Conversion of Methylesters to Hydrocarbons Over Zn-Modified H-ZSM-5 Zeolite Catalyst

The conversion of methyloctanoate has been studied on Zn- and H-ZSM-5 catalysts. While the addition of Zn has a promoting effect in the aromatization of light alkanes, the effect is much lower when the feed is a methylester. Direct ring closure at the C adjacent to the CO group has been identified.     

Wind power potential and characteristic analysis of Chiang Mai,Thailand

An investigation of wind characteristics and wind energy potential at Chiang Mai Province, Thailand was studied. Wind data taken from the weather station at Chiang Mai International Airport between 2001–2006 was analyzed in order to obtain the potential energy generated by a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT). It was found that the yearly average wind velocity was 5.7 meters per second with a standard deviation value of 2.2 meters per second. The analysis assumed that wind blew in the S.W. to N.E. direction. Two parameters for the local wind, the shape parameter (k) and scale parameter (c) were obtained at 2.928 and 6.381 meters per second, respectively. The estimated power that could be generated by a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine was 183.09 W/m² at 30 meters above ground level. This particular site corresponds to class 1 wind power. This level of power density may be adequate for non-connected electrical and mechanical applications, such as battery charging and water pumping.     

Characterization of Flow Behavior of Semi-Solid Slurries with Low Solid Fractions

Semi-solid slurry casting is a metal-forming process that involves transforming liquid metal into slurry having a low solid fraction and then forming the slurry into solid parts. To successfully apply this slurry-forming process, it is necessary to fully understand the flow behavior of semi-solid slurries. This present work applied the rapid quenching method and the modified gravity fluidity casting to investigate the flow behavior, which involves characterizations of the initial solid fraction, fluidity, and microstructure of semi-solid slurries. Three commercial aluminum alloys were used in this study: 383 (Al-Si11Cu), 356 (Al-Si7MgFe), and 7075 (Al-Zn6MgCu) alloys. The results show that the initial solid fractions can be controlled by varying the rheocasting time. The rapid quenching mold can be used to determine the initial solid fractions. In this method, it is important to apply the correcting procedure to account for growth during quenching and to include all the solid phases. Results from the fluidity study of semi-solid slurries show that the fluidity decreases as the initial solid fraction increases. The decrease is relatively rapid near the low end of the initial solid fraction curves, but is quite slow near the high end of the curves. All the three alloys follow this trend. The results also demonstrate that the slurries that contain high solid fractions of up to 30 pct can still flow well. The microstructure characterization results show that the solid particles in the slurries flow uniformly in the channel. A uniform and fine microstructure with limited phase segregation is observed in the slurry cast samples.