Lithium niobate ultrasonic transducer design for Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhenjun; Xu, Yuanming; Gu, Yuting

2015-11-01

Due to the strong piezoelectric effect possessed by lithium niobate, a new idea that uses lithium niobate to design high-power ultrasonic transducer for Enhanced Oil Recovery technology is proposed. The purpose of this paper is to lay the foundation for the further research and development of high-power ultrasonic oil production technique. The main contents of this paper are as follows: firstly, structure design technique and application of a new high-power ultrasonic transducer are introduced; secondly, the experiment for reducing the viscosity of super heavy oil by this transducer is done, the optimum ultrasonic parameters for reducing the viscosity of super heavy oil are given. Experimental results show that heavy large molecules in super heavy oil can be cracked into light hydrocarbon substances under strong cavitation effect caused by high-intensity ultrasonic wave. Experiment proves that it is indeed feasible to design high-power ultrasonic transducer for ultrasonic oil production technology using lithium niobate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High quantum yield ZnO quantum dots synthesizing via an ultrasonication microreactor method.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Weimin; Yang, Huafang; Ding, Wenhao; Zhang, Bing; Zhang, Le; Wang, Lixi; Yu, Mingxun; Zhang, Qitu

2016-11-01

Green emission ZnO quantum dots were synthesized by an ultrasonic microreactor. Ultrasonic radiation brought bubbles through ultrasonic cavitation. These bubbles built microreactor inside the microreactor. The photoluminescence properties of ZnO quantum dots synthesized with different flow rate, ultrasonic power and temperature were discussed. Flow rate, ultrasonic power and temperature would influence the type and quantity of defects in ZnO quantum dots. The sizes of ZnO quantum dots would be controlled by those conditions as well. Flow rate affected the reaction time. With the increasing of flow rate, the sizes of ZnO quantum dots decreased and the quantum yields first increased then decreased. Ultrasonic power changed the ultrasonic cavitation intensity, which affected the reaction energy and the separation of the solution. With the increasing of ultrasonic power, sizes of ZnO quantum dots first decreased then increased, while the quantum yields kept increasing. The effect of ultrasonic temperature on the photoluminescence properties of ZnO quantum dots was influenced by the flow rate. Different flow rate related to opposite changing trend. Moreover, the quantum yields of ZnO QDs synthesized by ultrasonic microreactor could reach 64.7%, which is higher than those synthesized only under ultrasonic radiation or only by microreactor. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Non-Thermal High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound for Breast Cancer Therapy

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-01

Comet assay reveals DNA strand breaks induced by ultrasonic cavitation in vitro, Ultrasound in medicine & biology 1995; 21: 841-8. 3. Dalecki D...doxorubicin, focused ultrasound , HIFU, prostate cancer I. INTRODUCTION Pulsed high-intensity focused ultrasound (pFUS) is able to create acoustic cavitation ... ultrasound for breast cancer therapy PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Chang Ming (Charlie) Ma, Ph.D

Enhancement of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Heating by Short-Pulse Generated Cavitation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shin Yoshizawa

2017-03-01

Full Text Available A target tissue can be thermally coagulated in high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU treatment noninvasively. HIFU thermal treatments have been clinically applied to various solid tumors. One of the problems in HIFU treatments is a long treatment time. Acoustically driven microbubbles can accelerate the ultrasonic heating, resulting in the significant reduction of the treatment time. In this paper, a method named “trigger HIFU exposure” which employs cavitation microbubbles is introduced and its results are reviewed. A trigger HIFU sequence consists of high-intensity short pulses followed by moderate-intensity long bursts. Cavitation bubbles induced in a multiple focal regions by rapidly scanning the focus of high-intensity pulses enhanced the temperature increase significantly and produced a large coagulation region with high efficiency.

Ultrasonic process for destruction of chlorinated organic compounds in aqueous solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Jiann M.; Huang, Hann S.

1993-01-01

Laboratory investigations of the ultrasonic process for destruction of low concentrations of carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) into nonhazardous end products were carried out in a bench-scale batch reactor, equipped with a 600-W ultrasonic power supply. Process parameters studied included irradiation time, concentration, steady-state operating temperature, pH, and the intensity of applied ultrasonic-wave energy. High destruction efficiencies of greater than 99% were achieved through this process, and the irradiation time and the intensity of applied energy were identified to be the most important process parameters. The irradiation time required for a given degree of destruction decreased with increasing intensity of the applied ultrasonic energy. In addition, a detailed chemical reaction mechanism for the destruction of CCl 4 in water was formulated. The agreement between the model and experimental results is generally good

High-resolution ultrasonic spectroscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Buckin

2018-03-01

Full Text Available High-resolution ultrasonic spectroscopy (HR-US is an analytical technique for direct and non-destructive monitoring of molecular and micro-structural transformations in liquids and semi-solid materials. It is based on precision measurements of ultrasonic velocity and attenuation in analysed samples. The application areas of HR-US in research, product development, and quality and process control include analysis of conformational transitions of polymers, ligand binding, molecular self-assembly and aggregation, crystallisation, gelation, characterisation of phase transitions and phase diagrams, and monitoring of chemical and biochemical reactions. The technique does not require optical markers or optical transparency. The HR-US measurements can be performed in small sample volumes (down to droplet size, over broad temperature range, at ambient and elevated pressures, and in various measuring regimes such as automatic temperature ramps, titrations and measurements in flow.

Energetic balance in an ultrasonic reactor using focused or flat high frequency transducers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hallez, L; Touyeras, F; Hihn, J Y; Klima, J

2007-09-01

In order to undertake irradiation of polymer blocks or films by ultrasound, this paper deals with the measurements of ultrasonic power and its distribution within the cell by several methods. The electric power measured at the transducer input is compared to the ultrasonic power input to the cell evaluated by calorimetry and radiation force measurement for different generator settings. Results obtained in the specific case of new transducer types (composites and focused composites i.e., HIFU: high intensity focused ultrasound) provide an opportunity to conduct a discussion about measurement methods. It has thus been confirmed that these measurement techniques can be applied to HIFU transducers. For all cases, results underlined the fact that measurement of radiation pressure for power evaluation is more adapted to low powers (generator-transducer-liquid and sample.

Assessment of subjective intensity of pain during ultrasonic supragingival calculus removal: A comparative study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sachin Malagi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The background of the following study is to measure the subjective intensity of pain using the verbal rating scale (VRS during supragingival scaling in relation to mandibular anteriors, with an ultrasonic scaler, with 2 different inserts (Slimline and Focus spray- split mouth study. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 subjects with a combination of 17 males and 13 females with the chronic generalized gingivitis with a minimum calculus score of 1 (CSSI - Ennever J 1961 who reported to Department of Periodontics, Yenepoya Dental College, Mangalore were chosen for the study. Ultrasonic magnetostrictive scaler unit CAVITRON BOBCAT PRO ® - (DENTSPLY with maximum power setting at 130A and 25kHZ frequency with 2 different inserts i.e., Slim line insert and Focus spray (DENTSPLY were used for supragingival scaling in the study. A VRS was used to assess the subjective intensity of pain. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in pain perception when the scores were compared using Wilcoxon signed rank test. VRS rating scores with slimline inserts showed a pain intensity of 2 in 43.3%, 1 in 53.3% and 0 in 3.3%, whereas the focus spray insert showed a pain intensity of 1 in 23.3% and 0 in 76.7%. Statistical analysis showed a P = 0.251 and a z - 1.147 a . Conclusions: The use of both Slim line insert and Focus spray inserts when used at same settings of the scaling unit, showed no statistical significant difference in the intensity of pain perceived and it showed no correlation between patient acceptance and their pain perception.

MOSFET-based high voltage short pulse generator for ultrasonic transducer excitation

Science.gov (United States)

Hidayat, Darmawan; Setianto, Syafei, Nendi Suhendi; Wibawa, Bambang Mukti

2018-02-01

This paper presents the generation of a high-voltage short pulse for the excitation of high frequency ultrasonic transducers. This is highly required in the purpose of various ultrasonic-based evaluations, particularly when high resolution measurement is necessary. A high voltage (+760 V) DC voltage source was pulsated by an ultrafast switching MOSFET which was driven by a pulse generator circuit consisting of an astable multivibrator, a one-shot multivibrator with Schmitt trigger input and a high current MOSFET driver. The generated pulses excited a 200-kHz and a 1-MHz ultrasonic transducers and tested in the transmission mode propagation to evaluate the performances of the generated pulse. The test results showed the generator were able to produce negative spike pulses up to -760 V voltage with the shortest time-width of 107.1 nanosecond. The transmission-received ultrasonic waves show frequency oscillation at 200 and 961 kHz and their amplitudes varied with the voltage of excitation pulse. These results conclude that the developed pulse generator is applicable to excite transducer for the generation of high frequency ultrasonic waves.

Improving the performance of ultrasonic horn reactor for deactivating microorganisms in water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-juboori, R A; Yusaf, T F

2012-01-01

The research on enhancing the performance of ultrasonic reactor for the purpose of microorganisms' inactivation is still ongoing. In this work, covering the cavitation chamber bottom with a corrugated surface as a source for heterogeneous cavities has been proposed as a simple modification to improve ultrasonic deactivation for ultrasonic horn reactor. Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 was used as a model microorganism in this study. Before using the corrugated surface, the configuration of the cavitation chamber was optimized experimentally in regards to cavitation chamber diameter and the depth of ultrasonic probe tip in the suspension. The optimization of the aforementioned factors was conducted on a basis of using constant suspension volume of 50ml. The depth of the ultrasonic probe tip in the suspension was changed from 2-10mm with a step of 2mm in overall depth of the suspension of 2cm, while the diameter of the chamber was changed using five Pyrex beakers with different diameters. The study was carried out using three level of ultrasonic intensity; low (17.56), intermediate (21.49) and high (24.17) W/cm 2 . The results of the optimization showed that increasing the diameter of cavitation chamber can decrease the log reduction of E.coli significantly. However, changing the depth of ultrasound probe in the suspension within the studied range was found to have only slight effect on the log reduction of E.coli in the order of approximately 0.5-log 10 . When using the corrugated surface with optimum chamber design, the results revealed that the corrugated surface can increase the log reduction of E.coli for the applied ultrasonic intensities. This effect was more discernable with low ultrasonic intensity than intermediate and high intensities.

Industrial Applications of High Power Ultrasonics

Science.gov (United States)

Patist, Alex; Bates, Darren

Since the change of the millennium, high-power ultrasound has become an alternative food processing technology applicable to large-scale commercial applications such as emulsification, homogenization, extraction, crystallization, dewatering, low-temperature pasteurization, degassing, defoaming, activation and inactivation of enzymes, particle size reduction, extrusion, and viscosity alteration. This new focus can be attributed to significant improvements in equipment design and efficiency during the late 1990 s. Like most innovative food processing technologies, high-power ultrasonics is not an off-the-shelf technology, and thus requires careful development and scale-up for each and every application. The objective of this chapter is to present examples of ultrasonic applications that have been successful at the commercialization stage, advantages, and limitations, as well as key learnings from scaling up an innovative food technology in general.

High-temperature ultrasonic measurements applied to directly heated samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, R.I.; Taylor, R.E.

1984-01-01

High-temperature ultrasonic measurements of Young's modulus were made of graphite samples heated directly. The samples were cylindrical rods of the same geometry as that used in the multiproperty apparatus for simultaneous/consecutive measurements of a number of thermophysical properties to high temperatures. The samples were resonated in simple longitudinal vibration modes. Measurements were performed up to 2000 K. Incorporation of ultrasonic measurements of Young's modulus in the capabilities of the multiproperty apparatus is valuable because (i) ultrasonic measurements can be related to normal destructive measurements of this property; (ii) they can be used for screening materials or acceptance testing of specimens; (iii) they can be used to increase the understanding of thermophysical properties and property correlations. (author)

Quality control of disinfection in ultrasonic baths

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schoene, H. [Technical University Dresden (Germany). Faculty of Mechanical Engineering; Jatzwauk, L. [University Hospital of the Technical University Dresden (Germany). Abt. Krankenhaushygiene

2002-07-01

Numerous investigations under laboratory conditions confirmed the microbicidal efficacy of ultrasonication. Morphological destruction was shown on bacteria and fungi as well as on different virus species. Ultrasonic treatment seems to increase the effect of different antibiotics and disinfectants. Reasons for this synergism are largely unknown and uninvestigated, but the active principle seems to bee the dispersing effect of ultrasonication in combination with the destruction of cell wall or cell membrane. Unfortunately no validation of test conditions exists for most of these investigations, regarding intensity and frequency of ultrasonic waves, temperature of liquid medium and measurement of cavitation which is an essential part of physical and chemical effects in ultrasonic baths. In contrast to most laboratory experiments sound density of ultrasound for treatment of medical instruments is below 1 W/cm{sup 2} because instruments will be destroyed under stronger ultrasonic conditions. The frequency is below 50 KHz. This paper describes bactericidal and fungicidal effects of low- intensity-ultrasonication and its synergistical support to chemical disinfection. (orig.)

Electromagnetic ultrasonic guided waves

CERN Document Server

Huang, Songling; Li, Weibin; Wang, Qing

2016-01-01

This book introduces the fundamental theory of electromagnetic ultrasonic guided waves, together with its applications. It includes the dispersion characteristics and matching theory of guided waves; the mechanism of production and theoretical model of electromagnetic ultrasonic guided waves; the effect mechanism between guided waves and defects; the simulation method for the entire process of electromagnetic ultrasonic guided wave propagation; electromagnetic ultrasonic thickness measurement; pipeline axial guided wave defect detection; and electromagnetic ultrasonic guided wave detection of gas pipeline cracks. This theory and findings on applications draw on the author’s intensive research over the past eight years. The book can be used for nondestructive testing technology and as an engineering reference work. The specific implementation of the electromagnetic ultrasonic guided wave system presented here will also be of value for other nondestructive test developers.

Detection of Fatigue Damage by Using High Frequency Nonlinear Laser Ultrasonic Signals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Seung Kyu; Park, Nak Kyu; Baik, Sung Hoon; Cheong, Yong Moo; Cha, Byung Heon

2012-01-01

The detection of fatigue damage for the components of a nuclear power plant is one of key techniques to prevent a catastrophic accident and the subsequent severe losses. Specifically, it is preferred to detect at an early stage of the fatigue damage. If the fatigue damage that is in danger of growing into a fracture is accurately detected, an appropriate treatment could be carried out to improve the condition. Although most engineers and designers take precautions against fatigue, some breakdowns of nuclear power plant components still occur due to fatigue damage. It is considered that ultrasound testing technique is the most promising method to detect the fatigue damage in many nondestructive testing methods. Laser ultrasound has attracted attention as a noncontact testing technique. Especially, laser ultrasonic signal has wide band frequency spectrum which can provide more accurate information for a testing material. The conventional linear ultrasonic technique is sensitive to gross defects or opened cracks whereas it is less sensitive to evenly distributed micro-cracks or degradation. An alternative technique to overcome this limitation is nonlinear ultrasound. The principal difference between linear and nonlinear technique is that in the latter the existence and characteristics of defects are often related to an acoustic signal whose frequency differs from that of the input signal. This is related to the radiation and propagation of finite amplitude, especially high power, ultrasound and its interaction with discontinuities, such as cracks, interfaces and voids. Since material failure or degradation is usually preceded by some kind of nonlinear mechanical behavior before significant plastic deformation or material damage occurs. The presence of nonlinear terms in the wave equation causes intense acoustic waves to generate new waves at frequencies which are multiples of the initial sound wave frequency. The nonlinear effect can exert a strong effect on the

Bulk ultrasonic NDE of metallic components at high temperature using magnetostrictive transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Ashish, Antony Jacob; Rajagopal, Prabhu; Balasubramaniam, Krishnan; Kumar, Anish; Rao, B. Purnachandra; Jayakumar, Tammana

2017-02-01

Online ultrasonic NDE at high-temperature is of much interest to the power, process and automotive industries in view of possible savings in downtime. This paper describes a novel approach to developing ultrasonic transducers capable of high-temperature in-situ operation using the principle of magnetostriction. Preliminary design from previous research by the authors [1] is extended for operation at 1 MHz, and at elevated temperatures by amorphous metallic strips as the magnetostrictive core. Ultrasonic signals in pulse-echo mode are experimentally obtained from the ultrasonic transducer thus developed, in a simulated high-temperature environment of 350 °C for 10 hours. Advantages and challenges for practical deployment of this approach are discussed.

Feasibility of recanalization of human coronary arteries using high-intensity ultrasound.

Science.gov (United States)

Ernst, A; Schenk, E A; Woodlock, T J; Alliger, H; Gottlieb, S; Child, S Z; Meltzer, R S

1994-01-15

To investigate the feasibility of ultrasonic recanalization of obstructed human coronary arteries in vitro, high-intensity ultrasound was applied to 16 coronary arteries obtained at autopsy, using a prototype instrument enabling insonification through a catheter tip. It was a 119 cm long, 0.95 mm thick wire in an 8Fr catheter connected to an external ultrasonic transformer and power generator. A 5 MHz phased-array 2-dimensional echocardiography instrument was used to determine minimal luminal diameter and percent diameter narrowing before and after ultrasound application. The ultrasonic energy was delivered at 21.5 kHz and with a 52 +/- 19 micrometer average amplitude of tip displacement. The mean percent luminal diameter narrowing, flow rate and mean pressure gradient before ultrasound exposure were 74 +/- 11%, 97 +/- 61 ml/min, and 92 +/- 18 mm Hg, respectively. After recanalization, the mean percent luminal diameter narrowing decreased to 45 +/- 17% (p ultrasound application. Mechanical fracture of the wire occurred in 8 cases (50%). No signs of thermal injury were found on histology. Thus, ultrasonic recanalization of human coronary arteries in vitro is feasible. It may reduce obstruction and improve blood flow. Debris sizes are sufficiently small to minimize the hazard of peripheral embolization.

High-intensity ultrasound production of Maillard reaction flavor compounds in a cysteine-xylose model system.

Science.gov (United States)

Ong, Olivia X H; Seow, Yi-Xin; Ong, Peter K C; Zhou, Weibiao

2015-09-01

Application of high intensity ultrasound has shown potential in the production of Maillard reaction odor-active flavor compounds in model systems. The impact of initial pH, sonication duration, and ultrasound intensity on the production of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) by ultrasound processing in a cysteine-xylose model system were evaluated using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with a modified mathematical model. Generation of selected MRPs, 2-methylthiophene and tetramethyl pyrazine, was optimal at an initial pH of 6.00, accompanied with 78.1 min of processing at an ultrasound intensity of 19.8 W cm(-2). However, identification of volatiles using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) revealed that ultrasound-assisted Maillard reactions generated fewer sulfur-containing volatile flavor compounds as compared to conventional heat treatment of the model system. Likely reasons for this difference in flavor profile include the expulsion of H2S due to ultrasonic degassing and inefficient transmission of ultrasonic energy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Intense Ultrasonic clicks from echolocating toothed whales do not elicit anti-predator responses or debilitate the squid Loligo pealeii

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wilson, Maria; Hanlon, Roger; Tyack, Peter

2007-01-01

an evolutionary selection pressure on cephalopods to develop a mechanism for detecting and evading sound-emitting toothed whale predators. Ultrasonic detection has evolved in some insects to avoid echolocating bats, and it can be hypothesized that cephalopods might have evolved similar ultrasound detection...... as an anti-predation measure. We test this hypothesis in the squid Loligo pealeii in a playback experiment using intense echolocation clicks from two squid-eating toothed whale species. Twelve squid were exposed to clicks at two repetition rates (16 and 125 clicks per second) with received sound pressure...... levels of 199-226dBre1μPa (pp) mimicking the sound exposure from an echolocating toothed whale as it approaches and captures prey. We demonstrate that intense ultrasonic clicks do not elicit any detectable anti-predator behaviour in L. pealeii and that clicks with received levels up to 226dBre1μPa (pp...

Monitoring Low-Cycle Fatigue Material-Degradation by Ultrasonic Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Himawan

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Any system consisting of structural material often undergoes fatigue, which is caused by dynamic load cycle. As a structural system, nuclear power plant is very likely to have low-cycle fatigue at many of its components. Taking into account the importance of monitoring low-cycle fatigue on structural components to prevent them from getting failure, the authors have conducted a work to monitor material degradation caused by low-cycle fatigue by using ultrasonic method. An alloy of Cu-40Zn was used as a test specimen. Ultrasonic water immersion procedure was employed in this ultrasonic test. The probe used is a focusing type and has frequency as high as 15 MHz. The specimen area tested is in the middle part divided into 14 points × 23 points. The results, which were frequency spectrums, were analyzed using two parameters: frequency spectrum peak intensity and attenuation function gradient. The analysis indicates that peak intensity increases at the beginning of load cycle and then decreases. Meanwhile, gradient of attenuation function is lower at the beginning of fatigue process, and then consistently gets higher. It concludes that low-fatigue material degradation can be monitored by using ultrasonic method.

Evaluation of Die-Attach Bonding Using High-Frequency Ultrasonic Energy for High-Temperature Application

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jong-Bum; Aw, Jie-Li; Rhee, Min-Woo

2014-09-01

Room-temperature die-attach bonding using ultrasonic energy was evaluated on Cu/In and Cu/Sn-3Ag metal stacks. The In and Sn-3Ag layers have much lower melting temperatures than the base material (Cu) and can be melted through the heat generated during ultrasonic bonding, forming intermetallic compounds (IMCs). Samples were bonded using different ultrasonic powers, bonding times, and forces and subsequently aged at 300°C for 500 h. After aging, die shear testing was performed and the fracture surfaces were inspected by scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that the shear strength of Cu/In joints reached an upper plateau after 100 h of thermal aging and remained stable with aging time, whereas that of the Cu/Sn-3Ag joints decreased with increasing aging time. η-Cu7In4 and (Cu,Au)11In9 IMCs were observed at the Cu/In joint, while Cu3Sn and (Ag,Cu)3Sn IMCs were found at the Cu/Sn-3Ag joint after reliability testing. As Cu-based IMCs have high melting temperatures, they are highly suitable for use in high-temperature electronics, but can be formed at room temperature using an ultrasonic approach.

Piston cylinder cell for high pressure ultrasonic pulse echo measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kepa, M. W., E-mail: mkepa@staffmail.ed.ac.uk; Huxley, A. D. [SUPA, Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions and School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ (United Kingdom); Ridley, C. J.; Kamenev, K. V. [Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions and School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD (United Kingdom)

2016-08-15

Ultrasonic techniques such as pulse echo, vibrating reed, or resonant ultrasound spectroscopy are powerful probes not only for studying elasticity but also for investigating electronic and magnetic properties. Here, we report on the design of a high pressure ultrasonic pulse echo apparatus, based on a piston cylinder cell, with a simplified electronic setup that operates with a single coaxial cable and requires sample lengths of mm only. The design allows simultaneous measurements of ultrasonic velocities and attenuation coefficients up to a pressure of 1.5 GPa. We illustrate the performance of the cell by probing the phase diagram of a single crystal of the ferromagnetic superconductor UGe{sub 2}.

Application of high intensity ultrasound treatment on Enterobacteriae count in milk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anet Režek Jambrak

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Ultrasonication is a non-thermal method of food preservation that has the advantage of inactivating microbes in food without causing the common side-effects associated with conventional heat treatments, such as nutrient and flavour loss. In this work high intensity ultrasound was used to investigate inactivation Enterobacteriae count in raw milk. Raw milk with 4% of milk fat was treated with ultrasonic probe that was 12 mm in diameter and with 20 kHz frequency immerged in milk directly. For ultrasounds treatment, three parameters varied according to the statistical experimental design. Centre composite design was used to optimize and design experimental parameters: temperature (20, 40 and 60 °C, amplitude (120, 90 and 60 μm and time (6, 9 and 12 minutes. All analyses were performed immediately after sonication and after 3 and 5 days of storage in refrigeration at 4 °C. The facts that substantially affect the inactivation of microorganisms using ultrasound are the amplitude of the ultrasonic waves, the exposure/contact time with the microorganisms, and the temperatureof treatment. The achieved results indicate significant inactivation of microorganisms under longer period of treatments with ultrasonic probe particularly in combination with higher temperature andamplitude. Output optimal value of Enterobacteriae count has been defined by Statgraphics where lowest Enterobacteriae count (1.06151 log CFU mL-1 was as follows for specific ultrasound parameters: amplitude of 120 μm, treatment time for 12 min and temperature of 60 °C.

Ultrasonic signature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borloo, E.; Crutzen, S.

1974-12-01

The unique and tamperproof identification technique developed at Ispra is based on ultrasonic Non-Destructive-Techniques. Reading fingerprints with ultrasonic requires high reproducibility of standard apparatus and transducers. The present report gives an exhaustive description of the ultrasonic technique developed for identification purposes. Different applications of the method are described

Experimental investigation by laser ultrasonics for high speed train axle diagnostics.

Science.gov (United States)

Cavuto, A; Martarelli, M; Pandarese, G; Revel, G M; Tomasini, E P

2015-01-01

The present paper demonstrates the applicability of a laser-ultrasonic procedure to improve the performances of train axle ultrasonic inspection. The method exploits an air-coupled ultrasonic probe that detects the ultrasonic waves generated by a high-power pulsed laser. As a result, the measurement chain is completely non-contact, from generation to detection, this making it possible to considerably speed up inspection time and make the set-up more flexible. The main advantage of the technique developed is that it works in thermo-elastic regime and it therefore can be considered as a non-destructive method. The laser-ultrasonic procedure investigated has been applied for the inspection of a real high speed train axle provided by the Italian railway company (Trenitalia), on which typical fatigue defects have been expressly created according to standard specifications. A dedicated test bench has been developed so as to rotate the axle with the angle control and to speed up the inspection of the axle surface. The laser-ultrasonic procedure proposed can be automated and is potentially suitable for regular inspection of train axles. The main achievements of the activity described in this paper are: – the study of the effective applicability of laser-ultrasonics for the diagnostic of train hollow axles with variable sections by means of a numerical FE model, – the carrying out of an automated experiment on a real train axle, – the analysis of the sensitivity to experimental parameters, like laser source – receiving probe distance and receiving probe angular position, – the demonstration that the technique is suitable for the detection of surface defects purposely created on the train axle. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Time reversal for ultrasonic transcranial surgery and echographic imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Tanter, Mickael; Aubry, Jean-Francois; Vignon, Francois; Fink, Mathias

2005-09-01

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is able to induce non-invasively controlled and selective destruction of tissues by focusing ultrasonic beams within organs, analogous to a magnifying glass that concentrates enough sunlight to burn a hole in paper. The brain is an attractive organ in which to perform ultrasonic tissue ablation, but such an application has been hampered by the strong defocusing effect of the skull bone. Our group has been involved in this topic for several years, providing proofs of concept and proposing technological solutions to this problem. Thanks to a high-power time-reversal mirror, presented here are in vivo thermal lesions induced through the skull of 12 sheep. Thermal lesions were confirmed by T2-weighted magnetic resonance post-treatment images and histological examination. These results provide striking evidence that noninvasive ultrasound brain surgery is feasible. A recent approach for high-resolution brain ultrasonic imaging will also be discussed with a skull aberration correction technique based on twin arrays technology. The correction of transcranial ultrasonic images is implemented on a new generation of time-reversal mirrors relying on a fully programmable transmit and receive beamformer.

High temperature flexible ultrasonic transducers for structural health monitoring and NDT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shih, J.L. [McGill Univ., Montreal, PQ (Canada). Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Kobayashi, M.; Jen, C.K.; Tatibouet, J. [National Research Council of Canada, Boucherville, PQ (Canada). Industrial Materials Inst.; Mrad, N. [Department of National Defence, Ottawa, ON (Canada). Air Vehicles Research Station

2009-07-01

Ultrasonic techniques are often used for non-destructive testing (NDT) and structural health monitoring (SHM) of pipes in nuclear and fossil fuel power plants, petrochemical plants and other structures as a method to improve safety and extend the service life of the structure. In such applications, ultrasonic transducers (UTs) must be able to operate at high temperature, and must come in contact with structures that have surfaces with different curvatures. As such, flexible UTs (FUTs) are most suitable because they ensure self-alignment to the object's surface. The purpose of this study was to develop FUTs that have high flexibility similar to commercially available polyvinylidene fluoride PVDF FUTs, but which can operate at up to at least 150 degrees C and have a high ultrasonic performance comparable to commercial broadband UTs. The fabrication of the FUT consisted of a sol-gel based sensor fabrication process. The substrate was a 75 {mu}m thick titanium (Ti) membrane, a piezoelectric composite with a thickness larger than 85 {mu}m and a top electrode. The ultrasonic performance of the FUT in terms of signal strength was found to be at least as good as commercially available broadband ultrasonic transducers at room temperature. Onsite gluing and brazing installation techniques which bond the FUTs onto steel pipes for SHM and NDT purposes up to 100 and 150 degrees C were developed, respectively. The best thickness measurement accuracy of FUT at 150 degrees C was estimated to be 26 {mu}m. 18 refs., 2 tabs., 6 figs.

Effects of ultrasonication and conventional mechanical homogenization processes on the structures and dielectric properties of BaTiO3 ceramics.

Science.gov (United States)

Akbas, Hatice Zehra; Aydin, Zeki; Yilmaz, Onur; Turgut, Selvin

2017-01-01

The effects of the homogenization process on the structures and dielectric properties of pure and Nb-doped BaTiO 3 ceramics have been investigated using an ultrasonic homogenization and conventional mechanical methods. The reagents were homogenized using an ultrasonic processor with high-intensity ultrasonic waves and using a compact mixer-shaker. The components and crystal types of the powders were determined by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The complex permittivity (ε ' , ε″) and AC conductivity (σ') of the samples were analyzed in a wide frequency range of 20Hz to 2MHz at room temperature. The structures and dielectric properties of pure and Nb-doped BaTiO 3 ceramics strongly depend on the homogenization process in a solid-state reaction method. Using an ultrasonic processor with high-intensity ultrasonic waves based on acoustic cavitation phenomena can make a significant improvement in producing high-purity BaTiO 3 ceramics without carbonate impurities with a small dielectric loss. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Very high temperature ultrasonic thermometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jorzik, E.

1983-01-01

An ultrasonic thermometer comprises an electric pulse transducer head, a pulse transmission line, a notched sensor wire attached to and extending along the axis of said transmission line and a sheath enclosing the transmission line and the sensor wire, a portion of the interior face of the sheath being covered by a stuffing material along at least the length of the notched part of the sensor wire, such that contact between the sensor wire and the stuffing material does not substantially give rise to reflection of an ultrasonic pulse at the point of contact. (author)

High resolution ultrasonic densitometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dress, W.B.

1983-01-01

The velocity of torsional stress pulses in an ultrasonic waveguide of non-circular cross section is affected by the temperature and density of the surrounding medium. Measurement of the transit times of acoustic echoes from the ends of a sensor section are interpreted as level, density, and temperature of the fluid environment surrounding that section. This paper examines methods of making these measurements to obtain high resolution, temperature-corrected absolute and relative density and level determinations of the fluid. Possible applications include on-line process monitoring, a hand-held density probe for battery charge state indication, and precise inventory control for such diverse fluids as uranium salt solutions in accountability storage and gasoline in service station storage tanks

Ultrasonic characterization of pork meat salting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

García-Pérez, J V; De Prados, M; Pérez-Muelas, N; Cárcel, J A; Benedito, J

2012-01-01

Salting process plays a key role in the preservation and quality of dry-cured meat products. Therefore, an adequate monitoring of salt content during salting is necessary to reach high quality products. Thus, the main objective of this work was to test the ability of low intensity ultrasound to monitor the salting process of pork meat. Cylindrical samples (diameter 36 mm, height 60±10 mm) of Biceps femoris were salted (brine 20% NaCl, w/w) at 2 °C for 1, 2, 4 and 7 days. During salting and at each experimental time, three cylinders were taken in order to measure the ultrasonic velocity at 2 °C. Afterwards, the cylinders were split in three sections (height 20 mm), measuring again the ultrasonic velocity and determining the salt and the moisture content by AOAC standards. In the whole cylinders, moisture content was reduced from 763 (g/kg sample) in fresh samples to 723 (g/kg sample) in samples salted for 7 days, while the maximum salt gain was 37.3 (g/kg sample). Although, moisture and salt contents up to 673 and 118 (g/kg sample) were reached in the sections of meat cylinders, respectively. During salting, the ultrasonic velocity increased due to salt gain and water loss. Thus, significant (p 2 = 0.975) and moisture (R 2 = 0.863) contents. In addition, the change of the ultrasonic velocity with the increase of the salt content showed a good agreement with the Kinsler equation. Therefore, low intensity ultrasound emerges as a potential technique to monitor, in a non destructive way, the meat salting processes carried out in the food industry.

Very high cycle fatigue testing of concrete using ultrasonic cycling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karr, Ulrike; Schuller, Reinhard; Fitzka, Michael; Mayer, Herwig [Univ. of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (Austria). Inst. of Physics and Materials Science; Denk, Andreas; Strauss, Alfred [Univ. of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (Austria)

2017-06-01

The ultrasonic fatigue testing method has been further developed to perform cyclic compression tests with concrete. Cylindrical specimens vibrate in resonance at a frequency of approximately 20 kHz with superimposed compressive static loads. The high testing frequency allows time-saving investigations in the very high cycle fatigue regime. Fatigue tests were carried out on ''Concrete 1'' (compressive strength f{sub c} = 80 MPa) and ''Concrete 2'' (f{sub c} = 107 MPa) under purely compressive loading conditions. Experiments at maximum compressive stresses of 0.44 f{sub c} (Concrete 1) and 0.38 f{sub c} (Concrete 2) delivered specimen failures above 109 cycles, indicating that no fatigue limit exists for concrete below one billion load cycles. Resonance frequency, power required to resonate the specimen and second order harmonics of the vibration are used to monitor fatigue damage in situ. Specimens were scanned by X-ray computed tomography prior to and after testing. Fatigue cracks were produced by ultrasonic cycling in the very high cycle fatigue regime at interfaces of grains as well as in cement. The possibilities as well as limitations of ultrasonic fatigue testing of concrete are discussed.

Poly(vinyl alcohol) films reinforced with nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) isolated from corn husk by high intensity ultrasonication.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Shaoliang; Gao, Runan; Gao, LiKun; Li, Jian

2016-01-20

This work was aimed at fabricating and characterizing poly(vinyl alcohol) films that were reinforced by nanofibrillated corn husk celluloses using a combination of chemical pretreatments and ultrasonication. The obtained nanofibrillated celluloses (NFCs) possessed a narrow width ranging from 50 to 250 nm and a high aspect ratio (394). The crystalline type of NFC was cellulose I type. Compared with the original corn husks, the NCF crystallinity and thermal stability increased due to the removal of the hemicelluloses and lignin. PVA films containing different NFC concentrations (0.5%, 1%, 3%, 5%, 7% and 9%, w/w, dry basis) were examined. The 1% PVA/NFC reinforced films exhibited a highly visible light transmittance of 80%, and its tensile strength and the tensile strain at break were increased by 1.47 and 1.80 times compared to that of the pure PVA film, respectively. The NFC with high aspect ratio and high crystallinity is beneficial to the improvement of the mechanical strength and thermal stability. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Control of molecular weight distribution in synthesis of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) using ultrasonic irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kubo, Masaki; Kondo, Takayuki; Matsui, Hideki; Shibasaki-Kitakawa, Naomi; Yonemoto, Toshikuni

2018-01-01

Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) was synthesized using ultrasonic irradiation without any chemical initiator. The effect of the ultrasonic power intensity on the time course of the conversion to polymer, the number average molecular weight, and the polydispersity were investigated in order to synthesize a polymer with a low molecular weight distribution (i.e., low polydispersity). The conversion to polymer increased with time. A higher ultrasonic power intensity resulted in a faster reaction rate. The number average molecular weight increased during the early stage of the reaction and then gradually decreased with time. A higher ultrasonic intensity resulted in a faster degradation rate of the polymer. The polydispersity decreased with time. This was because the degradation rate of a polymer with a higher molecular weight was faster than that of a polymer with a lower molecular weight. A polydispersity below 1.3 was obtained under ultrasonic irradiation. By changing the ultrasonic power intensity during the reaction, the number average molecular weight can be controlled while maintaining low polydispersity. When the ultrasonic irradiation was halted, the reactions stopped and the number average molecular weight and polydispersity did not change. On the basis of the experimental results, a kinetic model for synthesis of PHEMA under ultrasonic irradiation was constructed considering both polymerization and polymer degradation. The kinetic model was in good agreement with the experimental results for the time courses of the conversion to polymer, the number average molecular weight, and the polydispersity for various ultrasonic power intensities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonic thermometry system for measuring very high temperatures in reactor safety experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlson, G.A.; Sullivan, W.H.; Plein, H.G.; Kerley, T.M.

1979-06-01

Ultrasonic thermometry has many potential applications in reactor safety experiments, where extremely high temperatures and lack of visual access may preclude the use of conventional diagnostics. This report details ultrasonic thermometry requirements for one such experiment, the molten fuel pool experiment. Sensors, transducers, and signal processing electronics are described in detail. Axial heat transfer in the sensors is modelled and found acceptably small. Measurement errors, calculations of their effect, and ways to minimize them are given. A rotating sensor concept is discussed which holds promise of alleviating sticking problems at high temperature. Applications of ultrasonic thermometry to three in-core experiments are described. In them, five 10-mm-length sensor elements were used to measure axial temperatures in a UO 2 or UO 2 -steel system fission-heated to about 2860 0 C

Ultrasonically enhanced disintegration. Polymers, sludge, and contaminated soil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Groenroos, A.

2010-05-15

There are a great variety of potential applications of high-intensity ultrasonic energy. Of these, cleaning, plastic pounding, and at present also sludge disintegration and the remediation of contaminated soil are probably the best known and offer the most general market for high-intensity ultrasonics. All developments within the area of ultrasound applications lead to the creation of environmentally friendly processes and compounds, emphasizing the role of ultrasound in 'green chemistry'. Ultrasound technology is considered not easy to use in industrial processes, since devices providing high sonic energy are not easy to construct. This thesis investigates on a semi-pilot scale if it is possible to enhance the disintegration of three quite different samples: polymers, sludge, and contaminated soil by using ultrasound. The results indicate that it is possible to enhance the disintegration of polymers by means of ultrasonic power only when the cavitation threshold is exceeded. Above the cavitation threshold, the most extensive degradation took place at the lowest ultrasonic frequency used. The biggest decrease (from 115,000 g/mol to 30,000 g/mol) in relative molecular mass (RMM) was observed when the concentration of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was the lowest (1.0%). However, in the case of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) it was observed that when viscosity was not adjusted there is an optimum polymer concentration (1.5-2.0%) where degradation is most efficient. The thesis shows that the extent of ultrasonic depolymerization decreases with decreasing molecular mass of the CMC polymer. The study also reveals that ultrasonic irradiation causes narrowing of the molecular mass distribution. The degradation of CMC polymer proceeded linearly and the rate of ultrasonic depolymerization decreased with decreasing molecular mass. In cases where the initial dynamic viscosities of polymer solutions were not the same, the sonolytic degradation of CMC polymer mainly depended

Degradation evaluation of high temperature pipeline material for power plant using ultrasonic noise analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sang Guk; Chung, Min Hwa; Cho, Yong Sang; Lee, In Cheol

2001-01-01

Boiler high-temperature pipelines such as main steam pipe, header and steam drum in fossil power plants are degraded by creep and thermal fatigue damage due to severe operating conditions such as high temperature and high pressure for an extended period time. Conventional measurement techniques for measuring creep damage have such disadvantages as complex preparation and measurement procedures, too many control parameters. And also these techniques have low practicality and applied only to component surfaces with good accessibility. In this paper, artificial degradation test and ultrasonic measurement for their degraded specimens were carried out for the purpose of evaluation for creep and thermal fatigue damage. Absolute measuring method of quantitative ultrasonic measurement for material degradation was established, and long term creep/thermal fatigue degradation tests using life prediction formula were carried out. As a result of ultrasonic tests for crept and thermal fatigued specimens, we conformed that the ultrasonic noise linearly increased in proportion to the increase of degradation.

High speed ultrasonic system to measure bubbles velocities in a horizontal two-phase flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cunha Filho, Jurandyr S.; Jian Su; Farias, Marcos S.; Faccini, Jose L.H.; Lamy, Carlos A.

2009-01-01

In this work, a non invasive technique consisting of a high speed ultrasonic multitransducer pulse-echo system was developed to characterize gas-liquid two-phase flow parameters that are important in the study of the primary refrigeration circuit of nuclear reactors. The high speed ultrasonic system consists of two transducers (10 MHz/φ 6.35 mm), a generator/multiplexer board, and software that selects and has a data acquisition system of the ultrasonic signals. The resolutions of the system and the pulse time generated from each transducer are, respectively, 10 ns and 1.06 ms. The system initially was used in the local instantaneous measurement of gas-liquid interface in a circular horizontal pipe test section made of a 5 m long stainless steel pipe of 51.2 mm inner diameter, where the elongated bubbles velocity was measured (Taylor bubbles). The results show that the high speed ultrasonic pulse-echo system provides good results for the determination of elongated bubbles velocities. (author)

Ultrasonic leak detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, R.V.

1977-01-01

A scanning ultrasonic microphone was used to detect the presence and locate the sources of hydraulic noises in piping systems in a reactor environment. The intensity changes of the noises correspond to changes of flow conditions within the system caused by throttled valves, flow rate changes, and leaks. (author)

Mechanochemical degradation of potato starch paste under ultrasonic irradiation

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LI Jian-bin; LI Lin; LI Bing; CHEN Ling; GUI Lin

2006-01-01

In the paper, changes in the molecular weight, the intrinsic viscosity and the polydispersity (molecular mass distribution) of treated potato starch paste were studied under different ultrasonic conditions which include irradiation time, ultrasonic intensity, potato starch paste concentration, and distance from probe tip on the degradation of potato starch paste. Intrinsic viscosity of potato starch paste was determined following the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standard practice for dilute solution viscosity of polymers. Molecular mass and polydispersity of potato starch paste were measured on GPC (Gel Permeation Chromatography). The results showed that the average molecular mass and the intrinsic viscosity of starch strongly depended on irradiation time. Degradation increased with prolonged ultrasonic irradiation time, and the increase of ultrasonic intensity could accelerate the degradation, resulting in a faster degradation rate, a lower limiting value and a higher degradation extent. Starch samples were degraded faster in dilute solutions than in concentrated solutions. The molecular mass and the intrinsic viscosity of starch increased with the increase of distance from probe tip. Our results also showed that the polydispersity decreased with ultrasonic irradiation under all ultrasonic conditions. Ultrasonic degradation of potato starch paste occured based on the mechanism of molecular relaxation of starch paste. In the initial stage, ultrasonic degradation of potato starch paste was a random process, and the molecular mass distribution was broad. After that, ultrasonic degradation of potato starch paste changed to a nonrandom process, and the molecular mass distribution became narrower. Finally, molecular mass distribution tended toward a saturation value.

Interfacial Dynamics of Condensing Vapor Bubbles in an Ultrasonic Acoustic Field

Science.gov (United States)

Boziuk, Thomas; Smith, Marc; Glezer, Ari

2016-11-01

Enhancement of vapor condensation in quiescent subcooled liquid using ultrasonic actuation is investigated experimentally. The vapor bubbles are formed by direct injection from a pressurized steam reservoir through nozzles of varying characteristic diameters, and are advected within an acoustic field of programmable intensity. While kHz-range acoustic actuation typically couples to capillary instability of the vapor-liquid interface, ultrasonic (MHz-range) actuation leads to the formation of a liquid spout that penetrates into the vapor bubble and significantly increases its surface area and therefore condensation rate. Focusing of the ultrasonic beam along the spout leads to ejection of small-scale droplets from that are propelled towards the vapor liquid interface and result in localized acceleration of the condensation. High-speed video of Schlieren images is used to investigate the effects of the ultrasonic actuation on the thermal boundary layer on the liquid side of the vapor-liquid interface and its effect on the condensation rate, and the liquid motion during condensation is investigated using high-magnification PIV measurements. High-speed image processing is used to assess the effect of the actuation on the dynamics and temporal variation in characteristic scale (and condensation rate) of the vapor bubbles.

Ultrasonic enhancement of lipase-catalysed transesterification for biodiesel synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhangu, Sukhvir Kaur; Gupta, Shweta; Ashokkumar, Muthupandian

2017-01-01

The production of biodiesel was carried out from canola oil and methanol catalysed by lipase from Candida rugosa under different ultrasonic experimental conditions using horn (20kHz) and plate (22, 44, 98 and 300kHz) transducers. The effects of experimental conditions such as horn tip diameter, ultrasonic power, ultrasonic frequency and enzyme concentrations on biodiesel yield were investigated. The results showed that the application of ultrasound decreased the reaction time from 22-24h to 1.5h with the use of 3.5cm ultrasonic horn, an applied power of 40W, methanol to oil molar ratio of 5:1 and enzyme concentration of 0.23wt/wt% of oil. Low intensity ultrasound is efficient and a promising tool for the enzyme catalysed biodiesel synthesis as higher intensities tend to inactivate the enzyme and reduce its efficiency. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

HTS-SQUID NDE Technique for Pipes based on Ultrasonic Guided Wave

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatsukade, Y; Masutani, N; Teranishi, S; Masamoto, K; Kanenaga, S; Adachi, S; Tanabe, K

2017-01-01

This article describes research on the novel high-temperature superconductor (HTS) superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technique for metallic pipes based on ultrasonic guided waves. We constructed HTS-SQUID NDE system for pipes based on ultrasonic guided waves, which were generated and received by means of the magnetostrictive effects. Using the system, we measured magnetic signals due to T (0, 1) mode ultrasonic guided waves that transmitted on aluminium pipe, and investigated influences of measurement parameters to the magnetic signals, such as direction of a HTS-SQUID gradiometer, lift-off distance, and intensity and frequency of input current fed to a magnetostrictive transmitter. With the gradiometer oriented parallel to the pipe axis, more than 10 times larger signals were measured compared with that oriented perpendicular to the pipe axis. Magnetic signals measured by the gradiometer were inverse proportional to the power of the list- off distance, and proportional to the intensity of the input current up to 1 A pp . Relation between the frequency of the input current and the measured signal was shown and discussed. (paper)

HTS-SQUID NDE Technique for Pipes based on Ultrasonic Guided Wave

Science.gov (United States)

Hatsukade, Y.; Masutani, N.; Teranishi, S.; Masamoto, K.; Kanenaga, S.; Adachi, S.; Tanabe, K.

2017-07-01

This article describes research on the novel high-temperature superconductor (HTS) superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technique for metallic pipes based on ultrasonic guided waves. We constructed HTS-SQUID NDE system for pipes based on ultrasonic guided waves, which were generated and received by means of the magnetostrictive effects. Using the system, we measured magnetic signals due to T (0, 1) mode ultrasonic guided waves that transmitted on aluminium pipe, and investigated influences of measurement parameters to the magnetic signals, such as direction of a HTS-SQUID gradiometer, lift-off distance, and intensity and frequency of input current fed to a magnetostrictive transmitter. With the gradiometer oriented parallel to the pipe axis, more than 10 times larger signals were measured compared with that oriented perpendicular to the pipe axis. Magnetic signals measured by the gradiometer were inverse proportional to the power of the list- off distance, and proportional to the intensity of the input current up to 1 App. Relation between the frequency of the input current and the measured signal was shown and discussed.

Ultrasonic applications for the enhancement of turbulence flow by using the PIV measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Y. H.; Choi, W. C.; Koo, J. H.; Song, M. G.; Ju, E. S.

2000-01-01

Ultrasonic applications for the enhancement of turbulence flow by using the PIV measurement were carried out according to the angle of the ultrasonic oscillator, materials of the reflector and each section when ultrasonic is reflected several times. Angles of the ultrasonic oscillator such as 30 deg., 45 .deg., 60 .deg., 90 .deg., 120 .deg., 135 .deg. and 150 .deg. were selected, and turbulent intensities were compared at Reynolds No. 2,000 and 4,000. Materials of the reflector such as wood, acryl, iron and glass were selected, and time mean velocity vector and turbulent intensity were compared at Reynolds No. 4,000. The zone which was observed was selected from first section to fourth section when ultrasonic was reflected several times. Every data such as time mean velocity vector and time mean turbulent intensity which was obtained by PIV measurement was examined, compared and discussed at Reynolds No. 2,000 and 4,000 to know the degree of turbulence enhancement in each case

Acoustic softening in metals during ultrasonic assisted deformation via CP-FEM

KAUST Repository

Siddiq, Amir

2011-01-01

In this paper, a phenomenological crystal plasticity model is modified to account for acoustic (ultrasonic) softening effects based on the level of ultrasonic intensity supplied to single and polycrystalline metals. The material parameters are identified using the inverse modeling approach by interfacing the crystal plasticity model with an optimization tool. The proposed model is validated and verified by comparing the microstructure evolution with experimental EBSD results reported in the literature. The model is able to capture the ultrasonic softening effect and the results show that as the ultrasonic intensity increases, the plastic deformation also increases. Differences in the stress-strain response are explained based on the slip system orientation tensor (Schmidt factors) which depends upon the crystal orientation. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical coloring on stainless steel by ultrasonic irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Zuohui; Xue, Yongqiang; Ju, Hongbin

2018-01-01

To solve the problems of high temperature and non-uniformity of coloring on stainless steel, a new chemical coloring process, applying ultrasonic irradiation to the traditional chemical coloring process, was developed in this paper. The effects of ultrasonic frequency and power density (sound intensity) on chemical coloring on stainless steel were studied. The uniformity of morphology and colors was observed with the help of polarizing microscope and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the surface compositions were characterized by X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy (XPS), meanwhile, the wear resistance and the corrosion resistance were investigated, and the effect mechanism of ultrasonic irradiation on chemical coloring was discussed. These results show that in the process of chemical coloring on stainless steel by ultrasonic irradiation, the film composition is the same as the traditional chemical coloring, and this method can significantly enhance the uniformity, the wear and corrosion resistances of the color film and accelerate the coloring rate which makes the coloring temperature reduced to 40°C. The effects of ultrasonic irradiation on the chemical coloring can be attributed to the coloring rate accelerated and the coloring temperature reduced by thermal-effect, the uniformity of coloring film improved by dispersion-effect, and the wear and corrosion resistances of coloring film enhanced by cavitation-effect. Ultrasonic irradiation not only has an extensive application prospect for chemical coloring on stainless steel but also provides an valuable reference for other chemical coloring. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of High Intensity Ultrasound Treatment on the Growth of Food Spoilage Bacteria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ksenija Markov

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to determine the effect of high intensity ultrasound (amplitude, temperature and treatment time on the inactivation of food spoilage bacteria Escherichia coli 3014, Staphylococcus aureus 3048, Salmonella sp. 3064, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 23074 and Bacillus cereus 30. The model suspensions of bacteria were treated with 12.7-mm ultrasonic probe operated at 600 W nominal power (ultrasonic treatment implemented at 20 kHz and at amplitudes of 60, 90 and 120 µm. Also, treatment time of 3, 6 and 9 min and temperature of 20, 40 and 60 °C were used. The results were statistically processed with STATGRAPHICS Centurion computer program and response surface methodology. All three parameters studied seem to substantially affect the inactivation of bacteria in pure culture. The results also indicate increased inactivation of microorganisms under longer period of treatments, particularly in combination with higher temperature and/or amplitude. After ultrasonic treatment at 60 °C, 9 min and 120 μm, the viability of cells was not confirmed for Escherichia coli 3014, Staphylococcus aureus 3048, Salmonella sp. 3064 and Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 23074. Under the mentioned conditions the highest inactivation (3.48 log CFU/mL of Bacillus cereus 30 was obtained.

Ultrasonic level sensors for liquids under high pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Zuckerwar, A. J.; Mazel, D. S.; Hodges, D. Y.

1986-01-01

An ultrasonic level sensor of novel design continuously measures the level of a liquid subjected to a high pressure (up to about 40 MPa), as is sometimes required for the effective transfer of the liquid. The sensor operates as a composite resonator fabricated from a standard high-pressure plug. A flat-bottom hole is machined into the plug along its center line. An ultrasonic transducer is bonded rigidly to the interior surface of the bottom wall, while the exterior surface is in contact with the liquid. Although the bottom wall is designed to satisfy the pressure code, it is still sufficiently thin to permit ready excitation of the axisymmetric plate modes of vibration. The liquid level is measured by a conventional pulse-echo technique. A prototype sensor was tested successfully in a 2300-l water vessel at pressures up to about 37 MPa. A spectral analysis of the transmitted pulse reveals that the flexural, extensional, thickness-shear, and radial plate modes are excited into vibration, but none of these appears to be significantly affected by the pressurization of the liquid.

Ultrasonic characterization of GRC with high percentage of fly ash substitution.

Science.gov (United States)

Genovés, V; Gosálbez, J; Miralles, R; Bonilla, M; Payá, J

2015-07-01

New applications of non-destructive techniques (NDT) with ultrasonic tests (attenuation and velocity by means of ultrasonic frequency sweeps) have been developed for the characterization of fibre-reinforced cementitious composites. According to new lines of research on glass-fibre reinforced cement (GRC) matrix modification, two similar GRC composites with high percentages of fly ash and different water/binder ratios will be studied. Conventional techniques have been used to confirm their low Ca(OH)(2) content (thermogravimetry), fibre integrity (Scanning Electron Microscopy), low porosity (Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry) and good mechanical properties (compression and four points bending test). Ultrasound frequency sweeps allowed the estimation of the attenuation and pulse velocity as functions of frequency. This ultrasonic characterization was correlated successfully with conventional techniques. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonic inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satittada, Gannaga

1984-01-01

Ultrasonic inspection is one of the most widely used methods for nondestructive inspection. The beam of high-frequency sound wave, ultrasonic wave, is introduced into the material. It travels through the material with some attendant loss of energy and can be reflected at interfaces. The reflected beam is detected and analyzed. Ultrasonic inspection is used to detect flaws in metal parts as well as in welded, brazed and bonded joints during research work and developing production and service. It is also used to detect and locate porosity, pipe, and flakes. In addition, it can be used for the measurement of metal thickness. Ultrasonic inspection is therefore used for quality control and material inspection in all major industries

Development of ultrasonic instrument 'UT1000 Series'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogura, Yukio; Ikeda, Toshimichi

1984-01-01

The ultrasonic flaw detectors with 'A-scope indication' have been frequently used as the means for confirming the soundness of structures and equipments, but there are problems in their operational, quantifying and recording capabilities. Recently, the digital ultrasonic measuring instrument of touch panel type ''UT 1000 Series'' has been developed, which resolves these problems by a single effort. This measuring instrument is that of portable type, which gives the digital output of measured results in real time only by lightly touching the peak point of an echo on the Brown tube. This instrument contains the rich software for measurement, and can measure the positions and dimensions of defects and the pressure on contact surfaces with high accuracy. 'A-scope indication' is the indication with an oscilloscope taking the intensity of echo and the propagation time of ultrasonic waves on the ordinate and abscissa, respectively. There are three types of the instrument, that is, for detecting defects, for measuring contact surface pressure and for both purposes. The size of the instrument is 240 mm width, 350 mm length and 175 mm height, and the weight is 8.5 kgf. The specification, function and features of the ultrasonic flaw detector, touch panel, gain setter, key board, microcomputer and others are reported. (Kako, I.)

Acoustic softening in metals during ultrasonic assisted deformation via CP-FEM

KAUST Repository

Siddiq, Amir; El Sayed, Tamer S.

