Phase-Transitions at High, Very High, and Very Low Temperatures upon Nano-Indentations: Onset Forces and Transition Energies

This paper describes the phase-transition energies from published loading curves on the basis of the physically deduced FN = k-h3/2 law that does not violate the energy law by assuming h2 instead, as still do ISO-ASTM 14,577 standards. This law is valid for all materials and all “one-point indentation” temperatures. It detects initial surface effects and phase-transition kink-unsteadiness. Why is that important? The mechanically induced phase-transitions form polymorph interfaces with increased risk of crash nucleation for example at the pickle forks of airliners. After our published crashing risk, as nucleated within microscopic polymorph-interfaces via pre-cracks, had finally appeared (we presented microscopic images (5000×) from a model system), 550 airliners were all at once grounded for 18 months due to such microscopic pre-cracks at their pickle forks (connection device for wing to body). These pre-cracks at phase-transition interfaces were previously not complained at the (semi)yearlycheckups of all airliners. But materials with higher compliance against phase- transitions must be developed for everybody’s safety, most easily by checking with nanoindentations, using their physically correct analyses. Unfortunately, non-physical analyses, as based on the after all incredible exponent 2 on h for the FN versus h loading curve are still enforced by ISO-ASTM standards that cannot detect phase-transitions. These standards propagate that all of the force, as applied to the penetrating cone or pyramid shall be used for the depth formation, but not also in part for the pressure to the indenter environment. However, the remaining part of pressure (that was not consumed for migrations, etc.) is always used for the elastic modulus detection routine. That severely violates the energy-law! Furthermore, the now physically analyzed published loading curves contain the phase-transition onsets and energies information, because these old-fashioned authors innocently (?) published (of course correct) experimental loading curves. These follow as ever the physically deduced FN = k-h3/2 relation that does not violate the energy law. Nevertheless, the old-fashioned authors stubbornly assume h2instead of h3/2 as still do ISO-ASTM 14,577 standards according to an Oliver-Pharr publication of 1992 and textbooks. The present work contributes to understanding the temperature dependence of phase-transitions under mechanical load, not only for aviation and space flights, which is important. The physical calculations use exclusively regressions and pure algebra (no iterations, no fittings, and no simulations) in a series of straightforward steps by correcting for unavoidable initial effects from the axis cuts of the linear branches from the above equation exhibiting sharp kink unsteadiness at the onset of phase transitions. The test loading curves are from Molybdenum and Al 7075 alloy. The valid published loading curves strictly follow the FN = k-h3/2 relation. Full applied work, conversion work, and conversion work per depth unit show reliable overall comparable order of magnitude values at temperature increase by 150°C (Al 7075) and 980°C (Mo) when also considering different physical hardnesses and penetration depths. It turns out how much the normalized endothermic phase-transition energy decreases upon temperature increase. For the only known 1000°C indentation we provide reason that the presented loading curves changes are only to a minor degree caused by the thermal expansion. The results with Al 7075 up to 170°C are successfully compared. Al 7075 alloy is also checked by indentation with liquid nitrogen cooling (77 K). It gives two endothermic and one very prominent exothermic phase transition with particularly high normalized phase-transition energy. This indentation loading curve at liquid nitrogen temperature reveals epochal novelties. The energy requiring endothermic phase transitions (already seen at 20°C and above) at 77 K is shortly after the start of the second polymorph (sharply at 19.53 N loading force) followed by a strongly exothermic phase-transition by producing (that is losing) energy-content. Both processes at 77 K are totally unexpected. The produced energy per depth unit is much higher energy than the one required for the previous endothermic conversions. This exothermic phase-transition profits from the inability to provide further energy for the formation of the third polymorph as endothermic obtained at 70°C and above. That is only possible because the very cold crystal can no longer support endothermic events but supports exothermic ones. Both endothermic and exothermic phase-transitions at 77 K under load are unprecedented and were not expected before. While the energetic support at 77 K for endothermic processes under mechanical load is unusual but still understandable (there are also further means to produce lower temperatures). But strongly exothermicphase-transition under mechanical load for the production of new modification with negative energy content (less than the energy content of the ambient polymorph) at very low temperature is an epochal event here on earth. It leads to new global thinking and promises important new applications. The energy content of strongly exothermic transformed material is less than the thermodynamic standard zero energy-content on earth. And it can only be reached when there is no possibility left to produce an endothermic phase-transition. Such less than zero-energy-content materials should be isolated, using appropriate equipment. Their properties must be investigated by chemists, crystallographers, and physicists for cosmological reasons. It could be that such materials will require cooling despite their low energy content (higher stability!) and not survive at ambient temperatures and pressures on earth, but only because we do not know of such negative-energy-content materials with our arbitrary thermodynamic standard zeros on earth. At first one will have to study how far we can go up with temperature for keeping them stable. Thus, the apparently never before considered unprecedented result opens up new thinking for the search of new polymorphs that can, of course, not be reached by heating. Various further applications including cosmology and space flight explorations are profiting from it.

