Design and calibration of the carousel wind tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leach, R. N.; Greeley, Ronald; Iversen, James D.; White, Bruce R.; Marshall, John R.

1987-01-01

In the study of planetary aeolian processes the effect of gravity is not readily modeled. Gravity appears in the equations of particle motion along with interparticle forces but the two terms are not separable. A wind tunnel that would permit variable gravity would allow separation of the forces and aid greatly in understanding planetary aeolian processes. The design of the Carousel Wind Tunnel (CWT) allows for a long flow distance in a small sized tunnel since the test section is a continuous circuit and allows for a variable pseudo-gravity. A prototype design was built and calibrated to gain some understanding of the characteristics of the design and the results presented.

Brief overview of the long-lived radionuclide separation processes developed in france in connection with the spin program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madic, Charles; Bourges, Jacques; Dozol, Jean-François

1995-09-01

To reduce the long-term potential hazards associated with the management of nuclear wastes generated by nuclear fuel reprocessing, one alternative is the transmutation of long-lived radionuclides into short-lived radionuclides by nuclear means (P & T strategy). In this context, according to the law passed by the French Parliament on 30 December 1991, the CEA launched the SPIN program for the design of long-lived radionuclide separation and nuclear incineration processes. The research in progress to define separation processes focused mainly on the minor actinides (neptunium, americium and curium) and some fission products, like cesium and technetium. To separate these long-lived radionuclides, two strategies were developed. The first involves research on new operating conditions for improving the PUREX fuel reprocessing technology. This approach concerns the elements neptunium and technetium (iodine and zirconium can also be considered). The second strategy involves the design of new processes; DIAMEX for the co-extraction of minor actinides from the high-level liquid waste leaving the PUREX process, An(III)/Ln(III) separation using tripyridyltriazine derivatives or picolinamide extracting agents; SESAME for the selective separation of americium after its oxidation to Am(IV) or Am(VI) in the presence of a heteropolytungstate ligand, and Cs extraction using a new class of extracting agents, calixarenes, which exhibit exceptional Cs separation properties, especially in the presence of sodium ion. This lecture focuses on the latest achievements in these research areas.

Advancing the scientific basis of trivalent actinide-lanthanide separations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nash, K.L.

For advanced fuel cycles designed to support transmutation of transplutonium actinides, several options have been demonstrated for process-scale aqueous separations for U, Np, Pu management and for partitioning of trivalent actinides and fission product lanthanides away from other fission products. The more difficult mutual separation of Am/Cm from La-Tb remains the subject of considerable fundamental and applied research. The chemical separations literature teaches that the most productive alternatives to pursue are those based on ligand donor atoms less electronegative than O, specifically N- and S-containing complexants and chloride ion (Cl{sup -}). These 'soft-donor' atoms have exhibited usable selectivity in theirmore » bonding interactions with trivalent actinides relative to lanthanides. In this report, selected features of soft donor reagent design, characterization and application development will be discussed. The roles of thiocyanate, aminopoly-carboxylic acids and lactate in separation processes are detailed. (authors)« less

Quantum design of photosynthesis for bio-inspired solar-energy conversion.

PubMed

Romero, Elisabet; Novoderezhkin, Vladimir I; van Grondelle, Rienk

2017-03-15

Photosynthesis is the natural process that converts solar photons into energy-rich products that are needed to drive the biochemistry of life. Two ultrafast processes form the basis of photosynthesis: excitation energy transfer and charge separation. Under optimal conditions, every photon that is absorbed is used by the photosynthetic organism. Fundamental quantum mechanics phenomena, including delocalization, underlie the speed, efficiency and directionality of the charge-separation process. At least four design principles are active in natural photosynthesis, and these can be applied practically to stimulate the development of bio-inspired, human-made energy conversion systems.

Secure Design Patterns

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

the Distrustful Decomposition pattern: • a number of separate programs, each running in a separate process . For more complete sepa- ration, each...be used in place of fork(). For example, under various versions of Windows, the CreateProcess() func- tion is used to spawn a child process . Figure...list contains the SIDs of the client processes that are allowed to connect to the server, that is, the Windows service. For more information about

Removal of batteries from solid waste using trommel separation.

PubMed

Lau, S T; Cheung, W H; Kwong, C K; Wan, C P; Choy, K K H; Leung, C C; Porter, J F; Hui, C W; Mc Kay, G

2005-01-01

This paper describes the design and testing of a trommel for separation of batteries from solid waste. A trommel is a cylindrical separation device that rotates and performs size separation. It has also been used in areas such as municipal solid waste (MSW) processing, classifying construction and demolition debris, screening mass-burn incinerator ash and compost processing. A trommel has been designed based on size separation to separate household batteries from solid waste, which can then be used as feedstock for alternative applications of solid waste combustion, particularly where the metal content of the product is also a critical parameter, such as the Co-Co process for integrated cement and power production. This trommel has been tested with batches of university office and restaurant wastes against various factors. The recovery efficiency of batteries increases with decreasing inclination angle of the trommel and decreasing rotational speed. A physical characterization of the university solid waste has been performed with a 20-kg sample of the tested waste. It was found that there is a trend of decreasing recovery of batteries with increasing paper composition, and a trend of increasing recovery of batteries with increasing organic materials composition.

Technological process and optimum design of organic materials vacuum pyrolysis and indium chlorinated separation from waste liquid crystal display panels.

PubMed

Ma, En; Xu, Zhenming

2013-12-15

In this study, a technology process including vacuum pyrolysis and vacuum chlorinated separation was proposed to convert waste liquid crystal display (LCD) panels into useful resources using self-design apparatuses. The suitable pyrolysis temperature and pressure are determined as 300°C and 50 Pa at first. The organic parts of the panels were converted to oil (79.10 wt%) and gas (2.93 wt%). Then the technology of separating indium was optimized by central composite design (CCD) under response surface methodology (RSM). The results indicated the indium recovery ratio was 99.97% when the particle size is less than 0.16 mm, the weight percentage of NH4Cl to glass powder is 50 wt% and temperature is 450°C. The research results show that the organic materials, indium and glass of LCD panel can be recovered during the recovery process efficiently and eco-friendly. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Separation of Blood Components Using Standing Surface Acoustic Waves (SSAWs) Microfluidic Devices: Analysis and Simulation.

PubMed

Soliman, Ahmed M; Eldosoky, Mohamed A; Taha, Taha E

2017-03-29

The separation of blood components (WBCs, RBCs, and platelets) is important for medical applications. Recently, standing surface acoustic wave (SSAW) microfluidic devices are used for the separation of particles. In this paper, the design analysis of SSAW microfluidics is presented. Also, the analysis of SSAW force with Rayleigh angle effect and its attenuation in liquid-loaded substrate, viscous drag force, hydrodynamic force, and diffusion force are explained and analyzed. The analyses are provided for selecting the piezoelectric material, width of the main microchannel, working area of SAW, wavelength, minimum input power required for the separation process, and widths of outlet collecting microchannels. The design analysis of SSAW microfluidics is provided for determining the minimum input power required for the separation process with appropriated the displacement contrast of the particles.The analyses are applied for simulation the separation of blood components. The piezoelectric material, width of the main microchannel, working area of SAW, wavelength, and minimum input power required for the separation process are selected as LiNbO₃, 120 μm, 1.08 mm², 300 μm, 371 mW. The results are compared to other published results. The results of these simulations achieve minimum power consumption, less complicated setup, and high collecting efficiency. All simulation programs are built by MATLAB.

The Separation of Blood Components Using Standing Surface Acoustic Waves (SSAWs) Microfluidic Devices: Analysis and Simulation

PubMed Central

Soliman, Ahmed M.; Eldosoky, Mohamed A.; Taha, Taha E.

2017-01-01

The separation of blood components (WBCs, RBCs, and platelets) is important for medical applications. Recently, standing surface acoustic wave (SSAW) microfluidic devices are used for the separation of particles. In this paper, the design analysis of SSAW microfluidics is presented. Also, the analysis of SSAW force with Rayleigh angle effect and its attenuation in liquid-loaded substrate, viscous drag force, hydrodynamic force, and diffusion force are explained and analyzed. The analyses are provided for selecting the piezoelectric material, width of the main microchannel, working area of SAW, wavelength, minimum input power required for the separation process, and widths of outlet collecting microchannels. The design analysis of SSAW microfluidics is provided for determining the minimum input power required for the separation process with appropriated the displacement contrast of the particles.The analyses are applied for simulation the separation of blood components. The piezoelectric material, width of the main microchannel, working area of SAW, wavelength, and minimum input power required for the separation process are selected as LiNbO3, 120 μm, 1.08 mm2, 300 μm, 371 mW. The results are compared to other published results. The results of these simulations achieve minimum power consumption, less complicated setup, and high collecting efficiency. All simulation programs are built by MATLAB. PMID:28952506

Helium process cycle

DOEpatents

Ganni, Venkatarao

2008-08-12

A unique process cycle and apparatus design separates the consumer (cryogenic) load return flow from most of the recycle return flow of a refrigerator and/or liquefier process cycle. The refrigerator and/or liquefier process recycle return flow is recompressed by a multi-stage compressor set and the consumer load return flow is recompressed by an independent consumer load compressor set that maintains a desirable constant suction pressure using a consumer load bypass control valve and the consumer load return pressure control valve that controls the consumer load compressor's suction pressure. The discharge pressure of this consumer load compressor is thereby allowed to float at the intermediate pressure in between the first and second stage recycle compressor sets. Utilizing the unique gas management valve regulation, the unique process cycle and apparatus design in which the consumer load return flow is separate from the recycle return flow, the pressure ratios of each recycle compressor stage and all main pressures associated with the recycle return flow are allowed to vary naturally, thus providing a naturally regulated and balanced floating pressure process cycle that maintains optimal efficiency at design and off-design process cycle capacity and conditions automatically.

Helium process cycle

DOEpatents

Ganni, Venkatarao

2007-10-09

A unique process cycle and apparatus design separates the consumer (cryogenic) load return flow from most of the recycle return flow of a refrigerator and/or liquefier process cycle. The refrigerator and/or liquefier process recycle return flow is recompressed by a multi-stage compressor set and the consumer load return flow is recompressed by an independent consumer load compressor set that maintains a desirable constant suction pressure using a consumer load bypass control valve and the consumer load return pressure control valve that controls the consumer load compressor's suction pressure. The discharge pressure of this consumer load compressor is thereby allowed to float at the intermediate pressure in between the first and second stage recycle compressor sets. Utilizing the unique gas management valve regulation, the unique process cycle and apparatus design in which the consumer load return flow is separate from the recycle return flow, the pressure ratios of each recycle compressor stage and all main pressures associated with the recycle return flow are allowed to vary naturally, thus providing a naturally regulated and balanced floating pressure process cycle that maintains optimal efficiency at design and off-design process cycle capacity and conditions automatically.

Design and testing of small scale fish meat bone separator useful for fish processing.

PubMed

Ali Muhammed, M; Manjunatha, N; Murthy, K Venkatesh; Bhaskar, N

2015-06-01

The present study relates to the food processing machinery and, more specifically machine for producing boneless comminuted meat from raw fish fillet. This machine is of belt and drum type meat bone separator designed for small scale fish processing in a continuous mode. The basic principal involved in this machine is compression force. The electric geared motor consists of 1HP and the conveyor belt has a linear velocity of 19 to 22 m min(-1), which was sufficient to debone the fish effectively. During the meat bone separation trials an efficiency up to 75 % on dressed fish weight basis was observed and with a capacity to separate 70 kg h(-1) of meat from fish at the machine speed of 25 rpm. During the trials, it was demonstrated that there was no significant change in the proximate composition of comminuted fish meat when compared to unprocessed fish meat. This design has a greater emphasis on hygiene, provision for cleaning-in-place (CIP) and gives cost effective need and reliability for small scale industries to produce fish meat in turn used for their value added products.

Solvent recovery opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry.

PubMed

Barton, P I

2000-11-01

Opportunities for recovering and recycling waste solvent streams in the pharmaceutical industry are reviewed. A major obstacle to solvent recovery and recycling is the existence of azeotropic compositions, and thus separation barriers, in the mixtures in question. Advances in the understanding of these complex separation problems are discussed. Recent progress on novel designs for small-scale, flexible azeotropic separation processes is reviewed. Also considered is the alternative and complementary approach of integrating solvent use within a batch process so that the formation of hard-to-separate azeotropic compositions is prevented.

Development of on line automatic separation device for apple and sleeve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xin, Dengke; Ning, Duo; Wang, Kangle; Han, Yuhang

2018-04-01

Based on STM32F407 single chip microcomputer as control core, automatic separation device of fruit sleeve is designed. This design consists of hardware and software. In hardware, it includes mechanical tooth separator and three degree of freedom manipulator, as well as industrial control computer, image data acquisition card, end effector and other structures. The software system is based on Visual C++ development environment, to achieve localization and recognition of fruit sleeve with the technology of image processing and machine vision, drive manipulator of foam net sets of capture, transfer, the designated position task. Test shows: The automatic separation device of the fruit sleeve has the advantages of quick response speed and high separation success rate, and can realize separation of the apple and plastic foam sleeve, and lays the foundation for further studying and realizing the application of the enterprise production line.

NASIS data base management system - IBM 360/370 OS MVT implementation. 4: Program design specifications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The design specifications for the programs and modules within the NASA Aerospace Safety Information System (NASIS) are presented. The purpose of the design specifications is to standardize the preparation of the specifications and to guide the program design. Each major functional module within the system is a separate entity for documentation purposes. The design specifications contain a description of, and specifications for, all detail processing which occurs in the module. Sub-modules, reference tables, and data sets which are common to several modules are documented separately.

NASIS data base management system: IBM 360 TSS implementation. Volume 4: Program design specifications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The design specifications for the programs and modules within the NASA Aerospace Safety Information System (NASIS) are presented. The purpose of the design specifications is to standardize the preparation of the specifications and to guide the program design. Each major functional module within the system is a separate entity for documentation purposes. The design specifications contain a description of, and specifications for, all detail processing which occurs in the module. Sub-models, reference tables, and data sets which are common to several modules are documented separately.

Porous Structure Design of Polymeric Membranes for Gas Separation

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Jinshui; Schott, Jennifer Ann; Mahurin, Shannon Mark; ...

2017-04-04

High-performance polymeric membranes for gas separation are of interest for molecular-level separations in industrial-scale chemical, energy and environmental processes. To overcome the inherent trade-off relationship between permeability and selectivity, the creation of permanent microporosity in polymeric matrices is highly desirable because the porous structures can provide a high fractional free volume to facilitate gas transport through the dense layer. In this feature article, recent developments in the formation of porous polymeric membranes and potential strategies for pore structure design are reviewed.

Plant-Scale Concentration Column Designs for SHINE Target Solution Utilizing AG 1 Anion Exchange Resin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stepinski, Dominique C.; Vandegrift, G. F.

2015-09-30

Argonne is assisting SHINE Medical Technologies (SHINE) in their efforts to develop SHINE, an accelerator-driven process that will utilize a uranyl-sulfate solution for the production of fission product Mo-99. An integral part of the process is the development of a column for the separation and recovery of Mo-99, followed by a concentration column to reduce the product volume from 15-25 L to <1 L. Argonne has collected data from batch studies and breakthrough column experiments to utilize the VERSE (Versatile Reaction Separation) simulation program (Purdue University) to design plant-scale product recovery and concentration processes.

Factors that influence the efficiency of a fluidized-bed-type tribo-electrostatic separator for mixed granular plastics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dascalescu, L.; Fati, O.; Bilici, M.; Rahou, F.; Dragan, C.; Samuila, A.; Iuga, A.

2011-06-01

Fluidized bed devices have already been used as tribochargers for various industrial electrostatic separation processes. In the present paper, the authors investigate the behaviour of polyamide - polycarbonate granular plastic mixtures in a parallelepiped bed, the height of which is roughly 2 times its length or width, so that the collisions between granules become the prevailing tribocharging mechanism. Two of the opposite walls of the tribocharging chamber consist of metallic plates connected to two DC high-voltage supplies of opposite polarities, so that the charged particles are attracted to the electrodes and separated while still in the fluidized state. The collecting hoppers are designed as Faraday cups connected to two electrometers, thus allowing the instantaneous measurement of the charge carried by the separated particles. Experimental design methodology was employed for the optimization of the tribo-aero-electrostatic separation process, the input variables being the high-voltage applied to the electrodes and the duration of the tribocharging. Higher voltages applied to the electrode system do not necessarily lead to larger quantities of collected products but improve the purity of the concentrates. The composition of the mixture influences the outcome of the process.

Active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production involving continuous processes--a process system engineering (PSE)-assisted design framework.

PubMed

Cervera-Padrell, Albert E; Skovby, Tommy; Kiil, Søren; Gani, Rafiqul; Gernaey, Krist V

2012-10-01

A systematic framework is proposed for the design of continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. Specifically, the design framework focuses on organic chemistry based, active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) synthetic processes, but could potentially be extended to biocatalytic and fermentation-based products. The method exploits the synergic combination of continuous flow technologies (e.g., microfluidic techniques) and process systems engineering (PSE) methods and tools for faster process design and increased process understanding throughout the whole drug product and process development cycle. The design framework structures the many different and challenging design problems (e.g., solvent selection, reactor design, and design of separation and purification operations), driving the user from the initial drug discovery steps--where process knowledge is very limited--toward the detailed design and analysis. Examples from the literature of PSE methods and tools applied to pharmaceutical process design and novel pharmaceutical production technologies are provided along the text, assisting in the accumulation and interpretation of process knowledge. Different criteria are suggested for the selection of batch and continuous processes so that the whole design results in low capital and operational costs as well as low environmental footprint. The design framework has been applied to the retrofit of an existing batch-wise process used by H. Lundbeck A/S to produce an API: zuclopenthixol. Some of its batch operations were successfully converted into continuous mode, obtaining higher yields that allowed a significant simplification of the whole process. The material and environmental footprint of the process--evaluated through the process mass intensity index, that is, kg of material used per kg of product--was reduced to half of its initial value, with potential for further reduction. The case-study includes reaction steps typically used by the pharmaceutical industry featuring different characteristic reaction times, as well as L-L separation and distillation-based solvent exchange steps, and thus constitutes a good example of how the design framework can be useful to efficiently design novel or already existing API manufacturing processes taking advantage of continuous processes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental design of a twin-column countercurrent gradient purification process.

PubMed

Steinebach, Fabian; Ulmer, Nicole; Decker, Lara; Aumann, Lars; Morbidelli, Massimo

2017-04-07

As typical for separation processes, single unit batch chromatography exhibits a trade-off between purity and yield. The twin-column MCSGP (multi-column countercurrent solvent gradient purification) process allows alleviating such trade-offs, particularly in the case of difficult separations. In this work an efficient and reliable procedure for the design of the twin-column MCSGP process is developed. This is based on a single batch chromatogram, which is selected as the design chromatogram. The derived MCSGP operation is not intended to provide optimal performance, but it provides the target product in the selected fraction of the batch chromatogram, but with higher yield. The design procedure is illustrated for the isolation of the main charge isoform of a monoclonal antibody from Protein A eluate with ion-exchange chromatography. The main charge isoform was obtained at a purity and yield larger than 90%. At the same time process related impurities such as HCP and leached Protein A as well as aggregates were at least equally well removed. Additionally, the impact of several design parameters on the process performance in terms of purity, yield, productivity and buffer consumption is discussed. The obtained results can be used for further fine-tuning of the process parameters so as to improve its performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Engineering aspects of rate-related processes in food manufacturing.

PubMed

Adachi, Shuji

2015-01-01

Many rate-related phenomena occur in food manufacturing processes. This review addresses four of them, all of which are topics that the author has studied in order to design food manufacturing processes that are favorable from the standpoint of food engineering. They include chromatographic separation through continuous separation with a simulated moving adsorber, lipid oxidation kinetics in emulsions and microencapsulated systems, kinetic analysis and extraction in subcritical water, and water migration in pasta.

Supercritical water oxidation - Microgravity solids separation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Killilea, William R.; Hong, Glenn T.; Swallow, Kathleen C.; Thomason, Terry B.

1988-01-01

This paper discusses the application of supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) waste treatment and water recycling technology to the problem of waste disposal in-long term manned space missions. As inorganic constituents present in the waste are not soluble in supercritical water, they must be removed from the organic-free supercritical fluid reactor effluent. Supercritical water reactor/solids separator designs capable of removing precipitated solids from the process' supercritical fluid in zero- and low- gravity environments are developed and evaluated. Preliminary experiments are then conducted to test the concepts. Feed materials for the experiments are urine, feces, and wipes with the addition of reverse osmosis brine, the rejected portion of processed hygiene water. The solid properties and their influence on the design of several oxidation-reactor/solids-separator configurations under study are presented.

Hybrid flotation--membrane filtration process for the removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater.

PubMed

Blöcher, C; Dorda, J; Mavrov, V; Chmiel, H; Lazaridis, N K; Matis, K A

2003-09-01

A promising process for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions involves bonding the metals firstly to a special bonding agent and then separating the loaded bonding agents from the wastewater stream by separation processes. For the separation stage, a new hybrid process of flotation and membrane separation has been developed in this work by integrating specially designed submerged microfiltration modules directly into a flotation reactor. This made it possible to combine the advantages of both flotation and membrane separation while overcoming the limitations. The feasibility of this hybrid process was proven using powdered synthetic zeolites as bonding agents. Stable fluxes of up to 80l m(-2)h(-1) were achieved with the ceramic flat-sheet multi-channel membranes applied at low transmembrane pressure (<100 mbar). The process was applied in lab-scale to treat wastewater from the electronics industry. All toxic metals in question, namely copper, nickel and zinc, were reduced from initial concentrations of 474, 3.3 and 167mg x l(-1), respectively, to below 0.05 mg x l(-1), consistently meeting the discharge limits.

Cryogenic system with GM cryocooler for krypton, xenon separation from hydrogen-helium purge gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, X. X.; Zhang, M. M.; Zhang, D. X.; Xu, D.; Qian, Y.; Liu, W.

2014-01-01

In the thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR), fission products such as krypton, xenon and tritium will be produced continuously in the process of nuclear fission reaction. A cryogenic system with a two stage GM cryocooler was designed to separate Kr, Xe, and H2 from helium purge gas. The temperatures of two stage heat exchanger condensation tanks were maintained at about 38 K and 4.5 K, respectively. The main fluid parameters of heat transfer were confirmed, and the structural heat exchanger equipment and cold box were designed. Designed concentrations after cryogenic separation of Kr, Xe and H2 in helium recycle gas are less than 1 ppb.

Fluid Phase Separation (FPS) experiment for flight on the shuttle in a Get Away Special (GAS) canister: Design and fabrication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The separation of fluid phases in microgravity environments is of importance to environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) and materials processing in space. A successful fluid phase separation experiment will demonstrate a proof of concept for the separation technique and add to the knowledge base of material behavior. The phase separation experiment will contain a premixed fluid that will be exposed to a microgravity environment. After the phase separation of the compound has occurred, small samples of each of the species will be taken for analysis on Earth. By correlating the time of separation and the temperature history of the fluid, it will be possible to characterize the process. The phase separation experiment is totally self-contained, with three levels of containment on all fluids, and provides all necessary electrical power and control. The controller regulates the temperature of the fluid and controls data logging and sampling. An astronaut-activated switch will initiate the experiment and an unmaskable interrupt is provided for shutdown. The experiment has been integrated into space available on a manifested Get Away Special (GAS) experiment, CONCAP 2, part of the Consortium for Materials Complex Autonomous Payload (CAP) Program, scheduled for STS 42 in April 1991. Presented here are the design and the production of a fluid phase separation experiment for rapid implementation at low cost.

Design of simulated moving bed for separation of fumaric acid with a little fronting phenomenon.

PubMed

Choi, Jae-Hwan; Kang, Mun-Seok; Lee, Chung-Gi; Wang, Nien-Hwa Linda; Mun, Sungyong

2017-03-31

The production of fumaric acid through a biotechnological pathway has grown in importance because of its potential value in related industries. This has sparked an interest in developing an economically-efficient process for separation of fumaric acid (product of interest) from acetic acid (by-product). This study aimed to develop a simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatographic process for such separation in a systematic way. As a first step for this work, commercially available adsorbents were screened for their applicability to the considered separation, which revealed that an Amberchrom-CG71C resin had a sufficient potential to become an adsorbent of the targeted SMB. Using this adsorbent, the intrinsic parameters of fumaric and acetic acids were determined and then applied to optimizing the SMB process under consideration. The optimized SMB process was tested experimentally, from which the yield of fumaric-acid product was found to become lower than expected in the design. An investigation about the reason for such problem revealed that it was attributed to a fronting phenomenon occurring in the solute band of fumaric acid. To resolve this issue, the extent of the fronting was evaluated quantitatively using an experimental axial dispersion coefficient for fumaric acid, which was then considered in the design of the SMB of interest. The SMB experimental results showed that the SMB design based on the consideration of the fumaric-acid fronting could guarantee the attainment of both high purity (>99%) and high yield (>99%) for fumaric-acid product under the desorbent consumption of 2.6 and the throughput of 0.36L/L/h. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Optimization theory and practical application of membrane science technology based on resource of traditional Chinese medicine residue].

PubMed

Zhu, Hua-Xu; Duan, Jin-Ao; Guo, Li-Wei; Li, Bo; Lu, Jin; Tang, Yu-Ping; Pan, Lin-Mei

2014-05-01

Resource of traditional Chinese medicine residue is an inevitable choice to form new industries characterized of modem, environmental protection and intensive in the Chinese medicine industry. Based on the analysis of source and the main chemical composition of the herb residue, and for the advantages of membrane science and technology used in the pharmaceutical industry, especially membrane separation technology used in improvement technical reserves of traditional extraction and separation process in the pharmaceutical industry, it is proposed that membrane science and technology is one of the most important choices in technological design of traditional Chinese medicine resource industrialization. Traditional Chinese medicine residue is a very complex material system in composition and character, and scientific and effective "separation" process is the key areas of technology to re-use it. Integrated process can improve the productivity of the target product, enhance the purity of the product in the separation process, and solve many tasks which conventional separation is difficult to achieve. As integrated separation technology has the advantages of simplified process and reduced consumption, which are in line with the trend of the modern pharmaceutical industry, the membrane separation technology can provide a broad platform for integrated process, and membrane separation technology with its integrated technology have broad application prospects in achieving resource and industrialization process of traditional Chinese medicine residue. We discuss the principles, methods and applications practice of effective component resources in herb residue using membrane separation and integrated technology, describe the extraction, separation, concentration and purification application of membrane technology in traditional Chinese medicine residue, and systematically discourse suitability and feasibility of membrane technology in the process of traditional Chinese medicine resource industrialization in this paper.

10 CFR 140.91 - Appendix A-Form of nuclear energy liability policy for facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... designed or used for (a) separating the isotopes of uranium or plutonium, (b) processing or utilizing spent... processing, fabricating or alloying of special nuclear material if at any time the total amount of such... operations conducted thereat; Nuclear reactor means any apparatus designed or used to sustain nuclear fission...

10 CFR 140.91 - Appendix A-Form of nuclear energy liability policy for facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... designed or used for (a) separating the isotopes of uranium or plutonium, (b) processing or utilizing spent... processing, fabricating or alloying of special nuclear material if at any time the total amount of such... operations conducted thereat; Nuclear reactor means any apparatus designed or used to sustain nuclear fission...

10 CFR 140.91 - Appendix A-Form of nuclear energy liability policy for facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... designed or used for (a) separating the isotopes of uranium or plutonium, (b) processing or utilizing spent... processing, fabricating or alloying of special nuclear material if at any time the total amount of such... operations conducted thereat; Nuclear reactor means any apparatus designed or used to sustain nuclear fission...

10 CFR 140.91 - Appendix A-Form of nuclear energy liability policy for facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... designed or used for (a) separating the isotopes of uranium or plutonium, (b) processing or utilizing spent... processing, fabricating or alloying of special nuclear material if at any time the total amount of such... operations conducted thereat; Nuclear reactor means any apparatus designed or used to sustain nuclear fission...

10 CFR 140.91 - Appendix A-Form of nuclear energy liability policy for facilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... designed or used for (a) separating the isotopes of uranium or plutonium, (b) processing or utilizing spent... processing, fabricating or alloying of special nuclear material if at any time the total amount of such... operations conducted thereat; Nuclear reactor means any apparatus designed or used to sustain nuclear fission...

Multimedia Network Design Study

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-09-30

manipulation and analysis of the equations involved, thereby providing the application of the great range of powerful mathematical optimization...be treated by this analysis. First, all arrivals to the network have the Poisson distribution, and separate traffic classes may have separate qrrival...different for open and closed networks, so these two situations will be treated separately in the following subsections. 2.3.1 The Computational Process in

H-Coal process and plant design

DOEpatents

Kydd, Paul H.; Chervenak, Michael C.; DeVaux, George R.

1983-01-01

A process for converting coal and other hydrocarbonaceous materials into useful and more valuable liquid products. The process comprises: feeding coal and/or other hydrocarbonaceous materials with a hydrogen-containing gas into an ebullated catalyst bed reactor; passing the reaction products from the reactor to a hot separator where the vaporous and distillate products are separated from the residuals; introducing the vaporous and distillate products from the separator directly into a hydrotreater where they are further hydrogenated; passing the residuals from the separator successively through flash vessels at reduced pressures where distillates are flashed off and combined with the vaporous and distillate products to be hydrogenated; transferring the unseparated residuals to a solids concentrating and removal means to remove a substantial portion of solids therefrom and recycling the remaining residual oil to the reactor; and passing the hydrogenated vaporous and distillate products to an atmospheric fractionator where the combined products are fractionated into separate valuable liquid products. The hydrogen-containing gas is generated from sources within the process.

Cell separation using tilted-angle standing surface acoustic waves

PubMed Central

Ding, Xiaoyun; Peng, Zhangli; Lin, Sz-Chin Steven; Geri, Michela; Li, Sixing; Li, Peng; Chen, Yuchao; Dao, Ming; Suresh, Subra; Huang, Tony Jun

2014-01-01

Separation of cells is a critical process for studying cell properties, disease diagnostics, and therapeutics. Cell sorting by acoustic waves offers a means to separate cells on the basis of their size and physical properties in a label-free, contactless, and biocompatible manner. The separation sensitivity and efficiency of currently available acoustic-based approaches, however, are limited, thereby restricting their widespread application in research and health diagnostics. In this work, we introduce a unique configuration of tilted-angle standing surface acoustic waves (taSSAW), which are oriented at an optimally designed inclination to the flow direction in the microfluidic channel. We demonstrate that this design significantly improves the efficiency and sensitivity of acoustic separation techniques. To optimize our device design, we carried out systematic simulations of cell trajectories, matching closely with experimental results. Using numerically optimized design of taSSAW, we successfully separated 2- and 10-µm-diameter polystyrene beads with a separation efficiency of ∼99%, and separated 7.3- and 9.9-µm-polystyrene beads with an efficiency of ∼97%. We illustrate that taSSAW is capable of effectively separating particles–cells of approximately the same size and density but different compressibility. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the present technique for biological–biomedical applications by sorting MCF-7 human breast cancer cells from nonmalignant leukocytes, while preserving the integrity of the separated cells. The method introduced here thus offers a unique route for separating circulating tumor cells, and for label-free cell separation with potential applications in biological research, disease diagnostics, and clinical practice. PMID:25157150

Cell separation using tilted-angle standing surface acoustic waves.

PubMed

Ding, Xiaoyun; Peng, Zhangli; Lin, Sz-Chin Steven; Geri, Michela; Li, Sixing; Li, Peng; Chen, Yuchao; Dao, Ming; Suresh, Subra; Huang, Tony Jun

2014-09-09

Separation of cells is a critical process for studying cell properties, disease diagnostics, and therapeutics. Cell sorting by acoustic waves offers a means to separate cells on the basis of their size and physical properties in a label-free, contactless, and biocompatible manner. The separation sensitivity and efficiency of currently available acoustic-based approaches, however, are limited, thereby restricting their widespread application in research and health diagnostics. In this work, we introduce a unique configuration of tilted-angle standing surface acoustic waves (taSSAW), which are oriented at an optimally designed inclination to the flow direction in the microfluidic channel. We demonstrate that this design significantly improves the efficiency and sensitivity of acoustic separation techniques. To optimize our device design, we carried out systematic simulations of cell trajectories, matching closely with experimental results. Using numerically optimized design of taSSAW, we successfully separated 2- and 10-µm-diameter polystyrene beads with a separation efficiency of ∼ 99%, and separated 7.3- and 9.9-µm-polystyrene beads with an efficiency of ∼ 97%. We illustrate that taSSAW is capable of effectively separating particles-cells of approximately the same size and density but different compressibility. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the present technique for biological-biomedical applications by sorting MCF-7 human breast cancer cells from nonmalignant leukocytes, while preserving the integrity of the separated cells. The method introduced here thus offers a unique route for separating circulating tumor cells, and for label-free cell separation with potential applications in biological research, disease diagnostics, and clinical practice.

PERVAPORATION SEPARATION IMPROVEMENTS VIA FRACTIONAL CONDENSATION (DEPHLEGMATION): IMPACT OF DEPHLEGMATOR DESIGN ON PERFORMANCE

EPA Science Inventory

Traditionally, pervaporation systems have been operated using a total condenser to deliver the final permeate liquid product. Over the past two years, we have investigated the use of a condensation process called "dephlegmation" to enhance the separation performance of pervapora...

Silicon concentrator cell-assembly development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1982-08-01

The purpose was to develop an improved cell assembly design for photovoltaic concentrator receivers. Efforts were concentrated on a study of adhesive/separator systems that might be applied between cell and substrate, because this area holds the key to improved heat transfer, electrical isolation and adhesion. It is also the area in which simpler construction methods offer the greatest benefits for economy and reliability in the manufacturing process. Of the ten most promising designs subjected to rigorous environmental testing, eight designs featuring acrylic and silicon adhesives and fiberglass and polyester separators performed very well.

The full-scale process and design changes for elimination of insulation edge separations and voids in tang flap area

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Danforth, Richard A.

1991-01-01

Qualification of the full-scale process and design changes for elimination of redesigned solid rocket motor tang nitrile butadiene rubber insulation edge separations and voids was performed from 24 March to 3 December 1990. The objectives of this test were: to qualify design and process changes on flight hardware using a tie ply between the redesigned solid rocket motor steel case and the nitrile butadiene rubber insulation over the tang capture features; to qualify the use of methyl ethyl ketone in the tang flap region to reduce voids; and to determine if holes in the separator film reduce voids in the tang flap region. The tie ply is intended to aid insulation flow during the insulation cure process, and thus reduce or eliminate edge unbonds. Methyl ethyl ketone is intended to reduce voids in the tang flap area by providing better tacking characteristics. The perforated film was intended to provide possible vertical breathe paths to reduce voids in the tang area. Tang tie ply testing consisted of 270 deg of the tang circumference using a new layup method and 90 deg of the tang circumference using the current layup methods. Tie ply process success was defined as a reduction of insulation unbonds. Lack of any insulation edge unbonds on the tang area where the new process was used, and the presence of 17 unbonds with the current process, proves the test to be a success. Successful completion of this test has qualified the new processes.

Cryogenic system with GM cryocooler for krypton, xenon separation from hydrogen-helium purge gas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chu, X. X.; Zhang, D. X.; Qian, Y.

2014-01-29

In the thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR), fission products such as krypton, xenon and tritium will be produced continuously in the process of nuclear fission reaction. A cryogenic system with a two stage GM cryocooler was designed to separate Kr, Xe, and H{sub 2} from helium purge gas. The temperatures of two stage heat exchanger condensation tanks were maintained at about 38 K and 4.5 K, respectively. The main fluid parameters of heat transfer were confirmed, and the structural heat exchanger equipment and cold box were designed. Designed concentrations after cryogenic separation of Kr, Xe and H{sub 2} in heliummore » recycle gas are less than 1 ppb.« less

Microfluidic immunomagnetic cell separation from whole blood.

PubMed

Bhuvanendran Nair Gourikutty, Sajay; Chang, Chia-Pin; Puiu, Poenar Daniel

2016-02-01

Immunomagnetic-based separation has become a viable technique for the separation of cells and biomolecules. Here we report on the design and analysis of a simple and efficient microfluidic device for high throughput and high efficiency capture of cells tagged with magnetic particles. This is made possible by using a microfluidic chip integrated with customized arrays of permanent magnets capable of creating large magnetic field gradients, which determine the effective capturing of the tagged cells. This method is based on manipulating the cells which are under the influence of a combination of magnetic and fluid dynamic forces in a fluid under laminar flow through a microfluidic chip. A finite element analysis (FEA) model is developed to analyze the cell separation process and predict its behavior, which is validated subsequently by the experimental results. The magnetic field gradients created by various arrangements of magnetic arrays have been simulated using FEA and the influence of these field gradients on cell separation has been studied with the design of our microfluidic chip. The proof-of-concept for the proposed technique is demonstrated by capturing white blood cells (WBCs) from whole human blood. CD45-conjugated magnetic particles were added into whole blood samples to label WBCs and the mixture was flown through our microfluidic device to separate the labeled cells. After the separation process, the remaining WBCs in the elute were counted to determine the capture efficiency, and it was found that more than 99.9% WBCs have been successfully separated from whole blood. The proposed design can be used for positive selection as well as for negative enrichment of rare cells. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of target efficiencies for solid-liquid separation steps in biofuels production.

PubMed

Kochergin, Vadim; Miller, Keith

2011-01-01

Development of liquid biofuels has entered a new phase of large scale pilot demonstration. A number of plants that are in operation or under construction face the task of addressing the engineering challenges of creating a viable plant design, scaling up and optimizing various unit operations. It is well-known that separation technologies account for 50-70% of both capital and operating cost. Additionally, reduction of environmental impact creates technological challenges that increase project cost without adding to the bottom line. Different technologies vary in terms of selection of unit operations; however, solid-liquid separations are likely to be a major contributor to the overall project cost. Despite the differences in pretreatment approaches, similar challenges arise for solid-liquid separation unit operations. A typical process for ethanol production from biomass includes several solid-liquid separation steps, depending on which particular stream is targeted for downstream processing. The nature of biomass-derived materials makes it either difficult or uneconomical to accomplish complete separation in a single step. Therefore, setting realistic efficiency targets for solid-liquid separations is an important task that influences overall process recovery and economics. Experimental data will be presented showing typical characteristics for pretreated cane bagasse at various stages of processing into cellulosic ethanol. Results of generic material balance calculations will be presented to illustrate the influence of separation target efficiencies on overall process recoveries and characteristics of waste streams.

Impact of Parent-Child Relationship on the Career Development Process of High School Students in Ibadan, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salami, Samuel O.; Aremu, A. Oyesoji

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to investigate the relationships of parental attachment and psychological separation to the career development process of secondary school adolescents. Design/methodology/approach: An "ex post facto" survey research design was adopted. The sample comprised 242 (males = 121, females = 121) senior…

Experiment and modeling for the separation of guaifenesin enantiomers using simulated moving bed and Varicol units.

PubMed

Gong, Rujin; Lin, Xiaojian; Li, Ping; Yu, Jianguo; Rodrigues, Alirio E

2014-10-10

The separation of guaifenesin enantiomers by both simulated moving bed (SMB) process and Varicol process was investigated experimentally and theoretically, where the columns were packed with cellulose tris 3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate (Chiralcel OD) stationary phase and a mixture of n-hexane and ethanol was used as mobile phase. The operation conditions were designed based on the separation region with the consideration of mass transfer resistance and axial dispersion, and the experiments to separate guaifenesin enantiomers were carried out on VARICOL-Micro unit using SMB process with the column configuration of 1/2/2/1 and Varicol process with the column configuration of 1/1.5/1.5/1, respectively. Single enantiomer with more than 99.0% purity was obtained in both processes with the productivity of 0.42 genantiomer/dcm(3) CSP for SMB process and 054 genantiomer/dcm(3) CSP for Varicol process. These experimental results obtained from SMB and Varicol processes were compared with those reported from literatures. In addition, according to the numerical simulation, the effects of solid-film mass transfer resistance and axial dispersion on the internal profiles were discussed, and the effect of column configuration on the separation performance of SMB and Varicol processes was analyzed for a few columns system. The feasibility and efficiency for the separation of guaifenesin enantiomers by SMB and Varicol processes were evaluated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SRP engineering and design history, Vol III, 200 F and H Areas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Banick, C.J.

2000-04-17

This volume combines the record of events relating to the development of design for both the 200-F and H Areas. Chronologically, the definition of plant facilities was first established for the 200-F Area. The second area, 200-H, was projected initially to be a supplementary plutonium separations facility. This history explains the differences in character and capacity of the manufacturing facilities in both areas as production requirements and experience with separations processes advanced.

Fabrication and testing of large size nickel-zinc cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klein, M.

1977-01-01

The design and construction of nickel zinc cells, containing sintered nickel electrodes and asbestos coated inorganic separator materials, were outlined. Negative electrodes were prepared by a dry pressing process while various inter-separators were utilized on the positive electrodes, consisting of non-woven nylon, non-woven polypropylene, and asbestos.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY BULLETIN: VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND REMOVAL FROM AIR STREAMS BY MEMBRANES SEPARATION MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH, INC.

EPA Science Inventory

This membrane separation technology developed by Membrane Technology and Research (MTR), Incorporated, is designed to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from contaminated air streams. In the process, organic vapor-laden air contacts one side of a membrane that is permeable ...

Fluid Phase Separation (FPS) experiment for flight on a space shuttle Get Away Special (GAS) canister

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peters, Bruce; Wingo, Dennis; Bower, Mark; Amborski, Robert; Blount, Laura; Daniel, Alan; Hagood, Bob; Handley, James; Hediger, Donald; Jimmerson, Lisa

1990-01-01

The separation of fluid phases in microgravity environments is of importance to environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) and materials processing in space. A successful fluid phase separation experiment will demonstrate a proof of concept for the separation technique and add to the knowledge base of material behavior. The phase separation experiment will contain a premixed fluid which will be exposed to a microgravity environment. After the phase separation of the compound has occurred, small samples of each of the species will be taken for analysis on the Earth. By correlating the time of separation and the temperature history of the fluid, it will be possible to characterize the process. The experiment has been integrated into space available on a manifested Get Away Special (GAS) experiment, CONCAP 2, part of the Consortium for Materials Complex Autonomous Payload (CAP) Program, scheduled for STS-42. The design and the production of a fluid phase separation experiment for rapid implementation at low cost is presented.

Engineering quadrupole magnetic flow sorting for the isolation of pancreatic islets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennedy, David J.; Todd, Paul; Logan, Sam; Becker, Matthew; Papas, Klearchos K.; Moore, Lee R.

2007-04-01

Quadrupole magnetic flow sorting (QMS) is being adapted from the separation of suspensions of single cells (<15 μm) to the isolation of pancreatic islets (150-350 μm) for transplant. To achieve this goal, the critical QMS components have been modeled and engineered to optimize the separation process. A flow channel has been designed, manufactured, and tested. The quadrupole magnet assembly has been designed and verified by finite element analysis. Pumps have been selected and verified by test. Test data generated from the pumps and flow channel demonstrate that the fabricated channel and peristaltic pumps fulfill the requirements of successful QMS separation.

Failure detection system design methodology. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chow, E. Y.

1980-01-01

The design of a failure detection and identification system consists of designing a robust residual generation process and a high performance decision making process. The design of these two processes are examined separately. Residual generation is based on analytical redundancy. Redundancy relations that are insensitive to modelling errors and noise effects are important for designing robust residual generation processes. The characterization of the concept of analytical redundancy in terms of a generalized parity space provides a framework in which a systematic approach to the determination of robust redundancy relations are developed. The Bayesian approach is adopted for the design of high performance decision processes. The FDI decision problem is formulated as a Bayes sequential decision problem. Since the optimal decision rule is incomputable, a methodology for designing suboptimal rules is proposed. A numerical algorithm is developed to facilitate the design and performance evaluation of suboptimal rules.

Ceramic membranes with mixed conductivity and their application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozhevnikov, V. L.; Leonidov, I. A.; Patrakeev, M. V.

2013-08-01

Data on the catalytic reactors with ceramic membranes possessing mixed oxygen ion and electronic conductivity that make it possible to integrate the processes of oxygen separation and oxidation are analyzed and generalized. The development of this approach is of interest for the design of energy efficient and environmentally friendly processes for processing natural gas and other raw materials. The general issues concerning the primary processing of light alkanes in reactors with oxygen separating membranes are expounded and general demands to the membrane materials are discussed. Particular attention is paid to the process of oxidative conversion of methane to synthesis gas. The bibliography includes 110 references.

Rapid prototyping and parametric optimization of plastic acoustofluidic devices for blood-bacteria separation.

PubMed

Silva, R; Dow, P; Dubay, R; Lissandrello, C; Holder, J; Densmore, D; Fiering, J

2017-09-01

Acoustic manipulation has emerged as a versatile method for microfluidic separation and concentration of particles and cells. Most recent demonstrations of the technology use piezoelectric actuators to excite resonant modes in silicon or glass microchannels. Here, we focus on acoustic manipulation in disposable, plastic microchannels in order to enable a low-cost processing tool for point-of-care diagnostics. Unfortunately, the performance of resonant acoustofluidic devices in plastic is hampered by a lack of a predictive model. In this paper, we build and test a plastic blood-bacteria separation device informed by a design of experiments approach, parametric rapid prototyping, and screening by image-processing. We demonstrate that the new device geometry can separate bacteria from blood while operating at 275% greater flow rate as well as reduce the power requirement by 82%, while maintaining equivalent separation performance and resolution when compared to the previously published plastic acoustofluidic separation device.

Independent component analysis algorithm FPGA design to perform real-time blind source separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer-Baese, Uwe; Odom, Crispin; Botella, Guillermo; Meyer-Baese, Anke

2015-05-01

The conditions that arise in the Cocktail Party Problem prevail across many fields creating a need for of Blind Source Separation. The need for BSS has become prevalent in several fields of work. These fields include array processing, communications, medical signal processing, and speech processing, wireless communication, audio, acoustics and biomedical engineering. The concept of the cocktail party problem and BSS led to the development of Independent Component Analysis (ICA) algorithms. ICA proves useful for applications needing real time signal processing. The goal of this research was to perform an extensive study on ability and efficiency of Independent Component Analysis algorithms to perform blind source separation on mixed signals in software and implementation in hardware with a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The Algebraic ICA (A-ICA), Fast ICA, and Equivariant Adaptive Separation via Independence (EASI) ICA were examined and compared. The best algorithm required the least complexity and fewest resources while effectively separating mixed sources. The best algorithm was the EASI algorithm. The EASI ICA was implemented on hardware with Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) to perform and analyze its performance in real time.

Common Ada (tradename) Missile Package (CAMP) Project. Missile Software Parts. Volume 8. Detail Design Document

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-03-01

PACKAGE BODY ) TLCSC P661 (CATALOG #P106-0) This package contains the CAMP parts required to do the vaypoint steering portion of navigation. The...3.3.4.1.6 PROCESSING The following describes the processing performed by this part: package body WaypointSteering is package body ...Steering_Vector_Operations is separate; package body Steering_Vector_Operations_with_Arcsin is separate; procedure Compute Turn_Angle_and Direction (UnitNormal C

Design and Control of Glycerol-tert-Butyl Alcohol Etherification Process

PubMed Central

Vlad, Elena; Bozga, Grigore

2012-01-01

Design, economics, and plantwide control of a glycerol-tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) etherification plant are presented. The reaction takes place in liquid phase, in a plug flow reactor, using Amberlyst 15 as a catalyst. The products' separation is achieved by two distillation columns where high-purity ethers are obtained and a section involving extractive distillation with 1,4-butanediol as solvent, which separates TBA from the TBA/water azeotrope. Details of design performed in AspenPlus and an economic evaluation of the process are given. Three plantwide control structures are examined using a mass balance model of the plant. The preferred control structure fixes the fresh glycerol flow rate and the ratio glycerol + monoether : TBA at reactor-inlet. The stability and robustness in the operation are checked by rigorous dynamic simulation in AspenDynamics. PMID:23365512

Reduce oil and grease content in wastewater

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Capps, R.W.; Matelli, G.N.; Bradford, M.L.

Poor water quality is often blamed on biological oxidation unit malfunction. However, poorly treated water entering the bio-unit is more often the problem. At the microscopic level, oil/water-separation dynamics are influenced by pH, fluid velocity, temperature, and unit volumes. Oily water's physical and chemical properties affect pretreatment systems such as API separators, corrugated plate interception (CPI) separators, air flotation and equalization systems. A better understanding of pretreatment systems' limits and efficiencies can improve wastewater quality before it upsets the biological oxidation (BIOX). Oil contamination in refinery wastewater originates from desalting, steam stripping, product treating, tank drains, sample drains and equipmentmore » washdown. The largest volumetric contributors are cooling tower blowdowns and contaminated stormwater. The paper describes the BIOX process; oil/water separation; oil/water emulsions and colloidal solutions; air flotation; surfactants; DAF (dissolved air flotation) process; IAF (induced air flotation) process; equalization; load factors; salts; and system design.« less

Laser excited confocal microscope fluorescence scanner and method

DOEpatents

Mathies, R.A.; Peck, K.

1992-02-25

A fluorescent scanner is designed for scanning the fluorescence from a fluorescence labeled separated sample on a sample carrier. The scanner includes a confocal microscope for illuminating a predetermined volume of the sample carrier and/or receiving and processing fluorescence emissions from the volume to provide a display of the separated sample. 8 figs.

40 CFR 63.137 - Process wastewater provisions-oil-water separators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

.... (2) The control device shall be designed, operated, and inspected in accordance with the requirements... treats a Group 1 wastewater stream or a residual removed from a Group 1 wastewater stream, the owner or... air pollutants vapors vented from the oil-water separator to a control device. The fixed roof, closed...

Generation 3 treatment technology for diluted swine wastewater using high-rate solid-liquid separation and nutrient removal processes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The primary objective for this project was to construct and evaluate a third generation, innovative swine manure treatment system. The system was designed to: separate solids and liquids with the aid of settling and polymer flocculants; biologically remove ammonia nitrogen with bacteria adapted to h...

Report on all ARRA Funded Technical Work

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

2013-10-05

The main focus of this American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funded project was to design an energy efficient carbon capture and storage (CCS) process using the Recipients membrane system for H{sub 2} separation and CO{sub 2} capture. In the ARRA-funded project, the Recipient accelerated development and scale-up of ongoing hydrogen membrane technology research and development (R&D). Specifically, this project focused on accelerating the current R&D work scope of the base program-funded project, involving lab scale tests, detail design of a 250 lb/day H{sub 2} process development unit (PDU), and scale-up of membrane tube and coating manufacturing. Thismore » project scope included the site selection and a Front End Engineering Design (FEED) study of a nominally 4 to 10 ton-per-day (TPD) Pre-Commercial Module (PCM) hydrogen separation membrane system. Process models and techno-economic analysis were updated to include studies on integration of this technology into an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power generation system with CCS.« less

Theoretic model and computer simulation of separating mixture metal particles from waste printed circuit board by electrostatic separator.

PubMed

Li, Jia; Xu, Zhenming; Zhou, Yaohe

2008-05-30

Traditionally, the mixture metals from waste printed circuit board (PCB) were sent to the smelt factory to refine pure copper. Some valuable metals (aluminum, zinc and tin) with low content in PCB were lost during smelt. A new method which used roll-type electrostatic separator (RES) to recovery low content metals in waste PCB was presented in this study. The theoretic model which was established from computing electric field and the analysis of forces on the particles was used to write a program by MATLAB language. The program was design to simulate the process of separating mixture metal particles. Electrical, material and mechanical factors were analyzed to optimize the operating parameters of separator. The experiment results of separating copper and aluminum particles by RES had a good agreement with computer simulation results. The model could be used to simulate separating other metal (tin, zinc, etc.) particles during the process of recycling waste PCBs by RES.

Development of Advanced Nuclide Separation and Recovery Methods using Ion-Exchanhge Techniques in Nuclear Backend

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miura, Hitoshi

The development of compact separation and recovery methods using selective ion-exchange techniques is very important for the reprocessing and high-level liquid wastes (HLLWs) treatment in the nuclear backend field. The selective nuclide separation techniques are effective for the volume reduction of wastes and the utilization of valuable nuclides, and expected for the construction of advanced nuclear fuel cycle system and the rationalization of waste treatment. In order to accomplish the selective nuclide separation, the design and synthesis of novel adsorbents are essential for the development of compact and precise separation processes. The present paper deals with the preparation of highly functional and selective hybrid microcapsules enclosing nano-adsorbents in the alginate gel polymer matrices by sol-gel methods, their characterization and the clarification of selective adsorption properties by batch and column methods. The selective separation of Cs, Pd and Re in real HLLW was further accomplished by using novel microcapsules, and an advanced nuclide separation system was proposed by the combination of selective processes using microcapsules.

Removal of dissolved and colloidal silica

DOEpatents

Midkiff, William S.

2002-01-01

Small amorphous silica particles are used to provide a relatively large surface area upon which silica will preferentially adsorb, thereby preventing or substantially reducing scaling caused by deposition of silica on evaporative cooling tower components, especially heat exchange surfaces. The silica spheres are contacted by the cooling tower water in a sidestream reactor, then separated using gravity separation, microfiltration, vacuum filtration, or other suitable separation technology. Cooling tower modifications for implementing the invention process have been designed.

Magnetically Enhanced Solid-Liquid Separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rey, C. M.; Keller, K.; Fuchs, B.

2005-07-01

DuPont is developing an entirely new method of solid-liquid filtration involving the use of magnetic fields and magnetic field gradients. The new hybrid process, entitled Magnetically Enhanced Solid-Liquid Separation (MESLS), is designed to improve the de-watering kinetics and reduce the residual moisture content of solid particulates mechanically separated from liquid slurries. Gravitation, pressure, temperature, centrifugation, and fluid dynamics have dictated traditional solid-liquid separation for the past 50 years. The introduction of an external field (i.e. the magnetic field) offers the promise to manipulate particle behavior in an entirely new manner, which leads to increased process efficiency. Traditional solid-liquid separation typically consists of two primary steps. The first is a mechanical step in which the solid particulate is separated from the liquid using e.g. gas pressure through a filter membrane, centrifugation, etc. The second step is a thermal drying process, which is required due to imperfect mechanical separation. The thermal drying process is over 100-200 times less energy efficient than the mechanical step. Since enormous volumes of materials are processed each year, more efficient mechanical solid-liquid separations can be leveraged into dramatic reductions in overall energy consumption by reducing downstream drying requirements have a tremendous impact on energy consumption. Using DuPont's MESLS process, initial test results showed four very important effects of the magnetic field on the solid-liquid filtration process: 1) reduction of the time to reach gas breakthrough, 2) less loss of solid into the filtrate, 3) reduction of the (solids) residual moisture content, and 4) acceleration of the de-watering kinetics. These test results and their potential impact on future commercial solid-liquid filtration is discussed. New applications can be found in mining, chemical and bioprocesses.

Cryogenic distribution box for Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svehla, M. R.; Bonnema, E. C.; Cunningham, E. K.

2017-12-01

Meyer Tool & Mfg., Inc (Meyer Tool) of Oak Lawn, Illinois is manufacturing a cryogenic distribution box for Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL). The distribution box will be used for the Muon-to-electron conversion (Mu2e) experiment. The box includes twenty-seven cryogenic valves, two heat exchangers, a thermal shield, and an internal nitrogen separator vessel, all contained within a six-foot diameter ASME coded vacuum vessel. This paper discusses the design and manufacturing processes that were implemented to meet the unique fabrication requirements of this distribution box. Design and manufacturing features discussed include: 1) Thermal strap design and fabrication, 2) Evolution of piping connections to heat exchangers, 3) Nitrogen phase separator design, 4) ASME code design of vacuum vessel, and 5) Cryogenic valve installation.

Tribology symposium 1995. PD-Volume 72

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Masudi, H.

After the keynote presentation by Professor Aaron Cohen of Texas A and M University, entitled Processes Used in Design, the program is divided into five major sessions: Research and Development -- Recent research and development of tribological components; Tribology in Manufacturing -- The impact of tribology on modern manufacturing; Design/Design Representation -- Aspects of design related to tribological systems; Tribo-Chemistry/Tribo-Physics -- Discussion of chemical and physical behavior of substances as related to tribology; and Failure Analysis -- An analysis of failure, failure detection, and failure monitoring as related to manufacturing processes. Papers have been processed separately for inclusion on themore » data base.« less

Membrane Separation Processes at Low Temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parrish, Clyde

2002-01-01

The primary focus of Kennedy Space Center's gas separation activities has been for carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon used in oxygen production technologies for Martian in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) projects. Recently, these studies were expanded to include oxygen for regenerative life support systems. Since commercial membrane systems have been developed for separation of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and oxygen, initially the studies focused on these membrane systems, but at lower operating temperatures and pressures. Current investigations art examining immobilized liquids and solid sorbents that have the potential for higher selectivity and lower operating temperatures. The gas separation studies reported here use hollow fiber membranes to separate carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon in the temperature range from 230 to 300 K. Four commercial membrane materials were used to obtain data at low feed and permeate pressures. These data were used with a commercial solution-diffusion modeling tool to design a system to prepare a buffer gas from the byproduct of a process to capture Martian carbon dioxide. The system was designed to operate, at 230 K with a production rate 0.1 sLpm; Feed composition 30% CO2, 44% N2, and 26% Ar; Feed pressure 104 kPa (780); and Permeate pressure 1 kPa (6 torr); Product concentration 600 ppm CO2. This new system was compared with a similar system designed to operate at ambient temperatures (298 K). The systems described above, along with data, test apparatus, and models are presented.

Research on the use of space resources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carroll, W. F. (Editor)

1983-01-01

The second year of a multiyear research program on the processing and use of extraterrestrial resources is covered. The research tasks included: (1) silicate processing, (2) magma electrolysis, (3) vapor phase reduction, and (4) metals separation. Concomitant studies included: (1) energy systems, (2) transportation systems, (3) utilization analysis, and (4) resource exploration missions. Emphasis in fiscal year 1982 was placed on the magma electrolysis and vapor phase reduction processes (both analytical and experimental) for separation of oxygen and metals from lunar regolith. The early experimental work on magma electrolysis resulted in gram quantities of iron (mixed metals) and the identification of significant anode, cathode, and container problems. In the vapor phase reduction tasks a detailed analysis of various process concepts led to the selection of two specific processes designated as ""Vapor Separation'' and ""Selective Ionization.'' Experimental work was deferred to fiscal year 1983. In the Silicate Processing task a thermophysical model of the casting process was developed and used to study the effect of variations in material properties on the cooling behavior of lunar basalt.

Design of an innovative, ecological portable waste compressor for in-house recycling of paper, plastic and metal packaging waste.

