An experimental investigation of an ejector for validating numerical simulations

Supersonic ejectors have been used in cooling/refrigeration applications since the early 1900s. Interest in supersonic ejectors has been rekindled by recent efforts to reduce energy consumption; ejector refrigeration systems can be powered by solar energy or by waste heat generated by another process. This paper describes an experimental test bench using R245fa that was assembled and operated at CanmetENERGY in Varennes. The results from this test bench provide a source of reference data that may be used to validate numerical models of ejectors that could be used in refrigeration applications. Limited results from two numerical models are presented for comparison; global results from a 1D model and results from a detailed CFD model that show the flow field inside the ejector.     

New ceramides from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rantherium suaveolens</Emphasis>

A mixture of five new ceramides was isolated from the aerial parts of Rantherium suaveolens and characterized by spectroscopic and chemical methods. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical methods as (2S, 3S, 4R, 2′R, 14E)-2-(2′-hydroxydocosanoylamino)-14-octadecene-1,3,4-triol (1), (2S,3S,4R,2′R, 14F)-2-(2′-hydroxytricosanoylamino)-14-octadecene-1,3,4-triol (2), (2S,3S,4R,2′R,14F)-2-(2′-hydroxytetracosanoylamino)-14-octadecene-1,3,4-triol (3), (2S,3S,4R,2′R,14E)-2-(2′-hydroxypentacosanoylamino)-14-octadecene-1,3,4-triol (4), and (2S,3S,4R,2′R,14E)-2-(2′-hydroxyhexacosanoylamino)-14-octadecene-1,3,4-triol (5).     

Novel all-solid-state copper(II) microelectrode based on a dithiomacrocycle as a neutral carrier

A novel dithiomacrocycle (4-phenyl-11-decanoyl-1,7-dithia-11-azacyclotetradecane-4-sulfide) has been synthesized and used as a new ionophore in order to develop a plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) membrane for copper ion detection. The performance of these novel planar copper(II)-selective potentiometric microelectrodes was investigated using potentiometric measurements. The developed microelectrodes exhibits a good linear response of 29.5 ± 1 mV per decade within the concentration range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.0 × 10⁻² M (r = 0.9995) of Cu²⁺. The detection limit was determined as 5.62 × 10⁻⁷ M and the selectivity coefficients for possible interfering cations were evaluated. The microelectrodes are suitable for use with aqueous solutions of pH 3.5-6.0 and were found to be insensitive to the nature of the anions used in the sample.     

Styrene–butadiene rubber/cellulose II/clay nanocomposites prepared by cocoagulation—mechanical properties

In this work, nanocomposites of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), cellulose II, and clay were prepared by cocoagulation of SBR latex, cellulose xanthate, and clay aqueous suspension mixtures. The incorporated amount of cellulose II was 15 phr, and the clay varied from 0 to 7 phr. The influence of cellulose II and clay was investigated by rheometric, mechanical, physicochemical, and morphological properties. From the analysis of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dispersion in nanometric scale (below 100nm) of the cellulosic and mineral components throughout the elastomeric matrix was observed. XRD analysis suggested that fully exfoliated structure could be obtained by this method when low loading of silicate layers (up to 5 phr) is used. The results from mechanical tests showed that the nanocomposites presented better mechanical properties than SBR gum vulcanizate. Furthermore, 5 phr of clay is enough to achieve the best tensile properties. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Influence of textile treatment on mechanical and sorption properties of flax/epoxy composites

The aim of the present work is to study the effect of conventional textile treatments of woven flax on the mechanical properties and the water sorption of flax/epoxy composites. The flax fabrics are standard 2/2 twills. Various treatments are carried out on fabric such as mercerization, bleaching, and leaching for long fibers or on yarn such as leaching for short fibers. A model, based on a modified rule of mixture applied to composite reinforced with woven fabric, is developed to include the effect of fiber and porosity volume fractions on composite stiffness and strength. Most treatments improve tensile stiffness and strength of flax/epoxy composite and reduce composite water sorption. We prove by X‐ray fluorescence analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and tensile tests of dry fabric that it is due to an improvement in the interfacial bonding between fibers and matrix. The best performances are achieved with bleaching and mercerization treatment. The weakest performances are obtained with the composites made with leached yarns. POLYM. COMPOS., 34:1761–1773, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

A new modeling procedure for circuit design and performance prediction of evaporator coils using CO2 as refrigerant

