Integrated and inherently safe design and operation of a mobile power generation: Process intensification through microreactor reformer and HT-PEMFC

In the present study, due to various advantages of process miniaturization, the integrated design and operation of a mobile power generation system consisting of a microreactor reformer and a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) are investigated. The hydrogen fuel is supplied through autothermal steam-reforming of methanol in a microreactor leading to a safer, as well as more efficient, and economical operation. A high-temperature polymer membrane fuel cell with external accessories is applied for power generation. Then, simulation-optimization programming is applied for simultaneously optimizing the process design and operation at the same level. The result shows that the implemented procedure ensures the economic and flexible operation of the process while satisfying the safety constraints. The maximum gross power and net power generation are 109.3 and 91.9, respectively, while the cost of hydrogen production reduces from 13 to 20 $/kg to 7.7 $/kg. The fuel (methanol) consumption can be as low as 0.42 L/kWh.     

轧机两侧刚度差的数字化分析与改善措施

轧机两侧刚度差是轧机功能精度的最重要指标之一，以弹跳方程为基础定量计算了轧机两侧刚度差对轧制稳定性的影响，主要包括调平值、调平值随轧制力的变化以及甩尾3个方面。以此为基础在某热轧线建立了轧机刚度评价体系，对轧机功能精度进行管控。同时，还分析了轧机两侧刚度差的影响因素，并在定量分析的基础上采取了一系列的改善措施，包括衬板、垫片维护、最大压靠轧制力和标定轧制力的调整等，使轧机刚度和轧制稳定性得到大幅提升。     

Improved biogas yield from organic fraction of municipal solid waste as preliminary step for fuel cell technology and hydrogen generation

Biogas utilization in fuel cell technology and hydrogen generation is a modern and economically viable approach. A pretreatment step prior to anaerobic digestion (AD) is obligatory to increase the hydrolysis, solubilize the complex matter present in organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and to achieve higher yield of biogas. This study was intended to find out the effects of thermal, chemical and thermochemical pretreatments on the properties and structure of OFMSW and also on biogas production. There was an increase in chemical oxygen demand of 6.87, 1.61 and 11.60% for thermal, chemical and thermochemical pretreatments, respectively. Also, the content of volatile solids was reduced by 2.36% by thermochemical pretreatment. FTIR, XRD and SEM analysis revealed that these pretreatments also caused chemical and morphological changes on the substrate, as a result reduced its crystallinity and enhanced the rate of hydrolysis. A significant increase of 54% in biogas yield was achieved after thermochemical pretreatment in comparison to untreated OFMSW sample.     

Oxy-fuel combustion of heavy oil based on OH - PLIF technique

Oxy-fuel combustion of heavy oil can be applied to oil field steam injection boilers, allowing the utilization of both heavy oil and CO₂ resources. This paper studied the local distribution characteristics of OH on oxy-fuel combustion of heavy oil during the ignition and stable combustion processes. During the ignition process, we observed the generation and evolution of fire kernel, and got the flame propagation velocity. During the stable combustion process, the results showed that the OH distribution and its relative signal intensity were influenced by the oxygen concentration, excess air coefficient, gas flow, reaction atmosphere, oil mist scattering, incident laser energy and laser sheet position. In the same reaction atmosphere, the ranges of OH dense distribution and the high temperature area increased as O₂ concentration increased. In the same O₂ concentration, both the ranges of OH dense distribution and the high temperature area in O₂/N₂ were larger than that in O₂/CO₂. In 29% O₂/71% CO₂, the flame shape was similar to combust in air, while the OH relative signal intensity and its volatility were much larger than that in air. In the same combustion condition, the location of high concentration of OH relative concentration field lagged behind the high temperature area. The results further reveal the differences between the conventional and oxy-fuel combustion.     

Electrical conductivity of poly(vinyl alcohol)/carbon nanotube multilayer thin films: Influence of sodium polystyrene sulfonate mediated carbon nanotube dispersion

This investigation was aimed to enhance the dispersibility of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) using sodium polystyrene sulfonate (Na-PSS) polyelectrolyte. Subsequently, electrically conducting, multi-layer thin films are prepared utilizing layer by layer assembly method with poly(vinyl alcohol) as a host matrix. The highest extent of MWCNT dispersion was observed in MWCNT:Na-PSS ratio of 1:9 (wt/wt), which was estimated from UV-Vis spectroscopic analysis. Zeta potential measurements of Na-PSS modified MWCNT dispersion showed large negative potentials ranging from −52 to −64 mV in the most stable pH range of 4 to 10, suggesting the colloidal stability is due to the long-range repulsive nature of electrostatic interactions from negatively charged sulfonate groups. Complementary molecular dynamics simulations showed that adsorption of Na-PSS imparts a large negative potential to the carbon nanotube surface, which increases with an increase in Na-PSS concentration. The multi-layer thin film of (1:9) MWCNT:Na-PSS exhibited a DC electrical conductivity of 2.96 × 10² S/m.     

