Unique Experimental Facility Research Articles

Evaluation of long-term robustness of the International System of Reference (SIR) used in radionuclide metrology based on the meta-analysis of its machine-readable database

In support of the CIPM MRA, the reference system in radionuclide metrology (SIR) is a unique experimental facility that has been able to provide continuous key comparison results for 72 radionuclides for 46 years. These measurement data are now available in a machine-readable format, which allows statistical analysis of these measurement results to be performed efficiently. Such a meta-analysis was conducted to verify whether or not the accumulated data confirmed the bold assumption made in the 1970s of the long-term robustness of the system over decades of operation. It was notably assumed that variation in the properties of the standard solution to be measured or the choice of the 226Ra reference source would have no impact on the measurement. For the majority of radionuclides measured by the SIR, the non-parametric significance tests of the null hypothesis carried out in this study gave no evidence, at the 95% confidence level, that the above statement should be reconsidered. However, this meta-analysis revealed a significant impact of solution density in the case of 109Cd, corroborating previous observations made in the case of 241Am where the robustness of an ionization chamber with respect to the density variation of the solution does not appear to be perfect. The extension of the SIR by a liquid scintillation system is under development. It will improve the robustness of international comparison results for those borderline cases where radionuclides emit only low-energy x-rays or gamma rays (<100 keV).

Robust validation of a generalised actuator disk CFD model for tidal turbine analysis using the FloWave ocean energy research facility

Coupled blade element momentum-computational fluid dynamic (BEM-CFD) approaches have been extensively used to study tidal stream turbine performance and wake development. These approaches have shown to be accurate when compared to tests conducted in tow-tanks or in regulated flumes with uniform flows across the turbine. Whilst such studies can be very useful, it is questionable as to what extent the results would differ in a larger scale environment where the flow is more representative of real-world conditions, being either unsteady or non-uniform. In this work, the effectiveness of a generalised actuator disk-computational fluid dynamics (GAD-CFD) approach in accurately capturing fluid-machine interaction for single and multiple tidal energy converters models is further assessed. A unique large-scale experimental facility, FloWave, has been used to conduct physical testing of three instrumented model tidal energy converters of rotor diameter 1.2 m under differing turbine layouts and realistic scaled environmental conditions. These large-scale tests provide a unique dataset against which this work's numerical simulations have been extensively validated. Comparisons between the tank and GAD-CFD approach show good agreement, particularly when comparing modelled to measured thrust, and enabled an evaluation of the effects of turbine spacing and arrangement on turbine performance and flow-field response.

Aerodynamics of Boundary Layer Ingesting Fuselage Fans

Abstract Boundary layer ingestion (BLI) potentially offers significant reductions in fuel burn and pollutant emissions. The propulsive fuselage concept features a fan at the back of the airframe that ingests the 360 deg fuselage boundary layer. Consequently, the distortion at the fan face during cruise is close to radial. This article aims to devise and test a fan design philosophy that is tuned to this inflow distortion. Initially, a free-vortex fan design matched to clean inflow is presented. The effects of BLI on the aerodynamics of this fan are investigated. A series of design steps are then presented to develop the baseline fan into a new design matched to fuselage BLI inflow. Both fan designs have been tested within a low-speed rig. The impact of the fan design changes on the aerodynamics and the performance with BLI are evaluated using the test results. This article presents the successful application of a unique experimental facility for the analysis of BLI fuselage fans. It shows that it is possible to design a fan that accepts the radial distortion caused by fuselage BLI with a modified profile of work input. The new fan design was found to increase the work input by 4.9% and to improve the efficiency by 2.75% relative to a fan designed for clean flow. This new fan design has reduced loading near the hub to account for the incoming distortion and increased mid span loading and negative incidence toward the tip for tolerance to circumferential distortion off-design.

A linear cascade tunnel for flow investigations of steam turbine rotor tip blades in subsonic nucleating flows

The paper presents details of a unique experimental facility along with necessary accessories and instrumentation for testing steam turbine cascade blades in wet and nucleating steam. A steam turbine rotor tip cascade is chosen for flow investigations. Cascade inlet flow measurements show uniform conditions with dry air and steam and dry air mixture of different ratios. Exit flow surveys indicate that excellent flow periodicity is obtained. Blade surface static pressure and exit total pressure distributions are also presented with dry air and with steam and dry air mixture of different ratios as the working medium at an exit Mach number of 0.52.

