Search results for: CNG recovery process calculations

Authors: Lauren Dawson, Sean Comber, Richard Sandford, Alan Tappin, Bruce Stockley

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The West Dart River is underperforming for Salmon (Salmo salar) survival rates due to acidified pH troughs under the European Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). These troughs have been identified as being caused by historic acid rain pollution which is being held in situ by peat bog presence at site and released during flushing events. Natural recovery has been deemed unlikely by the year 2020 using steady state water chemistry models and therefore a program of monitored calcium carbonate (CaCO3) introductions are being conducted to eliminate these troughs, which can drop to pH 2.93 (salmon survival – pH 5.5). The river should be naturally acidic (pH 5.5-6) due to the granite geology of Dartmoor and therefore the CaCO3 introductions are under new methodology (the encasing of the CaCO3 in permeable sacks) to ensure removal should the water pH rise above neutral levels. The water chemistry and ecology are undergoing comprehensive monitoring, including pH and turbidity levels, dissolved organic carbon and aluminum concentration and speciation, while the aquatic biota is being used to assess the potential water chemistry changes. While this project is ongoing, results from the preliminary field trial show only a temporary, localized increase in pH following CaCO3 introductions into the water column. However, changes to the water chemistry have only been identified in the West Dart after methodology adjustments to account for flow rates and spate-dissolution, though no long-term changes have so far been found in the ecology of the river. However, this is not necessarily a negative factor, as the aim of the study is to protect the current ecological communities and the natural pH of the river while remediating only the detrimental pH troughs.

Keywords: anthropogenic acidification recovery, calcium carbonate introductions, ecology monitoring, water chemistry monitoring

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Authors: Avigail Moor, Michal Otmazgin, Hagar Tsiddon, Avivit Mahazri

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The goal of the present study was to refine sexual assault therapy through the examination of the level of agreement between survivor and therapist assessments of key recovery-promoting therapeutic interventions. This is the first study to explore the level of agreement between those who partake in the treatment process from either position. Semi structured interviews were conducted in this qualitative study with 10 survivors and 10 experienced therapists. The results document considerable concurrence between them regarding relational and trauma processing treatment components alike. Together, these reports outline key effective interventions, both common and specific in nature, concomitantly supported by both groups.

Keywords: sexual assault, rape treatment, therapist training, psychotherapy

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Authors: Abbas Al-Refaie

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This study optimized the performance of plastic extrusion process of drip irrigation pipes using fuzzy goal programming. Two main responses were of main interest; roll thickness and hardness. Four main process factors were studied. The L₁₈ array was then used for experimental design. The individual-moving range control charts were used to assess the stability of the process, while the process capability index was used to assess process performance. Confirmation experiments were conducted at the obtained combination of optimal factor setting by fuzzy goal programming. The results revealed that process capability was improved significantly from -1.129 to 0.8148 for roll thickness and from 0.0965 to 0.714 and hardness. Such improvement results in considerable savings in production and quality costs.

Keywords: fuzzy goal programming, extrusion process, process capability, irrigation plastic pipes

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Authors: Renzo Castillo, George Tsatsaronis

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High-temperature ceramic membranes for air separation represents an important option to reduce the significant efficiency drops incurred in state-of-the-art cryogenic air separation for high tonnage oxygen production required in oxyfuel power stations. This study is focused on the thermodynamic analysis of two power plant model designs: the state-of-the-art supercritical 600ᵒC hard coal plant (reference power plant Nordrhein-Westfalen) and the membrane-based oxyfuel concept implemented in this reference plant. In the latter case, the oxygen is separated through a mixed-conducting hollow fiber perovskite membrane unit in the three-end operation mode, which has been simulated under vacuum conditions on the permeate side and at high-pressure conditions on the feed side. The thermodynamic performance of each plant concept is assessed by conventional exergetic analysis, which determines location, magnitude and sources of efficiency losses, and advanced exergetic analysis, where endogenous/exogenous and avoidable/unavoidable parts of exergy destruction are calculated at the component and full process level. These calculations identify thermodynamic interdependencies among components and reveal the real potential for efficiency improvements. The endogenous and exogenous exergy destruction portions are calculated by the decomposition method, a recently developed straightforward methodology, which is suitable for complex power stations with a large number of process components. Lastly, an improvement priority ranking for relevant components, as well as suggested changes in process layouts are presented for both power stations.

Keywords: exergy, carbon capture and storage, ceramic membranes, perovskite, oxyfuel combustion

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Authors: Fakhreldin O. Suliman, Alia H. Al-Battashi

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This work explored the interaction of three different imidazoline drugs, naphazoline nitrate (NPH), oxymetazoline hydrochloride (OXY) and xylometazoline hydrochloride (XYL) with two different synthesized cucurbit[n]urils CB[n], cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) and cucuribit[8]uril (CB[8]). Three binary inclusion complexes have been investigated in solution and in the solid state. The solid complexes were obtained by lyophilization, whereas the physical mixtures of guests and hosts at a stoichiometric ratio of 1:1 were obtained for each drug. 1HNMR, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), and matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry was used to study the complexes prepared in aqueous media. The lyophilized solid complexes were characterized by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). MS, FT-IR and PXRD experimental results established in this work reveal that NPH, OXY and XYL molecules form stable inclusion complexes with the two hosts. The TGA and DSC confirmed the enhancement of the thermal stability of each drug and the production of a thermally stable solid complex. The 1HNMR has shown that the protons of the guests faced shifting in ppm and broadening of their peaks upon the formation of inclusion complexes with the selected CB[n]. The aromatic protons of the guest exhibited the highest changes in the chemical shifts and shape of the NMR peaks, suggesting their inclusion into the cavity of the CB[n]. The diffusion coefficients (D), developed from the diffusion-controlled NMR Spectroscopy (DOSY) measurements, for the complexation of the selected imidazoline drugs with CB[7] and CB[8], were decreased in the presence of hosts compared to the free guests indicating the formation of the guest-host adduct. Furthermore, we conducted molecular dynamic simulations and quantum mechanics calculations on these complexes. The results of the theoretical study corroborate the experimental findings and have also shed light on the mechanism of inclusion of the guests into the two hosts. This study generates initial data for potential drug delivery or drug formulation systems for these three selected imidazoline drug compounds based on their inclusion into the CB[n] cavities.

