Enhancing fine particle separation by hybrid-electrostatic-turbulence coagulation: An experimental and numerical investigation

The electrostatic precipitator(ESP) has low efficiency in removing sub-micron particles. Coagulation technology, as a fine particle pretreatment technology, uses an external effect to agglomerate and grow fine particles, increase the average particle size, and make it easier to remove by subsequent dust removal equipment. However, the coagulation efficiency of a single coagulation technology is limited. Aiming at the particle charging mechanism and coagulation mechanism in the electric/turbulent composite coagulation process of fine particles, this paper uses a combination of numerical simulation and experiment to study the effects of different structural parameters, discharge parameters and flue gas parameters on corona discharge and particle charge. On this basis, the coagulation characteristics of charged particles in the turbulent flow field are studied. The results show that, when the Angle between the tip of the arista electrode is 90°, the corona discharge effect is the best. With the increase of supply voltage and temperature, the charge of particles increases. When the applied positive voltage is 29 kV and negative voltage is ?35 kV, the total coagulation coalescence efficiency of fine particles reaches the maximum. The coagulation efficiency increases with the increase of temperature, but decreases with the increase of inlet flow rate.     

Simulation and verification of particle flow with an elastic collision by the immersed edge-based smoothed finite element method

The immersed edge-based smoothed finite element method (IES-FEM) is proposed for the study of elastic collision particulate flow. Particle collision becomes more realistic by using the penalty function and the hyperelastic constitutive model. The effects of grid resolution and Reynolds numbers on particle terminal velocity and drag coefficient are discussed to verify the calculation accuracy and stability. Single-particle collisions with the bottom and side walls are analyzed and experimentally verified. Results show that the calculation error of IES-FEM is less than 0.6% when the fluid grid size is 0.5 times the particle mesh size and the time step is 10^–4 s. Particle drag coefficient and flow characteristics agree well with the published models and experiment results. To demonstrate the capabilities of IES-FEM in complex elastic particle systems, the collision and rebound of multiple particles are determined, including the drafting–kissing–tumbling of two circular particles; the chase, collision, and deformation of rectangular particles; and the repeated formation and separation of particle clusters. This work extends the application of IES-FEM in particle-resolved direct numerical simulation methods, which will provide an optional tool for future elastic blood cell flow and collision.     

Reduction of byproduct particle size using low-pressure plasmas generated by a cylindrical-shaped electrode

In the case of a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, large amounts of byproduct particles arrive at a vacuum pump in spite of the use of cleaning process. As these particles are accumulated on internal components of a vacuum pump, its performance is reduced. A plasma reactor located right before a vacuum pump is proposed with an aim to reduce the size and quantity of byproduct particles, thereby to improve the durability of a vacuum pump. The plasma reactor and electrode all have a concentric cylindrical shape, which allows the device to be easily connected to pre-existing vacuum pipelines without any disturbance to the exhaust stream. The sizes of byproduct particles before the vacuum pump are quite diverse in the range of tens of nanometers to tens of micrometers. The plasma reactor makes the size and quantity of byproduct particles much smaller, and the particles larger than 1 μm are not observed anymore. This result indicates that the vacuum pump durability can be significantly improved by using plasmas.     

Effect of dust-neutral collisions on the dust characteristics in a magnetized plasma sheath

The characteristics of dust in a plasma sheath are investigated in the presence of an external magnetic field and taking into account the dust-neutral collision force. The continuity and momentum equations of ions and dust particles are solved numerically with various magnitudes of collision force by using the fluid model. The numerical results have revealed that the collision force reduces the dust gyro radius, changes the positions of the extrema of the dust density and the velocity in the depth direction. It is shown that the collision force reduces the dust kinetic energy which has no fluctuation even in a strong external magnetic field.     

