NATURAL CONVECTION IN A DIFFERENTIALLY HEATED SQUARE CAVITY WITH INTERNAL HEAT GENERATION

A high-resolution, finite-difference numerical study is reported on natural convection in a square cavity. The vertical sidewatts of the cavity are differentially heated, and a uniform internal heat generation is also present. Two principal parameters are considered, the internal Rayleigh number Ra_I, which represents the strength of the internal heat generation, and the external Rayleigh number Rag, which denotes the effect due to the differential heating of the side walls. The internal Rayleigh number varies in the range 10¹⁰ Ra_I ≤ 10⁷, while the external Rayleigh number is set at Ra_E = 5 x 10⁷ for most computations. As the relative strength of the internal heat generation increases, the flows near the tap portion of the heated sidewall are directed downward. When the effect of the internal heat generation is dominant, the thermal energy leaves the system for the surroundings over the top portion of the heated wall. Only in the bottom pari of the heated wall is heat transfer directed into the system. These numerical solutions are in qualitative agreement with the available experimental measurements.     

Contact force detection on a minute aperture mounted optical contact slider using an acoustic emission sensor

Advances in the digital network society require both higher density and higher transfer rates in all sorts of storage systems. Especially in optical recording, the trend toward higher density and larger capacity requires novel surface-recording technologies that can drastically diminish head-to-medium spacing, resulting in an improvement in spatial resolution and, finally, a higher recording density. To this end, we have already proposed a novel contact optical head slider that is able to almost cancel the suspension load by generating hydrodynamic pressure, thus realizing a lower net contact force. Evaluating the dynamic contact force is requisite in realizing its stable sliding operation and higher signal readout performance. In this study, a continuous acoustic emission (AE) signal was utilized to detect the dynamic contact force. AE signal modulation was compared with the applied out-of-plane acceleration on a medium generated by a spindle combined piezo-electric actuator. It was clarified that the detected AE modulation amplitude was approximately proportional to the applied acceleration, and that utilizing AE modulation will be a useful method for evaluating dynamic contact force.     

Development of an on‐line partial discharge monitoring system for gas insulated substations

This paper describes the results of tests and discussions carried out to develop a system for partial discharge monitoring in GIS. They include the propagation characteristics of partial discharge pulses in each GIS component, as well as the test results obtained using an actual 300‐kV GIS. We also report the results of verification test on the GIS partial discharge monitoring and location system developed by the authors. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 129(2): 40–50, 1999     

The dissociation process in plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition using tetraethoxysilane

Dissociation in plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition for SiO₂ deposition using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) was investigated by means of mass spectrometry. First we obtained the basic dissociation patterns of TEOS by electron impact. It was shown that TEOS was dissociated by electron impact at low electron energies below 7 eV, removing the ethyl group (C₂H₅). Next we determined dissociation patterns in TEOS/He plasma in order to eliminate the effect of oxidation. Finally, dissociation in TEOS/O₂ plasma was investigated. It was found that oxidation plays an indispensable role in the deposition of high-quality SiO₂ films due to the decrease in high-molecular-weight compounds with carbon and hydrogen, although TEOS is highly dissociated by electron impact. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 129(4): 32–38, 1999     

1100 kV气体绝缘双断口断路器的开发与产品化

开发了一种用于气体绝缘组合电器(GIS)的1100kV50kASF6气体双断口断路器(GCB)。研究了这种断路器的各种特性,并成功完成了在绝缘、开断和机械性能等方面的型式试验。实现了GCB的小型化和轻量化。这种新开发的GCB已应用在中国特高压交流示范工程的GIS中,并已于2009年年初投入使用。     

Synthesis of nm-sized barium titanate crystallites using a new LTDS method and their characterization

A new LTDS method was established to synthesize nm-sized barium titanate crystallites with particle sizes around 10 nm. This LTDS method was the following two features, i.e., (1) a heat of neutralization in a neutralization reaction between strong acid and base can be used as a driving force for a formation of barium titanate, and (2) barium titanate crystallites can be directly synthesized from Ti and Ba ions, not via intermediates. Therefore, using the LTDS method, it can be expected that there is no minimum limit in particle sizes, and also no contamination in barium titanate crystallites. At first, optimum conditions for a formation of barium titanate were screened at various reaction temperatures and Ba/Ti atomic ratios in the starting materials. As a result, the formation of barium titanate was found at higher reaction temperatures than 50°C and higher Ba/Ti atomic ratios than 5. Under a constant temperature, particle sizes decreased with increasing Ba/Ti atomic ratios while under a constant Ba/Ti atomic ratio, particle sizes were independent of reaction temperatures. Finally, barium titanate crystallites with particle sizes below 10 nm were first prepared. These particles were also characterized using various methods.     

