Search results for: advanced reactor fuel reprocessing

Authors: Mohamed Derbeli, Maissa Farhat, Oscar Barambones, Lassaad Sbita

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Conventional controller (PI) applied to a DC/DC boost converter for the improvement and optimization of the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) system efficiency, cannot attain a good performance effect. Thus, due to its advantages comparatively with the PI controller, this paper interest is focused on the use of the sliding mode controller (SMC), Stability of the closed loop system is analytically proved using Lyapunov approach for the proposed controller. The model and the controllers are implemented in the MATLAB and SIMULINK environment. A comparison of results indicates that the suggested approach has considerable advantages compared to the traditional controller.

Keywords: DC/DC boost converter, PEMFC, PI controller, sliding mode controller

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Authors: S. Nikpour, S. Vahidi, H. Haghani

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Introduction: Exercise has mental and physical health benefits for patients with advanced stage cancer who actively receive chemotherapy, yet little is known about patients’ levels of interest in becoming more active or their confidence in increasing their activity level. Methods and materials: A convenience sample of 200 patients with advanced-stage cancer who were receiving chemotherapy completed self-report measures assessing physical activity level, mood, and quality-of-life variables. Qualitative data on patient-perceived benefits of, and barriers to, physical activity also were collected, coded by independent raters, and organized by predominant themes. Results: Current physical activity level, physical activity outcome expectations, and positive mood were significantly associated with self-efficacy. Fatigue was the most frequently listed barrier to physical activity; improved physical strength and health were the most commonly listed benefits. Participants identified benefits related to both general health and cancer-symptom management that were related to exercise. 59.5% of participants reported that they were seriously planning to increase or maintain their physical activity level, and over 40% reported having interest in receiving an intervention to become more active. Conclusion: These results suggested that many advanced-stage cancer patients who receive chemotherapy are interested in maintaining or increasing their physical activity level and in receiving professional support for exercise. In addition, these individuals identified general health and cancer-specific benefits of, and barriers to, physical activity. Future research will investigate how these findings may be incorporated into physical activity interventions for advanced-stage oncology patients receiving medical treatment.

Keywords: physical activity, cancer, self-efficacy

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Authors: Tytus Tulwin, Rafal Sochaczewski, Ksenia Siadkowska

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Designing a new engine requires a large number of different cases to be considered. Especially different injector parameters and combustion chamber geometries. This is essential when developing an engine with unconventional build – compression ignition, two-stroke operating with direct side injection. Computational Fluid Dynamics modelling allows to test those different conditions and seek for the best conditions with correct combustion. This research presents the combustion results for different injector and combustion chamber cases. The shape of combustion chamber is different than for conventional engines as it requires side injection. This completely changes the optimal shape for the given condition compared to standard automotive heart shaped combustion chamber. Because the injection is not symmetrical there is a strong influence of cylinder swirl and piston motion on the injected fuel stream. The results present the fuel injection phenomena allowing to predict the right injection parameters for a maximum combustion efficiency and minimum piston heat loads. Acknowledgement: This work has been realized in the cooperation with The Construction Office of WSK "PZL-KALISZ" S.A." and is part of Grant Agreement No. POIR.01.02.00-00-0002/15 financed by the Polish National Centre for Research and Development.

Keywords: CFD, combustion, injection, opposed piston

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Authors: Wenqian Shi, Xie He, Ziyin Huang, Zi Yu

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The dramatic changes in the global economic situation have produced dramatic changes to companies’ supply chain systems. A variety of opportunities and challenges make the traditional manufacturing industry feel pressured, and the manufacturing industry must seek a new way out as soon as possible. This paper presents a case study of the advanced planning and scheduling technology problem encountered by an electrical and electronics manufacturer. The objective is to seek the minimum cost of production planning and order management. Digitalization is applied to the problem, and the results demonstrate that significant production performances can be achieved in the face of the existing production of each link and order management systems to analyze and optimize. This paper can also provide some practical implications in various manufacturing industries. Finally, future research directions are discussed.

Keywords: advanced planning and scheduling, case study, production planning, supply chain optimization

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Authors: Md. Ehsan, Cyrus Ashok Arupratan Atis

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Significantly lower cost, bulk availability, absence of identification color additives and relative ease of mixing with fuels have made gas-field condensates a lucrative option as adulterant for gasoline in Bangladesh. Widespread adulteration of fuels with gas-field condensates being a problem existing mainly in developing countries like Bangladesh, Nigeria etc., research works regarding the effect of such fuel adulteration are very limited. Since the properties of the gas-field condensate vary widely depending on geographical location, studies need to be based on local condensate feeds. This study quantitatively evaluates the effects of blending of gas-field condensates with gasoline(octane) in terms of - fuel properties, engine performance and exhaust emission. Condensate samples collected from Kailashtila gas field were blended with octane, ranging from 30% to 75% by volume. However for blends with above 60% condensate, cold starting of engine became difficult. Investigation revealed that the condensate samples had significantly higher distillation temperatures compared to octane, but were not far different in terms of heating value and carbon residues. Engine tests showed Kailashtila blends performing quite similar to octane in terms of power and thermal efficiency. No noticeable knocking was observed from in-cylinder pressure traces. For all the gasoline-condensate blends the test engine ran with relatively leaner air-fuel mixture delivering slightly lower CO emissions but HC and NOx emissions were similar to octane. Road trials of a test vehicle in real traffic condition and on a standard gradient using 50%(v/v) gasoline-condensate blend were also carried out. The test vehicle did not exhibit any noticeable difference in drivability compared to octane.

