Bench- and pilot-scale sludge electrodewatering in a diaphragm filter press.

Electrodewatering is a technique in which pressure dewatering is combined with electrokinetic effects to realize an improved solid/liquid separation and hence increased filter cake dry matter contents. In order to be energy efficient, it is shown that sludge should be dewatered by pressure dewatering to a high extent prior to electric field application, and a sufficient contact time for the electric field must be guaranteed. In order to realize these goals, a bench- and pilot-scale diaphragm filter press suited for electrodewatering were constructed for treatment of sewage and other types of sludges. It was shown that electrodewatering of sludge is a feasible technique, especially for biological sludge types. Other types of sludge are less suited for electrodewatering because of the restricted improvements that can be realized in cake dry matter content and the high electric energy consumption. Furthermore, it was shown in pilot-scale tests that the use of a diaphragm filter press with electrodewatering facilities was very well suited to deliver dry filter cakes of sewage sludge at a moderate energy consumption. Depending on local market prices for investment, operating and sludge disposal costs, this technology may therefore lead to important savings in the sludge management process.     

Differentiation of Romashkino crude oils according to biomarker hydrocarbon parameters

The trends in composition of higher biomarker hydrocarbons (steranes and tri-, tetra-, and pentacyclic terpanes) in crude oils from diachronous producing complexes of deposits of the Romashkino oil field, which occurs in the central part of the South Tatarian arch, were studied. On the basis of variations in molecular biomarker parameters that reflect the type of source organic matter and the facies conditions of its accumulation and early diagenesis, the oils are classified with three groups.     

Optimizing the tapping regime on a blast furnace operating at variable speed

The main factors that determine the uniformity with which smelting products are tapped from a blast furnace are the rate of accumulation of the products in the hearth and the tapping rate. The first parameter is in turn determined by the stability of the furnace’s operation and can vary significantly even over the course of 24 h. The second parameter is determined mainly by the condition of the iron notch, the maintenance it receives, any changes that occur in the diameter of the channel of the notch, and the quality of the materials used to form the notch. Recommendations are presented to optimize tapping of the smelting products.     

Volumetric out-of-furnace heat treatment of 3600-M3 decomposers

Specifications require that all the welds in 12-m-diam. decomposers with a capacity of 3600 m³ be subjected to high-temperature tempering before going into service in order to alleviate the stresses from the welding operation. Specialists at the organizations VNIIPTkhimnefteapparatury and VNIImontazhspetsstroi have proposed out-of-furnace volumetric (complete) of the assembled decomposer with the use of special heaters. The use of this heating method has shortened assembly operations while providing the welds with a highquality heat treatment and reducing the stresses overall (including welding stresses, stresses from assembly of the decomposer, etc.) The technology ensures uniform heating of the housing of the decomposer and provides for close control over the process. The experience gained in heat-treating decomposers can also be used in the construction of other containers that come into contact with corrosive media. __________ Translated from Metallurg, No. 3, pp. 61–64, March, 2006.     

Surface space-charge waves in open guiding structures

Basic definitions related to the main electrodynamic characteristics of surface space-charge waves are formulated. These characteristics and their relationships with the geometric dimensions of guiding structures (a dielectric cylinder and a planar metal-dielectric waveguide) are determined.     

Convergence and trust in eCommerce

Trust is the key element of commerce, both for traditional models and — more recently — for eCommerce. Unlike its traditional counterpart, eCommerce relies on trust being created and maintained with the help of digital devices and services. Convergence brings significant changes to the way people interact through digital media by offering ubiquitous and seamless communication. This has a significant impact on the way trust is established and maintained, with consequent impact upon eCommerce. This paper identifies a number of the most important challenges to trust in eCommerce as well as trust-related aspects of key enablers of eCommerce. From this perspective, the paper studies an impact of convergence on trust within eCommerce to identify several positive relationships.     

An inventory analysis of rural pollution loads in China.

Rural pollution has attracted increasing attention over the past decade for its important consequences on surface and groundwater quality. This is particularly so in China due to the wide and effective control of industrial and municipal wastewater discharges over the past decade. Based on the discussion of rural activities in China, this paper develops a new method of inventory analysis through the definition of elementary unit (EU). This inventory analysis approach is then applied to estimate the total rural pollution loads of COD, TN and TP, as well as their spatial distributions in China. Further analysis is also conducted to investigate the correlations between rural pollution loads and agricultural production outputs, as well as population. It is found that China's agriculture is developing largely at the cost of environment quality, and a high population, as well as the increasing demand for agricultural products, is one of the dominant driving forces. The constructed EKC, which describes the relationship between rural pollution loads and agricultural income, also reveals that current agricultural development in China is mostly far from de-locked from the environmental problem.     

Colloidal Synthesis of Hollow Cobalt Sulfide Nanocrystals

Formation of cobalt sulfide hollow nanocrystals through a mechanism similar to the Kirkendall Effect has been investigated in detail. It is found that performing the reaction at > 120 °C leads to fast formation of a single void inside each shell, whereas at room temperature multiple voids are formed within each shell, which can be attributed to strongly temperature‐dependent diffusivities for vacancies. The void formation process is dominated by outward diffusion of cobalt cations; still, the occurrence of significant inward transport of sulfur anions can be inferred as the final voids are smaller in diameter than the original cobalt nanocrystals. Comparison of volume distributions for initial and final nanostructures indicates excess apparent volume in shells, implying significant porosity and/or a defective structure. Indirect evidence for fracture of shells during growth at lower temperatures was observed in shell‐size statistics and transmission electron microscopy images of as‐grown shells. An idealized model of the diffusional process imposes two minimal requirements on material parameters for shell growth to be obtainable within a specific synthetic system.     

The effect of grain size, strain rate, and temperature on the mechanical behavior of commercial purity aluminum

Commercial purity aluminum AA1050 was subjected to equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) that resulted in an ultrafine-grained (UFG) microstructure with an as-received grain size of 0.35 μm. This UFG material was then annealed to obtain microstructures with grain sizes ranging from 0.47 to 20 μm. Specimens were compressed at quasi-static, intermediate, and dynamic strain rates at temperatures of 77 and 298 K. The mechanical properties were found to vary significantly with grain size, strain rate, and temperature. Yield stress was found to increase with decreasing grain size, decreasing temperature, and increasing strain rate. The work hardening rate was seen to increase with increasing grain size, decreasing temperature, and increasing strain rate. The influence of strain rate and temperature is most significant in the smallest grain size specimens. The rate of work hardening is also influenced by strain rate, temperature, and grain size with negative rates of work hardening observed at 298 K and quasi-static strain rates in the smallest grain sizes and increasing rates of work hardening with increasing loading rate and grain size. Work hardening behavior is correlated with the substructural evolution of these specimens.