Thermal conductivity of MgO-C refractory ceramics: Effects of pyrolytic liquid and pyrolytic carbon black obtained from waste tire

In the present study, thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of MgO-C refractory ceramic bricks were investigated. Pyrolytic liquid and pyrolytic carbon black obtained from pyrolysis of waste tires were used as a resin and carbon source, respectively. The pyrolysis of the tires was conducted in a fixed bed reactor at the temperature of 500?°C with a 15?°C/min heating rate under nitrogen flow (0.5?lt/min). Before using in MgO-C refractory ceramic blends, pyrolytic products were purified with the acidic extraction methods which resulted in 61and 66?wt%. decreases in sulfur and ash contents in pyrolytic carbon, respectively. After this treatment of pyrolytic liquid, the sulfur content was reduced by 24?wt%. Eight different blends of MgO-C refractory ceramics consisting of different pyrolytic product contents were prepared, pressed, and tempered at 250?°C, and then characterized in terms of porosity, thermal conductivity, and density. The mechanical behavior of the samples was tested using a three-point bending test. Archimedes test was employed to determine the porosity and density. Surface properties of the bricks were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained results were compared with a reference consisting of graphite and resin. The results revealed that mechanical and thermal properties of the developed bricks were highly sensitive to the porosity and the carbon source as well as the type of binder.     

A singular-value decomposition-based image watermarking using genetic algorithm

In this paper, a novel optimal watermarking scheme based on singular-value decomposition (SVD) using genetic algorithm (GA) is presented. The singular values (SVs) of the host image are modified by multiple scaling factors to embed the watermark image. Modifications are optimised using GA to obtain the highest possible robustness without losing the transparency. Experimental results show both the significant improvement in transparency and the robustness under attacks.     

One-Dimensional Cobalt(II) and Zinc(II) Succinato Coordination Polymers with Nicotinamide: Synthesis, Structural, Spectroscopic, Fluorescent and Thermal Properties

Cobalt(II) and zinc(II) succinato (suc) coordination polymers with nicotinamide (nia), {[Co(μ-suc)(H₂O)₂(nia)₂] · 2H₂O} _n (1) and {[Zn(μ-suc)(H₂O)₂(nia)₂] · 2H₂O} _n (2) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, magnetic moments, IR and TG-DTA. Single-crystal X-ray analyses of 1 and 2 reveal that these complexes are isostructural and crystallize in triclinic space group Complexes 1 and 2 are 1-D coordination polymers, in which the metal(II) ions exhibit an octahedral geometry with two suc, two nia and two aqua ligands. The nia ligand is N-bonded, while the suc ligand bridges the metal centers through the carboxylate groups. The 1D chains are further assembled to form 3D networks by strong N–H···O and OW–H···O hydrogen bonds. IR spectra confirm the coordination modes of both suc and nia ligands, while TG-DTA data are in agreement with the crystal structures. Fluorescent analysis in the solid state shows that all complexes display intraligand (π–π*) emissions of nia.     

Heat transfer and thermal stress analysis in grooved tubes

Heat transfer and thermal stresses, induced by temperature differences in the internally grooved tubes of heat transfer equipment, have been analysed numerically. The analysis has been conducted for four different kinds of internally grooved tubes and three different mean inlet water velocities. Constant temperature was applied from the external surface of the tube. Energy and governing flow equations were solved using finite difference scheme. Finite element method (FEM) was used to compute the thermal stress fields. Grooving effects on the thermal stress ratio have been discussed. As a result, maximum thermal stress occurs in the case ofp =d for all water inlet velocities. The maximum thermal stress ratio positions inside the tube have been indicated as MX for all investigated cases. In the light of the thermal stress values, various designs can be applied to reduce thermal stress in grooved tubes.     

Synthesis,Characterization, Crystal Structures and Thermal and Fluorescence Studies of Dinuclear and Polymeric Silver(I) Complexes of 5,5-Diethylbarbiturate with 2,5-Dimethylpyrazine and Piperazine Involving Ag–Ag Interactions

Two silver(I) complexes, [Ag(dmpyz)₂][Ag(barb)₂] (1) and {[Ag(ppz)][Ag(barb)₂]·H₂O} _n (2) (barb = 5,5-diethylbarbiturate, dmpyz = 2,5-dimethylpyrazine and ppz = piperazine), have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, IR, thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Complex 1 consists of [Ag(dmpyz)₂]⁺ and [Ag(barb)₂]^? ions in which the silver(I) ions are linearly coordinated by two dmpyz or two barb ligands. These two ions are connected by strong Ag–Ag interactions (Ag–Ag = 2.896 (1) Å). Complex 2 is a 1D coordination polymer in which the silver(I) ions are bridged by the ppz ligands in a linear fashion, leading to a zigzag chain of [Ag(ppz)] _n ⁺ , which interacts with the [Ag(barb)₂]^? units by Ag–Ag interactions of 3.183 (1) Å. The 1D chains are further assembled to form 3D networks by strong N–H···O and OW–H···O hydrogen bonds. IR spectra and TG-DTA data are in agreement with the crystal structures. The fluorescent properties of 1 were also evaluated.     

