Approved for public release, distribution unlimited / Steam leakage from an aircraft carrier catapult is sometimes ingested into the aircraft engines upon launch which may induce compressor stall. Investigation of this phenomenon is of particular interest to the Navy with its new F35C, the aircraft carrier variant of the joint strike fighter. The single engine configuration of the F-35C makes this aircraft particularly vunerable to steam-induced stall. The present study examined both throttle-induced stall and steam-induced stall in a compressor at 90% and 95% speed through the use of 9 Kulite and 2 hot-film pressure transducers. The use of Fast Fourier Transform waterfall plots of the transient data before and during stall proved invaluable in determining stall precursors as well as the mode of rotor stall. In addition, a new computational fluid dynamic model was designed using CFX-5 software to represent a single blade passage of the compressor rotor, in order to predict compressor performance. The computed results were compared to experimental results gathered at various throttle settings. An accurate model will enable researchers to predict compressor performance for various and multiple gases. / Outstanding Thesis

La migration des cellules souches / progénitrices neurales (CSPN) dans le cerveau adulte est cruciale pour la réparation cérébrale. Reeline (Rln) est une protéine de la matrice extracellulaire, régulant le positionnement des neurones pendant la croticogénèse. Nous révélons un rôle nouveau de Rln chez l'adulte. In vitro, Rln est chémocinétique mais pas chémoattractante. In vivo, Rln induit le détachement et la dispersion des CSNP de la zone sousventriculaire (SVZ) hors du courant rostral de migration (RMS) où elles sont sinon confinées. Rln potentialise le recrutement spontané des CSPN vers les lésions démyélinisantes où un tiers deviennent oligodendrocytaires. L'expression endogène de Rln est stimulée après lésion. Les animaux sans voie de signalisation Rln ont un recrutement réduit des CSPN vers les lésions.Ces résultats révèlent que Rln est un arbitre clef de la migration post-lésionnelle des CSPN et que permettre au CSPN de sortir du RMS est une stratégie thérapeutique prometteuse. / Neural stem/ progenitor cell (NSPC) migration in the adult brain is crucial for brain repair. Reelin (Rln) is an extracellular matrix protein regulating neuron positioning during coricogenesis. We reveal new roles of Rln in adult NSPC migration. In vitro, Rln promotes detachment, is chemokinetic but not chemoattractant. After Rln ectopic overexpression in the healthly brain, subventricular zone (SVZ) NSPC detach from the rostal migratory stream (RMS) in which they are normally restricted, and disperse in adjacent fiber tracts. Rln over-expression potentiates spontaneous cell recruitment to demyelinated lesion and one third of the NSPC recruited adopt an oligodendrocytic phenotype. Rln expression is spontaneously upregulated after lesion, and disruption of its signaling pathway results in reduced NSPC recruitment toward lesion. Our study reveals that Rln is a key player of post-lesional NSPC migration and that allowing NSPC to escape from RMS is a promising therapeutic approach

The industry sector accounts for a high share of the final energy consumption, with industries in EU-28accounting for a quarter of the final energy demand. Studies also show that 45 % of the industrial heatdemand in EU-27 is in a temperature range that can be supplied with present day solar collectors. Despitethis large potential, solar heat faces obstacles hindering its growth in the industrial sector. The mostsignificant obstacle is the low insight of the industrial system designs and energy demands. Those arecrucial factors for the feasibility and dimensioning of solar heating systems. Three case studies aretherefore conducted in dairy and pharmaceutical plants in order to review the most promising integrationpoints for parabolic trough solar collectors in terms of annual heat demand, temperature level andintegration effort. Two case studies are performed in dairy plants and one in a pharmaceutical plant, alllocated in Sweden. The analyses comprised reviewing energy mappings, process and instrumentationdiagrams of processes and boiler systems, and hourly energy demand data. Simulations have beencarried out with Polysun for the processes with hourly energy data available.Four integration points have been determined to be high priority solar heat integration points in dairyplants, when considering annual thermal energy demand, temperature levels and integration effort.Those are the low pressure steam line, heating of feedwater, clean in place systems and pasteurizers.Solar heat integration concepts have been presented for all the aforementioned heat sinks andsimulations have been conducted for the low pressure steam line and heating of feedwater. A significantamount of excess heat is produced as a result of fluctuating heat demands and peak solar heat productionhours. Further investigation should be carried out, in order to review the potential of supplying excessheat to other heat sinks. Despite the reviewed potential of the clean in place systems and pasteurizers,lack of the hourly energy demand has hindered further analyses of those systems. It is thereforerecommended to conduct energy measurements before taking further measures.Two integration points have been identified in the pharmaceutical plant, namely autoclaves andmultiple-effect distillers. Solar steam generation concepts have been presented for both processes. Theautoclaves are provided with 4,5 bar steam intermittently, as they work with batches and can have ondutyand off-duty intervals ranging from 3-30 minutes. The multiple-effect distillers are providedwith 7 bar steam, which is of rather high pressure for the solar collectors model on which thesimulations are based. The heat demand of the distillers is more or less constant.It was generally easier to acquire data for the integration points at the supply level. For instance, all heatsinks at the supply level had energy demand data available, contrary to the process level. This inclinesadditional focus on integration to the supply level, if the extent of the feasibility study is to be kept to aminimum.

