Cogeneration Technology Alternatives Study (CTAS). Volume 1: Summary

Various advanced energy conversion systems that can use coal or coal-derived fuels for industrial cogeneration applications were compared to provide information needed by DOE to establish research and development funding priorities for advanced-technology systems that could significantly advance the use of coal or coal-derived fuels in industrial cogeneration. Steam turbines, diesel engines, open-cycle gas turbines, combined cycles, closed-cycle gas turbines, Stirling engines, phosphoric acid fuel cells, molten carbonate fuel cells, and thermionics were studied with technology advancements appropriate for the 1985-2000 time period. The various advanced systems were compared and evaluated for wide diversity of representative industrial plants on the basis of fuel energy savings, annual energy cost savings, emissions savings, and rate of return on investment as compared with purchasing electricity from a utility and providing process heat with an on-site boiler. Also included in the comparisons and evaluations are results extrapolated to the national level

Effect of Collector Configuration on Test Section Turbulence Levels in an Open-Jet Wind Tunnel

Flow quality studies in the Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel indicated periodic flow pulsation at discrete frequencies in the test section when the tunnel operated in an open-jet configuration. To alleviate this problem, experiments were conducted in a 1/24-scale model of the full-scale tunnel to evaluate the turbulence reduction potential of six collector configurations. As a result of these studies, the original bell-mouth collector of the 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel was replaced by a collector with straight walls, and a slot was incorporated between the trailing edge of the collector and the entrance of the diffuser

Homogeneous bubble nucleation limit of mercury under the normal working conditions of the planned European Spallation Source

In spallation neutron sources, liquid mercury is the subject of big thermal and pressure shocks, upon adsorbing the proton beam. These changes can cause unstable bubbles in the liquid, which can damage the structural material. While there are methods to deal with the pressure shock, the local temperature shock cannot be avoided. In our paper we calculated the work of the critical cluster formation (i.e. for mercury micro-bubbles) together with the rate of their formation (nucleation rate). It is shown that the homogeneous nucleation rates are very low even after adsorbing several proton pulses, therefore the probability of temperature induced homogeneous bubble nucleation is negligible.Comment: 22 Pages, 11 figures, one of them is colour, we plan to publish it in Eur. Phys. J.

Improving the Technique of Scrambled Desserts Using the Food Supplement “Magnetofood”

For improving the technology of scrambled dessert products, a food supplement, based on the nanopowder of oxides of two- and trivalent iron “Magnetofood” was introduced in the recipe composition. The object of the studies is base recipes: one of mousse “Cranberry” and sambuk “Apple”. For determining technological characteristics and quality parameters, conventional standard methods were used.It has been established, that introduction of the food supplement “Magnetofood” in amount 0,1 %, 0,15 %, 0,2 % of the recipe mixture mass improves consumption properties of scrambled desserts. The mean value of the organoleptic analysis increases by (1,25±0,1) points. The density also decreases by (29±1) kg/m3 for mousses, by (26±1) kg/m3 for sambuks, and scrambling duration – by ~ 3 minutes. At storing during 24 hours at h=(90±2) %, the microbial contamination of the surface of samples decreases – QMAFAnM in 10 times, yeasts – in 2 times, molds – in 2 times.It has been established, that introduction of the supplement “Magnetofood” favors the growth of the foam-creating ability in average: by (40±2) % for mousses, by (55±3) % for sambuks. The porosity increases by (14,3±0,7) % for mousses, by (12,7±0, 6) % for sambuks. The foam structure stability of scrambled desserts improves by (14±1,1) %. The food supplement “Magnetofood” also raises the effective viscosity by (32 ±1) Pa·s for mousses and by (41±2) Pa·s for sambuks and the mechanical strength of scrambled desserts in 1,23 times.The highest parameters were inherited to mousses and sambuks with supplement “Magnetofood” mass share 0,15 %.There have been experimentally substantiated scrambling technological parameters and regimes of recipe mixtures of berry-fruit mousses and sambuks, modified by the food supplement “Magnetofood”. The total scrambling duration is (14–16) minutes. The initial scrambling speed of the berry-fruit base is (2,0–2,2) s-1, at that the scrambling time is (5–6)·60s. Then the recipe mixture is scrambled at speed (3,3–3,5) s-1 during (3–4)·60s. Scrambling is finished at speed (2,0–2,2) s-1. The distinctive feature of the improved technology is premixing of the food supplement “Magnetofood” with gelatin, realized before the technological operation of soaking gelatin in cold water.The obtained experimental data may be used at developing innovative technologies of scrambled dessert products with the food supplement “Magnetofood”

