Consolidation around a borehole embedded in media with double porosity under release of geostatic stresses

The paper deals with the stress, displacement, pore and fissure pressures fields induced by the drilling and/or the pressurization of a vertical borehole in a formation of water-saturated porous media with double porosity. The solution includes the boundary condition of non-hydrostatic in situ state of stress. The solid skeleton is assumed to behave as a linearly poroelastic material with compressible constituents. The analytical solution is derived in Laplace’s space and transformed to the time domain using a numerical inversion technique. The histories of pore and fissure pressures are illustrated to show the influence of permeabilities of the pore and fissure systems.     

Time-resolved imaging of latent fingerprints with nanosecond resolution

Imaging of latent fingerprints using time-resolved (TR) method offers a broader platform to eliminate the unwanted background emission. In this paper, a novel TR imaging technique is demonstrated and implemented, which facilitates the detection of latent fingerprints with nanosecond resolution. Simulated experiments were carried out with two overlapping fingerprints treated with two fluorescent powders having different lifetimes in nanosecond range. The dependence of the fluorescence emission intensity in nanosecond resolution of TR imaging is also revealed.     

Nonvolatile photorefractive holographic recording in Sc:Ce:Cu:LiNbO3

In this paper experimental studies of nonvolatile photorefractive holographic recording in Ce:Cu:LiNbO₃ crystals doped with Sc(0,1,2,3 mol%) were carried out. The Sc:Ce:Cu:LiNbO₃ crystals were grown by the Czochralski method and oxidized in Nb₂O₅ powders. The nonvolatile holographic recording in Sc:Ce:Cu:LiNbO₃ crystals was realized by the two-photon fixed method. We found that the recording time of Sc:Ce:Cu:LiNbO₃ crystal became shorter with the increase of Sc doping concentration, especially doping with Sc(3 mol%), which exceeds the so-called threshold, and there was little loss of nonvolatile diffraction efficiencies between Sc(3 mol%):Ce:Cu:LiNbO₃ and Ce:Cu:LiNbO₃ crystals.     

Monte Carlo ray-tracing simulation for radiative heat transfer in turbulent fluctuating media under the optically thin fluctuation approximation

The Monte Carlo ray-tracing method (MCRT) based on the concept of radiation distribution factor is extended to solve radiative heat transfer problem in turbulent fluctuating media under the optically thin fluctuation approximation. A one-dimensional non-scattering turbulent fluctuating media is considered, in which the mean temperature and absorption coefficient distribution are assumed and the shape of probability density function is given. The distribution of the time-averaged volume radiation heat source is solved by MCRT and direct integration method. It is shown that the results of MCRT based on the concept of radiation distribution factor agree with these of integration solution very well, but results of MCRT based on the concept of radiative transfer coefficient do not agree with these of integration solution. The solution of time-averaged radiative transfer equation by the concept of radiative transfer coefficient should be treated with caution.     

A diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:GdVO4 laser with a GaAs saturable absorption

We have demonstrated a passively Q-switched operation of Nd:GdVO₄ laser in which a GaAs crystal is used as the saturable absorber for the first time as far as we know. A maximum average output power of 1.64 W was obtained at an incident pump power of 12 W, the corresponding optical conversion efficiency and peak power were 13.7% and 116.8 W, respectively. The maximum peak energy obtained in the experiment by 50% transmission couple was 19 μJ.     

Relaxor behavior of (Ba,Sr)(Zr,Ti)O3 ferroelectric ceramics

We examine the ferroelectric-relaxor behavior of (Ba_0.65Sr_0.35)(Zr_0.35Ti_0.65)O₃ (BSZT) ceramics in the temperature range from 80 to 380 K. A broad dielectric maximum, which shifts to higher temperature with increasing frequency, signifies the relaxor-type behavior of these ceramics. The value of the relaxation parameter γ∼2 estimated from the linear fit of the modified Curie-Weiss law, indicates the relaxor nature of the BSZT ceramics. The dielectric relaxation rate follows the Vogel-Fulcher relation with T_VF=107 K, E_a=0.121 eV, and ν₀=6.83×10¹⁴ Hz, further supports such relaxor nature. The slim P-E hysteresis loop and ‘butterfly’ shape dc bias field dependence of permittivity at T>T_m (T_m, the temperature of permittivity maximum) clearly signifies the occurrence of nanopolar clusters, which is the typical characteristic of ferroelectric relaxor. At 300 K and 10 kHz, the dielectric constant and loss tan δ are ∼1100 and 0.0015, respectively. The high tunability (∼25%) and figure of merit (∼130) at room temperature show that the BSZT ceramics could be a promising candidate for tunable capacitor applications.     

