Effects of Surface Concentration on Drying Behavior of Carbohydrate Solutions

As the surface properties of the drying materials are very important not only for the drying rate but also for the quality change during drying, the effects of surface concentration on the drying behavior of liquid foods (sugar solutions) were investigated by isothermal drying experiments and by numerical calculation experiments. The isothermal drying experiments with gelled sugar solution systems (sucrose and maltodextrin) were carried out at various relative humidity (RH) values (RH = 0 to 84%). Separate experiments were carried out for determination of the desorption isotherms.

The isothermal drying curves of sugar solutions at RH = 0 to 51% were very similar. Numerical simulations also showed that the drying curves of these sugars at the surface concentration = 0 and 0.1 are almost the same, although the concentration distributions are different.

When a small amount of gelatin was added to sugar solutions, the drying rate decreased remarkably as the gelatin might form a thin film (skin) near the surface, and consequently the retention of ethanol increased.     

Variations in Spectral Slope in Lake Taihu,a Large Subtropical Shallow Lake in China

Spectral slope (S), describing the exponential decrease of the absorption spectrum over a given wavelength range, is an important parameter in the study of of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) dynamics, and also an essential input parameter in remote sensing models. Furthermore, S is often used as a proxy for CDOM composition, including the ratio of fulvic to humic acids and molecular weight. The relative broad range in S values reported in the literature can be explained by the different spectral ranges and fitting methods used. A single exponential model is used to fit the S values for 17 investigations involving 458 samples in Lake Taihu from January to October in 2004. The average S value was 15.18 ± 1.39 μm⁻¹ for the range of 280–500 nm, which fell within the range reported in the literature. The frequency distribution of S value basically obeyed a normal distribution. Significant differences in S values between summer and other seasons showed that phytoplankton degradation was one of the important sources of CDOM in summer, whereas CDOM mainly came from the river input in other seasons. Furthermore, the estimated S value decreased with increasing wavelength range used in regression. The maximum and minimum values derived from the regression were 17.89 ± 1.25 μm⁻¹ and 13.62 ± 2.11 μm⁻¹ for the wavelength ranges of 280–380 nm and 400–500 nm, respectively, a decrease of 23.9%. S values significantly decreased with the increase of CDOM absorption coefficients. CDOM absorption coefficients could be more appropriately estimated from exponential model introducing the variation of S with absorption coefficients, making them useful for a remote sensing bio-optical model of Lake Taihu. DOC-specific absorption coefficient a*(λ) and the parameter M describing molecular size of the humic molecules could also be used as a proxy for the sources and types of CDOM. A general relationship was found between S and a*(λ), and M values. S increased with the decrease of DOC-specific absorption coefficient and the increase of M corresponding to the decrease of molecular weight.     

部分种子成分的特征X射线在等效生物材料中衰减的测定

用Ｓｉ（Ｌｉ）探测器实现了Ｎａ、Ｍｇ、Ｓ、Ｃｌ的特征Ｘ射线在有机膜中的相对衰减以及与Ｏ、Ｋ元素的特征Ｘ射线能量相当的Ｘ射线或轫致辐射在有机膜中的相对衰减，分别得出了它们减的数学描述，并把实验得到不同能量的Ｘ射线在有机膜中的质量吸收系数与Ｂｅｒｋｅｌｅｙ的ＯＣＧ软件计算出的结果相比，相关都小于３０％。     

Radiation transmission through a composite pure water layer of uniform and depth-dependent extinction characteristics

The paper describes the calculation of the beam solar radiation transmission across the uniform salinity upper convecting zone (UCZ) and the salinity stratified gradient zone (GZ), when the extinction coefficient is not only wavelength but also salinity-concentration dependent, assuming that the effect of scattering to be negligible. The results are useful in determining the effects of dissolved salt ions on pure water transmission, at least according to the existing measured data in the literature.     

Wear resistance of plasma coatings for a constant work of friction

We analyze the wear resistance of plasma coatings for a constant work of friction. The dependences of the wear resistance of the coatings are obtained for a broad range of loading conditions. It is shown that the minimum sensitivity to loading conditions is exhibited by the molybdenum coatings. It is also established that the wear resistance of the coatings decreases as the amplitude of displacements increases and the cyclic frequency of the tests decreases due to the intensification of fatigue processes on the surfaces. The comparative characteristics of coatings are presented. __________ Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 5, pp. 94–100, September–October, 2007.     

