双功能催化剂上四氢萘加氢裂化生成单环芳烃的反应网络研究

Conversion of LCO (light cycle oil) to BTX (benzene, toluene, and xylene) is an economically valuable method for refineries. However, this approach still faces difficulties as the main reactions are not clearly understood. Here we study the detailed hydrocracking pathway of typical reactants, 1-methylnaphthalene and tetralin, through molecular simulations and experiments to improve our understanding of the conversion process of LCO to BTX. Molecular simulations demonstrate that the rate-determining step is the isomerization pathway of six-membered ring to five-membered ring in tetralin as its activation energy (ΔEa) is the highest among all the reactions and the order of ΔEa of reactions is isomerization > ring-opening ≈ side-chain cleavage. The results of experiments show that with the increase in reaction depth, i.e., through a high temperature (350 – 370 °C) and low LHSV (4.5 – 6.0 h−1), isomerization, ring-opening, and side-chain  cleavage reactions occurred, thus improving the selectivity and yield of alkyl aromatics.     

Effects of non-thermal plasma treating wheat kernel on the physicochemical properties of wheat flour and the quality of fresh wet noodles

The effects of non-thermal plasma (NTP) on the physicochemical properties of wheat flour and the quality of fresh wet noodles ( FWN) were investigated. The results showed that NTP effectively decreased the total plate count (TPC), yeast and mould count (YMC) and Bacillus spp. in wheat flour. Wet gluten contents and the stability time reached the maximum when treated for 20 s. The viscosity of starch increased significantly after treatment due to the increased of damaged starch. The contents of secondary structure were altered to some extent, which was because that the ordered network structure of gluten protein broken. Furthermore, compared with the control, texture properties of FWN were enhanced significantly at 20 s, and the darkening rate of FWN was greatly inhibited due to the low polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity. Consequently, the most suitable treatment was 500 W for 20 s, providing a basis for the application of NTP in flour products.     

Comparative analysis of the determinants of fees charged by fee-based homes for the elderly in urban and suburban areas

This study contributes to establishing the payment function of fee-based homes for the elderly. Disclosure statements from such homes for the elderly in selected urban and suburban cities in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan—considered a typical prefecture with adjoining urban and suburban areas—were examined. The study compared the determinants of the amounts charged by the homes based on the distinct geographic features of urban and suburban areas. The hedonic price model was combined with a two-stage least squares regression to determine the determinants of lump-sum and monthly payments. We found that the factors that influence monthly payments in urban areas include distance to a park, distance to the coast, meals offered, number of care staff, and initial lump-sum payment. In contrast, factors such as room size, distance to a bus stop, distance to a park, and the number of night staff influence monthly payments in suburban areas. We conclude that the surrounding landscape has a greater influence on monthly payments in urban areas than in suburban areas. Moreover, in suburban areas, the number of night staff has a substantial impact on monthly payments. The results can help provide investment suggestions in certain cases depending on the amount of investment capital.

     

Flash joining of alumina ceramics under a small current density

The ceramic joining using electric field (E-field) has garnered significant research attention due to the decreased joining barrier and enhanced reliability. However, the underlying mechanism of E-field assisted joining remains unclear. Herein, we report the rapid joining of alumina ceramics using a small current. Moreover, the E-field is applied in both perpendicular and parallel directions to the faying surfaces, demonstrating a significant difference in terms of joint strength. These results indicate that the E-field generates defects and promotes the joining process by facilitating ionic diffusion.     

Simulations of NBI fast ion loss in the presence of toroidal field ripple on EAST

NBI fast ion losses in the presence of the toroidal field ripple on EAST have been investigated by using the orbit code GYCAVA and the NBI code TGCO. The ripple effect was included in the upgraded version of the GYCAVA code. It is found that loss regions of NBI fast ions are mainly on the low field side near the edge in the presence of ripple. For co-current NBIs, the synergy effect of ripple and Coulomb collision on fast ion losses is dominant, and fast trapped ions located on the low field side are easily lost. The ripple well loss and the ripple stochastic loss of fast ions have been identified from the heat loads of co-current NBI fast ions. The ripple stochastic loss and the collisioninduced loss are much larger than the ripple well loss. Heat loads of lost fast ions are mainly localized on the right side of the radio frequency wave antennas from the inside view toward the first wall. For counter-current NBIs, the first orbit loss due to the magnetic drift is the dominant loss channel. In addition, fast ion loss fraction with ripple and collision for each NBI linearly increases with the effective charge number, which is related to the pitch angle scattering effect.