Variable Heating Rate Research Articles

Effect of particle size on the thermoluminescence dosimetric properties of household salt

This work investigates the effect of particle size on the thermoluminescence (TL) response of household salt that is classified into five size fractions between 63 and 250 μm. Irradiation induced two main TL peaks at 110 and 240 °C for each particle size fraction. In addition to these peaks, two additional glow peaks were observed at 80 and 300 °C for particles with small size (<90 μm). The complexity of the glow curve pattern increased with decreasing particle size (<125 μm). The intensity of the main dosimetric TL peak at 240 °C increased with increasing particle size. The maximum beta radiation sensitivity of the salt samples was obtained for the particle sizes of 125–180 and 180–250 μm. For different particle sizes, the stability of the dosimetric TL peaks at room temperature was studied over a storage period of 30 days. No systematic difference in the minimum detectable dose values observed for each grain size fraction and it was found to be 0.4 Gy for each grain size fraction. The kinetic parameters of the dosimetric TL peak were determined for different particle sizes using the initial rise and variable heating rate methods. Moreover, the variations in the glow peaks depending on the heating rate were also analyzed. While an expected behavior of low temperature TL at 110 °C was observed, an interesting heating rate behavior (anti-quenching) of the high temperature dosimetric TL peak at 240 °C was observed.

Thermoluminescence kinetic features of Lithium Iodide (LiI) single crystal grown by vertical Bridgman technique

Single crystal of pure Lithium Iodide (LiI) has been grown from melt by using the vertical Bridgman technique. Thermoluminescence (TL) Measurements were carried out at 1 K/s following X-ray irradiation. The TL glow curve consists of a dominant peak at (peak-maximum Tm) 393 K and one low temperature peak of weaker intensity at 343 K. The order of kinetics (b), activation energy (E), and the frequency factor (S) for a prominent TL glow peak observed around 393 K for LiI crystals are reported for the first time. The peak shape analysis of the glow peak indicates the kinetics to be of the first order. The value of E is calculated using various standard methods such as initial rise (IR), whole glow peak (WGP), peak shape (PS), computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD) and Variable Heating rate (VHR) methods. An average value of 1.06 eV is obtained in this case. In order to validate the obtained parameters, numerically integrated TL glow curve has been generated using experimentally determined kinetic parameters. The effective atomic number (Zeff) for this material was determined and found to be 52. X-ray induced emission spectra of pure LiI single crystal are studied at room temperature and it is found that the sample exhibit sharp emission at 457 nm and broad emission at 650 nm.

Features of an annealing-induced thermoluminescence peak in α-Al2O3:C,Mg

We report the thermoluminescence glow curves of beta irradiated single crystal α-Al2O3:C,Mg after annealing at 700 and 900 °C. A glow curve measured at 1 °C/s from samples irradiated to 1 Gy following annealing at 700 and 900 °C shows a high intensity peak at 163 °C and seven secondary peaks of weaker intensity at 43, 73, 100, 195, 280, 329 and 370 °C. Comparing the position of the peaks in the annealed samples with those in an un-annealed one, it is observed that the peak at 100 °C appears only after annealing at and above 700 °C. Kinetic analysis of this annealing-induced peak was carried out using the initial rise, whole glow peak, peak shape, curve fitting and variable heating rate methods. The order of kinetics of the peak was determined as first order using various methods including the Tm-Tstop technique and the dependence of Tm on irradiation dose. The activation energy of the peak is about 1.01 eV and the frequency factor of the order of 1012 s−1. The peak was found to be affected by thermal quenching in analysis based on change of peak intensity with heating rate. The activation energy of thermal quenching was evaluated as 1.06 ± 0.08 eV. We speculate that the annealing-induced peak is due to formation of a new electron trap after destruction of the F22+(2 Mg) centre when the sample is annealed at 700 °C. The annealing-induced peak fades with storage between irradiation and measurement. It was also concluded that electrons from traps corresponding to secondary peaks get re-trapped at the main electron trap.

