Denoising method of X-ray phase contrast DR image for TRISO-coated fuel particles

TRISO （tristructural-isotropic） fuel is a type of micro fuel particles used in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors （HTGRs）. Among the quality evaluation methods for such particles, inqine phase contrast imaging technique （PCI） is more feasible for nondestructive measurement. Due to imaging hardware limitations, high noise level is a distinct feature of PCI images, and as a result, the dimensional measurement accuracy of TRISO-coated fuel particles decreases. Therefore, we propose an improved denoising hybrid model named as NL P-M model which introduces non-local theory and retains the merits of the Perona-Malik （P-M） model. The improved model is applied to numerical simulation and practical PCI images. Quanti- tative analysis proves that this new anisotropic diffusion model can preserve edge or texture information effectively, while ruling out noise and distinctly decreasing staircasing artifacts. Especially during the process of coating layer thickness measurement, the NL P-M model makes it easy to obtain continuous contours without noisy points or fake contour segments, thus enhancing the measurement accuracy. To address calculation complexity, a graphic processing unit （GPU） is adopted to realize the acceleration of the NL P-M denoising.

A review of TRISO-coated particle nuclear fuel performance models

The success of high temperature gas cooled reactor depends upon the safety and quality of the coated particle fuel. The understanding and evaluation of this fuel requires the development of an integrated mechanistic fuel performance model that fully describes the mechanical and physicochemical behavior of the fuel particle under irradiation. In this paper, a review of the analytical capability of some of the existing computer codes for coated particle fuel was performed. These existing models and codes include FZJ model, JAERI model, Stress3 model, ATLAS model, PARFUME model and TIMCOAT model. The theoretic model, methodology, calculation parameters and benchmark of these codes were classified. Based on the failure mechanism of coated particle, the advantage and limits of the models were compared and discussed. The calculated results of the coated particles for China HTR-10 by using some existing code are shown. Finally, problems and challenges in fuel performance modeling were listed.

Dynamic evolution of low-viscosity fuel particle distribution driven by constant flow

The effects of mass concentration and injection pressure on the atomization characteristics of low-viscosity fuel spray are studied in a constant-volume chamber.Microscopic spray parameters are measured by laser diffraction at different axial and radial positions downstream of the nozzle.The results show that the atomization effect is inhibited linearly with the increase of mass concentration.The increase of injection pressure promotes the droplet breakup.However,the trend gradually weakens and becomes more noticeable at high concentrations.Comparing with the concentration,the influence of the injection pressure on the atomization characteristics is dominant.Although low concentration and high injection pressure can promote the droplet breakup,they also increase the probability of droplet collision,resulting in droplet aggregation.This is more evident in low-viscosity fuels.The droplet size increases in the axial direction owing to the aggregation.However,the diameter decreases in the radial direction owing to the outward deflection of small droplets caused by air turbulence and entrainment.In addition,the high-velocity airflow significantly promotes the droplet breakup near the nozzle and spray axis regions and inhibits the aggregation effect.However,the lower-viscosity fuels keep smaller droplet sizes and better atomization in the whole spraying process,which is easier to realize than the higher-viscosity fuels.Overall,low concentration,high injection pressure,and low viscosity of fuel have beneficial effects on the droplet breakup.This is very important for improving the atomization effect of fuel.

Impact of Aromatic Concentration in Marine Fuels on Particle Emissions

The fuel sulfur content in marine fuels has been regulated in Sulfur Emission Control Areas(SECAs) since January 2015. However, other fuel characteristics are also believed to have an impact on particle emissions, particularly on the number of particles emitted. This study investigates the impact of the content of aromatics in fuel. To achieve fuel blends with concentrations of aromatics similar to those found in marine fuel oils, i.e. 20%–30% by volume(%vol.), normal diesel oil(4%–5% vol. aromatics) is doped with a mixture of aromatics. Emission measurements are conducted in test-bed engine facilities and particle emissions over a wide size range are analyzed. Results show a decreased number of particles emitted(or not change) with an increase in the aromatic concentration in fuel. This is because there is a reduction in the cetane number of the fuel with an increased aromatic content, which effects the combustion process and results in decreased particle formation. However, when ignition improver is used to increase the cetane number, particle emissions remain at a lower level than for normal diesel oil; thereby emphasizing the presence of other factors in the formation of particles.

