Medium-scale Experiments Research Articles

Mechanisms of water layer thickness and ullage height on crude oil boilover: a theoretical model coupling the effects of multiple physical fields

Boilover is one of the most destructive tank fire scenarios. A series of experiments were conducted using eight different depths of oil pans (ranging from internal depths of 4 to 20 cm) to vary the water layer thickness and ullage height. The results indicate that the water layer effectively cools the sidewalls, reduces the burning rate, inhibits the development of hot zones, and delays the onset of boilover in small and medium-scale experiments. Conversely, the ullage height affects the burning rate, formation of hot zones, intensity of the boilover, and boilover onset time. Utilizing experimental data and thermodynamic analysis, both water layer thickness and fuel layer thickness were considered as variables to predict sidewall temperature at the fuel surface. These results were then introduced into the burning rate prediction model. A prediction model for the boilover onset time was also developed using the water layer thickness as a variable, and a thermodynamic analysis revealed the existence of a limit to the effect of water layer thickness on the boilover onset time. Bubble dynamics was introduced to analyze the boilover process at the oil-water interface, clarifying that the influence of water layer thickness and ullage height on boilover intensity primarily lies in factors such as the degree of superheat at the fuel-water interface. The study’s findings hold significant implications for predicting and assessing fire accidents in storage tanks.

Use of different dry materials to control the moisture in a black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) rearing substrate.

Controlling the substrate moisture is a significant challenge in black soldier fly (BSF) farming. Many substrates have a high moisture content, which results in a low BSF biomass and a high mortality. One potential solution involves incorporating dry substrates into the food mix to mitigate the excessive moisture. However, little information about the types and quantities of dry substrates is available. Six different dry materials-rice husk (RH), rice bran (RB), rice husk ash (RHA), coconut coir dust (CC), rubberwood sawdust (RSD), and spent coffee grounds (SCGs)-were evaluated by combining with pure minced mixed vegetables in varying proportions (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, and 50% by weight). This study encompassed both small-scale and medium-scale experiments to comprehensively assess the effects of the addition of each of these different dry substrates and their quantities on aspects of the development of BSF, such as BSF biomass, larval duration, mortality rates, adult sex ratio, and the moisture removal efficiency of each substrate mixture. Each dry substrate had specific properties. Although RB emerged as a favorable dry substrate owing to its nutritional content and substantial water-holding capacity, excessive use of RB (>15% by weight) resulted in elevated temperatures and subsequent desiccation of the substrate, potentially leading to larval mortality. In contrast, RH demonstrated the ability to support improved larval duration and growth, permitting its utilization in higher proportions (up to 50%). On the other hand, CC, RHA, and SCG are better suited for inclusion in BSF larval substrates in smaller quantities. Some dry substrates require a pretreatment process to eliminate toxic substances prior to their incorporation into substrate mixtures, such as CC and SCG. A potential alternative solution involves employing a combination of various dry substrates. This approach aims to enhance the substrate moisture control and subsequently improve the BSF rearing performance.

A multi-product and multi-period supply chain network design problem with price-sensitive demand and incremental quantity discount

Demand is an important factor in supply chain network design (SCND). Among the many factors that affect demand, the impact of price cannot be underestimated. This study, for the first time, provides enterprises with direct multi-period pricing and demand decision solutions in SCND by simultaneously considering the impact of price-sensitive demand and incremental quantity discounts on the network. In this way, a mixed-integer nonlinear programming model is established based on the relationships between price and demand functions to maximize the overall profit of the supply chain. Due to the nonlinear characteristics of the model, this study proves the existence of the optimal solution of the problem and the feasibility of implementing the following two algorithms by analyzing the nature of the problem. The first algorithm is based on the second-order cone programming (SOCP) method, and the second algorithm is based on the outer-approximation method. The results of numerical experiments at different scales show that the SOCP method can obtain the optimal solution for small and medium-scale experiments. In contrast, the outer-approximation method can find approximate optimal solutions within a reasonable time for large-scale experiments. The results confirm that considering incremental quantity discount can significantly enhance the profitability of supply chain networks in long-term planning. Finally, some future research directions in the field of SCND are discussed.