Keywords: condensates, engine performance, fuel adulteration, gasoline-condensate blends

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Authors: B. Wang, W. H. Or, S.C. Lee, Y.C. Leung, B. Organ

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This study presents an investigation of diesel vehicle particulate-phase emissions with neat ultralow sulphur diesel (B0, ULSD) and 5% waste cooking oil-based biodiesel blend (B5) in Hong Kong. A Euro VI light duty diesel vehicle was tested under transient (New European Driving Cycle (NEDC)), steady-state and idling on a chassis dynamometer. Chemical analyses including organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), as well as 30 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 10 oxygenated PAHs (oxy-PAHs) were conducted. The OC fuel-based emission factors (EFs) for B0 ranged from 2.86 ± 0.33 to 7.19 ± 1.51 mg/kg, and those for B5 ranged from 4.31 ± 0.64 to 15.36 ± 3.77 mg/kg, respectively. The EFs of EC were low for both fuel blends (0.25 mg/kg or below). With B5, the EFs of total PAHs were decreased as compared to B0. Specifically, B5 reduced total PAH emissions by 50.2%, 30.7%, and 15.2% over NEDC, steady-state and idling, respectively. It was found that when B5 was used, PAHs and oxy-PAHs with lower molecular weight (2 to 3 rings) were reduced whereas PAHs/oxy-PAHs with medium or high molecular weight (4 to 7 rings) were increased. Our study suggests the necessity of taking atmospheric and health factors into account for biodiesel application as an alternative motor fuel.

Keywords: biodiesel, OC/EC, PAHs, vehicular emission

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Authors: Flavien Marteau, Pedro Affonso Nóbrega, Pascal Biwole, Nicolas Autrusson, Iona De Bievre, Christian Beauger

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Effective water management is essential for the optimal performance of fuel cells. For this reason, many vehicle systems use a membrane humidifier, a passive device that humidifies the air before the cathode inlet. Although they offer good performance, humidifiers are voluminous, costly, and fragile, hence the desire to find an alternative. Direct water injection could be an option, although this method lacks maturity. It consists of injecting liquid water as a spray in the dry heated air coming out from the compressor. This work focuses on the evaluation of direct water injection and its performance compared to the membrane humidifier selected as a reference. Two architectures were experimentally tested to humidify an industrial 2 kW short stack made up of 20 cells of 150 cm² each. For the reference architecture, the inlet air is humidified with a commercial membrane humidifier. For the direct water injection architecture, a pneumatic nozzle was selected to generate a fine spray in the air flow with a Sauter mean diameter of about 20 μm. Initial performance was compared over the entire range of current based on polarisation curves. Then, the influence of various parameters impacting water management was studied, such as the temperature, the gas stoichiometry, and the water injection flow rate. The experimental results obtained confirm the possibility of humidifying the fuel cell using direct water injection. This study, however shows the limits of this humidification method, the mean cell voltage being significantly lower in some operating conditions with direct water injection than with the membrane humidifier. The voltage drop reaches 30 mV per cell (4 %) at 1 A/cm² (1,8 bara, 80 °C) and increases in more demanding humidification conditions. It is noteworthy that the heat of compression available is not enough to evaporate all the injected liquid water in the case of DWI, resulting in a mix of liquid and vapour water entering the fuel cell, whereas only vapour is present with the humidifier. Variation of the injection flow rate shows that part of the injected water is useless for humidification and seems to cross channels without reaching the membrane. The stack was successfully humidified thanks to direct water injection. Nevertheless, our work shows that its implementation requires substantial adaptations and may reduce the fuel cell stack performance when compared to conventional membrane humidifiers, but opportunities for optimisation have been identified.

Keywords: cathode humidification, direct water injection, membrane humidifier, proton exchange membrane fuel cell

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Authors: G. Kaur, A. P. Kulkarni, S. Giddey

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Production of fuels and chemicals using renewable energy is a promising way for large-scale energy storage and export. Solid oxide electrolysers (SOEs) integrated with renewable source of energy can produce 'Syngas' H₂/CO from H₂O/CO₂ in the desired ratio for further conversion to liquid fuels. As only a waste CO₂ from industrial and power generation processes is utilized in these processes, this approach is CO₂ neutral compared to using fossil fuel feedstock. In addition, the waste heat from industrial processes or heat from solar thermal concentrators can be effectively utilised in SOEs to further reduce the electrical requirements by up to 30% which boosts overall energy efficiency of the process. In this paper, the electrochemical performance of various novel steam/CO₂ reduction electrodes (cathode) would be presented. The efficiency and lifetime degradation data for single cells and a stack would be presented along with the response of cells to variable electrical load input mimicking the intermittent nature of the renewable energy sources. With such optimisation, newly developed electrodes have been tested for 500+ hrs with Faraday efficiency (electricity to fuel conversion efficiency) up to 95%, and thermal efficiency in excess of 70% based upon energy content of the syngas produced.

