Catalytic behavior of ruthenium in soybean oil hydrogenation

Soybean oil was hydrogenated with a carbon‐supported ruthenium catalyst (Ru/C) at 165 °C, 2 bar H₂ and 500 rpm stirring speed. Reaction rates, trans isomer formation, selectivity ratios and melting behaviors of the samples were monitored. No catalytic activity was found for the application of 10 ppm of the catalyst, and significant catalytic activity appeared at >50 ppm of active catalyst. The catalyst concentration had an effect on the reaction rate of hydrogenation, but the weight‐normalized reaction rate constant (k_c) was almost independent of the catalyst concentration at lower iodine values. Ru/C generated considerable amounts of trans fatty acids (TFA), including high amounts of trans 18:2, and also stearic acid, due to its very non‐selective nature. The selectivity ratios were found to be low and varied between 1.12 and 4.32 during the reactions. On the other hand, because of the low selectivity, higher slip melting points and solid fat contents at high temperatures were obtained than those for nickel and palladium catalysts. Another different characteristic of this catalyst was the formation (max 1.67%) of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) during hydrogenation. Besides, CLA formation in the early stages of the reactions did not change very much with the lower iodine values.     

Synthesis and characterization of eugenol-based silicone modified waterborne polyurethane with excellent properties

A eugenol-based silicone-containing monomer 4,4′-(1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane-1,3-dipropyl)bis-2-methoxyphenol(EUSi) was synthesized from eugenol and 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane via the hydrosilylation reaction. And waterborne polyurethane (WPU) with excellent properties was obtained by using EUSi as a type of diol chain extender. The unique combination of rigidity and flexibility in the chemical structure of EUSi greatly facilitated the mechanical properties, thermal properties, and water resistance of WPU. With only a 3% dosage of EUSi, the maximum tensile strength was increased from 6.2 to 22.4 MPa, while the water absorption was decreased from 31.3% to a surprisingly 7.6%. Our work provides a new convenient strategy for the preparation of organosilicon-modified WPU with improved performance.     

Origin of Surface Irregularities on Ti–10V–2Fe–3Al Beta Titanium Alloy

We studied the origin of different characteristics and properties of a Ti–10V–2Fe–3Al beta (β) titanium alloy with surface height irregularities that occurred during machining. The height differences were observed in two different regions, labeled as “soft region” and “hard region.” The present study showed a higher Fe and a lower Al content in the hard region, which resulted in higher β-phase stability to resist primary alpha (α_p) phase precipitation caused by a failure of the solution treatment process. In contrast, the soft region contained a higher volume fraction of α_p phase and a lower volume fraction of the matrix, which consisted of a combination of β and secondary alpha (α_s) phase. A high number of α_s/β interface in the matrix with a predicted hardness of 520 HV generated an improvement of hardness in the hard region. Therefore, the hard and the soft regions had different abilities to resist wear during machining process, resulting in surface height irregularities.     

Temperature Measurement Challenges and Limitations for In-Flight Particles in Suspension Plasma Spraying

Suspension plasma spraying (SPS) acquires a significant interest from the industry. The deposited coatings using this technique were proved to have unique microstructural features compared to those built by conventional plasma spraying techniques. In order to optimize this process, in-flight particle diagnostics is considered a very useful tool that helps to control various spraying parameters and permits better coating reproducibility. In that context, the temperature of in-flight particles is one of the most important key elements that helps to optimize and control the SPS process. However, the limitations and challenges associated with this process have a significant effect on the accuracy of two-color pyrometric techniques used to measure the in-flight particle temperature. In this work, the influence of several nonthermal radiation sources on the particle temperature measurement is studied. The plasma radiation scattered by in-flight particles was found to have no significant influence on temperature measurement. Moreover, the detection of the two-color signals at two different locations was found to induce a significant error on temperature measurement. Finally, the plasma radiation surrounding the in-flight particles was identified as the main source of error on the temperature measurement of in-flight particles.     

Multiple responses analysis and modeling of Fenton process for treatment of high strength landfill leachate

Landfill leachate is one of the most recalcitrant wastes for biotreatment and can be considered a potential source of contamination to surface and groundwater ecosystems. In the present study, Fenton oxidation was employed for degradation of stabilized landfill leachate. Response surface methodology was applied to analyze, model and optimize the process parameters, i.e. pH and reaction time as well as the initial concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and ferrous ion. Analysis of variance showed that good coefficients of determination were obtained (R2 > 0.99), thus ensuring satisfactory agreement of the second-order regression model with the experimental data. The results indicated that, pH and its quadratic effects were the main factors influencing Fenton oxidation. Furthermore, antagonistic effects between pH and other variables were observed. The optimum H2O2 concentration, Fe(II) concentration, pH and reaction time were 0.033 mol/L, 0.011 mol/L, 3 and 145 min, respectively, with 58.3% COD, 79.0% color and 82.1% iron removals.     

