The future of nuclear power in Europe: a response

Two interlinked and complex problems face energy policy‐makers: future energy supplies and climate change. The choices made on energy mix will lock development pathways for some considerable time ahead. Climate change is a challenging problem. Decarbonising the energy system requires sustainable and environmentally friendly technologies that work within the context of the planetary environment and do not cause “collateral damage”. Several approaches are available. But nuclear power is an unsustainable technology that has already caused “collateral damage” and will leave a toxic legacy of waste, for which there appears to be no solution. Including nuclear in a future energy system is a step in the wrong direction.     

Environmental status at the Indian Antarctic station — Maitri

A set of procedural guidelines have been developed in 1991 for evaluating the environmental impact of scientific research programs and their associated logistic support facilities in Antarctica. In view of this, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study of the Indian Antarctic station — Maitri was conducted during the austral summer of 1994–95. Studies covered different components of environment, viz. air, noise, water, wastewater, solid waste and land. Different sources of pollution were identified and the samples were analyzed to assess the current status of environment. The present communication delineates not only the details of the studies undertaken, but also suggests guidelines towards effective Environmental Management Plan (EMP) so as to mitigate the adverse impacts likely to be caused by various activities.     

An analysis of Australia’s carbon pollution reduction scheme

The authors review the decision‐making since the Labour Government came into office (November 2007). The Australian Government’s ‘Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme’ White Paper (15 December 2008) proposes that an Australian Emissions Trading Scheme (AETS) be implemented in mid‐2010. Acknowledging that the scheme is comprehensive, the paper finds that in many cases, Australia will take a softer approach to climate change through the AETS than the European Union ETS (EUETS). The paper assesses key issues in the White Paper such as emissions reduction targets, GHG coverage, sectoral coverage, inclusion of unlimited quantities of offsets from Kyoto international markets and exclusion of deforestation activities.     

Study of Cosmic Ray Impact on Planck/HFI Low Temperature Detectors

Once that the focal plane of the HFI instrument of the Planck mission (launched in May 2009) has reached operational temperature, we have observed the thermal effect of cosmic ray interaction with the Planck satellite, located at Lagrangian point L2. When a particle hits a component of the bolometers (e.g.: thermometer, grid or wafer) composing the focal plane of HFI, a thermal spike (called glitch), due to deposited energy, is observed. Processing these data revealed another effect due to high energy cosmic ray particle showers: High Coincidence Events (HCE), composed of glitches occurring coincidentally in many detectors and with a temperature increase from nK to \(\upmu \) K after the shower. A flux of about 100 HCE per hour has been calculated. Two types of HCE have been detected: fast and slow. For the first type, the untouched bolometers reach the same temperature as the touched ones in a few seconds which can be explained by a storage of the deposited energy in the stainless steel focal plane. The second type of HCE is not fully understood yet. These effects might be explained by extra conduction from the helium released from cryogenic surfaces, creating a temporary thermal link between the different stages of the HFI.     

Time‐Evolution of TATB‐Based Irreversible Thermal Expansion (Ratchet Growth)

TATB is an insensitive high explosive, attractive for use because of its safety aspects. TATB compactions, with or without binder, undergo irreversible volume expansion (or ratchet growth) upon thermal cycling. In the past, experimental elucidation of this phenomenon has focused on irreversible expansion as a function of the number of thermal excursions over a given temperature range, where growth is asymptotic with increasing cycle number. In this paper, we demonstrate that ratchet growth also occurs as a function of time at constant temperature, and that growth is substantial at elevated temperatures. We have measured strain response in PBX 9502, a TATB‐based composite, by performing thermal‐cycling tests with different durations at high temperature. Irreversible growth arises from the thermal ramps themselves (increasing and decreasing), as well as from the subsequent isotherms. PBX 9502 specimens with previously‐identified TATB texture/orientation were used in order to eliminate and/or evaluate texture as a variable. Measurements were also performed on dry‐pressed TATB (no binder) to confirm that expansion as a function of time (constant temperature) is not caused by the binder. A simple analysis of the time‐response data demonstrates consistency in the results. We propose that the primary driving force for irreversible expansion is the proximity of the current strain value (due to thermal history) to the strain saturation point of the current cycle (i.e. strain at infinite high‐temperature hold times or an infinite number of cycles). Such tests should aid in the understanding and modeling of ratchet growth response in these materials.     

2: The University of Pennsylvania

Continuing the series of articles on graduate programs in American schools of architecture that began with a contribution from the University of California in the September 1963 issue, G. Holmes Perkins discusses the changing conditions in architectural practice which make for a lengthening of the architect's education at the undergraduate level and in graduate study a diversity of specializations undreamed of a few years ago; he then goes on to describe the measures with which the University of Pennsylvania is seeking to meet the challenge of the future. Professor Perkins, besides being Dean of the Graduate School of Fine Arts at Pennsylvania, is Chairman of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and Chancellor of the College of Fellows, The American Institute of Architects.     

Windloader KBS - from prototype to the market

The Australian Standard, Minimum Design Loads on Structures: Part 2-Wind Loads (AS 1170.2) has been extensively revised, and many comments made during the public revision have been incorporated. The text has also been represented in a rule-based form using expert systems techniques, providing further input to the SAA Committee work by checking for logical inconsistencies and, in addition, using graphical input to enhance use of the Code and to avoid input errors. The paper will show how AS 11 70.2 (hereafter called the Wind Code) has been transferred into knowledge-based form, pointing out some of the problems that have been encountered and are likely to occur during any similar process:

• A Code text written for manual use will, in general, not be as well organized, complete and logically consistent as a computer software version requires to avoid failure.

• The computer version of the document must be understood by the experts to make validation of the knowledge base possible.

• Only very expensive commercial expert system shells give sufficient support for table handling and advanced mathematics. This has now been overcome by the development of C functions in the CSIRO BX-shell and subsequently ported into the CRYSTAL shell.

• Explanation facilities in the form of pictures, text and line of reasoning have to please both experts and end users.

• A ‘fast track’ for experienced users has to be provided to avoid wasting time with unnecessary questions.

The present version of WINDLOADER, written originally in the CSIRO BX-shell has now been ported to the CRYSTAL (IBM PC-based) shell and also partly to an object-oriented version under the NEXPERT OBJECT shell, interfaced to Hyper-card on a colour Mac II.     

Precipitation Coating of Monazite on Woven Ceramic Fibers: I. Feasibility

Monazite coatings were deposited on woven cloths and tows of Nextel™ 610 fibers by heterogeneous nucleation and growth using solution precursors. Initial experiments revealed two coating regimes in which monazite was either precipitated both in solution and onto the fiber surfaces or only onto the fiber surfaces depending on the precursor solution concentration and fiber surface area. In both cases, regions of tightly packed fibers within cloth were uncoated. Image analysis of coated fiber cross sections revealed a strong correlation between fiber separation and coating thickness, suggesting that the coating of tightly packed fibers was limited by transport of the reactants in solution to these areas. By adopting a coating procedure in which the tightly packed regions are saturated with reactants before precipitation, more uniform coatings of monazite were obtained throughout the cloth; however, the strength of as-coated and heat-treated fibers was degraded and remains problematic.