Using High Sample Rate Lidar to Measure Debris-Flow Velocity and Surface Geometry

ABSTRACT Debris flows evolve in both time and space in complex ways, commonly starting as coherent failures but then quickly developing structures such as roll waves and surges. These processes are readily observed but difficult to study or quantify because of the speed at which they evolve. Many methods for studying debris flows consist of point measurements (e.g., flow height or basal stresses), which are inherently limited in spatial coverage and cannot fully characterize the spatiotemporal evolution of a flow. In this study, we use terrestrial lidar to measure debris-flow profiles at high sampling rates to examine debris-flow movement with high temporal and spatial precision and accuracy. We acquired measurements during gate-release experiments at the U.S. Geological Survey debris-flow flume, a unique experimental facility where debris flows can be artificially generated at a large scale. A lidar scanner was used to record repeat topographic profiles of the moving debris flows along the length of the flume with a narrow swath width (∼1 mm) at a rate of 60 Hz. The high-resolution lidar profiles enabled us to quantify flow front velocity of the debris flows and provided an unprecedented record of the development and evolution of the flow structure with a sub-second time resolution. The findings of this study demonstrate how to obtain quantitative measurements of debris-flow movement. In addition, the data help us to quantitatively define the development of a saltating debris-flow front and roll waves behind the debris-flow front. Such measurements may help constrain future modeling efforts.

Mathematical modeling of shock wave interaction with wagon

In case of some accidents on railways there may be situations when the shock wave appears and interacts with different objects on the railway (wagons, cargo, buildings etc.). In these cases it is necessary to predict the possible effect of shock wave diffraction on the different objects. Study of these problems on the basis of physical experiments (laboratory experiment or field experiment) demand expensive and unique experimental facility. In some cases physical experiment can’t be set. That is why mathematical simulation plays the important role in solving problem connected with shock wave propagation. For practice it is necessary to have predictive quick computing mathematical models which allow to perform numerical experiment on the basis of non-powerful computers. Now, in Ukraine, there is a real deficit of mathematical models which allow to compute quickly shock wave interaction with different objects. The aim of this work was development of quick computing numerical model to simulate shock wave propagation and its interaction with the wagons. The model is based on the numerical integration of Euler equations which are written in integral form. To solve modeling equations difference scheme of splitting was used. Results of numerical modeling are presented.

Feasibility research on the novel experimental solar-assisted CO2 based Rankine cycle integrated with absorption refrigeration

In this paper, a feasibility analysis of the novel solar-assisted transcritical carbondioxide (tCO2) based Rankine cycle (RC) with an absorption refrigeration system (ARS) is performed. The experimental investigations are conducted on the test rig of the solar-assisted tCO2-RC for a typical day in the spring season. The unique experimental facility consists of evacuated tube type solar collectors, a high-temperature heat exchanger, a low-temperature heat exchanger, and a pump. In addition, an expansion valve is employed instead of the turbine in order to simulate the turbine operation. The proposed ARS is a single-stage type, and it is supposed to be driven by the rejected thermal energy from the experimental RC cycle. The performance of the integrated system is analyzed in terms of energy and exergy. The ARS analysis is made for water-lithium bromide (H2O-LiBr) and ammonia-water (NH3-H2O) refrigerant pairs for comparison purposes. According to the results, the power generation rate of CO2 based RC reaches up to 0.385 kW. The ARS working with H2O-LiBr presents higher refrigeration capacity with 1.413 kW while the energy and exergy efficiencies of the integrated power-refrigeration system are determined as 29.62% and 5.36% respectively. For the integrated system with NH3-H2O, the energy efficiency is 21.51% and the exergy efficiency is 4.99%. From the results, it is concluded that the ARS working with H2O-LiBr can be successfully integrated with the solar-assisted tCO2-RC for sustainable power generation and refrigeration applications. Future research should, therefore, concentrate on integrating an actual ARS with the experimental power cycle.

