Experimental study of a mechanically ventilated double-skin façade with venetian sun-shading device: A full-scale investigation in controlled environment

The aim of this article is to present results of an experimental campaign performed on a full-scale facility provided with a double-skin façade. The behaviour of this architectural concept is tested under controlled climatic conditions. A summer case is scrutinised under different configurations: variation of the airflow through the double-skin façade and different angle of the solar shading device. This paper describes the experimental conditions, as well the test facility and the tested façade element. The results show the temperatures of the test cell and the façade and how they depend on the climatic conditions and the sun-shading device blade angles. One objective of this research was to measure and provide extensive data set detailing air and surface temperatures on the double-skin façade, together with airflow rates and air velocities. The experiments are fully described so that the results can be used for the validation of numerical models dealing with ventilated double-skin façades with venetian sun-shading device.     

Numerical modelling of geothermal vertical heat exchangers for the short time analysis using the state model size reduction technique

According to the introduction of a dynamic operating mode in ground-coupled heat pump systems, a short time analysis within and around borehole heat exchangers is required in the modern geothermal system simulation. A numerical modelling could be a proper answer for this challenge. However, the numerical model is time consuming and necessitates a large memory particularly in such large systems. Therefore, the state model size reduction technique has been applied in this paper with various numerical techniques particularly in the finite elements method. As a result, the reduced model developed is: (a) relevant with a validation using a traditional analytical model (using 100% modes) and (b) efficient in calculation time, only using 6% modes and consequently reducing time consumption up to 95%.     

Assessment of biogas potential hazards

Biogas produced from anaerobic fermentation of organic substances represents an alternative renewable energy source. Its utilization would contribute to substantial reduction of the solid waste volume in land-filling and incineration. Biogas so produced could be utilized on site or it could be injected into the natural gas distribution network. Microbiological and chemical compositions of different biogas types were determined in order to conduct qualitative and quantitative risk assessments of the potential health hazards associated with biogas use for cooking. Biogas types that could be allowed for injection in the natural gas pipelines were listed with recommendations, while outlining the European biogas injection policy. Results indicated that the injection of the processed biogas in the distribution network did not present any additional chemical or microbiological risk to consumers when compared to natural gas, provided that the biogas resulted from the fermentation of non-dangerous waste. However, since this study did not examine the microbiological and chemical composition of biogas originating from wastewater sludges and/or industrial wastes, the injection of this type of biogas into the gas distribution network should not be allowed unless a similar risk evaluation study is conducted for each case.     

3D modeling of uranium-bearing solution-collapse breccias in Proterozoic sandstones (Athabasca Basin,Canada)—Metallogenic interpretations

Unconformity-related uranium deposits are the highest grade, large tonnage uranium resources in the world. In the Athabasca Basin (northern Saskatchewan, Canada), which is the premier host for unconformity-type deposits, the ore deposits are frequently hosted and surrounded by breccias in sandstone. The significance of these breccias and their relation to mineralization are of major importance for the genesis of these high-grade deposits. Therefore, a modeling study, integrating results from structural geology and petrology, was performed with the gOcad 3D modeling software, in order to decipher geometrical and geological relationships between breccias, faults and mineralization zones. Mineralized bodies and the sudoite–dravite breccia bodies display strong spatial correlations. They appear to be controlled by reverse shear zones cross-cutting the unconformity and containing graphite in the basement. Geochemical computations evidenced that volumetric water–rock ratios up to 10,000 could be obtained in these breccia bodies for volume losses of up to 90%. Assuming reasonable values for quartz saturation, hydraulic conductivity and connected porosity, the minimal fluid volume and the time duration necessary to generate the sudoite–dravite breccia bodies were estimated at ca. 2 km³ and ca. 1 Myr, respectively. The comparison of these results with literature data suggests that the formation of sudoite–dravite breccia and mineralization could have been coeval. It may be proposed that within the space created by the quartz dissolution in the breccia body, a mixing between basement and basinal fluids could have induced U deposition and allowed the development of high-grade mineralization. The first-order uranium solubility that this coeval formation would imply is consistent with literature data, which suggests that this conceptual model is reasonable.     

