Exorcise—an algorithm for detection of spurious values and prediction of missing data

A FORTRAN program is presented which generates a statistical model of broadscale spatially coherent data, and from that model identifies and removes outlying data values. The algorithm also interpolates missing data values by making use of this model, as well as the assumption of broadscale coherence. Examples of the application of this technique to geomagnetic data are presented. A significant improvement in the statistical efficiency and consistency of subsequent estimators is seen to obtain from preprocessing data with this method.     

Macrokinetic analysis of polarisation characteristics of gas-diffusion electrodes in contact with liquid electrolytes, Part II: Oxygen reduction as example for a higher order reaction

Classical partial oxidation processes often suffer from low selectivities. Promising alternatives are electrochemical processes where the oxidation takes place at a packed-bed anode while an oxygen-consuming gas–liquid membrane is used as cathode. As a basis for the reliable design of such a process, the performance of oxygen-consuming gas-diffusion electrodes (GDE) is investigated experimentally and is analysed based on a rigorous model accounting for the reaction microkinetics and all relevant mass and charge transport phenomena. The results indicate that oxygen is transported in the gas-filled pores by Knudsen diffusion and that the cathodic oxygen reduction follows a parallel reaction scheme forming hydrogen peroxide at the carbon black support and water at the applied platinum catalyst particles.     

WinSim: A simple simulation program for evaluating the influence of windows on heating demand and risk of overheating

A two-node model of a room has been implemented in a computer program, WinSim, developed for evaluation of thermal performance of windows in new buildings and in case of retrofitting. The program calculates the annual heating demand and the number of hours with indoor temperatures higher than a user defined limit. WinSim is characterised by the limited amount of required input data. Guidelines for calculation of the effective thermal capacity of the room are given, and results obtained with WinSim have been compared to results from an advanced building simulation program. Good agreement has been found between the two programs with respect to calculated annual heating demand and energy savings due to window exchange, and also the calculated number of hours with overtemperature is similar. Based on the limited examples used for the comparison, it can be concluded that WinSim is well suited for a quick but realistic evaluation of thermal performance of windows.     

The influence of microstructure on the failure behaviour of PEEK

In this study, different molecular weight PEEK materials were used to determine the effect of spherulite size on fracture. Melt processing of the PEEK at different temperatures produced samples of different average spherulite size. A permanganic etching technique was used to reveal the spherulites. It was found that for low molecular weight 150P PEEK, the spherulite size increased with melt processing temperature; but, for the higher molecular weight 450G PEEK, the spherulite size remained approximately constant. Also, the average spherulite size was markedly lower for the material of higher molecular weight. The failure behaviour of these samples was studied using a compact tension test. It was found that the fracture toughness of PEEK varied with processing temperature. Also, the average spherulite size of a PEEK material had a profound influence on the fracture mechanism.     

A method for the characterization of breakdown/reforming behaviour of faba bean protein dispersions

The present paper is concerned with the Doherty/Hurd method [1] for the investigation of the influence of NaCl, CaCl₂ and pectin on the structural breakdown/reforming behaviour of dispersions containing acetylated faba bean protein isolate (AFBPI).     

Lattice Strain Due to an Atomic Vacancy

Volumetric strain can be divided into two parts: strain due to bond distance change and strain due to vacancy sources and sinks. In this paper, efforts are focused on studying the atomic lattice strain due to a vacancy in an FCC metal lattice with molecular dynamics simulation (MDS). The result has been compared with that from a continuum mechanics method. It is shown that using a continuum mechanics approach yields constitutive results similar to the ones obtained based purely on molecular dynamics considerations.