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Everything Physical Science
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Written by Everything Science
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Jan 21, 2006 at 11:00 PM |
The first large production order for the Wendelstein 7-X fusion experiment, construction of the plasma chamber, has been successfully completed: The 20 sectors of the bizarrely shaped 35-ton vessel were assembled from several hundred individual components – an engineering masterpiece. Installation of the whole complex device, which started in spring 2005 at the Greifswald branch of Max Planck Institute of Plasma Physics (IPP), will take about six years.
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| Part of the plasma chamber of Wendelstein 7-X: Twenty of these elements are joined to form a ring shaped in keeping with the twisting contours of the plasma. The ports in the vessel grant access for heating and measuring facilities. (Photo: IPP, W. Filser) |
The aim of fusion research is to derive energy from fusion of atomic nuclei like the sun. To ignite the fusion fire the fuel in a future power plant, a hydrogen plasma, has to be confined in magnetic fields and heated to temperatures of over 100 million degrees. Wendelstein 7-X, which on completion will be the biggest fusion device of the stellarator type in the world, is aimed at investigating the suitability of this concept for application in power plants.
The plasma vessel was produced in 20 sections by MAN DWE GmbH at Deggendorf, Germany, four of which are already in use at IPP for installing the experiment. The assembled ring-shaped plasma chamber with a diameter of about 12 metres will later confine the plasma heated to 100 million degrees. The shape of the vessel is matched to the twisting plasma ring. This peculiar shape in conjunction with the high precision required constitutes a major challenge for production: tolerances of less than 3 millimetres being called for in some cases.
In order to fashion the bizarre shape from steel, the 35-ton vessel was assembled from 200 individual rings. Each ring, in turn, is composed of several finger-thick steel strips 18 centimetres wide which are multiply bent in keeping with the twisting contours. The more than 800 individual components of the vessel are joined vacuum-proof by more than 1,600 metres of brazing. For this purpose the components to be connected were placed in exactly defined positions two millimetres apart, the gaps being closed by hand with several adjacent and superposed brazed layers of wire – a total of several kilometres of brazing wire being used in the process.
 (1) Comments posted about this in the forum
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Last Updated ( Jan 22, 2006 at 08:41 PM )
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Everything Archaeology
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Written by Everything Science
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Dec 14, 2005 at 11:00 PM |
Palaeontologists from the University of Bonn report on an intriguing diagnosis in the 16 December issue of the journal Science. A dinosaur which they have examined was apparently able to vary the speed of its growth according the conditions obtaining in its environment. Although tortoises and crocodiles also do this, plateosaurus engelhardti seems to be unique among dinosaurs, leading experts to puzzle over whether the family history of the dinosaurs will need to be rewritten.
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| Martin Sander taking samples of a fossil dinosaur bone for further examinations. | ‘Basically dinosaurs grew like we do,’ the Bonn palaeontologist Dr. Martin Sander explains: ‘Each age corresponded to a particular body size.’ There was not much leeway involved. Reptiles do things differently: when food is scarce they grow more slowly than when there is food galore. Thus, a tortoise can be 30, 40 or even 60 centimetres long at the same age. ‘Warm-blooded animals, by contrast, cannot so easily turn down their metabolism,’ the lecturer says: ‘If the food supply is inadequate, there’s only one thing they can do – die.’ Dinosaurs lie somewhere in between: although they are descended from the reptiles, many of them had become warm-blooded, most researchers today agree. And they all grew like modern mammals: in accordance with a genetically programmed blueprint and in addition relatively fast. ‘At least that’s what was thought until recently,’ Dr. Sander says. ‘However, our findings have thrown this conception into disarray, at least for one dinosaur.’
(2) Comments posted about this in the forum
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Last Updated ( Dec 15, 2005 at 03:07 PM )
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Everything Space
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Written by Everything Science
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Dec 02, 2005 at 11:00 PM |
Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) has been awarded one of the UK’s most prestigious educational awards for its astronomical excellence and public engagement in science.
 | | The Liverpool Telescope |
The biennial Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Further and Higher Education recognise and reward the outstanding contribution that universities and colleges in the United Kingdom make to the intellectual, economic, cultural and social life of the nation.
LJMU’s winning entry relates to the development of the world’s largest and most sophisticated ground-based robotic telescopes, which are opening up new areas of research for professional astronomers. The University is praised for the creative application of this technology not only as part of its innovative undergraduate programmes and distance learning courses, but also because it is being harnessed to reveal the wonders of science to school children around the UK through LJMU’s National Schools’ Observatory.
Professor Michael Brown, LJMU’s Vice-Chancellor said: “Our Astrophysics Research Institute has led the world in developing robotic telescopes, which can monitor variable astronomical objects in a way not possible with other telescopes. What’s even more ground-breaking is that they have been able to harness this cutting edge technology to enthuse future generations of scientists, from primary school pupils right through to postgraduate students, through innovative courses and the National Schools’ Observatory.”
(1) Comments posted about this in the forum
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Last Updated ( Dec 13, 2005 at 06:12 PM )
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Energy Sources
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Written by Everything Science
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Nov 24, 2005 at 11:00 PM |
SONOMA & CARNEROS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 23, 2005--Cline Cellars announced today substantial completion of the winery's new solar electric system. Designed and built by SolarCraft Services Incorporated of Novato, California, the system will provide 100% of the winery's annual electricity needs for its Carneros production facility.
 | | Cline Cellars Solar Electric Panels. 34,625 square feet of high capacity solar panels will generate roughly 411 kilowatts, providing 100% of the winery's annual energy needs. (Photo: Business Wire) |
SolarCraft designed a lightweight aluminum mounting structure that works well with the structural capacity of the winery's steel warehouse and fermentation buildings, while giving the panels a slight tilt directly south. The winery's roof is roughly 50,000 square feet and now supports just under two thousand Sharp solar panels. The 34,625 square feet of high capacity solar panels will generate roughly 411 kilowatts, providing 100% of the winery's annual energy consumption. The solar panels will generate so much energy that the winery contracted SolarCraft to completely upgrade its electrical infrastructure to support the increased capacity. Cline Cellars first considered the switch to solar in 2003. While researching designers and installers, the winery realized that state rebates per kilowatt were dropping. The winery's management decided to take action before rebates dropped further. In 2004, Cline Cellars awarded SolarCraft the contract to design and build their system. SolarCraft immediately assisted Cline with the applications for the solar energy rebate program with the Public Utilities Commission. In March 2005 the PUC approved the project. Cline Cellars' goal is to be energy independent -- creating predictable energy and costs. Towards that goal, SolarCraft Services first assessed and reduced the winery's energy demands. In 2004, SolarCraft advised Cline Cellars to install energy saving lights throughout the facility and add a new urethane, foam-insulating roof that reduces cooling costs in the summer by up to 30 percent. (2) Comments posted about this in the forum
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Last Updated ( Nov 25, 2005 at 08:00 PM )
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