Pyroprocess Experiments at ENEA Laboratories

A new facility, known as Pyrel III, has been installed at ENEA laboratories for pyrochemical process studies under inactive conditions. It is a pilot plant which allows electrorening and electroreduction experiments to be conducted on simulated fuel. The main component of the plant is a zirconia crucible. The crucible is heated by a furnace which is supported in an externally water-cooled well under the oor of a steel glove-box, where an argon atmosphere is maintained by a continual purge of about 10 L·min-1. The vessel is loaded with LiCl-KCl eutectic salt (59-41 mol%) and is currently operated at 460 °C. Several improvements on Pyrel II (the previous operating plant) have been introduced into Pyrel III. They are described in detail, together with the results from the rst experimental campaign which used lanthanum metal.Moreover, studies about the treatment of chloride salt wastes from pyroprocesses have been conducted in parallel. They follow two main routes: on one hand, a matrix termed sodalite, a naturally occurring mineral containing chlorine, has been synthesized from a mix of nepheline, simulated exhausted salts and glass frit; on the other hand, a novel method proposed by Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) is under assessment. The nal waste forms have been fully characterized with the support of the Politechnique of Milan, by means of density measurements, thermal analysis, and stereomicroscopy observations, FTIR, XRD, and RAMAN spectra, as well as leach tests under static condition

A methodology for the fatigue design of notched castings in gray cast iron

Fatigue failures of machine components remain a topic of relevant importance in the industrial world. They usually occur from geometrical features such as holes, notches, corners and grooves, whose actual influence is not well estimated in the design phase. Cast parts made in gray cast iron are typical examples of components difficult to design in fatigue because they are simultaneously characterized by complex geometries and microstructure. In this contribution the issue is discussed starting from the failure analysis of a cyclically pressurized hydraulic component. The work consists of an experimental procedure, i.e. the fatigue characterization of the material on specimens extracted from cast parts, and of a numerical design activity, i.e. the prediction of life time according to the critical distance method, [1]. The implication is that cracks and localized damage begin to appear in the microstructure of gray cast iron at sharp notches from the first cycles of loading. In order to obtain a correct prediction, the fatigue design should adopt fracture mechanics arguments to determine non-propagating conditions

Radiometria dell'ultravioletto 'B' e primi confronti con i risultati dei codici di calcolo Lowtran-7 e Premar

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Biblioteca Centrale - P.le Aldo Moro, 7, Rome / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal

Radiometria dell'ultravioletto 'B' e primi confronti con i risultati dei codici di calcolo Lowtran-7 e Premar

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Biblioteca Centrale - P.le Aldo Moro, 7, Rome / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal