Pervaporation of chlorinated hydrocarbon-acetone mixtures through poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) membranes

Crosslinked and uncrosslinked ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer membranes were prepared. The permeation characteristics in the pervaporation process were examined using carbon tetrachloride-acetone mixtures. Modified membranes exhibit carbon tetrachloride permselectivity, but unmodified membranes did not display the permselectivity of crosslinked polymer. Furthermore, membranes modified with dicumyl peroxide (DCP) showed a higher flux and selectivity than those of benzoyl peroxide (BP) modified ones. The effects of feed concentration, molecular size, and polarity of the permeating species on pervaporation were analyzed. The influence of crosslinking density of the membranes on pervaporation was also analyzed. The maximum separation and flux were found to be associated with an optimum amount of crosslinking agent in the membrane. A mixture of chloroform and acetone having a composition near the azeotropic region was also separated by the pervaporation technique. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A simple technique for grafting poly(methyl methacrylate) onto glass fabric

We have developed a two-step technique for synthesizing dichlorosuccinyl peroxide at room temperature, starting from succinic anhydride. It reacts with silanated glass fabric or beads at room temperature. The macroinitiator thus formed can be used for the polymerization of methyl methacrylate, MMA. We show that the MMA is grafted to the surface of glass giving a chemically bonded ultrathin coating, as confirmed by the FTIR analysis and electron micrography.     

Development of a method employing reversed‐phase thin‐layer chromatography for establishing milk fat purity with respect to adulteration with vegetable oils

A systematic study was conducted using reversed‐phase thin‐layer chromatography wherein unsaponifiable matter of samples namely, pure cow and buffalo milk fats, vegetable oils (groundnut oil, soya bean oil and sunflower oil) and milk fats adulterated with vegetable oils (≥1%) were run along with the reference standards using two new solvent systems to detect adulteration in milk fat. The results of the study revealed that adulteration at even a 1% level could easily be detected using this rapid, reliable and reproducible method based on the presence of β‐sitosterol as a marker and some additional spots ascribable to their occurrence in vegetable oils only.     

Underground coal gasification: A new clean coal utilization technique for India

Energy demand of India is continuously increasing. Coal is the major fossil fuel in India and continues to play a pivotal role in the energy sector. India has relatively large reserves of coal (253 billion tonnes) compared to crude oil (728 million tonnes) and natural gas (686 billion cubic meters). Coal meets about 60% of the commercial energy needs and about 70% of the electricity produced in India comes from coal, and therefore there is a need for technologies for utilization of coals efficiently and cleanly. UCG offers many advantages over the conventional mining and gasification process. UCG is a well proven technology. Due to the site-specific nature of the process, possibility of land subsidence and surrounding aquifer water contamination, this technology is still in a developing stage in India. Potential for UCG in India is studied by comparing the properties of Indian coals with the properties of coal that are utilized by various UCG trials. The essential issues are elaborated for starting UCG in India based on the reported information from the successful field trials conducted all over the world. Indian industries are in the process of initiating pilot studies of UCG at various sites. This study will help to motivate both applied and theoretical research work on UCG sites in India and after detailed analysis it will provide basic data to interested industries.     

Fabrication, Microstructural Characterization, and Mechanical Properties of Polycrystalline t'-Zirconia

Large-grained (100- to 200-μm), yttria-doped, polycrystalline t '-zirconia ceramics were fabricated by heat-treating presintered samples at temperatures 2100°C. Polarized light microscopy revealed the ferroelastic domain structure in the t ' samples. XRD showed that no monoclinic phase was detected on as-polished, ground and fracture surfaces, or on surfaces while under a tensile stress as high as 400 MPa. By contrast, relative changes occurred in the tetragonal peak intensities, which were attributed to ferroelasatic domain switching. The higher toughness of 3-mol%-Y₂O₃-doped t ' samples (7.7 MPa · m^1/2) compared to that of 8 mol% Y₂O₃ cubic samples (2.4 MPa · m^1/2) was explained in part by ferroelastic domain switching.     

Engine knock and combustion characteristics of a spark ignition engine operating with varying hydrogen and carbon monoxide proportions

Varying proportions of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (synthesis gas) have been investigated as a spark ignition (SI) engine fuel in this paper. It is important to understand how various synthesis gas compositions effect important SI combustion fundamentals, such as knock and burn duration, because in synthesis gas production applications, the compositions can vary significantly depending on the feedstock and production method.A single cylinder cooperative fuels research (CFR) engine was used to investigate the knock and combustion characteristics of three blends of synthesis gas (H₂/CO ratio); 1) 100/0, 2) 75/25, and 3) 50/50, by volume. These blends were tested at three compression ratios (6:1, 8:1, and 10:1), and three equivalence ratios (0.6, 0.7, and 0.8).It was revealed that the knock limited compression ratio (KLCR) of a H₂/CO mixture increases with increasing CO fraction, for a given spark timing. For a given equivalence ratio and spark timing, a 50%/50% H₂/CO mixture produced a KLCR of 8:1 compared to a 100% H₂ condition, which produced a KLCR of 6:1. The burn duration and ignition lag is also increased with increasing CO fraction. The results from this work are important for those considering using synthesis gas as a fuel in SI engines. It reveals that although CO is a slow burning fuel, higher CO fractions in synthesis gas can be beneficial, because of its increased resistance to knock, which gives it the potential of producing higher indicated efficiencies through the utilization of an engine with a higher compression ratio.     

