KINETIC AND STRUCTURAL STUDIES OF CALCIUM-BASED SORBENTS FOR HIGH-TEMPERATURE COAL-GAS DESULFURIZATION

ABSTRACT

The absorption of H₂S by large particles of limestone, dolomitic limestone and dolomite (average mass-radius of 0·40 mm) was tested under simulated coal gases. Below the calcination temperature of CaCO₃ (about 900^°C under 1 bar of CO₂), complete conversion of the calcium carbonate to calcium sulfide can only be achieved with dolomite. Above the calcination temperature of CaCO₃, the conversion to CaS is complete for all three sorbents in about one hour when 10,000 ppm H₂S is present in the gas phase. Large particles of limestone thus appear to be a suitable sorbent for high-temperature coal-gas desulfurization (above about 900 ^°C). A mathematical model based on the kinetic information collected in this work predicts the desulfurization performance of a packed or moving bed of limestone particles. Finally, a low-temperature regeneration scheme for the spent sorbent (CaS) in which sulfur can be subsequently recovered as the element is suggested.     

Effects of alkali treatment on the in-vitro digestibility of proteins and the release of amino acids

Three protein sources, casein, soya bean and rapeseed concentrates, were subjected to alkali treatment (0.2 M, 60° C) for 2 or 6 h. The impact of these treatments on protein digestibility and on release of amino acids, especially lysinoalanine, was evaluated by an in-vitro enzymic digestion method with simultaneous dialysis of digestion products. The impairment of digestibility was higher for casein and soya bean concentrate than for rapeseed concentrate. Whatever the amount of lysinoalanine produced in each protein, it was poorly released by proteolytic enzymes. The rate of release of other amino acids was reduced by the treatments, but to different levels for each protein. Arginine and lysine were particularly affected. As can be inferred from the release of the target amino acids, the hydrolytic capacity of chymotrypsin was not specifically impaired, in contrast to that of trypsin for casein and of elastase for all protein sources. This technique was useful to evaluate quickly the effects of processing on the digestibility of proteins.     

Thin films of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3−δ dip-coated on Fe–Cr alloys for SOFC metallic interconnect

La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO_3−δ (LSM) porous films were deposited on different ferritic stainless steels (SS) (430: Cr-16.0%; 439: Cr-16.6%; 444: Cr-17.4%) by sol–gel/dip-coating process. The structure, morphology and composition profiles of investigated assemblies were examined using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The area specific resistance (ASR) was measured during long term oxidation in air at 800 °C for 200 h by DC measurements. ASR values lower than 10 mΩ cm² were recorded after 200 h for LSM-coated SS439 and SS444. This is likely to be due to the high Cr content and to Nb, Ti and Mo elements used to stabilize the stainless steel against oxidation. This paper shows that LSM coatings provide an enhanced stability of the alloy at high temperature and the formation of an interfacial Cr–Mn spinel layer hinders the oxide scale growth.     

Catechin stability of EGC- and EGCG-enriched tea drinks produced by a two-step extraction procedure

Catechin content of green tea drinks commercially available is reported to be very low in comparison with tea traditionally prepared, due to catechins conversion to their corresponding epimers during production. The purpose of this present study was to produce catechin-enriched tea drinks according to a two-step brewing procedure and to verify the catechin stability of those enriched drinks during storage. Those results confirmed that it is possible to produce EGC- and EGCG-enriched tea drinks regardless of the green tea used. Good extraction efficiencies were reached for the first and second extraction steps with catechin extraction yields ranging from 63.6% to 84.8%. Furthermore, it appeared that the catechin content in the two enriched tea drinks demonstrated a great stability since no significant degradation occurred within 8 weeks of storage. This simple two-step extraction procedure could be considered as an interesting way to produce enriched green tea drinks with more potent and stable bioactive catechins.     