PubMed

Xevgenos, D; Athanasopoulos, N; Kostazos, P K; Manolakos, D E; Moustakas, K; Malamis, D; Loizidou, M

2015-05-01

Waste management in Greece relies heavily on unsustainable waste practices (mainly landfills and in certain cases uncontrolled dumping of untreated waste). Even though major improvements have been achieved in the recycling of municipal solid waste during recent years, there are some barriers that hinder the achievement of high recycling rates. Source separation of municipal solid waste has been recognised as a promising solution to produce high-quality recycled materials that can be easily directed to secondary materials markets. This article presents an innovative miniature waste separator/compressor that has been designed and developed for the source separation of municipal solid waste at a household level. The design of the system is in line with the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), since it allows for the separate collection (and compression) of municipal solid waste, namely: plastic (polyethylene terephthalate and high-density polyethylene), paper (cardboard and Tetrapak) and metal (aluminium and tin cans). It has been designed through the use of suitable software tools (LS-DYNA, INVENTROR and COMSOL). The results from the simulations, as well as the whole design process and philosophy, are discussed in this article. © The Author(s) 2015.

Tribology symposium -- 1994. PD-Volume 61

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Masudi, H.

This year marks the first Tribology Symposium within the Energy-Sources Technology Conference, sponsored by the ASME Petroleum Division. The program was divided into five sessions: Tribology in High Technology, a historical discussion of some watershed events in tribology; Research/Development, design, research and development on modern manufacturing; Tribology in Manufacturing, the impact of tribology on modern manufacturing; Design/Design Representation, aspects of design related to tribological systems; and Failure Analysis, an analysis of failure, failure detection, and failure monitoring as relating to manufacturing processes. Eleven papers have been processed separately for inclusion on the data base.

Recent Advances in SRS on Hydrogen Isotope Separation Using Thermal Cycling Absorption Process

DOE PAGES

Xiao, Xin; Sessions, Henry T.; Heung, L. Kit

2015-02-01

The recent Thermal Cycling Absorption Process (TCAP) advances at Savannah River Site (SRS) include compressor-free concept for heating/cooling, push and pull separation using an active inverse column, and compact column design. The new developments allow significantly higher throughput and better reliability from 1/10th of the current production system’s footprint while consuming 60% less energy. Various versions are derived in the meantime for external customers to be used in fusion energy projects and medical isotope production.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

Broad Funding Opportunity Announcement Project: Led by MIT professor Donald Sadoway, the Electroville project team is creating a community-scale electricity storage device using new materials and a battery design inspired by the aluminum production process known as smelting. A conventional battery includes a liquid electrolyte and a solid separator between its 2 solid electrodes. MIT’s battery contains liquid metal electrodes and a molten salt electrolyte. Because metals and salt don’t mix, these 3 liquids of different densities naturally separate into layers, eliminating the need for a solid separator. This efficient design significantly reduces packaging materials, which reduces cost and allowsmore » more space for storing energy than conventional batteries offer. MIT’s battery also uses cheap, earth-abundant, domestically available materials and is more scalable. By using all liquids, the design can also easily be resized according to the changing needs of local communities.« less

Design modification and optimisation of the perfusion system of a tri-axial bioreactor for tissue engineering.

PubMed

Hussein, Husnah; Williams, David J; Liu, Yang

2015-07-01

A systematic design of experiments (DOE) approach was used to optimize the perfusion process of a tri-axial bioreactor designed for translational tissue engineering exploiting mechanical stimuli and mechanotransduction. Four controllable design parameters affecting the perfusion process were identified in a cause-effect diagram as potential improvement opportunities. A screening process was used to separate out the factors that have the largest impact from the insignificant ones. DOE was employed to find the settings of the platen design, return tubing configuration and the elevation difference that minimise the load on the pump and variation in the perfusion process and improve the controllability of the perfusion pressures within the prescribed limits. DOE was very effective for gaining increased knowledge of the perfusion process and optimizing the process for improved functionality. It is hypothesized that the optimized perfusion system will result in improved biological performance and consistency.

New polymers for low-gravity purification of cells by phase partitioning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, J. M.

1983-01-01

A potentially powerful technique for separating different biological cell types is based on the partitioning of these cells between the immiscible aqueous phases formed by solution of certain polymers in water. This process is gravity-limited because cells sediment rather than associate with the phase most favored on the basis of cell-phase interactions. In the present contract we have been involved in the synthesis of new polymers both to aid in understanding the partitioning process and to improve the quality of separations. The prime driving force behind the design of these polymers is to produce materials which will aid in space experiments to separate important cell types and to study the partitioning process in the absence of gravity (i.e., in an equilibrium state).

Demonstration of a strategy for product purification by high-gradient magnetic fishing: recovery of superoxide dismutase from unconditioned whey.

PubMed

Meyer, Andrea; Hansen, Dennis B; Gomes, Cláudia S G; Hobley, Timothy J; Thomas, Owen R T; Franzreb, Matthias

2005-01-01

A systematic approach for the design of a bioproduct recovery process employing magnetic supports and the technique of high-gradient magnetic fishing (HGMF) is described. The approach is illustrated for the separation of superoxide dismutase (SOD), an antioxidant protein present in low concentrations (ca. 0.15-0.6 mg L(-1)) in whey. The first part of the process design consisted of ligand screening in which metal chelate supports charged with copper(II) ions were found to be the most suitable. The second stage involved systematic and sequential optimization of conditions for the following steps: product adsorption, support washing, and product elution. Next, the capacity of a novel high-gradient magnetic separator (designed for biotechnological applications) for trapping and holding magnetic supports was determined. Finally, all of the above elements were assembled to deliver a HGMF process for the isolation of SOD from crude sweet whey, which consisted of (i) binding SOD using Cu2+ -charged magnetic metal chelator particles in a batch reactor with whey; (ii) recovery of the "SOD-loaded" supports by high-gradient magnetic separation (HGMS); (iii) washing out loosely bound and entrained proteins and solids; (iv) elution of the target protein; and (v) recovery of the eluted supports from the HGMF rig. Efficient recovery of SOD was demonstrated at approximately 50-fold increased scale (cf magnetic rack studies) in three separate HGMF experiments, and in the best of these (run 3) an SOD yield of >85% and purification factor of approximately 21 were obtained.

Fabrication and Wettability Study of WO3 Coated Photocatalytic Membrane for Oil-Water Separation: A Comparative Study with ZnO Coated Membrane.

PubMed

Gondal, Mohammed A; Sadullah, Muhammad S; Qahtan, Talal F; Dastageer, Mohamed A; Baig, Umair; McKinley, Gareth H

2017-05-10

Superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic surfaces were fabricated by facile spray coating of nanostructured WO 3 on stainless steel meshes and compared its performance in oil-water separation with ZnO coated meshes. The gravity driven oil-water separation system was designed using these surfaces as the separation media and it was noticed that WO 3 coated stainless steel mesh showed high separation efficiency (99%), with pore size as high as 150 µm, whereas ZnO coated surfaces failed in the process of oil-water separation when the pore exceeded 50 µm size. Since, nanostructured WO 3 is a well known catalyst, the simultaneous photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants present in the separated water from the oil water separation process were tested using WO 3 coated surfaces under UV radiation and the efficiency of this degradation was found to be quite significant. These results assure that with little improvisation on the oil water separation system, these surfaces can be made multifunctional to work simultaneously for oil-water separation and demineralization of organic pollutants from the separated water. Fabrication of the separating surface, their morphological characteristics, wettability, oil water separation efficiency and photo-catalytic degradation efficiency are enunciated.

Total-System Approach To Design And Analysis Of Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Verderaime, V.

1995-01-01

Paper presents overview and study of, and comprehensive approach to, multidisciplinary engineering design and analysis of structures. Emphasizes issues related to design of semistatic structures in environments in which spacecraft launched, underlying concepts applicable to other structures within unique terrestrial, marine, or flight environments. Purpose of study to understand interactions among traditionally separate engineering design disciplines with view toward optimizing not only structure but also overall design process.

The Alliance of Advanced Process Control and Accountability – A Future Safeguards-By-Design Tool

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lumetta, Gregg J.; Bresee, James C.; Paviet, Patricia D.

For any chemical separation process producing a valuable product, a material balance is an important process control measurement. That is particularly true for the separation of actinides from irradiated nuclear fuel, not only for their intrinsic value but also because an incomplete material balance may indicate diversion for unauthorized use. The DOE Office of Nuclear Energy is currently carrying out at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory an experimental measurement of how well and with what precision current technologies can implement near real-time actinide material balances. This measurement effort is called the CoDCon project. It involves the separation of a productmore » with a 70/30 uranium/plutonium mass ratio. Initial tests will use dissolved fuel simulants prepared with pure uranium and plutonium nitrates at the same input ratios as irradiated fuel. Subsequent testing with actual irradiated fuel would be done to verify the results obtained with simulants. The experiments will use advanced on-line instrumentation supported by dynamic process models. Since accountability uncertainties could mask diversions, the aim of the project is not only to measure present-day capabilities but also, through sensitivity analyses, to identify those measurements with the greatest potential for overall material-balance improvements. The latter results will help identify priorities for future fuel cycle R&D programs. Advanced separations process control and material accountability technologies thus have a common goal: to provide the best tools available for safeguards-by-design [defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as the integration of the design of a new nuclear facility through planning, construction, operation and decommissioning]. Since the potential domestic use of CoDCon results may be later than their possible foreign applications, arrangements may be feasible for possible bilateral or multinational cooperation in the CoDCon project.« less

Theory of dispersive microlenses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herman, B.; Gal, George

1993-01-01

A dispersive microlens is a miniature optical element which simultaneously focuses and disperses light. Arrays of dispersive mircolenses have potential applications in multicolor focal planes. They have a 100 percent optical fill factor and can focus light down to detectors of diffraction spot size, freeing up areas on the focal plane for on-chip analog signal processing. Use of dispersive microlenses allows inband color separation within a pixel and perfect scene registration. A dual-color separation has the potential for temperature discrimination. We discuss the design of dispersive microlenses and present sample results for efficient designs.

Characterization and Evaluation of Lunar Regolith and Simulants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cross, William M.; Murphy, Gloria A.

2010-01-01

A NASA-ESMD (National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Exploration Systems Mission Directorate) funded senior design project "Mineral Separation Technology for Lunar Regolith Simulant Production" is directed toward designing processes to produce Simulant materials as close to lunar regolith as possible. The eight undergraduate (junior and senior) students involved are taking a systems engineering design approach to identifying the most pressing concerns in simulant needs, then designing subsystems and processing strategies to meet these needs using terrestrial materials. This allows the students to, not only learn the systems engineering design process, but also, to make a significant contribution to an important NASA ESMD project. This paper will primarily be focused on the implementation aspect, particularly related to the systems engineering process, of this NASA EMSD senior design project. In addition comparison of the NASA ESMD group experience to the implementation of systems engineering practices into a group of existing design projects is given.

Sink-float ferrofluid separator applicable to full scale nonferrous scrap separation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

Design and performance of a ferrofluid levitation separator for recovering nonferrous metals from shredded automobiles are reported. The scrap separator uses an electromagnet to generate a region of constant density within a pool of ferrofluid held between the magnetic poles; a saturated kerosene base ferrofluid as able to float all common industrial metals of interest. Conveyors move the scrap into the ferrofluid for separation according to density. Results of scrap mixture separation studies establish the technical feasibility of relatively pure aluminum alloy and zinc alloy fractions from shredded automobile scrap by this ferrofluid levitation process. Economic projections indicate profitable operation for shredders handling more than 300 cars per day.

Continuous downstream processing for high value biological products: A Review.

PubMed

Zydney, Andrew L

2016-03-01

There is growing interest in the possibility of developing truly continuous processes for the large-scale production of high value biological products. Continuous processing has the potential to provide significant reductions in cost and facility size while improving product quality and facilitating the design of flexible multi-product manufacturing facilities. This paper reviews the current state-of-the-art in separations technology suitable for continuous downstream bioprocessing, focusing on unit operations that would be most appropriate for the production of secreted proteins like monoclonal antibodies. This includes cell separation/recycle from the perfusion bioreactor, initial product recovery (capture), product purification (polishing), and formulation. Of particular importance are the available options, and alternatives, for continuous chromatographic separations. Although there are still significant challenges in developing integrated continuous bioprocesses, recent technological advances have provided process developers with a number of attractive options for development of truly continuous bioprocessing operations. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Utilization of Ionic Liquids in Lignocellulose Biorefineries as Agents for Separation, Derivatization, Fractionation, or Pretreatment.

PubMed

Peleteiro, Susana; Rivas, Sandra; Alonso, José L; Santos, Valentín; Parajó, Juan C

2015-09-23

Ionic liquids (ILs) can play multiple roles in lignocellulose biorefineries, including utilization as agents for the separation of selected compounds or as reaction media for processing lignocellulosic materials (LCM). Imidazolium-based ILs have been proposed for separating target components from LCM biorefinery streams, for example, the dehydration of ethanol-water mixtures or the extractive separation of biofuels (ethanol, butanol) or lactic acid from the respective fermentation broths. As in other industries, ILs are potentially suitable for removing volatile organic compounds or carbon dioxide from gaseous biorefinery effluents. On the other hand, cellulose dissolution in ILs allows homogeneous derivatization reactions to be carried out, opening new ways for product design or for improving the quality of the products. Imidazolium-based ILs are also suitable for processing native LCM, allowing the integral benefit of the feedstocks via separation of polysaccharides and lignin. Even strongly lignified materials can yield cellulose-enriched substrates highly susceptible to enzymatic hydrolysis upon ILs processing. Recent developments in enzymatic hydrolysis include the identification of ILs causing limited enzyme inhibition and the utilization of enzymes with improved performance in the presence of ILs.

Modeling Amorphous Microporous Polymers for CO2 Capture and Separations.

PubMed

Kupgan, Grit; Abbott, Lauren J; Hart, Kyle E; Colina, Coray M

2018-06-13

This review concentrates on the advances of atomistic molecular simulations to design and evaluate amorphous microporous polymeric materials for CO 2 capture and separations. A description of atomistic molecular simulations is provided, including simulation techniques, structural generation approaches, relaxation and equilibration methodologies, and considerations needed for validation of simulated samples. The review provides general guidelines and a comprehensive update of the recent literature (since 2007) to promote the acceleration of the discovery and screening of amorphous microporous polymers for CO 2 capture and separation processes.

Design and Simulation of a MEMS Structure for Electrophoretic and Dielectrophoretic Separation of Particles by Contactless Electrodes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaw, Harry C.

2007-01-01

Rapid identification of pathogenic bacterial species is an important factor in combating public health problems such as E. coli contamination. Food and waterborne pathogens account for sickness in 76 million people annually (CDC). Diarrheagenic E. coli is a major source of gastrointestinal illness. Severe sepsis and Septicemia within the hospital environment are also major problems. 75 1,000 cases annually with a 30-50% mortality rate (Crit Care Med, July '01, Vol. 29, 1303-10). Patient risks run the continuum from fever to organ failure and death. Misdiagnosis or inappropriate treatment increases mortality. There exists a need for rapid screening of samples for identification of pathogenic species (Certain E. coli strains are essential for health). Critical to the identification process is the ability to isolate analytes of interest rapidly. This poster discusses novel devices for the separation of particles on the basis of the dielectric properties, mass and surface charge characteristics is presented. Existing designs involve contact between electrode surfaces and analyte medium resulting in contamination of the electrode bearing elements Two different device designs using different bulk micromachining MEMS processes (PolyMUMPS and a PyrexBIGold electrode design) are presented. These designs cover a range of particle sizes from small molecules through eucaryotic cells. The application of separation of bacteria is discussed in detail. Simulation data for electrostatic and microfluidic characteristics are provided. Detailed design characteristics and physical features of the as fabricated PolyMUMPS design are provided. Analysis of the simulation data relative to the expected performance of the devices will be provided and subsequent conclusions discussed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kojima, S.; Yokosawa, M.; Matsuyama, M.

To study the practical application of a tritium separation process using Self-Developing Gas Chromatography (SDGC) using a Pd-Pt alloy, intermediate scale-up experiments (22 mm ID x 2 m length column) and the development of a computational simulation method have been conducted. In addition, intermediate scale production of Pd-Pt powder has been developed for the scale-up experiments.The following results were obtained: (1) a 50-fold scale-up from 3 mm to 22 mm causes no significant impact on the SDGC process; (2) the Pd-Pt alloy powder is applicable to a large size SDGC process; and (3) the simulation enables preparation of a conceptualmore » design of a SDGC process for tritium separation.« less

Options as information: rational reversals of evaluation and preference.

PubMed

Sher, Shlomi; McKenzie, Craig R M

2014-06-01

This article develops a rational analysis of an important class of apparent preference reversals-joint-separate reversals traditionally explained by the evaluability hypothesis. The "options-as-information" model considers a hypothetical rational actor with limited knowledge about the market distribution of a stimulus attribute. The actor's evaluations are formed via a 2-stage process-an inferential stage in which beliefs are updated on the basis of the sample of options received, followed by an assessment stage in which options are evaluated in light of these updated beliefs. This process generates joint-separate reversals in standard experimental designs. The normative model explains why the evaluability hypothesis works when it does, identifies boundary conditions for the hypothesis, and clarifies some common misconceptions about these effects. In particular, it implies that joint-separate reversals are not irrational; in fact, they are not preference reversals. However, in expanded designs where more than 2 options are jointly evaluated, the model predicts that genuine (and rational) preference reversals will sometimes emerge. Results of 3 experiments suggest an excellent fit between the rational actor model and the judgments of human actors in joint-separate experiments. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Large-scale production of diesel-like biofuels - process design as an inherent part of microorganism development.

PubMed

Cuellar, Maria C; Heijnen, Joseph J; van der Wielen, Luuk A M

2013-06-01

Industrial biotechnology is playing an important role in the transition to a bio-based economy. Currently, however, industrial implementation is still modest, despite the advances made in microorganism development. Given that the fuels and commodity chemicals sectors are characterized by tight economic margins, we propose to address overall process design and efficiency at the start of bioprocess development. While current microorganism development is targeted at product formation and product yield, addressing process design at the start of bioprocess development means that microorganism selection can also be extended to other critical targets for process technology and process scale implementation, such as enhancing cell separation or increasing cell robustness at operating conditions that favor the overall process. In this paper we follow this approach for the microbial production of diesel-like biofuels. We review current microbial routes with both oleaginous and engineered microorganisms. For the routes leading to extracellular production, we identify the process conditions for large scale operation. The process conditions identified are finally translated to microorganism development targets. We show that microorganism development should be directed at anaerobic production, increasing robustness at extreme process conditions and tailoring cell surface properties. All the same time, novel process configurations integrating fermentation and product recovery, cell reuse and low-cost technologies for product separation are mandatory. This review provides a state-of-the-art summary of the latest challenges in large-scale production of diesel-like biofuels. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Instructional Design and Project Management: Complementary or Divergent?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Rooij, Shahron Williams

2011-01-01

This paper reports the results of a study to identify the extent to which organizations that develop educational/training products are committed to project management, as measured by their project management implementation maturity, as a methodology that is separate and distinct from the processes of instructional design. A Web survey was…

Program Fighter: An Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hull, David G.; Fowler, Wallace T.

A computer program for the sizing of subsonic and supersonic fighter planes was adapted for use in an aerospace engineering course at the University of Texas at Austin. FIGHTER uses classroom notation and separate subroutines for different disciplines to implement the conceptual design process. Input consists of a set of design variables and a set…

Optimization of the oxidant supply system for combined cycle MHD power plants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Juhasz, A. J.

1982-01-01

An in-depth study was conducted to determine what, if any, improvements could be made on the oxidant supply system for combined cycle MHD power plants which could be reflected in higher thermal efficiency and a reduction in the cost of electricity, COE. A systematic analysis of air separation process varitions which showed that the specific energy consumption could be minimized when the product stream oxygen concentration is about 70 mole percent was conducted. The use of advanced air compressors, having variable speed and guide vane position control, results in additional power savings. The study also led to the conceptual design of a new air separation process, sized for a 500 MW sub e MHD plant, referred to a internal compression is discussed. In addition to its lower overall energy consumption, potential capital cost savings were identified for air separation plants using this process when constructed in a single large air separation train rather than multiple parallel trains, typical of conventional practice.

Application of quality by design concept to develop a dual gradient elution stability-indicating method for cloxacillin forced degradation studies using combined mixture-process variable models.

PubMed

Zhang, Xia; Hu, Changqin

2017-09-08

Penicillins are typical of complex ionic samples which likely contain large number of degradation-related impurities (DRIs) with different polarities and charge properties. It is often a challenge to develop selective and robust high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods for the efficient separation of all DRIs. In this study, an analytical quality by design (AQbD) approach was proposed for stability-indicating method development of cloxacillin. The structures, retention and UV characteristics rules of penicillins and their impurities were summarized and served as useful prior knowledge. Through quality risk assessment and screen design, 3 critical process parameters (CPPs) were defined, including 2 mixture variables (MVs) and 1 process variable (PV). A combined mixture-process variable (MPV) design was conducted to evaluate the 3 CPPs simultaneously and a response surface methodology (RSM) was used to achieve the optimal experiment parameters. A dual gradient elution was performed to change buffer pH, mobile-phase type and strength simultaneously. The design spaces (DSs) was evaluated using Monte Carlo simulation to give their possibility of meeting the specifications of CQAs. A Plackett-Burman design was performed to test the robustness around the working points and to decide the normal operating ranges (NORs). Finally, validation was performed following International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines. To our knowledge, this is the first study of using MPV design and dual gradient elution to develop HPLC methods and improve separations for complex ionic samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pervaporation of phenols

DOEpatents

Boddeker, K.W.

1989-02-21

Aqueous phenolic solutions are separated by pervaporation to yield a phenol-depleted retentate and a phenol-enriched permeate. The separation effect is enhanced by phase segregation into two immiscible phases, phenol in water'' (approximately 10% phenol), and water in phenol'' (approximately 70% phenol). Membranes capable of enriching phenols by pervaporation include elastomeric polymers and anion exchange membranes, membrane selection and process design being guided by pervaporation performance and chemical stability towards phenolic solutions. Single- and multiple-stage processes are disclosed, both for the enrichment of phenols and for purification of water from phenolic contamination. 8 figs.

Rapid and continuous analyte processing in droplet microfluidic devices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strey, Helmut; Kimmerling, Robert; Bakowski, Tomasz

The compositions and methods described herein are designed to introduce functionalized microparticles into droplets that can be manipulated in microfluidic devices by fields, including electric (dielectrophoretic) or magnetic fields, and extracted by splitting a droplet to separate the portion of the droplet that contains the majority of the microparticles from the part that is largely devoid of the microparticles. Within the device, channels are variously configured at Y- or T junctions that facilitate continuous, serial isolation and dilution of analytes in solution. The devices can be limited in the sense that they can be designed to output purified analytes thatmore » are then further analyzed in separate machines or they can include additional channels through which purified analytes can be further processed and analyzed.« less

Appendix to HDC 2118 design criteria 100-X reactor water plant, general description - section II

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1952-03-29

The factors responsible for the advances of 100-X compared with the older areas are: Simplification of the process, such as elimination of separate process water clearwells, by having the filtered water reservoirs perform that function. Combination of separate buildings into one building, such as combining filter pump house and process pump house. Use of electric standby. Use of higher capacity pumps and filter basins, and so fewer number of units. Centralization of control and operation. More compact arrangement of plant components. Use of waste heat for space heating, recovered from reactor effluent, backed up by steam plant.

Towards an electro-magnetic field separation of deposited material implemented in an ion beam sputter process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Malobabic, Sina; Jupe, Marco; Ristau, Detlev

Nowadays, Ion Beam Sputter (IBS) processes are very well optimized on an empirical basis. To achieve further progresses, a modification of the IBS process by guiding the coating material using an axial magnetic field and an additional electrical field has been studied. The electro-magnetic (EM) field leads to a significant change in plasma properties and deposition rate distributions, whereas an increase in deposition rate along the centerline of the axial EM field around 150% was observed. These fundamental studies on the prototype are the basis for the development of an applicable and workable design of a separation device.

Time-Frequency Masking for Speech Separation and Its Potential for Hearing Aid Design

PubMed Central

Wang, DeLiang

2008-01-01

A new approach to the separation of speech from speech-in-noise mixtures is the use of time-frequency (T-F) masking. Originated in the field of computational auditory scene analysis, T-F masking performs separation in the time-frequency domain. This article introduces the T-F masking concept and reviews T-F masking algorithms that separate target speech from either monaural or binaural mixtures, as well as microphone-array recordings. The review emphasizes techniques that are promising for hearing aid design. This article also surveys recent studies that evaluate the perceptual effects of T-F masking techniques, particularly their effectiveness in improving human speech recognition in noise. An assessment is made of the potential benefits of T-F masking methods for the hearing impaired in light of the processing constraints of hearing aids. Finally, several issues pertinent to T-F masking are discussed. PMID:18974204

Lab-on-fiber electrophoretic trace mixture separating and detecting an optofluidic device based on a microstructured optical fiber.

PubMed

Yang, Xinghua; Guo, Xiaohui; Li, Song; Kong, Depeng; Liu, Zhihai; Yang, Jun; Yuan, Libo

2016-04-15

We report an in-fiber integrated electrophoretic trace mixture separating and detecting an optofluidic optical fiber sensor based on a specially designed optical fiber. In this design, rapid in situ separation and simultaneous detection of mixed analytes can be realized under electro-osmotic flow in the microstructured optical fiber. To visually display the in-fiber separating and detecting process, two common fluorescent indicators are adopted as the optofluidic analytes in the optical fiber. Results show that a trace amount of the mixture (0.15 μL) can be completely separated within 3.5 min under a high voltage of 5 kV. Simultaneously, the distributed information of the separated analytes in the optical fiber can be clearly obtained by scanning along the optical fiber using a 355 nm laser. The emission from the analytes can be efficiently coupled into the inner core and guides to the remote end of the optical fiber. In addition, the thin cladding around the inner core in the optical fiber can prevent the fluorescent cross talk between the analytes in this design. Compared to previous optical fiber optofluidic devices, this device first realizes simultaneously separating treatment and the detection of the mixed samples in an optical fiber. Significantly, such an in-fiber integrated separating and detecting optofluidic device can find wide applications in various analysis fields involves mixed samples, such as biology, chemistry, and environment.

Sensitivity, optimal scaling and minimum roundoff errors in flexible structure models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skelton, Robert E.

1987-01-01

Traditional modeling notions presume the existence of a truth model that relates the input to the output, without advanced knowledge of the input. This has led to the evolution of education and research approaches (including the available control and robustness theories) that treat the modeling and control design as separate problems. The paper explores the subtleties of this presumption that the modeling and control problems are separable. A detailed study of the nature of modeling errors is useful to gain insight into the limitations of traditional control and identification points of view. Modeling errors need not be small but simply appropriate for control design. Furthermore, the modeling and control design processes are inevitably iterative in nature.

Planning for Materials Processing in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

A systems design study to describe the conceptual evolution, the institutional interrelationshiphs, and the basic physical requirements to implement materials processing in space was conducted. Planning for a processing era, rather than hardware design, was emphasized. Product development in space was examined in terms of fluid phenomena, phase separation, and heat and mass transfer. The effect of materials processing on the environment was studied. A concept for modular, unmanned orbiting facilities using the modified external tank of the space shuttle is presented. Organizational and finding structures which would provide for the efficient movement of materials from user to space are discussed.

A review on automated sorting of source-separated municipal solid waste for recycling.

PubMed

Gundupalli, Sathish Paulraj; Hait, Subrata; Thakur, Atul

2017-02-01

A crucial prerequisite for recycling forming an integral part of municipal solid waste (MSW) management is sorting of useful materials from source-separated MSW. Researchers have been exploring automated sorting techniques to improve the overall efficiency of recycling process. This paper reviews recent advances in physical processes, sensors, and actuators used as well as control and autonomy related issues in the area of automated sorting and recycling of source-separated MSW. We believe that this paper will provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the art and will help future system designers in the area. In this paper, we also present research challenges in the field of automated waste sorting and recycling. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multiphase Transport in Porous Media: Gas-Liquid Separation Using Capillary Pressure Gradients International Space Station (ISS) Flight Experiment Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wheeler, Richard R., Jr.; Holtsnider, John T.; Dahl, Roger W.; Deeks, Dalton; Javanovic, Goran N.; Parker, James M.; Ehlert, Jim

2013-01-01

Advances in the understanding of multiphase flow characteristics under variable gravity conditions will ultimately lead to improved and as of yet unknown process designs for advanced space missions. Such novel processes will be of paramount importance to the success of future manned space exploration as we venture into our solar system and beyond. In addition, because of the ubiquitous nature and vital importance of biological and environmental processes involving airwater mixtures, knowledge gained about fundamental interactions and the governing properties of these mixtures will clearly benefit the quality of life here on our home planet. The techniques addressed in the current research involving multiphase transport in porous media and gas-liquid phase separation using capillary pressure gradients are also a logical candidate for a future International Space Station (ISS) flight experiment. Importantly, the novel and potentially very accurate Lattice-Boltzmann (LB) modeling of multiphase transport in porous media developed in this work offers significantly improved predictions of real world fluid physics phenomena, thereby promoting advanced process designs for both space and terrestrial applications.This 3-year research effort has culminated in the design and testing of a zero-g demonstration prototype. Both the hydrophilic (glass) and hydrophobic (Teflon) media Capillary Pressure Gradient (CPG) cartridges prepared during the second years work were evaluated. Results obtained from ground testing at 1-g were compared to those obtained at reduced gravities spanning Martian (13-g), Lunar (16-g) and zero-g. These comparisons clearly demonstrate the relative strength of the CPG phenomena and the efficacy of its application to meet NASAs unique gas-liquid separation (GLS) requirements in non-terrestrial environments.LB modeling software, developed concurrently with the zero-g test effort, was shown to accurately reproduce observed CPG driven gas-liquid separation phenomena. The design and fabrication of a micropost plate-lamina Hele-Shaw (HS) cell was performed which served as a computationally attainable geometric structure facilitating direct comparison between physical phenomena observed in our laboratory and the LB software predictions.

Trust-Management, Intrusion-Tolerance, Accountability, and Reconstitution Architecture (TIARA)

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

Tainting, tagged, metadata, architecture, hardware, processor, microkernel , zero-kernel, co-design 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF... microkernels (e.g., [27]) embraced the idea that it was beneficial to reduce the ker- nel, separating out services as separate processes isolated from...limited adoption. More recently Tanenbaum [72] notes the security virtues of microkernels and suggests the modern importance of security makes it

Status of flow separation prediction in liquid propellant rocket nozzles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmucker, R. H.

1974-01-01

Flow separation which plays an important role in the design of a rocket engine nozzle is discussed. For a given ambient pressure, the condition of no flow separation limits the area ratio and, therefore, the vacuum performance. Avoidance of performance loss due to area ratio limitation requires a correct prediction of the flow separation conditions. To provide a better understanding of the flow separation process, the principal behavior of flow separation in a supersonic overexpanded rocket nozzle is described. The hot firing separation tests from various sources are summarized, and the applicability and accuracy of the measurements are described. A comparison of the different data points allows an evaluation of the parameters that affect flow separation. The pertinent flow separation predicting methods, which are divided into theoretical and empirical correlations, are summarized and the numerical results are compared with the experimental points.

Membranes for Environmentally Friendly Energy Processes

PubMed Central

He, Xuezhong; Hägg, May-Britt

2012-01-01

Membrane separation systems require no or very little chemicals compared to standard unit operations. They are also easy to scale up, energy efficient, and already widely used in various gas and liquid separation processes. Different types of membranes such as common polymers, microporous organic polymers, fixed-site-carrier membranes, mixed matrix membranes, carbon membranes as well as inorganic membranes have been investigated for CO2 capture/removal and other energy processes in the last two decades. The aim of this work is to review the membrane systems applied in different energy processes, such as post-combustion, pre-combustion, oxyfuel combustion, natural gas sweetening, biogas upgrading, hydrogen production, volatile organic compounds (VOC) recovery and pressure retarded osmosis for power generation. Although different membranes could probably be used in a specific separation process, choosing a suitable membrane material will mainly depend on the membrane permeance and selectivity, process conditions (e.g., operating pressure, temperature) and the impurities in a gas stream (such as SO2, NOx, H2S, etc.). Moreover, process design and the challenges relevant to a membrane system are also being discussed to illustrate the membrane process feasibility for a specific application based on process simulation and economic cost estimation. PMID:24958426

Design and optimization of integrated gas/condensate plants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Root, C.R.; Wilson, J.L.

1995-11-01

An optimized design is demonstrated for combining gas processing and condensate stabilization plants into a single integrated process facility. This integrated design economically provides improved condensate recovery versus use of a simple stabilizer design. A selection matrix showing likely application of this integrated process is presented for use on future designs. Several methods for developing the fluid characterization and for using a process simulator to predict future design compositions are described, which could be useful in other designs. Optimization of flowsheet equipment choices and of design operating pressures and temperatures is demonstrated including the effect of both continuous and discretemore » process equipment size changes. Several similar designs using a turboexpander to provide refrigeration for liquids recovery and stabilizer reflux are described. Operating overthrust and from the P/15-D platform in the Dutch sector of the North Sea has proven these integrated designs are effective. Concerns do remain around operation near or above the critical pressure that should be addressed in future work including providing conservative separator designs, providing sufficient process design safety margin to meet dew point specifications, selecting the most conservative design values of predicted gas dew point and equipment size calculated with different Equations-of-State, and possibly improving the accuracy of PVT calculations in the near critical area.« less

Condensing Heat Exchanger Concept Developed for Space Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasan, Mohammad M.; Nayagam, Vedha

2005-01-01

The current system for moisture removal and humidity control for the space shuttles and the International Space Station uses a two-stage process. Water first condenses onto fins and is pulled through "slurper bars." These bars take in a two-phase mixture of air and water that is then separated by the rotary separator. A more efficient design would remove the water directly from the air without the need of an additional water separator downstream. For the Condensing Heat Exchanger for Space Systems (CHESS) project, researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center in collaboration with NASA Johnson Space Center are designing a condensing heat exchanger that utilizes capillary forces to collect and remove water and that can operate in varying gravitational conditions including microgravity, lunar gravity, and Martian gravity.

A practitioner's perspective on the application and research needs of membrane bioreactors for municipal wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Kraemer, Jeremy T; Menniti, Adrienne L; Erdal, Zeynep K; Constantine, Timothy A; Johnson, Bruce R; Daigger, Glen T; Crawford, George V

2012-10-01

The application of membrane bioreactors (MBRs) for municipal wastewater treatment has increased dramatically over the last decade. From a practitioner's perspective, design practice has evolved over five "generations" in the areas of biological process optimization, separating process design from equipment supply, and reliability/redundancy thereby facilitating "large" MBRs (e.g. 150,000 m(3)/day). MBR advantages and disadvantages, and process design to accommodate biological nutrient removal, high mixed liquor suspended solids concentrations, operation and maintenance, peak flows, and procurement are reviewed from the design practitioner's perspective. Finally, four knowledge areas are identified as important to practitioners meriting further research and development: (i) membrane design and performance such as improving peak flow characteristics and decreasing operating costs; (ii) process design and performance such as managing the fluid properties of the biological solids, disinfection, and microcontaminant removal; (iii) facility design such as equipment standardization and decreasing mechanical complexity; and (iv) sustainability such as anaerobic MBRs. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient One-Step Electrolytic Recycling of Low-Grade and Post-Consumer Magnesium Scrap

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adam C. Powell, IV

2012-07-19

Metal Oxygen Separation Technologies, Inc. (abbreviated MOxST, pronounced most) and Boston University (BU) have developed a new low-cost process for recycling post-consumer co-mingled and heavily-oxidized magnesium scrap, and discovered a new chemical mechanism for magnesium separations in the process. The new process, designated MagReGenTM, is very effective in laboratory experiments, and on scale-up promises to be the lowest-cost lowest-energy lowest-impact method for separating magnesium metal from aluminum while recovering oxidized magnesium. MagReGenTM uses as little as one-eighth as much energy as today's methods for recycling magnesium metal from comingled scrap. As such, this technology could play a vital role inmore » recycling automotive non-ferrous metals, particularly as motor vehicle magnesium/aluminum ratios increase in order to reduce vehicle weight and increase efficiency.« less

Waste receiving and processing plant control system; system design description

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

LANE, M.P.

1999-02-24

The Plant Control System (PCS) is a heterogeneous computer system composed of numerous sub-systems. The PCS represents every major computer system that is used to support operation of the Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) facility. This document, the System Design Description (PCS SDD), includes several chapters and appendices. Each chapter is devoted to a separate PCS sub-system. Typically, each chapter includes an overview description of the system, a list of associated documents related to operation of that system, and a detailed description of relevant system features. Each appendice provides configuration information for selected PCS sub-systems. The appendices are designed asmore » separate sections to assist in maintaining this document due to frequent changes in system configurations. This document is intended to serve as the primary reference for configuration of PCS computer systems. The use of this document is further described in the WRAP System Configuration Management Plan, WMH-350, Section 4.1.« less

Caustic Recycling Pilot Unit to Separate Sodium from LLW at Hanford Site - 12279

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pendleton, Justin; Bhavaraju, Sai; Priday, George

As part of the Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored Advanced Remediation Technologies initiative, a scheme was developed to combine Continuous Sludge Leaching (CSL), Near-Tank Cesium Removal (NTCR), and Caustic Recycling Unit (CRU) using Ceramatec technology, into a single system known as the Pilot Near-Tank Treatment System (PNTTS). The Cesium (Cs) decontaminated effluent from the NTCR process will be sent to the caustic recycle process for recovery of the caustic which will be reused in another cycle of caustic leaching in the CSL process. Such an integrated mobile technology demonstration will give DOE the option to insert this process for sodiummore » management at various sites in Hanford, and will minimize the addition of further sodium into the waste tanks. This allows for recycling of the caustic used to remove aluminum during sludge washing as a pretreatment step in the vitrification of radioactive waste which will decrease the Low Level Waste (LLW) volume by as much as 39%. The CRU pilot process was designed to recycle sodium in the form of pure sodium hydroxide. The basis for the design of the 1/4 scale pilot caustic recycling unit was to demonstrate the efficient operation of a larger scale system to recycle caustic from the NTCR effluent stream from the Parsons process. The CRU was designed to process 0.28 liter/minute of NTCR effluent, and generate 10 M concentration of 'usable' sodium hydroxide. The proposed process operates at 40 deg. C to provide additional aluminum solubility and then recover the sodium hydroxide to the point where the aluminum is saturated at 40 deg. C. A system was developed to safely separate and vent the gases generated during operation of the CRU with the production of 10 M sodium hydroxide. Caustic was produced at a rate between 1.9 to 9.3 kg/hr. The CRU was located inside an ISO container to allow for moving of the unit close to tank locations to process the LLW stream. Actual tests were conducted with the NTCR effluent simulant from the Parsons process in the CRU. The modular CRU is easily scalable as a standalone system for caustic recycling, or for NTTS integration or for use as an In-Tank Treatment System to process sodium bearing waste to meet LLW processing needs at the Hanford site. The standalone pilot operation of the CRU to recycle sodium from NTCR effluent places the technology demonstration at TRL level 6. Multiple operations were performed with the CRU to process up to 500 gallons of the NTCR effluent and demonstrate an efficient separation of up to 70 % of the sodium without solids precipitation while producing 10 M caustic. Batch mode operation was conducted to study the effects of chemistry variation, establish the processing rate, and optimize the process operating conditions to recycle caustic from the NTCR effluent. The performance of the CRU was monitored by tracking the density parameter to control the concentration of caustic produced. Different levels of sodium were separated in tests from the effluent at a fixed operating current density and temperature. The voltage of the modules remained stable during the unit operation which demonstrated steady operation to separate sodium from the NTCR effluent. The sodium transfer current efficiency was measured in testing based on the concentration of caustic produced. Measurements showed a current efficiency of 99.8% for sodium transfer from the NTCR effluent to make sodium hydroxide. The sodium and hydroxide contents of the anolyte (NTCR feed) and catholyte (caustic product) were measured before and after each batch test. In two separate batch tests, samples were taken at different levels of sodium separation and analyzed to determine the stability of the NTCR effluent after sodium separation. The stability characteristics and changes in physical and chemical properties of the NTCR effluent chemistry after separation of sodium hydroxide as a function of storage time were evaluated. Parameters such as level of precipitated alumina, total alkalinity, analysis of Al, Na, K, Cs, Fe, OH, nitrate, nitrite, total dissolved and undissolved solids, viscosity, density, and other parameters of the NTCR effluent were measured. Changes in rheology and properties of NTCR stream to support downstream handling of the effluent after sodium separation was the basis for the analysis. The results show that the NTCR effluent is stable without the precipitation of aluminum hydroxide after 70% of the sodium was separated from the effluent. (authors)« less

Study the influence factors to the adsorption process for separation of polyphenols from green tea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phung, Lan Huong; Tran, Trung Kien; Van Quyet, Chu; Phi, Nguyen Thien

2017-09-01

The objective of this work is applying adsorption process for separation of polyphenols from extract solution of green tea by-product. The older leaves and stem of green tea tree are collected from Hiep Khanh Tea Company (Hoabinh province, Vietnam). In this study, two kinds of adsorbent (silicagel, active carbon) were applied for the adsorption process in batch stirring vessel. The factors that affected to the process productivity were investigated: temperature, solid/liquid ratio, duration time, stirring speed. The process has been empirically described with statistical models obtained by Design of Experiments. The results indicated that active carbon was verified to offer good adsorption productivity (more than 95%), much more effective than silicagel (with only about 20%). From the model, the most affected factor to the process could be seen as solid/liquid ratio.

Plasma separation process. Betacell (BCELL) code, user's manual

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taherzadeh, M.

1987-11-01

The emergence of clearly defined applications for (small or large) amounts of long-life and reliable power sources has given the design and production of betavoltaic systems a new life. Moreover, because of the availability of the Plasma Separation Program, (PSP) at TRW, it is now possible to separate the most desirable radioisotopes for betacell power generating devices. A computer code, named BCELL, has been developed to model the betavoltaic concept by utilizing the available up-to-date source/cell parameters. In this program, attempts have been made to determine the betacell energy device maximum efficiency, degradation due to the emitting source radiation and source/cell lifetime power reduction processes. Additionally, comparison is made between the Schottky and PN junction devices for betacell battery design purposes. Certain computer code runs have been made to determine the JV distribution function and the upper limit of the betacell generated power for specified energy sources. A Ni beta emitting radioisotope was used for the energy source and certain semiconductors were used for the converter subsystem of the betacell system. Some results for a Promethium source are also given here for comparison.

Conceptual Design of a Condensing Heat Exchanger for Space Systems Using Porous Media

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasan, Mohammad M.; Khan, Lutful I.; Nayagam, Vedha; Balasubramaniam, Ramaswamy

2006-01-01

Condensing heat exchangers are used in many space applications in the thermal and humidity control systems. In the International Space Station (ISS), humidity control is achieved by using a water cooled fin surface over which the moist air condenses, followed by "slurper bars" that take in both the condensate and air into a rotary separator and separates the water from air. The use of a cooled porous substrate as the condensing surface provides and attractive alternative that combines both heat removal as well as liquid/gas separation into a single unit. By selecting the pore sizes of the porous substrate a gravity independent operation may also be possible with this concept. Condensation of vapor into and on the porous surface from the flowing air and the removal of condensate from the porous substrate are the critical processes involved in the proposed concept. This paper describes some preliminary results of the proposed condensate withdrawal process and discusses the on-going design and development work of a porous media based condensing heat exchanger at the NASA Glenn Research Center in collaboration with NASA Johnson Space Center.

Design features of offshore oil production platforms influence their susceptibility to biocorrosion.

PubMed

Duncan, Kathleen E; Davidova, Irene A; Nunn, Heather S; Stamps, Blake W; Stevenson, Bradley S; Souquet, Pierre J; Suflita, Joseph M

2017-08-01

Offshore oil-producing platforms are designed for efficient and cost-effective separation of oil from water. However, design features and operating practices may create conditions that promote the proliferation and spread of biocorrosive microorganisms. The microbial communities and their potential for metal corrosion were characterized for three oil production platforms that varied in their oil-water separation processes, fluid recycling practices, and history of microbially influenced corrosion (MIC). Microbial diversity was evaluated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and numbers of total bacteria, archaea, and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were estimated by qPCR. The rates of 35 S sulfate reduction assay (SRA) were measured as a proxy for metal biocorrosion potential. A variety of microorganisms common to oil production facilities were found, but distinct communities were associated with the design of the platform and varied with different locations in the processing stream. Stagnant, lower temperature (<37 °C) sites in all platforms had more SRB and higher SRA compared to samples from sites with higher temperatures and flow rates. However, high (5 mmol L -1 ) levels of hydrogen sulfide and high numbers (10 7  mL -1 ) of SRB were found in only one platform. This platform alone contained large separation tanks with long retention times and recycled fluids from stagnant sites to the beginning of the oil separation train, thus promoting distribution of biocorrosive microorganisms. These findings tell us that tracking microbial sulfate-reducing activity and community composition on off-shore oil production platforms can be used to identify operational practices that inadvertently promote the proliferation, distribution, and activity of biocorrosive microorganisms.

Optimization of Mineral Separator for Recovery of Total Heavy Minerals of Bay of Bengal using Central Composite Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Routray, Sunita; Swain, Ranjita; Rao, Raghupatruni Bhima

2017-04-01

The present study is aimed at investigating the optimization of a mineral separator for processing of beach sand minerals of Bay of Bengal along Ganjam-Rushikulya coast. The central composite design matrix and response surface methodology were applied in designing the experiments to evaluate the interactive effects of the three most important operating variables, such as feed quantity, wash water rate and Shake amplitude of the deck. The predicted values were found to be in good agreement with the experimental values (R2 = 0.97 for grade and 0.98 for recovery). To understand the impact of each variable, three dimensional (3D) plots were also developed for the estimated responses.

Production of Monosugars from Lignocellulosic Biomass in Molten Salt Hydrates: Process Design and Techno-Economic Analysis

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

ZnCl2 hydrate, the main molten salt used in biomass conversion, combined with low concentration HCl is an excellent solvent for the dissolution and hydrolysis of the carbohydrates present in lignocellulosic biomass. The most recalcitrant carbohydrate, cellulose, is dissolved in a residence time less than 1 h under mild conditions without significant degradation. This technology is referred to as BIOeCON-solvent technology. Separation of the sugars from the solution is the main challenge. The earlier conclusion regarding the potential of zeolite beta for selective adsorption has been used as the basis of a scale-up study. The technology of choice is continuous chromatographic separation (e.g., simulated moving bed, SMB). The sugar monomers are separated from the sugar oligomers, allowing the production of monosugars at high yield, using water as an eluent. Results of a pilot plant study are presented showing a stable operation at high selectivity. Several process designs are discussed, and the techno-economic performance of the BIOeCON-solvent technology is demonstrated by comparison with the state-of-the-art technology of NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), which is based on enzymatic conversion of cellulose. It is concluded that the BIOeCON-solvent technology is technically and economically viable and is competitive to the NREL process. Because the BIOeCON-solvent process is in an early stage of development and far from fully optimized, it has the potential to outperform the existing processes. PMID:29170600

Production of Monosugars from Lignocellulosic Biomass in Molten Salt Hydrates: Process Design and Techno-Economic Analysis.

PubMed

van den Bergh, Johan; Babich, Igor V; O'Connor, Paul; Moulijn, Jacob A

2017-11-15

ZnCl 2 hydrate, the main molten salt used in biomass conversion, combined with low concentration HCl is an excellent solvent for the dissolution and hydrolysis of the carbohydrates present in lignocellulosic biomass. The most recalcitrant carbohydrate, cellulose, is dissolved in a residence time less than 1 h under mild conditions without significant degradation. This technology is referred to as BIOeCON-solvent technology. Separation of the sugars from the solution is the main challenge. The earlier conclusion regarding the potential of zeolite beta for selective adsorption has been used as the basis of a scale-up study. The technology of choice is continuous chromatographic separation (e.g., simulated moving bed, SMB). The sugar monomers are separated from the sugar oligomers, allowing the production of monosugars at high yield, using water as an eluent. Results of a pilot plant study are presented showing a stable operation at high selectivity. Several process designs are discussed, and the techno-economic performance of the BIOeCON-solvent technology is demonstrated by comparison with the state-of-the-art technology of NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), which is based on enzymatic conversion of cellulose. It is concluded that the BIOeCON-solvent technology is technically and economically viable and is competitive to the NREL process. Because the BIOeCON-solvent process is in an early stage of development and far from fully optimized, it has the potential to outperform the existing processes.

Cell design and manufacturing changes during the past decade

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baer, D. A.

1978-01-01

Eight of the most important changes that occurred in the GE 12 AH cell over the past ten years, which are currently being used are evaluated, and a systematic approach to compare their relative merits is presented. Typical positive thickness, typical negative thickness, positive loading, negative loading, final KOH quantity, and precharge as adjustment are shown for the control cell, and the following variables: Teflon treatment; silver treatment; light loading; no PQ treatment; polypropylene separator; the A.K. 1968 plate design no PQ, old elec process, no decarb process and the A.K. 1968 plate design, no PQ, present aerospace processes. The acceptance test cell voltage and cell pressure performance and capacity test results are included.

Adsorptive detoxification of fermentation inhibitors in acid pretreated liquor using functionalized polymer designed by molecular simulation.

PubMed

Devendra, Leena P; Pandey, Ashok

2017-11-01

Acid pretreatment is the most common method employed in the lignocellulosic biorefinery leading to the separation of pentose and hexose sugar. The liquor obtained after pretreatment (acid pretreatment liquor or APL) needs to be detoxified prior to fermentation. The aim of this study was to design functional groups on a polymer matrix which are selective in their interaction to inhibitors with little or no specificity to sugars. Molecular modeling was used as a tool to design a suitable adsorbent for selective adsorption of inhibitors from a complex mixture of APL. Phenyl glycine-p-sulfonic acid loaded on chloromethylated polystyrene polymer was designed as an adsorbent for selective interaction with inhibitors. Experimental verification of the selectivity was successfully achieved. The current study provides insights on the adsorptive separation processes at the molecular level by design of specific adsorbent which can be tailor made for the better selectivity of the desired component.

Color separation gratings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farn, Michael W.; Knowlden, Robert E.

1993-01-01

In this paper, we describe the theory, fabrication and test of a binary optics 'echelon'. The echelon is a grating structure which separates electromagnetic radiation of different wavelengths, but it does so according to diffraction order rather than by dispersion within one diffraction order, as is the case with conventional gratings. A prototype echelon, designed for the visible spectrum, is fabricated using the binary optics process. Tests of the prototype show good agreement with theoretical predictions.

13...Going on 18: Preparing for the Franchise.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stambler, Leah G.

This project is designed to help secondary school students prepare for participation in the electoral process as informed citizens. The project has students focus on current events pertaining to the U.S. election process. They study basic government concepts found in the Constitution, such as Separation of Powers, as well as practices that have…

Thermal properties and heat transfer coefficients in cryogenic cooling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biddulph, M. W.; Burford, R. P.

This paper considers two aspects of the design of the cooling stage of the process known as cryogenic recycling. This process uses liquid nitrogen to embrittle certain materials before grinding and subsequent separation. It is being increasingly used in materials recycling. A simple method of establishing thermal diffusivity values of materials of interest by using cooling curves is described. These values are important for effective cooler design. In addition values of convective heat transfer coefficient have been determined in an operating inclined, rotating cylindrical cooler operating on scrap car tyres. These will also be useful for cooler design methods.

Model-based design of an intermittent simulated moving bed process for recovering lactic acid from ternary mixture.

PubMed

Song, Mingkai; Cui, Linlin; Kuang, Han; Zhou, Jingwei; Yang, Pengpeng; Zhuang, Wei; Chen, Yong; Liu, Dong; Zhu, Chenjie; Chen, Xiaochun; Ying, Hanjie; Wu, Jinglan

2018-08-10

An intermittent simulated moving bed (3F-ISMB) operation scheme, the extension of the 3W-ISMB to the non-linear adsorption region, has been introduced for separation of glucose, lactic acid and acetic acid ternary-mixture. This work focuses on exploring the feasibility of the proposed process theoretically and experimentally. Firstly, the real 3F-ISMB model coupled with the transport dispersive model (TDM) and the Modified-Langmuir isotherm was established to build up the separation parameter plane. Subsequently, three operating conditions were selected from the plane to run the 3F-ISMB unit. The experimental results were used to verify the model. Afterwards, the influences of the various flow rates on the separation performances were investigated systematically by means of the validated 3F-ISMB model. The intermittent-retained component lactic acid was finally obtained with the purity of 98.5%, recovery of 95.5% and the average concentration of 38 g/L. The proposed 3F-ISMB process can efficiently separate the mixture with low selectivity into three fractions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Critical design of heterogeneous catalysts for biomass valorization: current thrust and emerging prospects

DOE PAGES

De, Sudipta; Dutta, Saikat; Saha, Basudeb

2016-01-01

Catalysis in the heterogeneous phase plays a crucial role in the valorization of biorenewable substrates with controlled reactivity, efficient mechanical process separation, greater recyclability and minimization of environmental effects.

Design of a lunar propellant processing facility. NASA/USRA advanced program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Batra, Rajesh; Bell, Jason; Campbell, J. Matt; Cash, Tom; Collins, John; Dailey, Brian; France, Angelique; Gareau, Will; Gleckler, Mark; Hamilton, Charles

1993-01-01

Mankind's exploration of space will eventually lead to the establishment of a permanent human presence on the Moon. Essential to the economic viability of such an undertaking will be prudent utilization of indigenous lunar resources. The design of a lunar propellant processing system is presented. The system elements include facilities for ore processing, ice transportation, water splitting, propellant storage, personnel and materials transportation, human habitation, power generation, and communications. The design scenario postulates that ice is present in the lunar polar regions, and that an initial lunar outpost was established. Mining, ore processing, and water transportation operations are located in the polar regions. Water processing and propellant storage facilities are positioned near the equator. A general description of design operations is outlined below. Regolith containing the ice is mined from permanently-shaded polar craters. Water is separated from the ore using a microwave processing technique, and refrozen into projectiles for launch to the equatorial site via railgun. A mass-catching device retrieves the ice. This ice is processed using fractional distillation to remove impurities, and the purified liquid water is fed to an electrolytic cell that splits the water into vaporous hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen and oxygen are condensed and stored separately in a tank farm. Electric power for all operations is supplied by SP-100 nuclear reactors. Transportation of materials and personnel is accomplished primarily using chemical rockets. Modular living habitats are used which provide flexibility for the placement and number of personnel. A communications system consisting of lunar surface terminals, a lunar relay satellite, and terrestrial surface stations provides capabilities for continuous Moon-Moon and Moon-Earth transmissions of voice, picture, and data.

Computer-aided design of nano-filter construction using DNA self-assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammadzadegan, Reza; Mohabatkar, Hassan

2007-01-01

Computer-aided design plays a fundamental role in both top-down and bottom-up nano-system fabrication. This paper presents a bottom-up nano-filter patterning process based on DNA self-assembly. In this study we designed a new method to construct fully designed nano-filters with the pores between 5 nm and 9 nm in diameter. Our calculations illustrated that by constructing such a nano-filter we would be able to separate many molecules.

Removal of oil droplets from contaminated water using magnetic carbon nanotubes.

PubMed

Wang, Haitao; Lin, Kun-Yi; Jing, Benxin; Krylova, Galyna; Sigmon, Ginger E; McGinn, Paul; Zhu, Yingxi; Na, Chongzheng

2013-08-01

Water contaminated by oil and gas production poses challenges to the management of America's water resources. Here we report the design, fabrication, and laboratory evaluation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes decorated with superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) for oil-water separation. As revealed by confocal laser-scanning fluorescence microscopy, the magnetic carbon nanotubes (MCNTs) remove oil droplets through a two-step mechanism, in which MCNTs are first dispersed at the oil-water interface and then drag the droplets with them out of water by a magnet. Measurements of removal efficiency with different initial oil concentration, MCNT dose, and mixing time show that kinetics and equilibrium of the separation process can be described by the Langmuir model. Separation capacity qt is a function of MCNT dose m, mixing time t, and residual oil concentration Ce at equilibrium: [Formula in text] where qmax, kw, and K are maximum separation capacity, wrapping rate constant, and equilibrium constant, respectively. Least-square regressions using experimental data estimate qmax = 6.6(± 0.6) g-diesel g-MCNT(-1), kw = 3.36(± 0.03) L g-diesel(-1) min(-1), and K = 2.4(± 0.2) L g-diesel(-1). For used MCNTs, we further show that over 80% of the separation capacity can be restored by a 10 min wash with 1 mL ethanol for every 6 mg MCNTs. The separation by reusable MCNTs provides a promising alternative strategy for water treatment design complementary to existing ones such as coagulation, adsorption, filtration, and membrane processes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design and analysis on sorting blade for automated size-based sorting device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razali, Zol Bahri; Kader, Mohamed Mydin M. Abdul; Samsudin, Yasser Suhaimi; Daud, Mohd Hisam

2017-09-01

Nowadays rubbish separating or recycling is a main problem of nation, where peoples dumped their rubbish into dumpsite without caring the value of the rubbish if it can be recycled and reused. Thus the author proposed an automated segregating device, purposely to teach people to separate their rubbish and value the rubbish that can be reused. The automated size-based mechanical segregating device provides significant improvements in terms of efficiency and consistency in this segregating process. This device is designed to make recycling easier, user friendly, in the hope that more people will take responsibility if it is less of an expense of time and effort. This paper discussed about redesign a blade for the sorting device which is to develop an efficient automated mechanical sorting device for the similar material but in different size. The machine is able to identify the size of waste and it depends to the coil inside the container to separate it out. The detail design and methodology is described in detail in this paper.

Mixed matrix formulations with MOF molecular sieving for key energy-intensive separations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Gongping; Chernikova, Valeriya; Liu, Yang; Zhang, Kuang; Belmabkhout, Youssef; Shekhah, Osama; Zhang, Chen; Yi, Shouliang; Eddaoudi, Mohamed; Koros, William J.

2018-03-01

Membrane-based separations can improve energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impacts associated with traditional approaches. Nevertheless, many challenges must be overcome to design membranes that can replace conventional gas separation processes. Here, we report on the incorporation of engineered submicrometre-sized metal-organic framework (MOF) crystals into polymers to form hybrid materials that successfully translate the excellent molecular sieving properties of face-centred cubic (fcu)-MOFs into the resultant membranes. We demonstrate, simultaneously, exceptionally enhanced separation performance in hybrid membranes for two challenging and economically important applications: the removal of CO2 and H2S from natural gas and the separation of butane isomers. Notably, the membrane molecular sieving properties demonstrate that the deliberately regulated and contracted MOF pore-aperture size can discriminate between molecular pairs. The improved performance results from precise control of the linkers delimiting the triangular window, which is the sole entrance to the fcu-MOF pore. This rational-design hybrid approach provides a general toolbox for enhancing the transport properties of advanced membranes bearing molecular sieve fillers with sub-nanometre-sized pore-apertures.

