Hydrogen Embrittlement

Steel Absorbs Gas Like a Sponge
Steve Mould

I've known about hydrogen embrittlement for a long time, but I had no idea that carbon and methane were involved. I don't think Steve ever mentions the term 'hydrogen embrittlement'. You have to excuse Steve for his horrible pronunciation of methane, he calls it ME-thane. I dunno, maybe all Brits do that. Anyway, Steve's video is pretty great. He ties several bits of esoteric technology together to tell this story.

At the tale end of the video (14:50) he tells an amusing story about AI scams. That leads into at ad. I don't get any spam calls. My phone tells me it's a spam call, so I just reject the call. Don't know how accurate it is.

Video from U. S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board:

Animation of Explosion at Tesoro's Anacortes Refinery
USCSB

Marathon - Anacortes Refinery, Washington State

Minuteman

World Wide Delivery in 30 Minutes or Less

We still have a 400 Minuteman Missiles ready to go at a moment's notice.

$500 Spinner

The Most Important Picture in the History of Science
SciShow

Half of this video is self-promotion, but the other half is pretty cool.

Chernobyl

Chernobyl nuclear power station

Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.

U. S. Energy Consumption

Estimated U. S. Energy Consumption in 2023: 93.6 Quads

Found this on Casey Handmer's Blog. Click to embiggenate. A quad is a unit of measurement equal to one quadrillion (10^15) British Thermal Units (BTUs). I suspect that Rejected Energy (the gray box in the upper right corner of the chart) is energy that is converted to heat and dissipated, and Energy Services (the block box in the lower right corner) is energy that was used for useful things. So roughly one third of the 93.6 quadrillion BTUs were used to do something useful, and the other two-thirds was was converted to waste heat. This is a bunch, but it is negligible compared to the zillion BTUs the sun delivers every day.

X-ray Flourescence

It's a rock, man
Anique_Jewerly01

So the stuff the guy brings in is junk, but what is that gun-like thing the shopkeeper is using? Whatever it is, he seems confident in the readings he is getting.

Nito XL2 XRF Handheld Precious Metal Analyzer

It's not a Tricorder, but we're getting there. There are several companies making these things, and they've been doing it for a while. New ones cost between $20K and $40K. Used ones can be picked up for a tenth of that.

Functional schematic of a portable XRF instrument

The X-Ray Source is a vacuum tube. ThermoFisher Scientific explains:

Going to the Source: X-ray Tubes by Esa Nummi

 The major X-ray tube components are the cathode, anode, the tube envelope, the tube housing, and the window.

Cathode

The cathode serves to expel the electrons from the circuit and focus them in a beam on the focal spot of the anode. It is a controlled source of electrons for the generation of X-ray beams. The electrons are produced by heating the filament, i.e., a coil of wire made from tungsten, placed within a highly polished nickel focusing cup providing electrostatic focusing of the beam on the anode. Heat is used to expel the electrons from the cathode.

Anode

The anode represents the component in which the x-rays are produced. It is a piece of metal, shaped in the form of a beveled disk, connected to the positive side of electrical circuit. The anode converts the energy of the electrons into X-rays and dissipates the heat, considered the byproduct.

Envelope

An airtight enclosure that houses the cathode and anode. It is often made from metal and ceramic because these materials are able to withstand the tremendous amount of heat generated during X-ray production, but they can also be made of glass.

Housing

Provides protection and absorbs excess radiation.

Window

The X-ray tube window typically is made from beryllium because it allows X-rays to pass through but has sufficient strength to hold the vacuum required for the X-ray tube to operate. When an electrical current is passed through the cathode, the electrons generated by the cathode are accelerated by high voltage towards a metal target, or anode. X-rays known as Bremsstrahlung (“braking radiation”) are produced when the electrons are suddenly decelerated upon collision with the anode. When an atom in the sample is struck with an X-ray of sufficient energy (greater than the atom’s K or L shell binding energy), an electron from one of the atom’s inner orbital shells is dislodged. The atom regains stability, filling the vacancy left in the inner orbital shell with an electron from one of the atom’s higher energy orbital shells. The electron drops to the lower energy state by releasing a fluorescent X-ray. The energy of this X-ray is equal to the specific difference in energy between two quantum states of the electron. These X-rays all have sufficient energy to pass through the X-ray tube window and reach the sample. The measurement of this energy is the basis of XRF analysis.

Process of X-ray fluorescence generation

AZO Mining gives a brief history:

The United Nuclear XRF Probe

The earliest handheld energy-dispersive XRF probe was built by United Nuclear in the early 1980s, which was originally used to investigate highly radioactive holding takes, as well as the presence of uranium in the soil. Weighing over 70 pounds, this tool comprised of a measurement head connected to a cart, where the electronics displayed the received data.

