Measurement of rheological properties of corn stover suspensions

Corn stover is currently being evaluated as a feedstock for ethanol production. The corn stover suspensions fed to reactors typically range between 10 and 40% solids. To simulate and design bioreactors for processing highly loaded corn stover suspensions, the rheologic properties of the suspension must be measured. In systems with suspended solids, rheologic measurements are difficult to perform owing to settling in the measurement devices. In this study, viscosities of corn stover suspensions were measured using a helical ribbon impeller viscometer. A calibration procedure is required for the impeller method in order to obtain the shear rate constant, k, which is dependent on the geometry of the measurement system. The corn stover suspensions are described using a power law flow model.     

Cathode of a fuel cell with a solid polymer electrolyte: Calculating overall currents in the presence of a gas-diffusion layer

Mathematical apparatus, which makes it possible to perform calculations of the current-voltage characteristics of cathodes of fuel cells with a solid polymer electrolyte in conditions where there are present extraneous diffusion restrictions is proposed. In so doing, the partial pressure of oxygen and the absolute pressure of gas in the gas chamber may assume any values. First of all presented are the results of calculations of the current-voltage characteristics intrinsic to active layers of the air and oxygen cathodes, which are performed under the assumption that the extraneous diffusion restrictions are absent altogether. Thereafter, in the same conditions (at the same parameters that characterize the active layer of a cathode), obtained are results of a calculation of the current-voltage characteristics inherent in the air and oxygen cathodes in the presence of extraneous diffusion restrictions. Afterward there is performed an analysis of the way a gas-diffusion layer restricts the process of generation of current in a cathode and of what measures should be taken in order for the extraneous diffusion restrictions to become less significant.     

Hybrid electron cyclotron resonance-radio-frequency plasma etching of III–V semiconductors in Cl2-based discharges. Part I: GaAs and related compounds

A systematic study has been performed of the dry etching characteristics of GaAs, Al_0.3Ga_0.7As, and GaSb in chlorine-based electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) discharges. The gas mixtures investigated were CCl₂F₂/O₂, CHCl₂F/O₂, and PCl₃. The etching rates of all three materials increase rapidly with applied RF power, while the addition of the microwave power at moderate levels (150 W) increases the etch rates by 20–80%. In the microwave discharges, the etch rates decrease with increasing pressure, but at 1 m Torr it is possible to obtain usable rates for self-bias voltages 100 V. Of the Freon-based mixtures, CHCl₂F provides the least degradation of optical (photoluminescence) and electrical (diode ideality factors and Schottky barrier heights) properties of GaAs as a result of dry etching. Smooth surface morphologies are obtained on all three materials provided the microwave power is limited to 200 W. Above this power, there is surface roughening evident with all of the gas mixtures investigated.     

Inverse relaxation-model and relation to recovery internal friction

Inverse relaxation is studied for hard elastic polypropylene (HEPP), rubber and non-elastic polypropylene. The results show that contractive stress, stress, and internal friction are three essential factors related to the phenomenon. A three-element model in which each element has a definite meaning is proposed to describe this phenomenon. The results also show that, in the first cyclic deformation, relaxation time increases with the increase of recovery for all the materials, which indicates that recovery viscosity increases with the increase of recovery, but the stress rising amplitude (SRA) of inverse relaxation has a maximum in the recovery range. Analysis indicates that SRA equals recovery internal friction (RIF) for ideal material in which stress is solely a function of strain, independent of paths, and approximately equals RIF for non-ideal material at a given strain. From this principle it is found that the order of the work counteracted by RIF for the four materials is the same as that of their second hysteresis loop, and the RIF of HEPP has a sudden increase at the later recovery range.     

