Seismic proof test of a reinforced concrete containment vessel (RCCV): Part 2: Results of shaking table tests

A 1/8-scale model was constructed of a reinforced concrete containment vessel (RCCV) used in the latest advanced boiling water reactors (ABWR). Shaking table tests were conducted on it with input motions corresponding to or exceeding a design earthquake assumed for a real Nuclear Power Plant.The objectives of the tests were to verify the structural integrity and the leak-proof functional soundness of the RCCV subjected to design earthquakes, and to determine the ultimate strength and seismic margin by an excitation that led to the model's collapse. The model, the test sequence and the pressure and leak test results were addressed in Part 1. The shaking table test method, the input motions and the test results, including the transition of the model's stiffness, natural frequencies and damping factors and the effects of vertical input motions and internal pressure on the model's characteristics and behavior, the load–deformation, the ultimate strength, the failure mode of the reinforced concrete portion and the liner plate are described here. The seismic safety margin that was evaluated by the energy input during the failure test to a design basis earthquake will be described in Part 3. The analytical results of simulation using the multi-lumped mass model will be described in Part 4.     

Effect of gravity on InGaSb crystal growth

The effect of gravity on dissolution of GaSb in InSb melt and growth of InGaSb was experimentally investigated. Experiments were carried out in a GaSb(seed)/InSb/GaSb(feed) sandwich system under an imposed temperature gradient. In the experiments, the GaSb feed crystal dissolved into the InSb melt to supply the required GaSb component for the growth of In_0.1Ga_0.9Sb crystal. Two parameters were considered: (1) the inclination angle (θ) of the sample for gravity as 0° and 53°, and (2) the sample diameter (D) as 9 mm and 5mm. When θ was 0°, the interface was almost flat, indicating that convection was axisymmetric and stable. Whereas the interface was distorted towards gravitational direction when θ was 53°, indicating that solutal convection was dominant. The decrease of growth temperature and sample diameter reduced the distortion of interface and the dissolution amount of GaSb feed. The homogeneous crystals were grown at the initial growth stage by supplying the GaSb component during growth.     

Comparison of land surface emissivity and radiometric temperature derived from MODIS and ASTER sensors

This study compared surface emissivity and radiometric temperature retrievals derived from data collected with the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) sensors, onboard the NASA's Earth Observation System (EOS)-TERRA satellite. Two study sites were selected: a semi-arid area located in northern Chihuahuan desert, USA, and a Savannah landscape located in central Africa. Atmospheric corrections were performed using the MODTRAN 4 atmospheric radiative transfer code along with atmospheric profiles generated by the National Center for Environmental Predictions (NCEP). Atmospheric radiative properties were derived from MODTRAN 4 calculations according to the sensor swaths, which yielded different strategies from one sensor to the other. The MODIS estimates were then computed using a designed Temperature-Independent Spectral Indices of Emissivity (TISIE) method. The ASTER estimates were derived using the Temperature Emissivity Separation (TES) algorithm. The MODIS and ASTER radiometric temperature retrievals were in good agreement when the atmospheric corrections were similar, with differences lower than 0.9 K. The emissivity estimates were compared for MODIS/ASTER matching bands at 8.5 and 11 μm. It was shown that the retrievals agreed well, with RMSD ranging from 0.005 to 0.015, and biases ranging from −0.01 to 0.005. At 8.5 μm, the ranges of emissivities from both sensors were very similar. At 11 μm, however, the ranges of MODIS values were broader than those of the ASTER estimates. The larger MODIS values were ascribed to the gray body problem of the TES algorithm, whereas the lower MODIS values were not consistent with field references. Finally, we assessed the combined effects of spatial variability and sensor resolution. It was shown that for the study areas we considered, these effects were not critical.     

In situ spectral calibration method for the impurity influx monitor (divertor) for ITER using angled physical contact fibers

The in situ calibration method for the impurity influx monitor (divertor) is experimentally examined. The total reflectance of the optical path from the focal point of the Cassegrain telescope to the first mirror is derived using a micro retroreflector array. An optical fiber with angled physical contact (APC) connectors reduces the return edge reflection. APC fibers and a multimode coupler increase the signal-to-noise ratio by about one order compared to that of triple-branched fibers and enable measurement of the wavelength dependence of the total reflectance of the optical system even after potential deterioration of mirror surfaces reduces reflectance.     

Synthesis of New Pb-Based 1222 Cuprates Containing Phosphorus, (Pb0.75P0.25)Sr2(RE2–x–y Ce x Sr y )Cu2O z (RE = Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Y)

New Pb-based 1222 cuprates containing phosphorus have been synthesized in the (Pb_0.75P_0.25)Sr₂- (RE_2–x–y Ce _x Sr _y )Cu₂O _z (RE = Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Y) systems. The almost-single phase samples are obtained for 0.5≤x≤1.0 and y=0.1 in the cases of RE = Nd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Y, while for 0.3≤x≤1.0 and y=0.1 in the cases of RE = Sm, Eu and Gd. The samples crystallize in a tetragonal lattice, the lattice parameters a and c are decreasing with the decrease of the ionic radius of the RE element. Even after annealing under 143 atm O₂ atmosphere at 400 °C, almost all the samples with the common values x=0.5 and y=0.1 are semiconductors with a transport process followed by three-dimensional variable range hopping. However, the samples of RE = Sm, Eu and Gd, which are of almost single 1222 phase, even for x=0.3 and y=0.1, show superconductivity with the onsets at about 25 K, 20 K and 22 K, respectively. Through this study, we find very important procedure for discovery of new superconducting 1222 compound.     

Heat Capacity of Dilute 3He–4He Films on Graphite

The heat capacity of dilute ³He–⁴He films is measured to clarify whether the second adsorbed layer of ⁴He films on graphite solidify into the so-called “4/7 phase.” The ³He areal density is fixed at 0.2 nm^?2, whereas the ⁴He areal density is gradually increased. The measured heat capacities suddenly decrease with an increasing areal density approaching that of the 4/7 phase. Above the areal density of the 4/7 phase, the heat capacities do not reduce completely to zero and have finite values. The behavior of the heat capacity does not change over a rather wide areal density regime, although it suddenly increases or recovers at around the areal density of the third-layer promotion. These behaviors can be interpreted as the separation of ³He–⁴He mixture films into a ³He-rich phase and a ⁴He-rich phase, with the ³He-rich phase solidifying into the 4/7 phase and the ⁴He-rich phase remaining fluid below the areal density of the third-layer promotion. These observations strongly suggest that a ⁴He film adsorbed on a graphite surface does not solidify into the 4/7 phase.     

Moisture profiles of wheat noodles containing hydroxypropylated tapioca starch

Wheat noodles were prepared using flour to which hydroxypropylated tapioca starch was added, and the effect of this addition on the moisture distribution within the noodles during cooking was examined using a digital image processing technique. The addition of the modified starch slightly increased the moisture content and narrowed the flat distribution near the noodle surface. The distribution features reflected the changes in the water absorption behaviour caused by the properties of the modified starch and the reduction in the gluten content. Addition of the modified starch lowered Young's modulus and the energy for 99% strain of the noodles in the texture analysis to, at maximum 35% and 65%, and decreased the breakability of the noodles. These changes in the moisture distribution and textural properties have been ascribed to changes in both the state of the starch granules near the surface and the structure of the gluten network.