The assessment of community vulnerability to acute hazardous materials incidents

The manufacture, storage and transportation of voluminous quantities of hazardous chemicals in the United States and Canada pose serious problems for lEmergency planners, however, should not merely concern themselves with the physical hazard, “risk”, that confronts them. In developing disaster mitThese more specific analyses should isolate particularly vulnerable neighborhoods and should be applied to areas where emergency-related resources canA regional vulnerability scale should consist of two components. First, a hazard assessment component where such factors as the density of chemical pro     

Linear stability analysis and experimental verification of stratified air–water flow in a horizontal bend

Stratified flow in gas–liquid systems is a basic flow configuration which occurs frequently in industries due to the large density differential between the phases that helps to sustain stable stratification for relatively wide ranges of flow rates. The study on stability of stratified flow and the development of transitional criteria to various flow patterns have been very actively pursued for straight pipes, resulting in a broad understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Beside straight pipes, pipelines contain other fittings, which pose abrupt changes to the flow direction, and hence their impact on the flow stability needs to be ascertained.This study attempts to extend the linear stability analysis of stratified flows in a straight pipe to a horizontal bend. A model for the effect of a horizontal elbow on the transition from stratified to non-stratified patterns using the two-fluid approach is presented. The Inviscid Kelvin–Helmholtz (IKH) and Viscous Kelvin–Helmholtz (VKH) stability criteria for stratified flow transition are derived.Experiments are carried out using air and water in a 0.05 m diameter horizontal pipe work containing an intermediate bend of 0.5 m radius of curvature and the flow pattern observed in the bend is compared with the stability theory. The results show that the IKH and VKH stability criteria for stratified flow in a bend have identical forms as their counterparts in an inclined straight pipe, except that the tilt of the liquid lump in the bend which depends on the liquid velocity replaces the inclination angle for a straight pipe. The stable region is over-predicted by the IKH criterion while the VKH criterion shows good agreement for transition from stratified to slug flow if the liquid surface gradient is taken into account in the solution of the flow parameters under fully developed conditions.The work presented in this paper is of tremendous help to oil production engineers who need to know and control the flow regime transitions in order to avoid problems associated during production. These problems are mainly due to the generation of slug flow which leads to severe unwanted jigging.     

Tuning of catalytic CO oxidation by changing composition of Rh-Pt bimetallic nanoparticles

Recent breakthroughs in synthesis in nanoscience have achieved control of size and composition of nanoparticles that are relevant for catalyst design. Here, we show that the catalytic activity of CO oxidation by Rh/Pt bimetallic nanoparticles can be changed by varying the composition at a constant size (9+/-1 nm). Two-dimensional Rh/Pt bimetallic nanoparticle arrays were formed on a silicon surface via the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Composition analysis with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy agrees with the reaction stoichiometry of Rh/(Pt+Rh). CO oxidation rates that exhibit a 20-fold increase from pure Pt to pure Rh show a nonlinear increase with surface composition of the bimetallic nanoparticles that is consistent with the surface segregation of Pt. The results demonstrate the possibility of controlling catalytic activity in metal nanoparticle-oxide systems via tuning the composition of nanoparticles with potential applications for nanoscale design of industrial catalysts.     

Probing hot electron flow generated on Pt nanoparticles with Au/TiO2 Schottky diodes during catalytic CO oxidation

Hot electron flow generated on colloid platinum nanoparticles during exothermic catalytic carbon monoxide oxidation was directly detected with Au/TiO2 diodes. Although Au/TiO2 diodes are not catalytically active, platinum nanoparticles on Au/TiO2 exhibit both chemicurrent and catalytic turnover rate. Hot electrons are generated on the surface of the metal nanoparticles and go over the Schottky energy barrier between Au and TiO2. The continuous Au layer ensures that the metal nanoparticles are electrically connected to the device. The overall thickness of the metal assembly (nanoparticles and Au thin film) is comparable to the mean free path of hot electrons, resulting in ballistic transport through the metal. The chemicurrent and chemical reactivity of nanoparticles with citrate, hexadecylamine, hexadecylthiol, and TTAB (tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide) capping agents were measured during catalytic CO oxidation at pressures of 100 Torr O2 and 40 Torr CO at 373-513 K. We found that chemicurrent yield varies with each capping agent but always decreases with increasing temperature. We suggest that this inverse temperature dependence is associated with the influence of charging effects due to the organic capping layer during hot electron transport through the metal-oxide interface.     

Dendrimer templated synthesis of one nanometer Rh and Pt particles supported on mesoporous silica: catalytic activity for ethylene and pyrrole hydrogenation

Monodisperse rhodium (Rh) and platinum (Pt) nanoparticles as small as approximately 1 nm were synthesized within a fourth generation polyaminoamide (PAMAM) dendrimer, a hyperbranched polymer, in aqueous solution and immobilized by depositing onto a high-surface-area SBA-15 mesoporous support. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that the as-synthesized Rh and Pt nanoparticles were mostly oxidized. Catalytic activity of the SBA-15 supported Rh and Pt nanoparticles was studied with ethylene hydrogenation at 273 and 293 K in 10 torr of ethylene and 100 torr of H 2 after reduction (76 torr of H 2 mixed with 690 torr of He) at different temperatures. Catalysts were active without removing the dendrimer capping but reached their highest activity after hydrogen reduction at a moderate temperature (423 K). When treated at a higher temperature (473, 573, and 673 K) in hydrogen, catalytic activity decreased. By using the same treatment that led to maximum ethylene hydrogenation activity, catalytic activity was also evaluated for pyrrole hydrogenation.     

