Development and application of the ultrasonic technologies in nuclear engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lebedev, Nikolay; Krasilnikov, Dmitry; Vasiliev, Albert; Dubinin, Gennady; Yurmanov, Viktor

2012-09-01

Efficiency of some traditional chemical technologies in different areas could be significantly increased by adding ultrasonic treatment. For example, ultrasonic treatment was found to improve make-up water systems, decontamination procedures, etc. Improvement of traditional chemical technologies with implementation of ultrasonic treatment has allowed to significantly reducing water waste, including harmful species and radioactive products. The report shows the examples of the recent ultrasonic technology development and application in Russian nuclear engineering. They are as follows: - Preliminary cleaning of surfaces of in-pile parts (e.g. control sensors) prior to their assemblage and welding - Decontamination of grounds and metal surfaces of components with a complex structure -Decrease in sliding friction between fuel rods and grids during VVER reactor fuel assembly manufacturing -Removal of deposits from reactor fuel surfaces in VVER-440s -Increasing the density and strength of pressed sintered items while making fuel pellets and fuel elements, especially mixed-oxide fuel Surface cleanness is very important for the fuel assembly manufacturing, especially prior to welding. An ultrasonic technology for surface cleaning (from graphite and other lubricants, oxides etc.) was developed and implemented. The ultrasonic cleaning is applicable to the parts having both simple shape and different holes. Ultrasonic technology has allowed to improve the surface quality and environmental safety. Ultrasonic treatment appears to be expedient to intensify the chemical decontamination of solid radioactive waste from grounds of different fractions to metallic components. Ultrasonic treatment reduces the decontamination process duration up to 100 times as much. Excellent decontamination factor was received even for the ground fractions below 1 mm. It should be noted that alternative decontamination techniques (e.g. hydraulic separation) are poorly applicable for such ground

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.

Study of effect of slime processed by ultrasonic on flotation reagent

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, W.; Wang, H.; Hu, J. [Heilongjiang Institute of Science and Technology, Harbin (China)

2006-12-15

The changes of wetting heat, oil film thickness, contact angle and absorptive capacity of slime and kerosene before and after ultrasonic treatment were studied by Setaram calorimeter, DCAT21 gauge and a light meter. Batch flotation tests were made. The results show that: the wetting heat from slime and kerosene increases after ultrasonic treatment by 45.85%; the average oil film thickness is reduced by 38.84%; the contact angle of slime and kerosene decreases by 33.56{sup o}; and the absorptive capacity of slime in kerosene decreases by 30.40%. The consumption of flotation reagent after ultrasonic treatment was reduced by 75% while the yield of clean coal was the same. The study shows that ultrasonic treatment decreases the consumption of reagent and increases the efficiency and selectivity of flotation. 8 refs., 3 figs., 4 tabs.

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.

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

Alternative, Green Processes for the Precision Cleaning of Aerospace Hardware

Science.gov (United States)

Maloney, Phillip R.; Grandelli, Heather Eilenfield; Devor, Robert; Hintze, Paul E.; Loftin, Kathleen B.; Tomlin, Douglas J.

2014-01-01

weighed again showing typical contaminant deposition levels of approximately 0.00300g per part. They were then cleaned by the solvent or process being tested and then weighed a third time which allowed for the calculation of the cleaning efficiency of the test solvent or process.Based on preliminary experiments, five solvents (ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, and tert-butyl acetate) were down selected for further testing. When coupled with ultrasonic agitation, these solvents removed hydrocarbon contaminants as well as Vertrel MCA and showed improved removal of perfluorinated greases. Supercritical carbon dioxide did an excellent job dissolving each of the five contaminants but did a poor job of removing Teflon particles found in the perfluorinated greases. Plasma cleaning efficiency was found to be dependent on which supply gas was used, exposure time, and gas pressure. Under optimized conditions it was found that breathing air, energized to the plasma phase, was able to remove nearly 100% of the contamination.These findings indicate that alternative cleaning methods are indeed able to achieve precision levels of cleanliness. Currently, our team is working with a commercial cleaning company to get independent verification of our results. We are also evaluating the technical and financial aspects of scaling these processes to a size capable of supporting the future cleaning needs of KSC.

Remediation of Diesel Fuel Contaminated Sandy Soil using Ultrasonic Waves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wulandari P.S.

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Ultrasonic cleaning has been used in industry for some time, but the application of ultrasonic cleaning in contaminated soil is just recently received considerable attention, it is a very new technique, especially in Indonesia. An ultrasonic cleaner works mostly by energy released from the collapse of millions of microscopic cavitations near the dirty surface. This paper investigates the use of ultrasonic wave to enhance remediation of diesel fuel contaminated sandy soil considering the ultrasonic power, soil particle size, soil density, water flow rate, and duration of ultrasonic waves application.

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...

Process Stability of Ultrasonic-Wave-Assisted Gas Metal Arc Welding

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Chenglei; Xie, Weifeng; Yang, Chunli; Lin, Sanbao; Fan, Yangyang

2017-10-01

As a newly developed arc welding method, ultrasonic-wave-assisted arc welding successfully introduced power ultrasound into the arc and weld pool, during which the ultrasonic acts on the top of the arc in the coaxial alignment direction. The advanced process for molten metals can be realized by using an additional ultrasonic field. Compared with the conventional gas metal arc welding (GMAW), the welding arc is compressed, the droplet size is decreased, and the droplet transfer frequency is increased significantly in ultrasonic-wave-assisted GMAW (U-GMAW). However, the stability of the metal transfer has deep influence on the welding quality equally, and the ultrasonic wave effect on the stability of the metal transfer is a phenomenon that is not completely understood. In this article, the stabilities of the short-circuiting transfer process and globular transfer process are studied systematically, and the effect of ultrasonic wave on the metal transfer is analyzed further. The transfer frequency and process stability of the U-GMAW process are much higher than those of the conventional GMAW. Analytical results show that the additional ultrasonic wave is helpful for improving welding stability.

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

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.

Ultrasonic-assisted manufacturing processes: Variational model and numerical simulations

KAUST Repository

Siddiq, Amir; El Sayed, Tamer

2012-01-01

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

Method of noncontacting ultrasonic process monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, Gabriel V.; Walter, John B.; Telschow, Kenneth L.

1992-01-01

A method of monitoring a material during processing comprising the steps of (a) shining a detection light on the surface of a material; (b) generating ultrasonic waves at the surface of the material to cause a change in frequency of the detection light; (c) detecting a change in the frequency of the detection light at the surface of the material; (d) detecting said ultrasonic waves at the surface point of detection of the material; (e) measuring a change in the time elapsed from generating the ultrasonic waves at the surface of the material and return to the surface point of detection of the material, to determine the transit time; and (f) comparing the transit time to predetermined values to determine properties such as, density and the elastic quality of the material.

Ultrasonic control of ceramic membrane fouling by particles: effect of ultrasonic factors.

Science.gov (United States)

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

2006-07-01

Ultrasound at 20 kHz was applied to a cross-flow ultrafiltration system with gamma-alumina membranes in the presence of colloidal silica particles to systematically investigate how ultrasonic factors affect membrane cleaning. Based on imaging of the ultrasonic cavitation region, optimal cleaning occurred when the membrane was outside but close to the cavitation region. Increasing the filtration pressure increased the compressive forces driving cavitation collapse and resulted in fewer cavitation bubbles absorbing and scattering sound waves and increasing sound wave penetration. However, an increased filtration pressure also resulted in greater permeation drag, and subsequently less improvement in permeate flux compared to low filtration pressure. Finally, pulsed ultrasound with short pulse intervals resulted in permeate flux improvement close to that of continuous sonication.

Enhancement of the automatic ultrasonic signal processing system using digital technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, In Soo; Park, H. Y.; Suh, Y. S.; Kim, D. Hoon; Huh, S.; Sung, S. H.; Jang, G. S.; Ryoo, S. G.; Choi, J. H.; Kim, Y. H.; Lee, J. C.; Kim, D. Hyun; Park, H. J.; Kim, Y. C.; Lee, J. P.; Park, C. H.; Kim, M. S.

1999-12-01

The objective of this study is to develop the automatic ultrasonic signal processing system which can be used in the inspection equipment to assess the integrity of the reactor vessel by enhancing the performance of the ultrasonic signal processing system. Main activities of this study divided into three categories such as the development of the circuits for generating ultrasonic signal and receiving the signal from the inspection equipment, the development of signal processing algorithm and H/W of the data processing system, and the development of the specification for application programs and system S/W for the analysis and evaluation computer. The results of main activities are as follows 1) the design of the ultrasonic detector and the automatic ultrasonic signal processing system by using the investigation of the state-of-the-art technology in the inside and outside of the country. 2) the development of H/W and S/W of the data processing system based on the results. Especially, the H/W of the data processing system, which have both advantages of digital and analog controls through the real-time digital signal processing, was developed using the DSP which can process the digital signal in the real-time, and was developed not only firmware of the data processing system in order for the peripherals but also the test algorithm of specimen for the calibration. The application programs and the system S/W of the analysis/evaluation computer were developed. Developed equipment was verified by the performance test. Based on developed prototype for the automatic ultrasonic signal processing system, the localization of the overall ultrasonic inspection equipment for nuclear industries would be expected through the further studies of the H/W establishment of real applications, developing the S/W specification of the analysis computer. (author)

Effect of acoustic softening on the thermal-mechanical process of ultrasonic welding.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Kunkun; Zhang, Yansong; Wang, Hongze

2017-03-01

Application of ultrasonic energy can reduce the static stress necessary for plastic deformation of metallic materials to reduce forming load and energy, namely acoustic softening effect (ASE). Ultrasonic welding (USW) is a rapid joining process utilizing ultrasonic energy to form a solid state joint between two or more pieces of metals. Quantitative characterization of ASE and its influence on specimen deformation and heat generation is essential to clarify the thermal-mechanical process of ultrasonic welding. In the present work, experiments were set up to found out mechanical behavior of copper and aluminum under combined effect of compression force and ultrasonic energy. Constitutive model was proposed and numerical implemented in finite element model of ultrasonic welding. Thermal-mechanical analysis was put forward to explore the effect of ultrasonic energy on the welding process quantitatively. Conclusions can be drawn that ASE increases structural deformation significantly, which is beneficial for joint formation. Meanwhile, heat generation from both frictional work and plastic deformation is slightly influenced by ASE. Based on the proposed model, relationship between ultrasonic energy and thermal-mechanical behavior of structure during ultrasonic welding was constructed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. 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 micro-burnishing in view of eco-materials processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, C.-H.; Kim, C.S.

2002-01-01

Surface finishing using ultrasonic vibration has been introduced as an eco-materials process in view of the fact that essentially no chemical lubricants of environmental impact are required for the process. An example of a recent application in manufacturing is given. Using a specially designed ultrasonic burnishing tool, we have carried out experiments on aluminum and steel, making surface roughness and hardness measurements and taking photographs of surface morphology using a scanning electron microscope These results are compared with those from ordinary burnishing. Based on the results, the contributions to the measured mechanical properties of each load from the total contact load onto the workpiece surface are discussed, and distinguishing features of surface finishing process using ultrasonic vibration have emerged. Copyright (2002) AD-TECH - International Foundation for the Advancement of Technology Ltd

An implementation of signal processing algorithms for ultrasonic NDE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ericsson, L.; Stepinski, T.

1994-01-01

Probability of detection flaws during ultrasonic pulse-echo inspection is often limited by the presence of backscattered echoes from the material structure. A digital signal processing technique for removal of this material noise, referred to as split spectrum processing (SSP), has been developed and verified using laboratory experiments during the last decade. The authors have performed recently a limited scale evaluation of various SSP techniques for ultrasonic signals acquired during the inspection of welds in austenitic steel. They have obtained very encouraging results that indicate promising capabilities of the SSP for inspection of nuclear power plants. Thus, a more extensive investigation of the technique using large amounts of ultrasonic data is motivated. This analysis should employ different combinations of materials, flaws and transducers. Due to the considerable number of ultrasonic signals required to verify the technique for future practical use, a custom-made computer software is necessary. At the request of the Swedish nuclear power industry the authors have developed such a program package. The program provides a user-friendly graphical interface and is intended for processing of B-scan data in a flexible way. Assembled in the program are a number of signal processing algorithms including traditional Split Spectrum Processing and the more recent Cut Spectrum Processing algorithm developed by them. The program and some results obtained using the various algorithms are presented in the paper

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

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of cleaning procedures for synchrotron radiation beamline materials at the Advanced Photon Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Y.; Ryding, D.; Liu, C.; Kuzay, T.M.; McDowell, M.W.; Rosenberg, R.A.

1994-01-01

TZM (a high temperature molybdenum alloy), machinable tungsten, and 304 stainless steel were cleaned using environmentally safe, commercially available cleaning detergents. The surface cleanliness was evaluated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that a simple alkaline detergent is very effective at removal of organic and inorganic surface contaminants or foreign particle residue from machining processes. The detergent can be used with ultrasonic agitation at 140 F to clean the TZM molybdenum, machinable tungsten, and 304 stainless steel. A citric-acid-based detergent was also found to be effective at cleaning metal oxides, such as iron oxide, molybdenum oxide, as well as tungsten oxides at mild temperatures with ultrasonic agitation, and it can be used to replace strong inorganic acids to improve cleaning safety and minimize waste disposal and other environmental problems. The efficiency of removing the metal oxides depends on both cleaning temperature and time

Cleaning of spent solvent and method of processing cleaning liquid waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozawa, Masaki; Kawada, Tomio; Tamura, Nobuhiko.

1993-01-01

Spent solvents discharged from a solvent extracting step mainly comprise n-dodecane and TBP and contain nuclear fission products and solvent degradation products. The spent solvents are cleaned by using a sodium chloride free detergent comprising hydrazine oxalate and hydrazine carbonate in a solvent cleaning device. Nitric acid is added to the cleaning liquid wastes containing spent detergents extracted from the solvent cleaning device, to control an acid concentration. The detergent liquid wastes of controlled acid concentration are sent to an electrolysis oxidation bath as electrolytes and electrochemically decomposed in carbonic acid gas, nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas. The decomposed gases are processed as off gases. The decomposed liquid wastes are processed as a waste nitric acid solution. This can provide more effective cleaning. In addition, the spent detergent can be easily decomposed in a room temperature region. Accordingly, the amount of wastes can be decreased. (I.N.)

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 signal processing for sizing under-clad flaws

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shankar, R.; Paradiso, T.J.; Lane, S.S.; Quinn, J.R.

1985-01-01

Ultrasonic digital data were collected from underclad cracks in sample pressure vessel specimen blocks. These blocks were weld cladded under different processes to simulate actual conditions in US Pressure Water Reactors. Each crack was represented by a flaw-echo dynamic curve which is a plot of the transducer motion on the surface as a function of the ultrasonic response into the material. Crack depth sizing was performed by identifying in the dynamic curve the crack tip diffraction signals from the upper and lower tips. This paper describes the experimental procedure, digital signal processing methods used and algorithms developed for crack depth sizing

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

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.

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.

STADUS - Ultrasonic data acquisition and processing system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1982-05-01

The CEA (Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique) has developed a system for the acquisition and analysis of data recorded during ultrasonic testing. Initially this system was designed and built for the needs of in-service inspection of PWR type power reactors. It is in far wider use today for miscellaneous automatic ultrasonic inspection procedures. This system records, in digital form, the ultrasonic data supplied by the transducers (maximum 16 simultaneous channels), and the geometric coordinates defining the position of the inspection tool. Based on these data, which are recorded on floppy disk, this system helps to display data in the form of A SCAN, B SCAN and C SCAN images. In addition, processing programs of data transfer from the STADUS floppy disks have been developed and inserted on computers more powerful than the one used in the STADUS system. These programs serve to obtain different fault charts on an adjustable scale, as well as listings concerning the defect positions and dimensions [fr

Thickness measurement by using cepstrum ultrasonic signal processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Young Chul; Yoon, Chan Hoon; Choi, Heui Joo; Park, Jong Sun

2014-01-01

Ultrasonic thickness measurement is a non-destructive method to measure the local thickness of a solid element, based on the time taken for an ultrasound wave to return to the surface. When an element is very thin, it is difficult to measure thickness with the conventional ultrasonic thickness method. This is because the method measures the time delay by using the peak of a pulse, and the pulses overlap. To solve this problem, we propose a method for measuring thickness by using the power cepstrum and the minimum variance cepstrum. Because the cepstrums processing can divides the ultrasound into an impulse train and transfer function, where the period of the impulse train is the traversal time, the thickness can be measured exactly. To verify the proposed method, we performed experiments with steel and, acrylic plates of variable thickness. The conventional method is not able to estimate the thickness, because of the overlapping pulses. However, the cepstrum ultrasonic signal processing that divides a pulse into an impulse and a transfer function can measure the thickness exactly.

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.

Diamond-cleaning investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Derry, T.E.

Four parcels of diamonds which either had or had not been cleaned using the usual techniques, chiefly involving etch in molten potassium nitrate were supplied by De Beers Diamond Research Laboratories. Each parcel contained about 40 stones, amounting to about 10 carats. Half the diamonds in each parcel were cleaned by a standard procedure involving half an hours ultrasonic agitation in a 20% solution of the commercial detergent 'Contrad' which is effectively a surfactant and chelating agent. Visual comparisons by a number of observers who were not told the stones' histories, established that these diamonds generally had a more sparkling appearance after the cleaning procedure had been applied

Physical cleaning by bubbly streaming flow in an ultrasound field

Science.gov (United States)

Yamashita, Tatsuya; Ando, Keita

2017-11-01

Low-intensity ultrasonic cleaning with gas-supersaturated water is a promising method of physical cleaning without erosion; we are able to trigger cavitation bubble nucleation by weak ultrasound under gas supersaturation and thus clean material surfaces by mild bubble dynamics. Here, we perform particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurement of liquid flow and cavitation bubble translation in an ultrasonic cleaning bath driven at 28 kHz and then relate it to cleaning tests using glass slides at which silica particles are attached. The ultrasound pressure amplitude at the cleaning spot is set at 1.4 atm. We select the supersaturation level of dissolved oxygen (DO) as a parameter and control it by oxygen microbubble aeration. It follows from the PIV measurement that the liquid flow is enhanced by the cavitation bubble translation driven by acoustic radiation force; this trend becomes clearer when the bubbles appear more densely as the DO supersaturation increases. In the cleaning tests, the cleaned areas appear as straight streaks. This suggests that physical cleaning is achieved mainly by cavitation bubbles that translate in ultrasound fields.

Preliminary Results of Cleaning Process for Lubricant Contamination

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenmann, D.; Brasche, L.; Lopez, R.

2006-03-01

Fluorescent penetrant inspection (FPI) is widely used for aviation and other components for surface-breaking crack detection. As with all inspection methods, adherence to the process parameters is critical to the successful detection of defects. Prior to FPI, components are cleaned using a variety of cleaning methods which are selected based on the alloy and the soil types which must be removed. It is also important that the cleaning process not adversely affect the FPI process. There are a variety of lubricants and surface coatings used in the aviation industry which must be removed prior to FPI. To assess the effectiveness of typical cleaning processes on removal of these contaminants, a study was initiated at an airline overhaul facility. Initial results of the cleaning study for lubricant contamination in nickel, titanium and aluminum alloys will be presented.

Preliminary Results of Cleaning Process for Lubricant Contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eisenmann, D.; Brasche, L.; Lopez, R.

2006-01-01

Fluorescent penetrant inspection (FPI) is widely used for aviation and other components for surface-breaking crack detection. As with all inspection methods, adherence to the process parameters is critical to the successful detection of defects. Prior to FPI, components are cleaned using a variety of cleaning methods which are selected based on the alloy and the soil types which must be removed. It is also important that the cleaning process not adversely affect the FPI process. There are a variety of lubricants and surface coatings used in the aviation industry which must be removed prior to FPI. To assess the effectiveness of typical cleaning processes on removal of these contaminants, a study was initiated at an airline overhaul facility. Initial results of the cleaning study for lubricant contamination in nickel, titanium and aluminum alloys will be presented

Image processing applied to automatic detection of defects during ultrasonic examination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moysan, J.

1992-10-01

This work is a study about image processing applied to ultrasonic BSCAN images which are obtained in the field of non destructive testing of weld. The goal is to define what image processing techniques can bring to ameliorate the exploitation of the data collected and, more precisely, what image processing can do to extract the meaningful echoes which enable to characterize and to size the defects. The report presents non destructive testing by ultrasounds in the nuclear field and it indicates specificities of the propagation of ultrasonic waves in austenitic weld. It gives a state of the art of the data processing applied to ultrasonic images in nondestructive evaluation. A new image analysis is then developed. It is based on a powerful tool, the co-occurrence matrix. This matrix enables to represent, in a whole representation, relations between amplitudes of couples of pixels. From the matrix analysis, a new complete and automatic method has been set down in order to define a threshold which separates echoes from noise. An automatic interpretation of the ultrasonic echoes is then possible. Complete validation has been done with standard pieces

[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.

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.

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

Optimization of the ultrasonic processing in a melt flow

OpenAIRE

Tzanakis, I; Lebon, GSB; Eskin, DG; Pericleous, K

2016-01-01

Ultrasonic cavitation treatment of melt significantly improves the downstream properties and quality of conventional and advanced metallic materials. However, the transfer of this technology to treating large melt volumes has been hindered by a lack of fundamental knowledge, allowing for the ultrasonic processing in the melt flow. In this study, we present the results of experimental validation of an advanced numerical model applied to the acoustic cavitation treatment of liquid aluminum duri...

Ultrasonic processing for recovery of chicken erythrocyte hemoglobin

Science.gov (United States)

Hemoglobin from chicken blood has been shown to be a good substitute for synthetic polymeric flocculants. One stage of processing the blood entails breaking open the cells and releasing the cytoplasmic contents; in the present study, we investigate the use of ultrasonic processing at this stage. Was...

Alternative Solvents and Technologies for Precision Cleaning of Aerospace Components

Science.gov (United States)

Grandelli, Heather; Maloney, Phillip; DeVor, Robert; Hintze, Paul

2014-01-01

Precision cleaning solvents for aerospace components and oxygen fuel systems, including currently used Vertrel-MCA, have a negative environmental legacy, high global warming potential, and have polluted cleaning sites. Thus, alternative solvents and technologies are being investigated with the aim of achieving precision contamination levels of less than 1 mg/sq ft. The technologies being evaluated are ultrasonic bath cleaning, plasma cleaning and supercritical carbon dioxide cleaning.

[Assessment of decontamination processes: cleaning, disinfection and sterilization in dental practice in Poland in the years 2011-2012].

Science.gov (United States)

Röhm-Rodowald, Ewa; Jakimiak, Bozenna; Chojecka, Agnieszka; Zmuda-Baranowska, Magdalena; Kanclerski, Krzysztof

2012-01-01

Effective decontamination of instruments is a key element of infection control and the provision of high quality in dental care. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficiency of decontamination procedures including cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of re-usable instruments in dental practices in Poland. The efficiency of disinfection and sterilization processes have been evaluated on the results of the questionnaires. The following information were taken into account: setting where disinfection and sterilization had been performed, preparation of dental equipment for sterilization (disinfection, washing and cleaning, packaging), the types of autoclaves and used types of sterilization cycles, routine monitoring and documentation of sterilization processes, treatment of handpieces and the frequency of surface decontamination. Data were collected from 43 dental practices (35 dental offices and 8 clinics). Disinfection and cleaning processes were performed manually in 63% of dental offices and ultrasonic baths were used in 53% of settings. Washer disinfectors were used in 23% of dental practices: in every researched clinic and in a few dental offices. All sterilization processes were performed in steam autoclaves, mainly in small steam sterilizers (81%). Dental handpieces were sterilized in 72% of practices, but only 33% of them performed sterilization in recommended cycle B. Sterilization processes were monitored with chemical indicators in 33% of practices. Biological monitoring of the processes was carried out at different intervals. Incorrect documentation of instruments and surfaces decontamination was recorded in several settings. There is still a need for improvement of decontamination processes in dental practice in Poland. Areas for improvement include: replacement of manual cleaning and disinfection processes with automatic processes, sterilization of dental handpieces after each patient, monitoring of a sterilization process with chemical and

Validation of cleaning method for various parts fabricated at a Beryllium facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davis, Cynthia M. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2015-12-15

This study evaluated and documented a cleaning process that is used to clean parts that are fabricated at a beryllium facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The purpose of evaluating this cleaning process was to validate and approve it for future use to assure beryllium surface levels are below the Department of Energy’s release limits without the need to sample all parts leaving the facility. Inhaling or coming in contact with beryllium can cause an immune response that can result in an individual becoming sensitized to beryllium, which can then lead to a disease of the lungs called chronic beryllium disease, and possibly lung cancer. Thirty aluminum and thirty stainless steel parts were fabricated on a lathe in the beryllium facility, as well as thirty-two beryllium parts, for the purpose of testing a parts cleaning method that involved the use of ultrasonic cleaners. A cleaning method was created, documented, validated, and approved, to reduce beryllium contamination.

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.

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

Signal Processing Effects for Ultrasonic Guided Wave Scanning of Composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roth, D.J.; Cosgriff, L.M.; Martin, R.E.; Burns, E.A.; Teemer, L.

2005-01-01

The goal of this ongoing work is to optimize experimental variables for a guided wave scanning method to obtain the most revealing and accurate images of defect conditions in composite materials. This study focuses on signal processing effects involved in forming guided wave scan images. Signal processing is involved at two basic levels for deriving ultrasonic guided wave scan images. At the primary level, NASA GRC has developed algorithms to extract over 30 parameters from the multimode signal and its power spectral density. At the secondary level, there are many variables for which values must be chosen that affect actual computation of these parameters. In this study, a ceramic matrix composite sample having a delamination is characterized using the ultrasonic guided wave scan method. Energy balance and decay rate parameters of the guided wave at each scan location are calculated to form images. These images are compared with ultrasonic c-scan and thermography images. The effect of the time portion of the waveform processed on image quality is assessed by comparing with images formed using the total waveform acquired

Influences of ultrasonic irradiation on the morphology and structure of nanoporous Co nanoparticles during chemical dealloying

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui Li

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The Co-61.8 wt% Al nanoparticles of 45 nm were prepared by hydrogen plasma-metal reaction (HPMR method. The nanoparticles display core shell structure with Al13Co4 and CoAl core and aluminum oxide shell (about 2 nm. Under ultrasonic irradiation, nanoporous fcc-Co nanoparticles were produced successfully by chemically dealloying the Co-Al nanoparticles at room temperature, whereas, without ultrasonic irradiation CoAl phase could hardly react with sodium hydroxide solution. At 323 K the Co-Al nanoparticles could be dealloyed to fcc-Co and hcp-Co phases even without ultrasonic irradiation. The surface area of the dealloyed nanoparticles under ultrasonic irradiation was larger than that of the dealloyed sample without ultrasonic irradiation at the same temperature. It is believed that the microjet and shock-wave induced by ultrasonic irradiation give rise to particles size reduction, interparticle collision and surface cleaning, and accelerate the dealloying process and the phase transformation.

Characterization for coating processes of imidazole powders using an ultrasonic atomizer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jun Sik; Kim, Jun Ki [Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Incheon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Mok Soon [Inha University, Incheon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jong Hyun [Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2010-01-15

Imidazole-curing accelerator powders were coated with stearic acid to increase the pot life of anisotropic conductive adhesive (ACA) formulations. To accomplish an efficient coating process, the coating was tested using an ultrasonic atomizer after mixing imidazole powders with a molten coating agent. Design of experiments analysis was organized to elucidate the effect of process parameters and to determine the most crucial parameter. The final formulation incorporating well-processed imidazole loaded powders indicated longer pot life, higher shear strength, and excellent highly accelerated stress test (HAST) reliability. Results show that the coating process using an ultrasonic atomizer is effective in increasing the pot life of ACA formulations

Sampling phased array a new technique for signal processing and ultrasonic imaging

OpenAIRE

Bulavinov, A.; Joneit, D.; Kröning, M.; Bernus, L.; Dalichow, M.H.; Reddy, K.M.

2006-01-01

Different signal processing and image reconstruction techniques are applied in ultrasonic non-destructive material evaluation. In recent years, rapid development in the fields of microelectronics and computer engineering lead to wide application of phased array systems. A new phased array technique, called "Sampling Phased Array" has been developed in Fraunhofer Institute for non-destructive testing. It realizes unique approach of measurement and processing of ultrasonic signals. The sampling...

Sampling phased array - a new technique for ultrasonic signal processing and imaging

OpenAIRE

Verkooijen, J.; Boulavinov, A.

2008-01-01

Over the past 10 years, the improvement in the field of microelectronics and computer engineering has led to significant advances in ultrasonic signal processing and image construction techniques that are currently being applied to non-destructive material evaluation. A new phased array technique, called 'Sampling Phased Array', has been developed in the Fraunhofer Institute for Non-Destructive Testing([1]). It realises a unique approach of measurement and processing of ultrasonic signals. Th...

Ultrasonic filtration of industrial chemical solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Cosma, T.

1974-01-01

The practical results obtained as a result of filtering industrial chemical solutions under continuous flow conditions with the aid of an ultrasonic filter are presented. The main part of the assembly consists of an ultrasonic generator with an output power of about 400 W and the filtration assembly, in which there is a magnetostrictive amplifier constructed for 20.5 kHz. In addition to ensuring a continuous flow of filtered solution, ultrasonic filters can be replaced or cleaned at intervals of time that are 8-10 times greater than in the case of mechanical filters. They yield considerably better results as far as the size of the filtered particles is concerned. The parameters on which filtration quality depends are also presented.

Characterising the acoustoplastic effect in an ultrasonically assisted metal forming process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aziz, S A; Lucas, M

2012-01-01

An investigation through experiments and finite element analysis (FEA) has been carried out to study the effects of applying ultrasonic oscillations to the lower platen in forming tests for two different metals. Previous research has shown that by applying ultrasonic vibrations to the lower platen in compression tests on pure aluminium specimens, the resulting stress-strain relationship can be characterised by a temporary effective softening of the material properties during intervals of ultrasonic excitation. The current research demonstrates this effect in two different metal specimens and additionally shows that finite element simulations can be used to model the behaviour in terms of both volume and surface effects. In this study, the ultrasonic excitation was introduced both prior to and post yield and the process simulations were developed in the FEA software Abaqus. The data recorded from experiments and predicted by the FEA illustrate how ultrasonically assisted metal forming can result in a lowering of the static flow stress, consistent with the effective material softening proposed previously in studies of the acoustoplastic effect.

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.

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.

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.

Characterization of the ultrasonic welding process in the production of women's health devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morales Elizondo, Jenniffer

2014-01-01

The characterization of the ultrasonic welding process in the area of women's health is performed to determine appropriate levels for the critical variables of the process to guarantee the quality specifications of the devices. The handle of the product A is detached. The assembly was made under pressure. Available technologies have been studied to comply with the regulations of medical industry to propose a change in process to a product B. The ultrasonic technology is used to weld the handle of the device to prevent the release of the two parts of the handle of the medical device. A variable characterization process was performed to determine which variables are critical to the process and define the operation parameters of ultrasonic welding. A number of designs of experiments is carried out, first the parameters behavior of the equipment is evaluated to analyze which have greater influence on the quality of the weld. A full factorial design was developed with all process input variables and input variables that are significant was performed another series of designs of experiments to determine the parameters of the process.The conclusion for the ultrasonic welding process in the product B has been that the critical variables or that have had a greater influence on the quality and appearance in experienced designs are: pressure and soldier collapse. The process of ultrasonic welded cycle has started to arrive at the value of driving force that tells the computer. The input variable is recommended to be the lowest possible to weld components using the ordering of particles product of ultrasonic welded avoiding compression component. (author) [es

The successful of finite element to invent particle cleaning system by air jet in hard disk drive

Science.gov (United States)

Jai-Ngam, Nualpun; Tangchaichit, Kaitfa

2018-02-01

Hard Disk Drive manufacturing has faced very challenging with the increasing demand of high capacity drives for Cloud-based storage. Particle adhesion has also become increasingly important in HDD to gain more reliability of storage capacity. The ability to clean on surfaces is more complicated in removing such particles without damaging the surface. This research is aim to improve the particle cleaning in HSA by using finite element to develop the air flow model then invent the prototype of air cleaning system to remove particle from surface. Surface cleaning by air pressure can be applied as alternative for the removal of solid particulate contaminants that is adhering on a solid surface. These technical and economic challenges have driven the process development from traditional way that chemical solvent cleaning. The focus of this study is to develop alternative way from scrub, ultrasonic, mega sonic on surface cleaning principles to serve as a foundation for the development of new processes to meet current state-of-the-art process requirements and minimize the waste from chemical cleaning for environment safety.

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.

INVESTIGATION OF MATERIAL RESISTANCE TO PLASTIC DEFORMATION AT PROCESSING METALS BY PRESSURE WITH IMPOSING ULTRASONIC OSCILLATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. V. Klubovich

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The paper contains substantiation for application of experimental technique in order to investigate material resistance to plastic deformation at processing metals by pressure with imposing ultrasonic oscillations while proceeding from laws of similarity. It is shown that at modeling any metal processing by pressure with imposing ultrasonic oscillations it is possible to consider that actual elastic and plastic metal properties remain constant during processing under ultrasound action. The second aspect that requires a special attention at modeling is pulse or vibration-shock deformation at processing metals by pressure with imposing ultrasonic oscillations.

Noncontact COS charge analysis for in-line monitoring of wet cleaning processes

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiafang; Juang, Min; Tai, Sung-Shan; Chen, Kuo-in; Wossen, Ejigu; Horner, Gregory

1998-08-01

Contamination levels in chemical cleaning equipment and wafer cleanliness in general are very critical to semiconductor manufacturers. In this work, a Keithley Instruments non contact electrical tester (Quantox) is used to measure the mobile ion (Qm) contamination in a variety of cleaning processes. Results show that photoresist strip cleaning process has a higher mobile ion concentration than standard pre-diffusion cleaning process. RCA1, RCA2 and HF solutions mapping measured by the Quantox indicates some negative static charges on the surface after cleaning. This negative field appears to assist Qm removal during wet chemical cleaning. The dependence of flatband voltage and other oxide charges on various cleaning processes has also been investigated using the Quantox. The data suggests that a dipole layer has been formed by a surface reaction during chemical cleaning.

Processing method for cleaning water waste from cement kneader

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soda, Kenzo; Fujita, Hisao; Nakajima, Tadashi.

1990-01-01

The present invention concerns a method of processing cleaning water wastes from a cement kneader in a case of processing liquid wastes containing radioactive wastes or deleterious materials such as heavy metals by means of cement solidification. Cleaning waste wastes from the kneader are sent to a cleaning water waste tank, in which gentle stirring is applied near the bottom and sludges are retained so as not to be coagulated. Sludges retained at the bottom of the cleaning water waste tank are sent after elapse of a predetermined time and then kneaded with cements. Thus, since the sludges in the cleaning water are solidified with cement, inhomogenous solidification products consisting only of cleaning sludges with low strength are not formed. The resultant solidification product is homogenous and the compression strength thereof reaches such a level as capable of satisfying marine disposal standards required for the solidification products of radioactive wastes. (I.N.)

Ultrasonic and mechanical soil washing processes for the remediation of heavy-metal-contaminated soil

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Seulgi; Lee, Wontae; Son, Younggyu

2016-07-01

Ultrasonic/mechanical soil washing process was investigated and compared with ultrasonic process and mechanical process using a relatively large lab-scale sonoreactor. It was found that higher removal efficiencies were observed in the combined processes for 0.1 and 0.3 M HCl washing liquids. It was due to the combination effects of macroscale removal for the overall range of slurry by mechanical mixing and microscale removal for the limited zone of slurry by cavitational actions.

Quantitative Evaluation of Contamination on Dental Zirconia Ceramic by Silicone Disclosing Agents after Different Cleaning Procedures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastian Wille

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of cleaning procedures for air-abraded zirconia after contamination with two silicone disclosing agents. Air-abraded zirconia ceramic specimens (IPS e.max ZirCAD were contaminated with either GC Fit Checker white or GC Fit Checker II. Untreated zirconia specimens were used as control. Afterwards the surfaces were cleaned either with waterspray or ultrasonically in 99% isopropanol or using a newly developed cleaning paste (Ivoclean. After cleaning X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS was performed and the relative peak intensities of Zr, C and Si were used for a qualitative comparison of the residuals. There was no significant difference between the two different silicone disclosing agents. An additional cleaning step with isopropanol led to a significantly lower amount of residuals on the surface, but an additional cleaning process with Ivoclean did not reduce the amount of carbon residuals in comparison to the isopropanol cleaning. Just the silicone amount on the surface was reduced. None of the investigated cleaning processes removed all residuals from the contaminated surface. Standard cleaning processes do not remove all residuals of the silicone disclosing agent from the surface. This may lead to a failure of the resin-ceramic bonding.