Prospect of HDR geothermal energy exploitation in Yangbajing,Tibet,China,and experimental investigation of granite under high temperature and high pressure

Hot dry rock （HDR） geothermal energy, almost inexhaustible green energy, was first put forward in the 1970s. The development and testing of HDR geothermal energy are well reported in USA, Japan, UK, France and other countries or regions. In this paper, the geological characters of Yangbajing basin were first analyzed, including the continental dynamic environments to form HDR geothermal fields in Tibet, the tectonic characteristics of south slope of Nyainqentanglha and Dangxiong-Yangbajing basin, and the in-situ stresses based on the investigations conducted, and then the site-specific mining scheme of HDR geothermal resources was proposed. For the potential development of HDR geothermal energy, a series of experiments were conducted on large-scale granite samples, 200 mm in diameter and 400 mm in length, at high temperature and high triaxial pressure for cutting fragmentation and borehole stability. For the borehole stability test, a hole of 40 mm in diameter and 400 mm in length was aforehand drilled in the prepared intact granite sample. The results indicate that the cutting velocity obviously increases with temperature when bit pressure is over a certain value, while the unit rock-breaking energy consumption decreases and the rock-breaking efficiency increases with temperature at the triaxial pressure of 100 MPa. The critical temperature and pressure that can result in intensive damage to granite are 400-500℃ and 100-125 MPa, respectively.

Study of corrosion behavior of labeling medium on Fe-36%Ni cold-rolled strip used in LNG carriers in high-temperature and high-humidity environment

To fulfill the high-quality surface requirements of the Fe-36% Ni cold-rolled strip used in liquid natural gas carriers,corrosion tests were conducted on alloy surfaces using ink media with different composition in hightemperature and high-humidity conditions.The results show that the Cl^-content in ink is the main cause of surface corrosion of Fe-36%Ni alloy at 95%RH and 50℃ Cl^- penetrates the passivation film,causing pitting on the surface.This corrosive material primarily comprises elements Fe and O.After 120 h of high temperature and high humidity,pitting had occurred on the surface,which was characterized by irregularly distributed areas of bright red filamentous corrosion.With time,the corrosion gradually deepened and expanded to nearby areas.However,when the ink medium contained no Cl^-,no corrosion was found on the alloy surface.As such,during the production of Fe-36%Ni material and its application in LNG shipbuilding,care must be taken in the selection of the marker or medium that will come into contact with the strip surface to ensure that it contains no corrosive ions like Cl^-.

Coupling of Wind Energy and Biogas with a High Temperature Steam Electrolyser for Hydrogen and Methane Production

The production of environment friendly green fuels is based on energy from renewable sources. Among the renewable sources, wind power is a very growing power technology. An example which has been discussed very widely is hydrogen which is an ideal fuel for a fuel cell. Hydrogen is the energy of the future. It will be used as energy carrier as well as reactant to produce green fuels, like methane which is easier to handle. Direct coupling of a High Temperature Steam Electrolyser (HTSE) with a wind turbine can be used to generate hydrogen. Indeed performing the electrolysis process at high temperatures offers the advantage of achieving higher efficiencies compared to the conventional water electrolysis. The hydrogen produced can be then reacted with the CO2 content of biogas to form methane as green fuel. Thus, the concept presented in this paper illustrates the potential of the HTSE technology coupled with a wind turbine, this system being combined with biogas in a methanation unit. Developing scenarios and flow sheets and using mass and energy balance, the technical performance of the concept is investigated. A plant capacity of 10 MWel is considered. An annual production of 1104 metric tons per year (Mt/a) hydrogen and thus of 5888 Mt/a methane is reached. The overall plant efficiency is calculated to be 38%. The combination of wind power and biogas offers thus many advantages which can facilitate the penetration of the wind resource and the progression to the hydrogen economy.

