Liquid‐phase axial dispersion of turbulent gas–liquid co‐current flow through screen‐type static mixers

This article discusses the characteristics of turbulent gas–liquid flow through tubular reactors/contactors equipped with screen‐type static mixers from a macromixing perspective. The effect of changing the reactor configuration, and the operating conditions, were investigated by using four different screen geometries of varying mesh numbers. Residence time distribution experiments were conducted in the turbulent regime (4500 < Re < 29,000). Using a deconvolution technique, the RTD function was extracted to quantify the axial/longitudinal liquid‐phase dispersion coefficient. The findings highlight that axial dispersion increases with an increasing flow rate and/or gas‐phase volume fraction. However, regardless of the number and geometry of the mixing elements, reactor configuration, and/or operating conditions, the recorded liquid‐phase axial dispersion coefficients in the presence of screens was lower than that for an empty pipe. Furthermore, the geometry of the screen was found to directly affect the axial dispersion coefficient in the reactor. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 1390–1403, 2017     

CuI Immobilized on Tricationic Ionic Liquid Anchored on Functionalized Magnetic Hydrotalcite (Fe3O4/HT-TIL-CuI) as a Novel,Magnetic and Efficient Nanocatalyst for Ullmann-Type C–N Coupling Reaction

One of the most important reactions in organic synthesis is Ullmann-type C–N coupling reaction which has been used for preparation of numerous biologically active compounds. In this work, CuI immobilized on tricationic ionic liquid anchored on functionalized magnetic hydrotalcite (Fe₃O₄/HT-TIL-CuI) has been successfully prepared and fully characterized by different techniques, including fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, thermo gravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, elemental mapping, zeta potential, X-ray diffraction, temperature programmed desorption of ammonia (NH₃-TPD), temperature-programmed reduction and inductively coupled plasma. The results showed that the as-prepared nanocatalyst possesses plate-like morphology with approximate size of 50 nm and superparamagnetic behavior. Also, total acidity and total hydrogen consumption of the nanocatalyst were measured to be 8.5 and 1.41 mmol g^?1, respectively. This nanocatalyst exhibited favorable performance for C–N coupling reaction among a variety of aryl halides and N(H)-heterocycles (benzimidazoles, pyrazoles and triazoles) in the presence of 2.5 mol% of nanocatalyst without any additives under air atmosphere revealing high yields in all cases. Besides, it is noted that in the present system the desired product can be easily and quickly isolated and nanocatalyst also recovered magnetically from the reaction mixture employing a permanent magnet for at least six consecutive trials without a discernible decrease in catalytic activity which makes the proposed methodology appropriate for industrial. The findings demonstrated the advantages of the present method as no need for neutral atmosphere, appropriate times, recyclability of the catalyst, broad substrate scope, minimization of chemical waste, simple purification of products, easy workup process, and high yields.

     

Proposal of an equivalent linearization method to predict seismic hysteretic energy demand considering stiffness degradation effects

To overcome complexities and shortcomings of previous studies, a new method is proposed to derive an equivalent linear model for predicting seismic hysteretic energy demand of bilinear single degree of freedom (SDOF) models. A new displacement spectrum is defined, which represents hysteretic energy. It is found that by increasing initial period and damping of a nonlinear system in the correct proportion and defining a linear model with these characteristics, the new developed displacement can be achieved. Error minimization is applied through an algorithm to find the optimum equivalent period corresponding to an equivalent damping utilizing two sets of far‐field and near‐field earthquakes. To analyze the effects of stiffness degradation, the proposed algorithm has been implemented on modified Clough hysteretic model as well. Comparing the results, effects of stiffness degradation on the ratio of equivalent to initial period is evident in the short period range, while with increasing initial period, the effect can almost be neglected at higher values of ductility. Nonlinear regression analysis is carried out to provide the equations for predicting equivalent linear parameters as a function of ductility. Despite the previous predictive equations, the proposed model is independent of earthquake characteristics and response‐related parameters, which has increased efficiency as well as simplicity.     

A Novel Sprague-Dawley Rat Model Presents Improved NASH/NAFLD Symptoms with PEG Coated Vitexin Liposomes

Chronic liver disease (CLD) is a global threat to the human population, with manifestations resulting from alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) and non-alcohol fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD, if not treated, may progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Furthermore, inflammation leads to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Vitexin, a natural flavonoid, has been recently reported for inhibiting NAFLD. It is a lipogenesis inhibitor and activates lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation. In addition, owing to its antioxidant properties, it appeared as a hepatoprotective candidate. However, it exhibits low bioavailability and low efficacy due to its hydrophobic nature. A novel rat model for liver cirrhosis was developed by CCL4/Urethane co-administration. Vitexin encapsulated liposomes were synthesized by the ‘thin-film hydration’ method. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was coated on liposomes to enhance stability and stealth effect. The diseased rats were then treated with vitexin and PEGylated vitexin liposomes, administered intravenously and orally. Results ascertained the liposomal encapsulation of vitexin and subsequent PEG coating to be a substantial strategy for treating liver cirrhosis through oral drug delivery.     

