Theoretical and experimental investigation of humidification-dehumidification desalination unit

A theoretical and experimental investigation of humidification-dehumidification desalination system is presented. The system is based on an open cycle for water and a closed cycle for the air stream. The air is circulated either by natural or forced circulation. The system modeling is based on various heat and mass balance equations and their numerical solution. The effect of operating parameters on the system characteristics has been investigated. An experimental test set-up has been fabricated and assembled. The set-up has been equipped with appropriate measuring and controlling devices. Detailed experiments have been carried out at various operating conditions and using several packing materials. The heat and mass transfer coefficients have been obtained experimentally and fitted in forms of empirical correlations.The results of the investigation have shown that the system productivity increases with the increase in the mass flow rate of water through the unit. Water temperature at condenser exit increases linearly with water temperature at humidifier inlet and it decreases as water flow rate increases. The higher water temperature at humidifier inlet or water flow rate, the higher is the air temperature and humidity ratio at condenser inlet and exit. A maximum productivity of 5.8 liter/h has been obtained using wooden slates packing and with forced air circulation. No significant improvement in the performance of the desalination unit has been achieved by forced circulation of air at high water temperatures. The average relative deviation of theoretical predictions from measurements is (− 0.9%) in the air temperature at condenser inlet, (3.8%) in the humidity ratio at condenser exit and (− 1%) in the water temperature at condenser exit.     

Experimental investigation of a baffled shell and tube desalination column using the humidification-dehumidification process

The humidification-dehumidification process is an interesting technique that has been adapted for water desalination. Most previous work performed the humidification-dehumidification desalination process in two separate columns, which increases the complexity of the system and limits the humidification effect of the carrier gas as well as the thermal efficiency of the process. In this work, a baffled shell and tube desalination unit was built to perform humidification and dehumidification simultaneously at the tube and shell side of the column, respectively. The effects of several operating conditions on the production and thermal efficiency of the process were investigated, including water flow rate, inlet water temperature, carrier gas flow rate and external steam flow rate. The results show that the productivity and thermal efficiency of the process both increase with increasing inlet water temperature. Suitable flow rates exist for both the water and carrier gas, which are 6–30 kg h⁻¹ and 4–20 kg h⁻¹ for the present column, respectively. The increase of external steam flow rate increased the productivity but decreased thermal efficiency of the process. A further performance comparison with a previous unbaffled desalination unit indicated that the baffle plates significantly enhance the productivity of the column, which is usually 3–6 times that of the unbaffled one. Meanwhile, the salinity of the produced water was determined to be in the range of 20–30 mg/L with the feed water containing 10,000 mg/L NaCl.     

Investigation of the Column Performance of Cadmium(II) Biosorption by Cladophora crispata Flocs in a Packed Bed

ABSTRACT

In this study the biosorption of cadmium(II) ions to dried floes of Cladophora crispata, a kind of green algae, was investigated in a packed bed column. The cadmium(II) removal performance of the column was investigated as a function of the cadmium(II)-bearing solution flow rate and the inlet cadmium(II) concentration. Re- moval and total removal percentages of cadmium(II) related to flow volume were determined by evaluating the breakthrough curves obtained at three different flow rates for two different constant inlet concentrations. At the lowest flow rate the effect of inlet cadmium(II) concentration on the column capacity was also investigated. Data confirmed that early saturation and lower cadmium(II) removals were observed at higher flow rates and at higher cadmium(H) concentrations. Column experiments also showed that maximum specific cadmium(II) uptake values of C. crispata floes were as higher as those of other biomass sorbents.     

燃煤电厂烟气脱硫技术现状及工艺选择原则

综述了国内外几种主要的烟气脱硫技术原理及技术特点,并提出了选择脱硫技术的几点重要原则。     

Fractionation of Mangifera indica Linn polyphenols by reverse phase supercritical fluid chromatography (RP-SFC) at pilot plant scale

Large-scale supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) can be used for the purification and concentration of natural samples. The aim of the present work was the concentration of two important antioxidants, mangiferin and quercetin, from mango leaf extracts by using this technique at a pilot plant scale. First of all, the influence of experimental conditions (pressure, temperature, mobile phase composition, isocratic/gradient mode) on the elution profile of the aforementioned compounds and two typical phenolic compounds presented in natural extracts (gallic acid, methyl gallate) was analyzed. The most favorable conditions selected, at the range studied of 10–40 MPa and 40–60 °C, were 40 MPa and 40 °C using as mobile phase the mixture of CO₂ + modifier (0.5% formic acid in methanol) in a gradient mode by increasing the concentration of modifier from 5% to 50% (w/w). In a second step, the fractionation of a natural extract obtained by high-pressure extraction was realized. At these conditions, it is possible to multiply the concentration of mangiferin by a factor of five with respect to the original extract.     

