Keeping track of the damage

Keeping track of the damageSilica (silicon dioxide)
is the most abundant mineral in the earth's crust and consequently is a core
component in many rocks. It's quite common for such rocks to also contain
natural traces of materials like uranium that undergo slow radioactive decay.
This radioactivity produces energetic particles that smash through the
surrounding silica creating tracks of localized damage in their wake.The tracks
are too small to see directly but because the damage changes the local structure
of the material, such tracks serve as a seed point for certain chemical etches.
Suitably etched samples show tiny cone shaped pits in the surface that are
visible in a powerful light microscope. Geologists have used this etch pit
technique for many years to study the density of tracks. Their interest stems
from the fact that knowing the number of tracks in a material and the amount of
radioactive material present, you can gain information about the age and thermal
history of the rocks. High temperature anneals out the damage so a rock with
high uranium content and few pits must have been heated in the relatively recent
past.However, it's not just geologists that have an interest in the interaction
of energetic ions with solids. An improved knowledge of such interactions is
also pivotal to emerging technologies such as nanofabrication, nuclear waste
management, fusion power and long distance space travel. The problem to date has
been that remarkably little is known about such ion track damage in solids. The
traditional etching technique reveals the number of tracks but removes the
tracks themselves, so tells you little about the underlying material
science.This lack of detailed information has created debates and arguments
amongst scientists for more than 50 years. However, a research team from The
Australian National University led by ARC Australian Research Fellow Dr. Patrick
Kluth has recently solved the mystery, by using x-ray beams from the U.S.
Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory.Dr.
Kluth explains, "The exact nature of ion track damage has been very difficult to
determine because the tracks are only a few tens of atoms in diameter with often
only subtle differences in structure to the surrounding material. A lot of times
we are getting localized disorder in a material that is itself highly
disordered."To generate the ion tracks in a controlled manner, the researchers
have used Australia's largest and most powerful accelerator, the 14UD at ANU
where they bombarded amorphous silica targets with very energetic gold ions.The
world of subatomic particle interactions is very different to our experience of
collisions in everyday life. If you're throwing rocks at a tin can the
likelihood of you scoring a hit depends on your aim and the size of the can. So
long as you aim doesn't falter the likelihood of scoring a hit doesn't change
with the speed of the rock. However in the microscopic domain, this common sense
no longer holds. The velocity and thus energy of subatomic particles has a large
bearing on the likelihood of them hitting each other. This counter intuitive
situation arises because the particles aren't really colliding like two solid
objects; rather it's their wave functions that are interacting. And wave
functions are diffused through local space and time. To keep things convenient,
scientists still express the likelihood of two particles colliding in terms of a
collision cross section. Bigger cross-section, better chance. The only tricky
thing is that this collision cross section changes as the particle energy
changes. It's like your tin can getting smaller as the rocks get faster.For this
reason, ions of different energy interact with different components of the
target material. Very energetic ions from either natural radioactive decay or
the powerful accelerator are very unlikely to collide with the nuclei in the
target, as the collision cross section for this interaction is essentially zero
at these velocities. This means that the ion loses energy by interaction with
the electrons of the host material, not the atoms. The result is a sudden and
massive local heating along the ion's trajectory by several thousand degrees.
This causes a violent expansion of the silicon dioxide reducing the density
along the core of the track and compressing the material in the surrounding
cylinder. The area is so localized that the subsequent cooling down is almost
instantaneous, preventing the material from returning to its original structure.
The net result is a tunnel shaped shock wave frozen in time.The big breakthrough
came with design of high-resolution x-ray scattering experiments to study the
structure in the ion tracks. The tracks in the silicon dioxide are amorphous,
meaning the crystal lattice structure has no long-range order. However the
target silicon dioxide also has an amorphous structure. "It's very hard to see
tracks of new disorder in an already disordered material." Dr. Kluth explains,
"the new measurements, however, enable us to resolve the small density changes
in the ion tracks which has not been possible by other means before. We are now
confident that we can apply this method to resolve the structure of ion tracks
in wide variety of other materials as well."A crucial aspect for the
measurements is that the accelerator-irradiated material differs from naturally
occurring silica in one very important way. All the ions from the accelerator
were travelling in exactly the same direction when they created tracks. This
means that all the damage tracks are parallel. This is vitally important because
it makes x-ray analysis viable. To obtain a suitable bright monochromatic x-ray
source, the scientists travelled to Chicago to use the ChemMatCARS 15-ID
beamline at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Photon Source synchrotron
at Argonne National Laboratory.In a natural sample with tracks at random angles,
a beam of x-rays is scattered in a different direction by each track resulting
in a blurring of the scattering signal. However when the tracks are all parallel
each one scatters x-rays in the same direction reinforcing the signal. "What we
see in a case like this is a clean superimposition of the signals from each
track.""Apart from solving a long-standing mystery in materials science, these
findings have significant potential impact for interplanetary science. In space,
equipment is exposed to very high energy cosmic radiation and the response of
materials to that is important in designing reliable electric
components."Contact: *Patrick.kluth@anu.edu.auSee: P. Kluth*, C. S. Schnohr, O.
H. Pakarinen, F. Djurabekova, D. J. Sprouster, R. Giulian, M. C. Ridgway, A. P.
Byrne, C. Trautmann, D. J. Cookson, K. Nordlund, and M. Toulemonde, “Fine
Structure in Swift Heavy Ion Tracks in Amorphous SiO[subscript 2],” Phys. Rev.
Lett. 101, 175503 (2008). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.175503.The authors
acknowledge the ARC and the ASRP for financial support. O. H. P., F. D., and K.
N. acknowledge support from the Academy of Finland as well as the CONADEP and
OPNA projects, and grants of from CSC. ChemMatCARS Sector 15 at the APS is
principally supported by the NSF/DOE under Grant No. CHE0087817, and by the
Illinois Board of Higher Education. Use of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne
National Laboratory was supported by the U. S. Department of Energy, Office of
Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No.
DE-AC02-06CH11357.Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing
national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national
laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research
in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with
researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and
municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America's
scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees
from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the
U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