Turbulent natural convection in an enclosure with localized heating from below

This study reports the results of a numerical investigation of turbulent natural convection in a square enclosure with localized heating from below and symmetrical cooling from the vertical side walls. The present study simulates the case of an accidental heat generation due to fire in a typical isolated building of a nuclear reactor or electronic components cabin. The source of fire is considered to be centrally located at the bottom wall with different heated widths, which is assumed to be either isothermal or with isoflux. For the purpose of the analysis, the source length is varied from 20 to 80% of the total width of the bottom wall. The top wall and the unheated portion of the bottom wall are considered to be adiabatic, whereas sidewalls are isothermal. Steady as well as transient forms of two-dimensional Reynolds–Averaged-Navier–Stokes equations and conservation equations of mass and energy, coupled with the Boussinesq approximation, are solved by the control volume based discretisation method employing the SIMPLE algorithm for pressure–velocity coupling. Turbulence is modeled using the standard k–ε model. Rayleigh number, Ra, based on the enclosure height is varied from 10⁸ to 10¹². Stream lines and isotherms are presented for various combinations of Ra and the heated width. A double cell flow pattern is observed with marginal loss in symmetry as Ra increases. The results are reported in the form of local and average Nusselt number on the heated floor. Correlations are developed to predict the heat transfer rates from the enclosure as a function of dimensionless heated width of the bottom wall and Ra, by least square linear regression analysis.     

Heat Transfer and Friction Characteristics of Perforated Fin with a Longitudinal Slot under Forced Convection

Extended surfaces are used in a variety of heat transfer applications owing to their ability in reducing the convection resistance by exposing a large surface area to the surrounding fluid. Surface modification in the form of perforations is a passive method of increasing the heat transfer rates with the additional benefit of weight reduction. This work deals with numerical investigation of heat transfer and friction from a perforated fin (with and without slot) subjected to forced convection. The perforated fin with slot has been found to have a maximum enhancement in heat transfer with the simultaneous increase in frictional losses versus that of a solid fin. Further, the perforated fin without slot has been able to transfer heat at a relatively higher rate with a considerable reduction in energy loss due to friction in comparison to a solid fin.     

Rare earth metal Gd influenced defect sites in N doped TiO2: Defect mediated improved charge transfer for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production

In this experimental studies, we report the synthesis of TiO₂ co-doped by both cationic and anionic sites by simple sol-gel based method. All the prepared samples exhibit the anatase crystalline morphology however, showed lattice distortion caused by the displacement of Ti⁴⁺ sites by Gd³⁺. The improved visible absorption is witnessed by the Gd and N co-doping with an assured redshift in the absorption edge. The N and Gd displacement inside TiO₂ lattice accompanied by the creation of OTiN and GdOTi bonds are characterized by the X-ray photoelectron spectra. The strong resonance signal by Gd4f electrons in the electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy further substantiate the displacement of lattice cites of TiO₂ by Gd³⁺ ions. The longevity of the photo produced charges observed in fluorescence spectra of Gd and N co-doped TiO₂ is because of the effective transfer of charges to the defect sites. The aforementioned catalysts are tested for their capacity for the H₂ production from water splitting. The 2 wt% gadolinium and nitrogen co-doped TiO₂ has shown 10764 μmol g^?1 H₂ production which is 26 times higher than the commercial Degussa P-25 catalyst. The enhanced activity for hydrogen production can be attributed to factors such as increased absorptivity under visible light and effective charge carrier separation.     

Blast Fragility and Sensitivity Analyses of Steel Moment Frames with Plan Irregularities

Fragility functions are determined for braced steel moment frames (SMFs) with plans such as square-, T-, L-, U-, trapezoidal-, and semicircular-shaped, subjected to blast. The frames are designed for gravity and seismic loads, but not necessarily for the blast loads. The blast load is computed for a wide range of scenarios involving different parameters, viz. charge weight, standoff distance, and blast location relative to plan of the structure followed by nonlinear dynamic analysis of the frames. The members failing in rotation lead to partial collapse due to plastic mechanism formation. The probabilities of partial collapse of the SMFs, with and without bracing system, due to the blast loading are computed to plot fragility curves. The charge weight and standoff distance are taken as Gaussian random input variables. The extent of propagation of the uncertainties in the input parameters onto the response quantities and fragility of the SMFs is assessed by computing Sobol sensitivity indices. The probabilistic analysis is conducted using Monte Carlo simulations. The frames have least failure probability for blasts occurring in front of their corners or convex face. Further, the unbraced frames are observed to have higher fragility as compared to counterpart braced frames for far-off detonations.