Performance of BaZrO3/Y2O3 dual-phase refractory applied to TiAl alloy melting

Vacuum induction melting is a potential process for the preparation of TiAl alloys with good homogeneity and low cost. But the crucial problem is a selection of high stability refractory. In this study, a BaZrO₃/Y₂O₃ dual-phase refractory was prepared and its performance for melting TiAl alloys was studied and compared with that of a Y₂O₃ refractory. The results showed the dual-phase refractory consisted of BaZr_1-xY_xO_3-δ and Y₂O₃(ZrO₂), exhibited a thinner interaction layer (30 μm) than the Y₂O₃ refractory (90 μm) after melting the TiAl alloy. Although the TiAl alloys melted in the dual-phase and Y₂O₃ refractory exhibited similar oxygen contamination (<0.1 wt%), the alloy melted in the dual-phase refractory had smaller Y₂O₃ inclusion content and size than that in the Y₂O₃ refractory, indicating that the dual-phase refractory exhibited a better melting performance than the Y₂O₃ refractory. This study provides insights into the process of designing highly stable refractory for melting TiAl alloys.     

Preparation of Pt/Ce–Zr–Y mixed oxide/anodized aluminium oxide catalysts for hydrogen passive autocatalytic recombination

The use of a Pt-based catalyst was evaluated for autocatalytic hydrogen recombination. The Pt was supported on a mixture of Ce-, Zr- and Y-oxides (CZY) to yield nanosized Pt particles. The Pt/CZY/AAO catalyst was then prepared by the spray-deposition of the Pt/CZY intermediate onto an anodized aluminium oxide (AAO) layer on a metallic aluminum core. The Pt/CZY/AAO catalyst (3 × 1 cm) was evaluated for hydrogen combustion (1–8 vol% hydrogen in the air) in a recombiner section testing station. The thermal distribution throughout the catalyst surface was investigated using an infrared camera. The maximum temperature gradient (ΔT) for the examined hydrogen concentrations did not exceed 36 °C. The Pt/CZY/AAO catalyst was also evaluated for prolonged hydrogen combustion duration to assess its durability. An average combustion temperature of 239.0 ± 10.0 °C was maintained for 53 days of catalytic hydrogen combustion, suggesting that there was limited, or no, catalyst deactivation. Finally, a Pt/CZY/AAO catalytic plate (14.0 × 4.5 cm) was prepared to investigate the thermal distribution. An average surface temperature of 212.5 °C and a maximum ΔT of 5.4 °C was obtained throughout the catalyst surface at a 3 vol% hydrogen concentration.     

工业园区混合能源优化配置方法应用与实践

为了充分挖掘多能源之间的互补潜力,使工业园区混合能源系统的配置方式由传统粗放式转变为精确优化配置并降低系统配置方案的保守性,基于粒子群联合CPLEX求解算法对工业园区的系统配置和运行调度方案进行分析优化,并以某生物园区为例进行了实例分析,得到了目标函数下的最优设计方案和运行策略。仿真分析结果表明,优化配置方法的应用能够协调冷热电多种能源的混合利用,提升系统的综合经济性。同时,为工业园区能源供应项目的规划、设计提供参考性支撑,丰富设计手段。     

Industry 4.0: a supply chain innovation perspective

The Fourth Industrial Revolution – also known as Industry 4.0 (i4.0) – comprises the digitalisation of the industrial sector. This paper uses the theoretical lens of supply chain innovation (SCI) to investigate the implications of i4.0 on supply chain management. For these purposes, the method of structured content analysis is applied to more than 200 use cases of i4.0-enabled SCI introduced by both established and startup companies. i4.0-enabled SCI manifests along three dimensions: process, technology, and business architecture. The key findings of this study can be summarised as follows: first, i4.0-enabled SCI extends the initial focus on productivity improvements in SC processes towards scalability and flexibility. Second, extant i4.0 solutions rely mostly on analytics and smart things while omitting smart people technology and the human-centric approach associated with the i4.0 paradigm. Third, established companies adopt i4.0 merely to sustain their existing business architectures while startup companies radically change their operating models, relying heavily on data analytics and the platform economy. Consequently, established companies pursue a problem-driven, engineering-based approach to SCI while startup companies follow an ‘asset-light’, business-driven approach. Lastly, there are two distinct approaches to digitalising operational SC processes: platform-based crowdsourcing of standard processes and on-demand provision of customised services.     

