Intricate CSTR dynamics

Various dynamical characters of continuous stirred tank reaclors (CSTR) are introduced with respect to the effects of reaction types, extra thermal capacitance, periodic forcing, and coupling of CSTRs. The subject includes the classical dynamics of two-dimensional model and the variety of complex dynamics in three or higher dimensional systems such as periodic bifurcations to torus or chaos, aperiodic oscillations on invariant torus, and universal dynamics of alternating periodic-chaotic sequences with k.2^v-cycles for every natural number k. Particularly this review intends to bring about the problems that the engineers must be prepared to encounter in solving various physical systems including chemically reacting systems.     

Comparative study of chemical and electrochemical Fenton treatment of organic pollutants in wastewater

The technological and economic aspects of using the Fenton process to treat industrial wastewater containing morpholyne and diethylethanolamine, as well as sodium salts of naphthalene sulfonic acid and of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid based on data obtained in pilot tests are discussed. Chemical Fenton technology was tested using commercial 30–35% solutions of H₂O₂ and iron (II) salts, which was followed by the additional electrochemical destruction of organic pollutants in an undivided reactor with catalytic stable anodes (CSA) and 1 g L⁻¹ NaCl as a supporting electrolyte and a source of active chlorine. An alternative electrochemical method involving the electrogeneration of hydrogen peroxide in polluted water at the gas -diffusion cathode was studied both with the addition of ferrous salt to the electrolyte prior to electrolysis (in-cell electro-Fenton) as well as with the post-electrolysis addition of Fe²⁺ in another reactor (ex-cell electro-Fenton). The accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in concentrations sufficient for the mineralization of organic pollutants was achieved in both cases with near 100% current efficiency. In comparison with wastewater treatment processes which use a purchased hydrogen peroxide reagent, the Fenton-like processes achieved an economic savings of as much as 64.5% in running costs due to the on-site electrochemical generation of H₂O₂. Preparative electrolysis in the membrane reactor showed higher current efficiencies and lower specific energy consumptions for H₂O₂ electrogeneration in comparison with the results of tests carried out in an undivided cell.     

Investigations of Electrical Properties in Silica/Indium Tin Oxide Two-Layer Film for Effective Electromagnetic Shielding

The effect of zinc ions added to silica film on the electrical and structural properties of a silica/indium tin oxide two-layer film which had been prepared by solution coating for electromagnetic shielding of displays was studied. The volume resistivity of the undoped silica/indium tin oxide film was more than 3 times as high as that of the zinc-doped silica/indium tin oxide film. The addition of divalent cations, zinc ions, to the overcoated layer led volume resistivity of the two-layer film to decrease significantly and also caused a long-term increase in stability. The decrease in volume resistivity was due to the addition of zinc ions that changed the interface ionization and helped to enhance the electrical conductivity in the two-layer film.     

Viscoelastic Behavior, Thermodynamic Compatibility, and Phase Equilibria in Block Copolymer-Based Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives

The viscoelastic behavior, thermodynamic compatibility, and phase equilibria in block copolymer-based pressure-sensitive adhesives were investigated. The block copolymers investigated were: (1) polystyrene-block-polybutadiene-block-polystyrene (SBS) copolymer (KRATON® D-1102, Shell Development Company) and (2) polystyrene-block-polyisoprene-block-polystyrene (SIS) copolymer (KRATON® D-1107, Shell Development Company). The tackifying resins investigated were: (1) WINGTACK® 86 (Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company) and (2) PICCOTAC® 95BHT (Hercules Inc.). Samples of various compositions were prepared by a solution-casting method with toluene as solvent. Measurements of dynamic storage modulus (G'), dynamic loss modulus (G'), and loss tangent (tan δ) were taken, using a Rheometrics Mechanical Spectrometer. It was found that: (1) both WINGTACK 86 and PICCOTAC 95BHT were equally effective in decreasing the plateau modulus (G^O_N), and increasing the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the polyisoprene midblock of KRATON 1107; and (2) WINGTACK 86 was very effective in decreasing the G^O_N and increasing the T_g of the polybutadiene midblock of KRATON 1102, whereas PICCOTAC 95BHT was not. The observed difference between WINGTACK 86 and PICCOTAC 95BHT in decreasing the G^O_N and increasing the T_g of the polybutadiene midblock of KRATON 1102, whereas PICCOTAC 95BHT was not. The observed difference between WINGTACK 86 and PICCOTAC 95BHT in decreasing the G^O_N and increasing the T_g of the polybutadiene midblock of KRATON 1102 (perhaps to SBS block copolymers in general) is explained by the values of the interaction parameter for WINGTACK 86 and KRATON 1102, and for PICCOTAC 95BHT and KRATON 1102. The interaction parameter was determined, using the piezoelectric quartz sorption method. Phase diagrams were constructed for the four block copolymer/tackifying resin systems investigated, using information obtained from both dynamic viscoelastic measurements and optical microscopy. It was found that when mixed with KRATON 1102, PICCOTAC 95BHT formed separate domains whereas WINGTACK 86 did not over the range of concentrations and temperatures investigated. This confirms the evidence obtained from two other independent experimental techniques, namely, dynamic viscoelastic measurements and the piezo-electric sorption method. We have concluded from the present study that PICCOTAC 95BHT is not as an effective tackifying resin as WINGTACK 86, when each is mixed with KRATON 1102. It is pointed out further that information on the order-disorder transition temperature T_r, which was determined from a rheological technique proposed by us, is valuable in determining optimal processing conditions for block copolymer-based pressure-sensitive adhesives.     