2011-01-01

In this paper, a phenomenological crystal plasticity model is modified to account for acoustic (ultrasonic) softening effects based on the level of ultrasonic intensity supplied to single and polycrystalline metals. The material parameters

Ultrasonic assisted production of starch nanoparticles: Structural characterization and mechanism of disintegration.

Science.gov (United States)

Boufi, Sami; Bel Haaj, Sihem; Magnin, Albert; Pignon, Frédéric; Impéror-Clerc, Marianne; Mortha, Gérard

2018-03-01

In this paper, the disintegration of starch (waxy and standard starch) granules into nanosized particles under the sole effect of high power ultrasonication treatment in water/isopropanol is investigated, by using wide methods of analysis. The present work aims at a fully characterization of the starch nanoparticles produced by ultrasonication, in terms of size, morphology and structural properties, and the proposition of a possible mechanism explaining the top-down generation of starch nanoparticles (SNPs) via high intensity ultrasonication. Dynamic light scattering measurements have indicated a leveling of the particle size to about 40nm after 75min of ultrasonication. The WAXD, DSC and Raman have revealed the amorphous character of the SNPs. FE-SEM. AFM observations have confirmed the size measured by DLS and suggested that SNPs exhibited 2D morphology of platelet-like shapes. This morphology is further supported by SAXS. On the basis of data collected from the different characterization techniques, a possible mechanism explaining the disintegration process of starch granules into NPs is proposed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Grain fragmentation in ultrasonic-assisted TIG weld of pure aluminum.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Qihao; Lin, Sanbao; Yang, Chunli; Fan, Chenglei; Ge, Hongliang

2017-11-01

Under the action of acoustic waves during an ultrasonic-assisted tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding process, a grain of a TIG weld of aluminum alloy is refined by nucleation and grain fragmentation. Herein, effects of ultrasound on grain fragmentation in the TIG weld of aluminum alloy are investigated via systematic welding experiments of pure aluminum. First, experiments involving continuous and fixed-position welding are performed, which demonstrate that ultrasound can break the grain of the TIG weld of pure aluminum. The microstructural characteristics of an ultrasonic-assisted TIG weld fabricated by fixed-position welding are analyzed. The microstructure is found to transform from plane crystal, columnar crystal, and uniform equiaxed crystal into plane crystal, deformed columnar crystal, and nonuniform equiaxed crystal after application of ultrasound. Second, factors influencing ultrasonic grain fragmentation are investigated. The ultrasonic amplitude and welding current are found to have a considerable effect on grain fragmentation. The degree of fragmentation first increases and then decreases with an increase in ultrasonic amplitude, and it increases with an increase in welding current. Measurement results of the vibration of the weld pool show that the degree of grain fragmentation is related to the intensity of acoustic nonlinearity in the weld pool. The greater the intensity of acoustic nonlinearity, the greater is the degree of grain fragmentation. Finally, the mechanism of ultrasonic grain fragmentation in the TIG weld of pure aluminum is discussed. A finite element simulation is used to simulate the acoustic pressure and flow in the weld pool. The acoustic pressure in the weld pool exceeds the cavitation threshold, and cavitation bubbles are generated. The flow velocity in the weld pool does not change noticeably after application of ultrasound. It is concluded that the high-pressure conditions induced during the occurrence of cavitation, lead to grain

Ultrasonic-assisted manufacturing processes: Variational model and numerical simulations

KAUST Repository

Siddiq, Amir

2012-04-01

We present a computational study of ultrasonic assisted manufacturing processes including sheet metal forming, upsetting, and wire drawing. A fully variational porous plasticity model is modified to include ultrasonic softening effects and then utilized to account for instantaneous softening when ultrasonic energy is applied during deformation. Material model parameters are identified via inverse modeling, i.e. by using experimental data. The versatility and predictive ability of the model are demonstrated and the effect of ultrasonic intensity on the manufacturing process at hand is investigated and compared qualitatively with experimental results reported in the literature. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-pressure behavior of amorphous selenium from ultrasonic measurements and Raman spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, Z.; Liu, X. R.; Hong, S. M., E-mail: hpswjtu@gmail.com, E-mail: smhong@home.swjtu.edu.cn [Laboratory of High Pressure Physics, Southwest Jiaotong University, Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials, Ministry of Education of China, Chengdu 610031 (China); Wang, Z. G. [National Key Laboratory for Shock Wave and Detonation Physics Research, Institute of Fluid Physics, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Zhu, H. Y. [State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China); Peng, J. P. [School of Physical Science and Technology, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031 (China)

2014-07-07

The high-pressure behavior of melt-quenched amorphous selenium (a-Se) has been investigated via ultrasonic measurements and Raman scattering at room temperature. The ultrasonic measurements were conducted on a-Se in a multi-anvil apparatus with two different sample assemblies at pressures of up to 4.5 and 4.8 GPa. We discovered that similar kinks occur in the slopes of the pressure dependence characteristics of the travel time and the sound velocity in both shear and longitudinal waves in the 2.0–2.5 GPa range. These kinks are independent of the sample assemblies, indicating an intrinsic transformation of the a-Se. Additionally, we deduced the pressure-volume relationship of a-Se from the sound velocity characteristics using the Birch–Murnaghan equation of state, and the results agreed well with those of previous reports. In situ high-pressure Raman scattering measurements of a-Se were conducted in a diamond anvil cell with an 830 nm excitation line up to a pressure of 4.3 GPa. We found that the characteristic band of a-Se at ∼250 cm{sup −1} experienced a smooth shift to a lower frequency with pressure, but a sharp slope change in the band intensity versus pressure occurred near 2.5 GPa. The results of X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry measurements indicate that the samples remain in their amorphous states after decompression. Thus, we proposed that the abnormal compression behavior of a-Se in the 2.0–2.5 GPa range can be attributed to pressure-induced local atomic reconfiguration, implying an amorphous-amorphous transition of the elementary selenium.

Influence of a high vacuum on the precise positioning using an ultrasonic linear motor.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Wan-Soo; Lee, Dong-Jin; Lee, Sun-Kyu

2011-01-01

This paper presents an investigation of the ultrasonic linear motor stage for use in a high vacuum environment. The slider table is driven by the hybrid bolt-clamped Langevin-type ultrasonic linear motor, which is excited with its different modes of natural frequencies in both lateral and longitudinal directions. In general, the friction behavior in a vacuum environment becomes different from that in an environment of atmospheric pressure and this difference significantly affects the performance of the ultrasonic linear motor. In this paper, to consistently provide stable and high power of output in a high vacuum, frequency matching was conducted. Moreover, to achieve the fine control performance in the vacuum environment, a modified nominal characteristic trajectory following control method was adopted. Finally, the stage was operated under high vacuum condition, and the operating performances were investigated compared with that of a conventional PI compensator. As a result, robustness of positioning was accomplished in a high vacuum condition with nanometer-level accuracy.

Influence of a high vacuum on the precise positioning using an ultrasonic linear motor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Wan-Soo; Lee, Dong-Jin; Lee, Sun-Kyu

2011-01-01

This paper presents an investigation of the ultrasonic linear motor stage for use in a high vacuum environment. The slider table is driven by the hybrid bolt-clamped Langevin-type ultrasonic linear motor, which is excited with its different modes of natural frequencies in both lateral and longitudinal directions. In general, the friction behavior in a vacuum environment becomes different from that in an environment of atmospheric pressure and this difference significantly affects the performance of the ultrasonic linear motor. In this paper, to consistently provide stable and high power of output in a high vacuum, frequency matching was conducted. Moreover, to achieve the fine control performance in the vacuum environment, a modified nominal characteristic trajectory following control method was adopted. Finally, the stage was operated under high vacuum condition, and the operating performances were investigated compared with that of a conventional PI compensator. As a result, robustness of positioning was accomplished in a high vacuum condition with nanometer-level accuracy.

High Performance Relaxor-Based Ferroelectric Single Crystals for Ultrasonic Transducer Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Chen

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Relaxor-based ferroelectric single crystals Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT have drawn much attention in the ferroelectric field because of their excellent piezoelectric properties and high electromechanical coupling coefficients (d33~2000 pC/N, kt~60% near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB. Ternary Pb(In1/2Nb1/2O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3O3-PbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT single crystals also possess outstanding performance comparable with PMN-PT single crystals, but have higher phase transition temperatures (rhombohedral to tetragonal Trt, and tetragonal to cubic Tc and larger coercive field Ec. Therefore, these relaxor-based single crystals have been extensively employed for ultrasonic transducer applications. In this paper, an overview of our work and perspectives on using PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT single crystals for ultrasonic transducer applications is presented. Various types of single-element ultrasonic transducers, including endoscopic transducers, intravascular transducers, high-frequency and high-temperature transducers fabricated using the PMN-PT and PIN-PMN-PT crystals and their 2-2 and 1-3 composites are reported. Besides, the fabrication and characterization of the array transducers, such as phased array, cylindrical shaped linear array, high-temperature linear array, radial endoscopic array, and annular array, are also addressed.

Ultrasonic degradation of butadiene, styrene and their copolymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sathiskumar, P S; Madras, Giridhar

2012-05-01

Ultrasonic degradation of commercially important polymers, styrene-butadiene (SBR) rubber, acrylonitrile-butadiene (NBR) rubber, styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN), polybutadiene rubber and polystyrene were investigated. The molecular weight distributions were measured using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). A model based on continuous distribution kinetics approach was used to study the time evolution of molecular weight distribution for these polymers during degradation. The effect of solvent properties and ultrasound intensity on the degradation of SBR rubber was investigated using different pure solvents and mixed solvents of varying volatility and different ultrasonic intensities. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimization design of high power ultrasonic circular ring radiator in coupled vibration.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Long; Lin, Shuyu; Hu, Wenxu

2011-10-01

This paper presents a new high power ultrasonic (HPU) radiator, which consists of a transducer, an ultrasonic horn, and a metal circular ring. Both the transducer and horn in longitudinal vibrations are used to drive a metal circular ring in a radial-axial coupled vibration. This coupled vibration cannot only generate ultrasound in both the radial and axial directions, but also focus the ultrasound inside the circular ring. Except for the radial-axial coupled vibration mode, the third longitudinal harmonic vibration mode with relative large vibration amplitude is also detected, which can be used as another operation mode. Overall, the HPU with these two vibration modes should have good potential to be applied in liquid processing, such as sonochemistry, ultrasonic cleaning, and Chinese herbal medicine extraction. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

ULTRASONIC ASSEMBLY [REVIEW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PORAV Viorica

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The paper exposes the possibility of machine producesers to optimize the costs of clothes assembling. Ultrasonic systems being frequently utilized have many advantages on semi products of synthetic textile and technical textile. First of all, sewing – cutting process can be accomplished under high speeds and rate of losses can be minimized. Cutting seal applications are frequently used for underwear and sportswear. Slicing and unit cutting machines, as well as portable sealing machines are available for labeling sector. Products such as bag, pocket and cover can be sewed in a seamless manner for promotion purposes. All objects in terms of accessories are obtained in same standard. Our quilting machines are preferred in worldwide due to its threadless, high quality sealing. An alternative to the classic sewing assembly, with thread and needles is ultrasonic seaming. In ultrasonic welding, there are no connective bolts, nails, soldering materials, or adhesives necessary to bind the materials together. Ultrasonic is defined as acoustic frequencies above the range audible to the human ear. Ultrasonic frequencies are administered to the fabric from the sonotrode of bonding machine. The high frequency and powerful energy produced, when is release in one special environment, the ultrasound heating this environment. The ability to ultrasonic weld textiles and films depend on their thermoplastic contents and the desired end results. The paper defines the weld ability of more common textiles and films. The welding refers to all types of bonding and sealing, as in point bonding of fabric, or continuous sealing of film.

Effects of high power ultrasonic vibration on temperature distribution of workpiece in dry creep feed up grinding.

Science.gov (United States)

Paknejad, Masih; Abdullah, Amir; Azarhoushang, Bahman

2017-11-01

Temperature history and distribution of steel workpiece (X20Cr13) was measured by a high tech infrared camera under ultrasonic assisted dry creep feed up grinding. For this purpose, a special experimental setup was designed and fabricated to vibrate only workpiece along two directions by a high power ultrasonic transducer. In this study, ultrasonic effects with respect to grinding parameters including depth of cut (a e ), feed speed (v w ), and cutting speed (v s ) has been investigated. The results indicate that the ultrasonic vibration has considerable effect on reduction of temperature, depth of thermal damage of workpiece and width of temperature contours. Maximum temperature reduction of 25.91% was reported at condition of v s =15m/s, v w =500mm/min, a e =0.4mm in the presence of ultrasonic vibration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonic measurement of high burn-up fuel elastic properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laux, D.; Despaux, G.; Augereau, F.; Attal, J.; Gatt, J.; Basini, V.

2006-01-01

The ultrasonic method developed for the evaluation of high burn-up fuel elastic properties is presented hereafter. The objective of the method is to provide data for fuel thermo-mechanical calculation codes in order to improve industrial nuclear fuel and materials or to design new reactor components. The need for data is especially crucial for high burn-up fuel modelling for which the fuel mechanical properties are essential and for which a wide range of experiments in MTR reactors and high burn-up commercial reactor fuel examinations have been included in programmes worldwide. To contribute to the acquisition of this knowledge the LAIN activity is developing in two directions. First one is development of an ultrasonic focused technique adapted to active materials study. This technique was used few years ago in the EdF laboratory in Chinon to assess the ageing of materials under irradiation. It is now used in a hot cell at ITU Karlsruhe to determine the elastic moduli of high burnup fuels from 0 to 110 GWd/tU. Some of this work is presented here. The second on going programme is related to the qualification of acoustic sensors in nuclear environments, which is of a great interest for all the methods, which work, in a hostile nuclear environment

Vapor-liquid equilibrium of ethanol/ethyl acetate mixture in ultrasonic intensified environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahdi, Taha; Ahmad, Arshad; Ripin, Adnan Nasef; Mohamed, Mahmoud [Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru (Malaysia)

2014-05-15

A vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) study was conducted on ethanol/ethylacetate mixture as a preliminary step towards developing an ultrasonic-assisted distillation process for separating azeotropic mixtures. The influence of ultrasonic intensity and frequency on the vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) of the mixture was examined using a combination of four ultrasonic intensities in range of 100-400W/cm{sup 2} and three frequencies ranging from 25-68 kHz. The sonication was found to have significant impacts on the VLE of the system as it alters both the relative volatility and azeotrope point, with preference to lower frequency operation. A maximum relative volatility of 2.32 was obtained at an intensity of 300 W/cm{sup 2} and a frequency of 25 kHz coupled with complete elimination of ethanol-ethyl acetate azeotrope. Results from this work were also congruent with some experimental and theoretical works presented in the literature. These findings set a good beginning towards the development of an ultrasonic assisted distillation that is currently in progress.

Vapor-liquid equilibrium of ethanol/ethyl acetate mixture in ultrasonic intensified environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahdi, Taha; Ahmad, Arshad; Ripin, Adnan Nasef; Mohamed, Mahmoud

2014-01-01

A vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) study was conducted on ethanol/ethylacetate mixture as a preliminary step towards developing an ultrasonic-assisted distillation process for separating azeotropic mixtures. The influence of ultrasonic intensity and frequency on the vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) of the mixture was examined using a combination of four ultrasonic intensities in range of 100-400W/cm 2 and three frequencies ranging from 25-68 kHz. The sonication was found to have significant impacts on the VLE of the system as it alters both the relative volatility and azeotrope point, with preference to lower frequency operation. A maximum relative volatility of 2.32 was obtained at an intensity of 300 W/cm 2 and a frequency of 25 kHz coupled with complete elimination of ethanol-ethyl acetate azeotrope. Results from this work were also congruent with some experimental and theoretical works presented in the literature. These findings set a good beginning towards the development of an ultrasonic assisted distillation that is currently in progress

Ultrasonic process for detoxification of groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Jiann M.; Huang, H.S.; Livengood, C.D.

1991-01-01

In this paper, we present the results of an investigation of the ultrasonic irradiation of carbon tetrachloride at various pH values, temperatures, and power intensities. Kinetic data and selected chemical mechanism are discussed and proposed. To study oxidant efficiency, chemical oxidants, such as hydrogen peroxide, are also considered. This work is part of a project entitled ''Ultrasonic Process for Detoxification of Groundwater and Soil,'' sponsored by the US Department of Energy, Office of Technology Development, to develop an innovative process for the effective destruction of chlorinated organics in soil and groundwater

Moths are not silent, but whisper ultrasonic courtship songs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nakano, R; Takanashi, T; Fujii, T

2009-01-01

) were recently shown to whisper extremely low-intensity ultrasonic courtship songs close to females. Since low sound levels will prevent eavesdropping by predators, parasites and conspecific rivals, we predicted low intensity ultrasound communication to be widespread among moths. Here we tested 13...... species of moths including members of the Noctuidae, Arctiidae, Geometridae and Crambidae. Males of nine species, 70%, produced broadband ultrasound close to females. Peak frequencies ranged from 38 to above 100 kHz. All sounds were of low intensity, 43-76 dB SPL at 1 cm [64+/-10 dB peSPL (mean +/- s......Ultrasonic hearing is widespread among moths, but very few moth species have been reported to produce ultrasounds for sexual communication. In those that do, the signals are intense and thus well matched for long distance communication. By contrast, males of the Asian corn borer moth (Crambidae...

The potential of high resolution ultrasonic in-situ methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuster, K.

2010-01-01

Document available in extended abstract form only. In the framework of geomechanical assessment of final repository underground openings the knowledge of geophysical rock parameters are of importance. Ultrasonic methods proved to be good geophysical tools to provide appropriate high resolution parameters for the characterisation of rock. In this context the detection and characterisation of rock heterogeneities at different scales, including the Excavation Damaged/disturbed Zone (EDZ/EdZ) features, play an important role. Especially, kinematic and dynamic parameters derived from ultrasonic measurements can be linked very close to rock mechanic investigations and interpretations. BGR uses high resolution ultrasonic methods, starting with emitted frequencies of about 1 kHz (seismic) and going up to about 100 kHz. The method development is going on and appropriate research and investigations are performed since many years at different European radioactive waste disposal related underground research laboratories in different potential host rocks. The most frequented are: Mont Terri Rock Laboratory, Switzerland (Opalinus Clay, OPA), Underground Research Laboratory Meuse/Haute- Marne, France (Callovo-Oxfordian, COX), Underground Research Facility Mol, Belgium (Boom Clay, BC), Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory, Sweden (granites), Rock Laboratory Grimsel, Switzerland (granites) and Asse salt mine, Germany (rock salt). The methods can be grouped into borehole based methods and noninvasive methods like refraction and reflection methods, which are performed in general from the drift wall. Additionally, as a combination of these both methods a sort of vertical seismic profiling (VSP) is applied. The best qualified method, or a combination of methods, have to be chosen according to the scientific questions and the local site conditions. The degree of spatial resolution of zones of interest or any kind of anomaly depends strongly on the distance of these objects to the ultrasonic

Adaptive Process Controls and Ultrasonics for High Temperature PEM MEA Manufacture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walczyk, Daniel F. [Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)

2015-08-26

The purpose of this 5-year DOE-sponsored project was to address major process bottlenecks associated with fuel cell manufacturing. New technologies were developed to significantly reduce pressing cycle time for high temperature PEM membrane electrode assembly (MEA) through the use of novel, robust ultrasonic (U/S) bonding processes along with low temperature (<100°C) PEM MEAs. In addition, greater manufacturing uniformity and performance was achieved through (a) an investigation into the causes of excessive variation in ultrasonically and thermally bonded MEAs using more diagnostics applied during the entire fabrication and cell build process, and (b) development of rapid, yet simple quality control measurement techniques for use by industry.

The influence of ultrasonic waves on molecular structure of high impact polystyrene solutions in different solvents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Asaly, S.I.

1991-01-01

The aim of the this research is to study some physical properties of polymer solutions of high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) solutions in two different solvents (carbon tetrachloride, xylene) by using ultrasonic technique. Absorption coefficient and velocity of ultrasonic waves through different concentrations of these solutions were measured using ultrasonic pulsed generator at constant frequency (800) KHz. The result implies that there is no chemical interaction between (HIPS) molecules and the solvents. 5 tabs.; 18 figs.; 59 refs

In situ ultrasonic examination of high-strength steam generator support bolts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jusino, A.

1985-01-01

Currently employed high-strength steam generator support bolting material (designed prior to ASME Section III Part NF or Component Supports), 38.1 mm in diameter, in combination with high preloads are susceptible to stress corrosion cracking because of the relatively low stress corrosion resistance (K/sub ISCC/) properties. These bolts are part of the pressurized water reactor steam generator supports at the integral support pads (three per steam generator, with each pad housing six, eight, or ten bolts depending on the design). The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission concerns for high-strength bolting were identified in NUREG-0577, ''Potential for Low Fracture Toughness and Laminar Tearing in PWR Steam Generator and Reactor Coolant Pump Supports,'' which was issued for comment on unresolved safety issue A-12. Subsequently, the bolting issues were addressed in generic issue B29. One of the issues deals specifically with high-strength bolting materials, which are vulnerable to stress corrosion cracking. A Westinghouse Owners Group funded program was established to develop in situ ultrasonic examination techniques to determine steam generator support bolting integrity at the head-to-shank and first-thread locations. This program was established in order to determine bolting integrity in place. Ultrasonic techniques were developed for both socket-head and flat-head bolt configurations. As a result of this program, in situ ultrasonic examination techniques were developed for examination of PWR steam generator support bolts. By employing these techniques utilities will be able to ensure the integrity of this in-place bolting without incurring the costs previously experienced during removal for surface examinations

Ultrasonic Testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Hyeong Jun; Kuk, Jeong Han

2002-02-15

This book introduces ultrasonic testing, which tells of outline of ultrasonic testing, principle of ultrasonic testing, prosperities of ultrasonic waves, radiographic test and ultrasonic test, basic theory on ultrasonic testing, mode conversion, transmission and diffraction, ultrasonic flaw detection and probe, standard test piece and reference test piece, like KS(JIS) ASME and ASTM, classification and properties of ultrasonic testing, straight beam method, angle beam method, ASME SEC.V.Art.5 ASTMA 388 and KS B 0817 Korean industrial standard.

A Delay Time Measurement of ULTRAS (Ultra-high Temperature Ultrasonic Response Analysis System) for a High Temperature Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, Kil Mo; Kim, Sang Baik

2010-01-01

The temperature measurement of very high temperature core melt is of importance in a high temperature as the molten pool experiment in which gap formation between core melt and the reactor lower head, and the effect of the gap on thermal behavior are to be measured. The existing temperature measurement techniques have some problems, which the thermocouple, one of the contact methods, is restricted to under 2000 .deg. C, and the infrared thermometry, one of the non-contact methods, is unable to measure an internal temperature and very sensitive to the interference from reacted gases. In order to solve these problems, the delay time technique of ultrasonic wavelets due to high temperature has two sorts of stage. As a first stage, a delay time measurement of ULTRAS (Ultra-high Temperature Ultrasonic Response Analysis System) is suggested. As a second stage, a molten material temperature was measured up to 2300 .deg. C. Also, the optimization design of the UTS (ultrasonic temperature sensor) with persistence at the high temperature was suggested in this paper. And the utilization of the theory suggested in this paper and the efficiency of the developed system are performed by special equipment and some experiments supported by KRISS (Korea Research Institute of Standard and Science)

Enhancing Biodiesel from Kemiri Sunan Oil Manufacturing using Ultrasonics

Science.gov (United States)

Supriyadi, Slamet; Purwanto; Anggoro, Didi Dwi; Hermawan

2018-02-01

Kemiri Sunan (Reutalis trisperma (Blanco) Airy Shaw) is a potential plant to be developed as biodiesel feedstock. The advantage of Kemiri Sunan seeds when compared to other biodiesel raw materials is their high oil content. This plant is also very good for land conservation. Due the increasingly demand for biodiesel, research and new methods to increase its biodiesel production continue to be undertaken. The weakness of conventional biodiesel manufacturing process is in the mixing process in which mechanical stirring and heating in the trans-esterification process require more energy and a longer time. A higher and stronger mixing process is required to increase the contact area between the two phases of the mixed substance to produce the emulsion. Ultrasonic is a tool that can be useful for a liquid mixing process that tends to be separated. Ultrasonic waves can cause mixing intensity at the micro level and increase mass transfer, so the reaction can be performed at a much faster rate. This study is to figure out the effect of ultrasonic irradiation on the transesterification process of biodiesel from Kemiri Sunan Oil.

Note: Decoupling design for high frequency piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers with their clamping connections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, F. J., E-mail: wangfujun@tju.edu.cn; Liang, C. M.; Tian, Y. L.; Zhao, X. Y.; Zhang, D. W. [Tianjin Key Laboratory of Equipment Design and Manufacturing Technology, School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Zhang, H. J. [Tianjin Key Laboratory of Modern Mechatronics Equipment Technology, School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387 (China)

2015-12-15

This work presents the flexure-mechanism based decoupling design between high frequency piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers and their clamping connections to improve ultrasonic energy transmission efficiency. The ring, prismatic beam, and circular notched hinge based flanges were presented, and the crucial geometric dimensions of the transducers with the flexure decoupling flanges were determined. Finite element analysis (FEA) was carried out to investigate the dynamic characteristics of the transducers. Finally, experiments were conducted to examine and verify the effects of the proposed decoupling flanges. FEA and experimental results show that smaller frequency deviations and larger tip displacement amplitudes have been achieved by using the transducers with the flexure flanges compared with the transducer with a rigid ring-type flange, and thus the ultrasonic transmission efficiency can be improved through the flexure flanges.

Development of ultrasonic high temperature system for severe accidents research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, Kil Mo; Kang, Kyung Ho; Kim, Young Ro and others

2000-07-01

The aims of this study are to find a gap formation between corium melt and the reactor lower head vessel, to verify the principle of the gap formation and to analyze the effect of the gap formation on the thermal behavior of corium melt and the lower plenum. This report aims at suggesting development of a new high temperature measuring system using an ultrasonic method which overcomes the limitations of the present thermocouple method used for severe accident experiments. Also, this report describes the design and manufacturing method of the ultrasonic system. At that time, the sensor element is fabricated to a reflective element using 1mm diameter and 50 mm and 80 mm long tungsten alloy wires. This temperature measuring system is intended to measure up to 2800 deg C

A New High-Temperature Ultrasonic Transducer for Continuous Inspection.

Science.gov (United States)

Amini, Mohammad Hossein; Sinclair, Anthony N; Coyle, Thomas W

2016-03-01

A novel design of piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer is introduced, suitable for operation at temperatures of up to 700 °C-800 °C. Lithium niobate single crystal is chosen as the piezoelectric element primarily due to the high Curie temperature of 1200 °C. A backing element based on a porous ceramic is designed for which the pore volume fraction and average pore diameter in the ceramic matrix can be controlled in the manufacturing process; this enables the acoustic impedance and attenuation to be selected to match their optimal values as predicted by a one-dimensional transducer model of the entire transducer. Porous zirconia is selected as the ceramic matrix material of the backing element to obtain an ultrasonic signal with center frequency of 2.7-3 MHz, and 3-dB bandwidth of 90%-95% at the targeted operating temperature. Acoustic coupling of the piezocrystal to the backing element and matching layer is investigated using commercially available high-temperature adhesives and brazing alloys. The performance of the transducer as a function of temperature is studied. Stable bonding and clear signals were obtained using an aluminum brazing alloy as the bonding agent.

Role of ultrasonic irradiation on transesterification of palm oil using calcium oxide as a solid base catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poosumas, Jutipong; Ngaosuwan, Kanokwan; Quitain, Armando T.; Assabumrungrat, Suttichai

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Transesterification of palm oil using a circulated continuous flow ultrasonic reactor. • Heterogeneous system using CaO as catalyst. • Effects of ultrasonic frequency and power, and catalyst reusability were considered. • A single high frequency and high intensity irradiation is favorable for heterogeneous system. - Abstract: Biodiesel production from transesterification of palm oil using a circulated continuous flow ultrasonic reactor was investigated. Transesterification was carried out at 60 °C, 1 atm and a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 9:1. The highest reaction rate was achieved at the catalyst loading of 2 wt%, and biodiesel yield constantly increased until transesterification equilibrium (about 80%) was reached. A higher ultrasonic frequency (50 kHz) promoted the heterogeneously catalyzed transesterification of refined palm oil, because the three-phase system (packed solid catalyst, methanol and oil) required more spatial distribution by ultrasonic irradiation. Moreover, the highest ultrasonic power also provided highest transesterification rate and biodiesel yield due to cavitation activity enhancement. Reusability of calcium oxide catalysts was also investigated, and results showed that this can be reused to provide high biodiesel yield for at least three operations with slight decrease in the rate of reaction due to counter balance effect of organic compounds deposition on the catalyst surface. The results from this study can be a basis for scaling up of the process to industrial scale.

Ultrasonic Stir Welding

Science.gov (United States)

Nabors, Sammy

2015-01-01

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) developed Ultrasonic Stir Welding (USW) to join large pieces of very high-strength metals such as titanium and Inconel. USW, a solid-state weld process, improves current thermal stir welding processes by adding high-power ultrasonic (HPU) energy at 20 kHz frequency. The addition of ultrasonic energy significantly reduces axial, frictional, and shear forces; increases travel rates; and reduces wear on the stir rod, which results in extended stir rod life. The USW process decouples the heating, stirring, and forging elements found in the friction stir welding process allowing for independent control of each process element and, ultimately, greater process control and repeatability. Because of the independent control of USW process elements, closed-loop temperature control can be integrated into the system so that a constant weld nugget temperature can be maintained during welding.

Internal ultrasonic inspection of flexible pipe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baltzersen, O. (IKU Petroleumsforskning A/S, Trondheim (Norway) Norwegian Inst. of Tech., Trondheim (Norway). Div. of Petroleum Engineering and Applied Geophysics); Waag, T.I. (IKU Petroleumsforskning A/S, Trondheim (Norway))

1993-10-01

Methods for internal ultrasonic inspection of flexible pipe have been investigated through experiments with a short sample of Coflexip pipe. Ultrasonic backscatter methods using normal and non-normal incidence have been used for qualitative high contrast ultrasonic imaging of the inner surface of the pipe. Analysis of the internal cross-section has been performed based on the use of a non-contact ultrasonic caliper, and processing procedures which enable calculation of, and compensation for, eccentricity of the tool in the pipe. The methods developed can be used to quantitatively estimate the thickness of the internal carcass, and perform high resolution topographic mapping of the inner surface. (Author)

High-quality fiber fabrication in buffered hydrofluoric acid solution with ultrasonic agitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Nianbing; Liao, Qiang; Zhu, Xun; Wang, Yongzhong; Chen, Rong

2013-03-01

An etching method for preparing high-quality fiber-optic sensors using a buffered etchant with ultrasonic agitation is proposed. The effects of etching conditions on the etch rate and surface morphology of the etched fibers are investigated. The effect of surface roughness is discussed on the fibers' optical properties. Linear etching behavior and a smooth fiber surface can be repeatedly obtained by adjusting the ultrasonic power and etchant pH. The fibers' spectral quality is improved as the ratio of the pit depth to size decreases, and the fibers with smooth surfaces are more sensitive to a bacterial suspension than those with rough surfaces.

Ultrasonic partial discharge monitoring method on instrument transformers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kartalović Nenad

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Sonic and ultrasonic partial discharge monitoring have been applied since the early days of these phenomena monitoring. Modern measurement and partial discharge acoustic (ultrasonic and sonic monitoring method has been rapidly evolving as a result of new electronic component design, information technology and updated software solutions as well as the development of knowledge in the partial discharge diagnosis. Electrical discharges in the insulation system generate voltage-current pulses in the network and ultrasonic waves that propagate through the insulation system and structure. Amplitude-phase-frequency analysis of these signals reveals information about the intensity, type and location of partial discharges. The paper discusses the possibility of ultrasonic method selectivity improvement and the increase of diagnosis reliability in the field. Measurements were performed in the laboratory and in the field while a number of transformers were analysed for dissolved gases in the oil. A comparative review of methods for the partial discharge detection is also presented in this paper.

Remote consulting based on ultrasonic digital immages and dynamic ultrasonic sequences

Science.gov (United States)

Margan, Anamarija; Rustemović, Nadan

2006-03-01

Telematic ultrasonic diagnostics is a relatively new tool in providing health care to patients in remote, islolated communities. Our project facility, "The Virtual Polyclinic - A Specialists' Consulting Network for the Islands", is located on the island of Cres in the Adriatic Sea in Croatia and has been extending telemedical services to the archipelago population since 2000. Telemedicine applications include consulting services by specialists at the University Clinical Hospital Center Rebro in Zagreb and at "Magdalena", a leading cardiology clinic in Croatia. After several years of experience with static high resolution ultrasonic digital immages for referral consulting diagnostics purposes, we now also use dynamic ultrasonic sequences in a project with the Department of Emmergency Gastroenterology at Rebro in Zagreb. The aim of the ongoing project is to compare the advantages and shortcomings in transmitting static ultrasonic digital immages and live sequences of ultrasonic examination in telematic diagnostics. Ultrasonic examination is a dynamic process in which the diagnostic accuracy is highly dependent on the dynamic moment of an ultrasound probe and signal. Our first results indicate that in diffuse parenchymal organ pathology the progression and the follow up of a disease is better presented to a remote consulting specialist by dynamic ultrasound sequences. However, the changes that involve only one part of a parenchymal organ can be suitably presented by static ultrasonic digital images alone. Furthermore, we need less time for digital imaging and such tele-consultations overall are more economical. Our previous telemedicine research and practice proved that we can greatly improve the level of medical care in remote healthcare facilities and cut healthcare costs considerably. The experience in the ongoing project points to a conclusion that we can further optimize remote diagnostics benefits by a right choice of telematic application thus reaching a

Mechanisms and kinetics models for ultrasonic waste activated sludge disintegration.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fen; Wang, Yong; Ji, Min

2005-08-31

Ultrasonic energy can be applied as pre-treatment to disintegrate sludge flocs and disrupt bacterial cells' walls, and the hydrolysis can be improved, so that the rate of sludge digestion and methane production is improved. In this paper, by adding NaHCO3 to mask the oxidizing effect of OH, the mechanisms of disintegration are investigated. In addition, kinetics models for ultrasonic sludge disintegration are established by applying multi-variable linear regression method. It has been found that hydro-mechanical shear forces predominantly responsible for the disintegration, and the contribution of oxidizing effect of OH increases with the amount of the ultrasonic density and ultrasonic intensity. It has also been inferred from the kinetics model which dependent variable is SCOD+ that both sludge pH and sludge concentration significantly affect the disintegration.

Application of ultrasonic extraction method in the preparation of the directive action beverage from black currant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. S. Rodionova

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article presents the results of experimental determination of physical-and chemical parameters, the amount of anthocyanins, the definition of color and organoleptic characteristics of the beverage prepared with ultrasonic extraction method in comparison with the fruit-drink, obtained according to traditional recipe. Black currant was chosen the main raw material for the development of the beverage production technology. It is characterized by a high content of bioactive components that increase the adaptive abilities of human body. The purpose is to use ultrasonic extraction method in the preparation of functionally directed actions beverages. Extractor with submerged ultrasonic emitter was used as an experimental device. The essence of its operation is as follows: a mixture of the extractant and the plant substrate in different ratios was loaded into a container with the emitter, then the ultrasonic generator was turned on. The vibrations of ultrasonic frequency (22 kHz made high-frequency mechanical vibrations that caused the formation of intense cavitation areas and diffuse dissolution of cell substrates in the extractant in the treated mixture. The ultrasonic extraction technique involves brief contact of berries and extractant (up to 15 minutes upon application of ultrasonic vibrations. With an increase in exposure time, the yield of biologically active substances increases to reach an equilibrium state corresponding to the most complete exhaustion of raw materials. All this leads to a significant acceleration of the transition from the active ingredients from the raw materials into the extractant to obtain a product with improved physical - and chemical, organoleptic characteristics, as well as a higher antioxidant activity.

Control of treatment size in cavitation-enhanced high-intensity focused ultrasound using radio-frequency echo signals

Science.gov (United States)

Tomiyasu, Kentaro; Takagi, Ryo; Iwasaki, Ryosuke; Yoshizawa, Shin; Umemura, Shin-ichiro

2017-07-01

In high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment, controlling the ultrasound dose at each focal target spot is important because it is a problem that the length of the coagulated region in front of the focal point deviates owing to the differences in absorption in each focal target spot and attenuation in the intervening tissues. In this study, the detected changes in the power spectra of HIFU echoes were used by controlling the HIFU duration in the “trigger HIFU” sequence with the aim to increase coagulation size through the enhancement of the ultrasonic heating by the cavitation induced by the preceding extremely high intensity short “trigger” pulse. The result shows that this method can be used to detect boiling bubbles and the following generated cavitation bubbles at their early stage. By automatically stopping HIFU exposure immediately after detecting the bubbles, overheating was prevented and the deviation of the length of the coagulated region was reduced.

Advance High Temperature Inspection Capabilities for Small Modular Reactors: Part 1 - Ultrasonics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bond, Leonard J. [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States); Bowler, John R. [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

2017-08-30

The project objective was to investigate the development non-destructive evaluation techniques for advanced small modular reactors (aSMR), where the research sought to provide key enabling inspection technologies needed to support the design and maintenance of reactor component performance. The project tasks for the development of inspection techniques to be applied to small modular reactor are being addressed through two related activities. The first is focused on high temperature ultrasonic transducers development (this report Part 1) and the second is focused on an advanced eddy current inspection capability (Part 2). For both inspection techniques the primary aim is to develop in-service inspection techniques that can be carried out under standby condition in a fast reactor at a temperature of approximately 250°C in the presence of liquid sodium. The piezoelectric material and the bonding between layers have been recognized as key factors fundamental for development of robust ultrasonic transducers. Dielectric constant characterization of bismuth scantanate-lead titanate ((1-x)BiScO₃-xPbTiO₃) (BS-PT) has shown a high Curie temperature in excess of 450°C , suitable for hot stand-by inspection in liquid metal reactors. High temperature pulse-echo contact measurements have been performed with BS-PT bonded to 12.5 mm thick 1018-low carbon steel plate from 20C up to 260 C. High temperature air-backed immersion transducers have been developed with BS-PT, high temperature epoxy and quarter wavlength nickel plate, needed for wetting ability in liquid sodium. Ultrasonic immersion measurements have been performed in water up to 92C and in silicone oil up to 140C. Physics based models have been validated with room temperature experimental data with benchmark artifical defects.

Combined microfluidization and ultrasonication: a synergistic protocol for high-efficient processing of SWCNT dispersions with high quality

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luo, Sida, E-mail: s.luo@buaa.edu.cn [Beihang University, School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation (China); Liu, Tao, E-mail: tliu@fsu.edu [Florida State University, High-Performance Materials Institute (United States); Wang, Yong; Li, Liuhe [Beihang University, School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation (China); Wang, Guantao; Luo, Yun [China University of Geosciences, Center of Safety Research, School of Engineering and Technology (China)

2016-08-15

High-efficient and large-scale production of high-quality CNT dispersions is necessary for meeting the future needs to develop various CNT-based electronic devices. Herein, we have designed novel processing protocols by combining conventional ultrasonication process with a new microfluidization technique to produce high-quality SWCNT dispersions with improved processing efficiency. To judge the quality of SWCNT dispersions, one critical factor is the degree of exfoliation, which could be quantified by both geometrical dimension of the exfoliated nanotubes and percentage of individual tubes in a given dispersion. In this paper, the synergistic effect of the combined protocols was systematically investigated through evaluating SWCNT dispersions with newly developed characterization techniques, namely preparative ultracentrifuge method (PUM) and simultaneous Raman scattering and photoluminescence spectroscopy (SRSPL). The results of both techniques draw similar conclusions that as compared with either of the processes operated separately, a low-pass microfluidization followed by a reasonable duration of ultrasonication could substantially improve the processing efficiency to produce high-quality SWCNT dispersions with averaged particle length and diameter as small as ~600 and ~2 nm, respectively.Graphical abstract.

High Temperature Ultrasonic Transducer for Real-time Inspection

Science.gov (United States)

Amini, Mohammad Hossein; Sinclair, Anthony N.; Coyle, Thomas W.

A broadband ultrasonic transducer with a novel porous ceramic backing layer is introduced to operate at 700 °C. 36° Y-cut lithium niobate (LiNbO3) single crystal was selected for the piezoelectric element. By appropriate choice of constituent materials, porosity and pore size, the acoustic impedance and attenuation of a zirconia-based backing layer were optimized. An active brazing alloy with high temperature and chemical stability was selected to bond the transducer layers together. Prototype transducers have been tested at temperatures up to 700 °C. The experiments confirmed that transducer integrity was maintained.

Development of a High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) Hydrophone System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schafer, Mark E.; Gessert, James

2009-01-01

The growing clinical use of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) has driven a need for reliable, reproducible measurements of HIFU acoustic fields. We have previously presented data on a reflective scatterer approach, incorporating several novel features for improved bandwidth, reliability, and reproducibility [Proc. 2005 IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium, 1739-1742]. We now report on several design improvements which have increase the signal to noise ratio of the system, and potentially reduced the cost of implementation. For the scattering element, we now use an artificial sapphire material to provide a more uniform radiating surface. The receiver is a segmented, truncated spherical structure with a 10 cm radius; the scattering element is positioned at the center of the sphere. The receiver is made from 25 micron thick, biaxially stretched PVDF, with a Pt-Au electrode on the front surface. In the new design, a specialized backing material provides the stiffness required to maintain structural stability, while at the same time providing both electrical shielding and ultrasonic absorption. Compared with the previous version, the new receiver design has improved the noise performance by 8-12 dB; the new scattering sphere has reduced the scattering loss by another 14 dB, producing an effective sensitivity of -298 dB re 1 microVolt/Pa. The design trade-off still involves receiver sensitivity with effective spot size, and signal distortion from the scatter structure. However, the reduced cost and improved repeatability of the new scatter approach makes the overall design more robust for routine waveform measurements of HIFU systems.

Ultrasonic testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Sung Jin [Sungkwunkwan Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Jeong, Hyun Jo [Wonkwang Univ., Iksan (Korea, Republic of)

2004-02-15

For the proper performance of ultrasonic testing of steel welded joints, and anisotropic material it is necessary to have sound understanding on the underlying physics. To provide such an understanding, it is beneficial to have simulation tools for ultrasonic testing. In order to address such a need, we develop effective approaches to simulate angle beam ultrasonic testing with a personal computer. The simulation is performed using ultrasonic measurement models based on the computationally efficient multi-Gaussian beams. This reach will describe the developed ultrasonic testing models together with the experimental verification of their accuracy.

A novel contra propagating ultrasonic flowmeter using glad buffer rods for high temperature measurement. Application to the oil and gas industries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Franca, Demartonne R. [Brasilia Univ., DF (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Eletrica; Cheng-Kuei Jen; Yuu Ono [National Research Council (NRC), Quebec (Canada). Industrial Materials Institute

2005-07-01

Ultrasonic techniques are attractive for process monitoring and control because they are non-intrusive, robust and inexpensive. Two common concerns limiting the high temperature performance of conventional ultrasonic systems for flow measurement are related to transducers and couplants. A suitable approach to overcoming this drawback is to insert a thermal isolating buffer rod with good ultrasonic performance (e.g., high signal-to-noise ratio). This requirement is important because, a priori, the noises generated in the buffer rod may bury the desired signals, so that no meaningful information is extracted. Besides protecting the ultrasonic transducers from overheating in applications such as high temperature flow measurements, buffer rods are also a solution for the couplant between the probe and tested sample, since their probing end can be directly wetted by fluids. Here, we propose clad buffer rods driven by shear transducers as the main building block of contra propagating ultrasonic flowmeters for high temperature application. It is demonstrated that the superior signal-to-noise ratio exhibit by clad buffer rods compared to the reported non-clad counterparts improve precision in transit-time measurement, leading to more accurate flow speed determination. In addition, it is shown that clad buffer rods generate specific ultrasonic signals for temperature calibration of flowmeters, allowing temperature variation while still measuring accurately the flow speed. These results are of interest for the oil and gas industries. (author)

Experimental study of defoaming by air-borne power ultrasonic technology

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez, Germán; Riera, Enrique; Gallego-Juárez, Juan A.; Acosta, Víctor M.; Pinto, Alberto; Martínez, Ignacio; Blanco, Alfonso

2010-01-01

Foam is a dispersion of gas in a liquid in which the distances between the gas bubbles are very small. Foams are frequently generated in the manufacture of many products as result from the aeration and agitation of liquids, from the vaporization of the liquid and also from biological or chemical reactions. Foams are generally an unwanted product in industrial processes because they cause difficulties in process control and in equipment operation. The most efficient conventional method for defoaming is the use of chemical agents but they contaminate the product. High-intensity ultrasonic waves offer a clean procedure to break foam bubbles. The potential use of ultrasound for foam breaking that was known since many years has been recently reinforced by the application of a new type of ultrasonic defoamer based on the stepped-plate high-power transducers to generate air-borne ultrasound. This defoamer has been successfully applied in several industrial problems such as the control of excess foam produced during the filling operation of bottles and cans on high-speed canning lines and in fermenting vessels and other reactors of great dimensions. The treatment of such industrial problems requires the proper characterization and quantification of the main parameters involved in the mechanisms of the defoaming effect. This paper deals with an experimental study about the separate influence of such parameters with the aim of improving the application of the stepped-plate power ultrasonic generators for the production of the defoaming action on industrial processes

Development and evaluation of a novel low power, high frequency piezoelectric-based ultrasonic reactor for intensifying the transesterification reaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mortaza Aghbashlo

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, a novel low power, high frequency piezoelectric-based ultrasonic reactor was developed and evaluated for intensifying the transesterification process. The reactor was equipped with an automatic temperature control system, a heating element, a precise temperature sensor, and a piezoelectric-based ultrasonic module. The conversion efficiency and specific energy consumption of the reactor were examined under different operational conditions, i.e., reactor temperature (40‒60 °C, ultrasonication time (6‒10 min, and alcohol/oil molar ratio (4:1‒8:1. Transesterification of waste cooking oil (WCO was performed in the presence of a base-catalyst (potassium hydroxide using methanol. According to the obtained results, alcohol/oil molar ratio of 6:1, ultrasonication time of 10 min, and reactor temperature of 60 °C were found as the best operational conditions. Under these conditions, the reactor converted WCO to biodiesel with a conversion efficiency of 97.12%, meeting the ASTM standard satisfactorily, while the lowest specific energy consumption of 378 kJ/kg was also recorded. It should be noted that the highest conversion efficiency of 99.3 %, achieved at reactor temperature of 60 °C, ultrasonication time of 10 min, and alcohol/oil molar ratio of 8:1, was not favorable as the associated specific energy consumption was higher at 395 kJ/kg. Overall, the low power, high frequency piezoelectric-based ultrasonic module could be regarded as an efficient and reliable technology for intensifying the transesterification process in terms of energy consumption, conversion efficiency, and processing time, in comparison with high power, low frequency ultrasonic system reported previously. Finally, this technology could also be considered for designing, developing, and retrofitting chemical reactors being employed for non-biofuel applications as well.

A Method of Estimating Pressure and Intensity Distributions of Multielement Phased Array High Intensity Focused Ultrasonic Field at Full Power Using a Needle Hydrophone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Ying; Shen Guofeng; Bai Jingfeng; Chen Yazhu

2011-01-01

The pressure and intensity distribution of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) fields at full power are critical for predicting heating patterns and ensuring safety of the therapy. With the limitations of maximum pressure at the hydrophone and damage from cavitation or thermal effects, it is hard to measure pressure and intensity directly when HIFU is at full power. HIFU-phased arrays are usually composed of large numbers of small elements and the sound power radiated from some of them at full power is measureable using a hydrophone, we grouped them based on the limitation of maximum permissible pressure at the hydrophone and the characteristics of the element arrangement in the array. Then sound field measurement of the group was carried out at full power level. Using the acoustic coherence principle, the pressure and intensity distribution of the array at full power level can be calculated from corresponding values from the groups. With this method, computer simulations and sound field measurement of a 65-element concentric distributed phased array was carried out. The simulation results demonstrate theoretically the feasibility of this method. Measurements on the 65-element phased array also verify the effectiveness of this method for estimating the pressure and intensity distribution of phased array at full power level using a needle hydrophone.

Removal of high concentration p-nitrophenol in aqueous solution by zero valent iron with ultrasonic irradiation (US–ZVI)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lai, Bo; Chen, Zhaoyu; Zhou, Yuexi; Yang, Ping; Wang, Juling; Chen, Zhiqiang

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► High concentration PNP can be reduced into the nontoxic p-aminophenol by US–ZVI. ► High removal efficiency of PNP is resulted from the synergistic reaction of ZVI and US. ► The reaction pathway of PNP in the US–ZVI system is proposed. ► Processing parameters of the US–ZVI system were optimized seriously. -- Abstract: In this study, the US–ZVI system was used to produce the strong reductants including ·H and nascent Fe 2+ ions to eliminate the toxicity of the high concentration p-nitrophenol (PNP) wastewater. The effect of the reactor structure, initial pH, ZVI dosage, ultrasonic power and initial PNP concentration on the removal efficiency of PNP from water was investigated intensively. The results show that a higher removal rate can be obtained by using a conical structure reactor, and the lower initial pH can aid the acceleration of PNP removal rate by using US–ZVI system. Furthermore, the removal efficiencies of PNP increased obviously with the increase of initial ZVI concentration from 0 to 15 g L −1 . Also, the treatment capacity of ZVI was enhanced remarkably by the ultrasonic irradiation, and the US–ZVI system can maintain high treatment efficiency for the high concentration PNP wastewater (500–10,000 mg L −1 ). Meanwhile, the high removal efficiency of PNP was mainly resulted from the synergistic reaction of ZVI and US. At last, the main degradation product (i.e., p-aminophenol) was detected by gas chromatography–mass spectrum (GC–MS). Thus, the reaction pathway of PNP in the US–ZVI system is proposed as a reducing process by the ·H and nascent Fe 2+ ions

Removal of high concentration p-nitrophenol in aqueous solution by zero valent iron with ultrasonic irradiation (US–ZVI)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lai, Bo, E-mail: laibo1981@163.com [School of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065 (China); Chen, Zhaoyu [School of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065 (China); Zhou, Yuexi [Research Center of Water Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Yang, Ping [School of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065 (China); Wang, Juling [Research Center of Water Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Chen, Zhiqiang [State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090 (China)

2013-04-15

Highlights: ► High concentration PNP can be reduced into the nontoxic p-aminophenol by US–ZVI. ► High removal efficiency of PNP is resulted from the synergistic reaction of ZVI and US. ► The reaction pathway of PNP in the US–ZVI system is proposed. ► Processing parameters of the US–ZVI system were optimized seriously. -- Abstract: In this study, the US–ZVI system was used to produce the strong reductants including ·H and nascent Fe{sup 2+} ions to eliminate the toxicity of the high concentration p-nitrophenol (PNP) wastewater. The effect of the reactor structure, initial pH, ZVI dosage, ultrasonic power and initial PNP concentration on the removal efficiency of PNP from water was investigated intensively. The results show that a higher removal rate can be obtained by using a conical structure reactor, and the lower initial pH can aid the acceleration of PNP removal rate by using US–ZVI system. Furthermore, the removal efficiencies of PNP increased obviously with the increase of initial ZVI concentration from 0 to 15 g L{sup −1}. Also, the treatment capacity of ZVI was enhanced remarkably by the ultrasonic irradiation, and the US–ZVI system can maintain high treatment efficiency for the high concentration PNP wastewater (500–10,000 mg L{sup −1}). Meanwhile, the high removal efficiency of PNP was mainly resulted from the synergistic reaction of ZVI and US. At last, the main degradation product (i.e., p-aminophenol) was detected by gas chromatography–mass spectrum (GC–MS). Thus, the reaction pathway of PNP in the US–ZVI system is proposed as a reducing process by the ·H and nascent Fe{sup 2+} ions.

Design of ultrasonic probe and evaluation of ultrasonic waves on E.coli in Sour Cherry Juice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B Hosseinzadeh Samani

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The common method used for juice pasteurization is the thermal method since thermal methods contribute highly to inactivating microbes. However, applying high temperatures would lead to inefficient effects on nutrition and food value. Such effects may include vitamin loss, nutritional flavor loss, non-enzyme browning, and protein reshaping (Kuldiloke, 2002. In order to decrease the adverse effects of the thermal pasteurization method, other methods capable of inactivation of microorganisms can be applied. In doing so, non-thermal methods including pasteurization using high hydrostatic pressure processing (HPP, electrical fields, and ultrasound waves are of interest (Chen and Tseng, 1996. The reason for diminishing microbial count in the presence of ultrasonic waves could be due to the burst of very tiny bubbles developed by ultrasounds which expand quickly and burst in a short time. Due to this burst, special temperature and pressure conditions are developed which could initiate or intensify several physical and/or chemical reactions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the non-thermal ultrasonic method and its effective factors on the E.coli bacteria of sour cherry. Materials and methods: In order to supply uniform ultrasonic waves, a 1000 W electric generator (Model MPI, Switzerland working at 20±1 kHz frequency was used. The aim of this study is to evaluate the non-thermal ultrasonic method and its effective factors on the E.coli bacteria of sour cherry. For this purpose, a certain amount of sour cherry fruit was purchased from local markets. First, the fruits were washed, cleaned and cored. The prepared fruits were then dewatered using an electric juicer. In order to separate pulp suspensions and tissue components, the extracted juice was poured into a centrifuge with the speed of 6000 rpm for 20 min. For complete separation of the remaining suspended particles, the transparent portion of the extract was passed through a

High pressure changes of the castor oil viscosity by ultrasonic method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rostocki, A J; Siegoczynski, R M; Kielczynski, P; Szalewski, M

2008-01-01

The pressure change of viscosity of castor oil have been measured by ultrasonic method within the range of pressure up to 0.9 GPa. For the measurement, the authors have applied a new ultrasonic method based on Bleustein-Gulyaev (B-G) waves. For the lower pressures (up to 0.3 GPa) the results have been compared with earlier results obtained by falling body method, whereas for the higher pressure range results were compared with those obtained by the flow type viscometer. The measurements have shown: 1. Exponential rise of viscosity with pressure up to 0.4 GPa according to the Barus formula. 2. Extraordinary increment of viscosity at constant pressure during phase transition. 3. The decomposition of the high pressure phase during the decompression process have shown very large hysteresis of viscosity on pressure. 4. After the decompression process the viscosity lasts higher then a initial value for several hours

High efficiency and low cost preparation of size controlled starch nanoparticles through ultrasonic treatment and precipitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Yanjiao; Yan, Xiaoxia; Wang, Qian; Ren, Lili; Tong, Jin; Zhou, Jiang

2017-07-15

The purpose of this work was to develop an approach to produce size controlled starch nanoparticles (SNPs), via precipitation with high efficiency and low cost. High concentration starch aqueous pastes (up to 5wt.%) were treated by ultrasound. Viscosity measurements and size exclusion chromatography characterization revealed that, after 30min ultrasonic treatment, viscosity of the starch pastes decreased two orders of magnitude and the weight average molecular weight of the starch decreased from 8.4×10 7 to 2.7×10 6 g/mol. Dynamic light scattering measurements and scanning electron microscopy observations showed that the SNPs prepared from the starch pastes with ultrasonic treatments were smaller (∼75nm) and more uniform. Moreover, SNPs could be obtained using less non-solvents. X-ray diffraction results indicated that effect of the ultrasonic treatment on crystalline structure of the SNPs was negligible. Ultrasound can be utilized to prepare smaller SNPs through nanoprecipitation with higher efficiency and lower cost. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High power phased array prototype for clinical high intensity focused ultrasound : applications to transcostal and transcranial therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Pernot, M; Aubry, J -F; Tanter, M; Marquet, F; Montaldo, G; Boch, A -L; Kujas, M; Seilhean, D; Fink, M

2007-01-01

Bursts of focused ultrasound energy three orders of magnitude more intense than diagnostic ultrasound became during the last decade a noninvasive option for treating cancer from breast to prostate or uterine fibroid. However, many challenges remain to be addressed. First, the corrections of distortions induced on the ultrasonic therapy beam during its propagation through defocusing obstacles like skull bone or ribs remain today a technological performance that still need to be validated clinically. Secondly, the problem of motion artifacts particularly important for the treatment of abdominal parts becomes today an important research topic. Finally, the problem of the treatment monitoring is a wide subject of interest in the growing HIFU community. For all these issues, the potential of new ultrasonic therapy devices able to work both in Transmit and Receive modes will be emphasized. A review of the work under achievement at L.O.A. using this new generation of HIFU prototypes on the monitoring, motion correction and aberrations corrections will be presented.