Densification of rare-earth (Lu, Gd, Nd)-doped alumina nanopowders obtained by a sol-gel route under seeding

Rare-earth (RE: Lu, Gd, Nd, 0.10 mol%)-doped alumina nanopowders were prepared by a new sol-gel route using polyhydroxoaluminum (PHA) and RECl₃ solutions under α-alumina (∼ 75 nm) seeding. Among the rare-earth dopants studied, Lu yields the most suitable nanopowders for low-temperature densification. The 0.10 mol% Lu-doped nanopowders, which were obtained at a calcination temperature of 900 °C under 5 mass% α-alumina seeding, consisted of ∼ 80-nm α-alumina particles and γ-alumina nanoparticles. Using these Lu-doped alumina nanopowders, fully densified alumina ceramics with a uniform microstructure composed of fine grains with an average size of 0.61 μm could be obtained at 1400 °C by pressureless sintering. Clearly, the Lu-doped nanopowders obtained here represent a viable option for fabricating dense, finer-grained alumina ceramics because an undoped sample with 5 mass% seeds gave a microstructure with an average grain size of 1.78 μm at 1400 °C.     

Fabrication of submicron alumina ceramics by pulse electric current sintering using M2+ (M = Mg,Ca, Ni)-doped alumina nanopowders

Dense submicron-grained alumina ceramics were fabricated by pulse electric current sintering (PECS) using M²⁺(M: Mg, Ca, Ni)-doped alumina nanopowders at 1250 °C under a uniaxial pressure of 80 MPa. The M²⁺-doped alumina nanopowders (0–0.10 mass%) were prepared through a new sol–gel route using high-purity polyhydroxoaluminum (PHA) and MCl₂ solutions as starting materials. The composite gels obtained were calcined at 900 °C and ground by planetary ball milling. The powders were re-calcined at 900 °C to increase the content of α-alumina particles, which act as seeding for low-temperature densification. Densification and microstructural development depend on the M²⁺ dopant species. Dense alumina ceramics (relative density ≥99.0%) thus obtained had a uniform microstructure composed of fine grains, where the average grain size developed for non-doped, Ni-doped, Mg-doped and Ca-doped samples was 0.67, 0.67, 0.47 and 0.30 μm, respectively, showing that Ca-doping is the most promising method for tailoring of nanocrystalline alumina ceramics.     

Preparation of novel porous solids from alumina-pillared fluorine micas by acid-treatment

New porous solids from alumina-pillared fluorine micas (APMs), which were obtained from synthetic Na-tetrasilicic fluorine mica [NaMg_2.5Si₄O₁₀F₂], were prepared by sulfuric acid-treatment under mild conditions at 25 °C. The products were investigated by XRD, ICP, SEM, TEM and N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherm at 77 K. XRD measurements indicated that the interlayer pillared structure having a large basal spacing collapsed during the early stages of the acid-treatment. ICP analyses indicated that Al³⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions were leached out from the pillared micas during the acid-treatment. The pore properties of the leached products were found to differ from those of the mother pillared micas: the acid leaching of the pillared micas leads to the formation of mesopores around 3.2 nm in diameter. The correlation between the change in pore properties and cation elution behavior suggests that the mesopore formation results from the leaching of Mg²⁺ ions from the octahedral sheet of the pillared micas. The leached products thus obtained retained the flaky morphology of the mother pillared micas. These results show that the mild acid-treatment using APMs provides a novel route for obtaining unique mesopore solids having the large particle sizes of the mother micas.     

A Nifedipine Coground Mixture with Sodium Deoxycholate. II. Dissolution Characteristics and Stability

Nifedipine is a poorly water soluble drug that demonstrates low bioavailability. In a previous study, a coground mixture of nifedipine with sodium deoxycholate (DCNa), a bile salt, immediately produced colloidal particles when dispersed in water. In this study, the effect of the weight fraction of DCNa, grinding time, dissolution media, and storage conditions on colloidal particle formation in solution was investigated. The coground mixture was prepared with a vibration rod mill, and its solid state was characterized using powder X-ray diffraction. A laser diffraction particle size analyzer was used to determine the particle size distribution curve in water. The size of particles formed in solution decreased with an increase in the weight fraction of DCNa and grinding time. A nifedipine-DCNa (1 : 2 w/w) mixture coground for 30 min was used in the experiments. Colloidal particle formation from the coground mixture was also observed in dissolution media of water and a pH 6.8 buffer solution at 37°C. Most precipitates passed through a filter with a pore size of 0.8 μm, but the particle size distribution in water was different from that in the pH 6.8 buffer solution. DCNa exhibited not only micellar solubilization for drug crystals, but also a retarding effect on drug crystal growth in a supersaturated solution. The latter effect could serve to form colloidal particles in solution. When stored under 75% relative humidity at 40°C for 1 month, the amorphous coground mixture crystallized, and the particle size in water markedly increased. Therefore, the weight fraction of DCNa, grinding time, dissolution media, and humidity during storage influence the dissolution characteristics of nifedipine from a coground mixture.