Liquid film and droplet stability consideration as applied to wet steam flow

The state of art and ongoing research concerning the flow of wet steam in large steam turbines is reviewed, particularly from the viewpoint of the behavior of the liquid film deposited upon the stationary blading. New experimental results concerning the non-steady behavior of the film and the resultant wavelet formation patterns under the action of high-velocity low-pressure steam flow are presented. These results are then correlated as a flow regime “map” showing various flow regions in terms of steam velocity (or relative steam-film velocity since film velocity is relatively very small) vs. film flow rate per unit transverse distance. The distribution of liquid droplets shed from the blade trailing edge in the wake are studied as a function of distance downstream, steam velocity, and liquid film flow rate. In addition the droplet size is correlated in terms of critical droplet Weber number and compared with results of previous investigators. High-speed photographs of droplet distortions in a high-velocity air stream are also included.     

Fiber-coupling efficiency for free-space optical communication through atmospheric turbulence

High-speed free-space optical communication systems have recently used fiber-optic components. The received laser beam in such a system must be coupled into a single-mode fiber at the input of the receiver module. However, propagation through atmospheric turbulence degrades the spatial coherence of a laser beam and limits the fiber-coupling efficiency. We numerically evaluate the fiber-coupling efficiency for laser light distorted by atmospheric turbulence. We also investigate the use of a coherent fiber array as a receiver structure and find that a coherent fiber array that consists of seven subapertures would significantly increase the fiber-coupling efficiency.     

School consultation research: Past trends and future directions.

Reviews and evaluates school consultation research conducted during the past decade. Attention is given to the breadth and quality of the present consultation knowledge base, the appropriateness of data analysis procedures, and the impact of consultation research findings on consultation training. Recommendations for future directions in school consultation research are offered from both methodological and substantive perspectives. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of texture gradients on yield loci and forming limit diagrams in various aluminum-lithium sheet alloys

Marked through-thickness variations of preferred crystallographic orientations in aluminum-lithium (Al-Li) sheet alloys have been observed and documented. These metallurgical features could have an effect on the way in which these materials distribute strain during plastic deformation. From a theoretical or a practical point of view, it is important to investigate these texture effects on plastic-deformation properties and particularly on forming limit strains. In this work, quantitative texture data, which were determined by X-ray and neutron diffraction techniques, were used with a polycrystal model to predict the yield locus of recrystallized and unrecrystallized AA8090 and AA2090 Al-Li sheets. The conventional AA2024 alloy in the annealed condition was also investigated as a reference material. Subsequently, these yield loci were used to calculate forming limit diagrams (FLDs) in the stretching range, using the Marciniak-Kuczynski (M-K) approach with strain rate potentials to describe the constitutive properties of the sheets. A simple critical-thickness-strain criterion was used to predict the FLD in the drawing range. The predicted FLDs were found to be in fair agreement with experimental curves obtained under punch-stretching conditions. In general, experimental trends were accounted for by the results predicted using the average texture data. However, the texture gradients do not completely explain the large scatter observed in the experimental forming limits and the high average limit strain of the recrystallized AA8090.     

An asymptotic solution for the diffraction by a discontinuity in curvature coupled with surface diffraction

An extension is developed for the asymptotic theory of electromagnetic diffraction by a discontinuity in curvature on a smooth convex perfectly-conducting surface. It covers the case where the rays incident on and diffracted from the discontinuity are nearly tangent to the surface or are creeping rays, so that surface diffraction is involved. This extension is restricted to those diffracted rays lying on the same side of the discontinuity as the incident ray; this includes backscatter but excludes forward scattering.     

Monitoring Cheddar cheese ripening by chemical indices of proteolysis 1. Determination of free glutamic acid, soluble nitrogen, and liberated amino groups

Summary Freel-glutamic acid (Glu), soluble nitrogen (N), and liberated amino groups (amino-N) were evaluated as indicators of proteolysis and maturation in a study of Cheddar cheese ripening. The analytical methods involved standardized extraction and fractionation procedures, enzymatic determination of Glu, the measurement of N by Kjeldahl and amino-N by a rapid spectrophotometric assay witho-phthaldialdehyde. Cheddar cheeses from two different production plants were stored at both 4° C and 10° C for nine months. All cheeses were periodically analyzed for Glu in an aqueous extract and for N and amino-N in citrate extracts soluble at pH 4.6 and in 12% trichloroacetic acid. All indices correlated well with each other and with the age of the cheese at a highly significant level. It was demonstrated that these parameters are well suited to determine the extent of proteolysis as an indication of the degree of maturity of ripening cheese, thus providing an objective measurement for age classification and raw material control. The convenient assays for Glu ando-phthaldialdehyde-reactive amino-N were proved suitable for routine applications, enabling a fast and sensitive check on the degree of proteolysis in cheese without sophisticated equipment.

