[en] This report describes work on pellet acceleration by means of an arc heated gas gun. The work is a continuation of the work described in RISO-M-2536. The aim of the work is to obtain velocities well above 2 km/s for 3.2 mm diameter deuterium pellets. By means of a cryogenic arc chamber in which the hydrogen propellant is pre-condensed, extruded deutetrium pellets are accelerated up to a maximum velocity of 1.93 km/s. When increasing the energy input to the arc in order to increase the pellet velocity further the heat input to the extrusion/punching pellet loading mechanism was found to be critical: preparation of pellets became difficult and cooling times between shots became inconveniently long. In order to circumvent this problems the concept of a room temperature hydrogen propellant pellet fed arc chamber was proposed. Preliminary results from acceleration of polyurethane pellets with this arc chamber are described as well as the work of developing of feed pellet guns for this chamber. Finally the report describes design consideration for a high pressure propellant pellet fed arc chamber together with preliminary results obtained with a proto-type arc chamber. (author)

[en] An arc-heated hydrogen gas source, for pneumatic acceleration of deuterium pellets to velocities above 2 km/s, was developed. Experiments were performed with an arc chamber to thich different methods of hydrogen supply were possible, and to which the input of electrical power could be programmed. Results in terms of pressure transients and acceleration curves are presented. Maximum pellet velocities approaching 2 km/s were obtained. This limit is discussed in relation to the presented data. (author). 4 refs.; 9 figs

[en] Highlights: • Co-exposure to oil droplets and MPs induced feeding suppression in C. hyperboreus. • MPs did not increase bioaccumulation of PAHs under co-exposure conditions. • Feeding suppression resulted in a lower bioaccumulation of PAHs. • Dispersant increased PAH bioaccumulation in arctic copepods and fecal pellets. • Phenanthrene and ≥4 ring-PAHs were the most bioaccumulated PAHs. Arctic sea ice has alarmingly high concentrations of microplastics (MPs). Additionally, sea ice reduction in the Arctic is opening new opportunities for the oil and maritime industries, which could increase oil pollution in the region. Yet knowledge of the effects of co-exposure to MPs and crude oil on Arctic zooplankton is lacking. We tested the influence of MPs (polyethylene, 20.7 μm) on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bioaccumulation and oil toxicity in the key arctic copepod Calanus hyperboreus after exposure to oil with and without dispersant. Up to 30% of the copepods stopped feeding and fecal pellet production rates were reduced after co-exposure to oil (1 μL L⁻¹) and MPs (20 MPs mL⁻¹). The PAH body burden was ~3 times higher in feeding than in non-feeding copepods. Copepods ingested both MPs and crude oil droplets. MPs did not influence bioaccumulation of PAHs in copepods or their fecal pellets, but chemical dispersant increased bioaccumulation, especially of ≥4 ring-PAHs. Our results suggest that MPs do not act as vectors of PAHs in Arctic marine food webs after oil spills, but, at high concentrations (20 MPs mL⁻¹), MPs can trigger behavioral stress responses (e.g., feeding suppression) to oil pollution in zooplankton.