Predicting the Bubble-Point Pressure and Formation-Volume-Factor of Worldwide Crude Oil Systems

This paper presents models for predicting the bubble-point pressure (P_b) and oil formation-volume-factor at bubble-point (B_ob) for crude oil samples collected from several regions around the world. The regions include major producing oil fields in North and South America, North Sea, South East Asia, Middle East, and Africa. The model was developed using artificial neural networks with 5200 experimentally obtained PVT data sets. This represents the largest data set ever collected to be used in developing P_b and B_ob models. An additional 234 PVT data sets were used to investigate the effectiveness of the neural network models to predict outputs from inputs that were not used during the training process. The network model is able to predict the bubble-point pressure and the oil formation-volume-factor as a function of the solution gas-oil ratio, the gas relative density, the oil specific gravity, and the reservoir temperature. In order to obtain a generalized accurate model, back propagation with momentum for error minimization was used. The accuracy of the models developed in this study was compared in details with several published correlations. This study shows that if artificial neural networks are successfully trained, they can be excellent reliable predictive tools to estimate crude oil properties better than available correlations. The network models can be easily incorporated into any reservoir simulators and/or production optimization software.     

Optimal production control problem in stochastic multiple-product multiple-machine manufacturing systems

This paper deals with the issue of production control in a manufacturing system with multiple machines which are subject to breakdowns and repairs. The control variables considered are the production rates for different products on the machines. Our objective is to minimize the expected total discounted cost due to the finished good inventories and backlogs. Based on the structure of the hedging point policy, a parameterized near-optimal production policy for a multiple-product manufacturing system is proposed. The analytical formalism is combined with simulation-based statistical tools, such as experimental design and response surface methodology. The aim of such a combination is to provide an approximation of the optimal control policy. In the proposed approach, the parameterized near-optimal control policy is used as an input for the simulation model. For each entry consisting of a combination of parameters, the cost incurred is obtained. The significant effects of the control variables are determined by the experimental design. The relationship between the cost and these input factors is obtained through a response surface model. It is from the obtained relationship that the best values of control factors are determined. Extensive computational experience is reported for two-part-type and five-part-type production systems. Finally, simulation experiments on several examples are concentrated on the sensitivities of the control policy obtained.     

Plasmachemical degradation of azo dyes by humid air plasma: Yellow Supranol 4 GL, Scarlet Red Nylosan F3 GL and industrial waste

A recent non-thermal plasma technique (i.e., a gliding arc discharge which generates reactive species at atmospheric pressure) is tested for pollution abatement of dyes dispersed in synthetic solutions and industrial effluents. Yellow Supranol 4 GL (YS) and Scarlet Red Nylosan F3 GL (SRN) are toxic synthetic dyes widely used in the Algerian textile industry and frequently present in liquid wastes of manufacture plants. Classical removal treatment processes are not efficient enough, so that the presence of dyes in liquid effluents may cause serious environmental problems, in connection with reusing waste waters for irrigation. The degradation processes achieved by the oxidising species formed in the plasma are followed by UV/VIS spectroscopy and by chemical oxygen demand measurements. They are almost complete (i.e., 92.5% for YS and 90% for dilute SRN) and rapidly follow pseudo-first-order laws, with overall estimated rate constants 3 x 10(-4) and 4 x 10(-4)s-1 for YS and SRN, respectively. The degradation rate constant for the industrial mixture (i.e., k = 1.45 x 10(-3)s-1) is a mean value for two consecutive steps (210(-3) and 6 x 10(-5)s-1) measured at the absorption peaks of the major constituent dyes, YS and SRN.     

Analysis of DGS structures by using the iterative method

An iterative method based on the wave concept is used to analyse a defect ground structure (DGS). In this case two applications are given. Firstly, we studied a λ/4 bias transmission line maintaining high impedance that is added dumbbell‐shaped DGS on ground plane of the conventional λ/4 bias transmission line. Secondly, a newly etched DGS with a spiral shape in metallic ground is studied. The spiral DGS can provide steep rejection characteristics with one and two spirals. Numerical results are compared with published data, a good agreement is observed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nucleic acid-based biotechnologies for food-borne pathogen detection using routine time-intensive culture-based methods and fast molecular diagnostics

Diseases caused by food-borne pathogens constitute a major burden to consumers, food business operators, and national governments. Bacterial and viral pathogens are the major biotic factors influencing food safety. A vast array of culture dependent analytical methods and protocols have been developed. Recently, nucleic acid-based methods have begun to replace or complement culture-based methods for routine use in food control laboratories. Basic advantages provided by nucleic acid-based technologies are faster speed and more information, such as sub-species identification, antibiotic resistance, and food microbiology. In particular, PCR and alternative methods have been developed to a stage that provides good speed, sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility with minimized risk of carryover contamination. This review briefly summarizes currently available and developing molecular technologies that may be candidates for involvement in microbiological molecular diagnostic methods in the next decade.     

Polyamides incorporating furan moieties: 4. Synthesis,characterisation and properties of a homologous series

Interfacial polycondensation of 2,2′‐bis[2‐(5‐chloroformylfuryl)]propane with various diamines gave high yields of a novel series of furanic polyamides with high inherent viscosities. The properties of these polymers (T_g, surface energy, crystallinity, thermal stability) were assessed and examined in terms of the role of the specific structure of the bridging group borne by the diamines. Only three polyamides were partially crystalline, whereas all the others were amorphous. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that thermal decomposition began above 300 °C in all instances. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Quasi‐alternating polyesteramides from ε‐caprolactone and α‐amino acids

Glycine‐ɛ‐caprolactone‐based and α‐alanine‐ɛ‐caprolactone‐based polyesteramides with a strong tendency to form alternating sequences (degree of randomness = 1.64 and 1.31) were synthesized by melt polycondensation of intermediate hydroxy‐ and ethyl ester‐terminated amides. These intermediates were synthesized by the reaction of equimolar amounts of ɛ‐caprolactone and glycine or L‐α‐alanine ethyl esters in mild conditions. The structure and microstructure of these polyesteramides are discussed on the basis of an in‐depth nuclear magnetic resonance study. Both polyesteramides are semi‐crystalline, but the glycine‐based one presents the highest melting enthalpy. This polyesteramide also exhibits higher Young's modulus and stress at break than its α‐ and β‐alanine counterparts. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44220.     

A Surface Crack in a Graded Coating Bonded to a Homogeneous Substrate under Transient Thermal Loading

The elastodynamic problem of a surface crack in a graded coating bonded to a homogeneous substrate under transient heat flux is considered. The coating is graded along the thickness direction and modelled as a nonhomogeneous medium with an isotropic stress-strain law. The problem is solved under the assumption of plane strain or generalized plane stress conditions. The resulting crack problem is of mode I because the orientations of the crack axis, the material gradient and the heat-flux are all parallel. The equivalent crack surface tractions are first obtained and substituted in the plane elasticity equations which are then converted analytically using appropriate integral transforms into a singular integral equation. The resulting equation is solved numerically using orthogonal Jacobi polynomials to yield the Mode I stress intensity factor. The main objective of the research is to study the effect of the layer thickness and nonhomogeneity parameters on the dynamic crack tip stress intensity factor for the purpose of gaining better understanding on the behavior of graded coatings under transient thermal loading.