A Review on the Fundamentals of Palm Oil Fractionation: Processing Conditions and Seeding Agents

Fractionation is a well-established process adopted in the fats and oils industries. It involves the separation of low and high melting triacylglycerol under controlled cooling conditions into olein and stearin fractions with distinct chemical and physical properties. Amongst the other vegetable oils, palm oil is one of the most fractionated oils in the past few decades mainly attributed to its semisolid properties. The various fraction of palm oil allows it to be used in different types of food products such as margarine, frying oil, and cocoa butter substitute. In fractionation, proper control of the fractionation conditions is important to produce the fractions with desirable stearin and olein quality. The purpose of this paper is to critically review the fractionation conditions (crystallization temperature, agitation, cooling rate and crystallization time) that affect the yield and quality of the oil produced. Additionally, it also provides the latest updates on the influence of seeding agents (diacylglycerol, monoacylglycerol, hard fat, phytosterol, phospholipid, lecithin, essential oil, sugar, polyglycerol ester, and talc) used in fractionation. This article is useful to provide a fundamental understanding of fractionation to scientists from the industries or academia working in the fats and oils industries. Practical Applications: This paper provides an in-depth understanding of fractionation particularly on the parameters of fractionation in influencing the quality and yield of the stearin and olein produced. It also for the first time presents the effect of addition of various seeding agents on palm oil fractionation which can help the industry to select the appropriate seeding agents to improve the currently employed fractionation process. Thus, it can act as a guideline for the industry to understand and select the appropriate fractionation conditions when developing a new product using this approach. The fractionation conditions discussed here can also be used as a reference when fractionating other types of fats and oils as most of them share a common background.     

Nucleation of highly oriented diamond on silicon

Highly oriented diamond particles were deposited on the mirror-polished (100) silicon substrates in the belljar type microwave plasma deposition system. The diamond films were deposited by a three-step process consisting of carburization, bias-enhanced nucleation and growth. The bias-enhanced nucleation was performed under the deposition conditions such as 2-3% of methane concentration in hydrogen, 1333-2666 Pa of total pressure, the negative bias voltage below 200V and the substrate temperature of 1073 K. By adjusting the geometry of the substrate and substrate holder, very dense disc-shaped plasma was formed on the substrate when the bias voltage was below 200V. As characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), almost perfectly oriented diamond particles were obtained only in this dense plasma. From the results of the optical emission spectra of disc-shaped dense plasma, it was found that the concentrations of atomic hydrogen and hydrocarbon radicals were increased with negative bias voltage. As a result, it was suggested that the highly oriented diamonds were obtained by the combination of the high dose of hydrocarbon radicals and the increased hydrogen etching effects.     

Multidisciplinary optimization of gas-quenching process

Distortion as a result of the quenching process is predominantly due to the thermal gradient and phase transformations within the component. Compared with traditional liquid quenching, the thermal boundary conditions during gas quenching are relatively simple to control. By adjusting the gas-quenching furnace pressure, the flow speed, or the spray nozzle configuration, the heat-transfer coefficients can be designed in terms of both the component geometry and the quenching time. The purpose of this research is to apply the optimization methodology to design the gas-quenching process. The design objective is to minimize the distortion caused by quenching. Constraints on the average surface hardness, and its distribution and residual stress are imposed. The heat-transfer coefficients are used as design variables. DEFORM-HT is used to predict material response during quenching. The response surface method is used to obtain the analytical models of the objective function and constraints in terms of the design variables. Once the response surfaces of the objective and constraints are obtained, they are used to search for the optimum heat-transfer coefficients. This process is then used instead of the finite-element analysis. A one-gear blank case study is used to demonstrate the optimization scheme.     

Improved corrosion protection of aluminum alloys by electrodeposited silanes

Organofunctional silanes recently have emerged as outstanding, environmentally friendly corrosion protectors for metal substrates, compared with conventional chromate treatments. A simple immersion technique is typically used to coat the metal surface with silane films. However, the thickness and uniformity of the films are uncontrolled in this process. This paper proposes a new deposition technique for the silane films on the metal surface, i.e., by electrodeposition. Hydrolyzed silanes are water-soluble, ionized molecules, so they can be deposited on metals by electrodeposition. Various combinations of silane mixtures were tested at different voltages, pH values, bath concentrations, and exposure times on panels of alloy aluminum and mirror-polished ferro-plate. The surface structure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ellipsometry. The resistance of the film to corrosion was investigated by direct current (DC) polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. Electrodeposition results in a more organized and uniform film with fewer pores, compared with immersed or dipped films. This paper was presented at the 2nd International Surface Engineering Congress sponsored by ASM International, on September 15–17, 2003, in Indianapolis, Indiana, and appears on pp. 320–26 of the Proceedings.     

Microstructural modeling approach applied to rock material

The importance of the microstructural parameters in rock mechanical behavior has been investigated by several authors. Moreover, the Weibull statistical model has been used to characterize the heterogeneity of several materials on the basis of the concept that the microscopic defects within the material determine their mechanical strength. The modeling of different rocks is a topic that is fundamental for the prediction of rock fragmentation. In this article, the analysis of rock microstructure is performed using the microstructural modeling approach, which consists of the simplification, quantification, and modeling of the main properties of rock microstructure. The grain size, grain shape, and microcracks are modeled by means of statistical density functions, namely, Cauchy, chi-squared, exponential, extreme value, gamma, Laplace, normal, uniform, and Weibull. It is found that the Weibull distribution is the most appropriate statistical model of the grain size and grain shape, when compared with the other eight statistical models. Regarding microcracks, the results show that the gamma distribution is the most appropriate model. The Weibull and gamma distributions are then used to analyze the heterogeneity of the microstructure. This is done by comparison of the statistical models of each microstructural property evaluated in several thin sections of the same rock. It is found that with respect to grain size and grain shape, the rock is homogeneous, while the size distribution of the microcracks shows a clear trend toward less homogeneity. The microstructural modeling approach is important for modeling, characterizing, and analyzing the microstructure of rock material. Among other applications, it can be used to explain differences in the mechanical behavior obtained in testing several specimens.     

