Effects of injection parameters on propagation patterns of hydrogen-fueled rotating detonation waves

Two-dimensional rotating detonation waves (RDWs) with separate injections of hydrogen and air are simulated using the Navier–Stokes equations together with a detailed chemical mechanism. The effects of injection stagnation temperature and slot width on the detonation propagation patterns are investigated. Results find that extremely high temperatures can lead to a chaotic mode in which detonation waves are generated and extinguished randomly. Increasing the slot width can reduce the number of detonation waves and finally trigger detonation quenching at a low injection stagnation temperature. But increasing the slot width can change the RDW propagation pattern from a chaotic to a stable mode under high injection temperature. Furthermore, the kinetic parameter τ (representing the chemical reactivity of the mixture) and the kinematic parameter α (representing the mixing efficiency of hydrogen and oxygen) are introduced to distinguish the RDW propagation patterns.     

Fabrication method,dielectric properties,and electromagnetic absorption performance of high alumina fly ash-based ceramic composites

Mullite-Al₂O₃-SiC composites were in-situ synthesized through carbothermal reduction reaction of fly ash (FA) with a high alumina content and activated carbon (AC). The effects of sintering temperature, holding time, and amount of AC on the β-SiC yield, microstructure, dielectric properties, and electromagnetic (EM) absorption performance of the composites in the 2–18 GHz frequency range were studied. The results show that increasing the AC improves the porosities of the composites, with the highest porosity of 56.17% observed. The β-SiC yield varies considerably as the sintering parameters were altered, with a maximum yield of 23% achieved under conditions of 12 wt% AC, 1400 °C sintering temperature, and 3 h holding time. With a thickness of 3.5 mm, this composite has excellent EM absorption performance, exhibiting a minimum reflection loss (RL_min) of -51.55 dB at 7.60 GHz. Significantly, the maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) reaches 3.39 GHz when the thickness is 3.0 mm. These results demonstrate that the composite prepared under ideal conditions can absorb 99.99% of the waves passing through it. Because of the interfacial polarization, conductive loss, and impedance matching of the heterostructure, the synthesized mullite-Al₂O₃-SiC composites with densities ranging from 1.43 g/cm³ to 1.62 g/cm³ demonstrate outstanding EM attenuation capabilities. Therefore, this study presents a remarkable way of utilizing fly ash to fabricate inexpensive, functional ceramic materials for EM absorption applications.     

塔里木盆地塔西南坳陷柯东构造带甫沙4井原油来源及充注过程

甫沙4井位于塔里木盆地塔西南坳陷昆仑山前冲断带的柯东构造带上，北部和东部分别发育有柯克亚和柯东1井油气田。为研究甫沙4井原油来源与充注过程，对原油样品和连续抽提后的含油砂样各组分（游离态、束缚态、包裹体）进行GC、GC?MS和 GC?IRMS分析，与柯克亚凝析油气田油样进行油—油对比。结果表明：甫沙4井晚期充注原油组分具有C_29?32重排藿烷、重排甾烷和Ts相对含量高，C_27?29甾烷ααα 20R分布呈反“L”型，以及正构烷烃单体碳同位素值较低等特征，与柯克亚凝析油气田来源于二叠系普司格组（P_2?3p）烃源岩的主体原油（I类）地球化学特征一致。而早期充注的原油组分具有重排藿烷、重排甾烷和Ts相对含量较低，C_27?29甾烷ααα 20R分布呈“V”型，以及正构烷烃单体碳同位素值较高等特征，与柯克亚凝析油气田来源于中—下侏罗统湖相泥岩的II类原油地球化学特征一致。甫沙4井经历3个阶段成藏过程：①在上新世，二叠系烃源岩于生油晚期阶段生成的I类原油运移至柯克亚构造带或柯东构造带深部形成油藏；②在更新世早期，侏罗系烃源岩于生油早—中期生成的II类原油运移至甫沙4井白垩系储层；③在第四纪，强烈的构造作用使深部I类原油沿断裂调整进入甫沙4井白垩系储层。最终造成甫沙4井白垩系储层II类原油先充注，I类原油后充注的特殊现象。     

Concentration fluctuation caused by reaction-diffusion coupling near catalytic active sites