Southern California Seismic Network: New Design and Implementation of Redundant and Reliable Real-time Data Acquisition Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saleh, T.; Rico, H.; Solanki, K.; Hauksson, E.; Friberg, P.

2005-12-01

The Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN) handles more than 2500 high-data rate channels from more than 380 seismic stations distributed across southern California. These data are imported real-time from dataloggers, earthworm hubs, and partner networks. The SCSN also exports data to eight different partner networks. Both the imported and exported data are critical for emergency response and scientific research. Previous data acquisition systems were complex and difficult to operate, because they grew in an ad hoc fashion to meet the increasing needs for distributing real-time waveform data. To maximize reliability and redundancy, we apply best practices methods from computer science for implementing the software and hardware configurations for import, export, and acquisition of real-time seismic data. Our approach makes use of failover software designs, methods for dividing labor diligently amongst the network nodes, and state of the art networking redundancy technologies. To facilitate maintenance and daily operations we seek to provide some separation between major functions such as data import, export, acquisition, archiving, real-time processing, and alarming. As an example, we make waveform import and export functions independent by operating them on separate servers. Similarly, two independent servers provide waveform export, allowing data recipients to implement their own redundancy. The data import is handled differently by using one primary server and a live backup server. These data import servers, run fail-over software that allows automatic role switching in case of failure from primary to shadow. Similar to the classic earthworm design, all the acquired waveform data are broadcast onto a private network, which allows multiple machines to acquire and process the data. As we separate data import and export away from acquisition, we are also working on new approaches to separate real-time processing and rapid reliable archiving of real-time data. Further, improved network security is an integral part of the new design. Redundant firewalls will provide secure data imports, exports, and acquisition as well as DMZ zones for web servers and other publicly available servers. We will present the detailed design of this new configuration that is currently being implemented by the SCSN at Caltech. The design principals are general enough to be of use to most regional seismic networks.

Managing Zirconium Chemistry and Phase Compatibility in Combined Process Separations for Minor Actinide Partitioning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wall, Nathalie; Nash, Ken; Martin, Leigh

In response to the NEUP Program Supporting Fuel Cycle R&D Separations and Waste Forms call DEFOA- 0000799, this report describes the results of an R&D project focusing on streamlining separation processes for advanced fuel cycles. An example of such a process relevant to the U.S. DOE FCR&D program would be one combining the functions of the TRUEX process for partitioning of lanthanides and minor actinides from PUREX(UREX) raffinates with that of the TALSPEAK process for separating transplutonium actinides from fission product lanthanides. A fully-developed PUREX(UREX)/TRUEX/TALSPEAK suite would generate actinides as product(s) for reuse (or transmutation) and fission products as waste.more » As standalone, consecutive unit-operations, TRUEX and TALSPEAK employ different extractant solutions (solvating (CMPO, octyl(phenyl)-N,Ndiisobutylcarbamoylmethylphosphine oxide) vs. cation exchanging (HDEHP, di-2(ethyl)hexylphosphoric acid) extractants), and distinct aqueous phases (2-4 M HNO 3 vs. concentrated pH 3.5 carboxylic acid buffers containing actinide selective chelating agents). The separate processes may also operate with different phase transfer kinetic constraints. Experience teaches (and it has been demonstrated at the lab scale) that, with proper control, multiple process separation systems can operate successfully. However, it is also recognized that considerable economies of scale could be achieved if multiple operations could be merged into a single process based on a combined extractant solvent. The task of accountability of nuclear materials through the process(es) also becomes more robust with fewer steps, providing that the processes can be accurately modeled. Work is underway in the U.S. and Europe on developing several new options for combined processes (TRUSPEAK, ALSEP, SANEX, GANEX, ExAm are examples). There are unique challenges associated with the operation of such processes, some relating to organic phase chemistry, others arising from the variable composition of the aqueous medium. This project targets in particular two problematic issues in designing combined process systems: managing the chemistry of challenging aqueous species (like Zr 4+) and optimizing the composition and properties of combined extractant organic phases.« less

Optimization of wet shaking table process using response surface methodology applied to the separation of copper and aluminum from the fine fraction of shredder ELVs.

PubMed

Jordão, Helga; Sousa, António Jorge; Carvalho, M Teresa

2016-02-01

With the purpose of reducing the waste generated by end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) by enhancing the recovery and recycling of nonferrous metals, an experimental study was conducted with the finest size fraction of nonferrous stream produced at an ELV shredder plant. The aim of this work was to characterize the nonferrous stream and to evaluate the efficiency of a gravity concentration process in separating light and heavy nonferrous metal particles that could be easily integrated in a ELV shredder plant (in this case study the separation explicitly addressed copper and aluminum separation). The characterization of a sample of the 0-10mm particle size fraction showed a mixture of nonferrous metals with a certain degree of impurity due to the present of contaminants such as plastics. The majority of the particles exhibited a wire shape, preventing an efficient separation of materials without prior fragmentation. The gravity concentration process selected for this study was the wet shaking table and three operating parameters of the equipment were manipulated. A full factorial design in combination with a central composite design was employed to model metals recovery. Two second order polynomial equations were successfully fitted to describe the process and predict the recovery of copper and aluminum in Cu concentrate under the conditions of the present study. The optimum conditions were determined to be 11.1° of inclination, 2.8L/min of feed water flow and 4.9L/min of wash water flow. All three final products of the wet shaking table had a content higher than 90% in relation to one of the metals, wherein a Cu concentrate product was obtained with a Cu content of 96%, and 78% of Cu recovery and 2% of Al recovery. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of RSM for the multivariate, simultaneous multiobjective optimization of the operating conditions of aliphatic carboxylic acids ion-exclusion chromatography column: Quantitative study of hydrodynamic, isotherm, and thermodynamic behavior.

PubMed

Shojaeimehr, Tahereh; Rahimpour, Farshad; Schwarze, Michael; Repke, Jens-Uwe; Godini, Hamid Reza; Wozny, Günter

2018-04-15

The present study evaluates the capability of ion exclusion chromatography (IEC) of short chain aliphatic carboxylic acids using a cation exchange column (8% sulfonated cross-linked styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer) in different experimental conditions. Since one of the prerequisites to the development of an efficient carboxylic acid separation process is to obtain the optimum operational conditions, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to develop an approach to evaluate carboxylic acids separation process in IEC columns. The effect of the operating conditions such as column temperature, sulfuric acid concentration as the mobile phase, and the flow rate was studied using Central Composite Face (CCF) design. The optimum operating conditions for the separate injection of lactic acid and acetic acid is temperature of 75 °C, sulfuric acid concentration of 0.003 N for both acids and flow rate of 0.916 (0.886) mL/min for acetic acid (lactic acid). Likewise, the optimum conditions for the simultaneous injection of acetic and lactic acid mixture are the column temperature of 68 °C, sulfuric acid concentration of 0.0003 N, and flow rate of 0.777 mL/min. In the next step, the adsorption equilibria of acetic acid and lactic acid on the stationary phase were investigated through a series of Frontal Analysis (FA), Frontal Analysis by Characteristic Points (FACP), and using Langmuir isotherm model. The results showed an excellent agreement between the model and experimental data. Finally, the results of thermodynamic studies proved that the IEC process for separation of acetic and lactic acid is a spontaneous, feasible, exothermic, and random process with a physical adsorption mechanism. The results of the current paper can be a valuable information in the stages of designing IEC columns for separation of aliphatic carboxylic acids. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tessellated permanent magnet circuits for flow-through, open gradient separations of weakly magnetic materials

PubMed Central

Moore, Lee R.; Williams, P. Stephen; Chalmers, Jeffrey J.; Zborowski, Maciej

2017-01-01

Emerging microfluidic-based cell assays favor label-free red blood cell (RBC) depletion. Magnetic separation of RBC is possible because of the paramagnetism of deoxygenated hemoglobin but the process is slow for open-gradient field configurations. In order to increase the throughput, periodic arrangements of the unit magnets were considered, consisting of commercially available Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets and soft steel flux return pieces. The magnet design is uniquely suitable for multiplexing by magnet tessellation, here meaning the tiling of the magnet assembly cross-sectional plane by periodic repetition of the magnet and the flow channel shapes. The periodic pattern of magnet magnetizations allows a reduction of the magnetic material per channel with minimal distortion of the field cylindrical symmetry inside the magnet apertures. A number of such magnet patterns are investigated for separator performance, size and economy with the goal of designing an open-gradient magnetic separator capable of reducing the RBC number concentration a hundred-fold in 1 mL whole blood per hour. PMID:29104346

Tessellated permanent magnet circuits for flow-through, open gradient separations of weakly magnetic materials.

PubMed

Moore, Lee R; Williams, P Stephen; Chalmers, Jeffrey J; Zborowski, Maciej

2017-04-01

Emerging microfluidic-based cell assays favor label-free red blood cell (RBC) depletion. Magnetic separation of RBC is possible because of the paramagnetism of deoxygenated hemoglobin but the process is slow for open-gradient field configurations. In order to increase the throughput, periodic arrangements of the unit magnets were considered, consisting of commercially available Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets and soft steel flux return pieces. The magnet design is uniquely suitable for multiplexing by magnet tessellation, here meaning the tiling of the magnet assembly cross-sectional plane by periodic repetition of the magnet and the flow channel shapes. The periodic pattern of magnet magnetizations allows a reduction of the magnetic material per channel with minimal distortion of the field cylindrical symmetry inside the magnet apertures. A number of such magnet patterns are investigated for separator performance, size and economy with the goal of designing an open-gradient magnetic separator capable of reducing the RBC number concentration a hundred-fold in 1 mL whole blood per hour.

Friction pull plug welding: chamfered heat sink pull plug design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coletta, Edmond R. (Inventor); Cantrell, Mark A. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

Friction Pull Plug Welding (FPPW) is a solid state repair process for defects up to one inch in length, only requiring single sided tooling (OSL) for usage on flight hardware. Experimental data has shown that the mass of plug heat sink remaining above the top of the plate surface after a weld is completed (the plug heat sink) affects the bonding at the plug top. A minimized heat sink ensures complete bonding of the plug to the plate at the plug top. However, with a minimal heat sink three major problems can arise, the entire plug could be pulled through the plate hole, the central portion of the plug could be separated along grain boundaries, or the plug top hat can be separated from the body. The Chamfered Heat Sink Pull Plug Design allows for complete bonding along the ISL interface through an outside diameter minimal mass heat sink, while maintaining enough central mass in the plug to prevent plug pull through, central separation, and plug top hat separation.

Separation of superparamagnetic particles through ratcheted Brownian motion and periodically switching magnetic fields.

PubMed

Liu, Fan; Jiang, Li; Tan, Huei Ming; Yadav, Ashutosh; Biswas, Preetika; van der Maarel, Johan R C; Nijhuis, Christian A; van Kan, Jeroen A

2016-11-01

Brownian ratchet based particle separation systems for application in lab on chip devices have drawn interest and are subject to ongoing theoretical and experimental investigations. We demonstrate a compact microfluidic particle separation chip, which implements an extended on-off Brownian ratchet scheme that actively separates and sorts particles using periodically switching magnetic fields, asymmetric sawtooth channel sidewalls, and Brownian motion. The microfluidic chip was made with Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) soft lithography of SU-8 molds, which in turn was fabricated using Proton Beam Writing. After bonding of the PDMS chip to a glass substrate through surface activation by oxygen plasma treatment, embedded electromagnets were cofabricated by the injection of InSn metal into electrode channels. This fabrication process enables rapid production of high resolution and high aspect ratio features, which results in parallel electrodes accurately aligned with respect to the separation channel. The PDMS devices were tested with mixtures of 1.51  μ m, 2.47  μ m, and 2.60  μ m superparamagnetic particles suspended in water. Experimental results show that the current device design has potential for separating particles with a size difference around 130 nm. Based on the promising results, we will be working towards extending this design for the separation of cells or biomolecules.

Separation of superparamagnetic particles through ratcheted Brownian motion and periodically switching magnetic fields

PubMed Central

Liu, Fan; Jiang, Li; Tan, Huei Ming; Yadav, Ashutosh; Biswas, Preetika; van der Maarel, Johan R. C.; Nijhuis, Christian A.; van Kan, Jeroen A.

2016-01-01

Brownian ratchet based particle separation systems for application in lab on chip devices have drawn interest and are subject to ongoing theoretical and experimental investigations. We demonstrate a compact microfluidic particle separation chip, which implements an extended on-off Brownian ratchet scheme that actively separates and sorts particles using periodically switching magnetic fields, asymmetric sawtooth channel sidewalls, and Brownian motion. The microfluidic chip was made with Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) soft lithography of SU-8 molds, which in turn was fabricated using Proton Beam Writing. After bonding of the PDMS chip to a glass substrate through surface activation by oxygen plasma treatment, embedded electromagnets were cofabricated by the injection of InSn metal into electrode channels. This fabrication process enables rapid production of high resolution and high aspect ratio features, which results in parallel electrodes accurately aligned with respect to the separation channel. The PDMS devices were tested with mixtures of 1.51 μm, 2.47 μm, and 2.60 μm superparamagnetic particles suspended in water. Experimental results show that the current device design has potential for separating particles with a size difference around 130 nm. Based on the promising results, we will be working towards extending this design for the separation of cells or biomolecules. PMID:27917252

DNA analysis using an integrated microchip for multiplex PCR amplification and electrophoresis for reference samples.

PubMed

Le Roux, Delphine; Root, Brian E; Reedy, Carmen R; Hickey, Jeffrey A; Scott, Orion N; Bienvenue, Joan M; Landers, James P; Chassagne, Luc; de Mazancourt, Philippe

2014-08-19

A system that automatically performs the PCR amplification and microchip electrophoretic (ME) separation for rapid forensic short tandem repeat (STR) forensic profiling in a single disposable plastic chip is demonstrated. The microchip subassays were optimized to deliver results comparable to conventional benchtop methods. The microchip process was accomplished in sub-90 min compared with >2.5 h for the conventional approach. An infrared laser with a noncontact temperature sensing system was optimized for a 45 min PCR compared with the conventional 90 min amplification time. The separation conditions were optimized using LPA-co-dihexylacrylamide block copolymers specifically designed for microchip separations to achieve accurate DNA size calling in an effective length of 7 cm in a plastic microchip. This effective separation length is less than half of other reports for integrated STR analysis and allows a compact, inexpensive microchip design. This separation quality was maintained when integrated with microchip PCR. Thirty samples were analyzed conventionally and then compared with data generated by the microfluidic chip system. The microfluidic system allele calling was 100% concordant with the conventional process. This study also investigated allelic ladder consistency over time. The PCR-ME genetic profiles were analyzed using binning palettes generated from two sets of allelic ladders run three and six months apart. Using these binning palettes, no allele calling errors were detected in the 30 samples demonstrating that a microfluidic platform can be highly consistent over long periods of time.

A biotin-conjugated pyridine-based isatoic anhydride, a selective room temperature RNA-acylating agent for the nucleic acid separation.

PubMed

Ursuegui, S; Yougnia, R; Moutin, S; Burr, A; Fossey, C; Cailly, T; Laayoun, A; Laurent, A; Fabis, F

2015-03-28

Isatoic anhydride derivatives, including a biotin and a disulfide linker were specifically designed for nucleic acid separation. 2'-OH selective RNA acylation, capture of biotinylated RNA adducts by streptavidin-coated magnetic beads and disulfide chemical cleavage led to isolation of highly enriched RNA samples from an initial 9/1 DNA-RNA mixture. Starting from the parent compound N-methylisatoic anhydride A which was used at 65 °C, we improved the extraction process by designing a new generation of isatoic anhydrides that are able to react under smoother conditions. Among them, a pyridine-based isatoic anhydride derivative 15f was found to be reactive at room temperature, leading to enhance the efficiency and selectivity of the extraction process by significantly reducing DNA side extraction. The extracted and purified RNAs can then be detected by RT-PCR.

In situ polymerized superhydrophobic and superoleophilic nanofibrous membranes for gravity driven oil-water separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Xiaomin; Si, Yang; Ge, Jianlong; Ding, Bin; Liu, Lifang; Zheng, Gang; Luo, Wenjing; Yu, Jianyong

2013-11-01

Creating an efficient, cost-effective method that can provide simple, practical and high-throughput separation of oil-water mixtures has proved extremely challenging. This work responds to these challenges by designing, fabricating and evaluating a novel fluorinated polybenzoxazine (F-PBZ) modified nanofibrous membrane optimized to achieve gravity driven oil-water separation. The membrane design is then realized by a facile combination of electrospun poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) (PMIA) nanofibers and an in situ polymerized F-PBZ functional layer incorporating SiO2 nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs). By employing the F-PBZ/SiO2 NP modification, the pristine hydrophilic PMIA nanofibrous membranes are endowed with promising superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 161° and superoleophilicity with an oil contact angle of 0°. This new membrane shows high thermal stability (350 °C) and good repellency to hot water (80 °C), and achieves an excellent mechanical strength of 40.8 MPa. Furthermore, the as-prepared membranes exhibited fast and efficient separation of oil-water mixtures by a solely gravity driven process, which makes them good candidates for industrial oil-polluted water treatments and oil spill cleanup, and also provided new insights into the design and development of functional nanofibrous membranes through F-PBZ modification.Creating an efficient, cost-effective method that can provide simple, practical and high-throughput separation of oil-water mixtures has proved extremely challenging. This work responds to these challenges by designing, fabricating and evaluating a novel fluorinated polybenzoxazine (F-PBZ) modified nanofibrous membrane optimized to achieve gravity driven oil-water separation. The membrane design is then realized by a facile combination of electrospun poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) (PMIA) nanofibers and an in situ polymerized F-PBZ functional layer incorporating SiO2 nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs). By employing the F-PBZ/SiO2 NP modification, the pristine hydrophilic PMIA nanofibrous membranes are endowed with promising superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 161° and superoleophilicity with an oil contact angle of 0°. This new membrane shows high thermal stability (350 °C) and good repellency to hot water (80 °C), and achieves an excellent mechanical strength of 40.8 MPa. Furthermore, the as-prepared membranes exhibited fast and efficient separation of oil-water mixtures by a solely gravity driven process, which makes them good candidates for industrial oil-polluted water treatments and oil spill cleanup, and also provided new insights into the design and development of functional nanofibrous membranes through F-PBZ modification. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Detailed synthesis and structural confirmation of BAF-oda, OCA results, Raman spectrum and Movies S1 and S2. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr03937d

PDMS free-flow electrophoresis chips with integrated partitioning bars for bubble segregation.

PubMed

Köhler, Stefan; Weilbeer, Claudia; Howitz, Steffen; Becker, Holger; Beushausen, Volker; Belder, Detlev

2011-01-21

In this work, a microfluidic free-flow electrophoresis device with a novel approach for preventing gas bubbles from entering the separation area is presented. This is achieved by integrating partitioning bars to reduce the channel depth between electrode channels and separation chamber in order to obtain electrical contact and simultaneously prevent bubbles from entering the separation area. The three-layer sandwich chip features a reusable carrier plate with integrated ports for fluidic connection combined with a softlithographically cast microfluidic PDMS layer and a sealing glass slide. This design allows for a straightforward and rapid chip prototyping process. The performance of the device is demonstrated by free-flow zone electrophoretic separations of fluorescent dye mixtures as well as by the separation of labeled amines and amino acids with separation voltages up to 297 V.

Trowel Trade Work Processes. Pre-Apprenticeship Phase 1 Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane Community Coll., Eugene, OR.

This self-paced student training module on trowel trade work processes is part of the course, Trowel Trades, which was developed for Preapprenticeship Phase 1 Training. (A companion instructor's guide is available separately as CE 032 868.) The course is designed to provide students with an orientation to the trade and an opportunity to explore…

Pressurized diesel fuel processing using hydrogen peroxide for the fuel cell power unit in low-oxygen environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Kwangho; Han, Gwangwoo; Cho, Sungbaek; Bae, Joongmyeon

2018-03-01

A novel concept for diesel fuel processing utilizing H2O2 is suggested to obtain the high-purity H2 required for air-independent propulsion using polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells for use in submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles. The core components include 1) a diesel-H2O2 autothermal reforming (ATR) reactor to produce H2-rich gas, 2) a water-gas shift (WGS) reactor to convert CO to H2, and 3) a H2 separation membrane to separate only high-purity H2. Diesel and H2O2 can easily be pressurized as they are liquids. The application of the H2 separation membrane without a compressor in the middle of the process is thus advantageous. In this paper, the characteristics of pressurized ATR and WGS reactions are investigated according to the operating conditions. In both reactors, the methanation reaction is enhanced as the pressure increases. Then, permeation experiments with a H2 separation membrane are performed while varying the temperature, pressure difference, and inlet gas composition. In particular, approximately 90% of the H2 is recovered when the steam-separated rear gas of the WGS reactor is used in the H2 separation membrane. Finally, based on the experimental results, design points are suggested for maximizing the efficiency of the diesel-H2O2 fuel processor.

Active biopolymers in green non-conventional media: a sustainable tool for developing clean chemical processes.

PubMed

Lozano, Pedro; Bernal, Juana M; Nieto, Susana; Gomez, Celia; Garcia-Verdugo, Eduardo; Luis, Santiago V

2015-12-21

The greenness of chemical processes turns around two main axes: the selectivity of catalytic transformations, and the separation of pure products. The transfer of the exquisite catalytic efficiency shown by enzymes in nature to chemical processes is an important challenge. By using appropriate reaction systems, the combination of biopolymers with supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) and ionic liquids (ILs) resulted in synergetic and outstanding platforms for developing (multi)catalytic green chemical processes, even under flow conditions. The stabilization of biocatalysts, together with the design of straightforward approaches for separation of pure products including the full recovery and reuse of enzymes/ILs systems, are essential elements for developing clean chemical processes. By understanding structure-function relationships of biopolymers in ILs, as well as for ILs themselves (e.g. sponge-like ionic liquids, SLILs; supported ionic liquids-like phases, SILLPs, etc.), several integral green chemical processes of (bio)catalytic transformation and pure product separation are pointed out (e.g. the biocatalytic production of biodiesel in SLILs, etc.). Other developments based on DNA/ILs systems, as pathfinder studies for further technological applications in the near future, are also considered.

Development of optical-electronic system for the separation of cullet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solovey, Alexey A.; Alekhin, Artem A.

2017-06-01

Broken glass being the waste in many fields of production is usually used as a raw material in the production of construction materials. The purity level of collected and processed glass cullet, as a rule, is quite low. Direct usage of these materials without preliminary processing leads to the emergence of defects in the end product or sometimes even to technological downtime. That's why purity control of cullet should be strictly verified. The study shows the method of construction and requirements for an optical-electronic system designed for cullet separation. Moreover, the author proposes a registration channel scheme and shows a scheme of control exposure area. Also the issues of image processing for the implementation of a typical system are examined.

Mapping the Limitations of Breakthrough Analysis in Fixed-Bed Adsorption

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knox, James Clinton

2017-01-01

The separation of gases through adsorption plays an important role in the chemical processing industry, where the separation step is often the costliest part of a chemical process and thus worthy of careful study and optimization. This work developed a number of new, archival aspects on the computer simulations used for the refinement and design of these gas adsorption processes: 1. Presented a new approach to fit the undetermined heat and mass transfer coefficients in the axially dispersed plug flow equation and associated balance equations 2. Examined and described the conditions where non-physical simulation results can arise 3. Presented an approach to determine the limits of the axial dispersion and LDF mass transfer terms above which non-physical simulation results occur.

Laser-structured Janus wire mesh for efficient oil-water separation.

PubMed

Liu, Yu-Qing; Han, Dong-Dong; Jiao, Zhi-Zhen; Liu, Yan; Jiang, Hao-Bo; Wu, Xuan-Hang; Ding, Hong; Zhang, Yong-Lai; Sun, Hong-Bo

2017-11-23

We report here the fabrication of a Janus wire mesh by a combined process of laser structuring and fluorosilane/graphene oxide (GO) modification of the two sides of the mesh, respectively, toward its applications in efficient oil/water separation. Femtosecond laser processing has been employed to make different laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) on each side of the mesh. Surface modification with fluorosilane on one side and GO on the other side endows the two sides of the Janus mesh with distinct wettability. Thus, one side is superhydrophobic and superoleophilic in air, and the other side is superhydrophilic in air and superoleophobic under water. As a proof of concept, we demonstrated the separation of light/heavy oil and water mixtures using this Janus mesh. To realize an efficient separation, the intrusion pressure that is dominated by the wire mesh framework and the wettability should be taken into account. Our strategy may open up a new way to design and fabricate Janus structures with distinct wettability; and the resultant Janus mesh may find broad applications in the separation of oil contaminants from water.

Interdisciplinary Learning for Chemical Engineering Students from Organic Chemistry Synthesis Lab to Reactor Design to Separation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Matt; Comitz, Richard L.; Biaglow, Andrew; Lachance, Russ; Sloop, Joseph

2008-01-01

A novel approach to the Chemical Engineering curriculum sequence of courses at West Point enabled our students to experience a much more realistic design process, which more closely replicated a real world scenario. Students conduct the synthesis in the organic chemistry lab, then conduct computer modeling of the reaction with ChemCad and…

Enantioseparation of racemic aminoglutethimide using asynchronous simulated moving bed chromatography.

PubMed

Lin, Xiaojian; Gong, Rujin; Li, Jiaxu; Li, Ping; Yu, Jianguo; Rodrigues, Alirio E

2016-10-07

The separation of aminoglutethimide enantiomers by the continuous multicolumn chromatographic processes were investigated experimentally and theoretically, where the columns were packed with cellulose tris 3,5-dimethylphenyl-carbamate stationary phase (brand name Chiralcel OD) and mobile phase was a mixture of n-hexane and ethanol with monoethanolamine additive. The continuous enantioseparation processes included a synchronous shifting process (SMB) and an asynchronous shifting process (VARICOL), which allowed reducing the column number (here from six-column SMB to five-column VARICOL process). Transport-dispersive model with the consideration of both intraparticle mass transfer resistance and axial dispersion was adopted to design and optimize the operation conditions for the separation of aminoglutethimide enantiomers by SMB process and VARICOL process. According to the optimized operation conditions, experiments were carried out on VARICOL-Micro unit using five-column VARICOL process with 1/1.5/1.5/1 configuration and six-column SMB process with 1/2/2/1 configuration. Products of R-aminoglutethimide (R-AG) enantiomer and S-aminoglutethimide (S-AG) enantiomer with more than 99.0% purity were obtained continuously from extract stream and raffinate stream, respectively. Furthermore, the experiemntal data obtained from five-column VARICOL process were compared with that from six-column SMB process, the feasibility and efficiency for the separation of guaifenesin enantiomers by VARICOL processes were evaluated. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated statistical experimental design approach for rapid separation of coenzyme Q10 and identification of its biotechnological process related impurities using UHPLC and UHPLC-APCI-MS.

PubMed

Talluri, Murali V N Kumar; Kalariya, Pradipbhai D; Dharavath, Shireesha; Shaikh, Naeem; Garg, Prabha; Ramisetti, Nageswara Rao; Ragampeta, Srinivas

2016-09-01

A novel ultra high performance liquid chromatography method development strategy was ameliorated by applying quality by design approach. The developed systematic approach was divided into five steps (i) Analytical Target Profile, (ii) Critical Quality Attributes, (iii) Risk Assessments of Critical parameters using design of experiments (screening and optimization phases), (iv) Generation of design space, and (v) Process Capability Analysis (Cp) for robustness study using Monte Carlo simulation. The complete quality-by-design-based method development was made automated and expedited by employing sub-2 μm particles column with an ultra high performance liquid chromatography system. Successful chromatographic separation of the Coenzyme Q10 from its biotechnological process related impurities was achieved on a Waters Acquity phenyl hexyl (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) column with gradient elution of 10 mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH 4.0) and a mixture of acetonitrile/2-propanol (1:1) as the mobile phase. Through this study, fast and organized method development workflow was developed and robustness of the method was also demonstrated. The method was validated for specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, and robustness in compliance to the International Conference on Harmonization, Q2 (R1) guidelines. The impurities were identified by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry technique. Further, the in silico toxicity of impurities was analyzed using TOPKAT and DEREK software. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

75 FR 56059 - Patent Examiner Technical Training Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-15

...); statistical methods in validation of microarry data; personalized medicine, manufacture of carbon nanospheres... processing, growing monocrystals, hydrogen production, liquid and gas purification and separation, making... Systems and Components: Mixed signal design and architecture, flexible displays, OLED display technology...

A Modern Series Of Cinematographic Lenses: From Concept To Product

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neil, lain A.

1988-06-01

In the past photographic "taking" lenses and, in particular, those for the motion picture industry i.e. cinematographic lenses have had a mixed career due to inconsistencies between the processes of lens design, manufacture, testing and calibration and practical assessment in the customer domain. Usually these inconsistencies can be attributed to differences between the comparison of, a lens design "scientifically" made and final evaluation in an "artistic" manner. The following paper addresses the processes of lens design, manufacture, testing and calibration using a combination of acquired practical experience and modern test and calibration methods. Various performance aspects are separately addressed and considered in terms of different means of measurement.

Design of two-column batch-to-batch recirculation to enhance performance in ion-exchange chromatography.

PubMed

Persson, Oliver; Andersson, Niklas; Nilsson, Bernt

2018-01-05

Preparative liquid chromatography is a separation technique widely used in the manufacturing of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals. A major drawback of traditional single-column batch chromatography step is the trade-off between product purity and process performance. Recirculation of impure product can be utilized to make the trade-off more favorable. The aim of the present study was to investigate the usage of a two-column batch-to-batch recirculation process step to increase the performance compared to single-column batch chromatography at a high purity requirement. The separation of a ternary protein mixture on ion-exchange chromatography columns was used to evaluate the proposed process. The investigation used modelling and simulation of the process step, experimental validation and optimization of the simulated process. In the presented case the yield increases from 45.4% to 93.6% and the productivity increases 3.4 times compared to the performance of a batch run for a nominal case. A rapid concentration build-up product can be seen during the first cycles, before the process reaches a cyclic steady-state with reoccurring concentration profiles. The optimization of the simulation model predicts that the recirculated salt can be used as a flying start of the elution, which would enhance the process performance. The proposed process is more complex than a batch process, but may improve the separation performance, especially while operating at cyclic steady-state. The recirculation of impure fractions reduces the product losses and ensures separation of product to a high degree of purity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Silicon production process evaluations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Engineering design of the third distillation column in the process was accomplished. The initial design is based on a 94.35% recovery of dichlorosilane in the distillate and a 99.9% recovery of trichlorosilane in the bottoms. The specified separation is achieved at a reflux ratio of 15 with 20 trays (equilibrium stages). Additional specifications and results are reported including equipment size, temperatures and pressure. Specific raw material requirements necessary to produce the silicon in the process are presented. The primary raw materials include metallurgical grade silicon, silicon tetrachloride, hydrogen, copper (catalyst) and lime (waste treatment). Hydrogen chloride is produced as by product in the silicon deposition. Cost analysis of the process was initiated during this reporting period.

Trajectory Dispersed Vehicle Process for Space Launch System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Statham, Tamara; Thompson, Seth

2017-01-01

The Space Launch System (SLS) vehicle is part of NASA's deep space exploration plans that includes manned missions to Mars. Manufacturing uncertainties in design parameters are key considerations throughout SLS development as they have significant effects on focus parameters such as lift-off-thrust-to-weight, vehicle payload, maximum dynamic pressure, and compression loads. This presentation discusses how the SLS program captures these uncertainties by utilizing a 3 degree of freedom (DOF) process called Trajectory Dispersed (TD) analysis. This analysis biases nominal trajectories to identify extremes in the design parameters for various potential SLS configurations and missions. This process utilizes a Design of Experiments (DOE) and response surface methodologies (RSM) to statistically sample uncertainties, and develop resulting vehicles using a Maximum Likelihood Estimate (MLE) process for targeting uncertainties bias. These vehicles represent various missions and configurations which are used as key inputs into a variety of analyses in the SLS design process, including 6 DOF dispersions, separation clearances, and engine out failure studies.

Deterministic Migration-Based Separation of White Blood Cells.

PubMed

Kim, Byeongyeon; Choi, Young Joon; Seo, Hyekyung; Shin, Eui-Cheol; Choi, Sungyoung

2016-10-01

Functional and phenotypic analyses of peripheral white blood cells provide useful clinical information. However, separation of white blood cells from peripheral blood requires a time-consuming, inconvenient process and thus analyses of separated white blood cells are limited in clinical settings. To overcome this limitation, a microfluidic separation platform is developed to enable deterministic migration of white blood cells, directing the cells into designated positions according to a ridge pattern. The platform uses slant ridge structures on the channel top to induce the deterministic migration, which allows efficient and high-throughput separation of white blood cells from unprocessed whole blood. The extent of the deterministic migration under various rheological conditions is explored, enabling highly efficient migration of white blood cells in whole blood and achieving high-throughput separation of the cells (processing 1 mL of whole blood less than 7 min). In the separated cell population, the composition of lymphocyte subpopulations is well preserved, and T cells secrete cytokines without any functional impairment. On the basis of the results, this microfluidic platform is a promising tool for the rapid enrichment of white blood cells, and it is useful for functional and phenotypic analyses of peripheral white blood cells. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Processing Protocol for Soil Samples Potentially ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Method Operating Procedures This protocol describes the processing steps for 45 g and 9 g soil samples potentially contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores. The protocol is designed to separate and concentrate the spores from bulk soil down to a pellet that can be used for further analysis. Soil extraction solution and mechanical shaking are used to disrupt soil particle aggregates and to aid in the separation of spores from soil particles. Soil samples are washed twice with soil extraction solution to maximize recovery. Differential centrifugation is used to separate spores from the majority of the soil material. The 45 g protocol has been demonstrated by two laboratories using both loamy and sandy soil types. There were no significant differences overall between the two laboratories for either soil type, suggesting that the processing protocol would be robust enough to use at multiple laboratories while achieving comparable recoveries. The 45 g protocol has demonstrated a matrix limit of detection at 14 spores/gram of soil for loamy and sandy soils.

Processing protocol for soil samples potentially contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores [HS7.52.02 - 514

USGS Publications Warehouse

Silvestri, Erin E.; Griffin, Dale W.

2017-01-01

This protocol describes the processing steps for 45 g and 9 g soil samples potentially contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores. The protocol is designed to separate and concentrate the spores from bulk soil down to a pellet that can be used for further analysis. Soil extraction solution and mechanical shaking are used to disrupt soil particle aggregates and to aid in the separation of spores from soil particles. Soil samples are washed twice with soil extraction solution to maximize recovery. Differential centrifugation is used to separate spores from the majority of the soil material. The 45 g protocol has been demonstrated by two laboratories using both loamy and sandy soil types. There were no significant differences overall between the two laboratories for either soil type, suggesting that the processing protocol would be robust enough to use at multiple laboratories while achieving comparable recoveries. The 45 g protocol has demonstrated a matrix limit of detection at 14 spores/gram of soil for loamy and sandy soils.

Improving reliability of a residency interview process.

PubMed

Peeters, Michael J; Serres, Michelle L; Gundrum, Todd E

2013-10-14

To improve the reliability and discrimination of a pharmacy resident interview evaluation form, and thereby improve the reliability of the interview process. In phase 1 of the study, authors used a Many-Facet Rasch Measurement model to optimize an existing evaluation form for reliability and discrimination. In phase 2, interviewer pairs used the modified evaluation form within 4 separate interview stations. In phase 3, 8 interviewers individually-evaluated each candidate in one-on-one interviews. In phase 1, the evaluation form had a reliability of 0.98 with person separation of 6.56; reproducibly, the form separated applicants into 6 distinct groups. Using that form in phase 2 and 3, our largest variation source was candidates, while content specificity was the next largest variation source. The phase 2 g-coefficient was 0.787, while confirmatory phase 3 was 0.922. Process reliability improved with more stations despite fewer interviewers per station-impact of content specificity was greatly reduced with more interview stations. A more reliable, discriminating evaluation form was developed to evaluate candidates during resident interviews, and a process was designed that reduced the impact from content specificity.

Separable Bilayer Microfiltration Device for Label-Free Enrichment of Viable Circulating Tumor Cells.

PubMed

Hao, Sijie; Nisic, Merisa; He, Hongzhang; Tai, Yu-Chong; Zheng, Si-Yang

2017-01-01

Analysis of rare circulating tumor cells enriched from metastatic cancer patients yields critical information on disease progression, therapy response, and the mechanism of cancer metastasis. Here we describe in detail a label-free enrichment process of circulating tumor cells based on its unique physical properties (size and deformability). Viable circulating tumor cells can be successfully enriched and analyzed, or easily released for further characterization due to the novel separable two-layer design.

The Effect of Twins on Critical Currents of High Tc Superconductors

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-01-01

particles to stick together due to electrostatic forces. To overcome this we have formed a slurry of the material in liquid nitrogen and flash...can use and the liquid convection tends to counteract the separation process. We have-now designed a magnetic track which particles will slide down with...Currents of High Tc Superconductors" - A.M. Campbell and M.F. Ashby The initial work on levitation forces and separation of superconducting powders has

Stratification and segregation features of pulverized electronic waste in flowing film concentration.

PubMed

Vidyadhar, A; Chalavadi, G; Das, A

2013-03-30

Gravity separation of metals from plastics in pulverized e-waste using flowing film concentration in a shaking table was investigated. Over 51% rejection of plastics in a single stage operation was achieved under optimum conditions. The shaking table was shown to be suitable for processing ground PCBs. Pulverized e-waste containing 22% metals was enriched to around 40% metals in a single pass. Statistical models for the mass yield of metal-rich stream and its grade were developed by design of experiments. Optimization was carried out to maximize the mass yield at a target product grade and preferred operating regimes were established. Experiments were designed to prevent metal loss and over 95% recovery values were obtained under all conditions. Settling distances of metals and plastics were computed and shown to be good indicators of separation performance. Particle morphology and stratification in the troughs in between the riffles were shown to influence the separation significantly. Water flow-assisted motion of the plastics was captured and its role in determining the effectiveness of separation was described. The efficacy of tabling was well established for treating ground PCBs. The wet process was shown to be environment friendly and sustainable. It is also relatively cheap and has good potential for industrial application. However, rigorous cost estimates will be required before commercial application. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plastics disassembly versus bulk recycling: engineering design for end-of-life electronics resource recovery.

PubMed

Rios, Pedro; Stuart, Julie Ann; Grant, Ed

2003-12-01

Annual plastic flows through the business and consumer electronics manufacturing supply chain include nearly 3 billion lb of high-value engineering plastics derived from petroleum. The recovery of resource value from this stream presents critical challenges in areas of materials identification and recycling process design that demand new green engineering technologies applied together with life cycle assessment and ecological supply chain analysis to create viable plastics-to-plastics supply cycles. The sustainable recovery of potentially high-value engineering plastics streams requires that recyclers either avoid mixing plastic parts or purify later by separating smaller plastic pieces created in volume reduction (shredding) steps. Identification and separation constitute significant barriers in the plastics-to-plastics recycling value proposition. In the present work, we develop a model that accepts randomly arriving electronic products to study scenarios by which a recycler might identify and separate high-value engineering plastics as well as metals. Using discrete eventsimulation,we compare current mixed plastics recovery with spectrochemical plastic resin identification and subsequent sorting. Our results show that limited disassembly with whole-part identification can produce substantial yields in separated streams of recovered engineering thermoplastics. We find that disassembly with identification does not constitute a bottleneck, but rather, with relatively few workers, can be configured to pull the process and thus decrease maximum staging space requirements.

Plasma Separation Process: Betacell (BCELL) code: User's manual. [Bipolar barrier junction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taherzadeh, M.

1987-11-13

The emergence of clearly defined applications for (small or large) amounts of long-life and reliable power sources has given the design and production of betavoltaic systems a new life. Moreover, because of the availability of the plasma separation program, (PSP) at TRW, it is now possible to separate the most desirable radioisotopes for betacell power generating devices. A computer code, named BCELL, has been developed to model the betavoltaic concept by utilizing the available up-to-date source/cell parameters. In this program, attempts have been made to determine the betacell energy device maximum efficiency, degradation due to the emitting source radiation andmore » source/cell lifetime power reduction processes. Additionally, comparison is made between the Schottky and PN junction devices for betacell battery design purposes. Certain computer code runs have been made to determine the JV distribution function and the upper limit of the betacell generated power for specified energy sources. A Ni beta emitting radioisotope was used for the energy source and certain semiconductors were used for the converter subsystem of the betacell system. Some results for a Promethium source are also given here for comparison. 16 refs.« less

The setup of an extraction system coupled to a hydrogen isotopes distillation column

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zamfirache, M.; Bornea, A.; Stefanescu, I.

2008-07-15

Among the most difficult problems of cryogenic distillation one stands apart: the extraction of the heavy fraction. By an optimal design of the cycle scheme, this problem could be avoided. A 'worst case scenario' is usually occurring when the extracted fraction consists of one prevalent isotope such as hydrogen and small amounts of the other two hydrogen isotopes (deuterium and/or tritium). This situation is further complicated by two parameters of the distillation column: the extraction flow rate and the hold-up. The present work proposes the conceptual design of an extraction system associated to the cryogenic distillation column used in hydrogenmore » separation processes. During this process, the heavy fraction (DT, T{sub 2}) is separated, its concentration being the highest at the bottom of the distillation column. From this place the extraction of the gaseous phase can now begin. Being filled with adsorbent, the extraction system is used to temporarily store the heavy fraction. Also the extraction system provides samples for the gas Chromatograph. The research work is focused on the existent pilot plant for tritium and deuterium separation from our institute to validate the experiments carried out until now. (authors)« less

Hydrodynamic Assists Magnetophoreses Rare Cancer cells Separation in Microchannel Simulation and Experimental Verifications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saeed, O.; Duru, L.; Yulin, D.

2018-05-01

A proposed microfluidic design has been fabricated and simulated using COMSOL Multiphysics software, based on two physical models included in this design. The device’s ability to create a narrow stream of the core sample by controlling the sheath flow rates Qs1 and Qs2 in both peripheral channels was investigated. The main target of this paper is to study the possibility of combing the hydrodynamic and magnetic techniques, in order to achieve a high rate of cancer cells separation from a cell mixture and/or buffer sample. The study has been conducted in two stages, firstly, the effects of the sheath flow rates (Qs1 and Qs2) on the sample stream focusing were studied, to find the proposed device effectiveness optimal conditions and its capability in cell focusing, and then the magnetic mechanism has been utilized to finalize the pre-labelled cells separation process.

Piezoresistive Cantilever Performance—Part I: Analytical Model for Sensitivity

PubMed Central

Park, Sung-Jin; Doll, Joseph C.; Pruitt, Beth L.

2010-01-01

An accurate analytical model for the change in resistance of a piezoresistor is necessary for the design of silicon piezoresistive transducers. Ion implantation requires a high-temperature oxidation or annealing process to activate the dopant atoms, and this treatment results in a distorted dopant profile due to diffusion. Existing analytical models do not account for the concentration dependence of piezoresistance and are not accurate for nonuniform dopant profiles. We extend previous analytical work by introducing two nondimensional factors, namely, the efficiency and geometry factors. A practical benefit of this efficiency factor is that it separates the process parameters from the design parameters; thus, designers may address requirements for cantilever geometry and fabrication process independently. To facilitate the design process, we provide a lookup table for the efficiency factor over an extensive range of process conditions. The model was validated by comparing simulation results with the experimentally determined sensitivities of piezoresistive cantilevers. We performed 9200 TSUPREM4 simulations and fabricated 50 devices from six unique process flows; we systematically explored the design space relating process parameters and cantilever sensitivity. Our treatment focuses on piezoresistive cantilevers, but the analytical sensitivity model is extensible to other piezoresistive transducers such as membrane pressure sensors. PMID:20336183

Piezoresistive Cantilever Performance-Part I: Analytical Model for Sensitivity.

PubMed

Park, Sung-Jin; Doll, Joseph C; Pruitt, Beth L

2010-02-01

An accurate analytical model for the change in resistance of a piezoresistor is necessary for the design of silicon piezoresistive transducers. Ion implantation requires a high-temperature oxidation or annealing process to activate the dopant atoms, and this treatment results in a distorted dopant profile due to diffusion. Existing analytical models do not account for the concentration dependence of piezoresistance and are not accurate for nonuniform dopant profiles. We extend previous analytical work by introducing two nondimensional factors, namely, the efficiency and geometry factors. A practical benefit of this efficiency factor is that it separates the process parameters from the design parameters; thus, designers may address requirements for cantilever geometry and fabrication process independently. To facilitate the design process, we provide a lookup table for the efficiency factor over an extensive range of process conditions. The model was validated by comparing simulation results with the experimentally determined sensitivities of piezoresistive cantilevers. We performed 9200 TSUPREM4 simulations and fabricated 50 devices from six unique process flows; we systematically explored the design space relating process parameters and cantilever sensitivity. Our treatment focuses on piezoresistive cantilevers, but the analytical sensitivity model is extensible to other piezoresistive transducers such as membrane pressure sensors.

Hollow fiber apparatus and use thereof for fluids separations and heat and mass transfers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bikson, Benjamin; Etter, Stephen; Ching, Nathaniel

A hollow fiber fluid separation device includes a hollow fiber cartridge, comprising a plurality of hollow fiber membranes arranged around a central tubular core, a first tubesheet and a second tubesheet encapsulating respective distal ends of the hollow fiber bundle. The tubesheets have boreholes in fluid communication with bores of the hollow fiber membrane. In at least one of the tubesheets, the boreholes are formed radially and are in communication with the central tubular core. The hollow fiber fluid separation device can be utilized in liquid separation applications such as ultrafiltration and in gas separation processes such as air separation.more » The design disclosed herein is light weight and compact and is particularly advantageous at high operating temperatures when the pressure of the feed fluid introduced into the bores of hollow fibers is higher than the pressure on the shell side of the device.« less

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: SOIL/SEDIMENT WASHING SYSTEM BERGMANN USA

EPA Science Inventory

The Bergmann USA Soil/Sediment Washing System is a waste minimization technique designed to separate or "partition" soils and sediments by grain size and density. In this water-based volume reduction process, hazardous contaminants are concentrated into a small residual portion...

Real-Time Implementation of Nonlinear Processing Functions.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-08-01

crystal devices and then to use them in a coherent optical data- processing apparatus using halftone masks custom designed at the University oi Southern...California. With the halftone mask technique, we have demonstrated logarithmic nonlinear transformation, allowing us to separate multiplicative images...improved.,_ This device allowed nonlinear functions to be implemented directly wit - out the need for specially made halftone masks. Besides

3D-liquid chromatography as a complex mixture characterization tool for knowledge-based downstream process development.

PubMed

Hanke, Alexander T; Tsintavi, Eleni; Ramirez Vazquez, Maria Del Pilar; van der Wielen, Luuk A M; Verhaert, Peter D E M; Eppink, Michel H M; van de Sandt, Emile J A X; Ottens, Marcel

2016-09-01

Knowledge-based development of chromatographic separation processes requires efficient techniques to determine the physicochemical properties of the product and the impurities to be removed. These characterization techniques are usually divided into approaches that determine molecular properties, such as charge, hydrophobicity and size, or molecular interactions with auxiliary materials, commonly in the form of adsorption isotherms. In this study we demonstrate the application of a three-dimensional liquid chromatography approach to a clarified cell homogenate containing a therapeutic enzyme. Each separation dimension determines a molecular property relevant to the chromatographic behavior of each component. Matching of the peaks across the different separation dimensions and against a high-resolution reference chromatogram allows to assign the determined parameters to pseudo-components, allowing to determine the most promising technique for the removal of each impurity. More detailed process design using mechanistic models requires isotherm parameters. For this purpose, the second dimension consists of multiple linear gradient separations on columns in a high-throughput screening compatible format, that allow regression of isotherm parameters with an average standard error of 8%. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:1283-1291, 2016. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Ionic-Liquid-Based CO2 Capture Systems: Structure, Interaction and Process.

PubMed

Zeng, Shaojuan; Zhang, Xiangping; Bai, Lu; Zhang, Xiaochun; Wang, Hui; Wang, Jianji; Bao, Di; Li, Mengdie; Liu, Xinyan; Zhang, Suojiang

2017-07-26

The inherent structure tunability, good affinity with CO 2 , and nonvolatility of ionic liquids (ILs) drive their exploration and exploitation in CO 2 separation field, and has attracted remarkable interest from both industries and academia. The aim of this Review is to give a detailed overview on the recent advances on IL-based materials, including pure ILs, IL-based solvents, and IL-based membranes for CO 2 capture and separation from the viewpoint of molecule to engineering. The effects of anions, cations and functional groups on CO 2 solubility and selectivity of ILs, as well as the studies on degradability of ILs are reviewed, and the recent developments on functionalized ILs, IL-based solvents, and IL-based membranes are also discussed. CO 2 separation mechanism with IL-based solvents and IL-based membranes are explained by combining molecular simulation and experimental characterization. Taking into consideration of the applications and industrialization, the recent achievements and developments on the transport properties of IL fluids and the process design of IL-based processes are highlighted. Finally, the future research challenges and perspectives of the commercialization of CO 2 capture and separation with IL-based materials are posed.

Modeling the Removal of Xenon from Lithium Hydrate with Aspen HYSYS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Efthimion, Phillip; Gentile, Charles

2011-10-01

The Laser Inertial Fusion Engine (LIFE) project mission is to provide a long-term, carbon-free source of sustainable energy, in the form of electricity. A conceptual xenon removal system has been modeled with the aid of Aspen HYSYS, a chemical process simulator. Aspen HYSYS provides excellent capability to model chemical flow processes, which generates outputs which includes specific variables such as temperature, pressure, and molar flow. The system is designed to strip out hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium. The base design bubbles plasma exhaust laden with x filled with liquid helium. The system separates the xenon from the hydrogen, deuterium, and tritium with a lithium hydrate and a lithium bubbler. After the removal of the hydrogen and its isotopes, the xenon is then purified by way of the process of cryogenic distillation. The pure hydrogen, deuterium, and tritium are then sent to the isotope separation system (ISS). The removal of xenon is an integral part of the laser inertial fusion engine and Aspen HYSYS is an excellent tool to calculate how to create pure xenon.

Flow chemistry and polymer-supported pseudoenantiomeric acylating agents enable parallel kinetic resolution of chiral saturated N-heterocycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreituss, Imants; Bode, Jeffrey W.

2017-05-01

Kinetic resolution is a common method to obtain enantioenriched material from a racemic mixture. This process will deliver enantiopure unreacted material when the selectivity factor of the process, s, is greater than 1; however, the scalemic reaction product is often discarded. Parallel kinetic resolution, on the other hand, provides access to two enantioenriched products from a single racemic starting material, but suffers from a variety of practical challenges regarding experimental design that limit its applications. Here, we describe the development of a flow-based system that enables practical parallel kinetic resolution of saturated N-heterocycles. This process provides access to both enantiomers of the starting material in good yield and high enantiopurity; similar results with classical kinetic resolution would require selectivity factors in the range of s = 100. To achieve this, two immobilized quasienantiomeric acylating agents were designed for the asymmetric acylation of racemic saturated N-heterocycles. Using the flow-based system we could efficiently separate, recover and reuse the polymer-supported reagents. The amide products could be readily separated and hydrolysed to the corresponding amines without detectable epimerization.

Separation of Bacteria, Protozoa and Carbon Nanotubes by Density Gradient Centrifugation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mortimer, Monika; Petersen, Elijah; Buchholz, Bruce

Sustainable production and use of carbon nanotube (CNT)-enabled materials require efficient assessment of CNT environmental hazards, including the potential for CNT bioaccumulation and biomagnification in environmental receptors. Microbes, as abundant organisms responsible for nutrient cycling in soil and water, are important ecological receptors for studying the effects of CNTs. Quantification of CNT association with microbial cells requires efficient separation of CNT-associated cells from individually dispersed CNTs and CNT agglomerates. Here in this paper, we designed, optimized, and demonstrated procedures for separating bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) from unbound multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and MWCNT agglomerates using sucrose density gradient centrifugation. We demonstratemore » separation of protozoa (Tetrahymena thermophila) from MWCNTs, bacterial agglomerates, and protozoan fecal pellets by centrifugation in an iodixanol solution. The presence of MWCNTs in the density gradients after centrifugation was determined by quantification of 14C-labeled MWCNTs; the recovery of microbes from the density gradient media was confirmed by optical microscopy. Protozoan intracellular contents of MWCNTs and of bacteria were also unaffected by the designed separation process. Lastly, the optimized methods contribute to improved efficiency and accuracy in quantifying MWCNT association with bacteria and MWCNT accumulation in protozoan cells, thus supporting improved assessment of CNT bioaccumulation.« less

Separation of Bacteria, Protozoa and Carbon Nanotubes by Density Gradient Centrifugation

DOE PAGES

Mortimer, Monika; Petersen, Elijah; Buchholz, Bruce; ...

2016-10-12

Sustainable production and use of carbon nanotube (CNT)-enabled materials require efficient assessment of CNT environmental hazards, including the potential for CNT bioaccumulation and biomagnification in environmental receptors. Microbes, as abundant organisms responsible for nutrient cycling in soil and water, are important ecological receptors for studying the effects of CNTs. Quantification of CNT association with microbial cells requires efficient separation of CNT-associated cells from individually dispersed CNTs and CNT agglomerates. Here in this paper, we designed, optimized, and demonstrated procedures for separating bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) from unbound multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and MWCNT agglomerates using sucrose density gradient centrifugation. We demonstratemore » separation of protozoa (Tetrahymena thermophila) from MWCNTs, bacterial agglomerates, and protozoan fecal pellets by centrifugation in an iodixanol solution. The presence of MWCNTs in the density gradients after centrifugation was determined by quantification of 14C-labeled MWCNTs; the recovery of microbes from the density gradient media was confirmed by optical microscopy. Protozoan intracellular contents of MWCNTs and of bacteria were also unaffected by the designed separation process. Lastly, the optimized methods contribute to improved efficiency and accuracy in quantifying MWCNT association with bacteria and MWCNT accumulation in protozoan cells, thus supporting improved assessment of CNT bioaccumulation.« less

Separation of Bacteria, Protozoa and Carbon Nanotubes by Density Gradient Centrifugation

PubMed Central

Mortimer, Monika; Petersen, Elijah J.; Buchholz, Bruce A.; Holden, Patricia A.

2016-01-01

Sustainable production and use of carbon nanotube (CNT)-enabled materials require efficient assessment of CNT environmental hazards, including the potential for CNT bioaccumulation and biomagnification in environmental receptors. Microbes, as abundant organisms responsible for nutrient cycling in soil and water, are important ecological receptors for studying the effects of CNTs. Quantification of CNT association with microbial cells requires efficient separation of CNT-associated cells from individually dispersed CNTs and CNT agglomerates. Here, we designed, optimized, and demonstrated procedures for separating bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) from unbound multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and MWCNT agglomerates using sucrose density gradient centrifugation. We demonstrate separation of protozoa (Tetrahymena thermophila) from MWCNTs, bacterial agglomerates, and protozoan fecal pellets by centrifugation in an iodixanol solution. The presence of MWCNTs in the density gradients after centrifugation was determined by quantification of 14C-labeled MWCNTs; the recovery of microbes from the density gradient media was confirmed by optical microscopy. Protozoan intracellular contents of MWCNTs and of bacteria were also unaffected by the designed separation process. The optimized methods contribute to improved efficiency and accuracy in quantifying MWCNT association with bacteria and MWCNT accumulation in protozoan cells, thus supporting improved assessment of CNT bioaccumulation. PMID:27917301

A Centrifugal Contactor Design to Facilitate Remote Replacement

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

David H. Meikrantz; Jack. D. Law; Troy G. Garn

2011-03-01

Advanced designs of nuclear fuel recycling and radioactive waste treatment plants are expected to include more ambitious goals for solvent extraction based separations including; higher separations efficiency, high-level waste minimization, and a greater focus on continuous processes to minimize cost and footprint. Therefore, Annular Centrifugal Contactors (ACCs) are destined to play a more important role for such future processing schemes. This work continues the development of remote designs for ACCs that can process the large throughputs needed for future nuclear fuel recycling and radioactive waste treatment plants. A three stage, 12.5 cm diameter rotor module has been constructed and ismore » being evaluated for use in highly radioactive environments. This prototype assembly employs three standard CINC V-05 clean-in-place (CIP) units modified for remote service and replacement via new methods of connection for solution inlets, outlets, drain and CIP. Hydraulic testing and functional checks were successfully conducted and then the prototype was evaluated for remote handling and maintenance. Removal and replacement of the center position V-05R contactor in the three stage assembly was demonstrated using an overhead rail mounted PaR manipulator. Initial evaluation indicates a viable new design for interconnecting and cleaning individual stages while retaining the benefits of commercially reliable ACC equipment. Replacement of a single stage via remote manipulators and tools is estimated to take about 30 minutes, perhaps fast enough to support a contactor change without loss of process equilibrium. The design presented in this work is scalable to commercial ACC models from V-05 to V-20 with total throughput rates ranging from 20 to 650 liters per minute.« less

Rate- and Temperature-Dependent Material Behavior of a Multilayer Polymer Battery Separator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avdeev, Ilya; Martinsen, Michael; Francis, Alex

2014-01-01

Designing battery packs for safety in automotive applications requires multiscale modeling, as macroscopic deformations due to impact cause the mechanical failure of individual cells on a sub-millimeter level. The separator material plays a critical role in this process, as the thinning or perforating of the separator can lead to thermal runaway and catastrophic failure of an entire battery pack. The electrochemical properties of various polymer separators have been extensively investigated; however, the dependency of mechanical properties of these thin films on various factors, such as high temperature and strain rate, has not been sufficiently characterized. In this study, the macroscopic mechanical properties of a multilayer polymer thin film used as a battery separator are studied experimentally at various temperatures, strain rates, and solvent saturations. Due to the anisotropy of the material, material testing was conducted in two perpendicular directions (machine and transverse directions). Material samples were tested in both dry and saturated conditions at several temperatures, and it was found that temperature and strain rate have a nearly linear effect on the stress experienced by the material. Additionally, saturating the separator material in a common lithium-ion solvent had softened it and had a positive effect on its toughness. The experimental results obtained in this study can be used to develop mathematical constitutive models of the multilayer separator material for subsequent numerical simulations and design.

