Pilot plant for flue gas treatment with electron beam -start up and two stage irradiation tests

The pilot plant for flue gas treatment with electron beam has been built at Power Plant Kaweczyn, near Warsaw. The irradiation part of the pilot plant has been put in operation in 1991 whereas the complete installation including bag filter started to work in spring 1992. The starting tests consisted of studying the components reliability and influence of the two-stage irradiation process on efficiency of NO_x removal. The results have shown that the two- stage irradiation leads to remarkable energy savings and retains high NO_x removal. The mathematical models of the double and triple irradiation process are discussed.     

Determination of sample size for step-wise transient thermal tests

The step-wise transient method is a dynamic thermal testing method with the advantages of high speed and multi-parameter measurement. However, one area causing a potential error in the measurement is the limitation of finite sample size, leading to test results inconsistent with the theoretical predictions. A detailed analysis of the problem has been conducted in this paper through a numerical method along with experimental verification. The results show that this size effect involves several factors, each playing a different role. The sample size can be optimized based on our analysis so as to improve the measurements.     

Ni olivine: thermal behavior of liebenbergite

The synthetic samples of nickel olivine were measured in the temperature range 100–630 K by the X-ray powder diffraction method. Temperature dependencies of molar volumes and coefficients of bulk thermal expansion of liebenbergite were determined. Interpolation and extrapolation of the experimental data were performed by the procedure based on the Debye–Mie–Gruneisen theory of solid body in the range from 50 to 2000 K, and the Gruneisen coefficient and Debye temperature were calculated. Heat capacity and its behavior in accordance with temperature were evaluated.

     

Reactor production and processing of therapeutic radioisotopes for applications in nuclear medicine

In this paper the reactor production of a variety of therapeutic radionuclides of current clinical interest are discussed. Examples include radioisotopes produced by single neutron capture and those which are available from –/decay of reactor-produced parent radioisotopes. Two examples of generator parents produced by double neutron capture of targets are also discussed. One key example in this category is¹⁸⁸W, produced from irradiation of enriched¹⁸⁶W. The production of¹⁸⁸W in the ORNL High Flux Isotope Reactor and the fabrication and performance of the first production level large-scale clinical prototype¹⁸⁸W/¹⁸⁸Re generators are also described.     

Non-conventional oils for biodiesel production: a study of thermal and oxidative stability

Vegetable oils with variable proportions of oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids are more susceptible to oxidative processes. In this subject, this study evaluates the physical chemical properties and oxidative stability of non-conventional oils such as andiroba, babassu, sesame, oiticica, jatropha, and grape through accelerated oxidation techniques (pressurized differential scanning calorimetry, Rancimat and PetroOxy). It was verified that babassu and andiroba oil do not showed detectable induction period presenting high oxidative stability; moreover, it was observed that the enthalpic events occurred in 1.19, >10, 0.53, 0.49, 0.49, and 0.60 h for the andiroba oil, babassu oil, sesame seeds, jatropha, oiticica oils, and grapes, respectively, stimulating the conclusion of greater stability for the babassu oil.     

Pilot plant studies of novel membranes and devices for direct contact membrane distillation-based desalination

A small pilot plant for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) based desalination was built and operated successfully on a daily basis for 3 months. The operation employed hot brine at 64–93 °C and distillate at 20–54 °C. The hot brine was either city water, city water containing salt at the level of 3.5, 6 or 10%, or sea water trucked in from Long Island Sound, CT. One to ten horizontal crossflow hollow fiber membrane modules each having either 2448 or 2652 hollow fibers and 0.61 or 0.66 m² surface area were combined in various configurations to study the plant performance. The highest water vapor flux of 55 kg/(m² h) was achieved with two modules in series; the flux varied between 15 and 33 kg/(m² h) for configurations employing 6–10 modules. The highest distillate production rate achieved was 0.62 gallons per minute (gpm). The membrane modules never showed any sign of distillate contamination by salt. The plant operated successfully with a very limited flux reduction at salt concentrations up to 19.5% from sea water. A mathematical model was successfully developed to describe the performance of the pilot plant with multiple crossflow modules in different test configurations.     

Reactor design and energy concepts for a plasma process of acetylene black production

Acetylene black can be produced from methane decomposition in a plasma reactor. Different types of plasma reactor are designed for this purpose and a parametric analysis of the system is made. Carbon yield in the reactor seems to be dependent on methane flow rate and plasma power. The results obtained from various types of material analysis of the product obtained show that in some conditions carbon produced under plasma has qualities similar to acetylene black obtained by classical processes.     

