Characterization of Particulate Mixtures by In-Line Measurments

The quality of particulate mixtures influences strongly the efficiency of downstream process steps. The design or optimization of mixing processes requires fast and accurate methods for determining mixture quality. This paper describes an optical method for the in-line concentration measurement of the key (tracer) component in particulate mixtures with fiber optical probes. Small fluctuations of tracer concentration equivalent to a low concentration variance represent a high degree of mixing. Monochromatic light penetrates via fiber optical probes into a powder sample. A photometer measures the intensity of the diffuse reflected light. If the tracer differs in colour from the other components of the mixture its concentration can be determined. Three types of fiber optical probes were tested. For calibration two series of mixed samples covering a broad concentration range were prepared, one consisting of white Al(OH)₃ and dark SiC and the other of Al(OH)₃ and a much finer green pigment. The calibration graphs are described by the Kubelka-Munk theory. The influence of changes in particle size on the signals is reduced by choosing a probe with an angled arrangement of the fibers. The sample mass of the probes is estimated to ca. 0.01 g, based on comparison with random mixtures at different tracer concentrations. In-line measurements provide extensive data sets which allow advanced statistical intepretations of mixing processes.     

Mixing characteristics of motionless mixers

Motionless mixers have found a large range of applications, including blending, reaction, dispersion, heat transfer and mass transfer. Understanding the mixing processes that occur in these diverse systems is essential for predicting many aspects of practical importance. The objective of this study is to perform the experimental investigations of mixing characteristics for three different motionless mixers. The red color dye tracer was mixed in the main stream of green hair styling gel, and then the mixing efficiency was quantified by calculating the percentage area concentration of red color at the outlet cross section using a digital image processing technique. In the Sulzer SMX and YHC mixer, a single element mixes the fluid nearly in two dimensions, and three-dimensional mixing is accomplished by the next elements aligned at 90o to their former one. In the Sulzer SMX mixer, the flow appears to be globally well mixed after 5 elements, while in the YHC and YNU mixers, it is necessary to globally well mix more than 1 and 2 elements.     

Chaotic mixing of granular materials in two-dimensional tumbling mixers

We consider the mixing of similar, cohesionless granular materials in quasi-two-dimensional rotating containers by means of theory and experiment. A mathematical model is presented for the flow in containers of arbitrary shape but which are symmetric with respect to rotation by 180 degrees and half-filled with solids. The flow comprises a thin cascading layer at the flat free surface, and a fixed bed which rotates as a solid body. The layer thickness and length change slowly with mixer rotation, but the layer geometry remains similar at all orientations. Flow visualization experiments using glass beads in an elliptical mixer show good agreement with model predictions. Studies of mixing are presented for circular, elliptical, and square containers. The flow in circular containers is steady, and computations involving advection alone (no particle diffusion generated by interparticle collisions) show poor mixing. In contrast, the flow in elliptical and square mixers is time periodic and results in chaotic advection and rapid mixing. Computational evidence for chaos in noncircular mixers is presented in terms of Poincare sections and blob deformation. Poincare sections show regions of regular and chaotic motion, and blobs deform into homoclinic tendrils with an exponential growth of the perimeter length with time. In contrast, in circular mixers, the motion is regular everywhere and the perimeter length increases linearly with time. Including particle diffusion obliterates the typical chaotic structures formed on mixing; predictions of the mixing model including diffusion are in good qualitative and quantitative (in terms of the intensity of segregation variation with time) agreement with experimental results for mixing of an initially circular blob in elliptical and square mixers. Scaling analysis and computations show that mixing in noncircular mixers is faster than that in circular mixers, and the difference in mixing times increases with mixer size. (c) 1999 American Institute of Physics.     

Time-of-flight variant to image mixing of granular media in a 3D fluidized bed

This paper describes a variant of time-of-flight magnetic resonance (MR) imaging that provides a method of measuring the inherent mixing in a fluidized bed without the introduction of tracer particles. The modifications to conventional time-of-flight imaging enable the measurement of the axial mixing of a precisely controlled initial particle distribution, thereby providing measurements suitable for a direct comparison with models of solids mixing in granular systems. The imaging sequence is applied to characterize mixing, over time scales of 25-1000 ms, in a gas-fluidized bed of Myosotis seed particles; mixing over short timescales, inaccessible using conventional tracer techniques, is studied using this technique. The mixing pattern determined by this pulse sequence is used in conjunction with MR velocity images of the motion of the particles to provide new insight into the mechanism of solids mixing in granular systems.     