Keywords: carbon dioxide, steam conversion, electrochemical system, energy storage, fuel production, renewable energy

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Authors: Mahzad Yousefi, Azin Tavakoli

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Periodontal disease is an inflammatory reaction; therefore, it is predicted that changes may occur in some inflammatory parameters that can be detected in routine blood tests. The objective of this study was to evaluate the hematological and biochemistry changes that occur in dogs affected with advanced stages of periodontal disease. 87 dogs were diagnosed with periodontal disease (PD group), and 76 healthy dogs entered the study. The PD dogs had been affected with periodontitis stage 3 or 4 and were candidates for any dental extractions. The healthy dogs were either referred for annual checkups or for issuing health travel certificates that their owners asked for complete lab tests. Neither the diseased nor healthy subjects had a history of infectious, or other general health problems or surgery in the past 3 months. Age, as well as all hematologic including PCV, WBC and RBC count, Hb, MCV, MCH, MCHC, PLT, CBC, NLR, and biochemistry data, including total protein, albumin, glucose, BUN, Creatinine, ALT, AST, and ALP, were recorded and analyzed statistically. Results confirmed that aging has a significant direct relationship with the advanced stages of periodontal disease. Mild leukocytosis occurred in the diseased group; however, it was not significant. Also, the mean total protein of the PD group was lower than that of the healthy dogs, and serum levels of albumin were found to be lower significantly in the diseased group (P<0.05). Mean ±SD amount of Platelet, MCH, and ALT were significantly higher in the diseased group in comparison to the healthy dogs (P<0.05). No significant differences were reported in other evaluated parameters. It is concluded that CBC indices of PD dogs are not systemic inflammatory; however, only a decrease in albumin showed inflammatory responses. Some indices in routine laboratory tests can be changed significantly during advanced stages of the periodontal disease dogs.

Keywords: periodontal disease, dogs, hematological factors, advanced stages, blood tests

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Authors: Hanbey Hazar, Hakan Gul, Ugur Ozturk

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In order to decrease the hazardous emissions of the internal combustion engines and to improve the combustion and thermal efficiency, thermal barrier coatings are applied. In this experimental study, cylinder, piston, exhaust, and inlet valves which are combustion chamber components have been coated with a ceramic material, and this earned the engine LHR feature. Cylinder, exhaust and inlet valves of the diesel engine used in the tests were coated with ekabor-2 commercial powder, which is a ceramic material, to a thickness of 50 µm, by using the boriding method. The piston of a diesel engine was coated in 300 µm thickness with bor-based powder by using plasma coating method. Pumpkin seeds oil methyl ester (PSME) was produced by the transesterification method. In addition, dimethoxymethane additive materials were used to improve the properties of diesel fuel, pumpkin seeds oil methyl ester (PSME) and its mixture. Dimethoxymethane was blended with test fuels, which was used as a pilot fuel, at the volumetric ratios of 4% and 8%. Due to thermal barrier coating, the diesel engine's CO, HC, and smoke density values decreased; but, NOx and exhaust gas temperature (EGT) increased.

Keywords: boriding, diesel engine, exhaust emission, thermal barrier coating

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Authors: Pratima Kumari, Sukha Ranjan Samadder

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This research aims to contribute to the sustainable production of graphene materials by exploring the extraction of graphite from spent primary and secondary batteries. The increasing demand for graphene materials, a versatile and high-performance material, necessitates environmentally friendly methods for its synthesis. The process involves a well-planned methodology, beginning with the gathering and categorization of batteries, followed by the disassembly and careful removal of graphite from anode structures. The use of environmentally friendly solvents and mechanical techniques ensures an efficient and eco-friendly extraction of graphite. Advanced approaches such as the modified Hummers' method and chemical reduction process are utilized for the synthesis of graphene materials, with a focus on optimizing parameters. Various analytical techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and Raman spectroscopy were employed to validate the quality and structure of the produced graphene materials. The major findings of this study reveal the successful implementation of the methodology, leading to the production of high-quality graphene materials suitable for advanced material applications. Thorough characterization using various advanced techniques validates the structural integrity and purity of the graphene. The economic viability of the process is demonstrated through a comprehensive economic analysis, highlighting the potential for large-scale production. This research contributes to the field of sustainable production of graphene materials by offering a systematic methodology that efficiently transforms spent batteries into valuable graphene resources. Furthermore, the findings not only showcase the potential for upcycling electronic waste but also address the pressing need for environmentally conscious processes in advanced material synthesis.

Keywords: spent primary batteries, spent secondary batteries, graphite extraction, advanced material synthesis, circular economy approach

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Authors: Abbas Ali Taghipoor Bafghi, Hosein Bakhoda, Fateme Khodaei Chegeni

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An experimental investigation is carried out to establish the performance characteristics of a compression ignition engine while using cerium oxide nano particles as additive in neat diesel and diesel-bio diesel blends. In the first phase of the experiments, stability of neat diesel and diesel-bio diesel fuel blends with the addition of cerium oxide nano particles are analyzed. After series of experiments, it is found that the blends subjected to high speed blending followed by ultrasonic bath stabilization improves the stability.In the second phase, performance characteristics are studied using the stable fuel blends in a single cylinder four stroke engine coupled with an electrical dynamo meter and a data acquisition system. The cerium oxide acts as an oxygen donating catalyst and provides oxygen for combustion. The activation energy of cerium oxide acts to burn off carbon deposits within the engine cylinder at the wall temperature and prevents the deposition of non-polar compounds on the cylinder wall results reduction in HC emissions. The tests revealed that cerium oxide nano particles can be used as additive in diesel and diesel-bio diesel blends to improve complete combustion of the fuel significantly.

