Cask and plug handling system design in port cell

The ITER maintenance strategy relies partly on the remote transfer of components from vacuum vessel to hot cells. This function will be fulfilled by transfer cask systems.This paper describes the recent design progresses on interfaces in order to increase components handling feasibility by implementing continuous guiding features that avoid cantilevered loads on the in-cask tractor. Also the design has progressed in order to allow generic docking of the casks.When the cask is connected to the port, it becomes part of the machine first confinement boundary, thus it must provide tightness continuity. This high level safety function was one of the main concerns of a finite element analysis study that has been performed to assess the behavior of the whole system. Numerical analysis methodology and results are explained and shown in order to highlight how it has reinforced the knowledge of the system.     

Easy methods for the electropolymerization of porphyrins based on the oxidation of the macrocycles

Two different methods of electropolymerization of porphyrins have been investigated and compared. They consist in the nucleophilic attack of Lewis bases onto electrogenerated dications of octaethylporphyrins. In the first method, a nucleophilic group has been directly grafted onto the macrocycle (ZnOEP-meso-bpy⁺), while in the second one, free di-nucleophilic compounds (Nu–Nu) have been used in presence of a non-substituted porphyrin (ZnOEP). The advantage of the second method is to easily modify the nature of the bridging spacer between the macrocycles. Characterizations of the polymer obtained from the second method in the case of dipyridinium-tetrazine spacer are presented.     

Corrosion behaviour of zinc–cerium alloys: Role of intermetallic phases

New zinc–cerium alloys (up to 5 wt.%) was synthesized and their corrosion behaviour was studied in a reference corrosive media. Metallographic analyses show that cerium is exclusively present in a Zn₁₁Ce intermetallic phase, homogeneously dispersed in the zinc matrix. With an optimal concentration at around 1.5 wt.%, the Zn₁₁Ce phase acts as a tank of cerium to form a protective Ce-enriched passive layer. Nevertheless, at high Ce content, the benefit in terms of corrosion resistance obtained by the incorporation of Ce in the corrosion layer is shaded by the galvanic coupling between the intermetallic phase and the matrix.     

Artificial photosynthesis at soft interfaces

The concept of artificial photosynthesis at a polarised liquid membrane is presented. It includes two photosystems, one at each interface for the hydrogen and oxygen evolution respectively. Both reactions involve proton coupled electron transfer reactions, and some ultrafast steps at the photosensitization stage.     

Bispectral analysis and reconstruction in the frequency domain of mono- and bidimensional deterministic sampled signals

Deterministic sampled signals bispectra are periodic and hold more information than analog signal bispectra. After showing this difference, the communication presents two algorithms for reconstructing a sampled signal Fourier transform from its bispectrum: the first is a least squares reconstruction method deducing the Fourier transform logarithm from the bispectrum logarithm through a simple average; the second is an algorithm for reconstructing the Fourier transform from a restricted number of values on the bispectrum diagonal slice by a simple resolution of linear equations. The resistance of both algorithms to the measurement noise is given.     

A fuzzy set theoretical approach to automatic analysis of nystagmiceye movements

A new method for computer analysis of nystagmic eye movements in vestibulo-ocular (VOR) and optokinetic (OKN) reflexes is developed. A fuzzy set theoretical approach is used to construct the slow cumulative eye position (SCEP) curve by eliminating fast components (saccades) from eye movement signal. These procedures are able to perform automatically some pattern recognition tasks traditionally used--in classical interactive programs--when human operators distinguish between fast- and slow-phases of eye movements. The structure of the algorithm is as follows. 1) A fuzzy clustering of slow- and fast-phases is made. An iterative method is used to refine the membership function of slow-phases, step by step, until a sufficiently discriminating membership function is obtained. 2) Saccades are detected and removed from the eye position signal. 3) SCEP is then built by interpolating between slow phases. 4) A weighted least-squares curve fitting is made. Weighting coefficients are obtained from the last membership function resulting from iterations in step 1). This curve fitting is referenced to the SCEP and the parameters of VOR and OKN are calculated using this last curve. This approach permits an analysis of nystagmic eye movements with high reliability even when the data are of modest quality. The definitive innovative feature of the program is that it allows entirely automatic analysis without participation of a human operator. The main algorithm being independent of the shape of stimulus, the program can be generalized to fit any type of simulation.     

Detection of blue-absorbing aerosols using near infrared and visible (ocean color) remote sensing observations

An algorithm is presented, which is designed to identify blue-absorbing aerosols from near infrared and visible remote-sensing observations, as they are in particular collected by satellite ocean color sensors. The technique basically consists in determining an error budget at one wavelength around 510 nm, based on a first-guess estimation of the atmospheric path reflectance as if the atmosphere was of a maritime type, and on a reasonable hypothesis about the marine signal at this wavelength. The budget also includes the typical calibration uncertainty and the natural variability in the ocean optical properties. Identification of blue-absorbing aerosols is then achieved when the error budget demonstrates a significant over-correction of the atmospheric signal when using non-absorbing maritime aerosols. Implementation of the algorithm is presented, and its application to real observations by the MERIS and SeaWiFS ocean color sensors is discussed. The results demonstrate the skill of the algorithm in various regions of the ocean where absorbing aerosols are present, and for two different sensors. A validation of the results is also performed against in situ data from the AERONET, and further illustrates the skill of the algorithm and its general applicability.