Measurement of the amount and rate of methane dissolution in pure water and aqueous solution of SDS + multi-wall carbon nanotubes + β-cyclodextrin

In this paper, the impact of the mixture of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) + multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) + β-cyclodextrin on the quantity and initial rate of methane dissolved in water is investigated. The experiments were performed at a temperature range of 278.15–303.15 K and an initial pressure of 0.5 MPa. The experimental results show that simultaneous utilization of β-cyclodextrin (0.01 mass fraction), MWCNTs (0.0005 mass fraction), and SDS (0.001 mass fraction) at 278.15 K increases the amount and the rate of methane dissolution in water by 29.90% and 173.78%, respectively, compared to pure water. An increase in the temperature decreases the quantity and the initial rate of methane dissolution in all solutions containing additives. However, no consistent relationship is observed between the temperature and the enhancement percentage of solubility of methane in solutions containing additives.     

Decision Tree-Based Data Mining and Rule Induction for Identifying High Quality Groundwater Zones to Water Supply Management: a Novel Hybrid Use of Data Mining and GIS

Water Resources Management - Groundwater is an important source to supply drinking water demands in both arid and semi-arid regions. Nevertheless, locating high quality drinking water is a major...     

Performance analysis of multi-antenna relay networks with imperfect channel estimation

In this paper, we present the performance of multi-antenna selective combining decode-and-forward (SC-DF) relay networks over independent but non-identical Nakagami-m fading channels with imperfect channel estimation. The outage probability, moment generating function (MGF) and symbol error probability (SEP) will be derived in closed-form using the SNR statistical characteristics. To make the analysis trackable, we have derived the MGF and SEP for integer values of fading severity, m. Also, to make the relations more simple, we develop high signal to noise ratio (SNR) analysis for the performance metrics of our system. Subsequently, we propose optimal and adaptive power allocation algorithms along with the equal power allocation method. Finally, for comparison with analytical formulas, we perform some Monte-Carlo simulations.     

Solving non-convex economic dispatch problem with valve point effects using modified group search optimizer method

This paper presents a novel solution based on the group search optimizer (GSO) methodology in order to determine the feasible optimal solution of the economic dispatch (ED) problem considering valve loading effects. The basic disadvantage of the original GSO algorithm is the fact that it gives a near-optimal solution rather than an optimal one in a limited runtime period. In this paper, a new modified group search optimizer (MGSO) is presented for improving the scrounger and ranger operators of GSO. The proposed MGSO is applied on different test systems and compared with most of the recent methodologies. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed method and prove that MGSO can be applicable for solving the power system economic load dispatch problem, especially in large scale power systems.     

Control of Hybrid Active Power Filter Based on Switching Function Coefficients

A pulse width modulation (PWM)-based control method for a three-level, four-wire neutral point clamped (NPC) inverter employed in a hybrid active power filter (HAPF) is proposed in this paper. The control method is based on switching function coefficients (SFCs) for harmonic compensation. An interior loop is also proposed for control and balancing of the DC-link voltages. In the proposed control system, one carrier signal is employed in the PWM unit in order to simplify its hardware as compared with traditional PWMs. Based on Fourier decomposition technique, mathematical analysis of the proposed control method is also presented. To decrease the NPC inverter rated power, passive power filters (PPFs) are designed to eliminate fifth and seventh order harmonic currents and to compensate source reactive currents. The proposed control system is implemented by a digital signal processing (DSP) in a laboratory prototype. The experimental results confirmed the validity of the proposed control method in compensation of harmonic currents under non-linear conditions     

Two-dimensional spin coating with a vertical centrifugal force and the effect of artificial gravity on surface leveling

This study focuses on an innovative method for spin coating called the two-dimensional (2D) spin coating method. Using a centrifugal force applied by a rotary machine perpendicular to the wafer surface body, a vertical centrifuge force (VCF) was generated. The VCF allowed controllable artificial gravity acceleration to be generated and caused the coating to face this elevated gravity acceleration to adjust and normalize the high and low surface tension stresses. Previous surface leveling mathematics were analyzed and modified. The modified calculations indicate that the effect of additional gravity exerted on the liquid’s surface can reduce the amplitude of surface leveling. To experimentally investigate this phenomenon, a 2D spin coater was designed and manufactured. Higher artificial gravity overcame some common coating defects, such as cloudiness, edge beading, inner layer bubbling, and unsmooth surface leveling. Photoresist (AZP4620) was used as the coating material. The surface roughness was analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the layer properties were also imaged by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The AFM results (average and root-mean-square roughness) indicated a decrease in surface leveling amplitude by increasing the VCF. SEM images showed condensed layers without any porosity or rupture. The experimental results agreed with the simulations and calculated values.     

Thermal Stability Investigation of Synthesized Epoxy-Polyurethane/Silica Nanocomposites

Silicon - In this research, epoxy polyurethane-nano silica nanocomposites have been synthesized using an in-situ method, for which SiO2 nanocomposites had been initially ready in N,...