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Beurteilung des Reifungsverlaufes in Cheddarkäse durch chemische Indikatoren des Eiweißabbaus 1. Bestimmung von freier Glutaminsäure, löslichem Stickstoff und freigesetzten Aminogruppen

Zusammenfassung Freie Glutaminsäure (Glu), löslicher Stickstoff (N) und freigesetzte Aminogruppen (Amino-N) wurden als chemische Indikatoren des Eiweißabbaus und Reifegrades von Cheddarkäse in einer Reifungsstudie bewertet. Zwei verschiedene Cheddarkäse unterschiedlicher Herstellung wurden neun Monate bei 4 °C und 10 °C gelagert. Mit standardisierten Extraktionsund Fraktionierungsverfahren wurden alle Käseproben periodisch auf freie Glu im wasserlöslichen Extrakt mit einer enzymatischen Methode und auf N und Amino-N im pH 4,6- und 12% TCA-löslichem Extrakt mit der Kjeldahl-Methode bzw. mit einem schnellen photometrischen Ortho-Phthaldialdehyd(OPA)-Test analysiert. Alle Indikatoren zeigten eine hochsignifikante Korrelation sowohl zueinander als auch zum Käsealter. Es wurde gezeigt, daß diese Parameter zur Bestimmung des Eiweißabbaus als Maß für die Käsereifung gut geeignet sind. Sie ermöglichen damit objektive Meßverfahren für die Altersklassifizierung und Rohwarenkontrolle. Insbesondere die praktischen und bequemen Analysemethoden für Glu und OPA-Amino-N eignen sich für die Routineanwendung und ermöglichen eine schnelle und empfindliche Abschätzung des Proteolysegrades ohne hochentwikkelte komplizierte Apparaturen.

     

Freshness characterisation of whiting (Merlangius merlangus) using an SPME/GC/MS method and a statistical multivariate approach

BACKGROUND: The freshness of whiting was studied at five stages of ice storage by comparing the analysis of volatile compounds obtained through solid phase microextraction/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME/GC/MS) with two sensory methods. RESULTS: Of the volatile compounds identified, 38 were analysed using a statistical multivariate approach and classified according to their role in the estimation of freshness during storage as markers of freshness or spoilage. Regarding the evolution of the presence or absence of individual compounds, three categories were defined. For example, the volatile compounds propanal, hexanal, 1‐penten‐3‐ol, pentanal, 2,3‐pentanedione, 1‐penten‐3‐one, heptanal, (E)‐2‐pentenal, 2,3‐octanedione, (Z)‐2‐penten‐1‐ol, 1‐pentanol, butanal, octanal, 3,5,5‐trimethyl‐2‐hexene, 1‐hexanol and 4,4‐dimethyl‐1,3‐dioxane appeared highly relevant, because they are found throughout storage and can be divided into several categories that are directly related to the quality of fish. CONCLUSION: SPME/GC/MS combined with a statistical multivariate approach may be a useful method to identify volatile compounds and characterise fish freshness during storage. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

A force-matching method for quantitative hardness measurements by atomic force microscopy with diamond-tipped sapphire cantilevers

We present a new method to improve the accuracy of force application and hardness measurements in hard surfaces by using low-force (<50 μN) nanoindentation technique with a cube-corner diamond tip mounted on an atomic force microscopy (AFM) sapphire cantilever. A force calibration procedure based on the force-matching method, which explicitly includes the tip geometry and the tip-substrate deformation during calibration, is proposed. A computer algorithm to automate this calibration procedure is also made available. The proposed methodology is verified experimentally by conducting AFM nanoindentations on fused quartz, Si(1 0 0) and a 100-nm-thick film of gold deposited on Si(1 0 0). Comparison of experimental results with finite element simulations and literature data yields excellent agreement. In particular, hardness measurements using AFM nanoindentation in fused quartz show a systematic error less than 2% when applying the force-matching method, as opposed to 37% with the standard protocol. Furthermore, the residual impressions left in the different substrates are examined in detail using non-contact AFM imaging with the same diamond probe. The uncertainty of method to measure the projected area of contact at maximum force due to elastic recovery effects is also discussed.