Influence of temperature cycling and pore fluid on tensile strength of chalk

Calcite has a highly anisotropic thermal expansion coefficient, and repeated heating and cooling cycles can potentially destabilize chalks by breaking cement bonds between neighboring particles. Based on tensile strength measurements, we investigated how temperature cycles induce weakening of chalk. Tensile strength tests were performed on chalk specimens sampled from Kansas (USA) and Mons (Belgium), each with differing amounts of contact cement. Samples of the two chalk types were tested in dry and water-saturated states, and then exposed to 0, 15, and 30 temperature cycles in order to find out under what circumstances thermally induced tensile strength reduction occurs. The testing results show that the dry samples were not influenced by temperature cycling in either of the chalk types. However, in the water-saturated state, tensile strength is increasingly reduced with progressive numbers of temperature cycles for both chalk samples, especially for the more cemented Kansas chalk. The Kansas chalk demonstrated higher initial tensile strength compared to the less cemented Mons chalk, but the strength of both chalks was reduced by the same relative proportion when undergoing thermal cycles in the water-saturated state.     

Chemical‐Free Approach for Z‐Isomerization of Lycopene in Tomato Powder: Hot Air and Superheated Steam Heating above the Melting Point of Lycopene

Z‐isomers of lycopene exhibit higher bioavailability and antioxidant capacity than those of the all‐E‐isomer. Therefore, it is important to develop an efficient and environmentally friendly procedure for Z‐isomerization. The current methods for Z‐isomerization of (all‐E)‐lycopene use toxic chemicals such as organic solvents and catalysts. This study is aimed to develop a chemical‐free method for Z‐isomerization of (all‐E)‐lycopene in tomato powder by hot air and superheated steam heating. The Z‐isomerization reaction is promoted by heating above the melting point of lycopene. When heated with superheated steam, the thermal decomposition of lycopene is suppressed compared to that when heated with hot air. When tomato powder is heated at 240 °C for 5 min by superheated steam, the total Z‐isomer content and remaining lycopene are 69.0% and 90.7%, respectively, while with hot air heating, the total Z‐isomer content and remaining lycopene are 69.9% and 68.0%, respectively. These results indicate that the thermal Z‐isomerization of lycopene occurs in the molten state and heating in a low oxygen atmosphere suppresses the thermal decomposition of lycopene. Practical Applications: Tomato powder rich in lycopene Z‐isomers is an important ingredient for the food and animal feed industries. Since Z‐isomers of lycopene are more soluble in solvents including ethanol which is a low‐toxicity and environmentally friendly solvent, the efficiency of lycopene extraction with ethanol can be improved by using the Z‐isomer‐rich tomato powder as a raw material. The obtained Z‐isomer‐rich extract has a high added value because the Z‐isomers have higher bioavailability and antioxidant capacity than those of the all‐E‐isomer. In addition, since lycopene Z‐isomers exhibit higher accumulation efficiency and better color improvement in hen egg yolks than those of the all‐E‐isomer, Z‐isomer‐rich tomato powder is an effective animal feed.     

A comparative study of 3E (energy,exergy, and economy) analysis of various solar stills

In this paper, an experimental study of the conventional solar still (CSS), the conventional solar still with glass cooling (CSSGC), the conventional solar still with basin heating (CSSBH), and the conventional solar still with glass cooling and basin heating (CSSGCBH) was carried out on the basis of the distilled water production, the energy efficiency (EnE), the exergy efficiency (ExE), and economic analysis. The CSSGC and CSSBH contain Peltier modules for cooling the glass and heating the basin. The evaporative heat transfer coefficient for all the experimental stills was calculated. The values of daily distilled water production from the CSSGCBH, CSSBH, CSSGC, and CSS were 4.56, 3.79, 2.49, and 1.89 kg/m², respectively. The daily distilled yield of the CSSBH and CSSGCBH were increased by 58.55% and 50.13%, respectively, as compared with the CSS. Moreover, the daily EnE and ExE of the CSSGCBH were 27.03% and 3.5%, respectively, whereas the EnE and ExE of the CSS were 10.88% and 1.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the cost of distilled water production was found to be 0.26, 0.35, 0.53, and 0.64 $/day for the CSS, CSSGC, CSSBH, and CSSGCBH, respectively, if the selling price of the distilled water was Rs10.     

