Energy Conversion Alternatives Study (ECAS), Westinghouse phase 1. Volume 6: Closed-cycle gas turbine systems

Both recuperated and bottomed closed cycle gas turbine systems in electric power plants were studied. All systems used a pressurizing gas turbine coupled with a pressurized furnace to heat the helium for the closed cycle gas turbine. Steam and organic vapors are used as Rankine bottoming fluids. Although plant efficiencies of over 40% are calculated for some plants, the resultant cost of electricity was found to be 8.75 mills/MJ (31.5 mills/kWh). These plants do not appear practical for coal or oil fired plants

Clonal mixing in the soldier-producing aphid <i>Pemphigus spyrothecae</i> (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Illuminating the genetic relationships within soldier-producing aphid colonies is an essential element of any attempt to explain the evolution of the altruistic soldier caste. Pemphigus spyrothecae is a soldier-producing aphid that induces galls on the leaf petioles of its host (trees of the genus Populus). At least a quarter of the aphids within the clonally produced gall population are morphologically and behaviourally distinct first-instar soldiers that defend the gall population from predation. Using field trapping and microsatellites, we investigated the degree of clonal mixing within natural gall populations. Field trapping in the UK showed that all the migrants of P. spyrothecae and of two other Pemphigus species were wingless first-instar soldiers. The average degree of mixing estimated from trapping P. spyrothecae migrants was 0.68% (range = 0–15%). Microsatellite genotyping of 277 aphids from 13 galls collected in Italy revealed an average mixing level of 10.4% (range = 0–59%). Six galls contained more than one clone (range = 2–5 clones). Non-kin aphids were not restricted to the soldier caste but were evenly distributed across instars. An additional gall, from which 527 occupants were genotyped, contained 12 non-kin aphids distributed among nine clones, showing that clonal diversity can be high even when mixing is very low. These observations suggest that although soldiers migrate regularly and can moult and reproduce within foreign galls, clonal mixing in this species is generally low and is unlikely to provide a barrier to the evolution of investment by the aphid clones in an altruistic soldier caste

Proton scattering observables from Skyrme-Hatree-Fock densities

Proton and neutron densities from Skyrme-Hartree-Fock (SHF) calculations are used to generate non-local (g-folding) proton-nucleus optical potentials. They are formed by folding the densities with realistic nucleon-nucleon interactions. The potentials are then used to calculate differential cross sections and spin observables for proton scattering. Good agreement with data has been found, supporting those found previously when using SHF charge densities in analyses of electron scattering data. That agreement was improved by use of (shell model) occupation numbers to constrain the HF iterations. That, in part, is also the case with analyses of proton scattering data. The g-folding method is extended to exotic nuclei by including data for neutron-rich sd-shell nuclei from the inverse kinematics of scattering from hydrogen.Comment: 18 pages, 16 figures, submitted to Nuclear Physics

Interior design of a two-dimensional semiclassical black hole: Quantum transition across the singularity

We study the internal structure of a two-dimensional dilatonic evaporating black hole, based on the CGHS model. At the semiclassical level, a (weak) spacelike singularity was previously found to develop inside the black hole. We employ here a simplified quantum formulation of spacetime dynamics in the neighborhood of this singularity, using a minisuperspace-like approach. Quantum evolution is found to be regular and well-defined at the semiclassical singularity. A well-localized initial wave-packet propagating towards the singularity bounces off the latter and retains its well-localized form. Our simplified quantum treatment thus suggests that spacetime may extend semiclassically beyond the singularity, and also signifies the specific extension.Comment: Accepted to Phys. Rev.

Formation of closed timelike curves in a composite vacuum/dust asymptotically-flat spacetime

We present a new asymptotically-flat time-machine model made solely of vacuum and dust. The spacetime evolves from a regular spacelike initial hypersurface S and subsequently develops closed timelike curves. The initial hypersurface S is asymptotically flat and topologically trivial. The chronology violation occurs in a compact manner; namely the first closed causal curves form at the boundary of the future domain of dependence of a compact region in S (the core). This central core is empty, and so is the external asymptotically flat region. The intermediate region surrounding the core (the envelope) is made of dust with positive energy density. This model trivially satisfies the weak, dominant, and strong energy conditions. Furthermore it is governed by a well-defined system of field equations which possesses a well-posed initial-value problem.Comment: 15 pages; accepted to Phys. Rev. D (no modifications

A new time-machine model with compact vacuum core

We present a class of curved-spacetime vacuum solutions which develope closed timelike curves at some particular moment. We then use these vacuum solutions to construct a time-machine model. The causality violation occurs inside an empty torus, which constitutes the time-machine core. The matter field surrounding this empty torus satisfies the weak, dominant, and strong energy conditions. The model is regular, asymptotically-flat, and topologically-trivial. Stability remains the main open question.Comment: 7 page

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