A gene expression programming approach for thermodynamic properties of working fluids used on Organic Rankine Cycle

Neural Computing and Applications - The selection of appropriate fluid in Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) is an important issue. The thermodynamic properties of working fluids affect the efficiency,...     

Photochromic microcapsules by coacervation and in situ polymerization methods for product-marking applications

Photochromic materials can change their colour quickly and reversibly when exposed to light of certain wavelengths. These materials have recently been of great interest for intelligent and functional textile applications. In this study, two different photochromic dyes, including 1′,3′-dihydro-1′,3′,3′-trimethyl-6-nitro-spiro[2H-1-benzopyran-2,2′-(2H)-indole] and 1′,3′-dihydro-8-methoxy-1′,3′,3′-trimethyl-6-nitrospiro[2H-1-benzopyran-2,2′-(2H)-indole], were microencapsulated by coacervation and in situ polymerization methods. Ethyl cellulose and melamine–urea–formaldehyde were used as polymers. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, particle size and size distribution analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and ultraviolet spectrophotometry evaluations were utilized to characterize the structure, morphology, size distribution, and absorbance maxima of the photochromic microcapsules. The results indicated that photochromic microcapsules were in spherical shape, smooth, and homogeneous characteristics. These microcapsules were applied successfully onto cotton fabric using printing technique. Then, the activities of photochromic microcapsules on the fabrics were analysed by colour analysis under different light sources, fatigue resistance, washing, and rubbing fastness tests. After printing, the colours of the fabrics changed very quickly under different light sources. At the same time, these fabrics showed a reversible photochromic response and good fatigue resistance. Mechanical and physical properties of the fabrics such as thickness, air permeability and tensile and tear strength were also investigated. It can be concluded that photochromic microcapsules are well appropriate for brand protection and prevention of imitation in textile materials.     

CCII-based simulated floating inductor and floating capacitance multiplier

Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing - In this work, a new lossless simulated floating inductor (SFI) and a new lossless floating capacitance multiplier (FCM) are proposed. Both...     

The Effect of Thyme and Garlic Oil on the Preservation of Vacuum-Packaged Hot Smoked Rainbow Trout (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus mykiss</Emphasis>)

Quality and shelf life of filleted hot smoked rainbow trout packaged in vacuum packaging (untreated) and with thyme oil (TO), and garlic oil (GO)-treated, after vacuum-packaged (VP) conditions stored at 2 °C, were investigated by measurement of microbiological, sensory and physicochemical analyses. Acceptability scores for appearance, odour, taste and texture of untreated and treated smoked trout decreased with storage time. The limit of sensory acceptance was reached after 5 weeks for the untreated samples, after 7 weeks for with thyme oil-treated samples (TO + VP) and after 6 weeks for with garlic oil-treated (GO + VP) samples. Total viable count evaluated that thyme oil- and garlic oil-treated vacuum-packaged samples had good results up to 7 weeks compared with 5 weeks in control vacuum packs. Psychrotrophic counts for untreated and treated samples exceeded 6 log cfu/g after 5 and 6 weeks of cold storage, respectively. Treated samples presented the lowest lactic acid bacteria counts. Total volatile basic nitrogen and trimethylamine nitrogen values gave acceptable results for up to 5 weeks for the untreated samples, 7 weeks for thyme- and garlic oil-treated samples. Treated with thyme oil samples presented the lowest thiobarbituric acid index values. The results obtained from this study showed that the shelf life of hot smoked rainbow trout stored in cold storage (2 °C), as determined by overall acceptability of all data, is 5 weeks for vacuum-packaged samples and 7 weeks for thyme- and garlic oil-treated vacuum-packaged smoked fish.     

