Search results for: paste volume
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 2724

Search results for: paste volume

2484 Development of a New Margarine Added Date Seed Oil: Characteristics and Chemical Composition of Date Seed Oil

Authors: Hamitri-Guerfi Fatiha, Madani Khodir, Hadjal Samir, Kati Djamel, Youyou Ahcene

Abstract:

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is a principal fruit that is grown in many regions of the world, resulting in a surplus production of dates. Algeria is considered to be one of the date producing countries. Date seeds (pits) have been a problem to the date industry as a waste stream. However, finding a way to make a profit on the pits would benefit date farmers substantially. This work concentrated on the valorization of date seed oils. A preliminary study was carried out on three varieties (soft, half soft, and dry) and we selected the dry variety. This work concerns the valorization of the date seed oil of the dry variety: ‘Mech Degla’ by its incorporation in a food formulation: margarine of table. Lipid extraction was carried out by hot extraction with the soxhlet; the extracts obtained are rich in fat contents, the results gave outputs of 13.21±0.21 %. The antioxidant activity of extracted oils was studied by the test of DPPH, the content polyphenols as well as the anti-radicalaire activity. The analysis of fatty acids was made by CPG. Thus, it comes out from our results that the recovered fat contents are interesting and considerable. A formulation of the margarine ‘BIO’ was elaborated on the scale industrialist by the addition of the extracts of date seeds ‘Mech-Degla’ oil in order to substitute a synthetic additive. The physicochemical characteristics of the elaborate margarines prove to be in conformity with the standards set by the Algerian companies. The texture of the elaborate margarine has an acceptable color, an aspect brilliant and homogeneous, it is plastic and easy to paste having an index of required SFC and the margarine melts easily in the mouth. Moreover, the evaluation of oxidative stability is carried out by the test of Rancimat. The result obtained reported that the margarine enriched with date seed oil, proved more resistant to oxidation, than the margarine without extract, which is improved much during incorporation of the extracts simultaneously. By conclusion, considering the content of polyphénols noted in the two extracts (aqueous and oily), we can exhort the scientific community to become aware of the treasures of our country especially the wonders of the south which are the dates and theirs under products (pits).

Keywords: antioxydant activity, date seed oil, quality characteristics, margarine

Procedia PDF Downloads 388
2483 Volume Estimation of Trees: An Exploratory Study on Pterocarpus erinaceus Logging Operations within Forest Transition and Savannah Ecological Zones of Ghana

Authors: Albert Kwabena Osei Konadu

Abstract:

Pterocarpus erinaceus, also known as Rosewood, is tropical wood, endemic in forest savannah transition zones within the middle and northern portion of Ghana. Its economic viability has made it increasingly popular and in high demand, leading to widespread conservation concerns. Ghana’s forest resource management regime for these ecozones is mainly on conservation and very little on resource utilization. Consequently, commercial logging management standards are at teething stage and not fully developed, leading to a deficiency in the monitoring of logging operations and quantification of harvested trees volumes. Tree information form (TIF); a volume estimation and tracking regime, has proven to be an effective, sustainable management tool for regulating timber resource extraction in the high forest zones of the country. This work aims to generate TIF that can track and capture requisite parameters to accurately estimate the volume of harvested rosewood within forest savannah transition zones. Tree information forms were created on three scenarios of individual billets, stacked billets and conveying vessel basis. These TIFs were field-tested to deduce the most viable option for the tracking and estimation of harvested volumes of rosewood using the smallian and cubic volume estimation formula. Overall, four districts were covered with individual billets, stacked billets and conveying vessel scenarios registering mean volumes of 25.83m3,45.08m3 and 32.6m3, respectively. These adduced volumes were validated by benchmarking to assigned volumes of the Forestry Commission of Ghana and known standard volumes of conveying vessels. The results did indicate an underestimation of extracted volumes under the quotas regime, a situation that could lead to unintended overexploitation of the species. The research revealed conveying vessels route is the most viable volume estimation and tracking regime for the sustainable management of the Pterocarpous erinaceus species as it provided a more practical volume estimate and data extraction protocol.

Keywords: convention on international trade in endangered species, cubic volume formula, forest transition savannah zones, pterocarpus erinaceus, smallian’s volume formula, tree information form

Procedia PDF Downloads 64
2482 Densities and Volumetric Properties of {Difurylmethane + [(C5 – C8) N-Alkane or an Amide]} Binary Systems at 293.15, 298.15 and 303.15 K: Modelling Excess Molar Volumes by Prigogine-Flory-Patterson Theory

Authors: Belcher Fulele, W. A. A. Ddamba

Abstract:

Study of solvent systems contributes to the understanding of intermolecular interactions that occur in binary mixtures. These interactions involves among others strong dipole-dipole interactions and weak van de Waals interactions which are of significant application in pharmaceuticals, solvent extractions, design of reactors and solvent handling and storage processes. Binary mixtures of solvents can thus be used as a model to interpret thermodynamic behavior that occur in a real solution mixture. Densities of pure DFM, n-alkanes (n-pentane, n-hexane, n-heptane and n-octane) and amides (N-methylformamide, N-ethylformamide, N,N-dimethylformamide and N,N-dimethylacetamide) as well as their [DFM + ((C5-C8) n-alkane or amide)] binary mixtures over the entire composition range, have been reported at temperature 293.15, 298.15 and 303.15 K and atmospheric pressure. These data has been used to derive the thermodynamic properties: the excess molar volume of solution, apparent molar volumes, excess partial molar volumes, limiting excess partial molar volumes, limiting partial molar volumes of each component of a binary mixture. The results are discussed in terms of possible intermolecular interactions and structural effects that occur in the binary mixtures. The variation of excess molar volume with DFM composition for the [DFM + (C5-C7) n-alkane] binary mixture exhibit a sigmoidal behavior while for the [DFM + n-octane] binary system, positive deviation of excess molar volume function was observed over the entire composition range. For each of the [DFM + (C5-C8) n-alkane] binary mixture, the excess molar volume exhibited a fall with increase in temperature. The excess molar volume for each of [DFM + (NMF or NEF or DMF or DMA)] binary system was negative over the entire DFM composition at each of the three temperatures investigated. The negative deviations in excess molar volume values follow the order: DMA > DMF > NEF > NMF. Increase in temperature has a greater effect on component self-association than it has on complex formation between molecules of components in [DFM + (NMF or NEF or DMF or DMA)] binary mixture which shifts complex formation equilibrium towards complex to give a drop in excess molar volume with increase in temperature. The Prigogine-Flory-Patterson model has been applied at 298.15 K and reveals that the free volume is the most important contributing term to the excess experimental molar volume data for [DFM + (n-pentane or n-octane)] binary system. For [DFM + (NMF or DMF or DMA)] binary mixture, the interactional term and characteristic pressure term contributions are the most important contributing terms in describing the sign of experimental excess molar volume. The mixture systems contributed to the understanding of interactions of polar solvents with proteins (amides) with non-polar solvents (alkanes) in biological systems.