An application of bootstrap method for analysis of particle size distribution

The Bootstrap method, which is used widely in statistics, is a very powerful method that can be applied to the analysis of particle size distribution. For a number based measurement, this method can estimate the statistic uncertainty or confidence interval for any statistical quantities of interest from the distribution, with very simple protocol and without any parametric assumptions. This paper gives a demonstration to introduce the method to the community of particle size analysis.     

Discrete element method simulation analysis of the generation mechanism of cooperative behavior of disks falling in a low-density particle bed

Pacheco-Vázquez and Ruiz-Suárez reported an interesting cooperative behavior for disks falling in a particle bed. This behavior involved the formation of upward and downward convex configurations during the falling of five steel disks into a bed of polystyrene particles. We used discrete element method simulations to investigate the generation mechanism for this cooperative behavior. Particles with a diameter of 5.0 mm and a density of 14.0 kg/m³ were placed randomly in a container with a width of 900 mm or 2700 mm and a height of 2700 mm. Model spheres with the same mass and diameter as the steel disks with a diameter of 25.4 mm and a thickness of 5.0 mm were then dropped into the particle bed, and we investigated the cooperative behavior of the model spheres. Similar cooperative behaviors were observed for the containers with widths of 900 mm and 2700 mm, indicating that the container side walls do not affect the occurrence of this behavior when the width is larger than 900 mm. The falling velocity of each disk was strongly dependent on the packing fractions over the disk and the flow velocity of the bed particles around the disks. Based on these results, the generation mechanism of the upward and downward convex configurations is discussed.     

Towards realistic characterisation of chemical reactors: An in-depth analysis of catalytic particle beds produced by sieving

Optimization of large-scale fixed particle bed catalytic reactors requires extensive insight into the multi-scale bed structure, even down to the micrometre scale. Theoretical studies of chemical reactors provide a time- and cost-effective means to supporting the optimisation process. However, they rely on simplified assumptions for the particles, e.g. homogeneous perfect spheres. In practise, the preparation of catalytic particles cannot attain this level of uniformity. Typical preparation techniques, such as sieving, are conducted with the aim of obtaining particle size distributions within a pre-defined range, governed by the sizes of the sieves. However, such methods offer limited control in the actual particle sizes and shapes. This paper evaluates the impact of sieving on the resulting particles and overall structural morphology of catalytic beds. The bed structure is quantified using micro-focus computed tomography (µ-CT), enabling the non-destructive examination and analysis of over 150 thousand particles, in terms of particle size, shape, uniformity, and interparticle porosity. Furthermore, the chemical performance of the resulting beds is compared. The detailed characterisation achieved paves the way for the evolution of more rigorous computational models coupling intricate, localised hydrodynamics with realistic chemical processes. Validation of such models at the lab-scale will accelerate the development of more accurate large-scale models.     

Simulation of particle bed breakage by slow compression and impact using a DEM particle replacement model

The present work introduces a particle replacement model implemented in the commercial software EDEM to describe breakage of particles. Several model parameters were initially estimated on the basis of single-particle breakage tests on iron ore pellets. The model was then used to simulate breakage of particle beds by both slow compression and impact. Model predictions were compared to experiments in terms of compressive force versus packing density, breakage probability of the particles versus compressive force applied to the bed, and the product size distribution in compression and impact. The model showed the expected trends as well as some agreement with the measured product size distributions both from confined and unconfined stressing conditions of the bed of particles, being a simple and effective approach to describe breakage in systems where particles are stressed as assemblies.     

Inline method of droplet and particle size distribution analysis in dilute disperse systems

In the present article a measurement method of particle size distributions (PSD) in industrial installations which use a dispersed phase of low concentration (like spray dryers or spray scrubbers) is introduced. A new type of inline-measurement system has been developed and designed to work in spray drying conditions. A standard digital camera is used to record shadows of flowing particles inside the spray drying chamber. Collected images were analyzed by a newly developed software which recognizes particles only in the focus area and eliminates several types of artifacts. The constructed prototype of the PSD inline-analyzer was installed and used to monitor large laboratory scale spray dryer. All data collected by the designed system during the spray drying experiments were compared with data measured with an offline reference system to show accuracy of the new measurement technique.     

Investigation of particle reduction and its transport mechanism in UHF-ECR dielectric etching system

Control of particle transport was investigated by using a UHF-ECR etching apparatus with a laser particle monitor. The particles, which float at a plasma-sheath boundary, fall on a wafer when the plasma is turned off. These floating particles can be removed from the region above the wafer by changing the plasma distribution. We measured the distribution of the rotational temperature of nitrogen molecules across the wafer to investigate the effect of the thermophoretic force. We found that mechanisms of particle transport in directions parallel to the wafer surface can be explained by the balance between thermophoretic and gas viscous forces.     

Effect of particle size on densification of pure magnesium during spark plasma sintering

The effect of particles size ranges (<38 μm, 75–150 μm, 270–550 μm) of atomized magnesium powders on densification mechanisms during spark plasma sintering (SPS) process was investigated. The intrinsic driving force, local pressure and current of Mg powders with different particle sizes were analyzed by theoretical calculation. The results obviously indicate that the densification of pure magnesium can be improved by the reduction of particle size, suggesting the intrinsic driving force, local pressure and current intensity are enhanced significantly by a decrease in the particle size at the same sintering conditions, which can promote shrinkage of pores, formation of the sintering neck and mass transportation in the SPS process. Not only that, rapid densification is also interpreted in term of mechanical movement of particles, Joule heating effect and plastic deformation. However, the mechanical movement of the large particles is higher than that of small particles due to high punch displacement, and plastic deformation, detected by scanning electron microscopy, plays a main role in densification for large particles in the case during the sintering. Joule heating effect is the key factor for densification of small Mg particles, and high densification degree can be obtained by sintering small particles.     

The importance of modelling ballast particle shape in the discrete element method

The discrete element method has been used to model railway ballast. Particles have been modelled using both spheres and clumps of spheres. A simple procedure has been developed to generate clumps which resemble real ballast particles much more so than spheres. The influence of clump shape on the heterogeneous stresses within an aggregate has been investigated, and it has been found that more angular clumps lead to a greater degree of homogeneity. A box test consisting of one cycle of sleeper load after compaction has been performed on an aggregate of spheres and also on an alternative aggregate of clumps. The interlocking provided by the clumps provides a much more realistic load- deformation response than the spheres and the clumps will be the basis for future work on ballast degradation under cyclic loading.     

Control of particle charge by atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ): A review

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) have more advantages regarding flexibility of operation than low pressure plasmas. Because the ions and/or electrons in the APPJ can be arbitrarily extracted to a gas-phase space by changing the DC bias voltage and efficiently deposited onto particle surfaces in an external electric field, this operating technique can be applied towards controlling particle charge. Several methods to control the particle charge using an APPJ system have already been reported. This article summarizes the specifications and operations of these systems, their mechanisms of charge transfer, and methods for particle charging, based on previously reported work. The methods are categorized into three groups, i.e., direct charging of particles, direct charging of a powder bed, and indirect charging of particles, and the corresponding experimental setups, procedures, results, and discussions are presented.     

Particle size tuning in scalable synthesis of anti-oxidized copper fine particles by polypeptide molecular weights

Size tuning of metallic copper fine particles is highly important for their application to conductive pastes. Uniformly sized metallic copper fine particles could be successfully obtained by a chemical reduction of CuO micro powders using hydrazine in the presence of polypeptides as the stabilizing regent. Easy tuning of their particle sizes was successfully achieved via controlling the molecular weight of polypeptides. The obtained particles were covered by polypeptide capsules which were approximately 2 wt% of total mass. They are highly stable even under ambient conditions.     

