Flow boiling heat transfer of R134a in the multiport minichannel heat exchangers

The flow boiling heat transfer characteristics of R134a in the multiport minichannel heat exchangers are presented. The heat exchanger was designed as the counter flow tube-in-tube heat exchanger with refrigerant flowing in the inner tube and hot water in the gap between the outer and inner tubes. Two inner tubes were made from extruded multiport aluminium with the internal hydraulic diameter of 1.1 mm for 14 numbers of channels and 1.2 mm for eight numbers of channels. The outer surface areas of two inner test sections are 5979 mm² and 6171 m², while the inner surface areas are 13,545 mm² and 8856 mm² for 14 and eight numbers of channels, respectively. The outer tube of heat exchanger was made from circular acrylic tube with an internal hydraulic diameter of 25.4 mm. The experiments were performed at the heat fluxes between 15 and 65 kW/m², mass flux of refrigerant between 300 and 800 kg/m² s and saturation pressure ranging from 4 to 6 bar. For instance the boiling curve, average heat transfer coefficients are discussed. The comparison results of two test sections with different the number of channels are investigated. The results are also compared with nine existing correlations. The new correlation for predicting the heat transfer coefficient was also proposed.     

Evaporation heat transfer and flow characteristics of R-134a flowing through internally grooved tubes

This article describes experimental investigations of the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of R-134a flowing inside internally grooved tubes. The test tubes are one smooth tube and four grooved tubes. All test tubes are made from type 304 stainless steel, have an inner diameter of 7.1 mm, are 2,000 mm long and are installed horizontally. The test section is uniformly heated by a DC power supply to create evaporation conditions. The groove depth of all grooved tubes is fixed at 0.2 mm. The experimental conditions are conducted at saturation temperatures of 20, 25 and 30°C, heat fluxes of 5, 10 and 15 kW/m², and mass fluxes of 300, 500 and 700 kg/m² s. The effects of groove pitch, mass flux, heat flux, and saturation temperature on heat transfer coefficient and frictional pressure drop are discussed. The results illustrate that the grooved tubes have a significant effect on the heat transfer coefficient and frictional pressure drop augmentations.     

Pt3Ru6 clusters supported on gamma-Al2O3: synthesis from Pt3Ru6(CO)21(mu3-H)(mu-H)3, structural characterization, and catalysis of ethylene hydrogenation and n-butane hydrogenolysis

The supported clusters Pt-Ru/gamma-Al2O3 were prepared by adsorption of the bimetallic precursor Pt3Ru6(CO)21(mu3-H)(mu-H)3 from CH2Cl2 solution onto gamma-Al2O3 followed by decarbonylation in He at 300 degrees C. The resultant supported clusters were characterized by infrared (IR) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopies and as catalysts for ethylene hydrogenation and n-butane hydrogenolysis. After adsorption, the nu(CO) peaks characterizing the precursor shifted to lower wavenumbers, and some of the hydroxyl bands of the support disappeared or changed, indicating that the CO ligands of the precursor interacted with support hydroxyl groups. The EXAFS results show that the metal core of the precursor remained essentially unchanged upon adsorption, but there were distortions of the metal core indicated by changes in the metal-metal distances. After decarbonylation of the supported clusters, the EXAFS data indicated that Pt and Ru atoms interacted with support oxygen atoms and that about half of the Pt-Ru bonds were maintained, with the composition of the metal frame remaining almost unchanged. The decarbonylated supported bimetallic clusters reported here are the first having essentially the same metal core composition as that of a precursor metal carbonyl, and they appear to be the best-defined supported bimetallic clusters. The material was found to be an active catalyst for ethylene hydrogenation and n-butane hydrogenolysis under conditions mild enough to prevent substantial cluster disruption.     

