Dreams and needs : the applications of isotopes to industry in Spain in the 1960s

The efforts to change the bleak image of the atom bomb galvanised the discourse on the peaceful applications of nuclear energy. This contributed to a utopian vision of nuclear energy, especially of the uses of radioactive isotopes in the immediate post-war period. Desire for peace engendered dreams of a better future based on the use of radioactivity. These dreams were first converted into reality using isotopes in medicine. These advances were subsequently applied to industry and agriculture. This article gives an overview of the peaceful applications of isotopes in industry and agriculture in Spain. It describes a period in which the initial dreams, sometimes fantastic and other times down-to-earth, gave rise to the first applications to meet the needs of economic growth in the 1960s

Dreams and needs: The applications of isotopes to industry in Spain in the 1960s

The efforts to change the bleak image of the atom bomb galvanised the discourse on the peaceful applications of nuclear energy. This contributed to a utopian vision of nuclear energy, especially of the uses of radioactive isotopes in the immediate post-war period. Desire for peace engendered dreams of a better future based on the use of radioactivity. These dreams were first converted into reality using isotopes in medicine. These advances were subsequently applied to industry and agriculture. This article gives an overview of the peaceful applications of isotopes in industry and agriculture in Spain. It describes a period in which the initial dreams, sometimes fantastic and other times down-to-earth, gave rise to the first applications to meet the needs of economic growth in the 1960s

La actitud de cuadradores y académicos en Barcelona durante el siglo XIX

The doubt surrounding the resolution of three classical problems of Greek geometry (doubling the cube, trisecting an angle and squaring the circle) that had puzzled mathematicians for centuries was cleared up in the XIX Century. In 1837, Wantzell demonstrated that it was only possible to solve with ruler and compass the problems whose resolution entailed at most an algebraic equation of second degree. As a result, doubling the cube and trisecting an angle was impossible using Euclidean tools. Nevertheless, the doubt concerning squaring the circle took a little longer given the specific nature of . Lambert in the late XVIII Century proved that p was irrational, and a hundred years later Lindemann showed that this number was also transcendental. Both these characteristics demonstrated that the problem of squaring the circle was unsolvable with ruler and compass. During this time, some enthusiasts endeavoured to solve squaring the circle with ruler and compass and presented their findings at different scientific institutions. This paper examines the reports presented at the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences of Barcelona and at the Board of Commerce of Catalonia in order to gain some insight into the attitudes adopted by the enthusiasts and the academicians.En el siglo XIX se resuelve definitivamente la duda sobre la resolubilidad de tres problemas de Geometría clásica que habían preocupado a matemáticos y a aficionados a lo largo de los siglos: La duplicación del cubo, la trisección del ángulo y la cuadratura del círculo. En 1837, Wantzel demostró que solo se podían resolver con regla y compás los problemas cuya solución comportaba como máximo una ecuación de segundo grado. En consecuencia la trisección y la duplicación eran irresolubles con las herramientas euclídeas. Pero la cuadratura, en cambio, tardo unos años más en resolverse ya que su naturaleza era diferente a causa de . Lambert, a finales del siglo XVIII, probó que era irracional y un siglo después Lindemann demostró que era trascendente con lo que quedaba probada la irresolubilidad de este problema. En estos años, mientras había esperanzas en su resolución, algunos aficionados, a los que llamaremos cuadradores, trataron de solucionar la cuadratura con regla y compás y presentaron su trabajo a diversas instituciones científicas. Este artículo analiza las memorias presentadas en la Real Academia de Ciencias y Artes de Barcelona y en la Junta de Comercio de Cataluña a lo largo del siglo XIX con el propósito comprender la peculiar actitud de los aficionados y la singular respuesta de estas instituciones

Nuclear energy in the public sphere: Anti-nuclear movements vs. industrial lobbies in Spain (1962-1979)

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11024-014-9263-0This article examines the role of the Spanish Atomic Forum as the representative of the nuclear sector in the public arena during the golden years of the nuclear power industry from the 1960s to 1970s. It focuses on the public image concerns of the Spanish nuclear lobby and the subsequent information campaigns launched during the late 1970s to counteract demonstrations by the growing and heterogeneous anti-nuclear movement. The role of advocacy of nuclear energy by the Atomic Forum was similar to that in other countries, but the situation in Spain had some distinguishing features. Anti-nuclear protest in Spain peaked in 1978 paralleling the debates of a new National Energy Plan in Congress, whose first draft had envisaged a massive nuclearization of the country. We show how the approval of the Plan in July 1979, with a significant reduction in the nuclear energy component, was influenced by the anti-nuclear protest movements in Spain. Despite the efforts of the Spanish Atomic Forum to counter its message, the anti-nuclear movement was strengthened by reactions to the Three Mile Island accident in March 1979

