Flow and temperature patterns in an inductively coupled plasma reactor: Experimental measurements and CFD simulations

Measurements of temperature patterns in an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) have been carried out experimentally. Plasma torch was operated at different RF powers in the range of 3–14 kW at near atmospheric pressure and over a wide range of sheath gas flow rate (3–25 lpm). Measurements were made at five different axial positions in ICP torch. The chordal intensities were converted into a radial intensity profile by Abel Inversion technique. Typical radial temperature profile shows an off‐axis temperature peak, which shifts toward the wall as the power increases. Temperatures in the range of 6000–14,000 K were recorded by this method. The temperature profiles in the plasma reactor were simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A good agreement was found between the CFD predictions of the flow and temperature pattern with those published in the literature as well as the temperature profiles measured in the present work. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 3647–3664, 2014     

Gelatin‐carbohydrate phase‐separated hydrogels as bioactive carriers in vaginal delivery: Preparation and physical characterizations

The current study focuses on the alteration of properties of the gelatin hydrogels using polysaccharides (e.g., maltodextrin, dextran, and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose) for probable use in vaginal delivery of antimicrobials. The hydrogels were prepared by varying the proportions of gelatin and polysaccharides and were characterized by microscopy, mechanical testing, and impedance spectroscopy. Metronidazole (MZ), drug of choice for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis, was incorporated within the hydrogels. In vitro release studies of MZ from the hydrogels was studied in‐depth using modified Franz's diffusion cell. Antimicrobial efficiency of the MZ‐loaded hydrogels was tested against E. coli and B. subtilis. The results suggested that the incorporation of polysaccharides resulted in the phase‐separated hydrogels. The properties of the hydrogels was found be suitable for vaginal delivery. The drug release and antimicrobial efficiency from the hydrogels suggested that the developed hydrogels may be used for the delivery of antimicrobials in the vaginal lumen. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40445.     

达芬奇效应:简便的数字视频

数字视频将引发人们与电子产品交互方式的变革。实现数字视频不但复杂,而且费时费钱。而这一切难题在达芬奇技术面前全部烟消云散。     

Pesticides removal performance by low‐pressure reverse osmosis membranes

Pressure driven techniques (viz. reverse osmosis and nanofiltration) have the potentiality to remove the pesticides from water. The observations revealed that pesticides removal mostly depends upon the molecular weight (size exclusion) and hydrophobicity (log P) of the pesticides. Interfacial polymerization of m‐phenylene diamine (MPD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) on the polysulfone membranes impart the salt rejection property in it. It is shown that with the greater salt rejection property, the performance removal of pesticides also is in increasing trend. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 3575–3579, 2006     

Computational modelling of industrial pulp stock chests

Agitated pulp stock chests are the most widely used mixers in pulp and paper manufacture. Stock chests are used for a number of purposes, including attenuation of high‐frequency disturbances in pulp properties (such as mixture composition, fibre mass concentration, and suspension freeness) and are designed using semi‐empirical rules based largely on previous experience. Tests made on both laboratory and industrial‐scale pulp chests indicate that they are subject to non‐ideal flows, including channelling and creation of dead zones. In the present work, a commercial computational fluid dynamic (CFD) software (Fluent) is used to model two industrial pulp stock chests. The first chest is rectangular, agitated using a single side‐entering impeller, and feeds a mixture of chemical pulps at 3.5% mass concentration (C_m) to a papermachine. The second chest has rectangular geometry, with a mid‐feather wall used to direct suspension flow through a U‐shaped trajectory past four side‐entering impellers. This chest is used to remove latency from a C_m = 3.5% thermomechanical pulp suspension ahead of stock screening. For CFD computations, pulp rheology was described using a modified Hershel–Buckley model. Steady‐state simulations were made corresponding to process conditions during mill tests. The calculated steady‐state flows were then used to determine the dynamic response of the virtual chests and then compared with experimental measurements and found to agree reasonably well. The computed flow fields provided insight into mixing processes occurring within the chests, showing cavern formation around the impellers (which reduced the agitated volume available for mixing). Mass‐less particle tracking, using the steady‐state flow field, gave insight into the stagnant regions and bypassing zones created in the vessels. This paper discusses difficulties encountered in characterising the mixing (both experimentally and computationally) and the limitations of the industrial data.     