Keywords: engine, cerium oxide, biodiesel, deposit

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Authors: Y. Chiang, J. R. Wang, J. H. Yang, Y. S. Tseng, C. Shih, S. W. Chen

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Kuosheng nuclear power plant (NPP) is a BWR/6 plant in Taiwan. There is more concern for the safety of Spent Fuel Pools (SFPs) in Taiwan after Fukushima event. In order to estimate the safety of Kuosheng NPP SFP, by using MELCOR2.1 and SNAP, the safety analysis of Kuosheng NPP SFP was performed combined with the mitigation strategy of NEI 06-12 report. There were several steps in this research. First, the Kuosheng NPP SFP models were established by MELCOR2.1/SNAP. Second, the Station Blackout (SBO) analysis of Kuosheng SFP was done by TRACE and MELCOR under the cooling system failure condition. The results showed that the calculations of MELCOR and TRACE were very similar in this case. Second, the mitigation strategy analysis was done with the MELCOR model by following the NEI 06-12 report. The results showed the effectiveness of NEI 06-12 strategy in Kuosheng NPP SFP. Finally, a sensitivity study of SFP quenching was done to check the differences of different water injection time and the phenomena during the quenching. The results showed that if the cladding temperature was over 1600 K, the water injection may have chance to cause the accident more severe with more hydrogen generation. It was because of the oxidation heat and the “Breakaway” effect of the zirconium-water reaction. An animation model built by SNAP was also shown in this study.

Keywords: MELCOR, SNAP, spent fuel pool, quenching

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Authors: N. Moradi, C. M. Lopez-Vazquez, H. Garcia Hernandez, F. Rubio Rincon, D. Brdanovic, Mark van Loosdrecht

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Advanced oxidation processes have been widely used for disinfection, removal of residual organic material, and for the removal of emerging contaminants from drinking water and wastewater. Yet, the application of these technologies to sludge treatment processes has not gained enough attention, mostly, considering the complexity of the sludge matrix. In this research, ozone and UV/H₂O₂ treatment were applied for the removal of emerging contaminants from a digestate supernatant. The removal of the following compounds was assessed:(i) salicylic acid (SA) (a surrogate of non-stradiol anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)), and (ii) sulfamethoxazole (SMX), sulfamethazine (SMN), and tetracycline (TCN) (the most frequent human and animal antibiotics). The ozone treatment was carried out in a plexiglass bubble column reactor with a capacity of 2.7 L; the system was equipped with a stirrer and a gas diffuser. The UV and UV/H₂O₂ treatments were done using a LED set-up (PearlLab beam device) dosing H₂O₂. In the ozone treatment evaluations, 95 % of the three antibiotics were removed during the first 20 min of exposure time, while an SA removal of 91 % occurred after 8 hours of exposure time. In the UV treatment evaluations, when adding the optimum dose of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂:COD molar ratio of 0.634), 36% of SA, 82% of TCN, and more than 90 % of both SMX and SMN were removed after 8 hours of exposure time. This study concluded that O₃ was more effective than UV/H₂O₂ in removing emerging contaminants from the digestate supernatant.

Keywords: digestate sludge, emerging contaminants, ozone, UV-AOP

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Authors: M. J. Geca, T. Tulwin, A. Majczak

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On-board electricity consumption in the diesel city bus during operation is an important energy source. Electricity is generated by a combustion engine-driven alternator. Increased fuel consumption to generate on-board electricity in the bus has a negative impact on the emission of toxic components and carbon dioxide. At the same time, the bus roof surface allows placing a set of lightweight photovoltaic panels with power from 1 to 1.5 kW. The article presents an experimental study of electricity consumption of a city bus with diesel engine equipped with photovoltaic installation. The stream of electricity consumed by the bus and generated by a standard alternator and PV system was recorded. Base on the experimental research carried out in central Europe; the article analyses the impact of an additional source of electricity in the form of a photovoltaic installation on fuel consumption and emissions of toxic components of vehicles located in the latitude of Sydney. In Poland, the maximum global value of horizontal irradiation GHI is 1150 kWh/m², while for Sydney 1652 kWh/m². In addition, the profile of temperature and sunshine per year is different for these two different latitudes as presented in the article. Electricity generated directly from the sun powers the bus's electrical receivers. The photovoltaic system is able to replace 23% of annual electricity consumption, which at the same time will reduce 4% of fuel consumption and CO₂ reduction. Approximately 25% of the light is lost during vehicle traffic in Sydney latitude. The temperature losses of photovoltaic panels are comparable due to the cooling during vehicle motion. Acknowledgement: The project/research was financed in the framework of the project Lublin University of Technology - Regional Excellence Initiative, funded by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (contract no. 030/RID/2018/19).

Keywords: electric energy, photovoltaic system, fuel consumption, CO₂

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Authors: Mohamed Amine El Hameur, Lyes Tarabet, Mahfoudh Cerdoun, Boubkr Zebiri, Giovanni Ferrara

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Due to the drastic environmental and energy regulations regarding the reduction of exhaust emissions and fuel consumption, added to the increasing demand for powerful performance, several automotive manufacturers are constantly obliged to redesign their existing products and/or develop novel powertrain techniques to respond to the aforementioned restrictions. In this aspect, an implemented approach is proposed in the present work to boost a 1.5 L, three-cylinder Diesel engine with a new turbocharger, based on 1D preliminary design codes, 3D design, and numerical assessment of a suitable radial turbine followed by an accurate selection procedure of an adequate centrifugal compressor. Furthermore, to investigate the effect of the turbine’s rotor position on the simulation convergence, stability, and calculation time; two combinations (rotor blade- volute) have been assessed. Consequently, significant results are obtained when comparing the original turbocharged engine and the new one at the engine’s full load and rated speed (@4500rpm) conditions. A maximum improvement in terms of brake-specific fuel consumption, thermal efficiency, total-to-static turbine efficiency, and total-to-total compressor efficiency equal 6.5% (corresponding to a decrease of 2.3 litre/hr in fuel consumption), 7%, 10.9%, and 19.9%, respectively.

