Oil spill identification by high-speed HPLC

The use of high-speed HPLC in oil spill identification problems has been evaluated in terms of analysis time and reliability. The aromatic fraction was analyzed by reverse-phase chromatography on a 3 μm packing, with detection at 210 and 287 nm, in less than 20 minutes. The profiles exhibited by several Spanish and Middle East crude oils were differentiated by simple statistical parameters. The effect of environmental weathering on the samples has also been investigated. An Arabian light crude oil was still identifiable after four months' simulated marine weathering.     

中国能源强度与经济结构变化特征研究

中国经济持续增长伴随着能源强度下降的特征引起部分学者对中国经济增长和能源消费数据真实性的怀疑,因此,对中国能源强度变化特征进行研究具有重要的现实意义。迄今为止,对中国经济结构变动如何影响能源强度变化仍然缺少定量研究。本文分析了中国能源强度的变化趋势,说明其前后趋势基本上是一致、合理的。以此为基础,将能源强度变化分解为结构份额和效率份额,提出了结构份额和效率份额的计算方法,对我国能源强度变化中的结构份额和效率份额进行了定量分析,结构表明:1998-2000年间,我国能源强度下降的主要动力来自于各产业能源利用效率的提高,其中工业能源强度下降是总体能源强度下降的主要原因。     

Detailed investigation of ignition by hot gas jets

Experimental and numerical investigations of the ignition of hydrogen/air mixtures by jets of hot exhaust gases are reported. An experimental realisation of such an ignition process, where a jet of hot exhaust gas impinges through a narrow nozzle into a quiescent hydrogen/air mixture, possibly initiating ignition and combustion, is studied. High-speed laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) image sequences of the hydroxyl radical (OH) and laser Schlieren methods are used to gain information about the spatial and temporal evolution of the ignition process. Recording temporally resolved pressure traces yields information about ambient conditions for the process. Numerical experiments are performed that allow linking these observables to certain characteristic states of the gas mixture. The outcome of numerical modelling and experiments indicates the important influence of the hot jet temperature and speed of mixing between the hot and cold gases on the ignition process. The results show the quenching of the flame inside the nozzle and the subsequent ignition of the mixture by the hot exhaust jet. These detailed examinations of the ignition process improve the knowledge concerning flame transmission out of electrical equipment of the type of protection flameproof enclosure.     

A tuned damping device for reducing noise from railway track

A promising means to reduce the component of railway rolling noise radiated by the track is to increase the damping of the rail. This increases the attenuation with distance of vibrations transmitted along the rail and thereby reduces the noise radiated. To achieve this, a tuned, damped mass-spring absorber system has been designed. To cover a wide range of frequencies, multiple tuning frequencies are used along with a material with a high damping loss factor. Suitable materials have been found from extensive tests on samples and prototypes of the damper have been built and tested, both in the laboratory and in the field. Results are very promising with reductions of the track component of noise of around 6 dB being measured.     

Standards and regulations for radiation processing industry in China

To understand the current status and development tendency of radiation processing industry in China, and to know the relationship between the perfecting of standard systems and the increasing of throughput of this industry, a brief introduction on Chinese standards and regulations is given in this paper. Typical documents for setting up and operating an irradiation facility for radiation processing, either a gamma-ray or an electron-beam facility, are introduced in detail. A comparison is made between some of the international standards and those corresponding Chinese national standards. The consideration of development of Chinese standards and regulations indicates a positive tendency for this industry.     

东海区海岸带景观格局变化对生态系统服务价值的影响

对大尺度、长时序的海岸带景观格局和生态系统服务价值(ecosystem services value,ESV)的研究，有利于更好地促进区域生态系统保护工作的开展。以1990，1995，2000，2005，2010，2015年6期遥感影像解译结果为基础，对东海区海岸带景观格局变化特征和ESV时空演变进行了分析，并探讨了ESV与景观格局变化二者间的关系。结果表明，1990—2015年的25 a间，受人类活动的影响，东海区海岸带农田和海域面积大量减少，建设用地面积大幅增加；在所研究的5类地貌类型中，除中起伏山地外，其余地貌类型景观面积转移都较为剧烈。25 a间东海区海岸带斑块数量、斑块密度、边界密度、shannon多样性指数等不断增加，景观破碎化、复杂化、多样化增强。农田景观的最大斑块指数、形态指数、边界密度等变化均较大。东海区海岸带ESV呈先增加后减小的趋势，其中森林景观对ESV总量贡献最大；水文调节、生物多样性维持、气候调节、土壤保持、废物处理和气体调节是东海区海岸带主要的生态系统服务功能；在空间上表现出以单位面积中、低ESV为主导的空间分布，高、极高和极低ESV分布较少。研究区ESV总量与农田和海域以及水域和建设用地面积显著相关；与斑块密度、边界密度和形态指数呈显著负相关。同时，食物生产、气体调节、气候调节、土壤保持和生物多样性维持的服务价值与景观指数间均显著相关。     

