Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Pressurizer”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2

Analysis of Dynamic Stress in The Reactor Core Barrel Due to the Pressure Pulsations

This article presents vibrations analysis of the reactor core barrel caused by pressure pulsations induced by the main coolant pump. For this purpose, the calculations of the pressure distribution in the annulus between the core barrel and the reactor pressure vessel, bounded above by a separating ring were performed. Using transfer matrix method is obtained the solution of two-dimensional problem of pressure pulsations in the annulus between reactor core barrel and reactor vessel. The calculation results are compared with the pulsation pressure measurements made at commissioning unit 2 of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Station. The distribution of pressure over the height of core barrel was obtained, which makes possible to estimate its strength for variant deformation of the core barrel as a beam, and in the case of deformation of the core barrel as a shell. The calculation results are used to assess the reliability of core barrel pre-load, which clamps the core barrel flange in place at the top, at full power operating. (author)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Melting of Magnesium Borohydride under High Hydrogen Pressure: Thermodynamic Stability and Effects of Nanoconfinement

The thermodynamic stability and melting point of magnesium borohydride were probed under hydrogen pressures up to 1000 bar (100 MPa) and temperatures up to 400 °C. At 400 °C, Mg(BH4)2 was found to be chemically stable between 700 and 1000 bar H2, whereas under 350 bar H2 or lower pressures, the bulk material partially decomposed into MgH2 and MgB12H12. The melting point of solvent-free Mg(BH4)2 was estimated to be 367-375 °C, which was above previously reported values by 40-90 °C. Our results indicated that a high hydrogen backpressure is needed to prevent the decomposition of Mg(BH4)2 before measuring the melting point and that molten Mg(BH4)2 can exist as a stable liquid phase between 367 and 400 °C under hydrogen overpressures of 700 bar or above. The occurrence of a pure molten Mg(BH4)2 phase enabled efficient melt-infiltration of Mg(BH4)2 into the pores of porous templated carbons (CMK-3 and CMK-8) and graphene aerogels. Both transmission electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering confirmed efficient incorporation of the borohydride into the carbon pores. The Mg(BH4)2@carbon samples exhibited comparable hydrogen capacities to bulk Mg(BH4)2 upon desorption up to 390 °C based on the mass of the active component; the onset of hydrogen release was reduced by 15-25 °C compared to the bulk. Importantly, melt-infiltration under hydrogen pressure was shown to be an efficient way to introduce metal borohydrides into the pores of carbon-based materials, helping to prevent particle agglomeration and formation of stable closo-polyborate byproducts.

White, James L.↗

Hydrogen bond effects on compressional behavior of isotypic minerals: high-pressure polymorphism of cristobalite-like Be(OH) 2

Three isotypic crystals, SiO 2 (α-cristobalite), ε-Zn(OH) 2 (wülfingite), and Be(OH) 2 (β-behoite), with topologically identical frameworks of corner-connected tetrahedra, undergo displacive compression-driven phase transitions at similar pressures (1.5–2.0 GPa), but each transition is characterized by a different mechanism resulting in different structural modifications. In this study, we report the crystal structure of the high-pressure γ-phase of beryllium hydroxide and compare it with the high-pressure structures of the other two minerals. In Be(OH) 2 , the transition from the ambient β-behoite phase with the orthorhombic space group P2 1 2 1 2 1 and ambient unit cell parameters a = 4.5403(4) Å, b = 4.6253(5) Å, c = 7.0599(7) Å, to the high-pressure orthorhombic γ-polymorph with space group Fdd2 and unit cell parameters (at 5.3(1) GPa) a = 5.738(2) Å, b = 6.260(3) Å, c = 7.200(4) Å takes place between 1.7 and 3.6 GPa. This transition is essentially second order, is accompanied by a negligible volume discontinuity, and exhibits both displacive and reversible character. The mechanism of the phase transition results in a change to the hydrogen bond connectivities and rotation of the BeO 4 tetrahedra.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Pressure-induced phase coexistence in BaFe{sub 1.8}Co{sub 0.2}As{sub 2}

We report high-pressure powder synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements of overdoped BaFe{sub 1.8}Co{sub 0.2}As{sub 2} under quasi-hydrostatic pressure up to 40.1 GPa. Our results indicate that a tetragonal (T) to collapsed tetragonal (CT) phase transition occurs at 16.8 GPa and the two phase coexist until 30 GPa, which has not been previously observed in iron arsenide compounds. Both the lattice parameters a and c show discontinuous change for the T and CT phases. The decrease of the c lattice parameter is as large as 12.2% owing to the uniaxial pressure effect. The axial ratio c/a of the T phase exhibits similar features to the other 122-type compounds below 16.8 GPa, whereas there is a very small increase with increasing pressure in the two phase coexistence region. Because of the relationship between the axial ratio and superconductivity, the abnormal expansion may be related to the sudden increase of the strength of antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Evidence for strong enhancement of the magnetic ordering temperature of trivalent Nd metal under extreme pressure [Anomalous enhancement of the magnetic ordering temperature of trivalent Nd metal under extreme pressure: Possible Kondo lattice behavior]

Four-point electrical resistivity measurements were carried out on Nd metal and dilute magnetic alloys containing up to 1 at.% Nd in superconducting Y for temperatures 1.5–295 K under pressures to 210 GPa. The magnetic ordering temperature T o of Nd appears to rise steeply under pressure, increasing ninefold to 180 K at 70 GPa before falling rapidly. Y(Nd) alloys display both a resistivity minimum and superconducting pair breaking ΔT c as large as 38 K/at.% Nd. The present results give evidence that for pressures above 30–40 GPa, the exchange coupling J between Nd ions and conduction electrons becomes negative, thus activating Kondo physics in this highly correlated electron system. Furthermore, the rise and fall of T o and ΔT c with pressure can be accounted for in terms of an increase in the Kondo temperature.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Magnesite formation from MgO and CO 2 at the pressures and temperatures of Earth's mantle

