Plasma-assisted CO2 reforming of methane over Ni-based catalysts: Promoting role of Ag and Sn secondary metals

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) are the primary greenhouse gases (GHGs) that drive global climate change. CO₂ reforming of CH₄ or dry reforming of CH₄ (DRM) is used for the simultaneous conversion of CO₂ and CH₄ into syngas and higher hydrocarbons. In this study, DRM was investigated using Ag–Ni/Al₂O₃ packing and Sn–Ni/Al₂O₃ packing in a parallel plate dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. The performance of the DBD reactor was significantly enhanced when applying Ag–Ni/Al₂O₃ and Sn–Ni/Al₂O₃ due to the relatively high electrical conductivity of Ag and Sn as well as their anti-coke performances. Using Ag–Ni/Al₂O₃ consisting of 1.5 wt% Ag and 5 wt% Ni/Al₂O₃ as the catalyst in the DBD reactor, 19% CH₄ conversion, 21% CO₂ conversion, 60% H₂ selectivity, 81% CO selectivity, energy efficiency of 7.9% and 0.74% (by mole) coke formation were achieved. In addition, using Sn–Ni/Al₂O₃, consisting of 0.5 wt% Sn and 5 wt% Ni/Al₂O₃, 15% CH₄ conversion, 19% CO₂ conversion, 64% H₂ selectivity, 70% CO selectivity, energy efficiency of 6.0%, and 2.1% (by mole) coke formation were achieved. Sn enhanced the reactant conversions and energy efficiency, and resulted in a reduction in coke formation; these results are comparable to that achieved when using the noble metal Ag. The decrease in the formation of coke could be correlated to the increase in the CO selectivity of the catalyst. Good dispersion of the secondary metals on Ni was found to be an important factor for the observed increases in the catalyst surface area and catalytic activities. Furthermore, the stability of the catalytic reactions was investigated for 1800 min over the 0.5 wt% Ag-5 wt% Ni/Al₂O₃ and 0.5 wt% Sn-5 wt% Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts. The results showed an increase in the reactant conversions with an increase in the reaction time.     

Maximum likelihood-based adaptive differential evolution identification algorithm for multivariable systems in the state-space form

Parameter estimation plays an important role in the field of system control. This article is concerned with the parameter estimation methods for multivariable systems in the state-space form. For the sake of solving the identification complexity caused by a large number of parameters in multivariable systems, we decompose the original multivariable system into some subsystems containing fewer parameters and study identification algorithms to estimate the parameters of each subsystem. By taking the maximum likelihood criterion function as the fitness function of the differential evolution algorithm, we present a maximum likelihood-based differential evolution (ML-DE) algorithm for parameter estimation. To improve the parameter estimation accuracy, we introduce the adaptive mutation factor and the adaptive crossover factor into the ML-DE algorithm and propose a maximum likelihood-based adaptive differential evolution algorithm. The simulation study indicates the efficiency of the proposed algorithms.     

Multi-discharge EDM coring of single crystal SiC ingot by electrostatic induction feeding method

A new technique of EDM coring of single crystal silicon carbide (SiC) ingot was proposed in this paper. Currently single crystal SiC devices are still of high cost due to the high cost of bulk crystal SiC material and the difficulty in the fabrication process of SiC. In the manufacturing process of SiC ingot/wafer, localized cracks or defects occasionally occur due to thermal or mechanical causes resulted from fabrication processes which may waste the whole piece of material. To save the part of ingot without defects and maximize the material utilization, the authors proposed EDM coring method to cut out a no defect ingot from a larger diameter ingot which has localized defects. A special experimental setup was developed for EDM coring of SiC ingot in this study and its feasibility and machining performance were investigated. Meanwhile, in order to improve the machining rate, a novel multi-discharge EDM coring method by electrostatic induction feeding was established, which can realize multiple discharges in single pulse duration. Experimental results make it clear that EDM coring of SiC ingot can be carried out stably using the developed experimental setup. Taking advantage of the newly developed multi-discharge EDM method, both the machining speed and surface integrity can be improved.     

东兴铝业嘉峪关分公司铝灰渣循环利用研究

铝灰渣是铝熔铸过程中产生的废弃物。本文主要介绍了酒钢东兴铝业嘉峪关分公司铝灰渣的产生量、排放、利用情况、化学成分及表面特征,并简要介绍了铝灰渣、铝灰的循环利用途径。     

Control theory for stochastic distributed parameter systems,an engineering perspective

The main purpose of this paper is to survey some recent progresses on control theory for stochastic distributed parameter systems, i.e., systems governed by stochastic differential equations in infinite dimensions, typically by stochastic partial differential equations. We will explain the new phenomenon and difficulties in the study of controllability and optimal control problems for one dimensional stochastic parabolic equations and stochastic hyperbolic equations. In particular, we shall see that both the formulation of corresponding stochastic control problems and the tools to solve them may differ considerably from their deterministic/finite-dimensional counterparts. More importantly, one has to develop new tools, say, the stochastic transposition method introduced in our previous works, to solve some problems in this field.     

A Global Maximum Error Controller Based Nonlinearity Aware TPWL Method for Reducing Nonlinear Systems

Abstract

Model order reduction is a common practice to reduce large order systems so that their simulation and control become easy. Nonlinearity aware trajectory piecewise linear is a variation of trajectory piecewise linearization technique of order reduction that is used to reduce nonlinear systems. With this scheme, the reduced approximation of the system is generated by weighted sum of the linearized and reduced sub-models obtained at certain linearization points on the system trajectory. This scheme uses dynamically inspired weight assignment that makes the approximation nonlinearity aware. Just as weight assignment, the process of linearization points selection is also important for generating faithful approximations. This article uses a global maximum error controller based linearization points selection scheme according to which a state is chosen as a linearization point if the error between a current reduced model and the full order nonlinear system reaches a maximum value. A combination that not only selects linearization points based on an error controller but also assigns dynamic inspired weights is shown in this article. The proposed scheme generates approximations with higher accuracies. This is demonstrated by applying the proposed method to some benchmark nonlinear circuits including RC ladder network and inverter chain circuit and comparing the results with the conventional schemes.     

Enhance cycling performance of LiMn2O4 cathode by Sr2+ and Cr3+ doping

Spinel LiSr_0·1Cr_0·1Mn_1·8O₄ was synthesised by high temperature solid state method in order to enhance the electrochemical performance. The LiSr_0·1Cr_0·1Mn_1·8O₄ (LSCMO) materials were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical tests. The XRD and SEM studies confirm that LSCMO had spinel crystal structure with a space group of Fd3m, and the particle of LSCMO shows irregular shape. The cyclic voltammetry data illustrated that the heavy current charge–discharge performance of LMO was improved by Sr²⁺ and Cr³⁺ doping. The galvanostatic charge–discharge of LSCMO cathode materials was measured at 1, 5, 10 and 20 C. The results indicated that LSCMO improved the capacity retention.     

Corrosion behavior of under‐, peak‐, and over‐aged 6063 alloy: A comparative study

The mechanical property of age‐hardenable Al‐alloys is governed by the state of ageing, which determines the microstructure and consequently, their corrosion behavior which is a vital aspect for a number of applications. This article presents a comparative assessment of corrosion behavior of under‐, peak‐ and over‐aged Al‐Mg‐Si alloy. Corrosion characteristics have been determined via immersion tests in 0.1 M ortho‐phosphoric acid solution and intergranular corrosion (IGC) tests. Corroded surfaces are examined by field emission scanning electron micrographs‐energy dispersive spectroscopy and 3D optical profilometer. The obtained results reveal that the corrosion rate at a specific immersion time as well as the depth of IGC increases in the order for under‐, peak‐, and over‐aged states. Irrespective of the state of ageing, corrosion loss increases linearly but the rate of corrosion decreases rapidly with increasing immersion time. The dominant mode of corrosion in under‐aged alloy is identified as localized pitting, while peak‐aged is highly susceptible to IGC in contrast extensive pitting corrosion is observed for over‐aged alloy. The observed differences in corrosion behavior are explained considering characteristics of precipitates. Formation of β (Mg₂Si) in case of over‐aged alloy and presence of inclusions like AlFeMnSi particles are found to accelerate pitting corrosion.     

高效液相色谱法测定多环芳烃的出峰顺序探讨

目的探讨水﹑气﹑土壤中多环芳烃检测标准(HJ 478-2009﹑HJ 647-2013、HJ 784-2016)的正确出峰时间和顺序。方法用高效液相色谱来对苊烯、芴、苊、?、苯并(a)蒽进行定性分析,并与3个标准中的出峰顺序进行比较。结果苊烯、苊、芴、苯并(a)蒽、?的出峰时间分别为6.450、7.923、8.233、17.760、18.740min,与标准HJ478-2009﹑HJ647-2013的出峰顺序存在差异。结论在使用标准HJ478-2009﹑HJ647-2013、HJ 784-2016同时测定16种多环芳烃时,多环芳烃的出峰顺序及时间应以HJ 784-2016为准。