Sharif Digital Repository

Fuel management in PWR nuclear reactors is comprised of a collection of principles and practices required for the planning, scheduling, refueling, and safe operation of nuclear power plants to minimize the total plant and system energy costs to the extent possible. Despite remarkable advancements in optimization procedures, inherent complexities in nuclear reactor structure and strong inter-dependency among the fundamental parameters of the core make it necessary to evaluate the most efficient arrangement of the core. Several patterns have been presented so far to determine the best configuration of fuels in the reactor core by emphasis on minimizing the local power peaking factor (Pq). In... 

The concentration and temperature behaviors of the self-diffusion coefficient were analyzed in glycerol-water and methanol-water solutions using Diffusion-Ordered Spectroscopy (DOSY) experiment. Our results indicate that the self-diffusion coefficient dips with increasing concentration and decreasing temperature. The concentration behavior shows that there is hydrogen bond interaction between water and alcohol, which declines the self-diffusion coefficients of both in the aqueous binary mixtures. The self-diffusion activation energies were estimated 13.6, 29.4, and 32.8 (kJ/mol) for methanol and 24.8, 25.5, and 27.6 (kJ/mol) for water in the methanol-water solutions with 0.03, 0.10, and 0.20... 

We study the problem of maximizing constrained non-monotone submodular functions and provide approximation algorithms that improve existing algorithms in terms of either the approximation factor or simplicity. Different constraints that we study are exact cardinality and multiple knapsack constraints for which we achieve (0.25-)-factor algorithms. We also show, as our main contribution, how to use the continuous greedy process for non-monotone functions and, as a result, obtain a 0.13-factor approximation algorithm for maximization over any solvable down-monotone polytope  

Originally, the application of nano zero valent iron/nickel (nZVI/Ni) particles for nitrate removal in porous media was studied. nZVI/Ni was prepared and employed in batch and continuous modes. Based on batch experiments, the reaction kinetics was consistent with the adsorption model by the order of 1-1.5. The variation of the kinetics order depends on pH and nickel content. So that highest reactivity was observed for nZVI with 10% of Ni at pH ≤ 3. Nitrate remediation in a continuous system was mostly influenced by seepage velocity, quantity and freshness of nZVI/Ni and particle size of porous media. In a batch mode, the maximum nitrate removal was 99% while in a continuous mode it did not... 

Originally, application of nano zero valent iron (nZVI) particles for the removal of lead (Pb2+) in porous media was studied. At first, stabilized nZVI (S-nZVI) was prepared and characterized, then used in batch and continuous systems. Based on the batch experiments, corresponding reaction kinetics well fitted with the pseudo-first-order adsorption model, and reaction rate ranged from 0.01 to 0.04 g/mg/min depend on solution pH and the molar ratio between Fe and Pb. In batch tests, optimal condition with more than 90% removal efficiency at 60 min was observed at a pH range of 4 to 6 and Fe/Pb ratio more than 2.5. Continuous experiments exposed that Pb2+ remediation was as well influenced by... 

In contrast to more polar media, G-quadruplex assembly reveals remarkably high thermodynamic and kinetic stability in toluene solutions. Depending on the substituents installed at the lipophilic guanosine, either a dodecamer or an octamer complex is formed in the presence of K+ or Na+ salts that resist conditions of high dilution and elevated temperatures without exhibiting significant dissociation. Moreover, kinetic exchange between complexed and uncomplexed G is slow enough in NMR to monitor G-quadruplex formation along a day time scale. © 2017 American Chemical Society  

Thermodynamic modeling is known as a promising tool for phase behavior modeling of asphaltene precipitation under different conditions such as pressure depletion and CO2 injection. In this work, a thermodynamic approach is used for modeling the phase behavior of asphaltene precipitation. The precipitated asphaltene phase is represented by an improved solid model, while the oil and gas phases are modeled with an equation of state. The PR-EOS was used to perform flash calculations. Then, the onset point and the amount of precipitated asphaltene were predicted. A computer code based on an improved solid model has been developed and used for predicting asphaltene precipitation data for one of... 