Microstructure and Electrical Properties of Er_2O_3-Doped ZnO-Based Varistor Ceramics Prepared by High-Energy Ball Milling

The microstructure, electrical properties and density of ZnO-based varistor ceramics with different Er2O3 content prepared by high-energy ball milling （HEBM） and sintered at 800℃ were investigated. With increasing Er2O3 content, the ZnO grain size decreases due to the Er-rich phases inhibiting grain growth ; and nonlinear coefficient （ α ） decreases because of the decrease of barrier height （φB） The breakdown voltage （Eb） and density increase, whereas leakage current （IL） decreases with increasing Er2O3 content. The barrier height （φB）, donor concentration （Nd）, density of interface states （Ns） decrease and barrier width （ω） increases with increasing Er2O3 content due to acceptor effect of Er2O3 in varistor ceramics.

Microstructure and electrical properties of Y_2O_3-doped ZnO-based varistor ceramics prepared by high-energy ball milling

Y2O3-doped ZnO-based varistor ceramics were prepared using high-energy ball milling （HEBM） and low-temperature sin- tering technique, with voltage-gradient of 1934-2197 V/mm, non-linear coefficients of 20.8-21.8, leakage currents of 0.59-1.04 μA, and densities of 5.46-5.57 g/cm3. With increasing Y2O3 content, the voltage-gradient increases because of the decrease of ZnO grain size; the non-linear coefficient and the leakage current improve but the density decreases because of more porosity; the donor con- centration and density of interface states decrease, whereas the barrier height and width increase because of the acceptor effect of Y2O3 in varistor ceramics.

High temperature deformation behavior and mechanism of spray deposited Al-Fe-V-Si alloy

Al-8.5Fe-1.3V-1.7Si alloy was prepared by spray deposition and hot extrusion. The high temperature plastic deformation behavior of the spray deposited Al-8.5Fe-1.3V-1.7Si alloy was investigated in the strain rate range of 2.77×10-4-2.77×10-2 s-1 and temperature range of 350-550 ℃ by Gleebe-1500 thermomechanical simulator. The mechanism of the high temperature plastic deformation of the alloys was studied by TEM associated with the analysis of Rosler-Artz physical constitutive relationship based on the model of dislocation detaching from dispersion particles. The results show that Al-Fe-V-Si alloy has low strain hardening coefficient, and even exhibits work softening. Stress exponent n and activation energy Q were calculated based on Zener-Hollomon relation and Rosler-Artz physical model respectively. The Rosler-Artz physical model can give a good prediction for the abnormal behavior of high temperature deformation of spray deposited Al-Fe-V-Si alloy, that is, n larger than 8 and Q higher than 142 kJ/mol. However, because of the highly refined microstructure, the high temperature deformation behavior of spray deposited Al-Fe-V-Si alloy deviates more or less from the law predicted by using Rosler-Artz physical model.

