Nuclear X-ray properties of the peculiar radio-loud hidden AGN 4C+29.30

We present results from a study of a nuclear emission of a nearby radio galaxy, 4C+29.30, over a broad 0.5-200 keV X-ray band. This study used new XMM-Newton (~17 ksec) and Chandra (~300 ksec) data, and archival Swift/BAT data from the 58-month catalog. The hard (>2 keV) X-ray spectrum of 4C+29.30 can be decomposed into an intrinsic hard power-law (Gamma ~ 1.56) modified by a cold absorber with an intrinsic column density N_{H,z} ~ 5x10^{23} cm^{-2}, and its reflection (|Omega/2pi| ~ 0.3) from a neutral matter including a narrow iron Kalpha emission line at the rest frame energy ~6.4 keV. The reflected component is less absorbed than the intrinsic one with an upper limit on the absorbing column of N^{refl}_{H,z} < 2.5x10^{22} cm^{-2}. The X-ray spectrum varied between the XMM-Newton and Chandra observations. We show that a scenario invoking variations of the normalization of the power-law is favored over a model with variable intrinsic column density. X-rays in the 0.5-2 keV band are dominated by diffuse emission modeled with a thermal bremsstrahlung component with temperature ~0.7 keV, and contain only a marginal contribution from the scattered power-law component. We hypothesize that 4C+29.30 belongs to a class of `hidden' AGN containing a geometrically thick torus. However, unlike the majority of them, 4C+29.30 is radio-loud. Correlations between the scattering fraction and Eddington luminosity ratio, and the one between black hole mass and stellar velocity dispersion, imply that 4C+29.30 hosts a black hole with ~10^8 M_{Sun} mass.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, ApJ in pres

150 keV Emission from PKS2149-306 with BeppoSAX

A BeppoSAX observation of the z=2.34 quasar PKS2149-306 produced a strong signal in the high energy PDS instrument up to a maximum observed energy of nearly 50 keV, 150 keV in the quasar frame. The Beppo-SAX spectrum spans almost 3 decades (0.3-150 keV, quasar frame) and shows an extremely hard (alpha=0.4+/-0.05) X-ray spectrum above 3 keV (comparable to the X-ray background slope), and either a softer (alpha=1.0(+0.6, -0.3)) low energy component, or an ionized absorber at zero redshift. No evidence is seen of an Fe-K emission line (EW<167 eV at 6.5 keV quasar frame) or a Compton hump (R<0.3). A bremsstrahlung fit gives kT(rest)=46(+32, -16) keV, similar to the X-ray background value, and a high energy cut-off power law requires E(cut)>120 keV (quasar frame). The SED of PKS 2149-306 shows two peaks at ~ 10(12+/-0.5}Hz and \~10(21+/-1.0)Hz (~ 0.3 mm and ~ 4 MeV), strongly resembling a low energy cutoff BL~Lac object (LBL). The ratio of the two peaks shows an extreme Compton dominance (C_D=1.4+/- 0.4), as in flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs). The presence of an additional `optical/UV big bump' component may provide photons that cool the jet, suppressing the radio emission.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures. LaTeX, with AAS .sty file aasms4. Revised to correct a stupid mistake affecting the Fe-K EW. The results now agree with the ASCA data from Yaqoob et a

Simulated spectral states of AGN and observational predictions

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) and galactic black hole binaries (GBHs) represent two classes of accreting black holes. They both contain an accretion disc emitting a thermal radiation, and a non-thermal X-ray emitting corona. GBHs exhibit state transitions, and their spectral states are characterized by different luminosity levels and shapes of the spectral energy distribution (SED). If AGN transitioned in a similar way, the characteristic timescales of such transitions would exceed ~10^5 years. Thus, the probability to observe an individual AGN transiting between different spectral states is very low. In this paper we follow a spectral evolution of a GBH, GRO~J1655-40, and then apply its SED evolution pattern to a simulated population of AGN under an assumption that a large sample of AGN should contain a mixture of sources in different spectral states. We model the X-ray spectra of GRO J1655-40 with the eqpair model and then scale the best-fitting models with the black hole mass to simulate the AGN spectra. We compare the simulated and observed AGN SEDs to determine the spectral states of observed Type 1 AGN, LINER and NLS1 populations. We conclude that bright Type 1 AGN and NLS1 galaxies are in a spectral state similar to the soft spectral state of GBHs, while the spectral state of LINERs may correspond to the hard spectral state of GBHs. We find that taking into account a spread in the black hole masses over several orders of magnitude, as in the observed AGN samples, leads to a correlation between the X-ray loudness and the monochromatic luminosity at 2500A, similar to that found in observations. We predict however that the correlation changes its sign around a critical luminosity of L_crit ~ 0.01 L_E.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, MNRAS, in pres