Adaptive control optimization in end milling using neural networks

In this paper, we propose an architecture with two different kinds of neural networks for on-line determination of optimal cutting conditions. A back-propagation network with three inputs and four outputs is used to model the cutting process. A second network, which parallelizes the augmented Lagrange multiplier algorithm, determines the corresponding optimal cutting parameters by maximizing the material removal rate according to appropriate operating constraints. Due to its parallelism, this architecture can greatly reduce processing time and make real-time control possible. Numerical simulations and a series of experiments are conducted on end milling to confirm the feasibility of this architecture.     

Properties of Co-doped N-type FeSi2 processed by mechanical alloying

Iron-silicide was produced with a mechanical alloying process and consolidated through vacuum hot pressing. The as-milled powders were of metastable state and fully transformed into the ß-FeSi₂ phase through subsequent isothermal annealing. The as-consolidated iron silicides consisted of an untransformed mixture of α-Fe₂Si₅ and ?-FeSi phases and a partially transformed β-FeSi₂ phase was found in the low density compact. Isothermal annealing was carried out to induce transformation into a thermoelectric semiconducting β-FeSi₂ phase. The transformation behavior of the β-FeSi₂ was investigated utilizing DTA, SEM, and XRD analyses. Isothermal annealing at 830°C in vacuum led to a thermoelectric semiconducting β-FeSi₂ phase transformation, but some residual metallic α and ?-phases were unavoidable even after 96 hours of annealing. The iron silicide microstructures were investigated using SEM and TEM. The mechanical and thermoelectric properties of the β-FeSi₂ materials before and after isothermal annealing are characterized in this study.     

A study of the corrosion properties of plasma nitrocarburized and oxidized AISI 1020 steels

Plasma nitrocarburized AISI 1020 steels were oxidized for 15, 30 and 60 min to evaluate their corrosion and microstructural properties. After plasma nitrocarburizing for 3 h at 570°C in a gas mixture comprising 85 vol.% N₂, 12vol.% H₂ and 3 vol.% CH₄, the compound layer composed of ɛ-Fe_2–3(N,C) and γ’-Fe₄(N,C) phases and the diffusion layer above the matrix were observed. The top oxide layer, consisting mainly of magnetite (Fe₂O₄) and hematite (Fe₂O₃) phases, forms after post-oxidation treatment at 500°C. However, the oxide layer was severely degraded by spallation as a result of increases in post-oxidizing time. The difference in corrosion resistance should be attributed to the thickness of the top oxide layer, which was governed by post-oxidizing time.     

Nanostructured component fabrication by electron beam-physical vapor deposition

Fabrication of cost-effective, nano-grained net-shaped components has brought considerable interest to Department of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Department of Energy. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the versatility of electron beam-physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) technology in engineering new nanostructured materials with controlled microstructure and microchemistry in the form of coatings and net-shaped components for many applications including the space, turbine, optical, biomedical, and auto industries. Coatings are often applied on components to extent their performance and life under severe environmental conditions including thermal, corrosion, wear, and oxidation. Performance and properties of the coatings depend upon their composition, microstructure, and deposition condition. Simultaneous co-evaporation of multiple ingots of different compositions in the high energy EB-PVD chamber has brought considerable interest in the architecture of functional graded coatings, nano-laminated coatings, and design of new structural materials that could not be produced economically by conventional methods. In addition, high evaporation and condensate rates allowed fabricating precision net-shaped components with nanograined microstructure for various applications. Using EB-PVD, nano-grained rhenium (Re) coatings and net-shaped components with tailored microstructure and properties were fabricated in the form of tubes, plates, and Re-coated spherical graphite cores. This paper will also present the results of various metallic and ceramic coatings including chromium, titanium carbide (TiC), titanium diboride (TiB₂), hafnium nitride (HfN), titanium-boron-carbonitride (TiBCN), and partially yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) TBC coatings deposited by EB-PVD for various applications. This paper was presented at the International Symposium on Manufacturing, Properties, and Applications of Nanocrystalline Materials sponsored by the ASM International Nanotechnology Task Force and TMS Powder Materials Committee, October 18–20, 2004, Columbus, OH.     

The assessment of thermal history in pressure vessel steel

A component of the present work involves attempts to simulate the microstructures of 1Cr-0.5Mo steel sample removed from service after extended exposure to elevated temperatures (10⁵ h at 535°C). The aim is to establish a basis for assessing the thermal history of service components and service weldments. Previous work has established that it is not possible to adequately simulate service microstructures using accelerated isothermal heat treatments alone. A selective mechanical testing program at elevated temperature has thus been investigated to superimpose the effect of stress on heat treatment. Qualitative comparison within each of these sets of micrographs suggests that the intraferritic precipitation in the creep samples is in each case refined and of a higher density compared to the sample subjected to isothermal heat treatments. It has been suggested that a comparison of the composition of the pearlitic M₃C in creep test samples with the empirical relationship may provide a means of assessing the average thermal history of the ex-service sample.