Abstract: A fuel assembly is charged in a reactor core of a nuclear reactor using a liquid metal as a coolant and includes a wrapper tube storing a plurality of fuel pins and including an entrance nozzle at a lower end thereof for introducing the coolant and an operation handling head at an upper end thereof, grids for supporting the plurality of fuel pins in the wrapper tube in the radial direction of the wrapper tube, liner tubes inserted in the wrapper tube for fixedly holding the grids in the axial direction of the wrapper tube, and peripheral flow suppressing members disposed in a peripheral flow passage extending between peripherally disposed ones of the fuel pins and the wrapper tube over a length corresponding to a heat generation length, which is a length range in the axial direction of the fuel pins storing a radioactive fuel material.

Abstract: To simply and accurately determine the position of an edge, the depth or the height of a flaw including a surface crack, a corroded portion near the surface layer of a thick specimen, and a minute damage.

Abstract: A silicon carbide Schottky barrier semiconductor device provided with a Ta electrode as a Schottky electrode, in which the Schottky barrier height is controlled to a desired value in a range where power loss is minimized without increasing the n factor. The method for manufacturing the silicon carbide Schottky barrier semiconductor device includes the steps of depositing Ta on a crystal face of an n-type silicon carbide epitaxial film, the crystal face having an inclined angle in the range of 0° to 10° from a (000-1) C face, and carrying out a thermal treatment at a temperature range of 300 to 1200° C. to form the Schottky electrode.

Abstract: There is provided a high temperature component with a thermal barrier coating, which can be used as a high temperature component for a gas turbine, an aircraft gas turbine engine, or the like. A top coat is formed of a ceramic on a bond coat, the bond coat being formed on a heat resistant alloy substrate composed mainly of at least one element of nickel and cobalt, wherein the bond coat contains at least one of nickel and cobalt, chromium and aluminum, and further contains at least one selected from a group consisting of tantalum, cesium, tungsten, silicon, platinum, manganese and boron in a range of 0 to 20 wt %. The high temperature component according to the present invention has very high durability of a thermal-insulating ceramic layer, and is less susceptible to spalling damage.

Abstract: The present invention provides a mercury removal system and method for effectively removing a mercury component, which is present in a gas stream in an extremely small amount in wet gas cleaning. The mercury removal system in wet gas cleaning includes a water washing tower for introducing therein a target gas containing a mercury component and transferring the mercury component into an absorbing solution, a flash drum (10) for flashing the absorbing solution discharged from the water washing tower to separate the absorbing solution into a gas component and waste water, an oxidation treatment means (1) for adding an oxidizing agent to the absorbing solution at the preceding stage of the flash drum, and a waste water treatment means for subjecting to coagulation sedimentation treatment the separated waste water containing the mercury component at the following stage of the flash drum to dispose of the mercury component as sludge.

Abstract: A multifunctional material having a carbon-doped titanium oxide layer, which has carbon doped in the state of Ti—C bonds, is excellent in durability (high hardness, scratch resistance, wear resistance, chemical resistance, heat resistance) and functions as a visible light responding photocatalyst, is provided. The multifunctional material of the present invention is obtained, for example, by heat-treating the surface of a substrate, which has at least a surface layer comprising titanium, a titanium alloy, a titanium alloy oxide, or titanium oxide, in a combustion gas atmosphere of a gas consisting essentially of a hydrocarbon such that the surface temperature of the substrate is 900 to 1,500° C.; or by directly striking a combustion flame of a gas consisting essentially of a hydrocarbon, against the surface of the substrate for heat treatment such that the surface temperature of the substrate is 900 to 1,500° C.

Abstract: It is to provide a process of treating a selenium-containing liquid which can inexpensively treat the selenium-containing liquid. The formation of selenate is inhibited by adding at least one selected from a group consisting of Ti and Mn into the selenium-containing liquid.

Abstract: A method for improving the quality of a SiC layer by effectively reducing or eliminating the carrier trapping centers by high temperature annealing and a SiC semiconductor device fabricated by the method. The method for improving the quality of a SiC layer by eliminating or reducing some carrier trapping centers includes the steps of: (a) carrying out ion implantation of carbon atom interstitials (C), silicon atoms, hydrogen atoms, or helium atoms into a shallow surface layer (A) of the starting SiC crystal layer (E) to introduce excess carbon interstitials into the implanted surface layer, and (b) heating the layer for making the carbon interstitials (C) to diffuse out from the implanted surface layer (A) into a bulk layer (E) and for making the electrically active point defects in the bulk layer inactive. After the above steps, the surface layer (A) can be etched or mechanically removed. The SiC semiconductor device is fabricated by the method.

Abstract: With a view to preventing increases in forward voltage due to a change with the lapse of time of a bipolar semiconductor device using a silicon carbide semiconductor, a buffer layer, a drift layer and other p-type and n-type semiconductor layers are formed on a growth surface, which is given by a surface of a crystal of a silicon carbide semiconductor having an off-angle ? of 8 degrees from a (000-1) carbon surface of the crystal, at a film growth rate having a film-thickness increasing rate per hour h of 10 ?m/h, which is three times or more higher than conventional counterparts. The flow rate of silane and propane material gases and dopant gases is largely increased to enhance the film growth rate.

Abstract: With a view to preventing increases in forward voltage due to a change with the lapse of time of a bipolar semiconductor device using a silicon carbide semiconductor, a buffer layer, a drift layer and other p-type and n-type semiconductor layers are formed on a growth surface, which is given by a surface of a crystal of a silicon carbide semiconductor having an off-angle ? of 8 degrees from a (000-1) carbon surface of the crystal, at a film growth rate having a film-thickness increasing rate per hour h of 10 ?m/h, which is three times or more higher than conventional counterparts. The flow rate of silane and propane material gases and dopant gases is largely increased to enhance the film growth rate.