Correlated-Electron Systems and High-Temperature Superconductivity

We present recent theoretical results on superconductivity in correlated-electron systems, especially in the two-dimensional Hubbard model and the three-band d-p model. The mechanism of superconductivity in high-temperature superconductors has been extensively studied on the basis of various electronic models and also electron-phonon models. In this study, we investigate the properties of superconductivity in correlated-electron systems by using numerical methods such as the variational Monte Carlo method and the quantum Monte Carlomethod. The Hubbard model is one of basic models for strongly correlated electron systems, and is regarded as the model of cuprate high temperature superconductors. The d-p model is more realistic model for cuprates. The superconducting condensation energy obtained by adopting the Gutzwiller ansatz is in reasonable agreement with the condensation energy estimated for YBa2Cu3O7. We show the phase diagram of the ground state using this method. We have further investigated the stability of striped and checkerboard states in the under-doped region. Holes doped in a half-filled square lattice lead to an incommensurate spin and charge density wave. The relationship of the hole density x and incommensurability δ, δ~x, is satisfied in the lower doping region, as indicated by the variationalMonte Carlocalculations for the two-dimensional Hubbard model. A checkerboard-like charge-density modulation with a roughly period has also been observed by scanning tunneling microscopy experiments in Bi2212 and Na-CCOC compounds. We have performed a variational Monte Carlo simulation on a two-dimensional t-t′-t″- U Hubbard model with a Bi-2212 type band structure and found that the period checkerboard spin modulation, that is characterized by multi Q vectors, is indeed stabilized. We have further performed an investigation by using a quantumMonte Carlomethod, which is a numerical method that can be used to simulate the behavior of correlated electron systems. We present a new algorithm of the quantum Monte Carlo diagonalization that is a method for the evaluation of expectation value without the negative sign problem. We compute pair correlation functions and show that pair correlation is indeed enhanced with hole doping.

Effects of high temperature and high relative humidity drying on moisture distribution,starch microstructure and cooking characteristics of extruded whole buckwheat noodles

Drying is a key step in starch noodle production.The effects of high temperature(60,70,80°C)and high relative humidity(65%,75%,85%)drying(HTHD)on the moisture distribution,starch microstructure and cooking characteristics of extruded whole buckwheat noodles were investigated.Compared to the conventional hot-air drying(CHAD)at 40°C,the increase in drying temperature(60–80°C)and the decrease in relative humidity(85%–65%)significantly improved drying efficiency of the extruded noodles.By adjusting drying temperature and relative humidity,the rate of moisture migration in noodles and phase transition of starch could be appropriately controlled.The optimum drying parameters(T70H75,70°C drying temperature and 75%relative humidity)showed smooth and dense network structure,resulting in the lowest cooking loss(6.61%),broken rate(0%),highest hardness(1695.17 g)and springiness(0.92).However,the total flavonoid content(TFC)and the total phenolic content(TPC)reduced by 6.81%–28.50%and 7.19%–53.23%in contrast to CHAD,and the color of buckwheat noodles became darker through HTHD.These findings showed the potential of HTHD for increasing drying efficiency and improving buckwheat noodle quality.The appropriate drying parameters could maintain a balanced relationship between moisture migration in noodles and phase transition of starch,which resulted in better cooking quality for extruded whole buckwheat noodles.Such a study is valuable for regulating the process conditions of buckwheat-based foods and promoting its commercial utilization.

Quasi-static and low-velocity impact mechanical behaviors of entangled porous metallic wire material under different temperatures

To improve the defense capability of military equipment under extreme conditions,impact-resistant and high-energy-consuming materials have to be developed.The damping characteristic of entangled porous metallic wire materials(EPMWM)for vibration isolation was previously investigated.In this paper,a study focusing on the impact-resistance of EPMWM with the consideration of ambient temperature is presented.The quasi-static and low-velocity impact mechanical behavior of EPMWM under different temperatures(25℃-300℃)are systematically studied.The results of the static compression test show that the damping energy dissipation of EPMWM increases with temperature while the nonlinear damping characteristics are gradually enhanced.During the impact experiments,the impact energy loss rate of EPMWM was between 65%and 85%,while the temperatures increased from 25℃to 300℃.Moreover,under the same drop impact conditions,the overall deformation of EPMWM decreases in the temperature range of 100℃-200℃.On the other hand,the impact stiffness,energy dissipation,and impact loss factor of EPMWM significantly increase with temperature.This can be attributed to an increase in temperature,which changes the thermal expansion coefficient and contact state of the internal wire helixes.Consequently,the energy dissipation mode(dry friction,air damping,and plastic deformation)of EPMWM is also altered.Therefore,the EPMWM may act as a potential candidate material for superior energy absorption applications.