Keywords: CFD investigation, engine boosting, turbine design, turbocharger, rotor blade positioning

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Authors: Taha Benarbia

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The advent of automated and connected vehicles has revolutionized the transportation industry, presenting new opportunities for enhancing the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of our transportation networks. This paper explores the integration of automated and connected vehicles into a smart transportation framework, leveraging the power of deep learning techniques to optimize the overall network performance. The first aspect addressed in this paper is the deployment of automated vehicles (AVs) within the transportation system. AVs offer numerous advantages, such as reduced congestion, improved fuel efficiency, and increased safety through advanced sensing and decisionmaking capabilities. The paper delves into the technical aspects of AVs, including their perception, planning, and control systems, highlighting the role of deep learning algorithms in enabling intelligent and reliable AV operations. Furthermore, the paper investigates the potential of connected vehicles (CVs) in creating a seamless communication network between vehicles, infrastructure, and traffic management systems. By harnessing real-time data exchange, CVs enable proactive traffic management, adaptive signal control, and effective route planning. Deep learning techniques play a pivotal role in extracting meaningful insights from the vast amount of data generated by CVs, empowering transportation authorities to make informed decisions for optimizing network performance. The integration of deep learning with automated and connected vehicles paves the way for advanced transportation network optimization. Deep learning algorithms can analyze complex transportation data, including traffic patterns, demand forecasting, and dynamic congestion scenarios, to optimize routing, reduce travel times, and enhance overall system efficiency. The paper presents case studies and simulations demonstrating the effectiveness of deep learning-based approaches in achieving significant improvements in network performance metrics

Keywords: automated vehicles, connected vehicles, deep learning, smart transportation network

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Authors: Ramiz M. Shubbar, Dong In Lee, Hatem A. Gzar, Arthur S. Rood

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Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental problems in Baghdad, Iraq. The Daura refinery located nearest the center of Baghdad, represents the largest industrial area, which transmits enormous amounts of pollutants, therefore study the gaseous pollutants and particulate matter are very important to the environment and the health of the workers in refinery and the people whom leaving in areas around the refinery. Actually, some studies investigated the studied area before, but it depended on the basic Gaussian equation in a simple computer programs, however, that kind of work at that time is very useful and important, but during the last two decades new largest production units were added to the Daura refinery such as, PU_3 (Power unit_3 (Boiler 11&12)), CDU_1 (Crude Distillation unit_70000 barrel_1), and CDU_2 (Crude Distillation unit_70000 barrel_2). Therefore, it is necessary to use new advanced model to study air pollution at the region for the new current years, and calculation the monthly emission rate of pollutants through actual amounts of fuel which consumed in production unit, this may be lead to accurate concentration values of pollutants and the behavior of dispersion or transport in study area. In this study to the best of author’s knowledge CALPUFF model was used and examined for first time in Iraq. CALPUFF is an advanced non-steady-state meteorological and air quality modeling system, was applied to investigate the pollutants concentration of SO2, NO2, CO, and PM1-10μm, at areas adjacent to Daura refinery which located in the center of Baghdad in Iraq. The CALPUFF modeling system includes three main components: CALMET is a diagnostic 3-dimensional meteorological model, CALPUFF (an air quality dispersion model), CALPOST is a post processing package, and an extensive set of preprocessing programs produced to interface the model to standard routinely available meteorological and geophysical datasets. The targets of this work are modeling and simulation the four pollutants (SO2, NO2, CO, and PM1-10μm) which emitted from Daura refinery within one year. Emission rates of these pollutants were calculated for twelve units includes thirty plants, and 35 stacks by using monthly average of the fuel amount consumption at this production units. Assess the performance of CALPUFF model in this study and detect if it is appropriate and get out predictions of good accuracy compared with available pollutants observation. CALPUFF model was investigated at three stability classes (stable, neutral, and unstable) to indicate the dispersion of the pollutants within deferent meteorological conditions. The simulation of the CALPUFF model showed the deferent kind of dispersion of these pollutants in this region depends on the stability conditions and the environment of the study area, monthly, and annual averages of pollutants were applied to view the dispersion of pollutants in the contour maps. High values of pollutants were noticed in this area, therefore this study recommends to more investigate and analyze of the pollutants, reducing the emission rate of pollutants by using modern techniques and natural gas, increasing the stack height of units, and increasing the exit gas velocity from stacks.

Keywords: CALPUFF, daura refinery, Iraq, pollutants

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Authors: Marius Sebastian Secula, Mihaela Darie, Gabriela Carja