Response of fiber Bragg gratings to longitudinal ultrasonic waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Minardo, Aldo; Cusano, Andrea; Bernini, Romeo; Zeni, Luigi; Giordano, Michele

2005-02-01

In the last years, fiber optic sensors have been widely exploited for several sensing applications, including static and dynamic strain measurements up to acoustic detection. Among these, fiber Bragg grating sensors have been indicated as the ideal candidate for practical structural health monitoring in light of their unique advantages over conventional sensing devices. Although this class of sensors has been successfully tested for static and low-frequency measurements, the identification of sensor performances for high-frequency detection, including acoustic emission and ultrasonic investigations, is required. To this aim, the analysis of feasibilty on the use of fiber Bragg grating sensors as ultrasonic detectors has been carried out. In particular, the response of fiber Bragg gratings subjected to the longitudinal ultrasonic (US) field has been theoretically and numerically investigated. Ultrasonic field interaction has been modeled, taking into account the direct deformation of the grating pitch combined with changes in local refractive index due to the elasto-optic effect. Numerical results, obtained for both uniform and Gaussian-apodized fiber Bragg gratings, show that the grating spectrum is strongly influenced by the US field in terms of shape and central wavelength. In particular, a key parameter affecting the grating response is the ratio between the US wavelength and the grating length. Normal operation characterized by changes in wavelength of undistorted Bragg peak is possible only for US wavelengths longer than the grating length. For US wavelengths approaching the grating length, the wavelength change is accompanied by subpeaks formation and main peak amplitude modulation. This effect can be attributed to the nonuniformity of the US perturbation along the grating length. At very high US frequencies, the grating is not sensitive any longer. The results of this analysis provide useful tools for the design of grating-based ultrasound sensors for

Miniaturized and general purpose fiber optic ultrasonic sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biagi, E.; Fontani, S.; Masotti, L.; Pieraccini, M.

1997-01-01

Innovative photoacoustic sources for ultrasonic NDE, smart structure, and clinical diagnosis are proposed. The working principle is based on thermal conversion of laser pulses into a metallic film evaporated directly onto the tip of a fiber optic. Unique features of the proposed transducers are very high miniaturization and potential easy embedding in smart structure. Additional advantages, high bedding in smart structure. Additional advantages, high ultrasonic frequency, large and flat bandwidth. All these characteristics make the proposed device an ideal ultrasonic source

Lumber defect detection by ultrasonics

Science.gov (United States)

K. A. McDonald

1978-01-01

Ultrasonics, the technology of high-frequency sound, has been developed as a viable means for locating most defects In lumber for use in digital form in decision-making computers. Ultrasonics has the potential for locating surface and internal defects in lumber of all species, green or dry, and rough sawn or surfaced.

Two-stage continuous process of methyl ester from high free fatty acid mixed crude palm oil using static mixer coupled with high-intensity of ultrasound

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Somnuk, Krit; Smithmaitrie, Pruittikorn; Prateepchaikul, Gumpon

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Mixed crude palm oil was used in the two-step continuous process. • Two-step continuous process was performed using static mixer coupled with ultrasound. • The maximum obtained yield was 92.5 vol.% after the purification process. • The residence time less than 20 s was achieved in ultrasonic reactors. - Abstract: The two-stage continuous process of methyl ester from high free fatty acid (FFA) mixed crude palm oil (MCPO) was performed by using static mixer coupled with high-intensity of ultrasound. The 2 × 1000 W ultrasonic homogenizers were operated at 18 kHz frequency in the 2 × 100 mL continuous reactors. For the first-step, acid-catalyzed esterification was employed with 18 vol.% of methanol, 2.7 vol.% of sulfuric acid, 60 °C of temperature, and 20 L h −1 of MCPO flow rate, for reducing the acid value from 28 mg KOH g −1 to less than 2 mg KOH g −1 . For the second-step, base-catalyzed transesterification was carried out under 18 vol.% of methanol, 8 g KOH L −1 of oil, and 20 L h −1 of esterified oil flow rate at 30 °C. The high yields of esterified oil and crude biodiesel were attained within the residence time of less than 20 s in the ultrasonic reactors. The yields of each stage process were: 103.3 vol.% of esterified oil, 105.4 vol.% of crude biodiesel, and 92.5 vol.% of biodiesel when compared with 100 vol.% MCPO. The quality of the biodiesel meets the specification of biodiesel standard in Thailand

Ultrasonic Low-Friction Containment Plate for Thermal and Ultrasonic Stir Weld Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Graff, Karl; Short, Matt

2013-01-01

The thermal stir welding (TSW) process is finding applications in fabrication of space vehicles. In this process, workpieces to be joined by TSW are drawn, by heavy forces, between "containment plates," past the TSW tool that then causes joining of the separate plates. It is believed that the TSW process would be significantly improved by reducing the draw force, and that this could be achieved by reducing the friction forces between the workpieces and containment plates. Based on use of high-power ultrasonics in metal forming processes, where friction reduction in drawing dies has been achieved, it is believed that ultrasonic vibrations of the containment plates could achieve similar friction reduction in the TSW process. By applying ultrasonic vibrations to the containment plates in a longitudinal vibration mode, as well as by mounting and holding the containment plates in a specific manner such as to permit the plates to acoustically float, friction between the metal parts and the containment plates is greatly reduced, and so is the drawing force. The concept was to bring in the ultrasonics from the sides of the plates, permitting the ultrasonic hardware to be placed to the side, away from the equipment that contains the thermal stir tooling and that applies clamping forces to the plates. Tests demonstrated that one of the major objectives of applying ultrasonics to the thermal stir system, that of reducing draw force friction, should be achievable on a scaled-up system.

Heat stability and acid gelation properties of calcium-enriched reconstituted skim milk affected by ultrasonication.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandrapala, Jayani; Bui, Don; Kentish, Sandra; Ashokkumar, Muthupandian

2014-05-01

The aggregation of proteins after heating of calcium-fortified milks has been an ongoing problem in the dairy industry. This undesirable effect restricts the manufacture of calcium rich dairy products. To overcome this problem, a completely new approach in controlling the heat stability of dairy protein solutions, developed in our lab, has been employed. In this approach, high intensity, low frequency ultrasound is applied for a very short duration after a pre-heating step at ⩾70 °C. The ultrasound breaks apart whey/whey and whey/casein aggregates through the process of acoustic cavitation. Protein aggregates do not reform on subsequent post-heating, thereby making the systems heat stable. In this paper, the acid gelation properties of ultrasonicated calcium-enriched skim milks have also been investigated. It is shown that ultrasonication alone does not change the gelation properties significantly whereas a sequence of preheating (72 °C/1 min) followed by ultrasonication leads to decreased gelation times, decreased gel syneresis and increased skim milk viscosity in comparison to heating alone. Overall, ultrasonication has the potential to provide calcium-fortified dairy products with increased heat stability. However, enhanced gelation properties can only be achieved when ultrasonication is completed in conjunction with heating.

Combined (alkaline+ultrasonic) pretreatment effect on sewage sludge disintegration.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Dong-Hoon; Jeong, Emma; Oh, Sae-Eun; Shin, Hang-Sik

2010-05-01

The individual effects of alkaline (pH 8-13) and ultrasonic (3750-45,000kJ/kg TS) pretreatments on the disintegration of sewage sludge were separately tested, and then the effect of combining these two methods at different intensity levels was investigated using response surface methodology (RSM). In the combined pretreatment, ultrasonic treatment was applied to the alkali-pretreated sludge. While the solubilization (SCOD/TCOD) increase was limited to 50% in individual pretreatments, it reached 70% in combined pretreatment, and the results clearly showed that preconditioning of sludge at high pH levels played a crucial role in enhancing the disintegration efficiency of the subsequent ultrasonic pretreatment. By applying regression analysis, the disintegration degree (DD) was fitted based on the actual value to a second order polynomial equation: Y=-172.44+29.82X(1)+5.30x10(-3)X(2)-7.53x10(-5)X(1)X(2)-1.10X(1)(2)-1.043x10(-7)X(2)(2), where X(1), X(2), and Y are pH, specific energy input (kJ/kg TS), and DD, respectively. In a 2D contour plot describing the tendency of DD with respect to pH and specific energy input, it was clear that DD increased as pH increased, but it seemed that DD decreased when the specific energy input exceeded about 20,000kJ/kg TS. This phenomenon tells us that there exists a certain point where additional energy input is ineffective in achieving further disintegration. A synergetic disintegration effect was also found in the combined pretreatment, with lower specific energy input in ultrasonic pretreatment yielding higher synergetic effect. Finally, in order to see the combined pretreatment effect in continuous operation, the sludge pretreated with low intensity alkaline (pH 9)/ultrasonic (7500kJ/kg TS) treatment was fed to a 3 L of anaerobic sequencing batch reactor after 70 days of control operation. CH(4) production yield significantly increased from 81.9+/-4.5mL CH(4)/g COD(added) to 127.3+/-5.0mL CH(4)/g COD(added) by pretreatment, and

High-intensity laser physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohideen, U.

1993-01-01

This thesis is a study of the effect of high intensity lasers on atoms, free electrons and the generation of X-rays from solid density plasmas. The laser produced 50 milli Joule 180 femto sec pulses at 5 Hz. This translates to a maximum intensity of 5 x 10 18 W/cm 2 . At such high fields the AC stark shifts of atoms placed at the focus is much greater than the ionization energy. The characteristics of multiphoton ionization of atoms in intense laser fields was studied by angle resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. Free electrons placed in high intensity laser fields lead to harmonic generation. This phenomenon of Nonlinear Compton Scattering was theoretically investigated. Also, when these high intensity pulses are focused on solids a hot plasma is created. This plasma is a bright source of a short X-ray pulse. The pulse-width of X-rays from these solid density plasmas was measured by time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy

High-intensity, focused ultrasonic fields

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Leif Bjørnø

1988-01-01

The use of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for disintegration of body stones has increased considerably during recent years. A worldwide activity in this field is reflected in a growing number of international publications and in the development and manufacturing of several ESWL...... essential pressure wave parameters, their relation to the focal system data, and their significance to stone disintegration efficiency....

Piezoelectric Sensor to Measure Soft and Hard Stiffness with High Sensitivity for Ultrasonic Transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan-Rui Li

2015-06-01

Full Text Available During dental sinus lift surgery, it is important to monitor the thickness of the remaining maxilla to avoid perforating the sinus membrane. Therefore, a sensor should be integrated into ultrasonic dental tools to prevent undesirable damage. This paper presents a piezoelectric (PZT sensor installed in an ultrasonic transducer to measure the stiffness of high and low materials. Four design types using three PZT ring materials and a split PZT for actuator and sensor ring materials were studied. Three sensor locations were also examined. The voltage signals of the sensor and the displacement of the actuator were analyzed to distinguish the low and high stiffness. Using sensor type T1 made of the PZT-1 material and the front location A1 provided a high sensitivity of 2.47 Vm/kN. The experimental results demonstrated that our design can measure soft and hard stiffness.

Opto-acoustic diagnostics of the thermal action of high-intensity focused ultrasound on biological tissues: the possibility of its applications and model experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khokhlova, Tanya D; Pelivanov, Ivan M; Solomatin, Vladimir S; Karabutov, Aleksander A; Sapozhnikov, Oleg A

2006-01-01

The possibility of using the opto-acoustic (OA) method for monitoring high-intensity ultrasonic therapy is studied. The optical properties of raw and boiled liver samples used as the undamaged model tissue and tissue destroyed by ultrasound, respectively, are measured. Experiments are performed with samples consisting of several alternating layers of raw and boiled liver of different thickness. The position and transverse size of the thermal lesion were determined from the temporal shape of the OA signals. The results of measurements are compared with the real size and position of the thermal lesion determined from the subsequent cuts of the sample. It is shown that the OA method permits the diagnostics of variations in biological tissues upon ultrasonic therapy. (special issue devoted to multiple radiation scattering in random media)

Determination of acoustic fields in acidic suspensions of peanut shell during pretreatment with high-intensity ultrasound

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tiago Carregari Polachini

Full Text Available Abstract The benefits of high-intensity ultrasound in diverse processes have stimulated many studies based on biomass pretreatment. In order to improve processes involving ultrasound, a calorimetric method has been widely used to measure the real power absorbed by the material as well as the cavitation effects. Peanut shells, a byproduct of peanut processing, were immersed in acidified aqueous solutions and submitted to an ultrasonic field. Acoustic power absorbed, acoustic intensity and power yield were obtained through specific heat determination and experimental data were modeled in different conditions. Specific heat values ranged from 3537.0 to 4190.6 J·kg-1·K-1, with lower values encountered for more concentrated biomass suspensions. The acoustic power transmitted and acoustic intensity varied linearly with the applied power and quadratically with solids concentration, reaching maximum values at higher applied nominal power and for less concentrated suspensions. A power yield of 82.7% was reached for dilute suspensions at 320 W, while 6.4% efficiency was observed for a concentrated suspension at low input energy (80 W.

Ultrasonic Linear Motor with Two Independent Vibrations

Science.gov (United States)

Muneishi, Takeshi; Tomikawa, Yoshiro

2004-09-01

We propose a new structure of an ultrasonic linear motor in order to solve the problems of high-power ultrasonic linear motors that drive the XY-stage for electron beam equipment and to expand the application fields of the motor. We pay special attention to the following three points: (1) the vibration in two directions of the ultrasonic linear motor should not influence mutually each other, (2) the vibration in two directions should be divided into the stage traveling direction and the pressing direction of the ultrasonic linear motor, and (3) the rigidity of the stage traveling direction of the ultrasonic linear motor should be increased. As a result, the supporting method of ultrasonic linear motors is simplified. The efficiency of the motor is improved and temperature rise is reduced. The stage position drift is also improved.

Overview of the ultrasonic instrumentation research in the MYRRHA project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dierckx, M.; Leysen, W.; Van Dyck, D. [Belgian Nuclear Research Center SCK.CEN (Belgium)

2015-07-01

The Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK.CEN is in the process of developing MYRRHA, a new generation IV fast flux research reactor to replace the aging BR2. MYRRHA is conceptualized as an accelerator driven system cooled with lead bismuth eutectic mixture (LBE). As LBE is opaque to visual light, ultrasonic measurement techniques are employed as the main technology to provide feedback where needed. This paper we will give an overview of the R and D at SCK.CEN with respect to ultrasonic instrumentation in heavy liquid metals. High temperature ultrasonic transducers are deployed into the reactor to generate and receive the required ultrasonic signals. The ultrasonic waves are generated and sensed by means of a piezo-electric disc at the heart of the transducer. The acoustic properties of commonly used piezo-electric materials match rather well with the acoustic properties of heavy liquid metals, simplifying the design and construction of high bandwidth ultrasonic transducers for use in heavy liquid metals. The ultrasonic transducers will operate in a liquid metal environment, where radiation and high temperature limit the choice of materials for construction. Moreover, the high surface tension of the liquid metal hinders proper wetting of the transducer, required for optimal transmission and reception of the ultrasonic waves. In a first part of the paper, we will discuss the effect of these parameters on the performance of the overall ultrasonic system. In the second part of the paper, past, present and future ultrasonic experiments in LBE will be reviewed. We will show the results of an experiment where a transducer is scanned near the free surface of an LBE pool to render ultrasonic images of objects submerged in the heavy liquid metal. Additionally, the preliminary results of an ongoing experiment that measures the evolution of LBE wetting on different types of metals and various surface conditions will be reported. The evolution of wetting is an important

A method for the preparation of curcumin by ultrasonic-assisted ammonium sulfate/ethanol aqueous two phase extraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Guangkuan; Hao, Changchun; Tian, Suyang; Gao, Feng; Sun, Wenyuan; Sun, Runguang

2017-01-15

This study investigated a new and easy-to-industrialized extracting method for curcumin from Curcuma longa rhizomes using ultrasonic extraction technology combined with ammonium sulfate/ethanol aqueous two-phase system (ATPS), and the preparation of curcumin using the semi-preparative HPLC. The single-factor experiments and response surface methodology (RSM) were utilized to determine the optimal material-solvent ratio, ultrasonic intensity (UI) and ultrasonic time. The optimum extraction conditions were finally determined to be material-solvent rate of 3.29:100, ultrasonic intensity of 33.63W/cm 2 and ultrasonic time of 17min. At these optimum conditions, the extraction yield could reach 46.91mg/g. And the extraction yields of curcumin remained stable in the case of amplification, which indicated that scale-up extraction was feasible and efficient. Afterwards, the semi-preparative HPLC experiment was carried out, in which optimal preparation conditions were elected according to the single factor experiment. The prepared curcumin was obtained and the purity could up to 85.58% by the semi-preparative HPLC. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An advanced ultrasonic technique for slow and void fraction measurements of two-phase flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faccini, J.L.H.; Su, J.; Harvel, G.D.; Chang, J.S.

2004-01-01

In this paper, we present a hybrid type counterpropagating transmission ultrasonic technique (CPTU) for flow and time averaging ultrasonic transmission intensity void fraction measurements (TATIU) of air-water two-phase flow, which is tested in the new two-phase flow test section mounted recently onto an existing single phase flow rig. The circular pipe test section is made of 51.2 mm stainless steel, followed by a transparent extruded acrylic pipe aimed at flow visualization. The two-phase flow rig operates in several flow regimes: bubbly, smooth stratified, wavy stratified and slug flow. The observed flow patterns are compared with previous experimental and numerical flow regime map for horizontal two phase flows. These flow patterns will be identified by time averaging transmission intensity ultrasonic techniques which have been developed to meet this particular application. A counterpropagating transmission ultrasonic flowmeter is used to measure the flow rate of liquid phase. A pulse-echo TATIU ultrasonic technique used to measure the void fraction of the horizontal test section is presented. We can draw the following conclusions: 1) the ultrasonic system was able to characterize the 2 flow patterns simulated (stratified and plug flow); 2) the results obtained for water volumetric fraction require more experimental work to determine exactly the technique uncertainties but, a priori, they are consistent with earlier work; and 3) the experimental uncertainties can be reduced by improving the data acquisition system, changing the acquisition time interval from seconds to milliseconds

Ultrasonic control of ceramic membrane fouling: Effect of particle characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Dong; Weavers, Linda K; Walker, Harold W

2006-02-01

In this study, the effect of particle characteristics on the ultrasonic control of membrane fouling was investigated. Ultrasound at 20 kHz was applied to a cross-flow filtration system with gamma-alumina membranes in the presence of colloidal silica particles. Experimental results indicated that particle concentration affected the ability of ultrasound to control membrane fouling, with less effective control of fouling at higher particle concentrations. Measurements of sound wave intensity and images of the cavitation region indicated that particles induced additional cavitation bubbles near the ultrasonic source, which resulted in less turbulence reaching the membrane surface and subsequently less effective control of fouling. When silica particles were modified to be hydrophobic, greater inducement of cavitation bubbles near the ultrasonic source occurred for a fixed concentration, also resulting in less effective control of fouling. Particle size influenced the cleaning ability of ultrasound, with better permeate recovery observed with larger particles. Particle size did not affect sound wave intensity, suggesting that the more effective control of fouling by large particles was due to greater lift and cross-flow drag forces on larger particles compared to smaller particles.

Research progress on microstructure evolution of semi-solid aluminum alloys in ultrasonic field and their rheocasting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wu Shusen

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The effects of ultrasonic vibration (UV treatment on microstructure of semi-solid aluminum alloys and the application of UV in rheocasting process are reviewed. Good semi-solid slurry can be produced by high-intensity UV process for aluminum alloys. The microstructures of Al-Si, Al-Mg and Al-Cu alloys produced by rheocasting assisted with UV are compact and with fine grains. The mechanical properties of the UV treated alloys are increased by about 20%-30%. Grain refinement of the alloys is generally considered because of cavitation and acoustic streaming caused by UV. Apart from these mechanisms, a hypothesis of the fuse of dendrite root caused by capillary infiltration in the ultrasonic field, as well as a mechanism of crystallites falling off from the mould-wall and crystal multiplication by mechanical vibration effect in indirect ultrasonic vibration are proposed to explain the microstructure evolution of the alloys.

Irradiation Testing of Ultrasonic Transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daw, J.; Rempe, J.; Palmer, J.; Tittmann, B.; Reinhardt, B.; Kohse, G.; Ramuhalli, P.; Montgomery, R.; Chien, H.T.; Villard, J.F.

2013-06-01

Ultrasonic technologies offer the potential for high accuracy and resolution in-pile measurement of numerous parameters, including geometry changes, temperature, crack initiation and growth, gas pressure and composition, and microstructural changes. Many Department of Energy-Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs are exploring the use of ultrasonic technologies to provide enhanced sensors for in-pile instrumentation during irradiation testing. For example, the ability of single, small diameter ultrasonic thermometers (UTs) to provide a temperature profile in candidate metallic and oxide fuel would provide much needed data for validating new fuel performance models. Other efforts include an ultrasonic technique to detect morphology changes (such as crack initiation and growth) and acoustic techniques to evaluate fission gas composition and pressure. These efforts are limited by the lack of existing knowledge of ultrasonic transducer material survivability under irradiation conditions. To address this need, the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) was awarded an Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF) project to evaluate promising magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducer performance in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor (MITR) up to a fast fluence of at least 10 21 n/cm 2 (E> 0.1 MeV). This test will be an instrumented lead test; and real-time transducer performance data will be collected along with temperature and neutron and gamma flux data. By characterizing magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducer survivability during irradiation, test results will enable the development of novel radiation tolerant ultrasonic sensors for use in Material and Test Reactors (MTRs). The current work bridges the gap between proven out-of-pile ultrasonic techniques and in-pile deployment of ultrasonic sensors by acquiring the data necessary to demonstrate the performance of ultrasonic transducers. (authors)

Remediation of Sulfidic Wastewater by Aeration in the Presence of Ultrasonic Vibration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Ahmad

2018-06-01

Full Text Available In the current study, the aerial oxidation of sodium sulfide in the presence of ultrasonic vibration is investigated. Sulfide analysis was carried out by the methylene blue method. Sodium sulfide is oxidized to elemental sulfur in the presence of ultrasonic vibration. The influence of air flow rate, initial sodium sulfide concentration and ultrasonic vibration intensity on the oxidation of sodium sulfide was investigated. The rate law equation regarding the oxidation of sulfide was determined from the experimental data. The order of reaction with respect to sulfide and oxygen was found to be 0.36 and 0.67 respectively. The overall reaction followed nearly first order kinetics.

Applications of a nanocomposite-inspired in-situ broadband ultrasonic sensor to acousto-ultrasonics-based passive and active structural health monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Menglong; Zeng, Zhihui; Xu, Hao; Liao, Yaozhong; Zhou, Limin; Zhang, Zhong; Su, Zhongqing

2017-07-01

A novel nanocomposite-inspired in-situ broadband ultrasonic sensor previously developed, with carbon black as the nanofiller and polyvinylidene fluoride as the matrix, was networked for acousto-ultrasonic wave-based passive and active structural health monitoring (SHM). Being lightweight and small, this kind of sensor was proven to be capable of perceiving strain perturbation in virtue of the tunneling effect in the formed nanofiller conductive network when acousto-ultrasonic waves traverse the sensor. Proof-of-concept validation was implemented, to examine the sensor performance in responding to acousto-ultrasonic waves in a broad frequency regime: from acoustic emission (AE) of lower frequencies to guided ultrasonic waves (GUWs) of higher frequencies. Results have demonstrated the high fidelity, ultrafast response and high sensitivity of the sensor to acousto-ultrasonic waves up to 400kHz yet with an ultra-low magnitude (of the order of micro-strain). The sensor is proven to possess sensitivity and accuracy comparable with commercial piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers, whereas with greater flexibility in accommodating curved structural surfaces. Application paradigms of using the sensor for damage evaluation have spotlighted the capability of the sensor in compromising "sensing cost" with "sensing effectiveness" for passive AE- or active GUW-based SHM. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonic thermometry for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saravana Kumar, S.; Arunraj, A.L.R.; Swaminathan, K.

2013-01-01

Ultrasonic transducer provides a method of measurement of temperature in industrial tanks and boilers containing different liquids with varied salt content. This method is used to measure the average temperature continuously where other traditional methods available do not offer. Traditional methods used for temperature measurement like infrared thermometers, thermocouples, measures temperature at a single location. Numerous thermocouples are to be fixed at various part of the boiler in order to measure the temperature of the entire boiler, which incurs high cost. Reliability of the system decreases, with increasing number of thermocouples. When they fail at a point, the time incurred in finding the faulty part or faulty thermocouple is high. Ultrasonic transducer provides continuous measurement for all different characteristic liquids with higher accuracy and lesser response time. Fault location and clearance time is also less in ultrasonic measurement method, since only a couple of transducers used for the entire boiler structure. Additionally ultrasonic thermometry along support measuring electronic system can be built of low cost. (author)

Redesigning axial-axial (biaxial) cruciform specimens for very high cycle fatigue ultrasonic testing machines.

Science.gov (United States)

Montalvão, Diogo; Wren, Andrew

2017-11-01

The necessity to increase performances in terms of lifetime and security in mechanical components or structures is the motivation for intense research in fatigue. Applications range from aeronautics to medical devices. With the development of new materials, there is no longer a fatigue limit in the classical sense, where it was accepted that the fatigue limit is the stress level such that there is no fracture up to 1E7 cycles. The recent development of ultrasonic testing machines where frequencies can go as high as 20 kHz or over enabled tests to be extended to ranges larger than 1E9 in just a few days. This area of studies is now known as Very High Cycle Fatigue (VHCF). On the other hand, most of the existing test equipment in the market for both classical and VHCF are uniaxial test machines. However, critical components used in Engineering applications are usually subjected to complex multi-axial loading conditions. In this paper, it is presented the methodology to redesigning existing cruciform test specimens that can be used to create an in-plane biaxial state of stress when used in 'uniaxial' VHCF ultrasonic testing machines (in this case, the term 'uniaxial' is used not because of the state of stress created at the centre of the specimen, but because of the direction at which the load is applied). The methodology is explained in such a way that it can be expanded to other existing designs, namely cruciform designs, that are not yet used in VHCF. Also, although the approach is presented in simple and logical terms, it may not be that obvious for those who have a more focused approach on fatigue rather than on modal analysis. It is expected that by contributing to bridging the gap between the sciences of modal analysis and fatigue, this research will help and encourage others exploiting new capabilities in VHCF.

Visualization of flaws within heavy section ultrasonic test blocks using high energy computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

House, M.B.; Ross, D.M.; Janucik, F.X.; Friedman, W.D.; Yancey, R.N.

1996-05-01

The feasibility of high energy computed tomography (9 MeV) to detect volumetric and planar discontinuities in large pressure vessel mock-up blocks was studied. The data supplied by the manufacturer of the test blocks on the intended flaw geometry were compared to manual, contact ultrasonic test and computed tomography test data. Subsequently, a visualization program was used to construct fully three-dimensional morphological information enabling interactive data analysis on the detected flaws. Density isosurfaces show the relative shape and location of the volumetric defects within the mock-up blocks. Such a technique may be used to qualify personnel or newly developed ultrasonic test methods without the associated high cost of destructive evaluation. Data is presented showing the capability of the volumetric data analysis program to overlay the computed tomography and destructive evaluation (serial metallography) data for a direct, three-dimensional comparison

Imaging techniques for ultrasonic testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

These seminar proceedings contain 16 lectures on the following topics: 1. From imaging to quantification - ultrasound methods in medical diagnostics; 2. SAFT, TOFD, Phased Array - classical applications and recent developments in ultrasonic imaging; 3. Innovative ultrasonic imaging methods in research and application; 4. Industrial ultrasonic testing of fibre-reinforced structures of complex geometry; 5. Visualisation of crack tips in the inspection of wheel set shafts with longitudinal boreholes as a means of avoiding unnecessary wheel set changes; 6. Areal analysis of the propagation of Lamb waves on curved, anisotropic structures; 7. High-resolution representation in immersion technique testing; 8. Variants in generating images from phased array measurement data - practical examples involving copper, carbon-fibre reinforced plastic and other materials; 9. GIUM - an unconventional method of microstructure imaging using ultrasonic stimulation and laser vibrometry scanning; 10. Innovative air-ultrasonic testing concepts for improved imaging; 11. Use of imaging methods for improving the quality of test results from nondestructive testing; 12. Modelling and visualisation of EMUS stimulation for transducer optimisation; 13. Use of SAFT in the manufacture of energy conversion machines; 14. Ultrasonic imaging tests for improved defect characterisation during weld seam inspection on longitudinally welded large-diameter pipes; 15. SAFT reconstruction for testing austenitic weld seams and dissimilar metal weld seams for transverse cracks; 16. Imaging-based optimisation method for quantitative ultrasonic testing of anisotropic inhomogeneous austenitic welded joints with determination and utilisation of their elastic properties. One contribution has been abstracted separately. [de

Process monitoring using optical ultrasonic wave detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Telschow, K.L.; Walter, J.B.; Garcia, G.V.; Kunerth, D.C.

1989-01-01

Optical ultrasonic wave detection techniques are being developed for process monitoring. An important limitation on optical techniques is that the material surface, in materials processing applications, is usually not a specular reflector and in many cases is totally diffusely reflecting. This severely degrades the light collected by the detection optics, greatly reducing the intensity and randomly scattering the phase of the reflected light. A confocal Fabry-Perot interferometer, which is sensitive to the Doppler frequency shift resulting from the surface motion and not to the phase of the collected light, is well suited to detecting ultrasonic waves in diffusely reflecting materials. This paper describes the application of this detector to the real-time monitoring of the sintering of ceramic materials. 8 refs., 5 figs

Ablation of synovial pannus using microbubble-mediated ultrasonic cavitation in antigen-induced arthritis in rabbits.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Li; Jiang, Yong; Zhang, Lingyan; Wang, Lei; Luo, Yan

2012-12-01

To investigate the ablative effectiveness of microbubble-mediated ultrasonic cavitation for treating synovial pannus and to determine a potential mechanism using the antigen-induced arthritis model (AIA). Ultrasonic ablation was performed on the knee joints of AIA rabbits using optimal ultrasonic ablative parameters. Rabbits with antigen-induced arthritis were randomly assigned to 4 groups: (1) the ultrasound (US) + microbubble group; (2) the US only group; (3) the microbubble only group, and (4) the control group. At 1 h and 14 days after the first ablation, contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) monitoring and pathology synovitis score were used to evaluate the therapeutic effects. Synovial necrosis and microvascular changes were also measured. After the ablation treatment, the thickness of synovium and parameters of time intensity curve including derived peak intensity and area under curve were measured using CEUS, and the pathology synovitis score in the ultrasound + microbubble group was significantly lower than that found in the remaining groups. No damage was observed in the surrounding normal tissues. The mechanism underlying the ultrasonic ablation was related to microthrombosis and microvascular rupture that resulted in synovial necrosis. The results suggest that microbubble-mediated ultrasonic cavitation should be applied as a non-invasive strategy for the treatment of synovial pannus in arthritis under optimal conditions.

[Effects of ultrasonic pretreatment on drying characteristics of sewage sludge].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Run-Dong; Yang, Yu-Ting; Li, Yan-Long; Niu, Hui-Chang; Wei, Li-Hong; Sun, Yang; Ke, Xin

2009-11-01

The high water content of sewage sludge has engendered many inconveniences to its treatment and disposal. While ultrasonic takes on unique advantages on the sludge drying because of its high ultrasonic power, mighty penetrating capability and the ability of causing cavitations. Thus this research studies the characteristics influences of ultrasonic bring to the sludge drying and effects of the exposure time, ultrasonic generator power, temperatures of ultrasonic and drying temperature on the drying characteristics of dewatered sludge. Results indicate that ultrasonic pretreatment could speed up evaporation of the free water in sludge surface and help to end the drying stage with constant speed. In addition, ultrasonic treatment can effectively improve the sludge drying efficiency which could be more evident with the rise of the ultrasonic power (100-250 W), ultrasonic temperature and drying temperature. If dried under low temperature such as 105 degrees C, sludge will have premium drying characteristics when radiated under ultrasound for a shorter time such as 3 min. In the end, the ultrasonic treatment is expected to be an effective way to the low-cost sludge drying and also be an important reference to the optimization of the sludge drying process because of its effects on the increase of sludge drying efficiency.

Rail inspection using noncontact laser ultrasonics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Nak Hyeon; Sohn, Hoon; Han, Soon Woo

2012-01-01

In this study, a noncontact laser ultrasonic system is proposed for rail defect detection. An Nd Yag pulse laser is used for generation of ultrasonic waves, and the corresponding ultrasonic responses are measured by a laser Doppler vibrometer. For the detection of rail surface damages, the shape of the excitation laser beam is transformed into a line. On the other hand, a point source laser beam is used for the inspection of defects inside a rail head. Then, the interactions of propagating ultrasonic waves with defects are examined using actual rail specimens. Amplitude attenuation was mainly observed for a surface crack, and reflections were most noticeable from an internal damage. Finally, opportunities and challenges associated with real time rail inspection from a high speed train are discussed

Ultrasonic horn design for ultrasonic machining technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naď M.

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Many of industrial applications and production technologies are based on the application of ultrasound. In many cases, the phenomenon of ultrasound is also applied in technological processes of the machining of materials. The main element of equipments that use the effects of ultrasound for machining technology is the ultrasonic horn – so called sonotrode. The performance of ultrasonic equipment, respectively ultrasonic machining technologies depends on properly designed of sonotrode shape. The dynamical properties of different geometrical shapes of ultrasonic horns are presented in this paper. Dependence of fundamental modal properties (natural frequencies, mode shapes of various sonotrode shapes for various geometrical parameters is analyzed. Modal analyses of the models are determined by the numerical simulation using finite element method (FEM design procedures. The mutual comparisons of the comparable parameters of the various sonotrode shapes are presented.

Ultrasonic and metallographic studies on AISI 4140 steel exposed to hydrogen at high pressure and temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Oruganti, Malavika

This thesis conducts an investigation to study the effects of hydrogen exposure at high temperature and pressure on the behavior of AISI 4140 steel. Piezoelectric ultrasonic technique was primarily used to evaluate surface longitudinal wave velocity and defect geometry variations, as related to time after exposure to hydrogen at high temperature and pressure. Critically refracted longitudinal wave technique was used for the former and pulse-echo technique for the latter. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to correlate the ultrasonic results with the microstructure of the steel and to provide better insight into the steel behavior. The results of the investigation indicate that frequency analysis of the defect echo, determined using the pulse-echo technique at regular intervals of time, appears to be a promising tool for monitoring defect growth induced by a high temperature and high pressure hydrogen-related attack.

High intensity circular proton accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craddock, M.K.

1987-12-01

Circular machines suitable for the acceleration of high intensity proton beams include cyclotrons, FFAG accelerators, and strong-focusing synchrotrons. This paper discusses considerations affecting the design of such machines for high intensity, especially space charge effects and the role of beam brightness in multistage accelerators. Current plans for building a new generation of high intensity 'kaon factories' are reviewed. 47 refs

Measurement of hydroxyl radical production in ultrasonic aqueous solutions by a novel chemiluminescence method.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yufei; Zhang, Zhujun; Yang, Chunyan

2008-07-01

Measurement methods for ultrasonic fields are important for reasons of safety. The investigation of an ultrasonic field can be performed by detecting the yield of hydroxyl radicals resulting from ultrasonic cavitations. In this paper, a novel method is introduced for detecting hydroxyl radicals by a chemiluminescence (CL) reaction of luminol-hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-K5[Cu(HIO6)2](DPC). The yield of hydroxyl radicals is calculated directly by the relative CL intensity according to the corresponding concentration of H2O2. This proposed CL method makes it possible to perform an in-line and real-time assay of hydroxyl radicals in an ultrasonic aqueous solution. With flow injection (FI) technology, this novel CL reaction is sensitive enough to detect ultra trace amounts of H2O2 with a limit of detection (3sigma) of 4.1 x 10(-11) mol L(-1). The influences of ultrasonic output power and ultrasonic treatment time on the yield of hydroxyl radicals by an ultrasound generator were also studied. The results indicate that the amount of hydroxyl radicals increases with the increase of ultrasonic output power (< or = 15 W mL(-1)). There is a linear relationship between the time of ultrasonic treatment and the yield of H2O2. The ultrasonic field of an ultrasonic cleaning baths has been measured by calculating the yield of hydroxyl radicals.

Note: high precision angle generator using multiple ultrasonic motors and a self-calibratable encoder.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jong-Ahn; Kim, Jae Wan; Kang, Chu-Shik; Jin, Jonghan; Eom, Tae Bong

2011-11-01

We present an angle generator with high resolution and accuracy, which uses multiple ultrasonic motors and a self-calibratable encoder. A cylindrical air bearing guides a rotational motion, and the ultrasonic motors achieve high resolution over the full circle range with a simple configuration. The self-calibratable encoder can compensate the scale error of a divided circle (signal period: 20") effectively by applying the equal-division-averaged method. The angle generator configures a position feedback control loop using the readout of the encoder. By combining the ac and dc operation mode, the angle generator produced stepwise angular motion with 0.005" resolution. We also evaluated the performance of the angle generator using a precision angle encoder and an autocollimator. The expanded uncertainty (k = 2) in the angle generation was estimated less than 0.03", which included the calibrated scale error and the nonlinearity error. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Recent progress in online ultrasonic process monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Szu-Sheng L.; Chen, Tzu-Fang; Ramos-Franca, Demartonne; Nguyen, Ky T.; Jen, Cheng-Kuei; Ihara, Ikuo; Derdouri, A.; Garcia-Rejon, Andres

1998-03-01

On-line ultrasonic monitoring of polymer co-extrusion and gas-assisted injection molding are presented. During the co- extrusion of high density polyethylene and Santoprene ultrasonic sensors consisting of piezoelectric transducers and clad ultrasonic buffer rods are used to detect the interface between these two polymers and the stability of the extrusion. The same ultrasonic sensor also measures the surface temperature of the extruded polymer. The results indicate that temperature measurements using ultrasound have a faster response time than those obtained by conventional thermocouple. In gas-assisted injection molding the polymer and gas flow front positions are monitored simultaneously. This information may be used to control the plunger movement.

Study on electrical impedance matching for broadband ultrasonic transducer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Geon Woo [University of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ki Bok [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Center for Safety Measurement, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Baek, Kwang Sae [Elache Co., Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2017-02-15

Ultrasonic transducers with high resolution and resonant frequency are required to detect small defects (less than hundreds of μm) by ultrasonic testing. The resonance frequency and resolution of an ultrasonic transducer are closely related to the thickness of piezo-electric materials, backing materials, and the electric impedance matching technique. Among these factors, electrical impedance matching plays an important role because it can reduce the loss and reflection of ultrasonic energy differences in electrical impedance between an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic defects detecting system. An LC matching circuit is the most frequently used electric matching method. It is necessary for the electrical impedance of an ultrasonic transducer to correspond to approximately 50 Ω to compensate the difference in electrical impedance between both connections. In this study, a 15 MHz immersion ultrasonic transducer was fabricated and an LC electrical impedance circuit was applied to that for having broad-band frequency characteristic.

Contact-free ultrasonic testing: applications to metrology and NDT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Brun, A.

1988-01-01

In some cases classical ultrasonic testing is impossible because of adverse environment (high temperature, ionizing radiations, etc). Ultrasonic waves are created by laser impact and detected by electromagneto-acoustic transducers or laser interferometry. Association of ultrasonics generation by photoacoustic effect and reception by heterodyne interferometer is promising for the future [fr

The reliability of ultrasonic inspection and the critical defect size

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasilchenko, G.S.; Bely, V.E.; Ovchinnikov, A.V.; Rivkin, E.Yu.

1991-01-01

The ability to detect fabrication and service-induced defects in the welded joints of components and pipelines in nuclear power stations by ultrasonic inspection when this is conducted by using standard instruments and procedures appears to be insufficient. This fact was confirmed by the research carried out in PISC program and other studies. In order to increase the accuracy of measurement and to obtain the additional information on the character of any defect in ultrasonic testing as well as the validity of applying nondestructive testing data to strength calculation, scientific researches have been promoted and carried out in the USSR in a program under the guidance of NPO CNIITMASH. The reliability of the ultrasonic control of welded joints and the ways and means for its improvement are discussed. The presentation of the parameters realized by the ultrasonic inspection of defects in the form of schema for the use in strength calculation is explained. The calculation of stress intensity factor, the estimation of critical defect size, and the estimation of acceptable defect size are reported. (K.I.)

Effect of Heat Generation of Ultrasound Transducer on Ultrasonic Power Measured by Calorimetric Method

Science.gov (United States)

Uchida, Takeyoshi; Kikuchi, Tsuneo

2013-07-01

Ultrasonic power is one of the key quantities closely related to the safety of medical ultrasonic equipment. An ultrasonic power standard is required for establishment of safety. Generally, an ultrasonic power standard below approximately 20 W is established by the radiation force balance (RFB) method as the most accurate measurement method. However, RFB is not suitable for high ultrasonic power because of thermal damage to the absorbing target. Consequently, an alternative method to RFB is required. We have been developing a measurement technique for high ultrasonic power by the calorimetric method. In this study, we examined the effect of heat generation of an ultrasound transducer on ultrasonic power measured by the calorimetric method. As a result, an excessively high ultrasonic power was measured owing to the effect of heat generation from internal loss in the transducer. A reference ultrasound transducer with low heat generation is required for a high ultrasonic power standard established by the calorimetric method.

A study of the effectiveness and energy efficiency of ultrasonic emulsification.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Wu; Leong, Thomas S H; Ashokkumar, Muthupandian; Martin, Gregory J O

2017-12-20

Three essential experimental parameters in the ultrasonic emulsification process, namely sonication time, acoustic amplitude and processing volume, were individually investigated, theoretically and experimentally, and correlated to the emulsion droplet sizes produced. The results showed that with a decrease in droplet size, two kinetic regions can be separately correlated prior to reaching a steady state droplet size: a fast size reduction region and a steady state transition region. In the fast size reduction region, the power input and sonication time could be correlated to the volume-mean diameter by a power-law relationship, with separate power-law indices of -1.4 and -1.1, respectively. A proportional relationship was found between droplet size and processing volume. The effectiveness and energy efficiency of droplet size reduction was compared between ultrasound and high-pressure homogenisation (HPH) based on both the effective power delivered to the emulsion and the total electric power consumed. Sonication could produce emulsions across a broad range of sizes, while high-pressure homogenisation was able to produce emulsions at the smaller end of the range. For ultrasonication, the energy efficiency was higher at increased power inputs due to more effective droplet breakage at high ultrasound intensities. For HPH the consumed energy efficiency was improved by operating at higher pressures for fewer passes. At the laboratory scale, the ultrasound system required less electrical power than HPH to produce an emulsion of comparable droplet size. The energy efficiency of HPH is greatly improved at large scale, which may also be true for larger scale ultrasonic reactors.

Ultrasonic inspection of austenitic welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baikie, B.L.; Wagg, A.R.; Whittle, M.J.; Yapp, D.

1976-01-01

Optical and X-ray metallography combined with ultrasonic testing by compression waves was used for inspection of stainless steel weld metal produced by three different welding techniques. X-ray diffraction showed that each weld possessed a characteristic fibre textured structure which was shown by optical microscopy to be parallel to columnar grain boundaries. Metallographic evidence suggested that the development of fibre texture is due to the mechanism of competitive growth. From observations made as a result of optical metallographic examination the orientation of the fibre axis could be predicted if the weld geometry and welding procedure were known. Ultrasonic velocity and attenuation measurements as a continuous function of grain orientation, made on cylinders machined from weld samples, showed that attenuation was strongly orientation dependent. It was concluded that the sensitivity of ultrasonic inspection to small defects is unlikely to be as high for austenitic welds as for ferritic even when transmission is improved by modifying the welding procedure to improve the ultrasonic transmission. (U.K.)

Ultrasonic Spray Drying vs High Vacuum and Microwaves Technology for Blueberries

Science.gov (United States)

Candia-Muñoz, N.; Ramirez-Bunster, M.; Vargas-Hernández, Y.; Gaete-Garretón, L.

Interest in high quality foods: good taste and a high content of nutrients with healthy beneficial effects are increasing. Fruits have good properties but, they are lost because the oxidation process, additionally, for different reasons a 40% of harvested fruit are lost. To conserve the fruit properties an ultrasonic assisted spray dryer was developed and tested, comparing its results with microwave-vacuum drying technology. Results did shown taste, color, smell, particle shape and size distribution better than the conventional one. The antioxidants conservation were quite good except in the anthocyanins, in which the microwave and vacuum technology shown best results.

Ultrasonic nondestructive materials characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Green, R. E., Jr.

1986-01-01

A brief review of ultrasonic wave propagation in solid materials is presented with consideration of the altered behavior in anisotropic and nonlinear elastic materials in comparison with isotropic and linear elastic materials. Some experimental results are described in which ultrasonic velocity and attenuation measurements give insight into materials microstructure and associated mechanical properties. Recent developments with laser beam non-contact generation and detection of ultrasound are presented. The results of several years of experimental measurements using high-power ultrasound are discussed, which provide substantial evidence of the inability of presently accepted theories to fully explain the interaction of ultrasound with solid materials. Finally, a special synchrotron X-ray topographic system is described which affords the possibility of observing direct interaction of ultrasonic waves with the microstructural features of real crystalline solid materials for the first time.

Under sodium ultrasonic imaging system for PFBR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patankar, V.H.; Lalwani, S.K.; Agashe, A.A.

2014-01-01

Under Sodium UltraSonic Scanner (USUSS) has been developed to detect the growth and protrusion of fuel sub-assemblies of PFBR, submerged in liquid sodium by using the ultrasonic imaging technique during reactor shut-down when liquid sodium is at 180 ℃. The imaging is carried out prior to every Fuel handling operation. Electronics Division, BARC has designed and developed an 8-Channel Ultrasonic Imaging System (UIS) which consists of 4 downward viewing and 4 side viewing ultrasonic transducers alongwith pulser-receiver, signal processing electronics hardware and software. An automated mechanical scanner developed by IGCAR houses sodium immersible transducers to image the fuel sub assemblies. The system has been successfully tested with dummy protruding and grown FSAs, submerged under liquid sodium. Such ultrasonic imaging systems are not available to India from international market. The USUSS developed indigenously has all the features available in similar systems developed by other countries. After every imaging campaign, the mechanical scanner containing ultrasonic transducers is stored in the Argon filled storage-pit. Before every campaign of USUSS, it is necessary to check the healthiness of the sodium immersible and contaminated ultrasonic transducers, as the under-sodium scanner is decontaminated once in five years. For this purpose, a novel Non Contact Ultrasonic Inspection System (NCUIS) has been designed and developed by Electronics Division, BARC to check the functionality of the high-temperature and contaminated transducers of USUSS, using air-coupled ultrasonic technique. (author)

Thermal dosimetry studies of ultrasonically induced hyperthermia in normal dog brain and in experimental brain tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Britt, R.H.; Pounds, D.W.; Stuart, J.S.; Lyons, B.E.; Saxer, E.L.

1984-01-01

In a series of 16 acute experiments on pentobarbital anesthetized dogs, thermal distributions generated by ultrasonic heating using a 1 MHz PZT transducer were compared with intensity distributions mapped in a test tank. Relatively flat distributions from 1 to 3 cm have been mapped in normal dog brain using ''shaped'' intensity distributions generated from ultrasonic emission patterns which are formed by the interaction between compressional, transverse and flexural modes activated within the crystal. In contrast, these same intensity distributions generated marked temperature variations in 3 malignant brain tumors presumably due to variations in tumor blood flow. The results of this study suggest that a practical clinical system for uniform heating of large tumor volumes with varying volumes and geometries is not an achievable goal. The author's laboratory is developing a scanning ultrasonic rapid hyperthermia treatment system which will be able to sequentially heat small volume of tumor tissue either to temperatures which will sterilize tumor or to a more conventional thermal dose. Time-temperature studies of threshold for thermal damage in normal dog brain are currently in progress

Ultrasonic Characterization of Superhard Material: Osmium Diboride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yadawa, P K

2012-01-01

Higher order elastic constants have been calculated in hexagonal structured superhard material OsB 2 at room temperature following the interaction potential model. The temperature variation of the ultrasonic velocities is evaluated along different angles with unique axis of the crystal using the second order elastic constants. The ultrasonic velocity decreases with the temperature along particular orientation with the unique axis. Temperature variation of the thermal relaxation time and Debye average velocities are also calculated along the same orientation. The temperature dependency of the ultrasonic properties is discussed in correlation with elastic, thermal and electrical properties. It has been found that the thermal conductivity is the main contributor to the behaviour of ultrasonic attenuation as a function of temperature and the responsible cause of attenuation is phonon-phonon interaction. The mechanical properties of OsB 2 at low temperature are better than at high temperature, because at low temperature it has low ultrasonic velocity and ultrasonic attenuation. Superhard material OsB 2 has many industrial applications, such as abrasives, cutting tools and hard coatings.

Application of High-Resolution Ultrasonic Spectroscopy for analysis of complex formulations. Compressibility of solutes and solute particles in liquid mixtures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buckin, V

2012-01-01

The paper describes key aspects of interpretation of compressibility of solutes in liquid mixtures obtained through high-resolution measurements of ultrasonic parameters. It examines the fundamental relationships between the characteristics of solutes and the contributions of solutes to compressibility of liquid mixtures expressed through apparent adiabatic compressibility of solutes, and adiabatic compressibility of solute particles. In addition, it analyses relationships between the adiabatic compressibility of solutes and the measured ultrasonic characteristics of mixtures. Especial attention is given to the effects of solvents on the measured adiabatic compressibility of solutes and on concentration increment of ultrasonic velocity of solutes in mixtures.

Manufacturing technologies for ultrasonic transducers in a broad frequency range

OpenAIRE

Gebhardt, Sylvia; Hohlfeld, Kai; Günther, Paul; Neubert, Holger

2018-01-01

According to the application field, working frequency of ultrasonic transducers needs to be tailored to a certain value. Low frequency ultrasonic transducers with working frequencies of 1 kHz to 1 MHz are especially interesting for sonar applications, whereas high frequency ultrasonic transducers with working frequencies higher than 15 MHz are favorable for high-resolution imaging in biomedical and non-destructive evaluation. Conventional non-destructive testing devices and clinical ultrasoun...

Influence on ultrasonic incident angle and defect detection sensitivity by cast stainless steel structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurozumi, Y.

2004-01-01

It is well known that ultrasonic waves are affected strongly by macro-structures in cast stainless steel, as in the primary pipe or other components in pressurized water reactors (PWRs). In this work, ultrasonic refractive angles and defect detection sensitivities are investigated at different incident angles to cast stainless steel. The aims of the investigation are to clarify the transmission of ultrasonic waves in cast stainless steel and to contribute to the transducer design. The results are that ultrasonic refractive angles in cast stainless steel shift towards the 45-degree direction with respect to the direction of dendritic structures by 11.8 degrees at the maximum and that the sensitivity of transducer for inner surface breaking cracks increases with decreasing incident angle. However, in an ultrasonic inspection of actual welds at smaller incident angles, a trade-off occurs between increased defect detection sensitivity and decreased defect discrimination capability due to intense false signals produced by non-defective features. (orig.)

High performance ultrasonic field simulation on complex geometries

Science.gov (United States)

Chouh, H.; Rougeron, G.; Chatillon, S.; Iehl, J. C.; Farrugia, J. P.; Ostromoukhov, V.

2016-02-01

Ultrasonic field simulation is a key ingredient for the design of new testing methods as well as a crucial step for NDT inspection simulation. As presented in a previous paper [1], CEA-LIST has worked on the acceleration of these simulations focusing on simple geometries (planar interfaces, isotropic materials). In this context, significant accelerations were achieved on multicore processors and GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), bringing the execution time of realistic computations in the 0.1 s range. In this paper, we present recent works that aim at similar performances on a wider range of configurations. We adapted the physical model used by the CIVA platform to design and implement a new algorithm providing a fast ultrasonic field simulation that yields nearly interactive results for complex cases. The improvements over the CIVA pencil-tracing method include adaptive strategies for pencil subdivisions to achieve a good refinement of the sensor geometry while keeping a reasonable number of ray-tracing operations. Also, interpolation of the times of flight was used to avoid time consuming computations in the impulse response reconstruction stage. To achieve the best performance, our algorithm runs on multi-core superscalar CPUs and uses high performance specialized libraries such as Intel Embree for ray-tracing, Intel MKL for signal processing and Intel TBB for parallelization. We validated the simulation results by comparing them to the ones produced by CIVA on identical test configurations including mono-element and multiple-element transducers, homogeneous, meshed 3D CAD specimens, isotropic and anisotropic materials and wave paths that can involve several interactions with interfaces. We show performance results on complete simulations that achieve computation times in the 1s range.

Characterization of High Density Concrete by Ultrasonic Goniometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suhairy Sani; Mohamad Pauzi Ismail; Noor Azreen Masenwat; Nasharuddin Isa; Mohamad Haniza Mahmud

2014-01-01

This paper described the results of ultrasonic goniometer measurements on concrete containing hematite. Local hematite stones were used as aggregates to produce high density concrete for application in X-and gamma shielding. Concrete cube samples (150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm) containing hematite as coarse aggregates were prepared by changing mix ratio, water to cement ratio (w/ c) and types of fine aggregate. All samples were cured in water for 7 days. After 28 days of casting, the concrete cubes were then cut into small size of about 10 mm x 20 mm x 30 mm so that it can be fitted into goniometer specimen holder. From this measurement, longitudinal, shear and surface Rayleigh waves in the concrete can be determined. The measurement results are explained and discussed. (author)

Compton scattering at high intensities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heinzl, Thomas, E-mail: thomas.heinzl@plymouth.ac.u [University of Plymouth, School of Mathematics and Statistics, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom)

2009-12-01

High-intensity Compton scattering takes place when an electron beam is brought into collision with a high power laser. We briefly review the main intensity signatures using the formalism of strong-field quantum electrodynamics.

High-intensity focused ultrasound sonothrombolysis: the use of perfluorocarbon droplets to achieve clot lysis at reduced acoustic power.