TiO2/MgAl layered double hydroxides mechanical mixtures as efficient photocatalysts in phenol degradation

MgAl layered double hydroxides (MgAl LDH) were synthesized by the sol-gel method using ultrasound irradiation in the crystallization step. The interlayer anions were nitrate and acetylacetonate-ethoxide. The solids were characterized by XRD, N₂-physisorption and TEM. TiO₂/MgAl LDH mixtures were prepared by mixing the MgAl LDH (as prepared) or the calcined sample with TiO₂ (Aldrich, 99.9% anatase) in different weight ratios. Photocatalytic activities of the TiO₂/MgAl LDH mixtures were evaluated through the degradation of phenol as model pollutant. TiO₂/MgAl LDH mixture (1:1) was more photocatalytically active for the degradation of phenol than pure TiO₂. The synergy effect was attributed to a higher production of ^•OH radicals, which were formed from the structural hydroxides. Also, the hydrotalcite phase enhanced the phenol adsorption and transfer to the TiO₂ sites where the phenol was photocatalytically degradated.     

2D mixture fraction measurements in a high pressure and high temperature combustion system using NO tracer-LIF

Mixture fraction measurements in a jet-in-cross flow configuration at high pressures (15 bar) and temperatures (above 1000 K) were performed using planar laser induced fluorescence of nitric oxide (NO-PLIF) as trace species. The goal was the evaluation of this tracer LIF technique for the characterization of the mixing of fuel and hot exhaust gas in the mixing channel. The fuel (natural gas (NG) or H₂/N₂/NG mixture) along with the tracer were injected into the crossflow of the exhaust gas and PLIF measurements were performed in different planes. In order to relate the measured NO-LIF signal to fuel concentration and mixture fraction, effects of pressure, temperature and species concentration were taken into account. Numerical calculations and spectroscopic simulations that mimic the experimental conditions were performed to identify excitation schemes that give optimum correlations between the NO-LIF signal and the mixture fraction. The measured NO-PLIF images were transformed into mixture fraction plots using the computed correlations. The paper reports on the experimental challenges encountered during the measurements and the steps taken to overcome those difficulties. Examples of mixture fraction distributions are presented and discussed. The paper concludes with a detailed analysis on the accuracy of the measured mixture fraction values.     

Two processes that lower the emission energy of an electric-discharge KrF laser

Results are reported of an experimental investigation of the processes that lower the emission energy of an electric-discharge excimer KrF laser operating on mixtures containing F₂ and NF₃. The existence is demonstrated of two processes, reversible and irreversible, that lower the KrF-laser emission energy as the number of excitation pulses is increased (without continuous replenishment of the mixture) and as the pulse repetition frequency is increased. The irreversible process is connected with the decrease of the concentration of initial halogen-containing gas in the mixture as a result of interaction between the halogen atoms and the chamber material. The reversible process is due to the long reduction time of the halogen-containing molecule (~ 1 sec for F₂) and influences the laser emission energy only at pulse repetition frequencies that exceed the reciprocal time of reduction of these molecules. If complex halogen-containing molecules (NF₃, SF₆, ...) are used, the pulse-repetition regime is realized because of the radicals that are produced. The use of such molecules, however, affects adversely the service life of the excimer gas mixture.Translated from Lazernye Sistemy, pp. 46–57, 1982.     

The mechanisms of contaminants release due to incipient motion at sediment-water interface

Sediments in many rivers and lakes are subjected to resuspension due to a combination of hydrodynamics.However,the roles of contaminant-contained dissolved and particulate sediments during the resuspension release are rarely studied.This study focuses on the release quantity of contaminants in both water phase and solid phase.Conservative tracer(NaCl)and reactive tracer(Phosphorus)were respectively added to cohesive fine-grained sediments and non-cohesive coarse-grained sediments.A range of typical shear stress was conducted to characterize the time-depended release of contaminants in a laboratory flume.When the sediment started to move,the concentration of contaminant in the overlying water increased with the bed shear stress,but the dissolved contaminants responded faster than the particulate ones.The observed contaminant release process can be divided into three main stages:the initial two hours fast mixing:the release contribution of pore water could reach up to 75%;the middle 4–6 h adsorption:the partitioning coefficient of contaminant between water phase and solid phase decreased over the time,and the adsorption of contaminates from resuspended sediment dominated the negative release;the last equilibrium stage:the desorption and adsorption reached equilibrium,and the reactive contaminant made an impact on the water quality in the solid phase.The existing formulas to evaluate the release flux are far from practice meaning as the sediment contaminants undergo a very complex release process.     

