Enhanced oil recovery utilizing high-angle wells in the Frontier Formation, Badger Basin Field, Park County, Wyoming. Final technical progress report, October 21, 1992--December 31, 1994

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

Walker, J.P.; Fortmann, R.G.

1995-03-21

Badger Basin Field was discovered in 1931. Production is principally from low-permeability fractured sandstones of the Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation. Though many wells initially produced at about 100 barrels of oil per day or more, they now produce at stripper rates. Only about 12% of the estimated 25 million barrels of oil originally in-place will be produced from the twenty-two attempted vertical completions. The goal of this joint project between Sierra Energy Company (Sierra) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) was to recover addition reserves at economic rates through the use of 3D seismic and horizontal drilling and completingmore » techniques.« less

Kl-impregnated Oyster Shells as a Solid Catalyst for Soybean Oil Transesterificaton

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Research on inexpensive and green catalysts is needed for economical production of biodiesel. The goal of the research was to test KI-impregnated oyster shell as a solid catalyst for transesterification of soybean oil. Specific objectives were to characterize KI-impregnated oyster shell, determine t...

Nutrition Frontiers - Spring 2016 | Division of Cancer Prevention

Cancer.gov

Volume 7, Issue 2 The spring issue of Nutrition Frontiers showcases green tea's effect on human metabolism, fish oil — as a chemopreventive agent in myeloid leukemia and, with pectin, how they affect microRNA expression in the colon. Learn about our spotlight investigator, Dr. Richard Eckert, and his research on skin cancer prevention, upcoming announcements and more. |

Pemex to acquire interest in Shell Texas refinery

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

Not Available

1992-08-31

This paper reports that Petroleos Mexicanos and Shell Oil Co. have signed a memorandum of understanding to form a joint refining venture involving Shell's 225,000 b/d Deer Park, Tex., refinery. Under the agreement, Mexico's state owned oil company is to purchase a 50% interest in the refinery, and Shell is to sell Pemex unleaded gasoline on a long term basis. Under the venture, Shell and Pemex plan to add undisclosed conversion and upgrading units tailored to process heavy Mexican crude. The revamp will allow Pemex to place more than 100,000 b/d of Mayan heavy crude on the U.S. market. Mayanmore » accounts for 70% of Mexico's crude oil exports. In turn, Shell will sell Pemex as much as 45,000 b/d of unleaded gasoline to help meet Mexico's rapidly growing demand.« less

Publications - GMC 7 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

the source rock of Standard Oil Company of California North Fork Unit #41-35 Authors: Valentine, Grant , and Shell Oil Company Publication Date: 1976 Publisher: Alaska Division of Geological & for more information. Bibliographic Reference Valentine, Grant, and Shell Oil Company, 1976, Vitrinite

Research advances in polymer emulsion based on "core-shell" structure particle design.

PubMed

Ma, Jian-zhong; Liu, Yi-hong; Bao, Yan; Liu, Jun-li; Zhang, Jing

2013-09-01

In recent years, quite many studies on polymer emulsions with unique core-shell structure have emerged at the frontier between material chemistry and many other fields because of their singular morphology, properties and wide range of potential applications. Organic substance as a coating material onto either inorganic or organic internal core materials promises an unparalleled opportunity for enhancement of final functions through rational designs. This contribution provides a brief overview of recent progress in the synthesis, characterization, and applications of both inorganic-organic and organic-organic polymer emulsions with core-shell structure. In addition, future research trends in polymer composites with core-shell structure are also discussed in this review. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Publications - GMC 47 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

, Alaska Peninsula, Alaska Authors: Shell Oil Company Publication Date: 1982 Publisher: Alaska Division of publication sales page for more information. Bibliographic Reference Shell Oil Company, 1982

Publications - GMC 8 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

Tenneco Middleton Island #1 well Authors: Marshall, Thomas, and Shell Oil Company Publication Date: 1974 Marshall, Thomas, and Shell Oil Company, 1974, Pyrolysis fluorescence and vitrinite reflectance analyses of

Working and Net Available Shell Storage Capacity

EIA Publications

2017-01-01

Working and Net Available Shell Storage Capacity is the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) report containing storage capacity data for crude oil, petroleum products, and selected biofuels. The report includes tables detailing working and net available shell storage capacity by type of facility, product, and Petroleum Administration for Defense District (PAD District). Net available shell storage capacity is broken down further to show the percent for exclusive use by facility operators and the percent leased to others. Crude oil storage capacity data are also provided for Cushing, Oklahoma, an important crude oil market center. Data are released twice each year near the end of May (data for March 31) and near the end of November (data for September 30).

Interfacial complexation in microfluidic droplets for single-step fabrication of microcapsule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufman, Gilad; Nejati, Siamak; Sarfati, Raphael; Boltyanskiy, Rostislav; Williams, Danielle; Liu, Wei; Schloss, Ashley; Regan, Lynn; Yan, Elsa; Dufrense, Eric; Loewenberg, Michael; Osuji, Chinedum

We present microfluidic interfacial complexation in emulsion droplets as a simple single-step approach for fabricating a large variety of stable monodisperse microcapsules with tailored mechanical properties, protein binding and controlled release behavior. We rely on electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding to direct the assembly of complementary species at oil-water droplet interfaces to form microcapsules with polyelectrolyte shells, composite polyelectrolyte-nanoparticle shells, and copolymer-nanofiber shells. Additionally, we demonstrate the formation of microcapsules by adsorption of an amphiphilic bacterial hydrophobin, BslA, at oil-in-water and water-in-oil droplets, and protein capture on these capsules using engineered variants of the hydrophobin. We discuss the composition dependence of mechanical properties, shell thickness and release behavior, and regimes of stability for microcapsule fabrication. Nanoparticle based microcapsules display an intriguing plastic deformation response which enables the formation of large aspect ratio asperities by pipette aspiration of the shell.

Simulation of Oil Palm Shell Pyrolysis to Produce Bio-Oil with Self-Pyrolysis Reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fika, R.; Nelwan, L. O.; Yulianto, M.

2018-05-01

A new self-pyrolysis reactor was designed to reduce the utilization of electric heater due to the energy saving for the production of bio-oil from oil palm shell. The yield of the bio- oil was then evaluated with the developed mathematical model by Sharma [1] with the characteristic of oil palm shell [2]. During the simulation, the temperature on the combustion chamber on the release of the bio-oil was utilized to determine the volatile composition from the combustion of the oil palm shell as fuel. The mass flow was assumed constant for three experiments. The model resulted in a significant difference between the simulated bio-oil and experiments. The bio-oil yields from the simulation were 22.01, 16.36, and 21.89 % (d.b.) meanwhile the experimental yields were 10.23, 9.82, and 8.41% (d.b.). The char yield varied from 30.7 % (d.b.) from the simulation to 40.9 % (d.b.) from the experiment. This phenomenon was due to the development of process temperature over time which was not considered as one of the influential factors in producing volatile matters on the simulation model. Meanwhile the real experiments highly relied on the process conditions (reactor type, temperature over time, gas flow). There was also possibilities of the occurrence of the gasification inside the reactor which caused the liquid yield was not as high as simulated. Further simulation model research on producing the bio-oil yield will be needed to predict the optimum condition and temperature development on the newly self-pyrolysis reactor.

Tuning of shell thickness of solid lipid particles impacts the chemical stability of encapsulated ω-3 fish oil.

PubMed

Salminen, Hanna; Helgason, Thrandur; Kristinsson, Bjarki; Kristbergsson, Kristberg; Weiss, Jochen

2017-03-15

This study demonstrates that tuning the shell thickness of lipid particles can modulate their oxidative stability. We hypothesized that a thick crystallized shell around the incorporated fish oil would improve the oxidative stability due to the reduced diffusion of prooxidants and oxygen. We prepared solid lipid nanoparticles (5%w/w lipid phase, 1.5%w/w surfactant, pH 7) by using different ratios of tristearin as carrier lipid and ω-3 fish oil as incorporated liquid lipid stabilized by high- or low-melting lecithin. The physical, polymorphic and oxidative stability of the lipid particles was assessed. The high-melting lecithin was the key in inducing the formation of a solidified tristearin shell around the lipid particles by interfacial heterogeneous nucleation. Lipid particles containing a higher ratio of tristearin showed a better oxidative stability. The results revealed that a crystallized tristearin layer above 10nm was required to inhibit oxidation of the incorporated fish oil. This cut-off was shown for lipid particles containing 50-60% fish oil. This research gives important insights into understanding the relation between the thickness of the crystallized shell around the lipid particles and their chemical stability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Mid-Cretaceous Frontier Formation near the Moxa Arch, southwestern Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mereweather, E.A.; Blackmon, P.D.; Webb, J.C.

1984-01-01

The Frontier Formation in the Green River Basin of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, consists of sandstone, siltstone, and shale, and minor conglomerate, coal, and bentonite. These strata were deposited in several marine and nonmarine environments during early Late Cretaceous time. At north-trending outcrops along the eastern edge of the overthrust belt, the Frontier is of Cenomanian, Turonian, and early Coniacian age, and commonly is about 610 m (2,000 ft) thick. The formation in that area conformably overlies the Lower Cretaceous Aspen Shale and is divided into the following members, in ascending order: Chalk Creek, Coalville, Allen Hollow, Oyster Ridge Sandstone, and Dry Hollow. In west-trending outcrops on the northern flank of the Uinta Mountains in Utah, the Frontier is middle and late Turonian, and is about 60 m (200 ft) thick. These strata disconformably overlie the Lower Cretaceous Mowry Shale. In boreholes on the Moxa arch, the upper part of the Frontier is of middle Turonian to early Coniacian age and unconformably overlies the lower part of the formation, which is early Cenomanian at the south end and probably Cenomanian to early Turonian at the north end. The Frontier on the arch thickens northward from less than 100 m (328 ft) to more than 300 m (984 ft) and conformably overlies the Mowry. The marine and nonmarine Frontier near the Uinta Mountains, marine and mnmarine beds in the upper part of the formation on the Moxa arch and the largely nonmarine Dry Hollow Member at the top of the Frontier in the overthrust belt are similar in age. Older strata in the formation, which are represented by the disconformable basal contact of the Frontier near the Uinta Mountains, thicken northward along the Moxa arch and westward between the arch and the overthrust belt. The large changes in thickness of the Frontier in the Green River Basin were caused mainly by differential uplift and truncation of the lower part of the formation during the early to middle Turonian and by the shoreward addition of progressively younger sandstone units at the top of the formation during the late Turonian and early Coniacian. The sandstone in cores of the Frontier, from boreholes on the Moxa arch and the northern plunge of the Rock Springs uplift, consists of very fine grained and fine-grained litharenites and sublitharenites that were deposited in deltaic and shallow-water marine environments. These rocks consist mainly of quartz, chert, rock fragments, mixed-layer illite-smectite, mica-illite, and chlorite. Samples of the sandstone have porosities of 4.7 to 23.0 percent and permeabilities of 0.14 to 6.80 millidarcies, and seem to represent poor to fair reservoir beds for oil and gas. The shale in cores of the Frontier Formation and the overlying basal Hilliard Shale, from the Moxa arch, Rock Springs uplift, and overthrust belt, was deposited in deltaic and offshore-marine environments. Samples of the shale are composed largely of quartz, micaillite, mixed-layer illite-smectite, kaolin, and chlorite. They also contain from 0.27 to 4.42 percent organic carbon, in humic and sapropelic organic matter. Most of the sampled shale units are thermally mature, in terms of oil generation, and a few probably are source rocks for oil and gas.

Structural and electronic properties of CdS/ZnS core/shell nanowires: A first-principles study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyo Seok; Kim, Yong-Hoon

2015-03-01

Carrying out density functional theory (DFT) calculation, we studied the relative effects of quantum confinement and strain on the electronic structures of II-IV semiconductor compounds with a large lattice-mismatch, CdS and ZnS, in the core/shell nanowire geometry. We considered different core radii and shell thickness of the CdS/ZnS core/shell nanowire, different surface facets, and various defects in the core/shell interface and surface regions. To properly describe the band level alignment at the core/shell boundary, we adopted the self-interaction correction (SIC)-DFT scheme. Implications of our findings in the context of device applications will be also discussed. This work was supported by the Basic Science Research Grant (No. 2012R1A1A2044793), Global Frontier Program (No. 2013-073298), and Nano-Material Technology Development Program (2012M3A7B4049888) of the National Research Foundation funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Korea. Corresponding author

Cleaning oil refining drainage waters out of emulsified oil products with thermic treated cedar nut shell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pyatanova, P. A.; Adeeva, L. N.

2017-08-01

It was elaborated the ability of the sorbent produced by thermic treatment of cedar nut shell to destruct model and real first kind (direct) emulsions in static and dynamic conditions. In static conditions optimal ratio sorbent-emulsion with the original concentration of oil products 800 mg/l was in the range of 2.0 g per 100 ml of emulsion which corresponds to the level of treatment 94.9%. The time of emulsion destruction was 40 minutes. This sorbent is highly active in dynamic processes of oil-contaminated water treatment, the level of treatment 96.0% is being achieved. Full dynamic sorptive capacity of the sorbent is 0.85 g/g. Sorbent based on the thermic treated cedar nut shell can be elaborated as sorptive filter element of local treatment facilities of oil refining and petrochemical processes. After the treatment with this sorbent of drainage waters of oil refinery in dynamic conditions the concentration of oil products became less than mpc on oil products for waste waters coming to biological treatment.

52. SOUTH PLANT PROCESS PIPING OVERHEAD RACK, WITH SHELL OIL ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

52. SOUTH PLANT PROCESS PIPING OVERHEAD RACK, WITH SHELL OIL COMPANY FACILITIES IN BACKGROUND. VIEW TO SOUTHEAST. - Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Bounded by Ninety-sixth Avenue & Fifty-sixth Avenue, Buckley Road, Quebec Street & Colorado Highway 2, Commerce City, Adams County, CO

Electrowetting-on-dielectrics for manipulation of oil drops and gas bubbles in aqueous-shell compound drops.

PubMed

Li, Jiang; Wang, Yixuan; Chen, Haosheng; Wan, Jiandi

2014-11-21

We present the manipulation of oil, organic and gaseous chemicals by electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) technology using aqueous-shell compound drops. We demonstrate that the transport and coalescence of viscous oil drops, the reaction of bromine with styrene in benzene solution, and the reaction of red blood cells with carbon monoxide bubbles can be accomplished using this method.

Biomass analysis at palm oil factory as an electric power plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusniati; Parinduri, Luthfi; Krianto Sulaiman, Oris

2018-04-01

Biomassa found in palm oil mill industryis a by-product such as palm shell, fiber, empty fruit bunches and pome. The material can be used as an alternative fuel for fossil fuel. On PTPN IVpalm oil millDolokSinumbah with a capacity of 30 tons tbs/hour of palm fruit fiber and palm shells has been utilized as boiler fuel to produce steam to supplyboilers power plant. With this utilization, the use of generators that using fossil fuel can be reduced, this would provide added value for the company. From the analysis, the fiber and shell materials were sufficient to supply 18 tons/hoursteam for the boiler. Shell material even excess as much as 441,5 tons per month. By utilizing the 2 types of biomass that is available alone, the electricity needs of the factory of 734 Kwh can be met. While other materials such as empty bunches and pome can be utilized to increase the added value and profitability for the palm oil mill.

Thermal and catalytic slow pyrolysis of Calophyllum inophyllum fruit shell.

PubMed

Alagu, R M; Sundaram, E Ganapathy; Natarajan, E

2015-10-01

Pyrolysis of Calophyllum inophyllum shell was performed in a fixed bed pyrolyser to produce pyrolytic oil. Both thermal (without catalysts) and catalytic pyrolysis process were conducted to investigate the effect of catalysts on pyrolysis yield and pyrolysis oil characteristics. The yield of pyrolytic oil through thermal pyrolysis was maximum (41% wt) at 425 °C for particle size of 1.18 mm and heating rate of 40 °C/min. In catalytic pyrolysis the pyrolytic oil yield was maximum (45% wt) with both zeolite and kaolin catalysts followed by Al2O3 catalyst (44% wt). The functional groups and chemical components present in the pyrolytic oil are identified by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. This study found that C. inophyllum shell is a potential new green energy source and that the catalytic pyrolysis process using zeolite catalyst improves the calorific value and acidity of the pyrolytic oil. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Properties of palm oil fuel ash cement sand brick containing pulverized cockle shell as partial sand replacement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mat Aris, S.; Muthusamy, K.; Uzer, A.; Ahmad, S. Wan

2018-04-01

Environmental pollution caused by the disposal of solid wastes generated from both palm oil industry and cockle shell trade has motivated researches to explore the potential of these wastes. Integrating these wastes in production of construction material is one of the ways to reduce amount of waste thrown at dumping area. Thus, the present investigation investigates the performance of palm oil fuel ash (POFA) cement sand brick containing pulverized cockle shell as partial fine aggregate replacement. All mixes used contain 20% of POFA as partial cement replacement. Total of six mixes were prepared by adding a range of pulverized cockle shell that is 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% as partial sand replacement. The mixes were prepared in form of brick. All the water cured samples were tested for compressive strength and flexural strength until 28 days. Findings show that brick produced using 20% pulverized cockle shell exhibit the highest compressive strength and flexural strength also the lowest water absorption value.

Rise of Air Bubbles in Aircraft Lubricating Oils

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, J. V.

1950-01-01

Lubricating and antifoaming additives in aircraft lubricating oils may impede the escape of small bubbles from the oil by forming shells of liquid with a quasi-solid or gel structure around the bubbles. The rates of rise of small air bubbles, up to 2 millimeters in diameter, were measured at room temperature in an undoped oil, in the same oil containing foam inhibitors, and in an oil containing lubricating additives. The apparent diameter of the air bubbles was measured visually through an ocular micrometer on a traveling telescope. The bubbles in the undoped oil obeyed Stokes' Law, the rate of rise being proportional to the square of the apparent diameter and inversely proportional to the viscosity of the oil. The bubbles in the oils containing lubricating additives or foam inhibitors rose more slowly than the rate predicted by Stokes 1 Law from the apparent diameter, and the rate of rise decreased as the length of path the bubbles traveled increased. A method is derived to calculate the thickness of the liquid shell which would have to move with the bubbles in the doped oils to account for the abnoi'I!l8.lly slow velocity. The maximum thickness of this shell, calculated from the velocities observed, was equal to the bubble radius.

Oil cooled, hermetic refrigerant compressor

DOEpatents

English, William A.; Young, Robert R.

1985-01-01

A hermetic refrigerant compressor having an electric motor and compressor assembly in a hermetic shell is cooled by oil which is first cooled in an external cooler 18 and is then delivered through the shell to the top of the motor rotor 24 where most of it is flung radially outwardly within the confined space provided by the cap 50 which channels the flow of most of the oil around the top of the stator 26 and then out to a multiplicity of holes 52 to flow down to the sump and provide further cooling of the motor and compressor. Part of the oil descends internally of the motor to the annular chamber 58 to provide oil cooling of the lower part of the motor, with this oil exiting through vent hole 62 also to the sump. Suction gas with entrained oil and liquid refrigerant therein is delivered to an oil separator 68 from which the suction gas passes by a confined path in pipe 66 to the suction plenum 64 and the separated oil drops from the separator to the sump. By providing the oil cooling of the parts, the suction gas is not used for cooling purposes and accordingly increase in superheat is substantially avoided in the passage of the suction gas through the shell to the suction plenum 64.

Oil cooled, hermetic refrigerant compressor

DOEpatents

English, W.A.; Young, R.R.

1985-05-14

A hermetic refrigerant compressor having an electric motor and compressor assembly in a hermetic shell is cooled by oil which is first cooled in an external cooler and is then delivered through the shell to the top of the motor rotor where most of it is flung radially outwardly within the confined space provided by the cap which channels the flow of most of the oil around the top of the stator and then out to a multiplicity of holes to flow down to the sump and provide further cooling of the motor and compressor. Part of the oil descends internally of the motor to the annular chamber to provide oil cooling of the lower part of the motor, with this oil exiting through vent hole also to the sump. Suction gas with entrained oil and liquid refrigerant therein is delivered to an oil separator from which the suction gas passes by a confined path in pipe to the suction plenum and the separated oil drops from the separator to the sump. By providing the oil cooling of the parts, the suction gas is not used for cooling purposes and accordingly increase in superheat is substantially avoided in the passage of the suction gas through the shell to the suction plenum. 3 figs.

On-demand oil-water separation via low-voltage wettability switching of core-shell structures on copper substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kung, Chun Haow; Zahiri, Beniamin; Sow, Pradeep Kumar; Mérida, Walter

2018-06-01

A copper mesh with dendritic copper-oxide core-shell structure is prepared using an additive-free electrochemical deposition strategy for on-demand oil-water separation. Electrochemical manipulation of the oxidation state of the copper oxide shell phase results in opposite affinities towards water and oil. The copper mesh can be tuned to manifest both superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties to enable oil-removal. Conversely, switching to superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic allows water-removal. These changes correspond to the application of small reduction voltages (<1.5 V) and subsequent air drying. In the oil-removal mode, heavy oil selectively passes through the mesh while water is retained; in water-removal mode, the mesh allows water to permeate but blocks light oil. The smart membrane achieved separation efficiencies higher than 98% for a series of oil-water mixtures. The separation efficiency remains high with less than 5% variation after 30 cycles of oil-water separation in both modes. The switchable wetting mechanism is demonstrated with the aid of microstructural and electrochemical analysis and based on the well-known Cassie-Baxter and Wenzel theories. The selective removal of water or oil from the oil-water mixtures is driven solely by gravity and yields high efficiency and recyclability. The potential applications for the relevant technologies include oil spills cleanup, fuel purification, and wastewater treatment.

Economical and green biodiesel production process using river snail shells-derived heterogeneous catalyst and co-solvent method.

PubMed

Roschat, Wuttichai; Siritanon, Theeranun; Kaewpuang, Teadkait; Yoosuk, Boonyawan; Promarak, Vinich

2016-06-01

River snail shells-derived CaO was used as a heterogeneous catalyst to synthesize biodiesel via transesterification of palm oil with methanol. The shell materials were calcined in air at 600-1000°C for 3h. Physicochemical properties of the resulting catalysts were characterized by TGA-DTG, XRD, SEM, BET, XRF, FT-IR and TPD. CaO catalyzed transesterification mechanism of palm oil into biodiesel was verified. The effects of adding a co-solvent on kinetic of the reaction and %FAME yield were investigated. %FAME yield of 98.5%±1.5 was achieved under the optimal conditions of catalyst/oil ratio of 5wt.%; methanol/oil molar ratio of 12:1; reaction temperature of 65°C; 10%v/v of THF in methanol and reaction time of 90min. The results ascertained that river snail shells is a novel raw material for preparation of CaO catalyst and the co-solvent method successfully decreases the reaction time and biodiesel production cost. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of fly ash content towards Sulphate resistance of oil palm shell lightweight aggregate concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muthusamy, K.; Fadzil, M. Y.; Nazrin Akmal, A. Z. Muhammad; Ahmad, S. Wan; Nur Azzimah, Z.; Hanafi, H. Mohd; Mohamad Hafizuddin, R.

2018-04-01

Both oil palm shell (OPS) and fly ash are by-product generated from the industries. Disposal of these by-product as wastes cause negative impact to the environment. The use of both oil palm shell and fly ash in concrete is seen as an economical solution for making green and denser concrete. The primary aim of this research is to determine the effects of FA utilization as sand replacement in oil palm shell lightweight aggregate concrete (OPS LWAC) towards sulphate resistance. Five concrete mixes containing fly ash as sand replacement namely 0%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% were prepared in these experimental work. All mixes were cast in form of cubes before subjected to sulphate solution for the period of 5 months. It was found that addition of 10% fly ash as sand replacement content resulted in better sulphate resistance of OPS LWAC. The occurrence of pozzolanic reaction due to the presence of FA in concrete has consumed the vulnerable Calcium hydroxide to be secondary C-S-H gel making the concrete denser and more durable.

Publications - GMC 187 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

and Facilities Staff Seismic and Well Data Data Reports Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Ask a ') from the Shell Oil Company SRS State #1 well Authors: Unknown Publication Date: 1991 Publisher: Alaska , Petrographic thin-section photographs of core (15499' and 15503') from the Shell Oil Company SRS State #1 well

Executive reflects on progress in the oil and gas industry

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

Popov, S.

1997-08-01

This paper reflects on the UK oil and gas industry`s international globalization and progress from the perspective of a UK industry executive. Sir Ian Wood, managing director of John Wood Group plc, outlined past and future industry developments during a 1997 Offshore Technology Conference speech. He concludes that the UK supply and service industry is now fully involved in the international arena, and hopes to play a significant role in the exciting oil and gas developments in the Gulf of Mexico and frontiers worldwide.

Self assembly, mobilization, and flotation of crude oil contaminated sand particles as granular shells on gas bubbles in water.

PubMed

Tansel, Berrin; Boglaienko, Daria

2017-01-01

Contaminant fate and transport studies and models include transport mechanisms for colloidal particles and dissolved ions which can be easily moved with water currents. However, mobilization of much larger contaminated granular particles (i.e., sand) in sediments have not been considered as a possible mechanism due to the relatively larger size of sand particles and their high bulk density. We conducted experiments to demonstrate that oil contaminated granular particles (which exhibit hydrophobic characteristics) can attach on gas bubbles to form granular shells and transfer from the sediment phase to the water column. The interactions and conditions necessary for the oil contaminated granular particles to self assemble as tightly packed granular shells on the gas bubbles which transfer from sediment phase to the water column were evaluated both experimentally and theoretically for South Louisiana crude oil and quartz sand particles. Analyses showed that buoyancy forces can be adequate to move the granular shell forming around the air bubbles if the bubble radius is above 0.001mm for the sand particles with 0.28mm diameter. Relatively high magnitude of the Hamaker constant for the oil film between sand and air (5.81×10 -20 J for air-oil-sand) indicates that air bubbles have high affinity to attach on the oil film that is on the sand particles in comparison to attaching to the sand particles without the oil film in water (1.60×10 -20 J for air-water-sand). The mobilization mechanism of the contaminated granular particles with gas bubbles can occur in natural environments resulting in transfer of granular particles from sediments to the water column. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Shell Martinez Refinery, Martinez, CA: Consent Agreement and Final Order

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Final executed Consent Agreement and Final Order (CA/FO) negotiated between EPA Region 9, and Shell Oil Products US relating to violations discovered during routine compliance evaluation inspections at the Shell Martinez Refinery in Martinez, California.

In Vitro Anti-Malassezia Activity of Castanea crenata Shell and Oil-Soluble Glycyrrhiza Extracts.

PubMed

Han, Song Hee; Hur, Min Seok; Kim, Min Jung; Jung, Won Hee; Park, Minji; Kim, Jeong Hwan; Shin, Hong Ju; Choe, Yong Beom; Ahn, Kyu Joong; Lee, Yang Won

2017-06-01

A new shampoo with anti- Malassezia properties obtained from various plants is required to provide seborrheic dermatitis patients with a wider range of treatment options. The aim of this study was to obtain in vitro susceptibility profiles of Malassezia restricta and M. globosa , the most important pathogenic organisms in the development of seborrheic dermatitis, to the plant extracts used in commercial anti-dandruff shampoos. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined for eight candidate plant extracts and two plant-derived natural products diluted with Leeming and Notman medium to final concentrations of 0.016 to 1 mg/ml. Castanea crenata shell, Camellia sinensis leaf, and oil-soluble Glycyrrhiza extracts presented relatively low MIC values (≤0.5 mg/ml) against both strains. The C. crenata shell and oil-soluble Glycyrrhiza extracts demonstrated especially high anti-Malassezia activity, suggesting their potential use in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis. The extracts also showed fungistatic activity against other common facultative pathogenic yeasts, Cryptococcus and Candida . C. crenata shell and oil-soluble Glycyrrhiza extracts could potentially be used as active ingredients in anti-seborrheic and anti-dandruff shampoo formulations. They could be helpful for repeated treatments and regular prophylaxis of scalp seborrheic dermatitis.

Transcriptome Analysis of the Effects of Shell Removal and Exogenous Gibberellin on Germination of Zanthoxylum Seeds.

PubMed

Sun, Jikang; Wang, Ping; Zhou, Tao; Rong, Jian; Jia, Hao; Liu, Zhiming

2017-08-17

The zanthoxylum seeds are oil-rich and have a very thick, dense and oily shell. In the natural conditions the seeds have a very low germination rate. Prior to treatment with GAs to promote germination, the seeds were usually soaked in sulfuric acid to remove shells easily. A high-throughput sequencing of mRNAs was performed to investigate the effects of the above treatments on the germination of zanthoxylum seeds. Seven libraries were assembled into 100,982 unigenes and 59,509 unigenes were annotated. We focused on the expression profiles of the key genes related to the oil metabolisms and hormone regulations during seed germination. Our data indicated the endogenous ABA of seeds was rich. The effects that the exogenous GAs promoted germination were apparent in the secong day of germination. Especially, for the first time our results indicated the exogenous GAs lowered the aerobic metabolism including the oil metabolisms during imbibition. We inferred that the exogenous GAs had inhibitory effects on the oil metabolisms to avoide oxidative damages to the imbibed seeds, and the seed shell played the role similiar to the exogenous GAs in the initial stage of germination in the natural conditions.

A novel method for the production of core-shell microparticles by inverse gelation optimized with artificial intelligent tools.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Dorado, Rosalia; Landín, Mariana; Altai, Ayça; Russo, Paola; Aquino, Rita P; Del Gaudio, Pasquale

2018-03-01

Numerous studies have been focused on hydrophobic compounds encapsulation as oils. In fact, oils can provide numerous health benefits as synergic ingredient combined with other hydrophobic active ingredients. However, stable microparticles for pharmaceutical purposes are difficult to achieve when commonly techniques are used. In this work, sunflower oil was encapsulated in calcium-alginate capsules by prilling technique in co-axial configuration. Core-shell beads were produced by inverse gelation directly at the nozzle using a w/o emulsion containing aqueous calcium chloride solution in sunflower oil pumped through the inner nozzle while an aqueous alginate solution, coming out from the annular nozzle, produced the beads shell. To optimize process parameters artificial intelligence tools were proposed to optimize the numerous prilling process variables. Homogeneous and spherical microcapsules with narrow size distribution and a thin alginate shell were obtained when the parameters as w/o constituents, polymer concentrations, flow rates and frequency of vibration were optimized by two commercial software, FormRules® and INForm®, which implement neurofuzzy logic and Artificial Neural Networks together with genetic algorithms, respectively. This technique constitutes an innovative approach for hydrophobic compounds microencapsulation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative Effect of Dietary Soybean Oil, Fish Oil, and Coconut Oil on Performance, Egg Quality and Some Blood Parameters in Laying Hens.

PubMed

Dong, X F; Liu, S; Tong, J M

2018-04-14

Two hundred and sixteen 28-wk-old Hy-line laying hens were randomly distributed to three dietary treatments and fed 1of 3 diets containing 8% soybean oil, fish oil, or coconut oil from 28 to 47 wk of age to investigate comparative effect of dietary soybean oil, fish oil, and coconut oil on the performance, egg quality and blood malondialdehyde (MDA), aspartate transaminase (AST) and uric acid (UA). Hens fed fish oil showed poor performance compared with soybean oil or coconut oil, and especially egg weight throughout the trial was significantly and consistently decreased (P < 0.05) due to dietary fish oil. Unexpectedly, shell reflectivity throughout the majority of the trial was consistently and significantly higher (P < 0.05) when hens fed fish oil than that when fed soybean oil or coconut oil. Dietary treatments affected (P < 0.05) shell shape at 4 of 8 time points tested. Average shell shape in fish oil treatment was higher (P < 0.05) than that of coconut oil group. Albumen height, Haugh unit and yolk color were influenced by dietary treatments only at 1 or 2 time points. However, average albumen height and Haugh unit in fish oil treatment were higher (P < 0.05) than that of soybean oil or coconut oil treatments and average yolk color in coconut oil treatment was higher (P < 0.05) than that of soybean oil group. Serum MDA, AST and UA concentrations were increased (P < 0.05) by fish oil during the majority of the first 2 mo of the trial. These data suggested that the inclusion of fish oil into feed may reduce the performance of laying hens, especially the egg weight, decrease the intensity of egg brown color and increase blood MDA, AST and UA levels compared with soybean oil or coconut oil. As a result, hens fed fish oil may lay smaller, longer and lighter-brown eggs whereas those fed coconut oil produce blunter and darker-brown eggs relative to soybean oil.

Determination of the oil distribution in a hermetic compressor using numerical simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Posch, S.; Hopfgartner, J.; Berger, E.; Zuber, B.; Almbauer, R.; Schöllauf, P.

2017-08-01

In addition to the reduction of friction the oil in a hermetic compressor is very important for the transfer of heat from hot parts to the compressor shell. The simulation of the oil distribution in a hermetic reciprocating compressor for refrigeration application is shown in the present work. Using the commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software ANSYS Fluent, the oil flow inside the compressor shell from the oil pump outlet to the oil sump is calculated. A comprehensive overview of the used models and the boundary conditions is given. After reaching steady-state conditions the oil covered surfaces are analysed concerning heat transfer coefficients. The gained heat transfer coefficients are used as input parameters for a thermal model of a hermetic compressor. An increase in accuracy of the thermal model with the simulated heat transfer coefficients compared to values from literature is shown by model validation with experimental data.

Modulation of antioxidant potential in liver of mice by kernel oil of cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale) and its lack of tumour promoting ability in DMBA induced skin papillomagenesis.

PubMed

Singh, Bimala; Kale, R K; Rao, A R

2004-04-01

Cashew nut shell oil has been reported to possess tumour promoting property. Therefore an attempt has been made to study the modulatory effect of cashew nut (Anlacardium occidentale) kernel oil on antioxidant potential in liver of Swiss albino mice and also to see whether it has tumour promoting ability like the shell oil. The animals were treated orally with two doses (50 and 100 microl/animal/day) of kernel oil of cashew nut for 10 days. The kernel oil was found to enhance the specific activities of SOD, catalase, GST, methylglyoxalase I and levels of GSH. These results suggested that cashew nut kernel oil had an ability to increase the antioxidant status of animals. The decreased level of lipid peroxidation supported this possibility. The tumour promoting property of the kernel oil was also examined and found that cashew nut kernel oil did not exhibit any solitary carcinogenic activity.

Shell boosts recovery at Kernridge

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

Moore, S.

1984-01-01

Since acquiring the Kernridge property in December 1979, Shell Oil Co. has drilled more than 1,800 wells and steadily increased production from 42,000 to 89,000 b/d of oil. Currently, the Kernridge Production Division of Shell California Production Inc. (SCPI), a newly formed subsidiary of Shell Oil Co., is operator for the property. The property covers approximately 35,000 mostly contiguous net acres, with production concentrated mainly on about 5,500 net acres. SCPI's four major fields in the area are the North and South Belridge, Lost Hills, and Antelope Hills. Most of the production comes from the North and South Belridge fields,more » which were previously held by the Belridge Oil Co. Productive horizons in the fields are the Tulare, Diatomite, Brown Shale, Antelope Shale, 64 Zone, and Agua sand. The Tulare and Diatomite are the two major reservoirs SCPI is developing. The Tulare, encountered between 400 and 1,300 ft, is made up of fine- to coarse-grained, unconsolidated sands with interbedded shales and silt stones and contains 13 /sup 0/ API oil. Using steam drive as the main recovery method, SCPI estimates an ultimate recovery from the Tulare formation of about 60% of the original 1 billion barrels in place. The Diatomite horizon, found between 800 and 3,500 ft and containing light, 28 /sup 0/ API oil, has high porosity (more than 60%), low permeability (less than 1 md), and natural fractures. Because of the Diatomite's low permeability, fracture stimulation is being used to increase well productivity. SCPI anticipates that approximately 5% of the almost 2 billion barrels of oil originally in place will be recovered by primary production.« less

Multilayered silica-biopolymer nanocapsules with a hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic tunable shell thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vecchione, Raffaele; Luciani, Giuseppina; Calcagno, Vincenzo; Jakhmola, Anshuman; Silvestri, Brigida; Guarnieri, Daniela; Belli, Valentina; Costantini, Aniello; Netti, Paolo A.

2016-04-01

Stable, biocompatible, multifunctional and multicompartment nanocarriers are much needed in the field of nanomedicine. Here, we report a simple, novel strategy to design an engineered nanocarrier system featuring an oil-core/hybrid polymer/silica-shell. Silica shells with a tunable thickness were grown in situ, directly around a highly mono-disperse and stable oil-in-water emulsion system, stabilized by a double bio-functional polyelectrolyte heparin/chitosan layer. Such silica showed a complete degradation in a physiological medium (SBF) in a time frame of three days. Moreover, the outer silica shell was coated with polyethyleneglycol (PEG) in order to confer antifouling properties to the final nanocapsule. The outer silica layer combined its properties (it is an optimal bio-interface for bio-conjugations and for the embedding of hydrophilic drugs in the porous structure) with the capability to stabilize the oil core for the confinement of high payloads of lipophilic tracers (e.g. CdSe quantum dots, Nile Red) and drugs. In addition, polymer layers - besides conferring stability to the emulsion while building the silica shell - can be independently exploited if suitably functionalized, as demonstrated by conjugating chitosan with fluorescein isothiocyanate. Such numerous features in a single nanocarrier system make it very intriguing as a multifunctional platform for smart diagnosis and therapy.Stable, biocompatible, multifunctional and multicompartment nanocarriers are much needed in the field of nanomedicine. Here, we report a simple, novel strategy to design an engineered nanocarrier system featuring an oil-core/hybrid polymer/silica-shell. Silica shells with a tunable thickness were grown in situ, directly around a highly mono-disperse and stable oil-in-water emulsion system, stabilized by a double bio-functional polyelectrolyte heparin/chitosan layer. Such silica showed a complete degradation in a physiological medium (SBF) in a time frame of three days. Moreover, the outer silica shell was coated with polyethyleneglycol (PEG) in order to confer antifouling properties to the final nanocapsule. The outer silica layer combined its properties (it is an optimal bio-interface for bio-conjugations and for the embedding of hydrophilic drugs in the porous structure) with the capability to stabilize the oil core for the confinement of high payloads of lipophilic tracers (e.g. CdSe quantum dots, Nile Red) and drugs. In addition, polymer layers - besides conferring stability to the emulsion while building the silica shell - can be independently exploited if suitably functionalized, as demonstrated by conjugating chitosan with fluorescein isothiocyanate. Such numerous features in a single nanocarrier system make it very intriguing as a multifunctional platform for smart diagnosis and therapy. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01192f

Fabrication and Release Behavior of Microcapsules with Double-Layered Shell Containing Clove Oil for Antibacterial Applications.

PubMed

Chong, Yong-Bing; Zhang, He; Yue, Chee Yoon; Yang, Jinglei

2018-05-09

In this study, double-layer polyurethane/poly(urea-formaldehyde) (PU/PUF) shell microcapsules containing clove oil with antibacterial properties were successfully synthesized via in situ and interfacial polymerization reactions in an oil-in-water emulsion. The morphology, core-shell structure, and composition of the microcapsules were investigated systematically. Additionally, the release behaviors of microcapsules synthesized under different reaction parameters were studied. It was found that the release rate of clove oil can be controlled by tuning the amount of PU reactants and the length of PUF deposition time. The release profile fitted well against the Baker-Lonsdale model, which indicates diffusion as the primary release mechanism. Experimental results based on the ASTM E2315 time kill test revealed that the fabricated microcapsules have great antibacterial activities against the marine bacteria Vibrio coralliilyticus, Escherichia coli, Exiguobacterium aestuarii, and marine biofilm-forming bacteria isolated from the on-site contaminated samples, showing their great potential as an eco-friendly solution to replace existing toxic antifouling agent.

Hyposensitization to poison ivy after working in a cashew nut shell oil processing factory.

PubMed

Reginella, R F; Fairfield, J C; Marks, J G

1989-04-01

19 adults were patch tested to urushiol, the allergen in poison ivy/oak, to determine their sensitivity to this allergen after working in a cashew nut shell oil (CNSO) processing plant. The cashew nut tree and poison ivy/oak are in the same botanical family. Anacardiaceae, and they share similar chemicals which cause allergic contact dermatitis. 13 of the 19 workers had a preemployment history of poison ivy sensitivity, with 10 developing CNSO dermatitis. After working in this factory for several months, 9 of the 13 noticed a decreased sensitivity or no sensitivity to poison ivy/oak. When tested to urushiol extract, only 3 reacted positively, 2 minimally. These results imply that hyposensitization to poison ivy/oak occurred in these employees after development of hardening to cashew nut shell oil.

Determination and Quantification of metals in the shells of Crassostrea virginica after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill utilizing Atomic Absorption Spectrometry.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roopnarine, D.; Patel, S.; Roopnarine, P.; Giarikos, D.; Anderson, L. C.

2017-12-01

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil rig explosion on April 20, 2010 resulted in the release of 685,000 tons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) over a period of three months. There were obvious immediate effects, but the long-term ramifications are still being studied. The primary constituent of crude oil is hydrocarbons with other organic compounds containing nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur. There are also a number of trace metals with the most abundant frequently being iron, nickel, copper and vanadium. These do not degrade like organic materials. However, the exact composition varies among the production sites. The oil from the DWH rig was classified as light crude which is moderately volatile. Natural oil seeps occur in the environment, but the DWH spill represented an acute impact. Trace amounts of heavy metals are a normal part of the composition of marine organisms, but can be toxic in high concentrations. Bivalved molluscs bioaccumulate heavy metals in their tissues and shells, and are therefore often useful as monitors of environmental pollution. We thus used the Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica to determine the impact of the spill by measuring the concentrations of metals in the shells utilizing flame emission atomic absorption spectrometry. We focused on the hypothesis that DWH spill exposure resulted in an increase in metal uptake into the shells. Specimens spanned the years 2010 to 2014 and ranged from Grand Isle, LA to Apalachicola Bay, Fl. Vanadium had the greatest concentration in the shells, and along with copper, cadmium, zinc and iron displayed an upward trend of increase from 2010 to 2013, with a decline in 2014. However there was unexpected variability, as the specimens from Apalachicola Bay, Fl had higher levels of vanadium when compared to those from Grand Isle, LA. Ongoing work includes an increase of sample sizes from the same geographic localities and time period.

Enhanced oil recovery utilizing high-angle wells in the Frontier Formation, Badger Basin Field, Park County, Wyoming. Final report for the period October 1992--October 1993

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

Walker, J.P.; Fortmann, R.G.

1994-12-01

Badger Basin Field, discovered in 1931, produces at stripper rates from low-permeability fractured sandstones of the Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation. Only 15% of the estimated 25 million barrels of oil originally in-place will be produced from the twenty-two attempted vertical completions. This project will increase recoverable reserves through a better understanding of the reservoir and factors which control production. Characterization of the reservoir has been accomplished through an integrated engineering, geological and geophysical approach. Production data, drilling and completion techniques, and relative location of wells on the anticline were reviewed and related to productivity. Literature was reviewed for interpretations onmore » preferred flow directions on anticlinal structures. A structure map of the producing Frontier reservoir was constructed. Porosity development and its relationship to fracture networks was examined petrographically. Fractures in core were described and oriented using paleomagnetic techniques. Azimuths of fractures in outcrop were compared to fracture azimuths measured in the core. A 17 square-mile 3D seismic survey was designed, acquired and processed. Interpretation is being performed on a Sun workstation using Landmark Graphics software. Time-structure and amplitude-distribution maps will be constructed on three Frontier horizons. A location for a high-angle well will be chosen. The slant/horizontal test will be drilled and completed to increase recovery of reserves. Transfer of successful technologies will be accomplished by technical publications and presentations, and access to project materials, data, and field facilities.« less

In Vitro Anti-Malassezia Activity of Castanea crenata Shell and Oil-Soluble Glycyrrhiza Extracts

PubMed Central

Han, Song Hee; Hur, Min Seok; Kim, Min Jung; Jung, Won Hee; Park, Minji; Kim, Jeong Hwan; Shin, Hong Ju; Choe, Yong Beom; Ahn, Kyu Joong

2017-01-01

Background A new shampoo with anti-Malassezia properties obtained from various plants is required to provide seborrheic dermatitis patients with a wider range of treatment options. Objective The aim of this study was to obtain in vitro susceptibility profiles of Malassezia restricta and M. globosa, the most important pathogenic organisms in the development of seborrheic dermatitis, to the plant extracts used in commercial anti-dandruff shampoos. Methods Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined for eight candidate plant extracts and two plant-derived natural products diluted with Leeming and Notman medium to final concentrations of 0.016 to 1 mg/ml. Results Castanea crenata shell, Camellia sinensis leaf, and oil-soluble Glycyrrhiza extracts presented relatively low MIC values (≤0.5 mg/ml) against both strains. The C. crenata shell and oil-soluble Glycyrrhiza extracts demonstrated especially high anti-Malassezia activity, suggesting their potential use in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis. The extracts also showed fungistatic activity against other common facultative pathogenic yeasts, Cryptococcus and Candida. Conclusion C. crenata shell and oil-soluble Glycyrrhiza extracts could potentially be used as active ingredients in anti-seborrheic and anti-dandruff shampoo formulations. They could be helpful for repeated treatments and regular prophylaxis of scalp seborrheic dermatitis. PMID:28566909

Monitoring reactive microencapsulation dynamics using microfluidics

PubMed Central

Brosseau, Quentin; Baret, Jean-Christophe

2015-01-01

We use microfluidic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) devices to measure the kinetics of reactive encapsulations occurring at the interface of emulsion droplets. The formation of the polymeric shell is inferred from the droplet deformability measured in a series of expansion–constriction chambers along the microfluidic chip. With this tool we quantify the kinetic processes governing the encapsulation at the very early stage of shell formation with a time resolution of the order of the millisecond for overall reactions occurring in less than 0.5 s. We perform a comparison of monomer reactivities used for the encapsulation. We study the formation of polyurea microcapsules (PUMCs); the shell formation proceeds at the water–oil interface by an immediate reaction of amines dissolved in the aqueous phase and isocyanates dissolved in the oil phase. We observe that both monomers contribute differently to the encapsulation kinetics. The kinetics of the shell formation process at the oil-in-water (O/W) experiments significantly differs from the water-in-oil (W/O) systems; the component dissolved in the continuous phase has the largest impact on the kinetics. In addition, we quantified the retarding effect on the encapsulation kinetics by the interface stabilizing agent (surfactant). Our approach is valuable for quantifying in situ reactive encapsulation processes and provides guidelines to generate microcapsules with soft interfaces of tailored and controllable interfacial properties. PMID:25705975

The implications of developments on the Atlantic Frontier for marine mammals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harwood, John; Wilson, Ben

2001-05-01

We review the available information on the distribution and abundance of marine mammals in the Atlantic Frontier area, and the literature on the potential effects of oil exploration and extraction on these species. Reliable estimates of seal abundance are only available for two species (grey and harbour seals). For grey seals and hooded seals there is also information from telemetry studies on their distribution at sea. Data on cetaceans comes from a variety of sources including whaling statistics, dedicated surveys, observers placed on vessels of opportunity, and from bottom-mounted hydrophone arrays. These indicate that the Atlantic Frontier region is of national, and possibly international, importance for a number of cetacean species. The most abundant small cetacean is likely to be the white-sided dolphin; however, smaller numbers of large whales, including endangered blue, right, fin and sei whales, and vulnerable humpback and sperm whales are also likely to be present in summer. There is growing evidence that a number of marine mammal species respond to the acoustic and physical disturbance associated with exploration for oil and gas resources, although the ecological impact of these responses is unclear. We describe how risk assessment frameworks, initially developed for evaluating the environmental impacts of hazardous chemicals, can be used to address this problem.

Chromatographic techniques for the determination of alkyl-phenols, tocopherols and other minor polar compounds in raw and roasted cold pressed cashew nut oils.

PubMed

Gómez-Caravaca, Ana María; Verardo, Vito; Caboni, Maria Fiorenza

2010-11-19

Anacardium occidentale belongs to the family Anacardiaceae and is principally grown in tropical America (Mexico, Peru, Brazil, etc.) and India. Cashew nuts contain low amounts of hydroxy alkyl phenols that come from an oily liquid present in their shell and that is known as cashew-nut shell liquid. This paper reports the alkyl phenols composition of cold pressed raw and roasted cashew nut oil. First of all, cashew nut shell liquid was used for a basic fractionation of the alkyl phenol classes by preparative TLC and definitively identified by GC-MS and GC-FID. Anacardic acids were the major alkylphenols contained in both oils followed by cardol, cardanol and 2-methylcardol compounds, respectively. Raw and roasted oils did not show different compositions except for cardanols. The oil produced from roasted cashew nut reported a higher concentration of cardanols. Furthermore, tocopherols and other minor polar compounds were determined by HPLC-FLD and HPLC-DAD-MS, respectively. Tocopherol content varied in a range of 171.48-29.56mg/100g from raw to roasted cashew nut oil, being β-tocopherol the one which presented a higher decrease (93.68%). Also minor polar compounds in cashew oil decreased after roasting from 346.52 to 262.83mg/kg. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Carrier mounted bacterial consortium facilitates oil remediation in the marine environment.

PubMed

Simons, Keryn L; Sheppard, Petra J; Adetutu, Eric M; Kadali, Krishna; Juhasz, Albert L; Manefield, Mike; Sarma, Priyangshu M; Lal, Banwari; Ball, Andrew S

2013-04-01

Marine oil pollution can result in the persistent presence of weathered oil. Currently, removal of weathered oil is reliant on chemical dispersants and physical removal, causing further disruption. In contrast few studies have examined the potential of an environmentally sustainable method using a hydrocarbon degrading microbial community attached to a carrier. Here, we used a tank mesocosm system (50 l) to follow the degradation of weathered oil (10 g l(-1)) using a bacterial consortium mobilised onto different carrier materials (alginate or shell grit). GCMS analysis demonstrated that the extent of hydrocarbon degradation was dependent upon the carrier material. Augmentation of shell grit with nutrients and exogenous hydrocarbon degraders resulted in 75±14% removal of >C32 hydrocarbons after 12 weeks compared to 20±14% for the alginate carrier. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of a biostimulated and bioaugmented carrier material to degrade marine weathered oil. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Facile preparation of polymer microspheres and fibers with a hollow core and porous shell for oil adsorption and oil/water separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Jiefeng; Song, Xin; Huang, Xuewu; Wang, Ling; Li, Bei; Xue, Huaiguo

2018-05-01

Non-solvent assisted electrospinning was proposed for fabricating Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) microspheres and fibers with a hollow core and porous shell, which could be used for oil adsorption and oil/water separation. Propanediol was chosen as the non-solvent because of its high surface tension and viscosity as well as large phase separation tendency with polymer, which was beneficial to the formation of both the hollow core and porous shell during the electrospinning. With the increase of the polymer solution concentration, the microsphere gradually evolved to the bead-on-string geometry and finally to a continuous fiber form, indicating the transition from electro-spraying to electrospinning. The hollow core and dense surface pores enhanced the hydrophobicity, oleophilicity, permeability, and specific surface area of the fibers, and hence imparted the fibrous mat a high oil adsorption capacity. When the porous hollow microspheres were electro-sprayed onto the stainless steel mesh followed by the PDMS modification, the modified mesh became super-hydrophobic and super-oleophilic with the contact angle of 153° and sliding angle of 4°. The as-prepared mesh showed rapid oil/water separation with high efficiency and excellent recycling performance. The flux for separation of oil/water mixture could reach as high as 11,000 L m-2 h-1. This facile non-solvent assisted electrospinning method provides a new avenue for preparation of multifunctional porous materials which possess potential applications in large-scale oil/water separation.

Low cost heterogenous catalyst from (Achatina Fulica) snail shell and its application for biodiesel conversion via microwave irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fatimah, Is; Kurniastuti, E. A.; Basthiani, I. A.; Fakhri, A.

2017-11-01

Research on preparation of heterogenous catalyst from Achatina Fulica snail shell and its application biodiesel conversion has been investigation. Research aimed to obtain low cost and reusable catalyst for biodiesel production. The catalyst was prepared by grinding and calcining the snail shell at 900°C for 2 hours. The obtained solid was analysed by using XRD, SEM-EDX. FTIR, and also basicity measurement. Catalyst was used in the cenvertion of rice bran oil transesterification at varied volume of oil methanol ratio of 20-80 under microwave and reflux methode. The transesterification result were analyzed by using GCMS.

A generalized operational formula based on total electronic densities to obtain 3D pictures of the dual descriptor to reveal nucleophilic and electrophilic sites accurately on closed-shell molecules.

PubMed

Martínez-Araya, Jorge I

2016-09-30

By means of the conceptual density functional theory, the so-called dual descriptor (DD) has been adapted to be used in any closed-shell molecule that presents degeneracy in its frontier molecular orbitals. The latter is of paramount importance because a correct description of local reactivity will allow to predict the most favorable sites on a molecule to undergo nucleophilic or electrophilic attacks; on the contrary, an incomplete description of local reactivity might have serio us consequences, particularly for those experimental chemists that have the need of getting an insight about reactivity of chemical reagents before using them in synthesis to obtain a new compound. In the present work, the old approach based only on electronic densities of frontier molecular orbitals is replaced by the most accurate procedure that implies the use of total electronic densities thus keeping consistency with the essential principle of the DFT in which the electronic density is the fundamental variable and not the molecular orbitals. As a result of the present work, the DD will be able to properly describe local reactivities only in terms of total electronic densities. To test the proposed operational formula, 12 very common molecules were selected as the original definition of the DD was not able to describe their local reactivities properly. The ethylene molecule was additionally used to test the capability of the proposed operational formula to reveal a correct local reactivity even in absence of degeneracy in frontier molecular orbitals. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Antioxidant, Anti-Tyrosinase and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Oil Production Residues from Camellia tenuifloria.

PubMed

Chiou, Shu-Yuan; Ha, Choi-Lan; Wu, Pei-Shan; Yeh, Chiu-Ling; Su, Ying-Shan; Li, Man-Po; Wu, Ming-Jiuan

2015-12-10

Camellia tenuifloria is an indigenous Camellia species used for the production of camellia oil in Taiwan. This study investigated for the first time the potential antioxidant, anti-tyrosinase and anti-inflammatory activities of oil production byproducts, specifically those of the fruit shell, seed shell, and seed pomace from C. tenuifloria. It was found that the crude ethanol extract of the seed shell had the strongest DPPH scavenging and mushroom tyrosinase inhibitory activities, followed by the fruit shell, while seed pomace was the weakest. The IC50 values of crude extracts and fractions on monophenolase were smaller than diphenolase. The phenolic-rich methanol fraction of seed shell (SM) reduced nitric oxide (NO) production, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. It also repressed the expression of IL-1β, and secretion of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) and IL-6 in response to LPS. SM strongly stimulated heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) expression and addition of zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), a HO-1 competitive inhibitor, reversed the inhibition of NO production, indicating the involvement of HO-1 in its anti-inflammatory activity. The effects observed in this study provide evidence for the reuse of residues from C. tenuifloria in the food additive, medicine and cosmetic industries.

Interior Department Suggests Improvements for Offshore Arctic Oil and Gas Drilling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

2013-03-01

Shell's "difficulties" during its 2012 program to drill offshore oil and natural gas exploration wells in the Alaskan Arctic Ocean "have raised serious questions regarding its ability to operate safely and responsibly in the challenging and unpredictable conditions offshore Alaska," according to the report "Review of Shell's 2012 Alaska Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration Program," issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) on 8 March. Noting the company's lack of adequate preparation for drilling in the Arctic, its failure to deploy a specialized Arctic Containment System, and the grounding of the Kulluk drilling rig near Kodiak Island last December, the report recommends that Shell develop a comprehensive and integrated plan describing its future drilling program and related operations and that it commission a third-party audit of its management systems, including its safety and environmental management systems program.

Fast pyrolysis of oil palm shell (OPS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, Nurhayati; Sulaiman, Fauziah; Aliasak, Zalila

2015-04-01

Biomass is an important renewable source of energy. Residues that are obtained from harvesting and agricultural products can be utilised as fuel for energy generation by conducting any thermal energy conversion technology. The conversion of biomass to bio oil is one of the prospective alternative energy resources. Therefore, in this study fast pyrolysis of oil palm shell was conducted. The main objective of this study was to find the optimum condition for high yield bio-oil production. The experiment was conducted using fixed-bed fluidizing pyrolysis system. The biomass sample was pyrolysed at variation temperature of 450°C - 650°C and at variation residence time of 0.9s - 1.35s. The results obtained were further discussed in this paper. The basic characteristic of the biomass sample was also presented here. The experiment shows that the optimum bio-oil yield was obtained at temperature of 500°C at residence time 1.15s.

Deformable Self-Propelled Micro-Object Comprising Underwater Oil Droplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banno, Taisuke; Asami, Arisa; Ueno, Naoko; Kitahata, Hiroyuki; Koyano, Yuki; Asakura, Kouichi; Toyota, Taro

2016-08-01

The self-propelled motion with deformation of micrometer-sized soft matter in water has potential application not only for underwater carriers or probes in very narrow spaces but also for understanding cell locomotion in terms of non-equilibrium physics. As far as we know, there have been no reports about micrometer-sized self-propelled soft matter mimicking amoeboid motion underwater. Here, we report an artificial molecular system of underwater oil droplets exhibiting self-propelled motion with deformation as an initial experimental model. We describe the heterogeneity in a deformable self-propelled oil droplet system in aqueous and oil phases and at their interface based on the behavior and interaction of surfactant and oil molecules. The current results have great importance for scientific frontiers such as developing deformable micro-swimmers and exploring the emergence of self-locomotion of oil droplet-type protocells.

Deformable Self-Propelled Micro-Object Comprising Underwater Oil Droplets.

PubMed

Banno, Taisuke; Asami, Arisa; Ueno, Naoko; Kitahata, Hiroyuki; Koyano, Yuki; Asakura, Kouichi; Toyota, Taro

2016-08-09

The self-propelled motion with deformation of micrometer-sized soft matter in water has potential application not only for underwater carriers or probes in very narrow spaces but also for understanding cell locomotion in terms of non-equilibrium physics. As far as we know, there have been no reports about micrometer-sized self-propelled soft matter mimicking amoeboid motion underwater. Here, we report an artificial molecular system of underwater oil droplets exhibiting self-propelled motion with deformation as an initial experimental model. We describe the heterogeneity in a deformable self-propelled oil droplet system in aqueous and oil phases and at their interface based on the behavior and interaction of surfactant and oil molecules. The current results have great importance for scientific frontiers such as developing deformable micro-swimmers and exploring the emergence of self-locomotion of oil droplet-type protocells.

Computer Technology for Industry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Shell Oil Company used a COSMIC program, called VISCEL to insure the accuracy of the company's new computer code for analyzing polymers, and chemical compounds. Shell reported that there were no other programs available that could provide the necessary calculations. Shell produces chemicals for plastic products used in the manufacture of automobiles, housewares, appliances, film, textiles, electronic equipment and furniture.

Calcium Oxide Derived from Waste Shells of Mussel, Cockle, and Scallop as the Heterogeneous Catalyst for Biodiesel Production

PubMed Central

Chaiyut, Nattawut; Worawanitchaphong, Phatsakon

2013-01-01

The waste shell was utilized as a bioresource of calcium oxide (CaO) in catalyzing a transesterification to produce biodiesel (methyl ester). The economic and environmen-friendly catalysts were prepared by a calcination method at 700–1,000°C for 4 h. The heterogeneous catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. The effects of reaction variables such as reaction time, reaction temperature, methanol/oil molar ratio, and catalyst loading on the yield of biodiesel were investigated. Reusability of waste shell catalyst was also examined. The results indicated that the CaO catalysts derived from waste shell showed good reusability and had high potential to be used as biodiesel production catalysts in transesterification of palm oil with methanol. PMID:24453854

Production of bio-based phenolic resin and activated carbon from bio-oil and biochar derived from fast pyrolysis of palm kernel shells.

PubMed

Choi, Gyung-Goo; Oh, Seung-Jin; Lee, Soon-Jang; Kim, Joo-Sik

2015-02-01

A fraction of palm kernel shells (PKS) was pyrolyzed in a fluidized bed reactor. The experiments were performed in a temperature range of 479-555 °C to produce bio-oil, biochar, and gas. All the bio-oils were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively by GC-FID and GC-MS. The maximum content of phenolic compounds in the bio-oil was 24.8 wt.% at ∼500 °C. The maximum phenol content in the bio-oil, as determined by the external standard method, was 8.1 wt.%. A bio-oil derived from the pyrolysis of PKS was used in the synthesis of phenolic resin, showing that the bio-oil could substitute for fossil phenol up to 25 wt.%. The biochar was activated using CO2 at a final activation temperature of 900 °C with different activation time (1-3 h) to produce activated carbon. Activated carbons produced were microporous, and the maximum surface area of the activated carbons produced was 807 m(2)/g. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Compressive strength performance of OPS lightweight aggregate concrete containing coal bottom ash as partial fine aggregate replacement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muthusamy, K.; Mohamad Hafizuddin, R.; Mat Yahaya, F.; Sulaiman, M. A.; Syed Mohsin, S. M.; Tukimat, N. N.; Omar, R.; Chin, S. C.

2018-04-01

Concerns regarding the negative impact towards environment due to the increasing use of natural sand in construction industry and dumping of industrial solid wastes namely coal bottom ash (CBA) and oil palm shell (OPS) has resulted in the development of environmental friendly lightweight concrete. The present study investigates the effect of coal bottom ash as partial fine aggregate replacement towards workability and compressive strength of oil palm shell lightweight aggregate concrete (OPS LWAC). The fresh and mechanical properties of this concrete containing various percentage of coal bottom ash as partial fine aggregate replacement were investigated. The result was compared to OPS LWAC with 100 % sand as a control specimen. The concrete workability investigated by conducting slump test. All specimens were cast in form of cubes and water cured until the testing age. The compressive strength test was carried out at 7 and 28 days. The finding shows that integration of coal bottom ash at suitable proportion enhances the strength of oil palm shell lightweight aggregate concrete.

Soap production: A green prospective.

PubMed

Félix, Sandra; Araújo, Joana; Pires, Ana Maria; Sousa, Ana Cláudia

2017-08-01

A green prospective based on the reuse of waste materials such as almond shells, orange peel and used cooking oil to manufacture soap is presented. In Portugal, thousands of tons of waste are generated from used cooking oil and production of nut shells' residues is growing every year. In addition, the high consumption of citrus fruits, oranges in particular, generates large amounts of citrus peel. Therefore, it is necessary to diversify reuse mechanisms of these wastes, in order to make them back into raw materials. Complying with this trend, this work was carried out by processing and grinding almond shells, treating used oil, processing orange peels and extracting limonene, formulating and producing soap, and performing an acceptance study of the final product. Results validated a high potential of the idea in the field of environmental education, so it can be replicated in practical classes. It can also be useful for waste management, and it can support the development of community projects on an ecological approach. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Comparative study of microwave-induced pyrolysis of lignocellulosic and algal biomass.

PubMed

Wang, Nan; Tahmasebi, Arash; Yu, Jianglong; Xu, Jing; Huang, Feng; Mamaeva, Alisa

2015-08-01

Microwave (MW) pyrolysis of algal and lignocellulosic biomass samples were studied using a modified domestic oven. The pyrolysis temperature was recorded continuously by inserting a thermocouple into the samples. Temperatures as high as 1170 and 1015°C were achieved for peanut shell and Chlorella vulgaris. The activation energy for MW pyrolysis was calculated by Coats-Redfern method and the values were 221.96 and 214.27kJ/mol for peanut shell and C. vulgaris, respectively. Bio-oil yields reached to 27.7wt.% and 11.0wt.% during pyrolysis of C. vulgaris and peanut shell, respectively. The bio-oil samples from pyrolysis were analyzed by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Bio-oil from lignocellulosic biomass pyrolysis contained more phenolic compounds while that from microalgae pyrolysis contained more nitrogen-containing species. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis results showed that concentration of OH, CH, CO, OCH3, and CO functional groups in char samples decreased significantly after pyrolysis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 180.666 - Fluxapyroxad; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

....005 Oilseeds, group 20 (except cottonseed) 0.9 Pea and bean, dried shelled except soybean, subgroup 6C 0.4 Pea and bean, succulent shelled, subgroup 6B 0.5 Peanut 0.01 Peanut, refined oil 0.02 Plum...

Effects of Oil Palm Shell Coarse Aggregate Species on High Strength Lightweight Concrete

PubMed Central

Yew, Ming Kun; Bin Mahmud, Hilmi; Ang, Bee Chin; Yew, Ming Chian

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different species of oil palm shell (OPS) coarse aggregates on the properties of high strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC). Original and crushed OPS coarse aggregates of different species and age categories were investigated in this study. The research focused on two OPS species (dura and tenera), in which the coarse aggregates were taken from oil palm trees of the following age categories (3–5, 6–9, and 10–15 years old). The results showed that the workability and dry density of the oil palm shell concrete (OPSC) increase with an increase in age category of OPS species. The compressive strength of specimen CD3 increases significantly compared to specimen CT3 by 21.8%. The maximum achievable 28-day and 90-day compressive strength is 54 and 56 MPa, respectively, which is within the range for 10–15-year-old crushed dura OPS. The water absorption was determined to be within the range for good concrete for the different species of OPSC. In addition, the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) results showed that the OPS HSLWC attain good condition at the age of 3 days. PMID:24982946

Hybrid nanomaterial for stabilizing the antibiofilm activity of Eugenia carryophyllata essential oil.

