Theoretical study of the effect of frit quality on chromatography using computational fluid dynamics

Summary Frits at both ends of a chromatographic column, especially for a preparative column, have significant influence on the flow distribution within the column and thus the column efficiency. However, frits have received little attention from chromatographers in the past. Here a theoretical study was conducted with the aid of CFD software FLUENT to investigate the effect of frits on the performance of homogeneous and heterogeneous chromatographic columns. A dimensionless number,FQ, was applied to characterize frit quality. This study visualized how frit quality affects the flow distribution and the concentration band, the shape of eluted pulse at the colum exit and column efficiency. Simulation results show that the development length of the flow distribution is related toFQ but has nothing to do with the packing heterogeneity. The curvature of the concentration band in a column depends onFQ and packing quality. This study shows column efficiency can be improved significantly by increasingFQ and/or frit permeability.     

无保护流体室温燐光法测定吲哚-3-丁酸的研究

在仅以碘化钾为重原子微扰剂、亚硫酸钠为除氧剂及无任何保护性介质存在的水溶液中 ,吲哚_3_丁酸 (IBA)能发射很强的室温光 (RTP) ;详细研究了分析测定条件及有机溶剂对RTP的影响 ;在最大光波长λex/λem =281/447nm处 ,光强度与IBA浓度在2.0×10 -7～1.0×10 -5mol/L范围内呈良好的线性关系 ,检出限4.3×10-8 mol/L ;方法直接用于强化水样和土壤中IBA的测定 ,回收率96 %～104 % ,相对标准偏差2.37 %～3.97 %。     

ICP-MS for elemental speciation studies

The use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) coupled with separation techniques for the purpose of elemental speciation has recently gained a lot of attention. Much of this is due to ever improving separation capabilities of Chromatographic techniques, the high sensitivity of ICP-MS, and the continuing development of better interface techniques. Additionally, there is a growing awareness of the need to monitor various species of an analyte, rather than just total analyte concentrations, due to their often varying natures. For the sake of learning from different elemental speciation approaches, this review brings together some selected types of elemental speciation which have been recently seen in literature. These include separations using various forms of liquid chromatography, such as reversed phase, reversed phase ion pairing, micelle, ion exchange, and size exclusion. Elemental speciation employing gas Chromatographie separations and supercritical fluid separations are discussed as well as elemental speciation using capillary electrophoresis.     

Supernovae and the Arrow of Time

Supernovae are explosions of stars and are a central problem in astrophysics. Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) and Richtmyer–Meshkov (RM) instabilities develop during the star’s explosion and lead to intense interfacial RT/RM mixing of the star materials. We handle the mathematical challenges of the RT/RM problem based on the group theory approach. We directly link the conservation laws governing RT/RM dynamics to the symmetry-based momentum model, derive the model parameters, and find the analytical solutions and characteristics of RT/RM dynamics with variable accelerations in the linear, nonlinear and mixing regimes. The theory outcomes explain the astrophysical observations and yield the design of laboratory experiments. They suggest that supernova evolution is a non-equilibrium process directed by the arrow of time.     

离子通道电子束回旋脉塞的等离子体波效应

研究了离子通道回旋电子束脉塞（ICECM）中的等离子体波非线性效应。利用流体理论与自洽非线性理论方法对ICECM中等离子体波效应的微观机理进行了分析。研究发现,等离子体波加强了电子束的纵向群聚,束-波互作用的能量交换效率及系统增益得到明显提高。数值模拟计算表明,对于中等等离子体密度、1.5kA电流和1MV加速电压的电子束,系统能够获得的脉冲功率和频率分别为200MW和280GHz的毫米波束。     

Synthesis of Supported Heterogeneous Catalysts by Laser Ablation of Metallic Palladium in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Medium

To obtain a supported heterogeneous catalyst, laser ablation of metallic palladium in supercritical carbon dioxide was performed in the presence of a carrier, microparticles of γ-alumina. The influence of the ablation process conditions—including supercritical fluid density, ablation, mixing time of the mixture, and laser wavelength—on the completeness and efficiency of the deposition of palladium particles on the surface of the carrier was studied. The obtained composites were investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy using energy dispersive spectroscopy. We found that palladium particles were nanosized and had a narrow size distribution (2–8 nm). The synthesized composites revealed high activity as catalysts in the liquid-phase hydrogenation of diphenylacetylene.     

METHOD–OF–LINES SOLUTION OF TIME–DEPENDENT TWO–DIMENSIONAL NAVIER–STOKES EQUATIONS

A novel approach to the development of a code for the solution of the time-dependent two-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations is described. The code involves coupling between the method of lines (MOL) for the solution of partial differential equations and a parabolic algorithm which removes the necessity of iterative solution on pressure and solution of a Poisson-type equation for the pressure. The code is applied to a test problem involving the solution of transient laminar flow in a short pipe for an incompressible Newtonian fluid. Comparisons show that the MOL solutions are in good agreement with the previously reported values. The proposed method described in this paper demonstrates the ease with which the Navier–Stokes equations can be solved in an accurate manner using sophisticated numerical algorithms for the solution of ordinary differential equations (ODEs).     

Pressure drop effects on selectivity and resolution in packed column supercritical fluid chromatography

The influence of pressure drop on retention, selectivity, plate height and resolution was investigated systematically in packed supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) using pure carbon dioxide as the mobile phase. Numerical methods developed previously which enabled the prediction of pressure gradients, diffusivities, capacity factors, plate heights and resolutions along the length of the column were used for the model calculations. The effects of inlet pressure and supercritical fluid flow rate on selectivity and resolution are studied. In packed column SFC with pure carbon dioxide as the mobile phase, the pressure drop can have a significant effect on resolution. The flow rate is shown to have a larger effect than generally realized. The calculated data are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental results. Finally, the variation of the chromatographic parameters along a 5.5 meter long model SFC column is illustrated. The possibilities and limitations of using long packed columns in SFC are discussed. It is demonstrated that long columns with large plate numbers do not necessarily yield better separations.