Burning Off Research Articles

Correction of the measurement of fiber length of short fiber reinforced thermoplastics

Short fiber reinforced thermoplastics are often made using extrusion compounding and injection moulding techniques. Fiber breakage takes place during processing. In finished fiber reinforced parts, there often exists a fiber length distribution. Measurement of fiber length is often performed on photographs of short fibers obtained from burning off or dissolving the matrix. However, relatively long fibers crossing the photographs cannot be counted, leading to underestimation of mean fiber length. In this paper, the effect of fibers intersecting the photographs is discussed on the measurement of fiber length. Correction of the measurement of fiber length is carried out and the real value of mean fiber length and the real fiber length distribution can then be obtained. An example is given to illustrate the correction of the measurement of fiber length.

AN EVALUATION OF RESIDUES AT AN OIL REFINERY SITE FOLLOWING FIRES

ABSTRACT Soil pollution at the oil refinery at Novi Sad following destruction of crude oil and its products in storage tanks during the Kosovo conflict was investigated. More than 100, 000 t of crude oil and its products were destroyed, and about 90% of these were burnt off, 10% leached and 130 t recovered. The acute injection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the air of the town was widespread depending on the weather conditions and ranged from 1–431, 000 ng/m3. The presence of PAHs, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and elements in the surface zone and soil core samples taken from various sites were determined up to a depth of 100 cm. Concentrations of PAHs were in the range between 0.75 and 86.19 µg/g dry soil. The contaminated soil can be expected to act as a permanent pollution source, while the mobile constituents are likely to cause groundwater pollution.

Utilization of sludge as brick materials

Bricks manufactured from dried sludge collected from an industrial wastewater treatment plant were investigated. Results of tests indicated that the sludge proportion and the firing temperature were the two key factors determining the brick quality. Increasing the sludge content results in a decrease of brick shrinkage, water absorption, and compressive strength. Results also showed that the brick weight loss on ignition was mainly attributed to the organic matter content in the sludge being burnt off during the firing process. With up to 20% sludge added to the bricks, the strength measured at temperatures 960 and 1000 °C met the requirements of the Chinese National Standards. Toxic characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) tests of brick also showed that the metal leaching level is low. The conditions for manufacturing good quality bricks is 10% sludge with 24% of moisture content prepared in the molded mixtures and fired at 880–960 °C.

Ultralow power carbon monoxide microsensor by micromachining techniques

Ultralow power tin oxide carbon monoxide microsensors were designed and fabricated using micromachining technology and thick film materials. A microsensor chip, 1.6 mm×1.6 mm in size contains 12 microsensors at most were designed with no heaters and functioned with a mechanism involving self-heating. The structure of the microsensor composed of suspended planar membrane ( 75 μm×75 μm×1 μm) attached by bridging beams or double crossed bridging beams to the silicon substrate was made of silicon rich nitride and fabricated by front side etching. At the surface of the membrane metal electrode was deposited, and gas sensing film of tin oxide and palladium as catalyst were coated on top of the electrode. Power consumption of the packaged sensor was in 5–10 mW range with applied voltage of 5 V. The response time of the microsensor at 6–111 ppm CO was within 1 min including the equilibrium time of the chamber. The sensing characteristic curve in the concentration range up to 1300 ppm was parabolic. The effect of the environmental temperature from 0–55°C was significantly large on CO sensing, and the effect of the humidity from 40 to 90%RH affected only ∼10% sensor output voltage at most for CO detection up to 1300 ppm. The response to the interference gases was in the order of ethanol>hydrogen>CO, and there was almost no sensitivity to butane and methane. Sensor characteristic response curves with lower applied voltage (<5.5 V) were similar to normal resistive type semiconductor gas sensors, but with higher applied voltage (6–7 V) oscillation phenomenon or self-cleaning function was often observed. Above 7 V the sensor easily became red hot, burnt off and broken down. The area of the oscillating response curve increased with the increasing concentration of CO. The area of the response curve per unit time versus CO concentration plot gave a straight line with correlation coefficient of 0.996.