PubMed

Grumezescu, Alexandru Mihai; Chifiriuc, Mariana Carmen; Saviuc, Crina; Grumezescu, Valentina; Hristu, Radu; Mihaiescu, Dan Eduard; Stanciu, George A; Andronescu, Ecaterina

2012-12-01

The aim of the present study was to demonstrate that Fe(3)O(4)/oleic acid core/shell nanostructures could be used as systems for stabilizing the Eugenia carryophyllata essential oil (EO) on catheter surface pellicles, in order to improve their resistance to fungal colonization. EO microwave assisted extraction was performed in a Neo-Clevenger (related) device and its chemical composition was settled by GC-MS analysis. Fe(3)O(4)/oleic acid-core/shell nanoparticles (NP) were obtained by a precipitation method under microwave condition. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) was used as a primary characterization method. The NPs were processed to achieve a core/shell/EO coated-shell nanosystem further used for coating the inner surface of central venous catheter samples. The tested fungal strains have been recently isolated from different clinical specimens. The biofilm architecture was assessed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Our results claim the usage of hybrid nanomaterial (core/shell/coated-shell) for the stabilization of E. carryophyllata EO, which prevented or inhibited the fungal biofilm development on the functionalized catheter, highlighting the opportunity of using these nanosystems to obtain improved, anti-biofilm coatings for biomedical applications.

Compressive strength, flexural strength and water absorption of concrete containing palm oil kernel shell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noor, Nurazuwa Md; Xiang-ONG, Jun; Noh, Hamidun Mohd; Hamid, Noor Azlina Abdul; Kuzaiman, Salsabila; Ali, Adiwijaya

2017-11-01

Effect of inclusion of palm oil kernel shell (PKS) and palm oil fibre (POF) in concrete was investigated on the compressive strength and flexural strength. In addition, investigation of palm oil kernel shell on concrete water absorption was also conducted. Total of 48 concrete cubes and 24 concrete prisms with the size of 100mm × 100mm × 100mm and 100mm × 100mm × 500mm were prepared, respectively. Four (4) series of concrete mix consists of coarse aggregate was replaced by 0%, 25%, 50% and 75% palm kernel shell and each series were divided into two (2) main group. The first group is without POF, while the second group was mixed with the 5cm length of 0.25% of the POF volume fraction. All specimen were tested after 7 and 28 days of water curing for a compression test, and flexural test at 28 days of curing period. Water absorption test was conducted on concrete cube age 28 days. The results showed that the replacement of PKS achieves lower compressive and flexural strength in comparison with conventional concrete. However, the 25% replacement of PKS concrete showed acceptable compressive strength which within the range of requirement for structural concrete. Meanwhile, the POF which should act as matrix reinforcement showed no enhancement in flexural strength due to the balling effect in concrete. As expected, water absorption was increasing with the increasing of PKS in the concrete cause by the porous characteristics of PKS

Update on petroleum exploration activities in the Philippines

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

Salcedo, B.H.C.; Bausa, G.J.G.; Ocampo. I.U.

1996-01-01

The first significant event in Philippine Petroleum exploration dates back to 1896 with the drilling of Toledo-1 in Cebu by Smith Bell. From the 1950's to the 1970's, widespread exploration activities were carried out but it was only eighty years after the first oil drilling in 1896 that oil was finally discovered in commercial quantity in Northwest Palawan. This could be attributed to the fact that serious exploration for petroleum was made with the enactment of Presidential Decree No. 87, better known as the [open quotes]Oil Exploration and Development Act of 1972[close quotes], which takes into effect the current Servicemore » Contract System. Amendments to P.D. No. 87 is underway to further improve its incentive package and make it more attractive to explorationists. Petroleum exploration in the Philippines continues to be an energetic industry even if the players are not always rewarded with finds. Frontier areas have become attractive for exploration in view of the continuing research studies resulting to increased database thereat. While Northwest Palawan continues to be the hub of action, frontier areas as well as the more risky deepwater acreages still generate interests, if one wishes to be an active player in a growing energy-hungry economy.« less

Update on petroleum exploration activities in the Philippines

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

Salcedo, B.H.C.; Bausa, G.J.G.; Ocampo. I.U.

1996-12-31

The first significant event in Philippine Petroleum exploration dates back to 1896 with the drilling of Toledo-1 in Cebu by Smith & Bell. From the 1950`s to the 1970`s, widespread exploration activities were carried out but it was only eighty years after the first oil drilling in 1896 that oil was finally discovered in commercial quantity in Northwest Palawan. This could be attributed to the fact that serious exploration for petroleum was made with the enactment of Presidential Decree No. 87, better known as the {open_quotes}Oil Exploration and Development Act of 1972{close_quotes}, which takes into effect the current Service Contractmore » System. Amendments to P.D. No. 87 is underway to further improve its incentive package and make it more attractive to explorationists. Petroleum exploration in the Philippines continues to be an energetic industry even if the players are not always rewarded with finds. Frontier areas have become attractive for exploration in view of the continuing research studies resulting to increased database thereat. While Northwest Palawan continues to be the hub of action, frontier areas as well as the more risky deepwater acreages still generate interests, if one wishes to be an active player in a growing energy-hungry economy.« less

Deformable Self-Propelled Micro-Object Comprising Underwater Oil Droplets

PubMed Central

Banno, Taisuke; Asami, Arisa; Ueno, Naoko; Kitahata, Hiroyuki; Koyano, Yuki; Asakura, Kouichi; Toyota, Taro

2016-01-01

The self-propelled motion with deformation of micrometer-sized soft matter in water has potential application not only for underwater carriers or probes in very narrow spaces but also for understanding cell locomotion in terms of non-equilibrium physics. As far as we know, there have been no reports about micrometer-sized self-propelled soft matter mimicking amoeboid motion underwater. Here, we report an artificial molecular system of underwater oil droplets exhibiting self-propelled motion with deformation as an initial experimental model. We describe the heterogeneity in a deformable self-propelled oil droplet system in aqueous and oil phases and at their interface based on the behavior and interaction of surfactant and oil molecules. The current results have great importance for scientific frontiers such as developing deformable micro-swimmers and exploring the emergence of self-locomotion of oil droplet-type protocells. PMID:27503336

The Janus effect on superhydrophilic Cu mesh decorated with Ni-NiO/Ni(OH)2 core-shell nanoparticles for oil/water separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Zhi-Yong; Lyu, Shu-Shen; Fu, Yuan-Xiang; Heng, Yi; Mo, Dong-Chuan

2017-07-01

Janus effect has been studied for emerging materials like Janus membranes, Janus nanoparticles, etc., and the applications including fog collection, oil/water separation, CO2 removal and stabilization of multiphasic mixtures. However, the Janus effect on oil/water separation is still unclear. Herein, Janus Cu mesh decorated with Ni-NiO/Ni(OH)2 core-shell nanoparticles is synthesized via selective electrodeposition, in which we keep one side of Cu mesh (Janus A) to be superhydrophilic, while manipulate the wettability of another side (Janus B) from hydrophobic to superhydrophilic. Experimental results indicate that Cu mesh with both-side superhydrophilic shows the superior oil/water separation performance (separation efficiency >99.5%), which is mainly due to its higher water capture percentage as well as larger oil intrusion pressure. Further, we demonstrate the orientation of Janus membranes for oil/water separation, and summarize that the wettability of the upper surface plays a more important role than the lower surface to achieve remarkable performance. Our work provides a clear insight of Janus effect on oil/water separation, it is significative to design high-performance membranes for oil/water separation and many other applications.

Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Huntsman Corporation in West Deptford Township, New Jersey

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Huntsman Corporation is located on Mantua Grove Road in West Deptford Township, New Jersey. The Shell Chemical Company manufactured polypropylene pellets at this facility since 1961. Shell stored waste oil and burned it in an on-site boiler.

Study of CNSL Processing Plants Located in Cuddalore District of Tamil Nadu, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhaskaran, E.

2017-06-01

Basic chemicals and their related products like petrochemicals, fertilisers, paints, varnishes, glass, perfumes, toiletries, pharmaceuticals, etc. form a very significant part of the Indian economy and account for about 3% of India's GDP. Among the most diversified industrial sectors, it covers an array of more than 70,000 commercial products. The chemicals sector accounts for about 14% in overall index of industrial production, 11% of total exports and about 7.2% of total imports. The total Foreign Direct Investment in Chemicals (excluding fertilizers) was US 7252 million from April 2011 to March 2012. For inclusive growth and sustainable development most of the Chemical manufacturers should adopt the Cluster Development Approach. The objective is to Study the Occupational Hazards in Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) Oil Processing Industries in Panruti Block of Cuddalore District. The methodology adopted is collection of primary processing data during November 2012 from 14 CNSL Processing Industries in Panruti Block of Cuddalore District. Majority of Industries has not processed the CNSL oil as per standards and there is much scope for occupational hazards. In two processes the CNSL oil is let out in the tank constructed equal to ground height where there is possibility of workers getting trapped inside the high temperature CNSL oil. The electric motor is also placed in the ground so that there is possibility of current passing in the ground which leads to occupational hazards for the workers. To conclude, Cashew Shell Oil Processing Industries in Panruti Block of Cuddalore District needs is re-engineering in design and operation starting from Cashew Shell storage, extraction of shell oil from expeller, processing and packaging of CNSL in barrels for better safety from occupational hazards and Cyclones. Moreover for sustainable development, they should adopt cluster development approach, so that infrastructure interrelationships, technology interrelationships, procurement interrelationships, production interrelationships and marketing interrelationships will take place among CNSL manufacturers to decrease cost, increase quality, productivity and efficiency to compete in the world market.

Influence of functional groups on the C α-C β chain of L-phenylalanine and its derivatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganesan, Aravindhan; Brunger, Michael; Wang, Feng

2010-07-01

L-phenylalanine ( L-phe) consists of three different functional groups, i.e., phenyl, carboxyl (-COOH) and amino (-NH 2), joining through the C α-C β bridge. Substitution of these groups produces 2-phenethylamine (PEA) and 3-phenylpropionic acid (PPA). Electronic structures of L-phe, PEA and PPA together with smaller "fragments" L-alanine and benzene were determined using density functional theory (DFT), from which core and valence shell ionization spectra were simulated. Comparison of the spectra reveals that core shell ionization energies clearly indicate that the carbon bridge is significantly affected by their functional group substitutions particularly at the C α site. In the valence space, quite unexpectedly, the frontier orbitals are concentrated on the benzene group although some energy splitting is observed. The orbitals which significantly affect the C α-C β carbon backbone are from the inner valence shell in the ionization energy region of 20-26 eV of the molecules.

Nonvolatile memory with Co-SiO2 core-shell nanocrystals as charge storage nodes in floating gate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hai; Ferrer, Domingo A.; Ferdousi, Fahmida; Banerjee, Sanjay K.

2009-11-01

In this letter, we reported nanocrystal floating gate memory with Co-SiO2 core-shell nanocrystal charge storage nodes. By using a water-in-oil microemulsion scheme, Co-SiO2 core-shell nanocrystals were synthesized and closely packed to achieve high density matrix in the floating gate without aggregation. The insulator shell also can help to increase the thermal stability of the nanocrystal metal core during the fabrication process to improve memory performance.

Contamination Assessment Report Chemical Sewers - North Plants and South Plants Version 3.2, Task 10

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-01

co coo coo U.A 0 0 0.0 L Vc 04 a 0. C -. C r 0 48 w c 0j ft 1-4 0~ W UU 4e & 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0- 1 I I C 1 W; V; W ; ’A C 209 0 0 U u et M SC A 04 4124 ...David Shelton, CDB Lt. Col. Scott P. Isaacson Chris Hahn, Shell Oil Company R. D. Lundahl, Shell Oil Company Thomas Sick, Department of Justice David

The offshore petroleum industry: The formative years, 1945-1962

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreidler, Tai Deckner

1997-12-01

This dissertation is the first to examine the offshore oil industry that was born in the calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It describes the industry's origins and tracks its development as a consequence of a search for new oil frontiers. In addition, it elaborates how the oil industry moved into the marine province using available technology, and was driven by the economic urgency to compete and develop new territories. Enterprising drilling contractors and operators seized the offshore gamble, finding it possible to lower the economic and technological threshold by drawing directly from wartime research and surplus equipment. Though large oil companies had placed its indelible stamp upon the industry, the smaller, independent oil operators set the pace of early offshore development. As a technological frontier, offshore development depended upon creative and unconventional engineering. Unfamiliar marine conditions tested the imagination of oil industry engineering. The unorthodox methods of John Hayward of Barnsdall Oil and R. G. LeTourneau of LeTourneau, Inc. among others transformed the industry by blending petroleum and marine engineering. Grappling with alien marine conditions and lacking formal training, Hayward and LeTourneau merged a century of practical oil field knowledge and petroleum engineering with 2,000 years of shipbuilding experience. The Gulf of Mexico served as a fertile and protective environment for the development of a fledgling industry. With calm waters, lacking the tempestuous and stormy character of the Atlantic Ocean, with a gradual sea-floor slope and saturated with the highly productive salt dome reservoirs, the Gulf became the birth place of the modern offshore oil industry. Within its protective sphere, companies experimented and developed various technical and business adaptations. Operators used technology and business strategies that increased the opportunity for success. In addition, regional academic research institutes arose as a response to increasing work done for the offshore industry. Academic areas that developed included oceanography, physical oceanography, marine biology, marine geology, meteorology, and weather forecasting, During the formative era that ended in the late 1950s the industry had formed its technological and economic foundation in the Gulf, and stood poised to seize the initiative in the North Sea, the Middle East, the Far East, and Indonesia.

Enhanced oil recovery utilizing high-angle wells in the Frontier Formation, Badger Basin Field, Park County, Wyoming. Quarterly technical progress report, 1 January 1994--31 March 1994

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

Fortmann, R.G.

1994-04-22

Sierra Energy Company, in consultation with Rim Companies, concluded that additional work was required for Subtask 2.1.4 -- Interpret data, of Task 2.1 - Acquire 3-D seismic data. The goal of this subtask was to interpret the 3-D seismic data, using a workstation, in order to locate the surface and subsurface positions for the slant and horizontal wellbores. Although this goal had been reached, more work was needed for plotting maps and seismic sections. Furthermore, it was determined that an additional look at the amplitude distribution in the Frontier sands would greatly benefit the interpretation.

Northwestern Montana next frontier

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

Stremel, K.

1983-08-01

Many contractors are proposing nonexclusive surveys, anticipating more activity in shallow, oil-producing basins. Excluding the Powder River Basin, a majority of geophysical activity in the northern Rockies is focusing on several areas in Montana. Some believe this virtually unexplored area may hold reserves equal to approximately 15-20% of the total known reserves in the U.S.

Clam Shell Dredging in Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas, Louisiana. Volume 2. Public Comments.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-11-01

levels and pattern of distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , is presented, despite the fact that these compounds are identified . . as the...DEIS. Moreover, the DEIS implies that the potential for bioaccumulation of the pollutants present in Lake Ponchartrain is low except for a small...CHEMICAL AIR PRODUCTS SHELL OIL CO SHELL CHEMICAL CIBA GEIGY CORPORATION UNION TEXAS PETROLEUM SAVOIE INDUSTRIES SUNLAND SERVICES VULCAN MATERIAL

Preparation of core-shell CaCO3 capsules via Pickering emulsion templates.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaoli; Zhou, Weizheng; Cao, Jian; Liu, Weichang; Zhu, Shiping

2012-04-15

Micron size and food grade pristine CaCO(3) particles were used to stabilize an oil in water Pickering emulsion. The particles also acted as nucleation sites for the subsequent crystallization of CaCO(3) with the addition of CaCl(2) and CO(2) gas as precursors. After the controllable crystallization process, a dense CaCO(3) shell with a few microns in thickness was formed. The CaCO(3) shell was proven to be calcite without the presence of crystallization modifiers. The crystallization speed and the shell integrity were controlled by manipulating the addition of CaCl(2) amount during the different crystallization stages; therefore, the homogeneous nucleation in the bulk was almost inhibited, and the heterogeneous nucleation at the oil-water interface on pristine CaCO(3) particles was the main contribution to the growth of the shell. The encapsulated limonene flavor in CaCO(3) capsules showed a prolonged release in neutral water at 85°C, while a burst release at pH 2 water as expected. The method is a simple and scalable process for creating inorganic core-shell capsules and can be used for producing food grade capsules for controlling the flavor release or masking undesirable taste in mouth. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A facile one-step route to synthesize cage-like silica hollow spheres loaded with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in their shells.

PubMed

Li, Ling; Choo, Eugene Shi Guang; Tang, Xiaosheng; Ding, Jun; Xue, Junmin

2009-02-28

Cage-like silica hollow spheres loaded with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles incorporated in their macroporous shells are synthesized in a facile manner through a one-step oil-in-diethylene glycol (DEG) microemulsion route.

Silica diatom shells tailored with Au nanoparticles enable sensitive analysis of molecules for biological, safety and environment applications.

PubMed

Onesto, V; Villani, M; Coluccio, M L; Majewska, R; Alabastri, A; Battista, E; Schirato, A; Calestani, D; Coppedé, N; Cesarelli, M; Amato, F; Di Fabrizio, E; Gentile, F

2018-04-10

Diatom shells are a natural, theoretically unlimited material composed of silicon dioxide, with regular patterns of pores penetrating through their surface. For their characteristics, diatom shells show promise to be used as low cost, highly efficient drug carriers, sensor devices or other micro-devices. Here, we demonstrate diatom shells functionalized with gold nanoparticles for the harvesting and detection of biological analytes (bovine serum albumin-BSA) and chemical pollutants (mineral oil) in low abundance ranges, for applications in bioengineering, medicine, safety, and pollution monitoring.

Reaction kinetics of free fatty acids esterification in palm fatty acid distillate using coconut shell biochar sulfonated catalyst

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidayat, Arif; Rochmadi, Wijaya, Karna; Budiman, Arief

2015-12-01

Recently, a new strategy of preparing novel carbon-based solid acids has been developed. In this research, the esterification reactions of Palm Fatty Acid Distillate (PFAD) with methanol, using coconut shell biochar sulfonated catalyst from biomass wastes as catalyst, were studied. In this study, the coconut shell biochar sulfonated catalysts were synthesized by sulfonating the coconut shell biochar using concentrated H2SO4. The kinetics of free fatty acid (FFA) esterification in PFAD using a coconut shell biochar sulfonated catalyst was also studied. The effects of the mass ratio of catalyst to oil (1-10%), the molar ratio of methanol to oil (6:1-12:1), and the reaction temperature (40-60°C) were studied for the conversion of PFAD to optimize the reaction conditions. The results showed that the optimal conditions were an methanol to PFAD molar ratio of 12:1, the amount of catalyst of 10%w, and reaction temperature of 60°C. The proposed kinetic model shows a reversible second order reaction and represents all the experimental data satisfactorily, providing deeper insight into the kinetics of the reaction.

Hybrid nanostructured coating for increased resistance of prosthetic devices to staphylococcal colonization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anghel, Ion; Grumezescu, Alexandru Mihai

2013-01-01

Prosthetic medical device-associated infections are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality rates. Novel improved materials and surfaces exhibiting inappropriate conditions for microbial development are urgently required in the medical environment. This study reveals the benefit of using natural Mentha piperita essential oil, combined with a 5 nm core/shell nanosystem-improved surface exhibiting anti-adherence and antibiofilm properties. This strategy reveals a dual role of the nano-oil system; on one hand, inhibiting bacterial adherence and, on the other hand, exhibiting bactericidal effect, the core/shell nanosystem is acting as a controlled releasing machine for the essential oil. Our results demonstrate that this dual nanobiosystem is very efficient also for inhibiting biofilm formation, being a good candidate for the design of novel material surfaces used for prosthetic devices.

1984 CRC (Coordinating Research Council, Inc.) Octane Number Requirement Rating Workshop.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-06-01

Richard J . Tither Mobil Oil Corporation Sam D. Vallas Amoco Oil Company Douglas A. Voss Chevron Research Company Andy Vukovic Shell Canada Dave G...Instrumentation, * Preparation a Test Fuels: Procurement of Fuels and Cans, and Coordina- tion of On-Site Handling e Data Handling and Analysis j 2 nI |S 0- B-2 V...Doug McCorkell Union Oil Company of California James D. Merritt Amoco Oil Company Michael J . Mlotkowski Mobil Oil Corporation John Pandosh Sun Tech

75 FR 18404 - Safety Zone; FRONTIER DISCOVERER, Outer Continental Shelf Drillship, Chukchi and Beaufort Sea...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-12

... on location in order to drill exploratory wells at various prospects located in the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska, during the 2010 drilling season. The purpose of the temporary... allisions, oil spills, and releases of natural gas, and thereby protect the safety of life, property, and...

Frontier areas and resource assessment: case of the 1002 area of the Alaska North Slope

USGS Publications Warehouse

Attanasi, E.D.; Schuenemeyer, John H.

2002-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey's 1998 assessment of the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge significantly revised previous estimates of the area's petroleum supply potential. The mean (or expected) value of technically recoverable undiscovered oil for the Study Area (Federal 1002 Area, adjacent State waters, and Native Lands) is estimated at 10.4 billion barrels of oil (BBO) and for the Federal 1002 Area the mean is 7.7 BBO. Accumulation sizes containing the oil are expected to be sufficiently large to be of economic interest. At a market price of $21 per barrel, 6 BBO of oil in the Study area is expected to be economic. The Assessment's methodology, results, and the reasons for the significant change in assessments are reviewed. In the concluding section, policy issues raised by the assessment are discussed.

Fast pyrolysis of palm kernel shells: influence of operation parameters on the bio-oil yield and the yield of phenol and phenolic compounds.

PubMed

Kim, Seon-Jin; Jung, Su-Hwa; Kim, Joo-Sik

2010-12-01

Palm kernel shells were pyrolyzed in a pyrolysis plant equipped with a fluidized-bed reactor and a char-separation system. The influence of reaction temperature, feed size and feed rate on the product spectrum was also investigated. In addition, the effect of reaction temperature on the yields of phenol and phenolic compounds in the bio-oil was examined. The maximum bio-oil yield was 48.7 wt.% of the product at 490 degrees C. The maximum yield of phenol plus phenolic compounds amounted to about 70 area percentage at 475 degrees C. The yield of pyrolytic lignin after its isolation from the bio-oil was approximately 46 wt.% based on the water and ash free oil. The pyrolytic lignin was mainly composed of phenol, phenolic compounds and oligomers of coniferyl, sinapyl and p-coumaryl alcohols. From the result of a GPC analysis, the number average molecular weight and the weight average molecular weight were 325 and 463 g/mol, respectively. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Converting oil shale to liquid fuels: energy inputs and greenhouse gas emissions of the Shell in situ conversion process.

PubMed

Brandt, Adam R

2008-10-01

Oil shale is a sedimentary rock that contains kerogen, a fossil organic material. Kerogen can be heated to produce oil and gas (retorted). This has traditionally been a CO2-intensive process. In this paper, the Shell in situ conversion process (ICP), which is a novel method of retorting oil shale in place, is analyzed. The ICP utilizes electricity to heat the underground shale over a period of 2 years. Hydrocarbons are produced using conventional oil production techniques, leaving shale oil coke within the formation. The energy inputs and outputs from the ICP, as applied to oil shales of the Green River formation, are modeled. Using these energy inputs, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the ICP are calculated and are compared to emissions from conventional petroleum. Energy outputs (as refined liquid fuel) are 1.2-1.6 times greater than the total primary energy inputs to the process. In the absence of capturing CO2 generated from electricity produced to fuel the process, well-to-pump GHG emissions are in the range of 30.6-37.1 grams of carbon equivalent per megajoule of liquid fuel produced. These full-fuel-cycle emissions are 21%-47% larger than those from conventionally produced petroleum-based fuels.

Integrated assessment of oil pollution using biological monitoring and chemical fingerprinting.

PubMed

Lewis, Ceri; Guitart, Carlos; Pook, Chris; Scarlett, Alan; Readman, James W; Galloway, Tamara S

2010-06-01

A full assessment of the impact of oil and chemical spills at sea requires the identification of both the polluting chemicals and the biological effects they cause. Here, a combination of chemical fingerprinting of surface oils, tissue residue analysis, and biological effects measures was used to explore the relationship between spilled oil and biological impact following the grounding of the MSC Napoli container ship in Lyme Bay, England in January 2007. Initially, oil contamination remained restricted to a surface slick in the vicinity of the wreck, and there was no chemical evidence to link biological impairment of animals (the common limpet, Patella vulgata) on the shore adjacent to the oil spill. Secondary oil contamination associated with salvage activities in July 2007 was also assessed. Chemical analyses of aliphatic hydrocarbons and terpanes in shell swabs taken from limpet shells provided an unequivocal match with the fuel oil carried by the ship. Corresponding chemical analysis of limpet tissues revealed increased concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) dominated by phenanthrene and C1 to C3 phenanthrenes with smaller contributions from heavier molecular weight PAHs. Concurrent ecotoxicological tests indicated impairment of cellular viability (p < 0.001), reduced immune function (p < 0.001), and damage to DNA (Comet assay, p < 0.001) in these animals, whereas antioxidant defenses were elevated relative to un-oiled animals. These results illustrate the value of combining biological monitoring with chemical fingerprinting for the rapid identification of spilled oils and their sublethal impacts on biota in situ. Copyright 2010 SETAC.

Antifungal Potential and Antioxidant Efficacy in the Shell Extract of Cocos nucifera (L.) (Arecaceae) against Pathogenic Dermal Mycosis

PubMed Central

Khalid Thebo, Nasreen; Ahmed Simair, Altaf; Sughra Mangrio, Ghulam; Ansari, Khalil Ahmed; Ali Bhutto, Aijaz; Lu, Changrui; Ali Sheikh, Wazir

2016-01-01

Background: Coconut is a tropical fruit well known for its essential oils that have been recognized for their biological activities since ancient times. There have been no previous investigations on the essential oils from coconut shells. Method: The shell extract of Cocos nucifera (L.) was prepared by the Soxhlet method and total phenolic content (TPC) in the extract was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) assay. The antioxidant potential of the coconut shell extract was evaluated by using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extract was determined by the strip method against clinically isolated dermal mycosis of 20 infected patients. Result: Total antioxidant activity varied from 92.32% to 94.20% and total phenolic content was found at 5.33 ± 0.02 mg/g in the coconut shell extract. The extract was found to be most effective as an antifungal against human pathogenic fungi, including A. niger, A. flavus, T. rubrum, M. canis, M. gypseum, A. fumigates, T. mentagrophyte and T. vercossum. The crude shell extract was highly effective against all dermal mycosis tested with the MIC ranging from 62 mm to 90 mm, whereas all fungal samples showed good inhibitory effect. Conclusion: The results of the present study provide a potential cure for microbial infections. PMID:28930122

Fresh and mechanical properties of self-compacting concrete with coarse aggregate replacement using Waste of Oil Palm Shell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prayuda, Hakas; Saleh, Fadillawaty; Ilham Maulana, Taufiq; Monika, Fanny

2018-05-01

Self-compacting Concrete (SCC) is a real innovation that can solidify itself without the help of tools to ease field practice. In its implementation, SCC can use alternative materials to reduce waste, such as Oil Palm Shell (OPS). In this research, OPS used as a replacement of crushed stone as the main coarse aggregate. The concrete mixture used consists of cement, sand, crushed stone, OPS as a variation of aggregate substitutes, palm oil fuel ash, and superplasticizer. OPS used were variated with 0%, 5%, 10%, 25% and 50% of crushed stone aggregate weight with age up to 28 days. Tests were conducted on fresh and mechanical properties. From the results, it is known that replacement of aggregate using OPS meets fresh properties criteria and although the compressive strength of OPS concrete mixture is lower than normal SCC, OPS still can be an alternative in making SCC and reducing palm oil industrial waste.

Utilization of oil palm biodiesel solid residue as renewable sources for preparation of granular activated carbon by microwave induced KOH activation.

PubMed

Foo, K Y; Hameed, B H

2013-02-01

In this work, preparation of granular activated carbon from oil palm biodiesel solid residue, oil palm shell (PSAC) by microwave assisted KOH activation has been attempted. The physical and chemical properties of PSAC were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, volumetric adsorption analyzer and elemental analysis. The adsorption behavior was examined by performing batch adsorption experiments using methylene blue as dye model compound. Equilibrium data were simulated using the Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models. Kinetic modeling was fitted to the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and Elovich kinetic models, while the adsorption mechanism was determined using the intraparticle diffusion and Boyd equations. The result was satisfactory fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model with a monolayer adsorption capacity of 343.94mg/g at 30°C. The findings support the potential of oil palm shell for preparation of high surface area activated carbon by microwave assisted KOH activation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of conducting core on the dynamics of a compound drop in an AC electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soni, Purushottam; Dixit, Divya; Juvekar, Vinay A.

2017-11-01

Dynamics of 0.1M NaCl/castor oil/silicone oil compound drop in an alternating electric field of frequency 1 Hz was investigated experimentally in a parallel plate electrode cell. A novel yet simple method was used for producing the compound drop with different ratios of the core radius to shell radius. Deformation dynamics under both transient and cyclical steady states were recorded using high-speed imaging. We observed that with an increase in the radius ratio, deformation of the shell increases and that of the core decreases. The temporal deformation of the core always leads that of the shell. The phase lead between the core and the shell is independent of electric field strength and salt concentration in the core but strongly depends on the viscosity of the medium and radius ratio. At a small radius ratio, the breakup of the core is similar to the disintegration of the isolated drop in an infinite fluid; whereas the core attends a diamond-like shape at a high radius ratio before ejecting the small droplets from the tips.

Gravity-directed separation of both immiscible and emulsified oil/water mixtures utilizing coconut shell layer.

PubMed

Li, Jian; Xu, Changcheng; Zhang, Yan; Tang, Xiaohua; Qi, Wei; Wang, Qiong

2018-02-01

Pressure-driven and lower flux of superwetting ultrafiltration membranes in various emulsions separation are long-standing issues and major barriers for their large-scale utilization. Even though currently reported membranes have achieved great success in emulsions separeation, they still suffer from low flux and complex fabrication process resulting from their smaller nanoscale pore size. Herein, utilizition of coconut shell as a novel biomaterial for developing into a layer through the simple smashing, cleaning and stacking procedures, which not only could avoid the complexity of film making process, but also could realize efficient gravity-directed separation of both immiscible oil/water mixtures and water-in-oil emulsions with high flux. Specifically, the layer acted as "water-removing" type filtrate material with excellent underwater superoleophobicity, exhibiting high efficiency for various immiscible oil/water mixtures separation and larger oil intrusion pressure. More importantly, the layer could also serve as adsorbent material with underoil superhydrophilicity, achieving gravity-directed kinds of water-in-oil emulsions separation with high separation efficiency (above 99.99%) and higher flux (above 1620L/m 2 h), even when their pore sizes are larger than that of emulsified droplets. We deeply believe that this study would open up a new strategy for both immiscible oil/water mixtures and water-in-oil emulsions separation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Shell appraising deepwater discovery off Philippines

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

Scherer, M.; Lambers, E.J.T.; Steffens, G.S.

1993-05-10

Shell International Petroleum Co. Ltd. negotiated a farmout in 1990 from Occidental International Exploration and Production Co. for Block SC-38 in the South China Sea off Palawan, Philippines, following Oxy's discovery of gas in 1989 in a Miocene Nido limestone buildup. Under the terms of the farmout agreement, Shell became operator with a 50% share. Following the disappointing well North Iloc 1, Shell was successful in finding oil and gas in Malampaya 1. Water 700-1,000 m deep, remoteness, and adverse weather conditions have imposed major challenges for offshore operations. The paper describes the tectonic setting; the Nido limestone play; themore » Malampaya discovery; and Shell's appraisal studies.« less

Membrane emulsification to produce perfume microcapsules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Xuemiao

Microencapsulation is an efficient technology to deliver perfume oils from consumer products onto the surface of fabrics. Microcapsules having uniform size/mechanical strength, may provide better release performance. Membrane emulsification in a dispersion cell followed by in-situ polymerization was used to prepare narrow size distribution melamine-formaldehyde (MF) microcapsules containing several types of oil-based fragrances or ingredients. Investigated in this study are the parameters impacting to the size and size distribution of the droplets and final MF microcapsules. A pilot plant-scale cross-flow membrane system was also used to produce MF microcapsules, demonstrating that the membrane emulsification process has potential to be scaled up for industrial applications. In this study, health and environmental friendly poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microcapsules with narrow size distribution were also prepared for the first time using the dispersion cell membrane emulsification system. Characterization methods previously used for thin-shell microcapsules were expanded to analyse microcapsules with thick shells. The intrinsic mechanical properties of thick shells were determined using a micromanipulation technique and finite element analysis (FEM). The microcapsules structure was also considered in the determination of the permeability and diffusivity of the perfume oils in good solvents..

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

Kumasaka, Y.

The author analyzed the slowdown in productivity growth since the first oil crisis for about ten industrial sectors in both Japan and the USA and also compared the similarities and differences of their economic performances from the two oil crises. It is assumed that the increase in energy prices was the main cause of the slowdown in productivity growth. The productivity experiences from the two oil crises through the shift of factor price frontier, which was obtained from the cost function, was analyzed. The two oil crises had much responsibility for the slowdown in productivity growth since 1973. However, themore » effects of the oil crises on production were quite different not only among industrial sectors but also between Japan and the USA. The mining sector suffered from the two oil crises most severely in both countries. The Japanese transportation and communication sector and the US communication sector suffered from them least severely. Also studied was the learning effect from the first oil crisis for the Japanese manufacturing and the US commercial sectors. The reason why most of Japanese industrial sectors managed the second oil crisis relatively well was due to the downward flexibility of their real wages during the second oil crisis.« less

Hybrid magnetite nanoparticles/ Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil nanobiosystem with antibiofilm activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chifiriuc, Carmen; Grumezescu, Valentina; Grumezescu, Alexandru Mihai; Saviuc, Crina; Lazăr, Veronica; Andronescu, Ecaterina

2012-04-01

Biofilms formed by fungal organisms are associated with drastically enhanced resistance against most antimicrobial agents, contributing to the persistence of the fungi despite antifungal therapy. The purpose of this study is to combine the unique properties of nanoparticles with the antimicrobial activity of the Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil in order to obtain a nanobiosystem that could be pelliculised on the surface of catheter pieces, in order to obtain an improved resistance to microbial colonization and biofilm development by Candida albicans and C. tropicalis clinical strains. The R. officinalis essential oils were extracted in a Neo-Clevenger type apparatus, and its chemical composition was settled by GC-MS analysis. Functionalized magnetite nanoparticles of up to 20 nm size had been synthesized by precipitation method adapted for microwave conditions, with oleic acid as surfactant. The catheter pieces were coated with suspended core/shell nanoparticles (Fe3O4/oleic acid:CHCl3), by applying a magnetic field on nanofluid, while the CHCl3 diluted essential oil was applied by adsorption in a secondary covering treatment. The fungal adherence ability was investigated in six multiwell plates, in which there have been placed catheters pieces with and without hybrid nanoparticles/essential oil nanobiosystem pellicle, by using culture-based methods and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The R. officinalis essential oil coated nanoparticles strongly inhibited the adherence ability and biofilm development of the C. albicans and C. tropicalis tested strains to the catheter surface, as shown by viable cell counts and CLSM examination. Due to the important implications of C andida spp. in human pathogenesis, especially in prosthetic devices related infections and the emergence of antifungal tolerance/resistance, using the new core/shell/coated shell based on essential oil of R. officinalis to inhibit the fungal adherence could be of a great interest for the biomedical field, opening new directions for the design of film-coated surfaces with antibiofilm properties.

Reference Manual on Interference Seals and Connectors for Undersea Electrical Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-07-01

processes. It has a standard line of metal shell connectors, the ER and EB series, which are available with braided and laced harnass work and breakouts, and...Assemblies (RM) 4-10 4.3.2 Molded Plastic Assemblies (PM) 4-11 4.3.3 Metal Shell Assemblies (MS) 4-12 4.3.4 Pressure-balanced Oil-filled Assemblies...connectors according to material composition. The classes of connectors include: Rubber Molded (RM), Plastic Molded (PM), Metal Shell (MS), Pressure-Balanced

Arctic Oil Spill Mapping and Response Using Unmanned Aerial Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunningham, K. W.

2011-12-01

The University of Alaska Fairbanks works extensively with unmanned aerial systems and various sensor payloads used in mapping. Recent projects with Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum have demonstrated that unmanned aerial systems, including fixed and rotary winged platforms, can provide quick response to oil spill mapping in a variety of flight conditions, including those not well suited for manned aerial systems. We describe this collaborative research between the University and oil companies exploring and developing oil resources in Alaska and the Arctic.

Capacitance Sensor For Nondestructive Determination Of Total Oil Content In Nuts

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Earlier a simple, low cost instrument was designed and assembled in our laboratory, that could estimate the moisture content (MC) of in-shell peanuts (MC range 9% to 20%) and yellow-dent field corn (MC range 7% to 18%). In this method a sample of of in-shell peanuts or corn was placed between a set...

40 CFR 180.589 - Boscalid; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., dried shelled, except soybean, subgroup 6C, except cowpea, field pea and grain lupin 2.5 Pea and bean, succulent shelled, subgroup 6B, except cowpea 0.6 Peanut 0.05 Peanut, meal 0.15 Peanut, refined oil 0.15... Cotton, undelinted seed 0.05 Cowpea, seed 0.1 Flax, seed 3.5 Grain, cereal, forage, fodder and straw...

40 CFR 180.589 - Boscalid; tolerances for residues.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., dried shelled, except soybean, subgroup 6C, except cowpea, field pea and grain lupin 2.5 Pea and bean, succulent shelled, subgroup 6B, except cowpea 0.6 Peanut 0.05 Peanut, meal 0.15 Peanut, refined oil 0.15... Cotton, undelinted seed 0.05 Cowpea, seed 0.1 Flax, seed 3.5 Grain, cereal, forage, fodder and straw...

Corporate social responsibility practices in the Nigerian oil sector: The case of Royal Dutch Shell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rwabizambuga, Alexis

The thesis contributes to the perspective on the role of stakeholder engagement in negotiating corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and practices in developing country context. It critically examines the role of societal pressures as drivers of Shell's CSR agenda, and explores the forms of relationships existing between Shell and its stakeholders in Nigeria, as the company implements its CSR programme, both in the light of its strategic business objectives and of its social responsibilities and environmental liabilities. Furthermore, it examines the role of government in the oil MNCs' CSR agenda, and explores the conditions under which the government, in its dual role as business partner and as state authority, promotes CSR policies and practices in Nigeria. Shell's CSR policies and practices in Nigeria were examined under the theoretical lenses of the resource-based view perspective extended to notions of legitimacy and the licence to operate. Additionally, the stakeholder engagement perspective was applied as the theoretical framework for examining Shell's stakeholder engagement, and the role of the company's stakeholders in negotiating its current CSR policies and practices in Nigeria. Data collection was undertaken during field research in Nigeria. The evidence presented is drawn from individual interviews with corporate executives at Shell Nigeria, Shell International, several stakeholders in the Nigerian oil sector, and from an online survey conducted in 2005 on Shell Nigeria's stakeholders. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used throughout the analysis presented in the thesis. The research findings suggest that the relationship between the firm's pursuit of the social licence to operate through CSR initiatives and stakeholder engagement is more complex than assumed. It adds to the understanding of the dynamics of a MNC's stakeholder engagement in the local context. It highlights the various interdependencies that develop between stakeholder groups and the company at the institutional level as well as within the context of the organisation, as the corporation develops and implements its CSR agenda. As such, the research invites an examination not just of the differences and barriers existing between the firm and its stakeholders, home and host country practices, but also of the ways in which they are embedded in each other, and how this affects their collaboration.

New polyurethane/docosane microcapsules as phase-change materials for thermal energy storage.

PubMed

Felix De Castro, Paula; Shchukin, Dmitry G

2015-07-27

Polyurethane microcapsules were prepared by mini-emulsion interfacial polymerization for encapsulation of phase-change material (n-docosane) for energy storage. Three steps were followed with the aim to optimize synthesis conditions of the microcapsules. First, polyurethane microcapsules based on silicone oil core as an inert template with different silicone oil/poly(ethylene glycol)/4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate wt % ratio were synthesized. The surface morphology of the capsules was analyzed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and the chemical nature of the shell was monitored by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Capsules with the silicone oil/poly(ethylene glycol)/4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate 10/20/20 wt % ratio showed the best morphological features and shell stability with average particle size about 4 μm, and were selected for the microencapsulation of the n-docosane. In the second stage, half of the composition of silicone oil was replaced with n-docosane and, finally, the whole silicone oil content was replaced with docosane following the same synthetic procedure used for silicone oil containing capsules. Thermal and cycling stability of the capsules were investigated by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and the phase-change behavior was evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Waste cockle shell as natural catalyst for biodiesel production from jatropha oil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadi, Norulakmal Nor; Idrus, Nur Afini; Ghafar, Faridah; Salleh, Marmy Roshaidah Mohd

2017-12-01

Due to the increasing of industrialization and modernization of the world, the demand of petroleum has risen rapidly. The increasing demand for energy and environmental awareness has prompted many researches to embark on alternative fuel platforms that are environmentally acceptable. In this study, jatropha oil was used to produce biodiesel by a new transesterification routine in which cockle shell was used as source of heterogeneous catalyst. The investigation showed the catalyst that was calcined at temperature of 800 °C has the optimum capability to produce high yield. The highest yield of biodiesel production of 93.20 % were obtained by using 1.5 wt% of catalyst. The reaction was conducted at a temperature of 65 °C with the optimum methanol to oil ratio of 6:1. It was found that the physical properties of the biodiesel produced were significant to ASTM standard of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME).

Synthesis of solid catalyst from egg shell waste and clay for biodiesel production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiadji, S.; Sundari, C. D. D.; Munir, M.; Fitriyah, S.

2018-05-01

Until now, energy consumption in Indonesia is almost entirely fulfilled by fossil fuels, thus, its availability will be limited and continue to decrease. To overcome these problems, development and utilization of renewable energy are required, one of which is biodiesel. Biodiesel can be prepared through transesterification reaction of vegetable oil using catalyst. In this research, a solid catalyst for biodiesel synthesis was prepared from chicken egg shell waste and clay. Optimization of the transesterification reaction of coconut (Cocos nucifera) oil to obtain biodiesel was also carried out. The formation of CaO/kaolin catalyst was confirmed based on the results of XRD and SEM-EDS. This catalyst is suitable for biodiesel synthesis from vegetable oils with lower FFA (free fatty acid) levels, i.e. coconut oil with FFA level of 0.18%. Based on FTIR result, FFA level and flame tests, it was found that biodiesel was successfully formed. Synthesis of biodiesel has the optimum conditions on reaction time of 16 hours and temperature of 64 °C, with oil: methanol ratio of 1: 15 and CaO/kaolin catalyst concentration of 0.9% in a reflux system.

The political economy of oil and the Niger Delta crisis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ighodaro, Osaro O.

This study is about the burgeoning crisis in Nigeria's Oil Producing Niger Delta region. Discerning the intersecting contributive factors to the crisis, this dissertation suggests that the Niger Delta crisis is symptomatic of challenges to development in Nigeria. Due to the insidious colonial/neo-colonial practices of subjugation, and exploitation of the host communities, it is suggested that the extractive, super-profit motive of Shell, the concomitant environmental degradation, corruption of a bellicose state, ethnic conflict and suffering of the masses are outcomes of a long historically debilitating relationship with international capital which causes irreparable retardation to the host communities. From cash crop economy to a mono-oil economy resources are removed from the communities and used to enhance the colonial state and their post-colonial harbingers of misery. Hence, the indigenous people claim that the Niger Delta is in a crisis, and they are willing to confront the triple alliance of multinational oil companies like Shell, the Nigerian State and the local elite so long as these allies of subjugation continue to neglect the goose that lays the proverbial golden egg (oil that is). Theoretically, a hybrid Political Economy approach was adopted as the over-aching framework for the study, while Dependency theory, modified by what I have called African Transformative scholarly perspective, served as the conceptual tool. Primary and secondary sources of data, including personal observation, interviews, official government documents and other publications were utilized for this analysis. In view of recommendations, it is suggested that first, the Nigerian state should assume decisive and unflinching leadership in holding oil companies responsible for their activities in the host communities; second, oil companies (like Shell) should see themselves as an integral part of the host communities; invest in their development by providing employment opportunities and adhering to humane environmental practices. Finally, I suggest that the ownership and control of all resources, including oil should be vested in those communities in which they are found. The revenues accruing to the constitutive states of Nigeria will be accordingly taxed with the revenues from the taxes utilized for the general good of the polity especially the less endowed communities.

Development, identification and validation of CAPS marker for SHELL trait which governs dura, pisifera and tenera fruit forms in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)

PubMed Central

Babu, B. Kalyana; Mathur, R. K.; Kumar, P. Naveen; Ramajayam, D.; Ravichandran, G.; Venu, M. V. B.; Babu, S. Sparjan

2017-01-01

The oil palm fruit forms (dura, pisifera and tenera) governed by the shell thickness gene (Sh) plays a major role in identification of fruit type and also influences palm oil yield. Identification of desired fruit type is a major asset to the breeders and oil palm workers for applications in breeding, seed certification and to reduce time, space and money spent on identification of fruit form. In the present study, we developed Sh gene specific primer pairs and bulk segregant analysis was done using 300 genomic and 8 genic SSR markers. We identified one cleaved amplified polymorphic site (CAPS) marker for differentiation of oil palm fruit type which produced two alleles (280 and 250bp) in dura genotypes, three alleles in tenera genotypes (550, 280, and 250bp) and one allele in pisifera genotypes (550bp). The shell allele sequencing results showed that two SNPs were present, of which SNP2 contributed for variation of fruit forms. The nucleotide ‘A’ was present in only dura genotypes, where as ‘T’ was present only in pisifera genotypes, which in turn led to the change of amino acid lysine to aspargine. The identified CAPS marker was validated on 300 dura, 25 pisifera and 80 tenera genotypes, 80 dura/ pisifera cross progenies and 60 lines of tenera/ tenera cross progeny. Association mapping of marker data with phenotypic data of eight oil yield related traits resulted in identification of seven significant QTLs by GLM approach, four by MLM approach at a significant threshold (P) level of 0.001. Significant QTLs were identified for fruit to bunch and oil to bunch traits, which explained R2 of 12.9% and 11.5% respectively. The CAPS marker used in the present study facilitate selection and timely distribution of desirable high yielding tenera sprouts to the farmers instead of waiting for 4–5 years. This saves a lot of land, time and money which will be a major breakthrough to the oil palm community. PMID:28192462

Specification of a new de-stoner machine: evaluation of machining effects on olive paste's rheology and olive oil yield and quality.

PubMed

Romaniello, Roberto; Leone, Alessandro; Tamborrino, Antonia

2017-01-01

An industrial prototype of a partial de-stoner machine was specified, built and implemented in an industrial olive oil extraction plant. The partial de-stoner machine was compared to the traditional mechanical crusher to assess its quantitative and qualitative performance. The extraction efficiency of the olive oil extraction plant, olive oil quality, sensory evaluation and rheological aspects were investigated. The results indicate that by using the partial de-stoner machine the extraction plant did not show statistical differences with respect to the traditional mechanical crushing. Moreover, the partial de-stoner machine allowed recovery of 60% of olive pits and the oils obtained were characterised by more marked green fruitiness, flavour and aroma than the oils produced using the traditional processing systems. The partial de-stoner machine removes the limitations of the traditional total de-stoner machine, opening new frontiers for the recovery of pits to be used as biomass. Moreover, the partial de-stoner machine permitted a significant reduction in the viscosity of the olive paste. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

FASP, an analytic resource appraisal program for petroleum play analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crovelli, R.A.; Balay, R.H.

1986-01-01

An analytic probabilistic methodology for resource appraisal of undiscovered oil and gas resources in play analysis is presented in a FORTRAN program termed FASP. This play-analysis methodology is a geostochastic system for petroleum resource appraisal in explored as well as frontier areas. An established geologic model considers both the uncertainty of the presence of the assessed hydrocarbon and its amount if present. The program FASP produces resource estimates of crude oil, nonassociated gas, dissolved gas, and gas for a geologic play in terms of probability distributions. The analytic method is based upon conditional probability theory and many laws of expectation and variance. ?? 1986.

Biomass-based palm shell activated carbon and palm shell carbon molecular sieve as gas separation adsorbents.

PubMed

Sethupathi, Sumathi; Bashir, Mohammed Jk; Akbar, Zinatizadeh Ali; Mohamed, Abdul Rahman

2015-04-01

Lignocellulosic biomass has been widely recognised as a potential low-cost source for the production of high added value materials and proved to be a good precursor for the production of activated carbons. One of such valuable biomasses used for the production of activated carbons is palm shell. Palm shell (endocarp) is an abundant by-product produced from the palm oil industries throughout tropical countries. Palm shell activated carbon and palm shell carbon molecular sieve has been widely applied in various environmental pollution control technologies, mainly owing to its high adsorption performance, well-developed porosity and low cost, leading to potential applications in gas-phase separation using adsorption processes. This mini-review represents a comprehensive overview of the palm shell activated carbon and palm shell carbon molecular sieve preparation method, physicochemical properties and feasibility of palm shell activated carbon and palm shell carbon molecular sieve in gas separation processes. Some of the limitations are outlined and suggestions for future improvements are pointed out. © The Author(s) 2015.

One-pot synthesis of iniferter-bound polystyrene core nanoparticles for the controlled grafting of multilayer shells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchyk, Nataliya; Maximilien, Jacqueline; Beyazit, Selim; Haupt, Karsten; Sum Bui, Bernadette Tse

2014-02-01

A novel approach using one-pot synthesis for the production of uniform, iniferter-bound polystyrene core nanoparticles of size 30-40 nm is described. Conventional oil-in-water emulsion polymerisation of styrene and divinylbenzene, combining a hybrid initiation system (thermal and UV), triggered sequentially, was employed to form the surface-bound thiocarbamate iniferters in situ. The iniferter cores were then used as seeds for re-initiating further polymerisation by UV irradiation to produce water-compatible core-shell nanoparticles. Grafting of various shell-types is demonstrated: linear polymers of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) brushes, crosslinked polymers bearing different surface charges and molecularly imprinted polymers. The shell thickness was readily tuned by varying the monomers' concentration and polymerisation time. Our method is straightforward and in addition, gives access to the preparation of fluorescent seeds and the possibility of grafting nanosized multiple shells. The core-shell nanoparticles were fully characterised by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and microelemental analysis.A novel approach using one-pot synthesis for the production of uniform, iniferter-bound polystyrene core nanoparticles of size 30-40 nm is described. Conventional oil-in-water emulsion polymerisation of styrene and divinylbenzene, combining a hybrid initiation system (thermal and UV), triggered sequentially, was employed to form the surface-bound thiocarbamate iniferters in situ. The iniferter cores were then used as seeds for re-initiating further polymerisation by UV irradiation to produce water-compatible core-shell nanoparticles. Grafting of various shell-types is demonstrated: linear polymers of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) brushes, crosslinked polymers bearing different surface charges and molecularly imprinted polymers. The shell thickness was readily tuned by varying the monomers' concentration and polymerisation time. Our method is straightforward and in addition, gives access to the preparation of fluorescent seeds and the possibility of grafting nanosized multiple shells. The core-shell nanoparticles were fully characterised by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and microelemental analysis. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr05295h

Novel highly dispersible, thermally stable core/shell proppants for geothermal applications

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

Childers, Ian M.; Endres, Mackenzie; Burns, Carolyne

The use of proppants during reservoir stimulation in tight oil and gas plays requires the introduction of highly viscous fluids to transport the proppants (µm–mm) with the fracturing fluid. The highly viscous fluids required result in increased pump loads and energy costs. Furthermore, although proppant deployment with fracturing fluids is a standard practice for unconventional oil and gas stimulation operations, there are only a few examples in the US of the applying proppant technology to geothermal energy production. This is due to proppant dissolution, proppant flowback and loss of permeability associated with the extreme temperatures found in enhanced geothermal systemsmore » (EGS). This work demonstrates proof-of-concept of a novel, CO2-responsive, lightweight sintered-bauxite/polymer core/shell proppant. The polymer shell has two main roles; 1) increase the stability of the proppant dispersion in water without the addition of rheology modifiers, and 2) once at the fracture network react with CO2 to promote particle aggregation and prop fractures open. In this work, both of these roles are demonstrated together with the thermal and chemical stability of the materials showing the potential of these CO2-responsive proppants as an alternative proppant technology for geothermal and unconventional oil/gas applications.« less

The effect of oxide shell thickness on the structural, electronic, and optical properties of Si-SiO{sub 2} core-shell nano-crystals: A (time dependent)density functional theory study

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

Nazemi, Sanaz, E-mail: s.nazemi@ut.ac.ir, E-mail: pourfath@ut.ac.ir; Soleimani, Ebrahim Asl; Pourfath, Mahdi, E-mail: s.nazemi@ut.ac.ir, E-mail: pourfath@ut.ac.ir

2016-04-14

Due to their tunable properties, silicon nano-crystals (NC) are currently being investigated. Quantum confinement can generally be employed for size-dependent band-gap tuning at dimensions smaller than the Bohr radius (∼5 nm for silicon). At the nano-meter scale, however, increased surface-to-volume ratio makes the surface effects dominant. Specifically, in Si-SiO{sub 2} core-shell semiconductor NCs the interfacial transition layer causes peculiar electronic and optical properties, because of the co-existence of intermediate oxidation states of silicon (Si{sup n+}, n = 0–4). Due to the presence of the many factors involved, a comprehensive understanding of the optical properties of these NCs has not yet been achieved. Inmore » this work, Si-SiO{sub 2} NCs with a diameter of 1.1 nm and covered by amorphous oxide shells with thicknesses between 2.5 and 4.75 Å are comprehensively studied, employing density functional theory calculations. It is shown that with increased oxide shell thickness, the low-energy part of the optical transition spectrum of the NC is red shifted and attenuated. Moreover, the absorption coefficient is increased in the high-energy part of the spectrum which corresponds to SiO{sub 2} transitions. Structural examinations indicate a larger compressive stress on the central silicon cluster with a thicker oxide shell. Examination of the local density of states reveals the migration of frontier molecular orbitals from the oxide shell into the silicon core with the increase of silica shell thickness. The optical and electrical properties are explained through the analysis of the density of states and the spatial distribution of silicon sub-oxide species.« less

Dewatering and low-temperature pyrolysis of oily sludge in the presence of various agricultural biomasses.

PubMed

Zhao, Song; Zhou, Xiehong; Wang, Chuanyi; Jia, Hanzhong

2017-08-24

Pyrolysis is potentially an effective treatment of waste oil residues for recovery of petroleum hydrocarbons, and the addition of biomass is expected to improve its dewatering and pyrolysis behavior. In this study, the dewatering and low-temperature co-pyrolysis of oil-containing sludge in the presence of various agricultural biomasses, such as rice husk, walnut shell, sawdust, and apricot shell, were explored. As a result, the water content gradually decreases with the increase of biomass addition within 0-1.0 wt % in original oily sludge. Comparatively, the dewatering efficiency of sludge in the presence of four types of biomasses follows the order of apricot shell > walnut shell > rice husk > sawdust. On the other hand, rice husk and sawdust are relatively more efficient in the recovery of petroleum hydrocarbons compared with walnut shell and apricot shell. The recovery efficiency generally increased with the increase in the biomass content in the range of 0-0.2 wt %, then exhibited a gradually decreasing trend with the increase in the biomass content from 0.2 to 1.0 wt %. The results suggest that optimum amount of biomass plays an important role in the recovery efficiency. In addition, the addition of biomass (such as rice husk) also promotes the formation of C x H y and CO, increasing the calorific value of pyrolysis residue, and controlled the pollution components of the exhaust gas discharged from residue incineration. The present work implies that biomass as addictive holds great potential in the industrial dewatering and pyrolysis of oil-containing sludge.

Effects of oil and bioremediation on mussel (Mytilus edulis L.) growth in mudflats.

PubMed

Le Floch, S; Guyomarch, J; Merlin, F; Børseth, J F; Le Corre, P; Lee, K

2003-10-01

Mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) were exposed to crude oil during a field experiment to evaluate two bioremediation strategies (nutrient addition and nutrient addition with tilling). The mussels were placed in 4 mesocosms: Control, Oil, Oil + Nutrients, and Oil + Nutrients + Tilled. Tilling appeared to be clearly detrimental to mussel growth. Additionally, this field experiment demonstrated that at temperatures below 5 degrees C, growth was reduced to rates undetectable by the laser diffraction method. The data on mussel shell length show that this technique does offer very sensitive and useful comparative measurements of physiological function. Measurement of shell growth has the advantage over other techniques in that it is non-invasive and non-destructive and thus may be used continuously without disturbing critical physiological and biochemical functions; however, bivalve physiology is strongly linked to environmental conditions, so it is important to include such measures (i.e. seawater temperature and turbidity) in the design of the biomonitoring program. Elevated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels reflected bioaccumulation in mussels from all the oiled mesocosms. This correlated with reduction in growth rate. Maximum reduction in growth was observed in mussels from the tilled mesocosm which contained the lowest phenanthrene and dibenzothiophene concentrations. The tilling caused an increase in suspended solids which inhibited filter feeding activity, and resulted in suppressed growth and slower intake of PAH-laden sediment.

Thermoresponsive Microcarriers for Smart Release of Hydrate Inhibitors under Shear Flow.

PubMed

Lee, Sang Seok; Park, Juwoon; Seo, Yutaek; Kim, Shin-Hyun

2017-05-24

The hydrate formation in subsea pipelines can cause oil and gas well blowout. To avoid disasters, various chemical inhibitors have been developed to prevent or delay the hydrate formation and growth. Nevertheless, direct injection of the inhibitors results in environmental contamination and cross-suppression of inhibition performance in the presence of other inhibitors against corrosion and/or formation of scale, paraffin, and asphaltene. Here, we suggest a new class of microcarriers that encapsulate hydrate inhibitors at high concentration and release them on demand without active external triggering. The key to the success in microcarrier design lies in the temperature dependence of polymer brittleness. The microcarriers are microfluidically created to have an inhibitor-laden water core and polymer shell by employing water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double-emulsion drops as a template. As the polymeric shell becomes more brittle at a lower temperature, there is an optimum range of shell thickness that renders the shell unstable at temperature responsible for hydrate formation under a constant shear flow. We precisely control the shell thickness relative to the radius by microfluidics and figure out the optimum range. The microcarriers with the optimum shell thickness are selectively ruptured by shear flow only at hydrate formation temperature and release the hydrate inhibitors. We prove that the released inhibitors effectively retard the hydrate formation without reduction of their performance. The microcarriers that do not experience the hydration formation temperature retain the inhibitors, which can be easily separated from ruptured ones for recycling by exploiting the density difference. Therefore, the use of microcarriers potentially minimizes the environmental damages.

Cenosphere formation from heavy fuel oil: a numerical analysis accounting for the balance between porous shells and internal pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reddy, Vanteru M.; Rahman, Mustafa M.; Gandi, Appala N.; Elbaz, Ayman M.; Schrecengost, Robert A.; Roberts, William L.

2016-01-01

Heavy fuel oil (HFO) as a fuel in industrial and power generation plants ensures the availability of energy at economy. Coke and cenosphere emissions from HFO combustion need to be controlled by particulate control equipment such as electrostatic precipitators, and collection effectiveness is impacted by the properties of these particulates. The cenosphere formation is a function of HFO composition, which varies depending on the source of the HFO. Numerical modelling of the cenosphere formation mechanism presented in this paper is an economical method of characterising cenosphere formation potential for HFO in comparison to experimental analysis of individual HFO samples, leading to better control and collection. In the present work, a novel numerical model is developed for understanding the global cenosphere formation mechanism. The critical diameter of the cenosphere is modelled based on the balance between two pressures developed in an HFO droplet. First is the pressure (Prpf) developed at the interface of the liquid surface and the inner surface of the accumulated coke due to the flow restriction of volatile components from the interior of the droplet. Second is the pressure due to the outer shell strength (PrC) gained from van der Walls energy of the coke layers and surface energy. In this present study it is considered that when PrC ≥ Prpf the outer shell starts to harden. The internal motion in the shell layer ceases and the outer diameter (DSOut) of the shell is then fixed. The entire process of cenosphere formation in this study is analysed in three phases: regression, shell formation and hardening, and post shell hardening. Variations in pressures during shell formation are analysed. Shell (cenosphere) dimensions are evaluated at the completion of droplet evaporation. The rate of fuel evaporation, rate of coke formation and coke accumulation are analysed. The model predicts shell outer diameters of 650, 860 and 1040 µm, and inner diameters are 360, 410 and 430 µm respectively, for 700, 900 and 1100 µm HFO droplets. The present numerical model is validated with experimental results available from the literature. Total variation between computational and experimental results is in the range of 3-7%.

Phenolic profile and antioxidant activity from non-toxic Mexican Jatropha curcas L. shell methanolic extracts.

PubMed

Perea-Domínguez, Xiomara Patricia; Espinosa-Alonso, Laura Gabriela; Hosseinian, Farah; HadiNezhad, Mehri; Valdez-Morales, Maribel; Medina-Godoy, Sergio

2017-03-01

Jatropha curcas seed shells are the by-product obtained during oil extraction process. Recently, its chemical composition has gained attention since its potential applications. The aim of this study was to identify phenolic compounds profile from a non-toxic J. curcas shell from Mexico, besides, evaluate J. curcas shell methanolic extract (JcSME) antioxidant activity. Free, conjugate and bound phenolics were fractionated and quantified (606.7, 193.32 and 909.59 μg/g shell, respectively) and 13 individual phenolic compounds were detected by HPLC. The radical-scavenging activity of JcSME was similar to Trolox and ascorbic acid by DPPH assay while by ABTS assay it was similar to BHT. Effective antioxidant capacity by ORAC was found (426.44 ± 53.39 μmol Trolox equivalents/g shell). The Mexican non-toxic J. curcas shell is rich in phenolic compounds with high antioxidant activity; hence, it could be considerate as a good source of natural antioxidants.

Refinery Capacity Report

EIA Publications

2017-01-01

Data series include fuel, electricity, and steam purchased for consumption at the refinery; refinery receipts of crude oil by method of transportation; and current and projected atmospheric crude oil distillation, downstream charge, and production capacities. Respondents are operators of all operating and idle petroleum refineries (including new refineries under construction) and refineries shut down during the previous year, located in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and other U.S. possessions. The Refinery Capacity Report does not contain working and shell storage capacity data. This data is now being collected twice a year as of March 31 and September 30 on the Form EIA-810, "Monthly Refinery Report", and is now released as a separate report Working and Net Available Shell Storage Capacity.

Current Soviet exploration plays: Success and potential

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

Grace, J.D.

1991-03-01

Soviet hydrocarbon exploration in the 1980s took four distinct directions. First was extension exploration and the search for smaller new fields in discrete traps in traditional producing regions, such as the Apsheron Peninsula, North Caucasus, and Volga-Urals. This strategy produced a large number of small discoveries close to established infrastructure. Second was new field exploration in West Siberia in the stratigraphically complex Jurassic and the lower Neocomian sections. Third was expansion of the prolific gas plays in northern West Siberia. Exploratory success in West Siberia has created a backlog of several hundred discoveries awaiting full delineation and development. Most ofmore » these fields are distant from the established oil production center in the Middle Ob region and, therefore, may remain in inventory. Fourth was initial tests of new exploration frontiers, most important, the Paleozoic and Mesozoic plays of the Barents and Kara seas and the subsalt plays of the North Caspian basin. While these plays have yielded very important discoveries, significant technological barriers impede their development. The outlook for Soviet oil exploration in the 1990s is for significant opportunities for discovery of large volumes of oil, but at radically increasing exploration and production costs. In established regions, these costs arise from small field sizes and low well productivities. In frontier regions, exploitation of new fields will require technology not currently available in the USSR. The outlook for gas exploration continues to be very bright, as the onshore northern West Siberia is not fully explored and initial results from the Barents and Kara seas promise more very large gas discoveries.« less

Brassicaceae seed oil identified as illuminant in Nilotic shells from a first millennium AD Coptic church in Bawit, Egypt.

PubMed

Romanus, Kerlijne; Van Neer, Wim; Marinova, Elena; Verbeke, Kristin; Luypaerts, Anja; Accardo, Sabina; Hermans, Ive; Jacobs, Pierre; De Vos, Dirk; Waelkens, Marc

2008-01-01

Burned greasy deposits were found inside shells of the large Nile bivalve Chambardia rubens, excavated in an eight- to tenth- century AD church of the Coptic monastery of Bawit, Egypt, and supposedly used as oil lamps. The residues were subjected to a combination of chromatographic residue analysis techniques. The rather high concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids, as analysed by gas chromatography (GC) in the methylated extract, suggest the presence of a vegetal oil. Analysis of the stable carbon isotopes (delta 13C values) of the methyl esters also favoured plants over animals as the lipid source. In the search for biomarkers by GC coupled to mass spectrometry on a silylated extract, a range of diacids together with high concentrations of 13,14-dihydroxydocosanoate and 11,12-dihydroxyeicosanoate were found. These compounds are oxidation products of erucic acid and gondoic acid, which are abundantly present in seeds of Brassicaceae plants. Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry analysis showed low concentrations of unaltered triglycerides, but revealed sizeable amounts of triglycerides with at least one dihydroxylated acyl chain. The unusual preservation of dihydroxylated triglycerides and alpha,omega-dicarboxylic acids can be related to the dry preservation conditions. Analysis of the stereoisomers of the dihydroxylated fatty acids allows one to determine whether oxidation took place during burning of the fuel or afterwards. The results prove that the oil of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) or radish (Raphanus sativus L.) was used as illuminant in early Islamic Egypt, and that not only ceramic lamps but also mollusk shells were used as fuel containers.