Assessing Earthquake Forecast Performance Based on b Value in Yunnan Province,China

Many studies have shown that b values tend to decrease prior to large earthquakes. To evaluate the forecast information in b value variations, we conduct a systematic assessment in Yunnan Province, China, where the seismicity is intense and moderate–large earthquakes occur frequently. The catalog in the past two decades is divided into four time periods (January 2000–December 2004, January 2005–December 2009, January 2010–December 2014, and January 2015–December 2019). The spatial b values are calculated for each 5-year span and then are used to forecast moderate-large earthquakes (M ≥ 5.0) in the subsequent period. As the fault systems in Yunnan Province are complex, to avoid possible biases in b value computation caused by different faulting regimes when using the grid search, the hierarchical space–time point-process models (HIST-PPM) proposed by Ogata are utilized to estimate spatial b values in this study. The forecast performance is tested by Molchan error diagram (MED) and the efficiency is quantified by probability gain (PG) and probability difference (PD). It is found that moderate–large earthquakes are more likely to occur in low b regions. The MED analysis shows that there is considerable precursory information in spatial b values and the forecast efficiency increases with magnitude in the Yunnan Province. These results suggest that the b value might be useful in middle- and long-term earthquake forecasts in the study area.     

First neutron Bragg-edge imaging experimental results at CSNS

The neutron Bragg-edge imaging is expected to be a new non-destructive energy-resolved neutron imaging technique for quantitatively two-dimensional or three-dimensional visualizing crystallographic information in a bulk material, which could be benefited from pulsed neutron source. Here we build a Bragg-edge imaging system on the General Purpose Powder Diffractometer at the China Spallation Neutron Source. The residual strain mapping of a bent Q235 ferrite steel sample has been achieved with a spectral resolution of 0.15% by the time-of-flight neutron Bragg-edge imaging on this system. The results show its great potential applications in materials science and engineering.     

New insights into the mechanisms of ultrasonic emulsification in the oil–water system and the role of gas bubbles

Ultrasonic emulsification (USE) assisted by cavitation is an effective method to produce emulsion droplets. However, the role of gas bubbles in the USE process still remains unclear. Hence, in the present paper, high-speed camera observations of bubble evolution and emulsion droplets formation in oil and water were used to capture in real-time the emulsification process, while experiments with different gas concentrations were carried out to investigate the effect of gas bubbles on droplet size. The results show that at the interface of oil and water, gas bubbles with a radius larger than the resonance radius collapse and sink into the water phase, inducing (oil–water) blended liquid jets across bubbles to generate oil-in-water-in-oil (O/W/O) and water-in-oil (W/O) droplets in the oil phase and oil-in-water (O/W) droplets in the water phase, respectively. Gas bubbles with a radius smaller than the resonance radius at the interface always move towards the oil phase, accompanied with the generation of water droplets in the oil phase. In the oil phase, gas bubbles, which can attract bubbles nearby the interface, migrate to the interface of oil and water due to acoustic streaming, and generate numerous droplets. As for the gas bubbles in the water phase, those can break neighboring droplets into numerous finer ones during bubble oscillation. With the increase in gas content, more bubbles undergo chaotic oscillation, leading to smaller and more stable emulsion droplets, which explains the beneficial role of gas bubbles in USE. Violently oscillating microbubbles are, therefore, found to be the governing cavitation regime for emulsification process. These results provide new insights to the mechanisms of gas bubbles in oil–water emulsions, which may be useful towards the optimization of USE process in industry.     

High-speed imaging of ultrasonic emulsification using a water-gallium system

Aiming at elucidating ultrasonic emulsification mechanisms, the interaction between a single or multiple acoustic cavitation bubbles and gallium droplet interface was investigated using an high-speed imaging technique. To our best knowledge, the moment of emulsification and formation of fine droplets during ultrasound irradiation were observed for the first time. It was found that the detachment of fine gallium droplets occurs from the water-gallium interface during collapse of big cavitation bubbles. The results suggest that the maximum size of cavitation bubble before collapsing is of prime importance for emulsification phenomena. Previous numerical simulation revealed that the collapse of big cavitation bubble is followed by generation of high-velocity liquid jet directed toward the water-gallium interface. Such a jet is assumed to be the prime cause of liquid emulsification. The distance between cavitation bubbles and water-gallium interface was found to slightly affect the emulsification onset. The droplet fragmentation conditions are also discussed in terms of the balance between (1) interfacial and kinetic energies and (2) dynamic and Laplace pressure during droplet formation.