Magnetothermal Properties and Magnetocaloric Effect in R3Co11B4

Journal of Superconductivity and Novel Magnetism - We present a study on the magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in R3Co11B4, where R?=?Pr, Nd, Tb, Dy, and Ho. The...     

Large eddy simulation and preliminary modeling of the flow downstream a variable geometry swirler for gas turbine combustors

This work presents a novel swirler with variable blade configuration for gas turbine combustors and industrial burners. The flow dynamics downstream the swirler was explored using Large Eddy Simulation (LES). The resolved turbulence kinetic energy in the region where the flow exhibits the main flow phenomena was well above 80% of the total turbulent kinetic energy of the flow. It was evidently shown that the new swirler produces a central recirculation zone and a Rankine vortex structure which are necessary for swirl flame stabilization. Two Reynolds-averaged NavierStokes (RANS) simulation cases utilizing the standard and realizable k-ε turbulence models were also conducted for two objectives. The first is to demonstrate the validity of RANS/eddy-viscosity models in predicting the main characteristics of swirling flows with comparison to the LES results. The second objective is to comparatively investigate the flow features downstream the new swirler in both co-rotating and counter-rotating blade configurations. The results show that the counter-rotating configuration produces higher turbulence kinetic energy and more compact recirculation zone compared to the co-rotating configuration.     

Fracture resistance characterization of chemically modified crumb rubber asphalt pavement

The fracture resistance of chemically modified crumb rubber asphalt (CMCRA) pavement was evaluated based on the J-integral concept. The chemical modification process used was developed by the Federal Highway Administration and patented in 1998. The results were compared to that of crumb rubber asphalt (CRA) and control asphalt pavement. Four semi-circular core specimens (76 mm radius and 57 mm thickness) were cut from each gyratory compacted cylinder (GCC) for the fracture resistance tests. Notches with different depth to radius ratios were introduced at the middle of the flat surface of each specimen. Three point bend loading was used to allow the separation of the two surfaces due to tensile stresses at the crack tip. It was found that the CMCRA pavement, had the highest residual strength, at all notch depths tested. The fracture resistance of the CMCRA pavement, based on J _c was found to be about twice that of the CRA and control pavements. The CRA pavement was found to have a slightly higher fracture resistance than that of the control pavement. Scanning Electron Microscopic examination of the fracture surface of each mixture revealed the microstructural origin of the improved fracture resistance of the CMCRA pavement in comparison with the control pavement.     

Detection of Common Defects in Concrete Bridge Decks Using Nondestructive Evaluation Techniques

The transportation infrastructure in the United States is deteriorating and will require significant improvements. Consequently, innovations in the area of transportation infrastructure maintenance and rehabilitation are keys to the health and wellness of this valuable national asset. A major component of maintenance and rehabilitation is the ability to accurately assess the condition of the transportation infrastructure. This can be accomplished in part by using nondestructive evaluation techniques. Several nondestructive techniques have been used on concrete bridge decks and have proven to be efficient and effective. This paper aims at studying the different nondestructive evaluation techniques used in the assessment of concrete bridge deck conditions. An experimental investigation to evaluate the ability of infrared thermography, impact echo, and ground penetrating radar to detect common flaws in concrete bridge decks is developed and discussed. Results from this study showed the ability of these methods to detect defects with varying precision. Capabilities of the methods were verified and comparisons among the methods were made.     

Pseudorandom sequence modifications for ion mobility orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Due to the inherently low duty cycle of ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) experiments that sample from continuous ion sources, a range of experimental advances have been developed to maximize ion utilization efficiency. The use of ion trapping and accumulation approaches prior to the ion mobility drift tube has demonstrated significant gains over discrete sampling from continuous sources but have traditionally relied upon a signal averaging (SA) to attain analytically useful signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). Multiplexed (MP) techniques based upon the Hadamard transform offer an alternative experimental approach by which ion utilization efficiency can be elevated from approximately 1 to approximately 50%. Recently, our research group demonstrated a unique multiplexed ion mobility time-of-flight (MP-IMS-TOF) approach that incorporates ion trapping and can extend ion utilization efficiency beyond 50%. However, the spectral reconstruction of the multiplexed signal using this experiment approach requires the use of sample-specific weighting designs. Such general weighting designs have been shown to significantly enhance ion utilization efficiency using this MP technique, but cannot be universally applied. By modifying both the ion trapping and the pseudorandom sequence (PRS) used for the MP experiment, we have eliminated the need for complex weighting matrices. For both simple and complex mixtures, SNR enhancements of up to 13 were routinely observed as compared to the SA-IMS-TOF approach. In addition, this new class of PRS provides a 2-fold enhancement in the number of ion gate pulses per unit time compared to the traditional HT-IMS experiment.     

Automated gain control ion funnel trap for orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF MS) is increasingly used in proteomics research. Herein, we report on the development and characterization of a TOF MS instrument with improved sensitivity equipped with an electrodynamic ion funnel trap (IFT) that employs an automated gain control (AGC) capability. The IFT-TOF MS was coupled to a reversed-phase capillary liquid chromatography (RPLC) separation and evaluated in experiments with complex proteolytic digests. When applied to a global tryptic digest of Shewanella oneidensis proteins, an order-of-magnitude increase in sensitivity compared to that of the conventional continuous mode of operation was achieved due to efficient ion accumulation prior to TOF MS analysis. As a result of this sensitivity improvement and related improvement in mass measurement accuracy, the number of unique peptides identified in the AGC-IFT mode was 5-fold greater than that obtained in the continuous mode.     

Decentralized model predictive‐based load‐frequency control in an interconnected power system concerning wind turbines

This paper presents a load‐frequency control (LFC) design using the model predictive control (MPC) technique in a multi‐area power system in the presence of wind turbines (WTs). In the studied system, the controller of each local area is designed independently such that the stability of the overall closed‐loop system is guaranteed. A frequency response model of the multi‐area power system including WTs is introduced, and physical constraints of the governors and turbines are considered. The model was employed in the MPC structures. Digital simulations for a two‐area power system are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. The results show that with the proposed MPC technique the overall closed‐loop system performance shows robustness in the face of uncertainties due to governor and turbine parameter variation and load disturbances. A performance comparison between the proposed controller with WTs and MPC without WTs and a classical integral control scheme is carried out, confirming the superiority of the proposed MPC technique with WTs. © 2012 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Deliverable‐power dependence on distribution‐line resistance and number of loads in low‐voltage DC distribution system

In this paper, we show that in a low‐voltage DC distribution system the deliverable power to a load has an upper limit P_lim due to the voltage instability at the receiving ends. On the basis of the previously derived concept of P_lim, we obtain the dependence of P_lim on the distribution line resistance R. In addition, we investigate the influence of the number of loads on P_lim. The result shows that a distribution line of lower R causes P_lim to be lower. This reduction in P_lim becomes more distinct for a larger number of loads. © 2011 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.