Thermodynamic modeling is known as a promising tool for phase behavior modeling of asphaltene precipitation under different conditions such as pressure depletion and CO2 injection. In this work, a thermodynamic approach is used for modeling the phase behavior of asphaltene precipitation. The precipitated asphaltene phase is represented by an improved solid model, while the oil and gas phases are modeled with an equation of state. The PR-EOS was used to perform flash calculations. Then, the onset point and the amount of precipitated asphaltene were predicted. A computer code based on an improved solid model has been developed and used for predicting asphaltene precipitation data for one of... 

In this work, forced-convection heat transfer of magnetic-sensitive nanofluids has been investigated in the presence of rotating magnetic field. In this regard, the laminar, Newtonian, incompressible, and two-dimensional (2D) fluid flow in a horizontal duct subject to constant wall temperature boundary condition was modeled. Moreover, the fluid was supposed to be non-electrical conductive and the magnetic field source comprised of two time varying components perpendicular to each other. Influences of magnetic field intensity and frequency, inlet fluid velocity, and spin viscosity on the forced-convection heat transfer of the magnetic nanofluids were investigated. It was found that the... 

In this article, three-dimensional (3D) forced-convection heat transfer of magnetic nanofluids in a pipe subject to constant wall heat flux in the presence of single or double permanent magnet(s) or current-carrying wire has been investigated and compared. In this regard, laminar fluid flow and equilibrium magnetization for the ferrofluid were considered. In addition, variations of magnetic field in different media were taken into account and the assumption of having a linear relationship of magnetization with applied magnetic field intensity was also relaxed. Effects of magnetic field intensity, nanoparticle volume fraction, Reynolds number value, and the type of magnetic field source... 

In this article, effects of magnetic fields induced by a finite length solenoid on the forced-convection heat transfer in a pipe partially filled with porous medium have been investigated. In this regard, two-dimensional steady-state fluid flow in the pipe was considered and the Darcy–Brinkman equation of motion was applied to model the fluid flow in the porous medium, as well as the thermal equilibrium was assumed between the solid phase and the magnetic nanofluid. Effects of electric current passing through the solenoid and the solenoid dimensions (i.e.; diameter and length) on the forced-convection heat transfer were studied carefully. The combined effects of the magnetic field and the... 

Applying the available neutron flux for medical and industrial purposes is the most important application of research reactors. The neutron radiography system is used for non-destructive testing (NDT) of materials so that it is one of the main applications of nuclear research reactors. One of these research reactors is the 5 MW pool-type light water research reactor of Tehran (TRR). This work aims to investigate on materials and location of the beam tube (BT) of the TRR radiography system to improve the index parameters of BT. Our results showed that a through-type BT with 20 cm thick carbon neutron filter, 1.2 cm and 9.4 cm of the diameter of inlet (D1) and output (D2) BT, respectively... 

Wind turbines are of the most promising devices to cut down carbon emissions. However, some phenomena that adversely affect their performance are inevitable. The aim of the present paper is to investigate flow separation prevention exploiting leading edge (LE) single dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator (SDBD-PA) on an airfoil belonging to a section of a locally developed wind turbine. The numerical results of the surface pressure distribution over the airfoil were compared with the experimental measurements carried out by the authors on the same blade section, and good agreement was found between numerical and experimental data for both plasma-OFF and plasma-ON cases. An in-depth... 

The bidentate carboxamide ligand N-(thiazole-2-yl) picolinamide (LH) was synthesized in the environmentally friendly ionic liquid TBAB, and the five-coordinated CuII-complex, [Cu(L)2(H2O)].CHCl3 (1) was synthesized from LH and copper(II)acetate. Cupric oxide [CuO] nanoparticles (2) have been prepared by the thermal decomposition of (1) as a new precursor at 600 °C for 3 h under air atmosphere. (1) was characterised using FT-IR spectroscopy, elemental analyses and its solid state structure was confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. (2) were identified by FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and thermo-gravimetric... 

The new Co(II) - carboxamide complex (1) and Co3O4 nanoparticles (2), by way of thermal decomposition of (1) have been efficiently synthesised in the environment-friendly. X-ray diffraction reveals a slightly distorted octahedral coordination of cobalt (four nitrogens and two oxygens) in (1) and regular octahedral or tetrahedral ones (oxygens only) in (2). The investigation of (1) and (2) in the Mizoroki-Heck and epoxidation of alkens reactions showed them both to be powerful, green and inexpensive catalysts. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd