On the Construction of an Experimentally Based Set of Equations to Describe Cocurrent and Countercurrent, Two-Phase Flow of Immiscible Fluids Through Porous Media

Generalized flow equations developed for two-phase flow through porous media contain a second term that enables proper account to be taken of capillary coupling between the two flowing phases. In this study, a partition concept, together with a novel capillary pressure equation for countercurrent flow, have been introduced into Kalaydjian’s generalized flow equations to construct modified flow equations which enable a better understanding of the role of capillary coupling in horizontal, two-phase flow. With the help of these equations it is demonstrated that the reduced flux observed in countercurrent flow, as compared to cocurrent flow, can be explained by the reduction in the driving force per unit volume which comes about because of capillary coupling. Also, it is shown experimentally that, because fluids flow through a void space reduced in magnitude due to the presence of immobile irreducible and residual saturations, the capillary coupling parameter should be defined in terms of a reduced porosity, rather than in terms of porosity. Moreover, it is shown statistically that the countercurrent relative permeability curve is proportional to the cocurrent relative permeability curve, the constant of proportionality being the capillary coupling parameter. Finally it is suggested that one can eliminate the need to determine experimentally countercurrent relative permeability curves by making use of an equation constructed for predicting the magnitude of the capillary coupling parameter.     

Sensitivity Analysis for Dynamic Spontaneous Imbibition with Variable Inlet Saturation and Interfacial Coupling Effects

Dynamic spontaneous imbibition (DSI) plays an important role in oil reservoir characterization. Conventional equations used to characterize DSI consider neither interfacial coupling effects (ICE) nor variable inlet saturation (S*) for DSI. Yazzan et?al. (Transp Porous Media 87(1):309?C333, 2011a; 86(3):705?C717, 2011b) developed a set of equations, and a numerical solution scheme, to take into account ICE and variable S* for DSI. Based on these, a graphical user interface (GUI) simulator was built. A sensitivity analysis has been conducted to study the effect of the fluid and rock properties on DSI. The results reveal that including a variable S* has no significant impact; however, neglecting ICE results in an overestimation of the imbibition flow rate. Moreover, it is shown that the capillary and relative permeability curves determine the type of frontal advance, and that the imbibition recovery is proportional to the square root of time.     

Spectroscopy of Charge Transfer Complexes of Aniline Blue

Charge transfer (CT) complexes of aniline blue (AB) were prepared with standard organic acceptors such as TCNQ, TCNE, DDQ, and chloranil and studied with UV-VIS-NIR spectra showing σ→π* and π→π* transitions along with free-carrier absorption due to scattering of light particles which has been found involving phonon–photon, electron–photon, and electron–electron scattering. Infrared spectra contain half power beta density due to hopping conduction and an asymmetric band corresponding to A(k) = A₀k exp(?bk) as absorption associated with diffraction of IR light from the crystalline particles.     

Biocompatible Carbon Dot Decorated α-FeOOH Nanohybrid for an Effective Fluorometric Sensing of Cr (VI) in Wastewater and Living Cells

Journal of Fluorescence - This article reports the fluorometric detection of toxic hexavalent chromium Cr (VI)) in wastewater and Cr (VI) contaminated living cells using in-situ grown carbon...     

Production, Purification, Immobilization, and Characterization of a Thermostable β-Galactosidase from Aspergillus alliaceus

A fungal strain isolated from rotten banana and identified as Aspergillus alliaceus was found capable of producing thermostable extracellular ??-galactosidase enzyme. Optimum cultural conditions for ??-galactosidase production by A. alliaceus were as follows: pH?4.5; temperature, 30?°C; inoculum age, 25?h; and fermentation time, 144?h. Optimum temperature, time, and pH for enzyme substrate reaction were found to be 45?°C, 20?min, and 7.2, respectively, for crude and partially purified enzyme. For immobilized enzyme?Csubstrate reaction, these three variable, temperature, time, and pH were optimized at 50?°C, 40?min, and 7.2, respectively. Glucose was found to inhibit the enzyme activity. The K _m values of partially purified and immobilized enzymes were 170 and 210?mM, respectively. Immobilized enzyme retained 43?% of the ??-galactosidase activity of partially purified enzyme. There was no significant loss of activity on storage of immobilized beads at 4?°C for 28?days. Immobilized enzyme retained 90?% of the initial activity after being used four times.     