Rheological Properties of Certain Processed Rice Products

Two popular rice products, namely expanded rice and flaked rice, are prepared from parboiled rice. As about 90% dry weight of milled rice is starch, the behaviour of rice and its products reflects largely the behaviour of its starch. The above precooked rice products which undergo a high degree of thermal and/or mechanical treatment during processing have a high degree of gelatinization and display therefore properties like those of pregelatinized starch. Both expanded rice and flaked rice have high water binding capacity and cold-swelling properties. Under suitable moisture conditions they undergo retrogradation and show reduced hydration and viscosity. Normal steam-parboild rice shows much lower viscosity because of a comparatively low degree of starch gelatinization during processing and its subsequent retrogradation. Rheologically the cold slurry of these products indicates a thixotropic system demonstrating time dependent thinning. Further, a dependence on slurry concentration and degree of processing and a yield value behind a certain concentration were also apparent. The cold swelling properties of flaked rice and expanded rice show potential use of their flour as a possible subsitute for pregelatinized starch in food and other industries.     

Optimal Weld Parameters, Weld Microstructure, Mechanical Properties, and Hydrogen Absorption: An Effective Analysis

Weld bead-in-grooves were deposited on low alloy, high strength steel plates (ASTM A 517 Grade “F”) with a commercial flux-cored filler wire, Auto-MIG 420, at different welding conditions. Microstructure and mechanical properties of welds were characterized by means of optical microscopy, SEM, TEM, EPMA, microhardness measurements, tensile tests, and Charpy impact tests. Hydrogen content of weld metals in as-weld condition and after exposing in simulated service condition was measured by LECO Gas Analyzer. Microstructure of weld metals consisted primarily of lath martensite with small amount of M-A constituents (Martensite-Austenite alternating layers). For some particular welding conditions, such as higher heat input and lower preheat temperatures etc., acicular ferrite is observed with lath martensite. Welds consisting of acicular ferrite in the microstructure showed improved mechanical properties as well as lower hydrogen absorption. The study provides guidelines for selecting proper welding conditions, which results in lower propensity to absorb hydrogen during service, as well as better mechanical properties. Necessity of post-weld heat treatment processes, which is mainly performed to achieve toughness, may be reduced; consequently saving cost and time of the welding process.     

Intensification of Freeze-Drying Rate of Bacillus subtilis MTCC 2396 Using Tungsten Halogen Radiation: Optimization of Moisture Content and α-Amylase Activity

A novel freeze-drying protocol has been explored to render fast and cost-effective freeze drying of hyperamylase producing Bacillus subtilis MTCC2396 employing a tungsten halogen lamp radiator (THLR) as a heat source. Response surface methodology assessed the maximum reduction in moisture content (96.07%) and minimum reduction in α-amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) activity (1.02%) in 4 h drying time at 42.5°C radiation temperature. α-amylase activity (0.046 U) and final moisture content (3.93%) of the optimally freeze-dried bacterial strain appeared satisfactory. The freeze-drying time using THLR (4 h) is remarkably lower compared to that under a conventional conductive plate heater (CPH) (10 h) at otherwise identical conditions. The higher effective moisture diffusivity of 0.0052 to 0.0078 m ²/s under THLR compared to 0.00084 to 0.0015 m ²/s under CPH (corresponding to 20–50°C) advocated the superiority of the THLR heating protocol. The higher efficacy of THLR was also evidenced through lower activation energy (8.42 kJ/mol) of moisture diffusion compared to that (12.051 kJ/mol) of CPH. The optimally freeze-dried bacteria demonstrated the same growth rate in addition to exhibiting excellent retention of bioremedial (Hg²⁺ removal) activity to that of the control.     

Chemical Synthesis and Characterization of Nickel Powder

The synthesis of magnetic Ni nanoparticles is being investigated by the reduction of NiO nanoparticles in the presence of hydrogen gas. In this study, nanocrystalline NiO particles have been synthesized by a homogenous carbonate precipitation method employing nickel electrolyte (NiSO₄) as the source of nickel and ammonium hydrogen carbonate as the precipitating agent. Nickel electrolyte (NiSO₄) was obtained after processing of sea nodules by the roasting-ammonia leaching-solvent extraction method. The physicochemical characterization of NiO and Ni particles, i.e., bright field image by transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) study, and magnetic measurements by vibration sample magnetometer (VSM) are studied. The particles are observed to be superparamagnetic.     

New observations in micro-pop-in issues in nanoindentation of coarse grain alumina

The present experiments were focused on nanoindentation behaviour and the attendant “micro-pop-in” in a dense (～95% of theoretical) coarse-grain (～20 μm) alumina ceramic as a function of loading rate variations at three constant peak loads in the range of 10⁵–10⁶ μN. Based on the experimental results here we report for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, an increase in intrinsic nano scale contact resistance as well as the nanohardness with the loading rate. These observations were explained in terms of the correlation between the nanoscale plasticity and shear stress active just underneath the nanoindenter.