High temperature catalytic combustion of methane and propane over hexaaluminate catalysts: NOx emission characteristics

Several hexaaluminate-related materials were prepared via hydrolysis of alkoxide and powder mixing method for high temperature combustion of CH₄ and C₃H₈, in order to investigate the effect of the concentration of the fuels, O₂ and H₂O on NO_x emission and combustion characteristics. Among the hexaaluminate catalysts, Sr_0.8La_0.2MnAl₁₁O₁₉₋ prepared by the alkoxide method exhibited the highest activity for methane combustion and low NO_x emission capability. NO_x emission at 1500 °C was increased linearly with O₂ concentration, whereas water vapor addition decreased NO_x emission in CH₄ combustion over the Sr_0.8La_0.2MnAl₁₁O₁₉₋ catalyst. In the catalytic combustion of C₃H₈ over the Sr_0.8La_0.2MnAl₁₁O₁₉₋ catalyst, the amount of NO_x emitted was raised in the temperature range between 1000 and 1500 °C when the C₃H₈ concentration increased from 1 to 2 vol.%. It was found that NO_x emission in this temperature range was reduced effectively by adding water vapor.     

Long Crack R-Curve of Aligned Porous Silicon Nitride

Long crack R -curve of a porous Si₃N₄ with aligned fibrous grains was investigated, using a chevron-notched beam technique. A crack was constrained to propagate normal to the grain alignment. The crack growth resistance of aligned porous Si₃N₄ was much larger compared with that of dense Si₃N₄ ceramics. Microstructure observations showed that pullouts of fibrous grains in aligned porous Si₃N₄ markedly increased during crack propagation relative to those of dense Si₃N₄, due to the existence of pores. The efficient grain pullouts in porous Si₃N₄ increased the bridging stress at the crack wake.     

Internal-external transition for the oxidation of Fe-Cr-Ni austenitic stainless steels in steam

Several Fe-Cr-Ni austenitic stainless steels (Cr wt.%: 13–25, Ni wt.%: 15) were oxidized in steam for 1000 hr at 500–900°C. The oxide scales were examined and categorized with respect to the chromium concentration and the grain size of the base metal. Experiments showed three conditions for the critical bulk Cr concentration and the oxidation temperature at which the oxidation behavior changed drastically. Metallographic examination showed that two of these three conditions resulted from the internal-external transition of Cr₂O₃ either on the metal surface or along the grain boundaries of the base metal. Attempts were made to interpret these conditions from the available oxidation theories. Atkinson's treatment was employed with some modification to incorporate the grain-boundary diffusion of Cr in the base metal. The calculation basically explained the internal-external transition for the oxidation of these steels.     

Growth of bubbles containing plasma in water by high-frequency irradiation

Plasma was generated in water by irradiation at high frequency of 13.56 MHz, and the behavior of bubbles including the plasma was observed by a high-speed camera. The generation pattern of the bubbles was classified into four types according to liquid temperature and supplied power. Conducting the simulation, the maximum temperature in the bubble was found to be from 3500 K to 4300 K, and the decomposition of water molecule occurred. The gas in the bubble was found to become high ratio of hydrogen. The phenomenon can be regarded as a film boiling of exceptionally high heat flux.     

Numerical simulation on void bubble dynamics using moving particle semi-implicit method

In present study, the collapse of void bubble in liquid has been simulated using moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) code. The liquid is described using moving particles and the bubble–liquid interface was set to be vacuum pressure boundary without interfacial heat mass transfer. The topological shape of bubble can be traced according to the motion and location of interfacial particles. The time dependent bubble diameter, interfacial velocity and bubble collapse time were obtained under wide parametric range. The comparison with Rayleigh and Zababakhin's prediction showed a good agreement which validates the applicability and accuracy on MPS method in solving present momentum problems. The potential void induced water hammer pressure pulse was also evaluated which is instructive for further material erosion study. The bubble collapse with non-condensable gas has been further simulated and the rebound phenomenon was successfully captured which is similar with vapor-filled cavitation phenomenon. The present study exhibits some fundamental characteristics of void bubble hydrodynamics and it is also expected to be instructive for further applications of MPS method to complicated bubble dynamics problems.     

Synthesis and Self-Organization of Fluorene-Conjugated Bisimidazolylporphyrin and Its Optical Properties

A conjugated-bisimidazolylporphyrin bridged by bis(ethynylfluorene) was synthesized and organized into linear polymer through self-coordination having mean molecular weights, M_w and M_n, of ~2.1 × 10⁵ Da and ~1.6 × 10⁵ Da, respectively. A large two-photon absorption cross section value of 3.4 × 10⁵ GM (per dimer unit) was observed. This value was comparable to that of the previously reported self-assembled linear polymer consisting of butadiyne-bridged imidazolylporphyrins. The two-photon absorption properties could be controlled by tuning the wavelength and absorption intensity of the one-photon absorption.     

Probabilistic Strength at Serviceability Limit State for Normal and SBHS Slender Stiffened Plates Under Uniaxial Compression

International Journal of Steel Structures - Stiffened plates with high slenderness parameters show large out-of-plane deflections, due to elastic buckling, which may occur before the plates reach...     

Fabrication and operation limit of lead-free PTCR ceramics using BaTiO3–(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3 system

The electric properties of BaTiO₃–(Bi_1/2Na_1/2)TiO₃ (BT–BNT) solid solution ceramics were studied as a lead-free PTCR (positive temperature coefficient of resistivity) thermistor material usable over 130°C. For determining the maximum switching temperature T _s, the phase diagram of BT–BNT binary system was clarified. Two semiconductorization processes and their electric properties are described. The lanthanum(La)-doped BBNT ceramics sintered in air still showed dielectric behaviors, but the niobium(Nb)-doped ones had a low resistivity at room temperature, ρ _RT, on the order of 10³ Ωcm and showed a PTC behavior. Sintering under a low O₂ atmosphere produces BT–BNT ceramics with less than 10² Ωcm compared to those prepared in air. Our current research produced the BBNT ceramics with T _s values around 210°C by increasing the (Bi_1/2Na_1/2) content in the ceramics.