MOTIVATION FOR SPORT AND FOR DISCONTINUING SPORT IN NORMAL WEIGHT AND OVERWEIGHT MEXICAN YOUTH

This study considered the motivation for sport and for discontinuing sport in a cross-sectional sample of urban Mexican school youth 9–18 years classified as normal weight (NWT, BMI > 15th and < 85th percentile) and overweight (OWT, BMI ≥ 85th percentile). All subjects participated in organized sports and were asked to rate (on a 5-point Likert scale, 5 very important, 1 not at all important), the importance of 28 reasons for ôwhy do you play this sport? ö based on a Spanish translation of a questionnaire developed for United States youth. The highest ranking motivations for participating in sport for NWT boys (n = 105) and girls (n = 85) were having fun (1), physical fitness (2), exercise (3 boys, 4 girls), and burning off excess energy (4 boys, 3 girls). Among OWT boys (n = 47) and girls (n = 30), the order varied: physical fitness (1), fun (2 boys, 4 girls), exercise (3 boys, 2 girls), and learning new skills (4 boys, 3 girls). A subsample of students 14–18 years of age indicated that they discontinued participation in sport, and were asked to rate (on a similar 5-point Likert scale), the importance of 42 reasons for ôstopping play.ö The top three reasons for discontinuing sport among NWT boys (n = 48) and girls (n = 63) were: sport required too much time (1 boys, 2 girls), more time needed for study (1 girls, 2 boys), and time conflict (3). In contrast, the three primary reasons among OWT boys (n = 16) were: coach was a poor teacher (1), too much emphasis on winning (2), and it was no longer fun (3), whereas the three primary reasons for discontinuing sport among OWT girls (n = 20) were: more time for study (1), pressure (2), and time conflict (3). Although numbers are limited, the results suggest that NWT and OWT youth may differ in motivations for participation in sport and for discontinuing participation in sport. Since sport is a major context of physical activity for youth, the results may have implications for adherence research with youth.

Coke burnoff in a typical FCC particle analyzed by an SEM mapped 2-D network pore structure

The pore morphology of a selected ( ≅70 μm ) fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst particle, as viewed on a SEM image of sectioned surface of low melting point alloy (LMPA) impregnated FCC catalyst sample, was mapped onto an approximately ‘equivalent’ 2-D 30×30 pseudo-random pore network to investigate the consequences for burnoff characteristics in the particle. The mapped 2-D structure was constructed from a set of pores having a psd close to that given by BJH adsorption results by preferentially assigning larger macropores to corresponding apparent locations in the SEM image while the rest of the meso- and micro-pores were then randomly assigned across the rest of the network. Major parameters such as pore structural configuration, residual coke, and spatial oxygen profile were tracked as a function of time. The model results were compared to experimental coke burnoff data, carried out in a micro-scale reaction unit. The model prediction fits fairly well within the experimental fluctuations. The results also showed that over 90% coke is burnt off within the first 50% of reaction time. For comparative purposes, the model predictions were also applied to a ‘shuffled’ structure, produced by random permutation of the same radii of the mapped structure as well as an ‘optimally sparsed’ structure. Burnoff in the shuffled structure exhibited the worst performance. This was attributed to the decrease in the proportion of larger pores on the network skin in contrast to the mapped and optimally sparsed structures. Since visual inspections of SEM images of most particles tend to reveal a randomly oriented pore configuration (whereas the mapped structure was for a selected particle), the predicted aggregate performance of the FCC catalyst sample studied would be expected to lie somewhere in between the curves of the shuffled and mapped structures. The support pore architectural design of those particles could, therefore, still be improved for better performance in terms of accessibility, reactivity and selectivity.

Human impact on the environment in Japan and New Zealand: a comparison

Because of its proximity to Asia, Japan has been populated by humans for a much longer time period than New Zealand and has a much higher population density. The similarity in geology and tectonic setting of the two island groups has forced both peoples to confront similar environmental hazards but this was achieved in different ways. During the Edo period (1600–1868) when contact with outside countries was limited, the Japanese adapted their agricultural practices to the environment and developed an agricultural system that corresponds closely to the ideals of sustainability. Indeed, it can be argued that the farming lifestyle of the Edo period was the most advanced way of life that can be adopted without depleting stock resources. Following the Meiji restoration in 1868, the policy of rapid industrialization led to many environmental mistakes, particularly after World War II. By the end of the 1960s, Japan was the world's most polluted country. The situation has subsequently improved greatly from this low point but much remains to be done. New Zealand was initially occupied by the Maori over 1000 years ago. They did more environmental damage than was previously thought, particularly in burning off bush and destroying the bird life. However, it was the colonization of New Zealand by the Europeans after 1840 that led to the greatest environmental damage with their introduction of farming methods unsuited to the conditions. Although the need for better scientific planning of land use practices within New Zealand is recognized, sustainable management of the environment remains a distant goal. More detailed study of the agricultural methods and lifestyles adopted in Japan during the Edo period could help in defining the concept of sustainability.