东兴铝业嘉峪关分公司铝灰渣循环利用研究

铝灰渣是铝熔铸过程中产生的废弃物。本文主要介绍了酒钢东兴铝业嘉峪关分公司铝灰渣的产生量、排放、利用情况、化学成分及表面特征,并简要介绍了铝灰渣、铝灰的循环利用途径。     

Heat propagation in thermally conductive polymers of PA6 and hexagonal boron nitride

Thermally conductive polymers offer new possibilities for the heat dissipation in electric and electronic components, for example, by a three‐dimensional shaping of the heat sinks. To face safety regulations, improved fire performance of those components is required. In contrast to unfilled polymers, those materials exhibit an entirely different thermal behavior. To investigate the flammability, a phosphorus flame retardant was incorporated into thermally conductive composites of polyamide 6 and hexagonal boron nitride. The flame retardant decreased the thermal conductivity only slightly. However, the burning behavior changed significantly, due to a different heat propagation, which was investigated using a thermographic camera. An optimum content of hexagonal boron nitride for a sufficient thermal conductivity and fire performance was found between 20 and 30 vol%. The improvement of the fire performance was due to a faster heat release out of the pyrolysis zone and an earlier decomposition of the flame retardant. For higher contents of hexagonal boron nitride, the heat was spread faster within the part, promoting an earlier ignition and increasing the decomposition rate of the flame retardant.     

Studying local liquid velocity in liquid–solid packed bed using the newly developed X-ray DIR technique

Combination of X-ray Digital Industrial Radiography (DIR) and Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV) techniques for local liquid velocity measurement (V_LL) has been newly developed and successfully applied for trickle bed reactor (TBR). The technique was validated against newly developed fiber optical probe technique. This work attempts to highlight the applicability of this newly developed technique on a liquid–solid packed bed reactor. In this work, liquid was represented by water and solids were represented by EPS beads. The EPS beads were chosen because of its low density property. Three superficial liquid velocities (V_SL) were applied to the system. The experiment was replicated four times. The digital industrial radiography (DIR) consists of a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) digital detector and X-ray source. Results of this work suggest that the technique has been successfully applied and comparable with previous work that has been done in the literature. It also suggests that there will be a maximum measurable interstitial liquid velocity when it travel inside the packed bed. The measured V_LL can have a maximum range that is between 4 and 4.7 times that of its V_SL. For V_SL=0.42±±2%, the V_LL-Max is in between 1.7 cm/s and 1.9 cm/s, V_SL=0.84±±2%, the V_LL-Max is in between 3.6 cm/s and 4.0 cm/s, and for V_SL=1.11±±2%, the V_LL-Max is in between 4.3 cm/s and 4.8 cm/s.     

Combustion synthesis of AlN doped with carbon and oxygen

Carbon-and-oxygen-doped AlN specimens were prepared by combustion synthesis using Al, graphite, and AlN. Graphite addition changed the product color from white to blue. By XRD, the lattice constant increased slightly with increasing carbon content. Blue AlN powder was synthesized with a molar ratio of the diluent AlN of 0.2-0.5 with a fixed graphite content of 0.05. At an AlN molar ratio exceeding 0.6, carbon was not successfully incorporated due to the lower reaction temperature. Calcination at 800°C in air removed residual graphite without changing the crystal structure or product color. Oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon analyses revealed that blue AlN powders contained 0.45-0.54 mass% carbon and 1.4-1.6 mass% oxygen, while the undoped AlN contained 0.021 mass% carbon and 0.94 mass% oxygen. The origin of the white-to-blue color change was investigated via reflection measurements. Blue AlN exhibits an absorption peak at 634 nm (1.96 eV). From first-principles electronic structure calculations, the C-doped AlN and carbon-and-oxygen-doped AlN with a 1:1 ratio could be classified as p-type, whereas the O-doped AlN and 1:3 carbon-and-oxygen-doped AlN were n-type. One reason for the absorption peak at 634 nm may be a transition from the conduction band to an upper unoccupied state. These results suggest the possible control of optical and electronic properties of AlN via carbon-and-oxygen doping.