Keywords: alkanes, amides, excess thermodynamic parameters, Prigogine-Flory-Patterson model

Procedia PDF Downloads 332
2481 Challenges and Opportunities in Computing Logistics Cost in E-Commerce Supply Chain

Authors: Pramod Ghadge, Swadesh Srivastava

Abstract:

Revenue generation of a logistics company depends on how the logistics cost of a shipment is calculated. Logistics cost of a shipment is a function of distance & speed of the shipment travel in a particular network, its volumetric size and dead weight. Logistics billing is based mainly on the consumption of the scarce resource (space or weight carrying capacity of a carrier). Shipment’s size or deadweight is a function of product and packaging weight, dimensions and flexibility. Hence, to arrive at a standard methodology to compute accurate cost to bill the customer, the interplay among above mentioned physical attributes along with their measurement plays a key role. This becomes even more complex for an ecommerce company, like Flipkart, which caters to shipments from both warehouse and marketplace in an unorganized non-standard market like India. In this paper, we will explore various methodologies to define a standard way of billing the non-standard shipments across a wide range of size, shape and deadweight. Those will be, usage of historical volumetric/dead weight data to arrive at a factor which can be used to compute the logistics cost of a shipment, also calculating the real/contour volume of a shipment to address the problem of irregular shipment shapes which cannot be solved by conventional bounding box volume measurements. We will also discuss certain key business practices and operational quality considerations needed to bring standardization and drive appropriate ownership in the ecosystem.

Keywords: contour volume, logistics, real volume, volumetric weight

Procedia PDF Downloads 238
2480 Quantitative Analysis of Potential Rainwater Harvesting and Supply to a Rural Community at Northeast of Amazon Region, Brazil

Authors: N. Y. H. Konagano

Abstract:

Riverside population of Brazilian amazon suffers drinking water scarcity, seeking alternative water resources such as well and rivers, ordinary polluted. Although Amazon Region holds high annual river inflow and enough available of underground water, human activities have compromised the conservation of water resources. In addition, decentralized rural households make difficult to access of potable water. Main objective is to analyze quantitatively the potential of rainwater harvesting to human consumption at Marupaúba community, located in northeast of Amazon region, Brazil. Methods such as historical rainfall data series of municipality of Tomé-Açu at Pará state were obtained from Hydrological Information System of National Water Agency (ANA). Besides, Rippl method was used to calculate, mainly, volume of the reservoir based on difference of water demand and volume available through rainwater using as references two houses (CA I and CA II) as model of rainwater catchment and supply. Results presented that, from years 1984 to 2017, average annual precipitation was 2.607 mm, average maximum precipitation peak was 474 mm on March and average minimum peak on September was 44 mm. All months, of a year, surplus volume of water have presented in relation to demand, considering catchment area (CA) I = 134.4m² and demand volume =0.72 m³/month; and, CA II = 81.84 m² and demand volume = 0.48 m³/month. Based on results, it is concluded that it is feasible to use rainwater for the supply of the rural community Marupaúba, since the access of drinking water is a human right and the lack of this resource compromises health and daily life of human beings.

Keywords: Amazon Region, rainwater harvesting, rainwater resource, rural community

Procedia PDF Downloads 130
2479 Preparation and Study Corrosion and Electrical Resistivity of Al-Ni-Cr Alloy

Authors: Khalid H. Abass

Abstract:

Al-Ni-Cr alloy contains different ratios of Ni and Cr was prepared by mixing Al, Ni and Cr at 800oC under an argon atmosphere. The prepared alloys were heated for 1300 hr to 560oC, and then cooled rapidly by water at the ambient temperature. Surface morphology for alloys is studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The resultant homogeneous surface is a result of heat treatment. The X-ray diffraction patterns showed (111), (200), and (220) diffraction lines from cubic Al crystal structure, and suggested that the intensity of peak (111) orientation is predominant. Three binary phases were observed and grown in alloys: Al3Ni (Orthorhombic, a = 6.598Ǻ, b = 7.352 Ǻ, c = 4.802 Ǻ), Cr9Al17 (Rhombohedra, a = 12.910 Ǻ, c = 15.677), and Ni2Cr3 (Tetragonal, a = 8.82 Ǻ, c = 4.58 Ǻ). The average crystallite sizes of the prepared samples were found to be from 3000 to 3094 nm by SEM, which is much smaller than that estimated from XRD data. Corrosion resistance increases with increasing Ni-Cr content in Al alloys. The electrical volume resistivity decreased with increasing Ni-Cr content at low frequency. This behavior can be seen generally at 50Hz, where the electrical volume resistivity reached the value of 3.98×10-8Ω.cm for the ratio Al-1.8 at.%Ni-0.18at.%Cr.