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.

Ultrasonic Real-Time Quality Monitoring Of Aluminum Spot Weld Process

Science.gov (United States)

Perez Regalado, Waldo Josue

The real-time ultrasonic spot weld monitoring system, introduced by our research group, has been designed for the unsupervised quality characterization of the spot welding process. It comprises the ultrasonic transducer (probe) built into one of the welding electrodes and an electronics hardware unit which gathers information from the transducer, performs real-time weld quality characterization and communicates with the robot programmable logic controller (PLC). The system has been fully developed for the inspection of spot welds manufactured in steel alloys, and has been mainly applied in the automotive industry. In recent years, a variety of materials have been introduced to the automotive industry. These include high strength steels, magnesium alloys, and aluminum alloys. Aluminum alloys have been of particular interest due to their high strength-to-weight ratio. Resistance spot welding requirements for aluminum vary greatly from those of steel. Additionally, the oxide film formed on the aluminum surface increases the heat generation between the copper electrodes and the aluminum plates leading to accelerated electrode deterioration. Preliminary studies showed that the real-time quality inspection system was not able to monitor spot welds manufactured with aluminum. The extensive experimental research, finite element modelling of the aluminum welding process and finite difference modeling of the acoustic wave propagation through the aluminum spot welds presented in this dissertation, revealed that the thermodynamics and hence the acoustic wave propagation through an aluminum and a steel spot weld differ significantly. For this reason, the hardware requirements and the algorithms developed to determine the welds quality from the ultrasonic data used on steel, no longer apply on aluminum spot welds. After updating the system and designing the required algorithms, parameters such as liquid nugget penetration and nugget diameter were available in the ultrasonic data

Update-processing steam generator cleaning solvent at Palo Verde

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peters, G.

1996-01-01

Framatome Technologies Inc.(FTI) recently completed the steam generator chemical cleanings at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station Units 1, 2 and 3. Over 500,000 gallons of low-level radioactive solvents were generated during these cleanings and were processed on-site. Chemical cleaning solutions containing high concentrations of organic chelating wastes are difficult to reduce in volume using standard technologies. The process that was ultimately used at Palo Verde involved three distinct processing steps: The evaporation step was conducted using FTI's submerged combustion evaporator (SCE) that has also been successfully used at Arkansas Nuclear One - Unit 1, Three Mile Island - Unit 1, and Oconee on similar waste. The polishing step of the distillate used ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) technology that was also used extensively by Ontario Hydro to assist in their processing of chemical cleaning solvent. This technology, equipment, and operations personnel were provided by Zenon Environmental, Inc. The concentrate from the evaporator was absorbed with a special open-quotes peat mossclose quotes based media that allowed it to be shipped and buried at the Environcare of Utah facility. This is the first time that this absorption media or burial site has been used for chemical cleaning solvent

AQUEOUS CLEANING OF PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD STENCILS

Science.gov (United States)

The USEPA through NRMRL has partnered with the California Dept. of Toxic Substance Control under an ETV Pilot Project to verigy polllution prevention, recycling and waste treatment technologies. One of the projects selected for verification was the ultrasonic aqueous cleaning tec...

Material compatibility and corrosion control of the KWU chemical cleaning process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Odar, S.

1994-01-01

The concentrations of salt impurities within the deposits on the tube sheet and in the tube to tube-support-plate crevices can induce a variety of corrosion mechanisms on steam generator tubes. One of the most effective ways of counteracting corrosion mechanisms and thus of improving steam generator performance is to clean the steam generators and keep them in a clean condition. As shown by field results chemical cleaning is a way of removing hazardous deposits from steam generators. All available chemical cleaning processes use inhibitors to control the corrosion except the KWU chemical cleaning process. In this article the corrosion control technique of KWU Chemical Cleaning Process without using conventional inhibitors will be explained and the state of the field experience with respect to material compatibility will be presented. (author). 4 figs., 1 tab., 8 refs

EPRI/Alberta Research Council Clean Soil Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spear, C.E.

1992-12-01

The EPRI/Alberta Research Council Clean Soil Process can remove hydrocarbon contamination from waste material from manufactured gas plants. The process uses coal as an absorbent to remove hydrocarbons. For petroleum contaminated soils, the process can bring residual concentration of petroleum below 0.1 percent and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration to 1--5 ppM. For coal tar contaminated soils, the process can reduce tar concentrations to about 0.05-0.5 percent and the PAH concentration to about 10--60 ppM. Additional post-treatment may be required for some precleaned soils. The process yields by-product agglomerates suitable for combustion in industrial boilers. Light hydrocarbons such as benzene are vaporized from the soil, condensed and collected in the Process and disposed of off-site. The Clean Soil Process has been tested at pilot-plant scale. A conceptual design for a 200-tons-per-day plant yielded a capital cost estimated at $3.1 million with a per-ton operating cost of $40

Field experience with KWU SG chemical cleaning process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Odar, S.

1989-01-01

The ingress of corrosion products into PWR steam generators (SG's) their deposition and the subsequent concentration of salt impurities can induce a variety of mechanisms for corrosion attack on SG tubing. Already, some plants have had to replace their steam generators due to severe corrosion damage and others are seriously considering the same costly action in the near future. One of the most effective ways to counteract corrosion mechanisms and thus to reduce the likelihood of SG replacement becoming necessary is to clean the SG's and to keep them clean. For many years, the industry has been involved in developing different types of cleaning techniques. Among these, chemical cleaning has been shown to be especially effective. In this article, the KWU chemical cleaning process, for which there is considerable application experience, is described. The results of field applications will be presented together with material compatibility data and information on cleaning effectiveness. (author)

[Optimization of ultrasonic extraction process for Xiaoqinglong granules by Box-Behnken in condition of medium scale].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zheng-Kuan; Shi, Xiao-Meng; Liu, Yuan; Zhang, Qing-Fen; Wu, Jian-Xiong; Bi, Yu-An; Wang, Zhen-Zhong; Xiao, Wei

2016-02-01

This paper is to investigate the optimization conditions of ultrasonic technique for extraction process of Xiaoqinglong granules in medium scale. First of all, single factor experiment was used to determine the overall impact tendency and range of each factor； secondly, Box-Behnken method was used for optimization and detecting the content of paeoniflorin, ephedrine hydrochloride, glycyrrhizic acid of the liquid medicine. Their respective extraction rate was calculated and the comprehensive evaluation was carried out. The results were used as the evaluation basis for the efficacy of Xiaoqinglong granules ultrasonic extraction. The test results showed that the optimum extraction process of Xiaoqinglong granules by ultrasonic extraction was under the following conditions: ultrasonic power 600 W, liquid-solid ratio 10∶1, extraction for 31 min. Under this condition, the predicted value of extraction rate for Xiaoqinglong granules was 85.90%, and the test value was 85.87%. The mathematical model(P<0.01) established in this paper was significant, and can be used for the analysis and prediction of the ultrasonic extraction process of Xiaoqinglong granules. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Chemical-cleaning process evaluation: Westinghouse steam generators. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cleary, W.F.; Gockley, G.B.

1983-04-01

The Steam Generator Owners Group (SGOG)/Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Steam Generator Secondary Side Chemical Cleaning Program, under develpment since 1978, has resulted in a generic process for the removal of accumulated corrosion products and tube deposits in the tube support plate crevices. The SGOG/EPRI Project S150-3 was established to obtain an evaluation of the generic process in regard to its applicability to Westinghouse steam generators. The results of the evaluation form the basis for recommendations for transferring the generic process to a plant specific application and identify chemical cleaning corrosion guidelines for the materials in Westinghouse Steam Generators. The results of the evaluation, recommendations for plant-specific applications and corrosion guidelines for chemical cleaning are presented in this report

Performance of ultrasonic and hydrogen peroxide technologies in removal of Bisphenol A from Aqueous solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MH Dehghani

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction:BPA is a non biodegradable antioxidant that has greatly hazardous for human and animals health. and Because of the eliminating alone fewness amount of the BPA during the wastewater treatment, wastewater that contains BPA can be source of pollution in aqueous solution. The objective of this study was Performance of ultrasonic and H2O2 technologies in removal of BPA from aqueous solution. Methods:Experiments of sonochemical was carried out with use of unit ultrasonicator (Elma, which in the two power 300 and 500W, frequencies at 35 and 130KHz. Hydrogen Peroxide in concentrations at 5, 15 and 30mg/lit was applied. Initial concentration BPA at limits 2, 5, 20 and 50 mg/lit which For measuring concentration of BPA used from Spectrometer UV/VIS Lambada 25 Perkin Elmer, Shelton unit. Results:The results demonstrated that hybrid ultrasonic and peroxide Hydrogen processes with Efficiency 98.65%,  has the highest efficiency in the removal of BPA. The most decomposition rate achieved at the frequency of 130 KHz and 500W assisted by 30mg/lit H2O2 at pH 11. Also the results demonstrated that with pH increase destruction rate BPA the increased by any three processes (ultrasonic, H2O2 and both hybrid. Conclusion:The results demonstrated that hybrid ultrasonic and peroxide Hydrogen processes can be used as a clean method and friendly environment for waters treatment are contains desirable BPA.

New, clean handling process introduced to improve cable quality

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunt, C G

1990-05-01

The clean room system introduced by Canada Wire and Cable Limited in its Toronto plant for its cable manufacturing operation is described. While clean room technology is common in the food processing industry, optical and aerospace manufacturing processes, this is the first time it has been applied to wire and cable extrusion in North America. The purpose of the clean compound handling system is to prevent particle contamination in the shielding and cable insulation materials, as part of an effort to prevent premature underground electric cable failures. Two rooms are dedicated to handling different types of insulation compound, two are dedicated to receiving semi-conducting shielding material, and the fifth room functions as an air lock for the two insulation rooms. The atmosphere is highly regulated with programmable logic control. The air supply filters capture 99.97% of all particles 0.3 microns or larger. The system also maintains air temperature, relative humidity and static pressure. The life variability of cross-linked polyethylene primary distribution cable is dependant on five factors: material purity, extra clean compound handling, cable design, manufacturing process, and installation and operation practices. The clean room system is expected to result in cable that is more resistant to water treeing failures. 2 figs.

Occupational radon expositions during cleaning processes of water reservoirs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hingmann, H.; Ehret, V.; Hegenbart, L.; Krieg, K.

2002-01-01

According to the new German ''Strahlenschutzverordnung'' (Radiation Protection Directive) the annual dose due to the exposition to radon has to be estimated for employees of water works. This includes employees of service companies. While the job of employees of water works usually covers a broad spectrum of different activities, employees of service companies may spend a considerable amount of time of their total working hours cleaning water reservoirs. This investigation is concerned with this type of employees. The radon exposition of one or more cleaning processes were determined by passive dosimeters. The mean radon concentration was calculated for the duration of the cleaning process. In some cases, members of the project team accompanied cleaning processes and performed stationary radon measurements on site. Sometimes, parallel to the passive dosimeters, electronic dosimeters were used to measure personal exposure. The results - and results from additional laboratory reference measurements - are compared. All results until January 2002 are considered. The project still goes on and will end in summer of 2002. Experiences made during this investigation are described in the end of this report. (orig.)

A multi-purpose ultrasonic streaming mixer for integrated magnetic bead ELISAs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandhoff, Lukas; Lang, Walter; Vellekoop, Michael J; Zirath, Helene; Peham, Johannes; Wiesinger-Mayr, Herbert; Salas, Mariugenia; Haller, Anna; Spittler, Andreas; Schnetz, Guntram

2015-01-01

We present an ultrasonic streaming mixer for disposable and on-chip magnetic bead ELISAs. The ultrasonic transducer is placed at system-level to keep cost per chip as low as possible, and is coupled to the chip by means of a solid ultrasonic horn. The system provides mixing of liquids, as well as dispersion of the superparamagnetic beads in the ELISA. Additionally it can be used clean the chamber surface from nonspecifically bound proteins during the washing steps in the ELISA protocol. Using our system the time for the ELISA protocol has been greatly reduced down to 30 min. (paper)

The role of ultrasonic cavitation in refining the microstructure of aluminum based nanocomposites during the solidification process.

Science.gov (United States)

Xuan, Yang; Nastac, Laurentiu

2018-02-01

Recent studies showed that the microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminum based nanocomposites can be significantly improved when ultrasonic cavitation and solidification processing is used. This is because ultrasonic cavitation processing plays an important role not only in degassing and dispersion of the nanoparticles, but also in breaking up the dendritic grains and refining the as-cast microstructure. In the present study, A356 alloy and Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles are used as the matrix alloy and the reinforcement, respectively. Nanoparticles were added into the molten A356 alloy and dispersed via ultrasonic cavitation processing. Ultrasonic cavitation was applied over various temperature ranges during molten alloy cooling and solidification to investigate the grain structure formation and the nanoparticle dispersion behavior. Optical Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy were used to investigate in detail the differences in the microstructure characteristics and the nanoparticle distribution. Experimental results indicated that the ultrasonic cavitation processing and Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles play an important role for microstructure refinement. In addition, it was shown in this study that the Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles modified the eutectic phase. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SURFACE CAST IRON STRENGTHENING USING COMBINED LASER AND ULTRASONIC PROCESSING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. G. Devojno

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The paper provides an analysis of ultrasonic surface plastic deformation and subsequent laser thermal strengthening of gray cast iron parts in the regime of hardening from a solid state with the purpose to obtain strengthened surface layers of bigger depth and less roughness of the processed surface. Program complex ANSYS 11.0 has been used for calculation of temperature fields induced by laser exposure.  The appropriate regime of laser processing without surface fusion has been selected on the basis of the applied complex. The possibility of displacement in the bottom boundary of α–γ-transformation temperature  for СЧ20 with 900 °С up to 800 °С is confirmed due to preliminary ultrasonic surface plastic deformation of the surface that allows to expand technological opportunities of laser quenching  of gray  cast iron from a solid state. 

Parameter analysis on the ultrasonic TSV-filling process and electrochemical characters

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fuliang; Ren, Xinyu; Wang, Yan; Zeng, Peng; Zhou, Zhaohua; Xiao, Hongbin; Zhu, Wenhui

2017-10-01

As one of the key technologies in 3D packaging, through silicon via (TSV) interconnection technology has become a focus recently. In this paper, an electrodeposition method for TSV filling with the assistance of ultrasound and additives are introduced. Two important parameters i.e. current density and ultrasonic power are studied for TSV filling process and electrochemical properties. It is found that ultrasound can improve the quality of TSV-filling and change the TSV-filling mode. The experimental results also indicate that the filling rate enhances more significantly with decreasing current density under ultrasonic conditions than under silent conditions. In addition, according to the voltammetry curve, the increase of ultrasonic power can significantly increase the current density of cupric reduction, and decrease the thickness of diffusion layer. So that the reduction speed of copper ions is accelerated, resulting in a higher TSV-filling rate.

Application of laser ultrasonic method for on-line monitoring of friction stir spot welding process.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Kuanshuang; Zhou, Zhenggan; Zhou, Jianghua

2015-09-01

Application of a laser ultrasonic method is developed for on-line monitoring of the friction stir spot welding (FSSW) process. Based on the technology of FSSW, laser-generated ultrasonic waves in a good weld and nonweld area are simulated by a finite element method. The reflected and transmitted waves are analyzed to disclose the properties of the welded interface. The noncontact-laser ultrasonic-inspection system was established to verify the numerical results. The reflected waves in the good-weld and nonweld area can be distinguished by time-of-flight. The transmitted waves evidently attenuate in the nonweld area in contrast to signal amplitude in the good weld area because of interfacial impedance difference. Laser ultrasonic C-scan images can sufficiently evaluate the intrinsic character of the weld area in comparison with traditional water-immersion ultrasonic testing results. The research results confirm that laser ultrasonics would be an effective method to realize the characterization of FSSW defects.

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

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.

Numeric ultrasonic image processing method: application to non-destructive testing of stainless austenitic steel welds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corneloup, G.

1988-09-01

A bibliographic research on the means used to improve the ultrasonic inspection of heterogeneous materials such as stainless austenitic steel welds has shown, taking into account the first analysis, a signal assembly in the form of an image (space, time) which carries an original solution to fault detection in highly noisy environments. A numeric grey-level ultrasonic image processing detection method is proposed based on the research of a certain determinism, in the way which the ultrasonic image evolves in space and time in the presence of a defect: the first criterion studies the horizontal stability of the gradients in the image and the second takes into account the time-transient nature of the defect echo. A very important rise in the signal-to-noise ratio obtained in welding inspections evidencing defects (real and artificial) is shown with the help of a computerized ultrasonic image processing/management system, developed for this application [fr

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 testing of austenitic welds and its dependency on the welding process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tabatabaeipour, S.M.; Honarvar, F.

2009-01-01

This paper describes the ultrasonic testing of austenitic welds prepared by two different welding processes. The tests were carried out by the ultrasonic Time-of-Flight Diffraction (ToFD) technique. Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) and Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) are the welding processes used for preparing the specimens. Identical artificial defects were implanted in both welds during the welding process. Both specimens were examined by the ToFD technique under similar conditions. Metallographic images were also obtained from the cross sectional plane of both the SMA and GTA welds. These images show that the grain orientation in the two welded specimens are different. D-scan images obtained by the ToFD technique from these welds indicates that inspecting the specimens prepared by the SMAW process is easier than the one made by the GTAW process. The results also show that the D-scan images cannot reveal the small vertical drilled holes implanted in the specimens. (author)

Field deployable processing methods for stay-in-place ultrasonic transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Malarich, Nathan; Lissenden, Cliff J.; Tittmann, Bernhard R.

2018-04-01

Condition monitoring provides key data for managing the operation and maintenance of mechanical equipment in the power generation, chemical processing, and manufacturing industries. Ultrasonic transducers provide active monitoring capabilities by wall thickness measurements, elastic property determination, crack detection, and other means. In many cases the components operate in harsh environments that may include high temperature, radiation, and hazardous chemicals. Thus, it is desirable to have permanently affixed ultrasonic transducers for condition monitoring in harsh environments. Spray-on transducers provide direct coupling between the active element and the substrate, and can be applied to curved surfaces. We describe a deposition methodology for ultrasonic transducers that can be applied in the field. First, piezoceramic powders mixed into a sol-gel are air-spray deposited onto the substrate. Powder constituents are selected based on the service environment in which the condition monitoring will be performed. Then the deposited coating is pyrolyzed and partially densified using an induction heating system with a custom work coil designed to match the substrate geometry. The next step, applying the electrodes, is more challenging than might be expected because of the porosity of the piezoelectric coating and the potential reactivity of elements in the adjacent layers. After connecting lead wires to the electrodes the transducer is poled and a protective coating can be applied prior to use. Processing of a PZT-bismuth titanate transducer on a large steel substrate is described along with alternate methods.

Innovative technologies on fuel assemblies cleaning for sodium fast reactors: First considerations on cleaning process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simon, N.; Lorcet, H.; Beauchamp, F.; Guigues, E.; Lovera, P.; Fleche, J. L.; Lacroix, M.; Carra, O.; Dechelette, F.; Prele, G.; Rodriguez, G.

2012-01-01

Within the framework of Sodium Fast Reactor development, innovative fuel assembly cleaning operations are investigated to meet the GEN IV goals of safety and of process development. One of the challenges is to mitigate the Sodium Water Reaction currently used in these processes. The potential applications of aqueous solutions of mineral salts (including the possibility of using redox chemical reactions) to mitigate the Sodium Water Reaction are considered in a first part and a new experimental bench, dedicated to this study, is described. Anhydrous alternative options based on Na/CO 2 interaction are also presented. Then, in a second part, a functional study conducted on the cleaning pit is proposed. Based on experimental feedback, some calculations are carried out to estimate the sodium inventory on the fuel elements, and physical methods like hot inert gas sweeping to reduce this inventory are also presented. Finally, the implementation of these innovative solutions in cleaning pits is studied in regard to the expected performances. (authors)

Innovative technologies on fuel assemblies cleaning for sodium fast reactors: First considerations on cleaning process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simon, N.; Lorcet, H.; Beauchamp, F.; Guigues, E. [CEA, DEN, DTN Cadarache, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Lovera, P.; Fleche, J. L. [CEA, DEN, DPC Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Lacroix, M. [CEA, DEN, DTN Cadarache, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Carra, O. [AREVA / NP, 10 Rue Juliette Recamier, 69003 Lyon (France); Dechelette, F. [CEA, DEN, DTN Cadarache, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Prele, G. [EDF/SEPTEN, 12-14 avenue Dutrievoz, 69628 Villeurbane Cedex (France); Rodriguez, G. [CEA, DEN, DTN Cadarache, F-13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France)

2012-07-01

Within the framework of Sodium Fast Reactor development, innovative fuel assembly cleaning operations are investigated to meet the GEN IV goals of safety and of process development. One of the challenges is to mitigate the Sodium Water Reaction currently used in these processes. The potential applications of aqueous solutions of mineral salts (including the possibility of using redox chemical reactions) to mitigate the Sodium Water Reaction are considered in a first part and a new experimental bench, dedicated to this study, is described. Anhydrous alternative options based on Na/CO{sub 2} interaction are also presented. Then, in a second part, a functional study conducted on the cleaning pit is proposed. Based on experimental feedback, some calculations are carried out to estimate the sodium inventory on the fuel elements, and physical methods like hot inert gas sweeping to reduce this inventory are also presented. Finally, the implementation of these innovative solutions in cleaning pits is studied in regard to the expected performances. (authors)

Evaluation of Internal Cracks and Collapse in Poplar Wood (Populus nigra during a Conventional Drying Process with Ultrasonic Inspection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saeid ESHAGHI

2012-05-01

Full Text Available In this research, internal cracks and collapse of wood, formed during drying process, were measured using ultrasonic inspection. For this purpose, seven poplar (Populus nigra small blocks were dried, according to a time-based schedule. Ultrasonic waves� propagation velocity was measured at both parallel and perpendicular to grain directions, using Sylvatest ultrasound device, during kiln drying process. Results showed that in all dried blocks, waves� propagation velocity in the parallel direction was higher than in the perpendicular direction to grain. Ultrasonic waves� propagation test for non-destructive identification of internal cracks, which occurs in wood during drying process in the parallel direction, was more successful compared to the perpendicular direction. Using ultrasonic waves� propagation test for detection of collapse that occurs in wood during drying process was not useful.

Evaluation of Internal Cracks and Collapse in Poplar Wood (Populus nigra during a Conventional Drying Process with Ultrasonic Inspection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saeid ESHAGHI

2012-05-01

Full Text Available In this research, internal cracks and collapse of wood, formed during drying process, were measured using ultrasonic inspection. For this purpose, seven poplar (Populus nigra small blocks were dried, according to a time-based schedule. Ultrasonic waves propagation velocity was measured at both parallel and perpendicular to grain directions, using Sylvatest ultrasound device, during kiln drying process. Results showed that in all dried blocks, waves propagation velocity in the parallel direction was higher than in the perpendicular direction to grain. Ultrasonic waves propagation test for non-destructive identification of internal cracks, which occurs in wood during drying process in the parallel direction, was more successful compared to the perpendicular direction. Using ultrasonic waves propagation test for detection of collapse that occurs in wood during drying process was not useful.

Acoustic streaming induced by an ultrasonically oscillating endodontic file

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhaagen, B.; Boutsioukis, C.; van der Sluis, L.W.M.; Versluis, M.

2014-01-01

Ultrasonically activated irrigation is an advanced dental technique for irrigation of the root canal system during a root canal treatment. The basic cleaning mechanism is a result of acoustic streaming induced by an oscillating file, leading to mixing of the irrigant and pressure and shear stresses

Acoustic streaming induced by an ultrasonically oscillating endodontic file

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verhaagen, B.; Boutsioukis, C.; van der Sluis, L. W. M.; Versluis, M.

Ultrasonically activated irrigation is an advanced dental technique for irrigation of the root canal system during a root canal treatment. The basic cleaning mechanism is a result of acoustic streaming induced by an oscillating file, leading to mixing of the irrigant and pressure and shear stresses

Steady reconstruction process - development, testing and comparison in ultrasonic testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langenberg, K.J.; Schmitz, V.

1986-01-01

The fault parameters can be extracted from a few data of high quality in steady test procedures. The boundary conditions for the successful use of such a process were researched and found, so that by using theoretical models for the elasto-dynamic interaction of fault and ultrasonics, a concentration of wavefronts instead of resonances and a wide band careful collection of data makes a physical interpretation in the form of specific geometry torques possible. Models of the interaction of ultrasonics and faults for two fault geometries (cracks and pores) were developed which permit the calculation of A scans of any bandwidth and with any angle of scatter for the direct and mode converted parts of the elastic ultrasonic scatter wave. The curved pressure and shear waves including the mode converted bending fields over an angular range of 360deg were experimentally recorded. Their agreement including the additional wavefronts caused by the close field of the crack bending field is close. Classification of torques is done on two examples (crack, cylinder) for evaluation purposes. It was found that a classification was possible according to the sign of the a 1 polynomial coefficient. (orig./HP) [de

Waste processing of chemical cleaning solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peters, G.A.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on chemical cleaning solutions containing high concentrations of organic chelating wastes that are difficult to reduce in volume using existing technology. Current methods for evaporating low-level radiative waste solutions often use high maintenance evaporators that can be costly and inefficient. The heat transfer surfaces of these evaporators are easily fouled, and their maintenance requires a significant labor investment. To address the volume reduction of spent, low-level radioactive, chelating-based chemical cleaning solutions, ECOSAFE Liquid Volume Reduction System (LVRS) has been developed. The LVRS is based on submerged combustion evaporator technology that was modified for treatment of low-level radiative liquid wastes. This system was developed in 1988 and was used to process 180,000 gallons of waste at Oconee Nuclear Station

Ultrasonic Spot and Torsion Welding of Aluminum to Titanium Alloys: Process, Properties and Interfacial Microstructure

Science.gov (United States)

Balle, Frank; Magin, Jens

Hybrid lightweight structures shape the development of future vehicles in traffic engineering and the aerospace industry. For multi-material concepts made out of aluminum and titanium alloys, the ultrasonic welding technique is an alternative effective joining technology. The overlapped structures can be welded in the solid state, even without gas shielding. In this paper the conventional ultrasonic spot welding with longitudinal oscillation mode is compared to the recent ultrasonic torsion welding with a torsional mode at 20 kHz working frequency. For each technique the process parameters welding force, welding energy and oscillation amplitude were optimized for the hybrid joints using design of experiments. Relationships between the process parameters, mechanical properties and related welding zone should be understood. Central aspects of the research project are microscopic studies of the joining zone in cross section and extensive fracture surface analysis. Detailed electron microscopy and spectroscopy of the hybrid interface help to understand the interfacial formation during ultrasonic welding as well as to transfer the gained knowledge for further multi-metal joints.

Smart ultrasonic flowmeter used for the operation support of water resource management in the agricultural areas

Science.gov (United States)

Elmostafa, Ziani; Mustapha, Bennouna; Boissier, Raymond

2008-10-01

Ultrasonic sensors transmit acoustic waves and receive them later. This is done by ultrasonic transducers, which transform an ultrasonic wave into an electrical signal and vice versa. Often, it is possible to use the same transducer for both transmitting and receiving. The most important parts of any ultrasonic sensor are the transducers. The spectral and spatial radiation characteristics of these components are the prime determinants of sensor performance. Such transducers must have a robust design, stable radiation pattern (high directivity) and good receiving sensitivity. Intelligent ultrasonic sensors have the possibility to extract the information about the variables to be measured, carried by the ultrasonic signals efficiently and with accuracy. To achieve this performance, the signals are processed by dedicated hardware (accurate electronic measuring devices). Ultrasound has the property, that its velocity is strongly affected by the flow velocity of the fluids in which it propagates. The ultrasonic flowmeters have gained a lot of attention over the past few years; they have several advantages over the differential pressure flowmeter, turbine meters, coriolis meters and vortex meters. They are widely used to measure the flow of liquids, first, they are either less intrusive (wetted flowmeter) or non-intrusive (clamp-on flowmeter), depending on the model. Also, they don't have moving parts that are subject to wear over time, and with minimum obstruction of the flow. Ultrasonic flowmeter are not limited to clean liquids (Transit time flowmeter), a special type of ultrasonic flowmeter can also accurately measure the flow of slurries and liquids with many impurities (Doppler flowmeter). This part of paper describes the intelligent ultrasonic sensor. The conception or the realization of intelligent ultrasonic sensor requires the synthesis of several technologies, a knowledge in the fields of sensor, digital ultrasonic signal processing, distributed system and

Process for cleaning radioactively contaminated metal surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mihram, R.G.; Snyder, G.A.

1975-01-01

A process is described for removing radioactive scale from a ferrous metal surface, including the steps of initially preconditioning the surface by contacting it with an oxidizing solution (such as an aqueous solution of an alkali metal permanganate or hydrogen peroxide), then, after removal or decomposition of the oxidizing solution, the metallic surface is contacted with a cleaning solution which is a mixture of a mineral acid and a complexing agent (such as sulfuric acid and oxalic acid), and which preferably contains a corrosion inhibitor. A final step in the process is the treatment of the spent cleaning solution containing radioactive waste materials in solution by adding a reagent selected from the group consisting of calcium hydroxide or potassium permanganate and an alkali metal hydroxide to thereby form easily recovered metallic compounds containing substantially all of the dissolved metals and radioactivity. (auth)

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF GRAFT COPOLYMERS OF POLY (BUTYL ACRYLATE AND CELLULOSE WITH ULTRASONIC PROCESSING AS A MATERIAL FOR OIL ABSORPTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ping Qu

2011-11-01

Full Text Available A series of materials used for oil absorption based on cellulose fiber grafted with butyl acrylate (BuAc have been prepared by radical polymerization under ultrasonic waves processing. Effects of ultrasonic dose for the maximum graft yield were considered. The dependency of optimum conditions for oil absorption rate on parameters such as ultrasonic processing time and ultrasonic power were also determined. Fourier infrared (FT-IR analysis was used to confirm the chemical reaction taking place between cellulose and butyl acrylate. The thermogravimetric behavior of the graft copolymer was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA. Scanning electron microscope (SEM analysis was used to determine the surface structure of the grafted material. With the increase of the ultrasonic treatment dose, the surface of the ultrasonic processed material became more regular, and the material was transformed into a homogeneous network polymer having a good structure and good adsorbing ability.

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

Inline-process and quality control of spotwelds of car bodies - ultrasonic sensors integrated in resistance welding electrodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vogt, G.; Rieger, D.; Koehler, C. [Vogt Werkstoffpruefsysteme, Burgwedel (Germany)

2006-07-01

The self-developed inline ultrasonic testing system SPOTline is used for inspection and process control of resistant spot weldings. SPOTline provides with directly into the welding tong integrated ultrasonic sensors a 100% inspection during the welding process. The through transmission and pulse echo signals will be collected, stored and evaluated by means of fuzzy-logic and neuronal network technic. The results will be transmitted online from the spotline-client in the sql-data-base of the server for processing. World-wide SPOTline is the only ultrasonic inspection system, which is working under real production conditions in a network of welding robots. Test with 2 and 3 plates, high strength steels and all coatings demonstrate the accurately identification of discrepant welds. (orig.)

STUDY ON ULTRASONIC DEGREASING OF SHEEPSKIN WASTE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BĂLĂU MÎNDRU Tudorel

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Leather industry is a relatively large source of waste from raw material, so skin waste recovery is a goal of clean technologies. Capitalization of skin waste aims to obtain: chemical auxiliaries, technical articles, hydrolyzed protein, artificial leather, composite building materials, heat sources and collagen biomaterials with applications in medicine, cosmetics, etc. A first step in the recovery of skin waste is the degreasing operation. Ultrasound is an effective tool to improve the efficiency of the conventional degreasing affecting the chemical substances as well as the treated skin. In addition, the processing time is reduced. Ultrasound is known to enhance the emulsification and dispersion of oils/fat. The usual degreasing methods requires more emulsifier/solvent ratio and process time for emulsification and additional solvent for washing out the emulsified fat. This paper investigates the possibility of recovery through ecological processes of leather waste from finishing operations for further capitalization. The present study aims emulsification and subsequent removal of the fat present in the chamois powder waste from polishing operation with the aid of ultrasound by an aqueous ecofriendly method. The study also took into account the ultrasonic treatment of the leather waste using trichlorethylene as a medium of propagation-degreasing, and realized a comparative analysis of efficiency of fat extraction by Soxhlet method and via ultrasonication. IR-ATR and optical microscopy highlight both morphological and chemical-structural changes of treated materials by different degreasing methods

Sampling phased array, a new technique for ultrasonic signal processing and imaging now available to industry

OpenAIRE

Verkooijen, J.; Bulavinov, A.

2008-01-01

Over the past 10 years the improvement in the field of microelectronics and computer engineering has led to significant advances in ultrasonic signal processing and image construction techniques that are currently being applied to non-destructive material evaluation. A new phased array technique, called "Sampling Phased Array" has been developed in the Fraunhofer Institute for non-destructive testing [1]. It realizes a unique approach of measurement and processing of ultrasonic signals. The s...

Further Investigations on Simultaneous Ultrasonic Coal Flotation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Safak Gokhan Ozkan

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the flotation performance of a representative hard coal slime sample (d80 particle size of minus 0.2 mm obtained from the Prosper-Haniel coal preparation plant located in Bottrop, Germany. Flotation was carried out with a newly designed flotation cell refurbished from an old ultrasonic cleaning bath (2.5 L volume equipped with a single frequency (35 kHz and two different power levels (80–160 W and a sub-aeration-type flotation machine operating at a stable impeller speed (1200 rpm and air rate (2.5 L/min. The reagent combination for conventional and simultaneous ultrasonic coal flotation tests was Ekofol-440 at variable dosages (40–300 g/t with controlling water temperature (20–25 °C at natural pH (6.5–7.0. The batch coal flotation results were analyzed by comparing the combustible recovery (% and separation efficiency (% values, taking mass yield and ash concentrations of the froths and tailings into account. It was found that simultaneous ultrasonic coal flotation increased yield and recovery values of the floated products with lower ash values than the conventional flotation despite using similar reagent dosages. Furthermore, particle size distribution of the ultrasonically treated and untreated coals was measured. Finely distributed coal particles seemed to be agglomerated during the ultrasonic treatment, while ash-forming slimes were removed by hydrodynamic cavitation.

Development of computer-controlled ultrasonic image processing system for severe accidents research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, Kil Mo; Kang, Kyung Ho; Kim, Jong Tai; Kim, Jong Whan; Cho, Young Ro; Ha, Kwang Soon; Park, Rae Jun; Kim, Sang Baik; Kim, Hee Dong; Sim, Chul Moo

2000-07-01

In order to verify in-vessel corium cooling mechanism, LAVA(Lower-plenum Arrested Vessel Attack) experiment is being performed as a first stage proof of principle test. The aims of this study are to find a gap formation between corium melt and 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 developing a computer controlled image signal processing system which is able to improve visualization and to measure the gap distribution with 3-dimensional planar image using a time domain signal analysis method as a part of the ultrasonic pulse echo methods and a computerized position control system. An image signal processing system is developed by independently developing an ultrasonic image signal processing technique and a PC controlled position control system and then combining both systems

Development of computer-controlled ultrasonic image processing system for severe accidents research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koo, Kil Mo; Kang, Kyung Ho; Kim, Jong Tai; Kim, Jong Whan; Cho, Young Ro; Ha, Kwang Soon; Park, Rae Jun; Kim, Sang Baik; Kim, Hee Dong; Sim, Chul Moo

2000-07-01

In order to verify in-vessel corium cooling mechanism, LAVA(Lower-plenum Arrested Vessel Attack) experiment is being performed as a first stage proof of principle test. The aims of this study are to find a gap formation between corium melt and 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 developing a computer controlled image signal processing system which is able to improve visualization and to measure the gap distribution with 3-dimensional planar image using a time domain signal analysis method as a part of the ultrasonic pulse echo methods and a computerized position control system. An image signal processing system is developed by independently developing an ultrasonic image signal processing technique and a PC controlled position control system and then combining both systems.