Engineering and sustainability aspect of palm oil shell powder in cement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karim, Mohammad Razaul; Hossain, Md. Moktar; Yusoff, Sumiani Binti

2017-06-01

Palm oil shell (POS) is a waste material which significantly produced in palm oil mills. In current practice, this waste is dumped in open land or landfill sites or is used as fuel to run a steam turbine of a boiler, which leads to environmental pollutions. The characterization, engineering and sustainability aspect of this waste for using in cement-based applications lead to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and cost, save natural resources for cement production and also sustainable usage of waste material. The characterization was carried out using particle size analyzer, XRF, SEM and total organic carbon analyzer. ASTM standard methods were used to observe the setting time and water for normal consistency. The compressive strength of palm oil shell powder (POSP) blended cement was explored with the water to cement and cement to sand ratio of 0.40 and 0.50, respectively up to 40% replacement levels of OPC. Result found that the setting time and water demand were increased, but compressive strength was decreased to replacement levels. However, the incorporation of POSP in cement was reduced 9.6% of CO2 emission, 25 % of the cost and save natural resource, i.e. limestone, clay, iron ore, silica shale and gypsum of 35.1%, 4.95%, 0.9%, 4.05 % and 1.2 %, respectively at 30% replacement level of OPC. The results of this extensive study on POSP characterization, effect on basic cement properties and sustainability aspect provide the guidance for using the POSP at industrial scale for cement production.

Optimization of temperature and time for drying and carbonization to increase calorific value of coconut shell using Taguchi method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musabbikhah, Saptoadi, H.; Subarmono, Wibisono, M. A.

2016-03-01

Fossil fuel still dominates the needs of energy in Indonesia for the past few years. The increasing scarcity of oil and gas from non-renewable materials results in an energy crisis. This condition turns to be a serious problem for society which demands immediate solution. One effort which can be taken to overcome this problem is the utilization and processing of biomass as renewable energy by means of carbonization. Thus, it can be used as qualified raw material for production of briquette. In this research, coconut shell is used as carbonized waste. The research aims at improving the quality of coconut shell as the material for making briquettes as cheap and eco-friendly renewable energy. At the end, it is expected to decrease dependence on oil and gas. The research variables are drying temperature and time, carbonization time and temperature. The dependent variable is calorific value of the coconut shell. The method used in this research is Taguchi Method. The result of the research shows thus variables, have a significant contribution on the increase of coconut shell's calorific value. It is proven that the higher thus variables are higher calorific value. Before carbonization, the average calorific value of coconut shell reaches 4,667 call/g, and a significant increase is notable after the carbonization. The optimization is parameter setting of A2B3C3D3, which means that the drying temperature is 105 °C, the drying time is 24 hours, the carbonization temperature is 650 °C and carbonization time is 120 minutes. The average calorific value is approximately 7,744 cal/g. Therefore, the increase of the coconut shell's calorific value after the carbonization is 3,077 cal/g or approximately 60 %. The charcoal of carbonized coconut shell has met the requirement of SNI, thus it can be used as raw material in making briquette which can eventually be used as cheap and environmental friendly fuel.

Oil palm monoculture induces drastic erosion of an Amazonian forest mammal fauna

PubMed Central

Maués, Paula Cristina R. de A.; Oliveira, Geovana Linhares; Mineiro, Ivo G. B.; de Maria, Susanne L. Silva; Lima, Renata C. S.

2017-01-01

Oil palm monoculture comprises one of the most financially attractive land-use options in tropical forests, but cropland suitability overlaps the distribution of many highly threatened vertebrate species. We investigated how forest mammals respond to a landscape mosaic, including mature oil palm plantations and primary forest patches in Eastern Amazonia. Using both line-transect censuses (LTC) and camera-trapping (CT), we quantified the general patterns of mammal community structure and attempted to identify both species life-history traits and the environmental and spatial covariates that govern species intolerance to oil palm monoculture. Considering mammal species richness, abundance, and species composition, oil palm plantations were consistently depauperate compared to the adjacent primary forest, but responses differed between functional groups. The degree of forest habitat dependency was a leading trait, determining compositional dissimilarities across habitats. Considering both the LTC and CT data, distance from the forest-plantation interface had a significant effect on mammal assemblages within each habitat type. Approximately 87% of all species detected within oil palm were never farther than 1300 m from the forest edge. Our study clearly reinforces the notion that conventional oil palm plantations are extremely hostile to native tropical forest biodiversity, which does not bode well given prospects for oil palm expansion in both aging and new Amazonian deforestation frontiers. PMID:29117202

Wind Turbine Gearbox Oil Filtration and Condition Monitoring

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

Sheng, Shuangwen

This is an invited presentation for a pre-conference workshop, titled advances and opportunities in lubrication: wind turbine, at the 2015 Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) Tribology Frontiers Conference held in Denver, CO. It gives a brief overview of wind turbine gearbox oil filtration and condition monitoring by highlighting typical industry practices and challenges. The presentation starts with an introduction by covering recent growth of global wind industry, reliability challenges, benefits of oil filtration and condition monitoring, and financial incentives to conduct wind operation and maintenance research, which includes gearbox oil filtration and condition monitoring work presented herein. Then,more » the presentation moves on to oil filtration by stressing the benefits of filtration, discussing typical main- and offline-loop practices, highlighting important factors considered when specifying a filtration system, and illustrating real-world application challenges through a cold-start example. In the next section on oil condition monitoring, a discussion on oil sample analysis, oil debris monitoring, oil cleanliness measurements and filter analysis is given based on testing results mostly obtained by and at NREL, and by pointing out a few challenges with oil sample analysis. The presentation concludes with a brief touch on future research and development (R and D) opportunities. It is hoping that the information presented can inform the STLE community to start or redirect their R and D work to help the wind industry advance.« less

New oil and gas province of Russia

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

Gramberg, I.S.; Shcola, A.I.

1994-12-31

Geological and geophysical researches and exploration works conducted in the Russian Arctic offshore during the last two decades indicate the presence of extensive sedimentary basins. The data coverage in this vast continental margin is uneven, and the reliability of hydrocarbon prediction varies significantly from one basin to the next. Nevertheless, the existence of a major frontier Barents-Northern Kara Oil and Gas Province (BNKP) is quite evident. The BNKP encompasses the Barents Sea and the Northern Kara Sea subbottom, the islands along the shelf edge, the Kola Peninsula shelf, the Arkhangelsk coastal territory, and a large part of the northernmost Komimore » Republic. The total area of BNKP is close to 1,500,000 sq. km, and the sediments in the deepest depocenter (South Barents Basin) reach 16--18 km. Vast areal extent, great thickness of sedimentary cover, favorable conditions for oil and gas generation and accumulation, presence of oil and gas fields in all major sequences suggest a very high hydrocarbon potential for the BNKP.« less

An economically viable synthesis of biodiesel from a crude Millettia pinnata oil of Jharkhand, India as feedstock and crab shell derived catalyst.

PubMed

Madhu, Devarapaga; Chavan, Supriya B; Singh, Veena; Singh, Bhaskar; Sharma, Yogesh C

2016-08-01

Biodiesel has emerged as a prominent source to replace petroleum diesel. The cost incurred in the production of biodiesel is higher than that for refining of crude oil to obtain mineral diesel. The heterogeneous catalyst was prepared from crab shells by calcining the crushed mass at 800°C. The solid waste catalyst was characterized with XRD, XPS, BET, SEM-EDS, and FT-IR. Millettia pinnata (karanja) oil extracted from its seeds was used as a feedstock for the synthesis of biodiesel. Biodiesel was synthesized through esterification followed by transesterification in a two-step process. Characterization of biodiesel was done using proton NMR spectroscopy. Reaction parameters such as reaction time, reaction temperature, concentration of catalyst and stirrer speed were optimized. Reusability of catalyst was checked and found that there was no loss of catalytic activity up to five times. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Comparison of laboratory and in-situ measurements of waterflood residual oil saturations for the Cormorant field

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

van Poelgeest, F.; Niko, H.; Modwid, A.R.

1991-03-01

Shell Expro and Koninklijke/Shell E and P Laboratorium (KSEPL) have been engaged in a multidisciplinary effort to determine the water flood residual oil saturation (ROS) in two principal reservoirs of the Cormorant oil field in the U.K. sector of the North Sea. Data acquisition included special coring and testing. The study, which involved new reservoir-engineering and petrophysical techniques, was aimed at establishing consistent ROS values. This paper reports that reservoir-engineering work centered on reservoir-condition corefloods in the relative-permeability-at-reservoir-conditions (REPARC) apparatus, in which restoration of representative wettability condition was attempted with the aging technique. Aging results in a consistent reduction ofmore » water-wetness of all core samples. The study indicated that ROS values obtained on aged cores at water throughputs of at least 5 PV represented reservoir conditions. The petrophysical part of the study involved ROS estimation from sponge-core analysis and log evaluation.« less

Preparation of multifunctional polysaccharide microcontainers for lipophilic bioactive agents.

PubMed

Borodina, Tatiana N; Grigoriev, Dmitry O; Carillo, Maria A; Hartmann, Jürgen; Moehwald, Helmuth; Shchukin, Dmitry G

2014-05-14

Chitosan/xanthan gum microcontainers with a core-shell structure formed due to chemical interactions between polysaccharide chains induced by ultrasonication are presented. Containers were prepared by sonication of water-immiscible (oil-like) liquids in the solution of polysaccharides. One-step fabrication of the container permanent shell is possible, because of the contribution of ultrasonically caused formation of hydrogen bonds and amide linkages. We synthesized containers in a wide size range from 350 nm to 7500 nm, varying in oil/water ratio. The microcontainers were modified with oppositely charged polyelectrolytes and microparticles, which could be used to impart the specified properties to the system. The biocide 4,5-dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazoline-3-one (DCOIT) was loaded into the proposed containers by utilizing its solution as an oil phase. The following incorporation of the DCOIT containers into the polymer coating demonstrated more sustained antimicrobial activity (∼30%) of the biocide in the encapsulated state, compared to its non-encapsulated form.

The Potential of Palm Oil Waste Biomass in Indonesia in 2020 and 2030

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hambali, E.; Rivai, M.

2017-05-01

During replanting activity in oil palm plantation, biomass including palm frond and trunk are produced. In palm oil mills, during the conversion process of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) into crude palm oil (CPO), several kinds of waste including empty fruit bunch (EFB), mesocarp fiber (MF), palm kernel shell (PKS), palm kernel meal (PKM), and palm oil mills effluent (POME) are produced. The production of these wastes is abundant as oil palm plantation area, FFB production, and palm oil mills spread all over 22 provinces in Indonesia. These wastes are still economical as they can be utilized as sources of alternative fuel, fertilizer, chemical compounds, and biomaterials. Therefore, breakthrough studies need to be done in order to improve the added value of oil palm, minimize the waste, and make oil palm industry more sustainable.

Utilization of waste crab shell (Scylla serrata) as a catalyst in palm olein transesterification.

PubMed

Boey, Peng-Lim; Maniam, Gaanty Pragas; Hamid, Shafida Abd

2009-01-01

Aquaculture activity has increased the population of crab, hence increasing the generation of related wastes, particularly the shell. In addition, the number of molting process in crabs compounds further the amount of waste shell generated. As such, in the present work, the application of the waste crab shell as a source of CaO in transesterification of palm olein to biodiesel (methyl ester) was investigated. Preliminary XRD results revealed that thermally activated crab shell contains mainly CaO. Parametric study has been investigated and optimal conditions were found to be methanol/oil mass ratio, 0.5:1; catalyst amount, 4 wt. %; and reaction temperature, 338 K. As compared to laboratory CaO, the catalyst from waste crab shell performs well, thus creating another low-cost catalyst source for producing biodiesel as well as adding value to the waste crab shell. Reusability of crab shell CaO has also been studied and the outcome confirmed that the catalyst is capable to be reutilized up to 11 times, without any major deterioration.

Subacute Effects of Inhaled Jet Fuel-A (JET A) on Airway and Immune Function in Rats

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-16

the source of the oil used in its manufacture. This study used fuel provided by five of the major oil companies ( blend POSF-4658, Chevron, Shell Oil... using a Hastings (Model 40) monitor. The chamber system schematic is depicted in Figure 4. Figure 4. Schematic of exposure control system...were used due to concerns that the air control animals (Group 2) might be unintentionally exposed to background levels of Jet A. Group 2 was exposed

Rubber Fruit Shell (Hevea brasiliensis) as bio sorbent to remove FFA (Free Fatty Acid) content in CPO (Crude Palm Oil)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandia, S.; Sinaga, M. S.; Masyithah, Z.; Husin, A.; Nurfadilla, S.; Fitriani; Sipahutar, B. K. S.

2018-02-01

This study aimed to discover the effectiveness of the shell of rubber fruit as bio sorbent for removing FFA (Free Fatty Acid) content in CPO (Crude Palm Oil). Methods used in this study were pretreatment, activation (carbonating and chemically) and adsorption process at room temperature. In the beginning, the shell of rubber fruit was cleaned and dried under the sun. Then the shell was cut for about 0.5 cm of length and carbonated in a furnace for 1h at 600°C. After that, they were crushed to pass through 140 meshes and activated using three variations of chemical such as 6 of HNO3, 6N of KOH and 6N of H3PO4 at certain ratio as 1:3, 1:4, and 1:5 (b/v). The adsorption process was carried out using bio sorbent with the highest iodine number in varying bio sorbent dosage and contact time. The highest iodine number was 913.680 mg/g and obtained at the ratio of bio sorbent to 6N of KOH as 1:5. The best removal of FFA content was 91.94% and at 1% bio sorbent dose and 30 min of contact time.

Gamma radiation induced oxidation and tocopherols decrease in in-shell, peeled and blanched peanuts.

PubMed

de Camargo, Adriano Costa; de Souza Vieira, Thais Maria Ferreira; Regitano-D'Arce, Marisa Aparecida Bismara; de Alencar, Severino Matias; Calori-Domingues, Maria Antonia; Canniatti-Brazaca, Solange Guidolin

2012-01-01

In-shell, peeled and blanched peanut samples were characterized in relation to proximate composition and fatty acid profile. No difference was found in relation to its proximate composition. The three major fatty acids were palmitic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid. In order to investigate irradiation and storage effects, peanut samples were submitted to doses of 0.0, 5.0, 7.5 or 10.0 kGy, stored for six months at room temperature and monitored every three months. Peanuts responded differently to irradiation, particularly with regards to tocopherol contents, primary and secondary oxidation products and oil stability index. Induction periods and tocopherol contents were negatively correlated with irradiation doses and decreased moderately during storage. α-Tocopherol was the most gamma radiation sensitive and peeled samples were the most affected. A positive correlation was found among tocopherol contents and the induction period of the oils extracted from irradiated samples. Gamma radiation and storage time increased oxidation compounds production. If gamma radiation is considered an alternative for industrial scale peanut conservation, in-shell samples are the best feedstock. For the best of our knowledge this is the first article with such results; this way it may be helpful as basis for future studies on gamma radiation of in-shell crops.

Gamma Radiation Induced Oxidation and Tocopherols Decrease in In-Shell, Peeled and Blanched Peanuts

PubMed Central

de Camargo, Adriano Costa; de Souza Vieira, Thais Maria Ferreira; Regitano-D’Arce, Marisa Aparecida Bismara; de Alencar, Severino Matias; Calori-Domingues, Maria Antonia; Canniatti-Brazaca, Solange Guidolin

2012-01-01

In-shell, peeled and blanched peanut samples were characterized in relation to proximate composition and fatty acid profile. No difference was found in relation to its proximate composition. The three major fatty acids were palmitic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid. In order to investigate irradiation and storage effects, peanut samples were submitted to doses of 0.0, 5.0, 7.5 or 10.0 kGy, stored for six months at room temperature and monitored every three months. Peanuts responded differently to irradiation, particularly with regards to tocopherol contents, primary and secondary oxidation products and oil stability index. Induction periods and tocopherol contents were negatively correlated with irradiation doses and decreased moderately during storage. α-Tocopherol was the most gamma radiation sensitive and peeled samples were the most affected. A positive correlation was found among tocopherol contents and the induction period of the oils extracted from irradiated samples. Gamma radiation and storage time increased oxidation compounds production. If gamma radiation is considered an alternative for industrial scale peanut conservation, in-shell samples are the best feedstock. For the best of our knowledge this is the first article with such results; this way it may be helpful as basis for future studies on gamma radiation of in-shell crops. PMID:22489128

Leong, K.M. (Ed.). The Petroleum Geology and Resources of Malaysia ISBN 983-9738-10-0 . Petronas (Petroliam Nasional Berhad), Kualar Lumpur 2000, A4 size, 665 pages (U.S. $100 + postage (2.5 kg)), hyperlinkhttp://www.petronas.com.my

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, Richard W.; Hutchison, Charles S.

2001-08-01

This 27-chapter volume is a comprehensive review of the petroleum geology of a significant Southeast Asian oil-producing country. The authors are predominantly from Petronas (20) with contributions by Shell (2) and the University of Malaya (1). The whole manuscript was reviewed by Dick Selley and coordinated by Leong Khee Meng. Foremost among the authors is Dr Mazlan Hj. Madon, whose byline is found on 14 chapters and whose guiding hand can be recognised throughout the book. In addition to in-house reports, Petronas has drawn on oil company work, resulting both from exploration activities on PSCs and from regional assessments, based on public domain and proprietary data. The companies involved include Esso, Shell, Mobil, Sun, Texaco, Conoco, Oxy, Triton, OPIC, Idemitsu, Nippon Oil, Elf, Hall-Houston and Western Mining. The volume is a remarkable tribute to the progress made by the Malaysian National Oil Company in the 25 years since the granting of its initial charter in 1974.

The environmental impacts of oil platforms in the Persian (Arabian) Gulf: the conservation paleobiology approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albano, Paolo G.; Tomašových, Adam; Kaufman, Darrell; Stachowitsch, Michael; Zuschin, Martin

2016-04-01

The Persian (Arabian) Gulf is a semi-enclosed basin that currently hosts the highest concentration of infrastructures for oil and gas extraction in the world. Moreover, major oil spills have occurred here due to accidents and conflicts. The disjunction between recent environmental monitoring programmes and industry-scale oil exploration and extraction dating back to the mid-20th century means a lack of data on pre-impact ecosystem conditions. This shortcoming hampers quantifying disturbance and ecosystem shifts and calls for novel approaches to reconstruct baselines. Conservation palaeobiology is such a new research field. It uses the accumulations of hard skeletal parts left by organisms in the sediments after death (e.g., mollusk shells) to gain information on past community states. These so-called "death assemblages" contain skeletons produced over tens to thousands of years and change very slowly in comparison to living assemblages. Accordingly, under anthropogenic pressures, living assemblages change their structure and composition faster than their corresponding death assemblages. This increases the differences between the two beyond those caused by purely natural processes. When coupled with dating of dead shells (using radiocarbon calibrated amino acid racemization), such live-dead comparisons help assess the magnitude and timing of environmental impacts and ecosystem change when baseline data are not available. We applied these approaches to two major oil platforms off the United Arab Emirates coastline. We found a mismatch between living and death assemblages, with death assemblages dominated by a single bivalve species, the semelid Ervilia purpurea. However, the frequency distributions of post-mortem shell ages of this bivalve show that the mismatch can be mainly attributed to natural extreme demographic fluctuations in its population. We conclude that, at the field scale, decadal and century-level changes in the molluscan community composition were weak or too brief to leave any signatures in the death assemblages. At the regional scale, there was a weak shift towards trophic groups more tolerant to eutrophic conditions. Shell age dating is crucial in understanding the sources of the live-dead mismatch and enables exploring bivalve population dynamics in the past. Combining live-dead comparison with geochronology can shed light on community shifts in other oilfields and more broadly in areas where disturbance-related changes are expected and pre-impact conditions need to be reconstructed.

The effects of ingested petroleum on oviposition and some aspects of reproduction in experimental colonies of mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holmes, W.N.; Cavanaugh, K.P.; Cronshaw, J.

1978-01-01

Compared to unmated mallard ducks fed an uncontaminated diet, unmated birds given food contaminated with 3 ml South Louisiana crude oil per 100 g dry weight showed an 84% decline in the daily rate of oviposition, a 33% decrease in egg-shell thickness and at autopsy more than 82% of the ovarian mass consisted of atretic follicles. Similar studies on groups of mated females showed that although the addition of 1 ml South Louisiana crude oil/100 g dry food had no effect on the daily rate of oviposition, none of the eggs had been fertilized while a concentration of 3 ml South Louisiana crude oil/100 g dry food suppressed the daily rate of oviposition significantly. Less than 25% of these eggs had been fertilized and only 40% of the fertilized eggs yielded viable ducklings. In both of these groups of mated birds, normal patterns of oviposition, fertilization and hatchability were restored after removal of petroleum from the diet. The addition of 1 ml Kuwait crude oil/100 g dry food had no effect on the rate of oviposition, the incidence of fertility or the hatchability of the fertilized eggs. The addition of 3 ml oil/100 g dry food completely abolished oviposition, but a normal rate of oviposition was restored when the concentration of the crude oil was reduced from 3 to 1 ml/100 g dry food. However, the incidence of fertilization remained low and none of the fertilized eggs gave rise to viable ducklings. Kuwait crude oil had no effect on shell thickness.

Nonbibliographic Databases in a Corporate Health, Safety, and Environment Organization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cubillas, Mary M.

1981-01-01

Summarizes the characteristics of TOXIN, CHEMFILE, and the Product Profile Information System (PPIS), nonbibliographic databases used by Shell Oil Company's Health, Safety, and Environment Organization. (FM)

Polymeric microcapsules with switchable mechanical properties for self-healing concrete: synthesis, characterisation and proof of concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanellopoulos, A.; Giannaros, P.; Palmer, D.; Kerr, A.; Al-Tabbaa, A.

2017-04-01

Microcapsules, with sodium silicate solution as core, were produced using complex coacervation in a double, oil-in-water-in oil, emulsion system. The shell material was a gelatin-acacia gum crosslinked coacervate and the produced microcapsules had diameters ranging from 300 to 700 μm. The shell material designed with switchable mechanical properties. When it is hydrated exhibits soft and ‘rubbery’ behaviour and, when dried, transitions to a stiff and ‘glassy’ material. The microcapsules survived drying and rehydrating cycles and preserved their structural integrity when exposed to highly alkaline solutions that mimic the pH environment of concrete. Microscopy revealed that the shell thickness of the microcapsules varies across their perimeter from 5 to 20 μm. Thermal analysis showed that the produced microcapsules were very stable up to 190 °C. Proof of concept investigation has demonstrated that the microcapsules successfully survive and function when exposed to a cement-based matrix. Observations showed that the microcapsules survive mixing with cement and rupture successfully upon crack formation releasing the encapsulated sodium silicate solution.

Determination of physiochemical properties of palm oil methyl ester catalyzed by waste cockle shells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasir, Nurul Fitriah; Latif, Noradila Abdul; Bakar, Sharifah Adzila Syed Abu; Rahman, Mohd Nasrull Abdul; Selamat, Siti Norhidayah; Nasharudin, Nurul Nadirah

2017-04-01

Waste cockle shell can be used as a source of calcium oxide (CaO) in catalyzing a transesterification reaction to produce biodiesel or fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). This aim of this paper is to determine the physicochemical properties of (FAME) which utilize waste cockle shells in the transesterification reaction process. In this study, the catalyst was prepared using high temperature furnace (700°C) for 4 h. The molar ratio of methanol to oil was fixed at 9:1 and the reaction temperature and catalyst concentration were varied from 65 -70 °C, and 10-30 wt. %, respectively for transesterification reaction. The reaction time was also fixed at 3 h. The analyzed physicochemical properties were density, viscosity, flash point and net heat of combustion. The results obtained from the analysis found that reaction temperature 65°C with 30% of catalyst concentration has produced the physical properties of FAME that comply the biodiesel standards. The results suggest that reaction temperature and catalyst concentration have influence on the value of physicochemical properties of FAME produced.

Bioactive compounds in cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale L.) kernels: effect of different shelling methods.

PubMed

Trox, Jennifer; Vadivel, Vellingiri; Vetter, Walter; Stuetz, Wolfgang; Scherbaum, Veronika; Gola, Ute; Nohr, Donatus; Biesalski, Hans Konrad

2010-05-12

In the present study, the effects of various conventional shelling methods (oil-bath roasting, direct steam roasting, drying, and open pan roasting) as well as a novel "Flores" hand-cracking method on the levels of bioactive compounds of cashew nut kernels were investigated. The raw cashew nut kernels were found to possess appreciable levels of certain bioactive compounds such as beta-carotene (9.57 microg/100 g of DM), lutein (30.29 microg/100 g of DM), zeaxanthin (0.56 microg/100 g of DM), alpha-tocopherol (0.29 mg/100 g of DM), gamma-tocopherol (1.10 mg/100 g of DM), thiamin (1.08 mg/100 g of DM), stearic acid (4.96 g/100 g of DM), oleic acid (21.87 g/100 g of DM), and linoleic acid (5.55 g/100 g of DM). All of the conventional shelling methods including oil-bath roasting, steam roasting, drying, and open pan roasting revealed a significant reduction, whereas the Flores hand-cracking method exhibited similar levels of carotenoids, thiamin, and unsaturated fatty acids in cashew nuts when compared to raw unprocessed samples.

Characterization of calcium oxide catalysts from natural sources and their application in the transesterification of sunflower oil.

PubMed

Correia, Leandro Marques; Saboya, Rosana Maria Alves; Campelo, Natália de Sousa; Cecilia, Juan Antonio; Rodríguez-Castellón, Enrique; Cavalcante, Célio Loureiro; Vieira, Rodrigo Silveira

2014-01-01

The catalytic activities of calcium oxide obtained from natural sources (crab shell and eggshell) were characterized and evaluated in the transesterification of vegetable oil. These catalysts are mainly composed of calcium carbonate, which is partially converted into CaO after calcination (900°C for 2h). The catalysts have some advantages, such as abundant occurrence, low cost, porous structure, and nontoxic. The materials were characterized by XRD, FTIR, TG/DTG, CO2-TPD, XPS, SEM, and BET methods. The thermal treatment produces small particles of CaCO3 and CaO that are responsible for the catalytic activity. The conversion from triglycerides to methyl ester was not observed in transesterification carried out using natural crab shell and eggshell. Under optimized reaction conditions, the conversions to YFAME using the calcined catalysts were: crab shell (83.10±0.27 wt.%) and eggshell (97.75±0.02 wt.%). These results, showed that these materials have promising viability in transesterification for biodiesel production. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Distribution and quantitative assessment of world crude oil reserves and resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Masters, Charles D.; Root, David H.; Dietzman, William D.

1983-01-01

World Demonstrated Reserves of crude oil are approximately 723 billion barrels of oil (BBO). Cumulative production is 445 BBO and annual production is 20 BBO. Demonstrated Reserves of crude-oil have declined over the past 10 years consistent with discoveries lagging production over the same period. The assessment of Undiscovered Resources shows a 90 percent probability that the amount discoverable lies between 321 and 1,417 BBO, 550 BBO being the most likely value. The most likely value for Ultimate recoverable resources is 1,718 BBO. The distribution of Ultimate Resources of crude oil will remain highly skewed toward the Middle East; no frontier areas that have potentials large enough to significantly affect present distribution are recognized. Rates of discovery have continued to decline over the past 20 years even though exploration activity has increased in recent years. Prudence dictates, therefore, that the low side of the assessment of Undiscovered Resources be responsibly considered and that alternate energy sources be a part of future planning. Extra-heavy oil and bitumen are assessed separately, with Reserves being figured as the annual productive capacity of installed facilities times 25 years. The annual production of extra-heavy oil is about 8 million barrels and of bitumen about 60 million barrels.

Transforming Department of Defense’s Core Business Processes for Revolutionary Change

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-01

including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson...Development Director , Chief of Staff for Shell Oil Company, and head of strategy for Royal Dutch Shell. Ms. Decyk has also held senior positions with...the boards of several companies in both the U.S. and the U.K., and currently is a non- executive director of Petrofac Ltd., Ensco Plc, DigitalGlobe

Preparation and properties of thermal insulation coatings with a sodium stearate-modified shell powder as a filler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Qiang; Zhang, Ya-mei; Zhang, Pei-gen; Shi, Jin-jie; Tian, Wu-bian; Sun, Zheng-ming

2017-10-01

Waste shell stacking with odor and toxicity is a serious hazard to our living environment. To make effective use of the natural resources, the shell powder was applied as a filler of outdoor thermal insulation coatings. Sodium stearate (SS) was used to modify the properties of shell powder to reduce its agglomeration and to increase its compatibility with the emulsion. The oil absorption rate and the spectrum reflectance of the shell powder show that the optimized content of SS as a modifier is 1.5wt%. The total spectrum reflectance of the coating made with the shell powder that is modified at this optimum SS content is 9.33% higher than that without any modification. At the optimum SS content of 1.5wt%, the thermal insulation of the coatings is improved by 1.0°C for the cement mortar board and 1.6°C for the steel plate, respectively. The scouring resistance of the coating with the 1.5wt% SS-modified shell powder is three times that of the coating without modification.

Burial History, Thermal Maturity, and Oil and Gas Generation History of Source Rocks in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming and Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roberts, Laura N.R.; Finn, Thomas M.; Lewan, Michael D.; Kirschbaum, Mark A.

2008-01-01

Burial history, thermal maturity, and timing of oil and gas generation were modeled for seven key source-rock units at eight well locations throughout the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming and Montana. Also modeled was the timing of cracking to gas of Phosphoria Formation-sourced oil in the Permian Park City Formation reservoirs at two well locations. Within the basin boundary, the Phosphoria is thin and only locally rich in organic carbon; it is thought that the Phosphoria oil produced from Park City and other reservoirs migrated from the Idaho-Wyoming thrust belt. Other petroleum source rocks include the Cretaceous Thermopolis Shale, Mowry Shale, Frontier Formation, Cody Shale, Mesaverde and Meeteetse Formations, and the Tertiary (Paleocene) Fort Union Formation. Locations (wells) selected for burial history reconstructions include three in the deepest parts of the Bighorn Basin (Emblem Bench, Red Point/Husky, and Sellers Draw), three at intermediate depths (Amoco BN 1, Santa Fe Tatman, and McCulloch Peak), and two at relatively shallow locations (Dobie Creek and Doctor Ditch). The thermal maturity of source rocks is greatest in the deep central part of the basin and decreases to the south, east, and north toward the basin margins. The Thermopolis and Mowry Shales are predominantly gas-prone source rocks, containing a mix of Type-III and Type-II kerogens. The Frontier, Cody, Mesaverde, Meeteetse, and Fort Union Formations are gas-prone source rocks containing Type-III kerogen. Modeling results indicate that in the deepest areas, (1) the onset of petroleum generation from Cretaceous rocks occurred from early Paleocene through early Eocene time, (2) peak petroleum generation from Cretaceous rocks occurred during Eocene time, and (3) onset of gas generation from the Fort Union Formation occurred during early Eocene time and peak generation occurred from late Eocene to early Miocene time. Only in the deepest part of the basin did the oil generated from the Thermopolis and Mowry Shales start generating gas from secondary cracking, which occurred in the late Eocene to Miocene. Also, based on modeling results, gas generation from the cracking of Phosphoria oil reservoired in the Park City Formation began in the late Eocene in the deep part of the basin but did not anywhere reach peak generation.

Synthesis of new high performance lubricants and solid lubricants

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

Lagow, Richard J.

1993-04-08

In our second year of funding we began the testing phase of a number of new classes of lubricants. Three different testing collaborations have already begun and a fourth one is In the works with Dr. Stephen Hsu of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Dr. Hsu also plans to test some of the same materials for us that Shell Development is studying. With Dr. Bill Jones of NASA, we are studying the effects of branching an high temperature lubricant properties in perfluoropolyethers, Initially Bill Jones is comparing the lubrication and physical properties of perfluorotetraglyme and the following twomore » spherical perfluoropolyethers, Note that one contains a fluorocarbon chain and the other one contains a fluorocarbon ether chain. The synthesis of these was reported in the last progress report. With Professor Patricia Thiel of Iowa State University, we are working on studies of perfluoromethylene oxide ethers and have prepared a series of four of these polyethers to study in collaboration with her research group. These perfluoromethylene oxide ethers have the best low temperature properties of any known lubricants. Thiel's group is studying their interactions with metals under extreme conditions. Thirdly, we have also begun an Interaction with W. August Birke of Shell Development Company in Houston for whom we have already prepared samples of the chlorine-substituted fluorocarbon polyether lubricants whose structures appear on page 54 of our research proposal. Each of these four structures is thought to have potential as lubricant additives to motor oils. We also have underway syntheses of other fluorine-containing branched ether lubricants. These new materials which are also promising as antifriction additives for motor oils appear ahead of the perfluoro additives as Appendix I to the progress report. Additionally for Birke and Shell Development we have at their request prepared the novel compound perfluoro salicylic acid. This synthesis was suggested by the Shell staff who thought that esters of perfluoro salicylic acid might be an excellent antifriction additive for motor oil fuels. One of the best additives currently used in motor oils is the hydrocarbon ester of salicylic acid.« less

Global Job Opportunities with a ``Super-Major'' Oil and Gas Company

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baranovic, M. J.

2001-12-01

Shell International Exploration and Production Company is one of the world's largest private employers of geoscientists with approximately 1500 geophysicists and geologists employed worldwide. The companies of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group together produce, process, and deliver energy to consumers. Operating across the globe, in more than 130 countries and with more than 100,000 staff, Shell companies are guided by values developed over more than a century of successful enterprise. Responsibilities and Career Path - As a processing or research Geophysicist, you will use proprietary methods to prepare 2D and 3D seismic data volumes for the direct detection of hydrocarbons, the delineation of reservoirs or to define the stratigraphic and structural framework of the subsurface. As an exploration or development Geophysicist, your business will be finding commercially viable oil and gas reserves by using 3D seismic acquisition, processing, and interpretation techniques. Your advanced geological models of the subsurface will drive drilling proposals, optimizing appraisal of hydrocarbon resources. As a production or surveillance geophysicist, your 4D seismic interpretations and geological models will drive drilling proposals and optimize the production and depletion of existing oil and gas accumulations. Up to seven steps in the technical career ladder are possible. Team leader and management candidates are chosen from Shell's technical workforce based on technical and business acumen demonstrated on the job. Projects - Geophysicists work as part of multi-disciplinary teams on projects that typically last from 18 to 36 months. Teams are responsible for projects that may vary from \\$1 million to hundreds of millions in scope. Accountability and responsibility varies according to individual experience level and team structure. Lifestyle - Geophysicists are mainly office-based, with business travel requirements rarely exceeding 2 weeks per event. In the U.S., Shell allows flexible daily office hours, and employees may choose an optional 9-hour work schedule that provides alternate Fridays off. Company pension and benefit programs are competitive with the best that industry has to offer. Degree requirements: Shell recruits Geophysicists for the global staff pool from approximately 20 universities in the U.S. Universities are chosen based on the curriculum of the school, the size of the student enrollment, and the regional location of the school. Geophysicists generally must have at least an MS degree to qualify for Shell employment. Electrical Engineers and Physicists who are recruited as seismic processors are required to have at least a BS degree. Recruiting targets vary annually based on company need.

Oil Spill Cleanup

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

Petroleum Remediation Product (PRP) is a new way of cleaning up oil spills. It consists of thousands of microcapsules, tiny balls of beeswax with hollow centers, containing live microorganisms and nutrients to sustain them. As oil flows through the microcapsule's shell, it is consumed and digested by the microorganisms. Pressure buildup causes the PRP to explode and the enzymes, carbon dioxide and water are released into the BioBoom used in conjunction with PRP, preventing contaminated water from spreading. The system incorporates technology originally developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Marshall Space Flight Center.

Use of geochemical biomarkers in bottom sediment to track oil from a spill, San Francisco Bay, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hostettler, F.D.; Rapp, J.B.; Kvenvolden, K.A.

1992-01-01

In April 1988, approximately 1500 m3 of a San Joaquin Valley crude oil were accidentally released from a Shell Oil Co. refinery near Martinez, Californa. The oil flowed into Carquinez Strait and Suisun Bay in northern San Francisco Bay Sediment and oil samples were collected within a week and analysed for geochemical marker compounds in order to track the molecular signature of the oil spill in the bottom sediment. Identification of the spilled oil in the sediment was complicated by the degraded nature of the oil and the similarity of the remaining, chromatographically resolvable constituents to those already present in the sediments from anthropogenic petroleum contamination, pyrogenic sources, and urban drainage. Ratios of hopane and sterane biomarkers, and of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their alkylated derivatives best identified the oil impingement. They showed the oil impact at this early stage to be surficial only, and to be patchy even within an area of heavy oil exposure.

Material flow analysis for resource management towards resilient palm oil production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamahara, H.; Faisal, M.; Hasanudin, U.; Fujie, K.; Daimon, H.

2018-03-01

Biomass waste generated from palm oil mill can be considered not only as the feedstock of renewable energy but also as the nutrient-rich resources to produce organic fertilizer. This study explored the appropriate resource management towards resilient palm oil production by applying material flow analysis. This study was conducted based on two palm oil mills in Lampung, Indonesia. The results showed that the empty fruit bunch (EFB) has the largest potential in terms of amount and energy among the biomass waste. The results also showed that the palm oil mills themselves had already self-managed their energy consumption thatwas obtained from palm kernel shell and palm press fiber. Finally, this study recommended the several utilization options of EFB for improvement of soil sustainability to contribute towards resilient palm oil production.

Fabrication and evaluation of magnetic/hollow double-shelled imprinted sorbents formed by Pickering emulsion polymerization.

PubMed

Pan, Jianming; Li, Linzi; Hang, Hui; Wu, Runrun; Dai, Xiaohui; Shi, Weidong; Yan, Yongsheng

2013-06-25

Magnetic/hollow double-shelled imprinted polymers (MH-MIPs) were synthesized by Pickering emulsion polymerization. In this method, attapulgite (ATP) particles were used as stabilizers to establish a stable oil-in-water emulsion, and a few hydrophilic Fe3O4 nanoparticles were allowed to be magnetic separation carriers. The imprinting system was fabricated by radical polymerization in the presence of the functional and polymeric monomers in the oil phase. The results of characterization indicated that MH-MIPs exhibited magnetic sensitivity (Ms = 4.76 emu g(-1)), thermal stability (especially below 200 °C), and hollow structure and were composed of exterior ATP shells and interior imprinted polymers shells. Then MH-MIPs were evaluated as sorbents for the selective binding of λ-cyhalothrin as a result of their magnetism, enhanced mechanical strength, hydrophilic surface, and recognition ability. The kinetic properties of MH-MIPs were well described by the pseudo-second-order equation, indicating that the chemical process could be the rate-limiting step in the adsorption process for λ-cyhalothrin. The equilibrium adsorption capacity of MH-MIPs was 60.06 μmol g(-1) at 25 °C, and the Langmuir isotherm model gave a better fit to the experimental data, indicating the monolayer molecular adsorption for λ-cyhalothrin. The selective recognition experiments also demonstrated the high affinity and selectivity of MH-MIIPs toward λ-cyhalothrin over fenvalerate and diethyl phthalate.

Characterization of activated carbons from oil-palm shell by CO2 activation with no holding carbonization temperature.

PubMed

Herawan, S G; Hadi, M S; Ayob, Md R; Putra, A

2013-01-01

Activated carbons can be produced from different precursors, including coals of different ranks, and lignocellulosic materials, by physical or chemical activation processes. The objective of this paper is to characterize oil-palm shells, as a biomass byproduct from palm-oil mills which were converted into activated carbons by nitrogen pyrolysis followed by CO2 activation. The effects of no holding peak pyrolysis temperature on the physical characteristics of the activated carbons are studied. The BET surface area of the activated carbon is investigated using N2 adsorption at 77 K with selected temperatures of 500, 600, and 700°C. These pyrolysis conditions for preparing the activated carbons are found to yield higher BET surface area at a pyrolysis temperature of 700°C compared to selected commercial activated carbon. The activated carbons thus result in well-developed porosities and predominantly microporosities. By using this activation method, significant improvement can be obtained in the surface characteristics of the activated carbons. Thus this study shows that the preparation time can be shortened while better results of activated carbon can be produced.

Effect of silica-palm shell carbon composite additive in enhancing the strength of the concrete in the oil-well cementing job

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novriansyah, A.; Mursyidah, U.; Novrianti; Putri, S. S.; Riswati, S. S.

2018-04-01

This study provides an analysis of composite additive effect to concrete’s strength in the oil-well cementing job. The composite additive is originated from the nano-sized form of silica and charcoal from palm shell waste. The quality of the concrete will be determined from its porosity, compressive strength, and shear bond strength parameters. Those parameters must be reliable base on the most respectable standards in oil and gas industry, in this study we use the standard from American Petroleum Institute (API). Six concrete samples with different concentration will be tested to obtain these parameters. The result from the test shown a decrement trend of the porosity while the concentration is increased. In contrast, the highest values of compressive strength and shear bond strength are obtained from the sample with higher additive concentration. The optimum strength was obtained in sample with 0.02% The results become clearly proven through verification by scanning electron image where the additive has successfully fill the voids in the concrete’s sample, resulting in strength enhancement of the sample.

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

Bray, R.; Lawrence, S.; Swart, R.

Namibia`s territorial waters occupy a large portion of West Africa`s continental shelf. The area to the 1,000 m isobath is comparable in size to the combined offshore areas of Gabon, Congo, Zaire, and Angola. Around half as much again lies in 1,000--2,500 m of water. The whole unlicensed part of this area will be open for bidding when the Third Licensing Round starts Oct. 1, 1998. Offshore Namibia is underexplored by drilling with only seven exploration wells drilled. Shell`s Kudu field represents a considerable gas resource with reserves of around 3 tcf and is presently the only commercial discovery.Namibia`s offshoremore » area holds enormous exploration potential. Good quality sandstone reservoirs are likely to be distributed widely, and a number of prospective structural and stratigraphic traps have been identified. The recognition of Cretaceous marine oil-prone source rocks combined with the results of new thermal history reconstruction and maturity modeling studies are particularly significant in assessment of the oil potential. The paper discusses resource development and structures, oil source potential, maturity, and hydrocarbon generation.« less

Evaluation of various agro-wastes for traditional black soap production.

PubMed

Taiwo, O E; Osinowo, F A

2001-08-01

The agricultural wastes, cocoa-pod husks, palm-bunch waste, sorghum chaff and groundnut shells, which are normally thrown away have been used in the production of black soap. Unlike other soaps which are made from oils and chemicals, black soap is made from oils and agro-wastes ashes. Chemical analysis indicated that the liquid extract from the ashes of the different agro-wastes used contained various amounts of potassium and sodium compounds. The most common ingredient in the agro-wastes was potassium carbonate. The amount of potassium carbonate was 56.73 +/- 0.16% in cocoa-pod ash, 43.15 +/- 0.13% in palm-bunch ash, 16.65 +/- 0.05% in groundnut shell ash and 12.40 +/- 0.08% in sorghum chaff ash. Soaps made from the agro-wastes ashes had excellent solubility, consistency, cleansing and lathering abilities.

Chapter 4: The Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum System, Wind River Basin, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, R.C.; Finn, Thomas M.; Kirschbaum, Mark A.; Roberts, Stephen B.; Roberts, Laura N.R.; Cook, Troy; Taylor, David J.

2007-01-01

The Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum System (TPS) of the Wind River Basin Province includes all strata from the base of the Lower Cretaceous Cloverly Formation to the base of the Waltman Shale Member of the Paleocene age Fort Union Formation and, where the Waltman is absent, includes strata as young as the Eocene Wind River Formation. Locally, Cretaceous-sourced gas migrated into strata as old as the Mississippian Madison Limestone, and in these areas the TPS extends stratigraphically downward to include these reservoirs. The extensive vertical migration of gases in highly fractured areas of the Wind River Basin led to the commingling of gases from several Upper Cretaceous and lower Tertiary sources, thus only two petroleum systems are recognized in these rocks, the Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary Composite TPS, the subject of this report, and the Waltman Shale TPS described by Roberts and others (Chapter 5, this CD-ROM). The Cretaceous-lower Tertiary Composite TPS was subdivided into (1) seven continuous gas assessment units (AU): (a) Frontier-Muddy Continuous Gas AU, (b) Cody Sandstone Continuous Gas AU, (c) Mesaverde--Meeteetse Sandstone Gas AU, (d) Lance-Fort Union Sandstone Gas AU, (e) Mesaverde Coalbed Gas AU, (f) Meeteetse Coalbed Gas AU, and (g) Fort Union Coalbed Gas AU; (2) one continuous oil assessement unit--- Cody Fractured Shale Continuous Oil AU; and (3) one conventional assessment Unit--- Cretaceous-Tertiary Conventional Oil and Gas AU. Estimates of undiscovered resources having the potential for additions to reserves were made for all but the Cody Fractured Shale Continuous Oil AU, which is considered hypothetical and was not quantitively assessed. The mean estimate of the total oil is 41.99 million barrels, mean estimate of gas is 2.39 trillion cubic feet, and mean estimate of natural gas liquids is 20.55 million barrels. For gas, 480.66 billion cubic feet (BCFG) is estimated for the Frontier-Muddy Continuous Gas AU, 115.34 BCFG for the Cody Sandstone Continuous Gas AU, 383.16 BCFG for the Mesaverde-Meeteetse Sandstone Continuous Gas AU, 711.30 BCFG for the Lance-Fort Union Sandstone Gas AU, 107.18 BCFG for the Mesaverde Coalbed Gas AU, 21.29 BCFG for the Meeteetse Coalbed Gas AU, and 118.08 BCFG for the Fort Union Coalbed Gas AU. All the undiscovered oil and 98.94 BCFG of undiscovered gas is in the Cretaceous-Tertiary Conventional Oil and Gas AU.

A Ni-Doped Carbon Nanotube Sensor for Detecting Oil-Dissolved Gases in Transformers

PubMed Central

Lu, Jia; Zhang, Xiaoxing; Wu, Xiaoqing; Dai, Ziqiang; Zhang, Jinbin

2015-01-01

C2H2, C2H4, and C2H6 are important oil-dissolved gases in power transformers. Detection of the composition and content of oil-dissolved gases in transformers is very significant in the diagnosis and assessment of the state of transformer operations. The commonly used oil-gas analysis methods have many disadvantages, so this paper proposes a Ni-doped carbon nanotube (Ni-CNT) gas sensor to effectively detect oil-dissolved gases in a transformer. The gas-sensing properties of the sensor to C2H2, C2H4, and C2H6 were studied using the test device. Based on the density functional theory (DFT) the adsorption behaviors of the three gases on intrinsic carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and Ni-CNTs were calculated. The adsorption energy, charge transfer, and molecular frontier orbital of the adsorption system were also analyzed. Results showed that the sensitivity of the CNT sensor to the three kinds of gases was in the following order: C2H2 > C2H4 > C2H6. Moreover, the doped Ni improved the sensor response, and the sensor response and gas concentration have a good linear relationship. PMID:26066989

A Ni-Doped Carbon Nanotube Sensor for Detecting Oil-Dissolved Gases in Transformers.

PubMed

Lu, Jia; Zhang, Xiaoxing; Wu, Xiaoqing; Dai, Ziqiang; Zhang, Jinbin

2015-06-09

C2H2, C2H4, and C2H6 are important oil-dissolved gases in power transformers. Detection of the composition and content of oil-dissolved gases in transformers is very significant in the diagnosis and assessment of the state of transformer operations. The commonly used oil-gas analysis methods have many disadvantages, so this paper proposes a Ni-doped carbon nanotube (Ni-CNT) gas sensor to effectively detect oil-dissolved gases in a transformer. The gas-sensing properties of the sensor to C2H2, C2H4, and C2H6 were studied using the test device. Based on the density functional theory (DFT) the adsorption behaviors of the three gases on intrinsic carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and Ni-CNTs were calculated. The adsorption energy, charge transfer, and molecular frontier orbital of the adsorption system were also analyzed. Results showed that the sensitivity of the CNT sensor to the three kinds of gases was in the following order: C2H2 > C2H4 > C2H6. Moreover, the doped Ni improved the sensor response, and the sensor response and gas concentration have a good linear relationship.

That very interesting dance in the Baltimore Canyon

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

Stuart, A.

1978-09-11

Pointing out that offshore oil and gas has been a marginal proposition until now--the only consistent moneymaker being the Federal government as leaser--it is hard to understand the feverish spasms that have swept the stock market for months, at the slightest hint of a discovery in Baltimore Canyon. Despite the dismal returns vs. risks up to the present, most of the oil industry believes it must continue offshore if it wants to stay in the oil and gas business. Most of these oil men widely share the belief that most of the large fields that remain to be discovered aremore » in frontier areas of the continential shelf; and one ''big elephant'' discovered can easily erase a string of losses. Still another reason to keep playing is an astonishing advance in exploration technology known as ''bright spots''. Finally, oil men are lured into the offshore arena by a subtle mixture of perceived necessity, an innate if somewhat battered spirit of optimism, and an unabashed fascination with the game itself--the latter, little understood outside the industry according to Dick Palmer, Texaco's top exploration man, but ''a very interesting dance''.« less

Coal Liquids: Manufacture and Properties. A Review.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-09-01

a conventional furnace with flue gas desulfurization ; however, its use as a boiler fuel is not economical at present. Research continues on...J.B., "The Shell Flue Gas Desulfurization Process," Universal Oil Products Process Division, Universal Oil Products, Inc., Des Plaines, IL, presented...in 1980, H-Coal and EDS process, gasification obstacles. 187. Salmeczi, J.G., " Flue Gas Desulfurization by the ThiosorbicC Process," Dravo Time Company

Gasoline Marketing: Premium Gasoline Overbuying May Be Occurring, but Extent Unknown.

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-02-01

Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) Mobil Oil Company Shell Oil Company Sun Refining and Marketing Company Consumer Groups American Automobile Association...Chairman: Consumers have the option of purchasing several different grades of unleaded gasoline-regular, mid-grade, and premium-which are classi...determine: (1) whether consumers were buying premium gasoline that they may not need, (2) whether the I .higher retail price of premium gasoline includes

Venezuela recasts itself as a new frontier in the Americas

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

Reinsch, A.E.

1996-09-01

In January of this year, Venezuela captured the attention of the international energy community by welcoming back the foreign oil companies that, 20 years earlier, it had shut out of the country by nationalizing the hydrocarbon sector. The tool used to attract that attention, a new exploration bidding round, is the most publicized event staged to date in the country`s aperture process. However, it is only the latest in a series of steps taken by officials to bring international oil and gas companies back to Caracas. Venezuela`s physical attraction is easily understood. The country possesses roughly one-half of Latin America`smore » (including Mexico) 125 billion bbl of established, conventional crude oil reserves, plus an estimated 300 billion bbl of additional, nonconventional reserves in the ultra-heavy crude belt of the Orinoco basin. Averaging 2.8 million bpd in 1996, Venezuelan crude production represents over 35% of regional oil output. Natural gas reserves total 138 Tcf, or just over one-half of the region`s total reserves of 274 Tcfg. Annual gas output averages just under 5 Tcf, of which roughly 30% is reinjected as part of tertiary oil recovery schemes. This paper reviews the incentives, deregulation, and government policies to restore the oil and gas industry to the country.« less

The use of powder and essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus against mould deterioration and aflatoxin contamination of "egusi" melon seeds.

PubMed

Bankole, S A; Joda, A O; Ashidi, J S

2005-01-01

Experiments were carried out to determine the potential of using the powder and essential oil from dried ground leaves of Cymbopogon citratus (lemon grass) to control storage deterioration and aflatoxin contamination of melon seeds. Four mould species: Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, A. tamarii and Penicillium citrinum were inoculated in the form of conidia suspension (approx. 10(6) conidia per ml) unto shelled melon seeds. The powdered dry leaves and essential oil from lemon grass were mixed with the inoculated seeds at levels ranging from 1-10 g/100 g seeds and 0.1 to 1.0 ml/100 g seeds respectively. The ground leaves significantly reduced the extent of deterioration in melon seeds inoculated with different fungi compared to the untreated inoculated seeds. The essential oil at 0.1 and 0.25 ml/100 g seeds and ground leaves at 10 g/100 g seeds significantly reduced deterioration and aflatoxin production in shelled melon seeds inoculated with toxigenic A. flavus. At higher dosages (0.5 and 1.0 ml/100 g seeds), the essential oil completely prevented aflatoxin production. After 6 months in farmers' stores, unshelled melon seeds treated with 0.5 ml/ 100 g seeds of essential oil and 10 g/100 g seeds of powdered leaves of C. citratus had significantly lower proportion of visibly diseased seeds and Aspergillus spp. infestation levels and significantly higher seed germination compared to the untreated seeds. The oil content, free fatty acid and peroxide values in seeds protected with essential oil after 6 months did not significantly differ from the values in seeds before storage. The efficacy of the essential oil in preserving the quality of melon seeds in stores was statistically at par with that of fungicide (iprodione) treatment. ((c) 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim).

Testing Consent Order For Bisphenol A Diglycidyl Ether

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA has issued a Testing Consent Order that incorporates an Enforceable Consent Agreement (ECA) pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), with the Dow Chemical Company, Shell Oil Company, and Ciba-Geigy Corporation.

Enhanced oil recovery utilizing high-angle wells in the Frontier Formation, Badger Basin Field, Park County, Wyoming. Quarterly technical progress report, 1 March 1993--30 June 1993

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

Fortmann, R.G.; Walker, J.P.

1993-07-10

Sierra Energy Company`s targeted goals during the third quarter of this Cooperative Agreement included the following objectives from the Statement of Work: in Phase 2A, completion of subtask 2.1.2--acquire best possible field data in the 3-D seismic program; and initiation of Subtask 2.1.3--process acquired 3-D seismic data. Technical progress is described for these tasks.

Carbon monoxide and methane adsorption of crude oil refinery using activated carbon from palm shells as biosorbent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuliusman; Afdhol, M. K.; Sanal, Alristo

2018-03-01

Carbon monoxide and methane gas are widely present in oil refineries. Off-potential gas is used as raw material for the petrochemical industry. In order for this off-gas to be utilized, carbon monoxide and methane must be removed from off-gas. This study aims to adsorb carbon monoxide and methane using activated carbon of palm shells and commercial activated carbon simultaneously. This research was conducted in 2 stages: 1) Preparation and characterization of activated carbon, 2) Carbon monoxide and methane adsorption test. The activation experiments using carbon dioxide at a flow rate of 150 ml/min yielded a surface area of 978.29 m2/g, Nitrogen at flow rate 150 ml/min yielded surface area 1241.48 m2/g, and carbon dioxide and nitrogen at a flow rate 200 ml/min yielded a surface area 300.37 m2/g. Adsorption of carbon monoxide and methane on activated carbon of palm shell systems yielded results in the amount of 0.5485 mg/g and 0.0649 mg/g and using commercial activated carbon yielded results in the amount of 0.5480 mg/g and 0.0650 mg/g

A novel shell-structure cell microcarrier (SSCM) for cell transplantation and bone regeneration medicine.

PubMed

Su, Kai; Gong, Yihong; Wang, Chunming; Wang, Dong-An

2011-06-01

The present study aims to develop a novel open and hollow shell-structure cell microcarrier (SSCM) to improve the anchorage-dependent cell (ADC) loading efficiency, increase the space for cell proliferation and tissue regeneration, and better propel its therapeutic effects. Gelatin particles were prepared with oil/water/oil (o/w/o) technique and modified by an adjustable surface crosslinking technique and subsequent release of uncrosslinked material. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were utilized to observe the morphologies of the microcarriers. Cell loading tests were performed to evaluate the biocompatibilities and effect on osteogenesis of SSCM. SSCMs were successfully fabricated via the surface technique. The shell-structure could allow the cell to attach and grow on both outer and inner surface of sphere and provide adequate space for cell proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion. The cell loading rate, proliferation rate and osteogenesis-related gene expressions on the SSCMs were higher than those on the spherical gelatin microcarriers. The outstanding performance of injectable SSCMs endowed with favorable micro-structure, desirable cytocompatibility and enhanced cell affinity makes them as a good choice as cell delivery vehicle for transplanting therapeutic cells towards the scope of tissue regeneration.

Mixing of acacia bark and palm shells to increase caloric value of palm shells white charcoal briquette

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurniawan, Edy Wibowo; Amirta, Rudianto; Budiarso, Edy; Arung, Enos Tangke

2017-06-01

Indonesia is greatly rich in biomass resources. Acacia bark waste utilization as a source of biomass is still very low, where as 10-20% of the potential of the wood. On the other hand waste palm shells have been partly utilized as boiler fuel oil plant as much as 62.4%, but the rest is still a waste pile or to the hardening of the estate path. This study aims to determine the effect of mixing an acacia bark with palm shells to increase the calorific value of palm shell white charcoal briquettes. The study was conducted by making white charcoal briquettes mixing 7% the acacia bark against of palm shells. As well as white charcoal briquettes control without any acacia bark. Then molds the briquettes in pyrolysis temperature at 600 ° C, 700 ° C and 800 ° C for pyrolysis time within 2 hours, 4 hours, and 6 hours. And the results of briquettes analysis in calorific value. The results showed that the caloric value of palm shell white charcoal briquettes increased from 29691.14 Kcal / kg to 31941.50 Kcal / kg.

Chad: World Oil Report 1991

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

Not Available

1991-08-01

This paper reports on Mango 1, which is an exploration well started in September 1990 on a block adjacent to Lake Chad by Esso, Chevron and Shell was suspended after the coup in that nation's capital later in the year. The small Sedigi oil field, discovered in the 70s, will be developed with a pipeline to a 3,000-bpd refinery. Improved relations with Libya and future internal stability may further open the door to exploration.

The Soviet-West European Energy Relationship: Implications of the Shift from Oil to Gas,

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-01

Western oil majors, such as Shell and Jersey Standard, to market Soviet oil, as they had for a time after the revolution C3). ’.o S ...I’ rn ) ra " G 1 S V P marketing ano price 31sco-its 3%so cOnrrZten t, tnl s raoi ;growth. The U)SSR re-esta:;1.snec its na <ez, ina neCork i . es er...On the Other hand, the weak market conditions, as well as the con- straints on the supply side, inhibit Soviet abilities to pursue this old strategy

From Apollo to Cognac

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

Shell Oil Company started oil and gas production from a new offshore platform called Cognac located in the Gulf of Mexico. It is the world's tallest oil platform, slightly taller than the Empire State Building. The highly complex job of installing Cognac's support "jacket" under water more than a thousand feet deep was directed from a barge-based control center. To enable crews to practice in advance difficult tasks never before accomplished, Honeywell, adapting NASA's Apollo technology, developed a system for simulating the various underwater operations. In training sessions, displays and controls reacted exactly as they would in real operation.

Mechanism governing nanoparticle flow behaviour in porous media: insight for enhanced oil recovery applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agi, Augustine; Junin, Radzuan; Gbadamosi, Afeez

2018-06-01

Nanotechnology has found its way to petroleum engineering, it is well-accepted path in the oil and gas industry to recover more oil trapped in the reservoir. But the addition of nanoparticles to a liquid can result in the simplest flow becoming complex. To understand the working mechanism, there is a need to study the flow behaviour of these particles. This review highlights the mechanism affecting the flow of nanoparticles in porous media as it relates to enhanced oil recovery. The discussion focuses on chemical-enhanced oil recovery, a review on laboratory experiment on wettability alteration, effect of interfacial tension and the stability of emulsion and foam is discussed. The flow behaviour of nanoparticles in porous media was discussed laying emphasis on the physical aspect of the flow, the microscopic rheological behaviour and the adsorption of the nanoparticles. It was observed that nanofluids exhibit Newtonian behaviour at low shear rate and non-Newtonian behaviour at high shear rate. Gravitational and capillary forces are responsible for the shift in wettability from oil-wet to water-wet. The dominant mechanisms of foam flow process were lamellae division and bubble to multiple bubble lamellae division. In a water-wet system, the dominant mechanism of flow process and residual oil mobilization are lamellae division and emulsification, respectively. Whereas in an oil-wet system, the generation of pre-spinning continuous gas foam was the dominant mechanism. The literature review on oil displacement test and field trials indicates that nanoparticles can recover additional oil. The challenges encountered have opened new frontier for research and are highlighted herein.

Publications - GMC 179 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

(11298'-12367') from the Shell Oil Company West Mikkelsen Unit #4 well Authors: Unknown Publication Date Reference Unknown, 1990, Vitrinite reflectance data of ditch (2820'-13050') and of core (11298'-12367') from

33 CFR 87.1 - Need of assistance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...; (c) Rockets or shells, throwing red stars fired one at a time at short intervals; (d) A signal made... burning tar barrel, oil barrel, etc.); (i) A rocket parachute flare or a hand flare showing a red light...

33 CFR 87.1 - Need of assistance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...; (c) Rockets or shells, throwing red stars fired one at a time at short intervals; (d) A signal made... burning tar barrel, oil barrel, etc.); (i) A rocket parachute flare or a hand flare showing a red light...

33 CFR 87.1 - Need of assistance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...; (c) Rockets or shells, throwing red stars fired one at a time at short intervals; (d) A signal made... burning tar barrel, oil barrel, etc.); (i) A rocket parachute flare or a hand flare showing a red light...

33 CFR 87.1 - Need of assistance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...; (c) Rockets or shells, throwing red stars fired one at a time at short intervals; (d) A signal made... burning tar barrel, oil barrel, etc.); (i) A rocket parachute flare or a hand flare showing a red light...

33 CFR 87.1 - Need of assistance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...; (c) Rockets or shells, throwing red stars fired one at a time at short intervals; (d) A signal made... burning tar barrel, oil barrel, etc.); (i) A rocket parachute flare or a hand flare showing a red light...

Free Electrons to Molecular Bonds and Back: Closing the Energetic Oxygen Reduction (ORR)-Oxygen Evolution (OER) Cycle Using Core-Shell Nanoelectrocatalysts.

PubMed

Strasser, Peter

2016-11-15

Nanomaterial science and electrocatalytic science have entered a successful "nanoelectrochemical" symbiosis, in which novel nanomaterials offer new frontiers for studies on electrocatalytic charge transfer, while electrocatalytic processes give meaning and often practical importance to novel nanomaterial concepts. Examples of this fruitful symbiosis are dealloyed core-shell nanoparticle electrocatalysts, which often exhibit enhanced kinetic charge transfer rates at greatly improved atom-efficiency. As such, they represent ideal electrocatalyst architectures for the acidic oxygen reduction reaction to water (ORR) and the acidic oxygen evolution reaction from water (OER) that require scarce Pt- and Ir-based catalysts. Together, these two reactions constitute the "O-cycle", a key elemental process loop in the field of electrochemical energy interconversion between electricity (free electrons) and molecular bonds (H 2 O/O 2 ), realized in the combination of water electrolyzers and hydrogen/oxygen fuel cells. In this Account, we describe our recent efforts to design, synthesize, understand, and test noble metal-poor dealloyed Pt and Ir core-shell nanoparticles for deployment in acidic polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzers and PEM fuel cells. Spherical dealloyed Pt core-shell particles, derived from PtNi 3 precursor alloys, showed favorable ORR activity. More detailed size-activity correlation studies further revealed that the 6-8 nm diameter range is a most desirable initial particle size range in order to maximize the particle Ni content after ORR testing and to preserve performance stability. Similarly, dealloyed and oxidized IrO x core-shell particles derived from Ni-rich Ir-Ni precursor particles proved highly efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts in acidic conditions. In addition to the noble metal savings in the particle cores, the Pt core-shell particles are believed to benefit in terms of their mass-based electrochemical kinetics from surface lattice strain effects that tune the adsorption energies and barriers of elementary steps. The molecular mechanism of the kinetic benefit of the dealloyed IrO x particle needs more attention, but there is mounting evidence for ligand hole effects in defect-rich IrO x shells that generate preactive oxygen centers.

Impacts from Partial Removal of Decommissioned Oil and Gas Platforms on Fish Biomass and Production on the Remaining Platform Structure and Surrounding Shell Mounds.

PubMed

Claisse, Jeremy T; Pondella, Daniel J; Love, Milton; Zahn, Laurel A; Williams, Chelsea M; Bull, Ann S

2015-01-01

When oil and gas platforms become obsolete they go through a decommissioning process. This may include partial removal (from the surface to 26 m depth) or complete removal of the platform structure. While complete removal would likely eliminate most of the existing fish biomass and associated secondary production, we find that the potential impacts of partial removal would likely be limited on all but one platform off the coast of California. On average 80% of fish biomass and 86% of secondary fish production would be retained after partial removal, with above 90% retention expected for both metrics on many platforms. Partial removal would likely result in the loss of fish biomass and production for species typically found residing in the shallow portions of the platform structure. However, these fishes generally represent a small proportion of the fishes associated with these platforms. More characteristic of platform fauna are the primarily deeper-dwelling rockfishes (genus Sebastes). "Shell mounds" are biogenic reefs that surround some of these platforms resulting from an accumulation of mollusk shells that have fallen from the shallow areas of the platforms mostly above the depth of partial removal. We found that shell mounds are moderately productive fish habitats, similar to or greater than natural rocky reefs in the region at comparable depths. The complexity and areal extent of these biogenic habitats, and the associated fish biomass and production, will likely be reduced after either partial or complete platform removal. Habitat augmentation by placing the partially removed platform superstructure or some other additional habitat enrichment material (e.g., rock boulders) on the seafloor adjacent to the base of partially removed platforms provides additional options to enhance fish production, potentially mitigating reductions in shell mound habitat.