Keywords: cucurbit[n]urils, imidazoline, inclusion complexes, molecular dynamics, DFT calculations, mass spectrometry

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Authors: Emmanuel Billy

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This work is in the CABRISS project (H2020 projects) which aims at developing innovative cost-effective methods for the extraction of materials from the different sources of PV waste: Si based panels, thin film panels or Si water diluted slurries. Aluminum, silicon, indium, and silver will especially be extracted from these wastes in order to constitute materials feedstock which can be used later in a closed-loop process. The extraction of metals from silicon solar cells is often an energy-intensive process. It requires either smelting or leaching at elevated temperature, or the use of large quantities of strong acids or bases that require energy to produce. The energy input equates to a significant cost and an associated CO2 footprint, both of which it would be desirable to reduce. Thus there is a need to develop more energy-efficient and environmentally-compatible processes. Thus, ‘ionometallurgy’ could offer a new set of environmentally-benign process for metallurgy. This work demonstrates that ionic liquids provide one such method since they can be used to dissolve and recover silver. The overall process associates leaching, recovery and the possibility to re-use the solution in closed-loop process. This study aims to evaluate and compare different ionic liquids to leach and recover silver. An electrochemical analysis is first implemented to define the best system for the Ag dissolution. Effects of temperature, concentration and oxidizing agent are evaluated by this approach. Further, a comparative study between conventional approach (nitric acid, thiourea) and the ionic liquids (Cu and Al) focused on the leaching efficiency is conducted. A specific attention has been paid to the selection of the Ionic Liquids. Electrolytes composed of chelating anions are used to facilitate the lixiviation (Cl, Br, I,), avoid problems dealing with solubility issues of metallic species and of classical additional ligands. This approach reduces the cost of the process and facilitates the re-use of the leaching medium. To define the most suitable ionic liquids, electrochemical experiments have been carried out to evaluate the oxidation potential of silver include in the crystalline solar cells. Then, chemical dissolution of metals for crystalline solar cells have been performed for the most promising ionic liquids. After the chemical dissolution, electrodeposition has been performed to recover silver under a metallic form.

Keywords: electrodeposition, ionometallurgy, leaching, recycling, silver

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Authors: Sergio Clemente, Carla Bartolomé, Miriam Lorenzo, Sergio Valverde

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The generation of urban waste is a consequence of human activity, and the fraction of urban organic waste is one of the major components of municipal waste. The development of new materials and energy recovery technologies is becoming a thriving topic throughout Europe. ITENE is working to increase the circularity of coffee grounds from West Macedonia. Although these residues have a high content of carbohydrates, fatty acids and polyphenols, they are usually valorized energetically or discarded, losing all these compounds of interest. ITENE is studying the extraction of oils from spent coffee grounds using supercritical CO2, as it is a more sustainable method and does not destroy the most valuable compounds. In the HOOP project, the extraction process is optimized to maximize oil production and the possibility of using co-solvents together with supercritical CO2 is studied. The production of fatty acids by scCO2 extraction is optimized and then compared with other conventional extraction methods such as hexane extraction and the Folch method. The conditions for scCO2 were temperatures of 313.15K, 323.15K and 333.15K, pressures from 150 bar to 200 bar, and extraction times between 1 and 3 h. In addition, a complete characterization of the resulting lipid fraction is performed to evaluate its fatty acid content and profile, as well as its antioxidant properties, lipid oxidation, total phenol content and moisture.

Keywords: Supercritical co2, coffee, valorization, extraction

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Authors: Dharshini M., Hema N. S.

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The project for the production of aniline is done by providing 295.46 tons per day of nitrobenzene as feed. The material and energy balance calculations for the different equipment like distillation column, heat exchangers, reactor and mixer are carried out with simulation via DWSIM. The conversion of nitrobenzene to aniline by hydrogenation process is considered to be 96% and the total production of the plant was found to be 215 TPD. The cost estimation of the process is carried out to estimate the feasibility of the plant. The net profit and percentage return of investment is estimated to be ₹27 crores and 24.6%. The payback period was estimated to be 4.05 years and the unit production cost is ₹113/kg. A techno-economic analysis was performed for the production of aniline; the result includes economic analysis and sensitivity analysis of critical factors. From economic analysis, larger the plant scale increases the total capital investment and annual operating cost, even though the unit production cost decreases. Uncertainty analysis was performed to predict the influence of economic factors on profitability and the scenario analysis is one way to quantify uncertainty. In scenario analysis the best-case scenario and the worst-case scenario are compared with the base case scenario. The best-case scenario was found at a feed rate of 120 kmol/hr with a unit production cost of ₹112.05/kg and the worst-case scenario was found at a feed rate of 60 kmol/hr with a unit production cost of ₹115.9/kg. The base case is closely related to the best case by 99.2% in terms of unit production cost. since the unit production cost is less and the profitability is more with less payback time, it is feasible to construct a plant at this capacity.

