Performance of FCCI barrier foils for U-Zr-X metallic fuel

Diffusion couple tests of U-Zr or U-Zr-Ce alloys vs. ferritic martensitic steels such as HT9 or T91 were carried out in order to evaluate the performance of the diffusion barrier candidates. Elemental metal foils of Zr, Nb, Ti, Mo, Ta, V and Cr were very effective in inhibiting interdiffusion between these fuels and steels. Eutectic melting between the fuels and steels was not observed in any of the diffusion couples using these diffusion barrier foils at annealing temperatures up to 800 °C. Among the metallic foils evaluated in this study, V and Cr exhibited the most promising performances as a diffusion barrier material for eliminating the fuel cladding chemical interaction problem. However, Zr, Nb and Ti showed an active interaction with the fuel mainly due to the large U solubility.     

Bottom nozzle failure mechanism of water reactor pressure vessel under severe accident conditions

Most of past studies devoted to the creep rupture of a nuclear reactor pressure vessel (RPV) lower head under severe accident conditions, have focused on global deformation and rupture modes. Limited efforts were made on local failure modes associated with penetration nozzles as a part of TMI-2 vessel investigation project (TMI-2 VIP) in 1990s. However, it was based on an excessively simplified shear deformation model. In the present study, the mode of nozzle failure has been investigated using data and nozzle materials from Sandia National Laboratory's lower head failure experiment (SNL-LHF). Crack-like separations were revealed at the nozzle weld metal to RPV interfaces indicating the importance of normal stress component rather than the shear stress in the creep rupture. Creep rupture tests were conducted for nozzle and weld metal materials, respectively, at various temperature and stress levels. Stress distribution in the nozzle region is calculated using elastic–viscoplastic finite element analysis (FEA) using the measured properties. Calculation results are compared with earlier results based on the pure shear model of TMI-2 VIP. It is concluded from both LHF-4 nozzle examination and FEA that normal stress at the nozzle/lower head interface is the dominant driving force for the local failure. From the FEA for the nozzle weld attached in RPV, it is shown that nozzle welds failure occur by displacement controlled fracture of nozzle hole not by load controlled fracture of internal pressure. Considering these characteristics of nozzle weld failure, new concept of nozzle failure time prediction is proposed.     

Inclusion of brown midrib dwarf pearl millet silage in the diet of lactating dairy cows

Brown midrib brachytic dwarf pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) forage harvested at the flag leaf visible stage and subsequently ensiled was investigated as a partial replacement of corn silage in the diet of high-producing dairy cows. Seventeen lactating Holstein cows were fed 2 diets in a crossover design experiment with 2 periods of 28 d each. Both diets had forage:concentrate ratios of 60:40. The control diet (CSD) was based on corn silage and alfalfa haylage, and in the treatment diet, 20% of the corn silage dry matter (corresponding to 10% of the dietary dry matter) was replaced with pearl millet silage (PMD). The effects of partial substitution of corn silage with pearl millet silage on dry matter intake, milk yield, milk components, fatty acid profile, apparent total-tract digestibility of nutrients, N utilization, and enteric methane emissions were analyzed. The pearl millet silage was higher in crude protein and neutral detergent fiber and lower in lignin and starch than the corn silage. Diet did not affect dry matter intake or energy-corrected milk yield, which averaged 46.7 ± 1.92 kg/d. The PMD treatment tended to increase milk fat concentration, had no effect on milk fat yield, and increased milk urea N. Concentrations and yields of milk protein and lactose were not affected by diet. Apparent total-tract digestibility of dry matter decreased from 66.5% in CSD to 64.5% in PMD. Similarly, organic matter and crude protein digestibility was decreased by PMD, whereas neutral- and acid-detergent fiber digestibility was increased. Total milk trans fatty acid concentration was decreased by PMD, with a particular decrease in trans-10 18:1. Urinary urea and fecal N excretion increased with PMD compared with CSD. Milk N efficiency decreased with PMD. Carbon dioxide emission was not different between the diets, but PMD increased enteric methane emission from 396 to 454 g/d and increased methane yield and intensity. Substituting corn silage with brown midrib dwarf pearl millet silage at 10% of the diet dry matter supported high milk production in dairy cows. When planning on farm forage production strategies, brown midrib dwarf pearl millet should be considered as a viable fiber source.     

Singlet Oxygen Quenching Activities of Various Fruit and Vegetable Juices and Protective Effects of Apple and Pear Juices against Hematolysis and Protein Oxidation Induced by Methylene Blue Photosensitization

ABSTRACT:  Effects of various fruit and vegetable juices on rubrene oxidation induced by a chemical source of singlet oxygen in a microemulsion system have been studied. The singlet oxygen quenching activities of fruit and vegetable juices were greatly different with different juices. The apple and pear juices exhibited the highest antioxidative activity among the tested juices in singlet oxygen–induced rubrene oxidation, showing 56.69% and 59.34% inhibition, respectively. The grape, kumquat, red cabbage, and spinach juices also showed relatively strong antioxidative activity against singlet oxygen–induced rubrene oxidation. Lemon juice showed the least activity, resulting in 0.63% inhibition of rubrene oxidation. The singlet oxygen quenching activities of 1 mL of apple and pear juices were equivalent to 33.97 and 34.64 mg ascorbate, respectively. Singlet oxygen quenching activities of juices had very low correlation with both ABTS radical scavenging activity ( R ²= 0.11) and total phenolic contents ( R ² < 0.1). However, a high correlation ( R ²= 0.66) was found between the ABTS radical scavenging activities and total phenolic contents of juices. The apple and pear juices also significantly inhibited both erythrocyte lysis and protein oxidation induced by fluorescence light illumination in the presence of methylene blue. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy data showed that the protective activities of these juices against biological damages induced by photodynamic ways were, to at least some extent, due to their singlet oxygen quenching abilities. This represents first report on the singlet oxygen quenching activities of the apple and pear juices, and their protective activities against photodynamically induced biological damages.     