Effects of Extreme Air Temperature and Humidity on the Insecticidal Expression Level of Bt Cotton

The higher survival rates of Helicoverpa amigera larvae were usually observed after adverse climate which was related to extreme temperature （T） and relative humidity （RH） stresses in transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis （Bt） cotton. The unstable resistance of Bt cotton to bollworms has been correlated with the reduced expression of CrylAc δ-endotoxin. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of combined temperature and relative humidity stresses on the leaf CrylAc insecticidal protein expression during critical developmental stages. The study was undertaken on two transgenic cotton cultivars that share same parental background, Sikang 1 （a conventional cultivar） and Sikang 3 （a hybrid cultivar）, during the 2007 and 2008 growing seasons at the Yangzhou University Farm, Yangzhou, China. The study was arranged with two factors that consisted of temperature （two levels） and relative humidity （three levels）. The six T/RH treatments were 37℃/95%, 37℃/70%, 37℃/50%, 18℃/95%, 18℃/70%, and 18℃/50%. In 2007, the six treatments were imposed to the plants at peak flowering stage for 24 h; in 2008, the six treatments were applied to the plants at peak square, peak flowering, and peak boll stages for 48 h. The results of the study indicated that the leaf insecticidal protein expression in CrylAc was significantly affected by extreme temperature only at peak flowering stage, and by both extreme temperature and relative humidity during boll filling stage. The greatest reductions were observed when the stresses were applied at peak boll stage. In 2008, after 48 h stress treatment, the leaf Bt endotoxin expression reduced by 25.9-36.7 and 23.6-40.5% at peak boll stage, but only by 14.9-26.5 and 12.8-24.0% at peak flowering stage for Sikang 1 and Sikang 3, respectively. The greatest reduction was found under the low temperature combined with low relative humidity condition for both years. It is believed that the temperature and relative humidity stresses may be attributed to the reduced efficacy of Bt cotton in growing conditions in China, where extreme temperatures often increase up to 35-40℃ and/or decrease down to 15-20℃, and relative humidity may reach to 85-95% and/or reduce to 40-55% during the cotton growing season.

Influence of temperature on the transformation and self-control of energy during sandstone damage:Experimental and theoretical research

The surrounding rock in tunnelling engineering and coal mining will sometimes be exposed to high temperature. Rock failure is the result of energy dissipation, and the study of the evolution and transformation behavior of energy is of great significance for the in-depth understanding of the deformation and failure of rock after high temperature. This study analyzed the intrinsic connection between mechanical properties and acoustic emission(AE) energy under temperature effect. Based on the energy dissipation and release theory, the distribution and transformation of energy was analyzed, and the energy selfincentive and self-inhibition(EII) model was further established. The main findings are that temperature effect affects the confidence interval trend and the value of AE energy rate, which is related to the change in mechanical properties. The ability of sandstone to store elastic strain energy after exposure to high temperature is independent of the mechanical properties. In this study, the ratio of dissipated energy to elastic energy is used to characterize the stable state of the sandstone system, which can be used as the energy indicator of rock failure precursor. During the absorption, storage, and release of energy before the peak stress, there exists self-incentive and self-inhibition of energy(control behavior).

COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTOR THIN FILMS BY HIGH ENERGY ELASTIC BACKSCATTERING OF HELIUM IONS

High energy ion backscattering can be used to enhance the sensitivity of oxygen analysis. At He++ ion energy of 8.8 MeV, the yield due to oxygen is about 25 times larger than that predicted by Rutherford formula. The elemental stoichiometry of some bulk and thin film superconductor samples was determined. The details of the measuring method are discribed.