Science.gov (United States)

Pajek, Daniel; Burgess, Alison; Huang, Yuexi; Hynynen, Kullervo

2014-09-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate use of intravascular perfluorocarbon droplets to reduce the sonication power required to achieve clot lysis with high-intensity focused ultrasound. High-intensity focused ultrasound with droplets was initially applied to blood clots in an in vitro flow apparatus, and inertial cavitation thresholds were determined. An embolic model for ischemic stroke was used to illustrate the feasibility of this technique in vivo. Recanalization with intravascular droplets was achieved in vivo at 24 ± 5% of the sonication power without droplets. Recanalization occurred in 71% of rabbits that received 1-ms pulsed sonications during continuous intravascular droplet infusion (p = 0.041 vs controls). Preliminary experiments indicated that damage was confined to the ultrasonic focus, suggesting that tolerable treatments would be possible with a more tightly focused hemispheric array that allows the whole focus to be placed inside of the main arteries in the human brain. Copyright © 2014 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nano features of Al/Au ultrasonic bond interface observed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji Hongjun; Li Mingyu; Kim, Jong-Myung; Kim, Dae-Won; Wang Chunqing

2008-01-01

Nano-scale interfacial details of ultrasonic AlSi1 wire wedge bonding to a Au/Ni/Cu pad were investigated using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The intermetallic phase Au 8 Al 3 formed locally due to diffusion and reaction activated by ultrasound at the Al/Au bond interface. Multilayer sub-interfaces roughly parallel to the wire/pad interface were observed among this phase, and interdiffusional features near the Au pad resembled interference patterns, alternately dark and bright bars. Solid-state diffusion theory cannot be used to explain why such a thick compound formed within milliseconds at room temperature. The major formation of metallurgical bonds was attributed to ultrasonic cyclic vibration

Ultrasonic mammography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hueneke, B.

1982-01-01

608 women are examined by means of ultrasonic mammography during the period of 1 year. 432 patients were examined with the compound method with the U.I. Octoson, a water tank scanner, and 176 patients with the real time method with a directly connected linear-array-scanner. The following results were obtained at the end of the examination period: In the ultrasonic and also in the X-ray mammogram tumour diameters can be determined with an error rate of +- 30%. In the diagnosing of carcinomas, a significant dependence of the exactness on the sice of the tumour is found for the combination of the five methods tested (clinical examination, X-ray mammography, ultrasonic mammography, thermography, cytology). Classifying the individual methods with regard to their exactness, X-ray mammography ranks in front of ultrasonic mammography. Mastopathic changes in the breast can be screened by means of ultrasonic mammography. The structure of the changes can be determined more exactly than with an X-ray picture which is due to the possibility of differentiating solid and cystic structures. In diagnosing fibro-adenomas and establishing diagnoses on young women with dense gland bodies, ultrasonic mammography is superior to radiology both in the ability of screening a finding of a fibro-adenoma (US=88%, X-ray=75%) and in the possibility of classifying it as ''more benign than malignant''. (orig./MG) [de

Phenomenally High Transduction Air/gas Transducers for Practical Non-Contact Ultrasonic Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Bhardwaj, Mahesh C.

2009-03-01

Based on novel acoustic impedance matching layers and high coupling piezoelectric materials this paper describes exceptionally high air/gas transduction ultrasonic transducers. By providing applications oriented performance of these transducers we also usher in the era of much desired Non-Contact Ultrasound (NCU) testing and analysis of a wide range of materials including early stage formation of materials such as uncured composite prepregs, green ceramics and powder metals, plastics, elastomers, porous, hygroscopic, chemically bonded and other materials. Besides quality control, ultimately NCU offers timely opportunities for cost-effective materials production, energy savings, and environment protection.

Development of an intelligent ultrasonic welding defect classification software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Sung Jin; Kim, Hak Joon; Jeong, Hee Don

1997-01-01

Ultrasonic pattern recognition is the most effective approach to the problem of discriminating types of flaws in weldments based on ultrasonic flaw signals. In spite of significant progress in the research on this methodology, it has not been widely used in many practical ultrasonic inspections of weldments in industry. Hence, for the convenient application of this approach in many practical situations, we develop an intelligent ultrasonic signature classification software which can discriminate types of flaws in weldments based on their ultrasonic signals using various tools in artificial intelligence such as neural networks. This software shows the excellent performance in an experimental problem where flaws in weldments are classified into two categories of cracks and non-cracks. This performance demonstrates the high possibility of this software as a practical tool for ultrasonic flaw classification in weldments.

High-Frequency Fiber-Optic Ultrasonic Sensor Using Air Micro-Bubble for Imaging of Seismic Physical Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Gang, Tingting; Hu, Manli; Rong, Qiangzhou; Qiao, Xueguang; Liang, Lei; Liu, Nan; Tong, Rongxin; Liu, Xiaobo; Bian, Ce

2016-12-14

A micro-fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) is proposed and demonstrated experimentally for ultrasonic imaging of seismic physical models. The device consists of a micro-bubble followed by the end of a single-mode fiber (SMF). The micro-structure is formed by the discharging operation on a short segment of hollow-core fiber (HCF) that is spliced to the SMF. This micro FPI is sensitive to ultrasonic waves (UWs), especially to the high-frequency (up to 10 MHz) UW, thanks to its ultra-thin cavity wall and micro-diameter. A side-band filter technology is employed for the UW interrogation, and then the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) UW signal is achieved. Eventually the sensor is used for lateral imaging of the physical model by scanning UW detection and two-dimensional signal reconstruction.

Ultrasonic physics

CERN Document Server

Richardson, E G

1962-01-01

Ultrasonic Physics, Second Edition, provides an introduction to the fundamental principles of ultrasonic physics. The book opens with a discussion of the sources of ultrasound. This is followed by separate chapters on the properties and detection of ultrasonic radiation; measurement of propagation constants, i.e., the velocity and absorption, of ultrasound; ultrasound propagation in gases, liquids, and solids; and ultrasound propagation in aerosols, suspensions, and emulsions. The final chapter covers miscellaneous physical and physico-chemical actions, including dispersion and coagulation of

Ultrasonic testing of materials at level 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-06-01

Ultrasonic inspection is a nondestructive method in which high frequency sound waves are introduced into the material being inspected. Ultrasonic testing has a superior penetrating power to radiography and can detect flaws deep in the test specimen (say up to about 6 to 7 meters of steel). It is quite sensitive to small flaws and allows the precise determination of the location and size of the flaws. Basic ultrasonic test methods such as the through transmission method and the resonance method, sensors and testing techniques are described. Pulse echo type flaw detectors and their applications for inspection of welds are surveyed. Ultrasonic standards, calibration of the equipment and evaluation methods are presented. Examples of practical applications in welding, casting and forging processes are given. Figs and tabs

Enhancement of ultrasonic disintegration of sewage sludge by aeration.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, He; Zhang, Panyue; Zhang, Guangming; Cheng, Rong

2016-04-01

Sonication is an effective way for sludge disintegration, which can significantly improve the efficiency of anaerobic digestion to reduce and recycle use of sludge. But high energy consumption limits the wide application of sonication. In order to improve ultrasonic sludge disintegration efficiency and reduce energy consumption, aeration was introduced. Results showed that sludge disintegration efficiency was improved significantly by combining aeration with ultrasound. The aeration flow rate, gas bubble size, ultrasonic density and aeration timing had impacts on sludge disintegration efficiency. Aeration that used in later stage of ultrasonic irradiation with low aeration flow rate, small gas bubbles significantly improved ultrasonic disintegration sludge efficiency. At the optimal conditions of 0.4 W/mL ultrasonic irradiation density, 30 mL/min of aeration flow rate, 5 min of aeration in later stage and small gas bubbles, ultrasonic sludge disintegration efficiency was increased by 45% and one third of ultrasonic energy was saved. This approach will greatly benefit the application of ultrasonic sludge disintegration and strongly promote the treatment and recycle of wastewater sludge. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Airborne Power Ultrasonic Technologies for Intensification of Food and Environmental Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Riera, Enrique; Acosta, Víctor M.; Bon, José; Aleixandre, Manuel; Blanco, Alfonso; Andrés, Roque R.; Cardoni, Andrea; Martinez, Ignacio; Herranz, Luís E.; Delgado, Rosario; Gallego-Juárez, Juan A.

Airborne power ultrasound is a green technology with a great potential for food and environmental applications, among others. This technology aims at producing permanent changes in objects and substances by means of the propagation of high-intensity waves through air and multiphase media. Specifically, the nonlinear effects produced in such media are responsible for the beneficial repercussions of ultrasound in airborne applications. Processing enhancement is achieved through minimizing the impedance mismatch between the ultrasonic radiator source and the medium by the generation of large vibration displacements and the concentration of energy radiation thus overcoming the high acoustic absorption of fluids, and in particular of gases such as air. Within this work the enhancing effects of airborne power ultrasound in various solid/liquid/gas applications including drying of solid and semi-solid substances, and the agglomeration of tiny particles in air cleaning processes are presented. Moreover, the design of new ultrasonic devices capable of generating these effects are described along with practical methods aimed at maintaining a stable performance of the tuned systems at operational powers. Hence, design strategies based on finite element modelling (FEM) and experimental methods consolidated through the years for material and tuned assembly characterizations are highlighted.

Highly accurate adaptive TOF determination method for ultrasonic thickness measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Lianjie; Liu, Haibo; Lian, Meng; Ying, Yangwei; Li, Te; Wang, Yongqing

2018-04-01

Determining the time of flight (TOF) is very critical for precise ultrasonic thickness measurement. However, the relatively low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the received signals would induce significant TOF determination errors. In this paper, an adaptive time delay estimation method has been developed to improve the TOF determination’s accuracy. An improved variable step size adaptive algorithm with comprehensive step size control function is proposed. Meanwhile, a cubic spline fitting approach is also employed to alleviate the restriction of finite sampling interval. Simulation experiments under different SNR conditions were conducted for performance analysis. Simulation results manifested the performance advantage of proposed TOF determination method over existing TOF determination methods. When comparing with the conventional fixed step size, and Kwong and Aboulnasr algorithms, the steady state mean square deviation of the proposed algorithm was generally lower, which makes the proposed algorithm more suitable for TOF determination. Further, ultrasonic thickness measurement experiments were performed on aluminum alloy plates with various thicknesses. They indicated that the proposed TOF determination method was more robust even under low SNR conditions, and the ultrasonic thickness measurement accuracy could be significantly improved.

Air-Coupled Ultrasonic Receivers with High Electromechanical Coupling PMN-32%PT Strip-Like Piezoelectric Elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rymantas J. Kazys

2017-10-01

Full Text Available For improvement of the efficiency of air-coupled ultrasonic transducers PMN-32%PT piezoelectric crystals which possess very high piezoelectric properties may be used. The electromechanical coupling factor of such crystals for all main vibration modes such as the thickness extension and transverse extension modes is more than 0.9. Operation of ultrasonic transducers with such piezoelectric elements in transmitting and receiving modes is rather different. Therefore, for transmission and reception of ultrasonic signals, separate piezoelectric elements with different dimensions must be used. The objective of this research was development of novel air-coupled ultrasonic receivers with PMN-32%PT strip-like piezoelectric elements vibrating in a transverse-extension mode with electromechanically controlled operation and suitable for applications in ultrasonic arrays. Performance of piezoelectric receivers made of the PMN-32%PT strip-like elements vibrating in this mode may be efficiently controlled by selecting geometry of the electrodes covering side surfaces of the piezoelectric element. It is equivalent to introduction of electromechanical damping which does not require any additional backing element. For this purpose; we have proposed the continuous electrodes to divide into two pairs of electrodes. The one pair is used to pick up the electric signal; another one is exploited for electromechanical damping. Two types of electrodes may be used—rectangular or non-rectangular—with a gap between them directed at some angle, usually 45°. The frequency bandwidth is wider (up to 9 kHz in the case of non-rectangular electrodes. The strip-like acoustic matching element bonded to the tip of the PMN-32%PT crystal may significantly enhance the performance of the ultrasonic receiver. It was proposed to use for this purpose AIREX T10.110 rigid polymer foam, the acoustic impedance of which is close to the optimal value necessary for matching with air. It was

Continuous ultrasonic waves to detect steam bubbles in water under high pressure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hulshof, H J.M.; Schurink, F

1985-01-01

Steam in the recirculation circuit of boilers may lead to unacceptable high thermal loads on the evaporator tubes. The ability to detect steam in the recirculation circuit during process transients is therefore important. A simple detector using continuous ultrasonic waves and able to detect bubbles in water contained in steel tubes is described in this paper. The variation of the transmitted wave caused by the bubbles was determined by demodulation. The results have met the objectives set for cold water with air bubbles. A clear indication of the presence of steam bubbles was found in fast-flowing hot water in a steel tube with a diameter of 60 mm. A change in the low-frequency region of the modulation was the only indication of the presence of steam bubbles in the large-diameter downcomer of the water-separator drum of a boiler in an electrical power plant. Possible causes of the differences in the results obtained are discussed on the basis of differences in bubble sizes and in focusing and reflection of the ultrasonic waves. (orig.). 11 refs.; 10 figs.

Continuous ultrasonic waves to detect steam bubbles in water under high pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hulshof, H.J.M.; Schurink, F.

1985-01-01

Steam in the recirculation circuit of boilers may lead to unacceptable high thermal loads on the evaporator tubes. The ability to detect steam in the recirculation circuit during process transients is therefore important. A simple detector using continuous ultrasonic waves and able to detect bubbles in water contained in steel tubes is described in this paper. The variation of the transmitted wave caused by the bubbles was determined by demodulation. The results have met the objectives set for cold water with air bubbles. A clear indication of the presence of steam bubbles was found in fast-flowing hot water in a steel tube with a diameter of 60 mm. A change in the low-frequency region of the modulation was the only indication of the presence of steam bubbles in the large-diameter downcomer of the water-separator drum of a boiler in an electrical power plant. Possible causes of the differences in the results obtained are discussed on the basis of differences in bubble sizes and in focusing and reflection of the ultrasonic waves. (orig.)

Microscopic theory of ultrasonic attenuation in high-Tc superconductors in normal state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bishoyi, K.C.; Rout, G.C.; Behera, S.N.

2001-01-01

The mechanism of the ultrasonic attenuation in high temperature superconductors is not yet studied thoroughly both experimentally and theoretically. A microscopic theoretical model is proposed here to study the attenuation in the electron doped and hole doped compounds like L 2-x M x CuO 4 (L=La,Nd; M=Sr,Ca,Ce). The model Hamiltonian contains the staggered magnetic field in the d-electrons of copper, the doped f-electrons term and the hybridisation between d- and f-electrons. The electron-phonon interaction arises due to the volume strain dependence of the hybridisation. The phonon Green's function is calculated by equations of motion of Zubarev technique. The temperature dependence of the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient (α) is calculated from the imaginary part of the phonon self energy and the velocity of sound in the dynamic and long wavelength limit. The dimensionless parameters involved in the calculations are the electron-phonon coupling (g), staggered magnetic field (h) , hybridization (υ), position of the f-level (d), frequency (ω), and temperature (t). The results are discussed. (author)

Atomic absorption determination of metals in soils using ultrasonic sample preparation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chmilenko, F.A.; Smityuk, N.M.; Baklanov, A.N.

2002-01-01

It was shown that ultrasonic treatment accelerates sample preparation of soil extracts from chernozem into different solvents by a factor of 6 to 60. These extracts are used for the atomic absorption determination of soluble species of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. The optimum ultrasound parameters (frequency, intensity, and treatment time) were found for preparing soil extracts containing analytes in concentrations required in agrochemical procedures. Different extractants used to extract soluble heavy metals from soils of an ordinary chernozem type in agrochemical procedures using ultrasonic treatment were classified in accordance with the element nature [ru

An ultrasonic waveguide for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watkins, R.D.; Gillespie, A.B.; Deighton, M.O.; Pike, R.B.

1983-01-01

The value of ultrasonic techniques in nuclear plants is well established. However, in most cases nuclear power plants present an extremely hostile environment for an ultrasonic transducer. The paper presents a novel technique for introducing an ultrasound into hostile liquid environments using a new form of ultrasonic waveguide. Using this approach, a standard transducer arrangement is sited in a hospitable area and conveys the ultrasound along the guide to the required beam-emission collection position. The design of a single-mode ultrasonic waveguide is described. The ultrasound is conveyed along a stainless steel strip of rectangular cross-section. The transference of energy between the strip and the liquid is achieved through a highly efficient mode-conversion process. This process overcomes the usual problems of mis-match of acoustic impedances of stainless steel and liquids, and also produces a highly collimated beam of ultrasound. Tests of a 10-m-long waveguide using these techniques are described, achieving signal-to-noise ratios in the region of 40 dB. (author)

Effect of Ultrasonic Frequency on Lactic Acid Fermentation Promotion by Ultrasonic Irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Shimada, Tadayuki; Ohdaira, Etsuzo; Masuzawa, Nobuyoshi

2004-05-01

The authors have been researching the promotion of lactic acid fermentation by ultrasonic irradiation. In the past research, it was proven that ultrasonic irradiation is effective in the process of fermentation, and the production of yoghurt and kefir was promoted. In this study, the effect of the ultrasonic frequency in this fermentation process was examined. In the frequency range of this study, it was found that the action of fermentation promotion was exponentially proportionate to the irradiated ultrasonic frequency.

Automated ultrasonic inspection using PULSDAT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naybour, P.J.

1992-01-01

PULSDAT (Portable Ultrasonic Data Acquisition Tool) is a system for recording the data from single probe automated ultrasonic inspections. It is one of a range of instruments and software developed by Nuclear Electric to carry out a wide variety of high quality ultrasonic inspections. These vary from simple semi-automated inspections through to multi-probe, highly automated ones. PULSDAT runs under the control of MIPS software, and collects data which is compatible with the GUIDE data display system. PULSDAT is therefore fully compatible with Nuclear Electric's multi-probe inspection systems and utilises all the reliability and quality assurance of the software. It is a rugged, portable system that can be used in areas of difficult access. The paper discusses the benefits of automated inspection and gives an outline of the main features of PULSDAT. Since April 1990 PULSDAT has been used in several applications within Nuclear Electric and this paper presents two examples: the first is a ferritic set-through nozzle and the second is an austenitic fillet weld. (Author)

Ultrasonic analysis of UO{sub 2} pellets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bittencourt, Marcelo de S.Q.; Baroni, Douglas B.; Martorelli, Daniel S., E-mail: bittenc@ien.gov.br, E-mail: douglasbaroni@ien.gov.br, E-mail: daniel@ien.gov.br [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Lab. de Ultrassom; Dias, Fabio C.; Silva, Jose W.S. da, E-mail: fabio@ird.gov.br, E-mail: wanderley@ird.gov.br [Instituto de Radioprotecao e Dosimetria (IRD/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Lab. de Salvaguardas

2013-07-01

Ceramic materials have been widely used for various purposes in many different industries due to certain characteristics, such as high melting point and high resistance to corrosion. In the nuclear area, ceramics are of great importance due to the process of fabrication of fuel pellets for nuclear reactors. Generally, high accuracy destructive techniques are used to characterize nuclear materials for fuel fabrication. These techniques usually require costly equipment and facilities, as well as experienced personnel. This paper aims at presenting an analysis methodology for UO2 pellets using a non-destructive ultrasonic technique for porosity measurement. This technique differs from traditional ultrasonic techniques in the sense it uses ultrasonic pulses in frequency domain instead of time domain. Therefore, specific characteristics of the analyzed material are associated with the obtained frequency spectrum. In the present work, four fuel grade UO2 pellets were analyzed and the corresponding results evaluated. (author)

Development of phased-array ultrasonic testing probe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawanami, Seiichi; Kurokawa, Masaaki; Taniguchi, Masaru; Tada, Yoshihisa

2001-01-01

Phased-array ultrasonic testing was developed for nondestructive evaluation of power plants. Phased-array UT scans and focuses an ultrasonic beam to inspect areas difficult to inspect by conventional UT. We developed a highly sensitive piezoelectric composite, and designed optimized phased-array UT probes. We are applying our phased-array UT to different areas of power plants. (author)

The ultrasonic shop map and its use in preservice inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caplan, J.S.

1975-01-01

Prior to the introduction of Section X1 of the ASME Code on Inservice Inspection, a plan was introduced by Westinghouse to perform ultrasonic examinations of areas of high stress and high fluence of reactor pressure vessels in the manufacturer's shop and subsequent to the shop hydrostatic test. The tests provided a shop reference map of ultrasonic responses to use in subsequent preservice and inservice inspections, and attempted to locate any ultrasonic reflections beyond the acceptance standards of ASME Section III and, later, of Section X1. The history of the program is reviewed. Thirty-six vessels were examined during 1970 to 1973. As a result of indications discovered during ultrasonic examination repairs were carried out on five of these. Details are given of inspections and repairs. A summary is also given of the indications detected and of the correlations between the ultrasonic evaluation and actual flow characteristics. (U.K.)

Ultrasonic viewing device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Juro.

1979-01-01

Purpose: To improve the safety of reactor operation by enabling to detect the states and positions of fuel assemblies over a wide range with a set of ultrasonic viewing device comprising a rotatable ultrasonic transmitter-receiver and a reflector mounted with an adjustable angle. Constitution: A driving portion for a ultrasonic viewing device is provided to a rotary plug closing the opening of a reactor vessel and a guide pipe suspending below the coolant level is provided to the driving portion. An ultrasonic transmitter-receiver is provided at the end of the holder tube in the guide pipe. A reflector is provided at the upper position of the reactor core so as to correspond to the ultrasonic transmitter-receiver. The ultrasonic transmitter-receiver, positioned by the driving portion, performs horizontal movement for scanning the entire surface of the top of the reactor core, as well as vertical movement covering the gap between the upper mechanism on the reactor and the reactor core, whereby the confirmation for the separation of the control rod and the detection for the states of the reactor core can be conducted by the reflection waves from the reflector. (Moriyama, K.)

Toward the development of erosion-free ultrasonic cavitation cleaning with gas-supersaturated water

Science.gov (United States)

Yamashita, Tatsuya; Ando, Keita

2015-11-01

In ultrasonic cleaning, contaminant particles attached at target surfaces are removed by liquid flow or acoustic waves that are induced by acoustic cavitation bubbles. However, the inertial collapse of such bubbles often involve strong shock emission or water hammer by re-entrant jets, thereby giving rise to material erosion. Here, we aim at developing an erosion-free ultrasonic cleaning technique with the aid of gas-supersaturated water. The key idea is that (gaseous) cavitation is triggered easily even with low-intensity sonication in water where gases are dissolved beyond Henry's saturation limit, allowing us to buffer violent bubble collapse. In this presentation, we report on observations of the removal of micron/submicron-sized particles attached at glass surfaces by the action of gaseous cavitation bubbles under low-intensity sonication.

Radial vibration and ultrasonic field of a long tubular ultrasonic radiator.

Science.gov (United States)

Shuyu, Lin; Zhiqiang, Fu; Xiaoli, Zhang; Yong, Wang; Jing, Hu

2013-09-01

The radial vibration of a metal long circular tube is studied analytically and its electro-mechanical equivalent circuit is obtained. Based on the equivalent circuit, the radial resonance frequency equation is derived. The theoretical relationship between the radial resonance frequency and the geometrical dimensions is studied. Finite element method is used to simulate the radial vibration and the radiated ultrasonic field and the results are compared with those from the analytical method. It is concluded that the radial resonance frequency for a solid metal rod is larger than that for a metal tube with the same outer radius. The radial resonance frequencies from the analytical method are in good agreement with those from the numerical method. Based on the acoustic field analysis, it is concluded that the long metal tube with small wall thickness is superior to that with large wall thickness in producing radial vibration and ultrasonic radiation. Therefore, it is expected to be used as an effective radial ultrasonic radiator in ultrasonic sewage treatment, ultrasonic antiscale and descaling and other ultrasonic liquid handling applications. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonic decontamination robot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patenaude, R.S.

1984-01-01

An ultrasonic decontamination robot removes radioactive contamination from the internal surface of the inlet and outlet headers, divider plate, tube sheet, and lower portions of tubes of a nuclear power plant steam generator. A programmable microprocessor controller guides the movement of a robotic arm mounted in the header manway. An ultrasonic transducer having a solvent delivery subsystem through which ultrasonic action is achieved is moved by the arm over the surfaces. A solvent recovery suction tube is positioned within the header to remove solvent therefrom while avoiding interference with the main robotic arm. The solvent composition, temperature, pressure, viscosity, and purity are controlled to optimize the ultrasonic scrubbing action. The ultrasonic transducer is controlled at a power density, frequency, and on-off mode cycle such as to optimize scrubbing action within the range of transducer-to-surface distance and solvent layer thickness selected for the particular conditions encountered. Both solvent and transducer control actions are optimized by the programmable microprocessor. (author)

High Intensity Exercise in Multiple Sclerosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wens, Inez; Dalgas, Ulrik; Vandenabeele, Frank

2015-01-01

Introduction Low-to-moderate intensity exercise improves muscle contractile properties and endurance capacity in multiple sclerosis (MS). The impact of high intensity exercise remains unknown. Methods Thirty-four MS patients were randomized into a sedentary control group (SED, n = 11) and 2...... exercise groups that performed 12 weeks of a high intensity interval (HITR, n = 12) or high intensity continuous cardiovascular training (HCTR, n = 11), both in combination with resistance training. M.vastus lateralis fiber cross sectional area (CSA) and proportion, knee-flexor/extensor strength, body...... composition, maximal endurance capacity and self-reported physical activity levels were assessed before and after 12 weeks. Results Compared to SED, 12 weeks of high intensity exercise increased mean fiber CSA (HITR: +21±7%, HCTR: +23±5%). Furthermore, fiber type I CSA increased in HCTR (+29±6%), whereas type...

Ultrasonic testing device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawrie, W.E.

1978-01-01

The ultrasonic transmitter made of polarized ferroelectric ceramic material (lead zirconate titanate) is arranged in a strip carrier which allows it to be introduced between the fuel elements of a fuel subassembly in a water cooled nuclear reactor. The ultrasonic transmitter is insulated relative to the carrier. The echo of the ra dal ultrasonic pulse is recorded which changes as faulty water filled fuel elements are detected. (RW) [de

Ultrasonic sectional imaging for crack identification. Part 1. Confirmation test of essential factors for ultrasonic imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasahara, Toshihiko

2008-01-01

Since the first reports of inter-granular stress corrosion crack (IGSCC) in boiling water reactor (BWR) pipe in the 1970s, nuclear power industry has focused considerable attention on service induced crack detection and sizing using ultrasonic examination. In recent years, phased array systems, those reconstruct high quality flaw images at real time are getting to apply for crack detection and sizing. But because the price of phased array systems are expensive for inspection vendors, field application of phased array systems are limited and reliable ultrasonic imaging systems with reasonable price are expected. This paper will discuss cost effective ultrasonic equipment with sectional image (B-scan) presentation as the simplified imaging system for assisting ultrasonic examination personnel. To develop the simplified B-scan imaging system, the frequency characteristics of IGSCC echoes and neighboring geometry echoes such as base-metal to weld interface and inner surface of a pipe are studied. The experimental study confirmed the reflectors have different frequency characteristics and 2MHz is suitable to visualize IGSCC and 5MHz and higher frequency are suitable to reconstruct geometry images. The other study is the amplifier selection for the imaging system. To reconstruct images of IGSCC and geometry echoes, the ultrasonic imaging instrument with linear amplifier has to adjust gain setting to the target. On the other hand, the ultrasonic imaging instrument with logarithmic amplifier can collect and display wider dynamic range on a screen and this wider dynamic range are effective to visualize IGSCC and geometry echoes on a B-scan presentation at a time. (author)

Hardware Developments of an Ultrasonic Tomography Measurement System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hudabiyah ARSHAD AMARI

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This research provides new technique in ultrasonic tomography by using ultrasonic transceivers instead of using separate transmitter-receiver pair. The numbers of sensors or transducers used to acquire data plays an important role to generate high resolution tomography images. The configuration of these sensors is a crucial factor in the efficiency of data acquisition. Instead of using common separated transmitter – receiver, an alternative approach has been taken to use dual functionality ultrasonic transceiver. A prototype design of sensor’s jig that will hold 16 transceivers of 14.1mm has been design. Transmission-mode approach with fan beam technique has been used for sensing the flow of gas, liquid and solid. This paper also explains the circuitry designs for the Ultrasonic Tomography System.

Measurement of a 3D Ultrasonic Wavefield Using Pulsed Laser Holographic Microscopy for Ultrasonic Nondestructive Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xing Wang

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In ultrasonic array imaging, 3D ultrasonic wavefields are normally recorded by an ultrasonic piezo array transducer. Its performance is limited by the configuration and size of the array transducer. In this paper, a method based on digital holographic interferometry is proposed to record the 3D ultrasonic wavefields instead of the array transducer, and the measurement system consisting of a pulsed laser, ultrasonic excitation, and synchronization and control circuit is designed. A consecutive sequence of holograms of ultrasonic wavefields are recorded by the system. The interferograms are calculated from the recorded holograms at different time sequence. The amplitudes and phases of the transient ultrasonic wavefields are recovered from the interferograms by phase unwrapping. The consecutive sequence of transient ultrasonic wavefields are stacked together to generate 3D ultrasonic wavefields. Simulation and experiments are carried out to verify the proposed technique, and preliminary results are presented.

Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing for High Performance Combustion Chambers, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of using ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) to dramatically reduce the cost and lead-time of...

Paternal kin recognition in the high frequency / ultrasonic range in a solitary foraging mammal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kessler Sharon E

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Kin selection is a driving force in the evolution of mammalian social complexity. Recognition of paternal kin using vocalizations occurs in taxa with cohesive, complex social groups. This is the first investigation of paternal kin recognition via vocalizations in a small-brained, solitary foraging mammal, the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus, a frequent model for ancestral primates. We analyzed the high frequency/ultrasonic male advertisement (courtship call and alarm call. Results Multi-parametric analyses of the calls’ acoustic parameters and discriminant function analyses showed that advertisement calls, but not alarm calls, contain patrilineal signatures. Playback experiments controlling for familiarity showed that females paid more attention to advertisement calls from unrelated males than from their fathers. Reactions to alarm calls from unrelated males and fathers did not differ. Conclusions 1 Findings provide the first evidence of paternal kin recognition via vocalizations in a small-brained, solitarily foraging mammal. 2 High predation, small body size, and dispersed social systems may select for acoustic paternal kin recognition in the high frequency/ultrasonic ranges, thus limiting risks of inbreeding and eavesdropping by predators or conspecific competitors. 3 Paternal kin recognition via vocalizations in mammals is not dependent upon a large brain and high social complexity, but may already have been an integral part of the dispersed social networks from which more complex, kin-based sociality emerged.

Reduction of aerosols produced by ultrasonic scalers.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrel, S K; Barnes, J B; Rivera-Hidalgo, F

1996-01-01

There is concern with decreased air quality and potential aerosol contamination in the dental operatory. This problem has been addressed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends that all sources of blood-contaminated splatter and aerosols be minimized. One of the major sources of potential aerosol contamination in the dental setting is the ultrasonic scaler. This study looks at the use of a high volume evacuator attachment for the ultrasonic scaler handpiece. Artificial teeth were mock-scaled for 1 minute with and without the evacuator attachment. The mock scaling was performed within a plastic enclosure that had a 1 cm grid laid out on 4 sides. Scaling was performed 10 times each by 2 operators. An erythrosin solution was used for the ultrasonic scaler coolant with a coolant volume of 17.5 ml/min. The number of squares containing a red erythrosin spot were counted and considered to represent aerosol contamination. The high volume evacuator attachment produced a 93% reduction in the number of contaminated squares (chi squared significant at P < 0.05). There was no increase in heat transfer to a tooth analogue when the high volume evacuator attachment was used with the ultrasonic scaler as compared to the scaler without the evacuator attachment. It is felt that the high volume evacuator attachment is capable of significantly reducing the amount of aerosol contamination produced within the test system without increased heat transfer to the tooth.

Investigation of Ultrasonics as a tool for energy efficient recycling of Lactic acid from postconsumer PLA products

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivasan, Gowrishankar

The growing use of "ecofriendly," biodegradable polymers have created a need for a suitable recycling technique because, unlike petroleum derived plastics, their properties deteriorate during conventional recycling. These new techniques must be cost efficient and yield material properties same as virgin polymer. This research investigates the effectiveness of high-power ultrasonics as an efficient technique to recover lactic acid from postconsumer polylactic acid (PLA) products. Polylactic acid is a commercially available bioplastic derived from corn starch and/or sugar cane that is biorenewable and compostable (biodegradable). The various ongoing researches to recover lactic acid from PLA employ a common platform of high temperature, high pressure (HTHP) to effect polymer hydrolysis. The energy intensiveness of these HTHP processes prompted this work to investigate ultrasonics as an low energy alternative process to cause PLA depolymerization. The energy consumption and the time required for depolymerization were utilized as the metrics to quantify and compare depolymerization enhanced by ultrasonics with hot-bath technique. The coupled effect of catalysts concentration and different solvents, along with ultrasonic were studied based on preliminary trial results. In addition, the correlation between the rates of de-polymerization was analyzed for ultrasonic amplitude, treatment time, and catalyst concentration and types. The results indicate that depolymerization of PLA was largely effected by heating caused by ultrasonic-induced cavitations. Other effects of ultrasonics, namely cavitations and acoustic streaming, were shown to have minimal effects in enhancing depolymerization. In fact, thermal energy predominately affected the reaction kinetics; the heat introduced by conventional method (i.e., electrical heaters) was more efficient than ultrasonic heating in terms of energy (for depolymerization) per unit mass of PLA and depolymerizing time. The degree of

Hand Gesture Recognition Using Ultrasonic Waves

KAUST Repository

AlSharif, Mohammed Hussain

2016-04-01

Gesturing is a natural way of communication between people and is used in our everyday conversations. Hand gesture recognition systems are used in many applications in a wide variety of fields, such as mobile phone applications, smart TVs, video gaming, etc. With the advances in human-computer interaction technology, gesture recognition is becoming an active research area. There are two types of devices to detect gestures; contact based devices and contactless devices. Using ultrasonic waves for determining gestures is one of the ways that is employed in contactless devices. Hand gesture recognition utilizing ultrasonic waves will be the focus of this thesis work. This thesis presents a new method for detecting and classifying a predefined set of hand gestures using a single ultrasonic transmitter and a single ultrasonic receiver. This method uses a linear frequency modulated ultrasonic signal. The ultrasonic signal is designed to meet the project requirements such as the update rate, the range of detection, etc. Also, it needs to overcome hardware limitations such as the limited output power, transmitter, and receiver bandwidth, etc. The method can be adapted to other hardware setups. Gestures are identified based on two main features; range estimation of the moving hand and received signal strength (RSS). These two factors are estimated using two simple methods; channel impulse response (CIR) and cross correlation (CC) of the reflected ultrasonic signal from the gesturing hand. A customized simple hardware setup was used to classify a set of hand gestures with high accuracy. The detection and classification were done using methods of low computational cost. This makes the proposed method to have a great potential for the implementation in many devices including laptops and mobile phones. The predefined set of gestures can be used for many control applications.

Ultrasonic unit for line-by-line ultrasonic scanning of bodies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soldner, R.

1978-01-01

The ultrasonic unit for medical diagnostics operates by the sectorial scanning principle, which avoids direct coupling of the transducer head to the surface of the body. For this purpose, several transmitter/receiver units (approx. 100) are arranged on a partial ring of a circular arc and the ultrasonic beams, which can be triggered sequentially in time, are directed at a common intersection behind the ultrasonic window of the unit, i.e., outside the unit. A mechanical system is employed to set and adjust the partial ring carrying the transmitter/receiver units. (DG) [de

Methanolysis of triolein by low frequency ultrasonic irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanh, Hoang Duc; Starvarache, Carmen; Okitsu, Kenji; Maeda, Yasuaki; Nishimura, Rokuro [Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University, Gakuen-cho 1-1, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan); Dong, Nguyen The [Institute of Environmental Technology, Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Hanoi (Viet Nam)

2008-02-15

Methanolysis of triolein was investigated at room temperature by 40 kHz ultrasonic irradiation to make biodiesel fuel as methyl esters. It was found that the yield of methyl esters strongly depended on the amount of KOH and the molar ratio of methanol to triolein (M/T) and was highest at the M/T molar ratio of 6/1, KOH concentration of 1 wt% and irradiation time of 30 min. In addition, the effects of sonication on the methanolysis of triolein were discussed in comparison to the effects of stirring experiments. The optimum condition under stirring experiments showed that the molar ratio of M/T, KOH concentration and reaction time were 6/1, 1.5 wt% and 4 h, respectively. These results clearly indicated that the ultrasonic irradiation method would be a promising one compared to the conventional stirring method. The high yield under the ultrasonic irradiation condition would be due to high speed mixing and mass transfer between the methanol and triolein as well as the formation of a microemulsion resulting from the ultrasonic cavitation phenomenon. (author)

Methanolysis of triolein by low frequency ultrasonic irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoang Duc Hanh [Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University, Gakuen-cho 1-1, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan)], E-mail: hoangduchanh75@yahoo.com; Nguyen The Dong [Institute of Environmental Technology, Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Starvarache, Carmen; Okitsu, Kenji; Maeda, Yasuaki; Nishimura, Rokuro [Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University, Gakuen-cho 1-1, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531 (Japan)

2008-02-15

Methanolysis of triolein was investigated at room temperature by 40 kHz ultrasonic irradiation to make biodiesel fuel as methyl esters. It was found that the yield of methyl esters strongly depended on the amount of KOH and the molar ratio of methanol to triolein (M/T) and was highest at the M/T molar ratio of 6/1, KOH concentration of 1 wt% and irradiation time of 30 min. In addition, the effects of sonication on the methanolysis of triolein were discussed in comparison to the effects of stirring experiments. The optimum condition under stirring experiments showed that the molar ratio of M/T, KOH concentration and reaction time were 6/1, 1.5 wt% and 4 h, respectively. These results clearly indicated that the ultrasonic irradiation method would be a promising one compared to the conventional stirring method. The high yield under the ultrasonic irradiation condition would be due to high speed mixing and mass transfer between the methanol and triolein as well as the formation of a microemulsion resulting from the ultrasonic cavitation phenomenon.

A top-crossover-to-bottom addressed segmented annular array using piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Joontaek; Lee, Wonjun; Kang, Woojin; Hong, Hyeryung; Yuen Song, Hi; Oh, Inn-yeal; Park, Chul Soon; Choi, Hongsoo

2015-11-01

We design and fabricate segmented annular arrays (SAAs) using piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) to demonstrate the feasibility of acoustic focusing of ultrasound. The fabricated SAAs have 25 concentric top-electrode signal lines and eight bottom-electrodes for grounding to enable electronic steering of selectively grouped ultrasonic transducers from 2393 pMUT elements. Each element in the array is connected by top-crossover-to-bottom metal bridges, which reduce the parasitic capacitance. Circular-shaped pMUT elements, 120 μm in diameter, are fabricated using 1 μm-thick sol-gel lead zirconate titanate on a silicon wafer. To utilize the high-density pMUT array, a deep reactive ion etching process is used for anisotropic silicon etching to realize the transducer membranes. The resonant frequency and effective coupling coefficient of the elements, measured with an impedance analyzer, yields 1.517 MHz and 1.29%, respectively, in air. The SAAs using pMUTs are packaged on a printed circuit board and coated with parylene C for acoustic intensity measurements in water. The ultrasound generated by each segmented array is focused on a selected point in space. When a 5 Vpp, 1.5 MHz square wave is applied, the maximum spatial peak temporal average intensity ({{I}\\text{spta}} ) is found to be 79 mW cm-2 5 mm from the SAAs’ surface without beamforming. The beam widths (-3 dB) of ultrasonic radiation patterns in the elevation and azimuth directions are recorded as 3 and 3.4 mm, respectively. The results successfully show the feasibility of focusing ultrasound on a small area with SAAs using pMUTs.

Intense deuterium nuclear fusion of pycnodeuterium-lumps coagulated locally within highly deuterated atom clusters

CERN Document Server

Yoshiaki, A; Zhang, Y C

2002-01-01

Embedded nano-Pd particles of 5 nm in size instantly abundant D-atoms more than 250% in the atomic ratio against Pd-atoms at room temperature when they are kept in D sub 2 gas pressurized to less than 10 atm. In such ultrahigh densities, 2-4 D-atoms can be coagulated inside each octahedral space of Pd lattice (pycnodeuterium-lump). When a stimulation energy such as latticequake causing by ultrasonic wave was supplied to those highly deuterated Pd particles, intense deuterium nuclear fusion (''solid fusion'') was generated there and both excess heat and sup 4 He gas were abundantly produced. Naturally, these facts can not be realized at all in bulk Pd. The results show that the nuclear fusion occurs without any hazardous rays in pycnodeuterium-lumps coagulated locally inside the each cell of the host metal lattice. These unit cells correspond to minimum unit of the solid fusion reactor as a ''Lattice Reactor''. (author)

Pipe Wall Thickness Monitoring Using Dry-Coupled Ultrasonic Waveguide Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheong, Yong Moo; Kim, Ha Nam; Kim, Hong Pyo

2012-01-01

In order to monitor a corrosion or FAC (Flow Accelerated Corrosion) in a pipe, there is a need to measure pipe wall thickness at high temperature. Ultrasonic thickness gauging is the most commonly used non-destructive testing technique for wall thickness measurement. However, current commonly available ultrasonic transducers cannot withstand high temperatures, such as above 200 .deg. C. It is therefore necessary to carry out manual measurements during plant shutdowns. The current method thus reveals several disadvantages: inspection have to be performed during shutdowns with the possible consequences of prolonging down time and increasing production losses, insulation has to be removed and replaced for each manual measurement, and scaffolding has to be installed to inaccessible areas, resulting in considerable cost for interventions. It has been suggested that a structural health monitoring approach with permanently installed ultrasonic thickness gauges could have substantial benefits over current practices. The main reasons why conventional piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers cannot be used at high temperatures are that the piezo-ceramic becomes depolarized at temperature above the Curie temperature and because differential thermal expansion of the substrate, couplant, and piezoelectric materials cause failure. In this paper, a shear horizontal waveguide technique for wall thickness monitoring at high temperature is investigated. Two different designs for contact to strip waveguide are shown and the quality of output signal is compared and reviewed. After a success of acquiring high quality ultrasonic signal, experiment on the wall thickness monitoring at high temperature is planned

Corrosion monitoring using high-frequency guided ultrasonic waves

Science.gov (United States)

Fromme, Paul

2014-02-01

Corrosion develops due to adverse environmental conditions during the life cycle of a range of industrial structures, e.g., offshore oil platforms, ships, and desalination plants. Both pitting corrosion and generalized corrosion leading to wall thickness loss can cause the degradation of the structural integrity. The nondestructive detection and monitoring of corrosion damage in difficult to access areas can be achieved using high frequency guided waves propagating along the structure from accessible areas. Using standard ultrasonic transducers with single sided access to the structure, guided wave modes were generated that penetrate through the complete thickness of the structure. The wave propagation and interference of the different guided wave modes depends on the thickness of the structure. Laboratory experiments were conducted and the wall thickness reduced by consecutive milling of the steel structure. Further measurements were conducted using accelerated corrosion in a salt water bath and the damage severity monitored. From the measured signal change due to the wave mode interference the wall thickness reduction was monitored. The high frequency guided waves have the potential for corrosion damage monitoring at critical and difficult to access locations from a stand-off distance.

Frequency and amplitude dependences of molding accuracy in ultrasonic nanoimprint technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mekaru, Harutaka; Takahashi, Masaharu

2009-01-01

We use neither a heater nor ultraviolet lights, and are researching and developing an ultrasonic nanoimprint as a new nano-patterning technology. In our ultrasonic nanoimprint technology, ultrasonic vibration is not used as a heat generator instead of the heater. A mold is connected with an ultrasonic generator, and mold patterns are pushed down and pulled up at a high speed into a thermoplastic. Frictional heat is generated by ultrasonic vibration between mold patterns and thermoplastic patterns formed by an initial contact force. However, because frictional heat occurs locally, the whole mold is not heated. Therefore, a molding material can be comprehensively processed at room temperature. A magnetostriction actuator was built into our ultrasonic nanoimprint system as an ultrasonic generator, and the frequency and amplitude can be changed between dc–10 kHz and 0–4 µm, respectively. First, the ultrasonic nanoimprint was experimented by using this system on polyethylene terephthalate (PET, T g = 69 °C), whose the glass transition temperature (T g ) is comparatively low in engineering plastics, and it was ascertained that the most suitable elastic material for this technique was an ethyl urethane rubber. In addition, we used a changeable frequency of the magnetostriction actuator, and nano-patterns in an electroformed-Ni mold were transferred to a 0.5 mm thick sheet of PET, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC), which are typical engineering plastics, under variable molding conditions. The frequency and amplitude dependence of ultrasonic vibration to the molding accuracy were investigated by measuring depth and width of imprinted patterns. As a result, regardless of the molding material, the imprinted depth was changed drastically when the frequency exceeded 5 kHz. On the other hand, when the amplitude of ultrasonic vibration grew, the imprinted depth gradually deepened. Influence of the frequency and amplitude of ultrasonic vibration was not

The maturity characterization of orange fruit by using high frequency ultrasonic echo pulse method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aboudaoud, I; Faiz, B; Aassif, E; Izbaim, D; Abassi, D; Malainine, M; Azergui, M; Moudden, A

2012-01-01

In this present work, we develop a new ultrasonic echo pulse method in order to study the feasibility of maturity assessment of orange fruit. This study concerns two varieties of orange (Navel and Mandarin) which are the most harvested in the region of Souss-Massa-Drāa in Morocco. We worked in the range of high frequencies by the means of a focusing transducer with 20MHz as a central frequency. By taking into account the strong attenuation of the ultrasounds in the texture of fruits and vegetables, we limited our study only to the external layer of orange peel. This control is based mainly on the measure of the ultrasonic parameters eventually velocity and attenuation in order to check the aptitude of this technique to detect the maturity degree of the fruit without passing by penetrometric and biochemical measurements which are generally destructives but the mostly correlated with human perception concerning the firmness of the fruit.

[The use of ultrasonic files in canal preparation].

Science.gov (United States)

Calas, P; Terrie, B

1990-01-01

The continuous high volume of irrigating solution delivered by the ultrasonic system facilitates the root canal debridement. An excellent cleaning of dentin wall is obtained even on surfaces unreached by the mechanical instrumentation. In order to obtain an efficacious preparation, the use of ultrasonic files were combined with instrumentation. This new technique is described in this article.

Non-contact feature detection using ultrasonic Lamb waves

Science.gov (United States)

Sinha, Dipen N [Los Alamos, NM

2011-06-28

Apparatus and method for non-contact ultrasonic detection of features on or within the walls of hollow pipes are described. An air-coupled, high-power ultrasonic transducer for generating guided waves in the pipe wall, and a high-sensitivity, air-coupled transducer for detecting these waves, are disposed at a distance apart and at chosen angle with respect to the surface of the pipe, either inside of or outside of the pipe. Measurements may be made in reflection or transmission modes depending on the relative position of the transducers and the pipe. Data are taken by sweeping the frequency of the incident ultrasonic waves, using a tracking narrow-band filter to reduce detected noise, and transforming the frequency domain data into the time domain using fast Fourier transformation, if required.

Mathematical modeling of a single stage ultrasonically assisted distillation process.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahdi, Taha; Ahmad, Arshad; Ripin, Adnan; Abdullah, Tuan Amran Tuan; Nasef, Mohamed M; Ali, Mohamad W

2015-05-01

The ability of sonication phenomena in facilitating separation of azeotropic mixtures presents a promising approach for the development of more intensified and efficient distillation systems than conventional ones. To expedite the much-needed development, a mathematical model of the system based on conservation principles, vapor-liquid equilibrium and sonochemistry was developed in this study. The model that was founded on a single stage vapor-liquid equilibrium system and enhanced with ultrasonic waves was coded using MATLAB simulator and validated with experimental data for ethanol-ethyl acetate mixture. The effects of both ultrasonic frequency and intensity on the relative volatility and azeotropic point were examined, and the optimal conditions were obtained using genetic algorithm. The experimental data validated the model with a reasonable accuracy. The results of this study revealed that the azeotropic point of the mixture can be totally eliminated with the right combination of sonication parameters and this can be utilized in facilitating design efforts towards establishing a workable ultrasonically intensified distillation system. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Feasibility of ultrasonic and eddy current methods for measurement of residual stress in shot peened metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavrentyev, Anton I.; Stucky, Paul A.; Veronesi, William A.

2000-01-01

Shot peening is a well-known method for extending the fatigue life of metal components by introducing compressive residual stresses near their surfaces. The capability to nondestructively evaluate the near surface residual stress would greatly aid the assurance of proper fatigue life in shot-peened components. This paper presents preliminary results from a feasibility study examining the use of ultrasonic and eddy current NDE methods for residual stress measurement in components where the stress has been introduced by shot peening. With an ultrasonic method, a variation of ultrasonic surface wave speed with shot peening intensity was measured. Near surface conductivity was measured by eddy current methods. Since the effective penetration depth of both methods employed is inversely related to the excitation frequency, by making measurements at different frequencies, each method has the potential to provide the stress-depth profile. Experiments were conducted on aluminum specimens (alloy 7075-T7351) peened within the Almen peening intensity range of 4C to 16C. The experimental results obtained demonstrate a correlation between peening intensity and Rayleigh wave velocity and between peening intensity and conductivity. The data suggests either of the methods may be suitable, with limitations, for detecting unsatisfactory levels of shot peening. Several factors were found to contribute to the measured responses: surface roughness, near surface plastic deformation (cold work) and residual stress. The contribution of each factor was studied experimentally. The feasibility of residual stress determination from the measured data is discussed

A study on the inclusion sizing using immersion ultrasonic C-scan imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, D; Xiao, H F; Li, M; Xu, J W

2017-01-01

Inclusion sizing, especially for large inclusions greater than 30μm provides important reference for metallurgical process control and fatigue life assessment of steel. Ultrasonic non-destructive testing (NDT) shows great advantages in detecting infrequently occurred large inclusions than eddy current, magnetic particle, microscopic or macroscopic examination procedures. In this paper, the performance of inclusion sizing by immersion ultrasonic C-scan imaging is studied numerically. A two-dimensional model that consists of spherically focused transducer, water couplant and steel with embedded inclusion is established and solved numerically by the finite element method. The signal intensity distributions of inclusion with different sizes are acquired and the effects of inclusion type, shape, orientation on signal intensity distribution are analysed. The results show that the 6dB-drop threshold has the smallest relative error compared with the 12dB-drop threshold and the full-drop threshold, which is better for determining inclusion size larger than 100μm. Experiment is also performed to validate the simulated results. (paper)

Improvement of landfill leachate biodegradability with ultrasonic process.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Hossein Mahvi

Full Text Available Landfills leachates are known to contain recalcitrant and/or non-biodegradable organic substances and biological processes are not efficient in these cases. A promising alternative to complete oxidation of biorecalcitrant leachate is the use of ultrasonic process as pre-treatment to convert initially biorecalcitrant compounds to more readily biodegradable intermediates. The objectives of this study are to investigate the effect of ultrasonic process on biodegradability improvement. After the optimization by factorial design, the ultrasonic were applied in the treatment of raw leachates using a batch wise mode. For this, different scenarios were tested with regard to power intensities of 70 and 110 W, frequencies of 30, 45 and 60 KHz, reaction times of 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes and pH of 3, 7 and 10. For determining the effects of catalysts on sonication efficiencies, 5 mg/l of TiO(2 and ZnO have been also used. Results showed that when applied as relatively brief pre-treatment systems, the sonocatalysis processes induce several modifications of the matrix, which results in significant enhancement of its biodegradability. For this reason, the integrated chemical-biological systems proposed here represent a suitable solution for the treatment of landfill leachate samples.

Antisolvent precipitation for the preparation of high polymeric procyanidin nanoparticles under ultrasonication and evaluation of their antioxidant activity in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zaizhi; Yang, Lei

2018-05-01

An improved method of ultrasonic antisolvent precipitation was used to prepare micronized high polymeric procyanidins (HPC). Response surface methodology (Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken design) was employed to predict the optimal preparation conditions and satisfactory mean particle size. Among seven parameters, three parameters (i.e., ultrasonic irradiation power, ultrasonic-stirring time, and stirring speed) were identified as the most significant variables using Plackett-Burman design; thus, these three parameters were further optimized using Box-Behnken design. The optimal preparation conditions for micronized HPC were obtained as follows: dropping speed of 4 mL/min, HPC solution concentration of 0.3 mg/mL, ratio of antisolvent and solvent of 5 mL/mL, precipitation temperature of 10 °C, ultrasonic-stirring time of 14 min, ultrasonic irradiation power of 620 W, and stirring speed of 760 r/min. A minimum mean particle size of 96 ± 2 nm was achieved under the aforementioned conditions. The obtained micronized HPC was analysed by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and X-ray powder diffraction patterns. Micronized HPC enjoyed the higher quantity dissolved and exhibited stronger antioxidant activity in compared to the unprocessed HPC. These results demonstrated that the improved method has great potential for the production of micronized particles. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Computer-aided ultrasonic inspection of steam turbine rotors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mayer, K H; Weber, M; Weiss, M [GEC ALSTHOM Energie GmbH, Nuremberg (Germany)

1999-12-31

As the output and economic value of power plants increase, the detection and sizing of the type of flaws liable to occur in the rotors of turbines using ultrasonic methods assumes increasing importance. An ultrasonic inspection carried out at considerable expense is expected to bring to light all safety-relevant flaws and to enable their size to be determined so as to permit a fracture-mechanics analysis to assess the reliability of the rotor under all possible stresses arising in operation with a high degree of accuracy. The advanced computer-aided ultrasonic inspection of steam turbine rotors have improved reliability, accuracy and reproducibility of ultrasonic inspection. Further, there has been an improvement in the resolution of resolvable group indications by applying reconstruction and imagine methods. In general, it is also true for the advanced computer-aided ultrasonic inspection methods that, in the case of flaw-affected forgings, automated data acquisition provides a substantial rationalization and a significant documentation of the results for the fracture mechanics assessment compared to manual inspection. (orig.) 8 refs.

Computer-aided ultrasonic inspection of steam turbine rotors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mayer, K.H.; Weber, M.; Weiss, M. [GEC ALSTHOM Energie GmbH, Nuremberg (Germany)

1998-12-31

As the output and economic value of power plants increase, the detection and sizing of the type of flaws liable to occur in the rotors of turbines using ultrasonic methods assumes increasing importance. An ultrasonic inspection carried out at considerable expense is expected to bring to light all safety-relevant flaws and to enable their size to be determined so as to permit a fracture-mechanics analysis to assess the reliability of the rotor under all possible stresses arising in operation with a high degree of accuracy. The advanced computer-aided ultrasonic inspection of steam turbine rotors have improved reliability, accuracy and reproducibility of ultrasonic inspection. Further, there has been an improvement in the resolution of resolvable group indications by applying reconstruction and imagine methods. In general, it is also true for the advanced computer-aided ultrasonic inspection methods that, in the case of flaw-affected forgings, automated data acquisition provides a substantial rationalization and a significant documentation of the results for the fracture mechanics assessment compared to manual inspection. (orig.) 8 refs.

Development of high-sensitivity ultrasonic techniques for in-service inspection of nuclear reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linzer, M.

1977-01-01

The principal objective of the program is to develop techniques to enhance the sensitivity of ultrasonic signals which are below the random noise of the system. A secondary objective is to develop instrumentation for improved discrimination of flaw signals from background ''clutter'' and for characterization of failure-related material properties through measurements of ultrasonic parameters such as velocity and attenuation. The improved techniques will be applied to detect flaws in nuclear reactor materials and components

Numerical modeling of ultrasonic cavitation in ionic liquids

Science.gov (United States)

Calvisi, Michael L.; Elder, Ross M.