Modified between 1982-1983, United Nuclear commercialized the MAP-1 device, which had the capability to detect uranium, as well as other elements in the soil through the creation of a “front pack,” while also reducing the weight of the instrument to 50 pounds. The evolution of these instruments continued through the 1980s as United Nuclear developed MAP-2 and MAP-3 analyzers for enhanced lead detection purposes.

XRF For Commercial Use

In 1994 electric contracting company Amptek developed the XR-100 X-ray detector for commercial use. This thermoelectrically cooled and simple to use detector replaced the need for liquid nitrogen to cool detectors in many applications. The XR-100 device was selected for the Pathfinder Mission to Mars, where it successfully analyzed rocks and soil in a cost-effective and precise manner.

The first fully-handheld XRF detector was created in 1994 by Niton Inc., a Massachusetts-based company, in which this Niton XL-309 instrument offered intensified analytical performance at a lower price than the previous instruments on the market.

As interest in these analytical systems began to grow, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in conjunction with KeyMaster Technologies designed the first TRACER II unit, which included an argon transmission target. This aspect of the instrument allowed NASA and KeyMaster to create a portable vacuum XRF analyzer that had the ability to perform on-the-spot chemical analysis, which was a task previously only possible in a chemical laboratory.

The first applications of the TRACER II unit allowed NASA to quickly and accurately determine elemental composition on large objects, such as a rocket motor, which was a major breakthrough for this organization. Modifications to the TRACER II unit allowed increased sensitivity to specific metals, including a new ability to measure magnesium and aluminum content in aluminum alloys.

As demands for increased accurate and efficacious handheld XRF tools began to rise, competition between industries to produce grew as well. In 2008, Brucker Elemental produced Bruker XFLASHTM silicon drift detector (SDD) technology that was integrated into the first-ever SDD-based handheld XRF unit, also known as the S1 TRACER. Still a unit with one of the best resolutions, Bruker’s S1 TRACER allows the analysis of light elements, including magnesium, aluminum, and silicon in air, while also providing an increased concentration range for these elements of interest.

This summer plumbers came to the house to install a new water line. They also had some very sophisticated detectors.

Danger Will Robinson!

Radiation shielded GoPro sent through electron beam irradiator GOPR0055 2,5mev6ma
Andrew Seltzman

Nothing much to see until about halfway through and then it happens all at once. Very spooky.

YouTube blurb:

Radiation shielded Gopro Hero 3+ Silver sent through electron beam irradiator. Looking at calcite samples as they pass under the beam. GoPro is enclosed in a 1/4" thick lead box with a 1" thick, 50% lead glass window. Additionally there is a 1/4" thick lead plate above the camera box to provide shielding from direct irradiation from the beam.

Comment:

What you are seeing is the exiting electrons with an energy of 2.5 millions volts d.c.dynamitron accelerator.  At 6mA of beam, it is a spot roughly 1" in diameter equal to 15KW of power. This beam spot is scanned over 3 feet in length to be useful in processing, and to dissipate the heat.  When the camera turns the last corner, you begin to see what looks like static or snow and becomes more intense as it approaches the beam scanner.  This is due to the x-rays generated by the high energy electrons and are the most intense where the electron beam hits any solid object, directly beneath the beam scanner.  When the beam passes directly over the camera enclosure, the highest level of x-rays effect the camera electronics.  Not sure of what the enclosure was made of (lead is the best), but at this energy the forward x-rays are very high and will penetrate the shielding if not thick enough.  Lead glass, unless really thick, >20" for these energies), will not stop the x-rays.  usually cameras tend to degrade after some amount of exposure to this radiation.  Either the image capturing element and or electronics.  Also, typically you will need greater than 7MeV to start creating short lived radioactivity. - @jamesscheid5593

Okay, so I read all that, but now I'm wondering how do you get 15KW (kilowatts) of power with 6mA (milliamps of current). But now I remember that volts times amps equals watts, and we've got 2.5 million volts, so we've got million times milli so we're down to kilo. 6 times 2.5 is 15. Huh, it works out. But I still don't know what I'm talking about here.

Dynamitron

A Dynamitron? What the heck is that, and why haven't I ever heard of one? Whatever it is, it's a honking big piece of equipment. Wikipedia has a page, and I read through the explanation, but it's mostly Greek to me.

And I still don't know what they are using it for.

Bearing Failure

The Ghost in the Gearbox: How White Etch Cracks Haunt the Wind Industry
Lubrication Explained

If you spend as much time on YouTube as I do, I am sure you have seen numerous videos of wind turbines catching fire, falling apart or otherwise failing. This guy gives us a good explanation of the root cause of these failures. The key point is that these bearings fail without any warning, no indication that there is anything wrong, and then boom! All of sudden the bearing fails and the whole thing disintegrates. The thing he doesn't talk about is just how big the loads are in wind turbine bearings and how much stress there is. I look at those things with those hundred foot long blades and I'm thinking that the loads on the bearings have got to be out of this world. So maybe we are actually going to learn something useful from this whole wind turbine / green-energy debacle.

