On the off-design of a natural gas-fired combined cycle with CO2 capture

During the last 15 years cycles with CO₂ capture have been in focus, due to the growing concern over our climate. Often, a natural gas fired combined cycle with a chemical absorption plant for CO₂ capture from the flue gases have been used as a reference in comparisons between cycles. Neither the integration of the steam production for regeneration of amines in the combined cycle nor the off-design behaviour of such a plant has been extensively studied before.     

Prediction and optimization of electroplated Ni-based coating composition and thickness using central composite design and artificial neural network

Journal of Applied Electrochemistry - The choice of the electroplating conditions of Ni-based alloys has always been a serious research question. In this study, an artificial neural network based...     

Solidification crack initiation and propagation in pulsed laser welding of wrought heat treatable aluminium alloy

The effect of preheating on strain rate and liquid flowrate is analysed to develop a model for solidification cracking in successive laser weld spots in 2024 aluminium alloy. It is shown that the lower tendency for solidification cracking with preheating can be attributed to the lower strain rate but not the feeding rate. It is also shown there is a strong tendency for solidification crack propagation through the fusion lines between the consecutive weld spots where there is already a crack present at the fusion line. This observation can be attributed to the higher local strain rate and lower feeding rate.     

Ab initio study of phase stability in doped TiO2

Ab initio density functional theory calculations of the relative stability of the anatase and rutile polymorphs of TiO₂ were carried out using all-electron atomic orbitals methods with local density approximation. The rutile phase exhibited a moderate margin of stability of ~ 3 meV relative to the anatase phase in pristine material. From computational analysis of the formation energies of Si, Al, Fe and F dopants of various charge states across different Fermi level energies in anatase and in rutile, it was found that the cationic dopants are most stable in Ti substitutional lattice positions while formation energy is minimised for F^? doping in interstitial positions. All dopants were found to considerably stabilise anatase relative to the rutile phase, suggesting the anatase to rutile phase transformation is inhibited in such systems with the dopants ranked F?>?Si?>?Fe?>?Al in order of anatase stabilisation strength. Al and Fe dopants were found to act as shallow acceptors with charge compensation achieved through the formation of mobile carriers rather than the formation of anion vacancies.     

Phase-field modelling of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of NiAl

A phase-field model is developed and used to simulate high-temperature synthesis of intermetallic compounds. The model is based on a thermodynamic formulation, which incorporates the formation of chemically ordered phases and the associated heat generation. In contrast to previous approaches to modelling of high-temperature synthesis of intermetallics, the present model can be used to analyse the kinetics of the process at the microstructure level. The model takes general thermodynamic and kinetic parameters as input and gives as output a spatially resolved sequence of phase formation, from which the overall reaction kinetics can be inferred. Thus, no additional assumption has to be made on the nature of the kinetic mechanisms or on the magnitude of the overall reaction rate. Beside prediction of the microstructure, the model captures the key thermal characteristics of the combustion synthesis in both modes of thermal explosion and self-propagation. The results of simulations, as applied to the case of intermetallic formation in a simplified Ni–Al system, are shown to be consistent with the existing experimental data.     

Brown tumors in dialyzed patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism: Report of 16 cases

Brown tumors (BTs) are relatively uncommon but they are serious complications of renal osteodystrophy. The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical, biological, and radiological characteristics of 16 patients with BTs provoked by secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPT) and its response to the decrease in parathyroid hormone levels after parathyroidectomy (PTX). The management of that uncommon condition was also reviewed. We conducted a retrospective study including 16 end‐stage renal disease patients who underwent subtotal PTX between 1997 and 2007 for severe sHPT with BTs. Our study included 10 men and 6 women, whose average age was 34 years. All patients were on dialysis. Ten of them were on dialysis for more than 5 years. The median duration on dialysis was 84 months. Patients included suffered from swellings associated with functional limitations. BTs had multiple locations in 7 patients. Jaw was the most frequent location (62%). Radiography and tomodensitometry demonstrated a mixed radio lucent and radio‐opaque lesions with an expansion of the cortical bone. Bone scan demonstrated an increased uptake of lesions. Chirurgical treatment was indicated in all cases because of severe refractory sHPT with functional limitations and/or disfiguring deformities. In all cases, BTs stopped its progression and even decreased in size. However, it was insufficient in four cases, which required a surgical resection. PTX remains an efficacious approach in resistant cases of sHPT with persistent BTs.     

Loss of SDHB Induces a Metabolic Switch in the hPheo1 Cell Line toward Enhanced OXPHOS

Background: Enzymes of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) have recently been recognized as tumor suppressors. Mutations in the SDHB subunit of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) cause pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PCCs/PGLs) and predispose patients to malignant disease with poor prognosis. Methods: Using the human pheochromocytoma cell line (hPheo1), we knocked down SDHB gene expression using CRISPR-cas9 technology. Results: Microarray gene expression analysis showed that >500 differentially expressed gene targets, about 54%, were upregulated in response to SDHB knock down. Notably, genes involved in glycolysis, hypoxia, cell proliferation, and cell differentiation were up regulated, whereas genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) were downregulated. In vitro studies show that hPheo1 proliferation is not affected negatively and the cells that survive by shifting their metabolism to the use of glutamine as an alternative energy source and promote OXPHOS activity. Knock down of SDHB expression results in a significant increase in GLUD1 expression in hPheo1 cells cultured as monolayer or as 3D culture. Analysis of TCGA data confirms the enhancement of GLUD1 in SDHB mutated/low expressed PCCs/PGLs. Conclusions: Our data suggest that the downregulation of SDHB in PCCs/PGLs results in increased GLUD1 expression and may represent a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in SDHB mutated tumors and SDHB loss of activity-dependent diseases.     

A waste heat recovery system development and analysis using ORC for the energy efficiency improvement in aluminium electrolysis cells

The present work investigates an active waste heat recovery system for the side walls of the aluminium electrolysis cells, enabling utilization of the extracted heat in power generation. This will potentially lead to energy efficiency improvement in the primary aluminium production industry and an enhanced aluminium production rate. An experimentally validated loop thermosyphon heat pipe model was used for heat extraction from the cell side wall. Boosting system thermal efficiency through waste heat recovery, by means of a heat utilization system, and increasing the level of control, as well as thermal equilibrium, stand as the main addressed objectives of the current study, which consequently result in an increased aluminium production rate. An organic Rankine cycle is incorporated into the system, and its performance is evaluated, taking into consideration the operating situations in terms of available temperature and thermal power range.