Missing pellet surface (MPS) defects are local geometric defects in nuclear fuel pellets that result from pellet mishandling or manufacturing. The presence of MPS defects can cause clad stress concentrations that are substantial enough to produce through-wall cladding failure for certain combinations of fuel burnup, and reactor power level or power change. Consequently, the impact of potential ...

The association of radiolabelled taurocholic acid with the solid fraction of a faecal fermentation mixture was measured. A human faecal inoculum was incubated with [24-14C]taurocholic acid and several non-starch polysaccharide sources (pectin, wheat bran, ispaghula (Plantago ovata) husk and seed), glucose or a substrate-free control. Portions of fermentation mixture were taken at 0, 3, 6, 21 an...

There exists in the literature indication that some mitochondrial enzymes, particularly succinoxidase and cytochrome oxidase, are part of the mitochondrial structure and thus are insoluble when the mitochondria are disrupted. I t has further been supposed in particular by Cleland and Slater (1) that this insoluble fraction consists of mitochondrial membranes. However, no direct test of the memb...

Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) pellet surveys are an efficient tool for monitoring population trends, but there is no standard methodology used to conduct surveys. To assist researchers in developing protocols, we evaluated pellet-decay rates and aging in 3 snowshoe hare habitat types in Alaska during the peak and decline of the hare population from 1999–2002. We found significant differences...

Tokamak discharges are sometimes terminated by disruptions that may cause large mechanical and thermal loads on the vessel. To mitigate disruption-induced problems it has been proposed that “killer” pellets could be injected into the plasma in order to safely terminate the discharge. Killer pellets enhance radiative energy loss and thereby lead to rapid cooling and shutdown of the discharge. Bu...

Pellet heat and mass transfer coefficients inside packed beds do not have definite deterministic values, but are stochastic quantities with a certain distribution. Here, a method is presented to incorporate the stochastic distribution of pellet properties in reactor design and operation models. The theory presented is illustrated with a number of examples. It is shown that pellet-scale statisti...

Effects of pellet morphology on broth rheology are reported for pelleted submerged cultures of the lovastatin producing filamentous fungus Aspergillus terreus, growing in fluidized bed and stirred tank bioreactors. The pellet diameter and compactness were affected by the agitation intensity of the broth; however, the total biomass productivity was not affected. In fluidized beds and stirred tan...