Apparatus for steady-state kinetic measurements of the catalytic reduction of nitric oxide by ammonia on iron oxide

The reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia on an unsupported iron oxide catalyst has been studied in a continuous-flow recycle reactor using simulated flue gas. The responses of the employed reactor system to step and pulse inputs of tracer indicate that the system could be regarded as a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Preliminary tests were carried out to determine the effect of temperature and particle size on the measured reaction rates. Additional experiments were performed in order to study the influence of oxygen and water concentration on these rates. A gas chromatographic system has been developed to analyze the gas components NO, N₂O, NO₂, NH₃, H₂O, O₂, CO₂ and N₂. In addition, the concentrations of NO and NO₂ were measured with a nondisperse infrared (NDUV/NDIR) analyzer.     

A new method of excitation control based on fuzzy set theory

The synthesis of the structure of the power system stabiliser (PSS) and its parametrization are based entirely on methods of linear system theory. Thus the desired effect of the PSS is limited to a bounded area around one system operating point. The use of a controller based on fuzzy set theory introduces an event controlled excitation of the synchronous machine taking into account the power system operation. The desired response of the fuzzy controller is given by a set of rules which are obtained from the limits of the voltage regulator and the undesired performance of the conventional excitation control. A fuzzy controller has been developed for which simulation results are provided. These results support the concept of a fuzzy controller for the purpose of excitation control. They show that a well designed fuzzy controller is superior to a fast excitation control with an additional PSS     

Influence of water uptake on the mechanical properties of jute fiber-reinforced polypropylene

Jute fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites have been produced and characterized in order to investigate the influence of water on their mechanical properties. Being hydrophilic, jute fibers absorb a high amount of water causing swelling of fibers. On the other hand, the thermal shrinkage of polypropylene melt leaves some gaps between jute fibers and matrix material. We investigated whether these gaps could be filled by the swelling of wetted fibers. The fillup of these gaps would result in a higher shear strength between fibers and matrix during fracture. Our results suggest that swelling of jute fibers in a composite material can have positive effects on mechanical properties. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.