First real-time detection of surface dust in a tokamak

The first real-time detection of surface dust inside a tokamak was made using an electrostatic dust detector. A fine grid of interlocking circuit traces was installed in the NSTX vessel and biased to 50 V. Impinging dust particles created a temporary short circuit and the resulting current pulse was recorded by counting electronics. The techniques used to increase the detector sensitivity by a factor of ×10,000 to match NSTX dust levels while suppressing electrical pickup are presented. The results were validated by comparison to laboratory measurements, by the null signal from a covered detector that was only sensitive to pickup, and by the dramatic increase in signal when Li particles were introduced for wall conditioning purposes.     

Novel in situ setup to study the formation of nanoparticles in the gas phase by small angle x-ray scattering

An in-house built aerosol generator setup for in situ gas phase studies of aerosol and nanoparticles is described. The aerosol generator with an ultrasonic ceramic disk mist maker provides high enough particle concentrations for structural gas phase analysis by synchrotron small angle x-ray scattering (for water approximately 4 x 10(8) droplets/s with a droplet size of approximately 2.5 microm). The working principle was proved by scattering of gold nanoparticles. For evaporation induced self-assembly studies of nanostructured particles, an additional thermal treatment chamber was included in the setup. The first on-line gas phase data with our setup for mesostructured silica particles are presented for different thermal treatments. Scanning electron microscope imaging revealed the average particle size to be approximately 1 microm. Furthermore, to quantify their internal nanostructure, diffraction experiments of deposited silica aerosols were carried out and the corresponding electron density map indicates a silica wall thickness of about 1 nm.     

Three-view stereoscopy in dusty plasmas under microgravity: a calibration and reconstruction approach

A three-camera stereoscopy setup is presented that allows to reconstruct the trajectories of particles in dusty plasmas under microgravity. The calibration procedure for the three-camera setup takes the special circumstances into account that occur in close-range imaging of small particles. Additionally, a reconstruction algorithm is presented that is based on the epipolar geometry and delivers the essential particle correspondences. Further improvements are achieved by analyzing the dynamic particle behavior. Two applications of our calibration and reconstruction procedure are presented: A two-dimensional dust structure in the laboratory with a large percentage of hidden particles, and particles inside the void of a dust cloud under microgravity.     

Evaluation of an electrostatic dust removal system with potential application in next-step fusion devices

The ability to manage inventories of carbon, tritium, and high-Z elements in fusion plasmas depends on means for effective dust removal. A dust conveyor, based on a moving electrostatic potential well, was tested with particles of tungsten, carbon, glass, and sand. A digital microscope imaged a representative portion of the conveyor, and dust particle size and volume distributions were derived before and after operation. About 10 mm(3) volume of carbon and tungsten particles were moved in under 5 s. The highest driving amplitude tested of 3 kV was the most effective. The optimal driving frequency was 210 Hz (maximum tested) for tungsten particles, decreasing to below 60 Hz for the larger sand particles. Measurements of particle size and volume distributions after 10 and 100 cycles show the breaking apart of agglomerated carbon and the change in particle distribution over short timescales (<1 s).     

A setup for thermodesorption measurements

An ultrahigh-vacuum setup for studying the interaction of ions with a solid by the thermodesorption spectroscopy method has been developed. The residual pressure achieved in the setup after heating is <2 × 10⁻⁷ Pa (the main component of the residual gas is H₂). A sample suspended by two tungsten wires is inserted into the main vacuum chamber through a lock chamber. The sample is heated by thermal radiation from the heater from room temperature to 1600–1700 K. The main features of the setup, the experimental technique, and the calibration of desorption flows are discussed. Examples of results obtained on the setup are presented.     

NSTX far infrared tangential interferometer/polarimeter electronics upgrade

New electronics for the multichannel far infrared tangential interferometer/polarimeter system employed on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) have greatly extended its capability to monitor high frequency density fluctuations. Such measurements are essential in understanding transport physics issues in NSTX as well as for the coming ITER device. The electronics, which were previously limited to ～250?kHz, have been upgraded with a video bandwidth that extends to 4 MHz when operating as an interferometry-only configuration, and to ～500?kHz when operating as a simultaneous interferometer/polarimeter system. Experimental details and test results of the new electronics are presented.     

High density Langmuir probe array for NSTX scrape-off layer measurements under lithiated divertor conditions

A high density Langmuir probe array has been developed for measurements of scrape-off layer parameters in NSTX. Relevant scale lengths for heat and particle fluxes are 1-5 cm. Transient edge plasma events can occur on a time scale of several milliseconds, and the duration of a typical plasma discharge is ～1?s. The array consists of 99 individual electrodes arranged in three parallel radial rows to allow both swept and triple-probe operation and is mounted in a carbon tile located in the lower outer divertor of NSTX between two segments of the newly installed liquid lithium divertor. Initial swept probe results tracking the outer strike point through probe flux measurements are presented.     