Experimental upscaling analyses for a surfactant-enhanced in-situ chemical oxidation (S-ISCO) remediation design

Surfactant-enhanced in-situ chemical oxidation (S-ISCO) is an emerging innovative remediation technology for the treatment of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs). S-ISCO combines the solubilization of contaminants by means of surfactants with the chemical oxidation by an oxidizing agent, thus, potentially increasing the efficiency of the state-of-the-art ISCO technique. Scientific investigations are needed to enable the technology transfer for potential field applications based on the development of a remediation design under well-defined boundary conditions.For this purpose, experimental upscaling analyses were performed using the special infrastructure of the research facility for subsurface remediation (VEGAS). Batch tests showed that oxidation of the selected surfactant E-Mulse 3® (EM3) by activated persulfate (Na-PS) reduced the solubilization of the model contaminants 1,4-DCB, naphthalene, and PCE. As a consequence, the processes of contaminant solubilization and degradation were temporally and spatially separated in the developed remediation design.A proof of concept was provided by performing an S-ISCO medium-scale experiment (100 cm length, 70 cm height, 12.5 cm width), with 1,2-DCB as model DNAPL contaminant to be treated. A groundwater circulation well (GCW) was used to inject a 60 g/L Na-PS solution and to effectively mix the reagents. Sampling of the experiment's outflow and the soil material after treatment showed that neither rebound effects nor residual mass loadings on the soil material could be detected after termination of the S-ISCO treatment.To further evaluate the S-ISCO remediation design under field-like conditions, a large-scale S-ISCO experiment was conducted (6 m length, 3 m height, 1 m width), allowing for an extensive sampling campaign to monitor relevant processes. An efficient contaminant removal from the former source zone could be reached by surfactant solubilization, decreasing contaminant levels from initially over 2000 mg/L 1,2-DCB to final concentrations below 5 mg/L 1,2-DCB. The heterogeneously distributed contaminant degradation, implemented by a three-filter GCW, was attributed to density-induced migration processes that impeded an optimal reaction zone. A density-dependent numerical transport could qualitatively match the observations. By comparing different simulation scenarios, an adapted operation of the GCW was established that provides for a more efficient distribution of the density-influenced oxidant injection.

Turbulent cylindrical fire whirl

The cylindrical fire whirl, characterized by nearly constant flame width in the axial direction and open flame tip, is a unique flame pattern of the buoyant diffusion flame under strong imposed rotation. This paper presents a combined experimental and analytical study to investigate the formation and flame geometry of turbulent cylindrical fire whirls. A medium-scale rotating screen facility (diameter: 2.0 m, height: 10.0 m) was utilized for experiments with independently controlled and finely regulated imposed circulation (Γ) and heat release rate (Q˙=15–250 kW), by using propane as the fuel. It was found that the formation of cylindrical fire whirl is accompanied by the downward movement of the unstable flame bulge, and the propagation velocity agreed well with the predictions of the classical vortex breakdown theory. The physical analysis showed that the onsets of cylindrical fire whirls would occur at specific critical values of Re/Bm, where Re and B are the dimensionless imposed circulation and the dimensionless fire buoyancy flux, respectively. The analytical results agree well with data from small to medium-scale experiments and field observation, with m = 1/4 and 1/3 for laminar and turbulent fire whirls, respectively. Contrary to the general fire whirl, the mean flame height decreases, and the mean flame width increases steadily with Γ in the cylindrical fire whirl. A flame height correlation is derived from the radially-integrated momentum and mixture fraction equations, and a flame width correlation is developed based on the concept of equal axial convection and radial diffusion times for the turbulent cylindrical fire whirl. The two models both couple the heat release rate and the imposed circulation, and agree well with the experimental data of this work. The enhanced turbulence level induced by the flow instability of vortex breakdown is suggested to be the dominant mechanism for flame height reduction and flame width increase in the turbulent cylindrical fire whirl.