Study on vacuum pyrolysis of oil sands by comparison with retorting and nitrogen sweeping pyrolysis

Vacuum pyrolysis is a promising technology for the production of fossil fuels from oil sands. In this study, vacuum pyrolysis was compared with retorting and nitrogen sweeping pyrolysis based on the yields and the properties of the pyrolysis products. In the pyrolysis experiments, the samples of oil sands were heated to the final reaction temperature under varying heating rates and varying vacuum pressures. It was found that the effect of the reactor heating rate on the liquid oil yield of the pyrolysis reactions became less significant as the pressure was decreased below atmospheric level, to the point that the liquid yield of complete vacuum pyrolysis (0MPa) was independent of the variation in heating rate. Longer vapor residence times lead to higher gas and coke yields and lower liquid yields. The coupling of retorting and vacuum pyrolysis was proposed and investigated, with the conclusion that vacuum can be utilized after the reactor reaches 500°C with little sacrifice of the liquid product yield that can be produced by using vacuum only. Elemental analysis and the analysis of the distribution of saturates, aromatics, resins and asphaltenes (SARA) were carried out to characterize the differences in the composition of the pyrolysis liquid products. Simulated distillation was conducted to analyze the boiling point distribution of the initial bitumen and the pyrolysis oil products. Significant differences in the distribution of SARA fractions were observed between samples obtained from solvent extraction process and those from pyrolysis.

The extreme El Niño of 2015–2016 and the end of global warming hiatus

AbstractSlower rates of increase in global mean surface temperature (GMST) after 2000, dubbed “global warming hiatus,” recently gave way to a rapid temperature rise. This rise coincided with persistent warm conditions in the equatorial Pacific between March 2014 and May 2016, which peaked as the 2015 extreme El Niño. Here we show that the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) tightly controls interannual variations in atmospheric heating rate in the tropics (r &gt; 0.9), allowing us to construct a simple, physically based model of GMST variations that incorporates greenhouse gas emissions, ENSO forcing, and stratospheric sulfate aerosols produced by volcanoes. The model closely reproduces GMST changes since 1880, including the global warming hiatus and the subsequent temperature rise. Our results confirm that weak El Niño activity, rather than volcanic eruptions, was the cause of the hiatus, while the rapid temperature rise is due to atmospheric heat release during 2014–2016 El Niño conditions concurrent with the continuing global warming trend.

Analysis of TL and OSL kinetics in lithium magnesium phosphate crystals

Within this work the samples of the LiMgPO4 compound have been crystallized using a micro pulling down crystal growth method. The measured TL and OSL response was investigated in order to evaluate basic kinetic parameters. Collected data were analyzed using Tm-Tstop, deconvolution and variable heating rate methods. It was found that both the TL and OSL response of the LiMgPO4 samples can be expressed in the form of a linear combination of several first order components. The obtained results suggest that luminescence processes in the studied material may follow a first order kinetics, as the measured TL glow curves do not shift with increasing dose. Increasing the dose of beta radiation up to kGy range, a linear response was measured for all the studied LiMgPO4 samples. The obtained values of kinetic parameters evaluated with Tm-Tstop method remain in agreement with those obtained by deconvolution for low-temperature peaks. In turn, for peaks located at higher temperatures the results obtained by variable heating rate method are close to those of deconvolution. This implies that more detailed analysis is needed to achieve a compatibility between the applied modes of data analysis and to achieve the accurate values of kinetic parameters. By calculating a decrease in the area under the whole LMP glow curve for the two weeks fading time, using the estimated trapping parameters, and comparing the results with previous work one may conclude that Tm-Tstop method combined with the initial rise analysis gives the most reliable values of kinetic parameters.

