Availability analysis of steam and power generation systems in the thermal power plant

The paper discusses the availability analysis of a steam generation system consisting of three subsystems A, B and D and a power generation system consisting of four subsystems E, F, G and H arranged in series, with three states viz., good, reduced and failed. Taking constant failure and repair rates for each working unit, the mathematical formulation is done using the Birth-Death process. Expressions for steady state availability and the MTBF (mean time between failure) are derived. The graphs are given, depicting the effect of failure and repair rates on the system availability. The results are supplied to the plant personnel, to plan the policies for failure free running of the systems for a long duration.     

Freestanding 3D Graphene–Nickel Encapsulated Nitrogen‐Rich Aligned Bamboo Like Carbon Nanotubes for High‐Performance Supercapacitors with Robust Cycle Stability

3D hierarchical structures are reported based on graphene–nickel encapsulated nitrogen‐rich aligned bamboo like carbon nanotubes, which show not only high‐performance supercapacitance behavior but also a great robust cyclic stability. A facile synthesis route is developed of 2D nickel oxide decorated functionalized graphene nanosheets (2D‐NiO‐f:GNSs) hybrids and 3D nitrogen doped bamboo‐shaped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) vertically standing on the functionalized graphene nanosheets (3D‐NCNT@f:GNSs) by using a thermal decomposition method. The chemical reduction and morphology‐dependent electrochemical response are investigated. The enhanced specific capacitance of 3D‐NCNT@f:GNSs as compared to that of 2D‐NiO‐f:GNSs suggests the synergistic effects and indicates the importance of energy storage and superior long‐term cycling performance that are achieved. This 3D‐NCNT@f:GNSs hybrid shows a remarkable cycling stability with a maximum power density of 12.32 kW kg⁻¹ and maximum energy density of 109.13 Wh kg⁻¹ due to the good connection of NCNT and f:GNSs. This unique 3D nano network architecture enables the availability of large surface areas of NCNT, thus endowing the nanohybrids with high specific capacitance and excellent reusability.     

Nanocrystalline Pt-doped TiO2 thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis for hydrogen gas detection

Nanostructured pure and Pt-doped TiO₂ thin films were prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis technique. Aqueous solution of TiCl₃·6H₂O (0·01 M) was chosen as the starting solution for the preparation of pure TiO₂ thin film. Aqueous solutions of PtCl₆·6H₂O (0·01 M) and TiCl₃·6H₂O (0·01 M) were mixed in volume % of 1 : 99, 2·5 : 97·5 and 5 : 95 respectively to obtain Pt-doped TiO₂ thin films. The solutions were sprayed onto quartz substrate heated at 350 °C temperature to obtain the films. These thin films were fired for one hour at 550 °C. The sensing performance of these films was tested for various gases such as LPG, H₂, CO₂, ethanol, NH₃ and Cl₂ (1000 ppm). The Pt-doped TiO₂ (1 : 99) was observed to be most sensitive (572) to H₂ at 400 °C with high selectivity against other gases. Its response time was short (10 s) and recovery was also fast (14 s). To understand the reasons behind the gas-sensing performance of the films, their structural and microstructral properties were studied using X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy (FE–SEM and TEM), respectively. Thicknesses of all these samples were determined using Surface Profiler. The results are interpreted.     

Effect of thin Mo2C layer on thermal stability of Si/SiO2/Ti/Cu system

The effect of introducing a thin Mo₂C (30 nm) layer between Ti and Cu on the thermal stability of Si/SiO₂/Ti/Cu system was studied using four-point probe (FPP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The measured value of the sheet resistance in the bi-layered diffusion barrier structure does not show any change up to an annealing temperature of 750??C. The sheet resistance when measured after annealing at 800??C marginally increases but less than twice its value at room temperature. The XRD analysis indicated no copper diffusion and the formation of Cu₃Si phase up to 800??C. The bi-layered barrier structure annealed at elevated temperature shows copper-depleted and agglomerated regions. The sheet resistance measurement, study of surface morphology and the XRD analysis confirm that the insertion of thin Mo₂C layer increases the thermal stability of the system from 400??C to 750??C. The increased thermal stability of the system is ascribed to longer diffusion path length in the bi-layered system probably because of grain boundaries mismatch at Ti-Mo₂C interface.     

