The experimental study on the performance,combustion and emission characteristics of a diesel engine using diesel – biodiesel – diethyl ether blends

ABSTRACT

In the present research work, the experimental analysis has been executed to investigate the influence of diethyl ether as an oxygenated additive to the diesel-biodiesel blend on the performance, combustion and emission characteristics of a diesel engine. The biodiesel (Frying oil methyl ester) was prepared by the transesterification process, and the biodiesel was added (40% by volume) to the diesel fuel to prepare the diesel-biodiesel blend (D60FME40). The diethyl ether was added to the diesel-biodiesel blends D60FM35 (diesel 60% + biodiesel 35% by volume) and D60FM30 (diesel 60% + biodiesel 30% by volume) with suitable volume proportions of 5% and 10% respectively to form diesel-biodiesel-diethyl ether blends ((D60FM35DEE5) & (D60FM30DEE10)). Initially, the test was conducted with diesel fuel to obtain the baseline reference reading. Then, the reading was compared with results taken from the engine using a diesel-biodiesel blend (D60FME40) and diethyl ether blends (D60FM35DEE5) & (D60FM30DEE10). The results reveal that the maximum brake thermal efficiency was obtained with diesel fuel and it was higher than the diesel-biodiesel blend and diethyl ether blends. The peak in-cylinder gas pressure and heat release rate in the premixed stage was less for the diesel-biodiesel blend, but it was increased with the addition of diethyl ether to the blend. The diesel-biodiesel-diethyl ether blends show less carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions except for NO_X emission as compared to the diesel and diesel-biodiesel blend, especially at the engine rated power.     

CdO nanoparticles,c‐MWCNT nanoparticles and CdO nanoparticles/c‐MWCNT nanocomposite fibres: in vitro assessment of anti‐proliferative and apoptotic studies in HeLa cancer cell line

A simple ultrasonic assisted chemical technique was used to synthesise cadmium oxide (CdO) nanoparticles (NPs) and CdO NPs/c‐Multiwalled carbon nanotube (c‐MWCNT) nanocomposite fibres.To confirm the physio‐chemico properties and to analyse surface morphology of the obtained nanomaterials X‐Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were performed. To evaluate the anti‐cancer property of CdO NPs, c‐MWCNT NPs and CdO NPs/c‐MWCNT nanocomposite fibres, an anti‐proliferative assay test (Methylthiazolyl diphenyl‐ tetrazolium bromide ‐ MTT assay) were performed on HeLa cells which further estimated IC50 value (Least concentration of sample in which nearly 50% of cells remain alive) under in‐vitro conditions. On comparison, CdONPs/c‐MWCNT based system was found to be superior by achieving 52.3% cell viability with its minimal IC50 value of 31.2 μg/ml. Lastly, the CdO NPs based system was taken up for an apoptotic study using DNA fragmentation assay for estimating its ability to cleave the DNA of the HeLa cells into internucleosomal fragments using the agarose gel electrophoresis method. In conclusion, based on our observations, CdO NPs/c‐MWCNT hybrid based system can be further used for the development of efficient drug delivery and therapeutic systems.Inspec keywords: drug delivery systems, electrophoresis, oxidation, toxicology, DNA, nanoparticles, drugs, field emission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, nanofabrication, surface morphology, cancer, X‐ray diffraction, nanomedicine, cellular biophysics, filled polymers, biomedical materials, molecular biophysics, biochemistry, Fourier transform infrared spectra, multi‐wall carbon nanotubesOther keywords: c‐MWCNT nanoparticles, apoptotic study, HeLa cancer cell line, cadmium oxide nanoparticles, c‐MWCNT NPs, anti‐proliferative assay test [methyl thiazolyl diphenyl‐tetrazolium bromide assay], human epithelioid cervix carcinoma cells, live cells, CdO NP‐based system, IC50 concentration, HeLa cell line, cell deaths, CdO‐C     

A zero-voltage transition boost converter using a zero-voltage switching auxiliary circuit

A soft switching boost converter with zero-voltage transition (ZVT) main switch using zero-voltage switching (ZVS) auxiliary switches is proposed. Various operating intervals of the converter are presented and analyzed. Design considerations are discussed. A design example with experimental results obtained from a 300-W, 250-kHz, 300-V output DC-DC converter is presented. A modified gating scheme to utilize the auxiliary switch in the main power processing is discussed. A 600-W, 100-kHz, 380 V output, 90-250 V AC, power factor corrected, AC-to-DC, boost converter with the modified gating scheme is presented. Results show that the main switch maintains ZVT while auxiliary switches retain ZVS for the complete specified line and load conditions. Parasitic oscillations existing in the converters proposed in the literature are completely removed.     