微粒粒径的光学相关检出

介绍利用光学相关法检出微粒粒径的实验和计算机模拟。这种粒径测试方法的优点是光学装置简单、容易实时测量，并且可测量各种微粒，如：非球形粒子或不知其组成特征的粒子等等。     

Investigation of the influence of high hydrostatic pressure on the abrasive wear of hard-alloy materials

This paper outlines the results of an experimental study of the influence of high hydrostatic pressure on the abrasive wear of hard-alloy materials based on tungsten carbide (~90% WC ± 10% Co), as well as alloys based on iron with high contents of chromium. A specially developed setup has been described in the paper that makes it possible to test materials under the hydrostatic pressure of up to 250 MPa at different friction speeds. An investigation of the surfaces of samples using the Scanning Electron Microscopy method has revealed that the main damage of alloy surface occurs due to the delamination and spalling of hard particles. It has been revealed that the hydrostatic pressure significantly influences the wear rate of the investigated materials. When the pressure increases to 200 MPa, the wear of materials with high contents of chromium increases seven times, while for the material based on tungsten carbide, it increases twice.     

基于改进粒子群算法的多分支电缆自动布线技术

以多分支电缆的总质量作为优化目标,考虑电缆敷设相关的工艺约束,基于Steiner最小树建立多分支电缆自动布线的优化数学模型.提出了电缆布局优化的改进粒子群优化算法,采用一维定长度数组对多分支电缆布局进行粒子编码,在电缆分支点处引入引力算子,指导粒子的运动方向,并通过飞机舱段布线实例验证了所提方法的有效性.     

Overview of the beam emission spectroscopy diagnostic system on the National Spherical Torus Experiment

A beam emission spectroscopy (BES) system has been installed on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) to study ion gyroscale fluctuations. The BES system measures D(α) emission from a deuterium neutral heating beam. The system includes two optical views centered at r/a≈0.45 and 0.85 and aligned to magnetic field pitch angles at the neutral beam. f/1.5 collection optics produce 2-3 cm spot sizes at the neutral beam. The initial channel layout includes radial arrays, poloidal arrays, and two-dimensional grids. Radial arrays provide coverage from r/a≈0.1 to beyond the last-closed flux surface. Photodetectors and digital filters provide high-sensitivity, low-noise measurements at frequencies of up to 1 MHz. The BES system will be a valuable tool for investigating ion gyroscale turbulence and Alfve?n/energetic particle modes on NSTX.     

A dual-band adaptor for infrared imaging

A novel imaging adaptor providing the capability to extend a standard single-band infrared (IR) camera into a two-color or dual-band device has been developed for application to high-speed IR thermography on the National Spherical Tokamak Experiment (NSTX). Temperature measurement with two-band infrared imaging has the advantage of being mostly independent of surface emissivity, which may vary significantly in the liquid lithium divertor installed on NSTX as compared to that of an all-carbon first wall. In order to take advantage of the high-speed capability of the existing IR camera at NSTX (1.6-6.2 kHz frame rate), a commercial visible-range optical splitter was extensively modified to operate in the medium wavelength and long wavelength IR. This two-band IR adapter utilizes a dichroic beamsplitter, which reflects 4-6 μm wavelengths and transmits 7-10 μm wavelength radiation, each with >95% efficiency and projects each IR channel image side-by-side on the camera's detector. Cutoff filters are used in each IR channel, and ZnSe imaging optics and mirrors optimized for broadband IR use are incorporated into the design. In-situ and ex-situ temperature calibration and preliminary data of the NSTX divertor during plasma discharges are presented, with contrasting results for dual-band vs. single-band IR operation.     

采用改进辅助粒子滤波的红外多目标跟踪

结合改进的辅助粒子滤波与马尔科夫随机场,提出一种多目标跟踪算法来跟踪红外场景中的多个目标.依据目标区域的灰度直方图描述目标,使用标准辅助粒子滤波对各目标的采样粒子集进行粗略优化,同时在辅助粒子采样过程中引入Mean-shift算法来提高粒子采样效率,解决多目标跟踪时粒子数量呈指数级增长的问题,并进一步提高算法的实时性.针对多目标跟踪常出现的目标遮挡导致跟踪失败的问题,引入图模型理论,利用马尔科夫随机场来表示多目标跟踪模型,将多目标的跟踪问题转换为图模型的推理问题.实验结果表明,该跟踪算法使用较少粒子便能实现跟踪,跟踪正确率达84％,且能有效解决多目标跟踪时的相互遮挡问题.     

