Earticle

We have been developing a new magnetic filter so that small sized paramagnetic substances can be separated even in a low magnetic field (lower than 2T). The developed filter is a packed ferromagnetic filament with a triangular cross section. The filament has a diameter of 120 μm and a length of 3 mm, and is mechanically packed with a volume ratio of 17.6%. Using this filter, a magnetic separation experiment of hematite was carried out using a superconducting magnet at the field of 2T. Similarly, magnetic separation was performed using a conventional magnetic filter. It became clear that the separation efficiency of newly developed filter is high as that of conventional mesh filter. The smaller sized hematite (<3μm) could be separated though conventional mesh filter could not separate.

Isolation of pollutant-degrading bacteria is important in bioaugmentation, one of the methods for biological degradation of environmental contaminants. We focused on the magnetic activated sludge (MAS) process as a culture method that efficiently concentrates degrading bacteria, and cultured activated sludge with 1,4-dioxane as a model pollutant. After 860 days of operation, MLVSS, which indicates the amount of sludge, increased from 390 mg/L to 10,000 mg/L, and the removal rate of organic matter including 1,4-dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, and glucose in the artificial wastewater reached up to 97%. Based on these results, the MAS process was successfully used to acclimate activated sludge with 1,4-dioxane. Bacterial flora analysis in the MAS showed that bacteria of the genus Pseudonocardia, already reported as 1,4-dioxane degrading bacteria, play an important role in the degradation of this pollutant. The MAS process is a suitable culture method for acclimation of environmental pollutants, and the findings indicate that it can be used as an enrichment unit for pollutant-degrading bacteria.

Magnetic separation technology for small paramagnetic particles has been desired for the volume reduction of contaminated soil from the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident and for the separation of scale and crud from nuclear power plants. However, the magnetic separation for paramagnetic particles requires a superconducting high gradient magnetic separation system applied, hence expanding the bore diameter of the magnets is necessary for mass processing and the initial and running costs would be enormous. The use of high magnetic fields makes safe onsite operation difficult, and there is an industrial need to increase the magnetic separation efficiency for paramagnetic particles in as low a magnetic field as possible. Therefore, we have been developing a magnetic separation system combined with a selection tube, which can separate small paramagnetic particles in a low magnetic field. In the previous technique we developed, a certain range of particle size was classified, and the classified particles were captured by magnetic separation. In this new approach, the fluid control method has been improved in order to the selectively classify particles of various diameters by using a multi-stage selection tube. The soil classification using a multi-stage selection tube was studied by calculation and experiment, and good results were obtained. In this paper, we report the effectiveness of the multi-stage selection tube was examined.

Pollution of the environment by micro-plastics is now a worldwide problem. Plastics are difficult to decompose and put a great load on the marine environment. Especially a plastic with a size of 5 mm or less is defined as micro-plastic and are carried by ocean currents over long distances, causing global pollution. These are not easily decomposed in the natural environment. In this paper, we aimed to experimentally demonstrate that micro-plastics in seawater can be continuously separated by electromagnetic Archimedes force. Using polyethylene particles of 3 mm in diameter as the separation target, a flow channel was fabricated and separation conditions were investigated by particle trajectory calculations for separation experiments. Based on the calculation results, a solenoid-type superconducting magnet was used as a source of magnetic field to conduct separation experiments of microplastics in seawater. Although a high separation rate was assumed in the simulation results, the experimental results did not show any significant improvement in the separation rate due to the electromagnetic Archimedes force. It was found that the gas generated by the electrolytic reaction may have inhibited the migration of the particles.

Magnetic properties of MgB2 superconducting powder were investigated. M(H), the magnetic field H dependence of magnetization M, was measured and analyzed using a PPMS instrument. The MgB2 superconducting powder showed high critical current density Jc > ∼ 107 A/cm2 and clean limit superconducting properties. The equilibrium magnetization Meq properties of MgB2 powders exhibiting various superconducting properties were studied. We find that the equilibrium magnetization Meq(H) properties of MgB2 powders showing conventional BCS properties deviate from the predictions of the standard local-London theory at temperatures below T = 19 K and are in good agreement with the generalized nonlocal-London theory. Nonlocal-London analysis was used to determine and analyze the nonlocal parameters. The temperature dependence of the London penetration depth values (T) was studied.

