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Carbon nanotubes acting like actuators
06 Electrical power supply and utilization (scientific, technical) Newly developed multi-purpose transport and storage systems are of a robust design and able to support the storage of spent fuel awaiting transport for away-from-reactor storage or final disposal.
03/00587 Processing and fabrication of mixed uranium/ refractory metal carbide fuels with liquid-phase sintering Knight, T. W. and Anghaie, S. Journal of Nuclear Malerials, 2002, 306, (1), 54-60. Optimization of powder processing techniques were sought for the fabrication of single-phase, solid-solution mixed uranium/refractory metal carbide nuclear fuels - namely (U, Zr, Nb)C. These advanced, ultra-high temperature nuclear fuels have great potential for improved performance over graphite matrix, dispersed fuels tested in the Rover/ NERVA program of the 1960s and early 1970s. Hypostoichiometric fuel samples with carbon-to-metal ratios of 0.98, uranium metal mole fractions of 5% and 10%, and porosities less than 5% were fabricated. These qualities should provide for the longest life and highest performance capability for these fuels. Study and optimization of processing methods were necessary to provide the quality assurance of samples for meaningful testing and assessment of performance for nuclear thermal propulsion applications. The processing parameters and benefits of enhanced sintering by uranium carbide liquid-phase sintering were established for the rapid and effective consolidation and formation of a solid-solution mixed carbide nuclear fuel.
03•00588
The EU advanced dual coolant blanket concept
Norajitra, P. e/ al. Fusion Engineering and Design, 2002, 61-62, 449 453. The advanced dual coolant (A-DC) blanket is one of the EU advanced concepts to be investigated in the frame of the long-term power plant conceptual study (PPCS). Its basic concept - following the ARIES-ST concept - is based on the use of helium-cooled ferritic steel structure, the self-cooled Pb-17Li breeding zone, and SiC/SiC flow channel inserts. The latter serves as electrical and thermal insulators and therefore minimize the pressure losses and enable a relatively high Pb17Li exit temperature leading to a high thermal efficiency. The present work on PPCS is drawn extensively on the preparatory study on plant availability (PPA) carried out in 1999 where a maximum neutron wall load of 5 MW/m 2 (corresponding maximum surface heat load of 0.9 MW/m 2) was given in the reference case of the A-DC blanket. In the following stage of PPCS the A-DC blanket is normalized and adapted to a typical size of commercial reactors (e.g. 1500 MWe)which requires iterative calculations between the blanket layout and the system code analysis. The status of the work with some idea improvements is reported.
Economics, policy, supplies, forecasts 03/00589
A culture of safety
Wilpert, B. and Itoigawa, N. Nuclear Engineering, 2002. 47, (574), 2830. This article looks at the key messages in Safety Culture in Nuclear Power Operations, a book produced as a result of a collaboration between the Institute of Nuclear Safety Systems and the Berlin University of Technology. Taking safety science and the issues of safety culture, it examines the role of human factors in nuclear power operations.
03100590
Launching the French regulatory agency
Richardson, J. Nuclear Engineering, 2002, 47, (574), I2-13. The long-awaited reorganization of the French national nuclear safety and radiation protection system is discussed in this article.
03•00591 future
Nuclear energy industry - past, present and
Graham, J. J. Mining Engineering, 2002, 54, (3). 25 30. Nuclear power is alive and well in many parts of the USA and the world. Plans for new reactors are on the books in Japan, Taiwan Korea, China and Finland. Pertinent aspects of uranium mining and the effects of deregulation and reduced stockpiles are presented.
03•00592 Study of fuel cell co-generation systems applied to a dairy industry Leal, E. M. and Silveira, J. 1. Journal o/Power Sources, 2002. 106, (1 2), 102-108. This paper presents a methodology for the study of a molten carbonate fuel cell co-generation system. This system is applied to a dairy industry of medium size that typically demands 2100 kW of electricity, 8500 kg/h of saturated steam (P 1.08 MPa) and 2725 kW of cold water production. Depending on the associated recuperation equipment, the
co-generation system permits the recovery of waste heat, which can be used for the production of steam, hot and cold water, hot and cold air. In this study, a comparison is made between two configurations of fuel cell co-generation systems (FCCS). The plant performance has been evaluated on the basis of fuel utilization efficiency and each system component evaluated on the basis of second law efficiency. The energy analysis presented shows a fuel utilization efficiency of about 87% and exergy analysis shows that the irreversibilities in the combustion chamber of the plant are significant. Further, the payback period estimated for the fuel cell investment of between US$1000 and US$1500/kW is about 3 and 6 years, respectively.