2017-11-01

Ionic liquids have favorable properties for sonochemistry applications in which the high temperatures and pressures achieved by cavitation bubbles are important drivers of chemical processes. Two different numerical models are presented to simulate ultrasonic cavitation in ionic liquids, each with different capabilities and physical assumptions. A model based on a compressible form of the Rayleigh-Plesset equation (RPE) simulates ultrasonic cavitation of a spherical bubble with a homogeneous interior, incorporating evaporation and condensation at the bubble surface, and temperature-varying thermodynamic properties in the interior. A second, more computationally intensive model of a spherical bubble uses the finite element method (FEM) and accounts for spatial variations in pressure and temperature throughout the flow domain. This model provides insight into heat transfer across the bubble surface and throughout the bubble interior and exterior. Parametric studies are presented for sonochemistry applications involving ionic liquids as a solvent, examining a range of realistic ionic liquid properties and initial conditions to determine their effect on temperature and pressure. Results from the two models are presented for parametric variations including viscosity, thermal conductivity, water content of the ionic liquid solvent, acoustic frequency, and initial bubble pressure. An additional study performed with the FEM model examines thermal penetration into the surrounding ionic liquid during bubble oscillation. The results suggest the prospect of tuning ionic liquid properties for specific applications.

High intensity hadron accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teng, L.C.

1989-05-01

This rapporteur report consists mainly of two parts. Part I is an abridged review of the status of all High Intensity Hadron Accelerator projects in the world in semi-tabulated form for quick reference and comparison. Part II is a brief discussion of the salient features of the different technologies involved. The discussion is based mainly on my personal experiences and opinions, tempered, I hope, by the discussions I participated in in the various parallel sessions of the workshop. In addition, appended at the end is my evaluation and expression of the merits of high intensity hadron accelerators as research facilities for nuclear and particle physics

Ultrasonic-resonator-combined apparatus for purifying nuclear aerosol particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hou, Suxia; Zhang, Quanhu; Li, Sufen; Chen, Chen; Su, Xianghua [Xi' an Hi-Tech Institute, Xi' an (China)

2017-12-15

The radiation hazards of radionuclides in the air arising from the storage room of nuclear devices to the operators cannot be ignored. A new ultrasonic-resonator-combined method for purifying nuclear aerosol particles is introduced. To remove particles with diameters smaller than 0.3 μm, an ultrasonic chamber is induced to agglomerate these submicron particles. An apparatus which is used to purify the nuclear aerosol particles is described in the article. The apparatus consists of four main parts: two filtering systems, an ultrasonic chamber and a high-pressure electrostatic precipitator system. Finally, experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the implementation of the ultrasonic resonators. The feasibility of the method is proven by its application to the data analysis of the experiments.

Artificial Intelligence Assists Ultrasonic Inspection

Science.gov (United States)

Schaefer, Lloyd A.; Willenberg, James D.

1992-01-01

Subtle indications of flaws extracted from ultrasonic waveforms. Ultrasonic-inspection system uses artificial intelligence to help in identification of hidden flaws in electron-beam-welded castings. System involves application of flaw-classification logic to analysis of ultrasonic waveforms.

Ultrasonic grinding method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyahara, Shuji.

1990-01-01

An ultrasonic generator and a liquid supply nozzle are opposed to an object to be ground and a pump is started in this state to supply an organic solvent. Matters to be decontaminated which adheres to the surface of the object to be ground and are difficult to be removed by a mere mechanical removing method can be eliminated previously by the surface active effect of the organic solvent such as ethanol prior to the oscillation of the ultrasonic generator. Subsequently, when the ultrasonic generator is oscillated, scales in the floated state can be removed simply. Further, since the organic solvent can penetrate to provide the surface active effect even in such a narrow portion that the top end of the ultrasonic generator is difficult to the intruded at the surface of the object to be ground, the decontaminating treatment can be applied also to such a narrow portion. (T.M.)

Ultrasonic Ranging System With Increased Resolution

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, William E.; Johnson, William G.

1987-01-01

Master-oscillator frequency increased. Ultrasonic range-measuring system with 0.1-in. resolution provides continuous digital display of four distance readings, each updated four times per second. Four rangefinder modules in system are modified versions of rangefinder used for automatic focusing in commercial series of cameras. Ultrasonic pulses emitted by system innocuous to both people and equipment. Provides economical solutions to such distance-measurement problems as posed by boats approaching docks, truck backing toward loading platform, runway-clearance readout for tail of airplane with high angle attack, or burglar alarm.

Crack initiation and propagation on the polymeric material ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, under ultrasonic fatigue testing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. M. Domínguez Almaraz

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Crack initiation and propagation have been investigated on the polymeric material ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, under ultrasonic fatigue testing. Three controlled actions were implemented in order to carry out fatigue tests at very high frequency on this material of low thermal conductivity, they are: a The applying load was low to limit heat dissipation at the specimen neck section, b The dimensions of testing specimen were small (but fitting the resonance condition, in order to restraint the temperature gradient at the specimen narrow section, c Temperature at the specimen neck section was restrained by immersion in water or oil during ultrasonic fatigue testing. Experimental results are discussed on the basis of thermo-mechanical behaviour: the tail phenomenon at the initial stage of fatigue, initial shear yielding deformation, crazed development on the later stage, plastic strain on the fracture surface and the transition from low to high crack growth rate. In addition, a numerical analysis is developed to evaluate the J integral of energy dissipation and the stress intensity factor K, with the crack length

'J-KAREN' - high intensity, high contrast laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiriyama, Hiromitsu; Mori, Michiaki; Nakai, Yoshiki; Okada, Hajime; Sasao, Hajime; Sagisaka, Akito; Ochi, Yoshihiro; Tanaka, Momoko; Kondo, Kiminori; Tateno, Ryo; Sugiyama, Akira; Daido, Hiroyuki; Koike, Masato; Kawanishi, Syunichi; Shimomura, Takuya; Tanoue, Manabu; Wakai, Daisuke; Kondo, Shuji; Kanazawa, Shuhei

2010-01-01

We report on the high intensity, high contrast double chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) Ti:sapphire laser system (named J-KAREN). By use of an optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification (OPCPA) preamplifier that is seeded by a cleaned high-energy pulse, a background amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) level of 10 -10 relative to the peak main femtosecond pulse on the picosecond timescales demonstrated with an output energy of 1.7 J and a pulse duration of 30 fs, corresponding to a peak power of 60TW at a 10 Hz repetition rate. This system which uses a cryogenically-cooled Ti:sapphire final amplifier generates focused peak intensity in excess of 10 20 W/cm 2 at a 10 Hz repetition rate. (author)

Humidity control of an incubator using the microcontroller-based active humidifier system employing an ultrasonic nebulizer.

Science.gov (United States)

Güler, I; Burunkaya, M

2002-01-01

Relative humidity levels of an incubator were measured and controlled. An ultrasonic nebulizer system as an active humidifier was used to humidify the incubator environment. An integrated circuit-type humidity sensor was used to measure the humidity level of the incubator environment. Measurement and control processes were achieved by a PIC microcontroller. The high-performance and high-speed PIC provided the flexibility of the system. The developed system can be used effectively for the intensive care of newborns and/or premature babies. Since the humidifier generates an aerosol in ambient conditions, it is possible to provide the high relative humidity level for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes in medicine.

Characterization of nuclear graphite elastic properties using laser ultrasonic methods

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Fan W.; Han, Karen; Olasov, Lauren R.; Gallego, Nidia C.; Contescu, Cristian I.; Spicer, James B.

2015-05-01

Laser ultrasonic methods have been used to characterize the elastic behaviors of commercially-available and legacy nuclear graphites. Since ultrasonic techniques are sensitive to various aspects of graphite microstructure including preferred grain orientation, microcrack orientation and porosity, laser ultrasonics is a candidate technique for monitoring graphite degradation and structural integrity in environments expected in high-temperature, gas-cooled nuclear reactors. Aspects of materials texture can be assessed by studying ultrasonic wavespeeds as a function of propagation direction and polarization. Shear wave birefringence measurements, in particular, can be used to evaluate elastic anisotropy. In this work, laser ultrasonic measurements of graphite moduli have been made to provide insight into the relationship between the microstructures and the macroscopic stiffnesses of these materials. In particular, laser ultrasonic measurements have been made using laser line sources to produce shear waves with specific polarizations. By varying the line orientation relative to the sample, shear wave birefringence measurements have been recorded. Results from shear wave birefringence measurements show that an isostatically molded graphite, such as PCIB, behaves isotropically, while an extruded graphite, such as H-451, displays significant ultrasonic texture. Graphites have complicated microstructures that depend on the manufacturing processes used, and ultrasonic texture in these materials could originate from grain orientation and preferred microcrack alignment. Effects on material isotropy due to service related microstructural changes are possible and the ultimate aim of this work is to determine the degree to which these changes can be assessed nondestructively using laser ultrasonics measurements.

Generation of intense high-order vortex harmonics.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaomei; Shen, Baifei; Shi, Yin; Wang, Xiaofeng; Zhang, Lingang; Wang, Wenpeng; Xu, Jiancai; Yi, Longqiong; Xu, Zhizhan

2015-05-01

This Letter presents for the first time a scheme to generate intense high-order optical vortices that carry orbital angular momentum in the extreme ultraviolet region based on relativistic harmonics from the surface of a solid target. In the three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation, the high-order harmonics of the high-order vortex mode is generated in both reflected and transmitted light beams when a linearly polarized Laguerre-Gaussian laser pulse impinges on a solid foil. The azimuthal mode of the harmonics scales with its order. The intensity of the high-order vortex harmonics is close to the relativistic region, with the pulse duration down to attosecond scale. The obtained intense vortex beam possesses the combined properties of fine transversal structure due to the high-order mode and the fine longitudinal structure due to the short wavelength of the high-order harmonics. In addition to the application in high-resolution detection in both spatial and temporal scales, it also presents new opportunities in the intense vortex required fields, such as the inner shell ionization process and high energy twisted photons generation by Thomson scattering of such an intense vortex beam off relativistic electrons.

Under sodium ultrasonic viewing for Fast Breeder Reactors: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarpara, Eaglekumar G.; Patankar, V.H.; Vijayan Varier, N.

2016-09-01

Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactors (LMFBR/FBR) are of two types: Loop type and Pool type. Many countries like USA, Japan, UK, Russia, China, France, Lithuania, Belgium, Korea, and India have worked extensively on these types of FBRs. FBRs are capable of breeding more fissionable fuel than it consumes like breeding of Plutonium-239 from non-fissionable Uranium-238. In FBR, heat is released by fission process and it must be captured and transferred to the electric generator by the liquid metal coolant (i.e. Sodium). Due to continuous operation and for safety and licensing reasons, periodic inspection and maintenance is required for reactor fuel assemblies which carry nuclear fuels. For this reason, under sodium ultrasonic imaging technique is adopted as in-service inspection activity for viewing of core of FBRs. Since liquid sodium is optically opaque, ultrasonic technique is the only method which can be employed for imaging in liquid sodium. In harsh conditions like high temperature and high radiation, there is a restriction on the development of possible ultrasonic visualization systems and selection of the transducer materials which can operate in the core region of reactor at around 200 °C during shutdown of reactor. This report provides a review of works related to ultrasonic imaging in sodium, different materials used in high temperature transducer assemblies and their different coupling/bonding techniques to achieve maximum transmission efficiency in high temperature sodium environment. The report also provides the overview of different architectures and imaging methods of transducer array elements which were used in LMFBRs for inspection and visualization of the reactor core sub-assemblies. The report is focused on a review of some possible beam forming techniques which may be used for nuclear applications for high temperature environment. Published information of the different simulation models are also reviewed which can be adopted to simulate the

Study on the sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducer in thickness vibration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin Shuyu; Tian Hua

2008-01-01

A sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducer in thickness vibration is studied. The transducer consists of front and back metal masses, and coaxially segmented, thickness polarized piezoelectric ceramic thin rings. For this kind of sandwich piezoelectric transducers in thickness vibration, it is required that the lateral dimension of the transducer is sufficiently large compared with its longitudinal dimension so that no lateral displacements in the transducer can occur (laterally clamped). In this paper, the thickness vibration of the piezoelectric ceramic stack consisting of a number of identical piezoelectric ceramic thin rings is analysed and its electro-mechanical equivalent circuit is obtained. The resonance frequency equation for the sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducer in thickness vibration is derived. Based on the frequency equation, two sandwich piezoelectric ceramic ultrasonic transducers are designed and manufactured, and their resonance frequencies are measured. It is shown that the measured resonance frequencies are in good agreement with the theoretical results. This kind of sandwich piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer is expected to be used in megasonic ultrasonic cleaning and sonochemistry where high power and high frequency ultrasound is needed

Study on the separation effect of high-speed ultrasonic vibration cutting.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiangyu; Sui, He; Zhang, Deyuan; Jiang, Xinggang

2018-07-01

High-speed ultrasonic vibration cutting (HUVC) has been proven to be significantly effective when turning Ti-6Al-4V alloy in recent researches. Despite of breaking through the cutting speed restriction of the ultrasonic vibration cutting (UVC) method, HUVC can also achieve the reduction of cutting force and the improvements in surface quality and cutting efficiency in the high-speed machining field. These benefits all result from the separation effect that occurs during the HUVC process. Despite the fact that the influences of vibration and cutting parameters have been discussed in previous researches, the separation analysis of HUVC should be conducted in detail in real cutting situations, and the tool geometry parameters should also be considered. In this paper, three situations are investigated in details: (1) cutting without negative transient clearance angle and without tool wear, (2) cutting with negative transient clearance angle and without tool wear, and (3) cutting with tool wear. And then, complete separation state, partial separation state and continuous cutting state are deduced according to real cutting processes. All the analysis about the above situations demonstrate that the tool-workpiece separation will take place only if appropriate cutting parameters, vibration parameters, and tool geometry parameters are set up. The best separation effect was obtained with a low feedrate and a phase shift approaching 180 degrees. Moreover, flank face interference resulted from the negative transient clearance angle and tool wear contributes to an improved separation effect that makes the workpiece and tool separate even at zero phase shift. Finally, axial and radial transient cutting force are firstly obtained to verify the separation effect of HUVC, and the cutting chips are collected to weigh the influence of flank face interference. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

audio-ultrasonic waves by argon gas discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ragheb, M.S.

2010-01-01

in the present work, wave emission formed by audio-ultrasonic plasma is investigated. the evidence of the magnetic and electric fields presence is performed by experimental technique. comparison between experimental field measurements and several plasma wave methods reveals the plasma audio-ultrasonic radiations mode. this plasma is a symmetrically driven capacitive discharge, consisting of three interactive regions: the electrodes, the sheaths, and the positive column regions . the discharge voltage is up to 900 volts, the discharge current flowing through the plasma attains a value of 360 mA .the frequency of the discharge voltage covers the audio and the ultrasonic range up to 100 khz. the effective plasma working distance has increased to attain the total length of the tube of 40 cm. a non-disturbing method using an external coil is used to measure the electric discharge field in a plane perpendicular to that of the plasma axe tube. this method proves the existence of a current flowing in a direction perpendicular to the plasma axe tube. a system of minute coils sensors proved the existence of two fields in two perpendicular directions . comparison between different observed fields reveals the existence of propagating electromagnetic waves due to the alternating current flowing through the skin plasma tube. the field intensity distribution along the tube draws the discharge current behavior between the two plasma electrodes that can be used to predict the range of the plasma discharge current.

Concept for a new high resolution high intensity diffractometer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stuhr, U [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)

1997-09-01

A concept of a new time-of-flight powder-diffractometer for a thermal neutral beam tube at SINQ is presented. The design of the instrument optimises the contradictory conditions of high intensity and high resolution. The high intensity is achieved by using many neutron pulses simultaneously. By analysing the time-angle-pattern of the detected neutrons an assignment of the neutrons to a single pulse is possible. (author) 3 figs., tab., refs.

Self-Calibrating Ultrasonic Methods for In-Situ Monitoring of Fatigue Crack Progression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michaels, J.E.; Mi, B.; Cobb, A.C.; Michaels, T.E.; Stobbe, D.M.

2005-01-01

Ultrasonic sensors permanently affixed to aluminum coupons are used to monitor progression of damage during fatigue testing with the long term goal of structural health monitoring for diagnostics and prognostics. Necessary for success are proper design of the ultrasonic testing methods, robust transducer mounting techniques, and real-time signal processing for determining the state of the structure. It is also highly desirable for the overall system to be self-calibrating with built-in diagnostics in order to detect and compensate for sensor degradation or failure. Self-calibrating ultrasonic techniques are applied for monitoring of cracks initiating and propagating from the inaccessible inner diameters of rivet holes where the transducers are mounted on the accessible specimen surface. Angle beam ultrasonic methods are utilized that are suitable for detecting small defects in critical local regions of high stress. Results are presented for aluminum coupons subjected to low cycle fatigue and demonstrate ultrasonic tracking of crack growth

Atmospheric contamination during ultrasonic scaling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Timmerman, MF; Menso, L; Steinfort, J; van Winkelhoff, AJ; van der Weijden, GA

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the microbial atmospheric contamination during initial periodontal treatment using a piezoelectric ultrasonic scaler in combination with either high-volume evacuation (HVE) or conventional dental suction (CDS). Methods: The study included 17

Ultrasonic Histotripsy for Tissue Therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Pahk, K. J.; Dhar, D. K.; Malago, M.; Saffari, N.

2015-01-01

Hepatocyte transplantation has been considered and investigated as a promising and alternative method to liver transplantation for treating liver-based metabolic disorder in newborns over the past two decades. Although some clinical trials have been conducted and shown clinical benefits and outcomes, it is difficult to deliver and achieve a desired level of integration and transplantation of hepatocytes in the liver parenchyma. To overcome this problem, this work introduces an alternative method to a portal-infused-hepatocyte cell transplantation. To improve the level of engraftment of transplantable hepatocytes, these are injected directly into cavities generated by ultrasonic histotripsy. Histotripsy is an extracorporeal noninvasive technique which has been recently developed using high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for inducing tissue fractionation with no coagulative necrosis. The exact mechanisms for the tissue fractionation are not well understood yet; but the possible mechanisms are thought to be a combination of nonlinear wave propagation effect, explosive bubble growth and ultrasonic atomization. The main objectives of this work are to demonstrate the feasibility of this new cell therapy and evaluate and distinguish between the different types of cavitation activity for either a thermally or a mechanically induced lesion. In the present work, numerical studies on the bubble dynamics (the Gilmore-Akulichev bubble model coupled with the Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov equation) and both ex- and in vivo liver experiments are conducted with histological analysis (haematoxylin and eosin stain). The numerical and the experimental results suggest that (a) the acoustic emissions emitted during the thermal ablation and the histotripsy exposure can be distinguished both numerically and experimentally and (b) the proposed cell therapy may potentially form an effective and safe clinical treatment for replacing and correcting disordered hepatocytes, although the

Ultrasonic Histotripsy for Tissue Therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pahk, K J; Saffari, N; Dhar, D K; Malago, M

2015-01-01

Hepatocyte transplantation has been considered and investigated as a promising and alternative method to liver transplantation for treating liver-based metabolic disorder in newborns over the past two decades. Although some clinical trials have been conducted and shown clinical benefits and outcomes, it is difficult to deliver and achieve a desired level of integration and transplantation of hepatocytes in the liver parenchyma. To overcome this problem, this work introduces an alternative method to a portal-infused-hepatocyte cell transplantation. To improve the level of engraftment of transplantable hepatocytes, these are injected directly into cavities generated by ultrasonic histotripsy. Histotripsy is an extracorporeal noninvasive technique which has been recently developed using high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for inducing tissue fractionation with no coagulative necrosis. The exact mechanisms for the tissue fractionation are not well understood yet; but the possible mechanisms are thought to be a combination of nonlinear wave propagation effect, explosive bubble growth and ultrasonic atomization. The main objectives of this work are to demonstrate the feasibility of this new cell therapy and evaluate and distinguish between the different types of cavitation activity for either a thermally or a mechanically induced lesion. In the present work, numerical studies on the bubble dynamics (the Gilmore-Akulichev bubble model coupled with the Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov equation) and both ex- and in vivo liver experiments are conducted with histological analysis (haematoxylin and eosin stain). The numerical and the experimental results suggest that (a) the acoustic emissions emitted during the thermal ablation and the histotripsy exposure can be distinguished both numerically and experimentally and (b) the proposed cell therapy may potentially form an effective and safe clinical treatment for replacing and correcting disordered hepatocytes, although the

Ultrasonic flow meter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lötters, Joost Conrad; Snijders, G.J.; Volker, A.W.F.

2014-01-01

The invention relates to an ultrasonic flow meter comprising a flow tube for the fluid whose flow rate is to be determined. The flow meter comprises a transmitting element for emitting ultrasonic waves, which is provided on the outer jacket of the flow tube. A receiving element, which is provided on

Ultrasonic assisted rapid synthesis of high uniform super-paramagnetic microspheres with core-shell structure and robust magneto-chromatic ability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Wenyan, E-mail: wiseyanyan@jit.edu.cn [College of Material Engineering, Jinling Institute of technology, Nanjing (China); Chen, Jiahua [College of Material Engineering, Jinling Institute of technology, Nanjing (China); Wang, Wei [Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Inorganic Function Composites, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing (China); School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing (China); Lu, GongXuan [State Key Laboratory for Oxo Synthesis and Selective Oxidation, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Hao, Lingyun [College of Material Engineering, Jinling Institute of technology, Nanjing (China); Ni, Yaru; Lu, Chunhua; Xu, Zhongzi [Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Inorganic Function Composites, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing (China); State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing (China)

2017-03-15

Super-paramagnetic core-shell microspheres were synthesized by ultrasonic assisted routine under low ultrasonic irradiation powers. Compared with conventional routine, ultrasonic effect could not only improve the uniformity of the core-shell structure of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@SiO{sub 2}, but shorten the synthesis time in large scale. Owing to their hydrophilicity and high surface charge, the Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@SiO{sub 2} microspheres could be dispersed well in distilled water to form homogeneous colloidal suspension. The suspensions have favorable magneto-chromatic ability that they sensitively exhibit brilliant colorful ribbons by magnetic attraction. The colorful ribbons, which distributed along the magnetic lines, make morphology of the magnetic fields become “visible” to naked eyed. Those colorful ribbons originate from strong magnetic interaction between the microspheres and magnetic fields. Furthermore, the magneto-chromatic performance is reversible as the colorful ribbons vanished rapidly with the removing of magnetic fields. The silica layer effectively enhanced the acid resistance and surface-oxidation resistance of theFe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@SiO{sub 2} microspheres, so they could exhibit stable magnetic nature and robust magneto-chromatic property in acid environment. - Graphical abstract: The Graphical abstract shows the sensitive magneto-chromatic ability, the acid resistance ability as well as the magneto-chromatic mechanism of the Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} and Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}@SiO{sub 2} suspension. - Highlights: • Sensitive and reversible robust magneto-chromatic property under magnetic attraction. • Morphology of magnetic field “visible” to naked eyes. • Enhance acid resistance and surface-oxidation resistance. • Ultrasonic effect largely shorten the synthesis time of high uniform microspheres.

Ultrasonic assisted rapid synthesis of high uniform super-paramagnetic microspheres with core-shell structure and robust magneto-chromatic ability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Wenyan; Chen, Jiahua; Wang, Wei; Lu, GongXuan; Hao, Lingyun; Ni, Yaru; Lu, Chunhua; Xu, Zhongzi

2017-01-01

Super-paramagnetic core-shell microspheres were synthesized by ultrasonic assisted routine under low ultrasonic irradiation powers. Compared with conventional routine, ultrasonic effect could not only improve the uniformity of the core-shell structure of Fe_3O_4@SiO_2, but shorten the synthesis time in large scale. Owing to their hydrophilicity and high surface charge, the Fe_3O_4@SiO_2 microspheres could be dispersed well in distilled water to form homogeneous colloidal suspension. The suspensions have favorable magneto-chromatic ability that they sensitively exhibit brilliant colorful ribbons by magnetic attraction. The colorful ribbons, which distributed along the magnetic lines, make morphology of the magnetic fields become “visible” to naked eyed. Those colorful ribbons originate from strong magnetic interaction between the microspheres and magnetic fields. Furthermore, the magneto-chromatic performance is reversible as the colorful ribbons vanished rapidly with the removing of magnetic fields. The silica layer effectively enhanced the acid resistance and surface-oxidation resistance of theFe_3O_4@SiO_2 microspheres, so they could exhibit stable magnetic nature and robust magneto-chromatic property in acid environment. - Graphical abstract: The Graphical abstract shows the sensitive magneto-chromatic ability, the acid resistance ability as well as the magneto-chromatic mechanism of the Fe_3O_4 and Fe_3O_4@SiO_2 suspension. - Highlights: • Sensitive and reversible robust magneto-chromatic property under magnetic attraction. • Morphology of magnetic field “visible” to naked eyes. • Enhance acid resistance and surface-oxidation resistance. • Ultrasonic effect largely shorten the synthesis time of high uniform microspheres.

Ultrasonic predator-prey interactions in water-convergent evolution with insects and bats in air?

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Maria; Wahlberg, Magnus; Surlykke, Annemarie; Madsen, Peter Teglberg

2013-01-01

Toothed whales and bats have independently evolved biosonar systems to navigate and locate and catch prey. Such active sensing allows them to operate in darkness, but with the potential cost of warning prey by the emission of intense ultrasonic signals. At least six orders of nocturnal insects have independently evolved ears sensitive to ultrasound and exhibit evasive maneuvers when exposed to bat calls. Among aquatic prey on the other hand, the ability to detect and avoid ultrasound emitting predators seems to be limited to only one subfamily of Clupeidae: the Alosinae (shad and menhaden). These differences are likely rooted in the different physical properties of air and water where cuticular mechanoreceptors have been adapted to serve as ultrasound sensitive ears, whereas ultrasound detection in water have called for sensory cells mechanically connected to highly specialized gas volumes that can oscillate at high frequencies. In addition, there are most likely differences in the risk of predation between insects and fish from echolocating predators. The selection pressure among insects for evolving ultrasound sensitive ears is high, because essentially all nocturnal predation on flying insects stems from echolocating bats. In the interaction between toothed whales and their prey the selection pressure seems weaker, because toothed whales are by no means the only marine predators placing a selection pressure on their prey to evolve specific means to detect and avoid them. Toothed whales can generate extremely intense sound pressure levels, and it has been suggested that they may use these to debilitate prey. Recent experiments, however, show that neither fish with swim bladders, nor squid are debilitated by such signals. This strongly suggests that the production of high amplitude ultrasonic clicks serve the function of improving the detection range of the toothed whale biosonar system rather than debilitation of prey.

Ultrasonic predator-prey interactions in water– convergent evolution with insects and bats in air?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria eWilson

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Toothed whales and bats have independently evolved biosonar systems to navigate and locate and catch prey. Such active sensing allows them to operate in darkness, but with the potential cost of warning prey by the emission of intense ultrasonic signals. At least six orders of nocturnal insects have independently evolved ears sensitive to ultrasound and exhibit evasive maneuvers when exposed to bat calls. Among aquatic prey on the other hand, the ability to detect and avoid ultrasound emitting predators seems to be limited to only one subfamily of Clupeidae: the Alosinae (shad and menhaden. These differences are likely rooted in the different physical properties of air and water where cuticular mechanoreceptors have been adapted to serve as ultrasound sensitive ears, whereas ultrasound detection in water have called for sensory cells mechanically connected to highly specialized gas volumes that can oscillate at high frequencies. In addition, there are most likely differences in the risk of predation between insects and fish from echolocating predators. The selection pressure among insects for evolving ultrasound sensitive ears is high, because essentially all nocturnal predation on flying insects stems from echolocating bats. In the interaction between toothed whales and their prey the selection pressure seems weaker, because toothed whales are by no means the only marine predators placing a selection pressure on their prey to evolve specific means to detect and avoid them.Toothed whales can generate extremely intense sound pressure levels, and it has been suggested that they may use these to debilitate prey. Recent experiments however, show that neither fish with swim bladder, nor squid are debilitated by such signals. This strongly suggests that the production of high amplitude ultrasonic clicks serve the function of improving the detection range of the toothed whale biosonar system rather than debilitation of prey.

Artificial intelligence and ultrasonic tests in detection of defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrera Cardiel, G.; Fabian Alvarez, M. a.; Velez Martinez, M.; Villasenor, L.

2001-01-01

One of the most serious problems in the quality control of welded unions is the location, identification and classification of defects. As a solution to this problem, a technique for classification, applicable to welded unions done by electric arc welding as well as by friction, is proposed; it is based on ultrasonic signals. The neuronal networks proposed are Kohonen and Multilayer Percept ron, all in a virtual instrument environment. Currently the techniques most used in this field are: radiological analysis (X-rays) and ultrasonic analysis (ultrasonic waves). The X-ray technique in addition to being dangerous requires highly specialized personnel and equipment, therefore its use is restricted. The ultrasonic technique, in spite of being one of the most used for detection of discontinuities, requires personnel with wide experience in the interpretation of ultrasonic signals, this is a time-consuming process which necessarily increases its operation cost. The classification techniques that we propose turn out to be safe, reliable, inexpensive and easy to implement for the solution of this important problem. (Author) 8 refs

Computer automation of ultrasonic testing. [inspection of ultrasonic welding

Science.gov (United States)

Yee, B. G. W.; Kerlin, E. E.; Gardner, A. H.; Dunmyer, D.; Wells, T. G.; Robinson, A. R.; Kunselman, J. S.; Walker, T. C.

1974-01-01

Report describes a prototype computer-automated ultrasonic system developed for the inspection of weldments. This system can be operated in three modes: manual, automatic, and computer-controlled. In the computer-controlled mode, the system will automatically acquire, process, analyze, store, and display ultrasonic inspection data in real-time. Flaw size (in cross-section), location (depth), and type (porosity-like or crack-like) can be automatically discerned and displayed. The results and pertinent parameters are recorded.

A novel in-plane mode rotary ultrasonic motor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lu Xiaolong

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Ultrasonic motors have the merits of high ratio of torque to volume, high positioning precision, intrinsic holding torque, etc., compared to the conventional electromagnetic motors. There have been several potential applications for this type of motor in aerospace exploration, but bearings and bonding mechanism of the piezoelectric ring in the motors limit the performance of them in the space operation conditions. It is known that the Langevin type transducer has excellent energy efficiency and reliability. Hence using the Langevin type transducer in ultrasonic motors may improve the reliability of piezoelectric motors for space applications. In this study, a novel in-plane mode rotary ultrasonic motor is designed, fabricated, and characterized. The proposed motor operates in in-plane vibration mode which is excited by four Langevin-type bending vibrators separately placed around a ring-shaped stator. Two tapered rotors are assembled to the inner ring of the stator and clamped together by a screw nut. In order to make the motor more stable and convenient to fix, a thin cylindrical support is placed under the stator ring. Due to its no-bearing structure and Langevin transducer excitation, the prototype ultrasonic motor may operate well in aeronautic and astronautic environments.

Ultrasonic inspection of austenitic welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baikie, B.L.; Wagg, A.R.; Whittle, M.J.; Yapp, D.

1976-01-01

The ultrasonic examination of austenitic stainless steel weld metal has always been regarded as a difficult proposition because of the large and variable ultrasonic attenuations and back scattering obtained from apparently similar weld deposits. The work to be described shows how the existence of a fibre texture within each weld deposit (as a result of epitaxial growth through successive weld beads) produces a systematic variation in the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient and the velocity of sound, depending upon the angle between the ultrasonic beam and the fibre axis. Development work has shown that it is possible to adjust the welding parameters to ensure that the crystallographic texture within each weld is compatible with improved ultrasonic transmission. The application of the results to the inspection of a specific weld in type 316 weld metal is described

Application of the ultrasonic technique and high-speed filming for the study of the structure of air-water bubbly flows

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carvalho, R.D.M.; Venturini, O.J.; Tanahashi, E.I. [Universidade Federal de Itajuba (UNIFEI), Itajuba (Brazil); Neves, F. Jr. [Universidade Tecnologica Federal do Parana (UTFPR), Curitiba (Brazil); Franca, F.A. [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas (Brazil)

2009-10-15

Multiphase flows are very common in industry, oftentimes involving very harsh environments and fluids. Accordingly, there is a need to determine the dispersed phase holdup using noninvasive fast responding techniques; besides, knowledge of the flow structure is essential for the assessment of the transport processes involved. The ultrasonic technique fulfills these requirements and could have the capability to provide the information required. In this paper, the potential of the ultrasonic technique for application to two-phase flows was investigated by checking acoustic attenuation data against experimental data on the void fraction and flow topology of vertical, upward, air-water bubbly flows in the zero to 15% void fraction range. The ultrasonic apparatus consisted of one emitter/receiver transducer and three other receivers at different positions along the pipe circumference; simultaneous high-speed motion pictures of the flow patterns were made at 250 and 1000 fps. The attenuation data for all sensors exhibited a systematic interrelated behavior with void fraction, thereby testifying to the capability of the ultrasonic technique to measure the dispersed phase holdup. From the motion pictures, basic gas phase structures and different flows patterns were identified that corroborated several features of the acoustic attenuation data. Finally, the acoustic wave transit time was also investigated as a function of void fraction. (author)

Feasibility of high-intensity training in asthma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tønnesen, Louise Lindhardt; Sørensen, E D; Hostrup, Morten

2018-01-01

Background: High-intensity interval training is an effective and popular training regime but its feasibility in untrained adults with asthma is insufficiently described. Objective: The randomized controlled trial 'EFFORT Asthma' explored the effects of behavioural interventions including high......-intensity interval training on clinical outcomes in nonobese sedentary adults with asthma. In this article we present a sub analysis of data aiming to evaluate if patients' pre-intervention levels of asthma control, FEV1, airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) predicted their training response...... to the high-intensity interval training program, measured as increase in maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max). Design: We used data from the EFFORT Asthma Study. Of the 36 patients randomized to the 8-week exercise intervention consisting of high-intensity training three times per week, 29 patients (45...

Hardware Developments of an Ultrasonic Tomography Measurement System

OpenAIRE

Hudabiyah ARSHAD AMARI; Ruzairi ABDUL RAHIM; Mohd Hafiz FAZALUL RAHIMAN; Herlina ABDUL RAHIM; Muhammad Jaysuman PUSPPANATHAN

2010-01-01

This research provides new technique in ultrasonic tomography by using ultrasonic transceivers instead of using separate transmitter-receiver pair. The numbers of sensors or transducers used to acquire data plays an important role to generate high resolution tomography images. The configuration of these sensors is a crucial factor in the efficiency of data acquisition. Instead of using common separated transmitter – receiver, an alternative approach has been taken to use dual functionality ul...

Ultrasonic dip seal maintenance system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poindexter, A.M.; Ricks, H.E.

1978-01-01

Disclosed is a system for removing impurities from the surfaces of liquid dip seals and for wetting the metal surfaces of liquid dip seals in nuclear components. The system comprises an ultrasonic transducer that transmits ultrasonic vibrations along an ultrasonic probe to the metal and liquid surfaces of the dip seal thereby loosening and removing those impurities

Cement-based materials' characterization using ultrasonic attenuation

Science.gov (United States)

Punurai, Wonsiri

The quantitative nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of cement-based materials is a critical area of research that is leading to advances in the health monitoring and condition assessment of the civil infrastructure. Ultrasonic NDE has been implemented with varying levels of success to characterize cement-based materials with complex microstructure and damage. A major issue with the application of ultrasonic techniques to characterize cement-based materials is their inherent inhomogeneity at multiple length scales. Ultrasonic waves propagating in these materials exhibit a high degree of attenuation losses, making quantitative interpretations difficult. Physically, these attenuation losses are a combination of internal friction in a viscoelastic material (ultrasonic absorption), and the scattering losses due to the material heterogeneity. The objective of this research is to use ultrasonic attenuation to characterize the microstructure of heterogeneous cement-based materials. The study considers a real, but simplified cement-based material, cement paste---a common bonding matrix of all cement-based composites. Cement paste consists of Portland cement and water but does not include aggregates. First, this research presents the findings of a theoretical study that uses a set of existing acoustics models to quantify the scattered ultrasonic wavefield from a known distribution of entrained air voids. These attenuation results are then coupled with experimental measurements to develop an inversion procedure that directly predicts the size and volume fraction of entrained air voids in a cement paste specimen. Optical studies verify the accuracy of the proposed inversion scheme. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of using attenuation to measure the average size, volume fraction of entrained air voids and the existence of additional larger entrapped air voids in hardened cement paste. Finally, coherent and diffuse ultrasonic waves are used to develop a direct

Development of fuel number reader by ultrasonic imaging techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omote, T.; Yoshida, T.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on a spent fuel ID number reader using ultrasonic imaging techniques that has been developed to realize efficient and automatic verification of fuel numbers, thereby to reduce mental load and radiation exposure for operators engaged in the verification task. The ultrasonic imaging techniques for automatic fuel number recognition are described. High-speed and high reliability imaging of the spent fuel ID number are obtained by using linear array type ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic wave is scanned by switching array probe in vertical direction, and scanned mechanically in horizontal direction. Time for imaging of spent fuel ID number on assembly was confirmed less than three seconds by these techniques. And it can recognize spent fuel ID number even if spent fuel ID number can not be visualized by an optical method because of depositing fuel number regions by soft card. In order to recognize spent fuel ID number more rapidly and more reliably, coded fuel number expressed by plural separate recesses form is developed. Every coded fuel number consists of six small holes (about 1 mm dia.) and can be marked adjacent to the existing fuel number expressed by letters and numbers

Ultrasonically Assisted Single Point Diamond Turning of Optical Mold of Tungsten Carbide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhanjie Li

2018-02-01

Full Text Available To realize high efficiency, low/no damage and high precision machining of tungsten carbide used for lens mold, a high frequency ultrasonic vibration cutting system was developed at first. Then, tungsten carbide was precisely machined with a polycrystalline diamond (PCD tool assisted by the self-developed high frequency ultrasonic vibration cutting system. Tool wear mechanism was investigated in ductile regime machining of tungsten carbide. The cutter back-off phenomenon in the process was analyzed. The subsequent experimental results of ultra-precision machining with a single crystal diamond tool showed that: under the condition of high frequency ultrasonic vibration cutting, nano-scale surface roughness can be obtained by the diamond tool with smaller tip radius and no defects like those of ground surface were found on the machined surface. Tool wear mechanisms of the single crystal diamond tool are mainly abrasive wear and micro-chipping. To solve the problem, a method of inclined ultrasonic vibration cutting with negative rake angle was put forward according to force analysis, which can further reduce tool wear and roughness of the machined surface. The investigation was important to high efficiency and quality ultra-precision machining of tungsten carbide.

Effect of ultrasonic pretreatment on purified water disinfection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simon Andreu, P.; Lardin Mifsut, C.; Vergara Romero, L.; Polo Canas, P. M.; Perez Sanchez, P.; Rancano Perez, A.

2009-01-01

Due to the importance of a suitable water disinfection in order to insure a pollutant effect minimization against environment, this work has been carried out to determine how can affect an ultrasonic pre-treatment upon disinfection step. It has been confirmed the ultrasonic disintegration of bacterial cells in treated water and disinfectant power of treatment by itself, which is not enough to be used as a single method in water disinfection. It has also been proved that from a technical and economical point of view the combination of UV and ultrasound improves the UV treatment performance. Finally, it has been detected that an ultrasonic pre-treatment increases chlorination effectiveness, however the high cost in this combination makes it unfeasible of industrial scale. (Author) 6 refs

Effect of ultrasonic frequency on the mechanism of formic acid sono-lysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chave, T.; Nikitenko, S.I.; Navarro, N.M.; Pochon, P.; Bisel, I.

2011-01-01

The kinetics and mechanism of formic acid sono-chemical degradation were studied at ultrasonic frequencies of 20, 200, and 607 kHz under argon atmosphere. Total yield of HCOOH sono-chemical degradation increases approximately 6-8-fold when the frequency increased from 20 to 200 or to 607 kHz. At low ultrasonic frequencies, HCOOH degradation has been attributed to oxidation with OH . radicals from water sono-lysis and to the HCOOH decarboxylation occurring at the cavitation bubble-liquid interface. With high-frequency ultrasound, the sono-chemical reaction is also influenced by HCOOH dehydration. Whatever the ultrasonic frequency, the sono-lysis of HCOOH yielded H 2 and CO 2 in the gas phase as well as trace, amounts of oxalic acid and formaldehyde in the liquid phase. However, CO and CH 4 formations were only detected under high frequency ultrasound. The most striking difference between low frequency and high frequency ultrasound is that the sono-lysis of HCOOH at high ultrasonic frequencies initiates Fischer-Tropsch hydrogenation of carbon monoxide. (authors)

Ultrasonic neuromodulation

Science.gov (United States)

Naor, Omer; Krupa, Steve; Shoham, Shy

2016-06-01

Ultrasonic waves can be non-invasively steered and focused into mm-scale regions across the human body and brain, and their application in generating controlled artificial modulation of neuronal activity could therefore potentially have profound implications for neural science and engineering. Ultrasonic neuro-modulation phenomena were experimentally observed and studied for nearly a century, with recent discoveries on direct neural excitation and suppression sparking a new wave of investigations in models ranging from rodents to humans. In this paper we review the physics, engineering and scientific aspects of ultrasonic fields, their control in both space and time, and their effect on neuronal activity, including a survey of both the field’s foundational history and of recent findings. We describe key constraints encountered in this field, as well as key engineering systems developed to surmount them. In closing, the state of the art is discussed, with an emphasis on emerging research and clinical directions.

Monitoring of corrosion damage using high-frequency guided ultrasonic waves

Science.gov (United States)

Chew, D.; Fromme, P.

2015-03-01

Due to adverse environmental conditions corrosion can develop during the life cycle of industrial structures, e.g., offshore oil platforms, ships, and desalination plants. Both pitting corrosion and generalized corrosion leading to wall thickness loss can cause the degradation of the integrity and load bearing capacity of the structure. Structural health monitoring of corrosion damage in difficult to access areas can in principle be achieved using high frequency guided waves propagating along the structure from accessible areas. Using standard ultrasonic transducers with single sided access to the structure, high frequency guided wave modes were generated that penetrate through the complete thickness of the structure. Wall thickness reduction was induced using accelerated corrosion in a salt water bath. The corrosion damage was monitored based on the effect on the wave propagation and interference of the different modes. The change in the wave interference was quantified based on an analysis in the frequency domain (Fourier transform) and was found to match well with theoretical predictions for the wall thickness loss. High frequency guided waves have the potential for corrosion damage monitoring at critical and difficult to access locations from a stand-off distance.

High-frequency, high-intensity photoionization

Science.gov (United States)

Reiss, H. R.

1996-02-01

Two analytical methods for computing ionization by high-frequency fields are compared. Predicted ionization rates compare well, but energy predictions for the onset of ionization differ radically. The difference is shown to arise from the use of a transformation in one of the methods that alters the zero from which energy is measured. This alteration leads to an apparent energy threshold for ionization that can, especially in the stabilization regime, differ strongly from the laboratory measurement. It is concluded that channel closings in intense-field ionization can occur at high as well as low frequencies. It is also found that the stabilization phenomenon at high frequencies, very prominent for hydrogen, is absent in a short-range potential.

High repetition ration solid state switched CO2 TEA laser employed in industrial ultrasonic testing of aircraft parts

Science.gov (United States)

von Bergmann, Hubertus; Morkel, Francois; Stehmann, Timo

2015-02-01

Laser Ultrasonic Testing (UT) is an important technique for the non-destructive inspection of composite parts in the aerospace industry. In laser UT a high power, short pulse probe laser is scanned across the material surface, generating ultrasound waves which can be detected by a second low power laser system and are used to draw a defect map of the part. We report on the design and testing of a transversely excited atmospheric pressure (TEA) CO2 laser system specifically optimised for laser UT. The laser is excited by a novel solid-state switched pulsing system and utilises either spark or corona preionisation. It provides short output pulses of less than 100 ns at repetition rates of up to 1 kHz, optimised for efficient ultrasonic wave generation. The system has been designed for highly reliable operation under industrial conditions and a long term test with total pulse counts in excess of 5 billion laser pulses is reported.

High temperature ultrasonic transducers for imaging and measurements in a liquid Pb/Bi eutectic alloy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kazys, Rymantas; Voleisis, Algirdas; Sliteris, Reimondas; Mazeika, Liudas; Van Nieuwenhove, Rudi; Kupschus, Peter; Abderrahim, Hamid Aït

2005-04-01

In some nuclear reactors or accelerator-driven systems (ADS) the core is intended to be cooled by means of a heavy liquid metal, for example, lead-bismuth (Pb/Bi) eutectic alloy. For safety and licensing reasons, an imaging method of the interior of ADS, based on application of ultrasonic waves, has thus to be developed. This paper is devoted to description of developed various ultrasonic transducers suitable for long term imaging and measurements in the liquid Pb/Bi alloy. The results of comparative experimental investigations of the developed transducers of different designs in a liquid Pb/Bi alloy up to 450 degrees C are presented. Prototypes with different high temperature piezoelectric materials were investigated: PZT, bismuth titanate (Bi4Ti3O12), lithium niobate (LiNbO3), gallium orthophosphate (GaPO4) and aluminum nitride (A1N). For acoustic coupling with the metal alloy, it was proposed to coat the active surface of the transducers by diamond like carbon (DLC). The radiation robustness was assessed by exposing the transducers to high gamma dose rates in one of the irradiation facilities at SCK x CEN. The experimental results proved that the developed transducers are suitable for long-term operation in harsh conditions.

Implementation of High Time Delay Accuracy of Ultrasonic Phased Array Based on Interpolation CIC Filter.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Peilu; Li, Xinghua; Li, Haopeng; Su, Zhikun; Zhang, Hongxu

2017-10-12

In order to improve the accuracy of ultrasonic phased array focusing time delay, analyzing the original interpolation Cascade-Integrator-Comb (CIC) filter, an 8× interpolation CIC filter parallel algorithm was proposed, so that interpolation and multichannel decomposition can simultaneously process. Moreover, we summarized the general formula of arbitrary multiple interpolation CIC filter parallel algorithm and established an ultrasonic phased array focusing time delay system based on 8× interpolation CIC filter parallel algorithm. Improving the algorithmic structure, 12.5% of addition and 29.2% of multiplication was reduced, meanwhile the speed of computation is still very fast. Considering the existing problems of the CIC filter, we compensated the CIC filter; the compensated CIC filter's pass band is flatter, the transition band becomes steep, and the stop band attenuation increases. Finally, we verified the feasibility of this algorithm on Field Programming Gate Array (FPGA). In the case of system clock is 125 MHz, after 8× interpolation filtering and decomposition, time delay accuracy of the defect echo becomes 1 ns. Simulation and experimental results both show that the algorithm we proposed has strong feasibility. Because of the fast calculation, small computational amount and high resolution, this algorithm is especially suitable for applications with high time delay accuracy and fast detection.

Implementation of High Time Delay Accuracy of Ultrasonic Phased Array Based on Interpolation CIC Filter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peilu Liu

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In order to improve the accuracy of ultrasonic phased array focusing time delay, analyzing the original interpolation Cascade-Integrator-Comb (CIC filter, an 8× interpolation CIC filter parallel algorithm was proposed, so that interpolation and multichannel decomposition can simultaneously process. Moreover, we summarized the general formula of arbitrary multiple interpolation CIC filter parallel algorithm and established an ultrasonic phased array focusing time delay system based on 8× interpolation CIC filter parallel algorithm. Improving the algorithmic structure, 12.5% of addition and 29.2% of multiplication was reduced, meanwhile the speed of computation is still very fast. Considering the existing problems of the CIC filter, we compensated the CIC filter; the compensated CIC filter’s pass band is flatter, the transition band becomes steep, and the stop band attenuation increases. Finally, we verified the feasibility of this algorithm on Field Programming Gate Array (FPGA. In the case of system clock is 125 MHz, after 8× interpolation filtering and decomposition, time delay accuracy of the defect echo becomes 1 ns. Simulation and experimental results both show that the algorithm we proposed has strong feasibility. Because of the fast calculation, small computational amount and high resolution, this algorithm is especially suitable for applications with high time delay accuracy and fast detection.

A computational modeling approach of the jet-like acoustic streaming and heat generation induced by low frequency high power ultrasonic horn reactors.

Science.gov (United States)

Trujillo, Francisco Javier; Knoerzer, Kai

2011-11-01

High power ultrasound reactors have gained a lot of interest in the food industry given the effects that can arise from ultrasonic-induced cavitation in liquid foods. However, most of the new food processing developments have been based on empirical approaches. Thus, there is a need for mathematical models which help to understand, optimize, and scale up ultrasonic reactors. In this work, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to predict the acoustic streaming and induced heat generated by an ultrasonic horn reactor. In the model it is assumed that the horn tip is a fluid inlet, where a turbulent jet flow is injected into the vessel. The hydrodynamic momentum rate of the incoming jet is assumed to be equal to the total acoustic momentum rate emitted by the acoustic power source. CFD velocity predictions show excellent agreement with the experimental data for power densities higher than W(0)/V ≥ 25kWm(-3). This model successfully describes hydrodynamic fields (streaming) generated by low-frequency-high-power ultrasound. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of microstructures in austenitic stainless steels by ultrasonics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raj, Baldev; Palanichamy, P.; Jayakumar, T.; Kumar, Anish; Vasudevan, M.; Shankar, P.

2000-01-01

Recently, many nondestructive techniques have been considered for microstructural characterization of materials to enable in-situ component assessment for pre-service quality and in-service performance. Ultrasonic parameters have been used for estimation of average grain size, evaluation of recrystallization after cold working, and characterization of Cr2N precipitation during thermal aging in different grades of austenitic stainless steels. Ultrasonic first back wall echo signals were obtained from several specimens of AISI type 316 stainless steel with different grain sizes. Shift in the spectral peak frequency and the change in the full width at half maximum of the autopower spectrum of the first back wall echo are correlated with the grain size in the range 30-150 microns. The advantages of this method are: (i) independence of variation in couplant conditions (ii), applicable even to highly attenuating materials, (iii) direct correlation of the ultrasonic parameters with yield strength and (iv) suitability for shop-floor applications. Recrystallization behavior (temperature range 973-1173 K and time durations 0.5-1000 h) of cold worked titanium modified 316 stainless steel (D9) has been characterized using ultrasonic velocity measurements. A velocity parameter derived using a combination of shear and longitudinal wave velocities is correlated with the degree of recrystallization. These velocity measurement could also identify onset, progress and completion of recrystallization more accurately as compared to hardness and strength measurements. Ultrasonic velocity measurements were performed in thermally aged (at 1123 K for 10 to 2000 h) nuclear grade 316 LN stainless steel. Change in velocity due to thermal aging treatment could be used to reveal the formation of (i) Cr-N clusters associated with high lattice strains, (ii) coherent Cr2N precipitation, (iii) loss of coherency and (iv) growth of incoherent Cr2N precipitates. Microstructural characterization by

Ultrasonic colour Doppler imaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Evans, David H; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt; Nielsen, Michael Bachmann

2011-01-01

Ultrasonic colour Doppler is an imaging technique that combines anatomical information derived using ultrasonic pulse-echo techniques with velocity information derived using ultrasonic Doppler techniques to generate colour-coded maps of tissue velocity superimposed on grey-scale images of tissue...... anatomy. The most common use of the technique is to image the movement of blood through the heart, arteries and veins, but it may also be used to image the motion of solid tissues such as the heart walls. Colour Doppler imaging is now provided on almost all commercial ultrasound machines, and has been...

High-speed biometrics ultrasonic system for 3D fingerprint imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Maev, Roman G.; Severin, Fedar

2012-10-01

The objective of this research is to develop a new robust fingerprint identification technology based upon forming surface-subsurface (under skin) ultrasonic 3D images of the finger pads. The presented work aims to create specialized ultrasonic scanning methods for biometric purposes. Preliminary research has demonstrated the applicability of acoustic microscopy for fingerprint reading. The additional information from internal skin layers and dermis structures contained in the scan can essentially improve confidence in the identification. Advantages of this system include high resolution and quick scanning time. Operating in pulse-echo mode provides spatial resolution up to 0.05 mm. Technology advantages of the proposed technology are the following: • Full-range scanning of the fingerprint area "nail to nail" (2.5 x 2.5 cm) can be done in less than 5 sec with a resolution of up to 1000 dpi. • Collection of information about the in-depth structure of the fingerprint realized by the set of spherically focused 50 MHz acoustic lens provide the resolution ~ 0.05 mm or better • In addition to fingerprints, this technology can identify sweat porous at the surface and under the skin • No sensitivity to the contamination of the finger's surface • Detection of blood velocity using Doppler effect can be implemented to distinguish living specimens • Utilization as polygraph device • Simple connectivity to fingerprint databases obtained with other techniques • The digitally interpolated images can then be enhanced allowing for greater resolution • Method can be applied to fingernails and underlying tissues, providing more information • A laboratory prototype of the biometrics system based on these described principles was designed, built and tested. It is the first step toward a practical implementation of this technique.

Internal friction and ultrasonic attenuation in solids, including high Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magalas, L.B.; Gorczyca, S.

1993-01-01

This volume contains seven invited papers and about eighty refereed contributions from the main sessions of the Sixth European Conference on Internal Friction and Ultrasonic Attenuation in Solids (ECIFUAS-6) held at the Academy of Mining and Metallurgy (Akademia Gorniczo-Hutnicza, AGH) in Krakow, Poland, 5-7 September, 1991. In addition, this volume contains six invited lectures and eight contributed papers presented at the Workshop on High Tc Superconductors on 5 September, 1991. Together these documents constitute the Proceedings of the ECIFUAS-6 Conference. A total of 140 scientists from 20 countries participated in the Conference. The programme of the Conference and the Workshop consisted of 16 invidet papers and 119 contributed papers. 107 papers were presented during 8 poster sessions. (orig.)

Development of application technology of ultrasonic wave sensor; Choonpa sensor oyo gijutsu no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hosoya, H; Hikita, N; Sasaki, H; Kore, H [Mazda Motor Corp., Hiroshima (Japan)

1997-10-01

We have developed parking assist system, which informs a driver the closing point and distance to the objects such as other vehicle, wall and pole around the own vehicle at parking area and makes parking maneuverability easy. This system is based on the range detection technology using ultrasonic wave sensor. We have improved the detecting ability in short range of about 20cm by reducing the reverberation of transmitting wave signal and controlling sensitivities of signal intensity and threshold line. We will show mainly the improvement of short range detection of ultrasonic wave sensor, and briefly the performance of parking assist system. 1 ref., 14 figs., 1 tab.

Ultrasonic flowmeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wittekind, W.D.

1979-01-01

A prototype ultrasonic flowmeter was assembled and tested. The theoretical basis of this prototype ultrasonic flowmeter is reviewed; the equipment requirements for a portable unit are discussed; the individual electronic modules contained in the prototype are described; the operating procedures and configuration are explained; and the data from preliminary calibrations are presented. The calibration data confirm that the prototype operates according to theoretical predictions and can indeed provide nonintrusive flow measurements to predicted accuracies for pipes larger than two inches, under single phase stable flow conditions

Control of hydrodynamic cavitation using ultrasonic

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, Dhiman; Arakeri, Vijay H.

2003-11-01

Hydrodynamic cavitation is known to have many harmful effects like surface damage and generation of noise. We investigated the use of ultrasonics to control traveling bubble cavitation. Ultrasonic pressure field, produced by a piezoelectric crystal, was applied to modify the nuclei size distribution. Effects of continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed excitations were studied. At low dissolved gas content the CW-mode performed better than the pulsed one, whereas for high gas content the pulsed one was more effective. The dominant mechanisms were Bjerknes force and rectified diffusion in these two cases. Simultaneous excitation by two crystals in CW and pulsed modes was seen to control cavitation better.

