New insight into subcritical rupture of SiC-based filaments at intermediate temperatures (400–900 °C) under air

The delayed failure of SiC fibrous reinforcement has continuously been investigated to warrant the long term performances of Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC). Chiefly assessed on multifilament tow samples to alleviate some handling difficulties, subcritical crack growth (SCG) parameters are however ruled by structural artifacts which hinder the identification of intrinsic filament behavior. In this paper, we propose to estimate the true filament parameters for 5 fiber types from bundle behavior using a recently communicated Monte Carlo algorithm integrating flaw and stress distributions through a deterministic fracture mechanics law under Paris’ formulation. So computed tow lifetime are broadly dispersed, encompassing raw data, and show a structure-dependent scale effect, revealed by n_filament>n_tow where n is the stress exponent. The relationship between SCG coefficient and chemical composition of the substrate is discussed and highlights the major effect of doping elements (Ti or Zr), oxygen or hydrogen content.     

Preparation of fully dense and magnetically controllable CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-Na2O-Fe3O4 glass ceramics by hot pressing

Fully dense and magnetically controllable glass ceramics was successfully synthesized by method of hot pressing using CaO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-Na₂O glass powder and Fe₃O₄ powder as raw materials. The influences of sintering temperature and time, content and particle size of Fe₃O₄, as well as particle size of glass powder on the densification and magnetic properties of samples were investigated. It was found that the saturation magnetization gradually increased with increasing magnetite content. In addition, the samples containing smaller size magnetite particles had a higher coercivity. However, for samples using smaller size glass powder, magnetite particles could partially dissolve into the glass matrix, which led to the decrease of saturation magnetization and the increase of coercivity. It was also concluded that the precipitation of crystalline phase from smaller size glass powder caused the decrease of degree of densification, and after decreasing the sintering temperature, the degree of densification of product was enhanced.     

The effect of particle size distribution on the microstructure and properties of Al2O3 ceramics formed by stereolithography

Stereolithography (SL) shows advantages for preparing alumina-based ceramics with complex structures. The effects of the particle size distribution, which strongly influence the sintering properties in ceramic SL, have not been systematically explored until now. Herein, the influence of the particle size distribution on SL-manufactured alumina ceramics was investigated, including bending strength at room temperature, post-sintering shrinkage, porosity, and microstructural morphology. Seven particle size distributions of alumina ceramics were studied (in μm/μm: 30/5, 20/3, 10/2, 5/2, 5/0.8, 3/0.5, and 2/0.3); a coarse:fine particle ratio of 6:4 was maintained. At the same sintering temperature, the degree of sintering was greater for finer particle sizes. The particle size distribution had a larger influence on flexural strength, porosity and shrinkage than sintering temperature when the particle size distribution difference reached 10-fold but was weaker for 10 μm/2 μm, 5 μm/2 μm and 5 μm/0.8 μm. The sintering shrinkage characteristics of cuboid samples with different particle sizes were studied. The use of coarse particles influenced the accuracy of small-scale samples. When the particle size was comparable to the sample width, such as 30 μm/5 μm and 5 mm, the width shrinkage was consistent with the height shrinkage. When the particle size was much smaller than the sample width, such as 2 μm/0.3 μm and 5 mm, the width shrinkage was consistent with the length shrinkage. The results of this study provide meaningful guidance for future research on applications of SL and precise control of alumina ceramics through particle gradation.     

Influence of photovoltaic generation model and time resolution on the reliability evaluation of distribution systems

