Steam turbine materials and corrosion

Ultra-supercritical (USC) power plants offer the promise of higher efficiencies and lower emissions. Current goals of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Power Systems Initiatives include power generation from coal at 60% efficiency, which would require steam temperatures of up to 760°C. This project examines the steamside oxidation of candidate alloys for use in USC systems, with emphasis placed on applications in high- and intermediate-pressure turbines. As part of this research a concern has arisen about the possibility of high chromia evaporation rates of protective scales in the turbine. A model to calculate chromia evaporation rates is presented

Identification of the barrier to gene flow between phylogeographic lineages of the common hamster Cricetus cricetus

In anthropogenically disturbed habitats, natural barriers still exist and have to be recognized, as they are important for conservation measures. Areas of phylogeographic breaks within a species are often stabilized in inhospitable regions which act as natural barriers. An area of contact between phylogeographic lineages of the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus) was found in the Małopolska Upland in Poland. A total of 142 common hamsters were captured between 2005 and 2009. All hamsters were genotyped at 17 microsatellite loci and partial sequences of the mitochondrial (mtDNA) control region were obtained. No mixed populations with mtDNA haplotypes of both lineages were found. The distance between marginal populations was about 20 km; no hamsters were found in the area between. A principal components analysis (PCA) was performed on microsatellite data and the greatest change in PC1 scores was found between marginal samples. To define the habitat components responsible for the phylogeographic break, we compared the habitat composition of sites occupied by hamsters with those from which hamsters were absent. We found that hamsters avoided forested areas and sandy soils. The area of the potential barrier was characterized by a high proportion of woodland and unfavorable soils in comparison with neighboring areas inhabited by hamsters. They cannot settle in this area due to their high winter mortality in shallow burrows and high predation in the fields adjacent to forests

Purification and characterization of a Penicillium sp. lipase which discriminates against diglycerides

NRC publication: Ye