Soot elimination and NOx and SOx reduction indiesel-engine exhaust by a combination of discharge plasma and oildynamics

The soot in the exhaust gas from a 2-L diesel-engine car has been eliminated almost completely, independent of the load and cruising speed, by a plasma reactor mounted downstream of the engine exhaust and a novel technique using a combination of discharge plasma and oil dynamics. The NO_x (NO₂+NO) and SO_x components have also been reduced by about 70% at a rotational speed of 1200 rpm and a load of 7 kg-m, corresponding to about 60% of maximum torque (about 11.4 kg-m at 1200 rpm). The reduction rate of NO_x in this investigation is about 20% more efficient than ordinary treatment using a discharge plasma only     

Preparation of a new type of fiber adsorbent attached with silica microparticles.

A new type of fiber adsorbent attached with silica microparticles was prepared. The silica microparticles were formed by the polymerization of silica oligomers on glass fibers, which were woven into a glass filter. The surface of the silica microparticles was chemically modified by bonding C18-ligands. SEM images indicated that the diameter of the uniform and spherical silica microparticles fixed on glass fibers was on the order of micrometers. It was confirmed that the glass filter adsorbent was effective for the adsorptive removal of toluene of low concentrations.     

A contrast variation of image speckle intensity under illumination of partially coherent light

Speckle patterns are formed by completely and partially coherent light at the image plane of a diffusing object. The general formula is derived for the contrast variation of the image speckle intensity distribution as a function of the spatial coherence of the illuminating light, the amplitude point-spread function of the optical imaging system and the statistical characteristic of the diffusing object. The effect of spatial coherence of the illuminating light on the contrast variations of the image speckle intensity distribution is theoretically evaluated under various statistical conditions of the diffusing object. The theoretical results are confirmed experimentally.