Effect of nitric acid treatment on activated carbon derived from oil palm shell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allwar, Allwar; Hartati, Retno; Fatimah, Is

2017-03-01

The primary object of this work is to study the effect of nitric acid on the porous and morphology structure of activated carbon. Production of activated carbon from oil palm shell was prepared with pyrolysis process at temperature 900°C and by introduction of 10 M nitric acid. Determination of surface area, pore volume and pore size distribution of activated carbon was conducted by the N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm at 77 K. Morphology structure and elemental micro-analysis of activated carbon were estimated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), respectively. The result shows that activated carbon after treating with nitric acid proved an increasing porous characteristics involving surface area, pore volume and pore size distribution. It also could remove the contaminants including metals and exhibit an increasing of pores and crevices all over the surface.

Energy: the microfluidic frontier.

PubMed

Sinton, David

2014-09-07

Global energy is largely a fluids problem. It is also large-scale, in stark contrast to microchannels. Microfluidic energy technologies must offer either massive scalability or direct relevance to energy processes already operating at scale. We have to pick our fights. Highlighted here are the exceptional opportunities I see, including some recent successes and areas where much more attention is needed. The most promising directions are those that leverage high surface-to-volume ratios, rapid diffusive transport, capacity for high temperature and high pressure experiments, and length scales characteristic of microbes and fluids (hydrocarbons, CO2) underground. The most immediate areas of application are where information is the product; either fluid sample analysis (e.g. oil analysis); or informing operations (e.g. CO2 transport in microporous media). I'll close with aspects that differentiate energy from traditional microfluidics applications, the uniquely important role of engineering in energy, and some thoughts for the research community forming at the nexus of lab-on-a-chip and energy--a microfluidic frontier.

The ultrastructure of shelled and unshelled cashew nuts.

PubMed

Muniz, Celli R; Freire, Francisco C O; Soares, Arlete Aparecida; Cooke, Peter H; Guedes, Maria I F

2013-01-01

Cashew nuts have many attributes, including sensory, nutritional and health appeal, which contribute to their worldwide acceptance. We demonstrate details of the microstructure of shelled and unshelled cashew kernels with regard to pericarp and cotyledon organization. This study also provides evidence of the colonization of these kernels by filamentous fungi. Nuts were examined by scanning electron and confocal scanning laser microscopy. Staining with acridine orange was performed. A tight lignified palisade layer adjacent to the exocarp surface explains the hardness of the shell's pericarp. The mesocarp contains large secretory cavities that confer a spongy property to this tissue. Papillose cells, which are responsible for secreting CNSL (cashew nutshell liquid), were observed to cover the inner wall of these cavities. Lipid components are readily released from the parenchyma and appear as oil droplets. The outer surface of the shelled samples exhibited a dense Aspergillus infestation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interface formation during silica encapsulation of colloidal CdSe/CdS quantum dots observed by in situ Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biermann, Amelie; Aubert, Tangi; Baumeister, Philipp; Drijvers, Emile; Hens, Zeger; Maultzsch, Janina

2017-04-01

We investigate the encapsulation of CdSe/CdS quantum dots (QDs) in a silica shell by in situ Raman spectroscopy and find a distinct shift of the CdS Raman signal during the first hours of the synthesis. This shift does not depend on the final silica shell thickness but on the properties of the initial core-shell QD. We find a correlation between the Raman shift rate and the speed of the silica formation and attribute this to the changing configuration of the outermost layers of the QD shell, where an interface to the newly formed silica is created. This dependence of Raman shift rate on the speed of silica formation process will give rise to many possible studies concerning the growth mechanism in the water-in-oil microemulsion, rendering in situ Raman a valuable instrument in monitoring this type of reaction.

3D Sedimentological and geophysical studies of clastic reservoir analogs: Facies architecture, reservoir properties, and flow behavior within delta front facies elements of the Cretaceous Wall Creek Member, Frontier Formation, Wyoming

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

Christopher D. White

2009-12-21

Significant volumes of oil and gas occur in reservoirs formed by ancient river deltas. This has implications for the spatial distribution of rock types and the variation of transport properties. A between mudstones and sandstones may form baffles that influence productivity and recovery efficiency. Diagenetic processes such as compaction, dissolution, and cementation can also alter flow properties. A better understanding of these properties and improved methods will allow improved reservoir development planning and increased recovery of oil and gas from deltaic reservoirs. Surface exposures of ancient deltaic rocks provide a high-resolution view of variability. Insights gleaned from these exposures canmore » be used to model analogous reservoirs, for which data is sparser. The Frontier Formation in central Wyoming provides an opportunity for high-resolution models. The same rocks exposed in the Tisdale anticline are productive in nearby oil fields. Kilometers of exposure are accessible, and bedding-plane exposures allow use of high-resolution ground-penetrating radar. This study combined geologic interpretations, maps, vertical sections, core data, and ground-penetrating radar to construct geostatistical and flow models. Strata-conforming grids were use to reproduce the observed geometries. A new Bayesian method integrates outcrop, core, and radar amplitude and phase data. The proposed method propagates measurement uncertainty and yields an ensemble of plausible models for calcite concretions. These concretions affect flow significantly. Models which integrate more have different flow responses from simpler models, as demonstrated an exhaustive two-dimensional reference image and in three dimensions. This method is simple to implement within widely available geostatistics packages. Significant volumes of oil and gas occur in reservoirs that are inferred to have been formed by ancient river deltas. This geologic setting has implications for the spatial distribution of rock types (\\Eg sandstones and mudstones) and the variation of transport properties (\\Eg permeability and porosity) within bodies of a particular rock type. Both basin-wide processes such as sea-level change and the autocyclicity of deltaic processes commonly cause deltaic reservoirs to have large variability in rock properties; in particular, alternations between mudstones and sandstones may form baffles and trends in rock body permeability can influence productivity and recovery efficiency. In addition, diagenetic processes such as compaction, dissolution, and cementation can alter the spatial pattern of flow properties. A better understanding of these properties, and improved methods to model the properties and their effects, will allow improved reservoir development planning and increased recovery of oil and gas from deltaic reservoirs. Surface exposures of ancient deltaic rocks provide a high resolution, low uncertainty view of subsurface variability. Patterns and insights gleaned from these exposures can be used to model analogous reservoirs, for which data is much sparser. This approach is particularly attractive when reservoir formations are exposed at the surface. The Frontier Formation in central Wyoming provides an opportunity for high resolution characterization. The same rocks exposed in the vicinity of the Tisdale anticline are productive in nearby oil fields, including Salt Creek. Many kilometers of good-quality exposure are accessible, and the common bedding-plane exposures allow use of shallow-penetration, high-resolution electromagnetic methods known as ground-penetrating radar. This study combined geologic interpretations, maps, vertical sections, core data, and ground-penetrating radar to construct high-resolution geostatistical and flow models for the Wall Creek Member of the Frontier Formation. Stratal-conforming grids were use to reproduce the progradational and aggradational geometries observed in outcrop and radar data. A new, Bayesian method integrates outcrop--derived statistics, core observations of concretions, and radar amplitude and phase data. The proposed method consistently propagates measurement uncertainty through the model-building process, and yields an ensemble of plausible models for diagenetic calcite concretions. These concretions have a statistically significant on flow. Furthermore, neither geostatistical data from the outcrops nor geophysical data from radar is sufficient: models which integrate these data have significantly different flow responses. This was demonstrated both for an exhaustive two-dimensional reference image and in three dimensions, using flow simulations. This project wholly supported one PhD student and part of the education of an additional MS and PhD student. It helped to sponsor 6 refereed articles and 8 conference or similar presentations.« less

Neem oil nanoemulsions: characterisation and antioxidant activity.

PubMed

Rinaldi, Federica; Hanieh, Patrizia Nadia; Longhi, Catia; Carradori, Simone; Secci, Daniela; Zengin, Gokhan; Ammendolia, Maria Grazia; Mattia, Elena; Del Favero, Elena; Marianecci, Carlotta; Carafa, Maria

2017-12-01

The aim of the present work is to develop nanoemulsions (NEs), nanosized emulsions, manufactured for improving the delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients. In particular, nanoemulsions composed of Neem seed oil, contain rich bioactive components, and Tween 20 as nonionic surfactant were prepared. A mean droplet size ranging from 10 to 100 nm was obtained by modulating the oil/surfactant ratio. Physicochemical characterisation was carried out evaluating size, ζ-potential, microviscosity, polarity and turbidity of the external shell and morphology, along with stability in simulated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), activity of Neem oil alone and in NEs, HEp-2 cell interaction and cytotoxicity studies. This study confirms the formation of NEs by Tween 20 and Neem oil at different weight ratios with small and homogenous dimensions. The antioxidant activity of Neem oil alone and in NEs was comparable, whereas its cytotoxicity was strongly reduced when loaded in NEs after interaction with HEp-2 cells.

Influence of Fuel Moisture Content and Reactor Temperature on the Calorific Value of Syngas Resulted from Gasification of Oil Palm Fronds

PubMed Central

Atnaw, Samson Mekbib; Sulaiman, Shaharin Anwar; Yusup, Suzana

2014-01-01

Biomass wastes produced from oil palm mills and plantations include empty fruit bunches (EFBs), shells, fibers, trunks, and oil palm fronds (OPF). EFBs and shells are partially utilized as boiler fuel while the rest of the biomass materials like OPF have not been utilized for energy generation. No previous study has been reported on gasification of oil palm fronds (OPF) biomass for the production of fuel gas. In this paper, the effect of moisture content of fuel and reactor temperature on downdraft gasification of OPF was experimentally investigated using a lab scale gasifier of capacity 50 kW. In addition, results obtained from equilibrium model of gasification that was developed for facilitating the prediction of syngas composition are compared with experimental data. Comparison of simulation results for predicting calorific value of syngas with the experimental results showed a satisfactory agreement with a mean error of 0.1 MJ/Nm3. For a biomass moisture content of 29%, the resulting calorific value for the syngas was found to be only 2.63 MJ/Nm3, as compared to nearly double (4.95 MJ/Nm3) for biomass moisture content of 22%. A calorific value as high as 5.57 MJ/Nm3 was recorded for higher oxidation zone temperature values. PMID:24578617

Influence of fuel moisture content and reactor temperature on the calorific value of syngas resulted from gasification of oil palm fronds.

PubMed

Atnaw, Samson Mekbib; Sulaiman, Shaharin Anwar; Yusup, Suzana

2014-01-01

Biomass wastes produced from oil palm mills and plantations include empty fruit bunches (EFBs), shells, fibers, trunks, and oil palm fronds (OPF). EFBs and shells are partially utilized as boiler fuel while the rest of the biomass materials like OPF have not been utilized for energy generation. No previous study has been reported on gasification of oil palm fronds (OPF) biomass for the production of fuel gas. In this paper, the effect of moisture content of fuel and reactor temperature on downdraft gasification of OPF was experimentally investigated using a lab scale gasifier of capacity 50 kW. In addition, results obtained from equilibrium model of gasification that was developed for facilitating the prediction of syngas composition are compared with experimental data. Comparison of simulation results for predicting calorific value of syngas with the experimental results showed a satisfactory agreement with a mean error of 0.1 MJ/Nm³. For a biomass moisture content of 29%, the resulting calorific value for the syngas was found to be only 2.63 MJ/Nm³, as compared to nearly double (4.95 MJ/Nm³) for biomass moisture content of 22%. A calorific value as high as 5.57 MJ/Nm³ was recorded for higher oxidation zone temperature values.

The Impact of Selective-Logging and Forest Clearance for Oil Palm on Fungal Communities in Borneo

PubMed Central

Kerfahi, Dorsaf; Tripathi, Binu M.; Lee, Junghoon; Edwards, David P.; Adams, Jonathan M.

2014-01-01

Tropical forests are being rapidly altered by logging, and cleared for agriculture. Understanding the effects of these land use changes on soil fungi, which play vital roles in the soil ecosystem functioning and services, is a major conservation frontier. Using 454-pyrosequencing of the ITS1 region of extracted soil DNA, we compared communities of soil fungi between unlogged, once-logged, and twice-logged rainforest, and areas cleared for oil palm, in Sabah, Malaysia. Overall fungal community composition differed significantly between forest and oil palm plantation. The OTU richness and Chao 1 were higher in forest, compared to oil palm plantation. As a proportion of total reads, Basidiomycota were more abundant in forest soil, compared to oil palm plantation soil. The turnover of fungal OTUs across space, true β-diversity, was also higher in forest than oil palm plantation. Ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungal abundance was significantly different between land uses, with highest relative abundance (out of total fungal reads) observed in unlogged forest soil, lower abundance in logged forest, and lowest in oil palm. In their entirety, these results indicate a pervasive effect of conversion to oil palm on fungal community structure. Such wholesale changes in fungal communities might impact the long-term sustainability of oil palm agriculture. Logging also has more subtle long term effects, on relative abundance of EcM fungi, which might affect tree recruitment and nutrient cycling. However, in general the logged forest retains most of the diversity and community composition of unlogged forest. PMID:25405609

The impact of selective-logging and forest clearance for oil palm on fungal communities in Borneo.

PubMed

Kerfahi, Dorsaf; Tripathi, Binu M; Lee, Junghoon; Edwards, David P; Adams, Jonathan M

2014-01-01

Tropical forests are being rapidly altered by logging, and cleared for agriculture. Understanding the effects of these land use changes on soil fungi, which play vital roles in the soil ecosystem functioning and services, is a major conservation frontier. Using 454-pyrosequencing of the ITS1 region of extracted soil DNA, we compared communities of soil fungi between unlogged, once-logged, and twice-logged rainforest, and areas cleared for oil palm, in Sabah, Malaysia. Overall fungal community composition differed significantly between forest and oil palm plantation. The OTU richness and Chao 1 were higher in forest, compared to oil palm plantation. As a proportion of total reads, Basidiomycota were more abundant in forest soil, compared to oil palm plantation soil. The turnover of fungal OTUs across space, true β-diversity, was also higher in forest than oil palm plantation. Ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungal abundance was significantly different between land uses, with highest relative abundance (out of total fungal reads) observed in unlogged forest soil, lower abundance in logged forest, and lowest in oil palm. In their entirety, these results indicate a pervasive effect of conversion to oil palm on fungal community structure. Such wholesale changes in fungal communities might impact the long-term sustainability of oil palm agriculture. Logging also has more subtle long term effects, on relative abundance of EcM fungi, which might affect tree recruitment and nutrient cycling. However, in general the logged forest retains most of the diversity and community composition of unlogged forest.

Generation of colloidal granules and capsules from double emulsion drops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hess, Kathryn S.

Assemblies of colloidal particles are extensively used in ceramic processing, pharmaceuticals, inks and coatings. In this project, the aim was to develop a new technique to fabricate monodispersed colloidal assemblies. The use of microfluidic devices and emulsion processing allows for the fabrication of complex materials that can be used in a variety of applications. A microfluidic device is used to create monodispersed water/oil/water (w/o/w) double emulsions with interior droplets of colloidal silica suspension ranging in size from tens to hundreds of microns. By tailoring the osmotic pressure using glycerol as a solute in the continuous and inner phases of the emulsion, we can control the final volume size of the monodispersed silica colloidal crystals that form in the inner droplets of the double emulsion. Modifying the ionic strength in the colloidal dispersion can be used to affect the particle-particle interactions and crystal formation of the final colloidal particle. This w/o/w technique has been used with other systems of metal oxide colloids and cellulose nanocrystals. Encapsulation of the colloidal suspension in a polymer shell for the generation of ceramic-polymer core-shell particles has also been developed. These core-shell particles have spawned new research in the field of locally resonant acoustic metamaterials. Systems and chemistries for creating cellulose hydrogels within the double emulsions have also been researched. Water in oil single emulsions and double emulsions have been used to create cellulose hydrogel spheres in the sub-100 micron diameter range. Oil/water/oil double emulsions allow us to create stable cellulose capsules. The addition of a second hydrogel polymer, such as acrylate or alginate, further strengthens the cellulose gel network and can also be processed into capsules and particles using the microfluidic device. This work could have promising applications in acoustic metamaterials, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural applications, among others.

Blowout Monitor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS), a NASA-developed software shell for developing expert systems, has been embedded in a PC-based expert system for training oil rig personnel in monitoring oil drilling. Oil drilling rigs if not properly maintained for possible blowouts pose hazards to human life, property and the environment may be destroyed. CLIPS is designed to permit the delivery of artificial intelligence on computer. A collection of rules is set up and, as facts become known, these rules are applied. In the Well Site Advisor, CLIPS provides the capability to accurately process, predict and interpret well data in a real time mode. CLIPS was provided to INTEQ by COSMIC.

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

Mello, M.R.; Soldan, A.L.; Maxwell, J.R.

A geochemical and biological marker investigation of a variety of oils from offshore Brazil and west Africa, ranging in age from Lower Cretaceous to Tertiary, has been done, with the following aims: (1) assessing the depositional environment of source rocks, (2) correlating the reservoired oils, (3) comparing the Brazilian oils with their west African counterparts. The approach was based in stable isotope data; bulk, elemental, and hydrous pyrolysis results; and molecular studies involving quantitative geological marker investigations of alkanes using GC-MS and GC-MS-MS. The results reveal similarities between groups of oils from each side of the Atlantic and suggest anmore » origin from source rocks deposited in five types of depositional environment: lacustrine fresh water, lacustrine saline water, marine evaporitic/carbonate, restricted marine anoxic, and marine deltaic. In west Africa, the Upper Cretaceous marine anoxic succession (Cenomanian-Santonian) appears to be a major oil producer, but in Brazil it is generally immature. The Brazilian offshore oils have arisen mainly from the pre-salt sequence, whereas the African oils show a balance between origins from the pre-salt and marine sequences. The integration of the geochemical and geological data indicate that new frontiers of hydrocarbon exploration in the west African basins must consider the Tertiary reservoirs in the offshore area of Niger Delta, the reservoirs of the rift sequences in the shallow-water areas of south Gabon, Congo, and Cuanza basins, and the reservoirs from the drift sequences (post-salt) in the deep-water areas of Gabon, Congo Cabinda, and Cuanza basins.« less

PMMA/PS coaxial electrospinning: a statistical analysis on processing parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmani, Shahrzad; Arefazar, Ahmad; Latifi, Masoud

2017-08-01

Coaxial electrospinning, as a versatile method for producing core-shell fibers, is known to be very sensitive to two classes of influential factors including material and processing parameters. Although coaxial electrospinning has been the focus of many studies, the effects of processing parameters on the outcomes of this method have not yet been well investigated. A good knowledge of the impacts of processing parameters and their interactions on coaxial electrospinning can make it possible to better control and optimize this process. Hence, in this study, the statistical technique of response surface method (RSM) using the design of experiments on four processing factors of voltage, distance, core and shell flow rates was applied. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), oil immersion and Fluorescent microscopy were used to characterize fiber morphology. The core and shell diameters of fibers were measured and the effects of all factors and their interactions were discussed. Two polynomial models with acceptable R-squares were proposed to describe the core and shell diameters as functions of the processing parameters. Voltage and distance were recognized as the most significant and influential factors on shell diameter, while core diameter was mainly under the influence of core and shell flow rates besides the voltage.

Buried Mesozoic rift basins of Moroccan Atlantic continental margin

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

Mohamed, N.; Jabour, H.; El Mostaine, M.

1995-08-01

The Atlantic continental margin is the largest frontier area for oil and gas exploration in Morocco. Most of the activity has been concentrated where Upper Jurassic carbonate rocks have been the drilling objectives, with only one significant but non commercial oil discovery. Recent exploration activities have focused on early Mesozoic Rift basins buried beneath the post-rift sediments of the Middle Atlantic coastal plain. Many of these basins are of interest because they contain fine-grained lacustrine rocks that have sufficient organic richness to be classified as efficient oil prone source rock. Location of inferred rift basins beneath the Atlantic coastal plainmore » were determined by analysis of drilled-hole data in combination with gravity anomaly and aeromagnetic maps. These rift basins are characterized by several half graben filled by synrift sediments of Triassic age probably deposited in lacustrine environment. Coeval rift basins are known to be present in the U.S. Atlantic continental margin. Basin modeling suggested that many of the less deeply bored rift basins beneath the coastal plain are still within the oil window and present the most attractive exploration targets in the area.« less

Anatomical structure of Camellia oleifera shell.

PubMed

Hu, Jinbo; Shi, Yang; Liu, Yuan; Chang, Shanshan

2018-06-04

The main product of Camellia oleifera is edible oil made from the seeds, but huge quantities of agro-waste are produced in the form of shells. The primary components of C. oleifera fruit shell are cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which probably make it a good eco-friendly non-wood material. Understanding the structure of the shell is however a prerequisite to making full use of it. The anatomical structure of C. oleifera fruit shells was investigated from macroscopic to ultrastructural scale by stereoscopic, optical, and scanning electron microscopy. The main cell morphology in the different parts of the shell was observed and measured using the tissue segregation method. The density of the cross section of the shell was also obtained using an X-ray CT scanner to check the change in texture. The C. oleifera fruit pericarp was made up of exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp. The main types of exocarp cells were stone cells, spiral vessels, and parenchyma cells. The mesocarp accounted for most of the shell and consisted of parenchyma, tracheids, and some stone cells. The endocarp was basically made up of cells with a thickened cell wall that were modified tracheid or parenchyma cells with secondary wall thickening. The most important ultrastructure in these cells was the pits in the cell wall of stone and vessel cells that give the shell a conducting, mechanical, and protective role. The density of the shell gradually decreased from exocarp to endocarp. Tracheid cells are one of the main cell types in the shell, but their low slenderness (length to width) ratio makes them unsuitable for the manufacture of paper. Further research should be conducted on composite shell-plastic panels (or other reinforced materials) to make better use of this agro-waste.

The North Peruvian oil pipeline and its future

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

Ocampo, J.A.T.

1996-12-31

Worldwide economic globalization has awakened the corporate sector and countries to new opportunities and rising competition is forcing them to become more efficient. Peru is undergoing change and working to attain an increasingly important position in the international economy by opening its frontiers and minimizing its government apparatus. Petroleos del Peru`s Oil Pipeline Division is making adjustments to response to this new context, searching for excellence to offer Total Quality, is training highly qualified personnel and being oriented to competitive results. The strategy to be followed must involve deciding on whether to maintain the existing operating capacity, to lengthen themore » useful life of the system and expanding its services. The most important point to be determined by an enterprise is not what must be done, but what are the aims and goals to be reached.« less

Effect of one step KOH activation and CaO modified carbon in transesterification reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yacob, Abd Rahim; Zaki, Muhammad Azam Muhammad

2017-11-01

In this work, one step activation was introduced using potassium hydroxide (KOH) and calcium oxide (CaO) modified palm kernel shells. Various concentration of calcium oxide was used as catalyst while maintaining the same concentration of potassium hydroxide to activate and impregnate the palm kernel shell before calcined at 500°C for 5 hours. All the prepared samples were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). FTIR analysis of raw palm kernel shell showed the presence of various functional groups. However, after activation, most of the functional groups were eliminated. The basic strength of the prepared samples were determined using back titration method. The samples were then used as base heterogeneous catalyst for the transesterification reaction of rice bran oil with methanol. Analysis of the products were performed using Gas Chromatography Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID) to calculate the percentage conversion of the biodiesel products. This study shows, as the percentage of one step activation potassium and calcium oxide doped carbon increases thus, the basic strength also increases followed by the increase in biodiesel production. Optimization study shows that the optimum biodiesel production was at 8 wt% catalyst loading, 9:1 methanol: oil molar ratio at 65°C and 6 hours which gives a conversion up to 95%.

Inhalation Exposure to Jet Fuel (JP8) Among U.S. Air Force Personnel

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-01

less Ihan 25 ft > grrater tlulII 25 I t). primary job (entranl > (IIItlldomirum.er/jireglloro > Oil /side IWllgar), (HId performillg I"Orious tasks...collect vapor samples on coconut shell chareoal in tWQ.scction (100 mg/50 mg) glass sorbcnt tubes (Anasorb; SKC Inc .. Eighty Four. Pa.) at a now...dermal JP8 exposure study (~) assessed three body surfaces, additional body regions were not assessed in this study to minimize the burden Oil study

Screening natural antioxidants in peanut shell using DPPH-HPLC-DAD-TOF/MS methods.

PubMed

Qiu, Jiying; Chen, Leilei; Zhu, Qingjun; Wang, Daijie; Wang, Wenliang; Sun, Xin; Liu, Xiaoyong; Du, Fangling

2012-12-15

Peanut shell, a byproduct in oil production, is rich in natural antioxidants. Here, a rapid and efficient method using DPPH-HPLC-DAD-TOF/MS was used for the first time to screen antioxidants in peanut shell. The method is based on the hypothesis that upon reaction with 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), the peak areas of compounds with potential antioxidant activities in the HPLC chromatogram will be significantly reduced or disappeared, and the identity confirmation could be achieved by HPLC-DAD-TOF/MS technique. With this method, three compounds possessing potential antioxidant activities were found abundantly in the methanolic extract of peanut shell. They were identified as 5,7-dihydroxychromone, eriodictyol, and luteolin. The contents of these compounds were 0.59, 0.92, and 2.36 mg/g, respectively, and luteolin possessed the strongest radical scavenging capacity. DPPH-HPLC-DAD-TOF/MS assay facilitated rapid identification and determination of natural antioxidants in peanut shell, which may be helpful for value-added utilization of peanut processing byproducts. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

29 CFR 776.2 - Employee basis of coverage.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... in covered work, their employer cannot avoid his obligations to them under the Act on the ground that.... Callus, 325 U.S. 578; Armour & Co. v. Wantock, 323 U.S. 126; Donovan v. Shell Oil Co., 168 F. 2d 229 (C.A...

Evaluation of a clam shell embankment bridging marshland soil : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1974-06-01

The Louisiana highway network extends southward to the Gulf Coast where it serves a populace which is rapidly expanding as oil companies increase their activities in the area. The swamplands and marshlands which comprise much of south Louisiana repre...

Analysis of Peanut Seed Oil by NIR

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Near infrared reflectance spectra (NIRS) were collected from Arachis hypogaea seed samples and used in predictive models to rapidly identify varieties with high oleic acid. The method was developed for shelled peanut seeds with intact testa. Spectra were evaluated initially by principal component an...

77 FR 9962 - Information Collection; Prospecting for Minerals Other Than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur on the Outer...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-21

... sand, gravel, and shell resources for specified types of public uses. Such specified uses will support... collection of information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be...

Numerical investigation of the interaction of positive streamers with bubbles floating on a liquid surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babaeva, Natalia Yu.; Naidis, George V.; Kushner, Mark J.

2016-09-01

Streamer discharges in air intersecting with liquids are being investigated to produce reactivity in the liquid. In this talk, we discuss results from a 2-d computational investigation of streamers in air intersecting an isolated liquid, air filled bubble floating on a liquid surface. The 15 mm diameter bubble is conducting water (ɛ /ɛ0 = 80 , σ = 7 . 5 ×10-4Ω-1cm-1) or transformer oil (ɛ /ɛ0 = 2 . 2 , σ = 1 . 5 ×10-13Ω-1cm-1). A needle electrode is positioned d =0-10 mm from the bubble center. With a water bubble (d =0) the streamer slides along the external surface but does not penetrate the bubble due to electric field screening by the conducting shell. If the electrode is shifted (d =3-10 mm) the streamer deviates from the vertical and adheres to the bubble. If the electrode is inserted inside the bubble, the streamer path depends on how deep the electrode penetrates. For shallow penetration, the streamer propagates along the inner surface of the bubble. For deep penetration the streamer takes the shortest path down through the gas. Due to the low conductivity of the oil bubble shell the electric field penetrates into the interior of the bubble. The streamer can then be re-initiated inside the bubble. Charge accumulation on both sides of the bubble shell and perforation of the shell will be also discussed. NYB, GVN supported by Russian Sci. Found. (14-12-01295). MJK by US Natl. Sci. Found. and Dept. of Energy.

The effect of different parameters on the development of compressive strength of oil palm shell geopolymer concrete.

PubMed

Kupaei, Ramin Hosseini; Alengaram, U Johnson; Jumaat, Mohd Zamin

2014-01-01

This paper presents the experimental results of an on-going research project on geopolymer lightweight concrete using two locally available waste materials--low calcium fly ash (FA) and oil palm shell (OPS)--as the binder and lightweight coarse aggregate, respectively. OPS was pretreated with three different alkaline solutions of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide, and sodium silicate as well as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) for 30 days; afterwards, oil palm shell geopolymer lightweight concrete (OPSGPC) was cast by using both pretreated and untreated OPSs. The effect of these solutions on the water absorption of OPS, and the development of compressive strength in different curing conditions of OPSGPC produced by pretreated OPS were investigated; subsequently the influence of NaOH concentration, alkaline solution to FA ratio (A/FA), and different curing regimes on the compressive strength and density of OPSGPC produced by untreated OPS was inspected. The 24-hour water absorption value for OPS pretreated with 20% and 50% PVA solution was about 4% compared to 23% for untreated OPS. OPSGPC produced from OPS treated with 50% PVA solution produced the highest compressive strength of about 30 MPa in ambient cured condition. The pretreatment with alkaline solution did not have a significant positive effect on the water absorption of OPS aggregate and the compressive strength of OPSGPC. The result revealed that a maximum compressive strength of 32 MPa could be obtained at a temperature of 65°C and curing period of 4 days. This investigation also found that an A/FA ratio of 0.45 has the optimum amount of alkaline liquid and it resulted in the highest level of compressive strength.

The Effect of Different Parameters on the Development of Compressive Strength of Oil Palm Shell Geopolymer Concrete

PubMed Central

Kupaei, Ramin Hosseini; Alengaram, U. Johnson; Jumaat, Mohd Zamin

2014-01-01

This paper presents the experimental results of an on-going research project on geopolymer lightweight concrete using two locally available waste materials—low calcium fly ash (FA) and oil palm shell (OPS)—as the binder and lightweight coarse aggregate, respectively. OPS was pretreated with three different alkaline solutions of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide, and sodium silicate as well as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) for 30 days; afterwards, oil palm shell geopolymer lightweight concrete (OPSGPC) was cast by using both pretreated and untreated OPSs. The effect of these solutions on the water absorption of OPS, and the development of compressive strength in different curing conditions of OPSGPC produced by pretreated OPS were investigated; subsequently the influence of NaOH concentration, alkaline solution to FA ratio (A/FA), and different curing regimes on the compressive strength and density of OPSGPC produced by untreated OPS was inspected. The 24-hour water absorption value for OPS pretreated with 20% and 50% PVA solution was about 4% compared to 23% for untreated OPS. OPSGPC produced from OPS treated with 50% PVA solution produced the highest compressive strength of about 30 MPa in ambient cured condition. The pretreatment with alkaline solution did not have a significant positive effect on the water absorption of OPS aggregate and the compressive strength of OPSGPC. The result revealed that a maximum compressive strength of 32 MPa could be obtained at a temperature of 65°C and curing period of 4 days. This investigation also found that an A/FA ratio of 0.45 has the optimum amount of alkaline liquid and it resulted in the highest level of compressive strength. PMID:25531006

Reversible, on-demand generation of aqueous two-phase microdroplets

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

Collier, Charles Patrick; Retterer, Scott Thomas; Boreyko, Jonathan Barton

The present invention provides methods of on-demand, reversible generation of aqueous two-phase microdroplets core-shell microbeads, microparticle preparations comprising the core-shell microbeads, and drug delivery formulation comprising the microparticle preparations. Because these aqueous microdroplets have volumes comparable to those of cells, they provide an approach to mimicking the dynamic microcompartmentation of biomaterial that naturally occurs within the cytoplasm of cells. Hence, the present methods generate femtoliter aqueous two-phase droplets within a microfluidic oil channel using gated pressure pulses to generate individual, stationary two-phase microdroplets with a well-defined time zero for carrying out controlled and sequential phase transformations over time. Reversible phasemore » transitions between single-phase, two-phase, and core-shell microbead states are obtained via evaporation-induced dehydration and water rehydration.« less

Olive-oil nanocapsules stabilized by HSA: influence of processing variables on particle properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molina-Bolívar, J. A.; Galisteo-González, F.

2015-10-01

Liquid lipid nanocapsules (LLN) are considered to be promising drug carriers in the medical field. The size and the surface charge of these nanocarriers are of major importance, affecting their bioavailability and the in vivo behaviour after intravenous injection. This research provides a comprehensive study on the preparation of olive-oil nanocapsules stabilized with a human serum albumin shell (HSA). LLN were prepared by modified solvent-displacement method. Numerous experimental variables were examined in order to characterize their impact on LLN size, distribution, and electrophoretic mobility. Physicochemical parameters of LLN were controlled by adjusting the nanodroplet stabilizing shell of adsorbed protein molecules, which was affected by the oil:HSA ratio, pH, and ionic strength of aqueous medium. The stronger the repulsion between adsorbed HSA molecules, the smaller and more monodisperse the particles proved. Other process parameters, including the ethanol:acetone ratio, organic:aqueous phase ratio, speed of organic-phase injection, and stirring rate were examined to achieve optimum preparation conditions. LLN produced by our standardized formulation were in the range of 170-175 nm with low polydispersity index (<0.1). Long-term colloidal stability of samples was evaluated after 6 months of storage. Efficient incorporation of curcumin, a model for a water-insoluble drug, into olive-oil nanocapsules was achieved (90 %). Encapsulation of curcumin into LLN had a stabilizing effect with respect to drug photodecomposition compared to that of the free molecule in solution.

Bleaching augments lipid peroxidation products in pistachio oil and its cytotoxicity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pistachio consumption is associated with reductions in serum cholesterol and oxidative stress due to their constituents of unsaturated fats, phytosterols, fiber, and antioxidants. Bleaching has been applied to whiten nut shells for antifungal and cosmetic purposes. However, the impact of bleaching o...

Nano-functionalization of protein microspheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Sungkwon; Nichols, William T.

2014-08-01

Protein microspheres are promising building blocks for the assembly of complex functional materials. Here we demonstrate a set of three techniques that add functionality to the surface of protein microspheres. In the first technique, a positive surface charge on the protein spheres is deposited by electrostatic adsorption. Negatively charged silica and gold nanoparticle colloids can then electrostatically bind reversibly to the microsphere surface. In the second technique, nanoparticles are covalently anchored to the protein shell using a simple one-pot process. The strong covalent bond between sulfur groups in cysteine in the protein shell irreversibly binds to the gold nanoparticles. In the third technique, surface morphology of the protein microsphere is tuned through hydrodynamic instability at the water-oil interface. This is accomplished through the degree of solubility of the oil phase in water. Taken together these three techniques form a platform to create nano-functionalized protein microspheres, which can then be used as building blocks for the assembly of more complex macroscopic materials.

Multi-Shell Nano-CarboScavengers for Petroleum Spill Remediation

PubMed Central

Daza, Enrique A.; Misra, Santosh K.; Scott, John; Tripathi, Indu; Promisel, Christine; Sharma, Brajendra K.; Topczewski, Jacek; Chaudhuri, Santanu; Pan, Dipanjan

2017-01-01

Increasingly frequent petroleum contamination in water bodies continues to threaten our ecosystem, which lacks efficient and safe remediation tactics both on macro and nanoscales. Current nanomaterial and dispersant remediation methods neglect to investigate their adverse environmental and biological impact, which can lead to a synergistic chemical imbalance. In response to this rising threat, a highly efficient, environmentally friendly and biocompatible nano-dispersant has been developed comprising a multi-shelled nanoparticle termed ‘Nano-CarboScavengers’ (NCS) with native properties for facile recovery via booms and mesh tools. NCS treated different forms of petroleum oil (raw and distillate form) with considerable efficiency (80% and 91%, respectively) utilizing sequestration and dispersion abilities in tandem with a ~10:1 (oil: NCS; w/w) loading capacity. In extreme contrast with chemical dispersants, the NCS was found to be remarkably benign in in vitro and in vivo assays. Additionally, the carbonaceous nature of NCS broke down by human myeloperoxidase and horseradish peroxidase enzymes, revealing that incidental biological uptake can enzymatically digest the sugar based core. PMID:28157204

Multi-Shell Nano-CarboScavengers for Petroleum Spill Remediation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daza, Enrique A.; Misra, Santosh K.; Scott, John; Tripathi, Indu; Promisel, Christine; Sharma, Brajendra K.; Topczewski, Jacek; Chaudhuri, Santanu; Pan, Dipanjan

2017-02-01

Increasingly frequent petroleum contamination in water bodies continues to threaten our ecosystem, which lacks efficient and safe remediation tactics both on macro and nanoscales. Current nanomaterial and dispersant remediation methods neglect to investigate their adverse environmental and biological impact, which can lead to a synergistic chemical imbalance. In response to this rising threat, a highly efficient, environmentally friendly and biocompatible nano-dispersant has been developed comprising a multi-shelled nanoparticle termed ‘Nano-CarboScavengers’ (NCS) with native properties for facile recovery via booms and mesh tools. NCS treated different forms of petroleum oil (raw and distillate form) with considerable efficiency (80% and 91%, respectively) utilizing sequestration and dispersion abilities in tandem with a ~10:1 (oil: NCS; w/w) loading capacity. In extreme contrast with chemical dispersants, the NCS was found to be remarkably benign in in vitro and in vivo assays. Additionally, the carbonaceous nature of NCS broke down by human myeloperoxidase and horseradish peroxidase enzymes, revealing that incidental biological uptake can enzymatically digest the sugar based core.

Biodiesel from plant seed oils as an alternate fuel for compression ignition engines-a review.

PubMed

Vijayakumar, C; Ramesh, M; Murugesan, A; Panneerselvam, N; Subramaniam, D; Bharathiraja, M

2016-12-01

The modern scenario reveals that the world is facing energy crisis due to the dwindling sources of fossil fuels. Environment protection agencies are more concerned about the atmospheric pollution due to the burning of fossil fuels. Alternative fuel research is getting augmented because of the above reasons. Plant seed oils (vegetable oils) are cleaner, sustainable, and renewable. So, it can be the most suitable alternative fuel for compression ignition (CI) engines. This paper reviews the availability of different types of plant seed oils, several methods for production of biodiesel from vegetable oils, and its properties. The different types of oils considered in this review are cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) oil, ginger oil, eucalyptus oil, rice bran oil, Calophyllum inophyllum, hazelnut oil, sesame oil, clove stem oil, sardine oil, honge oil, polanga oil, mahua oil, rubber seed oil, cotton seed oil, neem oil, jatropha oil, egunsi melon oil, shea butter, linseed oil, Mohr oil, sea lemon oil, pumpkin oil, tobacco seed oil, jojoba oil, and mustard oil. Several methods for production of biodiesel are transesterification, pre-treatment, pyrolysis, and water emulsion are discussed. The various fuel properties considered for review such as specific gravity, viscosity, calorific value, flash point, and fire point are presented. The review also portrays advantages, limitations, performance, and emission characteristics of engine using plant seed oil biodiesel are discussed. Finally, the modeling and optimization of engine for various biofuels with different input and output parameters using artificial neural network, response surface methodology, and Taguchi are included.

Development of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana formulations for control of malaria mosquito larvae

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana have demonstrated effectiveness against anopheline larvae in the laboratory. However, utilising these fungi for the control of anopheline larvae under field conditions, relies on development of effective means of application as well as reducing their sensitivity to UV radiation, high temperatures and the inevitable contact with water. This study was conducted to develop formulations that facilitate the application of Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana spores for the control of anopheline larvae, and also improve their persistence under field conditions. Methods Laboratory bioassays were conducted to test the ability of aqueous (0.1% Tween 80), dry (organic and inorganic) and oil (mineral and synthetic) formulations to facilitate the spread of fungal spores over the water surface and improve the efficacy of formulated spores against anopheline larvae as well as improve spore survival after application. Field bioassays were then carried out to test the efficacy of the most promising formulation under field conditions in western Kenya. Results When formulated in a synthetic oil (ShellSol T), fungal spores of both Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana were easy to mix and apply to the water surface. This formulation was more effective against anopheline larvae than 0.1% Tween 80, dry powders or mineral oil formulations. ShellSol T also improved the persistence of fungal spores after application to the water. Under field conditions in Kenya, the percentage pupation of An. gambiae was significantly reduced by 39 - 50% by the ShellSol T-formulated Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana spores as compared to the effects of the application of unformulated spores. Conclusions ShellSol T is an effective carrier for fungal spores when targeting anopheline larvae under both laboratory and field conditions. Entomopathogenic fungi formulated with a suitable carrier are a promising tool for control of larval populations of malaria mosquitoes. Additional studies are required to identify the best delivery method (where, when and how) to make use of the entomopathogenic potential of these fungi against anopheline larvae. PMID:21342492

Regeneratively cooled coal combustor/gasifier with integral dry ash removal

DOEpatents

Beaufrere, Albert H.

1983-10-04

A coal combustor/gasifier is disclosed which produces a low or medium combustion gas for further combustion in modified oil or gas fired furnaces or boilers. Two concentric shells define a combustion volume within the inner shell and a plenum between them through which combustion air flows to provide regenerative cooling of the inner shell for dry ash operation. A fuel flow and a combustion air flow having opposed swirls are mixed and burned in a mixing-combustion portion of the combustion volume and the ash laden combustion products flow with a residual swirl into an ash separation region. The ash is cooled below the fusion temperature and is moved to the wall by centrifugal force where it is entrained in the cool wall boundary layer. The boundary layer is stabilized against ash re-entrainment as it is moved to an ash removal annulus by a flow of air from the plenum through slots in the inner shell, and by suction on an ash removal skimmer slot.

Bioinspired Diatomite Membrane with Selective Superwettability for Oil/Water Separation.

PubMed

Lo, Yu-Hsiang; Yang, Ching-Yu; Chang, Haw-Kai; Hung, Wei-Chen; Chen, Po-Yu

2017-05-03

Membranes with selective superwettability for oil/water separation have received significant attention during the past decades. Hierarchical structures and surface roughness are believed to improve the oil repellency and the stability of Cassie-Baxter state. Diatoms, unicellular photosynthetic algae, possess sophisticated skeletal shells (called frustules) which are made of hydrated silica. Motivated by the hierarchical micro- and nanoscale features of diatom, we fabricate a hierarchical diatomite membrane which consists of aligned micro-sized channels by the freeze casting process. The fine nano-porous structures of frustules are well preserved after the post sintering process. The bioinspired diatomite membrane performs both underwater superoleophobicity and superhydrophobicity under various oils. Additionally, we demonstrate the highly efficient oil/water separation capabililty of the membranes in various harsh environments. The water flux can be further adjusted by tuning the cooling rates. The eco-friendly and robust bioinspired membranes produced by the simple, cost-effective freeze casting method can be potentially applied for large scale and efficient oil/water separation.

Trace elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis for pollution monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sheibley, D. W.

1975-01-01

Methods and technology were developed to analyze 1000 samples/yr of coal and other pollution-related samples. The complete trace element analysis of 20-24 samples/wk averaged 3-3.5 man-hours/sample. The computerized data reduction scheme could identify and report data on as many as 56 elements. In addition to coal, samples of fly ash, bottom ash, crude oil, fuel oil, residual oil, gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene, filtered air particulates, ore, stack scrubber water, clam tissue, crab shells, river sediment and water, and corn were analyzed. Precision of the method was plus or minus 25% based on all elements reported in coal and other sample matrices. Overall accuracy was estimated at 50%.

Variability and performance evaluation of introgressed Nigerian dura x Deli dura oil palm progenies.

PubMed

Noh, A; Rafii, M Y; Mohd Din, A; Kushairi, A; Norziha, A; Rajanaidu, N; Latif, M A; Malek, M A

2014-04-03

Twelve introgressed oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) progenies of Nigerian dura x Deli dura were evaluated for bunch yield, yield attributes, bunch quality components and vegetative characters at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board Research Station, in Keratong, Pahang, Malaysia. Analysis of variance revealed significant to highly significant genotypic differences, indicating sufficient genetic variability among the progenies for bunch yield and its attributes, vegetative characters and bunch quality components, except fruit to bunch ratio. Fresh fruit bunch yield ranged from 167 kg·palm(-1)·year(-1) in PK1330 to 212 kg·palm(-1)·year(-1) in PK1351, with a mean yield of 192 kg·palm(-1)·year(-1). Among the progeny, PK1313 had the highest oil to bunch ratio (19.36%), due to its high mesocarp to fruit ratio, fruit to bunch ratio and low shell to fruit ratio. Among the progenies, PK1313 produced the highest oil yield of 31.4 kg·palm(-1)·year(-1), due to a high mesocarp to fruit ratio (61.2%) and a low shell to fruit ratio (30.7%), coupled with high fruit to bunch ratio (65.6%). PK1330 was found promising for selection, as it had desirable vegetative characters, including smaller petiole cross section (27.15 cm2), short rachis length (4.83 m), short palm height (1.85 m), and the lowest leaf number (164.6), as these vegetative characters are prerequisites for selecting palms for high density planting and high yield per hectare. The genetic variability among the progenies was found to be high, indicating ample scope for further breeding, followed by selection.

Field evaluation of some bait additives against Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) (Rodentia: Hystricidae).

PubMed

Mushtaq, Muhammad; Hussain, Iftikhar; Mian, Afsar; Munir, Shahid; Ahmed, Irfan; Khan, Abdul Aziz

2013-09-01

This research study evaluated the effect of different additives on the bait consumption by Indian crested porcupine, a serious forest and agricultural pest, under field conditions. Different additives (saccharin, common salt, bone meal, fish meal, peanut butter, egg yolk, egg shell powder, yeast powder, mineral oil and coconut oil) at 2 and 5% each were tested for their relative preference, using groundnut-maize (1:1) as basic bait. All the additives were tested under a no-choice test pattern. For control tests, no additive was mixed with the basic bait. Saccharin at 5% concentration significantly enhanced the consumption of bait over the basic bait, while 2% saccharin supplemented bait resulted in a non-significant bait consumption. All other additives did not enhance the consumption of the bait material; rather, these worked as repellents. However, the repellency was lowest with the common salt, followed by egg yolk, egg shell powder, bone meal, peanut butter, mineral oil, fish meal and yeast powder, while coconut remained the most repellent compound. The present study suggested that groundnut-maize (1:1) supplemented with 5% saccharin was the preferred bait combination, and can be used with different rodenticides for the management of Indian crested porcupine. © 2012 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd, ISZS and IOZ/CAS.

Heterogeneously Nd3+ doped single nanoparticles for NIR-induced heat conversion, luminescence, and thermometry.

PubMed

Marciniak, Lukasz; Pilch, Aleksandra; Arabasz, Sebastian; Jin, Dayong; Bednarkiewicz, Artur

2017-06-22

The current frontier in nanomaterials engineering is to intentionally design and fabricate heterogeneous nanoparticles with desirable morphology and composition, and to integrate multiple functionalities through highly controlled epitaxial growth. Here we show that heterogeneous doping of Nd 3+ ions following a core-shell design already allows three optical functions, namely efficient (η > 72%) light-to-heat conversion, bright NIR emission, and sensitive (S R > 0.1% K -1 ) localized temperature quantification, to be built within a single ca. 25 nm nanoparticle. Importantly, all these optical functions operate within the transparent biological window of the NIR spectral region (λ exc ∼ 800 nm, λ emi ∼ 860 nm), in which light scattering and absorption by tissues and water are minimal. We find NaNdF 4 as a core is efficient in absorbing and converting 808 nm light to heat, while NaYF 4 :1%Nd 3+ as a shell is a temperature sensor based on the ratio-metric luminescence reading but an intermediate inert spacer shell, e.g. NaYF 4 , is necessary to insulate the heat convertor and thermometer by preventing the possible Nd-Nd energy relaxation. Moreover, we notice that while temperature sensitivity and luminescence intensity are optically stable, increased excitation intensity to generate heat above room temperature may saturate the sensing capacity of temperature feedback. We therefore propose a dual beam photoexcitation scheme as a solution for possible light-induced hyperthermia treatment.

Undiscovered oil and gas resources and leasing status of forestlands in Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holm, M.R.; Powers, R.B.; Dolton, G.L.; Law, B.E.; Fox, J.E.; Dersch, J.S.

1993-01-01

All of four national forests, one national grassland, and parts of four additional forests lie within the State of Wyoming. Some of these National Forest System lands have moderate to high potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources. In the 1989 National Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas and in various Open-File Reports, the U.S. Geological Survey described oil and gas plays and presented estimates of recoverable conventional oil and gas resources for these plays. Estimated resources in plays affecting NFS lands in Wyoming are substantial. Of special significance are undiscovered recoverable conventional resources (mean estimate) of approximately 1,010 million barrels of oil, 10,611 billion cubic feet of gas, and 188 million barrels of natural gas liquids assessed in ten plays that include National Forest System lands in the Thunder Basin National Grassland and the Bridger-Teton, Targhee, Caribou, and Shoshone National Forests in Wyoming. Approximately 5,715,570 acres in the forests and grassland are available for leasing or are expected to be available for leasing by mid-1993.Poor accessibility, environmental concerns, and geologic factors such as complex structure and greater drilling depths to potential reservoirs may cause higher exploration risks and operating costs on NFS lands. However, cooperative arrangements with the U.S. Forest Service, in addition to carefully planned exploration and development programs, can facilitate operations in remote and environmentally sensitive areas, and could result in opening new exploration frontiers in Wyoming.

Impacts from Partial Removal of Decommissioned Oil and Gas Platforms on Fish Biomass and Production on the Remaining Platform Structure and Surrounding Shell Mounds

PubMed Central

Claisse, Jeremy T.; Pondella, Daniel J.; Love, Milton; Zahn, Laurel A.; Williams, Chelsea M.; Bull, Ann S.

2015-01-01

When oil and gas platforms become obsolete they go through a decommissioning process. This may include partial removal (from the surface to 26 m depth) or complete removal of the platform structure. While complete removal would likely eliminate most of the existing fish biomass and associated secondary production, we find that the potential impacts of partial removal would likely be limited on all but one platform off the coast of California. On average 80% of fish biomass and 86% of secondary fish production would be retained after partial removal, with above 90% retention expected for both metrics on many platforms. Partial removal would likely result in the loss of fish biomass and production for species typically found residing in the shallow portions of the platform structure. However, these fishes generally represent a small proportion of the fishes associated with these platforms. More characteristic of platform fauna are the primarily deeper-dwelling rockfishes (genus Sebastes). “Shell mounds” are biogenic reefs that surround some of these platforms resulting from an accumulation of mollusk shells that have fallen from the shallow areas of the platforms mostly above the depth of partial removal. We found that shell mounds are moderately productive fish habitats, similar to or greater than natural rocky reefs in the region at comparable depths. The complexity and areal extent of these biogenic habitats, and the associated fish biomass and production, will likely be reduced after either partial or complete platform removal. Habitat augmentation by placing the partially removed platform superstructure or some other additional habitat enrichment material (e.g., rock boulders) on the seafloor adjacent to the base of partially removed platforms provides additional options to enhance fish production, potentially mitigating reductions in shell mound habitat. PMID:26332384

Open natural fractures in sandstone at 18,300 ft: Do they help or hinder production of gas?

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

Lorenz, J.C.; Billingsley, R.L.; Evans, L.W.

1996-06-01

Vertical core, from relatively undeformed Cretaceous (Frontier FM) sandstones at a depth of 18,300 ft in the Green River Basin, contains three sets of mineralized natural fractures. The earliest fractures opened in extension as the strata passed through the hydrocarbon window. Continued subsidence and the maturation of organic material created overpressured conditions, causing oil to be injected into the fractures. Only a carbon residue of the original oil remains in these fractures, suggesting continued burial and maturation. The residue seriously inhibits permeability along and across fractures. Oil residue is also present in oblique, unmineralized mare`s-tails at the ends of fractures,more » suggesting that the in situ stress orientations had changed slightly. Quartz crystals mineralized the fracture walls, growing over the oil residue or pushing it aside. A second set of extension fractures strikes 20-30 degrees oblique to the first set. These fractures are mineralized with calcite, which was also deposited over the quartz in the first fracture set. Continued tectonism reoriented the horizontal stresses by nearly 90 degrees, forming a third set of extension fractures and further degrading permeability by narrowing apertures along earlier fractures. Significant porosity remains along many of the fractures at this depth, yet the in situ stresses and oil residue have combined to degrade fracture permeability to uneconomic matrix values.« less

Open natural fractures in sandstone at 18,300 ft: Do they help or hinder production of gas?

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

Lorenz, J.C.; Billingsley, R.L.; Evans, L.W.

1995-06-01

Vertical core, from relatively undeformed Cretaceous (Frontier Fm) sandstones at a depth of 18,300 ft in the Green River Basin, contains three sets of mineralized natural fractures. The earliest fractures opened in extension as the strata passed through the hydrocarbon window. Continued subsidence and the maturation of organic material created overpressured conditions, causing oil to be injected into the fractures. Only a carbon residue of the original oil remains in these fractures, suggesting continued burial and maturation. The residue seriously inhibits permeability along and across fractures. Oil residue is also present in oblique, unmineralized mare`s-tails at the ends of fractures,more » suggesting that the in-situ stress orientations had changed slightly. Quartz crystals mineralized the fracture walls, growing over the oil residue or pushing it aside. A second set of extension fractures strikes 20-30 degrees oblique to the first set. These fractures are mineralized with calcite, which was also deposited over the quartz in the first fracture set. Continued tectonism reoriented the horizontal stresses by nearly 90 degrees, forming a third set of extension fractures and further degrading permeability by narrowing apertures along earlier fractures. Significant porosity remains along many of the fractures at this depth, yet the in situ stresses and oil residue have combined to degrade fracture permeability to uneconomic matrix values.« less

Iraq: Oil and Gas Sector, Revenue Sharing, and U.S. Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-03

Statoil (Norway) 1,800,000* Majnoon Shell, Petronas (Malaysia) 1,800,000* Halfaya CNPC, Total (France), Petronas 535,000 Gharraf Japex (Japan... Petronas 230,000 Badra Gazprom (Russia), Petronas , TPAO (Turkey) 170,000 Qayara/Najmah Sonangol (Angola) 230,000* Select KRG Production Sharing

Establishing Priorities for Postsecondary Energy-Related Technology Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooking, Walter J.

1977-01-01

Data from a Shell Oil Company forecast of national energy requirements through 1990 and from a national invitational conference on energy-related postsecondary programs are presented under the following headings: Coal mining beneficiation and processing, petroleum extraction and refining, nuclear power production, solar energy, and energy…

Complex polarization propagator approach in the restricted open-shell, self-consistent field approximation: the near K-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectra of allyl and copper phthalocyanine.

PubMed

Linares, Mathieu; Stafström, Sven; Rinkevicius, Zilvinas; Ågren, Hans; Norman, Patrick

2011-05-12

A presentation of the complex polarization propagator in the restricted open-shell self-consistent field approximation is given. It rests on a formulation of a resonant-convergent, first-order polarization propagator approach that makes it possible to directly calculate the X-ray absorption cross section at a particular frequency without explicitly addressing the excited states. The quality of the predicted X-ray spectra relates only to the type of density functional applied without any separate treatment of dynamical relaxation effects. The method is applied to the calculation of the near K-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectra of allyl and copper phthalocyanine. Comparison is made between the spectra of the radicals and those of the corresponding cations and anions to assess the effect of the increase of electron charge in the frontier orbital. The method offers the possibility for unique assignment of symmetry-independent atoms. The overall excellent spectral agreement motivates the application of the method as a routine precise tool for analyzing X-ray absorption of large systems of technological interest.

Rationalization of the solvation effects on the AtO+ ground-state change.

PubMed

Ayed, Tahra; Réal, Florent; Montavon, Gilles; Galland, Nicolas

2013-09-12

(211)At radionuclide is of considerable interest as a radiotherapeutic agent for targeted alpha therapy in nuclear medicine, but major obstacles remain because the basic chemistry of astatine (At) is not well understood. The AtO(+) cationic form might be currently used for (211)At-labeling protocols in aqueous solution and has proved to readily react with inorganic/organic ligands. But AtO(+) reactivity must be hindered at first glance by spin restriction quantum rules: the ground state of the free cation has a dominant triplet character. Investigating AtO(+) clustered with an increasing number of water molecules and using various flavors of relativistic quantum methods, we found that AtO(+) adopts in solution a Kramers restricted closed-shell configuration resembling a scalar-relativistic singlet. The ground-state change was traced back to strong interactions, namely, attractive electrostatic interactions and charge transfer, with water molecules of the first solvation shell that lift up the degeneracy of the frontier π* molecular orbitals (MOs). This peculiarity brings an alternative explanation to the highly variable reproducibility reported for some astatine reactions: depending on the production protocols (with distillation in gas-phase or "wet chemistry" extraction), (211)At may or may not readily react.

Probability theory versus simulation of petroleum potential in play analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crovelli, R.A.

1987-01-01

An analytic probabilistic methodology for resource appraisal of undiscovered oil and gas resources in play analysis is presented. This play-analysis methodology is a geostochastic system for petroleum resource appraisal in explored as well as frontier areas. An objective was to replace an existing Monte Carlo simulation method in order to increase the efficiency of the appraisal process. Underlying the two methods is a single geologic model which considers both the uncertainty of the presence of the assessed hydrocarbon and its amount if present. The results of the model are resource estimates of crude oil, nonassociated gas, dissolved gas, and gas for a geologic play in terms of probability distributions. The analytic method is based upon conditional probability theory and a closed form solution of all means and standard deviations, along with the probabilities of occurrence. ?? 1987 J.C. Baltzer A.G., Scientific Publishing Company.

Interdroplet attractive forces in AOT water-in-oil microemulsions formed in subcritical and supercritical solvents

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

Tingey, J.M.; Fulton, J.L.; Smith, R.D.

1990-03-08

The van der Waals attractive interactions between aqueous droplets in water-in-oil type microemulsions have been investigated for a range of continuous-phase solvents including the alkanes from methane to isooctane and the noble gases, krypton and xenon. Hamaker constants for water droplets with surfactant shells of the sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) in subcritical and supercritical solvents were calculated by using Lifshitz theory and the resulting interaction potential calculations qualitatively account for many features of the phase behavior of these systems.

Oil encapsulation in core-shell alginate capsules by inverse gelation II: comparison between dripping techniques using W/O or O/W emulsions.

PubMed

Martins, Evandro; Poncelet, Denis; Rodrigues, Ramila Cristiane; Renard, Denis

2017-09-01

In the first part of this article, it was described an innovative method of oil encapsulation from dripping-inverse gelation using water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions. It was noticed that the method of oil encapsulation was quite different depending on the emulsion type (W/O or oil-in-water (O/W)) used and that the emulsion structure (W/O or O/W) had a high impact on the dripping technique and the capsules characteristics. The objective of this article was to elucidate the differences between the dripping techniques using both emulsions and compare the capsule properties (mechanical resistance and release of actives). The oil encapsulation using O/W emulsions was easier to perform and did not require the use of emulsion destabilisers. However, capsules produced from W/O emulsions were more resistant to compression and showed the slower release of actives over time. The findings detailed here widened the knowledge of the inverse gelation and gave opportunities to develop new techniques of oil encapsulation.

Geometric parameters determination of the installation for oil-contaminated soils decontamination in Russia, the Siberian region and the Arctic zones climatic conditions with reagent encapsulating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shtripling, L. O.; Kholkin, E. G.

2018-01-01

The article presents the procedure for determining the basic geometrical setting parameters for the oil-contaminated soils decontamination with reagent encapsulation method. An installation is considered for the operational elimination of the emergency consequences accompanied with oil spills, and the installation is adapted to winter conditions. In the installations exothermic process thermal energy of chemical neutralization of oil-contaminated soils released during the decontamination is used to thaw frozen subsequent portions of oil-contaminated soil. Installation for oil-contaminated soil decontamination as compared with other units has an important advantage, and it is, if necessary (e.g., in winter) in using the heat energy released at each decontamination process stage of oil-contaminated soil, in normal conditions the heat is dispersed into the environment. In addition, the short-term forced carbon dioxide delivery at the decontamination process final stage to a high concentration directly into the installation allows replacing the long process of microcapsule shells formation and hardening that occur in natural conditions in the open air.

Study on Fired Clay Bricks by Replacing Clay with Palm Oil Waste: Effects on Physical and Mechanical Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadir, A. A.; Sarani, N. A.; Abdullah, M. M. A. B.; Perju, M. C.; Sandu, A. V.

2017-06-01

Palm oil is one of the major agricultural industries in Malaysia. Due to the poor management system, the discarded palm oil waste has always been linked to the environment issues. During processing of palm oil, a considerable amount of solid waste by-products in the form of fibres, shells, empty fruit bunches and fly ashes are produce rapidly. Therefore, this study was conducted to incorporate 1%, 5% and 10% of palm oil waste into fired clay brick. Samples of brick were fired at 1050°C temperature with heating rates of 1°C/min. Manufactured bricks were tested with physical and mechanical properties including firing shrinkage, dry density, water absorption and compressive strength. The results demonstrated that the replacement of 1% up to 5% of palm oil waste had improved several properties, although, a decrease of performance in certain aspects has also been observed. As a result, palm oil waste can be utilized in an environmentally safe way into fired clay brick thus providing adequate properties of fired clay brick.

Determination of Wetting Behavior, Spread Activation Energy, and Quench Severity of Bioquenchants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prabhu, K. Narayan; Fernandes, Peter

2007-08-01

An investigation was conducted to study the suitability of vegetable oils such as sunflower, coconut, groundnut, castor, cashewnut shell (CNS), and palm oils as quench media (bioquenchants) for industrial heat treatment by assessing their wetting behavior and severity of quenching. The relaxation of contact angle was sharp during the initial stages, and it became gradual as the system approached equilibrium. The equilibrium contact angle decreased with increase in the temperature of the substrate and decrease in the viscosity of the quench medium. A comparison of the relaxation of the contact angle at various temperatures indicated the significant difference in spreading of oils having varying viscosity. The spread activation energy was determined using the Arrhenius type of equation. Oils with higher viscosity resulted in lower cooling rates. The quench severity of various oil media was determined by estimating heat-transfer coefficients using the lumped capacitance method. Activation energy for spreading determined using the wetting behavior of oils at various temperatures was in good agreement with the severity of quenching assessed by cooling curve analysis. A high quench severity is associated with oils having low spread activation energy.

Drying Shrinkage of Mortar Incorporating High Volume Oil Palm Biomass Waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shukor Lim, Nor Hasanah Abdul; Samadi, Mostafa; Rahman Mohd. Sam, Abdul; Khalid, Nur Hafizah Abd; Nabilah Sarbini, Noor; Farhayu Ariffin, Nur; Warid Hussin, Mohd; Ismail, Mohammed A.

2018-03-01

This paper studies the drying shrinkage of mortar incorporating oil palm biomass waste including Palm Oil Fuel Ash, Oil Palm Kernel Shell and Oil Palm Fibre. Nano size of palm oil fuel ash was used up to 80 % as cement replacement by weight. The ash has been treated to improve the physical and chemical properties of mortar. The mass ratio of sand to blended ashes was 3:1. The test was carried out using 25 × 25 × 160 mm prism for drying shrinkage tests and 70 × 70 ×70 mm for compressive strength test. The results show that the shrinkage value of biomass mortar is reduced by 31% compared with OPC mortar thus, showing better performance in restraining deformation of the mortar while the compressive strength increased by 24% compared with OPC mortar at later age. The study gives a better understanding of how the biomass waste affect on mortar compressive strength and drying shrinkage behaviour. Overall, the oil palm biomass waste can be used to produce a better performance mortar at later age in terms of compressive strength and drying shrinkage.

Artisanal Extraction and Traditional Knowledge Associated with Medicinal Use of Crabwood Oil (Carapa guianensis Aublet.) in a Peri-Urban Várzea Environment in the Amazon Estuary.

PubMed

Nardi, Mariane; Lira-Guedes, Ana Cláudia; Albuquerque Cunha, Helenilza Ferreira; Guedes, Marcelino Carneiro; Mustin, Karen; Gomes, Suellen Cristina Pantoja

2016-01-01

Várzea forests of the Amazon estuary contain species of importance to riverine communities. For example, the oil extracted from the seeds of crabwood trees is traditionally used to combat various illnesses and as such artisanal extraction processes have been maintained. The objectives of this study were to (1) describe the process involved in artisanal extraction of crabwood oil in the Fazendinha Protected Area, in the state of Amapá; (2) characterise the processes of knowledge transfer associated with the extraction and use of crabwood oil within a peri-urban riverine community; and (3) discern medicinal uses of the oil. The data were obtained using semistructured interviews with 13 community members involved in crabwood oil extraction and via direct observation. The process of oil extraction is divided into four stages: seed collection; cooking and resting of the seeds; shelling of the seeds and dough preparation; and oil collection. Oil extraction is carried out within the home for personal use, with surplus marketed within the community. More than 90% of the members of the community involved in extraction of crabwood oil highlighted the use of the oil to combat inflammation of the throat. Knowledge transfer occurs via oral transmission and through direct observation.

Artisanal Extraction and Traditional Knowledge Associated with Medicinal Use of Crabwood Oil (Carapa guianensis Aublet.) in a Peri-Urban Várzea Environment in the Amazon Estuary

PubMed Central

Lira-Guedes, Ana Cláudia; Albuquerque Cunha, Helenilza Ferreira; Guedes, Marcelino Carneiro; Mustin, Karen; Gomes, Suellen Cristina Pantoja

2016-01-01

Várzea forests of the Amazon estuary contain species of importance to riverine communities. For example, the oil extracted from the seeds of crabwood trees is traditionally used to combat various illnesses and as such artisanal extraction processes have been maintained. The objectives of this study were to (1) describe the process involved in artisanal extraction of crabwood oil in the Fazendinha Protected Area, in the state of Amapá; (2) characterise the processes of knowledge transfer associated with the extraction and use of crabwood oil within a peri-urban riverine community; and (3) discern medicinal uses of the oil. The data were obtained using semistructured interviews with 13 community members involved in crabwood oil extraction and via direct observation. The process of oil extraction is divided into four stages: seed collection; cooking and resting of the seeds; shelling of the seeds and dough preparation; and oil collection. Oil extraction is carried out within the home for personal use, with surplus marketed within the community. More than 90% of the members of the community involved in extraction of crabwood oil highlighted the use of the oil to combat inflammation of the throat. Knowledge transfer occurs via oral transmission and through direct observation. PMID:27478479

Purified phenolics from hydrothermal treatments of biomass: ability to protect sunflower bulk oil and model food emulsions from oxidation.

PubMed

Conde, Enma; Moure, Andrés; Domínguez, Herminia; Gordon, Michael H; Parajó, Juan Carlos

2011-09-14

The phenolic fractions released during hydrothermal treatment of selected feedstocks (corn cobs, eucalypt wood chips, almond shells, chestnut burs, and white grape pomace) were selectively recovered by extraction with ethyl acetate and washed with ethanol/water solutions. The crude extracts were purified by a relatively simple adsorption technique using a commercial polymeric, nonionic resin. Utilization of 96% ethanol as eluting agent resulted in 47.0-72.6% phenolic desorption, yielding refined products containing 49-60% w/w phenolics (corresponding to 30-58% enrichment with respect to the crude extracts). The refined extracts produced from grape pomace and from chestnut burs were suitable for protecting bulk oil and oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions. A synergistic action with bovine serum albumin in the emulsions was observed.

Impact of logging and forest conversion to oil palm plantations on soil bacterial communities in Borneo.

PubMed

Lee-Cruz, Larisa; Edwards, David P; Tripathi, Binu M; Adams, Jonathan M

2013-12-01

Tropical forests are being rapidly altered by logging and cleared for agriculture. Understanding the effects of these land use changes on soil bacteria, which constitute a large proportion of total biodiversity and perform important ecosystem functions, is a major conservation frontier. Here we studied the effects of logging history and forest conversion to oil palm plantations in Sabah, Borneo, on the soil bacterial community. We used paired-end Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, V3 region, to compare the bacterial communities in primary, once-logged, and twice-logged forest and land converted to oil palm plantations. Bacteria were grouped into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at the 97% similarity level, and OTU richness and local-scale α-diversity showed no difference between the various forest types and oil palm plantations. Focusing on the turnover of bacteria across space, true β-diversity was higher in oil palm plantation soil than in forest soil, whereas community dissimilarity-based metrics of β-diversity were only marginally different between habitats, suggesting that at large scales, oil palm plantation soil could have higher overall γ-diversity than forest soil, driven by a slightly more heterogeneous community across space. Clearance of primary and logged forest for oil palm plantations did, however, significantly impact the composition of soil bacterial communities, reflecting in part the loss of some forest bacteria, whereas primary and logged forests did not differ in composition. Overall, our results suggest that the soil bacteria of tropical forest are to some extent resilient or resistant to logging but that the impacts of forest conversion to oil palm plantations are more severe.

Argentina set for privatization

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

Chynoweth, E.

Buyers are lining up for Argentina's two big state-controlled petrochemical groups, Buenos Aires-based Petroquimica General Mosconi (PGM) and Petroquimica Bahia Blance (PBB). However, feedstock supply contracts with government-owned oil group Yacientos Petroliferos Fiscales (YPG) and gas group Gas del Estado hold the key to both sales. Shell Compania Argentina Petroleo SA (CAPSA), Perez Companc, and Global Petroleum have already bought PGM tender documentation. Shell says it will bid for PGM if the feedstock contract with YPF is acceptable. In addition to price and volume, Shell says the length is critical; it wants a 15-year deal, but would settle for 11.more » YPF initially sought a five-year contract. PGM, which produces 300,000 m.t./year of aromatics, plus oxo alcohols, methanol, and methyl tert-butyl ether, has sales of $150 million/year.« less

New exploration targets in Malaysia: Deep sandstone reservoirs in Malay basin and turbidites in Sabah basin

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

Ngah, K.B.

1996-12-31

Much of the production in Malaysia is from middle to upper Miocene sandstones and carbonates in three main basins: Malay, Sarawak (Its three subbasins-Central Luconia, Balingian and Baram), and Sabah. Fifteen fields produce an average of 630,000 bopd and 3.0 bcfgpd. More than 4.0 billion barrels of oil and 20 tcf of gas have been produced, and reserves are 4.2 billion barrels of oil and 90 tcf. Oil production will decline within the next 1 0 years unless new discoveries are made and/or improved oil recovery methods introduced, but gas production of 5 tcf, expected after the turn of themore » century, can be sustained for several decades. Successful exploratory wells continue to be drilled in the Malaysian Tertiary basins, and others are anticipated with application of new ideas and technology. In the Malay basin, Miocene sandstone reservoirs in Groups L and M have been considered as very {open_quote}high risk{close_quotes} targets, the quality of the reservoirs has generally been thought to be poor, especially toward the basinal center, where they occur at greater depth. The cause of porosity loss is primarily burial-related. Because of this factor and overpressuring, drilling of many exploration wells has been suspended at or near the top of Group L. In a recent prospect drilled near the basinal axis on the basis of advanced seismic technology, Groups L and M sandstones show fair porosity (8-15%) and contain gas. In the Sabah basin, turbidite play has received little attention, partly because of generally poor seismic resolution in a very complex structural setting. Only one field is known to produce oil from middle Miocene turbidities. However, using recently acquired 3-D seismic data over this field, new oil pools have been discovered, and they are currently being developed. These finds have created new interest, as has Shell`s recent major gas discovery from a turbidite play in this basin.« less

Effect of bone on the pyrolysis product distribution and composition in a fixed bed reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alhassan, M.; Andresen, J. M.

2012-04-01

Co-pyrolysis of Biomass including Pistachio shell (PS), Pine wood (PW) and Wheat Straw (WS) with Bone matter (BM) have been investigated to determine the effect of bone on the quality of bio-char and bio-oil produced. The aim of this study is to generate stable and nitrogen enriched bio-char that can act as fertilizer while at the same time optimizes the chemical stability of the char to act as a Carbon Capture and Storage system (CCS) and co-produce high quality oils for renewable energy generation. To achieve this, the present study has focused on the influence of bone matter addition from 0wt% to 25wt% to the biomasses in a fixed bed pyrolysis reactor at 3000C. The analysis of the char products shows that the addition of bone to the biomass increased their char yields up to 10wt% addition. Higher addition was found to reduce the overall char yield from the biomass. At 10wt% bone addition, the carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen content, and the gross calorific value of the chars were increased by 7wt%, 29wt%, 163wt% and 19Mj/kg, for Wheat straw, 62wt%, 46wt%, 135wt%, 110Mj/kg for Pine wood and 7wt%, 76wt%, 42wt% and 33Mj/kg for Pistachio shells. The oxygen content of the Wheat straw, Pistachio shells and pine wood mixed with 10wt% BM decreased by 28wt%, 21wt%, and 93wt%, respectively. The bio-oil yield increased for the bone addition up to 5%wt% for all the samples, its energy value and concentration of its major chemical components was improved for fuel and pharmaceutical use. Port experiment has shown that plant grown on soil amended with the bio-char produced gave higher yield as compared to that from un-amended soil. Comparison between the three biomasses investigated showed similar pattern of change. Hence it can be concluded that at optimum addition of bone to the biomass, bio-chars and oil yield could be optimized for soil amendment, energy production, while retaining carbon for sequestration.

Potential Fish Production Impacts from Partial Removal of Decommissioned Oil and Gas Platforms off the Coast of California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claisse, J.; Pondella, D.; Love, M.; Zahn, L.; Williams, C.; Bull, A. S.

2016-02-01

When oil and gas platforms become obsolete they go through a decommissioning process. This may include partial removal (from the surface to 26 m depth) or complete removal of the platform structure. While complete removal would likely eliminate most of the existing fish biomass and associated secondary production, we find that the potential impacts of partial removal would likely be limited on all but one platform off the coast of California. On average 80% of fish biomass and 86% of secondary fish production would be retained after partial removal, with above 90% retention expected for both metrics on many platforms. Partial removal would likely result in the loss of fish biomass and production for species typically found residing in the shallow portions of the platform structure. However, these fishes generally represent a small proportion of the fishes associated with these platforms. More characteristic of platform fauna are the primarily deeper-dwelling rockfishes (genus Sebastes). "Shell mounds" are biogenic reefs that surround some of these platforms resulting from an accumulation of mollusk shells that have fallen from the shallow areas of the platforms mostly above the depth of partial removal. We found that shell mounds are moderately productive fish habitats, similar to or greater than natural rocky reefs in the region at comparable depths. The complexity and areal extent of these biogenic habitats, and the associated fish biomass and production, will likely be reduced after either partial or complete platform removal. Habitat augmentation by placing the partially removed platform superstructure or some other additional habitat enrichment material (e.g., rock boulders) on the seafloor adjacent to the base of partially removed platforms provides additional options to enhance fish production, potentially mitigating reductions in shell mound habitat.

Botanical pesticides effect from shells of bean’s cashew nut on biological agents of trichoderma sp. and gliocladium sp.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bande, L. O. S.; Mariadi; Gusnawaty, HS; Nuriadi; Trisulpa, L.; Rahmania

2018-02-01

A shell of cashew nut (Anacardium occidentanle) has contained Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) that is used as botanical pesticides. CNSL oil consists of active substance such as anacardat acid, cardol and cardanol. Utilization of the pesticides from shells of cashew nut to control pests and diseases of plants would be affected on biological agents. The objective of this research was to investigate pesticides inhibition on the increase of mycelium Trichoderma sp. and Gliocladium sp. by in vitro method. The tested concentration sample consisted of 0.0% (control), 2.5%, 7.5% and 10.0% in PDA media. The results of this research showed that 2.5% botanical pesticides concentration could minimize mycelium of Trichoderma sp. and Gliocladium sp. 22.73% and 21.04% respectively and also the increase shells of cashew extract could be affected the increase of mycelium inhibition. The extract with 2.5% concentration was the recommended concentration to control of fruit rot diseases and if concentration was 10.0% then its inhibition become 54.98% and 49.35%, respectively. The results proved that uncontrolled utilization of the pesticides could be affected on decrease of Trichoderma sp. and Gliocladium sp. growth.

Invertebrate shells (mollusca, foraminifera) as pollution indicators, Red Sea Coast, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Youssef, Mohamed; Madkour, Hashem; Mansour, Abbas; Alharbi, Wedad; El-Taher, Atef

2017-09-01

To assess the degree of pollution and its impact on the environment along the Red Sea Coast, the most abundant nine species of recent benthic foraminifera and three species of molluscan shells have been selected for the analysis of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Co, and Cd concentrations. The selected foraminiferal species are: Textularia agglutinans, Amphispsorus hemprichii, Sorites marginalis, Peneroplis planatus, Borelis schlumbergeri, Amphistegina lessonii, Ammonia beccarii, Operculina gaimairdi, and Operculinella cumingii. The selected molluscan shells are: Lambis truncata and Strombus tricornis (gastropods) and Tridacana gigas (bivalves). The inorganic material analysis of foraminifera and molluscs from the Quseir and Safaga harbors indicates that foraminifera tests include higher concentrations of heavy metals such as Fe and Mn than molluscan shells. These results are supported by the black tests of porcelaneous foraminifera and reflect iron selectivity. The Cd and Pb concentrations in molluscan shells are high in the El Esh Area because of oil pollution at this site. The Cu, Zn, and Ni concentrations in the studied invertebrates are high at Quseir Harbor and in the El Esh Area because of the strong influence of terrigenous materials that are rich in these metals. The heavy metal contamination is mostly attributed to anthropogenic sources.

Publications - GMC 29 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov Websites

DGGS GMC 29 Publication Details Title: Geochemical analysis (total organic carbon, rock-eval pyrolysis Reference Minder, Michael, and Shell Oil Company, 1985, Geochemical analysis (total organic carbon, rock ; Total Organic Carbon; Vitrinite Reflectance Top of Page Department of Natural Resources, Division of

Publications - GMC 125 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

DGGS GMC 125 Publication Details Title: Total organic carbon, rock-eval pyrolysis, and vitrinite Reference Cunningham, K., and Shell Oil Company, 1989, Total organic carbon, rock-eval pyrolysis, and Pyrolysis; Total Organic Carbon; Vitrinite Reflectance Top of Page Department of Natural Resources, Division

Studies of pre-Selma Cretaceous core samples from the outcrop area in western Alabama

USGS Publications Warehouse

Monroe, Watson Hiner; Bergenback, Richard E.; Sohl, Norman F.; Applin, Esther R.; Leopold, Estella B.; Pakiser, Helen M.; Conant, Louis C.

1964-01-01

Quarter-cuts of the cores belonging to the U.S. National Museum have been deposited on indefinite loan with the Alabama Geological Survey at University, Ala., and with the Shell Oil Co. at Jackson, Miss. They are available there for inspection and study.

Publications - GMC 360 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

DGGS GMC 360 Publication Details Title: Photomicrographs of Petrographic Thin Sections for the Inigok Reference Shell International EP, Inc., 2009, Photomicrographs of Petrographic Thin Sections for the Inigok page for information on ordering data on DVD. Keywords Oil and Gas; Petrographic; Thin Section Top of

Registration of ‘AU-1101’ peanut

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

AU-1101’ (Reg. No. CV-xxx, PI 661498) is a large-seeded virginia-type peanut (Arachis hypogaea L. subsp. hypogaea var. hypogaea) with high yield and medium maturity, uniform pod size and shape, high grade, superior shelling characters, low oil content, normal oleic acid content, and good flavor. AU-...

Chemical and nutritional characterization of the wrapped cashew

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cashews of the highest quality are traditionally whole, oil-roasted, and devoid of skins, although nut skins have been reported to have high concentrations of bioactive compounds. New techniques to clean the nut skins of harmful cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) have been developed and production of n...

A Science Fair Partnership: An Active Learning Experience for Teacher Candidates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Deborah Louise

2015-01-01

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education is a national instructional priority. As part of Southeastern Louisiana University's STEM Outreach Initiative, funded by a Shell Oil Company Foundation grant to raise interest in STEM-related activities, teacher candidates were given the opportunity to leave their classroom to…

Report: Response to Congressional Inquiry Concerning EPA’s Conduct Related to Draft/Proposed Legislative Amendments

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report #10-N-0148, June 21, 2010. We found no violations of law, regulation, or policy related to contact by the OCIR Associate Administrator, with either the Shell Oil Company or the Automobile Alliance, regarding Amendment Number 2530 to H.R. 2996.2.

Characterization of orange oil microcapsules for application in textiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, W.; Bonet-Aracil, M.; Bou-Belda, E.; Gisbert-Payá, J.; Wilson, K.; Roldo, L.

2017-10-01

The use of orange oil presents as an ecological alternative to chemicals, attracting the attention of the scientific community to the development of eco-friendly antimicrobials. The microencapsulation technology has been used for the application of orange oil to textiles, being an economically viable, fast and efficient method by combining core and shell materials, desirable perceptual and functional characteristics, responsible for properties related to the nature of the product and provides that the wall materials release the functional substances in a controlled manner, in addition to effectively protecting and isolating the core material from the external environment to prevent its volatilization and deterioration, increasing the stability of the oil, such as non-toxicity. Thus, to better exploit the properties of the orange essential oil applied to textile products this study presents a characterization of microcapsules of Melamine formaldehyde obtained by the interfacial polymerization method with variations of proportions of orange oil (volatile) with fixed oil Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCT) (non-volatile) to assist in the stability of the orange essential oil. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used as visualizing tool to characterize microparticles and surface morphology and thermal characteristics of microcapsules were premeditated by mean Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).

Critical Evaluation of Low-Energy Collision Damage Theories and Design Methodologies. Volume II. Literature Search and Review.

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-07-01

i e r , except t h a t a number of di rge tanks would r e q u i r e protection. The entire length of an oil t a...p late perforated by a circular d r i f t . However , i t is q u i t e clear tha t the behavior of the shell p lating of oil tankers assumes v i t... i ~- i ions. V ms oil en e- e - m t a i n s e l e cted u l a t a it suggests a nrc- h I . ’ si -n - i ~ - n i t ’ l l m u n g I he numher ot

Primary zone air proportioner

DOEpatents

Cleary, Edward N. G.

1982-10-12

An air proportioner is provided for a liquid hydrocarbon fueled gas turbine of the type which is convertible to oil gas fuel and to coal gas fuel. The turbine includes a shell for enclosing the turbine, an air duct for venting air in said shell to a gasifier, and a fuel injector for injecting gasified fuel into the turbine. The air proportioner comprises a second air duct for venting air from the air duct for mixing with fuel from the gasifier. The air can be directly injected into the gas combustion basket along with the fuel from the injector or premixed with fuel from the gasifier prior to injection by the fuel injector.

Greenhouse gas reductions through enhanced use of residues in the life cycle of Malaysian palm oil derived biodiesel.

PubMed

Hansen, Sune Balle; Olsen, Stig Irving; Ujang, Zaini

2012-01-01

This study identifies the potential greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, which can be achieved by optimizing the use of residues in the life cycle of palm oil derived biodiesel. This is done through compilation of data on existing and prospective treatment technologies as well as practical experiments on methane potentials from empty fruit bunches. Methane capture from the anaerobic digestion of palm oil mill effluent was found to result in the highest GHG reductions. Among the solid residues, energy extraction from shells was found to constitute the biggest GHG savings per ton of residue, whereas energy extraction from empty fruit bunches was found to be the most significant in the biodiesel production life cycle. All the studied waste treatment technologies performed significantly better than the conventional practices and with dedicated efforts of optimized use in the palm oil industry, the production of palm oil derived biodiesel can be almost carbon neutral. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oil core microcapsules by inverse gelation technique.

PubMed

Martins, Evandro; Renard, Denis; Davy, Joëlle; Marquis, Mélanie; Poncelet, Denis

2015-01-01

A promising technique for oil encapsulation in Ca-alginate capsules by inverse gelation was proposed by Abang et al. This method consists of emulsifying calcium chloride solution in oil and then adding it dropwise in an alginate solution to produce Ca-alginate capsules. Spherical capsules with diameters around 3 mm were produced by this technique, however the production of smaller capsules was not demonstrated. The objective of this study is to propose a new method of oil encapsulation in a Ca-alginate membrane by inverse gelation. The optimisation of the method leads to microcapsules with diameters around 500 μm. In a search of microcapsules with improved diffusion characteristics, the size reduction is an essential factor to broaden the applications in food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals areas. This work contributes to a better understanding of the inverse gelation technique and allows the production of microcapsules with a well-defined shell-core structure.

The slow and fast pyrolysis of cherry seed.

PubMed

Duman, Gozde; Okutucu, Cagdas; Ucar, Suat; Stahl, Ralph; Yanik, Jale

2011-01-01

The slow and fast pyrolysis of cherry seeds (CWS) and cherry seeds shells (CSS) was studied in fixed-bed and fluidized bed reactors at different pyrolysis temperatures. The effects of reactor type and temperature on the yields and composition of products were investigated. In the case of fast pyrolysis, the maximum bio-oil yield was found to be about 44 wt% at pyrolysis temperature of 500 °C for both CWS and CSS, whereas the bio yields were of 21 and 15 wt% obtained at 500 °C from slow pyrolysis of CWS and CSS, respectively. Both temperature and reactor type affected the composition of bio-oils. The results showed that bio-oils obtained from slow pyrolysis of CWS and CSS can be used as a fuel for combustion systems in industry and the bio-oil produced from fast pyrolysis can be evaluated as a chemical feedstock. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Robust synthesis of epoxy resin-filled microcapsules for application to self-healing materials.

PubMed

Bolimowski, Patryk A; Bond, Ian P; Wass, Duncan F

2016-02-28

Mechanically and thermally robust microcapsules containing diglycidyl ether bisphenol A-based epoxy resin and a high-boiling-point organic solvent were synthesized in high yield using in situ polymerization of urea and formaldehyde in an oil-in-water emulsion. Microcapsules were characterized in terms of their size and size distribution, shell surface morphology and thermal resistance to the curing cycles of commercially used epoxy polymers. The size distribution of the capsules and characteristics such as shell thickness can be controlled by the specific parameters of microencapsulation, including concentrations of reagents, stirrer speed and sonication. Selected microcapsules, and separated core and shell materials, were analysed using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. It is demonstrated that capsules lose minimal 2.5 wt% at temperatures no higher than 120°C. These microcapsules can be applied to self-healing carbon fibre composite structural materials, with preliminary results showing promising performance. © 2016 The Author(s).

Synthesis of NiAu alloy and core-shell nanoparticles in water-in-oil microemulsions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiu, Hsin-Kai; Chiang, I.-Chen; Chen, Dong-Hwang

2009-07-01

NiAu alloy nanoparticles with various Ni/Au molar ratios were synthesized by the hydrazine reduction of nickel chloride and hydrogen tetrachloroaurate in the microemulsion system. They had a face-centered cubic structure and a mean diameter of 6-13 nm, decreasing with increasing Au content. As Au nanoparticles did, they showed a characteristic absorption peak at about 520 nm but the intensity decreased with increasing Ni content. Also, they were nearly superparamagnetic, although the magnetization decreased significantly with increasing Au content. Under an external magnetic field, they could be self-organized into the parallel lines. In addition, the core-shell nanoparticles, Ni3Au1@Au, were prepared by the Au coating on the surface of Ni3Au1 alloy nanoparticles. By increasing the hydrogen tetrachloroaurate concentration for Au coating, the thickness of Au shells could be raised and led to an enhanced and red-shifted surface plasmon absorption.

Study on Energy Productivity Ratio (EPR) at palm kernel oil processing factory: case study on PT-X at Sumatera Utara Plantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haryanto, B.; Bukit, R. Br; Situmeang, E. M.; Christina, E. P.; Pandiangan, F.

2018-02-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the performance, productivity and feasibility of the operation of palm kernel processing plant based on Energy Productivity Ratio (EPR). EPR is expressed as the ratio of output to input energy and by-product. Palm Kernel plan is process in palm kernel to become palm kernel oil. The procedure started from collecting data needed as energy input such as: palm kernel prices, energy demand and depreciation of the factory. The energy output and its by-product comprise the whole production price such as: palm kernel oil price and the remaining products such as shells and pulp price. Calculation the equality of energy of palm kernel oil is to analyze the value of Energy Productivity Ratio (EPR) bases on processing capacity per year. The investigation has been done in Kernel Oil Processing Plant PT-X at Sumatera Utara plantation. The value of EPR was 1.54 (EPR > 1), which indicated that the processing of palm kernel into palm kernel oil is feasible to be operated based on the energy productivity.

The Quest CCS Project - MMV Technology Deployment Through Two Years of Operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, S.

2017-12-01

In September 2012, Shell, on behalf of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project venture (Shell Canada Energy, Chevron Canada Limited, Marathon Oil Canada Corporation), announced that it was proceeding to construct the Quest Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project near Fort Saskatchewan. Quest is the world's first large-scale commercial application of CCS at an oil sands operation, and it is now capturing more than one million tonnes of CO2 per year from the Scotford Upgrader. It is a fully integrated project, involving CO2 capture at the bitumen upgrader, transportation along a 65 km pipeline, and CO2 storage in a deep saline aquifer (the Basal Cambrian Sands). Construction was completed in August 2015, and the Quest project was certified for commercial operation in September 2015. The Measurement, Monitoring and Verification (MMV) program for Quest is comprehensive, with a variety of technologies being used to monitor the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and geosphere. These include a Lightsource system for atmospheric monitoring, extensive groundwater sampling, DAS VSPs to assess the development of the CO2 plume, a microseismic array to measure any induced seismic activity, and temperature and pressure gauges for reservoir monitoring. Over two years of operations, this program has been optimized to address key risks while improving operational efficiency. Quest has now successfully captured and stored more than 2 million tonnes of CO2 with no MMV indications of any storage issues.

Viewpoint: A Contributory Role of Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) for Human Longevity in Okinawa, Japan?

PubMed Central

Teschke, Rolf

2018-01-01

The longevity of the population in the Okinawa Islands of Japan has been ascribed to genetic factors and the traditional Okinawa cuisine, which is low in calories and high in plant content. This diet includes shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L. Burtt & R.M. Sm) of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). Due to its local popularity, Alpinia zerumbet has become the subject of a good deal of study at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa. Personal local experience and review of the literature now suggest that culinary shell ginger may contribute to longevity among the population in Okinawa. This is supported by its abundant phytochemical content, with antioxidant and anti-obesity properties. The major bioactive phytochemicals are dihydro-5,6-dehydrokawain (DDK; 80–410 mg g−1 fresh weight), 5,6-dehydrokawain (DK; ≤100 mg g−1), and essential oils, phenols, phenolic acids, and fatty acids (≤150 mg g−1 each). Further, Alpinia zerumbet extends the lifespan in animals by 22.6%. In conclusion, culinary shell ginger may significantly contribute to human longevity in Okinawa. PMID:29385084

Nutrient composition of raw, dry-roasted, and skin-on cashews

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cashew nuts are the second most popular tree nut and sales are growing at a rate of 7% per annum. The highest quality cashew nuts are traditionally whole, oil-roasted, and devoid of skins. The recent development of a technique to remove the caustic cashew nut shell liquid from cashews and leave th...

Fiberglass-Reinforced Rigid Polyurethane Expedient Pavement Subject to Simulated F-4 Aircraft Traffic.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-05-01

34 4,. * ., Table B-I. CPR-739 Rigid Polyurethane Foam Component Characteristics [ Cream Time, 120 sec; Rise Time, 13 sec; Cure Time, 24 hr at 750F...INC. E Colic Soil Tech Dept. Pennsauken. NJ SANDIA LABORATORIES Library Div., Livermore CA SCHUPACK ASSOC SO. NORWALK. CT (SCHUPACK) SHELL OIL CO

77 FR 11492 - Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment for the Issuance of Incidental...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-27

... Shell for the take of marine mammals incidental to offshore oil and gas exploratory drilling programs in... Mammals by Harassment Incidental to Conducting Exploratory Drilling Programs in the U.S. Beaufort and... take of marine mammals incidental to conducting offshore exploratory drilling programs in the U.S...

Publications - GMC 132 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

Science.gov Websites

and Facilities Staff Seismic and Well Data Data Reports Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Ask a . Kustatan River #1 well Authors: Edison, T.A. Publication Date: 1989 Publisher: Alaska Division of data of cuttings from the Shell Oil Co. Kustatan River #1 well: Alaska Division of Geological &

In vitro hypoglycemic and cholesterol lowering effects of dietary fiber prepared from cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) shells.

PubMed

Nsor-Atindana, John; Zhong, Fang; Mothibe, Kebitsamang Joseph

2012-10-01

Three dietary fiber (DF) powders; soluble dietary fiber (SDF), insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) and total dietary fiber (TDF) were prepared from cocoa bean shells (CBS) by enzymatic treatment. These DFs were evaluated for their effects on glucose adsorption, glucose diffusion, starch hydrolysis, cholesterol binding, sodium cholate binding and oil binding capacities using in vitro model systems by simulating gastric intestinal conditions. The results showed that SDF generally exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) higher glucose adsorption capacity (GAC), α-amylase inhibition activity, cholesterol and sodium cholate binding capacity, but less significant (>0.05) glucose dialysis retardation index (GDRI) and oil binding capacity, when compared with IDF and TDF which both showed similar effects. Moreover, it was discovered that the three CBS dietary fiber powders contained intrinsic antioxidants (phenolic compounds). The study suggested that CBS could be an alternative cheap source of DF with additional benefits. Thus, CBS fibers could be incorporated as low calorie bulk ingredients in high-fiber diet to reduce calorie and cholesterol levels and control blood glucose level.

Effects of Accelerated Storage on the Quality of Kenaf Seed Oil in Chitosan-Coated High Methoxyl Pectin-Alginate Microcapsules.

PubMed

Leong, Mei-Huan; Tan, Chin-Ping; Nyam, Kar-Lin

2016-10-01

The objective of this research was to study the oxidative stability and antioxidant properties of microencapsulated kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) seed oil (MKSO) produced by co-extrusion technology upon accelerated storage. The combination of sodium alginate, high methoxyl pectin, and chitosan were used as shell materials. The oxidative stability of the kenaf seed oil was determined by iodine value, peroxide value, p-Anisidine value, total oxidation (TOTOX), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay, and free fatty acid content. Total phenolic content, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) cation radical-scavenging assay and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay were used to examine the antioxidant properties of oils. Oxidative stability tests showed that bulk kenaf seed oil (BKSO) was oxidized significantly higher (P < 0.05) than MKSO. The total increment of TOTOX value of BKSO was 165.93% significantly higher (P < 0.05) than MKSO. Co-extrusion technology has shown to be able to protect kenaf seed oil against lipid oxidation and delay the degradation of natural antioxidants that present in oil during storage. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Relativistic Spin-Orbit Heavy Atom on the Light Atom NMR Chemical Shifts: General Trends Across the Periodic Table Explained.

PubMed

Vícha, Jan; Komorovsky, Stanislav; Repisky, Michal; Marek, Radek; Straka, Michal

2018-06-12

The importance of relativistic effects on the NMR parameters in heavy-atom (HA) compounds, particularly the SO-HALA (Spin-Orbit Heavy Atom on the Light Atom) effect on NMR chemical shifts, has been known for about 40 years. Yet, a general correlation between the electronic structure and SO-HALA effect has been missing. By analyzing 1 H NMR chemical shifts of the sixth-period hydrides (Cs-At), we discovered general electronic-structure principles and mechanisms that dictate the size and sign of the SO-HALA NMR chemical shifts. In brief, partially occupied HA valence shells induce relativistic shielding at the light atom (LA) nuclei, while empty HA valence shells induce relativistic deshielding. In particular, the LA nucleus is relativistically shielded in 5d 2 -5d 8 and 6p 4 HA hydrides and deshielded in 4f 0 , 5d 0 , 6s 0 , and 6p 0 HA hydrides. This general and intuitive concept explains periodic trends in the 1 H NMR chemical shifts along the sixth-period hydrides (Cs-At) studied in this work. We present substantial evidence that the introduced principles have a general validity across the periodic table and can be extended to nonhydride LAs. The decades-old question of why compounds with occupied frontier π molecular orbitals (MOs) cause SO-HALA shielding at the LA nuclei, while the frontier σ MOs cause deshielding is answered. We further derive connection between the SO-HALA NMR chemical shifts and Spin-Orbit-induced Electron Deformation Density (SO-EDD), a property that can be obtained easily from differential electron densities and can be represented graphically. SO-EDD provides an intuitive understanding of the SO-HALA effect in terms of the depletion/concentration of the electron density at LA nuclei caused by spin-orbit coupling due to HA in the presence of a magnetic field. Using an analogy between the SO-EDD concept and arguments from classic NMR theory, the complex question of the SO-HALA NMR chemical shifts becomes easily understandable for a wide chemical audience.

Dirt-binding particles consisting of hydrogenated castor oil beads constitute a nonirritating alternative for abrasive cleaning of recalcitrant oily skin contamination in a three-step programme of occupational skin protection.

PubMed

Mahler, V; Erfurt-Berge, C; Schiemann, S; Michael, S; Egloffstein, A; Kuss, O

2010-04-01

In occupational fields with exposure to grease, oil, metal particles, coal, black lead or soot, cleansing formulations containing abrasive bodies (e.g. refined walnut shell, corn, wood, plastic or pumice) are used. These may constitute an irritant per se. As an alternative, hydrogenated castor oil (also known as castor wax) beads have been developed as dirt-binding particles. A polar surface contributes to their mechanical cleaning effects in removal of oily grime. Standardized examination of the in vivo effects upon the skin barrier of castor wax beads in comparison with abrasive bodies and pure detergent. Three cleansing preparations - (i) detergent, (ii) detergent containing castor wax beads, (iii) detergent containing walnut shell powder - were each repetitively applied in vivo (four times daily for 3 weeks), mimicking workplace conditions, in 30 healthy volunteers (15 with and 15 without an atopic skin diathesis) and compared vs. (iv) no treatment. The treatment effects upon the skin barrier were monitored by repeated measurements of functional parameters [transepidermal water loss (TEWL), redness] and surface topography. After a 3-week treatment, a significant global treatment effect (P < 0.0001) was found in the atopic group concerning TEWL as indicator for barrier function. A significantly higher TEWL and increasing erythema in the area treated with detergent containing walnut shell powder reflected its irritant effect compared with castor wax beads dispensed in the identical detergent. Cleaning properties of the two formulas were comparably superior to detergent alone. Castor wax beads constitute a novel nonirritating alternative for abrasive cleaning of recalcitrant oily skin contamination appropriate for individuals with an atopic skin diathesis in a three-step programme of occupational skin protection. As the skin barrier may additionally be influenced by the composition of dirt and use of skin protection and skin care measures under real workplace conditions, this component may now be used and examined further in different occupations.

An evaluation of the science needs to inform decisions on Outer Continental Shelf energy development in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holland-Bartels, Leslie; Pierce, Brenda

2011-01-01

On March 31, 2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a national strategy for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas development. In that announcement, the Administration outlined a three-pronged approach (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2010a): Development: "...expand development and production throughout the Gulf of Mexico, including resource-rich areas of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico..." Exploration: "...expand oil and gas exploration in frontier areas, such as the Arctic Ocean and areas in the Atlantic Ocean, to gather the information necessary to develop resources in the right places and the right ways." Conservation: "...calls for the protection of special areas like Bristol Bay in Alaska...national treasure[s] that we must protect for future generations." In a companion announcement (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2010b), within the Administration's "Exploration" component, the Secretary asked the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct an initial, independent evaluation of the science needs that would inform the Administration's consideration of the right places and the right ways in which to develop oil and gas resources in the Arctic OCS, particularly focused on the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas (fig. 1).

The evaluation of Computed Tomography hard- and software tools for micropaleontologic studies on foraminifera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Loo, D.; Speijer, R.; Masschaele, B.; Dierick, M.; Cnudde, V.; Boone, M.; de Witte, Y.; Dewanckele, J.; van Hoorebeke, L.; Jacobs, P.

2009-04-01

Foraminifera (Forams) are single-celled amoeba-like organisms in the sea, which build a tiny calcareous multi-chambered shell for protection. Their enormous abundance, great variation of shape through time and their presence in all marine deposits made these tiny microfossils the oil companies' best friend by facilitating the detection of new oil wells. Besides the success of forams in the oil and gas industry, they are also a most powerful tool for reconstructing climate change in the past. The shell of a foraminifer is a tiny gold mine of information both geometrical as chemical. However, until recently the best information on this architecture was only obtained through imaging the outside of a shell with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), giving no clues towards internal structures other than single snapshots through breaking a specimen apart. With X-ray computed tomography (CT) it is possible to overcome this problem and uncover a huge amount of geometrical information without destructing the samples. Using the last generation of micro-CT's, called nano-CT, because of the sub-micron resolution, it is now possible to perform adequate imaging even on these tiny samples without needing huge facilities. In this research, a comparison is made between different X-ray sources and X-ray detectors and the resulting image resolution. Both sharpness, noise and contrast are very important parameters that will have important effects on the accuracy of the results and on the speed of data-processing. Combining this tomography technique with specific image processing software, called segmentation, it is possible to obtain a 3D virtual representation of the entire forams shell. This 3D virtual object can then be used for many purposes, from which automatic measurement of the chambers size is one of the most important ones. The segmentation process is a combination of several algorithms that are often used in CT evaluation, in this work an evaluation of those algorithms is presented. Difficulties arising when the forams shell is filled with material but it still remains possible to perform adequate segmentation. The void inside the shell corresponds to the chambers of the foram and the inter-chamber connections. Using automatic separation algorithms it is possible to obtain the shape of individual chambers. The results from the segmentation process can then be used to perform a multitude of analysis on each foram. Out of the shells geometry one can derive variations in shell thickness, shell density and shell porosity. Since the geometry of each individual chamber can be derived, it is possible to track chamber size variation for one foram or between two different forams, the difference in orientation and distance between the chambers. In this work the algorithms and procedures have been applied on two forams: Pseudouvigerina sp., a benthic foram that lived within the sediments at the seafloor. It dates from the earliest Paleocene, 65 Ma and was collected near Brazos River, Texas. Globigerinoides, a modern planktic foram, living in the upper part of the water comlumn in the open ocean. The test settled on the seafloor after death and was recently collected from the seafloor at 2900 m water depth at Nazca Ridge in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It was found that foram A consists of 15 chambers with a total volume of 1.8 x 106 m3 and shows progressive growth of consecutive chambers (average of 1,5 magnification). After the large globular initial chamber, which indicates asexual reproduction, each chamber is slightly larger than the previous one. In the later stages the chambers develop lateral edges with a thickened margin, leading to a distinct triangular shape in cross section. Foram B on the other hand has a distinct trochospiral coil (like a snail), consisting of 16 chambers with a total volume of 91 x 106 m3. The entire shell thickens with every successive chamber, so that the initial part of the test is embraced in a thick calcite crust. The chambers grow rapidly in size (average magnification of 2,24 ), which is typical for most planktic foraminifera. The globular shape aids in the buoyancy of the specimen for its planktic way of life.

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

Knott, D.

Floating production system (FPS) technology has come of age in the North Sea. That's apparent in plans to use FPSs to tap two of Northwest Europe's largest offshore oil discoveries in the last 10 years. First North Sea oil production with a floater involved a converted semisubmersible drilling rig. Floaters have been in use for small field development projects ever since. Now, industry's rising interest in FPSs reflects two trends: As the North Sea matures, discoveries are likely to be in deeper, more remote locations; and Operators increasingly are under pressure to slash costs. The paper discusses UK trends, Norway'smore » needs, the Norne field, Norne contract, discovery of oil west of the Shetland Islands, Shell-Esso plans, the UK Machar field test, the UK Fife field, and prospects for other potential floater developments.« less

Higher Order π-Conjugated Polycyclic Hydrocarbons with Open-Shell Singlet Ground State: Nonazethrene versus Nonacene.

PubMed

Huang, Rui; Phan, Hoa; Herng, Tun Seng; Hu, Pan; Zeng, Wangdong; Dong, Shao-Qiang; Das, Soumyajit; Shen, Yongjia; Ding, Jun; Casanova, David; Wu, Jishan

2016-08-17

Higher order acenes (i.e., acenes longer than pentacene) and extended zethrenes (i.e., zethrenes longer than zethrene) are theoretically predicted to have an open-shell singlet ground state, and the radical character is supposed to increase with extension of molecular size. The increasing radical character makes the synthesis of long zethrenes and acenes very challenging, and so far, the longest reported zethrene and acene derivatives are octazethrene and nonacene, respectively. In addition, there is a lack of fundamental understanding of the differences between these two closely related open-shell singlet systems. In this work, we report the first synthesis of a challenging nonazethrene derivative, HR-NZ, and its full structural and physical characterizations including variable temperature NMR, ESR, SQUID, UV-vis-NIR absorption and electrochemical measurements. Compound HR-NZ has an open-shell singlet ground state with a moderate diradical character (y0 = 0.48 based on UCAM-B3LYP calculation) and a small singlet-triplet gap (ΔES-T = -5.2 kcal/mol based on SQUID data), thus showing magnetic activity at room temperature. It also shows amphoteric redox behavior, with a small electrochemical energy gap (1.33 eV). Its electronic structure and physical properties are compared with those of Anthony's nonacene derivative JA-NA and other zethrene derivatives. A more general comparison between higher order acenes and extended zethrenes was also conducted on the basis of ab initio electronic structure calculations, and it was found that zethrenes and acenes have very different spatial localization of the unpaired electrons. As a result, a faster decrease of singlet-triplet energy gap and a faster increase of radical character with increase of the number of benzenoid rings were observed in zethrene series. Our studies reveal that spatial localization of the frontier molecular orbitals play a very important role on the nature of radical character as well as the excitation energy.

Analysis of total oil and fatty acids composition by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy in edible nuts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kandala, Chari V.; Sundaram, Jaya

2014-10-01

Near Infrared (NIR) Reflectance spectroscopy has established itself as an important tool in quantifying water and oil present in various food materials. It is rapid and nondestructive, easier to use, and does not require processing the samples with corrosive chemicals that would render them non-edible. Earlier, the samples had to be ground into powder form before making any measurements. With the development of new soft ware packages, NIR techniques could now be used in the analysis of intact grain and nuts. While most of the commercial instruments presently available work well with small grain size materials such as wheat and corn, the method present here is suitable for large kernel size products such as shelled or in-shell peanuts. Absorbance spectra were collected from 400 nm to 2500 nm using a NIR instrument. Average values of total oil contents (TOC) of peanut samples were determined by standard extraction methods, and fatty acids were determined using gas chromatography. Partial least square (PLS) analysis was performed on the calibration set of absorption spectra, and models were developed for prediction of total oil and fatty acids. The best model was selected based on the coefficient of determination (R2), Standard error of prediction (SEP) and residual percent deviation (RPD) values. Peanut samples analyzed showed RPD values greater than 5.0 for both absorbance and reflectance models and thus could be used for quality control and analysis. Ability to rapidly and nondestructively measure the TOC, and analyze the fatty acid composition, will be immensely useful in peanut varietal improvement as well as in the grading process of grain and nuts.

Development and Validation of a High-Density SNP Genotyping Array for African Oil Palm.

PubMed

Kwong, Qi Bin; Teh, Chee Keng; Ong, Ai Ling; Heng, Huey Ying; Lee, Heng Leng; Mohamed, Mohaimi; Low, Joel Zi-Bin; Apparow, Sukganah; Chew, Fook Tim; Mayes, Sean; Kulaveerasingam, Harikrishna; Tammi, Martti; Appleton, David Ross

2016-08-01

High-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping arrays are powerful tools that can measure the level of genetic polymorphism within a population. To develop a whole-genome SNP array for oil palms, SNP discovery was performed using deep resequencing of eight libraries derived from 132 Elaeis guineensis and Elaeis oleifera palms belonging to 59 origins, resulting in the discovery of >3 million putative SNPs. After SNP filtering, the Illumina OP200K custom array was built with 170 860 successful probes. Phenetic clustering analysis revealed that the array could distinguish between palms of different origins in a way consistent with pedigree records. Genome-wide linkage disequilibrium declined more slowly for the commercial populations (ranging from 120 kb at r(2) = 0.43 to 146 kb at r(2) = 0.50) when compared with the semi-wild populations (19.5 kb at r(2) = 0.22). Genetic fixation mapping comparing the semi-wild and commercial population identified 321 selective sweeps. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) detected a significant peak on chromosome 2 associated with the polygenic component of the shell thickness trait (based on the trait shell-to-fruit; S/F %) in tenera palms. Testing of a genomic selection model on the same trait resulted in good prediction accuracy (r = 0.65) with 42% of the S/F % variation explained. The first high-density SNP genotyping array for oil palm has been developed and shown to be robust for use in genetic studies and with potential for developing early trait prediction to shorten the oil palm breeding cycle. Copyright © 2016 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Accumulation trends of petroleum hydrocarbons in commercial shellfish from the Galician coast (NW Spain) affected by the Prestige oil spill.

PubMed

Viñas, L; Franco, M A; Soriano, J A; González, J J; Ortiz, L; Bayona, J M; Albaigés, J

2009-04-01

Aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons were determined in three species of commercial shellfish, namely razor shells (Ensis arcuatus and Ensis siliqua), goose barnacle (Pollicipes cornucopia) and sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus), living in different habitats and exhibiting different feeding behaviors. The samples were collected monthly, from January 2003 to October 2004, in three stations of the Galicia coast (NW Spain), following the Prestige oil spill, with the aim of assessing their response to the spill and, therefore, their suitability for monitoring purposes. The aliphatic fractions were mostly dominated by biogenic hydrocarbons, reflecting the diet composition of the organisms and their low metabolic capacity. The presence of oil was assessed by the determination of chemical markers. The analysis of the aromatic fractions revealed the occurrence of 3-6 ring parent and alkylated PAHs, consistent with a mixed petrogenic-pyrolytic origin, with the common feature of the predominance of chrysene in all samples collected after the spill. However, the distributions exhibited both temporal and interspecies variations. The PAH concentrations (Sigma13) increased significantly after the spill and decreased 6-7 months later close to background levels for the region. One year after the accident, the median values were: 58 microg/kg for razor shells, 26 microg/kg for barnacles, and 25 microg/kg for sea urchins. The temporal evolution of the PAH concentrations along the survey period was used to estimate loss rates for bioavailable PAHs in barnacles and sea urchins after the spill. Half-life values were in the order of 30 and 60 d, respectively. The results of the study demonstrate that barnacles can be suitable species for oil spill monitoring.

77 FR 37661 - Amended Notice of Intent To Prepare the Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed Federal...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-22

... natural gas pipelines, the Midwestern Gas Transmission line (3 miles distant) and/or the ANR Pipeline (4.5... Pipeline, Boardwalk/Texas Gas Pipeline, Shell/Capline Oil Pipeline, Panhandle/Trunkline Gas Pipeline, and... Rockport, IN, and CO 2 Pipeline; Conduct Additional Public Scoping Meetings; and Issue a Notice of...

76 FR 39901 - Notice Pursuant to the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993-Cooperative...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-07

... invoking the Act's provisions limiting the recovery of antitrust plaintiffs to actual damages under... NETHERLANDS; Tubos De Acero De Mexico S.A., Veracruz, MEXICO; Shell Oil Company, Houston, TX; and ExxonMobil Development Company, Houston, TX. The general area of FlawPRO-JIP's planned activity is to develop an enhanced...

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

Knott, D.

Northwest Europe`s offshore operators have boosted their oil and gas production dramatically in recent years, and while the area is now mature, a steady stream of developments continues. In the boom days of the late 1970s and 1980s, a typical North Sea installation was a large platform, which occasionally a new pipeline or, more commonly, a tie-in to the area`s massive export grids. These days, now that technical developments have enabled operators to justify developments of smaller, once uneconomic, discoveries, it is pointless to talk of a typical offshore development. Northwest Europe`s offshore operators have learned that it is worthwhilemore » to rack their brains for the most economic development concepts. This creativity is reflected in recent development plans. While operators are now snatching up the small accumulations in and around the mature North Sea producing fields, they are also seeking develop frontier regions. The paper discusses development activities in UK, Ireland, Denmark and Greenland, and Norway in gas, oil, and gas condensate deposits.« less

Porphyrin conjugated SiC/SiOx nanowires for X-ray-excited photodynamic therapy.

PubMed

Rossi, F; Bedogni, E; Bigi, F; Rimoldi, T; Cristofolini, L; Pinelli, S; Alinovi, R; Negri, M; Dhanabalan, S C; Attolini, G; Fabbri, F; Goldoni, M; Mutti, A; Benecchi, G; Ghetti, C; Iannotta, S; Salviati, G

2015-01-05

The development of innovative nanosystems opens new perspectives for multidisciplinary applications at the frontier between materials science and nanomedicine. Here we present a novel hybrid nanosystem based on cytocompatible inorganic SiC/SiOx core/shell nanowires conjugated via click-chemistry procedures with an organic photosensitizer, a tetracarboxyphenyl porphyrin derivative. We show that this nanosystem is an efficient source of singlet oxygen for cell oxidative stress when irradiated with 6 MV X-Rays at low doses (0.4-2 Gy). The in-vitro clonogenic survival assay on lung adenocarcinoma cells shows that 12 days after irradiation at a dose of 2 Gy, the cell population is reduced by about 75% with respect to control cells. These results demonstrate that our approach is very efficient to enhance radiation therapy effects for cancer treatments.

Porphyrin conjugated SiC/SiOx nanowires for X-ray-excited photodynamic therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, F.; Bedogni, E.; Bigi, F.; Rimoldi, T.; Cristofolini, L.; Pinelli, S.; Alinovi, R.; Negri, M.; Dhanabalan, S. C.; Attolini, G.; Fabbri, F.; Goldoni, M.; Mutti, A.; Benecchi, G.; Ghetti, C.; Iannotta, S.; Salviati, G.

2015-01-01

The development of innovative nanosystems opens new perspectives for multidisciplinary applications at the frontier between materials science and nanomedicine. Here we present a novel hybrid nanosystem based on cytocompatible inorganic SiC/SiOx core/shell nanowires conjugated via click-chemistry procedures with an organic photosensitizer, a tetracarboxyphenyl porphyrin derivative. We show that this nanosystem is an efficient source of singlet oxygen for cell oxidative stress when irradiated with 6 MV X-Rays at low doses (0.4-2 Gy). The in-vitro clonogenic survival assay on lung adenocarcinoma cells shows that 12 days after irradiation at a dose of 2 Gy, the cell population is reduced by about 75% with respect to control cells. These results demonstrate that our approach is very efficient to enhance radiation therapy effects for cancer treatments.

The Dye Sensitized Photoelectrosynthesis Cell (DSPEC) for Solar Water Splitting and CO2 Reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, Thomas; Alibabaei, Leila; Sherman, Benjamin; Sheridan, Matthew; Ashford, Dennis; Lapides, Alex; Brennaman, Kyle; Nayak, Animesh; Roy, Subhangi; Wee, Kyung-Ryang; Gish, Melissa; Meyer, Jerry; Papanikolas, John

The dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cell (DSPEC) integrates molecular level light absorption and catalysis with the bandgap properties of stable oxide materials such as TiO2 and NiO. Excitation of surface-bound chromophores leads to excited state formation and rapid electron or hole injection into the conduction or valence bands of n or p-type oxides. Addition of thin layers of TiO2 or NiO on the surfaces of mesoscopic, nanoparticle films of semiconductor or transparent conducting oxides to give core/shell structures provides a basis for accumulating multiple redox equivalents at catalysts for water oxidation or CO2 reduction. UNC EFRC Center for Solar Fuels, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Award Number DE-SC0001011.

Historic Frontier Processes active in Future Space-Based Mineral Extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gray, D. M.

2000-01-01

The forces that shaped historic mining frontiers are in many cases not bound by geographic or temporal limits. The forces that helped define historic frontiers are active in today's physical and virtual frontiers, and will be present in future space-based frontiers. While frontiers derived from position and technology are primarily economic in nature, non-economic conditions affect the success or failure of individual frontier endeavors, local "mining camps" and even entire frontiers. Frontiers can be defined as the line of activity that divides the established markets and infrastructure of civilization from the unclaimed resources and potential wealth of a wilderness. At the frontier line, ownership of resources is established. The resource can then be developed using capital, energy and information. In a mining setting, the resource is concentrated for economic shipment to the markets of civilization. Profits from the sale of the resource are then used to fund further development of the resource and/or pay investors. Both positional and technical frontiers develop as a series of generations. The profits from each generation of development provides the capital and/or investment incentive for the next round of development. Without profit, the self-replicating process of frontiers stops.

Organic History and Ice-Rock Decoupling on Enceladus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zolotov, M. Y.

2007-12-01

The Cassini detection of methane, propane and acetylene in the Enceladus plume, and condensed organic compounds (OC) on the south polar region imply an organic-bearing interior of the moon. At least a few wt. % of C is expected in rocks from which Enceladus accreted. By analogy with carbonaceous chondrites, the majority of accreted OC was in a polymer in which polyaromatic groups are linked by O-, N-, and S-bearing aliphatic units. If accreted, cometary-type materials also delivered CO2, CO(?), methanol, ethane, ethene, acetylene, and condensed OC. Subsequent water ice melting and hydrothermal processes driven by decay of short-lived radionuclides led to dissolution of CO, CO2 and methanol in water and transformations of the polymer and cometary OC. CO converted to formic acid, carbonate species, methanol and methane. Hydrous pyrolysis and oxidation of the polymer partially liberated aromatic molecules and led to the formation of O-bearing OC (carboxylic and amino acids, alcohols). Increase in temperature favored oxidation of OC to carbonate species and N2, and led to graphitization of the polymer. Despite net oxidation of OC driven by H2 escape, mineral- catalyzed Fisher-Tropsch like synthesis of hydrocarbons and methane occurred in H2-rich niches. As a result, an array of aromatic, aliphatic, and N-, O-, S-bearing OC, and methane was delivered into a primordial water ocean in hydrothermal fluids. Highly soluble OC (acids, alcohols) made multiple passes through hydrothermal systems causing further oxidation of OC in rocks and solutions. In contrast, hydrocarbons exolved from cold oceanic water and formed an organic layer below the ice shell. Subsequent cooling of ocean-entering fluids and ocean freezing from above led to further separation and accumulation of OC. Some OC was trapped in ice, and methane formed clathrates. After freezing of salt eutectic brines, the light oil (a solution/mixture of ethane, propane, butane, ethene, acetylene, methanol, toluene etc.) remained unfrozen and decoupled the ice shell from underlying salt deposits and rocks. Even after oil solidification, if it occurred, the organic layer had a lower viscosity than salts and ice. An uneven pressure and/or topography at the ice-salt boundary could have led to preferential oil (and salt?) accumulation below the south polar region. Throughout history (and today), the uneven oil-rich layer could have favored tidal motions and heat generation at the bottom of the ice shell.

A case study of pyrolysis of oil palm wastes in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, Nurhayati; Sulaiman, Fauziah; Aliasak, Zalila

2013-05-01

Biomass seems to have a great potential as a source of renewable energy compared with other sources. The use of biomass as a source of energy could help to reduce the wastes and also to minimize the dependency on non-renewable energy, hence minimize environmental degradation. Among other types of biomass, oil palm wastes are the major contribution for energy production in Malaysia since Malaysia is one of the primary palm oil producers in the world. Currently, Malaysia's plantation area covers around 5 million hectares. In the oil palm mill, only 10% palm oil is produced and the other 90% is in the form of wastes such as empty fruit bunches (EFB), oil palm shells (OPS), oil palm fibre (OPFb) and palm oil mill effluent (POME). If these wastes are being used as a source of renewable energy, it is believed that it will help to increase the country's economy. Recently, the most potential and efficient thermal energy conversion technology is pyrolysis process. The objective of this paper is to review the current research on pyrolysis of oil palm wastes in Malaysia. The scope of this paper is to discuss on the types of pyrolysis process and its production. At present, most of the research conducted in this country is on EFB and OPS by fast, slow and microwave-assisted pyrolysis processes for fuel applications.

Fe3O4/PS magnetic nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization and their application as sorbents of oil from waste water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Liuhua; Hao, Gazi; Gu, Junjun; Zhou, Shuai; Zhang, Ning; Jiang, Wei

2015-11-01

In this work, Fe3O4/PS composites with a rough surface and different coating rates were successfully designed and synthesized by emulsion polymerization. We carried out some comparative experiments to compare magnetic properties and oil absorption properties of the nano-magnetic materials. It had been found that several prepared groups of magnetic nanocomposites have a core-shell structure and good coating rates. These nanoparticles combined with unsinked, highly hydrophobic and superoleophilic properties. The absorption capacity of Fe3O4/PS composites for organic solvents and the composites could absorb diesel oil up to 2.492 times of its own weight. It is more important that the oil could be readily removed from the surfaces of nanoparticles by a simple ultrasonic treatment whereas the nanocomposites particles still kept highly hydrophobic and superoleophilic characteristics. With a combination of simple synthesis process, low density, magnetic responsibility and excellent hydrophobicity, Fe3O4/PS nanocomposites as a promising absorbent have great potential in the application of spilled oil recovery and environmental protection.

Tertiary oil discoveries whet explorer interest off Tunisia

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

Long, M.

Prospects for increased Tertiary oil production in the S. Mediterranean have brightened with discoveries off Tunisia, but more evaluation is needed before commercial potential is known. Several groups of U.S. and European companies have tested oil in the relatively unexplored Miocene in the Gulf of Hannamet. These include groups operated by Buttes Resources Tunisia, Elf-Aquitaine Tunisia, and Shell Tunirex. Oil test rates of 1,790 to 1,800 bpd have been reported by the Buttes group in 2 Gulf of Hammamet wells. The initial discovery probably was the first Tertiary oil ever tested in that part of the Mediterranean. The discoveries havemore » helped boost exploratory interest in the northern waters of Tunisia and northeast toward Sicily. There are reports more U.S. and European companies are requesting exploration permits from the government of Tunisia. Companies with permits are planning new exploration for 1978. Probably the most significant discovery to date has been the Buttes group's 1 Jasmine (2 BGH). The group tested high-quality 39.5'-gravity oil at a rate of 1,790 bpd. Test flow was from the Sabri Sand at 6,490 to 6,590 ft. The well was drilled in 458 ft of water.« less

Pyrolysis conditions and ozone oxidation effects on ammonia adsorption in biomass generated chars.

PubMed

Kastner, James R; Miller, Joby; Das, K C

2009-05-30

Ammonia adsorbents were generated via pyrolysis of biomass (peanut hulls and palm oil shells) over a range of temperatures and compared to a commercially available activated carbon (AC) and solid biomass residuals (wood and poultry litter fly ash). Dynamic ammonia adsorption studies (i.e., breakthrough curves) were performed using these adsorbents at 23 degrees C from 6 to 17 ppmv NH(3). Of the biomass chars, palm oil char generated at 500 degrees C had the highest NH(3) adsorption capacity (0.70 mg/g, 6 ppmv, 10% relative humidity (RH)), was similar to the AC, and contrasted to the other adsorbents (including the AC), the NH(3) adsorption capacity significantly increased if the relative humidity was increased (4 mg/g, 7 ppmv, 73% RH). Room temperature ozone treatment of the chars and activated carbon significantly increased the NH(3) adsorption capacity (10% RH); resultant adsorption capacity, q (mg/g) increased by approximately 2, 6, and 10 times for palm oil char, peanut hull char (pyrolysis only), and activated carbon, respectively. However, water vapor (73% RH at 23 degrees C) significantly reduced NH(3) adsorption capacity in the steam and ozone treated biomass, yet had no effect on the palm shell char generated at 500 degrees C. These results indicate the feasibility of using a low temperature (and thus low energy input) pyrolysis and activation process for the generation of NH(3) adsorbents from biomass residuals.

Adsorption of methylene blue onto activated carbon produced from tea (Camellia sinensis L.) seed shells: kinetics, equilibrium, and thermodynamics studies.

PubMed

Gao, Jun-Jie; Qin, Ye-Bo; Zhou, Tao; Cao, Dong-Dong; Xu, Ping; Hochstetter, Danielle; Wang, Yue-Fei

2013-07-01

Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) seed shells, the main byproduct of the manufacture of tea seed oil, were used as precursors for the preparation of tea activated carbon (TAC) in the present study. A high yield (44.1%) of TAC was obtained from tea seed shells via a one-step chemical method using ZnCl2 as an agent. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and the total pore volumes of the obtained TAC were found to be 1530.67 mg(2)/g and 0.7826 cm(3)/g, respectively. The equilibrium adsorption results were complied with Langmuir isotherm model and its maximum monolayer adsorption capacity was 324.7 mg/g for methylene blue. Adsorption kinetics studies indicated that the pseudo-second-order model yielded the best fit for the kinetic data. An intraparticle diffusion model suggested that the intraparticle diffusion was not the only rate-controlling step. Thermodynamics studies revealed the spontaneous and exothermic nature of the sorption process. These results indicate that tea seed shells could be utilized as a renewable resource to develop activated carbon which is a potential adsorbent for methylene blue.

Adsorption of methylene blue onto activated carbon produced from tea (Camellia sinensis L.) seed shells: kinetics, equilibrium, and thermodynamics studies*

PubMed Central

Gao, Jun-jie; Qin, Ye-bo; Zhou, Tao; Cao, Dong-dong; Xu, Ping; Hochstetter, Danielle; Wang, Yue-fei

2013-01-01

Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) seed shells, the main byproduct of the manufacture of tea seed oil, were used as precursors for the preparation of tea activated carbon (TAC) in the present study. A high yield (44.1%) of TAC was obtained from tea seed shells via a one-step chemical method using ZnCl2 as an agent. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and the total pore volumes of the obtained TAC were found to be 1 530.67 mg2/g and 0.782 6 cm3/g, respectively. The equilibrium adsorption results were complied with Langmuir isotherm model and its maximum monolayer adsorption capacity was 324.7 mg/g for methylene blue. Adsorption kinetics studies indicated that the pseudo-second-order model yielded the best fit for the kinetic data. An intraparticle diffusion model suggested that the intraparticle diffusion was not the only rate-controlling step. Thermodynamics studies revealed the spontaneous and exothermic nature of the sorption process. These results indicate that tea seed shells could be utilized as a renewable resource to develop activated carbon which is a potential adsorbent for methylene blue. PMID:23825151

Reevaluating Hubbert's Prediction of U.S. Peak Oil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Veen, C. J.

2006-05-01

In 1956, M. King Hubbert, chief consultant for the Shell Development Company's exploration and production research division, forecasted that U.S. oil production would peak in the early 1970s. He subsequently updated this prediction using newer data, but the predicted timing of peaking did not change significantly (see Hubbert [1982] for a review and references to earlier papers). In 1971, U.S. annual production of crude oil peaked at slightly more than three billion barrels (bbl). Yet, Hubbert's model continues to be challenged by some. For instance, according to economist Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy and Economic Research, Inc., Winchester, Mass., it was only after Hubbert published his predictions ``that the Hubbert curve came to be seen as explanatory in and of itself, that is, geology requires that production should follow such a curve'' [Lynch, 2003].

Investigation on the quality of bio-oil produced through fast pyrolysis of biomass-polymer waste mixture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jourabchi, S. A.; Ng, H. K.; Gan, S.; Yap, Z. Y.

2016-06-01

A high-impact poly-styrene (HIPS) was mixed with dried and ground coconut shell (CS) at equal weight percentage. Fast pyrolysis was carried out on the mixture in a fixed bed reactor over a temperature range of 573 K to 1073 K, and a nitrogen (N2) linear velocity range of 7.8x10-5 m/s to 6.7x10-2 m/s to produce bio-oil. Heat transfer and fluid dynamics of the pyrolysis process inside the reactor was visualised by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The CFD modelling was validated by experimental results and they both indicated that at temperature of 923 K and N2 linear velocity of 7.8x10-5 m/s, the maximum bio-oil yield of 52.02 wt% is achieved.

The application of a carrier-based bioremediation strategy for marine oil spills.

PubMed

Sheppard, Petra J; Simons, Keryn L; Adetutu, Eric M; Kadali, Krishna K; Juhasz, Albert L; Manefield, Mike; Sarma, Priyangshu M; Lal, Banwari; Ball, Andrew S

2014-07-15

The application of recycled marine materials to develop sustainable remediation technologies in marine environment was assessed. The remediation strategy consisted of a shell carrier mounted bacterial consortium composed of hydrocarbonoclastic strains enriched with nutrients (Bioaug SC). Pilot scale studies (5000 l) were used to examine the ability of Bioaug-SC to degrade weathered crude oil (10 g l(-1); initially 315,000±44,000 mg l(-1)) and assess the impacts of the introduction and biodegradation of oil. Total petroleum hydrocarbon mass was effectively reduced by 53.3 (±5.75)% to 147,000 (±21,000) mg l(-1) within 27 weeks. 16S rDNA bacterial community profiling using Denaturant Gradient Gel Electrophoresis revealed that cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria dominated the microbial community. Aquatic toxicity assessment was conducted by ecotoxicity assays using brine shrimp hatchability, Microtox and Phaeodactylum tricornutum. This study revealed the importance of combining ecotoxicity assays with oil chemistry analysis to ensure safe remediation methods are developed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Terahertz spectroscopy properties of the selected engine oils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Shouming; Zhao, Kun; Lu, Tian; Zhao, Songqing; Zhou, Qingli; Shi, Yulei; Zhao, Dongmei; Zhang, Cunlin

2010-11-01

Engine oil, most of which is extracted from petroleum, consist of complex mixtures of hydrocarbons of molecular weights in the range of 250-1000. Variable amounts of different additives are put into them to inhibit oxidation, improve the viscosity index, decrease the fluidity point and avoid foaming or settling of solid particles among others. Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy contains rich physical, chemical, and structural information of the materials. Most low-frequency vibrational and rotational spectra of many petrochemicals lie in this frequency range. In recent years, much attention has been paid to the THz spectroscopic studies of petroleum products. In this paper, the optical properties and spectroscopy of selected kinds of engine oil consisting of shell HELIX 10W-40, Mobilube GX 80W-90, GEELY ENGINE OIL SG 10W-30, SMA engine oil SG 5W-30, SMA engine oil SG 10W-30, SMA engine oil SG 75W-90 have been studied by the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) in the spectral range of 0.6-2.5 THz. Engine oil with different viscosities in the terahertz spectrum has certain regularity. In the THz-TDS, with the increase of viscosity, time delay is greater and with the increase of viscosity, refractive indexes also grow and their rank is extremely regular. The specific kinds of engine oil can be identified according to their different spectral features in the THz range. The THz-TDS technology has potentially significant impact on the engine oil analysis.

