Anti-inflammatory and in vitro bone formation effects of Garcinia mangostana L. and propolis extracts

Food Science and Biotechnology - The purpose of this study was to determine the anti-inflammatory and in vitro bone formation effects of Garcinia mangostana L. (mangosteen) and propolis extracts....     

A point model for the design of a sulfur trioxide decomposer for the SI cycle and comparison with a CFD model

Operating under the harsh environment with the significant energy consumption, the sulfur trioxide decomposer is one of the most important components, yet challenging tasks for the designers of an efficient SI cycle. We developed a point model to provide important guidelines for designers of a sulfur trioxide decomposer through estimating outlet physical quantities, such as outlet decomposition ratio, outlet temperature, and pressure drop of a sulfur trioxide decomposer. Then, results of the point model were compared to independent predictions obtained using a CFD model over a wide range of conditions with good agreement. The model indicates that decomposition ratio is a function of the representative non-dimensional design parameter and inlet flow composition. As inlet flow composition rarely affects outlet decomposition ratio, we found out that outlet decomposition ratio can be approximated solely as a function of the non-dimensional design parameter. We demonstrated that the model can provide general guidelines for designers of a sulfur trioxide decomposer to achieve a target decomposition ratio with an economical design. It turns out that an increase in operating pressure and catalyst surface area leads to an increase in outlet decomposition ratio while the reverse is true for an increase in mass flow rate.     

Evaluation of a pellet-clad mechanical interaction in mixed oxide fuels during power transients by using axisymmetric finite element modeling

MOX fuel rod behavior due to PCMI during power transients was evaluated using a finite element code, ABAQUS. Clad elongation is calculated through a coupled temperature–displacement analysis where a half-pellet is axisymmetrically modeled. Parametric study for the PCMI model is preliminary performed to identify the dominant factors and examine the applicable range of the model. The comparison of the predicted results with recent MOX in-pile data shows that the centerline temperature and clad elongation are evaluated within an acceptable range.     

An MCFC operation optimization strategy based on PID auto-tuning control

Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC) has been emerging as a promising renewable power system. It is still challenging to operate the MCFC to meet its varying demands because of its nonlinearity and complex dynamics. This paper proposes a novel MCFC operation framework based on PID auto-tuning control. A case study is presented to illustrate the applicability of the strategy with some comments.