Keywords: aniline, nitrobenzene, economic analysis, unit production cost

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Authors: Sivakumar Kottapalli, Abdesselam Abdelouas, Christoph Hartnack

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Spent nuclear fuel generates a mixed field of ionizing radiation to the water. This radiation field is generally dominated by gamma rays and a limited flux of fast neutrons. The fuel cladding effectively attenuates beta and alpha particle radiation. Small fraction of the spent nuclear fuel exhibits some degree of fuel cladding penetration due to pitting corrosion and mechanical failure. Breaches in the fuel cladding allow the exposure of small volumes of water in the cask to alpha and beta ionizing radiation. The safety of the transport of radioactive material is assured by the package complying with the IAEA Requirements for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material SSR-6. It is of high interest to avoid generation of hydrogen inside the cavity which may to an explosive mixture. The risk of hydrogen production along with other radiation gases should be analyzed for a typical spent fuel for safety issues. This work aims to perform a realistic study of the production of hydrogen by radiolysis assuming most penalizing initial conditions. It consists in the calculation of the radionuclide inventory of a pellet taking into account the burn up and decays. Westinghouse 17X17 PWR fuel has been chosen and data has been analyzed for different sets of enrichment, burnup, cycles of irradiation and storage conditions. The inventory is calculated as the entry point for the simulation studies of hydrogen production by radiolysis kinetic models by MAKSIMA-CHEMIST. Dose rates decrease strongly within ~45 μm from the fuel surface towards the solution(water) in case of alpha radiation, while the dose rate decrease is lower in case of beta and even slower in case of gamma radiation. Calculations are carried out to obtain spectra as a function of time. Radiation dose rate profiles are taken as the input data for the iterative calculations. Hydrogen yield has been found to be around 0.02 mol/L. Calculations have been performed for a realistic scenario considering a capsule containing the spent fuel rod. Thus, hydrogen yield has been debated. Experiments are under progress to validate the hydrogen production rate using cyclotron at > 5MeV (at ARRONAX, Nantes).

Keywords: radiolysis, spent fuel, hydrogen, cyclotron

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Authors: Paul Ihuoma Oluikpe

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The purpose of this paper is to explore and highlight the process of creating value for strategy management by embedding knowledge management in the business process. Knowledge management can be seen from a three-dimensional perspective of content, connections and competencies. These dimensions can be embedded in the knowledge processes (create, capture, share, and apply) and operationalized within a business process to effectively create a scenario where knowledge can be focused on enabling a process and the process in turn generates outcomes. The application of knowledge management on business processes of organizations is rare and underreported. Few researches have explored this paradigm although researches have tended to reinforce the notion that competitive advantage sits within the internal aspects of the firm. Given this notion, it is surprising that knowledge management research and practice have not focused sufficiently on the business process which is the basic unit of organizational decision implementation. This research serves to generate understanding on applying KM in business process using a large multinational in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Keywords: knowledge management, business process, strategy, multinational

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Authors: Wong Ka Fai

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Introduction: Many students are worried before an examination; that is a common picture worldwide. Health problems from stress before examination were insomnia, tiredness, isolation, stomach upset, and anxiety. Nursing students experienced high stress from the examination. Guided imagery is a healing process of applying imagination to help the body heal, survive, or live well. It can bring about significant physiological and biochemical changes, which can trigger the recovery process. A study of nursing students improving their anxiety before examination with guided imagery was proposed. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the outcome of guided imagery on nursing students’ anxiety before examination in Hong Kong. Method: The qualitative study method was used. 16 first-year students studying nursing programme were invited to practice guided imagery to improve their anxiety before the examination period. One week before the examination, the semi-structured interviews with these students were carried out by the researcher. Result: From the content analysis of interview data, these nursing students showed considerable similarities in their anxiety perception. Nursing students’ perceived improved anxiety was evidenced by a reduction of stressful feelings, improved physical health, satisfaction with daily activities, and enhanced skills for solving problems and upcoming situations. Conclusion: This study indicated that guided imagery can be used as an alternative measure to improve students’ anxiety and psychological problems.

Keywords: nursing students, perception, anxiety, guided imagery

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Authors: Lina Wu

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The excessive discharge of nitrogen in sewage greatly intensifies the eutrophication of water bodies and poses a threat to water quality. Nitrogen pollution control has become a global concern. Currently, the problem of water pollution in China is still not optimistic. As a typical high ammonia nitrogen organic wastewater, landfill leachate is more difficult to treat than domestic sewage because of its complex water quality, high toxicity, and high concentration.Many studies have shown that the autotrophic anammox bacteria in nature can combine nitrous and ammonia nitrogen without carbon source through functional genes to achieve total nitrogen removal, which is very suitable for the removal of nitrogen from leachate. In addition, the process also saves a lot of aeration energy consumption than the traditional nitrogen removal process. Therefore, anammox plays an important role in nitrogen conversion and energy saving. The process composed of short-range nitrification and denitrification coupled an ammo ensures the removal of total nitrogen and improves the removal efficiency, meeting the needs of the society for an ecologically friendly and cost-effective nutrient removal treatment technology. Continuous flow process for treating late leachate [an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASB), anoxic/oxic (A/O)–anaerobic ammonia oxidation reactor (ANAOR or anammox reactor)] has been developed to achieve autotrophic deep nitrogen removal. In this process, the optimal process parameters such as hydraulic retention time and nitrification flow rate have been obtained, and have been applied to the rapid start-up and stable operation of the process system and high removal efficiency. Besides, finding the characteristics of microbial community during the start-up of anammox process system and analyzing its microbial ecological mechanism provide a basis for the enrichment of anammox microbial community under high environmental stress. One research developed partial nitrification-Anammox (PN/A) using an internal circulation (IC) system and a biological aerated filter (BAF) biofilm reactor (IBBR), where the amount of water treated is closer to that of landfill leachate. However, new high-throughput sequencing technology is still required to be utilized to analyze the changes of microbial diversity of this system, related functional genera and functional genes under optimal conditions, providing theoretical and further practical basis for the engineering application of novel anammox system in biogas slurry treatment and resource utilization.

