Mass and energy distribution of fission fragments of ²³⁶U* nuclei, formed in the reaction ²³²Th(α,f) at incident alpha energy of 29 MeV were studied to reveal the influence of shell effects. The experiment was carried out by 2E method at U-150M accelerator at Institute of Nuclear Physics, Almaty city. Acquired experimental data was decomposed into yields of separate shells, including deformed shells, assuming that the shell yield has the form of gauss distribution. The manifestation of deformed shells N84, Z52 and deformed shells Z36, Z38 was revealed.

This study presents the results of studying the optical, strength, dielectric and screening characteristics of 0.6TeO₂0.25BaO-0.15ZnO glasses. The method of mechanochemical grinding of the initial oxide components followed by thermal sintering in order to obtain vitreous samples with an amorphous structure was chosen as the preparation method. To characterize the obtained samples, the methods of scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive analysis, X-ray diffraction, impedance and optical spectroscopy were used, and the strength properties were determined using the indentation method. In the course of the studies of the structural features and phase composition, it was found that the synthesized glasses have an amorphous nature, with a small content of inclusions in the form of BaZnTe₂O₇ grains. At the same time, the analysis of the mapping of elements in the glass composition showed an isotropic distribution of all components in the glass composition and the complete absence of any impurities. When determining the optical properties of the synthesized glasses, it was found that the transmission spectra contain a wide absorption band in the visible light region, as well as three spectral absorption bands characteristic of oxygen vacancies and interstitial oxygen atoms. According to the data of strength characteristics, it was found that the synthesized glasses have sufficient hardness and resistance to external influences, and the nature of crack formation is typical for semi-disk cracks. An analysis of the shielding characteristics of the synthesized glasses showed high efficiency in shielding low-energy gamma rays.

This article presents the results obtained by measuring the characteristic x-ray production cross sections arising from the interaction of accelerated protons with the target atoms (PIXE). The PIXE production data were measured at the excitation of the K-, L-, and M-shells of target atoms  in the mass range from Mg to Bi by 1 MeV protons. We use the approach based on the calculation of the PIXE production cross sections through the Rutherford backscattering cross section, which can be calculated from the Rutherford formula with high accuracy. This approach makes it possible to reduce the errors in measuring of the PIXE production cross sections and, thus, to improve the accuracy of the data obtained. Further, it is planned to expand the research area including protons of other energies and heavy charged particles in the energy range of 0.5–1.7 MeV/nucleon.

This work considers the quality indicators of drinking water in the Maysky district of the Pavlodar region, Republic Kazakhstan. The organoleptic, generalized, microbiological indicators, as well as organic and inorganic substances of drinking water of, water treatment plant before and after treatment, as well as tap water, were examined for compliance with regulatory requirements. The general mineralization characterizes the water as fresh and the hardness index indicates the average hardness of the water belonging to the hydrocarbonate class. An excess of the MAC norm for turbidity and manganese content before water treatment was established. The bacteriological index of water samples in the Maysky district exceeds hygienic standards. The sanitary and epidemiological hazard of water is confirmed by the presence of genus Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, which indicates anthropogenic and household factors of impact, both on the natural environment and on the formation of drinking water in the Maysky district of Pavlodar region.

Currently, one of the most pressing problems facing society is the replacement of the existing energy system based on the limited, highly polluting fossil fuels, with a fundamentally new concept based on clean and limitless sustainable sources. The large-scale use of renewable energy sources and the transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles is one promising strategy for the development of science and technology in the foreseeable future. One of the most promising approaches in the development of new generation supercapacitors (SC) is the use of solid polymer electrolytes with decisive advantages over liquid and solid inorganic electrolytes, including non-combustibility, no electrolyte leakage, excellent flexibility and low cost of production. This mini-review discusses the main types of SCs, the materials used to develop polymer gel electrolytes (GPEs), and recent advances in the development of GPEs based on various types of carbon materials.

