Optimal temperature policies for catalytic transport reactors under periodic operation

The influence of inlet gas concentration cycling on the optimal temperature policy of catalytic transport reactors is studied theoretically. The model considered is based on plug flow of gas and catalyst particles with negligible interand intra-particle diffusional resistances and concentration dependent deactivation kinetics. To utilise the concentration of the reactant and the activity of the deactivating catalyst fully a proper temperature sequence along the reactor is needed. Thus, a general optimal temperature policy using the continuous minimum principle is derived for the reactor under periodic operation. The model equations are solved analytically for gas concentration, activity and temperature profiles. Resonance behaviour (maximum in conversion with pulse width) is obtained using the optimal temperature policy for certain sets of parameters. The effects of activation energy groups, reaction and deactivation constant groups and inlet temperature on the optimal temperature policy under periodic operation are evaluated. In all cases an improvement in conversion with the optimal temperature policy under periodic operation over that with an isothermal policy under periodic operation is obtained. A suboptimal policy, comprising constant temperature over different reactor sections, which is useful for implementation purposes is also discussed.     

Fine grinding of silicon wafers: a mathematical model for the chuck shape

Fine grinding of silicon wafers is a patented technology to manufacture super flat semiconductor wafers cost-effectively. Two papers on fine grinding were previously published in this journal, one discussed its uniqueness and special requirements, and the other presented the results of a designed experimental investigation. As a follow up, this paper presents a study aiming at overcoming one of the technical barriers that have hindered the widespread application of this technology, namely, the difficulty and uncertainty in chuck preparation. Although the chuck shape is critically important in fine grinding, there are no standard procedures for its preparation. Furthermore, the information on the relation between the set-up parameters and the resulting chuck shape is not readily available. In this paper, a mathematical model for the chuck shape is first developed. Then the model is used to predict the relations between the chuck shape and the set-up parameters. Finally, the results of the pilot experiments to verify the model are discussed.     

MELOC-X: extended memory and location optimized caching for large mobile ad hoc networks of UAVs

Effective caching in mobile ad hoc network increases data availability. However, caching at strategic locations with reduced (controlled) number of copies is needed for many military applications involving UAVs to address security concerns, less maintenance overhead and maintaining availability. In general, existing cooperative caching approaches are deficient in finding the reduced number of strategic cache locations. One such technique to reduce the number of strategic cache locations without affecting the efficacy of data access for a small network topology of UAVs is called “memory and location optimized caching scheme (MELOC)”. However, having a single broker and metadata broadcast across the whole network in MELOC lead to severe performance hindrance in case of a large network topology of UAVs. Moreover, frequent cache replacements due to a change in network topology do not favor cache hit and bandwidth conservation in case of large mobile networks consisting of UAVs. In this paper, we design and evaluate an extended version of “MELOC called MELOC-X”, which suits large network topologies of UAVs by overcoming the above challenges. Our comparison with one such recent scheme with similar objectives showcased a significant improvement in performance. We also evaluate the impact of this scheme with respect to different metrics including the average number of hops, the average roundtrip time (i.e., average query latency), cache hits and mobility to access cached data through extensive simulations.     

POLYBiNN: Binary Inference Engine for Neural Networks using Decision Trees

Journal of Signal Processing Systems - Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have gained significant popularity in several classification and regression applications....     

On the Corrosion Performance of Monel 400 in Molten LiCl-Li2O-Li at 923 K

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - The corrosion resistance of a Ni-Cu alloy, Monel 400, in molten LiCl-Li2O-Li at 923 K (650 °C) was investigated. Exposure testing...     

Graphene oxide reinforced polyvinyl alcohol/polyethylene glycol blend composites as high-performance dielectric material

Novel flexible dielectric composites composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and graphene oxide (GO) with high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss have been developed using facile and eco-friendly colloidal processing technique. The structure and morphology of the PVA/PEG/GO composites were evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy (UV-vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The dielectric behavior of PVA/PEG/GO composites was investigated in the wide range of frequencies from 50 Hz to 20 MHz and temperature in the range 40 to 150 °C using impedance spectroscopy. The dielectric constant for PVA and PVA/PEG (50/50) blend film was found to be 10.71 (50 Hz, 150 °C) and 31.22 (50 Hz, 150 °C), respectively. The dielectric constant for PVA/PEG/GO composite with 3 wt% GO was found to be 644.39 (50 Hz, 150 °C) which is 60 times greater than the dielectric constant of PVA and 20 times greater than the dielectric constant of PVA/PEG (50/50) blend film. The PVA/PEG/GO composites not only show high dielectric constant but also show low dielectric loss which is highly attractive for practical applications. These findings underline the possibilities of using PVA/PEG/GO composites as a flexible dielectric material for high-performance energy storage applications such as embedded capacitors.     

Centralized PI controllers for interacting multivariable processes by synthesis method

In this article, two methods of designing a centralized control system for multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) processes are presented. Centralized proportional-integral (PI) controllers are designed based on a direct synthesis method. The inverse of the process transfer function matrix in the direct synthesis method is approximated based on the relative gain array concept. The method is further improved by using a relative normalized gain array, and an equivalent transfer function for each element in the process transfer function matrix is derived for the closed-loop control system. The transpose of the effective transfer function is used to approximate the inverse of the process transfer function matrix. The simulation studies demonstrate the effectiveness of this method. The proposed centralized controllers reduce the interactions better than recently reported decentralized controllers do. A centralized controller designed based on a relative normalized gain array (RNGA) gives a better performance than a centralized controller designed based on a relative gain array (RGA).     

Membrane application for recovery and reuse of water from treated tannery wastewater

Secondary treated tannery wastewater contains high concentrations of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and other residual organic impurities, which cannot be removed by conventional treatment method. A pilot plant membrane system with a designed processing capacity of 1 m³/h, comprising of nano and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane units, accompanied by several pre-treatment operations, was evaluated in order to further treat and reuse the tannery wastewater. The maximum TD S removal efficiency of the polyamide RO membrane was more than 98%. The permeate recovery of about 78% was achieved. The water recovered from the membrane system, which had very low TDS concentration, was reused for wet finishing process in the tanneries. The reject concentrate obtained from the operation was sent to solar evaporation pans. It was evident from the study that the membrane system can successfully be applied for recovery of water from secondary treated tannery effluent, provided a suitable and effective pretreatment system prior to membrane system is employed. Combining nano and RO membranes improved the life of the membranes and permeate recovery rate.