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Abstract Molten salt reactors (MSRs) are a class of next-generation nuclear reactors that have received recent industrial and research interest. A generalized species transport solver was implemented in the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA) computing suite to extend this tool to analyze liquid-fueled MSRs. This core simulator has been extended to model the transport of fission product gases into a collection of circulating gas bubbles with the purpose of removing the gases. This paper presents the governing species transport equation, along with various nuclear source terms. Development of the source term for phase migration is discussed, along with a simplified interfacial area tracking method. Finally, a case study on a simplified MSR loop is presented in which modeling parameters were varied to assess their impact on gas removal. The steady state results show that parameters such as bubble diameter, gas injection rate and mass transfer coefficient have a low to moderate effect on the fraction of xenon in the core region. Removal efficiency has the greatest effect on the fraction in the core region. After the pump bowl, bubble diameter has a minor effect on the fraction of xenon in the gas void. These results point out that increasing parameters such as mass transfer coefficient, gas injection rate, and removal efficiency drives the xenon into the circulating gas void, while decreasing bubble diameter also drives xenon into the gas void by increasing interfacial area.

In this paper, we critically analyze the optimization strategy of distribution network based on adapting adjustment of transformer's taps and review a large amount of relevant literature in order to explore the state-of-the-art research progresses in both academia and industry. By the analysis and literature review, a complete research proposal pertaining to the optimization strategy of distribution network based on adapting adjustment of transformer's taps can be formed, which points out the promising future of the relevant techniques as well as the existing problems worth investigating.

Energy is consumed at every stage of the cycle of water production, distribution, end use, and recycled water treatment. Understanding the nexus of energy and water may help to minimize energy and water consumption and reduce environmental emissions. However, the interlinkages between water and energy have not received adequate attention. To address this gap, this paper disaggregates and quantifies the energy consumption of the entire water cycle process in Beijing. The results of this study show that total energy consumption by water production, treatment and distribution, end use, and recycled water reuse amounts to 55.6 billion kWh of electricity in 2015, or about 33% of the total urban energy usage. While water supply amount increased by only 10% from 2005 to 2015, the related energy consumption increased by 215% due to water supply structural change. The Beijing municipal government plans to implement many water saving measures in the area from 2016 to 2020, however, these policies will increase energy consumption by 74 million kWh in Beijing. This study responds to the urgent need for research on the synergies between energy and water. In order to achieve the goal of low-energy water utilization in the future, water and energy should be integrated in planning and management.

ABSTRACTUse of micron-size particles of synthetic diamond in oxide matrices prepared by sol-gel processing is explored. Alumina and borosilicate-diamond composite coatings are deposited on soda-lime microscope glass and fused silica substrates using dipping technique and thermophoresis. By varying the thermal gradient between the substrate and the solution, the quality of the films and the concentration of the particles can be controlled.

As is the case with several other mechanical power takeoffs (PTOs), the mechanical-motion-rectifier-based PTO consists of components, such as one-way clutches, gears, a ball screw, mechanical couplings, and a generator. Equivalent circuit models have been created in this article to describe the dry frictions, viscous damping, and mechanical compliances in these components, so the nonideal efficiency and nonlinear force of the PTO can be predicted in electrical simulations by integrating these subcircuit models. The circuit model is simplified, and its parameters are categorized as dc and ac unknowns. The dc and ac tests on the PTO are performed sequentially to extract two sets of parameters through linear regression or nonlinear curve fitting. Then, the model is validated through its prediction capability over 25 test conditions on input forces, output voltages, and efficiencies, with correlation coefficients of 0.9, 0.98, and 0.981, respectively.

This paper proposes CONCERTS: Coverage competency-based target search, a failure-resilient path-planning algorithm for heterogeneous robot teams performing target searches for static targets in indoor and outdoor environments. This work aims to improve search completion time for realistic scenarios such as search and rescue or surveillance, while maintaining the computational speed required to perform online re-planning in scenarios when teammates fail. To provide high-quality candidate paths to an information-theoretic utility function, we split the sample generation process into two steps, namely Heterogeneous Clustering (H-Clustering) and multiple Traveling Salesman Problems (TSP). The H-Clustering step generates plans that maximize the coverage potential of each team member, while the TSP step creates optimal sample paths. In situations without prior target information, we compare our method against a state-of-the-art algorithm for multi-robot Coverage Path Planning and show a 9% advantage in total mission time. Additionally, we perform experiments to demonstrate that our algorithm can take advantage of prior target information when it is available. The proposed method provides resilience in the event of single or multiple teammate failure by recomputing global team plans online. Finally, we present simulations and deploy real hardware for search to show that the generated plans are sufficient for executing realistic missions.

The assessment of voltage stability margins is a promising direction for wide-area monitoring systems. Accurate monitoring architectures for long-term voltage instability are typically centralized and lack scalability, while completely decentralized approaches relying on local measurements tend towards inaccuracy. Here we present distributed linear algorithms for the online computation of voltage collapse sensitivity indices. The computations are collectively performed by processors embedded at each bus in the smart grid, using synchronized phasor measurements and communication of voltage phasors between neighboring buses. Our algorithms provably converge to the proper index values, as would be calculated using centralized information, but but do not require any central decision maker for coordination. Modifications of the algorithms to account for generator reactive power limits are discussed. We illustrate the effectiveness of our designs with a case study of the New England 39 bus system. 10 pages, submitted for publication

Abstract An ideal tracker which follows the sun both north-south and east-west is designed and constructed. It is suitable for mounting a linear concentrator, focusing parabolic concentrator or photovoltaic array of aperture area 2 m2. The apparatus is built with two axes equational mount and controlled by a microprocessor system. The tracking is carried out by utilizing the astronomical coordinates of the sun. As such the present system gives improved tracking capability over the conventional sensor controlled tracker systems. The performance of the tracking system was studied with photovoltaic array mounted on it and tracking error of less than one degree was achieved. This tracking error can be reduced further by proper software.