Numerical approach to analyze fluid flow in a type C tank for liquefied hydrogen carrier (part 1: Sloshing flow)

The demand for clean energy use has been increasing worldwide, and hydrogen has attracted attention as an alternative energy source. The efficient transport of hydrogen must be established such that hydrogen may be used as an energy source. In this study, we considered the influences of various parameters in the transportation of liquefied hydrogen using type C tanks in shipping vessels. The sloshing and thermal flows were considered in the transportation of liquefied hydrogen, which exists as a cryogenic liquid at ?253 °C. In this study, the sloshing flow was analyzed using a numerical approach. A multiphase sloshing simulation was performed using the volume of fluid method for the observation and analysis of the internal flow. First, a sloshing experiment according to the gas-liquid density ratio performed by other researchers was utilized to verify the simulation technique and investigate the characteristics of liquefied hydrogen. Based on the results of this experiment, a sloshing simulation was then performed for a type C cargo tank for liquefied hydrogen carriers under three different filling level conditions. The sloshing impact pressure inside of the tank was measured via simulation and subjected to statistical analysis. In addition, the influence of sloshing flow on the appendages installed inside of the type C tank (stiffened ring and swash bulkhead) was quantitatively evaluated. In particular, the influence of the sloshing flow inside of the type C tank on the appendages can be utilized as an important indicator at the design stage. Furthermore, if such sloshing impact forces are repeatedly experienced over an extended period of time under cryogenic conditions, the behavior of the tank and appendages must be analyzed in terms of fatigue and brittle failure to ensure the safety of the transportation operation.     

Robust optimisation of sustainable food grain transportation with uncertain supply and intentional disruptions

The proliferating need for sustainability intervention in food grain transportation planning is anchoring the attention of researchers in the interests of stakeholders and environment at large. Uncertainty associated with food grain supply further intensifies the problem steering the need for designing robust, cost-efficient and sustainable models. In line with this, this paper aims to develop a robust and sustainable intermodal transportation model to facilitate single type of food grain commodity shipments while considering procurement uncertainty, greenhouse gas emissions, and intentional hub disruption. The problem is designed as a mixed integer non-linear robust optimisation model on a hub and spoke network for evaluating near optimal shipment quantity, route selection and hub location decisions. The robust optimisation approach considers minimisation of total relative regret associated with total cost subject to several real-time constraints. A version of Particle Swarm Optimisation with Differential Evolution is proposed to tackle the resulting NP-hard problem. The model is tested with two other state-of the art meta-heuristics for small, medium, and large datasets subject to different procurement scenarios inspired from real time food grain operations in Indian context. Finally, the solution is evaluated with respect to total cost, model and solution robustness for all instances.     

A new perspective of co-doping and Nd segregation effect on proton stability and transportation in Y and Nd co-doped BaCeO3

Bulk and surface properties of proton stability and transportation in Y and Nd co-doped BaCeO₃ (BCYN), especially the effect of Nd segregation, were investigated by first-principles calculations. Since the structure of doped BaCeO₃ at the operating temperature of proton-conducting has been unclear for a long time, we have summarized the latest experimental results and calculated the structure of the asymmetric BCYN for the first time. The results show that compared with Y, Nd doping promotes oxygen vacancy formation, however reduces proton stability. Our calculation can also provide a possible explanation for the formation of space charge layer at the grain boundary of doped BaCeO₃ in experiment. Unlike the stable Y in BCYN, Nd is calculated to be easily segregated, which can facilitate both proton hydration and proton transportation near the surface. Moreover, Nd segregation at the grain boundary is predicted to be beneficial for proton transportation between grains.     

Human responses to high levels of carbon dioxide and air temperature

In this study, 30 subjects were exposed to different combinations of air temperature (T_a: 24, 27, and 30°C) and CO₂ level (8000, 10 000, and 12 000 ppm) in a high-humidity (RH: 85%) underground climate chamber. Subjective assessments, physiological responses, and cognitive performance were investigated. The results showed that as compared with exposure to T_a = 24°C, exposure to 30°C at all CO₂ levels caused subjects to feel uncomfortably warm and experience stronger odor intensity, while increased mental effort and greater intensity of acute health symptoms were reported. However, no significant effects of T_a on task performance or physiological responses were found. This indicated that subjects had to exert more effort to maintain their performance in an uncomfortably warm environment. Increasing CO₂ from 8000 to 12 000 ppm at all T_a caused subjects to report higher rates of headache, fatigue, agitation, and feeling depressed, although the results were statistically significant only at 24 and 27°C. The text typing performance and systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased significantly at this exposure, whereas diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and thermal discomfort increased significantly. These effects suggest higher arousal/stress. No significant interaction effect of T_a and CO₂ concentration on human responses was identified.     

Quantum computation based bundling optimization for combinatorial auction in freight service procurements

Combinatorial auction is a useful trade manner for transportation service procurements in e-marketplaces. To enhance the competition of combinatorial auction, a novel auction mechanism of two-round bidding with bundling optimization is proposed. As the recommended the auction mechanism, the shipper/auctioneer integrates the objects into several bundles based on the bidding results of first round auction. Then, carriers/bidders bid for the object bundles in second round. The bundling optimization is described as a multi-objective model with two criteria on price complementation and combination consistency. A Quantum Evolutionary Algorithm (QEA) with β-based rotation gate and the encoding scheme based on non-zero elements in complementary coefficient matrix is developed for the model solution. Comparing with a Contrast Genetic Algorithm, QEA can achieve better computational performances for small and middle size problems.     

管式段塞流捕集器构造及其优化设计

天然气近年来由于技术的进步及其自身多项优势而被广泛利用,油气混输作为一种经济性良好的运输方式也开始服务于各大油气田。然而多相流的运动很复杂,加上一些其他因素而产生的段塞流则是危害较大,其主要危害体现在各项参数不稳,混输管路下游的处理设备会受到较大冲击,因此需要在混输管路末端设置段塞流捕集器来缓解这种冲击,保证下游的稳定供给。     

长江下游船舶溢油应急处理措施框架

介绍长江下游船舶溢油污染的现状,论述溢油污染对沿岸生态和环境的影响以及溢油防治研究的重要性。以长江南京段为例,分析影响江中及岸边事故溢油迁移转化规律的因素,提出船舶事故溢油应急处理措施的三个重要部分,即溢油模拟及污染区预测、溢油清除回收和溢油风险评价。针对三个部分提出了具体的研究内容,为国内各大中型江河不同河段的船舶溢油的研究提供参考。     

露天转地下联合开采技术探讨

针对复杂型锰矿开采提出了由露天转地下联合开采技术，与其它采矿方法相比较，这种方法提高了回采率，降低了采矿成本。     

地下埋藏式钢岔管抗外压稳定性分析

考虑了钢岔管与混凝土垫层的初始缝隙和初始几何缺陷,给出了一套地下埋藏式钢岔管抗外压稳定性的三维有限元分析和求解方法。采用该方法分析某工程实例,将其成果与阿氏公式计算的结果进行了比较,证明了该方法的可行性,并得到一些对工程设计有参考价值的成果。     

细节决定采输卤的成败

通过认真学习《细节决定成败》，结合井矿盐开采的实际，分别以生产过程中的三个细节为主，讨论了在采输卤生产技术控制中的细节的重要性。