Economic considerations in coverting from oil/gas firing to coal

Economic considerations involved in fuel conversion such as from oil and/or gas firing to coal are discussed including investments costs for new facilities and equipment (including air pollution control equipment), operation and maintenance costs, and purchased fuel costs. An analytical approach to assessing the cost effectiveness of fuel conversion in terms of the annual net cost of conversion, the equivalent annual number of barrels of oil saved, and the integral rate of return of the conversion investment is presented. Illustrative numerical examples are presented for typical utility boilers and industrial boiler facilities. A further consideration addressed deals with the impacts of these costs on the overall financial structure of the firm and the ability of the firm to raise the necessary investment captial

Spin ice thin films: Large-N theory and Monte Carlo simulations

We explore the physics of highly frustrated magnets in confined geometries, focusing on the Coulomb phase of pyrochlore spin ices. As a specific example, we investigate thin films of nearest-neighbor spin ice, using a combination of analytic large-N techniques and Monte Carlo simulations. In the simplest film geometry, with surfaces perpendicular to the [001] crystallographic direction, we observe pinch points in the spin-spin correlations characteristic of a two-dimensional Coulomb phase. We then consider the consequences of crystal symmetry breaking on the surfaces of the film through the inclusion of orphan bonds. We find that when these bonds are ferromagnetic, the Coulomb phase is destroyed by the presence of fluctuating surface magnetic charges, leading to a classical Z_2 spin liquid. Building on this understanding, we discuss other film geometries with surfaces perpendicular to the [110] or the [111] direction. We generically predict the appearance of surface magnetic charges and discuss their implications for the physics of such films, including the possibility of an unusual Z_3 classical spin liquid. Finally, we comment on open questions and promising avenues for future research.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures. Minor improvements, typos correcte

Analysis of a turbine rotor containing a transverse crack at Oak Creek Unit 17

Transient increases in one, two and three per revolution vibration characteristics of a low pressure steam turbine were observed during steam temperature reduction operations. Vibration and fracture mechanics analyses suggested the presence of a transverse shaft crack which was eventually identified by ultrasonic inspection and confirmed by destructive sectioning. Signature analyses of vibration data recorded over a two-year period prior to crack identification are correlated with fatigue crack growth, which occurred intermittently during transient temperature decreases. The apparent increased response of the rotor to vibration is due to asymmetric stiffness changes introduced by the growing transverse crack. The vibration response is predicted to increase with increasing crack depths in excess of 10% of the shaft diameter. Fracture mechanics analyses predict that fatigue crack growth occurred during periods of steam temperature decrease, when high surface tensile stresses are present. These same transient thermal stresses are shown to have retarded and prevented subsequent fatigue crack growth during steady operation

Confined One Dimensional Harmonic Oscillator as a Two-Mode System

The one-dimensional harmonic oscillator in a box problem is possibly the simplest example of a two-mode system. This system has two exactly solvable limits, the harmonic oscillator and a particle in a (one-dimensional) box. Each of the two limits has a characteristic spectral structure describing the two different excitation modes of the system. Near each of these limits, one can use perturbation theory to achieve an accurate description of the eigenstates. Away from the exact limits, however, one has to carry out a matrix diagonalization because the basis-state mixing that occurs is typically too large to be reproduced in any other way. An alternative to casting the problem in terms of one or the other basis set consists of using an "oblique" basis that uses both sets. Through a study of this alternative in this one-dimensional problem, we are able to illustrate practical solutions and infer the applicability of the concept for more complex systems, such as in the study of complex nuclei where oblique-basis calculations have been successful. Keywords: one-dimensional harmonic oscillator, particle in a box, exactly solvable models, two-mode system, oblique basis states, perturbation theory, coherent states, adiabatic mixing.Comment: 11 pages and 9 figures; Submitted to American Journal of Physic

Relic Abundances and the Boltzmann Equation

I discuss the validity of the quantum Boltzmann equation for the calculation of WIMP relic densities.Comment: 5 pages, no figures; talk given at Dark Matter 2000; an important reference is added in the revised versio