Pulsed ultrasonic stir welding system

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, R. Jeffrey (Inventor)

2013-01-01

An ultrasonic stir welding system includes a welding head assembly having a plate and a rod passing through the plate. The rod is rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof. During a welding operation, ultrasonic pulses are applied to the rod as it rotates about its longitudinal axis. The ultrasonic pulses are applied in such a way that they propagate parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rod.

Liquid ultrasonic flow meters for crude oil measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kalivoda, Raymond J.; Lunde, Per

2005-07-01

Liquid ultrasonic flow meters (LUFMs) are gaining popularity for the accurate measurement of petroleum products. In North America the first edition of the API standard ''Measurement of liquid hydrocarbons by ultrasonic flow meters using transit time technology'' was issued in February 2005. It addresses both refined petroleum products and crude oil applications. Its field of application is mainly custody transfer applications but it does provide general guidelines for the installation and operation of LUFM's other applications such as allocation, check meters and leak detection. As with all new technologies performance claims are at times exaggerated or misunderstood and application knowledge is limited. Since ultrasonic meters have no moving parts they appear to have fewer limitations than other liquid flow meters. Liquids ultrasonic flow meters, like turbine meters, are sensitive to fluid properties. It is increasingly more difficult to apply on high viscosity products then on lighter hydrocarbon products. Therefore application data or experience on the measurement of refined or light crude oil may not necessarily be transferred to measuring medium to heavy crude oils. Before better and more quantitative knowledge is available on how LUFMs react on different fluids, the arguments advocating reduced need for in-situ proving and increased dependency on laboratory flow calibration (e.g. using water instead of hydrocarbons) may be questionable. The present paper explores the accurate measurement of crude oil with liquid ultrasonic meters. It defines the unique characteristics of the different API grades of crude oils and how they can affect the accuracy of the liquid ultrasonic measurement. Flow testing results using a new LUFM design are discussed. The paper is intended to provide increased insight into the potentials and limitations of crude oil measurement using ultrasonic flow meters. (author) (tk)

A study on Computer-controlled Ultrasonic Scanning Device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huh, H.; Park, C. S.; Hong, S. S.; Park, J. H.

1989-01-01

Since the nuclear power plants in Korea have been operated in 1979, the nondestructive testing (NDT) of pressure vessels and/or piping welds plays an important role for maintaining the safety and integrity of the plants. Ultrasonic method is superior to the other NDT method in the viewpoint of the detectability of small flaw and accuracy to determine the locations, sizes, orientations, and shapes. As the service time of the nuclear power plants is increased, the radiation level from the components is getting higher. In order to get more quantitative and reliable results and secure the inspector from the exposure to high radiation level, automation of the ultrasonic equipment has been one of the important research and development(R and D) subject. In this research, it was attempted to visualize the shape of flaws presented inside the specimen using a Modified C-Scan technique. In order to develop Modified C-Scan technique, an automatic ultrasonic scanner and a module to control the scanner were designed and fabricated. IBM-PC/XT was interfaced to the module to control the scanner. Analog signals from the SONIC MARK II were digitized by Analog-Digital Converter(ADC 0800) for Modified C-Scan display. A computer program has been developed and has capability of automatic data acquisition and processing from the digital data, which consist of maximum amplitudes in each gate range and locations. The data from Modified C-Scan results was compared with shape from artificial defects using the developed system. Focal length of focused transducer was measured. The automatic ultrasonic equipment developed through this study is essential for more accurate, reliable, and repeatable ultrasonic experiments. If the scanner are modified to meet to appropriate purposes, it can be applied to automation of ultrasonic examination of nuclear power plants and helpful to the research on ultrasonic characterization of the materials

Ultrasonic stir welding process and apparatus

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, R. Jeffrey (Inventor)

2009-01-01

An ultrasonic stir welding device provides a method and apparatus for elevating the temperature of a work piece utilizing at least one ultrasonic heater. Instead of relying on a rotating shoulder to provide heat to a workpiece an ultrasonic heater is utilized to provide ultrasonic energy to the workpiece. A rotating pin driven by a motor assembly performs the weld on the workpiece. A handheld version can be constructed as well as a fixedly mounted embodiment.

Variation of dissolved organic nitrogen concentration during the ultrasonic pretreatment to Microcystis aeruginosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Cheng; Wang, Jie; Cao, Zhen; Chen, Wei; Bi, Hongkai

2016-03-01

Algae cells were the main sources of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in raw water with plenty of algae, and ultrasonic pretreatment was one of the algae-controlling methods through the damage of algae cells. However, the variation of DON concentration during the ultrasonic treatment process was not confirmed. Variation of DON concentration during the processes of low frequency ultrasound treatment of Microcystis aeruginosa was investigated. In addition, the effect of sonication on the metabolite concentration, algae cellar activity and the subsequent coagulation performance were discussed. The results showed that after a long duration of ultrasonic (60 s), nearly 90% of the algal cells were damaged and the maximum concentration of DON attained more than 3 mg/L. In order to control the leakage extent of DON, the sonication time should be less than 30 s with power intensity of more than 1.0 W/cm(3). In the mean time, ultrasonic treatment could inhibit the reactivation and the proliferation of algal, keep the algae cell wall integrity and enhance coagulation effectively under the same condition. However, ultrasound frequency had little effect on DON at the frequency range used in this study (20-150 kHz). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Correlation between compressive strength and ultrasonic pulse velocity of high strength concrete incorporating chopped basalt fibre

Science.gov (United States)

Shafiq, Nasir; Fadhilnuruddin, Muhd; Elshekh, Ali Elheber Ahmed; Fathi, Ahmed

2015-07-01

Ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), is considered as the most important test for non-destructive techniques that are used to evaluate the mechanical characteristics of high strength concrete (HSC). The relationship between the compressive strength of HSC containing chopped basalt fibre stands (CBSF) and UPV was investigated. The concrete specimens were prepared using a different ratio of CBSF as internal strengthening materials. The compressive strength measurements were conducted at the sample ages of 3, 7, 28, 56 and 90 days; whilst, the ultrasonic pulse velocity was measured at 28 days. The result of HSC's compressive strength with the chopped basalt fibre did not show any improvement; instead, it was decreased. The UPV of the chopped basalt fibre reinforced concrete has been found to be less than that of the control mix for each addition ratio of the basalt fibre. A relationship plot is gained between the cube compressive strength for HSC and UPV with various amounts of chopped basalt fibres.

Indoor Airborne Ultrasonic Wireless Communication Using OFDM Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Wentao; Wright, William M D

2017-09-01

Concerns still exist over the safety of prolonged exposure to radio frequency (RF) wireless transmissions and there are also potential data security issues due to remote signal interception techniques such as Bluesniping. Airborne ultrasound may be used as an alternative to RF for indoor wireless communication systems for securely transmitting data over short ranges, as signals are difficult to intercept from outside the room. Two types of air-coupled capacitive ultrasonic transducer were used in the implementation of an indoor airborne wireless communication system. One was a commercially available SensComp series 600 ultrasonic transducer with a nominal frequency of 50 kHz, and the other was a prototype transducer with a high- k dielectric layer operating at higher frequencies from 200 to 400 kHz. Binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM)-based orthogonal frequency division multiplexing modulation methods were successfully implemented using multiple orthogonal subchannels. The modulated ultrasonic signal packets were synchronized using a wireless link, and a least-squares channel estimation algorithm was used to compensate the phase and amplitude distortion introduced by the air channel. By sending and receiving the ultrasonic signals using the SensComp transducers, the achieved maximum system data rate was up to 180 kb/s using 16-QAM with ultrasonic channels from 55 to 99 kHz, over a line-of-sight transmission distance of 6 m with no detectable errors. The transmission range could be extended to 9 and 11 m using QPSK and BPSK modulation schemes, respectively. The achieved data rates for the QPSK and BPSK schemes were 90 and 45 kb/s using the same bandwidth. For the high- k ultrasonic transducers, a maximum data rate up to 800 kb/s with no measurable errors was achieved up to a range of 0.7 m. The attainable transmission ranges were increased to 1.1 and 1.2 m with data rates of 400 and 200 kb

Development of high intensity beam handling system, 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamanoi, Yutaka; Tanaka, Kazuhiro; Minakawa, Michifumi

1992-01-01

We have constructed the new counter experimental hall at the KEK 12 GeV Proton Synchrotron (KEK-PS) in order to handle high intensity primary proton beams of up to 1x10 3 pps (protons per second), which is one order of magnitude greater than the present beam intensity of the KEK-PS, 1x10 12 pps. New technologies for handling high-intensity beams have, then, been developed and employed in the construction of the new hall. A part of our R/D work on handling high intensity beams will be reported. (author)

High Intensity Source Laboratory (HISL)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

The High Intensity Source Laboratory (HISL) is a laboratory facility operated for the US Department of Energy (DOE) by EG ampersand G, Energy Measurements (EG ampersand G/EM). This document is intended as an overview -- primarily for external users -- of the general purposes and capabilities of HISL; numerous technical details are beyond its scope. Moreover, systems at HISL are added, deleted, and modified to suit current needs, and upgraded with continuing development. Consequently, interested parties are invited to contact the HISL manager for detailed, current, technical, and administrative information. The HISL develops and operates pulsed radiation sources with energies, intensities, and pulse widths appropriate for several applications. Principal among these are development, characterization, and calibration of various high-bandwidth radiation detectors and diagnostic systems. Hardness/vulnerability of electronic or other sensitive components to radiation is also tested. In this connection, source development generally focuses on attending (1) the highest possible intensities with (2) reasonably short pulse widths and (3) comprehensive output characterization

Studies on the preparation of Caro’s acid by ultrasonic enhanced electrochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Linbo; Yu, Zeli; Hong, Tao; Fang, Zhao; Peng, Jishi; Yang, Zhao

2017-06-01

Ultrasonic cavitation effects can generate hydroxyl radicals and high energy, which is widely applied in the field of oxidation currently. Ultrasound-enhanced electrochemical is used to prepare Caro’s acid, which improves the generate rate of Caro’s acid. In this article, the influences of ultrasonic frequency and ultrasonic power on the electrolysis voltage, electrolyte temperature, electrolyte concentration and the concentration of additive in the process of electrochemical preparation of Caro’s acid was studied. And the optimal production conditions were determined. The research results showed that ultrasonic can significantly improve the production of Caro’s acid and the product can increase by about 20 g/L under the best condition.

Full-field ultrasonic inspection for a composite sandwich plate skin-core debonding detection using laser-based ultrasonics

Science.gov (United States)

Chong, See Yenn; Victor, Jared J.; Todd, Michael D.

2017-04-01

In this paper, a full-field ultrasonic guided wave method is proposed to inspect a composite sandwich specimen made for an aircraft engine nacelle. The back skin/core interface of the specimen is built with two fabricated disbond defects (diameters of 12.7 mm and 25.4 mm) by removing areas of the adhesive used to bond the back skin to the core. A laser ultrasonic interrogation system (LUIS) incorporated with a disbond detection algorithm is developed. The system consists of a 1-kHz laser ultrasonic scanning system and a single fixed ultrasonic sensor to interrogate ultrasonic guided waves in the sandwich specimen. The interest area of 400 mm × 400 mm is scanned at a 0.5 mm scan interval. The corresponding full-field ultrasonic data is obtained and generated in the three-dimensional (3-D) space-time domain. Then, the 3-D full-field ultrasonic data is Fourier transformed and the ultrasonic frequency spectra are analyzed to determine the dominant frequency that is sensitive to the disbond defects. Continuous wavelet transform (CWT) based on fast Fourier transform (FFT) is implemented as a single-frequency bandpass filter to filter the full-field ultrasonic data in the 3-D space-time domain at the selected dominant frequency. The LUIS has shown the ability to detect the disbond with diameters of 11 mm and 23 mm which match to the pre-determined disbond sizes well. For future research, a robust signal processing algorithm and a model-based matched filter will be investigated to make the detection process autonomous and improve detectability

21 CFR 872.4850 - Ultrasonic scaler.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... DEVICES DENTAL DEVICES Surgical Devices § 872.4850 Ultrasonic scaler. (a) Identification. An ultrasonic scaler is a device intended for use during dental cleaning and periodontal (gum) therapy to remove calculus deposits from teeth by application of an ultrasonic vibrating scaler tip to the teeth. (b...

Effects of ultrasonic disintegration on sludge microbial activity and dewaterability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Huan; Jin Yiying; Mahar, Rasool Bux; Wang Zhiyu; Nie Yongfeng

2009-01-01

Ultrasonic treatment can disintegrate sludge, enhance microbial activity and improve sludge dewaterability at different energy inputs. To find their relationship, the three phenomena during ultrasonic treatment were investigated synchronously, and an experimental model was established to describe the process of ultrasonic sludge disintegration. Analysis results showed that the changes of sludge microbial activity and dewaterability were dependent on sludge disintegration degree during ultrasonic treatment. When sludge disintegration degree was lower than 20%, sludge flocs were disintegrated into micro-floc aggregates and the microbial activity increased over 20%. When sludge disintegration degree was over 40%, most cells were destroyed at different degree, and sludge activity decreased drastically. Only when sludge disintegration degree was 2-5%, sludge dewaterability was improved with the conditioning of FeCl 3 . It was also found that the sonication with low density and long duration was more efficient than sonication with high density and short duration at the same energy input for sludge disintegration, and a transmutative power function model can be used to describe the process of ultrasonic disintegration

Effects of ultrasonic disintegration on sludge microbial activity and dewaterability.

Science.gov (United States)

Huan, Li; Yiying, Jin; Mahar, Rasool Bux; Zhiyu, Wang; Yongfeng, Nie

2009-01-30

Ultrasonic treatment can disintegrate sludge, enhance microbial activity and improve sludge dewaterability at different energy inputs. To find their relationship, the three phenomena during ultrasonic treatment were investigated synchronously, and an experimental model was established to describe the process of ultrasonic sludge disintegration. Analysis results showed that the changes of sludge microbial activity and dewaterability were dependent on sludge disintegration degree during ultrasonic treatment. When sludge disintegration degree was lower than 20%, sludge flocs were disintegrated into micro-floc aggregates and the microbial activity increased over 20%. When sludge disintegration degree was over 40%, most cells were destroyed at different degree, and sludge activity decreased drastically. Only when sludge disintegration degree was 2-5%, sludge dewaterability was improved with the conditioning of FeCl(3). It was also found that the sonication with low density and long duration was more efficient than sonication with high density and short duration at the same energy input for sludge disintegration, and a transmutative power function model can be used to describe the process of ultrasonic disintegration.

Combined Ultrasonic Elliptical Vibration and Chemical Mechanical Polishing of Monocrystalline Silicon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Defu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available An ultrasonic elliptical vibration assisted chemical mechanical polishing(UEV-CMP is employed to achieve high material removal rate and high surface quality in the finishing of hard and brittle materials such as monocrystalline silicon, which combines the functions of conventional CMP and ultrasonic machining. In theultrasonic elliptical vibration aided chemical mechanical polishingexperimental setup developed by ourselves, the workpiece attached at the end of horn can vibrate simultaneously in both horizontal and vertical directions. Polishing experiments are carried out involving monocrystalline silicon to confirm the performance of the proposed UEV-CMP. The experimental results reveal that the ultrasonic elliptical vibration can increase significantly the material removal rate and reduce dramatically the surface roughness of monocrystalline silicon. It is found that the removal rate of monocrystalline silicon polished by UEV-CMP is increased by approximately 110% relative to that of conventional CMP because a passive layer on the monocrystalline silicon surface, formed by the chemical action of the polishing slurry, will be removed not only by the mechanical action of CMP but also by ultrasonic vibration action. It indicates that the high efficiency and high quality CMP of monocrystalline silicon can be performed with the proposed UEV-CMP technique.

Broadband phase difference method for ultrasonic velocimetry in molten glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kikura, Hiroshige; Ihara, Tomonori

2016-01-01

This study aims to develop ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry in molten glass. Realization of such a technique has two difficulties: ultrasonic transmission into molten salt and Doppler signal processing. Buffer rod technique was developed in our research to transmit ultrasound into high temperature molten glass. This article discusses newly developed signal processing technique named broadband phase difference method. (J.P.N.)

High-speed monodisperse droplet generation by ultrasonically controlled micro-jet breakup

Science.gov (United States)

Frommhold, Philipp Erhard; Lippert, Alexander; Holsteyns, Frank Ludwig; Mettin, Robert

2014-04-01

A liquid jet that is ejected from a nozzle into air will disintegrate into drops via the well-known Plateau-Rayleigh instability within a certain range of Ohnesorge and Reynolds numbers. With the focus on the micrometer scale, we investigate the control of this process by superimposing a suitable ultrasonic signal, which causes the jet to break up into a very precise train of monodisperse droplets. The jet leaves a pressurized container of liquid via a small orifice of about 20 μm diameter. The break-up process and the emerging droplets are recorded via high-speed imaging. An extended parameter study of exit speed and ultrasonic frequency is carried out for deionized water to evaluate the jet's state and the subsequent generation of monodisperse droplets. Maximum exit velocities obtained reach almost 120 m s-1, and frequencies have been applied up to 1.8 MHz. Functionality of the method is confirmed for five additional liquids for moderate jet velocities 38 m s-1. For the uncontrolled jet disintegration, the drop size spectra revealed broad distributions and downstream drop growth by collision, while the acoustic control generated monodisperse droplets with a standard deviation less than 0.5 %. By adjustment of the acoustic excitation frequency, drop diameters could be tuned continuously from about 30 to 50 μm for all exit speeds. Good agreement to former experiments and theoretical approaches is found for the relation of overpressure and jet exit speed, and for the observed stability regions of monodisperse droplet generation in the parameter plane of jet speed and acoustic excitation frequency. Fitting of two free parameters of the general theory to the liquids and nozzles used is found to yield an even higher precision. Furthermore, the high-velocity instability limit of regular jet breakup described by von Ohnesorge has been superseded by more than a factor of two without entering the wind-induced instability regime, and monodisperse droplet generation was

Intensity dependence of focused ultrasound lesion position

Science.gov (United States)

Meaney, Paul M.; Cahill, Mark D.; ter Haar, Gail R.

1998-04-01

Knowledge of the spatial distribution of intensity loss from an ultrasonic beam is critical to predicting lesion formation in focused ultrasound surgery. To date most models have used linear propagation models to predict the intensity profiles needed to compute the temporally varying temperature distributions. These can be used to compute thermal dose contours that can in turn be used to predict the extent of thermal damage. However, these simulations fail to adequately describe the abnormal lesion formation behavior observed for in vitro experiments in cases where the transducer drive levels are varied over a wide range. For these experiments, the extent of thermal damage has been observed to move significantly closer to the transducer with increasing transducer drive levels than would be predicted using linear propagation models. The simulations described herein, utilize the KZK (Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov) nonlinear propagation model with the parabolic approximation for highly focused ultrasound waves, to demonstrate that the positions of the peak intensity and the lesion do indeed move closer to the transducer. This illustrates that for accurate modeling of heating during FUS, nonlinear effects must be considered.

High Intensity High Charge State ECR Ion Sources

CERN Document Server

Leitner, Daniela

2005-01-01

The next-generation heavy ion beam accelerators such as the proposed Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA), the Radioactive Ion Beam Factory at RIKEN, the GSI upgrade project, the LHC-upgrade, and IMP in Lanzhou require a great variety of high charge state ion beams with a magnitude higher beam intensity than currently achievable. High performance Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) ion sources can provide the flexibility since they can routinely produce beams from hydrogen to uranium. Over the last three decades, ECR ion sources have continued improving the available ion beam intensities by increasing the magnetic fields and ECR heating frequencies to enhance the confinement and the plasma density. With advances in superconducting magnet technology, a new generation of high field superconducting sources is now emerging, designed to meet the requirements of these next generation accelerator projects. The talk will briefly review the field of high performance ECR ion sources and the latest developments for high intens...

Photon-photon scattering at the high-intensity frontier

Science.gov (United States)

Gies, Holger; Karbstein, Felix; Kohlfürst, Christian; Seegert, Nico

2018-04-01

The tremendous progress in high-intensity laser technology and the establishment of dedicated high-field laboratories in recent years have paved the way towards a first observation of quantum vacuum nonlinearities at the high-intensity frontier. We advocate a particularly prospective scenario, where three synchronized high-intensity laser pulses are brought into collision, giving rise to signal photons, whose frequency and propagation direction differ from the driving laser pulses, thus providing various means to achieve an excellent signal to background separation. Based on the theoretical concept of vacuum emission, we employ an efficient numerical algorithm which allows us to model the collision of focused high-intensity laser pulses in unprecedented detail. We provide accurate predictions for the numbers of signal photons accessible in experiment. Our study is the first to predict the precise angular spread of the signal photons, and paves the way for a first verification of quantum vacuum nonlinearity in a well-controlled laboratory experiment at one of the many high-intensity laser facilities currently coming online.

Ultrasonic Bat Deterrent Technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kinzie, Kevin; Rominger, Kathryn M.

2017-12-14

The project objective was to advance the development and testing of an Near commercial bat-deterrent system with a goal to increase the current GE deterrent system effectiveness to over 50% with broad species applicability. Additionally, the research supported by this program has provided insights into bat behavior and ultrasonic deterrent design that had not previously been explored. Prior research and development had demonstrated the effectiveness of a commercial-grade, air-powered, ultrasonic bat deterrent to be between 30-50% depending upon the species of bat. However, the previous research provided limited insight into the behavioral responses of bats in the presence of ultrasonic deterrent sound fields that could be utilized to improve effectiveness. A unique bat flight room was utilized to observe the behavioral characteristics of bats in the presence of ultrasonic sound fields. Behavioral testing in the bat flight facility demonstrated that ultrasonic sounds similar to those produced by the GE deterrent influenced the activities and behaviors, primarily those associated with foraging, of the species exposed. The study also indicated that continuous and pulsing ultrasonic signals had a similar effect on the bats, and confirmed that as ultrasonic sounds attenuate, their influence on the bats’ activities and behavior decreases. Ground testing at Wolf Ridge Wind, LLC and Shawnee National Forest assessed both continuous and pulsing deterrent signals emitted from the GE deterrent system and further enhanced the behavioral understanding of bats in the presence of the deterrent. With these data and observations, the existing 4-nozzle continuous, or steady, emission ultrasonic system was redesigned to a 6-nozzle system that could emit a pulsing signal covering a larger air space around a turbine. Twelve GE 1.6-100 turbines were outfitted with the deterrent system and a formal three-month field study was performed using daily carcass searches beneath the 12

Synthesis and characterization of polyurethane/CdS-SiO 2 nanocomposites via ultrasonic process

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jing; Zhou, Yu-Ming; Nan, Qiu-Li; Ye, Xiao-Yun; Sun, Yan-Qing; Wang, Zhi-Qiang; Zhang, Shi-Ming

2008-12-01

In this study, the high-intensity ultrasound was applied in the preparation of chiral polyurethane/CdS-SiO 2 nanocomposites. The polyurethane/CdS-SiO 2 nanocomposites were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), TEM and SEM. The results indicated that the heat stability of the nanocomposites was improved in the presence of CdS-SiO 2 core-shell nanoparticles. The infrared emissivity (8-14 μm) study revealed that the nanocomposites possessed much lower infrared values compared with those of the neat polymers and nanoparticles, respectively. A possible mechanism of ultrasonic induced composite reaction was proposed based on the experimental results.

Synthesis and characterization of polyurethane/CdS-SiO2 nanocomposites via ultrasonic process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Jing; Zhou Yuming; Nan Qiuli; Ye Xiaoyun; Sun Yanqing; Wang Zhiqiang; Zhang Shiming

2008-01-01

In this study, the high-intensity ultrasound was applied in the preparation of chiral polyurethane/CdS-SiO 2 nanocomposites. The polyurethane/CdS-SiO 2 nanocomposites were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), TEM and SEM. The results indicated that the heat stability of the nanocomposites was improved in the presence of CdS-SiO 2 core-shell nanoparticles. The infrared emissivity (8-14 μm) study revealed that the nanocomposites possessed much lower infrared values compared with those of the neat polymers and nanoparticles, respectively. A possible mechanism of ultrasonic induced composite reaction was proposed based on the experimental results.

Development of an Intelligent Ultrasonic Signature Classification Software for Discrimination of Flaws in Weldments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, H. J.; Song, S. J.; Jeong, H. D.

1997-01-01

Ultrasonic pattern recognition is the most effective approach to the problem of discriminating types of flaws in weldments based on ultrasonic flaw signals. In spite of significant progress in the research on this methodology, it has not been widely used in many practical ultrasonic inspections of weldments in industry. Hence, for the convenient application of this approach in many practical situations, we develop an intelligent ultrasonic signature classification software which can discriminate types of flaws in weldments based on their ultrasonic signals using various tools in artificial intelligence such as neural networks. This software shows the excellent performance in an experimental problem where flaws in weldments are classified into two categories of cracks and non-cracks. This performance demonstrates the high possibility of this software as a practical tool for ultrasonic flaw classification in weldments

Development and Application of an Ultrasonic Gas Flowmeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Won Ho; Jeong, Hee Don; Park, Sang Gug; Jhang, Kyung Young

2002-01-01

This paper describes the development and the field application of the ultrasonic gas flowmeter for accurate measurement of the volumetric flow rate of gases in a harsh environmental conditions in iron and steel making company. This ultrasonic flowmeter is especially suited for measuring LDG, COG, BFG gases produced in iron and steel making process. This is a transit time type ultrasonic flowmeter. We have developed the transmitting and receiving algorithm of ultrasonic wave and the ultrasonic signal processing algorithm to develope a transit time type ultrasonic flowmeter. We have evaluated the performance of ultrasonic flowmeter by the calibration system with Venturi type standard flowmeter. We has confirmed its reliability by extensive field tests for a year in POSCO, iron and steel making company. Now we have developed the commercial model of ultrasonic flowmeter and applied to the POSCO gas line

Ultrasonic Tomography Imaging for Liquid-Gas Flow Measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Jaysuman PUSPPANATHAN

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This research was carried out to measure two-phase liquid – gas flow regime by using a dual functionality ultrasonic transducer. Comparing to the common separated transmitter–receiver ultrasonic pairs transducer, the dual functionality ultrasonic transceiver is capable to produce the same measurable results hence further improvises and contributes to the hardware design improvement and system accuracy. Due to the disadvantages and the limitations of the separated ultrasonic transmitter–receiver pair, this paper presents a non-invasive ultrasonic tomography system using ultrasonic transceivers as an alternative approach. Implementation of ultrasonic transceivers, electronic measurement circuits, data acquisition system and suitable image reconstruction algorithms, the measurement of a liquid/gas flow was realized.

Mechanisms of microstructure formation under the influence of ultrasonic vibrations

Science.gov (United States)

Rakita, Milan

Positive effects of ultrasound on crystallization have been known for almost 90 years. Application of ultrasound has been very successful in many industries, most notably in chemistry, creating a new branch of science - sonochemistry. However, ultrasonication has not found wide commercial application in the solidification processing. The reason for that is the complexity of underlying phenomena and the lack of predicting models which correlate processing parameters with the properties of a product. The purpose of this study is to give some contribution toward better understanding of mechanisms that lead to changes in the solidifying microstructure. It has been found that, under experimental conditions used in this work, cavitation-induced nucleation is the major contributor to the grain refinement. Ultrasonication at minimal supercoolings is expected to give maximal grain refinement. Dendrite fragmentation has not shown to be a significant contributor to the grain refinement. Dendrite fragmentation is maximal if done by bubbles that come in contact with the solidifying phase, or that are created there. Alloys/solutions with long solidification interval, or wide mushy zone, are expected to exhibit more dendrite fragmentation. Bubbles are recognized as a crucial feature in ultrasonication. Their size distribution in the liquid phase prior to ultrasonication dictates the cavitation threshold and intensity of cavitation. For the first time, radiation pressure has been recognized as potentially significant factor in grain refinement. In the experimental setup used in this study, acoustic pressure at the main (driving) frequency is not substantial to cause significant fragmentation, and only dendrites close to the sonotrode were fragmented. However, application of ultrasound with frequencies that are several times higher than the current industrial practice could substantially increase dendrite fragmentation. Appearance of fractional harmonics has also been recognized

Study on optimizing ultrasonic irradiation period for thick polycrystalline PZT film by hydrothermal method.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohta, Kanako; Isobe, Gaku; Bornmann, Peter; Hemsel, Tobias; Morita, Takeshi

2013-04-01

The hydrothermal method utilizes a solution-based chemical reaction to synthesize piezoelectric thin films and powders. This method has a number of advantages, such as low-temperature synthesis, and high purity and high quality of the product. In order to promote hydrothermal reactions, we developed an ultrasonic assisted hydrothermal method and confirmed that it produces dense and thick lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) films. In the hydrothermal method, a crystal growth process follows the nucleation process. In this study, we verified that ultrasonic irradiation is effective for the nucleation process, and there is an optimum irradiation period to obtain thicker PZT films. With this optimization, a 9.2-μm-thick PZT polycrystalline film was obtained in a single deposition process. For this film, ultrasonic irradiation was carried out from the beginning of the reaction for 18 h, followed by a 6 h deposition without ultrasonic irradiation. These results indicate that the ultrasonic irradiation mainly promotes the nucleation process. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Ultrasonic Pattern Recognition Approach to Welding Defect Classification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Sung Jin

1995-01-01

Classification of flaws in weldments from their ultrasonic scattering signals is very important in quantitative nondestructive evaluation. This problem is ideally suited to a modern ultrasonic pattern recognition technique. Here brief discussion on systematic approach to this methodology is presented including ultrasonic feature extraction, feature selection and classification. A stronger emphasis is placed on probabilistic neural networks as efficient classifiers for many practical classification problems. In an example probabilistic neural networks are applied to classify flaws in weldments into 3 classes such as cracks, porosity and slag inclusions. Probabilistic nets are shown to be able to exhibit high performance of other classifiers without any training time overhead. In addition, forward selection scheme for sensitive features is addressed to enhance network performance

Automated evaluation of ultrasonic indications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansch, M.K.T.; Stegemann, D.

1994-01-01

Future requirements of reliability and reproducibility in quality assurance demand computer evaluation of defect indications. The ultrasonic method with its large field of applications and a high potential for automation provides all preconditions for fully automated inspection. The survey proposes several desirable hardware improvements, data acquisition requirements and software configurations. (orig.) [de

Technical characterization of an ultrasound source for noninvasive thermoablation by high-intensity focused ultrasound.

Science.gov (United States)

Köhrmann, K U; Michel, M S; Steidler, A; Marlinghaus, E; Kraut, O; Alken, P

2002-08-01

To develop a generator for high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU, a method of delivering ultrasonic energy with resultant heat and tissue destruction to a tight focus at a selected depth within the body), designed for extracorporeal coupling to allow various parenchymal organs to be treated. The ultrasound generated by a cylindrical piezo-ceramic element is focused at a depth of 10 cm using a parabolic reflector with a diameter of 10 cm. A diagnostic B-mode ultrasonographic transducer is integrated into the source to allow the focus to be located in the target area. The field distribution of the sound pressure was measured in degassed water using a needle hydrophone. An ultrasound-force balance was used to determine the acoustic power. These measurements allowed the spatially averaged sound intensity to be calculated. The morphology and extent of tissue necrosis induced by HIFU was examined on an ex-vivo kidney model. The two-dimensional field distribution resulted in an approximately ellipsoidal focus of 32 x 4 mm (- 6 dB). The spatially maximum averaged sound intensity was 8591 W/cm2 at an electrical power of 400 W. The lesion caused to the ex-vivo kidney at this maximum generator power with a pulse duration of 2 s was a clearly delineated ellipsoidal coagulation necrosis up to 8.8 x 2.3 mm (length x width) and with central liquefied necrosis of 7.9 x 1.9 mm. This newly developed ultrasound generator with a focal length of 10 cm can induce clear necrosis in parenchymal tissue. Because of its specific configuration and the available power range of the ultrasound generator, there is potential for therapeutic noninvasive ablation of tissue deep within a patient's body.

Development of coaxial ultrasonic probe for fatty liver diagnostic system using ultrasonic velocity change

Science.gov (United States)

Hori, Makoto; Yokota, Daiki; Aotani, Yuhei; Kumagai, Yuta; Wada, Kenji; Matsunaka, Toshiyuki; Morikawa, Hiroyasu; Horinaka, Hiromichi

2017-07-01

A diagnostic system for fatty liver at an early stage is needed because fatty liver is linked to metabolic syndrome. We have already proposed a fatty liver diagnosis method based on the temperature coefficient of ultrasonic velocity. In this study, we fabricated a coaxial ultrasonic probe by integrating two kinds of transducers for warming and signal detection. The diagnosis system equipped with the coaxial probe was applied to tissue-mimicking phantoms including the fat area. The fat content rates corresponding to the set rates of the phantoms were estimated by the ultrasonic velocity-change method.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2016-01-01

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-01-01

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

Theoretical and Experimental Study on Vibration Propagation in PMMA Components in Ultrasonic Bonding Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yibo Sun

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Ultrasonic bonding has an increasing application in the micro assembly of polymeric micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS with high requirements for fusion precision. In the ultrasonic bonding process, the propagation of ultrasonic vibration in polymer components is related to the interfacial fusion, which can be used as a monitoring parameter to control ultrasonic energy. To study the vibration propagation in viscoelastic polymer components, finite element analysis on the bonding of poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA micro connector to substrate for microfluidic system is carried out. Curves of propagated vibration amplitude corresponding to interfacial temperatures are obtained. The ultrasonic vibration propagated in PMMA components are measured through experiments. The theoretical and experimental results are contrasted to analyze the change mechanism of vibration propagation related to temperature. Based on the ultrasonic bonding process controlled by the feedback of vibration propagation, interfacial fusions at different vibration propagation states are obtained through experiments. Interfacial fusion behavior is contrasted to the propagated vibration amplitude in theoretical and experimental studies. The relation between vibration propagation and fusion degree is established with the proper parameter range for the obtained high quality bonding.

Pitch-catch only ultrasonic fluid densitometer

Science.gov (United States)

Greenwood, M.S.; Harris, R.V.

1999-03-23

The present invention is an ultrasonic fluid densitometer that uses a material wedge and pitch-catch only ultrasonic transducers for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals internally reflected within the material wedge. Density of a fluid is determined by immersing the wedge into the fluid and measuring reflection of ultrasound at the wedge-fluid interface. 6 figs.

Ultrasonic microdialysis coupled with capillary electrophoresis electrochemiluminescence study the interaction between trimetazidine dihydrochloride and human serum albumin.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Shuangjiao; Long, Chanjuan; Tao, Chunyao; Meng, Sa; Deng, Biyang

2014-12-03

The paper describes a homemade ultrasonic microdialysis device coupled with capillary electrophoresis electrochemiluminescence (CE-ECL) for studying the interaction between human serum albumin (HSA) and trimetazidine dihydrochloride (TMZ). The time required for equilibrium by ultrasonic microdialysis was 45min, which was far less than that by traditional dialysis (240min). It took 80min to achieve the required combination equilibrium by normal incubation and only 20min by ultrasonic. Compared with traditional dialysis, the use of ultrasonic microdialysis simplified experimental procedures, shortened experimental time and saved consumption of sample. A simple, sensitive and selective determination of TMZ was developed using CE-ECL and the parameters that affected ECL intensity were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the linear range of TMZ was from 0.075 to 80μmol/L (r(2)=0.9974). The detection limit was 26nmol/L with RSD of 2.8%. The number of binding sites and binding constant were 1.54 and 15.17L/mol, respectively. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-intensity lower limb endurance training in chronic respiratory disease

OpenAIRE

Tanaka, Takako; Arizono, Shinichi; Hanada, Masatoshi; Senjyu, Hideaki

2015-01-01

High-intensity endurance training is mainly undertaken during pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with chronic respiratory disease. High-intensity endurance training is recommended in many clinical management guidelines. High-intensity endurance training involves training generally at an intensity of at 60-80％ of the patient’s peak work capacity or higher. The effects of high-intensity lower limb endurance training have mostly been investigated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD...

Joining NbTi superconductors by ultrasonic welding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hafstrom, J.W.; Killpatrick, D.H.; Niemann, R.C.; Purcell, J.R.; Thresh, H.R.

1976-01-01

An important consideration in the design and construction of large, high-field, superconducting magnets is the capability to fabricate reliable, high-strength, low-resistance joints. A process for joining NbTi, copper stabilized, superconducting composites by ultrasonic welding is described. This process yields a joint strength comparable to that of the superconducting composite and a resistivity significantly lower than achieved by conventional soft soldering. The superconducting properties of the composite are not affected by the joining process. Scarfing the joint to maintain a constant conductor cross section does not degrade its electrical or mechanical properties. The application of the ultrasonic joining process, including process control, scarfing, and NDT procedures, in the construction of the superconducting magnet (U.S. SCMS) for the joint U. S. -- Soviet MHD program is described

Track formation in a liquid hydrogen ultrasonic bubble chamber

CERN Document Server

Brown, R C A; Jarman, P D

1973-01-01

Track sensitivity to minimum ionising particles has been demonstrated in liquid hydrogen using only an intense ultrasonic field. Carefully designed transducer systems are shown to be capable of producing pressure amplitudes >2.8 atm in a standing wave system in liquid hydrogen. The growth of bubbles to visible size (0.1 mm) in less than 0.2 ms, and their collapse in less than 15 ms, indicates that rapid cycling rates of 50-100 pulses per second may be feasible with this technique. (11 refs).

High-power ultrasonic treatment of contaminated soils and sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collings, A.F.; Gwan, P.B.; Sosa Pintos, A.P.

2004-01-01

Full text: The propagation of high-power ultrasound through a liquid can initiate the phenomenon of cavitation. This occurs with the collapse of gas bubbles formed during the rarefaction phase of the ultrasonic wave either from the dissolution of air or vaporisation of the liquid. Bubble collapse can generate localised temperatures up to 5,000 K and pressures up to 1,000 atmospheres. Solid particles in slurry have been shown to act as foci for the nucleation and collapse of bubbles. Theory and experiment have confirmed that the rupture of a bubble on a solid surface generates a high speed jet directed towards the surface. In this case, the extreme conditions generated by the non-linear shock wave produced by bubble collapse are localised on the solid surface. Since Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are hydrophobic and are also readily absorbed on the surface of soil particles, the energy released by cavitation in a soil or sediment slurry is selectively directed towards them. The temperatures are sufficient to decompose these molecules. However, the extreme conditions are highly localised and the bulk solution temperature is essentially unaffected. Any decomposition products are immediately quenched and recombination reactions are avoided. Recent advances in ultrasound technology have produced commercial equipment capable of high power which has enabled us to remediate soils and sediments containing Organochlorine Pesticides (OCPs), Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). With reductions greater than 80% within minutes, this technique shows great promise with advantages of on-site treatment and reduced operating and capital costs compared with conventional methods

The random phase transducer in ultrasonic NDT of coarse grain stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bordier, J.M.; Fink, M.; Le Brun, A.; Cohen-Tenoudji, F.

1993-11-01

Ultrasonic NDT of cast stainless steel is known to be difficult due to a huge loss of focussing of the ultrasonic beam, and to a high level speckle noise generated by the coarse grain structure. In this paper, we describe the principle of the ultrasonic random phase transducer. Experimental results are compared with those obtained with a standard spatial compound technique. We show that the random phase transducer is a good tool to characterize the multiple scattering process generated by these materials. (authors). 7 figs., 11 refs

Assessment of precipitates of isothermal aged austenitic stainless steel using measurement techniques of ultrasonic attenuation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hun Hee; Kim, Hak Joon; Song, Sung Jin; Lim, Byeong Soo; Kim, Kyung Cho

2014-01-01

AISI 316L stainless steel is widely used as a structural material of high temperature thermoelectric power plants, since austenitic stainless steel has excellent mechanical properties. However, creep damage is generated in these components, which are operated under a high temperature and high pressure environment. Several researches have been done on how microstructural changes of precipitates affect to the macroscopic mechanical properties. And they investigate the relation between ultrasonic parameters and metallurgical results. But, these studies are limited by experiment results only. In this paper, attenuations of ultrasonic with isothermal damaged AISI 316L stainless steel were measured. Also, simulation of ultrasonic attenuation with variation of area fraction and size of precipitates were performed. And, from the measured attenuations, metallographic data and simulation results, we investigate the relations between the ultrasonic attenuations and the material properties which is area fraction of precipitates for the isothermal damaged austenitic stainless steel specimens. And, we studied parametric study for investigation of the relation between ultrasonic parameters and metallurgical results of the isothermal damaged AISI 316L stainless steel specimens using numerical methods.

Effect on High-Intensity Fields of a Tough Hydrophone With Hydrothermal PZT Thick-Film Vibrator and Titanium Front Layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Okada, Nagaya; Takeuchi, Shinichi

2017-07-01

A novel tough hydrophone was fabricated by depositing hydrothermally synthesized lead zirconate titanate polycrystalline film on the back-side surface of a titanium plate. Our developed tough hydrophone resisted damage in a high-pressure field (15 MPa) at a focal point of a sinusoidal continuous wave driven by a concave high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) transducer with up to 50 W of power input to the sound source. The hydrophone was suitable for the HIFU field, even though the hydrophone has a flat-shape tip of 3.5 mm diameter, which is slightly larger than the wavelength of a few megahertz. In this paper, experiments are performed to assess the effect on the HIFU field of changing the shape of the tough hydrophone, with the aim of developing a tough hydrophone. The spatial distribution of the acoustic bubbles around the focal point was visualized by using ultrasonic diagnostic equipment with the tough hydrophone located at the focal point of the HIFU transducer. From the visualization, the trapped acoustic bubbles were seen to arise from the standing wave, which implies that the acoustic pressure is reduced by this cloud of acoustic bubbles that appeared during hydrophone measurement. Although cavitation and acoustic bubbles may be unavoidable when using high-intensity ultrasound, the estimated result of evaluating acoustic fields without misunderstanding by acoustic bubbles can be obtained by the aid of visualizing bubbles around the tough hydrophone.

Mode Identification of Guided Ultrasonic Wave using Time- Frequency Algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Byung Sik; Yang, Seung Han; Cho, Yong Sang; Kim, Yong Sik; Lee, Hee Jong

2007-01-01

The ultrasonic guided waves are waves whose propagation characteristics depend on structural thickness and shape such as those in plates, tubes, rods, and embedded layers. If the angle of incidence or the frequency of sound is adjusted properly, the reflected and refracted energy within the structure will constructively interfere, thereby launching the guided wave. Because these waves penetrate the entire thickness of the tube and propagate parallel to the surface, a large portion of the material can be examined from a single transducer location. The guided ultrasonic wave has various merits like above. But various kind of modes are propagating through the entire thickness, so we don't know the which mode is received. Most of applications are limited from mode selection and mode identification. So the mode identification is very important process for guided ultrasonic inspection application. In this study, various time-frequency analysis methodologies are developed and compared for mode identification tool of guided ultrasonic signal. For this study, a high power tone-burst ultrasonic system set up for the generation and receive of guided waves. And artificial notches were fabricated on the Aluminum plate for the experiment on the mode identification

Influence of Air Humidity and Water Particles on Dust Control Using Ultrasonic Atomization

Science.gov (United States)

Okawa, Hirokazu; Nishi, Kentaro; Shindo, Dai; Kawamura, Youhei

2012-07-01

The influence of air humidity and water particles on dust control was examined using ultrasonic atomization at 2.4 MHz, an acrylic box (61 L), and four types of ore dust samples: green tuff (4 µm), green tuff (6 µm), kaolin, and silica. It was clearly demonstrated that ultrasonic atomization was effective in raising humidity rapidly. However, at high relative air humidity, the water particles remained stable in the box without changing to water vapor. Ultrasonic atomization was applied to suppress dust dispersion and 40-95% dust reduction was achieved at 83% relative air humidity. Dust dispersion was more effective with ultrasonic atomization than without.

Pulsed ultrasonic stir welding method

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, R. Jeffrey (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A method of performing ultrasonic stir welding uses a welding head assembly to include a plate and a rod passing through the plate. The rod is rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof. In the method, the rod is rotated about its longitudinal axis during a welding operation. During the welding operation, a series of on-off ultrasonic pulses are applied to the rod such that they propagate parallel to the rod's longitudinal axis. At least a pulse rate associated with the on-off ultrasonic pulses is controlled.

Physical Characterization of Solid-Liquid Slurries at High Weight Fractions Using Optical and Ultrasonic Methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burgess, L.W.; Brodsky, A.M.; Panetta P.D.

2005-01-01

Remediation of highly radioactive waste is a major technical and programmatic challenge for the DOE. Rapid, on-line physical characterization of highly concentrated slurries is required for the safe and efficient remediation of 90 million gallons of high level radioactive waste (HLW), sodium bearing waste, and mixed waste. The research presented here, describes a collaborative effort between Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the University of Washington (UW) to directly address the need for rapid on-line characterization of the physical properties of HLW slurries during all phases of the remediation process, from in-tank characterization of sediments to monitoring of the concentration, particle size, and degree of agglomeration and gelation of slurries during transport. Near-surface characterization of the slurry flow in the particle size range from nanometer to micrometer is examined using optical low coherence reflectometry. Volumetric characterization at depths in the slurry flow, up to several centimeters in the particle size range from the micrometer to millimeter, is realized by utilizing ultrasonic backscatter and diffuses fields. One of the strengths, the teaming up of significant talents in both experimental and theoretical optics and in ultrasonics, provides a synergistic approach to integrate these complimentary techniques. One of the benefits of this combined approach is the physical characterization of HLW over a concentration and particle size range that is broader than can be achieved with today's technology. This will avoid a costly increase in waste stream volume due to excess dilution, and will lessen chance of plugging pipes that could shut down expensive processing lines

Ultrasonic tests. Pt. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goebbels, K.

1980-01-01

After a basic treatment of ultrasonic wave propagation, of the state-of-the-art methods and the technical background in the preceeding part, advanced ultrasonic NDT techniques are presented here. The discussion of new development includes - manipulation systems, - automation of ultrasonic testing methods, documentation and evaluation. In the middle of this part the main problem areas will be discussed: - detection of defects (e.g. in coarse grained structures and welds), - classification of defects (e.g. discrimination between crack-like and volumetric faults), - sizing of defects. Research in the field of acoustical holography, development of probes and phased arrays, electromagnetic acoustic transducers and signal enhancement are the main contributing parts to the report. (orig./RW)

Dependences of Ultrasonic Parameters for Osteoporosis Diagnosis on Bone Mineral Density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Kyo Seung; Kim, Yoon Mi; Park, Jong Chan; Choi, Min Joo; Lee, Kang Il

2012-01-01

Quantitative ultrasound technologies for osteoporosis diagnosis measure ultrasonic parameters such as speed of sound(SOS) and normalized broadband ultrasound attenuation(nBUA) in the calcaneus (heel bone). In the present study, the dependences of SOS and nBUA on bone mineral density in the proximal femur with high risk of fracture were investigated by using 20 trabecular bone samples extracted from bovine femurs. SOS and nBUA in the femoral trabecular bone samples were measured by using a transverse transmission method with one matched pair of ultrasonic transducers with a center frequency of 1.0 MHz. SOS and nBUA measured in the 20 trabecular bone samples exhibited high Pearson's correlation coefficients (r) of r = 0.83 and 0.72 with apparent bone density, respectively. The multiple regression analysis with SOS and nBUA as independent variables and apparent bone density as a dependent variable showed that the correlation coefficient r = 0.85 of the multiple linear regression model was higher than those of the simple linear regression model with either parameter SOS or nBUA as an independent variable. These high linear correlations between the ultrasonic parameters and the bone density suggest that the ultrasonic parameters measured in the femur can be useful for predicting the femoral bone mineral density.

Frequency-domain imaging algorithm for ultrasonic testing by application of matrix phased arrays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dolmatov Dmitry

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Constantly increasing demand for high-performance materials and systems in aerospace industry requires advanced methods of nondestructive testing. One of the most promising methods is ultrasonic imaging by using matrix phased arrays. This technique allows to create three-dimensional ultrasonic imaging with high lateral resolution. Further progress in matrix phased array ultrasonic testing is determined by the development of fast imaging algorithms. In this article imaging algorithm based on frequency domain calculations is proposed. This approach is computationally efficient in comparison with time domain algorithms. Performance of the proposed algorithm was tested via computer simulations for planar specimen with flat bottom holes.

Turbulence enhancement by ultrasonically induced gaseous cavitation in the CO2 saturated water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Seung Youp; Choi, Young Don

2002-01-01

Recent primary concern for the design of high performance heat exchanger and highly integrated electronic equipment is to develop an active and creative technologies which enhance the heat transfer without obstructing the coolant flows. In this study, we found through the LDV measurement that the gaseous cavitation induced by ultrasonic vibration applied to the CO 2 saturated water in the square cross-sectioned straight duct flow enhances the turbulence much more than the case of non-ultrasonic or normal ultrasonic conditions without gaseous cavitation does. We also found that gaseous cavitation can enhance effectively the turbulent heat transfer between the heating surfaces and coolants by destructing the viscous sublayer

Microscale 1-3-Type (Na,K)NbO(3)-Based Pb-Free Piezocomposites for High-Frequency Ultrasonic Transducer Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Zong-Yang; Li, Jing-Feng; Chen, Ruimin; Zhou, Qifa; Shung, K Kirk

2011-05-01

Fine-grained Pb-free (Na(0.535)K(0.485))(0.95)Li(0.05)(Nb(0.8)Ta(0.2))O(3) (NKLNT) piezoceramics prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique was used to fabricate NKLNT/epoxy 1-3 composites with a modified dice-fill method. Because of its good machinability, SPSed NKLNT ceramic rods could be miniaturized to a lateral width of 50 µm. After lapping down to 56 µm in thickness, the composite was used to fabricate an ultrasonic transducer as the active piezoelectric element. This composite transducer showed a bandwidth at -6 dB nearly 90%at a center frequency of 29 MHz, demonstrating that this Pb-free composite thick film is very promising for the fabrication of high-frequency ultrasonic transducers in medical imaging applications.

Detailed simulation of ultrasonic inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaplin, K.R.; Douglas, S.R.; Dunford, D.

1997-01-01

Simulation of ultrasonic inspection of engineering components have been performed at the Chalk River Laboratories of AECL for over 10 years. The computer model, called EWE for Elastic Wave Equations, solves the Elastic Wave Equations using a novel finite difference scheme. It simulates the propagation of an ultrasonic wave from the transducer to a flaw, the scatter of waves from the flaw, and measurement of signals at a receive transducer. Regions of different materials, water and steel for example, can be simulated. In addition, regions with slightly different material properties from the parent material can be investigated. The two major types of output are displays of the ultrasonic waves inside the component and the corresponding A-scans. EPRI and other organizations have used ultrasonic models for: defining acceptable ultrasonic inspection procedures, designing and evaluating inspection techniques, and for quantifying inspection reliability. The EWE model has been applied to the inspection of large pipes in a nuclear plant, gas pipeline welds and steam generator tubes. Most recent work has dealt with the ultrasonic inspection of pressure tubes in CANDU reactors. Pressure tube inspections can reliably detect and size defects; however, there are improvements that can be made. For example, knowing the sharpness of a flaw-tip is crucial for fitness for service assessments. Computer modelling of the ultrasonic inspection of flaws with different root radius has suggested inspection techniques that provide flaw tip radius information. A preliminary investigation of these methods has been made in the laboratory. The basis for the model will be reviewed at the presentation. Then the results of computer simulations will be displayed on a PC using an interactive program that analyzes simulated A-scans. This software tool gives inspection staff direct access to the results of computer simulations. (author)

Linear ultrasonic motor for absolute gravimeter.

Science.gov (United States)

Jian, Yue; Yao, Zhiyuan; Silberschmidt, Vadim V

2017-05-01

Thanks to their compactness and suitability for vacuum applications, linear ultrasonic motors are considered as substitutes for classical electromagnetic motors as driving elements in absolute gravimeters. Still, their application is prevented by relatively low power output. To overcome this limitation and provide better stability, a V-type linear ultrasonic motor with a new clamping method is proposed for a gravimeter. In this paper, a mechanical model of stators with flexible clamping components is suggested, according to a design criterion for clamps of linear ultrasonic motors. After that, an effect of tangential and normal rigidity of the clamping components on mechanical output is studied. It is followed by discussion of a new clamping method with sufficient tangential rigidity and a capability to facilitate pre-load. Additionally, a prototype of the motor with the proposed clamping method was fabricated and the performance tests in vertical direction were implemented. Experimental results show that the suggested motor has structural stability and high dynamic performance, such as no-load speed of 1.4m/s and maximal thrust of 43N, meeting the requirements for absolute gravimeters. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonic examination of stainless steel weldments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mullan, J.V.

1976-01-01

Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. have specified a combination of liquid penetrant, radiography and ultrasonic examination of welds in austenitic stainless steel. In the past, angle wedges attached to ultrasonic transducers have been designed so that only shear waves are propagated in the medium. Shear waves, however, do not penetrate one half inch of weld metal without high transmission losses, so that the signal-to-noise ratio is poor. Canadian Vickers have therefore developed a method using longitudinal waves at 45 deg in the material. The presence also of a shear wave at an angle of 19 deg does not cause confusion, because the shear wave travels slower, and has farther to travel. Some considerations for the design of transducers and wedges are outlined. (N.D.H.)

Ultrasonication aided in-situ transesterification of microbial lipids to biodiesel.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaolei; Yan, Song; Tyagi, Rajeshwar Dayal; Surampalli, Rao Y; Valéro, Jose R

2014-10-01

In-situ transesterification of microbial lipid to biodiesel has been paid substantial attention due to the fact that the lipid extraction and transesterification can be conducted in one-stage process. To improve the feasibility of in-situ transesterification, ultrasonication was employed to reduce methanol requirement and reaction time. The results showed that the use of ultrasonication could achieve high conversion of lipid to FAMEs (92.1% w lipid conversion/w total lipids) with methanol to lipid molar ratio 60:1 and NaOH addition 1% w/w lipid in 20 min, while methanol to lipid molar ratio 360:1, NaOH addition 1% w/w lipid, and reaction time 12h was required to obtain similar yield in in-situ transesterification without ultrasonication. The compositions of FAMEs obtained in case of ultrasonication aided in-situ transesterification were similar as that of two-stage extraction followed by transesterification processes. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The effects of ultrasonic solidification on aluminum

OpenAIRE

Đorđević Slavko 1

2003-01-01

The effect of ultrasound on characteristics of solidified aluminum was shown. An ultrasonic head and ultrasonic system for modification was designed and applied to the crystallizing aluminum melt. The ultrasonic generator allows power of 50-500 W, amplitude of oscillations 10-100 um.m and the operating frequency of 25 kHz. Ultrasonic modification was done by ultrasound introduced from above into the melt. Microstructure photographs show decreasing of the grain size more than five times.

The effects of ultrasonic solidification on aluminum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đorđević Slavko 1

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of ultrasound on characteristics of solidified aluminum was shown. An ultrasonic head and ultrasonic system for modification was designed and applied to the crystallizing aluminum melt. The ultrasonic generator allows power of 50-500 W, amplitude of oscillations 10-100 um.m and the operating frequency of 25 kHz. Ultrasonic modification was done by ultrasound introduced from above into the melt. Microstructure photographs show decreasing of the grain size more than five times.

Case studies in ultrasonic testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prasad, V.; Satheesh, C.; Varde, P.V.

