Role of sparger design on gas dispersion in mechanically agitated gas-liquid contactors

Critical impeller speeds for gas dispersion and gas recirculation were measured in 0.57, 1.0 and 1.5 m i.d. vessels, using visual observations, measurements of power consumption and liquid-phase mixing time. A pitched blade down-flow turbine impeller (PTD) was used. Design parameters of the PTD impeller such as diameter (0.22Tto 0.57T), blade width (0.25D to 0.4D) and blade thickness (2.8, 4.3 and 6.4 mm) were studied. The effect of sparger type and geometry on N_CD has been investigated. For this purpose, pipe, ring, conical and concentric ring spargers were employed. Design details of the ring sparger such as ring diameter, number of holes and hole size were also studied in detail. The sparger location with respect to the impeller was found to be the most important parameter. Correlations have been developed for N_CD and N_CR.     

CFD Modeling of a Bubble Column Reactor Carrying out a Consecutive A → B → C Reaction

In this paper, we develop a CFD model for describing a bubble column reactor for carrying out a consecutive first‐order reaction sequence A → B → C. Three reactor configurations, all operating in the homogeneous bubbly regime, were investigated: (I) column diameter D_T = 0.1 m, column height H_T = 1.1 m, (II) D_T = 0.1 m, H_T = 2 m, and (III) D_T = 1 m, H_T = 5 m. Eulerian simulations were carried out for superficial gas velocities U_G in the range of 0.005–0.04 m/s, assuming cylindrical axisymmetry. Additionally, for configurations I and III fully three‐dimensional transient simulations were carried out for checking the assumption of cylindrical axisymmetry. For the 0.1 m diameter column (configuration I), 2‐D axisymmetric and 3‐D transient simulations yield nearly the same results for gas holdup ?_G, centerline liquid velocity V_L(0), conversion of A, χ_A, and selectivity to B, S_B. In sharp contrast, for the 1 m diameter column (configuration III), there are significant differences in the CFD predictions of ?_G, V_L(0), χ_A, and S_B using 2‐D and 3‐D simulations; the 2‐D strategies tend to exaggerate V_L(0), and underpredict ?_G, χ_A, and S_B. The transient 3‐D simulation results appear to be more realistic. The CFD simulation results for χ_A and S_B are also compared with a simple analytic model, often employed in practice, in which the gas phase is assumed to be in plug flow and the liquid phase is well mixed. For the smaller diameter columns (configurations I and II) the CFD simulation results for χ_A are in excellent agreement with the analytic model, but for the larger diameter column the analytic model is somewhat optimistic. There are two reasons for this deviation. Firstly, the gas phase is not in perfect plug flow and secondly, the liquid phase is not perfectly mixed. The computational results obtained in this paper demonstrate the power of CFD for predicting the performance of bubble column reactors. Of particular use is the ability of CFD to describe scale effects.     

Radial Blast Prediction for High Explosive Cylinders initiated at Both Ends

This paper presents experimental results for the double ended initiation of cylindrical, explosive charges. Bare cylindrical charges of PE4 (RDX/binder 88/12 %) were used with length to diameter ratios of 1/3.7 to 5.75/1 and masses of 0.25 to 0.45 kg. Pressure measurements were taken at distances of 1 to 3.5 m in the radial direction. It was found that it was possible to predict the peak overpressure in the radial direction using P=K′ M(L/D)^1/3R⁻³. M is the mass of explosive, L the length of the explosive charge, D the diameter of the explosive charge, and R the distance from the charge. For PE4, K′=2251 kPa m³ kg⁻¹ for all length to diameter ratios. The double ended initiation gives a peak overpressure 1.6 times that for single ended initiation. The impulse for double ended initiation was found to be the same as for single ended initiated charges.     

