Interpenetrating polymer networks from caster oil-based-polyurethanes and poly(ethyl acrylate). VII

Liquid prepolyurethanes were synthesized from castor oil and toluene-2, 4-diisocyanate (TDI) under different experimental conditions and varying NCO/OH ratios. All these prepolyurethanes were subsequently reacted with ethyl acrylate/ethylene glycol dimethacrylate mixtures by radical polymerization using benzoyl peroxide as initiator to obtain interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) by transfer molding. The novel polyurethane/poly(ethyl acrylate) IPNs are found to be tough films. These IPNs are characterized in terms of their resistance to chemical reagents, thermal behavior (DSC, TGA), mechanical behavior including tensile strength, Young's modulus, and elongation. The dielectric properties, namely electrical conductivity (σ), dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric loss (ε″), and loss tangent (tan δ) were computed. The mechanothermal behavior was analyzed by dynamic mechanical spectroscopy. The morphological behavior was studied by scanning electron microscopy.     

Drop formation at nozzles submerged in quiescent continuous phase:an experimental study with TBP-dodecane and nitric acid system

Solvent extraction is an important process in the nuclear fuel cycle. Tributyl phosphate(TBP) diluted with dodecane is commonly used as a solvent for extracting heavy metals from nitric acid medium. Studies on hydrodynamics of a single drop, which is the smallest mass transfer entity, are required for better understanding of the complex mass transfer and phase separation phenomena that occur in extraction equipment. In this study, drop formation at nozzles is studied using 30% TBP-dodecane as the dispersed phase and dilute nitric acid as the quiescent continuous phase. Experiments are carried out to determine the drop diameter, jetting velocity, drop detachment height and drop detachment time for various dispersed phase velocities, nozzle diameters(1.91, 3.04, and 4.88 mm), and nitric acid concentrations(0.01, 1, 3 N). Drop formation is captured using high-speed imaging, which enables quantification of drop size, onset of jetting, drop detachment height, and drop detachment time. Experimental data are used to propose correlations for predicting drop diameter and minimum jetting velocity. The correlations are found to be very accurate with average absolute relative errors being 5.23 and 2.97%, respectively.     

Evaluation of stellite coatings by µ-PTA powder,laser, and PTA deposition processes

This article presents comparative evaluation of microplasma-transferred arc powder deposition (µ-PTAPD), laser deposition, and plasma-transferred arc deposition (PTAD) processes for sound quality and cost-effective deposition of Stellite 6 on AISI 4130 steel substrate. Dilution, deposition thickness, microstructure, secondary dendritic arm spacing (SDAS), microhardness, and abrasive wear resistance have been used for comparative evaluation. Analysis of morphology of Stellite deposition revealed that µ-PTAPD process and laser deposition processes could produce a coating of less than 1?mm thickness having good deposition quality, smaller dilution, and SDAS as compared with PTAD process. Analysis of X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the Stellite coatings manufactured by all three processes had a lamellar structure consisting of Co phases, chromium-rich carbides (Cr₂₃C₆ and Cr₇C₃), and tungsten-containing compounds (W₂C). Analysis of microhardness and abrasive wear resistance found that the Stellite coatings manufactured by µ-PTAPD and laser deposition processes exhibited a lower coefficient of friction, wear volume, and higher microhardness as compared with the coating manufactured by PTAD process, this imparting them with higher abrasive wear resistance. This work proves that µ-PTAPD process has a capability to offer an economical and sustainable solution for good-quality thin coating of Stellite on metallic substrates.     

Advanced PIV/LIF and shadowgraphy system to visualize flow structure in two-phase bubbly flows

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is a promising technique to measure dispersed phase size, dispersed phase hold-up and velocity of both the phases. The current work reports measurement of the shape, size, velocity and acceleration of bubbles using shadowgraphy, and liquid velocity measurement obtained using PIV/LIF with fluorescent tracer particles. Measurements were performed in a narrow rectangular column at moderate gas hold-up (～5%) with wide variation of bubble sizes (0.1–15 mm). The liquid velocity field was subjected to 2D discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to visualize the flow structures in the bubbly flow. Further, the slip velocity of individual bubbles was obtained from the DWT filtered liquid velocity field. The results are compared with the slip velocity correlations reported in literature for single bubbles rising in quiescent water. The comparison shows the difference in slip velocity of single bubbles and bubbles rising in swarm. The scale wise decomposition obtained from DWT was also used to quantify the liquid velocity field in terms of wavenumber spectrum. The velocity and acceleration measurements are demonstrated on a single spherical cap bubble rising in quiescent water. The measurements show the potential of the 2D acceleration measurement to facilitate the estimation of unsteady drag on bubbles.