Development and validation of a CFD model predicting the backfill process of a nuclear waste gallery

Nuclear waste material may be stored in underground tunnels for long term storage. The example treated in this article is based on the current Belgian disposal concept for High-Level Waste (HLW), in which the nuclear waste material is packed in concrete shielded packages, called Supercontainers, which are inserted into these tunnels. After placement of the packages in the underground tunnels, the remaining voids between the packages and the tunnel lining is filled-up with a cement-based material called grout in order to encase the stored containers into the underground spacing. This encasement of the stored containers inside the tunnels is known as the backfill process.A good backfill process is necessary to stabilize the waste gallery against ground settlements. A numerical model to simulate the backfill process can help to improve and optimize the process by ensuring a homogeneous filling with no air voids and also optimization of the injection positions to achieve a homogeneous filling. The objective of the present work is to develop such a numerical code that can predict the backfill process well and validate the model against the available experiments and analytical solutions.In the present work the rheology of Grout is modelled as a Bingham fluid which is implemented in OpenFOAM - a finite volume-based open source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool box. Volume of fluid method (VOF) is used to track the interface between grout and air. The CFD model is validated and tested in three steps. First, the numerical implementation of the Bingham model is verified against an analytical solution for a channel flow. Second, the capability of the model for the prediction of the flow of grout is tested by means of a comparison of the simulations with experimental results from two standard flowability tests for concrete: the V-funnel flow time and slump flow tests. As a third step, the CFD model is compared with experiments in a transparent Plexiglas experimental test setup performed at Delft University of Technology, to test the model under more practical and realistic conditions. This experimental setup is a 1:12.5 scaled version of the setup of the full-scale mock-up test for backfilling of a waste gallery with emplaced canisters used in the European 6th framework project ESDRED (Bock et al., 2008). Furthermore, the plexiglas setup is used to study the influence of different backfill parameters.The CFD results for a channel flow shows good comparison against the analytical solution, demonstrating the correct implementation of the Bingham model in OpenFOAM. Also, the CFD results for the flowability tests show very good comparison with the experimental results, thereby ensuring a good prediction of the flow of grout. The simulations of the backfill process show good qualitative comparison with the plexiglas experiment. However, occurrence of segregation and also varying rheological properties of the grout in the plexiglas experiment results in significant differences between the simulation and the experiment.     

Joint scheduling and routing using space–time graphs for TDM wireless mesh networks

This paper presents a novel algorithm for joint routing and scheduling in TDM wireless mesh networks. We introduce a new construct, called a “space–time graph,” which incorporates the spatial and temporal aspects of routing in one structure by replicating a spatial network connectivity graph in layers along the time dimension. The power of the space–time graph lies in the fact that a path from one node to another in it specifies both a physical route in space as well as a schedule in time for a message. Hence the complicated and intractable problem of routing and scheduling reduces to the relatively simpler problem of determining shortest paths in a graph. Through simulations we show that a simply greedy algorithm on the space–time graph outperforms two state-of-the-art methods in terms of time taken to successfully transmit a set of messages from their sources to their destinations.     

Magnetic Properties of Nanostructured Co and Ni Synthesized by Modified NaBH4 Reduction Route

Nanomaterials based on Co and Ni are technologically important because of their potential technological applications in recording media, catalysis, drug delivery systems, and so on. Recent research interests lie on the synthesis of Co and Ni nanomaterials by chemical synthesis, characterizations and studying for their interesting magnetic properties. In this investigation, we have focused on the synthesis of cobalt and nickel nanoparticles (NPs) in aqueous medium at ambient conditions by sodium borohydride reduction route. We have successfully stabilized the nanospheres comprising of Co and Ni by using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as capping agent. The Co and Ni nanomaterials were exhaustively characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and magnetic measurements. The phase purity and crystallite sizes were ascertained by using powder XRD method. Co and Ni NPs crystallize in face centered cubic (fcc) structure with lattice parameters (a) equal to 3.54 Å and 3.52 Å, respectively. The XRD lines were broad and indicate the fine particle nature of the materials. The estimated crystallite sizes were found to be 42 and 29 nm for Co and Ni, respectively. SEM micrograph studies show the particle sizes to be 80 and 70 nm, whereas TEM studies confirm the sizes to be 47 and 65 nm for Co and Ni, respectively. The electron micrograph studies indicate the appearance of agglomerates of the nanoparticles consisting of several crystallites. The specific magnetization versus field characteristics of Co and Ni nanoparticles shows the signature of the size and surface effects. The values of saturation magnetizations are found to be 122 and 47 emu/g, whereas the coercivity values are 111 Oe and 84 Oe for Co and Ni, respectively. In summary, we have synthesized high moment Co and Ni nanostructured materials with reduced coercivities, which may be useful for soft magnetic applications.     

Benign Approach of Plant-Derived Inhibitor: Assessing Their Anticorrosive Activity on Mild Steel in Acidic Media

Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention - The dissolution behavior of mild steel in 2 M H2SO4 with various concentrations of Borassus Flabellifer Seed Food (BFSF), Musa Paradisiaca Dry...     

Spectrum of a Micromaser with Kerr Nonlinearity

Abstract

We analyse the spectrum of a micromaser with a Kerr-type nonlinearity in its cavity. We show that the intracavity Kerr nonlinearity has significant effects on the spectrum leading to narrowing of the subnatural linewidth and frequency-shifts.     

Effect of Chemical Treatments on Flax Fibre Reinforced Polypropylene Composites on Tensile and Dome Forming Behaviour

Tensile tests were performed on two different natural fibre composites (same constituent material, similar fibre fraction and thickness but different weave structure) to determine changes in mechanical properties caused by various aqueous chemical treatments and whether any permanent changes remain on drying. Scanning electronic microscopic examinations suggested that flax fibres and the flax/polypropylene interface were affected by the treatments resulting in tensile property variations. The ductility of natural fibre composites was improved significantly under wet condition and mechanical properties (elongation-to-failure, stiffness and strength) can almost retain back to pre-treated levels when dried from wet condition. Preheating is usually required to improve the formability of material in rapid forming, and the chemical treatments performed in this study were far more effective than preheating. The major breakthrough in improving the formability of natural fibre composites can aid in rapid forming of this class of material system.     

Antibacterial properties of silk fabric treated with silver nanoparticles

Silk is hygroscopic and is affected by microorganisms easily. Hence, treatment with antimicrobial agents can facilitate to make silk resistant to microbes. Silver nanoparticles have been attempted by researchers and applied as antimicrobial chemical finish on textiles. Silk has also been applied with silver nanoparticles through exhaust method to obtain antimicrobial properties. However, use of cross-linking agents such as 1,2,3,4 butane tetra carboxylic acid (BTCA) for entrapping silver nanoparticles in the interstitials of the silk molecular chain has not been attempted. The present study is focused on the application of BTCA on silk in the presence of sodium hypophosphite (SHP) simultaneously using silver nanoparticles has been done by pad-dry-cure (2dip/2nip) method. Application of 6% BTCA with 3% SHP and 250 ppm of silver nanoparticles gave satisfactory antimicrobial properties. Infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) studies showed good cross-linking of BTCA. X-ray diffraction studies depict that the crystal structure and crystallinity % of treated silk did not change due to the treatment. SEM studies showed the impregnation of silver nanoparticles on to the fibre matrix. Different physical properties of silk fabric did not change due to the treatment. Based on the studies, it is inferred that BTCA cross-links with silk fibroin at the carboxyl and amine groups, create a lattice void and trap silver nanoparticles giving durable antimicrobial finish.