All modern High Temperature Reactors (HTR) thermal cycles have one thing in common: the use of some form of heat exchanger. This heat exchanger is used to pre-heat or cool the primary loop gas, from where the secondary power generation cycle is driven. The Compact Heat Exchanger (CHE) type offers high heat loads in smaller volumes. Various studies have been done to improve the heat transfer in the flow channels of these CHEs but little focus has been placed on the thermal design of surrounding material in such a heat exchanger. The focus of this study is on the effective material usage in a CHE. Three test cases were investigated (trapezoidal, serpentine and zigzag layouts with semi-circular cross-sections) all under the same boundary conditions. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to simulate these test cases and the results were evaluated according to four factors, the volume ratio, heat spots, temperature difference and the combined enhancement factor. From the results it was concluded that the zigzag layout performs best when evaluated according to the volume ratio and the temperature difference and gave the best overall enhancement factor. The serpentine layout performed the worst when evaluated according to the enhancement factor. / Thesis (MIng (Nuclear Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

All modern High Temperature Reactors (HTR) thermal cycles have one thing in common: the use of some form of heat exchanger. This heat exchanger is used to pre-heat or cool the primary loop gas, from where the secondary power generation cycle is driven. The Compact Heat Exchanger (CHE) type offers high heat loads in smaller volumes. Various studies have been done to improve the heat transfer in the flow channels of these CHEs but little focus has been placed on the thermal design of surrounding material in such a heat exchanger. The focus of this study is on the effective material usage in a CHE. Three test cases were investigated (trapezoidal, serpentine and zigzag layouts with semi-circular cross-sections) all under the same boundary conditions. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to simulate these test cases and the results were evaluated according to four factors, the volume ratio, heat spots, temperature difference and the combined enhancement factor. From the results it was concluded that the zigzag layout performs best when evaluated according to the volume ratio and the temperature difference and gave the best overall enhancement factor. The serpentine layout performed the worst when evaluated according to the enhancement factor. / Thesis (MIng (Nuclear Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第22303号 / 医博第4544号 / 新制||医||1040(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 福原 俊一, 教授 川口 義弥, 教授 松村 由美 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

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The hand has the highest surface area-to-volume ratio of any body part. This property offers the potential for the hand to serve an important function in thermoregulation through radiative heat loss. Theoretically, the capacity for heat loss may be influenced by hand and digit proportions, but the extent to which these proportions influence the hand's radiative properties remains under-investigated. Although hand morphology is highly constrained by both integration and functional dexterity, phenotypic variation in hand and digit proportions across human populations shows broad ecogeographic patterns. These patterns have been associated with climate adaptation. However, the theory linking climate adaptation to such ecogeographic patterns is based on underlying assumptions relating to thermodynamic principles, which have not been tested in vivo. This study sought to determine the influence of hand and digit proportions on heat loss from the hands directly, the additional anthropometric factors that may affect this relationship, and the impact of variation in hand proportions on dexterity in the cold. The relationship between hand proportions and thermoregulation was tested through both laboratory-based investigation and a field study. The laboratory investigation assessed the relationship between hand proportions and heat loss, the influence of body size and composition on this relationship, and the effect of morphological variation on manual dexterity. Participants (N=114; 18-50 years of age), underwent a 3-minute ice-water hand-immersion. Thermal imaging analysis was used to quantify heat loss. Hand and digit proportions were quantified using 2D and 3D scanning techniques; body size and composition were measured using established anthropometric methods and bio-impedance analysis. After accounting for body size, hand width, digit-to-palm length ratio, and skeletal muscle mass were significant predictors of heat loss from the hand, whilsthand length and fat mass were not. A separate set of participants (N=40) performed a Purdue pegboard dexterity test before and after the immersion test, which demonstrated that digit width alone negatively correlated with dexterity. The field study tested whether phenotypic variation in upper limb proportions could be attributed to cold adaptation or selection for dexterity in living populations exposed to significant energetic stress. Upper limb segment lengths were obtained from participants (N=254; 18-59 years of age), from highland and lowland regions of the Nepalese Himalayas using established anthropometric methods, and relative hand proportions were assessed in relation to severe energetic stress associated with life at high altitude. Relative to height, hand length and hand width were not reduced with altitude stress, whilst ulna length was. This indicates that cold adaptation is not shaping hand proportions in this case, although phenotypic variation in other limb segments may be attributed to cold adaptation or a thrifty phenotype mechanism. The current study provides empirical evidence to support the link between surface area-to-volume ratio, thermodynamic principles and ecogeographical patterns in human hand morphology. However, this research also demonstrates the complexity of the hand's role in thermoregulation; not only do other factors such as muscularity affect heat loss from the hand, but hand morphology is also highly constrained by integration and dexterity.