Modelling catalytic combustion of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons over catalytically active wire meshes

A new way of preparing catalytically active wire meshes through a thermal-spray technique is described. A metal substrate (e.g. Kanthal AF) was plasma-sprayed with a composite ceramic/polymer-powder. The polymer content of the sprayed layer was burnt off whereupon a well-defined macro-porosity was created. By treating the so obtained material with an alumina-sol the specific surface area could be increased by a factor of 50 or more. The ceramic layer was finally activated with precious metals through an impregnation step. A numerical model was developed to compare the performance of wire-mesh-, monolith- and pellets catalysts. The model describes the resistance to internal and external mass- and heat transfer and the effects of axial dispersion. The wire-mesh model was verified through experiments. Different evaluation parameters were derived to compare the catalyst performance relative to the catalyst volume, the geometric weight, the catalyst weight, the pressure drop and the temperature response. Wire-mesh catalysts offer the following advantages: high mass and heat transfer numbers, moderate pressure drop, insignificant effects of pore diffusion and axial dispersion, thermal and mechanical strength, geometric flexibility, excellent thermal response, simplicity in the catalyst recovery. The cost of a wire-mesh catalyst is expected to be competitive to other alternatives.

Heat cleaning for the coating industry

Heat cleaning and thermal stripping is not a modern process. Paint line managers have been burning off coatings from material-handling hardware for many years. The term burn-off was applied years ago when fixtures were burned out back, in a pile, on the ground. This uncontrolled burning of fixtures caused lots of environmental problems, including smoke, and was a big concern to local fire departments. The heat-cleaning or thermal-stripping oven was developed to serve a dual purpose. First, it solved the smoke and environmental problems present with burning. Second, it provided a controlled process to safely clean material-handling fixtures, racks, trees, and hooks without worry of distortion or damage to the parts being cleaned. During the 1980s rapid changes took place in the coating industry and electrostatic coatings, liquid and powder, gained wide acceptance. These modern coatings tended to be highly resistant to chemical attack requiring strong agents for chemical stripping. They also required more frequent cleaning to ensure electrical continuity for the electrostatic charge to hold the paint on the component being coated prior to curing. Since the 1980s regulations governing solvent and chemical usage, storage, handling, and disposal have become extremely stringent. These require careful investigation, particularly before expanding liquid stripping operations. Compliance to meet federal and local requirements can be costly. Modern ovens for stripping applications have evolved into sophisticated process cleaning ovens with controls designed for processing a variety of materials found in the coating industry today. They are designed to not only clean material-handling hardware but to also strip reject parts, allowing them to be recycled through the coating process (see Fig. 1).

Living dangerously: barium glaze research project

ISSN 0967–9782 to metallic barium and other barium compounds, including barium oxide, hydroxide, peroxide, and a variety of salts. Barium compounds are used widely in industry and medical science ‘as loaders for paper, soap, rubber and linoleum, as drilling muds in oil rigs, in the manufacture of valves and in the production of lights and green flares .. . as pigments in the manufacture of paints; in cement where concrete is exposed to salt water; in the radio industry to capture the last traces of gases in vacuum tubes; in the ceramic and glass industries; as insecticides and rodenticides; as extinguishers for radium, uranium, and plutonium; and as contrast material in X-ray medical examination’.1 Barium sulphate is the source of most Ba compounds but barium carbonate 3 ) is used both in the ceramic industry and to make barium fluoride. It has sometimes been suggested that for use in pottery glazes, barium sulphate 4 ) should be substituted for 3 due to its lower solubility (Table 1).2 It should be remembered that the ultimate toxic agent is the barium ion, and so the relative toxicity of barium compounds is directly related to their ability to dissolve or form ions. This can cause problems with the burning off of the sulphur dioxide from the glaze during firing resulting in pinholing. In some cases the substitution may be satisfactory, and so the danger to the potter using the barium can be lessened, but it does not help the problem of barium leaching from glazes used on domestic ware and thus the danger to the user.

