Cobalt

In the third quarter of 2003 Sun discountinued their Cobalt line in favor of the AMD based Sun Fire line. Another rumor going around at Ford is that the Crown Victoria will eventually be replaced by one of two vehicles:. Previously known as Cobalt Systems, this Internet appliance company was acquired by Sun in 2000. Ford has denied this. Cobalt was also the name of Sun Microsystems' mainly rack-mounted, Intel and Linux based, server appliance line. Ford was rumored to be considering replacing the aging Panther platform with the front or all-wheel drive platform based on the D3 architecture. This process is referred to as irradiation. The code appears in the Vehicle Identification Number and distinguishes it from the commercial (P72), standard civilian (P73) and luxury civilian (P74) models.

Nevertheless, the gamma radiation emitted from cobalt-60 is used to kill bacteria on fruit and vegetables thus increasing their shelf life. "P71" is the designation for the Police Interceptor. The risk in the absence of a nuclear war comes from improper handling (or theft) of medical radiotherapeutic units. Luckily, this was only for very early 2003 models as the problems appear to have been fixed for newer models. Some nuclear weapon designs could intentionally increase the amount of Cobalt-60 dispersed as nuclear fallout – this is sometimes called a dirty bomb or cobalt bomb, once predicted by a leading scientist as being capable of wiping out all life on earth. Some 2003 Mercury Marauders were also affected. Cobalt-60 is a risk factor in a nuclear confrontation because neutron emissions will convert iron into this isotope. This was not limited to the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor.

Ingestion of ⁶⁰Co will lead to incorporation of some cobalt into tissues, which is released very slowly. The newly designed steel wheels would rust and fall out, the rack and pinion units would fail early (sub-10k miles), and the rear axles would wear out and possibly fall out as well. Cobalt-60 is a powerful gamma ray emitter and exposure to ⁶⁰Co is therefore a cancer risk. There were some problems with early 2003 Police Interceptor. Cobalt compounds should be handled with care due to cobalt's slight toxicity. Following the criticism of fires following rear-end collisions, Crown Victoria Police Interceptors now come with an automatic fire suppression system and special "trunk packs" designed to help prevent trunk contents from piercing the fuel tank in a collision. Powdered cobalt in metal form is a fire hazard. Kevlar-lined doors, which might be useful as protective barriers during gun fights, are optional on the Crown Victoria Police Interceptors.

The primary decay products before ⁵⁹Co are element 26 (iron) isotopes and the primary products after are element 28 (nickel) isotopes. P71 zip tube (the flexible rubber hose between the throttle body and MAF outlet) is also used to reduce NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) as well as transfer air from the airbox to the throttle body with minimal flow resistance. The primary decay mode before the most abundant stable isotope, ⁵⁹Co, is electron capture and the primary mode after is beta decay. This allows for much more precise flow calibration and reduces the chances of air leakage. The isotopes of cobalt range in atomic weight from 50 amu (⁵⁰Co) to 73 amu (⁷³Co). This includes a new air box that resembles the Mercury Marauder airbox (raised airbox lid, deeper bottom) with an integrated 80mm mass air flow (MAF) sensor that is part of the airbox lid. This element also has 4 meta states, all of which have half lives less than 15 minutes. The 2004-2005 Police Interceptor (referred to many as CVPIs, P71s) are rated for 250 hp (186 kW) because of the addition of a new air intake system.

All of the remaining radioactive isotopes have half-lifes that are less than 18 hours and the majority of these have half lives that are less than 1 second. Another difference between the civilian version and the Police Interceptor is that the back seats of the latter are built with the back and bottom portions as a single piece with no space in between them for back-seat occupants to hide objects. 22 radioisotopes have been characterized with the most stable being ⁶⁰Co with a half-life of 5.2714 years, 57-Co (⁵⁷Co) with a half-life of 271.79 days, and 56-Co (⁵⁶Co) with a half-life of 77.27 days, and 58-Co (⁵⁸Co) with a half life of 70.86 days. Further refinements were made in 2001, including deletion of all trim on the plastic bumper pieces, and a honeycomb-style grille, replacing a slat-style grille as is found on standard Crown Victorias. Naturally occurring cobalt is composed of 1 stable isotope, 59-Co (⁵⁹Co). The changes made in 1999 included a new rear fascia insignia, an all-black trim scheme which included replacing the color-keyed trunklid panels with black ones, and a black grille. Oxides are antiferromagnetic at low temperature CoO (Neel temperature: 291 K) and Co₃O₄ (Neel temperature: 40 K). Prior to 1999, the police cars were officially known as the P71 Crown Victoria.