Keywords: Al-Ni-Cr alloy, corrosion current, electrical volume resistivity, binary phase, homogeneous surface

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2478 Numerical Study of Natural Convection Heat Transfer Performance in an Inclined Cavity: Nanofluid and Random Temperature

Authors: Hicham Salhi, Mohamed Si-Ameur, Nadjib Chafai

Abstract:

Natural convection of a nanofluid consisting of water and nanoparticles (Ag or TiO2) in an inclined enclosure cavity, has been studied numerically, heated by a (random temperature, based on the random function). The governing equations are solved numerically using the finite-volume. Results are presented in the form of streamlines, isotherms, and average Nusselt number. In addition, a parametric study is carried out to examine explicitly the volume fraction effects of nanoparticles (Ψ= 0.1, 0.2), the Rayleigh number (Ra=103, 104, 105, 106),the inclination angle of the cavity( égale à 0°, 30°, 45°, 90°, 135°, 180°), types of temperature (constant ,random), types of (NF) (Ag andTiO2). The results reveal that (NPs) addition remarkably enhances heat transfer in the cavity especially for (Ψ= 0.2). Besides, the effect of inclination angle and type of temperature is more pronounced at higher Rayleigh number.

Keywords: nanofluid, natural convection, inclined cavity, random temperature, finite-volume

Procedia PDF Downloads 262
2477 Pultrusion of Side by Side Glass/Polypropylene Fibers: Study of Flexural and Shear Properties

Authors: Behrooz Ataee, Mohammad Golzar

Abstract:

The main purpose of using side by side (SBS) hybrid yarn in pultrusion thermoplastic method is reprisal the effect of high viscosity in melted thermoplastic and reduction of distance between reinforced fiber and melted thermoplastic. SBS hybrid fiber yarn composed of thermoplastic fibers and fiber reinforcement should be produced in the preparation of pultruded thermoplastic composites prepreg to reach better impregnation. An experimental set-up was designed and built to pultrude continues polypropylene and glass fiber to get obtain a suitable impregnated round prepregs. In final stage, the round prepregs come together to produce rectangular profile. Higher fiber volume fraction produces higher void volume fraction, however the second stage of the production process of rectangular profile and the cold die decrease 50% of the void volume fraction. Results show that whit increasing void volume fraction, flexural and shear strength decrease. Also, under certain conditions of parameters the pultruded profiles exhibit better flexural and shear strength. The pulling speed seems to have the greatest influence on the profile quality. In addition, adding cold die strongly increases the surface quality of rectangular profile.

Keywords: thermoplastic pultrusion, hybrid pultrusion, side-by-side fibers, impregnation

Procedia PDF Downloads 234
2476 Implementation of Dozer Push Measurement under Payment Mechanism in Mining Operation

Authors: Anshar Ajatasatru

Abstract:

The decline of coal prices over past years have been significantly increasing the awareness of effective mining operation. A viable step must be undertaken in becoming more cost competitive while striving for best mining practice especially at Melak Coal Mine in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. This paper aims to show how effective dozer push measurement method can be implemented as it is controlled by contract rate on the unit basis of USD ($) per bcm. The method emerges from an idea of daily dozer push activity that continually shifts the overburden until final target design by mine planning. Volume calculation is then performed by calculating volume of each time overburden is removed within determined distance using cut and fill method from a high precision GNSS system which is applied into dozer as a guidance to ensure the optimum result of overburden removal. Accumulation of daily to weekly dozer push volume is found 95 bcm which is multiplied by average sell rate of $ 0,95, thus the amount monthly revenue is $ 90,25. Furthermore, the payment mechanism is then based on push distance and push grade. The push distance interval will determine the rates that vary from $ 0,9 - $ 2,69 per bcm and are influenced by certain push slope grade from -25% until +25%. The amount payable rates for dozer push operation shall be specifically following currency adjustment and is to be added to the monthly overburden volume claim, therefore, the sell rate of overburden volume per bcm may fluctuate depends on the real time exchange rate of Jakarta Interbank Spot Dollar Rate (JISDOR). The result indicates that dozer push measurement can be one of the surface mining alternative since it has enabled to refine method of work, operating cost and productivity improvement apart from exposing risk of low rented equipment performance. In addition, payment mechanism of contract rate by dozer push operation scheduling will ultimately deliver clients by almost 45% cost reduction in the form of low and consistent cost.

Keywords: contract rate, cut-fill method, dozer push, overburden volume

Procedia PDF Downloads 291
2475 Visualization of Quantitative Thresholds in Stocks

Authors: Siddhant Sahu, P. James Daniel Paul

Abstract:

Technical analysis comprised by various technical indicators is a holistic way of representing price movement of stocks in the market. Various forms of indicators have evolved from the primitive ones in the past decades. There have been many attempts to introduce volume as a major determinant to determine strong patterns in market forecasting. The law of demand defines the relationship between the volume and price. Most of the traders are familiar with the volume game. Including the time dimension to the law of demand provides a different visualization to the theory. While attempting the same, it was found that there are different thresholds in the market for different companies. These thresholds have a significant influence on the price. This article is an attempt in determining the thresholds for companies using the three dimensional graphs for optimizing the portfolios. It also emphasizes on the magnitude of importance of volumes as a key factor for determining of predicting strong price movements, bullish and bearish markets. It uses a comprehensive data set of major companies which form a major chunk of the Indian automotive sector and are thus used as an illustration.