Application of 0.5-μm porous silanized silica beads in electrochromatography

Nonporous organo-silica composites as beads with 0.5 μm particle size were synthesized by means of a modified Stöber process. The organic constituent was burnt off by subjecting the particles to calcination at 550°C, leaving particles with a highly interconnected inner particle porosity. The particles were silanized with n-octyldimethylchlorosilane after rehydroxylation. The n-octyl-bonded particles were slurry packed into a fused-silica capillary of 85 length mm (380 mm total length) and 100 μm inner diameter. An outlet and inlet frit were prepared by fusing the particles under hydrothermal conditions using a thermal wire stripper. The column was tested with thiourea in acetonitrile-Tris-HCl (80:20, v/v) at pH 8. An electroendosmotic flow (EOF) of 3 mm/s was generated at a voltage of 30 kV. The reduced plate height-reduced velocity curve showed a minimum value of h ∼ 3.5−4 at an EOF 2.5 – 3 mm/s. At a lower EOF, h increased linearly with decreasing EOF indicating that the plate height is diffusion controlled. The CE equipment (type 3DCE, Hewlett-Packard, Waldbronnm, Germany) was not optimized for minimum extra-column band broadening. The plate number N varied between 212 800 (thiourea) and 83 600-288 800 for a test solute of n-alkylbenzenes. The analysis time to separate a test mixture of five n-alkylbenzenes was less than 60 s.

The City as Motion Picture: Notes on Some California City Films

The City as Motion Picture: Notes on Some California City Films Scott MacDonald (bio) I’ve long recognized that, whatever pretensions I have about being an individual, for the most part my experiences are typical of large numbers of people; and therefore, if I say that in my lifetime I am aware of three distinct attitudes toward the American city, I do not mean to privilege my personal experience, but to recognize it as an index to the experiences of at least a portion of a particular generation. As I was growing up in Easton, Pennsylvania, during the 1940s and 50s (I was born in 1942), New York City was for me “The City” and our family trips into New York were the most exciting moments of my life. While I was thoroughly bored by what my family called “beautiful scenery” (expansive vistas of the mixture of farms and low Appalachian mountains characteristic of Pennsylvania and Virginia) I was fascinated by cityscapes —the more industrial, the better. The drive from Easton across New Jersey on Route 22 was foreplay leading to two climactic moments: the incredible industrial vista that opened between Newark, Elizabeth, and Jersey City; and the sight of Manhattan from the Pulaski Skyway. For me, and for my father, New York City and its industrial surround were a human creation beyond art, [End Page 109] and whatever pollution and environmental devastation we were vaguely aware of seemed not only inevitable, but romantic. For my father, whose hopes of a college education vanished the year he graduated high school when the Great Depression hit, the distant, wavering flames burning off petroleum fumes in Elizabeth were candles lit in honor of America’s postwar industrial boom and the smoke that darkened the sky was incense—even the horrific stockyard smell near Secaucus (if we were entering Manhattan via the Lincoln Tunnel) was humorous: “P.U. Secaucus,” we’d laugh. Of course, the conclusion of our journey, and the greatest product of America’s industrialization, was New York City itself. It was the largest and, we assumed, the most dynamic city in the world. That seemed obvious from the panorama we could see from the top of the Empire State Building and from the awesome golden cavern of the Radio City Music Hall, two of the inevitable goals of these trips. This consciousness of New York City as the great American product of successful, democratic industrialization remained with me through my adolescence and into my twenties, when history and my personal circumstances revealed a new sense of the American city. During my six years living in Gainesville, Florida, as a graduate student at the University of Florida, I couldn’t help but wonder what Gainesville residents did for a living. Except for the university itself, there didn’t seem to be any substantial employers, no big factories—and yet every year I was there, Gainesville grew by a considerable percentage. It wasn’t until much later that I realized the obvious: that Gainesville’s “industry” was the building of Gainesville itself (when I arrived in 1960 the population was less than 30,000; as of 1990 the city had tripled in size, and Alachua County had passed 180,000). Increasingly, my sense of the city as a product—epitomized by Manhattan—gave way to a new sense of the American city-in-process, growing larger and suburbanizing, so that increasingly it made sense to rank cities in terms of the population of the metropolitan [End Page 110] areas of which they were a part. If I remained snobbishly loyal to the idea of New York as the best an American city could be, I couldn’t help but recognize that the “new,” expanding metro areas in Florida, Texas, Arizona, and especially, California, were where the real city-building energy was, and as the metropolitan area of Los Angeles passed the metro area of Chicago, I was forced to realize that it might be only a matter of time before the New York area was no longer the biggest urban space, even in the United States. In recent years, the relationship of the expansion of cities and their resulting transformations...

