Efficiency of reduction of nitrogen oxides in ceramic filters

Calculated results and experimental data on the efficiency of the processes of reduction of nitrogen oxides in the channels of ceramic packings of high-temperature filters are presented. A method for evaluating the quality of cleaning of flue gases of nitrogen oxides in a temperature range of 600–900°C for different perforation densities in ceramic filter packings is described. The possible limits of control over the cleaning coefficient in the deposition of refractory catalytic coatings on the surface of the channels of filter packings and rational structural and regime characteristics of the filters that make it possible to attain a cleaning coefficient as high as 40 – 45% are established.Translated from Ogneupory i Tekhnicheskaya Keramika, No. 6, pp. 21 – 23, June, 1996.     

Effect of plastic deformation on the electrical resistivity of metals

Results from measurements of the electrical resistivity of copper and aluminum conductors under the action of a plane shock wave, and also analysis of the relationship between the electrical resistivity and the hydrostatic pressure and of the theoretical temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity, has made it possible to elucidate the role of defect formation due to the plastic deformation of the metal and to determine its contribution to the increase in electrical resisitivity of the metal. It has been established that the concentration of defects depends on the pressure gradient in a plane shock wave.Institute of Dynamics of Geospheres, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow 117334. Translated from Fizika Goreniya i Vzryva, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 47–53, May–June, 1995.     

Frequency transfer function of an opto-pneumatic detector

An example of an opto-pneumatic detector's (OPD) frequency transfer function is presented for the development of an opto-pneumatic interface. The theoretical model is tested through experiments in the laboratory on a real OPD prototype. In this way many of the model's parameters are studied and evaluated, such as the dimensions of the gas chamber, the thickness of the absorbent body, and the load of the OPD. The results obtained are good and show the utility of the studies described here.     

Deformation of a rectangular plate half-embedded in an elastic base

We have investigated the deformation of a rectangular plate half-embedded in an elastic base and subjected to a mechanical load. Using the apparatus of generalized functions, the problem is reduced to a system of singular integral equations which is solved by the boundary element method. We present the results in the form of isolines of the components of the displacement vector.Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 3, pp. 72–77, March, 1996.     

Automated two-component laser doppler anemometer for measuring turbulence parameters in a gas stratification wind tunnel

A four-beam two-component laser Doppler anemometer (LDA) with a two-dimensional Raman-Nath ultrasonic cell and a spectral-type integral adaptive signal processor has been developed for measuring the components of the mean flow velocity, turbulence energy, and turbulent shear in a gas stratification wind tunnel. The operation of the system and the data reduction are controlled by running custom-made software on an IBM PC with a CAMAC interface. Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 6, pp. 40–46, June, 1996.     

The water purification system for the low background counting test facility of the Borexino experiment at Gran Sasso

The Borexino experiment, for the study of solar neutrino physics, requires radiopurity at the level of 5 × 10⁻¹⁶ g/g ²³⁸U equivalent (or 6 × 10⁻⁹ Bq/kg) on a detector mass of many tons of scintillator. Feasibility studies are performed in a counting test facility now operating at LNGS, which consists of 4 t of liquid scintillator viewed by 100 photomultipliers and shielded by 100 t of water. The accomplishment of this goal requires the shielding liquid, water, to be at the 10⁻¹³ g/g contamination level (1.2 × 10⁻⁶ Bq/kg) or better. This paper describes the water purification system; it consists of a combination of several purification processes to remove particulate, radioactive ions, dissolved gases and other impurities. Residual contaminations are measured by analytical or direct-counting techniques. For radon measurement, particularly challenging at this low activity levels, a low background counting method has been developed.     

Improving the accuracy of autotransformer and transformer alternating-current bridges

Variable-ratio and computational methods are described for improving the accuracy of autotransformer and transformer ac bridges that take into account and eliminate the additive and multiplicative components of the systematic error due to connecting leads and jumpers of the measuring circuit. Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 6, pp. 61–63, June, 1996.     

High-pressure dc sputtering of High-Tc BPSCCO thin films withTc(0) above 100 K

High-T _c Bi(Pb)-Sr-Ca-Cu-O thin films have been made on single-crystal MgO substrates using high-pressure dc sputtering technique. X-ray studies confirm the crystallinity and highly oriented structure withc-axis perpendicular to the substrate. By optimizing the annealing schedule the formation of the high-T _c phase is stabilized. The best film exhibited superconducting transition temperature with zero-resistance temperature,T _c(0), as high as 101 K. Temperature dependence ofJ _c indicates the presence of Josephson-type weak links.