Keywords: technical analysis, expert system, law of demand, stocks, portfolio analysis, Indian automotive sector

Procedia PDF Downloads 289
2474 Evaluation of the Safety and Performance of Blood Culture Practices Using BD Safety-Lokᵀᴹ Blood Collection Sets in the Emergency Room

Authors: Jeonghyun Chang, Taegeun Lee, Heungsup Sung, Yoon-Seon Lee, Youn-Jung Kim, Mi-Na Kim

Abstract:

Background: Safety device has been applied to improve safety and performance of blood culture practice. BD vacutainer® Safety-Lokᵀᴹ blood collection sets with pre-attached holder (Safety-Lok) (BD, USA) was evaluated in the emergency room (ER) of a tertiary care hospital. Methods: From April to June 2017, interns and nurses in ER were surveyed for blood culture practices with a questionnaire before and after 2 or 3 weeks of experience of Safety-Lok. All of them participated in exercise workshop for 1 hour combined with video education prior to the initial survey. The blood volume, positive and contamination rates of Safety-Lok-drawn (SD) blood cultures were compared to those of overall blood cultures. Results: Eighteen interns and 30 nurses were enrolled. As a result of the initial survey, interns had higher rates of needlestick incidence (27.8%), carriage of the blood-filled syringe with needle (88.9%) and lower rates of vacutainer use (38.9%) than nurses (13.3%, 53.3%, and 60.0%). Interns preferred to use safety devices (88.9%) rather than nurses (40.0%). The number of overall blood cultures and SD blood cultures was 9,053 and 555, respectively. While the overall blood volume of aerobic bottles was 2.6±2.1 mL, those of SD blood cultures were 5.0±3.0 mL in aerobic bottles and 6.0±3.0 mL in anaerobic bottles. Positive and contamination rates were 6.5% and 0.72% with SD blood cultures and 6.2% and 0.3% with overall blood cultures. Conclusions: The introduction of the safety device would encourage healthcare workers to collect adequate blood volume as well as lead to safer practices in the ER.

Keywords: blood culture, needlestick, safety device, volume

Procedia PDF Downloads 178
2473 Numerical Method for Fin Profile Optimization

Authors: Beghdadi Lotfi

Abstract:

In the present work a numerical method is proposed in order to optimize the thermal performance of finned surfaces. The bidimensional temperature distribution on the longitudinal section of the fin is calculated by restoring to the finite volumes method. The heat flux dissipated by a generic profile fin is compared with the heat flux removed by the rectangular profile fin with the same length and volume. In this study, it is shown that a finite volume method for quadrilaterals unstructured mesh is developed to predict the two dimensional steady-state solutions of conduction equation, in order to determine the sinusoidal parameter values which optimize the fin effectiveness. In this scheme, based on the integration around the polygonal control volume, the derivatives of conduction equation must be converted into closed line integrals using same formulation of the Stokes theorem. The numerical results show good agreement with analytical results. To demonstrate the accuracy of the method, the absolute and root-mean square errors versus the grid size are examined quantitatively.

Keywords: Stokes theorem, unstructured grid, heat transfer, complex geometry, effectiveness

Procedia PDF Downloads 244
2472 Laboratory Testing Regime for Quantifying Soil Collapsibility

Authors: Anne C. Okwedadi, Samson Ng’ambi, Ian Jefferson

Abstract:

Collapsible soils go through radical rearrangement of their particles when triggered by water, stress or/and vibration, causing loss of volume. This loss of volume in soil as seen in foundation failures has caused millions of dollars’ worth of damages to public facilities and infrastructure and so has an adverse effect on the society and people. Despite these consequences and the several studies that are available, more research is still required in the study of soil collapsibility. Discerning the pedogenesis (formation) of soils and investigating the combined effects of the different geological soil properties is key to elucidating and quantifying soils collapsibility. This study presents a novel laboratory testing regime that would be undertaken on soil samples where the effects of soil type, compactive variables (moisture content, density, void ratio, degree of saturation) and loading are analyzed. It is anticipated that results obtained would be useful in mapping the trend of the combined effect thus the basis for evaluating soil collapsibility or collapse potentials encountered in construction with volume loss problems attributed to collapse.

Keywords: collapsible soil, geomorphological process, soil collapsibility properties, soil test

Procedia PDF Downloads 445
2471 The Influence of Ecologically -Valid High- and Low-Volume Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Size in Trained Men

Authors: Jason Dellatolla, Scott Thomas

Abstract:

Much of the current literature pertaining to resistance training (RT) volume prescription lacks ecological validity, and very few studies investigate true high-volume ranges. Purpose: The present study sought to investigate the effects of ecologically-valid high- vs low-volume RT on muscular size and strength in trained men. Methods: This study systematically randomized trained, college-aged men into two groups: low-volume (LV; n = 4) and high-volume (HV; n = 5). The sample size was affected by COVID-19 limitations. Subjects followed an ecologically-valid 6-week RT program targeting both muscle size and strength. RT occurred 3x/week on non-consecutive days. Over the course of six weeks, LVR and HVR gradually progressed from 15 to 23 sets/week and 30 to 46 sets/week of lower-body RT, respectively. Muscle strength was assessed via 3RM tests in the squat, stiff-leg deadlift (SL DL), and leg press. Muscle hypertrophy was evaluated through a combination of DXA, BodPod, and ultrasound (US) measurements. Results: Two-way repeated-measures ANOVAs indicated that strength in all 3 compound lifts increased significantly among both groups (p < 0.01); between-group differences only occurred in the squat (p = 0.02) and SL DL (p = 0.03), both of which favored HVR. Significant pre-to-post-study increases in indicators of hypertrophy were discovered for lean body mass in the legs via DXA, overall fat-free mass via BodPod, and US measures of muscle thickness (MT) for the rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, long-head of the biceps femoris, and total MT. Between-group differences were only found for MT of the vastus medialis – favoring HVR. Moreover, each additional weekly set of lower-body RT was associated with an average increase in MT of 0.39% in the thigh muscles. Conclusion: We conclude that ecologically-valid RT regimens significantly improve muscular strength and indicators of hypertrophy. When HVR is compared to LVR, HVR provides significantly greater gains in muscular strength but has no greater effect on hypertrophy over the course of 6 weeks in trained, college-aged men.