Irksome and Unpopular Duties: Pakistan’s Frontier Corps, Local Security Forces and Counterinsurgency

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-01

the Karakorum mountain range in North West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) to the Makran coast in Balochistan . I he Khan <>l Lalpura and...the corps along geographical lines, creating Frontier Corps-North West Frontier Province and Frontier Corps- Balochistan . Pakistan also created...major combat operations, including the Indo-Pakistani wars of 1948, 1965, and 1971. The Frontier Corps fought against separatists in Balochistan in the

Experimental study on electromagnetic-assisted ZnO nanofluid flooding for enhanced oil recovery (EOR)

PubMed Central

Ahmad Latiff, Noor Rasyada; Alnarabiji, Mohamad Sahban

2018-01-01

Recently, nano-EOR has emerged as a new frontier for improved and enhanced oil recovery (IOR & EOR). Despite their benefits, the nanoparticles tend to agglomerate at reservoir conditions which cause their detachment from the oil/water interface, and are consequently retained rather than transported through a porous medium. Dielectric nanoparticles including ZnO have been proposed to be a good replacement for EOR due to their high melting point and thermal properties. But more importantly, these particles can be polarized under electromagnetic (EM) irradiation, which provides an innovative smart Nano-EOR process denoted as EM-Assisted Nano-EOR. In this study, parameters involved in the oil recovery mechanism under EM waves, such as reducing mobility ratio, lowering interfacial tensions (IFT) and altering wettability were investigated. Two-phase displacement experiments were performed in sandpacks under the water-wet condition at 95°C, with permeability in the range of 265–300 mD. A crude oil from Tapis oil field was employed; while ZnO nanofluids of two different particle sizes (55.7 and 117.1 nm) were prepared using 0.1 wt. % nanoparticles that dispersed into brine (3 wt. % NaCl) along with SDBS as a dispersant. In each flooding scheme, three injection sequential scenarios have been conducted: (i) brine flooding as a secondary process, (ii) surfactant/nano/EM-assisted nano flooding, and (iii) second brine flooding to flush nanoparticles. Compare with surfactant flooding (2% original oil in place/OOIP) as tertiary recovery, nano flooding almost reaches 8.5–10.2% of OOIP. On the other hand, EM-assisted nano flooding provides an incremental oil recovery of approximately 9–10.4% of OOIP. By evaluating the contact angle and interfacial tension, it was established that the degree of IFT reduction plays a governing role in the oil displacement mechanism via nano-EOR, compare to mobility ratio. These results reveal a promising way to employ water-based ZnO nanofluid for enhanced oil recovery purposes at a relatively high reservoir temperature. PMID:29489897

Experimental study on electromagnetic-assisted ZnO nanofluid flooding for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

PubMed

Adil, Muhammad; Lee, Keanchuan; Mohd Zaid, Hasnah; Ahmad Latiff, Noor Rasyada; Alnarabiji, Mohamad Sahban

2018-01-01

Recently, nano-EOR has emerged as a new frontier for improved and enhanced oil recovery (IOR & EOR). Despite their benefits, the nanoparticles tend to agglomerate at reservoir conditions which cause their detachment from the oil/water interface, and are consequently retained rather than transported through a porous medium. Dielectric nanoparticles including ZnO have been proposed to be a good replacement for EOR due to their high melting point and thermal properties. But more importantly, these particles can be polarized under electromagnetic (EM) irradiation, which provides an innovative smart Nano-EOR process denoted as EM-Assisted Nano-EOR. In this study, parameters involved in the oil recovery mechanism under EM waves, such as reducing mobility ratio, lowering interfacial tensions (IFT) and altering wettability were investigated. Two-phase displacement experiments were performed in sandpacks under the water-wet condition at 95°C, with permeability in the range of 265-300 mD. A crude oil from Tapis oil field was employed; while ZnO nanofluids of two different particle sizes (55.7 and 117.1 nm) were prepared using 0.1 wt. % nanoparticles that dispersed into brine (3 wt. % NaCl) along with SDBS as a dispersant. In each flooding scheme, three injection sequential scenarios have been conducted: (i) brine flooding as a secondary process, (ii) surfactant/nano/EM-assisted nano flooding, and (iii) second brine flooding to flush nanoparticles. Compare with surfactant flooding (2% original oil in place/OOIP) as tertiary recovery, nano flooding almost reaches 8.5-10.2% of OOIP. On the other hand, EM-assisted nano flooding provides an incremental oil recovery of approximately 9-10.4% of OOIP. By evaluating the contact angle and interfacial tension, it was established that the degree of IFT reduction plays a governing role in the oil displacement mechanism via nano-EOR, compare to mobility ratio. These results reveal a promising way to employ water-based ZnO nanofluid for enhanced oil recovery purposes at a relatively high reservoir temperature.

A prospective study of morbidity patterns in a petroleum refinery and chemical plant.

PubMed Central

Tsai, S P; Dowd, C M; Cowles, S R; Ross, C E

1992-01-01

This study examined the morbidity experience from 1981 to 1988 of a prospective cohort of 3422 refinery and petrochemical plant employees from the Shell Deer Park manufacturing complex. The morbidity data for this study, which include all illness and absence records in excess of five days, were extracted from the morbidity section of the Shell health surveillance system. Standardised morbidity ratios (SMRs) of disease prevalence in this cohort were calculated using an internal comparison group of all manufacturing employees of the Shell Oil Company. Among production employees, the overall morbidity was statistically significantly higher (SMR = 109) than that of the comparison group. Illness due to hypertension (SMR = 144), haemorrhoids (SMR = 149), diseases of the nervous system (SMR = 120), respiratory system (SMR = 108), and digestive system (SMR = 117) were also raised for this group. The increased risk due to these medical conditions does not appear to be associated with occupational factors. Lymphatic and haematopoietic tissue neoplasms were raised (SMR = 124), but were based on only four cases. PMID:1637713

The Feasibility of Palm Kernel Shell as a Replacement for Coarse Aggregate in Lightweight Concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Itam, Zarina; Beddu, Salmia; Liyana Mohd Kamal, Nur; Ashraful Alam, Md; Issa Ayash, Usama

2016-03-01

Implementing sustainable materials into the construction industry is fast becoming a trend nowadays. Palm Kernel Shell is a by-product of Malaysia’s palm oil industry, generating waste as much as 4 million tons per annum. As a means of producing a sustainable, environmental-friendly, and affordable alternative in the lightweight concrete industry, the exploration of the potential of Palm Kernel Shell to be used as an aggregate replacement was conducted which may give a positive impact to the Malaysian construction industry as well as worldwide concrete usage. This research investigates the feasibility of PKS as an aggregate replacement in lightweight concrete in terms of compressive strength, slump test, water absorption, and density. Results indicate that by using PKS for aggregate replacement, it increases the water absorption but decreases the concrete workability and strength. Results however, fall into the range acceptable for lightweight aggregates, hence it can be concluded that there is potential to use PKS as aggregate replacement for lightweight concrete.

Drilling side holes from a borehole

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collins, E. R., Jr.

1980-01-01

Machine takes long horizontal stratum samples from confines of 21 cm bore hole. Stacked interlocking half cylindrical shells mate to form rigid thrust tube. Drive shaft and core storage device is flexible and retractable. Entire machine fits in 10 meter length of steel tube. Machine could drill drainage or ventilation holes in coal mines, or provide important information for geological, oil, and geothermal surveys.

Utilization of fly ash as partial sand replacement in oil palm shell lightweight aggregate concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nazrin Akmal, A. Z. Muhammad; Muthusamy, K.; Mat Yahaya, F.; Hanafi, H. Mohd; Nur Azzimah, Z.

2017-11-01

Realization on the increasing demand for river sand supply in construction sector has inspired the current research to find alternative material to reduce the use of natural sand in oil palm shell lightweight aggregate concrete (OPS LWAC) production. The existence of fly ash, a by-product generated from coal power plant, which pose negative impact to the environment when it is disposed as waste, were used in this research. The effect of fly ash content as partial sand replacement towards workability and compressive strength of OPS lightweight aggregate concrete were investigated. Four concrete mixes containing various percentage of fly ash that are 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% by weight of sand were used in the experimental work. All mixes were cast in form of cubes before subjected to water curing until the testing age. Compressive strength test were conducted at 1, 3, 7 and 28 days. The finding shows that the workability of the OPS LWAC decreases when more fly ash are used as sand replacement. It was found that adding of 10% fly ash as sand replacement content resulted in better compressive strength of OPS LWAC, which is higher than the control mix.

Enhancement of durability properties of heat-treated oil palm shell species lightweight concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yew, Ming Kun; Yew, Ming Chian; Saw, Lip Huat; Ang, Bee Chin; Lee, Min Lee; Lim, Siong Kang; Lim, Jee Hock

2017-04-01

Oil palm shell (OPS) are non-hazardous waste materials and can be used as alternative coarse aggregates to substitute depleting conventional raw materials. A study on preparing the OPS species (dura and tenera) lightweight concrete (LWC) using with and without heat-treated OPS aggregate has been investigated. Two different species of OPS coarse aggregate are subjected to heat treatment at 65 and 130 °C with duration of 1 hour. The results reveal that the slump value of the OPSC increases significantly with an increase in temperature of heat treatment of the tenera OPS aggregates. It is found that the maximum achievable 28-days and 180-days compressive strength is 45.6 and 47.5 MPa, respectively. Furthermore, rapid chloride penetration test (RCPT) and water absorption tests were performance to signify the effects of heat-treated on OPS species LWC. The use of heat-treated OPS LWC induced the advantageous of reducing the permeability and capillary porosity as well as water absorption. Hence, the findings of this study are of primary importance as they revealed the heat treatment on OPS species LWC can be used as a new environmentally friendly method to enhance the durability of OPSLWC.

ZnO-Ag core shell nanocomposite formed by green method using essential oil of wild ginger and their bactericidal and cytotoxic effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azizi, Susan; Mohamad, Rosfarizan; Rahim, Raha Abdul; Moghaddam, Amin Boroumand; Moniri, Mona; Ariff, Arbakariya; Saad, Wan Zuhainis; Namvab, Farideh

2016-10-01

In this paper, a novel green method for fabrication of zinc oxide-silver (ZnO-Ag) core-shell nanocomposite using essential oil of ginger (EO-G) is reported. The EO-G played two significant roles in the synthesis process: it could act as a reaction media for the formation of ZnO and reduce Ag+ to Ag0. The bioformed ZnO-Ag nanocomposite was compared with pure biosynthesized ZnO-NPs and characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, TEM, EDX, XRD and FTIR. The characterization results confirmed that Ag-NPs had been embedded in ZnO hexagonal nanoparticles. Six Gram positive and negative pathogens were used to investigate the antibacterial effects of these samples. Ag-doping improves the bactericidal activity of ZnO-NPs. In vitro cytotoxicity studies on Vero cells, a dose dependent toxicity with non-toxic effect of concentration below 100 μg/mL was shown for ZnO-Ag nanocomposite. The biosynthesized ZnO-Ag nanocomposites were found to be comparable to those obtained from the conventional methods using hazardous materials which can be an excellent alternative for the synthesis of ZnO-Ag using biomass.

Study of CT Scan Flooding System at High Temperature and Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, X. Y.

2017-12-01

CT scan flooding experiment can scan micro-pore in different flooding stages by the use of CT scan technology, without changing the external morphology and internal structure of the core, and observe the distribution characterization in pore medium of different flooding fluid under different pressure.thus,it can rebuilt the distribution images of oil-water distribution in different flooding stages. However,under extreme high pressure and temperature conditions,the CT scan system can not meet the requirements. Container of low density materials or thin shell can not resist high pressure,while high density materials or thick shell will cause attenuation and scattering of X-ray. The experiment uses a simple Ct scanning systems.X ray from a point light source passing trough a micro beryllium shell on High pressure stainless steal container,continuously irradiates the core holder that can continuously 360° rotate along the core axis. A rare earth intensifying screen behind the core holder emitting light when irradiated with X ray can show the core X ray section image. An optical camera record the core X ray images through a transparency high pressure glazing that placed on the High pressure stainless steal container.Thus,multiple core X ray section images can reconstruct the 3D core reconstruction after a series of data processing.The experiment shows that both the micro beryllium shell and rare earth intensifying screen can work in high temperature and high pressure environment in the stainless steal container. This way that X-ray passes through a thin layer of micro beryllium shell , not high pressure stainless steal shell,avoid the attenuation and scattering of X-ray from the container shell,while improving the high-pressure experiment requirements.

Learning to Be Homesteaders: Frontier Women in Oklahoma

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Joan

2010-01-01

In "The Female Frontier" (1988), Glenda Riley notes that the typical historical account of life on the frontier puts men at the center of the experience. In contrast to a male frontier thesis, Riley posits that women played highly significant, though largely domestic, roles in the settling and development of the frontier, and that…

Doping of magnetite nanoparticles facilitates clean harvesting of diatom oil as biofuel for sustainable energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Vikas; Singh, Ramesh; Thakur, Shipra; Ballabh Joshi, Khashti; Vinayak, Vandana

2018-04-01

Photosynthetic unicellular brown algae diatoms are considered as photobioreactors (PBRs) that synthesize and store oil in the form of lipid droplets and the much of the crude oil we use comes from fossil diatoms. The clean extraction of this crude oil from diatoms is difficult task. The construction of green chemical protocols for the clean separation of diatom oil from cells without killing or to harm the diatom cells is still in its primitive stage. In this report we would like to propose that facile doping of magnetite on diatoms can be used for clean oil separation in PBRs. We doped magnetite nanoparticles onto the surface of diatom Diadesmis confervaceae a diatom which oozes oil naturally. Doping magnetite onto diatoms can also facilitate easy separation of oil when cells are kept in an electromagnetic field. The cell wall of diatom besides having SiOH group has 281 amino acids of which 187–188 amino acids are conserved and are known for metal binding sites. The magnetite nanoparticles bind to the SiOH groups and metal binding sites of amino acids. The presence of appropriate amine functionalized linkers forming peptide aminosilane shells can further facilitate the binding of peptide/polypeptides which can be used in drug delivery. Besides this the magnetite doped diatoms have wide applications in removal of phosphates and chromium from waste water too.

SOME ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF SHELLED AND KERNEL TEA (Camellia sinensis) SEEDS.

PubMed

Altuntas, Ebubekir; Yildiz, Merve

2017-01-01

Camellia sinensis is the source of tea leaves and it is an economic crop now grown around the World. Tea seed oil has been used for cooking in China and other Asian countries for more than a thousand years. Tea is the most widely consumed beverages after water in the world. It is mainly produced in Asia, central Africa, and exported throughout the World. Some engineering properties (size dimensions, sphericity, volume, bulk and true densities, friction coefficient, colour characteristics and mechanical behaviour as rupture force of shelled and kernel tea ( Camellia sinensis ) seeds were determined in this study. This research was carried out for shelled and kernel tea seeds. The shelled tea seeds used in this study were obtained from East-Black Sea Tea Cooperative Institution in Rize city of Turkey. Shelled and kernel tea seeds were characterized as large and small sizes. The average geometric mean diameter and seed mass of the shelled tea seeds were 15.8 mm, 10.7 mm (large size); 1.47 g, 0.49 g (small size); while the average geometric mean diameter and seed mass of the kernel tea seeds were 11.8 mm, 8 mm for large size; 0.97 g, 0.31 g for small size, respectively. The sphericity, surface area and volume values were found to be higher in a larger size than small size for the shelled and kernel tea samples. The shelled tea seed's colour intensity (Chroma) were found between 59.31 and 64.22 for large size, while the kernel tea seed's chroma values were found between 56.04 68.34 for large size, respectively. The rupture force values of kernel tea seeds were higher than shelled tea seeds for the large size along X axis; whereas, the rupture force values of along X axis were higher than Y axis for large size of shelled tea seeds. The static coefficients of friction of shelled and kernel tea seeds for the large and small sizes higher values for rubber than the other friction surfaces. Some engineering properties, such as geometric mean diameter, sphericity, volume, bulk and true densities, the coefficient of friction, L*, a*, b* colour characteristics and rupture force of shelled and kernel tea ( Camellia sinensis ) seeds will serve to design the equipment used in postharvest treatments.

Outcrop descriptions and fossils from the Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation, Wind River Basin and adjacent areas, Wyoming: Chapter 11 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas resources in the Wind River Basin Province, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merewether, E.A.; Cobban, W.A.

2007-01-01

The index maps used to show locations of outcrop sections and fossil collections are from scanned versions of U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps of various scales and were obtained from TerraServer®. The portion of each map used depended on the areal distribution of the localities involved. The named quadrangles used for locality descriptions, however, all refer to 7½-minute, 1:24,000-scale quadrangles (for example, “Alcova”). The aerial photographs also are from TerraServer®; http://www.terraserver.com/.

The Interface Between Chemical and Oxide Materials in the DSPEC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, Thomas; Alibabaei, Leila; Sherman, Benjamin; Sheridan, Matthew; Ashford, Dennis; Lapides, Alex; Brennaman, Kyle; Nayak, Animesh; Roy, Subhangi

Significant challenges exist for both chemical and oxide materials in the Dye Sensitized Photoelectrosynthesis Cell (DSPEC) for water oxidation or CO2 reduction. They arise from light absorption, the energetics of electron or hole injection, the accumulation of multiple redox equivalents at catalysts for water oxidation or water/CO2 reduction in competition with back electron transfer, and sustained, long term performance. These challenges are being met by the use of a variety of chromophores (metal complexes, organic dyes, porphyrins), broad application of nanoparticle mesoscopic oxide films, atomic layer deposition (ALD) to prepare core/shell and stabilizing overlayer structures, and recent advances in the molecular catalysis of water oxidation and CO2 reduction. UNC EFRC Center for Solar Fuels, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Award Number DE-SC0001011.

Kilotesla Magnetic Field due to a Capacitor-Coil Target Driven by High Power Laser

PubMed Central

Fujioka, Shinsuke; Zhang, Zhe; Ishihara, Kazuhiro; Shigemori, Keisuke; Hironaka, Youichiro; Johzaki, Tomoyuki; Sunahara, Atsushi; Yamamoto, Naoji; Nakashima, Hideki; Watanabe, Tsuguhiro; Shiraga, Hiroyuki; Nishimura, Hiroaki; Azechi, Hiroshi

2013-01-01

Laboratory generation of strong magnetic fields opens new frontiers in plasma and beam physics, astro- and solar-physics, materials science, and atomic and molecular physics. Although kilotesla magnetic fields have already been produced by magnetic flux compression using an imploding metal tube or plasma shell, accessibility at multiple points and better controlled shapes of the field are desirable. Here we have generated kilotesla magnetic fields using a capacitor-coil target, in which two nickel disks are connected by a U-turn coil. A magnetic flux density of 1.5 kT was measured using the Faraday effect 650 μm away from the coil, when the capacitor was driven by two beams from the GEKKO-XII laser (at 1 kJ (total), 1.3 ns, 0.53 or 1 μm, and 5 × 1016 W/cm2). PMID:23378905

Frontiers of Chemistry for Americium and Curium

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Keller, O. L. Jr.

1984-01-01

The discoveries of americium and curium were made only after Seaborg had formulated his actinide concept in order to design the chemistry needed to separate them from irradiated /sup 239/Pu targets. Their discoveries thus furnished the first clear-cut evidence that the series exists and justified Seaborg`s bold assumption that even though Th and Pa appeared to presage a following 6d series, the pattern established by the periodic table after Cs and Ba would be repeated exactly after Fr and Ra. That is to say, a new 5f element rare earth series (the actinides) would follow Ac in the same way the 4f rare earth series (the lanthanides) follows La. The consequences of the resulting half-filled 5f/sup 7/ shell at Cm were originally presented by Seaborg as a test of his hypothesis. Recent research is outlined that substantiates Seaborg`s predictions in new and definitive ways.

Breaking the Link between Environmental Degradation and Oil Palm Expansion: A Method for Enabling Sustainable Oil Palm Expansion

PubMed Central

Smit, Hans Harmen; Meijaard, Erik; van der Laan, Carina; Mantel, Stephan; Budiman, Arif; Verweij, Pita

2013-01-01

Land degradation is a global concern. In tropical areas it primarily concerns the conversion of forest into non-forest lands and the associated losses of environmental services. Defining such degradation is not straightforward hampering effective reduction in degradation and use of already degraded lands for more productive purposes. To facilitate the processes of avoided degradation and land rehabilitation, we have developed a methodology in which we have used international environmental and social sustainability standards to determine the suitability of lands for sustainable agricultural expansion. The method was developed and tested in one of the frontiers of agricultural expansion, West Kalimantan province in Indonesia. The focus was on oil palm expansion, which is considered as a major driver for deforestation in tropical regions globally. The results suggest that substantial changes in current land-use planning are necessary for most new plantations to comply with international sustainability standards. Through visualizing options for sustainable expansion with our methodology, we demonstrate that the link between oil palm expansion and degradation can be broken. Application of the methodology with criteria and thresholds similar to ours could help the Indonesian government and the industry to achieve its pro-growth, pro-job, pro-poor and pro-environment development goals. For sustainable agricultural production, context specific guidance has to be developed in areas suitable for expansion. Our methodology can serve as a template for designing such commodity and country specific tools and deliver such guidance. PMID:24039700

Oil and gas fields in East Coast and Arctic basins of Canada

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

Meneley, R.A.

1984-09-01

The East Coast and Arctic basins of Canada have been under serious hydrocarbon exploration for over 20 years. Although the density of drilling is low, extensive seismic control has outlined a high proportion of the structures in these basins and the stratigraphic framework of the basins is known. From west to east, the basins include the Beaufort basin, the Sverdrup basin of the high Arctic and the adjacent Parry Island foldbelt, the rift basins of Baffin Bay, and the continental-margin basins offshore Labrador, the Grand Banks and the Scotian Shelf. Each of these basins contains oil and gas fields thatmore » typify, to some degree, the pools that may be anticipated in undrilled structures. Surprises, both good and bad, await the explorer. The physical environment of these Canadian basins ranges from severe to almost impossible. As exploration has proceeded, great strides have been made in coping with the physical environment; however, the costs are becoming increasingly onerous, and the appreciation is growing regarding the cost, risk and time that will be involved in developing production from those resources. Even from a national sense of supply security, the vast reserves of oil in the tar sands and in-situ recovery deposits of heavy oil in western Canada will provide a competitive ceiling that will limit future development of frontier basins to those where production costs are not significantly higher than those of the tar sands.« less

Ab initio Bogoliubov coupled cluster theory for open-shell nuclei

DOE PAGES

Signoracci, Angelo J.; Duguet, Thomas; Hagen, Gaute; ...

2015-06-29

Background: Ab initio many-body methods have been developed over the past 10 yr to address closed-shell nuclei up to mass A≈130 on the basis of realistic two- and three-nucleon interactions. A current frontier relates to the extension of those many-body methods to the description of open-shell nuclei. Several routes to address open-shell nuclei are currently under investigation, including ideas that exploit spontaneous symmetry breaking. Purpose: Singly open-shell nuclei can be efficiently described via the sole breaking of U(1) gauge symmetry associated with particle-number conservation as a way to account for their superfluid character. While this route was recently followed withinmore » the framework of self-consistent Green's function theory, the goal of the present work is to formulate a similar extension within the framework of coupled cluster theory. Methods: We formulate and apply Bogoliubov coupled cluster (BCC) theory, which consists of representing the exact ground-state wave function of the system as the exponential of a quasiparticle excitation cluster operator acting on a Bogoliubov reference state. Equations for the ground-state energy and the cluster amplitudes are derived at the singles and doubles level (BCCSD) both algebraically and diagrammatically. The formalism includes three-nucleon forces at the normal-ordered two-body level. The first BCC code is implemented in m scheme, which will permit the treatment of doubly open-shell nuclei via the further breaking of SU(2) symmetry associated with angular momentum conservation. Results: Proof-of-principle calculations in an N max=6 spherical harmonic oscillator basis for 16,18O and 18Ne in the BCCD approximation are in good agreement with standard coupled cluster results with the same chiral two-nucleon interaction, while 20O and 20Mg display underbinding relative to experiment. The breaking of U(1) symmetry, monitored by computing the variance associated with the particle-number operator, is relatively constant for all five nuclei, in both the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov and BCCD approximations. Conclusions: The newly developed many-body formalism increases the potential span of ab initio calculations based on single-reference coupled cluster techniques tremendously, i.e., potentially to reach several hundred additional midmass nuclei. The new formalism offers a wealth of potential applications and further extensions dedicated to the description of ground and excited states of open-shell nuclei. Short-term goals include the implementation of three-nucleon forces at the normal-ordered two-body level. Midterm extensions include the approximate treatment of triples corrections and the development of the equation-of-motion methodology to treat both excited states and odd nuclei. Long-term extensions include exact restoration of U(1) and SU(2) symmetries.« less

Oil and gas developments in South Africa, Central America, Caribbean Area, and Mexico in 1984

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

Tappmeyer, D.M.

1985-10-01

For the 25 countries described in the region, exploration activity continued to be centered in proven petroleum provinces in 1984. Exploration activity increased in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. Important, successful exploration efforts continued in areas around Cano Limon field in Colombia, and Guafita and La Victoria fields in Venezuela. Notable discoveries in South America included the 42-46-1X San Martin Cretaceous discovery by Shell in the Ucayali basin in Peru, the significant oil and gas discovery at Palmar Largo ES-1 by YPF in Argentina, and the first offshore gas discovery, the Pecten 1-SPS-20 wildcat in the Santo basin in Brazil. Oilmore » production increased in Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. A notable increase (40%) in oil production occurred in Brazil. Gas production increased in Argentina, Barbados, Colombia, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago. 8 figures, 8 tables.« less

Oil and gas developments in South America, Central America, Caribbean Area, and Mexico in 1984

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

Tappmeyer, D.M.

1985-10-01

For the 25 countries described in the region, exploration activity continued to be centered in proven petroleum provinces in 1984. Exploration activity increased in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. Important, successful exploration efforts continued in areas around Cano Limon field in Colombia, and Guafita and La Victoria fields in Venezuela. Notable discoveries in South America included the 42-461X San Martin Cretaceous discovery by Shell in the Ucayali basin in Peru, the significant oil and gas discovery at Palmar Largo ES-1 by YPF in Argentina, and the first offshore gas discovery, the Pecten 1-SPS-20 wildcat in the Santo basin in Brazil. Oilmore » production increased in Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. A notable increase (40%) in oil production occurred in Brazil. Gas production increased in Argentina, Barbados, Colombia, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago.« less

New immiscible refrigeration lubricant for HFCs

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

Sunami, Motoshi; Takigawa, Katsuya; Suda, Satoshi

1995-12-31

This study examines the capability of a family of very low-viscosity alkylbenzenes (AB) used in high-side rotary compressors for HFCs. In the development of refrigeration lubricants for HFCs, miscibility is one of the most important problems to be solved. Therefore, PAG (polyalkylene glycols) and POE (polyol esters), which have good miscibility, have been applied in new HFC applications. However, it is difficult for these lubricants to maintain long-term durability in high-side rotary compressors. In friction tests under high HFC pressure, ABs with much lower viscosities than mineral oil maintained a much stronger oil film than the combination of mineral oil/R-12more » or POE/HFCs. These results were also proven by compressor durability tests. From the study of the solubility of ABs and HFCs, it is suggested that the total amount of refrigerant can be reduced because HFCs are barely soluble with ABs inside the high-side shell.« less

Process for the preparation of methane and/or ethane

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

Wagstaff, N.

1981-09-22

According to Shell, methane and ethane can be produced from a C/sub 2/-C/sub 4/ paraffin feed stream (such as the by-product of mineral-oil production) by contacting the stream with certain crystalline silicates at temperatures of 800/sup 0/-1200/sup 0/F and 145 psi pressure. The crystalline silicates must be specially prepared to obtain the required characteristics.

Plugged in: Positive Development Strategies for Disconnected Latino Youth. A Report of the NCLR Escalera Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hageage, Ana

2011-01-01

This report profiles the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Escalera Program: Taking Steps to Success, a Latino-serving, community-based youth workforce development program, which was developed in 2001 in partnership with the PepsiCo Foundation and PepsiCo, Inc. and expanded in 2008 with the support of Shell Oil Company. The Escalera Program:…

Continental Scientific Drilling Program.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-01-01

Institute of Technology ALBERT W. BALLY, Shell Oil Company, Houston HUBERT L. BARNES, Pennsylvania State University ARTHUR L. BOETTCHER, University of...San Marcos arch near Victoria, Texas. Information from a hole would answer fundamental questions about ancient continental margins and would complement...did the uplift begin in this area? Is the crust continental or oceanic? Area 3 (Figure A-7), positioned upon the San Marcos arch to avoid the thick

Covering the optical spectrum through collective rare-earth doping of NaGdF4 nanoparticles: 806 and 980 nm excitation routes.

PubMed

Skripka, A; Marin, R; Benayas, A; Canton, P; Hemmer, E; Vetrone, F

2017-05-17

Today, at the frontier of biomedical research, the need has been clearly established for integrating disease detection and therapeutic function in one single theranostic system. Light-emitting nanoparticles are being intensively investigated to fulfil this demand, by continuously developing nanoparticle systems simultaneously emitting in both the UV/visible (light-triggered release and activation of drugs) and the near-infrared (imaging and tracking) spectral regions. In this work, rare-earth (RE) doped nanoparticles (RENPs) were synthesized via a thermal decomposition process and spectroscopically investigated as potential candidates as all-in-one optical imaging, diagnostic and therapeutic agents. These core/shell/shell nanoparticles (NaGdF 4 :Er 3+ ,Ho 3+ ,Yb 3+ /NaGdF 4 :Nd 3+ ,Yb 3+ /NaGdF 4 ) are optically excited by heating-free 806 nm light that, aside from minimizing the local thermal load, also allows to obtain a deeper sub-tissue penetration with respect to the still widely used 980 nm light. Moreover, these water-dispersed nanoplatforms offer interesting assets as triggers/probes for biomedical applications, by virtue of a plethora of emission bands (spanning the 380-1600 nm range). Our results pave the way to use these RENPs for UV/visible-triggered photodynamic therapy/drug release, while simultaneously tracking the nanoparticle biodistribution and monitoring their therapeutic action through the near-infrared signal that overlaps with biological transparency windows.

Integrated biomass pyrolysis with organic Rankine cycle for power generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nur, T. B.; Syahputra, A. W.

2018-02-01

The growing interest on Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) application to produce electricity by utilizing biomass energy sources are increasingly due to its successfully used to generate power from waste heat available in industrial processes. Biomass pyrolysis is one of the thermochemical technologies for converting biomass into energy and chemical products consisting of liquid bio-oil, solid biochar, and pyrolytic gas. In the application, biomass pyrolysis can be divided into three main categories; slow, fast and flash pyrolysis mainly aiming at maximizing the products of bio-oil or biochar. The temperature of synthesis gas generated during processes can be used for Organic Rankine Cycle to generate power. The heat from synthesis gas during pyrolysis processes was transfer by thermal oil heater to evaporate ORC working fluid in the evaporator unit. In this study, the potential of the palm oil empty fruit bunch, palm oil shell, and tree bark have been used as fuel from biomass to generate electricity by integrated with ORC. The Syltherm-XLT thermal oil was used as the heat carrier from combustion burner, while R245fa was used as the working fluid for ORC system. Through Aspen Plus, this study analyses the influences on performance of main thermodynamic parameters, showing the possibilities of reaching an optimum performance for different working conditions that are characteristics of different design parameters.

Evaluation of PCDD/Fs characterization in animal feed and feed additives.

PubMed

Kim, MeeKyung; Kim, Sooyeon; Yun, Seon Jong; Kwon, Jin-Wook; Son, Seong-Wan

2007-09-01

Safety control of feed and feed additives is necessary to have safe food of animal origin. Based on media reports, nine incidents regarding dioxins and/or PCBs contaminations occurred worldwide during the last decade. Korea is a country which imports feed and feed additives. In this study, various kinds of feed and feed additives were analyzed to monitor the contamination level of dioxins. The level of PCDD/Fs in fish oil was the highest with a concentration of 23.33ngkg(-1), which is equivalent to a toxicological concentration of 4.68ngWHO-TEQ/kg. Feed from animals origin such as chicken meal, animal fat, fish meal, fish oil, and shell powder showed relatively higher concentrations of PCDD/Fs. Feed from plants origin, minerals, and additives ranged from non-detects for bit pulp and ethoxyquin to 8.28ngkg(-1) for dl-methionine. From a toxicological point of view, the highest concentration in vitamins was 0.08ngWHO-TEQ/kg among the feed additives. 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF was the dominant congener in samples of fish oil, fish meal, and shell powder. Animal fat showed that the pattern of PCDD/Fs depends on the sources of contamination. A sample of animal fat showed 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF and the other sample showed 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD as a primary congener. Generally, low levels of PCDDs were detected in feed additives. Patterns of PCDD/Fs in choline chloride were different with that in choline chloride from an incident in Europe in 2000.

Devise of an exhaust gas heat exchanger for a thermal oil heater in a palm oil refinery plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chucherd, Panom; Kittisupakorn, Paisan

2017-08-01

This paper presents the devise of an exhaust gas heat exchanger for waste heat recovery of the exhausted flue gas of palm oil refinery plant. This waste heat can be recovered by installing an economizer to heat the feed water which can save the fuel consumption of the coal fired steam boiler and the outlet temperature of flue gas will be controlled in order to avoid the acid dew point temperature and protect the filter bag. The decrease of energy used leads to the reduction of CO2 emission. Two designed economizer studied in this paper are gas in tube and water in tube. The gas in tube exchanger refers to the shell and tube heat exchanger which the flue gas flows in tube; this designed exchanger is used in the existing unit. The new designed water in tube refers to the shell and tube heat exchanger which the water flows in the tube; this designed exchanger is proposed for new implementation. New economizer has the overall coefficient of heat transfer of 19.03 W/m2.K and the surface heat transfer area of 122 m2 in the optimized case. Experimental results show that it is feasible to install economizer in the exhaust flue gas system between the air preheater and the bag filter, which has slightly disadvantage effect in the system. The system can raise the feed water temperature from 40 to 104°C and flow rate 3.31 m3/h, the outlet temperature of flue gas is maintained about 130 °C.

Nanophotonic sensors for oil sensing (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salemink, Huub W.; Liu, Yazhao

2017-02-01

The proof of concept for a photonic cavity sensor for oil, water and gas detection is reported. The optical design employs an optimized photonic crystal cavity with fluidic infiltration of gas, water or (reservoir) oils. The 3D design and simulation is discussed, followed by the nanofabrication in standard silicon on insulator wafers (SoI). Using an optofluidic cicuit with PDMS channels, the fluid flow to the photonic cavity is controlled with syringe pumps. The variations in dielectric value (refractive index) change with the involved media result in a shift of the cavity resonant wavelength. For fluid change from water to typical oil (refractive index difference of 0.12), we report a wavelenght shift of up to 12 nm at the measurement wavelength of 1550 nm, in very good agreement with the simulations. We follow the optical response at a fixed wavelength, when feeding alternate flows or bubbles of oil/water through the optofluidic chip, and observe the flow pattern on camera. Finally we discuss the outlook and antifouling of the sensor with a special design. This work is supported by Shell Global Solutions. Appl.Phys.Lett., 106, 031116 (2015) J.Lightw.Technol., 33, 3672 (2015)

Properties of fresh and hardened sustainable concrete due to the use of palm oil fuel ash as cement replacement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamada, Hussein M.; Jokhio, Gul Ahmed; Mat Yahaya, Fadzil; Humada, Ali M.

2018-04-01

Palm oil fuel ash (POFA) is a by-product resulting from the combustion of palm oil waste such as palm oil shell and empty fruit bunches to generate electricity in the palm oil mills. Considerable quantities of POFA thus generated, accumulate in the open fields and landfills, which causes atmospheric pollution in the form of generating toxic gases. Firstly, to protect the environment; and secondly, having excellent properties for this purpose; POFA can be and has been used as partial cement replacement in concrete preparation. Therefore, this paper compiles the results obtained from previous studies that address the properties of concrete containing POFA as cement replacement in fresh and hardened states. The results indicate that there is a great potential to using POFA as cement replacement because of its ability to improve compressive strength, reduce hydration heat of cement mortar and positively affect other fresh and hardened concrete properties. The paper recommends that conducting further studies to exploit high volume of POFA along with other additives as cement replacement while maintaining high quality of concrete can help minimize CO2 emissions due to concrete.

The Correlation between Radon Emission Concentration and Subsurface Geological Condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuntoro, Yudi; Setiawan, Herru L.; Wijayanti, Teni; Haerudin, Nandi

2018-03-01

Exploration activities with standard methods have already encountered many obstacles in the field. Geological survey is often difficult to find outcrop because they are covered by vegetation, alluvial layer or as a result of urban development and housing. Seismic method requires a large expense and licensing in the use of dynamite is complicated. Method of gravity requires the operator to go back (looping) to the starting point. Given some of these constraints, therefore it needs a solution in the form of new method that can work more efficiently with less cost. Several studies in various countries have shown a correlation between the presence of hydrocarbons and Radon gas concentration in the earth surface. By utilizing the properties of Radon that can migrate to the surface, the value of Radon concentration in the surface is suggested to provide information about the subsurface structure condition. Radon is the only radioactive substance that gas-phased at atmospheric temperature. It is very abundant in the earth mantle. The vast differences of temperatures and pressures between the mantle and the earth crust cause the convection flow toward earth surface. Radon in gas phase will be carried by convection flow to the surface. The quantity of convection currents depend on the porosity and permeability of rocks where Radon travels within, so that Radon concentration in the earth surface delineates the porosity and permeability of subsurface rock layers. Some measurements were carried out at several locations with various subsurface geological conditions, including proven oil fields, proven geothermal field, and frontier area as a comparison. These measurements show that the average and the background concentration threshold in the proven oil field (11,200 Bq/m3) and proven geothermal field (7,820 Bq/m3) is much higher than the quantity in frontier area (329 and 1,620 Bq/m3). Radon concentration in the earth surface is correlated with the presence of geological faults. Peak concentrations of Radon takes place along the fault.

Egypt/United States cooperative energy assessment. Volume II, Annex 1. Energy resources of Egypt

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

Not Available

1979-04-01

This report contains the findings and recommendations of the US Geological Survey geologists assigned to survey Egypts indigenous energy resources. Data on oil and gas, coal and oil shale, uranium and thorium, geothermal energy, water resources, and energy related minerals are presented. Thirty-nine oil and gas fields have been discovered in Egypt, proven reserves of oil were estimated to be 1,559,000,000 barrels in 1976. The Egyptian government hopes to attain a production rate of 1 million barrels a day in 1982. While the Gulf of Suez basin holds the most immediate prospects, the most promising frontier regions are the unexploredmore » broad expanses of the Western Desert, the Nile Basin and the Northern Sinai while oil shales have been found in Egypt, they are only 10 to 15 feet thick and their hydrocarbon content is low. Recovery would not be economic. Coal deposits contain reserves estimated at 95 to 112 million tons. Only 1 deposit is deemed workable under present conditions of technology and economy. No uranium and thorium are being produced however geological conditions appear favorable for finding uranium deposits using appropriate programs of prospecting, exploration and development. The potential for development of low-level sources of geothermal energy in Egypt is good; there is no evidence of a high-temperature source or a vapor-dominated system. The Nile is the primary source of water. In the western desert, the Nubian aquifer supplies water for irrigation. Energy related minerals are generally found in uneconomic concentrations or not at all. However, deposits of material used in cement making and some iron ore for steel making are available. Deposits of manganese may become available upon return of the Sinai to Egypt. 44 figures, 24 tables. (DMC)« less

Novel Organically Modified Core-Shell Clay for Epoxy Composites-"SOBM Filler 1".

PubMed

Iheaturu, Nnamdi Chibuike; Madufor, Innocent Chimezie

2014-01-01

Preparation of a novel organically modified clay from spent oil base drilling mud (SOBM) that could serve as core-shell clay filler for polymers is herein reported. Due to the hydrophilic nature of clay, its compatibility with polymer matrix was made possible through modification of the surface of the core clay sample with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (3-APTES) compound prior to its use. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to characterize clay surface modification. Electron dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to expose filler chemical composition and morphology, while electrophoresis measurement was used to examine level of filler dispersion. Results show an agglomerated core clay powder after high temperature treatment, while EDX analysis shows that the organically modified clay is composed of chemical inhomogeneities, wherein elemental compositions in weight percent vary from one point to the other in a probe of two points. Micrographs of the 3-APTES coupled SOBM core-shell clay filler clearly show cloudy appearance, while FT-IR indicates 25% and 5% increases in fundamental vibrations band at 1014 cm(-1) and 1435 cm(-1), respectively. Furthermore, 3-APTES coupled core-shell clay was used to prepare epoxy composites and tested for mechanical properties.

Novel Organically Modified Core-Shell Clay for Epoxy Composites—“SOBM Filler 1”

PubMed Central

Iheaturu, Nnamdi Chibuike; Madufor, Innocent Chimezie

2014-01-01

Preparation of a novel organically modified clay from spent oil base drilling mud (SOBM) that could serve as core-shell clay filler for polymers is herein reported. Due to the hydrophilic nature of clay, its compatibility with polymer matrix was made possible through modification of the surface of the core clay sample with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (3-APTES) compound prior to its use. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to characterize clay surface modification. Electron dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to expose filler chemical composition and morphology, while electrophoresis measurement was used to examine level of filler dispersion. Results show an agglomerated core clay powder after high temperature treatment, while EDX analysis shows that the organically modified clay is composed of chemical inhomogeneities, wherein elemental compositions in weight percent vary from one point to the other in a probe of two points. Micrographs of the 3-APTES coupled SOBM core-shell clay filler clearly show cloudy appearance, while FT-IR indicates 25% and 5% increases in fundamental vibrations band at 1014 cm−1 and 1435 cm−1, respectively. Furthermore, 3-APTES coupled core-shell clay was used to prepare epoxy composites and tested for mechanical properties. PMID:27355022

High Energy Physics

Science.gov Websites

Collider Physics Cosmic Frontier Cosmic Frontier Theory & Computing Detector R&D Electronic Design Theory Seminar Argonne >High Energy Physics Cosmic Frontier Theory & Computing Homepage General Cosmic Frontier Theory & Computing Group led the analysis to begin mapping dark matter. There have

Monodisperse Magneto-Fluorescent Bifunctional Nanoprobes for Bioapplications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hongwang; Huang, Heng; Pralle, Arnd; Zeng, Hao

2013-03-01

We present the work on the synthesis of dye-doped monodisperse Fe/SiO2 core/shell nanoparticles as bifunctional probes for bioapplications. Magnetic nanoparticles (NP) have been widely studied as nano-probes for bio-imaging, sensing as well as for cancer therapy. Among all the NPs, Fe NPs have been the focus because they have very high magnetization. However, Fe NPs are usually not stable in ambient due to the fast surface oxidation of the NPs. On the other hand, dye molecules have long been used as probes for bio-imaging. But they are sensitive to environmental conditions. It requires passivation for both so that they can be stable for applications. In this work, monodisperse Fe NPs with sizes ranging from 13-20 nm have been synthesized through the chemical thermal-decomposition in a solution. Silica shells were then coated on the Fe NPs by a two-phase oil-in-water method. Dye molecules were first bonded to a silica precursor and then encapsulated into the silica shell during the coating process. The silica shells protect both the Fe NPs and dye molecules, which makes them as robust probes. The dye doped Fe/SiO2 core/shell NPs remain both highly magnetic and highly fluorescent. The stable dye doped Fe/SiO2NPs have been used as a dual functional probe for both magnetic heating and local nanoscale temperature sending, and their performance will be reported. Research supported by NSF DMR 0547036, DMR1104994.

c-Fos induction in mesotelencephalic dopamine pathway projection targets and dorsal striatum following oral intake of sugars and fats in rats.

PubMed

Dela Cruz, J A D; Coke, T; Karagiorgis, T; Sampson, C; Icaza-Cukali, D; Kest, K; Ranaldi, R; Bodnar, R J

2015-02-01

Overconsumption of nutrients high in fats and sugars can lead to obesity. Previous studies indicate that sugar or fat consumption activate individual brain sites using Fos-like immunoreactivity (FLI). Sugars and fats also elicit conditioned flavor preferences (CFP) that are differentially mediated by flavor-flavor (orosensory: f/f) and flavor-nutrient (post-ingestive: f/n) processes. Dopamine (DA) signaling in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the amygdala (AMY) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc), has been implicated in acquisition and expression of fat- and sugar-CFP. The present study examined the effects of acute consumption of fat (corn oil: f/f and f/n), glucose (f/f and f/n), fructose, (f/f only), saccharin, xanthan gum or water upon simultaneous FLI activation of DA mesotelencephalic nuclei (ventral tegmental area (VTA)) and projections (infralimbic and prelimbic mPFC, basolateral and central-cortico-medial AMY, core and shell of NAc as well as the dorsal striatum). Consumption of corn oil solutions, isocaloric to glucose and fructose, significantly increased FLI in all sites except for the NAc shell. Glucose intake significantly increased FLI in both AMY areas, dorsal striatum and NAc core, but not in either mPFC area, VTA or Nac shell. Correspondingly, fructose intake significantly increased FLI in the both AMY areas, the infralimbic mPFC and dorsal striatum, but not the prelimbic mPFC, VTA or either NAc area. Saccharin and xanthan gum intake failed to activate FLI relative to water. When significant FLI activation occurred, highly positive relationships were observed among sites, supporting the idea of activation of a distributed brain network mediating sugar and fat intake. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nutritional potential, chemical profile and antioxidant activity of Chichá (Sterculia striata) nuts and its by-products.

PubMed

de Britto Policarpi, Priscila; Turcatto, Leticia; Demoliner, Fernanda; Ferrari, Roseli Aparecida; Bascuñan, Vera Lúcia Azzolin Frescura; Ramos, Juliano Carvalho; Jachmanián, Iván; Vitali, Luciano; Micke, Gustavo Amadeu; Block, Jane Mara

2018-04-01

The Sterculia striata nut commonly known as chichá is consumed raw or toasted inBrazil but information on its chemical composition and antioxidant activity are scarce in the literature. In this work, the nutritional composition, minerals profile, lipid composition and phenolic compounds profile of chichá nuts and its by-products (pellicle and shell) were determined. The results showed that the nuts and the cake contain considerable amount of fibers and proteins and are rich in minerals (Fe, Mn and Cu). Oleic acid was the main fatty acid (37.8%), and PPO (36.0%) and POP (15.6%) were the main triacylglycerides present in the chichá oil. The phytosterols β-sitosterol, stigmasteroland campesterol (1848.5μgg -1 , 542.2μgg -1 and 186.3μgg -1 , respectively), and the γ-, δ-, α- and β-tocopherol (8.85; 2.10; 1.64, and 0.11mg100g -1 , respectively) were identified in the oil. The antioxidant activity (ABTS and FRAP assays) followed the order pellicle>shell>nuts (13.25 and 84.65; 8.71 and 64.3; 5.85 and 36.79μmolTEACg -1 , respectively). The main phenolic compounds identified in the extracts were ellagic and ferulic acids; ellagic and protocatechuic acids; and protocatechuic, ellagic and methoxyphenylacetic acids for the nuts, shells and pellicle, respectively. A strong positive correlation was observed between total phenolic content and antioxidant activity determined by ABTS and FRAP assays (r=0.9067, p<0.01; and r=0.9584, p<0.01; respectively). Collectively, the results showed that the chichá is a nut of high nutritional value, rich in bioactive compounds. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy and globalization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birjandi, Hossein Saremi

Before the Industrial Revolution, nations required no energy fuel. People relied on human, animal, and wind and waterpower for energy need. Energy (oil) has resettled populations, elected officials in the free world, or changed the governments of the energy rich countries by force. Energy fueled wars, played the major factor in the might of those who have it or more importantly the abilities to acquire it by force. This dissertation researches the primacy of oil as an energy source from the time of oil's discovery to the present times. Between 1945 and 1960, the use of oil and gas doubled as power was generated for industries as steel, cement, metalworking and more important of all filling station hoses into automobiles gas tanks, thus energy swept people and societies quite literally off their feet. One in every six jobs in the industrial world hired by the giant automotive industries. The big five American oil companies spurred on by special tax benefit, these companies grew to gigantic sizes by taking out the best part of the nation's oil. Then, for greater growth, they leaped overseas and built up an immensely profitable system, in alliance with Anglo-Dutch Shell and British Petroleum, known as seven sisters. On the other side of the world, the energy producing nations form an alliance mainly to protect themselves from downward price fluctuations of oil. The struggle for survival in the global energy market forced those countries to get together and form OPEC, which is referred as an "oil cartel".

Stimuli-responsive polyaniline coated silica microspheres and their electrorheology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Dae Eun; Choi, Hyoung Jin; Vu, Cuong Manh

2016-05-01

Silica/polyaniline (PANI) core-shell structured microspheres were synthesized by coating the surface of silica micro-beads with PANI and applied as a candidate inorganic/polymer composite electrorheological (ER) material. The silica micro-beads were initially modified using N-[(3-trimethoxysilyl)-propyl] aniline to activate an aniline functional group on the silica surface for a better PANI coating. The morphology of the PANI coating on the silica surface was examined by scanning electron microscopy and the silica/PANI core-shell structure was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The chemical structure of the particles was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Rotational rheometry was performed to confirm the difference in the ER properties between pure silica and silica/PANI microsphere-based ER fluids when dispersed in silicone oil.

The trans-Alaska pipeline controversy: Technology, conservation, and the frontier

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

Coates, P.A.

1991-01-01

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline was the object of perhaps the most passionately fought conservation battle in the U.S. Although numerous authors documented the pipeline construction during its construction, there is, surprisingly, no previous scholarly treatment of this event written by an historian. Coates is an environmental historian who views the most interesting aspect of the controversy to be [open quote]its relationship to earlier engineering projects and technological innovations in Alaska and the debates that accompanied them.[close quotes] Thus, he describes how the conservationist and environmental ideas arose during numerous earlier major Alaskan projects and controversies, including the Alaska Highway (1938-41), Canolmore » Pipeline (1943-45), exploration of Naval Petroleum Reserve Number Four (Pet 4, 1944-1953), DEWline (1953-57), oil development in the Kenai National Moose Range (1957-58), statehood (1958), the creation of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge (1960), Project Chariot (1958-63), and Rampart Dam (1959-67). The history starts with the acquisition of Alaska in 1867 and finishes about the time of the Valdez oil spill in 1989.« less

Advances in carbonate exploration and reservoir analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garland, J.; Neilson, J.; Laubach, S.E.; Whidden, Katherine J.

2012-01-01

The development of innovative techniques and concepts, and the emergence of new plays in carbonate rocks are creating a resurgence of oil and gas discoveries worldwide. The maturity of a basin and the application of exploration concepts have a fundamental influence on exploration strategies. Exploration success often occurs in underexplored basins by applying existing established geological concepts. This approach is commonly undertaken when new basins ‘open up’ owing to previous political upheavals. The strategy of using new techniques in a proven mature area is particularly appropriate when dealing with unconventional resources (heavy oil, bitumen, stranded gas), while the application of new play concepts (such as lacustrine carbonates) to new areas (i.e. ultra-deep South Atlantic basins) epitomizes frontier exploration. Many low-matrix-porosity hydrocarbon reservoirs are productive because permeability is controlled by fractures and faults. Understanding basic fracture properties is critical in reducing geological risk and therefore reducing well costs and increasing well recovery. The advent of resource plays in carbonate rocks, and the long-standing recognition of naturally fractured carbonate reservoirs means that new fracture and fault analysis and prediction techniques and concepts are essential.

Oil Palm Waste-Based Precursors as a Renewable and Economical Carbon Sources for the Preparation of Reduced Graphene Oxide from Graphene Oxide

PubMed Central

Nasir, Salisu; Hussein, Mohd Zobir; Yusof, Nor Azah; Zainal, Zulkarnain

2017-01-01

Herein, a new approach was proposed to produce reduced graphene oxide (rGO) from graphene oxide (GO) using various oil palm wastes: oil palm leaves (OPL), palm kernel shells (PKS) and empty fruit bunches (EFB). The effect of heating temperature on the formation of graphitic carbon and the yield was examined prior to the GO and rGO synthesis. Carbonization of the starting materials was conducted in a furnace under nitrogen gas for 3 h at temperatures ranging from 400 to 900 °C and a constant heating rate of 10 °C/min. The GO was further synthesized from the as-carbonized materials using the ‘improved synthesis of graphene oxide’ method. Subsequently, the GO was reduced by low-temperature annealing reduction at 300 °C in a furnace under nitrogen gas for 1 h. The IG/ID ratio calculated from the Raman study increases with the increasing of the degree of the graphitization in the order of rGO from oil palm leaves (rGOOPL) < rGO palm kernel shells (rGOPKS) < rGO commercial graphite (rGOCG) < rGO empty fruit bunches (rGOEFB) with the IG/ID values of 1.06, 1.14, 1.16 and 1.20, respectively. The surface area and pore volume analyses of the as-prepared materials were performed using the Brunauer Emmett Teller-Nitrogen (BET-N2) adsorption-desorption isotherms method. The lower BET surface area of 8 and 15 m2 g−1 observed for rGOCG and rGOOPL, respectively could be due to partial restacking of GO layers and locally-blocked pores. Relatively, this lower BET surface area is inconsequential when compared to rGOPKS and rGOEFB, which have a surface area of 114 and 117 m2 g−1, respectively. PMID:28703757

Fitting of full Cobb-Douglas and full VRTS cost frontiers by solving goal programming problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venkateswarlu, B.; Mahaboob, B.; Subbarami Reddy, C.; Madhusudhana Rao, B.

2017-11-01

The present research article first defines two popular production functions viz, Cobb-Douglas and VRTS production frontiers and their dual cost functions and then derives their cost limited maximal outputs. This paper tells us that the cost limited maximal output is cost efficient. Here the one side goal programming problem is proposed by which the full Cobb-Douglas cost frontier, full VRTS frontier can be fitted. This paper includes the framing of goal programming by which stochastic cost frontier and stochastic VRTS frontiers are fitted. Hasan et al. [1] used a parameter approach Stochastic Frontier Approach (SFA) to examine the technical efficiency of the Malaysian domestic banks listed in the Kuala Lumpur stock Exchange (KLSE) market over the period 2005-2010. AshkanHassani [2] exposed Cobb-Douglas Production Functions application in construction schedule crashing and project risk analysis related to the duration of construction projects. Nan Jiang [3] applied Stochastic Frontier analysis to a panel of New Zealand dairy forms in 1998/99-2006/2007.

Non-empirical Prediction of the Photophysical and Magnetic Properties of Systems with Open d- and f-Shells Based on Combined Ligand Field and Density Functional Theory (LFDFT).

PubMed

Daul, Claude

2014-09-01

Despite the important growth of ab initio and computational techniques, ligand field theory in molecular science or crystal field theory in condensed matter offers the most intuitive way to calculate multiplet energy levels arising from systems with open shells d and/or f electrons. Over the past decade we have developed a ligand field treatment of inorganic molecular modelling taking advantage of the dominant localization of the frontier orbitals within the metal-sphere. This feature, which is observed in any inorganic coordination compound, especially if treated by Density Functional Theory calculation, allows the determination of the electronic structure and properties with a surprising good accuracy. In ligand field theory, the theoretical concepts consider only a single atom center; and treat its interaction with the chemical environment essentially as a perturbation. Therefore success in the simple ligand field theory is no longer questionable, while the more accurate molecular orbital theory does in general over-estimate the metal-ligand covalence, thus yields wave functions that are too delocalized. Although LF theory has always been popular as a semi-empirical method when dealing with molecules of high symmetry e.g. cubic symmetry where the number of parameters needed is reasonably small (3 or 5), this is no more the case for molecules without symmetry and involving both an open d- and f-shell (# parameters ∼90). However, the combination of LF theory and Density Functional (DF) theory that we introduced twenty years ago can easily deal with complex molecules of any symmetry with two and more open shells. The accuracy of these predictions from 1(st) principles achieves quite a high accuracy (<5%) in terms of states energies. Hence, this approach is well suited to predict the magnetic and photo-physical properties arbitrary molecules and materials prior to their synthesis, which is the ultimate goal of each computational chemist. We will illustrate the performance of LFDFT for the design of phosphors that produces light similar to our sun and predict the magnetic anisotropy energy of single ion magnets.

Oil shale powders and their interactions with ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and oxytetracycline antibiotics.

PubMed

Gouza, Asmae; Saoiabi, Sanaa; El Karbane, Miloud; Masse, Sylvie; Laurent, Guillaume; Rami, Ahmed; Saoiabi, Ahmed; Laghzizil, Abdelaziz; Coradin, Thibaud

2017-11-01

The interaction of oil shale, as a widespread sedimentary rock, with common antibiotics ofloxacine, oxytetracycline, and ciprofloxacine was studied. The selected Moroccan deposit and its thermally treated forms were fully characterized from a chemical and structural point of view, indicating the prevalence of quartz as a mineral component together with aluminum- and iron-rich phase that are converted into Al-doped iron oxide phases upon heating. The presence of 4 wt% organics was also detected, which was removed at 550 °C without significant loss of specific surface area. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir equation were found the most adequate to reproduce the kinetics and isothermal sorption experiments. These analyses enlighten the contribution of the organic matter on antibiotic retention as well as the key role of hydrophobic interactions on the molecule-mineral surface interactions. Our results emphasize the possible contribution of raw oil shale in the accumulation of antibiotics in soils and suggest that thermally treated oil shell powders can constitute cheap mineral sorbents for environmental cleaning.

A novel ionic amphiphilic chitosan derivative as a stabilizer of nanoemulsions: Improvement of antimicrobial activity of Cymbopogon citratus essential oil.

PubMed

Bonferoni, Maria Cristina; Sandri, Giuseppina; Rossi, Silvia; Usai, Donatella; Liakos, Ioannis; Garzoni, Alice; Fiamma, Maura; Zanetti, Stefania; Athanassiou, Athanassia; Caramella, Carla; Ferrari, Franca

2017-04-01

Amphiphilic chitosans have been recently proposed to improve delivery of poorly soluble drugs. In the present paper a derivative obtained by ionic interaction between chitosan and oleic acid was for the first time studied to physically stabilize o/w nanoemulsions of an antimicrobial essential oil, Cymbopogon citratus (Lemongrass), in a low energy and mild conditions emulsification process. The novel combination of spontaneous emulsification process with chitosan oleate amphiphilic properties resulted in a stable dispersion of a few hundred nanometer droplets. Positive zeta potential confirmed the presence of a chitosan shell around the oil droplets, which is responsible for the nanoemulsion physical stabilization and for the maintenance of chitosan bioactive properties, such as mucoadhesion. Cytotoxicity test was performed on four different cell lines (HEp-2, Caco-2, WKD and McCoy cells) showing biocompatibility of the system. The maintenance and in some cases even a clear improvement in the essential oil antimicrobial activity towards nine bacterial and ten fungal strains, all of clinical relevance was verified for Lemongrass nanoemulsion. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Preparation of liquid-core nanocapsules from poly[(ethylene oxide)-co-glycidol] with multiple hydrophobic linoleates at an oil-water interface and its encapsulation of pyrene.

PubMed

Ren, Yong; Wang, Guowei; Huang, Junlian

2007-06-01

A convenient approach is provided to prepare liquid-core nanocapsules by cross-linking an amphiphilic copolymer at an oil-water interface. The hydrophilic copolymer poly[(ethylene oxide)-co-glycidol] was prepared by anionic polymerization of ethylene oxide and ethoxyethyl glycidyl ether first, then the hydroxyl groups on the backbone were recovered after hydrolysis and partly modified by hydrophobic conjugated linoleic acid. The copolymer with multiple linoleate pendants was absorbed at an oil-water interface and then cross-linked to form stable nanocapsules. The mean diameter of the nanocapsule was below 350 nm, and the size distribution was relatively narrow (<0.2) at low concentrations of oil in acetone (<10 mg/mL). The particle size could be tuned easily by variation of the emulsification conditions. The nanocapsule was stable in water for at least 5 months, and the shell maintained its integrity after removal of the oily core by solvent. Pyrene was encapsulated in these nanocapsules, and a loading efficiency as high as 94% was measured by UV spectroscopy.

Intermediate pyrolysis of agro-industrial biomasses in bench-scale pyrolyser: Product yields and its characterization.

PubMed

Tinwala, Farha; Mohanty, Pravakar; Parmar, Snehal; Patel, Anant; Pant, Kamal K

2015-01-01

Pyrolysis of woody biomass, agro-residues and seed was carried out at 500 ± 10 °C in a fixed bed pyrolyser. Bio-oil yield was found varying from 20.5% to 47.5%, whereas the biochar and pyrolysis gas ranged from 27.5% to 40% and 24.5% to 40.5%, respectively. Pyrolysis gas was measured for flame temperature along with CO, CO2, H2, CH4 and other gases composition. HHV of biochar (29.4 MJ/kg) and pyrolitic gas (8.6 MJ/kg) of woody biomass was higher analogous to sub-bituminous coal and steam gasification based producer gas respectively, whereas HHV of bio-oil obtained from seed (25.6 MJ/kg) was significantly more than husks, shells and straws. TGA-DTG studies showed the husks as potential source for the pyrolysis. Bio-oils as a major by-product of intermediate pyrolysis have several applications like substitute of furnace oil, extraction of fine chemicals, whereas biochar as a soil amendment for enhancing soil fertility and gases for thermal application. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Value addition of wild apricot fruits grown in North-West Himalayan regions-a review.

PubMed

Sharma, Rakesh; Gupta, Anil; Abrol, G S; Joshi, V K

2014-11-01

Wild apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) commonly known as chulli is a potential fruit widely distributed in North-West Himalayan regions of the world. The fruits are good source of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals besides having attractive colour and typical flavour. Unlike table purpose varieties of apricots like New Castle, the fruits of wild apricot are unsuitable for fresh consumption because of its high acid and low sugar content. However, the fruits are traditionally utilized for open sun drying, pulping to prepare different products such as jams, chutney and naturally fermented and distilled liquor. But, scientific literature on processing and value addition of wild apricot is scanty. Preparation of jam with 25 % wild apricot +75 % apple showed maximum score for organoleptic characteristics due to better taste and colour. Osmotic dehydration has been found as a suitable method for drying of wild type acidic apricots. A good quality sauce using wild apricot pulp and tomato pulp in the ratio of 1:1 has been prepared, while chutney of good acceptability prepared from wild apricot pulp (100 %) has also been documented. Preparation of apricot-soy protein enriched products like apricot-soya leather, toffee and fruit bars has been reported, which are reported to meet the protein requirements of adult and children as per the recommendations of ICMR. Besides these processed products, preparation of alcoholic beverages like wine, vermouth and brandy from wild apricot fruits has also been reported by various researchers. Further, after utilization of pulp for preparation of value added products, the stones left over have been successfully utilized for oil extraction which has medicinal and cosmetic value. The traditional method of oil extraction has been reported to be unhygienic and result in low oil yield with poor quality, whereas improved mechanical method of oil extraction has been found to produce good quality oil. The apricot kernel oil and press cake have successfully been utilized for preparation of various value added products such as facial cream, lip balm, essential oil and protein isolate with good quality attributes and consumer acceptability. However, no scientific information on utilization of shells remained after kernel separation is available, but the shells are traditionally utilized for burning purpose during winters by the farmers. Therefore, it seems that every part of wild apricot can be utilized for conversion into value-added products and commercial utilization of this fruit will certainly add value to this underutilized fruit and also increase the economy of farmers.

A modular success story the Saudi petrochemical project

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

Kirven, J.B.; Swenson, C.R.

1986-01-01

The Saudi Petrochemical Company is referred to within this paper as ''Sadaf''. Sadaf is the phonetic spelling of the Arabic word for seashell and is a joint venture of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and Pecten Arabian Ltd., an affiliate of Shell Oil Comapny, U.S.A. SABIC is a joint stock corporation responsible for the development of basic industries in the Kingdom in the petrochemicals, metals and fertilizers field.

Literature Review. Aquatic Resources Investigation, Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Phase I

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-08-26

COMPOSITION , AND PAST MANAGEMENT RESOURCES 2. ASSESS THE CONTAMINATION HISTORY OF THOSE RESOURCES 3. PROVIDE A BASIS FOR DESIGNING MORE DETAILED PHASE II...terms of habitat, species composition , and past management practices, (2) assess the contamination history of those resources, and (3) provide a basis for...governmental documents from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Army Corps of Engineers; Shell Oil Company documents; and

Removal of Heavy Metal Ions with Acid Activated Carbons Derived from Oil Palm and Coconut Shells

PubMed Central

Rahman, Mokhlesur M.; Adil, Mohd; Yusof, Alias M.; Kamaruzzaman, Yunus B.; Ansary, Rezaul H.

2014-01-01

In this work, batch adsorption experiments were carried out to investigate the suitability of prepared acid activated carbons in removing heavy metal ions such as nickel(II), lead(II) and chromium(VI). Acid activated carbons were obtained from oil palm and coconut shells using phosphoric acid under similar activation process while the differences lie either in impregnation condition or in both pretreatment and impregnation conditions. Prepared activated carbons were modified by dispersing hydrated iron oxide. The adsorption equilibrium data for nickel(II) and lead(II) were obtained from adsorption by the prepared and commercial activated carbons. Langmuir and Freundlich models fit the data well. Prepared activated carbons showed higher adsorption capacity for nickel(II) and lead(II). The removal of chromium(VI) was studied by the prepared acid activated, modified and commercial activated carbons at different pH. The isotherms studies reveal that the prepared activated carbon performs better in low concentration region while the commercial ones in the high concentration region. Thus, a complete adsorption is expected in low concentration by the prepared activated carbon. The kinetics data for Ni(II), Pb(II) and Cr(VI) by the best selected activated carbon fitted very well to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. PMID:28788640

An Experimental Study of Briquetting Process of Torrefied Rubber Seed Kernel and Palm Oil Shell.

