Computational analysis of fouling by low energy surfaces

Fouling is a cost increasing problem for a variety of industries including aerospace, chemical, petroleum, and food. There have been studies on mitigation of fouling some of which recommend use of lower surface free energy materials, manufactured by different techniques, as an alternative to conventional materials. Although modeling of fouling for a given surface has been an area of interest; there is a lack in the models about correlating the surface free energy with deposit amount computationally. In this study, computational model, including the effect of surface energy and operational parameters, was proposed and validated to estimate amount of foulants deposits and rate of deposition. Towards this purpose, four coated surfaces (Microlube/PTFE, TM117P, AMC148, and CNT) were compared with stainless steel (SS316 as control) for flow rates of 3 and 10 g/s and inlet milk temperatures of 40 and 60 °C. The percent error for the decrease in outlet milk temperatures between the experimental data and computed results was between 2% and 18% except for CNT (29.2%). The calculations of deposit amount for each test case and the surfaces tested were in good agreement with the experiments, i.e., average percent difference values between measured and calculated values were from 11.1% to 38.1% (except CNT) with overall average of 21.5%.     

RE in India: What does 2004 have in store?

How will the year 2004 progress for renewable energy (RE) in India? Will the long overdue national renewable policy become a reality during the year? Will this year's Budget provide some special sops for renewable development? Will the budgetary allocation increase incrementally? Will we see more states come up with favourable policies towards RE? Or will the sector see another year of mediocre progress? Sunil Puri, Refocus correspondent India, tried to gauge the mood of the industry and its expectations at the onset of the year.     

Temperature measurements in steady axisymmetric partially premixed flames by use of rainbow schlieren deflectometry

We focus on the utility of rainbow schlieren as a tool for measuring the temperature of axisymmetric partially premixed flames (PPFs). Methane-air PPFs are established on a coannular burner. The flames involve two spatially distinct reaction zones, one in an inner premixed region that has a curved tip and a spatially planar wing portion and another that involves an outer nonpremixed zone in which intermediate species burn in air. Schlieren images are found to visualize clearly these PPF characteristics through light deflection by steep refractive-index gradients in the two reaction zone fronts. The temperature distributions of two flames established at fuel-rich mixture equivalence ratios of phi(r) = 1.5 and 2.0, with bulk-averaged velocities, Vreac = 60 cm s(-1) and Vair = 50 cm s(-1), are inferred from color schlieren images, and a measurement error analysis is performed. Errors arise from two sources. One lies in the process of inferring the temperature from the refractive-index measurement by making assumptions regarding the local composition of the flame. We have shown through simulations that the average temperature deviations due to these assumptions are 1.7% for the phi(r) = 1.5 flame and 2.3% for the phi(r) = 2.0 flame. Another source involves the local uncertainty in the measurement of the transverse ray displacement at the filter plane that is used to determine the refractive index and thereafter the flame temperature. We have ascertained that a maximum error of 4.3% in the temperature determination can be attributed to this local measurement uncertainty. This investigation demonstrates the capability of the schlieren technique for providing not only qualitative displays of the PPFs but also full-field-of-view temperature measurements that are accurate, spatially resolved, and nonintrusive.     

Studies in surface chemistry of carbon blacks-vi. adsorption isotherms of benzene on carbons associated with different surface oxygen complexes

Adsorption isotherms of benzene (35°C) on carbon blacks are of Type II and show complete reversibility. The presence of CO₂-complex, which imparts polar and hydrophilic character to the surface, suppresses the sorption of benzene but its elimination and the emergence of CO-complex as the only predominant complex enhances the sorption at all r.v.p's. The additional sorption amounts roughly to one molecule of benzene per quinonic oxygen as obtained by sodium borohydride treatment. This indicates probability of interaction of π electrons of benzene ring with partial positive charge on carbonyl carbon atom. The isosteric heat of adsorption is also higher in the presence of quinonic oxygen. The use of benzene isotherms for estimating surface area or pore volume of carbons may, therefore, be looked upon with caution. The isotherm on sugar charcoal also shifts bodily upward with the emergence of CO-complex but the adsorbed benzene cannot be recovered even on prolonged evacuation, showing that the benzene complexed at the quinonic sites within the microporous system requires activation energy to diffuse out of the pores. The interaction of benzene, due to the presence of π electrons, seems to be specific, since the isotherms of cyclohexane on a given carbon black are identical irrespective of the nature or amount of any of the surface oxygen complexes present in it.     