Keywords: ecological validity, hypertrophy, resistance training, strength

Procedia PDF Downloads 90
2470 Pressure Gradient Prediction of Oil-Water Two Phase Flow through Horizontal Pipe

Authors: Ahmed I. Raheem

Abstract:

In this thesis, stratified and stratified wavy flow regimes have been investigated numerically for the oil (1.57 mPa s viscosity and 780 kg/m3 density) and water twophase flow in small and large horizontal steel pipes with a diameter between 0.0254 to 0.508 m by ANSYS Fluent software. Volume of fluid (VOF) with two phases flows using two equations family models (Realizable k-

Keywords: CFD, two-phase flow, pressure gradient, volume of fluid, large diameter, horizontal pipe, oil-water stratified and stratified wavy flow

Procedia PDF Downloads 409
2469 Tumor Cell Detection, Isolation and Monitoring Using Bi-Layer Magnetic Microfluidic Chip

Authors: Amir Seyfoori, Ehsan Samiei, Mohsen Akbari

Abstract:

The use of microtechnology for detection and high yield isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) has shown enormous promise as an indication of clinical metastasis prognosis and cancer treatment monitoring. The Immunomagnetic assay has been also coupled to microtechnology to improve the selectivity and efficiency of the current methods of cancer biomarker isolation. In this way, generation and configuration of the local high gradient magnetic field play essential roles in such assay. Additionally, considering the intrinsic heterogeneity of cancer cells, real-time analysis of isolated cells is necessary to characterize their responses to therapy. Totally, on-chip isolation and monitoring of the specific tumor cells is considered as a pressing need in the way of modified cancer therapy. To address these challenges, we have developed a bi-layer magnetic-based microfluidic chip for enhanced CTC detection and capturing. Micromagnet arrays at the bottom layer of the chip were fabricated using a new method of magnetic nanoparticle paste deposition so that they were arranged at the center of the chain microchannel with the lowest fluid velocity zone. Breast cancer cells labelled with EPCAM-conjugated smart microgels were immobilized on the tip of the micromagnets with greater localized magnetic field and stronger cell-micromagnet interaction. Considering different magnetic nano-powder usage (MnFe2O4 & gamma-Fe2O3) and micromagnet shapes (ellipsoidal & arrow), the capture efficiency of the systems was adjusted while the higher CTC capture efficiency was acquired for MnFe2O4 arrow micromagnet as around 95.5%. As a proof of concept of on-chip tumor cell monitoring, magnetic smart microgels made of thermo-responsive poly N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid (PNIPAM-AA) composition were used for both purposes of targeted cell capturing as well as cell monitoring using antibody conjugation and fluorescent dye loading at the same time. In this regard, magnetic microgels were successfully used as cell tracker after isolation process so that by raising the temperature up to 37⁰ C, they released the contained dye and stained the targeted cell just after capturing. This microfluidic device was able to provide a platform for detection, isolation and efficient real-time analysis of specific CTCs in the liquid biopsy of breast cancer patients.

Keywords: circulating tumor cells, microfluidic, immunomagnetic, cell isolation

Procedia PDF Downloads 119
2468 Optimization of Tundish Geometry for Minimizing Dead Volume Using OpenFOAM

Authors: Prateek Singh, Dilshad Ahmad

Abstract:

Growing demand for high-quality steel products has inspired researchers to investigate the unit operations involved in the manufacturing of these products (slabs, rods, sheets, etc.). One such operation is tundish operation, in which a vessel (tundish) acts as a buffer of molten steel for the solidification operation in mold. It is observed that tundish also plays a crucial role in the quality and cleanliness of the steel produced, besides merely acting as a reservoir for the mold. It facilitates removal of dissolved oxygen (inclusions) from the molten steel thus improving its cleanliness. Inclusion removal can be enhanced by increasing the residence time of molten steel in the tundish by incorporation of flow modifiers like dams, weirs, turbo-pad, etc. These flow modifiers also help in reducing the dead or short circuit zones within the tundish which is significant for maintaining thermal and chemical homogeneity of molten steel. Thus, it becomes important to analyze the flow of molten steel in the tundish for different configuration of flow modifiers. In the present work, effect of varying positions and heights/depths of dam and weir on the dead volume in tundish is studied. Steady state thermal and flow profiles of molten steel within the tundish are obtained using OpenFOAM. Subsequently, Residence Time Distribution analysis is performed to obtain the percentage of dead volume in the tundish. Design of Experiment method is then used to configure different tundish geometries for varying positions and heights/depths of dam and weir, and dead volume for each tundish design is obtained. A second-degree polynomial with two-term interactions of independent variables to predict the dead volume in the tundish with positions and heights/depths of dam and weir as variables are computed using Multiple Linear Regression model. This polynomial is then used in an optimization framework to obtain the optimal tundish geometry for minimizing dead volume using Sequential Quadratic Programming optimization.

Keywords: design of experiments, multiple linear regression, OpenFOAM, residence time distribution, sequential quadratic programming optimization, steel, tundish

Procedia PDF Downloads 180
2467 Numerical Method of Heat Transfer in Fin Profiles

Authors: Beghdadi Lotfi, Belkacem Abdellah

Abstract:

In this work, a numerical method is proposed in order to solve the thermal performance problems of heat transfer of fins surfaces. The bidimensional temperature distribution on the longitudinal section of the fin is calculated by restoring to the finite volumes method. The heat flux dissipated by a generic profile fin is compared with the heat flux removed by the rectangular profile fin with the same length and volume. In this study, it is shown that a finite volume method for quadrilaterals unstructured mesh is developed to predict the two dimensional steady-state solutions of conduction equation, in order to determine the sinusoidal parameter values which optimize the fin effectiveness. In this scheme, based on the integration around the polygonal control volume, the derivatives of conduction equation must be converted into closed line integrals using same formulation of the Stokes theorem. The numerical results show good agreement with analytical results. To demonstrate the accuracy of the method, the absolute and root-mean square errors versus the grid size are examined quantitatively.

