[en] The authors investigate gravitational repulsion in the Einstein-zero-mass scalar theory. In the presence of a scalar field, gravitational repulsion is possible for particle velocities lower than those required in the pure Einstein (Schwarzschild) field. The zero-mass scalar field has acquired particular importance recently because of a suggestion that there should exist a pseudoscalar boson, the so-called axion, of negligible mass

[en] Adsorption of uranium, as UO₂²⁺, and thorium, as Th⁴⁺, has been studied using a modified fly ash bed. Effects of pH and various ions like La³⁺, Fe³⁺, Ce⁴⁺, SiO₃^2- etc., have been examined. Synthetic mixtures of UO₂²⁺ and Th⁴⁺ in different concentrations were passed through the bed and eluted separately with various selective reagents viz. ammonium carbonate, sodium carbonate and acetic acid-sodium hydroxide buffer. Separations of these elements at ppm level are shown to be very effective. The separation of uranium and thorium in the presence of lanthanides in monazite sand has been studied successfully. In the analysis of monazite sand, the oxalate precipitation has been avoided. The method is simple and of very low cost. The modified fly ash bed can also be used to remove uranium from contaminated water. (author)

[en] Over 440 km² (170 mi²) of groundwater beneath the Hanford Site are contaminated by hazardous and radioactive waste, out of which almost half is over state and federal drinking water standards. In addition to the complicated nature of these plumes, remediation is further obscured by limited application of available technologies and hydrogeologic information. This paper briefly describes the processes used by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) in developing a sitewide groundwater remediation strategy for Hanford and its outcome. As an initial approach to sitewide groundwater remediation, the strategy is to remediate the major plumes found in the reactor areas (100 Area) adjacent to the Columbia River and contain the major plumes found in the Central Plateau region (200 Area). This approach was based mainly on the qualitative risk, stakeholder's and tribe's values, and available technical feasibility. The strategy emphasizes the use of existing treatment and extraction technology for the remediation of groundwater in combination with proposed and existing site infrastructure. This work is being performed in parallel with ongoing risk and other feasibility activities. Under this strategy, innovative technologies being developed are in the areas of dense nonaqueous phase liquid identification and recovery, and problems associated with strontium-90, cesium-137, and plutonium in the vadose zone and groundwater. The final remediation strategy alternatives remain a product of risk assessment, technical feasibility, site use scenario, and cost consideration. In order to develop a strategy for the final cleanup, several issues such as aquifer restoration, natural attenuation, potential contamination of groundwater from the tank farms and from the existing contamination source in the vadose zone must be looked in detail in conjuction with public and stakeholder's values

[en] Energy storage must play a crucial role in the widespread adoption of renewable energy sources because they are intermittent. In addition, energy storage is also important in matching the electrical power load with the generation capacity to improve the overall power plant efficiency. This point has been recognized in the recent California state mandate for the electrical utility companies to have energy storage at each power plant in order to utilize their generation capacity more efficiently. While electrochemical energy storage is still very expensive, thermal energy storage can be cost effective even at the present commercial development level, especially for solar CSP plants and conventional thermal power plants. Use of phase change materials for thermal energy storage can increase the storage density, reduce the size and therefore reduce the costs even further. However, it presents certain challenges in terms of poor heat transfer and material compatibility issues. This presentation will describe how these challenges have been overcome by innovative and transformative solutions to develop thermal energy storage using phase change materials at a system cost of less than $15/kWh_th as compared to the present commercial thermal energy costs of more than $30/kWh_th. (author)

[en] The authors find that except in the case of 'perfect dragging', the zero mass scalar field has a damping effect on the rotation of matter. One of the three cases studied here shows that the scalar field may exist only during a certain interval in the course of the evolution of the universe. The zero mass scaler field has acquired particular importance recently because of a suggestion by Weinberg and Wilezek that there should exist a pseudo-scalar boson, the so-called axion, of negligible mass

[en] We investigate in this paper the perturbations caused by a spherical rotating shell in a closed homogeneous and isotropic cosmological model in Einstein and Einstein zero mass scalar theories. It is found from our solutions that in both theories the inertial frame at the origin is dragged with the angular velocity of the rotating shell during only a certain interval in the evolution of the universe when the shell covers the whole universe

