Enhancement in hydrogen storage in carbon nanotubes under modified conditions

We investigate the hydrogen adsorbing characteristics of single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) through fundamental molecular dynamics simulations that characterize the role of ambient pressure and temperature, the presence of surface charges on the CNTs, inclusion of metal ion interconnects, and nanocapillary effects. While the literature suggests that hydrogen spillover due to the presence of metallic contaminants enhances storage on and inside the nanotubes, we find this to be significant for alkali and not transition metals. Charging the CNT surfaces does not significantly enhance hydrogen storage. We find that the bulk of the hydrogen storage occurs inside CNTs due to their nanocapillarity effect. Storage is much more dependent on external thermodynamic conditions such as the temperature and the pressure than on these facets of the CNT structure. The dependence of storage on the external thermodynamic conditions is analyzed and the optimal range of operating conditions is identified.     

Nanoscale jet collision and mixing dynamics

Micro- and macroscale investigations have shown that colliding drops always coalesce for small values of the Weber number We = rhoU2d/sigma. Our molecular dynamic simulations show that nanojets always recoil following head-on collision even though We --> 0. The duration between collision and recoil is a function of the nanojet impact velocity Uo and the nature of intermolecular interactions. Evaporation, which promotes mixing, occurs during recoil and is enhanced by reducing intermolecular interactions. Thereafter, mixing occurs through diffusion. The mixing dynamics are independent of Uo and the orifice shape. Consistent with a continuum analysis, the characteristic nanojet diameter at stagnation ds,1 proportional to Uo, recoil time following collision tau proportional to Uo-2, and the number of evaporating molecules N proportional to Uo.     

Gas-solid mass transfer in a rotating drum

Gas-solid volumetric mass transfer coefficients (k_SA) were measured in a rotary drum by evaporation of n-decane into dry air from the surface of porous solids. The effect of drum rotational speed, N (0.09 to 2.0 min^?1), solids volume fraction, η (0.043 to 0.25) and the presence of baffles on k_SA were investigated. In the presence of baffles, k_SA was independent of ηand higher than in the case of a rolling bed where no baffles were present. For the rolling bed case, k_SA increased with increasing η. Mass transfer in the rolling bed was modeled based on the particle motion.     

Influence of the Extra Layer on the Transport Properties of NdFeAsO1?0.14F0.14 and FeSe0.88 Superconductors from Magneto Dynamic Analysis

In this letter, the electromagnetic response of the NdFeAsO_1?0.14F_0.14 (T _c =49?K) superconductor system, characterized by FeAs and NdO alternating layers, has been compared with that of FeSe_0.88. We have studied the flux dynamics of these two systems by means of ac multi-harmonic magnetic susceptibility. The analysis shows that although characterized by larger thermal fluctuations due to its higher T _c , NdFeAsO_1?0.14F_0.14 exhibits a stronger pinning force relative to FeSe_0.88. The further Irreversibility Line (IL) analysis also points out that both superconductors have a 3D flux pinning behavior. We associate the stronger pinning force in the NdFeAsO_1?0.14F_0.14 structure to the presence of the extra NdO layer. Different pinning contributions can be associated to the structural stress associated to FeAs superconducting layers and/or to the Nd³⁺ ions magnetic moment (????3.6???_B) contribution on the flux cores. We will also show that these pinning are over imposed to a weak collective contribution due to the dopant F atoms.     

Investigating the impact of non‐linear geometrical effects on wind turbine blades—Part 1: Current status of design and test methods and future challenges in design optimization

This article is the first part of a three‐article series and it deals with full‐scale tests of a load‐carrying box girder. The two other articles present more details on smaller sub‐component levels as well as cap specimens (article 2) and shear webs (article 3). This article also links to the two other articles and brings the main results from them into relevance for a wind turbine blade designer. The investigated failure modes in all three articles relate to the Brazier effect, which is expected to be the key dominating failure mechanism in future wind turbine blade designs. The Brazier effect may also have a significant impact on present wind turbine blades. In this article, a 34 m long load‐carrying box girder has been tested in static flap‐wise bending, and it has been demonstrated that, for this design, the Brazier effect is a critical phenomenon of great relevance for the ultimate failure strength. The box girder has been evaluated with and without a cap (wire) reinforcement. The cap reinforcement is one out of seven inventions Risø DTU published in 2008, which are all intended to result in a lighter and more reliable blade design. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phenolic profile and antioxidant activity of thermally processed sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica) as studied by using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC)