PubMed

Hamid, M Fadzli; Idroas, M Yusof; Ishak, M Zulfikar; Zainal Alauddin, Z Alimuddin; Miskam, M Azman; Abdullah, M Khalil

2016-01-01

Torrefaction process of biomass material is essential in converting them into biofuel with improved calorific value and physical strength. However, the production of torrefied biomass is loose, powdery, and nonuniform. One method of upgrading this material to improve their handling and combustion properties is by densification into briquettes of higher density than the original bulk density of the material. The effects of critical parameters of briquetting process that includes the type of biomass material used for torrefaction and briquetting, densification temperature, and composition of binder for torrefied biomass are studied and characterized. Starch is used as a binder in the study. The results showed that the briquette of torrefied rubber seed kernel (RSK) is better than torrefied palm oil shell (POS) in both calorific value and compressive strength. The best quality of briquettes is yielded from torrefied RSK at the ambient temperature of briquetting process with the composition of 60% water and 5% binder. The maximum compressive load for the briquettes of torrefied RSK is 141 N and the calorific value is 16 MJ/kg. Based on the economic evaluation analysis, the return of investment (ROI) for the mass production of both RSK and POS briquettes is estimated in 2-year period and the annual profit after payback was approximately 107,428.6 USD.

Preliminary Investigation of Acoustical Properties of Concrete Containing Oil Palm Shell as an Aggregate Replacement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanariah, J.; Zaiton, H.; Musli Nizam, Y.; Khairulzan, Y.; Dianah, M.; Nadirah, D.; Hanifi, O. Mohd

2018-03-01

Research has been so far focused extensively on mechanical properties of oil palm shell (OPS) concrete but less on sound properties. Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate whether concrete containing OPS can be applied in the field of road noise barrier. The acoustic properties of the samples were determined by using an impedance tube connected to a sound source. The noise reduction coefficient (NRC) and weighted sound absorption coefficient (αw) which is more commonly use in the road traffic noise barrier field were calculated according to BS EN ISO 11654:1997. Compressive strengths of samples were also determined by using compressive test. The results presented that the compressive strength of the OPS composites decreased as increased in w/c wit minimum of 20.44 N/mm2 at 28 days for w/c = 0.6 but still satisfactory for structural use. The sound absorption coefficient demonstrated that they were decreased as the w/c are higher with typical curve of two peaks at 315Hz and 1000Hz. All samples were then can be classified as class E as 0.5< αw < 0.25 and should be classified as L due to favourable deviation higher than 0.25 for 250 Hz.

Low-temperature co-pyrolysis behaviours and kinetics of oily sludge: effect of agricultural biomass.

PubMed

Zhou, Xiehong; Jia, Hanzhong; Qu, Chengtun; Fan, Daidi; Wang, Chuanyi

2017-02-01

Pyrolysis is potentially an effective treatment of oily sludge for oil recovery, and its kinetics and efficiency are expected to be affected by additives. In the present study, the pyrolysis parameters, including heating rate, final pyrolysis temperature, and pyrolysis time of oily sludge in the presence of agricultural biomass, apricot shell, were systematically explored. As a result, maximum oil recovery is achieved when optimizing the pyrolysis conditionas15 K/min, 723 K, and 3 h for heating rate, final pyrolysis temperature, and pyrolysis time, respectively. Thermogravimetric experiments of oily sludge samples in the presence of various biomasses conducted with non-isothermal temperature programmes suggest that the pyrolysis process contains three stages, and the main decomposition reaction occurs in the range of 400-740 K. Taking Flynn-Wall-Ozawa analysis of the derivative thermogravimetry and thermogravimetry results, the activation energy (E a ) values for the pyrolysis of oily sludge in the presence and absence of apricot shell were derived to be 35.21 and 39.40 kJ mol -1 , respectively. The present work supports that the presence of biomass promotes the pyrolysis of oily sludge, implying its great potential as addictive in the industrial pyrolysis of oily sludge.

Fine tuning of process parameters for improving briquette production from palm kernel shell gasification waste.

PubMed

Bazargan, Alireza; Rough, Sarah L; McKay, Gordon

2018-04-01

Palm kernel shell biochars (PKSB) ejected as residues from a gasifier have been used for solid fuel briquette production. With this approach, palm kernel shells can be used for energy production twice: first, by producing rich syngas during gasification; second, by compacting the leftover residues from gasification into high calorific value briquettes. Herein, the process parameters for the manufacture of PKSB biomass briquettes via compaction are optimized. Two possible optimum process scenarios are considered. In the first, the compaction speed is increased from 0.5 to 10 mm/s, the compaction pressure is decreased from 80 Pa to 40 MPa, the retention time is reduced from 10 s to zero, and the starch binder content of the briquette is halved from 0.1 to 0.05 kg/kg. With these adjustments, the briquette production rate increases by more than 20-fold; hence capital and operational costs can be reduced and the service life of compaction equipment can be increased. The resulting product satisfactorily passes tensile (compressive) crushing strength and impact resistance tests. The second scenario involves reducing the starch weight content to 0.03 kg/kg, while reducing the compaction pressure to a value no lower than 60 MPa. Overall, in both cases, the PKSB biomass briquettes show excellent potential as a solid fuel with calorific values on par with good-quality coal. CHNS: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur; FFB: fresh fruit bunch(es); HHV: higher heating value [J/kg]; LHV: lower heating value [J/kg]; PKS: palm kernel shell(s); PKSB: palm kernel shell biochar(s); POME: palm oil mill effluent; RDF: refuse-derived fuel; TGA: thermogravimetric analysis.

Renewable Decyl-alcohol Templated Synthesis of Si-Cu Core-Shell Nanocomposite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salim, M. A.; >H Misran, S. Z.; Shah, N. N. H.; Razak, N. A. A.; >A Manap,

2013-06-01

Monodispersed silica spheres with particles size of ca. 450 nm were successfully synthesized using a modified Stöber method. The synthesized monodispersed silica spheres were successfully coated with copper using modified sol-gel method employing nonsurfactant surface modifiers and catalyst. A renewable palm oil based decyl-alcohol (C10) as nonsurfactant surface modifiers and catalyst were used to modify the silica surfaces prior to coating with copper. The X-ray diffraction patterns of Si-Cu core-shell exhibited a broad peak corresponding to amorphous silica networks and monoclinic CuO phase. It was found that samples modified in the presence of 1 ml catalyst exhibited homogeneous deposition. The surface area of core materials (SiO2) was at ca. 7.04 m2/g and Si-Cu core-shell was at ca. 8.21 m2/g. The band gap of samples prepared with and without catalyst was calculated to be ca. 2.45 eV and ca. 3.90 eV respectively based on the UV-vis absorption spectrum of the product.

Preparation and characterizaton of CaO nanoparticle for biodiesel production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Jharna; Agarwal, Madhu

2016-04-01

Nanoparticle of CaO from calcium Nitrate (CaO/CaN) and Snail shell (CaO/SS) are successfully synthesized by method as described in the literature and used as an active and stable catalyst for the biodiesel production. These catalysts are characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The average crystalline size in nanometer was also calculated by Debye-Scherrer equation. The performance of the CaO/CaN and CaO/SS were tested for their catalytic activity via transesterification process and it was found that biodiesel yield has been increased from 93 to 96%. The optimum conditions for the highest yield were 8wt% catalyst loading, 65°C temperature, 12:1 methanol/oil molar ratio, and 6 h for reaction time. The nano catalyst from snail shell exhibits excellent catalytic activity and stability for the transesterification reaction, which suggested that this catalyst would be potentially used as a solid base nano catalyst for biodiesel production. In order to examine the reusability of catalyst developed from snail shell, five transesterification reaction cycles were also performed.

Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of Jatropha curcas shells: utilization of co-products from the biodiesel production process.

PubMed

Visser, Evan Michael; Oliveira Filho, Delly; Tótola, Marcos Rogério; Martins, Marcio Arêdes; Guimarães, Valéria Monteze

2012-06-01

Jatropha curcas has great potential as an oil crop for use in biodiesel applications, and the outer shell is rich in lignocellulose that may be converted to ethanol, giving rise to the concept of a biorefinery. In this study, two dilute pretreatments of 0.5% H(2)SO(4) and 1.0% NaOH were performed on Jatropha shells with subsequent simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of the pretreated water-insoluble solids (WIS) to evaluate the effect of inhibitors in the pretreatment slurry. A cellulase loading of 15 FPU/g WIS, complimented with an excess of cellobiase (19.25 U/g), was used for SSF of either the washed WIS or the original slurry to determine the effect of inhibitors. Ethanol and glucose were monitored during SSF of 20 g of pretreated biomass. The unwashed slurry showed to have a positive effect on SSF efficiency for the NaOH-pretreated biomass. Maximum efficiencies of glucan conversion to ethanol in the WIS were 40.43% and 41.03% for the H(2)SO(4)- and NaOH-pretreated biomasses, respectively.

Geothermal heating facilities for Frontier Inn, Susanville, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1982-03-01

A 38 unit motel composed of six major sections (coffee shop, A frame units, apartments, back units, two story units and office) was built over a number of years and exhibits widely varying types of construction. Space heating is provided by primarily electric resistance equipment with some propane use. Domestic hot water is provided primarily by propane with some electric resistance. The coffee shop uses fuel oil for both space and domestic hot water heating. A geothermal district heating system is being installed. Although the motel site is not located in the area of construction activity, it is expected that the pipeline will be extended. The potential of retrofitting the existing heating facilities at the inn to geothermal is studied.

Seasonal variations of arsenic in mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klarić, Sanja; Pavičić-Hamer, Dijana; Lucu, Čedomil

2004-10-01

Total arsenic concentration in the edible part of mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis was evaluated seasonally in the coastal area of Rijeka Bay (North Adriatic Sea, Croatia). Sampling stations were located close to the City of Bakar with no industrial facilities (site 1), in the vicinity of the oil refinery and oil thermoelectric power plant (Urinj, site 2), and 4 miles away from the Plomin coal thermoelectric power plant (Brseč village, site 3). Additionally, the concentration of arsenic in the tail muscle of the lobster Nephrops norvegicus, collected in Rijeka Bay, was studied. During winter at sites 2 and 3, the total arsenic in the edible part of the mussels was 16.4 mg As/kg FW (FW=fresh weight) and 4.38 mg As/kg FW, respectively, and increased during springtime at site 2 (6.5 mg As/kg FW) compared to the rest of the year, when individual total arsenic concentration at all sites ranged from 1.7 to 3.7 mg As/kg FW. In the winter (sites 2 and 3) and springtime (site 2) there was no correlation between the length of the mussel shell and the arsenic concentration in the edible part of the mussels. In the other seasons, at sites 1, 2 and 3, there was a correlation between arsenic in the edible part of mussels and shell length in most cases (correlation coefficients r varied from 0.64 to 0.85; P <0.05 to P <0.01). Correlation between shell length (in the narrow range of shell lengths from 3.4 to 5.0 cm) and arsenic in the edible part of the mussels shows linearity with a high regression coefficient (r =0.914; P <0.001). The increase of arsenic in the mussels during winter and spring was suggested at least partially as a result of a low nutritional status, i.e. reduced weight of the mussels' edible part during winter. In addition, a linear relationship was found between body length and arsenic concentration in the tail muscle (mean 17.11±4.48 mg As/kg FW) of the Norway lobster.

Physical and chemical characteristics of cenospheres from the combustion of heavy fuel oil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clayton, R. M.; Back, L. H.

1989-01-01

Photomicrography of particle cross sections, measurements of density, porosity, and surface area, and determinations of chemical compositions, have been used in conjunction with SEM of surface structure to characterize cenospheres generated by combustion of residual oil in a steam power plant. Large and small cenospheres, which respectively fall into the 100-200 and small 20-40 micron range, are spheroidal and hollow, with at least one blowhole; outer/inner diameter ratios for the shells are of the order of 1.3-1.4. Typically, a cenosphere contains only about 18 vol pct solid material. The presence of S, Fe, Na, and V in substantial concentrations presage high temperature heat exchanger surface corrosion problems due to cenosphere deposition.

Frontier Homes. Save Our History[TM]. Teacher's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

A&E Network, New York, NY.

This lesson plan, based on the Arts and Entertainment documentary "Frontier Homes," consists of four segments which examine a style of historic dwelling built by settlers on the frontier: the post and beam structures built by English settlers in New England; the log houses constructed by pioneers on the forested frontier; sod houses…

Tracking responses to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill using trace elements in molluscan shells and tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roopnarine, P. D.; Anderson, L.; Roopnarine, D.; Gillikin, D. P.; Goodwin, D.

2010-12-01

Documenting the effects of modern stressors on coastal benthic marine communities requires a combination of baseline historical data and modern dynamic data. E.g., landfall of hydrocarbons from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon rig and well explosion in the Gulf of Mexico is impacting coastal areas long affected by natural seepage, as well as petroleum exploration and development. In Louisiana, exploration in coastal areas that began in the 1920s expanded greatly with the development of the first mobile drilling barge in 1933. In total nearly 50,000 wells have been drilled in the Gulf of Mexico since the 1930s. Given this historical context, we are assessing pathways and rates at which crude oil components from the 2010 spill are incorporated into northern Gulf of Mexico coastal food webs. Sclerochronological techniques are being used to unlock the high-resolution physical and chemical records preserved within mollusc shells. We are analyzing historical specimens collected from the late 19th through late 20th centuries, baseline specimens collected in May 2010 in Louisiana and Alabama before visible hydrocarbons were present, and specimens collected in August 2010 after hydrocarbons made landfall. We are examining changes in life history traits (growth rate, recruitment, mortality, reproduction) of the commercial oyster Crassostrea virginica, and other common, co-occurring molluscs that are primary and secondary consumers in Gulf of Mexico coastal food webs. The taxa include the marsh-dwelling gastropod Littoraria irrorata and mussel Geukensia demissa, and open-water species including the bivalves Ischadium recurvum and Tellina alternata. These consumers range from epifaunal, sessile, filter feeders; to infaunal, mobile, deposit feeders; to epifaunal, mobile, omnivorous grazers. In this way, multiple potential pathways into coastal food webs are being monitored. Because environmental perturbations of many scales are recorded by the accretionary growth of mollusc shells, we can monitor the sub-monthly incorporation of hydrocarbon components into shells, such as trace metals (e.g., V, Ni, Cu and Cr), while simultaneously measuring changes in shell growth rate. We will also measure concentrations of metals in soft tissues from specimens collected since May 2010. Trace metal concentrations will be determined using ICPMS. Annual and sub-annual growth rates will be calculated from δ13C and δ18O profiles derived from ontogentic sampling of the molluscs' shells. The comparisons between historic, baseline and post-landfall specimens will allow us to assess the changing conditions of these species and their food webs as drilling expanded in the Gulf during the 20th century, and therefore distinguish the immediate impact of the Deepwater Horizon spill from these background factors. In this way, we will also trace secondary impacts (not related to fouling by direct contact) of hydrocarbons through trophic levels of the coastal ecosystem.

Retaining biodiversity in intensive farmland: epiphyte removal in oil palm plantations does not affect yield.

PubMed

Prescott, Graham W; Edwards, David P; Foster, William A

2015-05-01

The expansion of agriculture into tropical forest frontiers is one of the primary drivers of the global extinction crisis, resulting in calls to intensify tropical agriculture to reduce demand for more forest land and thus spare land for nature. Intensification is likely to reduce habitat complexity, with profound consequences for biodiversity within agricultural landscapes. Understanding which features of habitat complexity are essential for maintaining biodiversity and associated ecosystem services within agricultural landscapes without compromising productivity is therefore key to limiting the environmental damage associated with producing food intensively. Here, we focus on oil palm, a rapidly expanding crop in the tropics and subject to frequent calls for increased intensification. One promoted strategy is to remove epiphytes that cover the trunks of oil palms, and we ask whether this treatment affects either biodiversity or yield. We experimentally tested this by removing epiphytes from four-hectare plots and seeing if the biodiversity and production of fruit bunches 2 months and 16 months later differed from equivalent control plots where epiphytes were left uncut. We found a species-rich and taxonomically diverse epiphyte community of 58 species from 31 families. Epiphyte removal did not affect the production of fresh fruit bunches, or the species richness and community composition of birds and ants, although the impact on other components of biodiversity remains unknown. We conclude that as they do not adversely affect palm oil production, the diverse epiphyte flora should be left uncut. Our results underscore the importance of experimentally determining the effects of habitat complexity on yield before introducing intensive methods with no discernible benefits.

Brunei Darussalam.

PubMed

1985-04-01

Brunei's population characteristics, geographical features, history, form of government, and political and economic situation were briefly described. Brunei is a small country on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo. Estimated population size is 214,000 (1983), and the annual population growth rate is 0.35% (1971-81). Ethnically, the population is 65% Malay, 20% Chinese, and 15% other. The major religion is Islam, and a variety of languages are spoken, including Malay, English, Chinese, and Iban. Education is compulsory through the primary grades, and the literacy rate among the young is 95%. Between the 1500s and the 1800s, the country was a Buddhist kingdom, then a Hindu kingdom, and finally an Islamic kingdom. In 1847 the Sultan of Brunei entered into a trade agreement with Great Britain, and in 1888 the country was placed under British rule. In 1929 the discovery of oil lead to the economic development of the country. During World War II, the country was occupied by the Japanese. In 1984, after resisting pressure to unite with Sarawak and Malaysia, Brunei was granted independence. At that time it adopted the official name of Brunei Darussalam. The country remains a hereditary sultanate, and the current sultan is Sir Muda Hassanal Bolkaih Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah. The sultan has supreme executive authority and is assisted in administering the country by a 6-person cabinet which includes 3 members of the royal family. 46% of the work force is employed by the government, and government workers are provided with an extensive array of economic benefits, ranging from free medical care to low interest loans. The economy is based primarily on the production of oil and gas, which is produced by Brunei Shell, a consortium owned jointly by the government and Shell Oil. Brunei Shell is the country's 2nd largest employer next to the government, accounts for 72% of the gross domestic product (GDP), and is the primary source of government revenue. Oil accounts for 99% of the country's total exports. Imports consist primarily of manufactured items, machinery, transport, food, and chemicals. The country imports 80% of its food supply. Agricultural production is low because of a shortage of labor and the poor quality of the country's soils. In 1984 the GDP was US$4.0 billion, and per capita income was US$20,000. Development plans for 1985-90 stress economic diversification. Currently 35% of the labor force is made up of foreign workers, and most of these workers are employed by the oil industry. Foreign workers are granted only 1-year work permits. Foreign investment is encouraged but carefully controlled by the government. Brunei is a member of the UN, the Association of South East Asian Nations, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and the Commonwealth. Brunei seeks to maintain friendly relations with its Asian neighbors and has diplomatic relations with the US.

Synthesis and Characterization of Graphene Oxide-Polystyrene Composite Capsules with Aqueous Cargo via a Water-Oil-Water Multiple Emulsion Templating Route.

PubMed

Ali, Muthana; McCoy, Thomas M; McKinnon, Ian R; Majumder, Mainak; Tabor, Rico F

2017-05-31

Graphene oxide/polystyrene (GO/PS) nanocomposite capsules containing a two-compartment cargo have been successfully fabricated using a Pickering emulsion strategy. Highly purified GO sheets with typically micrometer-scale lateral dimensions and amphiphilic characteristics were prepared from the oxidation reaction of graphite with concomitant exfoliation of the graphite structure. These GO sheets were employed as a stabilizer for oil-in-water emulsions where the oil phase comprised toluene or olive oil. The stability and morphology of the emulsions were extensively studied as a function of different parameters including GO concentration, aqueous phase pH, ultrasonication time, effects of added electrolytes and stability to dilution. In selected conditions, the olive oil emulsions showed spontaneous formation of multiple w/o/w emulsions with high stability, whereas toluene formed simple o/w emulsions of lower overall stability. Olive oil emulsions were therefore used to prepare capsules templated from emulsion droplets by surrounding the oil phase with a GO/PS shell. The GO sheets, emulsions and composite capsules were characterized using a variety of physical and spectroscopic techniques in order to unravel the interactions responsible for capsule formation. The ability of the capsules to control the release of a model active agent in the form of a hydrophilic dye was explored, and release kinetics were monitored using UV-visible spectroscopy to obtain rate parameters. The composite capsules showed promising sustained release properties, with release rates 11× lower than the precursor GO-stabilized multiple emulsion droplets.

Single and combined effects of peppermint and thyme essential oils on productive performance, egg quality traits, and blood parameters of laying hens reared under cold stress condition (6.8 ± 3 °C)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akbari, Mohsen; Torki, Mehran; Kaviani, Keyomars

2016-03-01

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of adding peppermint essential oil (PEO), thyme essential oil (TEO), or their combination to diet on productive performance, egg quality traits, and blood parameters of laying hens reared under cold stress condition (6.8 ± 3 °C). Feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), egg weight (EW), egg production (EP), and egg mass (EM) were evaluated during the 56-day trial period using 120 Lohmann LSL-lite laying hens. Significant interactions between PEO and TEO on FCR, EP, and EM were observed ( P < 0.05). The EP and EM increased, whereas FCR decreased ( P < 0.05) in the hens fed the diets supplemented by the combined form of PEO and TEO compared to those fed the basal diet. Also, increased EW and FI were observed in the laying hens fed the diet added by PEO compared to the birds fed the basal diet. There were significant interactions between PEO and TEO on the serum level of cholesterol, shell thickness, and Hough unit of egg ( P < 0.05), so that serum content of cholesterol decreased, but egg shell thickness and Hough unit increased in the hens fed the diet supplemented by the combined form of PEO and TEO compared to those fed the basal diet. From the results of the present experiment, it can be concluded that diet supplementation by combined form of PEO and TEO could have beneficial effects on performance parameters of hens reared under cold stress condition.

Embryotoxic effects of benzo[a]pyrene, chrysene and 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]-anthracene in petroleum hydrocarbon mixtures in mallard ducks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoffman, D.J.; Gay, M.L.

1981-01-01

Studies with different avian species have revealed that surface applications of microliter amounts of some crude and fuel oils that coat less than 70% of the egg surface result in considerable reduction in hatching with teratogenicity and stunted growth. Other stUdies have shown that the embryo toxicity is dependent on the aromatic hydrocarbon content, further suggesting that the toxicity is due to causes other than asphyxia. In the present study the effects of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons identified in petroleum were examined on mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) embryo development. Addition of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), chrysene, or 7,7 2-dimethylbenz[ a]anthracene (DMBA) to a synthetic petroleum hydrocarbon mixture of known composition and relatively low embryotoxicity resulted in embryo toxicity that was enhanced or equal to that of crude oil when 10 :I was applied externally to eggs at 72 h of development. The order of ability to enhance embryo toxicity was DMBA > BaP > chrysene. The temporal pattern of embryonic death was similar to that reported after exposure to crude oil, with additional mortality occurring after outgrowth of the chorioallantois. Retarded growth, as reflected by embryonic body weight, crown-rump length, and bill length, was accompanied by teratogenicity. Abnormal embryos exhibited extreme stunting; eye, brain, and bill defects; and incomplete ossification. Gas chromatographic-mass spectral analysis of externally treated eggs showed the passage of aromatic hydrocarbons including chrysene through the shell and shell membranes to the developing embryos. These findings suggest that the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in petroleum, including BaP, chrysene, and DMBA, significantly enhances the overall embryotoxicity in avian species.

Preparation of thermally stable microcapsules with a chitosan-silica hybrid.

PubMed

Kang, Hong-Yi; Chen, Hui-Huang

2014-09-01

Addition of microcapsules with a high dielectric constant and low specific heat capacity to a battered layer was designed to create a higher temperature in the crust than in the prefried fish nuggets to prevent the water vapor in the fish nuggets from migrating to the crust during microwave heating. Therefore, chitosan-silica hybrids and soybean oil were utilized to prepare the shell and core of the thermally stable microcapsules (MC(CS)), respectively. The MC(CS) were prepared by sol-gel coacervation from an oil-in-water emulsion. The sodium silicate was hydrolyzed and coacervated through polymerization for 24 h at pH 5. The zeta potential analysis indicated that chitosan with a positive charge and silica with a negative charge interacted through electrostatic attraction to form a hybrid shell. The volume mean particle size and encapsulation efficiency of the MC(CS) were 9.6 ± 0.2 μm and 75.6% ± 1.3%, respectively, when oil/chitosan = 0.2 and chitosan/silica = 0.5 (w/w). In addition to H-bonding and electrostatic attraction, Si-O-N bonds were formed between chitosan and silica. Dehydration of the bound water in the MC(CS) was observed in the range of 25 to 250 °C in the differential scanning calorimetry thermal analysis, with the lack of apparent thermal peaks indicating its high thermal stability. The decrease of force to cut the crust observed by texture analysis as well as the increase of hedonic score by consumer acceptance test revealed the addition of 1% MC(CS) significantly improved the crispness of the crust in the microwave-reheated nuggets. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

Is your electric process heater safe?

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

Tiras, C.S.

2000-04-01

Over the past 35 years, electric process heaters (EPHs) have been used to heat flowing fluids in different sectors of the energy industry: oil and gas exploration and production, refineries, petrochemical plants, pipeline compression facilities and power-generation plants. EPHs offer several advantages over fired heaters and shell-and-tube exchangers, which have been around for many years, including: smaller size, lighter weight, cleaner operation, lower capital costs, lower maintenance costs, no emissions or leakage, better control and improved safety. However, while many industrial standards have addressed safety concerns of fired heaters and shell-and-tube exchangers (API, TEMA, NFPA, OSHA and NEC), no standardsmore » address EPHs. The paper presents a list of questions that plant operators need to ask about the safety of their electric process heaters. The answers are also given.« less

Synthesis and Characterization of Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials with Poly(urea-urethane) Shells Containing Cellulose Nanocrystals.

PubMed

Yoo, Youngman; Martinez, Carlos; Youngblood, Jeffrey P

2017-09-20

The main objective of this study is to develop microencapsulation technology for thermal energy storage incorporating a phase change material (PCM) in a composite wall shell, which can be used to create a stable environment and allow the PCM to undergo phase change without any outside influence. Surface modification of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) was conducted by grafting poly(lactic acid) oligomers and oleic acid to improve the dispersion of nanoparticles in a polymeric shell. A microencapsulated phase change material (methyl laurate) with poly(urea-urethane) (PU) composite shells containing the hydrophobized cellulose nanocrystals (hCNCs) was fabricated using an in situ emulsion interfacial polymerization process. The encapsulation process of the PCMs with subsequent interfacial hCNC-PU to form composite microcapsules as well as their morphology, composition, thermal properties, and release rates was examined in this study. Oil soluble Sudan II dye solution in methyl laurate was used as a model hydrophobic fill, representing other latent fills with low partition coefficients, and their encapsulation efficiency as well as dye release rates were measured spectroscopically in a water medium. The influence of polyol content in the PU polymer matrix of microcapsules was investigated. An increase in polyol contents leads to an increase in the mean size of microcapsules but a decrease in the gel content (degree of cross-linking density) and permeability of their shell structure. The encapsulated PCMs for thermal energy storage demonstrated here exhibited promising performance for possible use in building or paving materials in terms of released heat, desired phase transformation temperature, chemical and physical stability, and concrete durability during placement.

Thermal properties of biopolyol from oil palm fruit fibre (OPFF) using solvolysis liquefaction technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kormin, Shaharuddin; Rus, Anika Zafiah M.; Azahari, M. Shafiq M.

2017-09-01

Liquefaction is known to be an effective method for converting biomass into a biopolyol. The biomass liquefaction of oil palm fruit waste (PFW) in the presence of liquefaction solvent/polyhydric alcohol (PA): polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400) using sulfuric acid as catalyst was studied. For all experiments, the liquefaction was conducted at 150°C and atmospheric pressure. The mass ratio of OPFW to liquefaction solvents used in all the experiments was, 1/3. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) were used to analyze their biopolyol and residue behaviors. It was found that thermal stability of oil palm mesocarp fibre (PM), oil palm shell (PS) and oil palm kernel (PK) fibre exhibited the first degradation of hard segment at (232, 104, 230°C) and the second degradation of soft segment at (314, 226, 412°C) as compared to PM, PS and PK residue which (229, 102, 227°C) of hard segment and (310, 219, 299°C) of segment, respectively. This behavior of thermal degradation of the hard segment and soft segment of biopolyol was changes after undergo solvolysis liquefaction process. The result analysis showed that the resulting biopolyol and its residue was suitable monomer for polyurethane (PU) synthesis for the production of PU foams.

The Center for Frontiers of Subsurface Energy Security (A "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" contest entry from the 2011 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum)

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

Pope, Gary A.

"The Center for Frontiers of Subsurface Energy Security (CFSES)" was submitted to the "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" video contest at the 2011 Science for Our Nation's Energy Future: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum. Twenty-six EFRCs created short videos to highlight their mission and their work. CFSES is directed by Gary A. Pope at the University of Texas at Austin and partners with Sandia National Laboratories. The Office of Basic Energy Sciences in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science established the 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) in 2009. These collaboratively-organized centers conductmore » fundamental research focused on 'grand challenges' and use-inspired 'basic research needs' recently identified in major strategic planning efforts by the scientific community. The overall purpose is to accelerate scientific progress toward meeting the nation's critical energy challenges.« less

The Center for Frontiers of Subsurface Energy Security (A "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" contest entry from the 2011 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum)

ScienceCinema

Pope, Gary A. (Director, Center for Frontiers of Subsurface Energy Security); CFSES Staff

2017-12-09

'The Center for Frontiers of Subsurface Energy Security (CFSES)' was submitted to the 'Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research' video contest at the 2011 Science for Our Nation's Energy Future: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum. Twenty-six EFRCs created short videos to highlight their mission and their work. CFSES is directed by Gary A. Pope at the University of Texas at Austin and partners with Sandia National Laboratories. The Office of Basic Energy Sciences in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science established the 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) in 2009. These collaboratively-organized centers conduct fundamental research focused on 'grand challenges' and use-inspired 'basic research needs' recently identified in major strategic planning efforts by the scientific community. The overall purpose is to accelerate scientific progress toward meeting the nation's critical energy challenges.

Energy Frontier Research Center Materials Science of Actinides (A "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" contest entry from the 2011 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum)

ScienceCinema

Burns, Peter (Director, Materials Science of Actinides); MSA Staff

2017-12-09

'Energy Frontier Research Center Materials Science of Actinides' was submitted by the EFRC for Materials Science of Actinides (MSA) to the 'Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research' video contest at the 2011 Science for Our Nation's Energy Future: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum. Twenty-six EFRCs created short videos to highlight their mission and their work. MSA is directed by Peter Burns at the University of Notre Dame, and is a partnership of scientists from ten institutions.The Office of Basic Energy Sciences in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science established the 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) in 2009. These collaboratively-organized centers conduct fundamental research focused on 'grand challenges' and use-inspired 'basic research needs' recently identified in major strategic planning efforts by the scientific community. The overall purpose is to accelerate scientific progress toward meeting the nation's critical energy challenges.

General route for the assembly of functional inorganic capsules.

PubMed

Akartuna, Ilke; Tervoort, Elena; Studart, André R; Gauckler, Ludwig J

2009-11-03

Semipermeable, hollow capsules are attractive materials for the encapsulation and delivery of active agents in food processing, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries, and biomedicine. These capsules can be produced by forming a solid shell of close packed colloidal particles, typically polymeric particles, at the surface of emulsion droplets. However, current methods to prepare such capsules may involve multistep chemical procedures to tailor the surface chemistry of particles or are limited to particles that exhibit inherently the right hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance to adsorb around emulsion droplets. In this work, we describe a general and simple method to fabricate semipermeable, inorganic capsules from emulsion droplets stabilized by a wide variety of colloidal metal oxide particles. The assembly of particles at the oil-water interface is induced by the in situ hydrophobization of the particle surface through the adsorption of short amphiphilic molecules. The adsorption of particles at the interface leads to stable capsules comprising a single layer of particles in the outer shell. Such capsules can be used in the wet state or can be further processed into dry capsules. The permeability of the capsules can be modified by filling the interstices between the shell particles with polymeric or inorganic species. Functional capsules with biocompatible, bioresorbable, heat-resistant, chemical-resistant, and magnetic properties were prepared using alumina, silica, iron oxide, or tricalcium phosphate as particles in the shell.

Size-controlled synthesis of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and their surface coating by gold for biomedical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maleki, H.; Simchi, A.; Imani, M.; Costa, B. F. O.

2012-11-01

The size mono-dispersity, saturation magnetization, and surface chemistry of magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) are recognized as critical factors for efficient biomedical applications. Here, we performed modified water-in-oil inverse nano-emulsion procedure for preparation of stable colloidal superparamagnetic iron oxide NPs (SPIONs) with high saturation magnetization. To achieve mono-dispersed SPIONs, optimization process was probed on several important factors including molar ratio of iron salts [Fe3+ and Fe2+], the concentration of ammonium hydroxide as reducing agent, and molar ratio of water to surfactant. The biocompatibility of the obtained NPs, at various concentrations, was evaluated via MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and the results showed that the NPs were non-toxic at concentrations <0.1 mg/mL. Surface functionalization was performed by conformal coating of the NPs with a thin shell of gold (˜4 nm) through chemical reduction of attached gold salts at the surface of the SPIONs. The Fe3O4 core/Au shell particles demonstrate strong plasmon resonance absorption and can be separated from solution using an external magnetic field. Experimental data from both physical and chemical determinations of the changes in particle size, surface plasmon resonance optical band, phase components, core-shell surface composition, and magnetic properties have confirmed the formation of the mono-dispersed core-shell nanostructure.

Oil Fires in Libya

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-01-28

The oil refinery fires in Libya that were started by attacks on oil terminals in Libya in very early January continue. The stream of black smoke that emanates from the refinery has grown tremendously as the fires caused by the initial shelling have spread to giant storage tanks. These fires are reported to be raging in Sidra, on the coast between Sirte and Benghazi. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS’s thermal bands, are outlined in red. The initial image of the fires taken on January 07, 2016 can be found here for comparison: www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2016/terra-captures-im... NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Combustion characteristics of Malaysian oil palm biomass, sub-bituminous coal and their respective blends via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).

PubMed

Idris, Siti Shawalliah; Rahman, Norazah Abd; Ismail, Khudzir

2012-11-01

The combustion characteristics of Malaysia oil palm biomass (palm kernel shell (PKS), palm mesocarp fibre (PMF) and empty fruit bunches (EFB)), sub-bituminous coal (Mukah Balingian) and coal/biomass blends via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were investigated. Six weight ratios of coal/biomass blends were prepared and oxidised under dynamic conditions from temperature 25 to 1100°C at four heating rates. The thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that the EFB and PKS evolved additional peak besides drying, devolatilisation and char oxidation steps during combustion. Ignition and burn out temperatures of blends were improved in comparison to coal. No interactions were observed between the coal and biomass during combustion. The apparent activation energy during this process was evaluated using iso-conversional model free kinetics which resulted in highest activation energy during combustion of PKS followed by PMF, EFB and MB coal. Blending oil palm biomass with coal reduces the apparent activation energy value. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oil palm biomass-based adsorbents for the removal of water pollutants--a review.

PubMed

Ahmad, Tanweer; Rafatullah, Mohd; Ghazali, Arniza; Sulaiman, Othman; Hashim, Rokiah

2011-07-01

This article presents a review on the role of oil palm biomass (trunks, fronds, leaves, empty fruit bunches, shells, etc.) as adsorbents in the removal of water pollutants such as acid and basic dyes, heavy metals, phenolic compounds, various gaseous pollutants, and so on. Numerous studies on adsorption properties of various low-cost adsorbents, such as agricultural wastes and its based activated carbons, have been reported in recent years. Studies have shown that oil palm-based adsorbent, among the low-cost adsorbents mentioned, is the most promising adsorbent for removing water pollutants. Further, these bioadsorbents can be chemically modified for better efficiency and can undergo multiple reuses to enhance their applicability at an industrial scale. It is evident from a literature survey of more than 100 recent papers that low-cost adsorbents have demonstrated outstanding removal capabilities for various pollutants. The conclusion is been drawn from the reviewed literature, and suggestions for future research are proposed.

Valve gape behaviour of mussels (Mytilus edulis) exposed to dispersed crude oil as an environmental monitoring endpoint.

PubMed

Redmond, Kirsten J; Berry, Mark; Pampanin, Daniela M; Andersen, Odd Ketil

2017-04-15

Environmental monitoring requires cost-effective and efficient methods for detecting potential effects of pollution, and valve gape behaviour has been used with this purpose for a range of contaminants in freshwater and marine bivalves. The current study investigated the use of a new method for measuring valve behaviour responses in mussels (Mytilus edulis) exposed to dispersed crude oil (DCO). Results confirmed that valve gape is a sensitive parameter; at the high DCO concentration (0.25mgL -1 ) the mean valve gape was reduced from 49 to 31%, and mussels increased shell movement (measured as distance travelled) or spent more time closed to avoid contact with the oil. At the low DCO concentration (0.015mgL -1 ) the distance travelled parameter was the most sensitive endpoint. Results also demonstrated that valve gape behaviour is a valid endpoint when monitoring mussels for exposure to DCO. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Unifying physical concepts of reality

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

Gilbert, T.L.

1983-08-01

Physics may be characterized as the science of matter and energy. It anchors the two ends of the frontiers of science: the frontier of the very small and the frontier of the very large. All of the phenomena that we observe and study at the frontiers of science - all external experiences - are manifestations of matter and energy. One may, therefore, use physics to exemplify both the diversity and unity of science. This theme will be developed in two separate examples: first by sketching, very briefly, the historical origins of frontiers of the very small and very large andmore » the converging unity of these two frontiers; and then by describing certain unifying concepts that play a central role in physics and provide a framework for relating developments in different sciences.« less

Solvent-Free Synthesis of Uniform MOF Shell-Derived Carbon Confined SnO2 /Co Nanocubes for Highly Reversible Lithium Storage.

PubMed

He, Qiu; Liu, Jinshuai; Li, Zhaohuai; Li, Qi; Xu, Lin; Zhang, Baoxuan; Meng, Jiashen; Wu, Yuzhu; Mai, Liqiang

2017-10-01

Tin dioxide (SnO 2 ) has attracted much attention in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its abundant source, low cost, and high theoretical capacity. However, the large volume variation, irreversible conversion reaction limit its further practical application in next-generation LIBs. Here, a novel solvent-free approach to construct uniform metal-organic framework (MOF) shell-derived carbon confined SnO 2 /Co (SnO 2 /Co@C) nanocubes via a two-step heat treatment is developed. In particular, MOF-coated CoSnO 3 hollow nanocubes are for the first time synthesized as the intermediate product by an extremely simple thermal solid-phase reaction, which is further developed as a general strategy to successfully obtain other uniform MOF-coated metal oxides. The as-synthesized SnO 2 /Co@C nanocubes, when tested as LIB anodes, exhibit a highly reversible discharge capacity of 800 mAh g -1 after 100 cycles at 200 mA g -1 and excellent cycling stability with a retained capacity of 400 mAh g -1 after 1800 cycles at 5 A g -1 . The experimental analyses demonstrate that these excellent performances are mainly ascribed to the delicate structure and a synergistic effect between Co and SnO 2 . This facile synthetic approach will greatly contribute to the development of functional metal oxide-based and MOF-assisted nanostructures in many frontier applications. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Applications of GARCH models to energy commodities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humphreys, H. Brett

This thesis uses GARCH methods to examine different aspects of the energy markets. The first part of the thesis examines seasonality in the variance. This study modifies the standard univariate GARCH models to test for seasonal components in both the constant and the persistence in natural gas, heating oil and soybeans. These commodities exhibit seasonal price movements and, therefore, may exhibit seasonal variances. In addition, the heating oil model is tested for a structural change in variance during the Gulf War. The results indicate the presence of an annual seasonal component in the persistence for all commodities. Out-of-sample volatility forecasting for natural gas outperforms standard forecasts. The second part of this thesis uses a multivariate GARCH model to examine volatility spillovers within the crude oil forward curve and between the London and New York crude oil futures markets. Using these results the effect of spillovers on dynamic hedging is examined. In addition, this research examines cointegration within the oil markets using investable returns rather than fixed prices. The results indicate the presence of strong volatility spillovers between both markets, weak spillovers from the front of the forward curve to the rest of the curve, and cointegration between the long term oil price on the two markets. The spillover dynamic hedge models lead to a marginal benefit in terms of variance reduction, but a substantial decrease in the variability of the dynamic hedge; thereby decreasing the transactions costs associated with the hedge. The final portion of the thesis uses portfolio theory to demonstrate how the energy mix consumed in the United States could be chosen given a national goal to reduce the risks to the domestic macroeconomy of unanticipated energy price shocks. An efficient portfolio frontier of U.S. energy consumption is constructed using a covariance matrix estimated with GARCH models. The results indicate that while the electric utility industry is operating close to the minimum variance position, a shift towards coal consumption would reduce price volatility for overall U.S. energy consumption. With the inclusion of potential externality costs, the shift remains away from oil but towards natural gas instead of coal.

Deep-sea benthic community and environmental impact assessment at the Atlantic Frontier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gage, John D.

2001-05-01

The seabed community provides a sensitive litmus for environmental change. North Sea analysis of benthic populations provides an effective means for monitoring impacts from man's interventions, such as offshore oil exploitation and fishing, against baseline knowledge of the environment. Comparable knowledge of the benthic biology in the deep waters of the Atlantic Frontier beyond the N.E. Atlantic shelf edge is poorly developed. But uncertainties should not encourage assumptions and extrapolations from the better-known conditions on the continental shelf. While sampling at present still provides the best means to assess the health of the deepwater benthic habitat, protocols developed for deep-sea fauna should be applied. These are necessary because of (a) lower faunal densities, (b) higher species richness, (c) smaller body size, and (d) to ensure comparability with other deep-sea data. As in the North Sea, species richness and relative abundance can be analysed from quantitative samples in order to detect impacts. But analysis based on taxonomic sufficiency above species level is premature, even if arguably possible for coastal communities. Measures also need to ensure identifications are not forced to more familiar coastal species without proper study. Species-level analysis may be applied to seabed photographs of megafauna in relation to data on bottom environment, such as currents and the sediment, to monitor the health of the deep-water community. Although the composition of higher taxa in the benthic community is broadly similar to soft sediments on the shelf, concordance in sensitivities is speculative. Moreover, new organisms occur, such as giant protozoan xenophyophores, unknown on the continental shelf, whose sensitivities remain conjectural. Past knowledge of the benthic biology of the deep-water areas off Scotland is based on scattered stations and some more focussed, multidisciplinary studies, and should be significantly augmented by the results from the oil industry-funded Atlantic Margin Environmental Study cruises in 1996 and 1998. A predominantly depth-related pattern in variability applies here as found elsewhere in the deep ocean, and just sufficient knowledge-based predictive power exists to make comprehensive, high-resolution grid surveys unnecessary for the purpose of broad-scale environmental assessment. But new, small-scale site surveys remain necessary because of local-scale variability. Site survey should be undertaken in the context of existing knowledge of the deep sea in the UK area of the Atlantic Frontier and beyond, and can itself usefully be structured as tests of a projection from the regional scale to reduce sampling effort. It is to the benefit of all stakeholders that environmental assessment aspires to the highest scientific standards and contributes meaningfully to context knowledge. By doing so it will reduce uncertainties in future impact assessments and hence contribute usefully to environmental risk management.

Effect of O/W process parameters on Crataegus azarolus L nanocapsule properties.

PubMed

Esmaeili, Akbar; Rahnamoun, Soraya; Sharifnia, Fariba

2013-05-29

Nanocapsules have many applications in the drug, cosmetic, fragrance, and food industries. In this study, Crataegus azarolus L. nanocapsules were prepared by a modified emulsion diffusion technique. In this technique a shell was first made from the polyester triblock copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(butylene adipate)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-PBA-PEG) and then olive oil was set as the core of the nanocapsule by a method known as the polymer deposition solvent evaporation method. Varying amounts of C. azarolus extract, polymer, and olive oil were mixed in acetone and then added to water on a shaker. Finally, the acetone was removed by vacuuming. The size of the prepared nanocapsules were measured with a particle size analysis report (PSAR) and identified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Our experiments showed that the size of the nanocapsules depends on the preparation conditions, i.e., the ratio of polymer to oil and concentrations of polymer and plant extract. A ratio of 1:0.25 polymer to oil was shown to be more suitable for the formation of smaller nanocapsules of C. azarolus.

Effect of O/W process parameters on Crataegus azarolus L nanocapsule properties

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Nanocapsules have many applications in the drug, cosmetic, fragrance, and food industries. In this study, Crataegus azarolus L. nanocapsules were prepared by a modified emulsion diffusion technique. Methods In this technique a shell was first made from the polyester triblock copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(butylene adipate)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-PBA-PEG) and then olive oil was set as the core of the nanocapsule by a method known as the polymer deposition solvent evaporation method. Varying amounts of C. azarolus extract, polymer, and olive oil were mixed in acetone and then added to water on a shaker. Finally, the acetone was removed by vacuuming. Results The size of the prepared nanocapsules were measured with a particle size analysis report (PSAR) and identified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Conclusions Our experiments showed that the size of the nanocapsules depends on the preparation conditions, i.e., the ratio of polymer to oil and concentrations of polymer and plant extract. A ratio of 1:0.25 polymer to oil was shown to be more suitable for the formation of smaller nanocapsules of C. azarolus. PMID:23718829

Genomic Selection in Commercial Perennial Crops: Applicability and Improvement in Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.).

PubMed

Kwong, Qi Bin; Ong, Ai Ling; Teh, Chee Keng; Chew, Fook Tim; Tammi, Martti; Mayes, Sean; Kulaveerasingam, Harikrishna; Yeoh, Suat Hui; Harikrishna, Jennifer Ann; Appleton, David Ross

2017-06-06

Genomic selection (GS) uses genome-wide markers to select individuals with the desired overall combination of breeding traits. A total of 1,218 individuals from a commercial population of Ulu Remis x AVROS (UR x AVROS) were genotyped using the OP200K array. The traits of interest included: shell-to-fruit ratio (S/F, %), mesocarp-to-fruit ratio (M/F, %), kernel-to-fruit ratio (K/F, %), fruit per bunch (F/B, %), oil per bunch (O/B, %) and oil per palm (O/P, kg/palm/year). Genomic heritabilities of these traits were estimated to be in the range of 0.40 to 0.80. GS methods assessed were RR-BLUP, Bayes A (BA), Cπ (BC), Lasso (BL) and Ridge Regression (BRR). All methods resulted in almost equal prediction accuracy. The accuracy achieved ranged from 0.40 to 0.70, correlating with the heritability of traits. By selecting the most important markers, RR-BLUP B has the potential to outperform other methods. The marker density for certain traits can be further reduced based on the linkage disequilibrium (LD). Together with in silico breeding, GS is now being used in oil palm breeding programs to hasten parental palm selection.

U.S. GODAE: Global Ocean Prediction with the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM)

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

Cummings, G. Jacobs, H. Ngodock, C.A. Blain, P. Hogan , J. Kindle), NAVOCEANO (F. Bub), FNMOC (M. Clancy), NRL/MONTEREY (R. Hodur, J. Pullen, P. May...Carolina (C. Werner), Rutgers (J. Wilkin ), U. of S. Florida (R. Weisberg), Horizon Marine Inc. (J. Feeney, S. Anderson), ROFFS (M. Roffer), Shell Oil... 2008 and 2009, the Coastal Ocean Observing Lab at Rutgers University attempted two trans-Atlantic flights using Slocum gliders. These began off the

Security in the CernVM File System and the Frontier Distributed Database Caching System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dykstra, D.; Blomer, J.

2014-06-01

Both the CernVM File System (CVMFS) and the Frontier Distributed Database Caching System (Frontier) distribute centrally updated data worldwide for LHC experiments using http proxy caches. Neither system provides privacy or access control on reading the data, but both control access to updates of the data and can guarantee the authenticity and integrity of the data transferred to clients over the internet. CVMFS has since its early days required digital signatures and secure hashes on all distributed data, and recently Frontier has added X.509-based authenticity and integrity checking. In this paper we detail and compare the security models of CVMFS and Frontier.

Frontier production function estimates for steam electric generation: a comparative analysis

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

Kopp, R.J.; Smith, V.K.

1980-04-01

The performance of three frontier steam electric generation estimators is compared in terms of the consideration given to new production technologies and their technical efficiency. The Cobb-Douglas, constant elasticity of substitution, and translog production functions are examined, using the Aigner-Chu linear programming, the sophisticated Aigner-Lovell-Schmidt stochastic frontier, and the direct method of adjusted ordinary least squares frontier estimators. The use of Cobb-Douglas specification is judged to have narrowed the perceived difference between competing estimators. The choice of frontier estimator is concluded to have a greater effect on the plant efficiency than functional form. 19 references. (DCK)

Dynamics and fragmentation of thick-shelled microbubbles.

PubMed

May, Donovan J; Allen, John S; Ferrara, Katherine W

2002-10-01

Localized delivery could decrease the systemic side effects of toxic chemotherapy drugs. The unique delivery agents we examine consist of microbubbles with an outer lipid coating, an oil layer, and a perfluorobutane gas core. These structures are 0.5-12 microm in radius at rest. Oil layers of these acoustically active lipospheres (AALs) range from 0.3-1.5 microm in thickness and thus the agents can carry a large payload compared to nano-scale drug delivery systems. We show that triacetin-based drug-delivery vehicles can be fragmented using ultrasound. Compared with a lipid-shelled contrast agent, the expansion of the drug-delivery vehicle within the first cycle is similar, and a subharmonic component is demonstrated at an equivalent radius, frequency, and driving pressure. For the experimental conditions explored here, the pulse length required for destruction of the drug-delivery vehicle is significantly greater, with at least five cycles required, compared with one cycle for the contrast agent. For the drug-delivery vehicle, the observed destruction mechanism varies with the initial radius, with microbubbles smaller than resonance size undergoing a symmetric collapse and producing a set of small, equal-sized fragments. Between resonance size and twice resonance size, surface waves become visible, and the oscillations become asymmetrical. For agents larger than twice the resonance radius, the destruction mechanism changes to a pinch-off, with one fragment containing a large fraction of the original volume.

Three-dimensional controlled growth of monodisperse sub-50 nm heterogeneous nanocrystals

PubMed Central

Liu, Deming; Xu, Xiaoxue; Du, Yi; Qin, Xian; Zhang, Yuhai; Ma, Chenshuo; Wen, Shihui; Ren, Wei; Goldys, Ewa M.; Piper, James A.; Dou, Shixue; Liu, Xiaogang; Jin, Dayong

2016-01-01

The ultimate frontier in nanomaterials engineering is to realize their composition control with atomic scale precision to enable fabrication of nanoparticles with desirable size, shape and surface properties. Such control becomes even more useful when growing hybrid nanocrystals designed to integrate multiple functionalities. Here we report achieving such degree of control in a family of rare-earth-doped nanomaterials. We experimentally verify the co-existence and different roles of oleate anions (OA−) and molecules (OAH) in the crystal formation. We identify that the control over the ratio of OA− to OAH can be used to directionally inhibit, promote or etch the crystallographic facets of the nanoparticles. This control enables selective grafting of shells with complex morphologies grown over nanocrystal cores, thus allowing the fabrication of a diverse library of monodisperse sub-50 nm nanoparticles. With such programmable additive and subtractive engineering a variety of three-dimensional shapes can be implemented using a bottom–up scalable approach. PMID:26743184

Energy Frontier Research Center Materials Science of Actinides (A "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" contest entry from the 2011 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum)

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

Burns, Peter; Lenzen, Meehan

"Energy Frontier Research Center Materials Science of Actinides" was submitted by the EFRC for Materials Science of Actinides (MSA) to the "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" video contest at the 2011 Science for Our Nation's Energy Future: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum. Twenty-six EFRCs created short videos to highlight their mission and their work. MSA is directed by Peter Burns at the University of Notre Dame, and is a partnership of scientists from ten institutions.The Office of Basic Energy Sciences in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science established the 46 Energy Frontier Researchmore » Centers (EFRCs) in 2009. These collaboratively-organized centers conduct fundamental research focused on 'grand challenges' and use-inspired 'basic research needs' recently identified in major strategic planning efforts by the scientific community. The overall purpose is to accelerate scientific progress toward meeting the nation's critical energy challenges.« less

EFRC:CST at the University of Texas at Austin - A DOE Energy Frontier Research Center (A "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" contest entry from the 2011 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum)

ScienceCinema

Zhu, Xiaoyang (Director, Understanding Charge Separation and Transfer at Interfaces in Energy Materials); CST Staff

2017-12-09

'EFRC:CST at the University of Texas at Austin - A DOE Energy Frontier Research Center' was submitted by the EFRC for Understanding Charge Separation and Transfer at Interfaces in Energy Materials (EFRC:CST) to the 'Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research' video contest at the 2011 Science for Our Nation's Energy Future: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum. Twenty-six EFRCs created short videos to highlight their mission and their work. EFRC:CST is directed by Xiaoyang Zhu at the University of Texas at Austin in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories. The Office of Basic Energy Sciences in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science established the 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) in 2009. These collaboratively-organized centers conduct fundamental research focused on 'grand challenges' and use-inspired 'basic research needs' recently identified in major strategic planning efforts by the scientific community. The overall purpose is to accelerate scientific progress toward meeting the nation's critical energy challenges.

Frontiers, Opportunities and Challenges for a Hydrogen Economy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, John

2015-03-01

Energy carriers are the staple for powering the society we live in. Coal, oil, natural gas, gasoline and diesel all carry energy in chemical bonds, used in almost all areas of our civilization. But these carriers have a limited-use lifetime on this planet. They are finite, contribute to climate change and carry significant geopolitical issues. If mankind is to maintain and grow our societies, new energy carriers must be developed and deployed into our energy infrastructure. Hydrogen is the simplest of all the energy carriers and when refined from water using renewable energies like solar and wind, represents a sustainable energy carrier, viable for millennia to come. This talk with discuss the challenges for sustainable production of hydrogen, along with the promise and possible pathways for implementing hydrogen into our energy infrastructure.

Preparation and characterizaton of CaO nanoparticle for biodiesel production

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

Gupta, Jharna, E-mail: onlinejharna@gmail.com; Agarwal, Madhu, E-mail: madhunaresh@gmail.com

Nanoparticle of CaO from calcium Nitrate (CaO/CaN) and Snail shell (CaO/SS) are successfully synthesized by method as described in the literature and used as an active and stable catalyst for the biodiesel production. These catalysts are characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The average crystalline size in nanometer was also calculated by Debye–Scherrer equation. The performance of the CaO/CaN and CaO/SS were tested for their catalytic activity via transesterification process and it was found that biodiesel yield has been increased from 93 to 96%. The optimum conditions for the highest yield weremore » 8wt% catalyst loading, 65°C temperature, 12:1 methanol/oil molar ratio, and 6 h for reaction time. The nano catalyst from snail shell exhibits excellent catalytic activity and stability for the transesterification reaction, which suggested that this catalyst would be potentially used as a solid base nano catalyst for biodiesel production. In order to examine the reusability of catalyst developed from snail shell, five transesterification reaction cycles were also performed.« less

Colloidal Synthesis of Silicon-Carbon Composite Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

PubMed

Su, Haiping; Barragan, Alejandro A; Geng, Linxiao; Long, Donghui; Ling, Licheng; Bozhilov, Krassimir N; Mangolini, Lorenzo; Guo, Juchen

2017-08-28

We report colloidal routes to synthesize silicon@carbon composites for the first time. Surface-functionalized Si nanoparticles (SiNPs) dissolved in styrene and hexadecane are used as the dispersed phase in oil-in-water emulsions, from which yolk-shell and dual-shell hollow SiNPs@C composites are produced via polymerization and subsequent carbonization. As anode materials for Li-ion batteries, the SiNPs@C composites demonstrate excellent cycling stability and rate performance, which is ascribed to the uniform distribution of SiNPs within the carbon hosts. The Li-ion anodes composed of 46 wt % of dual-shell SiNPs@C, 46 wt % of graphite, 5 wt % of acetylene black, and 3 wt % of carboxymethyl cellulose with an areal loading higher than 3 mg cm -2 achieve an overall specific capacity higher than 600 mAh g -1 , which is an improvement of more than 100 % compared to the pure graphite anode. These new colloidal routes present a promising general method to produce viable Si-C composites for Li-ion batteries. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

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

Khin, J.A.

Since reopening to foreign operators in 1989, companies have secured concessions and begun active exploration programs. This paper reports on: Yukong Oil (Block C) spudded well Indaw YK-1 last December and continued drilling below 8,500 ft. Well encountered frequent gas cut mud as well as lost circulation. BHP (Block H) spudded the Kawliya-1 in March this year and drilled to 6,500 ft. The well was dry and abandoned BHP plans to drill another well this year. Unocal (Block F) spudded its first well, the Kandaw-1, in May and plans to drill to 14,500 ft. Shell (Block G) began its firstmore » well in June. Shell's drilling program will consist of drilling four to six wells. Idemitsu (Block D) also spudded its first well in June. PetroCanada (Block E) plans to spud a well by December. Target depth is 12,000 ft.« less

Acoustical scattering by multilayer spherical elastic scatterer containing electrorheological layer.

PubMed

Cai, Liang-Wu; Dacol, Dacio K; Orris, Gregory J; Calvo, David C; Nicholas, Michael

2011-01-01

A computational procedure for analyzing acoustical scattering by multilayer concentric spherical scatterers having an arbitrary mixture of acoustic and elastic materials is proposed. The procedure is then used to analyze the scattering by a spherical scatterer consisting of a solid shell and a solid core encasing an electrorheological (ER) fluid layer, and the tunability in the scattering characteristics afforded by the ER layer is explored numerically. Tunable scatterers with two different ER fluids are analyzed. One, corn starch in peanut oil, shows that a significant increase in scattering cross-section is possible in moderate frequencies. Another, fine poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) beads in dodecane, shows only slight change in scattering cross-sections overall. But, when the shell is thin, a noticeable local resonance peak can appear near ka=1, and this resonance can be turned on or off by the external electric field.

Colombia: A source of hydrocarbons for the world

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

Olivella, J.B.

1993-02-01

Colombia progressively has become attractive to those exploring for oil. The policy established by the government in 1974 has attracted large-, medium-, and small-sized companies to come to the country in search for petroleum and gas reserves in the 780,000 km[sup 2] which encompass its 13 sedimentary basins. The dynamics with which association contracts can be signed with the state company Ecopetrol, has been a decisive factor in the success of its oil policy, a success reflected in the existence of over 90 contracts in force and the involvement of more than 40 foreign oil companies in operations in Colombia.more » Historically, exploration was carried out to search for hydrocarbons in known zones and in pursuit of traditional structures, which brought both, great discoveries and resounding failures. State of the art in exploration has permitted a better understanding of the geological phenomena which have led to the accumulation of hydrocarbons. Ecopetrol has begun to explore with the new [open quotes]play concepts[close quotes] taking into account aspects never before considered, weighing risk factors against the possibility of discovering important quantities of hydrocarbons in [open quotes]frontier regions.[close quotes] These new ideas allow the construction of geological models before deciding to drill. This [open quotes]new focus[close quotes] is based on global geological analogies. We can say, for example, that the important hydrocarbon discoveries in the Eastern Plains alongside the Colombian Eastern Range foothill, have been the result of geological concepts evolution, now managed with highly adaptable designing and planning with universal criteria. All along its 1200 km appears to be the area of greatest oil potential.« less

Retaining biodiversity in intensive farmland: epiphyte removal in oil palm plantations does not affect yield

PubMed Central

Prescott, Graham W; Edwards, David P; Foster, William A

2015-01-01

The expansion of agriculture into tropical forest frontiers is one of the primary drivers of the global extinction crisis, resulting in calls to intensify tropical agriculture to reduce demand for more forest land and thus spare land for nature. Intensification is likely to reduce habitat complexity, with profound consequences for biodiversity within agricultural landscapes. Understanding which features of habitat complexity are essential for maintaining biodiversity and associated ecosystem services within agricultural landscapes without compromising productivity is therefore key to limiting the environmental damage associated with producing food intensively. Here, we focus on oil palm, a rapidly expanding crop in the tropics and subject to frequent calls for increased intensification. One promoted strategy is to remove epiphytes that cover the trunks of oil palms, and we ask whether this treatment affects either biodiversity or yield. We experimentally tested this by removing epiphytes from four-hectare plots and seeing if the biodiversity and production of fruit bunches 2 months and 16 months later differed from equivalent control plots where epiphytes were left uncut. We found a species-rich and taxonomically diverse epiphyte community of 58 species from 31 families. Epiphyte removal did not affect the production of fresh fruit bunches, or the species richness and community composition of birds and ants, although the impact on other components of biodiversity remains unknown. We conclude that as they do not adversely affect palm oil production, the diverse epiphyte flora should be left uncut. Our results underscore the importance of experimentally determining the effects of habitat complexity on yield before introducing intensive methods with no discernible benefits. PMID:26045947

Hierarchical Biomolecular Emulsions Using 3-D Microfluidics with Uniform Surface Chemistry.

PubMed

Toprakcioglu, Zenon; Levin, Aviad; Knowles, Tuomas P J

2017-11-13

Microfluidic devices can be used to produce single, double and higher order emulsions, where droplet sizes can be precisely controlled and modulated. Such emulsions have great potential for the storage and study of biomolecules, including peptides and proteins. However, advancement of this technique has remained challenging due to the tendency of various biomolecules to adhere to the surface of the formed channels, resulting in changes in surface wetting and fouling on the micrometer scale. Thus, precise control of surface wettability plays a crucial role in the processes that govern droplet formation. Here, we report an approach for producing both water-oil-water (w/o/w) and oil-water-oil (o/w/o) double emulsions without any need for surface modification, an enabling feature for biomolecular encapsulation. Using this strategy, we show that the number of monodisperse encapsulated internal droplets can be controlled systematically and reproducibly by suitable adjustment of the relevant flow rates, and ranges from 1 to 40 in the case of w/o/w emulsions. We further demonstrate that the number of internal droplets scales linearly with the reciprocal flow rate of the outer continuous phase, when the inner and middle phase flow rates are kept constant. We demonstrate that this approach is suitable for forming double emulsions where the inner phase consists of reconstituted silk protein solution whereby incubation of the internal droplets can be induced to form a gel resulting in silk fibroin microgels surrounded by an external oil shell. Finally, for o/w/o emulsions, we show that single or multiple monodisperse internal droplets can be encapsulated with a size that ranges over 1 order of magnitude, from ca. 10 μm to >100 μm. Moreover, o/w/o emulsions where the middle phase consists of silk fibroin solution were prepared and by allowing the protein to aggregate, a core-shell structure was formed. This microfluidic strategy allows for multiple emulsions to be generated drop by drop for biomolecular solutions with potential applications in the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields.

Molecular Mapping of Flowering Time Major Genes and QTLs in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

PubMed Central

Mallikarjuna, Bingi P.; Samineni, Srinivasan; Thudi, Mahendar; Sajja, Sobhan B.; Khan, Aamir W.; Patil, Ayyanagowda; Viswanatha, Kannalli P.; Varshney, Rajeev K.; Gaur, Pooran M.

2017-01-01

Flowering time is an important trait for adaptation and productivity of chickpea in the arid and the semi-arid environments. This study was conducted for molecular mapping of genes/quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling flowering time in chickpea using F2 populations derived from four crosses (ICCV 96029 × CDC Frontier, ICC 5810 × CDC Frontier, BGD 132 × CDC Frontier and ICC 16641 × CDC Frontier). Genetic studies revealed monogenic control of flowering time in the crosses ICCV 96029 × CDC Frontier, BGD 132 × CDC Frontier and ICC 16641 × CDC Frontier, while digenic control with complementary gene action in ICC 5810 × CDC Frontier. The intraspecific genetic maps developed from these crosses consisted 75, 75, 68 and 67 markers spanning 248.8 cM, 331.4 cM, 311.1 cM and 385.1 cM, respectively. A consensus map spanning 363.8 cM with 109 loci was constructed by integrating four genetic maps. Major QTLs corresponding to flowering time genes efl-1 from ICCV 96029, efl-3 from BGD 132 and efl-4 from ICC 16641 were mapped on CaLG04, CaLG08 and CaLG06, respectively. The QTLs and linked markers identified in this study can be used in marker-assisted breeding for developing early maturing chickpea. PMID:28729871

Stratigraphy and structural setting of Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation, western Centennial Mountains, southwestern Montana and southeastern Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dyman, T.S.; Tysdal, R.G.; Perry, W.J.; Nichols, D.J.; Obradovich, J.D.

2008-01-01

Stratigraphic, sedimentologic, and palynologic data were used to correlate the Frontier Formation of the western Centennial Mountains with time-equivalent rocks in the Lima Peaks area and other nearby areas in southwestern Montana. The stratigraphic interval studied is in the middle and upper parts (but not uppermost) of the formation based on a comparison of sandstone petrography, palynologic age data, and our interpretation of the structure using a seismic line along the frontal zone of the Centennial Mountains and the adjacent Centennial Valley. The Frontier Formation is comprised of sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, limestone, and silty shale in fluvial and coastal depositional settings. A distinctive characteristic of these strata in the western Centennial Mountains is the absence of conglomerate and conglomeratic sandstone beds. Absence of conglomerate beds may be due to lateral facies changes associated with fluvial systems, a distal fining of grain size, and the absence of both uppermost and lower Frontier rocks in the study area. Palynostratigraphic data indicate a Coniacian age for the Frontier Formation in the western Centennial Mountains. These data are supported by a geochronologic age from the middle part of the Frontier at Lima Peaks indicating a possible late Coniacian-early Santonian age (86.25 ?? 0.38 Ma) for the middle Frontier there. The Frontier Formation in the western Centennial Mountains is comparable in age and thickness to part of the Frontier at Lima Peaks. These rocks represent one of the thickest known sequences of Frontier strata in the Rocky Mountain region. Deposition was from about 95 to 86 Ma (middle Cenomanian to at least early Santonian), during which time, shoreface sandstone of the Telegraph Creek Formation and marine shale of the Cody Shale were deposited to the east in the area now occupied by the Madison Range in southwestern Montana. Frontier strata in the western Centennial Mountains are structurally isolated from other Cretaceous rocks in the region and are part of the Lima thrust sheet that lies at the leading edge of the Sevier-style overthrusting in this part of southwestern Montana and adjacent southeastern Idaho.