Temperature and intensity dependence of Yb-fiber laser light absorption in water

Absorption of CW Yb-fiber laser light of 1.07 μm wavelength in water has been measured at different water temperatures and laser intensities. The absorption coefficient was estimated to be 0.135 cm(-1) at 25 °C water temperature, and this was found to decrease with temperature at a rate of 5.7 × 10(-4) cm(-1) °C(-1). The absorption coefficient increased significantly when the laser beam was focused in water, and the increase depended on the distance of the focal point from the water surface. This has been attributed to the absorption and scattering losses of laser radiation in a cavity formed in water by the focused beam at laser intensities in the megawatts per square centimeter and higher range.     

双向IGBT开关在矩阵变换器中的应用

双向IGBT模块是实现高频矩阵变换器极为有效的方法。略不同于硬开关PWM变换器，矩阵变换器中的开关和传导损耗取决于所选的调制策略。本文介绍了一种由诺丁汉大学推导的平均损耗的计算公式。测试一个使用1200V，200A的双向模块实现的三相到单相的构造，得到的波形说明了矩阵变换器的实际操作以及可能会出现的输出电流纹波。     

Matrix Cracking in Ceramic-Matrix Composites

Matrix cracking in ceramic-matrix composites with unbonded frictional interface has been studied using fracture mechanics theory. The critical stress for extension of a fiber-bridged crack has been analyzed using the stress-intensity approach. The analysis uses a new shear-lag formulation of the crack-closure traction applied by the bridging fibers based on the assumption of a constant sliding friction stress over the sliding length of the fiber-matrix interface. The new formulation satisfies two required limiting conditions: (a) when the stress in the bridging fiber approaches the far-field applied stress, the crack-opening displacement approaches a steady-state upper limit that is in agreement with the previous formulations; and (b) in the limit of zero crack opening, the stress in the bridging fiber approaches the far-field fiber stress. This lower limit of the bridging stress is distinctly different from the previous formulations. For all other conditions, the closure traction is a function of the far-field applied stress in addition to the local crack-opening displacement, the interfacial sliding friction stress, and the material properties. Numerical calculations using the stress-intensity approach indicate that the critical stress for crack extension decreases with increasing crack length and approaches a constant steady-state value for large cracks. The steady-state matrix-cracking stress agrees with a steady-state energy balance analysis applied to the continuum model, but it is slightly less than the matrix-cracking stress predicted by such theories of steady-state cracking as that of Aveston, Cooper, and Kelly. The origin of this difference and a method for reconciliation of the two theoretical approaches are discussed.     

A position sensitive ionisation chamber for measurement of fission fragments and medium mass heavy ions

A position sensitive ionisation chamber telescope is described with ΔE_gas---E_gas sections which can measure simultaneously the specific energy loss ΔE, energy E and the position of heavy ion reaction products in the median plane. The position information is derived by having a split ΔE structure and by adopting the pulse division method for the signals collected by the two ΔE sections. For on-line angle calibration, the E-part of the anode structure is also split into five segments. The detector was tested with fission fragments from a ²⁵²Cf spontaneous fission source and with heavy ions from the pelletron tandem accelerator. Simultaneous measurement of ΔE and E gives good separation for heavy and light fission fragment groups. The position resolution is found to be 1.1 mm for fission fragments. The detector has been used in heavy ion reaction studies for measuring fission fragments, providing good separation from projectile-like particles.     

Reliability analysis of the feeding system in the paper industry

The paper discusses the performance of a feeding system in a paper mill having five units. Out of these, three are working almost on the same pattern, while the working of the other two is quite different. Reliability and availablity function and mean time to failure (MTTF) of this system are calculated, followed by a discussion.