A CFD model for the prediction of haemolysis in micro axial left ventricular assist devices

This paper describes the development and application of a computational model based upon Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software simulation technology to predict haemolysis in micro Left Ventricular Assist Devices (μ$\mathrm{\mu }$LVAD). A CFD model, capturing the full three dimensional geometry of the device, together with an explicit representation of the rotating machinery based upon a rotating reference frame, is solved transiently. Mixed meshes with the order of a million elements are required to resolve the flow adequately and so to enable solutions in a reasonable time (e.g., 3 h) the model is solved on a high performance parallel cluster. Haemolysis is a measure of damage occurring in the blood and is conceived as accumulating as it passes through parts of the device where it encounters high shear forces. As such, the haemolysis model is based upon tracking the behaviour of particles released at the inlet throughout the flow domain and calculating the damage accumulated by each individual particle as it traverses the device. In order to ensure the model predictions of haemolysis are noise free from a statistically significant perspective then it is demonstrated that the number of particles to be tracked must exceed 20 000 in any simulation experiment. Comparisons with experimental data from a companion paper demonstrate the effectiveness of the CFD simulation embedding the haemolysis model.     

Incorporating dust lift-off into a CFD model of a blast furnace gravity dust-catcher

A gravity dust-catcher separates a mixture of dusts from the spent top gas flow of a blast furnace. These dusts are predominantly made up of limestone, iron ore and coke/coal. As a result of the turbulent gas flow patterns within a dust-catcher, modelling of the flow pattern can be very complex, attributed to the turbulent vortices that can be formed within the main body of the structure. Using data from an experimental prototype test rig, a simple model to capture the lift-off characteristics of particle lift-off from dust pile surfaces is created and incorporated into a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the dust-catcher.The variation of particle separation performance over a typical blast furnace (BF) operational cycle is analysed. An attempt is made to explain the observed phenomena in terms of particle–fluid interaction. It is found that particle separation efficiency is largely unaffected by dust lift-off at low dust-catcher hopper fullness levels, but is significant at higher levels. It is found that the topography of the dust surface is important when predicting particle lift-off trends. It is concluded that this is due to the exposure experienced by a given particle when subjected to a surface velocity.     

Quasi two-dimensional electronic properties of the lithium molybdenum bronze,Li0.9Mo6O17

Four probe electrical resistivity measurements between 0.3K and 300K were made on single crystals of the violet-red bronze Li_0.9Mo₆O₁₇ grown by a temperature gradient flux technique. The temperature variation of the resistivity shows metallic conductivity and highly anisotropic behavior similar to K_0.9Mo₆O₁₇. The room temperature resistivity, measured in the direction parallel to the plate axis, is 9.5×10^-3Ωcm and 2.47Ωcm perpendicular to that axis. A phase transition observed at ～24K is possibly related to the onset of a charge density wave. A transition to the superconducting state is observed at Tc ～ 1.9K.     

Approaches to the liquid chromatographic determination of carboxylic acids using potentiometric detection with a metallic copper electrode

Summary A metallic copper electrode is evaluated as a potentiometric detector for carboxylic acids. The application of this device to ion-exchange chromatography is illustrated by the determination of oxalate in urine. Oxalate was selectively detected in the presence of a 100-fold excess of sulphate after separation on a low-capacity methacrylate anion-exchange column using 0.7mM potassium hydrogen phthalate at pH 7.1 as eluent. Calibration plots were linear up to 50ppm of oxalate. Potentiometric detection has also been applied to ion-exclusion chromatography using 0.005% phosphoric acid as eluent. With this method detection limits of 0.2, 2.1, 5.0 and 5.3μg were obtained for formic, acetic, propionic and iso-butyric acids, respectively.     

2,2-di(fluoroalkyl)-5,5-difluoro-1,3-dioxolan-4-ones

The condensation of fluoroacetones with oxalyl fluoride in the presence of potassium fluoride has been shown to yield 2,2-di(fluoroalkyl)-5,5-difluoro-1,3-dioxolan-4-ones.     

The absolute configuration of the dicipiene diterpenes

The absolute configuration of the decipiene diterpenes has been determined by degradation to 4R-4-(2-methoxy-4-methylphenyl)-pentanoic acid. Photolysis of 1,18-diacetoxy-13-oxodecipi-14-ene proceeds through a novel photochemical reaction, formally a [2 + 2] cycloreversion, to generate a key intermediate for the degradation.     

Momentum transport from nonlinear mode coupling of magnetic fluctuations

A cause of observed anomalous plasma momentum transport in a reversed-field pinch is determined experimentally. Magnetohydrodynamic theory predicts that nonlinear interactions involving triplets of tearing modes produce internal torques that redistribute momentum. Evidence for the nonlinear torque is acquired by detecting the correlation of momentum redistribution with the mode triplets, with the elimination of one of the modes in the triplet, and with the external driving of one of the modes.