Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium in Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy: Beyond the McWhirter criterion

In the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) technique, the existence of Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE) is the essential requisite for meaningful application of theoretical Boltzmann–Maxwell and Saha–Eggert expressions that relate fundamental plasma parameters and concentration of analyte species. The most popular criterion reported in the literature dealing with plasma diagnostics, and usually invoked as a proof of the existence of LTE in the plasma, is the McWhirter criterion [R.W.P. McWhirter, in: Eds. R.H. Huddlestone, S.L. Leonard, Plasma Diagnostic Techniques, Academic Press, New York, 1965, pp. 201–264]. However, as pointed out in several papers, this criterion is known to be a necessary but not a sufficient condition to insure LTE. The considerations reported here are meant to briefly review the theoretical analysis underlying the concept of thermodynamic equilibrium and the derivation of the McWhirter criterion, and to critically discuss its application to a transient and non-homogeneous plasma, like that created by a laser pulse on solid targets. Specific examples are given of theoretical expressions involving relaxation times and diffusion coefficients, as well as a discussion of different experimental approaches involving space and time-resolved measurements that could be used to complement a positive result of the calculation of the minimum electron number density required for LTE using the McWhirter formula. It is argued that these approaches will allow a more complete assessment of the existence of LTE and therefore permit a better quantitative result. It is suggested that the mere use of the McWhirter criterion to assess the existence of LTE in laser-induced plasmas should be discontinued.     

Towards understanding the critical heat flux for industrial applications

Understanding CHF is of an upmost importance in many industries, especially in the design and operation of boilers, nuclear power plants, cryogenic systems, etc. Due to safety issues related to the nuclear power plants, and the adaptation of CHF as the limiting criterion of power generation, it is important to understand the mechanisms of CHF relevant to nuclear systems operation. Moreover, CHF is expected to occur during transients than steady-state conditions. Therefore, knowledge of transient CHF is of great importance for the safety evaluation of nuclear reactors under transient condition. In this paper, the existing CHF experimental and modeling studies are discussed in order to understand the phenomena leading to CHF. Also, the effect of transient conditions on CHF for nuclear fuels has been evaluated.     

混凝土箱梁相似模型结构噪声对比分析*

为探讨混凝土箱梁噪声的时变特性,以京沪高铁32 m混凝土简支箱梁为原型,制作了1:10的缩尺模型,通过模态试验的方法验证箱梁模型与原型的相似关系,通过声学试验验证箱梁声学计算模型的正确性。然后,建立了箱梁缩尺模型与原型两种计算模型,利用有限元和边界元法求出两种模型的瞬态结构噪声。研究发现,箱梁缩尺模型与箱梁原型的材料参数满足一定关系,模型试验的方法能够验证箱梁模型与箱梁原型之间符合相似关系,箱梁模型的振动噪声测试结果能真实反映原型振动噪声水平。两种模型的结构噪声在时域内声压级及对应场点的声压存在一定相似关系。该研究可为箱梁缩尺模型结构噪声反演至箱梁原型提供依据,所采用的方法和得到的结果对桥梁结构振动与声辐射实验研究具有参考作用。     

A new solvent suppression method via radiation damping effect

Radiation damping effects induced by the dominated solvent in a solution sample can be applied to suppress the solvent signal. The precession pathway and rate back to equilibrium state between solute and solvent spins are different under radiation damping. In this paper, a series of pulse sequences using radiation damping were designed for the solvent suppression in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Compared to the WATERGATE method, the solute signals adjacent to the solvent would not be influenced by using the radiation damping method. The one-dimensional (1D) ¹H NMR, two-dimensional (2D) gCOSY, and J-resolved experimental results show the practicability of solvent suppression via radiation damping effects in 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy.     

