Magnet Safety Assessment for ITER

The ITER magnet system consists of structurally linked sets of toroidal (TF) and poloidal (PF) field coils, central solenoid (CS), and various support structures. The coils are superconducting, force flow Helium cooled with a Kapton-Glass-Epoxy multilayer insulation system. The stored magnetic energy is about 100GJ in the TF system and 20GJ in the PF-CS. Coils and structure are maintained at 4 K by enclosing them in a vacuum cryostat. The cryostat, comprising an outer envelope to the magnets, forms most of the second radioactivity confinement barrier. The inner primary barrier is formed by the vacuum vessel, its ports and their extensions. To keep the machine size within acceptable bounds, it is essential that the magnets are in close proximity to both of the nuclear confinement barriers. The objective of the magnet design is that, although local damage to one of the barriers may occur in very exceptional circumstances, large scale magnet structural or thermal failure leading to simultaneous breaching of both barriers is not credible. Magnet accidents fall into three categories: thermal (which includes arcing arising from insulation failure and local overheating due to discharge failure in the event of a superconductor quench), structural (which includes component mechanical failure arising from material inadequacies, design errors and exceptional force patterns arising from coil shorts or control failures), and fluid (Helium release due to cooling line failure). After a preliminary survey to select initial faults conceivable within the present design, these faults are systematically analyzed to provide an assessment of the damage potential. The results of this damage assessment together with an assessment of the reliability of the monitoring and protective systems, shows that the magnets can operate with the required safety condition.     

Acrylonitrile-based copolymers: Synthesis,characterization, and formation of ultrafiltration membranes utilized for the immobilization of proteins

Various high molecular weight copolymers of acrylonitrile and a vinyl comonomer containing an aryl amine, a pyridine, or an aliphatic hydroxyl group were synthesized via slurry polymerization techniques so as to contain from 1 to 15 mol % functional comonomer. The comonomer content was quantitated by ultraviolet absorbance, base titration of acid polymer salts, and/or relative chemical reactivity with trichloro-s-triazine. Thin films were cast from copolymer solutions, coagulated into unsupported ultrafiltration membrances, and characterized with respect to both water permeability and pore size distribution. Analysis by size exclusion chromatography of the membrane permeate of a pool of dextran fractions yielded a continuous distribution curve for membrane pore size over the range 1.5 to 70 nm. The ultrafiltration membranes were used for protein immobilization after appropriate chemical activation. The three distinct types of functional copolymers gave comparable results for α-chymotrypsin, with protein weight loadings of 6–12% and 40–65% retention of enzymatic specific activity.     

Memory and hypnosis: Implications for the use of forensic hypnosis.

I review arguments regarding hypnosis in forensic investigations, offer procedures of a nonhypnotic nature to enhance memory recall, and suggest guidelines for hypnosis in criminal cases. The effects of hypnosis on memory, as well as the concomitant dangers regarding those effects, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Application of infrared reflectance spectroscopy to the analysis of milk and dairy products

A method for the rapid, simultaneous determination of protein, fat, carbohydrate, non-protein nitrogen and total solids in milk and liquid dairy products by infrared reflectance spectroscopy is presented. The method is calibrated against known standards obtained by conventional, time-consuming wet chemical methods but, once calibrated, can be operated routinely by non-skilled personnel. The method is sensitive and accurate down to 0·5% w/v and can be applied to most liquid samples without any need for prior preparation.     

The importance of glossaries

Standards cannot be set, specifications cannot be written uniformly and unambiguously, and methods cannot be described succinctly, without an agreed terminology. Producing a glossary is a painstaking process and the fundamental principles involved are described. Some difficulties and misunderstandings are identified.     

WALL AND PARTICLE-SHAPE EFFECTS ON HEAT TRANSFER IN PACKED BEDS

The effective radial thermal conductivity and apparent heat transfer coefficient for a packed bed were experimentally determined for beds of spheres, full cylinders and hollow cylinders, for flow rates giving particle Reynolds numbers in the range 100-1000, and for tube to particle diameter ratios of 5-12. Over these ranges the radial Peclet number Pe_r showed significant dependence on solid conductivity, gas flow rate and particle shape, while the wall Biot number Bi showed significant dependence on tube to particle diameter ratio, gas flow rate and particle shape. These dependencies were predicted well by equations incorporating the effects of these variables into individual gas and solid phase parameters, which were then combined to give the effective or lumped parameters     

Fiber Coating Concepts for Brittle-Matrix Composites

The current interest in tough, high-temperature materials has motivated fiber coating development for brittle-matrix composites with brittle reinforcements. Such coatings are needed for controlled interface debonding and frictional sliding. The system investigated in this study was sapphire fiber-reinforced alumina. This system is thermochemically stable for severe use conditions, exhibits little thermal expansion mismatch, and utilizes the excellent strength and creep resistance of sapphire reinforcements. Porous oxide and refractory metal coatings which satisfy requirements for toughness improvement in these composites were identified by employing a variety of newly developed mechanical testing techniques for determining the interfacial fracture energies and sliding resistances.