非简并四波混频体系中双模光场的纠缠特性

利用非简并四波混频体系制备出稳定的连续变量的纠缠态，研究了纠缠随时间的演化情况.同时，得到双模光场的特征函数.经分析可知，在强抽运光的作用下此体系相当于一个光学参量放大器；在满足一定的条件下，能够制备出稳定的连续变量的量子纠缠态，并且纠缠的程度与双光子抽运光强度、合作参量及失谐频率有关. 关键词： 连续变量 三能级 高斯态 参量放大器     

The dielectric relaxation study of 2(2-alkoxyethoxy)ethanol-water mixtures using time domain reflectometry

Complex permittivity spectra of 2(2-alkoxyethoxy)ethanol-water mixtures for the entire concentration range and at 25 °C have been measured using time domain reflectometry technique up to 30 GHz. The relaxation processes have been obtained by fitting the complex permittivity spectra of the binary mixtures in 2-Debye equation. In glycol ether-water mixtures except for pure water and its rich region the double relaxation times, primary process (τ₁) and secondary process (τ₂) have been observed. The primary relaxation process (τ₁) may be due to cooperative relaxation of the H-bond network of mixture constituents and the secondary relaxation process (τ₂) may be due to its flexible parts attached to the carbon chain. The intra and intermolecular hydrogen bonding of 2(2-alkoxyethoxy)ethanol in pure form as well as in binary mixtures of water have been discussed using Kirkwood correlation factor, Excess dielectric properties and the Bruggeman factor.     

Mixing rules and effective potentials in gaseous mixtures

We generate exact mixing rules for dilute gaseous mixtures with nonconformal interactions by introducing an adequate effective potential. The general mixing rule leads to several approximations of the van der Waals type. The work uses nonconformal model pair potentials that accurately describe the pure fluid properties. The validity of the approximate mixing rules is assessed by comparison with exact results for binary mixtures over wide ranges of temperature and composition. Large differences in energy, size and potential profile are considered. The simplest mixing rules are straightforward generalizations of the van der Waals rules and one version, based on a square-well (SW) approximation, performs with high precision for all systems except for those with extreme differences in molecular size. The SW mixing rule is used to predict excess virial coefficients of mixtures involving Ar, Kr, H₂ and CF₄.     

Transported PDF simulation of turbulent CH4/H2 flames under MILD conditions with particle-level sensitivity analysis

Transported probability density function (TPDF) simulation with sensitivity analysis has been conducted for turbulent non-premixed CH₄/H₂ flames of the jet-into-hot-coflow (JHC) burner, which is a typical model to emulate moderate or intense low oxygen dilution combustion (MILD). Specifically, two cases with different levels of oxygen in the coflow stream, namely HM1 and HM3, are simulated to reveal the differences between MILD and hot-temperature combustion. The TPDF simulation well predicts the temperature and species distributions including those of OH, CO and NO for both cases with a 25-species mechanism. The reduced reaction activity in HM1 as reflected in the peak OH concentration is well correlated to the reduced oxygen in the coflow stream. The particle-level local sensitivities with respect to mixing and chemical reaction further show dramatic differences in the flame characteristics. HM1 is less sensitive to mixing and reaction parameters than HM3 due to the suppressed combustion process. Specifically, for HM1 the sensitivities to mixing and chemical reactions have comparable magnitude, indicating that the combustion progress is controlled by both mixing and reaction in MILD combustion. For HM3, there is however a change in the combustion mode: during the flame initialization, the combustion progress is more sensitive to chemical reactions, indicating that finite-rate chemistry is the controlling process during the autoignition process for flame stabilization; at further downstream where the flame has established, the combustion progress is controlled by mixing, which is characteristic of nonpremixed flames. An examination of the particles with the largest sensitivities reveals the difference in the controlling mixtures for flame stabilization, namely, the stoichiometric mixtures are important for HM1, whereas, fuel-lean mixtures are controlling for HM3. The study demonstrates the potential of TPDF simulations with sensitivity analysis to investigate the effects of finite-rate chemistry on the flame characteristics and emissions, and reveal the controlling physio-chemical processes in MILD combustion.     

