One-week habitation of two humans in an airtight facility with two goats and 23 crops – Analysis of carbon,oxygen, and water circulation

Human habitation and animal holding experiments in a closed environment, the Closed Ecology Experiment Facilities (CEEF), were carried out. The CEEF were established for collecting experimental data to estimate carbon transfer in the ecosystem around Rokkasho nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. Circulation of O₂ and CO₂, and supply of food from crops cultivated in the CEEF were conducted for the first time in the habitation experiments. Two humans known as eco-nauts inhabited the CEEF, living and working in the Plant Module (PM) and the Animal and Habitation Module (AHM), for a week three times in 2005. On a fresh weight basis, 82% of their food was supplied from 23 crops including rice and soybean, cultivated and harvested in the PM, in the 2nd and 3rd experiments. For the goats, the animals held in the experiments, all of their feed, consisting of rice straw, soybean plant leaves, and peanut shells and peanut plant leaves, was produced in the PM in the 2nd and 3rd experiments. The O₂ produced in the PM by photosynthesis of the crops was separated by the O₂ separator using molecular sheaves, then accumulated, transferred, and supplied to the AHM atmosphere. The CO₂ produced in the AHM by respiration of the humans and animals was separated by the CO₂ separator using solid amine, then accumulated, transferred, and supplied to the PM atmosphere. The amount of O₂ consumed in the AHM was 46–51% of that produced in the PM, and the amount of CO₂ produced in the AHM was 43–56% of that consumed in the PM. The surplus of O₂ and the shortage of CO₂ was a result of the fact that waste of the goats and the crops and part of the human waste were not processed in these habitation experiments. The estimated amount of carbon ingested by the eco-nauts was 64–92% of that in the harvested edible part of the crops. The estimated amount of carbon ingested by the goats was 36–53% of that in the harvested inedible part of the crops. One week was not enough time for determination of gas exchange especially for humans and animals, because fluctuation of their gas exchange was quite high. The amount of transpired water collected as condensate was 818–938 L d⁻¹, and it was recycled as replenishing water compensating transpiration loss of nutrient solution. The amount of waste nutrient solution discharged from the PM was 1421–1644 L d⁻¹. The waste nutrient solutions from rice and other crops were processed through micro filters (MFs) separately. The MF filtrated solutions were processed with reverse osmosis (RO) membrane filter separately and divided into filtrated water and concentrated waste nutrient solution. The concentrated waste nutrient solution from the crops other than rice was processed through an ultra-micro filter (UF) and reused, although that from rice was discharged in 2005. Concentrations of nutritional ions in the UF filtrated solution were determined, the depleted ions were added back, the UF filtrated solution was diluted with the RO membrane filtrated water, and the nutrient solution for the crops other than rice was regenerated. The nutrient solution for rice was newly made each time, using concentrated solution from an external source and the RO membrane filtrated water. Average amounts of water used in the AHM (L d⁻¹) were determined as follows: drinking by humans (filtrated water), 1.5; cooking, etc. (filtrated water other than for drinking), 14.3; drinking by goats, 3.8; showering (hot water), 13.2; showering (cold water), 0.1; washing of hand and face and brushing teeth, 4.1; washing of dishes, dish clothes and towels, 36.4; and washing of animal holding tools, 0.3. The waste water was processed by a RO purification system and recycled for toilet flushing and animal pens washing. A circulation experiment for water was started in 2006 and a circulation experiment for waste materials is planned for 2007. In 2006, a single duration of the air circulation experiments was 2 weeks, although the human habitants were changed after 1 week.     

西安市自来水中铝离子的安全性分析

根据西安市各水厂的供水情况，选择具有代表性的曲江水厂为研究对象，对水中的铝离子含量及健康危害风险进行了研究，发现该厂自来水中铝离子超标率为9％，尽管对人体的健康危害风险值在人们可接受范围内，但其最大值已经和人们最大可以接受的风险值在同一数量级。     

双悬臂梁试样能量释放率计算的新方法

基于一阶剪切变形层板理论，提出了一种适用于双悬臂梁试样能量释放率计算的可动边界变分方法解，分层前缘各点的能量释放率为剪力和挠度偏导数之乘积。该方法有较高的计算效率。通过与二维和三维有限元方法的计算比较，验证了本方法的正确性。     

SPECIAL HIGH-ORDER BENDING CRACK TIP FINITE ELEMENT FOR THE REISSNER PLATE

ＳＰＥＣＩＡＬＨＩＧＨ┐ＯＲＤＥＲＢＥＮＤＩＮＧＣＲＡＣＫＴＩＰＦＩＮＩＴＥＥＬＥＭＥＮＴＦＯＲＴＨＥＲＥＩＳＳＮＥＲＰＬＡＴＥＪｉａｎｇＣｈｉｐｉｎｇ（ＤｅｐａｒｔｍｅｎｔｏｆＦｌｉｇｈｔＶｅｈｉｃｌｅＤｅｓｉｇｎａｎｄＡｐｐｌｉｅｄＭｅｃｈａｎｉ...     

轴向运动粘弹性板横向振动分析的有限差分方法

研究轴向运动粘弹性矩形薄板的横向振动特性.根据牛顿第二定律建立了偏微分控制方程,采用有限差分法,计算四边简支边界条件下粘弹性板的无量纲固有复频率.重点讨论了矩形薄板的粘弹性系数、轴向无量纲运动速度对其横向振动特性的影响.     