Isobutane/2-butene alkylation on fresh and regenerated La-EMT-51 compared with H-EMT. The catalysts selectivity changes at high butene conversion in a slurry reactor

Isobutane/2-butene alkylation was carried out in a semibatch slurry reactor using the hydrogen and lanthanum exchanged form of hexagonal faujasite (EMT, Si Al bulk ratio of 3.5) as catalysts. 51% La exchange in the EMT sample (La-EMT-51) gave a very slight enhanced alkylate activity and yield compared to the parent H-EMT catalyst. The improved activity correlated with a higher relative concentration of strong acid sites as measured by IR. The alkylation experiments were performed with a rather high dilution of butene to be able to investigate the product selectivity for a longer period at high butene conversion. Important changes in the distribution of the trimethylpentanes (TMP) could be observed with time of reaction and were separated into four regions based on catalyst activity. These were the regions of initial activity, high activity, rapid deactivation and complete deactivation. In the high activity period, the fraction of the more spacious and thermodynamically favoured 2,2,4-and 2,2,3-TMP actually increased unlike experiments with fast decay, mainly attributed to kinetic effects such as diffusional limitation in the zeolite pores. The La-EMT-51 was regenerated by burning off coke in air and reused in alkylation under similar conditions as the fresh sample. The catalyst proved to be regenerable with only a slight loss in alkylation activity. Thorough investigations showed that the alkylate selectivity, in particular towards the 2,2,4-TMP among the isooctanes, was improved.

Formation of Chlorodibenzofurans upon Thermo-Chemical Reactions of Diphenyl Ether Herbicide (CNP).

In order to obtain information on the thermochemical reactions of chloronitrofen (CNP) upon burning off dead grass and combustion of municipal solid wastes, pyrolysis of this compound, CNP, in a quartz glass reaction tube at 200-800°C under an air stream was performed and the obtained reaction products were analysed by GC-MS. GC-MS analyses of the evolved gaseous products and residues show that CNP began to decompose at 300°C and 90% of the original CNP disappeared at 500°C. Pyrolysis of CNP under an air stream was also shown to produce a variety of compounds, including nitrofen (NIP), polychlorinated diphenylethers (PCDPEs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs). The formation of PCDPEs (mainly T3CDPE and T4CDPE) was observed on heating over 400°C and the maximum yield of these compounds was ca. 7.5 mol% of CNP at 600°C. The production of PCDFs (mainly DCDF and T3CDF) was also detected on heating over 400°C and the maximum yield of these compounds was ca. 0.5 mol% of CNP at 500°C. On the basis of these results, it can be presumed that the thermochemical reactions of CNP under an air stream start with denitrozation of CNP to form PCDPEs, and then followed by the decomposition and thermal ring closure of PCDPEs to form a small amount of PCDFs.

Improvement in oxidation resistance of the nuclear graphite by reaction-coated SiC coating

Graphite shows superior nuclear and high-temperature performance, and is used in nuclear reactors with enormous quantities. The oxidation resistance of graphite is very poor. Therefore, the application of graphite is only limited to restricted environment. SiC presents excellent resistance to oxidation because of the growth of a protective glassy or partially crystallized Si0 2 layer at the surface of the material. It is reported in this paper that a uniform and dense SiC coating is formed by the reaction of graphite and molten silicon. Oxidation experiments show that, when samples were heated at 1000°C in static air for 8 h, 68 wt% of the graphite was burnt off, whereas for the coated graphite only 1.7 wt%, and 1.0 wt% at 1500°C in air for 2 h.

