1,135 research outputs found
Critical research and advanced technology (CRT) support project
A critical technology base for utility and industrial gas turbines by planning the use of coal-derived fuels was studied. Development tasks were included in the following areas: (1) Combustion - investigate the combustion of coal-derived fuels and methods to minimize the conversion of fuel-bound nitrogen to NOx; (2) materials - understand and minimize hot corrosion; (3) system studies - integrate and focus the technological efforts. A literature survey of coal-derived fuels was completed and a NOx emissions model was developed. Flametube tests of a two-stage (rich-lean) combustor defined optimum equivalence ratios for minimizing NOx emissions. Sector combustor tests demonstrated variable air control to optimize equivalence ratios over a wide load range and steam cooling of the primary zone liner. The catalytic combustion of coal-derived fuels was demonstrated. The combustion of coal-derived gases is very promising. A hot-corrosion life prediction model was formulated and verified with laboratory testing of doped fuels. Fuel additives to control sulfur corrosion were studied. The intermittent application of barium proved effective. Advanced thermal barrier coatings were developed and tested. Coating failure modes were identified and new material formulations and fabrication parameters were specified. System studies in support of the thermal barrier coating development were accomplished
Nuclear Reaction Rates in a Plasma
The problem of determining the effects of the surrounding plasma on nuclear
reaction rates in stars is formulated ab initio, using the techniques of
quantum statistical mechanics. We derive a result that expresses the complete
effects of Coulomb barrier penetration and of the influence of the surrounding
plasma in terms of matrix elements of well defined operators. We find that
possible "dynamical screening" effects that have been discussed in the
literature are absent. The form of our results suggests that an approach that
relies on numerical calculations of the correlation functions in a classical
Coulomb gas, followed by construction of an effective two body potential and a
quantum barrier penetration calculation, will miss physics that is as important
as the physics that it includes.Comment: 66 pages, revtex, Errors Fixed, Explanation Adde
Single-electron transport through the vortex core levels in clean superconductors
We develop a microscopic theory of single-electron transport in N-S-N hybrid
structures in the presence of applied magnetic field introducing vortex lines
in a superconductor layer. We show that vortex cores in a thick and clean
superconducting layer are similar to mesoscopic conducting channels where the
bound core states play the role of transverse modes. The transport through not
very thick layers is governed by another mechanism, namely by resonance
tunneling via vortex core levels. We apply our method to calculation of the
thermal conductance along the magnetic field.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Andreev Reflections in Micrometer-Scale Normal-Insulator-Superconductor Tunnel Junctions
Understanding the subgap behavior of Normal-Insulator-Superconductor (NIS)
tunnel junctions is important in order to be able to accurately model the
thermal properties of the junctions. Hekking and Nazarov developed a theory in
which NIS subgap current in thin-film structures can be modeled by multiple
Andreev reflections. In their theory, the current due to Andreev reflections
depends on the junction area and the junction resistance area product. We have
measured the current due to Andreev reflections in NIS tunnel junctions for
various junction sizes and junction resistance area products and found that the
multiple reflection theory is in agreement with our data
Repair of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery in the infant and small child
Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery is associated with myocardial infarction, left ventricular dysfunction, mitral valve dysfunction and, occasionally, intracardiac congenital abnormalities. A technique that utilizes a flap of the anterior wall of the pulmonary artery to serve as a neocoronary artery to direct aortic flow from a created aortopulinonary window to the pulmonary artery orifice of the anomalous left coronary artery was used in five patients aged 2.5 months to 4.75 years. Two patients were less than 4 months of age at operation. There was one death 2 days after operation and one late death. The two youngest patients required mitral valve replacement. Two of the three surviving patients are well at follow-up at 7 to 44 months. One patient has been lost to follow-up study. One patient had postoperative catheterization which showed an intact repair. The pulmonary artery neocor-onary procedure is applicable to infants and small patients with anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery
Angular position of nodes in the superconducting gap of YBCO
The thermal conductivity of a YBCO single crystal has been studied as a
function of the relative orientation of the crystal axes and a magnetic field
rotating in the Cu-O planes. Measurements were carried out at several
temperatures below T_c and at a fixed field of 30 kOe. A four-fold symmetry
characteristic of a superconducting gap with nodes at odd multiples of 45
degrees in k-space was resolved. Experiments were performed to exclude a
possible macroscopic origin for such a four-fold symmetry such as sample shape
or anisotropic pinning. Our results impose an upper limit of 10% on the weight
of the s-wave component of the essentially d-wave superconducting order
parameter of YBCO.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
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