PARAMETER ESTIMATION OF FICK'S LAW DRYING EQUATION

ABSTRACT

Distributed parameter drying models such as the Fick's law diffusion model, unlike the lumped parameter model of van Meel whose parameters can be easily estimated by regression, suffer from the difficulty in estimating the parameters of the models quantitatively with accuracy. In the past they were estimated by visual inspection of the theoretical drying curves which fit the experimental drying curve best In this work, a quantitative parameter estimation technique originally suggested by Chavent, is developed by minimizing the integrated squares of error between theoretical and experimental curves over the drying lime (the criterion) subjected to the constraints that the theoretical curve is governed by the constant diffusivity Fick's taw diffusion equation (the constraint). Although the estimation of Fick's law constant diffusivity can be done by using the analytical solution developed by Crank, the use of the Fick's law model here is simply to demonstrate the utility of the proposed technique which can be used in more complex distributed models. The optimization problem is to solve for the adjoint equation for which the value of the Fick's law diffusivity minimizes the criterion. The Lagrangian derivative is solved by using a discrete derivative of the criterion. The theoretical curves are generated by using simple explicit (FSE) and modified Crank-Nicholson (FCR) algorithms The drying of oil palm kernels are used as a case study. Ii is found that the estimated diffusivities of moisture in oil palm kernels range from 0 5 to 5.0 × 10^-10 m²sol;s which are comparable with published data. It is also found that the estimated diffusivity is dependent on the initial moisture content.     

Nanocomposite-based controlled release formulation of an herbicide, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetate incapsulated in zinc–aluminium-layered double hydroxide

Controlled release formulation of an herbicide, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetate (24D) was developed by the virtue of the formation of organic–inorganic nanohybrid material and its ion exchange property. The inorganic Zn–Al layered double hydroxide (ZAL) was used as a matrix, hosting an active agent or a guest, 24D by self-assembly technique. The resulting material (ZAD) was subsequently used to study the release property of 24D into aqueous solutions containing chloride, carbonate as well as distilled water. The release of the guest 24D was found to be rapid initially followed by a more sustained release thereafter and this behavior was dependent on the type of anions and their concentrations in the release medium, the aqueous solution. The mechanism of release has been interpreted on the basis of the ion exchange process between the 24D anion intercalated into the interlamellae host and carbonate or chloride and/or hydroxyl anions in the aqueous solution.     

Development of Drug Delivery Systems Based on Layered Hydroxides for Nanomedicine

Layered hydroxides (LHs) have recently fascinated researchers due to their wide application in various fields. These inorganic nanoparticles, with excellent features as nanocarriers in drug delivery systems, have the potential to play an important role in healthcare. Owing to their outstanding ion-exchange capacity, many organic pharmaceutical drugs have been intercalated into the interlayer galleries of LHs and, consequently, novel nanodrugs or smart drugs may revolutionize in the treatment of diseases. Layered hydroxides, as green nanoreservoirs with sustained drug release and cell targeting properties hold great promise of improving health and prolonging life.     

Electrical and morphological analysis of chitosan:AgTf solid electrolyte

Solution cast technique is employed to prepare solid polymer electrolyte films based on chitosan (host polymer) and silver triflate (AgCF₃SO₃, doping salt) using (1%) acetic acid as a common solvent. The effect of salt concentration on both EP and bulk materials dielectric properties has been analyzed. Physically the original relationship between the bulk dielectric constant and DC conductivity has been interpreted. It is demonstrated that the dielectric constant and dielectric loss values decrease at higher temperatures due to the reduction of silver ions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDAX) indicate the presence of metallic silver particles. The ac conductivity spectra shows three distinct regions and obeys the Jonscher's power law at high frequency regions. The temperature dependence of frequency exponent (s) shows the crossover from CBH model to SP model.     

Cathodic electrodeposition of SnS thin films from aqueous solution

SnS thin films were prepared by cathodic electrodeposition on ITO/glass and Ti substrates from a solution containing SnCl₂ and thiosulphate ions. Cyclic voltammetry experiments were performed to elucidate the electrodic processes occurred when potentials were applied and to determine the optimum potential for electrodeposition. The photoactivity of the deposited films and their conduction types were evaluated using the photoelectrochemical technique. The bandgap energy and type of optical transitions were determined from optical absorbance data. Structural and compositional analysis were accomplished using X-ray diffractometry, electron dispersive analysis of X-ray, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The morphology of the films were examined using scanning electron microscopy.     

