A method for limitation of probability of accumulation of fuel elements claddings damage in WWER

The aim is to reduce the probability of accumulation of fuel elements claddings damage by developing a method to control the properties of the fuel elements on stages of design and operation of WWER. An averaged over the fuel assembly WWER-1000 fuel element is considered. The probability of depressurization of fuel elements claddings is found. The ability to predict the reliability of claddings by controlling the factors that determine the properties of the fuel elements is proved. The expediency of the transition from the one-group model of power distribution for the fuel elements of the fuel assembly to the multigroup model is shown. This will reduce the probability of depressurization of fuel elements claddings and at the same time improve the efficiency of operation of WWER

Twisting of Fibers Balancing the Gel–Sol Transition in Cellulose Aqueous Suspensions

Cellulose hydrogels and films are advantageous materials that are applied in modern industry and medicine. Cellulose hydrogels have a stable scaffold and never form films upon drying, while viscous cellulose hydrosols are liquids that could be used for film production. So, stabilizing either a gel or sol state in cellulose suspensions is a worthwhile challenge, significant for the practical applications. However, there is no theory describing the cellulose fibers’ behavior and processes underlying cellulose-gel-scaffold stabilizing. In this work, we provide a phenomenological mechanism explaining the transition between the stable-gel and shapeless-sol states in a cellulose suspension. We suppose that cellulose macromolecules and nanofibrils under strong dispersing treatment (such as sonication) partially untwist and dissociate, and then reassemble in a 3D scaffold having the individual elements twisted in the nodes. The latter leads to an exponential increase in friction forces between the fibers and to the corresponding fastening of the scaffold. We confirm our theory by the data on the circular dichroism of the cellulose suspensions, as well as by the direct scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations and theoretical assessments

Zhurkov’s Stress-Driven Fracture as a Driving Force of the Microcrystalline Cellulose Formation

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is a chemically pure product of cellulose mechano-chemical conversion. It is a white powder composed of the short fragments of the plant cells widely used in the modern food industry and pharmaceutics. The acid hydrolysis of the bleached lignin-free cellulose raw is the main and necessary stage of MCC production. For this reason, the acid hydrolysis is generally accepted to be the driving force of the fragmentation of the initial cellulose fibers into MCC particles. However, the low sensibility of the MCC properties to repeating the hydrolysis forces doubting this point of view. The sharp, cleave-looking edges of the MCC particles suggesting the initial cellulose fibers were fractured; hence the hydrolysis made them brittle. Zhurkov showed that mechanical stress decreases the activation energy of the polymer fracture, which correlates with the elevated enthalpy of the MCC thermal destruction compared to the initial cellulose

Alirocumab and cardiovascular outcomes after acute coronary syndrome

BACKGROUN

Alirocumab and Cardiovascular Outcomes after Acute Coronary Syndrome

BACKGROUN