Marek Brandys

High temperature thermal conductivity of platinum microwire by 3ω method.

The 3ω method for thermal conductivity measurement has emerged as an effective technique applicable to micro/nanowires and thin films. This paper describes the adaptation of the method to temperatures as high as 725 K enabling reliable thermal conductivity measurements on such samples for which previously published methods have been found inadequate. In the technique, a sample wire is heated by applying a sinusoidal current at an angular frequency ω, which causes a temperature and resistance variation at an angular frequency, 2ω, leading to a voltage signal at 3ω. The sample is connected as a four-terminal resistor to a digital lock-in amplifier, which is used to detect the in-phase and out-of-phase 3ω voltages resulting from the applied 1ω current. The data are fitted by varying the values of the thermal resistance and diffusion time, both of which are functions of thermal conductivity. Measurements are made at steady state temperatures between 300 and 725 K. Meaningful measurements at elevated temperatures require that thermal losses be understood and minimized. Conduction losses are prevented by suspending the sample above the mounting substrate. Convection losses are minimized by maintaining a vacuum of ~10(-5) torr inside the sample chamber. To minimize radiation losses, an appropriately sized sample is shrouded with a double heat-shield, with the inner shield temperature near that of the sample. Using the 3ω method, the thermal conductivity of platinum was determined to vary between 71.8 and 80.7 Wm(-1) K(-1) over the temperature range of 300 to 725 K, in agreement with published values measured for bulk samples.

Synthesis and characterization of FeGa nanowires

We report the growth, structural characterization, and magnetic properties of ferromagnetic Fe0.8Ga0.2 nanowires that are grown on quartz substrates by electrospinning. Electrospun nanowires are annealed in ultrahigh purity argon-hydrogen gas mixture. Uniform, continuous, high aspect ratio FeGa nanowires with diameters in the range of 50–500 nm and lengths of up to 500 μm are grown. Hysteresis loops were measured with magnetic field applied perpendicular and parallel to the substrate plane at 4 and 300 K. The nanowires exhibit a quite large coercivity (380 Oe) at 4 K in the parallel field. At 300 K, they show lower coercivities than that of bulk FeGa in both directions.

HLW Melter Control Strategy Without Visual Feedback VSL-12R2500-1 Rev 0

Plans for the treatment of high level waste (HL W) at the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) are based upon the inventory of the tank wastes, the anticipated performance of the pretreatment processes, and current understanding of the capability of the borosilicate glass waste form [I]. The WTP HLW melter design, unlike earlier DOE melter designs, incorporates an active glass bubbler system. The bubblers create active glass pool convection and thereby improve heat and mass transfer and increase glass melting rates. The WTP HLW melter has a glass surface area of 3.75 m{sup 2} and depth of ~ 1.1 m. The two melters in the HLW facility together are designed to produce up to 7.5 MT of glass per day at 100% availability. Further increases in HL W waste processing rates can potentially be achieved by increasing the melter operating temperature above 1150°C and by increasing the waste loading in the glass product. Increasing the waste loading also has the added benefit of decreasing the number of canisters for storage.