考虑互耦的半波振子线阵辐射和散射方向图综合

对于半波振子阵列天线,可用感应电动势法算得其阻抗矩阵,依据等效电路原理计入单元间的互耦计算辐射场.将其推广至考虑互耦的散射场计算,基于此辐射场和散射场的计算公式,提出一种考虑互耦同时综合半波振子阵列天线辐射和散射方向图的新方法.运用粒子群优化算法,通过优化振子的间距,同时综合指定辐射和散射方向图.运用该方法,通过对中心工作频率处的辐射和散射特性以及在威胁角度给定频带内的散射特性优化,有效降低半波振子阵在中心工作频率处的辐射和散射方向图的副瓣电平,并减小其在威胁角度给定频带内的雷达散射截面.计算结果与FEKO仿真结果吻合良好,验证方法的正确性.     

The unsteady flow generated by an oscillating wall with transpiration

In this work, an analytical solution for the fluid behavior over flat plates with impulsive and oscillating motions, starting from rest, and with wall transpiration, is presented. The classical solution of this problem is given by Panton [7] and is found to be an especial case of the solution here presented. The analytical solution is obtained without the use of any special transformations, such as Laplace or Fourier transforms. Instead, an extension of the variable separation technique is used together with similarity arguments. A non-dimensional number—the transpiration rate—is used to take into account the injection or suction of fluid at the wall. This parameter is shown to be of great influence on the proposed velocity solution.     

杂交元零能模式抑制的正交基本变形模式方法

通过杂交元位移场直接推导了单元基本变形模式,并且采用联合正交条件提出一种新的正交化方法,所得到的正交基本变形模式不仅具有简单的变形特征而且和材料参数无关,可以方便有效地考察单元性能,为评价不同杂交元提供了一个统一的参考标准．在此基础上利用柔度矩阵正定性给出一种简单有效的零能模式识别方法,并进一步利用基本变形模式和初始应力模式之间耦合关系,提出一种抑制杂交元零能模式的假设应力场方法,同时指出基本变形模式正交性是抑制单元零能模式的充分必要条件．2D-4节点和3D-8节点单元的数值算例说明了该文基本变形模式方法的有效性．     

Acoustic, thermal and flow processes in a water filled nanoporous glass by time-resolved optical spectroscopy

We present heterodyne detected transient grating measurements on water filled Vycor 7930 in the range of temperature 20-90 °C. This experimental investigation enables to measure the acoustic propagation, the average density variation due to the liquid flow and the thermal diffusion in this water filled nano-porous material. The data have been analyzed with the model of Pecker and Deresiewicz which is an extension of Biot model to account for the thermal effects. In the whole temperature range the data are qualitatively described by this hydrodynamic model that enables a meaningful insight of the different dynamic phenomena. The data analysis proves that the signal in the intermediate and long time-scale can be mainly addressed to the water dynamics inside the pores. We proved the existence of a peculiar interplay between the mass and the heat transport that produces a flow and back-flow process inside the nano-pores. During this process the solid and liquid dynamics have opposite phase as predicted by the Biot theory for the slow diffusive wave. Nevertheless, our experimental results confirm that transport of elastic energy (i.e. acoustic propagation), heat (i.e. thermal diffusion) and mass (i.e. liquid flow) in a liquid filled porous glass can be described according to hydrodynamic laws in spite of nanometric dimension of the pores. The data fitting, based on the hydrodynamic model, enables the extraction of several parameters of the water-Vycor system, even if some discrepancies appear when they are compared with values reported in the literature.     

Vibration control of nonlinear Absorber–Isolator-Combined structure with time-delayed coupling

A nonlinear combined structure consisted of isolator and absorber with time-delayed coupling active control is proposed in this study, whose vibration suppression effectiveness and control mechanism are investigated. The mathematical model of the combined structure is obtained and stability analysis for different structural parameters and time delay are firstly carried out, which provides a general guideline for the ranges of active control parameters. Then the combined effect of nonlinearity and time delay on vibration suppression and energy transfer is discussed in details based on the analysis of control mechanism by the method of multiple scales. Since the time-delayed nonlinear absorber can induce internal resonance between different modes, the vibration energy at low frequencies can be transferred to high frequency mode and the vibration of the fundamental frequency range is thus suppressed. This paper provides a novel application of internal resonance in vibration suppression of an Absorber–Isolator-Combined structure.