漆包机烘炉加热失效原因探究及处理

针对漆包机烘炉加热失效形式及产生原因,进行了深入的研究和分析。结果表明,影响烘炉加热失效的主要原因是加热管损坏及装配异常、催化剂表面粘有金属化合物等颗粒杂质、排废风机转速设定不合理,并对加热管、催化剂、排废风机提出了合理实用的技术措施,为降低烘炉加热失效提高加热效果提供帮助。     

Preparation of Al2O3-mullite thermal insulation materials with AlF3 and SiC as aids by microwave sintering

Al₂O₃-mullite composites were prepared under the synergy effect of AlF₃ and SiC aids by microwave heating. The phase composition, microstructure, porosity, flexural strength, thermal shock resistance, and thermal conductivity were investigated. The XRD results revealed that the content of mullite phase steadily increased with the increasing of AlF₃ content. The microstructure showed that the lower content (≤1 wt%) of AlF₃ led to the formation of granular mullite and the higher content (≥3 wt%) of AlF₃ led to the formation of mullite whiskers, which could form an interlocking structure. In addition, the SiC hot spots can also promote the generation of mullite whiskers by microwave sintering. The thermal shock resistance was significantly improved by the interlocking structure of mullite whiskers. The residual rate of flexural strength of the composite with 3 wt% AlF₃ was 86%. The composite with 3 wt% AlF₃ additives got its optimized thermal conductivity from 30°C to 950°C, the value was between 0.819 and 1.021 W/(mK), which possess excellent thermal insulation performance.     

寒冷地区用空气源热泵热水器准双级压缩循环特性研究

空气源热泵热水器在寒冷地区运行时会出现排气温度过高、制热性能弱等弊端,准双级压缩循环技术可有效改善其在寒冷地区的运行特性。采用带中压补气的转子压缩机,研制了以R410A为循环工质的空气源热泵热水器,试验研究了系统在寒冷地区低温环境下的制热性能。结果表明:带中压补气的空气源热泵热水器系统排气温度较无补气有所降低,当室外温度从7.0下降到-25.0℃时,与无补气系统相比,补气系统制热量提升了6.2%～15.5%,压缩机功率提升了2.8%～9.5%,COP_h提升了3.3%～9.6%。     

Insight into selective oxidation of dual-phase steel after annealing in pure H2 atmosphere at different heating rates and temperatures

In this paper, the oxidation behaviors of DP980 advanced high strength steel (AHSS) are studied during annealing in a hydrogen atmosphere with different temperatures and heating rates. It is revealed that with the increase in holding time, the different heating rates affecting the surface oxide precipitation on the strip surface will be weakened. Mass transfer of Mn in heating, soaking, and cooling stages has been considered to illustrate the effect of heating rate on the oxide morphology of steel. And then, the Wagner model and aluminothermic reaction kinetics were performed to discuss the transition from external to internal and maximum reduction diameter of MnO oxidation.     

碳基采暖电热材料研究进展

近几年,由于节能与环保的需求,电取暖的方式得到大力的推广,电热材料的研究与应用受到人们广泛的重视。非金属碳基电热材料是新型的节能型电热采暖材料,本文重点对影响非金属碳基电热材料中的炭黑基电热材料、碳纤维基电热材料、碳晶电热材料电热性能的因素及相关应用进行了综述。     

Energy‐efficient design of greenhouse for Canadian Prairies using a heating simulation model

Greenhouses in northern climates require a large amount of supplemental heating for growing crops in winter seasons, so energy‐efficient design of greenhouses based on local climate is important to minimize the heating demand. In this study, greenhouse design parameters including shape, orientation, the angle of the roof, and width of the span have been studied for the conceptual design of conventional greenhouses for Canadian Prairies using a heating simulation model. Five different shapes of greenhouses including even‐span, uneven‐span, modified arch, vinery, and quonset shape have been selected for the study. The simulation results proved that the uneven‐span gable roof shape receives the highest solar radiation, whereas the quonset shape receives the lowest solar radiation. However, the quonset shape greenhouse requires about 7.6% less annual heating as compared to the gable roof greenhouse, but the quonset would not be adopted as multispan greenhouses. Therefore, the gable roof greenhouse is considered as energy efficient for the multispan gutter connected greenhouses whereas quonset shape as a free‐standing single‐span greenhouses. In high northern latitudes, the greenhouse with east‐west orientation is more energy efficient from heating and cooling point of view when the length‐width ratio of the greenhouse is more than 1. The heating energy saving potential of the large span width in single‐span greenhouses is relatively higher as compared to the multispan greenhouses.     

Review of the phase change material (PCM) usage for solar domestic water heating systems (SDWHS)

The shortage in energy resources combined with the climb in greenhouse emissions is the main incentive beyond the deployment of solar energy resource in various applications. One of the most successful applications is the utilization of solar energy in the domestic water heating systems (DWHS) because 70% of the consumed energy in the residential segment is utilized for space heating and appliances in cold climates 1 . However, the full deployment of solar energy in domestic water heating is only possible when an energy storage system with acceptable price is available. Recently a new tendency for deploying phase change materials (PCMs) as an energy storage system is introduced in several solar DWHS. These systems are known as integrated PCM in solar DWHS and offer several advantages including high storage capacity, low storage volume, and isothermal operation during the charging and discharging phases. The present study reviews various techniques utilized for integrating the PCM in solar water heating systems and the utilized methods for enhancing the heat transfer characteristics of the PCM through the usage of extended surfaces and high conductive additives. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.