On-line non-intrusive particle size measurement of pulverised fuel through digital imaging

This paper presents the basic principles of particle size measurement and latest industrial results recorded using an innovative optical instrumentation system designed to measure the size distribution of particles in a pneumatic suspension.The system is non-intrusive and cost-effective.A low-cost CCD camera is used to capture images of the particulate flow field,which is illuminated by a low-cost pulsed laser sheet generator.The particle size distribution is then determined by processing the particle images through the use of novel processing algorithms.Experimental results obtained in the past on a small scale particle flow test rig have demonstrated that the system is capable of measuring the size distribution of pneumatically conveyed particles with an accuracy of a few percent.For the present paper results obtained when testing the system at a 4 MW industrial test facility are presented.Comparisons are made with both off-line reference data achieved through sieving and on-line laser diffraction data recorded using an intrusive,extractive,Malvern Instruments system.In general there is good agreement between results when considering the characteristics and limitations of the individual methodologies.The novel imaging system shows itself to be rugged,practical and useful under genuine industrial conditions.

Vapor pressure and thermochemical properties of ZrCl4 for ZrC coating of coated fuel particles

Vapor pressure of zirconium tetrachloride(ZrCl4) under vacuum and an argon pressure of 1×105 Pa was measured. The thermochemical changes of ZrCl4 during evaporation were studied by thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis(TG-DTA), X-ray diffractometry(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray(EDX) analysis. At the same temperature, vapor pressures of ZrCl4 under vacuum and an argon pressure of 1×105 Pa are approximately the same. The vapor pressure exceeds 1×105 Pa at 340 ℃, which is high enough for ZrC coating of coated fuel particles. ZrCl4 sample is hydrolyzed to some extent to give ZrO2 and HCl, which however, has little influence on vapor pressure of ZrCl4 at high temperature. No ZrCl3 and Cl2 are produced by decomposition of ZrCl4 during evaporation, which is confirmed by thermodynamic calculation.

Particle Swarm Optimization based predictive control of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC)

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are the main focus of their current development as power sources because they are capable of higher power density and faster start-up than other fuel cells. The humidification system and output performance of PEMFC stack are briefly analyzed. Predictive control of PEMFC based on Support Vector Regression Machine (SVRM) is presented and the SVRM is constructed. The processing plant is modelled on SVRM and the predictive control law is obtained by using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The simulation and the results showed that the SVRM and the PSO re-ceding optimization applied to the PEMFC predictive control yielded good performance.

The effect of particle size on the pollution reduction potential of a South African coal-derived low-smoke fuel

The coal combustion in cast-iron stoves leads to health hazards and air pollution.In this study the CO,SO2,NOx,PM and VOC emission concentrations were measured whilst combusting four fuel particle sizes(15,20,30,and 40 mm)as well as a composite of the sizes(all pre-devolatilized at a temperature of 550C)in a cast-iron stove.The results were compared to their raw coal analogues to evaluate the emission performance of each fuel type.Emission factors for NOx and SO2 were found to depend on the fuel nitrogen and sulphur contents in the coal and the combustion conditions used during pyrolysis.The PM,SO2 and VOC emissions show a strong dependence on the ash percentage and volatile matter yields,which both increased with increasing particle size.In addition,the PM,SO2 and VOC missions were found to only depend on particle size on a mechanistic level.The VOCs and PM emission factors are inversely correlated with particle size.The results from this study offer insight into the combustion environment in the Falkirk Union No 7 cast-iron stove as well as how this environment applies to low smoke fuels.The work contributes to the emission and performance inventories from South African domestic coal combustion in this stove used in informal settlements.

The Carbonation Behaviors of Limestone Particle in Oxygen-Fuel Circulating Fluidized Bed O₂/CO₂Flue Gas

Limestone powder is still applied as SO2 sorbent in emerging oxygen-fuel circulating fluidized bed boiler, but its carbonation in O2/CO2 flue gas is an unclear problem. For a better understanding of carbonation behaviors, the tube furnace heating system was built for simulating circulating fluidized bed boiler flue gas by regulating the supply of O, CO2, N2, SO2 and H2O, and Carbonation reaction was tested. Thermal gravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy were used. It was found that carbonation is closely related to temperature, CO2 concentration, impurities, water vapor, and cycle times;high temperature can promote carbonation process;high concentration of CO2 can inhibit the chemical reaction stage speed of carbonation process, but it has little effect on the final conversion rate;water vapor can increase the final conversion rate of carbonation;the cycle times will reduce the activity of carbonation. The presence of carbonation turns the traditional boiler flue gas indirect desulfurization model into indirect desulfurization mechanism which does not have a negative impact on SO2 removal efficiency.

Effect of particle size distribution on particle based composite anode models

Particle based models of composite anodes are useful tools for exploring the behavior of SOFC systems. As part of our efforts to develop models for understanding fuel cells, we have been building models of Ni-YSZ composite anodes using experimentally measured particle size distributions. The objectives of this study were to characterize the percolation threshold and conductivity of these models in comparison to simpler mono dispersed and biphasic particle size distributions from the literature. We found that the average values for the onset of percolation and the measured conductivity of the models with experimentally measured particle size distributions are similar to those for the simple distributions and the experimentally measured distributions. For all of the configurations evaluated, the onset of percolation in the Nickel phase occurred at a solid fraction of Nickel between 20% and 25%. This corresponded almost exactly to the point at which the coordination number between Nickel phase particles reached 2.2. The significant finding was that the variation in the value for the conductivity, as measured by the standard deviation of the results, was several orders of magnitude higher than for the simpler systems. We explored the validity of our assumptions, specifically the assumption of random particle placement, by building a particle model directly from FIB-SEM data. In this reconstruction, it was clear that the location of particles was not random. Particles of the same type and size had much likelihood of contact higher than would indicated by random location.