Induction of Resistance with Benzothiadiazole in Sunflower: a Comparison of Biotrophic vs. Necrotrophic Pathosystems

In the present work we aimed at comparing the effect of benzothiadiazole (BTH) treatment on defence reactions of sunflower plants to downy mildew and white rot diseases. BTH treatment resulted in reduced disease symptoms in biotrophic and in the early stage of the necrotrophic interactions. To get a better insight into the effect of BTH, changes in the activities of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase enzymes, as well as the expression of the host response-associated sunflower genes were examined in the plants. Inoculation with Plasmopara halstedii enhanced the polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase enzyme activities, while inoculation with Sclerotinia sclerotiorum did it only at 4 dpi. However, most importantly, in each case extracts from BTH pretreated and inoculated plants showed the highest polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase enzyme activities. Similarly, the accumulation of GST and PDF transcripts was detected following inoculations with both biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens, and again, BTH pre-treatment enhanced GST and defensine gene activities in the inoculated plants. We suggest that induction of enzyme activities, as well as of the elevated expression of GST, PDF and PR5 genes by BTH pre-treatment may be a significant part of the induced resistance of sunflower to downy mildew and white rot (white mold)

Benefits of advanced technology in industrial cogeneration

This broad study is aimed at identifying the most attractive advanced energy conversion systems for industrial cogeneration for the 1985 to 2000 time period and assessing the advantages of advanced technology systems compared to using today's commercially available technology. Energy conversion systems being studied include those using steam turbines, open cycle gas turbines, combined cycles, diesel engines, Stirling engines, closed cycle gas turbines, phosphoric acid and molten carbonate fuel cells and thermionics. Specific cases using today's commercially available technology are being included to serve as a baseline for assessing the advantages of advanced technology

The mutualistic fungus Piriformospora indica protects barley roots from a loss of antioxidant capacity caused by the necrotrophic pathogen Fusarium culmorum

Fusarium culmorum causes root rot in barley (Hordeum vulgare), resulting in severely reduced plant growth and yield. Pretreatment of roots with chlamydospores of the mutualistic root-colonizing basidiomycete Piriformospora indica (Agaricomycotina) prevented necrotization of root tissues and plant growth retardation commonly associated with Fusarium root rot. Quantification of Fusarium infections with a real-time PCR assay revealed a correlation between root rot symptoms and the relative amount of fungal DNA. Fusarium-infected roots showed reduced levels of ascorbate and glutathione (GSH), along with reduced activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), and monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR). Consistent with this, Fusarium-infected roots showed elevated levels of lipid hydroperoxides and decreased ratios of reduced to oxidized forms of ascorbate and glutathione. In clear contrast, roots treated with P. indica prior to inoculation with F. culmorum showed levels of ascorbate and GSH that were similar to controls. Likewise, lipid peroxidation and the overall reduction in antioxidant enzyme activities were largely attenuated by P. indica in roots challenged by F. culmorum. These results suggest that P. indica protects roots from necrotrophic pathogens at least partly, through activating the plant’s antioxidant capacity

Segmented scintillation detectors with silicon photomultiplier readout for measuring antiproton annihilations

The Atomic Spectroscopy and Collisions Using Slow Antiprotons (ASACUSA) experiment at the Antiproton Decelerator (AD) facility of CERN constructed segmented scintillators to detect and track the charged pions which emerge from antiproton annihilations in a future superconducting radiofrequency Paul trap for antiprotons. A system of 541 cast and extruded scintillator bars were arranged in 11 detector modules which provided a spatial resolution of 17 mm. Green wavelength-shifting fibers were embedded in the scintillators, and read out by silicon photomultipliers which had a sensitive area of 1 x 1 mm^2. The photoelectron yields of various scintillator configurations were measured using a negative pion beam of momentum p ~ 1 GeV/c. Various fibers and silicon photomultipliers, fiber end terminations, and couplings between the fibers and scintillators were compared. The detectors were also tested using the antiproton beam of the AD. Nonlinear effects due to the saturation of the silicon photomultiplier were seen at high annihilation rates of the antiprotons.Comment: Copyright 2014 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol.85, Issue 2, 2014 and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.486364