Mathematical modeling of reverse osmosis systems

The present investigation pertains to modeling of seawater desalination system. A simulation model was developed and verified for a small-scale reverse osmosis system. The proposed model combines material balances on the feed tank, membrane module andproduct tank with membrane mass transfer models. Finally a comprehensive simulation model has been developed incorporating the effect of mass transfer inhibition The model is non-linear differential equation representing the feed concentration as a function of operating time and space. The solution of the simultaneous differential equations was obtained using the fourth order Runge-Kutta method, due to self starting and stability. The model was verified using the experimental data from the literature [17,24]. Parameter sensitivity was carried out to select the proper step size. The simulation was run for over 1000 11 enabling a prediction of operational performance at high overall system recoveries.     

Oxidation of Branched Chain Fatty Acids by Chromic Acid

The kinetics of oxidation of isobutyric and isovaleric acids by chromic acid in sulphuric acid medium have been studied. The end product acetic acid is supposed to be derived from the ketones which are the initial oxidation products of the corresponding branched chain fatty acids. The influence of acetic acid on the oxidation velocity has been examined and a marked effect on the rate constants with increasing acetic acid concentration has been observed. A mechanism involving the electrophilic attack of the oxidant on the tertiary carbon atom of the fatty acid to yield a carbonium ion has been postulated.     

A portable wireless body sensor data logger and its application in video capsule endoscopy

Due to the advancement of low power miniature electronic devices, there is growing interest of physiological data sensing and recording using wireless body sensor networks. The paper presents the design of a portable physiological data logger that includes rechargeable battery, wireless radio frequency and Bluetooth connectivity, and graphical display with touch screen capability. The target application is video capsule endoscopy. Image data are logged in micro SD cards which can be easily transferred to PC or Smartphone using SD card reader, USB interface or Bluetooth wireless link. The hardware design is general and can be used in various medical or industrial applications by changing only the firmware of the microcontroller. The design is prototyped in 109 × 107 × 20 mm printed circuit board (PCB). Tests with animal tissues have been conducted to demonstrate the performance advantages of the data logger. A demonstration of wireless heart pulse monitoring and data logging is also presented.     

UV‐radiation–induced preirradiation grafting of methyl methacrylate onto lignocellulose fiber in an aqueous medium and characterization

The preirradiation method of grafting has been established by ultraviolet radiation. Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was grafted onto jute fiber in an aqueous medium. The variation of graft weight with UV‐radiation time, monomer concentration, and reaction time was investigated. The conversion of monomer into homopolymer and graft copolymer was evaluated. The graft weight passes through a maximum value (～ 122%) with UV‐radiation time. The optimum value of the monomer concentration was evaluated for maximum degree of grafting. Graft copolymerization of MMA onto lignocellulose fiber significantly increases the elongation at break (～ 65%) compared to that of the “as‐received” sample. However, a linear decrease on breaking load was observed with the increase of graft weight. The estimation of degree of grafting was achieved using an IR technique by correlating band intensities with the degree of grafting. Considering the water‐absorption property, the grafted sample showed a maximum up to 61% decrease in hydrophilicity compared to that of the as‐received sample. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1667–1675, 2004     

An improved remote user authentication scheme with key agreement

In distributed systems, user authentication schemes based on password and smart card are widely used to ensure only authorized access to the protected services. Recently, Chang et al. presented an untraceable dynamic-identity-based user authentication scheme with verifiable-password-update. In this research, we illustrate that Chang et al.’s scheme violates the purpose of dynamic-identity contrary to authors’ claim. We show that once the smart card of an arbitrary user is lost, passwords of all registered users are at risk. Using information from an arbitrary smart card, an adversary can impersonate any user of the system. In addition, its password change phase has loopholes and is misguiding. The scheme has no provision for session key agreement and the smart card lacks any verification mechanism. Then we come-up with an improved remote user authentication scheme with the session key agreement, and show its robustness over related schemes.     

An adaptive watermarking scheme for e-government document images

This paper proposes an adaptive watermarking scheme for e-government document images. The adaptive scheme combines the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and the singular value decomposition (SVD) using luminance masking. As a core of masking model in the human visual system (HVS), luminance masking is implemented to improve noise sensitivity. Genetic algorithm (GA), subsequently, is employed for the optimization of the scaling factor of the masking. Involving a number of steps, the scheme proposed through this study begins by calculating the mask of the host image using luminance masking. It is then continued by transforming the mask on each area into all frequencies domain. The watermark image, following this, is embedded by modifying the singular values of DCT-transformed host image with singular values of mask coefficient of host image and the control parameter of DCT-transformed watermark image using Genetic Algorithm (GA). The use of both the singular values and the control parameter respectively, in this case, is not only to improve the sensitivity of the watermark performance but also to avoid the false positive problem. The watermark image, afterwards, is extracted from the distorted images. The experiment results show the improved adaptive performance of the proposed scheme is in resistant to several types of attacks in comparison with the previous schemes; the adaptive performance refers to the adaptive parameter of the luminance masking functioned to improve the performance or robustness of an image from any attacks.     