Effects of gas sparging and mechanical mixing on sonochemical oxidation activity

The effects of air sparging (0–16 L min⁻¹) and mechanical mixing (0–400 rpm) on enhancing the sonochemical degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) was investigated using a 28 kHz sonoreactor. The degradation of RhB followed pseudo first-order kinetics, where sparging or mixing induced a large sonochemical enhancement. The kinetic constant varied in three stages (gradually increased → increased exponentially → decreased slightly) as the rate of sparging or mixing increased, where the stages were similar for both processes. The highest sonochemical activity was obtained with sparging at 8 L min⁻¹ or mixing at 200 rpm, where the standing wave field was significantly deformed by sparging and mixing, respectively. The cavitational oxidation activity was concentrated at the bottom of the sonicator when higher sparging or mixing rates were employed. Therefore, the large enhancement in the sonochemical oxidation was attributed mainly to the direct disturbance of the ultrasound transmission and the resulting change in the cavitation-active zone in this study. The effect of the position of air sparging and mixing was investigated. The indirect inhibition of the ultrasound transmission resulted in less enhancement of the sonochemical activity. Moreover, the effect of various sparging gases including air, N₂, O₂, Ar, CO₂, and an Ar/O₂ (8:2) mixture was compared, where all gases except CO₂ induced an enhancement in the sonochemical activity, irrespective of the concentration of dissolved oxygen. The highest activity was obtained with the Ar/O₂ (8:2) mixture. Therefore, it was revealed that the sonochemical oxidation activity could be further enhanced by applying gas sparging using the optimal gas.     

Negative Corona Current Pulses in SF6 – Air Mixtures

Current waveforms of first negative corona pulses have been measured in dry air + SF₆ mixtures at a pressure of 50 kPa and various overvoltages. Effects of changing cathode secondary electron emission were studied using a copper cathode coated by CuI and graphite. It is concluded that in the mixtures containing less than 10 % of SF₆ the negative corona pulse is associated with the formation of a cathode‐directed streamer in the immediate vicinity of the cathode. In the mixtures containing more than 20 % of SF₆ the streamer is quenched and, consequently, the discharge is governed by the Townsend ionisation mechanism fed by cathode photoemission processes.     

Continuous flame oxidation in supercritical water

Abstract

Continuous flames have been observed in Supercritical water oxidation (scWO) of isopropyl alcohol (IPA), using a vertical continuous reactor with sapphire windows and a mixing nozzle. Two types of continuous flame were confirmed: the one was long pale blue colored and the other was red short cone shaped, changing blue to red at around air ratio 2.0. The flame was strongly influenced by IPA concentration, air ratio and design of the mixing nozzle. Results for decomposition of PA are presented for IPA concentrations ranging from 600 up to 28260 ppm as TOC and initial reactor temperatures, were mostly around 490°C, at 25 MPa. Decomposition rate at steady state was over 99.9%. Experimentally measured CO₂ and O₂ concentrations at the flue gas were in good agreement with theoretically calculated values. Even for low air ratio as 1.1, high decomposition rate without CO, NO, NO₂ was achieved.     

Coherent optical spectroscopy of promising materials for solid-state optical processors

State of the art of optical coherent spectroscopy of doped solids that are promising as information carriers for optical processors is reviewed. Special attention is paid to optical echo spectroscopy of doped crystals classified as the Van-Vleck paramagnets where the long-lived stimulated echo is observed with the optical-memory time reaching several hours at low temperatures. Modern elaborations of optical echo processors based on this echo phenomenon are discussed. Physical principles of femtosecond echo spectroscopy and coherent four-wave mixing spectroscopy are formulated. The abilities of these methods in the diagnostics of fast processes at room temperature are illustrated using examples of a doped polymer films. The results of elaborations of a new branch of optical spectroscopy (biphoton spectroscopy) are also presented. The advantages and possible applications of this method are demonstrated using an example of two crystals (Er³⁺:YAG and Cr³⁺:Al₂O₃).     

Protein-stabilized magnetic fluids

The adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and egg yolk phosvitin on magnetic fluid particles was investigated. Incubation mixtures were prepared by mixing an alkaline suspension of tetramethylammonium-coated magnetite cores with protein solutions at various protein/Fe₃O₄ ratios, followed by dialysis against a 5 mM TES buffer (pH 7.0), after which separation of bound and non-bound protein by high-gradient magnetophoresis was executed. Both the kinetic profiles as well as the isotherms of adsorption strongly differed for both proteins. In case of the spherical BSA, initially, abundant adsorption occurred, then it decreased and—at high protein concentrations—it slowly raised again. In contrast, with the highly phosphorylated phosvitin, binding slowly started and the extent of protein adsorption remained unchanged both as a function of time and phosvitin concentration. Competition binding studies, using binary protein mixtures composed of equal weight amounts of BSA and phosvitin, showed that binding of the latter protein is ‘unrealistically’ high. Based on the geometry of the two proteins, putative pictures on their orientation on the particle's surface in the various experimental conditions were deduced.     