Investigating aging effects for porous silicon energetic materials

When infused with an oxidizer, on-chip porous silicon (PS) shows tremendous potential as an energetic material. However, applications such as fuzing and propulsion require long-term material stability. The present work utilizes accelerated lifetime testing for PS samples with sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) oxidizer. Devices were exposed to elevated temperatures for various time intervals, then subjected to an electrical pulse through an integrated bridgewire to test for ignition. The pass/fail data from ignition testing was then analyzed to determine the mean and median failure point at each temperature using an Arrhenius aging model and a lognormal probability density function (PDF). Samples were heated over a temperature range of 185–300 °C for up to 46 h with median failure times ranging from 0.4–20 h. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to evaluate chemical changes of PS/NaClO4 during aging. Comparison of DSC traces for aged samples showed differences for heating above and below 250 °C, suggesting two different aging mechanisms. FTIR results suggest that for low temperature aging (below ∼250 °C) the hydrogen termination layer of the porous silicon was still intact, but backbond oxidation did occur. Above ∼250 °C the hydrogen termination layer was no longer evident in FTIR and considerable oxidation occurred, suggesting reaction or dissociation of the hydrogen layer. This corresponds with an exothermic peak shown during DSC at 300 °C. Thermogravimetric analysis/mass spectroscopy (TGA/MS) was also performed, and confirmed hydrogen gas release beginning at ∼280 °C. A DSC peak at ∼400 °C is evident for fresh samples, but is greatly reduced or not evident for all aged samples. We attribute this peak to backbond oxidation, which is shown to occur in FTIR for all aged samples. Variable heating rate DSC experiments were also performed to determine activation energy of fresh and aged samples. Activation energy was calculated using the Kissinger Method for the first two exothermic peaks in DSC experiments. For the first peak, corresponding to hydrogen desorption (∼300 °C), activation energy for fresh and aged samples was 132.1 kJ/mol and 132.7 kJ/mol, respectively. The activation energy of the second exothermic peak, corresponding to backbond oxidation, for fresh and aged samples was 183.8 kJ/mol and 159.6 kJ/mol, respectively. Device failure during accelerated aging tests was also used to predict the mean lifetime of porous silicon/sodium perchlorate at room temperature (25 oC) as 100 years with a 90% confidence interval of 31 to 328 years.

Pyrolysis Kinetics of Pine Sawdust in a Fixed Bed

Currently worldwide studies are being done on the utilisation of lignocellulosic materials or biomasses as substitutes of fossil fuels to afford energy needs of today’s world. Pyrolysis is one of the most promising techniques for apprising biomass into economically viable renewable fuels. In this work, pyrolysis behaviour of pine sawdust was investigated experimentally in a fixed bed system with mass measurements under nitrogen as sweeping gas. The main objective was to interpret mass loss of pine sawdust during pyrolysis at varied heating rates and to estimate kinetic constants using the best mathematical model among the popular solid phase decomposition models. Regression tests are separately applied to conversion data for 473 – 593 K and 593 – 773 K temperature ranges, corresponding respectively decomposition of hemicelluloses and cellulose, and cellulose and lignin. The quality of fit increased with heating rate and none of the proposed models had any superiority to others. The results implied that volatiles evolution during pyrolysis was increasingly controlled chemically with heating rate.

Pyrolysis of Alternanthera philoxeroides (alligator weed): Effect of pyrolysis parameter on product yield and characterization of liquid product and bio char

In the present work, fast pyrolysis of Alternanthera philoxeroides was evaluated with a focus to study the chemical and physical characteristics of bio-oil produced and to determine its practicability as a transportation fuel. Pyrolysis of A.philoxeroides was conducted inside a semi batch quartz glass reactor to determine the effect of different operating conditions on the pyrolysis product yield. The thermal pyrolysis of A. philoxeroides were performed at a temperature range from 350 to 550 °C at a constant heating rate of 25 °C/min & under nitrogen atmosphere at a flow rate of 0.1 L/min, which yielded a total 40.10 wt.% of bio-oil at 450 °C. Later, some more sets of experiments were also performed to see the effect on pyrolysis product yield with change in operating conditions like varying heating rates (50 °C/min, 75 °C/min & 100 °C/min) and different flow rates of nitrogen (0.2, 0.3, 0.4 & 0.5 L/min). The yield of bio-oil during different heating rate (25, 50, 75 and 100 °C/min) was found to be more (43.15 wt.%) at a constant heating rate of 50 °C/min with 0.2 L/min N2 gas flow rate and at a fixed pyrolysis temperature of 450 °C. The High Heating Value (HHV) value of bio-oil (8.88 MJ/kg) was very less due to presence of oxygen in the biomass. However, the high heating value of bio-char (20.41 MJ/kg) was more, and has the potential to be used as a solid fuel. The thermal degradation of A. philoxeroides was studied in TGA under inert atmosphere. The characterization of bio-oil was done by elemental analyser (CHNS/O analyser), FT-IR, & GC/MS. The char was characterized by elemental analyser (CHNS/O analysis), SEM, BET and FT-IR techniques. The chemical characterization showed that the bio-oil could be used as a transportation fuel if upgraded or blended with other fuels. The bio-oil can also be used as feedstock for different chemicals. The bio-char obtained from A. philoxeroides can be used for adsorption purposes because of its high surface area.

