COMPUTER-AIDED GRAPHICS OF LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION

An algorithm has been developed and tested for steady-state liquid-liquid extraction, using rectangular coordinates. It is capable of handling common types of stagewise contact, i.e., single stage extraction, multistage cross-current, and continuous countercurrent multistage extraction. The results depend on the nature of the extraction scheme and the extent of separation desired. While equilibrium data for some systems are stored in its data bank, the present portable computer simulator ( LIQEXT) has the flexibility of reading equilibrium data for other systems, as well as overriding stored data

Both design and rating cases can be performed. In the design mode, i.e., given the feed and solvent rates and the outlet concentration, it calculates the number of stages, the exit stream flow rates, and the concentration profile. In the rating ( or simulation) mode, i.e., given the feed and solvent rates, and the number of stages, it computes the exit streams flow rates and compositions, and the concentration profile. In both cases a graphical output of the concentration profile is produced, either on the screen or on a hard-copy plotter.     

Dielectric waveguides in two-dimensional photonic bandgap materials

We investigate the performance and guiding properties of waveguides fabricated in a finite two-dimensional (2-D) photonic bandgap (PBG) structure. Confinement in the direction perpendicular to the plane of periodicity is achieved by fabricating the 2-D PBG structure in a high dielectric layer enclosed by two lower dielectric layers. Simulations using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method are performed to investigate the energy transport in such waveguides. Good qualitative agreement is found with the experimental observations     

CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-laser treatment of indium tin oxide nanoparticle coatings on flexible polyethyleneterephthalate substrates

A CO₂-laser treatment was used to improve the electrical conductivity of coatings of indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles on flexible polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) substrates. The electrical conductivity and the transparency of CO₂-laser-treated ITO nanoparticle coatings were characterized with regard to the application as transparent electrodes. Furthermore, the stability of the electrical conductivity under oscillatory bending was investigated. A specific resistance of 0.12 Ω cm is obtained by CO₂-laser treatment without thermally damaging the PET film. The improvement of the electrical conductivity can be explained by a slight sinter neck formation. For a film thickness of 3 μm, a sheet resistance of 400 Ω/□ and a transmission in the visible range of 80% were achieved. The stability of the electrical conductivity of CO₂-laser-treated ITO nanoparticle coatings under bending was investigated using a specially constructed device for the application of various oscillatory bending loads. For a bending radius of 10 mm, the sheet resistance does not exceed 1000 Ω/□ after 300 bending cycles. Compared to commercial sputtered ITO coatings, CO₂-laser-treated ITO nanoparticle coatings show a significant higher stability under oscillatory bending.     

Investigation of the viscoelastic response of high temperature AS4‐12K/RP46 composites using a micromechanical approach

The viscoelastic behavior of a RP46 polyimide resin is characterized at high temperature and the results are used within a micromechanical model to predict the viscoelastic response of a RP46 based carbon fiber composite. The creep master curve of the neat resin is obtained using the time temperature superposition principle (TTSP) from creep tests at three different temperatures, namely 180, 220, and 270°C. The viscoelastic behavior of RP46 is modeled based on Schapery's single integral constitutive equation whose Prony Series coefficients are obtained from the master curve. The acquired properties are then incorporated into a Simplified Unit Cell Micromechanical model to study the creep response of a RP46 resin based composite system. The advantage of this particular micromechanical model lies in its ability to give closed form expressions for the effective viscoelastic response of unidirectional composites as well as each of their constituents. Two types of nonlinearities were observed, one due to stress and the other due to temperature. Both of these nonlinearities can be modeled through the use of proper coefficients in the constitutive equation of the matrix material. The model predictions are found to be in good agreement with experimental results obtained from tests conducted on the RP46 resin based composite system. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:1407–1414, 2016. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Bibliography on power system probabilistic analysis (1962-88)

A bibliography is presented on the subject of power system analysis from a probabilistic point of view. Comprising 269 references, this bibliography focuses on probabilistic loadflow, probabilistic short circuit, and probabilistic dynamic analysis (probabilistic security). An additional section covering general topics (analysis and engineering) and a list of previous bibliographies are also presented.<>     

MODELING OF ETHANOL BIOPRODUCTION IN THREE-PHASE FLUIDIZED BED REACTORS

A time dependent and one-dimensional model is developed to analyze the performance of three-phase fluidized reactors and is applied to the fermentation of glucose to ethanol. The reactor model takes into consideration the presence of three different phases; the yeast (solid) which is continuously fluidized by the liquid stream, the gas bubbles which greatly enhance mixing and the wake phase which follows the tracks of the gas bubbles. The reactor performance is analyzed as a function of major operating conditions. The analysis includes variations in dispersion of glucose and yeast inside the reactor, the concentration of glucose in feed, and of the yeast mass inside the reactor, reaction temperature, velocities of gas and liquid feeds, and reactor aspect ratio. Computed glucose conversion is presented as a function of reactor length and time. The results indicate that high glucose conversions can be obtained at high gas velocities, low liquid flow rates, large aspect ratios, high yeast concentration, and an optimum operating temperature of 36°C,     

Reliability Evaluation for Optimally Operated, Large, Electric Power Systems

This paper presents a combined optimization/reliability technique to evaluate the reliability of large power systems. It uses Monte Carlo simulation for the individual operation/failure random performance of elements of a power network. This simulation overcomes the difficulty in constructing the many possible states for large power systems of complex topology. A simplified power-flow representation of the power network is used and a network reduction is implemented to reduce the size of the power-flow problem, such that only the effective part of the network (for a given contingency) is retained. The control parameters are optimized in order to simulate practical contingency situations in which suitable controls are invoked to preserve, as much as possible, the continuity of supply. The optimization problem is solved by linear programming in which the generator powers are manipulated as optimization variables to maximize the load power supplied and subject to the power flow equations as well as upper and lower bounds on the optimization variables. The outputs of the performance simulation and the optimization problem are subsequently used to compute the system reliability indices. The paper describes the computerized algorithm as well as numerical results for the IEEE 118-bus power system to demonstrate the applicability of the algorithm to actual systems.     

An investigation of the damage mechanisms and fatigue life diagrams of flax fiber-reinforced polymer laminates

In this paper we investigated the fatigue damage of a unidirectional flax-reinforced epoxy composite using infrared (IR) thermography. Two configurations of flax/epoxy composites layup were studied namely, [0]₁₆ unidirectional ply orientation and [±45]₁₆. The high cycle fatigue strength was determined using a thermographic criterion developed in a previous study. The fatigue limit obtained by the thermographic criterion was confirmed by the results obtained through conventional experimental methods (i.e., Stress level versus Number of cycles to failure). Furthermore, a model for predicting the fatigue life using the IR thermography was evaluated. The model was found to have a good predictive value for the fatigue life. In order to investigate the mechanism of damage initiation in flax/epoxy composites and the damage evolution, during each fatigue test we monitored the crack propagation for a stress level and at different damage stages, a direct correlation between the percentage of cracks and the mean strain was observed.