Updated and novel limits on double beta decay and dark matter-induced processes in platinum

A 510 day long-term measurement of a 45.3 g platinum foil acting as the sample and high voltage contact in an ultra-low-background high purity germanium detector was performed at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (Italy). The data was used for a detailed study of double beta decay modes in natural platinum isotopes. Limits are set in the range {mathcal {O}}(10^{14}{-} 10^{19}) years (90% C.L.) for several double beta decay transitions to excited states confirming, and partially extending existing limits. The highest sensitivity of the measurement, greater than 10^{19} years, was achieved for the two neutrino and neutrinoless double beta decay modes of the isotope ^{198}Pt. Additionally, novel limits for inelastic dark matter scattering on ^{195}Pt are placed up to mass splittings of approximately 500 keV. We analyze several techniques to extend the sensitivity and propose a few approaches for future medium-scale experiments with platinum-group elements.

Identity Authentication in Two-Subject Environments Using Microwave Doppler Radar and Machine Learning Classifiers

Identity authentication based on Doppler radar respiration sensing is gaining attention as it requires neither contact nor line of sight and does not give rise to privacy concerns associated with video imaging. Prior research demonstrating the recognition of individuals has been limited to isolated single-subject scenarios. When two equidistant subjects are present, identification is more challenging due to the interference of respiration motion patterns in the reflected radar signal. In this research, respiratory signature separation techniques are functionally combined with machine learning (ML) classifiers for reliable subject identity authentication. An improved version of the dynamic segmentation algorithm (peak search and triangulation) was proposed, which can extract distinguishable airflow profile-related features (exhale area, inhale area, inhale/exhale speed, and breathing depth) for medium-scale experiments of 20 different participants to examine the feasibility of extraction of an individual’s respiratory features from a combined mixture of motions for subjects. Independent component analysis with the joint approximation of diagonalization of eigenmatrices (ICA-JADE) algorithm was employed to isolate individual respiratory signatures from combined mixtures of breathing patterns. The extracted hyperfeature sets were then evaluated by integrating two different popular ML classifiers, k-nearest neighbor (KNN) and support vector machine (SVM), for subject authentication. Accuracies of 97.5% for two-subject experiments and 98.33% for single-subject experiments were achieved, which supersedes the performance of prior reported methods. The proposed identity authentication approach has several potential applications, including security/surveillance, the Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications, virtual reality, and health monitoring.

Two-Stage emergency material scheduling based on benders decomposition considering traffic congestion after a disaster

This study establishes a stochastic mixed integer nonlinear programming model for a two-stage emergency multiclass material scheduling problem considering traffic congestion with a Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) function. The generalized Benders decomposition (GBD) algorithm is used to solve the model on the basis of the characteristics of the decomposable structure and nonlinear convex function. To prove the effectiveness of the GBD algorithm, we set up a 30-node medium-scale case and a 50-node large-scale case for experimental demonstration and compared the GBD algorithm with the simple branch and bound (SBB) and discrete and continuous optimization solvers. Results show that for the medium-scale experiment, the gap between the solution results of the GBD algorithm and the ones of SBB or other solvers is less than 0.2%. The solution time of the GBD algorithm is only half of the time of SBB and other solvers. The large-scale case of 50 nodes cannot be solved by the SBB or other solvers, whereas the GBD algorithm can solve it normally, and the results are reasonable. In large-scale cases with more than 50 nodes, the GBD algorithm is more effective and efficient compared with SBB and other solvers. The sensitivity of the correlation coefficient α in the BPR function was analyzed. The actual expected total cost increases with the increase in the value of α. Its solving results are accurate and reasonable, proving that the results are more practical and applicable after adding the BPR function.

Flow Field around a Vertical Cylinder in Presence of Long Waves: An Experimental Study

Long waves caused by storm surges or river floods can significantly impact marine and fluvial structures such as bridge piers. Apart from the forces that they generate on the structure, they also contribute to the formation of turbulent eddies downstream of the obstacle. This is relevant, as in this way they can affect both an erodible bottom and the ecosystem. The present study describes a medium-scale experiment, in which the propagation of two different long waves released on a steady current is investigated in the presence of a bottom-mounted rigid emergent cylinder. Velocity measurements were acquired by a Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system, providing instantaneous flow velocity vectors on selected 2D planes. For each experimental condition, the time-varying velocity field near the cylinder was examined in selected vertical and horizontal planes. First, we tested which analytical theory or approximated method can best represent the experimental waves. After this, we estimated the horizontal maps of velocity and vorticity downstream of the obstacle and finally processed the velocity signals by means of a wavelet-based technique, to derive the length scales of turbulent eddies. In such a way, we specifically derived how the spreading of coherent turbulent structures downstream of the cylinder depends on the features of the flume, cylinder, and wave.