The Liquidus Temperature of Nuclear Waste Glasses: An International Round-Robin Study

Eight institutions from four countries participated in a round-robin study to determine the precision and bias of a liquidus temperature (T_L) procedure for waste glasses being adopted by ASTM International as ASTM C 1720-11. The participants of the round-robin study were asked to measure three different glasses with one or a combination of the following T_L measurement methods: a gradient temperature (GT) method, a uniform temperature (UT) method, and/or a crystal fraction extrapolation (CF) method. The T_L values reported by different institutions are generally consistent. The precision of T_L measurements with each method was evaluated and is presented herein. The round-robin glasses were all previously studied at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and included ARG-1 (Glass A), Zr-9 (Glass B), and AmCm2-19 (Glass C), with measured T_L values spanning the temperature range of 960–1240°C. A precision (i.e., standard deviation) for T_L has been obtained from the data, even though the data were not acquired for all three glasses using all three methods from each participating organization. Also, the article provides a brief overview and the importance of the T_L measurement.     

The Mott Fragmentation Model and the Vpl break-up parameter

It is shown that the Mott fragmentation model and the Hirsch formula for the shaped charge jet break-up time complete one another to yield a unified model. This model is consistant with the microscopic picture of internal flow splitting in the metal, into shear bands undergoing a strain larger than the average and the metal between them which undergoes a strain which is smaller than the average. This splitting reduces the deformation energy dissipated by the metal while elongating. It corresponds to the splitting of the stress versus strain characteristics of the metal into the isothermic and adiabatic curves as measured by Johnson and Cook. The parameter V_plwhich describes the break-up process according to the Hirsch model, is identified with the expression (dσ_m/ϱ)^1/2 where dσ_m is the difference in yield strength between the isothermic and adiabatic curves where the adiabatic characteristic becomes a maximum. The comparison with available experimental measurements of this prediction shows a very encouraging agreement. The weak dependence of V_pl on the strain rate on the one hand and the observed increase of the jet break-up time in slowly elongating jets on the other hand are also explained using energy considerations. The recent recovery of jet particles by Zernow yields supportive evidence of the proposed theory which may be extended to all semi steady metal plastic flow phenomena. The final break-up, according to this model is due to the separation between the two sides of shear bands where the slide motion went on during the whole deformation process.     

Gas-liquid mass transfer in “dead-end” autoclave reactors

Gas-liquid volumetric mass transfer coefficients, (k_La), have been obtained for “dead-end” autoclave reactors operated in two different modes: (a) gas introduced into the gas phase, and (b) gas introduced through a dip-tube in the liquid. Three different methods of k_La determination have been compared. Effects of agitation speed, impeller diameter, gas to liquid volume ratio (V_g/V_L), position of the impeller and reactor size on k_La have been investigated. The k_La data were found to be correlated as: k_La = 1.48 × 10^?3 (N)^2.18 (V_g/V_L)^1.88 (d_I/d_T)^2.16 (h₁/h₂)^1.16 The critical speed of surface breakage, at which transition from the surface convection to the surface entrainment regime occurs, was also determined for different impeller positions, impeller diameters and gas to liquid volume ratios.     

Vapor Pressure of Explosives: A Critical Review

A critical review of vapor pressure data for military, civilian, and homemade explosives, explosive precursors, and explosive taggants is presented. It gives reference to a large number of papers and reports presenting original vapor pressure measurements and additionally an overview of measurements techniques for vapor pressure measurements and data analysis of vapor pressure measurements. Vapor pressure data, including Clausius–Clapeyron parameters (A and B in: log10(p)=A−B/T), calculated vapor pressure at room temperature, and heat of sublimation or heat of vaporization are included. The following classes of compounds are treated; military explosives (TNT, RDX, HMX, PETN, HNS, TATB, AP), civilian explosives (NG, EGDN, AN), explosive taggants (EGDN, DNMB, 2‐NT, 4‐NT), home‐made explosives (TATP, DADP, HMTD). and explosive precursors [HP(aq), NM, IPN, DNT].     

