1,120 research outputs found
NOx emissions modelling in biomass combustion grate furnaces
A new flamelet combustion model is developed for the modeling of NOx emissions in biomass grate furnaces. The model describes the combustion chemistry using premixed flamelets. The chemical system is mapped on two controlling variables: the mixture fraction and a reaction progress variable. The species mass fractions and temperature are tabulated as functions of the controlling variables in a pre-processing step to speed up the numerical calculations. The turbulence-chemistry interaction is described by an assumed shape PDF approach. Transport equations are solved for mean and variance of mixture fraction and progress variable. For the accurate prediction of NO formation, an extra transport equation is solved for the mean NO mass fraction. The model is validated for a well documented flame, Sandia Flame D. Good agreement between predictions and experimental data is found. The model is also applied to a 2D biomass grate furnace. The preliminary results are encouraging
Optical characterization and bandgap engineering of flat and wrinkle textured FA0.83Cs0.17Pb I1 xBrx 3 perovskite thin films
The complex refractive indices of formamidinium cesium lead mixed halide [FA0.83Cs0.17Pb I1 xBrx 3] perovskite thin films of compositions ranging from x amp; 8201; amp; 8201;0 to 0.4, with both flat and wrinkle textured surface topographies, are reported. The films are characterized using a combination of variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry and spectral transmittance in the wavelength range of 190 amp; 8201;nm to 850 amp; 8201;nm. Optical constants, film thicknesses and roughness layers are obtained point by point by minimizing a global error function, without using optical dispersion models, and including topographical information supplied by a laser confocal microscope. To evaluate the bandgap engineering potential of the material, the optical bandgaps and Urbach energies are then accurately determined by applying a band fluctuation model for direct semiconductors, which considers both the Urbach tail and the fundamental band to band absorption region in a single equation. With this information, the composition yielding the optimum bandgap of 1.75 amp; 8201;eV for a Si perovskite tandem solar cell is determine
The Hepatic Monocarboxylate Transporter 1 (MCT1) Contributes to the Regulation of Food Anticipation in Mice.
Daily recurring events can be predicted by animals based on their internal circadian timing system. However, independently from the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), the central pacemaker of the circadian system in mammals, restriction of food access to a particular time of day elicits food anticipatory activity (FAA). This suggests an involvement of other central and/or peripheral clocks as well as metabolic signals in this behavior. One of the metabolic signals that is important for FAA under combined caloric and temporal food restriction is β-hydroxybutyrate (βOHB). Here we show that the monocarboxylate transporter 1 (Mct1), which transports ketone bodies such as βOHB across membranes of various cell types, is involved in FAA. In particular, we show that lack of the Mct1 gene in the liver, but not in neuronal or glial cells, reduces FAA in mice. This is associated with a reduction of βOHB levels in the blood. Our observations suggest an important role of ketone bodies and its transporter Mct1 in FAA under caloric and temporal food restriction
High Temperature Phase Transitions in Two-Scalar Theories with Large Techniques
We consider a theory of a scalar one-component field coupled to a
scalar -component field . Using large techiques we calculate the
effective potential in the leading order in . We show that this is
equivalent to a resummation of an infinite subclass of graphs in perturbation
theory, which involve fluctuations of the field only. We study the
temperature dependence of the expectation value of the field and the
resulting first and second order phase transitions.Comment: 11 pages, LaTex, includes 5 uuencoded postscript figures, OUTP-94-11
Natural Theories of Ultra-Low Mass PNGB's: Axions and Quintessence
We consider the Wilson Line PNGB which arises in a U(1)^N gauge theory,
abstracted from a latticized, periodically compactified extra dimension U(1).
Planck scale breaking of the PNGB's global symmetry is suppressed, providing
natural candidates for the axion and quintessence. We construct an explicit
model in which the axion may be viewed as the 5th component of the U(1)_Y gauge
field in a 1+4 latticized periodically compactified extra dimension. We also
construct a quintessence PNGB model where the ultra-low mass arises from
Planck-scale suppressed physics itself.Comment: 20 pages, fixed typo and reference
Constraining warm dark matter with cosmic shear power spectra
We investigate potential constraints from cosmic shear on the dark matter
particle mass, assuming all dark matter is made up of light thermal relic
particles. Given the theoretical uncertainties involved in making cosmological
predictions in such warm dark matter scenarios we use analytical fits to linear
warm dark matter power spectra and compare (i) the halo model using a mass
function evaluated from these linear power spectra and (ii) an analytical fit
to the non-linear evolution of the linear power spectra. We optimistically
ignore the competing effect of baryons for this work. We find approach (ii) to
be conservative compared to approach (i). We evaluate cosmological constraints
using these methods, marginalising over four other cosmological parameters.
Using the more conservative method we find that a Euclid-like weak lensing
survey together with constraints from the Planck cosmic microwave background
mission primary anisotropies could achieve a lower limit on the particle mass
of 2.5 keV.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figures, minor changes to match the version accepted for
publication in JCA
Measuring dark energy spatial inhomogeneity with supernova data
The gravitational lensing distortion of distant sources by the large-scale
distribution of matter in the Universe has been extensively studied. In
contrast, very little is known about the effects due to the large-scale
distribution of dark energy. We discuss the use of Type Ia supernovae as probes
of the spatial inhomogeneity and anisotropy of dark energy. We show that a
shallow, almost all-sky survey can limit rms dark energy fluctuations at the
horizon scale down to a fractional energy density of ~10^-4Comment: 4 pages; PRL submitte
An Isocurvature Mechanism for Structure Formation
We examine a novel mechanism for structure formation involving initial number
density fluctuations between relativistic species, one of which then undergoes
a temporary downward variation in its equation of state and generates
superhorizon-scale density fluctuations. Isocurvature decaying dark matter
models (iDDM) provide concrete examples. This mechanism solves the
phenomenological problems of traditional isocurvature models, allowing iDDM
models to fit the current CMB and large-scale structure data, while still
providing novel behavior. We characterize the decaying dark matter and its
decay products as a single component of ``generalized dark matter''. This
simplifies calculations in decaying dark matter models and others that utilize
this mechanism for structure formation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PRD (rapid communications
Cosmological Consequences of String-forming Open Inflation Models
We present a study of open inflation cosmological scenarios in which cosmic
strings form betwen the two inflationary epochs. It is shown that in these
models strings are stretched outside the horizon due to the inflationary
expansion but must necessarily re-enter the horizon before the epoch of equal
matter and radiation densities. We determine the power spectrum of cold dark
matter perturbations in these hybrid models, finding good agreement with
observations for values of and comparable
contributions from the active and passive sources to the CMB. Finally, we
briefly discuss other cosmological consequences of these models.Comment: 11 LaTeX pages with 3 eps figure
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