基于缓冲对刀策略的自动化铲板组件设计

针对目前化纤纺丝生产中对喷丝板进行自动化铲板的需求,首先,提出一种自动铲板方法并设计了具有串并联弹簧缓冲对刀结构的铲板组件;然后,通过规划铲刀组件的对刀运动参数,建立组件的动力学模型,确定缓冲弹簧的刚度系数;同时对铲刀组件的对刀运动进行Adams仿真,验证运动参数设计和串并联弹簧缓冲对刀结构设计的正确性;最后,搭建了自动化铲板实验平台,开展对刀阶段的接触力测量实验。研究结果表明,实际对刀时的受力趋势与仿真结果一致,铲板组件可有效清洁喷丝板面,且随着铲刀接触力的增大铲板效果越明显,该研究为进一步开展自动化铲板系统的设计提供了技术参考。     

大口径管道直管段制作技术应用

针对大口径管道施工过程中存在施工周期长,施工难度大,工程成本高等问题,提出一种新型优化管段分段技术和管段组对方案。结果表明:该制作技术能保证大口管道安装施工顺利进行;有效地解决现有大口径套管安装过程中的技术难题。该方法具有创新性、实用性、可靠性等优点,在工程建设的许多领域,具有推广应用价值。     

Team O2AS at the world robot summit 2018: an approach to robotic kitting and assembly tasks using general purpose grippers and tools

ABSTRACT

In this article, we propose a versatile robotic system for kitting and assembly tasks which uses no jigs or commercial tool changers. Instead of specialized end effectors, it uses its two-finger grippers to grasp and hold tools to perform subtasks such as screwing and suctioning. A third gripper is used as a precision picking and centering tool, and uses in-built passive compliance to compensate for small position errors and uncertainty. A novel grasp point detection for bin picking is described for the kitting task, using a single depth map. Using the proposed system we competed in the Assembly Challenge of the Industrial Robotics Category of the World Robot Challenge at the World Robot Summit 2018, obtaining 4th place and the SICE award for lean design and versatile tool use. We show the effectiveness of our approach through experiments performed during the competition.     

Workers’ rest allowance and smoothing of the workload in assembly lines

Ergonomic aspects have a crucial role in manual assembly systems. They impact on the workers’ health, final product quality and productivity. For these reasons, there is the necessity to integrate them into the assembly line balancing phase as, whereas, only time and cost variables are considered. In this study, human energy expenditures are considered as ergonomic aspects and we integrate them, for the first time, into the assembly line balancing problem type 2 through the rest allowance evaluation. We consider as an objective function the minimization of the smoothness index. Firstly, a new optimal method based on mixed integer linear programming and a new linearization methodology are proposed. Then, a heuristic approach is introduced. To complete the study, a computational experimentation is presented to validate the mathematical model and to compare the methodologies proposed in terms of computational time, complexity and solution. Additionally, we provide a detailed analysis of the impact that rest allowance evaluation can have on productivity comparing the results obtained, taking into account the rest allowance integration before, during and after the assembly balancing process.     

Ergonomics interventions to reduce musculoskeletal risk factors in a truck manufacturing plant

Ergonomic interventions may potentially reduce MSDs, but the context of industries (barriers, ever-changing situations, dialogue processes) might play a significant role in the success of interventions. This study evaluates the effectiveness of ergonomic interventions including engineering/technical and organizational interventions, and the involvement of the stakeholders in reducing musculoskeletal risk factors/symptoms. A pre-post-test experimental study in non-randomized groups was performed over three years in a sector of a truck assembly plant. The mean age of the operators in the sector for the initial and second assessment time was 42.0 (±7.6) years and 39.0 (±8.7), respectively. The mean length of work experience in the current job was 15.2 (±7.2) years and 13.9 (±7.3) for the initial and second assessment times, respectively. Five engineering ergonomic solutions and organizational interventions were implemented after a comprehensive ergonomic analysis. The organizational interventions consisted mostly of transferring and redistributing the tasks, i.e., ergonomically balancing and redesigning of the workstations. Before performing the interventions, the findings of the ergonomic study were presented at several meetings to encourage the involvement of the stakeholders (including managers, engineers, and operators) in the interventions. This study showed that a combination of ergonomic measures—engineering and organizational interventions—could reduce physical workloads. Musculoskeletal symptoms decreased after interventions although the difference was not significant.