed by a process dominated by formation and growth of helium bubbles along grain boundaries. The third regime involves volume diffusion controlled by movement of oxygen vacancies. Finally, the release at the highest temperatures follows the diffusion rate of intragranular bubbles. The tendency for helium to be trapped within the grain boundaries diminishes with small grain sizes, slow thermal pulses, and older fuel.

  6. Recent developments in liquid helium 3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramarao, I.

    1977-01-01

    The current status of the theories for the ground state of liquid helium 3, are reviewed. To begin with, a brief summary of the experimental results on the thermodynamic properties of liquid helium 3 including its recently discovered superfulid phases is given. The basic ideas of the Landau theory of a normal Fermi liquid are then introduced. A qualitative discussion of the current understanding of the anisotropic phases of superfluid helium 3 is given, the microscopic calculaations for the binding energy of liquid helium 3 are reviewed and the results obtained for the two-body contributions to the binding energy using the Brueckner-Goldstone formulation and that of Mohling and his collaborators are summarized and discussed. The importance of a proper estimate of the three-body contributions to the binding energy is stressed. The results obtained in the literature using variational methods and constrained variational methods are discussed. A critical analysis of the results by various methods is given. Despite much effort the basic problem of the ground state of liquid helium 3, remains unresolved. (author)

  7. Helium release from radioisotope heat sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peterson, D.E.; Early, J.W.; Starzynski, J.S.; Land, C.C.

    1984-05-01

    Diffusion of helium in 238 PuO 2 fuel was characterized as a function of the heating rate and the fuel microstructure. The samples were thermally ramped in an induction furnace and the helium release rates measured with an automated mass spectrometer. The diffusion constants and activation energies were obtained from the data using a simple diffusion model. The release rates of helium were correlated with the fuel microstructure by metallographic examination of fuel samples. The release mechanism consists of four regimes, which are dependent upon the temperature. Initially, the release is controlled by movement of point defects combined with trapping along grain boundaries. This regime is followed by a process dominated by formation and growth of helium bubbles along grain boundaries. The third regime involves volume diffusion controlled by movement of oxygen vacancies. Finally, the release at the highest temperatures follows the diffusion rate of intragranular bubbles. The tendency for helium to be trapped within the grain boundaries diminishes with small grain sizes, slow thermal pulses, and older fuel

  8. Cosmological helium production simplified

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bernstein, J.; Brown, L.S.; Feinberg, G.

    1988-01-01

    We present a simplified model of helium synthesis in the early universe. The purpose of the model is to explain clearly the physical ideas relevant to the cosmological helium synthesis, in a manner that does not overlay these ideas with complex computer calculations. The model closely follows the standard calculation, except that it neglects the small effect of Fermi-Dirac statistics for the leptons. We also neglect the temperature difference between photons and neutrinos during the period in which neutrons and protons interconvert. These approximations allow us to express the neutron-proton conversion rates in a closed form, which agrees to 10% accuracy or better with the exact rates. Using these analytic expressions for the rates, we reduce the calculation of the neutron-proton ratio as a function of temperature to a simple numerical integral. We also estimate the effect of neutron decay on the helium abundance. Our result for this quantity agrees well with precise computer calculations. We use our semi-analytic formulas to determine how the predicted helium abundance varies with such parameters as the neutron life-time, the baryon to photon ratio, the number of neutrino species, and a possible electron-neutrino chemical potential. 19 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab

  9. Low-temperature centrifugal helium compressor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawada, M.; Togo, S.; Akiyama, Y.; Wada, R.

    1974-01-01

    A centrifugal helium compressor with gas bearings, which can be operated at the temperature of liquid nitrogen, has been investigated. This compressor has the advantages that the compression ratio should be higher than the room temperature operation and that the contamination of helium could be eliminated. The outer diameter of the rotor is 112 mm. The experimental result for helium gas at low temperature shows a flow rate of 47 g/s and a compression ratio of 1.2 when the inlet pressure was 1 ata and the rotational speed 550 rev/s. The investigation is now focused on obtaining a compression ratio of 1.5. (author)

  10. Characterization of high flux magnetized helium plasma in SCU-PSI linear device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiaochun, MA; Xiaogang, CAO; Lei, HAN; Zhiyan, ZHANG; Jianjun, WEI; Fujun, GOU

    2018-02-01

    A high-flux linear plasma device in Sichuan University plasma-surface interaction (SCU-PSI) based on a cascaded arc source has been established to simulate the interactions between helium and hydrogen plasma with the plasma-facing components in fusion reactors. In this paper, the helium plasma has been characterized by a double-pin Langmuir probe. The results show that the stable helium plasma beam with a diameter of 26 mm was constrained very well at a magnetic field strength of 0.3 T. The core density and ion flux of helium plasma have a strong dependence on the applied current, magnetic field strength and gas flow rate. It could reach an electron density of 1.2 × 1019 m-3 and helium ion flux of 3.2 × 1022 m-2 s-1, with a gas flow rate of 4 standard liter per minute, magnetic field strength of 0.2 T and input power of 11 kW. With the addition of -80 V applied to the target to increase the helium ion energy and the exposure time of 2 h, the flat top temperature reached about 530 °C. The different sizes of nanostructured fuzz on irradiated tungsten and molybdenum samples surfaces under the bombardment of helium ions were observed by scanning electron microscopy. These results measured in the SCU-PSI linear device provide a reference for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor related PSI research.

  11. Retention of hydrogen isotopes and helium in nickel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Okada, Mitsumasa; Sato, Rikiya; Yamaguchi, Kenji; Yamawaki, Michio [Tokyo Univ., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Nuclear Engineering Research Lab.

    1996-10-01

    In the present study, a thin foil of nickel was irradiated by H{sub 2}{sup +}, D{sub 2}{sup +} and He{sup +} to a fluence of 1.2-6.0x10{sup 20}/m{sup 2} using the TBTS (Tritium Beam Test System) apparatus. The thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) technique was employed to evaluate the total amount of retained hydrogen isotope and helium atoms in nickel. In the spectra, two peaks appeared at 440-585K and 720-735K for helium. Hydrogen isotopes irradiation after helium preirradiation were found to enhance the helium release and to decrease the peak temperatures. Helium irradiation after hydrogen isotopes preirradiation were found to enhance the helium release, but the peak temperature showed little difference from that without preirradiation. (author)

  12. Helium sources to groundwater in active volcanic terrain, and implications for tritium-helium dating at Mount St. Helens

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gates, John B. [Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 217 Bessey Hall, Lincoln NE 68588 (United States)

    2013-07-01

    Groundwater helium sources and residence times were investigated using groundwater discharging from springs surrounding Mount St. Helens in the Cascades region of the United States. Significant contributions of mantle helium were found in all samples and are attributable to interaction between groundwater and magmatic gases. Bounding calculations for residence times were made on the basis of helium isotope mixing plots and historical tritium data. (authors)

  13. Explosive helium burning in white dwarf stars

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khokhlov, A.M. (AN SSSR, Moscow. Astronomicheskij Sovet)

    1984-04-01

    Helium burning kinetics in white dwarfs has been considered at constant temperatures T >= 10/sup 9/ K and densities rho >10/sup 5/ g/cm/sup 3/. It is found, that helium detonation in white dwarfs does not lead to formation of light (A < 56) elements. Thus, helium white dwarf model for supernova 1 is inconsistent with observations.

  14. Application of argon-helium cryoablation in resection of intracranial tumors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu-hao ZHOU

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Objective To summarize the curative effect of argon-helium cryoablation in resection of intracranial tumors.  Methods and Results A total of 11 patients with primary intracranial tumors, including 7 cases of glioma and 4 cases of meningioma, were enrolled in this study. The tumor was located in left frontal lobe in 4 cases, left fronto-parietal lobe in 2 cases, left temporal lobe in 2 cases and right temporo-parietal lobe in 3 cases. Argon-helium cryoablation was used to assist intracranial tumor resection. Among 7 cases of glioma, 4 cases were totally removed and 3 cases were partially resected. Four cases of meningioma were totally removed. The average intraoperative blood loss was 80 ml, and average operation time was 80 min. Postoperative clinical symptoms were improved, and head CT or MRI showed no rebleeding. Patients were followed up for an average of 4 years, and none of them suffered from operation-related or postoperative complications such as intracranial infection, or tumor recurrence.  Conclusions Argon - helium cryoablation is suitable for intracranial tumors with different diameters and in different locations. It is safe and effective, with few operation-related or postoperative complications, less rebleeding and low risk of recurrence, which is a highly efficient and relatively low?cost assistant surgical method. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2017.06.011

  15. Hydrogen and helium trapping in tungsten deposition layers formed by RF plasma sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kazunari Katayama; Kazumi Imaoka; Takayuki Okamura; Masabumi Nishikawa

    2006-01-01

    Understanding of tritium behavior in plasma facing materials is an important issue for fusion reactor from viewpoints of fuel control and radiation safety. Tungsten is used as a plasma facing material in the divertor region of ITER. However, investigation of hydrogen isotope behavior in tungsten deposition layer is not sufficient so far. It is also necessary to evaluate an effect of helium on a formation of deposition layer and an accumulation of hydrogen isotopes because helium generated by fusion reaction exists in fusion plasma. In this study, tungsten deposition layers were formed by sputtering method using hydrogen and helium RF plasma. An erosion rate and a deposition rate of tungsten were estimated by weight measurement. Hydrogen and helium retention were investigated by thermal desorption method. Tungsten deposition was performed using a capacitively-coupled RF plasma device equipped with parallel-plate electrodes. A tungsten target was mounted on one electrode which is supplied with RF power at 200 W. Tungsten substrates were mounted on the other electrode which is at ground potential. The plasma discharge was continued for 120 hours where pressure of hydrogen or helium was controlled to be 10 Pa. The amounts of hydrogen and helium released from deposition layers was quantified by a gas chromatograph. The erosion rate of target tungsten under helium plasma was estimated to be 1.8 times larger than that under hydrogen plasma. The deposition rate on tungsten substrate under helium plasma was estimated to be 4.1 times larger than that under hydrogen plasma. Atomic ratio of hydrogen to tungsten in a deposition layer formed by hydrogen plasma was estimated to be 0.17 by heating to 600 o C. From a deposition layer formed by helium plasma, not only helium but also hydrogen was released by heating to 500 o C. Atomic ratios of helium and hydrogen to tungsten were estimated to be 0.080 and 0.075, respectively. The trapped hydrogen is probably impurity hydrogen

  16. A new helium gas recovery and purification system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamotot, T.; Suzuki, H.; Ishii, J.; Hamana, I.; Hayashi, S.; Mizutani, S.; Sanjo, S.

    1974-01-01

    A helium gas recovery and purification system, based on the principle of gas permeation through a membrane, is described. The system can be used for the purification of helium gas containing air as a contaminant. The apparatus, operating at ambient temperature does not need constant attention, the recovery ratio of helium gas is satisfactory and running costs are low. Gases other than helium can be processed with the apparatus. (U.K.)

  17. Molecular dynamics simulations of the diffusion and coalescence of helium in tungsten

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Y.L. [Key Lab for Radiation Physics and Technology, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064 (China); Department of Physics, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004 (China); Wang, J. [Key Lab for Radiation Physics and Technology, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064 (China); Hou, Q., E-mail: qhou@scu.edu.cn [Key Lab for Radiation Physics and Technology, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064 (China); Deng, A.H. [Department of Physics, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064 (China)

    2014-03-15

    Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed on the diffusion and coalescence of helium in tungsten. A new method for determining the effective capture radii (ECRs) and the dissociation energies of helium-related defects is proposed in this work. It is observed that the ECR of an interstitial helium atom trapping helium interstitials (denoted as He–He{sub n}, n = 1–3) decreases with increasing temperature, except for He–He{sub 2} at T < 400 K. The traditional view that the ECR is approximately equal to the lattice constant, which has been widely used in kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) and rate theory (RT) models, is only valid in some cases. However, the ECR between an interstitial helium atom and a substitutional helium atom (denoted as He–HeV) always approximates the third nearest-neighbor tetrahedral positions of the HeV. The diffusion coefficients D{sub n} for helium clusters are also investigated. He{sub 2} migrates more quickly than a single He atom does at T < 400 K, whereas the diffusion path of He{sub 2} changes at higher temperatures. Another counterintuitive observation is that D{sub 5} > D{sub 3} > D{sub 4} at T < 500 K, which can be attributed to the disordered structure of He{sub 5}. The Arrhenius relation describes the diffusion of He{sub n} well in the temperature range from 300 K to 550 K, whereas the diffusion is not a standard thermally activated process at higher temperatures. Taken together, these results help elucidate the initial stage of helium bubble formation in tungsten as well as the requirements of long-term evolution methods such as KMC or RT models.

  18. Helium generation and diffusion in graphite and some carbides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holt, J.B.; Guinan, M.W.; Hosmer, D.W.; Condit, R.H.; Borg, R.J.

    1976-01-01

    The cross section for the generation of helium in neutron irradiated carbon was found to be 654 mb at 14.4 MeV and 744 mb at 14.9 MeV. Extrapolating to 14.1 MeV (the fusion reactor spectrum) gives 615 mb. The diffusion of helium in dense polycrystalline graphite and in pyrographite was measured and found to be D = 7.2 x 10 -7 m 2 s -1 exp (-80 kJ/RT). It is assumed that diffusion is primarily in the basal plane direction in crystals of the graphite. In polycrystalline graphite the path length is a factor of √2 longer than the measured distance due to the random orientation mismatch between successive grains. Isochronal anneals (measured helium release as the specimen is steadily heated) were run and maximum release rates were found at 200 0 C in polycrystalline graphite, 1000 0 C in pyrographite, 1350 0 C in boron carbide, and 1350 0 and 2400 0 C (two peaks) in silicon carbide. It is concluded that in these candidates for curtain materials in fusion reactors the helium releases can probably occur without bubble formation in graphites, may occur in boron carbide, but will probably cause bubble formation in silicon carbide. 7 figures

  19. IBA studies of helium mobility in nuclear materials revisited

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Trocellier, P., E-mail: patrick.trocellier@cea.fr [CEA, DEN, Service de Recherches de Métallurgie Physique, Laboratoire JANNUS, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Agarwal, S.; Miro, S. [CEA, DEN, Service de Recherches de Métallurgie Physique, Laboratoire JANNUS, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Vaubaillon, S. [CEA, DEN, Service de Recherches de Métallurgie Physique, Laboratoire JANNUS, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); CEA, INSTN, UEPTN, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Leprêtre, F.; Serruys, Y. [CEA, DEN, Service de Recherches de Métallurgie Physique, Laboratoire JANNUS, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

    2015-12-15

    The aim of this paper is to point out and to discuss some features extracted from the study of helium migration in nuclear materials performed during the last fifteen years using ion beam analysis (IBA) measurements. The first part of this paper is devoted to a brief description of the two main IBA methods used, i.e. deuteron induced nuclear reaction for {sup 3}He depth profiling and high-energy heavy-ion induced elastic recoil detection analysis for {sup 4}He measurement. In the second part, we provide an overview of the different studies carried out on model nuclear waste matrices and model nuclear reactor structure materials in order to illustrate and discuss specific results in terms of key influence parameters in relation with thermal or radiation activated migration of helium. Finally, we show that among the key parameters we have investigated as able to influence the height of the helium migration barrier, the following can be considered as pertinent: the experimental conditions used to introduce helium (implanted ion energy and implantation fluence), the grain size of the matrix, the lattice cell volume, the Young's modulus, the ionicity degree of the chemical bond between the transition metal atom M and the non-metal atom X, and the width of the band gap.

  20. Helium effects on tritium storage materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moysan, I.; Contreras, S.; Demoment, J.

    2008-01-01

    For ten years French Tritium laboratories have been using metal hydride storage beds with LaNi 4 Mn for process gas (HDT mixture) absorption, desorption and for both short and long term storage. This material has been chosen because of its low equilibrium pressure and of its ability to retain decay helium 3 in its lattice. Aging effects on the thermodynamic behavior of LaNi 4 Mn have been investigated. Aging, due to formation of helium 3 in the lattice, decreases the desorption isotherm plateau pressure and shifts the α phase to the higher stoichiometries. Life time of the two kinds of tritium (and isotopes) storage vessels managed in the laboratory depends on these aging changes. The Tritium Long Term Storage (namely STLT) and the hydride storage vessel (namely FSH 400) are based on LaNi 4 Mn even though they are not used for the same applications. STLT contains LaNi 4 Mn in an aluminum vessel and is designed for long term pure tritium storage. The FSH 400 is composed of LaNi 4 Mn included within a stainless steel container. This design is aimed at storing low tritium content mixtures (less than 3% of tritium) and for supplying processes with HDT gas. Life time of the STLT can reach 12 years. Life time of the FSH 400 varies from 1.2 years to more than 25 years depending on the application. (authors)

  1. Helium effects on tritium storage materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moysan, I.; Contreras, S.; Demoment, J. [CEA Valduc, Service HDT, 21 - Is-sur-Tille (France)

    2008-07-15

    For ten years French Tritium laboratories have been using metal hydride storage beds with LaNi{sub 4}Mn for process gas (HDT mixture) absorption, desorption and for both short and long term storage. This material has been chosen because of its low equilibrium pressure and of its ability to retain decay helium 3 in its lattice. Aging effects on the thermodynamic behavior of LaNi{sub 4}Mn have been investigated. Aging, due to formation of helium 3 in the lattice, decreases the desorption isotherm plateau pressure and shifts the {alpha} phase to the higher stoichiometries. Life time of the two kinds of tritium (and isotopes) storage vessels managed in the laboratory depends on these aging changes. The Tritium Long Term Storage (namely STLT) and the hydride storage vessel (namely FSH 400) are based on LaNi{sub 4}Mn even though they are not used for the same applications. STLT contains LaNi{sub 4}Mn in an aluminum vessel and is designed for long term pure tritium storage. The FSH 400 is composed of LaNi{sub 4}Mn included within a stainless steel container. This design is aimed at storing low tritium content mixtures (less than 3% of tritium) and for supplying processes with HDT gas. Life time of the STLT can reach 12 years. Life time of the FSH 400 varies from 1.2 years to more than 25 years depending on the application. (authors)

  2. Interference of laser-induced resonances in the continuous structures of a helium atom

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Magunov, A I; Strakhova, S I

    2003-01-01

    Coherent effects in the interference of overlapping laser-induced resonances in helium atoms are considered. The simultaneous action of single-mode radiation of the 294-nm second harmonic of a cw dye laser and a 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser on helium atoms provides the overlap of two resonances induced by transitions from the 1s2s 1 S and 1s4s 1 S helium levels. The shape of the overlapping laser-induced resonances in the rotating-wave approximation is described by analytic expressions, which depend on the laser radiation intensities and the ratio of laser frequencies. (nonlinear optical phenomena)

  3. LOFA analyses for the water and helium cooled SEAFP reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sponton, L.; Sjoeberg, A.; Nordlinder, S.

    2001-01-01

    This study was performed in the frame of the European long-term fusion safety programme 1999 (SEAFP99). Loss of flow accidents (LOFA) have been studied for two cases, first for a helium cooled reactor with advanced dual-coolant (DUAL) blanket at 100% nominal power. The second case applies to a water-cooled reactor at 20% nominal power. Both transients were simulated with the code MELCOR 1.8.4. The results for the helium cooled reactor show that with a natural circulation flow of helium after the pump stops, the first wall temperature will stay below the temperature for excepted failure of the construction material. For the water cooled reactor, the results show that the pressurizer set point for its liquid volumetric inventory is reached before the plasma facing components attain a critical temperature. The pressurizer set point will induce a plasma shutdown

  4. Helium leak and chemical impurities control technology in HTTR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tochio, Daisuke; Shimizu, Atsushi; Hamamoto, Shimpei; Sakaba, Nariaki

    2014-01-01

    Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has designed and developed high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) hydrogen cogeneration system named gas turbine high-temperature reactor (GTHTR300C) as a commercial HTGR. Helium gas is used as the primary coolant in HTGR. Helium gas is easy to leak, and the primary helium leakage should be controlled tightly from the viewpoint of preventing the release of radioactive materials to the environment. Moreover from the viewpoint of preventing the oxidization of graphite and metallic material, the helium coolant chemistry should be controlled tightly. The primary helium leakage and the helium coolant chemistry during the operation is the major factor in the HTGR for commercialization of HTGR system. This paper shows the design concept and the obtained operational experience on the primary helium leakage control and primary helium impurity control in the high-temperature engineering test reactor (HTTR) of JAEA. Moreover, the future plan to obtain operational experience of these controls for commercialization of HTGR system is shown. (author)

  5. Oxidation characteristics of the electron beam surface-treated Alloy 617 in high temperature helium environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Ho Jung; Sah, Injin; Kim, Donghoon; Kim, Hyunmyung; Jang, Changheui

    2015-01-01

    The oxidation characteristics of the electron beam surface-treated Alloy 617, which has an Al-rich surface layer, were evaluated in high temperature helium environments. Isothermal oxidation tests were performed in helium (99.999% purity) and VHTR-helium (helium of prototypical VHTR chemistry containing impurities like CO, CO 2 , CH 4 , and H 2 ) environments at 900 °C for up to 1000 h. The surface-treated Alloy 617 showed an initial transient oxidation stage followed by the steady-state oxidation in all test environments. In addition, the steady-state oxidation kinetics of the surface-treated Alloy 617 was 2-order of magnitude lower than that of the as-received Alloy 617 in both helium environments as well as in air. The improvement in oxidation resistance was primarily due to the formation of the protective Al 2 O 3 layer on the surface. The weight gain was larger in the order of air, helium, and VHTR-helium, while the parabolic rate constants (k p ) at steady-state were similar for all test environments. In both helium environments, the oxide structure consisted of the outer transition Al 2 O 3 with a small amount of Cr 2 O 3 and inner columnar structured Al 2 O 3 without an internal oxide. In the VHTR-helium environment, where the impurities were added to helium, the initial transient oxidation increased but the steady state kinetics was not affected

  6. Helium heater design for the helium direct cycle component test facility. [for gas-cooled nuclear reactor power plant

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larson, V. R.; Gunn, S. V.; Lee, J. C.

    1975-01-01

    The paper describes a helium heater to be used to conduct non-nuclear demonstration tests of the complete power conversion loop for a direct-cycle gas-cooled nuclear reactor power plant. Requirements for the heater include: heating the helium to a 1500 F temperature, operating at a 1000 psia helium pressure, providing a thermal response capability and helium volume similar to that of the nuclear reactor, and a total heater system helium pressure drop of not more than 15 psi. The unique compact heater system design proposed consists of 18 heater modules; air preheaters, compressors, and compressor drive systems; an integral control system; piping; and auxiliary equipment. The heater modules incorporate the dual-concentric-tube 'Variflux' heat exchanger design which provides a controlled heat flux along the entire length of the tube element. The heater design as proposed will meet all system requirements. The heater uses pressurized combustion (50 psia) to provide intensive heat transfer, and to minimize furnace volume and heat storage mass.

  7. Stellar pulsation and the abundance of helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmidt, E.G.

    1978-01-01

    It has been suggested that the appearance of nonvariable stars within the Cepheid strip could be explained by a range in the helium abundance of Population I stars. In order to study this possibility, spectra were obtained of the main-sequence B stars in the galactic cluster NGC 129, which contains a nonvariable Cepheid-strip star, and M25, which contains a relatively hot Cepheid. Unfortunately, several of the stars in these clusters turn out to be helium-weak stars. In NGC 129 two stars which appear normal give a normal abundance, while in M25 all of the observed stars have abnormally low abundances. The significance of the low abundance in M25 is not clear. The abundance in NGC 129 is not low enough to support the above suggestion. 4 figures, 2 tables

  8. A reciprocating liquid helium pump used for forced flow of supercritical helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krafft, G.; Zahn, G.

    1978-01-01

    The performance of a small double acting piston pump for circulating helium in a closed heat transfer loop is described. The pump was manufactured by LINDE AG, Munich, West Germany. The measured flow rate of supercritical helium was about 17 gs -1 (500 lhr -1 ) with a differential pressure of Δp = 0.5 x 10 5 Nm -2 at a working pressure of p = 6 x 10 5 Nm -2 . At differential pressures beyond 0.5 x 10 5 Nm -2 the volumetric efficiency decreases. (author)

  9. Orion A helium abundance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsivilev, A.P.; Ershov, A.A.; Smirnov, G.T.; Sorochenko, R.L.

    1986-01-01

    The 22.4-GHz (H,He)66-alpha and 36.5-GHz (H,He)56-alpha radio recombination lines have been observed at several Jaffe-Pankonin positions in the central part of the Orion A source. The measured relative abundance of ionized helium increases with distance, averaging 11.6 percent at peripheral points. The observed behavior is interpreted by a blister-type model nebula, which implies that Orion A has a true He abundance of 12 percent, is moving with a radial velocity of 5 km/sec, and is expanding. 18 references

  10. Kosterlitz-Thouless superfluid transition for thin helium-4 films adsorbed in porous media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kotsubo, V.Y.

    1985-01-01

    Thin helium-4 films adsorbed in porous media with small grain sizes are studied in an attempt to understand size effects on the thin-film superfluid transition. Films were adsorbed in 500A, 3000A, and 1μ diameter packed alumina powders, and the superfluidity density was probed using third sound. The main features observed are a broadening of the transition and a reduction of third sound attenuation as the grain sizes are reduced. To explain the results, the flat-substrate Kosterlitz-Thouless theory is adapted to a finite-size system. The model, which is based on the behavior of thermally excited vortices, qualitatively agrees with the experimental results. Fits to the sound velocity data produces reasonable values for the parameters of the vortices, but quantitative agreement with the attenuation data could not be achieved. The overall results of this study suggests that the transition evolves continuously as the geometry changes form the flat substrate down to this small scale systems

  11. Investigation of helium-induced embrittlement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sabelova, V.; Slugen, V.; Krsjak, V.

    2014-01-01

    In this work, the hardness of Fe-9%(wt.) Cr binary alloy implanted by helium ions up to 1000 nm was investigated. The implantations were performed using linear accelerator at temperatures below 80 grad C. Isochronal annealing up to 700 grad C with the step of 100 grad C was applied on the helium implanted samples in order to investigate helium induced embrittlement of material. Obtained results were compared with theoretical calculations of dpa profiles. Due to the results, the nano-hardness technique results to be an appropriate approach to the hardness determination of thin layers of implanted alloys. Both, experimental and theoretical calculation techniques (SRIM) show significant correlation of measured results of induced defects. (authors)

  12. The TEXTOR helium self-pumping experiment: Design, plans, and supporting ion-beam data on helium retention in nickel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brooks, J.N.; Krauss, A.; Mattas, R.F.; Smith, D.L.; Nygren, R.E.; Doyle, B.L.; McGrath, R.T.; Walsh, D.; Dippel, K.H.; Finken, K.H.

    1990-01-01

    A proof-of-principle experiment to demonstrate helium self-pumping in a tokamak is being undertaken in TEXTOR. The experiment will use a helium self-pumping module installed in a modified ALT-I limiter head. The module consists of two, ≅ 25x25 cm 2 heated nickel alloy trapping plates, a nickel deposition filament array, and associated diagnostics. Between plasma shots a coating of ≅ 50A nickel will be deposited on the two trapping plates. During a shot helium and hydrogen ions will impinge on the plates through a ≅ 3 cm wide entrance slot. The helium removal capability, due to trapping in the nickel, will be assessed for a variety of plasma conditions. In support of the tokamak experiment, the trapping of helium over a range of ion fluences and surface temperatures, and detrapping during subsequent exposure to hydrogen, were measured in ion beam experiments using evaporated nickel surfaces similar to that expected in TEXTOR. Also, the retention of H and He after exposure of a nickel surface to mixed He/H plasmas has been measured. The results appear favorable, showing high helium trapping (≅ 10-50% He/Ni) and little or no detrapping by hydrogen. The TEXTOR experiment is planned to begin in 1991. (orig.)

  13. The TEXTOR helium self-pumping experiment: Design, plans, and supporting ion-beam data on helium retention in nickel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brooks, J.N.; Krauss, A.; Mattas, R.F.; Smith, D.L.; Nygren, R.E.; Doyle, B.L.; McGrath, R.T.; Walsh, D.; Dippel, K.H.; Finken, K.H.

    1990-01-01

    A proof-of-principle experiment to demonstrate helium self-pumping in a tokamak is being undertaken in TEXTOR. The experiment will use a helium self-pumping module installed in a modified ALT-I limiter head. The module consists of two, ∼25 x 25 cm 2 heated nickel alloy trapping plates, a nickel deposition filament array, and associated diagnostics. Between plasma shots a coating of ∼50 angstrom nickel will be deposited on the two trapping plates. During a shot helium and hydrogen ions will impinge on the plates through a ∼3 cm wide entrance slot. The helium removal capability, due to trapping in the nickel, will be assessed for a variety of plasma conditions. In support of the tokamak experiment, the trapping of helium over a range of ion fluences and surface temperatures, and detrapping during subsequent exposure to hydrogen, were measured in ion beam experiments using evaporated nickel surfaces similar to that expected in TEXTOR. Also, the retention of H and He after exposure of a nickel surface to mixed He/H plasmas has bee measured. The results appear favorable, showing high helium trapping (∼10--50% He/Ni) and little or no detrapping by hydrogen. The TEXTOR experiment is planned to begin in 1991. 12 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs

  14. Lithium concentration dependence of implanted helium retention in lithium silicates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Szocs, D.E., E-mail: szocsd@rmki.kfki.h [KFKI Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, H-1525 Budapest, P.O. Box 49 (Hungary); Szilagyi, E.; Bogdan, Cs.; Kotai, E. [KFKI Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, H-1525 Budapest, P.O. Box 49 (Hungary); Horvath, Z.E. [Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, H-1525 Budapest, P.O. Box 49 (Hungary)

    2010-06-15

    Helium ions of 500 keV were implanted with a fluence of 1.4 x 10{sup 17} ion/cm{sup 2} into various lithium silicates to investigate whether a threshold level of helium retention exists in Li-containing silicate ceramics similar to that found in SiO{sub x} in previous work. The composition and phases of the as prepared lithium silicates were determined by proton backscattering spectrometry (p-BS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods with an average error of {+-}10%. Electrostatic charging of the samples was successfully eliminated by wrapping the samples in Al foil. The amounts of the retained helium within the samples were determined by subtracting the non-implanted spectra from the implanted ones. The experimental results show a threshold in helium retention depending on the Li concentration. Under 20 at.% all He is able to escape from the material; at around 30 at.% nearly half of the He, while over 65 at.% all implanted He is retained. With compositions expressed in SiO{sub 2} volume percentages, a trend similar to those reported of SiO{sub x} previously is found.

  15. Sonic Helium Detectors in the Fermilab Tevatron

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bossert, R. J.

    2006-04-01

    In the Fermilab Tevatron cryogenic system there are many remotely located low-pressure plate relief valves that must vent large volumes of cold helium gas when magnet quenches occur. These valves can occasionally stick open or not reseat completely, resulting in a large helium loss. As such, the need exists for a detector to monitor the relief valve's discharge area for the presence of helium. Due to the quantity needed, cost is an important factor. A unit has been developed and built for this purpose that is quite inexpensive. Its operating principle is based on the speed of sound, where two closely matched tubes operate at their acoustic resonant frequency. When helium is introduced into one of these tubes, the resulting difference in acoustic time of flight is used to trigger an alarm. At present, there are 39 of these units installed and operating in the Tevatron. They have detected many minor and major helium leaks, and have also been found useful in detecting a rise in the helium background in the enclosed refrigerator buildings. This paper covers the construction, usage and operational experience gained with these units over the last several years.

  16. Sonic helium detectors in the Fermilab Tevatron

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bossert, R.J.; Fermilab

    2006-01-01

    In the Fermilab Tevatron cryogenic system there are many remotely located low-pressure plate relief valves that must vent large volumes of cold helium gas when magnet quenches occur. These valves can occasionally stick open or not reseat completely, resulting in a large helium loss. As such, the need exists for a detector to monitor the relief valve's discharge area for the presence of helium. Due to the quantity needed, cost is an important factor. A unit has been developed and built for this purpose that is quite inexpensive. Its operating principle is based on the speed of sound, where two closely matched tubes operate at their acoustic resonant frequency. When helium is introduced into one of these tubes, the resulting difference in acoustic time of flight is used to trigger an alarm. At present, there are 39 of these units installed and operating in the Tevatron. They have detected many minor and major helium leaks, and have also been found useful in detecting a rise in the helium background in the enclosed refrigerator buildings. This paper covers the construction, usage and operational experience gained with these units over the last several years

  17. Helium production in reactor materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lippincott, E.P.; McElroy, W.N.; Farrar, H. IV.

    1975-02-01

    Comparisons of integral helium production measurements with predictions based on ENDF/B Version IV cross sections have been made. It is concluded that an ENDF/B helium production cross section file should be established in order to ensure a complete and consistent cross section evaluation to meet accuracies required for LMFBR, CTR, and LWR applications. (U.S.)

  18. Further study of helium production at large impact parameters in 6.4 TeV 32S emulsion reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamel, S.

    1999-01-01

    Further study of helium production in electromagnetic and inelastic peripheral interactions of 32 S nuclei at 200 AGeV in nuclear emulsion is presented. The multiplicities, transverse momentum distributions of relativistic He fragments, and their parameters in both interactions are measured. The effect of the multiple helium production on the present obtained evidence of two different temperatures is investigated. The main characteristics of transverse momentum distributions show a certain dependence on the peripherality degree of the interactions

  19. Pressurized helium II-cooled magnet test facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Warren, R.P.; Lambertson, G.R.; Gilbert, W.S.; Meuser, R.B.; Caspi, S.; Schafer, R.V.

    1980-06-01

    A facility for testing superconducting magnets in a pressurized bath of helium II has been constructed and operated. The cryostat accepts magnets up to 0.32 m diameter and 1.32 m length with current to 3000 A. In initial tests, the volume of helium II surrounding the superconducting magnet was 90 liters. Minimum temperature reached was 1.7 K at which point the pumping system was throttled to maintain steady temperature. Helium II reservoir temperatures were easily controlled as long as the temperature upstream of the JT valve remained above T lambda; at lower temperatures control became difficult. Positive control of the temperature difference between the liquid and cold sink by means of an internal heat source appears necessary to avoid this problem. The epoxy-sealed vessel closures, with which we have had considerable experience with normal helium vacuum, also worked well in the helium II/vacuum environment

  20. Modeling Secondary Neutral Helium in the Heliosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Müller, Hans-Reinhard; Möbius, Eberhard; Wood, Brian E.

    2016-01-01

    An accurate, analytic heliospheric neutral test-particle code for helium atoms from the interstellar medium (ISM) is coupled to global heliospheric models dominated by hydrogen and protons from the solar wind and the ISM. This coupling enables the forward-calculation of secondary helium neutrals from first principles. Secondaries are produced predominantly in the outer heliosheath, upwind of the heliopause, by charge exchange of helium ions with neutral atoms. The forward model integrates the secondary production terms along neutral trajectories and calculates the combined neutral helium phase space density in the innermost heliosphere where it can be related to in-situ observations. The phase space density of the secondary component is lower than that of primary neutral helium, but its presence can change the analysis of primaries and the ISM, and can yield valuable insight into the characteristics of the plasma in the outer heliosheath. (paper)

  1. Behaviour of helium after implantation in molybdenum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Viaud, C.; Maillard, S.; Carlot, G.; Valot, C.; Gilabert, E.; Sauvage, T.; Peaucelle, C.; Moncoffre, N.

    2009-01-01

    This study deals with the behaviour of helium in a molybdenum liner dedicated to the retention of fission products. More precisely this work contributes to evaluate the release of implanted helium when the gas has precipitated into nanometric bubbles close to the free surface. A simple model dedicated to calculate the helium release in such a condition is presented. The specificity of this model lays on the assumption that the gas is in equilibrium with a simple distribution of growing bubbles. This effort is encouraging since the calculated helium release fits an experimental dataset with a set of parameters in good agreement with the literature

  2. Use of helium in uranium exploration, Grants district

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DeVoto, R.H.; Mead, R.H.; Martin, J.P.; Bergquist, L.E.

    1980-01-01

    The continuous generation of inert helium gas from uranium and its daughter products provides a potentially useful means for remote detection of uranium deposits. The practicality of conducting helium surveys in the atmosphere, soil gas, and ground water to explore for buried uranium deposits has been tested in the Grants district and in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. No detectable helium anomalies related to buried or surface uranium deposits were found in the atmosphere. However, reproducible helium-in-soil-gas anomalies were detected spatially related to uranium deposits buried from 50 to 800 ft deep. Diurnal and atmospheric effects can cause helium content variations (noise) in soil gas that are as great as the anomalies observed from instantaneous soil-gas samples. Cumulative soil-gas helium analyses, such as those obtained from collecting undisturbed soil samples and degassing them in the laboratory, may reveal anomalies from 5 to 100 percent above background. Ground water samples from the Grants district, New Mexico, and the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, have distinctly anomalous helium values spatially related to buried uranium deposits. In the southern Powder River Basin, helium values 20 to 200 percent above background occur 2 to 18 mile down the ground-water flow path from known uranium roll-front deposits. In the Grants district, helium contents 40 to 700 percent above background levels are present in ground waters from the host sandstone in the vicinity of uranium deposits and from aquifers up to 3,000 ft stratigraphically above the deep uranium deposits. The use of helium in soil and ground-water surveys, along with uranium and radon analyses of the same materials, is strongly recommended is expensive, deep, uranium-exploration programs such as those being conducted in the Grants district

  3. MEASUREMENTS OF COSMIC-RAY HYDROGEN AND HELIUM ISOTOPES WITH THE PAMELA EXPERIMENT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adriani, O.; Bongi, M.; Barbarino, G. C.; Bazilevskaya, G. A.; Bellotti, R.; Bruno, A.; Boezio, M.; Bonvicini, V.; Formato, V.; Bogomolov, E. A.; Bottai, S.; Cafagna, F.; Campana, D.; Carlson, P.; Casolino, M.; Santis, C. De; Castellini, G.; Donato, C. De; Simone, N. De; Felice, V. Di

    2016-01-01

    The cosmic-ray hydrogen and helium ( 1 H, 2 H, 3 He, 4 He) isotopic composition has been measured with the satellite-borne experiment PAMELA, which was launched into low-Earth orbit on board the Resurs-DK1 satellite on 2006 June 15. The rare isotopes 2 H and 3 He in cosmic rays are believed to originate mainly from the interaction of high-energy protons and helium with the galactic interstellar medium. The isotopic composition was measured between 100 and 1100 MeV/n for hydrogen and between 100 and 1400 MeV/n for helium isotopes using two different detector systems over the 23rd solar minimum from 2006 July to 2007 December

  4. Influence of the helium-pressure on diode-pumped alkali-vapor laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Fei; Chen, Fei; Xie, Ji-jiang; Zhang, Lai-ming; Li, Dian-jun; Yang, Gui-long; Guo, Jing

    2013-05-01

    Diode-pumped alkali-vapor laser (DPAL) is a kind of laser attracted much attention for its merits, such as high quantum efficiency, excellent beam quality, favorable thermal management, and potential scalability to high power and so on. Based on the rate-equation theory of end-pumped DPAL, the performances of DPAL using Cs-vapor collisionally broadened by helium are simulated and studied. With the increase of helium pressure, the numerical results show that: 1) the absorption line-width increases and the stimulated absorption cross-section decreases contrarily; 2) the threshold pumping power decreases to minimum and then rolls over to increase linearly; 3) the absorption efficiency rises to maximum initially due to enough large stimulated absorption cross-section in the far wings of collisionally broadened D2 transition (absorption transition), and then begins to reduce; 4) an optimal value of helium pressure exists to obtain the highest output power, leading to an optimal optical-optical efficiency. Furthermore, to generate the self-oscillation of laser, a critical value of helium pressure occurs when small-signal gain equals to the threshold gain.