Keywords: nutrient removal and recovery, leachate, anammox, partial nitrification

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Authors: Kwok Tak Kit

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Construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated in the process of urbanization which only contribute to approx. 25–35 per cent of municipal solid waste (MSW), and the action to reduce the generation of other MSW is considered more critical. Developed and cities produce a higher percentage of inorganic waste rather than organic waste. Most of the MSW was disposed in landfill, and a large number of the landfills are not effectively and efficiently operated to receive the untreated incoming waste. It is also a global problem that the demands for enhancement of basic infrastructure for waste collection, treatment, and disposal, including rehabilitation of the dump sites, is the urgent priority. This paper is to review the factors taken into consideration of waste management development in relation to circular economy development on development countries and green recovery in the post-pandemic era for further researches use.

Keywords: waste management, waste reduction, circular economy, developed countries, sustainable design goals

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Authors: Soheil Tavakolpour

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Enhance Oil Recovery (EOR) can be considered as an undeniable action in reservoirs life period. Different kind of EOR methods are available, but suitable EOR method depends on reservoir properties, like rock and fluid properties. In this paper, we nominated fifth SPE’s Comparative Solution Projects (CSP) for testing different scenarios. We used seven EOR scenarios for this reservoir and we simulated it for 10 years after 2 years production without any injection. The first scenario is waterflooding for whole of the 10 years period. The second scenario is gas injection for ten years. The third scenario is Water-Alternation-Gas (WAG). In the next scenario, water injected for 4 years before starting WAG injection for the next 6 years. In the fifth scenario, water injected after 6 years WAG injection for 4 years. For sixth and last scenarios, all the things are similar to fourth and fifth scenarios, but gas injected instead of water. Results show that fourth scenario was the most efficient method for 10 years EOR, but it resulted very high water production. Fifth scenario was efficient too, with little water production in comparison to the fourth scenario. Gas injection was not economically attractive. In addition to high gas production, it produced less oil in comparison to other scenarios.

Keywords: WAG, SPE’s comparative solution projects, numerical simulation, EOR scenarios

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Authors: Mariana Roberta Ribeiro, Isabela de Cássia Caramello, Roberto Saverio Souza Costa

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Currently, one of the most important environmental problems is soil degradation. This wear is the result of inadequate agricultural practices, with water erosion as the main agent. As the runoff water is concentrated in certain points, it can reach a more advanced stage, which are the gullies. In view of this, the objective of this work was to evaluate which methodology is most suitable for the purpose of elaborating a project for the recovery of a gully, relating work time, data reliability, and the final cost. The work was carried out on a rural road in Monte Alto - SP, where there is 0.30 hectares of area under the influence of a gully. For the evaluation, an aerophotogrammetric survey was used with RPA, with georeferenced points, and with a GNSS L1/L2 receiver. To assess the importance of georeferenced points, there was a comparison of altimetric data using the support points with altimetric data using only the aircraft's internal GPS. Another method used was the survey by conventional topography, where coordinates were collected by total station and L1/L2 Geodetic GPS receiver. Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the F test (p<0.05), and the means between treatments were compared using the Tukey test (p<0.05). The results showed that the surveys carried out by aerial photogrammetry and by conventional topography showed no significant difference for the analyzed parameters. Considering the data presented, it is possible to conclude that, when comparing the parameters of accuracy, the final volume of the gully, and cost, for the purpose of elaborating a project for the recovery of a gully, the methodologies of aerial photogrammetric survey and conventional topography do not differ significantly. However, when working time, use of labor, and project detail are compared, the aerial photogrammetric survey proves to be more viable.

Keywords: drones, erosion, soil conservation, technology in agriculture

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Authors: Dercan Gencbas, Hatice Bebis, Sue Moorhead

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In the nursing process, many of the nursing classification systems were created to be used in international. From these, NANDA-I, Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) and Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC). In this direction, the main objective of this study is to establish a model for caregivers in hospitals and communities in Turkey and to ensure that nursing outputs are assessed by NOC-based measures. There are many scales to measure Urinary Incontinence (UI), which is very common in children, in old age, vaginal birth, NOC scales are ideal for use in the nursing process for comprehensive and holistic assessment, with surveys available. For this reason, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the validity of the NOC outputs and indicators used for UI NANDA-I. This research is a methodological study. In addition to the validity of scale indicators in the study, how much they will contribute to recovery after the nursing intervention was assessed by experts. Scope validations have been applied and calculated according to Fehring 1987 work model. According to this, nursing inclusion criteria and scores were determined. For example, if experts have at least four years of clinical experience, their score was 4 points or have at least one year of the nursing classification system, their score was 1 point. The experts were a publication experience about nursing classification, their score was 1 point, or have a doctoral degree in nursing, their score was 2 points. If the expert has a master degree, their score was 1 point. Total of 55 experts rated Fehring as a “senior degree” with a score of 90 according to the expert scoring. The nursing interventions to be applied were asked to what extent these indicators would contribute to recovery. For coverage validity tailored to Fehring's model, each NOC and NOC indicator from specialists was asked to score between 1-5. Score for the significance of indicators was from 1=no precaution to 5=very important. After the expert opinion, these weighted scores obtained for each NOC and NOC indicator were classified as 0.8 critical, 0.8 > 0.5 complements, > 0.5 are excluded. In the NANDA-I / NOC / NIC system (guideline), 5 NOCs proposed for nursing diagnoses for UI were proposed. These outputs are; Urinary Continence, Urinary Elimination, Tissue Integrity, Self CareToileting, Medication Response. After the scales are translated into Turkish, the weighted average of the scores obtained from specialists for the coverage of all 5 NOCs and the contribution of nursing initiatives exceeded 0.8. After the opinions of the experts, 79 of the 82 indicators were calculated as critical, 3 of the indicators were calculated as supplemental. Because of 0.5 > was not obtained, no substance was removed. All NOC outputs were identified as valid and usable scales in Turkey. In this study, five NOC outcomes were verified for the evaluation of the output of individuals who have received nursing knowledge of UI and variant types. Nurses in Turkey can benefit from the outputs of the NOC scale to perform the care of the elderly incontinence.

