Numerical calculations for two-phase flow analyses in pin bundles

Two-phase flow equation systems, in which equations are defined for each phase, are discussed for use in analyzing coolant behaviors in LMFBR pin bundles. These equation systems have not yet consolidated, because of theoretical and experimental difficulties and complexities.One of the problems is the equation systems' stability. This paper shows the stability for the low Reynolds number (O(1)) system, using a one dimensional linear equation system. Based on this fact, a two-phase flow equation system is numerically solved by using the subchannel method for 19- and 37-pin bundles. The calculational examples are LOF and TOP conditions with/without the blockage, and fission gas release.     

Selective synthesis of carbon nanotubes and nanocapsules using naphthalene pyrolysis assisted with ferrocene

Selective synthesis of well aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MW-CNT) and multi-shelled carbon nanocapsule (MS-CNC) using pyrolysis of naphthalene with the presence of ferrocene was experimentally examined. With higher mole fraction of naphthalene to ferrocene, more MW-CNTs could be synthesized due to higher concentration of carbonaceous precursors emerging from the decomposed naphthalene. Based on kinetic analysis, at lower temperature, MW-CNTs could preferably be synthesized due to the controlled supply of carbonaceous clusters to get onto the surface of Fe clusters. On the other hand, at temperature higher than 900 °C the Fe clusters become more active to catalyze carbonaceous precursors to undergo self assembling process of MS-CNCs. With cheaper cost of naphthalene compared with other high-value hydrocarbons, usage of naphthalene would provide an advantage of reasonably economical synthesis of MW-CNT or MS-CNC.     

A predictive model and mechanisms associated with hydrogen production via hydrothermal reactions of sulfide

Hydrogen generation and the concurrent formation of sulfur products from hydrothermal reactions of aqueous sulfide solutions at pH values between 9 and 13 and temperatures between 280 and 330 °C were studied. A hydrogen production model was developed by kinetic and statistical analysis of sulfide consumption rates and the ratio of hydrogen produced to sulfide consumed. Results showed that the amount of hydrogen generated in a given reaction may be predicted by a series of equations incorporating starting conditions such as the initial sulfide concentration, pH and temperature. The data from this study suggested that the overall hydrogen generation reaction mechanism consists of one or more elementary reactions which result in the formation of various sulfur products, such as polysulfides and sulfur oxyanions, depending on the reaction conditions. The possible specific sulfur compounds included pentasulfide (S₅²⁻), thiosulfate (S₂O₃²⁻), trithionate (S₃O₆²⁻) and sulfate (SO₄²⁻). The production rate constants of these products increased with temperature, but were independent of pH. Additionally, it was indicated that increasing the reaction temperature and/or pH resulted in the formation of sulfur products with higher oxidation numbers. This work suggests that the optimal mechanism for hydrogen generation via the sulfur redox cycle, taking into account the requirement for sulfide regeneration, is that which forms trithionate as the sole sulfur product.     

A three-phase voltage-source neutral-point-clamped converter with divided capacitors

A new method for reducing harmonics involved in ac line currents of a three-phase voltage-source converter is proposed. It is applied to the conventional neutral-point-clamped inverter. By dividing a smoothing capacitor into four elements and adding four auxiliary switching devices, the input line-to-line voltages of the proposed converter can be made to have almost the same waveforms as a conventional 18-phase rectifier with 18 devices and three input transformers. In this paper, circuit performance and input voltage waveforms are discussed, and the optimum parameters are determined. Effects of harmonic reductions can be clarified by theoretical results. We suggest several output voltage adjustment methods. Characteristics of power factors and distortion factors in these methods are theoretically and experimentally investigated. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 121(2): 72–82, 1997     

An Examination of Qubit Neural Network in Controlling an Inverted Pendulum

The Qubit neuron model is a new non-standard computing scheme that has been found by simulations to have efficient processing abilities. In this paper we investigate the usefulness of the model for a non linear kinetic control application of an inverted pendulum on a cart. Simulations show that a neural network based on Qubit neurons would swing up and stabilize the pendulum, yet it also requires a shorter range over which the cart moves as compared to a conventional neural network model.     

Relation of the polymeric ion species in plasma to the hardness of a-C:H film made by PSII&D

The amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films formed by plasma source ion implantation and deposition (PSII&D) have expanded the tribological properties. Especially, the hardness can be widely changed by adequately selecting RF power, pulse bias voltage, gas species and gas pressure. Previously, we reported that a-C:H film hardness depended on the electron temperature in C₂H₂ plasma which was ignited with pulsed RF power, and that the hardness was in inverse proportion to the electron temperature in the range of less than 2.5 eV. We have discovered that the film hardness is, in some cases, changing even if the electron temperature is constant. This suggests that there are some new factors to determine the film hardness besides the electron temperature in the plasma. In this study, we employ a quadrupole mass spectrometer to measure the intensity of each polymeric ion in C₂H₂. The film hardness is determined by the synergy of the polymeric ion abundances and ion irradiation.     

Synthesis and Photocrosslinking Reaction of N-Allylcarbamoylmethyl Cellulose Leading to Hydrogel

Summary The reaction of the carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt (Na-CMC) (degrees of substitution (DS) = 1.2) with N-hydroxysuccinimide (Su-OH) in the presence of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) was carried out in water to obtain the Su-OH ester of carboxymethyl cellulose, Su-CMC, with the DS values of 0.19 – 1.04. N-Allylcarbamoylmethyl cellulose (Allyl-CMC), which was prepared from the reaction of Su-CMC with an excess amount of allylamine, was crosslinked by UV-irradiation. In addition, the photocrosslinked Allyl-CMC film was swollen with water to form a hydrogel having a relatively high water-swelling property, e.g., the degree of swelling (ds) was ca. 360% for Allyl-CMC with the DS of 0.93.