The Leading Source for Design Engineering News & Insight
Fukushima Plant Steps Closer to Fuel-Rod Removal
June 12, 2013 10:34 am | by Malcolm Foster, Associated Press | News | CommentsTEPCO showed off a massive, nearly completed steel structure designed to help workers extract more than 1,500 fuel rods from a damaged reactor building — Unit 4 — at the center of international concerns. The potentially risky procedure, expected to begin in November and take about a year, would be the first major step in the decommissioning of the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant.
Photos of the Day: A Nuclear Disaster Clean-Up
June 12, 2013 10:34 am | by Malcolm Foster, Associated Press | News | CommentsMore than two years after Japan’s nuclear disaster, damaged vehicles, twisted metal, and other debris remain strewn about the Fukushima plant. Scores of pipes and hoses cover the ground in some places, either part of the company’s makeshift cooling system or left over from the meltdown.
Contractors Defend Their Actions in Pa. Collapse
June 12, 2013 10:07 am | by Maryclaire Dale, Associated Press | News | CommentsTwo contractors involved in a downtown Philadelphia building collapse hurled blame at each other Tuesday, through lawyers who broke their clients' weeklong silence about the disaster that killed six. Contractor Griffin Campbell's lawyer called him "despondent" but "absolutely not responsible" for the deaths. The lawyer for demolition subcontractor Sean Benschop said he was "a scapegoat" for the city's pain.
Waze Sale Signals New Growth for Israeli High Tech
June 12, 2013 9:55 am | by Josef Federman and Max J. Rosenthal, Associated Press | News | CommentsGoogle's $1.03 billion purchase of Israeli navigation software maker Waze marks an important milestone for the country that affectionately calls itself "Start-Up Nation." The acquisition is not only among the largest-ever purchase prices for an Israeli start-up. It also cements a recent push by the local high-tech industry into the fast-growing consumer market.
Nuclear Reactor in Ala. Automatically Shuts Down
June 12, 2013 9:51 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsAn initial report filed with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the plant experienced a failure with an electrical transformer. As a result, the reactor automatically shut down and one of its emergency diesel generators started up.
WWII Jeep Returns to U.S. After 70 Years
June 12, 2013 9:48 am | by Tyrel Linkhorn, The Blade | News | CommentsAfter spending the last seven decades in Italy, a World War II-era Jeep returned home to Toledo last week, 70 years to the day after it rolled off the production line. Vittorio Argento shipped the carefully restored vehicle across the Atlantic Ocean, then drove it from New Jersey to Toledo, where he parked in the shadow of a Willys-Overland smokestack.
Networks of Responsibility: The Philadelphia Building Collapse
June 12, 2013 9:23 am | by Karl Stephan, Consulting Engineer, Texas State University, San Marcos | Blogs | CommentsWhile demolition operations fall under the purview of the City of Philadelphia’s building inspectors, and a permit was required to begin the demolition, no inspections were carried out during the demolition itself. If a city inspector had happened by on Sunday, June 2, he might have seen what a passerby videoed that afternoon and subsequently posted on YouTube.
Photos of the Day: Rocket Blast Off
June 12, 2013 9:13 am | by Andy Wong, Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou 10 capsule blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province. The Shenzhou 10 capsule carrying three astronauts lifted off on a 15-day mission to dock with a space lab and to educate young people about science.
Chinese Craft Blasts into Space on Docking Mission
June 12, 2013 9:11 am | by Andy Wong, Associated Press | News | CommentsA Chinese spacecraft blasted off to begin the country's fifth and longest manned space mission, taking three astronauts to an orbiting space lab from where they will give science lessons to youngsters. The spacecraft will transport the crew to the Tiangong 1, an experimental prototype for a much larger Chinese space station to be launched in 2020. They'll be docked together for 12 days.
Engine Problem Grounds Boeing 787
June 12, 2013 12:58 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA Japanese carrier's Dreamliner had engine trouble before takeoff Wednesday, a day after a rival airline had a problem on another 787 plane. Neither problem was with the lithium-ion batteries that were overheating and resulted in the Boeing aircraft being grounded for four months.
High-Voltage Battery Simulator & Test Systems
June 11, 2013 3:57 pm | by Randall Beattie, President of SAKOR Technologies | Sakor Technologies, Inc. | Articles | CommentsHigh voltage battery simulator and test systems are essential for conducting testing of the high voltage DC power systems that are such a critical element of electric (EV) and hybrid/electric (HEV) vehicles. To accurately test a high voltage hybrid or electric drivetrain, you need to be able to provide precise, repeatable high-voltage DC power.
Ultra Transparent Conducting Oxides for Improved Solar Cell Efficiency
June 11, 2013 2:51 pm | by PD&D Staff | Product Releases | CommentsInnovnano (Portugal), a manufacturer of high performance ceramic powders, has developed nanostructured Aluminium–doped Zinc Oxide (AZO) for improved thin-film solar cell efficiency. Innovnano’s AZO sputtering targets are ideal for the development of next-generation, high performance transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films.
Drip-Free, Reliable Connections
June 11, 2013 2:45 pm | by PD&D Staff | Colder Products Co. | Product Releases | CommentsColder Products Company (St. Paul, MN) has announced its new NS1 Series quick disconnect couplings. The NS1 provides a secure, reliable connect and disconnect in a user-friendly, compact footprint.
Programmable USB2 Controller Hubs
June 11, 2013 2:14 pm | by PD&D Staff | Microchip Technology Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMicrochip Technology (Chandler, AZ) has announced the expansion of its USB2 Controller Hub (UCH2) portfolio. The seven new UCH2 ICs across three families provide programmability, enabling the developers of PCs and mobile devices to configure their designs without external memory.
Nanofiber Sensor Mounted on Phones Detects Diseases
June 11, 2013 12:13 pm | by The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) | News | CommentsToday's technological innovation enables smartphone users to diagnose serious diseases such as diabetes or lung cancer quickly and effectively by simply breathing into a small gadget, a nanofiber breathing sensor, mounted on the phones.
