Gas levitator having fixed levitation node for containerless processing

A method and apparatus is disclosed for levitating a specimen of material in a containerless environment at a stable nodal position independent of gravity. An elongated levitation tube has a contoured interior in the form of convergent section, constriction, and a divergent section in which the levitation node is created. A gas flow control means prevents separation of flow from the interior walls in the region of a specimen. The apparatus provides for levitating and heating the specimen simultaneously by combustion of a suitable gas mixture combined with an inert gas

Observations of Galactic Gamma-Ray Sources with H.E.S.S

H.E.S.S. results from the first three years of nominal operation are presented. Among the many exciting measurements that have been made, most gamma-ray sources are of Galactic origin. I will concentrate here on an overview of Galactic observations and summarise and discuss observations of selected objects of the different source types.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, based on a talk presented at the workshop 'Energy Budget in the High Energy Universe', Kashiwa, Japan 22 - 24 February 200

Positioning and Handling in Weightless Environment

After experimental verification on the first and second orbital workshops, manufacturing processes suitable for industrial application will emerge. The flight facility environment for this use will contain functional elements similar to those employed in manufacturing on earth. Several electro-mechanical devices to transfer, position and retrieve space manufacturing equipment are discussed. Application to an orbital manufacturing facility is described

Preliminary characterization of a one-axis acoustic system

The acoustic fields and levitation forces produced along the axis of a single-axis resonance system were measured. The system consisted of a St. Clair generator and a planar reflector. The levitation force was measured for bodies of various sizes and geometries (i.e., spheres, cylinders, and discs). The force was found to be roughly proportional to the volume of the body until the characteristic body radius reaches approximately 2/k (k = wave number). The acoustic pressures along the axis were modeled using Huygens principle and a method of imaging to approximate multiple reflections. The modeled pressures were found to be in reasonable agreement with those measured with a calibrated microphone

Method and apparatus for shaping and enhancing acoustical levitation forces

A method and apparatus for enhancing and shaping acoustical levitation forces in a single-axis acoustic resonance system wherein specially shaped drivers and reflectors are utilized to enhance to levitation force and better contain fluid substance by means of field shaping is described

Utlegging av rene leirmasser i Bekkelagsbassenget - etterundersøkelse 2007

Rene leirmasser (30000 m3) fra graving av trasé for senketunnel i Oslo havn ble i januar og februar 2007 deponert fra splittlekter på ca 50 m dyp i Bekkelagsbassenget. Hensikten var å bli kvitt rene overskuddsmasser og overdekke forurensede sedimenter. I følge utslippstillatelsen skulle det etter deponeringen foretas en etterundersøkelse slik at eventuelle effekter/miljøgevinster kunne dokumenteres. I denne rapporten redegjøres det for resultatene fra etterundersøkelsen. Undersøkelsen omfatter biologisk registrering ved bruk av sedimentprofilkamera (SPI), analyser av miljøgifter i sediment og semikvantitativ kartlegging av bunnfauna ved bruk av ROV/undervannsvideo. Etterundersøkelsen ble gjennomført høsten 2007 med de samme metoder som førundersøkelsen. Førundersøkelsen ble utført høsten 2006. Resultatene viser at miljøgiftkonsentrasjonen i deponeringsområdet har gått betydelig ned etter deponeringen og for enkelte miljøgifter også utenfor selve deponiområdet. Det ble 6-8 måneder etter deponeringen ikke registrert noen tydelig øket nedslamming på hardbunn i omkringliggende områder selv om en betydelig spredning av partikler trolig har funnet sted under selve deponeringen. Deponeringen har gitt en klar miljøgevinst i Bekklagsbassenget i form av lavere miljøgiftkonsentrasjoner i overflatesedimentet. Deponeringen har trolig heller ikke ført til uheldige effekter av betydning for utslippsarrangementet til Bekkelaget renseanlegg