Methane Production via High Temperature Steam Electrolyser from Renewable Wind Energy: A German Study

The transformation of the energy supply needs further development of energy storage technologies in order to integrate the fluctuating renewable energy. The conversion of renewable wind power into green methane offers a technical approach with the necessary storage and transport capacities. Thus, the concept of Power-to-Gas which is illustrated here by the coupling of wind energy with a High Temperature Steam Electrolyser (HTSE) and a methanation unit enabling the production of green fuel like hydrogen and methane is presented is this paper. In fact, hydrogen can be used as energy carrier as well for the production of green fuels, like methane which is simpler to store and to transport and which can be thus used as storage medium for the stabilization of the electrical power supply as well as fuel for transport and heat sector. Its production using high temperature electrolysis is able to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions if performed with renewable resources. This is the case if the electricity needed for the HTSE comes from a wind turbine and the CO2 needed for the methanation step comes from biogas. For such a plant, the location and the boundary conditions have a great importance. Thus, this study considers the coupling of a HTSE with a wind turbine and a methanation reactor, and focuses about the site selection, depending of the geographical and economic considerations. The study is limited first to the European area. Schleswig-Holstein is found as a very good location for this plant. It is one of the regions with the largest wind reserves in Germany. This region has also available a lot of biogas and meets all the other necessary requirements.

High-temperature energy storage dielectric with inhibition of carrier injection/migration based on band structure regulation

Dielectric capacitors have a high power density,and are widely used in military and civilian life.The main problem lies in the serious deterioration of dielectric insulation performance at high temperatures.In this study,a polycarbonate(PC)-based energy storage dielectric was designed with BN/SiO_(2)heterojunctions on its surface.Based on this structural design,a synergistic suppression of the carrier injection and transport was achieved,significantly improving the insulating properties of the polymer film.In particular,the composite film achieves optimal high-temperature energy-storage properties.The composite film can withstand an electric field intensity of 760 MV m^(-1)at 100℃and obtain an energy storage density of 8.32 J cm^(-3),while achieving a breakthrough energy storage performance even at 150℃(610 MV m^(-1),5.22 J cm^(-3)).Through adjustment of the heterojunction structure,free adjustment of the insulation performance of the material can be realized;this is of great significance for the optimization of the material properties.

High Temperature Performances of Spherical Nickel Hydroxide with Additive Y_2O_3

The effect Of Y2O3 as additive to the positive electrode on the high-temperature performances of the Ni-MH batteries was studied. The specific capacities of the positive electrode in Ni-MH battery at higher temperatures are much lower than usual. In order to improve high-temperature performances, charge/discharge curves of the Ni(OH)(2) electrodes with different amounts Of Y2O3 it different temperatures were studied. It is found that the specific capacities of the spherical Ni (OH)(2) with Y2O3 as additive are much higher than those of the regular at higher temperatures. The specific capacity of Ni (OH)(2) containing 1% Y2O3 at 0.2C C/D rate is 35% higher than that of the regular. The specific capacity of Ni (OH)(2) containing 0.2% Y2O3 at 1C C/D rate is 15% higher than that of the regular. Mechanism Of Y2O3 improving high temperature performances of Ni(OH)(2) electrode was also discussed in detail.

A New Method for Predicting Wall Sticking Occurrence Temperature of High Water Cut Crude Oil

In crude oil transportation, adhesion of oil on pipe wall can cause partial or total blockage of the pipe. This process is significantly affected by wall sticking occurrence temperature(WSOT). In this work, an efficient approach for estimating WSOT of high water-cut oil, which can agree well with the actual environment of multiphase transportation pipeline, is proposed. Based on the energy dissipation theory, it is possible to make comparison of average shear rates between the stirred vessel and the flow loop. The impacts of water content and shear rate on WSOT are investigated using the stirred vessel and the flow loop. Good agreement has been observed between the stirred vessel and the flow loop results with the maximum and the average absolute deviations equating to 3.30 °C and 2.18 °C, respectively. The development of gathering scheme can enjoy some benefits from this method.

The temperature-dependent fracture strength model for ultra-high temperature ceramics

Breaking down the entire structure of a material implies severing all the bonds between its atoms either by applying work or by heat transfer. Because bond-breaking is indifferent to either means, there is a kind of equivalence between heat energy and strain energy. Based on this equivalence, we assume the existence of a constant maximum storage of energy that includes both the strain energy and the corresponding equivalent heat energy. A temperaturedependent fracture strength model is then developed for ultrahigh temperature ceramics （UHTCs）. Model predictions for UHTCs, HfB2, TiC and ZrB2, are presented and compared with the experimental results. These predictions are found to be largely consistent with experimental results.