Biosynthesis of (3<Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis>,6<Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis>,9<Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis>)-3,6,9-Octadecatriene: The Main Component of the Pheromone Blend of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Erannis bajaria</Emphasis>

The hydrocarbons (3Z,6Z,9Z)-3,6,9-octadecatriene (3Z,6Z,9Z-18:H) and (3Z,6Z,9Z)-3,6,9-nonadecatriene (3Z,6Z,9Z-19:H) constitute the pheromone of the winter moth, Erannis bajaria. These compounds belong to a large group of lepidopteran pheromones which consist of unsaturated hydrocarbons and their corresponding oxygenated derivatives. The biosynthesis of such hydrocarbons with an odd number of carbons in the chain is well understood. In contrast, knowledge about the biosynthesis of even numbered derivatives is lacking. We investigated the biosynthesis of 3Z,6Z,9Z-18:H by applying deuterium-labeled precursors to females of E. bajaria followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of extracts of the pheromone gland. A mixture of deuterium-labeled [17,17,18,18-²H₄]-3Z,6Z,9Z-18:H and the unlabeled 3Z,6Z,9Z-18:H was obtained after topical application and injection of (10Z,13Z,16Z)-[2,2,3,3-²H₄]-10,13,16-nonadecatrienoic acid ([2,2,3,3-²H₄]-10Z,13Z,16Z-19:acid) or (11Z,14Z,17Z)-[3,3,4,4-²H₄]-11,14,17-icosatrienoic acid ([3,3,4,4-²H₄]-11Z,14Z,17Z-20:acid). These results are consistent with a biosynthetic pathway that starts with α-linolenic acid (9Z,12Z,15Z-18:acid). Chain elongation leads to 11Z,14Z,17Z-20:acid, which is shortened by α-oxidation as the key step to yield 10Z,13Z,16Z-19:acid. This acid can be finally reduced to an aldehyde and decarbonylated or decarboxylated to furnish the pheromone component 3Z,6Z,9Z-18:H. A similar transformation of 11Z,14Z,17Z-20:acid yields the second pheromone component, 3Z,6Z,9Z-19:H.     

Polarization-sensitive nanowire photodetectors based on solution-synthesized CdSe quantum-wire solids

Polarization-sensitive photodetectors are demonstrated using solution-synthesized CdSe nanowire (NW) solids. Photocurrent action spectra taken with a tunable white light source match the solution linear absorption spectra of the NWs, showing that the NW network is responsible for the device photoconductivity. Temperature-dependent transport measurements reveal that carriers responsible for the dark current through the nanowire solids are thermally excited across CdSe band gap. The NWs are aligned using dielectrophoresis between prepatterned electrodes using conventional optical photolithography. The photocurrent through the NW solid is found to be polarization-sensitive, consistent with complementary absorption (emission) measurements of both single wires and their ensembles. The range of solution-processed semiconducting NW materials, their facile synthesis, ease of device fabrication, and compatibility with a variety of substrates make them attractive for potential nanoscale polarization-sensitive photodetectors.     

New integrated model to estimate the manufacturing cost and production system performance at the conceptual design stage of helicopter blade assembly

This paper describes a new integrated model development to estimate the manufacturing cost and production system performance at the conceptual design stage. A fully automated conceptual framework for design for manufacturing (DFM) has been developed. An integrated product process design concept using activity based costing is applied in this paper. The new integrated model consists of four sub-modules: the geometric parameters generation module, processing time estimation module, activity based costing (ABC) module and production system performance module. All of the input-output data flows of developed modules are fully integrated for automated manufacturing cost analysis and production system performance. A developed integrated model is very useful for designers or integrated product development team to make a decision for evaluating the design alternatives and trade-offs between design and manufacturing phases at the conceptual design stage. A case study for a composite helicopter rotor blade is included.     

The Impact of Electronic Charge on Catalytic Reactivity and Selectivity of Metal-Oxide Supported Metallic Nanoparticles

The catalytic reactivity and selectivity of metallic nanoclusters supported on a metal-oxide can be tuned by electronic charge. In this review, different approaches for controlling the electronic properties of metallic nanoclusters and its impact on catalytic reactions are discussed. Electronic charge can transfer from the metal-oxide support to the metallic catalyst and change the metal–reactants interaction and as a consequence modify as-well the catalytic reactivity and selectivity. In other cases, the electronic properties of the metal-oxide have an active role in the catalytic process and the metal oxide can be used as a co-catalyst. Another approach is to directly change the electronic properties of the metallic catalyst. It is demonstrated that dendrimer-encapsulated metallic nanoparticles can be directly oxidized by the addition of an inorganic oxidizer to the solution phase. In this case, even while supported on inert oxides, novel catalytic reactivity and selectivity can be gained by the formation of highly oxidized metal ions.     

Characterization of high-density polyethylene using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF)

Fluorescence intensity decays of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) films have been studied by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). An internally cavity-dumped dye laser synchronously pumped with a mode-locked argon-ion laser was used to excite the HDPE samples. The decay in the fluorescence intensity of HDPE film is due to the carbonyl present in the film, and was shown to be dependent on the power density of the incident UV light. The fluorescence intensity decay exhibits second-order kinetics. The experimental results obtained here demonstrate that the photostability of HDPE films can be characterized by the rate coefficient of the fluorescence intensity decay.