  5. The effect of helium on ventilator performance: study of five ventilators and a bedside Pitot tube spirometer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oppenheim-Eden, A; Cohen, Y; Weissman, C; Pizov, R

    2001-08-01

    To assess in vitro the performance of five mechanical ventilators-Siemens 300 and 900C (Siemens-Elma; Solna, Sweden), Puritan Bennett 7200 (Nellcor Puritan Bennett; Pleasanton, CA), Evita 4 (Dragerwerk; Lubeck, Germany), and Bear 1000 (Bear Medical Systems; Riverside CA)-and a bedside sidestream spirometer (Datex CS3 Respiratory Module; Datex-Ohmeda; Helsinki, Finland) during ventilation with helium-oxygen mixtures. In vitro study. ICUs of two university-affiliated hospitals. Each ventilator was connected to 100% helium through compressed air inlets and then tested at three to six different tidal volume (VT) settings using various helium-oxygen concentrations (fraction of inspired oxygen [FIO(2)] of 0.2 to 1.0). FIO(2) and VT were measured with the Datex CS3 spirometer, and VT was validated with a water-displacement spirometer. The Puritan Bennett 7200 ventilator did not function with helium. With the other four ventilators, delivered FIO(2) was lower than the set FIO(2). For the Siemens 300 and 900C ventilators, this difference could be explained by the lack of 21% oxygen when helium was connected to the air supply port, while for the other two ventilators, a nonlinear relation was found. The VT of the Siemens 300 ventilator was independent of helium concentration, while for the other three ventilators, delivered VT was greater than the set VT and was dependent on helium concentration. During ventilation with 80% helium and 20% oxygen, VT increased to 125% of set VT for the Siemens 900C ventilator, and more than doubled for the Evita 4 and Bear 1000 ventilators. Under the same conditions, the Datex CS3 spirometer underestimated the delivered VT by about 33%. At present, no mechanical ventilator is calibrated for use with helium. This investigation offers correction factors for four ventilators for ventilation with helium.

  6. Manufacturing cycle for pure neon-helium mixture production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Batrakov, B.P.; Kravchenko, V.A.

    1980-01-01

    The manufacturing cycle for pure neon-helium mixture production with JA-300 nitrogen air distributing device has been developed. Gas mixture containing 2-3% of neon-helium mixture (the rest is mainly nitrogen 96-97%) is selected out of the cover of the JA-300 column condensator and enters the deflegmator under the 2.3-2.5 atm. pressure. The diflegmator presents a heat exchange apparatus in which at 78 K liquid nitrogen the condensation of nitrogen from the mixture of gases entering from the JA-300 column takes place. The enriched gas mixture containing 65-70% of neon-helium mixture and 30-35% of nitrogen goes out from the deflegmator. This enriched neon-helium mixture enters the gasgoeder for impure (65-70%) neon-helium mixture. Full cleaning of-neon helium mixture of nitrogen is performed by means of an adsorber. As adsorbent an activated coal has been used. Adsorption occurs at the 78 K temperature of liquid nitrogen and pressure P=0.1 atm. As activated coal cooled down to nitrogen temperature adsorbs nitrogen better than neon and helium, the nitrogen from the mixture is completely adsorbed. Pure neon-helium mixture from the adsorber comes into a separate gasgolder. In one campaign the cycle allows obtaining 2 m 3 of the mixture. The mixture contains 0.14% of nitrogen, 0.01% of oxygen and 0.06% of hydrogen

  7. Morphine reduces the threshold of helium preconditioning against myocardial infarction: the role of opioid receptors in rabbits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pagel, Paul S.; Krolikowski, John G.; Amour, Julien; Warltier, David C.; Weihrauch, Dorothee

    2015-01-01

    Objectives Brief, repetitive administration of helium before prolonged coronary artery occlusion and reperfusion protects myocardium against infarction. Opioid receptors mediate the cardioprotective effects of ischemic pre- and postconditioning, but whether these receptors also play a role in helium preconditioning is unknown. We tested the hypotheses that opioid receptors mediate helium preconditioning and that morphine (a μ1-opioid receptor agonist with δ1-opioid agonist properties) lowers the threshold of cardioprotection produced by helium in vivo. Design Randomized, prospective study. Setting University research laboratory. Participants Male New Zealand white rabbits. Interventions Rabbits (n=56) were instrumented for measurement of systemic hemodynamics and subjected to a 30 min left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion and 3 h reperfusion. In separate experimental groups, rabbits (n=6 or 7 per group) received 0.9% saline (control), one or three cycles of 70% helium-30% oxygen administered for 5 min interspersed with 5 min of an air-oxygen mixture, morphine (0.1 mg/kg, i.v.), or the nonselective opioid antagonist naloxone (6 mg/kg, i.v.) before LAD occlusion. Other groups of rabbits received three cycles of helium or one cycle of helium plus morphine (0.1 mg/kg) in the absence or presence of naloxone (6 mg/kg) before ischemia and reperfusion. Statistical analysis of data was performed with analysis of variance for repeated measures followed by Bonferroni’s modification of Student’s t test. Measurements and Main Results Myocardial infarct size was determined using triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining and presented as a percentage of the left ventricular area at risk. Helium reduced myocardial infarct size in an exposure-related manner [36±6 (P>0.05) and 25±4% (P<0.05 versus control) for one and three cycles of helium, respectively; data are mean±SD] compared with control (44±7%). Morphine and naloxone alone did not affect infarct

  8. Design analysis of a Helium re-condenser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muley, P. K.; Bapat, S. L.; Atrey, M. D.

    2017-02-01

    Modern helium cryostats deploy a cryocooler with a re-condenser at its II stage for in-situ re-condensation of boil-off vapor. The present work is a vital step in the ongoing research work of design of cryocooler based 100 litre helium cryostat with in-situ re-condensation. The cryostat incorporates a two stage Gifford McMahon cryocooler having specified refrigerating capacity of 40 W at 43 K for I stage and 1 W at 4.2 K for II stage. Although design of cryostat ensures thermal load for cryocooler below its specified refrigerating capacity at the second stage, successful in-situ re-condensation depends on proper design of re-condenser which forms the objective of this work. The present work proposes design of helium re-condenser with straight rectangular fins. Fins are analyzed for optimization of thermal performance parameters such as condensation heat transfer coefficient, surface area for heat transfer, re-condensing capacity, efficiency and effectiveness. The present work provides design of re-condenser with 19 integral fins each of 10 mm height and 1.5 mm thickness with a gap of 1.5 mm between two fins, keeping in mind the manufacturing feasibility, having efficiency of 80.96 % and effectiveness of 10.34.

  9. Self-assembly of iodine in superfluid helium droplets. Halogen bonds and nanocrystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He, Yunteng; Zhang, Jie; Lei, Lei; Kong, Wei [Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (United States)

    2017-03-20

    We present evidence of halogen bond in iodine clusters formed in superfluid helium droplets based on results from electron diffraction. Iodine crystals are known to form layered structures with intralayer halogen bonds, with interatomic distances shorter than the sum of the van der Waals radii of the two neighboring atoms. The diffraction profile of dimer dominated clusters embedded in helium droplets reveals an interatomic distance of 3.65 Aa, much closer to the value of 3.5 Aa in iodine crystals than to the van der Waals distance of 4.3 Aa. The profile from larger iodine clusters deviates from a single layer structure; instead, a bi-layer structure qualitatively fits the experimental data. This work highlights the possibility of small halogen bonded iodine clusters, albeit in a perhaps limited environment of superfluid helium droplets. The role of superfluid helium in guiding the trapped molecules into local potential minima awaits further investigation. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  10. Molecular-dynamics analysis of mobile helium cluster reactions near surfaces of plasma-exposed tungsten

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hu, Lin; Maroudas, Dimitrios, E-mail: maroudas@ecs.umass.edu [Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-9303 (United States); Hammond, Karl D. [Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211 (United States); Wirth, Brian D. [Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 (United States)

    2015-10-28

    We report the results of a systematic atomic-scale analysis of the reactions of small mobile helium clusters (He{sub n}, 4 ≤ n ≤ 7) near low-Miller-index tungsten (W) surfaces, aiming at a fundamental understanding of the near-surface dynamics of helium-carrying species in plasma-exposed tungsten. These small mobile helium clusters are attracted to the surface and migrate to the surface by Fickian diffusion and drift due to the thermodynamic driving force for surface segregation. As the clusters migrate toward the surface, trap mutation (TM) and cluster dissociation reactions are activated at rates higher than in the bulk. TM produces W adatoms and immobile complexes of helium clusters surrounding W vacancies located within the lattice planes at a short distance from the surface. These reactions are identified and characterized in detail based on the analysis of a large number of molecular-dynamics trajectories for each such mobile cluster near W(100), W(110), and W(111) surfaces. TM is found to be the dominant cluster reaction for all cluster and surface combinations, except for the He{sub 4} and He{sub 5} clusters near W(100) where cluster partial dissociation following TM dominates. We find that there exists a critical cluster size, n = 4 near W(100) and W(111) and n = 5 near W(110), beyond which the formation of multiple W adatoms and vacancies in the TM reactions is observed. The identified cluster reactions are responsible for important structural, morphological, and compositional features in the plasma-exposed tungsten, including surface adatom populations, near-surface immobile helium-vacancy complexes, and retained helium content, which are expected to influence the amount of hydrogen re-cycling and tritium retention in fusion tokamaks.

  11. Experimental method for investigating helium effects in irradiated vanadium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, D.L.; Matsui, H.; Greenwood, L.; Loomis, B.

    1987-10-01

    Analyses have been performed which indicate that an effective method for experimentally investigating helium effects in neutron irradiated vanadium base alloys can be developed. The experimental procedure involves only modest modifications to existing procedures currently used for irradiation testing of vanadium-base alloys in the FFTF reactor. Helium is generated in the vanadium alloy by decay of tritium which is either preinjected or generated within the test capsule. Calculations indicate that nearly constant He/dpa ratios of desired magnitude can be attained by proper selection of experimental parameters. The proposed method could have a major impact on the development of vanadium base alloys for fusion reactor applications. 8 refs., 4 figs

  12. Assessment of Embrittlement of VHTR Structural Alloys in Impure Helium Environments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Crone, Wendy; Cao, Guoping; Sridhara, Kumar

    2013-05-31

    The helium coolant in high-temperature reactors inevitably contains low levels of impurities during steady-state operation, primarily consisting of small amounts of H{sub 2}, H{sub 2}O, CH{sub 4}, CO, CO{sub 2}, and N{sub 2} from a variety of sources in the reactor circuit. These impurities are problematic because they can cause significant long-term corrosion in the structural alloys used in the heat exchangers at elevated temperatures. Currently, the primary candidate materials for intermediate heat exchangers are Alloy 617, Haynes 230, Alloy 800H, and Hastelloy X. This project will evaluate the role of impurities in helium coolant on the stress-assisted grain boundary oxidation and creep crack growth in candidate alloys at elevated temperatures. The project team will: • Evaluate stress-assisted grain boundary oxidation and creep crack initiation and crack growth in the temperature range of 500-850°C in a prototypical helium environment. • Evaluate the effects of oxygen partial pressure on stress-assisted grain boundary oxidation and creep crack growth in impure helium at 500°C, 700°C, and 850°C respectively. • Characterize the microstructure of candidate alloys after long-term exposure to an impure helium environment in order to understand the correlation between stress-assisted grain boundary oxidation, creep crack growth, material composition, and impurities in the helium coolant. • Evaluate grain boundary engineering as a method to mitigate stress-assisted grain boundary oxidation and creep crack growth of candidate alloys in impure helium. The maximum primary helium coolant temperature in the high-temperature reactor is expected to be 850-1,000°C.Corrosion may involve oxidation, carburization, or decarburization mechanisms depending on the temperature, oxygen partial pressure, carbon activity, and alloy composition. These corrosion reactions can substantially affect long-term mechanical properties such as crack- growth rate and fracture

  13. Standard Guide for Simulation of Helium Effects in Irradiated Metals

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    1996-01-01

    1.1 This guide provides advice for conducting experiments to investigate the effects of helium on the properties of metals where the technique for introducing the helium differs in some way from the actual mechanism of introduction of helium in service. Simulation techniques considered for introducing helium shall include charged particle implantation, exposure to α-emitting radioisotopes, and tritium decay techniques. Procedures for the analysis of helium content and helium distribution within the specimen are also recommended. 1.2 Two other methods for introducing helium into irradiated materials are not covered in this guide. They are the enhancement of helium production in nickel-bearing alloys by spectral tailoring in mixed-spectrum fission reactors, and isotopic tailoring in both fast and mixed-spectrum fission reactors. These techniques are described in Refs (1-5). Dual ion beam techniques (6) for simultaneously implanting helium and generating displacement damage are also not included here. This lat...

  14. Helium-induced weld degradation of HT-9 steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Chin-An; Chin, B.A.; Lin, Hua T.; Grossbeck, M.L.

    1992-01-01

    Helium-bearing Sandvik HT-9 ferritic steel was tested for weldability to simulate the welding of structural components of a fusion reactor after irradiation. Helium was introduced into HT-9 steel to 0.3 and 1 atomic parts per million (appm) by tritium doping and decay. Autogenous single pass full penetration welds were produced using the gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding process under laterally constrained conditions. Macroscopic examination showed no sign of any weld defect in HT-9 steel containing 0.3 appm helium. However, intergranular micro cracks were observed in the HAZ of HT-9 steel containing 1 appm helium. The microcracking was attributed to helium bubble growth at grain boundaries under the influence of high stresses and temperatures that were present during welding. Mechanical test results showed that both yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) decreased with increasing temperature, while the total elongation increased with increasing temperature for all control and helium-bearing HT-9 steels

  15. Unexpected mobility of OH+ and OD+ molecular ions in cooled helium gas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Isawa, R; Yamazoe, J; Tanuma, H; Ohtsuki, K

    2012-01-01

    Mobilities of OH + and OD + ions in cooled helium gas have been measured at gas temperature of 4.3 K. Measured mobilities of both ions as a function of an effective temperature T eff show a minimum around 80 K, and they are approaching to the polarization limits at very low T eff . These findings will be related to the extremely strong anisotropy of the interaction potential between the molecular ion and helium atom.

  16. Cryogenic tunable microwave cavity at 13GHz for hyperfine spectroscopy of antiprotonic helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakaguchi, J.; Gilg, H.; Hayano, R.S.; Ishikawa, T.; Suzuki, K.; Widmann, E.; Yamaguchi, H.; Caspers, F.; Eades, J.; Hori, M.; Barna, D.; Horvath, D.; Juhasz, B.; Torii, H.A.; Yamazaki, T.

    2004-01-01

    For the precise measurement of the hyperfine structure of antiprotonic helium, microwave radiation of 12.9GHz frequency is needed, tunable over +/-100MHz. A cylindrical microwave cavity is used whose front and rear faces are meshed to allow the antiprotons and laser beams to enter. The cavity is embedded in a cryogenic helium gas target. Frequency tuning of ∼300MHz with Q values of 2700-3000 was achieved using over-coupling and an external triple stub tuner. We also present Monte-Carlo simulations of the stopping distribution of antiprotons in the low-density helium gas using the GEANT4 package with modified energy loss routines

  17. Creep-rupture behavior of 2-1/4 Cr-1 Mo steel, Alloy 800H and Hastelloy Alloy X in a simulated HTGR helium environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lai, G.Y.; Wolwowicz, R.J.

    1979-12-01

    Creep-rupture testing was conducted on 1 1/4 Cr-1 Mo steel, Alloy 800H and Hastelloy Alloy X in flowing helium containing nominal concentration of following gases: 1500 μatm H 2 , 450 μatm CO, 50 μatm CH 4 , 50 μatm H 2 O and 5 μatm CO 2 . This environment is believed to represent maximum permissible levels of impurities in the primary coolant for the steam-cycle system of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) when it is operating continuously with a water and/or steam leak at technical specification limits. Two or three heats of material for each alloy were investigated. Tests were conducted at 482 0 C and 760 0 C (1200 0 F and 1400 0 F) for Alloy 800H, and at 760 0 C and 871 0 C (1400 0 F and 1600 0 F) for Hastelloy Alloy X for times up to 10,000 h. Selected tests were performed on same heat of material in both air and helium environments to make a direct comparison of creep-rupture behaviors between two environments. Metallurgical evaluation was performed on selected post test specimens with respect to gas-metal interactions which included oxidation, carburization and/or decarburization. Correlation between gaseous corrosion and creep-rupture behavior was attempted. Limited tests were also performed to investigate the specimen size effects on creep-rupture behavior in the helium environment

  18. The multiple ionization of helium induced by partially stripped carbon ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cai Xiaohong; Chen Ximeng; Shen Ziyong

    1996-01-01

    The ratios of the double to single ionization cross sections of helium impacted by partially stripped C q+ ions (q = 1,2,3,4) in energy range of 1.5-7.5 MeV were measured by using the time of flight procedure. The n-body classical trajectory Monte Carlo calculation was carried out to get the Olson-Schlachter scaling. The single and double ionization cross sections of helium were obtained by comparing the cross section ratios of the present work with the Olson-Schlachter scaling

  19. Helium leak testing methods in nuclear applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad, Anis

    2004-01-01

    Helium mass-spectrometer leak test is the most sensitive leak test method. It gives very reliable and sensitive test results. In last few years application of helium leak testing has gained more importance due to increased public awareness of safety and environment pollution caused by number of growing chemical and other such industries. Helium leak testing is carried out and specified in most of the critical area applications like nuclear, space, chemical and petrochemical industries

  20. Pressurized-helium breakdown at very low temperatures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Metas, R J

    1972-06-01

    An investigation of the electrical-breakdown behavior of helium at very low temperatures has been carried out to assist the design and development of superconducting power cables. At very high densities, both liquid and gaseous helium showed an enhancement in electric strength when pressurized to a few atmospheres; conditioned values of breakdown fields then varied between 30 and 45 MV/m. Breakdown processes occurring over a wide range of helium densities are discussed. 24 references.

  1. Single ionization of helium by positron and electron impact

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samanta, R; Purkait, M; Mandal, C R

    2012-01-01

    Four-body formalism of Boundary Corrected Continuum Intermediate State (BCCIS-4B) approximation is introduced to study the (e, 2e) reaction for Helium targets. The influence of the description of the ejected electron on triple differential cross sections is analyzed.

  2. Dipole moments of molecules solvated in helium nanodroplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stiles, Paul L.; Nauta, Klaas; Miller, Roger E.

    2003-01-01

    Stark spectra are reported for hydrogen cyanide and cyanoacetylene solvated in helium nanodroplets. The goal of this study is to understand the influence of the helium solvent on measurements of the permanent electric dipole moment of a molecule. We find that the dipole moments of the helium solvated molecules, calculated assuming the electric field is the same as in vacuum, are slightly smaller than the well-known gas-phase dipole moments of HCN and HCCCN. A simple elliptical cavity model quantitatively accounts for this difference, which arises from the dipole-induced polarization of the helium

  3. Interfaces and helium thin films : static properties and collective modes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pricaupenko, L.

    1994-12-01

    In the first part of this thesis are described the collective modes in thin films and at the free surface of helium 4. The second part deals with the spreading out of a model to describe the inhomogeneous helium 3. The influence of the quantum statistics on damping properties has also been given. In the third part is tackled some static properties of mixtures at interfaces. The instability growth rates in mixed films has been studied. At last is described the de-mixture study of two isotopes in a confined medium. (O.L.). 86 refs., 86 figs., 2 tabs

  4. What happens to liquid helium 3 at very low temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dobbs, E.R.; Bedford Coll., London

    1976-01-01

    Liquid helium 3 forms a highly compressible, quantum fluid of fermions at its boiling point of 3.2 K. As it is cooled this fluid condenses into a viscous Fermi liquid until at temperatures of a few millikelvin it is transformed into one of two superfluids, A or B. The A phase is an anisotoropic superfluid of the Anderson-Brinkman-Morel type, while the B phase is an isotropic superfluid of the Balian-Werthamer type. The properties of these superfluids will be discussed and contrasted with those of superfluid helium 4 and metallic superconductors. (orig.) [de

  5. Some research and development on power plants with helium gas turbine units

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaplan, M.P.

    1983-01-01

    Research and development projects pursued at the S. M. Kirov Kharkov Turbine Factory Production Association for Nuclear Turbomachinery Manufacturing have probed into prospective use of helium as the working medium in nuclear power facilities. The projects under study are compared mainly in terms of heat efficiency. Solutions are also being sought for problems centering around high efficiency in helium turbocompressors combined with shortening of axial dimensions. Different types of power plants are being compared with attention given to features of the flow passages of turbocompressors. The projects were developed for helium temperatures and pressures downstream of the reactor 950 0 C and 4.8 MPa, and thermal reactor output 2250 MW(th). The reactor is assumed to be served by two turbine plants in the turbocompressor designs

  6. MEASUREMENTS OF COSMIC-RAY HYDROGEN AND HELIUM ISOTOPES WITH THE PAMELA EXPERIMENT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adriani, O.; Bongi, M. [University of Florence, Department of Physics, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence (Italy); Barbarino, G. C. [University of Naples “Federico II,” Department of Physics, I-80126 Naples (Italy); Bazilevskaya, G. A. [Lebedev Physical Institute, RU-119991, Moscow (Russian Federation); Bellotti, R.; Bruno, A. [University of Bari, Department of Physics, I-70126 Bari (Italy); Boezio, M.; Bonvicini, V.; Formato, V. [INFN, Sezione di Trieste, I-34149 Trieste (Italy); Bogomolov, E. A. [Ioffe Physical Technical Institute, RU-194021 St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Bottai, S. [INFN, Sezione di Florence, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence (Italy); Cafagna, F. [INFN, Sezione di Bari, I-70126 Bari (Italy); Campana, D. [INFN, Sezione di Naples, I-80126 Naples (Italy); Carlson, P. [KTH, Department of Physics, and the Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics, AlbaNova University Centre, SE-10691 Stockholm (Sweden); Casolino, M.; Santis, C. De [University of Rome “Tor Vergata,” Department of Physics, I-00133 Rome (Italy); Castellini, G. [IFAC, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Florence (Italy); Donato, C. De; Simone, N. De; Felice, V. Di [INFN, Sezione di Rome “Tor Vergata,” I-00133 Rome (Italy); and others

    2016-02-10

    The cosmic-ray hydrogen and helium ({sup 1}H, {sup 2}H, {sup 3}He, {sup 4}He) isotopic composition has been measured with the satellite-borne experiment PAMELA, which was launched into low-Earth orbit on board the Resurs-DK1 satellite on 2006 June 15. The rare isotopes {sup 2}H and {sup 3}He in cosmic rays are believed to originate mainly from the interaction of high-energy protons and helium with the galactic interstellar medium. The isotopic composition was measured between 100 and 1100 MeV/n for hydrogen and between 100 and 1400 MeV/n for helium isotopes using two different detector systems over the 23rd solar minimum from 2006 July to 2007 December.

  7. THE GREEN BANK TELESCOPE H II REGION DISCOVERY SURVEY. IV. HELIUM AND CARBON RECOMBINATION LINES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wenger, Trey V.; Bania, T. M. [Astronomy Department, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215 (United States); Balser, Dana S. [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA, 22903-2475 (United States); Anderson, L. D. [Department of Physics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506 (United States)

    2013-02-10

    The Green Bank Telescope H II Region Discovery Survey (GBT HRDS) found hundreds of previously unknown Galactic regions of massive star formation by detecting hydrogen radio recombination line (RRL) emission from candidate H II region targets. Since the HRDS nebulae lie at large distances from the Sun, they are located in previously unprobed zones of the Galactic disk. Here, we derive the properties of helium and carbon RRL emission from HRDS nebulae. Our target sample is the subset of the HRDS that has visible helium or carbon RRLs. This criterion gives a total of 84 velocity components (14% of the HRDS) with helium emission and 52 (9%) with carbon emission. For our highest quality sources, the average {sup 4}He{sup +}/H{sup +} abundance ratio by number, (y {sup +}), is 0.068 {+-} 0.023(1{sigma}). This is the same ratio as that measured for the sample of previously known Galactic H II regions. Nebulae without detected helium emission give robust y {sup +} upper limits. There are 5 RRL emission components with y {sup +} less than 0.04 and another 12 with upper limits below this value. These H II regions must have either a very low {sup 4}He abundance or contain a significant amount of neutral helium. The HRDS has 20 nebulae with carbon RRL emission but no helium emission at its sensitivity level. There is no correlation between the carbon RRL parameters and the 8 {mu}m mid-infrared morphology of these nebulae.

  8. Helium atoms and molecules in strong magnetic fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mori, K.

    Recent theoretical studies have shown that the neutron star surface may be composed of helium or heavier elements as hydrogen may be quickly depleted by diffuse nuclear burning Chang Bildsten However while Hydrogen atmospheres have been studied in great details atomic data for helium is available only for He ion Pavlov Bezchastnov 2005 We performed Hartree-Fock type calculation for Helium atom and molecules and computed their binding ionization and dissociation energies in strong magnetic fields B sim10 12 -- 10 15 G We will present ionization balance of Helium atmospheres at typical magnetic field strengths and temperatures to radio-quiet neutron stars and AXPs We will also discuss several implications of helium atmosphere to X-ray data of isolated neutron stars focusing on the detected spectral features

  9. Tritium and helium-3 in metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lasser, R.

    1989-01-01

    The book surveys recent results on the behaviour of tritium and its decay product helium-3 metals. In contrast to many earlier books which discuss the properties of the stable hydrogen isotopes without mentioning tritium, this book reviews mainly the results on tritium in metals. Due to the difficulties in preparing metal tritide samples, very important quantities such as diffusivity, superconductivity, solubility, etc. have only been determined very recently. The book not only presents the measured tritium data, but also the isotopic dependency of the different physical properties by comparing H, D and T results. A chapter is devoted to helium-3 in metals. Aspects such as helium release, generation of helium bubbles, swelling, and change of the lattice parameter upon aging are discussed. The book provides the reader with up-to-date information and deep insight into the behaviour of H, D, T and He-3 in metals. Further important topics such a tritium production, its risks, handling and discharge to the environment are also addressed

  10. Helium cosmic ray flux measurements at Mars

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Kerry; Pinsky, Lawrence; Andersen, Vic; Zeitlin, Cary; Cleghorn, Tim; Cucinotta, Frank; Saganti, Premkumar; Atwell, William; Turner, Ron

    2006-01-01

    The helium energy spectrum in Martian orbit has been observed by the MARIE charged particle spectrometer aboard the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The orbital data were taken from March 13, 2002 to October 28, 2003, at which time a very intense Solar Particle Event caused a loss of communication between the instrument and the spacecraft. The silicon detector stack in MARIE is optimized for the detection of protons and helium in the energy range below 100MeV/n, which typically includes almost all of the flux during SPEs. This also makes MARIE an efficient detector for GCR helium in the energy range of 50-150MeV/n. We will present the first fully normalized flux results from MARIE, using helium ions in this energy range

  11. Helium cosmic ray flux measurements at Mars

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Kerry [University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Rd. Houston, TX 77204 (United States)]. E-mail: ktlee@ems.jsc.nasa.gov; Pinsky, Lawrence [University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Rd. Houston, TX 77204 (United States); Andersen, Vic [University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Rd. Houston, TX 77204 (United States); Zeitlin, Cary [National Space Biomedical Research Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (United States); Cleghorn, Tim [NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Road 1, Houston, TX 77058 (United States); Cucinotta, Frank [NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Road 1, Houston, TX 77058 (United States); Saganti, Premkumar [Prairie View A and M University, P.O. Box 519, Prairie View, TX 77446-0519 (United States); Atwell, William [The Boeing Company, Houston, TX (United States); Turner, Ron [Advancing National Strategies and Enabling Results (ANSER), Arlington, Virginia (United States)

    2006-10-15

    The helium energy spectrum in Martian orbit has been observed by the MARIE charged particle spectrometer aboard the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The orbital data were taken from March 13, 2002 to October 28, 2003, at which time a very intense Solar Particle Event caused a loss of communication between the instrument and the spacecraft. The silicon detector stack in MARIE is optimized for the detection of protons and helium in the energy range below 100MeV/n, which typically includes almost all of the flux during SPEs. This also makes MARIE an efficient detector for GCR helium in the energy range of 50-150MeV/n. We will present the first fully normalized flux results from MARIE, using helium ions in this energy range.

  12. Atomistic simulation of helium bubble nucleation in palladium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang Liang [Department of Applied Physics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Hu, Wangyu [Department of Applied Physics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China)], E-mail: wangyuhu2001cn@yahoo.com.cn; Xiao Shifang [Department of Applied Physics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China)], E-mail: sfxiao@yahoo.com.cn; Yang Jianyu [Department of Maths and Physics, Hunan Institute of Engineering, Xiangtan 411104 (China); Deng Huiqiu [Department of Applied Physics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China)

    2009-09-15

    A palladium crystal has been constructed with 11808 atoms. 55 helium atoms occupied the octahedral position of palladium crystal are introduced and retained in a spherical region. Molecular dynamic simulations are performed in a constant temperature and constant volume ensemble (NVT) with temperature controlled by Nose-Hoover thermostat. The interactions between palladium atoms are described with modified analytic embedded atom method (MAEAM), the interactions between palladium atom and helium atom are in the form of Morse potential, and the interactions between helium atoms are in the form of L-J potential function. With the analysis of the radial distribution function (RDF) and microstructure, it reveals that some of helium atoms form a series of clusters with different size, and the nucleation core is random at low temperature, and which is the embryo of helium bubble. Increasing temperature can accelerate the process of bubble nucleation, and the clusters will aggregate and coalesce into a bigger one in which there are no palladium atoms, and it is considered as a helium bubble.

  13. Experimental and numerical thermohydraulic study of a supercritical helium loop in forced convection under pulsed heat loads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lagier, Benjamin

    2014-01-01

    Future fusion reactor devices such as ITER or JT-60SA will produce thermonuclear fusion reaction in plasmas at several millions of degrees. The confinement in the center of the chamber is achieved by very intense magnetic fields generated by superconducting magnets. These coils have to be cooled down to 4.4 K through a forced flow of supercritical helium. The cyclic behavior of the machines leads to pulsed thermal heat loads which will have to be handled by the refrigerator. The HELIOS experiment built in CEA Grenoble is a scaled down model of the helium distribution system of the tokamak JT-60SA composed of a saturated helium bath and a supercritical helium loop. The thesis work explores HELIOS capabilities for experimental and numerical investigations on three heat load smoothing strategies: the use of the saturated helium bath as an open thermal buffer, the rotation speed variation of the cold circulator and the bypassing of the heated section. The developed model describes well the physical evolutions of the helium loop (pressure, temperature, mass flow) submitted to heat loads observed during experiments. Advanced controls have been tested and validated to improve the stability of the refrigerator and to optimize the refrigeration power. (author) [fr

  14. Helium nanodroplets. Pump-probe ionization of alkali dopings and spin-echo scattering on undoped drops

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Droppelmann, G.

    2005-09-01

    In the framework of this thesis several aspects of the properties of helium nanodroplets and their dopings. The formation of the exciplexes RbHe and KHe on helium droplets was studied by means of pump-probe ionization in real time, whereby the main interest lied on the influence of the applied helium isotopes. The experiments with cesium atoms on the droplet surface aimed on the elucidation of the relaxation dynamics of the surface under regardment both of isotope and size effects. From the pump-probe measurements on the formation of the exciplex RbHe on helium nanodroplets performed in the framework of this thesis formation times of 8.5 ps for Rb 4 He and 11.6 ps for Rb 3 He resulted

  15. Kinetics of the excited muonic hydrogen in the mixtures of hydrogen isotopes in helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bystritskij, V.M.; Kravtsov, A.V.; Popov, N.P.

    1989-01-01

    De-excitation of the excited muonic hydrogen in the mixture of hydrogen isotopes and helium is considered. The method is proposed which allows one to determine the rates of the muon transfer from the excited muonic hydrogen to helium nuclei, as well as the probability of the direct muon atomic capture by nuclei of hydrogen isotopes. 20 refs.; 4 figs

  16. Evolution of helium stars: a self-consistent determination of the boundary of a helium burning convective core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Savonije, G.J.; Takens, R.J.

    1976-01-01

    A generalization of the Henyey-scheme is given that introduces the mass of the convective core and the density at the outer edge of the convective core boundary as unknowns which have to be solved simultaneously with the other unknowns. As a result, this boundary is determined in a physically self-consistent way for expanding as well as contracting cores, i.e. during the Henyey iterative cycle; its position becomes consistent with the overall physical structure of the star, including the run of the chemical abundances throughout the star. Using this scheme, the evolution of helium stars was followed up to carbon ignition for a number of stellar masses. As compared with some earlier investigations, the calculations show a rather large increase in mass of the convective cores during core helium burning. Evolutionary calculations for a 2M(sun) helium star show that the critical mass for which a helium star ignites carbon non-degenerately lies near 2M(sun). (orig.) [de

  17. Implementation of spot scanning dose optimization and dose calculation for helium ions in Hyperion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fuchs, Hermann; Alber, Markus; Schreiner, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    PURPOSE: Helium ions ((4)He) may supplement current particle beam therapy strategies as they possess advantages in physical dose distribution over protons. To assess potential clinical advantages, a dose calculation module accounting for relative biological effectiveness (RBE) was developed...... published so far. The advantage of (4)He seems to lie in the reduction of dose to surrounding tissue and to OARs. Nevertheless, additional biological experiments and treatment planning studies with larger patient numbers and more tumor indications are necessary to study the possible benefits of helium ion...

  18. An efficient cooling loop for connecting cryocooler to a helium reservoir

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, C.E.; Abbott, C.S.R.; Leitner, D.; Leitner, M.; Lyneis, C.M.

    2003-01-01

    The magnet system of the VENUS ECR Ion Source at LBNL has two 1.5-watt cryocoolers suspended in the cryostat vacuum. Helium vapor from the liquid reservoir is admitted to a finned condenser bolted to the cryocooler 2nd stage and returns as liquid via gravity. Small-diameter flexible tubes allow the cryocoolers to be located remotely from the reservoir. With 3.1 watts load, the helium reservoir is maintained at 4.35 K, 0.05K above the cryocooler temperature. Design, analysis, and performance are presented

  19. DIRECT EVALUATION OF THE HELIUM ABUNDANCES IN OMEGA CENTAURI

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dupree, A. K.; Avrett, E. H., E-mail: dupree@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: eavrett@cfa.harvard.edu [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

    2013-08-20

    A direct measure of the helium abundances from the near-infrared transition of He I at 1.08 {mu}m is obtained for two nearly identical red giant stars in the globular cluster Omega Centauri. One star exhibits the He I line; the line is weak or absent in the other star. Detailed non-local thermal equilibrium semi-empirical models including expansion in spherical geometry are developed to match the chromospheric H{alpha}, H{beta}, and Ca II K lines, in order to predict the helium profile and derive a helium abundance. The red giant spectra suggest a helium abundance of Y {<=} 0.22 (LEID 54064) and Y = 0.39-0.44 (LEID 54084) corresponding to a difference in the abundance {Delta}Y {>=} 0.17. Helium is enhanced in the giant star (LEID 54084) that also contains enhanced aluminum and magnesium. This direct evaluation of the helium abundances gives observational support to the theoretical conjecture that multiple populations harbor enhanced helium in addition to light elements that are products of high-temperature hydrogen burning. We demonstrate that the 1.08 {mu}m He I line can yield a helium abundance in cool stars when constraints on the semi-empirical chromospheric model are provided by other spectroscopic features.

  20. Capacity enhancement of indigenous expansion engine based helium liquefier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doohan, R. S.; Kush, P. K.; Maheshwari, G.

    2017-02-01

    Development of technology and understanding for large capacity helium refrigeration and liquefaction at helium temperature is indispensable for coming-up projects. A new version of helium liquefier designed and built to provide approximately 35 liters of liquid helium per hour. The refrigeration capacity of this reciprocating type expansion engine machine has been increased from its predecessor version with continuous improvement and deficiency debugging. The helium liquefier has been built using components by local industries including cryogenic Aluminum plate fin heat exchangers. Two compressors with nearly identical capacity have been deployed for the operation of system. Together they consume about 110 kW of electric power. The system employs liquid Nitrogen precooling to enhance liquid Helium yield. This paper describes details of the cryogenic expander design improvements, reconfiguration of heat exchangers, performance simulation and their experimental validation.