Geomechanical Modeling for Creating New Technologies of Deep Hydrocarbon Fields Development

Abstract— The paper presents the results of the experimental investigation of the rock physical properties in relation to issues of creating scientific fundamentals for new hydrocarbon production technologies. Nowadays easily accessible deposits of oil and gas which lies at depths of 2-3 km are gradually being depleted. The production of hydrocarbons from unconventional sources becomes all the more urgent. These include shale gas and oil, Arctic hydrocarbon resources, gas hydrates, coal bed methane, oil and gas from deep horizons. The development of such deposits requires the creation of new technologies. The knowledge of mechanical and filtration properties of rocks lying at great depths is needed for creation of the new oil production technologies. The investigation of the dependence of well stability and permeability of rocks on the stress-strain state which is determined by the pressure in the well and its bottom hole design in conditions of high rock pressure is required also. For the first time the tests of reservoir rocks from the depths of more than 6 km were carried out on the true triaxial load system. The real conditions that occur in the vicinity of the borehole for various bottom designs at lowering pressure were experimentally simulated on the unique experimental facility, Triaxial Independent Load Test System built in the Institute for Problems in Mechanics of the Russian Academy of Science. It is found that the possibility to improve the production rate of a well by increasing pressure drawdown in a well exists despite the low permeability and high strength of such rocks.&#x0D; &#x0D; Index Terms— deep reservoirs, rock, well, the test facility, deformations, stresses, strength, elastic moduli.&#x0D;

A Pigging Model for Wax Removal in Pipes

Summary Pigging is widely used in pipelines for wax removal. However, pigging operation relies heavily on “rules of thumb.” Because of its complexity, rather-limited pigging models were presented to predict the wax-removal mechanics in past decades. This work aims to develop a pigging model for wax removal in pipelines. A unique experimental facility was designed and constructed for simulating pigging operation for wax removal in pipelines. This facility is composed of five main parts: an experiment system, a wax-casting system, a motor and control system, a measurement and data-acquisition system, and a specially designed pig system. The mixture of a crude-oil and a field-wax deposit was cast inside the test section to carry out the pigging experiments with disk-and-cup pigs. It was found that hardness of the scraping element in the pig has a profound effect on wax removal, and this effect depends closely on the wax thickness on the pipe wall. A pigging model, which could well explain the effects of wax thickness, wax hardness, pipe diameter, pig geometry, and hardness of the scraping element in the pig, was established on the basis of the experimental findings. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to incorporate into a pigging model the effect of the hardness of the scraping element in the pig on wax removal. Seventeen sets of pigging experiments were used to verify the developed pigging model, with an average relative error of 10.69%. The pigging model developed in this work could be a practical tool in designing economic and safe pigging programs.

Response of closed Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer sections under combined bending and torsion

Structural response under combined bending (M) and torsion (T) of pultruded Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer composite hollow circular and square sections has been investigated, using unique experimental facility for combined loads. Prior to determining combined response, bending and torsional strengths at failure were found separately for all test sections. To evaluate structural response, strain gages were attached at 6 to 12 critical locations of each specimen. For each cross-section, three samples were tested under combined load combinations, i.e. (0.25 Mmax, TFailure), (0.50 Mmax, TFailure) and (0.75 Mmax, TFailure). The results have been presented as M vs ɛ, T vs θ, and [Formula: see text]. Local bending effect are found to be significant under point loads, even though they are distributed over a small area. The interactive plots exhibited three distinct zones, i.e. bending moment dominated zone, torque dominated zone, and transition zone. The failure modes revealed a distinct pattern with crack initiation sites and propagation directions. The potential energy method of bent and twisted specimens of isotropic thin-walled sections has been extended to thin-walled orthotropic members. Finite element analyses using ANSYS-SHELL181 was carried out to develop torsion-bending interaction response and compare with experimental data. Principal strain to failure predictions under combined loads, except under pure bending, resulted in a constant strain to failure for a given fiber architecture.

Elevated air humidity modulates bud size and the frequency of bud break in fast-growing deciduous trees: silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) and hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx.)