The effect of different extracting solvents (methanol, ethanol and butanol) and cooking treatments such as pressure cooking, microwave cooking and frying was studied in regards to phenolic profile and antioxidant activity of Sponge gourd (L. cylindrica). The antioxidant activity was investigated using different assays, namely, ferric thiocyanate test (FTC), thiobarbituric acid test (TBA), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and DPPH free radicals scavenging test. A densitometric HPTLC analysis was performed for the analysis of phenolic acids and flavonoids. The inconsistent effect of cooking treatments on antioxidant potential was observed. In general, frying was most potent cooking treatments to retain the maximum antioxidant capacity. Correlation studies indicated that the phenolic compounds including flavonoids were mainly responsible for ferric reducing power, free radical scavenging activity and percent inhibition activity.     

Inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes on Unpackaged and Vacuum-Packaged Chicken Frankfurters Using Pulsed UV-Light

ABSTRACT:  The effectiveness of pulsed UV-light on the microbial load and quality of unpackaged and vacuum-packaged chicken frankfurters was investigated. Samples were inoculated with  Listeria monocytogenes  Scott A on the top surfaces, and then treated with pulsed UV-light for 5, 15, 30, 45, and 60 s at 5, 8, and 13 cm distance from the quartz window in a pulsed UV-light chamber. Log reductions (CFU/cm²) on unpackaged samples were between 0.3 and 1.9 after 5-s treatment at 13 cm and 60-s treatment at 5 cm, respectively. Log reductions on packaged samples ranged from 0.1 to 1.9 after 5-s treatment at 13 cm and 60-s treatment at 5 cm, respectively. The temperature changes of samples and total energy (J/cm²) received at each treatment condition were monitored. The extent of lipid peroxidation and the color were determined by thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) test and CIELAB color method, respectively. Lipid peroxidation of samples did not change significantly ( P  > 0.05) after mild (5-s treatment at 13 cm) and moderate (30-s treatment at 8 cm) treatments. Significant differences ( P  < 0.05) in color parameters were observed after treatments of both unpackaged and packaged samples. Packaging material was also analyzed for mechanical properties. The elastic modulus, yield strength, percent elongation at yield point, maximum tensile strength, and percent elongation at break did not change significantly ( P  > 0.05) after mild treatment. Overall, this study demonstrated that pulsed UV-light has a potential to decontaminate ready-to-eat (RTE) poultry-based food products.     

An Innovative Device for Quantification of Percolation and Sieving Segregation Patterns–Single Component and Multiple Size Fractions

ABSTRACT

Segregation occurs during most particulate materials-related unit operations including mixing, conveying, discharging, filling, and compaction. A redesigned second-generation primary segregation shear cell (PSSC-II) was fabricated to simulate and quantify percolation and sieving mechanisms-based segregation. Several binary mixtures were tested to quantify the effect of size ratios and absolute size. The constituents of binary mixtures studied were spherical glass beads. Three binary size ratios, 4:1, 6:1, and 8:1, were tested. For a given size ratio, three different absolute coarse (710–850, 1000–1200, and 1400–1700 μm) to fine particle sizes were studied. The experimental results showed that the PSSC-II was capable of quantifying segregation potential for various materials. Several physical parameters such as segregation rate (SR), phase of segregation rate (PSR), distribution of segregation rate (DSR), maximum segregation rate (MSR), and normalized segregation rate (NSR) were created to describe the quantity of segregation to a certain level. It was concluded that: (1) Generally, the segregation rates increase with the increase in size ratio. A linear relationship between NSR and size ratio exists for glass beads (R² = 0.99). (2) Segregation rate also increases with absolute size. NSR increases linearly with absolute size for glass beads (R² = 0.99). Furthermore, a quantitative relationship exists between certain size ratios and segregation rates, i.e., while size ratio increased two-fold from 4:1 to 8:1, the NSR increased approximately six-fold. (3) The largest magnitude of the NSR occurred where both absolute size and size ratio were at their largest values. (4) The DSR for the binary mixture of glass beads was mainly concentrated in the center region of the shear box for larger size ratios such as 8:1 and 6:1, whereas, for smaller size ratios such as 4:1, the DSR is approximately uniformly distributed. (5) Both duration of lag phase (DLP) and duration of acceleration phase (DAP) decrease with increase in size ratios and in absolute sizes. The smaller the DLP and DAP, the larger the MSR.     