Thermal degradation of waste polyolefines and their application in blast-furnace process

Tyt. z nagłówka.Bibliografia s. 123.Dostępny również w formie drukowanej.ABSTRACT: Nowadays about 60% of world production and consumption of plastics are polyolefines. They are used as packaging, in building engineering, automotive industry or electronic engineering. High calorific value and proper Chemical composition of polyolefines (based on carbon and hydrogen) make them ideal for use in a wide range of applications. The polyolefines can be used as a substitute for coke in blast-furnace processes. This paper outlines thermal decomposition of PE-LD, PE-HD, PP which are used in agriculture and packaging from household. Thermogravimetry (TG) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) were used as analytical methods. KEYWORDS: blast furnace, co-combustion, thermal analysis, waste polyolefines. STRESZCZENIE: Obecnie około 60% światowej produkcji i konsumpcji tworzyw sztucznych stanowią poliolefiny. Znajdują one zastosowanie w produkcji opakowań, w budownictwie, w przemyśle samochodowym oraz przemyśle elektronicznym. Wysoka wartość opałowa oraz skład chemiczny poliolefin (oparty na węglu i wodorze) sprawiają, że po wykorzystaniu mogą być stosowane w szerokim zakresie. Poliolefiny mogą być stosowane m.in. jako substytut koksu w procesie wielkopiecowym. Artykuł przedstawia rozkład termiczny PE-LD, PE-HD oraz PP pochodzących z rolnictwa, opakowalnictwa i z gospodarstwa domowego. Jako metody analityczne zastosowano: termograwimetrię (TG) i różnicową kalorymetrię skaningową (DSC). SŁOWA KLUCZOWE: wielki piec, współspalanie, analiza termiczna, odpady poliolefinowe

Numerical investigation of biomass fast pyrolysis in a free fall reactor

This work presents two-dimensional numerical investigations of fast pyrolysis of red oak in a free fall reactor. The Euler–Lagrange approach of multiphase flow theory was proposed in order to describe the behaviour of solid particles in the gaseous domain. The main goal of this study was to examine the impact of the flow rate of inert gas on the pyrolysis process. Calculation domain of the reactor was made according to data found in the literature review. Volume flow rates were 3, 9, 18, and 25 l/min, respectively. Nitrogen was selected as an inert gas. Biomass pyrolysis was conducted at 550◦C with a constant mass flow rate of biomass particles equal to 1 kg/h. A parallel multistage reaction mechanism was applied for the thermal conversion of red oak particles. The composition of biomass was represented by three main pseudo-components: cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The received products of pyrolysis were designated into three groups: solid residue (char and unreacted particles), primary tars and noncondensable gases. In this work the impact of the volume flow rate on the heating time of solid particle, temperature distribution, yields and char mass fraction has been analysed. The numerical solutions were verified according to the literature results when the flow of nitrogen was set at 18 l/min. The calculated results showed that biomass particles could be heated for longer when the flow rate of nitrogen was reduced, allowing for a greater concentration of volatile matter

Experimental studies of intermediate pyrolysis of woody and agricultural biomass in a fixed bed reactor

Biomass pyrolysis is an advanced process which leads to obtaining products as chars, primary tars and gases. Depending on pyrolysis conditions and reactor construction, the pyrolysis could be divided into three categories: slow, intermediate and fast. This work concerns the experimental analysis of an intermediate pyrolysis of biomass residues in a fixed bed reactor. As raw materials, pine bark and wheat straw were selected. Experiments were carried out at three temperatures: 400, 500 and 600 °C under constant volume flow rate of inert gas equal to 100 ml/min. Biomass samples were kept for 150 seconds in the hot zone. The main goal was to compare yields, elemental composition, and calorific values of received products under studied process conditions. The ultimate analysis of chars and organic fractions of oils was performed. Obtained results from ultimate analysis allowed to determine higher heating values by a theoretical correlation. The products of pyrolysis obtained at 600 °C characterized by the most energetic parameters. The higher heating value for organic fraction of tars was 31.62 MJ/kg while for char was 29.47 MJ/kg