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Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) and is among the most frequently detected pharmaceuticals in environmental samples and among the most widespread drug in the world. Its concentration in the environment is reported to be between 10 and 160 ng L-1. In order to improve the abatement efficiency of this compound for water source prevention and reclamation, the development of innovative technologies is mandatory. AOPs (advanced oxidation processes) are known as highly efficient towards the oxidation of organic pollutants. Among the promising combined treatments, photo-Fenton processes using layered double hydroxides (LDHs) attracted significant consideration especially due to their composition flexibility, high surface area and tailored redox features. This work presents the self-supported Fe, Mn or Ti on ZnFeAl LDHs obtained by co-precipitation followed by reconstruction method as novel efficient photo-catalysts for Fenton-like catalysis. Fe, Mn or Ti/ZnFeAl LDHs nano-hybrids were tested for the degradation of a model pharmaceutical agent, the anti-inflammatory agent ibuprofen, by photocatalysis and photo-Fenton catalysis, respectively, by means of a lab-scale system consisting of a batch reactor equipped with an UV lamp (17 W). The present study presents comparatively the degradation of Ibuprofen in aqueous solution UV light irradiation using four different types of LDHs. The newly prepared Ti/ZnFeAl 4:1 catalyst results in the best degradation performance. After 60 minutes of light irradiation, the Ibuprofen removal efficiency reaches 95%. The slowest degradation of Ibuprofen solution occurs in case of Fe/ZnFeAl 4:1 LDH, (67% removal efficiency after 60 minutes of process). Evolution of Ibuprofen degradation during the photo Fenton process is also studied using Ti/ZnFeAl 2:1 and 4:1 LDHs in the presence and absence of H2O2. It is found that after 60 min the use of Ti/ZnFeAl 4:1 LDH in presence of 100 mg/L H2O2 leads to the fastest degradation of Ibuprofen molecule. After 120 min, both catalysts Ti/ZnFeAl 4:1 and 2:1 result in the same value of removal efficiency (98%). In the absence of H2O2, Ibuprofen degradation reaches only 73% removal efficiency after 120 min of degradation process. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNCS - UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-0405.

Keywords: layered double hydroxide, advanced oxidation process, micropollutant, heterogeneous Fenton

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Authors: Abdullah Almatouq

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Understanding the impact of key operational variables on concurrent energy generation and phosphorus recovery in microbial fuel cell is required to improve the process and reduce the operational cost. In this study, full factorial design (FFD) and central composite designs (CCD) were employed to identify the effect of influent COD concentration and cathode aeration flow rate on energy generation and phosphorus (P) recovery and to optimise MFC power density and P recovery. Results showed that influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration and cathode aeration flow rate had a significant effect on power density, coulombic efficiency, phosphorus precipitation efficiency and phosphorus precipitation rate at the cathode. P precipitation was negatively affected by the generated current during the batch duration. The generated energy was reduced due to struvite being precipitated on the cathode surface, which might obstruct the mass transfer of ions and oxygen. Response surface mathematical model was used to predict the optimum operating conditions that resulted in a maximum power density and phosphorus precipitation efficiency of 184 mW/m² and 84%, and this corresponds to COD= 1700 mg/L and aeration flow rate=210 mL/min. The findings highlight the importance of the operational conditions of energy generation and phosphorus recovery.

Keywords: energy, microbial fuel cell, phosphorus, struvite

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Authors: Amira Masood, Zainah Alshouri, Noor Bantan, Samira Kutbi

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Artificial intelligence is continuously becoming more advanced and more widespread and is present in many of our day-to-day lives as a means of assistance in numerous different fields. A growing number of people, companies, and corporations are utilizing Canva and its AI tools as a method of quick and easy media production. Hence, in order to test the integrity of the rapid growth of AI, this paper will explore the usefulness of Canva's advanced design features as well as their accuracy by determining user satisfaction through a survey-based research approach and by investigating whether or not AI is successful enough that it eliminates the need for human alterations.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, canva, features, users, satisfaction

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Authors: Aliyu Mohammed Lawal, Dahiru Ya'u Gital

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The problems placed on the environment as a result of energy generation and usage in Nigeria are: Potential damage to the environment health by Co, Co2, Sox and Nox effluent gas emissions and global warming. For instance in the year 2004 in Nigeria energy consumption was 58% oil and 34% natural gas but about 94 million metric tons of Co2 was emitted out of which 64% came from fossil fuels while about 35% came from fuel wood. The findings from this research on how to alleviate these problems are that long term sustainable development solutions should be enhanced globally; energy should be used more rationally renewable energy resources should be exploited and the existing emissions should be controlled to tolerate limits because the increase in energy demand in Nigeria places enormous strain on current energy facilities.

Keywords: energy generation, environmental health, effluent gas emission, global warming, fossil fuel

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Authors: Waqas Hassan Tanveer, Yoon Ho Lee, Taehyun Park, Wonjong Yu, Yaegeun Lee, Yusung Kim, Suk Won Cha

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Nickel-Gadolinium Doped Ceria (Ni-GDC) cermet anodic thin films were prepared on Scandia Stabilized Zirconia (ScSZ) electrolyte supports by radio frequency (RF) sputtering, with a range of different sputtering powers (50 – 200W) and background Ar gas pressures (30 – 90mTorr). The effects of varying sputtering power and pressure on the properties of Ni-GDC films were studied using Focused Ion Beam (FIB), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) techniques. The Ni content was found to be always higher than the Ce content, at all sputtering conditions. This increased Ni content was attributed to significantly higher energy transfer efficiency of Ni ions as compared to Ce ions with Ar background sputtering gas. The solid oxide fuel cell configuration was completed by using lanthanum strontium manganite (LSM/YSZ) cathodes on the other side of ScSZ supports. Performance comparison of cells was done by Voltage-Current-Power (VIP) curves, while the resistances of various cell components were observed by nyquist plots. Initial results showed that anode films made by higher powered RF sputtering performed better than lower powered ones for a specific Ar pressure. Interestingly, however, anodes made at highest power and pressure, were not the ones that showed the maximum power output at an intermediate solid oxide fuel cell temperature of 800°C. Finally, an optimal sputtering condition was reported for high performance Ni-GDC anodes.