New theoretical and practical aspects of the frying process

The deep‐frying process, normally carried out at 140–200 °C, is a very complex system due to the combination of heat and mass transfer between food and frying medium. The system becomes more complicated as the frying operation proceeds, because the composition of the food being fried and the frying medium is changing continuously due to the progressive deterioration of the frying medium. Apart from a variety of chemical reactions occurring, several changes take place in the frying food, such as gelatinisation of starch, denaturation of protein, and decrease of moisture. These changes bring about swelling of the product, formation of a crusty layer, and the appearance of a golden colour, good texture and taste. The precise control of the fryer enables these physical and chemical changes in the frying of food to convert it into a desirable finished product. This article discusses various types of reactions occurring in the food frying operation, possible mechanisms, a new realistic method – OSET index for measuring heat stability of frying oils – and the protective behaviour of substances that enhance the frying stability of oils.     

Influences of fluid physical properties,solid particles,and operating conditions on the hydrodynamics in slurry reactors

Slurry reactors are popular in many industrial processes, involved with numerous chemical and biological mixtures, solid particles with different concentrations and properties, and a wide range of operating conditions. These factors can significantly affect the hydrodynamic in the slurry reactors, having remarkable effects on the design, scale-up, and operation of the slurry reactors. This article reviews the influences of fluid physical properties, solid particles, and operating conditions on the hydrodynamics in slurry reactors. Firstly, the influence of fluid properties, including the density and viscosity of the individual liquid and gas phases and the interfacial tension, has been reviewed. Secondly, the solid particle properties (i.e., concentration, density, size, wettability, and shape) on the hydrodynamics have been discussed in detail, and some vital but often ignored features, especially the influences of particle wettability and shape, as well as the variation of surface tension because of solid concentration alteration, are highlighted in this work. Thirdly, the variations of physical properties of fluids, hydrodynamics, and bubble behavior resulted from the temperature and pressure variations are also summarized, and the indirect influences of pressure on viscosity and surface tension are addressed systematically. Finally, conclusions and perspectives of these notable influences on the design and scale-up of industrial slurry reactors are presented.     

Transport phenomena aspects of the free-radical retrograde-precipitation polymerization (FRRPP) process

We have been studying free-radical polymerization that is accompanied by phase separation above the lower critical solution temperature. In the past, we have experimentally shown evidence of hot regions in the reactive system. We have also shown in the past that eventually the system exerts control over the rate of propagation as well as termination. In this work, we invoke a concept in polymer physics (the coil-to-globule transition) to help explain the mechanism of thermal trapping within the polymerization zones. The diffusivities of polymer chains at different stages in the reaction are calculated using appropriate methods. From the diffusivities, the propagation and termination rate coefficients are calculated using the Achilias-Kiparissides gel effect model. With experimental kinetic data, we then estimate rates of monomer consumption within polymer-rich particles. Using a pseudo-steady-state heat transfer model, we are able to show that interior temperatures of polymer-rich particle domains greater than about 1 mm can reach spinodal temperature values at the early stage of polymerization. Polymer-rich particle sizes are obtained from the same reactor system whereby a small amount of crosslinker is added to preserve particle morphology. This experiment indicates that even under turbulent flow conditions, relatively large particles can exist in the reactor fluid. This agrees with the physical implications of the coil-to-globule transition. However, since these particles were obtained during the period of slow conversion rate, our heat transfer calculations indicate that interior particle temperatures would be almost the same as surface temperatures. This points to an unknown radical-trapping mechanism at this stage of the polymerization process.     

The effect of electrophoretic convection for the separation of solute in the chromatography column (I)

A theoretical model has been derived in an electrophoretic packed column where an electric potential is applied to a column in the axial direction. The effect of electrophoretic convection in gel particles packed in the column significantly contributes to the separation of large polyelectrolytes because the conformation of polyelectrolyte quickly orients in the field direction. The dependence of the transport in the gel particle upon field intensity and molecular size aids in understanding the transport of polyelectrolyte in the packed column, since the convective velocity of polyelectrolyte is accelerated inside a porous gel particle. There are few convection studies of large poly-electrolyte in a column packed with porous gel particles under an electric field for the separation. Convective-diffusive transport of a large polyelectrolyte is analyzed using Peclet number described by electrophoretic mobility and diffusion coefficient measured experimentally. The separation of two different polyelectrolytes in the packed column is performed using a value ofPe _f/Pe_g of individual polyelectrolyte by molecular size and an electric field. The purpose of this paper is to study the separation of solute from a mixture in the column using the physicochemical properties in the gel particle which are measured experimentally.     