Today’s transportation highly depends on hydrocarbon fuels, and reducing the weight could help a lot in reducing the air pollutants and carbon footprints in the environment to comply with the strict regulations set by reputable standard organizations in the world. Utilizing lightweight materials in automobile parts is one of the key factors to succeed in meeting the goals defined in the standards. Replacing the conventional single material component with a multi-material component having the same geometry but lighter weight could help the automakers to achieve these goals. Compound casting is one of the methods to produce such components. The aluminum alloy/ductile iron bimetal component produced by compound casting was investigated. During the production of the experimental sample of the compound casting, component two parameters were considered, melt-to-solid volume ratio and pre-heat temperature of the solid insert. The results showed that the increasing melt-to-solid volume ratio caused the formation of a stronger metallurgical bond between the two materials compared to the lower melt-to-solid volume ratio. However, pre-heating the solid insert under the atmospheric condition caused the formation of iron oxide layers on the surface, and as a result, no metallurgical bonding was formed, no matter which melt-to-solid volume ratio was used during the production process. So, inspired by AlFin process, the solid inserts were first dipped inside the aluminum alloy bath with the target temperature of 750 °C for two extended periods, 15 minutes and 30 minutes, to ensure that the preliminary metallurgical bonds were formed at the interface surfaces without disturbance by the surrounding atmosphere. To make the experimental components and to develop the metallurgical bonds, the aluminized inserts were then quickly placed inside the sand molds, and the cast alloy was poured inside the molds and around the inserts immediately after placement. In this way, although the formation of the aluminum oxide layer was unavoidable on the surfaces of the aluminized inserts, there was still liquid aluminum alloy melt underneath, which could be easily washed away during the pouring of the cast alloy.Nevertheless, the metallurgical bonds in the compound casting products having a lower melt-to-solid volume ratio didn’t withstand the shear loads and only the product having a higher melt-to-solid volume ratio with the aluminized insert dipped for a longer time could resist against the loads. In addition to the mechanical strength of the experimental products, their metallurgical bonds were specified and characterized using microscopic examination and EDS analysis. The successful results of the experimental product were then proposed to modify the design of a model from the automobile industry, called the truck wheel hub. / Dagens transport beror starkt på kolvätebränslen, och att minska vikten kan hjälpa mycket att minska luftföroreningar och kolavtryck i miljön för att följa de strikta regler som ställts av ansedda standardorganisationer i världen. Att använda lätta material i bildelar är en av de viktigaste faktorerna för att lyckas uppfylla de mål som fastställs i standarderna. Att ersätta den konventionella komponenten med enstaka material med en komponent med flera material som har samma geometri men lättare vikt kan hjälpa biltillverkarna att uppnå dessa mål. Gjutning av föreningar är en av metoderna för att producera sådana komponenter. Aluminiumlegeringen / segjärn-bimetalkomponenten framställd genom sammansatt gjutning undersöktes. Under framställningen av det experimentella provet av gjutning av föreningen beaktades komponent två parametrar, volymförhållandet smält till fast material och förvärmningstemperaturen för det fasta insatsen. Resultaten visade att det ökande smält-till-fasta volymförhållandet orsakade bildandet av en starkare metallurgisk bindning mellan de två materialen jämfört med det lägre förhållandet mellan smält och fast volym. Förvärmning av den fasta insatsen under atmosfäriskt tillstånd orsakade emellertid bildningen av järnoxidskikt på ytan, och som ett resultat bildades ingen metallurgisk bindning, oavsett vilket smält-till-fast volymförhållande användes under produktionsprocessen . Så, inspirerad av AlFin-processen, doppades de fasta insatserna först in i aluminiumlegeringsbadet med måttemperaturen 750 ° C under två långa perioder, 15 minuter och 30 minuter, för att säkerställa att de preliminära metallurgiska bindningarna bildades vid gränsytans ytor utan störningar av den omgivande atmosfären. För att tillverka de experimentella komponenterna och för att utveckla de metallurgiska bindningarna placerades sedan de aluminiumiserade skärmen snabbt inuti sandformarna, och den gjutna legeringen hälldes in i formarna och runt insatserna omedelbart efter placering. På detta sätt, även om bildningen av aluminiumoxidskiktet var oundvikligt på ytorna på de aluminiumförsedda insatserna, fanns det fortfarande flytande aluminiumlegeringssmälta under, vilket lätt kunde tvättas bort under hällningen av den gjutna legeringen.Icke desto mindre tål de metallurgiska bindningarna i de sammansatta gjutprodukterna med ett lägre volym-till-fast volymförhållande inte skjuvbelastningarna och endast produkten med ett högre smält-till-fast volymförhållande med den aluminiumiserade insatsen doppades under en längre tid kunde motstå mot lasterna. Förutom de experimentella produkternas mekaniska styrka specificerades och karakteriserades deras metallurgiska bindningar med mikroskopisk undersökning och EDS-analys. De framgångsrika resultaten av den experimentella produkten föreslogs sedan att modifiera utformningen av en modell från bilindustrin, kallad truckhjulnavet.