Keywords: nursing outcomes, content validity, nursing diagnosis, urinary incontinence

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Authors: Totok R. Biyanto, Arif T. Mardianto, M. Farid R. R., Luthfi Machmudi, kandi mulakasti

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The main objective of this research is optimizing the electrocoagulation process design as a post-treatment for biologically vinasse effluent process. The first principle model with three independent variables that affect the energy consumption of electrocoagulation process i.e. current density, electrode distance, and time of treatment process are chosen as optimized variables. The process condition parameters were determined with the value of pH, electrical conductivity, and temperature of vinasse about 6.5, 28.5 mS/cm, 52 oC, respectively. Aluminum was chosen as the electrode material of electrocoagulation process. Duelist algorithm was used as optimization technique due to its capability to reach a global optimum. The optimization results show that the optimal process can be reached in the conditions of current density of 2.9976 A/m2, electrode distance of 1.5 cm and electrolysis time of 119 min. The optimized energy consumption during process is 34.02 Wh.

Keywords: optimization, vinasse effluent, electrocoagulation, energy consumption

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Authors: M. Talebzadegan, S. Bina , I. Riazi

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The purpose of this paper is to present an active solar energy system to supply heating demands of the teaching staff dormitory of Islamic Azad University of Ramhormoz. The design takes into account the solar radiations and climate data of Ramhormoz town and is based on the daily warm water consumption for health demands of 450 residents of the dormitory, which is equal to 27000 lit of 50 C° water, and building heating requirements with an area of 3500 m² well-protected by heatproof materials. First, heating demands of the building were calculated, then a hybrid system made up of solar and fossil energies was developed and finally, the design was economically evaluated. Since there is only roof space for using 110 flat solar water heaters, the calculations were made to hybridize solar water heating system with heat pumping system in which solar energy contributes 67% of the heat generated. According to calculations, the Net Present Value “N.P.V.” of revenue stream exceeds “N.P.V.” of cash paid off in this project over three years, which makes economically quite promising. The return of investment and payback period of the project is 4 years. Also, the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of the project was 25%, which exceeds bank rate of interest in Iran and emphasizes the desirability of the project.

Keywords: solar energy, heat demand, renewable, pollution

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Authors: Xiao-Yin Liu, Liang-Xue Zhou

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Traumatic brain injury (TBI), as a kind of nerve trauma caused by an external force, affects people all over the world and is a global public health problem. Although there are various clinical treatments for brain injury, including surgery, drug therapy, and rehabilitation therapy, the therapeutic effect is very limited. To improve the therapeutic effect of TBI, scaffolds combined with exosomes are a promising but challenging method for TBI repair. In this study, we examined whether a novel 3D-printed collagen/chitosan scaffold/exosomes derived from neural stem cells (NSCs) pretreated with insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-I) scaffolds (3D-CC-INExos) could be used to improve TBI repair and functional recovery after TBI. Our results showed that composite scaffolds of collagen-, chitosan- and exosomes derived from NSCs pretreated with IGF-I (INExos) could continuously release the exosomes for two weeks. In the rat TBI model, 3D-CC-INExos scaffold transplantation significantly improved motor and cognitive function after TBI, as assessed by the Morris water maze test and modified neurological severity scores. In addition, immunofluorescence staining and transmission electron microscopy showed that the recovery of damaged nerve tissue in the injured area was significantly improved by 3D-CC-INExos implantation. In conclusion, our data suggest that 3D-CC-INExos might provide a potential strategy for the treatment of TBI and lay a solid foundation for clinical translation.

Keywords: traumatic brain injury, exosomes, insulin growth factor-1, neural stem cells, collagen, chitosan, 3D printing, neural regeneration, angiogenesis, functional recovery

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Authors: Sourabh Jain, Parul Madan

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Traffic noise pollution has become a challenging problem for all metro cities of India due to rapid urbanization, growing population and rising number of vehicles and transport development. In Delhi the prime source of noise pollution is vehicular traffic. In Delhi it is found that the ambient noise level (Leq) is exceeding the standard permissible value at all the locations. Noise barriers or enclosures are definitely useful in obtaining effective deduction of traffic noise disturbances in urbanized areas. US’s Federal Highway Administration Model (FHWA) and Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CORTN) of UK are used to develop spread sheets for noise prediction. Spread sheets are also developed for evaluating effectiveness of existing boundary walls abutting houses in mitigating noise, redesigning them as noise barriers. Study was also carried out to examine the changes in noise level due to designed noise barrier by using both models FHWA and CORTN respectively. During the collection of various data it is found that receivers are located far away from road at Rithala and Moolchand sites and hence extra barrier height needed to meet prescribed limits was less as seen from calculations and most of the noise diminishes by propagation effect.On the basis of overall study and data analysis, it is concluded that FHWA and CORTN models under estimate noise levels. FHWA model predicted noise levels with an average percentage error of -7.33 and CORTN predicted with an average percentage error of -8.5. It was observed that at all sites noise levels at receivers were exceeding the standard limit of 55 dB. It was seen from calculations that existing walls are reducing noise levels. Average noise reduction due to walls at Rithala was 7.41 dB and at Panchsheel was 7.20 dB and lower amount of noise reduction was observed at Friend colony which was only 5.88. It was observed from analysis that Friends colony sites need much greater height of barrier. This was because of residential buildings abutting the road. At friends colony great amount of traffic was observed since it is national highway. At this site diminishing of noise due to propagation effect was very less.As FHWA and CORTN models were developed in excel programme, it eliminates laborious calculations of noise. There was no reflection correction in FHWA models as like in CORTN model.