Separation of polyethylene terephthalate from municipal waste plastics by froth flotation for recycling industry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Chong-Qing; Wang, Hui, E-mail: huiwang1968@163.com; Liu, You-Nian

Highlights: • Factors of NaOH treatment were studied by orthogonal and single factor experiments. • Mechanism of alkaline treatment for facilitating flotation was manifested. • Flotation separation of PET was achieved with high purity and efficiency. • A flow sheet of purification PET from MWP was designed. - Abstract: Recycling is an effective way to manage plastic wastes and receives considerable attention. Since plastic mixtures are difficult to recycle because of their intrinsic characteristics, separation of mixed plastics is the key problem for recycling. Separation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from municipal waste plastics (MWP) by froth flotation combined with alkalinemore » pretreatment was investigated for recycling industry. The effect of process variables was estimated by L{sub 9} (3{sup 4}) orthogonal array of experiments and single factor experiments. The optimum conditions of alkaline pretreatment are 10 wt% sodium hydroxide, 20 min and 70 °C. After alkaline pretreatment under optimum conditions, flotation separation PET from acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene, polystyrene, polycarbonate or polyvinyl chloride was achieved with high purity and efficiency. The purity of PET is up to 98.46% and the recovery is above 92.47%. A flow sheet of separation PET from MWP by a combination of froth flotation and sink float separation was designed. This study facilitates industrial application of plastics flotation and provides technical insights into recycling of waste plastics.« less

Using factorial experimental design to evaluate the separation of plastics by froth flotation.

PubMed

Salerno, Davide; Jordão, Helga; La Marca, Floriana; Carvalho, M Teresa

2018-03-01

This paper proposes the use of factorial experimental design as a standard experimental method in the application of froth flotation to plastic separation instead of the commonly used OVAT method (manipulation of one variable at a time). Furthermore, as is common practice in minerals flotation, the parameters of the kinetic model were used as process responses rather than the recovery of plastics in the separation products. To explain and illustrate the proposed methodology, a set of 32 experimental tests was performed using mixtures of two polymers with approximately the same density, PVC and PS (with mineral charges), with particle size ranging from 2 to 4 mm. The manipulated variables were frother concentration, air flow rate and pH. A three-level full factorial design was conducted. The models establishing the relationships between the manipulated variables and their interactions with the responses (first order kinetic model parameters) were built. The Corrected Akaike Information Criterion was used to select the best fit model and an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to identify the statistically significant terms of the model. It was shown that froth flotation can be used to efficiently separate PVC from PS with mineral charges by reducing the floatability of PVC, which largely depends on the action of pH. Within the tested interval, this is the factor that most affects the flotation rate constants. The results obtained show that the pure error may be of the same magnitude as the sum of squares of the errors, suggesting that there is significant variability within the same experimental conditions. Thus, special care is needed when evaluating and generalizing the process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrophoresis in space.

PubMed

Bauer, J; Hymer, W C; Morrison, D R; Kobayashi, H; Seaman, G V; Weber, G

1999-01-01

Programs for free flow electrophoresis in microgravity over the past 25 years are reviewed. Several studies accomplished during 20 spaceflight missions have demonstrated that sample throughput is significantly higher in microgravity than on the ground. Some studies have shown that resolution is also increased. However, many cell separation trials have fallen victim to difficulties associated with experimenting in the microgravity environment such as microbial contamination, air bubbles in electrophoresis chambers, and inadequate facilities for maintaining cells before and after separation. Recent studies suggest that the charge density of cells at their surface may also be modified in microgravity. If this result is confirmed, a further cellular mechanism of "sensing" the low gravity environment will have been found. Several free fluid electrophoresis devices are now available. Most have been tried at least once in microgravity. Newer units not yet tested in spaceflight have been designed to accommodate problems associated with space processing. The USCEPS device and the Japanese FFEU device are specifically designed for sterile operations, whereas the Octopus device is designed to reduce electroosmotic and electrohydrodynamic effects, which become dominant and detrimental in microgravity. Some of these devices will also separate proteins by zone electrophoresis, isotachophoresis, or isoelectric focusing in a single unit. Separation experiments with standard test particles are useful and necessary for testing and optimizing new space hardware. A cohesive free fluid electrophoresis program in the future will obviously require (1) flight opportunities and funding, (2) identification of suitable cellular and macromolecular candidate samples, and (3) provision of a proper interface of electrophoresis processing equipment with biotechnological facilities--equipment like bioreactors and protein crystal growth chambers. The authors feel that such capabilities will lead to the production of commercially useful quantities of target products and to an accumulation of new knowledge relating to the complexities of electrostatic phenomena at the cell surface.

Electric Field Induce Blue Shift and Intensity Enhancement in 2D Exciplex Organic Light Emitting Diodes; Controlling Electron-Hole Separation.

PubMed

Al Attar, Hameed A; Monkman, Andy P

2016-09-01

A simple but novel method is designed to study the characteristics of the exciplex state pinned at a donor-acceptor abrupt interface and the effect an external electric field has on these excited states. The reverse Onsager process, where the field induces blue-shifted emission and increases the efficiency of the exciplex emission as the e-h separation reduces, is discussed. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

40 CFR 63.681 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... drain system, a gravity-operated conveyor (such as a chute), and a mechanically-powered conveyor (such... features permanently integrated into the design of the unit. Emission point means an individual tank, surface impoundment, container, oil-water or organic-water separator, transfer system, process vent, or...

40 CFR 63.681 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... drain system, a gravity-operated conveyor (such as a chute), and a mechanically-powered conveyor (such... features permanently integrated into the design of the unit. Emission point means an individual tank, surface impoundment, container, oil-water or organic-water separator, transfer system, process vent, or...

40 CFR 63.681 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... drain system, a gravity-operated conveyor (such as a chute), and a mechanically-powered conveyor (such... features permanently integrated into the design of the unit. Emission point means an individual tank, surface impoundment, container, oil-water or organic-water separator, transfer system, process vent, or...

Research on single-chip microcomputer controlled rotating magnetic field mineralization model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yang; Qi, Yulin; Yang, Junxiao; Li, Na

2017-08-01

As one of the method of selecting ore, the magnetic separation method has the advantages of stable operation, simple process flow, high beneficiation efficiency and no chemical environment pollution. But the existing magnetic separator are more mechanical, the operation is not flexible, and can not change the magnetic field parameters according to the precision of the ore needed. Based on the existing magnetic separator is mechanical, the rotating magnetic field can be used for single chip microcomputer control as the research object, design and trial a rotating magnetic field processing prototype, and through the single-chip PWM pulse output to control the rotation of the magnetic field strength and rotating magnetic field speed. This method of using pure software to generate PWM pulse to control rotary magnetic field beneficiation, with higher flexibility, accuracy and lower cost, can give full play to the performance of single-chip.

MS-Electronic Nose Performance Improvement Using GC Retention Times And 2-Way And 3-Way Data Processing Methods

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burian, Cosmin; Llobet, Eduard; Vilanova, Xavier

We have designed a challenging experimental sample set in the form of 20 solutions with a high degree of similarity in order to study whether the addition of chromatographic separation information improves the performance of regular MS based electronic noses. In order to make an initial study of the approach, two different chromatographic methods were used. By processing the data of these experiments with 2 and 3-way algorithms, we have shown that the addition of chromatographic separation information improves the results compared to the 2-way analysis of mass spectra or total ion chromatogram treated separately. Our findings show that whenmore » the chromatographic peaks are resolved (longer measurement times), 2-way methods work better than 3-way methods, whereas in the case of a more challenging measurement (more coeluted chromatograms, much faster GC-MS measurements) 3-way methods work better.« less

Issues on the production and electrochemical separation of oxygen from carbon dioxide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaloupis, P.; Sridhar, K. R.

1991-01-01

There is considerable interest in in-situ propellant manufacturing on the moon and Mars. One of the concepts of oxygen production that is being actively pursued is the processing of atmospheric carbon dioxide on Mars to produce oxygen by means of thermal decomposition and electrochemical separation. The key component of such a production facility is the electrochemical separation cell that filters out the oxygen from the gas mixture of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and oxygen. Efficient design of the separation cell and the selection of electrolyte and electrode materials of superior performance for the cell would translate to significant reduction in the power requirement and the mass of the production facility. The objective is to develop the technology required to produce the cells in-house and test various electrolyte and electrode materials systematically until the optimal combination is found. An effective technique was developed for the fabrication of disk shaped cells. Zirconia and Ceria cells were made in-house. Complete modules of the electrochemical cell and housings were designed, fabricated, and tested.

Integration of Design, Thermal, Structural, and Optical Analysis, Including Thermal Animation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Amundsen, Ruth M.

1993-01-01

In many industries there has recently been a concerted movement toward 'quality management' and the issue of how to accomplish work more efficiently. Part of this effort is focused on concurrent engineering; the idea of integrating the design and analysis processes so that they are not separate, sequential processes (often involving design rework due to analytical findings) but instead form an integrated system with smooth transfers of information. Presented herein are several specific examples of concurrent engineering methods being carried out at Langley Research Center (LaRC): integration of thermal, structural and optical analyses to predict changes in optical performance based on thermal and structural effects; integration of the CAD design process with thermal and structural analyses; and integration of analysis and presentation by animating the thermal response of a system as an active color map -- a highly effective visual indication of heat flow.

Functional membranes. Present and future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kunitake, T.

1982-01-01

The present situation and the future development of the functional membrane are discussed. It is expected that functional membranes will play increasingly greater roles in the chemical industry of the coming decade. These membranes are formed from polymer films, liquid membranes or bilayer membranes. The two most important technologies based on the polymeric membrane are reverse osmosis and ion exchange. The liquid membrane is used for separation of ionic species; an extension of the solvent extraction process. By using appropriate ligands and ionophores, highly selective separations are realized. The active transport is made possible if the physical and chemical potentials are applied to the transport process. More advanced functional membranes may be designed on the basis of the synthetic bilayer membrane.

Femtosecond laser ablated durable superhydrophobic PTFE films with micro-through-holes for oil/water separation: Separating oil from water and corrosive solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yong, Jiale; Fang, Yao; Chen, Feng; Huo, Jinglan; Yang, Qing; Bian, Hao; Du, Guangqing; Hou, Xun

2016-12-01

Separating the mixture of water and oil by the superhydrophobic porous materials has attracted increasing research interests; however, the surface microstructures and chemical composition of those materials are easily destroyed in a harsh environment, resulting in materials losing the superhydrophobicity as well as the oil/water separation function. In this paper, a kind of rough microstructures was formed on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sheet by femtosecond laser treatment. The rough surfaces showed durable superhydrophobicity and ultralow water adhesion even after storing in various harsh environment for a long time, including strong acid, strong alkali, and high temperature. A micro-through-holes array was further generated on the rough superhydrophobic PTFE film by a subsequent mechanical drilling process. The resultant sample was successfully applied in the field of oil/water separation due to the inverse superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity. The designed separation system is also very efficient to separate the mixtures of oil and corrosive acid/alkali solutions, exhibiting the strong potential for practical application.

Development of superconducting high gradient magnetic separation system for highly viscous fluid for practical use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashi, S.; Mishima, F.; Akiyama, Y.; Nishijima, S.

2011-11-01

In the industrial plants processing highly viscous fluid such as foods or industrial products, it is necessary to remove the metallic wear debris originating from pipe in manufacturing line which triggers quality loss. In this study, we developed a high gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) system which consists of superconducting magnet to remove the metallic wear debris. The magnetic separation experiment and the particle trajectory simulation were conducted with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a model material (viscosity coefficient was 10 Pa s, which is 10,000 times higher than that in water). In order to develop a magnetic separation system for practical use, the particle trajectory simulation by using solenoidal superconducting magnet was conducted, and the possibility of the magnetic separation for removing ferromagnetic stainless steel (SUS) particles in highly viscous fluid of 10 Pa s was indicated. Based on the results, the number of filters to obtain required separation efficiency was examined to design the practical separation system.

Risk-based process safety assessment and control measures design for offshore process facilities.

PubMed

Khan, Faisal I; Sadiq, Rehan; Husain, Tahir

2002-09-02

Process operation is the most hazardous activity next to the transportation and drilling operation on an offshore oil and gas (OOG) platform. Past experiences of onshore and offshore oil and gas activities have revealed that a small mis-happening in the process operation might escalate to a catastrophe. This is of especial concern in the OOG platform due to the limited space and compact geometry of the process area, less ventilation, and difficult escape routes. On an OOG platform, each extra control measure, which is implemented, not only occupies space on the platform and increases congestion but also adds extra load to the platform. Eventualities in the OOG platform process operation can be avoided through incorporating the appropriate control measures at the early design stage. In this paper, the authors describe a methodology for risk-based process safety decision making for OOG activities. The methodology is applied to various offshore process units, that is, the compressor, separators, flash drum and driers of an OOG platform. Based on the risk potential, appropriate safety measures are designed for each unit. This paper also illustrates that implementation of the designed safety measures reduces the high Fatal accident rate (FAR) values to an acceptable level.

Optimal Synthesis of Compliant Mechanisms using Subdivision and Commercial FEA (DETC2004-57497)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hull, Patrick V.; Canfield, Stephen

2004-01-01

The field of distributed-compliance mechanisms has seen significant work in developing suitable topology optimization tools for their design. These optimal design tools have grown out of the techniques of structural optimization. This paper will build on the previous work in topology optimization and compliant mechanism design by proposing an alternative design space parameterization through control points and adding another step to the process, that of subdivision. The control points allow a specific design to be represented as a solid model during the optimization process. The process of subdivision creates an additional number of control points that help smooth the surface (for example a C(sup 2) continuous surface depending on the method of subdivision chosen) creating a manufacturable design free of some traditional numerical instabilities. Note that these additional control points do not add to the number of design parameters. This alternative parameterization and description as a solid model effectively and completely separates the design variables from the analysis variables during the optimization procedure. The motivation behind this work is to create an automated design tool from task definition to functional prototype created on a CNC or rapid-prototype machine. This paper will describe the proposed compliant mechanism design process and will demonstrate the procedure on several examples common in the literature.

Effect of Inlet and Outlet Flow Conditions on Natural Gas Parameters in Supersonic Separation Process

PubMed Central

Yang, Yan; Wen, Chuang; Wang, Shuli; Feng, Yuqing

2014-01-01

A supersonic separator has been introduced to remove water vapour from natural gas. The mechanisms of the upstream and downstream influences are not well understood for various flow conditions from the wellhead and the back pipelines. We used a computational model to investigate the effect of the inlet and outlet flow conditions on the supersonic separation process. We found that the shock wave was sensitive to the inlet or back pressure compared to the inlet temperature. The shock position shifted forward with a higher inlet or back pressure. It indicated that an increasing inlet pressure declined the pressure recovery capacity. Furthermore, the shock wave moved out of the diffuser when the ratio of the back pressure to the inlet one was greater than 0.75, in which the state of the low pressure and temperature was destroyed, resulting in the re-evaporation of the condensed liquids. Natural gas would be the subsonic flows in the whole supersonic separator, if the mass flow rate was less than the design value, and it could not reach the low pressure and temperature for the condensation and separation of the water vapor. These results suggested a guidance mechanism for natural gas supersonic separation in various flow conditions. PMID:25338207

Continuous Processing With Mars Gases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parrish, Clyde; Jennings, Paul

2000-01-01

Current Martian missions call for the production of oxygen for breathing, and fuel and oxygen for propulsion to be produced from atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Adsorption and freezing are the two methods considered for capturing CO2 from the atmosphere. However, the nitrogen (N2) and argon (Ar), which make up less than 5 percent of the atmosphere, cause difficulties with both of these processes by blocking the CO2. This results in the capture process rapidly changing from a pressure driven process to a diffusion controlled process. To increase the CO2 capture rates, some type of mechanical pump is usually proposed to remove the N2 and Ar. The N2 and Ar are useful and have been proposed for blanketing and pressurizing fuel tanks and as buffer gas for breathing air for manned missions. Separation of the Martian gases with the required purity can be accomplished with a combination of membranes. These membrane systems do not require a high feed pressure and provide suitable separation. Therefore, by use of the appropriate membrane combination with the Martian atmosphere supplied by a compressor a continuous Supply Of CO2 for fuel and oxygen production can be supplied. This phase of our program has focused on the selection of the membrane system. Since permeation data for membranes did not exist for Martian atmospheric pressures and temperatures, this information had to be compiled. The general trend as the temperature was lowered was for the membranes to become more selective. In addition, the relative permeation rates between the three gases changed with temperature. The end result was to provide design parameters that could be used to separate CO2 from N2 and Ar. This paper will present the membrane data, provide the design requirements for a compressor, and compare the results with adsorption and freezer methods.

Continuous Processing with Mars Gases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parrish, Clyde; Jennings, Paul; Delgado, Hugo (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Current Martian missions call for the production of oxygen for breathing, and fuel and oxygen for propulsion to be produced from atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Adsorption and freezing are the two methods considered for capturing CO, from the atmosphere. However, the nitrogen (N2) and argon (Ar), which make up less than 5 percent of the atmosphere, cause difficulties with both of these processes by blocking the CO2, This results in the capture process rapidly changing from a pressure driven process to a diffusion controlled process. To increase the CO, capture rates, some type of mechanical pump is usually proposed to remove the N2 and Ar. The N2 and Ar are useful and have been proposed for blanketing and pressurizing fuel tanks and as buffer gas for breathing air for manned missions. Separation of the Martian gases with the required purity can be accomplished with a combination of membranes. These membrane systems do not require a high feed pressure and provide suitable separation. Therefore, by use of the appropriate membrane combination with the Martian atmosphere supplied by a compressor a continuous supply of CO2 for fuel and oxygen production can be supplied. This phase of our program has focused on the selection of the membrane system. Since permeation data for membranes did not exist for Martian atmospheric pressures and temperatures, this information had to be compiled. The general trend as the temperature was lowered was for the membranes to become more selective. In addition, the relative permeation rates between the three gases changed with temperature. The end result was to provide design parameters that could be used to separate CO2 from N2 and Ar. This paper will present the membrane data, provide the design requirements for a compressor, and compare the results with adsorption and freezer methods.

Design Automation for Streaming Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-16

which are FIFO buffered channels. We develop a process network model for streaming sys - tems (TDFPN) and a hardware description language with built in...and may include an automatic address generator. A complete synthesis sys - tem would provide separate segment operator implementations for every...Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing (ICASSP ’89), pages 988– 991, 1989. [Luk et al., 1997] Wayne Luk, Nabeel Shirazi, and Peter Y. K. Cheung

Generic Health Management: A System Engineering Process Handbook Overview and Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Moses Lee; Spruill, Jim; Hong, Yin Paw

1995-01-01

Health Management, a System Engineering Process, is one of those processes-techniques-and-technologies used to define, design, analyze, build, verify, and operate a system from the viewpoint of preventing, or minimizing, the effects of failure or degradation. It supports all ground and flight elements during manufacturing, refurbishment, integration, and operation through combined use of hardware, software, and personnel. This document will integrate Health Management Processes (six phases) into five phases in such a manner that it is never a stand alone task/effort which separately defines independent work functions.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Salama, A.; Mikhail, M.

Comprehensive software packages have been developed at the Western Research Centre as tools to help coal preparation engineers analyze, evaluate, and control coal cleaning processes. The COal Preparation Software package (COPS) performs three functions: (1) data handling and manipulation, (2) data analysis, including the generation of washability data, performance evaluation and prediction, density and size modeling, evaluation of density and size partition characteristics and attrition curves, and (3) generation of graphics output. The Separation ChARacteristics Estimation software packages (SCARE) are developed to balance raw density or size separation data. The cases of density and size separation data are considered. Themore » generated balanced data can take the balanced or normalized forms. The scaled form is desirable for direct determination of the partition functions (curves). The raw and generated separation data are displayed in tabular and/or graphical forms. The computer softwares described in this paper are valuable tools for coal preparation plant engineers and operators for evaluating process performance, adjusting plant parameters, and balancing raw density or size separation data. These packages have been applied very successfully in many projects carried out by WRC for the Canadian coal preparation industry. The software packages are designed to run on a personal computer (PC).« less

Trivalent Lanthanide/Actinide Separation Using Aqueous-Modified TALSPEAK Chemistry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Travis S. Grimes; Richard D. Tillotson; Leigh R. Martin

TALSPEAK is a liquid/liquid extraction process designed to separate trivalent lanthanides (Ln3+) from minor actinides (MAs) Am3+ and Cm3+. Traditional TALSPEAK organic phase is comprised of a monoacidic dialkyl bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid extractant (HDEHP) in diisopropyl benzene (DIPB). The aqueous phase contains a soluble aminopolycarboxylate diethylenetriamine-N,N,N’,N”,N”-pentaacetic acid (DTPA) in a concentrated (1.0-2.0 M) lactic acid (HL) buffer with the aqueous acidity typically adjusted to pH 3.0. TALSPEAK balances the selective complexation of the actinides by DTPA against the electrostatic attraction of the lanthanides by the HDEHP extractant to achieve the desired trivalent lanthanide/actinide group separation. Although TALSPEAK is considered a successfulmore » separations scheme, recent fundamental studies have highlighted complex chemical interactions occurring in the aqueous and organic phases during the extraction process. Previous attempts to model the system have shown thermodynamic models do not accurately predict the observed extraction trends in the p[H+] range 2.5-4.8. In this study, the aqueous phase is modified by replacing the lactic acid buffer with a variety of simple and longer-chain amino acid buffers. The results show successful trivalent lanthanide/actinide group separation with the aqueous-modified TALSPEAK process at pH 2. The amino acid buffer concentrations were reduced to 0.5 M (at pH 2) and separations were performed without any effect on phase transfer kinetics. Successful modeling of the aqueous-modified TALSPEAK process (p[H+] 1.6-3.1) using a simplified thermodynamic model and an internally consistent set of thermodynamic data is presented.« less

Instantaneous and Frequency-Warped Signal Processing Techniques for Auditory Source Separation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Avery Li-Chun

This thesis summarizes several contributions to the areas of signal processing and auditory source separation. The philosophy of Frequency-Warped Signal Processing is introduced as a means for separating the AM and FM contributions to the bandwidth of a complex-valued, frequency-varying sinusoid p (n), transforming it into a signal with slowly-varying parameters. This transformation facilitates the removal of p (n) from an additive mixture while minimizing the amount of damage done to other signal components. The average winding rate of a complex-valued phasor is explored as an estimate of the instantaneous frequency. Theorems are provided showing the robustness of this measure. To implement frequency tracking, a Frequency-Locked Loop algorithm is introduced which uses the complex winding error to update its frequency estimate. The input signal is dynamically demodulated and filtered to extract the envelope. This envelope may then be remodulated to reconstruct the target partial, which may be subtracted from the original signal mixture to yield a new, quickly-adapting form of notch filtering. Enhancements to the basic tracker are made which, under certain conditions, attain the Cramer -Rao bound for the instantaneous frequency estimate. To improve tracking, the novel idea of Harmonic -Locked Loop tracking, using N harmonically constrained trackers, is introduced for tracking signals, such as voices and certain musical instruments. The estimated fundamental frequency is computed from a maximum-likelihood weighting of the N tracking estimates, making it highly robust. The result is that harmonic signals, such as voices, can be isolated from complex mixtures in the presence of other spectrally overlapping signals. Additionally, since phase information is preserved, the resynthesized harmonic signals may be removed from the original mixtures with relatively little damage to the residual signal. Finally, a new methodology is given for designing linear-phase FIR filters which require a small fraction of the computational power of conventional FIR implementations. This design strategy is based on truncated and stabilized IIR filters. These signal-processing methods have been applied to the problem of auditory source separation, resulting in voice separation from complex music that is significantly better than previous results at far lower computational cost.

Automated product recovery in a HG-196 photochemical isotope separation process

DOEpatents

Grossman, Mark W.; Speer, Richard

1992-01-01

A method of removing deposited product from a photochemical reactor used in the enrichment of .sup.196 Hg has been developed and shown to be effective for rapid re-cycling of the reactor system. Unlike previous methods relatively low temperatures are used in a gas and vapor phase process of removal. Importantly, the recovery process is understood in a quantitative manner so that scaling design to larger capacity systems can be easily carried out.

Complexity and performance of on-chip biochemical assays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopf-Sill, Anne R.; Nikiforov, Theo; Bousse, Luc J.; Nagle, Rob; Parce, J. W.

1997-03-01

The use of microchips for performing biochemical processes has the potential to reduce reagent use and thus assay costs, increase throughput, and automate complex processes. We are building a multifunctional platform that provides sensing and actuation functions for a variety of microchip- based biochemical and analytical processes. Here we describe recent experiments that include on-chip dilution, reagent mixing, reaction, separation, and detection for important classes of biochemical assays. Issues in chip design and control are discussed.

Automated product recovery in a Hg-196 photochemical isotope separation process

DOEpatents

Grossman, M.W.; Speer, R.

1992-07-21

A method of removing deposited product from a photochemical reactor used in the enrichment of [sup 196]Hg has been developed and shown to be effective for rapid re-cycling of the reactor system. Unlike previous methods relatively low temperatures are used in a gas and vapor phase process of removal. Importantly, the recovery process is understood in a quantitative manner so that scaling design to larger capacity systems can be easily carried out. 2 figs.

Designing and Implementing a Clinician Workstation

PubMed Central

Tape, Thomas G.; Campbell, James R.

1993-01-01

We describe a simple approach to designing and quickly implementing a clinician workstation that helps practitioners access a variety of information resources. Using easy-to-use graphical tools, we installed a pilot workstation in our clinics. We were able to accommodate most of our users' needs and have a functional workstation installed in two months. This is the first step of an evolutionary process moving from separate tasks to full application integration.

Texas A&M vortex type phase separator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Best, Frederick

2000-01-01

Phase separation is required for regenerative biological and chemical process systems as well as thermal transport and rejection systems. Liquid and gas management requirements for future spacecraft will demand small, passive systems able to operate over wide ranges of inlet qualities. Conservation and recycling of air and water is a necessary part of the construction and operation of the International Space Station as well as future long duration space missions. Space systems are sensitive to volume, mass, and power. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method to recycle wastewater with minimal power consumption. Regenerative life support systems currently being investigated require phase separation to separate the liquid from the gas produced. The microgravity phase separator designed and fabricated at Texas A&M University relies on centripetal driven buoyancy forces to form a gas-liquid vortex within a fixed, right-circular cylinder. Two-phase flow is injected tangentially along the inner wall of this cylinder producing a radial acceleration gradient. The gradient produced from the intrinsic momentum of the injected mixture results in a rotating flow that drives the buoyancy process by the production of a hydrostatic pressure gradient. Texas A&M has flown several KC-135 flights with separator. These flights have included scaling studies, stability and transient investigations, and tests for inventory instrumentation. Among the hardware tested have been passive devices for separating mixed vapor/liquid streams into single-phase streams of vapor only and liquid only. .

S3D depth-axis interaction for video games: performance and engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zerebecki, Chris; Stanfield, Brodie; Hogue, Andrew; Kapralos, Bill; Collins, Karen

2013-03-01

Game developers have yet to embrace and explore the interactive stereoscopic 3D medium. They typically view stereoscopy as a separate mode that can be disabled throughout the design process and rarely develop game mechanics that take advantage of the stereoscopic 3D medium. What if we designed games to be S3D-specific and viewed traditional 2D viewing as a separate mode that can be disabled? The design choices made throughout such a process may yield interesting and compelling results. Furthermore, we believe that interaction within a stereoscopic 3D environment is more important than the visual experience itself and therefore, further exploration is needed to take into account the interactive affordances presented by stereoscopic 3D displays. Stereoscopic 3D displays allow players to perceive objects at different depths, thus we hypothesize that designing a core mechanic to take advantage of this viewing paradigm will create compelling content. In this paper, we describe Z-Fighter a game that we have developed that requires the player to interact directly along the stereoscopic 3D depth axis. We also outline an experiment conducted to investigate the performance, perception, and enjoyment of this game in stereoscopic 3D vs. traditional 2D viewing.

An Elective Course in Separation Processes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wankat, Phillip C.

1981-01-01

Reviews an elective course designed to incorporate: (1) study of operating methods for adsorption, chromatography, and ion exchange in a pattern set by the instructor; (2) study of student selected topics with instructor developed lectures and assignments; and (3) course project done by each student. (SK)

Strategies for Efficient Charge Separation and Transfer in Artificial Photosynthesis of Solar Fuels.

PubMed

Xu, Yuxing; Li, Ailong; Yao, Tingting; Ma, Changtong; Zhang, Xianwen; Shah, Jafar Hussain; Han, Hongxian

2017-11-23

Converting sunlight to solar fuels by artificial photosynthesis is an innovative science and technology for renewable energy. Light harvesting, photogenerated charge separation and transfer (CST), and catalytic reactions are the three primary steps in the processes involved in the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy (SE-CE). Among the processes, CST is the key "energy pump and delivery" step in determining the overall solar-energy conversion efficiency. Efficient CST is always high priority in designing and assembling artificial photosynthesis systems for solar-fuel production. This Review not only introduces the fundamental strategies for CST but also the combinatory application of these strategies to five types of the most-investigated semiconductor-based artificial photosynthesis systems: particulate, Z-scheme, hybrid, photoelectrochemical, and photovoltaics-assisted systems. We show that artificial photosynthesis systems with high SE-CE efficiency can be rationally designed and constructed through combinatory application of these strategies, setting a promising blueprint for the future of solar fuels. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

An integrated MEMS infrastructure for fuel processing: hydrogen generation and separation for portable power generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varady, M. J.; McLeod, L.; Meacham, J. M.; Degertekin, F. L.; Fedorov, A. G.

2007-09-01

Portable fuel cells are an enabling technology for high efficiency and ultra-high density distributed power generation, which is essential for many terrestrial and aerospace applications. A key element of fuel cell power sources is the fuel processor, which should have the capability to efficiently reform liquid fuels and produce high purity hydrogen that is consumed by the fuel cells. To this end, we are reporting on the development of two novel MEMS hydrogen generators with improved functionality achieved through an innovative process organization and system integration approach that exploits the advantages of transport and catalysis on the micro/nano scale. One fuel processor design utilizes transient, reverse-flow operation of an autothermal MEMS microreactor with an intimately integrated, micromachined ultrasonic fuel atomizer and a Pd/Ag membrane for in situ hydrogen separation from the product stream. The other design features a simpler, more compact planar structure with the atomized fuel ejected directly onto the catalyst layer, which is coupled to an integrated hydrogen selective membrane.

Systematic process synthesis and design methods for cost effective waste minimization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Biegler, L.T.; Grossman, I.E.; Westerberg, A.W.

We present progress on our work to develop synthesis methods to aid in the design of cost effective approaches to waste minimization. Work continues to combine the approaches of Douglas and coworkers and of Grossmann and coworkers on a hierarchical approach where bounding information allows it to fit within a mixed integer programming approach. We continue work on the synthesis of reactors and of flexible separation processes. In the first instance, we strive for methods we can use to reduce the production of potential pollutants, while in the second we look for ways to recover and recycle solvents.

Advanced information processing system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lala, J. H.

1984-01-01

Design and performance details of the advanced information processing system (AIPS) for fault and damage tolerant data processing on aircraft and spacecraft are presented. AIPS comprises several computers distributed throughout the vehicle and linked by a damage tolerant data bus. Most I/O functions are available to all the computers, which run in a TDMA mode. Each computer performs separate specific tasks in normal operation and assumes other tasks in degraded modes. Redundant software assures that all fault monitoring, logging and reporting are automated, together with control functions. Redundant duplex links and damage-spread limitation provide the fault tolerance. Details of an advanced design of a laboratory-scale proof-of-concept system are described, including functional operations.

Separation of granulocytes from whole blood by leukoadhesion, phase 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Capillary glass tubes are investigated for the separation and retrieval of large quantities of viable granulocytes and monocytes from whole blood on a continuous basis from a single donor. This effort represented the feasibility demonstration of a three phase program for development of a capillary tube cell separation device. The activity included the analysis and parametric laboratory testing with subscale models required to design a prototype device. Capillary tubes 40 cm long with a nominal 0.030 cm internal diameter yielded the highest total process efficiency. Recovery efficiencies as high as 89% of the adhering cell population were obtained. Granulocyte phagocytosis of latex particles indicated approximately 90% viability. Monocytes recovered from the separation column retained their capability to stimulate human bone marrow colony growth, as demonstrated in an in vitro cell culture assay.

An integral design strategy combining optical system and image processing to obtain high resolution images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jiaoyang; Wang, Lin; Yang, Ying; Gong, Rui; Shao, Xiaopeng; Liang, Chao; Xu, Jun

2016-05-01

In this paper, an integral design that combines optical system with image processing is introduced to obtain high resolution images, and the performance is evaluated and demonstrated. Traditional imaging methods often separate the two technical procedures of optical system design and imaging processing, resulting in the failures in efficient cooperation between the optical and digital elements. Therefore, an innovative approach is presented to combine the merit function during optical design together with the constraint conditions of image processing algorithms. Specifically, an optical imaging system with low resolution is designed to collect the image signals which are indispensable for imaging processing, while the ultimate goal is to obtain high resolution images from the final system. In order to optimize the global performance, the optimization function of ZEMAX software is utilized and the number of optimization cycles is controlled. Then Wiener filter algorithm is adopted to process the image simulation and mean squared error (MSE) is taken as evaluation criterion. The results show that, although the optical figures of merit for the optical imaging systems is not the best, it can provide image signals that are more suitable for image processing. In conclusion. The integral design of optical system and image processing can search out the overall optimal solution which is missed by the traditional design methods. Especially, when designing some complex optical system, this integral design strategy has obvious advantages to simplify structure and reduce cost, as well as to gain high resolution images simultaneously, which has a promising perspective of industrial application.

Improving Reliability of a Residency Interview Process

PubMed Central

Serres, Michelle L.; Gundrum, Todd E.

2013-01-01

Objective. To improve the reliability and discrimination of a pharmacy resident interview evaluation form, and thereby improve the reliability of the interview process. Methods. In phase 1 of the study, authors used a Many-Facet Rasch Measurement model to optimize an existing evaluation form for reliability and discrimination. In phase 2, interviewer pairs used the modified evaluation form within 4 separate interview stations. In phase 3, 8 interviewers individually-evaluated each candidate in one-on-one interviews. Results. In phase 1, the evaluation form had a reliability of 0.98 with person separation of 6.56; reproducibly, the form separated applicants into 6 distinct groups. Using that form in phase 2 and 3, our largest variation source was candidates, while content specificity was the next largest variation source. The phase 2 g-coefficient was 0.787, while confirmatory phase 3 was 0.922. Process reliability improved with more stations despite fewer interviewers per station—impact of content specificity was greatly reduced with more interview stations. Conclusion. A more reliable, discriminating evaluation form was developed to evaluate candidates during resident interviews, and a process was designed that reduced the impact from content specificity. PMID:24159209

Experiments on water detritiation and cryogenic distillation at TLK; Impact on ITER fuel cycle subsystems interfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cristescu, I.; Cristescu, I. R.; Doerr, L.

2008-07-15

The ITER Isotope Separation System (ISS) and Water Detritiation System (WDS) should be integrated in order to reduce potential chronic tritium emissions from the ISS. This is achieved by routing the top (protium) product from the ISS to a feed point near the bottom end of the WDS Liquid Phase Catalytic Exchange (LPCE) column. This provides an additional barrier against ISS emissions and should mitigate the memory effects due to process parameter fluctuations in the ISS. To support the research activities needed to characterize the performances of various components for WDS and ISS processes under various working conditions and configurationsmore » as needed for ITER design, an experimental facility called TRENTA representative of the ITER WDS and ISS protium separation column, has been commissioned and is in operation at TLK The experimental program on TRENTA facility is conducted to provide the necessary design data related to the relevant ITER operating modes. The operation availability and performances of ISS-WDS have impact on ITER fuel cycle subsystems with consequences on the design integration. The preliminary experimental data on TRENTA facility are presented. (authors)« less

Ab initio design of laser pulses to control molecular motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balint-Kurti, Gabriel; Ren, Qinghua; Manby, Frederick; Artamonov, Maxim; Ho, Tak-San; Rabitz, Herschel; Zou, Shiyang; Singh, Harjinder

2007-03-01

Our recent attempts to design laser pulses entirely theoretically, in a quantitative and accurate manner, so as to fully understand the underlying mechanisms active in the control process will be outlined. We have developed a new Born-Oppenheimer like separation called the electric-nuclear Born-Oppenheimer (ENBO) approximation. In this approximation variations of both the nuclear geometry and of the external electric field are assumed to be slow compared with the speed at which the electronic degrees of freedom respond to these changes. This assumption permits the generation of a potential energy surface that depends not only on the relative geometry of the nuclei, but also on the electric field strength and on the orientation of the molecule with respect to the electric field. The range of validity of the ENBO approximation is discussed. Optimal control theory is used along with the ENBO approximation to design laser pulses for exciting vibrational and rotational motion in H2 and CO molecules. Progress on other applications, including controlling photodissociation processes, isotope separation, stabilization of molecular Bose-Einstein condensates as well as applications to biological molecules also be presented. *Support acknowledged from EPSRC.

Teaching Psychology Students Computer Applications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atnip, Gilbert W.

This paper describes an undergraduate-level course designed to teach the applications of computers that are most relevant in the social sciences, especially psychology. After an introduction to the basic concepts and terminology of computing, separate units were devoted to word processing, data analysis, data acquisition, artificial intelligence,…

The Grammar of Artifactual Action.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhola, H. S.

This paper examines the process of intervention design as it relates to the grammar of artifactual action. In his discussion, the author identifies three separate elements of artifactual action. These elements include defining the situation of action and the change agent's relationship to the situation; generating typical expectations about…

Oikos, The Environment and Education. Fastback 52.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Hearn, George T.

Designed for individuals in the educational process, this publication concerns the quality of human life. Major environmental problems are discussed, handling of these issues will determine our future direction. Man's belief that freedom places him separate from the environment causes drastic changes, upsetting the ecosystem balance. Wise…

A green separation strategy for neodymium (III) from cobalt (II) and nickel (II) using an ionic liquid-based aqueous two-phase system.

PubMed

Chen, Yuehua; Wang, Huiyong; Pei, Yuanchao; Wang, Jianji

2018-05-15

It is significant to develop sustainable strategies for the selective separation of rare earth from transition metals from fundamental and practical viewpoint. In this work, an environmentally friendly solvent extraction approach has been developed to selectively separate neodymium (III) from cobalt (II) and nickel (II) by using an ionic liquid-based aqueous two phase system (IL-ATPS). For this purpose, a hydrophilic ionic liquid (IL) tetrabutylphosphonate nitrate ([P 4444 ][NO 3 ]) was prepared and used for the formation of an ATPS with NaNO 3 . Binodal curves of the ATPSs have been determined for the design of extraction process. The extraction parameters such as contact time, aqueous phase pH, content of phase-formation components of NaNO 3 and the ionic liquid have been investigated systematically. It is shown that under optimal conditions, the extraction efficiency of neodymium (III) is as high as 99.7%, and neodymium (III) can be selectively separated from cobalt (II) and nickel (II) with a separation factor of 10 3 . After extraction, neodymium (III) can be stripped from the IL-rich phase by using dilute aqueous sodium oxalate, and the ILs can be quantitatively recovered and reused in the next extraction process. Since [P 4444 ][NO 3 ] works as one of the components of the ATPS and the extractant for the neodymium, no organic diluent, extra etractant and fluorinated ILs are used in the separation process. Thus, the strategy described here shows potential in green separation of neodymium from cobalt and nickel by using simple IL-based aqueous two-phase system. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crystallization in lactose refining-a review.

PubMed

Wong, Shin Yee; Hartel, Richard W

2014-03-01

In the dairy industry, crystallization is an important separation process used in the refining of lactose from whey solutions. In the refining operation, lactose crystals are separated from the whey solution through nucleation, growth, and/or aggregation. The rate of crystallization is determined by the combined effect of crystallizer design, processing parameters, and impurities on the kinetics of the process. This review summarizes studies on lactose crystallization, including the mechanism, theory of crystallization, and the impact of various factors affecting the crystallization kinetics. In addition, an overview of the industrial crystallization operation highlights the problems faced by the lactose manufacturer. The approaches that are beneficial to the lactose manufacturer for process optimization or improvement are summarized in this review. Over the years, much knowledge has been acquired through extensive research. However, the industrial crystallization process is still far from optimized. Therefore, future effort should focus on transferring the new knowledge and technology to the dairy industry. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

Study of role of meniscus and viscous forces during liquid-mediated contacts separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhital, Prabin

Menisci may form between two solid surfaces with the presence of an ultra-thin liquid film. When the separation operation is needed, meniscus and viscous forces contribute to an adhesion leading stiction, high friction, possibly high wear and potential failure of the contact systems, for instance microdevices, magnetic head disks and diesel fuel injectors. The situation may become more pronounced when the contacting surfaces are ultra-smooth and the normal load is small. Various design parameters, such as contact angle, initial separation height, surface tension and liquid viscosity, have been investigated during liquid-mediated contact separation. However, how the involved forces will change roles for various liquid is of interest and is necessary to be studied. In this study, meniscus and viscous forces due to water and liquid lubricants during separation of two flat surfaces are studied. Previously established mathematical model for meniscus and viscous forces during flat on flat contact separation is simulated. The effect of meniscus and viscous force on critical meniscus area at which those forces change role is studied with different liquid properties for flat on flat contact surfaces. The roles of the involved forces at various meniscus areas are analyzed. Experiments are done in concerns to studying the effect of surface roughness on contact angle. The impact of liquid properties, initial separation heights and contact angle on critical meniscus area for different liquid properties are analyzed. The study provides a fundamental understanding of the forces of the separation process and its value for the design of interfaces. The effect of surface roughness and liquid properties on contact angle are studied.

Recovery of metals from waste printed circuit boards by a mechanical method using a water medium.

PubMed

Duan, Chenlong; Wen, Xuefeng; Shi, Changsheng; Zhao, Yuemin; Wen, Baofeng; He, Yaqun

2009-07-15

Research on the recycling of waste printed circuit boards (PCB) is at the forefront of environmental pollution prevention and resource recycling. To effectively crush waste PCB and to solve the problem of secondary pollution from fugitive odors and dust created during the crushing process, a wet impacting crusher was employed to achieve comminution liberation of the PCB in a water medium. The function of water in the crushing process was analyzed. When using slippery hammerheads, a rotation speed of 1470 rpm, a water flow of 6m(3)/h and a sieve plate aperture of 2.2mm, 95.87% of the crushed product was sized less than 1mm. 94.30% of the metal was in this grade of product. Using smashed material graded -1mm for further research, a Falcon concentrator was used to recover the metal from the waste PCB. Engineering considerations were the liberation degree, the distribution ratio of the metal and a way to simplify the technology. The separation mechanism for fine particles of different densities in a Falcon concentrator was analyzed in detail and the separation process in the segregation and separation zones was deduced. Also, the magnitude of centrifugal acceleration, the back flow water pressure and the feed slurry concentration, any of which might affect separation results, were studied. A recovery model was established using Design-Expert software. Separating waste PCB, crushed to -1mm, with the Falcon separator gave a concentrated product graded 92.36% metal with a recovery of 97.05%. To do this the reverse water pressure was 0.05 MPa, the speed transducer frequency was set at 30 Hz and the feed density was 20 g/l. A flow diagram illustrating the new technique of wet impact crushing followed by separation with a Falcon concentrator is provided. The technique will prevent environmental pollution from waste PCB and allow the effective recovery of resources. Water was used as the medium throughout the whole process.

Bi-Level Integrated System Synthesis (BLISS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sobieszczanski-Sobieski, Jaroslaw; Agte, Jeremy S.; Sandusky, Robert R., Jr.

1998-01-01

BLISS is a method for optimization of engineering systems by decomposition. It separates the system level optimization, having a relatively small number of design variables, from the potentially numerous subsystem optimizations that may each have a large number of local design variables. The subsystem optimizations are autonomous and may be conducted concurrently. Subsystem and system optimizations alternate, linked by sensitivity data, producing a design improvement in each iteration. Starting from a best guess initial design, the method improves that design in iterative cycles, each cycle comprised of two steps. In step one, the system level variables are frozen and the improvement is achieved by separate, concurrent, and autonomous optimizations in the local variable subdomains. In step two, further improvement is sought in the space of the system level variables. Optimum sensitivity data link the second step to the first. The method prototype was implemented using MATLAB and iSIGHT programming software and tested on a simplified, conceptual level supersonic business jet design, and a detailed design of an electronic device. Satisfactory convergence and favorable agreement with the benchmark results were observed. Modularity of the method is intended to fit the human organization and map well on the computing technology of concurrent processing.

A new approach to electrophoresis in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snyder, Robert S.; Rhodes, Percy H.

1990-01-01

Previous electrophoresis experiments performed in space are reviewed. There is sufficient data available from the results of these experiments to show that they were designed with incomplete knowledge of the fluid dynamics of the process including electrohydrodynamics. Redesigning laboratory chambers and operating procedures developed on Earth for space without understanding both the advantages and disadvantages of the microgravity environment has yielded poor separations of both cells and proteins. However, electrophoreris is still an important separation tool in the laboratory and thermal convection does limit its performance. Thus, there is a justification for electrophoresis but the emphasis of future space experiments must be directed toward basic research with model experiments to understand the microgravity environment and fluid analysis to test the basic principles of the process.

Investigation of conjugate circular arcs in rocket nozzle contour design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schomberg, K.; Olsen, J.; Neely, A.; Doig, G.

2018-05-01

The use of conjugate circular arcs in rocket nozzle contour design has been investigated by numerically comparing three existing sub-scale nozzles to a range of equivalent arc-based contour designs. Three performance measures were considered when comparing nozzle designs: thrust coefficient, nozzle exit wall pressure, and a transition between flow separation regimes during the engine start-up phase. In each case, an equivalent arc-based contour produced an increase in the thrust coefficient and exit wall pressure of up to 0.4 and 40% respectively, in addition to suppressing the transition between a free and restricted shock separation regime. A general approach to arc-based nozzle contour design has also been presented to outline a rapid and repeatable process for generating sub-scale arc-based contours with an exit Mach number of 3.8-5.4 and a length between 60 and 100% of a 15° conical nozzle. The findings suggest that conjugate circular arcs may represent a viable approach for producing sub-scale rocket nozzle contours, and that a further investigation is warranted between arc-based and existing full-scale rocket nozzles.

Pervaporation of phenols

DOEpatents

Boddeker, Karl W.

1989-01-01

Aqueous phenolic solutions are separated by pervaporation to yield a phenol-depleted retentate and a phenol-enriched permeate. The separation effect is enhanced by phase segregation into two immiscible phases, "phenol in water" (approximately 10% phenol), and "water in phenol" (approximately 70% phenol). Membranes capable of enriching phenols by pervaporation include elastomeric polymers and anion exchange membranes, membrane selection and process design being guided by pervaporation performance and chemical stability towards phenolic solutions. Single- and multiple-stage procresses are disclosed, both for the enrichment of phenols and for purification of water from phenolic contamination.

Online sensing and control of oil in process wastewater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khomchenko, Irina B.; Soukhomlinoff, Alexander D.; Mitchell, T. F.; Selenow, Alexander E.

2002-02-01

Industrial processes, which eliminate high concentration of oil in their waste stream, find it extremely difficult to measure and control the water purification process. Most oil separation processes involve chemical separation using highly corrosive caustics, acids, surfactants, and emulsifiers. Included in the output of this chemical treatment process are highly adhesive tar-like globules, emulsified and surface oils, and other emulsified chemicals, in addition to suspended solids. The level of oil/hydrocarbons concentration in the wastewater process may fluctuate from 1 ppm to 10,000 ppm, depending upon the specifications of the industry and level of water quality control. The authors have developed a sensing technology, which provides the accuracy of scatter/absorption sensing in a contactless environment by combining these methodologies with reflective measurement. The sensitivity of the sensor may be modified by changing the fluid level control in the flow cell, allowing for a broad range of accurate measurement from 1 ppm to 10,000 ppm. Because this sensing system has been designed to work in a highly invasive environment, it can be placed close to the process source to allow for accurate real time measurement and control.

A Novel Designed Bioreactor for Recovering Precious Metals from Waste Printed Circuit Boards

PubMed Central

Jujun, Ruan; Jie, Zheng; Jian, Hu; Zhang, Jianwen

2015-01-01

For recovering precious metals from waste printed circuit boards (PCBs), a novel hybrid technology including physical and biological methods was developed. It consisted of crushing, corona-electrostatic separation, and bioleaching. Bioleaching process is the focus of this paper. A novel bioreactor for bioleaching was designed. Bioleaching was carried out using Pseudomonas chlororaphis. Bioleaching experiments using mixed particles of Au and Cu were performed and leachate contained 0.006 mg/L, 2823 mg/L Au+ and Cu2+ respectively. It showed when Cu existed, the concentrations of Au were extremely small. This provided the feasibility to separate Cu from Au. The method of orthogonal experimental design was employed in the simulation bioleaching experiments. Experimental results showed the optimized parameters for separating Cu from Au particles were pH 7.0, temperature 22.5 °C, and rotation speed 80 r/min. Based on the optimized parameters obtained, the bioreactor was operated for recovering mixed Au and Cu particles. 88.1 wt.% of Cu and 76.6 wt.% of Au were recovered. The paper contributed important information to recover precious metals from waste PCBs. PMID:26316021

The Naval Enlisted Professional Development Information System (NEPDIS): Front End Analysis (FEA) Process. Technical Report 159.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aagard, James A.; Ansbro, Thomas M.

The Naval Enlisted Professional Development Information System (NEPDIS) was designed to function as a fully computerized information assembly and analysis system to support labor force, personnel, and training management. The NEPDIS comprises separate training development, instructional, training record and evaluation, career development, and…

Using Participatory Management in a Traditional Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tavarone, Antonia R.

This paper describes the use of a participatory management process in an older, public-sector bureaucracy with an extremely traditional, hierarchical, and entrenched culture. Into this culture, two separate projects were introduced: an employee involvement program using the quality circle concept and a task force that would design and implement an…

Standards for Title VII Evaluations: Accommodation for Reality Constraints.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yap, Kim Onn

Two separate sets of minimum standards designed to guide the evaluation of bilingual projects are proposed. The first set relates to the process in which the evaluation activities are conducted. They include: validity of assessment procedures, validity and reliability of evaluation instruments, representativeness of findings, use of procedures for…

Chapter 7: Materials for Launch Vehicle Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henson, Grant; Jone, Clyde S. III

2017-01-01

This chapter concerns materials for expendable and reusable launch vehicle (LV) structures. An emphasis is placed on applications and design requirements, and how these requirements are met by the optimum choice of materials. Structural analysis and qualification strategies, which cannot be separated from the materials selection process, are described.

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: X*TRAX MODEL 200 THERMAL DESORPTION SYSTEMS - CHEMICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

EPA Science Inventory

The X*TRAX™ Mode! 200 Thermal Desorption System developed by Chemical Waste Management, Inc. (CWM), is a low-temperature process designed to separate organic contaminants from soils, sludges, and other solid media. The X*TRAX™ Model 200 is fully transportable and consists of thre...

40 CFR 63.137 - Process wastewater provisions-oil-water separators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

.... (2) The control device shall be designed, operated, and inspected in accordance with the requirements... receives, manages, or treats a Group 1 wastewater stream or a residual removed from a Group 1 wastewater... control device. The fixed roof, closed-vent system, and control device shall meet the requirements...

40 CFR 63.137 - Process wastewater provisions-oil-water separators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... (2) The control device shall be designed, operated, and inspected in accordance with the requirements... receives, manages, or treats a Group 1 wastewater stream or a residual removed from a Group 1 wastewater... control device. The fixed roof, closed-vent system, and control device shall meet the requirements...

40 CFR 63.137 - Process wastewater provisions-oil-water separators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

.... (2) The control device shall be designed, operated, and inspected in accordance with the requirements... receives, manages, or treats a Group 1 wastewater stream or a residual removed from a Group 1 wastewater... control device. The fixed roof, closed-vent system, and control device shall meet the requirements...

Overview of a Linguistic Theory of Design. AI Memo 383A.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Mark L.; Goldstein, Ira P.

The SPADE theory, which uses linguistic formalisms to model the planning and debugging processes of computer programming, was simultaneously developed and tested in three separate contexts--computer uses in education, automatic programming (a traditional artificial intelligence arena), and protocol analysis (the domain of information processing…

Analytic methods for design of wave cycles for wave rotor core engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Resler, Edwin L., Jr.; Mocsari, Jeffrey C.; Nalim, M. R.

1993-01-01

A procedure to design a preliminary wave rotor cycle for any application is presented. To complete a cycle with heat addition there are two separate but related design steps that must be followed. The 'wave' boundary conditions determine the allowable amount of heat added in any case and the ensuing wave pattern requires certain pressure discharge conditions to allow the process to be made cyclic. This procedure, when applied, gives a first estimate of the cycle performance and the necessary information for the next step in the design process, namely the application of a characteristic based or other appropriate detailed one dimensional wave calculation that locates the proper porting around the periphery of the wave rotor. Four examples of the design procedure are given to demonstrate its utility and generality. These examples also illustrate the large gains in performance that could be realized with the use of wave rotor enhanced propulsion cycles.

Double jeopardy in inferring cognitive processes

PubMed Central

Fific, Mario

2014-01-01

Inferences we make about underlying cognitive processes can be jeopardized in two ways due to problematic forms of aggregation. First, averaging across individuals is typically considered a very useful tool for removing random variability. The threat is that averaging across subjects leads to averaging across different cognitive strategies, thus harming our inferences. The second threat comes from the construction of inadequate research designs possessing a low diagnostic accuracy of cognitive processes. For that reason we introduced the systems factorial technology (SFT), which has primarily been designed to make inferences about underlying processing order (serial, parallel, coactive), stopping rule (terminating, exhaustive), and process dependency. SFT proposes that the minimal research design complexity to learn about n number of cognitive processes should be equal to 2n. In addition, SFT proposes that (a) each cognitive process should be controlled by a separate experimental factor, and (b) The saliency levels of all factors should be combined in a full factorial design. In the current study, the author cross combined the levels of jeopardies in a 2 × 2 analysis, leading to four different analysis conditions. The results indicate a decline in the diagnostic accuracy of inferences made about cognitive processes due to the presence of each jeopardy in isolation and when combined. The results warrant the development of more individual subject analyses and the utilization of full-factorial (SFT) experimental designs. PMID:25374545

Design of platform for removing screws from LCD display shields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, Zimei; Qin, Qin; Dou, Jianfang; Zhu, Dongdong

2017-11-01

Removing the screws on the sides of a shield is a necessary process in disassembling a computer LCD display. To solve this issue, a platform has been designed for removing the screws on display shields. This platform uses virtual instrument technology with LabVIEW as the development environment to design the mechanical structure with the technologies of motion control, human-computer interaction and target recognition. This platform removes the screws from the sides of the shield of an LCD display mechanically thus to guarantee follow-up separation and recycle.

Integrated System Design for Air Revitalization in Next Generation Crewed Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulloth, Lila; Perry, Jay; LeVan, Douglas

2004-01-01

The capabilities of NASA's existing environmental control and life support (ECLS) system designs are inadequate for future human space initiatives that involve long-duration space voyages and interplanetary missions. This paper discusses the concept of an integrated system of CO2 removal and trace contaminant control units that utilizes novel gas separation and purification techniques and optimized thermal and mechanical design, for future spacecraft. The integration process will enhance the overall life and economics of the existing systems by eliminating multiple mechanical devices with moving parts.

Continuous, high-flux and efficient oil/water separation assisted by an integrated system with opposite wettability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jian; Long, Yifei; Xu, Changcheng; Tian, Haifeng; Wu, Yanxia; Zha, Fei

2018-03-01

To resolve the drawbacks that single-mesh involved for oil/water separation, such as batch processing mode, only one phase was purified and the quick decrease in flux et al., herein, a two-way separation T-tube device was designed by integrating a pair of meshes with opposite wettability, i.e., underwater superoleophobic and superhydrophobic/superoleophilic properties. Such integrated system can continuously separate both oil and water phase from the oil/water mixtures simultaneously through one-step procedure with high flux (above 3.675 L m-2 s-1) and high separation efficiency larger than 99.8% regardless of the heavy oil or light oil involved in the mixture. Moreover, the as-prepared two meshes still maintained high separation efficiency larger than above 98.9% even after 50 cycle-usages. It worthy mentioned that this two-way separation mode essentially solves the oil liquid accumulation problem that is the single separation membrane needs to tolerate a large hydrostatic pressure caused by the accumulated liquid. We deeply believe this two-way separation system would provide a new strategy for realizing practical applications in oil spill clean-up via a continuous mode.

Approaches to High-Performance Preparative Chromatography of Proteins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yan; Liu, Fu-Feng; Shi, Qing-Hong

Preparative liquid chromatography is widely used for the purification of chemical and biological substances. Different from high-performance liquid chromatography for the analysis of many different components at minimized sample loading, high-performance preparative chromatography is of much larger scale and should be of high resolution and high capacity at high operation speed and low to moderate pressure drop. There are various approaches to this end. For biochemical engineers, the traditional way is to model and optimize a purification process to make it exert its maximum capability. For high-performance separations, however, we need to improve chromatographic technology itself. We herein discuss four approaches in this review, mainly based on the recent studies in our group. The first is the development of high-performance matrices, because packing material is the central component of chromatography. Progress in the fabrication of superporous materials in both beaded and monolithic forms are reviewed. The second topic is the discovery and design of affinity ligands for proteins. In most chromatographic methods, proteins are separated based on their interactions with the ligands attached to the surface of porous media. A target-specific ligand can offer selective purification of desired proteins. Third, electrochromatography is discussed. An electric field applied to a chromatographic column can induce additional separation mechanisms besides chromatography, and result in electrokinetic transport of protein molecules and/or the fluid inside pores, thus leading to high-performance separations. Finally, expanded-bed adsorption is described for process integration to reduce separation steps and process time.

Design and testing of a pilot scale magnetic separator for the treatment of textile dyeing wastewater.

