Influence of system integration options on the performance of an integrated gasification combined cycle power plant

An IGCC (integrated gasification combined cycle) plant consists of a power block and a gasifier block, and a smooth integration of these two parts is important. This work has analyzed the influences of the major design options on the performance of an IGCC plant. These options include the method of integrating a gas turbine with an air separation unit and the degree of nitrogen supply from the ASU to the gas turbine combustor. Research focus was given to the effect of each option on the gas turbine operating condition along with plant performance. Initially, an analysis adopting an existing gas turbine without any modifications of its components was performed to examine the influence of two design options on the operability of the gas turbine and performance of the entire IGCC plant. It is shown that a high integration degree, where much of the air required at the air separation unit is supplied by the gas turbine compressor, can be a better option considering both the system performance and operation limitation of the gas turbine. The nitrogen supply enhances system performance, but a high supply ratio can only be acceptable in high integration degree designs. Secondly, the modifications of gas turbine components to resume the operating surge margin, such as increasing the maximum compressor pressure ratio by adding a couple of stages and increasing turbine swallowing capacity, were simulated and their effects on system performance were examined. Modification can be a good option when a low integration degree is to be adopted, as it provides a considerable power increase.     

A time‐integration method for the viscoelastic–viscoplastic analyses of polymers and finite element implementation

The present study introduces a time‐integration algorithm for solving a non‐linear viscoelastic–viscoplastic (VE–VP) constitutive equation of isotropic polymers. The material parameters in the constitutive models are stress dependent. The algorithm is derived based on an implicit time‐integration method (Computational Inelasticity. Springer: New York, 1998) within a general displacement‐based finite element (FE) analysis and suitable for small deformation gradient problems. Schapery's integral model is used for the VE responses, while the VP component follows the Perzyna model having an overstress function. A recursive‐iterative method (Int. J. Numer. Meth. Engng 2004; 59 :25–45) is employed and modified to solve the VE–VP constitutive equation. An iterative procedure with predictor–corrector steps is added to the recursive integration method. A residual vector is defined for the incremental total strain and the magnitude of the incremental VP strain. A consistent tangent stiffness matrix, as previously discussed in Ju (J. Eng. Mech. 1990; 116 :1764–1779) and Simo and Hughes (Computational Inelasticity. Springer: New York, 1998), is also formulated to improve convergence and avoid divergence. Available experimental data on time‐dependent and inelastic responses of high‐density polyethylene are used to verify the current numerical algorithm. The time‐integration scheme is examined in terms of its computational efficiency and accuracy. Numerical FE analyses of microstructural responses of polyethylene reinforced with elastic particle are also presented. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characteristics and economic evaluation of a CO2‐capturing solar thermal hybrid power generation system with heat storage

For wide use of a power plant utilizing solar energy, improvement of its economics is important. Both the economics and characteristics of a CO₂‐capturing solar thermal hybrid power generation system are evaluated in this paper. Since a relatively low temperature steam of 220 °C is produced by using solar thermal energy and is utilized as the working fluid of a gas turbine, the solar collector can attain high heat collecting efficiency. The net fuel‐to‐electricity conversion efficiency of the hybrid system is estimated to be higher than 60% on the lower‐heating‐value‐ basis. It has been estimated that the gross income and the period of depreciation of the proposed system are 34.8 × 10⁵ yen/year and 8.89 years, respectively, and that the system is economically feasible, under the assumptions of a solar collector area of 10 ha, a maximum net power output of 4 MW, and a heat storage capacity of 2000 m³. The amount of fuel saving and reduction of CO₂ emission of our system, compared to a conventional natural gas firing plant, are also estimated in the paper. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 126(4): 21–29, 1999     

Stress‐based finite element analysis of plane plasticity problems

A stress‐based model of the finite element method is evolved for two‐dimensional quasi‐static plasticity problems. The self‐equilibrating fields of stresses are constructed by means of the Airy stress function, which is approximated by three types of elements: the Bogner–Fox–Schmit rectangle, the Hsieh–Clough–Tocher triangle and its reduced variant. Traction boundary conditions are imposed by the use of the Lagrange multiplier method which gives the possibility of calculation of displacements for boundary points. The concept of multi‐point‐constraints elements is applied in order to facilitate the application of this technique. The iterative algorithm, analogous to the closest‐point‐projection method commonly used in the displacement‐based finite element model, is proposed for solving non‐linear equations for each load increment. Two numerical examples with stress‐ and displacement‐controlled load are considered. The results are compared with those obtained by the displacement model of FEM. Bounds for limit loads are obtained. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Syntheses and properties of graft polymers of N‐substituted acrylamides onto EPDM

