Comparison of the thermal properties of clay samples as potential walling material for naturally cooled building design

The thermal properties of different clay samples obtained from locations in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria were investigated and compared, and in order to establish their suitability as building material from energy conservation point of view. The results showed that stoneware clay has the highest solar radiation absorptivity of 22 32 m -1 while kaolin clay has the lowest radiation absoptivity of 14 46 m -1 A model for the prediction of temperature variation with thickness of the samples was developed. Results showed that kaolin would make the best choice for the design of a naturally cooled building.

Suitability of Large Sized Compacted Baked Clay Blocks as a Walling Material

Some disadvantages associated with conventional brick masonry are: high cost of construction, lower compressive strength and less durability. In order to resolve these problems, a new technique of constructing walls using large size baked clay blocks is introduced. For this purpose, clay blocks of size 150 mm × 300 mm × 1980 mm were cast at a pressure of 6 MPa, and fired at a temperature of 700℃. In this paper, compressive strength and tensile strength of baked clay were investigated in order to find its suitability as a walling material for low cost houses. Cubes of 150 mm sides were tested in compression and the beams were tested in flexure. The results showed that compressive strength of baked clay cubes was found to be 10 MPa and tensile strength, in terms of modulus of rupture, was found to be 2.3 MPa. Since the baked clay blocks are larger in size than traditional bricks, it is inferred that the blocks could be used as a cheaper and stronger walling material.

Neutronic study on the effect of first wall material thickness on tritium production and material damage in a fusion reactor

In this study,the effects of changing first wall materials and their thicknesses on a reactor were investigated to determine the displacement per atom(DPA)and gas production(helium and hydrogen)in the first wall,as well as the tritium breeding ratio(TBR)in the coolant and tritium breeding zones.Therefore,the modeling of the magnetic fusion reactor was determined based on the blanket parameters of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor(ITER).Stainless steel(SS 316 LNIG),Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Steel alloy(PM2000 ODS),and China low-activation martensitic steel(CLAM)were used as the first wall(FW)materials.Fluoride family molten salt materials(FLiBe,FLiNaBe,FLiPb)and lithium oxide(LiO_(2))were considered the coolant and tritium production material in the blanket,respectively.Neutron transport calculations were performed using the wellknown 3D code MCNP5 using the continuous-energy Monte Carlo method.The built-in continuous energy nuclear and atomic data libraries along with the Evaluated Nuclear Data file(ENDF)system(ENDF/B-V and ENDF/B-VI)were used.Additionally,the activity cross-section data library CLAW-IV was used to evaluate both the DPA values and gas production of the first wall(FW)materials.An interface computer program written in the FORTRAN 90 language to evaluate the MCNP5 outputs was developed for the fusion reactor blanket.The results indicated that the best TBR value was obtained for the use of the FLiPb coolant,whereas depending on the thickness,the first wall replacement period in terms of radiation damage to all materials was between 6 and 11 years.

Study on the influences of ionization region material arrangement on Hall thruster channel discharge characteristics

There exists strong interaction between the plasma and channel wall in the Hall thruster,which greatly affects the discharge performance of the thruster.In this paper,a two-dimensional physical model is established based on the actual size of an Aton P70 Hall thruster discharge channel.The particle-in-cell simulation method is applied to study the influences of segmented low emissive graphite electrode biased with anode voltage on the discharge characteristics of the Hall thruster channel.The influences of segmented electrode placed at the ionization region on electric potential,ion number density,electron temperature,ionization rate,discharge current and specific impulse are discussed.The results show that,when segmented electrode is placed at the ionization region,the axial length of the acceleration region is shortened,the equipotential lines tend to be vertical with wall at the acceleration region,thus radial velocity of ions is reduced along with the wall corrosion.The axial position of the maximal electron temperature moves towards the exit with the expansion of ionization region.Furthermore,the electron-wall collision frequency and ionization rate also increase,the discharge current decreases and the specific impulse of the Hall thruster is slightly enhanced.

A New Type of Paper-frame Cavernous Material and Its Application in Energy Efficiency in Buildings

This paper introduces a new type of paper-frame cavernous material, which is a made-up hollow material, by using silicate-cinder size to drench and daub. It possesses excellent performances such as light-weight, high-intensity, fire-resistance, sound-insulation, heat-insulation and no-pollution. Composed with concrete materials, a new type of bearing and energy-efficient block can be gained, which is kind of excellent wall materials and has a wide application prospect.

Study on the Thermal Performances of a New Type of Fabricated Thermally Insulating Decorative Wall Material

This study proposes three possible keel-surface layer combinations to implement a new type of thermally insulating decorative wall system.A set of 8 samples has been studied.In particular,through theoretical calculations,simulations,and experimental verification,the influence of different types of connecting structures on the overall thermal performance of the wall system has been determined.It has been found that a proper combination of these elements can meet existing energy-saving standards and effectively reduce the energy loss caused by thermal bridges due to the installation of steel keels at the edges of integrated wall panels.