Ultrasonic Inspection of Cracks in Stud Bolts of Reactor Vessels in Nuclear Power Plants by Signal Processing of Differential Operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Sang Woo; Lee, Joon Hyun; Oh, Won Deok

2005-01-01

The stud bolt is one of crucial parts for safe operation of reactor vessels in nuclear power plants, Crack initiation and propagation were reported in stud bolts that arc used for closure of reactor vessel and head, Stud bolts are inspected by ultrasonic technique during overhaul periodically for the prevention of stud bolt failure which could induce radioactive leakage from nuclear reactor, In conventional ultrasonic testing for inspection of stud bolts, cracks are detected by using shadow effect It takes too much time to inspect stud bolts by using conventional ultrasonic technique. In addition, there were numerous spurious signals reflected from every oblique surfaces of thread, In this study, the signal processing technique for enhancing conventional ultrasonic technique was introduced for inspecting stud bolts. The signal processing technique provides removing spurious signal reflected from every oblique surfaces of thread and enhances detectability of defects. Detectability for small crack was enhanced by using this signal processing in ultrasonic inspection of stud bolts in Nuclear Power Plants

PWR steam generator chemical cleaning. Phase I: solvent and process development. Volume II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larrick, A.P.; Paasch, R.A.; Hall, T.M.; Schneidmiller, D.

1979-01-01

A program to demonstrate chemical cleaning methods for removing magnetite corrosion products from the annuli between steam generator tubes and the tube support plates in vertical U-tube steam generators is described. These corrosion products have caused steam generator tube ''denting'' and in some cases have caused tube failures and support plate cracking in several PWR generating plants. Laboratory studies were performed to develop a chemical cleaning solvent and application process for demonstration cleaning of the Indian Point Unit 2 steam generators. The chemical cleaning solvent and application process were successfully pilot-tested by cleaning the secondary side of one of the Indian Point Unit 1 steam generators. Although the Indian Point Unit 1 steam generators do not have a tube denting problem, the pilot test provided for testing of the solvent and process using much of the same equipment and facilities that would be used for the Indian Point Unit 2 demonstration cleaning. The chemical solvent selected for the pilot test was an inhibited 3% citric acid-3% ascorbic acid solution. The application process, injection into the steam generator through the boiler blowdown system and agitation by nitrogen sparging, was tested in a nuclear environment and with corrosion products formed during years of steam generator operation at power. The test demonstrated that the magnetite corrosion products in simulated tube-to-tube support plate annuli can be removed by chemical cleaning; that corrosion resulting from the cleaning is not excessive; and that steam generator cleaning can be accomplished with acceptable levels of radiation exposure to personnel

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.

Ultrasonic velocity measurements- a potential sensor for intelligent processing of austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venkadesan, S.; Palanichamy, P.; Vasudevan, M.; Baldev Raj

1996-01-01

Development of sensors based on Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) techniques for on-line sensing of microstructure and properties requires a thorough knowledge on the relation between the sensing mechanism/measurement of an NDE technique and the microstructure. As a first step towards developing an on-line sensor for studying the dynamic microstructural changes during processing of austenitic stainless steels, ultrasonic velocity measurements have been carried out to study the microstructural changes after processing. Velocity measurements could follow the progress of annealing starting from recovery, onset and completion of recrystallization, sense the differences in the microstructure obtained after hot deformation and estimate the grain size. This paper brings out the relation between the sensing method based on ultrasonic velocity measurements and the microstructure in austenitic stainless steel. (author)

Improving productivity and quality in plastic and thin metallic plates manufacturing by using ultrasonic welding processes

OpenAIRE

Dehelean,D.; Oanca,O.

2009-01-01

The paper presents an overview of the research done at the Romanian National R&D Institute for Welding and Material Testing ISIM Timisoara in the field of ultrasonic process development. It starts with a general presentation of the value added by the welding sector in Europe. There are presented figures representing the size of the welding sector in Romania. The need of development of new high efficiency welding processes is mentioned, ultrasonic welding being one of the special welding proce...

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

Electroacoustics modeling of piezoelectric welders for ultrasonic additive manufacturing processes

Science.gov (United States)

Hehr, Adam; Dapino, Marcelo J.

2016-04-01

Ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) is a recent 3D metal printing technology which utilizes ultrasonic vibrations from high power piezoelectric transducers to additively weld similar and dissimilar metal foils. CNC machining is used intermittent of welding to create internal channels, embed temperature sensitive components, sensors, and materials, and for net shaping parts. Structural dynamics of the welder and work piece influence the performance of the welder and part quality. To understand the impact of structural dynamics on UAM, a linear time-invariant model is used to relate system shear force and electric current inputs to the system outputs of welder velocity and voltage. Frequency response measurements are combined with in-situ operating measurements of the welder to identify model parameters and to verify model assumptions. The proposed LTI model can enhance process consistency, performance, and guide the development of improved quality monitoring and control strategies.

7 CFR 201.33 - Seed in bulk or large quantities; seed for cleaning or processing.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... quantities; seed for cleaning or processing. (a) In the case of seed in bulk, the information required under... seeds. (b) Seed consigned to a seed cleaning or processing establishment, for cleaning or processing for... pertaining to such seed show that it is “Seed for processing,” or, if the seed is in containers and in...

Cavitation occurrence around ultrasonic dental scalers

OpenAIRE

Felver, Bernhard; King, David C; Lea, Simon C; Price, Gareth J; Damien Walmsley, A

2009-01-01

Ultrasonic scalers are used in dentistry to remove calculus and other contaminants from teeth. One mechanism which may assist in the cleaning is cavitation generated in cooling water around the scaler. The vibratory motion of three designs of scaler tip in a water bath has been characterised by laser vibrometry, and compared with the spatial distribution of cavitation around the scaler tips observed using sonochemiluminescence from a luminol solution. The type of cavitation was confirmed by a...

Steam generators secondary side chemical cleaning at Point Lepreau using the Siemen's high temperature process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verma, K.; MacNeil, C.; Odar, S.

1996-01-01

The secondary sides of all four steam generators at the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Stations were cleaned during the 1995 annual outage run-down using the Siemens high temperature chemical cleaning process. Traditionally all secondary side chemical cleaning exercises in CANDU as well as the other nuclear power stations in North America have been conducted using a process developed in conjunction with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The Siemens high temperature process was applied for the first time in North America at the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station (PLGS). The paper discusses experiences related to the pre and post award chemical cleaning activities, chemical cleaning application, post cleaning inspection results and waste handling activities. (author)

STUDY ON MORPHOLOGICAL AND STRUCTURAL CHANGES INDUCED BY ULTRASONIC DEGR EASING OF WOOL AND HUMAN HAIR WASTES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BĂLĂU MÎNDRU Tudorel

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Recovery and reuse of wool and hair waste is a challenge with the ultimate goal environment protection. One of the early stages of the recovery process is the operation of scouring-degreasing wool and human hair waste. In recent decades the use of ultrasound technology has established an important place in different industrial processes and has started to revolutionize environmental protection. The power of ultrasound can enhance a wide variety of chemical and physical processes, mainly due to the phenomenon known as cavitation in a liquid medium. The objective of the present work is to develop eco-friendly effective degreasing system for keratin fiber waste with the aid of ultrasound, using distilled water and also trichlorethylene as a medium of propagation-degreasing, and realized a comparative analysis of efficiency of fat extraction by Soxhlet classical method and via ultrasonication. This work investigate the effect that ultrasonic irradiation has on the structure of wool and hair fibers. Thus were highlighted both morphological and structural changes of treated materials using optical microscopy, and FTIR spectroscopy. By using the unconventional method of cleaning and degreasing with an ultrasonic resonator tube are possible reductions in utility and solvents consumption together with changes in the cuticular layer of wool and hair fibers.

7 CFR 361.8 - Cleaning of imported seed and processing of certain Canadian-origin screenings.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Cleaning of imported seed and processing of certain... SCREENINGS UNDER THE FEDERAL SEED ACT § 361.8 Cleaning of imported seed and processing of certain Canadian... compliance agreement for the cleaning of imported seed or processing of otherwise prohibited screenings from...

Process optimization for ultrasonic vibration assisted polishing of micro-structured surfaces on super hard material

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Zhiyuan; Guo, Bing; Rao, Zhimin; Zhao, Qingliang

2014-08-01

In consideration of the excellent property of SiC, the ground micro-structured surface quality is hard to meet the requirement - consequently the ultrasonic vibration assisted polishing (UVAP) of micro-structures of molds is proposed in this paper. Through the orthogonal experiment, the parameters of UVAP of micro-structures were optimized. The experimental results show that, abrasive polishing process, the effect of the workpiece feed rate on the surface roughness (Ra), groove tip radius (R) and material removal rate (MRR) of micro-structures is significant. While, the UVAP, the most significant effect factor for Ra, R and MRR is the ultrasonic amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration. In addition, within the scope of the polishing process parameters selected by preliminary experiments, ultrasonic amplitude of 2.5μm, polishing force of 0.5N, workpiece feed rate of 5 mm·min-1, polishing wheel rotational speed of 50rpm, polishing time of 35min, abrasive size of 100nm and the polishing liquid concentration of 15% is the best technology of UVAP of micro-structures. Under the optimal parameters, the ground traces on the micro-structured surface were removed efficiently and the integrity of the edges of the micro-structure after grinding was maintained efficiently.

Alternatives to Organic Solvents in Industrial Cleaning Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Thomas

1998-01-01

To control chemical hazards in work places, substitution of harmful substances with less harmful or non-toxic products is now a method used in many countries and in many companies. It has previously been demonstrated that it is desirable and possible to use non-volatile, low-toxic vegetable...... cleaning agents in offset printing companies instead of volatile, toxic organic solvents. The present study is based on a project with the aim of defining other industrial processes, where organic solvents used for cleaning or degreasing can be replaced by non-volatile, low-toxic products, which are based...... on esters from fatty acids of vegetable origin (vegetable esters - VE).The study indicates that industrial cleaning/degreasing with organic solvents may be substituted with VEs on metal surfaces and on some coated surfaces, in manufacture of paints and inks, use of paints, use of inks (printing), metal...

Investigation of effective forensic cleaning methods for bullet and cartridge case samples

Science.gov (United States)

Shuherk, Cassie Marie

Bullet and cartridge case evidence may potentially link weapons and crimes through the comparison of toolmark patterns. This analysis relies on the clarity of the toolmarks and the ability of the examiner to identify patterns on the evidence. These patterns may be distorted by debris such as soil, blood, cyanoacrylate, and construction materials. Despite the potential importance of bullet and cartridge case evidence, few investigations of proper cleaning methods have been conducted. The present study was designed to examine the effects of various cleaning solutions and application methods on copper and brass bullets and cartridge cases. Additionally, this research investigated the efficacy of these cleaning protocols on the common evidence contaminants blood and cyanoacrylate. No cleaning method was found to be universally effective on both contaminant types and nondestructive to the metal surface. Ultrasonication was the most efficient application method employed when used in conjunction with an appropriate cleaning solution. Acetone proved to be safe and successful at removing heavy cyanoacrylate deposits from brass cartridge cases without damaging the metal. Although sulfuric acid removed most of the cyanoacrylate from the brass cartridge case, ultrasonication of the fumed cartridge cases in sulfuric acid caused the nickel-plated primer caps to turn black. Additionally, etching occurred when sulfuric acid was allowed to dry on the cartridge case surface. Citric acid, salt-flour-vinegar paste, TergazymeRTM, and water did not effectively remove the cyanoacrylate from the cartridge cases, but the solutions were safe to use on the brass and sometimes resulted in a shinier surface. Regardless of the cleaning method employed, the bloodstained bullets retained most or all of the underlying brown tarnish. Ultrasonication with sulfuric acid was successful at removing some blood-initiated tarnishing; however, the removal of residues was not complete, making it difficult

Substitution of Organic Solvents in Selected Industrial Cleaning Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Thomas; Rasmussen, Pia Brunn

1997-01-01

Volatile organic solvents (VOC)are becoming increasingly unwanted in industrial processes. Substitution of VOC with non-volatile, low-toxic compounds is a possibility to reduce VOC-use. It has been successfully demonstrated, that organic solvents used in cleaning processes in sheet offset printing...

Alcohol sensing of tin oxide thin film prepared by sol–gel process

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

variation of sensitivity and ethanol concentration has shown a linear relationship up to 1150 ppm and after ... The results obtained favour the sol–gel process as a low cost method for the preparation ... It was cleaned ultrasonically in methanol.

Tests of an environmental and personnel safe cleaning process for BNL accelerator and storage ring components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foerster, C.L.; Lanni, C.; Lee, R.; Mitchell, G.; Quade, W.

1996-10-01

A large measure of the successful operation of the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for over a decade can be attributed to the cleaning of its UHV components during and after construction. A new UHV cleaning process, which had to be environmentally and personnel safe, was needed to replace the harsh, unfriendly process which was still in use. Dow Advanced Cleaning Systems was contracted to develop a replacement process without the use of harsh chemicals and which must clean vacuum surfaces as well as the existing process. Acceptance of the replacement process was primarily based on Photon Stimulated Desorption (PSD) measurements of beam tube samples run on NSLS beam line U10B. One meter long beam tube samples were fabricated from aluminum, 304 stainless steel and oxygen free copper. Initially, coupon samples were cleaned and passed preliminary testing for the proposed process. Next, beam tube samples of each material were cleaned, and the PSD measured on beam line U10B using white light with a critical energy of 487 ev. Prior to cleaning, the samples were contaminated with a mixture of cutting oils, lubricants, vacuum oils and vacuum grease. The contaminated samples were then baked. Samples of each material were also cleaned with the existing process after the same preparation. Beam tube samples were exposed to between 10 22 and 10 23 photons per meter for a PSD measurement. Desorption yields for H 2 , CO, CO 2 , CH 4 and H 2 O are reported for both the existing cleaning and for the replacement cleaning process. Preliminary data, residual gas scans, and PSD results are given and discussed. The new process is also compared with new cleaning methods developed in other laboratories

Application of Ultrasonic Techniques for Brain Injury Diagnosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasili, P.M.; Mobley, J.; Norton, S.J.; Vo-Dinh, T.

1999-01-01

In this work, we evaluate methods for detecting brain injury using ultrasound. We have used simulations of ultrasonic fields in the head to model the phase distortion of the skull. In addition we present experimental data from the crania of large animals. The experimental data help us understand and evaluate the performance of different transducers in acquiring the backscatter data from the brain through the skull. Both the simulations and acquired data illustrate the superiority of lower-frequency (<= 1 MHz) ultrasonic fields for transcranial acquisition of signals from inside the brain. Additionally, the experimental work shows that the higher-frequency (5 MHz) ultrasound can also be useful in acquiring clean nearfield data to help detect the position of the inner boundary of the skull

Dichlorvos (DDVP residue removal from tomato by washing with tap and ozone water, a commercial detergent solution and ultrasonic cleaner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali HESHMATI

Full Text Available Abstract Dichlorvos (DDVP is one of the most consumption chlorinated organophosphate insecticide used on tomato. The knowledge about the influence of postharvest household processes on the levels of DDVP residues in vegetables is required to estimate dietary exposure. In this study, the removal of sprayed dichlorvos (DDVP on tomato by washing with tap, ozonated water (in dosages of 2, 4 and 6 mg ozone/L, a commercial detergent solution (in concentration of 1, 2 and 3% and ultrasonic cleaner (with power of 100, 200 and 300 W was investigated. DDVP residue was determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detector. Washing processes led to the significant reduction of DDVP. The gradual increase in the percentage of the removal was observed due to increment of washing time, ozone dosage, and concentration of detergent solution as well as ultrasonic power. The maximum removal percentage of DDVP after 15 min of washing with tap and ozonated water, a detergent solution and ultrasonic cleaner was 30.7, 91.9, 70.7, and 88.9%, respectively. In general, results indicated washing with tap, ozonated water, a detergent solution and ultrasonic cleaning are effective methods for removal of DDVP from tomato and reduction of its dietary exposure without influence on product quality.

Development of Statistical Process Control Methodology for an Environmentally Compliant Surface Cleaning Process in a Bonding Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Hutchens, Dale E.; Doan, Patrick A.; Boothe, Richard E.

1997-01-01

Bonding labs at both MSFC and the northern Utah production plant prepare bond test specimens which simulate or witness the production of NASA's Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM). The current process for preparing the bonding surfaces employs 1,1,1-trichloroethane vapor degreasing, which simulates the current RSRM process. Government regulations (e.g., the 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act) have mandated a production phase-out of a number of ozone depleting compounds (ODC) including 1,1,1-trichloroethane. In order to comply with these regulations, the RSRM Program is qualifying a spray-in-air (SIA) precision cleaning process using Brulin 1990, an aqueous blend of surfactants. Accordingly, surface preparation prior to bonding process simulation test specimens must reflect the new production cleaning process. The Bonding Lab Statistical Process Control (SPC) program monitors the progress of the lab and its capabilities, as well as certifies the bonding technicians, by periodically preparing D6AC steel tensile adhesion panels with EA-91 3NA epoxy adhesive using a standardized process. SPC methods are then used to ensure the process is statistically in control, thus producing reliable data for bonding studies, and identify any problems which might develop. Since the specimen cleaning process is being changed, new SPC limits must be established. This report summarizes side-by-side testing of D6AC steel tensile adhesion witness panels and tapered double cantilevered beams (TDCBs) using both the current baseline vapor degreasing process and a lab-scale spray-in-air process. A Proceco 26 inches Typhoon dishwasher cleaned both tensile adhesion witness panels and TDCBs in a process which simulates the new production process. The tests were performed six times during 1995, subsequent statistical analysis of the data established new upper control limits (UCL) and lower control limits (LCL). The data also demonstrated that the new process was equivalent to the vapor

The effect of austenitizing conditions in the ductile iron hardening process on longitudinal ultrasonic wave velocity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. W. Orłowicz

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The paper presents results of a research on the effect of austenitizing temperature and time adopted in the hardening operation on the ultrasonic wave velocity in ductile iron. It has been found that with increasing austenitizing temperature and with the passage of the austenitizing time, a monotonic decrease of the ultrasonic longitudinal wave velocity value occurred. Implementation of ultrasonic testing of results obtained in the course of the cast iron hardening process both in production and as-cast conditions, requires development of a test methodology that must take into account the influence of base material structure (degree of nodularization, graphite precipitation count on the ultrasound wave velocity.

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.

Textile Dry Cleaning Using Carbon Dioxide : Process, Apparatus and Mechanical Action

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sutanto, S.

2014-01-01

Fabrics that are sensitive to water, may wrinkle or shrink when washed in regular washing machines and are usually cleaned by professional dry cleaners. Dry cleaning is a process of removing soils from substrate, in this case textile, using a non-aqueous solvent. The most common solvent in

The Antifouling of ACLW-CAR Based on Ultrasonic Cleaner

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Guohua; Liu, Shixuan; Qin, Qingliang

2017-10-01

Equipped with ACLW-CAR, the buoy provided effective technical platform for on-site rapid monitoring of the chlorophyll and turbidity. Performance index and usage in the ocean buoy of ACLW-CAR was introduced. Ultrasonic cleaning method in seawater was developed for preventing ACLW-CAR from biofouling. Marine chlorophyll and turbidity data can serve for oceanographic research and marine resource exploitation.

ANALYSIS ON TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSES CLEANING OIL PIPELINES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariana PǍTRAŞCU

2015-05-01

Full Text Available In this paper the researches are presented concerning the technological processes of oil pipelines.We know several technologies and materials used for cleaning the sludge deposits, iron and manganese oxides, dross, stone, etc.de on the inner walls of drinking water pipes or industries.For the oil industry, methods of removal of waste materials and waste pipes and liquid and gas transport networks are operations known long, tedious and expensive. The main methods and associated problems can be summarized as follows: 1 Blowing with compressed air.2 manual or mechanical brushing, sanding with water or dry.3 Wash with water jet of high pressure, solvent or chemical solution to remove the stone and hard deposits.4 The combined methods of cleaning machines that use water jets, cutters, chains, rotary heads cutters, etc.

Effect of processing parameters of rotary ultrasonic machining on surface integrity of potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianfu Zhang

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Potassium dihydrogen phosphate is an important optical crystal. However, high-precision processing of large potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal workpieces is difficult. In this article, surface roughness and subsurface damage characteristics of a (001 potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal surface produced by traditional and rotary ultrasonic machining are studied. The influence of process parameters, including spindle speed, feed speed, type and size of sintered diamond wheel, ultrasonic power, and selection of cutting fluid on potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal surface integrity, was analyzed. The surface integrity, especially the subsurface damage depth, was affected significantly by the ultrasonic power. Metal-sintered diamond tools with high granularity were most suitable for machining potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal. Cutting fluid played a key role in potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal machining. A more precise surface can be obtained in machining with a higher spindle speed, lower feed speed, and using kerosene as cutting fluid. Based on the provided optimized process parameters for machining potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal, a processed surface quality with Ra value of 33 nm and subsurface damage depth value of 6.38 μm was achieved.

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

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.

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.

Copper clean-up procedure for ultrasonic extraction and analysis of pyrethroid and phenylpyrazole pesticides in sediments by gas chromatography-electron capture detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Jun; Lin Youjian; Lu Jian; Wilson, Chris

2011-01-01

A rapid ultrasonic extraction method coupled with a heated-copper clean-up procedure for removing interfering constituents was developed for analyzing pyrethroid and phenylpyrazole pesticides in sediments. Incubation of the 60 mL extract with 12 g copper granules at 60 o C for 2 h was determined to be the optimal conditions for removing the interfering constituents. Eleven pyrethroid and phenylpyrazole pesticides were spiked into sediment samples to determine the effectiveness of the ultrasonic extraction method. The average recoveries of pyrethroids and phenylpyrazoles in sediment at 4 o C storage on day 0, 1, 7, 14, and 21 ranged from 98.6 to 120.0%, 79.2 to 116.0%, 85.0 to 119.7%, 93.6 to 118.7%, and 92.1 to 118.2%, respectively, with all percent relative standard deviations less than 10% (most o C. Recoveries of the pesticides ranged from 98.6% to 120.0% for lowest fortification level (2-16 μg kg -1 ), from 97.8% to 117.9% for middle fortification level (10-80 μg kg -1 ), and from 94.3% to 118.1% for highest fortification level (20-160 μg kg -1 ). Relative standard deviations of pesticide recoveries were usually less than 7%. Method detection limits of target pesticides ranged from 0.22 μg kg -1 to 3.72 μg kg -1 . Furthermore, field sediment samples collected from four residential lakes during a three-month monitoring period were analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of this method. Bifenthrin was detected in all of sediment samples (highest concentration 260.33 ± 41.71 μg kg -1 , lowest concentration 5.68 ± 0.38 μg kg -1 ), and fipronil sulfone was detected at least once in sediment samples collected from three sites with concentrations ranging from 1.73 ± 0.53 to 7.53 ± 0.01 μg kg -1 . - Highlights: → A rapid extraction and copper-based clean-up method was developed. → Recoveries after storage at 4 o C for 21 d ranged from 79.2 to 120.0%. → Percent relative standard deviations less than 10% (most -1 to 3.72 μg kg -1 .

Digital signal processing in ultrasonic based navigation system for mobile robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stączek Paweł

2017-01-01

Full Text Available A system for estimating the coordinates of automated guided vehicles (AGV was presented in this article. Ultrasonic waves for distance measurement were applied. Used hardware was characterised, as well as signal processing algorithms. The system was tested on wheeled mobile robot in model 2D environment. The results of working range and errors of position estimation were discussed.

Study on the Optimization and Process Modeling of the Rotary Ultrasonic Machining of Zerodur Glass-Ceramic

Science.gov (United States)

Pitts, James Daniel

Rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM), a hybrid process combining ultrasonic machining and diamond grinding, was created to increase material removal rates for the fabrication of hard and brittle workpieces. The objective of this research was to experimentally derive empirical equations for the prediction of multiple machined surface roughness parameters for helically pocketed rotary ultrasonic machined Zerodur glass-ceramic workpieces by means of a systematic statistical experimental approach. A Taguchi parametric screening design of experiments was employed to systematically determine the RUM process parameters with the largest effect on mean surface roughness. Next empirically determined equations for the seven common surface quality metrics were developed via Box-Behnken surface response experimental trials. Validation trials were conducted resulting in predicted and experimental surface roughness in varying levels of agreement. The reductions in cutting force and tool wear associated with RUM, reported by previous researchers, was experimentally verified to also extended to helical pocketing of Zerodur glass-ceramic.

Improvement of the characterization of ultrasonic data by means of digital signal processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bieth, M.; Romy, D.; Weigel, D.

1985-01-01

The digital signal processing method for averaging using minima developed by Framatome allows to improve signal-to-noise ratio up to 7 dB during ultrasonic testing of cast stainless steel structures (primary pipes of PWR power plants). Application of digital signal processing to industrial testing conditions requires the availability of a fast analog-digital converter capable of real time processings which has been developed by CGR [fr

Separation of mercury in industrial processes of Polish hard steam coals cleaning

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Wierzchowski Krzysztof

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Coal use is regarded as one of main sources of anthropogenic propagation of mercury in the environment. The coal cleaning is listed among methods of the mercury emission reduction. The article concerns the statistical assessment of mercury separation between coal cleaning products. Two industrial processes employed in the Polish coal preparation plants are analysed: coal cleaning in heavy media vessels and coal cleaning in jigs. It was found that the arithmetic mean mercury content in coarse and medium coal size fractions for clean coal from heavy media vessels, amounts 68.9 μg/kg, and most of the results lay below the mean value, while for rejects it amounts 95.5 μg/kg. It means that it is for around 25 μg/kg greater than in the clean coal. The arithmetic mean mercury content in raw coal smalls amounts around 118 mg/kg. The cleaning of smalls in jigs results in clean coal and steam coal blends characterized by mean mercury content 96.8 μg/kg and rejects with mean mercury content 184.5 μg/kg.

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.

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.

Comparative SEM analysis of nine F22 aligner cleaning strategies

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Luca Lombardo

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The orthodontics industry has paid great attention to the aesthetics of orthodontic appliances, seeking to make them as invisible as possible. There are several advantages to clear aligner systems, including aesthetics, comfort, chairside time reduction, and the fact that they can be removed for meals and oral hygiene procedures. Methods Five patients were each given a series of F22 aligners, each to be worn for 14 days and nights, with the exception of meal and brushing times. Patients were instructed to clean each aligner using a prescribed strategy, and sections of the used aligners were observed under SEM. One grey-scale SEM image was saved per aligner in JPEG format with an 8-bit colour depth, and a total of 45 measurements on the grey scale (“Value” variable were made. This dataset was analysed statistically via repeated measures ANOVA to determine the effect of each of the nine cleaning strategies in each of the five patients. Results A statistically significant difference in the efficacy of the cleaning strategies was detected. Specifically, rinsing with water alone was significantly less efficacious, and a combination of cationic detergent solution and ultrasonication was significantly more efficacious than the other methods (p < 0.05. Conclusions Of the nine cleaning strategies examined, only that involving 5 min of ultrasonication at 42 k Hz combined with a 0.3% germicidal cationic detergent was observed to be statistically effective at removing the bacterial biofilm from the surface of F22 aligners.

Tests of an environmental and personnel safe cleaning process for Brookhaven National Laboratory accelerator and storage ring components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foerster, C.L.; Lanni, C.; Lee, R.; Mitchell, G.; Quade, W.

1997-01-01

A large measure of the successful operation of the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for over a decade can be attributed to the cleaning of its ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) components during and after construction. A new UHV cleaning process, which has to be environmentally and personnel safe, is needed to replace the harsh, unfriendly process which is still in use. Dow Advanced Cleaning Systems was contracted to develop a replacement process without the use of harsh chemicals and which must clean vacuum surfaces as well as the existing process. Acceptance of the replacement process was primarily based on photon stimulated desorption (PSD) measurements of beam tube samples run on NSLS beam line U10B. One meter long beam tube samples were fabricated from aluminum, 304 stainless steel, and oxygen-free copper. Initially, coupon samples were cleaned and passed preliminary testing for the proposed process. Next, beam tube samples of each material were cleaned, and the PSD measured on beam line U10B using white light with a critical energy of 487 eV. Prior to cleaning, the samples were contaminated with a mixture of cutting oils, lubricants, vacuum oils, and vacuum grease. The contaminated samples were then baked. Samples of each material were also cleaned with the existing process after the same preparation. Beam tube samples were exposed to between 10 22 and 10 23 photons per meter for a PSD measurement. Desorption yields for H 2 , CO, CO 2 , CH 4 , and H 2 O are reported for both the existing cleaning and for the replacement cleaning process. Preliminary data, residual gas scans, and PSD results are given and discussed. The new process is also compared with new cleaning methods developed in other laboratories. After modification, the new UHV cleaning process was accepted by BNL

Determination of a cleaning and decontamination process using solvents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boutot, P.; Schipfer, P.

1967-03-01

This work has been carried out on samples of the white cotton serge material of which most of the working overalls of the Nuclear Research Centre are made. The aims are: - to determine,from the decontamination and cleaning points of view, the efficiency of various solvents (white-spirit, trichloroethylene, perchlorethylene and tri-chloro-trifluoroethane) and the role of additives likely to improve the treatment; - to control the textile from the wear and shrinkage points of view; - to try to develop a basic cleaning and decontamination process as a function of the possibilities of each solvent considered. (authors) [fr

Optimizing a cleaning process for multilayer-dielectric- (MLD) diffraction gratings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ashe, B. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States); Giacofei, C. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States); Myhre, G. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States); Schmid, A. W. [Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States)

2007-12-20

An essential component for the OMEGA EP short-pulse petawatt laser system is the grating compressor chamber (GCC). This large (12,375 ft³) vacuum chamber contains critical optics where laser-pulse compression is performed at the output of the system on two 40-cm-sq-aperture, IR (1054-nm) laser beams. Critical to this compression, within the GCC, are four sets of tiled multilayer-dielectric- (MLD) diffraction gratings that provide the capability for producing 2.6-kJ output IR energy per beam at 10 ps. The primary requirements for these large-aperture (43-cm × 47-cm) gratings are diffraction efficiencies greater than 95%, peak-to-valley wavefront quality of less than λ/10 waves, and laser-induced-damage thresholds greater than 2.7 J/cm² at 10-ps measured beam normal. Degradation of the grating laser-damage threshold due to adsorption of contaminants from the manufacturing process must be prevented to maintain system performance. In this paper we discuss an optimized cleaning process to achieve the OMEGA EP requirements. The fabrication of MLD gratings involves processes that utilize a wide variety of both organic materials (photoresist processes) and inorganic materials (metals and metal oxides) that can affect the final cleaning process. Finally, a number of these materials have significant optical absorbance; therefore, incomplete cleaning of these residues may result in the MLD gratings experiencing laser damage.

Development of advanced coal cleaning process; Kodo sekitan kaishitsu gijutsu no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Osaka, S [Center for Coal Utilization, Japan, Tokyo (Japan); Akimoto, A; Yamashita, T [Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1996-09-01

This paper aims to develop a clean coal production process which excellently removes environmental pollutant, is low-costed, and need no particular systems for distribution of products. The result of the development was described paying attention to column flotation which is a technology to high-efficiently select particulate regions, particulate heavy media cyclone, magnetic separation, and the basic design of the process into which those above were integrated. The two-stage selection process, which is an integration of column flotation and particulate heavy media cyclone into the conventional coal preparation equipment, can produce low-ash clean coal at high separation efficiency and also suppress the rise in processing cost. This process was also effective for removal of sulfur content and trace metal elements. The use of clean coal at power plant can be effective for not only the reduction in ash treatment amount, but the aspect of boiler operation characteristics such as heat transfer efficiency of boiler furnace wall, ash related troubles, loads of electrostatic precipitator, loads of flue gas desulfurization facilities. 17 figs., 5 tabs.

Ultrastructural investigation of root canal dentine surface after application of active ultrasonic method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mitić Aleksandar

2008-01-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION The basic work principle of all ultrasonic techniques is the piezoelectric effect of producing high frequency ultrasounds of small length, which are transmitted over the endodontic extensions or canal instruments into the root canal. When in contact with the tissue, ultrasonic vibrations are converted into mechanical oscillations. Ultrasonic waves and the obtained oscillations along with the synergic effect of irrigation bring about the elimination of smear layer from the root canal walls. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to ultrastucturally examine the effect of smear layer removal from the walls of canals by the application of the active ultrasonic method without irrigation, that is by the application of ultrasound and irrigation using distilled water and 2.5% NaOCl. METHOD The investigation comprised 35 single-canal, extracted human teeth. After removal of the root canal content, experimental samples were divided into three groups. According to the procedure required, the first group was treated by ultrasound without irrigation; the second one by ultrasound with irrigation using distilled water; and the third group was treated by ultrasound and irrigation using 2.5% NaOCl solution. The control samples were treated by machine rotating instruments (Pro-File and were rinsed by distilled water. RESULTS The obtained results showed that the ultrasonic treatment of the root canal without irrigation did not remove the smear layer. The dentine canals are masked, and big dentine particles are scattered on the intertubular dentine. The ultrasonic treatment by using irrigation with distilled water provides cleaner dentine walls and open dentine tubules but with smaller particles on the intertubular dentine. The ultrasound treatment by using irrigation with 2.5% NaOCl solution provides a clean intertubular dentine surface without a smear layer and clearly open dentine tubules. CONCLUSION Instrumentation of the root canal by application of

Research results on productivity stabilization by ultrasonic camera (plant with membrane ceramic elements during vine processing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. T. Antufyev

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article describes solutions to the problems of declining productivity of ceramic membrane elements for wine processing on the final manufacturing phase. A relative stabilization of filtration velocity, venting efficiency and wine lightening were experimentally confirmed during contacts with oscillation waves of ultrasonic transmitter on the ceramic filter. Which significantly reduced the cost of various preservatives to increase periods storage. To study the processes of wine processing by the proposed method it was made an experimental installation on the basis of pilot machine MRp-1/2 for bottling of quiet liquids and an ultrasonic device "Volna– M" UZTA-1/22-OM with a firmly, waveguide which transmits sound, fixed filter frame on the ultrasound emitter. To stabilize the performance of ultrasonic units with ceramic membrane elements without quality deterioration of wines it was empirically determined rational parameters of power of ultrasound input and pressure in the system. The given derived dependencies and graphs allow to define the time of relatively stable operating filter regime. It was revealed a significant cost reduction on filtration, as it allows escape from the contamination of the product by various preservatives, and increasing of storage duration in a sealed container during aseptic filling without a thermal sterilization. Ultrasonic emitter contact by superposition wave vibrations on the ceramic filter increases not only the efficiency of gas removal, but also improves the organoleptic characteristics, stabilizes the filters, improves their productivity. Gas removal creates unfavorable conditions for development of the yeast, which in turn increases the shelf life of semisweet wine.

Ultrasonic examination of JBK-75 strip material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, K.V.; Cunningham, R.A. Jr.; Lewis, J.C.; McClung, R.W.

1982-12-01

An ultrasonic inspection system was assembled to inspect the JBK-75 stainless steel sheath material (for the Large Coil Project) for the Westinghouse-Airco superconducting magnet program. The mechanical system provided for handling the 180-kg (400-lb) coils of strip material [1.6 mm thick by 78 mm wide by 90 to 120 m long (0.064 by 3.07 in. by 300 to 400 ft)], feeding the strip through the ultrasonic inspection and cleaning stations, and respooling the coils. We inspected 54 coils of strip for both longitudinal and laminar flaws. Simulated flaws were used to calibrate both inspections. Saw-cut notches [0.28 mm deep (0.011 in., about 17% of the strip thickness)] were used to calibrate the longitudinal flaw inspections; 1.59-mm-diam (0.063-in.) flat-bottom holes drilled halfway through a calibration strip were used to calibrate the laminar flaw tests

A quality control method by ultrasonic vibration energy and diagnosis system at trimming process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suh, Chang Min; Song, Gil Ho; Pyoun, Young Shik

2007-01-01

In this paper, the characteristics in mechanical properties of ultrasonic cold forging treatment (UCFT) used for the trimming knife and the effects of ultrasonic vibration energy (UVE) into the trimming process on the state of the strip cutting face were studied. And a diagnosis system to quality control for trimming knife and strip cutting face was developed and installed in plant. By the plant application of UCFT, service life of knife was more increased over 100% than that of conventional knife and using the developed diagnosis system, the knife breakage and saw ear have been perfectly detected and quality control of trimming face is effectively obtained

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

Challenges with modifications of the McClean Lake mill to process midwest ore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, T.T.; Backham, L.

