Auslegungskonzept für pulsierte Siebboden-Extraktoren

A concept for the design of pulsed sieve-plate extractors . A concept is presented for the design of pulsed sieve-plate extractors (PSE) according to which the column diameter is calculated via the flooding load and the column length by concentration profiles using the well known backmixing models. This concept requires some parameters to describe the hydrodynamic and mass transfer behaviour. The parameters depend on physical properties, operating conditions, and extractor geometry and subject to mutual influence. It is now possible to present correlations and models for prediction of these parameters. The mass transfer term can be determined by Sherwood correlations for single drops, using the Sauter mean drop diameter. The total mass transfer coefficient can be given as a function of column lenght. The calculated concentration profiles agree well with the measured profiles and thus the concept is confirmed.     

Creep in phosphorus alloyed copper during power-law breakdown

During the first phase of storage, creep will take place in the copper canisters in the KBS-3 package for nuclear waste. The temperatures are below 100 °C, and the creep is well inside the power-law breakdown regime. Creep models for this situation have been developed. The analysed material is pure copper with about 50 ppm phosphorus. Constitutive equations for creep and other plastic deformation have been set up based on a generalised Norton expression and Kocks-Mecking’s model for the back stress. A model for the minimum creep rate based on fundamental principles for climb and glide has been derived. This model gives the correct order of magnitude for the creep rate in the temperature range from 400 to 20 °C without the use of fitted parameters. The creep exponent varies from 5 to 105 in this interval. The constitutive equations have also been formulated for multiaxial stress states.     

The effect of phosphorus on creep in copper

Pure copper with an addition of about 50 ppm phosphorus is the planned material for the outer part of the waste package for spent nuclear fuel in Sweden. Phosphorus is added to improve the creep ductility but it also strongly increases the creep strength. In the present paper the influence of phosphorus on the strength properties of copper is analysed. Using the Labusch-Nabarro model it is demonstrated that 50 ppm has a negligible influence on the yield strength in accordance with observations. For slow moving dislocations, the interaction energy between the P-atoms and the dislocations gives rise to an agglomeration and a locking. The computed break away stresses are in agreement with the difference in creep stress of copper with and without P-additions.     

Heavy metal recovery by extraction and permeation in incineration preocesses

Incineration processes are critical for the environment. SO₂ and NO_X removal with processes is nowadays commonplace. Up to now, heavy metal were recovered via precipitation. The alternative use of liquid ion exchange techniques offers an easy re-use of the heavy metals, which are obtained as concentrates. A separation process is described, starting from laboratory experiments and ending with pilot plant field tests. A cost comparison for extraction, permeation and precipitation gives the scope of the necessary expenses for such environmentally controlled processes.     

PVC and LDPE for packing minimally processed garlic

Minimum processing associated with an adequate packing system has shown good results in preserving a large group of perishable horticultural produce. The present work was done to determine the effect of the number of layered of low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film on the quality of minimally processed packed garlic (Allium sativum), known for its short shelf‐life. Polystyrene trays containing 200 g garlic bulbils were wrapped in one to four layers of PVC or one or two layers of LDPE and stored at room temperature. Changes in weight, bulbil colouration, in‐package gas composition and apparent quality were monitored for 14 days. Best results were obtained by wrapping the packages in four layers of PVC film, with insignificant weight loss (5%), changes in colour tone and saturation, and the in‐pack atmosphere (O₂ = 0.01% and CO₂ = 13.5%) inhibited fungal growth, extending shelf‐life to 13 days at 25 ± 2°C. On the other hand, the high in‐package moisture in LDPE wrapping favoured fungal growth, rapidly depreciating bulbil quality. The shelf‐life of minimally processed garlic can be increased by maintaining an adequate in‐pack atmosphere, which can be achieved by using four layers of PVC or a another film of similar permeability. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An X-ray absorption approach to mixed and metallicity-sorted single-walled carbon nanotubes

Carbon based structures have been widely studied by X-ray absorption (XAS), also called NEXAFS, which is a very useful bulk probing method that allows examining the unoccupied density of states (DOS) and the site selective bonding environment. Two very well known spectral features in the XAS core level spectrum are the σ* and π* bands, and both have been analyzed in several studies for graphitic-like systems. However, among all the carbon materials, the unique one-dimensional electronic properties attributed to single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) exhibit features that reveal clearly their electronic structure in the core level XAS spectrum. In this article, we outline the C1s response in XAS, which is related to the DOS of the conduction band in SWCNTs and its fine structure, revealed by experiments performed on metallicity-sorted SWCNT material. The progress in the identification of changes in the site selective conduction band electronic structure with XAS is discussed in detail.     

An outer shell of positively charged poly(ethyleneimine) strongly increases the transfection efficiency of calcium phosphate/DNA nanoparticles

Nanoparticles with an inner core of calcium phosphate, followed by layers of DNA and calcium phosphate and an outer layer of poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) were prepared, characterized, and tested on different cell lines (HeLa, T24, and NIH3T3). A considerable increase in transfection efficiency was found for such nanoparticles, compared to the commercial reagent Polyfect^® (a cationic dendrimer). The DNA is incorporated into the nanoparticles and protected from the attack by enzymes (nucleases) inside the cytoplasm of cells. The outer layer of PEI leads to electrosteric colloidal stabilization and gives a positive charge to the nanoparticle, which is helpful for the penetration through the negatively charged cell membrane.     

Auslegungskriterien für elektrostatische Emulsionsspaltanlagen

Design criteria for electrostatic de-emulsifiers. Electrostatic de-emulsifiers have been successfully used over many years for desalting of crude oil. The emulsions used for this application are rather unstable and break down easily. Different equipment and conditions are required for highly stable emulsions, such as are used for liquid membrane permeation. To permit use of higher field strengths without danger of short circuiting this new equipment must be fitted with insulated electrodes, with preference being given to glass-insulated liquid electrodes. An important feature is also a defined distance between the electrodes which are arranged in concentric manner to increase the de-emulsification rate. The rate of de-emulsification can also be increased by using high frequency (10 kHz) instead of the usual low frequency (50 Hz) alternating voltage.     

A dynamic fixed windowing problem

Given a point set in the plane and a fixed planar region (window) a window query consists of enumerating the points in a translate of the region. A recently presented result demonstrates that there is astatic data structure, of optimal size, that solves window queries for convex regions in optimal time. We give a data structure, of optimal size, that not only supports window queries in optimal time for, possibly nonconvex, polygonal windows, but also allows updating of the point set in optimal time.