Thermal behavior of polytriazole films: A thermal analysis study

The thermal behavior of poly(1,3-phenyl-1,4-phenyl)-4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazole has been investigated using different scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG). Processes are studied for this thermally stable polymer that take place between 200 and 500°C. While the polycondensation reaction product in powder from appeared to be partially crystalline, films prepared by casting from a formic acid solution appeared to be completely amorphous. A thermal treatment between T_g(～ 270°C) and T_m(～ 430°C) can introduce crystallinity in the films because of the polymer's ability to cold crystallize. The cold crystallization temperature T_c seems to be dependent on the preparation history of the solid polymer phase. Thermal annealing of the films just below T_g does not introduce crystallinity but inhibits subsequent cold crystallization at higher temperatures. Crystallization upon cooling from the crystalline melt has not been observed either. At temperatures just above the crystalline melting point the polymer starts to decompose in an exothermic reaction.     

A comparative study of structure,thermal degradation,and combustion behavior of starch from different plant sources

The present study investigated the structure, degradation properties, and combustion behavior of starch from maize, sweet potato, lotus root, and tobacco. Compared with other plant starches, tobacco starch had the smallest size, the highest amylose content and the least crystallinity. Microscale combustion calorimetry (MCC) experiment demonstrated that sweet potato starch showed the maximum peak heat release rate value (888.0 W g^?1) while tobacco starch showed the minimum value (316.0 W g^?1) and thermogravimetric analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (TG-FTIR) results showed tobacco starch had good char formability (residue mass: 15.6%) and released more incombustible gaseous products, such as H₂O and CO₂. These results suggest that the thermal properties of plant starches were mainly influenced by the structural features and amylose content, especially the amylose ratio, and tobacco starch was very promising for application in green flame-retardant material.     

Precision branching in ethylene copolymers: Synthesis and thermal behavior

Acyclic diene metathesis polymerization allows the synthesis of sequenced polyethylene copolymers via step-growth propagation, thereby avoiding the inherent side reactions associated with chain polymerization. Here we review the synthesis and thermal behavior of ADMET polyethylene (PE) as well as ethylene/propylene (EP), ethylene/butene (EB), ethylene/octane (EO), and ethylene/vinyl ether (EVE) copolymers prepared by ADMET. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 4981–4989, 2006     

Cure behavior and thermal stability of an epoxy: new bismaleimide blends for composite matrices

A new bismaleimide (BMI) resin was synthesized to formulate epoxy(tetraglycidyl diaminodiphenyl methane; TGDDM) – bismaleimide thermoset blends for composite matrix applications. 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl methane (DDM) was used as an amine curing agent for the TGDDM. A Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to characterize the new BMI resin. Cure behavior of the epoxy–BMI blends was studied using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). DSC thermograms of the thermoset blends indicated two exothermic peaks. The glass transition temperature of the thermoset blends decreased with BMI content. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carried out to investigate thermal degradation behavior of the cured epoxy–BMI thermoset blends. The new BMI resin reacted partially with the DDM and weak intercrosslinking polymer networks were formed during cure of the thermoset blends.     

Current status and future plan for the production of radioisotopes using HANARO Research Reactor

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) completed the High-flux Advanced Neutron Application Reactor (HANARO) in 1995 and the radioisotope production facilities(RIPF) in 1997. Many devices and handling tools were developed and applied for the production of radioisotopes. Emphasis on RI production plan was placed on the development of new radiopharmaceuticals, the development of new radiation sources for industrial use and the steady production of selected radioisotopes. The selected items are ¹⁶⁶Ho-based pharmaceuticals, fission ⁹⁹Mo/^99mTc generators, and products of ¹³¹I and ¹⁹²Ir and ⁶⁰Co sources for industrial use. Now KAERI regularly produces radioisotopes (¹³¹I, ^99mTc, ¹⁶⁶Ho, ¹⁹²Ir, ⁶⁰Co etc.) and labeled compounds including ^99mTc cold kits. Newly developed therapeutic agents are a ¹⁶⁶Ho-chitosan complex for liver cancer treatment, a ¹⁶⁶Ho patch for skin cancer treatment and devices such as the stent and balloon for the prevention against restenosis of the coronary artery. Feasibility studies on the installation of a ^99mTc generator loading facility and on ⁶⁰Co production for food irradiation were finished. The ¹⁹²Ir sealed source assembly for NDT has been supplied to domestic users since May 2001. The fission moly process, separation process of non-sealed sources (¹²⁵I, ³³P, ⁸⁹Sr, ¹⁵³Sm, ¹⁸⁸Re) and fabrication process of sealed sources (¹⁶⁹Yb, ⁷⁵Se) are also under development. For the quality assurance of our final products, we obtained ISO certification in 2000. We are carrying out a feasibility study on a new research reactor for the stable supply of radioisotopes in Korea.     

