Graphitization in Low Alloy Steel Pressure Vessels and Piping

This article discusses the problem of graphitization that can occur in carbon steels exposed to high temperature for extended time when these are present in pressure vessels and piping. Several case studies are described dealing with actual failures that have been investigated by the authors.     

Biocompatibility studies of natural rubber latex from different tree clones and collection methods

Natural rubber latex (NRL) has several features that make it an excellent biomaterial to promote the growth and repair of tissues, skin and bones. Most of the research with NRL membranes uses a mixture of different clones and chemical preservatives in the collection process. In this study, we compared five clones that produce NRL, seeking to identify their differences in biocompatibility. The clones studied were RRIM 600, PB 235, GT1, PR 255 and IAN 873 commonly found in plantations in Brazil. We did also study the effect of ammonia used during latex collection. NRL membranes were prepared aseptically and sterilized. In the in vitro tests, the membranes remained in direct contact with mouse fibroblasts cells for three periods, 24, 48 and 72 h. In the in vivo tests, the membranes were implanted subcutaneously in rabbits. The results indicated the biocompatibility of the membranes obtained from all clones. Membranes from the clones RRIM 600 and IAN 873 induced greater cell proliferation, suggesting greater bioactivity. It was found that the membranes made from latex that was in contact with ammonia during collection, showed cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in cultures, as well as necrosis, and increased inflammatory cells in the rabbit’s tissues close to the implant.     

Management of Surface Drying Temperature to Increase Antioxidant Capacity of Thyme Leaf Extracts (Thymus vulgaris L.)

Thyme leaves are an important source of essential oils with antioxidant activity; these compounds are located in trichomes on the leaf surface. The drying conditions affect not only the drying time but also the antioxidant activity. In the literature, a drying temperature of 70°C appears to be the best for drying thyme leaves according to their antioxidant capacity. Considering drying periods at different temperatures also could be beneficial. With these considerations, the goal of this work was to establish a drying strategy with which to manage a drying temperature on the leaf surface that will enable the drying time to be shortened and improve the antioxidant capacity (AC) of the extract of dried thyme leaves. The drying strategy consisted of two consecutive drying periods in order to manage the drying temperature on the leaf surface. The first drying period was carried out at 80°C (T _a1) until the sample surface reached a temperature of 70°C, and the temperature was then immediately set to 70, 60, 50, and 40°C (second drying period, T _a2) at different air velocities (v; 1 and 2 m s^?1). Compared to constant drying conditions, two consecutive drying periods were found to improve the drying kinetics: the AC increased from 10.5 to 27.4% while reducing the drying time by 14.5 to 39.2%. The use of this drying strategy was found to be an interesting means of intensifying the convective drying of thyme leaves and its application should be considered when drying similar materials with bioactive compounds on the surface.     

Development of a symbiotic cottage cheese added with Lactobacillus delbrueckii UFV H2b20 and inulin

The aim of the study was to develop a symbiotic cottage cheese containing Lactobacillus delbrueckii UFV H2b20 and inulin, and to evaluate the survival of this bacterium when the cheese was exposed to conditions simulating those found in the gastro-intestinal tract. Throughout the entire whole shelf-life period of the cheese, the probiotic cell counts were higher than those recommended for probiotic products containing 5% of inulin. The probiotic bacterium exhibited satisfactory resistance to low pH values and to high concentrations of bile salts. The addition of probiotic cells and inulin generated no alterations in the physicochemical characteristics of cheese.     

Modeling absorption of pure refrigerants and refrigerant mixtures in lubricant oil

This paper addresses the problem of absorption of refrigerant vapor in a stagnant layer of lubricant oil. The bulk motion of the solute is described in terms of apparent diffusion coefficients that encompass both molecular diffusion and possible macroscopic motion induced by liquid density instability and surface tension. In absorption of refrigerant mixtures, diffusion in the vapor and liquid phases are coupled with a thermodynamic model for interfacial equilibrium. Results are compared with experimental data available in the literature for absorption of several refrigerants in polyol ester oil (POE68). The adequacy of the formulation is assessed in the light of its basic assumptions and performance of the model.     

Temperature programmed CVD: a novel technique to investigate carbon nanotube synthesis on FeMo/MgO catalysts

In this work, it is demonstrated how a novel technique based on temperature-programmed chemical vapor deposition (TPCVD) can be used to investigate the synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from methane on a classic catalyst FeMo(x)/MgO (x = 0.07, 0.35 and 1.00). TPCVD monitors carbon deposition by measuring H2 formed during CH4 decomposition and affords information on the different catalytic species, deactivation process, reaction kinetics and carbon yields. The obtained results showed for FeMgO catalyst a simple TPCVD peak related to the production of carbon beginning at 760 degrees C with maximum at 800 degrees C followed by a rapid deactivation resulting in a low carbon yield. The addition of Mo to Fe/MgO catalyst completely changes the TPCVD profile with the formation of a new catalytic species active at temperatures higher than 900 degrees C, which is stable and continuously decomposes CH4 to produce high carbon yields. Raman, TG/DTG, M?ssbauer, SEM, TEM, XRD and TPR analyses suggested that this active catalytic phase is likely related to Fe-Mo and Fe-Mo-C phases active to produce single wall and mainly multiwall carbon nanotubes.     

A statistical approach to estimate state variables in flow-accelerated corrosion problems

Sequential Monte Carlo or Particle Filter Methods have been widely used to deal with sequential Bayesian inference problems in several fields of knowledge. This technique involves approximation of probability sequences distributions of interest, by means of a large set of random samples, i.e. particles that are propagated along time with a simple Sampling Importance distribution, SI. A re-sampling technique is also used to improve the predictive probability. In this study, a methodology is proposed: apply the Bayesian filters to a state estimation problem involving the corrosion amount-time in a contraction–expansion geometry with the aid of Computational Fluid Dynamics to improve the accuracy of the results. The following filters were applied and compared: Sampling Importance Re-sampling filter (SIR filter) and Auxiliary Sampling Importance Re-sampling filter (ASIR filter). The corrosion model adopted is based on a double resistance due to the oxygen diffusion towards the wall through the hydrodynamic boundary layer and the oxide layer. Mass loss data over time are obtained from the literature to compare corrosion rates. Also, the influence of the corrosion products in rates of corrosion is discussed . Best results in corrosion damage estimation were obtained using the ASIR filter.     

Redundant Paraunitary FIR Transceivers for Single-Carrier Transmission Over Frequency Selective Channels With Colored Noise

Recently, the use of redundant memoryless single-carrier transmitters has been reported as an efficient choice to reduce distortions introduced by finite-impulse response (FIR) channels. In this work, redundant FIR transceivers are proposed to address not only channel frequency selectivity but additive colored noise, which strongly degrades the performance of memoryless transceivers. The transmitter is shown to be paraunitary, resulting in a simple receiver. The proposed system is optimized like a modulated filter bank. Channel shortening and post-combiner equalizers are used to improve system performance. Comparisons with recent proposed schemes are presented, illustrating the efficiency of the new structure for selective channels with colored noise.