Study of ITER equatorial port plug handling system and vacuum sealing interface

In the field of the ITER port plug engineering and integration task, CEA has contributed to define proposals concerning the port plugs vacuum sealing interface with the vessel flange and the equatorial plug handling.The 2001 baseline vacuum flange sealing consisted of TIG welding of a 316L strip plate on to U shapes. This arrangement presented some issues like welding access, implementation of tools, lip consumption, complex local leak test, continuous leak checking. Therefore, an alternate sealing solution based on the use of metallic gaskets is proposed. The different technical aspects are discussed to explain how this design can simplify the maintenance and deal with safety and vacuum requirements.The design of the mechanical attachment and vacuum sealing of the plug has constantly evolved, but the associated remote handling equipment was not systematically reviewed. An update of the cask and maintenance procedure was studied in order to design it in accordance with the last generic plug flange design. This includes a concept of a gripping system that uses the plug flange bolting area and, to help the remote handling process, a cantilever assisting system is suggested to increase the reliability of the transfer operation between vacuum vessel and cask.     

Attentional load associated with performing and stabilizing preferred bimanual patterns.

This study aimed to determine whether the stability of preferred coordination patterns could be modified intentionally and whether such stabilization involved an additional attentional load. Eight participants performed in-phase and anti-phase bimanual coordination patterns, a reaction time (RT) task, and several dual tasks (coordination + RT) that manipulated attentional priority by requiring either shared attention, priority to the coordination task, or priority to the RT task. Results showed that RT was smaller for in-phase than anti-phase. Moreover, attentional manipulations led to a trade-off between pattern stability and RT performance. This suggests that performing and intentionally stabilizing a coordination pattern incur a central cost that depends on the coordination pattern's dynamic properties. Thus, this study opens a conceptual and methodological bridge between information processing and dynamic approaches to coordination. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Room-temperature, selective detection of benzene at trace levels using plasma-treated metal-decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Hybrid materials consisting of oxygen plasma-treated multiwalled carbon nanotubes decorated with metal nanoparticles (e.g., Rh, Pd, Au or Ni) can be tailored for the recognition of benzene vapors with high sensitivity and selectivity. Metal nanoparticles donate or accept a significant amount of charge upon adsorption of a target molecule, so as to affect electron transport in the nanotube. The plasma treatment enables the cleaning, activation, functionalization and metal decoration of carbon nanotubes in a single step, which offers enormous flexibility for tuning the interfacial properties of the resulting hybrid materials. When combined in a microsensor array operating at room temperature, the use of benzene-sensitive and benzene-insensitive metal-decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes can provide selective detection of benzene at trace levels with a detection limit below 50 ppb.     

Stability Is Not Everything: The Case of the Cyclisation of a Thrombin-Binding Aptamer

With the aim of developing a new approach to obtain improved aptamers, a cyclic thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA) analogue (cycTBA) has been prepared by exploiting a copper(I)-assisted azide–alkyne cycloaddition. The markedly increased serum resistance and exceptional thermal stability of the G-quadruplex versus TBA were associated with halved thrombin inhibition, which suggested that some flexibility in the TBA structure was necessary for protein recognition.     

Plasma functionalization of silicon carbide crystalline nanoparticles in a novel low pressure powder reactor

In order to functionalize silicon carbide nanopowders with carboxylic groups, an r.f. (13.56 MHz) low pressure plasma reactor has been developed so that particles can be stirred during the processing to try to coat them on their whole surface. Coatings in an O₂/hexamethyldisilazane (HMDSN) mixture have first been optimized on flat substrates; X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed that the O₂/HMDSN gas mixture resulted in a coating evolving from a polymer-like structure to a more inorganic SiO_x-like structure as the oxygen ratio increased. For a large O₂/HMDSN value, carboxylic groups were detected on the sample surface. Silicon carbide nanoparticles have then been plasma processed in such a reactive atmosphere. XPS, Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analyses evidenced the surface modification of the processed powder and confirmed the grafting of carboxylic groups.     

Improving light absorption in organic solar cells by plasmonic contribution

Plasmonic phenomenon inside the materials composing an organic solar cell based on a photoactive poly(2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene):(6,6)-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric-acid-methyl ester (MEH-PPV:PCBM) bulk heterojunction is studied using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method calculations and the modeling results are compared with experimental results.Enhanced absorptance of light up to 50% is experimentally obtained in a 50-nm-thick blend layer including spin-coated silver nanospheres with a diameter of 40 nm. FDTD calculations based on the design of 2D-grating of nanoparticles confirm the high values of absorptance. Spatial distributions of electromagnetic field power density in the structures show confinement of the power at the interface or in the vicinity of the nanoparticles depending on the wavelength and on the preferential directions.