KLa measurement in two‐phase partitioning bioreactors: new insights on potential errors at low power input

BACKGROUND: Two‐phase partitioning bioreactors (TPPBs) are based on the addition of a non‐aqueous phase (NAP) to a biological process in order to overcome a limited delivery of gaseous substrates to the microorganisms in the case of compounds with low affinity for water. However, the high power input (P_g/V) required to disperse the NAP is often the major limitation for TPPB applications at full scale. Therefore, the accurate determination of the overall mass transfer coefficient (K_La) at low P_g/V values is a critical issue as these operational conditions are more attractive from a scale‐up point of view. RESULTS: NAP addition altered the typical shape of the dissolved oxygen curves used for K_La determination at the lowest P_g/V values tested (70–80 W m^?3). Below a threshold P_g/V value of 600 W m^?3, the presence of the NAP increased the error in K_La measurements up to 115% relative to controls deprived of NAP. CONCLUSIONS: The error in K_La measurements at low P_g/V values might be related to failures in the fundamental assumption regarding liquid phase homogeneity in the mass transfer model used. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Numerical derivation of dispersion coefficients for flow through three‐dimensional randomly packed beds of monodisperse spheres

The longitudinal (D_L) and transverse (D_T) dispersion coefficients for flow through randomly packed beds of discrete monosized spherical particles are studied. The three‐dimensional (3‐D) porous‐medium model consists of thousands of spherical particles that are divided into cells using Voronoi diagrams. The relationship between the variation of the dual stream function and the vorticity between neighboring particles is derived using Laurent series. The whole flow pattern at low particle Reynolds number is then obtained by minimization of the dissipation rate of energy with respect to the dual stream function. The D_L is obtained by fitting the resulting effluent curve to a 1‐D solution of a continuous model. The D_T is obtained by fitting the numerical concentration profile to an approximate 2‐D solution. The derived D_L and D_T values are in agreement with 3‐D experimental data from the literature enabling a study of the effects of pore structure and porosity on D_L and D_T. © 2013 The Authors AIChE Journal published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J 60: 749–761, 2014     

Isothermal transient current studies in cellulose acetate films

Step voltage transient current studies have been made in cellulose acetate films as a function of filed and thickness. A logarithmic plot (Scherr-Montroll plot) of the transient current vs. time gives a knee at a time t_T, which is interpreted as the transit time of the charge carrier. The value of the carrier mobility has been estimated to be 3.9 × 10^?9 cm².V^?1.S^?1 in cellulose acetate film. The carrier mobility in iodine-doped (2% w/w) cellulose acetate film has also been determined from Scher-Montroll plot and is found to be 3.3 × 10^?7 cm².V^?1.S^?1.     

Breakup Time of Zirconium Shaped Charge Jet

The Johnson‐Cook parameters for the zirconium material were determined based on the data obtained from the tensile testing of zirconium specimens at different strain‐rates and different temperatures. The velocity difference (V_PL) between the particulated jet fragments was calculated for zirconium liners of different thicknesses using Johnson‐Cook constitutive equation. A breakup time formula for the zirconium shaped charge was proposed, which demonstrated better ductility performance than the copper shaped charge.     

Chromatography and Countercurrent Distribution: Features of the Optimum Phase-Volume Ratio

Abstract

It is commonly believed that the optimum solvent ratio in countercurrent distribution and chromatography may be expressed as V = V_U/V_L = (K_D1 K_Dπ ) ^?½. Here V_U and V_L are the volumes of mobile and stationary phases. This expression, proposed by Bush and Densen and widely accepted, leads to optimum separations only under special conditions. Under most commonly-encountered situations in chromatographic and countercurrent systems, better separations may be achieved by reducing V to the lowest practicable level. Measures of separation effectiveness include resolution, extent of separation, total percent impurity, and quantity factor, the latter two of which are herein developed. Computer simulation is used for testing existing separation parameters and developing new ones on a rational and scientific basis.     

Stiffness and toughness of polypropylene/glass bead composites

The effects of coupling effect, particle diameter (d), volume fraction (V_b) and size distribution (σ) of glass beads on the impact strength and tensile modulus of polypropylene (PP)/glass bead composites have been investigated. The toughness and stiffness of the composite can be simultanously enhanced by using a titanate coupling agent, which gives rise to a moderate interfacial adhesion (characterized by an interaction parameter B ∼ 1) between the glass beads and the matrix. With the addition of this coupling agent, the impact strength of the PP/glass bead composite with d = 2.7 μm and σ = 1.85 increases about 4.5 times as V_b increases from 0 to 0.25, while the tensile modulus remains roughly unchanged. For the composites with larger d and narrower size distribution, the impact strength increases only slightly with increasing V_b. The combined effect of d, V_b and size distribution of the glass beads are described by using a single parameter, the average matrix ligament thickness T . Unlike rubber‐modified polymers, the impact strength of PP/glass bead composites does not follow a master curve when plotted against T .     

RIT‐DuPont supra‐threshold color‐tolerance individual color‐difference pair dataset

The RIT‐DuPont dataset has been used extensively for formula development and testing since its inception during the 1980's, for example, in the development of CIE94 and CIEDE2000. The dataset was published as 156 color‐tolerances, T₅₀, along specific vector directions about 19 color centers. Probit analysis was used to transform judgments of 958 color‐difference pairs by 50 observers to these 156 tolerances. For most statistical significance testing, the number of samples determines the confidence limits. Thus, there was an interest in publishing the individual color‐difference pair visual and colorimetric data to improve the precision of significance testing. From these 958 pairs, 828 pairs had determinable visual differences. The others had either excessive visual uncertainty or had unanimous visual judgments such that visual differences were undefined. In addition, a method was devised to assign visual uncertainty to each of these pairs using the principles of maximum likelihood and the T₅₀ values. Comparisons were made between the T₅₀ and individual color‐difference pair data both including and omitting uncertainty weightings. The weighted dataset was found to be equivalent to the T₅₀ tolerances. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 2010     

Large electrocaloric responses in [Bi1/2(Na,K)1/2]TiO3‐based ceramics with giant electro‐strains

The electrocaloric effect (ECE) is investigated through indirect measurement in two lead‐free [Bi_1/2(Na,K)_1/2]TiO₃‐based ceramics that were previously reported to display giant electro‐strains. In the Nb‐doped ceramic, denoted as BNKT‐2.5Nb, a decent temperature change of ΔT=1.85 K and an electrocaloric responsivity of ΔT/ΔE=0.37 (10^?6Km V^?1) are found around room temperature (32°C). While in the Ta‐doped ceramic, BNKT‐1.5Ta, a wide operation temperature range (T_span ~55 K) is observed near room temperature. Additional electrical measurements, as well as transmission electron microscopy experiments, are performed to identify the mechanisms of the ECE in both ceramics.     

Fragment Velocity Distribution of Cylindrical Rings Under Eccentric Point Initiation

A design mode, in which a casing is filled with a charge initiated off‐centre (eccentric point initiation), is common in the field of explosion and structural protection. The fragment velocity distribution along the circumference of the casing is distinctly non‐uniform due to the difference in blast loading around the circumference of the casing. To quantify the fragment velocity distribution, two kinds of cylindrical rings with different structural parameters were adopted. Static explosive experiments with three eccentric coefficients (0, 0.5, 1.0) were conducted with pulsed X‐ray diagnostics. Using coefficients derived from experimental data and calculating the effects of both the eccentricity of initiation and angle around the circumference, an angle‐dependent ratio β_θ of charge mass to casing mass has been derived as a mean to modify the fragment velocity formula of Gurney for this application. The derived formula was shown to correctly predict the fragment velocity distribution around the circumference of the cylindrical ring. The calculated velocity distributions show good agreement with the experimental results.     

Least Squares Bias in Time Series with Moderate Deviations from a Unit Root

This articles derives the approximate bias of the least squares estimator of the autoregressive coefficient in discrete autoregressive time series where the autoregressive coefficient is given by α_T=1+c/k_T, with k_T being a deterministic sequence increasing to infinity at a rate slower than T, such that k_T=o(T) as T→∞. The cases in which c<0, c=0 and c>0 are considered correspond to (moderately) stationary, non‐stationary and (moderately) explosive series respectively. The result is used to derive the limiting distribution of the indirect inference method for such processes with moderate deviations from a unit root and for explosive series with a fixed coefficient, which does not depend on the sample size. Second, the result demonstrates why the jackknife estimator cannot be constructed for explosive time series for values of the autoregressive parameter close to unity in view of the discontinuity of the bias function, which the article derives. Finally, the expression is used to construct a bias‐corrected estimator, and simulations are carried out to assess the three estimators' bias reduction capabilities.     