Abstract: With a view to preventing increases in forward voltage due to a change with the lapse of time of a bipolar semiconductor device using a silicon carbide semiconductor, a buffer layer, a drift layer and other p-type and n-type semiconductor layers are formed on a growth surface, which is given by a surface of a crystal of a silicon carbide semiconductor having an off-angle ? of 8 degrees from a (000-1) carbon surface of the crystal, at a film growth rate having a film-thickness increasing rate per hour h of 10 ?m/h, which is three times or more higher than conventional counterparts. The flow rate of silane and propane material gases and dopant gases is largely increased to enhance the film growth rate.

Abstract: A dehydration method of a water-containing substance using a liquefied matter, including a step (1) of contacting a liquefied matter of a substance which is in a gas phase under a condition at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure with the water-containing substance, to dissolve contained water in the water-containing substance into the liquefied matter, for obtaining the liquefied matter containing a large amount of water; and a step (2) of vaporizing the substance out of the liquefied matter containing a large amount of water, to thereby separate the substance as the gas from water.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for producing fine particles. According to the production method, a molten material 1 which has been formed by melting a raw material to be formed into fine particles is supplied in the form of droplets 1a or a jet flow to a liquid coolant 3, and a vapor film formed so as to cover the molten material supplied to the liquid coolant 3 is forcedly broken to promote vapor explosion, thereby forming and cooling fine particles for solidification. The production method and apparatus can readily produce fine particles from a raw material having a high melting point, and can relatively readily produce submicron fine particles—such particles are difficult to produce by mean of the previously developed technique. The method and apparatus can produce amorphous fine particles, or polycrystalline fine particles having a target particle size by regulating conditions for fine particle formation and for cooling-solidification.

Abstract: An object is to provide a gate valve capable of preventing operational deficiencies caused by particulate materials accumulating in a valve box, thus providing superior sealing properties and high durability, having a simple structure, and allowing inspection and maintenance to be performed easily.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a superconducting film having a substrate and a superconductor layer formed on the substrate, in which nano grooves are formed parallel to a current flowing direction on a substrate surface on which the superconductor layer is formed and two-dimensional crystal defects are introduced in the superconductor layer on the nano grooves, and a method of manufacturing this superconducting film. A superconducting film of the invention, which is obtained at low cost and has very high Jc, is useful in applications such as cables, magnets, shields, current limiters, microwave devices, and semifinished products of these articles.

Abstract: Fine particles such as nanoparticles and microparticles is irradiated to generate plasma by focusing an ultrashort pulse laser beam 15 emitted from a laser device 16. More preferably, the plasma is generated by a filament 14 generated in the ultrashort pulse laser beam 15. A constituent of the fine particles is measured based on an emission spectrum from the plasma.

Abstract: A cell of a flat plate solid oxide fuel cell has a first electrode member of porous material having pores through which all of a fuel gas or air passes. An electrolyte film is on either a front or a back surface of the first electrode member. A second electrode member is on the electrolyte film and a separator film is on the other surface of the first electrode member. The first electrode member is either a fuel electrode or an air electrode and the second electrode member is the other. Part of the electrolyte film and/or part of the separator film form seal portions which cover side surfaces between the electrolyte film and the separator film and function as gas seal films.

Abstract: A method for improving the quality of a SiC layer by effectively reducing or eliminating the carrier trapping centers in the as-grown SiC crystal. The method includes the steps of: (a) carrying out ion implantation of carbon atoms, silicon atoms, hydrogen atoms, or helium atoms into a shallow surface layer of the SiC crystal layer to introduce carbon interstitials into the surface layer, and (b) growing the SiC layer upward from the edge face of the surface layer into which the carbon interstitials have been introduced, and diffusing out the carbon interstitials that have been introduced into the surface layer from the surface layer into the grown layer and combining the carbon interstitials and point defects to make the electrically active point defects in the grown layer inactive.

Abstract: A method for improving the quality of a SiC layer by effectively reducing or eliminating the carrier trapping centers in the as-grown SiC crystal. The method includes the steps of: (a) carrying out ion implantation of carbon atoms, silicon atoms, hydrogen atoms, or helium atoms into a shallow surface layer of the SiC crystal layer to introduce carbon interstitials into the surface layer, and (b) growing the SiC layer upward from the edge face of the surface layer into which the carbon interstitials have been introduced, and diffusing out the carbon interstitials that have been introduced into the surface layer from the surface layer into the grown layer and combining the carbon interstitials and point defects to make the electrically active point defects in the grown layer inactive.

Abstract: It is an object to provide a method for improving the quality of an SiC layer by effectively reducing or eliminating the carrier trapping centers by high temperature annealing and an SiC semiconductor device fabricated by the method. A method for improving the quality of an SiC layer by eliminating or reducing some carrier trapping centers comprising the steps of: (a) carrying out ion implantation of carbon atoms (C), silicon atoms, hydrogen atoms, or helium atoms into a shallow surface layer (A) of the starting SiC crystal layer (E) to introduce excess carbon interstitials into the implanted surface layer, and (b) heating the layer for making the carbon interstitials (C) to diffuse out from the implanted surface layer (A) into a bulk layer (E) and for making the electrically active point defects in the bulk layer inactive. After the above steps, the surface layer (A) can be etched or mechanically removed. A semiconductor device according to the invention is fabricated by the method.