Due to the various oxidation states, there is an abundant number of compounds. The law enforcement version of the 1999-up Crown Victoria is known as the Police Interceptor, and many taxi companies use this "heavy duty" version as well. It is also produced in the town of Cobalt, Ontario as a byproduct of the silver mining. The Marauder was not a market success and the model was retired after just two years of production. It is also found in Finland, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. Mercury introduced a performance version called the Mercury Marauder but sales were slow. The world's major producers of cobalt are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, mainland China, Zambia, Russia and Australia. This construction style is opposed to the now more commonly used unibody construction style where the body panels are load-bearing members.

The main ores of cobalt are cobaltite, erythrite, glaucodot, and skutterudite. The Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, and the Lincoln Town Car are the only mass-produced passenger cars with body-on-frame construction in the United States. Cobalt is usually not mined alone, and tends to be produced as a by-product of nickel and copper mining activities. Although the company has avoided financial responsibility for the fires, the components found in Ford's fuel tank safety kits have been in use with Ford vehicles since the early 1980s as evidenced in the 1980-1982 Ford Thunderbird that has a polymer differential cover shield and lower shock mount shields to prevent the fuel tank from contacting those areas. Cobalt is not found as a free metal and is generally found in the form of ores. An attempted class-action suit in Belvidere, Illinois in 2004 failed as well. Cobalt is a central component of the vitamin cobalamin, or vitamin B-12. Despite numerous court cases charging Ford with partial liability for fires caused in accidents, the company has never been convicted.

Having 0.13 to 0.30 mg/kg of cobalt in soils markedly improves the health of grazing animals. It should also be noted then every other car on the road has the same "flaw", but civilians do not routinely park on the shoulder of high speed interstate highways, where they would be subject to a collision that can cause a fuel tank to erupt. Cobalt in small amounts is essential to many living organisms, including humans. Even though this model of the Crown Victoria has been criticized for this type of rear end collision, the civilian Panthers all have the same "flaw" and Ford refuses to address this problem on all the models. Some also think the name may derive from Greek kobalos, which means 'mine', and which may have common roots with kobold, goblin, and cobalt. These items were removed on later models, however. Other sources cite the origin as stemming from silver miners' belief that cobalt had been placed by kobolds who had stolen the silver. Ford also used polymer shock bolt covers for the lower mounts on the rear shocks.

The word cobalt comes from the German kobalt or kobold, meaning evil spirit, the metal being so called by miners, because it was poisonous and troublesome (it polluted and degraded the other mined elements, like nickel). Ford used polymer shields on the gas tank facing the rear differential covers. In 1938, John Livingood and Glenn Seaborg discovered cobalt-60. It is interesting to mention the contents of the recall kit because they can be found on early 1980s Fords. During the 19th century, cobalt blue was produced at the Norwegian Blaafarveværket (70-80 % of world production), led by the Prussian industrialist Benjamin Wegner. Ford's solution in the form of a recall kit includes appliques to mark unsafe areas to drill in the luggage compartment, as well as a rear differential cover shield, and rear shock lower bolt shields. He was able to show that cobalt was the source of the blue color in glasses, which previously had been attributed to the bismuth found with cobalt. The equipment installers would then install bolts that go into the gas tank and can cause sparking in an accident.

The date of discovery varies depending on the source, but is between 1730 and 1737. Due to the gas tank's orientation, drilling through the package tray will result in drilling into the gas tank. George Brandt (1694-1768) is credited with the discovery of cobalt. The condition may have been exacerbated by police equipment installers drilling over the package tray in the luggage compartment. Cobalt was known in ancient times through its compounds, which would color glass a rich blue. There are very few, if any, reports for this fire problem when struck at ordinary speeds. The second machine is out beside the walkway into the Centre. In the case of the Crown Victoria, it is a combination of factors including a number of different traits, such as the nature and position of the gas tank, and the unique circumstances of the car crashes, namely at speeds of over 85 miles and hour, something most civilians would never be subjected to.

In fact the first machine is on display in the Saskatoon Cancer Centre – look up when entering the lobby. In fact the survival rate for these type of collisions was higher than any other mid-sized sedan, which perform worse due to their much lighter construction, lower weight, and shorter distance for a crumple zone. The first ⁶⁰Co therapy machine (the "cobalt bomb") was built and first used in Canada. However, the safety ratings are still higher than most other american vehicles at this price point. The ⁶⁰Co source is useful for about 5 years but even after this point is still very radioactive, and so cobalt machines have fallen from favor in the Western world where linacs are common. While the car has been highly rated for safety, there was some controversy and lawsuits in the 1990s over the car's gas tank leaking after certain types of high energy impacts, specifically when being hit at a certain angle offset in the rear at speeds greater than 85 mph (137 km/h). The metal has the unfortunate habit of producing a fine dust, causing problems with radiation protection. Engines:.

The ⁶⁰Co source is about 2 cm in diameter and as a result produces a geometric penumbra, making the edge of the radiation field fuzzy. It also offers more interior space and slightly better fuel economy than many SUVs of similar weight. It produces two gamma rays with energies of 1.17 MeV and 1.33 MeV. It is considerably more durable than modern front wheel drive cars that rely on constant velocity joints for transmission of power to the steering wheels. Cobalt-60 (Co-60 or ⁶⁰Co) is a radioactive metal that is used in radiotherapy. The Crown Victoria has often characterized as an "older person's car", but this is a misconception considering nearly all vehicles in this class tend to have an older client base (largely due to economic reasons). Co-60 is useful as a gamma ray source partially because it can be produced - in known quantity, and very large amounts - by simply exposing natural cobalt to neutrons in a reactor for a given time. The design has been popular with police departments and cab companies to the same extent as the Chevrolet Caprice in the 1980s and early 1990s, especially in New York City where they make up the majority of the taxi and New York City Police Department fleets, as well among the general populace.

Common oxidation states of cobalt include +2, and +3, though +1 is also seen. It still uses a front independent suspension with a rear live axle on a body on frame design, using a traditional rear wheel drive drivetrain. Metallic cobalt commonly presents a mixture of two crystallographic structures hcp and fcc with a transition temperature hcp→fcc of 722 K. Even with the latest 2006 Crown Victoria, the overall design remains relatively unchanged from the 1979 design. Cobalt has a relative permeability two thirds that of iron. 2005 models also received a new steering wheel. Cobalt-60, an artificially produced radioactive isotope of cobalt, is an important radioactive tracer and cancer-treatment agent. The Crown Victoria retained the same exterior styling, but 2005 models received a rear whip radio antenna rather than an integrated rear defroster antenna.

Mammals require small amounts of cobalt salts. The engine output increased due to the addition of a knock sensor for more aggressive timing. It is frequently associated with nickel, and both are characteristic ingredients of meteoric iron. As a result, the road-handling manners of the Panther platform cars have improved significantly. The Curie temperature is of 1388 K with 1.6~1.7 Bohr magnetons per atom. The rear suspension was redone for durability in police-duty applications and the rear shocks were moved outboard of the frame rails for better handling and ease of maintenance. Cobalt is a hard ferromagnetic silver-white element. In the front, new aluminum control arms, and rack and pinion steering (replacing the recirculating ball units) have been implemented.

. New inverted monotube shocks are now used (replacing the old twin-tube shocks that had been around since the 1960s). Cobalt is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Co and atomic number 27. The front and rear suspension was also completely overhauled. London celebrates 50 years of Cobalt-60 Radiotherapy. In 2003, the chassis was again redone with hydroformed steel. WebElements.com – Cobalt. The Crown Vic's twins, the Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car, however, are still available in Canada.

National Pollutant Inventory - Cobalt fact sheet. Civilians can, however, purchase used 2000 & up Crown Victorias that are available at dealerships every so often. Cobalt is the name of a current line of cars from Chevrolet. The basic civilian Crown Victoria is only available when ordered as a fleet and is not available through Ford dealerships. Los Alamos National Laboratory - Cobalt. Since 2000, the Crown Victoria has only been available in Canada as a Police Interceptor for law enforcement, or as a Taxi or Special Service Vehicle for commercial fleets. It is used in industrial radiography to detect structural flaws in metal parts. In Canada, 1999 was the last year the Crown Victoria was individually available to civilians from Ford dealerships.

It is used in radiation treatment of foods for sterilization (cold pasteurization). The Crown Victoria also features a 114.7" wheelbase. It is used in radiotherapy. This design, already being used on the 1996-1999 Ford Taurus SHO 3.4L V8 engine, was later implemented on other users of the Modular V8, including the 1999-up Mustang GT, and many F/E-series trucks. Cobalt-60 has multiple uses as a gamma ray source: