Development of Fe‐, Sb‐, Bi‐ and Al‐impregnated silica catalysts using rice husk silica as a support for Friedel–Crafts benzylation of arenes

The milling by‐product of rice, rice husk, constitutes a major waste of the agricultural industry. It is mainly used as a fuel additive for various purposes, leaving behind residual ash which is rich in silica (Biogenic silica). In the present project, rice husk silica was impregnated with Fe³⁺, Sb³⁺, Bi³⁺ and Al³⁺ from both their aqueous and organic solutions. The resultant catalysts were activated at 120 °C and 550 °C and used for the Friedel–Crafts benzylation of benzene using benzyl chloride. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Direct and reverse elastic aftereffects of spring ribbon from nitrogen-bearing steel Kh21G10N7MBF

Direct and reverse elastic aftereffects in corrosion-resistant nitrogen-bearing steel Kh21G10N7MBF (0.5% N) are considered depending on the preliminary heat treatment (quenching + deformation + aging) and on the temperature and time conditions of the occurrence of the direct and reverse elastic aftereffects. __________ Translated from Metallovedenie i Termicheskaya Obrabotka Metallov, No. 1, pp. 8–11, January, 2006.     

Tensile basic creep versus compressive basic creep at early ages: comparison between normal strength concrete and a very high strength fibre reinforced concrete

The paper presents experimental results concerning the comparison of tensile and compressive basic creep behaviours at early ages of two different concretes: a normal strength concrete (NSC) and a very high strength fibre reinforced concrete (HPFRC). This research project has been done in the context of a bilateral collaboration between Polytechnique Montreal and IFSTTAR. Observations on the HPFRC showed specific compressive creep similar to the specific tensile creep. Moreover, the specific creep curves obtained under compressive and tensile loading had always positive values, i.e. they were in same direction of the applied load on specimens. Measurements made on the NSC revealed specific compressive creep with positive values (in the loading direction). However, specific tensile creep presented negative values (opposite direction of loading) for a long period. A physical explanation based on the existence of two mechanisms with opposite effect is proposed to describe these basic creep results. The first mechanism is a coupling between the microcracking process and the water transfers that lead to additional self-drying shrinkage; the second mechanism is the self-healing of concrete induced by the microcracking.     

A comparison of two meshing schemes for CFD analysis of the impulse turbine for wave energy applications

This paper presents the comparison of a three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis with empirical performance data of a 0.6 m Impulse Turbine with Fixed Guide Vanes used for wave energy power conversion. Pro-Engineer, Gambit and Fluent 6 were used to create a 3-D model of the turbine. A hybrid meshing scheme was used with hexahedral cells in the near blade region and tetrahedral and pyramid cells in the rest of the domain. The turbine has a hub-to-tip ratio of 0.6 and results were obtained over a wide range of flow coefficients. Satisfactory agreement was obtained with experimental results. The model yielded a maximum efficiency of approximately 54% as compared to a maximum efficiency of around 49% from experiment. A degree of insight into flow behaviour, not possible with experiment, was obtained. Sizeable areas of separation on the pressure side of the rotor blade were identified toward the tip. The aim of the work is to benchmark the CFD results with experimental data and to investigate the performance of the turbine using CFD and to with a view to integrating CFD into the design process.     

Content of uranium in urine of uranium miners as a tool for estimation of intakes of long-lived alpha radionuclides

Uranium in the urine of 10 uranium miners (hewers), 27 members of general population and 11 family members of miners was determined by the High-Resolution ICP-MS method. Concentration of uranium in urine of the miners was converted to daily excretion of (238)U under the assumption that the daily excretion of urine is 2 l and compared with the modelled excretion of (238)U. Daily excretion of (238)U was modelled using input data from personal dosemeters from a component for measurement of intake of long-lived alpha radionuclides. A reasonable agreement between evaluated and measured values was found. The uncertainty of inhalation intakes, derived from measurements of filters from personal dosemeters, and uncertainty of concentration of uranium in urine are discussed.     

Elastic analysis of a half-plane with multiple inclusions using volume integral equation method

A volume integral equation method (VIEM) is used to calculate the elastostatic field in an isotropic elastic half-plane containing circular inclusions subject to remote loading parallel to the traction-free boundary. The material of the inclusions may be either isotropic or anisotropic and they are assumed to be distributed in square or hexagonal array. A detailed analysis of the stress field at the interface between the matrix and one of the inclusions is carried out for different distances between the inclusion and the surface of the half-plane. The results of the calculations are compared with available results. The VIEM is shown to be very accurate and effective for investigating the local stresses in the presence of multiple inclusions. The method can be applied to multiple inclusions of arbitrary geometry and elastic properties embedded in extended isotropic elastic media.     

Computational Fluid Dynamics Benchmark of an Impulse Turbine with Fixed Guide Vanes

This paper presents the comparison of a three dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis with empirical performance data of a 0.6 m impulse turbine with fixed guide vanes used for wave energy power conversion. Pro-Engineer, Gambit and Fluent 6 were used to create a 3-D model of the turbine. A hybrid meshing scheme was used with hexahedral cells in the near blade region and tetrahedral and pyramid cells in the rest of the domain. The turbine has a hub-to-tip ratio of 0.6 and results were obtained over a wide range of flow coefficients. The model yielded a maximum efficiency of approximately 54% as compared to a maximum efficiency of around 49% from experiment. A degree of insight into flow behaviour, not possible with experiment, was obtained.