Contribution to static electrification of mineral oils and natural esters

A failure of an insulation system of a power transformer can result into an interruption of a power supply and subsequently to a large economic damage. In some cases, the malfunction is so serious that a transformer may explode and catch fire resulting in a direct threat to the life of the device operator. These devices rely on a combined insulation system oil-paper. The oil in a transformer not only impregnates the pressboard paper insulation, hence increases its electric breakdown strength, but also acts as a coolant of active parts of the device. During the cooling, the oil flows in the transformer tank around the core, windings and isolation barriers from hardened paper. At the interface of two dielectrics, the oil and the cellulose in the transformer, electrostatic charges appear. The charges of one polarity are carried in the oil, and the charges of the opposite polarity remain captured in the barrier that is formed by the internal structure of the transformer. The accruing of a certain amount of charge leads to discharges along the surface of the solid insulation and therefore to its partial damage. Ultimately, this can lead to the damage of the whole insulation system of the transformer by its breakdown. At present, the mineral oils are used as the main liquid insulating medium because of their good electrical insulating and cooling properties. On the other side, there is a high environmental burden for their operation and maintenance as well as the subsequent disposal of the discarded oil. The natural esters may be used as a replacement for the mineral oil. They go well with the environment, they are biodegradable and in case of the transformer malfunction, its disposal costs less money.This paper presents the results of the experiments of electrostatic charging of the mineral oils and natural esters and their comparison. The charging process in the transformer is modelled using a metal cylindrical container with a forced flow of oil using a controlled rotating circular disc from a hardened paper. The results indicate that increasing intensity of friction, increases the electrical charge, which is generated at the interface of the solid phase and the liquid. In these experiments two types of mineral oils were studied. For comparison, two types of natural esters (sunflower and colza oils) were selected and used in the same experiments. The charging of the oils was examined at various temperatures ranging from 25 °C up to 70 °C.     

基于直接数字合成技术超声电源控制器的研究

功率超声技术在国民经济各部门的日益广泛应用,越来越需要一种通用型智能化大功率超声电源。控制器是大功率超声电源的核心,它应具有根据大功率超声应用的具体情况自动跟踪振动系统的谐振频率和进行功率大小自动控制的功能。本文以现场可编程门阵列器件(FPGA)作为控制器核心,采用直接数字频率合成技术控制信号输出频率,用改变输出信号占空比的方式实现功率调整,用振动系统的电流和电压相位差信息自动跟踪频率。仿真结果表明,该控制器不仅对信号频率稳定性高,便于功率调整,而且易于实现频率自动跟踪。     

Experimental studies on the effect of ultrasonic treatment and hydrogen donors on residual oil characteristics

Residual oil, the residue after the distillation of crude oil, imposes deleterious effects on refinery due to its high viscosity and asphaltene content. In this context, ultrasonic technology has been widely applied in refining processes given its high efficiency and minimal environmental impacts. To guide the selection of operation parameters, in this work, we probed the effect of treatment duration, power, and hydrogen donor on the characteristics of residual oil under ultrasonic treatments. Underlying mechanisms of ultrasonic treatments, in the absence and presence of hydrogen donors, were verified through systematically analyzing viscosity, component conversion, molecular weight, hydrogen distribution, and functional groups of residual oil. While viscosity reductions under low-power density treatment are caused by colloidal system disaggregation, high-power density treatment can bring in both chemical bond cleavage and colloidal system disaggregation. In addition, adding hydrogen donor can effectively prevent radical recombination, and thus increases the yield of saturate. These results provide fundamental understandings on the effects of ultrasonic treatments.     

