Development of an apparatus for removing magnetic sludge by permanent magnets setup in the condenser of the power plant

In this paper, permanent magnets are used to remove magnetic sludge in the condenser of the power plant. To obtain the flow characteristics and magnetic information that are needed for determining a proper design of the magnetic sludge removal apparatus, we performed numerical simulations through the use of two commercial codes, ANSYS Workbench-Emag and CFX. We also performed experiments on various kinds and sizes of magnets to obtain the magnetic information through a gauss meter. By analyzing the results of simulations and experiments, the minimum magnetic force that is able to remove the any size of the magnetic sludge in the condenser was calculated, and the design of the removal apparatus was confirmed. We made the test model which was confirmed by the simulations and experiments for the tests of efficiency of the removal apparatus. After testing, the test results were compared with those of numerical simulations and have good agreements.     

Determination of tensile properties and residual stresses of Ni-Co thin films

This paper reports tensile properties and residual stresses of Ni-Co thin films. To measure elastic (and plastic) properties, direct tensile tests using dog-bone type specimens are performed first. Assuming that residual stresses vary linearly through the film thickness, bending and membrane residual stress components are measured using cantilever beam and T-structure beam specimens, respectively. Averaged values of Young’s modulus, yield strength and tensile strength are found to be about 163GPa, 1,700MPa and 2,000MPa, respectively. The membrane and bending residual stress components are found to be about 825MPa and 47MPa, respectively.     

Effect of water pretreatment on CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> capture using a potassium-based solid sorbent in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor

A bubbling fluidized bed reactor was used to study CO₂ capture from flue gas by using a potassium-based solid sorbent, sorbKX35 which was manufactured by the Korea Electric Power Research Institute. A dry sorbent, sorbKX35, consists of K₂CO₃ for absorption and supporters for mechanical strength. To increase initial CO₂ removal, some amount of H₂O was absorbed in the sorbent before injecting simulated flue gas. It was possible to achieve 100% CO₂ removal for more than 10 minutes at 60°C and a residence time of 2 s with H₂O pretreatment. When H₂O pretreatment time was long enough to convert K₂CO₃ of sorbKX35 into K₂CO₃ · 1.5H₂O, CO₂ removal was excellent. The results obtained in this study can be used as basic data for designing and operating a large scale CO₂ capture process with two fluidized bed reactors. This work was presented at the 6 ^th Korea-China Workshop on Clean Energy Technology held at Busan, Korea, July 4–7, 2006.     

Comparison of YAG: Eu phosphors synthesized by supercritical water in batch and continuous reactors

Luminescent yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG, Y₃Al₅O₁₂) nanoparticles doped with Eu (10 at%) were synthesized in batch-type and continuous-type supercritical water (SCW) reactors. In the case of the continuous-type SCW method, the particles of YAG: Eu phosphors were much smaller and demonstrated a uniform spherical-like shape. Inversely, in the case of the batch-type SCW method, a needle-like or elliptical-like shape was formed because a finite amount of time was required to reach SCW conditions from ambient conditions. However, the emission intensity of YAG: Eu phosphors synthesized by using the batch-type SCW method was stronger. Therefore, it is concluded that the continuous-type SCW method is superior to the batch-type SCW method from the viewpoint of the particle size and shape, but the luminescence property of phosphors in the continuous-type SCW method needs to be improved. In addition, a calcination process slightly improved the luminescence intensities of YAG: Eu phosphors generated by using either the batch-type or continuous-type SCW methods.     

Measuring and compensating for 5-DOF parasitic motion errors in translation stages using Twyman–Green interferometry

A new metrological method is presented that performs simultaneous real-time measurements and compensates for 5-DOF parasitic motion errors in translation stages for precision profiling of optical surfaces. Two plane mirrors are used to obtain motion-dependent interferometric fringes generated by the optical principles of Twyman–Green interferometry. The fringes generated are monitored using high-speed 2D photodiode arrays and analyzed to determine the five separate motion error components in real time. Simultaneously, null control is performed to suppress the measured motion errors independently using piezoelectric actuators through real-time feedback control while the machine axis is moving. The experimental results demonstrate that 5-DOF parasitic motion errors are effectively measured and compensated to within 10 nm for translational motions and 0.15 arcsec for angular motions.     

