Cement-free binders for radioactive waste produced from blast-furnace slag using vortex layer activation technology

The paper addresses the issue of recycling granulated blast-furnace slag (gBFS) as a source for production of cement-free binder materials for further usage in rare-earth metals production for radioactive waste disposal. The use of the vortex layer activator was provided as main technique allowing to produce high-dispersed chemically activated binders. The paper examines the effect of processing conditions on the physical-chemical and mechanical properties of the resulting BFS-based cement-free materials and gBFS-based concretes

Borexino : geo-neutrino measurement at Gran Sasso, Italy

Geo-neutrinos, electron anti-neutrinos produced in beta-decays of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes in the Earth, are a unique direct probe of our planet's interior. After a brief introduction of the geo-neutrinos' properties and of the main aims of their study, we discuss the features of a detector which has recently provided breakthrough achievements in the field, Borexino, a massive, calorimetric liquid scintillator detector installed at the underground Gran Sasso Laboratory. With its unprecedented radiopurity levels achieved in the core of the detection medium, it is the only experiment in operation able to study in real time solar neutrino interactions in the challenging sub-MeV energy region. Its superior technical properties allowed Borexino also to provide a clean detection of terrestrial neutrinos. Therefore, the description of the characteristics of the detected geo-neutrino signal and of the corresponding geological implications are the main core of the discussion contained in this work

SAT-Based Counterexample-Guided Inductive Synthesis of Distributed Controllers

This article proposes a new method for automatic synthesis of distributed discrete-state controllers from given temporal specification and behavior examples. The proposed method develops known synthesis methods to the distributed case, which is a fundamental extension. This method can be applied for automatic generation of correct-by-design distributed control software for industrial automation. The proposed approach is based on reduction to the Boolean satisfiability problem (SAT) and has Counterexample-Guided Inductive Synthesis (CEGIS) at its core. We evaluate the proposed approach using the classical distributed alternating bit protocol.Peer reviewe

Cement-free Binders for Radioactive Waste Produced from Blast-furnace Slag using Vortex Layer Activation Technology

The paper addresses the issue of recycling granulated blast-furnace slag (gBFS) as a source for production of cement-free binder materials for further usage in rare-earth metals production for radioactive waste disposal. The use of the vortex layer activator was provided as main technique allowing to produce high-dispersed chemically activated binders. The paper examines the effect of processing conditions on the physical-chemical and mechanical properties of the resulting BFS-based cement-free materials and gBFS-based concretes

Hafnium-Zirconium Carbonitride (Hf,Zr)(C,N) by One Step Mechanically Induced Self-Sustaining Reaction: Powder Synthesis and Spark Plasma Sintering

Nanostructured single-phase hafnium-zirconium carbonitride powders were synthesized using a simple and fast mechanochemical synthesis approach. The critical milling duration, after which a (Hf,Zr)(C,N) solid solution formation inside a jar occurred via mechanically induced self-sustained reaction (MSR), was 10 min. After 30 min of treatment, a solid-gas reaction was completed, and as a result, a homogeneous (Hf,Zr)(C,N) powder consisting of 10–500 nm submicron particles was obtained. The phase and structure evolution of the powders after different treatment durations allowed for the establishment of possible reaction mechanisms, which included the formation of Hf/Zr/C-layered composite particles, their interaction via MSR, and further grinding and nitridization. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) was used to produce bulk hafnium-zirconium carbonitride ceramics from nanostructured powder. The sample had higher values of relative density, hardness, and fracture toughness than those for binary compounds of a similar composition

Investigation of the Effect of Molybdenum Silicide Addition on the Oxidation Behavior of Hafnium Carbonitride

In this study, the oxidation stability up to 1000 °C in air of the Hf(C,N)-MoSi2 composites was explored under non-isothermal and isothermal conditions. Composites with 1, 5, 10, and 20% volume fractions were produced by low-energy ball milling and subsequent spark plasma sintering. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric (TG) coupled with mass spectrometry were used to reveal the staging of the oxidation process depending on the additive content. It was found that samples containing 1 and 5 vol% MoSi2 had the lowest weight gain and the best oxidation behavior. The results of this study were supported by microstructural and phase analyses of the samples after isothermal treatment in a furnace. The samples with the lowest molybdenum disilicide content had a dense and thin protective oxide film on the surface, consisting of hafnium orthosilicate and monoclinic HfO2. The increase in the amount of MoSi2 contributed to the formation of a loose and porous oxide layer due to the increase in the concentration of volatile MoO3. However, all samples exhibited higher oxidation resistance compared to the pure Hf(C,N)

Cement-free binders for radioactive waste produced from blast-furnace slag using vortex layer activation technology

The paper addresses the issue of recycling granulated blast-furnace slag (gBFS) as a source for production of cement-free binder materials for further usage in rare-earth metals production for radioactive waste disposal. The use of the vortex layer activator was provided as main technique allowing to produce high-dispersed chemically activated binders. The paper examines the effect of processing conditions on the physical-chemical and mechanical properties of the resulting BFS-based cement-free materials and gBFS-based concretes

Borexino: Geo-neutrino measurement at Gran Sasso, Italy

Geo-neutrinos, electron anti-neutrinos produced in b-decays of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes in the Earth, are a unique direct probe of our planet\u2019s interior. After a brief introduction of the geo-neutrinos\u2019 properties and of the main aims of their study, we discuss the features of a detector which has recently provided breakthrough achievements in the field, Borexino, a massive, calorimetric liquid scintillator detector installed at the underground Gran Sasso Laboratory. With its unprecedented ra-diopurity levels achieved in the core of the detection medium, it is the only experiment in operation able to study in real time solar neutrino interactions in the challenging sub-MeV energy region. Its superior technical properties allowed Borexino also to provide a clean detection of terrestrial neutrinos. Therefore, the description of the characteristics of the detected geo-neutrino signal and of the corresponding geological implications are the main core of the discussion contained in this work