This paper aims to investigate the influence of photovoltaic (PV) generation on reliability evaluation of distribution systems. Two PV generation models are used to predict the output power injected into the grid, taking into account the main relevant environmental variables, the irradiance and ambient temperature. Issues that directly affect the output power, such as the spatial smoothing effect due to the plant size and the influence of the irradiance and temperature measurement interval are taken into consideration. Using measurement time series of irradiance and local temperature, the models are used to generate power series in 4‐minute and hourly resolutions. The generated power series are used in a reliability assessment model, with the objective of evaluating the impact of solar resource variability on the reliability indices of the system. Case studies on the IEEE RBTS‐Bus 2 and on the real distribution system of Fernando de Noronha in Brazil are presented and discussed, for power plants of different capacities, considering the effect of the PV generation models, the temporal resolution of the time series and the spatial smoothing of the power output fluctuations. The results show that the power time series in hourly resolution significantly underestimates the frequency of interruptions. For the real system, this index is underestimated at the system level (up to 43%) and at the load points (up to 72%). On the other hand, for the interruption duration index, the temporal aggregation results in a small underestimation (just 4%). The results also indicates that the smoothing effect is irrelevant for typical PV system sizes of distribution systems with discretization equal to or above 4 minutes.     

Effects of ultrasound-assisted resting on the qualities of whole wheat dough sheets and noodles

The effects of resting under ultrasonic treatment on the properties of whole wheat dough sheets and noodles were investigated. Compared with the control group, the resting time to reach the maximum breaking force and extensibility of whole wheat dough sheets treated with ultrasound was shortened by 20 min. The proportion of strongly bound water (T₂₁) decreased, while the proportion of weakly bound water (T₂₂) increased during resting, and the ultrasonic treatment could accelerate this moisture redistribution in the dough. The extent of the increase in gluten macropolymer and the decrease in –SH content of ultrasound-treated wheat dough was higher than that of the control one during the initial 5–15 min resting, which could be related to the improvement of whole wheat dough extensibility. Whole wheat noodles showed a better breaking distance for 10 min of ultrasonic-assisted resting. Ultrasonic treatment could be used to reduce the resting time of whole wheat dough sheets and improve the texture properties of noodles.     

Investigation of the ultimate particle size distribution of a carbonate sand

A series of ring shear tests were conducted to investigate the ultimate particle size distribution of a carbonate sand. The tests were carried out under different stress levels, on three types of specimens: 1) uniformly graded specimens made of dry natural sand 2) remoulded specimens of the crushed sand after first shearing to large strains 3) specimens made of natural sand grains but with the same grading as in (2). The first series of tests on type (1), carried out to very large strains, led to apparently stable gradings, distinct for each stress level. Only limited additional particle breakage could be induced by remoulding the specimens after shearing (type (2)) and subjecting them to more shearing. Tests on specimens created at the apparently stable gradings (type (3)) but from the intact sand particles however led to significantly greater breakage. For the three types a stable, fractal grading was achieved. Analyses of the soil particles’ shape showed that the aspect ratio, sphericity and circularity reach a steady value at large strains, in parallel to reaching a stable grading. The mobilized angle of shearing resistance however was not significantly different in the different types of samples, suggesting the final grading dominates the behaviour.     

The effect of non-uniform temperature on the sorption-enhanced steam methane reforming in a tubular fixed-bed reactor

The effect of non-uniform temperature on the sorption-enhanced steam methane reforming (SE-SMR) in a tubular fixed-bed reactor with a constant wall temperature of 600 °C is investigated numerically by an experimentally verified unsteady two-dimensional model. The reactor uses Ni/Al₂O₃ as the reforming catalyst and CaO as the sorbent. The reaction of SMR is enhanced by removing the CO₂ through the reaction of CaO + CO₂ → CaCO₃ based on the Le Chatelier's principle. A non-uniform temperature distribution instead of a uniform temperature in the reactor appears due to the rapid endothermic reaction of SMR followed by an exothermic reaction of CO₂ sorption. For a small weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 0.67 h^?1 before the CO₂ breakthrough, both a low and a high temperature regions exist simultaneously in the catalyst/sorbent bed, and their sizes are enlarged and the temperature distribution is more non-uniform for a larger tube diameter (D). Both the CH₄ conversion and the H₂ molar fraction are slightly increased with the increase of D. Based on the parameters adopted in this work, the CH₄ conversion, the H₂ and CO molar fractions at D = 60 mm are 84.6%, 94.4%, and 0.63%, respectively. After CO₂ breakthrough, the reaction of SMR dominates, and the reactor performance is remarkably reduced due to low reactor temperature.For a higher value of WHSV (4.03 h^?1) before CO₂ breakthrough, both the reaction times for SMR and CO₂ sorption become much shorter. The size of low temperature region becomes larger, and the high temperature region inside the catalyst/sorbent bed doesn't exist for D ≥ 30 mm. The maximum temperature difference inside the catalyst/sorbent bed is greater than 67 °C. Both the CH₄ conversion and H₂ molar fraction are slightly decreased with the increase of D. However, this phenomenon is qualitatively opposite to that for small WHSV of 0.67 h^?1. The CH₄ conversion and H₂ molar fraction at D = 60 mm are 52.6% and 78.7%, respectively, which are much lower than those for WHSV = 0.67 h^?1.     