Deviation from Ohm's law in electric field assisted capillary liquid chromatography

Earlier studies of electric field assisted LC (EF-LC) have shown that the effect on charged analytes of the application of an electric field over a capillary LC column is relatively small. Charged analytes can only be affected by the electric field while present in the mobile phase, which makes the effective time for influence of the electric field t(0) independent of retention time. Because the charged analytes only can be affected for a short time the electric field strength ought to be high in order to increase the impact of the electric field on the separation. We have, however, found that only a relatively low electric field strength can be used in EF-LC when pressure is used as main driving force. The useful field strength was limited by a dramatic increase in the current. This increase in current was found to origin from an increased concentration of buffer ions that have an electrophoretic mobility towards the pumped flow.     

Promoting effect of Pt in Ni-based catalysts for CH4 reforming

The effect of Pt/Ni ratio on the surface properties and catalytic behavior of bimetallic PtNi catalysts for reforming of methane with CO₂ was studied. The TPR, FTIR of adsorbed CO and XPS data showed that introduction of a small amount of Pt (0.3 – 0.5 wt.%) into the Ni catalyst leads to a decrease of the NiO size, its easy reduction and a uniform distribution of the nickel metal particles.     

Influence of heating rate on kinetic quantities of solid phase thermal decomposition

Thermogravimetric analyses of thermal decomposition (pyrolysis, thermal dissociation and combustion) of 9 different samples were carried out in dynamic conditions at different heating rates. The kinetic parameters (E, A and k_m) of thermal decomposition were determined and interrelations between the parameters and heating rate q were analyzed. There were also relations between Arrhenius and Eyring equations analyzed for thermal decomposition of solid phase. It was concluded that Eyring theory is an element, which interconnects used thermokinetic equations containing Arrhenius law and suggests considering kinetic quantities in way relative to 3 kinetic constants (E, A and k_m). Analysis of quantities other than km (i.e. E, A, Δ⁺H, Δ⁺S) in relation to heating rate is an incomplete method and does not lead to unambiguous conclusions. It was ascertained that in ideal case, assuming constant values of kinetic parameters (E and A) towards heating rate and satisfying both Kissinger equations, reaction rate constant k_m should take on values intermediate between constants (k_m)₁ and (k_m)₂ determined from these equations. Whereas behavior of parameters E and A towards q were not subjected to any rule, then plotting relation k_m vs. q in the background of (k_m)₁ and (k_m)₂ made possible classification of differences between thermal decomposition processes taking place in oxidizing and oxygen-free atmosphere.     

Vapor-liquid equilibria for the nitrogen-isobutane system

Vapor-liquid equilibria have been investigated experimentally for the nitrogen-isobutane system at temperatures from 120 K to 220 K and at pressures up to 150 bar. Below 126.5 K, two liquid phases were observed as pressure was increased to near the vapor pressure of pure nitrogen. The equilibrium ratio of nitrogen in the binary system and the Henry’s law constants for nitrogen in isobutane were determined from experimental data. The experimental phase equilibrium data were correlated by means of the Peng-Robinson equation of state.     

微波辐射下苯偶姻的干法氧化反应

研究了微波辐射下干法氧化苯偶姻生成苯偶酰的反应。结果表明，硅胶和酸性氧化铝是本反应的良好载体，空气是良好的氧化剂。在较短时间内(8～15min)即可获得很高的产率(92%～98%)，为一种有效的苯偶姻氧化反应新方法。     

A review ofL=λW and extensions

A fundamental principle of queueing theory isL=W (Little's law), which states that the time-average or expected time-stationary number of customers in a system is equal to the product of the arrival rate and the customer-average or expected customer-stationary time each customer spends in the system. This principle is now well known and frequently applied. However, in recent years there have been extensions, such as H=G and the continuous, distributional, ordinal and central-limit-theorem versions, which show that theL=W relation, when viewed properly, has much more power than was previously realized. Moreover, connections have been established between H=G and other fundamental relations, such as the rate conservation law and PASTA (Poisson arrivals see time averages), which show that there is a much greater unity in the overall theory than was previously realized. This paper provides a review.This paper is dedicated to the memory of our colleague Professor Peter Franken (1937–1989), who contributed greatly to the subject of this paper and to queueing theory more generally.