PubMed

Salinas, Tobías; Durruty, Ignacio; Arciniegas, Lorena; Pasquevich, Gustavo; Lanfranconi, Matías; Orsi, Isabela; Alvarez, Vera; Bonanni, Sebastian

2018-07-15

Iron nanoparticles can be incorporated on the structure of natural clays to obtain magnetic clays, an adsorbent that be easily removed from a wastewater by magnetic means. Magnetic clays have high adsorption capacities of different contaminants such as heavy metals, fungicides, aromatic compounds and colorants and show rapid adsorption kinetics, but crucial data for achieving its full or pilot scale application is still lacking. In this work, magnetic bentonites with different amounts of magnetite (iron fractions on the clay of 0.55, 0.6 and 0.6) were used to remove color from a real textile wastewater. On a first stage the optimal conditions for the adsorption of the dye, including pH, temperature and clay dosage were determined. Also design parameters for the separation process such as residence time, distance from magnet to magnetic clay and magnet strength were obtained. Finally a pilot scale magnetic drum separator was constructed and tested. A removal of 60% of the dye from a wastewater that contained more than 250 ppm of azo dye was achieved with only 10 min of residence time inside the separator. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient utilization of renewable feedstocks: the role of catalysis and process design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palkovits, Regina; Delidovich, Irina

2017-11-01

Renewable carbon feedstocks such as biomass and CO2 present an important element of future circular economy. Especially biomass as highly functionalized feedstock provides manifold opportunities for the transformation into attractive platform chemicals. However, this change of the resources requires a paradigm shift in refinery design. Fossil feedstocks are processed in gas phase at elevated temperature. In contrast, biorefineries are based on processes in polar solvents at moderate conditions to selectively deoxygenate the polar, often thermally instable and high-boiling molecules. Here, challenges of catalytic deoxygenation, novel strategies for separation and opportunities provided at the interface to biotechnology are discussed in form of showcases. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Providing sustainable catalytic solutions for a rapidly changing world'.

Catalysis and biocatalysis program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The annual report presents the fiscal year (FY) 1990 research activities and accomplishments for the Catalysis and Biocatalysis Program of the Advanced Industrial Concepts Division (AICD), Office of Industrial Technologies of the Department of Energy (DOE). The mission of the AICD is to create a balanced program of high risk, long term, directed interdisciplinary research and development that will improve energy efficiency and enhance fuel flexibility in the industrial sector. The Catalysis and Biocatalysis Program's technical activities were organized into five work elements: the Molecular Modeling and Catalysis by Design element; the Applied Microbiology and Genetics element; the Bioprocess Engineering element; the Separations and Novel Chemical Processes element; and the Process Design and Analysis element.

Workflow Design Using Fragment Composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosser, Sébastien; Blay-Fornarino, Mireille; France, Robert

The Service-Oriented Architecture (Soa) paradigm supports the assembly of atomic services to create applications that implement complex business processes. Assembly can be accomplished by service orchestrations defined by Soa architects. The Adore method allows Soa architects to model complex orchestrations of services by composing models of smaller orchestrations called orchestration fragments. The Adore method can also be used to weave fragments that address new concerns into existing application models. In this paper we illustrate how the Adore method can be used to separate and compose process aspects in a Soa design of the Car Crash Crisis Management System. The paper also includes a discussion of the benefits and limitations of the Adore method.

5 CFR 3601.102 - Designation of separate agency components.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE § 3601.102 Designation of separate agency... Services University of the Health Sciences. (b) Employees of DoD components not designated as separate...

5 CFR 3601.102 - Designation of separate agency components.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE § 3601.102 Designation of separate agency... Services University of the Health Sciences. (b) Employees of DoD components not designated as separate...

5 CFR 3601.102 - Designation of separate agency components.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE § 3601.102 Designation of separate agency... Services University of the Health Sciences. (b) Employees of DoD components not designated as separate...

Process simulation during the design process makes the difference: process simulations applied to a traditional design.

PubMed

Traversari, Roberto; Goedhart, Rien; Schraagen, Jan Maarten

2013-01-01

The objective is evaluation of a traditionally designed operating room using simulation of various surgical workflows. A literature search showed that there is no evidence for an optimal operating room layout regarding the position and size of an ultraclean ventilation (UCV) canopy with a separate preparation room for laying out instruments and in which patients are induced in the operating room itself. Neither was literature found reporting on process simulation being used for this application. Many technical guidelines and designs have mainly evolved over time, and there is no evidence on whether the proposed measures are also effective for the optimization of the layout for workflows. The study was conducted by applying observational techniques to simulated typical surgical procedures. Process simulations which included complete surgical teams and equipment required for the intervention were carried out for four typical interventions. Four observers used a form to record conflicts with the clean area boundaries and the height of the supply bridge. Preferences for particular layouts were discussed with the surgical team after each simulated procedure. We established that a clean area measuring 3 × 3 m and a supply bridge height of 2.05 m was satisfactory for most situations, provided a movable operation table is used. The only cases in which conflicts with the supply bridge were observed were during the use of a surgical robot (Da Vinci) and a surgical microscope. During multiple trauma interventions, bottlenecks regarding the dimensions of the clean area will probably arise. The process simulation of four typical interventions has led to significantly different operating room layouts than were arrived at through the traditional design process. Evidence-based design, human factors, work environment, operating room, traditional design, process simulation, surgical workflowsPreferred Citation: Traversari, R., Goedhart, R., & Schraagen, J. M. (2013). Process simulation during the design process makes the difference: Process simulations applied to a traditional design. Health Environments Research & Design Journal 6(2), pp 58-76.

Conjugates of magnetic nanoparticle-actinide specific chelator for radioactive waste separation.

PubMed

Kaur, Maninder; Zhang, Huijin; Martin, Leigh; Todd, Terry; Qiang, You

2013-01-01

A novel nanotechnology for the separation of radioactive waste that uses magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) conjugated with actinide specific chelators (MNP-Che) is reviewed with a focus on design and process development. The MNP-Che separation process is an effective way of separating heat generating minor actinides (Np, Am, Cm) from spent nuclear fuel solution to reduce the radiological hazard. It utilizes coated MNPs to selectively adsorb the contaminants onto their surfaces, after which the loaded particles are collected using a magnetic field. The MNP-Che conjugates can be recycled by stripping contaminates into a separate, smaller volume of solution, and then become the final waste form for disposal after reusing number of times. Due to the highly selective chelators, this remediation method could be both simple and versatile while allowing the valuable actinides to be recovered and recycled. Key issues standing in the way of large-scale application are stability of the conjugates and their dispersion in solution to maintain their unique properties, especially large surface area, of MNPs. With substantial research progress made on MNPs and their surface functionalization, as well as development of environmentally benign chelators, this method could become very flexible and cost-effective for recycling used fuel. Finally, the development of this nanotechnology is summarized and its future direction is discussed.

Structure Optimization of a Grain Impact Piezoelectric Sensor and Its Application for Monitoring Separation Losses on Tangential-Axial Combine Harvesters

PubMed Central

Liang, Zhenwei; Li, Yaoming; Zhao, Zhan; Xu, Lizhang

2015-01-01

Grain separation losses is a key parameter to weigh the performance of combine harvesters, and also a dominant factor for automatically adjusting their major working parameters. The traditional separation losses monitoring method mainly rely on manual efforts, which require a high labor intensity. With recent advancements in sensor technology, electronics and computational processing power, this paper presents an indirect method for monitoring grain separation losses in tangential-axial combine harvesters in real-time. Firstly, we developed a mathematical monitoring model based on detailed comparative data analysis of different feeding quantities. Then, we developed a grain impact piezoelectric sensor utilizing a YT-5 piezoelectric ceramic as the sensing element, and a signal process circuit designed according to differences in voltage amplitude and rise time of collision signals. To improve the sensor performance, theoretical analysis was performed from a structural vibration point of view, and the optimal sensor structural has been selected. Grain collide experiments have shown that the sensor performance was greatly improved. Finally, we installed the sensor on a tangential-longitudinal axial combine harvester, and grain separation losses monitoring experiments were carried out in North China, which results have shown that the monitoring method was feasible, and the biggest measurement relative error was 4.63% when harvesting rice. PMID:25594592

Structure optimization of a grain impact piezoelectric sensor and its application for monitoring separation losses on tangential-axial combine harvesters.

PubMed

Liang, Zhenwei; Li, Yaoming; Zhao, Zhan; Xu, Lizhang

2015-01-14

Grain separation losses is a key parameter to weigh the performance of combine harvesters, and also a dominant factor for automatically adjusting their major working parameters. The traditional separation losses monitoring method mainly rely on manual efforts, which require a high labor intensity. With recent advancements in sensor technology, electronics and computational processing power, this paper presents an indirect method for monitoring grain separation losses in tangential-axial combine harvesters in real-time. Firstly, we developed a mathematical monitoring model based on detailed comparative data analysis of different feeding quantities. Then, we developed a grain impact piezoelectric sensor utilizing a YT-5 piezoelectric ceramic as the sensing element, and a signal process circuit designed according to differences in voltage amplitude and rise time of collision signals. To improve the sensor performance, theoretical analysis was performed from a structural vibration point of view, and the optimal sensor structural has been selected. Grain collide experiments have shown that the sensor performance was greatly improved. Finally, we installed the sensor on a tangential-longitudinal axial combine harvester, and grain separation losses monitoring experiments were carried out in North China, which results have shown that the monitoring method was feasible, and the biggest measurement relative error was 4.63% when harvesting rice.

Computer-aided analysis and design of the shape rolling process for producing turbine engine airfoils

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lahoti, G. D.; Akgerman, N.; Altan, T.

1978-01-01

Mild steel (AISI 1018) was selected as model cold rolling material and Ti-6A1-4V and Inconel 718 were selected as typical hot rolling and cold rolling alloys, respectively. The flow stress and workability of these alloys were characterized and friction factor at the roll/workpiece interface was determined at their respective working conditions by conducting ring tests. Computer-aided mathematical models for predicting metal flow and stresses, and for simulating the shape rolling process were developed. These models utilized the upper bound and the slab methods of analysis, and were capable of predicting the lateral spread, roll separating force, roll torque, and local stresses, strains and strain rates. This computer-aided design system was also capable of simulating the actual rolling process, and thereby designing the roll pass schedule in rolling of an airfoil or a similar shape.

Advances in Spacecraft Brine Water Recovery: Development of a Radial Vaned Capillary Drying Tray

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, Michael R.; Sargusingh, Miriam J.; Pickering, Karen D.; Weislogel, Mark M.

2014-01-01

Technology improvements in the recovery of water from brine are critical to establishing closed-loop water recovery systems, enabling long-duration missions, and achieving a sustained human presence in space. A genre of 'in-place drying' brine water recovery concepts, collectively referred to herein as Brine Residual In-Containment, are under development. These brine water recovery concepts aim to increase the overall robustness and reliability of the brine recovery process by performing drying inside the container used for final disposal of the solid residual waste. Implementation of in-place drying techniques have been demonstrated for applications where gravity is present and phase separation occurs naturally by buoyancy-induced effects. In this work, a microgravity-compatible analogue of the gravity-driven phase separation process is considered by exploiting capillarity in the form of surface wetting, surface tension, and container geometry. The proposed design consists of a series of planar radial vanes aligned about a central slotted core. Preliminary testing of the fundamental geometry in a reduced gravity environment has shown the device to spontaneously fill and saturate rapidly, thereby creating a free surface from which evaporation and phase separation can occur similar to a terrestrial-like 'cylindrical pool' of fluid. Mathematical modeling and analysis of the design suggest predictable rates of filling and stability of fluid containment as a function of relevant system dimensions; e.g., number of vanes, vane length, width, and thickness. A description of the proposed capillary design solution is presented along with preliminary results from testing, modeling, and analysis of the system.

Advancements in Spacecraft Brine Water Recovery: Development of a Radial Vaned Capillary Drying Tray

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, Michael R.; Sargusingh, Miriam J.; Pickerin, Karen D.; Weislogel, Mark M.

2013-01-01

Technology improvements in the recovery of water from brine are critical to establishing closedloop water recovery systems, enabling long duration missions, and achieving a sustained human presence in space. A genre of 'in-place drying' brine water recovery concepts, collectively referred to herein as Brine Residual In-Containment (BRIC), are under development which aim to increase the overall robustness and reliability of the brine recovery process by performing drying inside the container used for final disposal of the solid residual waste. Implementation of in-place drying techniques have been demonstrated for applications where gravity is present and phase separation occurs naturally by buoyancy induced effects. In this work, a microgravity compatible analogue of the gravity-driven phase separation process is considered by exploiting capillarity in the form of surface wetting, surface tension, and container geometry. The proposed design consists of a series of planar radial vanes aligned about a central slotted core. Preliminary testing of the fundamental geometry in a reduced gravity environment has shown the device to spontaneously fill and saturate rapidly creating a free surface from which evaporation and phase separation can occur similar to a 1-g like 'cylindrical pool' of fluid. Mathematical modeling and analysis of the design suggest predictable rates of filling and stability of fluid containment as a function of relevant system dimensions, e.g., number of vanes, vane length, width, and thickness. A description of the proposed capillary design solution is presented along with preliminary results from testing, modeling and analysis of the system.

Hormone purification by isoelectric focusing in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bier, M.

1988-01-01

The objective of the program was the definition and development of optimal methods for electrophoretic separations in microgravity. The approach is based on a triad consisting of ground based experiments, mathematical modeling and experiments in microgravity. Zone electrophoresis is a rate process, where separation is achieved in uniform buffers on the basis of differences in electrophoretic mobilities. Optimization and modeling of continuous flow electrophoresis mainly concern the hydrodynamics of the flow process, including gravity dependent fluid convection due to density gradients and gravity independent electroosmosis. Optimization of focusing requires a more complex model describing the molecular transport processes involved in electrophoresis of interacting systems. Three different focusing instruments were designed, embodying novel principles of fluid stabilization. Fluid stability was achieved by: (1) flow streamlining by means of membrane elements in combination with rapid fluid recycling; (2) apparatus rotation in combination with said membrane elements; and (3) shear stress induced by rapid recycling through a narrow gap channel.

Neurologic and neuropsychiatric syndrome features of mold and mycotoxin exposure.

PubMed

Empting, L D

2009-01-01

Human exposure to molds, mycotoxins, and water-damaged buildings can cause neurologic and neuropsychiatric signs and symptoms. Many of these clinical features can partly mimic or be similar to classic neurologic disorders including pain syndromes, movement disorders, delirium, dementia, and disorders of balance and coordination. In this article, the author delineates the signs and symptoms of a syndrome precipitated by mold and mycotoxin exposure and contrasts and separates these findings neurodiagnostically from known neurologic diseases. This clinical process is designed to further the scientific exploration of the underlying neuropathophysiologic processes and to promote better understanding of effects of mold/mycotoxin/water-damaged buildings on the human nervous system and diseases of the nervous system. It is clear that mycotoxins can affect sensitive individuals, and possibly accelerate underlying neurologic/pathologic processes, but it is crucial to separate known neurologic and neuropsychiatric disorders from mycotoxin effects in order to study it properly.

Reactive extraction at liquid-liquid systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wieszczycka, Karolina

2018-01-01

The chapter summarizes the state of knowledge about a metal transport in two-phase system. The first part of this review focuses on the distribution law and main factors determination in classical solvent extraction (solubility and polarity of the solute, as well as inter- and intramolecules interaction. Next part of the chapter is devoted to the reactive solvent extraction and the molecular modeling requiring knowledge on type of extractants, complexation mechanisms, metals ions speciation and oxidation during complexes forming, and other parameters that enable to understand the extraction process. Also the kinetic data that is needed for proper modeling, simulation and design of processes needed for critical separations are discussed. Extraction at liquid-solid system using solvent impregnated resins is partially identical as in the case of the corresponding solvent extraction, therefore this subject was also presented in all aspects of separation process (equilibrium, mechanism, kinetics).

Processing technology for high efficiency silicon solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spitzer, M. B.; Keavney, C. J.

1985-01-01

Recent advances in silicon solar cell processing have led to attainment of conversion efficiency approaching 20%. The basic cell design is investigated and features of greatest importance to achievement of 20% efficiency are indicated. Experiments to separately optimize high efficiency design features in test structures are discussed. The integration of these features in a high efficiency cell is examined. Ion implantation has been used to achieve optimal concentrations of emitter dopant and junction depth. The optimization reflects the trade-off between high sheet conductivity, necessary for high fill factor, and heavy doping effects, which must be minimized for high open circuit voltage. A second important aspect of the design experiments is the development of a passivation process to minimize front surface recombination velocity. The manner in which a thin SiO2 layer may be used for this purpose is indicated without increasing reflection losses, if the antireflection coating is properly designed. Details are presented of processing intended to reduce recombination at the contact/Si interface. Data on cell performance (including CZ and ribbon) and analysis of loss mechanisms are also presented.

Electrophoresis experiments in microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snyder, Robert S.; Rhodes, Percy H.

1991-01-01

The use of the microgravity environment to separate and purify biological cells and proteins has been a major activity since the beginning of the NASA Microgravity Science and Applications program. Purified populations of cells are needed for research, transplantation and analysis of specific cell constituents. Protein purification is a necessary step in research areas such as genetic engineering where the new protein has to be separated from the variety of other proteins synthesized from the microorganism. Sufficient data are available from the results of past electrophoresis experiments in space to show that these experiments were designed with incomplete knowledge of the fluid dynamics of the process including electrohydrodynamics. However, electrophoresis is still an important separation tool in the laboratory and thermal convection does limit its performance. Thus, there is a justification for electrophoresis but the emphasis of future space experiments must be directed toward basic research with model experiments to understand the microgravity environment and fluid analysis to test the basic principles of the process.

Enzymatic corn wet milling: engineering process and cost model

PubMed Central

Ramírez, Edna C; Johnston, David B; McAloon, Andrew J; Singh, Vijay

2009-01-01

Background Enzymatic corn wet milling (E-milling) is a process derived from conventional wet milling for the recovery and purification of starch and co-products using proteases to eliminate the need for sulfites and decrease the steeping time. In 2006, the total starch production in USA by conventional wet milling equaled 23 billion kilograms, including modified starches and starches used for sweeteners and ethanol production [1]. Process engineering and cost models for an E-milling process have been developed for a processing plant with a capacity of 2.54 million kg of corn per day (100,000 bu/day). These models are based on the previously published models for a traditional wet milling plant with the same capacity. The E-milling process includes grain cleaning, pretreatment, enzymatic treatment, germ separation and recovery, fiber separation and recovery, gluten separation and recovery and starch separation. Information for the development of the conventional models was obtained from a variety of technical sources including commercial wet milling companies, industry experts and equipment suppliers. Additional information for the present models was obtained from our own experience with the development of the E-milling process and trials in the laboratory and at the pilot plant scale. The models were developed using process and cost simulation software (SuperPro Designer®) and include processing information such as composition and flow rates of the various process streams, descriptions of the various unit operations and detailed breakdowns of the operating and capital cost of the facility. Results Based on the information from the model, we can estimate the cost of production per kilogram of starch using the input prices for corn, enzyme and other wet milling co-products. The work presented here describes the E-milling process and compares the process, the operation and costs with the conventional process. Conclusion The E-milling process was found to be cost competitive with the conventional process during periods of high corn feedstock costs since the enzymatic process enhances the yields of the products in a corn wet milling process. This model is available upon request from the authors for educational, research and non-commercial uses. PMID:19154623

Design and implementation of integrated solid wastes management pattern in industrial zones, case study of Shahroud, Iran.

PubMed

Saeid, Nazemi; Roudbari, Aliakbar; Yaghmaeian, Kamyar

2014-01-14

The aim of the study was to design and implementation of integrated solid wastes management pattern in Shahroud industrial zone, evaluates the results and determine possible performance problems. This cross - sectional study was carried out for 4 years in Shahroud industrial zone and the implementation process included:1- Qualitative and quantitative analysis of all solid waste generated in the city, 2- determine the current state of solid waste management in the zone and to identify programs conducted, 3- Design and implementation of integrated solid wastes management pattern including design and implementation of training programs, laws, penalties and incentives and explain and implement programs for all factories and 4- The monitoring of the implementation process and determine the results. Annually, 1,728 tons of solid wastes generated in the town including 1603 tons of industrial wastes and 125 tons of municipal wastes. By implementing this pattern, the two separated systems of collection and recycling of domestic and industrial wastes was launched in this zone. Also consistent with the goals, the amount of solid wastes generated and disposed in 2009 was 51.5 and 28.6 kg per 100 million Rials production, respectively. Results showed that implementation of pattern of separated collection, training programs, capacity building, providing technical services, completing chain of industries and strengthening the cooperation between industrial estate management and industrial units could greatly reduce the waste management problems.

Development and Optimization of a Flocculation Procedure for Improved Solid-Liquid Separation of Digested Biomass

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Patton, Caroline; Lischeske, James J.; Sievers, David A.

2015-11-03

One viable treatment method for conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to biofuels begins with saccharification (thermochemical pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis), followed by fermentation or catalytic upgrading to fuels such as ethanol, butanol, or other hydrocarbons. The post-hydrolysis slurry is typically 4-8 percent insoluble solids, predominantly consisting of lignin. Suspended solids are known to inhibit fermentation as well as poison catalysts and obstruct flow in catalyst beds. Thus a solid-liquid separation following enzymatic hydrolysis would be highly favorable for process economics, however the material is not easily separated by filtration or gravimetric methods. Use of a polyacrylamide flocculant to bind the suspendedmore » particles in a corn stover hydrolyzate slurry into larger flocs (1-2mm diameter) has been found to be extremely helpful in improving separation. Recent and ongoing research on novel pretreatment methods yields hydrolyzate material with diverse characteristics. Therefore, we need a thorough understanding of rapid and successful flocculation design in order to quickly achieve process design goals. In this study potential indicators of flocculation performance were investigated in order to develop a rapid analysis method for flocculation procedure in the context of a novel hydrolyzate material. Flocculation conditions were optimized on flocculant type and loading, pH, and mixing time. Filtration flux of the hydrolyzate slurry was improved 170-fold using a cationic polyacrylamide flocculant with a dosing of approximately 22 mg flocculant/g insoluble solids at an approximate pH of 3. With cake washing, sugar recovery exceeded 90 percent with asymptotic yield at 15 L wash water/kg insoluble solids.« less

Pilot-Scale Demonstration of Pefi's Oxygenated Transportation Fuels Production Technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

Coal-cleaning processes have been utilized to increase the heating value of coal by extracting ash-forming minerals in the coal. These processes involve the crushing or grinding of raw coal followed by physical separation processes, taking advantage of the density difference between carbonaceous particles and mineral particles. In addition to the desired increase in the heating value of coal, a significant reduction of the sulfur content of the coal fed to a combustion unit is effected by the removal of pyrite and other sulfides found in the mineral matter. WRI is assisting PulseWave to develop an alternate, more efficient method ofmore » liberating and separating the undesirable mineral matter from the carbonaceous matter in coal. The approach is based on PulseWave's patented resonance disintegration technology that reduces that particle size of materials by application of destructive resonance, shock waves, and vortex generating forces. Illinois No.5 coal, a Wyodak coal, and a Pittsburgh No.8 coal were processed using the resonance disintegration apparatus then subjected to conventional density separations. Initial microscopic results indicate that up to 90% of the pyrite could be liberated from the coal in the machine, but limitations in the density separations reduced overall effectiveness of contaminant removal. Approximately 30-80% of the pyritic sulfur and 30-50% of the mercury was removed from the coal. The three coals (both with and without the pyritic phase separated out) were tested in WRI's 250,000 Btu/hr Combustion Test Facility, designed to replicate a coal-fired utility boiler. The flue gases were characterized for elemental, particle bound, and total mercury in addition to sulfur. The results indicated that pre-combustion cleaning could reduce a large fraction of the mercury emissions.« less

Biomechanical effect of the configuration of screw hole style on locking plate fixation in proximal humerus fracture with a simulated gap: A finite element analysis.

PubMed

Zhang, Ya-Kui; Wei, Hung-Wen; Lin, Kang-Ping; Chen, Wen-Chuan; Tsai, Cheng-Lun; Lin, Kun-Jhih

2016-06-01

Locking plate fixation for proximal humeral fractures is a commonly used device. Recently, plate breakages were continuously reported that the implants all have a mixture of holes allowing placement of both locking and non-locking screws (so-called combi plates). In commercialized proximal humeral plates, there still are two screw hole styles included "locking and dynamic holes separated" and "locking hole only" configurations. It is important to understand the biomechanical effect of different screw hole style on the stress distribution in bone plate. Finite element method was employed to conduct a computational investigation. Three proximal humeral plate models with different screw hole configurations were reconstructed depended upon an identical commercialized implant. A three-dimensional model of a humerus was created using process of thresholding based on the grayscale values of the CT scanning of an intact humerus. A "virtual" subcapital osteotomy was performed. Simulations were performed under an increasing axial load. The von Mises stresses around the screw holes of the plate shaft, the construct stiffness and the directional displacement within the fracture gap were calculated for comparison. The mean value of the peak von Mises stresses around the screw holes in the plate shaft was the highest for combi hole design while it was smallest for the locking and dynamic holes separated design. The stiffness of the plate-bone construct was 15% higher in the locking screw only design (132.6N/mm) compared with the combi design (115.0N/mm), and it was 4% higher than the combi design for the locking and dynamic holes separated design (119.5N/mm). The displacement within the fracture gap was greatest in the combi hole design, whereas it was smallest for the locking hole only design. The computed results provide a possible explanation for the breakages of combi plates revealed in clinical reports. The locking and dynamic holes separated design may be a better configuration to reduce the risk of plate fracture. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mechanistic insights into porous graphene membranes for helium separation and hydrogen purification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Shuxian; Zhou, Sainan; Wu, Zhonghua; Wang, Maohuai; Wang, Zhaojie; Guo, Wenyue; Lu, Xiaoqing

2018-05-01

Porous graphene (PG) and nitrogen-substituted PG monolayers of 3N-PG and 6N-PG were designed as effective membranes for the separation of He and H2 over Ne, Ar, N2, CO, and CH4 by using density functional theory. Results showed that PG and 3N-PG exhibited suitable pore sizes and relatively high stabilities for He and H2 separation. PG and 3N-PG membranes also presented excellent He and H2 selectivities over Ne, Ar, N2, CO and CH4 at a wide temperature range. 6N-PG membrane exerted unexceptionable permeances of the studied gases, especially He and H2, which could remarkably improve the separation efficiency of He and H2. Analyses on the most stable adsorption configurations and maximum adsorption energies indicated weak Van der Waals interactions between the gases and the three PG-based membranes. Microscopic permeation process analyses based on the minimum energy pathway, energy profiles, and electron density isosurfaces elucidated the remarkable selectivities of He over Ne/CO/N2/Ar/CH4 and H2 over CO/N2/CH4 and the high permeances of He and H2 passing through the three PG-based membranes. This work not only highlighted the potential use of the three PG-based membranes for He separation and H2 purification but also provided a superior alternative strategy to design and screen membrane materials for gas separation.

The development of the super-biodiesel production continuously from Sunan pecan oil through the process of reactive distillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yohana, Eflita; Yulianto, Moh. Endy; Ikhsan, Diyono; Nanta, Aditya Marga; Puspitasari, Ristiyanti

2016-06-01

In general, a vegetable oil-based biodiesel production commercially operates a batch process with high investments and operational costs. Thus, it is necessary to develop super-biodiesel production from sunan pecan oil continuously through the process of reactive distillation. There are four advantages of the reactive distillation process for the biodiesel production, as follows: (i) it incorporates the process of transesterification reaction, and product separation of residual reactants become one stage of the process, so it saves the investment and operation costs, (ii) it reduces the need for raw materials because the methanol needed corresponds to the stoichiometry, so it also reduces the operation costs, (iii) the holdup time in the column is relatively short (5±0,5 minutes) compared to the batch process (1-2 hours), so it will reduce the operational production costs, and (iv) it is able to shift the reaction equilibrium, because the products and reactants that do not react are instantly separated (based on Le Chatelier's principles) so the conversion will be increased. However, the very crucial problem is determining the design tools and process conditions in order to maximize the conversion of the transesterification reaction in both phases. Thus, the purpose of this research was to design a continuous reactive distillation process by using a recycled condensate to increase the productivity of the super-biodiesel from sunan pecan oil. The research was carried out in three stages including (i) designing and fabricating the reactive distillation equipment, (ii) testing the tool performance and the optimization of the biodiesel production, and (iii) biodiesel testing on the diesel engine. These three stages were needed in designing and scaling-up the process tools and the process operation commercially. The reactive distillation process tools were designed and manufactured with reference to the design system tower by Kitzer, et.al. (2008). The manufactured reactive distillation consisted of packing distillation columns equipped with a reboiler and condenser, with the prototype made of stainless steel material equipped with sigh glass. The filling column expands the contact of liquid-vapor phase so that the two reactants between methanol and oil would be converted into methyl ester and glycerol. The initial results of the study indicated that the relatively good condition is reached at the peak temperature and the base of the column of 62°C and 71°C with NaOH 2% of methanol weight as the catalyst at the feed ratio of methanol and the sunan pecan oil 4:1. The result of the performance test of the diesel engine indicated that the efficiency of the biodiesel fuel was achieved relatively good at 1.7% with 2500 rpm engine speed.

Changes in expression of the lysosomal membrane glycoprotein, LAMP-1 in interdigital regions during embryonic mouse limb development, in vivo and in vitro.

PubMed

Stewart, S; Yi, S; Kassabian, G; Mayo, M; Sank, A; Shuler, C

2000-06-01

Syndactyly, a failure of the digits to separate into individual units, affects about 8 to 9 per 1000 newborns and results from an aberration of the normal development of the interdigital tissues. Limb digit separation is the result of programmed cell death (apoptosis). Lysosomes play a role in the process of cell self-destruction. Our experiment was designed to test the hypothesis that the intensity of interdigital lysosomes increases during the separation of digits in vivo and in vitro. The primary mouse monoclonal antibody, 1D4B, detects the presence of lysosomes by identifying the LAMP-1 glycoprotein on the lysosome cell membrane. In our experiment this antibody immunodetected interdigital lysosome proteins in serial sections of limbs from Swiss-Webster mouse embryos, gestational ages E12.5 through E15, key developmental stages for digit separation. Digit separation was associated with an increase in intensity of lysosomal protein staining. In E12.5 limbs, the presence of lysosomes was enriched in the distal aspect of the interdigital tissue. However, the number of lysosomes markedly increased in the E13 and E14 limbs, including the entire length and width of the interdigital tissue in the E14 limbs. This lysosomal protein presence in E14 limbs was significant compared to E12.5, E13, and E15 limbs. By day 12.5, the mouse embryo limb is committed to digit separation. Addition of retinoic acid to the culture medium of limbs earlier in development, such as E12, results in induction of the process of digit separation. Cultured E12 limbs that did not receive an addition of retinoic acid, did not show digit separation. We conclude that in the limb development process, the enrichment in interdigit LAMP-1 proteins, may indicate a relationship between lysosomes, apoptosis, and digit separation. We also conclude that retinoic acid has an important role in digit separation in vivo, as shown in limb development, and demonstrated through the addition of retinoic acid to media of cultured tissues.

Solar cell array design handbook - The principles and technology of photovoltaic energy conversion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rauschenbach, H. S.

1980-01-01

Photovoltaic solar cell array design and technology for ground-based and space applications are discussed from the user's point of view. Solar array systems are described, with attention given to array concepts, historical development, applications and performance, and the analysis of array characteristics, circuits, components, performance and reliability is examined. Aspects of solar cell array design considered include the design process, photovoltaic system and detailed array design, and the design of array thermal, radiation shielding and electromagnetic components. Attention is then given to the characteristics and design of the separate components of solar arrays, including the solar cells, optical elements and mechanical elements, and the fabrication, testing, environmental conditions and effects and material properties of arrays and their components are discussed.

Acoustical and Perceptual Comparison of Noise Reduction and Compression in Hearing Aids

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brons, Inge; Houben, Rolph; Dreschler, Wouter A.

2015-01-01

Purpose: Noise reduction and dynamic-range compression are generally applied together in hearing aids but may have opposite effects on amplification. This study evaluated the acoustical and perceptual effects of separate and combined processing of noise reduction and compression. Design: Recordings of the output of 4 hearing aids for speech in…

Science: Grade 7. Interim Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manitoba Dept. of Education and Training, Winnipeg.

This guide is one of a set of 10 science guides, each covering a separate grade in Manitoba, together covering kindergarten through grade 9. The guides have been designed to provide a framework for building scientific concepts and developing the learning of process skills. They replace an earlier set of guides dated 1979. Each guide is essentially…

Science: Grade 6. Interim Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manitoba Dept. of Education and Training, Winnipeg.

This guide is one of a set of 10 science guides, each covering a separate grade in Manitoba, together covering kindergarten through grade 9. The guides have been designed to provide a framework for building scientific concepts and developing the learning of process skills. They replace an earlier set of guides dated 1979. Each guide is essentially…

A Design Case of Scaffolding Hybrid/Online Student-Centered Learning with Multimedia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao, E-Ling; Mikolaj, Peter; Shih, Ya-Ting

2017-01-01

Implementing student-centered learning in hybrid/online settings is very challenging due to the physical separation of instructor and students. This article discusses the need for instructors to provide scaffolds and multimedia modules to facilitate knowledge construction in the student-centered learning process. To offer students solid learning…

Using an Adoption Design to Separate Genetic, Prenatal, and Temperament Influences on Toddler Executive Function

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leve, Leslie D.; DeGarmo, David S.; Bridgett, David J.; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.; Shaw, Daniel S.; Harold, Gordon T.; Natsuaki, Misaki N.; Reiss, David

2013-01-01

Poor executive functioning has been implicated in children's concurrent and future behavioral difficulties, making work aimed at understanding processes related to the development of early executive function (EF) critical for models of developmental psychopathology. Deficits in EF have been associated with adverse prenatal experiences, genetic…

Guidelines for the Practice of Parenting Coordination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Psychologist, 2012

2012-01-01

Parenting coordination is a nonadversarial dispute resolution process that is court ordered or agreed on by divorced and separated parents who have an ongoing pattern of high conflict and/or litigation about their children. These guidelines are designed to address the developing area of practice known as parenting coordination. In response to the…

Science: Grade 8. Interim Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manitoba Dept. of Education and Training, Winnipeg.

This guide is one of a set of 10 science guides, each covering a separate grade in Manitoba, together covering kindergarten through grade 9. The guides have been designed to provide a framework for building scientific concepts and developing the learning of process skills. They replace an earlier set of guides dated 1979. Each guide is essentially…

The Holographic Brain: Implications for Training Design.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, James R.

Without special training, most people predominantly process data in one of four ways. Few achieve a coveted whole brain state that integrates such important but separate brain functions as logic and intuition. With new training techniques that exploit the holographic properties of the brain, organizations may be able to tap powerful whole brain…

Science: Grade 2. Interim Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manitoba Dept. of Education and Training, Winnipeg.

This guide is one of a set of 10 science guides, each covering a separate grade in Manitoba, together covering kindergarten through grade 9. The guides have been designed to provide a framework for building scientific concepts and developing the learning of process skills. They replace an earlier set of guides dated 1979. Each guide is essentially…

Science: Grade 1. Interim Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manitoba Dept. of Education and Training, Winnipeg.

This guide is one of a set of 10 science guides, each covering a separate grade in Manitoba, together covering kindergarten through grade 9. The guides have been designed to provide a framework for building scientific concepts and developing the learning of process skills. They replace an earlier set of guides dated 1979. Each guide is essentially…

Science: Kindergarten. Interim Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manitoba Dept. of Education and Training, Winnipeg.

This guide is one of a set of 10 science guides, each covering a separate grade in Manitoba, together covering kindergarten through grade 9. The guides have been designed to provide a framework for building scientific concepts and developing the learning of process skills. They replace an earlier set of guides dated 1979. Each guide is essentially…

Integrating fire management analysis into land management planning

Treesearch

Thomas J. Mills

1983-01-01

The analysis of alternative fire management programs should be integrated into the land and resource management planning process, but a single fire management analysis model cannot meet all planning needs. Therefore, a set of simulation models that are analytically separate from integrated land management planning models are required. The design of four levels of fire...

Improving Multiple Surface Range Estimation of a 3-Dimensional FLASH LADAR in the Presence of Atmospheric Turbulence

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

during the design process. For instance, the detector could be calibrated with incoherent il- lumination and a separate calibration could be performed...Poisson dis- tribution is often employed as a statistical distribution for the detected images. How- ever, due to the highly coherent nature of laser

Advanced silver zinc battery development for the SRB and ET range safety subsystems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adamedes, Zoe

1994-01-01

This document presents in viewgraph format the design and development of silver zinc (AgZn) batteries for the solid rocket booster (SRB) and external tank (ET) range safety subsystems. Various engineering techniques, including composite separator systems, new electrode processing techniques, and new restraint techniques, were used to meet difficult requirements.

Characterization of Gas Chromatographic Liquid Phases Using McReynolds Constants. An Experiment for Instrumental Analysis Laboratory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erskine, Steven R.; And Others

1986-01-01

Describes a laboratory experiment that is designed to aid in the understanding of the fundamental process involved in gas chromatographic separations. Introduces the Kovats retention index system for use by chemistry students to establish criteria for the optimal selection of gas chromatographic stationary phases. (TW)

TESTING SOLIDS SETTING APPARATUSES FOR DESIGN AND OPERATION OF WET-WEATHER FLOW SOLIDS-LIQUID SEPARATION PROCESSES

EPA Science Inventory

This study was a side-by-side comparison of two settling evaluation methods: one traditional and one new. The project investigated whether these column tests were capable of capturing or representing the rapidly settling particles present in wet-weather flows (WWF). The report r...

Formation of Load Parameters of Destroyed Massife in Explosion of Multicharge Composition with Separation of its Parts by Profile Inert Interval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paramonov, G. P.; Mysin, A. V.; Babkin, R. S.

2017-10-01

The paper introduces construction of multicharge composition with separation of parts by the profile inert interval. On the basis of the previous researches, the pulse-forming process at explosion of the borehole multicharge taking into account the offered design is considered. The physical model for definition of reflected wavelet taking into account an increment of radius of cross section of a charging cavity and the expiration of detonation products is offered. A technique is developed for numerical modeling of gas-dynamic processes in a borehole with a change in the axial channel of a profile inert interval caused by a high-temperature flow of gaseous products of an explosion. The authors obtained the dependence of the change in mean pressure on the borehole wall on time for each of the parts of the multicharge. To blast a series of charges of the proposed design, taking into account optimization of the stress fields of neighboring charges, the delay interval is determined for a short-delayed explosion.

Advanced Acid Gas Separation Technology for the Utilization of Low Rank Coals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kloosterman, Jeff

2012-12-31

Air Products has developed a potentially ground-breaking technology – Sour Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) – to replace the solvent-based acid gas removal (AGR) systems currently employed to separate sulfur containing species, along with CO{sub 2} and other impurities, from gasifier syngas streams. The Sour PSA technology is based on adsorption processes that utilize pressure swing or temperature swing regeneration methods. Sour PSA technology has already been shown with higher rank coals to provide a significant reduction in the cost of CO{sub 2} capture for power generation, which should translate to a reduction in cost of electricity (COE), compared to baselinemore » CO{sub 2} capture plant design. The objective of this project is to test the performance and capability of the adsorbents in handling tar and other impurities using a gaseous mixture generated from the gasification of lower rank, lignite coal. The results of this testing are used to generate a high-level pilot process design, and to prepare a techno-economic assessment evaluating the applicability of the technology to plants utilizing these coals.« less

Cell design concepts for aqueous lithium-oxygen batteries: A model-based assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grübl, Daniel; Bessler, Wolfgang G.

2015-11-01

Seven cell design concepts for aqueous (alkaline) lithium-oxygen batteries are investigated using a multi-physics continuum model for predicting cell behavior and performance in terms of the specific energy and specific power. Two different silver-based cathode designs (a gas diffusion electrode and a flooded cathode) and three different separator designs (a porous separator, a stirred separator chamber, and a redox-flow separator) are compared. Cathode and separator thicknesses are varied over a wide range (50 μm-20 mm) in order to identify optimum configurations. All designs show a considerable capacity-rate effect due to spatiotemporally inhomogeneous precipitation of solid discharge product LiOH·H2O. In addition, a cell design with flooded cathode and redox-flow separator including oxygen uptake within the external tank is suggested. For this design, the model predicts specific power up to 33 W/kg and specific energy up to 570 Wh/kg (gravimetric values of discharged cell including all cell components and catholyte except housing and piping).

Inspection of the dynamic properties of laminar separation bubbles: free-stream turbulence intensity effects for different Reynolds numbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simoni, Daniele; Lengani, Davide; Ubaldi, Marina; Zunino, Pietro; Dellacasagrande, Matteo

2017-06-01

The effects of free-stream turbulence intensity (FSTI) on the transition process of a pressure-induced laminar separation bubble have been studied for different Reynolds numbers (Re) by means of time-resolved (TR) PIV. Measurements have been performed along a flat plate installed within a double-contoured test section, designed to produce an adverse pressure gradient typical of ultra-high-lift turbine blade profiles. A test matrix spanning 3 FSTI levels and 3 Reynolds numbers has been considered allowing estimation of cross effects of these parameters on the instability mechanisms driving the separated flow transition process. Boundary layer integral parameters, spatial growth rate and saturation level of velocity fluctuations are discussed for the different cases in order to characterize the base flow response as well as the time-mean properties of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. The inspection of the instantaneous velocity vector maps highlights the dynamics of the large-scale structures shed near the bubble maximum displacement, as well as the low-frequency motion of the fore part of the separated shear layer. Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) has been implemented to reduce the large amount of data for each condition allowing a rapid evaluation of the group velocity, spatial wavelength and dominant frequency of the vortex shedding process. The dimensionless shedding wave number parameter makes evident that the modification of the shear layer thickness at separation due to Reynolds number variation mainly drives the length scale of the rollup vortices, while higher FSTI levels force the onset of the shedding phenomenon to occur upstream due to the higher velocity fluctuations penetrating into the separating boundary layer.

Chromatographic separation of the theranostic radionuclide 111Ag from a proton irradiated thorium matrix

DOE PAGES

Mastren, Tara; Radchenko, Valery; Engle, Jonathan W.; ...

2017-10-30

Column chromatographic methods have been developed to separate no-carrier-added 111Ag from proton irradiated thorium targets and associated fission products as an ancillary process to an existing 225Ac separation design. In this paper, we report the separation of 111Ag both prior and subsequent to 225Ac recovery using CL resin, a solvent impregnated resin (SIR) that carries an organic solution of alkyl phosphine sulfides (R 3P = S) and alkyl phosphine oxides (R 3P = O). The recovery yield of 111Ag was 93 ± 9% with a radiochemical purity of 99.9% (prior) and 87 ± 9% with a radiochemical purity of 99.9%more » (subsequent to) 225Ac recovery. Both processes were successfully performed with insignificant impacts on 225Ac yields or quality. Measured equilibrium distribution coefficients for silver and ruthenium (a residual contaminant) on CL resin in hydrochloric and nitric acid media are reported, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time. Finally and additionally, measured cross sections for the production of 111Ag and 110mAg for the 232Th(p,f) 110m,111Ag reactions are reported within.« less

Selective Adsorption and Separation of Organic Dyes with Spherical Polyelectrolyte Brushes and Compressed Carbon Dioxide.

PubMed

Zhang, Rui; Yu, Zhenchuan; Wang, Lei; Shen, Qizhe; Hou, Xiaoyan; Guo, Xuhong; Wang, Junwei; Zhu, Xuedong; Yao, Yuan

2017-10-04

Dye-containing wastewater has caused serious environmental pollution. Herein, rationally designed spherical polyelectrolyte brushes (SPBs) with cationic charges, polystyrene-poly(2-aminoethylmethacrylate hydrochloride) (PS-PAEMH) as the absorbent, and compressed carbon dioxide as the antisolvent are proposed for the separation of the anionic dye eosin Y (EY) from a solution of mixed dyes. The adsorption behavior of EY onto PS-PAEMH was highly dependent on CO 2 pressure, contact time, and initial concentration. The maximum adsorption capacity of PS-PAEMH was 335.20 mg g -1 . FTIR and UV/Vis measurements proved that the electrostatic interactions between EY and PS-PAEMH played an important role in the absorbance process. The adsorption process fitted the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Freundlich isotherm model very well. The combined dye and polymer brush could be easily separated through ion exchange by adding an aqueous solution of NaCl. Recovered PS-PAEMH retained a high adsorption capacity even after ten cycles of regeneration. This method provides a simple and effective way to separate ionic materials for environmental engineering. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

An easy-to-use calculating machine to simulate steady state and non-steady-state preparative separations by multiple dual mode counter-current chromatography with semi-continuous loading of feed mixtures.

PubMed

Kostanyan, Artak E; Shishilov, Oleg N

2018-06-01

Multiple dual mode counter-current chromatography (MDM CCC) separation processes with semi-continuous large sample loading consist of a succession of two counter-current steps: with "x" phase (first step) and "y" phase (second step) flow periods. A feed mixture dissolved in the "x" phase is continuously loaded into a CCC machine at the beginning of the first step of each cycle over a constant time with the volumetric rate equal to the flow rate of the pure "x" phase. An easy-to-use calculating machine is developed to simulate the chromatograms and the amounts of solutes eluted with the phases at each cycle for steady-state (the duration of the flow periods of the phases is kept constant for all the cycles) and non-steady-state (with variable duration of alternating phase elution steps) separations. Using the calculating machine, the separation of mixtures containing up to five components can be simulated and designed. Examples of the application of the calculating machine for the simulation of MDM CCC processes are discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chromatographic separation of the theranostic radionuclide 111Ag from a proton irradiated thorium matrix

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mastren, Tara; Radchenko, Valery; Engle, Jonathan W.

Column chromatographic methods have been developed to separate no-carrier-added 111Ag from proton irradiated thorium targets and associated fission products as an ancillary process to an existing 225Ac separation design. In this paper, we report the separation of 111Ag both prior and subsequent to 225Ac recovery using CL resin, a solvent impregnated resin (SIR) that carries an organic solution of alkyl phosphine sulfides (R 3P = S) and alkyl phosphine oxides (R 3P = O). The recovery yield of 111Ag was 93 ± 9% with a radiochemical purity of 99.9% (prior) and 87 ± 9% with a radiochemical purity of 99.9%more » (subsequent to) 225Ac recovery. Both processes were successfully performed with insignificant impacts on 225Ac yields or quality. Measured equilibrium distribution coefficients for silver and ruthenium (a residual contaminant) on CL resin in hydrochloric and nitric acid media are reported, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time. Finally and additionally, measured cross sections for the production of 111Ag and 110mAg for the 232Th(p,f) 110m,111Ag reactions are reported within.« less

Optics for multimode lasers with elongated depth of field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laskin, Alexander; Laskin, Vadim; Ostrun, Aleksei

2017-02-01

Modern multimode high-power lasers are widely used in industrial applications and control of their radiation, especially by focusing, is of great importance. Because of relatively low optical quality, characterized by high values of specifications Beam Parameter Product (BPP) or M², the depth of field by focusing of multimode laser radiation is narrow. At the same time laser technologies like deep penetration welding, cutting of thick metal sheets get benefits from elongated depth of field in area of focal plane, therefore increasing of zone along optical axis with minimized spot size is important technical task. As a solution it is suggested to apply refractive optical systems splitting an initial laser beam into several beamlets, which are focused in different foci separated along optical axis with providing reliable control of energy portions in each separate focus, independently of beam size or mode structure. With the multi-focus optics, the length of zone of material processing along optical axis is defined rather by distances between separate foci, which are determined by optical design of the optics and can be chosen according to requirements of a particular laser technology. Due to stability of the distances between foci there is provided stability of a technology process. This paper describes some design features of refractive multi-focus optics, examples of real implementations and experimental results will be presented as well.

Environmental and sustainability ethics in supply chain management.

PubMed

Beamon, Benita M

2005-04-01

Environmentally Conscious Supply Chain Management (ECSCM refers to the control exerted over all immediate and eventual environmental effects of products and processes associated with converting raw materials into final products. While much work has been done in this area, the focus has traditionally been on either: product recovery (recycling, remanufacturing, or re-use) or the product design function only (e.g., design for environment). Environmental considerations in manufacturing are often viewed as separate from traditional, value-added considerations. However, the case can be made that professional engineers have an ethical responsibility to consider the immediate and eventual environmental impacts of products and processes that they design and/or manage. This paper describes ECSCM as a component of engineering ethics, and highlights the major issues associated with ethical decision-making in supply chain management.

Rapid Separation of Bacteria from Blood—Review and Outlook

PubMed Central

Alizadeh, Mahsa; Husseini, Ghaleb A.; McClellan, Daniel S.; Buchanan, Clara M.; Bledsoe, Colin G.; Robison, Richard A.; Blanco, Rae; Roeder, Beverly L.; Melville, Madison; Hunter, Alex K.

2017-01-01

The high morbidity and mortality rate of bloodstream infections involving antibiotic-resistant bacteria necessitate a rapid identification of the infectious organism and its resistance profile. Traditional methods based on culturing the blood typically require at least 24 h, and genetic amplification by PCR in the presence of blood components has been problematic. The rapid separation of bacteria from blood would facilitate their genetic identification by PCR or other methods so that the proper antibiotic regimen can quickly be selected for the septic patient. Microfluidic systems that separate bacteria from whole blood have been developed, but these are designed to process only microliter quantities of whole blood or only highly diluted blood. However, symptoms of clinical blood infections can be manifest with bacterial burdens perhaps as low as 10 CFU/mL, and thus milliliter quantities of blood must be processed to collect enough bacteria for reliable genetic analysis. This review considers the advantages and shortcomings of various methods to separate bacteria from blood, with emphasis on techniques that can be done in less than 10 min on milliliter-quantities of whole blood. These techniques include filtration, screening, centrifugation, sedimentation, hydrodynamic focusing, chemical capture on surfaces or beads, field-flow fractionation, and dielectrophoresis. Techniques with the most promise include screening, sedimentation, and magnetic bead capture, as they allow large quantities of blood to be processed quickly. Some microfluidic techniques can be scaled up. PMID:27160415

A 1-channel 3-band wide dynamic range compression chip for vibration transducer of implantable hearing aids.

PubMed

Kim, Dongwook; Seong, Kiwoong; Kim, Myoungnam; Cho, Jinho; Lee, Jyunghyun

2014-01-01

In this paper, a digital audio processing chip which uses a wide dynamic range compression (WDRC) algorithm is designed and implemented for implantable hearing aids system. The designed chip operates at a single voltage of 3.3V and drives a 16 bit parallel input and output at 32 kHz sample. The designed chip has 1-channel 3-band WDRC composed of a FIR filter bank, a level detector, and a compression part. To verify the performance of the designed chip, we measured the frequency separations of bands and compression gain control to reflect the hearing threshold level.

Optical cell separation from three-dimensional environment in photodegradable hydrogels for pure culture techniques.

PubMed

Tamura, Masato; Yanagawa, Fumiki; Sugiura, Shinji; Takagi, Toshiyuki; Sumaru, Kimio; Matsui, Hirofumi; Kanamori, Toshiyuki

2014-05-07

Cell sorting is an essential and efficient experimental tool for the isolation and characterization of target cells. A three-dimensional environment is crucial in determining cell behavior and cell fate in biological analysis. Herein, we have applied photodegradable hydrogels to optical cell separation from a 3D environment using a computer-controlled light irradiation system. The hydrogel is composed of photocleavable tetra-arm polyethylene glycol and gelatin, which optimized cytocompatibility to adjust a composition of crosslinker and gelatin. Local light irradiation could degrade the hydrogel corresponding to the micropattern image designed on a laptop; minimum resolution of photodegradation was estimated at 20 µm. Light irradiation separated an encapsulated fluorescent microbead without any contamination of neighbor beads, even at multiple targets. Upon selective separation of target cells in the hydrogels, the separated cells have grown on another dish, resulting in pure culture. Cell encapsulation, light irradiation and degradation products exhibited negligible cytotoxicity in overall process.

Isolation, Separation, and Preconcentration of Biologically Active Compounds from Plant Matrices by Extraction Techniques.

PubMed

Raks, Victoria; Al-Suod, Hossam; Buszewski, Bogusław

2018-01-01

Development of efficient methods for isolation and separation of biologically active compounds remains an important challenge for researchers. Designing systems such as organomineral composite materials that allow extraction of a wide range of biologically active compounds, acting as broad-utility solid-phase extraction agents, remains an important and necessary task. Selective sorbents can be easily used for highly selective and reliable extraction of specific components present in complex matrices. Herein, state-of-the-art approaches for selective isolation, preconcentration, and separation of biologically active compounds from a range of matrices are discussed. Primary focus is given to novel extraction methods for some biologically active compounds including cyclic polyols, flavonoids, and oligosaccharides from plants. In addition, application of silica-, carbon-, and polymer-based solid-phase extraction adsorbents and membrane extraction for selective separation of these compounds is discussed. Potential separation process interactions are recommended; their understanding is of utmost importance for the creation of optimal conditions to extract biologically active compounds including those with estrogenic properties.

A review of the use of vortex generators for mitigating shock-induced separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titchener, Neil; Babinsky, Holger

2015-09-01

This article reviews research into the potential of vortex generators to mitigate shock-induced separation. Studies ranging from those conducted in the early post-war era to those performed recently are discussed. On the basis of the investigations described in this report, it is clear that vortex generators can alleviate shock-induced boundary layer separation. Yet, it will be shown that their potential and efficiency varies considerably in practical applications. Much more success is reported in transonic test cases compared to separation induced in purely supersonic interactions. Under a variety of flow conditions, the best performance is achieved with vortex generators with a height of roughly half the boundary layer thickness and a shape similar to a swept vane. Notwithstanding this, vortex generator performance is not as consistent as it is in low-speed applications. Further work is required before vortex generators can be implemented into the design process for eliminating shock-induced separation on transonic wings and in supersonic inlets.

A Robust, Gravity-Insensitive, High-Temperature Condenser for Water Recovery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Weibo; Conboy, Thomas; Ewert, Michael

2016-01-01

Regenerative life support systems are vital for NASA's future long-duration human space exploration missions. A Heat Melt Compactor (HMC) system is being developed by NASA to dry and compress trash generated during space missions. The resulting water vapor is recovered and separated from the process gas flow by a gravity-insensitive condenser. Creare is developing a high-temperature condenser for this application. The entire condenser is constructed from metals that have excellent resistance to chemical attack from contaminants and is suitable for high-temperature operation. The metal construction and design configuration also offer greatest flexibility for potential coating and regeneration processes to reduce biofilm growth and thus enhancing the reliability of the condenser. The proposed condenser builds on the gravity-insensitive phase separator technology Creare developed for aircraft and spacecraft applications. This paper will first discuss the design requirements for the condenser in an HMC system that will be demonstrated on the International Space Station (ISS). Then, it will present the overall design of the condenser and the preliminary thermal test results of a subscale condenser. Finally, this paper will discuss the predicted performance of the full-size condenser and the development plan to mature the technology and enhance its long-term reliability for a flight system.

Solvent replacement for green processing.

PubMed Central

Sherman, J; Chin, B; Huibers, P D; Garcia-Valls, R; Hatton, T A

1998-01-01

The implementation of the Montreal Protocol, the Clean Air Act, and the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 has resulted in increased awareness of organic solvent use in chemical processing. The advances made in the search to find "green" replacements for traditional solvents are reviewed, with reference to solvent alternatives for cleaning, coatings, and chemical reaction and separation processes. The development of solvent databases and computational methods that aid in the selection and/or design of feasible or optimal environmentally benign solvent alternatives for specific applications is also discussed. Images Figure 2 Figure 3 PMID:9539018

Directional charge separation in isolated organic semiconductor crystalline nanowires

DOE PAGES

Labastide, J. A.; Thompson, H. B.; Marques, S. R.; ...

2016-02-25

One of the fundamental design paradigms in organic photovoltaic device engineering is based on the idea that charge separation is an extrinsically driven process requiring an interface for exciton fission. This idea has driven an enormous materials science engineering effort focused on construction of domain sizes commensurate with a nominal exciton diffusion length of order 10 nm. Here, we show that polarized optical excitation of isolated pristine crystalline nanowires of a small molecule n-type organic semiconductor, 7,8,15,16-tetraazaterrylene, generates a significant population of charge-separated polaron pairs along the π-stacking direction. Charge separation was signalled by pronounced power-law photoluminescence decay polarized alongmore » the same axis. In the transverse direction, we observed exponential decay associated with excitons localized on individual monomers. We propose that this effect derives from an intrinsic directional charge-transfer interaction that can ultimately be programmed by molecular packing geometry.« less

Modular microfluidics for point-of-care protein purifications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Millet, L. J.; Lucheon, J. D.; Standaert, R. F.

Biochemical separations are the heart of diagnostic assays and purification methods for biologics. On-chip miniaturization and modularization of separation procedures will enable the development of customized, portable devices for personalized health-care diagnostics and point-of-use production of treatments. In this report, we describe the design and fabrication of miniature ion exchange, size exclusion and affinity chromatography modules for on-chip clean-up of recombinantly-produced proteins. Our results demonstrate that these common separations techniques can be implemented in microfluidic modules with performance comparable to conventional approaches. We introduce embedded 3-D microfluidic interconnects for integrating micro-scale separation modules that can be arranged and reconfigured tomore » suit a variety of fluidic operations or biochemical processes. In conclusion, we demonstrate the utility of the modular approach with a platform for the enrichment of enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) from Escherichia coli lysate through integrated affinity and size-exclusion chromatography modules.« less

A heuristic multi-criteria classification approach incorporating data quality information for choropleth mapping

PubMed Central

Sun, Min; Wong, David; Kronenfeld, Barry

2016-01-01

Despite conceptual and technology advancements in cartography over the decades, choropleth map design and classification fail to address a fundamental issue: estimates that are statistically indifferent may be assigned to different classes on maps or vice versa. Recently, the class separability concept was introduced as a map classification criterion to evaluate the likelihood that estimates in two classes are statistical different. Unfortunately, choropleth maps created according to the separability criterion usually have highly unbalanced classes. To produce reasonably separable but more balanced classes, we propose a heuristic classification approach to consider not just the class separability criterion but also other classification criteria such as evenness and intra-class variability. A geovisual-analytic package was developed to support the heuristic mapping process to evaluate the trade-off between relevant criteria and to select the most preferable classification. Class break values can be adjusted to improve the performance of a classification. PMID:28286426

Modular microfluidics for point-of-care protein purifications.

PubMed

Millet, L J; Lucheon, J D; Standaert, R F; Retterer, S T; Doktycz, M J

2015-04-21

Biochemical separations are the heart of diagnostic assays and purification methods for biologics. On-chip miniaturization and modularization of separation procedures will enable the development of customized, portable devices for personalized health-care diagnostics and point-of-use production of treatments. In this report, we describe the design and fabrication of miniature ion exchange, size exclusion and affinity chromatography modules for on-chip clean-up of recombinantly-produced proteins. Our results demonstrate that these common separations techniques can be implemented in microfluidic modules with performance comparable to conventional approaches. We introduce embedded 3-D microfluidic interconnects for integrating micro-scale separation modules that can be arranged and reconfigured to suit a variety of fluidic operations or biochemical processes. We demonstrate the utility of the modular approach with a platform for the enrichment of enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) from Escherichia coli lysate through integrated affinity and size-exclusion chromatography modules.

Modular microfluidics for point-of-care protein purifications

DOE PAGES

Millet, L. J.; Lucheon, J. D.; Standaert, R. F.; ...

