Temperature cycle

Organisms evolving under aimual temperature cycles and in environments with varying temperatures spatially have incorporated thermal cues in reproductive behavior, habitat selection, and certain other features which act at the population level. Thus, the balance of births and mortaUties, which determines whether a species survives, is akin to the metaboHc balance at the physiological level in being dependent upon the match, within certain limits, to prescribed temperatures at different times of year. At the ecosystem level, relationships among species, eg, predators, competitors, prey animals, and plant foods, are related to environmental temperatures in complex ways. Many of these interactions are poorly understood. 

Mechanical Properties. Most of electronic IC devices are very fragile. They need strong mechanical protection from the encapsulant to retain their long-term reUabiUty. Encapsulant must provide mechanical protection but still maintain good temperature-cycle and thermal-shock testing, which are part of the routine reUabiUty testing of the embedding electronics. 

A signihcant problem in tire combination of solid electrolytes with oxide electrodes arises from the difference in thermal expansion coefficients of the materials, leading to rupture of tire electrode/electrolyte interface when the fuel cell is, inevitably, subject to temperature cycles. Insufficient experimental data are available for most of tire elecuolytes and the perovskites as a function of temperature and oxygen partial pressure, which determines the stoichiometty of the perovskites, to make a quantitative assessment at the present time, and mostly decisions must be made from direct experiment. However, Steele (loc. cit.) observes that tire electrode Lao.eSro.rCoo.aFeo.sOs-j functions well in combination widr a ceria-gadolinia electrolyte since botlr have closely similar thermal expansion coefficients. 

Some metals are soluble as atomic species in molten silicates, the most quantitative studies having been made with Ca0-Si02-Al203(37, 26, 27 mole per cent respectively). The results at 1800 K gave solubilities of 0.055, 0.16, 0.001 and 0.101 for the pure metals Cu, Ag, Au and Pb. When these metal solubilities were compared for metal alloys which produced 1 mm Hg pressure of each of these elements at this temperature, it was found drat the solubility decreases as the atomic radius increases, i.e. when die difference in vapour pressure of die pure metals is removed by alloy formation. If the solution was subjected to a temperature cycle of about 20 K around the control temperamre, the copper solution precipitated copper particles which grew with time. Thus the liquid metal drops, once precipitated, remained stable thereafter. 

Figure 2-5 shows the improvement in eyele effieieney beeause of heat recovery with respect to a simple open-cycle gas turbine of 4.33.T ratio pressure and 1,200°F inlet temperature. Cycle efficiency drops with an increasing pressure drop in the regenerator. 

Thermal fatigue characteristically results from temperature cycles in service. Even if an alloy is con ectly selected and operated within normal design limits for creep strength and hot-gas corrosion resistance, it can fail from thermal fatigue. 

The best sub-atmospheric refrigerant is water. Unfortunately it is not strongly adsorbed by carbons, but refrigerators and heat pumps based on water - zeolite pairs have been built and tested in research laboratories. Methanol is adsorbed well by carbons and a solar refrigerator based on a carbon - methanol pair was marketed by Brissoneau et Lotz Marine in France. Methanol is environmentally friendly, but deeomposes at temperatures around 150°C and so camiot be used for very high temperature cycles. 

Buildup of condensate in a heat exchanger can cause operating problems as well as water hammer. If the steam supply is controlled by a motor valve and the valve is not fully open, the steam pressure may be too low to expel the condensate, and its level will rise. This will reduce heat transfer, and ultimately the steam supply valve will open fully and expel the condensate. The cycle will then start again. This temperature cycling is bad for the heat exchanger and the plant and may be accompa-... 

Other detrimental factors which should to be taken into account in the materials selection process include temperature cycling and the presence of halide gases. Specialist alloys containing rare earth element additions such as cerium, lanthanum and yttrium have been developed for use in certain environments up to 130°C. 

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