2015-01-01

Ultrasonic testing is widely used Non Destructive Testing (NDT) method and forms the essential part of In-service inspection programme of nuclear reactors. Main application of ultrasonic testing is for volumetric scanning of weld joints followed by thickness gauging of pipelines and pressure vessels. Research reactor Dhruva has completed the first In Service Inspection programme in which about 325 weld joints have been volumetrically scanned, in addition to thickness gauging of 300 meters of pipe lines of various sizes and about 24 nos of pressure vessels. Ultrasonic testing is also used for level measurements, distance measurements and cleaning and decontamination of tools. Two case studies are brought out in this paper in which ultrasonic testing is used successfully for identification of butterfly valve opening status and extent of choking in pipe lines in Dhruva reactor systems

Stresses in ultrasonically assisted bone cutting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alam, K; Mitrofanov, A V; Silberschmidt, V V; Baeker, M

2009-01-01

Bone cutting is a frequently used procedure in the orthopaedic surgery. Modern cutting techniques, such as ultrasonic assisted drilling, enable surgeons to perform precision operations in facial and spinal surgeries. Advanced understanding of the mechanics of bone cutting assisted by ultrasonic vibration is required to minimise bone fractures and to optimise the technique performance. The paper presents results of finite element simulations on ultrasonic and conventional bone cutting analysing the effects of ultrasonic vibration on cutting forces and stress distribution. The developed model is used to study the effects of cutting and vibration parameters (e.g. amplitude and frequency) on the stress distributions in the cutting region.

Ultrasonic imaging of projected components of PFBR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sylvia, J.I., E-mail: sylvia@igcar.gov.in [Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, Tamil Nadu (India); Jeyan, M.R.; Anbucheliyan, M.; Asokane, C.; Babu, V. Rajan; Babu, B.; Rajan, K.K.; Velusamy, K.; Jayakumar, T. [Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, Tamil Nadu (India)

2013-05-15

Highlights: ► Under sodium ultrasonic scanner in PFBR is for detecting protruding objects. ► Feasibility study for detecting Absorber rods and its drive mechanisms. ► Developed in-house PC based ultrasonic imaging system. ► Different case studies were carried out on simulated ARDM's. ► Implemented the experimental results to PFBR application. -- Abstract: The 500 MWe, sodium cooled, Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is under advanced stage of construction at Kalpakkam in India. Opacity of sodium restricts visual inspection of components immersed in sodium by optical means. Ultrasonic wave passes through sodium hence ultrasonic techniques using under sodium ultrasonic scanners are developed to obtain under sodium images. The main objective of such an Under Sodium Ultrasonic Scanner (USUSS) for Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is to detect and ensure that no core Sub Assembly (SA) or Absorber Rod or its Drive Mechanism is protruded in the above core plenum before starting the fuel handling operation. Hence, it is necessary to detect and locate the object, if it is protruding the above core plenum. To study the feasibility of detecting the absorber rods and their drive mechanisms using direct ultrasonic imaging technique, experiments were carried out for different orientations and profiles of the projected components in a 5 m diameter water tank. The in-house developed PC based ultrasonic scanning system is used for acquisition and analysis of data. The pseudo three dimensional color images obtained are discussed and the results are applicable for PFBR. This paper gives the details of the features of the absorber rods and their drive mechanisms, their orientation in the reactor core, experimental setup, PC based ultrasonic scanning system, ultrasonic images and the discussion on the results.

ELECTRON CLOUD EFFECTS IN HIGH INTENSITY PROTON ACCELERATORS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, J.; Macek, R.J.

2002-01-01

One of the primary concerns in the design and operation of high-intensity proton synchrotrons and accumulators is the electron cloud and associated beam loss and instabilities. Electron-cloud effects are observed at high-intensity proton machines like the Los Alamos National Laboratory's PSR and CERN's SPS, and investigated experimentally and theoretically. In the design of next-generation high-intensity proton accelerators like the Spallation Neutron Source ring, emphasis is made in minimizing electron production and in enhancing Landau damping. This paper reviews the present understanding of the electron-cloud effects and presents mitigation measures

Fundamentals of ultrasonic phased arrays

CERN Document Server

Schmerr, Lester W

2014-01-01

This book describes in detail the physical and mathematical foundations of ultrasonic phased array measurements.?The book uses linear systems theory to develop a comprehensive model of the signals and images that can be formed with phased arrays. Engineers working in the field of ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) will find in this approach a wealth of information on how to design, optimize and interpret ultrasonic inspections with phased arrays. The fundamentals and models described in the book will also be of significant interest to other fields, including the medical ultrasound and

Study on Method of Ultrasonic Gas Temperature Measure Based on FPGA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wen, S H; Xu, F R [Institute of Electrical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, 066004 (China)

2006-10-15

It is always a problem to measure instantaneous temperature of high-temperature and high-pressure gas. There is difficulty for the conventional method of measuring temperature to measure quickly and exactly, and the measuring precision is low, the ability of anti-jamming is bad, etc. So the article introduces a method of measuring burning gas temperature using ultrasonic based on Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The mathematic model of measuring temperature is built with the relation of velocity of ultrasonic transmitting and gas Kelvin in the ideal gas. The temperature can be figured out by measuring the difference of ultrasonic frequency {delta}f. FPGA is introduced and a high-precision data acquisition system based on digital phase-shift technology is designed. The feasibility of proposed above is confirmed more by measuring pressure of burning gas timely. Experimental result demonstrates that the error is less than 12.. and the precision is heightened to 0.8%.

Rotary ultrasonic machining of CFRP: A comparison with grinding.

Science.gov (United States)

Ning, F D; Cong, W L; Pei, Z J; Treadwell, C

2016-03-01

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites have been intensively used in various industries due to their superior properties. In aircraft and aerospace industry, a large number of holes are required to be drilled into CFRP components at final stage for aircraft assembling. There are two major types of methods for hole making of CFRP composites in industry, twist drilling and its derived multi-points machining methods, and grinding and its related methods. The first type of methods are commonly used in hole making of CFRP composites. However, in recent years, rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM), a hybrid machining process combining ultrasonic machining and grinding, has also been successfully used in drilling of CFRP composites. It has been shown that RUM is superior to twist drilling in many aspects. However, there are no reported investigations on comparisons between RUM and grinding in drilling of CFRP. In this paper, these two drilling methods are compared in five aspects, including cutting force, torque, surface roughness, hole diameter, and material removal rate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced electromechanical response of ferroelectret ultrasonic transducers under high voltage excitation

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bovtun, Viktor; Döring, J.; Bartusch, J.; Gaal, M.; Erhard, A.; Kreutzbruck, M.; Yakymenko, Y.

2013-01-01

Roč. 112, č. 2 (2013), s. 97-102 ISSN 1743-6753 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP204/10/0616 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100520 Keywords : air coupled ultrasonics * non-contact transducers * ferroelectrets * piezoelectric effect * electrostriction Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.107, year: 2013

Effects of blending composition of tung oil and ultrasonic irradiation intensity on the biodiesel production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manh, Do-Van; Chen, Yi-Hung; Chang, Chia-Chi; Chang, Ching-Yuan; Hanh, Hoang-Duc; Chau, Nguyen-Hoai; Tuyen, Trinh-Van; Long, Pham-Quoc; Minh, Chau-Van

2012-01-01

The beneficial use of tung oil in pre-blended oil for the production of biodiesel was studied at various blending compositions of tung, canola and palm oils (C BT , C BC and C BP ). The effects of C BT , ultrasonic power (P WUS ) and sample loading (V L ) on the yield (Y F ) and the properties of acid value, iodine values (IV), kinematic viscosity (KV), density and cold filter plugging point (CFPP) were investigated. The pre-blending of tung oil with palm oil greatly decreases the CFPP of palm oil biodiesel, whereas the presence of canola and palm oils with tung oil reduces the IV and KV of tung oil biodiesel. For P WUS /V L = 0.92–2.08 W/mL, C BT can be as high as 60 wt.% with 30 wt.% C BC and 10 wt.% C BP to produce biodiesel with high Y F and satisfactory qualities of the said properties. -- Highlights: ► Yield and properties of tung oil biodiesel are improved as tung oil is pre-blended with canola and palm oils. ► Pre-blending of palm oil with tung and canola oils reduces the CFPP of palm oil biodiesel from 13 to −5 °C. ► A beneficial use of tung oil as high as 60 wt.% blended with canola and palm oils is achievable. ► A sufficient P WUS per sample volume is required to ensure satisfactory properties.

In service inspection for Superphenix vessels development of ultrasonic techniques available at high temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gondard, C.

1983-12-01

The main and safety vessels of SUPERPHENIX 1 were designed to allow in-service inspections. The remote controlled inspection device MIR was developped for this purpose. The ultrasonic examination has required the development of all new transducers fitted with severe operating conditions prevailing in intervessels interval. A list of problems to be resolved and technological solutions which were found is given. Measurements of acoustical properties on actual probes are compared with theoretical values. It appears that concordance is good and that an in-service inspection using high temperature transducers is possible with a good spatial resolution and signal to noise ratio

Analysis of ultrasound propagation in high-temperature nuclear reactor feedwater to investigate a clamp-on ultrasonic pulse doppler flowmeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tezuka, Kenichi; Mori, Michitsugu; Wada, Sanehiro; Aritomi, Masanori; Kikura, Hiroshige; Sakai, Yukihiro

2008-01-01

The flow rate of nuclear reactor feedwater is an important factor in the operation of a nuclear power reactor. Venturi nozzles are widely used to measure the flow rate. Other types of flowmeters have been proposed to improve measurement accuracy and permit the flow rate and reactor power to be increased. The ultrasonic pulse Doppler system is expected to be a candidate method because it can measure the flow profile across the pipe cross section, which changes with time. For accurate estimation of the flow velocity, the incidence angle of ultrasound entering the fluid should be estimated using Snell's law. However, evaluation of the ultrasound propagation is not straightforward, especially for a high-temperature pipe with a clamp-on ultrasonic Doppler flowmeter. The ultrasound beam path may differ from what is expected from Snell's law due to the temperature gradient in the wedge and variation in the acoustic impedance between interfaces. Recently, simulation code for ultrasound propagation has come into use in the nuclear field for nondestructive testing. This article analyzes and discusses ultrasound propagation, using 3D-FEM simulation code plus the Kirchhoff method, as it relates to flow profile measurement in nuclear reactor feedwater with the ultrasonic pulse Doppler system. (author)

Ultrasonic pretreatment for enhanced saccharification and fermentation of ethanol production from corn

Science.gov (United States)

Montalbo-Lomboy, Melissa T.

The 21st Century human lifestyle has become heavily dependent on hydrocarbon inputs. Energy demand and the global warming effects due to the burning of fossil fuels have continued to increase. Rising awareness of the negative environmental and economic impacts of hydrocarbon dependence has led to a resurgence of interest in renewable energy sources such as ethanol. Fuel ethanol is known to be a cleaner and renewable source of energy relative to gasoline. Many studies have agreed that fuel ethanol has reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and has larger overall energy benefits compared to gasoline. Currently, the majority of the fuel ethanol in the United States is produced from corn using dry-grind milling process. The typical dry-grind ethanol plant incorporates jet cooking using steam to cook the corn slurry as pretreatment for saccharification; an energy intensive step. In aiming to reduce energy usage, this study evaluated the use of ultrasonics as an alternative to jet cooking. Ultrasonic batch experiments were conducted using a Branson 2000 Series bench-scale ultrasonic unit operating at a frequency of 20 kHz and a maximum output of 2.2 kW. Corn slurry was sonicated at varying amplitudes from 192 to 320 mumpeak-to-peak(p-p) for 0-40 seconds. Enzyme stability was investigated by adding enzyme (STARGEN(TM)001) before and after sonication. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) images and particle size distribution analysis showed a nearly 20-fold size reduction by disintegration of corn particles due to ultrasonication. The results also showed a 30% improvement in sugar release of sonicated samples relative to the control group (untreated). The efficiency exceeded 100% in terms of relative energy gain from the additional sugar released due to ultrasonication compared to the ultrasonic energy applied. Interestingly, enzymatic activity was enhanced when sonicated at low and medium power. This result suggested that ultrasonic energy did not denature the enzymes

Method and apparatus to characterize ultrasonically reflective contrast agents

Science.gov (United States)

Pretlow, Robert A., III (Inventor)

1993-01-01

A method and apparatus for characterizing the time and frequency response of an ultrasonically reflective contrast agent is disclosed. An ultrasonically reflective contrast agent is injected, under constant pressure, into a fluid flowing through a pump flow circuit. The fluid and the ultrasonically reflective contrast agent are uniformly mixed in a mixing chamber, and the uniform mixture is passed through a contrast agent chamber. The contrast agent chamber is acoustically and axially interposed between an ultrasonic transducer chamber and an acoustic isolation chamber. A pulse of ultrasonic energy is transmitted into the contrast agent chamber from the ultrasonic transducer chamber. An echo waveform is received from the ultrasonically reflective contrast agent, and it is analyzed to determine the time and frequency response of the ultrasonically reflective contrast agent.

Damage detection in composites using nonlinear ultrasonically modulated thermography

Science.gov (United States)

Malfense Fierro, G.-P.; Dionysopoulos, D.; Meo, M.; Ciampa, F.

2018-03-01

This paper proposes a novel nonlinear ultrasonically stimulated thermography technique for a quick and reliable assessment of material damage in carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) composite materials. The proposed nondestructive evaluation (NDE) method requires narrow sweep ultrasonic excitation using contact piezoelectric transducers in order to identify dual excitation frequencies associated with the damage resonance. High-amplitude signals and higher harmonic generation are necessary conditions for an accurate identification of these two input frequencies. Dual periodic excitation using high- and low-frequency input signals was then performed in order to generate frictional heating at the crack location that was measured by an infrared (IR) camera. To validate this concept, an impact damaged CFRP composite panel was tested and the experimental results were compared with traditional flash thermography. A laser vibrometer was used to investigate the response of the material with dual frequency excitation. The proposed nonlinear ultrasonically modulated thermography successfully detected barely visible impact damage in CFRP composites. Hence, it can be considered as an alternative to traditional flash thermography and thermosonics by allowing repeatable detection of damage in composites.

Effect of design and technology on the efficiency of ultrasonic facilities for sheet cleaning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lubyanitskij, G.D.

1977-01-01

Various techniques are reviewed for enhancing the efficiency of ultrasonic cleaning of various items, such as sheets, and for lowering the energy consumption of the process. It is important to maintain a specified spacing between the item to be cleaned and the supersound projector, to remove the contaminants accumulating in the surface layer of the solution and to provide an adequate combination between the ultrasonic and the mechanical cleaning means. It is noted that the injection of the surfactants directly into the cleaning zone lowers the intensity of foaming without affecting the quality of cleaning. In some cases the cleaning is even speeded up due to an improvement in conditions for the transmission of acoustic waves in areas at some distance from the converter

Characterization of water absorption by CFRP using air-coupled ultrasonic testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Joo Min; Lee, Joo Sung; Park, Ik Keun; Kim, Yong Kwon

2014-01-01

Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites are increasingly being used in a variety of industry applications, such as aircraft, automobiles, and ships because of their high specific stiffness and high specific strength. Aircraft are exposed to high temperatures and high humidity for a long duration during flights. CFRP materials of the aircraft can absorb water, which could decrease the adhesion strength of these materials and cause their volumes to change with variation in internal stress. Therefore, it is necessary to estimate the characteristics of CFRP composites under actual conditions from the viewpoint of aircraft safety. In this study air-coupled ultrasonic testing (ACUT) was applied to the evaluation of water absorption properties of CFRP composites. CFRP specimens were fabricated and immersed in distilled water at 75 degree C for 30, 60, and 120 days, after which their ultrasonic images were obtained by ACUT. The water absorption properties were determined by quantitatively analyzing the changes in ultrasonic signals. Further, shear strength was applied to the specimens to verify the changes in their mechanical properties for water absorption.

Characterization of water absorption by CFRP using air-coupled ultrasonic testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Joo Min; Lee, Joo Sung; Park, Ik Keun [Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Yong Kwon [Technology Research and Development Institute, KEPCO Plant Service and Engineering Co., Ltd, Naju (Korea, Republic of)

2014-04-15

Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites are increasingly being used in a variety of industry applications, such as aircraft, automobiles, and ships because of their high specific stiffness and high specific strength. Aircraft are exposed to high temperatures and high humidity for a long duration during flights. CFRP materials of the aircraft can absorb water, which could decrease the adhesion strength of these materials and cause their volumes to change with variation in internal stress. Therefore, it is necessary to estimate the characteristics of CFRP composites under actual conditions from the viewpoint of aircraft safety. In this study air-coupled ultrasonic testing (ACUT) was applied to the evaluation of water absorption properties of CFRP composites. CFRP specimens were fabricated and immersed in distilled water at 75 degree C for 30, 60, and 120 days, after which their ultrasonic images were obtained by ACUT. The water absorption properties were determined by quantitatively analyzing the changes in ultrasonic signals. Further, shear strength was applied to the specimens to verify the changes in their mechanical properties for water absorption.

High temperature ultrasonic immersion measurements using a BS-PT based piezoelectric transducer without a delay line

Science.gov (United States)

Bilgunde, Prathamesh N.; Bond, Leonard J.

2018-04-01

Ultrasonic imaging is a key enabling technology required for in-service inspection of advanced sodium fast reactors at the hot stand-by operating mode (˜250C). Current work presents development of a single element, 2.4MHz, planar, ultrasonic immersion transducer for a potential application in ranging, inspection and imaging of the reactor components. The prototype immersion transducer is first tested in water for three thermal cycles up to 92C. The transducer is further evaluated for four thermal cycles in silicone oil, with total seven thermal cycles that exceeded operation period of 21 hours. Moreover, the preliminary data acquired for speed of sound in silicone oil indicates 24% reduction from 22C to 142C. Sensitivity of the ultrasonic transducer is also measured as a function of temperature and demonstrates the effect of multiple thermal cycles on the transducer components.

High-Yield Preparation and Electrochemical Properties of Few-Layer MoS2 Nanosheets by Exfoliating Natural Molybdenite Powders Directly via a Coupled Ultrasonication-Milling Process

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Huina; Chen, Deliang; Wang, Kai; Zhang, Rui

2016-09-01

Cost-effective and scalable preparation of two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has been the bottleneck that limits their applications. This paper reports a novel coupled ultrasonication-milling (CUM) process to exfoliate natural molybdenite powders to achieve few-layer MoS2 (FL-MoS2) nanosheets in the solvent of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) molecules. The synergistic effect of ultrasonication and sand milling highly enhanced the exfoliation efficiency, and the precursor of natural molybdenite powders minimizes the synthetic cost of FL-MoS2 nanosheets. The exfoliation of natural molybdenite powders was conducted in a home-made CUM system, mainly consisting of an ultrasonic cell disruptor and a ceramic sand mill. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectra, Raman spectra, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, AFM, and N2 adsorption-desorption. The factors that influence the exfoliation in the CUM process, including the initial concentration of natural molybdenite powders ( C in, 15-55 g L-1), ultrasonic power ( P u, 200-350 W), rotation speed of sand mill ( ω s, 1500-2250 r.p.m), exfoliation time ( t ex, 0.5-6 h), and the molar ratio of PVP unit to MoS2 ( R pm, 0-1), were systematically investigated. Under the optimal CUM conditions (i.e., C in = 45 g L-1, P u = 280 W, ω s = 2250 r.p.m and R pm = 0.5), the yield at t ex = 6 h reaches 21.6 %, and the corresponding exfoliation rate is as high as 1.42 g L-1 h-1. The exfoliation efficiency of the CUM mode is much higher than that of either the ultrasonication (U) mode or the milling (M) mode. The synergistic mechanism and influencing rules of the CUM process in exfoliating natural molybdenite powders were elaborated. The as-obtained FL-MoS2 nanosheets have a high specific surface area of 924 m2 g-1 and show highly enhanced electrocatalytic performance in hydrogen evolution reaction and good electrochemical sensing property in detecting ascorbic acid. The CUM process

Improvement of Ultrasonic Distance Measuring System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiang Yu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper mainly introduces a kind of ultrasonic distance measuring system with AT89C51 single chip as the core component. The paper expounds the principle of ultrasonic sensor and ultrasonic ranging, hardware circuit and software program, and the results of experiment and analysis.The hardware circuit based on SCM, the software design adopts the advanced microcontroller programming language.The amplitude of the received signal and the time of ultrasonic propagation are regulated by closed loop control. [1,2]The double closed loop control technology for amplitude and time improves the measuring accuracy of the instrument. The experimental results show that greatly improves the measurement accuracy of the system.

Reusing pulp and paper mill effluent as a bioresource to produce biohydrogen through ultrasonicated Rhodobacter sphaeroides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hay, Jacqueline Xiao Wen; Wu, Ta Yeong; Ng, Boon Junn; Juan, Joon Ching; Md Jahim, Jamaliah

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Ultrasonication pretreatment on R. sphaeroides enhanced biohydrogen production. • Pretreatment using amplitude 30% for 10 min gave the highest biohydrogen yield. • Pretreatment using amplitude 45% for 15 min inhibited biohydrogen production. - Abstract: Pulp and paper industry is a water-intensive industry. This industry commonly produces considerable amount of effluent, especially from virgin raw materials processing. The effluent, namely pulp and paper mill effluent has the potential to adversely affect the receiving watercourses. However, the nutrients in the pulp and paper mill effluent could be reused as a substrate in biohydrogen production. In this study, photofermentative biohydrogen production was investigated using Rhodobacter sphaeroides and pulp and paper mill effluent as a substrate. An application of low power ultrasound on R. sphaeroides was predicted to increase photofermentative biohydrogen production but excessive ultrasound effects might inhibit the production due to possible cell disruption. Hence, various ultrasonication duration (5, 10 and 15 min) and amplitude (15%, 30% and 45%) were applied on the bacteria to determine the recommended ultrasonication conditions for improving biohydrogen production. The recommended conditions were operated at ultrasonication amplitude and duration of 30% and 10 min, respectively. A maximum biohydrogen yield of 9.62 mL bioH_2/mL medium was obtained under this condition, which was 66.7% higher than the result obtained using R. sphaeroides without undergoing ultrasonication (control). The light efficiency and cell concentration were increased by 67% and 150%, respectively, using ultrasonication amplitude and duration of 30% and 10 min, respectively as compared to the control. The present results demonstrated that moderate power of ultrasonication applied on R. sphaeroides was an effective method for enhancing photofermentative biohydrogen production using raw pulp and paper mill effluent as a

Ultrasonic tests on materials with protective coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whaley, H.L.

1977-01-01

Protective coatings are applied to some nuclear components such as reactor vessels to inhibit surface corrosion. Since in-service ultrasonic inspection is required for such components, a study was performed to determine whether the use of protective coatings can affect ultrasonic tests. Two 2 in. thick steel plates were uniformly machined, sandblasted, and used as bases for two types of protective coatings. The type and thickness of the coating and the presence of contamination, such as fingerprints or mild oxidation under the paint, were the independent variables associated with the coating. Tests were run to determine the effects of the protective coatings on ultrasonic tests conducted on the steel plates. Significant variations in ultrasonic test sensitivity occurred as a function of the type and thickness of protective coating, couplant (material that conducts the ultrasound from the transducer into the test part, normally water or some type of oil), transducer wear plate, and ultrasonic test frequency. Ultrasonic tests can be strongly affected by a protective coating on the component to be inspected. As compared to the test sensitivity for an uncoated reference sample, the sensitivity may be dramatically shifted up or down on the coated surface. In certain coating thickness ranges, the sensitivity can fluctuate widely with small changes in coating thickness. If a coating is chosen properly, however, components with protective coatings can be tested ultrasonically with valid results. These results are for the case of ultrasonic input on the coated surface. It is not expected that an ultrasonic test conducted from the front surface would be appreciably affected by a coating on the rear surface

Preliminary study on rotary ultrasonic machining of Bk-7 optical glass rod

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamzah, E.; Izman, S.; Khoo, C.Y.; Zainal Abidin, N.N.

2007-01-01

This paper presents an experimental observation on rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM) of BK7 optical glass rod. BK7 is a common technical optical glass for high quality optical components due to its high linear optical transmission in the visible range and is chemically stable. RUM is a hybrid machining process that combines the material removal mechanisms of diamond grinding and ultrasonic machining (USM) and it is non-thermal, non-chemical, creates no change in the microstructure, chemical or physical properties of the work piece. In the RUM, a controlled static load is applied to the rotating core drill with metal bonded diamond abrasive and is ultrasonically vibrated in the axial direction. A water-soluble coolant was used to cool the tool and sample during machining processes. By using DOE (Design of Experiment) approach, the effect of spindle speed and feed rate to the ultrasonic machinability had been developed. The main effects and two-factor interactions of process parameters (spindle speed) and feed rate) on output variables (MRR, surface roughness, opaqueness, chipping thickness and chipping size) are studied. (author)

ELECTRON CLOUD EFFECTS IN HIGH INTENSITY PROTON ACCELERATORS.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

WEI,J.; MACEK,R.J.

2002-04-14

One of the primary concerns in the design and operation of high-intensity proton synchrotrons and accumulators is the electron cloud and associated beam loss and instabilities. Electron-cloud effects are observed at high-intensity proton machines like the Los Alamos National Laboratory's PSR and CERN's SPS, and investigated experimentally and theoretically. In the design of next-generation high-intensity proton accelerators like the Spallation Neutron Source ring, emphasis is made in minimizing electron production and in enhancing Landau damping. This paper reviews the present understanding of the electron-cloud effects and presents mitigation measures.

Ultrasonic properties of all-printed piezoelectric polymer transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Wagle, Sanat; Decharat, Adit; Bodö, Peter; Melandsø, Frank

2013-12-01

The ability of producing ultrasonic transducers from screen-printing has been explored experimentally, through printing and characterization of a large number of transducers. In an all-printed test design, 124 transducers with four different electrode sizes ranging from 1 to 4.9 mm2, were printed layer-by-layer on a high performance polyethyleneimine polymer. Inks from ferroelectric and conductive polymers were applied to the active part of a transducer, to provide a good acoustical match between the individual layers. Ultrasonic characterizations of the transducers done by two independent methods provided a broad-banded frequency response with a maximum response around 100 MHz.

Monitoring of renal ischemia reperfusion injury in rabbits by ultrasonic contrast and its relationship with expression of VEGF in renal tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Peng

2016-02-01

tissue RNA and total protein were extracted respectively. Real-time PCR and western blotting were used to detect the VEGF and the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used to measure the linear relationship between these two variables. The ultrasonic contrast could clearly reflect the process of IRI. The results of testing at mRNA and protein level indicated that the expression of VEGF in IRI groups was significantly increased (P < 0.05) and the expression of VEGF was also increased by the time of reperfusion. There is the certain correlation between the expression of VEGF and process of IRI. The correlation coefficient between the ultrasonic contrast parameters of AT and TTP and the relative expression of VEGF is over 0.9, which indicates the relatively high correlation. But there is no significant difference in the change of perfusion peak intensity between groups, which has no correlation with the expression of VEGF. Copyright © 2016 Hainan Medical College. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fiber-optic Michelson interferometer fixed in a tilted tube for direction-dependent ultrasonic detection

Science.gov (United States)

Gang, Tingting; Hu, Manli; Qiao, Xueguang; Li, JiaCheng; Shao, Zhihua; Tong, Rongxin; Rong, Qiangzhou

2017-01-01

A fiber-optic interferometer is proposed and demonstrated experimentally for ultrasonic detection. The sensor consists of a compact Michelson interferometer (MI), which is fixed in a tilted-tube end-face (45°). Thin gold films are used for the reflective coatings of two arms and one of the interference arms is etched serving as the sensing arm. The spectral sideband filter technique is used to interrogate the continuous and pulse ultrasonic signals (with frequency of 300 KHz). Furthermore, because of the asymmetrical structure of the sensor, it presents strong direction-dependent ultrasonic sensitivity, such that the sensor can be considered a vector detector. The experimental results show that the sensor is highly sensitive to ultrasonic signals, and thus it can be a candidate for ultrasonic imaging of seismic physical models.

Effect of ultrasonic waves on the water turbidity during the oxidation of phenol. Formation of (hydro)peroxo complexes.

Science.gov (United States)

Villota, Natalia; Lomas, Jose M; Camarero, Luis M

2017-11-01

Analysis of the kinetics of aqueous phenol oxidation by a sono-Fenton process reveals that the via involving ortho-substituted intermediates prevails: catechol (25.0%), hydroquinone (7.7%) and resorcinol (0.6%). During the oxidation, water rapidly acquires color that reaches its maximum intensity at the maximum concentration of p-benzoquinone. Turbidity formation occurs at a slower rate. Oxidant dosage determines the nature of the intermediates, being trihydroxylated benzenes (pyrogallol, hydroxyhydroquinone) and muconic acid the main precursors causing turbidity. It is found that the concentration of iron species and ultrasonic waves affects the intensity of the turbidity. The pathway of (hydro)peroxo-iron(II) complexes formation is proposed. Operating with 20.0-27.8mgFe 2+ /kW rates leads to formation of (hydro)peroxo-iron(II) complexes, which induce high turbidity levels. These species would dissociate into ZZ-muconic acid and ferrous ions. Applying relationships around 13.9mgFe 2+ /kW, the formation of (hydro)peroxo-iron(III) complexes would occur, which could react with carboxylic acids (2,5-dioxo-3-hexenedioic acid). That reaction induces turbidity slower. This is due to the organic substrate reacting with two molecules of the (hydro)peroxo complex. Therefore, it is necessary to accelerate the iron regeneration, intensifying the ultrasonic irradiation. Afterwards, this complex would dissociate into maleic acid and ferric ions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of high intensity proton accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizumoto, M.; Kusano, J.; Hasegawa, K.; Ouchi, N.; Oguri, H.; Kinsho, M.; Touchi, Y.; Honda, Y.; Mukugi, K.; Ino, H.; Noda, F.; Akaoka, N.; Kaneko, H.; Chishiro, E.; Fechner, B.

1997-01-01

The high-intensity proton linear accelerator with an energy of 1.5 GeV and an average current of 5.33mA has been proposed for the Neutron Science Project (NSP) at JAERI. the NSP is aiming at exploring nuclear technologies for nuclear waste transmutation based on a proton induced spallation neutrons. The proposed accelerators facilities will be also used in the various basic research fields such as condensed matter physics in combination with a high intensity proton storage ring. The R and D work has been carried out for the components of the front-end of the proton accelerator. For the high energy portion above 100 MeV, superconducting (SC) accelerator linac has been designed and developed as a major option. (Author) 7 refs

Elastic moduli of boron carbide/copper composites from -400C to 8000C by ultrasonic methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gieske, J.H.

1980-10-01

An ultrasonic through-transmission technique for high attenuating materials was developed to determine the ultrasonic longitudinal and shear velocities in B 4 C/Cu composites to 800 0 C. Ultrasonic velocity data was used to calculate Young's modulus, shear modulus, and Poisson's ratio for the composites from -40 0 C to 800 0 C. 5 figures, 1 table

Aggregate formation affects ultrasonic disruption of microalgal cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Lee, Duu-Jong; Lai, Juin-Yih

2015-12-01

Ultrasonication is a cell disruption process of low energy efficiency. This study dosed K(+), Ca(2+) and Al(3+) to Chlorella vulgaris cultured in Bold's Basal Medium at 25°C and measured the degree of cell disruption under ultrasonication. Adding these metal ions yielded less negatively charged surfaces of cells, while with the latter two ions large and compact cell aggregates were formed. The degree of cell disruption followed: control=K(+)>Ca(2+)>Al(3+) samples. Surface charges of cells and microbubbles have minimal effects on the microbubble number in the proximity of the microalgal cells. Conversely, cell aggregates with large size and compact interior resist cell disruption under ultrasonication. Staining tests revealed high diffusional resistance of stains over the aggregate interior. Microbubbles may not be effective generated and collapsed inside the compact aggregates, hence leading to low cell disruption efficiencies. Effective coagulation/flocculation in cell harvesting may lead to adverse effect on subsequent cell disruption efficiency. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The STADUS ultrasonic data acquisition and processing system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frappier, J.C.; Birac, A.M.; Saglio, R.

1983-01-01

The use of the PRODUS software for real-time system management results in definitely improved date acquisition, although signal arrival is, of course, a random process. As regards data processing and display; the STADUS-PRODUS combination provides the operator with a high degree of flexibility in changing the parameters from which the three standard A-SCAN, B-SCAN, and C-SCAN displays are generated. STADUS effectivity has been demonstrated in the field through the many reactor vessel inspections performed to date. The system has been a key element in the success of underclad cracking detection and evaluation methods. The STADUS equipment, designed and built by CEA, has the advantage of being capable of acquiring a large number of ultrasonic date simultaneously generated by several transducers (up to sixteen), and to immediately process the date for creating pictures of the zone under examination, as required by the operator. Through these improvements in ultrasonic data acquisition and interpretation, the STADUS system helps enhance the quality of automatic ultrasonic examinations

Ultrasonic propulsion of kidney stones.

Science.gov (United States)

May, Philip C; Bailey, Michael R; Harper, Jonathan D

2016-05-01

Ultrasonic propulsion is a novel technique that uses short bursts of focused ultrasonic pulses to reposition stones transcutaneously within the renal collecting system and ureter. The purpose of this review is to discuss the initial testing of effectiveness and safety, directions for refinement of technique and technology, and opinions on clinical application. Preclinical studies with a range of probes, interfaces, and outputs have demonstrated feasibility and consistent safety of ultrasonic propulsion with room for increased outputs and refinement toward specific applications. Ultrasonic propulsion was used painlessly and without adverse events to reposition stones in 14 of 15 human study participants without restrictions on patient size, stone size, or stone location. The initial feasibility study showed applicability in a range of clinically relevant situations, including facilitating passage of residual fragments following ureteroscopy or shock wave lithotripsy, moving a large stone at the ureteropelvic junction with relief of pain, and differentiating large stones from a collection of small fragments. Ultrasonic propulsion shows promise as an office-based system for transcutaneously repositioning kidney stones. Potential applications include facilitating expulsion of residual fragments following ureteroscopy or shock wave lithotripsy, repositioning stones prior to treatment, and repositioning obstructing ureteropelvic junction stones into the kidney to alleviate acute renal colic.

Influence of gas law on ultrasonic behaviour of porous media under pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, S; Ayrault, C

2010-06-01

This paper deals with the influence of gas law on ultrasonic behaviour of porous media when the saturating fluid is high pressured. Previous works have demonstrated that ultrasonic transmission through a porous sample with variations of the static pressure (up to 18 bars) of the saturating fluid allows the characterization of high damping materials. In these studies, the perfect gas law was used to link static pressure and density, which is disputable for high pressures. This paper compares the effects of real and perfect gas laws on modeled transmission coefficient for porous foams at these pressures. Direct simulations and a mechanical parameters estimation from minimization show that results are very similar in both cases. The real gas law is thus not necessary to describe the acoustic behaviour of porous media at low ultrasonic frequencies (100 kHz) up to 20 bars. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Design of signal reception and processing system of embedded ultrasonic endoscope

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ming; Yu, Feng; Zhang, Ruiqiang; Li, Yan; Chen, Xiaodong; Yu, Daoyin

2009-11-01

Embedded Ultrasonic Endoscope, based on embedded microprocessor and embedded real-time operating system, sends a micro ultrasonic probe into coelom through the biopsy channel of the Electronic Endoscope to get the fault histology features of digestive organs by rotary scanning, and acquires the pictures of the alimentary canal mucosal surface. At the same time, ultrasonic signals are processed by signal reception and processing system, forming images of the full histology of the digestive organs. Signal Reception and Processing System is an important component of Embedded Ultrasonic Endoscope. However, the traditional design, using multi-level amplifiers and special digital processing circuits to implement signal reception and processing, is no longer satisfying the standards of high-performance, miniaturization and low power requirements that embedded system requires, and as a result of the high noise that multi-level amplifier brought, the extraction of small signal becomes hard. Therefore, this paper presents a method of signal reception and processing based on double variable gain amplifier and FPGA, increasing the flexibility and dynamic range of the Signal Reception and Processing System, improving system noise level, and reducing power consumption. Finally, we set up the embedded experiment system, using a transducer with the center frequency of 8MHz to scan membrane samples, and display the image of ultrasonic echo reflected by each layer of membrane, with a frame rate of 5Hz, verifying the correctness of the system.

SALIVARY CORTISOL RESPONSES AND PERCEIVED EXERTION DURING HIGH INTENSITY AND LOW INTENSITY BOUTS OF RESISTANCE EXERCISE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alison D. Egan

2004-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to measure the salivary cortisol response to different intensities of resistance exercise. In addition, we wanted to determine the reliability of the session rating of perceived exertion (RPE scale to monitor resistance exercise intensity. Subjects (8 men, 9 women completed 2 trials of acute resistance training bouts in a counterbalanced design. The high intensity resistance exercise protocol consisted of six, ten-repetition sets using 75% of one repetition maximum (RM on a Smith machine squat and bench press exercise (12 sets total. The low intensity resistance exercise protocol consisted of three, ten-repetition sets at 30% of 1RM of the same exercises as the high intensity protocol. Both exercise bouts were performed with 2 minutes of rest between each exercise and sessions were repeated to test reliability of the measures. The order of the exercise bouts was randomized with least 72 hours between each session. Saliva samples were obtained immediately before, immediately after and 30 mins following each resistance exercise bout. RPE measures were obtained using Borg's CR-10 scale following each set. Also, the session RPE for the entire exercise session was obtained 30 minutes following completion of the session. There was a significant 97% increase in the level of salivary cortisol immediately following the high intensity exercise session (P<0.05. There was also a significant difference in salivary cortisol of 145% between the low intensity and high intensity exercise session immediately post-exercise (P<0.05. The low intensity exercise did not result in any significant changes in cortisol levels. There was also a significant difference between the session RPE values for the different intensity levels (high intensity 7.1 vs. low intensity 1.9 (P<0.05. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the session RPE measure was 0.95. It was concluded that the session RPE method is a valid and reliable method of

Embedded fiber optic ultrasonic sensors and generators

Science.gov (United States)

Dorighi, John F.; Krishnaswamy, Sridhar; Achenbach, Jan D.

1995-04-01

Ultrasonic sensors and generators based on fiber-optic systems are described. It is shown that intrinsic fiber optic Fabry-Perot ultrasound sensors that are embedded in a structure can be stabilized by actively tuning the laser frequency. The need for this method of stabilization is demonstrated by detecting piezoelectric transducer-generated ultrasonic pulses in the presence of low frequency dynamic strains that are intentionally induced to cause sensor drift. The actively stabilized embedded fiber optic Fabry-Perot sensor is also shown to have sufficient sensitivity to detect ultrasound that is generated in the interior of a structure by means of a high-power optical fiber that pipes energy from a pulsed laser to an embedded generator of ultrasound.

Evaluation of Self-Propelled High-Energy Ultrasonic Atomizer on Azoxystrobin and Tebuconazole Application in Sunlit Greenhouse Tomatoes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan-Jie Li

2018-05-01

Full Text Available In this study, a self-propelled high-energy ultrasonic atomizer was evaluated in terms of deposition on the canopy, the loss to the ground, and fungicide residues in cherry tomato and tomato. Artificial collectors fixed to the upper side and underside of the leaves at different depths and heights were used to collect the depositions. A reliable analytical method for determination of azoxystrobin and tebuconazole in artificial collectors and residue samples was developed by using liquid chromatography triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry. The results showed that the atomizer distributed the droplets evenly throughout the greenhouse with good uniformity (CVs below 39%. The ratio of depositions on the internal and external sides was 66–83%, and the ratio of depositions on the underside and upper side was 39–50%. There were no significant differences in depositions between two different height crops. The residues of azoxystrobin and tebuconazole in tomato and cherry tomato fruits were far below the maximum residue limits at harvest time. In general, self-propelled high-energy ultrasonic atomizer used in a greenhouse could increase the depositions, especially on the underside and internal side of the canopies, and lead to a reduction of operator exposure risk.

Microcomputer-controlled ultrasonic data acquisition system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simpson, W.A. Jr.

1978-11-01

The large volume of ultrasonic data generated by computer-aided test procedures has necessitated the development of a mobile, high-speed data acquisition and storage system. This approach offers the decided advantage of on-site data collection and remote data processing. It also utilizes standard, commercially available ultrasonic instrumentation. This system is controlled by an Intel 8080A microprocessor. The MCS80-SDK microcomputer board was chosen, and magnetic tape is used as the storage medium. A detailed description is provided of both the hardware and software developed to interface the magnetic tape storage subsystem to Biomation 8100 and Biomation 805 waveform recorders. A boxcar integrator acquisition system is also described for use when signal averaging becomes necessary. Both assembly language and machine language listings are provided for the software

Benefits of High-Intensity Intensive Care Unit Physician Staffing under the Affordable Care Act

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sachin Logani

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama, with its value-based purchasing program, is designed to link payment to quality processes and outcomes. Treatment of critically ill patients represents nearly 1% of the gross domestic product and 25% of a typical hospital budget. Data suggest that high-intensity staffing patterns in the intensive care unit (ICU are associated with cost savings and improved outcomes. We evaluate the literature investigating the cost-effectiveness and clinical outcomes of high-intensity ICU physician staffing as recommended by The Leapfrog Group (a consortium of companies that purchase health care for their employees and identify ways to overcome barriers to nationwide implementation of these standards. Hospitals that have implemented the Leapfrog initiative have demonstrated reductions in mortality and length of stay and increased cost savings. High-intensity staffing models appear to be an immediate cost-effective way for hospitals to meet the challenges of health care reform.

Modeling of ultrasonic processes utilizing a generic software framework

Science.gov (United States)

Bruns, P.; Twiefel, J.; Wallaschek, J.

2017-06-01

Modeling of ultrasonic processes is typically characterized by a high degree of complexity. Different domains and size scales must be regarded, so that it is rather difficult to build up a single detailed overall model. Developing partial models is a common approach to overcome this difficulty. In this paper a generic but simple software framework is presented which allows to coupe arbitrary partial models by slave modules with well-defined interfaces and a master module for coordination. Two examples are given to present the developed framework. The first one is the parameterization of a load model for ultrasonically-induced cavitation. The piezoelectric oscillator, its mounting, and the process load are described individually by partial models. These partial models then are coupled using the framework. The load model is composed of spring-damper-elements which are parameterized by experimental results. In the second example, the ideal mounting position for an oscillator utilized in ultrasonic assisted machining of stone is determined. Partial models for the ultrasonic oscillator, its mounting, the simplified contact process, and the workpiece’s material characteristics are presented. For both applications input and output variables are defined to meet the requirements of the framework’s interface.

Ultrasonic Beam Propagation in Highly Anisotropic Materials Simulated by Multi-Gaussian Beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Hyun Jo; Schmerr, Lester W.

2007-01-01

The necessity of nondestructively inspecting fiber-reinforced composites, austenitic steels, and other inherently anisotropic materials has stimulated considerable interest in developing beam models for anisotropic media. The properties of slowness surface play key role in the beam models based on the paraxial approximation. In this paper, we apply a modular multi-Gaussian beam (MMGB) model to study the effects of material anisotropy on ultrasonic beam profile. It is shown that the anisotropic effects of beam skew and excess beam divergence enter into the MMGB model through parameters defining the slope and curvature of the slowness surface. The overall beam profile is found when the quasi longitudinal (qL) beam propagates in the symmetry plane of a transversely isotropic gr/ep composite. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the effects of these parameters on ultrasonic beam diffraction and beam skew. The MMGB calculations are also checked by comparing the anisotropy factor and beam skew angle with other analytical solutions

Effects of ultrasonic irradiation on crystallization and structural properties of EMT-type zeolite nanocrystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ng, Eng-Poh, E-mail: epng@usm.my [School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, USM, 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Awala, Hussein [Laboratoire Catalyse & Spectrochimie, CNRS-ENSICAEN, Université de Caen (France); Ghoy, Jia-Pei [School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, USM, 11800 Penang (Malaysia); Vicente, Aurélie [Laboratoire Catalyse & Spectrochimie, CNRS-ENSICAEN, Université de Caen (France); Ling, Tau Chuan [Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya (Malaysia); Ng, Yun Hau [School of Chemical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney (Australia); Mintova, Svetlana [Laboratoire Catalyse & Spectrochimie, CNRS-ENSICAEN, Université de Caen (France); Adam, Farook, E-mail: farook@usm.my [School of Chemical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, USM, 11800 Penang (Malaysia)

2015-06-01

Synthesis of EMT zeolite nanocrystals from rice husk ash biomass (RHA) under continuous ultrasonic irradiation is reported. The aging, nucleation and crystallization stages of EMT zeolite in the system were monitored at ambient temperature, and compared with the conventional hydrothermal method. It was found that ultrasonic wave induced rapid crystal growth of the nanosized EMT zeolite. Complete crystallization of EMT nanocrystals was achieved within 24 h which was much faster than conventional hydrothermal synthesis (36 h). Furthermore, XRD and TEM analyses revealed that more nuclei were formed during the nucleation stage, allowing the preparation of smaller zeolite nanocrystals with high crystallinity. The results also showed that sonocrystallization produced EMT zeolite with high yield (ca. 80%). The ultrasound-prepared EMT nanocrystals were also found to have high porosity and high hydrophilicity, making the material promising for water sorption applications including vapor sensing, heat pump and adsorption technologies. - Highlights: • Nanosized EMT zeolites are formed from rice husk ash under ultrasonic irradiation. • The effects of ultrasonic waves in nanosized EMT zeolite synthesis are studied. • Ultrasound induces rapid crystal growth and produces high zeolite yield. • Smaller zeolite nanocrystals with high crystallinity and large defect sites are obtained. • Improved surface hydrophilicity of crystals is beneficial for water sorption applications.

The PISC exercise: a discussion of its relevance to ultrasonic inspection of pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whittle, M.J.; Coffey, J.M.

1981-01-01

The value of the European Plate Inspection Steering Committee (PISC) exercise for determining the reliability of ultrasonic inspection of pressure vessels is discussed. It is argued that the particular ultrasonic procedure assessed in the exercise was a poor one whose failure was predictable. In addition the test blocks were sufficiently unrealistic that the value of the results would have been diminished even if all the defects had been found. Consequently the report maintains that the outcome of the exercise is largely irrelevant to the wider question of the reliability of more thorough ultrasonic procedures. A more general discussion is given of the role of test block studies in ultrasonics. Statistical arguments are used to show that it is impracticable to produce a sufficient number of defects to demonstrate a high reliability and have a high confidence in such a result. Some important points for planning future programmes are emphasised. (author)

Ultrasonic characterization of yogurt fermentation process

OpenAIRE

IZBAIM , DRIS; FAIZ , BOUAZZA; MOUDDEN , ALI; MALAININE , MOHAMED; ABOUDAOUD , Idriss

2012-01-01

International audience; The objective of this work is to characterize the fermentation of yogurt based on an ultrasonic technique. Conventionally, the acidity of the yogurt is measured by a pH meter to determine the progress of fermentation. However, the pH meter should be cleaned and calibrated for each measurement and, therefore, this method is not practical. In this regard, ultrasonic techniques are fast, non-invasive and inexpensive. The measurement of ultrasonic parameters such as amplit...

Nuclear Radiation Tolerance of Single Crystal Aluminum Nitride Ultrasonic Transducer

Science.gov (United States)

Reinhard, Brian; Tittmann, Bernhard R.; Suprock, Andrew

Ultrasonic technologies offer the potential for high accuracy and resolution in-pile measurement of a range of parameters, including geometry changes, temperature, crack initiation and growth, gas pressure and composition, and microstructural changes. Many Department of Energy-Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs are exploring the use of ultrasonic technologies to provide enhanced sensors for in-pile instrumentation during irradiation testing. For example, the ability of small diameter ultrasonic thermometers (UTs) to provide a temperature profile in candidate metallic and oxide fuel would provide much needed data for validating new fuel performance models, (Rempe et al., 2011; Kazys et al., 2005). These efforts are limited by the lack of identified ultrasonic transducer materials capable of long term performance under irradiation test conditions. To address this need, the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) was awarded an Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF) project to evaluate the performance of promising magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducers in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor (MITR) up to a fast fluence of at least 1021 n/cm2. The irradiation is also supported by a multi-National Laboratory collaboration funded by the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation (NEET ASI) program. The results from this irradiation, which started in February 2014, offer the potential to enable the development of novel radiation tolerant ultrasonic sensors for use in Material Testing Reactors (MTRs). As such, this test is an instrumented lead test and real-time transducer performance data is collected along with temperature and neutron and gamma flux data. Hence, results from this irradiation offer the potential to bridge the gap between proven out-of-pile ultrasonic techniques and in-pile deployment of ultrasonic sensors by acquiring the data necessary to demonstrate the

Lower sintering temperature of nanostructured dense ceramics compacted from dry nanopowders using powerful ultrasonic action

OpenAIRE

Khasanov, O.; Reichel, U.; Dvilis, E.; Khasanov, A.

2011-01-01

Nanostructured high dense zirconia ceramics have been sintered from dry nanopowders compacted by uniaxial pressing with simultaneous powerful ultrasonic action (PUA). Powerful ultrasound with frequency of 21 kHz was supplied from ultrasonic generator to the mold, which was the ultrasonic wave-guide. Previously the mold was filled by non-agglomerated zirconia nanopowder having average particle size of 40 nm. Any binders or plasticizers were excluded at nanopowder processing. Compaction pressur...

Design and installation of high-temperature ultrasonic measuring system and grinder for nuclear fuel containing trans-uranium elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serizawa, Hiroyuki; Kikuchi, Hironobu; Iwai, Takashi; Arai, Yasuo; Kurosawa, Makoto; Mimura, Hideaki; Abe, Jiro

2005-07-01

A high-temperature ultrasonic measuring system had been designed and installed in a glovebox (711-DGB) to study a mechanical property of nuclear fuel containing trans-uranium (TRU) elements. A figuration apparatus for the cylinder-type sample preparation had also been modified and installed in an established glovebox (142-D). The system consists of an ultrasonic probe, a heating furnace, cooling water-circulating system, a cooling air compressor, vacuum system, gas supplying system and control system. An A/D converter board and an pulsar/receiver board for the measurement of wave velocity were installed in a personal computer. The apparatus was modified to install into the glovebox. Some safety functions were supplied to the control system. The shape and size of the sample was revised to minimize the amount of TRU elements for the use of the measurement. The maximum sample temperature is 1500degC. The performance of the installed apparatuses and the glovebox were confirmed through a series of tests. (author)

High-intensity interval training evokes larger serum BDNF levels compared with intense continuous exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Saucedo Marquez, Cinthia Maria; Vanaudenaerde, Bart; Troosters, Thierry; Wenderoth, Nicole

2015-12-15

Exercise can have a positive effect on the brain by activating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-related processes. In healthy humans there appears to be a linear relationship between exercise intensity and the positive short-term effect of acute exercise on BDNF levels (i.e., the highest BDNF levels are reported after high-intensity exercise protocols). Here we performed two experiments to test the effectiveness of two high-intensity exercise protocols, both known to improve cardiovascular health, to determine whether they have a similar efficacy in affecting BDNF levels. Participants performed a continuous exercise (CON) protocol at 70% of maximal work rate and a high-intensity interval-training (HIT) protocol at 90% of maximal work rate for periods of 1 min alternating with 1 min of rest (both protocols lasted 20 min). We observed similar BDNF kinetics in both protocols, with maximal BDNF concentrations being reached toward the end of training (experiment 1). We then showed that both exercise protocols significantly increase BDNF levels compared with a rest condition (CON P = 0.04; HIT P exercise are slightly more effective than continuous high-intensity exercise for elevating serum BDNF. Additionally, 73% of the participants preferred the HIT protocol (P = 0.02). Therefore, we suggest that the HIT protocol might represent an effective and preferred intervention for elevating BDNF levels and potentially promoting brain health. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Light-intensity and high-intensity interval training improve cardiometabolic health in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Batacan, Romeo B; Duncan, Mitch J; Dalbo, Vincent J; Connolly, Kylie J; Fenning, Andrew S

2016-09-01

Physical activity has the potential to reduce cardiometabolic risk factors but evaluation of different intensities of physical activity and the mechanisms behind their health effects still need to be fully established. This study examined the effects of sedentary behaviour, light-intensity training, and high-intensity interval training on biometric indices, glucose and lipid metabolism, inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, and vascular and cardiac function in adult rats. Rats (12 weeks old) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: control (CTL; no exercise), sedentary (SED; no exercise and housed in small cages to reduce activity), light-intensity trained (LIT; four 30-min exercise bouts/day at 8 m/min separated by 2-h rest period, 5 days/week), and high-intensity interval trained (HIIT, four 2.5-min work bouts/day at 50 m/min separated by 3-min rest periods, 5 days/week). After 12 weeks of intervention, SED had greater visceral fat accumulation (p HIIT demonstrated beneficial changes in body weight, visceral and epididymal fat weight, glucose regulation, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, and mesenteric vessel contractile response compared with the CTL group (p HIIT had significant improvements in systolic blood pressure and endothelium-independent vasodilation to aorta and mesenteric artery compared with the CTL group (p HIIT induce health benefits by improving traditional cardiometabolic risk factors. LIT improves cardiac health while HIIT promotes improvements in vascular health.

Real-time detection of intracellular reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial membrane potential in THP-1 macrophages during ultrasonic irradiation for optimal sonodynamic therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Xin; Xu, Haobo; Shen, Jing; Guo, Shuyuan; Shi, Sa; Dan, Juhua; Tian, Fang; Tian, Yanfeng; Tian, Ye

2015-01-01

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) elevation and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) loss have been proven recently to be involved in sonodynamic therapy (SDT)-induced macrophage apoptosis and necrosis. This study aims to develop an experimental system to monitor intracellular ROS and MMP in real-time during ultrasonic irradiation in order to achieve optimal effect in SDT. Cultured THP-1 derived macrophages were incubated with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), and then sonicated at different intensities. Intracellular ROS elevation and MMP loss were detected in real-time by fluorospectrophotometer using fluorescence probe DCFH-DA and jc-1, respectively. Ultrasound at low intensities (less than 0.48W/cm(2)) had no influence on ROS and MMP in macrophages, whereas at an intensity of 0.48W/cm(2), ROS elevation and MMP loss were observed during ultrasonic irradiation. These effects were strongly enhanced in the presence of ALA. Quantitative analysis showed that ROS elevation and MMP loss monotonically increased with the rise of ultrasonic intensity between 0.48 and 1.16W/cm(2). SDT at 0.48 and 0.84W/cm(2) induced mainly apoptosis in THP-1 macrophages while SDT at 1.16W/cm(2) mainly cell necrosis. This study supports the validity and potential utility of real-time ROS and MMP detection as a dosimetric tool for the determination of optimal SDT. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Studies on Section XI ultrasonic repeatability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jamison, T.D.; McDearman, W.R.