Elevated atmospheric humidity reduced bud size by restricting primordium growth and increased the frequency of bud break in fast-growing deciduous trees, but the responses are species-specific. The initiation, development, and growth potential of buds determine the structure of a tree crown. Climate change scenarios project increasing amounts of precipitation at high latitudes in the future, but the effects of a more humid climate on bud size and growth potential remain mostly unexplored. This study investigates the effects of atmospheric humidity on fast-growing deciduous trees, silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) and hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx.), planted in a unique free-air experimental facility, designed for increasing air humidity during the growing season. Over four consecutive years (2009–2012), the size of overwintering buds was assessed in the upper crown of young trees, and additionally, annual height increments were assessed during the study period. Furthermore, bud contents, probabilities of bud death and break, and subsequent shoot growth were examined. In silver birch, misting effect on height growth depended on year, possibly due to acclimation or variable weather conditions, but bud size was consistently reduced. Nevertheless, misting restricted the growth rather than the initiation of leaf primordia in the bud, and decreased bud size did not translate into changes in the leaf area of future shoots. In contrast, the size of hybrid aspen buds was markedly reduced by misting only in 2009; however, increased humidity promoted bud break, reducing the proportion of dormant buds. The underlying mechanisms causing reduced bud size may involve interactions with shoot growth, but require further study. Although the effect of stimulated bud break is subtle in a given year, cumulative effects may modulate crown structure in the long term, facilitating the acclimation of tree growth to rising humidity in the future.

The effect of elevated air humidity on young silver birch and hybrid aspen biomass allocation and accumulation – Acclimation mechanisms and capacity

Climate change is predicted to bring about a rise in precipitation and atmospheric humidity at northern latitudes, which could have a considerable impact on forest ecology and management. This study investigates the effect of elevated relative air humidity (RH) on tree growth and biomass accumulation and allocation in six-year-old seedling-originated silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) and monoclonal hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L.×P. tremuloides Michx.) stands. The study was conducted in the unique Free Air Humidity Manipulation experimental facility in Estonia. Two understory vegetation types (forest and pasture) were used in the experimental plots. As a short-term response during the first manipulation years, a small rise (6–7%) in RH reduced the growth of both tree species. In the fifth humidification year, suppression of growth continued in aspen, but birch acclimated effectively to elevated RH – differences in biomass and stem diameter increments levelled out in humidified (H) and control (C) plots. The H birches ensured biomass accumulation by changing the biomass and morphology of the physiologically most active tree parts: increasing fine-root biomass, as well as specific areas of fine roots (SRA) and leaves (SLA). The effect of elevated RH on most leaf and fine root characteristics of aspens was in a similar direction as that of birches, but weaker, and the plasticity of the functional traits was also lower compared to birches, probably due to the lack of genetic variation in monoclonal aspens. The biomass of young aspens was 22% lower in H plots. The relative aboveground biomass allocation was not affected by elevated RH. The aboveground biomass of humidified birches was higher in plots with forest understory, where root competition was lower compared to the dense root systems of grasses in pasture understory plots. Aspen biomass was not affected by understory vegetation type. We conclude that young silver birches have sufficient phenotypic plasticity to acclimate to elevated RH and the forests retain biomass accumulation. However, the growth acclimation of planted forests of clonal plant material is more complicated and humidity-tolerance should be considered in the selection of new clones for areas where an increase in RH is anticipated.

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The existing Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence (NRF) setup at the HIγS facility at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory at Duke University has been extended in order to perform γ–γ coincidence experiments. The new setup combines large volume LaBr3:Ce detectors and high resolution HPGe detectors in a very close geometry to offer high efficiency, high energy resolution as well as high count rate capabilities at the same time. The combination of a highly efficient γ-ray spectroscopy setup with the mono-energetic high-intensity photon beam of HIγS provides a worldwide unique experimental facility to investigate the γ-decay pattern of dipole excitations in atomic nuclei. The performance of the new setup has been assessed by studying the nucleus 32S at 8.125MeV beam energy. The relative γ-decay branching ratio from the 1+ level at 8125.4keV to the first excited 2+ state was determined to 15.7(3)%.