Physicochemical properties and microstructure of composite surimi gels: The effects of ultrasonic treatment and olive oil concentration

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of extra virgin olive (EVO) oil incorporation on the physicochemical properties and microstructure of surimi gels subjected to ultrasound-assisted water-bath heating. As the oil content was increased from 0 to 5 g/100 g, the breaking force and gel strength of the surimi gels significantly decreased, while the whiteness level exhibited the opposite tendency irrespective of the heating method. Compared with the traditional water-bath heating method, the ultrasonic heating promoted the unfolding of the α-helix structure and intensified the formation of β-sheet content and non-covalent bonds (ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, and disulfide bonds), especially disulfide bonds, which contributed to the further crosslinking of the proteins and to gelation, thereby improving the gels’ strength. In addition, smaller cavities and compact microstructures were observed in the low-oil (≤3 g/100 g) surimi gels under ultrasonic treatment, which effectively prevented water migration in the gel network and resulted in a high water holding capacity and uniform water distribution. However, the ultrasonic treatment barely remedied the poor microstructures of the high-oil (>3 g/100 g) surimi gels owing to oil coalescence, which weakened the protein–protein interaction. In conclusion, ultrasonic treatment combined with water-bath heating significantly improved the gelation properties of the low-oil surimi gels, although it did not remarkably improve those of the high-oil gels. The choice of a suitable oil concentration could be of great importance for the production and functioning of surimi products via ultrasound-assisted treatments.     

Effect of ultrasonic treatment on the morphology of casein particles

In this study, the effect of ultrasonic treatment duration on the morphology of self-assembled casein particles was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), low vacuum scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the case of AFM images, the particle analysis which was carried out by the SPIP program showed that the self-assembled casein particles after being ultrasonically treated for 2 min got smaller in size compared to the casein particles that have not been exposed to any ultrasonic treatment. Surprisingly, however, increasing the ultrasonic time exposure of the particles resulted in an opposite effect where larger particles or aggregates seemed to be present. We show that by comparing the results obtained by AFM, SEM and TEM, the information extracted from the AFM images and analyzed by SPIP program give more detailed insights into particle sizes and morphology at the molecular level compared to SEM and TEM images, respectively.     

Effects of homogeneous and ultrasonic treatment on casein/phosphatidylcholine complex-emulsions: Stability and bioactivity insights

Casein (CAS), a typical protein emulsifier, has functional properties limited by its chemical structure in practical production applications. This study aimed to combine phosphatidylcholine (PC) and casein to form a stable complex (CAS/PC) and improve its functional properties through physical modification (homogeneous and ultrasonic treatment). To date, few studies have explored the effects of physical modification on the stability and biological activity of CAS/PC. Interface behavior analysis showed that compared to homogeneous treatment, PC addition and ultrasonic treatment could decrease the mean particle size (130.20 ± 3.96 nm) and increase the zeta potential (−40.13 ± 1.12 mV), indicating the emulsion is more stable. The chemical structural analysis of CAS showed that PC addition and ultrasonic treatment promoted changes in its sulfhydryl content and surface hydrophobicity, exposing more free sulfhydryl groups and hydrophobic binding sites, thereby enhancing its solubility and improving the stability of the emulsion. Additionally, storage stability analysis revealed that the incorporation of PC with ultrasonic treatment could improve the root mean square deviation value and radius of gyration value of CAS. These modifications resulted in an increase the binding free energy between CAS and PC (−238.786 kJ/mol) at 50 °C, leading to an improvement in the thermal stability of the system. Furthermore, digestive behavior analysis indicated that PC addition and ultrasonic treatment could increase the total FFA release from 667.44 ± 22.33 μmol to 1250.33 ± 21.56 μmol. In conclusion, the study underscores the effectiveness of PC addition and ultrasonic treatment in enhancing the stability and bioactivity of CAS, offering novel ideas for designing stable and healthy emulsifiers.     

Effect of ultrasonic treatment on the structure and functional properties of mantle proteins from scallops (Patinopecten yessoensis)

In this study, scallop mantle protein was treated by ultrasound at different powers, and then analyzed by ANS fluorescent probes, circular dichroism spectroscopy, endogenous fluorescence spectrum, DNTB colorimetry and in-vitro digestion model to elucidate the structure–function relationship. The results indicated that ultrasound can significantly affect the secondary structure of scallop mantle protein like enhancing hydrophobicity, lowering the particle size, increasing the relative contents of α-helix and decreasing contents of β-pleated sheet, β-turn and random coil, as well as altering intrinsic fluorescence intensity with blue shift of maximum fluorescence peak. But ultrasound had no effect on its primary structure. Moreover, the functions of scallop mantle protein were regulated by modifying its structures by ultrasound. Specifically, the protein had the highest performance in foaming property and in-vitro digestibility under ultrasonic power of 100 W, oil binding capacity under 100 W, water binding capacity under 300 W, solubility and emulsification capacity under 400 W, and emulsion stability under 600 W. These results prove ultrasonic treatment has the potential to effectively improve functional properties and quality of scallop mantle protein, benefiting in comprehensive utilization of scallop mantles.     

