A methodology for the assessment of nuclear power development scenario

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has initiated an International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) in the year 2000. The main objective of INPRO is to help the world community to ensure that clean and safe nuclear energy is available to contribute in fulfilling the energy needs in the 21st century in a sustainable manner. This paper demonstrates a methodology as an application of INPRO assessment for constructing nuclear power development scenarios by the use of IAEA energy optimisation models MESSAGE and DESAE. The scenario for the overall growth of energy and electricity in India is considered as a case study since for several decades India is vigorously pursuing nuclear power development program to meet its growing energy needs. It is evident from this study that in order to develop a realistic nuclear power scenario, it is necessary to generate an overall energy and electricity scenario at first. Within the overall energy-electricity picture it can be envisaged how the nuclear power technology would contribute to supply the future energy needs.     

Optimization of neem methyl ester from transesterification process and fuel characterization as a diesel substitute

The present work aimed at the standardization of transesterification process parameters for the production of methyl ester of filtered neem oil and fuel characterization for engine performance. The effect of process parameters such as molar ratio, preheating temperature, catalyst concentration and reaction time was studied to standardize the transesterification process for estimating the highest recovery of ester with lowest possible viscosity. Based on the observations of the ester recovery and kinematic viscosity, it was found that filtered neem oil at 6:1 M ratio (methanol to oil) preheated at 55 °C temperature and maintaining 60 °C reaction temperature for 60 min in the presence of 2 percent KOH and then allowed to settle for 24 h in order to get lowest kinematic viscosity (2.7 cSt) with ester recovery (83.36%). Different fuel properties of the neem methyl ester and neem oil were also measured. Results show that the methyl ester of neem obtained under the optimum condition is an excellent substitute for fossil fuels.     

CHISEL programming operation of scaled NOR flash EEPROMs-effect of voltage scaling, device scaling and technological parameters

The impact of programming biases, device scaling and variation of technological parameters on channel initiated secondary electron (CHISEL) programming performance of scaled NOR Flash electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs) is studied in detail. It is shown that CHISEL operation offers faster programming for all bias conditions and remains highly efficient at lower biases compared to conventional channel hot electron (CHE) operation. The physical mechanism responsible for this behavior is explained using full band Monte Carlo simulations. CHISEL programming efficiency is shown to degrade with device scaling, and various technological parameter optimization schemes required for its improvement are explored. The resulting increase in drain disturbs is also studied and the impact of technological parameter optimization on the programming performance versus drain disturb tradeoff is analyzed. It is shown that by judicious choice of technological parameters the advantage of CHISEL programming can be maintained for deeply scaled electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) cells.     

An overview of solid base heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel production

The alcoholysis process requires high activity catalysts for biodiesel production. Heterogeneous catalysts have been proven to possess highly active nature and are environment-friendly. The present article emphasizes on various types of solid base catalysts that have been used in the recent past for the production of biodiesel by transesterification of oils. The parameters and conditions affecting the transesterification reaction and biodiesel yield have also been mentioned in the article. Heterogeneous catalysts have the capability to be recycled for many runs in the process without greatly abating the biodiesel yield. Also, such catalysts possess noncorrosive nature, thus making the biodiesel safe to be used in engine without any damage. The exploitation of waste materials as catalysts would reduce the overall production cost of biodiesel. Calcium-based catalysts in the reviewed literature have shown promising outcomes for the future use and would make the process economical for large-scale industrial applications.     

Biodiesel production from waste cooking oil using heterogeneous catalysts and its operational characteristics on variable compression ratio CI engine

In the present work, the optimum biodiesel conversion from waste cooking oil to biodiesel through transesterification method was investigated. The base catalyzed transesterification under different reactant proportions such as the molar ratio of alcohol to oil and mass ratio of catalyst to oil was studied for optimum production of biodiesel. The optimum condition for base catalyzed transesterification of waste cooking oil was determined to be 12:1 and 5 wt% of zinc doped calcium oxide. The fuel properties of the produced biodiesel such as the calorific value, flash point and density were examined and compared to conventional diesel. The properties of produced biodiesel and their blend for different ratios (B20, B40, B60, B80 and B100) were comparable with properties of diesel oil and ASTM biodiesel standards. Tests have been conducted on CI engine which runs at a constant speed of 1500 rpm, injection pressure of 200 bar, compression ratio 15:1 and 17.5, and varying engine load. The performance parameters include brake thermal efficiency, brake specific energy consumption and emissions parameters such as Carbon monoxide (CO), Hydrocarbon (HC), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) and smoke opacity varying with engine load (BP). Diesel engine's thermal performance and emission parameters such as CO, HC, and NOx on different biodiesel blends demonstrate that biodiesel produced from waste cooking oil using heterogeneous catalyst was suitable to be used as diesel oil blends and had lesser emissions as compared to conventional diesel.     

Two-Dimensional Analysis of Dam-Break Flow in Vertical Plane

This work presents numerical computations for the analysis of Dam-Break Flow using two-dimensional flow equations in a vertical plane. The numerical model uses the general approach of the simplified marker and cell method combined with the volume of fluid approach for the surface tracking. The time evolution of flow depth at the dam site and the evolution of the pressure distribution are investigated for both wet and dry bed conditions. The effect of the initially nonhydrostatic state on the long term surface profile and wave velocity are studied. These long term effects are found to be marginal in the case of wet-bed conditions, but are significant in dry-bed conditions. The dry-bed tip velocity immediately after the dam break, computed numerically, compares well with analytical results published previously. The time taken to obtain a constant flow depth at the dam site increases with decreasing initial depth ratio. The numerical result for this time elapse for dry-bed conditions is close to the experimentally obtained value.     

Regional Specialisation for Technological Innovation in R&D Laboratories: A Strategic Perspective

The present paper attempts to highlight the strategy of regional specialisation for technological innovation in R&D laboratories. The paper makes a proposition that regional specialisation should be recognised as a strategic initiative for technology development in R&D laboratories. The rationale for this strategic initiative has been substantiated with the help of illustrations from the cases of technology development efforts taken up in different laboratories in the country under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India. In this direction, CSIR and other centres of excellence have played a pioneering role in the development of various industrial clusters and artisan concentrations in different parts of the country. The implications of adoption or otherwise of this strategy initiative for technological innovation in R&D laboratories have been discussed.     

EPR and optical investigation of ultraviolet-emitting Gd<Subscript>3</Subscript>Ga<Subscript>5</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> garnet

Gd₃Ga₅O₁₂ garnet was prepared by a solution combustion method and characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and optical spectroscopic techniques. EPR spectrum of the samples at ambient and low temperatures exhibited resonance signal at g?≈?2 attributed to Gd³⁺ ions disposed in an octahedral symmetry. The optical absorption spectrum showed a band centered at 274 nm attributed to ⁸S_7/2→⁶I_J transition of the Gd³⁺ ions. The excitation spectrum showed a maximum at 273 nm along with two relatively weaker peaks at 276 and 279 nm. These three excitation bands were assigned to the transitions ⁸S_7/2→⁶I_J. The emission spectrum showed two peaks centered at 311 and 306 nm that were assigned to the transitions ⁶P_7/2→⁸S_7/2 and ⁶P_5/2→⁸S_7/2 of Gd³⁺, respectively. To evaluate the phosphor performance, several magnetic and thermodynamic parameters for the system were calculated adopting standard procedure.