The potentiometric behaviour of copolymers of methacrylic acid in water-ethanol solutions

Summary The synthesis is reported of copolymers of styrene with methacrylic acid and of methyl methacrylate with methacrylic acid by radical copolymerization, of copolymers of methyl methacrylate with methacrylic acid by partial alkaline hydrolysis of poly(methyl methacrylate), and of block copolymers of styrene with methacrylic acid. Modified titration curves of all these copolymers were recorded in water and water-ethanol solutions. In a solution containing 50 mass.% ethanol, only small differences could be observed between the potentiometric behaviour of the individual copolymers and polymethacrylic acid. Also, there were no essential differences in any of the solvents used between the potentiometric behaviour of block copolymers of styrene with methacrylic acid, on the one hand, and polymethacrylic acid, on the other. On the contrary, maxima and minima were always observed on the modified titration curves of statistical copolymers with a higher content of the hydrophobic comonomer in solutions with a high water content. Thus, using the modified titration curves, it is possible to decide whether a given copolymer is of the block or statistical type.     

Stability of Pu(VI) and Pu(V) in aqueous formate solutions

The behavior of Pu(VI), Pu(V), and Pu(IV) in K(Li,Na)HCO₂ and HCOOH + Li(Na)HCO₂ solutions was studied by spectrophotometry. Changes in the spectra of a Pu(VI) solution, observed on adding alkali metal formates, suggest formation of Pu(VI) formate complexes. Changes in the absorption spectra of Pu(V), observed with an increase in the concentration of LiHCO₂ or NaHCO₂, suggest the appearance of Pu(V) formate complexes. The absorption spectra of Pu(IV) indicate that, in a wide range of formate concentrations, the composition of the Pu(IV) formate complexes under the examined conditions is constant. The Pu(VI) content in formate solutions decreases at a rate exceeding the rate of the Pu(VI) disappearance in 0.5–2 M HClO₄ under the action of the ²³⁹Pu α-radiation. The tendency of Pu(V) to reduction and disproportionation in formate solutions depends in a complex fashion on the formate ion concentration and kind of the alkali metal. The kinetics of the Pu(V) consumption in HCOOH + Li(Na)HCO₂ solutions was studied. The reaction starts with the formation of a Pu(V) formate complex, which interacts with Pu(V) aqua ions and Pu(V) formate complex to form dimers, with their subsequent protonation and transformation into Pu(VI) and Pu(IV).     

Improving the reliability of electric drives of exhausters of the oxygen-converter process

This paper deals with increasing the reliability of electric drives of exhausters of the oxygen-converter process. The dependences of the reliability parameters in the electrical converter–electric motor system on the power reserve were obtained. The costs for the installed equipment were taken as an optimization criterion. It is noted that improving the reliability of an electric drive is possible both by increasing the overall power of the power unit and by changing the number of phases. It is shown that the reliability of the system can be improved in a synchronous electric drive with pulse-vector control at the reservation of a semiconductor converter. A mathematical model of the electrical converter–reluctance motor with a field-regulated machine complex is proposed. The results of the mathematical modeling of the synchronous electric drive with pulse-vector control are considered. The dependence of the specific electric parameters on the number of phases is determined.     

A traction electric drive for electric cars

It is advisable to use a controlled electric drive in electric drives of electric off-road vehicles due to its significant multiplicity of the supported torque (5: 1 and higher) in a low-power mode. Such overloads can be achieved, for example, in electric drives with a field-regulated reluctance machine, not only because of the capacity of the electric machines, but also due to the choice of the drive control system. Analysis of requirements for the electric drive of an electric vehicle is performed, and the influence of the control method on the specific parameters is considered. Analysis of the number of independent control actions in synchronous reluctance electric drives is provided. The possibility of increasing the overload multiplicity of the torque by abandoning the vector control in favor of structures similar to dc drive systems is shown.