Energy saving in coal power plants is a popular topic in present days with the global energy crisis. Internal electricity demand or auxiliary power consumption is an energy portion related with equipment supportive to the main equipment, which is unavoidable but with a proper investigation, some amount of this energy can be saved either by introducing thermally efficient auxiliary equipment or improving efficiencies of available equipment. Out of the various auxiliary equipment, the driving motor of boiler feed pump is the largest power consumer of internal electricity demand in 3x300 MW sub-critical Lakvijaya Power Station in Sri Lanka. So it is obvious that prime movers of feed pumps could be contributed for a large percentage of the losses. So it was decided to find out how to minimize the losses related to Boiler Feed Pump (BFP) system using small steam turbine to drive the BFP. The widely used alternatives for the BFP drivers are condensing type and back pressure type steam turbines. Eleven (11) different configurations of Condensing type, back pressure type and also extraction back pressure type turbines were considered and software programs for each configuration were implemented using Engineering Equation Solver (EES) software. The considered configurations are different to each other by inlet steam thermodynamic parameters, steam flow rate, exhaust thermodynamic steam parameters and intermediate extraction parameters etc. Thermodynamic analysis ended up with interesting solutions while all the configurations are giving improved efficiencies than existing electrical motor driven mode. But some of them had not improved their net output and hence there were no gain in net generator power output although the efficiencies are higher. Out of other configurations with improved net output and efficiency, the case with back pressure turbine arranged parallel to the HP turbine had the highest net output gain with better improvement in efficiency without changing the input power to the boiler. Considering the CO2 , SOx and NOx emissions, it was cleared that power plant with suggested BFP modes will give more clean energy than existing power plant. Considering the partial loads behavior it was observed that power plant with Back pressure turbine, steam extracted from HP turbines inlet for prime movers of boiler feed pumps is more thermodynamically economical than existing power plant. Annual financial saving with BFP configurations with positive net output gain and zero boiler input gain were calculated and it will be in between 0.46 and 2.72 UDS million / Year.

Several studies have examined the life of William Small but only in respect to certain phases of his life, particularly Small's connections to Thomas Jefferson, James Watt, or the Birmingham Lunar Society. In 1758 William Small was recruited for the post of professor of mathematics at the College of William and Mary. From 1760 through 1762, he was Thomas Jefferson's only professor at the College of William and Mary. In 1764 Small returned to England and, with the assistance of Benjamin Franklin and others, became physician and scientific advisor to Matthew Boulton, a wealthy industrialist. Small, Boulton, and Erasmus Darwin established the celebrated Birmingham Lunar Society, which played an important role in the industrialization of Britain in the late eighteenth century. In 1767, Small met James Watt and thus began a collaboration that produced the steam engine. While American scholars have concentrated on Small's influence on Thomas Jefferson, British scholars have focused on Small's role in the Birmingham Lunar Society or his role in the development of the steam engine. This study examines Small's life in its entirety. Areas of Small's life overlooked by previous studies include his early life and education, the substance of his teaching career at the College of William and Mary, and his medical career. The true extent of Small's influences and the connections that he maintained between British and American intellectuals can only be seen by examining his life in its entirety. This study sought to bring together the disparate elements of Small's life in order to make clearer his place in history.

Thesis Abstract This thesis has been performed under co-tutelle supervision between Charles University in Prague (Czech Republic) and Strasbourg University (France). It also profited from the background and cooperation of Institute of Inorganic Chemistry Academy of Science of the Czech Republic and French Commission for Atomic and Alternative energies (CEA Cadarache, France). Results of the work contribute to the OECD/NEA project Serena 2 (Program on Steam Explosion Resolution for Nuclear Applications). Presented thesis can be classed in the scientific field of nuclear safety and material science. It is aimed on the so-called "molten nuclear Fuel - Coolant Interaction" (FCI) that belongs among the recent issues of the nuclear reactor severe accident R&D. During the nuclear reactor melt down accident the melted reactor load can interact with the coolant (light water). This interaction can be located inside the vessel or outside in the case of vessel break-up. These two scenarios are commonly called in- and ex-vessel FCI and they differ in the conditions such as initial pressure of the system, water sub-cooling etc. The Molten fuel - coolant interaction can progress into thermal detonation called also "steam explosion" that can challenge the reactor or containment integrity. Recent experiments have shown that...

Des catalyseurs massiques à base de Cu, Zn et Al ont été préparés par voie hydrotalcite afin d'être testés dans la réaction de vaporeformage du biométhanol pour produire de l'hydrogène. Pour les solides séchés CuxZn₆₋xAl₂, quel que soit la teneur en cuivre, la phase hydrotalcite a été révélée par différentes caractérisations physico-chimiques (DRX, MEB, ATD-ATG). La calcination des hydrotalcites permet de générer un mélange d'oxydes ayant des propriétés intéressantes telles le non-respect de la stoechiométrie, une stabilité thermique importante, une aire spécifique élevée. Le solide Cu₄Zn₂Al₂ HT calciné à 500°C présente les taux de conversion et les sélectivités en H₂ les plus élevés avec une faible formation de CO à hautes températures. Cette meilleure performance es due à la présenced'un optimum des espèces de cuivre réduites Cu⁺,CU⁰. Par ailleurs, un ensemble des solides supportés à base de cuivre utilisant l'hydrotalcite Zn-Al comme précurseur du support a été synthétisé. Les caractérisations des solides imprégnés ont montré leurs reconstructions partielles par "effet mémoire" sous forme hydrotalcite lors de l'imprégnation du Cu. La performance catalytique de ces solides calcinés dépend de la température de calcination du support hydrotalcite, de l'échantillon et de la teneur en cuivre imprégné. Le solide 10% Cu/Zn-Al (500) 500 présente la meilleure activité dans l'étude de vaporeformage du méthanol. Parallèlement, un mécanisme réactionnel, renfermant le formiate de méthyle et l'acide formique comme composés intermédiaires, a été proposé pour le vaporeformage du méthanol en présence de ces catalyseurs. / Some catalysts based on Cu, Zn and Al were prepared by hydrotalcite road to be tested in the steam reforming of biomethanol to produce hydrogen. For the dried solids CuxZn₆₋xAl₂, whatever the copper content, the hydrotalcite phase was revealed by different physico-chemical characterizations (XRD, SEM, DTA-GTA). The calcination of hydrotalcites allows to generate a mixture of oxides with interesting properties such non-respect of stoichiometry, high thermal stability, high surface area. The solid, Cu₄Zn₂Al₂ HT calcined at 500° C shows the highest conversion rates and selectivities of H₂ with a low formation of CO at high temperatures. This best performance is due to the presence of an optimum of copper species reduced Cu⁺,CU⁰. Furthermore, copper-based supported solids using Zn-Al hydrotalcite as a precursor of the support were synthesized. The characterization of impregnated solids showed their partial reconstructions by "memory effect" as hydrotalcite during impregnation of Cu. The catalytic performance of these calcined solids depends on the temperature of calcination of the hydrotalcite support, of the sample and of the impregnated copper content. The solid 10% Cu/Zn-Al (500) 500 presents the best activity in the study of steam reforming of methanol. Meanwhile, a reaction mechanism containing methyl formate and formic acid as intermediate compounds has been proposed for the steam reforming of methanol in the presence of these catalysts.

Os tubos de Geradores de Vapor em Reatores Nucleares do tipo PWR são submetidos a diferentes níveis de tensões e carregamento em altas temperaturas, reduzindo sua vida útil devido o surgimento de defeitos e corrosão. A inspeção por Correntes Parasitas é um ensaio não destrutivo usado para diagnosticar defeitos de corrosão e descontinuidades na superfície externa e interna em tubos de trocadores de calor. Esses tubos estão sujeitos a danos por diferentes mecanismos de degradação mecânica e química, tais como trincas por fadiga e corrosão sob tensão. Os sinais de inspeção por Correntes Parasitas são afetados por diferentes ruídos dificultando sua análise pelo inspetor. Esse trabalho apresenta os resultados da análise dos sinais de Correntes Parasitas usando a Transformada de Hilbert-Huang (THH) funcionando como filtro de ruídos (De-noising), como uma técnica alternativa de processamento e análise de sinais. A Transformada de Hilbert-Huang teve esse nome atribuído pela agência espacial norte-americana (NASA) para o resultado da reunião de dois processos, um método de decomposição empiricamente modal (Empirical Mode Decomposition EMD), seguido da análise espectral de Hilbert (Hilbert Spectral Analysis HSA). Os sinais de inspeção por correntes parasitas possuem características de transiente, não estacionário e não linear. A transformada de Hilbert-Huang aplicada neste trabalho forneceu dois recursos alternativos em processamento de sinais; o pré-processamento que funcionou como filtro de ruídos, e outro de análise de sinais, responsável pela identificação das características tempo-frequência-energia do sinal. / The nuclear power plant steam generator tubes are subjected to different levels of stress and loading at high temperatures, reducing its lifetime due to the development of defects and corrosion. The Eddy Current Testing (ECT) is a nondestructive testing used to diagnose defects of corrosion and discontinuities in the inner and outer surface of heat exchanger tubes. These tubes are subject to failure by different mechanisms of chemical and mechanical degradation such as fatigue and stress corrosion crack. The ECT signals are affected by different noises making the analysis a difficult task to the inspector. This dissertation presents the results of the main characteristics from the ECT signals using the Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) as an alternative method for the processing and signal analysis. The Hilbert-Huang Transform has its name given by the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, as the result of Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) and the Hilbert Spectral Analysis (HSA) methods. The Eddy Current signals are transient, nonstationary and nonlinear. The Hilbert-Huang Transform applied in this work provided two alternative proceedings in signal processing, one in signal pre-processing acting as noise filter (De-noising) and another as signal analysis, which identifies the characteristics of signal time-frequency-energy.