Characterization of Bentonites from the In Situ ABM5 Heater Experiment at Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory, Sweden

The Alternative Buffer Material ABM5 experiment is an in situ medium-scale experiment performed at Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) conducted by SKB in Sweden with the aim of analysing the long-term stability of bentonites used as an engineering barrier for a high-level radioactive waste repository (HLWR). In this work, four different ring-shaped Ca- and Na-bentonite blocks, which were piled around a carbon steel cylindrical heater, subjected to a maximum temperature of 250 °C and hydrated with saline Na-Ca-Cl Äspö groundwater (0.91 ionic strength), were characterized after dismantling. This work allowed us to identify the main geochemical processes involved, as well as the modifications in the physico-chemical properties and pore water composition after 4.4 years of treatment. No significant modifications in mineralogy were observed in samples close to the heater contact, except an increase in Fe content due to C-steel corrosion, carbonate dissolution/precipitation (mainly calcite and siderite) and Mg increase. No magnetite and a low amount of Fe(II) inside the clay mineral structure were detected. No modifications were observed in the smectite structure, except a slight increase in total and tetrahedral charge. A decrease in external surface area and cation exchange capacity (CEC) was found in all samples, with lower values being detected at the heater contact. As a consequence of the diffusion of the infiltrating groundwater, a modification of the composition at clay mineral exchange sites occurred. Ca-bentonites increased their Na content at exchange sites, whereas Na-bentonite increased their Ca content. Exchangeable Mg content decreased in all bentonites, except in MX-80 located at the bottom part of the package. A salinity gradient is observed through the bentonite blocks from the granite to the heater contact due to anions are controlled by diffusion and anion exclusion. The pore water chemistry of bentonites evolved as a function of the diffusion transport of the groundwater, the chemical equilibrium of cations at exchange sites and mineral dissolution/precipitation processes. These reactions are in turn dependent on temperature and water vapor fluxes.

Innovative and Eco-friendly Solutions for the Seismic Retrofitting of Natural Stone Masonry Walls with Textile Reinforced Mortar: In- and Out-of-Plane Behavior

The application of textile-reinforced mortars (TRM) on masonry walls constructed with natural stones was studied through a set of medium-scale experiments. Fourteen experiments were carried out in total, including in- and out-of-plane cyclic tests as well as two different strengthening configurations. The first consisted of a TRM made of a natural hydraulic lime (NHL) mortar, combined with a natural flax-fiber textile, while for the latter, a novel alkali-activated material (AAM) geopolymer mortar combined with basalt textile was employed. The use of such low-carbon footprint materials instead of conventional ones makes these systems environmentally friendlier, in line with the modern requirements for lowering CO2 emissions. Both solutions led to a substantial increase of the load-bearing capacity, up to 70% for both in- and out-of-plane experiments. Stiffness and energy dissipation characteristics of the masonry elements were improved as well. If some durability related issues of both configurations and feasibility ones of AAMs are addressed, they could provide good candidates for application in real-life structures.

Medium-scale to large-scale implementation of cyber-physical human experiments in live traffic

Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) such as cars and trucks are being developed and tested as Cyber-Physical Human systems while the technology improves. Before these systems can achieve full autonomy, some serve as tools in the form of adaptive cruise control.The CIRCLES Consortium investigates the potential for AVs to increase fuel efficiency of highway traffic by smoothing “stop-and-go” traffic waves that result from normal human driving behavior in congestion. We have performed an experiment to evaluate the real world effects of implementing this strategy. A medium-scale experiment was performed on I-24 near Nashville, TN in August 2021. This was a precursor to a larger experiment that will take place November 2022. We examine how the human part of the experiment will change as we scale up from an 11 vehicle test (four AVs) to 100 AVs. There are many solutions to problems of the medium-scale experiment that would be inconvenient, complicate the experience, or not be practicable.The medium-scale experiment involved 11 cars of which four had a custom control algorithm installed to be engaged by the driver. The large-scale experiment will have 100 cars, all with custom control algorithm installed to act on traffic when the controller is engaged.We examine key choices made for the medium experiment, and how some will be different for the large experiment. Our experience performing the medium-scale experiment has made it clear that repeating our methods from this smaller one are inefficient or impossible if used for the large-scale experiment and will be improved.