An Ethanol Biosensor Based on Simple Immobilization of Alcohol Dehydrogenase on Fe3O4@Au Nanoparticles

An ethanol biosensor based on alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) attached to Au seeds decorated on magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@Au NPs) is presented. ADH was immobilized on Fe₃O₄@Au NPs, which were subsequently fixed by a magnet on a carbon paste electrode modified with 5 % (m : m) MnO₂. Optimum conditions for the amperometric determination of ethanol with the biosensor were as follows: working potential +0.1 V (vs. Ag/AgCl); supporting electrolyte: 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution at pH 6.8 containing 0.25 mM of the coenzyme (NAD⁺); working electrode: carbon paste with magnetically attached Fe₃O₄@Au NPs (0.012 mg ? cm^?2 electrode area) with immobilized alcohol dehydrogenase (120 units per cm² of electrode area). Linearity between signal and concentration was found for the range from 0.1 to 2.0 M ethanol (r²=0.995) with a detection limit of 0.07 M, a sensitivity of 0.02 µA ? mM^?1 ? cm^?2, a reproducibility of 4.0 % RSD, and a repeatability of 2.7 % RSD. The results for the determination of ethanol in alcoholic beverages showed good agreement with gas chromatography (GC) with recovery of 96.0 – 108.8 %.     

Two-phase flow of R-134a refrigerant during flow boiling through a horizontal circular mini-channel

This research focuses on heat transfer to R-134a during flow boiling in a 1.75 mm internal diameter tube. Flow visualisation and heat transfer experiments are conducted to obtain heat transfer coefficients for different flow patterns. The measured data in each flow regime are compared with predictions from a three-zone flow boiling model. The calculations are in fair agreement with the experimental results which correspond in particular to slug flow, throat-annular flow and churn flow regimes under conditions of low heat flux.     

Biological activities of Peristrophe bivalvis extracts: promising potential for anti-snake venoms against Naja kaouthia and Trimeresurus albolabris venoms

This study evaluates the in vitro anti-snake venom potential of Peristrophe bivalvis (PB) extracts against Naja kaouthia (NK) and Trimeresurus albolabris (TA) venoms, including inhibition of cytotoxic effects and enzymatic activities, and the binding-precipitation of extracts and venom proteins analysis. In addition, the antioxidant, cytotoxic and in vivo acute oral toxic activities of PB extracts are also reported. The in vitro cytotoxic and enzymatic analysis reveals that the ethanol extracts of stems and leaves of PB showed good anti-snake venom activity against NK and TA venoms. In addition, the antioxidant result indicated that only the ethanol extract of leaves exhibited weak DPPH radical-scavenging activity. The ethanol whole-plant extract of PB also showed no cytotoxicity against four cell lines. Moreover, the in vivo acute oral toxicity result of the ethanol whole-plant extract showed that all treated rats did not exhibit abnormal toxic signs or deaths.     

The Influence of Nonionic Surfactant Adsorption on Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Oil Palm Fruit Bunch

Nonionic surfactants have been utilized to improve the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials. However, the role of surfactant adsorption affecting enzymatic hydrolysis has not been elaborated well. In this work, nonionic surfactants differing in their molecular structures, namely the polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80), the secondary alcohol ethoxylate (Tergitol 15-S-9), and the branched alcohol ethoxylate (Tergitol TMN-6), were studied for their effects on the enzymatic hydrolysis of palm fruit bunch (PFB). The PFB was pretreated with a 10% w/v sodium hydroxide solution and then hydrolyzed using the cellulase enzyme from Trichoderma reesei (ATCC 26921) at 50 °C and pH 5. The optimal conditions providing similar yields of reducing sugar required Tween 80 and Tergitol TMN-6 at 0.25% w/v, while Tergitol 15-S-9 was required at 0.1% w/v. All the surfactants improved the enzymatic conversion efficiency and reduced unproductive binding of the enzyme to lignin. In addition, the adsorption isotherm of cellulase was fit well by the Freundlich isotherm, while adsorption of the three nonionic surfactants agreed well with the Langmuir isotherm. Adsorption capacities of the three nonionic surfactants were consistent with their enhancement efficiencies in hydrolysis. The critical micelle concentration was observed as a key property of nonionic surfactant for adsorption capacity.     