Keywords: IFHWA, CORTN, Noise Sources, Noise Barriers

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Authors: Taha Enes Kon, Vanshika Reddy

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This project focuses on developing a gamified mobile application to aid in stroke rehabilitation by enhancing motor skills through interactive activities. The primary goal was to design a companion app for a passive haptic rehab glove, incorporating Google MediaPipe for gesture tracking and vibrotactile feedback. The app simulates farming activities, offering a fun and engaging experience while addressing the monotony of traditional rehabilitation methods. The prototype focuses on a single minigame, Flower Picking, which uses gesture recognition to interact with virtual elements, encouraging users to perform exercises that improve hand dexterity. The development process involved creating accessible and user-centered designs using Figma, integrating gesture recognition algorithms, and implementing unity-based game mechanics. Real-time feedback and progressive difficulty levels ensured a personalized experience, motivating users to adhere to rehabilitation routines. The prototype achieved a gesture detection precision of 90%, effectively recognizing predefined gestures such as the Fist and OK symbols. Quantitative analysis highlighted a 40% increase in average session duration compared to traditional exercises, while qualitative feedback praised the app’s immersive design and ease of use. Despite its success, challenges included rigidity in gesture recognition, requiring precise hand orientations, and limited gesture support. Future improvements include expanding gesture adaptability and incorporating additional minigames to target a broader range of exercises. The project demonstrates the potential of gamification in stroke rehabilitation, offering a scalable and accessible solution that complements clinical treatments, making recovery engaging and effective for users.

Keywords: stroke rehabilitation, haptic feedback, gamification, MediaPipe, motor control

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Authors: Farah Al Zaabi, Sarah Amrani

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Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition that develops in an extremity following a fracture, soft tissue injury, or surgery. It is a neuropathic pain disorder that is accompanied by the characteristic skin manifestations that are needed for the diagnosis. We report the case of a 30 year old male, who has findings consistent with CRPS and has been followed for over two years by multiple specialties within the healthcare system without obtaining a diagnosis. The symptoms he presented with were treated based on the specialty he was seeing, rather than unified and recognized as a single disease process. Our case highlights the complexity of chronic pain, which can sometimes present with skin manifestations, and the importance of involving a pain specialist early for both the medical and physical recovery of CRPS patients.

Keywords: complex regional pain syndrome, chronic pain, skin changes of CRPS, dermatological manifestions of CRPS

Procedia PDF Downloads 154

Authors: Yeraldin Galindo, Soraida Mora

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Solid urban waste represents one of the largest sources of global environmental pollution due to the large quantities of these that are produced every day; thus, the elimination of such waste is a major problem for the environmental authorities who must look for alternatives to reduce the volume of waste with the possibility of obtaining an energy recovery. At the Autónoma de Colombia University, approximately 423.27 kg/d of solid waste are generated mainly paper, cardboard, and plastic. A large amount of these solid wastes has as final disposition the sanitary landfill of the city, wasting the energy potential that these could have, this, added to the emissions generated by the collection and transport of the same, has as consequence the increase of atmospheric pollutants. One of the alternative process used in the last years to generate electrical energy from solid waste such as paper, cardboard, plastic and, mainly, organic waste or biomass to replace the use of fossil fuels is the gasification. This is a thermal conversion process of biomass. The objective of it is to generate a combustible gas as the result of a series of chemical reactions propitiated by the addition of heat and the reaction agents. This project was developed with the intention of giving an energetic use to the waste (paper, cardboard, and plastic) produced inside the university, using them to generate a synthesis gas with a gasifier prototype. The gas produced was evaluated to determine their benefits in terms of electricity generation or raw material for the chemical industry. In this process, air was used as gasifying agent. The characterization of the synthesis gas was carried out by a gas chromatography carried out by the Chemical Engineering Laboratory of the National University of Colombia. Taking into account the results obtained, it was concluded that the gas generated is of acceptable quality in terms of the concentration of its components, but it is a gas of low calorific value. For this reason, the syngas generated in this project is not viable for the production of electrical energy but for the production of methanol transformed by the Fischer-Tropsch cycle.

Keywords: alternative energies, gasification, gasifying agent, solid urban waste, syngas

Procedia PDF Downloads 259

Authors: S. Jahangir, S. H. I. Jaffery, M. Khan, Z. Zareef, A. Yar, A. Mubashir, S. Butt, L. Ali

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In this work, drilling responses and behavior of MMC was investigated in Al-Mg2Si composites. For the purpose Al-15% wt. Mg2Si, was selected from the hypereutectic region of Al- Mg2Si phase diagram. Based on hardness and tensile strength, drill bit of appropriate material and morphology was selected. The performance of different drill bits of different morphology and material was studied and analysed using experimental data. For theoretical calculations of axial thrust force and required power calculation, material factor “K” was obtained from different data charts and at the same time cutting forces (drilling forces) were practically obtained using a Peizo electric force dynamometer. These results show the role of reinforcement particles on the machinability of MMCs and provide a useful guide for a better control and optimized drilling parameters for the drilling process. Furthermore, in this work, comparison of MMC with non -reinforced Aluminum Alloy regarding drilling operation was also studied.

Keywords: drilling, metal matrix composite (MMC), cutting forces, thrust force

Procedia PDF Downloads 431

Authors: Prem, Norhaya, Vwrene C., Mohammad Harris A., Amarjit, Fazir M.

