Experimental and numerical investigations on the heat production and thermal storage characteristics of rapid preparation amorphous powder activated coke

The heat production and thermal storage characteristics of rapid-preparation amorphous powder activated coke (RAC) were investigated. RAC was prepared by using a drop-tube reactor system. The natural oxidation characteristics of RAC were studied through combined TG–FTIR analysis and temperature-programmed experiment. Experimental results showed that CO and CO₂ were the main oxidation products of RAC in air, and that the oxidation reaction was in accordance with the Arrhenius equation and law of mass action. Thermal storage characteristics were studied through computational fluid dynamics simulation. The maximum excess temperature θ_max increases linearly with the increase of the initial temperature. The concentration fields of the products show that CO₂ is mainly concentrated in the upper part of the coke bin, and the CO generated by CO₂ at high temperature is mainly concentrated in the central part of the coke bin.     

A numerical study of dynamic behaviors of a unitized regenerative fuel cell during gas purging

The gas purging states affect electricity output and energy storage capacity of unitized regenerative fuel cells. In this study, a model of unitized regenerative fuel cell is established. Cell voltages and operating temperatures influences on the dynamic distribution of thermal fluid during purging process and the discharge of residual liquid water in electrolytic cell mode are investigated. The motivation of the present study is better understanding the gas purging characteristics and its effect on reaction behaviors of unitized regenerative fuel cells. Simulation results reveal a significant influence of purging gas temperature on the water flooding and a great effect of operating voltage on the water diffusion. The operating temperature of electrolytic cell model almost has little effect on purging results at different cell temperature and the same purging gas temperature. When the purging gas temperature is changed, higher temperatures of cell and purging gas facilitate liquid water discharging out from the cell regions. In cell water flooding situation, when having large liquid content, the purging gas has little effects on the water expelling process.     

Techno-economic assessment of hydrogen refueling station: A case study in Croatia

Hydrogen refueling station (HRS) capacity and location depend on the users, which makes it difficult to select the most favorable option before potential users are actually identified. As in Croatia, at least for now, there are no hydrogen users, this study considers a wide range of HRS capacities and their different configurations. These include hydrogen production and charging station within one existing wind farm in Croatia or both nearby the users, the hydrogen production within the wind farm and the charging station nearby the users, while hydrogen is delivered to the station with a tube trailer, and configuration of hydrogen production within the wind farm with a mobile charging station in case of several users in different locations. Each HRS configuration is evaluated by the obtained levelized cost of hydrogen depending on the capital, and operation and maintenance costs within the HRS techno-economic analysis provided.     

Approbation of an innovative method of pretreatment of dark fermentation feedstocks

According to the International Energy Agency, only a small part of the full potential of biomass energy is currently used in the world. The annual amount of agricultural waste in the Russian Federation is estimated at about 152 million tons, and the energy potential of animal waste is 201 PJ/year. Anaerobic digestion is an efficient method of converting organic waste into renewable energy sources. Previously, the positive effect of pretreatment of various organic feedstocks in vortex layer apparatus (VLA) on the characteristics of anaerobic digestion and energy efficiency was shown. Currently, there is a significant interest in the world in obtaining biohydrogen from organic waste using the dark fermentation (DF) process. During pretreatment in the VLA, the iron working bodies are abraded and iron particles are introduced into the feedstock of the DF reactor. This may have a positive effect on the production rate and yield of hydrogen, which has not been previously studied. This work is aimed at evaluating the possibility of using the VLA as a method for pretreatment of a dark fermentation feedstock for the intensification of biohydrogen production. To achieve this goal, an experimental setup was constructed. It consisted of a 45 L DF reactor, a VLA and a process control system to collect data on the DF process parameters every 5 min. At a hydraulic retention time in the DF reactor of 24 h and in the VLA of 30 s, the hydrogen content in the biogas increased from 51.1% to 52.2%. At the same time, the pH increased from 3.85 to 4.8–4.9, and the hydrogen production rate increased by 16% to 1.941 L/(L day). The hydrogen yield was 80.9 ml/g VS. Thus, pretreatment of the feedstock in VLA can be an effective way to intensify the DF process; however, further study of the VLA operating modes is required in order to optimize the concentrations of iron particles introduced into the feedstock for the most efficient continuous production of dark fermentative biohydrogen.     

受老空水威胁工作面巷道防治水实践

针对高庄煤矿3_上1104回风巷为沿空掘巷,巷道掘进期间受3_上1102老空水威胁,掘进开采存在严重的水患安全问题,采用超前打设疏水孔的方案来治理老空水威胁,对巷道采用调向增大护巷煤柱厚度等措施实现巷道安全快速掘进,探放水期间无淹巷情况发生,探放水后巷道顶板和上帮无淋水现象发生。     

Effects of multiple freeze–thaw cycles on meat quality,nutrients, water distribution and microstructure in bovine rumen smooth muscle