Comparative analysis of effluent water quality from a municipal treatment plant and two on-site wastewater treatment systems

Though decentralized on-site technologies are extensively employed for wastewater treatment around the globe, an understanding of effluent water quality impairments associated with these systems remain less understood than effluent discharges from centralized municipal wastewater treatment facilities. Using a unique experimental facility, a novel comparative analysis of effluent water quality was performed from model decentralized aerobic (ATS) and septic (STS) on-site wastewater treatment systems and a centralized municipal wastewater treatment plant (MTP). The ATS and STS units did not benefit from further soil treatment. Each system received common influent wastewater from the Waco, Texas, USA Metropolitan Area Regional Sewerage System. We tested the hypothesis that MTP effluent would exhibit higher water quality than on-site effluents, based on parameters selected for study. A tiered testing approach was employed to assess the three effluent discharges: select routine water quality parameters (Tier I), whole effluent toxicity (Tier II), and select endocrine-active compounds (Tier III). Contrary to our hypothesis, ATS effluent was not statistically different from MTP effluents, based on Tier I and III parameters, but reproductive responses of Daphnia magna were slightly more sensitive to ATS than MTP effluents. STS effluent water quality was identified as most degraded of the three wastewater treatment systems. Parameters used to assess centralized wastewater treatment plant effluent water quality such as whole effluent toxicity and endocrine active substances appear useful for water quality assessments of decentralized discharges. Aerobic on-site wastewater treatment systems may represent more robust options than traditional septic systems for on-site wastewater treatment in watersheds with appreciable groundwater – surface water exchange.

Do triploidSalmo truttastocked into a chalk stream in the spring prey on wildSalmo salarsmolts?

The predation impact of recently stocked triploid brown trout, Salmo trutta L., on migrating wild Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., smolts was investigated in two field-based experiments. The first experiment employed a unique experimental facility to monitor 57 wild S. salar smolts through an enclosure containing a known density of stocked S. trutta to determine a predation rate. None of these smolts were preyed upon by the stocked S. trutta. The second experiment investigated the diet of free-ranging stocked triploid S. trutta in a chalk stream during the spring. Although at least 6% of the free-ranging stocked triploid S. trutta became piscivorous on Phoxinus phoxinus (L.), the results suggest that large, recently stocked, triploid S. trutta with a high condition factor do not represent a predation threat to wild S. salar smolts. However, it is recommended that a precautionary approach is maintained and the findings are not generalised until further investigation permits explicit management advice to be developed, and that the stocking of large triploid S. trutta is avoided before May/ June (regional variations to apply) each calendar year, where this can reasonably be achieved.

Design of a novel electrostatic ion storage ring at KACST

A new electrostatic storage ring for beams at energies up to 30keV·q is currently under development at the National Centre for Mathematics and Physics (NCMP), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). The ring design is based on the existing electrostatic storage rings, but stretches significantly beyond them in that it shall form the core of a unique flexible experimental facility at KACST. The lattice of this ring has been designed in a way that enables the use of state-of-the-art experimental methods to study electron–ion, laser-ion, and ion-neutral beams interactions. The lattice design also allows for a future upgrade of the ring to a double storage ring structure that would enable ion–ion beam interactions to be performed. In this paper, we present the design of this ring with a focus on beam dynamics calculations for the 7° single-bend racetrack layout. The study is principally based on the SIMION8 program. We complemented this study further by using purpose-written routine and MAD-X simulation code. An in-depth investigation into beam stability under consideration of non-linear field components in the electrostatic optical elements, is presented. Finally, different working points and stability regions are discussed.

Experimental study of the coupled thermo-hydraulic–neutronic stability of a natural circulation HPLWR

Abstract The HPLWR (high performance light water reactor) is the European concept design for a SCWR (supercritical water reactor). This unique reactor design consists of a three pass core with intermediate mixing plena. As the supercritical water passes through the core, it experiences a significant density reduction. This large change in density could be used as the driving force for natural circulation of the coolant, adding an inherent safety feature to this concept design. The idea of natural circulation has been explored in the past for boiling water reactors (BWR). From those studies, it is known that the different feedback mechanisms can trigger flow instabilities. These can be purely thermo-hydraulic (driven by the friction – mass flow rate or gravity – mass flow rate feedback of the system), or they can be coupled thermo-hydraulic–neutronic (driven by the coupling between friction, mass flow rate and power production). The goal of this study is to explore the stability of a natural circulation HPLWR considering the thermo-hydraulic–neutronic feedback. This was done through a unique experimental facility, DeLight, which is a scaled model of the HPLWR using Freon R23 as a scaling fluid. An artificial neutronic feedback was incorporated into the system based on the average measured density. To model the heat transfer dynamics in the rods, a simple first order model was used with a fixed time constant of 6 s. The results include the measurements of the varying decay ratio (DR) and frequency over a wide range of operating conditions. A clear instability zone was found within the stability plane, which seems to be similar to that of a BWR. Experimental data on the stability of a supercritical loop is rare in open literature, and these data could serve as an important benchmark tool for existing codes and models.

