Automated control system for a mashing process

The goal of this paper is to describe a system for a mashing process, which is the first part of brewing beer. The mashing is a procedure where the fermentable (and some non-fermentable) sugars are extracted from malts. The program part based on LabVIEW, which is used to control NI CompactRIO. The main target of the project is to reach a predefined levels of the temperatures and maintain it during the pauses. When the necessary break time is ended the system is ready to go to the new value. The precise control of the temperatures during the breaks is one of the critical factors that define the texture and alcohol content of the beer. The system has two tanks with resistors PT100 in both of them, heat exchanger (coil), heater and pump. The first tank has heating element in order to rise the temperature in the other one. This project has practical solution with all explanations and graphs which are proven working ability of this control system

The XPS study of physical and chemical forms of neptunium group on the surface of minerals

The sorption behavior and the physical and chemical forms of neptunium on the surface of minerals of the two chlorate samples, biotite and kaolin, with different contents of Fe(II) was studied. The liquid-liquid extraction and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to identify the valence forms of neptunium. On the basis of the obtained data the quantitative elemental composition of the surface of the studied minerals, as well as the ionic composition of the formed neptunium complexes was determined. It was shown that the Np(IV) and Np(VI) containing compounds did not form, while the complexes Np(V)O+ -hydroxyl did form on the surface. The oxygen ions bonded with iron and oxygen belonging to water and/or of carboxyl were suggested to be present in the equatorial plane of the neptunyl group NpO+

Methods for karst hazard forecast and pipeline protection in South Yakutia

The objective of this paper is to consider the ways of monitoring and protecting the pipeline "The Power of Siberia" from karst hazards. The method of protection with bored piles has been recommended and the forecasting methods have been overviewed. Thus, ground penetrating radar allows discovering a soil cavity when the overburden layer is not very deep and predicting sinkhole collapse when used in combination with a balance arch model. Monitoring of triggering factors is widely used to forecast karst collapse when the opening is caused by pumping as the data on dynamic groundwater conditions can be obtained in real-time. However, the suggested protection method is expensive and some forecasts might be difficult to make. The authors have suggested the ways to improve the current situation and to reduce the damage caused by karst collapse

Identification and assessment of geohazards affecting pipelines and urban areas

The paper addresses methods and criteria of risk assessment associated with land subsidence threatening pipelines, buildings, and constructions. Currently, there are some practical issues relating to geohazards that should be taken into account while constructing a pipeline. The article provides comparison data on the effects of Spitak earthquake and the natural disaster in Neftegorsk in terms of geohazards impact on the pipeline systems. The suggested risk assessment procedure embraces a wide range of aspects: from soil properties to economic and management issues

Localization of the gamma-radiation sources using the gamma-visor

The search of the main gamma-radiation sources at the site of the temporary storage of solid radioactive wastes was carried out. The relative absorbed dose rates were measured for some of the gamma-sources before and after the rehabilitation procedures. The effectiveness of the rehabilitation procedures in the years 2006-2007 was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. The decrease of radiation background at the site of the temporary storage of the solid radioactive wastes after the rehabilitation procedures allowed localizing the new gamma-source

XPS study of ion irradiated and unirradiated CeO2 bulk and thin film samples

This work considers the effect of fission-energy ion irradiation on the electronic structure at the surface of bulk and thin film samples of CeO2 as a simulant for UO2 nuclear fuel. For this purpose, thin films of CeO2 grown on Si substrates and bulk CeO2 samples were irradiated by Xe ions (92 MeV, 4.8 × 1015 ions/cm2) to simulate the fission damage that occurs within nuclear fuels. The irradiated and unirradiated samples were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A technique of the quantitative evaluation of cerium ionic composition on the surface of the samples has been successfully applied to the obtained XPS spectra. This technique is based on the intensity of only one of the reliably identifiable high-energy peak at 916.6 eV in the Ce 3d XPS spectra. The as-produced samples were found to contain mostly the Ce4+ ions with a small fraction of Ce3+ ions formed on the surface in the air or under X-rays. The core-electron XPS structure of CeO2 was associated with the complex final state with vacancies (holes) resulting from the photoemission of an inner electron. The Xe ion irradiation was found to increase the Ce3+ content in the samples of CeO2, with the thin films being more sensitive than the bulks samples

Optimized network dimensioning and planning for WiMAX technology

In order to meet demands in mobile broadband and to bridge the digital divide a new technology, namely WiMAX, was introduced in 2004. However, in order to increase the financial return on the investment inWiMAX, service operators need to make every effort in designing and deploying the most cost-effective networks. This thesis presents a novel dimensioning technique for WiMAX technology which takes the dimensioning problem to a new level and produces more accurate results in comparison to the traditional methods. Furthermore, a novel decomposed optimization framework for the WiMAX network planning is introduced which subdivides the overall problem into three distinct stages consisting of the network dimensioning stage which besides the primary task of evaluating the financial requirements produces a good starting network solution for the subsequent stages (Stage 1), initial sectorization and configuration of the network (Stage 2) and final network configuration (Stage 3). The proposed framework also solves two fundamental problems, which are cell planning and frequency planning, simultaneously. The feasibility of the final network solutions are then evaluated by OPNET simulator.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of uranyl-chitosan interaction

An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of uranium sorption by spherically-granulated chitosan in sulphate solutions, as well as the study of the nature of the U(VI) - chitosan interaction was carried out in this work. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed that the uranyl - chitosan interaction results in the formation of complexes with aminogroup nitrogen, and possibly chitin ring oxygens and free hydroxyl groups in the equatorial plane. Under the UHV in the spectrometer chamber, the uranyl-amin and uranyl-hyroxide bonds were shown to break and tetravalent uranium compounds were shown to form on the sample surface. Hydroxyl groups were shown to evaporate. The calculated DG0 = -1,3 kJ/mol can be an evidence of several concurrent processes, some of which require energy, as well as of the formation of a surface chemical compound