Band segregation has been found in the H13 die steel produced by the electroslag remelting (ESR) technology. Chemical and metallographic studies have been carried out on a one ton ESR ingot of H13 die steel, so as to understand the formation mechanism of the band segregation. The results indicate that the T.O content and S content decreased because of cleanliness improvement of ESR process. Transverse macrosegregation of S content decreased after ESR. The overall removal ratio of the inclusion is around 65.8%. The original complex inclusions would be modified to the CaO•Al₂O₃ inclusions. Al₂O₃ and MnS inclusions can be found after ESR. Both of Al₂O₃ and MnS inclusions were found to be the core of primary carbides. The net like structure in ESR ingot and banded structure in the forged steel were observed. V, Mo, Cr and S are rich in the segregation areas of ESR ingot. Besides, black and white segregation bands can be observed on the forged steel samples after etching. Uneven distribution of carbides rich in V, Mo and Cr was observed in banded structure.

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Strongly correlated materials show unique solid-state phase transitions with rich nanoscale phenomenology that can be controlled by external stimuli. Particularly interesting is the case of light–matter interaction in the proximity of the metal–insulator transition of heteroepitaxial nickelates. In this work, we use near-infrared laser light in the high-intensity excitation regime to manipulate the nanoscale phase separation in NdNiO3. By tuning the laser intensity, we can reproducibly set the coverage of insulating nanodomains, which we image by photoemission electron microscopy, thus semipermanently configuring the material state. With the aid of transport measurements and finite element simulations, we identify two different timescales of thermal dynamics in the light–matter interaction: a steady-state and a fast transient local heating. These results open interesting perspectives for locally manipulating and reconfiguring electronic order at the nanoscale by optical means.@en

The potential of shale reservoirs for gas extraction is largely determined by the permeability of the rock. Typical pore diameters in shales range from the μm down to the nm scale. The permeability of shale reservoirs is a function of the interconnectivity between the pore space and the natural fracture network present. We have measured the permeability of the Whitby Mudstone, the exposed counterpart of the Posidonia Shales buried in the Dutch subsurface and a possible target for unconventional gas, using different methods and established a correlation with the microstructures and pore networks present down to the nanometer scale. Whitby Mudstone is a clay rich rock with a low porosity. The permeability of the Whitby Mudstone is in the range of 10⁻¹⁸m²–10⁻²¹m². 2D microstructures of the Whitby Mudstone show no connected pore networks, but isolated pore bodies mainly situated in the clay matrix, whereas 3D data shows that connected pore networks are present in less compacted parts of the rock. A closely spaced interconnected fracture network is often required to speed up transport of fluids from the matrix into a producing well. For fluids within the matrix the nearest natural fracture is on average at a distance of approximately 10cm in the Whitby Mudstone. The combination of the permeability data and the porosity data with natural fracture spacing of the fractures present in outcrops along the Yorkshire coast (UK) resulted in new insights into possible fluid pathways from reservoir to well.

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A standard procedure in processing vertical seismic profile (VSP) data is the separation of up-and downgoing wavefields. We show that the up-down wavefields in boreholes can be reconstructed using only singlecomponent borehole data, given that a full set of surface reflection data is also available. No medium parameters are required. The method is wave-equation based for a general inhomogeneous lossless medium with moderately curved interfaces. It relies on a focusing wavefield from the Marchenko method, which gives the recipe for finding this wavefield that satisfies certain focusing conditions in a reference medium. The up-down wavefields are then reconstructed at borehole positions using this focusing wavefields and the surface reflection response. We show that the method is applicable to boreholes with any general orientation. The requirement is that the source positions in the surface data are regularized to be the same as those in the borehole data, and that source deconvolution and surface multiple removal are applied for the surface data. Numerical results from a field in the North Sea are shown, and three different borehole geometries (horizontal, deviated and vertical) are tested. The result shows that the reconstructed up-down wavefields agree well with those by conventional separation methods. @en

The standard requirement for up-down wavefield separation in seismic data is to use multi-component data. An important application for such separation is to remove the interference from multiple reflections from either the free surface or the internal subsurface structures. As an alternative, we propose an automatic scheme of estimating the up-down wavefields in a horizontal borehole using only single component measurements. The scheme builds upon recent developments of the Marchenko method. The up-down fields are constructed essentially from the surface reflection response (surface seismic data), together with the direct waves' travel time from the borehole data. No prior information of the subsurface is needed, and an automatic working flow is suggested. The numerical test using a synthetic field model shows good results compared to that from a conventional multi-component approach. @en

The protective film formed in a defect by leaching of lithium oxalate from model organic coatings during neutral salt spray exposure has been investigated. A scribed area of about 1 mm width was introduced on the coated AA2024‐T3 aluminium alloy. The scribed area was examined before and after exposure in neutral salt spray environment for 4, 8, 24 and 168 h by scanning and transmission electron microscopies. It was found that the lithium oxalate was able to leach from the organic coating during neutral salt spray exposure and it promoted the formation of a film that provided effective corrosion protection to the alloy. The typical film morphology consists of three different layers, including a relatively compact layer near the alloy substrate, a porous middle layer and a columnar outer layer. Variation of the film morphology was also observed at different locations of the scribed alloy surface, which may be related to the difference of local concentration of lithium species. Electron energy loss spectroscopy detected lithium, aluminium and oxygen in the film. Although the film showed the varied morphologies in different regions of the scribed area, the alloy substrate was protected from corrosion when the film was formed@en

Since 2003, Mainland China has been promoting the public–private partnership (PPP) procurement model in the waste-to-energy incineration sector to reduce the waste burying rate and improve environmental quality. Five critical risk factors (CRFs) that affect the construction and operation of waste-to-energy incineration projects have been identified from real-life risk events of 14 PPP waste-to-energy incineration plants through content analysis. These risk factors are insufficient waste supply, disposal of non-licensed waste, environmental risk, payment risk, and lack of supporting infrastructure. A recently completed PPP waste-to-energy incineration plant, the Shanghai Tianma project, was investigated to learn from the effective management of CRFs. First-hand data about the Shanghai Tianma project was collected, with a focus on project negotiation and concession agreement. Lessons learned about risk management were acquired. This paper presents a detailed study of the contractual structure, risk sharing scheme, risk response measures to CRFs, and project transfer of a PPP project. The study results will provide governments with management implications to prepare equitable concession agreements and benefit private investors by effectively mitigating and managing risks in future PPP waste-to-energy incineration projects.@en