Structural model for the first wall W-based material in ITER project

The preparation, characterization, and test of the first wall materials designed to be used in the fusion reactor have remained challenging problems in the material science. This work uses the firstprinciples method as implemented in the CASTEP package to study the influ ences of the doped titanium carbide on the structural sta bility of the WTiC material. The calculated total energy and enthalpy have been used as criteria to judge the structural models built with consideration of symmetry. Our simulation indicates that the doped TiC tends to form its own domain up to the investigated nanoscale, which implies a possible phase separation. This result reveals the intrinsic reason for the composite nature of the WTiC material and provides an explanation for the experimen tally observed phase separation at the nanoscale. Our approach also sheds a light on explaining the enhancing effects of doped components on the durability, reliability, corrosion resistance, etc., in many special steels.

Study on Improving the Internal Quality of Tobacco Stems by Using Pectinase

[Objective] This study aimed to reduce the content of cell wall materials in tobacco stems and improve their internal quality. [Method] Pectinase was used to decompose cell wall materials in tobacco stems, followed by determination of the contents of four cell wall materials, six routine chemical components, as well as aroma constituents. [Result] Pectinase could effectively reduce the contents of cell wall materials in tobacco stems, with the largest decrease of 6.84%; after pectinase treatment,the content of reducing sugar in tobacco stems increased obviously, and the contents of total sugar, potassium ion, chloride ion and total nitrogen increased to varying degrees, of which the contents of potassium ion and reducing sugar displayed upward trends with the increase of pectinase concentration. Pectinase treatment significantly increased the contents of Maillard reaction products, with the most increase of 67.2%;the contents of carotenoid degradation products, phenylalanine degradation products and neophytadiene all increased to varying extents, and the contents of both Maillard reaction products and phenylalanine degradation products revealed ascending trends with the increase of pectinase concentration. [Conclusion] Pectinase treatment can effectively decompose cell wall materials in tobacco stems, improve routine chemical constituents, and increase the contents of aroma constituents.

Effects of Nitric Oxide on the Quality and Pectin Metabolism of Yali Pears During Cold Storage

The effect of fumigation with 10, 20, and 30 μL L-1 nitric oxide （NO） was investigated to study the effects of NO on the quality of Yali pears during cold storage. The ethylene production, composition of cell walls, and cell-wall-modifying enzyme activities were measured on fruits which were fumigated with NO （20 μL L-1）. The results showed that NO not only reduced the peak value of ethylene production rate, the soluble sugar, soluble solid content, maintained higher firmness, starch, and NO content, but also retarded the degradation of covalent soluble pectin, accumulation of ionic soluble pectin and water soluble pectin. Moreover, NO fumigation decreased the activities of polygalacturonase （PG） and b-galactosidase（b-Gal） and delayed the peak of PG activity of fruits. Therefore, it indicated that NO fumigation could delay the softening and ripening of Yali pears.

A Review of Test Methods for the Determination of the Permeability Coefficient of Gravelly Soils Used for Embankment Dams

The factors influencing the permeability coefficient of gravelly soils used for the development of embankment dams(core wall)are analyzed.Such factors include(but are not limited to)soil size,anisotropy,density and boundary effects.A review of the literature is conducted and new directions of research are proposed.In such a framework,it is shown that gravelly soil with controlled density and vertical stress should be used to optimize the measurement of the vertical and horizontal permeability coefficients,respectively.

REUSAGE OF GYPSUM TAILING BINDER

Gypsum tailings, slag, cement and other additives are used to produce gypsum building material products with simple technological processes and low costs. It provides a new effective approach to reuse gypsum tailings.

Relationship between Low Temperature Toughness and Microstructure in Low Activation Fe-Cr-Mn(W,V)Steel for Fusion Reactors

Fe-Cr-Mn (W, V) austenite steel was researched in order to supply a theory base for the first wall materials of fusion reactors.Experiments included vacuum melting, forging, annealing, solution treatment, Charpy impact tests and microstructure observation. Theresults show that the imped value decreases with the test temperature decreasing. In this system, there is ductile/brittle transition. Themechanism of this decrease of the impact value is considered to be due to γ - ε transformation in sub-stable austenite steel and stoppingoverlapping sacking fault by grain boundaries in stable austenite steel.

Effect of rolling friction on wall pressure,discharge velocity and outflow of granular material from a flat-bottomed bin

The present paper provides both experimental and DEM analyses of the filling and discharge of pea grains from a 3D flat-bottomed bin. In the DEM model, the fixed mean values of the experimentally determined single particle data, such as the particle density, Young＇s modulus, Poisson＇s ratio as well as the sliding and rolling friction coefficients were incorporated to analyse their effects on the macroscale indicators, such as the wall pressure, discharge velocities and material outflow parameters. The effect of rolling friction was studied based on the experimentally measured single particle rolling friction coefficient. This analysis is aimed at the quantitative prediction of flow parameters as related to the identification of material parameters.