Thermal and mechanical properties of EPR and XLPE cable compounds

This paper shows that the mechanical and thermal properties of EPR cable dielectrics are very stable with temperature. Commercially available EPR and TRXLPE cable dielectrics typically have about the same thermal conductivity, although the thermal conductivity of TRXLPE above the melting point of the crystallites drops below that of the EPR dielectrics. The mechanical properties of EPR cable dielectrics are much more stable with temperature than those of the TRXLPE, as EPR polymer is essentially amorphous so that EPR cable dielectrics do not suffer from the very large thermal expansion of TRXLPE as its crystallites melt.     

Simulation and experimental analyses of electromagnetic transients behaviors of lightning surge on vertical conductors

Simulation of very fast surge phenomena in a three-dimensional (3-D) structure requires a method based on Maxwell's equations, such as the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method or the method of moments, because circuit-equation-based methods cannot handle the phenomena. This paper uses a method of thin-wire representation of the vertical conductor system for the FDTD method which is suitable for the 3-D surge simulation. The thin-wire representation is indispensable to simulate electromagnetic surges on wires or steel frames in which the radius is smaller than a discretized space step used in the FDTD simulation. In this paper, a general surge analysis program named the virtual surge test lab based on the Maxwell's equations formulated by the FDTD method, is used to simulate the surge phenomena of a vertical conductor, including the effects of horizontal wave incidence and vertical wave incidence. Experimental results on the reduced scale model have been presented in order to compare among the simulation results by the FDTD method and the results using numerical electromagnetic code based on the MoM.     

A rate adaptive bit-loading algorithm for in-building power-line communications based on DMT-modulated systems

This paper deals with a variable rate discrete multitone modulation system for broadband power-line communications, based on the bit-loading algorithm proposed by Leke and Cioffi. In the proposed system a suitable least mean square channel estimator is considered, which is based on the insertion of a training sequence (TS). The proposed approach will be compared with the ideal channel estimates, showing its effectiveness. Moreover, different TS lengths will be compared. The system performance, expressed in terms of bit rate and bit-error rate, is derived by simulation with and without estimation errors. The propagation environment has been assumed as a frequency-selective multipath fading channel with additive colored Gaussian noise, according to the in-building networks model.     

Effects of solid retention time on the performance of submerged anoxic/oxic membrane bioreactor.

In this study, four similar bench-scale submerged Anoxic/Oxic Membrane Bioreactors (MBR) were used simultaneously to investigate the effects of solids retention time (SRT) on organic and nitrogen removal in MBR for treating domestic wastewater. COD removal efficiencies in all reactors were consistently above 94% under steady state conditions. Complete conversion of NH(4+)-N to NO(3-)-N was readily achieved over a feed NH(4+)-N concentration range of 30 to 50 mg/L. It was also observed that SRT did not significantly affect the nitrification in the MBR systems investigated. The average denitrification efficiencies for the 3, 5, 10 and 20 days SRT operations were 43.9, 32.6, 47.5 and 66.5%, respectively. In general, the average effluent nitrogen concentrations, which were mainly nitrate, were about 22.2, 27.6, 21.7 and 13.9 mg/L for the 3, 5, 10 and 20 days SRT systems, respectively. The rate of membrane fouling at 3 days SRT operation was more rapid than that observed at 5 days SRT. No fouling was noted in the 10 days and 20 days SRT systems during the entire period of study.     

Microbial conversion of selected azo dyes and their breakdown products.

Four selected azo dyes (acid orange 6, acid orange 7, methyl orange and methyl red) were completely decolourised in the presence of anaerobic granular sludge, while only methyl red was degraded in aerobic conditions using a conventional activated sludge. Additional experiments with culture broth devoid of cells showed that anaerobic decolourisation of azo dyes was performed by extracellular reducing agents produced by anaerobic bacteria. This was further confirmed by abiotic experiments with sulphide and NADH. The presence of redox mediators such as riboflavin led to dramatic acceleration of the anaerobic biodecolourisation process. The azo dye reduction products were found to be sulphanilic acid and 4-aminoresorcinol for acid orange 6; sulphanilic acid and 1-amino-2-naphthol for acid orange 7; N,N-dimethyl-1,4-phenylenediamine and sulphanilic acid for methyl orange; and N,N-dimethyl-1,4-phenylenediamine and anthranilic acid for methyl red. Anaerobic toxicity assays showed that the azo dyes were more toxic than their breakdown products (aromatic amines), except 1-amino-2-naphthol. In the presence of activated sludge, only anthranilic acid was completely mineralised while sulphanilic acid was persistent. 4-aminoresorcinol, 1-amino-2-naphthol and N,N-dimethyl-1,4-phenylenediamine underwent autooxidation in aerobic conditions yielding coloured polymeric products. On the contrary, in the presence of granular methanogenic sludge, 4-aminoresorcinol, 1-amino-2-naphthol and anthranilic acid were quantitatively methanised, sulphanilic acid was partially (70%) mineralised while N,N-dimethyl-1,4-phenylenediamine was only demethylated producing 1,4-phenylenediamine as an end product.     

The Grey-Rankin bound for nonbinary codes

The Grey-Rankin bound for nonbinary codes is obtained. Examples of codes meeting this bound are given. Original Russian Text Ş L.A. Bassalygo, S.M. Dodunekov, V.A. Zinoviev, T. Helleseth, 2006, published in Problemy Peredachi Informatsii, 2006, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 37–44. Supported in part by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project no. 06-01-00226.     

Safety assessment of liquid radioactive wastes buried for a long time in deep repositories

The concepts of specific and absolute toxicity permit distinguishing in radioactive wastes belonging to different categories the particular components that present the greatest ecological danger at different stages of their disposal in repositories. It is shown that transuranium elements determine the toxicity parameter of high-and medium-level wastes only 350–400 years after initial disposal. At the present stage of operation of deep repositories, the behavior of the long-lived fission products of ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs is most important. For low-level wastes, the chemical and not the radioactive component is most dangerous. __________ Translated from Atomnaya énergiya,Vol. 100, No. 2, pp. 86–92, February, 2006.     

Neuronet Data Processing on the State of an Object After an Emergency

Neuronets are considered for processing data on the state of a potentially hazardous object after an emergency. An example is given of processing the data on the state of a potentially hazardous object in increments.Translated from Izmeritel’naya Tekhnika, No. 3, pp. 6–8, March, 2005.     

Remediation of zones of local radioactive contamination

A methodology remediating zones of local radioactive contamination is presented. It is based on a classification of the zones taking account of the contribution of external and internal irradiation to the total dose load to the public. The criteria for identifying such loads and the steps required for their remediation are identified. A radiation-ecological validation of the decrease in the external irradiation dose to the public in zones of local radioactive contamination is given. __________ Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 100, No. 2, pp. 125–134, February, 2006.