Keywords: intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells, nickel-cermet anodic thin films, nyquist plots, radio frequency sputtering

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Authors: Pavel Borodkin, Nikolay Khrennikov, Azamat Gazetdinov

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The problem of ensuring of VVER type reactor equipment integrity is now most actual in connection with justification of safety of the NPP Units and extension of their service life to 60 years and more. First of all, it concerns old units with VVER-440 and VVER-1000. The justification of the VVER equipment integrity depends on the reliability of estimation of the degree of the equipment damage. One of the mandatory requirements, providing the reliability of such estimation, and also evaluation of VVER equipment lifetime, is the monitoring of equipment radiation loading parameters. In this connection, there is a problem of justification of such normative parameters, used for an estimation of the pressure vessel metal embrittlement, as the fluence and fluence rate (FR) of fast neutrons above 0.5 MeV. From the point of view of regulatory practice, a comparison of displacement per atom (DPA) and fast neutron fluence (FNF) above 0.5 MeV has a practical concern. In accordance with the Russian regulatory rules, neutron fluence F(E > 0.5 MeV) is a radiation exposure parameter used in steel embrittlement prediction under neutron irradiation. However, the DPA parameter is a more physically legitimate quantity of neutron damage of Fe based materials. If DPA distribution in reactor structures is more conservative as neutron fluence, this case should attract the attention of the regulatory authority. The purpose of this work was to show what radiation load parameters (fluence, DPA) on all VVER equipment should be under control, and give the reasonable estimations of such parameters in the volume of all equipment. The second task is to give the conservative estimation of each parameter including its uncertainty. Results of recently received investigations allow to test the conservatism of calculational predictions, and, as it has been shown in the paper, combination of ex-vessel measured data with calculated ones allows to assess unpredicted uncertainties which are results of specific unique features of individual equipment for VVER reactor. Some results of calculational-experimental investigations are presented in this paper.

Keywords: equipment integrity, fluence, displacement per atom, nuclear power plant, neutron activation measurements, neutron transport calculations

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Authors: Rajeev jain, D. C. Tiwari, Praveena Mishra

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Nano-composite of polypyrrole/multiwalled carbon nanotubes:mangenese oxide (PPy/MWCNT:MnO2) was electrochemically deposited on the surface of carbon cloth (CC). The nano-composite was structurally characterized by FTIR, SEM, TEM and UV-Vis studies. Nano-composite was also characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), current voltage measurements (I-V) and the optical band gaps of film were evaluated from UV-Vis absorption studies. The PPy/MWCNT:MnO2 nano-composite was used as anode in microbial fuel cell (MFC) for sewage waste water treatment, power and coulombic efficiency measurement. The prepared electrode showed good electrical conductivity (0.1185 S m-1). This was also supported by band gap measurements (direct 0.8 eV, indirect 1.3 eV). The obtained maximum power density was 1125.4 mW m-2, highest chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency was 93% and the maximum coulombic efficiency was 59%. For the first time PPy/MWCNT:MnO2 nano-composite for MFC prepared from nano-composite electrode having the potential for the use in MFC with good stability and better adhesion of microbes is being reported. The SEM images confirm the growth and development of microbe’s colony.

Keywords: carbon cloth, electro-polymerization, functionalization, microbial fuel cells, multi walled carbon nanotubes, polypyrrole

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Authors: Tania Vasquez Mata, Luis A. Herrera, Cristian Arriaga Canon

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Background: Locally advanced breast cancer of the luminal B phenotype, poses challenges due to its variable response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A predictive biomarker is needed to identify patients who will not respond to treatment, allowing for alternative therapies. This study aims to validate the use of the lncRNA GATA3-AS1, as a predictive biomarker using RNA in situ hybridization. Research aim: The aim of this study is to determine if GATA3-AS1 can serve as a biomarker for resistance to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced luminal B breast cancer. Methodology: The study utilizes RNA in situ hybridization with predesigned probes for GATA3-AS1 on Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded tissue sections. The samples underwent pretreatment and protease treatment to enable probe penetration. Chromogenic detection and signal evaluation were performed using specific criteria. Findings: Patients who did not respond to neoadjuvant chemotherapy showed a 3+ score for GATA3-AS1, while those who had a complete response had a 1+ score. Theoretical importance: This study demonstrates the potential clinical utility of GATA3-AS1 as a biomarker for resistance to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Identifying non-responders early on can help avoid unnecessary treatment and explore alternative therapy options. Data collection and analysis procedures: Tissue samples from patients with locally advanced luminal B breast cancer were collected and processed using RNA in situ hybridization. Signal evaluation was conducted under a microscope, and scoring was based on specific criteria. Questions addressed: Can GATA3-AS1 serve as a predictive biomarker for neoadjuvant chemotherapy response in locally advanced luminal B breast cancer? Conclusion: The lncRNA GATA3-AS1 can be used as a biomarker for resistance to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced luminal B breast cancer. Its identification through RNA in situ hybridization of tissue obtained from the initial biopsy can aid in treatment decision-making.

