Effectiveness of rotatable sensor to improve image accuracy of ECT system

This paper presents a new design of rotatable sensor for ECT systems that can be mounted on a multi-phase flow installation. In order to attest how the performance of the sensor is affected by the rotatable frame, the effectiveness of the rotatable sensor is analyzed in terms of SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) and image accuracy, which is dependent on the number of independent measurements, the image reconstruction strategy and the size of the mesh. The results confirm that with a sensor equipped with 16 electrodes, the optimum number of rotation steps is 3 in order to get the best compromise in terms of image accuracy and image reconstruction time. Results also show that this configuration achieves results similar to a classical sensor equipped with 32 electrodes.     

Evaluation of hydrogen sorption models for AB5-type metal alloys by employing a gravimetric technique

This paper is concerned with hydrogen absorption and desorption in AB₅-type hydrogen storage metal alloys. We give a brief overview on models which have been proposed for hydrogen sorption in metals over the past decades. We choose three models based on different perspectives, i.e. thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, and mere observation (empiricism), and evaluate their applicability in order to describe the sorption behaviour. Additionally, we propose a model which is based on a cumulative distribution function. In order to evaluate the models, the hydrogen absorption and desorption isotherms of LaNi₅ and LaNi_4.5Co_0.5 are measured by means of a gravimetric technique. A nonlinear regression is performed to fit the models to experimental data. The computed model parameters are compared to values reported in the literature. The emphasis is given to the applicability of the models with respect to describing the non-ideality of the plateau region and the continuity/smoothness of phase transition regions.     

Seasonal optimal mix of wind and solar power in a future,highly renewable Europe

The renewable power generation aggregated across Europe exhibits strong seasonal behaviors. Wind power generation is much stronger in winter than in summer. The opposite is true for solar power generation. In a future Europe with a very high share of renewable power generation those two opposite behaviors are able to counterbalance each other to a certain extent to follow the seasonal load curve. The best point of counterbalancing represents the seasonal optimal mix between wind and solar power generation. It leads to a pronounced minimum in required stored energy. For a 100% renewable Europe the seasonal optimal mix becomes 55% wind and 45% solar power generation. For less than 100% renewable scenarios the fraction of wind power generation increases and that of solar power generation decreases.     

An Equal-Order DG Method for the Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations

We introduce and analyze a discontinuous Galerkin method for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations that is based on finite element spaces of the same polynomial order for the approximation of the velocity and the pressure. Stability of this equal-order approach is ensured by a pressure stabilization term. A simple element-by-element post-processing procedure is used to provide globally divergence-free velocity approximations. For small data, we prove the existence and uniqueness of discrete solutions and carry out an error analysis of the method. A series of numerical results are presented that validate our theoretical findings.     

Energy Norm shape A Posteriori Error Estimation for Mixed Discontinuous Galerkin Approximations of the Stokes Problem

In this paper, we develop the a posteriori error estimation of mixed discontinuous Galerkin finite element approximations of the Stokes problem. In particular, we derive computable upper bounds on the error, measured in terms of a natural (mesh-dependent) energy norm. This is done by rewriting the underlying method in a non-consistent form using appropriate lifting operators, and by employing a decomposition result for the discontinuous spaces. A series of numerical experiments highlighting the performance of the proposed a posteriori error estimator on adaptively refined meshes are presented.Paul Houston - Funded by the EPSRC (Grant GR/R76615). Thomas P. Wihler - Funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (Grant PBEZ2-102321). This revised version was published online in July 2005 with corrected volume and issue numbers.     

Conferring selectivity to chemical sensors via polymer side-chain selection: thermodynamics of vapor sorption by a set of polysiloxanes on thickness-shear mode resonators

Entropy of mixing is shown to be the driving interaction for the endothermic physisorption process of organic vapor partitioning into seven systematically side-chain-modified (polar, acidic, basic, polarizable side groups and groups interacting via H-bridges) polysiloxanes on thickness-shear mode resonators. Each sensor was exposed to seven analytes, selected for their diversity of functional groups. This systematic investigation of sorption yields benchmarking data on physisorption selectivity: response data and modeling reveal a direct correlation of partition coefficients with interactions between specific polymer side chains and analyte functional groups. Partition coefficients were determined for every polymer/analyte pairing over the 273-343 K range at 10 K intervals; from partition coefficient temperature dependence, overall absorption enthalpies and entropies were calculated. By subtracting the enthalpy and entropy of condensation for a given pure analyte, its mixing entropy (primarily combinatorial) and mixing enthalpy (associated with intermolecular interactions) with each polymer matrix were determined. These two crucial thermodynamic parameters determine the chemical selectivity patterns of the polymers for the analytes. Simple molecular modeling based on the polymer contact surface share of the modified side group or the introduced functional group reveals a direct correlation between the partition coefficients and the side-group variation.