Recent Advances in Turbine Heat Transfer—With A View of Transition to Coal-Gas Based Systems

The performance goal of modern gas turbine engines, both land-base and air-breathing engines, can be achieved by increasing the turbine inlet temperature (TIT). The level of TIT in the near future can reach as high as 1700 °C for utility turbines and over 1900 °C for advanced military engines. To ensure the turbine airfoil component integrity operated under such a condition, advanced cooling capacity by both external and internal means was necessary to remove the excessive heat load from the turbine airfoil. This paper discusses state-of-the-art airfoil cooling technologies along with the associated thermal transport issues. Discussion is given based on five key regions on and around an airfoil: leading edge, main body, trailing edge, endwall, and near-tip. Potential implications and challenges of near-term developments in coal-gas based turbines on the cooling technologies are identified. A literature survey focusing primarily on the past 4–5years since the last International Heat Transfer Conference has also been performed.

Recent Advances in Turbine Heat Transfer: With a View of Transition to Coal Gas Based Systems

The performance goal of modern gas turbine engines, both land-base and air-breathing engines, can be achieved by increasing the turbine inlet temperature (TIT). The level of TIT in the near future can reach as high as 1700°C for utility turbines and over 1900°C for advanced military engines. To ensure the turbine airfoil component integrity operated under such a condition, advanced cooling capacity by both external and internal means is necessary to remove the excessive heat load from the turbine airfoil. This paper discusses state-of-the-art airfoil cooling technologies along with the associated thermal transport issues. Discussion is given based on five key regions on and around an airfoil: leading edge, main body, trailing edge, endwall and near tip. Potential implications and challenges of near-term developments in coal-gas based turbines on the cooling technologies are identified. A literature survey focusing primarily on the past four to five years since the last International Heat Transfer Conference has also been performed.

K+, Na+, and Cl- activities in ventricular myocytes isolated from rabbit heart

Intracellular K+, Na+, and Cl- activities (aiK, aiNa and aiCl) were measured in ventricular myocytes enzymatically isolated from adult rabbit heart. The activities in normal Tyrode solution containing 2.5 mM Ca2+ were the following (in mM): aiK = 100.0 +/- 3.5 (n = 9); aiNa = 8.4 +/- 1.5 (n = 6); and aiCl = 17.9 +/- 1.5 (n = 11) (mean +/- SE). Membrane potential was -81.6 +/- 0.7 mV (n = 26). These values were determined after correction for changes of junction and tip potential at the reference electrode, estimated to be 4.9 +/- 0.6 mV (n = 7) for 0.15 M KCl-filled electrodes; and intracellular interference detected by the Cl- ion-selective electrode, 11.2 +/- 0.6 mM (n = 4). Extended-tip shunting was avoided by fabricating Na+ ion-selective microelectrodes from aluminosilicate rather than borosilicate glass. These results show that isolated cardiac cells can maintain normal intracellular ion activities. Diffusion of electrolyte from the reference electrode can rapidly alter the intracellular milieu, however. After 10 min of impalement with 0.15 M KCl-filled microelectrodes (resistance approximately equal to 25 M omega), aiK increased by 8.7 +/- 2.0 mM and aiCl by 10.3 +/- 3.1 mM. In contrast, aiNa did not significantly change during the double impalement.

Electronic device for microelectrode recordings in epithelial cells

A device is described that permits continuous measurement of electrophysiological parameters in epithelial tissues in the open-circuit mode. Transepithelial potential (VT) and microelectrode (either conventional or ion-selective) potential (VM) are directly measured. Application of transepithelial current pulses allows continuous monitoring of transepithelial resistance (RT) and the ratio between the changes in VM and VT induced by these pulses. Measurement of this ratio, which under some circumstances reflects the apical fractional resistance of the cellular pathway, is important in assessing membrane damage during microelectrode impalement and/or as an index that the microelectrode tip is inside a cell. This is particularly useful when the change in VM during impalement is small. Application of 0.5-nA current pulses through open-tip microelectrodes allows continuous recording of the microelectrode resistance (RM). In epithelia where the individual cells are electrically coupled this permits acceptable impalements (RM remains nearly constant) to be distinguished from those affected by tip potential artifacts due to plugging of the microelectrode tip (RM increases after penetration of the cell membrane). The device provides compensation for the IR voltage drop in the solution between the potential measuring salt bridges and the epithelial surfaces. The microelectrode electrometer has an input impedance greater than 10(15) and is provided with stray capacitance neutralization.

Tip potential of open-tip glass microelectrodes: theoretical and experimental studies

A mathematical analysis of the tip potential based on the main physicochemical phenomena occurring at the tip of a glass microelectrode is presented. The factors considered in the theoretical analysis are the diffusion of ions through the open tip, the conduction in the bulk solutions, the longitudinal conduction in the double layers at the glass-electrolyte interfaces, and to some extent, in a hydrated glass layer. A graphical analysis of the mathematical expressions as a function of the resistivity of test solutions is done and the distribution of the source potentials giving rise to the tip potential is studied. The experimental results presented in the paper confirm the validity of the proposed theoretical model. Comments for an improved use of glass microelectrodes in electrophysiological experiments are given throughout the paper.