Extraction with Ethanol as an Energy-Saving Alternative to Conventional Drying of Corn Starch

Drying of starch derived from corn wet-milling is an energy intensive operation in an energy intensive industry. An alternative to conventional drying involves extraction of water from the starch with an ethanol solution and reconcentration of the ethanol by distillation. Equilibrium data for starch with various concentrations of ethanol in water were obtained. These data were used to calculate the effect of multistage countercurrent extraction of mechanically dewatered starch using a mathematical model of the process. The energy required for drying the extracted starch and recovering the alcohol is predicted to be considerably less than that required for conventional drying. Energy savings up to 40% and more are possible.     

Fin on a Pipe (Insulated Tip): Minimum Conditions for Fin to Be Beneficial

Comparisons are made of the one-dimensional and two-dimensional centerline temperature profiles and heat lost ratios for a radial fin of uniform thickness on a pipe. Effects of the Biot number, fin thickness, and size ratio (ratio of radial distances of the tip and root) are investigated. In particular, the more restrictive two-dimensional results as to the usefulness of the fin are demonstrated. Further, the distortion of the two-dimension temperature profile for intermediate values of the Biot number exhibit regions where waste of material in this shape of fin occurs. Finally, information is presented that relates the fin size (radially) and the Biot number magnitude for which the fin is beneficial.     

Design of the Fudao Forest Walkway in Fuzhou

While rapid spread of urbanization brings dramatical economic growth to major cities worldwide, they are relentlessly eating up green spaces and farmlands essential to the ecosystem and environmental health, risking the common benefits for all lives with inbalanced development and putting a burden on contemporary Landscape Architecture to coordinate ecology and aesthetic with economy. By integrating design aesthetic and engineering efficiency, Fudao, a first-of-its-kind elevated steel walkway system in Fuzhou, China, addresses this challenge successfully by opening up a once desolated mountain area to the public with a minimum environmental disturbance achieved by an innovative design approach, which gains international attention.