Assessment of the models in RELAP/SCDAPSIM with QUENCH-06 analysis

A fundamental principle of accident management in a nuclear power plant is the injection of water to cool the core. In this framework, a series of QUENCH tests have been conducted at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (formerly Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe). The test results constitute a significant experimental database not only for further understanding of reflooding behavior, but also for code validation and improvement. The RELAP/SCDAPSIM code is a system code that is used to model reactor behavior and is widely used around the world. To date, assessment and validation have been performed with numerous experiments, including QUENCH tests. In the previous studies, the results of QUENCH simulations were referred to be sensitive to two main parameters: the electrical resistance and the thermal conductivity of the shroud insulator, which are subject to relatively large uncertainty. It is important to investigate these two parameters in detail, because this would enable identification of those SCDAP models that require further improvement. In this study, the uncertainty of the electrical resistance was reduced by modification of the code and subsequent validation with experimental data. In addition, modification of the thermal properties of the shroud insulator is suggested with consideration of the argon atmosphere in the facility. Finally, upcoming problems and questions are discussed. A rather good agreement was obtained than those of previous studies. As a result, more accurate modeling of the electrical resistance and the thermal properties of the shroud insulator was conducted and the importance of these parameters was evaluated.     

Gutted and Un-Gutted Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus Labrax) Stored in Ice: Influence on Fish Quality and Shelf-Life

The sensory characteristics, chemical freshness indicator contents, and microbial counts (total aerobe, psychrotrophic bacteria, H₂S-producing bacteria, and Pseudomonas spp.) of whole un-gutted and gutted sea bass stored in ice were compared. Results of this study indicated that the acceptability quality of whole and gutted sea bass as determined by sensorial data is 11 days, respectively. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found in the level of sensory score between whole and gutted sea bass samples. Total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) values showed no significant increase for whole and gutted sea bass during storage. Trimethylamin (TMA-N) values of whole and gutted sea bass increased very slowly, reaching final values of 3.94 and, 3.38 mg/100g, respectively (day 13). Development of initial decomposition (after 7 days) occurred when bacterial counts were > 4 log CFU/g. Microbial counts showed a significant increase for whole and gutted sea bass during storage. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in the microbial counts between whole and gutted sea bass samples. This difference, may be attributed either to gutting procedures, which most probably were the cause of cross-contamination of fish or to the significantly higher fish flesh surface area exposed to environmental microbial contamination in the case of gutted fish.     

Sulfidogenic biotreatment of synthetic acid mine drainage and sulfide oxidation in anaerobic baffled reactor

The treatment of synthetic acid mine drainage (AMD) water (pH 3.0-6.5) containing sulfate (3.0-3.5 g L(-1)) and various metals (Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn) was studied in an ethanol-fed sulfate-reducing 4-compartment anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) at 32°C. The reactor was operated for 160 days at different chemical oxygen demand (COD)/sulfate ratios, hydraulic retention times (HRT), pH, and metal concentrations to study the robustness of the process. The last compartment of the reactor was aerated at different rates to study the bio-oxidation of sulfide to elemental sulfur. The highest sulfate reduction efficiency (88%) was obtained with a feed sulfate concentration of 3.5 g L(-1), COD/sulfate mass ratio of 0.737, feed pH of 3.0 and HRT of 2 days without aeration in the 4th compartment. The corresponding COD removal efficiency was about 92%. The alkalinity produced in the sulfidogenic ethanol oxidation neutralized the acidic mine water from pH 3.0-4.5 to pH 7.0-8.0. Effluent soluble and total heavy metal concentrations were substantially reduced with removal efficiencies generally higher than 99%, except for Mn (25-77%). Limited aeration in the 4th compartment of ABR promoted incomplete oxidation of sulfide to elemental sulfur rather than complete oxidation to sulfate. Depending on the aeration rate and HRT, 32-74% of produced sulfide was oxidized to elemental sulfur. This study demonstrates that by optimizing operating conditions, sulfate reduction, metal removal, alkalinity generation, and excess sulfide oxidation can be achieved in a single ABR treating AMD.     

三尖摆线泵的型腔数学模型与三维建模

阐述了三尖摆线的原理及参数方程,在对其特性进行研究的基础上,建立了三尖摆线泵型腔的精确数学模型。提出了一种简捷的腔体三维建模方法,可实现三尖摆线泵复杂腔体的精确加工,便于三尖摆线泵的推广和普及。