Evaluation of loss coefficient for an end plug with side holes in dual-cooled annular nuclear fuel

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has been developing a dual-cooled annular fuel for a power uprate of 20% in an optimized pressurized water reactor (PWR) in Korea, OPR1000. The dual-cooled annular fuel is configured to allow coolant flow through the inner channel as well as the outer channel. Several thermal-hydraulic issues exist for the application of dual-cooled annular fuel to OPR1000. One is the hypothetical event of inner channel blockage because the inner channel is an isolated flow channel without the coolant mixing between the neighboring flow channels. The inner channel blockage could cause a departure from nucleate boiling (DNB) in the inner channel that eventually results in fuel failure. A long lower end plug for the annular fuel was invented to provide flow holes by perforating the side surface of the end plug body. The side holes in the lower end plug are expected to supply a minimum coolant in the inner channel to prevent the DNB occurrence in the event of partial or even complete blockage of the inner channel entrance. But due to the very unusual shape of the lower end plug, it is difficult to estimate the flow resistance of the side flow holes using empirical equations available in the open literature. An experiment and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis were performed to investigate the bypass flow through the side holes of the end plug in the case of complete entrance blockage of the inner channel. The form loss coefficient in the side holes was also estimated using the pressure drop along the bypass flow path.     

Synthesis and properties of styrene–EPDM–vinyl acetate graft polymer

The styrene–EPDM–vinylacetate (SEV) graft polymer, which linked respectively the styrene (St) unit and vinylacetate the (VAc) unit to the ethylene–propylene–diene terpolymer (EPDM) backbone was synthesized by two‐step graft polymerizations: First the graft polymerization of VAc onto EPDM was carried out, and then St was added successively in the prepolymerized solution and further polymerized for a given period to obtain SEV. The effects of concentration of EPDM and an initiator, mole ratio of VAc to St, polymerization time, temperature, and solvent were examined on the graft polymerizations. The synthesized graft polymers (SEVs) that have different contents of St or VAc were identified by Fourier transform IR spectrum. The highest graft ratio has been obtained by 10 wt % of EPDM, 1.0 mole ratio of VAc to St, and 1.0 wt % of BPO in toluene for 48 h at 70°C. The glass transition temperature of SEV is lower than that of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) and polystyrene (PS). The thermal stability of SEV is higher than that of PVAc, PS, and the acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) resin. The tensile strength of SEV was improved as compared with that of EPDM. The light resistance and weatherability of SEV were better than those of ABS. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 2296–2304, 2000     

Hard coatings on polycarbonate plate by sol–gel reactions of melamine derivative,poly(vinyl alcohol), and silicates

Hard coatings were deposited on a polycarbonate plate using a sol–gel process with a melamine derivative, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and silicates and examined as potential substitutes for glass in cars. PVA was partially functionalized with (3-isocyanatopropyl)triethoxysilane, and the synthesized polymer was used to form a coating solution with methylated poly(melamine-co-formaldehyde), tetraethoxysilane, and methyltriethoxysilane. The coatings that contained both the melamine and silicate structures were deposited using a sol–gel process. The optimum conditions and formulation to obtain excellent physical properties of the coating were determined. Smooth coatings with the hardness of a 3H class pencil, excellent abrasion resistance and transparency were formed.     

Thermoelectric properties of p-type (Bi,Sb)2Te3 alloys fabricated by the hot pressing method

P-type (Bi_0.25Sb_0.75)₂Te₃ powders were fabricated by melting/grinding and mechanical alloying processes. Thermoelectric properties of the hot-pressed (Bi_0.25Sb_0.75)₂Te₃ were characterized with the powder processing method, powder size, hot pressing temperature, and the amount of excess-Te dopant. Specimens fabricated by melting/grinding exhibited lower Seebeck coefficient, lower electrical resistivity and higher thermal conductivity, compared to the specimens prepared by mechanical alloying. 3 wt.% excess Te-doped (Bi_0.25Sb_0.75)₂ Te₃, fabricated by melting/grinding and hot pressing at 550°C, exhibited a figure-merit of 3.2 x 10^-3/K. For 1 wt.% excess Te-doped specimen prepared by mechanical alloying and hot pressing at 550°C, a figure-merit of 3.05 x 10^-3/K was obtained.     

Study on the possibility of waste mushroom medium as a biomass resource for biorefinery

In order to investigate the possibility of waste mushroom medium as a biomass resource for biorefinery, characteristics of hydrolysate and pretreated biomass obtained from oxalic acid pretreatment were examined. The hydrolysate contained high glucose and low concentrations of inhibitors. The glucose concentration in the hydrolysate particularly increased when temperature gradient was used during pretreatment, compared with that of isocratic condition. The highest increase rate of glucose was 63.16% when pretreatment was performed at 140 °C for 25 min with 0.032 oxalic acid (g/g), and increased temperature to 170 °C. At the same time, ethanol production of Scheffersomyces stipitis using hydrolysate was 15.72 g/L after 48 h, which correspond to an ethanol volumetric productivity of 0.33 g L^?1 h^?1. Most of the lignin and some of the cellulose remained in the pretreated biomass. The total lignin content of the pretreated biomass, represent between 31.81 and 45.05%, compared to 28.8% of the raw material. The calorific value of the pretreated biomass ranged from 4940 to 5111 kcal/kg which represent increase of 3–6% compared to the raw material, due to higher contents of lignin in the pretreated biomass.