Electrical transport and magnetic ordering in R 2Ti3Ge4 (R=Dy, Ho and Er) compounds

New R ₂Ti₃Ge₄ (R=Dy, Ho and Er) intermetallic compounds have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction and low temperature ac magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity and thermoelectric power measurements were carried out. The compounds crystallize in the parent, Sm₅Ge₄-type orthorhombic structure (space group Pnma) and lanthanide contraction is observed as one moves along the rare-earth series. The changeover from paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic phase happens at low temperatures and the ordering temperature scales with the de Gennes factor. The electrical resistivity is metallic with a negative curvature above 100 K. Thermopower displays a weak maximum at temperatures less than 50 K signifying the possible phonon and magnon drag effects.     

Elastic properties of the Ta–V system: bcc Ta0.33V0.67 and C15 TaV2

Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy was used to measure the elastic constants of bcc Ta_0.33V_0.67 over the temperature range 3.5–300?K; the results were compared to earlier measurements on C15 TaV₂. The temperature dependence of the polycrystalline shear modulus is completely different in the two phases; that of the bcc phase decreases with temperature whereas that of the C15 phases increases in an anomalous fashion. This difference is consistent with a model involving doubly-degenerate levels at the X point of the Brillouin zone in the C15 phase with the Fermi level lying near the doubly degenerate level. This model accounted for the unusual behaviour of the C15 phase. Debye temperatures were determined from the ultrasonic measurements: 295?K for the C15 phase and 315?K for the bcc phase.     

Large eddy simulation of piloting effects on turbulent swirling flames

Pilot flames, created by additional injectors of pure fuel, are often used in turbulent burners to enhance flame stabilization and reduce combustion instabilities. The exact mechanisms through which these additional rich zones modify the flame anchoring location and the combustion dynamics are often difficult to identify, especially when they include unsteady hydrodynamic motion. This study presents Large Eddy Simulations (LES) of the reacting flow within a large-scale gas turbine burner for two different cases of piloting, where either 2 or 6% of the total methane used in the burner is injected through additional pilot flame lines. For each case, LES shows how the pilot fuel injection affects both flame stabilization and flame stability. The 6% case leads to a stable flame and limited hydrodynamic perturbations in the initial flame zone. The 2% case is less stable, with a small-lift-off of the flame and a Precessing Vortex Core (PVC) in the cold stabilization zone. This PVC traps some of the lean cold gases issuing from the pilot passage stream, changes the flame stabilization point and induces instability.