Application of Bronsted acid ionic liquids as green catalyst in the synthesis of 2-propanol with reactive distillation

Five Br?nsted acidic ionic liquids(ILs) were prepared and characterized by FT-IR,~1H NMR and ^(13)C NMR. Their catalytic activities for the synthesis of 2-propanol(IPOH) via transesterification of isopropyl acetate(IPAc) with methanol(Me OH) were investigated. Among all the tested ILs, [Ps-mim]HSO_4 performed best and was used as catalyst for further studies. The reaction kinetics were carried out to correlate the parameters in a homogeneous second order kinetic model. It has been found that there is close agreement between the calculated and experimental values. The high-pressure batch reactive distillation experimental apparatus was set up in order to enhance the conversion of IPAc. A high conversion of IPAc of 99.4% was obtained under the optimal reaction conditions. The catalyst [Ps-mim]HSO_4 can be recycled easily by a rotary evaporator and reused without any further treatment. The catalyst had been repeatedly used for four times and no obvious changes in the structure of catalyst could be observed.

Comparison of schemes for preparing magnetic Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles

Magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles were prepared by means of coprecipitation using NH3-H2O in water and in alcohol, and using NaOH in water. A series of instruments such as SEM, TEM, HRTEM, FT-IR, XRD and VSM were used to characterize the properties of the magnetic nanoparticles. The results indicated that the magnetism of Fe3O4 nanoparticles synthesized using NH3.H2O in water was the highest, although the reaction time was the longest. The process using NaOH in water was the simplest and the reaction time was the shortest, but the particle characteristics were inferior to those of the other two methods. The mean size of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles prepared by coprecipitation in alcohol was the smallest among the three, but the nanoparticles aggregated severely. The magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles were coated with oleic acid using saturated sodium oleate, and the polarity of the surface-modified nanoparticles was measured. Fe3O4 nanoparticles prepared using NH3.H2O, not NaOH, could be coated successfully and thoroughly.

On the viscosity of magnetic fluid with low and moderate solid fraction

The design of a pressurized capillary rheometer operating at prescribed temperature is described to measure the viscosity of magnetic fluids （MFs） containing Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles （MNPs）. The equipment constant of the rheometer was obtained using liquids with predetermined viscosities. Experimentally measured viscosities were used to evaluate different equations for suspension viscosities. Deviation of measured suspension viscosities from the Einstein equation was found to be basically due to the influence of spatial distribution and aggregation of Fe3O4 MNPs. By taking account of the coating layer on MNPs and the aggregation of MNPs in MFs, a modified Einstein equation was proposed to fit the experimental data. Moreover, the influence of external magnetic field on viscosity was also taken into account. Viscosities thus predicted are in good agreement with experimental data. Temperature effect on suspension viscosity was shown experimentally to be due to the shear-thinning behavior of the MFs.

Preparation and characterization of carbonyl iron/strontium hexaferrite magnetorheological fluids

The heat transfer oil-based magnetorheological fluid （MRF） was prepared using oleic acid-modified micron carbonyl iron powder as a magnetic dispersed phase and strontium hexaferrite （SrFe12019） nanoparticles as an additive. The sedimentation stability of MRFs was studied. The results indicated that the stability of MRFs was improved remarkably by adding SrFel2019 nanoparticles and the sedimenta- tion ratio was only 0.88 in 20 days when the content of nanoparticles reached 10wt%. The rheological properties were characterized by a HAAKE rheometer without a magnetic field and a capillary rheometer with and without a magnetic field. The effects of SrFe12019 nanoparticles, the temperature, and magnetic field strength were investigated. In addition, the rheological properties could be predicted well using the improved Herschel-Bulkley model, even under a magnetic field. A theoretical model was also proposed to predict the yield stress based on the microstructure of the MRF under an applied magnetic field.

A CORRELATION EQUATION FOR CALCULATING INCLINED JET PENETRATION LENGTH IN A GAS-SOLID FLUIDIZED BED

Numerical simulation of gas-solid flow in a two-dimensional fluidized bed with an inclined jet was performed. The numerical model is based on the two-fluid model of gas and solids phase in which the solids constitutive equations are based on the kinetic theory of granular flow. The improved ICE algorithm, which can be used for both low and high-velocity fluid flow, were used to solve the model equations. The mechanism of jet formation was analyzed using both numerical simulations and experiments. The emergence and movement of gas bubbles were captured numerically and experimentally. The influences of jet velocity, nozzle diameter, nozzle inclination and jet position on jet penetration length were obtained. A semi-empirical expression was derived and the parameters were correlated from experimental data. The correlation equation, which can be easily used to obtain the inclined jet penetration length, was compared with our experimental data and published correlation equations.

Bubble dynamics in a two-dimensional gas-solid fluidized bed

Related referential studies on gas-solid two-phase flows were briefly reviewed. Bubble ascending in a two-dimensional （2D） gas-solid fluidized bed was studied both experimentally and numerically. A modified continuum model expressed in the conservation form was used in numerical simulation. Solid-phase pressure was modeled via local sound speed; gas-phase turbulence was described by the K-ε two-equation model. The modified implicit multiphase formulation （IMF） scheme was used to solve the model equations in 2D Cartesian/cylindrical coordinates. The bubble ascending velocity and particle motion in the 2D fluidized bed were measured using the photochromic dye activation （PDA） technique, which was based on UV light activation of particles impregnated with the dye. Effects of bed height and superficial gas velocity on bubble formation and ascent were investigated numerically. The numerically obtained bubble ascending velocities were compared with experimental measurements. Gas bubble in jetting gas-solids fluidized bed was also simulated numerically.

Numerical simulation and experimental verification of silicone oil flow over magnetic fluid under applied magnetic field

Two-layer flow of magnetic fluid and non-magnetic silicone oil was simulated numerically. The continuity equation, momentum equations, kinematic equation, and magnetic potential equation were solved in two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate. PLIC （piecewise linear integration calculation） VOF （volume of fluid） scheme was employed to track the free interface. Surface tension was treated via a continuous surface force （CSF） model that ensures robustness and accuracy. The influences of applied magnetic field, inlet velocity profile, initial surface disturbance of interface and surface tension were analyzed. The computed interface shapes at different conditions were compared with experimental observation.