Study of ultrasonic treatment on the structural characteristics of gluten protein and the quality of steamed bread with potato pulp

Physicochemical properties and microstructure of gluten protein, and the structural characteristics of steamed bread with 30 % potato pulp (SBPP) were investigated by ultrasonic treatments. Results showed that 400 W ultrasonic treatment significantly (P < 0.05) increased the combination of water and substrate in the dough with 30 % potato pulp (DPP). The contents of wet gluten, free sulfhydryl (SH), and disulfide bond (SS) were influenced by ultrasonic treatment. Moreover, UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrated that the conformation of gluten protein was changed by ultrasonic treatment (400 W). Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) illustrated that the β-sheet content was significantly (P < 0.05) increased (42 %) after 400 W ultrasonic treatment, and the surface hydrophobicity of gluten protein in SBPP increased from 1225.37 (0 W ultrasonic treatment) to 4588.74 (400 W ultrasonic treatment). Ultrasonic treatment facilitated the generation of a continuous gluten network and stabilized crumb structure, further increased the specific volume and springiness of SBPP to 18.9 % and 6.9 %, respectively. Those findings suggested that ultrasonic treatment would be an efficient method to modify gluten protein and improve the quality of SBPP.     

Effect of ultrasonic treatment on the stability and release of selenium-containing peptide TSeMMM-encapsulated nanoparticles in vitro and in vivo

Rice selenium-containing peptide TSeMMM (T) with immunomodulatory functions was isolated from selenium-enriched rice protein hydrolysates. However, its biological activity is difficult to be protected in complex digestive environments. In this study, T was encapsulated within zein and gum arabian (GA) through ultrasound treatment to improve its bioactivity and bioavailability. The zein@T/GA nanoparticles were formed using ultrasonic treatment at 360 W for 5 min with a 59.9% T-encapsulation efficiency. In vitro digestion showed that the cumulative release rate of zein@T/GA nanoparticles reached a maximum of 80.69% after 6 h. In addition, short-term animal studies revealed that the nanoparticles had an effect on the levels of tissue glutathione and improved peptides’ oral bioavailability. Conclusively, these findings suggest that the ultrasonicated polysaccharide/protein system is suitable for encapsulating active small molecular peptides. Furthermore, it provides a novel foundation for studying the bioavailability of active substances in functional foods.     

Effect of ultrasonic treatment on the defect structure of the Si–SiO2 system

The effect of ultrasonic treatment (UST) on the defect structure of the Si–SiO₂ system by means of electron spin resonance (ESR), metallography, MOS capacitance technique and secondary ions mass-spectroscopy (SIMS) is presented. The non-monotonous dependence of the defect densities on the US wave intensity has been observed. The influence of the UST frequency on the ESR signal intensity of the defect centres has been studied. It is shown that observed changes in the ESR intensity are caused by vibrational dissipative mechanisms which are a function of defect centre type and crystallographic orientation. The influence of the UST on the Si–SiO₂ interface properties depends on the time of oxidation. The density of point defects at the Si–SiO₂ interface can be reduced and its electrical parameters improved by an appropriate choice of the UST and oxidation conditions.     

Quantitative analysis of ammonium salts in coking industrial liquid waste treatment process based on Raman spectroscopy

Quantitative analysis of ammonium salts in the process of coking industrial liquid waste treatment is successfully performed based on a compact Raman spectrometer combined with partial least square(PLS) method. Two main components(NH_4SCN and(NH_4)_2S_2O_3) of the industrial mixture are investigated. During the data preprocessing, wavelet denoising and an internal standard normalization method are employed to improve the predicting ability of PLS models. Moreover,the PLS models with different characteristic bands for each component are studied to choose a best resolution. The internal and external calibration results of the validated model show a mass percentage error below 1% for both components.Finally, the repeatabilities and reproducibilities of Raman and reference titration measurements are also discussed.