A multi-objective model for seasonal personnel reassignment

The focus of this research was the development of a model to address the problem of reassigning summer construction workers to winter snow and ice removal teams in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The model is a multi-objective integer program that can generate the complete and precise trade-off curve between the objectives of minimizing total distance that the reassigned workforce must travel from their respective homes to one of many site locations, and minimizing the maximum distance that any one worker must travel. System constraints include demand requirements for workers at each site and the limited availability of state-owned vehicles that may be issued to workers assigned to remote sites. Details of the model structure and solution procedure are presented together with the results of an actual application.     

Pore network modeling of fibrous gas diffusion layers for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

A pore network model of the gas diffusion layer (GDL) in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell is developed and validated. The model idealizes the GDL as a regular cubic network of pore bodies and pore throats following respective size distributions. Geometric parameters of the pore network model are calibrated with respect to porosimetry and gas permeability measurements for two common GDL materials and the model is subsequently used to compute the pore-scale distribution of water and gas under drainage conditions using an invasion percolation algorithm. From this information, the relative permeability of water and gas and the effective gas diffusivity are computed as functions of water saturation using resistor-network theory. Comparison of the model predictions with those obtained from constitutive relationships commonly used in current PEMFC models indicates that the latter may significantly overestimate the gas phase transport properties. Alternative relationships are suggested that better match the pore network model results. The pore network model is also used to calculate the limiting current in a PEMFC under operating conditions for which transport through the GDL dominates mass transfer resistance. The results suggest that a dry GDL does not limit the performance of a PEMFC, but it may become a significant source of concentration polarization as the GDL becomes increasingly saturated with water.     

An X-ray absorption spectroscopy study of Mo oxidation in Pb at elevated temperatures

The corrosion of fuel cladding and structural materials by lead and lead-bismuth eutectic in the liquid state at elevated temperatures is an issue that must be considered when designing advanced nuclear systems and high-power spallation neutron targets. In this work, lead corrosion studies of molybdenum were performed to investigate the interaction layer as a function of temperature by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. In situ X-ray absorption measurements on a Mo substrate with a 3-6 μm layer of Pb deposited by thermal evaporation were performed at temperatures up to 900 °C and at a 15° angle to the incident X-rays. The changes in the local atomic structure of the corrosion layer are visible in the difference extended X-ray absorption fine structure and the linear combination fitting of the X-ray absorption near-edge structure to as-deposited molybdenum sample and molybdenum oxide (MoO₂ and MoO₃) standards. The data are consistent with the appearance of MoO₃ in an intermediate temperature range (650-800 °C) and the more stable MoO₂ phase dominating at high and low temperatures.     

TPS6108x:极具多功能的升压转换器

引言 TPS61080与TPS61081是高集成度升压转换器,这两种器件的可调输出电压可达27 V,而输入电压则可低至2.5V.     

Quantitative analysis of micro structural and conductivity evolution of Ni-YSZ anodes during thermal cycling based on nano-computed tomography

Understanding the mechanism of degradation in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) using nickel/yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni-YSZ) as the anode material is very important for the optimization of cell performance. In this work, the effects of thermal cycling on the microstructure of the Ni-YSZ anode are explored using the three-dimensional X-ray nano computed tomography (nano-CT) imaging technique. It is found that the average Ni particle size increased with thermal cycling, which is associated with the decreased connectivity of the Ni phase and the three-phase-boundary (TPB) length. Moreover, the conductivities of the anode samples are also reduced with the increase in thermal cycle times. The implication of these observations is discussed in terms of the relationship between the conductivity and connectivity of the Ni phase.     

SoSyM significantly reduces its backlog

Software and Systems Modeling -     

Does Kripke’s Argument Against Functionalism Undermine the Standard View of What Computers Are?

Kripke’s argument against functionalism extended to physical computers poses a deep philosophical problem (not previously addressed in the literature) for understanding the standard view of what computers are. The problem puts into jeopardy the definition in the standard view that computers are physical machines for performing physical computations. Indeed, it is entirely possible that, unless this philosophical problem is resolved, we will never have a good understanding of computers and may never know just what they are.