Arlit Niger

Arlit Niger

What? Where? Very close to the middle of nowhere, that's where.

Arlit Niger

The smudge labeled Arlit is a town of 80,000 people. The bigger, disorganized jumble to the northwest is an open pit uranium mine. Notice the two airports that appear as scratches in the dirt.

French Uranium Mine Arlit Niger

France started mining uranium here back in 1970 and has continued up until a couple of years ago when the Taureg rebels forced out pro-French President Mohamed Bazoum. Now we have people trying to walk across the Sahara desert to reach the Mediterranean Sea and boats that will take them to Europe.

This story got me started: Niger’s Uranium Mines and Prospects for Russia by Alexandra Zubenko

Metal–Organic Framework

Electron micrograph of a MIL-101 crystal showing its supertetrahedra

Very cool.

Aljazeera reports:

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in chemistry to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M Yaghi for their work in the development of metal organic frameworks (MOF).

The three scientists, who won the award on Wednesday, come from the universities of Kyoto in Japan, Melbourne in Australia and Berkeley in the United States, respectively.

The trio have created “molecular constructions with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow”, read a statement from the Nobel Prize. Such constructions can be used to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases or break down traces of pharmaceuticals in the environment.

Synthesis of the MIL-101 MOF. Each green octahedron consists of one Cr [Chromium]atom in the center and six oxygen atoms (red balls) at the corners.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) material, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). MOFs are highly crystalline porous materials made up of 3-D networks of zinc-oxygen clusters connected by organic molecules such as citric acid. Up to 91 per cent of their volume can be made up by nanoscale pores. Uses of MOFs include gas storage, gas purification, gas separation, or as catalysts. Magnification: x550 when printed at 10 centimetres wide.

MIRV

Couple of scary photos I came across yesterday.

Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) hitting their targets during a ICBM test as seen from a P-3 Orion

Testing of the Peacekeeper reentry vehicles: all eight (of a possible ten) were fired from only one missile. Each line shows the path of an individual warhead captured on reentry via long-exposure photography.

I suspect the 'long-exposure' was no more than a few seconds. I mean these warheads are coming in a super-, maybe even hyper-, sonic speeds.

Nuclear Power for Deep Space Missions

NASA'S Plutonium Problem
Real Engineering

He mentions the nuclear processing facility the Hague, which I thought was kind of weird. A little Googling turned up La Hague in France. 

La Hague, France (left) & The Hague, Netherlands (right)

The nuclear processing facility is at La Hague in France. It's in the middle of a bunch of farmland.

La Hague Nuclear Recycling and Reprocessing Plant

This facility is run by Orano. Wikipedia page.

Fun with Capacitors

4,000-Joule Exploding Wire Machine
Hyperspace Pirate

Great stuff. I'm watching the opening bangs and I'm thinking those wire must be substantial, but they're not. They're like 36 gauge, which is about the thickness of a human hair. So much bang from such a small bit of metal. There is an ad from 11:50 to 13:20.

Description:

In this video I'll demonstrate the incredible power of electricity when it's stored at high voltage in a large capacitor bank. 

This device uses five 10,000 uF 400-volt capacitors in series, forming a bank with 2,000 uF and a maximum voltage of 2,000 volts. At full charge, it stores 4kJ of energy, which is approximately equivalent to the chemical energy in one gram of TNT. 

When the switch is closed, the capacitors dump more than 10,000 amps of current through an extremely thin wire, causing it to heat so rapidly that it explodes with tremendous pressure, causing a bright flash, a shockwave, and tremendous noise. This type of electrical explosion can be used in lieu of a chemical blasting cap, and in fact, was used to detonate the compression charges in plutonium-based nuclear weapons. Unlike a chemical blasting cap, an exploding wire can have its timing controlled down to the nanosecond-level, making it suitable for nuclear devices. 

Exploding wires are also used for plasma research, since the circuit can be configured to create a "Z-pinch" or "X-pinch" effect that generates large X-ray bursts and other interesting high-energy phenomena.

For a given energy, an exploding wire circuit should have the largest voltage practical with the lowest capacitance possible to minimize RC time constant and discharge time, and maximize current rise time and peak current. This means, ideally, the capacitor bank should use high voltage film or oil capacitors. In reality, cost and logistics made electrolytic capacitors the most practical for this project. These have the best energy density, but suffer from relatively large series resistance and inductance.

The circuit shown in this video is initially triggered using an Thyristor (SCR), but the extremely high peak current and short rise time caused the device to be destroyed, so I revered to a mechanical switch, which actually worked pretty well. 