Effect of heating rate on the properties of silicon carbide fiber with chemical-vapor-cured polycarbosilane fiber

Silicon carbide (SiC) fiber has recently received considerable attention as promising next-generation fiber because of its high strength at temperatures greater than 1300 °C in air. High-quality SiC fiber is primarily made through a curing and heat treatment process. In this study, the chemical vapor curing method, instead of the thermal oxidation curing method, was used to prepare cured polycarbosilane (PCS) fiber. During the high temperature heat treatment of the cured PCS fiber, varied heating rates of 10, 20, 30, and 40 °C/min were applied. Throughout the process, the fiber remained in the amorphous silicon carbide phase, and the measured tensile strength was the greatest when the oxygen content in the heat-treated fiber was low, due to the rapid heating rate. The fiber produced through this method was also found to have excellent internal oxidation properties. This fast, continuous process shows а great promise for the production of SiC fiber and the development of high-quality products.

Effect of Extraction Method on the Oxidative Stability of Camelina Seed Oil Studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry.

Camelina seed is a new alternative omega-3 source attracting growing interest. However, it is susceptible to oxidation due to its high omega-3 content. The objective of this study was to improve the oxidative stability of the camelina seed oil at the extraction stage in order to eliminate or minimize the use of additive antioxidants. Camelina seed oil extracts were enriched in terms of natural antioxidants using ethanol-modified supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2 ) extraction. Oxidative stability of the camelina seed oils extracted by ethanol modified SC-CO2 was studied by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and compared with cold press, hexane, and SC-CO2 methods. Nonisothermal oxidation kinetics of the oils obtained by different extraction methods were studied by DSC at varying heating rates (2.5, 5, 10, and 15 °C/min). Increasing ethanol level in the ethanol-modified SC-CO2 increased the oxidative stability. Based on oxidation onset temperatures (Ton ), SC-CO2 containing 10% ethanol yielded the most stable oil. Oxidative stability depended on the type and content of the polar fractions, namely, phenolic compounds and phospholipids. Phenolic compounds acted as natural antioxidants, whereas increased phospholipid contents decreased the stability. Study has shown that the oxidative stability of the oils can be improved at the extraction stage and this may eliminate the need for additive antioxidants.

Thermokinetics of alkyl methylpyrrolidinium [NTf2] ionic liquids

The thermal degradation of two ionic liquids (ILs) was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TG) to establish a relationship between the thermokinetics and thermal stability. N-butyl, N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [BMPyrro][NTf2] and N-octyl, N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide[OMPyrro][NTf2] were subjected to thermogravimetric analysis at varying heating rates of 5, 10 and 20 °C min−1 in the temperature range of 50–600 °C. The data obtained were analysed for thermokinetics using Ozawa, Kissinger and Starink methods using differential thermogravimetric (DTG) techniques, and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) and Starink methods using TG techniques. The results produced very high regression coefficients (R 2 ) values around 0.996, which exhibited that they were best fitted by the kinetics equations. The average calculated activation energy (E a) of [BMPyrro][NTf2] using FWO, KAS and Starink methods was 128.6, 123.6 and 124 kJ mol−1, respectively, and 113.7, 107.8 and 108.2 kJ mol−1, respectively, for [OMPyrro][NTf2] using same empirical methods. This emphasizes that the activation energy is strongly related to the length of the side alkyl chain of a given IL. In other words, the longer the side alkyl chain, the lower the activation energy. The E a trends with degree of conversion (α) suggest that a single mechanism without formation of intermediates or short-life intermediates was followed by the pyrolysis kinetics. This study introduced thermokinetics as a tool to study the thermal stability of ionic liquids.