Numerical simulations of gas explosion using Porosity Distributed Resistance approach Part −1: Validation against small-scale experiments

A new model, PDRFOAM, has been developed for the prediction of gas explosions in congested plant. It uses the PDR approach to model the effect of small-scale obstacles, e.g., pipes and vessels on flame propagation and on explosion overpressure. While the effects of large obstacles i.e., that is the large scales are explicitly resolved. The equations for mass, momentum, enthalpy and Favre-averaged regress variable are solved. In addition, porosity modified standard k-ε turbulence model and the transport equations for the flame wrinkling parameter are solved. The model PDRFOAM, is built as a new application in OpenFOAM, suite of models. OpenFOAM is an open-source CFD package of routines for solution of systems of partial differential equations.In addition, to the PDRFOAM model, the CADPDR program was developed which generates various fields (volume blockage, area blockages, surface area, sub-grid drag and turbulence generation parameters) needed by PDRFOAM. CADPDR needs as input obstacle files that list coordinates and dimension of the obstacles e.g. pipes and vessels. The PDRFOAM code solves porosity-modified momentum and continuity equations with sub-grid source terms. The combustion model in PDRFOAM is based on flame area transport. The turbulent burning velocity correlation used is based on Markstein and Karlowitz number. Flame area generation due to the folding of the flame around obstacles is explicitly modelled.This paper presents the formulation of PDRFOAM and validation of the PDRFOAM code against three series of small- and medium-scale experiments i.e., ERGOS, MERGE and Buxton S-Series experiments. A total of more than 150 experiments were used for validation which includes variation in blockage ratio, grid pitch, size of the congested region, equivalence ratio, confinement, partial fill, obstacle diameter, different obstacle shapes and three different fuels. The model is compared against flame position, flame speed as a function of time and maximum overpressure obtained from experiments. Simulations predict the experimental trends of increase in overpressure with increase in blockage ratio, laminar burning velocity, partial fill of the gas cloud, size of the congested region, confinement, grid pitch and obstacle diameter. It also predicts the trends of increase in overpressure with increase in equivalence ratio, variation of maximum overpressure with ignition location, change in obstacle shape and obstacle configuration. The maximum overpressure predicted by simulations (see Fig. 1) is in general within the uncertainty of a factor of two.

Numerical modelling of the resistance of the coarse sand barrier against backward erosion piping

The coarse sand barrier (CSB) is a novel remediation measure to reinforce embankments against the internal erosion mechanism of backward erosion piping (BEP). The feasibility of the CSB is investigated in a research programme consisting of experiments at different scales, numerical analysis and application at a pilot site in the Netherlands. Laboratory experiments showed that the CSB increased the critical head drop for BEP by one order of magnitude. In this paper, the strength of the CSB is quantified using numerical modelling of the experiments. A local, scale-independent, strength criterion for the CSB is derived based on medium-scale experiments. The application of this local criterion is illustrated for a field-scale model, in which the critical head drop that can be retained increases by a factor two to three with the CSB.