Percolation Segregation in Binary Size Mixtures of Spherical and Angular-Shaped Particles of Different Densities

Percolation segregation in binary size mixtures for two particulate types, urea (spherical) and potash (angular), were studied. Materials chosen are major raw ingredients of blended fertilizer that represent two extremes based on shape and density. In this study, the coarse and fine particles were classified using particle sizes larger and smaller than 2,000 μm, respectively. Three coarse mean sizes (3,675 μm, 3,075 μm, and 2,580 μm) for both spherical and angular particles and three fines mean sizes (2,180 μm, 1,850 μm, and 1,550 μm) for angular particles and two fines mean sizes (2,180 μm and 1,850 μm) for spherical particles were selected for tests. Size ratio for binary size mixture is defined as the ratio of mean size of coarse to fine particles. Binary mixed samples of coarse and fine particles were placed into the shear box of the primary segregation shear cell (PSSC-II) very gently to avoid segregation. Percolation segregation was quantified using PSSC-II. Based on experimental results, the segregated fines mass, normalized segregation rate (NSR), and segregation rate of fines for binary mixtures were higher for larger size ratios as expected (2.4 > 2.0 > 1.7). The NSR is defined as the amount of fines percolated from initial fines present in the binary mixture based on total time of PSSC-II operation (kg/kg-h). Segregation rate was the highest and lowest for mixing ratios 33:67 and 67:33, respectively, when coarse mean size was 3,675 μm, where mixing ratio for binary mixtures is the ratio of the mass of coarse particles to the mass of fine particles. For the same size ratio, segregated fines mass for coarse-fine size combinations in the binary mixtures of urea and potash were significantly different (p < 0.05). Segregated fines mass of potash and urea particles was significantly different for the same size ratio and the same coarse sizes (p < 0.05). Percent segregated fines of angular particles (59%) was higher than that of spherical particles (45%) for the size ratio 2.0 and coarse mean size of 3,675 μm.     

Uniformity Differentiation Analysis of Powder Deposition Characteristics in Circular and Rectangular Shallow Dies Using Feed Shoe with Square Cross-Section

The inhomogeneity of the pressure distribution after completion of the filling process might create tablet and compact quality issues. Generating a uniform precompaction powder deposition into a die would minimize one source of tablet quality issues. This article determines the characteristics of the deposition process into a rectangular die and a circular shallow die, using a feed shoe with a square cross-section tube. A series of experiments were performed that determined the cumulative influence of particle size, die geometry, and feed shoe speed on uniformity of pressure distribution at the end of filling process. For uniformity comparison, the profiles of pressure distribution at the end of filling process were displayed as contour plots. Symmetry analysis, variance metrics, and uniformity analysis were implemented to quantify the deposition characteristics. Feed shoe speeds of 20 and 100 mm/s were used to fill the die. Due to their differing particle characteristics and importance, a pharmaceutical powder filler (microcrystalline cellulose-Avicel PH102) and a battery powder mixture (BPM) were used as test materials. The results showed that (1) contour plot was the most reliable method for evaluating uniformity deposition characteristics in dies; (2) based on contour plot analysis, BPM deposition at 100 mm/s feed shoe speed for circular shallow dies resulted in the most uniform pressure distribution among all, that is, 64% uniformity at ±20 dm (decimeter) resolution and 14.7% coefficient of variation (COV); (3) Avicel deposition at 20 mm/s feed shoe speed for circular dies had the least uniformity (46%); (4) rectangular dies generally had lower symmetry index (61%) in comparison with circular dies, which was attributed to sharp edges of rectangular die, that is, particles trapped in corners generated higher stresses inside the rectangular die versus circular die.