  1. Liquid-helium scintillation detection with germanium photodiodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luke, P.N.; Haller, E.E.; Steiner, H.M.

    1982-05-01

    Special high-purity germanium photodiodes have been developed for the direct detection of vacuum ultraviolet scintillations in liquid helium. The photodiodes are immersed in the liquid helium, and scintillations are detected through one of the bare sides of the photodiodes. Test results with scintillation photons produced by 5.3-MeV α particles are presented. The use of these photodiodes as liquid-helium scintillation detectors may offer substantial improvements over the alternate detection method requiring the use of wavelength shifters and photomultiplier tubes

  2. Helium release from metals with face-centered cubic structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sciani, V.; Lucki, G.; Jung, P.

    1984-01-01

    The helium release from gold sheets of 5 and 54 μm of thickness and helium concentrations from 10 -9 to 10 -5 ap of He during the isothermal and linear annealing is studied. The helium was put in the sample through the implantation of alpha particles, with variable energy,in the cyclotron. The free diffusion of the atoms of the helium, where the diffusion coefficient follows an Arrhenius law is studied. (E.G.) [pt

  3. Simplicity works for superfluid helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowley, Roger

    2000-01-01

    The famous philosopher Karl Popper once said that ''science is the art of systematic oversimplification''. Indeed, when faced with a new puzzle the trick is to simplify it without losing the essential physics - something that is easier said than done. However, this approach has paid off recently in low-temperature physics. Last year Richard Packard, Seamus Davis and co-workers at the University of California at Berkeley encountered a puzzling new phenomenon in superfluid helium-3, a quantum fluid that remains a liquid close to absolute zero and exhibits unusual properties such as the ability to flow without friction (A Machenkov et al. 1999 Phys. Rev. Lett. 83 3860). Previous experiments had revealed that certain effects in liquid helium are analogous to effects observed in superconductors, materials that lose all resistance to electric current at low temperatures. When the Berkeley researchers connected two reservoirs of superfluid helium-3, the superfluid flowed back and forth through apertures that formed a ''weak link'' between the two containers. This behaviour is similar to the oscillatory current of electrons that can flow across an insulating gap separating two superconductors - a device that is known as a Josephson junction. What was puzzling about the Berkeley results was that the helium-3 had two different stable configurations, both of which behaved in an unconventional way compared with a Josephson junction. This puzzle has now been solved independently by Sidney Yip at the National Center for Theoretical Sciences in Taiwan, and by Janne Viljas and Erkki Thuneberg at the Helsinki University of Technology in Finland (Phys. Rev. Lett. 1999 83 3864 and 3868). In this article the author describes the latest research on superfluid helium. (UK)

  4. The problem of helium in structural materials for fusion reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nikiforov, A.S.; Zakharov, A.P.; Chuev, V.I.

    1982-01-01

    The processes of helium buildup in some metals and alloys at different energy neutron flux irradiation under thermonuclear reactor conditions are considered. The data on high temperature helium embrittlement of a number of stainless steels, titanium and aluminium alloys etc. are given A review of experiments concerning the implanted helium behaviour is presented. Possible reactions between helium atoms and point defects or their clusters are discussed. Analysed are material structure variations upon buildup in them up to 1 at % of helium

  5. Pierre Gorce working on a helium pump.

    CERN Multimedia

    1975-01-01

    This type of pump was designed by Mario Morpurgo, to circulate liquid helium in superconducting magnets wound with hollow conductors. M. Morpurgo, Design and construction of a pump for liquid helium, CRYIOGENICS, February 1977, p. 91

  6. Limits to the primordial helium abundance in the baryon-inhomogeneous big bang

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathews, G. J.; Schramm, D. N.; Meyer, B. S.

    1993-01-01

    The parameter space for baryon inhomogeneous big bang models is explored with the goal of determining the minimum helium abundance obtainable in such models while still satisfying the other light-element constraints. We find that the constraint of (D + He-3)/H less than 10 exp -4 restricts the primordial helium mass fraction from baryon-inhomogeneous big bang models to be greater than 0.231 even for a scenario which optimizes the effects of the inhomogeneities and destroys the excess lithium production. Thus, this modification to the standard big bang as well as the standard homogeneous big bang model itself would be falsifiable by observation if the primordial He-4 abundance were observed to be less than 0.231. Furthermore, a present upper limit to the observed helium mass fraction of Y(obs)(p) less than 0.24 implies that the maximum baryon-to-photon ratio allowable in the inhomogeneous models corresponds to eta less than 2.3 x 10 exp -9 (omega(b) h-squared less than 0.088) even if all conditions are optimized.

  7. Diffuse Helium Emission as a Precursory Sign of Volcanic Unrest

    Science.gov (United States)

    Padron, E.; Perez, N.; Hernandez Perez, P. A.; Sumino, H.; Melian Rodriguez, G.; Barrancos, J.; Nolasco, D.; Padilla, G.; Dionis, S.; Rodriguez, F.; Hernandez, I.; Calvo, D.; Peraza, M.; Nagao, K.

    2012-12-01

    /d on November 6, several days before the occurrence of the submarine eruption. A significant decrease to 13 kg/d was estimated almost 10 days after the beginning of the eruption, followed by a sudden increase to 38 kg/d several days before the largest seismic event of the volcanic crisis (M = 4.6) occurred on November 11. High volcanic-gas pressure in a magma surrounded by a less deformed and fractured crust could be responsible for the high magmatic-helium emission rate and eventual submarine eruption during the first segment of activity, whereas the second segment causing extensive crustal deformation and fracturing resulted in a low gas pressure on the magma and relatively low magmatic-helium diffuse emission rates. The energy loss in the system from the release of volcanic gases might be responsible for the observed decrease in the seismic energy released and the absence of a second volcanic eruption. The system continued to degas for one month, producing a gradual decrease in the helium emission rate. Helium emission data shown in this report demonstrate that diffuse helium surveys is a powerful tool for volcano monitoring. The geochemical parameters presented here are extremely important for forecasting the onset of volcanic unrest and subsequent volcanic eruptions, mainly when magma migrates aseismically, i.e., silently, toward the surface.

  8. Helium effect on mechanical property of fusion reactor structural materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, Norikazu; Chuto, Toshinori; Murase, Yoshiharu; Nakagawa, Johsei

    2004-01-01

    High-energy neutrons produced in fusion reactor core caused helium in the structural materials of fusion reactors, such as blankets. We injected alpha particles accelerated by the cyclotron to the samples of martensite steel (9Cr3WVTaB). Equivalent helium doses injected to the sample is estimated to be up to 300 ppm, which were estimated to be equivalent to helium accumulation after the 1-year reactor operation. Creep tests of the samples were made to investigate helium embrittlement. There were no appreciable changes in the relation between the stresses and the rupture time, the minimum creep rate and the applied stress. Grain boundary effect by helium was not observed in ruptured surfaces. Fatigue tests were made for SUS304 samples, which contain helium up to 150 ppm. After 0.05 Hz cyclic stress tests, it was shown that the fatigue lifetime (cycles to rupture and extension to failure) are 1/5 in 150 ppm helium samples compared with no helium samples. The experimental results suggest martensite steel is promising for structural materials of fusion reactors. (Y. Tanaka)

  9. Comment on theories for helium-assisted void nucleation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russell, K.C.

    1976-01-01

    Voids form by agglomeration of irradiation-induced vacancies which remain after preferential absorption of self interstitials at dislocation lines. Helium which is formed by (n,α) transmutations and, in simulation studies, may be ion-implanted, often plays an important, but puzzling role. In some materials, very few voids form in the absence of helium, even after intense irradiation. In many other materials , voids form readily under a variety of irradiation conditions, even in the absence of helium. Why some materials require helium - typically in the 10 -6 apa (atom per atom) range - and others do not, and the reason for that particular level are by no means clear. The physics of void nucleation, particularly the role of helium, have been the subject of several theoretical papers. This note presents a critique of these theories, and then briefly outlines a new analysis which is not subject to their limitations. (Auth.)

  10. Blackbody-radiation correction to the polarizability of helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Puchalski, M.; Jentschura, U. D.; Mohr, P. J.

    2011-01-01

    The correction to the polarizability of helium due to blackbody radiation is calculated near room temperature. A precise theoretical determination of the blackbody radiation correction to the polarizability of helium is essential for dielectric gas thermometry and for the determination of the Boltzmann constant. We find that the correction, for not too high temperature, is roughly proportional to a modified hyperpolarizability (two-color hyperpolarizability), which is different from the ordinary hyperpolarizability of helium. Our explicit calculations provide a definite numerical result for the effect and indicate that the effect of blackbody radiation can be excluded as a limiting factor for dielectric gas thermometry using helium or argon.

  11. Antiprotonic helium atomcules

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sauge Sébastien

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available About 3% of antiprotons ( stopped in helium are long-lived with microsecond lifetimes, against picoseconds in all other materials. This unusual longevity has been ascribed to the trapping of on metastable bound states in He+ helium atom-molecules thus named atomcules. Apart from their unique dual structure investigated by laser spectroscopy – a near-circular quasi-classical Rydberg atom with l ~ n – 1 ~ 37 or a special diatomic molecule with a negatively charged nucleus in high rotational state with J = l – the chemical physics aspects of their interaction with other atoms or molecules constitute an interesting topic for molecular physics. While atomcules may resist to million collisions in helium, molecular contaminants such as H2 are likely to destroy them in a single one, down to very low temperatures. In the Born-Oppenheimer framework, we interpret the molecular interaction obtained by ab initio quantum chemical calculations in terms of classical reactive channels, with activation barriers accounting for the experiments carried out in He and H2. From classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulations, we show that the thermalization stage strongly quenches initial populations, thus reduced to a recovered 3 % trapping fraction. This work illustrates the pertinence of chemical physics concepts to the study of exotic processes involving antimatter. New insights into the physico-chemistry of cold interstellar radicals are anticipated.

  12. Operating experience using venturi flow meters at liquid helium temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, K.C.

    1992-01-01

    Experiences using commercial venturi to measure single phase helium flow near 4 K (degree Kelvin) for cooling superconducting magnets have been presented. The mass flow rate was calculated from the differential pressure and the helium density evaluated from measured pressure and temperature. The venturi flow meter, with a full range of 290 g/s (0.29 Kg/s) at design conditions, has been found to be reliable and accurate. The flow measurements have been used, with great success, for evaluating the performance of a cold centrifugal compressor, the thermal acoustic heat load of a cryogenic system and the cooling of a superconducting magnet after quench

  13. Realization of mechanical rotation in superfluid helium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, E. B.; Kulish, M. I.; Karabulin, A. V.; Matyushenko, V. I.; Dyatlova, E. V.; Gordienko, A. S.; Stepanov, M. E.

    2017-09-01

    The possibility of using miniaturized low-power electric motors submerged in superfluid helium for organization of rotation inside a cryostat has been investigated. It has been revealed that many of commercial micromotors can operate in liquid helium consuming low power. Turret with 5 sample holders, assembled on the base of stepper motor, has been successfully tested in experiments on the nanowire production in quantized vortices of superfluid helium. Application of the stepper motor made it possible in a single experiment to study the effect of various experimental parameters on the yield and quality of the nanowires. The promises for continuous fast rotation of the bath filled by superfluid helium by using high-speed brushless micromotor were outlined and tested. Being realized, this approach will open new possibility to study the guest particles interaction with the array of parallel linear vortices in He II.

  14. Sputtering of solid nitrogen by keV helium ions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ellegaard, O.; Schou, Jørgen; Sørensen, H.

    1993-01-01

    Solid nitrogen has become a standard material among the frozen molecular gases for electronic sputtering. We have combined measurements of sputtering yields and energy spectra from nitrogen bombarded by 4-10 keV helium ions. The data show that the erosion is electronic rather than knockon...

  15. Helium production in mixed spectrum reactor-irradiated pure elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kneff, D.W.; Oliver, B.M.; Skowronski, R.P.

    1986-01-01

    The objectives of this work are to apply helium accumulation neutron dosimetry to the measurement of neutron fluences and energy spectra in mixed-spectrum fission reactors utilized for fusion materials testing, and to measure helium generation rates of materials in these irradiation environments. Helium generation measurements have been made for several Fe, Cu Ti, Nb, Cr, and Pt samples irradiated in the mixed-spectrum High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) and Oak Ridge Research Reactor (ORR) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The results have been used to integrally test the ENDF/B-V Gas Production File, by comparing the measurements with helium generation predictions made by Argonne National Laboratory using ENDF/B-V cross sections and adjusted reactor spectra. The comparisons indicate consistency between the helium measurements and ENDF/B-V for iron, but cross section discrepancies exist for helium production by fast neutrons in Cu, Ti, Nb, and Cr (the latter for ORR). The Fe, Cu, and Ti work updates and extends previous measurements

  16. Interdiffusion of krypton and xenon in high-pressure helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Campana, R.J.; Jensen, D.D.; Epstein, B.D.; Hudson, R.G.; Baldwin, N.L.

    1980-01-01

    The interdiffusion of gaseous fission products in high-pressure helium is an important factor in the control of radioactivity in gas-cooled fast breeder reactors (GCFRs). As presently conceived, GCFRs use pressure-equalized and vented fuel in which fission gases released from the solid matrix oxide fuel are transported through the fuel rod interstices and internal fission product traps to the fuel assembly vents, where they are swept away to external traps and storage. Since the predominant transport process under steady-state operating conditions is interdiffusion of gaseous fission products in helium, the diffusion properties of krypton-helium and xenon-helium couples have been measured over the range of GCFR temperature and pressure conditions ( -1 ) and expected temperature dependence to the 1.66 power (Tsup(1.66)) at lower pressures and temperatures. Additional work is in progress to measure the behaviour of the krypton-helium and xenon-helium couples in GCFR fuel rod charcoal delay traps. (author)

  17. High-temperature helium embrittlement (T>=0,45Tsub(M)) of metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Batfalsky, P.

    1984-06-01

    High temperature helium embrittlement, swelling and irradiation creep are the main technical problem of fusion reactor materials. The expected helium production will be very high. The helium produced by (n,α)-processes precipitates into helium bubbles because its solubility in solid metals is very low. Under continuous helium production at high temperature and stress the helium bubbles grow and lead to intergranular early failure. Solution annealed foil specimens of austenitic stainless steel AISI 316 were implanted with α-particles: 1. during creep tests at 1023 K (''in-beam'' test) 2. before the creep tests at high temperature (1023 K). The creep tests have been performed within large ranges of test parameter, e.g. applied stress, temperature, helium implantation rate and helium concentration. After the creep tests the microstructure was investigated using scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy. All the helium implanted specimens showed high temperature helium embrittlement, i.e. reduction of rupture time tsub(R) and ductility epsilonsub(R) and evidence of intergranular brittle fracture. The ''in-beam'' creep tests showed greater reduction of rupture time tsub(R) and ductility than the preimplanted creep tests. The comparison of this experimentally obtained data with various theoretical models of high temperature helium embrittlement showed that within the investigated parameter ranges the mechanism controlling the life time of the samples is probably the gas driven stable growth of the helium bubbles within the grain boundaries. (orig.)

  18. Effect of alpha self irradiation on helium migration in (U,Pu)O2 samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pipon, Yves; Roudil, Daniele; Jegou, Christophe; Khodja, Hicham; Raepsaet, Caroline

    2008-01-01

    The helium behavior and its migration mechanisms in nuclear spent fuel (UOX and MOX) significantly impact the possible evolution of the spent fuel matrix in a closed system during interim storage or during a disposal repository. An experimental study has been conducted on (U,Pu)O 2 samples in order to investigate the impact of defects created by alpha decay on helium diffusion. One large part is devoted to thermal atomic diffusion and applied on 3 He implanted samples, annealed at 850 and 1000 deg. C. The He profiles, as implanted and after annealing, were investigated with the 3 He(d,p) 4 He nuclear reaction. Another part deals with the thermal release of 4 He amassed in the samples. The measured thermal diffusion coefficients are compared with previously published values, thereby highlighting the effect of the alpha self-irradiation on helium behavior. (authors)

  19. Simplicity works for superfluid helium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bowley, Roger [University of Nottingham, Nottingham (United Kingdom)

    2000-02-01

    The famous philosopher Karl Popper once said that ''science is the art of systematic oversimplification''. Indeed, when faced with a new puzzle the trick is to simplify it without losing the essential physics - something that is easier said than done. However, this approach has paid off recently in low-temperature physics. Last year Richard Packard, Seamus Davis and co-workers at the University of California at Berkeley encountered a puzzling new phenomenon in superfluid helium-3, a quantum fluid that remains a liquid close to absolute zero and exhibits unusual properties such as the ability to flow without friction (A Machenkov et al. 1999 Phys. Rev. Lett. 83 3860). Previous experiments had revealed that certain effects in liquid helium are analogous to effects observed in superconductors, materials that lose all resistance to electric current at low temperatures. When the Berkeley researchers connected two reservoirs of superfluid helium-3, the superfluid flowed back and forth through apertures that formed a ''weak link'' between the two containers. This behaviour is similar to the oscillatory current of electrons that can flow across an insulating gap separating two superconductors - a device that is known as a Josephson junction. What was puzzling about the Berkeley results was that the helium-3 had two different stable configurations, both of which behaved in an unconventional way compared with a Josephson junction. This puzzle has now been solved independently by Sidney Yip at the National Center for Theoretical Sciences in Taiwan, and by Janne Viljas and Erkki Thuneberg at the Helsinki University of Technology in Finland (Phys. Rev. Lett. 1999 83 3864 and 3868). In this article the author describes the latest research on superfluid helium. (UK)

  20. Helium turbomachine design for GT-MHR power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McDonald, C.F.; Orlando, R.J.

    1994-07-01

    The power conversion system in the gas turbine modular helium reactor (GT-MHR) power plant is based on a highly recuperated closed Brayton cycle. The major component in the direct cycle system is a helium closed-cycle gas turbine rated at 286 MW(e). The rotating group consists of an intercooled helium turbocompressor coupled to a synchronous generator. The vertical rotating assembly is installed in a steel vessel, together with the other major components (i.e., recuperator, precooler, intercooler, and connecting ducts and support structures). The rotor is supported on an active magnetic bearing system. The turbine operates directly on the reactor helium coolant, and with a temperature of 850 degree C (1562 degree F) the plant efficiency is over 47%. This paper addresses the design and development planning of the helium turbomachine, and emphasizes that with the utilization of proven technology, this second generation nuclear power plant could be in service in the first decade of the 21st century

  1. Optomechanics in a Levitated Droplet of Superfluid Helium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Charles; Harris, Glen; Harris, Jack

    2017-04-01

    A critical issue common to all optomechanical systems is dissipative coupling to the environment, which limits the system's quantum coherence. Superfluid helium's extremely low optical and mechanical dissipation, as well as its high thermal conductivity and its ability cool itself via evaporation, makes the mostly uncharted territory of superfluid optomechanics an exciting avenue for exploring quantum effects in macroscopic objects. I will describe ongoing work that aims to exploit the unique properties of superfluid helium by constructing an optomechanical system consisting of a magnetically levitated droplet of superfluid helium., The optical whispering gallery modes (WGMs) of the droplet, as well as the mechanical oscillations of its surface, should offer exceptionally low dissipation, and should couple to each other via the usual optomechanical interactions. I will present recent progress towards this goal, and also discuss the background for this work, which includes prior demonstrations of magnetic levitation of superfluid helium, high finesse WGMs in liquid drops, and the self-cooling of helium drops in vacuum.

  2. Thermal Performance of a Dual-Channel, Helium-Cooled, Tungsten Heat Exchanger

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Youchison, Dennis L.; North, Mart T.

    2000-01-01

    Helium-cooled, refractory heat exchangers are now under consideration for first wall and divertor applications. These refractory devices take advantage of high temperature operation with large delta-Ts to effectively handle high heat fluxes. The high temperature helium can then be used in a gas turbine for high-efficiency power conversion. Over the last five years, heat removal with helium was shown to increase dramatically by using porous metal to provide a very large effective surface area for heat transfer in a small volume. Last year, the thermal performance of a bare-copper, dual-channel, helium-cooled, porous metal divertor mock-up was evaluated on the 30 kW Electron Beam Test System at Sandia National Laboratories. The module survived a maximum absorbed heat flux of 34.6 MW/m 2 and reached a maximum surface temperature of 593 C for uniform power loading of 3 kW absorbed on a 2-cm 2 area. An impressive 10 kW of power was absorbed on an area of 24 cm 2 . Recently, a similar dual-module, helium-cooled heat exchanger made almost entirely of tungsten was designed and fabricated by Thermacore, Inc. and tested at Sandia. A complete flow test of each channel was performed to determine the actual pressure drop characteristics. Each channel was equipped with delta-P transducers and platinum RTDs for independent calorimetry. One mass flow meter monitored the total flow to the heat exchanger, while a second monitored flow in only one of the channels. The thermal response of each tungsten module was obtained for heat fluxes in excess of 5 MW/m 2 using 50 C helium at 4 MPa. Fatigue cycles were also performed to assess the fracture toughness of the tungsten modules. A description of the module design and new results on flow instabilities are also presented

  3. Neutron scattering study of dynamical properties of liquid helium confined into porous media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Albergamo, Francesco

    2001-01-01

    The study of liquid helium confined into porous materials should allow for a better understanding of the relation between superfluidity and Bose-Einstein condensation, lacking, at present, o f a satisfactory theoretical description. Experiments on confined liquid helium are quite difficult and samples should be prepared very carefully. One should know at best the confining material characteristics and should control the actual filling status of the porous sample. To achieve this condition, we added an experimental stage to the procedure commonly used in the studies conducted insofar. We conducted helium adsorption isotherms on each porous sample supposed to be used a s a confining sample. In this way we were able to know, with an high degree of precision, the amount of helium necessary to fill the porous sample. We also get information on macroscopic phenomena occurring during the filling procedure. Some experimental tricks have been used in order to avoid condensation of liquid helium into the injection capillary. Two inelastic neutron scattering techniques have been used in order to get information respectively on the mean kinetic energy per particle and on the elementary excitations spectrum. The kinetic energy measurements showed that confinement is responsible for a rise in this quantity. The elementary excitations measurements showed a correspondence between the capillary condensation process (detected by helium adsorption isotherms measurements) and the presence of elementary excitations typical of the liquid helium. Moreover, the long-wavelength elementary excitations are found to be perturbed in a way compatible with the system geometry. An intrinsic (at T=0.4 K) width of the roton peak is also found. (author) [fr

  4. Born-Mayer type molybdenum-helium and helium-helium interaction potentials, fitted to the results of the helium desorption experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heugten, W.F.W.M. van; Veen, A. van; Caspers, L.M.

    1979-01-01

    Classes of Born-Mayer type Mo-He and He-He potentials have been derived from helium desorption experiments. The classes are described by linear relations between the Born-Mayer parameters A and b. For computer simulations the Mo-He potential phisub(MoHe)(r)=exp (6.5-3.63 r) and the He-He potential phisub(HeHe)(r)=exp(5.3-5.51 r) are proposed. (Auth.)

  5. Measurements of cascade times of antiprotons in molecular hydrogen and helium

    CERN Document Server

    Bianconi, A; Corradini, M; Donzella, A; Gómez, G; Lodi-Rizzini, E; Venturelli, L; Vilar, R; Zenoni, A; Bertin, A; Bruschi, M; Capponi, M; De Castro, S; Donà, R; Galli, D; Giacobbe, B; Marconi, U; Massa, I; Piccinini, M; Semprini-Cesari, N; Spighi, R; Vagnoni, V M; Vecchi, S; Villa, M; Vitale, A; Zoccoli, A; Cicalò, C; De Falco, A; Masoni, A; Puddu, G; Serci, S; Usai, G L; Gorchakov, O E; Prakhov, S N; Rozhdestvensky, A M; Tretyak, V I; Poli, M; Gianotti, P; Guaraldo, C; Lanaro, A; Lucherini, V; Petrascu, C; Ableev, V G; Ricci, R A; Vannucci, Luigi; Filippini, V; Fontana, A; Montagna, P; Rotondi, A; Salvini, P; Mirfakhraee, N; Bussa, M P; Busso, L; Cerello, P G; Denisov, O Yu; Ferrero, L; Garfagnini, R; Grasso, A; Maggiora, A; Panzarasa, A; Panzieri, D; Tosello, F; Botta, E; Bressani, Tullio; Calvo, D; Costa, S; D'Isep, F; Feliciello, A; Filippi, A; Marcello, S; Agnello, M; Iazzi, F; Minetti, B; Tessaro, S; Santi, L

    2000-01-01

    The OBELIX experiment at CERN collected samples of antiproton annihilations at rest in different gaseous targets, such as hydrogen, deuterium and helium. We analyze a set of the Obelix data using a new technique for measuring, for the first time, the cascade times independent of the capture energy and of the antiproton stopping power. We report on measurements of the cascade times for hydrogen at 3.4, 5.8, 9.8 and 150 mbar and for helium at 8.2, 50 and 150 mbar pressure. An estimate of the antiproton capture energy in hydrogen is also presented. (12 refs).

  6. Binary and Recoil Collisions in Strong Field Double Ionization of Helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Staudte, A.; Villeneuve, D. M.; Corkum, P. B.; Ruiz, C.; Becker, A.; Schoeffler, M.; Schoessler, S.; Meckel, M.; Doerner, R.; Zeidler, D.; Weber, Th.

    2007-01-01

    We have investigated the correlated momentum distribution of both electrons from nonsequential double ionization of helium in a 800 nm, 4.5x10 14 W/cm 2 laser field. Using very high resolution coincidence techniques, we find a so-far unobserved fingerlike structure in the correlated electron momentum distribution. The structure can be interpreted as a signature of the microscopic dynamics in the recollision process. We identify features corresponding to the binary and recoil lobe in field-free (e,2e) collisions. This interpretation is supported by analyzing ab initio solutions of a fully correlated three-dimensional helium model

  7. Helium (24He, 23He) within deuterated Pd-black

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arata, Yoshiaki; Zhang, Yue-Chang

    1997-01-01

    Authors have clearly proven for the first time that deuterium nuclear reaction was continuously generated inside a highly deuterated solid by showing both of the excess energy and corresponding amount of helium as the reaction product generated simultaneously. Whenever there is a nuclear fusion reaction inside a metal, helium generated is unable to escape to the surroundings and is trapped in a frozen state inside that metal. The concentration of the helium within the metal will rise with increasing rate of reactions. Pd-black is under such state as the sample used and sealed within the 'closed QMS' developed by the authors (closed vessel including the Getter pump and the QMS). It is completely separated from the surroundings and the internal gases are removed to create super-vacuum. The reaction product released by the 'Sample-Heating' process (room temp. ↔ 1500(degC)) is thus the only matter which occupies the interior of the closed vessel and its detection by the QMS is assured. When the 'closed QMS' works under the above mentioned-state, it was clarified that the 'ash' or the reaction product of this fusion reaction within a solid is 2 4 He and 2 3 He and their ratio is 2 4 He/ 2 3 He ≅ 4. It can be concluded from the result that the main reaction product is 2 4 He and it is created directly as an inherent feature of the solid-state nuclear fusion. Authors think that the reaction process responsible for the creation of 2 3 He may be a different one from that created 2 4 He. One of which is the Rutherford reaction process and the other occurs based on the specific properties of solid, similar to the case of 2 4 He. The existence of 1 3 T will be required that the process is responsible for the generation of 2 3 He as the Rutherford reaction. The proof for the existence of 1 3 T within the 'closed QMS', however, was not obtained in this experiments. (author)

  8. Molecular Iodine Fluorescence Using a Green Helium-Neon Laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williamson, J. Charles

    2011-01-01

    Excitation of molecular iodine vapor with a green (543.4 nm) helium-neon laser produces a fluorescence spectrum that is well suited for the upper-level undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory. Application of standard evaluation techniques to the spectrum yields ground electronic-state molecular parameters in good agreement with literature…

  9. Neutral helium beam probe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karim, Rezwanul

    1999-10-01

    This article discusses the development of a code where diagnostic neutral helium beam can be used as a probe. The code solves numerically the evolution of the population densities of helium atoms at their several different energy levels as the beam propagates through the plasma. The collisional radiative model has been utilized in this numerical calculation. The spatial dependence of the metastable states of neutral helium atom, as obtained in this numerical analysis, offers a possible diagnostic tool for tokamak plasma. The spatial evolution for several hypothetical plasma conditions was tested. Simulation routines were also run with the plasma parameters (density and temperature profiles) similar to a shot in the Princeton beta experiment modified (PBX-M) tokamak and a shot in Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor tokamak. A comparison between the simulation result and the experimentally obtained data (for each of these two shots) is presented. A good correlation in such comparisons for a number of such shots can establish the accurateness and usefulness of this probe. The result can possibly be extended for other plasma machines and for various plasma conditions in those machines.

  10. Contribution to the study of solid helium-3 by nuclear magnetic resonance; Contribution a l'etude de l'helium trois solide par resonance magnetique nucleaire

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Landesman, A [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

    1968-07-01

    Due to the unusually large zero point motion of helium three atoms in the solid, the overlap of the atomic wave functions is very important. As a consequence, there are exchange interactions, the theoretical calculation and the experimental measurement of which are discussed. Nuclear magnetic resonance is especially well suited for the latter.A detailed theory is given for both exchange narrowing and Zeeman-exchange cross relaxation, which phenomena are used to measure the exchange interaction as a function of molar volume. The alignment temperature is thus known; it goes down when the pressure goes up and is never higher than three milli degrees. An influence of helium four impurities on the exchange interactions between helium three atoms which are neighbours of the substitutional He is shown. (author) [French] Par suite de l'amplitude exceptionnelle des mouvements de point zero dans l'helium trois solide, le recouvrement des fonctions d'onde atomiques est tres important. Il en resulte des interactions d' echange dont on discute l'evaluation theorique et la mise en evidence experimentale. Cette derniere peut se faire par resonance magnetique; on etudie theoriquement les phenomenes de retrecissement par echange et de relaxation Zeeman-echange que l'on met a profit pour determiner les interactions d'echange en fonction du volume molaire. On en deduit que la temperature d'alignement nucleaire diminue quand on comprime le solide et est au plus de 3x10{sup -3} K. L'influence des impuretes d'helium quatre sur les interactions d'echange entre atomes {sup 3}He voisins de {sup 4}He est mise en evidence. (auteur)

  11. Back pressure helium leak testing of fuel elements for Dhruva research reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dutta, N G; Ahmad, Anis; Kulkarni, P G; Purushotham, D S.C. [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay (India). Atomic Fuels Div.

    1994-12-31

    Leak tightness specification on fuel elements for reactor use is always very stringent. The fuel element fabricated for Dhruva reactor is specified to be leak-tight up to 1 x 10{sup -8} std. cc/sec. The fuel element consists of natural metallic uranium rod around 12.5 mm diameter and 3 meter long in encased in aluminium tube and seal welded at both ends. Since helium gas is not filled inside the fuel element while doing seal welding, the only way to do helium leak testing of such fuel rods is by back-pressure technique. This paper describes the development of test facility for carrying out such test and discusses the experiences of carrying out helium leak testing by back-pressure technique on more than 700 numbers of fuel rods for Dhruva reactor. (author). 4 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.

  12. Design and study of Engineering Test Facility - Helium Circulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang Huijing; Ye Ping; Zhao Gang; Geng Yinan; Wang Jie

    2015-01-01

    Helium circulator is one of the key equipment of High-temperature Gas-cooled Reactor Pebble-bed Module (HTR-PM). In order to simulate most normal and accident operating conditions of helium circulator in HTR-PM, a full scale, rated flow rate and power, engineering test loop, which was called Engineering Test Facility - Helium Circulator (ETF-HC), was designed and established. Two prototypes of helium circulator, which was supported by Active Magnetic Bearing (AMB) or sealed by dry gas seals, would be tested on ETF-HC. Therefore, special interchangeable design was under consideration. ETF-HC was constructed compactly, which consisted of eleven sub-systems. In order to reduce the flow resistance of the circuit, special ducts, elbows, valves and flowmeters were selected. Two stages of heat exchange loops were designed and a helium - high pressure pure water heat exchanger was applied to ensure water wouldn't be vaporized while simulating accident conditions. Commissioning tests were carried out and operation results showed that ETF-HC meets the requirement of helium circulator operation. On this test facility, different kinds of experiments were supposed to be held, including mechanical and aerodynamic performance tests, durability tests and so on. These tests would provide the features and performance of helium circulator and verify its feasibility, availability and reliability. (author)

  13. Experimental Validation of the LHC Helium Relief System Flow Modeling

    CERN Document Server

    Fydrych, J; Riddone, G

    2006-01-01

    In case of simultaneous resistive transitions in a whole sector of magnets in the Large Hadron Collider, the helium would be vented from the cold masses to a dedicated recovery system. During the discharge the cold helium will eventually enter a pipe at room temperature. During the first period of the flow the helium will be heated intensely due to the pipe heat capacity. To study the changes of the helium thermodynamic and flow parameters we have simulated numerically the most critical flow cases. To verify and validate numerical results, a dedicated laboratory test rig representing the helium relief system has been designed and commissioned. Both numerical and experimental results allow us to determine the distributions of the helium parameters along the pipes as well as mechanical strains and stresses.

  14. Irradiation performance of helium-bonded uranium--plutonium carbide fuel elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Latimer, T.W.; Petty, R.L.; Kerrisk, J.F.; DeMuth, N.S.; Levine, P.J.; Boltax, A.

    1979-01-01

    The current irradiation program of helium-bonded uranium--plutonium carbide elements is achieving its original goals. By August 1978, 15 of the original 171 helium-bonded elements had reached their goal burnups including one that had reached the highest burnup of any uranium--plutonium carbide element in the U.S.--12.4 at.%. A total of 66 elements had attained burnups over 8 at.%. Only one cladding breach had been identified at that time. In addition, the systematic and coordinated approach to the current steady-state irradiation tests is yielding much needed information on the behavior of helium-bonded carbide fuel elements that was not available from the screening tests (1965 to 1974). The use of hyperstoichiometric (U,Pu)C containing approx. 10 vol% (U,Pu) 2 C 3 appears to combine lower swelling with only a slightly greater tendency to carburize the cladding than single-phase (U,Pu)C. The selected designs are providing data on the relationship between the experimental parameters of fuel density, fuel-cladding gap size, and cladding type and various fuel-cladding mechanical interaction mechanisms

  15. Thermal desorption of deuterium from polycrystalline nickel pre-implanted with helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi, S.Q.; Abramov, E.; Thompson, D.A.

    1990-01-01

    The thermal desorption technique has been used to study the trapping of deuterium atoms in high-purity polycrystalline nickel pre-implanted with helium for 1 x 10 19 to 5 x 10 20 ions/m 2 . The effect of post-implantation annealing at 703 K and 923 K on the desorption behavior was investigated. Measured values of the total amount of detrapped deuterium (Q T ) and helium concentration were used in a computer simulation of the desorption curve. It was found that the simulation using one or two discrete trap energies resulted in an inadequate fit between the simulated and the measured data. Both experimental and simulation results are explained using a stress-field trapping model. The effective binding energy, E b eff , was estimated to be in the range of 0.4-0.6 eV. Deuterium charging was found to stimulate a release of helium at a relatively low temperature

  16. THE EXPANDING BIPOLAR SHELL OF THE HELIUM NOVA V445 PUPPIS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woudt, P. A.; Warner, B.; Steeghs, D.; Marsh, T. R.; Karovska, M.; Roelofs, G. H. A.; Groot, P. J.; Nelemans, G.; Nagayama, T.; Smits, D. P.; O'Brien, T.

    2009-01-01

    From multi-epoch adaptive optics imaging and integral field unit spectroscopy, we report the discovery of an expanding and narrowly confined bipolar shell surrounding the helium nova V445 Puppis (Nova Puppis 2000). An equatorial dust disc obscures the nova remnant, and the outflow is characterized by a large polar outflow velocity of 6720 ± 650 km s -1 and knots moving at even larger velocities of 8450 ± 570 km s -1 . We derive an expansion parallax distance of 8.2 ± 0.5 kpc and deduce a pre-outburst luminosity of the underlying binary of log L/L sun = 4.34 ± 0.36. The derived luminosity suggests that V445 Puppis probably contains a massive white dwarf accreting at high rate from a helium star companion making it part of a population of binary stars that potentially lead to supernova Ia explosions due to accumulation of helium-rich material on the surface of a massive white dwarf.

  17. The Expanding Bipolar Shell of the Helium Nova V445 Puppis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woudt, P. A.; Steeghs, D.; Karovska, M.; Warner, B.; Groot, P. J.; Nelemans, G.; Roelofs, G. H. A.; Marsh, T. R.; Nagayama, T.; Smits, D. P.; O'Brien, T.

    2009-11-01

    From multi-epoch adaptive optics imaging and integral field unit spectroscopy, we report the discovery of an expanding and narrowly confined bipolar shell surrounding the helium nova V445 Puppis (Nova Puppis 2000). An equatorial dust disc obscures the nova remnant, and the outflow is characterized by a large polar outflow velocity of 6720 ± 650 km s-1 and knots moving at even larger velocities of 8450 ± 570 km s-1. We derive an expansion parallax distance of 8.2 ± 0.5 kpc and deduce a pre-outburst luminosity of the underlying binary of log L/L sun = 4.34 ± 0.36. The derived luminosity suggests that V445 Puppis probably contains a massive white dwarf accreting at high rate from a helium star companion making it part of a population of binary stars that potentially lead to supernova Ia explosions due to accumulation of helium-rich material on the surface of a massive white dwarf.

  18. NUCLEAR CONDENSATE AND HELIUM WHITE DWARFS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bedaque, Paulo F.; Berkowitz, Evan [Maryland Center for Fundamental Physics, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); Cherman, Aleksey, E-mail: bedaque@umd.edu, E-mail: evanb@umd.edu, E-mail: a.cherman@damtp.cam.ac.uk [Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0WA (United Kingdom)

    2012-04-10

    We consider a high-density region of the helium phase diagram, where the nuclei form a Bose-Einstein condensate rather than a classical plasma or a crystal. Helium in this phase may be present in helium-core white dwarfs. We show that in this regime there is a new gapless quasiparticle not previously noticed, arising when the constraints imposed by gauge symmetry are taken into account. The contribution of this quasiparticle to the specific heat of a white dwarf core turns out to be comparable in a range of temperatures to the contribution from the particle-hole excitations of the degenerate electrons. The specific heat in the condensed phase is two orders of magnitude smaller than in the uncondensed plasma phase, which is the ground state at higher temperatures, and four orders of magnitude smaller than the specific heat that an ion lattice would provide, if formed. Since the specific heat of the core is an important input for setting the rate of cooling of a white dwarf star, it may turn out that such a change in the thermal properties of the cores of helium white dwarfs has observable implications.

  19. NUCLEAR CONDENSATE AND HELIUM WHITE DWARFS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bedaque, Paulo F.; Berkowitz, Evan; Cherman, Aleksey

    2012-01-01

    We consider a high-density region of the helium phase diagram, where the nuclei form a Bose-Einstein condensate rather than a classical plasma or a crystal. Helium in this phase may be present in helium-core white dwarfs. We show that in this regime there is a new gapless quasiparticle not previously noticed, arising when the constraints imposed by gauge symmetry are taken into account. The contribution of this quasiparticle to the specific heat of a white dwarf core turns out to be comparable in a range of temperatures to the contribution from the particle-hole excitations of the degenerate electrons. The specific heat in the condensed phase is two orders of magnitude smaller than in the uncondensed plasma phase, which is the ground state at higher temperatures, and four orders of magnitude smaller than the specific heat that an ion lattice would provide, if formed. Since the specific heat of the core is an important input for setting the rate of cooling of a white dwarf star, it may turn out that such a change in the thermal properties of the cores of helium white dwarfs has observable implications.

  20. Observations of energetic helium ions in the Earth's radiation belts during a sequence of geomagnetic storms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spjeldvik, W.N.; Fritz, T.A.

    1981-01-01

    Every year a significant number of magnetic storms disturb the earth's magnetosphere and the trapped particle populations. In this paper, we present observations of energetic (MeV) helium ions made with Explorer 45 during a sequence of magnetic storms during June through December of 1972. The first of these storms started on June 17 and had a Dst index excursion to approx.190 gamma, and the MeV helium ions were perturbed primarily beyond 3 earth radii in the equatorial radiation belts with a typical flux increase of an order of magnitude at L = 4. The second storm period took place during August and was associated with very major solar flare activity. Although the Dst extremum was at best 35 gamma less than the June storm, this period can be characterized as irregular (or multi-storm) with strong compression of the magnetosphere and very large (order of magnitude) MeV helium ion flux enhancements down to Lapprox.2. Following this injection the trapped helium ion fluxes showed positive spectral slope with the peak beyond 3.15 MeV at L = 2.5; and at the lowest observable L shells (Lapprox.2--3) little flux decay (tau>100 days) was seen during the rest of the year. Any effects of two subsequent major magnetic storms in September and November were essentially undetectable in the prolonged after-effect of the August solar flare associated MeV helium ion injection. The helium ion radial profile of the phase space density showed a significant negative slope during this period, and we infer that radial diffusion constitutes a significant loss of helium ions on L shells above Lapprox. =4 during the aftermath of the August 1972 magnetic storm

  1. Development of an Agent-based Model to Analyze Contemporary Helium Markets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riddle, Matthew E. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Uckun, Canan [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Conzelmann, Guenter [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Macal, Charles M. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

    2016-02-01

    Although U.S. helium demand has remained relatively flat since 2009, exports of helium have increased significantly since then, driven primarily by demand for electronic and semiconductor manufacturing in Asia. In the midst of this global demand shift, the Helium Act dictates a new procedure for pricing and distributing the gas through a reserve that historically functioned as a loose “oligarchy.” The new procedure requires prices to be determined by the open market through auctions and a survey of market prices, as opposed to increasing prices according to the consumer price index. Response to these changes has caused temporary shortages, price increases, and a significant increase in the development of the helium extraction technologies used to produce helium from formerly marginal sources. Technologies are being developed and refined to extract helium from formerly low-yielding natural gas fields containing much lower amounts of helium than the previously considered economic threshold of 0.3%. Combining these transformative policies with the potential for new and significant global supplies from Qatar, Algeria, and Russia could lead to new and unforeseen market behaviors and reactions from global helium markets. The objective of the project is to analyze the global helium markets.

  2. Organ protection by the noble gas helium

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smit, K.F.

    2017-01-01

    The aims of this thesis were to investigate whether helium induces preconditioning in humans, and to elucidate the mechanisms behind this possible protection. First, we collected data regarding organ protective effects of noble gases in general, and of helium in particular (chapters 1-3). In chapter

  3. Helium leak testing the Westinghouse LCP coil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Merritt, P.A.; Attaar, M.H.; Hordubay, T.D.

    1983-01-01

    The tests, equipment, and techniques used to check the Westinghouse LCP coil for coolant flow path integrity and helium leakage are unique in terms of test sensitivity and application. This paper will discuss the various types of helium leak testing done on the LCP coil as it enters different stages of manufacture. The emphasis will be on the degree of test sensitivity achieved under shop conditions, and what equipment, techniques and tooling are required to achieve this sensitivity (5.9 x 10 -8 scc/sec). Other topics that will be discussed are helium flow and pressure drop testing which is used to detect any restrictions in the flow paths, and the LCP final acceptance test which is the final leak test performed on the coil prior to its being sent for testing. The overall allowable leak rate for this coil is 5 x 10 -6 scc/sec. A general evaluation of helium leak testing experience are included

  4. Hybrid Circuit QED with Electrons on Helium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Ge

    Electrons on helium (eHe) is a 2-dimensional system that forms naturally at the interface between superfluid helium and vacuum. It has the highest measured electron mobility, and long predicted spin coherence time. In this talk, we will first review various quantum computer architecture proposals that take advantage of these exceptional properties. In particular, we describe how electrons on helium can be combined with superconducting microwave circuits to take advantage of the recent progress in the field of circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED). We will then demonstrate how to reliably trap electrons on these devices hours at a time, at millikelvin temperatures inside a dilution refrigerator. The coupling between the electrons and the microwave resonator exceeds 1 MHz, and can be reproduced from the design geometry using our numerical simulation. Finally, we will present our progress on isolating individual electrons in such circuits, to build single-electron quantum dots with electrons on helium.

  5. Formation of the lunar helium corona and atmosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodges, R. R., Jr.

    1977-01-01

    Helium is one of the dominant gases of the lunar atmosphere. Its presence is easily identified in data from the mass spectrometer at the Apollo 17 landing site. The major part of these data was obtained in lunar nighttime, where helium concentration reaches the maximum of its diurnal cyclic variation. The large night to day concentration ratio agrees with the basic theory of exospheric lateral transport reported by Hodges and Johnson (1968). A reasonable fraction of atmospheric helium atoms has a velocity in excess of the gravitational escape velocity. The result is a short average lifetime and a tenuous helium atmosphere. A description is presented of an investigation which shows that the atmosphere of the moon has two distinct components including low energy atoms, which are gravitationally bound in trajectories that intersect the lunar surface, and higher energy atoms, which are trapped in satellite orbits. The total helium abundance in the lunar corona is shown to be about 1.3 times 10 to the 30th power atoms.

  6. Development of a Mass Flowmeter based on the Coriolis Acceleration for Liquid, Supercritical and Superfluid Helium

    CERN Document Server

    De Jonge, T; Rivetti, A; Serio, L

    2002-01-01

    Beginning in the 1980's, Coriolis meters have gained generalised acceptance in liquid applications with a worldwide installed base of over 300,000 units. To meet the demands of cryogenic applications below 20 K, off-the-shelf Coriolis meters have been used, with minor design modifications and operational changes. The meters were originally calibrated on water and tested on liquid helium at 4.5 K, supercritical helium around 5 K and superfluid helium below 2 K. The meters maintain their intrinsic robustness and accuracy of better than 1% of measured value; accuracy is independent of density and temperature.

  7. A preliminary investigation of the diffusion of helium in zirconium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reed, D.J.; Faulkner, D.

    1976-10-01

    The out-diffusion of helium, introduced into polycrystalline zirconium at room temperature by ion-implantation at 100 keV to a peak concentration of 1ppm, was found to occur in two principal regions. Two evolution rate maxima, obtained during post-implantation target annealing at 2.6 0 K s -1 , were observed in close proximity at 330 0 C (0.28 Tsub(m)) and 450 0 C (0.34 Tsub(m)) comprising the principal stage, with a subordinate stage occurring at 600 0 C (0.4 Tsub(m)). These data were compared with similar maxima observed in nickel at 600 0 C (0.5 Tsub(m)) and 850 0 C (0.65 Tsub(m)). The results imply a high helium diffusivity over the 0.5 mm experimental range in comparison with nickel, and an exceptionally high diffusivity taking into account the melting temperature of zirconium. On the basis of a diffusion model proposed earlier for nickel, activation energies of 1.37 and 1.66 eV have been assigned to the principal maxima at 330 0 C and 450 0 C, and a value of 2.41 eV to the maximum at 600 0 C. The long range diffusivity of helium manifested by its thermal evolution from uniformly filled 120 mm thick foils was found to be much lower than that measured for short range migration. An empirical activation energy of approximately 3 eV was estimated for this process, thought to be a result of bubble migration. The release of helium from zirconium has been explained by comparison with nickel data. The proposed substitutional de-trapping mechanism has been invoked to account for the principal evolution rate maxima at 330 0 C. Helium release observed at 600 0 C has been explained by the annealing of radiation damage, so allowing gas trapped therein to be evolved. (author)

  8. Engineering Sensitivity Improvement of Helium Mass Spectrometer Leak Detection System by Means Global Hard Vacuum Test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sigit Asmara Santa

    2006-01-01

    The engineering sensitivity improvement of Helium mass spectrometer leak detection using global hard vacuum test configuration has been done. The purpose of this work is to enhance the sensitivity of the current leak detection of pressurized method (sniffer method) with the sensitivity of 10 -3 ∼ 10 -5 std cm 3 /s, to the global hard vacuum test configuration method which can be achieved of up to 10 -8 std cm 3 /s. The goal of this research and development is to obtain a Helium leak test configuration which is suitable and can be used as routine bases in the quality control tests of FPM capsule and AgInCd safety control rod products. The result is an additional instrumented vacuum tube connected with conventional Helium mass spectrometer. The pressure and temperature of the test object during the leak measurement are simulated by means of a 4.1 kW capacity heater and Helium injection to test object, respectively. The addition of auxiliary mechanical vacuum pump of 2.4 l/s pumping speed which is directly connected to the vacuum tube, will reduce 86 % of evacuation time. The reduction of the measured sensitivity due to the auxiliary mechanical vacuum pump can be overcome by shutting off the pump soon after Helium mass spectrometer reaches its operating pressure condition. (author)

  9. Compatibility of vanadium alloys with reactor-grade helium for fusion reactor applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bell, G.E.C.; Bishop, P.S.

    1993-01-01

    Tests were conducted to determine the compatibility of vanadium alloys with reactor-grade helium and to define the helium gas chemistry requirements for fusion reactors, miniature tensile specimens of V-5Cr-5Ti. V-10Cr-5Ti, and V-12.5Cr-5 Ti were exposed in a once-through system to helium with 70 vppm-H 2 (measured oxygen partial pressures of 10 -12 atm) and bottle helium (measured oxygen partial pressures of -4 atm) between 500 and 700 degree C for up to 1008 h. The weight changes in the specimens were recorded. The helium-exposed specimens were tensile tested, and the effects of exposure on mechanical properties were assessed. Exposure between 500 and 700 degree C for 1008 h in He+70 vppm-H 2 resulted in complete embrittlement of all the alloys in room temperature tensile tests. The fracture mode was primarily cleavage, probably caused by a hydrogen-induced shift in the ductile to brittle transition temperature (DBTT). Weight gains increased with temperature and were largest for the V-5Cr-5Ti alloy. Specimens exposed for 531 h between 500 and 700 degree C in bottle He exhibited two distinct fracture morphologies on the fracture surfaces. Brittle cleavage around the edges of specimens gave way to ductile dimpling in the center of the specimens. The brittle region around the periphery of the specimen is most likely the highest vanadium oxide. V 2 O 5

  10. Mechanical properties and microstructure of austenitic steels loaded with helium using tritium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sacovy, Paulette; Brun, Gilbert; Delaplace, Jean; Devaux, Joel; Fidelle, J.P.

    1982-06-01

    Following a review of the principle of the method using the radioactive decay of tritium to helium 3 to introduce helium into thick metallic test specimens, the results of preliminary tests performed on austenitic steels are presented. 304L and 316 steel specimens were loaded with helium, treated at 760 0 C to precipitate the helium in bubbles, and then strained by tensile stress at 800 0 C. In the material most loaded with helium (304 steel containing 230 ppm at. helium), a significant increase in distributed and total elongation at 800 0 C was observed. In the least loaded material (steel 316 containing 13 ppm at. helium), only total elongation decreased. Neither the yield stress nor the breaking load was altered by the presence of helium. Observations made by electron microscopy in the most loaded material revealed the presence, after heat treatment at 760 0 C, of very small bubbles of helium and also imperfect dislocation loops. The cause of these fault loops is discussed [fr

  11. Orientation, alignment and polarisation in electron-helium collisions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beijers, J.P.M.

    1987-01-01

    In this thesis electron-photon coincidence experiments to study the excitation of helium by electron impact are updated. This is achieved by cross firing a well collimated and mono-energetic electron beam with a thermal helium beam and measuring the angular and/or polarisation distribution of the decay photons in coincidence with the inelastically scattered electrons. In this way target parameters are determined for the 2 1 P, 3 1 P, 3 1 D and 3 3 P states of helium. (Auth.)

  12. Influence of MHD effects and edge conditions on ITER helium ash accumulation and sustained ignition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Redi, M.H.; Cohen, S.A.

    1990-06-01

    Dilution of reacting species by build-up of helium ash and its effect on ignition in the ITER tokamak have been studies in a series of simulations with the one-dimensional BALDUR transport code. Thermal diffusivities, obtained from ITER scaling laws and with radial variations observed in JET, gave τ E ∼ 2--4 sec. Refueling of deuterium and tritium maintained constant electron density, while carbon recycling was 100% and the helium ash recycling was varied from 1.0 to 0.5. Including MHD effects, specifically sawteeth and beta limits, we find that ignition can be sustained for 200 seconds with R helium = 0.95. These simulations, the only non-zero-dimensional, time-dependent simulations thus far made for ITER plasmas, emphasize that edge plasma conditions, MHD behavior, and helium particle transport are critical synergistic issues for sustained ignition. 27 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab

  13. Preservation and release dose of helium implanted in nanocrystal titanium film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Long Xinggui; Luo Shunzhong; Peng Shuming; Zheng Sixiao; Liu Zhongyang; Wang Peilu; Liao Xiaodong; Liu Ning

    2003-01-01

    Helium concentration profile, preservation dose and release rate from a nanocrystal titanium film implanted with helium at an energy of 100 keV and dose of 2.2 x 10 18 cm -2 are measured by proton Rutherford backscattering technique in a range from room temperature to 400 degree C. The implanted helium may be stably preserved up to the 68 percent after keeping a long time of 210 d in the nanocrystal titanium film at the room temperature environment, and the He-Ti atomic ratio reaches to 52.6%. When the temperature of specimen increases to 100 degree C, the helium concentration can be preserved to 89.6% of the keeping helium dose at room temperature and He-Ti atomic ratio reaches 44%. Even if the specimen temperature up to 400 degree C, the helium concentration still can be preserved to 32.6% of the keeping helium dose at room temperature and the He-Ti atomic ratio is 17.1%. Possible mechanism of helium effectively preserved in the nanocrystal titanium film is discussed based on the energy stability viewpoint

  14. On the shear strength of tungsten nano-structures with embedded helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smirnov, R.D.; Krasheninnikov, S.I.

    2013-01-01

    Modification of plastic properties of tungsten nano-structures under shear stress load due to embedded helium atoms is studied using molecular dynamics modelling. The modelling demonstrates that the yield strength of tungsten nano-structures reduces significantly with increasing embedded helium concentration. At high helium concentrations (>10 at%), the yield strength decreases to values characteristic to the pressure in helium nano-bubbles, which are formed in tungsten under such conditions and thought to be responsible for the formation of nano-fuzz on tungsten surfaces irradiated with helium plasma. It is also shown that tungsten plastic flow strongly facilitates coagulation of helium clusters to larger bubbles. The temperature dependencies of the yield strength are obtained. (letter)

  15. Investigation of the helium proportion influence on the Prandtl number value of gas mixtures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. A. Burtsev

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper investigates an influence of helium fraction (light gases on the Prandtl number value for binary and more complex gas mixtures.It is shown that a low value of the Prandtl number (Pr-number results in decreasing a temperature recovery factor value and, respectively, in reducing a recovery temperature value on the wall (thermoinsulated wall temperature with the compressive gas flow bypassing it. This, in turn, allows us to increase efficiency of gasdynamic energy separation in Leontyev's tube.The paper conducts a numerical research of the influence of binary and more complex gas mixture composition on the Prandtl number value. It is shown that a mixture of two gases with small and large molecular weight allows us to produce a mixture with a lower value of the Prandtl number in comparison with the initial gases. Thus, the value of Prandtl number decreases by 1.5-3.2 times in comparison with values for pure components (the more a difference of molar mass of components, the stronger is a decrease.The technique to determine the Prandtl number value for mixtures of gases in the wide range of temperatures and pressure is developed. Its verification based on experimental data and results of numerical calculations of other authors is executed. It is shown that it allows correct calculation of binary and more complex mixtures of gasesFor the mixtures of inert gases it has been obtained that the minimum value of the Prandtl number is as follows: for helium - xenon mixtures (He-Xe makes 0.2-0.22, for helium - krypton mixtures (He-Kr – 0.3, for helium - argon mixes (He-Ar – 0.41.For helium mixture with carbon dioxide the minimum value of the Prandtl number makes about 0.4, for helium mixture with N2 nitrogen the minimum value of the Prandtl number is equal to 0.48, for helium-methane (CH4 - 0.5 and helium – oxygen (O2 – 0.46.This decrease is caused by the fact that the thermal capacity of mixture changes under the linear law in regard to the

  16. Using Uncertainty Principle to Find the Ground-State Energy of the Helium and a Helium-like Hookean Atom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harbola, Varun

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, we accurately estimate the ground-state energy and the atomic radius of the helium atom and a helium-like Hookean atom by employing the uncertainty principle in conjunction with the variational approach. We show that with the use of the uncertainty principle, electrons are found to be spread over a radial region, giving an electron…

  17. Improvement of In-Flight Alumina Spheroidization Process Using a Small Power Argon DC-RF Hybrid Plasma Flow System by Helium Mixture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takana, Hidemasa; Jang, Juyong; Igawa, Junji; Nakajima, Tomoki; Solonenko, Oleg P.; Nishiyama, Hideya

    2011-03-01

    For the further improvement of in-flight alumina spheroidization process with a low-power direct-current radiofrequency (DC-RF) hybrid plasma flow system, the effect of a small amount of helium gas mixture in argon main gas and also the effect of increasing DC nozzle diameter on powder spheroidization ratio have been experimentally clarified with correlating helium gas mixture percentage, plasma enthalpy, powder in-flight velocity, and temperature. The alumina spheroidization ratio increases by helium gas mixture as a result of enhancement of plasma enthalpy. The highest spheroidization ratio is obtained by 4% mixture of helium in central gas with enlarging nozzle diameter from 3 to 4 mm, even under the constant low input electric power given to a DC-RF hybrid plasma flow system.

  18. Electrostatic charging and levitation of helium II drops

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niemela, J.J.

    1997-01-01

    Liquid Helium II drops, of diameter 1 mm or less, are charged with positive helium ions and subsequently levitated by static electric fields. Stable levitation was achieved for drops of order 100-150 micrometers in diameter. The suspended drops could be translated to arbitrary positions within the levitator using additional superimposed DC electric fields, and also could be made to oscillate stably about their average positions by means of an applied time-varying electric field. A weak corona discharge was used to produce the necessary ions for levitation. A novel superfluid film flow device, developed for the controlled deployment of large charged drops, is described. Also discussed is an adjustable electric fountain that requires only a field emission tip operating at modest potentials, and works in both Helium I and Helium II

  19. Five second helium neutral beam injection using argon-frost cryopumping techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phillips, J.C.; Kellman, D.H.; Hong, R.; Kim, J.; Laughon, G.M.

    1995-01-01

    High power helium neutral beams for the heating of tokamak discharges can now be provided for 5 s by using argon cryopumping (of the helium gas) in the beamlines. The DIII-D neutral beam system has routinely provided up to 20 MW of deuterium neutral beam heating in support of experiments on the DIII-D tokamak. Operation of neutral beams with helium has historically presented a problem in that pulse lengths have been limited to 500 ms due to reliance solely on volume pumping of the helium gas. Helium is not condensed on the cryopanels. A system has now been installed to deposit a layer of argon frost on the DIII-D neutral beam cryopanels, between tokamak injection pulses. The layer serves to trap helium on the cryopanels providing sufficient pumping speed for 5 s helium beam extraction. The argon frosting hardware is now present on two of four DIII-D neutral beamlines, allowing injection of up to 6 MW of helium neutral beams per discharge, with pulse lengths of up to 5 s. The argon frosting system is described, along with experimental results demonstrating its effectiveness as a method of economically extending the capabilities of cryogenic pumping panels to allow multi-second helium neutral beam injection

  20. Helium implanted AlHf as studied by 181 Ta TDPAC

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Measurements on helium implanted sample indicate the binding of helium associated defects by Hf solute clusters. Isochronal annealing measurements indicate the dissociation of the helium implantation induced defects from Hf solute clusters for annealing treatments beyond 650 K. On comparison of the present results ...

  1. The cryogenic helium cooling system for the Tokamak physics experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Felker, B.; Slack, D.S.; Wendland, C.R.

    1995-01-01

    The Tokamak Physics Experiment (TPX) will use supercritical helium to cool all the magnets and supply helium to the Vacuum cryopumping subsystem. The heat loads will come from the standard steady state conduction and thermal radiation sources and from the pulsed loads of the nuclear and eddy currents caused by the Central Solenoid Coils and the plasma positioning coils. The operations of the TPX will begin with pulses of up to 1000 seconds in duration every 75 minutes. The helium system utilizes a pulse load leveling scheme to buffer out the effects of the pulse load and maintain a constant cryogenic plant operation. The pulse load leveling scheme utilizes the thermal mass of liquid and gaseous helium stored in a remote dewar to absorb the pulses of the tokamak loads. The mass of the stored helium will buffer out the temperature pulses allowing 5 K helium to be delivered to the magnets throughout the length of the pulse. The temperature of the dewar will remain below 5 K with all the energy of the pulse absorbed. This paper will present the details of the heat load sources, of the pulse load leveling scheme operations, a partial helium schematic, dewar temperature as a function of time, the heat load sources as a function of time and the helium temperature as a function of length along the various components that will be cooled

  2. Film boiling heat transfer in liquid helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inai, Nobuhiko

    1979-01-01

    The experimental data on the film boiling heat transfer in liquid helium are required for investigating the stability of superconducting wires. On the other hand, liquid helium has the extremely different physical properties as compared with the liquids at normal temperature such as water. In this study, the experiments on pool boiling were carried out, using the horizontal top surface of a 20 mm diameter copper cylinder in liquid helium. For observing individual bubbles, the experiments on film boiling from a horizontal platinum wire were performed separately in liquid nitrogen and liquid helium, and photographs of floating-away bubbles were taken. The author pointed out the considerable upward shift of the boiling curve near the least heat flux point in film boiling from the one given by the Berenson's equation which has been said to agree comparatively well with the data on the film boiling of the liquids at normal temperature, and the reason was investigated. Consequently, a model for film boiling heat transfer was presented. Also one equation expressing the film boiling at low heat flux for low temperature liquids was proposed. It represents well the tendency to shift from Berenson's equation of the experimental data on film boiling at the least heat flux point for liquid helium, liquid nitrogen and water having extremely different physical properties. Some discussions are added at the end of the paper. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

  3. A description of stress driven bubble growth of helium implanted tungsten

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharafat, Shahram; Takahashi, Akiyuki; Nagasawa, Koji; Ghoniem, Nasr

    2009-01-01

    Low energy (<100 keV) helium implantation of tungsten has been shown to result in the formation of unusual surface morphologies over a large temperature range (700-2100 deg. C). Simulation of these macroscopic phenomena requires a multiscale approach to modeling helium transport in both space and time. We present here a multiscale helium transport model by coupling spatially-resolved kinetic rate theory (KRT) with kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulation to model helium bubble nucleation and growth. The KRT-based HEROS Code establishes defect concentrations as well as stable helium bubble nuclei as a function of implantation parameters and position from the implanted surface and the KMC-based Mc-HEROS Code models the growth of helium bubbles due to migration and coalescence. Temperature- and stress-gradients can act as driving forces, resulting in biased bubble migration. The Mc-HEROS Code was modified to simulate the impact of stress gradients on bubble migration and coalescence. In this work, we report on bubble growth and gas release of helium implanted tungsten W/O stress gradients. First, surface pore densities and size distributions are compared with available experimental results for stress-free helium implantation conditions. Next, the impact of stress gradients on helium bubble evolution is simulated. The influence of stress fields on bubble and surface pore evolution are compared with stress-free simulations. It is shown that near surface stress gradients accelerate helium bubbles towards the free surface, but do not increasing average bubble diameters significantly.

  4. Room temperature desorption of helium-3 from metal tritides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beavis, L.C.; Kass, W.J.

    1976-10-01

    It has long been known that helium-3 accumulates in metal tritides as tritium decays. Early in life nearly 100% of the helium-3 is retained in the lattice, but when a critical concentration is reached (material dependent), the lattice will no longer retain the helium-3 and it is emitted at about the generation rate. Measurements were recently made on a number of erbium tritides with varying concentrations in the ditritide phase. The expected early release characteristics are observed for all of the samples. However, ditritides with higher tritium concentrations reach the rapid release state at much lower helium-3 concentrations. For instance, the helium to metal concentration for rapid release in the unsaturated ditritide is about 0.22, whereas it is only one-tenth this value in the saturated ditritide. The additional tritium in the tritide appears to be the cause of this effect

  5. Cooling performance of helium-gas/water coolers in HENDEL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inagaki, Yoshiyuki; Takada, Shoji; Hayashi, Haruyoshi; Kobayashi, Toshiaki; Ohta, Yukimaru; Shimomura, Hiroaki; Miyamoto, Yoshiaki

    1994-01-01

    The helium engineering demonstration loop (HENDEL) has four helium-gas/water coolers where the cooling water flows in the tubes and helium gas on the shell side. Their cooling performance was studied using the operational data from 1982 to 1991. The heat transfer of helium gas on the shell was obtained for segmental and step-up baffle type coolers. Also, the change with operation time was investigated. The cooling performance was lowered by the graphite powder released from the graphite components for several thousand hours and thereafter recovered because the graphite powder from the components was reduced and the powder in the cooler shell was blown off during the operation. (orig.)

  6. Electron temperature measurements in lowdensity plasmas by helium spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brenning, N.

    1977-09-01

    This method to use relative intensities of singlet and triplet lines of neutral helium to measure electron temperature in low-density plasmas is examined. Calculations from measured and theoretical data about transitions in neutral helium are carried out and compared to experimental results. It is found that relative intensities of singlet and triplet lines from neutral helium only can be used for TE determination in low-density, short-duration plasmas. The most important limiting processes are excitation from the metastable 2 3 S level and excitation transfer in collisions between electrons and excited helium atoms. An evaluation method is suggested, which minimizes the effect of these processes. (author)

  7. High temperature tensile properties of 316 stainless steel implanted with helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawa, Akira; Yamamoto, Norikazu; Shiraishi, Haruki

    1993-01-01

    Helium embrittlement is one of the problems in structural materials for fusion reactors. Recently, martensitic steels have been developed which have a good resistance to high-temperature helium embrittlement, but the mechanism has not yet been clarified. In this paper, tensile behaviors of helium implanted austenitic stainless steels, which are sensitive to the helium embrittlement, were studied and compared with those of martensitic steels under the same experimental conditions, and the effect of microstructure on helium embrittlement was discussed. Helium was implanted by 300 appm at 573-623 K to miniature tensile speciments of 316 austenitic steels using a cyclotron accelerator. Solution annealed (316SA) and 20% cold worked (316CW) specimens were used. Post-implantation tensile tests were carried out at 573, 873 and 973 K. Yield stress at 573 K increased with the helium implantation in 316SA and 316CW, but the yield stress changes of 316SA at 873 and 973 K were different from that of 316CW. Black-dots were observed in the as-implanted specimen and bubbles were observed in the speciments tensile-tested at 873 and 973 K. Intergranular fracture was observed at only 973 K in both of the 316SA and 316CW specimens. Therefore, cold work did not suppress the high-temperature helium embrittlement under this experimental condition. The difference in the influence of helium on type 316 steel and 9Cr martensitic steels were discussed. Test temperature change of reduction in are showed clearly that helium embrittlement did not occur in 9Cr martensitic steels but occurred in 316 austenitic steels. Fine microstructures of 9Cr martensitic steels should suppress helium embrittlement at high temperatures. (author)

  8. Thermal release behavior of helium from copper irradiated by He+ ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamauchi, T.; Tokura, S.; Yamanaka, S.; Miyake, M.

    1988-01-01

    Thermal release behavior of helium from copper irradiated by 20 keV He + ions with a dose of 2x10 15 to 3x10 17 ions/cm 2 has been studied. The shape of the thermal release curves and thew number of helium release peaks strongly depend on the irradiation dose. Results from SEM surface observastion after post-irradiation heating suggested that helium release caused various surface damages such as blistering, flaking, and hole formation. Helium release resulting in small holes was analyzed and helium bubble growth mechanisms are discussed. (orig.)

  9. Radioactive ions and atoms in superfluid helium

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dendooven, P.G.; Purushothaman, S.; Gloos, K.; Aysto, J.; Takahashi, N.; Huang, W.; Harissopulos, S; Demetriou, P; Julin, R

    2006-01-01

    We are investigating the use of superfluid helium as a medium to handle and manipulate radioactive ions and atoms. Preliminary results on the extraction of positive ions from superfluid helium at temperatures close to 1 K are described. Increasing the electric field up to 1.2 kV/cm did not improve

  10. Conceptual design of helium experimental loop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Xingfu; Feng Kaiming

    2007-01-01

    In a future demonstration fusion power station (DEMO), helium is envisaged as coolant for plasma facing components, such as blanket and dive,or. All these components have a very complex geometry, with many parallel cooling channels, involving a complex helium flow distribution. Test blanket modules (TBM) of this concept will under go various tests in the experimental reactor ITER. For the qualification of TBM, it is indispensable to test mock-ups in a helium loop under realistic pressure and temperature profiles, in order to validate design codes, especially regarding mass flow and heat transition processes in narrow cooling channels. Similar testing must be performed for DEMO blanket, currently under development. A Helium Experimental Loop (HELOOP) is planed to be built for TBM tests. The design parameter of temperature, pressure, flow rate is 550 degree C, 10 MPa, l kg/s respectively. In particular, HELOOP is able to: perform full-scale tests of TBM under realistic conditions; test other components of the He-cooling system in ITER; qualify the purification circuit; obtain information for the design of the ITER cooling system. The main requirements and characteristics of the HELOOP facility and a preliminary conceptual design are described in the paper. (authors)

  11. Electron impact excitation of 1'S-2'S transition in helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohanty, J.P.; Singh, C.S.

    1989-01-01

    The modified variable-charge Coulomb-projected Born approximation is applied to electron impact excitation of 1 1 S-2 1 S transition in helium. The results are compared with other theoretical and experimental results. (author). 30 refs., 4 figs

  12. An overview of helium engineering demonstration loop (HENDEL) 1982

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Izawa, Naoki; Inagaki, Yoshiyuki; Tanaka, Toshiyuki; Hishida, Makoto; Shimomura, Hiroaki; Okamoto, Yoshizo

    1982-09-01

    The Helium Engineering Demonstration Loop (HENDEL) for proof testing of a large scale model of the VHTR components under simulated reactor operation conditions has been constructed at JAERI. This paper presented is markedly focused on the detail description of HENDEL facilities, including Mother (M), Adapter (A) and Test sections (T 1 -- T 4 ). (author)

  13. High-efficiency pump for space helium transfer. Final Technical Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasenbein, R.; Izenson, M.G.; Swift, W.L.; Sixsmith, H.

    1991-12-01

    A centrifugal pump was developed for the efficient and reliable transfer of liquid helium in space. The pump can be used to refill cryostats on orbiting satellites which use liquid helium for refrigeration at extremely low temperatures. The pump meets the head and flow requirements of on-orbit helium transfer: a flow rate of 800 L/hr at a head of 128 J/kg. The overall pump efficiency at the design point is 0.45. The design head and flow requirements are met with zero net positive suction head, which is the condition in an orbiting helium supply Dewar. The mass transfer efficiency calculated for a space transfer operation is 0.99. Steel ball bearings are used with gas fiber-reinforced teflon retainers to provide solid lubrication. These bearings have demonstrated the longest life in liquid helium endurance tests under simulated pumping conditions. Technology developed in the project also has application for liquid helium circulation in terrestrial facilities and for transfer of cryogenic rocket propellants in space

  14. Effect of a helium environment on the mechanical properties of HTGR primary system metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chow, J.G.Y.; Soo, P.; Sabatini, R.L.

    1978-01-01

    Creep and high cycle fatigue tests have been carried out on Incoloy 800H and Hastelloy X in a helium environment containing 40 μ atm of H 2 O, 200 μ atm H 2 , 40 μ atm CO, 20 μ atm CH 4 and 10 μ atm CO 2 . The creep behavior of Incoloy 800H does not appear to show significant differences from that measured in air. However, the Hastelloy X at the maximum test temperature studied (871 0 C, 1600 0 F) shows behavior which is inferior. With respect to high cycle fatigue, the Incoloy 800H is weaker in the helium environment at a test temperature of 649 0 C (1200 0 F). At 760 0 C (1400 0 F) the strength in helium is higher but there is a tendency to lose strength more rapidly than for the air tests as the test time increases. Hastelloy X tested at 871 0 C (1600 0 F) also shows higher strength in helium for short test times but for extended tests the strengths in air and helium become similar. Scanning electron microprobe analyses have been carried out to correlate the strength measurements with surface oxidation characteristics and internal structural changes

  15. Fission neutron irradiation of copper containing implanted and transmutation produced helium

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Singh, B.N.; Horsewell, A.; Eldrup, Morten Mostgaard

    1992-01-01

    High purity copper containing approximately 100 appm helium was produced in two ways. In the first, helium was implanted by cyclotron at Harwell at 323 K. In the second method, helium was produced as a transmutation product in 800 MeV proton irradiation at Los Alamos, also at 323 K. The distribut......High purity copper containing approximately 100 appm helium was produced in two ways. In the first, helium was implanted by cyclotron at Harwell at 323 K. In the second method, helium was produced as a transmutation product in 800 MeV proton irradiation at Los Alamos, also at 323 K...... as well as the effect of the presence of other transmutation produced impurity atoms in the 800 MeV proton irradiated copper will be discussed....

  16. Tensile properties of helium-injected V-15Cr-5Ti after irradiation in EBR-II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grossbeck, M.L.; Horak, J.A.

    1985-01-01

    Miniature specimens of V-15Cr-5Ti were prepared in the annealed condition and with 10, 20, and 30% cold work. The annealed specimens were cyclotron injected with helium and irradiated in sodium in EBR-II. The cold-worked specimens were irradiated in EBR-II but not helium injected. The specimens were irradiated at 400, 525, 625, and 700 0 C and received a fluence of 4.1 to 5.5 x 10 26 neutrons/m 2 (E > 0.1 meV). Tensile testing revealed very significant embrittlement as a result of the neutron irradiation but a much smaller change, mostly at 400 0 C, resulting from helium injection. 5 references, 9 figures, 2 tables

  17. Helium transport and exhaust studies in enhanced confinement regimes in DIII-D

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wade, M.R.; Hillis, D.L.; Hogan, J.T.; Mahdavi, M.A.; Maingi, R.; West, W.P.; Burrell, K.H.; Finkenthal, D.F.; Gohil, P.; Groebner, R.J.

    1995-02-01

    A better understanding of helium transport in the plasma core and edge in enhanced confinement regimes is now emerging from recent experimental studies on DIII-D. Overall, the results are encouraging. Significant helium exhaust (τ* He /τ E ∼ 11) has been obtained in a diverted, ELMing H-mode plasma simultaneous with a central source of helium. Detailed analysis of the helium profile evolution indicates that the exhaust rate is limited by the exhaust efficiency of the pump (∼5%) and not by the intrinsic helium transport properties of the plasma. Perturbative helium transport studies using gas puffing have shown that D He /X eff ∼1 in all confinement regimes studied to date (including H-mode and VH-mode). Furthermore, there is no evidence of preferential accumulation of helium in any of these regimes. However, measurements in the core and pumping plenum show a significant dilution of helium as it flows from the plasma core to the pumping plenum. Such dilution could be the limiting factor in the overall removal rate of helium in a reactor system

  18. THE POPULATION OF HELIUM-MERGER PROGENITORS: OBSERVATIONAL PREDICTIONS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fryer, Chris L.; Belczynski, Krzysztof; Bulik, Tomasz; Berger, Edo; Thöne, Christina; Ellinger, Carola

    2013-01-01

    The helium-merger gamma-ray burst (GRB) progenitor is produced by the rapid accretion onto a compact remnant (neutron star or black hole) when it undergoes a common envelope inspiral with its companion's helium core. This merger phase produces a very distinct environment around these outbursts and recent observations suggest that, in some cases, we are detecting the signatures of the past merger in the GRB afterglow. These observations allow us, for the first time, to study the specific features of the helium-merger progenitor. In this paper, we couple population synthesis calculations to our current understanding of GRB engines and common envelope evolution to make observational predictions for the helium-merger GRB population. Many mergers do not produce GRB outbursts and we discuss the implications of these mergers with the broader population of astrophysical transients.