[en] The adsorption of lanthanum and cerium on modified fly ash bed has been studied. The effect of pH on the adsorption of both lanthanum and cerium by the bed material has been discussed. The exchange capacities of lanthanum and cerium have been determined. The method has been applied to monazite sand solution. The elution of both lanthanum(III) and cerium(IV) was studied using buffer and suitable eluting agent. The process is simple and may be considered as a low cost-methodology for separation of lanthanum and cerium. (author)

[en] Achieving the goals of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Sunshot initiative requires (1) higher operating temperatures for concentrating solar power (CSP) plants to increase theoretical efficiency, and (2) effective thermal energy storage (TES) strategies to ensure dispatchability. Current inorganic salt-based TES systems in large-scale CSP plants generally employ molten nitrate salts for energy storage, but nitrate salts are limited in application to lower temperatures—generally, below 600 °C. These materials are sufficient for parabolic trough power plants, but they are inadequate for use at higher temperatures. At the higher operating temperatures achievable in solar power tower-type CSP plants, chloride salts are promising candidates for application as TES materials, owing to their thermal stability and generally lower cost compared to nitrate salts. In light of this, a recent study was conducted, which included a preliminary survey of chloride salts and binary eutectic systems that show promise as high temperature TES media. This study provided some basic information about the salts, including phase equilibria data and estimates of latent heat of fusion for some of the eutectics. Cost estimates were obtained through a review of bulk pricing for the pure salts among various vendors. This review paper updates that prior study, adding data for additional salt eutectic systems obtained from the literature. Where possible, data are obtained from the thermodynamic database software, FactSage. Radiative properties are presented, as well, since at higher temperatures, thermal radiation becomes a significant mode of heat transfer. Material compatibility for inorganic salts is another important consideration (e.g., with regard to piping and/or containment), so a summary of corrosion studies with various materials is also presented. Lastly, cost data for these systems are presented, allowing for meaningful comparison among these systems and other materials for TES applications. Because chloride salts may be employed as either sensible heat storage in the molten phase or as sensible and latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) as phase change materials (PCMs), cost of the candidate salt systems are presented on a cost per unit mass basis (sensible heat storage application) and a cost per unit latent heat of fusion basis (latent heat storage application). A total of 133 chloride salt systems were investigated.

[en] Highlights: • The HFLCAL method is used to find the flux distribution of individual heliostats. • An optimization algorithm is developed based on the principles of genetic algorithm. • The objective is to minimize the standard deviation of flux density distribution. • The optimization algorithm finds which heliostats should aim at which point. • By using the new algorithm the maximum flux is reduced by an order of magnitude. - Abstract: Temperature distribution on the receiver surface of a solar power tower plant is of great importance. High temperature gradients may lead to local hot spots and consequently failure of the receiver. The temperature distribution can be controlled by defining several aiming points on the receiver surface and adjusting the heliostats accordingly. In this paper, a new optimization algorithm which works based on the principles of genetic algorithm is developed to find the optimal flux distribution on the receiver surface. The objective is to minimize the standard deviation of the flux density distribution by changing the aiming points of individual heliostats. Flux distribution of each heliostat is found by using the HFLCAL model [1], which is validated against experimental data. The results show that after employing the new algorithm the maximum flux density is reduced by an order of magnitude. The effects of number of aiming points and size of the aiming surface on the flux density distribution are investigated in detail

[en] We study the 'quantized calculus' corresponding to the algebraic ideas related to 'twisted cyclic cohomology'. With very similar definitions and techniques, we define and study 'twisted entire cyclic cohomology' and the 'twisted Chern character' associated with an appropriate operator theoretic data called 'twisted spectral data', which consists of a spectral triple in the conventional sense of noncommutative geometry and an additional positive operator having some specified properties. Furthermore, it is shown that given a spectral triple (in the conventional sense) which is equivariant under the action of a compact matrix pseudogroup, it is possible to obtain a canonical twisted spectral data and hence the corresponding (twisted) Chern character, which will be invariant under the action of the pseudogroup, in contrast to the fact that the Chern character coming from the conventional noncommutative geometry need not be invariant under the above action. (author)