Solid-liquid separation after liquid-liquid extraction. Spectrophotometric determination of cobalt by extraction of its thioxanthate complex with molten naphthalene

Optimum conditions have been developed for the extraction of cobalt thioxanthate by solid-liquid separation after liquid-liquid extraction.     

Structural and mechanical properties of Sr+2-doped bismuth manganite thick films

Bismuth strontium manganites Bi_{1 ? x} Sr _x MnO₃ (0.20 ≤ x ≤ 0.50) belonging to the orthorhombic structural family were prepared in furnace using a solid-state reaction technique. Thick films of Bi_{(1 ? x)}Sr _x MnO₃ were prepared by simple screen printing route. X-ray diffraction data suggest that the synthesized materials have an orthorhombic structure. For synthesized materials, texture coefficient (TC), dislocation density (ρ_D), density of crystallites per unit area (ψ), and mechanical properties are reported along with the influence of x on the structure and mechanical properties of BiMnO₃ thick films.     

Structural and Dielectric Properties of Ca Doped Barium Iron Niobate

Ceramic materials with high dielectric constant are being used in many electric and electro-optics applications. Ca substituted barium iron niobate with general formula (Ba_1-xCa_x) (Fe_0.5Nb_0.5)O₃ with x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 were prepared by conventional solid state reaction method. Structural properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. Two types of phases were observed for 0.4 ≤ x ≤ 08. Dielectric constant and loss tangent were measured using impedance analyzer in the frequency range of 20 Hz–1 MHz at room temperature. Dielectric constant and loss tangent were found to decrease with increasing the frequency. A relatively good combination of dielectric constant and loss tangent was obtained for x = 0.2 (?_r = 1441 and tan δ = 0.19) at 10 KHz.     

ADSORPTION EQUILIBRIUM OF CARBON TETRACHLORIDE ON DRY SOILS

Vapor phase adsorption equilibrium of carbon tetrachloride, a priority pollutant, on dry soils was studied at 288, 293, and 298 K. Using a gravimetric adsorption apparatus, adsorption /desorption isotherms of carbon tetrachloride were generated on two different soil samples. The effects of temperature and soil characteristics were examined. Isosteric heals of adsorption were calculated and heat curves were constructed.

Adsorption isotherms of carbon tetrachloride on dry soil samples were Type II, indicating formation of multilayers of adsorbate on the soil particle surface. Considerable hysteresis effects, associated with capillary condensation, were observed upon desorption. Thermal data confirmed that the adsorption of carbon tetrachloride vapor on soil was primarily physical adsorption. Heat curves showed that the soil samples had energetically heterogeneous surfaces. A positive correlation between The soil's specific surface area and its sorption capacity was observed. Clay content and pore size were also dominating factors.

The experimental data were correlated by the Polanyi Potential, the BET, and the GAB models in order to provide input lo fate and transport models predicting the degradation or movement of volatile organic pollutants in soil. The BET equation gave accurate data fit, within a deviation range of 2·63-5·40%, for up to 40% of the saturation pressure. The GAB equation provided superior fit of the data for the entire relative pressure range. Absolute error percentages from the GAB model ranged from 1·77 to 5·38%. Results followed the Potential Theory satisfactorily and led to a single temperature-independent characteristic curve.     

Microwave dielectric properties of barium substituted screen printed CaBi2Nb2O9 ceramic thick films

In the present study, Aurivillius-structured Ba²⁺ substituted CaBi₂Nb₂O₉ (CBNO) ceramic powder was synthesized by co-precipitation method. The CBNO thick films were delineated by screen printing method on alumina substrates using co-precipitated ceramic powder. The overlay method was adopted to measure the microwave dielectric properties of prepared thick films. Single phase layered perovskite structure of the prepared thick films was confirmed by X-ray Diffraction. The effects of Ba²⁺ substitution on the surface morphology, bonding, and microwave dielectric properties of thick films were systematically presented. The maximum value of microwave dielectric constant for the CBNO thick films at 11.8 GHz is 15.6 for Ba²⁺=0.8 substitution. The shift in the stretching vibration modes of the Nb-O bond of NbO₆ octahedron in the Raman spectra with a substitution of Ba²⁺ in CBNO was observed. The substitution of Ba²⁺ on A-site of CBNO improves the microwave dielectric properties of prepared thick films. This work may provide a new approach to enhance the microwave dielectric performance of Aurivillius-structured ceramic thick films.