Physicochemical Properties of Carboxy-methylated Sago (Metroxylon sagu) Starch

ABSTRACT: Carboxymethyl starch (CMS) with degree of substitution (DS) ranging from 0.1 to 0.32 was prepared from sago ( Metroxylon sagu ) starch in non-aqueous medium using isopropanol as a solvent. The physico-chemical, rheological, and thermal properties of the starches were investigated. At room temperature (25 °C), CMS hydrated readily, resulting in higher swelling power compared with native (unmodified) starch. Light microscopy revealed that CMS granules imbibed more water than native starch at room temperature and thus caused a larger increase in granule size. Some of the CMS granules lost their integrity. Scanning electron microscopic observation revealed fine fissures on the surface of CMS (DS 0.32) granules compared with a relatively smooth surface of native starch granules. Carboxymethylated sago starch exhibited excellent dispersibility and cold water solubility as judged by the absence of peak viscosity in the pasting profile (determined by Rapid ViscoAnalyzer). Pasting profile of CMS was qualitatively similar to pregelatinized starch. Despite exhibiting greater swelling power, CMS showed significantly lower pasting viscosity compared with the native starch. Intrinsic viscosity was also greatly reduced by carboxymethylation. Studies using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that transition temperatures and enthalpies decreased with an increase of degree of substitution. CMS at higher substitution levels (DS 0.27 and 0.32) showed significantly lower retrogradation tendency, as indicated by lower setback, absence of DSC endotherm upon storage at 4 °C and lower syneresis upon repeated freeze-thaw cycles. The results suggested that retrogradation might be effectively retarded by the presence of the bulky carboxymethyl group.     

Flame development characteristics at variable swirl level inductions in a stratified CNG direct injection combustion engine

The study of flame development characteristics is crucial in the study of flame propagation, extinction, and for the investigation of combustion cyclic variability in SI engine. The aim of this study is to investigate the characteristics of flame development in a lean-stratified combustion of Natural Gas Engine （CNG） in a single cylinder direct injection （DI） engine at a specific motor speed, and fixed injection timing and air-fuel ratio by varying only the swirl level at the intake. The engine was set to run at 1800 rpm with half-load throttled. The ignition advance was set at 21.5 BTDC, and to create an overall lean and stratified mixture, injection timing was set at 61 BTDC with an air-fuel-ratio of 40.5 （λ=2.35）. Variable turbulent flow conditions near spark-plug were created by positioning the swirl control valves （SCV） at the intake port just before the two intake valves. This was done by setting one of the valves at full open position and the other one at 0% closed, 50% closed and 100% closed positions in order to achieve medium tumble （no swirl）, medium swirl and high swirl flows in the cylinder, respectively. An endoscope and CCD camera assembly was utilized to capture the flame images from the tumble plane at the intake side of the engine ever）, 2 CA degrees after ignition timing （AIT） for 40 CAs. It was observed that flame growth rate and flame convection velocity are increasing with increasing the swirl level. The total combustion duration is, thus, shorter in swirl induced combustion than without. However, COV in IMEP is greater in swirl induced flow cases than the medium tumble.     

The relation of childhood abuse and early parenting experiences to current marital quality in a nonclinical sample

This study examines the relation between adults' reports of the nature of the early parenting they received, including abuse, and the quality of their marital relationship. This community sample of 159 married women and men experienced relatively low levels of abuse. The regression analyses indicated that for women verbal abuse in childhood was predictive of marital conflict, and the caring parenting they experienced predicted the depth of their marital relationship. For men, the abuse variables did not predict any dimension of their current marital relationship. Of the parenting variables, overprotection was significantly predictive of conflict in their marriage. No demographic variable--income, education, and number of siblings--predicted any dimension of marital quality for either men or women. Given the skew of the abuse data for this nonclinical sample, log transformations were performed on the data and the regression analyses were reported. One change was noted: that for men, physical abuse and overprotection were equally predictive of marital conflict. The results suggest that abuse and early parent experiences are predictive of marital functioning in a nonclinical sample, but that differences exist in the pattern for men and women.     

Sago starch saccharification and simultaneous ethanol fermentation by amyloglucosidase and Zymomonas mobilis

Simultaneous saccharification and ethanol fermentation (SSF) of sago starch was studied using amyloglucosidase (AMG) and Zymomonas mobilis. The optimal concentration of AMG and operating temperature for the SSF process were found to be 0.5% (v/w) and 35°C, respectively. Under these conditions with 150 g dm^?3 sago starch as a substrate, the final ethanol concentration obtained was 69.2 g dm^?3 and ethanol yield, Y_P/S, 0.50 g g^?1 (97% of theoretical yield). Sago starch in the concentration range of 100–200 g dm^?3 was efficiently converted into ethanol. When compared to a two-step process involving separate saccharification and fermentation stages, the SSF reduced the total process time by half.