Fragmentation of molten debris during a molten fuel-coolant interaction

The potential for an energetic molten fuel-coolant interaction (MFCI) during a hypothetical core meltdown accident is of concern in nuclear safety analysis. An important aspect of a MFCI is the fine fragmentation and intermixing of molten core debris with the core coolant. The fragmentation characteristics of the molten debris (a mixture of UO₂ and zircaloy cladding) particles produced during a recent high-energy in-pile experiment are analyzed. The experimental results suggest that two mechanisms contributed to the fragmentation of the molten debris in this experiment, in which an MFCI occured. Phenomenological modelling of these two mechanisms and the effects of the governing parameters are presented.     

Poly(L‐lysine)/microcrystalline cellulose biocomposites for porous scaffolds

The need for tissue engineered scaffolds is growing due to a shortage in organ donation, potential immunoreactions to allotransplants, and high cost associated with transplantation. The main focus of this research is concerned with material selection and processing which are key for a successful design of any tissue engineered structure. This work investigates the possibility of reinforcing a weak polypeptide [poly(L ‐lysine)] with a stronger polysaccharide (cellulose) and processing the resulting composite into a porous structure. As the main processing parameters, the effect of pH on the secondary structure of the polypeptide and the effect of the hydrolysis conditions on the properties of commercially available microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) were studied. The significance of the cellulose content as well as the scaffold fabrication conditions on the properties of the composite system was assessed. Overall, PLL/MCC composites showed a lower crystallinity compared to the PLL alone while further hydrolyzed MCC particles (HMCC) showed surface erosion and resulted in a crystallinity increase when incorporated into a composite structure. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Total Phenolic Compounds, Flavonoids, and Radical Scavenging Activity of 21 Selected Tropical Plants

ABSTRACT:  Free radical scavenging activity of 21 tropical plant extracts was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay (DPPH). Total phenolic compounds and flavonoids were determined using Folin–Ciocalteu and HPLC, respectively. Results of the study revealed that all the plants tested exhibited excellent antioxidant activity with IC₅₀ in the range of 21.3 to 89.6 μg/mL. The most potent activity was demonstrated by  Cosmos caudatus  (21.3 μg/mL) and  Piper betle  (23.0 μg/mL) that are not significantly different than that of     -tocopherol or BHA.  L. inermis  extract was found to consist of the highest concentration of phenolics, catechin, epicatechin, and naringenin. High content of quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol were identified in  Vitex negundo ,  Centella asiatica , and  Sesbania grandiflora  extracts, respectively. Luteolin and apigenin, on the other hand, were found in  Premna cordifolia  and  Kaempferia galanga  extracts. Strong correlation ( R  = 0.8613) between total phenolic compounds and total flavonoids ( R  = 0.8430) and that of antioxidant activity of the extracts were observed. The study revealed that phenolic, in particular flavonoids, may be the main contributors to the antioxidant activity exhibited by the plants.
Practical Application: Potent antioxidant from natural sources is of great interest to replace the use of synthetic antioxidants. In addition, some of the plants have great potential to be used in the development of functional ingredients/foods that are currently in demand for the health benefits associated with their use.     

Ozonation of oil sands process-affected water accelerates microbial bioremediation

Ozonation can degrade toxic naphthenic acids (NAs) in oil sands process-affected water (OSPW), but even after extensive treatment a residual NA fraction remains. Here we hypothesized that mild ozonation would selectively oxidize the most biopersistent NA fraction, thereby accelerating subsequent NA biodegradation and toxicity removal by indigenous microbes. OSPW was ozonated to achieve approximately 50% and 75% NA degradation, and the major ozonation byproducts included oxidized NAs (i.e., hydroxy- or keto-NAs). However, oxidized NAs are already present in untreated OSPW and were shown to be formed during the microbial biodegradation of NAs. Ozonation alone did not affect OSPW toxicity, based on Microtox; however, there was a significant acceleration of toxicity removal in ozonated OSPW following inoculation with native microbes. Furthermore, all residual NAs biodegraded significantly faster in ozonated OSPW. The opposite trend was found for ozonated commercial NAs, which are known to contain no significant biopersistent fraction. Thus, we suggest that ozonation preferentially degraded the most biopersistent OSPW NA fraction, and that ozonation is complementary to the biodegradation capacity of microbial populations in OSPW. The toxicity of ozonated OSPW to higher organisms needs to be assessed, but there is promise that this technique could be applied to accelerate the bioremediation of large volumes of OSPW in Northern Alberta, Canada.     

Poly[ethylene‐co‐(vinyl alcohol)]‐graft‐poly(ε‐caprolactone) Synthesis by Reactive Extrusion, 1 ‐ Structural and Kinetic Study

Chemical modification of EVOH in the molten state at 185 °C by a grafting from process of poly(ε‐caprolactone) in batch was studied. ¹H NMR was used to characterize the structure evolutions of PCL grafts. In addition to grafting reactions, dynamic covalent transesterification reactions between EVOH residual alcohols and the polyester grafts led to a redistribution of the PCL grafts length. up to 27 and SR up to 80% were obtained. Experiments made in a corotating mini twin‐screw extruder also confirmed these results. The effect of the alcohol to caprolactone ratio and catalyst concentration (SnOct₂) on kinetic evolution showed that few minutes were necessary to complete the polymerization. A kinetic model was proposed and adequate conditions for the synthesis by reactive extrusion were defined.

     

Estimation method for determining surface film conductance during cooling of fish packages

This paper presents an alternative method for determining the surface film conductance of an infinite fish slab subjected to the cooling process. Many methods have been published, but their solutions have inherent appreciable inaccuracy and limitations. The present authors used the temperature histories of five locations within a slab sample of fish, obtained by the experimental investigation part of this work, along with the inverse heat conduction problem (IHCP) technique to develop a correlation for variable surface film conductance. When the above correlation was used for temperature predictions, the predicted and experimentally measured temperature distribution profiles were compared numerically. Better agreement than that implemented by other investigators was achieved. This revealed the accuracy and superiority of the present method, and the limitations of other methods are overcome in this method.     

Effect of organic chelates on the performance of hybrid sol–gel coated AA 2024-T3 aluminium alloys

Sol–gels are organic–inorganic polymers formed by hydrolysis/condensation reactions of alkoxide precursors, primarily silanes, which have found applications as electronic, optical and protective coatings. These coatings possess important characteristics such as chemical stability, physical strength and scratch resistance. Further performance improvement is achieved through the incorporation of zirconium and titanium based nanoparticles, also formed through the sol–gel process. However due to the inherent difference in the reactivity of the precursors, the hydrolysis of each precursor must be carried out separately before being combined for final condensation. Zirconium precursors are commonly chelated using acetic acids, prior to hydrolysis, to lower the hydrolysis rate.In this body of work various ligands such as organic acids, acetyl acetone (AcAc) and 2,2′-bipyridine (Bipy) were used to control the zirconium hydrolysis reaction and form nanoparticles within the silane sol matrix.Nanoparticle modified coatings formed from the silane sol on AA 2024-T3 aluminium were characterised spectroscopically, electrochemically and calorimetrically to evaluate the potential effect of the different chelates on the final film properties while neutral salt spray tests were performed to study their anti-corrosion performance. Results indicate that the acid ligand modified coatings provided the best performance followed by AcAc, while Bipy was the poorest. In all cases the zirconium nanoparticle improved the protective properties of the sol–gel coating.     

Adsorption of some heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions on Nafion 117 membrane

Nafion 117 membrane was investigated for the removal of Ni(II), Co(II), Pb(II), Cu(II) and Ag(I) metal ions from their synthesized aqueous solutions. The different variables affecting the adsorption capacity of the membrane such as contact time, initial metal ion concentration in the feed solution, pH of the sorption medium and temperature of the solution were investigated on a batch sorption basis. The affinity of Nafion 117 membrane towards heavy metal ions was found to increase in the sequence of Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Pb(II), and Ag(I) with adsorption equilibrium achieved after 30 min for all metal ions. Among all parameters, pH has the most significant effect on the adsorption capacity, particularly in the range of 3.1-5.9. The variation of temperature in the range of 25-65 °C was found to have no significant effect on the adsorption capacity. Nafion 117 membrane was found to have high stability combined with repeated regeneration ability and can be suggested for effective removal of heavy metal ions such as Cu(II), Ni(II) and Co(II) from aqueous solutions.     

Confinement effect of stiffened and unstiffened concrete-filled stainless steel tubular stub columns

This paper presents a comparative study between stiffened and unstiffened concrete-filled stainless steel hollow tubular stub columns using the austenitic stainless steel grade EN 1.4301 (304). Finite element analysis of concrete-filled stainless steel unstiffened tubular stub columns is constructed herein based on the confined concrete model recently available in the literature. It is then compared with the experimental results of concrete-filled stainless steel stiffened tubular stub columns. The stiffened stainless steel tubular sections were fabricated by welding four lipped angles or two lipped channels at the lips. The longitudinal stiffener of the column plate was formed to avoid shrinkage of the concrete and to act as a continuous connector between the concrete core and the stainless steel tube. The behavior of the columns was investigated using two different nominal concrete cubic strengths of 30 and 60 MPa. The overall depth-to-width ratios (aspect ratio) varied from 1.0 to 1.8. The depth-to-plate thickness ratio of the tube sections varied from 60 to 90. The stiffened and unstiffened concrete-filled stainless steel tube specimens were subjected to uniform axial compression over the concrete and stainless steel tube to force the entire section to undergo the same deformations by blocking action. The ABAQUS 6.6 program, as a finite element package, is used in the current work. The results of the comparative study showed that the stainless steel tubes in stiffened concrete-filled columns offered a high average of increase in the confinement of the concrete core than that of the unstiffened concrete-filled columns.