Modelling procedures and properties of rubber in rolling contact

Rubber covered cylinders in rolling contact are studied in two cases; rolling over a flat surface and rolling over a groove. In the first case, two different finite element procedures are compared for the purpose of investigating if computational savings can be made when taking amplitude dependent effects into account by using a modified viscoelastic steady state rolling procedure. This procedure is compared with using a more expensive overlay method with an elastoplastic-viscoelastic material model. The two procedures and material models are shown two give equal results in the flat surface case. For the case of rolling over a groove, it is shown how the non-linear dynamic material characteristics of the rubber layer influence the rolling contact. The groove filling capacity of the rubber is shown to be strongly dependent on the material model. It is shown that amplitude dependent rubber materials have better ability to fill out contact surface irregularities such as a groove.     

Extraction of plasmid DNA from Escherichia coli cell lysate in a thermoseparating aqueous two-phase system

The primary purification of a 6.1 kilo base pair (kbp) plasmid from a desalted alkaline lysate has been accomplished by a thermoseparating aqueous two-phase system [(50% ethylene oxide-50% propylene oxide)-Dextran T 500]. The partitioning of the different nucleic acids (plasmid DNA, RNA, genomic DNA) in the thermoseparating aqueous two-phase system was followed both qualitatively by agarose gel electrophoresis and quantitatively by analytical chromatography (size exclusion- and anion-exchange mode) and PicoGreen fluorescence analysis. The experimental results showed a complete recovery of the plasmid DNA to the top phase, while 80% of total RNA and 58% of total protein was discarded to the bottom phase. Moreover, a 3.8-fold volume reduction of the plasmid DNA solution was achieved. By using a final thermoseparating step, the EO50PO50 polymer could be efficiently recycled, resulting in plasmid solution containing less than 1% polymer. The developed thermoseparating aqueous two-phase system shows great potential for the large-scale processing of plasmid DNA.     

Development of rotational CARS for combustion diagnostics using a polarization approach

Rotational Coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) has the last decades been developed into a useful tool for thermometry and concentration measurements in combustion. In this paper, we present a novel polarization approach of the technique, which will enhance its potential and widen the range of conditions at which it can be utilized. The theory of the polarization approach is described in detail. It is shown that by specific arrangement of the polarizations of the laser beams, total suppression of the non-resonant background signal can be obtained, and thus by probing only the resonant CARS signal the diagnostic utility of the technique increases. The main benefit of the approach is in situations where the non-resonant background signal is relatively high in comparison with the resonant signal. The high potential of polarization rotational CARS for thermometry is demonstrated in some illustrative examples, for example, nitrogen thermometry on the fuel side of diffusion flames, and carbon monoxide thermometry in the product gas of ethylene/oxygen/argon-flames.     

An improved capillary model for describing the microstructure characteristics, fluid hydrodynamics and breakthrough performance of proteins in cryogel beds

A capillary-based model modified for characterization of monolithic cryogels is presented with key parameters like the pore size distribution, the tortuosity and the skeleton thickness employed for describing the porous structure characteristics of a cryogel matrix. Laminar flow, liquid dispersion and mass transfer in each capillary are considered and the model is solved numerically by the finite difference method. As examples, two poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) based cryogel beds have been prepared by radical cryo-copolymerization of monomers and used to test the model. The axial dispersion behaviors, the pressure drop vs. flow rate performance as well as the non-adsorption breakthrough curves of different proteins, i.e., lysozyme, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and concanavalin A (Con A), at various flow velocities in the cryogel beds are measured experimentally. The lumped parameters in the model are determined by matching the model prediction with the experimental data. The results showed that for a given cryogel column, by using the model based on the physical properties of the cryogel (i.e., diameter, length, porosity, and permeability) together with the protein breakthrough curves one can obtain a reasonable estimate and detailed characterization of the porous structure properties of cryogel matrix, particularly regarding the number of capillaries, the capillary tortuousness, the pore size distribution and the skeleton thickness. The model is also effective with regards to predicting the flow performance and the non-adsorption breakthrough profiles of proteins at different flow velocities. It is thus expected to be applicable for characterizing the properties of cryogels and predicting the chromatographic performance under a given set of operating conditions.     

Rearrangement and hydrogen scrambling pathways of the toluene radical cation: a computational study

A computational study is undertaken to provide a unified picture for various rearrangement reactions and hydrogen scrambling pathways of the toluene radical cation (1). The geometries are optimized with the BHandHLYP density functional, and the energies are computed with the ab initio CCSD(T) method, in conjunction with the 6-311+G(d,p) basis set. In particular, four channels have been located, which may account for hydrogen scrambling, as they are found to have overall barriers lower than the observed threshold for hydrogen dissociation. These are a stepwise norcaradiene walk involved in the Hoffman mechanism, a rearrangement of 1 to the methylenecyclohexadiene radical cation (5) by successive [1,2]-H shifts via isotoluene radical cations, a series of [1,2]-H shifts in the cycloheptatriene radical cation (4), and a concerted norcaradiene walk. In addition, we have also investigated other pathways such as the suggested Dewar-Landman mechanism, which proceeds through 5, via two consecutive [1,2]-H shifts. This pathway is, however, found to be inactive as it involves too high reaction barriers. Moreover, a novel rearrangement pathway that connects 5 to the norcaradiene radical cation (3) has also been located in this work.     

Plasmid purification using non-porous anion-exchange silica fibres

A new type of fibre-based anion-exchange material for plasmid purification was developed. The basic material consisted of non-porous silica fibres with a mean diameter of 1.5 microm and a surface area of 2.4m(2)g(-1). The fibre surface was provided with several types of ligands, either by adsorption of polymers (chitosan or poly(ethyleneimine)) or by polymerization of amine-containing acrylic monomers onto a propyl methacrylate-silanized surface. The resulting polymer layers contained primary, tertiary or quaternary amines as ion-exchange groups. The packing density could be varied considerably, 9-34% (v/v). The loose packing structure provided excellent flow properties suitable for high-speed operations. The best overall performance was shown by silica fibres provided with tertiary amine polymers, having a plasmid-binding capacity of 0.9 mg ml(-1) (pre-purified plasmid) and a plasmid recovery of 62% (performance data remained stable though several adsorption cycles). The high flow rates possible with the fibre material made it especially useful when large volumes of cleared lysate were processed. The columns could be operated with retention of their adsorption properties at speeds of up to 1800 cm h(-1), equivalent to 0.5 column volumes per minute. The binding capacity was found to be lower than anticipated from the design of the fibres. Fluorescence imaging showing individual plasmid molecules indicated the fibre population to be heterogeneous with respect to plasmid adsorption, some fibres displaying poor binding properties. Possible reasons for this heterogeneity are discussed.     

Laser-induced fluorescence of formaldehyde in combustion using third harmonic Nd:YAG laser excitation

Formaldehyde (CH2O) is an important intermediate species in combustion processes and it can through laser-induced fluorescence measurements be used for instantaneous flame front detection. The present study has focussed on the use of the third harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser at 355 nm as excitation wavelength for formaldehyde, and different dimethyl ether (C2H6O) flames were used as sources of formaldehyde in the experiments. The investigations included studies of the overlap between the laser profile and the absorption lines of formaldehyde, saturation effects and the potential occurrence of laser-induced photochemistry. The technique was applied for detection of formaldehyde in an internal combustion engine operated both as a spark ignition engine and as a homogenous charge compression ignition engine.     

Soot sublimation studies in a premixed flat flame using laser-induced incandescence (LII) and elastic light scattering (ELS)

Laser-induced incandescence (LII) as a diagnostic technique is based on rapid heating of soot particles to temperatures of several thousand Kelvin and subsequent detection of the thermal radiation from the laser-heated particles. At such high temperatures, soot sublimation effects must be considered when estimating uncertainties in LII measurements. In this work we have investigated the use of various laser fluences in LII using a Nd:YAG laser at 1,064 nm. Using another Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm, the elastic light scattering (ELS) signal from soot particles heated by the 1,064-nm laser was monitored. This approach makes it possible to determine at which fluence of the LII laser soot sublimation starts to become visible as a decrease in the ELS signal. By performing the measurements at various heights in a premixed sooting flat ethylene/air flame, the fluence threshold above which the ELS signal decreased was found to be higher at the lower flame heights corresponding to younger, smaller and less aggregated particles. The results from this work indicate that the different fluence thresholds for sublimation may be explained by a lower absorption function E(m) for the younger soot particles.