Thermal management

Effect of volcano ash particle size on jet engines

By Eileen De Guire / October 15, 2013

A University of Cambridge (UK) team looked at factors that contribute to volcanic ash sticking to surfaces of a turbine of a small turbojet engine, focusing on tow key parameters—gas (and particle) temperature and turbine surface temperature.

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With $6M in hand, NSF and EPRI soliciting novel R&D proposals to cut water use at power plants

By Eileen De Guire / May 26, 2013

Some power generation cooling towers are immense. Credit: Nick Smith/Wikipedia Commons/Creative Commons Did you know that two-fifths of the freshwater uptake and 3 percent of actual freshwater consumption in the…

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Ceramic matrix composites make inroads in aerospace

By Jim Destefani / May 14, 2013

Oxide CMC exhaust ground test demonstrator consists of a 1.60-m diameter nozzle and 1.14-m diameter × 2.34-m conical centerbody with titanium end cap inspection portal. Credit: Steyer; IJACT. Ceramic matrix…

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Carbon nanotube–ceramic coatings up to the task of measuring high-power laser output

By Eileen De Guire / April 25, 2013

Micrograph of one strand of a new spray-on super-nanotube composite developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Kansas State University. A ceramic shell surrounds the multiwall…

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Aerogel-based insulation continuing to make progress with commercialization

By Eileen De Guire / April 5, 2013

Official video (in German) of STO In Aevero aerogel insulation boards. Credit: STO. One of the promises of your basic silica-based aerogel is that it would make a fantastic component…

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Record attendance at St. Louis/RCD symposium on refractories for petrochemical industry

By Eileen De Guire / March 29, 2013

I just got back from the 49th Annual Symposium on Refractories that was held Wednesday and Thursday at the combined St. Louis Section and Refractory Ceramics Division meeting. The theme…

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There’s more to multifunctional ultra-flyweight aerogel produced at a Zhejiang U. lab than just ‘world’s lightest material’ record

By Eileen De Guire / March 28, 2013

(a) Photograph of new UFAs with diverse shapes; (b) a 100 cm3 cylinder standing on a flower like “dog’s tail”; (c) a ~1000 cm3 pie pan-shaped cylinder (21 cm in diameter…

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Ceramics and glass business news of the week

By Eileen De Guire / March 22, 2013

Here is what we are hearing: Morgan Technical Ceramics launches new high-performance piezoelectric material Morgan Technical Ceramics, a market leader in the design and manufacture of high-quality ceramic solutions, is…

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Ceramics and glass business news of the week

By Eileen De Guire / March 8, 2013

Here is what we are hearing: Lynas reports first rare earths from Malaysia facility Lynas Corp. is pleased to confirm that the Lynas Advanced Material Plant in Malaysia (LAMP) has…

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‘Summer camp’ for science—Gordon Research Conferences 2013

By Eileen De Guire / February 22, 2013

The 2013 Gordon Research Conference schedule is available now. Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass., will host the ceramics Gordon Research Conference—but it will not take place until 2014.…

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