Magnesite (MgCO 3 ) is an important phase for the carbon cycle in and out of the Earth’s mantle. Its comparably large P-T stability has been inferred for several years based on the absence of its decomposition in experiments. Here we report the first experimental evidence for synthesis of magnesite out of its oxide components (MgO and CO 2 ) at P-T conditions relevant to the Earth’s mantle. Magnesite formation was observed in situ using synchrotron X-ray diffraction, coupled with laser-heated diamond-anvil cells (DACs), at pressures and temperatures of Earth’s mantle. Despite the existence of multiple high-pressure CO 2 polymorphs, the magnesite-forming reaction was observed to proceed at pressures ranging from 5 to 40 GPa and temperatures between 1400 and 1800 K. No other pressure-quenchable materials were observed to form via the MgO + CO 2 = MgCO 3 reaction. This work further strengthens the notion that magnesite may indeed be the primary host phase for oxidized carbon in the deep Earth.

Scott, Henry P.↗

Pressure-induced phase transition and electrical properties of thermoelectric Al-doped Mg{sub 2}Si

A recent study has shown the thermoelectric performance of Al-doped Mg{sub 2}Si materials can be significantly enhanced at moderate pressure. To understand the cause of this phenomenon, we have performed in situ angle dispersive X-ray diffraction and infrared reflectivity measurements up to 17 GPa at room temperature. Contrary to previous experiment, using helium as a pressure transmission medium, no structural transformation was observed in pure Mg{sub 2}Si. In contrast, a phase transition from cubic anti-fluorite (Fm-3m) to orthorhombic anti-cotunnite (Pnma) was observed in the Al-doped sample at 10 GPa. Infrared reflectivity measurements show the electrical conductivity increases with pressure and is further enhanced after the phase transition. The electron density of states at the Fermi level computed form density functional calculations predict a maximum thermoelectric power factor at 1.9 GPa, which is in good agreement with the experimental observation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Improving the hot-spot pressure and demonstrating ignition hydrodynamic equivalence in cryogenic deuterium–tritium implosions on OMEGA

Reaching ignition in direct-drive (DD) inertial confinement fusion implosions requires achieving central pressures in excess of 100 Gbar. The OMEGA laser system [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)] is used to study the physics of implosions that are hydrodynamically equivalent to the ignition designs on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [J. A. Paisner et al., Laser Focus World 30, 75 (1994)]. It is shown that the highest hot-spot pressures (up to 40 Gbar) are achieved in target designs with a fuel adiabat of α ≃ 4, an implosion velocity of 3.8 × 107 cm/s, and a laser intensity of ∼1015 W/cm2. These moderate-adiabat implosions are well understood using two-dimensional hydrocode simulations. The performance of lower-adiabat implosions is significantly degraded relative to code predictions, a common feature between DD implosions on OMEGA and indirect-drive cryogenic implosions on the NIF. Simplified theoretical models are developed to gain physical understanding of the implosion dynamics that dictate the target performance. These models indicate that degradations in the shell density and integrity (caused by hydrodynamic instabilities during the target acceleration) coupled with hydrodynamics at stagnation are the main failure mechanisms in low-adiabat designs. To demonstrate ignition hydrodynamic equivalence in cryogenic implosions on OMEGA, the target-design robustness to hydrodynamic instability growth must be improved by reducing laser-coupling losses caused by cross beam energy transfer.

Goncharov, V. N.↗

Correlated structural and electronic phase transformations in transition metal chalcogenide under high pressure

Here, we report comprehensive studies on the high-pressure structural and electrical transport properties of the layered transition metal chalcogenide (Cr{sub 2}S{sub 3}) up to 36.3 GPa. A structural phase transition was observed in the rhombohedral Cr{sub 2}S{sub 3} near 16.5 GPa by the synchrotron angle dispersive X-ray diffraction measurement using a diamond anvil cell. Through in situ resistance measurement, the electric resistance value was detected to decrease by an order of three over the pressure range of 7–15 GPa coincided with the structural phase transition. Measurements on the temperature dependence of resistivity indicate that it is a semiconductor-to-metal transition in nature. The results were also confirmed by the electronic energy band calculations. Above results may shed a light on optimizing the performance of Cr{sub 2}S{sub 3} based applications under extreme conditions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Liebermannite, KAlSi3 O8 , a new shock-metamorphic, high-pressure mineral from the Zagami Martian meteorite

© The Meteoritical Society, 2017. In this paper, we discuss the occurrence of liebermannite (IMA 2013-128), KAlSi3O8, a new, shock-generated, high-pressure tetragonal hollandite-type structure silicate mineral, in the Zagami basaltic shergottite meteorite. Liebermannite crystallizes in space group I4/m with Z = 2, cell dimensions of a = 9.15 ± 0.14 (1σ) Å, c = 2.74 ± 0.13 Å, and a cell volume of 229 ± 19 Å3 (for the type material), as revealed by synchrotron diffraction. In Zagami, liebermannite likely formed via solid-state transformation of primary igneous K-feldspar during an impact event that achieved pressures of ~20 GPa or more. The mineral name is in honor of Robert C. Liebermann, a high-pressure mineral physicist at Stony Brook University, New York, USA.

Ma, Chi↗