Optimising operation of an integrated membrane system (IMS) — A Box–Behnken approach

The optimum operating conditions of an integrated membrane system (IMS), consisting of microfiltration (MF) followed by reverse osmosis (RO), has been defined using Box–Behnken design associated with generalised linear models (respectively quasibinomial logit analysis for the MF process and quasibinomial probit analysis for the RO process). Parameters studied for the MF process were the flux, backwash frequency and chloramine dose and dosing point. Parameters studied for the RO were the flux, recovery, pH and antiscalant dose. For both processes, the statistical method successfully determined an envelope of operating conditions. Results showed MF membrane fouling propensity to be mainly controlled by backwash frequency and flux, whereas fouling of the RO membrane was primarily defined by the pH and the recovery. The model was found to accurately represent the plant performance within the operating envelope studied.     

Performance of a bubble column reactor for oxidation of ethylene (wacker process)

An experimental investigation of the performance of a bubble column reactor for the liquid-phase catalytic oxidation of ethylene to acetaldehyde (Wacker Process) has been carried out by varying the different operating parameters, such as the inlet gas velocity and catalyst concentration. It has also been shown that, for a given set of conditions, a certain critical ratio of partial pressure of O₂ to that of ethylene in the reactor inlet is required for the overall catalytic cycle to work with maximum efficiency under steady state. The agreement between the experimental results and the predictions of a theoretical reactor model developed herein was found to be excellent.     

煤制天然气的能源网络分析图

能源网络图作为能源统计数据分析的有效工具和方法,是评价企业用能效率、发掘能耗薄弱环节、科学制定能源管理政策的重要手段。本文以国内某煤制合成天然气企业为研究对象,并以美国大平原项目为参照,基于能量平衡建立能源网络图对两者能量转化的4个重要环节——购入储存、加工转换、输入分配和最终使用的能量转换效率进行详细地对比分析。结果表明,大平原项目能量转换效率为53.16%,而国内该企业能量转换效率为48.20%,主要体现在终端环节中4个系统的用能效率偏低,需进一步挖掘节能瓶颈和改善用能水平。     

Application of the dividing wall column to olefin separation in fluidization methanol to propylene (FMTP) process

Dividing wall column (DWC) is shown to be energy efficient compared to conventional column sequence for multi components separation, which is used for olefin separation in fluidization methanol to propylene process in the present work. Detailed design for pilot DWC was performed and five control structures, i.e. composition control (CC), temperature control (TC), composition-temperature control (CC-TC), temperature difference control (TDC), double temperature difference control (DTDC) were proposed to circumvent feed disturbance. Sensitivity analysis and singular value decomposition (SVD) were used as criterion to select the controlled temperature locations in TC, CC-TC, TDC and DTDC control loops. The steady simulation result demonstrates that 25.7％and 30.2％duty can be saved for condenser and reboiler by substituting conventional column sequence with DWC, respectively. As for control structure selection, TC and TDC perform better than other three control schemes with smal er maximum deviation and shorter settling time.     

Optimization of a continuous ultrasound assisted oxidative desulfurization (UAOD) process of diesel using response surface methodology (RSM) considering operating cost

A continuous-flow ultrasound-assisted oxidative desulfurization(UAOD) of partially hydro-treated diesel has been investigated using hydrogen peroxide-formic acid as simple and easy to apply oxidation system. The effects of different operating parameters of oxidation stage including residence time(2–24 min), formic acid to sulfur molar ratio(10–150), and oxidant to sulfur molar ratio(5–35) on the sulfur removal have been studied using response surface methodology(RSM) based on Box–Behnken design. Considering the operating costs of the continuous-flow oxidation stage including chemical and electrical energy consumption, the appropriate values of operating parameters were selected as follows: residence time of 16 min, the formic acid to sulfur molar ratio of 54.47, and the oxidant to sulfur molar ratio of 8.24. In these conditions, the sulfur removal and the volume ratio of the hydrocarbon phase to the aqueous phase were 86.90% and 4.34, respectively. By drastic reduction in the chemical consumption in the oxidation stage, the volume ratio of the hydrocarbon phase to the aqueous phase was increased up to 10. Therefore, the formic acid to sulfur molar ratio and the oxidant to sulfur molar ratio were obtained 23.64 and 3.58, respectively, which lead to sulfur removal of 84.38% with considerable improvements on the operating cost of oxidation stage in comparison with the previous works.     

