Simulation of Temperature Distribution in Stored Wheat without Aeration

A neural-deterministic simulation model applied for calculating distributions of temperatures and moisture content in a bed of wheat stored in a steel silo without aeration is presented in the article. The model consists of differential equations of heat and moisture transfer, initial and boundary conditions, and three artificial neural networks used during simulated ambient air conditions. Experiments and computer simulations were carried out in order to determine temperature fields in wheat grain stored in a steel silo for two months. The computer simulations were carried using MATLAB and FEMLAB software. The difference between measured and simulated temperature in grain near the silo wall at a height of 2.5 m from the bottom was less than 3.0°C. On the basis of the analysis performed it was concluded that the temperature distributions obtained with the model were consistent with the measured results obtained for grain stored in a steel silo without aeration.     

DRYING OF GRANULAR PARTICLES IN A MULTISTAGE INCLINED FLUIDIZED BED WITH MECHANICAL VIBRATION

A mathematical model for the drying rate of granular particles in a multistage inclined fluidized bed(IFB) is presented from the standpoint of simultaneous heat and mass transfer, with taking the effect of mechanical vibration added vertically into consideration.

Steady-state distributions for the temperatures and concentrations of the particles and the heating gas, and for the moisture content of the particles are numerically calculated based on the present model. The calculated results show fairly good agreement with the experimental data, which were obtained from the drying experiments of brick particles in a three-stage IFB using comparatively low temperature air(40-60°C) as the heating gas.

It has been found within the range of the experimental conditions employed that, the mechanical vibration added vertically enhances the over-all drying rate of the particles and its effect can be considered equivalent to an increase in the air velocity.     

The influence of the ion content of whey on the pH-activity profile of the β-galactosidase from Aspergillus oryzae

The pH-dependence of the reaction kinetics of lactase (β-galactosidase) from Aspergillus oryzae in different reaction media is presented in terms of a two-parameter model. The lactase from A. oryzae seems to have replaced the A. niger lactase on the market owing to a better activity/price ratio and may be utilised for lactose hydrolysis in acid as well as in neutral milk products. Its pH optimum is around pH 4.5. However, in the neutral pH-range its activity depended strongly on the salt content of the substrate solution. For example, its activity in whey (pH 6.5) fell to only 30% of its expected activity in a pure lactose solution at the same pH. The whey effect was the same for both soluble and immobilised lactase. The two parameter kinetic model, which included a term for competitive product inhibition gave excellent agreement with experimental data, and may thus be useful for the prediction of reactor performance with this enzyme.     

Alternating,all-trans polyenynes: Model compounds for poly(diacetylene)s with defined conjugation length

The syntheses of polyenynes as model compounds for poly(diacetylene)s (PDAs) are described. Variation of properties (UV–VIS, Raman, NMR and bond geometries) as a function of the chain length was investigated. After extrapolation to infinite chain length these data were compared to those for PDAs. From UV–VIS spectra a value of λ = 551 nm (2.25 eV) was calculated corresponding to the electronic transition of a single polyenyne chain. This energy is located at the low energy end of a yellow PDA solution spectrum. From Raman scattering v_(C?C) = 2108–2128 cm^?1 and v_(C?C) = 1505–1532 cm^?1 were calculated after extrapolation. Similarly sp-C¹³C NMR data yielded a shift of δ = 100 ppm. These data are almost identical to data known for yellow PDA solutions. Bond geometries are almost identical to those of poly(diacetylene)s and theoretical data.     

A novel method of suppressing the inrush current of transformers by using a series‐connected voltage‐source PWM converter

This paper proposes a novel method of suppressing the inrush current of transformers. A small‐rated voltage‐source PWM converter is connected in series to the transformers through a matching transformer. As the connected PWM converter serves as a resistor for the source current, no inrush phenomena occurs. The required rating of the PWM converter, which serves as the damping resistor for the inrush phenomena, is 1/400 that of the main transformers in single‐phase circuits. In three‐phase circuits, it is 1/900. The basic principle of the proposed method is discussed. Digital computer simulation is implemented to confirm the validity and excellent practicability of the proposed method using the PSCAD/EMTDC. A prototype experimental model is constructed and tested. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can perfectly suppress the inrush phenomena. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 157(4): 56–65, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20174     

Important features of Iris OSQL

OSQL is the object-oriented database language developed for the Iris object-oriented database management system at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories. Its three fundamental constructs are objects, types, and functions. This paper provides an overview of the underlying concepts and some important features of OSQL.     

Homogenization of hardness distribution and distortion in high pressure gas quenching

Quenching with gases rather than oil or other liquid media has the advantages of reducing the risks concerning health and environment, while simultaneously homogenizing the quenching results and minimizing distortion due to a wide range of possible process parameter variations and the pure convective heat transfer. In this contribution, a coupled solution for increasing homogenization of quenching results within high pressure gas quenching will be presented. In the first stage, an experimental test facility was set up for flow investigations and in the second stage a numerical simulation model was generated. The numerical and experimental results of the flow through the chamber were compared for several boundary conditions. Finally, after complete verification of the simulation, the model may be used to assist in parameter variation for optimization of homogeneous high pressure gas quenching.     

Kinetic modelling of textural changes in ready-to-eat breakfast cereals during soaking in semi-skimmed milk

Summary Ready‐to‐eat breakfast cereals immersed in milk undergo undesirable changes in texture because of sudden moisture uptake. The textural changes are ascribable to a plasticizing effect of water, which modifies the mechanical strength of products by softening the starch/protein matrix. In this work, some textural parameters of different cereal flakes were derived from the force–displacement curves monitored during 300 s of immersion in milk. Hardness loss, deformability increment and changes in the force–displacement curve profile were calculated and plotted against soaking time. The application of a sugar coating process to a model cereal flake increased the initial product hardness and improved the preservation of the textural parameters during immersion. The Peleg model closely fitted the experimental data, with regression coefficients from 0.967 to 0.999.