The thermoluminescence (TL) and EPR spectra of nanostructured compacts of monoclinic ZrO₂ irradiated by three types of irradiation have been studied: impulse flow of 130 keV electrons, beam of 10 MeV electrons, as well as a 220 MeV Xe ion beam. Irradiation of samples with 10 MeV electrons and ions leads to the formation of F⁺ centers in them. Thermal destruction of these centers is observed in the temperature range 375–550 K for electron-irradiated compacts and 500– 700 K for ion-irradiated compacts. The drop in the concentration of F⁺ centers is associated with the depletion of traps responsible for TL peaks in the specified temperature range. In samples irradiated with an ion beam, new paramagnetic centers with g = 1.963 and 1.986 were found, in the formation of which, probably, Zr³⁺ ions and oxygen vacancies participate, thermal destruction occurs in the temperature range 500–873 K.

The core catcher is one of the mandatory elements of the reactor safety system, which prevents the release of reactor core materials in a severe accident. The core catcher is steel vessel filled with sacrificial materials (SM) and forming a tank where a corium melt coming from the core is formed. The trap is a steel body filled with sacrificial materials (LM) and forming a vessel where a corium bath is formed coming from the core. The melt formed in the core catcher is cooled by heat removal to the cooling water through the shell of the steel vessel, as well as by water supplied directly to the surface of the melt after the dissolution process of the SM in corium (gravitational inversion). The delay in the water supply to the melt is associated with the features of the component structure of corium and its interaction with water (the formation of explosive hydrogen and the possibility of its detonation, as well as the threat of a steam explosion). However, a certain amount of time is spent on the implementation of gravitational inversion, and it is desirable to start the water supply to the melt immediately at the moment when the corium enters the core catcher due to the danger of the system going beyond the permissible limits (the beginning of boiling of uranium dioxide) due to decay heat in the corium. In this regard, the authors have an idea – to use a fusible metal for additional cooling of the surface of the corium in order to organize heat removal and reduce the temperature of the corium in the period before the end of the gravitational inversion process. The article presents the results of modeling the interaction of corium with candidate low-melting metals – coolers. The modeling was conducted using the ANSYS software package. As a result of the conducted work, the time for which each of the considered cooling metals will reach the points of phase transitions of melting and boiling is determined. The analysis of the results allowed us to draw appropriate conclusions about the possible practical implementation of the proposed method of cooling corium.

The purpose of this work is to establish the operating conditions of the boiler unit to ensure efficient combustion of nondesign Karazhyra coal. The main factors determining the efficiency of the boiler unit are the qualitative composition of the fuel being burned, the behavior of the mineral part of the fuel during combustion, the level of the fuel combustion temperature, the duration of the interaction of high temperatures on the mineral part, the properly organized method of fuel combustion and the design features of the combustion chamber. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive study of the boiler operation using the example of burning non-design coal from the Karazhyra mine in a KV-T-116.3 -150 TEC-1 boiler in Semey. As a result of the conducted research, qualitative parameters of operation in real conditions of the boiler unit during the combustion of non-design Karazhyra coal with variable heat output were obtained. The analysis of the data obtained during the combustion of non-design coals will allow us to further develop a number of practical recommendations for optimizing the operation of cleaning agents installed on the boiler.

The characteristics related to electricity and magnetism in Heusler alloys with both full (L₂1) and inverse (XA) structures X₂FeSi (X = Mn, V) have been studied within the framework of the Density Functional Theory. Three different methods, namely LDA, GGA, and SCAN, were used to perform calculations. The aim was to investigate the energy stability of the L₂1 and XA structures for these compositions. The findings revealed that the XA structure is energetically stable for both structures. The choice of functional is indicated does not have a qualitative effect on the energy stability of the phases. Based on calculations, it was found that meta-GGA (SCAN) more accurately describes the electronic properties of these alloys. In the process of the calculations, it was found that these compounds are semimetals. An analysis was conducted from a local environment perspective to investigate and understand the reasons behind the semi-metallic band gap and the variations in electronic and magnetic properties observed in Heusler compounds. Calculations also showed that the magnetic moment Mn₂FeSi for both structures was 1.99 µ_B/f.u. With regard to V₂FeSi, µ = 2.00 µ_B/f.u. for structure XA and µ = 2.37 µ_B/f.u. for structure L₂1. These calculations are consistent with the Slater-Pauling rule for the XA structure.

