Enhancement of discharged energy density of poly(ethylene oxide) by soy protein isolate

Soy protein isolate (SPI) is used to modify energy storage performances of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). The pure PEO membranes are highly polar, but the extremely high energy loss led to very low discharged energy density for use. The addition of SPI in both high molecular weight PEO and low molecular weight PEO lead to greatly reduced polarization and stored energy density. However, it also largely reduces the current leakage and energy loss of the resulting membranes, leading to significantly enhanced discharged energy density. It is believed that the strong interactions between PEO and SPI are responsible for the energy storage properties aforementioned. Meanwhile, such interactions also result in a more brittle fracture behavior and reduced crystallinity of the PEO/SPI membranes. The enhanced discharged energy density and low energy loss suggest PEO/SPI membranes are promising dielectric materials for high efficiency energy storage applications where soluble and transient materials are desired. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45214.     

Effects of preparation conditions on the morphology and gas permeation properties of polyethylene (PE) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) films

In this study, the effect of film preparation conditions on the gas permeation properties of polyethylene (PE) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) films (containing 18 and 28 wt% vinyl acetate) was investigated. Film blowing and phase inversion methods were applied in the production of PE and EVA films, respectively. The permeation of pure oxygen and carbon dioxide gases was measured at room temperature. The results indicated that with the increase of PE film thickness, permeability and solubility of O₂ and CO₂ in these films decreased; but the diffusivities of gases through PE films increased. In addition, in the case of EVA copolymers, by increasing the content of vinyl acetate, the permeability of CO₂ increased. The rate of increase in CO₂ permeability was different for samples having different preparation conditions. For example, the samples prepared using chloroform as the solvent instead of THF, showed lower CO₂ permeability. Also, the morphological studying of film structure indicated that the higher CO₂ permeability for the samples made from THF solvent is due to the existing of higher porosity in the under layer polymer area. Also scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs showed that with the usage of phase inversion method, there will be a thin dense layer near to the glass substrate.     

The effect of two oleo-gum resin exudate from Ferula assa-foetida and Dorema ammoniacum on mild steel corrosion in acidic media

A comparative study of two oleo-gum resins exudate from Ferula assa-foetida (F. assa-foetida) and Dorema ammoniacum (D. ammoniacum), as inhibitors for mild steel corrosion in 2 M HCl solution was investigated by weight loss measurements, potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods. Potentiodynamic polarization curves indicated that both oleo-gums behave as mixed type inhibitors. The effect of temperature on the inhibition efficiency was studied. At all temperatures, the experimental data fit Langmuir isotherm for both oleo-gum resin exudates. Quantum chemical calculations were performed to illustrate the adsorption process of some specific components of two oleo-gum resin exudates.     

OS-CFAR and CMLD threshold optimization in distributed systems using evolutionary strategies

This paper proposes an improvement of the threshold optimization in distributed ordered statistics constant false alarm rate and censored mean level detector using Evolutionary Strategies (ESs). The target is assumed to be Rayleigh distributed and the observations are independent from sensor to sensor. Two fusion rules; “AND” and “OR” were considered. An ES was tested and a comparison with a genetic algorithm improved by a tournament selection was also analyzed. Among a variety of evolution strategies, the most popular proposed in the literature are the strategy (μ, λ) and the strategy (μ + λ). We proposed an (μ + λ) evolution strategy, by which a self-adaptation mutation is used. The results showed that, although the ES is more difficult to implement and is in a certain manner slower than the GA, it improves the performance of the system.     

IR-360 nuclear power plant safety functions and component classification

The IR-360 nuclear power plant as a 2-loop PWR of 360 MWe power generation capacity is under design in MASNA Company. For design of the IR-360 structures, systems and components (SSCs), the codes and standards and their design requirements must be determined. It is a prerequisite to classify the IR-360 safety functions and safety grade of structures, systems and components correctly for selecting and adopting the suitable design codes and standards. This paper refers to the IAEA nuclear safety codes and standards as well as USNRC standard system to determine the IR-360 safety functions and to formulate the principles of the IR-360 component classification in accordance with the safety philosophy and feature of the IR-360. By implementation of defined classification procedures for the IR-360 SSCs, the appropriate design codes and standards are specified. The requirements of specific codes and standards are used in design process of IR-360 SSCs by design engineers of MASNA Company. In this paper, individual determination of the IR-360 safety functions and definition of the classification procedures and roles are presented. Implementation of this work which is described with example ensures the safety and reliability of the IR-360 nuclear power plant.     

Influence of mould design on the solidification of heavy forging ingots of low alloy steels by numerical simulation

Ingot casting of a 6-ton, heat-treatable Cr–Mo low alloy steel was simulated using finite element method in three dimensions. Effects of casting parameters including bottom pouring rate, mould slenderness ratio, mould slope, and height and shape of the hot top isolate on solidification behaviour and crack susceptibility during subsequent hot forging of the ingot were investigated. The simulation model was validated against experimental data of two different ingot mould designs. Influences of the casting parameters on the riser efficiency and possible crack formation in the intersection of hot top and ingot body during subsequent open-die forging of the cast steel ingots were discussed. Results showed that pouring the melt under a constant rate, reducing the mould slenderness ratio, and using a proper design for the hot top isolate would all improve the riser efficiency and thereby possibly reduce crack susceptibility during subsequent hot forging.     

THz ATR Spectroscopy for Inline Monitoring of Highly Absorbing Liquids

We present a THz attenuated total reflection (ATR) setup which allows for inline measurements of highly absorbing liquids. As a proof of principle, we investigate a mixture of water and ground calcium carbonate (GCC) from 5 to 40 wt%. Inline measurements prove that our THz ATR setup allows for the distinction of various concentrations. As an example, we show inline THz ATR measurements for 30 to 40 wt% for GCC watery solution, as this concentration range is of technical relevance. We obtain a sensitivity better than 2 wt%.     

A hybrid fuzzy multiple criteria group decision making approach for sustainable project selection

In this paper, a new hybrid fuzzy multiple criteria group decision making (FMCGDM) approach has been proposed for sustainable project selection. First, a comprehensive framework, including economic, social, and environmental effects of an investment, strategic alliance, organizational readiness, and risk of investment has been proposed for sustainable project selection. As the relative importance of the criteria of the proposed framework are hard to find through several conflictive preferences of a group of Decision Makers (DMs) so, a goal programming (GP) has been supplied to this aim considering multiplicative and fuzzy preference relation. Then, a fuzzy TOPSIS method has been developed to assess the fitness of investment chances. It is based on Preference Ratio (PR), which is known as an efficient ranking method for fuzzy numbers, and a fuzzy distance measurement. The properties of proposed hybrid approach make it robust for modeling real case of uncertain group decision making problems. The FMCGDM has been developed through a linkage between Lingo 11.0, MS-Excel 12.0, and Visual Basic 6.0. The proposed hybrid approach has been applied in a real case study called Iranian financial and credit institute for sustainable project selection.