Shape evolution in odd-A 137 Pm

The odd mass nucleus ¹³⁷Pm has been studied to high spins through the ¹⁰⁹Ag(³²S, 2p2n)¹³⁷Pm reaction at an incident beam energy of 150 MeV. The de-exciting ??-rays were detected using an array of 18 Compton suppressed clover detectors. The level scheme of ¹³⁷Pm has been extended up to $J^\pi = \tfrac{{43}} {2}^ -$ and excitation energy of E _x ? 6 MeV with the observation of 42 new gamma transitions. The linear polarization (IPDCO) measurements for the ??-ray transitions have been done for the first time. The spin and parity assignments for most of the reported levels have been made using these results and the coincidence angular anisotropy (R_DCO) measurements. The nuclear shape evolution is discussed in the light of Total Routhian Surface (TRS) and Cranked Shell Model (CSM) calculations.     

Chern–Simons theory with vector fermion matter

We study three-dimensional conformal field theories described by U(N) Chern?CSimons theory at level k coupled to massless fermions in the fundamental representation. By solving a Schwinger?CDyson equation in light-cone gauge, we compute the exact planar free energy of the theory at finite temperature on ?² as a function of the ??t?Hooft coupling ??=N/k. Employing a dimensional reduction regularization scheme, we find that the free energy vanishes at |??|=1; the conformal theory does not exist for |??|>1. We analyze the operator spectrum via the anomalous conservation relation for higher spin currents, and in particular show that the higher spin currents do not develop anomalous dimensions at leading order in 1/N. We present an integral equation whose solution in principle determines all correlators of these currents at leading order in 1/N and present explicit perturbative results for all three-point functions up to two loops. We also discuss a light-cone Hamiltonian formulation of this theory where a W _?? algebra arises. The maximally supersymmetric version of our theory is ABJ model with one gauge group taken to be U(1), demonstrating that a pure higher spin gauge theory arises as a limit of string theory.     

Alternative method of implementation of frequency encoded N bit comparator exploiting four wave mixing in semiconductor optical amplifiers

A frequency encoded all optical N bit comparator is proposed. The implementation is ultrafast one and the frequency encoding makes it intensity loss dependent problem free. The use of polarization insensitive four wave mixing makes the design polarization independent and the hardware simple. The frequency conversion by the RSOA makes the design faster compared to other SOA based design. The required gates, i.e. X-OR and AND gates for the implementation of the comparator in frequency encoded format are also discussed.     

Transition metal complexes enslaved in the supercages of zeolite-Y: DFT investigation and catalytic significance

A series of zeolite-Y encapsulated hybrid catalysts, [M(STCH)·xH₂O]-Y have been prepared by encapsulating Schiff base complexes [where M?=?Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II); (x?=?3) and Cu(II); (x?=?1); H₂STCH?=?salicylaldehyde thiophene-2-carboxylic hydrazone] in zeolite-Y matrix by flexible ligand method. These hybrid materials have been characterized by various physico-chemical techniques such as ICP-OES, elemental analyses, (FT-IR and electronic) spectral studies, BET, scanning electron micrographs, thermal analysis and X-ray powder diffraction patterns. X-ray powder diffraction analysis reveals that the structural integrity of the mother zeolite in the hybrid material remained intact upon immobilization of the complex. Density functional theory is employed to calculate the relaxed structure, bond angle, bond distance, dihedral angle, difference of highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energies gap and electronic density of states of ligand and their neat transition metal complexes. The hybrid materials are active catalysts for the hydroxylation of phenol using hydrogen peroxide (30% H₂O₂) as an oxidant in order to selectively synthesize catechol or hydroquinone, amongst them [Cu(STCH)·H₂O]-Y shown the highest % of selectivity towards catechol (81.3%).     

Synthesis of optically active seven-membered 1,5-anhydrocarbasugars and 1,4,5-tribenzoyloxy-2-ethoxy cycloheptanes via [5+2] cycloaddition

[5+2] Cycloaddition followed by asymmetric dihydroxylation procedure have been utilized to prepare novel cyclitols. Accordingly, rac-2α-hydroxy-6α-ethoxy-1,5-anhydro cyclohept-3-ene, 10 derived from [5+2] cycloaddition of 3-oxidopyrylium ylide and vinyl ether has been recognized as a seven-membered carbasugar equivalent and elaborated to 1,4,5-tribenzoyloxy-2-ethoxy cycloheptanes through a flexible, regio- and stereoselective strategy involving Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation conditions to resolve the compounds obtained. The structures and relative configurations of newly synthesized (+)-2α-acetoxy-6α-ethoxy-3β,4β-dihydroxy-1,5-anhydro cycloheptane ((+)-12)); (−)-1β,4β,5β-tribenzoyloxy-6α-ethoxy cycloheptane ((−)-17) and (+)-1α,4α,5α-tribenzoyloxy-6β-ethoxy cycloheptane ((+)-17) are unambiguously established by single crystal X-ray analysis and duly supported by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy data.