Snowmass Computing Frontier: Computing for the Cosmic Frontier, Astrophysics, and Cosmology

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

Connolly, A.; Habib, S.; Szalay, A.

2013-11-12

This document presents (off-line) computing requrements and challenges for Cosmic Frontier science, covering the areas of data management, analysis, and simulations. We invite contributions to extend the range of covered topics and to enhance the current descriptions.

Development and Application of Alloy TDJ-028 Seamless Pipe for Sour Oil and Gas Wells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhengzhou, Li; Cheng, Su; Baoshun, Wang; Peiming, Lu; Jie, Zhang

The new frontier of oil and gas exploration will be with deep wells. Deep wells generally have higher temperature and pressure. Wells are categorized as being either sweet or sour. Sweet wells are only mildly corrosive, while sour wells are very corrosive. Thus, material selection is especially critical for deep sour wells which contain high concentration of hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, elemental sulfur and chlorides. As these conditions become more severe, tubular material selection goes from stainless steel used for sweet wells, to duplex stainless steel, to nickel based alloy such as UNS N08028, UNS N06985 and UNS N08825, for sour well service. In this paper, Alloy TDJ-028 (UNS N08028) seamless pipe used for OCTG's has been developed using hot extrusion and cold worked processing. The mechanical tests show that the minimum yield strength grade of TDJ-028 alloy pipe was higher than 110KSI. The hardness, flattening and impact properties of the pipe and coupling stock were very good. Furthermore, the corrosion data is also presented to show the performance of the Alloy TDJ-028 in sour well environment using SCC, SSC tests. The properties of Alloy TDJ-028 pipe met the specification of ISO 13680 and NACE MR0175. So far, Jiuli has the ability to produce massive Alloy TDJ-028 OCTG's for sour oil and gas wells and the production diameter of the pipe can reach 8 inch.

Changes in Structure and Functioning of Protist (Testate Amoebae) Communities Due to Conversion of Lowland Rainforest into Rubber and Oil Palm Plantations.

PubMed

Krashevska, Valentyna; Klarner, Bernhard; Widyastuti, Rahayu; Maraun, Mark; Scheu, Stefan

2016-01-01

Large areas of tropical rainforest are being converted to agricultural and plantation land uses, but little is known of biodiversity and ecological functioning under these replacement land uses. We investigated the effects of conversion of rainforest into jungle rubber, intensive rubber and oil palm plantations on testate amoebae, diverse and functionally important protists in litter and soil. Living testate amoebae species richness, density and biomass were all lower in replacement land uses than in rainforest, with the impact being more pronounced in litter than in soil. Similar abundances of species of high and low trophic level in rainforest suggest that trophic interactions are more balanced, with a high number of functionally redundant species, than in rubber and oil palm. In contrast, plantations had a low density of high trophic level species indicating losses of functions. This was particularly so in oil palm plantations. In addition, the relative density of species with siliceous shells was >50% lower in the litter layer of oil palm and rubber compared to rainforest and jungle rubber. This difference suggests that rainforest conversion changes biogenic silicon pools and increases silicon losses. Overall, the lower species richness, density and biomass in plantations than in rainforest, and the changes in the functional composition of the testate amoebae community, indicate detrimental effects of rainforest conversion on the structure and functioning of microbial food webs.

Center for Defect Physics - Energy Frontier Research Center (A "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" contest entry from the 2011 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum)

ScienceCinema

Stocks, G. Malcolm (Director, Center for Defect Physics in Structural Materials); CDP Staff

2017-12-09

'Center for Defect Physics - Energy Frontier Research Center' was submitted by the Center for Defect Physics (CDP) to the 'Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research' video contest at the 2011 Science for Our Nation's Energy Future: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum. Twenty-six EFRCs created short videos to highlight their mission and their work. CDP is directed by G. Malcolm Stocks at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and is a partnership of scientists from nine institutions: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (lead); Ames Laboratory; Brown University; University of California, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon University; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Ohio State University; and University of Tennessee. The Office of Basic Energy Sciences in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science established the 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) in 2009. These collaboratively-organized centers conduct fundamental research focused on 'grand challenges' and use-inspired 'basic research needs' recently identified in major strategic planning efforts by the scientific community. The overall purpose is to accelerate scientific progress toward meeting the nation's critical energy challenges.

EFRC: CST at the University of Texas at Austin- A DOE Energy Frontier Research Center (A "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" contest entry from the 2011 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum)

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

Zhu, Xiaoyang

"EFRC: CST at the University of Texas at Austin- A DOE Energy Frontier Research Center" was submitted by the EFRC for Understanding Charge Separation and Transfer at Interfaces in Energy Materials (EFRC:CST) to the "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" video contest at the 2011 Science for Our Nation's Energy Future: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum. Twenty-six EFRCs created short videos to highlight their mission and their work. EFRC: CST is directed by Xiaoyang Zhu at the University of Texas at Austin in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories. The Office of Basic Energy Sciences in themore » U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science established the 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) in 2009. These collaboratively-organized centers conduct fundamental research focused on 'grand challenges' and use-inspired 'basic research needs' recently identified in major strategic planning efforts by the scientific community. The overall purpose is to accelerate scientific progress toward meeting the nation's critical energy challenges.« less

Center for Defect Physics - Energy Frontier Research Center (A "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" contest entry from the 2011 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum)

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

Stocks, G. Malcolm; Ice, Gene

"Center for Defect Physics - Energy Frontier Research Center" was submitted by the Center for Defect Physics (CDP) to the "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" video contest at the 2011 Science for Our Nation's Energy Future: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum. Twenty-six EFRCs created short videos to highlight their mission and their work. CDP is directed by G. Malcolm Stocks at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and is a partnership of scientists from eight institutions: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (lead); Ames Laboratory; University of California, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon University; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Ohio State University;more » University of Georgia and University of Tennessee. The Office of Basic Energy Sciences in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science established the 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) in 2009. These collaboratively-organized centers conduct fundamental research focused on 'grand challenges' and use-inspired 'basic research needs' recently identified in major strategic planning efforts by the scientific community. The overall purpose is to accelerate scientific progress toward meeting the nation's critical energy challenges.« less

Expanding the frontiers of population nutrition research: new questions, new methods, and new approaches.

PubMed

Pelletier, David L; Porter, Christine M; Aarons, Gregory A; Wuehler, Sara E; Neufeld, Lynnette M

2013-01-01

Nutrition research, ranging from molecular to population levels and all points along this spectrum, is exploring new frontiers as new technologies and societal changes create new possibilities and demands. This paper defines a set of frontiers at the population level that are being created by the increased societal recognition of the importance of nutrition; its connection to urgent health, social, and environmental problems; and the need for effective and sustainable solutions at the population level. The frontiers are defined in terms of why, what, who, and how we study at the population level and the disciplinary foundations for that research. The paper provides illustrations of research along some of these frontiers, an overarching framework for population nutrition research, and access to some of the literature from outside of nutrition that can enhance the intellectual coherence, practical utility, and societal benefit of population nutrition research. The frontiers defined in this paper build on earlier forward-looking efforts by the American Society for Nutrition and extend these efforts in significant ways. The American Society for Nutrition and its members can play pivotal roles in advancing these frontiers by addressing a number of well-recognized challenges associated with transdisciplinary and engaged research.

New Realities: Energy Security in the 2010s and Implications for the U.S. Military

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-02-01

public expen- ditures. Reported as far back as December 2012, Libya 54 is paying significant risk premiums on its imports of staple foods , which in...injuries and deaths as well as long-term health hazards due to soil and water contamination . Parties to the conflict are vying for control of oil. Most...with some of the world’s largest firms ( Malaysia Petronas, Russia Lukoil, and Royal Dutch Shell) have borne fruit. Iraq is now the Organization of

Empowering Children to Lead Change: Incorporating Preparedness Curricula in the K-12 Educational System

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor is commonly credited for the re-stimulation of civil defense, President Roosevelt, in fact, reactivated the Council...Britain used advertising in the form of print media, short films on the BBC and in cinemas , as well as exercises and demonstrations to educate the...During the spring of 1942, “a Japanese submarine surfaced near the coast of southern California and fired a salvo of shells that exploded on an oil

Negotiating Northern Resource Development Frontiers: People, Energy, and Decision-Making in Yamal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osipov, Igor A.

This dissertation examines contemporary models of co-existence and partnerships negotiated between local communities, government, and resource corporations in the Russian District of Purovsky (Arctic Yamal), with a particular focus on the relations of these partnerships to Russia's wider socio-cultural and political contexts and, more broadly, the circumpolar world. Yamal has Eurasia's richest oil and gas reserves, and is an important crossroads region where various geopolitical and financial interests intersect. With the opening up of new gas and oil fields, and construction of roads and pipelines, Yamal is experiencing rapid changes; and is being challenged to reshape its many 'frontiers' in which people, energy, and decisions are closely linked to one another. Since the late 1970s, resource development projects have had significant impacts on the lives of the local people in the Purovsky tundra. Along with experiencing negative consequences, such as water and soil contamination, impacts on land, wildlife, and local communities have also nurtured creative ways of adaptation, decision-making, and self-organization. Since 1998, a number of unique models of co-existence and participatory dialogue, involving public project reviews, and sound participation of local indigenous activist groups have been developed and implemented in Yamal. Furthermore, during the past decade the Purovsky District has served as a unique decision-making polygon for the Northeastern Urals. Several joint community-industry-government political and economic cooperation models have been tested and their elements have subsequently been implemented in other Arctic Russian localities. From 2006-2008 this project was focused on documenting these important developments by investigating and explicating the on-the-ground models of agreement-making in the context that these models have been developing since the 1970s. This project, as such, strives to benefit the areas of anthropology, political science, rural economy, as well as Northern studies in indigenous-state-industry relations spectrums. More specifically, this research contributes to a better understanding of the forms of public participation, negotiation, local activism; and their interconnections to the broader sociopolitical context, rural economic capacity building, power relations, and decision-making environments that local communities, governments, and corporations create effective co-existence/partnership models.

Anionic surfactants templating route for synthesizing silica hollow spheres with different shell porosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Lu; Gao, Chuanbo; Wu, Xiaowei; Chen, Qianru; Shu, Peng; Ding, Zhiguang; Che, Shunai

2011-04-01

Silica hollow spheres with different shell porosity were simply synthesized with micelle and emulsion dual templating route. Various anionic surfactants, such as palmitic acid (C 16AA), N-acyl- L-phenylalanine (C 18Phe), N-palmitoyl- L-alanine (C 16AlaA) and oleic acid (OA) have been used as templates, and 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APES) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) have been used as co-structure directing agent (CSDA) and silica source, respectively. The circle lamellar layer structure and mesopores vertical to the silica hollow spheres surface are believed to originate from the initial formation of amphiphilic carboxylic acid oil drop, which afterwards self-assemble to form the shell of hollow spheres and its mesostructure upon addition of CSDA and silica source. The mesoporous silica hollow spheres with high porosity could be achieved by adding a moderate amount of ethanol in the OA synthesis system, depending on the co-surfactant effect of ethanol that changes the curvature of micelles. The particle diameter and the hollow structure have been controlled by choosing different templates and by manipulating synthesis gel composition. The average particle diameter of the mesoporous silica hollow spheres were controlled in the range of 80-220 nm with constant shell thickness of ˜20 nm and constant mesopore size of ˜4 nm. Besides, the formation of the silica hollow spheres has been investigated in detail with reaction time. These mesoporous silica hollow spheres would have potential applications on catalysis, bimolecular encapsulation, adsorption, drug release, etc.

Community Project for Accelerator Science and Simulation (ComPASS) Final Report

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

Cary, John R.; Cowan, Benjamin M.; Veitzer, S. A.

2016-03-04

Tech-X participated across the full range of ComPASS activities, with efforts in the Energy Frontier primarily through modeling of laser plasma accelerators and dielectric laser acceleration, in the Intensity Frontier primarily through electron cloud modeling, and in Uncertainty Quantification being applied to dielectric laser acceleration. In the following we present the progress and status of our activities for the entire period of the ComPASS project for the different areas of Energy Frontier, Intensity Frontier and Uncertainty Quantification.

Frontiers in Industrial Arts Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacDonnell, Elisabeth, Ed.; Strosnider, Floy, Ed.

Presentation topics of the 28th annual American Industrial Arts Association Convention include: (1) "Where We Are in Federal Legislation Programs," (2) "Frontiers in Industrial Arts Education," and (3) "Industry's Cooperation with Education." Eleven symposia were conducted on the topic of "Implementing Frontier Ideas in Industrial Arts Education…

Development of Self-Healing Coatings Based on Linseed Oil as Autonomous Repairing Agent for Corrosion Resistance.

PubMed

Thanawala, Karan; Mutneja, Nisha; Khanna, Anand S; Raman, R K Singh

2014-11-11

In recent years corrosion-resistant self-healing coatings have witnessed strong growth and their successful laboratory design and synthesis categorises them in the family of smart/multi-functional materials. Among various approaches for achieving self-healing, microcapsule embedment through the material matrix is the main one for self-healing ability in coatings. The present work focuses on optimizing the process parameters for developing microcapsules by in-situ polymerization of linseed oil as core and urea-formaldehyde as shell material. Characteristics of these microcapsules with respect to change in processing parameters such as stirring rate and reaction time were studied by using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The effectiveness of these microcapsules in coatings was characterized by studying their adhesion, performance, and mechanical properties.

Devolatilization Studies of Oil Palm Biomass for Torrefaction Process through Scanning Electron Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daud, D.; Abd. Rahman, A.; Shamsuddin, A. H.

2016-03-01

In this work, palm oil biomass consisting of empty fruit bunch (EFB), mesocarp fibre and palm kernel shell (PKS) were chosen as raw material for torrefaction process. Torrefaction process was conducted at various temperatures of 240 °C, 270 °C and 300 °C with a residence time of 60 minutes. The morphology of the raw and torrefied biomass was then observed through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images. Also, through this experiment the correlation between the torrefaction temperatures with the volatile gases released were studied. From the observation, the morphology structure of the biomass exhibited inter-particle gaps due to the release of volatile gases and it is obviously seen more at higher temperatures. Moreover, the change of the biomass structure is influenced by the alteration of the lignocellulose biomass.

Development of Self-Healing Coatings Based on Linseed Oil as Autonomous Repairing Agent for Corrosion Resistance

PubMed Central

Thanawala, Karan; Mutneja, Nisha; Khanna, Anand S.; Singh Raman, R. K.

2014-01-01

In recent years corrosion-resistant self-healing coatings have witnessed strong growth and their successful laboratory design and synthesis categorises them in the family of smart/multi-functional materials. Among various approaches for achieving self-healing, microcapsule embedment through the material matrix is the main one for self-healing ability in coatings. The present work focuses on optimizing the process parameters for developing microcapsules by in-situ polymerization of linseed oil as core and urea-formaldehyde as shell material. Characteristics of these microcapsules with respect to change in processing parameters such as stirring rate and reaction time were studied by using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The effectiveness of these microcapsules in coatings was characterized by studying their adhesion, performance, and mechanical properties. PMID:28788249

40 CFR 81.24 - Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.24 Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region (New York) consists of the territorial area...

40 CFR 81.24 - Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.24 Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region (New York) consists of the territorial area...

40 CFR 81.24 - Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.24 Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region (New York) consists of the territorial area...

40 CFR 81.24 - Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.24 Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region (New York) consists of the territorial area...

40 CFR 81.24 - Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.24 Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Niagara Frontier Intrastate Air Quality Control Region (New York) consists of the territorial area...

Photoelectrochemical determination of tert-butylhydroquinone in edible oil samples employing CdSe/ZnS quantum dots and LiTCNE.

PubMed

Monteiro, Thatyara Oliveira; Tanaka, Auro Atsushi; Damos, Flávio Santos; Luz, Rita de Cássia Silva

2017-07-15

A novel photoelectrochemical sensor was developed for determination of tert-butyl-hydroquinone (TBHQ) in edible vegetable oils, based on CdSe/ZnS core-shell quantum dots sensitized with lithium tetracyanoethylenide (LiTCNE). The CdSe/ZnS/LiTCNE photoelectrochemical sensor presented a TBHQ photocurrent about 13-fold higher and a charge transfer resistance 62-fold lower than observed for a CdSe/ZnS sensor. The photoelectrochemical sensor showed selectivity to TBHQ, with a high photocurrent for this antioxidant compared to the photocurrent responses for other phenolic antioxidants. The CdSe/ZnS/LiTCNE photoelectrochemical sensor presented a linear range from 0.6 to 250μmolL -1 , sensitivity of 0.012μALμmol -1 , and a limit of detection of 0.21μmolL -1 for TBHQ, under optimized experimental conditions. The sensor was successfully employed in the analysis of edible oil samples, with recoveries of between 98.25% and 99.83% achieved. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of biomass pretreatment on upgrading of bio-oil: Comparison of dry and hydrothermal torrefaction.

PubMed

Xu, Xiwei; Tu, Ren; Sun, Yan; Li, Zhiyu; Jiang, Enchen

2018-08-01

The dry and hydrothermal torrefacation of on Camellia Shell (CS) was carried on three different devices- batch autoclave, quartz tube, and auger reactor. The torrefied bio-char products were investigated via TGA, elemental analysis and industrial analysis. Moreover, the pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis properties of torrefied bio-char were investigated. The results showed torrefaction significantly influenced the content of hemicellulose in CS. And hydrothermal torrefaction via batch autoclave and dry torrefaction via auger reactors promoted the hemicellulose to strip from the CS. Quartz tube and auger reactor were beneficial for devolatilization and improving heat value of torrefied bio-char. The result showed that the main products were phenols and acids. And hydrothermal torrefaction pretreatment effectively reduced the acids content from 34.5% to 13.2% and enriched the content of phenols (from 27.23% to 60.05%) in bio-oil due to the decreasing of hemicellulos in torrefied bio-char. And the catalyst had slight influence on the bio-oil distribution. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dilatancy and shear thickening of particle suspensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonn, Daniel

2013-03-01

Shear thickening is a fascinating subject, as 99.9% of complex fluids are thinning; thickening systems thus are the ``exception to the rule'' that needs to be understood. Moreover, such tunable systems show very promising applications, e.g. to block large underground pores in oil recovery to maintain a constant oil flow by plugging water filled pores (an approach used in oil recovery by e.g. Shell), or to manufacture bulletproof vests that are comfortable to wear, but stop bullets nonetheless. We study the rheology of non-Brownian particle suspensions (notably, cornstarch) that exhibit shear thickening. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the local properties of the flow are obtained by the determination of local velocity profiles and concentrations in a Couette cell. We also perform macroscopic rheology experiments in different geometries. The results suggest that the shear thickening is a consequence of dilatancy: the system under flow attempts to dilate but instead undergoes a jamming transition, because it is confined. This proposition is confirmed by an independent measurement of the dilation of the suspension as a function of the shear rate.

Investigation on thermochemical behaviour of low rank Malaysian coal, oil palm biomass and their blends during pyrolysis via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).

PubMed

Idris, Siti Shawalliah; Abd Rahman, Norazah; Ismail, Khudzir; Alias, Azil Bahari; Abd Rashid, Zulkifli; Aris, Mohd Jindra

2010-06-01

This study aims to investigate the behaviour of Malaysian sub-bituminous coal (Mukah Balingian), oil palm biomass (empty fruit bunches (EFB), kernel shell (PKS) and mesocarp fibre (PMF)) and their respective blends during pyrolysis using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The coal/palm biomass blends were prepared at six different weight ratios and experiments were carried out under dynamic conditions using nitrogen as inert gas at various heating rates to ramp the temperature from 25 degrees C to 900 degrees C. The derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) results show that thermal decomposition of EFB, PMF and PKS exhibit one, two and three distinct evolution profiles, respectively. Apparently, the thermal profiles of the coal/oil palm biomass blends appear to correlate with the percentage of biomass added in the blends, thus, suggesting lack of interaction between the coal and palm biomass. First-order reaction model were used to determine the kinetics parameters for the pyrolysis of coal, palm biomass and their respective blends. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cape York Peninsula, Australia: A Frontier Region Undergoing a Multifunctional Transition with Indigenous Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, John

2012-01-01

Within Australia's tropical savanna zone, the northernmost frontier regions have experienced the swiftest transition towards multifunctional occupance, as a formerly flimsy productivist mode is readily displaced by more complex modes, with greater prominence given to consumption, protection and Indigenous values. Of these frontier regions, Cape…

Frontiers in Distributed Optimization and Control of Sustainable Power

Science.gov Websites

Optimization and Control of Sustainable Power Systems Workshop Frontiers in Distributed Optimization and Control of Sustainable Power Systems Workshop In January 2016, NREL's energy systems integration team hosted a workshop on frontiers in distributed optimization and control of sustainable power systems. The

Organising Industrial Knowledge Dissemination on Frontier Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brintrup, A. M.; Ranasinghe, D.

2008-01-01

This paper describes the challenges faced by frontier technology education, typical among large integrated EU projects. These include an evolving nature, the scarcity of experts and established material, and the need for relevant material. Classical approaches to learning seem to not adequately address the needs of frontier technology alone.…

On the Endogeneity of the Mean-Variance Efficient Frontier.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Somerville, R. A.; O'Connell, Paul G. J.

2002-01-01

Explains that the endogeneity of the efficient frontier in the mean-variance model of portfolio selection is commonly obscured in portfolio selection literature and in widely used textbooks. Demonstrates endogeneity and discusses the impact of parameter changes on the mean-variance efficient frontier and on the beta coefficients of individual…

American Pathfinders: Using Ray Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles" To Teach Frontier History.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmalholz, Deborah Wielgot

1999-01-01

Presents an interdisciplinary thematic unit designed for eleventh graders that uses selected chapters of "The Martian Chronicles" to teach frontier history. Maintains that Bradbury's novel enriches students' understanding of the frontier because it compares the interactions between Native inhabitants of Mars and Earthlings to the…

Expanding the Frontiers of Population Nutrition Research: New Questions, New Methods, and New Approaches12

PubMed Central

Pelletier, David L.; Porter, Christine M.; Aarons, Gregory A.; Wuehler, Sara E.; Neufeld, Lynnette M.

2013-01-01

Nutrition research, ranging from molecular to population levels and all points along this spectrum, is exploring new frontiers as new technologies and societal changes create new possibilities and demands. This paper defines a set of frontiers at the population level that are being created by the increased societal recognition of the importance of nutrition; its connection to urgent health, social, and environmental problems; and the need for effective and sustainable solutions at the population level. The frontiers are defined in terms of why, what, who, and how we study at the population level and the disciplinary foundations for that research. The paper provides illustrations of research along some of these frontiers, an overarching framework for population nutrition research, and access to some of the literature from outside of nutrition that can enhance the intellectual coherence, practical utility, and societal benefit of population nutrition research. The frontiers defined in this paper build on earlier forward-looking efforts by the American Society for Nutrition and extend these efforts in significant ways. The American Society for Nutrition and its members can play pivotal roles in advancing these frontiers by addressing a number of well-recognized challenges associated with transdisciplinary and engaged research. PMID:23319128

Different magnesium release profiles from W/O/W emulsions based on crystallized oils.

PubMed

Herzi, Sameh; Essafi, Wafa

2018-01-01

Water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double emulsions based on crystallized oils were prepared and the release kinetics of magnesium ions from the internal to the external aqueous phase was investigated at T=4°C, for different crystallized lipophilic matrices. All the emulsions were formulated using the same surface-active species, namely polyglycerol polyricinoleate (oil-soluble) and sodium caseinate (water-soluble). The external aqueous phase was a lactose or glucose solution at approximately the same osmotic pressure as that of the inner droplets, in order to avoid osmotic water transfer phenomena. We investigated two types of crystallized lipophilic systems: one based on blends of cocoa butter and miglyol oil, exploring a solid fat content from 0 to 90% and the other system based on milk fat fractions for which the solid fat content varies between 54 and 86%. For double emulsions based on cocoa butter/miglyol oil, the rate of magnesium release was gradually lowered by increasing the % of fat crystals i.e. cocoa butter, in agreement with a diffusion/permeation mechanism. However for double emulsions based on milk fat fractions, the rate of magnesium release was independent of the % of fat crystals and remains the one at t=0. This difference in diffusion patterns, although the solid content is of the same order, suggests a different distribution of fat crystals within the double globules: a continuous fat network acting as a physical barrier for the diffusion of magnesium for double emulsions based on cocoa butter/miglyol oil and double globule/water interfacial distribution for milk fat fractions based double emulsions, through the formation of a crystalline shell allowing an effective protection of the double globules against diffusion of magnesium to the external aqueous phase. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Self-wrapping of an ouzo drop induced by evaporation on a superamphiphobic surface.

PubMed

Tan, Huanshu; Diddens, Christian; Versluis, Michel; Butt, Hans-Jürgen; Lohse, Detlef; Zhang, Xuehua

2017-04-12

Evaporation of multi-component drops is crucial to various technologies and has numerous potential applications because of its ubiquity in nature. Superamphiphobic surfaces, which are both superhydrophobic and superoleophobic, can give a low wettability not only for water drops but also for oil drops. In this paper, we experimentally, numerically and theoretically investigate the evaporation process of millimetric sessile ouzo drops (a transparent mixture of water, ethanol, and trans-anethole) with low wettability on a superamphiphobic surface. The evaporation-triggered ouzo effect, i.e. the spontaneous emulsification of oil microdroplets below a specific ethanol concentration, preferentially occurs at the apex of the drop due to the evaporation flux distribution and volatility difference between water and ethanol. This observation is also reproduced by numerical simulations. The volume decrease of the ouzo drop is characterized by two distinct slopes. The initial steep slope is dominantly caused by the evaporation of ethanol, followed by the slower evaporation of water. At later stages, thanks to Marangoni forces the oil wraps around the drop and an oil shell forms. We propose an approximate diffusion model for the drying characteristics, which predicts the evaporation of the drops in agreement with experiment and numerical simulation results. This work provides an advanced understanding of the evaporation process of ouzo (multi-component) drops.

Presenting a conceptual pattern of HSE performance of oil trucks.

PubMed

Ghaleh, Sahar; Omidvari, Manouchehr; Nassiri, Parvin; Momeni, Mansour; Lavasani, Seyed Mohammadreza Miri

2018-01-25

Accidents are among the main problems in the oil product supply chain. The most important effective factors in these events are the kind of trucks used and their health, safety, and environment (HSE) condition. The aim of this study was to present a conceptual pattern of the HSE performance of oil trucks in oil industries. In this study, 20 truck models (with fixed tanks), in use over different periods of time, were investigated. In this regard, the criteria and sub-criteria were first determined in two parts-carrier and tank-and weighted by fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP). The results showed that the most important sub-criteria regarding the HSE factors of the carrier were resistance and strength of the front and rear shields, the brake system, and the ventilation system. The most important sub-criteria regarding the HSE factors of the tank were tank shell thickness and a good tank design shape with respect to portable material. It should be noted that the weight of the criteria with each other and sub-criteria with each other are not equal. This issue is important for decision-making. The main reason for the use of trucks with the lowest score in developing countries is the lack of attention by managers to safety issues and international standards and agreements such as the ADR.

Preliminary studies of bio-oil from fast pyrolysis of coconut fibers.

PubMed

Almeida, Tarciana M; Bispo, Mozart D; Cardoso, Anne R T; Migliorini, Marcelo V; Schena, Tiago; de Campos, Maria Cecilia V; Machado, Maria Elisabete; López, Jorge A; Krause, Laiza C; Caramão, Elina B

2013-07-17

This work studied fast pyrolysis as a way to use the residual fiber obtained from the shells of coconut ( Cocos nucifera L. var. Dwarf, from Aracaju, northeastern Brazil). The bio-oil produced by fast pyrolysis and the aqueous phase (formed during the pyrolysis) were characterized by GC/qMS and GC×GC/TOF-MS. Many oxygenated compounds such as phenols, aldehydes, and ketones were identified in the extracts obtained in both phases, with a high predominance of phenolic compounds, mainly alkylphenols. Eighty-one compounds were identified in the bio-oil and 42 in the aqueous phase using GC/qMS, and 95 and 68 in the same samples were identified by GC×GC/TOF-MS. The better performance of GC×GC/TOF-MS was due to the possibility of resolving some coeluted peaks in the one-dimension gas chromatography. Semiquantitative analysis of the samples verified that 59% of the area on the chromatogram of bio-oil is composed by phenols and 12% by aldehydes, mainly furfural. Using the same criterion, 77% of the organic compounds in the aqueous phase are phenols. Therefore, this preliminary assessment indicates that coconut fibers have the potential to be a cost-effective and promising alternative to obtain new products and minimize environmental impact.

A Survey on the Usage of Biomass Wastes from Palm Oil Mills on Sustainable Development of Oil Palm Plantations in Sarawak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phang, K. Y.; Lau, S. W.

2017-06-01

As one of the world’s largest palm oil producers and exporters, Malaysia is committed to sustainable management of this industry to address the emerging environmental challenges. This descriptive study aims to evaluate the oil palm planters’ opinions regarding the usage of biomass wastes from palm oil mills and its impact on sustainable development of oil palm plantations in Sarawak. 253 planters across Sarawak were approached for their opinions about the usage of empty fruit bunch (EFB), palm oil mill effluent (POME), mesocarp fibre (MF), and palm kernel shell (PKS). This study revealed that the planters had generally higher agreement on the beneficial application of EFB and POME in oil palm plantations. This could be seen from the higher means of agreement rating of 3.64 - 4.22 for EFB and POME, compared with the rating of 3.19 - 3.41 for MF and PKS in the 5-point Likert scale (with 5 being the strongest agreement). Besides, 94.7 percent of the planters’ companies were found to comply with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements where nearly 38 percent carried out the EIA practice twice a year. Therefore high means of agreement were correlated to the compliance of environmental regulations, recording a Likert rating of 3.89 to 4.31. Lastly, the usage of EFB and POME also gained higher Likert scale point of 3.76 to 4.17 against MF and PKS of 3.34 to 3.49 in the evaluation of the impact of sustainability in oil palm plantations. The planters agreed that the usage of EFB and POME has reduced the environmental impact and improved the sustainable development, and its application has been improved and increased by research and development. However the planters were uncertain of the impact of usage of biomass wastes with respect to the contribution to social responsibility and company image in terms of transparency in waste management.

Activated carbons from waste of oil-palm kernel shells, sawdust and tannery leather scraps and application to chromium(VI), phenol, and methylene blue dye adsorption.

PubMed

Montoya-Suarez, Sergio; Colpas-Castillo, Fredy; Meza-Fuentes, Edgardo; Rodríguez-Ruiz, Johana; Fernandez-Maestre, Roberto

2016-01-01

Phenol, chromium, and dyes are continuously dumped into water bodies; the adsorption of these contaminants on activated carbon is a low-cost alternative for water remediation. We synthesized activated carbons from industrial waste of palm oil seed husks (kernel shells), sawdust, and tannery leather scraps. These materials were heated for 24 h at 600, 700 or 800°C, activated at 900°C with CO2 and characterized by proximate analysis and measurement of specific surface area (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Langmuir), and microporosity (t-plot). Isotherms showed micropores and mesopores in activated carbons. Palm seed activated carbon showed the highest fixed carbon content (96%), and Langmuir specific surface areas up to 1,268 m2/g, higher than those from sawdust (581 m2/g) and leather scraps (400 m2/g). The carbons were applied to adsorption of Cr(VI), phenol, and methylene blue dye from aqueous solutions. Phenol adsorption on activated carbons was 78-82 mg/g; on palm seed activated carbons, Cr(VI) adsorption at pH 7 was 0.35-0.37 mg/g, and methylene blue adsorption was 40-110 mg/g, higher than those from sawdust and leather scraps. Activated carbons from palm seed are promising materials to remove contaminants from the environment and represent an alternative application for vegetal wastes instead of dumping into landfills.

Ionic Liquids as Multi-Functional Lubricant Additives to Enhance Engine Efficiency (final report NFE-12-03876)

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

Qu, Jun; Luo, Huimin; Toops, Todd J.

This ORNL-Shell CRADA developed and investigated ionic liquids (ILs) as multifunctional additives for next-generation low-viscosity engine oils. Several groups of oil-miscible ILs were successfully designed and synthesized with high thermal stability, non-corrosiveness, excellent wettability, and most importantly effective anti-scuffing/anti-wear and friction reduction characteristics. Synergistic effects between the common anti-wear additive zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) and a particular group of ILs were discovered with > 30% friction reduction and 70% wear reduction compared with using ZDDP or IL alone. The IL+ZDDP tribofilm distinguishes itself from the IL or ZDDP tribofilms with substantially higher contents of metal phosphates but less metal oxides andmore » sulfur compounds. Notably, it was revealed that the actual concentrations of functional elements on the droplet surface of the oil containing IL+ZDDP are one order magnitude higher than their nominal values. Such significantly increased concentrations of anti-wear agents are presumably expected for the oilsolid interface and believed to be responsible for the superior lubricating performance. A prototype SAE 0W-16 engine oil using a synergistic IL+ZDDP pair as the anti-wear additive has been formulated based on the compatibility between the IL and other additives. Sequence VIE full-scale engine dynamometer tests demonstrated fuel economy improvement (FEI) for this prototype oil and revealed the individual contributions from the lower oil viscosity and reduced boundary friction. The impact of IL and IL+ZDDP on exhaust emission catalyst was investigated using an accelerated small engine aging test and results were benchmarked against ZDDP.« less

Heart of the Solution - Energy Frontiers (A "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" contest entry from the 2011 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum)

ScienceCinema

Green, Peter F. (Director, Center for Solar and Thermal Energy Conversion, University of Michigan); CSTEC Staff

2017-12-09

'Heart of the Solution - Energy Frontiers' was submitted by the Center for Solar and Thermal Energy Conversion (CSTEC) to the 'Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research' video contest at the 2011 Science for Our Nation's Energy Future: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum. Twenty-six EFRCs created short videos to highlight their mission and their work. This video was both the People's Choice Award winner and selected as one of five winners by a distinguished panel of judges for its 'exemplary explanation of the role of an Energy Frontier Research Center'. The Center for Solar and Thermal Energy Conversion is directed by Peter F. Green at the University of Michigan. The Office of Basic Energy Sciences in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science established the 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) in 2009. These collaboratively-organized centers conduct fundamental research focused on 'grand challenges' and use-inspired 'basic research needs' recently identified in major strategic planning efforts by the scientific community. The overall purpose is to accelerate scientific progress toward meeting the nation's critical energy challenges. The mission of the Center for Solar and Thermal Energy Conversion is 'to study complex material structures on the nanoscale to identify key features for their potential use as materials to convert solar energy and heat to electricity.' Research topics are: solar photovoltaic, photonic, optics, solar thermal, thermoelectric, phonons, thermal conductivity, solar electrodes, defects, ultrafast physics, interfacial characterization, matter by design, novel materials synthesis, charge transport, and self-assembly.

Future Oil and Gas Resources of the World: A Coming Supply Crisis?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahlbrandt, T. S.

2002-05-01

Is the world running out of oil? Where will future oil and gas supplies come from? To help answer these questions, the U.S. Geological Survey completed in 2000 a new assessment of the undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources and potential additions to reserves from field growth. One hundred and twenty-eight provinces were assessed in a 100 man-year effort from 1995-2000. The assessed provinces included 76 priority provinces containing 95 percent of the world's discovered oil and gas and an additional 52 "boutique" provinces, many of which may be highly prospective. Total Petroleum Systems (TPS) were identified and described for each of these provinces along with associated Assessment Units (AU) that are the basic units for assessing undiscovered petroleum. The assessment process coupled geologic analysis with a probabilistic methodology to estimate remaining potential. Within the 128 assessed provinces, were 159 TPS and 274 AU. For these provinces, the endowment of recoverable oil, which includes cumulative production, remaining reserves, reserve growth, and undiscovered resources is estimated at about 3 trillion barrels of oil (TBO). The natural gas endowment is estimated at 2.6 trillion barrels of oil equivalent (TBOE). Oil reserves are currently 1.1 TBO; world consumption is about .028 TBO per year. Natural gas reserves are about .8 TBOE; world consumption is about .014 TBOE. Thus, without any additional discoveries of oil, gas or natural gas liquids, we have about 2 TBOE of proved petroleum reserves. Of the oil and gas endowment of about 5.6 TBOE, we estimate that the world has consumed about 1 TBOE, or 18 percent leaving about 82 percent of endowment to be utilized or found. Half of the world's undiscovered potential is offshore. Arctic basins with about 25 percent of undiscovered petroleum resources make up the next great frontier. An additional 279 provinces contain some oil and gas and, if considered, would increase the oil and gas endowment estimates. While petroleum resources in the world appear to be significant, certain countries such as the U.S. may run into import deficits particularly oil imports from Mexico and natural gas from Canada. The new assessment has been used as the reference supply case in energy supply models by the International Energy Agency and the Energy Information Agency of the Department of Energy. Climate energy modeling groups such as Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and others have also used the estimates in global climate models. Many of these models using the USGS estimates, converge on potential oil shortfalls in 2036-2040. A transition to increased use of natural gas is expected, but gas in turn may experience similar supply concerns in the 2050-2060 time frame. A coal bridge-to-the-future model as well a realistic view of non-renewable resources in the future will be discussed. Non-conventional oil and gas are quite common in the petroleum provinces of the world and represent a significant resource yet to be fully studied and developed. Seventeen non-conventional AU, including coal-bed methane, basin-center gas, continuous oil, and gas hydrate occurrences, have been preliminarily identified for future assessment. Initial efforts to assess heavy oil deposits and other non-conventional oil and gas deposits are also underway. Digital products from the World Energy Project may be downloaded at (http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/energy/WorldEnergy/WEnergy.html).

Frontier Schools in Montana: Challenges and Sustainability Practices. A Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harmon, Hobart L.; Morton, Claudette

2010-01-01

This study reveals the challenges confronting small, rural "frontier" schools in Montana and the practices that contribute to their sustainability. A Montana frontier school is defined as a school district with 200 or fewer students and its attendant community in a county with five or fewer people per square mile. The researcher…

Fermilab | Science at Fermilab | Experiments & Projects | Energy Frontier

Science.gov Websites

Go Science at Fermilab Fermilab and the Higgs Boson Frontiers of Particle Physics Experiments & Answers Submit a Question Frontiers of Particle Physics Benefits to Society Benefits to Society Medicine Inquiring Minds Questions About Physics Other High-Energy Physics Sites More About Particle Physics Library

Efficient Provision of Employment Service Outputs: A Production Frontier Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavin, Edward S.; Stafford, Frank P.

1985-01-01

This article develops a production frontier model for the Employment Service and assesses the relative efficiency of the 51 State Employment Security Agencies in attaining program outcomes close to that frontier. This approach stands in contrast to such established practices as comparing programs to their own previous performance. (Author/CT)

Center for Support of Mental Health Services in Isolated Rural Areas. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ciarlo, James A.

In 1994, the University of Denver received a grant to develop and operate the Frontier Mental Health Services Resource Network (FMHSRN). FMHSRN's principal aim was to improve delivery of mental health services in sparsely populated "frontier" areas by providing technical assistance to frontier and rural audiences. Traditional…

Dairy farm cost efficiency.

PubMed

Tauer, L W; Mishra, A K

2006-12-01

A stochastic cost equation was estimated for US dairy farms using national data from the production year 2000 to determine how farmers might reduce their cost of production. Cost of producing a unit of milk was estimated into separate frontier (efficient) and inefficiency components, with both components estimated as a function of management and causation variables. Variables were entered as impacting the frontier component as well as the efficiency component of the stochastic curve because a priori both components could be impacted. A factor that has an impact on the cost frontier was the number of hours per day the milking facility is used. Using the milking facility for more hours per day decreased frontier costs; however, inefficiency increased with increased hours of milking facility use. Thus, farmers can decrease costs with increased utilization of the milking facility, but only if they are efficient in this strategy. Parlors compared with stanchions used for milking did not decrease frontier costs, but decreased costs because of increased efficiency, as did the use of a nutritionist. Use of rotational grazing decreased frontier costs but also increased inefficiency. Older farmers were less efficient.

The Receptacle Model of Salting-In by Tetramethylammonium Ions

PubMed Central

Hribar–Lee, Barbara; Dill, Ken A.; Vlachy, Vojko

2010-01-01

Water is a poor solvent for nonpolar solutes. Water containing ions is an even poorer solvent. According to standard terminology, the tendency of salts to precipitate oils from water is called salting-out. However, interestingly, some salt ions, such as tetramethylammonium (TMA), cause instead the salting-in of hydrophobic solutes. Even more puzzling, there is a systematic dependence on solute size. TMA causes the salting-out of small hydrophobes and the salting-in of larger nonpolar solutes. We study these effects using NPT Monte Carlo simulations of the MB + dipole model of water, which was previously shown to account for hydrophobic effects and ion solubilities in water. The present model gives a structural interpretation for the thermodynamics of salting-in. The TMA structure allows deep penetration by a first shell of waters, the dipoles of which interact electrostatically with the ion. This first water shell sets up a second water shell that is shaped to act as a receptacle that binds the nonpolar solute. In this way, a nonpolar solute can actually bind more tightly to the TMA ion than to another hydrophobe, leading to the increased solubility and salting-in. Such structuring may also explain why molecular ions do not follow the same charge density series’ as atomic ions do. PMID:21028768

Receptacle model of salting-in by tetramethylammonium ions.

PubMed

Hribar-Lee, Barbara; Dill, Ken A; Vlachy, Vojko

2010-11-25

Water is a poor solvent for nonpolar solutes. Water containing ions is an even poorer solvent. According to standard terminology, the tendency of salts to precipitate oils from water is called salting-out. However, interestingly, some salt ions, such as tetramethylammonium (TMA), cause instead the salting-in of hydrophobic solutes. Even more puzzling, there is a systematic dependence on solute size. TMA causes the salting-out of small hydrophobes and the salting-in of larger nonpolar solutes. We study these effects using NPT Monte Carlo simulations of the Mercedes-Benz (MB) + dipole model of water, which was previously shown to account for hydrophobic effects and ion solubilities in water. The present model gives a structural interpretation for the thermodynamics of salting-in. The TMA structure allows deep penetration by a first shell of waters, the dipoles of which interact electrostatically with the ion. This first water shell sets up a second water shell that is shaped to act as a receptacle that binds the nonpolar solute. In this way, a nonpolar solute can actually bind more tightly to the TMA ion than to another hydrophobe, leading to the increased solubility and salting-in. Such structuring may also explain why molecular ions do not follow the same charge density series as atomic ions do.

Modeling of composite coupling technology for oil-gas pipeline section resource-saving repair

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donkova, Irina; Yakubovskiy, Yuriy; Kruglov, Mikhail

2017-10-01

The article presents a variant of modeling and calculation of a main pipeline repair section with a composite coupling installation. This section is presented in a shape of a composite cylindrical shell. The aim of this work is mathematical modeling and study of main pipeline reconstruction section stress-strain state (SSS). There has been given a description of a structure deformation mathematical model. Based on physical relations of elasticity, integral characteristics of rigidity for each layer of a two-layer pipe section have been obtained. With the help of the systems of forces and moments which affect the layers differential equations for the first and second layer (pipeline and coupling) have been obtained. The study of the SSS has been conducted using the statements and hypotheses of the composite structures deformation theory with consideration of interlayer joint stresses. The relations to describe the work of the joint have been stated. Boundary conditions for each layer have been formulated. To describe the deformation of the composite coupling with consideration of the composite cylindrical shells theory a mathematical model in the form of a system of differential equations in displacements and boundary conditions has been obtained. Calculation of a two-layer cylindrical shell under the action of an axisymmetric load has been accomplished.

Microwave pyrolysis using self-generated pyrolysis gas as activating agent: An innovative single-step approach to convert waste palm shell into activated carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yek, Peter Nai Yuh; Keey Liew, Rock; Shahril Osman, Mohammad; Chung Wong, Chee; Lam, Su Shiung

2017-11-01

Waste palm shell (WPS) is a biomass residue largely available from palm oil industries. An innovative microwave pyrolysis method was developed to produce biochar from WPS while the pyrolysis gas generated as another product is simultaneously used as activating agent to transform the biochar into waste palm shell activated carbon (WPSAC), thus allowing carbonization and activation to be performed simultaneously in a single-step approach. The pyrolysis method was investigated over a range of process temperature and feedstock amount with emphasis on the yield and composition of the WPSAC obtained. The WPSAC was tested as dye adsorbent in removing methylene blue. This pyrolysis approach provided a fast heating rate (37.5°/min) and short process time (20 min) in transforming WPS into WPSAC, recording a product yield of 40 wt%. The WPSAC was detected with high BET surface area (≥ 1200 m2/g), low ash content (< 5 wt%), and high pore volume (≥ 0.54 cm3/g), thus recording high adsorption efficiency of 440 mg of dye/g. The desirable process features (fast heating rate, short process time) and the recovery of WPSAC suggest the exceptional promise of the single-step microwave pyrolysis approach to produce high-grade WPSAC from WPS.

Frontier Fields: Engaging Educators, the Youth, and the Public in Exploring the Cosmic Frontier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawton, Brandon L.; Eisenhamer, Bonnie; Smith, Denise A.; Summers, Frank; Darnell, John A.; Ryer, Holly

2015-01-01

The Frontier Fields is a multi-cycle program of six deep-field observations of strong-lensing galaxy clusters that will be taken in parallel with six deep 'blank fields.' The three-year long collaborative program is led by observations from NASA's Great Observatories. The observations allow astronomers to look deeper into the universe than ever before, and potentially uncover galaxies that are as much as 100 times fainter than what the telescopes can typically observe. The Frontier Fields science program is ideal for informing audiences about scientific advances and topics in STEM. The study of galaxy properties, statistics, optics, and Einstein's theory of general relativity naturally leverages off of the science returns of the Frontier Fields program. As a result, the Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach (OPO) has initiated an education and public outreach (EPO) project to follow the progress of the Frontier Fields.For over two decades, the Hubble EPO program has sought to bring the wonders of the universe to the education community, the youth, and the public, and engage audiences in the adventure of scientific discovery. Program components include standards-based curriculum-support materials, exhibits and exhibit components, professional development workshops, and direct interactions with scientists. We are also leveraging our new social media strategy to bring the science program to the public in the form of an ongoing blog. The main underpinnings of the program's infrastructure are scientist-educator development teams, partnerships, and an embedded program evaluation component. OPO is leveraging this existing infrastructure to bring the Frontier Fields science program to the education community and the public in a cost-effective way.The Frontier Fields program has just completed its first year. This talk will feature the goals and current status of the Frontier Fields EPO program. We will highlight OPO's strategies and infrastructure that allows for the quick delivery of groundbreaking science to the education community and public.

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

Dykstra, D.; Blomer, J.

Both the CernVM File System (CVMFS) and the Frontier Distributed Database Caching System (Frontier) distribute centrally updated data worldwide for LHC experiments using http proxy caches. Neither system provides privacy or access control on reading the data, but both control access to updates of the data and can guarantee the authenticity and integrity of the data transferred to clients over the internet. CVMFS has since its early days required digital signatures and secure hashes on all distributed data, and recently Frontier has added X.509-based authenticity and integrity checking. In this paper we detail and compare the security models of CVMFSmore » and Frontier.« less

Changes in Structure and Functioning of Protist (Testate Amoebae) Communities Due to Conversion of Lowland Rainforest into Rubber and Oil Palm Plantations

PubMed Central

Krashevska, Valentyna; Klarner, Bernhard; Widyastuti, Rahayu; Maraun, Mark; Scheu, Stefan

2016-01-01

Large areas of tropical rainforest are being converted to agricultural and plantation land uses, but little is known of biodiversity and ecological functioning under these replacement land uses. We investigated the effects of conversion of rainforest into jungle rubber, intensive rubber and oil palm plantations on testate amoebae, diverse and functionally important protists in litter and soil. Living testate amoebae species richness, density and biomass were all lower in replacement land uses than in rainforest, with the impact being more pronounced in litter than in soil. Similar abundances of species of high and low trophic level in rainforest suggest that trophic interactions are more balanced, with a high number of functionally redundant species, than in rubber and oil palm. In contrast, plantations had a low density of high trophic level species indicating losses of functions. This was particularly so in oil palm plantations. In addition, the relative density of species with siliceous shells was >50% lower in the litter layer of oil palm and rubber compared to rainforest and jungle rubber. This difference suggests that rainforest conversion changes biogenic silicon pools and increases silicon losses. Overall, the lower species richness, density and biomass in plantations than in rainforest, and the changes in the functional composition of the testate amoebae community, indicate detrimental effects of rainforest conversion on the structure and functioning of microbial food webs. PMID:27463805

Highly temperature responsive core-shell magnetic particles: synthesis, characterization and colloidal properties.

PubMed

Rahman, Md Mahbubor; Chehimi, Mohamed M; Fessi, Hatem; Elaissari, Abdelhamid

2011-08-15

Temperature responsive magnetic polymer submicron particles were prepared by two step seed emulsion polymerization process. First, magnetic seed polymer particles were obtained by emulsion polymerization of styrene using potassium persulfate (KPS) as an initiator and divinylbenzne (DVB) as a cross-linker in the presence of oil-in-water magnetic emulsion (organic ferrofluid droplets). Thereafter, DVB cross-linked magnetic polymer particles were used as seed in the precipitation polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) to induce thermosensitive PNIPAM shell onto the hydrophobic polymer surface of the cross-linked magnetic polymer particles. To impart cationic functional groups in the thermosensitive PNIPAM backbone, the functional monomer aminoethylmethacrylate hydrochloride (AEMH) was used to polymerize with NIPAM while N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) and 2, 2'-azobis (2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (V-50) were used as a cross-linker and as an initiator respectively. The effect of seed to monomer (w/w) ratio along with seed nature on the final particle morphology was investigated. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) results demonstrated particles swelling at below volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) and deswelling above the VPTT. The perfect core (magnetic) shell (polymer) structure of the particles prepared was confirmed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The chemical composition of the particles were determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The effect of temperature, pH, ionic strength on the colloidal properties such as size and zeta potential of the micron sized thermo-sensitive magnetic particles were also studied. In addition, a short mechanistic discussion on the formation of core-shell morphology of magnetic polymer particles has also been discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Incidence of Escherichia coli in black walnut meats.

PubMed

Meyer, M T; Vaughn, R H

1969-11-01

Examination of commercially shelled black walnut meats showed inconsistent numbers of total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, and Escherichia coli; variation occurred among different meat sizes and within each meat size. The incidence of E. coli on meats of commercially hulled black walnuts depended on the physical condition of the nuts. Apparently tightly sealed ones contained only a few or none, whereas those with visibly separated sutures and spoiled meats yielded the most. This contamination was in part correlated to a hulling operation. Large numbers of E. coli on the husk of the walnuts contaminated the hulling water, subsequently also contaminating the meats by way of separated sutures. Chlorination of the hulling wash water was ineffective. Attempts were made to decontaminate the walnut meats without subsequent deleterious changes in flavor or texture. A treatment in coconut oil at 100 C followed by removal of excess surface oil by centrifugation was best.

Incidence of Escherichia coli in Black Walnut Meats

PubMed Central

Meyer, Melvin T.; Vaughn, Reese H.

1969-01-01

Examination of commercially shelled black walnut meats showed inconsistent numbers of total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, and Escherichia coli; variation occurred among different meat sizes and within each meat size. The incidence of E. coli on meats of commercially hulled black walnuts depended on the physical condition of the nuts. Apparently tightly sealed ones contained only a few or none, whereas those with visibly separated sutures and spoiled meats yielded the most. This contamination was in part correlated to a hulling operation. Large numbers of E. coli on the husk of the walnuts contaminated the hulling water, subsequently also contaminating the meats by way of separated sutures. Chlorination of the hulling wash water was ineffective. Attempts were made to decontaminate the walnut meats without subsequent deleterious changes in flavor or texture. A treatment in coconut oil at 100 C followed by removal of excess surface oil by centrifugation was best. PMID:4905608

Fracking, fracture, and permeability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turcotte, D. L.; Norris, J.; Rundle, J. B.

2013-12-01

Injections of large volumes of water into tight shale reservoirs allows the extraction of oil and gas not previously accessible. This large volume 'super' fracking induces damage that allows the oil and/or gas to flow to an extraction well. The purpose of this paper is to provide a model for understanding super fracking. We assume that water is injected from a small spherical cavity into a homogeneous elastic medium. The high pressure of the injected water generates hoop stresses that reactivate natural fractures in the tight shales. These fractures migrate outward as water is added creating a spherical shell of damaged rock. The porosity associated with these fractures is equal to the water volume injected. We obtain an analytic expression for this volume. We apply our model to a typical tight shale reservoir and show that the predicted water volumes are in good agreement with the volumes used in super fracking.

Oman: World Oil Report 1991

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

Not Available

1991-08-01

This paper reports that for the sixth consecutive year, Oman should retain its title as the biggest driller in the Middle East in 1991. An accelerated program in 1990 pushed production to an all-time record 700,000 bpd late in the year. Although not a member of Opec, Oman has cooperated with the group in restraining output as needed to support oil prices. Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), a partnership of the government (60%), Royal Dutch Shell (34%), Total (4%) and Partex (2%), remains by far the biggest producer. This year, PDO will begin work on its $500-million effort to boost productionmore » from its Lekhwair field from a current 24,000 bpd to 110,000 bpd by 1994. Last year, PDO also drilled 15 horizontal wells, most of which were successful in increasing per well production compared to conventional vertical holes. The horizontal program has been continued this year with two rings.« less

Accidental Turbulent Discharge Rate Estimation from Videos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibarra, Eric; Shaffer, Franklin; Savaş, Ömer

2015-11-01

A technique to estimate the volumetric discharge rate in accidental oil releases using high speed video streams is described. The essence of the method is similar to PIV processing, however the cross correlation is carried out on the visible features of the efflux, which are usually turbulent, opaque and immiscible. The key step in the process is to perform a pixelwise time filtering on the video stream, in which the parameters are commensurate with the scales of the large eddies. The velocity field extracted from the shell of visible features is then used to construct an approximate velocity profile within the discharge. The technique has been tested on laboratory experiments using both water and oil jets at Re ~105 . The technique is accurate to 20%, which is sufficient for initial responders to deploy adequate resources for containment. The software package requires minimal user input and is intended for deployment on an ROV in the field. Supported by DOI via NETL.

Heart of the Solution - Energy Frontiers (A "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" contest entry from the 2011 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum)

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

Green, Peter F.

"Heart of the Solution- Energy Frontiers" was submitted by the Center for Solar and Thermal Energy Conversion (CSTEC) to the "Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research" video contest at the 2011 Science for Our Nation's Energy Future: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) Summit and Forum. Twenty-six EFRCs created short videos to highlight their mission and their work. This video was both the People's Choice Award winner and selected as one of five winners by a distinguished panel of judges for its "exemplary explanation of the role of an Energy Frontier Research Center". The Center for Solar and Thermal Energymore » Conversion is directed by Peter F. Green at the University of Michigan. The Office of Basic Energy Sciences in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science established the 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) in 2009. These collaboratively-organized centers conduct fundamental research focused on 'grand challenges' and use-inspired 'basic research needs' recently identified in major strategic planning efforts by the scientific community. The overall purpose is to accelerate scientific progress toward meeting the nation's critical energy challenges. The mission of the Center for Solar and Thermal Energy Conversion is 'to study complex material structures on the nanoscale to identify key features for their potential use as materials to convert solar energy and heat to electricity.' Research topics are: solar photovoltaic, photonic, optics, solar thermal, thermoelectric, phonons, thermal conductivity, solar electrodes, defects, ultrafast physics, interfacial characterization, matter by design, novel materials synthesis, charge transport, and self-assembly.« less

Alaska: A twenty-first-century petroleum province

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bird, K.J.

2001-01-01

Alaska, the least explored of all United States regions, is estimated to contain approximately 40% of total U.S. undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and natural-gas resources, based on the most recent U.S. Department of the Interior (U.S. Geological Survey and Minerals Management Service) estimates. Northern Alaska, including the North Slope and adjacent Beaufort and Chukchi continental shelves, holds the lion's share of the total Alaskan endowment of more than 30 billion barrels (4.8 billion m3) of oil and natural-gas liquids plus nearly 200 trillion cubic feet (5.7 trillion m3) of natural gas. This geologically complex region includes prospective strata within passive-margin, rift, and foreland-basin sequences. Multiple source-rock zones have charged several regionally extensive petroleum systems. Extensional and compressional structures provide ample structural objectives. In addition, recent emphasis on stratigraphic traps has demonstrated significant resource potential in shelf and turbidite systems in Jurassic to Tertiary strata. Despite robust potential, northern Alaska remains a risky exploration frontier - a nexus of geologic complexity, harsh economic conditions, and volatile policy issues. Its role as a major petroleum province in this century will depend on continued technological innovations, not only in exploration and drilling operations, but also in development of huge, currently unmarketable natural-gas resources. Ultimately, policy decisions will determine whether exploration of arctic Alaska will proceed.

The Frontier Framework (and its eight Frontier Archetypes): A new conceptual approach to representing staff and patient well-being in health systems.

PubMed

Baines, Darrin L

2018-05-04

This paper proposes a new conceptual framework for jointly analysing the production of staff and patient welfare in health systems. Research to date has identified a direct link between staff and patient well-being. However, until now, no one has produced a unified framework for analysing them concurrently. In response, this paper introduces the "Frontier Framework". The new conceptual framework is applicable to all health systems regardless of their structure or financing. To demonstrate the benefits of its use, an empirical example of the Frontier Framework is constructed using data from the UK's National Health Service. This paper also introduces eight "Frontier Archetypes", which represent common patterns of welfare generation observable in health organisations involved in programmes of change. These archetypes may be used in planning, monitoring or creating narratives about organisational journeys. Copyright © 2018 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Emerging conservation challenges and prospects in an era of offshore hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation.

PubMed

Kark, Salit; Brokovich, Eran; Mazor, Tessa; Levin, Noam

2015-12-01

Globally, extensive marine areas important for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem functioning are undergoing exploration and extraction of oil and natural gas resources. Such operations are expanding to previously inaccessible deep waters and other frontier regions, while conservation-related legislation and planning is often lacking. Conservation challenges arising from offshore hydrocarbon development are wide-ranging. These challenges include threats to ecosystems and marine species from oil spills, negative impacts on native biodiversity from invasive species colonizing drilling infrastructure, and increased political conflicts that can delay conservation actions. With mounting offshore operations, conservationists need to urgently consider some possible opportunities that could be leveraged for conservation. Leveraging options, as part of multi-billion dollar marine hydrocarbon operations, include the use of facilities and costly equipment of the deep and ultra-deep hydrocarbon industry for deep-sea conservation research and monitoring and establishing new conservation research, practice, and monitoring funds and environmental offsetting schemes. The conservation community, including conservation scientists, should become more involved in the earliest planning and exploration phases and remain involved throughout the operations so as to influence decision making and promote continuous monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystems. A prompt response by conservation professionals to offshore oil and gas developments can mitigate impacts of future decisions and actions of the industry and governments. New environmental decision support tools can be used to explicitly incorporate the impacts of hydrocarbon operations on biodiversity into marine spatial and conservation plans and thus allow for optimum trade-offs among multiple objectives, costs, and risks. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.

Role of Bioadsorbents in Reducing Toxic Metals

PubMed Central

Jaishankar, Monisha; Biju, Vinai George; Krishnamurthy Nideghatta Beeregowda

2016-01-01

Industrialization and urbanization have led to the release of increasing amounts of heavy metals into the environment. Metal ion contamination of drinking water and waste water is a serious ongoing problem especially with high toxic metals such as lead and cadmium and less toxic metals such as copper and zinc. Several biological materials have attracted many researchers and scientists as they offer both cheap and effective removal of heavy metals from waste water. Therefore it is urgent to study and explore all possible sources of agrobased inexpensive adsorbents for their feasibility in the removal of heavy metals. The objective was to study inexpensive adsorbents like various agricultural wastes such as sugarcane bagasse, rice husk, oil palm shell, coconut shell, and coconut husk in eliminating heavy metals from waste water and their utilization possibilities based on our research and literature survey. It also shows the significance of developing and evaluating new potential biosorbents in the near future with higher adsorption capacity and greater reusable options. PMID:28090207

Role of Bioadsorbents in Reducing Toxic Metals.

PubMed

Mathew, Blessy Baby; Jaishankar, Monisha; Biju, Vinai George; Krishnamurthy Nideghatta Beeregowda

2016-01-01

Industrialization and urbanization have led to the release of increasing amounts of heavy metals into the environment. Metal ion contamination of drinking water and waste water is a serious ongoing problem especially with high toxic metals such as lead and cadmium and less toxic metals such as copper and zinc. Several biological materials have attracted many researchers and scientists as they offer both cheap and effective removal of heavy metals from waste water. Therefore it is urgent to study and explore all possible sources of agrobased inexpensive adsorbents for their feasibility in the removal of heavy metals. The objective was to study inexpensive adsorbents like various agricultural wastes such as sugarcane bagasse, rice husk, oil palm shell, coconut shell, and coconut husk in eliminating heavy metals from waste water and their utilization possibilities based on our research and literature survey. It also shows the significance of developing and evaluating new potential biosorbents in the near future with higher adsorption capacity and greater reusable options.

Fabrication of redox-responsive magnetic protein microcapsules from hen egg white by the sonochemical method.

PubMed

Zhong, Shuangling; Cui, Xuejun; Tian, Fangyuan

2015-01-01

Redox-responsive magnetic protein microcapsules with Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) encapsulated inside have been obtained using a facile, cost-effective and fast sonochemical method from hen egg white proteins. Such prepared redox-responsive magnetic hen egg white protein microcapsules (MHEWPMCs) could be easily manipulated to do magnetic-guided targeting delivery. The synchronous loading of the hydrophobic dye Coumarin 6 as a model of drug into MHEWPMCs was readily achieved during the fabrication of MHEWPMCs by dissolving them into the oil phase before ultrasonication. TEM images indicated that Fe3O4 MNPs were encapsulated in MHEWPMCs. Confocal laser scanning microscopic images indicated that the dye was distributed evenly in the MHEWPMCs and no leakage of dye from the MHEWPMCs was observed due to the protection of protein shells. The MHEWPMCs are potential candidates as attractive carriers for drug targeting delivery and stimuli-responsive release due to their magnetic and redox responsiveness of the disulfide in the microcapsule shells.

Upgrading agricultural wastes using three different carbonization methods: Thermal, hydrothermal and vapothermal.

PubMed

Yeoh, Keat-Hor; Shafie, S A; Al-Attab, K A; Zainal, Z A

2018-06-15

In this study, three different methods for high quality solid fuel production were tested and compared experimentally. Oil palm empty fruit bunches, mesocarp fibers, palm kernel shells and rubber seeds shells were treated using thermal (TC), hydrothermal (HTC) and vapothermal (VTC) carbonization. All thermochemical methods were accomplished by using a custom made batch-type reactor. Utilization of novel single reactor equipped with suspended internal container provided efficient operation since both steam generator and raw materials were placed inside the same reactor. Highest energy densification was achieved by VTC process followed by TC and HTC processes. The heating value enhancement in VTC and TC was achieved by the increase in fixed carbon content and reduction in volatile matter. The formation of the spherical components in HTC hydrochar which gave a sharp peak at 340 °C in the DTG curves was suggested as the reason that led to the increment in energy content. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Feasibility of Wind and Solar Energy Application for Oil and Gas Offshore Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiong, Y. K.; Zahari, M. A.; Wong, S. F.; Dol, S. S.

2015-04-01

Renewable energy is an energy which is freely available in nature such as winds and solar energy. It plays a critical role in greening the energy sector as these sources of energy produce little or no pollution to environment. This paper will focus on capability of renewable energy (wind and solar) in generating power for offshore application. Data of wind speeds and solar irradiation that are available around SHELL Sabah Water Platform for every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day, for a period of one year are provided by SHELL Sarawak Sdn. Bhd. The suitable wind turbine and photovoltaic panel that are able to give a high output and higher reliability during operation period are selected by using the tabulated data. The highest power output generated using single wind energy application is equal to 492 kW while for solar energy application is equal to 20 kW. Using the calculated data, the feasibility of renewable energy is then determined based on the platform energy demand.

Sustainable conversion of agriculture wastes into activated carbons: energy balance and arsenic removal from water.

PubMed

Dieme, M M; Villot, A; Gerente, C; Andres, Y; Diop, S N; Diawara, C K

2017-02-01

The aims of this study are to investigate the production of activated carbons (AC) from Senegal agricultural wastes such as cashew shells, millet stalks and rice husks and to implement them in adsorption processes devoted to arsenic (V) removal. AC were produced by a direct physical activation with water steam without other chemicals. This production of AC has also led to co-products (gas and bio-oil) which have been characterized in terms of physical, chemical and thermodynamical properties for energy recovery. Considering the arsenic adsorption results and the energy balance for the three studied biomasses, the first results have shown that the millet stalks seem to be more interesting for arsenate removal from natural water and an energy recovery with a GEE elec of 18.9%. Cashew shells, which have shown the best energy recovery (34.3%), are not suitable for arsenate removal. This global approach is original and contributes to a recycling of biowastes with a joint recovery of energy and material.

77 FR 39695 - HollyFrontier Refining and Marketing LLC v. Osage Pipe Line Company, LLC; Notice of Complaint

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-05

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. OR12-21-000] HollyFrontier Refining and Marketing LLC v. Osage Pipe Line Company, LLC; Notice of Complaint Take notice that on June 25...; 18 CFR 343.1(a) and 343.2(c), HollyFrontier Refining and Marketing LLC (Complainant) filed a formal...