Kubik: Open Building Approach For The Construction of an Unique Experimental Facility Aimed to Improve Energy Efficiency in Buildings

KUBIK is aimed to the development of new concepts, products and services to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. The main characteristic of KUBIK is the capability to built realistic scenarios to analyse the energy efficiency obtained from the holistic interaction of the constructive solution for the envelope, the intelligent management of the climatisation and lighting systems and the supply from renewable energy sources. The R&amp;D infrastructure consists of a building able to provide up to 500 m2 distributed in an underground floor, a ground floor and up to two storeys; the main dimensions are 10,00 m. width x 10,00 m. length x 10,00 meter high (plus and underground floor 3,00 m. depth). The supply of energy is based on the combination of conventional and renewable energy (geothermic, solar and wind). In addition, the building is equipped with a monitoring and control system which provides the necessary information for the R&amp;D activities. KUBIK's main structure provides an experimental, adaptable and reconfigurable infrastructure to create the indoor environments to analyse and to allow the assembly of the constructive solutions for the envelope, floors and partitions which performance must to be assessed under realistic conditions.

Casing Treatment and Blade-Tip Configuration Effects on Controlled Gas Turbine Blade Tip/Shroud Rubs at Engine Conditions

Experimental results obtained for an Inconel® compressor blade rubbing bare-steel and treated casings at engine speed are described. Since 2002 a number of experiments were conducted to generate a broad database for tip rubs, the Rotor-Blade Rub database obtained using the unique experimental facility at the The Ohio State University Gas Turbine Laboratory. As of 2007, there are seven completed groups of measurements in the database. Among them a number of blade-tip geometries and casing surface treatments have been investigated. The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed interpretation of this database. Load cell, strain, temperature, and accelerometer measurements are discussed and then applied to analyze the interactions resulting from progressive and sudden incursions of varying severity, defined by incursion depths ranging from 13 μm to 762 μm (from 0.0005 in. to 0.030 in.). The influence of blade-tip speed on these measurements is described. The results presented describe the dynamics of rotor and casing vibro-impact response at representative operational speeds similar to those experienced in flight. Force components at the blade tip in the axial and circumferential directions are presented for rub incursions ranging in depth from very light (13 μm) to severe (406 μm). Trends of variation are observed during metal-to-metal and metal-to-abradable contacts for two airfoil tip shapes and tip speeds 390 m/s (1280 ft/s) and 180 m/s (590 ft/s). The nonlinear nature of the rub phenomena reported in earlier work is confirmed. In progressing from light rubs to higher incursion, the maximum incurred circumferential load increases significantly while the maximum incurred axial load increases much less. The manner in which casing surface treatment affects the loads is presented. Concurrently, the stress magnification on the rubbing blade at root midchord, at tip leading edge, and at tip trailing edge is discussed. Computational models to analyze the nonlinear dynamic response of a rotating beam with periodic pulse loading at the free-end are currently under development and are noted.

Nano-Meter Size WC Whiskers Grown over a Compacted Pellet of Graphite/Tungsten Powder Mixture Heated with an Ultra-Fast Heating Rate by a Concentrated Solar Beam

In equilibrium binary W-C system, mono-carbide WC is acknowledged as the stable phase under presence of excess free carbon up to temperature 2700°C whereas sub-carbide W 2 C would form between 1250°C and 2700°C under the carbon-deficiency condition. In unique setup of solar furnace at PROMES-CNRS in Odeillo (France), temperature of specimen is raised from the ambient temperature to target temperature up to 2000°C within fractions of a second. In the recent experimental attempts of W 2 C phase synthesis using this unique experimental facility starting from compacted pellet consisted of graphite and tungsten powders at ratios smaller than 0.50, we detected growth of nano-meter size WC whisker at the top surface directly exposed to the concentrated solar beam. The presence of WC was confirmed also by X-ray diffraction (XRD) of the top surface but, when the specimen as a whole was subjected to powder XRD analysis, WC became indiscernible being masked by principal W 2 C phase. Mechanism of formation of the detected WC nano-whisker over sub-stoichiometric C/W pellet during ultra-fast heating by concentrated solar beam is discussed.