Lithium/V6O13 cells using silica nanoparticle-based composite electrolyte

The electrochemical behavior of Li/V₆O₁₃ cells is investigated at room temperature (22 °C) both in liquid electrolyte consisting of oligomeric poly(ethyleneglycol)dimethylether+lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonylimide) and composite electrolytes formed by blending the liquid electrolyte with silica nanoparticles (fumed silica). The addition of fumed silica yields a gel-like electrolyte that demonstrates the desirable property of suppressing lithium dendrite growth due to the rigidity and immobility of the electrolyte structure. The lithium/electrolyte interfacial resistance for composite gel electrolytes is less than that for the corresponding base-liquid electrolyte, and the charge-discharge cycle performance and electrochemical efficiency for the Li/V₆O₁₃ cell is significantly improved. The effect of fumed silica surface group on the electrochemical performance is discussed; the native hydrophilic silanol surface group appears better than fumed silica that is modified with a hydrophobic octyl surface moiety.     

Molecular weight distributions and size fractionations of H-coal liquids

This Paper deals with a comparative study on the use of gel permeation chromatography (g.p.c.) and vapour pressure osmometry (v.p.o.) to obtain molecular weight data for the hexane-soluble fractions of three H-coal liquids. The use of two types of column packing materials, polyvinylacetate and styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer gels, is described. A successful, preparative use of the polyvinylacetate gel to fractionate the hexane-soluble fraction of H-coal liquid, atmospheric still overhead (ASO), has been established. Molecular weight data obtained by v.p.o. for the benzene-soluble fraction and the pyridine-soluble fraction of the three H-coal liquids are reported. Solvent extraction has been utilized also to find the amount of oil, asphaltenes and asphaltols in the three H-coal liquids.     

A literature survey and an experimental study of coal devolatilization at mild and severe conditions: influences of heating rate, temperature, and reactor type on products yield and composition

Coal devolatilization studies to maximize the yield of condensable products by operating at elevated temperatures and heating rates have been published. The objectives of this study were to investigate the influences of relatively mild operating conditions (e.g. relatively low temperature and pressure) on product quality, by comparing devolatilized products obtained at various temperatures and heating rates. Fixed bed, fluid bed, and entrained flow reactor units were used to obtain pyrolysis products. In addition, literature data on tar yields in various reactor units at a range of temperatures and residence times were surveyed and compared with experimental data. The liquids were characterized by a number of techniques, including field ionization mass spectroscopy (f.i.m.s.), sequential elution solvent chromatography (s.e.s.c.) and elemental analysis. The results demonstrate that the quality and yield of liquids obtained at a rapid heating rate are functions of peak pyrolysis temperature. It was shown that at a rapid heating rate, the yields of heavier polyfunctional groups (i.e. hydrocarbons with greater mean molecular weight) are greater than those obtained in the fixed bed slow heating rate reactor. The liquids generated at a slow heating rate are of lower molecular weight, viscosity, and sulphur content, and of higher H/C atomic ratios compared with the liquids obtained in a rapid heating rate unit. The effect of increasing the maximum pyrolysis temperature (at a constant slow heating rate) was to increase the yield of light gases (mainly H) at the expense of char hydrogen content and char reactivity. The tar yield is not markedly influenced when the peak devolatilization temperature is increased at a relatively slow heating rate. However, the quality (as defined by the H/C (atomic) ratio) of the liquids, and the reactivity (in air) of char, was reduced when the peak pyrolysis temperature was increased. At a rapid heating rate, the primary products, which have many structural characteristics of the parent coal, are devolatilized. The quality of the liquids obtained at a rapid heating rate is, therefore, determined by the devolatilized primary coal fragments evolved at the devolatilization temperature. In a slow heating rate fixed bed unit, however, the primary coal fragments undergo additional cracking reactions which involve stabilization of free radicals by donatable hydrogen. This leads to the formation of low molecular weight hydrocarbons of relatively higher quality. In-situ (both intraparticle or extraparticle) stabilization of reactive coal fragments by donatable hydrogen may lead to a significant improvement in the overall quality of the pyrolysis liquids in a fixed bed system in which time-temperature history is conducive for such reactions.     

Solubility of Na2SO4, Na2CO3 and their mixture in supercritical water

The solubility of many salts in water decreases dramatically with temperature in the vicinity of the critical point of pure water. Examples of these salts are sulfates of sodium, potassium, lithium and sodium carbonate. These salts are usually produced during supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) and contribute to fouling. The solubility of Na₂CO₃ and Na₂SO₄ has been determined in pure form and in the presence of each other, for the temperature range relevant to SCWO. The experimental procedure was to pass the salt solution through a tube at constant temperature. After a brief initiation period during which no salt sticks to the tube, the salt above the solubility limit deposited on the tube surface. The solution leaving the section was thus at the solubility limit. A rapid decrease in the salt solubility was observed just above the pseudo-critical temperature. For supercritical conditions, the solubility of each salt in the form of a mixture was quite close to the solubility of pure salt. At the highest fluid density considered (480 kg/m³) the presence of Na₂CO₃ reduces the solubility of Na₂SO₄, as might be expected from the “common-ion effect”.