Particulate matter emitted from ultrasonic humidifiers—Chemical composition and implication to indoor air

Household humidification is widely practiced to combat dry indoor air. While the benefits of household humidification are widely perceived, its implications to the indoor air have not been critically appraised. In particular, ultrasonic humidifiers are known to generate fine particulate matter (PM). In this study, we first conducted laboratory experiments to investigate the size, quantity, and chemical composition of PM generated by an ultrasonic humidifier. The mass of PM generated showed a correlation with the total alkalinity of charge water, suggesting that CaCO₃ is likely making a major contribution to PM. Ion chromatography analysis revealed a large amount of SO₄²⁻ in PM, representing a previously unrecognized indoor source. Preliminary results of organic compounds being present in humidifier PM are also presented. A whole-house experiment was further conducted at an actual residential house, with five low-cost sensors (AirBeam) monitoring PM in real time. Operation of a single ultrasonic humidifier resulted in PM_2.5 concentrations up to hundreds of μg m⁻³, and its influence extended across the entire household. The transport and loss of PM_2.5 depended on the rate of air circulation and ventilation. This study emphasizes the need to further investigate the impact of humidifier operation, both on human health and on the indoor atmospheric chemistry, for example, partitioning of acidic and basic compounds.     

Robust orientation control of multi‐DOF cell based on uncertainty and disturbance estimation

Multiple degrees‐of‐freedom (multi‐DOF) cell orientation control is a vital important technique involved in single cell surgery applications. Currently, few studies have been performed toward automation of multi‐DOF cell orientation control using robotically controlled optical tweezers. In this paper, a robust control framework is developed to perform multi‐DOF cell rotational control with consideration of model uncertainties and external disturbances. Both simulation and experimental studies are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed control strategy. The main contributions of this work lie in that this is the first time to develop a unified framework to achieve multi‐DOF cell orientation control without the need for accurate dynamic model parameters and/or any knowledge about uncertainty characteristic, which greatly enhances the robustness of the overall system.     

Quantitative investigation of air gaps entrapped in multilayer thermal protective clothing in low‐level radiation at the moisture condition

The effects of air gaps entrapped within the multilayer protective clothing system on the thermal performance were studied during low‐level radiation (2–10 kW/m²). A bench‐scale apparatus was designed to produce the liquid droplets and simulate human sweat transferring through the multilayer fabric system. Two air gaps located between the outer shell and the moisture barrier (Gap A) and between the moisture barrier and the thermal liner (Gap B) were used with different gap sizes (0, 2, and 5 mm). The thermal resistance analysis for the heat transfer with a multilayer flat wall was used to interpret the effects of air gap. The results show that the total thermal resistance of a multilayer clothing system and the thermal resistances of the two air gaps are linearly related with the level of heat flux. It is also indicated that the air gap position affects the beneficial effect of the gap size. The effect of Gap B to improve the thermal performance is better than that of Gap A. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Detection of occupancy profile based on carbon dioxide concentration pattern matching

Occupancy is one of major factors influencing indoor microclimate. The aim of this work was to determine the influence of this factor on indoor air quality (IAQ) on the basis of CO₂ concentration measurements and statistical analysis. We wanted to identify periods of time when IAQ was strongly affected by the occupancy described by the given profile. The proposed approach consisted of several stages. The CO₂ concentration was measured and recorded in the form of univariate time series. Then, the relationship between occupancy and internal structure of the time series was disclosed. There were distinguished segments based on sample periodogram. Each segment was associated with a particular occupancy profile. In order to detect how human factor represented by a given occupancy profile influences IAQ we proposed to use pattern matching. In this approach there was examined the similarity between segments of the time series and the pattern of CO₂ variability, which represented a selected occupancy profile. The analysis was performed in time domain using moving time window technique. The similarity was judged based on two types of indexes, namely correlation coefficients and distance measures. It was shown that our approach may be applied to successfully detect a particular occupancy profile. The best performance was achieved when using angular distance as the similarity index. In this case we reached 82% true positive and 22% false positive detections. The proposed method may be applied in diagnostics problems to reveal sources of indoor air quality problems.     

Deployment of fuel cell vehicles in China: Greenhouse gas emission reductions from converting the heavy-duty truck fleet from diesel and natural gas to hydrogen

Hydrogen fuel cells, as an energy source for heavy duty vehicles, are gaining attention as a potential carbon mitigation strategy. Here we calculate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the Chinese heavy-duty truck fleet under four hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty truck penetration scenarios from 2020 through 2050. We introduce Aggressive, Moderate, Conservative and No Fuel Cell Vehicle (No FCV) scenarios. Under these four scenarios, the market share of heavy-duty trucks powered by fuel cells will reach 100%, 50%, 20% and 0%, respectively, in 2050. We go beyond previous studies which compared differences in GHG emissions from different hydrogen production pathways. We now combine an analysis of the carbon intensity of various hydrogen production pathways with predictions of the future hydrogen supply structure in China along with various penetration rates of heavy-duty fuel cell vehicles. We calculate the associated carbon intensity per vehicle kilometer travelled of the hydrogen used in heavy-duty trucks in each scenario, providing a practical application of our research. Our results indicate that if China relies only on fuel economy improvements, with the projected increase in vehicle miles travelled, the GHG emissions of the heavy-duty truck fleet will continue to increase and will remain almost unchanged after 2025. The Aggressive, Moderate and Conservative FCV Scenarios will achieve 63%, 30% and 12% reductions, respectively, in GHG emissions in 2050 from the heavy duty truck fleet compared to the No FCV Scenario. Additional reductions are possible if the current source of hydrogen from fossil fuels was displaced with increased use of hydrogen from water electrolysis using non-fossil generated electricity.     

Assessment of chemical and microbiological parameters of indoor swimming pool atmosphere using multiple comparisons

The aim of this study was to evaluate the air quality of an indoor swimming pool, analyzing diurnal and seasonal variations in microbiological counts and chemical parameters. The results indicated that yeast and bacteria counts, as well as carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and O₃ concentrations, showed significant diurnal difference. On the other hand, temperature, relative humidity (R.H.), yeast counts and concentrations of CO₂, particles, O₃, toluene, and benzene showed seasonal differences. In addition, the relationship between indoor and outdoor air and the degree of correlation between the different parameters have been calculated, suggesting that CO₂, fine particles and NO_x would have indoor origin due to the human activity and secondary reactions favored by the chemical and environmental conditions of the swimming pool; while O₃, benzene and toluene, would come from outside, mainly. The overall results indicated that indoor air quality (IAQ) in the swimming pool building was deficient by the high levels of CO₂ and microorganisms, low temperatures, and high R.H., because frequently the limits established by the legislation were exceeded. This fact could be due to the poor ventilation and the inadequate operation of heating, ventilation, and air‐conditioning systems.     

热风干燥温度对丹东板栗感官品质的影响

目的 研究了不同干燥温度对带壳丹东板栗干燥速率、含水率变化、板栗成品的组织状态、色泽以及口感的影响。方法 样品板栗分别进行在40、45、50 ℃以及变温条件下的热风干燥实验。温度数据采集利用T型热电偶，通过计算机控制安捷伦数据采集仪来记录。干燥后的板栗去壳、去红衣，记录板栗仁的颜色变化、内部形态变化以及口感变化。结果 丹东板栗40℃干燥条件下的干燥成品质量好，口感佳，但效率低，45℃条件下的干燥速率较高，但是成品内部发生了皱缩，50℃条件下的干燥速率最高，但不仅成品内部发生了皱缩，表皮颜色也呈褐色，而变温干燥的干燥质量良好且干燥速率高。结论 变温干燥可以解决板栗在干燥过程中不同阶段对温度的敏感程度不一样带来的影响，因此相当对传统的单一温度干燥，变温干燥更有研究前景。     

Improving the performances of earth air heat exchangers through Constructal design

Earth to air heat exchanger (EAHE) is a well‐known technique used to preheat or precool outdoor air before blowing it into a building. However, its geometry is often very simple as it consists in one or multiple straight pipes, while more complex arrangements can be found in heat exchangers design. In this paper, we explore the advantage of designing an EAHE as a network through the Constructal law point of view. A methodology is first proposed to design a single pipe EAHE when the need is defined in terms of cooling power, overall efficiency and enthalpy difference between the inlet air and the ground. Next, the single pipe EAHE is used as a reference for designing a tree‐shaped network under the constraint of identical fluid volume and cooling power. The geometrical features are allowed to change for the different branches of the network. The network coefficient of performance is found to increase significantly with the bifurcation level, illustrating the superior performances of the network. This approach was found to be robust as the improvements were not depending on the cooling demand or the environmental conditions. However, further work is needed to move from this theoretical result to practical considerations.     

Improving the performance of air conditioning systems by using phase change materials: A review

This paper reviews the application of phase change materials (PCMs) for improving the performance of air conditioning systems. The different methods of integrating PCMs into air conditioning systems are presented. Moreover, the effects of PCM geometry, flow, and heat transfer characteristics on the performance of air conditioning systems and the potential use of PCMs in increasing the energy savings and coefficient of performance of air conditioning systems are also discussed. Recent studies on the thermodynamic (energy and exergy), economic, and environmental benefits of integrating PCMs into air conditioning systems are reviewed. Several methods for the preparation and optimal selection of PCMs are proposed to improve the performance of air conditioning systems, and then the challenges relating to PCM properties, optimal thickness, and PCM containers are highlighted. The economic aspects, humidity effect, life cycle assessment, and use of solid‐solid PCMs are cited as potentially important topics for future research.     

Thermal insulation and anti-vibration properties of MoSi2-based coating on mullite fiber insulation tiles

Thermal protection materials with excellent thermal insulation properties and high reliability are crucial for aerospace vehicle. Mullite fiber insulation tiles coated with MoSi₂-borosilicate glass (MFIT@MoSi₂) were prepared by a simple slurry method. Results shown that the surface temperature rapidly reached 1043.1 °C under the heat flux of 450 kW/m², while the cold-surface remained at room temperature. The adjusting effects of MoSi₂-based coating on the thermal response and transfer properties of MFIT were investigated systematically. Compared with MFIT, the surface and internal temperatures of MFIT@MoSi₂ were obviously suppressed, due to the existence of MoSi₂-based coating with high emissivity, which effectively enhanced the thermal radiation of the surfaces. Finally, the structural reliability under coupled environment of heating (q₀ = 450 kW/m²) and random vibration with high magnitude (20–2000 Hz, Grms = 20 g) was also investigated. Destructive cracking and peeling of the coating were not observed, due to the excellent bonding strength between the coating and the substrate. The results provided an important basis for the potential application of insulation tiles with mullite fibers in aerospace vehicles and the design of lightweight thermal protection systems.