Mixing and Characterization of Nanosized Powders: An Assessment of Different Techniques

The objective of this paper was to gain an understanding of the mixing and characterization of nanosized powders. Three different nanosized material systems were selected based on their physical and chemical properties. Mixing experiments of the selected nanopowders were performed using a variety of environmentally friendly dry powder processing devices and the rapid expansion of supercritical CO₂ suspensions (RESS process) and compared with solvent-based methods coupled with ultrasonic agitation. A number of imaging techniques, including FESEM, AFM, TEM, EELS and EDS were used to characterize the degree of mixing or homogeneity of the mixtures obtained.The results indicate that only some of the imaging techniques are capable of determining the quality of nanoparticle mixing, depending on the physical and chemical properties of the nanopowders. For example, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) is suitable for characterizing powder mixtures having a distinct difference in particle shape, or with a large difference in atomic number of the metallic element of the two constituents. Only electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) was able to fully characterize nanopowder mixtures of SiO₂ and TiO₂ at the nanoscale. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) provided information on mixing quality, but only on a scale of about 1m. The results also show that solvent-based mixing methods coupled with ultrasonic agitation, and RESS generally perform better than dry powder processing systems, with the exception of the hybridizer, in generating a homogeneous mixture.     

The effect of physical back-diffusion of 13CO2 tracer on the coupling between photosynthesis and soil CO2 efflux in grassland

Pulse labelling experiments provide a common tool to study short-term processes in the plant–soil system and investigate below-ground carbon allocation as well as the coupling of soil CO₂ efflux to photosynthesis. During the first hours after pulse labelling, the measured isotopic signal of soil CO₂ efflux is a combination of both physical tracer diffusion into and out of the soil as well as biological tracer release via root and microbial respiration. Neglecting physical back-diffusion can lead to misinterpretation regarding time lags between photosynthesis and soil CO₂ efflux in grassland or any ecosystem type where the above-ground plant parts cannot be labelled in gas-tight chambers separated from the soil. We studied the effects of physical ¹³CO₂ tracer back-diffusion in pulse labelling experiments in grassland, focusing on the isotopic signature of soil CO₂ efflux. Having accounted for back-diffusion, the estimated time lag for first tracer appearance in soil CO₂ efflux changed from 0 to 1.81±0.56 h (mean±SD) and the time lag for maximum tracer appearance from 2.67±0.39 to 9.63±3.32 h (mean±SD). Thus, time lags were considerably longer when physical tracer diffusion was considered. Using these time lags after accounting for physical back-diffusion, high nocturnal soil CO₂ efflux rates could be related to daytime rates of gross primary productivity (R²=0.84). Moreover, pronounced diurnal patterns in the δ¹³C of soil CO₂ efflux were found during the decline of the tracer over 3 weeks. Possible mechanisms include diurnal changes in the relative contributions of autotrophic and heterotrophic soil respiration as well as their respective δ¹³C values. Thus, after accounting for physical back-diffusion, we were able to quantify biological time lags in the coupling of photosynthesis and soil CO₂ efflux in grassland at the diurnal time scale.     

Electro-optic and dielectric behavior of a FLC material having doped with a non-mesogenic polar molecules

Liquid crystal mixtures of non-mesogenic polar molecule with a commercial ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) mixture were prepared. Two mixtures were prepared by mixing 0.5% (w/w) and 1% (w/w) of polar molecules with commercial FLC mixture. Comprehensive studies of dielectric and electro-optic properties of the commercial FLC mixture and the polar molecules doped FLC mixtures have been made as a function of temperatures. Our studies reveal a higher tilt angle in lower concentration (0.5%) mixture but in case of 1% mixture tilt angle is decreased in comparison to 0.5% mixture. The spontaneous polarization of the commercial FLC mixture and other two mixtures is almost equal in magnitude at all temperatures. At the lower temperature region of SmC¹ phase, Goldstone mode (GM) dielectric strength of the commercial FLC mixture and low concentration (0.5%) mixture is found almost equal but it is slightly higher in case of high concentration (1%) mixture. With the increase of temperature GM dielectric strength of both the doped mixtures rapidly converges at different temperatures which are much lower than the temperature of transition (T_C) from SmC¹ – SmA phase. The results have been discussed.