Magnetic relaxation properties of pure MgB2 powder samples and diluted water-treated MgB2 powder samples were investigated. The magnetic field H-dependence, m(H), and the time t-dependence, m(t), of the magnetic moment m were measured and analyzed using the PPMS-VSM magnetometer equipment, respectively. The m(t) reduction rates of pure MgB2 powder samples and diluted water-treated MgB2 powder samples decreased to about 0.7 ∼ 1.8% and 0.6 ∼ 1.0% for about 7200 s, respectively, at temperature T = 15 K. The magnetic relaxation properties of the two types of MgB2 powders were analyzed by calculating the magnetic relaxation rate S = -dln(Mirr)/dln(t) values according to Anderson-Kim theory. The magnetic relaxation ratio S values of the two types of MgB2 powder samples were almost similar. As a result of the quantum creep effect, the constant magnetic relaxation rate S characteristic was confirmed at a temperature range of T = 10 K or less.

The practical application of REBCO coated conductor (CC) tapes, vital for energy transmission (e.g., cable application) and highfield magnets (e.g., coil application), necessitates efficient and simple quality assessment procedures. This study introduces a systematic approach to assess the electromechanical properties of REBCO CC tapes under 77 K and self-field conditions. The approach involves customized tensile and bending tests that clarify the critical current (Ic) response of the CC tapes under mechanical loads induced by tension and bending. This study measures the retained Ic values of commercially available GdBCO CC tapes under 250 MPa tensile stress and 40 mm bending diameter. Through experimentation, the study demonstrates the resilience of these tapes and their suitability for applications. By presenting a simplified stress-based analysis and a bending test of the tapes, the study contributes to effective quality assessment methods for the development of practical superconducting products.

The evaluation of no-insulation (NI) high-temperature superconducting (HTS) typically uses the lumped equivalent circuit (LEC) model. Constant parameters in the NI HTS LEC model accurately predict voltage and central magnetic field at currents below the critical current. However, it is difficult to find constant circuit parameters that simultaneously satisfy the measured voltage and magnetic field under overcurrent conditions. Recent research highlights changes in contact resistance during transient conditions, which may impact power loss estimation in NI HTS coils. Therefore, we confirm the influence of contact resistance changes on loss calculation in the transient state for NI HTS coil. To achieve this, we introduce a measurement data analysis method based on the LEC model and compare it with the LEC model using constant circuit parameters.

Polymer composites, especially glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) are finding ever-increasing applications in areas such as superconductivity, space technology, cryogenic rocket engines, and cryogenic storage vessels. Various components made of polymer composites are much lighter than their metallic counterparts but have equivalent strength for ultra-low temperature applications. In this paper, we have investigated the tensile properties of an indigenously prepared unidirectional cylindrical hollow composite tube for its use as a neck of the cryogenic vessel. XRD and SEM of the tube are completed before cryogenic conditioning to ascertain the fiber and resin distribution in the matrix. The result shows that for composites, after 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes of cryogenic conditioning at 77K in a liquid nitrogen bath, the strength and modulus increase significantly with the increase of strain rate and reach the optimum value for 45 minutes of conditioning. The results are encouraging as they will be helpful in assessing the suitability of GFRP in the structural design of epoxy-based components for cryogenic applications.

This paper presents the design of a re-liquefaction system as a BOG (boil-off gas) handling process in liquid hydrogen transport vessels. The total capacity of the re-liquefaction system was assumed to be 3 ton/day, with a BOR (boil-off rate) of 0.2 %/day inside the cargo. The re-liquefaction cycle was devised using the He-Brayton Cycle, incorporating considerations of BOG capacity and operational stability. The primary components of the system, such as compressors, expanders, and heat exchangers, were selected to meet domestically available specifications. Case studies were conducted based on the specifications of the components to determine the optimal design parameters for the re-liquefaction system. This encompassed variables such as helium mass flow rate, the number of compressors, compressor inlet pressure and compression ratio, as well as the quantity and composition of expanders. Additionally, an analysis of exergy destruction and exergy efficiency was carried out for the components within the system. Remarkably, while previous design studies of BOG re-liquefaction systems for liquid hydrogen vessels were confined to theoretical and analytical realms, this research distinguishes itself by accounting for practical implementation through equipment and system design.