The structural variability of quarters and residential areas in the historical texture of the city of Yazd based on Islamic rules and jurisprudence: a case study of Golchinan quarter

According to many researchers and scholars, religious beliefs can be considered as the most influential factor in forming Muslim urban spaces and their architectural elements. In fact, historical cities reflect the culture and beliefs of their residences. Among all historical places in Iranian cities, the historical texture of the city of Yazd, especially the quarters since the age of Qajar dynasty, are well preserved. The present study aims at identifying the Islamic principles and values influencing the formation of architectural spaces and the extent of their applications in one of the historical quarters known as Golchinan. The results of the conformation of the theoretical findings with the data acquired from field studies revealed that almost 90% of the urban and architectural spaces (e.g. residential areas, mosques, bazaars, and pathways) in Yazd are directly influenced by Islamic principles. In other words, there is a strong conformity between the accepted Islamic values of the society and what actually was applied to urban constructions during Qajar dynasty.     

Eddy Current Detection of Retained Austenite in Ni-Hard4 Cast Iron

In this article, the nondestructive eddy current (EC) method was used for microstructural evaluation of Ni-hard4 cast iron (NiHCI). Different destabilizing heat treatments were used to produce different microstructures and hardness. The microstructural analysis and hardness measurement were done for conventional characterization of the reference blocks. Then, the EC techniques were applied to evaluate the hardness and microstructural changes by the detection of EC parameters at different frequencies. Metallurgical investigations showed that increasing the destabilizing soaking time and temperature decreases the amount of retained austenite in NiHCIs. The nondestructive evaluation method (NDT) revealed that it can be good correlated between retained austenite amount and hardness with EC parameters. This shows that the EC technique can detect NiHCIs products according to the metallurgical characterization with good accuracy.     

Output feedback controller for polytopic systems exploiting the direct searching of the design space

This paper deals with the problem of designing a robust static output feedback controller for polytopic systems. The current research that tackled this problem is mainly based on LMI method, which is conservative by nature. In this paper, a novel approach is proposed, which considers the design space of the controller parameters and iteratively partitions the space to small simplexes. Then, by assessing the stability in each simplex, the solution space for design parameters is directly determined. It has been theoretically proved that, if there exists a feasible solution in the design space, the algorithm can find it. To validate the result of the proposed approach, comparative simulation examples are given to illustrate the performance of the design methodology as compared to those of previous approaches.     

Photometric stereo for strong specular highlights

Computational Visual Media - Photometric stereo is a fundamental technique in computer vision known to produce 3D shape with high accuracy. It uses several input images of a static scene taken from...     

Pure Hydrogen and Propylene Coproduction in Catalytic Membrane Reactor-Assisted Propane Dehydrogenation

Propane dehydrogenation on a commercial Pt-Sn/Al₂O₃ catalyst in a Pd-Ag membrane reactor is considered. A mathematical model is developed to evaluate the performance of the catalytic membrane reactor for the process of propane dehydrogenation. Design and operating conditions are systematically evaluated for key performance metrics such as propane conversion, propylene selectivity, hydrogen selectivity, and hydrogen recovery under different operating conditions. The results confirm that the high performance of the membrane reactor is related to the continuous removal of hydrogen from the reaction zone to shift the reaction equilibrium towards the formation of more propylene and hydrogen.     

Polyacrylonitrile/α-Fe2O3 Hybrid Photocatalytic Composite Adsorbents for Enhanced Dye Removal

The potential of a novel α-Fe₂O₃/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) hybrid composite adsorbent to eliminate methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution was evaluated. PAN was selected as the base composite. The presence of α-Fe₂O₃ as nanophotocatalyst on the surface of PAN introduced an efficient photocatalytic hybrid composite adsorbent for degrading MB. Effects of α-Fe₂O₃ nanopowder loading, pH, temperature, MB initial concentration, solar light, and contact time were investigated. Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherms were applied to analyze the adsorption behavior. The Freundlich equation provided the best correlation with experimental data. Pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle models were employed. Thermodynamic studies indicated an endotherm and spontaneous adsorption process in a defined temperature range.