Temperature distribution in nuclear fuel rod and variation of the neutronic performance parameters in (D–T) driven hybrid reactor system

Temperature distribution in nuclear fuel rod and variation of the neutronic performance parameters are investigated for different coolants under various first wall loads (P_w=2, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10 MW m⁻²) in (D, T) (deuterium and tritium) driven and fueled with UO₂ hybrid reactors. Plasma chamber dimension, DR, with a line fusion neutron source is 300 cm. The fissile fuel zone is considered to be cooled with four different coolants with various volume fractions, the volumetric ratio of coolant-to-fuel [(Vm/V_f) = 1:2, 1:1, and 2:1], gas (He, CO₂), flibe (Li₂BeF₄), natural lithium (Li), and eutectic lithium (Li₁₇Pb₈₃). Calculation in the fuel rods and the behavior of the fissile fuel have been observed during 4 years for discrete time intervals of Δt=15 days and by a plant factor (PF) of 75%. As a result of the calculation, cumulative fissile fuel enrichment (CFFE) value indicating rejuvenation performance has increased by increasing P_w for all coolants and . Although CFFE and neutronic performance parameter values increase to the higher values by increasing P_w, the maximum temperature in the centerline of the fuel roads has exceeded the melting point (T_m>2830°C) of the fuel material during the operation periods. However, the best CFFE (11.154%) is obtained in gas coolant blanket for =1:2 (29.462% coolant, 58.924% fuel, 11.614% clad), under 10 MW m⁻² first wall load, followed by flibe with CFFE=11.081% for =2:1 (62.557% coolant, 31.278% fuel, 6.165% clad), under 7 MW m⁻², and flibe with CFFE=9.995% for =1:1 (45.515% coolant, 45.515% fuel, 8.971% clad), under 7 MW m⁻² during operation period without reaching the melting point of the fuel material. While maximum CFFE value has been obtained in fuel rod row#10 in gas, natural lithium, and eutectic lithium coolant blankets, it has been obtained in fuel rod row#1 in flibe coolant blanket for all and P_w. At the same condition, the best neutronic performance parameter values, tritium breeding ratio (TBR)= 1.4454, energy multiplication factor (M)= 9.2018, and neutron leakage (L)= 0.0872, have been obtained in eutectic lithium coolant blankets for the =1:2, followed by gas, natural lithium, and flibe coolant blankets. The isotopic percentage of ²⁴⁰Pu is higher than 5% in all blankets for P_w 7 MW m⁻², so that plutonium component in all blankets can be never reach a nuclear weapon grade quality during the operation period.     

Experimental studies on chemical concentration map building by a multi-robot system using bio-inspired algorithms

In this article we describe implementations of various bio-inspired algorithms for obtaining the chemical gas concentration map of an environment filled with a contaminant. The experiments are performed using Khepera III and miniQ miniature mobile robots equipped with chemical gas sensors in an environment with ethanol gas. We implement and investigate the performance of decentralized and asynchronous particle swarm optimization (DAPSO), bacterial foraging optimization (BFO), and ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithms. Moreover, we implement sweeping (sequential search algorithm) as a base case for comparison with the implemented algorithms. During the experiments at each step the robots send their sensor readings and position data to a remote computer where the data is combined, filtered, and interpolated to form the chemical concentration map of the environment. The robots also exchange this information among each other and cooperate in the DAPSO and ACO algorithms. The performance of the implemented algorithms is compared in terms of the quality of the maps obtained and success of locating the target gas sources.     

Molecular doping of low-bandgap-polymer:fullerene solar cells: Effects on transport and solar cells

We show how molecular doping can be implemented to improve the performance of solution processed bulk heterojunction solar cells based on a low-bandgap polymer mixed with a fullerene derivative. The molecular dopant 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4-TCNQ) is introduced into blends of poly[2,6(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b0]-dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) via co-solution in a range of concentrations from 0% to 1%. We demonstrate that the hole conductivity and mobility increase with doping concentration using field-effect measurements. Photoinduced absorption (PIA) spectroscopy reveals that the polaron density in the blends increases with doping. We show that the open circuit voltage and short circuit current of the corresponding solar cells can be improved by doping at 0.5%, resulting in improved power conversion efficiencies. The increase in performance is discussed in terms of trap filling due to the increased carrier density, and reduced recombination correlated to the improvement in mobility.     

Stability of an asynchronous swarm with time-dependent communication links.

In this correspondence, we consider a simple model of N interacting agents with fixed or time-dependent communication links. We allow for asynchronous operation and time delays in the information flow. We show that the convergence of the states of the agents to a common value will be achieved, provided that old information is uniformly purged from the system. The considered model finds an application not only in swarming but also in other fields, including synchronization and distributed decision making or consensus seeking.     

Synthesis of PbO nano-particles from a new one-dimensional lead(II) coordination polymer precursor

A new Pb(II) one-dimensional coordination polymer, [Pb(µ-NO₂)(µ-pyc)(H₂O)]_n (), Hpyc = 2-pyridinecarboxylic acid} was prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, powder XRD diffraction and IR spectroscopy. Compound 1 was structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and one-dimensional coordination polymer with coordination environment of PbNO₆. The thermal stability of compound 1 showed that compound 1 decomposes at 110-500 °C and the final product is PbO. This polymeric precursor has been used to make PbO nano-particles using two different surfactants. The new nano-structure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. This study demonstrates that the coordination polymers may be suitable precursors for the preparation of nanoscale materials.