2010-01-01

Midwest is a unique uranium deposit with exceptionally high arsenic content. The ore body is located 17 km west of the McClean Lake operation. The McClean Lake mill will be modified to process Midwest ore and handle solid wastes from the Midwest water treatment plant. This paper describes the modifications required of the McClean Lake mill, process challenges associated with treatment of the arsenic, and the possibility of recovering nickel and cobalt as a by-product. It also reviews the complexity in the design of the Midwest water treatment facility which incorporates reverse osmosis technology with conventional physical-chemical water treatment. (author)

Monopolar electrocautery versus ultrasonic dissection of the gallbladder from the gallbladder bed in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahabaleshwar, Varun; Kaman, Lileswar; Iqbal, Javid; Singh, Rajinder

2012-10-01

Ultrasonic dissection has been suggested as an alternative to monopolar electrocautery in laparoscopic cholecystectomy because it generates less tissue damage and may have a lower incidence of gallbladder perforation. We compared the 2 methods to determine the incidence of gallbladder perforation and its intraoperative consequences. We conducted a prospective randomized controlled trial between July 2008 and December 2009 involving adult patients with symptomatic gall stone disease who were eligible for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Patients were randomly assigned before administration of anesthesia to electrocautery or ultrasonic dissection. Both groups were compared for incidence of gallbladder perforation during dissection, bile leak, stones spillage, lens cleaning, duration of surgery and estimation of risk of gallbladder in the presence of complicating factors. We included 60 adult patients in our study. The groups were comparable with respect to demographic characteristics, symptomatology, comorbidities, previous abdominal surgeries, preoperative ultrasonography findings and intraoperative complications. The overall incidence of gallbladder perforation was 28.3% (40.0% in the electrocautery v. 16.7% in the ultrasonic dissection group, p = 0.045). Bile leak occurred in 40.0% of patients in the electrocautery group and 16.7% of patients in ultrasonic group (p = 0.045). Lens cleaning time (p = 0.015) and duration of surgery (p = 0.001) were longer in the electrocautery than the ultrasonic dissection group. There was no statistical difference in stone spillage between the groups (p = 0.62). Ultrasonic dissection is safe and effective, and it improves the operative course of laparoscopic cholecystectomy by reducing the incidence of gallbladder perforation.

The effectiveness of chemical denture cleansers and ultrasonic device in biofilm removal from complete dentures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrícia Costa Cruz

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Adequate denture hygiene can prevent and treat infection in edentulous patients. They are usually elderly and have difficulty for brushing their teeth. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the efficacy of complete denture biofilm removal using chemical (alkaline peroxide-effervescent tablets, mechanical (ultrasonic and combined (association of the effervescent and ultrasonic methods. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty complete denture wearers participated in the experiment for 21 days. They were distributed into 4 groups (n=20: (1 Brushing with water (Control; (2 Effervescent tablets (Corega Tabs; (3 Ultrasonic device (Ultrasonic Cleaner, model 2840 D; (4 Association of effervescent tablets and ultrasonic device. All groups brushed their dentures with a specific brush (Bitufo and water, 3 times a day, before applying their treatments. Denture biofilm was collected at baseline and after 21 days. To quantify the biofilm, the internal surfaces of the maxillary complete dentures were stained and photographed at 45º. The photographs were processed and the areas (total internal surface stained with biofilm quantified (Image Tool 2.02. The percentage of the biofilm was calculated by the ratio between the biofilm area multiplied by 100 and the total area of the internal surface of the maxillary complete denture. RESULTS: The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for comparison among groups followed by the Dunn multiple-comparison test. All tests were performed respecting a significance level of 0.05. Significant difference was found among the treatments (KW=21.18; P<0.001, the mean ranks for the treatments and results for Dunn multiple comparison test were: Control (60.9; Chemical (37.2; Mechanical (35.2 and Combined (29.1. CONCLUSION: The experimental methods were equally effective regarding the ability to remove biofilm and were superior to the control method (brushing with water. Immersion in alkaline peroxide and ultrasonic vibration can be used as auxiliary agents

Efficient methods of nanoimprint stamp cleaning based on imprint self-cleaning effect

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meng Fantao; Chu Jinkui [Key Laboratory for Micro/Nano Technology and System of Liaoning Province, Dalian University of Technology, 116024 Dalian (China); Luo Gang; Zhou Ye; Carlberg, Patrick; Heidari, Babak [Obducat AB, SE-20125 Malmoe (Sweden); Maximov, Ivan; Montelius, Lars; Xu, H Q [Division of Solid State Physics, Lund University, Box 118, S-22100 Lund (Sweden); Nilsson, Lars, E-mail: ivan.maximov@ftf.lth.se [Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition, Lund University, Box 117, S-22100 Lund (Sweden)

2011-05-06

Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is a nonconventional lithographic technique that promises low-cost, high-throughput patterning of structures with sub-10 nm resolution. Contamination of nanoimprint stamps is one of the key obstacles to industrialize the NIL technology. Here, we report two efficient approaches for removal of typical contamination of particles and residual resist from stamps: thermal and ultraviolet (UV) imprinting cleaning-both based on the self-cleaning effect of imprinting process. The contaminated stamps were imprinted onto polymer substrates and after demolding, they were treated with an organic solvent. The images of the stamp before and after the cleaning processes show that the two cleaning approaches can effectively remove contamination from stamps without destroying the stamp structures. The contact angles of the stamp before and after the cleaning processes indicate that the cleaning methods do not significantly degrade the anti-sticking layer. The cleaning processes reported in this work could also be used for substrate cleaning.

Ultrasonic transesterification of Jatrophacurcas L. oil to biodiesel by a two-step process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng Xin; Fang Zhen; Liu Yunhu

2010-01-01

Transesterification of high free fatty acid content Jatropha oil with methanol to biodiesel catalyzed directly by NaOH and high-concentrated H 2 SO 4 or by two-step process were studied in an ultrasonic reactor at 60 deg. C. If NaOH was used as catalyst, biodiesel yield was only 47.2% with saponification problem. With H 2 SO 4 as catalyst, biodiesel yield was increased to 92.8%. However, longer reaction time (4 h) was needed and the biodiesel was not stable. A two-step, acid-esterification and base-transesterification process was further used for biodiesel production. It was found that after the first-step pretreatment with H 2 SO 4 for 1 h, the acid value of Jatropha oil was reduced from 10.45 to 1.2 mg KOH/g, and subsequently, NaOH was used for the second-step transesterification. Stable and clear yellowish biodiesel was obtained with 96.4% yield after reaction for 0.5 h. The total production time was only 1.5 h that is just half of the previous reported. The two-step process with ultrasonic radiation is effective and time-saving for biodiesel production from Jatropha oil.

Application of rapid read-out cleaning indicators for improved process control in hospital sterile services departments.

Science.gov (United States)

Nugent, P G; Modi, T; McLeod, N; Bock, L J; Smith, C; Poolman, T M; Warburton, R; Meighan, P; Wells, P; Sutton, J M

2013-05-01

Heightened awareness of the importance of cleaning has led to an emphasis on automated systems for the decontamination of re-usable medical devices. The authors have previously described an enzymatic indicator system, based on thermostable adenylate kinases (tAK), for quantitative monitoring of automated cleaning processes within hospital sterile services departments (SSDs). To evaluate tAK indicators for routine process monitoring across a range of SSDs with different cleaning chemistries and different automated washer disinfectors (AWDs). tAK indicator devices and alternative industry test indicators were included in five independent cleaning cycles in each of eight different AWDs. Residual tAK post wash was determined by a coupled luciferase assay using a modified hygiene monitoring system. In all cases, with the exception of a single test, the alternative indicators showed that cleaning had been adequate. They were not able to discriminate between the performance of different processes. In contrast, the tAK indicators were able to resolve differences in the performance of processes across the different SSDs. Where the tAK indicators identified cleaning to the limits of detection of the assay, this demonstrated a log10 enzyme removal factor of >5.69. The results suggest that tAK indicators are suitable for providing improved process control for automated cleaning processes, being able to distinguish between wash performance in different hospital settings and between individual process runs. This technology is believed to be a useful addition to routine AWD performance qualification when used as a daily or weekly test. Copyright © 2013 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sonochemical analysis of the output of ultrasonic dental descalers

OpenAIRE

King, David

2010-01-01

Ultrasonic descalers are used in dentistry to remove calculus and other contaminants from teeth. One mechanism which may assist in the cleaning is cavitation generated in cooling water around the descaler. The spatial distribution of cavitation around three designs of descaler tips and under three load conditions has been observed using sonochemiluminescence from a luminol solution and compared with the vibratory motion of the tips in a water bath, characterised by scanning laser vibrometry. ...

Processing surface sizing starch using oxidation, enzymatic hydrolysis and ultrasonic treatment methods--Preparation and application.

Science.gov (United States)

Brenner, Tobias; Kiessler, Birgit; Radosta, Sylvia; Arndt, Tiemo

2016-03-15

The surface application of starch is a well-established method for increasing paper strength. In surface sizing, a solution of degraded starch is applied to the paper. Two procedures have proved valuable for starch degradation in the paper mill: enzymatic and thermo-oxidative degradation. The objective of this study was to determine achievable efficiencies of cavitation in preparing degraded starch for surface application on paper. It was found that ultrasonic-assisted starch degradation can provide a starch solution that is suitable for surface sizing. The molecular composition of starch solutions prepared by ultrasonic treatment differed from that of starch solutions degraded by enzymes or by thermo-oxidation. Compared to commercial degradation processes, this resulted in intensified film formation and in greater penetration during surface sizing and ultimately in a higher starch content of the paper. Paper sized with ultrasonically treated starch solutions show the same strength properties compared to commercially sized paper. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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.

Effect of coffee reduction on constituent concentration in an energy-efficient process of ultrasonic extraction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Cheng-Chi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Coffee is one of the popular beverage; its constituents include caffeine, oxidation resistant aromatic constituents, protein, tannin, and fat. It is indicated in literatures that a proper amount of coffee stimulates the brain and enhances memory, but excessive coffee causes negative results, such as coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, heart disease and kidney disease. This study used high-performance ultrasonic process to discuss the effect of pulverized coffee reduction on the constituent concentration. It further compared the constituent concentrations obtained in different extraction periods. The experimental results show that the coffee aroma constituents can be extracted effectively by ultrasonic process without any organic solvent, and the constituent concentration does not decrease with the addition of pulverized coffee. Therefore, the consumption of pulverized coffee can be reduced greatly by using the proposed. The time of extraction process can be shortened, so as to save energy. The most important point is to reduce the enterprises manufacturing cost and to increase the profit.

Enhancement of crack detection in stud bolts of nuclear reactor by ultrasonic signal processing technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J.H.; Oh, W.D.; Choi, S.W.; Park, M.H.

2004-01-01

'Full-text:' The stud bolts is one of the most critical parts for safety of reactor vessels in the nuclear power plants. However, in the application of ultrasonic technique for crack detection in stud bolt, some difficulties encountered are classification of crack signal from the signals reflected from threads part in stud bolt. In this study, shadow effect technique combined with new signal processing method is Investigated to enhance the detectability of small crack initiated from root of thread in stud bolt. The key idea of signal processing is based on the fact that the shape of waveforms from the threads is uniform since the shape of the threads in a bolt is same. If some cracks exist in the thread, the flaw signals are different to the reference signals. It is demonstrated that the small flaws are efficiently detected by novel ultrasonic technique combined with this new signal processing concept. (author)

Prioritizing substitution of organic solvents in industrial cleaning processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Pia Brunn; Jacobsen, Thomas

1997-01-01

A method for prioritizing the substitution of volatile organic compounds (VOC) used in industrial cleaning processes is developed. The result is a matrix, which, if all information can be obtained, gives a comprehensive description of the effects, exposure and emission of VOC, as well as the pros...

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.

Investigations on the performance of ultrasonic drilling process with special reference to precision machining of advanced ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adithan, M.; Laroiya, S.C.

1997-01-01

Advanced ceramics are assuming an important role in modern industrial technology. The applications and advantages of using advanced ceramics are many. There are several reasons why we should go in for machining of advanced ceramics after their compacting and sintering. These are discussed in this paper. However, precision machining of advanced ceramics must be economical. Critical technological issues to be addressed in cost effective machining of ceramics include design of machine tools, tooling arrangements, improved yield and precision, relationship of part dimensions and finish specifications to functional performance, and on-line inspection. Considering the above ultrasonic drilling is an important process used for the precision machining of advanced ceramics. Extensive studies on tool wear occurring in the ultrasonic machining of advanced ceramics have been carried out. In addition, production accuracy of holes drilled, surface finish obtained and surface integrity aspects in the machining of advanced ceramics have also been investigated. Some specific findings with reference to surface integrity are: a) there were no cracks or micro-cracks developed during or after ultrasonic machining of advanced ceramics, b) while machining Hexoloy alpha silicon carbide a recast layer is formed as a result of ultrasonic machining. This is attributed to the viscous heating resulting from high energy impacts during ultrasonic machining. While machining all other types of ceramics no such formation of recast layer was observed, and , c) there is no change in the microstructure of the advanced ceramics as a result of ultrasonic machining

Defect detection and sizing in ultrasonic imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moysan, J.; Benoist, P.; Chapuis, N.; Magnin, I.

1991-01-01

This paper introduces imaging processing developed with the SPARTACUS system in the field of ultrasonic testing. The aim of the imaging processing is to detect and to separate defects echoes from background noise. Image segmentation and particularities of ultrasonic images are the base of studied methods. 4 figs.; 6 refs [fr

Ultrasonic Abrasive Removal Of EDM Recast

Science.gov (United States)

Mandel, Johnny L.; Jacobson, Marlowe S.

1990-01-01

Ultrasonic abrasive process removes layer of recast material generated during electrical-discharge machining (EDM) of damper pocket on turbine blade. Form-fitted tool vibrated ultrasonically in damper pocket from which material removed. Vibrations activate abrasive in pocket. Amount of material removed controlled precisely.

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.

Modification of Surface Roughness and Area of FeCrAl Substrate for Catalytic Converter using Ultrasonic Treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanuandri Putrasari

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Surface roughness and area play important role especially in deposition and reaction of the catalyst in the catalytic converter substrate. The aim of this paper is to show the modification of surface roughness and area of FeCrAl substrate for catalytic converter using ultrasonic method. The method was conducted by agitating the FeCrAl in 10 minutes 35 kHz ultrasonic cleaning bath. The  surface roughness, morphology, and chemical components of FeCrAl catalytic converter substrate after ultrasonic treatment were analyzed using atomic force microscope (AFM and examined with scanning electron microscope (SEM in combination with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS. The ultrasonic treatment assisted with Al2O3 powders successfully increased the roughness and surface area of FeCrAl better than SiC powders. 

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.

Co-treatment of spent cathode carbon in caustic and acid leaching process under ultrasonic assisted for preparation of SiC.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Jie; Xiao, Jin; Li, Fachuang; Wang, Bingjie; Yao, Zhen; Yu, Bailie; Zhang, Liuyun

2018-03-01

Spent cathode carbon (SCC) from aluminum electrolysis has been treated in ultrasonic-assisted caustic leaching and acid leaching process, and purified SCC used as carbon source to synthesize silicon carbide (SiC) was investigated. Chemical and mineralogical properties have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA-DSC). Various experimental factors temperature, time, liquid-solid ratio, ultrasonic power, and initial concentration of alkali or acid affecting on SCC leaching result were studied. After co-treatment with ultrasonic-assisted caustic leaching and acid leaching, carbon content of leaching residue was 97.53%. SiC power was synthesized by carbothermal reduction at 1600 °C, as a result of yield of 76.43%, and specific surface area of 4378 cm 2 /g. This is the first report of using purified SCC and gangue to prepare SiC. The two industrial wastes have been used newly as secondary sources. Furthermore, ultrasonic showed significant effect in SCC leaching process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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)

Ultrasonic hot powder compaction of Ti-6Al-4V.

Science.gov (United States)

Abedini, Rezvan; Abdullah, Amir; Alizadeh, Yunes

2017-07-01

Power ultrasonic has been recently employed in a wide variety of manufacturing processes among which ultrasonic assisted powder compaction is a promising powder materials processing technique with significant industrial applications. The products manufactured by the powder metallurgy commonly consist of residual porosities, material impurities, structural non-homogeneities and residual stress. In this paper, it is aimed to apply power ultrasonic to the hot consolidation process of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy powder in order to improve mechanical properties. To do this, the effects of ultrasonic power and process temperature and pressure were considered and then deeply studied through a series of experiments. It was shown that the addition of ultrasonic vibration leads to a significant improvement in the consolidation performance and the mechanical strength of the fabricated specimens. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

National Ignition Facility Incorporates P2/E2 in Aqueous Parts Cleaning of Optics Hardware

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gabor, K

2001-01-01

optimize parts cleaning. The cleaning line is as follows: (1) Ultrasonic wash tank with an automatic feed to maintain surfactant concentration and pH. One hundred percent of the wash solution is filtered and reused. This wash bath needs changing only twice a year. (2) Pre-rinse spray area. Here an initial low-volume rinse removes most of the wash solution, preserving the cleanliness of the immersion rinse tank. Effluent from this process, less than 1% of the total volume used in a wash cycle, is the LMPPC's only regular discharge during a normal wash cycle. (3) Immersion rinse tank with ultrasonics. All of the deionized rinse water is filtered and re-polished for reuse. Reusing the deionized water also saves energy by taking advantage of previously heated water. (4) Final spray rinse. All of this water is filtered, re-polished and reused. Drying area. Hot, HEPA-filtered air, which dries the part, is filtered and re-circulated to conserve energy. The SMPGPC, essentially a scaled-down version of the LMPPC, handles parts weighing up to 300 kg. The SMPGPC has smaller tanks (200 gallons) and a small-parts gross-cleaning system at the front end of the cleaning line. Both the SMPGPC and LMPPC are surrounded by enclosures that reduce ambient room noise, provide a safety barrier, and help maintain the cleanliness of the area

Ultrasonic transesterification of Jatrophacurcas L. oil to biodiesel by a two-step process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deng, Xin; Fang, Zhen; Liu, Yun-hu [Biomass Group, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 88 Xuefulu, Kunming, Yunnan Province 650223 (China)

2010-12-15

Transesterification of high free fatty acid content Jatropha oil with methanol to biodiesel catalyzed directly by NaOH and high-concentrated H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} or by two-step process were studied in an ultrasonic reactor at 60 C. If NaOH was used as catalyst, biodiesel yield was only 47.2% with saponification problem. With H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} as catalyst, biodiesel yield was increased to 92.8%. However, longer reaction time (4 h) was needed and the biodiesel was not stable. A two-step, acid-esterification and base-transesterification process was further used for biodiesel production. It was found that after the first-step pretreatment with H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} for 1 h, the acid value of Jatropha oil was reduced from 10.45 to 1.2 mg KOH/g, and subsequently, NaOH was used for the second-step transesterification. Stable and clear yellowish biodiesel was obtained with 96.4% yield after reaction for 0.5 h. The total production time was only 1.5 h that is just half of the previous reported. The two-step process with ultrasonic radiation is effective and time-saving for biodiesel production from Jatropha oil. (author)

Ultrasonic transesterification of Jatrophacurcas L. oil to biodiesel by a two-step process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deng Xin [Biomass Group, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 88 Xuefulu, Kunming, Yunnan Province 650223 (China); Fang Zhen, E-mail: zhenfang@xtbg.ac.c [Biomass Group, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 88 Xuefulu, Kunming, Yunnan Province 650223 (China); Liu Yunhu [Biomass Group, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 88 Xuefulu, Kunming, Yunnan Province 650223 (China)

2010-12-15

Transesterification of high free fatty acid content Jatropha oil with methanol to biodiesel catalyzed directly by NaOH and high-concentrated H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} or by two-step process were studied in an ultrasonic reactor at 60 deg. C. If NaOH was used as catalyst, biodiesel yield was only 47.2% with saponification problem. With H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} as catalyst, biodiesel yield was increased to 92.8%. However, longer reaction time (4 h) was needed and the biodiesel was not stable. A two-step, acid-esterification and base-transesterification process was further used for biodiesel production. It was found that after the first-step pretreatment with H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} for 1 h, the acid value of Jatropha oil was reduced from 10.45 to 1.2 mg KOH/g, and subsequently, NaOH was used for the second-step transesterification. Stable and clear yellowish biodiesel was obtained with 96.4% yield after reaction for 0.5 h. The total production time was only 1.5 h that is just half of the previous reported. The two-step process with ultrasonic radiation is effective and time-saving for biodiesel production from Jatropha oil.

Controlling the cost of clean air - A new clean coal technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kindig, J.K.; Godfrey, R.L.

1991-01-01

This article presents the authors' alternative to expensive coal combustion products clean-up by cleaning the coal, removing the sulfur, before combustion. Topics discussed include sulfur in coal and the coal cleaning process, the nature of a new coal cleaning technology, the impact on Clean Air Act compliance, and the economics of the new technology

Automated cleaning of electronic components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drotning, W.; Meirans, L.; Wapman, W.; Hwang, Y.; Koenig, L.; Petterson, B.

1994-01-01

Environmental and operator safety concerns are leading to the elimination of trichloroethylene and chlorofluorocarbon solvents in cleaning processes that remove rosin flux, organic and inorganic contamination, and particulates from electronic components. Present processes depend heavily on these solvents for manual spray cleaning of small components and subassemblies. Use of alternative solvent systems can lead to longer processing times and reduced quality. Automated spray cleaning can improve the quality of the cleaning process, thus enabling the productive use of environmentally conscious materials, while minimizing personnel exposure to hazardous materials. We describe the development of a prototype robotic system for cleaning electronic components in a spray cleaning workcell. An important feature of the prototype system is the capability to generate the robot paths and motions automatically from the CAD models of the part to be cleaned, and to embed cleaning process knowledge into the automatically programmed operations

NEET In-Pile Ultrasonic Sensor Enablement-Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J. Daw; J. Rempe; J. Palmer; P. Ramuhalli; R. Montgomery; H.T. Chien; B. Tittmann; B. Reinhardt; P. Keller

2014-09-01

Ultrasonic technologies offer the potential to measure a range of parameters during irradiation of fuels and materials, including geometry changes, temperature, crack initiation and growth, gas pressure and composition, and microstructural changes under harsh irradiation test conditions. There are two primary issues that currently limit in-pile deployment of ultrasonic sensors. The first is transducer survivability. The ability of ultrasonic transducer materials to maintain their useful properties during an irradiation must be demonstrated. The second issue is signal processing. Ultrasonic testing is typically performed in a lab or field environment, where the sensor and sample are accessible. The harsh nature of in-pile testing and the variety of desired measurements demand that an enhanced signal processing capability be developed to make in-pile ultrasonic sensors viable. To address these issues, the NEET ASI program funded a three year Ultrasonic Transducer Irradiation and Signal Processing Enhancements project, which is a collaborative effort between the Idaho National Laboratory, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Argonne National Laboratory, and the Pennsylvania State University. The objective of this report is to document the objectives and accomplishments from this three year project. As summarized within this document, significant work has been accomplished during this three year project.

Degradation of acephate using combined ultrasonic and ozonation method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bin Wang

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The degradation of acephate in aqueous solutions was investigated with the ultrasonic and ozonation methods, as well as a combination of both. An experimental facility was designed and operation parameters such as the ultrasonic power, temperature, and gas flow rate were strictly controlled at constant levels. The frequency of the ultrasonic wave was 160 kHz. The ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis spectroscopic and Raman spectroscopic techniques were used in the experiment. The UV-Vis spectroscopic results show that ultrasonication and ozonation have a synergistic effect in the combined system. The degradation efficiency of acephate increases from 60.6% to 87.6% after the solution is irradiated by a 160 kHz ultrasonic wave for 60 min in the ozonation process, and it is higher with the combined method than the sum of the separated ultrasonic and ozonation methods. Raman spectra studies show that degradation via the combined ultrasonic/ozonation method is more thorough than photocatalysis. The oxidability of nitrogen atoms is promoted under ultrasonic waves. Changes of the inorganic ions and degradation pathway during the degradation process were investigated in this study. Most final products are innocuous to the environment.

Ultrasonic techniques for fluids characterization

CERN Document Server

Povey, Malcolm J W

1997-01-01

This book is a comprehensive and practical guide to the use of ultrasonic techniques for the characterization of fluids. Focusing on ultrasonic velocimetry, the author covers the basic topics and techniques necessaryfor successful ultrasound measurements on emulsions, dispersions, multiphase media, and viscoelastic/viscoplastic materials. Advanced techniques such as scattering, particle sizing, and automation are also presented. As a handbook for industrial and scientific use, Ultrasonic Techniques for Fluids Characterization is an indispensable guide to chemists and chemical engineers using ultrasound for research or process monitoring in the chemical, food processing, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, biotechnology,and fuels industries. Key Features * Appeals to anyone using ultrasound to study fluids * Provides the first detailed description of the ultrasound profiling technique for dispersions * Describes new techniques for measuring phase transitions and nucleation, such as water/ice and oil/fat * Presents the l...

Plasma cleaning for waste minimization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ward, P.P.

1993-07-01

Although plasma cleaning is a recognized substitute for solvent cleaning in removing organic contaminants, some universal problems in plasma cleaning processes prevent wider use of plasma techniques. Lack of understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of the process, unreliable endpoint detection techniques, and slow process times make plasma cleaning processes less than desirable. Our approach to address these plasma cleaning problems is described. A comparison of plasma cleaning rates of oxygen and oxygen/sulfur hexafluoride gases shows that fluorine-containing plasmas can enhance etch rates by 400% over oxygen alone. A discussion of various endpoint indication techniques is discussed and compared for application suitability. Work toward a plasma cleaning database is discussed. In addition to the global problems of plasma cleaning, an experiment where the specific mixed-waste problem of removal of machine oils from radioactive scrap metal is discussed.

Ecological effectiveness of oil spill countermeasures: how clean is clean?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, J.M.

1999-01-01

This paper with 94 references examines background levels of hydrocarbons and the difficulty of defining clean. Processes and timescales for natural cleaning, and factors affecting natural cleaning timescales are considered. Ecological advantages and disadvantages of clean-up methods are highlighted, and five case histories of oil spills are summarised. The relationships between ecological and socio-economic considerations, and the need for a net environmental benefit analysis which takes into account the advantages and disadvantages of clean-up responses and natural clean-up are discussed. A decision tree for evaluating the requirement for shore clean-up is illustrated. (UK)

NICE3 SO3 Cleaning Process in Semiconductor Manufacturing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blazek, Steve

1999-01-01

This fact sheet explains how Anon, Inc., has developed a novel method of removing photoresist--a light-sensitive material used to produce semiconductor wafers for computers--from the computer manufacturing process at reduced cost and greater efficiency. The new technology is technically superior to existing semiconductor cleaning methods and results in reduced use of hazardous chemicals

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.

System and technique for ultrasonic determination of degree of cooking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bond, Leonard J [Richland, WA; Diaz, Aaron A [W. Richland, WA; Judd, Kayte M [Richland, WA; Pappas, Richard A [Richland, WA; Cliff, William C [Richland, WA; Pfund, David M [Richland, WA; Morgen, Gerald P [Kennewick, WA

2007-03-20

A method and apparatus are described for determining the doneness of food during a cooking process. Ultrasonic signal are passed through the food during cooking. The change in transmission characteristics of the ultrasonic signal during the cooking process is measured to determine the point at which the food has been cooked to the proper level. In one aspect, a heated fluid cooks the food, and the transmission characteristics along a fluid-only ultrasonic path provides a reference for comparison with the transmission characteristics for a food-fluid ultrasonic path.

Study on the Influence of Refreshment/Activation Cycles and Irrigants on Mechanical Cleaning Efficiency During Ultrasonic Activation of the Irrigant

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Sluis, Lucas W. M.; Vogels, Maikel P. J. M.; Verhaagen, Bram; Macedo, Ricardo; Wesselink, Paul R.

Introduction: The aims of this study were to evaluate dentin debris removal from the root canal during ultrasonic activation of sodium hypochlorite (2% and 10%), carbonated water, and distilled water and to determine the influence of 3 ultrasonic refreshment/activation cycles of the irrigant by

Study on the influence of refreshment/activation cycles and irrigants on mechanical cleaning efficiency during ultrasonic activation of the irrigant

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Sluis, L.W.M.; Vogels, M.P.J.M.; Verhaagen, B.; Macedo, R.; Wesselink, P.R.

2010-01-01

Introduction: The aims of this study were to evaluate dentin debris removal from the root canal during ultrasonic activation of sodium hypochlorite (2% and 10%), carbonated water, and distilled water and to determine the influence of 3 ultrasonic refreshment/activation cycles of the irrigant by

A Reuse Evaluation for Solar-Cell Silicon Wafers via Shift Revolution and Tool Rotation Using Magnetic Assistance in Ultrasonic Electrochemical Micromachining

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. S. Pa

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A new reuse fabrication using a tool module with rotation and revolution through a process of magnetic assistance in ultrasonic electrochemical micromachining (UEMM for removal of the surface layers from silicon wafers of solar cells is demonstrated. The target of the proposed reuse fabrication method is to replace the current approach, which uses strong acid and grinding and may damage the physical structure of silicon wafers and pollute to the environment. A precisely engineered clean production approach to removal of surface microstructure layers from silicon wafers is to develop a mass production system for recycling defective or discarded silicon wafers of solar cells that can reduce pollution and cost. The high revolution speed of the shift with the high rotation speed of the designed tool increases the discharge mobility and improves the removal effect associated with the high feed rate of the workpiece. High frequency and high power of ultrasonic with large electrolyte flow rate and high magnetic strengths with a small distance between the two magnets provide a large discharge effect and good removal; only a short period of time is required to remove the epoxy film and Si3N4 layer easily and cleanly.

Copper clean-up procedure for ultrasonic extraction and analysis of pyrethroid and phenylpyrazole pesticides in sediments by gas chromatography-electron capture detection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu Jun; Lin Youjian; Lu Jian; Wilson, Chris, E-mail: pcwilson@ufl.edu

2011-08-15

A rapid ultrasonic extraction method coupled with a heated-copper clean-up procedure for removing interfering constituents was developed for analyzing pyrethroid and phenylpyrazole pesticides in sediments. Incubation of the 60 mL extract with 12 g copper granules at 60 {sup o}C for 2 h was determined to be the optimal conditions for removing the interfering constituents. Eleven pyrethroid and phenylpyrazole pesticides were spiked into sediment samples to determine the effectiveness of the ultrasonic extraction method. The average recoveries of pyrethroids and phenylpyrazoles in sediment at 4 {sup o}C storage on day 0, 1, 7, 14, and 21 ranged from 98.6 to 120.0%, 79.2 to 116.0%, 85.0 to 119.7%, 93.6 to 118.7%, and 92.1 to 118.2%, respectively, with all percent relative standard deviations less than 10% (most < 6%). This illustrated the stability of pyrethroids and phenylpyrazoles in sediment during sediment aging at 4 {sup o}C. Recoveries of the pesticides ranged from 98.6% to 120.0% for lowest fortification level (2-16 {mu}g kg{sup -1}), from 97.8% to 117.9% for middle fortification level (10-80 {mu}g kg{sup -1}), and from 94.3% to 118.1% for highest fortification level (20-160 {mu}g kg{sup -1}). Relative standard deviations of pesticide recoveries were usually less than 7%. Method detection limits of target pesticides ranged from 0.22 {mu}g kg{sup -1} to 3.72 {mu}g kg{sup -1}. Furthermore, field sediment samples collected from four residential lakes during a three-month monitoring period were analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of this method. Bifenthrin was detected in all of sediment samples (highest concentration 260.33 {+-} 41.71 {mu}g kg{sup -1}, lowest concentration 5.68 {+-} 0.38 {mu}g kg{sup -1}), and fipronil sulfone was detected at least once in sediment samples collected from three sites with concentrations ranging from 1.73 {+-} 0.53 to 7.53 {+-} 0.01 {mu}g kg{sup -1}. - Highlights: {yields} A rapid extraction and copper-based clean-up method was

Ultrasonic extraction of flavonoids and phenolics from loquat ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Administrator

2011-06-08

Jun 8, 2011 ... ultrasonic pharmaceutical managing machine (Sinobest electronic. Co. Ltd., Jining, Shangdong ... During the ultrasonic treatment, the temperature ..... essential oil extraction by a hydrodistillation process using a 2(4) complete ...

Influence of ultrasonic processing on the macromolecular properties of poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) alone and in its biocomposite with hydroxyapatite.

Science.gov (United States)

Vukomanović, Marija; Mitrić, Miodrag; Skapin, Sreco D; Zagar, Ema; Plavec, Janez; Ignjatović, Nenad; Uskoković, Dragan

2010-06-01

In this work poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and a poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide)/hydroxyapatite (PLGA/HAp) composite processed in an ultrasonic field at higher (25 degrees C) and lower (8 degrees C) temperatures were studied with respect to the molecular properties of the obtained materials. The processing of the PLGA and the PLGA/HAp composite in an ultrasonic field resulted in a change of molar mass averages of the polymer/polymeric part of these materials, while an amorphous structure and a 50:50 lactide-to-glycolide co-monomer ratio were preserved without the formation of crystalline oligomers. However, mobility of polymeric chains obtained after ultrasonic processing was lower indicating ordering the structure of polymeric chains as a result of processing. Additionally, it was observed that the mobility of the PLGA macromolecules was lower within the composite in comparison with the mobility of the chains within the PLGA alone in the case when both were obtained after ultrasonic processing. This was a consequence of the structure formation through the interactions between the PLGA and the HAp. Based on these results different degradation rate of PLGA in composite can be expected, which is important in the application of this material for the controlled drug delivery of medicaments. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study on the Influence of Refreshment/Activation Cycles and Irrigants on Mechanical Cleaning Efficiency During Ultrasonic Activation of the Irrigant

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Sluis, Lucas W.M.; Vogels, Maikel P.J.M.; Verhaagen, B.; Macedo, Ricardo; Wesselink, Paul R.

2010-01-01

Introduction The aims of this study were to evaluate dentin debris removal from the root canal during ultrasonic activation of sodium hypochlorite (2% and 10%), carbonated water, and distilled water and to determine the influence of 3 ultrasonic refreshment/activation cycles of the irrigant by using

The digital ultrasonic test unit for automatic equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiraoka, T.; Matsuyama, H.

1976-01-01

The operations and features of the ultrasonic test unit used and the digital data processing techniques employed are described. This unit is used for a few hundred multi-channel automatic ultrasonic test equipment

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

Bench for mechanical cleaning of circular welded joints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sklifasovskij, V.M.

1986-01-01

A special bench for weld reinforcement removal and mechanical cleaning of the heat affected zones was designed to provide for a possibility of an ultrasonic testing of welded joints in the course of steam generator section fabrication. The bench comprises a mechanized roller support for fixing and rotating the workpiece; a lap-cutting device for external machining; milling/grinding tractor for internal machining and a delivery table for tractor approach and departure. The bench performance and overall view are presented. The operation succession is described

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.

Reactive Ion Etching as Cleaning Method Post Chemical Mechanical Polishing for Phase Change Memory Device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Min, Zhong; Zhi-Tang, Song; Bo, Liu; Song-Lin, Feng; Bomy, Chen

2008-01-01

In order to improve nano-scale phase change memory performance, a super-clean interface should be obtained after chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 phase change films. We use reactive ion etching (RIE) as the cleaning method. The cleaning effect is analysed by scanning electron microscopy and an energy dispersive spectrometer. The results show that particle residue on the surface has been removed. Meanwhile, Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 material stoichiometric content ratios are unchanged. After the top electrode is deposited, current-voltage characteristics test demonstrates that the set threshold voltage is reduced from 13 V to 2.7V and the threshold current from 0.1mA to 0.025mA. Furthermore, we analyse the RIE cleaning principle and compare it with the ultrasonic method

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.

Bulk viscosity and ultrasonic attenuation in liquid metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Awasthi, O.N.; Murthy, B.V.S.

1984-11-01

Ultrasonic attenuation in simple liquid metals has been investigated using the thermodynamic theory of relaxation processes incorporating the concept of a two state model for the liquid near the melting point. Agreement of the results with the experimental values of the ultrasonic attenuation and bulk viscosity indicates that this might be an appropriate approach to explain the excess attenuation of ultrasonic waves in liquid metals. (author)

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

How to Address the Data Quality Issues in Regression Models: A Guided Process for Data Cleaning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Camilo Corrales

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Today, data availability has gone from scarce to superabundant. Technologies like IoT, trends in social media and the capabilities of smart-phones are producing and digitizing lots of data that was previously unavailable. This massive increase of data creates opportunities to gain new business models, but also demands new techniques and methods of data quality in knowledge discovery, especially when the data comes from different sources (e.g., sensors, social networks, cameras, etc.. The data quality process of the data set proposes conclusions about the information they contain. This is increasingly done with the aid of data cleaning approaches. Therefore, guaranteeing a high data quality is considered as the primary goal of the data scientist. In this paper, we propose a process for data cleaning in regression models (DC-RM. The proposed data cleaning process is evaluated through a real datasets coming from the UCI Repository of Machine Learning Databases. With the aim of assessing the data cleaning process, the dataset that is cleaned by DC-RM was used to train the same regression models proposed by the authors of UCI datasets. The results achieved by the trained models with the dataset produced by DC-RM are better than or equal to that presented by the datasets’ authors.