Enhancement of combustion efficiency with mixing ratio during fluidized bed combustion of anthracite and bituminous blended coal

In order to investigate the effect of mixing ratio of bituminous coal to blended coal on the enhancement of combustion efficiency, combustion experiments of blended coal with anthracite and bituminous are done in a laboratory scale fluidized bed combustor (10.8 cm ID and 170 cm height). The gross heating values of anthracite and bituminous coal used in this study are 2,810 cal/g and 6,572 cal/g, respectively. Experimental parameters are fuel feed rate, superficial gas velocity and mixing ratio of bituminous coal to blended coal. The combustion efficiency increases with the mixing ratio of bituminous coal due to the lower unburned carbon losses and higher burning velocity of bituminous coal. The rate of combustion in the combustor was increased with mixing ratio resulted from a higher burning velocity of bituminous coal. The measured combustion efficiency experimentally is about 3.5-12.4% higher than that of the calculated value based on the individual combustion of anthracite and bituminous coal under the same operating conditions. The optimum mixing ratio (MR) of bituminous coal determined is around 0.75 in this study. This paper is dedicated to Professor Dong Sup Doh on the occasion of his retirement from Korea University.     

Undecidability of accordance for open systems with unbounded message queues

We study asynchronously communicating open systems modeled as Petri nets with an interface. An accordance preorder describes when one open system can be safely replaced by another open system without affecting some behavioral property of the overall system. Although accordance is decidable for several behavioral properties if we assume a previously known bound on the maximal number of pending messages, we show that it is not decidable without this assumption.     

Face detection based on skin color likelihood

We propose a face detection method based on skin color likelihood via a boosting algorithm which emphasizes skin color information while deemphasizing non-skin color information. A stochastic model is adapted to compute the similarity between a color region and the skin color. Both Haar-like features and Local Binary Pattern (LBP) features are utilized to build a cascaded classifier. The boosted classifier is implemented based on skin color emphasis to localize the face region from a color image. Based on our experiments, the proposed method shows good tolerance to face pose variation and complex background with significant improvements over classical boosting-based classifiers in terms of total error rate performance.     

Pt-V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalysts supported on SiC filter for NO reduction at low temperature

The catalytic filter, V₂O₅-WO₃-TiO₂ supported on a ceramic filter, is known as a promising material for treating particulates and NO _x simultaneously at optimum temperatures around 320°C. In order to improve its catalytic activity at low temperatures, the effect of Pt addition on the catalytic filter has been investigated. Catalytic filters, Pt-V₂O₅-WO₃-TiO₂/SiC, were prepared by co-impregnation of Pt, V, and W precursors on TiO₂ coated-SiC filter by vacuum aided-dip coating. The Pt-added catalytic filter shifted the optimum working temperature from 280–330°C (for the non Pt-impregnated filter) to 180–230°C, providing N _x slip concentration less than 20 ppm for the treatment of 700 ppm NO at a face velocity of 2 cm/s with the same value over the non Pt-added catalytic filters. The promotional effect following the addition of Pt is believed to result from electrical modification of the catalyst maintaining a high electron transfer state. Ammonia oxidation was also observed to be dominant above the optimal temperature for SCR.     

Steam gasification of an australian bituminous coal in a fluidized bed

To produce low calorific value gas, Australian coal has been gasified with air and steam in a fluidized bed reactor (0.1 m-I.Dx1.6 m-high) at atmospheric pressure. The effects of fluidizing gas velocity (2–5 U_f/U_mf), reaction temperature (750–900 °C), air/coal ratio (1.6-3.2), and steam/coal ratio (0.63–1.26) on gas composition, gas yield, gas calorific value of the product gas and carbon conversion have been determined. The calorific value and yield of the product gas, cold gas efficiency, and carbon conversion increase with increasing fluidization gas velocity and reaction temperature. With increasing air/coal ratio, carbon conversion, cold gas efficiency and yield of the product gas increase, but the calorific value of the product gas decreases. When steam/coal ratio is increased, cold gas efficiency, yield and calorific value of the product gas increase, but carbon conversion is little changed. Unburned carbon fraction of cyclone fine decreases with increasing fluidization gas velocity, reaction temperature and air/coal ratio, but is nearly constant with increasing steam/coal ratio. Overall carbon conversion decreases with increasing fluidization velocity and air/ coal ratio, but increases with increasing reaction temperature. The particle entrainment rate increases with increasing fluidization velocity, but decreases with increasing reaction temperature. This paper is dedicated to Professor Dong Sup Doh on the occasion of his retirement from Korea University.     

SAR-derived wind fields at the coastal region in the East/Japan Sea and relation to coastal upwelling

The relationship between the modification of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) wind field and coastal upwelling was investigated using high-resolution wind fields from Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array type L-band synthetic aperture radar (PALSAR) imagery and sea-surface temperature (SST) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Advanced Very-High-Resolution Radiometer (NOAA/AVHRR) data. The retrieved SAR wind speeds seem to agree well with in situ buoy measurements with only a relatively small error of 0.7 m s^?1. The SAR wind fields retrieved from the east coast of Korea in August 2007 revealed a spatial distinction between near and offshore regions. Low wind speeds of less than 3 m s^?1 were associated with cold water regions with dominant coastal upwelling. Time series of in situ measurements of both wind speed and water temperature indicated that the upwelling was induced by the wind field. The low wind field from SAR was mainly induced by changes in atmospheric stability due to air–sea temperature differences. In addition, wind speed magnitude showed a positive correlation with the difference between SST and air temperature (R² = 0.63). The dependence of viscosity of water on radar backscattering at the present upwelling region was negligible since SAR data showed a relatively large backscattering attenuation to an SST ratio of 1.2 dB °C^?1. This study also addressed the important role of coastal upwelling on biological bloom under oligotrophic environments during summer.