Enhanced removal of trivalent chromium from leather wastewater using engineered bacteria immobilized on magnetic pellets

Leather wastewater contains various toxic contaminants, with trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) having high concentration and adversely affecting wastewater treatment. In this study, a Cr(III) adsorption protein (MerP) was displayed on the cell surface of Escherichia coli and then coupled with a magnetic pellet system to facilitate Cr(III) adsorption. The results showed the engineered strain M-BL21 achieved an in vitro Cr(III) adsorption capacity of 2.38 mmol/g. Next, the magnetic pellets were prepared as component ratios of sodium alginate (2.5%), polyvinyl alcohol (8%), Fe3O4 nanoparticles (3.5%), and M-BL21 at 3 g/L. The optimized system was capable of Cr(III) adsorption at an efficiency of 91.29%, which was substantially higher than that of the magnetic carrier alone (67%). Results of scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis proved that Cr(III) was absorbed on the magnetic pellet. The recyclable performance of magnetic property (13.34185 emu/g) and high Cr(III) adsorption efficiency (68.75%) remained after five cycles of Cr(III) absorption. In the medium-scale experiment, 25 L of leather wastewater were treated with magnetic pellet and the Cr(III) removal efficiency reached 88.2%. Thus, our results present an advanced, fully operational, and eco-friendly method for in situ removal of Cr(III) from contaminated wastewater.

Vintage Effect on the Strain Dependent Dynamics of Ethanol Production in Vineries of Tokaj

The dynamics of ethanol production of local strains of three yeast species and their ternary mixtures was examined in two Tokaj vineries. Although, the performance of them diverged significantly in first etaps of vinification—up to the utilization of half of the sugar content of grape juice—the variations vintages per vintages surpassed the strain-dependent alterations. The divergence in the latter aspect diminished during the last etap, and the ethanol concentration in young wines fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S. uvarum and Starmerella bacillaris (2 local strains of each) and their mixtures did not vary considerably (c.v. 4.2%). The vinification of grape juice performed more rapidly in fermentors inoculated with strains of S. cerevisiae, S. uvarum and St. bacillaris as well as with their mixtures than in spontaneously initiated ones by wild mycoflora in each vintage. The strains responded in different manners to conditions vintage per vintage, however, their ternary mixtures always fermented more intensively the grape juice than the strains alone. The strains affected the dynamics of alcohol production to different extents, but the alterations between them exceeded the variation between the average effects of the species. The circumstances of vinification significantly influenced the subsequent events of fermentation, but the maximum intensity of ethanol production was inversely proportional to the time required to start alcohol production (p > 0.05), similar to that observed in the laboratory under strictly controlled micro-vinification experiments. The maximum intensity of ethanol production (MIE) varied between 0.64 - 2.59 mM ethanol per hour. The coefficients of second-order polynomial equations describing the dynamics of alcohol production in both laboratory micro-scale and medium-scale experiments in cellars revealed similar correlations regarding the interaction of factor groups regulating the process: the constant (time-independent) and secondary (time-dependent) coefficients of these polynomes counteracted to the primary (time dependent) ones strictly in the strain-dependent manner, and the role of these three factors groups varied also in a strain dependent manner during the vinification process independently of the varying circumstances in three vintages.

Medium-scale experiment in consolidation of an artificial sea ice ridge in Van Mijenfjorden, Svalbard

This study characterizes a consolidation of undeformed level ice and ice ridges. Field investigations were performed in the Van Mijenfjorden, Svalbard for 66 days between February and May of 2017. The thickness and properties of the level ice that was used to make the ridge were measured, and thermistor-strings were installed in the ridge and the neighboring level ice. The ridge was visited four times for drilling and sampling. During our field experiment, the level ice (LI) grew from 50 to 99 cm, the consolidated layer (CL) grew up to 120 cm, and the ridge initial macroporosity was about 0.36. The experimental results provided enough information for accurate growth prediction and validation of ridge consolidation models.Two analytical resistive models and two-dimensional discretized numerical models are presented. All models need general met-ocean conditions and general ice physical properties. The ridge model includes the effect of the inhomogeneous top and bottom surfaces of the consolidated layer. The models were validated against the field measurements, and the further details of the analytical models were validated against the numerical model.The analytical resistive ridge model with convective atmospheric flux captures the relevant phenomena well and could be used for prediction of the consolidated layer thickness in probabilistic analysis of ice actions on structures. The model including the radiative terms predicted heat fluxes in level ice and ridge better than the convective model but required more input data. Vertical temperature profiles through the consolidated layer and further into respectively a void and an ice block may result in significantly different estimations of the consolidated layer thickness. The difference between fresh and saline ice growth is becoming significant only during the warming phase due to significant change of sea ice microporosity.