The graft polymerizations of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) or N‐phenylacrylamide (NPAM) onto ethylene‐propylene‐diene terpolymer (EPDM) were carried out with benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as an initiator in toluene or THF. The structures of synthesized graft polymers, EPDM‐g‐N‐isopropylacrylamide (ENIPAM) and EPDM‐g‐N‐phenylacrylamide (ENPAM), were identified by infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The effects of monomer concentration, reaction time, and initiator concentration were investigated on the graft polymerization. The highest graft efficiency of NIPAM was obtained at 0.75 mol/L of NIPAM, 4 g of EPDM, 3 wt % of BPO, and 70°C for 48 h and that of NPAM did not much change up to 0.75 mol/L of NPAM, 4 g of EPDM, 3 wt % of BPO, and 70°C for 72 h. The thermal decomposition temperatures, wettabilities, and tensile strengths of ENIPAM and ENPAM all decreased with an increasing concentration of NIPAM and NPAM moiety in the corresponding polymers, respectively. The morphologies of ENIPAM and ENPAM after irradiation showed many gel particles as compared with those of ENIPAM and ENPAM before irradiation. The UV light and ⁶⁰Co γ‐ray resistances of ENIPAM and ENPAM were worse than those of EPDM due to carbonyl group in NIPAM and NPAM. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 3259–3267, 1999     

Electromagnetic and electromagnetic wave‐absorbing properties of the SrTiO3–Epoxy composite

The effects of SrTiO₃ content on the electromagnetic properties and electromagnetic wave‐absorbing characteristics of SrTiO₃–epoxy composites were investigated. Also, the frequency dispersion behavior of the complex permittivity of composites was demonstrated. The complex permittivity and permeability were measured using a network analyzer in the frequency range of 130 MHz to 10 GHz. As the SrTiO₃ content increased, it was found that the complex permittivity and permeability of the composites increased and the resonance frequency moved toward low frequency range. The logarithmic model coincided with the effective permittivity of composite as a function of SrTiO₃ content comparatively well. The resonance frequency of composites was found to show good agreement with the theoretical values calculated by the equation proposed in this article. The electromagnetic wave‐absorbing behavior showed that the center frequency of attenuation curve was shifted to a lower frequency band with increasing the amount of SrTiO₃ and the thickness of composite. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 75–83, 1999     

Syntheses and properties of N‐vinylpyrrolidione‐g‐EPDM and its modified polymer

The graft copolymerizations of N‐vinylpyrrolidione(NVP) onto ethylene–propylene–diene terpolymer (EPDM) were carried out with benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as an initiator in toluene. The synthesized EPDM‐g‐NVP (ENVP) was characterized by infrared (IR) spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The effects of initiator and monomer concentrations, reaction time, and temperature were investigated in the graft copolymerization. The highest graft efficiency was obtained at 0.04 mol of NVP, 2 g of EPDM, 2 wt % of BPO and 80°C for 72 h. Modified ENVP (MENVP) was obtained by the reaction of ENVP and KOH in MeOH. Properties of EPDM, ENVP, and MENVP were investigated by a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), an instron tensile tester, a Fade‐O‐Meter, and a UV spectrophotometer. Tensile strength and light resistance of ENVP were better than those of MENVP. The dyeability of polymers was increased in following order: MENVP > ENVP > EPDM. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 1177–1184, 1999     

Compatibilizers for recycling of the plastic mixture wastes. II. The effect of a compatibilizer for binary blends on the properties of ternary blends

In this article, we discuss the effect of a compatibilizer for binary blends on the properties of ternary blends composed of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), or polystyrene (PS) and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) virgin polymers with a simulated waste plastics fraction. Chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), ethylene–propylene rubber (EPR), and their 1/1 (w/w) mixture were tested as compatibilizers for the HDPE/PP/PVC ternary blend. CPE, styrene‐ethylene‐propylene block copolymer (SEP), or their 1/1 (w/w) mixture were tested as compatibilizers for the HDPE/PS/PVC ternary blend. The composition of the ternary blends were fixed at 8/1/1 by weight ratio. The amount of the compatibilizer was 3 phr. Rheological, mechanical, and thermal properties were measured. For the 8/1/1 HDPE/PP/PVC ternary blends, the tensile strength was slightly decreased, but the impact strength was significantly increased by adding EPR, CPE, or their mixture. EPR exhibited the most significant impact modification effect for the ternary blends. In a similar way, for 8/1/1 HDPE/PS/PVC ternary blends, on adding SEP, CPE, or their mixture, the tensile strength was slightly decreased, but the impact strength was noticeably increased. It was found that the SEP worked much better as an impact modifier for the ternary blends than CPE or the SEP/CPE mixture did. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 1048–1053, 2000     

Flow characteristics of two rotating side-by-side circular cylinder

This paper presents a numerical investigation of the characteristics of the two-dimensional laminar flow around two rotating circular cylinders in side-by-side arrangements. In order to consider the combined effects of the rotation and the spacing between two cylinders on the flow, numerical simulations are performed at a various range of absolute rotational speeds (|α|?2) for four different gap spacings of 3, 1.5, 0.7 and 0.2 at Reynolds number of 100 showing the typical two-dimensional vortex shedding. As |α| increases, the flow changes its condition from periodic to steady after a critical rotational speed, which depends on the gap spacing. In the cases of gap spacings of 3 and 0.2, the wake keeps the same pattern, until flow reaches the steady state. However, for the gap spacings of 1.5 and 0.7, the wake patterns change in the unsteady regimes. For the cases in which the flow is unsteady, the Strouhal number strongly depends on the gap. For a fixed gap spacing, the variation of the Strouhal number is significant when the wake pattern is changed according to the rotational speed. Regardless of the gap spacing, as |α| increases, the lift increases and the drag decreases. Quantitative information about the flow variables such as the pressure coefficient and wall vorticity distributions on the cylinders is highlighted.