The Anaerobic (ATP-CP) Energy System

The Anaerobic (ATP-CP) Energy SystemAdenosine Triphosphate (ATP) stores in
the muscle last for approximately 2 seconds and the resynthesis of ATP from
Creatine Phosphate (CP) will continue until CP stores are depleted,
approximately 4 to 6 seconds. This gives us around 5 to 8 seconds of ATP
production.To develop this energy system, sessions of 4 to 8 seconds of high
intensity work at near peak velocity are required e.g.* 3 × 10 × 30 metres with
recovery of 30 seconds/repetition and 5 minutes/set.* 15 × 60 metres with 60
seconds recovery* 20 × 20 metres shuttle runs with 45 seconds recovery

Analyzing Your Electricity Loads

Analyzing Your Electricity LoadsCalculating your electricity needs is the
first step in the process of investigating renewable energy systems for your
home or small business. A thorough examination of your electricity needs helps
you determine the following:* The size (and therefore, cost) of the system
you’ll need* How your energy needs fluctuate throughout the day and over the
year* Measures you can take to reduce your electricity use.Conducting a load
analysis involves recording the wattage and average daily use of all of the
electrical devices which are plugged into your central power source, such as
refrigerators, lights, televisions, and power tools. Some loads, like your
refrigerator, use electricity all the time, while others, like power tools, use
electricity intermittently. Loads that use electricity intermittently are often
referred to as selectable loads. If you are willing to use your selectable loads
only when you have extra power available, you may be able to install a smaller
renewable energy system.To determine your total electricity
consumption:*Multiply the wattage of each appliance by the number of hours it is
used each day (be sure to take seasonal variations into account). Some
appliances do not give the wattage, so you may have to calculate the wattage by
multiplying the amperes times the volts. Generally, power use data can be found
on a sticker, metal plate, or cord attached to the appliance.*Record the time(s)
of day the load runs for all selectable loads.See Learn More on the right side
of this page (or below if you’ve printed it out) for resources and tools to help
you analyze your electricity loads.For information about determining the overall
energy efficiency of your home, see energy audits.

ASC completes "Worlds Largest Autoclave"

Statistics

Inside working diameter: 30ft. (9.26M)
Ouside diameter: 32ft. (9.88M)
Inside working length: 76 ft. (23.5M)
Overall length: 112 ft. (34.5M)
Vessel volume: 82,000 cu.ft.
Max temperature: 450F
Max pressure: 150 psig
Heating system: 40 million BTU/hr
Control system: CPC Level III
Weight: over 1,000,000 lbs.
Man-hours to construct: 65,000+

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Interior view

Image shows length and rear-mounted cooling coil/radiator which stands 20ft (6.2M) tall.

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equipment selection

ASC

manufacturers a wide variety of process equipment used in the
aerospace, glass, solar, lumber, rubber, and tire industries.

Please select from the following list of equipment..

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Autoclaves

ASC manufactures production and laboratory autoclaves for uses
including composite curing, composite bonding, glass manufacturing, cement
manufacturing, vulcanizing, food processing, and waste treatment.

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Ovens

ASC manufactures walk-in ovens for composite curing, bonding,
paint drying, and other applications.

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ASC manufactures a range of heating delivery systems,
including hot oil, hot water, electric, gas, and indirect combustion
systems.

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Cooling Systems

ASC cooling systems include stainless-steel tanks, evaporative
towers, delivery pumps, controls, and water treatment.

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Vacuum Systems

ASC vacuum systems can be provided with pumps, receivers,
control valves, transducers, and a full range of vacuum capacities .

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Pressurization Systems

ASC pressurization supply systems can include tanks,
vaporizers, liquid delivery pumps, controls, and turnkey installation.
Media include air, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.

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RTM Systems

ASC manufactures Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) systems with
fully-integrated pump, vacuum, controls, and automatic
valving.

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''ALINTI''

The Anaerobic (ATP-CP) Energy System

The Anaerobic (ATP-CP) Energy SystemAdenosine Triphosphate (ATP) stores
in the muscle last for approximately 2 seconds and the resynthesis of ATP from
Creatine Phosphate (CP) will continue until CP stores are depleted,
approximately 4 to 6 seconds. This gives us around 5 to 8 seconds of ATP
production.To develop this energy system, sessions of 4 to 8 seconds of high
intensity work at near peak velocity are required e.g.* 3 × 10 × 30 metres with
recovery of 30 seconds/repetition and 5 minutes/set.* 15 × 60 metres with 60
seconds recovery* 20 × 20 metres shuttle runs with 45 seconds recovery