Effect of Reynolds number and boundary layer thickness on the performance of V-cone flowmeter using CFD

The effect of Reynolds number and boundary layer thickness on the performance of V-cone flowmeter has been evaluated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The shear stress transport k-ω (SST k-ω) turbulence model has been adopted for closure. The performance of two V-cone flowmeters with different beta ratios (β) viz., 0.6 and 0.7 for a fixed vertex angle (ϕ) of 60° has been analysed as a function of Reynolds number (Re). The results show that the coefficient of discharge (C_d) increases with Reynolds number in the laminar and transition flow regimes whereas it is nearly constant in turbulent flow regime. From the results, it can be concluded that C_d is independent of Re for values equal to 4000 and beyond. Further, it is also seen that the performance of the V-cone flowmeter is not affected by the upstream boundary layer thickness if the velocity profiles having different boundary layer thickness are extracted from an axial distance of 10D and more are fed at 5D upstream of the meter. However, the meter is sensitive to the extracted velocity profile from an axial distance of 5D and uniform velocity profile being fed at 5D upstream. The value of C_d may be sensitive as a result of the pressure variation due to the obstruction.     

Nonlinear convection in an elasticoviscous fluid‐saturated anisotropic porous layer using a local thermal nonequilibrium model

By adopting a perturbation method and a local thermal nonequilibrium model, nonlinear thermal convection in an anisotropic porous layer saturated by an elasticoviscous fluid is investigated. An elasticoviscous fluid is modeled by a modified Darcy‐Oldroyd‐B model, and the fluid and solid phase temperatures are represented using a two‐field model for the heat transport equation. Anisotropy in permeability and fluid and solid thermal conductivities are considered. A cubic Landau equation is derived separately to study the stability of bifurcating solution of both stationary and oscillatory convection, and the results of linear instability theory are delineated. The boundary between stationary and oscillatory convection is demarcated by identifying codimension‐two points in the viscoelastic parameters plane. It is found that the subcritical instability is not possible, and the linear instability analysis itself completely captures the behavior of the onset of convection. Heat transfer is obtained in terms of Nusselt number, and the effect of governing parameters on the same is discussed. The results of the Maxwell fluid are obtained as a particular case from the present study.     

A triple (e−/O2−/H+) conducting perovskite BaCo0.4Fe0.4Zr0.1Y0.1O3-δ for low temperature solid oxide fuel cell

Low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LT-SOFCs) have recently gained enormous attention worldwide with a new research trend focusing on single layer fuel cells (SLFC), which have better cell performance than traditional SOFCs at low operating temperatures. In this study, a triple (e^?/O^2?/H⁺) conducting perovskite BaCo_0.4Fe_0.4Zr_0.1Y_0.1O_3-δ (BCFZY) is used as the intermediate layer material for SLFC. A high current density of 994 mA/cm² at 0.6 V and a peak power density of 610 mW/cm² with an OCV of 1.01 V has been achieved with a cell operating temperature of 550 °C, confirming the application feasibility of BCFZY in SLFCs. Furthermore, a typical proton conductor BaZr_0.8Y_0.2O_3-δ (BZY) is introduced into BCFZY to enhance the cell performance. By adjusting the mass ratio of the BCFZY-BZY layer, an optimal power density is obtained, achieving 703 mW/cm² with an OCV of 1.03 V at 550 °C with an 8BCFZY:2BZY (wt%) ratio. These findings prove that the proposed BCFZY-BZY holds great promise for developing SLFCs to realize low-temperature operation.     

Tailoring the hydrophilic and hydrophobic reaction fields of the electrode interface on single crystal Pt electrodes for hydrogen evolution/oxidation reactions

Interfacial hydrophobic/hydrophilic reaction fields significantly affect various reactions at the electrode surface. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) have been investigated on single crystal Pt electrodes modified with hydrophobic/hydrophilic cations and anion-exchange copolymers in alkaline solutions. In alkali metal hydroxide solutions, Pt (110) exhibits the highest HER/HOR activity in the low-index planes of Pt. On the low-index planes of Pt, the hydrophilicity of the alkali metal cation in the supporting electrolyte activates the HER/HOR depending on its hydration energy. Hydrophilic cations at the interface facilitate the extraction of hydrogen from the hydrated water. The modification of anion-exchange copolymers with a hydrophobic skeleton on Pt (110) further enhanced the HER/HOR activity. The hydrogen bonding network formed around the hydrophobic species facilitated the mobility of water molecules and the OH⁻ as the reactant/product of the HER/HOR. Appropriately forming hydrophilic and hydrophobic reaction fields at the interface improved the HER/HOR activity.     

Effective factors improving catalyst layers of PEM fuel cell

Cathode catalyst layer has an important role on water management across the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Effect of Pt percentage in commercial catalyst and Pt loading from the viewpoint of activity and water management on performance was investigated. Physical and electrochemical characteristics of conventional and hydrophobic catalyst layers were compared. Performance results revealed that power density of conventional catalyst layers (CLs) increased from 0.28 to 0.64 W/cm² at 0.45 V with the increase in Pt amount in commercial catalyst from 20% to 70% Pt/C for H₂/Air feed. In the case of H₂/O₂ feed, power density of CLs increased from 0.64 to 1.29 W/cm² at 0.45 V for conventional catalyst layers prepared with Tanaka. Increasing Pt load from 0.4 to 1.2 mg/cm², improved kinetic activity at low current density region in both feeding conditions. Scattering electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that thickness of the catalyst layers (CLs) increases by increasing Pt load. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results revealed that thinner CLs have lower charge transfer resistance than thicker CLs. Inclusion of 30 wt % Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) nanoparticles in catalyst ink enhanced cell performance for the electrodes manufactured with 20% Pt/C at higher current densities. However, in the case of 70% Pt/C, performance enhancement was not observed. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results revealed that 20% Pt/C had higher (77 m²/g) electrochemical surface area (ESA) than 70% Pt/C (65 m²/g). In terms of hydrophobic powders, ESA of 30PTFE prepared with 70% Pt/C was higher than 30PTFE prepared with 20 %Pt/C. X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) results showed that diameter of Pt particles of 20% Pt/C was 2.5 nm, whereas, it was 3.5 nm for 70% Pt/C, which confirms CV results. Nitrogen physisorption results revealed that primary pores of hydrophobic catalyst powder prepared with 70% Pt/C was almost filled (99%) with Nafion and PTFE.     

基于温度冲击的冷冻靶氘氘冰层结晶生长行为研究

惯性约束聚变冷冻靶中氘氘（D₂）冰层的质量对聚变实验的成功与否起重要作用。目前文献报道的制备冷冻靶D₂冰层的方法并不具备好的可操作性，且技术、工艺不定型，制约了高质量冰层的形成。因此，本文采用将温度梯度、降温速率和温度冲击相结合的技术实现燃料冰层在靶丸内的均化。通过温度控制以及施加温度冲击可控地形成残留冰，并在残留冰的控制技术基础上，实现了高质量冰层的可控结晶生长。同时，研究了温度控制对靶丸内D₂冰层品质的影响和D₂冰层结晶生长的过程，并应用晶体生长动力学理论分析了D₂冰层结晶生长行为。从背光阴影图像中的D₂冰层亮环可知，D₂冰层均匀度为85.2%、厚度为40.35 μm、内表面粗糙度为2.15 μm。本方法拓宽了超低温下D₂冰籽晶控制、晶体生长技术，为DT冷冻靶中冰层均化打下了坚实基础，并形成了一定的技术储备。     

A two-stage vision-based method for measuring the key parameters of ball screws

Ball screws are crucial for improving the reliability and interchangeability of transmission mechanical systems; however, existing contact measurement methods that utilise stylus contact are not efficient, which precludes their use for rapid in-situ geometry evaluation. This paper presents a vision-based two-stage method for rapid measurement of key parameters (raceway arc radii and centre distance) of ball screws. The edge contour information is extracted from the acquired image using the dual-tree complex wavelet transform and non-maximal suppression. In the matching stage, a shape-matching algorithm is used for detecting approximate geometrical centres of raceway arcs. The refinement stage, on the other hand, is implemented for acquiring precise dimensional results. Furthermore, the method of averaging multiple measurements is performed to suppress random noise. A comparative experiment is presented to validate the robustness of the proposed method. Based on experimental results, the calculated mean absolute errors in the measurement of the two raceway arc radii and the centre distance are found to be 0.0082 mm, 0.0079 mm and 0.0055 mm, respectively. This study therefore paves the way for key parameter measurement without removing ball screws.     

铝金属化纸制备工艺的专利技术发展

通过对铝金属化纸领域专利技术的收集、分析、标引,介绍了铝金属化纸的制备方法及种类,包括铝粉涂布、铝箔纸以及可降解回收的真空镀铝纸等;并对其专利申请量、区域分布以及渡铝技术进行了分析,同时对各技术的发展历程和改进情况进行了梳理归纳。     

Damage evolution around white etching layer during uniaxial loading

Rolling contact fatigue cracks and thermally induced defects are common problems in the railway industry especially as demands for increasing loads, speeds, and safety continue to rise. Often, the two types of defects are found together in the field, however, whether one causes the other to occur is not completely agreed upon. The effect of thermal damage, in the form of a martensite spot on pearlitic steel test bars, on the fatigue life in uniaxial low cycle fatigue experiments was investigated by the authors. However, the focus of the current work was to characterize the damage evolution from the low cycle fatigue (LCF) tests and correlate the crack initiation and propagation with the initial thermal damage. Residual stress measurements, digital image correlation, and X‐ray tomography were used to characterize the effects of the thermal damage before, during, and after fatigue testing, respectively. It was found that the thermal damage causes strain accumulation and crack initiation at the interface between the two materials. The strain evolution was visualized using digital image correlation (DIC), clearly showing the strain concentrations at the top and bottom of the white etching layers (WEL), where the residual stresses are also most tensile. X‐ray tomography confirmed the planar crack growth from the martensite spot.     

冷却塔内气流流场特性研究及应用

冷却塔是火力发电厂循环水系统的重要设备,冷却塔的冷却效率对机组的微增功率有着比较重要的影响,冷却效率的提高有助于节约发电能耗。冷却塔的效率与其空气动力特性有着紧密的联系,本文以华电集团江苏分公司望亭发电有限公司3号机冷却塔的节能改造为例,研究了冷却塔内气流流场的特性,并阐述了针对该特性采取的技术措施在冷却塔优化改造中的应用实践。