Atomization of UMo Particles under Nitrogen Atmosphere

Generally, the atomization of UMo particles is done under vacuum or argon atmosphere, and the surface modification of these UMo particles is, usually, carried on through a further process. The techniques for surface modification of atomized UMo particles, aimed to control the Fuel/Matrix interaction, involve, in some cases, complex methodologies and often with minor effect due to the limited solubility of third elements in solid UMo alloy. The atomization and surface conditioning, applied in separate stages, may affect the efficiency of powder production process. Then, the main goal of this study is to explore the surface modification of UMo particles in liquid state or during the solidification that follows the centrifugal atomization process. Through the change of atomization atmosphere, could be possible to promote liquid/gas reactions, with a higher solubility of the modifier element in micro drops of UMo alloy, before they become solid particles. This paper presents comparative results of centrifugal atomization of UMo particles, carried out under inert argon and reactive nitrogen atmospheres. Dissolved nitrogen contents, measured by SEM-EDS analyses, reached up to 7.57 wt% at the center of under nitrogen atomized particles, very higher than 0.84 wt% of nitrogen measured at the center of UMo particle atomized under argon. The presence of uranium nitride was partially verified by conventional XRD analysis. Nevertheless, Out-of-Pile interaction test result, reveals decreasing of aluminium contents into UMo particles atomized under nitrogen atmosphere;Just 3.77 wt% of Al was the maximum content detected in the center of these particles, very lower than 29.11 wt% of Al measured inside UMo particles atomized under argon. Finally, it is possible to conclude that the atomization under reactive atmosphere may modify the surface composition and the behavior of UMo fuel particles dispersed in aluminium, for dispersion type nuclear fuel application.

A transient single particle model under FCI conditions

The paper is focused on the coupling effect between film boiling heat transfer and evaporation drag around a hot-particle in cold liquid. Based on the continuity, momentum and energy equations of the vapor film, a transient two-dimensional single particle model has been established. This paper contains a detailed description of HPMC (High-temperature Particle Moving in Coolant) model for studying some aspects of the premixing stage of fuel-coolant interactions (FCIs). The transient process of high-temperature particles moving in coolant can be simu-lated. Comparisons between the experiment results and the calculations using HPMC model demonstrate that HPMC model achieves a good agreement in predicting the time-varying characteristic of high-temperature spheres moving in coolant.

Introducing Ag in Ba_(0.9)La_(0.1)FeO_(3-δ):Combining cationic substitution with metal particle decoration

BaFeO_(3-δ)-derived perovskites are promising cathodes for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells.The activity of these perovskites depends on the number of oxygen vacancies in their lattice,which can be tuned by cationic substitution.Our first-principle calculations show that Ag is a promising substitute for the Fe site,resulting in a reduced oxygen vacancy formation energy compared with the pristine BaFeO_(3-δ).Ag has limited solubility in perovskites,and its introduction generates an Ag metal secondary phase,which influences the cathode performances.In this work,we investigate the matter,using a Ba0:9La0:1Fe_(1-x)AgxO_(3-δ)series of materials as a case study.Acknowledging the limited solubility of Ag in Ba0:9La0:1Fe_(1-x)AgxO_(3-δ),we aim to distinguish the effects of Ag substitution from those of the Ag secondary phase.We observed that Ag substitution increases the number of oxygen vacancies,confirming our calculations,and facilitates the oxygen incorporation.However,Ag substitution lowers the number of holes,in this way reducing the electronic p-type conductivity.On the other hand,Ag metal positively affects the electronic conductivity and helps the redistribution of the electronic charge at the cathode-electrolyte interface.