Ultrasonic sensor system to detect solids in a milk pasteurization process

Science.gov (United States)

Barroeta Z., Carlos; Sanchez M., Fernando L.; Fernando R., G. Moreno; Montes P., Laura

2002-11-01

In the food industry, many products require a specific process. In the milk industry, the raw milk passes through several process stages before reaching the end user in a very qualitative and healthy way. One of the problems of the milk is that it can contain solids in suspension, result of contamination of the milk, or inherent to the pasteurization process itself. In order to control these solids, a solid detection system is being developed, which will detect the solids by the reflection and refraction of ultrasonic waves. The sensor must be set in the upper part of the milk containers, and with a grid array to allow the control system to prevent these solids from entering into the pipes of the processing plant. The sensing system may activate an acoustic alarm to indicate that a solid has been detected, and a visual one to indicate the affected part of the process. (To be presented in Spanish.)

A study on hybrid split-spectrum processing technique for enhanced reliability in ultrasonic signal analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huh, Hyung; Koo, Kil Mo; Cheong, Yong Moo; Kim, G. J.

1995-01-01

Many signal-processing techniques have been found to be useful in ultrasonic and nondestructive evaluation. Among the most popular techniques are signal averaging, spatial compounding, matched filters, and homomorphic processing. One of the significant new process is split-spectrum processing(SSP), which can be equally useful in signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) improvement and grain characterization in several engineering materials. The purpose of this paper is to explore the utility of SSP in ultrasonic NDE. A wide variety of engineering problems are reviewed and suggestions for implementation of the technique are provided. SSP uses the frequency-dependent response of the interfering coherent noise produced by unresolvable scatters in the resolution range cell of a transducer. It is implemented by splitting the Sequency spectrum of the received signal by using Gaussian bandpass filters. The theoretical basis for the potential of SSP for grain characterization in SUS 304 material is discussed, and some experimental-evidence for the feasibility of the approach is presented. Results of SNR enhancement in signals obtained from real four samples of SUS 304. The influence of various processing parameters on the performance of the processing technique is also discussed. The minimization algorithm. which provides an excellent SNR enhancement when used either in conjunction with other SSP algorithms like polarity-check or by itself, is also presented.

A Study on Hybrid Split-Spectrum Processing Technique for Enhanced Reliability in Ultrasonic Signal Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huh, H.; Koo, K. M.; Kim, G. J.

1996-01-01

Many signal-processing techniques have been found to be useful in ultrasonic and nondestructive evaluation. Among the most popular techniques are signal averaging, spatial compounding, matched filters and homomorphic processing. One of the significant new process is split-spectrum processing(SSP), which can be equally useful in signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) improvement and grain characterization in several specimens. The purpose of this paper is to explore the utility of SSP in ultrasonic NDE. A wide variety of engineering problems are reviewed, and suggestions for implementation of the technique are provided. SSP uses the frequency-dependent response of the interfering coherent noise produced by unresolvable scatters in the resolution range cell of a transducer. It is implemented by splitting the frequency spectrum of the received signal by using gaussian bandpass filter. The theoretical basis for the potential of SSP for grain characterization in SUS 304 material is discussed, and some experimental evidence for the feasibility of the approach is presented. Results of SNR enhancement in signals obtained from real four samples of SUS 304. The influence of various processing parameters on the performance of the processing technique is also discussed. The minimization algorithm, which provides an excellent SNR enhancement when used either in conjunction with other SSP algorithms like polarity-check or by itself, is also presented

Designing an in-situ ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation system for ultrasonic additive manufacturing

Science.gov (United States)

Nadimpalli, Venkata K.; Nagy, Peter B.

2018-04-01

Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing (UAM) is a solid-state layer by layer manufacturing process that utilizes vibration induced plastic deformation to form a metallurgical bond between a thin layer and an existing base structure. Due to the vibration based bonding mechanism, the quality of components at each layer depends on the geometry of the structure. In-situ monitoring during and between UAM manufacturing steps offers the potential for closed-loop control to optimize process parameters and to repair existing defects. One interface that is most prone to delamination is the base/build interface and often UAM component height and quality are limited by failure at the base/build interface. Low manufacturing temperatures and favorable orientation of typical interface defects in UAM make ultrasonic NDE an attractive candidate for online monitoring. Two approaches for in-situ NDE are discussed and the design of the monitoring system optimized so that the quality of UAM components is not affected by the addition of the NDE setup. Preliminary results from in-situ ultrasonic NDE indicate the potential to be utilized for online qualification, closed-loop control and offline certification of UAM components.

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.

Evaluation of root-end microcrack formation following retropreparation using different ultrasonic instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

AlKahtani, Ahmed

2009-01-01

This study evaluated differences among various ultrasonic instruments in the development of root-end cracks following retropreparation of endodontically treated teeth. Three ultrasonic tips were compared: stainless steel, zirconium nitride and diamond. Fifty-seven single rooted extracted teeth were cleaned, shaped and obturated. Their crowns were removed. A 3 mm resection of the root-tip was completed using a straight fissure bur. The teeth were examined under a light microscope. The teeth that developed cracks after resection were discarded. The teeth were divided into three groups of 19 teeth each and a retropreparation was completed with one of the ultrasonic tips for each group. Teeth were again examined under a light microscope. The photomicrographs of the teeth before and after were compared. Examination of the specimens revealed that in the stainless steel group, 26% (5/19) of teeth developed cracks, in the zirconium nitride group, 10.5% (2/19) of teeth developed cracks and in the diamond group, 10.5% (2/19) of teeth developed cracks. The differences in crack formation among the three groups were not statistically significant. The results of the study suggested that more cracks may be evident microscopically in root-ends prepared with stainless steel ultrasonic instruments although this was not statistically significant. (author)

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.

Ultrasonic Mastering of Filter Flow and Antifouling of Renewable Resources.

Science.gov (United States)

Radziuk, Darya; Möhwald, Helmuth

2016-04-04

Inadequate access to pure water and sanitation requires new cost-effective, ergonomic methods with less consumption of energy and chemicals, leaving the environment cleaner and sustainable. Among such methods, ultrasound is a unique means to control the physics and chemistry of complex fluids (wastewater) with excellent performance regarding mass transfer, cleaning, and disinfection. In membrane filtration processes, it overcomes diffusion limits and can accelerate the fluid flow towards the filter preventing antifouling. Here, we outline the current state of knowledge and technological design, with a focus on physicochemical strategies of ultrasound for water cleaning. We highlight important parameters of ultrasound for the delivery of a fluid flow from a technical perspective employing principles of physics and chemistry. By introducing various ultrasonic methods, involving bubbles or cavitation in combination with external fields, we show advancements in flow acceleration and mass transportation to the filter. In most cases we emphasize the main role of streaming and the impact of cavitation with a perspective to prevent and remove fouling deposits during the flow. We also elaborate on the deficiencies of present technologies and on problems to be solved to achieve a wide-spread application. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

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.

Apparatus and process for ultrasonic seam welding stainless steel foils

Science.gov (United States)

Leigh, Richard W.

1992-01-01

An ultrasonic seam welding apparatus having a head which is rotated to form contact, preferably rolling contact, between a metallurgically inert coated surface of the head and an outside foil of a plurality of layered foils or work materials. The head is vibrated at an ultrasonic frequency, preferably along a longitudinal axis of the head. The head is constructed to transmit vibration through a contacting surface of the head into each of the layered foils. The contacting surface of the head is preferably coated with aluminum oxide to prevent the head from becoming welded to layered stainless steel foils.

Self Cleaning HEPA Filtration without Interrupting Process Flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wylde, M.

2009-01-01

The strategy of protecting the traditional glass fibre HEPA filtration train from it's blinding contamination and the recovery of dust by the means of self cleaning, pre-filtration is a proven means in the reduction of ultimate disposal volumes and has been used within the Fuel Production Industry. However, there is an increasing demand in nuclear applications requiring elevated operating temperatures, fire resistance, moisture resistance and chemical composition that the existing glass fibre HEPA filtration cannot accommodate, which can be remedied by the use of a metallic HEPA filter media. Previous research (Bergman et al 1997, Moore et al 1992) suggests that the then costs to the DOE, based on a five year life cycle, was $29.5 million for the installation, testing, removal and disposal of glass fibre HEPA filtration trains. Within these costs, $300 was the value given to the filter and $4,450 was given to the peripheral activity. Development of a low cost, cleanable, metallic, direct replacement of the traditional filter train will the clear solution. The Bergman et al work has suggested that a 1000 ft 3 /min, cleanable, stainless HEPA could be commercially available for $5,000 each, whereas the industry has determined that the truer cost of such an item in isolation would be closer to $15,000. This results in a conflict within the requirement between 'low cost' and 'stainless HEPA'. By proposing a system that combines metallic HEPA filtration with the ability to self clean without interrupting the process flow, the need for a tradition HEPA filtration train will be eliminated and this dramatically reduces the resources required for cleaning or disposal, thus presenting a route to reducing ultimate costs. The paper will examine the performance characteristics, filtration efficiency, flow verses differential pressure and cleanability of a self cleaning HEPA grade sintered metal filter element, together with data to prove the contention. (authors)

Cleaning conveyor belts in the chicken-cutting area of a poultry processing plant with 45°c water.

Science.gov (United States)

Soares, V M; Pereira, J G; Zanette, C M; Nero, L A; Pinto, J P A N; Barcellos, V C; Bersot, L S

2014-03-01

Conveyor belts are widely used in food handling areas, especially in poultry processing plants. Because they are in direct contact with food and it is a requirement of the Brazilian health authority, conveyor belts are required to be continuously cleaned with hot water under pressure. The use of water in this procedure has been questioned based on the hypothesis that water may further disseminate microorganisms but not effectively reduce the organic material on the surface. Moreover, reducing the use of water in processing may contribute to a reduction in costs and emission of effluents. However, no consistent evidence in support of removing water during conveyor belt cleaning has been reported. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to compare the bacterial counts on conveyor belts that were or were not continuously cleaned with hot water under pressure. Superficial samples from conveyor belts (cleaned or not cleaned) were collected at three different times during operation (T1, after the preoperational cleaning [5 a.m.]; T2, after the first work shift [4 p.m.]; and T3, after the second work shift [1:30 a.m.]) in a poultry meat processing facility, and the samples were subjected to mesophilic and enterobacterial counts. For Enterobacteriaceae, no significant differences were observed between the conveyor belts, independent of the time of sampling or the cleaning process. No significant differences were observed between the counts of mesophilic bacteria at the distinct times of sampling on the conveyor belt that had not been subjected to continuous cleaning with water at 45°C. When comparing similar periods of sampling, no significant differences were observed between the mesophilic counts obtained from the conveyor belts that were or were not subjected to continuous cleaning with water at 45°C. Continuous cleaning with water did not significantly reduce microorganism counts, suggesting the possibility of discarding this procedure in chicken processing.

Ultrasonic Characterization And Micro-Structural Studies On 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel In Thermal Variations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernice Victoria

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Due to increasing concern on potential impact of materials on human health and environment the materials used in hygienic applications should be durable corrosion resistant clean surface etc. Type 2205 duplex stainless steel is a preferred material for use in biomedical pharmaceutical nuclear pressure vessels chemical tankers etc. it exhibits good mechanical strength and high resistance to corrosion. The strength toughness hardness of such materials are usually determined by destructive tests. However continuous destructive measurements are generally difficult to perform during the productive process which creates a need for a fast and easy nondestructive method of material characterization. Microstructural changes in duplex stainless steel due to changes in annealing temperature are characterized by ultrasonic pulse echo technique and optical microscopy. Type 2205 duplex stainless steel are heat treated at 1000 deg C 1050 deg C 1100 deg C 1150 deg C and 1200 deg C for 15 min and water quenched. There is an appreciable change in the morphology of all the heat treated samples and the ultrasonic velocity is dependent on both ferrite and austenite ratio and the grain size.

Numerical processing of ultrasonic holographic data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langenberg, K.J.; Kiefer, R.; Wosnitza, M.; Schmitz, V.; Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V., Saarbruecken

1980-01-01

Reconstructing ultrasonic holographic data numerically, the well-known Fresnel approximation is a first step in evaluating the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld diffraction formula, that is to say, a one- or two-dimensional Fourier-transform of the holographic data multiplied by a complex phase factor has to be computed. The present contribution investigates the relation between flaw depth and aperture size yielding the more advantageous use of the spatial frequency approach where the advantage is in terms of the number of samples and hence computation time in evaluating Fourier transforms numerically. (orig.) [de

Benefits of integrating chemical and mechanical cleaning processes for steam generator sludge removal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varrin, R.D.; Ferriter, A.M.; Oliver, T.W.; Le Surf, J.E.

1992-01-01

This paper discusses the benefits of performing in-bundle tubesheet lancing in conjunction with chemical cleaning of PWR and PHWR steam generators in which a hard sludge pile is known to exist. The primary benefits of in-bundle lancing are to: (1) increase the exposed area of the sludge pile by cutting furrows in the surface thereby enhancing dissolution of sludge, (2) reduce the volume of solvents required since material removed by lancing does not have to be dissolved chemically, (3) improve rinsing and removal of residual solvent between iron and copper dissolution steps, and (4) allow for verification of process effectiveness by providing high quality in-bundle visual inspection. The reduction in solvent volumes can lead to a significant reduction in solvent costs and waste processing. A case study which includes an economic evaluation for a combined chemical and mechanical cleaning shows a potential cost saving of up to US$ 300,000 over use of chemical cleaning alone. 14 refs., 2 tabs., 2 figs

Application of Numerical Simulation for the Analysis of the Processes of Rotary Ultrasonic Drilling

Science.gov (United States)

Naď, Milan; Čičmancová, Lenka; Hajdu, Štefan

2016-12-01

Rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM) is a hybrid process that combines diamond grinding with ultrasonic machining. It is most suitable to machine hard brittle materials such as ceramics and composites. Due to its excellent machining performance, RUM is very often applied for drilling of hard machinable materials. In the final phase of drilling, the edge deterioration of the drilled hole can occur, which results in a phenomenon called edge chipping. During hole drilling, a change in the thickness of the bottom of the drilled hole occurs. Consequently, the bottom of the hole as a plate structure is exposed to the transfer through the resonance state. This resonance state can be considered as one of the important aspects leading to edge chipping. Effects of changes in the bottom thickness and as well as the fillet radius between the wall and bottom of the borehole on the stress-strain states during RUM are analyzed.

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.

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.

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)

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

Determination of preservatives in cosmetics, cleaning agents and pharmaceuticals using fast liquid chromatography.

Science.gov (United States)

Baranowska, Irena; Wojciechowska, Iwona; Solarz, Natalia; Krutysza, Ewa

2014-01-01

This paper reports the development of a method for simultaneously determining five preservatives in cosmetics, cleaning agents and pharmaceuticals by fast liquid chromatography. Methylisothiazolinone, methylchloroisothiazolinone, benzyl alcohol, sodium benzoate and methylparaben were separated on a Chromolith Fast Gradient reversed-phase 18e column using gradient elution with acetonitrile and a 0.1% aqueous solution of formic acid, with a run time of 3 min. The preparation of solid and liquid samples included ultrasonic extraction with methanol with recoveries ranging from 69 to 119%. The developed method was used to analyze samples of cosmetics (66 samples), cleaning agents (five samples) and pharmaceutical industry products (17 samples).

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

Ultrasonic friction power during thermosonic Au and Cu ball bonding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, A; Mayer, M; Zhou, Y; Qin, I; Huynh, C; Meyer, M

2010-01-01

The ultrasonic friction power during thermosonic ball bonding with Au and Cu wires, both 25 μm in diameter, is derived with an improved method from experimental measurements during the bonding process. Experimental data include the current delivered to the ultrasonic transducer and the tangential force measured using piezoresistive microsensors integrated close to the Al bonding pad. The improvement results from a new, more accurate method to derive the mechanical compliance of the ultrasonic system. The method employs a bond process modification in which the ultrasonic current is ramped up sequentially in three steps. In the first two steps, the ultrasonic current is set to levels that are too low to cause sliding. The bonding takes place during the third step, when the current is ramped up to the optimum value required for making good quality bonds. The ultrasonic compliance values are derived from the first two steps and are 8.2 ± 0.5 μm N -1 and 7.7 ± 0.5 μm N -1 for the Au and Cu processes, respectively. These values are determined within an average error estimate of ±6%, substantially lower than the ±10% estimated with a previously reported method. The ultrasonic compliance in the case of Au is 6% higher due to the lower elastic modulus of Au compared with that of Cu. Typical maximum values of relative sliding amplitude of ultrasonic friction at the interface are 655 nm and 766 nm for the Au and Cu processes. These values are 81% of the free-air vibration amplitude of the bonding capillary tip for the respective ultrasonic current settings. Due to bond growth, which damps relative motion between the ball and the pad, the final relative amplitude at the bond interface is reduced to 4% of the equivalent free-air amplitude. Even though the maximum value of relative amplitude is 17% higher in the Cu process compared with the Au process, the average total interfacial sliding is 519 μm in the Cu process, which is 31% lower than that in the Au process (759 �

A new cleaning process for the metallic contaminants on a post-CMP wafer's surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Baohong; Liu Yuling; Wang Chenwei; Wang Shengli; Zhou Qiang; Tan Baimei; Zhu Yadong

2010-01-01

This paper presents a new cleaning process using boron-doped diamond (BDD) film anode electrochemical oxidation for metallic contaminants on polished silicon wafer surfaces. The BDD film anode electrochemical oxidation can efficiently prepare pyrophosphate peroxide, pyrophosphate peroxide can oxidize organic contaminants, and pyrophosphate peroxide is deoxidized into pyrophosphate. Pyrophosphate, a good complexing agent, can form a metal complex, which is a structure consisting of a copper ion, bonded to a surrounding array of two pyrophosphate anions. Three polished wafers were immersed in the 0.01 mol/L CuSO 4 solution for 2 h in order to make comparative experiments. The first one was cleaned by pyrophosphate peroxide, the second by RCA (Radio Corporation of America) cleaning, and the third by deionized (DI) water. The XPS measurement result shows that the metallic contaminants on wafers cleaned by the RCA method and by pyrophosphate peroxide is less than the XPS detection limits of 1 ppm. And the wafer's surface cleaned by pyrophosphate peroxide is more efficient in removing organic carbon residues than RCA cleaning. Therefore, BDD film anode electrochemical oxidation can be used for microelectronics cleaning, and it can effectively remove organic contaminants and metallic contaminants in one step. It also achieves energy saving and environmental protection. (semiconductor technology)

A thermomechanical crystal plasticity constitutive model for ultrasonic consolidation

KAUST Repository

Siddiq, Amir

2012-01-01

We present a micromechanics-based thermomechanical constitutive model to simulate the ultrasonic consolidation process. Model parameters are calibrated using an inverse modeling approach. A comparison of the simulated response and experimental results for uniaxial tests validate and verify the appropriateness of the proposed model. Moreover, simulation results of polycrystalline aluminum using the identified crystal plasticity based material parameters are compared qualitatively with the electron back scattering diffraction (EBSD) results reported in the literature. The validated constitutive model is then used to simulate the ultrasonic consolidation process at sub-micron scale where an effort is exerted to quantify the underlying micromechanisms involved during the ultrasonic consolidation process. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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)

A new deconvolution method applied to ultrasonic images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sallard, J.

1999-01-01

This dissertation presents the development of a new method for restoration of ultrasonic signals. Our goal is to remove the perturbations induced by the ultrasonic probe and to help to characterize the defects due to a strong local discontinuity of the acoustic impedance. The point of view adopted consists in taking into account the physical properties in the signal processing to develop an algorithm which gives good results even on experimental data. The received ultrasonic signal is modeled as a convolution between a function that represents the waveform emitted by the transducer and a function that is abusively called the 'defect impulse response'. It is established that, in numerous cases, the ultrasonic signal can be expressed as a sum of weighted, phase-shifted replicas of a reference signal. Deconvolution is an ill-posed problem. A priori information must be taken into account to solve the problem. The a priori information translates the physical properties of the ultrasonic signals. The defect impulse response is modeled as a Double-Bernoulli-Gaussian sequence. Deconvolution becomes the problem of detection of the optimal Bernoulli sequence and estimation of the associated complex amplitudes. Optimal parameters of the sequence are those which maximize a likelihood function. We develop a new estimation procedure based on an optimization process. An adapted initialization procedure and an iterative algorithm enables to quickly process a huge number of data. Many experimental ultrasonic data that reflect usual control configurations have been processed and the results demonstrate the robustness of the method. Our algorithm enables not only to remove the waveform emitted by the transducer but also to estimate the phase. This parameter is useful for defect characterization. At last the algorithm makes easier data interpretation by concentrating information. So automatic characterization should be possible in the future. (author)

Wavelet Analysis of Ultrasonic Echo Waveform and Application to Nondestructive Evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Ik Keun; Park, Un Su; Ahn, Hyung Keun; Kwun, Sook In; Byeon, Jai Won

2000-01-01

Recently, advanced signal analysis which is called 'time-frequency analysis' has been used widely in nondestructive evaluation applications. Wavelet transform(WT) and Wigner Distribution are the most advanced techniques for processing signals with time-varying spectra. Wavelet analysis method is an attractive technique for evaluation of material characterization nondestructively. Wavelet transform is applied to the time-frequency analysis of ultrasonic echo waveform obtained by an ultrasonic pulse-echo technique. In this study, the feasibility of noise suppression of ultrasonic flaw signal and frequency-dependent ultrasonic group velocity and attenuation coefficient using wavelet analysis of ultrasonic echo waveform have been verified experimentally. The Gabor function is adopted the analyzing wavelet. The wavelet analysis shows that the variations of ultrasonic group velocity and attenuation coefficient due to the change of material characterization can be evaluated at each frequency. Furthermore, to assure the enhancement of detectability and new sizing performance, both computer simulated results and experimental measurements using wavelet signal processing are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the noise suppression of ultrasonic flaw signal obtained from austenitic stainless steel weld including EDM notch

Flue Gas Cleaning With Alternative Processes and Reaction Media

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Søren Birk; Huang, Jun; Riisager, Anders

2007-01-01

Alternative methods to the traditional industrial NOX and SOXflue gas cleaning processes working at lower temperatures and/orleading to useful products are desired. In this work we presentour latest results regarding the use of molten ionic media inelectrocatalytic membrane separation, ionic liquid...... reversibleabsorption and supported ionic liquid deNOX catalysis. Furtherdevelopment of the methods will hopefully make them suitable forinstallation in different positions in the flue gas duct ascompared to the industrial methods available today....

Application of Numerical Simulation for the Analysis of the Processes of Rotary Ultrasonic Drilling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naď Milan

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM is a hybrid process that combines diamond grinding with ultrasonic machining. It is most suitable to machine hard brittle materials such as ceramics and composites. Due to its excellent machining performance, RUM is very often applied for drilling of hard machinable materials. In the final phase of drilling, the edge deterioration of the drilled hole can occur, which results in a phenomenon called edge chipping. During hole drilling, a change in the thickness of the bottom of the drilled hole occurs. Consequently, the bottom of the hole as a plate structure is exposed to the transfer through the resonance state. This resonance state can be considered as one of the important aspects leading to edge chipping. Effects of changes in the bottom thickness and as well as the fillet radius between the wall and bottom of the borehole on the stress-strain states during RUM are analyzed.

A study on the chemical cleaning process and its qualification test by eddy current testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Ki Seok; Cheon, Keun Young; Nam, Min Woo [KHNP Central Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Min, Kyoung Mahn [UMI Inc., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-12-15

Steam Generator (SG) tube, as a barrier isolating the primary coolant system from the secondary side of nuclear power plants (NPP), must maintain the structural integrity for the public safety and their efficient power generation. So, SG tubes are subject to the periodic examination and the repairs if needed so that any defective tubes are not in service. Recently, corrosion related degradations were detected in the tubes of the domestic OPR-1000 NPP, as a form of axially oriented outer diameter stress corrosion cracking (ODSCC). According to the studies on the factors causing the heat fouling as well as developing corrosion cracking, densely scaled deposits on the secondary side of the SG tubes are mainly known to be problematic causing the adverse impacts against the soundness of the SG tubes. Therefore, the processes of various cleaning methods efficiently to dissolve and remove the deposits have been applied as well as it is imperative to maintain the structural integrity of the tubes after exposing to the cleaning agent. So qualification test (QT) should be carried out to assess the perfection of the chemical cleaning and QT is to apply the processes and to do ECT. In this paper, the chemical cleaning processes to dissolve and remove the scaled deposits are introduced and results of ECT on the artificial crack specimens to determine the effectiveness of those processes are represented.

The Dynamic Performance of Flexural Ultrasonic Transducers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Feeney

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Flexural ultrasonic transducers are principally used as proximity sensors and for industrial metrology. Their operation relies on a piezoelectric ceramic to generate a flexing of a metallic membrane, which delivers the ultrasound signal. The performance of flexural ultrasonic transducers has been largely limited to excitation through a short voltage burst signal at a designated mechanical resonance frequency. However, a steady-state amplitude response is not generated instantaneously in a flexural ultrasonic transducer from a drive excitation signal, and differences in the drive characteristics between transmitting and receiving transducers can affect the measured response. This research investigates the dynamic performance of flexural ultrasonic transducers using acoustic microphone measurements and laser Doppler vibrometry, supported by a detailed mechanical analog model, in a process which has not before been applied to the flexural ultrasonic transducer. These techniques are employed to gain insights into the physics of their vibration behaviour, vital for the optimisation of industrial ultrasound systems.

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 monitoring of fish thawing process optimal time of thawing and effect of freezing/thawing.

Science.gov (United States)

El Kadi, Youssef Ait; Moudden, Ali; Faiz, Bouazza; Maze, Gerard; Decultot, Dominique

2013-01-01

Fish quality is traditionally controlled by chemical and microbiological analysis. The non-destructive control presents an enormous professional interest thanks to the technical contribution and precision of the analysis to which it leads. This paper presents the results obtained from a characterisation of fish thaw-ing process by the ultrasonic technique, with monitoring thermal processing from frozen to defrosted states. The study was carried out on fish type red drum and salmon cut into fillets of 15 mm thickness. After being frozen at -20°C, the sample is enclosed in a plexiglas vessel with parallel walls at the ambient temperature 30°C and excited in perpendicular incidence at 0.5 MHz by an ultrasonic pulser-receiver Sofranel 5052PR. the technique of measurement consists to study the signals reflected by fish during its thawing, the specific techniques of signal processing are implemented to deduce informations characterizing the state of fish and its thawing process by examining the evolution of the position echoes reflected by the sample and the viscoelastic parameters of fish during its thawing. The obtained results show a relationship between the thermal state of fish and its acoustic properties, which allowed to deduce the optimal time of the first thawing in order to restrict the growth of microbial flora. For salmon, the results show a decrease of 36% of the time of the second thawing and an increase of 10.88% of the phase velocity, with a decrease of 65.5% of the peak-to-peak voltage of the signal reflected, thus a decrease of the acoustic impedance. This study shows an optimal time and an evolution rate of thawing specific to each type offish and a correlation between the acoustic behavior of fish and its thermal state which approves that this technique of ultrasonic monitoring can substitute the control using the destructive chemical analysis in order to monitor the thawing process and to know whether a fish has suffered an accidental thawing.

Contributions regarding calculus and design of an ultrasonic system used in plasma metallization

Science.gov (United States)

Amza, G.

2015-11-01

Paper presents the calculus elements and construction for the ultrasonic system used in reconditioning process by metallization. A series of necessary elements used in ultrasonic system dimensioning are given and an ultrasonic system used in reconditioning process by plasma and grain metallization are presented. Also, a calculated ultrasonic system is modelled to work in resonance regime at the frequency f = 22Khz. Stress map inside material, internal energy variation, lost energy variation on length and volume unit are presented.

Development of the ultra-clean dry cleanup process for coal-based syngases: pilot-scale evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

R.B. Slimane; P.V. Bush; J.L. Aderhold, Jr.; B.G. Bryan; R.A. Newby; D. A. Horazak; S.C. Jain [Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, IL (United States)

2005-07-01

This paper reports on a recent successful pilot-scale evaluation of the Ultra-Clean Process performance at a 10-ton/day coal gasifier facility. In these tests, carbonaceous feedstocks were gasified, using GTI's fluidized bed U-GAS{reg_sign} gasification technology, to generate syngas. The raw syngas was then conditioned and fed to the UCP test section for deep cleaning to meet very stringent cleaning requirements for chemical feedstocks or liquid-fuel synthesis applications, or for fuel-cell power generation. Fine particle sorbents for sulfur, halide, and mercury removal were injected into the syngas upstream of two stages of particulate controlled devices, 'barrier filter-reactors', coupling efficient particle capture with an effective entrained and filter cake reaction environment for very effective multiple contaminant removal. The goal of the test program was to confirm sorbent selection, filter-reactor operating parameters and sorbent-to-contaminant ratios, which were previously determined in the laboratory to have potential to reduce contaminant concentrations to very low levels. The pilot-scale data developed are being used to update conceptual evaluations, which have shown the technical feasibility, cost effectiveness and commercial merit for the Ultra-Clean Process compared to conventional, Rectisol-based syngas cleaning. 10 refs., 5 figs.

New Ultrasonic Controller and Characterization System for Low Temperature Drying Process Intensification

Science.gov (United States)

Andrés, R. R.; Blanco, A.; Acosta, V. M.; Riera, E.; Martínez, I.; Pinto, A.

Process intensification constitutes a high interesting and promising industrial area. It aims to modify conventional processes or develop new technologies in order to reduce energy needs, increase yields and improve product quality. It has been demonstrated by this research group (CSIC) that power ultrasound have a great potential in food drying processes. The effects associated with the application of power ultrasound can enhance heat and mass transfer and may constitute a way for process intensification. The objective of this work has been the design and development of a new ultrasonic system for the power characterization of piezoelectric plate-transducers, as excitation, monitoring, analysis, control and characterization of their nonlinear response. For this purpose, the system proposes a new, efficient and economic approach that separates the effect of different parameters of the process like excitation, medium and transducer parameters and variables (voltage, current, frequency, impedance, vibration velocity, acoustic pressure and temperature) by observing the electrical, mechanical, acoustical and thermal behavior, and controlling the vibrational state.

Cleaning efficiency enhancement by ultrasounds for membranes used in dairy industries.

Science.gov (United States)

Luján-Facundo, M J; Mendoza-Roca, J A; Cuartas-Uribe, B; Álvarez-Blanco, S

2016-11-01

Membrane cleaning is a key point for the implementation of membrane technologies in the dairy industry for proteins concentration. In this study, four ultrafiltration (UF) membranes with different molecular weight cut-offs (MWCOs) (5, 15, 30 and 50kDa) and materials (polyethersulfone and ceramics) were fouled with three different whey model solutions: bovine serum albumin (BSA), BSA plus CaCl2 and whey protein concentrate solution (Renylat 45). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of ultrasounds (US) on the membrane cleaning efficiency. The influence of ultrasonic frequency and the US application modes (submerging the membrane module inside the US bath or applying US to the cleaning solution) were also evaluated. The experiments were performed in a laboratory plant which included the US equipment and the possibility of using two membrane modules (flat sheet and tubular). The fouling solution that caused the highest fouling degree for all the membranes was Renylat 45. Results demonstrated that membrane cleaning with US was effective and this effectiveness increased at lower frequencies. Although no significant differences were observed between the two different US applications modes tested, slightly higher cleaning efficiencies values placing the membrane module at the bottom of the tank were achieved. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of decision making on ultrasonic examination performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, D.H.

1992-05-01

A decision aid was developed to overcome examiner limitations in information processing and decision making during ultrasonic examinations. The aid provided a means of noting signal characteristics as they were observed during the examination, and of presenting them simultaneously for decision making. The aid also served as a way of providing detailed feedback on examination performance during training. The aid was incorporated into worksheets used for the conduct of practice examinations during ultrasonic examination training. To support the introduction and use of the decision aid, one hour of supplementary training was inserted in an existing 64-hour training course on ultrasonic detection of defects. This study represented a modest step in improving the performance of ultrasonic examinations in nuclear power plants. Findings indicated that aided decision making supported by limited training can significantly improve ultrasonic detection performance

Determine bond strength by ultrasonic measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, C.M.

1978-01-01

Application of ultrasonic methods for the evaluation and measurement of bond strength has been the object of numerous investigations in the last fifteen years. Some investigators have reported good success (in limited application) while others have experienced dismal failure. One problem common to all investigations was the difficulty in extracting and isolating the many components which comprise the ultrasonic signal reflected from a bonded interface. Part of this problem was due to manually extracting individual parameters from large volumes of raw data. However, with the vast technology now available in the field of signal analysis and computerized data processing, it is feasible to isolate and analyze individual parameters within the ultrasonic signal for great volumes of raw data

Ultrasonic actuation for MEMS dormancy-related stiction reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Kaajakari, Ville; Kan, Shyi-Herng; Lin, Li-Jen; Lal, Amit; Rodgers, M. Steven

2000-08-01

The use of ultrasonic pulses incident on surface micromachines has been shown to reduce dormancy-related failure. We applied ultrasonic pulses from the backside of a silicon substrate carrying SUMMiT processed surface micromachined rotors, used earlier as ultrasonic motors. The amplitude of the pulses was less than what is required to actuate the rotor (sub-threshold actuation). By controlling the ultrasonic pulse exposure time it was found that pulsed samples had smaller actuation voltages as compared to non-pulsed samples after twelve-hour dormancy. This result indicates that the micromachine stiction to surfaces during dormant period can be effectively eliminated, resulting in long-term stability of surface micromachines in critical applications.

Signal analysis approach to ultrasonic evaluation of diffusion bond quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, Graham; Chinn, Diane

1999-01-01

Solid state bonds like the diffusion bond are attractive techniques for joining dissimilar materials since they are not prone to the defects that occur with fusion welding. Ultrasonic methods can detect the presence of totally unbonded regions but have difficulty sensing poor bonded areas where the substrates are in intimate contact. Standard ultrasonic imaging is based on amplitude changes in the signal reflected from the bond interface. Unfortunately, amplitude alone is not sensitive to bond quality. We demonstrated that there is additional information in the ultrasonic signal that correlates with bond quality. In our approach, we interrogated a set of dissimilar diffusion bonded samples with broad band ultrasonic signals. The signals were digitally processed and the characteristics of the signals that corresponded to bond quality were determined. These characteristics or features were processed with pattern recognition algorithms to produce predictions of bond quality. The predicted bond quality was then compared with the destructive measurement to assess the classification capability of the ultrasonic technique

Gas cleaning and hydrogen sulfide removal for COREX coal gas by sorption enhanced catalytic oxidation over recyclable activated carbon desulfurizer.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Tonghua; Shen, Yafei; Jia, Jinping

2014-02-18

This paper proposes a novel self-developed JTS-01 desulfurizer and JZC-80 alkaline adsorbent for H2S removal and gas cleaning of the COREX coal gas in small-scale and commercial desulfurizing devices. JTS-01 desulfurizer was loaded with metal oxide (i.e., ferric oxides) catalysts on the surface of activated carbons (AC), and the catalyst capacity was improved dramatically by means of ultrasonically assisted impregnation. Consequently, the sulfur saturation capacity and sulfur capacity breakthrough increased by 30.3% and 27.9%, respectively. The whole desulfurizing process combined selective adsorption with catalytic oxidation. Moreover, JZC-80 adsorbent can effectively remove impurities such as HCl, HF, HCN, and ash in the COREX coal gas, stabilizing the system pressure drop. The JTS-01 desulfurizer and JZC-80 adsorbent have been successfully applied for the COREX coal gas cleaning in the commercial plant at Baosteel, Shanghai. The sulfur capacity of JTS-01 desulfurizer can reach more than 50% in industrial applications. Compared with the conventional dry desulfurization process, the modified AC desulfurizers have more merit, especially in terms of the JTS-01 desulfurizer with higher sulfur capacity and low pressure drop. Thus, this sorption enhanced catalytic desulfurization has promising prospects for H2S removal and other gas cleaning.

Augmented reality application for training in pipe defects ultrasonic investigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amza Cătălin Gheorghe

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the development process of an Augmented Reality (AR application used for training operators in using ultrasonic equipment for non-destructive testing (NDT of pipework. The application provides workers useful information regarding the process steps, the main components of ultrasonic equipment and the proper modality of placing, aligning and moving it on pipe and weld. Using tablet or mobile phone device, an operator can see on screen written details and images on standardized working method, thus offering assistance during the training process. Allowing 3D augmented visualization of ultrasonic equipment overlaid on the real-world environment consisting in pipes and welds, the AR application makes the NDT process easier to understand and learn, as the initial evaluation results showed.

