A systemic framework and analysis of urban water energy

Energy impacts of urban water systems are substantial, but not typically analysed systemically. We develop a new system boundary framework including a utility, the ‘bulk water supply authority’ (SB1); the ‘urban water system’ including water use (SB2); and the ‘regional water system’ (SB3). We use the framework to review existing models and show that most address only one boundary. We apply the framework to quantify thermal equivalents of water-related energy in SB1 and SB2, and identify that over 96% of water-related energy in South East Queensland (SEQ) is outside SB1 and within SB2. Consideration of energy influenced by water use is paramount to systemic energy efficiency and optimisation in the urban water system. Clear articulation of system boundaries will improve modelling and management of the energy impact of urban water. Systemic modelling will help decision makers answer increasingly integrated and cross-system and sector questions regarding water and energy interactions.     

Evaluation of anaerobic co-digestion of spent brewery grains and an azo dye

Anaerobic batch biodegradation of spent brewery grains (SBG) was investigated in the presence of co-substrates and a monoazo dye (Acid Orange 7 – AO7) under mesophilic and thermophilic regimes. The highest values for the yield coefficient of biogas (STP) on substrate (Y_bs) were obtained under mesophilic conditions (0.381–0.516 Lbiogas/g COD_removed and 0.147 to 0.475 L_biogas/g COD_removed for mesophilic and thermophilic regimes, respectively). A stimulation of the degradation of SBG associated with microbial growth was observed in the presence of co-substrates (glucose and acetate). Supplemented co-substrates also lowered the residual COD leading to an increase in the COD removal efficiency, particularly under thermophilic regime (from 41% to 70%). Although biogas yield (Y_bs) indicates a decrease in the presence of the dye, suggesting that it has inhibitory effects, the overall COD removal was not significantly altered. An increase of colour removal was observed when the temperature of the operation was increased (87 ± 2% and 93 ± 1% for mesophilic and thermophilic reactors, respectively), which could be explained by both faster adsorption and biotic reductive cleavage of azo dye bond mechanisms. These results indicate that raw SBG is more prone to biodegradation under an anaerobic mesophilic regime; hence its bio-energetic valorisation is possible.     

空气弹簧液压悬置动特性及隔振特性研究

研究了具有可变刚度阻尼的发动机空气弹簧液压悬置的动特性和隔振特性。针对影响发动机空气弹簧液压悬置动特性的关键参数上液室等效体积刚度,采用理论和试验方法研究了上液室等效体积刚度的等效值,基于该等效值建立了空气弹簧液压悬置的理论模型,对空气腔开闭两种工况进行了空气弹簧液压悬置动特性的仿真和试验研究。搭建了发动机空气弹簧液压悬置系统试验台架,研究了台架各种激励频率下的空气弹簧液压悬置的隔振特性。结果表明:本研究采用的上液室等效体积刚度进行空气弹簧进行建模是正确、可行的,提高了空气弹簧建模效率和准确性;空气弹簧液压悬置在空气腔开启和关闭两种状态下,峰值动刚度增大幅值达78.5%,峰值阻尼角增大幅值达250%。台架试验表明:当台架激励频率小于25Hz时,悬置采用大刚度大阻尼;当台架激励频率大于等于25 Hz时,悬置采用小刚度小阻尼;悬置隔振率提升明显,不同频率下提升幅值达10%～67%。     

Modelling of black carbon statistical distribution and return periods of extreme concentrations

Eight datasets of 1-h black carbon (BC) concentrations measured in Warsaw agglomeration (Poland), at urban background and sub-urban sites, and in Racibórz, a small town in Upper Silesia district (regional background site) were analyzed to evaluate BC levels, daily profiles and statistical distributions of concentrations in Central-Eastern European region. The observed mean levels ranged from 1483 ng m⁻³ in suburban site during summer to 3358 ng m⁻³ in regional background site in winter. Observed diurnal patterns were bimodal in the locations dominated by traffic emissions, but unimodal, with elevated evening peak in individually heated residential area. Three theoretical frequency distributions were applied to fit analyzed datasets separately. The lognormal distribution was the most appropriate to represent the middle-range values, while the high concentrations were satisfactorily predicted by the type I two-parameter exponential distribution which was used to estimate the return periods of extreme concentrations for winter months.     

Fault-tolerant control through dynamic surface triple-step approach for proton exchange membrane fuel cell air supply systems

Due to complex electrochemical and thermal phenomena, varying operations towards automotive applications, and vulnerable ancillaries in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), fault diagnosis and fault-tolerant control (FTC) design have become important aspects to improve the reliability, safety and performance of PEMFC systems. This paper presents a novel FTC scheme for automotive PEMFC air supply systems via coordinated control of the air flow rate and the pressure in cathodes. A dynamic surface triple-step approach is first proposed considering nonlinear dynamics and the multi-input multi-output (MIMO) property, which combines the advantage of dynamic surface control in avoiding an “explosion of complexity” and the advantage of triple-step control in guaranteeing a simple structure and high performance. The normal case, the faulty case at the supply manifold and the faulty case in the back pressure valve are considered in the FTC design, with the stability of the overall system proved using Lyapunov methods. MATLAB/Simulink simulations with a high-fidelity PEMFC model verify the effectiveness of the proposed FTC scheme in regulating the air flow rate and oxygen excess ratio and maintaining the pressure of the cathode at a desired level even under faulty conditions.     