Keywords: Stokes theorem, unstructured grid, heat transfer, complex geometry

Procedia PDF Downloads 378
2466 Recycled Plastic Fibers for Controlling the Plastic Shrinkage Cracking of Concrete

Authors: B. S. Al-Tulaian, M. J. Al-Shannag, A. M. Al-Hozaimy

Abstract:

Manufacturing of fibers from industrial or postconsumer plastic waste is an attractive approach with such benefits as concrete performance enhancement, and reduced needs for land filling. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of Plastic fibers obtained locally from recycled waste on plastic shrinkage cracking of concrete. The results indicate that recycled plastic RP fiber of 50 mm length is capable of controlling plastic shrinkage cracking of concrete to some extent, but are not as effective as polypropylene PP fibers when added at the same volume fraction. Furthermore, test results indicated that there was The increase in flexural strength of RP fibers and PP fibers concrete were 12.34% and 40.30%, respectively in comparison to plain concrete. RP fiber showed a substantial increase in toughness and a slight decrease in flexural strength of concrete at a fiber volume fraction of 1.00% compared to PP fibers at fiber volume fraction of 0.50%. RP fibers caused a significant increase in compressive strengths up to 13.02% compared to concrete without fiber reinforcement.

Keywords: concrete, plastic, shrinkage cracking, compressive strength, flexural strength, toughness, RF recycled fibers, polypropylene PP fibers

Procedia PDF Downloads 533
2465 Application of Digital Image Correlation Technique on Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding Process and Performance Evaluation of the Produced Materials

Authors: Dingding Chen, Kazuo Arakawa, Masakazu Uchino, Changheng Xu

Abstract:

Vacuum assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) is a promising manufacture process for making large and complex fiber reinforced composite structures. However, the complexity of the flow of the resin in the infusion stage usually leads to nonuniform property distribution of the produced composite part. In order to control the flow of the resin, the situation of flow should be mastered. For the safety of the usage of the produced composite in practice, the understanding of the property distribution is essential. In this paper, we did some trials on monitoring the resin infusion stage and evaluation for the fiber volume fraction distribution of the VARTM produced composite using the digital image correlation methods. The results show that 3D-DIC is valid on monitoring the resin infusion stage and it is possible to use 2D-DIC to estimate the distribution of the fiber volume fraction on a FRP plate.

Keywords: digital image correlation, VARTM, FRP, fiber volume fraction

Procedia PDF Downloads 310
2464 Analysis of Bank Characteristics in a Hydrogen Refueling Station

Authors: Bo Hyun Kim, Sarng Woo Karng

Abstract:

In constructing a hydrogen refueling station, minimizing the volume and reducing the number of banks enable lessening the construction cost. This study aims at performing the dynamic simulation on 250 kg/day of a refueling station for light-duty vehicles. The primary compressor boosts hydrogen from a tube trailer of 250 to 480 bar and stores it in a medium-pressure bank. Then, additional compression of hydrogen from 480 to 900 bar is carried out and stored in a high-pressure bank. Economic analysis was conducted considering the amount of electricity consumed by compression corresponding to the volume and the number of banks (cascade system) in charging mode. NIST REFPROP was selected as the equation of state on the ASPEN HYSYS for thermodynamic analysis of the tube-trailer, the compressors, the chillers, and the banks. Compared to a single high-pressure bank system of 3000 L, the volume of the cascade high-pressure banks (bank1: 250 L and bank 2: 1850 L) was reduced by 30%, and the power consumption of the chiller for precooling was also decreased by 16%.

Keywords: light-duty vehicles, economic analysis, cascade system, hydrogen refueling station

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2463 Numerical Simulation of Flexural Strength of Steel Fiber Reinforced High Volume Fly Ash Concrete by Finite Element Analysis

Authors: Mahzabin Afroz, Indubhushan Patnaikuni, Srikanth Venkatesan

Abstract:

It is well-known that fly ash can be used in high volume as a partial replacement of cement to get beneficial effects on concrete. High volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete is currently emerging as a popular option to strengthen by fiber. Although studies have supported the use of fibers with fly ash, a unified model along with the incorporation into finite element software package to estimate the maximum flexural loads need to be developed. In this study, nonlinear finite element analysis of steel fiber reinforced high strength HVFA concrete beam under static loadings was conducted to investigate their failure modes in terms of ultimate load. First of all, the experimental investigation of mechanical properties of high strength HVFA concrete was done and validates with developed numerical model with the appropriate modeling of element size and mesh by ANSYS 16.2. To model the fiber within the concrete, three-dimensional random fiber distribution was simulated by spherical coordinate system. Three types of high strength HVFA concrete beams were analyzed reinforced with 0.5, 1 and 1.5% volume fractions of steel fibers with specific mechanical and physical properties. The result reveals that the use of nonlinear finite element analysis technique and three-dimensional random fiber orientation exhibited fairly good agreement with the experimental results of flexural strength, load deflection and crack propagation mechanism. By utilizing this improved model, it is possible to determine the flexural behavior of different types and proportions of steel fiber reinforced HVFA concrete beam under static load. So, this paper has the originality to predict the flexural properties of steel fiber reinforced high strength HVFA concrete by numerical simulations.

Keywords: finite element analysis, high volume fly ash, steel fibers, spherical coordinate system

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2462 On the Blocked-off Finite-Volume Radiation Solutions in a Two-Dimensional Enclosure

Authors: Gyo Woo Lee, Man Young Kim

Abstract:

The blocked-off formulations for the analysis of radiative heat transfer are formulated and examined in order to find the solutions in a two-dimensional complex enclosure. The final discretization equations using the step scheme for spatial differencing practice are proposed with the additional source term to incorporate the blocked-off procedure. After introducing the implementation for inactive region into the general discretization equation, three different problems are examined to find the performance of the solution methods.