  19. Dispersion of breakdown voltage of liquid helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishii, Itaru; Noguchi, Takuya

    1978-01-01

    As for the electrical insulation characteristics of liquid helium, the discrepancy among the measured values by each person is very large even in the fundamental DC breakdown voltage in uniform electric field. The dispersion of experimental values obtained in the experiments by the same person is also large. Hereafter, the difference among the mean values obtained by each experimenter will be referred to as ''deviation of mean values'', and the dispersion of measured values around the mean value obtained by the same person as ''deviation around the man value''. The authors have mainly investigated on the latter experimentally. The cryostat was made of stainless steel, and the innermost helium chamber was of 500 mm I.D. and approximately 1200 mm deep. The high voltage electrode was of brass sphere of 25 mm diameter, and the low voltage electrode was of brass plate. The experiment was conducted for liquid helium boiling at 4.2 K and 1 atm, and the breakdown voltage and time lag were measured by applying the approximately square wave impulses of fast rise and long tail, ramp and DC voltages. The cause of the deviation of mean values may be the presence of impurity particles or the effect of electrode shape. As for the deviation around the mean value, the dispersion is large, and its standard deviation may amount to 10 to 20% of the man value. The dispersion is not due to the statistical time lag, but is due to parameters that vary with breakdown. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

  20. Measured Performance of Four New 18 kW@4.5 K Helium Refrigerators for the LHC Cryogenic System

    CERN Document Server

    Gruehagen, Henning

    2005-01-01

    The cryogenic system for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) under construction at CERN will include four new 4.5 K-helium refrigerators, to cover part of the cooling needs of the LHC at the 4.5-20 K and 50-75 K levels. Two refrigerators are delivered by Air Liquide, France, and two by Linde Kryotechnik, Switzerland. During the last three years, all four refrigerators have been installed and commissioned at four different points along the LHC. The specified requirements of the refrigerators are presented, with special focus on the capacities at the various temperature levels. The capacities of the refrigerators were measured using a dedicated test cryostat, and the measured performance for all four installations is presented, and compared to the guaranteed performance in the original proposal of the suppliers. Finally, the process design of the two supplies is compared, and their differences and similarities briefly analysed.

  1. New technique for enhancing helium production in ferritic materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greenwood, L.R.; Graczyk, D.G.; Kneff, D.W.

    1987-10-01

    Analyses of iron samples irradiated up to 10 27 n/m 2 in HFIR found more helium than was expected from fast neutron reactions at high neutron fluences. The helium excess increases systematically with neutron exposure, suggesting a transmutation-driven process. The extra helium may be produced in two different ways, either by fast neutron reactions on the transmuted isotopes of iron or by a thermal neutron reaction with the radioactive isotope 55 Fe. Radiometric and mass spectrometric measurements of the iron isotopes composing the irradiated samples have been used to determine limits on the cross sections for each process. Either of these processes can be used to enhance helium production in ferritic materials during irradiations in mixed-spectrum reactors by isotopically enriching the samples. Further work is needed to clarify the reaction mechanisms and helium production cross sections. Our measurements determined the thermal neutron total absorption cross section of 55 Fe to be 13.2 +- 2.1 barns. 16 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs

  2. Helium Leak Test for the PLS Storage Ring Chamber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, M. H.; Kim, H. J.; Choi, W. C.

    1993-01-01

    The storage ring vacuum system for the Pohang Light Source (PLS) has been designed to maintain the vacuum pressure of 10 1 0 Torr which requires UHV welding to have helium leak rate less than 1x10 1 0 Torr·L/sec. In order to develop new technique (PLS) welding technique), a prototype vacuum chamber has been welded by using Tungsten Inert Gas welding method and all the welded joints have been tested with a non-destructive method, so called helium leak detection, to investigate the vacuum tightness of the weld joints. The test was performed with a detection limit of 1x10 1 0 Torr·L/sec for helium and no detectable leaks were found for all the welded joints. Thus the performance of welding technique is proven to meet the criteria of helium leak rate required in the PLS Storage Ring. Both the principle and the procedure for the helium leak detection are also discussed

  3. Helium bubble formation and retention in Cu-Nb nanocomposites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunn, A.Y.; McPhie, M.G.; Capolungo, L.; Martinez, E; Cherkaoui, M.

    2013-01-01

    A spatially dependent rate theory model for helium migration, clustering, and trapping on interfaces between Cu and Nb layers is introduced to predict the evolution of the concentrations of He clusters of various sizes during implantation and early annealing. Migration and binding energies of point defects and small clusters in bulk Cu and Nb are found using conjugate gradient minimization and the nudged elastic band method. The model is implemented in a three-dimensional framework and used to predict the relationship between helium bubble formation and the nano-composite microstructure, including interfacial free volume, grain size, and layer thickness. Interstitial and vacancy-like migration of helium is considered. The effects of changing layer thickness and interfacial misfit dislocation density on the threshold for helium bubble nucleation are found to match experiments. Accelerated helium release due to interfaces and grain boundaries is shown to occur only when diffusion rates on interfaces and grain boundaries are greatly increased relative to the bulk material.

  4. Biomolecular ions in superfluid helium nanodroplets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gonzalez Florez, Ana Isabel

    2016-07-01

    The function of a biological molecule is closely related to its structure. As a result, understanding and predicting biomolecular structure has become the focus of an extensive field of research. However, the investigation of molecular structure can be hampered by two main difficulties: the inherent complications that may arise from studying biological molecules in their native environment, and the potential congestion of the experimental results as a consequence of the large number of degrees of freedom present in these molecules. In this work, a new experimental setup has been developed and established in order to overcome the afore mentioned limitations combining structure-sensitive gas-phase methods with superfluid helium droplets. First, biological molecules are ionised and brought into the gas phase, often referred to as a clean-room environment, where the species of interest are isolated from their surroundings and, thus, intermolecular interactions are absent. The mass-to-charge selected biomolecules are then embedded inside clusters of superfluid helium with an equilibrium temperature of ∝0.37 K. As a result, the internal energy of the molecules is lowered, thereby reducing the number of populated quantum states. Finally, the local hydrogen bonding patterns of the molecules are investigated by probing specific vibrational modes using the Fritz Haber Institute's free electron laser as a source of infrared radiation. Although the structure of a wide variety of molecules has been studied making use of the sub-Kelvin environment provided by superfluid helium droplets, the suitability of this method for the investigation of biological molecular ions was still unclear. However, the experimental results presented in this thesis demonstrate the applicability of this experimental approach in order to study the structure of intact, large biomolecular ions and the first vibrational spectrum of the protonated pentapeptide leu-enkephalin embedded in helium

  5. Biomolecular ions in superfluid helium nanodroplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonzalez Florez, Ana Isabel

    2016-01-01

    The function of a biological molecule is closely related to its structure. As a result, understanding and predicting biomolecular structure has become the focus of an extensive field of research. However, the investigation of molecular structure can be hampered by two main difficulties: the inherent complications that may arise from studying biological molecules in their native environment, and the potential congestion of the experimental results as a consequence of the large number of degrees of freedom present in these molecules. In this work, a new experimental setup has been developed and established in order to overcome the afore mentioned limitations combining structure-sensitive gas-phase methods with superfluid helium droplets. First, biological molecules are ionised and brought into the gas phase, often referred to as a clean-room environment, where the species of interest are isolated from their surroundings and, thus, intermolecular interactions are absent. The mass-to-charge selected biomolecules are then embedded inside clusters of superfluid helium with an equilibrium temperature of ∝0.37 K. As a result, the internal energy of the molecules is lowered, thereby reducing the number of populated quantum states. Finally, the local hydrogen bonding patterns of the molecules are investigated by probing specific vibrational modes using the Fritz Haber Institute's free electron laser as a source of infrared radiation. Although the structure of a wide variety of molecules has been studied making use of the sub-Kelvin environment provided by superfluid helium droplets, the suitability of this method for the investigation of biological molecular ions was still unclear. However, the experimental results presented in this thesis demonstrate the applicability of this experimental approach in order to study the structure of intact, large biomolecular ions and the first vibrational spectrum of the protonated pentapeptide leu-enkephalin embedded in helium

  6. Helium sequestration at nanoparticle-matrix interfaces in helium + heavy ion irradiated nanostructured ferritic alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Parish, C.M., E-mail: parishcm@ornl.gov [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Unocic, K.A.; Tan, L. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Zinkle, S.J. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Kondo, S. [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011 (Japan); Snead, L.L. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Hoelzer, D.T.; Katoh, Y. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States)

    2017-01-15

    We irradiated four ferritic alloys with energetic Fe and He ions: one castable nanostructured alloy (CNA) containing Ti-W-Ta-carbides, and three nanostructured ferritic alloys (NFAs). The NFAs were: 9Cr containing Y-Ti-O nanoclusters, and two Fe-12Cr-5Al NFAs containing Y-Zr-O or Y-Hf-O clusters. All four were subjected to simultaneous dual-beam Fe + He ion implantation (650 °C, ∼50 dpa, ∼15 appm He/dpa), simulating fusion-reactor conditions. Examination using scanning/transmission electron microscopy (STEM) revealed high-number-density helium bubbles of ∼8 nm, ∼10{sup 21} m{sup −3} (CNA), and of ∼3 nm, 10{sup 23} m{sup −3} (NFAs). STEM combined with multivariate statistical analysis data mining suggests that the precipitate-matrix interfaces in all alloys survived ∼50 dpa at 650 °C and serve as effective helium trapping sites. All alloys appear viable structural material candidates for fusion or advanced fission energy systems. Among these developmental alloys the NFAs appear to sequester the helium into smaller bubbles and away from the grain boundaries more effectively than the early-generation CNA.

  7. Synergistic effect of helium and hydrogen for bubble swelling in reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steel under sequential helium and hydrogen irradiation at different temperatures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hu, Wenhui [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education, Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Guo, Liping, E-mail: guolp@whu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education, Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Chen, Jihong; Luo, Fengfeng; Li, Tiecheng [Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education, Hubei Nuclear Solid Physics Key Laboratory and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Ren, Yaoyao [Center for Electron Microscopy, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072 (China); Suo, Jinping; Yang, Feng [State Key Laboratory of Mould Technology, Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

    2014-04-15

    Highlights: • Helium/hydrogen synergistic effect can increase irradiation swelling of RAFM steel. • Hydrogen can be trapped to the outer surface of helium bubbles. • Too large a helium bubble can become movable. • Point defects would become mobile and annihilate at dislocations at high temperature. • The peak swelling temperature for RAFM steel is 450 °C. - Abstract: In order to investigate the synergistic effect of helium and hydrogen on swelling in reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel, specimens were separately irradiated by single He{sup +} beam and sequential He{sup +} and H{sup +} beams at different temperatures from 250 to 650 °C. Transmission electron microscope observation showed that implantation of hydrogen into the specimens pre-irradiated by helium can result in obvious enhancement of bubble size and swelling rate which can be regarded as a consequence of hydrogen being trapped by helium bubbles. But when temperature increased, Ostwald ripening mechanism would become dominant, besides, too large a bubble could become mobile and swallow many tiny bubbles on their way moving, reducing bubble number density. And these effects were most remarkable at 450 °C which was the peak bubble swelling temperature for RAMF steel. When temperature was high enough, say above 450, point defects would become mobile and annihilate at dislocations or surface. As a consequence, helium could no longer effectively diffuse and clustering in materials and bubble formation was suppressed. When temperature was above 500, helium bubbles would become unstable and decompose or migrate out of surface. Finally no bubble was observed at 650 °C.

  8. Synergistic effect of helium and hydrogen for bubble swelling in reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic steel under sequential helium and hydrogen irradiation at different temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, Wenhui; Guo, Liping; Chen, Jihong; Luo, Fengfeng; Li, Tiecheng; Ren, Yaoyao; Suo, Jinping; Yang, Feng

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Helium/hydrogen synergistic effect can increase irradiation swelling of RAFM steel. • Hydrogen can be trapped to the outer surface of helium bubbles. • Too large a helium bubble can become movable. • Point defects would become mobile and annihilate at dislocations at high temperature. • The peak swelling temperature for RAFM steel is 450 °C. - Abstract: In order to investigate the synergistic effect of helium and hydrogen on swelling in reduced-activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel, specimens were separately irradiated by single He + beam and sequential He + and H + beams at different temperatures from 250 to 650 °C. Transmission electron microscope observation showed that implantation of hydrogen into the specimens pre-irradiated by helium can result in obvious enhancement of bubble size and swelling rate which can be regarded as a consequence of hydrogen being trapped by helium bubbles. But when temperature increased, Ostwald ripening mechanism would become dominant, besides, too large a bubble could become mobile and swallow many tiny bubbles on their way moving, reducing bubble number density. And these effects were most remarkable at 450 °C which was the peak bubble swelling temperature for RAMF steel. When temperature was high enough, say above 450, point defects would become mobile and annihilate at dislocations or surface. As a consequence, helium could no longer effectively diffuse and clustering in materials and bubble formation was suppressed. When temperature was above 500, helium bubbles would become unstable and decompose or migrate out of surface. Finally no bubble was observed at 650 °C

  9. Effect of helium ion bombardment on hydrogen behaviour in stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guseva, M.I.; Stolyarova, V.G.; Gorbatov, E.A.

    1987-01-01

    The effect of helium ion bombardment on hydrogen behaviour in 12Kh18N10T stainless steel is investigated. Helium and hydrogen ion bombardment was conducted in the ILU-3 ion accelerator; the fluence and energy made up 10 16 -5x10 17 cm -2 , 30 keV and 10 16 -5x10 18 cm -2 , 10 keV respectively. The method of recoil nuclei was used for determination of helium and hydrogen content. Successive implantation of helium and hydrogen ions into 12Kh18N10T stainless steel results in hydrogen capture by defects formed by helium ions

  10. Strange matter and Big Bang helium synthesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Madsen, J.; Riisager, K.

    1985-01-01

    Stable strange quark matter produced in the QCD phase transition in the early universe will trap neutrons and repel protons, thus reducing primordial helium production, Ysub(p). For reasonable values of Ysub(p), the radius of strange droplets must exceed 10 -6 cm if strange matter shall solve the dark-matter problem without spoiling Big Bang helium synthesis. (orig.)

  11. Lattice location of helium in uranium dioxide single crystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garrido, F.; Nowicki, L. E-mail: lech.nowicki@fuw.edu.pl; Sattonnay, G.; Sauvage, T.; Thome, L

    2004-06-01

    Lattice location of {sup 3}He atoms implanted into UO{sub 2} single crystals was performed by means of the channeling technique combined with nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). The {sup 3}He(d,p){sup 4}He reaction was used. The experimental angular scans show that helium atoms occupy octahedral interstitial positions.

  12. Microscopic model for the non-linear fluctuating hydrodynamic of {sup 4} He superfluid helium deduced by maximum entropy method; Modelo microscopico para la hidrodinamica fluctuante no lineal del {sup 4}He superfluido deducido mediante el metodo de maxima entropia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alvarez R, J.T

    1998-10-01

    This thesis presents a microscopic model for the non-linear fluctuating hydrodynamic of superfluid helium ({sup 4} He), model developed by means of the Maximum Entropy Method (Maxent). In the chapter 1, it is demonstrated the necessity to developing a microscopic model for the fluctuating hydrodynamic of the superfluid helium, starting from to show a brief overview of the theories and experiments developed in order to explain the behavior of the superfluid helium. On the other hand, it is presented the Morozov heuristic method for the construction of the non-linear hydrodynamic fluctuating of simple fluid. Method that will be generalized for the construction of the non-linear fluctuating hydrodynamic of the superfluid helium. Besides, it is presented a brief summary of the content of the thesis. In the chapter 2, it is reproduced the construction of a Generalized Fokker-Planck equation, (GFP), for a distribution function associated with the coarse grained variables. Function defined with aid of a nonequilibrium statistical operator {rho}hut{sub FP} that is evaluated as Wigneris function through {rho}{sub CG} obtained by Maxent. Later this equation of GFP is reduced to a non-linear local FP equation from considering a slow and Markov process in the coarse grained variables. In this equation appears a matrix D{sub mn} defined with a nonequilibrium coarse grained statistical operator {rho}hut{sub CG}, matrix elements are used in the construction of the non-linear fluctuating hydrodynamics equations of the superfluid helium. In the chapter 3, the Lagrange multipliers are evaluated for to determine {rho}hut{sub CG} by means of the local equilibrium statistical operator {rho}hut{sub l}-tilde with the hypothesis that the system presents small fluctuations. Also are determined the currents associated with the coarse grained variables and furthermore are evaluated the matrix elements D{sub mn} but with aid of a quasi equilibrium statistical operator {rho}hut{sub qe} instead

  13. HELIUM ATMOSPHERES ON WARM NEPTUNE- AND SUB-NEPTUNE-SIZED EXOPLANETS AND APPLICATIONS TO GJ 436b

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hu, Renyu; Yung, Yuk L. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Seager, Sara, E-mail: renyu.hu@jpl.nasa.gov [Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)

    2015-07-01

    Warm Neptune- and sub-Neptune-sized exoplanets in orbits smaller than Mercury’s are thought to have experienced extensive atmospheric evolution. Here we propose that a potential outcome of this atmospheric evolution is the formation of helium-dominated atmospheres. The hydrodynamic escape rates of Neptune- and sub-Neptune-sized exoplanets are comparable to the diffusion-limited escape rate of hydrogen, and therefore the escape is heavily affected by diffusive separation between hydrogen and helium. A helium atmosphere can thus be formed—from a primordial hydrogen–helium atmosphere—via atmospheric hydrodynamic escape from the planet. The helium atmosphere has very different abundances of major carbon and oxygen species from those of a hydrogen atmosphere, leading to distinctive transmission and thermal emission spectral features. In particular, the hypothesis of a helium-dominated atmosphere can explain the thermal emission spectrum of GJ 436b, a warm Neptune-sized exoplanet, while also being consistent with the transmission spectrum. This model atmosphere contains trace amounts of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen, with the predominance of CO over CH{sub 4} as the main form of carbon. With our atmospheric evolution model, we find that if the mass of the initial atmosphere envelope is 10{sup −3} planetary mass, hydrodynamic escape can reduce the hydrogen abundance in the atmosphere by several orders of magnitude in ∼10 billion years. Observations of exoplanet transits may thus detect signatures of helium atmospheres and probe the evolutionary history of small exoplanets.

  14. HELIUM ATMOSPHERES ON WARM NEPTUNE- AND SUB-NEPTUNE-SIZED EXOPLANETS AND APPLICATIONS TO GJ 436b

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, Renyu; Yung, Yuk L.; Seager, Sara

    2015-01-01

    Warm Neptune- and sub-Neptune-sized exoplanets in orbits smaller than Mercury’s are thought to have experienced extensive atmospheric evolution. Here we propose that a potential outcome of this atmospheric evolution is the formation of helium-dominated atmospheres. The hydrodynamic escape rates of Neptune- and sub-Neptune-sized exoplanets are comparable to the diffusion-limited escape rate of hydrogen, and therefore the escape is heavily affected by diffusive separation between hydrogen and helium. A helium atmosphere can thus be formed—from a primordial hydrogen–helium atmosphere—via atmospheric hydrodynamic escape from the planet. The helium atmosphere has very different abundances of major carbon and oxygen species from those of a hydrogen atmosphere, leading to distinctive transmission and thermal emission spectral features. In particular, the hypothesis of a helium-dominated atmosphere can explain the thermal emission spectrum of GJ 436b, a warm Neptune-sized exoplanet, while also being consistent with the transmission spectrum. This model atmosphere contains trace amounts of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen, with the predominance of CO over CH 4 as the main form of carbon. With our atmospheric evolution model, we find that if the mass of the initial atmosphere envelope is 10 −3 planetary mass, hydrodynamic escape can reduce the hydrogen abundance in the atmosphere by several orders of magnitude in ∼10 billion years. Observations of exoplanet transits may thus detect signatures of helium atmospheres and probe the evolutionary history of small exoplanets

  15. Asteroseismic estimate of helium abundance of 16 Cyg A, B

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Verma Kuldeep

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The helium ionization zone in a star leaves a characteristic signature on its oscillation frequencies, which can be used to estimate the helium content in the envelope of the star. We use the oscillation frequencies of 16 Cyg A and B, obtained using 2.5 years of Kepler data, to estimate the envelope helium abundance of these stars. We find the envelope helium abundance to lie in the range 0.231–0.251 for 16 Cyg A and 0.218–0.266 for 16 Cyg B.

  16. CARR-CNS with crescent-shape moderator cell and sub-cooling helium jacket surrounding cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Qingfeng; Feng, Quanke; Kawai, Takeshi; Shen, Feng; Yuan, Luzheng

    2005-01-01

    The new type of the moderator cell was developed for the Cold Neutron Source (CNS) of the China Advanced Research Reactor (CARR) which is now constructing at the China Institute of Atomic Energy in Beijing. A crescent-shape moderator cell covered by the sub-cooling helium jacket is adopted. A crescent-shape would help to increase the volume of the moderator cell for corresponding it to the 4 cold neutron guide tubes, even if liquid hydrogen not liquid deuterium were used as a cold moderator. The sub-cooling helium jacket covering the moderator cell removes the nuclear heating of the outer shell wall of the cell. It contributes to reduce the void fraction of liquid hydrogen in the inner shell. Such a type of a moderator cell is suitable for the CNS with higher nuclear heating. The cold helium gas flows down firstly into the sub-cooling helium jacket and then flows up to the condenser. Therefore, the theory of the self-regulation for the thermo-siphon type of the CNS is also applicable

  17. CARR-CNS with crescent-shape moderator cell and sub-cooling helium jacket around cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Qingfeng; Feng, Quanke; Kawai, Takeshi; Cheng, Liang; Shen, Feng; Yuan, Luzheng

    2005-01-01

    The new type of the moderator cell was developed for the Cold Neutron Source (CNS) of the China Advanced Research Reactor (CARR) which is now constructing at the China Institute of Atomic Energy in Beijing. A crescent-shape moderator cell covered by the sub-cooling helium jacket is adopted. A crescent-shape would help to increase the volume of the moderator cell for corresponding it to the 4 cold neutron guide tubes, even if liquid hydrogen not liquid deuterium were used as a cold moderator. The sub-cooling helium jacket covering the moderator cell removes the nuclear heating of the outer shell wall of the cell. It contributes to reduce the void fraction of liquid hydrogen in the inner shell. Such a type of a moderator cell is suitable for the CNS with higher nuclear heating. The cold helium gas flows down firstly into the sub-cooling helium jacket and then flows up to the condenser. Therefore, the theory of the self-regulation for the thermo-siphon type of the CNS is also applicable

  18. Doubly excited helium. From strong correlation to chaos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang, Yuhai

    2006-03-01

    In the present dissertation, the double excitation states of helium including the autoionization decay of these states were studied experimentally and theoretically in a broad energy region, which includes the transition from strong correlation below the low single ionization thresholds (SIT) to the region of quantum chaos at energies very close to the double-ionization threshold. Two kind of experiments were performed, namely total-ion-yield measurements with the aim to observe total cross sections (TCS) and electron time-of-flight (TOF) measurements to obtain partial cross sections (PCS) as well as angular distribution parameters (ADP). Both types of measurements were performed at the third generation synchrotron radiation facility BESSY II in Berlin. The TCSs were recorded up to the SIT I 15 , and they were found to be in in excellent agreement with state-of-the-art complex-rotation calculations performed recently by D. Delande. These experimental and theoretical data on the TCSs were analyzed in order to study quantum chaos in doubly excited helium, and interesting signatures of quantum chaos were found. The TOF technique allowed to measure PCSs and ADPs in the energy regions from I 5 to I 9 and I 7 , respectively. These experimental data provide a critical assessment of theoretical models that can be used to explore the dynamics of strong correlation as well as quantum chaos in helium. In the theoretical part of this dissertation, the n- and l-specific PCSs and ADPs below I 4 were calculated employing the R-matrix method. The present theoretical results agree well with a recent experimental study of l-specific PCSs below I 4 by J.R. Harries et al. An analysis of patterns in the PCSs and ADPs on the basis of the present experimental and theoretical l-specific data allowed to improve the present understanding of autoionization decay dynamics in this two-electron atom. (orig.)

  19. Helium-filled proportional counter and its operation mechanism at low temperatures

    CERN Document Server

    Isozumi, Y; Kishimoto, S

    2002-01-01

    The operation mechanism of helium-filled proportional counter (HFPC) at about 4.2 K is explained. Unstable behavior of HFPC is caused by releasing secondary-electron from the cathode by four kinds of active particles such as He sub n sup + , non-resonance photon from excited helium atom, non-resonance photon from He sub 2 sup * (A sup 1 Su sup +) and He sub 2 sup m (a sup 3 Su sup +). On experiments of HFPC behavior at low temperature, the following facts were observed; 1) main charge formation process in the electron avalanche is direct ionization by electron without Hornbeck-Molnar process. Accordingly, the gas amplification factor becomes small at low temperature. 2) Stable helium cation is He sub 2 sup + at room temperature, but cluster at low temperature. Large after-pulse is observed in output signal depends on cluster ion. The probability of secondary-electron emission decreased. The gas gain increased with increasing anode voltage. 3) By decreasing reaction rate of atom and molecule collision at low t...

  20. Impact of Sommerfeld enhancement on helium reionization via WIMP dark matter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bandyopadhyay, Bidisha; Schleicher, Dominik R. G.

    2018-03-01

    Dark matter annihilation can have a strong impact on many astrophysical processes in the Universe. In the case of Sommerfeld-enhanced annihilation cross sections, the annihilation rates are enhanced at late times, thus enhancing the potential annihilation signatures. We here calculate the Sommerfeld-enhanced annihilation signatures during the epoch of helium reionization, the epoch where helium becomes fully ionized due to energetic photons. When considering the upper limits on the energy injection from the CMB, we find that the resulting abundance of He++ becomes independent of the dark matter particle mass. The resulting enhancement compared to a standard scenario is thus 1-2 orders of magnitude higher. For realistic scenarios compatible with CMB constraints, there is no significant shift in the epoch of helium reionization, which is completed between redshifts 3 and 4. While it is thus difficult to disentangle dark matter annihilation from astrophysical contributions (active galactic nuclei), a potential detection of dark matter particles and its interactions using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) would allow one to quantify the dark matter contribution.

  1. Crygenic performance of a superfluid helium relief valve for the LHC superconducting magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Danielsson, H.; Ferlin, G.; Luguet, C.

    1996-01-01

    The high-field superconducting magnets of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project at CERN will operate below 1.9 K in static baths of pressurized helium II. In case of resistive transition (open-quotes quenchclose quotes), the resulting pressure rise in the cryostats must be limited to below their 2 MPa design pressure. This is achieved by discharging helium at high flow-rates into a cold recovery header, normally maintained at 20 K. For this purpose, the authors have designed, built and tested a cryogenic quench relief valve with a nominal diameter of 50 mm and an opening time of below 0.1 s. The valve, which can be opened on an external trigger, also acts as a relief device actuated by the upstream pressure when it exceeds 0.4 MPa. In normal operation, the closed poppet must be helium-tight, for hydraulic and thermal separation of the magnet baths from the recovery header. Following mechanical qualification tests under vacuum, the authors have mounted the relief valve in a dedicated cryogenic measuring bench, in order to perform precision thermal measurements with pressurized helium II

  2. Helium induces preconditioning in human endothelium in vivo

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smit, Kirsten F.; Oei, Gezina T. M. L.; Brevoord, Daniel; Stroes, Erik S.; Nieuwland, Rienk; Schlack, Wolfgang S.; Hollmann, Markus W.; Weber, Nina C.; Preckel, Benedikt

    2013-01-01

    Helium protects myocardium by inducing preconditioning in animals. We investigated whether human endothelium is preconditioned by helium inhalation in vivo. Forearm ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) in healthy volunteers (each group n = 10) was performed by inflating a blood pressure cuff for 20 min.

  3. Helium exhaust and forced flow effects with both-leg pumping in W-shaped divertor of JT-60U

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakasai, A.; Takenaga, H.; Higashijima, S.; Kubo, H.; Nakano, T.; Tamai, H.; Sakurai, S.; Akino, N.; Fujita, T.; Asakura, N.; Itami, K.; Shimizu, K.

    2001-01-01

    The W-shaped divertor of JT-60U was modified from inner-leg pumping to both-leg pumping. After the modification, the pumping rate was improved from 3% with inner-leg pumping to 5% with both-leg pumping in a divertor-closure configuration, which means both separatrixes close to the divertor slots. Efficient helium exhaust was realized in the divertor-closure configuration with both-leg pumping. A global particle confinement time of τ* He =0.4s and τ* He /τ E =3 was achieved in attached ELMy H-mode plasmas. The helium exhaust efficiency with both-leg pumping was extended by 45% as compared with inner-leg pumping. By using central helium fueling with He-beam injection, the helium removal from the core plasma inside the internal transport barrier (ITB) in reversed shear plasmas in the divertor-closure configuration was investigated for the first time. The helium density profiles inside the ITB were peaked as compared with those in ELMy H-mode plasmas. In the case of low recycling divertor, it was difficult to achieve good helium exhaust capability in reversed shear plasmas with ITB. However, the helium exhaust efficiency was improved with high recycling divertor. Carbon impurity reduction was observed by the forced flow with gas puff and effective divertor pumping. (author)

  4. Validation of helium inlet design for ITER toroidal field coil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boyer, C.; Seo, K.; Hamada, K.; Foussat, A.; Le Rest, M.; Mitchell, N.; Decool, P.; Savary, F.; Sgobba, S.; Weiss, K.P.

    2014-01-01

    The ITER organization has performed design and its validation tests on a helium inlet structure for the ITER Toroidal Field (TF) coil under collaboration with CERN, KIT, and CEA Cadarache. Detailed structural analysis was performed in order to optimize the weld shape. A fatigue resistant design on the fillet weld between the shell covers and the jacket is an important point on the helium inlet structure. A weld filler material was selected based on tensile test at liquid helium temperature after Nb 3 Sn reaction heat treatment. To validate the design of the weld joint, fatigue tests at 7 K were performed using heat-treated butt weld samples. A pressure drop measurement of a helium inlet mock-up was performed by using nitrogen gas at room temperature in order to confirm uniform flow distribution and pressure drop characteristic. These tests have validated the helium inlet design. Based on the validation, Japanese and European Union domestic agencies, which have responsibilities of the TF coil procurement, are preparing the helium inlet mock-up for a qualification test. (authors)

  5. The compatibility of candidate first wall metallic materials with impure helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noda, T.; Okada, M.; Watanabe, R.

    1979-01-01

    The compatibilities of SUS 316 stainless steels, Nimonic PE 16, Nb-1% Zr, V-25% Mo, Mo, and TZM with the commercial grade helium (> 99.995%) and the helium containing oxygen of 13 vpm at temperatures from 873 to 1273 K were studied. SUS 316 and PE 16 were internally oxidized above 1100 K. The marked depletion of Cr and Mn in SUS 316 specimens was observed in the commercial grade helium above around 1100 K. Nb-1% Zr and V-25% Mo extremely absorbed oxygen and nitrogen from the helium gases and were deteriorated in the range of test temperatures. Mo and TZM appeared not to be affected by the exposure to the commercial grade helium at temperature up to 1273 K. However, Mo and TZM lost ductility at room temperature after exposure to helium above 1100 and 900 K respectively. (orig.)

  6. Five second helium neutral beam injection using argon-frost cryopumping techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phillips, J.C.; Kellman, D.H.; Hong, R.; Kim, J.; Laughon, G.M.

    1995-10-01

    High power helium neutral beams for the heating of tokamak discharges can now be provided for 5 s by using argon cryopumping (of the helium gas) in the beamlines. A system has now been installed to deposit a layer of argon frost on the DIII-D neutral beam cryopanels, between tokamak injection pulses. The layer serves to trap helium on the cryopanels providing sufficient pumping speed for 5 s helium beam extraction. The argon frosting hardware is now present on two of four DIII-D neutral beamlines, allowing injection of up to 6 MW of helium neutral beams per discharge, with pulse lengths of up to 5 s. The argon frosting system is described, along with experimental results demonstrating its effectiveness as a method of economically extending the capabilities of cryogenic pumping panels to allow multi-second helium neutral beam injection

  7. The helium flux from the continents and ubiquity of low-3He/4He recycled crust and lithosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Day, James M. D.; Barry, Peter H.; Hilton, David R.; Burgess, Ray; Pearson, D. Graham; Taylor, Lawrence A.

    2015-03-01

    New helium isotope and trace-element abundance data are reported for pyroxenites and eclogites from South Africa, Siberia, and the Beni Bousera Massif, Morocco that are widely interpreted to form from recycled oceanic crustal protoliths. The first He isotope data are also presented for Archaean peridotites from the Kaapvaal (South Africa), Slave (Canada), and Siberian cratons, along with recently emplaced off-craton peridotite xenoliths from Kilbourne Hole, San Carlos (USA) and Vitim (Siberia), to complement existing 3He/4He values obtained for continental and oceanic peridotites. Helium isotope compositions of peridotite xenoliths vary from 7.3 to 9.6 RA in recently (volcanics that contain a contribution from asthenospheric sources. Using the new He isotope data for cratonic peridotites and assuming that significant portions (>50%) of the Archaean and Proterozoic continental lithospheric mantle are stable and unaffected by melt or fluid infiltration on geological timescales (>0.1 Ga), and that U and Th contents vary between cratonic lithosphere and non-cratonic lithosphere, calculations yield a 3He flux of 0.25-2.2 atoms/s/cm2 for the continental lithospheric mantle. These estimates differ by a factor of ten from non-cratonic lithospheric mantle and are closer to the observed 3He flux from the continents (<1 atoms/s/cm2). Pyroxenites and eclogites from the continental regions are all characterized by 3He/4He (0.03-5.6 RA) less than the depleted upper mantle, and relatively high U and Th contents. Together with oceanic and continental lithospheric peridotites, these materials represent reservoirs with low time-integrated 3He/(U + Th) in the mantle. Pyroxenites and eclogites are also characterized by higher Fe/Mg, more radiogenic Os-Pb isotope compositions, and more variable δ18O values (∼3‰ to 7‰), compared with peridotitic mantle. These xenoliths are widely interpreted to be the metamorphic/metasomatic equivalents of recycled oceanic crustal protoliths. The

  8. Helium refrigerator-liquefier system for MHD generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akiyama, Y.; Ishii, H.; Mori, Y.; Yamamoto, M.; Wada, R.; Ando, M.

    1974-01-01

    MHD power generators have been investigated in the Electro-Technical Laboratory as one of the National Research and Development Programmes. A helium refrigerator-liquefier system has been developed to cool the superconducting magnet for a 1000 kW class MHD power generator. The turboexpander with low temperature gas bearings and an alternator had been developed for the MHD project at the Electro-Technical Laboratory previously. The liquefaction capacity is 250 iota/h and the refrigeration power is 2.9 kW at 20 K. The superconducting magnet is 50 tons and the cryostat has a liquid helium volume of 2700 iota. The evaporation rate is 60 to 80 iota/h. It takes, in all 2 to 3 weeks to fill the cryostat with liquid helium. (author)

  9. HEATHER - HElium Ion Accelerator for RadioTHERapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Taylor, Jordan [Huddersfield U.; Edgecock, Thomas [Huddersfield U.; Green, Stuart [Birmingham U.; Johnstone, Carol [Fermilab

    2017-05-01

    A non-scaling fixed field alternating gradient (nsFFAG) accelerator is being designed for helium ion therapy. This facility will consist of 2 superconducting rings, treating with helium ions (He²⁺ ) and image with hydrogen ions (H + 2 ). Currently only carbon ions are used to treat cancer, yet there is an increasing interest in the use of lighter ions for therapy. Lighter ions have reduced dose tail beyond the tumour compared to carbon, caused by low Z secondary particles produced via inelastic nuclear reactions. An FFAG approach for helium therapy has never been previously considered. Having demonstrated isochronous acceleration from 0.5 MeV to 900 MeV, we now demonstrate the survival of a realistic beam across both stages.

  10. A description of bubble growth and gas release of helium implanted tungsten

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharafat, S.; Hu, Q.; Ghoniem, N.; Tkahashi, A.

    2007-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: Bubble growth and gas release during annealing of helium implanted tungsten is described using a Kinetic Monte Carlo approach. The implanted spatial profiles of stable bubble nuclei are first determined using the Kinetic Rate Theory based helium evolution code, HEROS. The effects of implantation energy, temperature, and bias forces, such as temperature- and stress gradients on bubble migration and coalescence are investigated to explain experimental gas release measurements. This comprehensive helium bubble evolution and release model, demonstrates the impact of near surface (< 1 um) versus deep helium implantation on bubble evolution. Near surface implanted helium bubbles readily attain large equilibrium sizes, while matrix bubbles remain small with high helium pressures. Using the computer simulation, the various stages of helium bubble nucleation, growth, coalescence, and migration are demonstrated and compared with available experimental results. (authors)

  11. Installation and Commissioning of the Helium Refrigeration System for the HANARO-CNS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Jung Woon; Kim, Young Ki; Wu, Sang Ik; Son, Woo Jung

    2009-11-01

    The cold neutron source (CNS), which will be installed in the vertical CN hole of the reflector tank at HANARO, makes thermal neutrons to moderate into the cold neutrons with the ranges of 0.1 ∼ 10 meV passing through a moderator at about 22K. A moderator to produce cold neutrons is liquid hydrogen, which liquefies by the heat transfer with cryogenic helium flowing from the helium refrigeration system. For the maintenance of liquid hydrogen in the IPA, the CNS system is mainly consisted of the hydrogen system to supply the hydrogen to the IPA, the vacuum system to keep the cryogenic liquid hydrogen in the IPA, and the helium refrigeration system to liquefy the hydrogen gas. The helium refrigeration system can be divided into two sections: one is the helium compression part from the low pressure gas to the high pressure gas and the other is the helium expansion part from the high temperature gas and pressure to low temperature and pressure gas by the expansion turbine. The helium refrigeration system except the warm helium pipe and the helium buffer tank has been manufactured by Linde Kryotechnik, AG in Switzerland and installed in the research reactor hall, HANARO. Other components have been manufactured in the domestic company. This technical report deals with the issues, its solutions, and other particular points while the helium refrigeration system was installed at site, verified its performance, and conducted its commissioning along the reactor operation. Furthermore, the operation procedure of the helium refrigeration system is included in here for the normal operation of the CNS

  12. Dark Matter Detection Using Helium Evaporation and Field Ionization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maris, Humphrey J; Seidel, George M; Stein, Derek

    2017-11-03

    We describe a method for dark matter detection based on the evaporation of helium atoms from a cold surface and their subsequent detection using field ionization. When a dark matter particle scatters off a nucleus of the target material, elementary excitations (phonons or rotons) are produced. Excitations which have an energy greater than the binding energy of helium to the surface can result in the evaporation of helium atoms. We propose to detect these atoms by ionizing them in a strong electric field. Because the binding energy of helium to surfaces can be below 1 meV, this detection scheme opens up new possibilities for the detection of dark matter particles in a mass range down to 1  MeV/c^{2}.