The calculations of dispersion coefficients inside two‐dimensional randomly packed beds of circular particles

The longitudinal (D_L) and transverse (D_T) dispersion coefficients in two‐dimensional (2‐D) randomly packed beds of circular particles in a laminar flow regime are derived. A 2‐D discrete system of particles is divided into cells using modified Voronoi diagrams. The relationship between the variation of the stream function and the averaged vorticity is obtained from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The whole flow pattern is then obtained by using the principle of energy dissipation rate minimization. The obtained values of D_L agree well with 3‐D experimental data for all velocities investigated. At very high velocities, D_T in 2‐D appears to be higher than 3‐D experimental data. In addition, the effects of particle‐size distributions, packing structure, and porosity on the D_L and D_T were studied. One result was that an increase in the width of the particle‐size distribution resulted in higher values of D_L and D_T at high velocities. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 1002–1011, 2013     

Determination of Crystal Growth Rates in Glasses Over a Temperature Range Using a Single DSC Run

In this work, we propose and test a simple and accurate technique capable of determining the crystal growth rate, U(T), over a fairly wide temperature range by means of a single differential scanning calorimetry run. This method is based on using 50–200 μm‐thick samples with parallel rough surfaces so that crystal growth is effectively unidirectional and the crystallization fronts have a constant area during the entire crystallization process. Growth rates are calculated from the expression U(T) = L·q·DSC(T)/A_peak, where DSC(T) is the value of the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) crystallization curve at each temperature T, A_peak is the overall peak area, L is half the sample thickness, and q is the heating rate. This method has been tested for different values of L and q for three glasses undergoing predominantly surface nucleation, that possess distinctly different crystallization behaviors: stoichiometric lithium disilicate and diopside (CaO·MgO·2SiO₂) and a nonstoichiometric lithium‐calcium metasilicate. Growth rates spanning temperature intervals of more than 100 K, including temperature ranges where literature data are scarce due to experimental difficulties, were determined using a single DSC run. The resulting U(T) data were compared with literature data obtained using optical microscopy. The growth rates determined using the proposed method show excellent agreement with the published data for both stoichiometric glasses and only small errors for the nonstoichiometric glass.     

Early Events in the Precipitation Fouling of Calcium Sulphate Dihydrate under Sensible Heating Conditions

Supersaturated aqueous solutions of calcium sulphate, an inverse solubility salt, were circulated through a 9 mm i.d. stainless steel tube in which they were subjected to a constant and uniform heat flux at Reynolds numbers ranging from 2100 to 36 000. Precipitation fouling of the tube surface, which was monitored and measured thermally, resulted in calcium sulphate dihydrate (gypsum) scales. Measured delay times decreased with increasing bulk solute concentration, C_b, in accord with classical nucleation kinetics, decreased with increasing surface temperature T_s, its reciprocal correlating with T_s in the Arrhenius manner, and decreased with increasing fluid velocity V up to V &#8776; 0.5 m/s before flattening out. Initial linear fouling rates,R_fo, at C_b = 3400 ppm, also yielded Arrhenius plots, with fouling activation energies increasing almost eight‐fold over the 0.1–1.6 m/s velocity range. This result implies a shift in the mechanism of fouling rate control with increasing velocity from mass transfer, which is weakly temperature dependent, to surface integration, which is strongly temperature dependent. The “Initial Fouling Rate Model,” which simulates this mechanistic shift with a unique dependence of the surface‐integration step on the residence time of the fluid at the tube wall, was used to represent, by least‐squares fitting, 84 fouling rate data points at different values of V and T_s, with three adjustable parameters. Observed trends of R_fo with V and clean wall T_s were qualitatively captured by the model, but quantitative agreement was imperfect. Substantial quantitative improvement was effected by introducing into the model an additional temperature dependence of the surface‐integration term—resulting in one additional adjustable parameter—rationalized as a method of accounting for the previously neglected temperature‐dependent nucleation that accompanies crystal growth. The fouling investigation was supplemented by an experimental study of crystal growth kinetics.