Dreams and needs : the applications of isotopes to industry in Spain in the 1960s

The efforts to change the bleak image of the atom bomb galvanised the discourse on the peaceful applications of nuclear energy. This contributed to a utopian vision of nuclear energy, especially of the uses of radioactive isotopes in the immediate post-war period. Desire for peace engendered dreams of a better future based on the use of radioactivity. These dreams were first converted into reality using isotopes in medicine. These advances were subsequently applied to industry and agriculture. This article gives an overview of the peaceful applications of isotopes in industry and agriculture in Spain. It describes a period in which the initial dreams, sometimes fantastic and other times down-to-earth, gave rise to the first applications to meet the needs of economic growth in the 1960s

New techniques of heating in Barcelona during the second half of the XIX century

A la dècada de 1860, en el breu període de quatre anys, dos treballs sobre calefacció van veure la llum: Consideraciones generales acerca de las aplicaciones de ciertos principios científicos a la teoría y construcción de los aparatos de calefacción, escrit per Lucas Echeverria Ugarte, i Calentamiento y ventilación de edificios, del qual fou autor Francisco de P. Rojas y Caballero Infante. El primer treball fou llegit com a memòria de torn a la Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona el 10 de març de 1864 i ha restat manuscrit fins a l’actualitat. El segon, en canvi, fou publicat i premiat per la Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales de Madrid el 1868. Tots dos havien estat elaborats per dos professors de l’Escola d’Enginyers Industrials de Barcelona. En aquest article s’analitzen aquestes dues memòries dins el seu context i es destaquen les innovacions presentades pels autors tant des del punt de vista teòric com pràctic. El nostre propòsit no és altre que provar que aquests treballs, poc coneguts i poc estudiats, estaven dins els corrents europeus de l’època. Es tracta d’un exemple més de la transmissió de coneixements que es difonien des de l’École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures de París cap als altres països de l’entorn.Paraules clau: calefacció, segle xix, Barcelona, formació en enginyeria industrialTwo works on heating were produced within the space of four years in the 1860s: Consideraciones generales acerca de las aplicaciones de ciertos principios científicos a la teoría y construcción de los aparatos de calefacción by Lucas Echeverria and Calentamiento y ventilación de edificios by Francisco de P. Rojas. The former was read as a paper in the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts in Barcelona in March 1864 and has remained a manuscript ever since. The latter, by contrast, was published and awarded a prize by the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences in Madrid in 1868. Both works were written by professors of the School of Industrial Engineering of Barcelona. We consider the two studies within their context, highlighting the innovations presented by the authors from the practical and theoretical perspectives. We show that these works, which were little known and little studied, formed part of the European trend of the time and are good examples of transfer of knowledge diffused by the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures of París to other countries.Key words: heating, xix century, Barcelona, industrial engineering trainin

The heading radiator. Between utility and aesthetics

A mitjan segle xix, quan la calefacció centralitzada es va començar a aplicar en alguns edificis emprant vapor com a fluid, el radiador va utilitzar-se com a element d’emissió de la calor en un local. El sistema de calefacció centralitzada requereix un generador, que acostuma a ser una caldera, on s’escalfa el fluid, aigua o vapor, que, circulant per un circuit de canonades, ha de transportar la calor al lloc que ha de ser escalfat. Aquí és on hi ha d’haver un emissor pensat per a facilitar la transferència d’aquesta calor a l’aire del local. En els primers anys de desenvolupament d’aquesta tecnologia es feren servir dos tipus d’emissors: els tubs d’aletes i els radiadors. En aquest article tractarem de veure quin va ser l’origen i l’evolució dels radiadors així com les preocupacions estètiques i higièniques que es generaren arran de la seva aplicació.Paraules clau: calefacció per aigua calenta o vapor, radiadors, tubs d’aletesIn the mid-nineteenth century, when centralized heating began to be applied in some buildings using steam as a fluid, the radiator was used as an element of heat emission at the site. The centralized heating system requires a generator, which is usually a boiler where water or steam, is heated. This fluid, circulating through a pipe circuit, must transport the heat to the place where it must be heated. To facilitate the transfer of this heat to the air, one emitter would be necessary. In the first years of this technology two types of emitters were used: the fins tubes and the radiators. In this paper we will try to see what the origin and evolution of radiators was as well as the aesthetic and hygiene concerns that were generated because of its application.Key words: heating by hot water or steam, radiators, finned tube