Constrained minimum variance control using hybrid genetic algorithm – An industrial experience

This paper develops a method for minimum variance control of proportional–integral (PI) controllers in the presence of input stochastic noise, the abatement of which is an important issue in many control systems. The underlying objective is to mitigate the effect of input noise in the process output, subject to process inequality constraints. For this purpose, a hybrid genetic algorithm is used. It combines the genetic operations of selection, crossover, and mutation with Newton search. The developed method is applied in an industrial setting to find the optimal controller parameters of different control loops at Falconbridge Smelter in Sudbury, Canada. The optimal parameters significantly improve the performance of the PI controllers.     

Design and implementation of S-MARKS: A secure middleware for pervasive computing applications

As portable devices have become a part of our everyday life, more people are unknowingly participating in a pervasive computing environment. People engage with not a single device for a specific purpose but many devices interacting with each other in the course of ordinary activity. With such prevalence of pervasive technology, the interaction between portable devices needs to be continuous and imperceptible to device users. Pervasive computing requires a small, scalable and robust network which relies heavily on the middleware to resolve communication and security issues. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of S-MARKS which incorporates device validation, resource discovery and a privacy module.     

Hydraulic and mechanical properties of wax-coated sands

Wax-coated sands are a new category of synthetic soils, which are gradually becoming a reliable construction material. Because of their valuable drainage ability and mechanical properties, wax coated sandy soils are specifically applicable to pavement construction of horseracing tracks and sport fields. Although the mechanical and hydraulic properties of these synthetic soils are well-proven, there is still a lack of studies on how the soil samples behave differently when mixing with different wax fractions. Adding the wax affects permeability and compressibility of pure sand. Intensity of influences is a function of weight percentage of wax that has been added, and other physical and environmental factors. The effects of wax content on hydraulic properties （permeability）, and mechanical properties （stress-strain behavior, compressibility） of sandy soils based on a series of experimental efforts were investigated. Obtained experimental results infer that increasing the amount of wax up to 6% causes an about 50% increase in permeability, mainly because of the significant effect of wax in lowering the friction along with covering and filling the angular parts of particles＇ surfaces and forming rounded particles. In addition, wax-coated sands show a 20% to 60% decrease in confined compression modulus compared to non wax-coated sands.     

Intermittent ultrasound-assisted ceramic membrane fouling control in ultrafiltration

In this study, remediation of ceramic membrane fouling by an in-line intermittent ultrasound system was investigated. A piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer was integrated into a membrane unit that provided ultrafiltration (UF) of a diluted skim milk solution containing 0.10 wt% of protein. The effects of ultrasound at varied frequencies (20, 28, and 40 kHz) and power intensities (1.44, 2.88, and 5.76 W/cm²) under continuous operation and intermittent mode at various intervals (0.50, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 minutes) on membrane fouling were studied. The quality and flow rate of the permeate stream were monitored for the evaluation of the UF process performance. Optimal conditions of continuous ultrasound were found at 28 kHz and 2.88 W/cm². Moreover, at optimal ultrasonic conditions, the optimal intermittent time was found at 0.50 minute. At optimal ultrasonic conditions, the permeate amount increased by 79.8% and 94.2% for 0.50 minute intermittent ultrasound and continuous ultrasound, respectively, as compared with that of the UF process without ultrasound. Also, intermittent ultrasound induced better fouling control at a lower protein concentration of 0.05% by weight. The cleaning effect of ultrasound could be attributed to the cavitation bubbles generated by the rarefaction and pressure cycles of the applied ultrasound.     

Effect of agitation and aeration on gas dispersion efficiency in coaxial mixers containing yield-pseudoplastic fluids: Experimental and numerical analysis

Aerated stirred vessels are commonly employed to enhance gas dispersion. However, the associated high energy consumption is a challenging feature, particularly when dealing with complex non-Newtonian fluids. Coaxial mixers comprising a central impeller and a close-clearance impeller have emerged as an energy-efficient alternative that effectively intensifies gas dispersion. Hence, the objective of this study is to investigate the effect of aeration and agitation on the gas dispersion effectiveness of a coaxial mixer containing a yield-pseudoplastic fluid. An anchor-pitched blade turbine was employed to disperse air into a 1 wt.% xanthan gum solution, and the analysis primarily focused on characterizing the gas holdup and fluid flow behaviour. Gas holdup data were obtained experimentally using electrical resistance tomography (ERT), while computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations provided a detailed analysis of fluid flow patterns within the coaxial mixer. The rotational speed of the impeller exhibited a non-monotonic effect on the gas holdup, and a significant influence of the interaction between variables was identified. For instance, the experimental data showed that the aeration effect varied with the anchor speed. Nevertheless, the variables' interaction effect was explained by the change in flow pattern observed numerically. Furthermore, the CFD results demonstrated that high gas holdup does not necessarily indicate intensified mixing. Therefore, combining experimental data and numerical simulations enables a more accurate characterization of mixing performance. These findings contribute to the understanding and improvement of mixing performance in such a complex system, which is crucial for designing efficient operations.     

Photolytic treatment of organic constituents and bacterial pathogens in secondary effluent of synthetic slaughterhouse wastewater

The reduction and degradation of total organic carbon (TOC) and bacteria from a secondary effluent of synthetic slaughterhouse wastewater using vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) and ultraviolet-C (UV-C) processes and their combination (UV-C/VUV and VUV/UV-C) were investigated. The TOC removal rates under continuous mode operation ranged from 5.5 to 6.2%. In addition, the treatment with the UV-C/H₂O₂ and VUV/H₂O₂ processes under continuous mode operation doubled the TOC removal rates 10.8 and 12.2%, respectively. The optimum molar ratio of H₂O₂/TOC was found to be 2.5 and 1.5 for the UV-C and VUV processes, respectively. It was observed that all photochemical processes were able to totally inactivate different strains of bacteria with concentrations up to 10⁵ CFU/mL within 27.6 s. Finally, a kinetic model was developed to simulate the TOC degradation from a secondary effluent of synthetic slaughterhouse wastewater.     

Photoreactor design and CFD modelling of a UV/H2O2 process for distillery wastewater treatment

A pseudo‐kinetic model for the treatment of a distillery wastewater by the ultraviolet irradiation and hydrogen peroxide process in a continuous tubular photoreactor is developed. There is a scarcity of information on modelling of organic degradation rates based on chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) in advanced oxidation technologies (AOTs). In this study, the COD and TOC are used as surrogate parameters to design a photoreactor instead of individual concentrations of species. The rate constants for the reaction between COD and TOC with hydroxyl radicals were determined to be 4.9 × 10⁹ and 5.0 × 10⁶ M^?1 s^?1, respectively. A laminar flow model was simulated to estimate the velocity and residence time of the medium in a cylindrical photoreactor. The model was validated by the experimental data published in the open literature for different concentrations of H₂O₂ (1, 10, and 100 mM), COD (589, 709, and 850 mg O₂ L^?1), and TOC (190, 200, and 192 mg C L^?1). The optimal value of the inlet hydrogen peroxide concentration was predicted to be 400 mg L^?1. Axial and radial concentration distributions of species in the photoreactor were also obtained. At different photoreactor radii (from 50 to 200 mm), the values of radial local volumetric rate of energy absorption (LVREA) were estimated. It was found that a higher LVREA was achieved in the photoreactor space at smaller radii. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering