Amplified wind turbine apparatus

An invention related to the utilization of wind energy and increasing the effects thereof for power generation is described. Amplified wind turbine apparatus is disclosed wherein ambient inlet air is prerotated in a first air rotation chamber having a high pressure profile increasing the turbulence and Reynolds number thereof. A second rotation chamber adjacent and downstream of the turbine has a low pressure core profile whereby flow across the turbine is accelerated and thereafter exits the turbine apparatus through a draft anti-interference device. Interference with ambient winds at the outlet of the turbine apparatus is thus eliminated. Pivotable vanes controlled in response to prevailing wind direction admit air to the chambers and aid in imparting rotation. A central core may be utilized for creating the desired pressure profile in the chamber

Mechanical solar motor: A concept

Motor is proposed to convert radiation from sun directly into mechanical energy. Motor utilizes thermal expansion of liquid, heated by sun, as driving force. Unlike most thermally powered systems, it does not require that liquid be converted into vapor

Mechanical thermal motor

An apparatus is described for converting thermal energy such as solar energy into mechanical motion for driving fluid pumps and similar equipment. The thermal motor comprises an inner concentric cylinder carried by a stationary core member. The core member has a cylindrical disc plate fixed adjacent to a lower portion and extending radially from it. An outer concentric cylinder rotatably carried on the disc plate defining a space between the inner and outer concentric cylinders. A spiral tubular member encircles the inner concentric cylinder and is contained within the space between the inner and outer cylinders. One portion is connected to the inner concentric cylinder and a second portion connected to the outer concentric cylinder. A heated fluid is conveyed through the tubular member and is periodically cooled causing the tubular member to expand and contract. This causes the outer concentric cylinder to reciprocally rotate on the base plate accordingly. The reciprocating motion of the outer concentric cylinder is then utilized to drive a pump member in a pump chamber

Solar Abundance of Elements from Neutron-Capture Cross Sections

Excess lightweight products of slow neutron capture in the photosphere, over the mass range of 25 to 207 amu, confirm the solar mass separation recorded by excess lightweight isotopes in the solar wind, over the mass range of 3 to 136 amu [Solar Abundance of the Elements, Meteoritics, volume 18, 1983, pages 209 to 222]. Both measurements show that major elements inside the Sun are Fe, O, Ni, Si and S, like those in rocky planets.Comment: 2 pages with 4 figures, submitted for oral presentation in the Genesis Mission Special Session, 36th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston, TX, 14-18 March 200

Triaxial nuclear models and the outer crust of nonaccreting cold neutron stars

The properties and composition of the outer crust of nonaccreting cold neutron stars are studied by applying the model of Baym, Pethick, and Sutherland (BPS) and taking into account for the first time triaxial deformations of nuclei. Two theoretical nuclear models, Hartree-Fock plus pairing in the BCS approximation (HF-BCS) with Skyrme SLy6 parametrization and Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov (HFB) with Gogny D1S force, are used to calculate the nuclear masses. The two theoretical calculations are compared concerning their neutron drip line, binding energies, magic neutron numbers, and the sequence of nuclei in the outer crust of nonaccreting cold neutron stars, with special emphasis on the effect of triaxial deformations. The BPS model is extended by the higher-order corrections for the atomic binding, screening, exchange and zero-point energies. The influence of the higher-order corrections on the sequence of the outer crust is investigated.Comment: 7 page

Assessing An Economics Programme: Hansen Proficiencies, ePortfolio, and Undergraduate Research

Numerous sources calling for more accountability in higher education are putting increased pressure on many economics departments to develop assessment plans. This paper discusses a set of principles for programmatic assessment gleaned from the assessment literature, while highlighting one US economic department's journey to develop an assessment of student learning outcomes based on Hansen's proficiencies. We explain the curriculum reforms that culminate with independent undergraduate research as suggested by the highest level of Hansen's proficiencies. We describe ePortfolios which showcase student abilities and integrate evidence of student learning across the curriculum. For departments without direct guidance from accreditation boards or other agencies, we put forth a process of forming programmatic assessment in economics.

Analytical parametrization of fusion barriers using proximity potentials

Using the three versions of proximity potentials, namely proximity 1977, proximity 1988, and proximity 2000, we present a pocket formula for fusion barrier heights and positions. This was achieved by analyzing as many as 400 reactions with mass between 15 and 296. Our parametrized formula can reproduced the exact barrier heights and positions within an accuracy of $\pm1$. A comparison with the experimental data is also in good agreement.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

Application of ERTS-1 data to analysis of agricultural crops and forests in Michigan

The results reported are based on analysis of ERTS Frame 1033-15580 collected over southwestern Lower Michigan on August 25, 1972. Major agricultural crops such as corn and soybeans were approaching maturity at this data and forest canopies were dense. Extensive ground truth information was gathered by detailed field study of test strips. This detailed information was supplemented over larger areas by interpretation of RB-57 and C-47 photography and MSS imagery. Recognition processing of ERTS-1 MSS data was carried out on a digital computer. Fields and forest stands were selected as training sets and test areas. Aerial imagery was essential for locating the positions of these selected areas on ERTS digital tapes. The recognition process was successful for each type of vegetation which had a dense green canopy such as forests, corn, and soybeans. Bare soil was also recognizable as a category

Fission-fragment mass distributions from strongly damped shape evolution

Random walks on five-dimensional potential-energy surfaces were recently found to yield fission-fragment mass distributions that are in remarkable agreement with experimental data. Within the framework of the Smoluchowski equation of motion, which is appropriate for highly dissipative evolutions, we discuss the physical justification for that treatment and investigate the sensitivity of the resulting mass yields to a variety of model ingredients, including in particular the dimensionality and discretization of the shape space and the structure of the dissipation tensor. The mass yields are found to be relatively robust, suggesting that the simple random walk presents a useful calculational tool. Quantitatively refined results can be obtained by including physically plausible forms of the dissipation, which amounts to simulating the Brownian shape motion in an anisotropic medium.Comment: 14 pages, 11 ps figure