An experimental study of the dynamics of the curing process of sheet molding compound (SMC) paste

The dynamic curing behavior of sheet molding compound (SMC) has been investigated by using a cylindrical cure reactor. Both thermal and mechanical responses were determined for R-25 SMC paste. The responses from this material were analyzed to determine the chemical and physical transformations that occur during the SMC molding process. The thermal response was obtained from a thermocouple placed along the centerline of the paste sample in the cure reactor. The thermal history at this location shows distinctive stages associated with heat transfer and crosslinking reactions during the cure cycle. The R-25 paste has a precure time of 160 seconds, a reaction time of 25 seconds, and a temperature rise of 134°C. The mechanical response describes the volume change and the pressure of the paste. The displacement curve shows volume changes due to thermal expansion, cure shrinkage, and thermal contraction during the course of a cure cycle. We found a less than 1% shrinkage during the reaction of the R-25 paste. The pressure response of the paste was found to parallel the volume transformation, although it also is strongly influenced by mechanical interactions between the press and the paste.     

2-硝基-4-三氟甲基苯腈（NCB）的生产新工艺

本文讨论了2-硝基三氟甲基苯腈（NCB）的先进生产工艺，并对该产品的技术指标，技术关键及经济效益进行了分析探讨。该生产工艺得到的NCB产品不但填补了国内空白，而且产生巨大的经济效益和社会效益，是一种值得投资开发的优秀精细化工产品。     

The forced gas sweeping process for semibatch melt polycondensation of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The experimental and modeling studies are presented on the melt polycondensation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) by a gas sweeping process. In this process, low molecular weight prepolymer is polymerized to a higher molecular weight polymer in a molten state at ambient pressure as ethylene glycol is removed by nitrogen gas bubbles injected directly to the polymer melt through a metal tube. In the temperature range of 260–280°C, the rate of polymerization by the gas sweeping process is quite comparable to that of conventional high vacuum process. The effects of nitrogen gas flow rate and reaction temperature on polymerization rate and polymer molecular weight were investigated. Polymer molecular weight increases with an increase in gas flow rate up to certain limits. A dynamic mass transfer–reaction model has been developed, and the agreement between experimental data and model simulations was quite satisfactory. The effect of ethylene glycol bubble nucleation on the polymerization has also been investigated. It was observed that the presence of nucleated ethylene glycol bubbles induced by the bulk motion of polymer melt has negligible impact on the polymerization rate and polymer molecular weight. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 1388–1400, 2001     

Development of support vector regression (SVR)-based correlation for prediction of overall gas hold-up in bubble column reactors for various gas-liquid systems

The objective of this study was to develop a unified data-driven correlation for the overall gas hold-up for various gas-liquid systems using support vector regression (SVR)-based modeling technique. Over the years, researchers have amply quantified the hydrodynamics of bubble column reactors in terms of the overall gas hold-up. In this work, about 1810 experimental points were collected from 40 open sources spanning the years 1965-2007. The model for overall gas hold-up was established as a function of several parameters which include superficial gas velocity, superficial liquid velocity, gas density, molecular weight of gas, sparger type, sparger hole diameter, number of sparger holes, liquid viscosity, liquid density, liquid surface tension, operating temperature, operating pressure and column diameter of the gas-liquid system. For understanding the hold-up behavior, the data used for training the model was grouped into various gas-liquid systems viz., air-water, gas-aqueous viscous liquids, gas-organic liquids, gas-aqueous electrolyte solutions and gas-liquid systems operated over a wide range of pressure. A generalized model established using SVR was evaluated for its performance for various gas-liquid systems. Statistical analysis showed that the proposed generalized SVR-based correlation for overall gas hold-up has prediction accuracy of 97% with average absolute relative error (% AARE) of 12.11%. A comparison of this correlation with the selected system specific correlations in the literature showed that the developed SVR-based correlation significantly gives enhanced prediction of overall gas hold-up.     

Effects of embedding functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes and alumina on the direct contact poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) membrane distillation performance

Flat-sheet membranes were fabricated by incorporating alumina (Al₂O₃) and functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs; MWCNTs-COOH) in PVDF-co-HFP membrane via the phase-inversion method for application in membrane distillation (MD) application. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were performed on the resulting membranes to investigate the effects of functionalized MWCNTs. The results revealed that the embedding of functionalized MWCNTs led to a significant modification of the membrane characteristics, including the structural morphology, thickness, roughness, porosity, pore size, and pore size distribution. The effects of operational parameters such as the hot feed solution temperature (47–67?°C), feed flow rate (0.35–0.55?L/min), and feed concentration (0–100?g/L) on the performance of the fabricated membrane were tested using the DCMD system. The experimental results demonstrated that the permeate flux was enhanced by approximately 32.43% by using functionalized MWCNTs, reaching a value of 16.35?kg/m² h at 35?g/L feed concentration, 67?°C hot feed temperature, and 0.55?L/min feed flow rate, at the constant temperature of 20?°C and 0.35?L/min flow rate. The functionalized MWCNTs embedded within the membrane successfully modified the interactions between water and the membrane to improve the water vapor transport while inhibiting salt penetration into the pores.