空间发动机系统关机过程水击现象理论分析

对空间发动机系统关机过程进行了数值仿真分析,讨论了关机过程中系统管路内的水击现象,以及多推力室发动机系统工作状态、阀门响应特性等因素对水击现象的影响。     

Detection of regolith buried water stream channels on Mars with the help of synthetic aperture radar

A major theme in the study of Mars is the search for evidence that water was present in the past or is present today, either at or below the surface. Biological life is connected to water. Hence much research is focused on the detection of water stream channels, which in the past flowed on Mars. In these areas, the petrified remains of the former life on Mars may be found. These channels may be under the regolith layer; however, the radio wave penetrating ability allows for the detection of these channels under the regolith.     

The water cycle in closed ecological systems: Perspectives from the Biosphere 2 and Laboratory Biosphere systems

To achieve sustainable, healthy closed ecological systems requires solutions to challenges of closing the water cycle – recycling wastewater/irrigation water/soil medium leachate and evaporated water and supplying water of required quality as needed for different needs within the facility. Engineering Biosphere 2, the first multi-biome closed ecological system within a total airtight footprint of 12,700 m² with a combined volume of 200,000 m³ with a total water capacity of some 6 × 10⁶ L of water was especially challenging because it included human inhabitants, their agricultural and technical systems, as well as five analogue ecosystems ranging from rainforest to desert, freshwater ecologies to saltwater systems like mangrove and mini-ocean coral reef ecosystems. By contrast, the Laboratory Biosphere – a small (40 m³ volume) soil-based plant growth facility with a footprint of 15 m² – is a very simplified system, but with similar challenges re salinity management and provision of water quality suitable for plant growth. In Biosphere 2, water needs included supplying potable water for people and domestic animals, irrigation water for a wide variety of food crops, and recycling and recovering soil nutrients from wastewater. In the wilderness biomes, providing adequately low salinity freshwater terrestrial ecosystems and maintaining appropriate salinity and pH in aquatic/marine ecosystems were challenges. The largest reservoirs in Biosphere 2 were the ocean/marsh with some 4 × 10⁶ L, soil with 1 to 2 × 10⁶ l, primary storage tank with 0 to 8 × 10⁵ L and storage tanks for condensate and soil leachate collection and mixing tanks with a capacity of 1.6 × 10⁵ L to supply irrigation for farm and wilderness ecosystems. Other reservoirs were far smaller – humidity in the atmosphere (2 × 10³ L), streams in the rainforest and savannah, and seasonal pools in the desert were orders of magnitude smaller (8 × 10⁴ L). Key technologies included condensation from humidity in the air handlers and from the glass space frame to produce high quality freshwater, wastewater treatment with constructed wetlands and desalination through reverse osmosis and flash evaporation were key to recycling water with appropriate quality throughout the Biosphere 2 facility. Wastewater from all human uses and the domestic animals in Biosphere 2 was treated and recycled through a series of constructed wetlands, which had hydraulic loading of 0.9–1.1 m³ day⁻¹ (240–290 gal d⁻¹). Plant production in the wetland treatment system produced 1210 kg dry weight of emergent and floating aquatic plant wetland which was used as fodder for the domestic animals while remaining nutrients/water was reused as part of the agricultural irrigation supply. There were pools of water with recycling times of days to weeks and others with far longer cycling times within Biosphere 2. By contrast, the Laboratory Biosphere with a total water reservoir of less than 500 L has far quicker cycling rapidity: for example, atmospheric residence time for water vapor was 5–20 min in the Laboratory Biosphere vs. 1–4 h in Biosphere 2, as compared with 9 days in the Earth’s biosphere. Just as in Biosphere 2, humidity in the Laboratory Biosphere amounts to a very small reservoir of water. The amount of water passing through the air in the course of a 12-h operational day is two orders of magnitude greater than the amount stored in the air. Thus, evaporation and condensation collection are vital parts of the recycle system just as in Biosphere 2. The water cycle and sustainable water recycling in closed ecological systems presents problems requiring further research – such as how to control buildup of salinity in materially closed ecosystems and effective ways to retain nutrients in optimal quantity and useable form for plant growth. These issues are common to all closed ecological systems of whatever size, including planet Earth’s biosphere and are relevant to a global environment facing increasing water shortages while maintaining water quality for human and ecosystem health. Modular biospheres offer a test bed where technical methods of resolving these problems can be tested for feasibility.     

Comparison of self-healing ionomer to aluminium-alloy bumpers for protecting spacecraft equipment from space debris impacts

This paper discusses the impact behavior of a self-healing ionomeric polymer and compares its protection capability against space debris impacts to that of simple aluminium-alloy bumpers. To this end, 14 impact experiments on both ionomer and Al-7075-T6 thin plates with similar surface density were made with 1.5 mm aluminium spheres at velocity between 1 and 4 km/s.     

复合材料加筋壁板稳定性分析方法研究

针对跨厚比在30~40之间的工字型长桁加筋壁板的稳定性问题,采用三种方法进行了分析计算,并将计算结果与试验结果进行对比,详细分析了这三种方法的优缺点,给出实用、可靠的跨厚比在30~40之间的工字型长桁加筋壁板结构稳定性分析方法。