Perspective channel-type reactor with enhanced safety

Following the search for new design solutions to develop within the framework of channel trends the reactor with enhanced safety the Research and Development Institute of Power Engineering has developed the design of the multiloop boiling water reactor (MKER). The MKER enhanced safety is attained when involving the inherent safety features, passive safety systems as well as the accident consequences confinement devices. The design realizes several advantages which are typical of the channel-type reactors, namely: the design desintegration simplifying the manufacture, control, equipment delivery and decreasing, versus the pressure vessel reactors, the accident effect if it proceeds in an explosive manner; small operating reactivity margin and fuel burnup increased due to continuous refuelling; fuel cycle flexibility allowing comparatively easily to adopt the reactor to the conjuncture of the country fuel balance; multiloop circuit of the main coolant which reduces the degree and effect of the accidents connected with the equipment and pipings rupture; monitoring of the channels and fuel assemblies leak-tightness.     

Measurement of interfacial area concentration in subcooled liquid-vapour flow

In two-fluid modelling, accurate prediction of the interfacial transport of mass, momentum and energy is required. Experiments were carried out to obtain a database for the development of interfacial transport models, or correlations, for subcooled water-steam flow in vertical conduits. The experimental data of interest included the interfacial area concentration, interfacial condensation heat transfer and bubble relative velocity. This paper focuses on the interfacial area concentration. The interfacial area concentration was obtained by measuring the distributions of bubble volume and surface area as well as the area-averaged void fraction at various axial locations in subcooled water-steam condensing vertical upward flow under low flow rate and low pressure conditions. The bubble size and surface area were determined using high-speed photography and digital image processing techniques. The area-averaged void fraction was measured by a single-beam gamma densitometer. The results were compared with existing correlations, which were developed on the basis of data obtained for air-water adiabatic flows. Poor agreement between the present data and the existing correlations was obtained. Accordingly, new correlations suitable for subcooled liquid-vapour bubbly flow are proposed.     

A test piece for mechanical testing of fiber composite materials

This article describes a test piece that minimizes the spread of the results of testing of composite materials on a metal base by extension in the direction of a reinforcing fiber and, from the results, determines the mechanical properties of intermediate and finished products made of these materials.Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 10, pp. 39–40, October, 1993.     

Modeling of silicon diffusion in gallium arsenide

A model is developed and a study is performed for amphoteric diffusion of silicon in gallium arsenide. A comparison of predictions with experimental data indicated adequacy of the devised model and high efficiency of the numerical method for solving the diffusion equation.Belorussian State University, Minsk. Minsk Radio Engineering Institute. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 65, No. 5, pp. 567–572, November, 1993.     

Development of an octocalcium phosphate cement

From previous studies it is known that alpha-tertiary calcium phosphate and dicalcium phosphate form a cement upon mixing with water. In this study this cement was optimized in terms of the milling of the constituents, their molar ratio, the amount of hydroxyapatite added and the water/powder ratio. The optimum Ca/P molar ratio of the cement mixture was 1.36±0.03. X-ray diffraction showed the reaction product to be octocalcium phosphate. Addition of precipitated hydroxypatite of over 3% diminished the final strength of the cement significantly. However, admixtures of only 2% of precipitated hydroxyapatite (a) kept the final compressive strength at 30±5 MPa after soaking in Ringers solution at 37°C, (b) diminished the initial setting time from 27.5 to 10 min and the final setting time from 65 to 40 min, (c) diminished the time in which the final strength was reached from 36 to less than 14 h. The tensile strength of this cement is 19±1% of its compressive strength. The optimum water/powder ratio as found in this study was 0.30 g/g.     

On the maximal achievable accuracy in nonlinear filtering problems

The optimal filtering error for a class of nonlinear cone-bounded filtering problems is analyzed for the case of observation noise intensity tending to zero. A sufficient condition for the resulting optimal error covariance matrix to tend to zero is derived by relating the nonlinear filtering problems to linear ones. The results are specialized for the case of nonlinear autoregressive moving-average (ARMA) processes     

Relation between abrasion resistance and flexural strength of high volume fly ash concrete

In this paper, abrasion of high volume fly ash (HVFA) concretes made with 50% and 70% of cement replacement with fly ash was assessed in terms of its relation to flexural tensile strength. Comparisons were made between normal Portland cement (NPC) concrete and fly ash concrete. Comparisons were also made between fly ash concretes. Investigation results have shown that the abrasion resistance increased as flexural tensile strength increased. Analysis of the results showed that, for concrete with tensile strength of greater than 4–5 MPa, the abrasion resistance of HVFA concrete with 70% replacement with cement was found to be higher than that of counterpart control NPC concrete and concrete made with 50% fly ash. The comparison between the relation of abrasion to compressive strength and abrasion to flexural tensile strength made in terms of R² of the linear regression showed that a stronger relation existed between abrasion and flexural tensile strength than that of abrasion to compressive strength of the concrete studied.

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Résumé L'étude a pour but d'estimer la relation entre la résistance à l'usure avec la résistance à la traction en flexion des bétons contenant de 50% et 70% de cendres volantes. On a comparé le béton pur au béton contenant des cendres volantes. Des comparaisons ont été faites également entre les différents bétons contenant des cendres volantes. Les resultats de la recherche ont montré que la résistance à l'usure augmente à mesure que la résistance à la traction en flexion de 4∼5 MPa ont une résistance à l'usure plus grande s'ils contienneint 70% de cendres volantes que s'ils étaient purs ou contenaient 50% de cendres volantes. La comparaison entre les relation de la résistance à l'usure en compression et de la résistance à l'usure en traction a été établie en termes de R² de la régression linéaire. On a prouvé qu'une relation plus forte a été obtenue entre la résistance à l'usure et la résistance à la traction en flexion par rapport à la résistance à l'usure en compression du béton étudié.

     

Analysis of line-commutated converters during unbalanced operatingconditions

In this paper, a method of analyzing the salient performance characteristics of line-commutated power converters during unbalanced operating conditions is presented. Simple analytical relationships are established which relate the negative-sequence component of AC current to the negative-sequence component of voltage. These results are verified using a detailed valve-by-valve simulation of a line-commutated inverter connected to a photovoltaic array