When to use one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and Shifted Transversal Design pooling in mycotoxin screening.

While complex sample pooling strategies have been developed for large-scale experiments with robotic liquid handling, many medium-scale experiments like mycotoxin screening by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) are still conducted manually in 48- and 96-well plates. At this scale, the opportunity to save on reagent costs is offset by the increased costs of labor, materials, and risk-of-error caused by increasingly complex pooling strategies. This paper compares one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D), and Shifted Transversal Design (STD) pooling to study whether pooling affects assay accuracy and experimental cost and to provide guidance for when a human experimentalist might benefit from pooling. We approximated mycotoxin contamination in single corn kernels by fitting statistical distributions to experimental data (432 kernels for aflatoxin and 528 kernels for fumonisin) and used experimentally-validated Monte-Carlo simulation (10,000 iterations) to evaluate assay sensitivity, specificity, reagent cost, and pipetting cost. Based on the validated simulation results, assay sensitivity remains 100% for all four pooling strategies while specificity decreases as prevalence level rises. Reagent cost could be reduced by 70% and 80% in 48- and 96-well plates, with 1D and STD pooling being most reagent-saving respectively. Such a reagent-saving effect is only valid when prevalence level is < 21% for 48-well plates and < 13%-21% for 96-well plates. Pipetting cost will rise by 1.3-3.3 fold for 48-well plates and 1.2-4.3 fold for 96-well plates, with 1D pooling by row requiring the least pipetting. Thus, it is advisable to employ pooling when the expected prevalence level is below 21% and when the likely savings of up to 80% on reagent cost outweighs the increased materials and labor costs of up to 4 fold increases in pipetting.

Pool evaporation: Experimental tests at medium-scale with gasoline

Pool evaporation is a major source of flammable vapour clouds. Predicting the evaporation rate of a liquid hydrocarbon pool is therefore a key issue of dispersion modelling for safety concerns. This paper presents small- and medium-scale experiments of pool evaporation carried out with liquid hydrocarbons (pentane, heptane), hydrocarbon “gasoline-like” mixtures and gasoline. Liquid mass loss was measured and the evaporation rate deduced with its evolution in time. Other observations are highlighted, regarding the evolution of liquid temperatures, mixture compositions, and scale effects like the influence of pool length on surface evaporation rate. Comparisons with well-known correlations are then shown. The authors finally suggest a new semi-empirical correlation with a set of parameters fitted on the performed experiments.

Study of online measurements techniques of metallic phase spatial distribution into a corium pool

In the context of in-vessel retention (IVR) strategy in order to better assess the risk of reactor vessel failure, the knowledge related to the kinetics of immiscible liquid phases stratification phenomenon needs to be further improved. So far, only one medium-scale experiment (MASCA-RCW, in the frame of the OECD MASCA program) gives direct information regarding the transient relocation of metal below the oxide phase through post-mortem measurements. No experimental characterization of the stratification inversion kinetics when heavy metal becomes lighter and relocates at the top exists. Further investigation of these hydrodynamic and thermochemical processes could be made possible thanks to on line instrumentation enabling to follow displacement of oxidic and metallic phases into the corium pool. At CEA Cadarache, studies are under progress to set up innovative technologies for corium stratification monitoring which would be integrated to a cold crucible induction melting furnace. Based on space and time resolution specifications, three on-line measurements techniques were selected and studied. The first one is an ultrasonic technique using a refractory material waveguide and based on a time-of-flight measurement. We present the feasibility approach with the preliminary results obtained during experiments at high temperature on VITI facility. The second method consists in electromagnetic characterization of the corium pool thanks to an excitation by a magnetic field induced by surroundings coils and measurement of magnetic response by sensors placed around the crucible. A modelling study has enabled to define an appropriate experimental configuration. An experimental set up has also been tested to verify the calculation results. The third technique is 2D X-rays imaging. A feasibility study for a real-time X-ray imagingwith a framerate of 1 image/s has been performed using home-made simulation software MODHERATO, accounting forscattering, based on corium behavior previsions. Results on thedetection of interfaces between different type of corium phases(oxide, light metal, heavy metal) are shown.