Keywords: radiative heat transfer, Finite Volume Method (FVM), blocked-off solution procedure, body-fitted coordinate

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2461 Skull Extraction for Quantification of Brain Volume in Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Authors: Marcela De Oliveira, Marina P. Da Silva, Fernando C. G. Da Rocha, Jorge M. Santos, Jaime S. Cardoso, Paulo N. Lisboa-Filho

Abstract:

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system characterized by neurodegeneration, inflammation, demyelination, and axonal loss. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), due to the richness in the information details provided, is the gold standard exam for diagnosis and follow-up of neurodegenerative diseases, such as MS. Brain atrophy, the gradual loss of brain volume, is quite extensive in multiple sclerosis, nearly 0.5-1.35% per year, far off the limits of normal aging. Thus, the brain volume quantification becomes an essential task for future analysis of the occurrence atrophy. The analysis of MRI has become a tedious and complex task for clinicians, who have to manually extract important information. This manual analysis is prone to errors and is time consuming due to various intra- and inter-operator variability. Nowadays, computerized methods for MRI segmentation have been extensively used to assist doctors in quantitative analyzes for disease diagnosis and monitoring. Thus, the purpose of this work was to evaluate the brain volume in MRI of MS patients. We used MRI scans with 30 slices of the five patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis according to the McDonald criteria. The computational methods for the analysis of images were carried out in two steps: segmentation of the brain and brain volume quantification. The first image processing step was to perform brain extraction by skull stripping from the original image. In the skull stripper for MRI images of the brain, the algorithm registers a grayscale atlas image to the grayscale patient image. The associated brain mask is propagated using the registration transformation. Then this mask is eroded and used for a refined brain extraction based on level-sets (edge of the brain-skull border with dedicated expansion, curvature, and advection terms). In the second step, the brain volume quantification was performed by counting the voxels belonging to the segmentation mask and converted in cc. We observed an average brain volume of 1469.5 cc. We concluded that the automatic method applied in this work can be used for the brain extraction process and brain volume quantification in MRI. The development and use of computer programs can contribute to assist health professionals in the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. In future works, we expect to implement more automated methods for the assessment of cerebral atrophy and brain lesions quantification, including machine-learning approaches. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by a grant from Brazilian agency Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (number 2019/16362-5).

Keywords: brain volume, magnetic resonance imaging, multiple sclerosis, skull stripper

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2460 Numerical Study of Sloshing in a Flexible Tank

Authors: Wissem Tighidet, Faïçal Naït Bouda, Moussa Allouche

Abstract:

The numerical study of the Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) in a partially filled flexible tank submitted to a horizontal harmonic excitation motion. It is investigated by using two-way Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) in a flexible tank by Coupling between the Transient Structural (Mechanical) and Fluid Flow (Fluent) in ANSYS-Workbench Student version. The Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) formulation is adopted to solve with the finite volume method, the Navier-Stokes equations in two phases in a moving domain. The Volume of Fluid (VOF) method is applied to track the free surface. However, the equations of the dynamics of the structure are solved with the finite element method assuming a linear elastic behavior. To conclude, the Fluid-Structure Interaction (IFS) has a vital role in the analysis of the dynamic behavior of the rectangular tank. The results indicate that the flexibility of the tank walls has a significant impact on the amplitude of tank sloshing and the deformation of the free surface as well as the effect of liquid sloshing on wall deformation.

Keywords: arbitrary lagrangian-eulerian, fluid-structure interaction, sloshing, volume of fluid

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2459 Future Projection of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods Hazard: A Hydrodynamic Study of the Highest Lake in the Dhauliganga Basin, Uttarakhand

Authors: Ashim Sattar, Ajanta Goswami, Anil V. Kulkarni

Abstract:

Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) highly contributes to mountain hazards in the Himalaya. Over the past decade, high altitude lakes in the Himalaya has been showing notable growth in their size and number. The key reason is rapid retreat of its glacier front. Hydrodynamic modeling GLOF using shallow water equations (SWE) would result in understanding its impact in the downstream region. The present study incorporates remote sensing based ice thickness modeling to determine the future extent of the Dhauliganga Lake to map the over deepening extent around the highest lake in the Dhauliganga basin. The maximum future volume of the lake calculated using area-volume scaling is used to model a GLOF event. The GLOF hydrograph is routed along the channel using one dimensional and two dimensional model to understand the flood wave propagation till it reaches the 1st hydropower station located 72 km downstream of the lake. The present extent of the lake calculated using SENTINEL 2 images is 0.13 km². The maximum future extent of the lake, mapped by investigating the glacier bed has a calculated scaled volume of 3.48 x 106 m³. The GLOF modeling releasing the future volume of the lake resulted in a breach hydrograph with a peak flood of 4995 m³/s at just downstream of the lake. Hydraulic routing

Keywords: GLOF, glacial lake outburst floods, mountain hazard, Central Himalaya, future projection

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2458 Constructal Enhancement of Fins Design Integrated to Phase Change Materials

Authors: Varun Joshi, Manish K. Rathod

Abstract:

The latent heat thermal energy storage system is a thrust area of research due to exuberant thermal energy storage potential. The thermal performance of PCM is significantly augmented by installation of the high thermal conductivity fins. The objective of the present study is to obtain optimum size and location of the fins to enhance diffusion heat transfer without altering overall melting time. Hence, the constructal theory is employed to eliminate, resize, and re-position the fins. A numerical code based on conjugate heat transfer coupled enthalpy porosity approached is developed to solve Navier-Stoke and energy equation.The numerical results show that the constructal fin design has enhanced the thermal performance along with the increase in the overall volume of PCM when compared to conventional. The overall volume of PCM is found to be increased by half of total of volume of fins. The elimination and repositioning the fins at high temperature gradient from low temperature gradient is found to be vital.