1981-05-01

A block representative of a nuclear component has been welded containing intentional defects. Acoustic emission data taken during the welding correlate well with ultrasonic data. Repetitive ultrasonic examinations have been performed by skilled operators using a procedure based on that desribed in ASME Section XI. These examinations were performed by different examination teams using different ultrasonic equipment in such a manner that the effects on the repeatability of the ultrasonic test method caused by the operator and by the use of different equipment could be estimated. It was tentatively concluded that when considering a large number of inspections: (1) there is no significant difference in indication sizing between operators, and (2) there is a significant difference in amplitude and defect sizing when instruments having different, Code acceptable operating characteristics are used. It was determined that the Section XI sizing parameters follow a bivariate normal distribution. Data derived from ultrasonically and physically sizing indications in nuclear components during farication show that the Section XI technique tends to overestimate the size of the reflectors

Uncertainty estimation of ultrasonic thickness measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yassir Yassen, Abdul Razak Daud; Mohammad Pauzi Ismail; Abdul Aziz Jemain

2009-01-01

The most important factor that should be taken into consideration when selecting ultrasonic thickness measurement technique is its reliability. Only when the uncertainty of a measurement results is known, it may be judged if the result is adequate for intended purpose. The objective of this study is to model the ultrasonic thickness measurement function, to identify the most contributing input uncertainty components, and to estimate the uncertainty of the ultrasonic thickness measurement results. We assumed that there are five error sources significantly contribute to the final error, these sources are calibration velocity, transit time, zero offset, measurement repeatability and resolution, by applying the propagation of uncertainty law to the model function, a combined uncertainty of the ultrasonic thickness measurement was obtained. In this study the modeling function of ultrasonic thickness measurement was derived. By using this model the estimation of the uncertainty of the final output result was found to be reliable. It was also found that the most contributing input uncertainty components are calibration velocity, transit time linearity and zero offset. (author)

Experimental investigation of ultrasonic velocity anisotropy in ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Permanent link: https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/pram/077/02/0345-0355. Keywords. Magnetic fluids; ultrasonic wave; sound velocity; anisotropy. Abstract. Magnetic field-induced dispersion of ultrasonic velocity in a Mn0.7Zn0.3Fe2O4 fluid (applied magnetic field is perpendicular to the ultrasonic propagation vector) is ...

Design and Manufacture an Ultrasonic Dispersion System with Automatic Frequency Adjusting Property

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Herlina ABDUL RAHIM

2011-03-01

Full Text Available This paper a novel ultrasonic dispersion system for the cleaning application or dispersing of particles which are mixed in liquid has been proposed. The frequency band of designed system is 30 kHz so that the frequency of ultrasonic wave sweeps from 30 kHz to 60 kHz with 100 Hz steps. One of the superiority of manufactured system in compare with the other similar systems which are available in markets is that this system can transfer the maximum and optimum energy of ultrasonic wave inside the liquid tank with the high efficiency in the whole of the usage time of the system. The used ultrasonic transducers in this system as the generator of ultrasonic wave is the type of air coupled ceramic ultrasonic piezoelectric with the nominal maximum power 50 Watt. The frequency characteristic of applied piezoelectric is that it produces the maximum amplitude of ultrasonic wave on the resonance frequency, so this system is designed to work on resonance frequency of piezoelectric, continuously. This is done by the use of control system which is consisted of two major parts, sensing part and controlling part. The manufactured ultrasonic dispersion system is consisted of 9 piezoelectrics so that it can produce 450 watt ultrasonic energy, totally. The main purpose of this project is to produce a safety system especially for fatigue car driver so as to prevent from accidents. The statistic on road fatality shows that human error constitute of 64.84 % road accidents fatality and 17.4 % due to technical factors. These systems encompassed the approach of hand pressure applied on the steering wheel. The steering will be installed with pressure sensors. At the same time these sensors can be used to measure gripping force while driving.

Ultrasonic assessment of additive manufactured Ti-6Al-4V

Science.gov (United States)

Schehl, Norman; Kramb, Vicki; Dierken, Josiah; Aldrin, John; Schwalbach, Edwin; John, Reji

2018-04-01

Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes offer the potential for manufacturing cost savings and rapid insertion into service through production of near net shape components for complicated structures. Use of these parts in high reliability applications such as those in the aerospace industry will require nondestructive characterization methods to ensure post-process material quality in as-built condition. Ultrasonic methods can be used for this quality verification. Depending on the application, the service life of AM components can be sensitive to the part surface condition. The surface roughness and layered structure inherent to the electron-beam powder-bed fusion process necessitates new approaches to evaluate subsurface material integrity in its presence. Experimental methods and data analytics may improve the evaluation of as-built additively manufactured materials. This paper discusses the assessment of additively manufactured EBM Ti-6Al-4V panels using ultrasonic methods and the data analytics applied to evaluate material integrity. The assessment was done as an exploratory study as the discontinuities of interest in these test samples were not known when the measurements were performed. Water immersion ultrasonic techniques, including pulse-echo and through transmission with 10 MHz focused transducers, were used to explore the material integrity of as-built plates. Subsequent destructive mechanical tests of specimens extracted from the plates provided fracture locations indicating critical flaws. To further understand the effect of surface-roughness, an evaluation of ultrasonic response in the presence of as-built surfaces and with the surface removed was performed. The assessment of additive manufactured EBM Ti-6Al-4V panels with ultrasonic techniques indicated that ultrasonic energy was attenuated by the as-built surface roughness. In addition, feature detection was shown to be sensitive to experimental ultrasonic parameters and flaw morphology.

Very high intensity reaction chamber design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devaney, J.J.

1975-09-01

The problem of achieving very high intensity irradiation by light in minimal regions was studied. Three types of irradiation chamber are suggested: the common laser-reaction chamber, the folded concentric or near-concentric resonator, and the asymmetric confocal resonator. In all designs the ratio of high-intensity illuminated volume to other volume is highly dependent (to the 3 / 2 power) on the power and fluence tolerances of optical elements, primarily mirrors. Optimization of energy coupling is discussed for the common cavity. For the concentric cavities, optimization for both coherent and incoherent beams is treated. Formulae and numerical examples give the size of chambers, aspect ratios, maximum pass number, image sizes, fluences, and the like. Similarly for the asymmetric confocal chamber, formulae and numerical examples for fluences, dimensions, losses, and totally contained pass numbers are given

Surface quality prediction model of nano-composite ceramics in ultrasonic vibration-assisted ELID mirror grinding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Bo; Chen, Fan; Jia, Xiao-feng; Zhao, Chong-yang; Wang, Xiao-bo [Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo (China)

2017-04-15

Ultrasonic vibration-assisted Electrolytic in-process dressing (ELID) grinding is a highly efficient and highly precise machining method. The surface quality prediction model in ultrasonic vibration-assisted ELID mirror grinding was studied. First, the interaction between grits and workpiece surface was analyzed according to kinematic mechanics, and the surface roughness model was developed. The variations in surface roughness under different parameters was subsequently calculated and analyzed by MATLAB. Results indicate that compared with the ordinary ELID grinding, ultrasonic vibration-assisted ELID grinding is superior, because it has more stable and better surface quality and has an improved range of ductile machining.

Ultrasonic coal-wash for de-ashing and de-sulfurization. Experimental investigation and mechanistic modeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ambedkar, B. [Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai (India). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

2012-07-01

This study focuses on the physical aspects of ultrasonic de-ashing and de-sulfurization, such as cavitation, streaming and their combined effects. Ambedkar Balraj proposes an ultrasound-assisted coal particle breakage mechanism and explores aqueous and solvent-based ultrasonic techniques for de-ashing and de-sulfurization. Ambedkar designs a Taguchi L-27 fractional-factorial matrix to assess the individual effects of key process variables. In this volume he also describes process optimization and scale-up strategies. The author provides a mechanism-based model for ultrasonic reagent-based coal de-sulfurization, proposes a flow diagram for ultrasonic methods of high-throughput coal-wash and discusses the benefits of ultrasonic coal-wash. Coal will continue to be a major fuel source for the foreseeable future and this study helps improve its use by minimising ash and sulfur impurities.

Apparatus for controlled mixing in a high intensity mixer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crocker, Z.; Gupta, V.P.

1982-01-01

An apparatus and a process is disclosed for controlled mixing of a mixable material in a high intensity mixer. The system enables instantaneous, precise and continual monitoring of a batch in a high intensity mixer which heretofore could not be achieved. The process comprises the steps of feeding a batch of material into a high intensity mixer, agitating the batch in the mixer, monitoring batch temperature separately from mixer temperature and discharging the batch from the mixer when the batch temperature reaches a final predetermined level. The apparatus includes means for monitoring batch temperature in a high intensity mixer separately from mixer temperature, and means responsive to the batch temperature to discharge the batch when the batch temperature reaches a final predetermined level

Ultrasonic Waveguide Sensor with a Layer-Structured Plate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joo, Young Sang; Bae, Jin Ho; Kim, Jong Bum

2010-01-01

In-vessel structures of a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) are submerged in opaque liquid sodium in reactor vessel. The ultrasonic inspection techniques should be applied for observing the in-vessel structures under hot liquid sodium. Ultrasonic sensors such as immersion sensors and rod-type waveguide sensors had developed in order to apply under-sodium viewing of the in-vessel structures of SFR. Recently the novel plate-type ultrasonic waveguide sensor has been developed for the versatile application of under-sodium viewing in SFR. In the previous studies, the Ultrasonic waveguide sensor module had been designed and manufactured. And the feasibility study of the ultrasonic waveguide sensor has been performed. To Improve the performance of the ultrasonic waveguide sensor module in the under-sodium application, the dispersion effect due to the 10 m long distance propagation of the A 0 -mode Lamb wave should be minimized and the longitudinal leaky wave in a liquid sodium should be generated within the range of the effective radiation angle. In this study, a new concept of ultrasonic waveguide sensor with a layered-structured plate is suggested for the non-dispersive propagation of A 0 -mode Lamb wave in an ultrasonic waveguide sensor and the effective generation of leaky wave in a liquid sodium

21 CFR 882.1925 - Ultrasonic scanner calibration test block.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Ultrasonic scanner calibration test block. 882... Ultrasonic scanner calibration test block. (a) Identification. An ultrasonic scanner calibration test block is a block of material with known properties used to calibrate ultrasonic scanning devices (e.g., the...

Automatic Quadcopter Control Avoiding Obstacle Using Camera with Integrated Ultrasonic Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Anis, Hanafi; Haris Indra Fadhillah, Ahmad; Darma, Surya; Soekirno, Santoso

2018-04-01

Automatic navigation on the drone is being developed these days, a wide variety of types of drones and its automatic functions. Drones used in this study was an aircraft with four propellers or quadcopter. In this experiment, image processing used to recognize the position of an object and ultrasonic sensor used to detect obstacle distance. The method used to trace an obsctacle in image processing was the Lucas-Kanade-Tomasi Tracker, which had been widely used due to its high accuracy. Ultrasonic sensor used to complement the image processing success rate to be fully detected object. The obstacle avoidance system was to observe at the program decisions from some obstacle conditions read by the camera and ultrasonic sensors. Visual feedback control based PID controllers are used as a control of drones movement. The conclusion of the obstacle avoidance system was to observe at the program decisions from some obstacle conditions read by the camera and ultrasonic sensors.

Ultrasonic attenuation in superconducting zinc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Auluck, S.

1978-01-01

The differences in the Zn ultrasonic attenuation data of different workers are analyzed. The superconducting energy gaps deduced from our analysis of the ultrasonic-attenuation data of Cleavelin and Marshall are consistent with the gaps deduced from the knowledge of the Fermi surface and the electron-phonon mass enhancement factor

Stand for visual ultrasonic testing of spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Czajkowski, W.; Borek-Kruszewska, E.

2001-01-01

A stand for visual and ultrasonic testing of spent fuel, constructed under Strategic Governmental Programme for management of spent fuel and radioactive waste, is presented in the paper. The stand, named 'STEND-1', built up at the Institute of Atomic Energy in Swjerk, is appointed for underwater visual testing of spent fuel elements type MR6 and WWR by means of TV-CCD camera and image processing system and for ultrasonic scanning of external surface of these elements by means of video scan immersion transducer and straight UHT connector. 'STEND-1' is built using flexible in use, high-tensile, anodized aluminum profiles. All the profiles feature longitudinal grooves to accommodate connecting elements and for the attachment of accessories at any position. They are also characterised by straight-through core bores for use with standard fastening elements and to accommodate accessory components. Stand, equipped with automatic control and processing system based on personal computer, may be manually or automatically controlled. Control system of movements of the camera in the vertical axis and rotational movement of spent fuel element permits to fix chosen location of fuel element with accuracy better than 0.1 mm. High resolution of ultrasonic method allows to record damages of outer surface of order 0.1 mm. The results of visual testing of spent fuel are recorded on video tape and then may be stored on the hard disc of the personal computer and presented in shape of photo or picture. Only selected damage surfaces of spent fuel elements are tested by means of ultrasonic scanning. All possibilities of the stand and results of visual testing of spent fuel type WWR are presented in the paper. (author)

Ultrasonic scanner for stainless steel weld inspections. [LMFBR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kupperman, D. S.; Reimann, K. J.

1978-09-01

The large grain size and anisotropic nature of stainless steel weld metal make conventional ultrasonic testing very difficult. A technique is evaluated for minimizing the coherent ultrasonic noise in stainless steel weld metal. The method involves digitizing conventional ''A-scan'' traces and averaging them with a minicomputer. Results are presented for an ultrasonic scanner which interrogates a small volume of the weld metal while averaging the coherent ultrasonic noise.

Whole-Body High-Intensity Interval Training Induce Similar Cardiorespiratory Adaptations Compared With Traditional High-Intensity Interval Training and Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training in Healthy Men.

Science.gov (United States)

Schaun, Gustavo Z; Pinto, Stephanie S; Silva, Mariana R; Dolinski, Davi B; Alberton, Cristine L

2018-05-07

Schaun, GZ, Pinto, SS, Silva, MR, Dolinski, DB, and Alberton, CL. Sixteen weeks of whole-body high-intensity interval training induce similar cardiorespiratory responses compared with traditional high-intensity interval training and moderate-intensity continuous training in healthy men. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-Low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIIT) protocols that use the body weight as resistance could be an interesting and inexpensive alternative to traditional ergometer-based high-intensity interval training (HIIT-T) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). Therefore, our aim was to compare the effects of 16 weeks of whole-body HIIT (HIIT-WB), HIIT-T, and MICT on maximal oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2max), second ventilatory threshold (VT2), and running economy (RE) outcomes. Fifty-five healthy men (23.7 ± 0.7 years, 1.79 ± 0.01 m, 78.5 ± 1.7 kg) were randomized into 3 training groups (HIIT-T = 17; HIIT-WB = 19; MICT = 19) for 16 weeks (3× per week). The HIIT-T group performed eight 20-second bouts at 130% of the velocity associated to V[Combining Dot Above]O2max (vV[Combining Dot Above]O2max) interspersed by 10-second passive recovery on a treadmill, whereas HIIT-WB group performed the same protocol but used calisthenics exercises at an all-out intensity instead of treadmill running. Finally, MICT group exercised for 30 minutes at 90-95% of the heart rate (HR) associated to VT2. After the intervention, all groups improved V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, vV[Combining Dot Above]O2max, time to exhaustion (Tmax), VT2, velocity associated with VT2 (vVT2), and time to reach VT2 (tVT2) significantly (p HIIT-T compared with HIIT-WB (p HIIT-WB can be as effective as traditional HIIT while also being time-efficient compared with MICT to improve health-related outcomes after 16 weeks of training. However, HIIT-T and MICT seem preferable to enhance performance-related outcomes compared with HIIT-WB.

Enzyme-catalyzed synthesis and kinetics of ultrasonic-assisted biodiesel production from waste tallow.

Science.gov (United States)

Adewale, Peter; Dumont, Marie-Josée; Ngadi, Michael

2015-11-01

The use of ultrasonic processing was evaluated for its ability to achieve adequate mixing while providing sufficient activation energy for the enzymatic transesterification of waste tallow. The effects of ultrasonic parameters (amplitude, cycle and pulse) and major reaction factors (molar ratio and enzyme concentration) on the reaction kinetics of biodiesel generation from waste tallow bio-catalyzed by immobilized lipase [Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB)] were investigated. Three sets of experiments namely A, B, and C were conducted. In experiment set A, two factors (ultrasonic amplitude and cycle) were investigated at three levels; in experiment set B, two factors (molar ratio and enzyme concentration) were examined at three levels; and in experiment set C, two factors (ultrasonic amplitude and reaction time) were investigated at five levels. A Ping Pong Bi Bi kinetic model approach was employed to study the effect of ultrasonic amplitude on the enzymatic transesterification. Kinetic constants of transesterification reaction were determined at different ultrasonic amplitudes (30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, and 50%) and enzyme concentrations (4, 6, and 8 wt.% of fat) at constant molar ratio (fat:methanol); 1:6, and ultrasonic cycle; 5 Hz. Optimal conditions for ultrasound-assisted biodiesel production from waste tallow were fat:methanol molar ratio, 1:4; catalyst level 6% (w/w of fat); reaction time, 20 min (30 times less than conventional batch processes); ultrasonic amplitude 40% at 5 Hz. The kinetic model results revealed interesting features of ultrasound assisted enzyme-catalyzed transesterification (as compared to conventional system): at ultrasonic amplitude 40%, the reaction activities within the system seemed to be steady after 20 min which means the reaction could proceed with or without ultrasonic mixing. Reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography indicated the biodiesel yield to be 85.6±0.08%. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonic assisted hot metal powder compaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Abedini, Rezvan; Abdullah, Amir; Alizadeh, Yunes

2017-09-01

Hot pressing of metal powders is used in production of parts with similar properties to wrought materials. During hot pressing processes, particle rearrangement, plastic deformation, creep, and diffusion are of the most effective powder densification mechanisms. Applying ultrasonic vibration is thought to result in great rates of densification and therefore higher efficiency of the process is expected. This paper deals with the effects of power ultrasonic on the densification of AA1100 aluminum powder under constant applied stress. The effects of particle size and process temperature on the densification behavior are discussed. The results show that applying ultrasonic vibration leads to an improved homogeneity and a higher relative density. Also, it is found that the effect of ultrasonic vibration is greater for finer particles. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ozone production in a dielectric barrier discharge with ultrasonic irradiation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Drews, Joanna Maria; Kusano, Yukihiro; Leipold, Frank

2011-01-01

Ozone production has been investigated using an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge in pure O2 at room temperature with and without ultrasonic irradiation. It was driven at a frequency of either 15 kHz or 40 kHz. The ozone production was highly dependent on the O2 flow rate and the ......Ozone production has been investigated using an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge in pure O2 at room temperature with and without ultrasonic irradiation. It was driven at a frequency of either 15 kHz or 40 kHz. The ozone production was highly dependent on the O2 flow rate...

Ultrasonic colour Doppler imaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Evans, David H.; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt; Nielsen, Michael Bachmann

2011-01-01

Ultrasonic colour Doppler is an imaging technique that combines anatomical information derived using ultrasonic pulse-echo techniques with velocity information derived using ultrasonic Doppler techniques to generate colour-coded maps of tissue velocity superimposed on grey-scale images of tissue...... anatomy. The most common use of the technique is to image the movement of blood through the heart, arteries and veins, but it may also be used to image the motion of solid tissues such as the heart walls. Colour Doppler imaging is now provided on almost all commercial ultrasound machines, and has been...... vectors. This review briefly introduces the principles behind colour Doppler imaging and describes some clinical applications. It then describes the basic components of conventional colour Doppler systems and the methods used to derive velocity information from the ultrasound signal. Next, a number of new...

Interaction of Sound with Sound by Novel Mechanisms: Ultrasonic Four-Wave Mixing Mediated by a Suspension and Ultrasonic Three-Wave Mixing at a Free Surface

Science.gov (United States)

Simpson, Harry Jay

Two mechanisms of sound interacting with sound are experimentally and theoretically investigated. Ultrasonic four-wave mixing in a dilute particle suspension, analogous to optical four-wave mixing in photorefractive materials, involves the interaction of three ultrasonic wavefields that produces a fourth scattered wavefield. The experimental configuration consists of two ultrasonic (800 kHz) pump waves that are used to produce a grating in a suspension of 25 μm diameter polymer particles in salt water. The pump waves are counter-propagating, which form a standing wavefield in the suspension and the less compressible particles are attracted to the pressure nodes in response to the time averaged radiation pressure. A higher frequency (2-10 MHz) ultrasonic wavefield is used to probe the resulting grating. The ultrasonic Bragg scattering is then measured. The scattering depends strongly on the response to the pump wave and is an unusual class of acoustical nonlinearity. Investigation of very small amplitude gratings are done by studying the temporal response of the Bragg scattering to a sudden turn on of a moderate amplitude pump wavefield in a previously homogeneous particle suspension. The Bragg scattering has been verified experimentally and is modeled for early-time grating formations using a sinusoidal grating. The larger amplitude gratings are studied in equilibrium and are modeled using an Epstein layer approximation. Ultrasonic three-wave mixing at a free surface involves the interaction of a high amplitude 400 kHz plane wavefield incident at 33^circ on a water-air interface with a normally incident high frequency (4.6 MHz) focused wavefield. The 400 kHz "pump" wavefield reflects from the surface and produces an oscillating surface displacement that forms a local traveling phase grating. Simultaneously the 4.6 MHz "probe" wavefield is reflected from the free surface. The grating scatters the focused probe wavefield and produces (or contributes to) spatially

Study on Effect of Ultrasonic Vibration on Grinding Force and Surface Quality in Ultrasonic Assisted Micro End Grinding of Silica Glass

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Jianhua

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Ultrasonic vibration assisted micro end grinding (UAMEG is a promising processing method for micro parts made of hard and brittle materials. First, the influence of ultrasonic assistance on the mechanism of this processing technology is theoretically analyzed. Then, in order to reveal the effects of ultrasonic vibration and grinding parameters on grinding forces and surface quality, contrast grinding tests of silica glass with and without ultrasonic assistance using micro radial electroplated diamond wheel are conducted. The grinding forces are measured using a three-component dynamometer. The surface characteristics are detected using the scanning electron microscope. The experiment results demonstrate that grinding forces are significantly reduced by introducing ultrasonic vibration into conventional micro end grinding (CMEG of silica glass; ultrasonic assistance causes inhibiting effect on variation percentages of tangential grinding force with grinding parameters; ductile machining is easier to be achieved and surface quality is obviously improved due to ultrasonic assistance in UAMEG. Therefore, larger grinding depth and feed rate adopted in UAMEG can lead to the improvement of removal rate and machining efficiency compared with CMEG.

A novel ultrasonic clutch using near-field acoustic levitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Kuo-Tsi

2004-10-01

This paper investigates design, fabrication and drive of an ultrasonic clutch with two transducers. For the two transducers, one serving as a driving element of the clutch is connected to a driving shaft via a coupling, and the other serving as a slave element of the clutch is connected to a slave shaft via another coupling. The principle of ultrasonic levitation is first expressed. Then, a series-resonant inverter is used to generate AC voltages at input terminals of each transducer, and a speed measuring system with optic sensors is used to find the relationship between rotational speed of the slave shaft and applied voltage of each transducer. Moreover, contact surfaces of the two transducers are coupled by the frictional force when both the two transducers are not energized, and separated using the ultrasonic levitation when at least one of the two transducers is energized at high voltages at resonance.

Ultrasonic Thermometry for In-Pile Temperature Detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daw, J.E.; Rempe, J.L.; Wilkins, S.C.

2002-01-01

example, signal processing can be very complicated, as multiple echoes may overlap. Contact between the sensor and solid materials can cause extraneous echoes. If a sheath is required, contact bonding at high temperatures may cause extraneous echoes or attenuation of primary echoes. The most successful materials used in previous studies, tungsten and rhenium, are unattractive for nuclear applications due to material transmutation. Clearly, in order for ultrasonic thermometers to be viable for an in-pile sensor, these issues must be resolved through the use of modern signal processing and materials technologies. As part of the INL feasibility study, all of the issues associated with UT use and proposed resolution options will be identified and evaluated. Once most promising options are proven, it is planned to produce one or more prototype ultrasonic temperature sensors for evaluation. Ultimately, a full test should include a long term installation in a high temperature test assembly installed in a high neutron flux environment, such as that found in the Idaho National Laboratory's Advanced Test Reactor.

Measurement of total ultrasonic power using thermal expansion and change in buoyancy of an absorbing target.

Science.gov (United States)

Dubey, P K; Kumar, Yudhisther; Gupta, Reeta; Jain, Anshul; Gohiya, Chandrashekhar

2014-05-01

The Radiation Force Balance (RFB) technique is well established and most widely used for the measurement of total ultrasonic power radiated by ultrasonic transducer. The technique is used as a primary standard for calibration of ultrasonic transducers with relatively fair uncertainty in the low power (below 1 W) regime. In this technique, uncertainty comparatively increases in the range of few watts wherein the effects such as thermal heating of the target, cavitations, and acoustic streaming dominate. In addition, error in the measurement of ultrasonic power is also caused due to movement of absorber at relatively high radiated force which occurs at high power level. In this article a new technique is proposed which does not measure the balance output during transducer energized state as done in RFB. It utilizes the change in buoyancy of the absorbing target due to local thermal heating. The linear thermal expansion of the target changes the apparent mass in water due to buoyancy change. This forms the basis for the measurement of ultrasonic power particularly in watts range. The proposed method comparatively reduces uncertainty caused by various ultrasonic effects that occur at high power such as overshoot due to momentum of target at higher radiated force. The functionality of the technique has been tested and compared with the existing internationally recommended RFB technique.

Measurement of total ultrasonic power using thermal expansion and change in buoyancy of an absorbing target

Science.gov (United States)

Dubey, P. K.; Kumar, Yudhisther; Gupta, Reeta; Jain, Anshul; Gohiya, Chandrashekhar

2014-05-01

The Radiation Force Balance (RFB) technique is well established and most widely used for the measurement of total ultrasonic power radiated by ultrasonic transducer. The technique is used as a primary standard for calibration of ultrasonic transducers with relatively fair uncertainty in the low power (below 1 W) regime. In this technique, uncertainty comparatively increases in the range of few watts wherein the effects such as thermal heating of the target, cavitations, and acoustic streaming dominate. In addition, error in the measurement of ultrasonic power is also caused due to movement of absorber at relatively high radiated force which occurs at high power level. In this article a new technique is proposed which does not measure the balance output during transducer energized state as done in RFB. It utilizes the change in buoyancy of the absorbing target due to local thermal heating. The linear thermal expansion of the target changes the apparent mass in water due to buoyancy change. This forms the basis for the measurement of ultrasonic power particularly in watts range. The proposed method comparatively reduces uncertainty caused by various ultrasonic effects that occur at high power such as overshoot due to momentum of target at higher radiated force. The functionality of the technique has been tested and compared with the existing internationally recommended RFB technique.

Measurement of total ultrasonic power using thermal expansion and change in buoyancy of an absorbing target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dubey, P. K.; Kumar, Yudhisther; Gupta, Reeta; Jain, Anshul; Gohiya, Chandrashekhar

2014-01-01

The Radiation Force Balance (RFB) technique is well established and most widely used for the measurement of total ultrasonic power radiated by ultrasonic transducer. The technique is used as a primary standard for calibration of ultrasonic transducers with relatively fair uncertainty in the low power (below 1 W) regime. In this technique, uncertainty comparatively increases in the range of few watts wherein the effects such as thermal heating of the target, cavitations, and acoustic streaming dominate. In addition, error in the measurement of ultrasonic power is also caused due to movement of absorber at relatively high radiated force which occurs at high power level. In this article a new technique is proposed which does not measure the balance output during transducer energized state as done in RFB. It utilizes the change in buoyancy of the absorbing target due to local thermal heating. The linear thermal expansion of the target changes the apparent mass in water due to buoyancy change. This forms the basis for the measurement of ultrasonic power particularly in watts range. The proposed method comparatively reduces uncertainty caused by various ultrasonic effects that occur at high power such as overshoot due to momentum of target at higher radiated force. The functionality of the technique has been tested and compared with the existing internationally recommended RFB technique

Finite element modeling of ultrasonic inspection of weldments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dewey, B.R.; Adler, L.; Oliver, B.F.; Pickard, C.A.

1983-01-01

High performance weldments for critical service applications require 100% inspection. Balanced against the adaptability of the ultrasonic method for automated inspection are the difficulties encountered with nonhomogeneous and anisotropic materials. This research utilizes crystals and bicrystals of nickel to model austenitic weld metal, where the anisotropy produces scattering and mode conversion, making detection and measurement of actual defects difficult. Well characterized samples of Ni are produced in a levitation zone melting facility. Crystals in excess of 25 mm diameter and length are large enough to permit ultrasonic measurements of attenuation, wave speed, and spectral content. At the same time, the experiments are duplicated as finite element models for comparison purposes

Early High-Intensity Versus Low-Intensity Rehabilitation After Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) by Bade et al

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mechlenburg, Inger; Skoffer, Birgit; Dalgas, Ulrik

2017-01-01

Recently, a paper entitled "Early High-Intensity Versus Low-Intensity Rehabilitation After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial" was published in Arthritis Care Res by Bade et al. (1). We have read the paper with great interest and noted that the study shows essentially no diffe......Recently, a paper entitled "Early High-Intensity Versus Low-Intensity Rehabilitation After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial" was published in Arthritis Care Res by Bade et al. (1). We have read the paper with great interest and noted that the study shows essentially...

Sonochemical and high-speed optical characterization of cavitation generated by an ultrasonically oscillating dental file in root canal models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Macedo, R.G.; Verhaagen, B.; Fernandez Rivas, D.; Gardeniers, J.G.E.; van der Sluis, L.W.M.; Wesselink, P.R.; Versluis, M.

2014-01-01

Ultrasonically Activated Irrigation makes use of an ultrasonically oscillating file in order to improve the cleaning of the root canal during a root canal treatment. Cavitation has been associated with these oscillating files, but the nature and characteristics of the cavitating bubbles were not yet

An Estimation of Wave Attenuation Factor in Ultrasonic Assisted Gravity Drainage Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Behnam Keshavarzi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available It has been proved that ultrasonic energy can considerably increase the amount of oil recovery in an immiscible displacement process. Although many studies have been performed on investigating the roles of ultrasonic waves, based on the best of our knowledge, little attention has been paid to evaluate wave attenuation parameter, which is an important parameter in the determination of the energy delivered to the porous medium. In this study, free fall gravity drainage process is investigated in a glass bead porous medium. Kerosene and Dorud crude oil are used as the wetting phases and air is used as the non-wetting phase. A piston-like displacement model with considering constant capillary pressure and applying Corey type approximation for relative permeabilities of both wetting and nonwetting phases is applied. A pressure term is considered to describe the presence of ultrasonic waves and the attenuation factor of ultrasonic waves is calculated by evaluating the value of external pressure applied to enhance the flow using the history matching of the data in the presence and absence of ultrasonic waves. The results introduce the attenuation factor as an important parameter in the process of ultrasonic assisted gravity drainage. The results show that only a low percentage of the ultrasonic energy (5.8% for Dorud crude oil and 3.3% for kerosene is delivered to the flow of the fluid; however, a high increase in oil recovery enhancement (15% for Dorud crude oil and 12% for Kerosene is observed in the experiments. This proves that the ultrasonic waves, even when the contribution is not substantial, can be a significantly efficient method for flow enhancement.

Computer simulation of ultrasonic testing for aerospace vehicle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamawaki, H [National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1, Sengen, 305-0047 Tsukuba (Japan); Moriya, S; Masuoka, T [Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 1 Koganesawa, Kimigawa, 981-1525 Kakuda (Japan); Takatsubo, J, E-mail: yamawaki.hisashi@nims.go.jp [Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, AIST Tsukuba Central 2, 1-1-1 Umezono, 305-8568 Tsukuba (Japan)

2011-01-01

Non-destructive testing techniques are developed to secure reliability of aerospace vehicles used repetitively. In the case of cracks caused by thermal stress on walls in combustion chambers of liquid-fuel rockets, it is examined by ultrasonic waves visualization technique developed in AIST. The technique is composed with non-contact ultrasonic generation by pulsed-laser scanning, piezoelectric transducer for the ultrasonic detection, and image reconstruction processing. It enables detection of defects by visualization of ultrasonic waves scattered by the defects. In NIMS, the condition of the detection by the visualization is investigated using computer simulation for ultrasonic propagation that has capability of fast 3-D calculation. The simulation technique is based on finite-difference method and two-step elastic wave equations. It is reported about the investigation by the calculation, and shows availability of the simulation for the ultrasonic testing technique of the wall cracks.

Fundamentals and applications of ultrasonic waves

CERN Document Server

Cheeke, J David N

2002-01-01

Ultrasonics. A subject with applications across all the basic sciences, engineering, medicine, and oceanography, yet even the broader topic of acoustics is now rarely offered at undergraduate levels. Ultrasonics is addressed primarily at the doctoral level, and texts appropriate for beginning graduate students or newcomers to the field are virtually nonexistent.Fundamentals and Applications of Ultrasonic Waves fills that void. Designed specifically for senior undergraduates, beginning graduate students, and those just entering the field, it begins with the fundamentals, but goes well beyond th

Instrument maintenance of ultrasonic influences parameters measurement in technological processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomal V. S.

2008-04-01

Full Text Available The contact and non-contact vibration meters for intermittent and continuous control of the vibration amplitude in the ultrasonic technological equipment have been developed. And in order to estimate the cavitation intensity in liquids the authors have developed cavitation activity indicators and cavitation sensitivity meters, allowing to measure the magnitude of the signal level in the range of maximum spectral density of cavitation noise. The developed instruments allow to improve the quality of products, reduce the defect rate and power consumption of equipment by maintaining optimum conditions of the process.

Ultrasonic flow measurements for irrigation process monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Ziani, Elmostafa; Bennouna, Mustapha; Boissier, Raymond

2004-02-01

This paper presents the state of the art of the general principle of liquid flow measurements by ultrasonic method, and problems of flow measurements. We present an ultrasonic flowmeter designed according to smart sensors concept, for the measurement of irrigation water flowing through pipelines or open channels, using the ultrasonic transit time approach. The new flowmeter works on the principle of measuring time delay differences between sound pulses transmitted upstream and downstream in the flowing liquid. The speed of sound in the flowing medium is eliminated as a variable because the flowrate calculations are based on the reciprocals of the transmission times. The transit time difference is digitally measured by means of a suitable, microprocessor controlled logic. This type of ultrasonic flowmeter will be widely used in industry and water management, it is well studied in this work, followed by some experimental results. For pressurized channels, we use one pair of ultrasonic transducer arranged in proper positions and directions of the pipe, in this case, to determine the liquid velocity, a real time on-line analysis taking account the geometries of the hydraulic system, is applied to the obtained ultrasonic data. In the open channels, we use a single or two pairs of ultrasonic emitter-receiver according to the desired performances. Finally, the goals of this work consist in integrating the smart sensor into irrigation systems monitoring in order to evaluate potential advantages and demonstrate their performance, on the other hand, to understand and use ultrasonic approach for determining flow characteristics and improving flow measurements by reducing errors caused by disturbances of the flow profiles.

Wireless power transmission using ultrasonic guided waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kural, A; Pullin, R; Featherston, C; Holford, K; Paget, C

2011-01-01

The unavailability of suitable power supply at desired locations is currently an important obstacle in the development of distributed, wireless sensor networks for applications such as structural health monitoring of aircraft. Proposed solutions range from improved batteries to energy harvesting from vibration, temperature gradients and other sources. A novel approach is being investigated at Cardiff University School of Engineering in cooperation with Airbus. It aims to utilise ultrasonic guided Lamb waves to transmit energy through the aircraft skin. A vibration generator is to be placed in a location where electricity supply is readily available. Ultrasonic waves generated by this device will travel through the aircraft structure to a receiver in a remote wireless sensor node. The receiver will convert the mechanical vibration of the ultrasonic waves back to electricity, which will be used to power the sensor node. This paper describes the measurement and modelling of the interference pattern which emerges when Lamb waves are transmitted continuously as in this power transmission application. The discovered features of the pattern, such as a large signal amplitude variation and a relatively high frequency, are presented and their importance for the development of a power transmission system is discussed.

Wireless power transmission using ultrasonic guided waves

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kural, A; Pullin, R; Featherston, C; Holford, K [School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Queens Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff CF24 2AA (United Kingdom); Paget, C, E-mail: kurala@cardiff.ac.uk [Airbus Operations Ltd, New Filton Road, BS99 7AR Bristol (United Kingdom)

2011-07-19

The unavailability of suitable power supply at desired locations is currently an important obstacle in the development of distributed, wireless sensor networks for applications such as structural health monitoring of aircraft. Proposed solutions range from improved batteries to energy harvesting from vibration, temperature gradients and other sources. A novel approach is being investigated at Cardiff University School of Engineering in cooperation with Airbus. It aims to utilise ultrasonic guided Lamb waves to transmit energy through the aircraft skin. A vibration generator is to be placed in a location where electricity supply is readily available. Ultrasonic waves generated by this device will travel through the aircraft structure to a receiver in a remote wireless sensor node. The receiver will convert the mechanical vibration of the ultrasonic waves back to electricity, which will be used to power the sensor node. This paper describes the measurement and modelling of the interference pattern which emerges when Lamb waves are transmitted continuously as in this power transmission application. The discovered features of the pattern, such as a large signal amplitude variation and a relatively high frequency, are presented and their importance for the development of a power transmission system is discussed.

Nonlinear focusing of ultrasonic waves by an axisymmetric diffraction grating embedded in water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiménez, N.; Picó, R. [Instituto de Investigación para la Gestión Integrada de zonas Costeras, Universitat Politècnica de València, Paranimf 1, 46730 Grao de Gandia, València (Spain); Romero-García, V. [LUNAM Université, Université du Maine, LAUM UMR CNRS 6613, Av. O. Messiaen, 72085 Le Mans (France); Garcia-Raffi, L. M. [Instituto Universitario de Matemática Pura y Aplicada, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 València (Spain); Staliunas, K. [ICREA, Departament de Física i Enginyeria Nuclear, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Colom, 11, E-08222 Terrassa, Barcelona (Spain)

2015-11-16

We report the nonlinear focusing of ultrasonic waves by an axisymmetric diffraction grating immersed in water. In the linear regime, the system presents high focal gain (32 dB), with a narrow beam-width and intense side lobes as it is common in focusing by Fresnel-like lenses. Activating the nonlinearity of the host medium by using high amplitude incident waves, the focusing properties of the lens dramatically change. Theoretical predictions show that the focal gain of the system extraordinary increases in the strongly nonlinear regime (Mach number of 6.1 × 10{sup −4}). Particularly, the harmonic generation is locally activated at the focal spot, and the second harmonic beam is characterized by strongly reduced side-lobes and an excellent beam profile as experiments show in agreement with theory. The results can motivate applications in medical therapy or second harmonic imaging.

An ultrasonic inspection tool for production tubulars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Newton, K; Martin, R; Ravenscroft, F [AEA Technology, Harwell (United Kingdom)

1994-06-01

Advances in ultrasonic technology, high temperature techniques and remote processing power are enabling a new generation of inspection tools to be developed. This paper describes a particular new ultrasonic caliper system, developed by AEA Technology, with the aim of providing improved information about the condition of production tubulars of oil and gas wells. The system is designed to provide enhanced surface area coverage compared to the current devices, which are typically mechanical 'finger' calipers. It also provides a non-contacting measure of corrosion and wear together with direct on-line output and automated data analysis. The new tool is designed to operate in oil and gas, vertical or deviated wells and has the potential for modification to inspect small diameter pipes in topside or other plant. (author)

Effect of High Intensity Ultrasound and Pasteurization on Anthocyanin Content in Strawberry Juice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor Dubrović

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this investigation is to study the influence of high intensity ultrasound and pasteurization on the stability of anthocyanins and their content in strawberry juice. Different ultrasound process parameters for the treatment of juices are compared to the classical thermal treatments. For ultrasound treatments, three parameters were varied according to the statistical experimental design. Central composite design was used to optimize and design experimental parameters: temperature (25, 40 and 55 °C, amplitude (60, 90 and 120 μm and time (3, 6, and 9 min. It was found that the anthocyanin content after pasteurization (85 °C for 2 min was reduced by 5.3 to 5.8 % compared to untreated juices. After treatment with ultrasound (20 °C for 3, 6 or 9 min or thermosonication (40 °C for 3, 6 or 9 min and 60 °C for 3 or 6 min, the degradation of anthocyanins was generally less intensive and was 0.7–4.4 % compared to the untreated juices. Only in the case of ultrasonic treatment at a temperature of 55 °C and treatment time of 9 min the total content of anthocyanins, compared to untreated juice, was reduced by 5.8 to 7.1 %, and their degradation was greater than that of pasteurized juices. From the results it can be concluded that total anthocyanin content was greater in more than 85 % of the selected ultrasound treatments compared to pasteurized juices. Ultrasound treatment can replace pasteurization in terms of preserving total anthocyanin content. The modelling approaches using response surface methodology (RSM developed in this study exploit data in order to identify the optimal processing parameters for lowering degradation of anthocyanins in strawberry juice during ultrasound processing.

Case Study on Justification: High Intensity Discharge Lamps. Annex II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

High intensity discharge lamps produce bright white light of a high intensity in an energy efficient manner. These lamps are typically used in large numbers in public and professional settings such as shops, warehouses, hotels and offices. They are also used in outdoor applications to illuminate streets, buildings, statues, flags and gardens and further as architectural lighting. They also have applications associated with film projection in cinemas, manufacture of semiconductors, fluorescence endoscopy and microscopy, schlieren photography, hologram projection, ultraviolet curing, sky beamers and car headlights. Some types of high intensity discharge lamp, as well as certain other consumer products for lighting, contain radioactive substances for functional reasons. The radionuclides that are typically incorporated into high intensity discharge lamps are 85 Kr and 232 Th. Given the wide range of uses, specific decisions on justification may be required for different applications. A small number of safety assessments for high intensity discharge lamps have been carried out and published. No published decisions at the national level specifically addressing the justification of the use of high intensity discharge lamps have been identified

Design of a Smart Ultrasonic Transducer for Interconnecting Machine Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang Xu

2009-06-01

Full Text Available A high-frequency ultrasonic transducer for copper or gold wire bonding has been designed, analyzed, prototyped and tested. Modeling techniques were used in the design phase and a practical design procedure was established and used. The transducer was decomposed into its elementary components. For each component, an initial design was obtained with simulations using a finite elements model (FEM. Simulated ultrasonic modules were built and characterized experimentally through the Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV and electrical resonance spectra. Compared with experimental data, the FEM could be iteratively adjusted and updated. Having achieved a remarkably highly-predictive FEM of the whole transducer, the design parameters could be tuned for the desired applications, then the transducer is fixed on the wire bonder with a complete holder clamping was calculated by the FEM. The approach to mount ultrasonic transducers on wire bonding machines also is of major importance for wire bonding in modern electronic packaging. The presented method can lead to obtaining a nearly complete decoupling clamper design of the transducer to the wire bonder.

Resonant difference-frequency atomic force ultrasonic microscope

Science.gov (United States)

Cantrell, John H. (Inventor); Cantrell, Sean A. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A scanning probe microscope and methodology called resonant difference-frequency atomic force ultrasonic microscopy (RDF-AFUM), employs an ultrasonic wave launched from the bottom of a sample while the cantilever of an atomic force microscope, driven at a frequency differing from the ultrasonic frequency by one of the contact resonance frequencies of the cantilever, engages the sample top surface. The nonlinear mixing of the oscillating cantilever and the ultrasonic wave in the region defined by the cantilever tip-sample surface interaction force generates difference-frequency oscillations at the cantilever contact resonance. The resonance-enhanced difference-frequency signals are used to create images of nanoscale near-surface and subsurface features.

Auto-positioning ultrasonic transducer system

Science.gov (United States)

Buchanan, Randy K. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

An ultrasonic transducer apparatus and process for determining the optimal transducer position for flow measurement along a conduit outer surface. The apparatus includes a transmitting transducer for transmitting an ultrasonic signal, said transducer affixed to a conduit outer surface; a guide rail attached to a receiving transducer for guiding movement of a receiving transducer along the conduit outer surface, wherein the receiving transducer receives an ultrasonic signal from the transmitting transducer and sends a signal to a data acquisition system; and a motor for moving the receiving transducer along the guide rail, wherein the motor is controlled by a controller. The method includes affixing a transmitting transducer to an outer surface of a conduit; moving a receiving transducer on the conduit outer surface, wherein the receiving transducer is moved along a guide rail by a motor; transmitting an ultrasonic signal from the transmitting transducer that is received by the receiving transducer; communicating the signal received by the receiving transducer to a data acquisition and control system; and repeating the moving, transmitting, and communicating along a length of the conduit.

Ultrasonic wave propagation in powders

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Lashi, R. S.; Povey, M. J. W.; Watson, N. J.

2018-05-01

Powder clumps (cakes) has a significant effect on the flowability and stability of powders. Powder caking is mainly caused by moisture migration due to wetting and environmental (temperature and humidity) changes. The process of moisture migration caking involves creating liquid bridges between the particles during condensation which subsequently harden to form solid bridges. Therefore, an effective and reliable technique is required to quantitatively and non-invasively monitor caking kinetics and effective stiffness. This paper describes two ultrasonic instruments (ultrasonic velocity pulse and airborne ultrasound systems) that have been used to monitor the caking phenomenon. Also, it discusses the relationship between the ultrasonic velocity and attenuation measurements and tracking caking kinetics and the effective stiffness of powders.

Stimulated Raman backscattering at high laser intensities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skoric, M M [Vinca Inst. of Nuclear Sciences, Belgrade (Yugoslavia); Tajima, Toshiki; Sasaki, Akira; Maluckov, A; Jovanovic, M

1998-03-01

Signatures of Stimulated Raman backscattering of a short-pulse high-intensity laser interacting with an underdense plasma are discussed. We introduce a nonlinear three-wave interaction model that accounts for laser pump depletion and relativistic detuning. A mechanism is revealed based on a generic route to chaos, that predicts a progressive increase of the backscatter complexity with a growing laser intensity. Importance of kinetic effects is outlined and demonstrated in fluid-hybrid and particle simulations. As an application, we show that spectral anomalies of the backscatter, predicted by the above model, are consistent with recent sub-picosecond, high-intensity laser gas-target measurements at Livermore and elsewhere. Finally, a recently proposed scheme for generation of ultra-short, low-prepulse laser pulses by Raman backscattering in a thin foil target, is shown. (author)

Standard practice for leaks using ultrasonics

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2011-01-01

1.1 Practice A, Pressurization—This practice covers procedures for calibration of ultrasonic instruments, location, and estimated measurements of gas leakage to atmosphere by the airborne ultrasonic technique. 1.2 In general practice this should be limited to leaks detected by two classifications of instruments, Class I and Class II. Class I instruments should have a minimum detectable leak rate of 6.7 × 10−7 mol/s (1.5 × 10−2 std. cm3/s at 0°C) or more for the pressure method of gas leakage to atmosphere. Class II instruments should have a minimal detectable leak rate of 6.7 × 10−6 mol/s (1.5 × 10−1 std. cm3/s at 0°C) or more for the pressure method of gas leakage to atmosphere. Refer to Guide E432 for additional information. 1.3 Practice B, Ultrasonic Transmitter—For object under test not capable of being pressurized but capable of having ultrasonic tone placed/injected into the test area to act as an ultrasonic leak trace source. 1.3.1 This practice is limited to leaks producing leakage o...

Development of an ultrasonic process for soil remediation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, J.M.; Huang, H.S.; Livengood, C.D.

1995-01-01

An ultrasonic process for the detoxification of carbon tetrachloride- (CCl 4 - ) contaminated soil was investigated in the laboratory by using a batch irradiation reactor equipped with a 600-W ultrasonic power supply operated at a frequency of 20 kHz. Key parameters studied included soil characteristics, irradiation time, CCl 4 concentration, steady-state operating temperature, applied ultrasonic-wave energy, and the ratio of soil to water in the system. The results of the experiments showed that (1) residual CCl 4 concentrations could be decreased with longer irradiation periods and (2) detoxification efficiency was proportional to steady-state operating temperature and applied ultrasonic-wave energy. The characteristics of the contaminated soil were found to be an important factor in the design of an ultrasonic detoxification system. A soil-phase CCl 4 concentration below 1 ppm (initial concentration of 56 ppm) was achieved through this process, indicating that the application of ultrasonic irradiation is feasible and effective in the detoxification of soil contaminated by organic compounds. On the basis of the experimental results, a schematic of a full-scale ultrasonic soil-detoxification system was developed. Improvements to this novel process are discussed

Development of a Multi-Channel Ultrasonic Testing System for Automated Ultrasonic Pipe Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hee Jong; Cho, Chan Hee; Cho, Hyun Joon

2009-01-01

Currently almost all in-service-inspection techniques, applied in domestic nuclear power plants, are partial to field inspection technique. These kinds of techniques are related to managing nuclear power plants by the operation of foreign-produced inspection devices. There have been so many needs for development of native in-service-inspection device because there is no native diagnosis device for nuclear power plant inspection yet in Korea. In this research, we developed several core techniques to make an automated ultrasonic pipe inspection system for nuclear power plants. A high performance multi-channel ultrasonic pulser/receiver module, an A/D converter module and a digital main CPU module were developed and the performance of the developed modules was verified. The S/N ratio, noise level and signal acquisition performance of the developed modules showed proper level as we designed in the beginning.

Ultrasonic characterization of vegetable oil product

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sidek Hj Abd Aziz; Chow Sai Pew; Abdul Halim Shaari; Nor Azizah Shaari

1992-01-01

The ultrasonic wave velocity and attenuation of a number vegetable oil products were measured using an ultrasonic pulse echo overlap technique from room temperature up to 90 0 C. Among the liquid samples studied were refined bleach deodorized (RED) palm oil, palm olein, coconut oil, corn oil and soya bean oil. The velocity of sound in vegetable oil products varies from about 1200 to 200 ms-1 and decrease linearly as the temperature increases. The ultrasonic properties of the oil are much dependent on their viscosity, density, relaxation effect and vibrational anharmonicity

Updated Results of Ultrasonic Transducer Irradiation Test

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daw, Joshua; Palmer, Joe [Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625, MS 4112, Idaho Falls, ID, 38415-3840 (United States); Ramuhalli, Pradeep; Keller, Paul; Montgomery, Robert [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd. Richland, WA, 99354 (United States); Chien, Hual-Te [Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue Argonne, IL, 60439 (United States); Tittmann, Bernhard; Reinhardt, Brian [Pennsylvania State University, 212 Earth and Engr. Sciences Building, University Park, PA, 16802 (United States); Kohse, Gordon [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Rempe, Joy [Rempe and Associates, LLC, 360 Stillwater, Idaho Falls, ID 83404 (United States); Villard, J.F. [Commissariat a l' energie atomique et aux energies alternatives, Centre d' etudes de Cadarache, 13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France)

2015-07-01

Ultrasonic technologies offer the potential for high accuracy and resolution in-pile measurement of a range of parameters, including geometry changes, temperature, crack initiation and growth, gas pressure and composition, and microstructural changes. Many Department of Energy-Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs are exploring the use of ultrasonic technologies to provide enhanced sensors for in-pile instrumentation during irradiation testing. For example, the ability of small diameter ultrasonic thermometers (UTs) to provide a temperature profile in candidate metallic and oxide fuel would provide much needed data for validating new fuel performance models. These efforts are limited by the lack of identified ultrasonic transducer materials capable of long term performance under irradiation test conditions. To address this need, the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) was awarded an Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility (ATR NSUF) project to evaluate the performance of promising magnetostrictive and piezoelectric transducers in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor (MITR) up to a fast fluence of at least 10{sup 21} n/cm{sup 2}. A multi-National Laboratory collaboration funded by the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation (NEET-ASI) program also provided initial support for this effort. This irradiation, which started in February 2014, is an instrumented lead test and real-time transducer performance data are collected along with temperature and neutron and gamma flux data. The irradiation is ongoing and will continue to approximately mid-2015. To date, very encouraging results have been attained as several transducers continue to operate under irradiation. (authors)

Synthesis of strontium substituted barium titanate nanoparticles by mechanical alloying and high power ultrasonication destruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yustanti, Erlina, E-mail: erlina.yustanti@ui.ac.id [Graduate Program of Material Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences University of Indonesia Jl. Salemba Raya No. 04 Jakarta 10430 (Indonesia); Department of Metallurgy, Faculty of Engineering University of Sultan AgengTirtayasa Jl. Jenderal Sudirman KM 03 Cilegon-Banten 65134 (Indonesia); Hafizah, Mas Ayu Elita, E-mail: kemasayu@yahoo.com; Manaf, Azwar, E-mail: azwar@ui.ac.id [Graduate Program of Material Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences University of Indonesia Jl. Salemba Raya No. 04 Jakarta 10430 (Indonesia)

2016-04-19

This paper reports the particle and crystallite size characterizations of mechanically alloyed Ba{sub (1-x)}Sr{sub x}TiO{sub 3} (BST) with x = 0.3 and 0.7 prepared with the assistance of a high-power sonicator. Analytical grade BaCO{sub 3}, TiO{sub 2} and SrCO{sub 3} precursors with a purity of greater than 99 wt.% were mixed and milled using a planetary ball mill to a powder weight ratio of 10:1. Powders obtained after 20 hours of milling time were then sintered at 1200°C for 4 hours to form crystalline powders.These powders were further treated ultrasonically under a fixed 6.7 gr/l particle concentration in demineralized water for 1, 3, 5, 7 hours and a fixed ultrasonic irradiation time of 1 hour to the dispersion of 6.7; 20; 33.3 gr/l concentrations. As to the results of crystallite size characterization, it is demonstrated that the mean crystallite size of BST with x = 0.3 and 0.7 undergo a slight change after the first 1 hour irradiation time and then remain almost unchanged. This was in contrary to the particle size in which the mean particle size of BST with x = 0.3 increased from 765 nm to 1405 nm after 7 hours irradiation time, while that of x = 0.7 increased from 505 nm to 1298 nm after 3 hours and then reduced back to the initial size after 7 hours ultra sonication time. The increase in particle size was due to large of cohesive forces among fine particles. It is also demonstrated that the concentration of particles in a dispersion with anionic surfactant do not effective to reduce the particle sizes ultrasonically. Nanoparticles with the mean size respectively 40 and 10 times larger than their respective crystallite size were successfully obtained respectively in x = 0.3 and x = 0.7.

Synthesis of strontium substituted barium titanate nanoparticles by mechanical alloying and high power ultrasonication destruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yustanti, Erlina; Hafizah, Mas Ayu Elita; Manaf, Azwar

2016-01-01

This paper reports the particle and crystallite size characterizations of mechanically alloyed Ba (1-x) Sr x TiO 3 (BST) with x = 0.3 and 0.7 prepared with the assistance of a high-power sonicator. Analytical grade BaCO 3 , TiO 2 and SrCO 3 precursors with a purity of greater than 99 wt.% were mixed and milled using a planetary ball mill to a powder weight ratio of 10:1. Powders obtained after 20 hours of milling time were then sintered at 1200°C for 4 hours to form crystalline powders.These powders were further treated ultrasonically under a fixed 6.7 gr/l particle concentration in demineralized water for 1, 3, 5, 7 hours and a fixed ultrasonic irradiation time of 1 hour to the dispersion of 6.7; 20; 33.3 gr/l concentrations. As to the results of crystallite size characterization, it is demonstrated that the mean crystallite size of BST with x = 0.3 and 0.7 undergo a slight change after the first 1 hour irradiation time and then remain almost unchanged. This was in contrary to the particle size in which the mean particle size of BST with x = 0.3 increased from 765 nm to 1405 nm after 7 hours irradiation time, while that of x = 0.7 increased from 505 nm to 1298 nm after 3 hours and then reduced back to the initial size after 7 hours ultra sonication time. The increase in particle size was due to large of cohesive forces among fine particles. It is also demonstrated that the concentration of particles in a dispersion with anionic surfactant do not effective to reduce the particle sizes ultrasonically. Nanoparticles with the mean size respectively 40 and 10 times larger than their respective crystallite size were successfully obtained respectively in x = 0.3 and x = 0.7.