03100593 The role of nuclear energy in establishing sustainable energy paths Bruggink, J. J. C. and van der Zwaan, B. B. C. International Journal of Global Energy Issues, 2002, 18, (2-4), Considering nuclear energy in terms of sustainability goals has so far been largely avoided, as many scientists and policy makers either exclude this option by definition or consider the nuclear issue outside their domain of competence, given the dominant role of public opinion. This article attempts to address this by reframing the question of the sustainabi[ity of nuclear energy in a dynamic way. Nuclear energy does possess risk characteristics that are very distinctive from those of fossil fuels, and are much more apparent than they are for most renewables. However, it is pointed out that one of the reasons for the latter is that renewables have so far not yet been applied on any major global scale. This article confirms that nuclear energy does not meet some essential requirements for establishing sustainable energy paths, but notes that nuclear energy can play a transitional role towards establishing sustainable energy systems.
06
ELECTRICAL POWER SUPPLY A N D UTILIZATION Scientific, technical
03/00594 fuels
Adapting solid oxide fuel cells for coal derived
Remick, R. J. Proceedings o/'the International Technical Conference on Coal utilization & Fuel Systems. 2002, 1, (27), 585 593. The problems accompanied with the adaptation of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) for the utilization of coal-derived fuel gas are described. The difference in the performance of natural gas and gasified coal-driven fuel cells are outlined, and the problems accompanying the purification of the fuel are presented. This study of coal-derived gas-driven fuels cells recommended a reconfiguration of the geometry of the fuel cell stack, and accommodating the use of oxidant cooling of the stack for heat removal and recovery.
03100595
Carbon nanotubes acting like actuators
Fraysse, J. et al. Carbon, 2002, 40, (10), 1735 1739. The direct conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy is crucial for a number of high-technology applications. Macroscopic sheets of single-walled carbon nanotubes, working under physiological conditions (in salt water for example) and low voltage, have shown comparable or superior performances than natural muscle. Specific characteristics of single or nanotube bundles point to even greater intrinsic properties for nano and micro actuator devices based on one or a few hundred nanotubes.
03•00596
Compact mixed-reactant fuel cells
Priestnall, M. A. et al. Journal qfPower Sources, 2002, 106, (1-2), 2130. The compact mixed-reactant (CMR) fuel cell is an important new 'platform' approach to the design and operation of all types of fuel cell stacks. Among several other advantages, CMR has the potential to reduce polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) stack component costs by around a third and to raise volumetric power densities by an order of magnitude. Mixed-reactant fuel cells, in which the fuel and oxidant within a cell are allowed to mix, rely upon the selectivity of anode and cathode electrocatalysts to separate the electrochemical oxidation of fuel and reduction of oxidant. A comprehensive review of the 50-year history of mixed-reactant literature has demonstrated that such systems
Fuel and Energy Abstracts
March 2003
81
03/00587 Processing and fabrication of mixed uranium/ refractory metal carbide fuels with liquid-phase sintering Knight, T. W. and Anghaie, S. Journal of Nuclear Malerials, 2002, 306, (1), 54-60. Optimization of powder processing techniques were sought for the fabrication of single-phase, solid-solution mixed uranium/refractory metal carbide nuclear fuels - namely (U, Zr, Nb)C. These advanced, ultra-high temperature nuclear fuels have great potential for improved performance over graphite matrix, dispersed fuels tested in the Rover/ NERVA program of the 1960s and early 1970s. Hypostoichiometric fuel samples with carbon-to-metal ratios of 0.98, uranium metal mole fractions of 5% and 10%, and porosities less than 5% were fabricated. These qualities should provide for the longest life and highest performance capability for these fuels. Study and optimization of processing methods were necessary to provide the quality assurance of samples for meaningful testing and assessment of performance for nuclear thermal propulsion applications. The processing parameters and benefits of enhanced sintering by uranium carbide liquid-phase sintering were established for the rapid and effective consolidation and formation of a solid-solution mixed carbide nuclear fuel.
03•00588
The EU advanced dual coolant blanket concept
Norajitra, P. e/ al. Fusion Engineering and Design, 2002, 61-62, 449 453. The advanced dual coolant (A-DC) blanket is one of the EU advanced concepts to be investigated in the frame of the long-term power plant conceptual study (PPCS). Its basic concept - following the ARIES-ST concept - is based on the use of helium-cooled ferritic steel structure, the self-cooled Pb-17Li breeding zone, and SiC/SiC flow channel inserts. The latter serves as electrical and thermal insulators and therefore minimize the pressure losses and enable a relatively high Pb17Li exit temperature leading to a high thermal efficiency. The present work on PPCS is drawn extensively on the preparatory study on plant availability (PPA) carried out in 1999 where a maximum neutron wall load of 5 MW/m 2 (corresponding maximum surface heat load of 0.9 MW/m 2) was given in the reference case of the A-DC blanket. In the following stage of PPCS the A-DC blanket is normalized and adapted to a typical size of commercial reactors (e.g. 1500 MWe)which requires iterative calculations between the blanket layout and the system code analysis. The status of the work with some idea improvements is reported.