Keywords: constructal theory, enthalpy porosity approach, phase change materials, fins

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2457 Study of Some Factors Effecting on Productivity of Solar Distillers

Authors: Keshek M.H, Mohamed M.A, El-Shafey M.A

Abstract:

The aim of this research was increasing the productivity of solar distillation. In order to reach this aim, a solar distiller was created with three glass sides sloping 30o at the horizontal level, and the experiments were carried out on the solar distillation unit during the period from 24th August, 2016 till 24th May, 2017 at the Agricultural Engineering and Bio Systems Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Menoufia University. Three gap lengths were used between the water level and the inner glass cover, those were 3, 6, and 9 cm. As the result of change the gap length between the water level and the inner glass cover the total volume of basins were changed from 15.5, 13, and 11 L, respectively. The total basin volume was divided to three sections, to investigate the effect of water volume. The three water volumes were 100%, 75%, and 50%. Every section was supplied with one, two, or three heaters. The one heater power was 15 W. The results showed that, by increasing the distance between the basins edge and the inner edge of the glass cover, an increase occurs in the percentage of temperature difference with maximum value was 52% at distance 9 cm from each edge, an increase occurs in the productivity with maximum productivity was 3.3 L/m2 at distance 9 cm from each edge and an increase occurs in the efficiency with maximum efficiency was 70% at distance 9 cm from each edge.

Keywords: distillation, solar energy, still productivity, efficiency

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2456 Evaluation of Anti-Arthritic Activity of Eulophia ochreata Lindl and Zingiber cassumunar Roxb in Freund's Complete Adjuvant Induced Arthritic Rat Model

Authors: Akshada Amit Koparde, Candrakant S. Magdum

Abstract:

Objective: To investigate the anti-arthritic activity of chloroform extract and Isolate 1 of Eulophia ochreata Lindl and dichloromethane extract and Isolate 2 of Zingiber cassumunar Roxb in adjuvant arthritic (AA) rat model induced by Freund’s complete adjuvant (FCA). Methods: Forty two healthy albino rats were selected and randomly divided into six groups. Freund’s complete adjuvant (FCA) was used to induce arthritis and then treated with chloroform extract, isolate 1 and dichloromethane extract, isolate 2 for 28 days. The various parameters like paw volume, haematological parameters (RBC, WBC, Hb and ESR), were studied. Structural elucidation of active constituents isolate 1 and isolate 2 from Eulophia ochreata Lindl and Zingiber cassumunar Roxb will be done using GCMS and H1NMR. Results: In FCA induced arthritic rats, there was significant increase in rat paw volume whereas chloroform extract and Isolate 1 of Eulophia ochreata Lindl and dichloromethane extract and Isolate 2 of Zingiber cassumunar Roxb treated groups showed strong significant reduction in paw volume. The altered haematological parameters in the arthritic rats were significantly recovered to near normal by the treatment with extracts at the dose of 200 mg/kg. Further histopathological studies revealed the anti-arthritic activity of Eulophia ochreata Lindl and Zingiber cassumunar Roxb by preventing cartilage and bone destruction of the arthritic joints of AA rats. Conclusion: Extracts and isolates of Eulophia ochreata Lindl and Zingiber cassumunar Roxb have shown anti-arthritic activity. Decrease in paw volume and normalization of haematological abnormalities in adjuvant induced arthritic rats is significantly seen in the experiment. Further histopathological studies confirmed the anti-arthritic activity of Eulophia ochreata Lindl and Zingiber cassumunar Roxb.

Keywords: arthritis, Eulophia ochreata Lindl, Freund's complete adjuvant, paw volume, Zingiber cassumunar Roxb

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2455 Improving Photocatalytic Efficiency of TiO2 Films Incorporated with Natural Geopolymer for Sunlight-Driven Water Purification

Authors: Satam Alotibi, Haya A. Al-Sunaidi, Almaymunah M. AlRoibah, Zahraa H. Al-Omaran, Mohammed Alyami, Fatehia S. Alhakami, Abdellah Kaiba, Mazen Alshaaer, Talal F. Qahtan

Abstract:

This research study presents a novel approach to harnessing the potential of natural geopolymer in conjunction with TiO₂ nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) for the development of highly efficient photocatalytic materials for water decontamination. The study begins with the formulation of a geopolymer paste derived from natural sources, which is subsequently applied as a coating on glass substrates and allowed to air-dry at room temperature. The result is a series of geopolymer-coated glass films, serving as the foundation for further experimentation. To enhance the photocatalytic capabilities of these films, a critical step involves immersing them in a suspension of TiO₂ nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) in water for varying durations. This immersion process yields geopolymer-loaded TiO₂ NPs films with varying concentrations, setting the stage for comprehensive characterization and analysis. A range of advanced analytical techniques, including UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), were meticulously employed to assess the structural, morphological, and chemical properties of the geopolymer-based TiO₂ films. These analyses provided invaluable insights into the materials' composition and surface characteristics. The culmination of this research effort sees the geopolymer-based TiO₂ films being repurposed as immobilized photocatalytic reactors for water decontamination under natural sunlight irradiation. Remarkably, the results revealed exceptional photocatalytic performance that exceeded the capabilities of conventional TiO₂-based photocatalysts. This breakthrough underscores the significant potential of natural geopolymer as a versatile and highly effective matrix for enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO₂ nanoparticles in water treatment applications. In summary, this study represents a significant advancement in the quest for sustainable and efficient photocatalytic materials for environmental remediation. By harnessing the synergistic effects of natural geopolymer and TiO₂ nanoparticles, these geopolymer-based films exhibit outstanding promise in addressing water decontamination challenges and contribute to the development of eco-friendly solutions for a cleaner and healthier environment.

Keywords: geopolymer, TiO2 nanoparticles, photocatalytic materials, water decontamination, sustainable remediation

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