Influence of soil density on gas permeability and water retention in soils amended with in-house produced biochar

Biochar has been used as an environment-friendly enhancer to improve the hydraulic properties(e.g.suction and water retention) of soil.However,variations in densities alter the properties of the soil-biochar mix.Such density variations are observed in agriculture(loosely compacted) and engineering(densely compacted) applications.The influence of biochar amendment on gas permeability of soil has been barely investigated,especially for soil with diffe rent densities.The maj or obj ective of this study is to investigate the water retention capacity,and gas permeability of biochar-amended soil(BAS) with different biochar contents under varying degree of compaction(DOC) conditions.In-house produced novel biochar was mixed with the soil at different amendment rates(i.e.biochar contents of 0%,5% and 10%).All BAS samples were compacted at three DOCs(65%,80% and 95%) in polyvinyl chloride(PVC)tubes.Each soil column was subjected to drying-wetting cycles,during which soil suction,water content,and gas permeability were measured.A simplified theoretical framework for estimating the void ratio of BAS was proposed.The experimental results reveal that the addition of biochar significantly decreased gas permeability k_g as compared with that of bare soil(BS).However,the addition of 5%biochar is found to be optimum in decreasing kg with an increase of DOC(i.e.k_(g,65%) k_(g,80%) k_(g,95%)) at a relatively low suction range(200 kPa) because both biochar and compaction treatment reduce the connected pores.     

Evaluation of particle recovery from microalgae

Coccoliths are micro-structured biomineral particles found in cell protective covering layers of coccolithophore species. They are mainly composed of CaCO₃ and their individual crystal entities are arranged in such a way that they construct complex and unique structures. This complexity is found down to the individual particle level and appears to have promising properties to offer. This study focuses on the essential step prior to any kind of implementation, which is the recovery of the material. It summarizes cleaning protocols found in literature, compares them for the first time for the same freshly cultivated material and addresses challenges that still need to be overcome. Further, it highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the best cleaning protocols, suggests optimizations with promising results and uses size distribution measurements to analyse the recovery efficiency. To that end, further characterization techniques, new for coccoliths, are introduced and used to improve our current knowledge of the particles behaviour.     

加工精度对方便米饭理化性质的影响

过度"精、细、白"的大米加工方式造成大量的粮食和营养浪费。为促进我国粮食适度加工政策的实施,研究大米加工精度(DOM)对方便米饭复水性质(水分含量和水分分布)、形态特征(长宽比、延长率和体积膨胀率)、颜色(L值、b值和ΔE值)、质构(硬度和黏度)和微观结构的影响及规律。结果表明,当DOM≥3%时,方便米饭的水分吸收速率、水分分布和形态特征与精白米方便米饭(DOM 12%)相近。当DOM升至6%时,方便米饭的形态特征、总体颜色ΔE值、硬度和微观结构也与精白米方便米饭相近。当DOM达到9%时,方便米饭的黏度已与精白米方便米饭无显著差异。由此可见,生产方便米饭的大米DOM范围宜为6%～9%。用此DOM范围的大米生产方便米饭,可以保留部分糠层营养物质,节约3%～6%的粮食。