Electrical contact resistance between stainless steel bipolar plate and carbon felt in PEFC: A comprehensive study

Bipolar plate represents a key component of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEFC) with several essential functions, among them the electric connection of elementary cells. Usually made of graphite, this component is studied worldwide in order to develop a commercially viable alternative: different ways have been being investigated, and to date, despite corrosion issues, stainless steel (SS) appears as a good candidate material, but its Electrical Contact Resistance (ECR) can reach unacceptable values when exposed to PEFC environment. This paper offers a comprehensive study of the parameters acting on ECR when using uncoated SS in PEFC: roughness, which influences the surface contact area with carbon baking, bulk composition of the alloy, which influences only partly the nature of passive films, and the composition and structure of passive films, strongly modified by surface treatments and ageing conditions.     

Timed verification of the generic architecture of a memory circuit using parametric timed automata

Using a variant of Clariso-Cortadella’s parametric method for verifying asynchronous circuits, we analyse some crucial timing behaviors of the architecture of SPSMALL memory, a commercial product of STMicroelectronics. Using the model of parametric timed automata and model checker HYTECH, we formally derive a set of linear constraints that ensure the correctness of the response times of the memory. We are also able to infer the constraints characterizing the optimal setup timings of input signals. We have checked, for two different implementations of this architecture, that the values given by our model match remarkably with the values obtained by the designer through electrical simulation. Partially supported by project MEDEA+ Blueberries. A preliminary version appeared in the Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Formal Modelling and Analysis of Timed Systems (FORMATS’06), Sept. 2006.     

An orthotropic variant of the equilibrium gap method applied to the analysis of a biaxial test on a composite material

In this paper, it is proposed to apply the equilibrium gap method to orthotropic composite materials to retrieve damage laws from measured displacement fields. A finite difference implementation method is first proposed. A linear system is formed, for which the unknowns are piecewise constant orthotropic rigidities, while the measured displacements are input (known) data. In this example, a cruciform specimen is considered for biaxial test. It is shown that, by referring to FE computed displacement fields a prescribed contrast map can be identified. Corrupted artificial displacement fields obtained through non-linear simulations are also used. When considering shear damage, a procedure using estimated contrast maps to identify a damage law is validated. An experimental biaxial test on a 2.5 C/C composite is finally analysed following the proposed approach. For each unloading step, a contrast map for all moduli is obtained from full-field measurements. By assuming that the shear moduli contrasts result from a damage mechanism, one subsequently obtains damage maps, and therefore, a growth law. The results are first validated by comparing measured and FE reconstructed displacement fields, and by comparing the identified damage fields with post-processed ones.     

Mechanical behavior of entangled fibers and entangled cross-linked fibers during compression

Entangled fibrous materials have been manufactured from different fibers: metallic fibers, glass fibers, and carbon fibers. Specimens have been produced with and without cross-links between fibers. Cross-links have been achieved using epoxy spraying. The scope of this article is to analyze the mechanical behavior of these materials and to compare it with available models. The first part of this article deals with entangled fibrous materials without cross-link between fibers. Compression tests are detailed and test reproducibility is checked. In the second part, compression tests were performed on materials manufactured with cross-linked fibers. The specific mechanical behavior obtained is discussed.     

A dynamical framework to understand performance trade-offs and interference in dual tasks.

This study demonstrated that the dynamic pattern approach may reconcile resource and outcome conflict theories to explain performance in dual tasks. Participants performed a bimanual coordination task and a reaction time task with different conditions of attentional priority. Results showed a trade-off between pattern variability and reaction time when priority was given to the coordination task. Such a trade-off was indicative of resource allocation. An analysis of perturbation in the bimanual coordination revealed interference, a reputed sign of outcome conflict. Moreover, interference diminished substantially when priority was given to the bimanual task. The coexistence of performance trade-off and outcome conflict suggests that these two phenomena are not mutually exclusive. Rather, both may follow from modifying the coupling between the limbs through attention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)