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

Efficacy and acceptance of professional dental cleaning among nursing home residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbe, Anna Greta; Kottmann, Hannah Elisa; Hamacher, Stefanie; Derman, Sonja Henny Maria; Noack, Michael Johannes

2018-05-13

To determine the impact of general and oral health status of nursing home residents in Germany on efficacy and acceptance of professional dental cleaning performed by a dental nurse. Participants (N = 41; mean age 83 ± 8 years) living in a nursing home were included. Personal and general health, oral health, oral hygiene habits, and needs were investigated. Individual acceptance regarding professional dental cleaning via different devices (scaler, interdental brushes, ultrasonic cleaning) was assessed, as was the efficacy of this method using after-cleaning indices. Oral health among nursing home residents was impaired and independent from dementia status. Most residents (33/41) performed oral hygiene procedures independently and showed better index values than those in need of external help. Residents requiring help with oral hygiene showed increased risk profiles (higher age, more often immobile, demented, more xerostomia). The dental cleaning procedure required a mean time of 37 ± 11 min, was widely accepted (36/41), and achieved clean results (plaque index 0.1 ± 0.5, oral hygiene index 0.2 ± 1.6, Volpe-Manhold index 0.4 ± 1.6); food residues were reduced to 0 independent from cognitive status. Regarding the cleaning methods, scalers were accepted best without difference between demented and non-demented residents. Professional dental cleaning in nursing homes is an accepted and efficacious oral hygiene procedure among nursing home residents. Professional dental cleaning is an efficacious and accepted method as a first step in line with strategies to improve oral health and should be considered in nursing home residents.

Determination of the apparent porosity level of refractory concrete during a sintering process using an ultrasonic pulse velocity technique and image analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LJUBICA M. PAVLOVIĆ

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Concrete which undergoes a thermal treatment before (pre-casted concrete blocks and during (concrete embedded in-situ its life-service can be applied in plants operating at high temperature and as thermal insulation. Sintering is a process which occurs within a concrete structure in such conditions. Progression of sintering process can be monitored by the change of the porosity parameters determined with a nondestructive test method - ultrasonic pulse velocity and computer program for image analysis. The experiment has been performed on the samples of corundum and bauxite concrete composites. The apparent porosity of the samples thermally treated at 110, 800, 1000, 1300 and 1500 C was primary investigated with a standard laboratory procedure. Sintering parameters were calculated from the creep testing. The loss of strength and material degradation occurred in concrete when it was subjected to the increased temperature and a compressive load. Mechanical properties indicate and monitor changes within microstructure. The level of surface deterioration after the thermal treatment was determined using Image Pro Plus program. Mechanical strength was estimated using ultrasonic pulse velocity testing. Nondestructive ultrasonic mea¬surement was used as a qualitative description of the porosity change in specimens which is the result of the sintering process. The ultrasonic pulse velocity technique and image analysis proved to be reliable methods for monitoring of micro-structural change during the thermal treatment and service life of refractory concrete.

Soft tissue-preserving computer-aided impression: a novel concept using ultrasonic 3D-scanning.

Science.gov (United States)

Vollborn, Thorsten; Habor, Daniel; Pekam, Fabrice Chuembou; Heger, Stefan; Marotti, Juliana; Reich, Sven; Wolfart, Stefan; Tinschert, Joachim; Radermacher, Klaus

2014-01-01

Subgingival preparations are often affected by blood and saliva during impression taking, regardless of whether one is using compound impression techniques or intraoral digital scanning methods. The latter are currently based on optical principles and therefore also need clean and dry surfaces. In contrast, ultrasonic waves are able to non-invasively penetrate gingiva, saliva, and blood, leading to decisive advantages, as cleaning and drying of the oral cavity becomes unnecessary. In addition, the application of ultrasound may facilitate the detection of subgingival structures without invasive manipulation, thereby reducing the risk of secondary infection and treatment time, and increasing patient comfort. Ultrasound devices commonly available for medical application and for the testing of materials are only suitable to a limited extent, as their resolution, precision, and design do not fulfill the requirements for intraoral scanning. The aim of this article is to describe the development of a novel ultrasound technology that enables soft tissue-preserving digital impressions of preparations for the CAD/CAM-based production of dental prostheses. The concept and development of the high-resolution ultrasound technique and the corresponding intraoral scanning system, as well as the integration into the CAD/CAM process chain, is presented.

Multivariate analysis of the cleaning efficacy of different final irrigation techniques in the canal and isthmus of mandibular posterior teeth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yeon-Jee Yoo

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Objectives The aim of this study was to compare the cleaning efficacy of different final irrigation regimens in canal and isthmus of mandibular molars, and to evaluate the influence of related variables on cleaning efficacy of the irrigation systems. Materials and Methods Mesial root canals from 60 mandibular molars were prepared and divided into 4 experimental groups according to the final irrigation technique: Group C, syringe irrigation; Group U, ultrasonics activation; Group SC, VPro StreamClean irrigation; Group EV, EndoVac irrigation. Cross-sections at 1, 3 and 5 mm levels from the apex were examined to calculate remaining debris area in the canal and isthmus spaces. Statistical analysis was completed by using Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test for comparison among groups, and multivariate linear analysis to identify the significant variables (regular replenishment of irrigant, vapor lock management, and ultrasonic activation of irrigant affecting the cleaning efficacy of the experimental groups. Results Group SC and EV showed significantly higher canal cleanliness values than group C and U at 1 mm level (p < 0.05, and higher isthmus cleanliness values than group U at 3 mm and all levels of group C (p < 0.05. Multivariate linear regression analysis demonstrated that all variables had independent positive correlation at 1 mm level of canal and at all levels of isthmus with statistical significances. Conclusions Both VPro StreamClean and EndoVac system showed favorable result as final irrigation regimens for cleaning debris in the complicated root canal system having curved canal and/or isthmus. The debridement of the isthmi significantly depends on the variables rather than the canals.

Ultrasonic system for NDE of fruits and vegetables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jhang, Kyung Young; Jung, Gyoo Hong; Kim, Man Soo

1999-01-01

The nondestructive internal quality evaluation of agricultural products has been strongly required from the needs for individual inspection. In recent, ultrasonic wave has been considered as a solution for this problem. This study is to construct the ultrasonic inspection system for fruits and vegetables on the basis of pre-knowledge that general frequency band(higher than 100 kHz) ultrasonic waves do not transmitted well due to severe attenuation. Our system includes ultrasonic pulser and receiver, transducers(50 kHz), acoustic hem, pneumatic controller and signal processing units (PC). In order to confirm the performance, several samples (apple, pear, persimmon, kiwi fruit, potato and radish) were tested, and the results showed sufficient possibility to apply to NDE of fruits and vegetables.

[Cleaning and disinfection of surfaces in hospitals: Data on structure, process and result in the Frankfurt/Main Metropolitan Area].

Science.gov (United States)

Hausemann, A; Hofmann, H; Otto, U; Heudorf, Ursel

2015-06-01

In addition to hand hygiene and reprocessing of medical products, cleaning and disinfection of surfaces is also an important issue in the prevention of germ transmission and by implication infections. Therefore, in 2014, the quality of the structure, process and result of surface preparation of all hospitals in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, was monitored. All 17 hospitals transferred information on the quality of structure. Process quality was obtained through direct observation during cleaning and disinfection of rooms and their plumbing units. Result quality was gained using the fluorescent method, i.e. marking surfaces with a fluorescent liquid and testing if this mark has been sufficiently removed by cleaning. Structure quality: in all hospitals the employees were trained regularly. In 12 of them, the foremen had the required qualifications, in 6 hospitals unclarity as to the intersection of the cleaning and care services remained. In 14 hospitals only visible contamination was cleaned on the weekends, whereas complete cleaning was reported to take place in 12 hospitals on Saturdays and in 2 hospitals on Sundays. The contractually stipulated cleaning (observations specified in brackets) averaged 178 m(2)/h (148 m(2)/h) per patient room and 69 m(2)/h (33 m(2)/h) for bathrooms. Process quality: during process monitoring, various hand contact surfaces were prepared insufficiently. Result quality: 63 % of fluorescent markings were appropriately removed. The need for improvement is given especially in the area of the qualification of the foremen and a in a clear definition of the intersection between cleaning and care services, as well as in the regulations for weekends and public holidays.

Automated cleaning and pre-processing of immunoglobulin gene sequences from high-throughput sequencing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miri eMichaeli

2012-12-01

Full Text Available High throughput sequencing (HTS yields tens of thousands to millions of sequences that require a large amount of pre-processing work to clean various artifacts. Such cleaning cannot be performed manually. Existing programs are not suitable for immunoglobulin (Ig genes, which are variable and often highly mutated. This paper describes Ig-HTS-Cleaner (Ig High Throughput Sequencing Cleaner, a program containing a simple cleaning procedure that successfully deals with pre-processing of Ig sequences derived from HTS, and Ig-Indel-Identifier (Ig Insertion – Deletion Identifier, a program for identifying legitimate and artifact insertions and/or deletions (indels. Our programs were designed for analyzing Ig gene sequences obtained by 454 sequencing, but they are applicable to all types of sequences and sequencing platforms. Ig-HTS-Cleaner and Ig-Indel-Identifier have been implemented in Java and saved as executable JAR files, supported on Linux and MS Windows. No special requirements are needed in order to run the programs, except for correctly constructing the input files as explained in the text. The programs' performance has been tested and validated on real and simulated data sets.

Functionalization and Dispersion of Carbon Nanomaterials Using an Environmentally Friendly Ultrasonicated Ozonolysis Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeo, Eudora S Y; Mathys, Gary I; Brack, Narelle; Thostenson, Erik T; Rider, Andrew N

2017-05-30

Functionalization of carbon nanomaterials is often a critical step that facilitates their integration into larger material systems and devices. In the as-received form, carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), may contain large agglomerates. Both agglomerates and impurities will diminish the benefits of the unique electrical and mechanical properties offered when CNTs or GNPs are incorporated into polymers or composite material systems. Whilst a variety of methods exist to functionalize carbon nanomaterials and to create stable dispersions, many the processes use harsh chemicals, organic solvents, or surfactants, which are environmentally unfriendly and may increase the processing burden when isolating the nanomaterials for subsequent use. The current research details the use of an alternative, environmentally friendly technique for functionalizing CNTs and GNPs. It produces stable, aqueous dispersions free of harmful chemicals. Both CNTs and GNPs can be added to water at concentrations up to 5 g/L and can be recirculated through a high-powered ultrasonic cell. The simultaneous injection of ozone into the cell progressively oxidizes the carbon nanomaterials, and the combined ultrasonication breaks down agglomerates and immediately exposes fresh material for functionalization. The prepared dispersions are ideally suited for the deposition of thin films onto solid substrates using electrophoretic deposition (EPD). CNTs and GNPs from the aqueous dispersions can be readily used to coat carbon- and glass-reinforcing fibers using EPD for the preparation of hierarchical composite materials.

[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.

Chemical cleaning review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dow, B.L.; Thomas, R.C.

1995-01-01

Three main chemical processes for cleaning steam generators have evolved from the early work of the industry. Of the more than 50 chemical cleanings carried out to date most have been considered a success by the utilities performing them. (author)

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.

Catalase-positive microbial detection by using different ultrasonic parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shukla, S K; Durán, C; Elvira, L

2012-01-01

A method for rapid detection of catalase enzyme activity using ultrasonic parameters is presented in this work. It is based on the detection of the hydrolysis of hydrogen peroxide molecule into water and oxygen induced by the enzyme catalase. A special medium was made to amplify changes produced by catalase enzyme during the hydrolysis process. Enzymatic process can be monitored by means of ultrasonic parameters such as wave amplitude, time of flight (TOF), and backscattering measurements which are sensitive to oxygen bubble production. It is shown that catalase activity of the order of 10 −3 unit/ml can be detected using different ultrasonic parameters. The sensitivity provided by them is discussed.

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

Ultrasonic Bat Deterrent Technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kinzie, Kevin; Rominger, Kathryn M.

2017-12-14

turbines. Additionally, a unique 3D bat flight path visualization system was utilized to monitor for and identify any changes in bat activity caused by the operation of the deterrent system. Both the carcass search and flight path visualization data indicated that the pulsed deterrent system was effective, but not more effective, than the steady system tested in prior years. The pulsed deterrent system was effective at reducing bat fatalities by 38% for all species and 54% effective at reducing fatalities if Eastern Red bats were excluded from the data. However, an unanticipated byproduct of the pulsing system was the emission of intermittent water vapor from the deterrent devices due to the air compression process that powered the devices. This water vapor may have altered the ultrasonic signal and obscured the results in an unknown way. While a qualitative analysis of the effect of the water vapor on the deterrent signal had indicated there was not dramatic change in the expected ultrasonic signal, it was not possible to conclusively determine if the pulse signal would have been more effective in the absence of the water vapor.

Signal processing techniques for damage detection with piezoelectric wafer active sensors and embedded ultrasonic structural radar

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Lingyu; Bao, Jingjing; Giurgiutiu, Victor

2004-07-01

Embedded ultrasonic structural radar (EUSR) algorithm is developed for using piezoelectric wafer active sensor (PWAS) array to detect defects within a large area of a thin-plate specimen. Signal processing techniques are used to extract the time of flight of the wave packages, and thereby to determine the location of the defects with the EUSR algorithm. In our research, the transient tone-burst wave propagation signals are generated and collected by the embedded PWAS. Then, with signal processing, the frequency contents of the signals and the time of flight of individual frequencies are determined. This paper starts with an introduction of embedded ultrasonic structural radar algorithm. Then we will describe the signal processing methods used to extract the time of flight of the wave packages. The signal processing methods being used include the wavelet denoising, the cross correlation, and Hilbert transform. Though hardware device can provide averaging function to eliminate the noise coming from the signal collection process, wavelet denoising is included to ensure better signal quality for the application in real severe environment. For better recognition of time of flight, cross correlation method is used. Hilbert transform is applied to the signals after cross correlation in order to extract the envelope of the signals. Signal processing and EUSR are both implemented by developing a graphical user-friendly interface program in LabView. We conclude with a description of our vision for applying EUSR signal analysis to structural health monitoring and embedded nondestructive evaluation. To this end, we envisage an automatic damage detection application utilizing embedded PWAS, EUSR, and advanced signal processing.

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

Processing method of radioactive cleaning drain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otsuka, Shigemitsu; Murakami, Tadashi; Kitao, Hideo

1998-01-01

Upon processing of radioactive cleaning drains, contained Co-60 is removed by a selectively adsorbing adsorbent. In addition, after removing suspended materials by a filtering device, Co-60 as predominant nuclides in the drain is selectively adsorbed. The concentration of objective Co-60 is in the order of 0.1 Bq/cc, and non-radioactive metal ions such as Na + ions are present in the order of ppm in addition to Co-60. A granular adsorbent for selectively adsorbing Co-60 is oxine-added activated carbon, and has a grain size of from 20 to 48 mesh. The granular adsorbent is used while being filled in an adsorbing tower. Since a relatively simple device comprising the filtering device and the adsorbing tower in combination is provided, the reduction of the construction cost can be expected. In addition, since no filtering aid is used in the filtering device, the amount of secondary wastes is small. (N.H.)

Challenges associated with the current processes for ultrasonic inspection of CANDU reactor feeder piping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machowski, C. [Babcock & Wilcox Canada Ltd., Cambridge, Ontario (Canada)

2012-07-01

CANDU® PHT Feeder Piping is generally constructed from SA106 Grade B carbon steel, which is known to be susceptible to flow accelerated corrosion when exposed to certain environmental conditions. The configuration of the CANDU reactor promotes thinning of the inside surface of the pipe walls, predominantly at the outlet feeders. Inspection of this piping is currently conducted using ultrasonic techniques and is governed by the requirements established by the CANDU Owners Group (COG). There are many challenges associated with these inspections as a result of the complexity of the reactor piping configuration. Geometrical anomalies on the surface of the pipe and non-circular geometries at the tight radius bends hinder the performance of conventional ultrasonic techniques. This can cause lost signals in areas of interest, which in turn often results in rework in order to satisfy the inspection requirements and justify fitness for service of these components. There are also many inspection sites which have limited access due to physical restrictions on the reactor face; therefore in order to maximize the performance of an inspection campaign, it is paramount that the inspection personnel and the inspection technology be well integrated through training simulations prior to execution. These inspection challenges increase the complexity of the analysis process as ultrasonic signals get distorted and lost as a result of non-circular pipe geometries. In order to ensure a high level of integrity in the analysis results, a conservative process is utilized in which two analysts independently examine the data, and a third analyst reviews their results and submits the final call. A Data Management Software application (DMS) is used to input and store the three analysis results. Another important function of the DMS is to provide a communication link between the different work-groups associated with the inspection activities. The focus of this presentation discusses: �

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.

Investigation of the timesaver process for de-burring and cleaning the plate for the Atlas Tilecalorimeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guarino, V.; Kocenko, L.; Wood, K.

1997-01-01

The Timesaver belt grinding machine has been selected by the Atlas collaboration for deburring the master and spacer plates after die stamping and laser cutting, respectively. However, the question has been raised as to whether or not the plates are sufficiently clean after going through the Timesaver machine to immediately be glued into a submodule assembly. This would greatly enhance the production of submodules because the task of cleaning individual master and spacer plates is labor intensive and time consuming as well as raises environmental issues with the detergent that is used. In order to investigate the possibility of using the Timesaver process to clean the plates as well as debur them, several plates were run through the machine and their cleanliness inspected before and after. In addition, several glue samples were subjected to the same process, glued, and then pulled apart in an attempt to gauge the cleanliness of the plates. From this series of tests it can be concluded that the wet Timesaver machine can adequately prepare the surface of the master and spacer plates as well as clean the plates for gluing. The machine was able to adequately remove all of the oil and grime from the test plates. Also, from the single test on the dry machine it appears that significant cleaning will be required to adequately clean the plates before gluing in order to remove the remaining grit

Laser Peening Process and Its Impact on Materials Properties in Comparison with Shot Peening and Ultrasonic Impact Peening

Science.gov (United States)

Gujba, Abdullahi K.; Medraj, Mamoun

2014-01-01

The laser shock peening (LSP) process using a Q-switched pulsed laser beam for surface modification has been reviewed. The development of the LSP technique and its numerous advantages over the conventional shot peening (SP) such as better surface finish, higher depths of residual stress and uniform distribution of intensity were discussed. Similar comparison with ultrasonic impact peening (UIP)/ultrasonic shot peening (USP) was incorporated, when possible. The generation of shock waves, processing parameters, and characterization of LSP treated specimens were described. Special attention was given to the influence of LSP process parameters on residual stress profiles, material properties and structures. Based on the studies so far, more fundamental understanding is still needed when selecting optimized LSP processing parameters and substrate conditions. A summary of the parametric studies of LSP on different materials has been presented. Furthermore, enhancements in the surface micro and nanohardness, elastic modulus, tensile yield strength and refinement of microstructure which translates to increased fatigue life, fretting fatigue life, stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and corrosion resistance were addressed. However, research gaps related to the inconsistencies in the literature were identified. Current status, developments and challenges of the LSP technique were discussed. PMID:28788284

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.)

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

Comparative performance evaluation of conventional and ultrasonic assisted bleaching of cotton fabric

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farooq, A.; Ashraf, M.A.

2013-01-01

Summary: Conventional bleaching process is an important and quality influencing process for textile wet processors. However, the process requires high energy consumption, and is slow and time consuming. In the present research work, cotton woven fabric was bleached with different bleaching agents using conventional and ultrasonic assisted techniques. After bleaching whiteness index, weight loss and tensile strength of samples were measured and compared statistically. The results showed that ultrasonic energy intensifies the diffusion of chemicals and increases the production of hydroxyl radicals which catalyze the bleaching process. Ultrasonic assisted bleaching proved to be a novel technique that can produce better results than conventional bleaching process even at low temperature and in less time. (author)

Study on the development of ultrasonic gas flowmeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Won Ho; Park, Sang Gug; Yang, Kyu Hong; Jhang, Kyung Young

2001-01-01

Ultrasonic flowmeters have more advantages than the conventional method using pressure-difference. In these reasons, many advanced nations are already selling the commercial model. In RIST, we have been developed ultrasonic gas flow meter for the localization since a project was been contracted with POSCO in 1997. This paper describes a new ultrasonic gas flowmeter. This ultrasonic gas flowmeter is developed for accurate measurement of gases in a harsh environmental conditions. It is especially suited for measuring LDG, COG, BFG gases produced in iron and steel making process. In this study, we had developed the commercial model about the first tested model and applied a completed system to the POSCO gas line. Its performance has already well been proven by extensive field tests for several months in POSCO, iron and steel making company

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.

Ultrasound cleaning of microfilters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hald, Jens; Bjørnø, Irina; Jensen, Leif Bjørnø

1999-01-01

The aim of the present work is to develop, design, and manufacture a high-power ultrasound transducer module to be used for preventing the blocking of plastic-based microfilters by organic materials, and possibly to prolong the lifetime of the filters in industry using the cavitation on the surface...... suitable for cleaning of microfilters without damaging the filter structure. The filter surface was studied using an optical microscope before and after the experiment. When high-power ultrasound (max. 75 W/cm2) was applied to the surface of some microfilters, no visible damage was found, while others...... of the filter. A numerical, FE- and BE-based model for calculation of the response of ultrasonic transducers of various geometries formed the basis for the design of such transducers. During laboratory experiments frequency and output power have been varied in order to find the optimal transducer design...

Optimization of the process of steel strip perforation and nickel platting for the purpose of elimination of trichloroethylene from the cleaning process of perforated steel strip

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petrović Aleksandra B.

2009-01-01

Full Text Available In the production of pocket type electrodes for Ni-Cd batteries perforation of proper steel strips and then nickel platting of perforated steel strips were made. In the nickel platting process, the organic solvent, trichloroethylene, has previously been used for cleaning. Due to the carcinogenic nature of trichloroethylene and the many operations previously required during cleaning, it was considered to do cleaning of perforated steel strips without use of the mentioned organic solvent. In the purpose of elimination of trichloroethylene from the cleaning process of perforated steel strips, the tests of perforation of steel strips with use of oils of different viscosity were made. It was shown that there was no dysfunction during the work of the perforation plants, meaning there was no additional heating of the strips, deterring of the steel filings, nor excessive wearing of the perforation apparatus. The perforation percent was the same irrelevant of the viscosity of the used oil. Before being perforated using the oils with different viscosity, the nickel platting steel strips were cleaned in different degreasers (based on NaOH as well as on KOH. It was shown that efficient cleaning without the use of trichloroethylene is possible with the use of oil with smaller viscosity in the perforated steel strips process and the degreaser based on KOH in the cleaning process, before nickel platting. It also appeared that the alkali degreaser based on KOH was more efficient, bath corrections were made less often and the working period of the baths was longer, which all in summary means less quantity of chemicals needed for degreasing of perforated steel strips.

A study on the nondestructive evaluation of carbon/carbon disk using ultrasonics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Im, Kwang Hee; Yang, In Young; Jeong, Hyun Jo

1998-01-01

It is useful to perform nondestructive evaluation (NDE) to assess material properties and part homogeneity for carbon/carbon (C/C) composites because the manufacturing of C/C brake disks requires complicated and costly processes. In this work several ultrasonic techniques were applied to attributable to the manufacturing process. In a carbon/carbon brake disk manufactured by a combination of pitch impregnation and CVI(Vapor infiltration method), the spatial variation of ultrasonic velocity was measured and found to be consistent with the nonuniform densification behavior in the manufacturing process. Low frequency(5 MHz) through-transmission scans based on both amplitude and time-of-flight of the ultrasonic pulse were used for mapping out the material property inhomogeneity. These results were compared with those obtained by dry-coupling ultrasonics. A good correlation was found between ultrasonic velocity and material density on a set of small blocks cut out of the disk. Pulse-echo C-scans at higher frequency (25 MHz) were used to image near-sulfate material property anomalies associated with certain steps in the manufacturing process, such as the placement of spacers between disks during the final CVI.

Parametric optimization of ultrasonic machining process using gravitational search and fireworks algorithms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Debkalpa Goswami

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Ultrasonic machining (USM is a mechanical material removal process used to erode holes and cavities in hard or brittle workpieces by using shaped tools, high-frequency mechanical motion and an abrasive slurry. Unlike other non-traditional machining processes, such as laser beam and electrical discharge machining, USM process does not thermally damage the workpiece or introduce significant levels of residual stress, which is important for survival of materials in service. For having enhanced machining performance and better machined job characteristics, it is often required to determine the optimal control parameter settings of an USM process. The earlier mathematical approaches for parametric optimization of USM processes have mostly yielded near optimal or sub-optimal solutions. In this paper, two almost unexplored non-conventional optimization techniques, i.e. gravitational search algorithm (GSA and fireworks algorithm (FWA are applied for parametric optimization of USM processes. The optimization performance of these two algorithms is compared with that of other popular population-based algorithms, and the effects of their algorithm parameters on the derived optimal solutions and computational speed are also investigated. It is observed that FWA provides the best optimal results for the considered USM processes.

Optimization of Multiple Responses of Ultrasonic Machining (USM Process: A Comparative Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rina Chakravorty

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Ultrasonic machining (USM process has multiple performance measures, e.g. material removal rate (MRR, tool wear rate (TWR, surface roughness (SR etc., which are affected by several process parameters. The researchers commonly attempted to optimize USM process with respect to individual responses, separately. In the recent past, several systematic procedures for dealing with the multi-response optimization problems have been proposed in the literature. Although most of these methods use complex mathematics or statistics, there are some simple methods, which can be comprehended and implemented by the engineers to optimize the multiple responses of USM processes. However, the relative optimization performance of these approaches is unknown because the effectiveness of different methods has been demonstrated using different sets of process data. In this paper, the computational requirements for four simple methods are presented, and two sets of past experimental data on USM processes are analysed using these methods. The relative performances of these methods are then compared. The results show that weighted signal-to-noise (WSN ratio method and utility theory (UT method usually give better overall optimisation performance for the USM process than the other approaches.

Absorption and dispersion of ultrasonic waves

CERN Document Server

Herzfeld, Karl F; Massey, H S W; Brueckner, Keith A

1959-01-01

Absorption and Dispersion of Ultrasonic Waves focuses on the influence of ultrasonics on molecular processes in liquids and gases, including hydrodynamics, energy exchange, and chemical reactions. The book first offers information on the Stokes-Navier equations of hydrodynamics, as well as equations of motion, viscosity, formal introduction of volume viscosity, and linearized wave equation for a nonviscous fluid. The manuscript then ponders on energy exchange between internal and external degrees of freedom as relaxation phenomenon; effect of slow energy exchange on sound propagation; differe

Advanced ultrasonic technology for natural gas measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-11-15

In recent years, due to rising environmental and safety concerns, increasing commodity prices, and operational inefficiencies, a paradigm shift has been taking place with respect to gas measurement. The price of natural gas depends on the location, time of the year, and type of consumer. There is wide uncertainty associated with an orifice meter. This paper presents the use of advanced ultrasonic technology for the measurement of natural gas. For many years, multi-path ultrasonic meters with intelligent sensor technology have been used for gas measurement. This paper gives the various applications of ultrasonic technology along with their advantages and a draws a comparison with orifice meters. From the study it can be concluded that extensive advances in the use of ultrasonic technology for gas measurement have widened the areas of application and that varying frequencies combined with sealed transducer designs make it possible to measure atmospheric and sour gas in custody transfer process control and flaring accurately.

Rapid formation of phase-clean 110 K (Bi-2223) powders derived via freeze-drying process

Science.gov (United States)

Balachandran, U.

1996-06-04

A process for the preparation of amorphous precursor powders for Pb-doped Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2} Ca{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub x} (2223) includes a freeze-drying process incorporating a splat-freezing step. The process generally includes splat freezing a nitrate solution of Bi, Pb, Sr, Ca, and Cu to form flakes of the solution without any phase separation; grinding the frozen flakes to form a powder; freeze-drying the frozen powder; heating the dried powder to form a dry green precursor powders; denitrating the green-powders; heating the denitrated powders to form phase-clean Bi-2223 powders. The grain boundaries of the 2223 grains appear to be clean, leading to good intergrain contact between 2223 grains. 11 figs.

Dry Phosphorus silicate glass etching and surface conditioning and cleaning for multi-crystalline silicon solar cell processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kagilik, Ahmed S.

2014-01-01

As an alternative to the wet chemical etching method, dry chemical etching processes for Phosphorus silicate glass [PSG} layer removal using Trifluormethane/Sulfur Hexafluoride (CHF 3 / SF 6 ) gas mixture in commercial silicon-nitride plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (SiN-PECVD) system is applied. The dependence of the solar cell performance on the etching temperature is investigated and optimized. It is found that the SiN-PECVD system temperature variation has a significant impact on the whole solar cell characteristics. A dry plasma cleaning treatment of the Si wafer surface after the PSG removal step is also investigated and developed. The cleaning step is used to remove the polymer film which is formed during the PSG etching using both oxygen and hydrogen gases. By applying an additional cleaning step, the polymer film deposited on the silicon wafer surface after PSG etching is eliminated. The effect of different plasma cleaning conditions on solar cell performance is investigated. After optimization of the plasma operating conditions, the performance of the solar cell is improved and the overall gain in efficiency of 0.6% absolute is yielded compared to a cell without any further cleaning step. On the other hand, the best solar cell characteristics can reach values close to that achieved by the conventional wet chemical etching processes demonstrating the effectiveness of the additional O 2 /H 2 post cleaning treatment.(author)

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 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.

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.

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.

Laser surface cleaning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freiwald, J.G.; Freiwald, D.A.

1994-01-01

The objective of this work is a laboratory demonstration that red-lead primer and two-part epoxy paints can be stripped from concrete and metal surfaces using surface cleaning systems based on pulsed-repetition CO 2 lasers. The three goals are to: (1) demonstrate coatings removal, including surface pore cleaning; (2) demonstrate that there is negligible release of ablated contaminants to the environment; and (3) demonstrate that the process will generate negligible amounts of additional waste compared to competing technologies. Phase 1 involved site visits to RMI and Fernald to assess the cleaning issues for buildings and parts. In addition, Phase 1 included detailed designs of a more powerful system for industrial cleaning rates, including laser, articulating optics, ablated-material capture suction nozzle attached to a horizontal raster scanner for floor cleaning, and filtration system. Some concept development is also being done for using robots, and for parts cleaning. In Phase 2 a transportable 6 kW system will be built and tested, with a horizontal surface scanner for cleaning paint from floors. The laboratory tests will again be instrumented. Some concept development will continue for using robots, and for parts cleaning. This report describes Phase 1 results

Preparation and characterization of CNTs/UHMWPE nanocomposites via a novel mixer under synergy of ultrasonic wave and extensional deformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Xiaochun; Li, Sai; He, Guangjian; Feng, Yanhong; Wen, Jingsong

2018-05-01

In this work, design and development of a new melt mixing method and corresponding mixer for polymer materials were reported. Effects of ultrasonic power and sonication time on the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) filled ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) nanocomposites were experimentally studied. Transmission Electron Microscopy images showed that homogeneous dispersion of CNTs in intractable UHMWPE matrix is successfully realized due to the synergetic effect of ultrasonic wave and extensional deformation without any aid of other additives or solvents. Differential scanning calorimetry results revealed an increase in crystallinity and crystallization rate due to the finer dispersion of the CNTs in the matrix which act as nucleating point. Composites' complex viscosity and storage modulus decreased sharply at first and then leveled off with the increase of sonication time or the ultrasonic power. The thermal stability and the tensile strength of the CNTs/UHMWPE nanocomposites improved by using this novel mixing method. This is the first method that combined the ultrasonic wave and the extensional deformation in which the elongation rate, sonication time and ultrasonic power can be adjusted simultaneously during mixing. The novel mixer offers several advantages such as environment-friendly, high mixing efficiency, self-cleaning and wide adaptability to materials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative SEM analysis of nine F22 aligner cleaning strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Lombardo, Luca; Martini, Marco; Cervinara, Francesca; Spedicato, Giorgio Alfredo; Oliverio, Teresa; Siciliani, Giuseppe

2017-12-01

The orthodontics industry has paid great attention to the aesthetics of orthodontic appliances, seeking to make them as invisible as possible. There are several advantages to clear aligner systems, including aesthetics, comfort, chairside time reduction, and the fact that they can be removed for meals and oral hygiene procedures. Five patients were each given a series of F22 aligners, each to be worn for 14 days and nights, with the exception of meal and brushing times. Patients were instructed to clean each aligner using a prescribed strategy, and sections of the used aligners were observed under SEM. One grey-scale SEM image was saved per aligner in JPEG format with an 8-bit colour depth, and a total of 45 measurements on the grey scale ("Value" variable) were made. This dataset was analysed statistically via repeated measures ANOVA to determine the effect of each of the nine cleaning strategies in each of the five patients. A statistically significant difference in the efficacy of the cleaning strategies was detected. Specifically, rinsing with water alone was significantly less efficacious, and a combination of cationic detergent solution and ultrasonication was significantly more efficacious than the other methods (p aligners.

Ultrasonically enhanced extraction of bioactive principles from Quillaja Saponaria Molina.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaete-Garretón, L; Vargas-Hernández, Yolanda; Cares-Pacheco, María G; Sainz, Javier; Alarcón, John

2011-07-01

A study of ultrasonic enhancement in the extraction of bioactive principles from Quillaja Saponaria Molina (Quillay) is presented. The effects influencing the extraction process were studied through a two-level factorial design. The effects considered in the experimental design were: granulometry, extraction time, acoustic Power, raw matter/solvent ratio (concentration) and acoustic impedance. It was found that for aqueous extraction the main factors affecting the ultrasonically-assisted process were: granulometry, raw matter/solvent ratio and extraction time. The extraction ratio was increased by Ultrasonics effect and a reduction in extraction time was verified without any influence in the product quality. In addition the process can be carried out at lower temperatures than the conventional method. As the process developed uses chips from the branches of trees, and not only the bark, this research contributes to make the saponin exploitation process a sustainable industry. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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.)

Private Exploration Primitives for Data Cleaning

OpenAIRE

Ge, Chang; Ilyas, Ihab F.; He, Xi; Machanavajjhala, Ashwin

2017-01-01

Data cleaning, or the process of detecting and repairing inaccurate or corrupt records in the data, is inherently human-driven. State of the art systems assume cleaning experts can access the data (or a sample of it) to tune the cleaning process. However, in many cases, privacy constraints disallow unfettered access to the data. To address this challenge, we observe and provide empirical evidence that data cleaning can be achieved without access to the sensitive data, but with access to a (no...

Is dry cleaning all wet?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryan, M.

1993-01-01

Chemical solvents from dry cleaning, particularly perchloroethylene (perc), have contributed to groundwater contamination, significant levels of air pollution in and around cleaners, and chemical accumulation in food. Questions are being raised about the process of cleaning clothes with chemical, and other less toxic cleaning methods are being explored. The EPA has focused attention on the 50 year old Friedburg method of cleaning, Ecoclean, which uses no dangerous chemicals and achieves comparable results. Unfortunately, the cleaning industry is resistant to change, so cutting back on amount of clothes that need dry cleaning and making sure labels aren't exaggerating when they say dry clean only, is frequently the only consumer option now

Canyon solvent cleaning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reif, D.J.

1986-01-01

The HM Process at the Savannah River Plant (SRP) uses 7.5% tributylphosphate in n-paraffin as an extraction solvent. During use, the solvent is altered due to hydrolysis and radiolysis, forming materials that influence product losses, produce decontamination, and separation efficiencies. Laboratory studies to improve online solvent cleaning have shown the carbonate washing, although removing residual solvent activity does not remove binding ligands that hold fission products in the solvent. Treatment of solvent by an alumina adsorption process removes binding ligands and significantly improves recycle solvent performance. Both laboratory work defining a full-scale alumina adsorption process and the use of the process to clean HM Process first cycle solvent are presented

Electromagnetic and ultrasonic investigations on a roman marble slab

Science.gov (United States)

Capizzi, Patrizia; Cosentino, Pietro L.

2010-05-01

The archaeological Museum of Rome (Museo delle Terme di Diocleziano) asked our group about the physical consistency of a marble slab (II - III century AD) that has recently fallen down during the transportation for an exhibition. In fact, due to insurance conflict, it was necessary to control the new fractures due to the recent accident and distinguish them from the ancient ones. The sculptured slab (today's size is 1280 x 70 x 9 cm), cut at the ends for a re-use as an inscription in the rear face, was restored (assemblage of different broken parts and cleaning) in contemporary times. We used different methodologies to investigate the slab: namely a pacometer (Protovale Elcometer) to individuate internal coupling pins, GPR (2000 MHz) and Ultrasonic (55 kHz) tomographic high-density surveys to investigate the internal extension of all the visible fractures and to search for the unknown internal ones. For every methodology used the quality of the acquired data was relatively high. They have been processed and compared to give a set of information useful for the bureaucratic problems of the Museum. Later on, the data have been processed in depth, for studying how to improve the data processing and for extracting all the information contained in the whole set of experimental data. Finally, the results of such a study in depth are exposed in detail.