Synthesis and Stereochemical/Electrochemical Analyses of Cuboctahedral-Based Pd23(CO) x (PR3)10 Clusters (x=20 with R3=Bu n 3, Me2Ph; x=20, 21, 22 with R3=Et3): Geometrically Analogous Pd23(PEt3)10 Fragments with Variable Carbonyl Ligations and Resulting Implications

This research was an outgrowth of previous reactions with [Pd₁₃Ni₁₃(CO)₃₄]^4? which produced a tetragonal crystal form of Pd₂₃(CO)₂₀(PEt₃)₁₀ (1) that has the same cuboctahedral-based Pd₂₃ framework with an identical number of PEt₃ ligands but two fewer CO ligands than the monoclinic crystal form of Pd₂₃(CO)₂₂(PEt₃)₁₀ (3) originally reported from reactions with Pd₁₀(CO)₁₂(PEt₃)₆. A subsequent investigation presented herein to establish whether the carbonyl capacity is influenced by the nature of the phosphine ligands has led to syntheses of Pd₂₃(CO) _x (PR₃)₁₀ [R₃=Et₃ (1), Bu ⁿ ₃ (4), and Me₂Ph (5)] with 20 CO ligands (x=20) from corresponding Pd₁₀(CO)₁₂(PR₃)₆ precursors either by deligation with Pd(OAc)₂, CF₃CO₂H, Ni(1,5-COD)₂, [NMe₄]₂[Ni₆(CO)₁₂], or HCO₂H or by spontaneous enlargement; yields varied from 15 to 79%. Although attempts to obtain the original Pd₂₃(CO)₂₂(PEt₃)₁₀ (3) were unsuccessful, a highly significant outcome was the isolation (one time) of another monoclinic crystal form possessing the triethylphosphine Pd₂₃(CO) _x (PEt₃)₁₀ cluster with 21 COs (2). Both the compositions and atomic arrangements for each of five Pd₂₃ clusters [1a (solvated); 1b (unsolvated); 2, 4, and 5] were unambiguously established from low-temperature single-crystal CCD X-ray crystallographic determinations in accordance with their nearly identical IR carbonyl frequencies. Solution ³¹P{¹H} NMR spectra of 1 and 4 at room temperature displayed three distinct signals with expected integral ratios of 2/4/4 that are consistent with the solid-state structures of Pd₂₃(CO)₂₀(PR₃)₁₀ [R₃=Et₃ (1), Bu ⁿ ₃ (4)] remaining intact in solution. The metal-core geometries of all of these Pd₂₃(CO) _x (PR₃)₁₀ clusters, including the thermodynamically stable ones with 20 CO ligands and the kinetic products with additional CO ligands (x=21, 22), are essentially the same. The common Pd₂₃ core may be best described as possessing a centered hexacapped cuboctahedral Pd₁₉ kernel (alternatively denoted as a centered ν₂ Pd₁₉ octahedron) with four edge-connected exopolyhedral wingtip Pd(exo) atoms that reduce the pseudo metal-core symmetry from O_h to D_2h. The 10 PR₃ ligands are linked to the six tetracapped Pd(cap) and four edge-capped wingtip Pd(exo) atoms; the latter four Pd(exo) atoms are each composed of four trigonal-planar Pd(μ₂-CO)₂(PR₃) units. These crystallographic results provide compelling geometrical evidence for a heretofore unknown stereochemical example involving variable carbonyl ligation (x=20, 21, 22) of a close-packed nanosized Pd _n (CO) _x (PR₃) _y cluster (in this case with identical PEt₃ ligands) without significant changes being induced in either the overall metal-core architecture or steric dispositions of the same number of PR₃ ligands. These experimental findings have particular relevance to the long-standing Muetterties cluster/surface science analogy in showing that the different number (as well as different modes) of carbonyl ligations observed in these large metal carbonyl clusters are directly related to pressure-induced dissociative/nondissociative migratory coverages in CO chemisorptions on metal surfaces. The observed expanded capacity of CO coordination on the same Pd₂₃ polyhedron without notable changes in geometry is no doubt a consequence of its virtually nanosized metal-core architecture; distances between outermost centrosymmetrically related pairs of Pd(cap) and Pd(exo) atoms in the Pd₂₃ framework are 0.8 and 0.9 nm, respectively. An electrochemical (CV) study revealed that 1 undergoes one quasi-reversible two-electron reduction to 1 ^2? (E_1/2=?0.91 V) and two consecutive quasi-reversible one-electron oxidations to 1/1 ⁺ at E_1/2=0.08 V and 1 ⁺/1 ²⁺ at E_1/2=0.32 V (THF; Ag/AgCl as reference electrode). A stereochemical/electronic analysis with the isostructural Au₂Pd₂₁(CO)₂₀(PEt₃)₁₀ analogue (9) and resulting implications are given.