Optimization of the design of recuperative heat exchangers in the exhaust nozzle of an aero engine

Today the needs for safer, cleaner and more affordable civil aero engines are found to be of great importance. Five years ago, the EU initiated an action for the design and the construction of efficient and environmentally friendly aero engines (EEFAE). One of the major European gas turbine industries, MTU, has presented a new technology for an advanced aero engine design, which uses an alternative thermodynamic cycle. The basis of this cycle is the adoption of a recuperation part with the use of a system of heat exchangers, installed in the exhaust nozzle of the aircraft engine. Thermal energy in the turbine exhaust is used in the recuperator to pre-heat the compressor outlet air before combustion. The benefits of this technique are focused on reduced pollutants and decreased fuel consumption. In this work, the procedure of the optimization of this installation, by means of the imposed pressure drop downstream the aircraft engine and the balanced mass inflow to the heat exchangers is presented. The optimization is based on experimental measurements in laboratory conditions and preliminary 2D CFD modeling for the flow inside the exhaust duct and through the heat exchangers. It is shown that with a careful approach, a better arrangement of the heat exchangers can be achieved in order to have a minimum pressure drop in the exhaust nozzle which can positively affect the engine’s performance.     

The antiferromagnetic structure of ErCo2Si2 by neutron diffraction

The magnetic structure of the tetragonal ErCo₂Si₂ compound is determined by neutron diffraction on powder sample at 4.2 K. The magnetic ordering is connected with a symmetry lowering, magnetic space group P_2s$\text{1}$ (Sh⁷₂)k = 000. The structure is collinear antiferromagnetic with the erbium magnetic moments making an angle of 56.2° with the c axis. The magnetic moment value for erbium is 6.75μ_B.     

Magnetic structures of PrCO2Si2 and TbCo2Si2 compounds

Neutron diffraction studies of polycrystalline PrCo₂Si₂ and TbCo₂Si₂ compounds were carried out at 4.2 and 293 K. Both samples have collinear antiferromagnetic order below T_N(31(1) and 46(1) K for Pr and Tb compound respectively), with their magnetic moments parallel to the c axis. The ordered magnetic moment values of Pr and Tb at 4.2 K (3.19 and 9.12 μ_B respectively), are close to the saturation value of the free ions. The corresponding magnetic space group P_l4/mnc (Sh⁴¹⁰₁₂₈) is body-anticentered ($\text{k =}\text{111}\text{222}$ refering to P_l cell).     

Crystal field and Mössbauer spectroscopy of the intermetallic compound DyCo3

A comparison is made of the electric field gradient at the Dy nucleus in DyCo₃ estimated by a point charge calculation and that measured by Mössbauer spectroscopy.     

Crystal field effect on the magnetic moment's direction of rare earth ions with low point symmetry in r4co3 (r = Tb, Ho, Dy, Er, Tm) compounds

Neutron diffraction measurements, made on powder samples, show that Ho₄Co₃ and Er₄Co₃ intermetallic compounds are ferrimagnetic at 4.2 K. The magnetic moments of the 2 holmium sites are 8.7 and 2.1 μ_B and those of the erbium sites are equal to 8.7 and 8.1μ_B. The cobal⁺ magnetic moment is 0.2μ_B for both compounds. The easy magnetization direction lies on the hexagonal plane for Ho₄Co₃ while for Er₄Co₃ there are 2 anisotropy directions. Exchange interactions between rare-earth ions of both sites are very weak compared with the total crystal field splitting of the ground state multiplet J. The crystal field parameters are calculated and the magnitude and direction of the rare-earth magnetic moments in each site is determined.     

Beta-delayed proton emitter kr

The nucleide ⁷³Kr has been identified by on-line mass separation as a precursor of β-delayed proton emission. The proton branch is (6.8 ±1.2) × 10⁻³ proton/decay. The protons populate the ground state and also the first excited 2⁺ state at 866 keV in ⁷²Se with a relative intensity of (35±9) %. The value of Q_EC−B_p, where B_p is the proton separation energy for the nucleus ⁷³Br, is found to be 4.85 ±0.30 MeV based on the fraction of proton events preceded by positron decay.     

Magnetic properties of some RPd2Si2 compounds (R=Gd,Tb, Dy,Ho and Er)

The magnetic susceptibility of the ternary compounds, RPd₂Si₂ (where R=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er) has been measured. GdPd₂Si₂ order antiferromagnetically at 13 and 20 K respectively; the rest of the compounds do not show clear ordering down to 4.2 K. Palladium carries no moment in these compounds. The De Gennes formula is not obeyed indicating that the exchange interaction between the 4f moments via conduction electrons is not isotropic     

Magnetic properties of RE2Au compounds (RE = Pr,Nd, Gd,Tb, Dy,Ho, Er,Tm and Y)

Magnetic properties of nine RE₂Au compounds have been studied in fields of up to 19 kOe in the temperature range 4.2K–300K. It has been found that all compounds are paramagnetic at room temperature except Gd₂Au. The compounds with Pr, Nd, Ho, Er and Tm exhibit Curie-Weiss behaviour with paramagnetic moments in close agreement with those expected for the free RE³⁺ ion. The moment of gold was found to be zero. The compounds with Pr, Nd, Tb, Dy, Er and Tm are antiferromagnetic at low temperatures. It appears that Ho₂Au is ferromagnetically ordered below 4.5 K. No evidence for magnetic ordering was found for Y₂Au. The compound with Tb exhibits metamagnetic behaviour.