Preparation and performance evaluation of castor oil-based polyurethane prepolymer/polylactide blends

Polylactide (PLA) is an important biodegradable polymer, used for numerous applications ranging from industrial packaging to tissue engineering. However, its inherent brittleness and limited thermal stability have restricted its penetration to niche markets. In this communication, the authors demonstrate that blending of PLA with castor oil-based polyurethane prepolymer (COPUP), with the addition of COPUP, dispersed in the PLA matrix can overcome the inherent brittleness of the matrix polymer. NCO-terminated COPUP was successfully synthesized and subsequently mixed with variable concentration of PLA matrix using melt blending technique. The interfacial compatibilization between COPUP and PLA phase happened by the reaction of ?NCO groups with terminal hydroxyl groups of PLA was confirmed by FT-IR peak deconvolution technique. As indicated by the results of DMA and DSC, the glass transition temperature (T _g) of both PLA and COPUP shifted closer together, indicating that the blend compatibility increased. The tensile properties and notched Izod impact strength of the PLA and toughened PLA are also investigated. With the addition of 30 % COPUP concentration, the elongation at break of the blend reached 377.46 %, and a notched Izod impact 269.62 J m^?1. With improved toughness, the PLA/COPUP blends could be used as replacements for some traditional petroleum-based polymers.     

Cyclohexanone oxime-blocked polyisocyanates

Cyclohexanone oxime-blocked isophorone diisocyanate and cyclohexanone oxime-blocked toluene diisocyanate were synthesized and analyzed by infrared spectra, nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, elemental analysis, etc. Decomposition temperatures of the blocked isocyanates were determined by thermogravimetry. The solubilities of blocked isocyanates in various polyols were tested. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

EFFECT OF DRYING ON FLUIDISATION BEHAVIOUR OF PACKED BEDS OF SHREDDED COCONUT

Drying of shredded coconut is usually carried out commercially in order to facilitate storage over reasonable periods of time and to obtain advantages of reduction of weight and volume in transport and packaging. Fluidised bed drying of materials is generally accepted to be an efficient method of drying. Experiments were carried out to investigate the behaviour of fluidisation of shreddet coconut at various moisture contents. The pressure drop was measured across random packings of shredded coconut. It is seen that shredded coconut does not fluidise easily at moisture contents greater than 0.55 (55 weight percent moisture). It is also seen that fluidisation can be easily achieved by drying shredded coconut to moisture contents between approximately 0.25 to 0.55. The pressure drop characteristics within this region is seen to closely resemble the theoretical behaviour of a fluidised bed. It is also seen that particles of shredded coconut in beds of moisture contents less than 0.25 tend to undergo pneumatic transport if efforts are made to fluidise such beds.     

Design and material analysis for prototyping of four arm mechanical microgripper with self-locking and anti-slipping capability

Microsystem Technologies - In this work, a mechanically actuated microgripper is designed with the COMSOL Multiphysics and its analysis is discussed. The mechanical microgripper is having a...     

Modelling of Chevron electrothermal actuator and its performance analysis

Microsystem Technologies - In this work, a Chevron electrothermal actuator is designed and its analytical model is developed. Chevron actuator works on the principle of Joules heating effect and...     

Automatic detection of the breast border and nipple position on digital mammograms using genetic algorithm for asymmetry approach to detection of microcalcifications

The presence of microcalcifications in breast tissue is one of the most incident signs considered by radiologist for an early diagnosis of breast cancer, which is one of the most common forms of cancer among women. In this paper, the Genetic Algorithm (GA) is proposed for automatic look at commonly prone area the breast border and nipple position to discover the suspicious regions on digital mammograms based on asymmetries between left and right breast image. The basic idea of the asymmetry approach is to scan left and right images are subtracted to extract the suspicious region. The proposed system consists of two steps: First, the mammogram images are enhanced using median filter, normalize the image, at the pectoral muscle region is excluding the border of the mammogram and comparing for both left and right images from the binary image. Further GA is applied to magnify the detected border. The figure of merit is calculated to evaluate whether the detected border is exact or not. And the nipple position is identified using GA. The some comparisons method is adopted for detection of suspected area. Second, using the border points and nipple position as the reference the mammogram images are aligned and subtracted to extract the suspicious region. The algorithms are tested on 114 abnormal digitized mammograms from Mammogram Image Analysis Society database.