Effects of anodizing voltage on the anodized and hydrothermally treated titanium surface

Anodic oxidation is the process of creating a titanium oxide layer with various defects more dense and stable. In this study, a dense, stable and porous oxide layer was formed using anodic spark oxidation on pure titanium surface and hydroxyapatite crystals were formed on its surface via a hydrothermal treatment. A mixture of 0.02M−GP (Glycerolphosphate disodium salt) and 0.2M-CA (Calcium acetate) was used as an electrolyte. By increasing the anodizing voltage to 220, 260, 300, and 360 V, the effects of the anodizing voltage were examined by evaluating the film properties after anodization and a hydrothermal treatment. Breakdown occurred around 230 V. As the voltage increased after breakdown, the pore size increased. After the hydrothermal treatment, the amount of HA crystal precipitation was also increased as the voltage increased. The mean surface roughness (Ra) of the anodizing surface was also increased as the voltage increased. The Ra value was larger in the hydrothermally treated group compared with the group treated with anodization as a result of the HA crystals present on the surface after the hydrothermal treatment. Corrosion resistance of the surface modified by anodization was significantly increased in a saline solution compared to that for the non-treated group; this increased further after the hydrothermal treatment. These increases were most likely due to a thick stable oxide layer formed through anodization. Thus, it is believed that titanium with its surface modified through anodic spark oxidation would be a suitable biomaterial due to its corrosion resistance and biocompatibility.     

Effect of low-cycle fatigue on the hot ductility of plain carbon steel

In a continuous casting steelmaking operation, the surface of a slab is under a condition that can be characterized as high-temperature, low-cycle fatigue in which the tensile and compressive stress is repeatedly developed. For this reason, for the evaluation of the hot ductility of a slab, considering the fatigue deformation is more feasible before a tensile or compressive test. In this study, the effects of low-cycle fatigue on the hot ductility of steels with a carbon content of 0.06–0.8 wt.% are investigated at various temperatures. For a carbon content of 0.06%, there were no significant differences between the RA values from a simple tensile test and those from a tensile test after fatigue deformation. The tendency of ductility deterioration with fatigue deformation is evident in 0.1 %C steel, and is due to the deformation-induced ferrite film that forms around the prior austenite grain. Conversely, high carbon steel containing 0.8 %C did not show a recovery of hot ductility in a low temperature region, and the specimen on which the tensile was measured after fatigue showed a higher hot ductility in the low temperature region, which is thought to result from the pearlite refinement effects. As the results obtained in this work showed noticeable differences in the hot ductility of carbon steel through the test conditions, it is suggested that for more accurate data, fatigue deformation be adopted in which the temperature range in an unbending operation is determined in the steelmaking factory.     

Synthesis, structure and magnetic properties of β-MnO 2 nanorods

We present synthesis, structure and magnetic properties of structurally well-ordered single-crystalline β-MnO₂ nanorods of 50–100 nm diameter and several μm length. Thorough structural characterization shows that the basic β-MnO₂ material is covered by a thin surface layer (∼2.5 nm) of α-Mn₂O₃ phase with a reduced Mn valence that adds its own magnetic signal to the total magnetization of the β-MnO₂ nanorods. The relatively complicated temperature-dependent magnetism of the nanorods can be explained in terms of a superposition of bulk magnetic properties of spatially segregated β-MnO₂ and α-Mn₂O₃ constituent phases and the soft ferromagnetism of the thin interface layer between these two phases.     

Durable antimicrobial finish of cotton fabrics

Cotton fabrics were treated with Biopag, which does not have any functional groups that are reactive toward cellulose, using crosslinking agents or a binder, for the purpose of imparting a durable antimicrobial finish. In this respect, it was found that the crosslinking agents were more effective than the binder. It was confirmed by FT‐IR that the characteristic split peaks of Biopag were still seen even after repeated launderings. The crosslinking agents deteriorated the whiteness and tensile strength of the Biopag‐treated cotton fabrics, while the wrinkle recovery angles (WRAs) were significantly improved. The one‐step padding of Biopag and the crosslinking agent was found to be superior to the two‐step padding method in which Biopag padding was followed by padding of crosslinking agent in respect of WRA, whereas the whiteness and tensile strength were vice versa. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

Coil design optimization for an induction evaporation process: Simulation and experiment

For the purpose of utilizing induction heating in the evaporation process, the effects of induction coil design and droplet size on induction heating efficiency are investigated. Electro-magnetic simulations with various induction coil designs were conducted to predict the electro-magnetic field distribution. The induction coils were fabricated in order to verify the simulation results under atmospheric evaporation test conditions. The electro-magnetic simulation results indicated that the magnetic field became widened around the Zn droplet when the size of the Zn droplet increased. This in turn attributed to the increase in induction heating energy efficiency. The energy efficiency of the induction coil with 4-windings was the highest among the 3-, 4-, and 5-windings induction coils. Energy efficiency tendencies derived by the atmospheric evaporation tests corresponded well to the simulation results, and maximum energy efficiency was measured to be 42% under the atmospheric evaporation tests.