The economic viability of a thermal power plant: a case study

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The present paper deals with the economic viability of a coal-fired power plant (CFPP) situated in the northern part of India. The plant with a...     

Experimental study on optimized composition of mixed carbonate for phase change thermal storage in solar thermal power plant

36 kinds of mixed carbonate molten salts were prepared by mixing potassium carbonate, lithium carbonate, sodium carbonate in accordance with different proportions. The data of melting point and latent heat are measured by the analysis of DSC curves of 36 kinds of salts, which show that the majority of ternary carbonate’s melting points are close at around 400 °C. 24 kinds of eutectic molten salts were selected among 36 kinds of molten salts. With high latent heat, ternary carbonate salt has the potential to be employed for phase change thermal storage. The costs for phase change thermal storage of 24 kinds of carbonate salts are calculated. Finally, 13 kinds of ternary carbonate salts with lower cost for phase change thermal storage are recommended, where there are 6 kinds of mixed carbonates have the considerably larger latent heat of melting.     

Rotational relaxation in S1 glyoxal: Cross sections and a search for propensity rules

Details of rotational energy transfer from a few selected K′J′ levels in the zero point vibrational level of ¹Au(S₁) glyoxal vapor have been studied. The cross section for destruction of an initial K′J′ level by rotational relaxation in collision with ground electronic state glyoxal is about 240 A² or 4.5 times gas kinetic. Much of the rotational transfer within the S₁ state occurs with large ΔK′ and ΔJ′. No strong propensities for △K′ = 0, ± 1, ± 2, or ± 3 with small ΔJ′ changes occur in collisions with ground electronic state glyoxal. The study was made by examination of the rotational structure in the 5₁⁰ emission band at various pressures after excitation in the 0,0 band of the S₁—S₀ system with the 454.5 nm argon ion line.     

Improved thermal energy storage behavior of polyethylene glycol-based NEOPCM containing aluminum oxide nanoparticles for solar thermal applications

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In the present investigation, a novel composite of Polyethylene glycol (PEG) with molecular weight 10,000 (10 k) and aluminum oxide...     

Impact of rock fabric,thermal behavior,and carbonate decomposition kinetics on quicklime industrial production and slaking reactivity

This paper deals with thermal analyses, burning trials and reactivity tests on 15 carbonate rocks, i.e., pure and impure carbonates, mud-supported and grain-supported limestones, crystalline marbles, and dolomites, used for the production of different lime products in industrial vertical shaft kilns worldwide. In particular, thermogravimetric and differential thermogravimetric analysis (TG–DTG) on massive (80–120 g) fine-grained (< 3.35 mm) samples allowed the extrapolation of the Arrhenius kinetic parameters, i.e., the (apparent) activation energy (E_a) and the pre-exponential or frequency factor (A). Other calcination parameters, i.e., the duration time, starting and ending calcination times and temperatures, and peaks of maximum calcination rate were also extrapolated in order to enhance their relationships with quicklime reactivity. Moreover, thermal analyses (TG–DTG–DTA) were repeated on powders (90 mg) using a more accurate analyzer to compare results. The study is completed by a thorough chemical–physical and mineralogical–petrographic characterization of carbonate rocks and derived burnt products. Results pointed out that medium-to-coarse crystalline materials, i.e., grain-supported limestones, diagenetic dolomites, and granoblastic marbles presented the highest activation energy, burnability and slaking reactivity. Conversely, microcrystalline carbonates with the highest micrite-to-sparite ratio, i.e., mud-supported limestones, and impure carbonates, enriched in quartz, clay minerals, and other subordinated non-carbonate impurities, presented the lowest activation energy, burnability, and slaking reactivity. This study also investigated the effect of BET-specific surface area and real density, depending on specific sintering tendency, on quicklime reactivity. Results from this multidisciplinary research activity put further constraints on carbonate rocks calcination kinetics and their suitability in the lime industry.