Thermal behaviour of TiO2-encapsulating polymers

Comparing the thermal properties of TiO₂ encapsulating polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) with those of TiO₂ dispersion polymers it was found that the encapsulating polymers have two thermal relaxation regions. The activation energy of those thermal relaxation regions was determined using the Wunderlich method and it was found that the values are similar to the activation energy for the dynamic dispersion. It is suggested that the low-temperature thermal relaxation is caused by the local change of conformation of molecular chains, while the high-temperature thermal relaxation is similar to that of the normal glass transition temperature including the interaction with TiO₂. In addition, the thermal behaviour near the degradation point in different atmospheres indicates that the encapsulating polymer has a specific structure for adsorbing a large amount of oxygen.     

Optimal planning for introducing dispersed generating sources in power systems based on an economical viewpoint

This paper discusses optimal planning problems for dispersed generating sources so as to provide a guideline for their introduction to power systems. First, a recursive method is developed from the viewpoint of supplying electric power only where solutions for one unit are superposed. The computational loads are decreased by selecting alternatives of buses based on the so-called penalty factor. However, for effective utilization of dispersed generating sources, it is indispensable to consider their thermal merits in addition to electric power. After applying the Kuhn-Tucker theory to the optimal dispatching problem including boiler fuel costs, thermal values of the dispersed generating units are evaluated quantitatively. Finally, the above-mentioned technique for the optimal planning basically is also effective and is extended into this case. The validity of the proposed algorithms are demonstrated using a real-scale model system.     

Experimental investigation of sodium boiling in partially blocked fuel subassemblies

Out-of-pile experiments were conducted to examine local sodium boiling in two wire-wrapped 37-pin bundles simulating LMFBR fuel subassemblies. The central 24 subchannels were blocked in the first bundle, and a edge part of bundle cross-sectional area was blocked in the other. The boiling modes observed in the wake were irregular nucleate, oscillatory and stationary. Three different types of boiling transition were identified, which were characterized by the temperature gradient around the two-phase voiding region. Dryout occurred not in the irregular nucleate boiling mode, but in both the stationary and oscillatory boiling modes. The coolability margin is considered to be 20 to 30% in terms of power-to-flow ratio from the incipient boiling to the occurrence of dryout.     

Power factor improvement of single‐phase diode rectifier circuit by field‐weakening of inverter‐driven IPM motor

This paper proposes a novel inverter drive system to improve the input power factor of single‐phase diode rectifier. Conventional rectifiers need a high‐frequency switching device and a reactor to improve the input power factor. However, the proposed power converter does not need the switching device, electrolytic capacitor, or reactor. By making many ripples across the DC‐bus voltage, the input power factor can be improved. The proposed system consists of only a single‐phase diode rectifier, small film capacitor, three‐phase inverter, and motor. The proposed system adopts an interior permanent magnet (IPM) synchronous motor. The IPM motor is well known as a high‐efficiency motor and can realize field weakening. The basic ideas of the inverter control method are based on the following operations: the inverter's controlled synchronous with the DC‐bus ripple voltage by field‐weakening method, and direct active power feeding from the source side to the motor without smoothing the DC‐bus voltage. This paper describes that the proposed method can obtain an input power factor of 97.3% by experimental tests, and realizes the goals of small size and long life of the system. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 152(2): 66–73, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20047     

Large-field (> 20 × 25 mm) replication by EUV lithography

A two-aspherical-mirror system designed for large-area, high-resolution pattern replication has been developed. In order to expand the exposure area to 20 mm × 25 mm, new critical-illumination optics and a scanning mask stage synchronized with the wafer stage were developed. These improvements enabled the reduction of patterns in a large exposure field.     

Surface Superconducting State of Heavy-Fermion Superconductor CeIrIn5 Probed by CeIrIn5-Ag Junctions

The CeIrIn₅-Ag junctions of about 2×10^–9 cm^–2 area have been made using microfabrication techniques, and the surface superconducting state of CeIrIn₅, which has two characteristic temperatures T ₀ and T _c, has been investigated, where T ₀ and T _c are the transition temperature to zero-resistivity state and the bulk, thermodynamic transition temperature, respectively. The temperature, below which superconducting anomalies are observed, varies from junction to junction, and yet it is always well above T _c=0.4 K. This result, together with no indication of transition at T _c, suggests that at least the surface of CeIrIn₅ is in the superconducting state above T _c. The data on the critical current I _c in superconducting anomalies point to the possibility to define a local transition temperature for each junction.     

Change in pore structure and composition of hardened cement paste during the process of dissolution

An understanding about the dissolution phenomena of cement hydrates is important to assess changes in the long-term performance of radioactive waste disposal facilities. To investigate the alteration associated with dissolution, dissolution tests of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) hydrates were performed.Through observation of the samples after leaching, it was confirmed that ettringite precipitation increased as the dissolution of the portlandite and the C-S-H gel progressed. EPMA performed on cross-sections of the solid phase showed a clear difference between the altered and unaltered parts. The boundary between the two parts was termed the portlandite (CH) dissolution front. As the leaching period became longer, the CH dissolution front shifted toward the inner part of the sample. A linear relationship was derived by plotting the distance moved by the CH dissolution front against the square root of the leaching time. This indicated Ca ion movement by diffusion.     

Effects of porosity on leaching of Ca from hardened ordinary Portland cement paste

Aiming at evaluating the effects of porosity in hardened cement paste on dissolution phenomena, we prepared hardened ordinary Portland cement (OPC), with variation in pore volume, and then leached them in deionized water. It was found that the bulk density and pore volume were affected by the dissolution of portlandite. The larger the pore volume of the sample, the more rapidly portlandite is dissolved. An electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) performed on the cross-section of the solid phase showed the ‘portlandite (CH) dissolution front’. As the leaching period became longer, the CH dissolution front shifted towards the inner part. In addition, the movement of the CH dissolution front was described by the diffusion model, with consideration of the dissolution of portlandite. It was concluded that the transport of leached constituents is diffusion controlled, and the major leached constituents of hardened OPC are portlandite and C-S-H gel. Large pore, which was generated associated with the leaching of portlandite, was considered significantly to affect the diffusion of leached constituents.