Catalisadores de Ni (10% em massa) suportado em matrizes mistas MgO-SiO2 foram aplicados na reação de reforma a vapor de glicerol. Os efeitos do teor de MgO como aditivo e do método de preparação foram avaliados frente às propriedades físico-químicas e texturais dos materiais; assim como à atividade, seletividade, estabilidade e formação de carbono na reforma a vapor do glicerol. Os catalisadores foram preparados com diferentes teores mássicos de MgO (10%, 30% e 50%) sobre SiO2 comercial, utilizando processo via seca (mistura física) e via úmida (impregnação sequencial com diferentes solventes: água, etanol e acetona). Foram utilizadas as técnicas de caracterização de espectroscopia de energia dispersiva de raios X, fisissorção de nitrogênio, difratometria de raios X, termogravimetria, difratometria de raios X in situ com O2, redução a temperatura programada com H2, difratometria de raios X in situ com H2, dessorção a temperatura programada com H2 e microscopia eletrônica de varredura. Foi observado que o Ni(II) interage de forma variada com os suportes com diferentes teores de MgO, e que a polaridade do solvente de impregnação utilizado no processo de preparação influencia as propriedades dos catalisadores. A fim de verificar a atividade, seletividade e deposição de carbono; os catalisadores foram testados na reação de reforma a vapor de glicerol a 600oC, por um período de 5h e razão molar água:glicerol de 12:1. Após as reações, os catalisadores foram novamente submetidos às análises de termogravimetria, difratometria de raios X e microscopia eletrônica de varredura, visando a caracterização dos depósitos de carbono obtidos durante o processo catalítico. Os catalisadores de matrizes mistas se mostraram ativos e apresentaram seletividades similares para os produtos gasosos CH4, CO e CO2, além de um alto rendimento em H2. Observou-se que a adição de MgO no suporte, aumentou a dispersão do Ni(II) no material, que por sua vez, influenciou na quantidade de carbono depositado ao longo da reação. A polaridade do solvente de impregnação também teve influência na dispersão metálica, sendo que, quanto menor a polaridade do solvente, maior foi a dispersão obtida no catalisador, e menor a deposição de carbono na reação. O material que apresentou o melhor desempenho catalítico frente ao rendimento de H2 e à deposição de carbono, foi o catalisador preparado com 30% de MgO com etanol como solvente de impregnação. / Ni catalysts (10wt%) supported on MgO-SiO2 were assessed in glycerol steam reforming reaction. The effects of MgO as additive and preparation method were evaluated on physico-chemical and textural materials properties; as their activity, selectivity, stability and carbon formation in glycerol steam reforming. The catalysts were prepared with different amounts of MgO (10wt%, 30wt% and 50wt%) on commercial SiO2 by dry process (physical mixture) and wet process (sequential impregnation with water, ethanol and acetone as solvents). Samples were characterized by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, nitrogen physisorption, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, in situ X-ray diffraction with O2, temperature programmed reduction with H2, in situ X-ray diffraction with H2, temperature programmed desorption with H2 and scanning electron microscopy. It was observed that the Ni(II) interacts differently with supports with different MgO content, and the polarity of impregnation solvent used in preparation process influences on catalysts properties. In order to evaluated the activity, selectivity and carbon deposition, the catalysts were tested in glycerol steam reforming reaction at 600oC for 5h and water:glycerol molar ratio of 12:1. After reaction, carbon deposits obtained during the catalytic process were characterized by thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Mixed matrices catalysts were active in glycerol steam reforming and showed similar selectivity for the gaseous products (H2, CH4, CO and CO2), with a high H2 yield. It was observed that the addition of MgO increased Ni(II) dispersion on material, which influenced on the quantity of carbon deposited during reaction. Polarity of impregnation solvent had also influence on metallic dispersion, and smaller the solvent polarity, higher the dispersion obtained in the catalyst, and lower the carbon deposition on reaction. The material that showed the best catalytic performance in H2 yield and carbon deposition, was the catalyst prepared with 30wt% of MgO with ethanol as impregnation solvent.

