6,797 research outputs found
Energy Conversion Alternatives Study (ECAS), Westinghouse phase 1. Volume 5: Combined gas-steam turbine cycles
The energy conversion efficiency of gas-steam turbine cycles was investigated for selected combined cycle power plants. Results indicate that it is possible for combined cycle gas-steam turbine power plants to have efficiencies several point higher than conventional steam plants. Induction of low pressure steam into the steam turbine is shown to improve the plant efficiency. Post firing of the boiler of a high temperature combined cycle plant is found to increase net power but to worsen efficiency. A gas turbine pressure ratio of 12 to 1 was found to be close to optimum at all gas turbine inlet temperatures that were studied. The coal using combined cycle plant with an integrated low-Btu gasifier was calculated to have a plant efficiency of 43.6%, a capitalization of $497/kW, and a cost of electricity of 6.75 mills/MJ (24.3 mills/kwh). This combined cycle plant should be considered for base load power generation
Comparison of optical model results from a microscopic Schr\"odinger approach to nucleon-nucleus elastic scattering with those from a global Dirac phenomenology
Comparisons are made between results of calculations for intermediate energy
nucleon-nucleus scattering for 12C, 16O, 40Ca, 90Zr, and 208Pb, using optical
potentials obtained from global Dirac phenomenology and from a microscopic
Schr\"odinger model. Differential cross sections and spin observables for
scattering from the set of five nuclei at 65 MeV and 200 MeV have been studied
to assess the relative merits of each approach. Total reaction cross sections
from proton-nucleus and total cross sections from neutron-nucleus scattering
have been evaluated and compared with data for those five targets in the energy
range 20 MeV to 800 MeV. The methods of analyses give results that compare well
with experimental data in those energy regimes for which the procedures are
suited.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figure
Weakly-bound rare isotopes with a coupled-channel approach that includes resonant levels
The question of how the scattering cross section changes when the spectra of
the colliding nuclei have low-excitation particle-emitting resonances is
explored using a multi-channel algebraic scattering (MCAS) method. As a test
case, the light-mass nuclear target 8Be, being particle-unstable, has been
considered. Nucleon-nucleus scattering cross sections, as well as the spectra
of the compound nuclei formed, have been determined from calculations that do,
and do not, consider particle emission widths of the target nuclear states. The
resonant character of the unstable excited states introduces a problem because
the low-energy tails of these resonances can intrude into the sub-threshold,
bound-state region. This unphysical behaviour needs to be corrected by
modifying, in an energy-dependent way, the shape of the target resonances from
the usual Lorentzian one. The resonance function must smoothly reach zero at
the elastic threshold. Ways of achieving this condition are explored in this
paper.Comment: Contribution presented at INPC 2010, Vancouve
Experiences of a transdiagnostic group, the Take Control Course, for clients with common mental health problems : a qualitative study
Objectives
Despite the promising effectiveness findings for transdiagnostic groups, studies have not explored clients' experiences. There is a risk that clients could perceive that the content of transdiagnostic groups is not sufficiently tailored to their specific problems. Our aims were to examine whether a brief transdiagnostic group, the Take Control Course (TCC), was acceptable to participants and to explore participants' perceptions of psychological change.
Methods
Qualitative data were collected via 12 semistructured, inâdepth interviews. Data collection and thematic analysis were concurrent and iterative.
Results
Three superordinate themes were identified: âStyle and format,â âControl and flexibility,â and âChange.â The flexible group format was appreciated, as participants felt able to engage at their own pace and adapt relevant aspects. Greater clarity regarding what was within participants' control reduced distress and enabled effective pursuit of valued goals. Participants described significant (predominantly gradual) changes, including substantial improvements within relationships.
Conclusions
The transdiagnostic format did not prevent participants experiencing the TCC as individually relevant. The flexibility and consistent theoretical framework seemed to contribute to this. The results indicated that greater consideration of control and mindfulness allowed greater cognitive flexibility, an ability to reprioritize and let go of unhelpful habits, which better enabled participants to meet their goals. Implications for group therapy include (a) clearly explaining the format of such groups to clients and (b) providing flexibility in the way the group is delivered where possible. Additional qualitative studies of transdiagnostic groups are required to establish if themes generalize to other transdiagnostic groups
High Energy Hadron-Nucleus Cross Sections and Their Extrapolation to Cosmic Ray Energies
Old models of the scattering of composite systems based on the Glauber model
of multiple diffraction are applied to hadron-nucleus scattering. We obtain an
excellent fit with only two free parameters to the highest energy
hadron-nucleus data available. Because of the quality of the fit and the
simplicity of the model it is argued that it should continue to be reliable up
to the highest cosmic ray energies. Logarithmic extrapolations of proton-proton
and proton-antiproton data are used to calculate the proton-air cross sections
at very high energy. Finally, it is observed that if the exponential behavior
of the proton-antiproton diffraction peak continues into the few TeV energy
range it will violate partial wave unitarity. We propose a simple modification
that will guarantee unitarity throughout the cosmic ray energy region.Comment: 8 pages, 9 postscript figures. This manuscript replaces a partial
manuscript incorrectly submitte
Prescription-induced jump distributions in multiplicative Poisson processes
Generalized Langevin equations (GLE) with multiplicative white Poisson noise
pose the usual prescription dilemma leading to different evolution equations
(master equations) for the probability distribution. Contrary to the case of
multiplicative gaussian white noise, the Stratonovich prescription does not
correspond to the well known mid-point (or any other intermediate)
prescription. By introducing an inertial term in the GLE we show that the Ito
and Stratonovich prescriptions naturally arise depending on two time scales,
the one induced by the inertial term and the other determined by the jump
event. We also show that when the multiplicative noise is linear in the random
variable one prescription can be made equivalent to the other by a suitable
transformation in the jump probability distribution. We apply these results to
a recently proposed stochastic model describing the dynamics of primary soil
salinization, in which the salt mass balance within the soil root zone requires
the analysis of different prescriptions arising from the resulting stochastic
differential equation forced by multiplicative white Poisson noise whose
features are tailored to the characters of the daily precipitation. A method is
finally suggested to infer the most appropriate prescription from the data
Thermodynamics and area in Minkowski space: Heat capacity of entanglement
Tracing over the degrees of freedom inside (or outside) a sub-volume V of
Minkowski space in a given quantum state |psi>, results in a statistical
ensemble described by a density matrix rho. This enables one to relate quantum
fluctuations in V when in the state |psi>, to statistical fluctuations in the
ensemble described by rho. These fluctuations scale linearly with the surface
area of V. If V is half of space, then rho is the density matrix of a canonical
ensemble in Rindler space. This enables us to `derive' area scaling of
thermodynamic quantities in Rindler space from area scaling of quantum
fluctuations in half of Minkowski space. When considering shapes other than
half of Minkowski space, even though area scaling persists, rho does not have
an interpretation as a density matrix of a canonical ensemble in a curved, or
geometrically non-trivial, background.Comment: 17 page
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