2015-01-01

Biochemical separations are the heart of diagnostic assays and purification methods for biologics. On-chip miniaturization and modularization of separation procedures will enable the development of customized, portable devices for personalized health-care diagnostics and point-of-use production of treatments. In this report, we describe the design and fabrication of miniature ion exchange, size exclusion and affinity chromatography modules for on-chip clean-up of recombinantly-produced proteins. Our results demonstrate that these common separations techniques can be implemented in microfluidic modules with performance comparable to conventional approaches. We introduce embedded 3-D microfluidic interconnects for integrating micro-scale separation modules that can be arranged and reconfigured tomore » suit a variety of fluidic operations or biochemical processes. In conclusion, we demonstrate the utility of the modular approach with a platform for the enrichment of enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) from Escherichia coli lysate through integrated affinity and size-exclusion chromatography modules.« less

Mass Separation by Metamaterials

PubMed Central

Restrepo-Flórez, Juan Manuel; Maldovan, Martin

2016-01-01

Being able to manipulate mass flow is critically important in a variety of physical processes in chemical and biomolecular science. For example, separation and catalytic systems, which requires precise control of mass diffusion, are crucial in the manufacturing of chemicals, crystal growth of semiconductors, waste recovery of biological solutes or chemicals, and production of artificial kidneys. Coordinate transformations and metamaterials are powerful methods to achieve precise manipulation of molecular diffusion. Here, we introduce a novel approach to obtain mass separation based on metamaterials that can sort chemical and biomolecular species by cloaking one compound while concentrating the other. A design strategy to realize such metamaterial using homogeneous isotropic materials is proposed. We present a practical case where a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen is manipulated using a metamaterial that cloaks nitrogen and concentrates oxygen. This work lays the foundation for molecular mass separation in biophysical and chemical systems through metamaterial devices. PMID:26912419

Chaotropic salts in liquid chromatographic method development for the determination of pramipexole and its impurities following quality-by-design principles.

PubMed

Vemić, Ana; Rakić, Tijana; Malenović, Anđelija; Medenica, Mirjana

2015-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present a development of liquid chromatographic method when chaotropic salts are used as mobile phase additives following the QbD principles. The effect of critical process parameters (column chemistry, salt nature and concentration, acetonitrile content and column temperature) on the critical quality attributes (retention of the first and last eluting peak and separation of the critical peak pairs) was studied applying the design of experiments-design space methodology (DoE-DS). D-optimal design is chosen in order to simultaneously examine both categorical and numerical factors in minimal number of experiments. Two ways for the achievement of quality assurance were performed and compared. Namely, the uncertainty originating from the models was assessed by Monte Carlo simulations propagating the error equal to the variance of the model residuals and propagating the error originating from the model coefficients' calculation. The baseline separation of pramipexole and its five impurities is achieved fulfilling all the required criteria while the method validation proved its reliability. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Magnetic design and field optimization of a superferric dipole for the RISP fragment separator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaghloul, A.; Kim, J. Y.; Kim, D. G.; Jo, H. C.; Kim, M. J.

2015-10-01

The in-flight fragment separator of the Rare Isotope Science Project requires eight dipole magnets to produce a gap field of 1.7 T in a deflection sector of 30 degree with a 6-m central radius. If the beam-optics requirements are to be met, an integral field homogeneity of a few units (1 unit = 10-4) must be achieved. A superferric dipole magnet has been designed by using the Low-Temperature Superconducting wire NbTi and soft iron of grade SAE1010. The 3D magnetic design and field optimization have been performed using the Opera code. The length and the width of the air slots in the poles have been determined in an optimization process that considered not only the uniformity of the field in the straight section but also the field errors in the end regions. The field uniformity has also been studied for a range of operation of the dipole magnet from 0.4 T to 1.7 T. The magnetic design and field uniformity are discussed.

A Novel Method of Measuring the Phase Behavior and Rheology of Polyethylene Solutions Using a Multi-Pass Rheometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Karen; Lacombe, Y.; Cheluget, E.

2008-07-01

The Advanced SCLAIRTECH™ Technology process is used to manufacture Linear Low Density Polyethylene using solution polymerization. In this process ethylene is polymerized in an inert solvent, which is subsequently evaporated and recycled. The reactor effluent in the process is a polymer solution containing the polyethylene product, which is separated from the solvent and unconverted ethylene/co-monomer before being extruded and pelletized. The design of unit operations in this process requires a detailed understanding of the thermophysical properties, phase behaviour and rheology of polymer containing streams at high temperature and pressure, and over a wide range of composition. This paper describes a device used to thermo-rheologically characterize polymer solutions under conditions prevailing in polymerization reactors, downstream heat exchangers and attendant phase separation vessels. The downstream processing of the Advanced SCLAIRTECH™ Technology reactor effluent occurs at temperatures and pressures near the critical point of the solvent and co-monomer mixture. In addition, the process trajectory encompasses regions of liquid-liquid and liquid-liquid-vapour co-existence, which are demarcated by a `cloud point' curve. Knowing the location of this phase boundary is essential for the design of downstream devolatilization processes and for optimizing operating conditions in existing plants. In addition, accurate solution rheology data are required for reliable equipment sizing and design. At NOVA Chemicals, a robust high-temperature and high-pressure-capable version of the Multi-Pass Rheometer (MPR) is used to provide data on solution rheology and phase boundary location. This sophisticated piece of equipment is used to quantify the effects of solvent types, comonomer, and free ethylene concentration on the properties of the reactor effluent. An example of the experimental methodology to characterize a polyethylene solution with hexane solvent, and the ethylene dosing technique developed for the MPR will be described. ™Advanced SCLAIRTECH is a trademark of NOVA Chemicals.

A hierarchical approach for the design improvements of an Organocat biorefinery.

PubMed

Abdelaziz, Omar Y; Gadalla, Mamdouh A; El-Halwagi, Mahmoud M; Ashour, Fatma H

2015-04-01

Lignocellulosic biomass has emerged as a potentially attractive renewable energy source. Processing technologies of such biomass, particularly its primary separation, still lack economic justification due to intense energy requirements. Establishing an economically viable and energy efficient biorefinery scheme is a significant challenge. In this work, a systematic approach is proposed for improving basic/existing biorefinery designs. This approach is based on enhancing the efficiency of mass and energy utilization through the use of a hierarchical design approach that involves mass and energy integration. The proposed procedure is applied to a novel biorefinery called Organocat to minimize its energy and mass consumption and total annualized cost. An improved heat exchanger network with minimum energy consumption of 4.5 MJ/kgdry biomass is designed. An optimal recycle network with zero fresh water usage and minimum waste discharge is also constructed, making the process more competitive and economically attractive. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mathematical Model of Nonstationary Separation Processes Proceeding in the Cascade of Gas Centrifuges in the Process of Separation of Multicomponent Isotope Mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orlov, A. A.; Ushakov, A. A.; Sovach, V. P.

2017-03-01

We have developed and realized on software a mathematical model of the nonstationary separation processes proceeding in the cascades of gas centrifuges in the process of separation of multicomponent isotope mixtures. With the use of this model the parameters of the separation process of germanium isotopes have been calculated. It has been shown that the model adequately describes the nonstationary processes in the cascade and is suitable for calculating their parameters in the process of separation of multicomponent isotope mixtures.

Preliminary Report on Mission Design and Operations for Critical Events

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayden, Sandra C.; Tumer, Irem

2005-01-01

Mission-critical events are defined in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory s Flight Project Practices as those sequences of events which must succeed in order to attain mission goals. These are dependent on the particular operational concept and design reference mission, and are especially important when committing to irreversible events. Critical events include main engine cutoff (MECO) after launch; engine cutoff or parachute deployment on entry, descent, and landing (EDL); orbital insertion; separation of payload from vehicle or separation of booster segments; maintenance of pointing accuracy for power and communication; and deployment of solar arrays and communication antennas. The purpose of this paper is to report on the current practices in handling mission-critical events in design and operations at major NASA spaceflight centers. The scope of this report includes NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), with staff at each center consulted on their current practices, processes, and procedures.

Rotating carbon nanotube membrane filter for water desalination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, Qingsong; Yang, Qiang; Wang, Hualin; Li, Shaofan

2016-05-01

We have designed a porous nanofluidic desalination device, a rotating carbon nanotube membrane filter (RCNT-MF), for the reverse osmosis desalination that can turn salt water into fresh water. The concept as well as design strategy of RCNT-MF is modeled, and demonstrated by using molecular dynamics simulation. It has been shown that the RCNT-MF device may significantly improve desalination efficiency by combining the centrifugal force propelled reverse osmosis process and the porous CNT-based fine scale selective separation technology.

Rotating carbon nanotube membrane filter for water desalination

PubMed Central

Tu, Qingsong; Yang, Qiang; Wang, Hualin; Li, Shaofan

2016-01-01

We have designed a porous nanofluidic desalination device, a rotating carbon nanotube membrane filter (RCNT-MF), for the reverse osmosis desalination that can turn salt water into fresh water. The concept as well as design strategy of RCNT-MF is modeled, and demonstrated by using molecular dynamics simulation. It has been shown that the RCNT-MF device may significantly improve desalination efficiency by combining the centrifugal force propelled reverse osmosis process and the porous CNT-based fine scale selective separation technology. PMID:27188982

Design of an Airlift Bioreactor

DOE Data Explorer

Jiao, Yongqin; Park, Dan; Ho, Lewis

2017-03-13

An important consideration for the process design is cell immobilization-enabled flow-through operation. Large-scale biosorption relies on cells that are immobilized on a supporting substrate and used to 'attract' metal ions. Cell immobilization allows easy separation of the feed solution and REEs that are attached to the cell surface. It also allows continuous operation without the need of energy-intensive centrifugation or filtration. Lightweight, high surface area, low cost (~$200/m3) high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic disks are used as cell carriers for biofilm formation.

Wet separation processes as method to separate limestone and oil shale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurme, Martin; Karu, Veiko

2015-04-01

Biggest oil shale industry is located in Estonia. Oil shale usage is mainly for electricity generation, shale oil generation and cement production. All these processes need certain quality oil shale. Oil shale seam have interlayer limestone layers. To use oil shale in production, it is needed to separate oil shale and limestone. A key challenge is find separation process when we can get the best quality for all product types. In oil shale separation typically has been used heavy media separation process. There are tested also different types of separation processes before: wet separation, pneumatic separation. Now oil shale industry moves more to oil production and this needs innovation methods for separation to ensure fuel quality and the changes in quality. The pilot unit test with Allmineral ALLJIG have pointed out that the suitable new innovation way for oil shale separation can be wet separation with gravity, where material by pulsating water forming layers of grains according to their density and subsequently separates the heavy material (limestone) from the stratified material (oil shale)bed. Main aim of this research is to find the suitable separation process for oil shale, that the products have highest quality. The expected results can be used also for developing separation processes for phosphorite rock or all others, where traditional separation processes doesn't work property. This research is part of the study Sustainable and environmentally acceptable Oil shale mining No. 3.2.0501.11-0025 http://mi.ttu.ee/etp and the project B36 Extraction and processing of rock with selective methods - http://mi.ttu.ee/separation; http://mi.ttu.ee/miningwaste/

Separation of polyethylene terephthalate from municipal waste plastics by froth flotation for recycling industry.

PubMed

Wang, Chong-Qing; Wang, Hui; Liu, You-Nian

2015-01-01

Recycling is an effective way to manage plastic wastes and receives considerable attention. Since plastic mixtures are difficult to recycle because of their intrinsic characteristics, separation of mixed plastics is the key problem for recycling. Separation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from municipal waste plastics (MWP) by froth flotation combined with alkaline pretreatment was investigated for recycling industry. The effect of process variables was estimated by L9 (3(4)) orthogonal array of experiments and single factor experiments. The optimum conditions of alkaline pretreatment are 10 wt% sodium hydroxide, 20 min and 70°C. After alkaline pretreatment under optimum conditions, flotation separation PET from acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, polystyrene, polycarbonate or polyvinyl chloride was achieved with high purity and efficiency. The purity of PET is up to 98.46% and the recovery is above 92.47%. A flow sheet of separation PET from MWP by a combination of froth flotation and sink float separation was designed. This study facilitates industrial application of plastics flotation and provides technical insights into recycling of waste plastics. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fabrication of superhydrophobic nano-aluminum films on stainless steel meshes by electrophoretic deposition for oil-water separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Zhe; Jiang, Deyi; Wei, Zhibo; Chen, Jie; Jing, Jianfeng

2018-01-01

Stainless steel meshes with superhydrophobic surfaces were successfully fabricated via a facile electrophoretic deposition process. The surface morphology and chemical compositions were characterized by a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and fourier-transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR). After stearic acid modification, the obtained nano-aluminum films on stainless steel meshes showed an excellent superhydrophobic properties with a water contact angle of 160° ± 1.2° and a water sliding angle of less than 5°. In addition, on the basis of the superhydrophobic meshes, a simple, continuous oil-water separation apparatus was designed, and the oil-water separation efficiency was up to 95.8% ± 0.9%. Meanwhile, after 20 oil-water separation cycles, the separation efficiency without significant reduction suggested the stable performance of superhydrophobic stainless steel meshes on the oil-water separation. Moreover, the flow rate of oil-water mixture and effective separation length were investigated to determine their effects on the oil-water separation efficiency, respectively. Our work provides a cost-efficient method to prepare stable superhydrophobic nano-Al films on stainless steel meshes, and it has promising practical applications on oil-water separation.

CFD modeling of an ultrasonic separator for the removal of lipid particles from pericardial suction blood.

PubMed

Trippa, Giuliana; Ventikos, Yiannis; Taggart, David P; Coussios, Constantin-C

2011-02-01

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is presented to simulate the removal of lipid particles from blood using a novel ultrasonic quarter-wavelength separator. The Lagrangian-Eulerian CFD model accounts for conservation of mass and momentum, for the presence of lipid particles of a range of diameters, for the acoustic force as experienced by the particles in the blood, as well as for gravity and other particle-fluid interaction forces. In the separator, the liquid flows radially inward within a fluid chamber formed between a disc-shaped transducer and a disc-shaped reflector. Following separation of the lipid particles, blood exits the separator axially through a central opening on the disc-shaped reflector. Separator diameters studied varied between 12 and 18 cm, and gap sizes between the discs of 600 μm, 800 μm and 1 mm were considered. Results show a strong effect of residence time of the particles within the chamber on the separation performance. Different separator configurations were identified, which could give a lipid removal performance of 95% or higher when processing 62.5 cm (3)/min of blood. The developed model provides a design method for the selection of geometric and operating parameters for the ultrasonic separator.

SHINE and Mini-SHINE Column Designs for Recovery of Mo from 140 g-U/L Uranyl Sulfate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stepinski, Dominique C.; Vandegrift, George F.

Argonne is assisting SHINE Medical Technologies (SHINE) in their efforts to develop an accelerator-driven process that utilizes a uranyl-sulfate solution for the production of fission Mo-99. In an effort to design a Mo-recovery system for the SHINE project using low-enriched uranium (LEU), we conducted batch, breakthrough, and pulse tests to determine the Mo isotherm, mass-transfer zone (MTZ), and system parameters for a 130 g-U/L uranyl sulfate solution at pH 1 and 80°C, as described previously. The VERSE program was utilized to calculate the MTZ under various loading times and velocities. The results were then used to design Mo separation andmore » recovery columns employing a pure titania sorbent (110-μm particles, S110, and 60 Å pore size). The plant-scale column designs assume Mo will be separated from 271 L of a 141 g-U/L uranyl sulfate solution, pH 1, containing 0.0023 mM Mo. The VERSE-designed recovery systems have been tested and verified in laboratory-scale experiments, and this approach was found to be very successful.« less

The synthesis and properties of linear A-π-D-π-A type organic small molecule containing diketopyrrolopyrrole terminal units.

PubMed

Zhang, Shanshan; Niu, Qingfen; Sun, Tao; Li, Yang; Li, Tianduo; Liu, Haixia

2017-08-05

A novel linear A-π-D-π-A-type organic small molecule Ph2(PDPP) 2 consisting diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) as acceptor unit, biphenylene as donor unit and acetylene unit as π-linkage has been successfully designed and synthesized. Its corresponding thermal, photophysical and electrochemical properties as well as the photoinduced charge-separation process were investigated. Ph2(PDPP) 2 exhibits high thermal stability and it can be soluble in common organic solvents such as chloroform and tetrahydrofuran. The photophysical properties show that DPP 2 Ph 2 harvests sunlight over the entire visible spectrum range in the thin-film state (300-800nm). DPP 2 Ph 2 has lower band gaps and appropriate energy levels to satisfy the requirement of solution-processable organic solar cells. The efficient photoinduced charge separation process was clearly observed between DPP 2 Ph 2 with PC 61 BM and the K sv value was found to be as high as 2.13×10 4 M -1 . Therefore, these excellent properties demonstrate that the designed A-π-D-π-A-type small molecule Ph2(PDPP) 2 is the prospective candidate as donor material for organic photovoltaic material. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A two-stage storage routing model for green roof runoff detention.

PubMed

Vesuviano, Gianni; Sonnenwald, Fred; Stovin, Virginia

2014-01-01

Green roofs have been adopted in urban drainage systems to control the total quantity and volumetric flow rate of runoff. Modern green roof designs are multi-layered, their main components being vegetation, substrate and, in almost all cases, a separate drainage layer. Most current hydrological models of green roofs combine the modelling of the separate layers into a single process; these models have limited predictive capability for roofs not sharing the same design. An adaptable, generic, two-stage model for a system consisting of a granular substrate over a hard plastic 'egg box'-style drainage layer and fibrous protection mat is presented. The substrate and drainage layer/protection mat are modelled separately by previously verified sub-models. Controlled storm events are applied to a green roof system in a rainfall simulator. The time-series modelled runoff is compared to the monitored runoff for each storm event. The modelled runoff profiles are accurate (mean Rt(2) = 0.971), but further characterization of the substrate component is required for the model to be generically applicable to other roof configurations with different substrate.

A computational efficient modelling of laminar separation bubbles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dini, Paolo; Maughmer, Mark D.

1990-01-01

In predicting the aerodynamic characteristics of airfoils operating at low Reynolds numbers, it is often important to account for the effects of laminar (transitional) separation bubbles. Previous approaches to the modelling of this viscous phenomenon range from fast but sometimes unreliable empirical correlations for the length of the bubble and the associated increase in momentum thickness, to more accurate but significantly slower displacement-thickness iteration methods employing inverse boundary-layer formulations in the separated regions. Since the penalty in computational time associated with the more general methods is unacceptable for airfoil design applications, use of an accurate yet computationally efficient model is highly desirable. To this end, a semi-empirical bubble model was developed and incorporated into the Eppler and Somers airfoil design and analysis program. The generality and the efficiency was achieved by successfully approximating the local viscous/inviscid interaction, the transition location, and the turbulent reattachment process within the framework of an integral boundary-layer method. Comparisons of the predicted aerodynamic characteristics with experimental measurements for several airfoils show excellent and consistent agreement for Reynolds numbers from 2,000,000 down to 100,000.

Safety analysis, 200 Area, Savannah River Plant: Separations area operations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perkins, W.C.; Lee, R.; Allen, P.M.

1991-07-01

The nev HB-Line, located on the fifth and sixth levels of Building 221-H, is designed to replace the aging existing HB-Line production facility. The nev HB-Line consists of three separate facilities: the Scrap Recovery Facility, the Neptunium Oxide Facility, and the Plutonium Oxide Facility. There are three separate safety analyses for the nev HB-Line, one for each of the three facilities. These are issued as supplements to the 200-Area Safety Analysis (DPSTSA-200-10). These supplements are numbered as Sup 2A, Scrap Recovery Facility, Sup 2B, Neptunium Oxide Facility, Sup 2C, Plutonium Oxide Facility. The subject of this safety analysis, the, Plutoniummore » Oxide Facility, will convert nitrate solutions of {sup 238}Pu to plutonium oxide (PuO{sub 2}) powder. All these new facilities incorporate improvements in: (1) engineered barriers to contain contamination, (2) barriers to minimize personnel exposure to airborne contamination, (3) shielding and remote operations to decrease radiation exposure, and (4) equipment and ventilation design to provide flexibility and improved process performance.« less

[Analyze nanofiltration separation rule of chlorogenic acid from low concentration ethanol by Donnan effect and solution-diffusion effect].

PubMed

Li, Cun-Yu; Liu, Li-Cheng; Jin, Li-Yang; Li, Hong-Yang; Peng, Guo-Ping

2017-07-01

To separate chlorogenic acid from low concentration ethanol and explore the influence of Donnan effect and solution-diffusion effect on the nanofiltration separation rule. The experiment showed that solution pH and ethanol volume percent had influences on the separation of chlorogenic acid. Within the pH values from 3 to 7 for chlorogenic acid in 30% ethanol, the rejection rate of chlorogenic acid was changed by 70.27%. Through the response surface method for quadratic regression model, an interaction had been found in molecule weight cut-off, pH and ethanol volume percent. In fixed nanofiltration apparatus, the existence states of chlorogenic acid determinedits separation rules. With the increase of ethanol concentration, the free form chlorogenic acid was easily adsorbed, dissolved on membrane surface and then caused high transmittance due to the solution-diffusion effect. However, at the same time, due to the double effects of Donnan effect and solution-diffusion effect, the ionic state of chlorogenic acid was hard to be adsorbed in membrane surface and thus caused high rejection rate. The combination of Box-Behnken design and response surface analysis can well optimize the concentrate process by nanofiltration, and the results showed that nanofiltration had several big advantages over the traditional vacuum concentrate technology, meanwhile, and solved the problems of low efficiency and serious component lossesin the Chinese medicines separation process for low concentration organic solvent-water solution. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Landscape Design Process of Lakewood Nava Park BSD City Based on Smart Growth Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Islami, M. Z.; Kaswanto, R. L.

2017-10-01

A comfortable and green housing area in a city is a must for the people live in a city. The rapid development in a city caused greater need for land. This problem happens simultaneously with environmental problem globally such as growing number of people, pollution, excessive exploitation of resource, and decreasing in ethic of land uses. The design of Lakewood Nava Park BSD City prioritizes on pedestrian and walkable environment to apprehend those problems. Lakewood Nava Park is a landscape design project conducted by landscape consultant company, Sheils Flynn Asia. The concept of Smart Growth used as a recommendation for Lakewood Nava Park design. Smart Growth is a city planning and transportation theory which expand a city into a walkable city. The method used on this research is a comparison between landscape design process and Booth theory, also analyze ten principle concept of Smart Growth at the project. Generally, the comparison between design process and Booth theory resulted a slight difference in term and separate phase. The analysis result from Smart Growth concept is around 70% has been applied, and the rest 30% applied after the design has been built. By using Smart Growth principle, the purpose of Lakewood Nava Park design can be applied well.

Simplifying microbial electrosynthesis reactor design.

PubMed

Giddings, Cloelle G S; Nevin, Kelly P; Woodward, Trevor; Lovley, Derek R; Butler, Caitlyn S

2015-01-01

Microbial electrosynthesis, an artificial form of photosynthesis, can efficiently convert carbon dioxide into organic commodities; however, this process has only previously been demonstrated in reactors that have features likely to be a barrier to scale-up. Therefore, the possibility of simplifying reactor design by both eliminating potentiostatic control of the cathode and removing the membrane separating the anode and cathode was investigated with biofilms of Sporomusa ovata. S. ovata reduces carbon dioxide to acetate and acts as the microbial catalyst for plain graphite stick cathodes as the electron donor. In traditional 'H-cell' reactors, where the anode and cathode chambers were separated with a proton-selective membrane, the rates and columbic efficiencies of microbial electrosynthesis remained high when electron delivery at the cathode was powered with a direct current power source rather than with a potentiostat-poised cathode utilized in previous studies. A membrane-less reactor with a direct-current power source with the cathode and anode positioned to avoid oxygen exposure at the cathode, retained high rates of acetate production as well as high columbic and energetic efficiencies. The finding that microbial electrosynthesis is feasible without a membrane separating the anode from the cathode, coupled with a direct current power source supplying the energy for electron delivery, is expected to greatly simplify future reactor design and lower construction costs.

The role of interfacial water layer in atmospherically relevant charge separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharyya, Indrani

Charge separation at interfaces is important in various atmospheric processes, such as thunderstorms, lightning, and sand storms. It also plays a key role in several industrial processes, including ink-jet printing and electrostatic separation. Surprisingly, little is known about the underlying physics of these charging phenomena. Since thin films of water are ubiquitous, they may play a role in these charge separation processes. This talk will focus on the experimental investigation of the role of a water adlayer in interfacial charging, with relevance to meteorologically important phenomena, such as atmospheric charging due to wave actions on oceans and sand storms. An ocean wave generates thousands of bubbles, which upon bursting produce numerous large jet droplets and small film droplets that are charged. In the 1960s, Blanchard showed that the jet droplets are positively charged. However, the charge on the film droplets was not known. We designed an experiment to exclusively measure the charge on film droplets generated by bubble bursting on pure water and aqueous salt solution surfaces. We measured their charge to be negative and proposed a model where a slight excess of hydroxide ions in the interfacial water layer is responsible for generating these negatively charged droplets. The findings from this research led to a better understanding of the ionic disposition at the air-water interface. Sand particles in a wind-blown sand layer, or 'saltation' layer, become charged due to collisions, so much so, that it can cause lightning. Silica, being hydrophilic, is coated with a water layer even under low-humidity conditions. To investigate the importance of this water adlayer in charging the silica surfaces, we performed experiments to measure the charge on silica surfaces due to contact and collision processes. In case of contact charging, the maximum charge separation occurred at an optimum relative humidity. On the contrary, in collisional charging process, no humidity effect was observed. We proposed an ion transfer mechanism in case of contact charging. However, an electron transfer mechanism explained the collisional charging process. The effects of temperature, surface roughness, and chemical nature of surface were also studied for both contact and collisional charging processes.

Flow range enhancement by secondary flow effect in low solidity circular cascade diffusers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakaguchi, Daisaku; Tun, Min Thaw; Mizokoshi, Kanata; Kishikawa, Daiki

2014-08-01

High-pressure ratio and wide operating range are highly required for compressors and blowers. The technical issue of the design is achievement of suppression of flow separation at small flow rate without deteriorating the efficiency at design flow rate. A numerical simulation is very effective in design procedure, however, cost of the numerical simulation is generally high during the practical design process, and it is difficult to confirm the optimal design which is combined with many parameters. A multi-objective optimization technique is the idea that has been proposed for solving the problem in practical design process. In this study, a Low Solidity circular cascade Diffuser (LSD) in a centrifugal blower is successfully designed by means of multi-objective optimization technique. An optimization code with a meta-model assisted evolutionary algorithm is used with a commercial CFD code ANSYS-CFX. The optimization is aiming at improving the static pressure coefficient at design point and at low flow rate condition while constraining the slope of the lift coefficient curve. Moreover, a small tip clearance of the LSD blade was applied in order to activate and to stabilize the secondary flow effect at small flow rate condition. The optimized LSD blade has an extended operating range of 114 % towards smaller flow rate as compared to the baseline design without deteriorating the diffuser pressure recovery at design point. The diffuser pressure rise and operating flow range of the optimized LSD blade are experimentally verified by overall performance test. The detailed flow in the diffuser is also confirmed by means of a Particle Image Velocimeter. Secondary flow is clearly captured by PIV and it spreads to the whole area of LSD blade pitch. It is found that the optimized LSD blade shows good improvement of the blade loading in the whole operating range, while at small flow rate the flow separation on the LSD blade has been successfully suppressed by the secondary flow effect.

Separation dynamics of the COMET FreeFlyer and an upper stage STAR-48V motor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuller, Kevin M.; Myers, Carter H.

1993-01-01

In this report, the orbital separation between a STAR-48V upperstage motor and the COMET FreeFlyer is investigated. The time from nominal STAR-48 engine burnout is to be determined such that the STAR-48 will not collide with the FreeFlyer once the separation process has been initiated. To analyze this separation, the forces acting upon both the FreeFlyer and the STAR-48 are described in a body fixed coordinate system. These coordinates are then transformed into an Euler coordinate system and then further transformed into a relative inertial coordinate system. From this analysis and some basic assumptions about the Star-48/FreeFlyer vehicle, it can be concluded that the STAR-48 will not collide with the Free Flyer if the separation occurs at 120 seconds after nominal burnout of the STAR-48. In fact, the separation delay could be a shorter period of time, but it is recommended that this separation delay be as long as possible for risk mitigation. This delay is currently designed to be 120 seconds and the analysis presented in this report shows that this time is acceptable.

Disaggregation and separation dynamics of magnetic particles in a microfluidic flow under an alternating gradient magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Quanliang; Li, Zhenhao; Wang, Zhen; Qi, Fan; Han, Xiaotao

2018-05-01

How to prevent particle aggregation in the magnetic separation process is of great importance for high-purity separation, while it is a challenging issue in practice. In this work, we report a novel method to solve this problem for improving the selectivity of size-based separation by use of a gradient alternating magnetic field. The specially designed magnetic field is capable of dynamically adjusting the magnetic field direction without changing the direction of magnetic gradient force acting on the particles. Using direct numerical simulations, we show that particles within a certain center-to-center distance are inseparable under a gradient static magnetic field since they are easy aggregated and then start moving together. By contrast, it has been demonstrated that alternating repulsive and attractive interaction forces between particles can be generated to avoid the formation of aggregations when the alternating gradient magnetic field with a given alternating frequency is applied, enabling these particles to be continuously separated based on size-dependent properties. The proposed magnetic separation method and simulation results have the significance for fundamental understanding of particle dynamic behavior and improving the separation efficiency.

Evaluation of results of cell electrophoresis experiments on space shuttle STS-3 including pre-flight and post-flight laboratory experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Todd, P. W.

1985-01-01

The objectives of the red blood cell experiments were to provide a visual check on the electrophoretic process and especially electroosmotic flow in space as well as to provide test separations of non-degradable standard particles for comparison with the separations of the three viable cell types studied on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Determination of the maximum concentrations of cells that can be separated in column electrophore was a significant goal. Two of the eight columns were available for red cell experiments, so two concentrations of human and rabbit RBC mixtures were used. The objectives of another experiment were to evaluate the reproducibility of microgravity electrophoretic separation of living kidney cells, to separate cells with highly viability despite two freeze-thaw cycles, and to optimize the physical conditions of cell separation. Owing to the uncertain heterogeneity of the starting material, the experimental design does not assess resolution in microgravity, but improved separability was sought in comparison to density-gradient electrophoresis or continuous-flow electrophoresis. Efforts were made to increase cell yield and cell viability and to assess reproducibility directly.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kalnaus, Sergiy; Wang, Yanli; Turner, John A.

We determine and compare anisotropic mechanical properties for three types of commercially available Li-ion battery separators: Celgard 2325, Celgard PP2075 dry-processed polymer separators, and DreamWeaver Gold 40 non-woven separator. Significant amount of anisotropy of properties was determined, with the Young's modulus being different by up to a factor of 5 and ultimate strength being different by a factor of 10 between orthogonal directions within a polymer separator layer. Strain rate sensitivity was investigated by applying strain rates ranging from 1•10 -4 s -1 to 0.1 s -1. Significant strengthening was observed and the strain rate strengthening coefficients were determined formore » both elastic modulus and yield stress in case of polymer separators. Digital image correlation technique was used to measure and map the strains over the specimen's gage section. A significant strain concentration in bands running perpendicular to the tensile axis was observed in polymer separator samples oriented in transverse direction. Such localized necking allows for extremely high strains close to 300% to develop in the material. Furthermore, the failure mode was remarkably different for all three types of separators which adds additional variable in safe design of Li-ion batteries for prevention of internal short circuits.« less

Reprocessing system with nuclide separation based on chromatography in hydrochloric acid solution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Suzuki, Tatsuya; Tachibana, Yu; Koyama, Shi-ichi

2013-07-01

We have proposed the reprocessing system with nuclide separation processes based on the chromatographic technique in the hydrochloric acid solution system. Our proposed system consists of the dissolution process, the reprocessing process, the minor actinide separation process, and nuclide separation processes. In the reprocessing and separation processes, the pyridine resin is used as a main separation media. It was confirmed that the dissolution in the hydrochloric acid solution is easily achieved by the plasma voloxidation and by the addition of oxygen peroxide into the hydrochloric acid solution.

Measurement of splanchnic photoplethysmographic signals using a new reflectance fiber optic sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hickey, Michelle; Samuels, Neal; Randive, Nilesh; Langford, Richard M.; Kyriacou, Panayiotis A.

2010-03-01

Splanchnic organs are particularly vulnerable to hypoperfusion. Currently, there is no technique that allows for the continuous estimation of splanchnic blood oxygen saturation (SpO2). As a preliminary to developing a suitable splanchnic SpO2 sensor, a new reflectance fiber optic photoplethysmographic (PPG) sensor and processing system are developed. An experimental procedure to examine the effect of fiber source detector separation distance on acquired PPG signals is carried out before finalizing the sensor design. PPG signals are acquired from four volunteers for separation distances of 1 to 8 mm. The separation range of 3 to 6 mm provides the best quality PPG signals with large amplitudes and the highest signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Preliminary calculation of SpO2 shows that distances of 3 and 4 mm provide the most realistic values. Therefore, it is suggested that the separation distance in the design of a fiber optic reflectance pulse oximeter be in the range of 3 to 4 mm. Preliminary PPG signals from various splanchnic organs and the periphery are obtained from six anaesthetized patients. The normalized amplitudes of the splanchnic PPGs are, on average, approximately the same as those obtained simultaneously from the periphery. These observations suggest that fiber optic pulse oximetry may be a valid monitoring technique for splanchnic organs.

Multi-component separation and analysis of bat echolocation calls.

PubMed

DiCecco, John; Gaudette, Jason E; Simmons, James A

2013-01-01

The vast majority of animal vocalizations contain multiple frequency modulated (FM) components with varying amounts of non-linear modulation and harmonic instability. This is especially true of biosonar sounds where precise time-frequency templates are essential for neural information processing of echoes. Understanding the dynamic waveform design by bats and other echolocating animals may help to improve the efficacy of man-made sonar through biomimetic design. Bats are known to adapt their call structure based on the echolocation task, proximity to nearby objects, and density of acoustic clutter. To interpret the significance of these changes, a method was developed for component separation and analysis of biosonar waveforms. Techniques for imaging in the time-frequency plane are typically limited due to the uncertainty principle and interference cross terms. This problem is addressed by extending the use of the fractional Fourier transform to isolate each non-linear component for separate analysis. Once separated, empirical mode decomposition can be used to further examine each component. The Hilbert transform may then successfully extract detailed time-frequency information from each isolated component. This multi-component analysis method is applied to the sonar signals of four species of bats recorded in-flight by radiotelemetry along with a comparison of other common time-frequency representations.

Code Development in Coupled PARCS/RELAP5 for Supercritical Water Reactor

DOE PAGES

Hu, Po; Wilson, Paul

2014-01-01

The new capability is added to the existing coupled code package PARCS/RELAP5, in order to analyze SCWR design under supercritical pressure with the separated water coolant and moderator channels. This expansion is carried out on both codes. In PARCS, modification is focused on extending the water property tables to supercritical pressure, modifying the variable mapping input file and related code module for processing thermal-hydraulic information from separated coolant/moderator channels, and modifying neutronics feedback module to deal with the separated coolant/moderator channels. In RELAP5, modification is focused on incorporating more accurate water properties near SCWR operation/transient pressure and temperature in themore » code. Confirming tests of the modifications is presented and the major analyzing results from the extended codes package are summarized.« less

The Possibilities of Treatment of Stormwater Polluted with Biofuels in The Lamella Oil Separator / Możliwości Oczyszczania w Separatorze Lamelowym Ścieków Opadowych Zanieczyszczonych Biopaliwami

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bering, Sławomira; Iżewska, Anna; Mazur, Jacek; Tarnowski, Krzysztof; Treichel, Piotr

2016-03-01

Laboratory tests were conducted simulating the process of polluting stormwater with fuels and afterwards treating this sewage in the separator of oil derivative substances. The diesel oil - ON and the pure biofuel - BIO 100, available on the market, were the subject of the tests. Depending on the kind of fuel, the differences in the concentration of oil derivative substances in the "treated" sewage were in the range of several hundred percent. Such big differences show the necessity for examination whether the assumptions accepted while designing separators will also be correct in the case of treating stormwater polluted with contemporary fuels available on the market, includuing biofuels.

Terrestrial Testing of the CapiBRIC, a Microgravity Optimized Brine Processor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sargusingh, Miriam J.; Callahan, Michael R.; Weislogel, Mark M.

2016-01-01

Utilizing geometry based static phase separation exhibited in the radial vaned capillary drying tray, a system was conceived to recover water from brine. This technology has been named the Capillary BRIC; abbreviated CapiBRIC. The CapiBRIC utilizes a capillary drying tray within a drying chamber. Water is recovered from clean water vapor evaporating from the free surface leaving waste brine solids behind. A novel approach of optimizing the containment geometry to support passive capillary flow and static phase separation provides the opportunity for a low power system that is not as susceptible to fouling as membranes or other technologies employing physical barriers across the free brine surface to achieve phase separation in microgravity. Having been optimized for operation in microgravity, full-scale testing of the CapiBRIC as designed cannot be performed on the ground as the force of gravity would dominate over the capillary forces. However, subscale units relevant to full-scale design were used to characterize fill rates, containment stability, and interaction with a variable volume reservoir in the PSU Dryden Drop Tower (DDT) facility. PSU also using tested units scaled such that capillary forces dominated in a 1-g environment to characterize evaporation from a free-surface in 1-g upward, sideways and downward orientations. In order to augment the subscale testing performed by PSU, a full scale 1-g analogue of the CapiBRIC drying unit was initiated to help validate performance predictions regarding expected water recovery ratio, estimated processing time, and interface definitions for inlets, outlets, and internal processes, including vent gas composition. This paper describes the design, development and test of the terrestrial CapiBRIC prototypes.

Proof and Proving: Logic, Impasses, and the Relationship to Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savic, Milos

2012-01-01

Becoming a skillful prover is critical for success in advanced undergraduate and graduate mathematics courses. In this dissertation, I report my investigations of proof and the proving process in three separate studies. In the first study, I examined the amount of logic used in student-constructed proofs to help in the design of…

Improving Student Writing Skills through the Modeling of the Writing Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapka, Dawn; Oberman, Dina A.

This study describes a program designed to improve students' writing skills in order to improve academic achievement. The targeted population consists of third and fifth grade elementary students in two separate communities ranging from low to middle class, located in two midwestern suburbs of a large city. Evidence for the existence of the…

Handling Qualities of Large Rotorcraft in Hover and Low Speed

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-01

stability derivative terms (e.g., ). These gravitational and inertial Coriolis effects are accounted for separately in the blocks labeled...dynamic effects and output them as part of its linearization routines. Although the analytical process omitted certain effects to make the definition and... Effect of Pilot Longitudinal Position Offset in ACAH ................................................................ 54 Control System Design

Cryogenic engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beliakov, V. P.

Recent developments and trends in cryogenic engineering are reviewed, with emphasis on the role of cryogenics in power generation, machine building, chemistry, and metallurgy. Several cryogenic systems are described, including air-separation apparatus, cryogenic storage systems, cryothermovacuum devices, and the cryogenic systems of superconducting devices. The theoretical principles underlying the design of cryogenic systems are examined, along with the theory for the processes involved.

CREW TRAINING - STS-33/51L (ZERO-G)

NASA Image and Video Library

1985-10-16

Teacher-in-Space trainees on the KC-135 for Zero-G training. Sharon Christa McAuliffe experiences a few moments of weightlessness provided by the KC-135. She and Bob Mayfield, a JSC Aerospace Education Specialist, are previewing a Molecular Mixing Experiment which was designed to demonstrate differences of separation process in 1-G and Zero-G.

40 CFR 63.143 - Process wastewater provisions-inspections and monitoring of operations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... separator that receives, manages, or treats a Group 1 wastewater stream, a residual removed from a Group 1 wastewater stream, a recycled Group 1 wastewater stream, or a recycled residual removed from a Group 1... of this subpart. (b) For each design steam stripper and biological treatment unit used to comply with...

School Turnaround Teachers: Selection Toolkit. Part of the School Turnaround Collection from Public Impact

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Public Impact, 2008

2008-01-01

This toolkit includes these separate sections: (1) Selection Preparation Guide; (2) Day-of-Interview Tools; (3) Candidate Rating Tools; and (4) Candidate Comparison and Decision Tools. Each of the sections is designed to be used at different stages of the selection process. The first section provides turnaround teacher competencies that are the…

School Turnaround Leaders: Selection Toolkit. Part of the School Turnaround Collection from Public Impact

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Public Impact, 2008

2008-01-01

This toolkit includes the following separate sections: (1) Selection Preparation Guide; (2) Day-of-Interview Tools; (3) Candidate Rating Tools; and (4) Candidate Comparison and Decision Tools. Each of the sections is designed to be used at different stages of the selection process. The first section provides a list of competencies that would…

Pinched flow coupled shear-modulated inertial microfluidics for high-throughput rare blood cell separation.

PubMed

Bhagat, Ali Asgar S; Hou, Han Wei; Li, Leon D; Lim, Chwee Teck; Han, Jongyoon

2011-06-07

Blood is a highly complex bio-fluid with cellular components making up >40% of the total volume, thus making its analysis challenging and time-consuming. In this work, we introduce a high-throughput size-based separation method for processing diluted blood using inertial microfluidics. The technique takes advantage of the preferential cell focusing in high aspect-ratio microchannels coupled with pinched flow dynamics for isolating low abundance cells from blood. As an application of the developed technique, we demonstrate the isolation of cancer cells (circulating tumor cells (CTCs)) spiked in blood by exploiting the difference in size between CTCs and hematologic cells. The microchannel dimensions and processing parameters were optimized to enable high throughput and high resolution separation, comparable to existing CTC isolation technologies. Results from experiments conducted with MCF-7 cells spiked into whole blood indicate >80% cell recovery with an impressive 3.25 × 10(5) fold enrichment over red blood cells (RBCs) and 1.2 × 10(4) fold enrichment over peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL). In spite of a 20× sample dilution, the fast operating flow rate allows the processing of ∼10(8) cells min(-1) through a single microfluidic device. The device design can be easily customized for isolating other rare cells from blood including peripheral blood leukocytes and fetal nucleated red blood cells by simply varying the 'pinching' width. The advantage of simple label-free separation, combined with the ability to retrieve viable cells post enrichment and minimal sample pre-processing presents numerous applications for use in clinical diagnosis and conducting fundamental studies.

Characterization of real-time computers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shin, K. G.; Krishna, C. M.

1984-01-01

A real-time system consists of a computer controller and controlled processes. Despite the synergistic relationship between these two components, they have been traditionally designed and analyzed independently of and separately from each other; namely, computer controllers by computer scientists/engineers and controlled processes by control scientists. As a remedy for this problem, in this report real-time computers are characterized by performance measures based on computer controller response time that are: (1) congruent to the real-time applications, (2) able to offer an objective comparison of rival computer systems, and (3) experimentally measurable/determinable. These measures, unlike others, provide the real-time computer controller with a natural link to controlled processes. In order to demonstrate their utility and power, these measures are first determined for example controlled processes on the basis of control performance functionals. They are then used for two important real-time multiprocessor design applications - the number-power tradeoff and fault-masking and synchronization.

Thermodynamic model effects on the design and optimization of natural gas plants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Diaz, S.; Zabaloy, M.; Brignole, E.A.

1999-07-01

The design and optimization of natural gas plants is carried out on the basis of process simulators. The physical property package is generally based on cubic equations of state. By rigorous thermodynamics phase equilibrium conditions, thermodynamic functions, equilibrium phase separations, work and heat are computed. The aim of this work is to analyze the NGL turboexpansion process and identify possible process computations that are more sensitive to model predictions accuracy. Three equations of state, PR, SRK and Peneloux modification, are used to study the effect of property predictions on process calculations and plant optimization. It is shown that turboexpander plantsmore » have moderate sensitivity with respect to phase equilibrium computations, but higher accuracy is required for the prediction of enthalpy and turboexpansion work. The effect of modeling CO{sub 2} solubility is also critical in mixtures with high CO{sub 2} content in the feed.« less

Effects of distinctive encoding on correct and false memory: a meta-analytic review of costs and benefits and their origins in the DRM paradigm.

PubMed

Huff, Mark J; Bodner, Glen E; Fawcett, Jonathan M

2015-04-01

We review and meta-analyze how distinctive encoding alters encoding and retrieval processes and, thus, affects correct and false recognition in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm. Reductions in false recognition following distinctive encoding (e.g., generation), relative to a nondistinctive read-only control condition, reflected both impoverished relational encoding and use of a retrieval-based distinctiveness heuristic. Additional analyses evaluated the costs and benefits of distinctive encoding in within-subjects designs relative to between-group designs. Correct recognition was design independent, but in a within design, distinctive encoding was less effective at reducing false recognition for distinctively encoded lists but more effective for nondistinctively encoded lists. Thus, distinctive encoding is not entirely "cost free" in a within design. In addition to delineating the conditions that modulate the effects of distinctive encoding on recognition accuracy, we discuss the utility of using signal detection indices of memory information and memory monitoring at test to separate encoding and retrieval processes.

Digital television system design study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huth, G. K.

1976-01-01

The use of digital techniques for transmission of pictorial data is discussed for multi-frame images (television). Video signals are processed in a manner which includes quantization and coding such that they are separable from the noise introduced into the channel. The performance of digital television systems is determined by the nature of the processing techniques (i.e., whether the video signal itself or, instead, something related to the video signal is quantized and coded) and to the quantization and coding schemes employed.

46 CFR 162.050-21 - Separator: Design specification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Separator: Design specification. 162.050-21 Section 162.050-21 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) EQUIPMENT, CONSTRUCTION, AND MATERIALS: SPECIFICATIONS AND APPROVAL ENGINEERING EQUIPMENT Pollution Prevention Equipment § 162.050-21 Separator: Design specification. (a) A...

46 CFR 162.050-21 - Separator: Design specification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 6 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Separator: Design specification. 162.050-21 Section 162.050-21 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) EQUIPMENT, CONSTRUCTION, AND MATERIALS: SPECIFICATIONS AND APPROVAL ENGINEERING EQUIPMENT Pollution Prevention Equipment § 162.050-21 Separator: Design specification. (a) A...

Design and implementation of integrated solid wastes management pattern in industrial zones, case study of Shahroud, Iran

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The aim of the study was to design and implementation of integrated solid wastes management pattern in Shahroud industrial zone, evaluates the results and determine possible performance problems. This cross - sectional study was carried out for 4 years in Shahroud industrial zone and the implementation process included:1- Qualitative and quantitative analysis of all solid waste generated in the city, 2- determine the current state of solid waste management in the zone and to identify programs conducted, 3- Design and implementation of integrated solid wastes management pattern including design and implementation of training programs, laws, penalties and incentives and explain and implement programs for all factories and 4- The monitoring of the implementation process and determine the results. Results Annually, 1,728 tons of solid wastes generated in the town including 1603 tons of industrial wastes and 125 tons of municipal wastes. By implementing this pattern, the two separated systems of collection and recycling of domestic and industrial wastes was launched in this zone. Also consistent with the goals, the amount of solid wastes generated and disposed in 2009 was 51.5 and 28.6 kg per 100 million Rials production, respectively. Conclusion Results showed that implementation of pattern of separated collection, training programs, capacity building, providing technical services, completing chain of industries and strengthening the cooperation between industrial estate management and industrial units could greatly reduce the waste management problems. PMID:24423020

Distillation and Air Stripping Designs for the Lunar Surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boul, Peter J.; Lange, Kevin E.; Conger, Bruce; Anderson, Molly

2009-01-01

Air stripping and distillation are two different gravity-based methods, which may be applied to the purification of wastewater on the lunar base. These gravity-based solutions to water processing are robust physical separation techniques, which may be advantageous to many other techniques for their simplicity in design and operation. The two techniques can be used in conjunction with each other to obtain high purity water. The components and feed compositions for modeling waste water streams are presented in conjunction with the Aspen property system for traditional stage distillation models and air stripping models. While the individual components for each of the waste streams will vary naturally within certain bounds, an analog model for waste water processing is suggested based on typical concentration ranges for these components. Target purity levels for the for recycled water are determined for each individual component based on NASA s required maximum contaminant levels for potable water Distillation processes are modeled separately and in tandem with air stripping to demonstrate the potential effectiveness and utility of these methods in recycling wastewater on the Moon. Optimum parameters such as reflux ratio, feed stage location, and processing rates are determined with respect to the power consumption of the process. Multistage distillation is evaluated for components in wastewater to determine the minimum number of stages necessary for each of 65 components in humidity condensate and urine wastewater mixed streams. Components of the wastewater streams are ranked by Henry s Law Constant and the suitability of air stripping in the purification of wastewater in terms of component removal is evaluated. Scaling factors for distillation and air stripping columns are presented to account for the difference in the lunar gravitation environment. Commercially available distillation and air stripping units which are considered suitable for Exploration Life Support are presented. The advantages to the various designs are summarized with respect to water purity levels, power consumption, and processing rates.

Casimir quantum levitation tuned by means of material properties and geometries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dou, Maofeng; Lou, Fei; Boström, Mathias; Brevik, Iver; Persson, Clas

2014-05-01

The Casimir force between two surfaces is attractive in most cases. Although stable suspension of nano-objects has been achieved, the sophisticated geometries make them difficult to be merged with well-established thin film processes. We find that by introducing thin film surface coating on porous substrates, a repulsive to attractive force transition is achieved when the separations are increased in planar geometries, resulting in a stable suspension of two surfaces near the force transition separation. Both the magnitude of the force and the transition distance can be flexibly tailored though modifying the properties of the considered materials, that is, thin film thickness, doping concentration, and porosity. This stable suspension can be used to design new nanodevices with ultralow friction. Moreover, it might be convenient to merge this thin film coating approach with micro- and nanofabrication processes in the future.

Disassembly and physical separation of electric/electronic components layered in printed circuit boards (PCB).

PubMed

Lee, Jaeryeong; Kim, Youngjin; Lee, Jae-chun

2012-11-30

Although printed circuit boards (PCBs) contain various elements, only the major elements (i.e., those with content levels in wt% or over grade) of and precious metals (e.g., Ag, Au, and platinum groups) contained within PCBs can be recycled. To recover other elements from PCBs, the PCBs should be properly disassembled as the first step of the recycling process. The recovery of these other elements would be beneficial for efforts to conserve scarce resources, reuse electric/electronic components (EECs), and eliminate environmental problems. This paper examines the disassembly of EECs from wasted PCBs (WPCBs) and the physical separation of these EECs using a self-designed disassembling apparatus and a 3-step separation process of sieving, magnetic separation, and dense medium separation. The disassembling efficiencies were evaluated by using the ratio of grinding area (E(area)) and the weight ratio of the detached EECs (E(weight)). In the disassembly treatment, these efficiencies were improved with an increase of grinder speed and grinder height. 97.7% (E(area)) and 98% (E(weight)) could be accomplished ultimately by 3 repetitive treatments at a grinder speed of 5500 rpm and a grinder height of 1.5mm. Through a series of physical separations, most groups of the EECs (except for the diode, transistor, and IC chip groups) could be sorted at a relatively high separation efficiency of about 75% or more. To evaluate the separation efficiency with regard to the elemental composition, the distribution ratio (R(dis)) and the concentration ratio (R(conc)) were used. 15 elements could be separated with the highest R(dis) and R(conc) in the same separated division. This result implies that the recyclability of the elements is highly feasible, even though the initial content in EECs is lower than several tens of mg/kg. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low Cost Chemical Feedstocks Using an Improved and Energy Efficient Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) Removal Process, Final Technical Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meyer, Howard, S.; Lu, Yingzhong

The overall objective of this project is to develop a new low-cost and energy efficient Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) recovery process - through a combination of theoretical, bench-scale and pilot-scale testing - so that it could be offered to the natural gas industry for commercialization. The new process, known as the IROA process, is based on U.S. patent No. 6,553,784, which if commercialized, has the potential of achieving substantial energy savings compared to currently used cryogenic technology. When successfully developed, this technology will benefit the petrochemical industry, which uses NGL as feedstocks, and will also benefit other chemical industries thatmore » utilize gas-liquid separation and distillation under similar operating conditions. Specific goals and objectives of the overall program include: (i) collecting relevant physical property and Vapor Liquid Equilibrium (VLE) data for the design and evaluation of the new technology, (ii) solving critical R&D issues including the identification of suitable dehydration and NGL absorbing solvents, inhibiting corrosion, and specifying proper packing structure and materials, (iii) designing, construction and operation of bench and pilot-scale units to verify design performance, (iv) computer simulation of the process using commercial software simulation platforms such as Aspen-Plus and HYSYS, and (v) preparation of a commercialization plan and identification of industrial partners that are interested in utilizing the new technology. NGL is a collective term for C2+ hydrocarbons present in the natural gas. Historically, the commercial value of the separated NGL components has been greater than the thermal value of these liquids in the gas. The revenue derived from extracting NGLs is crucial to ensuring the overall profitability of the domestic natural gas production industry and therefore of ensuring a secure and reliable supply in the 48 contiguous states. However, rising natural gas prices have dramatically reduced the economic incentive to extract NGLs from domestically produced natural gas. Successful gas processors will be those who adopt technologies that are less energy intensive, have lower capital and operating costs and offer the flexibility to tailor the plant performance to maximize product revenue as market conditions change, while maintaining overall system efficiency. Presently, cryogenic turbo-expander technology is the dominant NGL recovery process and it is used throughout the world. This process is known to be highly energy intensive, as substantial energy is required to recompress the processed gas back to pipeline pressure. The purpose of this project is to develop a new NGL separation process that is flexible in terms of ethane rejection and can reduce energy consumption by 20-30% from current levels, particularly for ethane recoveries of less than 70%. The new process integrates the dehydration of the raw natural gas stream and the removal of NGLs in such a way that heat recovery is maximized and pressure losses are minimized so that high-value equipment such as the compressor, turbo-expander, and a separate dehydration unit are not required. GTI completed a techno-economic evaluation of the new process based on an Aspen-HYSYS simulation model. The evaluation incorporated purchased equipment cost estimates obtained from equipment suppliers and two different commercial software packages; namely, Aspen-Icarus and Preliminary Design and Quoting Service (PDQ$). For a 100 MMscfd gas processing plant, the annualized capital cost for the new technology was found to be about 10% lower than that of conventional technology for C2 recovery above 70% and about 40% lower than that of conventional technology for C2 recovery below 50%. It was also found that at around 40-50% C2 recovery (which is economically justifiable at the current natural gas prices), the energy cost to recover NGL using the new technology is about 50% of that of conventional cryogenic technology.« less

EVALUATION OF THE LOADING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EPA WINS PM 2.5 SEPARATOR

EPA Science Inventory

The loading characteristics of the USEPA WINS (Well Impactor Ninety Six) PM2.5 separator was an important design consideration during the separator's development. In recognition that all inertial separators eventually overload, the loading surface of the WINS was designed to be...

A light hydrocarbon fuel processor producing high-purity hydrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Löffler, Daniel G.; Taylor, Kyle; Mason, Dylan

This paper discusses the design process and presents performance data for a dual fuel (natural gas and LPG) fuel processor for PEM fuel cells delivering between 2 and 8 kW electric power in stationary applications. The fuel processor resulted from a series of design compromises made to address different design constraints. First, the product quality was selected; then, the unit operations needed to achieve that product quality were chosen from the pool of available technologies. Next, the specific equipment needed for each unit operation was selected. Finally, the unit operations were thermally integrated to achieve high thermal efficiency. Early in the design process, it was decided that the fuel processor would deliver high-purity hydrogen. Hydrogen can be separated from other gases by pressure-driven processes based on either selective adsorption or permeation. The pressure requirement made steam reforming (SR) the preferred reforming technology because it does not require compression of combustion air; therefore, steam reforming is more efficient in a high-pressure fuel processor than alternative technologies like autothermal reforming (ATR) or partial oxidation (POX), where the combustion occurs at the pressure of the process stream. A low-temperature pre-reformer reactor is needed upstream of a steam reformer to suppress coke formation; yet, low temperatures facilitate the formation of metal sulfides that deactivate the catalyst. For this reason, a desulfurization unit is needed upstream of the pre-reformer. Hydrogen separation was implemented using a palladium alloy membrane. Packed beds were chosen for the pre-reformer and reformer reactors primarily because of their low cost, relatively simple operation and low maintenance. Commercial, off-the-shelf balance of plant (BOP) components (pumps, valves, and heat exchangers) were used to integrate the unit operations. The fuel processor delivers up to 100 slm hydrogen >99.9% pure with <1 ppm CO, <3 ppm CO 2. The thermal efficiency is better than 67% operating at full load. This fuel processor has been integrated with a 5-kW fuel cell producing electricity and hot water.

Mechanical behavior and failure mechanisms of Li-ion battery separators

DOE PAGES

Kalnaus, Sergiy; Wang, Yanli; Turner, John A.

2017-03-09

We determine and compare anisotropic mechanical properties for three types of commercially available Li-ion battery separators: Celgard 2325, Celgard PP2075 dry-processed polymer separators, and DreamWeaver Gold 40 non-woven separator. Significant amount of anisotropy of properties was determined, with the Young's modulus being different by up to a factor of 5 and ultimate strength being different by a factor of 10 between orthogonal directions within a polymer separator layer. Strain rate sensitivity was investigated by applying strain rates ranging from 1•10 -4 s -1 to 0.1 s -1. Significant strengthening was observed and the strain rate strengthening coefficients were determined formore » both elastic modulus and yield stress in case of polymer separators. Digital image correlation technique was used to measure and map the strains over the specimen's gage section. A significant strain concentration in bands running perpendicular to the tensile axis was observed in polymer separator samples oriented in transverse direction. Such localized necking allows for extremely high strains close to 300% to develop in the material. Furthermore, the failure mode was remarkably different for all three types of separators which adds additional variable in safe design of Li-ion batteries for prevention of internal short circuits.« less

Nano-TiO2 decorated carbon coating on the separator to physically and chemically suppress the shuttle effect for lithium-sulfur battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Hongyuan; Wang, Weikun; Zhang, Hao; Wang, Anbang; Chen, Xiaonong; Huang, Yaqin

2018-02-01

Despite recent progress in designing modified separators for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, detail in optimizing the synergistic effect between chemical and physical immobilization for lithium polysulfides (LiPS) in modified separator hasn't been investigated totally. Here, a nano-TiO2 decorated carbon layer (T-DCL) has been successfully applied to modify separator for the Li-S battery. The results indicate that appropriate weight percentage of nano-TiO2 uniformly distributed in conductive carbon layer is effective to chemically and physically immobilize for LiPS, and promote the electron transfer during discharge/charge process. The performance of the modified Li-S battery with T-DCL separator are significantly enhanced, with a specific capacity of 883 mAh g-1 retained after 180 cycles at 0.1 C and 762 mAh g-1 retained after 200 cycles at 0.5C, which are much higher than that of separators only coated with TiO2 layer or conductive carbon layer. Besides, the separator coated with T-DCL also shows low electrochemical impedance and good lithium anode protection. These results indicate that separator with T-DCL is promising to balance the physical and chemical LiPS trapping effect, and optimize the electrochemical performance for Li-S battery.