Effects of the Inductive Hardening Process on the Martensitic Structure of a 50CrMo4 Steel*

Abstract This study focuses on the influence of a fast heat treatment, as occurring with induction heating processes, on the microstructural features, and their effect on the mechanical properties of a 50CrMo4 steel. To this end, three different heating rates (1 K/s, 10 K/s, and 100 K/s) and three different austenitizing temperatures (950 °C, 1000 °C, 1050 °C) were applied to a ferritic-pearlitic steel. After quenching, the resulting martensitic microstructures were investigated and compared to a conventional furnace heat treating sequence using electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD). Thus, the effect of variable heating rates during austenitization on the resulting martensitic microstructure, including the evaluation of packet and block sizes and orientations, was analyzed. Through the investigations of this work, it could be shown, that the adaption of the Kurdjumov-Sachs (K-S) variants is changing with the prior heat treatment. The occurrence of all 24 K-S variants in the same intensity increases and the misorientation angle across a martensite block decrease with higher austenitizing temperatures, despite fast heating rates. Therefore, it is suggested, that the austenitizing temperature has more impact on the martensitic structure than the heating rate.

Iso-conversional kinetic analysis of quaternary glass re-crystallization.

Iso-conversional kinetic analysis is popular in scientific community for analyzing solid-state reactions (e.g., glass/amorphous and amorphous/crystal phase transformations, re-crystallization etc). It is a recognized significant tool to achieve useful outcomes for the solid state reaction under consideration. Present work is devoted to explore some insights of thermally activated crystallization using various heating rates (VHR) method. We have examined the correlation between iso-conversional activation energy and iso-conversional rate of crystal growth. In fact, we have observed the compensation law and iso-kinetic relationship using two different approaches for the study of crystallization phenomenon that drives thermally in an Arrhenian manner.Moreover, we found that the estimated intercepts and gradients (i.e., Meyer-Neldel energy and Meyer-Neldel pre-factor respectively) for both approaches also vary linearly and both sets are remarkably identical. These results approach to an inference for ensuring the equivalence of compensation law and iso-kinetic relationship and provide an understanding of various advanced materials in physical chemistry, materials sciences and solid-state physics.

Pyrolysis of undoped and multi-element doped ion exchange resins with regard to storage properties

Pyrolysis can be used as pretreatment for permanent storage of radioactively contaminated ion exchange resins. Therefore, the thermal decomposition of different ion exchange resins was investigated in fixed and fluidized bed reactors. Here, the anion and cation exchange resin mixtures for pressurized water reactors, in this case Lewatit, and boiling water reactors, in this case Powdex, were pyrolyzed up to 650°C with varied heating rates at atmospheric pressure in different test facilities. A maximum weight loss of 63 or 75wt.% (dry) and a reduction of the volume of the bed of 40 or 20 vol.% were founded. After specifying optimized pyrolysis conditions for the treatment, the resins were doped with cesium and various other elements to imitate the spent ion exchange resin from the nuclear power plants. With regard to cost reduction for exhaust gas cleaning, the retention of the doped elements in the pyrolysis residue was examined.

Thermoliquefaction of palm oil fiber (Elaeis sp.) using supercritical ethanol

Thermoliquefaction of palm oil fiber was investigated using supercritical ethanol as solvent. A semi-continuous laboratory scale unit was developed to investigate the effects of temperature (300–500°C), heating rate (10–30°C.min−1) and cracking time (10–30min) on the conversion of biomass in bio-oil. The main advantage of the proposed process is that a pure solvent is pumping through the reactor that contains the biomass, dispensing the use of biomass slurries. The yield of bio-oil ranged from 56% to 84%, depending on the experimental conditions. It was observed that an increase in working temperature led to an increase in the bio-oil production. Cracking time and heating rate variation had not shown a considerable effect on the conversion of biomass. The chemical profiles of bio-oil determined by GC/MS, indicate that at low temperature mainly sugar derivatives are produced, while at higher temperatures alcohols and phenolic are the majority compounds of the bio-oil.

Characterisation of clay samples from minerals–rich deposits for thermoluminescence applications

Thermoluminescent (TL) characteristics of clay samples from Ijero-Ekiti and Isan-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria were studied for application in retrospective dosimetry. In order to increase the potentials of the clay material for relevant radiation measurement applications, characteristic glow curves of samples from the clay deposits have been obtained using a Victoreen (2800M) TL reader and the TL properties subsequently examined. The variable heating rate method was used to determine the glow peak shape and intensity by estimating the activation energy or trap depth, E and the frequency factor, S. Most samples demonstrated the dependence of their glow curve on the heating rate, with the peak temperature, Tm increasing with the heating rate. These glow peaks were noted to be a complex trapping system, consisting of several overlapping first order peaks and each with different TL behaviour, except for certain samples, which showed independence of peak temperature with dose. While recommending further heating protocol to isolate each peak for the calculation of other kinetic parameters, we present an approximate 0.29–0.84eV for E and 3.7×101 to 4.0×106s−1 for S. Though the samples with the TL dosimetric property of increased peak intensity with increasing excitation dose could be considered for TL applications, the reduction in TL intensity must be considered for high heating rates applications.