The coupling of reaction and diffusion between neighboring active sites in the catalyst pore leads to the spatiotemporal fluctuation in component concentration, which is very important to catalyst performance and hence its optimal design. Molecular dynamics simulation with hard-sphere and pseudo-particle modeling has previously revealed the non-stochastic concentration fluctuation of the reactant/product near isolated active site due to such coupling, using a simple model reaction of A → B in 2D pores. The topic is further developed in this work by studying the concentration fluctuation due to such coupling between neighboring active sites in 3D pores. Two 3D pore models containing an isolated active site and two adjacent active sites were constructed, respectively. For the isolated site, the concentration fluctuation intensifies for larger pores, but the product yield decreases, and for a given pore size, the product yield reaches a peak at a certain reactant concentration. For two neighboring sites, their distance (d) is found to have little effect on the reaction, but significant to the diffusion. For the same reaction competing at both sites, larger d leads to more efficient diffusion and better overall performance. However, for sequential reactions at the two sites, higher overall performance presents at a smaller d. The results should be helpful to the catalyst design and reaction control in the relevant processes.     

Enhancement of the radiation resistance of cerium-containing fluorophosphate glasses through codoping with Sb2O3 and Bi2O3

The growing demand for radiation-resistant optical glasses for space and nuclear radiation applications has attracted significant research interest. However, radiation-resistant fluorophosphate glasses have been poorly studied. In this work, we report on the tailoring and performance of radiation-resistant fluorophosphate glasses that contained cerium through codoping with Sb₂O₃ and Bi₂O₃. The physical properties, optical properties, microstructure, and defects of fluorophosphate glasses were investigated using transmittance measurements, absorption measurements, as well as Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The results showed that the radiation resistance of all codoped fluorophosphate glasses was better than the undoped cerium-containing fluorophosphate glasses after 10–250 krad(Si) irradiation. Especially in glasses doped with Bi₂O₃, the optical density increment at 385 nm was only 0.1482 after 250 krad(Si) irradiation. The CeO₂ prevented the development of phosphate-related oxygen hole center (POHC) defects, whereas further codoping with Bi₂O₃ suppressed the formation of oxygen hole center (OHC) and POEC defects, reducing the breaking of phosphate chains caused by CeO₂. Bi³⁺ is more likely than Sb³⁺ to change the valence, affecting the transition equilibrium of intrinsic defects and reducing the concentration of defects produced by irradiation. When codoping with Sb₂O₃ and Bi₂O₃, Bi₂O₃ does not enhance radiation resistance owing to the scission effect of Sb₂O₃ on the phosphate chain, which is not conducive to the radiation resistance of glasses. This indicates that the cerium-containing fluorophosphate glasses doped with Bi₂O₃ can effectively suppress the defects caused by irradiation and improve the radiation resistance of the glasses.     

Preparation,microstructure and ion-irradiation damage behavior of Al4SiC4-added SiC ceramics

Single-phase Al₄SiC₄ powder with a low neutron absorption cross section was synthesized and mixed with SiC powder to fabricate highly densified SiC ceramics by hot pressing. The densification of SiC ceramics was greatly improved by the decomposition of Al₄SiC₄ and the formation of aluminosilicate liquid phase during the sintering process. The resulting SiC ceramics were composed of fine equiaxed grains with an average grain size of 2.0 μm and exhibited excellent mechanical properties in terms of a high flexure strength of 593 ± 55 MPa and a fracture toughness of 6.9 ± 0.2 MPa m^1/2. Furthermore, the ion-irradiation damage in SiC ceramics was investigated by irradiating with 1.2 MeV Si⁵⁺ ions at 650 °C using a fluence of 1.1 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm², which corresponds to 6.3 displacements per atom (dpa). The evolution of the microstructure was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. The breaking of Si–C bonds and the segregation of C elements on the irradiated surface was revealed by XPS, whereas the formation of Si–Si and C–C homonuclear bonds within the Si–C network of SiC grains was detected by Raman spectroscopy.     