Computational Techniques for Closed–loop Reservoir Modeling with Application to a Realistic Reservoir

Abstract

Real-time model-based reservoir management requires efficient computational techniques for optimizing reservoir performance under uncertainty. A variety of algorithms addressing various aspects of this “closed-loop” methodology have been presented by various investigators, but substantial effort is still needed to make the entire process robust and efficient. In our recent work, we introduced an approximate feasible direction optimization algorithm for treating nonlinear path constraints (which are constraints such as maximum liquid production rate, which must be satisfied at every time step) and a new parameterization based on kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) for multipoint geostatistical models. The KPCA representation allows for the use of a gradient-based history-matching procedure that is able to maintain a higher degree of geological realism in the history-matched model. In this article, we combine these procedures with our general adjoint-based optimization technique to provide a full closed-loop capability. This integrated set of algorithms is then applied to a realistic field case. Specifically, we describe the key computational procedures and highlight the linkages required to provide the closed-loop capability. The example case considered is based on a Gulf of Mexico reservoir and involves three injection wells and four production wells operating under bottom hole pressure, total injection rate, and maximum water cut constraints. For this case, it is demonstrated that application of the closed-loop methodology provides a 25% increase in the net present value (NPV) over predictions for a realistic base case. This improvement is almost the same as that achieved using an open-loop approach, which is an idealized formulation in which the geological model is assumed to be known. These results demonstrate that the overall closed-loop procedure will indeed be applicable for practical cases with uncertain geology.     

A least squares method for a longitudinal fin with temperature dependent internal heat generation and thermal conductivity

Approximate but highly accurate solutions for the temperature distribution, fin efficiency, and optimum fin parameter for a constant area longitudinal fin with temperature dependent internal heat generation and thermal conductivity are derived analytically. The method of least squares recently used by the authors is applied to treat the two nonlinearities, one associated with the temperature dependent internal heat generation and the other due to temperature dependent thermal conductivity. The solution is built from the classical solution for a fin with uniform internal heat generation and constant thermal conductivity. The results are presented graphically and compared with the direct numerical solutions. The analytical solutions retain their accuracy (within 1% of the numerical solution) even when there is a 60% increase in thermal conductivity and internal heat generation at the base temperature from their corresponding values at the sink temperature. The present solution is simple (involves hyperbolic functions only) compared with the fairly complex approximate solutions based on the homotopy perturbation method, variational iteration method, and the double series regular perturbation method and offers high accuracy. The simple analytical expressions for the temperature distribution, the fin efficiency and the optimum fin parameter are convenient for use by engineers dealing with the design and analysis of heat generating fins operating with a large temperature difference between the base and the environment.     

Comparative effects of gamma and microwave irradiation on the quality of black pepper

Powdered black pepper from Egyptian markets, was irradiated with different recommended doses of gamma rays (5.0 and 10.0 kGy) and with microwaves for different periods (20, 40 and 75 s) to improve its hygienic quality. The most common bacterial isolates were of three generaBacillus, Clostridium andMicrococcus (7.5 × 10⁶), whereas the predominant fungi (7.8 × 10⁴) wereAspergillus species,A. glaucus, A. flavus, A. niger andA. ochraceus. Doses of gamma irradiation used (5.0 and 10 kGy) were sufficient to decrease spore-forming bacteria (SFB) and to inhibit the fungal flora and coliforms which contaminated the black pepper powder. Microwave treatments for 40 s and 75 s were of the same effectiveness whereas treatment for 20 s was less so. GLC analysis proved the presence of 31 peaks, only 19 compounds were identified as monoterpene hydrocarbons (56.21%), the major one being -phellandrene and limonene. Sesquiterpenes were also present, mainly -caryollphyllene (3.69%) as well as oxygenated compounds such as terpenol, geraniol, Me-chavicol, eugenol and anisol. Gamma irradiation at 5 kGy and 10 kGy respectively decreased the numbers of identified compounds from 21 (86.58% concentration) in untreated pepper to 16 (59.22% concentration), 15 (54.06% concentration). In comparison, microwave treatments, particularly for 40 s and 75 s, increased the concentration of the same compounds. The results obtained indicate that microwave treatment, under these conditions, is a safe and suitable technique for decontamination of black pepper which does not result in a great loss of flavour compounds, as compared with recommended doses of gamma irradiation.