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Upper limb surgery is a common orthopedic procedure. After surgery, it is necessary to raise the patient's arm to reduce limb swelling and promote recovery. After an injury or surgery, swelling (edema) in the limbs is common. This swelling can be painful, cause stiffness, and affect movement and ability to do daily activities. One of the easiest ways to manage swelling is to elevate the swollen limb. The goal is to elevate the swollen limb slightly above the level of the heart. This helps the extra fluid move back towards the heart for circulation to the rest of the body. Conventional arm sling or pillows are usually placed under the arm to raise it, but in this way the arm cannot be fixed well and easily slide down, without ideal raising effect. Conventional arm sling need experience to tie the sling and this delay in the application process. To reduce the waiting time and cost, modified Norhaya upper limb elevation sling was designed and made readily available. The sling is made from calico fabric, readily available in the ward. Measurements of patients’ arm lengths are obtained, and fabric sizes are cut into the average arm lengths, as well as 1 size above and below. The cut calico fabric is then sewn together with thick sewing threads. Its application is easy and junior most staff or doctor will be able to apply it on patient. The time taken to set up the sling is also reduced. Feedback gathered from ground staff regarding ease of setting up the sling was tremendous and patient also feel comfort in the modified Norhaya sling. The device can freely adjust the raising height of the affected limb and effectively fix the affected limb to reduce its swelling, thus promoting recovery. This device is worthy to be clinically popularized and applied. The Modified Norhaya upper limb elevation sling is the quickest to set up and the delay in elevating the patient’s hand is significantly reduced. Moreover, it is reproducible and there is also significant cost savings.

Keywords: elevate, effective, sling, timely

Procedia PDF Downloads 208

Authors: Waldir Roque, Gustavo Oliveira, Moises Santos, Tatiana Simoes

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Increasing the oil recovery factor of an oil reservoir has been a concern of the oil industry. Usually, the production placement zones are defined after some analysis of geological and petrophysical parameters, being the rock porosity, permeability and oil saturation of fundamental importance. In this context, the determination of hydraulic flow units (HFUs) renders an important step in the process of reservoir characterization since it may provide specific regions in the reservoir with similar petrophysical and fluid flow properties and, in particular, techniques supporting the placement of production zones that favour the tracing of directional wells. A HFU is defined as a representative volume of a total reservoir rock in which petrophysical and fluid flow properties are internally consistent and predictably distinct of other reservoir rocks. Technically, a HFU is characterized as a rock region that exhibit flow zone indicator (FZI) points lying on a straight line of the unit slope. The goal of this paper is to provide a trustful indication for oil production placement zones for the best-fit HFUs. The FZI cloud of points can be obtained from the reservoir quality index (RQI), a function of effective porosity and permeability. Considering log and core data the HFUs are identified and using the discrete rock type (DRT) classification, a set of connected cell clusters can be found and by means a graph centrality metric, the maximum closeness (MaxC) cell is obtained for each cluster. Considering the MaxC cells as production zones, an extensive analysis, based on several oil recovery factor and oil cumulative production simulations were done for the SPE Model 2 and the UNISIM-I-D synthetic fields, where the later was build up from public data available from the actual Namorado Field, Campos Basin, in Brazil. The results have shown that the MaxC is actually technically feasible and very reliable as high performance production placement zones.

Keywords: hydraulic flow unit, maximum closeness centrality, oil production simulation, production placement zone

Procedia PDF Downloads 331

Authors: Martha E. Aguiar-Barrera, Humberto Gutierrez-Pulido, Veronica Vargas-Alejo

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Identifying and modeling random phenomena is a fundamental cognitive process to understand and transform reality. Recognizing situations governed by chance and giving them a scientific interpretation, without being carried away by beliefs or intuitions, is a basic training for citizens. Hence the importance of generating teaching-learning processes, supported using technology, paying attention to model creation rather than only executing mathematical calculations. In order to develop the student's knowledge about basic probability distributions and decision making; in this work a model eliciting activity (MEA) is reported. The intention was applying the Model and Modeling Perspective to design an activity related to civil engineering that would be understandable for students, while involving them in its solution. Furthermore, the activity should imply a decision-making challenge based on sample data, and the use of the computer should be considered. The activity was designed considering the six design principles for MEA proposed by Lesh and collaborators. These are model construction, reality, self-evaluation, model documentation, shareable and reusable, and prototype. The application and refinement of the activity was carried out during three school cycles in the Probability and Statistics class for Civil Engineering students at the University of Guadalajara. The analysis of the way in which the students sought to solve the activity was made using audio and video recordings, as well as with the individual and team reports of the students. The information obtained was categorized according to the activity phase (individual or team) and the category of analysis (sample, linearity, probability, distributions, mechanization, and decision-making). With the results obtained through the MEA, four obstacles have been identified to understand and apply the binomial distribution: the first one was the resistance of the student to move from the linear to the probabilistic model; the second one, the difficulty of visualizing (infering) the behavior of the population through the sample data; the third one, viewing the sample as an isolated event and not as part of a random process that must be viewed in the context of a probability distribution; and the fourth one, the difficulty of decision-making with the support of probabilistic calculations. These obstacles have also been identified in literature on the teaching of probability and statistics. Recognizing these concepts as obstacles to understanding probability distributions, and that these do not change after an intervention, allows for the modification of these interventions and the MEA. In such a way, the students may identify themselves the erroneous solutions when they carrying out the MEA. The MEA also showed to be democratic since several students who had little participation and low grades in the first units, improved their participation. Regarding the use of the computer, the RStudio software was useful in several tasks, for example in such as plotting the probability distributions and to exploring different sample sizes. In conclusion, with the models created to solve the MEA, the Civil Engineering students improved their probabilistic knowledge and understanding of fundamental concepts such as sample, population, and probability distribution.

