[en] This paper describes an experimental and theoretical analysis of the near-field thermal performance of a backfilled disposal vault in which the waste containers are emplaced in boreholes and surrounded by a bentonite-sand buffer. Effects of heat and moisture diffusion on the thermal performance of clay-based buffer and backfills were studied by means of laboratory scale experiments. The bentonite-sand buffer exhibited cracking due to desiccation. The impact of such cracking on the performance of buffer as an engineered barrier is being investigated. An integrated finite difference computer code TRUCHAM was written to analyze the transient heat and moisture flow regime in a disposal vault and was validated by a scale model heater experiment. It is hoped that with proper characterization of the material properties TRUCHAM can be employed as a useful tool in assessing the thermal response of the prototype disposal vault. Further work is needed to integrate the effects of heat and moisture on the shrinkage and expansion of clay-based buffer and backfills

[en] Balloon occlusion angiography in the descending aorta produced clear retrograde visualization of the hypoplastic ascending aorta and related structures in eighteen neonates with aortic atresia. Transient bradycardia was the only complication observed. It is technically simpler than retrograde cannulation of the aorta via an arteriotomy and should be the method of choice when cardiac catheterization is required in patients with the hypoplastic left heart syndrome. (orig.)

[en] 13 newborn infants with aortic coarctation were evaluated by counter-current aortographic technique. The right radial or brachial artery approach (2 cases in each group) did not give successful aortic arch imaging while the right axiallary artery approach resulted in adequate imaging in each of 9 cases investigated. In 2, the axillary artery was transiently weakened but returned to normal within 24 hours. No other complications were encountered. Axillary artery counter-current aortography is a safe and relatively non-invasive procedure which can be used to image the aortic arch in the newborn babies when other non-invasive diagnosis of aortic arch obstruction is tentative. (orig.)

[en] In the Canadian nuclear fuel waste management concept, a number of engineered barriers, such as the bentonite-sand buffer which surrounds the waste container in the emplacement boreholes, are used to inhibit the transport of radionuclides. The buffer material is also required to effectively conduct heat from the fuel-waste containers to the surrounding rock. To a large extent, in situ buffer performance will depend on the degree of moisture within the buffer. The moisture content will in turn depend on temperature, temperature gradients, and buffer initial and moisture flux boundary conditions. Modelling of coupled heat and moisture transport in the buffer before resaturation is necessary to assess in situ buffer performance. This paper describes the results of a parametric study using the Philip and de Vries coupled heat and moisture transport model to assess the effects of variations in the moisture diffusivity parameters and the boundary conditions on buffer performance. The results show that the thermal performance of the buffer is affected by heat-induced moisture movement. In particular, the thermal vapor diffusivity, D_Tvap, has the most significant effect on thermal drying in a closed system. Work is currently underway to improve capability to model coupled heat and moisture transport in buffer. Laboratory experiments are in progress to more accurately define the moisture diffusivity parameters and the model is being modified to include the effects of boundary moisture fluxes and pressure potentials so that the resaturation process may be modelled

[en] As part of the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program, Ontario Hydro has, over several years, conducted research into the behaviour and performance of buffer-backfill for the proposed nuclear fuel waste disposal vault. In this paper, a review has been made of laboratory studies made at Ontario Hydro on the thermal properties, strength, hydraulic conductivity, and compactability of clay-based buffer materials. The results of this work have enabled the formulation of selection criteria for the buffer material mix for the prototype Canadian nuclear fuel waste disposal scheme

[en] During the last decade, aluminum alloys discontinuously reinforced with ceramic particulates have received increasing attention for various high-performance applications in automotive, aerospace, and transportation industries due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and superior wear resistance. Particulate-reinforced MMCs can be produced by ingot metallurgy (IM) and powder metallurgy (PM) processing routes. The advantages of PM over IM processing in the fabrication of MMCs include near-net-shape fabrication, lower processing temperatures, and improved microstructural homogeneity. In this study, the authors attempt to fabricate hybrid composites composed of Al-4 wt pct Cu matrix, boron nitride (BN), and SiC particulates. The BN particulates are selected because of their low density (2.3 g/cm³) and self-lubricant property. It is expected that BN additions can further substantially improve the wear performance of SiC/Al-4 pct Cu composites

[en] This paper discusses the Buffer/Container Experiment which is one of the large-scale insitu experiments being conducted by AECL Research at its Underground Research Laboratory. The experiment is intended to examine the thermal-hydraulic-mechanical performance of sand-bentonite buffer material in a single emplacement borehole arrangement under in situ boundary conditions. Thermocouple psychrometers and thermal needles are being used as moisture sensors to track moisture transients in the buffer as the experiment progresses. Excitation and logging of the moisture sensors are largely automated. Procedures are being implemented to provide full automation of the moisture sensor system and to facilitate data conversion and management. Preliminary results from the Buffer/Container Experiment show that, up to five months after installation, the majority of the moisture sensors continue to function reliably

[en] Short communication

[en] A computer code TRUCHAM developed to model the coupled heat and moisture flow through a porous medium is used to assess the thermohydraulic performance of the clay-based engineering barrier encapsulating nuclear waste containers in a deep geological disposal vault in the borehole emplacement concept. This paper contains an overview of the development of the numerical model and its application to the buffer-container experiment at the Underground Laboratory of AECL Research. The thermohydraulic transport parameters required for the analysis were determined by specially designed laboratory experiments. The needs for further development of the model and the material properties are identified

[en] The successful development of Li-air batteries would significantly increase the possibility of extending the range of electric vehicles. There is much evidence that typical organic carbonate based electrolytes used in lithium ion batteries form lithium carbonates from reaction with oxygen reduction products during discharge in lithium-air cells so more stable electrolytes need to be found. This combined experimental and computational study of an electrolyte based on a tri(ethylene glycol)-substituted trimethylsilane (1NM3) provides evidence that the ethers are more stable toward oxygen reduction discharge species. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and FTIR experiments show that only lithium oxides and no carbonates are formed when 1NM3 electrolyte is used. In contrast XPS shows that propylene carbonate (PC) in the same cell configuration decomposes to form lithium carbonates during discharge. Density functional calculations of probable decomposition reaction pathways involving solvated oxygen reduction species confirm that oligoether substituted silanes, as well as other ethers, are more stable to the oxygen reduction products than propylene carbonate. These results indicate that the choice of electrolyte plays a key role in the performance of Li-air batteries.