Currently, nanomaterials are an important class of materials in the field of synthesis of efficient and selective catalysts with desired properties due to their unique physical and chemical properties. The presence of nanosized particles of transition metals undoubtedly improves the course of the hydrodechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and makes it possible to reduce the content of the noble metal in the catalyst. In order to obtain active and stable heterogeneous catalysts for the neutralization of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), the correct choice of carrier and method of catalyst synthesis is required. In this work, the synthesis of a nickel nanocatalyst was carried out using the wet impregnation method for the hydrodechlorination of PCBs. Commercial activated carbon grade BAU-A was pre-modified with hydrochloric acid and used as a carrier (AC_m) of the catalyst. Using modern physical and chemical methods, the main properties of the synthesized nanocatalyst were investigated. The IR spectroscopy has established that the carboxyl and carbonyl groups of AC_m are the main functional groups that fix nickel in the bulk of the carrier. The nickel nanocatalyst has a developed surface, where nickel nanoparticles are deposited in micro- and mesopores of the carrier. The degree of conversion of 2,2',3,3',4-pentachlorobiphenyl is 84.21%, which indicates the catalytic activity of nickel nanocatalysts with respect to POPs.

A great many nuclear tests of different types and yields were conducted at the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS). That has lead to the formation of radioactively contaminated areas within it, which differed from one another in the pattern, levels and the isotopic composition. At the same time, technogenic radionuclides are oftentimes in the soil cover of STS in tightly bound and slightly soluble forms, which hampers their complete extraction from samples for a subsequent quantitative analysis. Typically, the extraction process is carried out in open systems using solutions of hydrofluoric acid (HF) and other mineral acids. However, this technique is time-consuming, requires a great many reagents and may result in the loss of elements to be assayed as well as in a possible cross contamination of samples. Autoclave digestion can be an alternative to acid digestion in open systems. This method, on the one hand, is devoid of the disadvantages inherent in open decomposition, on the other hand, it has an undoubted advantage, which consists in accelerating the decomposition process due to an increase in the boiling point of acids. As demonstrated by experimental findings, measurements of 239+240Pu activity concentration in soil samples obtained from a complete acid and autoclave decomposition, in most cases, agree well enough with one another (the existing discrepancies are within the measurement error). Analysis of a radioactivity reference standard using the autoclave decomposition technique showed satisfactory results. The deviation from a certified value was in the order of 5%.

This paper presents research results on the structural-phase state of a tungsten surface layer cross-section after carbidization in a beam-plasma discharge. Tungsten surface carbidization in a beam-plasma discharge was conducted in a plasma-beam installation (PBI). Research on the cross-section structure of the surface layer of tungsten samples after carbidization at temperatures of 1000 °C, 1200 °C, and 1400 °C was conducted using transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Based on the results of SEM studies, a multilayer EMF map and local elemental analysis were obtained, based on which the depth of penetration of carbon atoms into tungsten was evaluated. It is established that the penetration depth is ~20 µm. The surface layer fine structure was researched using TEM. For TEM analysis of the tungsten sample cross-section with a carbidized layer, sections were prepared by ion thinning using an Ion Slicer EM-09100 IS unit. According to the research results, it was revealed that after carbidization, tungsten is available in the surface layer mainly in the composition of carbides WC and W₂C. On bright-field TEM images of the cross-section of the surface layer of tungsten samples after carbidization at a temperature of 1200 °C and 1400 °C, bending extinction contours are revealed, which indicate the elastically stressed state of the sample surface layer, which leads to bending-torsion of the foil.