A finalidade deste estudo foi avaliar o uso de rações contendo grão de milho flint processado através da moagem ou floculação combinados com dietas contendo 4; 7; 10 ou 13% de FDN do bagaço de cana in natura (BIN) (% da MS) e suas interações. Foram conduzidos 2 experimentos. No experimento 1: Os 240 tourinhos Nelore (PC=350±37,36 kg) foram alocados aleatoriamente em 32 baias em um arranjo fatorial 2 × 4. Os animais foram blocados com base no PC inicial. Os dados foram analisados pelo PROC MIXED do SAS. Não houve interação entre as concentrações de FDN de volumoso (FDNv) e métodos de processamento sobre o desempenho, características de carcaça, medidas morfométricas de papilas, energia das dietas, amido e comportamento ingestivo. A moagem do milho proporcionou maior ingestão de matéria seca (IMS), amido fecal, número de papilas, área de superfície absortiva do rúmen e representatividade das papilas na superfície absortiva e menor ingestão de energia, peso final, ganho de peso diário, pior eficiência alimentar, menor peso de carcaça, tempo de ruminação, energia nas dietas, digestibilidade do amido no trato total, energia do milho que a floculação. O aumento na concentração de FDNv nas dietas causaram efeito quadrático para IMS, redução linear no rendimento de carcaça, na energia das dietas e aumento linear no tempo de ruminação e mastigação. Houve interação entre as concentrações de FDNv e métodos de processamento para a medida de largura de papilas. Os resultados indicam que a floculação foi superior à moagem do milho para otimizar o desempenho dos tourinhos Nelore. No experimento 2: Foram utilizados 16 touros da raça Nelore (PC 443,52±24,80kg) canulados no rúmen, alocados aleatoriamente em 16 baias por dois períodos, em arranjo fatorial 2 x 4. Os dados foram analisados pelo PROC MIXED do SAS. Não houve interações entre processamento e concentrações dietéticas de FDNv. A floculação aumentou na digestibilidade da MS, dos carboidratos totais (CHOT), dos carboidratos não fibrosos (CNF), do amido, no %NDT nas dietas, na concentração de propionato no rúmen e na eficiência microbiana e gerou maior volume final da degradação de CNF, taxa de degradação de CNF e redução no N-NH3 no rúmen, na ingestão de N, N ureico no plasma, N urina, na excreção de N total e no lag time. O aumento do teor de volumoso nas dietas causou resposta quadrática para IMS e na ingestão e absorção de N e redução linear na digestibilidade da MS, dos CHOT, na proporção de propionato e concentração de AGV total e aumentos lineares no tempo de ruminação e mastigação. Em conclusão a floculação foi superior à moagem em melhorar a digestibilidade da MS, em aumentar a energia do milho e das dietas e em melhorar o metabolismo de N. Aumentos nos teores de FDNv estimulam a ruminação, mas diminui a eficiência da produção de energia no rúmen. / The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of feed containing flint corn grain processed by ground or steam-flaked combined with diets containing 4; 7; 10 or 13% roughage NDF (DM basis) using sugarcane bagasse as source of fiber and their interactions. Two experiments were conducted. In experiment 1: 240 Nellore bulls (BW=350±37,36 kg) were randomly divided into 32 pens in a factorial 2 × 4 arrangement of. The animals were blocked based on their initial BW. The data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS. There was no interaction between the concentrations of sugarcane bagasse NDF and processing methods on performance, carcass characteristics, morphometric measures of papillae, energy diets, starch and feeding behavior. Ground corn provided higher dry matter intake (DMI), fecal starch, number of papillae, rumen absorptive surface area of the papillae and representativeness of the absorptive surface and lower energy intake, body weight, daily weight gain, worse feed efficiency, lower carcass weight, rumination time, energy in the diet, total-tract starch digestibility energy corn than steam-flaked. The increase in the concentration of NDF of BIN in the diets caused a quadratic effect for IMS, linear reduction in carcass yield, energy diets and linear increase in rumination and chewing. There was interaction between NDF concentrations and processing methods for papillae width measurements. The results indicate that the steam-flaked was higher than ground corn to optimize the performance of Nellore bulls. In experiment 2: sixteen Nellore bulls (BW=443,52±24,80 kg) fitted with rumen cannula, randomly allocated to 16 pens for two periods in a 2 x 4 factorial arrangement. The data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS. There were no interactions between corn processing and dietary concentrations of sugarcane bagasse NDF. Steam-flaking increased in DM digestibility, total carbohydrates (TCHO), non-fiber carbohydrates (NFC), of starch, dietary TDN concentration, of rumen propionate concentration and microbial efficiency and provided higher final volume of degradation CNF, CNF degradation rate and decreased rumen N-NH3 concentration, N intake, N urea in plasma (PUN), N urine, total N excretion and lag time. Increasing dietary sugarcane bagasse NDF caused a quadratic response for DMI, N intake and N absorption and linear decrease in total tract apparent digestibility of DM and of TCHO, concentration of propionate and total VFA and linear increases in rumination and chewing. In conclusion, steam-flaking was greater than the ground corn to improve the digestibility of DM, to increase energy value of flint corn and feeding and improve N metabolism. Increasing dietary sugarcane bagasse NDF stimulate rumination, but decreases the efficiency of production energy in the rumen.