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.

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.

Efficient methods of piping cleaning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Orlov Vladimir Aleksandrovich

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article contains the analysis of the efficient methods of piping cleaning of water supply and sanitation systems. Special attention is paid to the ice cleaning method, in course of which biological foil and various mineral and organic deposits are removed due to the ice crust buildup on the inner surface of water supply and drainage pipes. These impurities are responsible for the deterioration of the organoleptic properties of the transported drinking water or narrowing cross-section of drainage pipes. The co-authors emphasize that the use of ice compared to other methods of pipe cleaning has a number of advantages due to the relative simplicity and cheapness of the process, economical efficiency and lack of environmental risk. The equipment for performing ice cleaning is presented, its technological options, terms of cleansing operations, as well as the volumes of disposed pollution per unit length of the water supply and drainage pipelines. It is noted that ice cleaning requires careful planning in the process of cooking ice and in the process of its supply in the pipe. There are specific requirements to its quality. In particular, when you clean drinking water system the ice applied should be hygienically clean and meet sanitary requirements.In pilot projects, in particular, quantitative and qualitative analysis of sediments adsorbed by ice is conducted, as well as temperature and the duration of the process. The degree of pollution of the pipeline was estimated by the volume of the remote sediment on 1 km of pipeline. Cleaning pipelines using ice can be considered one of the methods of trenchless technologies, being a significant alternative to traditional methods of cleaning the pipes. The method can be applied in urban pipeline systems of drinking water supply for the diameters of 100—600 mm, and also to diversion collectors. In the world today 450 km of pipelines are subject to ice cleaning method.Ice cleaning method is simple

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)

Outsourcing Housekeeping: An insight into two cleaning companies, SOL and N-Clean, in Helsinki, Finland

OpenAIRE

Hussain, Samra

2016-01-01

The purpose of the author was to find to get an insight into the cleaning companies, in Helsin-ki, Finland, which the hotel industry is using as an external supplier for their housekeeping de-partment. The author has looked into the cleaning companies training process for the cleaning staff, employee demographics, quality control and process of handling complaints. The ad-vantages and disadvantages of outsourcing housekeeping in the hotel sector are also investi-gated. The research method...

Ultrasonic techniques for repair of aircraft structures with bonded composite patches

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, S. H.; Senapati, N.; Francini, R. B.

1994-01-01

This is a paper on a research and development project to demonstrate a novel ultrasonic process for the field application of boron/epoxy (B/Ep) patches for repair of aircraft structures. The first phase of the project was on process optimization and testing to develop the most practical ultrasonic processing techniques. Accelerated testing and aging behavior of precured B/Ep patches, which were ultrasonically bonded to simulated B-52 wing panel assemblies, were performed by conducting flight-by-flight spectrum loading fatigue tests. The spectrum represented 2340 missions/flights or 30 years of service. The effects of steady-state applied temperature and prior exposure of the B/Ep composite patches were evaluated. Representative experimental results of this phase of the project are presented.

Cleaning Process Versus Laser-Damage Threshold of Coated Optical Components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rigatti, A.L.

2005-01-01

The cleaning of optical surfaces is important in the manufacture of high-laser-damage-threshold coatings, which are a key component on peak-power laser systems such as OMEGA located at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). Since cleaning adds time, labor, and ultimately cost to the final coated component, this experiment was designed to determine the impact of different cleaning protocols on the measured laser-damage performance

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 stress evaluation through thickness of a stainless steel pressure vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Javadi, Yashar; Pirzaman, Hamed Salimi; Raeisi, Mohammadreza Hadizadeh; Najafabadi, Mehdi Ahmadi

2014-01-01

This paper investigates ultrasonic method in stress measurement through thickness of a pressure vessel. Longitudinal critically refracted (L CR ) waves are employed to measure the welding residual stresses in a vessel constructed from austenitic stainless steel 304L. The acoustoelastic constant is measured through a hydro test to keep the pressure vessel intact. Hoop and axial residual stresses are evaluated by using different frequency range of ultrasonic transducers. The welding processes of vessel shell and caps are simulated by a 3D finite element (FE) model which is validated by hole-drilling method. The residual stresses calculated by FE simulation are then compared with those obtained from the ultrasonic measurement while a good agreement is observed. It is demonstrated that the residual stresses through thickness of the stainless steel pressure vessel can be evaluated by combining FE and L CR method (known as FEL CR method). - Highlights: • The main goal is ultrasonic evaluation of through thickness stresses. • Welding processes of a stainless steel pressure vessel are modelled by FE. • The hole-drilling method is used to validate the FE results. • Residual stresses are measured by four different series of ultrasonic transducers. • The comparison between ultrasonic and FE results show an acceptable agreement

Monitoring of PHWR end cap weld quality by ultrasonic testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laxminarayana, B.

1996-01-01

In Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor fuel fabrication, the end cap welding is an important process. Till date about 16,000 welds have been studied ultrasonically. This paper discusses the experimental results and the design of a semi automatic ultrasonic equipment incorporating features for both backward and forward integration. (author)

Photocatalytic Graphene-TiO2 Thin Films Fabricated by Low-Temperature Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Spin and Spray Coating in a Sol-Gel Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatemeh Zabihi

2017-05-01

Full Text Available In this work, we communicate a facile and low temperature synthesis process for the fabrication of graphene-TiO2 photocatalytic composite thin films. A sol-gel chemical route is used to synthesize TiO2 from the precursor solutions and spin and spray coating are used to deposit the films. Excitation of the wet films during the casting process by ultrasonic vibration favorably influences both the sol-gel route and the deposition process, through the following mechanisms. The ultrasound energy imparted to the wet film breaks down the physical bonds of the gel phase. As a result, only a low-temperature post annealing process is required to eliminate the residues to complete the conversion of precursors to TiO2. In addition, ultrasonic vibration creates a nanoscale agitating motion or microstreaming in the liquid film that facilitates mixing of TiO2 and graphene nanosheets. The films made based on the above-mentioned ultrasonic vibration-assisted method and annealed at 150 °C contain both rutile and anatase phases of TiO2, which is the most favorable configuration for photocatalytic applications. The photoinduced and photocatalytic experiments demonstrate effective photocurrent generation and elimination of pollutants by graphene-TiO2 composite thin films fabricated via scalable spray coating and mild temperature processing, the results of which are comparable with those made using lab-scale and energy-intensive processes.

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.

Effectiveness of bone cleaning process using chemical and entomology approaches: time and cost.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Poh Soon; Khoo, Lay See; Mohd Hilmi, Saidin; Ahmad Hafizam, Hasmi; Mohd Shah, Mahmood; Nurliza, Abdullah; Nazni, Wasi Ahmad

2015-08-01

Skeletal examination is an important aspect of forensic pathology practice, requiring effective bone cleaning with minimal artefact. This study was conducted to compare between chemical and entomology methods of bone cleaning. Ten subjects between 20 and 40 years old who underwent uncomplicated medico-legal autopsies at the Institute of Forensic Medicine Malaysia were randomly chosen for this descriptive cross sectional study. The sternum bone was divided into 4 parts, each part subjected to a different cleaning method, being two chemical approaches i.e. laundry detergent and a combination of 6% hydrogen peroxide and powder sodium bicarbonate and two entomology approaches using 2nd instar maggots of Chrysomyia rufifacies and Ophyra spinigera. A scoring system for grading the outcome of cleaning was used. The effectiveness of the methods was evaluated based on average weight reduction per day and median number of days to achieve the average score of less than 1.5 within 12 days of the bone cleaning process. Using maggots was the most time-effective and costeffective method, achieving an average weight reduction of 1.4 gm per day, a median of 11.3 days to achieve the desired score and an average cost of MYR 4.10 per case to reach the desired score within 12 days. This conclusion was supported by blind validation by forensic specialists achieving a 77.8% preference for maggots. Emission scanning electron microscopy evaluation also revealed that maggots especially Chrysomyia rufifacies preserved the original condition of the bones better allowing improved elucidation of bone injuries in future real cases.

Ultrasonic monitoring of Iberian fat crystallization during cold storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corona, E; García-Pérez, J V; Santacatalina, J V; Peña, R; Benedito, J

2012-01-01

The aim of this work was to evaluate the use of ultrasonic measurements to characterize the crystallization process and to assess the textural changes of Iberian fat and Iberian ham during cold storage. The ultrasonic velocity was measured in two types of Iberian fats (Montanera and Cebo) during cold storage (0, 2, 5, 7 and 10 °C) and in vacuum packaged Iberian ham stored at 6°C for 120 days. The fatty acid profile, thermal behaviour and textural properties of fat were determined. The ultrasonic velocity and textural measurements showed a two step increase during cold storage, which was related with the separate crystallization of two fractions of triglycerides. It was observed that the harder the fat, the higher the ultrasonic velocity. Likewise, Cebo fat resulted harder than Montanera due to a higher content of saturated triglycerides. The ultrasonic velocity in Iberian ham showed an average increase of 55 m/s after 120 days of cold storage due to fat crystallization. Thus, non-destructive ultrasonic technique could be a reliable method to follow the crystallization of fats and to monitor the changes in the textural properties of Iberian ham during cold storage.

Preparation of ZnO nanocrystals via ultrasonic irradiation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Qian, D.; Jiang, Jianzhong; Hansen, P. L.

2003-01-01

A simple and rapid process has been developed for the preparation of nanometer-sized ZnO crystals via ultrasonic irradiation, by which pure ZnO nanocrystals with an average size of 6 nm and narrow size distribution can be synthesized in a short time and without using any solvents for the precipit......A simple and rapid process has been developed for the preparation of nanometer-sized ZnO crystals via ultrasonic irradiation, by which pure ZnO nanocrystals with an average size of 6 nm and narrow size distribution can be synthesized in a short time and without using any solvents...

Ensuring clean air: Developing a clean air strategy for British Columbia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-04-01

In 1992, a clean air strategy will be developed to incorporate views of British Columbians on ways to meet goals related to air quality. A discussion paper is presented to provide information to those interested in participation in developing this strategy. The paper gives information on air quality issues important to the province, including local air quality, urban smog, ozone layer depletion, and global climate change. The views and concerns expressed by stakeholders who attended the Clean Air Conference in 1991 are summarized. The process used to develop the clean air strategy is outlined and some outcomes to be anticipated from the strategy are suggested, including policies and priorities for action to ensure clean air. Air pollutants of concern are total reduced sulfur, mainly from pulp mills and gas processing plants; smoke from wood burning; sulfur dioxide from pulp mills and gas plants; hydrogen fluoride from aluminum smelting; ground-level ozone in urban areas; and acid rain. Elements of a clean air strategy include a smoke management policy, management strategies for greenhouse gases and ozone smog, ozone layer protection measures, regional air quality management plans, and long-term planning efforts in energy use, transportation modes, community design, and land use. 12 refs., 14 figs., 2 tabs

Using Ultrasonic Lamb Waves To Measure Moduli Of Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Kautz, Harold E.

1995-01-01

Measurements of broad-band ultrasonic Lamb waves in plate specimens of ceramic-matrix/fiber and metal-matrix/fiber composite materials used to determine moduli of elasticity of materials. In one class of potential applications of concept, Lamb-wave responses of specimens measured and analyzed at various stages of thermal and/or mechanical processing to determine effects of processing, without having to dissect specimens. In another class, structural components having shapes supporting propagation of Lamb waves monitored ultrasonically to identify signs of deterioration and impending failure.

Energy-Based Analysis of Ultrasonically Assisted Turning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G.A. Volkov

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The process of ultrasonically-assisted turning (UAT is a superposition of vibration of a cutting tool on its standard movement in conventional turning (CT. The former technique has several advantages compared with the latter, one of the main being a significant decrease in the level of cutting forces. In this paper the effects observed in UAT are analysed employing ideas of dynamic fracture mechanics. The active stage of loading duration depends heavily on ultrasonic frequency and the cutting speed; he application of the fracture criterion based on the notion of incubation time makes it possible to calculate a dependence of this duration on its threshold amplitude. An estimation of energy, necessary to create a threshold pulse in the material, is made by solving the contact Hertz problem. The obtained time dependence of energy has a marked minimum. Thus, the existence of energy-efficient loading duration is demonstrated. This explains the decrease in the cutting force resulting from superimposed ultrasonic vibration. The obtained results are in agreement with experiments on ultrasonic assisted machining of aluminium and Inconel 718 alloy.

The ultrasonic wave pattern analysis and the frequency diversity signal processing in multi-layered gap measurement for in-vessel corium retention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, K. M.; Kim, J. H.; Kim, S. B.; Kim, H. D.

1999-01-01

A gap between a molten material and a lower head vessel is formed in the LAVA experiment, a phase 1 study of SONATA-IV program. In this paper, the quantitative results of the gap measurement using an off-line ultrasonic pulse echo method by frequency diversity signal processing are presented. However, the gap measurement signal using an ordinary ultrasonic test would be lack of reliability due to the structural complexity of the specimen. The structural complexity may result from the external reason from the shape and the internal reason from the material characteristics. This paper aims at the development of an appropriate ultrasonic test method, by analyzing the problems from the internal characteristic reason. In this test, the signal of the propagational direction and reflectional direction through solid-liquid-solid specimen was analyzed to understand the behavior of the reflectional signal in a multi-layered structure by filling the gap with water between the melt and the lower head vessel

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.

Improvement of solar ethanol distillation using ultrasonic waves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaruwat Jareanjit

2016-08-01

Full Text Available This report presents a study on the use of ultrasonic waves in solar ethanol distillation to investigate the performance of ultrasonic waves at a frequency of 30 kHz and at 100 Watts that were installed in the inlet area of a 10-litre distillation tank. Based on the non-continuous distillation process (batch distillation, the experiment demonstrated that using ultrasonic waves in solar ethanol distillation caused the average concentration of hourly distilled ethanol to be higher than that of a normal system (solar ethanol distillation without ultrasonic wave at the same or higher distillation rate and hourly distillation volume. The ultrasonic wave was able to enhance the separation of ethanol from the solution (water-ethanol mixture through solar distillation. The amount of pure ethanol product from each distilled batch was clearly larger than the amount of product obtained from a normal system when the initial concentration of ethanol was lower than 50%v/v (% by volume, where an average of approximately 40% and 20% are obtained for an initial ethanol concentration of 10%v/v and 30%v/v, respectively. Furthermore, the distillation rate varied based on the solar radiation value.

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.

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

AN ELECTROLYTIC CIP-CLEANING PROCESS FOR REMOVING IMPURITIES FROM THE INNER SURFACE OF A METALLIC CONTAINER

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2008-01-01

The invention relates to a novel electrolytic process for removing impurities from the inner surface of a metallic container. The process is particularly useful for cleaning process reactors used for culturing microorganisms, and storage tanks used for storing metabolites formed in the process...... reactor, as well as containers for dairy products....

Non-destructive Inspection of Multi-layered Composite Using Ultrasonic Signal Processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ng, S C; Ismail, N; Ali, Aidy; Sahari, Barkawi; Yusof, J M; Chu, B W

2011-01-01

Composites exhibit higher strength and stiffness, better design practice and greater corrosion resistance compare to metal material. However, composites are susceptible to impact damage and the typical damage behaviour in the laminated composites is fibre-breakage and delamination. Detection of failure in laminated composites is complicated compared with ordinary non-destructive testing for metal materials as they are sensitive to echoes drown in noise due to the properties of the constituent materials and the multi-layered structure of the composites. In the current study, the detection of failure in multi-layered composite materials is investigated. To obtain a high probability of defect detection in composite materials, signal processing algorithms were used to resolve echoes associated with defects in glass fibre-reinforced plastics (GRP) detected by using ultrasonic testing. Pulse-echo method with single transducer was used to transmit and receive ultrasound. The obtained signals were processed to reduce noise and to extract suitable features. Results were validated on GRP with and without defects in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the method on defect detection in composites.

Piezo-based motion stages for heavy duty operation in clean environments

Science.gov (United States)

Karasikov, Nir; Peled, Gal; Yasinov, Roman; Gissin, Michael; Feinstein, Alan

2018-02-01

A range of heavy duty, ultra-precise motion stages had been developed for precise positioning in semiconductor manufacturing and metrology, for use in a clean room and high vacuum (HV and UHV) environments, to meet the precision requirements for 7, 5 nm nodes and beyond. These stages are powered by L1B2 direct drive ultrasonic motors, which allows combining long motion range, sub-nanometer positioning accuracy, high stiffness (in the direction of motion), low power consumption and active compensation of thermal and structural drift while holding position. The mechanical design, material selection for clean room and high vacuum preparation techniques are reviewed. Test results in a clean room are reported for a two-axis (X-Y) stage, having a load capacity of 30 kg, a motion range of 450 mm, a positioning accuracy of 200 mm/s and a profile has a trapezoidal shape with an acceleration of 1m/s2 and a constant velocity of 100 mm/s. The operational parameters (average absolute position error during constant velocity, motor force, dead zone level) remain stable over more than 370000 passes (experiment duration).

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

Analytical ultrasonics for characterization of metallurgical microstructures and transformations

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, M.

1986-01-01

The application of contact (piezoelectric) and noncontact (laser generation and detection) ultrasonic techniques for dynamic investigation of precipitation hardening processes in aluminum alloys, as well as crystallization and phase transformation in rapidly solidified amorphous and microcrystalline alloys is discussed. From the variations of the sound velocity and attenuation the precipitation mechanism and kinetics were determined. In addition, a correlation was established between the observed changes in the velocity and attenuation and the mechanical properties of age-hardenable aluminum alloys. The behavior of the elastic moduli, determined ultrasonically, were found to be sensitive to relaxation, crystallization and phase decomposition phenomena in rapidly solidified metallic glasses. Analytical ultrasonics enables determination of the activation energies and growth parameters of the reactions. Therefrom theoretical models can be constructed to explain the changes in mechanical and physical properties upon heat treatment of glassy alloys. The composition dependence of the elastic moduli in amorphous Cu-Zr alloys was found to be related to the glass transition temperature, and consequently to the glass forming ability of these alloys. Dynamic ultrasonic analysis was found to be feasible for on-line, real-time, monitoring of metallurgical processes.

NOVEL GAS CLEANING/CONDITIONING FOR INTEGRATED GASIFICATION COMBINED CYCLE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dennis A. Horazak; Richard A. Newby; Eugene E. Smeltzer; Rachid B. Slimane; P. Vann Bush; James L. Aderhold Jr; Bruce G. Bryan

2005-12-01

Development efforts have been underway for decades to replace dry-gas cleaning technology with humid-gas cleaning technology that would maintain the water vapor content in the raw gas by conducting cleaning at sufficiently high temperature to avoid water vapor condensation and would thus significantly simplify the plant and improve its thermal efficiency. Siemens Power Generation, Inc. conducted a program with the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) to develop a Novel Gas Cleaning process that uses a new type of gas-sorbent contactor, the ''filter-reactor''. The Filter-Reactor Novel Gas Cleaning process described and evaluated here is in its early stages of development and this evaluation is classified as conceptual. The commercial evaluations have been coupled with integrated Process Development Unit testing performed at a GTI coal gasifier test facility to demonstrate, at sub-scale the process performance capabilities. The commercial evaluations and Process Development Unit test results are presented in Volumes 1 and 2 of this report, respectively. Two gas cleaning applications with significantly differing gas cleaning requirements were considered in the evaluation: IGCC power generation, and Methanol Synthesis with electric power co-production. For the IGCC power generation application, two sets of gas cleaning requirements were applied, one representing the most stringent ''current'' gas cleaning requirements, and a second set representing possible, very stringent ''future'' gas cleaning requirements. Current gas cleaning requirements were used for Methanol Synthesis in the evaluation because these cleaning requirements represent the most stringent of cleaning requirements and the most challenging for the Filter-Reactor Novel Gas Cleaning process. The scope of the evaluation for each application was: (1) Select the configuration for the Filter-Reactor Novel Gas Cleaning Process, the arrangement of the

[Cleaning and disinfection in nursing homes. Data on quality of structure, process and outcome in nursing homes in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 2011].

Science.gov (United States)

Heudorf, U; Gasteyer, S; Samoiski, Y; Voigt, K

2012-08-01

Due to the Infectious Disease Prevention Act, public health services in Germany are obliged to check the infection prevention in hospitals and other medical facilities as well as in nursing homes. In Frankfurt/Main, Germany, standardized control visits have been performed for many years. In 2011 focus was laid on cleaning and disinfection of surfaces. All 41 nursing homes were checked according to a standardized checklist covering quality of structure (i.e. staffing, hygiene concept), quality of process (observation of the cleaning processes in the homes) and quality of output, which was monitored by checking the cleaning of fluorescent marks which had been applied some days before and should have been removed via cleaning in the following days before the final check. In more than two thirds of the homes, cleaning personnel were salaried, in one third external personnel were hired. Of the homes 85% provided service clothing and all of them offered protective clothing. All homes had established hygiene and cleaning concepts, however, in 15% of the homes concepts for the handling of Norovirus and in 30% concepts for the handling of Clostridium difficile were missing. Regarding process quality only half of the processes observed, i.e. cleaning of hand contact surfaces, such as handrails, washing areas and bins, were correct. Only 44% of the cleaning controls were correct with enormous differences between the homes (0-100%). The correlation between quality of process and quality of output was significant. There was good quality of structure in the homes but regarding quality of process and outcome there was great need for improvement. This was especially due to faults in communication and coordination between cleaning personnel and nursing personnel. Quality outcome was neither associated with the number of the places for residents nor with staffing. Thus, not only quality of structure but also quality of process and outcome should be checked by the public health

Chemical cleaning of UK AGR boilers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rudge, A.; Turner, P.; Ghosh, A.; Clary, W.; Tice, D.

2002-01-01

For the first time in their operational lives, UK advanced gas-cooled reactor once-through boilers have been chemically cleaned. Chemical cleaning was necessary to avoid lost output resulting from boiler pressure drops, which had been increasing for a number of years. Chemical cleaning of these boilers presents a number of unique difficulties. These include lack of access to the boilers, highly sensitised 316H superheater sections that cannot be excluded from the cleaning flow path, relatively thin boiler tube walls and an intolerance to boiler tube failure because of the role of the boilers in nuclear decay heat removal. The difficulties were overcome by implementing the clean in a staged manner, starting with an extensive materials testwork programme to select and then to substantiate the cleaning process. The selected process was based on ammoniated citric acid plus formic acid for the principal acid cleaning stage. Materials testwork was followed by an in-plant trial clean of six boiler tubes, further materials testwork and the clean of a boiler tube in a full-scale test rig. An overview is presented of the work that was carried out to demonstrate that the clean could be carried out safely, effectively and without leading to unacceptable corrosion losses. Full-scale chemical cleaning was implemented by using as much of the existing plant as possible. Careful control and monitoring was employed to ensure that the cleaning was implemented according to the specified design, thus ensuring that a safe and effective clean was carried out. Full-scale cleaning has resulted in significant boiler pressure drop recovery, even though the iron burden was relatively low and cleaning was completed in a short time. (orig.)

Gas ultrasonic flow rate measurement through genetic-ant colony optimization based on the ultrasonic pulse received signal model

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Huirang; Zheng, Dandan; Nie, Laixiao

2015-04-01

For gas ultrasonic flowmeters, the signals received by ultrasonic sensors are susceptible to noise interference. If signals are mingled with noise, a large error in flow measurement can be caused by triggering mistakenly using the traditional double-threshold method. To solve this problem, genetic-ant colony optimization (GACO) based on the ultrasonic pulse received signal model is proposed. Furthermore, in consideration of the real-time performance of the flow measurement system, the improvement of processing only the first three cycles of the received signals rather than the whole signal is proposed. Simulation results show that the GACO algorithm has the best estimation accuracy and ant-noise ability compared with the genetic algorithm, ant colony optimization, double-threshold and enveloped zero-crossing. Local convergence doesn’t appear with the GACO algorithm until -10 dB. For the GACO algorithm, the converging accuracy and converging speed and the amount of computation are further improved when using the first three cycles (called GACO-3cycles). Experimental results involving actual received signals show that the accuracy of single-gas ultrasonic flow rate measurement can reach 0.5% with GACO-3 cycles, which is better than with the double-threshold method.

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

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.

Proceedings of the specialists' meeting on reliability of the ultrasonic inspection of austenitic materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1980-07-01

The contributions of this meeting addressed several topics: the fundamentals of ultrasonic examination of austenitic materials (effect of anisotropy on propagation, improvement of ultrasonic testing to thick bimetallic welds, aspects of the ultrasonic testing of austenitic steel structures, utilization of a Fisher linear discriminant function in intergranular stress corrosion cracking or IGSCC detection, case of coarse grain austenitic welds, efforts of the Argonne National Laboratory), instruments and methods (longitudinal wave ultrasonic inspection, Grass echo suppression technique during the ultrasonic inspection of fuel cladding tubes, inspections of fillet and butt welds, improvement by signal averaging techniques, multiple bearing angle crack detector for cladded pipes examinations, flow-to-grain echo enhancement by split-spectrum processing, ultrasonic imaging techniques, ultrasonic inspection of pipe weldments for IGSCC), industrial practice (ultrasonic testing techniques for fabrication and in-service inspection, experiences in ultrasonic examination of austenitic steel components, experience and practice on nuclear piping in Spain, detection of underclad defects, sizing of cracks perpendicular to stainless overlay), and reliability (survey of ultrasonic testing in austenitic weld material, examination of electron beam welds, factors affecting the reliability of ultrasonic examination, detectability of IGSCC, ultrasonic inspection reliability for primary piping systems)

Proceedings of the specialists' meeting on reliability of the ultrasonic inspection of austenitic materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

The contributions of this meeting addressed several topics: the fundamentals of ultrasonic examination of austenitic materials (effect of anisotropy on propagation, improvement of ultrasonic testing to thick bimetallic welds, aspects of the ultrasonic testing of austenitic steel structures, utilization of a Fisher linear discriminant function in intergranular stress corrosion cracking or IGSCC detection, case of coarse grain austenitic welds, efforts of the Argonne National Laboratory), instruments and methods (longitudinal wave ultrasonic inspection, Grass echo suppression technique during the ultrasonic inspection of fuel cladding tubes, inspections of fillet and butt welds, improvement by signal averaging techniques, multiple bearing angle crack detector for cladded pipes examinations, flow-to-grain echo enhancement by split-spectrum processing, ultrasonic imaging techniques, ultrasonic inspection of pipe weldments for IGSCC), industrial practice (ultrasonic testing techniques for fabrication and in-service inspection, experiences in ultrasonic examination of austenitic steel components, experience and practice on nuclear piping in Spain, detection of underclad defects, sizing of cracks perpendicular to stainless overlay), and reliability (survey of ultrasonic testing in austenitic weld material, examination of electron beam welds, factors affecting the reliability of ultrasonic examination, detectability of IGSCC, ultrasonic inspection reliability for primary piping systems)

Determination of properties of clean coal technology post-process residue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnieszka Klupa

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This article presents the possibilities of using modern measuring devices to determine the properties of process residues (Polish acronym: UPP. UPP was taken from the combustion process from a power plant in Silesia. Determining the properties of UPP is the basis for making decisions about its practical application, for example, as a raw material to obtain useful products such as: pozzolan, cenosphere or zeolite, for which there is demand. The development of advanced technology and science has given rise to modern and precise research tools that contribute to the development of appropriate methods to assess the properties of post-process residue. For this study the following were used: scanning electron microscope with EDS microanalysis and an analyzer for particle size-, shape- and number- analysis. The study conducted confirms the effectiveness of SEM analysis to determine the properties of post-process residue from Clean Coal Technologies (CCT. The results obtained are an introduction to further research on the determination of properties of CCT post-process residue. Research to determine the properties of CCT post-process residue only began relatively recently.

Physicochemical changes and microbial inactivation after high-intensity ultrasound processing of prebiotic whey beverage applying different ultrasonic power levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Guimarães, Jonas T; Silva, Eric Keven; Alvarenga, Verônica O; Costa, Ana Letícia R; Cunha, Rosiane L; Sant'Ana, Anderson S; Freitas, Monica Q; Meireles, M Angela A; Cruz, Adriano G

2018-06-01

In this work, we investigated the effects of the ultrasonic power (0, 200, 400 and 600 W) on non-thermal processing of an inulin-enriched whey beverage. We studied the effects of high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS) on microbial inactivation (aerobic mesophilic heterotrophic bacteria (AMHB), total and thermotolerant coliforms and yeasts and molds), zeta potential, microstructure (optical microscopy, particle size distribution), rheology, kinetic stability and color. The non-thermal processing applying 600 W of ultrasonic power was comparable to high-temperature short-time (HTST) treatment (75 °C for 15 s) concerning the inactivation of AMHB and yeasts and molds (2 vs 2 log and 0.2 vs 0.4 log, respectively), although HIUS has reached a lower output temperature (53 ± 3 °C). The HIUS was better than HTST to improve beverage kinetic stability, avoiding phase separation, which was mainly attributed to the decrease of particles size, denaturation of whey proteins and gelation of polysaccharides (inulin and gellan gum). Thus, non-thermal processing by HIUS seems to be an interesting technology for prebiotic dairy beverages production. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surface cleaning in thin film technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattox, D.M.

1978-01-01

A ''clean surface'' is one that contains no significant amounts of undesirable material. This paper discusses the types and origin of various contaminants. Since cleaning is often equated with adhesion, the mechanisms of adhesion to oxide, metal, and organic surfaces are reviewed and cleaning processes for these surfaces are outlined. Techniques for monitoring surface cleaning are presented, and the importance of storage of clean surfaces is discussed. An extensive bibliography is given. 4 figs., 89 references

Coal preparation and coal cleaning in the dry process; Kanshiki sentaku to coal cleaning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanaka, Z; Morikawa, M; Fujii, Y [Okayama University, Okayama (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1996-09-01

Because the wet process has a problem such as waste water treatment, coal cleaning in the dry process was discussed. When a fluidized bed (using glass beads and calcium carbonate) is utilized instead of the heavy liquid, the fluidized bed will have apparent density as the liquid does, whereas the relative relationship therewith determines whether a substance having been put into the fluidized bed will float or sink. This is utilized for coals. In addition, two powder constituents of A and B may be wanted to be separated using the fluidized extraction process (similar to the liquid-liquid extraction process). In such a case, a fluidized bed in which both constituents are mixed is added with a third constituent C (which will not mix with A, but mix well with B), where the constituents are separated into A and (B + C), and the (B + C) constituent is separated further by using a sieve. If coal has the coal content mixed with ash content and pulverized, it turns into particle groups which have distributions in grain size and density. Groups having higher density may contain more ash, and those having lower density less ash. In addition, the ash content depends also on the grain size. The ash content may be classified by using simultaneously wind classification (for density and grain size) and a sieve (for grain size). This inference may be expanded to consideration of constructing a multi-stage fluidized bed classification tower. 12 figs., 5 tabs.

Pickering Unit 1 chemical cleaning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smee, J.L.; Fiola, R.J.; Brennenstuhl, K.R.; Zerkee, D.D.; Daniel, C.M.

1995-01-01

The secondary sides of all 12 boilers at Pickering Unit 1 were chemically cleaned in 1994 by the team of Ontario Hydro, B and W International (Cambridge, Ontario) and B and W Nuclear Technologies (Lynchburg, Virginia). A multi-step EPRI/SGOG process was employed in a similar manner to previous clearings at Units 5 and 6 in 1992 and 1993, respectively. A major innovation with the Unit 1 cleaning was the incorporation of a crevice cleaning step, the first time this had been done on Ontario Hydro plants. In addition, six boilers were cleaned in parallel compared to three at a time in previous Pickering cleanings. This significantly reduced cleaning time. A total of 6,770 kg of sludge was removed through direct chemical dissolution. It consisted of 66% iron/nickel oxides and 28% copper metal. A total of 1,600,000 L (420,000 US gallons) of liquid waste was produced. It was processed through the spent solvent treatment facility located at the Bruce Nuclear Power Development site. Visual inspection performed after the cleaning indicated that the crevices between the boiler tubes and the tube support structure were completely clear of deposit and the general condition of the tubing and lattice bars appeared to be in 'as new' condition. (author)

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.

Ultrasonic signal analysis according to laser ultrasound generation position for the detection of delamination in composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong, Kyung Min; Choi In Young; Kim, Seong Jong; Kang, Young June [Chonbuk National University, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Gil Dong [GP Inc., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-11-15

Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic should be inspected in the fabrication process to enhance quality by preventing defects, such as delamination and voids. Conventional ultrasonic evaluation methods cannot be applied during the fabrication process because they require contact measurement by a transducer. Thus, an optical method using a laser was employed in this study for non-contact ultrasonic evaluation. Ultrasonic signals were generated by a pulsed laser and received by using a laser interferometer. First, an ultrasonic signal was generated from the back side of a material sample with artificial internal defects in the composite. The ultrasonic signal directed through the interior of the specimen was then detected at the front side. After determining the locations of the internal defects, the defects were quantitatively evaluated from the front side of the composite by using ultrasonic signal generation and reception.

Ultrasonic signal processing and B-SCAN imaging for nondestructive testing. Application to under - cladding - cracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Theron, G.

1988-02-01

Crack propagation under the stainless steel cladding of nuclear reactor vessels is monitored by ultrasonic testing. This work study signal processing to improve detection and sizing of defects. Two possibilities are examined: processing of each individual signal and simultaneous processing of all the signals giving a B-SCAN image. The bibliographic study of time-frequency methods shows that they are not suitable for pulses. Then decomposition in instantaneous frequency and envelope is used. Effect of interference of 2 close echoes on instantaneous frequency is studies. The deconvolution of B-SCAN images is obtained by the transducer field. A point-by-point deconvolution method, less noise sensitive, is developed. B-SCAN images are processed in 2 phases: interface signal processing and deconvolution. These calculations improve image accuracy and dynamics. Water-stell interface and ferritic-austenitic interface are separated. Echoes of crack top are visualized and crack-hole differentiation is improved [fr

2000 Annual report NATO/CCMS Pilot Study, Clean Products and Processes (Phase I)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wenzel, Henrik; Molin, Christine; Hauschild, Michael Zwicky

2001-01-01

The NATO/Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society third Pilot Study meeting on Clean Products and Processes was held in Copenhagen, Denmark on May 7-12, 2000. This meeting maintained the momentum generated during the of the first two years of the pilot study, focusing on progress made on sev...... homepage....

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)

Quadrature demodulation based circuit implementation of pulse stream for ultrasonic signal FRI sparse sampling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shoupeng, Song; Zhou, Jiang

2017-01-01

Converting ultrasonic signal to ultrasonic pulse stream is the key step of finite rate of innovation (FRI) sparse sampling. At present, ultrasonic pulse-stream-forming techniques are mainly based on digital algorithms. No hardware circuit that can achieve it has been reported. This paper proposes a new quadrature demodulation (QD) based circuit implementation method for forming an ultrasonic pulse stream. Elaborating on FRI sparse sampling theory, the process of ultrasonic signal is explained, followed by a discussion and analysis of ultrasonic pulse-stream-forming methods. In contrast to ultrasonic signal envelope extracting techniques, a quadrature demodulation method (QDM) is proposed. Simulation experiments were performed to determine its performance at various signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). The circuit was then designed, with mixing module, oscillator, low pass filter (LPF), and root of square sum module. Finally, application experiments were carried out on pipeline sample ultrasonic flaw testing. The experimental results indicate that the QDM can accurately convert ultrasonic signal to ultrasonic pulse stream, and reverse the original signal information, such as pulse width, amplitude, and time of arrival. This technique lays the foundation for ultrasonic signal FRI sparse sampling directly with hardware circuitry. (paper)

Offgas system particulate cleaning test and evaluation for the process experimental pilot plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayers, A.L. Jr.; Gale, L.G.; Stermer, D.L.

1990-01-01

The process experimental pilot plant (PREPP) incinerates mixed solid waste. The exhaust gas is processed through a wet offgas cleaning system. Rapid loading of the exhaust filters has been a problem and an important contributing factor is the use of quench solution containing a relatively high concentration of dissolved solids. The dissolved solids are released as a submicron particulate when the quench solution evaporates. A series of tests were performed to better identify the nature of the problem and explore solutions to the problem involving modifications to the quench process

Offgas system particulate cleaning test and evaluation for the Process Experimental Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayers, A.L. Jr.; Gale, L.G.; Stermer, D.L.