Native amorphous nanoheterogeneity in gallium germanosilicates as a tool for driving Ga2O3 nanocrystal formation in glass for optical devices.

PubMed

Sigaev, Vladimir N; Golubev, Nikita V; Ignat'eva, Elena S; Champagnon, Bernard; Vouagner, Dominique; Nardou, Eric; Lorenzi, Roberto; Paleari, Alberto

2013-01-07

Nanoparticles in amorphous oxides are a powerful tool for embedding a wide range of functions in optical glasses, which are still the best solutions in several applications in the ever growing field of photonics. However, the control of the nanoparticle size inside the host material is often a challenging task, even more challenging when detrimental effects on light transmittance have to be avoided. Here we show how the process of phase separation and subsequent nanocrystallization of a Ga-oxide phase can be controlled in germanosilicates - prototypal systems in optical telecommunications - starting from a Ga-modified glass composition designed to favour uniform liquid-liquid phase separation in the melt. Small angle neutron scattering data demonstrate that nanosized structuring occurs in the amorphous as-quenched glass and gives rise to initially smaller nanoparticles, by heating, as in a secondary phase separation. By further heating, the nanophase evolves with an increase of nanoparticle gyration radius, from a few nm to a saturation value of about 10 nm, through an initial growing process followed by an Ostwald ripening mechanism. Nanoparticles finally crystallize, as indicated by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, as γ-Ga(2)O(3)- a metastable gallium oxide polymorph. Infrared reflectance and photoluminescence, together with the optical absorption of Ni ions used as a probe, give an indication of the underlying interrelated processes of the structural change in the glass and in the segregated phase. As a result, our data give for the first time a rationale for designing Ga-modified germanosilicates at the nanoscale, with the perspective of a detailed nanostructuring control.

Dichroic Filter for Separating W-Band and Ka-Band

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Epp, Larry W.; Durden, Stephen L.; Jamnejad, Vahraz; Long, Ezra M.; Sosnowski, John B.; Higuera, Raymond J.; Chen, Jacqueline C.

2012-01-01

The proposed Aerosol/Cloud/Ecosystems (ACEs) mission development would advance cloud profiling radar from that used in CloudSat by adding a 35-GHz (Ka-band) channel to the 94-GHz (W-band) channel used in CloudSat. In order to illuminate a single antenna, and use CloudSat-like quasi-optical transmission lines, a spatial diplexer is needed to add the Ka-band channel. A dichroic filter separates Ka-band from W-band by employing advances in electrical discharge machining (EDM) and mode-matching analysis techniques developed and validated for designing dichroics for the Deep Space Network (DSN), to develop a preliminary design that both met the requirements of frequency separation and mechanical strength. First, a mechanical prototype was built using an approximately 102-micron-diameter EDM process, and tolerances of the hole dimensions, wall thickness, radius, and dichroic filter thickness measured. The prototype validated the manufacturing needed to design a dichroic filter for a higher-frequency usage than previously used in the DSN. The initial design was based on a Ka-band design, but thicker walls are required for mechanical rigidity than one obtains by simply scaling the Ka-band dichroic filter. The resulting trade of hole dimensions for mechanical rigidity (wall thickness) required electrical redesign of the hole dimensions. Updates to existing codes in the linear solver decreased the analysis time using mode-matching, enabling the electrical design to be realized quickly. This work is applicable to missions and instruments that seek to extend W-band cloud profiling measurements to other frequencies. By demonstrating a dichroic filter that passes W-band, but reflects a lower frequency, this opens up the development of instruments that both compare to and enhance CloudSat.

Research and exploration of product innovative design for function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Donglin; Wei, Zihui; Wang, Youjiang; Tan, Runhua

2009-07-01

Products innovation is under the prerequisite of realizing the new function, the realization of the new function must solve the contradiction. A new process model of new product innovative design was proposed based on Axiomatic Design (AD) Theory and Functional Structure Analysis (FSA), imbedded Principle of Solving Contradiction. In this model, employ AD Theory to guide FSA, determine the contradiction for the realization of the principle solution. To provide powerful support for innovative design tools in principle solution, Principle of Solving Contradiction in the model were imbedded, so as to boost up the innovation of principle solution. As a case study, an innovative design of button battery separator paper punching machine has been achieved with application of the proposed model.

Blind column selection protocol for two-dimensional high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Burns, Niki K; Andrighetto, Luke M; Conlan, Xavier A; Purcell, Stuart D; Barnett, Neil W; Denning, Jacquie; Francis, Paul S; Stevenson, Paul G

2016-07-01

The selection of two orthogonal columns for two-dimensional high performance liquid chromatography (LC×LC) separation of natural product extracts can be a labour intensive and time consuming process and in many cases is an entirely trial-and-error approach. This paper introduces a blind optimisation method for column selection of a black box of constituent components. A data processing pipeline, created in the open source application OpenMS®, was developed to map the components within the mixture of equal mass across a library of HPLC columns; LC×LC separation space utilisation was compared by measuring the fractional surface coverage, fcoverage. It was found that for a test mixture from an opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) extract, the combination of diphenyl and C18 stationary phases provided a predicted fcoverage of 0.48 and was matched with an actual usage of 0.43. OpenMS®, in conjunction with algorithms designed in house, have allowed for a significantly quicker selection of two orthogonal columns, which have been optimised for a LC×LC separation of crude extractions of plant material. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Performance testing of a prototype Pd-Ag diffuser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Morgan, G. A.; Hodge, B. J.

The fusion fuel cycle has gained significant attention over the last decade as interest in fusion programs has increased. One of the critical components of the fusion process is the tritium fuel cycle. The tritium fuel cycle is designed to supply and recycle process tritium at a specific throughput rate. One of the most important processes within the tritium fuel cycle is the clean-up of the of the process tritium. This step will initially separate the hydrogen isotopes (H2, D2, and T2) from the rest of the process gas using Pd-Ag diffusers or permeators. The Pd-Ag diffuser is an integralmore » component for any tritium purification system; whether part of the United States’ defense mission or fusion programs. Domestic manufacturers of Pd-Ag diffusers are extremely limited and only a few manufacturers exist. Johnson-Matthey (JM) Pd-Ag diffusers (permeators) have previously been evaluated for the separation of hydrogen isotopes from non-hydrogen gas species in the process. JM is no longer manufacturing Pd-Ag diffusers and a replacement vendor needs to be identified to support future needs. A prototype Pd-Ag diffuser has been manufactured by Power and Energy, and is considered a potential replacement for the JM diffuser for tritium service. New diffuser designs for a tritium facility for any fusion energy applications must be characterized by evaluating their operating envelope prior to installation in a tritium processing facility. The prototype Pd-Ag diffuser was characterized to determine the overall performance as a function of the permeation of hydrogen through the membrane. The tests described in this report consider the effects of feed gas compositions, feed flow rates, pump configuration and internal tube pressure on the permeation of H2 through the Pd-Ag tubes.« less

Sustainable design for automotive products: dismantling and recycling of end-of-life vehicles.

PubMed

Tian, Jin; Chen, Ming

2014-02-01

The growth in automotive production has increased the number of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) annually. The traditional approach ELV processing involves dismantling, shredding, and landfill disposal. The "3R" (i.e., reduce, reuse, and recycle) principle has been increasingly employed in processing ELVs, particularly ELV parts, to promote sustainable development. The first step in processing ELVs is dismantling. However, certain parts of the vehicle are difficult to disassemble and use in practice. The extended producer responsibility policy requires carmakers to contribute in the processing of scrap cars either for their own developmental needs or for social responsibility. The design for dismantling approach can be an effective solution to the existing difficulties in dismantling ELVs. This approach can also provide guidelines in the design of automotive products. This paper illustrates the difficulty of handling polymers in dashboards. The physical properties of polymers prevent easy separation and recycling by using mechanical methods. Thus, dealers have to rely on chemical methods such as pyrolysis. Therefore, car designers should use a single material to benefit dealers. The use of materials for effective end-of-life processing without sacrificing the original performance requirements of the vehicle should be explored. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sparse signal representation and its applications in ultrasonic NDE.

PubMed

Zhang, Guang-Ming; Zhang, Cheng-Zhong; Harvey, David M

2012-03-01

Many sparse signal representation (SSR) algorithms have been developed in the past decade. The advantages of SSR such as compact representations and super resolution lead to the state of the art performance of SSR for processing ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation (NDE) signals. Choosing a suitable SSR algorithm and designing an appropriate overcomplete dictionary is a key for success. After a brief review of sparse signal representation methods and the design of overcomplete dictionaries, this paper addresses the recent accomplishments of SSR for processing ultrasonic NDE signals. The advantages and limitations of SSR algorithms and various overcomplete dictionaries widely-used in ultrasonic NDE applications are explored in depth. Their performance improvement compared to conventional signal processing methods in many applications such as ultrasonic flaw detection and noise suppression, echo separation and echo estimation, and ultrasonic imaging is investigated. The challenging issues met in practical ultrasonic NDE applications for example the design of a good dictionary are discussed. Representative experimental results are presented for demonstration. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Assessment of the Technical Readiness of the Vapor Phase Catalytic Ammonia Removal Process (VPCAR) Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flynn, Michael

2000-01-01

This poster provides an assessment of the technical readiness of the Vapor Phase Catalytic Ammonia Removal Process (VPCAR). The VPCAR technology is a fully regenerative water recycling technology designed specifically for applications such as a near term Mars exploration mission. The VPCAR technology is a highly integrated distillation/catalytic oxidation based water processor. It is designed to accept a combined wastewater stream (urine, condensate, and hygiene) and produces potable water in a single process step which requires -no regularly scheduled re-supply or maintenance for a 3 year mission. The technology is designed to be modular and to fit into a volume comparable to a single International Space Station Rack (when sized for a crew of 6). This poster provides a description of the VPCAR technology and a summary of the current performance of the technology. Also provided are the results of two separate NASA sponsored system trade studies which investigated the potential payback of further development of the VPCAR technology.

Resource Efficient Metal and Material Recycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reuter, Markus A.; van Schaik, Antoinette

Metals enable sustainability through their use and their recyclability. However, various factors can affect the Resource Efficiency of Metal Processing and Recycling. Some typical factors that enable Resource Efficiency include and arranged under the drivers of sustainability: Environment (Maximize Resource Efficiency — Energy, Recyclates, Materials, Water, Sludges, Emissions, Land); Economic Feasibility (BAT & Recycling Systems Simulation / Digitalization, Product vis-à-vis Material Centric Recycling); and Social — Licence to Operate (Legislation, consumer, policy, theft, manual labour.). In order to realize this primary production has to be linked systemically with typical actors in the recycling chain such as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Recyclers & Collection, Physical separation specialists as well as process metallurgical operations that produce high value metals, compounds and products that recycle back to products. This is best done with deep knowledge of multi-physics, technology, product & system design, process control, market, life cycle management, policy, to name a few. The combination of these will be discussed as Design for Sustainability (DfS) and Design for Recycling (DfR) applications.

From user needs to system specifications: multi-disciplinary thematic seminars as a collaborative design method for development of health information systems.

PubMed

Scandurra, I; Hägglund, M; Koch, S

2008-08-01

This paper presents a new multi-disciplinary method for user needs analysis and requirements specification in the context of health information systems based on established theories from the fields of participatory design and computer supported cooperative work (CSCW). Whereas conventional methods imply a separate, sequential needs analysis for each profession, the "multi-disciplinary thematic seminar" (MdTS) method uses a collaborative design process. Application of the method in elderly homecare resulted in prototypes that were well adapted to the intended user groups. Vital information in the points of intersection between different care professions was elicited and a holistic view of the entire care process was obtained. Health informatics-usability specialists and clinical domain experts are necessary to apply the method. Although user needs acquisition can be time-consuming, MdTS was perceived to efficiently identify in-context user needs, and transformed these directly into requirements specifications. Consequently the method was perceived to expedite the entire ICT implementation process.

The ATLAS EventIndex: architecture, design choices, deployment and first operation experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barberis, D.; Cárdenas Zárate, S. E.; Cranshaw, J.; Favareto, A.; Fernández Casaní, Á.; Gallas, E. J.; Glasman, C.; González de la Hoz, S.; Hřivnáč, J.; Malon, D.; Prokoshin, F.; Salt Cairols, J.; Sánchez, J.; Többicke, R.; Yuan, R.

2015-12-01

The EventIndex is the complete catalogue of all ATLAS events, keeping the references to all files that contain a given event in any processing stage. It replaces the TAG database, which had been in use during LHC Run 1. For each event it contains its identifiers, the trigger pattern and the GUIDs of the files containing it. Major use cases are event picking, feeding the Event Service used on some production sites, and technical checks of the completion and consistency of processing campaigns. The system design is highly modular so that its components (data collection system, storage system based on Hadoop, query web service and interfaces to other ATLAS systems) could be developed separately and in parallel during LSI. The EventIndex is in operation for the start of LHC Run 2. This paper describes the high-level system architecture, the technical design choices and the deployment process and issues. The performance of the data collection and storage systems, as well as the query services, are also reported.

Synthesis and analysis of separation networks for the recovery of intracellular chemicals generated from microbial-based conversions

DOE PAGES

Yenkie, Kirti M.; Wu, Wenzhao; Maravelias, Christos T.

2017-05-08

Background. Bioseparations can contribute to more than 70% in the total production cost of a bio-based chemical, and if the desired chemical is localized intracellularly, there can be additional challenges associated with its recovery. Based on the properties of the desired chemical and other components in the stream, there can be multiple feasible options for product recovery. These options are composed of several alternative technologies, performing similar tasks. The suitability of a technology for a particular chemical depends on (1) its performance parameters, such as separation efficiency; (2) cost or amount of added separating agent; (3) properties of the bioreactormore » effluent (e.g., biomass titer, product content); and (4) final product specifications. Our goal is to first synthesize alternative separation options and then analyze how technology selection affects the overall process economics. To achieve this, we propose an optimization-based framework that helps in identifying the critical technologies and parameters. Results. We study the separation networks for two representative classes of chemicals based on their properties. The separation network is divided into three stages: cell and product isolation (stage I), product concentration (II), and product purification and refining (III). Each stage exploits differences in specific product properties for achieving the desired product quality. The cost contribution analysis for the two cases (intracellular insoluble and intracellular soluble) reveals that stage I is the key cost contributor (>70% of the overall cost). Further analysis suggests that changes in input conditions and technology performance parameters lead to new designs primarily in stage I. Conclusions. The proposed framework provides significant insights for technology selection and assists in making informed decisions regarding technologies that should be used in combination for a given set of stream/product properties and final output specifications. Additionally, the parametric sensitivity provides an opportunity to make crucial design and selection decisions in a comprehensive and rational manner. This will prove valuable in the selection of chemicals to be produced using bioconversions (bioproducts) as well as in creating better bioseparation flow sheets for detailed economic assessment and process implementation on the commercial scale.« less

Synthesis and analysis of separation networks for the recovery of intracellular chemicals generated from microbial-based conversions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yenkie, Kirti M.; Wu, Wenzhao; Maravelias, Christos T.

Background. Bioseparations can contribute to more than 70% in the total production cost of a bio-based chemical, and if the desired chemical is localized intracellularly, there can be additional challenges associated with its recovery. Based on the properties of the desired chemical and other components in the stream, there can be multiple feasible options for product recovery. These options are composed of several alternative technologies, performing similar tasks. The suitability of a technology for a particular chemical depends on (1) its performance parameters, such as separation efficiency; (2) cost or amount of added separating agent; (3) properties of the bioreactormore » effluent (e.g., biomass titer, product content); and (4) final product specifications. Our goal is to first synthesize alternative separation options and then analyze how technology selection affects the overall process economics. To achieve this, we propose an optimization-based framework that helps in identifying the critical technologies and parameters. Results. We study the separation networks for two representative classes of chemicals based on their properties. The separation network is divided into three stages: cell and product isolation (stage I), product concentration (II), and product purification and refining (III). Each stage exploits differences in specific product properties for achieving the desired product quality. The cost contribution analysis for the two cases (intracellular insoluble and intracellular soluble) reveals that stage I is the key cost contributor (>70% of the overall cost). Further analysis suggests that changes in input conditions and technology performance parameters lead to new designs primarily in stage I. Conclusions. The proposed framework provides significant insights for technology selection and assists in making informed decisions regarding technologies that should be used in combination for a given set of stream/product properties and final output specifications. Additionally, the parametric sensitivity provides an opportunity to make crucial design and selection decisions in a comprehensive and rational manner. This will prove valuable in the selection of chemicals to be produced using bioconversions (bioproducts) as well as in creating better bioseparation flow sheets for detailed economic assessment and process implementation on the commercial scale.« less

Synthesis and analysis of separation networks for the recovery of intracellular chemicals generated from microbial-based conversions.

PubMed

Yenkie, Kirti M; Wu, Wenzhao; Maravelias, Christos T

2017-01-01

Bioseparations can contribute to more than 70% in the total production cost of a bio-based chemical, and if the desired chemical is localized intracellularly, there can be additional challenges associated with its recovery. Based on the properties of the desired chemical and other components in the stream, there can be multiple feasible options for product recovery. These options are composed of several alternative technologies, performing similar tasks. The suitability of a technology for a particular chemical depends on (1) its performance parameters, such as separation efficiency; (2) cost or amount of added separating agent; (3) properties of the bioreactor effluent (e.g., biomass titer, product content); and (4) final product specifications. Our goal is to first synthesize alternative separation options and then analyze how technology selection affects the overall process economics. To achieve this, we propose an optimization-based framework that helps in identifying the critical technologies and parameters. We study the separation networks for two representative classes of chemicals based on their properties. The separation network is divided into three stages: cell and product isolation (stage I), product concentration (II), and product purification and refining (III). Each stage exploits differences in specific product properties for achieving the desired product quality. The cost contribution analysis for the two cases (intracellular insoluble and intracellular soluble) reveals that stage I is the key cost contributor (>70% of the overall cost). Further analysis suggests that changes in input conditions and technology performance parameters lead to new designs primarily in stage I. The proposed framework provides significant insights for technology selection and assists in making informed decisions regarding technologies that should be used in combination for a given set of stream/product properties and final output specifications. Additionally, the parametric sensitivity provides an opportunity to make crucial design and selection decisions in a comprehensive and rational manner. This will prove valuable in the selection of chemicals to be produced using bioconversions (bioproducts) as well as in creating better bioseparation flow sheets for detailed economic assessment and process implementation on the commercial scale.

Separating grey- and blackwater in urban water cycles - sensible in the view of misconnections?

PubMed

Tolksdorf, J; Cornel, P

2017-09-01

The infrastructure approach SEMIZENTRAL has been developed for fast growing cities, to meet their challenges regarding water supply as well as biowaste and wastewater treatment. The world's first full-scale SEMIZENTRAL Resource Recovery Center (RRC) has been implemented in Qingdao (PR China). Greywater (GW) and blackwater (BW) are collected and treated separately. Measurement of influent concentrations differ significantly from the design values. Thus, the operation strategy for the RRC had to be adapted. Amongst other reasons, the changed influent characteristic was caused by misconnections of GW and BW sewers. Already a misconnection rate of 6-8% requires an extension of the GW treatment process for nitrification/denitrification to fulfill effluent standards. Hence, measures should be taken to avoid or reduce misconnections. Nonetheless, in a semi-centralized scale (>10,000 inhabitants) a 100% avoidance might not be possible. Thus, consequences from misconnections should be considered during the design of source-oriented infrastructure systems.

Ammonium salt corrosion in hydrotreating unit stripper column overhead systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shargay, C.A.; Jacobs, G.E.; Price, M.D.

In the past, the presence of ammonium bisulfide (NH{sub 4}HS) or ammonium chloride (NH{sub 4}Cl) in hydrotreater stripper overheads was relatively rare. However, designs of newer units and revamps to older units, are resulting in corrosive levels of NH{sub 4}HS or NH{sub 4}Cl in overhead systems. This is primarily due to the addition of a hot high pressure separator (HHPS) with the bottoms going directly (or through another separator) to the stripper. This paper presents data on one corrosion case history in detail, a summary of another case history reported in Retln-Cor 3.0 and the results of a brief surveymore » targeted to units with HHPS designs. Some correlations of the process conditions to the severity of corrosion are made based on the survey results, and recommended materials selection and other corrosion control methods to minimize the risk of this problem are given.« less

An efficient approach to understanding and predicting the effects of multiple task characteristics on performance.

PubMed

Richardson, Miles

2017-04-01

In ergonomics there is often a need to identify and predict the separate effects of multiple factors on performance. A cost-effective fractional factorial approach to understanding the relationship between task characteristics and task performance is presented. The method has been shown to provide sufficient independent variability to reveal and predict the effects of task characteristics on performance in two domains. The five steps outlined are: selection of performance measure, task characteristic identification, task design for user trials, data collection, regression model development and task characteristic analysis. The approach can be used for furthering knowledge of task performance, theoretical understanding, experimental control and prediction of task performance. Practitioner Summary: A cost-effective method to identify and predict the separate effects of multiple factors on performance is presented. The five steps allow a better understanding of task factors during the design process.

Energy Savings by Treating Buildings as Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harvey, L. D. Danny

2008-09-01

This paper reviews the opportunities for dramatically reducing energy use in buildings by treating buildings as systems, rather than focusing on device efficiencies. Systems-level considerations are relevant for the operation of heat pumps (where the temperatures at which heat or coldness are distributed are particularly important); the joint or separate provision of heating, cooling, and ventilation; the joint or separate removal of sensible heat and moisture; and in the operation of fluid systems having pumps. Passive heating, cooling, and ventilation, as well as daylighting (use of sunlight for lighting purposes) also require consideration of buildings as systems. In order to achieve the significant (50-75%) energy savings that are possible through a systems approach, the design process itself has to involve a high degree of integration between the architect and various engineering disciplines (structural, mechanical, electrical), and requires the systematic examination and adjustment of alternative designs using computer simulation models.

Hybridizing energy conversion and storage in a mechanical-to-electrochemical process for self-charging power cell.

PubMed

Xue, Xinyu; Wang, Sihong; Guo, Wenxi; Zhang, Yan; Wang, Zhong Lin

2012-09-12

Energy generation and energy storage are two distinct processes that are usually accomplished using two separated units designed on the basis of different physical principles, such as piezoelectric nanogenerator and Li-ion battery; the former converts mechanical energy into electricity, and the latter stores electric energy as chemical energy. Here, we introduce a fundamental mechanism that directly hybridizes the two processes into one, in which the mechanical energy is directly converted and simultaneously stored as chemical energy without going through the intermediate step of first converting into electricity. By replacing the polyethylene (PE) separator as for conventional Li battery with a piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film, the piezoelectric potential from the PVDF film as created by mechanical straining acts as a charge pump to drive Li ions to migrate from the cathode to the anode accompanying charging reactions at electrodes. This new approach can be applied to fabricating a self-charging power cell (SCPC) for sustainable driving micro/nanosystems and personal electronics.

Separation science is the key to successful biopharmaceuticals.

PubMed

Guiochon, Georges; Beaver, Lois Ann

2011-12-09

The impact of economic change, advances in science, therapy and production processes resulted in considerable growth in the area of biopharmaceuticals. Progress in selection of microorganisms and improvements in cell culture and bioreactors is evidenced by increased yields of the desired products in the complex fermentation mixture. At this stage the downstream process of extraction and purification of the desired biopharmaceutical requires considerable attention in the design and operation of the units used for preparative chromatography. Understanding of the process, optimization of column design and experimental conditions have become critical to the biopharmaceutical industry in order to minimize production costs while satisfying new regulatory requirements. Optimization of the purification of biopharmaceuticals by preparative liquid chromatography including an examination of column preparation and bed properties is the focus of this manuscript. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SEE Design Guide and Requirements for Electrical Deadfacing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berki, Joe M.; Sargent, Noel; Kauffman, W. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The purpose of this design guide is to present information for understanding and mitigating the potential hazards associated with de-mating and mating powered electrical connectors on space flight vehicles. The process of staging is a necessary function in the launching of space vehicles and in the deployment of satellites, and now in manned assembly of systems in space. During this electrical interconnection process, various environments may be encountered that warrant the restriction of the voltage and current present across the pins of an electrical connector prior to separation, mating, or in a static open non-mated configuration. This process is called deadfacing. These potentially hazardous environments encompass the obvious explosive fuel vapors and human shock hazard, to multiple Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) phenomena related to the rapid rate of change in current as well as exposure to Radio Frequency (RF) fields.

Praxis language reference manual

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walker, J.H.

1981-01-01

This document is a language reference manual for the programming language Praxis. The document contains the specifications that must be met by any compiler for the language. The Praxis language was designed for systems programming in real-time process applications. Goals for the language and its implementations are: (1) highly efficient code generated by the compiler; (2) program portability; (3) completeness, that is, all programming requirements can be met by the language without needing an assembler; and (4) separate compilation to aid in design and management of large systems. The language does not provide any facilities for input/output, stack and queuemore » handling, string operations, parallel processing, or coroutine processing. These features can be implemented as routines in the language, using machine-dependent code to take advantage of facilities in the control environment on different machines.« less

Engineering Design Elements of a Two-Phase Thermosyphon to Trannsfer NGNP Nuclear Thermal Energy to a Hydrogen Plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Piyush Sabharwal

2009-07-01

Two hydrogen production processes, both powered by a Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP), are currently under investigation at Idaho National Laboratory. The first is high-temperature steam electrolysis, which uses both heat and electricity; the second is thermo-chemical production through the sulfur iodine process primarily using heat. Both processes require a high temperature (>850°C) for enhanced efficiency; temperatures indicative of the NGNP. Safety and licensing mandates prudently dictate that the NGNP and the hydrogen production facility be physically isolated, perhaps requiring separation of over 100 m.

Industrial Membrane Filtration and Short-bed Fractal Separation Systems for Separating Monomers from Heterogeneous Plant Material

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kearney, M; Kochergin, V; Hess, R

2005-03-31

Large-scale displacement of petroleum will come from low-cost cellulosic feedstocks such as straw and corn stover crop residues. This project has taken a step toward making this projection a reality by reducing capital and energy costs, the two largest cost factors associated with converting cellulosic biomass to chemicals and fuels. The technology exists for using acid or enzyme hydrolysis processes to convert biomass feedstock (i.e., waste cellulose such as straw, corn stover, and wood) into their base monomeric sugar building blocks, which can, in turn, be processed into chemicals and fuels using a number of innovative fermentation technologies. However, whilemore » these processes are technically possible, practical and economic barriers make these processes only marginally feasible or not feasible at all. These barriers are due in part to the complexity and large fixed and recurring capital costs of unit operations including filtration, chromatographic separation, and ion exchange. This project was designed to help remove these barriers by developing and implementing new purification and separation technologies that will reduce the capital costs of the purification and chromatographic separation units by 50% to 70%. The technologies fundamental to these improvements are: (a) highly efficient clarification and purification systems that use screening and membrane filtration to eliminate suspended solids and colloidal material from feed streams and (b) fractal technology based chromatographic separation and ion exchange systems that can substitute for conventional systems but at much smaller size and cost. A non-hazardous ''raw sugar beet juice'' stream (75 to 100 gal/min) was used for prototype testing of these technologies. This raw beet juice stream from the Amalgamated Sugar LLC plant in Twin Falls, Idaho contained abrasive materials and membrane foulants. Its characteristics were representative of an industrial-scale heterogeneous plant extract/hydrolysis stream, and therefore was an ideal model system for developing new separation equipment. Subsequent testing used both synthetic acid hydrolysate and corn stover derived weak acid hydrolysate (NREL produced). A two-phased approach was used for the research and development described in this project. The first level of study involved testing the new concepts at the bench level. The bench-scale evaluations provided fundamental understanding of the processes, building and testing small prototype systems, and determining the efficiency of the novel processes. The second level of study, macro-level, required building larger systems that directly simulated industrial operations and provided validation of performance to minimize financial risk during commercialization. The project goals and scope included: (1) Development of low-capital alternatives to conventional crop-based purification/separation processes; and (2) Development of each process to the point that transition to commercial operation is low risk. The project reporting period was January 2001 to December 2004. This included a one year extension of the project (without additional funding).« less

Process Management and Exception Handling in Multiprocessor Operating Systems Using Object-Oriented Design Techniques. Revised Sep. 1988

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russo, Vincent; Johnston, Gary; Campbell, Roy

1988-01-01

The programming of the interrupt handling mechanisms, process switching primitives, scheduling mechanism, and synchronization primitives of an operating system for a multiprocessor require both efficient code in order to support the needs of high- performance or real-time applications and careful organization to facilitate maintenance. Although many advantages have been claimed for object-oriented class hierarchical languages and their corresponding design methodologies, the application of these techniques to the design of the primitives within an operating system has not been widely demonstrated. To investigate the role of class hierarchical design in systems programming, the authors have constructed the Choices multiprocessor operating system architecture the C++ programming language. During the implementation, it was found that many operating system design concerns can be represented advantageously using a class hierarchical approach, including: the separation of mechanism and policy; the organization of an operating system into layers, each of which represents an abstract machine; and the notions of process and exception management. In this paper, we discuss an implementation of the low-level primitives of this system and outline the strategy by which we developed our solution.

Conceptual designs of NDA instruments for the NRTA system at the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, T.K.; Klosterbuer, S.F.; Menlove, H.O.

The authors are studying conceptual designs of selected nondestructive assay (NDA) instruments for the near-real-time accounting system at the rokkasho Reprocessing Plant (RRP) of Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (JNFL). The JNFL RRP is a large-scale commercial reprocessing facility for spent fuel from boiling-water and pressurized-water reactors. The facility comprises two major components: the main process area to separate and produce purified plutonium nitrate and uranyl nitrate from irradiated reactor spent fuels, and the co-denitration process area to combine and convert the plutonium nitrate and uranyl nitrate into mixed oxide (MOX). The selected NDA instruments for conceptual design studies are themore » MOX-product canister counter, holdup measurement systems for calcination and reduction furnaces and for blenders in the co-denitration process, the isotope dilution gamma-ray spectrometer for the spent fuel dissolver solution, and unattended verification systems. For more effective and practical safeguards and material control and accounting at RRP, the authors are also studying the conceptual design for the UO{sub 3} large-barrel counter. This paper discusses the state-of-the-art NDA conceptual design and research and development activities for the above instruments.« less

Innovative design method of automobile profile based on Fourier descriptor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Shuyong; Fu, Chaoxing; Xia, Fan; Shen, Wei

2017-10-01

Aiming at the innovation of the contours of automobile side, this paper presents an innovative design method of vehicle side profile based on Fourier descriptor. The design flow of this design method is: pre-processing, coordinate extraction, standardization, discrete Fourier transform, simplified Fourier descriptor, exchange descriptor innovation, inverse Fourier transform to get the outline of innovative design. Innovative concepts of the innovative methods of gene exchange among species and the innovative methods of gene exchange among different species are presented, and the contours of the innovative design are obtained separately. A three-dimensional model of a car is obtained by referring to the profile curve which is obtained by exchanging xenogeneic genes. The feasibility of the method proposed in this paper is verified by various aspects.

Panel discussion summary: do we need a revolution in design and process integration to enable sub-100-nm technology nodes?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grobman, Warren D.

2002-07-01

Dramatically increasing mask set costs, long-loop design-fabrication iterations, and lithography of unprecedented complexity and cost threaten to disrupt time-accepted IC industry progression as described by Moore"s Law. Practical and cost-effective IC manufacturing below the 100nm technology node presents significant and unique new challenges spanning multiple disciplines and overlapping traditionally separable components of the design-through-chip manufacturing flow. Lithographic and other process complexity is compounded by design, mask, and infrastructure technologies, which do not sufficiently account for increasingly stringent and complex manufacturing issues. Deep subwavelength and atomic-scale process and device physics effects increasingly invade and impact the design flow strongly at a time when the pressures for increased design productivity are escalating at a superlinear rate. Productivity gaps, both upstream in design and downstream in fabrication, are anticipated by many to increase due to dramatic increases in inherent complexity of the design-to-chip equation. Furthermore, the cost of lithographic equipment is increasing at an aggressive compound growth rate so large that we can no longer economically derive the benefit of the increased number of circuits per unit area unless we extend the life of lithographic equipment for more generations, and deeper into the subwavelength regime. Do these trends unambiguously lead to the conclusion that we need a revolution in design and design-process integration to enable the sub-100nm nodes? Or is such a premise similar to other well-known predictions of technology brick walls that never came true?

Process for separating nitrogen from methane using microchannel process technology

DOEpatents

Tonkovich, Anna Lee [Marysville, OH; Qiu, Dongming [Dublin, OH; Dritz, Terence Andrew [Worthington, OH; Neagle, Paul [Westerville, OH; Litt, Robert Dwayne [Westerville, OH; Arora, Ravi [Dublin, OH; Lamont, Michael Jay [Hilliard, OH; Pagnotto, Kristina M [Cincinnati, OH

2007-07-31

The disclosed invention relates to a process for separating methane or nitrogen from a fluid mixture comprising methane and nitrogen, the process comprising: (A) flowing the fluid mixture into a microchannel separator, the microchannel separator comprising a plurality of process microchannels containing a sorption medium, the fluid mixture being maintained in the microchannel separator until at least part of the methane or nitrogen is sorbed by the sorption medium, and removing non-sorbed parts of the fluid mixture from the microchannel separator; and (B) desorbing the methane or nitrogen from the sorption medium and removing the desorbed methane or nitrogen from the microchannel separator. The process is suitable for upgrading methane from coal mines, landfills, and other sub-quality sources.

An audience-channel-message-evaluation (ACME) framework for health communication campaigns.

PubMed

Noar, Seth M

2012-07-01

Recent reviews of the literature have indicated that a number of health communication campaigns continue to fail to adhere to principles of effective campaign design. The lack of an integrated, organizing framework for the design, implementation, and evaluation of health communication campaigns may contribute to this state of affairs. The current article introduces an audience-channel-message-evaluation (ACME) framework that organizes the major principles of health campaign design, implementation, and evaluation. ACME also explicates the relationships and linkages between the varying principles. Insights from ACME include the following: The choice of audience segment(s) to focus on in a campaign affects all other campaign design choices, including message strategy and channel/component options. Although channel selection influences options for message design, choice of message design also influences channel options. Evaluation should not be thought of as a separate activity, but rather should be infused and integrated throughout the campaign design and implementation process, including formative, process, and outcome evaluation activities. Overall, health communication campaigns that adhere to this integrated set of principles of effective campaign design will have a greater chance of success than those using principles idiosyncratically. These design, implementation, and evaluation principles are embodied in the ACME framework.

Enhance gas processing with reflux heat-exchangers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Finn, A.J.

1994-05-01

Despite recent successes of membrane-based separations in low-throughput applications, cryogenic processing remains the best route for separating and purifying gas mixtures, especially when high recoveries are required. Now conventional units are being modified to yield even higher recoveries at lower costs. Throughout the chemical process industries (CPI), this is being accomplished with reflux or plate-fin exchangers, especially for processing of natural gas, and offgases from refineries and petrochemical facilities. The concept of utilizing a heat exchanger as a multi stage rectification device is not new. However, only in the last fifteen years or so has accurate design of reflux exchangersmore » become feasible. Also helpful have been the availability of prediction techniques for high-quality thermodynamic data, and process simulators that can rapidly solve the complex material, equilibrium and enthalpy relationships involved in simulating the performance of reflux exchangers. Four projects that show the value and effectiveness of reflux exchangers are discussed below in more detail. The first example considers hydrogen recovery from demethanizer overheads; the second highlights a low energy process for NGL and LPG recovery from natural gas. The third is a simple process for recovery of ethylene from fluid-catalytic cracker (FCC) offgas; and the fourth is a similar process for olefin recovery from dehydrogenation-reactor offgas.« less

Memory for pictures and words as a function of level of processing: Depth or dual coding?

PubMed

D'Agostino, P R; O'Neill, B J; Paivio, A

1977-03-01

The experiment was designed to test differential predictions derived from dual-coding and depth-of-processing hypotheses. Subjects under incidental memory instructions free recalled a list of 36 test events, each presented twice. Within the list, an equal number of events were assigned to structural, phonemic, and semantic processing conditions. Separate groups of subjects were tested with a list of pictures, concrete words, or abstract words. Results indicated that retention of concrete words increased as a direct function of the processing-task variable (structural < phonemic

Society for the advancement of material and process engineering. 41st International SAMPE symposium and exhibition, Volume 41, Books 1 and 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

This document contains reports which were presented at the 41st International Society For The Advancement of Material and Process Engineering Symposium and Exhibition. Topics include: structural integrity of aging aircraft; composite materials development; affordable composites and processes; corrosion characterization of aging aircraft; adhesive advances; composite design; dual use materials and processing; repair of aircraft structures; adhesive inspection; materials systems for infrastructure; fire safety; composite impact/energy absorption; advanced materials for space; seismic retrofit; high temperature resins; preform technology; thermoplastics; alternative energy and transportation; manufacturing; and durability. Individual reports have been processed separately for the United States Department of Energy databases.

Rotary Drum Separator and Pump for the Sabatier Carbon Dioxide Reduction System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holder, Don; Fort, James; Barone, Michael; Murdoch, Karen

2005-01-01

A trade study conducted in 2001 selected a rotary disk separator as the best candidate to meet the requirements for an International Space Station (ISS) Carbon Dioxide Reduction Assembly (CRA). The selected technology must provide micro-gravity gasfliquid separation and pump the liquid from 10 psia at the gasfliquid interface to 18 psia at the wastewater bus storage tank. The rotary disk concept, which has pedigree in other systems currently being built for installation on the ISS, failed to achieve the required pumping head within the allotted power. The separator discussed in this paper is a new design that was tested to determine compliance with performance requirements in the CRA. The drum separator and pump @SP) design is similar to the Oxygen Generator Assembly (OGA) Rotary Separator Accumulator (RSA) in that it has a rotating assembly inside a stationary housing driven by a integral internal motor. The innovation of the DSP is the drum shaped rotating assembly that acts as the accumulator and also pumps the liquid at much less power than its predecessors. In the CRA application, the separator will rotate at slow speed while accumulating water. Once full, the separator will increase speed to generate sufficient head to pump the water to the wastewater bus. A proof-of- concept (POC) separator has been designed, fabricated and tested to assess the separation efficiency and pumping head of the design. This proof-of-concept item was flown aboard the KC135 to evaluate the effectiveness of the separator in a microgravity environment. This separator design has exceeded all of the performance requirements. The next step in the separator development is to integrate it into the Sabatier Carbon Dioxide Reduction System. This will be done with the Sabatier Engineering Development Unit at the Johnson Space Center.

Evaluation of a New Remote Handling Design for High Throughput Annular Centrifugal Contactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

David H. Meikrantz; Troy G. Garn; Jack D. Law

2009-09-01

Advanced designs of nuclear fuel recycling plants are expected to include more ambitious goals for aqueous based separations including; higher separations efficiency, high-level waste minimization, and a greater focus on continuous processes to minimize cost and footprint. Therefore, Annular Centrifugal Contactors (ACCs) are destined to play a more important role for such future processing schemes. Previous efforts defined and characterized the performance of commercial 5 cm and 12.5 cm single-stage ACCs in a “cold” environment. The next logical step, the design and evaluation of remote capable pilot scale ACCs in a “hot” or radioactive environment was reported earlier. This reportmore » includes the development of remote designs for ACCs that can process the large throughput rates needed in future nuclear fuel recycling plants. Novel designs were developed for the remote interconnection of contactor units, clean-in-place and drain connections, and a new solids removal collection chamber. A three stage, 12.5 cm diameter rotor module has been constructed and evaluated for operational function and remote handling in highly radioactive environments. This design is scalable to commercial CINC ACC models from V-05 to V-20 with total throughput rates ranging from 20 to 650 liters per minute. The V-05R three stage prototype was manufactured by the commercial vendor for ACCs in the U.S., CINC mfg. It employs three standard V-05 clean-in-place (CIP) units modified for remote service and replacement via new methods of connection for solution inlets, outlets, drain and CIP. Hydraulic testing and functional checks were successfully conducted and then the prototype was evaluated for remote handling and maintenance suitability. Removal and replacement of the center position V-05R ACC unit in the three stage prototype was demonstrated using an overhead rail mounted PaR manipulator. This evaluation confirmed the efficacy of this innovative design for interconnecting and cleaning individual stages while retaining the benefits of commercially reliable ACC equipment for remote applications in the nuclear industry. Minor modifications and suggestions for improved manual remote servicing by the remote handling specialists were provided but successful removal and replacement was demonstrated in the first prototype.« less

Development of a Multi-Channel Piezoelectric Acoustic Sensor Based on an Artificial Basilar Membrane

PubMed Central

Jung, Youngdo; Kwak, Jun-Hyuk; Lee, Young Hwa; Kim, Wan Doo; Hur, Shin

2014-01-01

In this research, we have developed a multi-channel piezoelectric acoustic sensor (McPAS) that mimics the function of the natural basilar membrane capable of separating incoming acoustic signals mechanically by their frequency and generating corresponding electrical signals. The McPAS operates without an external energy source and signal processing unit with a vibrating piezoelectric thin film membrane. The shape of the vibrating membrane was chosen to be trapezoidal such that different locations of membrane have different local resonance frequencies. The length of the membrane is 28 mm and the width of the membrane varies from 1 mm to 8 mm. Multiphysics finite element analysis (FEA) was carried out to predict and design the mechanical behaviors and piezoelectric response of the McPAS model. The designed McPAS was fabricated with a MEMS fabrication process based on the simulated results. The fabricated device was tested with a mouth simulator to measure its mechanical and piezoelectrical frequency response with a laser Doppler vibrometer and acoustic signal analyzer. The experimental results show that the as fabricated McPAS can successfully separate incoming acoustic signals within the 2.5 kHz–13.5 kHz range and the maximum electrical signal output upon acoustic signal input of 94 dBSPL was 6.33 mVpp. The performance of the fabricated McPAS coincided well with the designed parameters. PMID:24361926

Analysis and simulation of industrial distillation processes using a graphical system design model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boca, Maria Loredana; Dobra, Remus; Dragos, Pasculescu; Ahmad, Mohammad Ayaz

2016-12-01

The separation column used for experimentations one model can be configured in two ways: one - two columns of different diameters placed one within the other extension, and second way, one column with set diameter [1], [2]. The column separates the carbon isotopes based on the cryogenic distillation of pure carbon monoxide, which is fed at a constant flow rate as a gas through the feeding system [1],[2]. Based on numerical control systems used in virtual instrumentation was done some simulations of the distillation process in order to obtain of the isotope 13C at high concentrations. The experimental installation for cryogenic separation can be configured from the point of view of the separation column in two ways: Cascade - two columns of different diameters and placed one in the extension of the other column, and second one column with a set diameter. It is proposed that this installation is controlled to achieve data using a data acquisition tool and professional software that will process information from the isotopic column based on a logical dedicated algorithm. Classical isotopic column will be controlled automatically, and information about the main parameters will be monitored and properly display using one program. Take in consideration the very-low operating temperature, an efficient thermal isolation vacuum jacket is necessary. Since the "elementary separation ratio" [2] is very close to unity in order to raise the (13C) isotope concentration up to a desired level, a permanent counter current of the liquid-gaseous phases of the carbon monoxide is created by the main elements of the equipment: the boiler in the bottom-side of the column and the condenser in the top-side.

The 9th international symposium on the packaging and transportation of radioactive materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

1989-06-01

This three-volume document contains the papers and poster sessions presented at the symposium. Volume 3 contains 87 papers on topics such as structural codes and benchmarking, shipment of plutonium by air, spent fuel shipping, planning, package design and risk assessment, package testing, OCRWN operations experience and regulations. Individual papers were processed separately for the data base. (TEM)

Milestone Report - M4FT-14OR0312022 - Co-absorption studies - Design system complete/test plan complete

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bruffey, Stephanie H.; Spencer, Barry B.; Jubin, Robert Thomas

2013-12-01

The objective of this test plan is to describe research that will determine the effectiveness of silver mordenite and molecular sieve beds to remove iodine and water (tritium) from off-gas streams arising from used nuclear fuel recycling processes, and to demonstrate that the iodine and water can be recovered separately from one another.

Applying Separations Science to Waste Problems.

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-01-01

inert cathode. Centrifugal Contactor for Processing Liquid Radioactive Waste We have developed an annular centrifugal contactor for use in liquid...radioactive waste. The CMT-designed centrifugal contactor has several advantages over other solvent-extraction equipment currently in use. It requires less...Y-12 Plant, Savannah River Site, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The benefits that make the centrifugal contactor the equipment of choice in the

Uses of the Westrup brush machine

Treesearch

Jill Barbour

2002-01-01

The Westrup brush machine can be used as the first step in the conditioning process of seeds. Even though there are various sizes of the machine, only the laboratory model (LA-H) is described. The machine is designed to separate seed from pods or flowers, dewing tree seed, remove appendages or hairs from seed, split twin seed, de-lint cotton seed, scarify hard coated...

A Genetically Informed Study of the Processes Underlying the Association between Parental Marital Instability and Offspring Adjustment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Onofrio, Brian M.; Turkheimer, Eric; Emery, Robert E.; Slutske, Wendy S.; Heath, Andrew C.; Madden, Pamela A.; Martin, Nicholas G.

2006-01-01

Parental divorce is associated with problematic offspring adjustment, but the relation may be due to shared genetic or environmental factors. One way to test for these confounds is to study offspring of twins discordant for divorce. The current analyses used this design to separate the mechanisms responsible for the association between parental…

Participatory Design of Mass Health Communication in Three Languages for Seniors and People With Disabilities on Medicaid

PubMed Central

Rothschild, Beccah; Graham, Carrie; Ivey, Susan L.; Konishi, Susana

2009-01-01

Objectives. We used participatory design methods to develop and test guidebooks about health care choices intended for 600 000 English-, Spanish-, and Chinese-speaking seniors and people with disabilities receiving Medicaid in California. Methods. Design and testing processes were conducted with consumers and professionals; they included 24 advisory group interviews, 36 usability tests, 18 focus groups (105 participants), 51 key informant interviews, guidebook readability and suitability testing, linguistic adaptation, and iterative revisions of 4 prototypes. Results. Participatory design processes identified preferences of intended audiences for guidebook content, linguistic adaptation, and format; guidebook readability was scored at the sixth- to eighth-grade level and suitability at 95%. These findings informed the design of a separate efficacy study that showed high guidebook usage and satisfaction, and better gains in knowledge, confidence, and intended behaviors among intervention participants than among control participants. Conclusions. Participatory design can be used effectively in mass communication to inform vulnerable audiences of health care choices. The techniques described can be adapted for a broad range of health communication interventions. PMID:19833990

Participatory design of mass health communication in three languages for seniors and people with disabilities on Medicaid.

PubMed

Neuhauser, Linda; Rothschild, Beccah; Graham, Carrie; Ivey, Susan L; Konishi, Susana

2009-12-01

We used participatory design methods to develop and test guidebooks about health care choices intended for 600 000 English-, Spanish-, and Chinese-speaking seniors and people with disabilities receiving Medicaid in California. Design and testing processes were conducted with consumers and professionals; they included 24 advisory group interviews, 36 usability tests, 18 focus groups (105 participants), 51 key informant interviews, guidebook readability and suitability testing, linguistic adaptation, and iterative revisions of 4 prototypes. Participatory design processes identified preferences of intended audiences for guidebook content, linguistic adaptation, and format; guidebook readability was scored at the sixth- to eighth-grade level and suitability at 95%. These findings informed the design of a separate efficacy study that showed high guidebook usage and satisfaction, and better gains in knowledge, confidence, and intended behaviors among intervention participants than among control participants. Participatory design can be used effectively in mass communication to inform vulnerable audiences of health care choices. The techniques described can be adapted for a broad range of health communication interventions.

Plasma treatment of polyethersulfone membrane for benzene removal from water by air gap membrane distillation.

PubMed

Pedram, Sara; Mortaheb, Hamid Reza; Arefi-Khonsari, Farzaneh

2018-01-01

In order to obtain a durable cost-effective membrane for membrane distillation (MD) process, flat sheet polyethersulfone (PES) membranes were modified by an atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium plasma generated using a dielectric barrier discharge in a mixture of argon and hexamethyldisiloxane as the organosilicon precursor. The surface properties of the plasma-modified membranes were characterized by water contact angle (CA), liquid entry pressure, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The water CA of the membrane was increased from 64° to 104° by depositing a Si(CH 3 )-rich thin layer. While the pristine PES membrane was not applicable in the MD process, the modified PES membrane could be applied for the first time in an air gap membrane distillation setup for the removal of benzene as a volatile organic compound from water. The experimental design using central composite design and response surface methodology was applied to study the effects of feed temperature, concentration, and flow rate as well as their binary interactions on the overall permeate flux and separation factor. The separation factor and permeation flux of the modified PES membrane at optimum conditions were comparable with those of commercial polytetrafluoroethylene membrane.

Automated Processing of Plasma Samples for Lipoprotein Separation by Rate-Zonal Ultracentrifugation.

PubMed

Peters, Carl N; Evans, Iain E J

2016-12-01

Plasma lipoproteins are the primary means of lipid transport among tissues. Defining alterations in lipid metabolism is critical to our understanding of disease processes. However, lipoprotein measurement is limited to specialized centers. Preparation for ultracentrifugation involves the formation of complex density gradients that is both laborious and subject to handling errors. We created a fully automated device capable of forming the required gradient. The design has been made freely available for download by the authors. It is inexpensive relative to commercial density gradient formers, which generally create linear gradients unsuitable for rate-zonal ultracentrifugation. The design can easily be modified to suit user requirements and any potential future improvements. Evaluation of the device showed reliable peristaltic pump accuracy and precision for fluid delivery. We also demonstrate accurate fluid layering with reduced mixing at the gradient layers when compared to usual practice by experienced laboratory personnel. Reduction in layer mixing is of critical importance, as it is crucial for reliable lipoprotein separation. The automated device significantly reduces laboratory staff input and reduces the likelihood of error. Overall, this device creates a simple and effective solution to formation of complex density gradients. © 2015 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

Genesis Sample Return Capsule Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willcockson, Bill

2005-01-01

I. Simple Entry Capsule Concept: a) Spin-Stabilized/No Active Control Systems; b) Ballistic Entry for 11.04 km/sec Velocity; c) No Heatshield Separation During Entry; d) Parachute Deploy via g-Switch + Timer. II. Stardust Design Inheritance a) Forebody Shape; b) Seal Concepts; c) Parachute Deploy Control; d) Utah Landing Site (UTTR). III. TPS Systems a) Heatshield - Carbon-Carbon - First Planetary Entry; b) Backshell - SLA-561V - Flight Heritage from Pathfinder, MER; d) Forebody Structural Penetrations Aerothermal and TPS Design Process has the Same Methodology as Used for Pathfinder, MER Flight Vehicles.

Numerical and Theoretical Considerations for the Design of the AVT-183 Diamond-Wing Experimental Investigations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boelens, Okko J.; Luckring, James M.; Breitsamter, Christian; Hovelmann, Andreas; Knoth, Florian; Malloy, Donald J.; Deck, Sebatien

2015-01-01

A diamond-wing configuration has been developed to isolate and study blunt-leading edge vortex separation with both computations and experiments. The wing has been designed so that the results are relevant to a more complex Uninhabited Combat Air Vehicle concept known as SACCON. The numerical and theoretical development process for this diamond wing is presented, including a view toward planned wind tunnel experiments. This work was conducted under the NATO Science and Technology Organization, Applied Vehicle Technology panel. All information is in the public domain.

Automotive battery energy density — past, present and future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peters, K.

Energy and power densities of automotive batteries at engine starting rates have doubled over the past twenty years. Most recent improvements can be credited to the use of both very thin plates with optimized grid design and low-resistance polyethylene separators with a thin backweb and a reduced rib height. Opportunities for further improvements using the same design approach and similar processing techniques are limited. The effect of some recent innovative developments on weight reduction and performance improvement are reviewed, together with possible changes to the electrical system of vehicles.

Experimental study on CO2 frosting and clogging in a brazed plate heat exchanger for natural gas liquefaction process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jitan; He, Tianbiao; Ju, Yonglin

2018-04-01

The plate-fin heat exchanger (PFHE), which has been widely used in natural gas liquefaction (LNG) industry at present, has some disadvantages such as being sensitive to the impurities in the feed gas, such as water, CO2 and H2S. Compared with the PFHE, the brazed plate heat exchanger (BPHE), which has been applied in some boil off gas (BOG) recycling LNG plants of small to middle size, has simpler inherent structure and higher impurity tolerance. In this study the BPHE is suggested to replace the PFHE to simplify or even omit the massive CO2 purification equipment for the LNG process. A set of experimental apparatus is designed and constructed to investigate the influence of the CO2 concentration of the natural gas on solid precipitation inside a typical BPHE meanly by considering the flow resistance throughout the LNG process. The results show that the maximum allowable CO2 concentration of the natural gas liquefied in the BPHE is two orders of magnitude higher than that in the PFHE under the same condition. In addition, the solid-liquid separation for the CO2 impurity is studied and the reasonable separating temperature is obtained. The solid CO2 should be separated below 135 K under the pressure of 3 MPa.

Ultrafast Electron Transfer across a Nanocapsular Wall: Coumarins as Donors, Viologen as Acceptor, and Octa Acid Capsule as the Mediator.

PubMed

Chuang, Chi-Hung; Porel, Mintu; Choudhury, Rajib; Burda, Clemens; Ramamurthy, V

2018-01-11

Results of our study on ultrafast electron transfer (eT) dynamics from coumarins (coumarin-1, coumarin-480, and coumarin-153) incarcerated within octa acid (OA) capsules as electron donors to methyl viologen dissolved in water as acceptor are presented. Upon photoexcitation, coumarin inside the OA capsule transfers an electron to the acceptor electrostatically attached to the capsule leading to a long-lived radical-ion pair separated by the OA capsular wall. This charge-separated state returns to the neutral ground state via back electron transfer on the nanosecond time scale. This system allows for ultrafast electron transfer processes through a molecular wall from the apolar capsular interior to the highly polar (aqueous) environment on the femtosecond time scale. Employing femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, distinct rates of both forward (1-25 ps) and backward eT (700-1200 ps) processes were measured. Further understanding of the energetics is provided using Rehm-Weller analysis for the investigated photoinduced eT reactions. The results provide the rates of the eT across a molecular wall, akin to an isotropic solution, depending on the standard free energy of the reaction. The insights from this work could be utilized in the future design of efficient electron transfer processes across interfaces separating apolar and polar environments.

2001 Evaluation of Tritium Removal & Mitigation Technologies for Waste Water Treatment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

PENWELL, D.L.

2001-06-01

This report contains the 2001 biennial update evaluation of separation technologies and other mitigation techniques to control tritium in liquid effluents and groundwater at the Hanford site. A thorough literature review was completed, and national and international experts in the field of tritium separation and mitigation techniques were consulted. Current state-of-the-art technologies to address the control of tritium in wastewaters were identified and are described. This report was prepared to satisfy the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order Tri-Party Agreement, Milestone M-29-O5H (Ecology, EPA, and DOE 1996). Tritium separation and isolation technologies are evaluated on a biennial basis tomore » determine their feasibility for implementation for the control of Hanford site liquid effluents and groundwater to meet the US. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 40 CFR 141.16, drinking water maximum contaminant level (MCL) for tritium of 0.02 {mu} Ci/l ({approx}2 parts per quadrillion [10{sup -15}]) and/or DOE Order 5400.5 as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) policy The objectives of this evaluation were to (1) status the development of potentially viable tritium separations technologies with regard to reducing tritium concentrations in current Hanford site process waters and existing groundwater to MCL levels and (2) status control methods to prevent the flow of tritiated water at concentrations greater than the MCL to the environment. Current tritium releases are in compliance with applicable US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington State Department of Ecology, and U.S. Department of Energy requirements under the Tri-Party Agreement. Advances in technologies for the separation of tritium from wastewater since the 1999 Hanford Site evaluation report include: (1) construction and testing of the Combined Industrial Reforming and Catalytic Exchange (CIRCE) Prototype Plant by Atomic Energy Canada Limited (AECL). The plant has a stage that uses the combined electrolysis catalytic exchange (CECE) and a stage that uses the bithermal hydrogen-waterprocess. The testing is still ongoing at the time of the development of this evaluation report, therefore, final results of the testing are not available; (2) further testing and a DOE sponsored American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) peer review of a tritium resin separations process to remove tritium from wastewaters; and (3) completion of the design of the water detritiation system for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The system uses a variation of the CECE process, and is designed to process 20 Whr of feed. The primary advance in technologies to control tritium migration in groundwater are the implementation of phytoremediation as a method of reducing the amount of tritium contaminated groundwater reaching the surface waters at Argonne National Laboratory, and initiation of a project for phytoremediation at the Savannah River Site.« less

Investigation of aerodynamic design issues with regions of separated flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gally, Tom

1993-01-01

Existing aerodynamic design methods have generally concentrated on the optimization of airfoil or wing shapes to produce a minimum drag while satisfying some basic constraints such as lift, pitching moment, or thickness. Since the minimization of drag almost always precludes the existence of separated flow, the evaluation and validation of these design methods for their robustness and accuracy when separated flow is present has not been aggressively pursued. However, two new applications for these design tools may be expected to include separated flow and the issues of aerodynamic design with this feature must be addressed. The first application of the aerodynamic design tools is the design of airfoils or wings to provide an optimal performance over a wide range of flight conditions (multipoint design). While the definition of 'optimal performance' in the multipoint setting is currently being hashed out, it is recognized that given a wide range of flight conditions, it will not be possible to ensure a minimum drag constraint at all conditions, and in fact some amount of separated flow (presumably small) may have to be allowed at the more demanding flight conditions. Thus a multipoint design method must be tolerant of the existence of separated flow and may include some controls upon its extent. The second application is in the design of wings with extended high speed buffet boundaries of their flight envelopes. Buffet occurs on a wing when regions of flow separation have grown to the extent that their time varying pressures induce possible destructive effects upon the wing structure or adversely effect either the aircraft controllability or passenger comfort. A conservative approach to the expansion of the buffet flight boundary is to simply expand the flight envelope of nonseparated flow under the assumption that buffet will also thus be alleviated. However, having the ability to design a wing with separated flow and thus to control the location, extent and severity of the separated flow regions may allow aircraft manufacturers to gain an advantage in the early design stages of an aircraft, when configuration changes are relatively inexpensive to make. The goal of the summer research at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) was twofold: first, to investigate a particular airfoil design problem observed under conditions of strong shock induced flow separation on the upper surface of an airfoil at transonic conditions; and second, to suggest and investigate design methodologies for the prediction (or detection) and control of flow separation. The context of both investigations was to use an existing two dimensional Navier-Stokes flow solver and the constrained direct/iterative surface curvature (CDISC) design algorithm developed at LaRC. As a lead in to the primary task, it was necessary to gain a familiarity with both the design method and the computational analysis and to perform the FORTRAN coding needed to couple them together.