Economics, policy, supplies, forecasts 03/00589
A culture of safety
Wilpert, B. and Itoigawa, N. Nuclear Engineering, 2002. 47, (574), 2830. This article looks at the key messages in Safety Culture in Nuclear Power Operations, a book produced as a result of a collaboration between the Institute of Nuclear Safety Systems and the Berlin University of Technology. Taking safety science and the issues of safety culture, it examines the role of human factors in nuclear power operations.
03100590
Launching the French regulatory agency
Richardson, J. Nuclear Engineering, 2002, 47, (574), I2-13. The long-awaited reorganization of the French national nuclear safety and radiation protection system is discussed in this article.
03•00591 future
Nuclear energy industry - past, present and
Graham, J. J. Mining Engineering, 2002, 54, (3). 25 30. Nuclear power is alive and well in many parts of the USA and the world. Plans for new reactors are on the books in Japan, Taiwan Korea, China and Finland. Pertinent aspects of uranium mining and the effects of deregulation and reduced stockpiles are presented.
03•00592 Study of fuel cell co-generation systems applied to a dairy industry Leal, E. M. and Silveira, J. 1. Journal o/Power Sources, 2002. 106, (1 2), 102-108. This paper presents a methodology for the study of a molten carbonate fuel cell co-generation system. This system is applied to a dairy industry of medium size that typically demands 2100 kW of electricity, 8500 kg/h of saturated steam (P 1.08 MPa) and 2725 kW of cold water production. Depending on the associated recuperation equipment, the
co-generation system permits the recovery of waste heat, which can be used for the production of steam, hot and cold water, hot and cold air. In this study, a comparison is made between two configurations of fuel cell co-generation systems (FCCS). The plant performance has been evaluated on the basis of fuel utilization efficiency and each system component evaluated on the basis of second law efficiency. The energy analysis presented shows a fuel utilization efficiency of about 87% and exergy analysis shows that the irreversibilities in the combustion chamber of the plant are significant. Further, the payback period estimated for the fuel cell investment of between US$1000 and US$1500/kW is about 3 and 6 years, respectively.
03100593 The role of nuclear energy in establishing sustainable energy paths Bruggink, J. J. C. and van der Zwaan, B. B. C. International Journal of Global Energy Issues, 2002, 18, (2-4), Considering nuclear energy in terms of sustainability goals has so far been largely avoided, as many scientists and policy makers either exclude this option by definition or consider the nuclear issue outside their domain of competence, given the dominant role of public opinion. This article attempts to address this by reframing the question of the sustainabi[ity of nuclear energy in a dynamic way. Nuclear energy does possess risk characteristics that are very distinctive from those of fossil fuels, and are much more apparent than they are for most renewables. However, it is pointed out that one of the reasons for the latter is that renewables have so far not yet been applied on any major global scale. This article confirms that nuclear energy does not meet some essential requirements for establishing sustainable energy paths, but notes that nuclear energy can play a transitional role towards establishing sustainable energy systems.
06
ELECTRICAL POWER SUPPLY A N D UTILIZATION Scientific, technical
03/00594 fuels
Adapting solid oxide fuel cells for coal derived
Remick, R. J. Proceedings o/'the International Technical Conference on Coal utilization & Fuel Systems. 2002, 1, (27), 585 593. The problems accompanied with the adaptation of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) for the utilization of coal-derived fuel gas are described. The difference in the performance of natural gas and gasified coal-driven fuel cells are outlined, and the problems accompanying the purification of the fuel are presented. This study of coal-derived gas-driven fuels cells recommended a reconfiguration of the geometry of the fuel cell stack, and accommodating the use of oxidant cooling of the stack for heat removal and recovery.
03100595
Carbon nanotubes acting like actuators
Fraysse, J. et al. Carbon, 2002, 40, (10), 1735 1739. The direct conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy is crucial for a number of high-technology applications. Macroscopic sheets of single-walled carbon nanotubes, working under physiological conditions (in salt water for example) and low voltage, have shown comparable or superior performances than natural muscle. Specific characteristics of single or nanotube bundles point to even greater intrinsic properties for nano and micro actuator devices based on one or a few hundred nanotubes.
03•00596
Compact mixed-reactant fuel cells
Priestnall, M. A. et al. Journal qfPower Sources, 2002, 106, (1-2), 2130. The compact mixed-reactant (CMR) fuel cell is an important new 'platform' approach to the design and operation of all types of fuel cell stacks. Among several other advantages, CMR has the potential to reduce polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) stack component costs by around a third and to raise volumetric power densities by an order of magnitude. Mixed-reactant fuel cells, in which the fuel and oxidant within a cell are allowed to mix, rely upon the selectivity of anode and cathode electrocatalysts to separate the electrochemical oxidation of fuel and reduction of oxidant. A comprehensive review of the 50-year history of mixed-reactant literature has demonstrated that such systems
Fuel and Energy Abstracts
March 2003
81