测量范围设定对激光粒度检测结果的影响

激光粒度测试仪在微粉行业得到广泛的应用，正确的使用，结合扫描电镜可以给出粉体颗粒大小的准确量度。引起粒度测量的误差原因很多，本文中讨论激光粒度仪测量范围的设定对粒度测量结果的影响。     

空调系统新风机组组合方式的研究

对目前我国存在的新风机组进行了大致分类,分别介绍了净化空调系统新风机组、半集中式空调系统新风机组和蒸发冷却与机械制冷相结合的新风机组,着重介绍了目前干燥地区半集中式空调系统中使用的蒸发冷却空调新风机组,最后针对蒸发冷却空调新风机组存在的不足提出了蒸发冷却与机械制冷相结合的三级复合式新风机组,从热湿交换角度和h-d图上对该机组的组合方式进行了分析,总结出了一种不仅能在干燥地区使用,同时能在中、高湿度地区使用的全年性蒸发冷却空调新风机组。     

A regression study on the solid particle erosion of copper and copper alloys by angular and spherical particles at normal incidence

A regression analysis is presented on the solid particle erosion results of copper and copper alloys impacted by angular and spherical silica particles at normal incidence. Particle shape, particle size, and zinc content of materials were selected as factors. Also, three levels were assigned to each factor. Experiments were performed under 50 mTorr vacuum utilizing an electrostatic accelerator erosion tester. A total of 10 g particles were sent to each substrate material in 10 increments. At the end of the experiments, the extent of erosion was calculated by dividing weight loss to the amount of particles sent. A regression analysis was conducted on the erosion data to see the individual and interaction effects of factors chosen.

Results indicate that quadratic components of zinc content, particle shape, and particle size and linear interaction between particle size and zinc content were effective in defining erosion in this study.     

New insights into the effects of particle size on the surface modification by low-temperature plasma from a perspective of surface oxidation degree

Particle size is an important parameter to determine the surface modification degree of sulfide minerals by plasma as well as the floatability of minerals. However, little studies have been reported to quantitatively relate surface oxidation and sample particle size to flotation performance. In this study, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to characterize the surface species of arsenopyrite and pyrite at different plasma modification times. The critical oxidation degree was quantified as the proportion of hydrophilic oxidation species to hydrophobic species and correlated with flotation recovery. The results showed that the flotation recoveries of minerals with different particle sizes were determined by surface oxidation rate and critical oxidation degree. Fine particles were more likely to become hydrophilic under low-temperature plasma modification and yet the critical oxidation degree was also higher. The coarse particles being plasma modification presented a poor flotation recovery due to its low adsorption density of collector, although its oxidation degree was lower than the fine size fraction. The critical oxidation degree of pyrite was expected to be less than arsenopyrite, but its flotation recovery was higher under the same plasma medication time because of its slower oxidation rate.     

基于LabVIEW的纳米颗粒动态散射光模拟

采用实验室虚拟仪器工程平台LabVIEW实现了纳米颗粒动态光散射信号的计算机模拟。用G语言(图形语言)设计了信号模拟的框图程序,给出了5nm, 15 nm两种粒径颗粒的模拟动态散射光信号及自相关函数。对模拟信号的粒度分析表明,这两种模拟信号产生的测量偏差分别为0.4nm和-0.6nm。     

Development of density-inclination plasmas for analysis of plasma nano-processes via combinatorial method

We have developed a plasma-process analyzer based on the “combinatorial method”, in which process examinations with a continuous variation of sample-preparation conditions can be carried out in one execution of experiment via placing substrates on a substrate holder with an inclined distribution of process parameters (ion flux and radical flux) and the distributions of particle fluxes are finely controlled and characterized via particle diagnostics. In the present study, plasma-fluid simulations have been performed to show the feasibility of the combinatorial plasma-process analyzer, in which density inclinations of the plasma parameters (ion density, radical density) are obtained via sustaining plasmas by localized deposition of discharge power using low-inductance antenna modules. The simulation results showed that density-inclination plasmas were feasible by localized power deposition for sustaining plasmas, indicating that a variety of process conditions can be efficiently analyzed via placing substrates on a substrate holder, along which process parameters are inclined.