Microwave‐improved polymerization of ϵ‐caprolactone initiated by carboxylic acids

The ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL), initiated by carboxylic acids such as benzoic acid and chlorinated acetic acids under microwave irradiation, was investigated; with this method, no metal catalyst was necessary. The product was characterized as poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. The polymerization was significantly improved under microwave irradiation. The weight‐average molecular weight (M_w) of PCL reached 44,800 g/mol, with a polydispersity index [weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight (M_w/M_n)] of 1.6, when a mixture of ε‐CL and benzoic acid (25/1 molar ratio) was irradiated at 680 W for 240 min, whereas PCL with M_w = 12,100 and M_w/M_n = 4.2 was obtained from the same mixture by a conventional heating method at 210 °C for 240 min. A degradation of the resultant PCL was observed during microwave polymerization with chlorinated acetic acids as initiators, and this induced a decrease in M_w of PCL. However, the degradation was hindered by benzoic acid at low concentrations. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 13–21, 2003     

Diffusion of 99Tc in granite under aerobic and anoxic conditions

Summary  Vezetéknév     

Ionic conductivity of epitactic MBE-grown BaF2 films

We studied parallel conductivities of pure BaF₂ films with thicknesses ranging from 35 to 300 nm, epitaxially grown on Al₂O₃(0 1 2) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy technique. The overall conductivities of the films are found to increase with decreasing thickness. The detailed investigation of the overall conductance as a function of the thickness permits the deconvolution of bulk and boundary effects, the latter being attributed to distinct space charge effects in the interface between BaF₂ film and Al₂O₃ substrate. The (extrinsic) Debye length (λ) is estimated to be about 8 nm at T=593 K, which corresponds to an impurity content of 10¹⁸/cm³ (singly ionized dopant assumed). This is consistent with the fact that we observed a constant boundary contribution for all investigated films (film thickness >4λ). It is also consistent with the Debye length observed in a previous report on CaF₂/BaF₂ heterolayers fabricated by the same technique, in which the low temperature enhancement was also attributed to space charges in BaF₂ [Nature 408 (2000) 946]. Only at low temperatures (below 370 °C), the conductance seems to be influenced by strain effect.     

Thermal degradation of two liquid fuels and detonation tests for pulse detonation engine studies

The use of liquid fuels such as kerosene is of interest for the pulse detonation engine (PDE). Within this context, the aim of this work, which is a preliminary study, was to show the feasibility to initiate a detonation in air with liquid-fuel pyrolysis products, using energies and dimensions of test facility similars to those of PDEs. Therefore, two liquids fuels have been compared, JP10, which is a synthesis fuel generally used in the field of missile applications, and decane, which is one of the major components of standard kerosenes (F-34, Jet A1, ...). The thermal degradation of these fuels was studied with two pyrolysis processes, a batch reactor and a flow reactor. The temperatures varied from 600°C to 1,000°C and residence times for the batch reactor and the flow reactor were, respectively, between 10–30 s and 0.1–2 s. Subsequently, the detonability of synthetic gaseous mixtures, which was a schematisation of the decomposition state after the pyrolysis process, has been studied. The detonability study, regarding nitrogen dilution and equivalence ratio, was investigated in a 50 mm-diameter, 2.5 m-long detonation tube. These dimensions are compatible with applications in the aircraft industry and, more particularly, in PDEs. Therefore, JP10 and decane were compared to choose the best candidate for liquid-fuel PDE studies. This paper was based on work that was presented at the 20th International Colloquium on the Dynamics of Explosions and Reactive Systems, Montreal, Canada, July 31 – August 5, 2005.