Development of a hull-less pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) seed oil press-cake spread.

PubMed

Radočaj, Olga; Dimić, Etelka; Vujasinović, Vesna

2012-09-01

A stable, oil-based spread rich in the omega-3 (ω-3) and omega-6 (ω-6) fatty acids was developed using a hull-less pumpkin seed (Cucurbita pepo L.) oil press-cake, a by-product of the pumpkin oil pressing process, along with cold-pressed hemp oil. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to investigate the effects of two factors, as the formulation's compositional variables: a commercial stabilizer (X(1) ) and cold-pressed hemp oil (X(2) ) added to the pumpkin seed oil press-cake in the spread formulations. A central composite, 2-factorial experimental design on 5 levels was used to optimize the spreads where model responses were ω-3 fatty acids content, spreadability (hardness), oil separation, and sensory evaluation. The selected responses were significantly affected by both variables (P < 0.05). The spreads resembled commercial peanut butter, both in appearance, texture and spreadability; were a source of ω-3 fatty acids and with no visual oil separation after 1 mo of storage. An optimum spread was produced using 1.25% (w/w) of stabilizer and 80% of hemp oil (w/w, of the total added oil) which had 0.97 g of ω-3 fatty acids per serving size; penetration depth of 68.4 mm; oil separation of 9.2% after 3 mo of storage; and a sensory score of 17.5. A use of by-products generated from different food processing technologies, where the edible waste is successfully incorporated as a value-added ingredient, has become a very important area of research to support global sustainability efforts. This study contributes to the knowledge of a product design process for oil-based spread development, where oil press-cake, a by-product of the oil pressing process of the naked pumpkin seeds, was used and where results have demonstrated that a new product can be successfully developed and potentially manufactured as a functional food. © 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®

Biocompatible and label-free separation of cancer cells from cell culture lines from white blood cells in ferrofluids.

PubMed

Zhao, Wujun; Cheng, Rui; Lim, So Hyun; Miller, Joshua R; Zhang, Weizhong; Tang, Wei; Xie, Jin; Mao, Leidong

2017-06-27

This paper reports a biocompatible and label-free cell separation method using ferrofluids that can separate a variety of low-concentration cancer cells from cell culture lines (∼100 cancer cells per mL) from undiluted white blood cells, with a throughput of 1.2 mL h -1 and an average separation efficiency of 82.2%. The separation is based on the size difference of the cancer cells and white blood cells, and is conducted in a custom-made biocompatible ferrofluid that retains not only excellent short-term viabilities but also normal proliferations of 7 commonly used cancer cell lines. A microfluidic device is designed and optimized specifically to shorten the time of live cells' exposure to ferrofluids from hours to seconds, by eliminating time-consuming off-chip sample preparation and extraction steps and integrating them on-chip to achieve a one-step process. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, a ferrofluid with 0.26% volume fraction was used in this microfluidic device to separate spiked cancer cells from cell lines at a concentration of ∼100 cells per mL from white blood cells with a throughput of 1.2 mL h -1 . The separation efficiencies were 80 ± 3%, 81 ± 5%, 82 ± 5%, 82 ± 4%, and 86 ± 6% for A549 lung cancer, H1299 lung cancer, MCF-7 breast cancer, MDA-MB-231 breast cancer, and PC-3 prostate cancer cell lines, respectively. The separated cancer cells' purity was between 25.3% and 28.8%. In addition, the separated cancer cells from this strategy showed an average short-term viability of 94.4 ± 1.3%, and these separated cells were cultured and demonstrated normal proliferation to confluence even after the separation process. Owing to its excellent biocompatibility and label-free operation and its ability to recover low concentrations of cancer cells from white blood cells, this method could lead to a promising tool for rare cell separation.

Nanoscale tailor-made membranes for precise and rapid molecular sieve separation.

PubMed

Wang, Jing; Zhu, Junyong; Zhang, Yatao; Liu, Jindun; Van der Bruggen, Bart

2017-03-02

The precise and rapid separation of different molecules from aqueous, organic solutions and gas mixtures is critical to many technologies in the context of resource-saving and sustainable development. The strength of membrane-based technologies is well recognized and they are extensively applied as cost-effective, highly efficient separation techniques. Currently, empirical-based approaches, lacking an accurate nanoscale control, are used to prepare the most advanced membranes. In contrast, nanoscale control renders the membrane molecular specificity (sub-2 nm) necessary for efficient and rapid molecular separation. Therefore, as a growing trend in membrane technology, the field of nanoscale tailor-made membranes is highlighted in this review. An in-depth analysis of the latest advances in tailor-made membranes for precise and rapid molecule sieving is given, along with an outlook to future perspectives of such membranes. Special attention is paid to the established processing strategies, as well as the application of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation in nanoporous membrane design. This review will provide useful guidelines for future research in the development of nanoscale tailor-made membranes with a precise and rapid molecular sieve separation property.

Process, including PSA and membrane separation, for separating hydrogen from hydrocarbons

DOEpatents

Baker, Richard W.; Lokhandwala, Kaaeid A.; He, Zhenjie; Pinnau, Ingo

2001-01-01

An improved process for separating hydrogen from hydrocarbons. The process includes a pressure swing adsorption step, a compression/cooling step and a membrane separation step. The membrane step relies on achieving a methane/hydrogen selectivity of at least about 2.5 under the conditions of the process.

Gas purification in the dense phase at the CATS terminal

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Openshaw, P.J.; Carnell, P.J.H.; Rhodes, E.F.

The purification and transportation of natural gas at very high pressures can help to minimize the capital cost of pipelines and processing equipment. However, complex mixtures of hydrocarbons undergo unusual phase changes, such as retrograde condensation, as the temperature and pressure are altered. The Central Area Transmission System (CATS) is a joint venture of Amoci, BG, Amerada Hess, Phillips, Agip and Fina operated by Amoco on behalf of the owners. The design of the CATS terminal has provided an interesting processing challenge. The terminal receives a total of 1.6 Bscf/d of rich gas from a number of offshore fields. Allmore » are relatively sweet but the small amounts of H{sub 2}S and Hg are removed. Fixed bed technology was selected as the most economic purification process, while minimizing hydrocarbon loss and operator involvement. Conventionally, the raw gas would be split into the different hydrocarbon fractions and each would be processed separately. This would require the installation of a large number of reactors. A more elegant solution is to treat the gas on arrival at the terminal in the dense phase. This option raised questions around whether a fixed bed would be prone to fouling, could the pressure drop be kept low enough to avoid phase separation and would inadvertent wetting by condensation cause problems. Details are given of the test work carried out to prove the viability of using fixed bed technology for dense phase gas processing, the eventual design adopted and the performance over the first year of service.« less

Modeling and Design Optimization of Multifunctional Membrane Reactors for Direct Methane Aromatization

PubMed Central

Fouty, Nicholas J.; Carrasco, Juan C.; Lima, Fernando V.

2017-01-01

Due to the recent increase of natural gas production in the U.S., utilizing natural gas for higher-value chemicals has become imperative. Direct methane aromatization (DMA) is a promising process used to convert methane to benzene, but it is limited by low conversion of methane and rapid catalyst deactivation by coking. Past work has shown that membrane separation of the hydrogen produced in the DMA reactions can dramatically increase the methane conversion by shifting the equilibrium toward the products, but it also increases coke production. Oxygen introduction into the system has been shown to inhibit this coke production while not inhibiting the benzene production. This paper introduces a novel mathematical model and design to employ both methods in a multifunctional membrane reactor to push the DMA process into further viability. Multifunctional membrane reactors, in this case, are reactors where two different separations occur using two differently selective membranes, on which no systems studies have been found. The proposed multifunctional membrane design incorporates a hydrogen-selective membrane on the outer wall of the reaction zone, and an inner tube filled with airflow surrounded by an oxygen-selective membrane in the middle of the reactor. The design is shown to increase conversion via hydrogen removal by around 100%, and decrease coke production via oxygen addition by 10% when compared to a tubular reactor without any membranes. Optimization studies are performed to determine the best reactor design based on methane conversion, along with coke and benzene production. The obtained optimal design considers a small reactor (length = 25 cm, diameter of reaction tube = 0.7 cm) to subvert coke production and consumption of the product benzene as well as a high permeance (0.01 mol/s·m2·atm1/4) through the hydrogen-permeable membrane. This modeling and design approach sets the stage for guiding further development of multifunctional membrane reactor models and designs for natural gas utilization and other chemical reaction systems. PMID:28850068

Electrokinetic injection techniques in microfluidic chips.

PubMed

Fu, L M; Yang, R J; Lee, G B; Liu, H H

2002-10-01

The separation efficiency of a microfluidic chip is influenced to a significant degree by the flow field conditions within the injection microchannel. Therefore, an understanding of the physics of the flow within this channel is beneficial in the design and operation of such a system. The configuration of an injection system is determined by the volume of the sample plug that is to be delivered to the separation process. Accordingly, this paper addresses the design and testing of injection systems with a variety of configurations, including a simple cross, a double-T, and a triple-T configuration. This paper also presents the design of a unique multi-T injection configuration. Each injection system cycles through a predetermined series of steps, in which the electric field magnitude and distribution within the various channels is strictly manipulated, to effectuate a virtual valve. The uniquemulti-T configuration injection system presented within this paper has the ability to simulate the functions of the cross, double-T, and triple-T systems through appropriate manipulations of the electric field within its various channels. In other words, the proposed design successfully combines several conventional injection systems within a single microfluidic chip.

On the role of local charge carrier mobility in the charge separation mechanism of organic photovoltaics.

PubMed

Yoshikawa, Saya; Saeki, Akinori; Saito, Masahiko; Osaka, Itaru; Seki, Shu

2015-07-21

Although the charge separation (CS) and transport processes that compete with geminate and non-geminate recombination are commonly regarded as the governing factors of organic photovoltaic (OPV) efficiency, the details of the CS mechanism remain largely unexplored. Here we provide a systematic investigation on the role of local charge carrier mobility in bulk heterojunction films of ten different low-bandgap polymers and polythiophene analogues blended with methanofullerene (PCBM). By correlating with the OPV performances, we demonstrated that the local mobility of the blend measured by time-resolved microwave conductivity is more important for the OPV output than those of the pure polymers. Furthermore, the results revealed two separate trends for crystalline and semi-crystalline polymers. This work offers guidance in the design of high-performance organic solar cells.

Dissociation of a Dynamic Protein Complex Studied by All-Atom Molecular Simulations.

PubMed

Zhang, Liqun; Borthakur, Susmita; Buck, Matthias

2016-02-23

The process of protein complex dissociation remains to be understood at the atomic level of detail. Computers now allow microsecond timescale molecular-dynamics simulations, which make the visualization of such processes possible. Here, we investigated the dissociation process of the EphA2-SHIP2 SAM-SAM domain heterodimer complex using unrestrained all-atom molecular-dynamics simulations. Previous studies on this system have shown that alternate configurations are sampled, that their interconversion can be fast, and that the complex is dynamic by nature. Starting from different NMR-derived structures, mutants were designed to stabilize a subset of configurations by swapping ion pairs across the protein-protein interface. We focused on two mutants, K956D/D1235K and R957D/D1223R, with attenuated binding affinity compared with the wild-type proteins. In contrast to calculations on the wild-type complexes, the majority of simulations of these mutants showed protein dissociation within 2.4 μs. During the separation process, we observed domain rotation and pivoting as well as a translation and simultaneous rolling, typically to alternate and weaker binding interfaces. Several unsuccessful recapturing attempts occurred once the domains were moderately separated. An analysis of protein solvation suggests that the dissociation process correlates with a progressive loss of protein-protein contacts. Furthermore, an evaluation of internal protein dynamics using quasi-harmonic and order parameter analyses indicates that changes in protein internal motions are expected to contribute significantly to the thermodynamics of protein dissociation. Considering protein association as the reverse of the separation process, the initial role of charged/polar interactions is emphasized, followed by changes in protein and solvent dynamics. The trajectories show that protein separation does not follow a single distinct pathway, but suggest that the mechanism of dissociation is common in that it initially involves transitions to surfaces with fewer, less favorable contacts compared with those seen in the fully formed complex. Copyright © 2016 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Adsorption and Processes in Spacecraft Environmental Control and Life Support Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dall-Bauman, Liese; Finn, John E.; Kliss, Mark (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

The environmental control and life support system on a spacecraft must maintain a safe and comfortable environment in which the crew can live and work. The system's functions include supplying the crew with oxygen and water, as well as removing carbon dioxide, water vapor, and trace contaminants from cabin air. Although open-loop systems have been used in the past, logistics and safety factors of current and future missions in space make near-complete recycling of the cabin's air and water desirable. The recycling process may include separation and reduction of carbon dioxide, removal of trace gas-phase contaminants, recovery and purification of humidity condensate, purification and polishing of wastewater streams, and other processes. Several of these operations can be performed totally or in part by adsorption processes. Adsorption processes are frequently good candidates for separation and purification in space by virtue of such characteristics as gravity independence, high reliability, relatively high energy efficiency, design flexibility, technological maturity, and regenerability. For these reasons, adsorption has historically played a key role in life support on U.S. and Russian piloted spacecraft. This article focuses on three current spacecraft life support applications that often use adsorption technology: carbon dioxide separation from cabin air, gas-phase trace contaminant control, and potable water recovery from waste streams. In each application, adsorption technology has been selected for use on the International Space Station. The requirements, science, and hardware for each application are discussed. Eventually, human space exploration may lead to construction of planetary habitats. These habitats may have additional applications, such as control of greenhouse gas composition and purification of hydroponic solutions, and may have different requirements and resources available to them, such as gases present in the planetary atmosphere. Adsorption separation and purification processes may continue to fulfill environmental control and life support needs well into the future.

A SAS-based solution to evaluate study design efficiency of phase I pediatric oncology trials via discrete event simulation.

PubMed

Barrett, Jeffrey S; Jayaraman, Bhuvana; Patel, Dimple; Skolnik, Jeffrey M

2008-06-01

Previous exploration of oncology study design efficiency has focused on Markov processes alone (probability-based events) without consideration for time dependencies. Barriers to study completion include time delays associated with patient accrual, inevaluability (IE), time to dose limiting toxicities (DLT) and administrative and review time. Discrete event simulation (DES) can incorporate probability-based assignment of DLT and IE frequency, correlated with cohort in the case of DLT, with time-based events defined by stochastic relationships. A SAS-based solution to examine study efficiency metrics and evaluate design modifications that would improve study efficiency is presented. Virtual patients are simulated with attributes defined from prior distributions of relevant patient characteristics. Study population datasets are read into SAS macros which select patients and enroll them into a study based on the specific design criteria if the study is open to enrollment. Waiting times, arrival times and time to study events are also sampled from prior distributions; post-processing of study simulations is provided within the decision macros and compared across designs in a separate post-processing algorithm. This solution is examined via comparison of the standard 3+3 decision rule relative to the "rolling 6" design, a newly proposed enrollment strategy for the phase I pediatric oncology setting.

Applied digital signal processing systems for vortex flowmeter with digital signal processing.

PubMed

Xu, Ke-Jun; Zhu, Zhi-Hai; Zhou, Yang; Wang, Xiao-Fen; Liu, San-Shan; Huang, Yun-Zhi; Chen, Zhi-Yuan

2009-02-01

The spectral analysis is combined with digital filter to process the vortex sensor signal for reducing the effect of disturbance at low frequency from pipe vibrations and increasing the turndown ratio. Using digital signal processing chip, two kinds of digital signal processing systems are developed to implement these algorithms. One is an integrative system, and the other is a separated system. A limiting amplifier is designed in the input analog condition circuit to adapt large amplitude variation of sensor signal. Some technique measures are taken to improve the accuracy of the output pulse, speed up the response time of the meter, and reduce the fluctuation of the output signal. The experimental results demonstrate the validity of the digital signal processing systems.

An improved model for computing the trajectories of conductive particles in roll-type electrostatic separator for recycling metals from WEEE.

PubMed

Wu, Jiang; Li, Jia; Xu, Zhenming

2009-08-15

Electrostatic separation presents an effective and environmentally friendly way for recycling metals and nonmetals from ground waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). For this process, the trajectory of conductive particle is significant and some models have been established. However, the results of previous researches are limited by some simplifying assumptions and lead to a notable discrepancy between the model prediction and the experimental results. In the present research, a roll-type corona-electrostatic separator and ground printed circuit board (PCB) wastes were used to investigate the trajectory of the conductive particle. Two factors, the air drag force and the different charging situation, were introduced into the improved model. Their effects were analyzed and an improved model for the theoretical trajectory of conductive particle was established. Compared with the previous one, the improved model shows a good agreement with the experimental results. It provides a positive guidance for designing of separator and makes a progress for recycling the metals and nonmetals from WEEE.

Affinity monolith-integrated poly(methyl methacrylate) microchips for on-line protein extraction and capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Sun, Xiuhua; Yang, Weichun; Pan, Tao; Woolley, Adam T

2008-07-01

Immunoaffinity monolith pretreatment columns have been coupled with capillary electrophoresis separation in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microchips. Microdevices were designed with eight reservoirs to enable the electrically controlled transport of selected analytes and solutions to carry out integrated immunoaffinity extraction and electrophoretic separation. The PMMA microdevices were fabricated reproducibly and with high fidelity by solvent imprinting and thermal bonding methods. Monoliths with epoxy groups for antibody immobilization were prepared by direct in situ photopolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in a porogenic solvent consisting of 70% 1-dodecanol and 30% cyclohexanol. Antifluorescein isothiocyanate was utilized as a model affinity group in the monoliths, and the immobilization process was optimized. A mean elution efficiency of 92% was achieved for the monolith-based extraction of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-tagged human serum albumin. FITC-tagged proteins were purified from a contaminant protein and then separated electrophoretically using these devices. The developed immunoaffinity column/capillary electrophoresis microdevices show great promise for combining sample pretreatment and separation in biomolecular analysis.

Affinity Monolith-Integrated Poly(methyl Methacrylate) Microchips for On-Line Protein Extraction and Capillary Electrophoresis

PubMed Central

Sun, Xiuhua; Yang, Weichun; Pan, Tao; Woolley, Adam T.

2008-01-01

Immunoaffinity monolith pretreatment columns have been coupled with capillary electrophoresis separation in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microchips. Microdevices were designed with 8 reservoirs to enable the electrically controlled transport of selected analytes and solutions to carry out integrated immunoaffinity extraction and electrophoretic separation. The PMMA microdevices were fabricated reproducibly and with high fidelity by solvent imprinting and thermal bonding methods. Monoliths with epoxy groups for antibody immobilization were prepared by direct in-situ photopolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate and ethylene dimethacrylate in a porogenic solvent consisting of 70% dodecanol and 30% hexanol. Anti-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was utilized as a model affinity group in the monoliths, and the immobilization process was optimized. A mean elution efficiency of 92% was achieved for the monolith-based extraction of FITC-tagged human serum albumin. FITC-tagged proteins were purified from a contaminant protein and then separated electrophoretically using these devices. The developed immunoaffinity column/capillary electrophoresis microdevices show great promise for combining sample pretreatment and separation in biomolecular analysis. PMID:18479142

Separation and reconstruction of high pressure water-jet reflective sound signal based on ICA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Hongtao; Sun, Yuling; Li, Meng; Zhang, Dongsu; Wu, Tianfeng

2011-12-01

The impact of high pressure water-jet on the different materials target will produce different reflective mixed sound. In order to reconstruct the reflective sound signals distribution on the linear detecting line accurately and to separate the environment noise effectively, the mixed sound signals acquired by linear mike array were processed by ICA. The basic principle of ICA and algorithm of FASTICA were described in detail. The emulation experiment was designed. The environment noise signal was simulated by using band-limited white noise and the reflective sound signal was simulated by using pulse signal. The reflective sound signal attenuation produced by the different distance transmission was simulated by weighting the sound signal with different contingencies. The mixed sound signals acquired by linear mike array were synthesized by using the above simulated signals and were whitened and separated by ICA. The final results verified that the environment noise separation and the reconstruction of the detecting-line sound distribution can be realized effectively.

Two-dimensional materials for novel liquid separation membranes.

PubMed

Ying, Yulong; Yang, Yefeng; Ying, Wen; Peng, Xinsheng

2016-08-19

Demand for a perfect molecular-level separation membrane with ultrafast permeation and a robust mechanical property for any kind of species to be blocked in water purification and desalination is urgent. In recent years, due to their intrinsic characteristics, such as a unique mono-atom thick structure, outstanding mechanical strength and excellent flexibility, as well as facile and large-scale production, graphene and its large family of two-dimensional (2D) materials are regarded as ideal membrane materials for ultrafast molecular separation. A perfect separation membrane should be as thin as possible to maximize its flux, mechanically robust and without failure even if under high loading pressure, and have a narrow nanochannel size distribution to guarantee its selectivity. The latest breakthrough in 2D material-based membranes will be reviewed both in theories and experiments, including their current state-of-the-art fabrication, structure design, simulation and applications. Special attention will be focused on the designs and strategies employed to control microstructures to enhance permeation and selectivity for liquid separation. In addition, critical views on the separation mechanism within two-dimensional material-based membranes will be provided based on a discussion of the effects of intrinsic defects during growth, predefined nanopores and nanochannels during subsequent fabrication processes, the interlayer spacing of stacking 2D material flakes and the surface charge or functional groups. Furthermore, we will summarize the significant progress of these 2D material-based membranes for liquid separation in nanofiltration/ultrafiltration and pervaporation. Lastly, we will recall issues requiring attention, and discuss existing questionable conclusions in some articles and emerging challenges. This review will serve as a valuable platform to provide a compact source of relevant and timely information about the development of 2D material-based membranes as well as fully explain up-to-date mechanisms and models of water transport and molecular separation behavior, which will arouse great interest among researchers entering or already working in the field of 2D material-based membranes.

Two-dimensional materials for novel liquid separation membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ying, Yulong; Yang, Yefeng; Ying, Wen; Peng, Xinsheng

2016-08-01

Demand for a perfect molecular-level separation membrane with ultrafast permeation and a robust mechanical property for any kind of species to be blocked in water purification and desalination is urgent. In recent years, due to their intrinsic characteristics, such as a unique mono-atom thick structure, outstanding mechanical strength and excellent flexibility, as well as facile and large-scale production, graphene and its large family of two-dimensional (2D) materials are regarded as ideal membrane materials for ultrafast molecular separation. A perfect separation membrane should be as thin as possible to maximize its flux, mechanically robust and without failure even if under high loading pressure, and have a narrow nanochannel size distribution to guarantee its selectivity. The latest breakthrough in 2D material-based membranes will be reviewed both in theories and experiments, including their current state-of-the-art fabrication, structure design, simulation and applications. Special attention will be focused on the designs and strategies employed to control microstructures to enhance permeation and selectivity for liquid separation. In addition, critical views on the separation mechanism within two-dimensional material-based membranes will be provided based on a discussion of the effects of intrinsic defects during growth, predefined nanopores and nanochannels during subsequent fabrication processes, the interlayer spacing of stacking 2D material flakes and the surface charge or functional groups. Furthermore, we will summarize the significant progress of these 2D material-based membranes for liquid separation in nanofiltration/ultrafiltration and pervaporation. Lastly, we will recall issues requiring attention, and discuss existing questionable conclusions in some articles and emerging challenges. This review will serve as a valuable platform to provide a compact source of relevant and timely information about the development of 2D material-based membranes as well as fully explain up-to-date mechanisms and models of water transport and molecular separation behavior, which will arouse great interest among researchers entering or already working in the field of 2D material-based membranes.

Separating stages of arithmetic verification: An ERP study with a novel paradigm.

PubMed

Avancini, Chiara; Soltész, Fruzsina; Szűcs, Dénes

2015-08-01

In studies of arithmetic verification, participants typically encounter two operands and they carry out an operation on these (e.g. adding them). Operands are followed by a proposed answer and participants decide whether this answer is correct or incorrect. However, interpretation of results is difficult because multiple parallel, temporally overlapping numerical and non-numerical processes of the human brain may contribute to task execution. In order to overcome this problem here we used a novel paradigm specifically designed to tease apart the overlapping cognitive processes active during arithmetic verification. Specifically, we aimed to separate effects related to detection of arithmetic correctness, detection of the violation of strategic expectations, detection of physical stimulus properties mismatch and numerical magnitude comparison (numerical distance effects). Arithmetic correctness, physical stimulus properties and magnitude information were not task-relevant properties of the stimuli. We distinguished between a series of temporally highly overlapping cognitive processes which in turn elicited overlapping ERP effects with distinct scalp topographies. We suggest that arithmetic verification relies on two major temporal phases which include parallel running processes. Our paradigm offers a new method for investigating specific arithmetic verification processes in detail. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design methodology for integrated downstream separation systems in an ethanol biorefinery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammadzadeh Rohani, Navid

Energy security and environmental concerns have been the main drivers for a historic shift to biofuel production in transportation fuel industry. Biofuels should not only offer environmental advantages over the petroleum fuels they replace but also should be economically sustainable and viable. The so-called second generation biofuels such as ethanol which is the most produced biofuel are mostly derived from lignocellulosic biomasses. These biofuels are more difficult to produce than the first generation ones mainly due to recalcitrance of the feedstocks in extracting their sugar contents. Costly pre-treatment and fractionation stages are required to break down lignocellulosic feedstocks into their constituent elements. On the other hand the mixture produced in fermentation step in a biorefinery contains very low amount of product which makes the subsequent separation step more difficult and more energy consuming. In an ethanol biorefinery, the dilute fermentation broth requires huge operating cost in downstream separation for recovery of the product in a conventional distillation technique. Moreover, the non-ideal nature of ethanol-water mixture which forms an iseotrope at almost 95 wt%, hinders the attainment of the fuel grade ethanol (99.5 wt%). Therefore, an additional dehydration stage is necessary to purify the ethanol from its azeotropic composition to fuel-grade purity. In order to overcome the constraint pertaining to vapor-liquid equilibrium of ethanol-water separation, several techniques have been investigated and proposed in the industry. These techniques such as membrane-based technologies, extraction and etc. have not only sought to produce a pure fuel-grade ethanol but have also aimed at decreasing the energy consumption of this energy-intensive separation. Decreasing the energy consumption of an ethanol biorefinery is of paramount importance in improving its overall economics and in facilitating the way to displacing petroleum transportation fuel and obtaining energy security. On the other hand, Process Integration (PI) as defined by Natural Resource Canada as the combination of activities which aim at improving process systems, their unit operations and their interactions in order to maximize the efficiency of using water, energy and raw materials can also help biorefineries lower their energy consumptions and improve their economics. Energy integration techniques such as pinch analysis adopted by different industries over the years have ensured using heat sources within a plant to supply the demand internally and decrease the external utility consumption. Therefore, adopting energy integration can be one of the ways biorefinery technology owners can consider in their process development as well as their business model in order to improve their overall economics. The objective of this thesis is to propose a methodology for designing integrated downstream separation in a biorefinery. This methodology is tested in an ethanol biorefinery case study. Several alternative separation techniques are evaluated in their energy consumption and economics in three different scenarios; stand-alone without energy integration, stand-alone with internal energy integration and integrated-with Kraft. The energy consumptions and capital costs of separation techniques are assessed in each scenario and the cost and benefit of integration are determined and finally the best alternative is found through techno-economic metrics. Another advantage of this methodology is the use of a graphical tool which provides insights on decreasing energy consumption by modifying the process condition. The pivot point of this work is the use of a novel energy integration method called Bridge analysis. This systematic method which originally is intended for retrofit situation is used here for integration with Kraft process. Integration potentials are identified through this method and savings are presented for each design. In stand-alone with internal integration scenario, the conventional pinch method is used for energy analysis. The results reveal the importance of energy integration in reducing energy consumption. They also show that in an ethanol biorefinery, by adopting energy integration in the conventional distillation separation, we can achieve greater energy saving compared to other alternative techniques. This in turn suggests that new alternative technologies which imply big risks for the company might not be an option for reducing the energy consumption as long as an internal and external integration is incorporated in the business model of an ethanol biorefinery. It is also noteworthy that the methodology developed in this work can be extended as a future work to include a whole biorefinery system. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Novel Cleanup Agents Designed Exclusively for Oil Field Membrane Filtration Systems Low Cost Field Demonstrations of Cleanup Agents in Controlled Experimental Environments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

David Burnett; Harold Vance

2007-08-31

The goal of our project is to develop innovative processes and novel cleaning agents for water treatment facilities designed to remove fouling materials and restore micro-filter and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane performance. This project is part of Texas A&M University's comprehensive study of the treatment and reuse of oilfield brine for beneficial purposes. Before waste water can be used for any beneficial purpose, it must be processed to remove contaminants, including oily wastes such as residual petroleum hydrocarbons. An effective way of removing petroleum from brines is the use of membrane filters to separate oily waste from the brine. Texasmore » A&M and its partners have developed highly efficient membrane treatment and RO desalination for waste water including oil field produced water. We have also developed novel and new cleaning agents for membrane filters utilizing environmentally friendly materials so that the water from the treatment process will meet U.S. EPA drinking water standards. Prototype micellar cleaning agents perform better and use less clean water than alternate systems. While not yet optimized, the new system restores essentially complete membrane flux and separation efficiency after cleaning. Significantly the amount of desalinated water that is required to clean the membranes is reduced by more than 75%.« less

Design of components for growing higher plants in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

The overall goal of this project is to design unique systems and components for growing higher plants in microgravity during long-term space missions (Mars and beyond). Specific design tasks were chosen to contribute to and supplement NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) project. Selected tasks were automated seeding of plants, plant health sensing, and food processing. Prototype systems for planting both germinated and nongerminated seeds were fabricated and tested. Water and air pressure differences and electrostatic fields were used to trap seeds for separation and transport for planting. An absorption spectrometer was developed to measure chlorophyll levels in plants as an early warning of plant health problems. In the area of food processing, a milling system was created using high-speed rotating blades which were aerodynamically configured to produce circulation and retractable to prevent leakage. The project produced significant results having substantial benefit to NASA. It also provided an outstanding learning experience for the students involved.

Design documentation: Krypton encapsulation preconceptual design

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Knecht, D.A.

1994-10-01

US EPA regulations limit the release of Krypton-85 to the environment from commercial facilities after January 1, 1983. In order to comply with these regulations, Krypton-85, which would be released during reprocessing of commercial nuclear fuel, must be collected and stored. Technology currently exists for separation of krypton from other inert gases, and for its storage as a compressed gas in steel cylinders. The requirements, which would be imposed for 100-year storage of Krypton-85, have led to development of processes for encapsulation of krypton within a stable solid matrix. The objective of this effort was to provide preconceptual engineering designs,more » technical evaluations, and life cycle costing data for comparison of two alternate candidate processes for encapsulation of Krypton-85. This report has been prepared by The Ralph M. Parsons Company for the US Department of Energy.« less

Development of expanded extrusion food products for an Advanced Life Support system.

PubMed

Zasypkin, D V; Lee, T C

1999-01-01

Extrusion processing was proposed to provide texture and to expand the variety of cereal food products in an isolated Advanced Life Support (ALS) system. Rice, wheat, and soy are the baseline crops selected for growing during long-term manned space missions. A Brabender single-screw laboratory extruder (model 2003, L/D 20:1), equipped with round nozzles of various lengths, was used as a prototype of a small-size extruder. Several concepts were tested to extend the variety and improve the quality of the products, to decrease environmental loads, and to promote processing stability. These concepts include: the blending of wheat and soybean flour, the extrusion of a coarser rice flour, separation of wheat bran, and optimization of the extruder nozzle design. An optimal nozzle length has been established for the extrusion of rice flour. Bran separating was necessary to improve the quality of wheat extrudates.

Mathematical Models of Continuous Flow Electrophoresis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saville, D. A.; Snyder, R. S.

1985-01-01

Development of high resolution continuous flow electrophoresis devices ultimately requires comprehensive understanding of the ways various phenomena and processes facilitate or hinder separation. A comprehensive model of the actual three dimensional flow, temperature and electric fields was developed to provide guidance in the design of electrophoresis chambers for specific tasks and means of interpreting test data on a given chamber. Part of the process of model development includes experimental and theoretical studies of hydrodynamic stability. This is necessary to understand the origin of mixing flows observed with wide gap gravitational effects. To insure that the model accurately reflects the flow field and particle motion requires extensive experimental work. Another part of the investigation is concerned with the behavior of concentrated sample suspensions with regard to sample stream stability particle-particle interactions which might affect separation in an electric field, especially at high field strengths. Mathematical models will be developed and tested to establish the roles of the various interactions.

Accelerated sintering in phase-separating nanostructured alloys

PubMed Central

Park, Mansoo; Schuh, Christopher A.

2015-01-01

Sintering of powders is a common means of producing bulk materials when melt casting is impossible or does not achieve a desired microstructure, and has long been pursued for nanocrystalline materials in particular. Acceleration of sintering is desirable to lower processing temperatures and times, and thus to limit undesirable microstructure evolution. Here we show that markedly enhanced sintering is possible in some nanocrystalline alloys. In a nanostructured W–Cr alloy, sintering sets on at a very low temperature that is commensurate with phase separation to form a Cr-rich phase with a nanoscale arrangement that supports rapid diffusional transport. The method permits bulk full density specimens with nanoscale grains, produced during a sintering cycle involving no applied stress. We further show that such accelerated sintering can be evoked by design in other nanocrystalline alloys, opening the door to a variety of nanostructured bulk materials processed in arbitrary shapes from powder inputs. PMID:25901420

Flotation separation of polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene terephthalate plastics combined with surface modification for recycling.

PubMed

Wang, Chongqing; Wang, Hui; Fu, Jiangang; Zhang, Lingling; Luo, Chengcheng; Liu, Younian

2015-11-01

Surface modification with potassium permanganate (KMnO4) solution was developed for separation of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste plastics. The floatability of PVC decreases with increasing of KMnO4 concentration, treatment time, temperature and stirring rate, while that of PET is unaffected. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis confirms that mechanism of surface modification may be due to oxidization reactions occurred on PVC surface. The optimum conditions are KMnO4 concentration 1.25 mM/L, treatment time 50 min, temperature 60°C, stirring rate 300 r/min, frother concentration 17.5 g/L and flotation time 1 min. PVC and PET with different particle sizes were separated efficiently through two-stage flotation. Additionally, after ultrasonic assisted surface modification, separation of PVC and PET with different mass ratios was obtained efficiently through one-stage flotation. The purity and the recovery of the obtained products after flotation separation are up to 99.30% and 99.73%, respectively. A flotation process was designed for flotation separation of PVC and PET plastics combined with surface modification. This study provides technical insights into physical separation of plastic wastes for recycling industry. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design, Assembly, Integration, and Testing of a Power Processing Unit for a Cylindrical Hall Thruster, the NORSAT-2 Flatsat, and the Vector Gravimeter for Asteroids Instrument Computer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svatos, Adam Ladislav

This thesis describes the author's contributions to three separate projects. The bus of the NORSAT-2 satellite was developed by the Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) for the Norwegian Space Centre (NSC) and Space Norway. The author's contributions to the mission were performing unit tests for the components of all the spacecraft subsystems as well as designing and assembling the flatsat from flight spares. Gedex's Vector Gravimeter for Asteroids (VEGA) is an accelerometer for spacecraft. The author's contributions to this payload were modifying the instrument computer board schematic, designing the printed circuit board, developing and applying test software, and performing thermal acceptance testing of two instrument computer boards. The SFL's cylindrical Hall effect thruster combines the cylindrical configuration for a Hall thruster and uses permanent magnets to achieve miniaturization and low power consumption, respectively. The author's contributions were to design, build, and test an engineering model power processing unit.

Open Source Radiation Hardened by Design Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shuler, Robert

2016-01-01

The proposed technology allows use of the latest microcircuit technology with lowest power and fastest speed, with minimal delay and engineering costs, through new Radiation Hardened by Design (RHBD) techniques that do not require extensive process characterization, technique evaluation and re-design at each Moore's Law generation. The separation of critical node groups is explicitly parameterized so it can be increased as microcircuit technologies shrink. The technology will be open access to radiation tolerant circuit vendors. INNOVATION: This technology would enhance computation intensive applications such as autonomy, robotics, advanced sensor and tracking processes, as well as low power applications such as wireless sensor networks. OUTCOME / RESULTS: 1) Simulation analysis indicates feasibility. 2)Compact voting latch 65 nanometer test chip designed and submitted for fabrication -7/2016. INFUSION FOR SPACE / EARTH: This technology may be used in any digital integrated circuit in which a high level of resistance to Single Event Upsets is desired, and has the greatest benefit outside low earth orbit where cosmic rays are numerous.

A new two-roll electrostatic separator for recycling of metals and nonmetals from waste printed circuit board.

PubMed

Jiang, Wu; Jia, Li; Zhen-Ming, Xu

2009-01-15

The electrostatic separation is an effective method for recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The efficiency of electrostatic separation processes depends on the ability of the separator. As a classical one, the roll-type corona-electrostatic separator has some advantages in recycling metals and plastics from waste printed circuit board (PCB). However, its industry application still faces some problems, such as: the further disposal of the middling products of the separation process; the balance of the production capacity and the good separation efficiency; the separation of the fine granular mixture and the stability of the separation process. A new "two-roll-type corona-electrostatic separator" was built to overcome the limitation of the classical one. The experimental data were discussed and the results showed that the outcome of the separation process was improved by using the new separator. Compared with the classical machine, the mass of conductive products increases 8.9% (groups 2 and 3) and10.2% (group 4) while the mass of the middling products decreases 45% (groups 2 and 3) and 31.7% (group 4), respectively. The production capacity of the new machine increases, and the stability of the separation process is enhanced.

Separation process using microchannel technology

DOEpatents

Tonkovich, Anna Lee [Dublin, OH; Perry, Steven T [Galloway, OH; Arora, Ravi [Dublin, OH; Qiu, Dongming [Bothell, WA; Lamont, Michael Jay [Hilliard, OH; Burwell, Deanna [Cleveland Heights, OH; Dritz, Terence Andrew [Worthington, OH; McDaniel, Jeffrey S [Columbus, OH; Rogers, Jr; William, A [Marysville, OH; Silva, Laura J [Dublin, OH; Weidert, Daniel J [Lewis Center, OH; Simmons, Wayne W [Dublin, OH; Chadwell, G Bradley [Reynoldsburg, OH

2009-03-24

The disclosed invention relates to a process and apparatus for separating a first fluid from a fluid mixture comprising the first fluid. The process comprises: (A) flowing the fluid mixture into a microchannel separator in contact with a sorption medium, the fluid mixture being maintained in the microchannel separator until at least part of the first fluid is sorbed by the sorption medium, removing non-sorbed parts of the fluid mixture from the microchannel separator; and (B) desorbing first fluid from the sorption medium and removing desorbed first fluid from the microchannel separator. The process and apparatus are suitable for separating nitrogen or methane from a fluid mixture comprising nitrogen and methane. The process and apparatus may be used for rejecting nitrogen in the upgrading of sub-quality methane.

A Charge Separation Study to Enable the Design of a Complete Muon Cooling Channel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yoshikawa, C.; Ankenbrandt, Charles M.; Johnson, Rolland P.

2013-12-01

The most promising designs for 6D muon cooling channels operate on a specific sign of electric charge. In particular, the Helical Cooling Channel (HCC) and Rectilinear RFOFO designs are the leading candidates to become the baseline 6D cooling channel in the Muon Accelerator Program (MAP). Time constraints prevented the design of a realistic charge separator, so a simplified study was performed to emulate the effects of charge separation on muons exiting the front end of a muon collider. The output of the study provides particle distributions that the competing designs will use as input into their cooling channels. We reportmore » here on the study of the charge separator that created the simulated particles.« less

Finite Element Simulation of Solid Rocket Booster Separation Motors During Motor Firing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yu. Weiping; Crane, Debora J.

2007-01-01

One of the toughest challenges facing Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) engineers is to ensure that any design changes made to the Shuttle-Derived Booster Separation Motors (BSM) for future space exploration vehicles is able to withstand the increasingly hostile motor firing environment without cracking its critical component - the graphite throat. This paper presents a critical analysis methodology and techniques for assessing effects of BSM design changes with great accuracy and precision. For current Space Shuttle operation, the motor firing occurs at SRB separation - approximately 125 seconds after Shuttle launch at an altitude of about 28 miles. The motor operation event lasts about two seconds, however, the surface temperature of the graphite throat increases approximately 3400 F in less than one second with a corresponding increase in surface pressure of approximately 2200 pounds per square inch (psi) in less than one-tenth of a second. To capture this process fully and accurately, a two-phase sequentially coupled thermal-mechanical finite element approach was developed. This method allows the time- and location-dependent pressure fields to interact with the spatial-temporal thermal fields throughout the operation. The material properties of graphite throat are orthotropic and temperature-dependent. The analysis involves preload and multiple body contacts.

Glycerol extracting dealcoholization for the biodiesel separation process.

PubMed

Ye, Jianchu; Sha, Yong; Zhang, Yun; Yuan, Yunlong; Wu, Housheng

2011-04-01

By means of utilizing sunflower oil and Jatropha oil as raw oil respectively, the biodiesel transesterification production and the multi-stage extracting separation were carried out experimentally. Results indicate that dealcoholized crude glycerol can be utilized as the extracting agent to achieve effective separation of methanol from the methyl ester phase, and the glycerol content in the dealcoholized methyl esters is as low as 0.02 wt.%. For the biodiesel separation process utilizing glycerol extracting dealcoholization, its technical and equipment information were acquired through the rigorous process simulation in contrast to the traditional biodiesel distillation separation process, and results show that its energy consumption decrease about 35% in contrast to that of the distillation separation process. The glycerol extracting dealcoholization has sufficient feasibility and superiority for the biodiesel separation process. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Why are some dimensions integral? Testing two hypotheses through causal learning experiments.

PubMed

Soto, Fabián A; Quintana, Gonzalo R; Pérez-Acosta, Andrés M; Ponce, Fernando P; Vogel, Edgar H

2015-10-01

Compound generalization and dimensional generalization are traditionally studied independently by different groups of researchers, who have proposed separate theories to explain results from each area. A recent extension of Shepard's rational theory of dimensional generalization allows an explanation of data from both areas within a single framework. However, the conceptualization of dimensional integrality in this theory (the direction hypothesis) is different from that favored by Shepard in his original theory (the correlation hypothesis). Here, we report two experiments that test differential predictions of these two notions of integrality. Each experiment takes a design from compound generalization and translates it into a design for dimensional generalization by replacing discrete stimulus components with dimensional values. Experiment 1 showed that an effect analogous to summation is found in dimensional generalization with separable dimensions, but the opposite effect is found with integral dimensions. Experiment 2 showed that the analogue of a biconditional discrimination is solved faster when stimuli vary in integral dimensions than when stimuli vary in separable dimensions. These results, which are analogous to more "non-linear" processing with integral than with separable dimensions, were predicted by the direction hypothesis, but not by the correlation hypothesis. This confirms the assumptions of the unified rational theory of stimulus generalization and reveals interesting links between compound and dimensional generalization phenomena. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Debris control design achievements of the booster separation motors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, G. W.; Chase, C. A.

1985-01-01

The stringent debris control requirements imposed on the design of the Space Shuttle booster separation motor are described along with the verification program implemented to ensure compliance with debris control objectives. The principal areas emphasized in the design and development of the Booster Separation Motor (BSM) relative to debris control were the propellant formulation and nozzle closures which protect the motors from aerodynamic heating and moisture. A description of the motor design requirements, the propellant formulation and verification program, and the nozzle closures design and verification are presented.

Low speed test of a high-bypass-ratio propulsion system with an asymmetric inlet designed for a tilt-nacelle V/STOL airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Syberg, J.

1978-01-01

A large scale model of a lift/cruise fan inlet designed for a tilt nacelle V/STOL airplane was tested with a high bypass ratio turbofan. Testing was conducted at low freestream velocities with inlet angles of attack ranging from 0 deg to 120 deg. The operating limits for the nacelle were found to be related to inlet boundary layer separation. Small separations originating in the inlet diffuser cause little or no performance degradation. However, at sufficiently severe freestream conditions the separation changes abruptly to a lip separation. This change is associated with a significant reduction in nacelle net thrust as well as a sharp increase in fan blade vibratory stresses. Consequently, the onset of lip separation is regarded as the nacelle operating limit. The test verified that the asymmetric inlet design will provide high performance and stable operation at the design forward speed and angle of attack conditions. At some of these, however, operation near the lower end of the design inlet airflow range is not feasible due to the occurrence of lip separation.

Design of a dynamic test platform for autonomous robot vision systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rich, G. C.

1980-01-01

The concept and design of a dynamic test platform for development and evluation of a robot vision system is discussed. The platform is to serve as a diagnostic and developmental tool for future work with the RPI Mars Rover's multi laser/multi detector vision system. The platform allows testing of the vision system while its attitude is varied, statically or periodically. The vision system is mounted on the test platform. It can then be subjected to a wide variety of simulated can thus be examined in a controlled, quantitative fashion. Defining and modeling Rover motions and designing the platform to emulate these motions are also discussed. Individual aspects of the design process are treated separately, as structural, driving linkages, and motors and transmissions.

Waste processing building with incineration technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wasilah, Wasilah; Zaldi Suradin, Muh.

2017-12-01

In Indonesia, waste problem is one of major problem of the society in the city as part of their life dynamics. Based on Regional Medium Term Development Plan of South Sulawesi Province in 2013-2018, total volume and waste production from Makassar City, Maros, Gowa, and Takalar Regency estimates the garbage dump level 9,076.949 m3/person/day. Additionally, aim of this design is to present a recommendation on waste processing facility design that would accommodate waste processing process activity by incineration technology and supported by supporting activity such as place of education and research on waste, and the administration activity on waste processing facility. Implementation of incineration technology would reduce waste volume up to 90% followed by relative negative impact possibility. The result planning is in form of landscape layout that inspired from the observation analysis of satellite image line pattern of planning site and then created as a building site pattern. Consideration of building orientation conducted by wind analysis process and sun path by auto desk project Vasari software. The footprint designed by separate circulation system between waste management facility interest and the social visiting activity in order to minimize the croos and thus bring convenient to the building user. Building mass designed by inseparable connection series system, from the main building that located in the Northward, then connected to a centre visitor area lengthways, and walked to the waste processing area into the residue area in the Southward area.

Hollow Fiber Flight Prototype Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporator Design and Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bue, Grant; Vogel, Matt; Makinen, Janice; Tsioulos, Gus

2010-01-01

The spacesuit water membrane evaporator (SWME) is being developed to perform thermal control for advanced spacesuits and to take advantage of recent advances in micropore membrane technology. This results in a robust heat-rejection device that is potentially less sensitive to contamination than is the sublimator. The Membrana Celgard X50-215 microporous hollow-fiber (HoFi) membrane was selected after recent extensive testing as the most suitable candidate among commercial alternatives for continued SWME prototype development. The current design was based on a previous design that grouped the fiber layers into stacks, which were separated by small spaces and packaged into a cylindrical shape. This was developed into a full-scale prototype consisting of 14,300 tube bundled into 30 stacks, each of which is formed into a chevron shape and separated by spacers and organized into three sectors of 10 nested stacks. The new design replaced metal components with plastic ones, and has a custom built flight like backpressure valve mounted on the side of the SWME housing to reduce backpressure when fully open. The spacers that provided separation of the chevron fiber stacks were eliminated. Vacuum chamber testing showed improved heat rejection as a function of inlet water temperature and water vapor backpressure compared with the previous design. Other tests pushed the limits of tolerance to freezing and showed suitability to reject heat in a Mars pressure environment with and without a sweep gas. Tolerance to contamination by constituents expected to be found in potable water produced by distillation processes was tested in a conventional way by allowing constituents to accumulate in the coolant as evaporation occurs. For this purpose, the SWME cartridge has endured an equivalent of 30 EVAs exposure and demonstrated minimal performance decline.

Gasification of land-based biomass. Final report July 78-December 82

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chynoweth, D.P.; Jerger, D.E.; Conrad, J.R.

1983-06-01

The objective of this research was to develop efficient processes for conversion of land-based biomass to methane and other resources. One task was to determine the relative suitability of selected species or feedstocks for biological and thermal gasification processes. The second task was to narrow options for design and operation of the experimental test unit (ETU) on water hyacinth and sludge at Walt Disney World (WDW) and to provide a scientific base for understanding rate- and yield-limiting reactions for biogasification of these feedstocks, (separately and as blends).

[OR management - Checklists for OR-design for OR-managers - results of a workshop].

PubMed

Bock, Matthias; Steinmeyer-Bauer, Klaus; Schüpfer, Guido

2014-10-01

The construction of an operating room (OR) suite represents an important intermediate- and long term investment. The planning process starts with the quantitative estimation of the procedures to be carried out which defines the operative capacity for the life time of the facility. This permits the calculation of the number of ORs and the definition of the resources for the recovery room, the intermediate care and intensive care unit.The projectors should integrate the new facility into workflow, workload and logistics of the entire hospital. The simulation flow of patients and accompanying persons and of the routes of the personnel is helpful for this purpose. Separating structures for outpatients from those for inpatients and avoiding de-centralized rooms helps designing an efficient and safe OR suite.The design of the single ORs should be flexible to permit changes or technical innovations during their use period. Mobile equipment is preferable to permanently installed devices. We consider an expanse of at least 45 m(2) for any location adequate for general ORs. The space requirements are elevated for hybrid ORs and rooms dedicated for robotic surgery.The design of the suite should separate the flow of personnel, patients and logistics. Surgical instruments and their logistics should be standardized. Dedicated locations for a simultaneous preparation of the instrumentation tables permit parallel processing. Thus an adequate capacity of preparation rooms and storage rooms is necessary. Dressing rooms, rest rooms, showers and lounges are important for the working conditions and should be planned in an adequate size and number. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York.

Scalable Multifunctional Ultra-thin Graphite Sponge: Free-standing, Superporous, Superhydrophobic, Oleophilic Architecture with Ferromagnetic Properties for Environmental Cleaning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bay, Hamed Hosseini; Patino, Daisy; Mutlu, Zafer; Romero, Paige; Ozkan, Mihrimah; Ozkan, Cengiz S.

2016-02-01

Water decontamination and oil/water separation are principal motives in the surge to develop novel means for sustainability. In this prospect, supplying clean water for the ecosystems is as important as the recovery of the oil spills since the supplies are scarce. Inspired to design an engineering material which not only serves this purpose, but can also be altered for other applications to preserve natural resources, a facile template-free process is suggested to fabricate a superporous, superhydrophobic ultra-thin graphite sponge. Moreover, the process is designed to be inexpensive and scalable. The fabricated sponge can be used to clean up different types of oil, organic solvents, toxic and corrosive contaminants. This versatile microstructure can retain its functionality even when pulverized. The sponge is applicable for targeted sorption and collection due to its ferromagnetic properties. We hope that such a cost-effective process can be embraced and implemented widely.

Design of a linear projector for use with the normal modes of the GLAS 4th order GCM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloom, S. C.

1984-01-01

The design of a linear projector for use with the normal modes of a model of atmospheric circulation is discussed. A central element in any normal mode initialization scheme is the process by which a set of data fields - winds, temperatures or geopotentials, and surface pressures - are expressed ("projected') in terms of the coefficients of a model's normal modes. This process is completely analogous to the Fourier decomposition of a single field (indeed a FFT applied in the zonal direction is a part of the process). Complete separability in all three spatial dimensions is assumed. The basis functions for the modal expansion are given. An important feature of the normal modes is their coupling of the structures of different fields, thus a coefficient in a normal mode expansion would contain both mass and momentum information.

Design and simulation of MEMS-actuated adjustable optical wedge for laser beam scanners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahgat, Ahmed S.; Zaki, Ahmed H.; Abdo Mohamed, Mohamed; El Sherif, Ashraf Fathy

2018-01-01

This paper introduces both optical and mechanical design and simulation of large static deflection MOEMS actuator. The designed device is in the form of an adjustable optical wedge (AOW) laser scanner. The AOW is formed of 1.5-mm-diameter plano-convex lens separated by air gap from plano-concave fixed lens. The convex lens is actuated by staggered vertical comb drive and suspended by rectangular cross-section torsion beam. An optical analysis and simulation of air separated AOW as well as detailed design, analysis, and static simulation of comb -drive are introduced. The dynamic step response of the full system is also introduced. The analytical solution showed a good agreement with the simulation results. A general global minimum optimization algorithm is applied to the comb-drive design to minimize driving voltage. A maximum comb-drive mechanical deflection angle of 12 deg in each direction was obtained under DC actuation voltage of 32 V with a settling time of 90 ms, leading to 1-mm one-dimensional (1-D) steering of laser beam with continuous optical scan angle of 5 deg in each direction. This optimization process provided a design of larger deflection actuator with smaller driving voltage compared with other conventional devices. This enhancement could lead to better performance of MOEMS-based laser beam scanners for imaging and low-speed applications.

Adsorptive Separation of Methanol-Acetone on Isostructural Series of Metal-Organic Frameworks M-BTC (M = Ti, Fe, Cu, Co, Ru, Mo): A Computational Study of Adsorption Mechanisms and Metal-Substitution Impacts.

PubMed

Wu, Ying; Chen, Huiyong; Xiao, Jing; Liu, Defei; Liu, Zewei; Qian, Yu; Xi, Hongxia

2015-12-09

The adsorptive separation properties of M-BTC isostructural series (M = Ti, Fe, Cu, Co, Ru, Mo) for methanol-acetone mixtures were investigated by using various computational procedures of grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations (GCMC), density functional theory (DFT), and ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST), following with comprehensive understanding of adsorbate-metal interactions on the adsorptive separation behaviors. The obtained results showed that the single component adsorptions were driven by adsorbate-framework interactions at low pressures and by framework structures at high pressures, among which the mass effects, electrostatics, and geometric accessibility of the metal sites also played roles. In the case of methanol-acetone separation, the selectivity of methanol on M-BTCs decreased with rising pressures due to the pressure-dependent separation mechanisms: the cooperative effects between methanol and acetone hindered the separation at low pressures, whereas the competitive effects of acetone further resulted in the lower selectivity at high pressures. Among these M-BTCs, Ti and Fe analogues exhibited the highest thermodynamic methanol/acetone selectivity, making them promising for adsorptive methanol/acetone separation processes. The investigation provides mechanistic insights on how the nature of metal centers affects the adsorption properties of MOFs, and will further promote the rational design of new MOF materials for effective gas mixture separation.

An Altair Overview: Designing a Lunar Lander for 21st Century Human Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Kendall K.; Connolly, John F.

2012-01-01

Altair, the lunar lander element of NASA's Constellation program, was conducted in a different design environment than many other NASA projects of similar scope. Because of this relatively unique approach, there are a number of significant success stories that should be considered during the development of any future lunar landers or human spacecraft. This paper is divided into two separate themes; the first is the approach used during the conceptual design studies, including the systematic analysis cycles and the decision making process associated with each: and the second is a summary of the resulting lessons learned that were compiled after looking back at the lifetime of the Project. Altair was terminated before entering Phase B of its design, and was often criticized for being a very heavy and very large vehicle. While there was specific rationale for all of the decisions that led up to that configuration, future design cycles were specifically planned to re-address the mass challenge. Had the project continued, the deliberate, stepwise design process would have converged on an optimized lander design that balanced mass, risk, cost and capabilities. Some of the specific items that will be addressed in this paper include project development strategy, organizational approach and team dynamics, risk-informed design process, mission architecture constraints, mission key driving requirements, model-based systems engineering process, configuration studies, contingency considerations, subsystem overviews and key trade studies. The paper will conclude with a summary of the lessons identified during the Altair project and make suggestions for application to future studies.

76 FR 16240 - Mandatory Reliability Standards for Interconnection Reliability Operating Limits

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-23

... Standards. The Reliability Standards were designed to prevent instability, uncontrolled separation, or... designed to prevent instability, uncontrolled separation, or cascading outages that adversely impact the... instability, uncontrolled separation, or cascading outages. See NERC Glossary, available at http://www.nerc...

1986 fuel cell seminar: Program and abstracts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

1986-10-01

Ninety nine brief papers are arranged under the following session headings: gas industry's 40 kw program, solid oxide fuel cell technology, phosphoric acid fuel cell technology, molten carbonate fuel cell technology, phosphoric acid fuel cell systems, power plants technology, fuel cell power plant designs, unconventional fuels, fuel cell application and economic assessments, and plans for commerical development. The papers are processed separately for the data base. (DLC)

Processing of Mixed Oxide Superconductors

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-07-01

rapid changes world wide a major research centre on high Tc superconductors was awarded to Cambridge which involved moving the work and people to a...reports and paper is in the appendices. Separation Ceramic superconductors tend to be mixtures of phases, especially when first discovered. It would...properties of the superconducting state will in principle allow superconducting material to be levitated from the non superconductor and several designs

History of the Balkans: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. Volume 1. The Joint Committee on Eastern Europe Publications Series. No. 12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jelavich, Barbara

Designed as an introductory history, this book covers developments in the Balkan Peninsula from the 17th through the 19th centuries. Emphasis is placed on the process by which separate nationalities broke away from imperial rule, established independent states, and embarked on economic and social modernization. To establish perspective on the role…

Applying quality by design (QbD) concept for fabrication of chitosan coated nanoliposomes.

PubMed

Pandey, Abhijeet P; Karande, Kiran P; Sonawane, Raju O; Deshmukh, Prashant K

2014-03-01

In the present investigation, a quality by design (QbD) strategy was successfully applied to the fabrication of chitosan-coated nanoliposomes (CH-NLPs) encapsulating a hydrophilic drug. The effects of the processing variables on the particle size, encapsulation efficiency (%EE) and coating efficiency (%CE) of CH-NLPs (prepared using a modified ethanol injection method) were investigated. The concentrations of lipid, cholesterol, drug and chitosan; stirring speed, sonication time; organic:aqueous phase ratio; and temperature were identified as the key factors after risk analysis for conducting a screening design study. A separate study was designed to investigate the robustness of the predicted design space. The particle size, %EE and %CE of the optimized CH-NLPs were 111.3 nm, 33.4% and 35.2%, respectively. The observed responses were in accordance with the predicted response, which confirms the suitability and robustness of the design space for CH-NLP formulation. In conclusion, optimization of the selected key variables will help minimize the problems related to size, %EE and %CE that are generally encountered when scaling up processes for NLP formulations. The robustness of the design space will help minimize both intra-batch and inter-batch variations, which are quite common in the pharmaceutical industry.