Mg gas infiltration for the fabrication of MgB2 pellets using nanosized and microsized B powders

MgB₂ superconductor pellets were synthesized through Mg gas infiltration method using nanosized- and microsized B powders. There was a marked difference in the superconducting properties of the two samples, particularly in the pinning force and dominant pinning mechanism. The microstructures of the samples were observed using HR-TEM and STEM-HAADF, and the results showed that the primary reason for the difference in the superconducting properties is the distribution of the nanosized second-phase particle MgO. Additionally, a feasible reaction model for the Mg gas infiltration method was established. Compared to the Mg liquid infiltration method, the gas infiltration showed better penetrability ability with a small amount of residual Mg. This study presents a novel synthesis process to fabricate an MgB₂ pellet with superior density and superconducting properties. This method can be used in multiple applications such as superconducting bearings, compact superconductor magnets, and magnetic shielding.     

Importance of optical homogeneity for high-quality transparent ceramics

Two types of transparent Y₂O₃ ceramics without including large scattering sources such as residual pores, one with very high optical homogeneity (type A) and another one with slightly insufficient optical homogeneity (type B), are purposely prepared, and their optical properties are investigated and compared qualitatively and quantitatively. Type A ceramic exhibits transmittance characteristics with very low internal loss in the visible to infrared wavelength region, while type B ceramic is inferior in various optical performances especially in the short (visible) wavelength region. In type B ceramic, birefringence occurs due to optical inhomogeneity in the visible region, resulting in a decrease in the extinction ratio. Non-uniform refractive index distribution is also observed in the Schlieren image of type B ceramic, hence the laser beam quality through that material is degraded. This study proved the importance of optical homogeneity of transparent ceramics and clarified the problems in actual applications.     

Additional deepwater sampling of prey fish in Lake Michigan annual bottom trawl survey reveals new insights for depth distribution dynamics

Beginning in 2013, sites at the 128-m bottom depth contour were added to the sampling design of the annual Lake Michigan bottom trawl survey for prey fish, which has been conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) each fall since 1973, to better assess fish depth distributions in a changing ecosystem. The standard sampling design included bottom depths from 9 to 110 m, although the GLSC also sporadically conducted bottom trawl tows at the 128-m bottom depth contour during 1973–1988. Enactment of this new sampling design in 2013 revealed that mean biomass density of deepwater sculpins (Myoxocephalus thompsonii) at the 128-m depth exceeded the sum of mean biomass densities at shallower depths, indicating that the bulk of the deepwater sculpin population is residing in waters deeper than 110 m. Thus, our findings supported the hypothesis that the depth distribution of the deepwater sculpin population had shifted to deeper waters beginning in 2007, thereby explaining, at least in part, the marked decline in deepwater sculpin abundance since 2006 based on the standard sampling design. In contrast, our results did not support the hypothesis that the slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) population had shifted to deeper waters sometime after 2000. A portion of the burbot (Lota lota) population may have also shifted in depth distribution to waters deeper than 110 m after 2007, based on our results. Our findings have served as an impetus to further expand the range of depths sampled in our bottom trawl survey.     

The production of Indo-Pacific monochrome drawn glass beads in the Sasanian Empire: Insights from Xinjiang,northwest China

Indo-Pacific glass beads are produced by the drawn technique, which originates from South Asia, and their chemical compositions are unique in South and Southeast Asia. However, a small number of Indo-Pacific beads with Sassanian glass compositions are excavated in Asia and Africa after the 3rd c. CE, and their production sites in South/Southeast Asia or in the Sassanian region remain controversial. In this study, 15 drawn glass beads with various colours from Astana necropolis (ca. the 4th-8th c. CE) in Xinjiang, northwest China were investigated by using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), Scanning Electron Microscope, Raman spectroscopy and visible to near-infrared spectroscopy to characterize the production technology and origins. The results show that most Astana glass beads share similar chemical compositions with the glassware from Veh Arda?īr, a famous Sasanian site. Furthermore, Sasanian glass compositions predominate in Indo-Pacific beads in Xinjiang during the 4th-8th c. CE, while popular glass recipes in contemporary South/Southeast Asia are infrequently found; thus, it is deduced that the drawn method should have been mastered by Sasanian craftsmen. Moreover, the cobalt materials in Sasanian glass were imported from further western regions and changed over time. The popular Sasanian glass across central Eurasia reflects the trade monopoly of Sasanian in West and Central Asia, and the land glass bead trade is distinct from the contemporary maritime trade in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.