Keywords: biomarkers, breast neoplasms, genetics, neoadjuvant therapy, tumor

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Authors: Nicole Laws, William L. Roberts, Saumitra Saxena, Krishnamurthy Anand, Sreenivasa Gubba, Ziad Dawood, Aiping Chen

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Boiler-fired power plants that operate steam turbines in Saudi Arabia use vanadium-containing fuel oil. In a super- or sub-critical steam cycle, the skin temperature of boiler tube metal can reach close to 600-1000°C depending on the location of the tubes. At high temperatures, corrosion by the sodium-vanadium-oxygen-sulfur eutectic can become a significant risk. The experimental work utilized a state-of-the-art high-temperature, high-pressure burner rig at KAUST, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. To establish corrosion rates of different boiler tubes and materials, SA 213 T12, SA 213 T22, SA 213 T91, and Inconel 600, were used under various corrosive media, including vanadium to sulfur levels and vanadium to sodium ratios. The results obtained from the experiments establish a corrosion rate map for the materials involved and layout an empirical framework to rank the life of boiler tube materials under different operating conditions. Safe windows of operation are proposed for burning liquid fuels under varying vanadium, sodium, and sulfur levels before corrosion rates become a matter of significance under high-temperature conditions

Keywords: boiler tube life, hot corrosion, steam boilers, vanadium in fuel oil

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Authors: Subhash Chander, Tejinder Kumar Jindal

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Due to its simplicity, Pulse detonation engine technology has recently emerged as a future aerospace propulsion technology. In this paper, we studied various parameters affecting the performance of Pulse detonation engine (PDE) like tube length for proper deflagration to detonation transition (DDT), tube diameter (combustion tube), tube length, Shelkin spiral, Cell size, Equivalence ratio of fuel used etc. We have discussed various techniques for reducing the length of pulse tube by using various DDT enhancing devices. The effect of length of the tube from 40 mm to 3000 mm and diameter from 10 mm to 100 mm has been analyzed. The fuel used is C2H2 and oxidizer is O2. The results are processed in MATLAB for drawing valid conclusions.

Keywords: pulse detonation engine (PDE), deflagration to detonation (DDT), Schelkin spiral, cell size (λ)

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Authors: Narasamma Nippatlapallia

Abstract:

Communities across the world are desperate to get their environment free of toxic per-poly fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) especially when these chemicals are in aqueous media. In the present study, two different chain length PFAS (PFHxA (C6), PFDA (C10)) are selected for degradation using a modified continuous flow nonthermal plasma. The results showed 82.3% PFHxA and 94.1 PFDA degradation efficiencies, respectively. The defluorination efficiency is also evaluated which is 28% and 34% for PFHxA and PFDA, respectively. The results clearly indicates that the structure of PFAS has a great impact on degradation efficiency. The effect of flow rate is studied. increase in flow rate beyond 2 mL/min, decrease in degradation efficiency of the targeted PFAS was noticed. PFDA degradation was decreased from 85% to 42%, and PFHxA was decreased to 32% from 64% with increase in flow rate from 2 to 5 mL/min. Similarly, with increase in flow rate the percentage defluorination was decreased for both C10, and C6 compounds. This observation can be attributed to mainly because of change in residence time (contact time). Real water/wastewater is a composition of various organic, and inorganic ions that may affect the activity of oxidative species such as 𝑂𝐻. radicals on the target pollutants. Therefore, it is important to consider radicals quenching chemicals to understand the efficiency of the reactor. In gas-liquid NTP discharge reactors 𝑂𝐻. , 𝑒𝑎𝑞 − , 𝑂 . , 𝑂3, 𝐻2𝑂2, 𝐻. are often considered as reactive species for oxidation and reduction of pollutants. In this work, the role played by two distinct 𝑂 .𝐻 Scavengers, ethanol and glycerol, on PFAS percentage degradation, and defluorination efficiency (i,e., fluorine removal) are measured was studied. The addition of scavenging agents to the PFAS solution diminished the PFAS degradation to different extents depending on the target compound molecular structure. In comparison with the degradation of only PFAS solution, the addition of 1.25 M ethanol inhibited C10, and C6 degradation by 8%, and 12%, respectively. This research was supported with energy efficiency, production rate, and specific yield, fluoride, and PFAS concentration analysis with respect to optimum hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the continuous flow reactor.

Keywords: wastewater, PFAS, nonthermal plasma, mineralization, defluorination

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Authors: Pawthawala Nancy Manish, Syed Alay Hashim

Abstract:

A hybrid rocket is a rocket engine which uses propellants in two different states of matter- one is in solid and the other either gas or liquid. A hybrid rocket exhibit advantages over both liquid rockets and solid rockets especially in terms of simplicity, stop-start-restart capabilities, safety and cost. This paper deals the design and development of a hybrid rocket having paraffin wax as solid fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidizer. Due to variation of pressure in combustion chamber there is significantly change in mass flow rate, burning rate and uneven regression along the length of the grain. This project describes the working model of a hybrid propellant rocket motor. We have designed a hybrid rocket thrust chamber based on the predetermined combustion chamber pressure and the properties of hybrid propellant. This project is all ready in working condition with normal oxygen injector. Now we have planned to modify the injector design to improve the combustion property. We will use spray type injector for injecting the oxidizer. This idea will increase the performance followed by the regression rate of the solid fuel. By employing mass conservation law, oxygen mass flux, oxidizer/fuel ratio and regression rate the thrust coefficient can be obtained for our current design. CATIA V5 R20 is our design software for the complete setup. This project is fully based on experimental evaluation and the collection of combustion and flow parameters. The thrust chamber is made of stainless steel and the duration of test is around 15-20 seconds (Maximum). These experiments indicates that paraffin based fuel provides the opportunity to satisfy a broad range of mission requirements for the next generation of the hybrid rocket system.

Keywords: burning rate, liquid oxygen, mass flow rate, paraffin wax and sugar

Procedia PDF Downloads 330