Interfacial reactions in In-Sn/Ni couples and phase equilibria of the In-Sn-Ni system

The In-Sn-Ni alloys of various compositions were prepared and annealed at 160°C and 240°C. No ternary compounds were found; however, most of the binary compounds had extensive ternary solubility. There was a continuous solid solution between the Ni₃Sn phase and Ni₃In phase. The Sn-In/Ni couples, made of Sn-In alloys with various compositions, were reacted at 160°C and 240°C and formed only one compound for all the Sn-In alloys/Ni couples reacted up to 8 h. At 240°C, Ni₂₈In₇₂ phase formed in the couples made with pure indium, In-10at.%Sn and In-11at.%Sn alloys, while Ni₃Sn₄ phase formed in the couples made of alloys with compositions varied from pure Sn to In-12at.%Sn. At 160°C, except in the In/Ni couple, Ni₃Sn₄ formed by interfacial reaction.     

Application of annexation principle of thermodynamic property of In-Pb-Sb and In-Bi-Pb melts

Based on the principle of annexation and phase diagrams, the structural units of In-Pb-Sb and In-Bi-Pb melts were determined, and their calculating models of mass action concentrations were formulated. Calculated results agree well with practical values, which in turn show that the models deduced can reflect the structural realities of corresponding melts and the principle of annexation is applicable not only to some binary metallic melts, but also to ternary metallic melts.     

Voltage sag compensation with minimum energy injection by use of a micro‐SMES

This paper presents a method to compensate voltage sags with minimum energy injection for a series‐connected voltage restorer using a micro‐SMES. A circuit for extracting the fundamental symmetrical components from sag voltages and a minimum energy injection algorithm is described. Simulations of voltage sag compensation have been carried out using PSCAD/EMTDC for various faults. The simulation results confirm the validity of the proposed method and show the possibility of reducing the size of energy storage devices. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 141(3): 70–80, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.10047     

Influence of ethyl methacrylate content on the volume‐phase transition of temperature‐sensitive poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐co‐(ethyl methacrylate)] microgels

A novel series of temperature‐sensitive poly[(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐co‐(ethyl methacrylate)] (p(NIPAM‐co‐EMA)) microgels was prepared by the surfactant‐free radical polymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) with ethyl methacrylate (EMA). The shape, size dispersity and volume‐phase transition behavior of the microgels were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The transmission electron micrographs and DLS results showed that microgels with narrow distributions were prepared. It was shown from UV–Vis, DLS and DSC measurements that the volume‐phase transition temperature (VPTT) of the p(NIPAM‐co‐EMA) microgels decreased with increasing incorporation of EMA, but the temperature‐sensitivity was impaired when more EMA was incorporated, causing the volume‐phase transition of the microgels to become more continuous. It is noteworthy that incorporation of moderate amounts of EMA could not only lower the VPTT but also enhance the temperature‐sensitivity of the microgels. The reason for this phenomenon could be attributed to changes in the complicated interactions between the various molecules. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Phase behavior of ternary blends containing dimethylpolycarbonate,tetramethylpolycarbonate and poly[styrene‐co‐(methyl methacrylate)] copolymers (or polystyrene)

The miscibility and phase behavior of ternary blends containing dimethylpolycarbonate (DMPC), tetramethylpolycarbonate (TMPC) and poly[styrene‐co‐(methyl methacrylate)] copolymer (SMMA) have been explored. Ternary blends containing polystyrene (PS) instead of SMMA were also examined. Blends of DMPC with SMMA copolymers (or PS) did not form miscible blends regardless of methyl methacrylate (MMA) content in copolymers. However, DMPC blends with SMMA (or PS) blends become miscible by adding TMPC. The miscible region of ternary blends is compared with the previously determined miscibility region of binary blends having the same chemical components and compositions. The region where the ternary blends are miscible is much narrower than that of binary blends. Based on lattice fluid theory, the observed phase behavior of ternary blends was analyzed. Even though the term representing the Gibbs free energy change of mixing for certain ternary blends had a negative value, blends were immiscible. It was revealed that a negative value of the Gibbs free energy change of mixing was not a sufficient condition for miscible ternary blends because of the asymmetry in the binary interactions involved in ternary blends. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Electrical conductivity of ferroelectric sodium vanadate,rubidium vanadate,cesium vanadate and their solid solutions

The d.c. electrical conductivity of sodium vanadate, rubidium vanadate, cesium vanadate and their solid solutions sodium-rubidium vanadate and sodium-cesium vanadate were studied by a two-probe method in the temperature range covering their transition points. The electrical conductivity shows sharp change at the phase transition temperature of these materials. In NaVO₃, RbVO₃ and CsVO₃, increase in d.c. conductivity is observed in the ferroelectric region while nonlinearities are observed above transition temperatures. In solid solutions, the activation energy in the paraelectric state is higher than that in the ferroelectric state and depends upon sodium concentration.     

Preparation of BaMgAl10O17∶Eu2+ and Its Phase Behavior in Microemulsion System

BaMgAl10O17∶Eu2 (BAM) was prepared in the microemulsion system and its phase behavior was studied. There exists a small region in the reverse microemulsion system where the dispersed particles are of spherical form. In this way, BAM blue phosphor with good dispersion can be synthesized. The microemulsion phase diagrams of the pseudo-ternary system (Triton X-100/cosurfactant-oil-BAM brine) were first established intuitively by the dilution method. The microstructure of microemulsions was determined through eyeballing, conductance technique, and polar optical microscopy. Its phase behavior is affected by various factors, such as temperature (room temperature, 30, 40 ℃), oil, surfactants, and cosurfactants in microemulsions. According to the phase diagrams, the microemulsion system of Triton X-100/1-hexanol-hexane-BAM brine was chosen to prepare the precursor. The BAM phosphor can be obtained via sintering the precursor at a comparatively low temperature. The phosphors were characterized by XRD and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) spectra.     

SHS of shape memory CuZnAl alloys

Aiming at preparation of shape memory alloys (SMAs), we explored the SHS of Cu_{1 − x} Zn_{1 − y} Al_{1 − z} alloys (0.29 < x < 0.30, 0.74 < y < 0.75, and 0.83 < z < 0.96). The most pronounced shape memory effect was exhibited by the alloys of the following compositions (wt %): (1) Cu(70.6)Zn(25.4)Al(4.0), (2) Cu(70.1)Zn(25.9)Al(4.0), and (3) Cu(69.9)Zn(26.1)Al(4.0). The effect of process parameters on the synthesis of CuZnAl alloys was studied by XRD, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The grain size of CuZnAl was found to depend on the relative amount of the primary CuZn and AlZn phases. Changes in the transformation temperature and heat of transformation are discussed in terms of ignition intensity and compaction. Mechanism of the process depends on the level of the temperature attained relative to the melting point of components. At the melting point of AlZn, the process is controlled by the solid-state diffusion of AlZn into a product layer. The ignition temperature for this system depends on the temperature of the austenite-martensite transformation in CuZnAl alloys. The composition and structure of the products was found to markedly depend on process parameters. The SHS technique has been successfully used to prepare a variety of SMAs.      

Influence of a lipid phase on steam jet agglomeration of maltodextrin powders

The contribution of an oil phase to the agglomeration mechanisms of food powders was evaluated. Maltodextrin (DE 10), palm oil stearin and two palm oil oleins (up to 25% dry mass) were used as food models. Granulation runs were carried out in a pilot plant steam jet agglomerator. The powders containing oleins were more cohesive than those with stearin and the presence of oil changed the agglomeration mechanisms. The size increase mechanism of pure maltodextrin powder was controlled by surface plasticization and agglomerates with suitable instant properties were obtained. Small amount of oil degenerated drastically the rate of dispersion in water of the powders and their agglomerates but the average size and the mechanical resistance of the agglomerates increased when the oil content of the powders increased. SEM micrographs of agglomerates indicated that higher lipid content in the powders produced compact granules, favoring sinkability but hindering their disintegration. Agglomeration enhanced considerably the flowability of the particles containing oil. The dispersion behavior of the powders with higher lipid content could be correlated with the Hausner Number. A pre-agglomeration step favored the blend of the more cohesive powders producing larger and more resistant agglomerates.     

Performance evaluation of a water/silicone oil two‐phase partitioning bioreactor using Rhodococcus erythropolis T902.1 to remove volatile organic compounds from gaseous effluents

BACKGROUND: In the framework of biological processes used for waste gas treatment, the impact of the inoculum size on the start‐up performance needs to be better evaluated. Moreover, only a few studies have investigated the behaviour of elimination capacity and biomass viability in a two‐phase partitioning bioreactor (TPPB) used for waste gas treatment. Lastly, the impact of ethanol as a co‐substrate remains misunderstood. RESULTS: Firstly, no benefit of inoculation with a high cellular density (>1.5 g L^?1) was observed in terms of start‐up performance. Secondly, the TPPB was monitored for 38 days to characterise its behaviour under several operational conditions. The removal efficiency remained above 63% for an inlet concentration of 7 g isopropylbenzene (IPB) m^?3 and at some time points reached 92% during an intermittent loading phase (10 h day^?1), corresponding to a mean elimination capacity of 4 × 10^?3 g L^?1 min^?1 (240 g m^?3 h^?1) for a mean IPB inlet load of 6.19 × 10^?3 g L^?1 min^?1 (390 g m^?3 h^?1). Under continuous IPB loading, the performance of the TPPB declined, but the period of biomass acclimatisation to this operational condition was shorter than 5 days. The biomass grew to approximately 10 g L^?1 but the cellular viability changed greatly during the experiment, suggesting an endorespiration phenomenon in the bioreactor. It was also shown that simultaneous degradation of IPB and ethanol occurred, suggesting that ethanol improves the biodegradation process without causing oxygen depletion. CONCLUSION: A water/silicone oil TPPB with ethanol as co‐substrate allowed the removal of a high inlet load of IPB during an experiment lasting 38 days. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry