Thermalhydraulic behavior of electrically heated rod during a critical heat flux transient

In nuclear reactors, the occurrence of critical heat flux leads to fuel rod overheating with clad fusion and radioactive products leakage. To predict the effects of such phenomenon, experiments are performed using electrically heated rods to simulate operational and accidental conditions of nuclear fuel rods. In the present work, it is performed a theoretical analysis of the drying and rewetting front propagation during a critical heat flux experiment, starting with the application of an electrical power step from steady state condition. After the occurrence of critical heat flux, the drying front propagation is predicted. After a few seconds, a power cut is considered and the rewetting front behavior is analytically observed. Studies performed with various values of coolant mass flow rate show that this variable has more influence on the drying front velocity than on the rewetting one.

Detection of Horizontal Two-Phase Flow Patterns Through a Neural Network Model

One of the main problems related to the transport and manipulation of multiphase fluids concerns the existence of characteristic flow patterns and its strong influence on important operation parameters. A good example of this occurs in gas-liquid chemical reactors in which maximum efficiencies can be achieved by maintaining a finely dispersed bubbly flow to maximize the total interfacial area. Thus, the ability to automatically detect flow patterns is of crucial importance, especially for the adequate operation of multiphase systems. This work describes the application of a neural model to process the signals delivered by a direct imaging probe to produce a diagnostic of the corresponding flow pattern. The neural model is constituted of six independent neural modules, each of which trained to detect one of the main horizontal flow patterns, and a last winner-take-all layer responsible for resolving when two or more patterns are simultaneously detected. Experimental signals representing different bubbly, intermittent, annular and stratified flow patterns were used to validate the neural model.

Remoção de fósforo de efluentes da parboilização de arroz por absorção biológica estimulada em reator em batelada sequencial (RBS)

O efluente do arroz parboilizado contém altas concentrações de fósforo. Um reator em batelada seqüencial (RBS) alimentado com efluente de reator UASB, operou com três fases anaeróbias e aeróbias e tempo de detenção de sólidos (TDS) de 25 d, 15 d, 10 d e 5d e tempo de reação (tR) de 1 d, 2 d e 3 d com e sem a adição de ácido acético (HAc). O reator operou com o efluente do equalizador em duas fases tratando com TDS de cinco dias. A eficiência foi calculada pela relação entre a massa de fósforo suspenso descartada e a massa total alimentada. O maior potencial de remoção de 46,14 mg ocorreu operando-se com uma fase anaeróbia e uma aeróbia com adição de HAc. O tR de um dia tem a maior possibilidade de aumento da eficiência pelo incremento do descarte de biomassa. A operação com TDS menores obtém as maiores eficiências de remoção. A capacidade de remoção é melhor utilizada com TDS de cinco dias. A maior eficiência (E=17,82%) foi obtida tratando o efluente do reator UASB com TDS de cinco dias, com duas fases, sem a adição HAc.

Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in fermented rice (Oryza sativa) bran

This study investigated the content of total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in fermented rice bran in order to evaluate the effect of solid state fermentation on these properties. The process was performed with the fungus Rhizopus oryzae CTT 1217 in tray reactors at 30 °C for 120 hours. Samples of fermented rice bran were collected every 24 hours. Antioxidant property was evaluated by the diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging method and through the inhibition of enzymatic oxidation and lipid peroxidation of olive oil. The methanol extract of the biomass obtained at 96 hours of fermentation inactivated 50% of free radical in 15 minutes. The same extract reduced the peroxide value in the olive oil by 57% after 30 days of storage. The aqueous extract of the biomass obtained at 120 hours was the most efficient inhibitor of the darkening reaction catalyzed by peroxidase.