The replacement of environmentally damaging synthetic refrigerants due to their ODP or GWI potential by natural refrigerants such as CO₂ is now up in the research agenda. Moreover, current energy supply concerns make of efficiency another first priority issue to dictate new stringent design criteria for industrial and commercial equipment. Heat exchangers are the most important components in refrigeration systems where they are used as evaporators or condensers and their design and operation have a considerable impact on overall system performance. Hence, it is important to better understand their thermal and hydrodynamic behaviour in order to improve their design and operation. Numerical simulation represents a very efficient tool for achieving this objective. In this paper, a new modeling approach, accounting for the heat transfer the hydrodynamics of the problem and intended to predict the dynamic behaviour of a refrigeration coil under dry conditions is proposed. A related FORTRAN program was developed, allowing the study of a large range of complex refrigerant circuit configurations. The equations describing these aspects are strongly coupled, and their decoupling is reached by using an original method of resolution. Circuits may have several inlets, outlets, bifurcations and feed one or several other tubes inlets. The coil was subdivided into several elementary control volumes and its analysis provided detailed information in X, Y and Z directions. Validation was performed with data from a CO₂ secondary refrigeration loop test bench built in CanmetENERGY Laboratories. These data were predicted satisfactorily over the operating range corresponding to refrigeration applications. Exemplary simulations were then performed on an evaporator typically employed in supermarkets, showing the effect of circuiting on operation and performance. Even though circuiting is common practice in refrigeration this simulation shows that care must be exercised in making the selection. A two-circuit configuration was chosen for analysis in this investigation. In terms of capacity and heat transfer, it was shown that the two circuits were well balanced in terms of pressure drop and heat transfer capacity. Low CO₂ pressure drop resulted in reduced temperature glide as compared to a single circuit.     

Experimental investigation of two-phase electrolysis processes: comparison with or without gravity

During two-phase electrolysis, bubble production occurs at one or two electrodes. This yields a large change for the electrolyser electrical and hydrodynamic properties. Under normal Earth gravity, the bubble production at the electrodes induces a macro-convection in the electrolyser. This leads to a modified local current density distribution at the electrodes. When gravity is avoided, bubbles are no longer subject to buoyancy forces and to the induced natural flow friction forces. Electrolysis was performed using a potentiostat, and gas bubble evolution was observed with cameras. Quantitative evolution laws for the electrochemical cell voltage, bubble diameter and population during two-phase electrolysis are established in function of the current density and gravity variation.     

Combination of PDMS microfilters and micromixers based on flexible thermoplastic films for size sorting and mixing of microparticles

We present a study for the development of flexible microfilters based on sealing microstructured poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) to different functionalized thermoplastic films [polyimide (PI), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET)]. The microfilter was manufactured by soft‐lithography and replica molding and then combined with plasma activation and chemical treatment using 3‐(aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES). To demonstrate the functionality of the PDMS microfilters, poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles (MPS) were filtered through the microfluidic device based on the three thermoplastic films. Subsequently, the mixing capabilities of a passive PDMS micromixer was observed with the injection of polymeric MPS (fluorescent and nonfluorescent) as fluidic mixers are not generally effective at mixing particles. On mixing nonfluorescent MPS (～<10–30 µm in diameter) a mixing performance of 13.3% at 5 mm was observed. Therefore, a PDMS microfiltering device was integrated with a PDMS micromixer using a simple and cost effective home‐made polymeric connector for filtration at a size sorting of 11 µm. The results exhibit that the combination of the two microfluidic devices can be achieved with size sorting and mixing of MPS with an improved mixing performance of 62.5% at 3 mm. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42088.     

Cancer prognostics by direct detection of p53-antibodies on gold surfaces by impedance measurements

The identification and measurement of biomarkers is critical to a broad range of methods that diagnose and monitor many diseases. Serum auto-antibodies are rapidly becoming interesting targets because of their biological and medical relevance. This paper describes a highly sensitive, label-free approach for the detection of p53-antibodies, a prognostic indicator in ovarian cancer as well as a biomarker in the early stages of other cancers. This approach uses impedance measurements on gold microelectrodes to measure antibody concentrations at the picomolar level in undiluted serum samples. The biosensor shows high selectivity as a result of the optimization of the epitopes responsible for the detection of p53-antibodies and was validated by several techniques including microcontact printing, self-assembled-monolayer desorption ionization (SAMDI) mass spectrometry, and adhesion pull-off force by atomic force microscopy (AFM). This transduction method will lead to fast and accurate diagnostic tools for the early detection of cancer and other diseases.