Pulsed current-driven wetting of 3YSZ by liquid Cu and its mechanisms

The wettability of 3 mol% Y₂O₃-stabilized ZrO₂ (3YSZ) by molten Cu can be greatly improved by applying pulsed currents at 1373 K. The improvement was closely related to current polarity and influenced by duty cycle and frequency. When the Cu/3YSZ interface was under cathodic condition, the wettability was mainly improved by the formation of substoichiometric ZrO_2-δ and metallic Zr at the interface. Increasing duty cycle caused the interface to change from forming protrusions to creating depression. Decreasing frequency further deepened the depression. In the opposite polarity, the adsorption and enrichment of oxygen reduced the solid-liquid and liquid-vacuum interfacial energies, thus improving the wettability. Only bubbles formed at the interface. The larger the duty cycle, the more rapidly bubbles formed and escaped. The effect of frequency at this polarity was weak. Overall, this work provides a novel and effective strategy for tailoring the wettability and interfacial chemistry between zirconia and metals.     

Domain coarsening in viscous sintering as a result of topological pore evolution

The microstructure evolution in 3D was studied by X-ray microtomography to reveal the relation between topology of pore networks and characteristic length in viscous sintering. The mean intercept length was defined from solid/pore interface for characterizing the length of solid phase and pore phase. The increase of the characteristic length with densification was termed as domain coarsening. The topological pore evolution was analyzed by using genus. The characteristic length increased with decreasing genus in the intermediate stage. The domain coarsening takes place as a natural consequence of pore evolution in viscous sintering, i.e., the decrease of total surface area concurrent with the topological transformations.     

Sub-micrometer particulate air pollution and cardiovascular mortality in Beijing, China

Background

While the link between particulate matter and cardiovascular mortality is well established, it is not fully investigated and understood which properties of the aerosol might be responsible for the health effects, especially in polluted mega-city areas.

Objectives

Our goal was to explore the association between daily cardiovascular mortality and different particle metrics in the sub-micrometer range in Beijing, China.

Methods

We obtained daily counts of cause-specific cardiovascular deaths in the Beijing urban area for the period March 2004 to August 2005. Concurrently, continuous measurements of particle number size distributions were performed. Particle number concentrations (NC) between 0.003 μm and 0.8 μm were converted to particle mass and surface area concentrations assuming spherical particles. Semi-parametric Poisson regression models adjusting for trend, seasonality, day of the week, and meteorology were used to estimate immediate, delayed and cumulative particle effects. Additionally, effect modification by air mass origin was investigated.

Results

We observed associations between daily cardiovascular mortality and particle NC for a 2-days delay. Moreover, nearly all particle metrics showed 2-days delayed associations with ischemic heart disease mortality. The strongest association was found for particle NC in the size range 0.03-0.1 μm (7.1% increase in daily mortality with a 95%-confidence interval of 2.9%-11.5%, per an increase of 6250 particles/cm³). Results for surface and mass concentrations with a lag of two days indicated effect modification by air mass origin, whereas effects of particle NC were not modified.

Conclusions

Results show an elevated risk of cardiovascular mortality in Beijing from short-term exposure to particulate air pollution in the sub-micrometer range. Results also indicate that locally produced smaller particles and regionally transported particles may exhibit different effects in Beijing.     

ZnO – Yb2O3 composite optical ceramics: Synthesis,structure and spectral-luminescent properties

Zinc oxide optical ceramics containing 0–2 wt% ytterbium are prepared by uniaxial hot pressing of commercial oxides at 1150 and 1180 °C. The ceramics have the main crystalline phase of hexagonal wurtzite-type ZnO. Ytterbium ions do not enter the ZnO crystals but form a cubic sesquioxide phase of Yb₂O₃ located at the ZnO grain boundaries. Yb acts as an inhibitor for the ZnO grain growth. The ceramics exhibit transmittance up to 60 % in the visible. Their transmission in the infrared is determined by the free charge carrier absorption. The Yb³⁺ ions are found in C₂ and C_3i sites in Yb₂O₃ crystals. Under X-ray excitation, the ceramics exhibit intense luminescence bands in the blue (near-band-edge emission) and green (defect emission) whose positions, intensities and decay times depend on the Yb content. Yb₂O₃ causes a redistribution of luminescence intensity in favor of the near-band-edge emission and fastens the emission decay.     

Simultaneously improving the electrical properties and long-term stability of ZnO varistor ceramics by reversely manipulating intrinsic point defects

Excellent electrical properties and the improved long-term stability of ZnO varistor ceramics were simultaneously achieved by doping NiO. The microstructural features were investigated using X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy, while the intrinsic point defects were characterized using frequency domain dielectric spectroscopy and verified by photoluminescence and Raman spectra. The results indicated that in the ZnO varistor ceramics, a reverse manipulation of donor point defects, i.e., suppressing mobile zinc interstitial but increasing stable oxygen vacancy, was achieved. The long-term stability of NiO-doped ZnO ceramics was improved via a decrease in zinc interstitial density, with a degradation rate of 0.064 μA cm^?2 h^?0.5. Meanwhile, due to an increase in oxygen vacancy density, the excellent nonlinear current–voltage performance, i.e., a high nonlinear coefficient (72.9), low leakage current density (0.08 μA cm^?2), and low grain resistivity (13.43 × 10^?3 Ω m), was maintained. The findings of this study provide a possible method for developing high-performance ZnO varistor ceramics by manipulating point defects.