Synthesis and Characterization of AgBr–Silk Nanocomposite Under Ultrasound Irradiation

The growth of silver bromide nanoparticles on silk yarn was achieved by sequential dipping in alternating bath of potassium bromide and silver nitrate under ultrasound irradiation. The effect of concentration, power of ultrasound irradiation and the numerous of sequential dipping steps in growth of the AgBr nanoparticles on silk yarn were studied. The samples were characterized with powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Inductive Coupled Plasma (ICP). The lower average size and the higher crowded AgBr nanoparticles upon silk yarn are the result of using ultrasound irradiation.     

A new link function in GLM-based control charts to improve monitoring of two-stage processes with Poisson response

In this paper, a new procedure is developed to monitor a two-stage process with a second stage Poisson quality characteristic. In the proposed method, log and square root link functions are first combined to introduce a new link function that establishes a relationship between the Poisson variable of the second stage and the quality characteristic of the first stage. Then, the standardized residual statistic, which is independent of the quality characteristic in the previous stage and follows approximately standardized normal distribution, is computed based on the proposed link function. Then, Shewhart and exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) cause-selecting charts are utilized to monitor standardized residuals. Finally, two examples and a case study with a Poisson response variable are investigated, and the performance of the charts is evaluated by using average run length (ARL) criterion in comparison with the best literature method.     

Optimization and life-cycle cost of health clinic PV system for a rural area in southern Iraq using HOMER software

This paper addresses the need for electricity of rural areas in southern Iraq and proposes a photovoltaic (PV) solar system to power a health clinic in that region. The total daily health clinic load is 31.6 kW h and detailed loads are listed. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) optimization computer model for distributed power, “HOMER,” is used to estimate the system size and its life-cycle cost. The analysis shows that the optimal system’s initial cost, net present cost, and electricity cost is US$ 50,700, US$ 60,375, and US$ 0.238/kW h, respectively. These values for the PV system are compared with those of a generator alone used to supply the load. We found that the initial cost, net present cost of the generator system, and electricity cost are US$ 4500, US$ 352,303, and US$ 1.332/kW h, respectively. We conclude that using the PV system is justified on humanitarian, technical, and economic grounds.     

Performance assessment of hybrid desiccant cooling system at various climates

In our work, operation of hybrid desiccant cooling system (HDCS) has been investigated based on experimental studies. Different climates have been created by changing the temperature and humidity of HDCS inlet air, using an electrical heater and a centrifuge humidifier. Input energies, temperature of various points, and their relative humidity have been measured at the created climates. Coefficient of performance (COP), thermal coefficient of performance, and electrical coefficient of performance (ECOP) of the HDCS have been calculated. As a reference situation, vapor compression system (VCS) was examined at the same condition as HDCS. Results show that COP of HDCS in comparison with VCS decreased about 36% and 28% in hot-dry and hot-humid climates, respectively, which is due to the thermal energy consumption in HDCS. In contrast its ECOP increased, which means that by using HDCS some electrical energy would be saved. Defining operating cost index (OCI) parameter, operation costs of VCS and HDCS have been compared. Analyzing the OCI results shows that in HDCS, although decreasing the electricity consumption results in more usage of natural gas, these systems are economical especially in those countries with low natural gas prices.     

Development of efficient photoreactors for solar hydrogen production

The rate of hydrogen evolution from a photocatalytic process depends not only on the activity of a photocatalyst, but also on photoreactor design. Ideally, a photoreactor should be able to absorb the incident light, promoting photocatalytic reactions in an effective manner with minimal photonic losses. There are numerous technical challenges and cost related issues when designing a large-scale photoreactor for hydrogen production. Active stirring of the photocatalyst slurry within a photoreactor is not practical in large-scale applications due to cost related issues. Rather, the design should allow facile self-mixing of the flow field within the photoreactor. In this paper two types of photocatalytic reactor configurations are studied: a batch type design and another involving passive self-mixing of the photolyte. Results show that energy loss from a properly designed photoreactor is mainly due to reflection losses from the photoreactor window. We describe the interplay between the reaction and the photoreactor design parameters as well as effects on the rate of hydrogen evolution. We found that a passive self-mixing of the photolyte is possible. Furthermore, the use of certain engineering polymer films as photoreactor window materials has the potential for substantial cost savings in large-scale applications, with minimal reduction of photon energy utilization efficiency. Eight window materials were tested and the results indicate that Aclar™ polymer film used as the photoreactor window provides a substantial cost saving over other engineering polymers, especially with respect to fused silica glass at modest hydrogen evolution rates.     

A Comprehensive Study of Market Prediction from Efficient Market Hypothesis up to Late Intelligent Market Prediction Approaches

Computational Economics - This paper has scrutinized the process of testing market efficiency, data generation process and the feasibility of market prediction with a detailed, coherent and...     

Simultaneously achievement of high recoverable energy density and efficiency in sodium niobate-based ceramics

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - Single lead-free Na0.73Bi0.09(Nb1???xTax)O3 (x?=?0, 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, and 0.40) ceramic phases were processed...     

Different Electrode Configurations for NH3 Gas Sensing Based on Macro Porous Silicon Layer

Silicon - In this work, macro porous silicon layers were fabricated by Laser Assisted Etching. The morphology, structure and luminescence characteristics of the porous Si were examined as functions...     

Automated inspection in robotic additive manufacturing using deep learning for layer deformation detection

Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing - In this paper, an automated layer defect detection system for construction 3D printing is proposed. Initially, a step-by-step procedure is implemented to...     

An analytic description of the creep deformation of metals in the ultrasonic field

The effect of superimposed ultrasonic vibration on the primary creep of metals is modeled in terms of the synthetic theory of irrecoverable deformation. We consider two sonication modes: (i) the ultrasound acts continuously during the deformation, and (ii) the ultrasound is periodically on and off. Whereas both cases show a significant increase in primary creep, the periodical sonication leads to higher deformation values. To catch the phenomenon of ultrasound-assisted creep, we extend the flow rule equation by a term that accounts for the process occurring on the microlevel of material induced by ultrasound.