高质量的一级光栅1．55μmDFB激光器

本文详细叙述了ＤＦＢ激光器的设计要点和新的工艺。采用一级全息光栅和二步液相外延法批量研制出高稳定单纵模工作的１．５５μｍ分布反馈激光器（ＤＦＢ—ＬＤ）。外延片成品率＞４０％。器件特性：２５℃时阈值电流２０ｍＡ，单面光功率＞１０ｍｗ，主边模抑制比ＳＭＳＲ达４３ｄＢ（λ／４相移光栅），谱线宽度△ν－２０ｄＢ＝０．３ｎｍ，调制速率＞１．８ＧＨｚ。可靠性测试显示：高温监测光谱稳定，２５°Ｃ时阈值退化率△Ｉｔｈ／ｔ＜０．３ｍＡ／ｋｈ，对应器件预估寿命将超过１０万ｈ。     

Application of SiC-Si functionally gradient material to thermoelectric energy conversion device

Because of its high–temperature chemical stability, SiC ceramic is a promising material for high-temperature device applications such as thermoelectric energy converters. However, the electrical conductivity of SiC ceramic is too low for it to be used as a thermoelectric energy converter at the cold junction. Therefore, we propose a SiC-Si functionally gradient material (FGM) in order to improve the electrical conductivity of the SiC ceramic at the cold junction. An SiC rod was fired in a temperature gradient furnace. One end of the SiC rod was maintained at 2473 K and the other end was maintained at 1973 K for 30 min. After firing, the porous SiC edge fired at 1973 K was dipped into molten Si in order to infiltrate molten Si into the porous SiC. The microstructure of the FGM is classified into three regions: the SiC-Si composite material; the porous SiC ceramic; and the densified SiC ceramic. The electrical conductivity, the Seebeck coefficient and the thermal conductivity for each region of SiC-Si FGM was measured at 300 K; a figure of merit was calculated. The figure of merit of the SiC-Si FGM at the cold junction, at room temperature, was 10⁸ times higher than that of a nongradient SiC ceramic.     

THE STICKY ISSUES OF DRYING

Unconrolled agglomeration of particles and adhesion of the particulate mass to wall surfaces are common severe problems in many drying operations. This paper reviews the mechanisms of interparticle and particle-surface attraction as well as the theory and the existing tests for characterising powders in terms of internal strength, wall friction and adhesion. The usefulness of the information obtained from these tests in dryer design and operation is critically reviewed. The importance of powder stickiness in various types of dryers is discussed and established methods of combating the problem are presented Recommendations an made for further research in the area of powder cohesion and adhesion.     

An analytical expression for the power coefficient of an ideal horizontal-axis wind turbine

The paper shows that an analytical evaluation of the power coefficient C_p for an ideal horizontal-axis wind turbine can be made via an expression giving the direct relationship of C_p and the axial induction factor a. The results obtained agree closely with those obtained numerically from the usual integral expression involving several variables.     

Finite element simulation of the mechanics of flat contact pad fretting fatigue tests

An understanding into the macro kinetic and kinematic behaviour of fretted surfaces is provided. Making use of a modified version of a previously developed in‐house two‐dimensional elastic–plastic finite element analysis numerically simulates flat contact pad fretting fatigue tests. Basic macro mechanics concepts are adopted to idealise two bodies with rough contact surfaces and loaded at two different sites with arbitrary axial loading profiles. A time scale factor is devised to recognise the earliest candidate out of the events possibly accommodated at each loading increment. The present analysis utilises a relevant experimental set up developed in the Structural Integrity Research Institute of the University of Sheffield as an application. Computational results accurate to within 1.2% and corresponding to one contact pad span and six constant normal loads acting individually with four amplitudes of two sinusoidal axial load cycles are presented. The present computations include (1) the development of the global and local normal and tangential reactions and relative sliding displacement acting along the fretting surfaces and (2) contact pad deformation, generated stress fields and plasticity development within the neighbouring region of the fretted area.