Comprehensive kinetic analysis of thermoluminescence peaks of α-Al2O3:C,Mg

A comprehensive kinetic analysis of the glow peaks in α-Al2O3:C,Mg is reported. A thermoluminescence glow curve measured at 1°C/s after beta irradiation to 1Gy shows a high intensity peak hereafter referred to as the main peak at 161°C and six lower intensity secondary peaks at 42, 72, 193, 279, 330, 370°C respectively. For ease of reference, the secondary peaks are labelled as I, II, IV, V, VI and VII respectively and the main peak denoted peak III. Kinetic analysis of the glow peaks has been carried out using the initial rise, whole glow peak, peak shape, variable heating rate and glow curve deconvolution methods as well as by way of phosphorescence. Using Tm-Tstop, Tm-dose and phosphorescence analyses, the order of kinetics of the peaks has been evaluated as first order. Analysis by the peak shape, whole glow peak and deconvolution methods produce the same conclusion. The activation energy of peaks I through VII are calculated as ~0.83, 0.96, 1.37, 1.20, 1.15, 1.61 and 1.94eV respectively. The frequency factors for all the peaks are of the order of 109 to 1014s−1. The question of thermal quenching affecting the peaks was considered. The peaks III, IV and V, the only ones that could be conveniently studied in this regard, were found to be affected by thermal quenching. The activation energy for thermal quenching was calculated for peak III as 0.96±0.03eV, for peak VI as 0.95±0.07eV and for peak V as 1.26±0.08eV. The thermal quenching phenomenon has been discussed with reference to F+ and F centres. An energy band model has been developed to discuss the luminescence mechanisms in α-Al2O3:C,Mg in light of finding in this work.

Thermoluminescence of α-Al2O3:C,Mg: Kinetic analysis of the main glow peak

The kinetic analysis of the thermoluminescence of aluminium oxide doped with carbon and co-doped with magnesium (α-Al2O3:C,Mg) is reported. Measurements were made at 1°C/s following beta irradiation to 1Gy. The glow curve consists of a dominant peak at a peak-maximum Tm of 161°C and six secondary peaks of weaker intensity at 42, 72, 193, 279, 330 and 370°C. Kinetic analysis of the main peak, the subject of this report, was carried out using initial rise, whole glow peak, peak shape, curve fitting and variable heating rate methods. The order of kinetics of the main peak was determined as first order using various methods including the Tm–Tstop technique and the dependence of Tm on irradiation dose. The activation energy of the peak is about ~1.36eV and the frequency factor of the order of 1014s−1. The peak area changes with heating rate in a manner that shows that the peak is affected by thermal quenching. The activation energy of thermal quenching was evaluated as 0.99±0.08eV. A comparison of analytical results from the main peak before and after correction for thermal quenching show that the kinetic parameters of the main peak are not that affected by thermal quenching.

A study to predict pyrolytic behaviors of refuse-derived fuel (RDF): Artificial neural network application

The present study demonstrates the thermal behaviors of refuse-derived fuel (RDF), a highly-heterogeneous fuel, at high temperature region by bringing experimental and modelling studies together. In the first part, RDF was pyrolyzed in thermal analyzer from room temperature to 900°C at varying heating rates as well as the evolved gas analysis was monitored by using TG-FTIR-MS. Afterwards, obtained data was used to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) model that can predict thermal behaviors of RDF at a new heating rate without performing any experiments. The temperature and heating rate were selected as input parameters while temperature dependent weight loss was selected as output parameter. The effects of parameters such as neuron number, training number, and the transfer function type on the network performance were investigated in detail to optimize network topology. Optimization studies showed that the best performance was achieved with ANN that had 7-6 neurons trained 25 times with tansig-logsig non-linear function combination. Prediction performance of the optimized ANN was tested by introducing a new experimental dataset. The good agreement between experimental and predicted values revealed that ANN can be a promising tool in pyrolytic behaviors estimation of even heterogeneous fuels such as RDF.