I tried exploding Copper, Aluminum, Nichrome, and Magnesium. Aluminum and Magnesium had the most dramatic effect, because both ignited when superheated by the electric current, causing them to add their chemical energy to the blast. I've tried up to 500 milligrams of aluminum foil, and in every test, the aluminum is totally vaporized from ignition. 

I'm not really sure if there's a practical application that I can use this device for, but it's extremely fun to use, and if you don't have any fireworks for special occasions, it certainly provides a good substitute. 

Planets & Elements

Plutonium Was Named On False Pretense
Universe Lair

Two hundred years of history in one minute:

• Uranus was discovered in 1781. Uranium was discovered in 1789.
• Neptune was discovered in 1846. Neptunium was discovered in 1940.
• Pluto was discovered in 1930. Plutonium was discovered in 1941.

Trees, Forests & Fungi

Mark Trail

'Talk' is a bit of a misnomer, but there is some kind of communication going on. Several kinds of molecules are being transported between trees by fungi. Trees that have a surplus are emitting molecules that the fungi pick up and shuttle over to trees that are in need. I suspect that where these molecules are delivered is modulated by a chemical imbalance of some sort, so it's not intelligence as we normally think of it. It's system that has apparently evolved and seems to work, just like the chemical systems at work in all living creatures.

Anyway the comic bestirred me enough to go looking for more, and because I'm lazy, I'll give you this video:

How trees talk to each other | Suzanne Simard
TED

Suzanne's speech is a little woo-woo, but maybe that's how you have to present science to the masses. She does get into the nuts and bolts of how trees 'communicate', and those parts are pretty good.

This Discovery Just Won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry

This Discovery Just Won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Cleo Abram

Machine Learning sounds a lot like Artificial Intelligence, so maybe AI does have some uses.

Nuclear AI

Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant

Computers are taking over the world. Well, not actually. Computers are stupid and are completely lacking in motivation. But people are smart, at least some of them. Unfortunately, some of them are crazy, and some of them are highly motivated to do something. Mix those three together and you get things like the AI (Artificial Intelligence) craze. I'm not sure that AI is going to bring us any great benefits. The one thing I can see it being used for is answering the phones at medical and medical insurance offices. This is big time sink for everyone involved. Nobody cares about the callers (clients / patients / victims), but the expense of hiring staff to answer the phones, that cuts into the bottom line. Never mind that the legions of women employed in these roles will be out of a job, it was horribly job that nobody ever wanted to do in the first place, right?

Besides entertainment and replacing phone drones, I'm not sure that AI will be good for. I suppose someone might use it to discover / invent something that could have a wide ranging effect. We'll just have to wait and see.

I'm pretty sure that advertising is what's paying for all the big data centers. Oh, there are some private enterprises that make use of them, but what they spend on them is a cost they want to minimize. If you are using them for advertising there is no end to the demand.

Anyway, I thought this was interesting:

Microsoft AI Needs So Much Power It's Restarting Site of US Nuclear Meltdown

The owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania will invest $1.6 billion to revive it, agreeing to sell all the output to Microsoft Corp. as the tech titan seeks carbon-free electricity for data centers to power the artificial intelligence boom.

Constellation Energy Corp., the biggest US operator of reactors, expects Three Mile Island to go back into service in 2028, according to a statement Friday. While one of the site’s two units permanently closed almost a half-century ago after the worst US nuclear accident, Constellation is planning to reopen the other reactor, which shut in 2019 because it couldn’t compete economically.

Via Zerohedge

Pictures

Tsar Bomba

Donald Sutherland in Kelly's Heroes

Corsairs over San Diego

Sarah Gillis playing the violin in zero-G

B-24 & B-17 over Golden Gate Bridge

Matchbox Cars
What does 2'4 mean?

Reliefs of Indonesian history at Indonesian National Monument

A-10 Warthog

The Razorback, Port Campbell National Park, Victoria, Australia
No, those white blobs are not houses. Nobody lives there.

Roadkill's 56 Chevy & Mount Shasta

Superfest Glass

How Communists Made Unbreakable Glass
fern

Curious that East Germany was able to produce this glass. It seems like the extra processing would have increased the cost, something a cash strapped country would want to avoid. So either the extra processing didn't cost that much, or the party decided it needed to be done regardless of the cost. Seems like bars and restaurants would be ideal customers, as long as it didn't cost too awful much, and they weren't contractually obligated to buy their glassware from the local Mafia don's brother in law.

The Big Lie About Nuclear Waste

The Big Lie About Nuclear Waste
Cleo Abram

Seems that recycling nuclear fuel is possible, but expensive. It doesn't help that Jimmy Carter, the jerk, put a stop to it back when he was president. That kind of forced the nuclear power business to invest heavily in using plutonium, which means we will have to exert ourselves (spend money) to go back to the older technology that enables recycling of nuclear fuel.