Particle monitoring method using acoustic emission signal for analysis of slider/disk/particle interaction

One of the most important reliability issues in an information storage device is the contamination problem. The slider and disk can be damaged by the particles intruded into the slider/disk interface (SDI). In this work, in order to monitor the slider/disk interaction due to particle injection the acoustic emission (AE) method, which is typically utilized for the detection of slider contact, was used. The raw as well as frequency spectrum of the AE signal were obtained during the particle injection test. The particles were artificially injected inside the test apparatus to simulate the effect of contamination on the slider/disk interaction. SiC and polystyrene particles were used for the tests. As a result, the 1st torsional and bending mode frequencies of the nano-slider were observed when 1 μm SiC particles and 60 nm polystyrene particles were injected into the SDI. Also, it was shown that the particle behavior at the SDI can be predicted from the characteristics of the AE raw signal.     

An Optical-Fiber Setup for Inert Particle Concentration Measurements

An optical-fiber setup employing laser light designed to measure concentrations of 50-to 500-m particles moving with a speed of up to 10 m/s is described. The time resolution, the measurement time, and the counting of pulses reflected from the particles are programmed. The setup has the following basic parameters: time resolution is 10 s, spatial resolution is 50 m, sample size is up to 32 × 10³, and particle counting error is within 1%. The setup was applied to measurement of the solid-phase concentration in a two-phase flow in a volum concentration range of up to 30%.     

Ejection of molten material produced by pulsed electron and laser beams

Crater formation in electron and laser beam drilling is mainly due to molten material removal. In this process, there are two different modes of removal: ejection outside the target and transport of material which remains around the crater on the target surface. Measurement of these removal modes was carried out. The diameters of molten particles ejected from the targets were obtained. Characteristic particle diameters were determined for each material and each drilling condition. The volume of solidified material remaining around the crater was also obtained. From these results, the proportion of molten material ejected from the target was determined. Most of the molten material remained around the crater for iron and tungsten, but was ejected outside the target for aluminium and alumina ceramics.     

Transport of Fission Fragments by a Gas Flow with Aerosols

An experimental setup for transporting fission fragments by a gas flow with aerosols is described. The results of tests of the setup on fragments of ²³⁸U photofission by bremsstrahlung from a microtron are presented. The parameters of the setup obtained experimentally (the transport efficiency reaches 70%, and the transport time reaches 0.1 s to a distance of 1 m) make it possible to successfully use it in experiments on the fission of heavy nuclei and study of properties of fission fragments     

PMetro: Measurement of urban aerosols on a mobile platform

PMetro is an innovative time/space resolved urban aerosol monitoring and data management system. The core of the monitoring system is a customized optical particle counter (OPC) integrated on a cabin of the metro urban transport system in Perugia (Central Italy). This peculiar arrangement and setup allow regular, real-time measurement of aerosol particles on a well defined path through the city all over the day. The performances of the prototype OPC system have been customized and finally inter-compared with those of similar commercial devices placed at fixed points along the metro line. Data from the mobile system are integrated with environmental measurements from fixed monitoring stations along the metro path in order to attain models of the evolution of urban aerosol pollutants.     

在线测量气溶胶大小和化学组分的质谱技术与应用

介绍了在线连续监测大气单粒子气溶胶的粒径和化学组分的飞行时间质谱仪。本装置采用喷嘴加两个skimmer构成的差分真空进样,双光束空气动力学测量技术,激光解吸附电离和双极飞行时间质谱技术。利用这套装置对室内外的空气进行了实际的测量,该技术可以在线测量气溶胶的粒径分布,并同时对气溶胶的化学组分进行实时监测。     

Momentum transmission of a diaphragmed magnetic spectrometer: I. Analysis and definitions

An experimental device consisting of a plane source of charged particles and of a magnetic spectrometer equipped with horizontal and vertical diaphragms is considered. An analysis intended to achieve an exact analytical expression to connect the observed particle flux to the source emission and spectrometer transmission characteristics is developed. An analytical expression for the average value of the source brightness that is actually obtained from corpuscular flux measurements is also given. The effectiveness of the diaphragms in defining the domains of the initial conditions of the particles is also emphasized and general definitions of these domains are introduced. These definitions are stated for exact optical transformations, i.e., accounting for geometric and chromatic aberrations, and for general positions of the diaphragms along the optical axis as well as for symmetrical or asymmetrical apertures of the same. The results obtained and the introduced definitions will be used in Part II of this work. The important case of a thick source is considered in Appendix A.