Keywords: linear model, models and modeling, probability, randomness, sample

Procedia PDF Downloads 119

Authors: Recep Kesli, Huseyin Bilgin, Ela Tasdogan, Ercan Kurtipek

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Aim: The aim of this study was to compare resin based Bactec plus aerobic/anaerobic blood culture bottles (Becton Dickinson, MD, USA) and polymeric beads based BacT/Alert FA/FN plus blood culture bottles (bioMerieux, NC, USA) in terms of microorganisms recovery rates and time to detection (TTD) in the patients receiving antibiotic treatment. Method: Blood culture samples were taken from the patients who admitted to the intensive care unit and received antibiotic treatment. Forty milliliters of blood from patients were equally distributed into four types of bottles: Bactec Plus aerobic, Bactec Plus anaerobic, BacT/Alert FA Plus, BacT/Alert FN Plus. Bactec Plus and BacT/Alert Plus media were compared to culture recovery rates and TTD. Results: Blood culture samples were collected from 382 patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit and 245 patients who were diagnosed as having bloodstream infections were included in the study. A total of 1528 Bactec Plus aerobic, Bactec Plus anaerobic, BacT/Alert FA Plus, BacT/Alert FN Plus blood culture bottles analyzed and 176, 144, 154, 126 bacteria or fungi were isolated, respectively. Gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria were significantly more frequently isolated in the resin-based Bactec Plus bottles than in the polymeric beads based BacT/Alert Plus bottles. The Bactec Plus and BacT/Alert Plus media recovery rates were similar for fungi and anaerobic bacteria. The mean TTDs in the Bactec Plus bottles were shorter than those in the BacT/Alert Plus bottles regardless of the microorganisms. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that resin-containing media is a reliable and time-saving tool for patients who are receiving antibiotic treatment due to sepsis in the intensive care unit.

Keywords: Bactec Plus, BacT/Alert Plus, blood culture, antibiotic

Procedia PDF Downloads 146

Authors: Bipin Popat Sonawane

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After 1988 Electron muon Collaboration (EMC) announcement of measurement of spin dependent structure function, it has been found that it has become a need to understand spin structure of a hadron. In the study of three-dimensional spin structure of a proton, we need to understand the foundation of quantum field theory in terms of electro-weak and strong theories using rigorous mathematical theories and models. In the process of understanding the inner dynamical stricture of proton we need understand the mathematical formalism in perturbative quantum chromodynamics (pQCD). In QCD processes like proton-proton collision at high energy we calculate cross section using conventional collinear factorization schemes. In this calculations, parton distribution functions (PDFs) and fragmentation function are used which provide the information about probability density of finding quarks and gluons ( partons) inside the proton and probability density of finding final hadronic state from initial partons. In transverse momentum dependent (TMD) PDFs and FFs, collectively called as TMDs, take an account for intrinsic transverse motion of partons. The TMD factorization in the calculation of cross sections provide a scheme of hadronic and partonic states in the given QCD process. In this study we review Transverse Momentum Dependent (TMD) factorization scheme using Collins-Soper-Sterman (CSS) Formalism. CSS formalism considers the transverse momentum dependence of the partons, in this formalism the cross section is written as a Fourier transform over a transverse position variable which has physical interpretation as impact parameter. Along with this we compare this formalism with improved CSS formalism. In this work we study the TMD evolution schemes and their comparison with other schemes. This would provide description in the process of measurement of transverse single spin asymmetry (TSSA) in hadro-production and electro-production of J/psi meson at RHIC, LHC, ILC energy scales. This would surely help us to understand J/psi production mechanism which is an appropriate test of QCD.

Keywords: QCD, PDF, TMD, CSS

Procedia PDF Downloads 70

Authors: Ana M. Prieto del Pino

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As is well known, UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (1988) was a landmark regarding the seizure of proceeds of crime. Depriving criminals of the profits from their activity became a priority at an international level in the fight against organised crime. Enabling confiscation of proceeds of illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, criminalising money laundering and confiscating the proceeds thereof are the three measures taken in order to achieve that purpose. The beginning of 21st century brought the declaration of war on corruption and on the illicit enjoyment of the profits thereof onto the international scene. According to the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (2000), States Parties should adopt the necessary measures to enable the confiscation of proceeds of crime derived from offences (or property of equivalent value) and property, equipment and other instrumentalities used in offences covered by that Convention. The UN Convention against Corruption (2003) states asset recovery explicitly as a fundamental principle and sets forth measures aiming at the direct recovery of property through international cooperation in confiscation. Furthermore, European legislation has made many significant strides forward in less than twenty years concerning money laundering, confiscation, and asset recovery. Crime does not pay, let there be no doubt about it. Nevertheless, we must be very careful not to sing out of tune with individual rights and legal guarantees. On the one hand, innocent individuals and businesses must be protected, since they should not pay for the guilty ones’ faults. On the other hand, the rule of law must be preserved and not be tossed aside regarding those who have carried out criminal activities. An in-depth analysis of judicial decisions on money laundering and confiscation of proceeds of crime issued by European national courts and by the European Court of Human Rights in the last decade has been carried out from a human rights, legal guarantees and criminal law basic principles’ perspective. The undertaken study has revealed the violation of the right to property, of the proportionality principle legal and the infringement of basic principles of states’ domestic substantive and procedural criminal law systems. The most relevant ones have to do with the punishment of money laundering committed through negligence, non-conviction based confiscation and a too-far reaching interpretation of the notion of ‘proceeds of crime’. Almost everything in life has a bright and a dark side. Confiscation of criminal proceeds and asset recovery are not an exception to this rule.

Keywords: confiscation, human rights, money laundering, organized crime

Procedia PDF Downloads 139