风电接入远海油气平台的规划方法

海上风电直供远海油气平台可降低发电成本和碳排放,但传统规划方法不适用于远海油气平台的负荷特性。在考虑海上油田电力系统燃气透平机组与负荷特性的基础上,建立计及风-燃-荷功率动态匹配特性的扩展概率潮流模型,提出适用于远海油气平台的风机规划方法。采用所提潮流计算方法,在满足远海油田电力系统的电压、线路载流量等约束条件下,以年发电成本与年碳排放量的综合成本最低为目标建立规划模型,并采用粒子群优化算法对模型进行求解。以我国某远海油田电力系统为例,提出针对远海油田电力系统特点的风电接入方案,算例结果表明,所提规划方法具有可行性。

铁颗粒非均相着火模型与着火特性研究

基于缩小未反应核模型,考虑氧化层对氧气的扩散影响,构建了空气中Fe颗粒的非均相着火模型.模型计算的着火温度与实验着火温度的最大误差为6.95%,与Mi等的着火模型对比,两者所计算的颗粒升温速率基本一致,着火延迟时间的数量级相同.基于该模型研究了环境压强、氧气浓度、初始氧化层厚度和颗粒粒径对着火温度、着火延迟的影响.结果表明:着火温度、着火延迟时间随环境压强、氧气浓度增大而减小,随初始氧化层厚度增厚而增大;粒径小于10μm的范围内,着火温度随粒径减小而增大,粒径在10~50μm范围内,粒径对着火温度影响不大;随着粒径增加,着火延迟时间增加.

EAST装置等离子体放电真空室抽气系统抽速标定及应用

真空系统是聚变装置的重要组成部分,EAST真空系统包括等离子体放电真空室和低温超导真空室。等离子体放电真空室又称内真空室。内真空室抽气系统直接影响装置的粒子排出,关系到高参数等离子体放电获得。EAST装置升级改造后的内真空室抽气系统主要包括主抽管道抽气子系统、偏滤器抽气子系统和低杂波加热系统抽气子系统,整个抽气系统使用了6台分子泵、14台外置低温泵和2套内置低温泵。采用粒子平衡的方法,对内真空室抽气系统各子系统进行了抽速标定。实验结果表明,最佳抽气性能区间在5×10^(-4)~5×10^(-3)Pa,并且随着真空室压力增大或者减小,各子系统的抽气速率均下降。对比改进前后的内真空室抽气系统的总抽速,改进后的最大抽速可达170 m^(3)/s,总体抽气速率提升20%左右。在百秒量级等离子放电参数下,利用标定的抽气速率数据初步评估了燃料粒子的滞留情况。本研究为等离子体放电的壁滞留与再循环控制以及其他相关物理实验开展提供了数据支持。

煤基燃料燃烧颗粒物对颗粒捕集器沉积过程的影响

探讨了柴油机燃用代用燃料后,排气颗粒物结构特征的变化规律。依据柴油机台架试验,使用0%、5%、15%甲醇掺混比的F-T(Fischer–Tropsch)合成柴油,在标定工况下采集颗粒。用同步辐射小角散射分析方法测量颗粒物摩擦力、粒径等参数。基于实验数据,在EDEM软件中建立颗粒模型,模拟了颗粒碰撞沉积过程。结果表明:随甲醇掺混比的增加,甲醇、F-T柴油燃烧颗粒间摩擦力增加0.6 N,平均粒径增加2.44 nm。沉积过程中,颗粒捕集器(DPF)单元体非迎风面的沉积量急剧增加;颗粒沉积效率随沉积时间的增加而增加;随摩擦力增大、粒径增大,颗粒层厚度及颗粒链长度也随之增加。甲醇掺混比的改变使得颗粒整体向更多、更细的方向变化,燃料类型及掺混比的改变显著影响了颗粒在DPF载体上的沉积状态。

颗粒团聚行为对弥散型核燃料芯体失效的影响分析

针对燃料颗粒团聚行为对弥散型核燃料芯体失效的影响,开发了弥散型核燃料元件代表性体元模型的参数化建模及数值计算脚本,综合考虑燃料-基体界面损伤层、燃料颗粒辐照肿胀以及环境压力等关键特征进行了数值建模,系统分析了燃料颗粒团聚体积分数、颗粒团聚位置、运行环境静水压力以及基体材料性质对弥散型核燃料芯体失效的影响规律,发现燃料颗粒团聚区域是弥散型核燃料芯体失效的起点,而运行环境静水压力对芯体应力集中有抑制作用,揭示了燃料颗粒团聚现象对弥散型核燃料元件力学性能的“短板效应”。团聚区域的燃料颗粒通过密集堆叠的方法进行几何建模,局部燃料颗粒团聚体积分数由最小颗粒间距定义。有限元计算结果表明,燃料颗粒团聚体积分数越大,弥散型核燃料芯体越容易失效。而包壳外的环境压力会降低芯体内燃料颗粒团聚区域的应力水平,但随着局部团聚程度的增加,环境压力对芯体中Mises应力的影响逐渐减小。此外,燃料颗粒团聚区域相对弥散型核燃料芯体厚度方向位置改变对芯体的最大Mises应力几乎没有影响;燃料颗粒团聚区域在弥散型核燃料芯体的面内分布位置和环境压力共同决定弥散型核燃料芯体的失效行为。本研究可为弥散型核燃料元件的失效条件预测、可靠性评估和结构优化设计提供分析方法和数值依据。