The electrochemical property of acetylene black suspension solution with ozone bubbling and its effects on copper dissolution

The electrochemical properties of acetylene black suspension solutions containing sulfuric and hydrochloric acid were investigated both with and without ozone bubbling. It was found that the potential of the acetylene black suspension solution on Pt electrode increased with ozone bubbling. In 2.5 kg/m³ acetylene black suspension solutions with 0.5 kmol/m³ H₂SO₄ or 1 kmol/m³ HCl, the potential was maintained at more than 1.1 V (vs normal hydrogen electrode) for over 1 hour after the ozone bubbling was stopped. In contrast, the solution potentials on Pt electrode reduced to the original value that is less than 0.8 V in 0.5 kmol/m³ H₂SO₄ or 1 kmol/m³ HCl solution without acetylene black particles, in a short period of time. This phenomenon may result from the formation of extra surface functional groups on the acetylene black particles, which have been oxidized by the ozone. The potential of the acetylene black suspension solution with 0.5 kmol/m³ H₂SO₄ on Pt electrode was found to decrease with increasing temperature and pH, regardless of the amount of acetylene black. The behaviors of copper dissolution in the acetylene black suspension solution containing 0.5 kmol/m³ H₂SO₄ with ozone bubbling have also been investigated. It was found that copper dissolves much faster in the solution with acetylene black particles than without them. In addition to this, the rate of copper dissolution was found to increase with the concentration of acetylene black and the temperature below 60 °C, but decreased with an increase in pH. The copper dissolution in the suspension solution with ozone bubbling appears to proceed under chemical reaction control for these conditions.     

Effect of Nozzle Type and Swirl on Flow Pattern for Initial Filling Conditions in the Mould for Up‐hill Teeming

With increasingly more stringent requirements on steel quality and productivity in uphill teeming production, it is vital to attain more desirable fluid flow conditions in the filling of the mould. In this investigation, physical and mathematical modelling was carried out to study the effects of nozzle type and utilization of a swirl generator in the inlet nozzle on the flow pattern in the ingot mould during the initial filling period. Specific focus was on the effects on the resultant hump and axial velocities. Three cases were considered: 1) a straight nozzle, 2) a divergent nozzle, and 3) a divergent nozzle combined with a swirl generator. It was found that usage of the divergent nozzle, compared to the straight nozzle, resulted in a smaller hump and lower axial velocities in the bath. For the combination of divergent nozzle and swirl generator, these findings were even more pronounced, with the hump practically eliminated, and the axial velocities, as well as the turbulence at the meniscus, significantly lower. The findings of the study suggest that a divergent nozzle combined with a swirling flow generated in the nozzle could be used in the up‐hill teeming process in purpose to get calmer initial filling conditions.     

Multiple calibration decomposition analysis: Energy use and carbon dioxide emissions in the Japanese economy, 1970–1995

The purpose of this paper is to present a new approach to evaluating structural change of the economy in a multisector general equilibrium framework. The multiple calibration technique is applied to an ex post decomposition analysis of structural change between periods, enabling the distinction between price substitution and technological change to be made for each sector. This approach has the advantage of sounder microtheoretical underpinnings when compared with conventional decomposition methods. The proposed technique is empirically applied to changes in energy use and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the Japanese economy from 1970 to 1995. The results show that technological change is of great importance for curtailing energy use and CO₂ emissions in Japan. Total CO₂ emissions increased during this period primarily because of economic growth, which is represented by final demand effects. On the other hand, the effects such as technological change for labor or energy mitigated the increase in CO₂ emissions.     

Diagnostics of Rovibrational Distribution of H2 in Low Temperature Plasmas by Fulcher-α band Spectroscopy - on the Reaction Ratesand Transition Probabilities

A novel fitting procedure is proposed for a better determination of H2 rovibrational distribution from the Fulcher-α band spectroscopy. We have recalculated the transition probabilities and the results show that they deviate from Franck-Condon approximation especially for the non-diagonal transitions. We also calculated the complete sets of vibrationally resolved cross sections for electron impact d^3IIu- X^3∑g transition based on the semi-classical Gryzinski theory. An example of experimental study confirms that current approach provides a tool for a better diagnostics of H2 rovibrational distribution in electronic ground state.     

Manufacturing Method of Stable Enteric Granules of a New Antiulcer Drug (Lansoprazole)

In our previous studies, we clarified that enteric granules are an appropriate dosage form for lansoprazole, and we demonstrated that enteric granules could be produced when magnesium carbonate was added as an alkaline stabilizer.

These granules however were found to be some unstable under severe conditions because some of the excipients are incompatible with lansoprazole. We therefore attempted granulation not using these incompatible excipients and could obtain more stable enteric granules using a centrifugal fluid-bed granulator instead of an extruder-spheronizer. We also compared the absorption and dissolution properties of the enteric granules manufactured by these two methods.     

Diagnostic expert systems for defects in forged parts

This paper describes the development of a diagnostic expert system that identifies the cause of various manufacturing defects in hot forging and suggests remedies. The patterns of defect generation are various and due to many possible causes. They depend on part designs, tool designs and process conditions. Pertinent factors include part shape, the state of lubrication, location of the performed workpiece on the die and formability of the materials. This paper utilizs the theory of conditional probability to construct a diagnostic expert system that can adapt and learn its diagnostic mechanism through field data. A demonstration program, FORDIA, runs in HyperCard. FORDIA takes the part defect symptoms, uses conditional probability theory to identify possible causes and suggests remedies.     

UPIOM: a new tool of MFA and its application to the flow of iron and steel associated with car production

Identification of the flow of materials and substances associated with a product system provides useful information for Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), and contributes to extending the scope of complementarity between LCA and Materials Flow Analysis/Substances Flow Analysis (MFA/SFA), the two major tools of industrial ecology. This paper proposes a new methodology based on input-output analysis for identifying the physical input-output flow of individual materials that is associated with the production of a unit of given product, the unit physical input-output by materials (UPIOM). While the Sankey diagram has been a standard tool for the visualization of MFA/SFA, with an increase in the complexity of the flows under consideration, which will be the case when economy-wide intersectoral flows of materials are involved, the Sankey diagram may become too complex for effective visualization. An alternative way to visually represent material flows is proposed which makes use of triangulation of the flow matrix based on degrees of fabrication. The proposed methodology is applied to the flow of pig iron and iron and steel scrap that are associated with the production of a passenger car in Japan. Its usefulness to identify a specific MFA pattern from the original IO table is demonstrated.     

Determination of sodium sulfate in anionic surfactants by nonaqueous titration

A convenient and easy method was developed for nonaqueous titrimetric determination of sodium sulfate in the presence of sulfonate and sulfate type anionic surfactants. Sodium sulfate and the anionic surfactants were converted to sulfuric acid and the corresponding organo-sulfonic or organo-sulfuric acids by the addition of an excess of perchloric acid. The resulting acid mixture was then titrated in methanol with cyclohexylamine. The sulfate content was calculated from the difference of the two end points of the differentiating titration curve. For the determination of sodium sulfate in typical anionic surfactants, the relative standard deviation varied from 0.7 to 2.0% at the 0.3-10% sodium sulfate levels. The method provides a rapid and precise determination of inorganic sulfates in sulfonated or sulfated materials.