Hot-Recycled-Solid pilot plant 1991 status report

At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we are studying above ground oil shale retorting and have developed the LLNL Hot-Recycled-Solid (HRS) process as a generic second-generation, rapid pyrolysis retorting system in which recycled shale is the solid heat carrier. In 1984--1987, we operated a 1 tonne-per-day HRS pilot plant to study retorting chemistry in an actual recirculation loop. In 1989 we upgraded our laboratory pilot plant to process 4 tonne-per-day of commercially sized shale, allowing us, for the first time, to study pyrolysis and combustion using the full particle size. With the new facility we are able to produce enough oil for detailed characterization studies, can evaluate environmental consequences, and begin answering the many bulk solid handling questions concerning scale-up of the HRS process. In this paper we report on operations of our laboratory (4TU) pilot plant and plans for a field test unit (FTU) at approximately 100 tonne-per-day scale to be sited in the western United States. 3 refs., 11 figs

Genesis Eco Systems, Inc. soil washing process

The Genesis soil washing system is an integrated system of modular design allowing for maximum material handling capabilities, with optimized use of space for site mobility. The Surfactant Activated Bio-enhanced Remediation Equipment-Generation 1 (SABRE-1, Patent Applied For) modification was developed specifically for removing petroleum byproducts from contaminated soils. Scientifically formulated surfactants, introduced by high pressure spray nozzles, displace the contaminant from the surface of the soil particles into the process solution. Once the contaminant is dispersed into the liquid fraction of the process, it is either mechanically removed, chemically oxidized, or biologically oxidized. The contaminated process water is pumped through the Genesis Biosep (Patent Applied For) filtration system where the fines portion is flocculated, and the contaminant-rich liquid portion is combined with an activated mixture of nutrients and carefully selected bacteria to decompose the hydrocarbon fraction. The treated soil and dewatered fines are transferred to a bermed stockpile where bioremediation continues during drying. The process water is reclaimed, filtered, and recycled within the system

Tritium-containment systems: a tradeoff study

Various design parameters are evaluated that affect the performance of tritium-containment systems for fusion reactors. Our study included a review of such parameters as tritium forms, impurities, catalysts, adsorbents, getters, and as low as reasonably achievable principles. We organized these schemes, which can be considered for treating either air or inert atmospheres, so one could easily make orderly choices and tradeoffs for optimum performance. The relationships examined involved purification-system decontamination factors, flow rates, recycling and leakage, and environmental losses

COBRA-IV: the model and the method

The objective of this report is to present the mathematical basis of the COBRA-IV computer program (Wheeler et al., 1976) being developed by Battelle, Pacific Northwest Laboratory. The COBRA-IV code is an extended version of the COBRA-IIIC subchannel analysis code that computes the flow and enthalpy distributions in nuclear fuel rod bundles and cores for both steady state and transient conditions (Rowe, 1973)

The value of infrared thermography for research on mammals: previous applications and future directions

1: Infrared thermography (IRT) involves the precise measurement of infrared radiation which allows surface temperature to be determined according to simple physical laws. This review describes previous applications of IRT in studies of thermal physiology, veterinary diagnosis of disease or injury and population surveys on domestic and wild mammals.<br></br> 2: IRT is a useful technique because it is non-invasive and measurements can be made at distances of <1 m to examine specific sites of heat loss to >1000 m to count large mammals. Detailed measurements of surface temperature variation can be made where large numbers of temperature sensors would otherwise be required and where conventional solid sensors can give false readings on mammal coats. Studies need to take into account sources of error due to variation in emissivity, evaporative cooling and radiative heating of the coat.<br></br> 3: Recent advances in thermal imaging technology have produced lightweight, portable systems that store digital images with high temperature and spatial resolution. For these reasons, there are many further opportunities for IRT in studies of captive and wild mammals

Nuove prospettive per un modello integrato di funzionamento mentale

Il capitolo esamina alcune delle tematiche di confronto e dibattito attuale ma soprattutto di ricerca di integrazione tra le neuroscienze e la psicoanalisi nella prospettiva di un modello integrato di funzionamento mentale. Psicoanalisi e neuroscienze hanno entrambe come oggetto di indagine la mente, ma i rispettivi punti di vista sono differenti: la psicoanalisi studia la mente esplorandola con le altre menti, mentre le neuroscienze le studiano nei processi biologici che la rendono possibile. Oggi la ricerca neurobiologica è in grado di fornire informazioni valide su come e perché si origini e funzioni la mente. Le neuroscienze possono fornire alle teorie della psicoanalisi quella validazione empirica così tanto auspicata da Freud, che considerava la biologia come un campo dalle possibilità illimitate, dal quale ci dobbiamo attendere le più sorprendenti delucidazioni (Freud, 1895). L’interesse per le funzioni del cervello e della mente in ambito neuroscientifico coinvolge molti livelli da quello molecolare, a quello cellulare (neuronale); dal livello dei sistemi neurali relativamente piccoli, a quelli maggiori come le colonne corticali (che mediano la percezione visiva), fino ai grandi sistemi come la corteccia cerebrale e il cervelletto (cerebellum). il sistema nervoso viene esaminato nella sua complessità dal punto di vista neuro-biologico ma anche psicologico (Ramachandran, 2011; Eagleman 2012; Oliverio, 2009); cervello e mente diventano un paradigma di interessante dibattito scientifico (Uttal, 2011; Argentieri, 2001) e le neuroscienze, in questi ultimi anni hanno assunto interessanti prospettive anche per la psicologia clinica, fornendo le basi per un dialogo mente-cervello (Mundo, 2009). I neuro scienziati hanno contribuito a rilevare una matrice biochimica e neurologica ai processi psichici rilevati dalla psiconalisi e hanno evidenziato il legame tra lo sviluppo cerebrale infantile e la qualità dello scambio affettivo tra il bambino e la figura primaria di accudimento (Siegel, 1999): i processi mentali e le connessioni cerebrali, per quanto geneticamente costituiti nella macromorfologia neuronale dell’encefalo, si sviluppano per esperienze relazionali precoci, in specifico le cure parentali (Stern, 1985;Emde, 1988; Schore 1994; Siegel 1999). La Psicoanalisi attuale sta facendo tentativi interessanti anche se complessi e di non semplice eplicazione concettuale, per descrivere il funzionamento della mente, nell’ottica di una prospettiva neuroscientifca, cercando conferme nelle evidenze sperimentali