This study investigated the effect of 5 freeze–thaw cycles (freezing at −18°C for 12 h and then thawing at 4°C for approximately 12 h) on the meat quality, proximate composition, water distribution and microstructure of bovine rumen smooth muscle (BSM). As the number of freeze–thaw cycles increased, BSM pH, shear force, water content and protein content decreased by 3.06%, 35.50%, 14.49% and 21.11%, respectively, whereas BSM thawing loss, cooking loss, pressing loss, total aerobic count (TAC), ash content and fat content increased by 108.12%, 47.75%, 78.33%, 90.99%, 105% and 35.20%, respectively. The freeze–thaw cycles resulted in greater protein and lipid oxidation, as evidenced by a 36.46% reduction in the sulfhydryl content and a 209.06% and 338.46% increase in the carbonyl and malondialdehyde contents, respectively. Ice crystal formation disrupted the structural integrity of the muscle tissue. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance results showed that the freeze–thaw cycles prolonged the relaxation times (T_2b, T₂₁ and T₂₂), indicating that immobile water shifted to free water, and consequently, free water mobility increased. After 3 freeze–thaw cycles, the decline in shear force slowed, the increase in thawing loss became accelerated, and the TAC approached the domain value (6 log colony-forming units/g). Therefore, the number of freeze–thaw cycles of smooth muscle during transport, storage and distribution should be controlled to 3 or fewer. The current results provide a theoretical basis and data support for the further utilisation and culinary processing of smooth muscle.     

Direct shear behavior of gravel-rubber mixtures: Discrete element modeling and microscopic investigations

In this paper, a newly developed 3-dimentional discrete element model (DEM) for gravel-rubber mixtures (GRMs), namely DEM4GRM, that is capable of accurately describing the macro-scale shear response (from small to large deformation) of GRMs in a direct shear box apparatus is presented. Rigid gravel grains are modelled as simple multi-shape clumps, while soft rubber particles are modeled by using deformable 35-ball body-centered-cubic clusters. Mixtures are prepared with different volumetric rubber content (VRC) at 0, 10, 25, 40 and 100%, statically compressed under 30, 60 and 100 kPa vertical stress and then sheared, by closely simulating a reference laboratory test procedure. The variation of micro-scale factors such as fabric, normal and tangential force anisotropy is carefully examined throughout the shearing process and described by means of novel micro-mechanical relationships valid for GRMs. Moreover, strong-force chains are scrutinized to identify the transition from rigid to soft granular skeleton and gain insights on the load transfer and deformation mechanisms of GRMs. It is shown that the development of the fabric and force anisotropy during shearing is closely related to the macro-scale shear strength of GRMs, and strongly depends on the VRC. Besides, strong-force chains appear to be primarily formed by gravel-gravel contacts (resulting in a rigid-like mechanical behavior) up to VRC = 30%, and by rubber-rubber contacts (causing a soft-like mechanical response) beyond VRC = 60%. Alternatively, at 30% < VRC < 60%, gravel-rubber contacts are predominant in the strong-force network and an intermediate mechanical behavior is observed. This is consistent with the behavioral trends observed in the macro- and micro-mechanical responses.     

Effect of the particle size ratio on macro- and mesoscopic shear characteristics of the geogrid-reinforced rubber and sand mixture interface

As a new type of material for civil engineering projects, the rubber and sand mixture is widely used in roadbed fillers, offering environmental benefits over traditional tyre disposal methods. This study uses a large-scale direct shear apparatus to examine the interface shear properties of the geogrid-reinforced rubber and sand mixture, considering different particle size ratios (r), rubber contents, and normal stresses. Based on indoor tests, direct shear models of the mixture with different values of r are established in PFC^3D, revealing the meso-mechanical mechanism of the mixture in the direct shear process. The results show that when r is greater than 1, incorporating a certain amount of rubber particles can increase the shear strength of the mixture. The r values of 15.78, 7.63, and 3.98 correspond to an optimal rubber content of 30%, 10%, and 20%, respectively. When r is less than 1, mixing rubber particles can only reduce the shear strength of the mixture. When the rubber content is low, the smaller the value of r, the greater is the thickness of the shear band. Furthermore, the normal and tangential contact forces are greater. The fabric anisotropy evolution law of the mixture is consistent with the change in the contact force distribution.     

Pullout testing and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) analysis of geogrid reinforcement embedded in granular drainage layers

The paper investigates the feasibility of using fine-grained soil as backfill material of geosynthetic-reinforced walls and slopes, through a laboratory study on pullout behavior of geogrids in granular layers. A series of pullout tests was carried out on an HDPE uniaxial geogrid in thin sand and gravel layers that were embedded in clay specimens.Aside from different soil arrangements, the influences of moisture content and overburden pressure on the geogrid pullout behavior is assessed and discussed. The tests were carried out at four different gravimetric water contents (GWC) on the dry and wet sides of the clay optimum moisture content (OMC), and overburden pressure values within the range σ_v = 25–100 kPa. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was used to capture digital images during the tests, which were processed to help with the interpretation and improved understanding of the soil-geogrid interactions at different GWC values. Results show that embedding geogrid reinforcement in layers of sand or gravel can significantly increase the pullout resistance in an otherwise moist clay backfill, and this improved pullout efficiency is greater at higher overburden pressures. The improvement in pullout capacity was observed in clay specimens compacted at both the dry and wet sides of the OMC.