  13. Dark Matter Detection Using Helium Evaporation and Field Ionization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maris, Humphrey J.; Seidel, George M.; Stein, Derek

    2017-11-01

    We describe a method for dark matter detection based on the evaporation of helium atoms from a cold surface and their subsequent detection using field ionization. When a dark matter particle scatters off a nucleus of the target material, elementary excitations (phonons or rotons) are produced. Excitations which have an energy greater than the binding energy of helium to the surface can result in the evaporation of helium atoms. We propose to detect these atoms by ionizing them in a strong electric field. Because the binding energy of helium to surfaces can be below 1 meV, this detection scheme opens up new possibilities for the detection of dark matter particles in a mass range down to 1 MeV /c2 .

  14. Helium cryosystem for the X-ray laser LCLS-II; Heliumkryosystem fuer den Roentgenlaser LCLS-II

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pflueckhahn, Dirk; Fauve, Eric; Heloin, Vincent; Ravindranath, Viswanath; Ross, Marc [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA (United States)

    2017-07-01

    The Linac Coherent Light Source-II project represents the expansion of the LCLS free-electron laser, which has been successfully operated at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory since 2009. In collaboration with several national institutes, 37 cryomodules with superconducting accelerator cavities will be installed in a 700 m long section of the existing tunnel. The use of superconducting accelerator technology will enable particle energy of up to 4 GeV in CW (continuous wave) operation. Two identical cryogenic systems with an equivalent output of 18 kW each at 4.5 K are described below. The plants supply the linear accelerator with helium at several temperature levels. Superfluid helium II provides the cooling necessary to maintain superconductivity in the cavities. The operating temperature of the 1.3 GHz cavities has been set at 2 K. Two further helium circuits are used for shield cooling at approx. 35 K and cooling of heat loads at 5 K level. The purely dynamic compression of the cold helium vapour is a technical feature of the systems described here. In a five-stage chain of cold compressors of 32 mbar at the cavities, it is absolutely compressed to the suction pressure of the circulation compressors at approx. 1 bar. [German] Das Linac Coherent Light Source-II Projekt stellt die Erweiterung des seit 2009 erfolgreich betriebenen Freie- Elektronen-Lasers LCLS am SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory dar. In Kollaboration mit mehreren nationalen Instituten werden in einem 700 m langen Teilstueck des bereits bestehenden Tunnels 37 Kryomodule mit supraleitenden Beschleunigerkavitaeten installiert. Der Einsatz von supraleitender Beschleunigertechnologie wird eine Teilchenenergie von bis zu 4 GeV im CW (continous wave) Betrieb ermoeglichen. Zwei identische Kryoanlagen mit einer aequivalenten Leistung von je 18 kW bei 4,5 K werden im Folgenden beschrieben. Die Anlagen versorgen den Linearbeschleuniger mit Helium auf mehreren Temperaturniveaus. Superfluides Helium

  15. Effects of helium impurities on superalloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Selle, J.E.

    1977-07-01

    A review of the literature on the effects of helium impurities on superalloys at elevated temperatures was undertaken. The actual effects of these impurities vary depending on the alloy, composition of the gas atmosphere, and temperature. In general, exposure in helium produces significant but not catastrophic changes in the structure and properties of the alloys. The effects of these treatments on the structure, creep, fatigue, and mechanical properties of the various alloys are reviewed and discussed. Suggestions for future work are presented

  16. Fine structure and ionization energy of the 1s2s2p 4P state of the helium negative ion He-.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Liming; Li, Chun; Yan, Zong-Chao; Drake, G W F

    2014-12-31

    The fine structure and ionization energy of the 1s2s2p (4)P state of the helium negative ion He(-) are calculated in Hylleraas coordinates, including relativistic and QED corrections up to O(α(4)mc(2)), O((μ/M)α(4)mc(2)), O(α(5)mc(2)), and O((μ/M)α(5)mc(2)). Higher order corrections are estimated for the ionization energy. A comparison is made with other calculations and experiments. We find that the present results for the fine structure splittings agree with experiment very well. However, the calculated ionization energy deviates from the experimental result by about 1 standard deviation. The estimated theoretical uncertainty in the ionization energy is much less than the experimental accuracy.

  17. Reactive Oxygen Species and Mitochondrial KATP Channels Mediate Helium-Induced Preconditioning Against Myocardial Infarction In Vivo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pagel, Paul S.; Krolikowski, John G.; Pratt, Phillip F.; Shim, Yon Hee; Amour, Julien; Warltier, David C.; Weihrauch, Dorothee

    2008-01-01

    Objectives Helium produces preconditioning by activating prosurvival kinases, but the roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or mitochondrial KATP channels in this process are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that ROS and mitochondrial KATP channels mediate helium-induced preconditioning in vivo. Design Randomized, prospective study. Setting University research laboratory. Participants Male New Zealand white rabbits. Interventions Rabbits (n=64) were instrumented for measurement of systemic hemodynamics and subjected to a 30 min left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion and 3 h reperfusion. In separate experimental groups, rabbits (n=7 or 8 per group) were randomly assigned to receive 0.9% saline (control) or three cycles of 70% helium-30% oxygen administered for 5 min interspersed with 5 min of an air-oxygen mixture before LAD occlusion with or without the ROS scavengers N-acetylcysteine (NAC; 150 mg/kg) or N-2-mercaptoproprionyl glycine (2-MPG; 75 mg/kg), or the mitochondrial KATP antagonist 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD; 5 mg/kg). Statistical analysis of data was performed with analysis of variance for repeated measures followed by Bonferroni's modification of Student's t test. Measurements and Main Results Myocardial infarct size was determined using triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining and presented as a percentage of the left ventricular area at risk. Helium significantly (P<0.05) reduced infarct size (23±4% of the area at risk; mean±SD) compared with control (46±3%). NAC, 2-MPG, and 5-HD did not affect irreversible ischemic injury when administered alone (49±5, 45±6, and 45±3%), but these drugs blocked reductions in infarct size produced by helium (45±4, 45±2, and 44±3%). Conclusions The results suggest that ROS and mitochondrial KATP channels mediate helium-induced preconditioning in vivo. PMID:18662630

  18. The study of the influence of helium on the counter's measurement properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guan Rui; Weng Kuiping; Ren Xingbi

    2009-04-01

    In measurement of tritium by the proportional counter, methane is usually used as counter gas. Gas samples have been made with helium and methane in the proportion of concentration and measured to study the influence of helium on the counter's measurement properties. Then gas sample with tritium and helium has been measured, and the result is according with anticipation. The experiment has showed that the plateau curve of counter could be changed by helium, but the influence could be ignored when helium concentration less 10%. (authors)

  19. r-process nucleosynthesis in dynamic helium-burning environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cowan, J.J.; Cameron, A.G.W.; Truran, J.W.

    1985-01-01

    The results of an extended examination of r-process nucleosynthesis in helium-burning environments are presented. Using newly calculated nuclear rates, dynamical r-process calculations have been made of thermal runaways in helium cores typical of low-mass stars and in the helium zones of stars undergoing supernova explosions. These calculations show that, for a sufficient flux of neutrons produced by the 13 C neutron source, r-process nuclei in solar proportions can be produced. The conditions required for r-process production are found to be: 10 20 --10 21 neutrons cm -3 for times of 0.01--0.1 s and neutron number densities in excess of 10 19 cm -3 for times of approx.1 s. The amount of 13 C required is found to be exceedingly high: larger than is found to occur in any current stellar evolutionary model. It is thus unlikely that these helium-burning environments are responsible for producing the bulk of the r-process elements seen in the solar system

  20. Modeling Space-Time Dependent Helium Bubble Evolution in Tungsten Armor under IFE Conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qiyang Hu; Shahram Sharafat; Nasr Ghoniem

    2006-01-01

    The High Average Power Laser (HAPL) program is a coordinated effort to develop Laser Inertial Fusion Energy. The implosion of the D-T target produces a spectrum of neutrons, X-rays, and charged particles, which arrive at the first wall (FW) at different times within about 2.5 μs at a frequency of 5 to 10 Hz. Helium is one of several high-energy charged particle constituents impinging on the candidate tungsten armored low activation ferritic steel First Wall. The spread of the implanted debris and burn helium energies results in a unique space-time dependent implantation profile that spans about 10 μm in tungsten. Co-implantation of X-rays and other ions results in spatially dependent damage profiles and rapid space-time dependent temperature spikes and gradients. The rate of helium transport and helium bubble formation will vary significantly throughout the implanted region. Furthermore, helium will also be transported via the migration of helium bubbles and non-equilibrium helium-vacancy clusters. The HEROS code was developed at UCLA to model the spatial and time-dependent helium bubble nucleation, growth, coalescence, and migration under transient damage rates and transient temperature gradients. The HEROS code is based on kinetic rate theory, which includes clustering of helium and vacancies, helium mobility, helium-vacancy cluster stability, cavity nucleation and growth and other microstructural features such as interstitial loop evolution, grain boundaries, and precipitates. The HEROS code is based on space-time discretization of reaction-diffusion type equations to account for migration of mobile species between neighboring bins as single atoms, clusters, or bubbles. HAPL chamber FW implantation conditions are used to model helium bubble evolution in the implanted tungsten. Helium recycling rate predictions are compared with experimental results of helium ion implantation experiments. (author)

  1. The measurement of mass spectrometric peak height ratio of helium isotope in trace samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Mingliang

    1989-01-01

    An experiment study on the measurement of mass spectrometric peak height ratio of helium isotope in the trace gaseous sample is discussed by using the gas purification line designed by the authors and model VG-5400 static-vacuum noble gas mass spectrometer imported and air helium as a standard. The results show that the amount of He and Ne in natural gas sample is 99% after purification. When the amount of He in Mass Spectrometer is more than 4 x 10 -7 cm 3 STP, it's sensitivity remains stable, about 10 -4 A/cm 3 STP He and the precision of 3 He/ 4 He ratio within the following 17 days is 1.32%. The 'ABA' pattern and experiment condition in the measurement of mass spectrometric peak height ratio of He isotope are presented

  2. Asteroseismic estimate of helium abundance of a solar analog binary system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Verma, Kuldeep; Antia, H. M. [Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Mumbai 400005 (India); Faria, João P.; Monteiro, Mário J. P. F. G. [Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto, Rua das Estrelas, 4150-762 Porto (Portugal); Basu, Sarbani [Astronomy Department, Yale University, P. O. Box 208101, New Haven, CT 065208101 (United States); Mazumdar, Anwesh [Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR, V. N. Purav Marg, Mankhurd, Mumbai 400088 (India); Appourchaux, Thierry [Institut d' Astrophysique Spatiale, Université Paris XI-CNRS (UMR8617), Batiment 121, F-91405 Orsay Cedex (France); Chaplin, William J. [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, B15 2TT (United Kingdom); García, Rafael A. [Laboratoire AIM, CEA/DSM, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, IRFU/SAp, Centre de Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Metcalfe, Travis S. [Stellar Astrophysics Centre, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 120, DK-8000 Aarhus C (Denmark)

    2014-08-01

    16 Cyg A and B are among the brightest stars observed by Kepler. What makes these stars more interesting is that they are solar analogs. 16 Cyg A and B exhibit solar-like oscillations. In this work we use oscillation frequencies obtained using 2.5 yr of Kepler data to determine the current helium abundance of these stars. For this we use the fact that the helium ionization zone leaves a signature on the oscillation frequencies and that this signature can be calibrated to determine the helium abundance of that layer. By calibrating the signature of the helium ionization zone against models of known helium abundance, the helium abundance in the envelope of 16 Cyg A is found to lie in the range of 0.231 to 0.251 and that of 16 Cyg B lies in the range of 0.218 to 0.266.

  3. Helium turbomachinery operating experience from gas turbine power plants and test facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McDonald, Colin F.

    2012-01-01

    The closed-cycle gas turbine, pioneered and deployed in Europe, is not well known in the USA. Since nuclear power plant studies currently being conducted in several countries involve the coupling of a high temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor with a helium closed-cycle gas turbine power conversion system, the experience gained from operated helium turbomachinery is the focus of this paper. A study done as early as 1945 foresaw the use of a helium closed-cycle gas turbine coupled with a high temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor, and some two decades later this was investigated but not implemented because of lack of technology readiness. However, the first practical use of helium as a gas turbine working fluid was recognized for cryogenic processes, and the first two small fossil-fired helium gas turbines to operate were in the USA for air liquefaction and nitrogen production facilities. In the 1970's a larger helium gas turbine plant and helium test facilities were built and operated in Germany to establish technology bases for a projected future high efficiency large nuclear gas turbine power plant concept. This review paper covers the experience gained, and the lessons learned from the operation of helium gas turbine plants and related test facilities, and puts these into perspective since over three decades have passed since they were deployed. An understanding of the many unexpected events encountered, and how the problems, some of them serious, were resolved is important to avoid them being replicated in future helium turbomachines. The valuable lessons learned in the past, in many cases the hard way, particularly from the operation in Germany of the Oberhausen II 50 MWe helium gas turbine plant, and the technical know-how gained from the formidable HHV helium turbine test facility, are viewed as being germane in the context of current helium turbomachine design work being done for future high efficiency nuclear gas turbine plant concepts. - Highlights:

  4. Calculation of electron-helium scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fursa, D.V.; Bray, I.

    1994-11-01

    We present the Convergent Close-Coupling (CCC) theory for the calculation of electron-helium scattering. We demonstrate its applicability at a range of projectile energies of 1.5 to 500 eV to scattering from the ground state to n ≤3 states. Excellent agreement with experiment is obtained with the available differential, integrated, ionization, and total cross sections, as well as with the electron-impact coherence parameters up to and including the 3 3 D state excitation. Comparison with other theories demonstrates that the CCC theory is the only general reliable method for the calculation of electron helium scattering. (authors). 66 refs., 2 tabs., 24 figs

  5. Energy transfer in O collisions with He isotopes and helium escape from Mars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bovino, S.; Zhang, P.; Kharchenko, V.; Dalgarno, A.

    2010-12-01

    Helium is one of the dominant constituents in the upper atmosphere of Mars [1]. Thermal (Jeans’) escape of He is negligible on Mars [2] and major mechanism of escape is related to the collisional ejection of He atoms by energetic oxygen. Collisional ejection dominates over ion-related mechanisms [3] and evaluation of the escape flux of neutral He becomes an important issue. The dissociative recombination of O2+ is considered to be the major source of energetic oxygen atoms [4]. We report accurate data on energy-transfer collisions between hot oxygen atoms and the atmospheric helium gas. Angular dependent scattering cross sections for elastic collisions of O(3P) and O(1D) atoms with helium gas have been calculated quantum mechanically and found to be surprisingly similar. Cross sections, computed for collisions with both helium isotopes, 3He and 4He, have been used to construct the kernel of the Boltzmann equation, describing the energy relaxation of hot oxygen atoms. Computed rates of energy transfer in O + He collisions have been used to evaluate the flux of He atoms escaping from the Mars atmosphere at different solar conditions. We have identified atmospheric layers mostly responsible for production of the He escape flux. Our results are consistent with recent data from Monte Carlo simulations of the escape of O atoms: strong angular anisotropy of atomic cross sections leads to an increased transparency of the upper atmosphere for escaping O flux [5] and stimulate the collisional ejection of He atoms. References [1] Krasnopolsky, V. A., and G. R. Gladstone (2005), Helium on Mars and Venus: EUVE observations and modeling, Icarus, 176, 395. [2] Chassefiere E. and F. Leblanc (2004), Mars atmospheric escape and evolution; interaction with the solar wind, Planetary and Space Science, 52, 1039 [3] Krasnopolsky, V. (2010), Solar activity variations of thermospheric temperatures on Mars and a problem of CO in the lower atmoshpere, Icarus, 207, 638. [4] Fox, J. L

  6. State of the Art Report for a Bearing for VHTR Helium Circulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jae Seon; Song, Kee Nam; Kim, Yong Wan; Lee, Won Jae

    2008-10-01

    A helium circulator in a VHTR(Very High Temperature gas-cooled Reactor) plays a core role which translates thermal energy at high temperature from a nuclear core to a steam generator. Helium as a operating coolant circulates a primary circuit in high temperature and high pressure state, and controls thermal output of a nuclear core by controlling flow rate. A helium circulator is the only rotating machinery in a VHTR, and its reliability should be guaranteed for reliable operation of a reactor and stable production of hydrogen. Generally a main helium circulator is installed on the top of a steam generator vessel, and helium is circulated only by a main helium circulator in a normal operation state. An auxiliary or shutdown circulator is installed at the bottom of a reactor vessel, and it is an auxiliary circulator for shutting down a reactor in case of refueling or accelerating cooling down in case of fast cooling. Since a rotating shaft of a helium circulator is supported by bearings, bearings are the important machine elements which determines reliability of a helium circulator and a nuclear reactor. Various types of support bearings have been developed and applied for circulator bearings since 1960s, and it is still developing for developing VHTRs. So it is necessary to review and analyze the current technical state of helium circulator support bearings to develop bearings for Koran developing VHTR helium circulator

  7. Helium Energetic Neutral Atoms from the Heliosphere: Perspectives for Future Observations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Swaczyna, Paweł; Grzedzielski, Stan; Bzowski, Maciej, E-mail: pswaczyna@cbk.waw.pl [Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences (CBK PAN), Bartycka 18A, 00-716 Warsaw (Poland)

    2017-05-10

    Observations of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) allow for remote sensing of plasma properties in distant regions of the heliosphere. So far, most of the observations have concerned only hydrogen atoms. In this paper, we present perspectives for observations of helium energetic neutral atoms (He ENAs). We calculated the expected intensities of He ENAs created by the neutralization of helium ions in the inner heliosheath and through the secondary ENA mechanism in the outer heliosheath. We found that the dominant source region for He ENAs is the inner heliosheath. The obtained magnitudes of intensity spectra suggest that He ENAs can be observed with future ENA detectors, as those planned on Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe . Observing He ENAs is most likely for energies from a few to a few tens of keV/nuc. Estimates of the expected count rates show that the ratio of helium to hydrogen atoms registered in the detectors can be as low as 1:10{sup 4}. Consequently, the detectors need to be equipped with an appropriate mass spectrometer capability, allowing for recognition of chemical elements. Due to the long mean free paths of helium ions in the inner heliosheath, He ENAs are produced also in the distant heliospheric tail. This implies that observations of He ENAs can resolve its structure, which seems challenging from observations of hydrogen ENAs since energetic protons are neutralized before they progress deeper in the heliospheric tail.

  8. One- and zero-dimensional electron systems over liquid helium (Review article)

    CERN Document Server

    Kovdrya, Y Z

    2003-01-01

    Experimental and theoretical investigations of one-dimensional and zero-dimensional electron systems near the liquid helium surface are surveyed. The properties of electron states over the plane surface of liquid helium including thin layers of helium are considered. The methods of realization of one- and zero-dimensional electron systems are discussed, and the results of experimental and theoretical investigations of their properties are given. The experiments with localization processes in a quasi-one-dimensional electron systems on liquid helium are described. The collective effects in one-dimensional and quasi-one-dimensional electron systems are considered, and the point of possible application of low-dimensional electron systems on liquid helium in electron devices and quantum computers is discussed.

  9. A 3-D model of superfluid helium suitable for numerical analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Darve, C; Van Sciver, S W

    2009-01-01

    The two-fluid description is a very successful phenomenological representation of the properties of Helium II. A 3-D model suitable for numerical analysis based on the Landau-Khalatnikov description of Helium II is proposed. In this paper we introduce a system of partial differential equations that is both complete and consistent as well as practical, to be used for a 3-D solution of the flow of Helium II. The development of a 3-D numerical model for Helium II is motivated by the need to validate experimental results obtained by observing the normal component velocity distribution in a Helium II thermal counter-flow using the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique.

  10. Irreversible adsorption of atmospheric helium on olivine: A lobster pot analogy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Protin, Marie; Blard, Pierre-Henri; Marrocchi, Yves; Mathon, François

    2016-04-01

    This study reports new experimental results that demonstrate that large amounts of atmospheric helium may be adsorbed onto the surfaces of olivine grains. This behavior is surface-area-related in that this contamination preferentially affects grains that are smaller than 125 μm in size. One of the most striking results of our study is that in vacuo heating at 900 °C for 15 min is not sufficient to completely remove the atmospheric contamination. This suggests that the adsorption of helium may involve high-energy trapping of helium through irreversible anomalous adsorption. This trapping process of helium can thus be compared to a ;lobster pot; adsorption: atmospheric helium easily gets in, but hardly gets out. While this type of behavior has previously been reported for heavy noble gases (Ar, Kr, Xe), this is the first time that it has been observed for helium. Adsorption of helium has, until now, generally been considered to be negligible on silicate surfaces. Our findings have significant implications for helium and noble gas analysis of natural silicate samples, such as for cosmic-ray exposure dating or noble gas characterization of extraterrestrial material. Analytical procedures in future studies should be adapted in order to avoid this contamination. The results of this study also allow us to propose an alternative explanation for previously described matrix loss of cosmogenic 3He.

  11. Correlation for boron carbide helium release in fast reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Basmajian, J.A.; Pitner, A.L.

    1977-04-01

    An empirical helium correlation for the helium release from boron carbide has been developed. The correlation provides a good fit to the experimental data in the temperature range from 800 to 1350 0 K, and burnup levels up to 80 x 10 20 captures/cm 3 . The correlation has the capability of extrapolation to 2200 0 K (3500 0 F) and 200 x 10 20 captures/cm 3 . In this range the helium release rate will not exceed the generation rate

  12. On the occurrence and detectability of Bose-Einstein condensation in helium white dwarfs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benvenuto, O.G.; Vito, M.A. De

    2011-01-01

    It has been recently proposed that helium white dwarfs may provide promising conditions for the occurrence of the Bose-Einstein condensation. The argument supporting this expectation is that in some conditions attained in the core of these objects, the typical De Broglie wavelength associated with helium nuclei is of the order of the mean distance between neighboring nuclei. In these conditions the system should depart from classical behavior showing quantum effects. As helium nuclei are bosons, they are expected to condense. In order to explore the possibility of detecting the Bose-Einstein condensation in the evolution of helium white dwarfs we have computed a set of models for a variety of stellar masses and values of the condensation temperature. We do not perform a detailed treatment of the condensation process but mimic it by suppressing the nuclei contribution to the equation of state by applying an adequate function. As the cooling of white dwarfs depends on average properties of the whole stellar interior, this procedure should be suitable for exploring the departure of the cooling process from that predicted by the standard treatment. We find that the Bose-Einstein condensation has noticeable, but not dramatic effects on the cooling process only for the most massive white dwarfs compatible with a helium dominated interior ( ≈ 0.50M s un) and very low luminosities (say, Log(L/L s un) < −4.0). These facts lead us to conclude that it seems extremely difficult to find observable signals of the Bose-Einstein condensation. Recently, it has been suggested that the population of helium white dwarfs detected in the globular cluster NGC 6397 is a good candidate for detecting signals of the Bose-Einstein condensation. We find that these stars have masses too low and are too bright to have an already condensed interior

  13. Stationary Population Inversion in an Expanding Argon Plasma Jet by Helium Puffing

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Akatsuka, H; Kano, K

    2005-01-01

    ... out. Population inversion between Ar I excited states 5s'->4p'[1/2]1 and 5s'->4p[3/2]1,2, [5/2]2,3 is created by helium gas-contact cooling of electrons, whereas it is not created without gas-contact. Ar I lines 1.14 m, 1.34 m...

  14. The maintenance record of the KSTAR helium refrigeration system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moon, K. M.; Joo, J. J.; Kim, N. W. [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); and others

    2013-12-15

    Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) has a helium refrigeration system (HRS) with the cooling capacity of 9 kW at 4.5 K. Main cold components are composed of 300 tons of superconducting (SC) magnets, main cryostat thermal shields, and SC current feeder system. The HRS comprises six gas storage tanks, a liquid nitrogen tank, the room temperature compression sector, the cold box (C/B), the 1st stage helium distribution box (DB no.1), the PLC base local control system interconnected to central control tower and so on. Between HRS and cold components, there is another distribution box (DB#2) nearby the KSTAR device. The entire KSTAR device was constructed in 2007 and has been operated since 2008. This paper will present the maintenance result of the KSTAR HRS during the campaign and discuss the operation record and maintenance history of the KSTAR HRS.

  15. A High Reliability Gas-driven Helium Cryogenic Centrifugal Compressor

    CERN Document Server

    Bonneton, M; Gistau-Baguer, Guy M; Turcat, F; Viennot, P

    1998-01-01

    A helium cryogenic compressor was developed and tested in real conditions in 1996. The achieved objective was to compress 0.018 kg/s Helium at 4 K @ 1000 Pa (10 mbar) up to 3000 Pa (30 mbar). This project was an opportunity to develop and test an interesting new concept in view of future needs. The main features of this new specific technology are described. Particular attention is paid to the gas bearing supported rotor and to the pneumatic driver. Trade off between existing technologies and the present work are presented with special stress on the bearing system and the driver. The advantages are discussed, essentially focused on life time and high reliability without maintenance as well as non pollution characteristic. Practical operational modes are also described together with the experimental performances of the compressor. The article concludes with a brief outlook of future work.

  16. Are sdAs helium core stars?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pelisoli Ingrid

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Evolved stars with a helium core can be formed by non-conservative mass exchange interaction with a companion or by strong mass loss. Their masses are smaller than 0.5 M⊙. In the database of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS, there are several thousand stars which were classified by the pipeline as dwarf O, B and A stars. Considering the lifetimes of these classes on the main sequence, and their distance modulus at the SDSS bright saturation, if these were common main sequence stars, there would be a considerable population of young stars very far from the galactic disk. Their spectra are dominated by Balmer lines which suggest effective temperatures around 8 000-10 000 K. Several thousand have significant proper motions, indicative of distances smaller than 1 kpc. Many show surface gravity in intermediate values between main sequence and white dwarf, 4.75 < log g < 6.5, hence they have been called sdA stars. Their physical nature and evolutionary history remains a puzzle. We propose they are not H-core main sequence stars, but helium core stars and the outcomes of binary evolution. We report the discovery of two new extremely-low mass white dwarfs among the sdAs to support this statement.

  17. Model-based minimization algorithm of a supercritical helium loop consumption subject to operational constraints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonne, F.; Bonnay, P.; Girard, A.; Hoa, C.; Lacroix, B.; Le Coz, Q.; Nicollet, S.; Poncet, J.-M.; Zani, L.

    2017-12-01

    Supercritical helium loops at 4.2 K are the baseline cooling strategy of tokamaks superconducting magnets (JT-60SA, ITER, DEMO, etc.). This loops work with cryogenic circulators that force a supercritical helium flow through the superconducting magnets in order that the temperature stay below the working range all along their length. This paper shows that a supercritical helium loop associated with a saturated liquid helium bath can satisfy temperature constraints in different ways (playing on bath temperature and on the supercritical flow), but that only one is optimal from an energy point of view (every Watt consumed at 4.2 K consumes at least 220 W of electrical power). To find the optimal operational conditions, an algorithm capable of minimizing an objective function (energy consumption at 5 bar, 5 K) subject to constraints has been written. This algorithm works with a supercritical loop model realized with the Simcryogenics [2] library. This article describes the model used and the results of constrained optimization. It will be possible to see that the changes in operating point on the temperature of the magnet (e.g. in case of a change in the plasma configuration) involves large changes on the cryodistribution optimal operating point. Recommendations will be made to ensure that the energetic consumption is kept as low as possible despite the changing operating point. This work is partially supported by EUROfusion Consortium through the Euratom Research and Training Program 20142018 under Grant 633053.

  18. Hydrogen and helium adsorption on potassium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia, R.; Mulders, N.; Hess, G.

    1995-01-01

    A previous quartz microbalance study of adsorption of helium on sodium indicates that the inert layer is surprisingly small. Similar experiments with hydrogen on sodium show layer by layer growth below a temperature of 7K. These results motivated the authors to extend the experiments to lower temperatures. A suitable apparatus, capable of reaching 0.45 K, while still enabling them to do in situ alkali evaporation, has been constructed. The authors will report on the results of microbalance adsorption experiments of helium and hydrogen on potassium

  19. The evolution of US helium-cooled blankets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, C.P.C.; Schultz, K.R.; Cheng, E.T.

    1991-01-01

    This paper reviews and compares four helium-cooled fusion reactor blanket designs. These designs represent generic configurations of using helium to cool fusion reactor blankets that were studied over the past 20 years in the United States of America (US). These configurations are the pressurized module design, the pressurized tube design, the solid particulate and gas mixture design, and the nested shell design. Among these four designs, the nested shell design, which was invented for the ARIES study, is the simplest in configuration and has the least number of critical issues. Both metallic and ceramic-composite structural materials can be used for this design. It is believed that the nested shell design can be the most suitable blanket configuration for helium-cooled fusion power and experimental reactors. (orig.)

  20. Gaseous Helium storage and management in the cryogenic system for the LHC

    CERN Document Server

    Barranco-Luque, M

    2000-01-01

    The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is presently under construction at CERN. Its main components are superconducting magnets which will operate in superfluid helium requiring cryogenics on a length of about 24 km around the machine ring with a total helium inventory of about 100 tonnes. As no permanent liquid helium storage is foreseen and for reasons of investment costs, only half of the total helium content can be stored in gaseous form in medium pressure vessels. During the LHC operation part of these vessels will be used as helium buffer in the case of multiple magnet quenches. This paper describes the storage, distribution and management of the helium, the layout and the connection to the surface and underground equipment of the cryogenic system.

  1. Radiation damage in gallium-stabilized δ-plutonium with helium bubbles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, FengChao [CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027 (China); Wang, Pei [Laboratory of Computational Physics, Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100094 (China); Liu, XiaoYi [CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027 (China); Wu, HengAn, E-mail: wuha@ustc.edu.cn [CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027 (China)

    2017-02-15

    To understand the role of helium on self-irradiation effects in δ-plutonium, microstructure evolutions due to α-decay events near pre-existing helium bubbles in gallium-stabilized δ-plutonium are investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. Bubble promoting effect plays a dominating role in point defects production, resulting in increasing number of point defects. When lightweight helium atoms act as media, energy transfer discrepancy and altered spatial morphology of point defects induced by mass effect are revealed. The evolution of stacking faults surrounding the disordered core is studied and their binding effect on the propagation of point defects are presented. The cascade-induced bubble coalescence, resolution and re-nucleation driven by internal pressure are obtained in the investigation on helium behaviors. The intrinsic tendency in our simulated self-irradiation with helium bubbles is significant for understanding the underlying mechanism of aging in plutonium and its alloys.

  2. Creep properties of Hastelloy X in a carburizing helium environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakanishi, T.; Kawakami, H.

    1982-01-01

    In this work, we investigate the environmental effect on the creep behavior of Hastelloy X at 900 0 C in helium and air. Since helium coolant in HTGR is expected to be carburizing and very weakly oxidizing for most metals, testings were focused on the effect of carburizing and slight oxidation. Carburization decreases secondary creep strain rate and delays tertiary creep initiation. On the other hand, the crack growth rate on the specimen surface is enhanced due to very weak oxidation in helium, therefore the tertiary creep strain rate becomes larger than that in air. The rupture time of Hastelloy X was shorter in helium when compared with in air. Stress versus rupture time curves for both environments do not deviate with each other during up to 5000 hours test, and a ratio of rupture stress in helium to that in air was about 0.9

  3. Liquid helium cooling of the MFTF superconducting magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    VanSant, J.H.; Zbasnik, J.P.

    1986-09-01

    During acceptance testing of the Mirror Fusion Test Facility (MFTF), we measured these tests: liquid helium heat loads and flow rates in selected magnets. We used the data from these tests to estimate helium vapor quality in the magnets so that we could determine if adequate conductor cooling conditions had occurred. We compared the measured quality and flow with estimates from a theoretical model developed for the MFTF magnets. The comparison is reasonably good, considering influences that can greatly affect these values. This paper describes the methods employed in making the measurements and developing the theoretical estimates. It also describes the helium system that maintained the magnets at required operating conditions

  4. Adsorption of helium gas near Tλ at low pressures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kachalin, G.V.; Kryukov, A.P.; Nesterov, S.B.

    1998-01-01

    Cryosorption of helium isotopes ( 4 He and 3 He) on thin argon cryo layers is studied experimentally in the temperature range 4.2-2 K at low pressures. It is shown that the sorption iso stere 4 He is anomalous at temperatures close to be temperature of the phase transition in the bulk of 4 He, T λ . An abrupt pressure change is observed for a 4 He film thickness approximately equal to two monolayers. The experiments on cryosorption of 3 He gas on an argon layer with a 3 He film thickness of approximately one monolayer display monotonous changes in the pressure within the whole temperature range

  5. Defects and morphological changes in nanothin Cu films on polycrystalline Mo analyzed by thermal helium desorption spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Venugopal, V.; Seijbel, L.J.; Thijsse, B.J.

    2005-01-01

    Thermal helium desorption spectrometry (THDS) has been used for the investigation of defects and thermal stability of thin Cu films (5-200 A ) deposited on a polycrystalline Mo substrate in ultrahigh vacuum. These films are metastable at room temperature. On heating, the films transform into islands, giving rise to a relatively broad peak in the helium desorption spectra. The temperature of this island formation is dependent on film thickness, being 417 K for 10 A and 1100 K for a 200 A film. The activation energy for island formation was found to be 0.3±0.1 eV for 75 A film. Grain boundaries have a strong effect on island formation. The defect concentration in the as-deposited films is ∼5x10 -4 , for films thicker than 50 A and more for thinner films. Helium release from monovacancies was identified in the case of a 200 A film. Helium release was also seen during sublimation of the Cu film (∼1350 K). Overlayer experiments were used to identify helium trapped close to the film surface. An increase of the substrate temperature during deposition resulted in a film that had already formed islands. Argon-ion assistance (250 eV) during film deposition with an ion/atom ratio of ∼0.1 resulted in a significant enhancement of helium trapping in the films. The argon concentration in the films was found to be 10 -3 . The temperature of island formation was increased due to argon-ion assistance. The helium and argon desorption spectra are found to be similar, which is due to most of the helium becoming trapped in the defects created by the argon beam. The role of the Mo surface in affecting the defects at the film-substrate interface is investigated. The effect of variation of helium fluence and helium implantation energy is also considered. The present THDS results of Cu/poly-Mo are compared to those of Cu/Mo(100) and Cu/Mo(100) reported earlier

  6. Study on fundamental features of helium turbomachine for high temperature gas-cooled reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Jie; Gu Yihua

    2004-01-01

    The High temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) coupled with helium turbine cycle is considered as one of the leading candidates for future nuclear power plants. The HTGR helium turbine cycle was analyzed and optimized. Then the focal point of investigation was concentrated on the fundamental thermodynamic and aerodynamic features of helium turbomachine. As a result, a helium turbomachine is different from a general combustion gas turbine in two main design features, that is a helium turbomachine has more blade stages and shorter blade length, which are caused by the helium property and the high pressure of a closed cycle, respectively. (authors)

  7. Electrons on the surface of liquid helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lambert, D.K.

    1979-05-01

    Spectroscopic techniques were used to study transitions of electrons between bound states in the potential well near a helium surface. The charge density distribution of electrons on the surface was independently obtained from electrical measurements. From the measurements, information was obtained both about the interaction of the bound state electrons with the surface of liquid helium and about local disorder in the positions of electrons on the surface

  8. Helium-4 characteristics of groundwaters from Central Australia: Comparative chronology with chlorine-36 and carbon-14 dating techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulongoski, Justin T.; Hilton, David R.; Cresswell, Richard G.; Hostetler, Stephen; Jacobson, Gerry

    2008-01-01

    SummaryHelium isotope and concentration characteristics were determined for a suite of groundwater samples from the Amadeus Basin in Central Australia. Two study areas include a wellfield south of Alice Springs, and the Dune Plains and Mututjulu aquifers near Uluru. Measurements of 36Cl/Cl and 14C on the same sample suite enable us to assess the relative applicability of the three groundwater chronometers over a range of anticipated groundwater residence times (ages), and to investigate possible causes of discordant 'ages' derived from the different groundwater dating techniques. Results from the analyses of 39 groundwater samples reveal helium-4 ( 4He) concentrations that range from 0.80 to 98.8 (×10 -7 cm 3 STP g -1 H 2O) in the Alice Springs samples, and from 0.47 to 65.6 (×10 -7 cm 3 STP g -1 H 2O) in the Uluru samples. 4He concentrations yield uncorrected groundwater residence times (i.e. time since recharge) of between modern to >2500 ka (near Alice Springs) and modern to 1600 ka (near Uluru) assuming an effective porosity of 20%, and uranium and thorium contents of 1.7 and 6.1 ppm, respectively. 36Cl/Cl ratios on the same samples range from 93 to 158 (×10 -15) (near Alice Springs) and from 80 to 335 (×10 -15) (near Uluru) representing groundwater residence times near Alice Springs from modern to >200 ka, and from modern to >300 ka near Uluru. Percent modern carbon (pmc) on the same samples ranged from 64.9 to 12.5 pmc near Alice Springs, and from 93.5 to 30 ka. For the Amadeus Basin groundwater samples, the 4He method (uncorrected) over-estimates groundwater residence time compared to 36Cl and 14C techniques. This implies the presence of an extraneous He component or basal flux of He ( J0). To reconcile groundwater 4He and 14C residence times, it is necessary to adopt J0 values between 0 and 30 (×10 -8) cm 3 STP He cm -2 a -1 which supplements in situ produced He within the aquifer. Adoption of J0 values over this range lowers 4He residence times

  9. Design of epoxy-free superconducting dipole magnets and performance in both Helium I and pressurized Helium II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, C.; Althaus, R.; Caspi, S.; Gilbert, W.; Hassenzahl, W.; Meuser, R.; Rechen, J.; Warren, R.

    1981-03-01

    Three model superconducting dipole magnets 1m long, without iron, having a bore diameter of 76 mm have been built without epoxy resins or other adhesives and tested in He I and He II. The conductor is the 23-strand Rutherford-type cable used in the Fermilab Doubler Saver magnets, and is insulated with Mylar and Kapton. The two-layer winding is highly compressed by a system of structural support rings and tapered collets. Little training was required to reach quench currents greater than 95% of short sample in Helium I. The maximum quench current in He II is increased 20 to 30%, compared with He I operation at 4.4 K. Test results are given on cyclic losses, heater-induced quenches, and charge-rate effects

  10. Quantitative mass-spectrometric analysis of hydrogen helium isotope mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Langer, U.

    1998-12-01

    This work deals with the mass-spectrometric method for the quantitative analysis of hydrogen-helium-isotope mixtures, with special attention to fusion plasma diagnostics. The aim was to use the low-resolution mass spectrometry, a standard measuring method which is well established in science and industry. This task is solved by means of the vector mass spectrometry, where a mass spectrum is repeatedly measured, but with stepwise variation of the parameter settings of a quadruple mass spectrometer. In this way, interfering mass spectra can be decomposed and, moreover, it is possible to analyze underestimated mass spectra of complex hydrogen-helium-isotope mixtures. In this work experimental investigations are presented which show that there are different parameters which are suitable for the UMS-method. With an optimal choice of the parameter settings hydrogen-helium-isotope mixtures can be analyzed with an accuracy of 1-3 %. In practice, a low sensitivity for small helium concentration has to be noted. To cope with this task, a method for selective hydrogen pressure reduction has been developed. Experimental investigations and calculations show that small helium amounts (about 1 %) in a hydrogen atmosphere can be analyzed with an accuracy of 3 - 10 %. Finally, this work deals with the effects of the measuring and calibration error on the resulting error in spectrum decomposition. This aspect has been investigated both in general mass-spectrometric gas analysis and in the analysis of hydrogen-helium-mixtures by means of the vector mass spectrometry. (author)

  11. Standard Test Method for Application and Analysis of Helium Accumulation Fluence Monitors for Reactor Vessel Surveillance, E706 (IIIC)

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2007-01-01

    1.1 This test method describes the concept and use of helium accumulation for neutron fluence dosimetry for reactor vessel surveillance. Although this test method is directed toward applications in vessel surveillance, the concepts and techniques are equally applicable to the general field of neutron dosimetry. The various applications of this test method for reactor vessel surveillance are as follows: 1.1.1 Helium accumulation fluence monitor (HAFM) capsules, 1.1.2 Unencapsulated, or cadmium or gadolinium covered, radiometric monitors (RM) and HAFM wires for helium analysis, 1.1.3 Charpy test block samples for helium accumulation, and 1.1.4 Reactor vessel (RV) wall samples for helium accumulation. This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

  12. Validation of Helium Inlet Design for ITER Toroidal Field Coil

    CERN Document Server

    Boyer, C; Hamada, K; Foussat, A; Le Rest, M; Mitchell, N; Decool, P; Savary, F; Sgobba, S; Weiss, K-P

    2014-01-01

    The ITER organization has performed design and its validation tests on a helium inlet structure for the ITER Toroidal Field (TF) coil under collaboration with CERN, KIT, and CEA-Cadarache. Detailed structural analysis was performed in order to optimize the weld shape. A fatigue resistant design on the fillet weld between the shell covers and the jacket is an important point on the helium inlet structure. A weld filler material was selected based on tensile test at liquid helium temperature after Nb$_{3}$Sn reaction heat treatment. To validate the design of the weld joint, fatigue tests at 7 K were performed using heat-treated butt weld samples. A pressure drop measurement of a helium inlet mock-up was performed by using nitrogen gas at room temperature in order to confirm uniform flow distribution and pressure drop characteristic. These tests have validated the helium inlet design. Based on the validation, Japanese and European Union domestic agencies, which have responsibilities of the TF coil procurement, a...

  13. Standard test method for tension testing of structural alloys in liquid helium

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2009-01-01

    1.1 This test method describes procedures for the tension testing of structural alloys in liquid helium. The format is similar to that of other ASTM tension test standards, but the contents include modifications for cryogenic testing which requires special apparatus, smaller specimens, and concern for serrated yielding, adiabatic heating, and strain-rate effects. 1.2 To conduct a tension test by this standard, the specimen in a cryostat is fully submerged in normal liquid helium (He I) and tested using crosshead displacement control at a nominal strain rate of 10−3 s−1 or less. Tests using force control or high strain rates are not considered. 1.3 This standard specifies methods for the measurement of yield strength, tensile strength, elongation, and reduction of area. The determination of the elastic modulus is treated in Test Method E 111. Note 1—The boiling point of normal liquid helium (He I) at sea level is 4.2 K (−269°C or −452.1°F or 7.6°R). It decreases with geographic elevation and is...

  14. Forced two phase helium cooling of large superconducting magnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Green, M.A.; Burns, W.A.; Taylor, J.D.

    1979-08-01

    A major problem shared by all large superconducting magnets is the cryogenic cooling system. Most large magnets are cooled by some variation of the helium bath. Helium bath cooling becomes more and more troublesome as the size of the magnet grows and as geometric constraints come into play. An alternative approach to cooling large magnet systems is the forced flow, two phase helium system. The advantages of two phase cooling in many magnet systems are shown. The design of a two phase helium system, with its control dewar, is presented. The paper discusses pressure drop of a two phase system, stability of a two phase system and the method of cool down of a two phase system. The results of experimental measurements at LBL are discussed. Included are the results of cool down and operation of superconducting solenoids

  15. Development of 18 K helium refrigeration system for CERN

    CERN Document Server

    CERN. Geneva

    2004-01-01

    The Conseil Europeen pour Ia Recherche Nucleaire (CERN) placed an order for a 1.8 K helium refrigeration system with IHI for the Large Hadron Collider project in 1999. IHI formed a consortium with Linde Kryotechnik AG (Switzerland), which has long experience with helium refrigeration systems. IHI designed and manufactured cold compressors based on leading technologies and expertise for turbo machinery. The cold compressor has the highest efficiency in the world. This paper describes the 1.8 K helium refrigeration system and performance test results at CERN. (5 refs).

  16. A metastable helium trap for atomic collision physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colla, M.; Gulley, R.; Uhlmann, L.; Hoogerland, M.D.; Baldwin, K.G.H.; Buckman, S.J.

    1999-01-01

    Full text: Metastable helium in the 2 3 S state is an important species for atom optics and atomic collision physics. Because of its large internal energy (20eV), long lifetime (∼8000s) and large collision cross section for a range of processes, metastable helium plays an important role in atmospheric physics, plasma discharges and gas laser physics. We have embarked on a program of studies on atom-atom and electron-atom collision processes involving cold metastable helium. We confine metastable helium atoms in a magneto-optic trap (MOT), which is loaded by a transversely collimated, slowed and 2-D focussed atomic beam. We employ diode laser tuned to the 1083 nm (2 3 S 1 - 2 3 P2 1 ) transition to generate laser cooling forces in both the loading beam and the trap. Approximately 10 million helium atoms are trapped at temperatures of ∼ 1mK. We use phase modulation spectroscopy to measure the trapped atomic density. The cold, trapped atoms can collide to produce either atomic He + or molecular He 2 + ions by Penning Ionisation (PI) or Associative Ionisation (AI). The rate of formation of these ions is dependant upon the detuning of the trapping laser from resonance. A further laser can be used to connect the 2 3 S 1 state to another higher lying excited state, and variation of the probe laser detuning used to measure interatomic collision potential. Electron-atom collision processes are studied using a monochromatic electron beam with a well defined spatial current distribution. The total trap loss due to electron collisions is measured as a function of electron energy. Results will be presented for these atomic collision physics measurements involving cold, trapped metastable helium atoms. Copyright (1999) Australian Optical Society

  17. Updated conceptual design of helium cooling ceramic blanket for HCCB-DEMO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Suhao [University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui (China); Southwestern Institute of Physics, Chengdu, Sichuan (China); Cao, Qixiang; Wu, Xinghua; Wang, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Guoshu [Southwestern Institute of Physics, Chengdu, Sichuan (China); Feng, Kaiming, E-mail: fengkm@swip.ac.cn [Southwestern Institute of Physics, Chengdu, Sichuan (China)

    2016-11-15

    Highlights: • An updated design of Helium Cooled Ceramic breeder Blanket (HCCB) for HCCB-DEMO is proposed in this paper. • The Breeder Unit is transformed to TBM-like sub-modules, with double “banana” shape tritium breeder. Each sub-module is inserted in space formed by Stiffen Grids (SGs). • The performance analysis is performed based on the R&D development of material, fabrication technology and safety assessment in CN ITER TBM program. • Hot spots will be located at the FW bend side. - Abstract: The basic definition of the HCCB-DEMO plant and preliminary blanket designed by Southwestern Institution of Physics was proposed in 2009. The DEMO fusion power is 2550 MW and electric power is 800 MW. Based on development of R&D in breeding blanket, a conceptual design of helium cooled blanket with ceramic breeder in HCCB-DEMO was presented. The main design features of the HCCB-DEMO blanket were: (1) CLF-1 structure materials, Be multiplier and Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} breeder; (2) neutronic wall load is 2.3 MW/m{sup 2} and surface heat flux is 0.43 MW/m{sup 2} (2) TBR ≈ 1.15; (3) geometry of breeding units is ITER TBM-like segmentation; (4)Pressure of helium is 8 MPa and inlet/outlet temperature is 300/500 °C. On the basis of these design, some important analytical results are presented in aspects of (i) neutronic behavior of the blanket; (ii) design of 3D structure and thermal-hydraulic lay-out for breeding blanket module; (iii) structural-mechanical behavior of the blanket under pressurization. All of these assessments proved current stucture fulfill the design requirements.

  18. Helium refrigerator for 'SULTAN'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arpagaus, M.; Erlach, H.; Quack, H.

    1984-01-01

    The authors describe the helium refrigerator designed for the SULTAN test facility. SULTAN (Supraleiter-Testanlage) is intended to serve for the developments and testing of high field superconducting magnets. These magnets are needed mainly for future applications in nuclear fusion. (Auth.)

  19. r-process nucleosynthesis in dynamic helium-burning environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cowan, J. J.; Cameron, A. G. W.; Truran, J. W.

    1985-01-01

    The results of an extended examination of r-process nucleosynthesis in helium-burning enviroments are presented. Using newly calculated nuclear rates, dynamical r-process calculations have been made of thermal runaways in helium cores typical of low-mass stars and in the helium zones of stars undergoing supernova explosions. These calculations show that, for a sufficient flux of neutrons produced by the C-13 neutron source, r-process nuclei in solar proportions can be produced. The conditions required for r-process production are found to be 10 to the 20th-10 to the 21st neutrons per cubic centimeter for times of 0.01-0.1 s and neutron number densities in excess of 10 to the 19th per cubic centimeter for times of about 1 s. The amount of C-13 required is found to be exceedingly high - larger than is found to occur in any current stellar evolutionary model. It is thus unlikely that these helium-burning environments are responsible for producing the bulk of the r-process elements seen in the solar system.

  20. The Chalk River helium jet and skimmer system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmeing, H.; Koslowsky, V.; Wightman, M.; Hardy, J.C.; MacDonald, J.A.; Faestermann, T.; Andrews, H.R.; Geiger, J.S.; Graham, R.L.

    1976-01-01

    A helium jet and skimmer system intended as an interface between a target location at the Chalk River tandem accelerator and the ion source of an on-line separator presently under construction has been developed. The system consists of a target chamber, a 125 cm long capillary, and a one stage skimmer chamber. The designs of the target and skimmer chambers allow one to vary a large number of independent flow and geometrical parameters with accurate reproducibility. Experiments with the β-delayed proton emitter 25 Si (tsub(1/2)=218 ms) produced in the reaction 24 Mg( 3 He,2n) 25 Si show that under optimized conditions about 75% of the reaction products leaving the target are transported to the skimmer. Of those, more than 90% pass through the skimmer orifice, which separates off 97.5% of the transport gas, helium. By introducing an additional helium flow across the skimming orifice the amount of helium separated off the transport jet can be increased to beyond 99.85%, leaving the high throughput of recoils unaffected. (Auth.)

  1. Stable Trapping of Multielectron Helium Bubbles in a Paul Trap

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joseph, E. M.; Vadakkumbatt, V.; Pal, A.; Ghosh, A.

    2017-06-01

    In a recent experiment, we have used a linear Paul trap to store and study multielectron bubbles (MEBs) in liquid helium. MEBs have a charge-to-mass ratio (between 10^{-4} and 10^{-2} C/kg) which is several orders of magnitude smaller than ions (between 10^6 and 10^8 C/kg) studied in traditional ion traps. In addition, MEBs experience significant drag force while moving through the liquid. As a result, the experimental parameters for stable trapping of MEBs, such as magnitude and frequency of the applied electric fields, are very different from those used in typical ion trap experiments. The purpose of this paper is to model the motion of MEBs inside a linear Paul trap in liquid helium, determine the range of working parameters of the trap, and compare the results with experiments.

  2. Excitation of helium resonance lines in solar flares

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porter, J.G.; Gebbie, K.B.; November, L.J.; Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, Boulder, CO; National Solar Observatory, Sunspot, NM)

    1985-01-01

    Helium resonance line intensities are calculated for a set of six flare models corresponding to two rates of heating and three widely varying incident fluxes of soft X-rays. The differing ionization and excitation equilibria produced by these models, the processes which dominate the various cases, and the predicted helium line spectra are examined. The line intensities and their ratios are compared with values derived from Skylab NRL spectroheliograms for a class M flare, thus determining which of these models most nearly represents the density vs temperature structure and soft X-ray flux in the flaring solar transition region, and the temperature and dominant mechanaism of formation of the helium line spectrum during a flare. 26 references

  3. Microstructure of HIPed and SPSed 9Cr-ODS steel and its effect on helium bubble formation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Chenyang; Lu, Zheng; Xie, Rui; Liu, Chunming; Wang, Lumin

    2016-01-01

    Two 9Cr-ODS steels with the same nominal composition were consolidated by hot isostatic pressing (HIP, named COS-1) and spark plasma sintering (SPS, named COS-2). Helium ions were implanted into COS-1, COS-2 and non-ODS Eurofer 97 steels up at 673 K. Microstructures before and after helium ion implantations were carefully characterized. The results show a bimodal grain size distribution in COS-2 and a more uniform grain size distribution in COS-1. Nanoscale clusters of GP-zone type Y–Ti–O and Y_2Ti_2O_7 pyrochlore as well as large spinel Mn(Ti)Cr_2O_4 particles are all observed in the two ODS steels. The Y–Ti-enriched nano-oxides in COS-1 exhibit higher number density and smaller size than in COS-2. The Y–Ti-enriched nano-oxides in fine grains of COS-2 show higher number density and smaller size than that in coarse grains of COS-2. Nano-oxides effectively trap helium atoms and lead to the formation of high density and ultra-fine helium bubbles. - Highlights: • The microstructure changes of two ODS steels before and after helium ion implantation have been elucidated. • The mechanism of the microstructures of ODS steels under varied thermal mechanical processing paths have been explored. • The dependence of the size, density and distribution of helium bubbles on the specific microstructure features are explored.

  4. Microstructure of HIPed and SPSed 9Cr-ODS steel and its effect on helium bubble formation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lu, Chenyang [Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Material Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, Liaoning (China); Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109 (United States); Lu, Zheng, E-mail: luz@atm.neu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Material Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, Liaoning (China); Xie, Rui; Liu, Chunming [Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Material Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, Liaoning (China); Wang, Lumin, E-mail: lmwang@umich.edu [Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109 (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Two 9Cr-ODS steels with the same nominal composition were consolidated by hot isostatic pressing (HIP, named COS-1) and spark plasma sintering (SPS, named COS-2). Helium ions were implanted into COS-1, COS-2 and non-ODS Eurofer 97 steels up at 673 K. Microstructures before and after helium ion implantations were carefully characterized. The results show a bimodal grain size distribution in COS-2 and a more uniform grain size distribution in COS-1. Nanoscale clusters of GP-zone type Y–Ti–O and Y{sub 2}Ti{sub 2}O{sub 7} pyrochlore as well as large spinel Mn(Ti)Cr{sub 2}O{sub 4} particles are all observed in the two ODS steels. The Y–Ti-enriched nano-oxides in COS-1 exhibit higher number density and smaller size than in COS-2. The Y–Ti-enriched nano-oxides in fine grains of COS-2 show higher number density and smaller size than that in coarse grains of COS-2. Nano-oxides effectively trap helium atoms and lead to the formation of high density and ultra-fine helium bubbles. - Highlights: • The microstructure changes of two ODS steels before and after helium ion implantation have been elucidated. • The mechanism of the microstructures of ODS steels under varied thermal mechanical processing paths have been explored. • The dependence of the size, density and distribution of helium bubbles on the specific microstructure features are explored.

  5. A review of helium gas turbine technology for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    No, Hee Cheon; Kim, Ji Hwan; Kim, Hyeun Min

    2007-01-01

    Current High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs) are based on a closed brayton cycle with helium gas as the working fluid. Thermodynamic performance of the axial-flow helium gas turbines is of critical concern as it considerably affects the overall cycle efficiency. Helium gas turbines pose some design challenges compared to steam or air turbomachinery because of the physical properties of helium and the uniqueness of the operating conditions at high pressure with low pressure ratio. This report present a review of the helium Brayton cycle experiences in Germany and in Japan. The design and availability of helium gas turbines for HTGR are also presented in this study. We have developed a new throughflow calculation code to calculate the design-point performance of helium gas turbines. Use of the method has been illustrated by applying it to the GTHTR300 reference

  6. Evolution Models of Helium White Dwarf–Main-sequence Star Merger Remnants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Xianfei; Bi, Shaolan; Hall, Philip D.; Jeffery, C. Simon

    2017-01-01

    It is predicted that orbital decay by gravitational-wave radiation and tidal interaction will cause some close binary stars to merge within a Hubble time. The merger of a helium-core white dwarf with a main-sequence (MS) star can produce a red giant branch star that has a low-mass hydrogen envelope when helium is ignited and thus become a hot subdwarf. Because detailed calculations have not been made, we compute post-merger models with a stellar evolution code. We find the evolutionary paths available to merger remnants and find the pre-merger conditions that lead to the formation of hot subdwarfs. We find that some such mergers result in the formation of stars with intermediate helium-rich surfaces. These stars later develop helium-poor surfaces owing to diffusion. Combining our results with a model population and comparing to observed stars, we find that some observed intermediate helium-rich hot subdwarfs can be explained as the remnants of the mergers of helium-core white dwarfs with low-mass MS stars.

  7. An interbubble fracture mechanism of blister formation on helium-irradiated metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Evans, J.H.

    1977-01-01

    This paper describes a new model of surface blister formation in which a blister is nucleated by the interbubble fracture of highly overpressurized helium bubbles. As in other gas-driven models, the internal release of helium then provides the driving force for blister lid deformation. The high pressures required for the suggested mode of fracture are a result of the difficulty, experienced by the bubbles in acquiring vacancies. By considering the bubble growth mechanisms, the critical conditions for interbubble fracture are shown to depend on the helium dose and energy, the bubble size, and their depth in the irradiated material. These parameters and other aspects of blister formation are discussed on the basis of the proposed model. One important result concerns the position of the fracture plane; because of the usual displacement of damage and helium peaks relative to depth, this plane can lie well beyond the helium peak. Thus, the disagreement inherent in previous gas models between helium range and measured blister lid thickness values can be resolved without recourse to lateral stress arguments. (Auth.)

  8. Evolution Models of Helium White Dwarf–Main-sequence Star Merger Remnants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Xianfei; Bi, Shaolan [Department of Astronomy, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 (China); Hall, Philip D.; Jeffery, C. Simon, E-mail: zxf@bnu.edu.cn [Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh BT61 9DG (United Kingdom)

    2017-02-01

    It is predicted that orbital decay by gravitational-wave radiation and tidal interaction will cause some close binary stars to merge within a Hubble time. The merger of a helium-core white dwarf with a main-sequence (MS) star can produce a red giant branch star that has a low-mass hydrogen envelope when helium is ignited and thus become a hot subdwarf. Because detailed calculations have not been made, we compute post-merger models with a stellar evolution code. We find the evolutionary paths available to merger remnants and find the pre-merger conditions that lead to the formation of hot subdwarfs. We find that some such mergers result in the formation of stars with intermediate helium-rich surfaces. These stars later develop helium-poor surfaces owing to diffusion. Combining our results with a model population and comparing to observed stars, we find that some observed intermediate helium-rich hot subdwarfs can be explained as the remnants of the mergers of helium-core white dwarfs with low-mass MS stars.

  9. Leak detection on the DIII-D tokamak using helium entrainment techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brooks, N.H.; Baxi, C.; Anderson, P.

    1988-01-01

    The entrainment of helium in a viscous gas flow was utilized to compartmentalize, and then to pinpoint, a leak across the inner skin of the double-walled DIII-D vacuum vessel. Inaccessible from the outside, the leak connected the cooling channels in the wall interspace with the primary vacuum chamber. By entraining helium in the pressurized flow from the single-pass gas circulation system, well-defined portions of the wall were exposed to helium without disassembly of the poorly accessible cooling manifolds. Varying the helium injection point permitted the localization of the leak to a single 30 0 toroidal sector of the vessel. The exact location of the leak was found from inside the vessel by spraying helium on suspect regions, while sweeping the contents of the cooling channels to the foreline of a Varian Contraflow leak detector with a 0.1 Pa m 3 /s flow of nitrogen. Flow speed calculations were used to predict the response time to entrained helium of the actual leak detection setup

  10. Helium-Cooled Refractory Alloys First Wall and Blanket Evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, C.P.C.; Nygren, R.E.; Baxi, C.B.; Fogarty, P.; Ghoniem, N.; Khater, H.; McCarthy, K.; Merrill, B.; Nelson, B.; Reis, E.E.; Sharafat, S.; Schleicher, R.; Sze, D.K.; Ulrickson, M.; Willms, S.; Youssef, M.; Zinkel, S.

    1999-01-01

    Under the APEX program the He-cooled system design task is to evaluate and recommend high power density refractory alloy first wall and blanket designs and to recommend and initiate tests to address critical issues. We completed the preliminary design of a helium-cooled, W-5Re alloy, lithium breeder design and the results are reported in this paper. Many areas of the design were assessed, including material selection, helium impurity control, and mechanical, nuclear and thermal hydraulics design, and waste disposal, tritium and safety design. System study results show that at a closed cycle gas turbine (CCGT) gross thermal efficiency of 57.5%, a superconducting coil tokamak reactor, with an aspect ratio of 4, and an output power of 2 GWe, can be projected to have a cost of electricity at 54.6 mill/kWh. Critical issues were identified and we plan to continue the design on some of the critical issues during the next phase of the APEX design study

  11. Aerial Deployment and Inflation System for Mars Helium Balloons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lachenmeler, Tim; Fairbrother, Debora; Shreves, Chris; Hall, Jeffery, L.; Kerzhanovich, Viktor V.; Pauken, Michael T.; Walsh, Gerald J.; White, Christopher V.

    2009-01-01

    A method is examined for safely deploying and inflating helium balloons for missions at Mars. The key for making it possible to deploy balloons that are light enough to be buoyant in the thin, Martian atmosphere is to mitigate the transient forces on the balloon that might tear it. A fully inflated Mars balloon has a diameter of 10 m, so it must be folded up for the trip to Mars, unfolded upon arrival, and then inflated with helium gas in the atmosphere. Safe entry into the Martian atmosphere requires the use of an aeroshell vehicle, which protects against severe heating and pressure loads associated with the hypersonic entry flight. Drag decelerates the aeroshell to supersonic speeds, then two parachutes deploy to slow the vehicle down to the needed safe speed of 25 to 35 m/s for balloon deployment. The parachute system descent dynamic pressure must be approximately 5 Pa or lower at an altitude of 4 km or more above the surface.

  12. High Accuracy Vector Helium Magnetometer

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The proposed HAVHM instrument is a laser-pumped helium magnetometer with both triaxial vector and omnidirectional scalar measurement capabilities in a single...

  13. Fast resolution change in neutral helium atom microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flatabø, R.; Eder, S. D.; Ravn, A. K.; Samelin, B.; Greve, M. M.; Reisinger, T.; Holst, B.

    2018-05-01

    In neutral helium atom microscopy, a beam of atoms is scanned across a surface. Though still in its infancy, neutral helium microscopy has seen a rapid development over the last few years. The inertness and low energy of the helium atoms (less than 0.1 eV) combined with a very large depth of field and the fact that the helium atoms do not penetrate any solid material at low energies open the possibility for a non-destructive instrument that can measure topology on the nanoscale even on fragile and insulating surfaces. The resolution is determined by the beam spot size on the sample. Fast resolution change is an attractive property of a microscope because it allows different aspects of a sample to be investigated and makes it easier to identify specific features. However up till now it has not been possible to change the resolution of a helium microscope without breaking the vacuum and changing parts of the atom source. Here we present a modified source design, which allows fast, step wise resolution change. The basic design idea is to insert a moveable holder with a series of collimating apertures in front of the source, thus changing the effective source size of the beam and thereby the spot size on the surface and thus the microscope resolution. We demonstrate a design with 3 resolution steps. The number of resolution steps can easily be extended.

  14. Desorption of tritium and helium from high dose neutron irradiated beryllium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kupriyanov, I. B.; Nikolaev, G. N.; Vlasov, V. V.; Kovalev, A. M.; Chakin, V. P.

    2007-08-01

    The effect of high dose neutron irradiation on tritium and helium desorption in beryllium is described. Beryllium samples were irradiated in the SM and BOR-60 reactors to a neutron fluences ( E > 0.1 MeV) of (5-16) × 10 22 cm -2 at 70-100 °C and 380-420 °C. A mass-spectrometry technique was used in out of pile tritium release experiments during stepped annealing in the 250-1300 °C temperature range. The total amount of helium accumulated in irradiated beryllium samples varied from 6000 to 7200 appm. The first signs of tritium and helium release were detected at temperature of 312-445 °C and 500-740 °C, respectively. It is shown that most tritium (˜82%) from sample irradiated at 70-100 °C releases in temperature range of 312-700 °C before the beginning of helium release (740 °C). In the case of beryllium sample irradiated at 380-420 °C, tritium release starts at a higher temperature ( Ts > Tann = 445 °C) and most of the tritium (˜99.8%) is released concurrently with helium which could be considered as evidence of co-existence of partial amounts of tritium and helium in common bubbles. Both the Be samples differ little in the upper temperatures of gas release: 745 and 775 °C for tritium; 1140 and 1160 °C for helium. Swelling of beryllium starts to play a key role in accelerating tritium release at Tann > 600 °C and in helium release - at Tann > 750 °C.

  15. Imprints from the solar cycle on the helium atom and helium pickup ion distributions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Rucinski

    Full Text Available Neutral interstellar helium atoms penetrate into the solar system almost unaffected by gas–plasma interactions in the heliospheric interface region, and thus can be considered as carriers of original information on the basic parameters (like density, temperature, bulk velocity of the Very Local Interstellar Medium (VLISM. Such information can nowadays be derived from analysis of data obtained from different experimental methods: in situ measurements of He atoms (Ulysses, observations of the solar backscattered He 584 A radiation (EUVE, in situ measurements of He + pickup ions (AMPTE, Ulysses, Wind, SOHO, ACE. In view of the current coordinated international ISSI campaign devoted to the study of the helium focusing cone structure and its evolution, we analyze expected variations of neutral He density, of He + pickup fluxes and of their phase space distributions at various phases of the solar activity cycle based on a realistic time-dependent modelling of the neutral helium and He + pickup ion distributions, which reflect solar cycle-induced variations of the photoionization rate. We show that the neutral helium density values are generally anticorrelated with the solar activity phase and in extreme cases (near the downwind axis the maximum-to-minimum density ratio may even exceed factors of ~ 3 at 1 AU. We also demonstrate that in the upwind hemisphere (at 1 AU and beyond the He + fluxes are correlated with the solar cycle activity, whereas on the downwind side the maximum of the expected flux up to distances of ~ 3 AU occurs around solar minimum epoch, and only further away does the correlation with solar activity become positive. Finally, we present the response of the phase space distribution spectra of He + pickup ions (in the solar wind frame for different epochs of the solar cycle and heliocentric distances from 1 to 5 AU covering the range of Ulysses, Wind and ACE observations.

    Key words. Solar physics, astrophysics and astronomy

  16. Imprints from the solar cycle on the helium atom and helium pickup ion distributions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Rucinski

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available Neutral interstellar helium atoms penetrate into the solar system almost unaffected by gas–plasma interactions in the heliospheric interface region, and thus can be considered as carriers of original information on the basic parameters (like density, temperature, bulk velocity of the Very Local Interstellar Medium (VLISM. Such information can nowadays be derived from analysis of data obtained from different experimental methods: in situ measurements of He atoms (Ulysses, observations of the solar backscattered He 584 A radiation (EUVE, in situ measurements of He + pickup ions (AMPTE, Ulysses, Wind, SOHO, ACE. In view of the current coordinated international ISSI campaign devoted to the study of the helium focusing cone structure and its evolution, we analyze expected variations of neutral He density, of He + pickup fluxes and of their phase space distributions at various phases of the solar activity cycle based on a realistic time-dependent modelling of the neutral helium and He + pickup ion distributions, which reflect solar cycle-induced variations of the photoionization rate. We show that the neutral helium density values are generally anticorrelated with the solar activity phase and in extreme cases (near the downwind axis the maximum-to-minimum density ratio may even exceed factors of ~ 3 at 1 AU. We also demonstrate that in the upwind hemisphere (at 1 AU and beyond the He + fluxes are correlated with the solar cycle activity, whereas on the downwind side the maximum of the expected flux up to distances of ~ 3 AU occurs around solar minimum epoch, and only further away does the correlation with solar activity become positive. Finally, we present the response of the phase space distribution spectra of He + pickup ions (in the solar wind frame for different epochs of the solar cycle and heliocentric distances from 1 to 5 AU covering the range of Ulysses, Wind and ACE observations.Key words. Solar physics, astrophysics and astronomy

  17. The multipurpose helium refrigerators/liquefiers for the new CERN experimental area

    CERN Document Server

    Eber, N; Kurtcuoglu, K; Senn, A

    1979-01-01

    The helium plants described have a nominal capacity of 100 liters/hour or 400 Watts at 4.4K and can also be operated in mixed duty over the whole performance range. The plants feature oilfree labyrinth-piston compressors and turboexpanders with self-supporting gas bearings plus magnetic auxiliary bearings. The greatest peculiarity of the new plants is the first time combined use of cold and warm ejectors. (1 refs).

  18. Multicoincidence measurements of double photoionization in helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huetz, A.; Andric, L.; Selles, P.; Mazeau, J.; Lablanquie, P.

    1994-01-01

    A new toroidal analyser has been used to study the double photoionization of helium, for energies down to 4 eV above threshold. The two electrons are detected with equal energies, and coincidences between them for various angles of emission can be obtained simultaneously. The plane of detection contains the photon beam, in contrast with recent experiments performed in the plane perpendicular to the photon beam. The angular correlation function is extracted directly from the present measurements, which are shown to be insensitive to the Stokes parameters of the photon beam. The width of that function is not observed to vary significantly from 4 eV to 17.6 eV above threshold. (author)

  19. Formation of excited states in high-Z helium-like systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fritzsche, S.; Fricke, B.; Brinzanescu, O.

    1999-12-01

    High-Z helium-like ions represent the simplest multi-electron systems for studying the interplay between electron-electron correlations, relativistic as well as quantum electrodynamical effects in strong fields. In contrast to the adjacent lithium-like ions, however, almost no experimental information is available about the excited states in the high-Z domain of the helium sequence. Here, we present a theoretical analysis of the X-ray production and decay dynamics of the excited states in helium-like uranium. Emphasize has been paid particularly to the formation of the 3 P 0 and 3 P 2 levels by using electron capture into hydrogen-like U 91+ . Both states are of interest for precise measurements on high-Z helium-like ions in the future. (orig.)

  20. Doubly excited helium. From strong correlation to chaos

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Yuhai

    2006-03-15

    In the present dissertation, the double excitation states of helium including the autoionization decay of these states were studied experimentally and theoretically in a broad energy region, which includes the transition from strong correlation below the low single ionization thresholds (SIT) to the region of quantum chaos at energies very close to the double-ionization threshold. Two kind of experiments were performed, namely total-ion-yield measurements with the aim to observe total cross sections (TCS) and electron time-of-flight (TOF) measurements to obtain partial cross sections (PCS) as well as angular distribution parameters (ADP). Both types of measurements were performed at the third generation synchrotron radiation facility BESSY II in Berlin. The TCSs were recorded up to the SIT I{sub 15}, and they were found to be in in excellent agreement with state-of-the-art complex-rotation calculations performed recently by D. Delande. These experimental and theoretical data on the TCSs were analyzed in order to study quantum chaos in doubly excited helium, and interesting signatures of quantum chaos were found. The TOF technique allowed to measure PCSs and ADPs in the energy regions from I{sub 5} to I{sub 9} and I{sub 7}, respectively. These experimental data provide a critical assessment of theoretical models that can be used to explore the dynamics of strong correlation as well as quantum chaos in helium. In the theoretical part of this dissertation, the n- and l-specific PCSs and ADPs below I{sub 4} were calculated employing the R-matrix method. The present theoretical results agree well with a recent experimental study of l-specific PCSs below I{sub 4} by J.R. Harries et al. An analysis of patterns in the PCSs and ADPs on the basis of the present experimental and theoretical l-specific data allowed to improve the present understanding of autoionization decay dynamics in this two-electron atom. (orig.)

  1. Creep properties of heat-resistant superalloys for nuclear plants in helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimizu, Shigeki; Satoh, Keisuke; Honda, Yoshio; Matsuda, Shozo; Murase, Hirokazu

    1979-01-01

    Creep properties of candidate superalloys for VHTR components in a helium environment at both temperatures of 800 0 C and 900 0 C were compared with those of the same alloys in the atmospheric condition, and the superalloys were contrasted with each other from the viewpoint of high temperature structural design. At 800 0 C, no significant effect of a helium environment on creep properties of the superalloys is observed. At 900 0 C, however, creep strength of Inconel 617, Incoloy 800 and Incoloy 807 in the helium environment decrease more than in the atmospheric environment. In Hastelloy X and Inconel 625, there is no significant difference between creep strengths in helium and those in the atmospheric condition. Concerning So and St values in helium at 900 0 C, Inconel 617 and Hastelloy X are clearly superior to other superalloys. (author)

  2. Structure and dynamics of molecular complex He2*(a3Σu+) in condensed phases of helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kafanov, S.G.; Parshin, A.Ya.; Tadoshchenko, I.A.

    2000-01-01

    The absorption spectra of the helium triplet metastable molecules in the a 3 Σ u + states in the liquid 4 He and 3 He by various pressures and in the 3 He dense gas are studied. The analysis of the spectrum, corresponding to the a 3 Σ u + → c 3 Σ g + transition, proves the conclusion on the availability of a microscopic bubble, surrounding the molecule in the liquid helium. Simple approximation of the wave function of the molecule valent electron is proposed and the bubble parameters under various experimental conditions are determined. The coefficient conditions are determined. The coefficient of the molecular recombination in the liquid 3 He and 4 He by different pressures and in the 3 He cold gas is experimentally determined. The obtained results agree well with the mutual recombination theory. It is shown, that molecular polarization in the helium condensed phases under the magnetic field effect does not lead to their mutual recombination [ru

  3. High resolution spectroscopy of six new extreme helium stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heber, U.; Jones, G.; Drilling, J. S.

    1986-01-01

    High resolution spectra of six newly discovered extreme helium stars are presented. LSS 5121 is shown to be a spectroscopical twin of the hot extreme helium star HD 160641. A preliminary LTE analysis of LSS 3184 yielded an effective temperature of 22,000 K and a surface gravity of log g = 3.2. Four stars form a new subgroup, classified by sharp-lined He I spectra and pronounced O II spectra, and it is conjectured that these lie close to the Eddington limit. The whole group of extreme helium stars apparently is inhomogeneous with respect to luminosity to mass ratio and chemical composition.

  4. Preliminary results of the Spacelab 2 superfluid helium experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mason, P.V.; Collins, D.J.; Elleman, D.D.; Jackson, H.W.; Wang, T.

    1986-01-01

    An experiment to investigate the properties of superfluid helium in a microgravity environment flew on the Shuttle on the Spacelab 2 mission in July and August of 1985. This paper summarizes the flight experiment and describes some preliminary results. The experiment comprised an investigation of long-wavelength third-sound waves in micron-thick films, a study of the motions of superfluid helium under milli-g and micro-g accelerations, and measurements of the fluctuations in temperature associated with the small motions of the bulk helium. An additional objective was to qualify and characterize a reflyable, space-compatible cryostat

  5. High Reynolds number flows using liquid and gaseous helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Donnelly, R.J.

    1991-01-01

    Consideration is given to liquid and gaseous helium as test fluids, high Reynolds number test requirements in low speed aerodynamics, the measurement of subsonic flow around an appended body of revolution at cryogenic conditions in the NTF, water tunnels, flow visualization, the six component magnetic suspension system for wind tunnel testing, and recent aerodynamic measurements with magnetic suspension systems. Attention is also given to application of a flow visualization technique to a superflow experiment, experimental investigations of He II flows at high Reynolds numbers, a study of homogeneous turbulence in superfluid helium, and thermal convection in liquid helium

  6. Growth process of helium bubbles in aluminium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shiraishi, Haruki; Sakairi, Hideo; Yagi, Eiichi; Karasawa, Takashi; Hashiguti, R.R.