1990-01-01

The Process Experimental Pilot Plant (PREPP) incinerates mixed solid waste. The exhaust gas is processed through a wet offgas cleaning system. Rapid loading of the exhaust filters has been a problem and an important contributing factor is the use of a quench solution containing a relatively high concentration of dissolved solids. The dissolved solids are released as a submicron particulate when the quench solution evaporates. A series of tests were performed to better identify the nature of the problem and explore solutions to the problem involving modifications to the quench process. 2 refs., 7 figs

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.

Cleaning of biomaterial surfaces: protein removal by different solvents.

Science.gov (United States)

Kratz, Fabian; Grass, Simone; Umanskaya, Natalia; Scheibe, Christian; Müller-Renno, Christine; Davoudi, Neda; Hannig, Matthias; Ziegler, Christiane

2015-04-01

The removal of biofilms or protein films from biomaterials is still a challenging task. In particular, for research investigations on real (applied) surfaces the reuse of samples is of high importance, because reuse allows the comparison of the same sample in different experiments. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cleaning efficiency of different solvents (SDS, water, acetone, isopropanol, RIPA-buffer and Tween-20) on five different biomaterials (titanium, gold, PMMA (no acetone used), ceramic, and PTFE) with different wettability which were covered by layers of two different adsorbed proteins (BSA and lysozyme). The presence of a protein film after adsorption was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). After treatment of the surfaces with the different solvents, the residual proteins on the surface were determined by BCA-assay (bicinchoninic acid assay). Data of the present study indicate that SDS is an effective solvent, but for several protein-substrate combinations it does not show the cleaning efficiency often mentioned in literature. RIPA-buffer and Tween-20 were more effective. They showed very low residual protein amounts after cleaning on all examined material surfaces and for both proteins, however, with small differences for the respective substrate-protein combinations. RIPA-buffer in combination with ultrasonication completely removed the protein layer as confirmed by TEM. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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.

On-line ultrasonic inside-diameter control system for Zircaloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Y.; Fujii, N.; Komatsu, M.; Kubota, H.

1984-01-01

An ultrasonic inside-diameter (ID) control system was used during the final etching process for producing Zircaloy nuclear fuel cladding tubes. This results in establishing automatic inside-diameter control during etching with an automatic etching system. In this system, the inside-diameter at the center point in the length of each tube is continuously measured with the ultrasonic inside-diameter measuring equipment during the etching process and the etching is automatically stopped by a signal from the control equipment when the inside-diameter reaches the target value. This made the final etching process economical and suitable for large-scale production, having an equal or better level at the inside-diameter of tubes etched with this system than those made by a process controlled by an air-micrometer

Chrome tannage using high-intensity ultrasonic field.

Science.gov (United States)

Mäntysalo, E; Marjoniemi, M; Kilpeläinen, M

1997-04-01

The process time in chrome tannage in leather making, using an elastic compression cycle followed by irradiation by high-intensity ultrasound, is quite short lasting only a few minutes, compared with a process time of several hours in modern chrome tannage. After ultrasonic irradiation, samples were basified in 17 h in chrome liquor at a pH of 4.0 and the shrinkage temperature was measured. The determination of the efficiency for the chrome liquor penetrating into the hides can be based on the steepness of the shrinkage temperature-processing time curve. An approximate value of 20 degrees C min(-1) can be evaluated for the initial slope of the curve when elastic compression and high-intensity ultrasonic irradiation is used, and a processing time of 2 min is required in chrome liquor (plus 17 h basification and 24 h storage time) to obtain leather stable to boiling. Usually, hides are kept in chrome liquor for 2 h.

Considerations for ultrasonic testing application for on-orbit NDE

Science.gov (United States)

Koshti, Ajay M.

2015-04-01

The paper addresses some on-orbit nondestructive evaluation (NDE) needs of NASA for International Space Station (ISS). The presentation gives NDE requirements for inspecting suspect damage due to micro-meteoroids and orbital debris (MMOD) impact on the pressure wall of the ISS. This inspection is meant to be conducted from inside of the ISS module. The metallic wall of the module has a fixed wall thickness but also has integral orthogrid ribs for reinforcement. Typically, a single MMOD hit causes localized damage in a small area causing loss of material similar to pitting corrosion, but cracks may be present too. The impact may cause bulging of the wall. Results of the ultrasonic and eddy current demonstration scans on test samples are provided. The ultrasonic technique uses shear wave scans to interrogate the localized damage area from the surrounding undamaged area. The scanning protocol results in multiple scans, each with multiple "vee" paths. A superimposition and mosaic of the three-dimensional ultrasonic data from individual scans is desired to create C-scan images of the damage. This is a new data reduction process which is not currently implemented in state-of-art ultrasonic instruments. Results of ultrasonic scans on the simulated MMOD damage test plates are provided. The individual C-scans are superimposed manually creating mosaic of the inspection. The resulting image is compared with visibly detected damage boundaries, X-ray images, and localized ultrasonic and eddy current scans for locating crack tips to assess effectiveness of the ultrasonic scanning. The paper also discusses developments needed in improving ergonomics of the ultrasonic testing for on-orbit applications.

Hot gas cleaning, a targeted project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romey, I. [University of Essen, Essen (Germany)

1998-11-01

Advanced hot gas cleaning systems will play a key role in future integrated combined cycle technologies. IGCC demonstration plants in operation or under construction are at present equipped with conventional wet gas scrubbing and cleaning systems. Feasibility studies for those IGCC plants have shown that the total efficiency of the processes can be improved using hot gas cleaning systems. However, this technology has not been developed and tested at a technical scale. Six well-known European industrial companies and research centres jointly worked together since January 1996 on a Targeted Project `Hot Gas Cleaning` to investigate and develop new hot gas cleaning systems for advanced clean coal power generation processes. In addition project work on chemical analysis and modelling was carried out in universities in England and Germany. The latest main findings were presented at the workshop. The main project aims are summarised as follows: to increase efficiency of advanced power generation processes; to obtain a reduction of alkalis and environmental emissions e.g. SO{sub 2}, NO{sub x}, CO{sub 2} and dust; and to develop the design basis for future industrial plants based on long-term operation of laboratory, pilot and demo-plants. To cover a range of possible process routes for future hot gas cleaning systems the following research programme is under investigation: removal of trace elements by different commercial and self developed sorbents; gas separation by membranes; separation of gas turbine relevant pollutants by hot filter dust and; H{sub 2}S removal and gas dedusting at high temperatures. 13 figs.

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.)

Industrial rag cleaning process for the environmentally safe removal of petroleum-based solvents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fierro, J.V.

1993-01-01

A process for the cleaning of industrial rags contaminated with environmentally unsafe petroleum-based solvent is described, comprising the step of: (a) placing a load of the industrial rags in a mechanically driven rotary drum; (b) revolving the drum at a high speed sufficient to physically extract liquid petroleum-based solvent contaminate from the industrial rags; (c) routing the extracted petroleum-based solvent contaminate from the rotary drum to a waste solvent collection line for environmentally safe disposal; (d) revolving the rotary drum to cause a tumbling of the industrial rags while maintaining the temperature within the drum at below the flash point of the petroleum-based solvent; (e) intermittently forcing cold air and hot air through the rotary drum to vaporize solvent from the industrial rags; (f) routing the vaporized petroleum-based solvent contaminant from the rotary drum to a condenser wherein the petroleum-based solvent contaminate is condensed and thereafter further routing said condensed solvent to a waste collection line for environmentally safe disposal; and (g) cleaning the industrial rags in the presence of a dry cleaning solvent to remove residual petroleum-based solvents and soil

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.

Heat exchanger cleaning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gatewood, J.R.

1980-01-01

A survey covers the various types of heat-exchange equipment that is cleaned routinely in fossil-fired generating plants, the hydrocarbon-processing industry, pulp and paper mills, and other industries; the various types, sources, and adverse effects of deposits in heat-exchange equipment; some details of the actual procedures for high-pressure water jetting and chemical cleaning of some specific pieces of equipment, including nuclear steam generators. (DN)

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)

Experimental study on titanium wire drawing with ultrasonic vibration.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shen; Shan, Xiaobiao; Guo, Kai; Yang, Yuancai; Xie, Tao

2018-02-01

Titanium and its alloys have been widely used in aerospace and biomedical industries, however, they are classified as difficult-to-machine materials. In this paper, ultrasonic vibration is imposed on the die to overcome the difficulties during conventional titanium wire drawing processes at the room temperature. Numerical simulations were performed to investigate the variation of axial stress within the contacting region and study the change of the drawing stress with several factors in terms of the longitudinal amplitude and frequency of the applied ultrasonic vibration, the diameter reduction ratio, and the drawing force. An experimental testing equipment was established to measure the drawing torque and rotational velocity of the coiler drum during the wire drawing process. The result indicates the drawing force increases with the growth of the drawing velocity and the reduction ratio, whether with or without vibrations. Application of either form of ultrasonic vibrations contributes to the further decrease of the drawing force, especially the longitudinal vibration with larger amplitude. SEM was employed to detect the surface morphology of the processed wires drawn under the three circumstances. The surface quality of the drawn wires with ultrasonic vibrations was apparently improved compared with those using conventional method. In addition, the longitudinal and torsional composite vibration was more effective for surface quality improvement than pure longitudinal vibration, however, at the cost of weakened drawing force reduction effect. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A study on the ultrasonic measurement for damage evaluation of power plant bearing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sang Guk

2004-01-01

For the purpose of monitoring by ultrasonic test of the ball bearing conditions in rotating machinery, a system for their diagnosis was developed. Ultrasonic technique is used to detect abnormal conditions in the bearing system. And various data such as frequency spectrum, energy and amplitude of ultrasonic signals, and ultrasonic parameters were acquired during experiments with the simulated ball bearing system. Based on the above results and practical application for power plant, algorithms and judgement criteria for diagnosis system was established. Bearing diagnosis system is composed of four parts as follows : sensing part for ultrasonic sensor and preamplifier, signal processing part for measuring frequency spectrum, energy and amplitude, interface part for connecting ultrasonic signal to PC using A/D converter, graphic display and software part for display of bearing condition and for managing of diagnosis program

Decontamination of polypropylene fabrics by dry cleaning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Severa, J.; Knajfl, J.

1983-01-01

Polypropylene fabrics can efficiently be decontaminated by dry cleaning in benzine or perchloroethylene, this also in case the fabric was greased in addition to radioactive contamination. For heavily soiled fabric, it is advantageous to first dry clean it and then wash it. The positive effect was confirmed of intensifiers on the cleaning process, especially of benzine soap. In practice, its concentration should be selected within 1 and 10 g.dm - 3 . Decontamination by dry cleaning and subsequent washing is advantageous in that that the resulting activity of waste water from the laundry is low. Radioactive wastes from the dry cleaning process have a low weight and can be handled as solid waste. (M.D.)

Gas ultrasonic flow rate measurement through genetic-ant colony optimization based on the ultrasonic pulse received signal model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hou, Huirang; Zheng, Dandan; Nie, Laixiao

2015-01-01

For gas ultrasonic flowmeters, the signals received by ultrasonic sensors are susceptible to noise interference. If signals are mingled with noise, a large error in flow measurement can be caused by triggering mistakenly using the traditional double-threshold method. To solve this problem, genetic-ant colony optimization (GACO) based on the ultrasonic pulse received signal model is proposed. Furthermore, in consideration of the real-time performance of the flow measurement system, the improvement of processing only the first three cycles of the received signals rather than the whole signal is proposed. Simulation results show that the GACO algorithm has the best estimation accuracy and ant-noise ability compared with the genetic algorithm, ant colony optimization, double-threshold and enveloped zero-crossing. Local convergence doesn’t appear with the GACO algorithm until –10 dB. For the GACO algorithm, the converging accuracy and converging speed and the amount of computation are further improved when using the first three cycles (called GACO-3cycles). Experimental results involving actual received signals show that the accuracy of single-gas ultrasonic flow rate measurement can reach 0.5% with GACO-3 cycles, which is better than with the double-threshold method. (paper)

Experimental Study of the Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Abrasive Waterjet Micromachining the Quartz Glass

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rongguo Hou

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The ultrasonic vibration is used to enhance the capability of the abrasive water micromachining glass. And, the ultrasonic vibration is activated on the abrasive waterjet nozzle. The quality of the flow is improved, and the velocity of the abrasive is increased because of the addition of the ultrasonic energy. The relevant experimental results indicate that the erosion depth and the material volume removal of the glass are obviously increased when ultrasonic vibration is working. As for the influence of process parameters on the material removal of the glass such as vibration amplitude, system pressure, distance of the standoff, and abrasive size, the experimental results indicate that the system pressure and vibration contribute greatly to the glass material removal. Also, the erosion depth and the volume of material removal are increased with the increase in the vibration amplitude and system pressure. There are some uplifts found at the edge of erosion pit. Then, it can be inferred that the plastic method is an important material removal method during the machining process of ultrasonic vibration-assisted abrasive waterjet.

Cavitation occurrence around ultrasonic dental scalers.

Science.gov (United States)

Felver, Bernhard; King, David C; Lea, Simon C; Price, Gareth J; Damien Walmsley, A

2009-06-01

Ultrasonic scalers are used in dentistry to remove calculus and other contaminants from teeth. One mechanism which may assist in the cleaning is cavitation generated in cooling water around the scaler. The vibratory motion of three designs of scaler tip in a water bath has been characterised by laser vibrometry, and compared with the spatial distribution of cavitation around the scaler tips observed using sonochemiluminescence from a luminol solution. The type of cavitation was confirmed by acoustic emission analysed by a 'Cavimeter' supplied by NPL. A node/antinode vibration pattern was observed, with the maximum displacement of each type of tip occurring at the free end. High levels of cavitation activity occurred in areas surrounding the vibration antinodes, although minimal levels were observed at the free end of the tip. There was also good correlation between vibration amplitude and sonochemiluminescence at other points along the scaler tip. 'Cavimeter' analysis correlated well with luminol observations, suggesting the presence of primarily transient cavitation.

Exhaust gas clean up process

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, R.J.

1988-06-16

A method of cleaning an exhaust gas containing particulates, SO/sub 2/ and NO/sub x/ is described. The method involves prescrubbing with water to remove HCl and most of the particulates, scrubbing with an aqueous absorbent containing a metal chelate and dissolved sulfite salt to remove NO/sub x/ and SO/sub 2/, and regenerating the absorbent solution by controlled heating, electrodialysis and carbonate salt addition. The NO/sub x/ is removed as N/sub 2/ gas or nitrogen sulfonate ions and the oxides of sulfur are removed as a valuable sulfate salt. 4 figs.

Use of focused ultrasonication in activity-based profiling of deubiquitinating enzymes in tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Nanduri, Bindu; Shack, Leslie A; Rai, Aswathy N; Epperson, William B; Baumgartner, Wes; Schmidt, Ty B; Edelmann, Mariola J

2016-12-15

To develop a reproducible tissue lysis method that retains enzyme function for activity-based protein profiling, we compared four different methods to obtain protein extracts from bovine lung tissue: focused ultrasonication, standard sonication, mortar & pestle method, and homogenization combined with standard sonication. Focused ultrasonication and mortar & pestle methods were sufficiently effective for activity-based profiling of deubiquitinases in tissue, and focused ultrasonication also had the fastest processing time. We used focused-ultrasonicator for subsequent activity-based proteomic analysis of deubiquitinases to test the compatibility of this method in sample preparation for activity-based chemical proteomics. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fluorescent Penetrant INSPECTION—CLEANING Study Update

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenmann, D.; Brasche, L.

2009-03-01

Fluorescent penetrant inspection (FPI) is widely used in the aviation industry and other industries for surface-breaking crack detection. As with all inspection methods, adherence to the process parameters is critical to the successful detection of defects. There is variety of lubricants and surface coatings used in the aviation industry which must be removed prior to FPI. Before the FPI process begins, components are cleaned using a variety of cleaning methods which are selected based on the alloy and the soil types which must be removed. It is also important that the cleaning process not adversely affect the FPI process. From the first three phases of this project it has been found that a hot water rinse can aid in the detection process when using this nondestructive method.

FY1995 development of a clean CVD process by evaluation and control of gas phase nucleation phenomena; 1995 nendo kisokaku seisei gensho no hyoka to seigyo ni yoru clean CVD process no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-03-01

The purpose of this study is to develop a high-rate and clean chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process as a breakthrough technique to overcome the problems that particles generated in the gas phase during CVD process for preparation of functional thin films cause reduced product yield and deterioration of the films. In the CVD process proposed here, reactant gas and generated particles are electrically charged to control the motion of them with an electric field. In this study, gas-phase nucleation phenomena are evaluated both theoretically and experimentally. A high-rate, ionized CVD method is first developed, in which reactant gas and generated particles are charged with negative ions generated from a radioisotope source and the UV/photoelectron method, and the motion of the charged gas and particles is controlled with an electric field. Charging and transport processes of fine particles are then investigated experimentally and theoretically to develop a clean CVD method in which generated particles are removed with the electric forces. As a result, quantitative evaluation of the charging and transport process was made possible. We also developed devices for measuring the size distribution and concentration of fine particles in low pressure gas such as those found in plasma CVD processes. In addition, numerical simulation and experiments in this study for a TEOS/O{sub 3} CVD process to prepare thin films could determine reaction rates which have not been known so far and give information on selecting good operation conditions for the process. (NEDO)

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 and radiographic evaluation of advanced aerospace materials: Ceramic composites

Science.gov (United States)

Generazio, Edward R.

1990-01-01

Two conventional nondestructive evaluation techniques were used to evaluate advanced ceramic composite materials. It was shown that neither ultrasonic C-scan nor radiographic imaging can individually provide sufficient data for an accurate nondestructive evaluation. Both ultrasonic C-scan and conventional radiographic imaging are required for preliminary evaluation of these complex systems. The material variations that were identified by these two techniques are porosity, delaminations, bond quality between laminae, fiber alignment, fiber registration, fiber parallelism, and processing density flaws. The degree of bonding between fiber and matrix cannot be determined by either of these methods. An alternative ultrasonic technique, angular power spectrum scanning (APSS) is recommended for quantification of this interfacial bond.

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

Si-compatible cleaning process for graphene using low-density inductively coupled plasma.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Yeong-Dae; Lee, Dae-Yeong; Shen, Tian-Zi; Ra, Chang-Ho; Choi, Jae-Young; Yoo, Won Jong

2012-05-22

We report a novel cleaning technique for few-layer graphene (FLG) by using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) of Ar with an extremely low plasma density of 3.5 × 10(8) cm(-3). It is known that conventional capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) treatments destroy the planar symmetry of FLG, giving rise to the generation of defects. However, ICP treatment with extremely low plasma density is able to remove polymer resist residues from FLG within 3 min at a room temperature of 300 K while retaining the carbon sp(2)-bonding of FLG. It is found that the carrier mobility and charge neutrality point of FLG are restored to their pristine defect-free state after the ICP treatment. Considering the application of graphene to silicon-based electronic devices, such a cleaning method can replace thermal vacuum annealing, electrical current annealing, and wet-chemical treatment due to its advantages of being a low-temperature, large-area, high-throughput, and Si-compatible process.

Analysis of ultrasonic techniques for the characterization of microfiltration polymeric membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lucas, Carla S.; Baroni, Douglas B.; Costa, Antonio M.L.M.; Bittencourt, Marcelo S.Q.

2009-01-01

The use of polymeric membranes is extremely important in several industries such as nuclear, biotechnology, chemical and pharmaceutical. In the nuclear area, for instance, systems based on membrane separation technologies are currently being used in the treatment of radioactive liquid effluent, and new technologies using membranes are being developed at a great rate. The knowledge of the physical characteristics of these membranes, such as, pore size and the pore size distribution, is very important to the membranes separation processes. Only after these characteristics are known is it possible to determine the type and to choose a particular membrane for a specific application. In this work, two ultrasonic non destructive techniques were used to determine the porosity of membranes: pulse echo and transmission. A 25 MHz immersion transducer was used. Ultrasonic signals were acquired, for both techniques, after the ultrasonic waves passed through a microfiltration polymeric membrane of pore size of 0.45 μm and thickness of 180 μm. After the emitted ultrasonic signal crossed the membrane, the received signal brought several information on the influence of the membrane porosity in the standard signal of the ultrasonic wave. The ultrasonic signals were acquired in the time domain and changed to the frequency domain by application of the Fourier Fast Transform (FFT), thus generating the material frequency spectrum. For the pulse echo technique, the ultrasonic spectrum frequency changed after the ultrasonic wave crossed the membrane. With the transmission technique there was only a displacement of the ultrasonic signal at the time domain. (author)

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

Clean coal technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aslanyan, G.S.

1993-01-01

According to the World Energy Council (WEC), at the beginning of the next century three main energy sources - coal, nuclear power and oil will have equal share in the world's total energy supply. This forecast is also valid for the USSR which possesses more than 40% of the world's coal resources and continuously increases its coal production (more than 700 million tons of coal are processed annually in the USSR). The stringent environmental regulations, coupled with the tendency to increase the use of coal are the reasons for developing different concepts for clean coal utilization. In this paper, the potential efficiency and environmental performance of different clean coal production cycles are considered, including technologies for coal clean-up at the pre-combustion stage, advanced clean combustion methods and flue gas cleaning systems. Integrated systems, such as combined gas-steam cycle and the pressurized fluidized bed boiler combined cycle, are also discussed. The Soviet National R and D program is studying new methods for coal utilization with high environmental performance. In this context, some basic research activities in the field of clean coal technology in the USSR are considered. Development of an efficient vortex combustor, a pressurized fluidized bed gasifier, advanced gas cleaning methods based on E-beam irradiation and plasma discharge, as well as new catalytic system, are are presented. In addition, implementation of technological innovations for retrofitting and re powering of existing power plants is discussed. (author)

NEET In-Pile Ultrasonic Sensor Enablement-FY 2012 Status Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

JE Daw; JL Rempe; BR Tittmann; B Reinhardt; P Ramuhalli; R Montgomery; HT Chien

2012-09-01

Several Department Of Energy-Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) programs, such as the Fuel Cycle Research and Development, Advanced Reactor Concepts, Light Water Reactor Sustainability, and Next Generation Nuclear Plant programs, are investigating new fuels and materials for advanced and existing reactors. A key objective of such programs is to understand the performance of these fuels and materials when irradiated. The Nuclear Energy Enabling Technology (NEET) Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation (ASI) in-pile instrumentation development activities are focused upon addressing cross-cutting needs for DOE-NE irradiation testing by providing higher fidelity, real-time data, with increased accuracy and resolution from smaller, compact sensors that are less intrusive. Ultrasonic technologies offer the potential to measure a range of parameters, including geometry changes, temperature, crack initiation and growth, gas pressure and composition, and microstructural changes, under harsh irradiation test conditions. There are two primary issues associated with in-pile deployment of ultrasonic sensors. The first is transducer survivability. The ability of ultrasonic transducer materials to maintain their useful properties during an irradiation must be demonstrated. The second issue is signal processing. Ultrasonic testing is typically performed in a lab or field environment, where the sensor and sample are accessible. Due to the harsh nature of in-pile testing, and the range of measurements that are desired, an enhanced signal processing capability is needed to make in-pile ultrasonic sensors viable. This project addresses these technology deployment issues.

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

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.

Ultrasonic preliminary measurements of oenological malolactic fermentation parameters in red wine

Science.gov (United States)

Novoa-Díaz, D. F.; Puig-Pujol, A.; García-Álvarez, J.; Chávez, J. A.; Turó, A.; Mínguez, S.; García-Hernández, M. J.; Bertran, E.; Salazar, J.

2012-12-01

In the winemaking process, the malolactic fermentation is an essential process in the production of high quality red wines which concerns the conversion of malate into lactate. In this work, the ultrasonic velocity through wine samples with different concentrations of malate and lactate was measured using the pulse echo technique with 1 MHz tone burst signals. The evolution of these concentrations during malolactic fermentation was taken into account in order to determine the ratio between concentrations of malate and lactate of the different samples. These preliminary results have revealed that the ultrasonic velocity increases during the conversion of malate to lactate. In addition, measurements have been conducted to quantify the influence of variations in turbidity and temperature on test samples. Therefore, these results show the possibility of using ultrasonic velocity measurements for on-line monitoring the malolactic fermentation of red wine and may help to improve and contribute to the development of the winemaking process.

Ultrasonic preliminary measurements of oenological malolactic fermentation parameters in red wine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novoa-Díaz, D F; García-Álvarez, J; Chávez, J A; Turó, A; García-Hernández, M J; Salazar, J; Puig-Pujol, A; Mínguez, S; Bertran, E

2012-01-01

In the winemaking process, the malolactic fermentation is an essential process in the production of high quality red wines which concerns the conversion of malate into lactate. In this work, the ultrasonic velocity through wine samples with different concentrations of malate and lactate was measured using the pulse echo technique with 1 MHz tone burst signals. The evolution of these concentrations during malolactic fermentation was taken into account in order to determine the ratio between concentrations of malate and lactate of the different samples. These preliminary results have revealed that the ultrasonic velocity increases during the conversion of malate to lactate. In addition, measurements have been conducted to quantify the influence of variations in turbidity and temperature on test samples. Therefore, these results show the possibility of using ultrasonic velocity measurements for on-line monitoring the malolactic fermentation of red wine and may help to improve and contribute to the development of the winemaking process.

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

Washing away your sins in the brain: physical cleaning and priming of cleaning recruit different brain networks after moral threat.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Honghong; Lu, Xiaping; Su, Rui; Liang, Zilu; Mai, Xiaoqin; Liu, Chao

2017-07-01

The association between moral purity and physical cleanliness has been widely discussed recently. Studies found that moral threat initiates the need of physical cleanliness, but actual physical cleaning and priming of cleaning have inconsistent effects on subsequent attitudes and behaviors. Here, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore the underlying neural mechanism of actual physical cleaning and priming of cleaning. After recalling moral transgression with strong feelings of guilt and shame, participants either actually cleaned their faces with a wipe or were primed with cleanliness through viewing its pictures. Results showed that actual physical cleaning reduced the spontaneous brain activities in the right insula and MPFC, regions that involved in embodied moral emotion processing, while priming of cleaning decreased activities in the right superior frontal gyrus and middle frontal gyrus, regions that participated in executive control processing. Additionally, actual physical cleaning also changed functional connectivity between insula/MPFC and emotion related regions, whereas priming of cleaning modified connectivity within both moral and sensorimotor areas. These findings revealed that actual physical cleaning and priming of cleaning led to changes in different brain regions and networks, providing neural evidence for the inconsistent effects of cleanliness on subsequent attitudes and behaviors. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

Clean utilization of coal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yueruem, Y.

1992-01-01

This volume contains 23 lectures presented at the Advanced Study Institute on 'Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Catalytic Solid Fuel Conversion for the Production of Clean Synthetic Fuels', which was held at Akcay, Edremit, Turkey, between 21 July and August 3, 1991. Three main subjects: structure and reactivity of coal; cleaning of coal and its products, and factors affecting the environmental balance of energy usage and solutions for the future, were discussed in the Institute and these are presented under six groups in the book: Part 1. Structure and reactivity of coal; Part 2. Factors affecting environmental balance; Part 3. Pre-usage cleaning operations and processes; Part 4. Upgrading of coal liquids and gases; Part 5. Oxygen enriched processes; and Part 6. Probable future solution for energy and pollution problems. Separate abstracts have been prepared for all the lectures

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

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

Characteristics of fuel CRUD from Ringhals Unit 4. A comparison of CRUD samples from ultrasonic fuel cleaning and fuel scrape

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Jiaxin; Eskhult, Jonas; Marks, Chuck; Dingee, John; Bengtsson, Bernt; Wells, Daniel

2014-01-01

The characteristics and behaviour of PWR fuel CRUD are closely related to plant radiation field build-up and the risks of CRUD-Induced Power Shifts (CIPS, previously AOA) and CRUD-Induced Localized Corrosion (CILC). At Ringhals NPP fuel scrape technology has frequently been used to collect fuel CRUD samples as a part of plant water chemistry monitoring programs. In 2012, high efficiency ultrasonic fuel cleaning (HE-UFC) technology was first used at Ringhals Unit 4 to reduce the risk of CIPS, which was expected to increase due to steam generator replacement and a subsequent power uprate. In the HE-UFC system a “first-of-a-kind” CRUD sampling system was installed for collecting fuel CRUD. It is of interest to compare the fuel CRUD samples collected by the two different CRUD sampling methods and to understand if HE-UFC crud sampling could be used to replace or supplement the fuel scrape method. This paper presents some preliminary results on isotopic compositions, elemental compositions, and phase compositions of fuel CRUD samples collected from similar fuel rods and assemblies by both methods during the 2012 refueling outage, one cycle after steam generator replacement at Ringhals Unit 4. The results show that the characteristics of fuel CRUD sampled by HE-UFC and fuel scrape, although not always identical, were similar or correlated to some extent in terms of weight ratios of Ni to Fe and Cr to Fe as well as specific activities of Co-58, Co-60 and Cr-51. However, due to the limited experience with the HE-UFC sampling method, more consideration is required if the statistical significance of the obtained data and indications are to be verified. (author)

Sono-leather technology with ultrasound: a boon for unit operations in leather processing - review of our research work at Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), India.

Science.gov (United States)

Sivakumar, Venkatasubramanian; Swaminathan, Gopalaraman; Rao, Paruchuri Gangadhar; Ramasami, Thirumalachari

2009-01-01

Ultrasound is a sound wave with a frequency above the human audible range of 16 Hz to 16 kHz. In recent years, numerous unit operations involving physical as well as chemical processes are reported to have been enhanced by ultrasonic irradiation. There have been benefits such as improvement in process efficiency, process time reduction, performing the processes under milder conditions and avoiding the use of some toxic chemicals to achieve cleaner processing. These could be a better way of augmentation for the processes as an advanced technique. The important point here is that ultrasonic irradiation is physical method activation rather than using chemical entities. Detailed studies have been made in the unit operations related to leather such as diffusion rate enhancement through porous leather matrix, cleaning, degreasing, tanning, dyeing, fatliquoring, oil-water emulsification process and solid-liquid tannin extraction from vegetable tanning materials as well as in precipitation reaction in wastewater treatment. The fundamental mechanism involved in these processes is ultrasonic cavitation in liquid media. In addition to this there also exist some process specific mechanisms for the enhancement of the processes. For instance, possible real-time reversible pore-size changes during ultrasound propagation through skin/leather matrix could be a reason for diffusion rate enhancement in leather processing as reported for the first time. Exhaustive scientific research work has been carried out in this area by our group working in Chemical Engineering Division of CLRI and most of these benefits have been proven with publications in valued peer-reviewed international journals. The overall results indicate that about 2-5-fold increase in the process efficiency due to ultrasound under the given process conditions for various unit operations with additional benefits. Scale-up studies are underway for converting these concepts in to a real viable larger scale operation. In

Experimental Investigation of Ultrasonic Vibration Assisted Turning of 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ping Zou

2015-01-01

vibration method is employed to scheme out a machining system of ultrasonic vibration assisted turning (MS-UAT. The experiments for turning the workpiece of ASS 304 are conducted with and without ultrasonic vibration using the designed MS-UAT, and then the 3D morphology evaluation parameters Sa and Sq are applied to characterize and analyse the machined surface. The experimental results obtained demonstrate that the process parameters in UAT of ASS 304 have obvious effect on the 3D surface topography and surface roughness of machined workpiece, and the appropriate choice of various process parameters, including ultrasonic amplitude, feed rate, depth of cut, and cutting speed, can enhance the machined surface quality efficiently to make the machining effect of UAT much better than that of CT.

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)

Contribution of the ultrasonic simulation to the testing methods qualification process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Ber, L.; Calmon, P.; Abittan, E.

2001-01-01

The CEA and EDF have started a study concerning the simulation interest in the qualification of nuclear components control by ultrasonic methods. In this framework, the simulation tools of the CEA, as CIVA, have been tested on real control. The method and the results obtained on some examples are presented. (A.L.B.)

System for ultrasonic examination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lund, S.A.; Kristensen, W.D.

1987-01-01

A computerized system for the recording of flaw images by ultrasonic examination according to the pulse-echo method includes at least one ultrasonic probe which can be moved in steps over the surface of an object along a rectilinear scanning path. Digital signals containing information on the successive positions of the sound beam, on echo amplitudes, and on the lengths of sound paths to reflectors inside the object, are processed and used for the accumulated storage of circular patterns of echo amplitude data in a matrix memory associated with a sectional plane through the object. A video screen terminal controls the system and transforms the accumulated data into displays of sectional flaw images of greatly improved precision and sharpness of definition. A gradual transfer of filtered data from a number of parallel sectional planes to three further matrix memories associated with projection planes at right angles to each other permits presentation in three dimensions of equally improved projection flaw images. (author) 2 figs

Monitoring and modeling of ultrasonic wave propagation in crystallizing mixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, T.; Challis, R. E.; Tebbutt, J. S.

2002-05-01

The utility of ultrasonic compression wave techniques for monitoring crystallization processes is investigated in a study of the seeded crystallization of copper II sulfate pentahydrate from aqueous solution. Simple models are applied to predict crystal yield, crystal size distribution and the changing nature of the continuous phase. A scattering model is used to predict the ultrasonic attenuation as crystallization proceeds. Experiments confirm that modeled attenuation is in agreement with measured results.

Manufacturing of NAA laboratory clean room

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suwoto; Hasibuan, Djaruddin

2001-01-01

The ''NAA laboratory clean room'' has been built in the Reactor Serba Guna G.A. Siwabessy building. The erection of ''AAN laboratory clean room'' doing by started of preparation of the ''manufacturing procedure'' refer to ''Design and manufacturing neutron activation analysis clean room laboratory''. Manufacturing process and erection doing refer to procedures makes. By providing of the ''AAN laboratory clean room'' can be cocluded that the research activity and the user sevises in P2TRR well meet to be done

Ultrasonic texture characterization of aluminum, zirconium and titanium alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, A.J.

1997-01-01

This work attempts to show the feasibility of nondestructive characterization of non-ferrous alloys. Aluminum alloys have a small single crystal anisotropy which requires very precise ultrasonic velocity measurements for derivation of orientation distribution coefficients (ODCs); the precision in the ultrasonic velocity measurement required for aluminum alloys is much greater than is necessary for iron alloys or other alloys with a large single crystal anisotropy. To provide greater precision, some signal processing corrections need to be applied to account for the inherent, half-bandwidth offset in triggered pulses when using a zero-crossing technique for determining ultrasonic velocity. In addition, alloys with small single crystal anisotropy show a larger dependence on the single crystal elastic constants (SCECs) when predicting ODCs which require absolute velocity measurements. Attempts were made to independently determine these elastics constants in an effort to improve correlation between ultrasonically derived ODCs and diffraction derived ODCs. The greater precision required to accurately derive ODCs in aluminum alloys using ultrasonic nondestructive techniques is easily attainable. Ultrasonically derived ODCs show good correlation with derivations made by Bragg diffraction techniques, both neutron and X-ray. The best correlation was shown when relative velocity measurements could be used in the derivations of the ODCs. Calculation of ODCs in materials with hexagonal crystallites can also be done. Because of the crystallite symmetries, more information can be extracted using ultrasonic techniques, but at a cost of requiring more physical measurements. Some industries which use materials with hexagonal crystallites, e.g. zirconium alloys and titanium, have traditionally used texture parameters which provide some specialized measure of the texture. These texture parameters, called Kearns factors, can be directly related to ODCs

Researches in increase of efficiency of electrokinetic process of ground cleaning from radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prozorov, L.B.; Shcheglov, M.Y.; Nikolaevsky, V.B.; Tkachenko, A.V.

2003-01-01

Potentially perspective method of decontamination of ground is electrokinetic method, which basic advantage consists in an opportunity of its application for clearing ground with low filtering by ability directly on a place of local contaminated (in situ). Thus moving the large volumes of the contaminated ground is excluded. Base of this method is the processes of electromigration and electro-osmotic, proceeding in a contaminated ground lay at imposing an electrical field of a constant current. Electrokinetic method of cleaning of ground from radionuclides provides their transfer in water-soluble, mobile form, carry as positive or negative ions under influence of an electrical field into electrode chambers with their subsequent recycling.Electrokinetic method in practice can be realized as follows: in the contaminated ground establish special electrode devices, fill their electrolyte and connect to a source of a constant current. Formed in the anode device as a result of electrochemical decomposition of water the ions of hydrogen under action of an electrical field move to the cathode, thus cooperate with a ground and superside cations of radioactive elements. Desorbed cations of contaminate act in catholyte, which periodically or continuously is exposed to clearing, for example, on sorption column. Last years the experts MosNPO Radon carry out complex researches directed on development of electrokinetic technology of cleaning ground from radionuclides and heavy metals. To the present time laboratory and bench tests of electrokinetic method are carried out. The basic attention at study of process of cleaning was given to objects contaminated Cs-137, most difficult recovery an element, which is strongly fixed by clay minerals and can enter into crystal structure. (authors)

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