Resting the brain

I spent last week painting my boat, with the bonus of good weather the whole time. The exertion required is just about ideal; the old paint had to be burnt off with blow lamp and scraper, the surface sanded, new paint applied—and my legs were kept occupied going up and down ladders and negotiating the ironwork of the slipway. By ideal exertion I am referring not so much to the preventive effects of physical activity on the risk of heart disease as to the soothing effect of labour on the mind. Painting requires some concentration on the job in hand, but once a rhythm has been established the mind can then drift off to other concerns. …

Structure of Mo/HZSM-5 Catalysts and Their Reactivities of Methane Dehydro-oligomerization under Non-oxidizing Conditions

The structures of Mo/HZSM-5 catalysts with different molybdenum loadings were characterized and the reaction performances of methane dehydro-oligomerization over these catalysts were investigated. It was found that the BET surface areas, micropore volumes as well as the surface acidities of the catalysts decreased with the increasing of molybdenum loading. When the molybdenum loading was greater than 5%, molybdenum would impose significant influence on the crystalline structure of HZSM-5 zeolite and MoO3 phase would appear. The optimum molybdenum content for the conversion of methane to benzene and ethylene was about 2%. The synergisitc effect between molybdenum oxygen species and the acidic sites of HZSM-5 plays an important role in the catalysis conversion of methane as both MoO3 and HZSM-5 alone showed little reactivity. The molybdenum species were reduced and the acidic sites were covered by carbonaceous substances after the deactivation of catalysts. The carbon deposition seems to be the predominant reason for the catalyst deactivation because the catalyst activity could be rejuvenated after burning off coke.

The effect of surface condition on acoustic emission during welding of aluminium with CO2 laser radiation

The fast Fourier transform spectrum of acoustic emission during CO2 laser welding of Al 1100 shows frequency components in the 3-9 kHz range that can be identified with the presence of a keyhole and correlate with penetration. In addition, a study of the effect of anodization and surface pretreatment of Al 1100 with excimer laser radiation has shown that acoustic emission at 9-10 kHz arises from burning off of surface oxide. A comparison of these results with those predicted from simple thermal and fluid dynamical models yields good agreement with theory. These results indicates that acoustic emission over specific frequency ranges may be highly diagnostic of laser processing conditions.

The conductive propagation of nuclear flames. 2: Convectively bounded flames in C + O and O + NE + MG cores

We determine the speeds, and many other physical properties, of flame fronts that propagate inward into degenerate and semidegenerate cores of carbon and oxygen (CO) and neon and oxygen (NeOMg) white dwarfs when such flames are bounded on their exterior by a convective region. Combustion in such fronts, per se, is incomplete, with only a small part of the initial mass function burned. A condition of balanced power is set up in the star where the rate of energy emitted as neutrinos from the convective region equals the power available from the unburned fuel that crosses the burning front. The propagation of the burning front itself is in turn limited by the temperature at the base of the convective shell, while cannot greatly exceed the adiabatic value. Solving for consistency between these two conditions gives a unique speed for the flame. Typical values for CO white dwarfs are a few hundredths of a centimeter per second. Flames in NeOMg mixtures are slower. Tables are presented in a form that can easily be implemented in stellar evolution codes and yield the rate at which the convective shell advances into the interior. Combining these velocities with the local equations for stellar structure, we find a minimum density for each gravitational potential below with the local equations for stellar structure, we find a minimum density for each gravitational potential below which the flame cannot propagate, and must die. Although detailed stellar models will have to be constructed to reslove some issues conclusively, our results that a CO white dwarf inginted at its edge will not burn carbon all the way to its center unless the mass of the white dwarf exceeds 0.8 solar mass. On the other hand, it is difficult to ignite carbon burning by compression alone anywhere in a white dwarf whose mass does not exceed 1.0 solar mass. Thus, compressionally ignited shell carbon burning in an accerting CO dwarf almost certainly propagates all the way to the center of the star. Implications for neutron star formation, and Type Ia supernova models, are briefly discussed. These are also applicable to massive stars in the about 10-12 solar mass range which ignite neon burning off center.

Investigations concerning the work function of doped graphite

In order to reduce the burning off of electrodes in electric arc furnaces, it is necesary to decrease the specific thermal load at the tip in the arc attachment area. This can be achieved by minimizing the work function of the electrode materials, whereby the peak temperature is reduced. The work function of doped graphite electrodes was investigated under conditions prevailing during standard industrial practice in order to achieve transferrable results. The measurement equipment developed to meet this requirement is based on a design first proposed by Bade and Yos. By measuring the peak temperature of the electrode and its current density, the value of the work function of the material was calculated with a modified Richardson equation. Starting from materials with well-known values of the work function, to verify, the accuracy of the experimental method and the mathematical model, those of pure and dopedgraphites were determined. The additives, oxides as a rule, result in a significant reduction in electron work function in the case of magnesium, calcium and cerium oxides.