    1975-01-01

    The growth process of helium bubbles in α-particle bombarded pure aluminum during isothermal anneal ranging 200 to 645 0 C and 1 to 100 hr was observed by a transmission electron microscope and the possible growth mechanisms are discussed. The effects of helium concentration and cold work were investigated. The helium bubbles are detectable only at the anneal above 550 0 C in both annealed and cold worked samples. The cold work does not cause any extra coarsening trend of bubbles. The observed types of bubble distribution in the grain interior are divided into two categories, irrespective of helium concentration and cold work; (1) the fine and uniform bubble distribution, in which case the average size is limited to about 200 A or less in diameter even at the anneal just below the melting point, and (2) the coarsened and non-uniform bubble distribution ranging 500 to 4000 A in diameter. The intermediate size bubbles are scarcely found in any cases. In the above fine bubble distribution, the increase of helium concentration by a factor of two increases the density by the same factor of two, but does not change the mean size of bubbles. Corresponding to the above two characteristic bubble distributions, it is concluded that two different mechanisms are operative in this experiment; (1) the growth of bubbles by the Brownian motion, in which the growth rate of bubbles is decreased to almost zero by bubble faceting and this results in the bubble size constancy during the prolonged annealing, and (2) the growth of bubbles by the grain boundary sweep-out mechanism, by which the abrupt coarsening of bubbles is caused. The lack of existence of the intermediate size bubbles is explained in this way. (auth.)

  7. Creep properties of heat-resistant superalloys for nuclear plants in helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimizu, Shigeki; Satoh, Keisuke; Matsuda, Shozo; Murase, Hirokazu; Fujioka, Junzo.

    1979-01-01

    In order to estimate the creep and rupture strengths of candidate alloys for the intermediate heat exchanger of VHTR, creep and stress rupture tests in impure helium were conducted on Hastelloy X, Inconel 617, Inconel 625, Incoloy 800 and Incoloy 807 at 900 0 C. The results were discussed in comparison with those in air and the alloys were examined from the point of view of the elevated temperature structural design. The main results obtained are summarized as follows: (1) No appreciable decrease in creep and rupture strengths in helium as compared with those in air is observed on Hastelloy X and Inconel 625. On the contrary, the creep and rupture strengths of Inconel 617 in helium decrease slightly as compared with those in air. In the case of Incoloy 807, the creep strength to cause 1 percent total strain and that to initiate secondary creep increase remarkably in helium as compared with those in air. However, the creep strength to cause initiation of tertiary creep and the rupture strength in helium remarkably decrease as compared with those in air. (2) The order of magnitude of the S 0 value for each material in helium is as follows; Hastelloy X > Inconel 617 > Incoloy 807 > Inconel 625 > Incoloy 800 Meanwhile, that of the S sub(t) value in helium is; Inconel 617 > Hastelloy X > Incoloy 807 > Inconel 625 > Incoloy 800. (author)

  8. Effects of displacement damage and helium production rates on the nucleation and growth of helium bubbles - Positron annihilation spectroscopy aspects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krsjak, Vladimir; Degmova, Jarmila; Sojak, Stanislav; Slugen, Vladimir

    2018-02-01

    Fe-12 wt% Cr model alloy samples were implanted by 250 keV He2+ ions to three different fluencies (3 × 1017, 9 × 1017 and 1.5 × 1018 cm-2) at T steel samples [1] irradiated in the frame of a two-years irradiation program of the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source. Bi-modal defect distribution represented by two defect components in positron lifetime spectrum reveals two distinct helium bubbles growth mechanisms. While at the lower helium production rate of the spallation environment, the bubbles grow primarily by migration and coalescence, at the high production rates of helium in the implanted samples, the results indicate this growth is driven by Ostwald ripening mechanism. A competitive growth process via emission of interstitial atoms (clusters) is discussed in terms of low-temperature He implantations.

  9. Experiments for post accident hydrogen dispersion in F.M. vault using helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bajaj, S.S.; Bhattacharyya, D.; Mishra, S.

    1994-01-01

    Under certain postulated accident scenarios involving a Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) simultaneous with impairment of Emergency Core Cooling (ECC), generation of hydrogen due to reaction between the zirconium clad and coolant is predicted in the coolant channel. The hydrogen generated in the coolant channels would eventually get released either in Fuelling Machine (FM) vault or in the pump room atmosphere depending on the location of the break. Analytical studies carried out so far to estimate the time dependent hydrogen concentration in the accident FM Vault consider the entire vault as a single volume. Tests were, therefore, planned to assess the mixing within the FM vault atmosphere with and without the availability of cooling fan units by releasing a known quantity of helium (instead of hydrogen) at selected locations and monitoring the relative concentration of helium in air at various locations. Test was conducted by releasing about 360 1 helium over a period of to 4 minutes at preselected locations and by measuring the relative concentration (leak rates indicated by helium leak detectors) at various locations in the FM vault. The results of cases with fans operating indicate repeatable and consistent trends of good mixing in the vault. For other cases (non turbulent, still condition) the results are sensitive to various factors including orientation of release. The former set of cases (turbulent. fans operating) are more relevant for postulated accident conditions. (author). 1 tab., 18 figs

  10. Helium crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lipson, S.G.

    1987-01-01

    Hexagonal close-packed helium crystals in equilibrium with superfluid have been found to be one of the few systems in which an anisotropic solid comes into true thermodynamic equilibrium with its melt. The discovery of roughening transitions at the liquid-solid interface have shown this system to be ideal for the study of the statistical mechanics of interface structures. We describe the effect of roughening on the shape and growth of macroscopic crystals from both the theoretical and experimental points of view. (author)

  11. Method and apparatus for replenishing the helium bath in the rotor of a superconducting generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hofmann, A.; Schnapper, C.

    1980-01-01

    In order to replenish a helium bath in the super-conducting rotor of an electrical machine, in which bath liquid helium boils at subatmospheric pressure, with liquid helium from a helium reservoir, the liquid helium in the reservoir being at ambient pressure and a part of the liquid helium changing to the vapor phase during flow from the reservoir to the bath, liquid helium is introduced into the bath at a distance from the rotor axis of rotation, the liquid and vapor phases of the helium flowing from the reservoir to the bath are separated from one another in a phase separator fixed to the rotor, and the separated vapor phase is extracted from the separator. (MM) [de

  12. Skin blood flow from gas transport: helium xenon and laser Doppler compared

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neufeld, G.R.; Galante, S.R.; Whang, J.M.; DeVries, D.; Baumgardner, J.E.; Graves, D.J.; Quinn, J.A.

    1988-03-01

    A study was designed to compare three independent measures of cutaneous blood flow in normal healthy volunteers: xenon-133 washout, helium flux, and laser velocimetry. All measurements were confined to the volar aspect of the forearm. In a large group of subjects we found that helium flux through intact skin changes nonlinearly with the controlled local skin temperature whereas helium flux through stripped skin, which is directly proportional to skin blood flow, changes linearly with cutaneous temperature over the range 33 degrees to 42 degrees. In a second group of six volunteers we compared helium flux through stripped skin to xenon-133 washout (intact skin) at a skin temperature of 33 degrees, and we found an essentially linear relationship between helium flux and xenon measured blood flow. In a third group of subjects we compared helium flux blood flow (stripped skin) to laser doppler velocimetric (LDV) measurements (intact skin) at adjacent skin sites and found a nonlinear increase in the LDV skin blood flow compared to that determined by helium over the same temperature range. A possible explanation for the nonlinear increases of helium flux through intact skin and of LDV output with increasing local skin temperature is that they reflect more than a change in blood flow. They may also reflect physical changes in the stratum corneum, which alters its diffusional resistance to gas flux and its optical characteristics.

  13. Skin blood flow from gas transport: helium xenon and laser Doppler compared

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neufeld, G.R.; Galante, S.R.; Whang, J.M.; DeVries, D.; Baumgardner, J.E.; Graves, D.J.; Quinn, J.A.

    1988-01-01

    A study was designed to compare three independent measures of cutaneous blood flow in normal healthy volunteers: xenon-133 washout, helium flux, and laser velocimetry. All measurements were confined to the volar aspect of the forearm. In a large group of subjects we found that helium flux through intact skin changes nonlinearly with the controlled local skin temperature whereas helium flux through stripped skin, which is directly proportional to skin blood flow, changes linearly with cutaneous temperature over the range 33 degrees to 42 degrees. In a second group of six volunteers we compared helium flux through stripped skin to xenon-133 washout (intact skin) at a skin temperature of 33 degrees, and we found an essentially linear relationship between helium flux and xenon measured blood flow. In a third group of subjects we compared helium flux blood flow (stripped skin) to laser doppler velocimetric (LDV) measurements (intact skin) at adjacent skin sites and found a nonlinear increase in the LDV skin blood flow compared to that determined by helium over the same temperature range. A possible explanation for the nonlinear increases of helium flux through intact skin and of LDV output with increasing local skin temperature is that they reflect more than a change in blood flow. They may also reflect physical changes in the stratum corneum, which alters its diffusional resistance to gas flux and its optical characteristics

  14. Creep and fatigue properties of Incoloy 800H in a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) helium environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chow, J.G.Y.; Soo, P.; Epel, L.

    1978-01-01

    A mechanical test program to assess the effects of a simulated HTGR helium environment on the fatigue and creep properties of Incoloy 800H and other primary-circuit metals is described. The emphasis and the objectives of this work are directed toward obtaining information to assess the integrity and safety of an HTGR throughout its service life. The helium test environment selected for study contained 40 μ atm H 2 O, 200 μ atm H 2 , 40 μ atm CO, 10 μ atm CO 2 , and 20 μ atm CH 4 . It is believed that this ''wet'' environment simulates that which could exist in a steam-cycle HTGR containing some leaking steam-generator tubes. A recirculating helium loop operating at about 4 psi in which impurities can be maintained at a constant level, has been constructed to supply the desired environment for fatigue and creep testing

  15. Dissolved helium and TDS in groundwater from Bhavnagar in Gujarat

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

    2003-01-02

    Jan 2, 2003 ... by enhanced pumping of old groundwater with relatively higher concentration of dissolved helium and salt .... solubility changes due to these (Weiss 1971) can- ... aquifers and relatively low helium concentra- .... permeability.

  16. Performance of the Helium Circulation System on a Commercialized MEG

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takeda, T; Miyazaki, T; Okamoto, M; Katagiri, K

    2012-01-01

    We report the performance of a helium circulation system (HCS) mounted on a MEG (Magnetoencephalography) at Nagoya University, Japan. This instrument is the first commercialized version of an HCS. The HCS collects warm helium gas at approximately 300 K and then cools it to approximately 40 K. The gas is returned to the neck tube of a Dewar of the MEG to keep it cold. It also collects helium gas in the region just above the liquid helium surface while it is still cold, re-liquefies the gas and returns it to the Dewar. A special transfer tube (TT) of approximately 3 m length was developed to allow for dual helium streams. This tube separates the HCS using a MEG to reduce magnetic noise. A refiner was incorporated to effectively collect contaminating gases by freezing them. The refiner was equipped with an electric heater to remove the frozen contaminants as gases into the air. A gas flow controller was also developed, which automatically controlled the heater and electric valves to clean up contamination. The developed TT exhibited a very low heat inflow of less than 0.1 W/m to the liquid helium, ensuring efficient operation. The insert tube diameter, which was 1.5 in. was reduced to a standard 0.5 in. size. This dimensional change enabled the HCS to mount onto any commercialized MEG without any modifications to the MEG. The HCS can increase liquid helium in the Dewar by at least 3 liters/Day using two GM cryocoolers (SRDK-415D, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.). The noise levels were virtually the same as before this installation.

  17. Numerical Study on the Helium Flow Characteristics for Steam Generator Subsystem of HTR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ha, Jung Hoon; Ham, Jin Ki; Ki, Min-Hwan; Lee, Won Jae

    2014-01-01

    The High Temperature Reactor (HTR), one of the 4th generation reactors, utilizes helium as the primary coolant. A Steam Generator Subsystem (SGS) is installed to transfer heat from the primary coolant to feed water and subsequently produce steam so that it supplies electricity as well as process heat over a wide range. The SGS is composed of a helical heat exchanger, shrouds directing the flow of the shell side helium and support systems, which are located within the steam generator vessel. In this study, helium flow characteristics in the SGS were investigated at various operating conditions using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). A full-scale 3-D model of the SGS was developed and the reynolds stress model with standard wall treatment was used as a turbulence model. The CFD result was compared to that of the concept design of the steam cycle modular helium reactor for the design verification of the SGS. From the CFD analysis, it was found that the primary coolant flow had non-uniform distribution while it passed the inlet in the helical heat exchanger. In order to make the uniform primary coolant flow uniform, a special type of screen was suggested in front of the helical heat exchanger. As a result, the overall design adequacy of the SGS has been evaluated. (author)

  18. CERN Technical Training 2002: Learning for the LHC! HEREF-2002 : HELIUM REFRIGERATION TECHNIQUES

    CERN Multimedia

    Davide Vitè

    2002-01-01

    Theory, Technology, Maintenance and Control of Helium Refrigerators HeREF-2002 is a new course, in the framework of the 2002 Technical Training Programme, that will provide a complete introduction to Helium refrigeration, with a practical approach to theory, technology, maintenance and control of Helium refrigeration installations. Theoretical aspects and equations will be limited to a minimum. HeREF-2002 targets an audience of technicians and operators of Helium refrigeration plants at CERN, as well as physicists and engineers needing an overview of current Helium refrigeration techniques. HeREF-2002 will address, among other, issues related to component technology, installation maintenance, process control and Helium purity. A commented visit to a couple of CERN Helium refrigeration or liquefaction plants will also take place. Duration: 7 half days (5 mornings and 2 afternoons), 21-25 October, 2002. Estimated cost: 300.- CHF Language: Bilingual English-French. The course support will be in English, the ...

  19. A comparison of hydrogen vs. helium glow discharge effects on fusion device first-wall conditioning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dylla, H.F.

    1989-09-01

    Hydrogen- and deuterium-fueled glow discharges are used for the initial conditioning of magnetic fusion device vacuum vessels following evacuation from atmospheric pressure. Hydrogenic glow discharge conditioning (GDC) significantly reduces the near-surface concentration of simple adsorbates, such as H 2 O, CO, and CH 4 , and lowers ion-induced desorption coefficients by typically three orders of magnitude. The time evolution of the residual gas production observed during hydrogen-glow discharge conditioning of the carbon first-wall structure of the TFTR device is similar to the time evolution observed during hydrogen GDC of the initial first-wall configuration in TFTR, which was primarily stainless steel. Recently, helium GDC has been investigated for several wall-conditioning tasks on a number of tokamaks including TFTR. Helium GDC shows negligible impurity removal with stainless steel walls. For impurity conditioning with carbon walls, helium GDC shows significant desorption of H 2 O, CO, and CO 2 ; however, the total desorption yield is limited to the monolayer range. In addition, helium GDC can be used to displace hydrogen isotopes from the near-surface region of carbon first-walls in order to lower hydrogenic retention and recycling. 38 refs., 6 figs

  20. The compressibility and the capacitance coefficient of helium-oxygen atmospheres.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imbert, G; Dejours, P; Hildwein, G

    1982-12-01

    The capacitance coefficient beta of an ideal gas mixture depends only on its temperature T, and its value is derived from the ideal gas law (i.e., beta = 1/RT, R being the ideal gas constant). But real gases behave as ideal gases only at low pressures, and this would not be the case in deep diving. High pressures of helium-oxygen are used in human and animal experimental dives (up to 7 or 12 MPa or more, respectively). At such pressures deviations from the ideal gas law cannot be neglected in hyperbaric atmospheres with respect to current accuracy of measuring instruments. As shown both theoretically and experimentally by this study, the non-ideal nature of helium-oxygen has a significant effect on the capacitance coefficient of hyperbaric atmospheres. The theoretical study is based on interaction energy in either homogeneous (He-He and O2-O2) or heterogeneous (He-O2) molecular pairs, and on the virial equation of state for gas mixtures. The experimental study is based on weight determination of samples of known volume of binary helium-oxygen mixtures, which are prepared in well-controlled pressure and temperature conditions. Our experimental results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions. 1) The helium compressibility factor ZHe increases linearly with pressure [ZHe = 1 + 0.0045 P (in MPa) at 30 degrees C]; and 2) in same temperature and pressure conditions (T = 303 K and P = 0.1 to 15 MPa), the same value for Z is valid for a helium-oxygen binary mixture and for pure helium. As derived from the equation of state of real gases, the capacitance coefficient is inversely related to Z (beta = 1/ZRT); therefore, for helium-oxygen mixtures, this coefficient would decrease with increasing pressure. A table is given for theoretical values of helium-oxygen capacitance coefficient, at pressures ranging from 0.1 to 15.0 MPa and at temperatures ranging from 25 degrees C to 37 degrees C.

  1. Development Status of the Helium Circulator for the HCS of HCCR-TBS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Eo Hwak; Jin, Hyung Gon; Yoon, Jae Sung; Kim, Suk Kwon; Lee, Dong Won; Lee, Si Woo; Cho, Seung Yon

    2016-01-01

    The calculated eddy current loss on the stainless steel sealing cap of the magnetic coupling device is very high. To solve the eddy current loss problem of the sealing cap, a glass fiber composite, non-conductive and high strength material, is adapted as a material of the sealing cap. The HCCR TBM will be cooled down by HCS (Helium Cooling System), supply high pressure (8 MPa) and temperature (300 .deg. C) helium coolant with 1.15 kg/s of mass flow for nominal operation. The real-scale helium circulator, which is main component of the HCS, has been developed since 2014. In present study, design and manufacture progress of the helium circulator and its verification test plan are described. The real-scale circulator has been developed to provide high temperature and pressure of helium flow as a coolant of the HCCR TBM. To prevent helium leakage, magnetic coupling design was adapted between the shaft and the impeller

  2. Creep properties of superalloys for the HTGR in impure helium environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawakami, H.; Nakanishi, T.

    1981-01-01

    This paper describes creep behaviors of two heat resistant alloys, Hastelloy X and Incoloy 800, in helium environments of the HTGR. In impure helium environments, these alloys are susceptible to carburization and oxidization. We have investigated these effects separately, and related them to the creep behaviors of the alloys. Experiments were carried out at 900 0 C both in helium and in air. Carburization results in decrease of secondary creep strain rate and delay of tertiary creep initiation. Oxidization caused decrease in tertiary creep strain rate of Hastelloy X, but did not that of Incoloy 800. Enhancement in tertiary creep strain rate of Hastelloy X in a very weakly oxidizing environment was confirmed in creep crack growth experiment using notched plate specimens. The rupture time of Hastelloy X in helium was short when compared with in air. Stress versus rupture time curves for both environments were parallel up to 5000 hours test, and a ratio of rupture stress in helium to that in air was about 0.9. In case of Incoloy 800, rupture time in helium was markedly prolonged as compared with that in air. (orig.)

  3. Soil-gas radon/helium surveys in some neotectonic areas of NW Himalayan foothills, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Mahajan

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The present research is aimed at accessing the relationship between variation in the soil gases radon (222Rn and helium (4He and recently developed fissures and other neotectonic features in Nurpur and Nadha areas of the NW Himalayas, India. Two soil-gas surveys were conducted on/near known faults to reconfirm their position using soil gas technique and to check their present activity. During these surveys, soil-gas samples were collected along traverses crossing the observed structures. The data analysis reveals that the concentrations of radon and helium along the Dehar lineament and the longitudinal profile (Profile D are very high compared to any other thrust/lineament of the Nurpur area. The Nadha area shows high values of radon and helium concentrations along/near the Himalayan Frontal Fault (HFF as compared to the adjoining areas. This indicates the presence of some buried fault/fault zone running parallel to the HFF, not exposed to the surface and not delineated by satellite data but is geochemically active and might be tectonically active too. Hence, soil helium and radon gas patterns have been combined with morphological and geological observations to supply useful constraints for deformation of tectonic environments.

  4. Determination of low levels of krypton in helium by gas chromatography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Evans, D.L.; Mukherji, A.K.

    1980-01-01

    Krypton-helium mixture was used as an adsorbate for surface area measurement--. The surface area measurements depend on the accuracy with which the krypton concentration is known. Generally gas tanks supplied by Union Carbide provide a nominal value of 0.1% krypton in helium. The surface area measurements require, however, that the krypton concentraion be known to +- 0.001% or better. A standard plot of krypton volume in microliters vs the area under the curve as measured by a planimeter using the helium detector and Molecular Sieve 5A column was obtained. Results with a thermal conductivity detector using Molecular Sieve 5A and Carbon Molecular Sieve are also given. Low levels of krypton in helium can be measured with precision using either a helium or a thermal conductivity detector with Molecular Sieve 5A or Carbon Molecular Sieve columns. 2 figures, 1 table

  5. Real-Gas Correction Factors for Hypersonic Flow Parameters in Helium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erickson, Wayne D.

    1960-01-01

    The real-gas hypersonic flow parameters for helium have been calculated for stagnation temperatures from 0 F to 600 F and stagnation pressures up to 6,000 pounds per square inch absolute. The results of these calculations are presented in the form of simple correction factors which must be applied to the tabulated ideal-gas parameters. It has been shown that the deviations from the ideal-gas law which exist at high pressures may cause a corresponding significant error in the hypersonic flow parameters when calculated as an ideal gas. For example the ratio of the free-stream static to stagnation pressure as calculated from the thermodynamic properties of helium for a stagnation temperature of 80 F and pressure of 4,000 pounds per square inch absolute was found to be approximately 13 percent greater than that determined from the ideal-gas tabulation with a specific heat ratio of 5/3.

  6. Study and simulation of the behaviour under irradiation of helium in uranium dioxide; Etude et modelisation du comportement sous irradiation de l'helium dans le dioxyde d'uranium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martin, G

    2007-06-15

    Large quantities of helium are produced from {alpha}-decay of actinides in nuclear fuels during its in-pile operating and its storage. It is important to understand the behaviour of helium in these matrix in order to well simulate the evolution and the resistance of the fuel element. During this thesis, we have used nuclear reaction analyses (NRA) to follow the evolution of the helium implanted in polycrystalline and monocrystalline uranium dioxide (UO{sub 2}). An experimental rig was developed to follow the on-line helium release in UO{sub 2} and the evolution of {sup 3}He profiles as a function of annealing temperature. An automated procedure taking into account the evolution of the depth resolution was developed. Analyses performed with a nuclear microprobe allowed to characterise the spatial distribution of helium at the grain scale and to study the influence of the sample microstructure on the helium migration. This work put into evidence the particular role of grain boundaries and irradiation defects in the helium release process. The analyse of experimental results with a diffusion model corroborates these interpretations. It allowed to determine quantitatively physical properties that characterise the helium behaviour in uranium dioxide (diffusion coefficient, activation energy..). (author)

  7. The 1/3-scale aerodynamics performance test of helium compressor for GTHTR300 turbo machine of JAERI (step 1)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takada, Shoji; Takizuka, Takakazu; Kunitomi, Kazuhiko; Xing, Yan

    2003-01-01

    A program for research and development on aerodynamics in a helium gas compressor was planned for the power conversion system of the Gas Turbine High Temperature Reactor (GTHTR300). The three-dimensional aerodynamic design of the compressor achieved a high polytropic efficiency of 90%, keeping a sufficient surge margin over 30%. To validate the design of the helium gas compressor of GTHTR300, aerodynamic performance tests were planned, and a 1/3-scale, 4-stage compressor model was designed. In the tests, the performance data of the helium gas compressor model will be acquired by using helium gas as a working fluid. The maximum design pressure at the model inlet is 0.88 MPa, which allows the Reynolds number to be sufficiently high. The present study is entrusted from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan. (author)

  8. Evaluation of US demo helium-cooled blanket options

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, C.P.C.; McQuillan, B.W.; Schleicher, R.W.

    1995-10-01

    A He-V-Li blanket design was developed as a candidate for the U.S. fusion demonstration power plant. This paper presents an 18 MPa helium-cooled, lithium breeder, V-alloy design that can be coupled to the Brayton cycle with a gross efficiency of 46%. The critical issue of designing to high gas pressure and the compatibility between helium impurities and V-alloy are addressed

  9. Modular helium reactor for non-electric applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shenoy, A.

    1997-01-01

    The high temperature gas-cooled Modular Helium Reactor (MHR) is an advanced, high efficiency reactor system which can play a vital role in meeting the future energy needs of the world by contributing not only to the generation of electric power, but also the non-electric energy traditionally served by fossil fuels. This paper summarizes work done over 20 years, by several people at General Atomics, how the Modular Helium Reactor can be integrated to provide different non-electric applications during Process Steam/Cogeneration for industrial application, Process Heat for transportation fuel development and Hydrogen Production for various energy applications. The MHR integrates favorably into present petrochemical and primary metal process industries, heavy oil recovery, and future shale oil recovery and synfuel processes. The technical fit of the Process Steam/Cogeneration Modular Helium Reactor (PS/C-MHR) into these processes is excellent, since it can supply the required quantity and high quality of steam without fossil superheating. 12 refs, 25 figs, 2 tabs

  10. High temperature embrittlement of metals by helium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schroeder, H.

    1983-01-01

    The present knowledge of the influence of helium on the high temperature mechanical properties of metals to be used as structural materials in fast fission and in future fusion reactors is reviewed. A wealth of experimental data has been obtained by many different experimental techniques, on many different alloys, and on different properties. This review is mostly concentrated on the behaviour of austenitic alloys -especially austenitic stainless steels, for which the data base is by far the largest - and gives only a few examples of special bcc alloys. The effect of the helium embrittlement on the different properties - tensile, fatigue and, with special emphasis, creep - is demonstrated by representative results. A comparison between data obtained from in-pile (-beam) experiments and from post-irradiation (-implantation) experiments, respectively, is presented. Theoretical models to describe the observed phenomena are briefly outlined and some suggestions are made for future work to resolve uncertainties and differences between our experimental knowledge and theoretical understanding of high temperature helium embrittlement. (author)

  11. Helium refrigeration system for hydrogen liquefaction applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nair, J. Kumar, Sr.; Menon, RS; Goyal, M.; Ansari, NA; Chakravarty, A.; Joemon, V.

    2017-02-01

    Liquid hydrogen around 20 K is used as cold moderator for generating “cold neutron beam” in nuclear research reactors. A cryogenic helium refrigeration system is the core upon which such hydrogen liquefaction applications are built. A thermodynamic process based on reversed Brayton cycle with two stage expansion using high speed cryogenic turboexpanders (TEX) along with a pair of compact high effectiveness process heat exchangers (HX), is well suited for such applications. An existing helium refrigeration system, which had earlier demonstrated a refrigeration capacity of 470 W at around 20 K, is modified based on past operational experiences and newer application requirements. Modifications include addition of a new heat exchanger to simulate cryogenic process load and two other heat exchangers for controlling the temperatures of helium streams leading out to the application system. To incorporate these changes, cryogenic piping inside the cold box is suitably modified. This paper presents process simulation, sizing of new heat exchangers as well as fabrication aspects of the modified cryogenic process piping.

  12. Effects of adiabatic, relativistic, and quantum electrodynamics interactions on the pair potential and thermophysical properties of helium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cencek, Wojciech; Przybytek, Michał; Komasa, Jacek; Mehl, James B; Jeziorski, Bogumił; Szalewicz, Krzysztof

    2012-06-14

    The adiabatic, relativistic, and quantum electrodynamics (QED) contributions to the pair potential of helium were computed, fitted separately, and applied, together with the nonrelativistic Born-Oppenheimer (BO) potential, in calculations of thermophysical properties of helium and of the properties of the helium dimer. An analysis of the convergence patterns of the calculations with increasing basis set sizes allowed us to estimate the uncertainties of the total interaction energy to be below 50 ppm for interatomic separations R smaller than 4 bohrs and for the distance R = 5.6 bohrs. For other separations, the relative uncertainties are up to an order of magnitude larger (and obviously still larger near R = 4.8 bohrs where the potential crosses zero) and are dominated by the uncertainties of the nonrelativistic BO component. These estimates also include the contributions from the neglected relativistic and QED terms proportional to the fourth and higher powers of the fine-structure constant α. To obtain such high accuracy, it was necessary to employ explicitly correlated Gaussian expansions containing up to 2400 terms for smaller R (all R in the case of a QED component) and optimized orbital bases up to the cardinal number X = 7 for larger R. Near-exact asymptotic constants were used to describe the large-R behavior of all components. The fitted potential, exhibiting the minimum of -10.996 ± 0.004 K at R = 5.608 0 ± 0.000 1 bohr, was used to determine properties of the very weakly bound (4)He(2) dimer and thermophysical properties of gaseous helium. It is shown that the Casimir-Polder retardation effect, increasing the dimer size by about 2 Å relative to the nonrelativistic BO value, is almost completely accounted for by the inclusion of the Breit-interaction and the Araki-Sucher contributions to the potential, of the order α(2) and α(3), respectively. The remaining retardation effect, of the order of α(4) and higher, is practically negligible for the bound

  13. Molecular dynamics and density functional simulations of tungsten nanostructure formation by helium plasma irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, A.M.; Takayama, A.; Oda, Y.

    2014-10-01

    For the purposes of long-term use of tungsten diverter walls, it is necessary to suppress the surface deterioration due to the helium ash which induces the formations of helium bubbles and tungsten fuzzy nanostructures. In the present paper, the formation mechanisms of helium bubbles and tungsten fuzzy nanostructures were explained by the four-step process which is composed of the penetration process, the diffusion and agglomeration process, the helium bubble growth process and the tungsten fuzzy nanostructure formation process. The first to third step processes of the four-step process were investigated by using binary collision approximation, density functional theory and molecular dynamics, respectively. Furthermore, newly developed molecular dynamics and Monte-Carlo hybrid simulation has successfully reproduced the early formation process of tungsten fuzzy nanostructure. From these simulations, we here suggest the following key mechanisms of the formations of helium bubbles and tungsten fuzzy nanostructures: (1) By comparison between helium, neon, argon and hydrogen, the noble gas atoms can agglomerate limitlessly not only at a vacancy but also at an interstitial site. In particular, at the low incident energy, only helium atoms bring about the nucleation for helium bubble. (2) In the helium bubble growth process, the strain of the tungsten material around a helium atom is released as a dislocation loop, which is regarded as the loop punching phenomenon. (3) In the tungsten nanostructure formation process, the bursting of a helium bubble forms cavity and convexity in the surface. The helium bubbles tend to be grown and to burst at the cavity region, and then the difference of height between the cavity and convexity on the surface are enhanced. Consequently, the tungsten fuzzy nanostructure is formed. (author)

  14. Defects in TiN and HfN studied by helium thermal desorption spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoondert, W.H.B.; Thijsse, B.J.; Beuckel, A. van den

    1994-01-01

    Point defects in sub-stoichiometric TiN 1-x and HfN 1-x were investigated by helium thermal desorption spectrometry (300-1800K) following He + ion implantation at energies up to 3000eV. It was found that the low energy spectra are dominated by helium dissociating from the structural vacancies on the nitrogen sublattice; the activation energy for dissociation is 2.2eV for TiN. Above a few hundred electron volts the ions begin to produce several other types of defects, from which helium dissociates with activation energies in the range 2.6-4.0eV. The identity of these defects is discussed. The results for the two nitrides were similar in many respects. The most significant difference observed is that in TiN low energy He + ions generate damage on the N sublattice of a type that is not observed for HfN. Activation energies for HfN are found to be consistently 0.7eV lower than for TiN. ((orig.))

  15. Controlled Cold Helium Spill Test in the LHC Tunnel at CERN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koettig, T.; Casas-Cubillos, J.; Chorowski, M.; Dufay-Chanat, L.; Grabowski, M.; Jedrusyna, A.; Lindell, G.; Nonis, M.; Vauthier, N.; van Weelderen, R.; Winkler, T.; Bremer, J.

    The helium cooled magnets of the LHC particle accelerator are installed in a confined space, formed by a 27 km circumference 3.8 m diameter underground tunnel. The vacuum enclosures of the superconducting LHC magnets are protected by a lift plate against excessive overpressure created by eventual leaks from the magnet helium bath, or from the helium supply headers. A three-meter long no stay zone has been defined centered to these plates, based on earlier scale model studies, to protect the personnel against the consequences of an eventual opening of such a lift plate. More recently several simulation studies have been carried out modelling the propagation of the resulting helium/air mixture along the tunnel in case of such a cold helium release at a rate in the range of 1 kg/s. To validate the different scale models and simulation studies, real life mock-up tests have been performed in the LHC, releasing about 1000 liter of liquid helium under standard operational tunnel conditions. Data recorded during these tests include oxygen level, temperature and flow speed as well as video recordings, taken up- and downstream of the spill point (-100 m to +200 m) with respect to the ventilation direction in the LHC tunnel. The experimental set-up and measurement results are presented. Generic effects found during the tests will be discussed to allow the transposal to possible cold helium release cases in similar facilities.

  16. Recent run-time experience and investigation of impurities in turbines circuit of Helium plant of SST-1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panchal, P.; Panchal, R.; Patel, R.

    2013-01-01

    One of the key sub-systems of Steady State superconducting Tokamak (SST-1) is cryogenic 1.3 kW at 4.5 K Helium refrigerator/liquefier system. The helium plant consists of 3 nos. of screw compressors, oil removal system, purifier and cold-box with 3 turbo expanders (turbines) and helium cold circulator. During the recent SST-1 plasma campaigns, we observed high pressure drop of the order of 3 bar between the wheel outlet of turbine A and the wheel inlet of turbine - B. This was significant higher values of pressures drop across turbines, which reduced the speed of turbine A and B and in turn reduced the overall plant capacity. The helium circuits in the plant have 10-micron filter at the mouth of turbine - B. Initially, major suspects of such high blockage are assumed to be air-impurity, dust particles or collapse of filter. Several breaks in plant operation have been taken to warm up the turbines circuits up to 90 K to remove condensation of air-impurities at filter. Still this exercise did not solve blockage of filter in turbine circuits. A detailed investigation exercise with air/water regeneration and rinsing of cold box as well as purification of helium gas in buffer tanks are carried out to remove air impurities from cold-box. A trial run of cold box was executed in liquefier mode with turbines up to cryogenic temperatures and solved blockage in turbine circuits. The paper describes run-time experience of helium plant with helium impurity in turbine circuits, methods to remove impurity, demonstration of turbine performance and lessons learnt during this operation. (author)

  17. European standardization activities on safety of liquid helium cryostats

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2016-01-01

    This talk gives a general overview on the challenges of designing safety units for liquid helium cryostats with regard to existing industry standards. It reviews the work of a national working group that published the technical guideline DIN SPEC 4683 in April 2015, which is dedicated to the particular conditions in liquid helium cryostats. Based on both this guideline and equivalent documents from e.g. CEA, CERN, a working group is being formed at the European Committee for Standardization, associated to CEN/TC 268, which will work on a European standard on safety of liquid helium cryostats. The actual status and the schedule of this project are presented.

  18. New helium sniffing device for locating very fine leaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murakami, Y.; Shimomura, Y.; Abe, T.; Obara, K.

    1984-01-01

    A new helium sniffing method for leak checking large vacuum vessels is described. The low sensitivity problem of the conventional helium sniffing method has been overcome by increasing the gas draw rate from around leaks into the detector up to about 0.1 Pa m 3 /s. The devised system consists of a flexible stainless steel capillary tube 0.6 mm i.d. and 10 m long, a sorption pump using molecular sieve, and a helium leak detector in series. This method is particularly useful for locating very fine leaks down to 10 -11 Pa m 3 /s. Relevant theoretical considerations and experimental results are presented

  19. Precision, high dose radiotherapy: helium ion treatment of uveal melanoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saunders, W.M.; Char, D.H.; Quivey, J.M.; Castro, J.R.; Chen, G.T.Y.; Collier, J.M.; Cartigny, A.; Blakely, E.A.; Lyman, J.T.; Zink, S.R.

    1985-02-01

    The authors report on 75 patients with uveal melanoma who were treated by placing the Bragg peak of a helium ion beam over the tumor volume. The technique localizes the high dose region very tightly around the tumor volume. This allows critical structures, such as the optic disc and the macula, to be excluded from the high dose region as long as they are 3 to 4 mm away from the edge of the tumor. Careful attention to tumor localization, treatment planning, patient immobilization and treatment verification is required. With a mean follow-up of 22 months (3 to 60 months) the authors have had only five patients with a local recurrence, all of whom were salvaged with another treatment. Pretreatment visual acuity has generally been preserved as long as the tumor edge is at least 4 mm away from the macula and optic disc. The only serious complication to date has been an 18% incidence of neovascular glaucoma in the patients treated at our highest dose level. Clinical results and details of the technique are presented to illustrate potential clinical precision in administering high dose radiotherapy with charged particles such as helium ions or protons.

  20. Precision, high dose radiotherapy: helium ion treatment of uveal melanoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saunders, W.M.; Char, D.H.; Quivey, J.M.

    1985-01-01

    The authors report on 75 patients with uveal melanoma who were treated by placing the Bragg peak of a helium ion beam over the tumor volume. The technique localizes the high dose region very tightly around the tumor volume. This allows critical structures, such as the optic disc and the macula, to be excluded from the high dose region as long as they are 3 to 4 mm away from the edge of the tumor. Careful attention to tumor localization, treatment planning, patient immobilization and treatment verification is required. With a mean follow-up of 22 months (3 to 60 months) the authors have had only five patients with a local recurrence, all of whom were salvaged with another treatment. Pretreatment visual acuity has generally been preserved as long as the tumor edge is at least 4 mm away from the macula and optic disc. The only serious complication to date has been an 18% incidence of neovascular glaucoma in the patients treated at our highest dose level. Clinical results and details of the technique are presented to illustrate potential clinical precision in administering high dose radiotherapy with charged particles such as helium ions or protons