Numerical and experimental study on the falling film flow characteristics with the effect of co-current gas flow in hydrogen liquefaction process

Liquid hydrogen storage and transportation is an effective method for large-scale transportation and utilization of hydrogen energy. Revealing the flow mechanism of cryogenic working fluid is the key to optimize heat exchanger structure and hydrogen liquefaction process(LH2). The methods of cryogenic visualization experiment, theoretical analysis and numerical simulation are conducted to study the falling film flow characteristics with the effect of co-current gas flow in LH2spiral wound heat exchanger.The results show that the flow rate of mixed refrigerant has a great influence on liquid film spreading process, falling film flow pattern and heat transfer performance. The liquid film of LH2mixed refrigerant with column flow pattern can not uniformly and completely cover the tube wall surface. As liquid flow rate increases, the falling film flow pattern evolves into sheet-column flow and sheet flow, and liquid film completely covers the surface of tube wall. With the increase of shear effect of gas-phase mixed refrigerant in the same direction, the liquid film gradually becomes unstable, and the flow pattern eventually evolves into a mist flow.

Pattern transition and regulation in a subthalamopallidal network under electromagnetic effect

Although the significant roles of magnetic induction and electromagnetic radiation in the neural system have been widely studied,their influence on Parkinson’s disease(PD)has yet to be well explored.By virtue of the magnetic flux variable,this paper studies the transition of firing patterns induced by magnetic induction and the regulation effect of external magnetic radiation on the firing activities of the subthalamopallidal network in basal ganglia.We find:(i)The network reproduces five typical waveforms corresponding to the severity of symptoms:weak cluster,episodic,continuous cluster,episodic,and continuous wave.(ii)Magnetic induction is a double-edged sword for the treatment of PD.Although the increase of magnetic coefficient may lead the physiological firing activity to transfer to pathological firing activity,it also can regulate the pathological intensity firing activity with excessiveβ-band power transferring to the physiological firing pattern with weakβ-band power.(iii)External magnetic radiation could inhibit continuous tremulous firing andβ-band power of subthalamic nucleus(STN),which means the severity of symptoms weakened.Especially,the bi-parameter plane of the regulation region shows that a short pulse period of magnetic radiation and a medium level of pulse percentage can well regulate pathological oscillation.This work helps to understand the firing activity of the subthalamopallidal network under electromagnetic effect.It may also provide insights into the mechanisms behind the electromagnetic therapy of PD-related firing activity.

Numerical simulation study on multiphase flow pattern of hydrate slurry

The research on the multiphase flow characteristics of hydrate slurry is the key to implementing the risk prevention and control technology of hydrate slurry in deep-water oil and gas mixed transportation system.This paper established a geometric model based on the high-pressure hydrate slurry experimental loop.The model was used to carry out simulation research on the flow characteristics of gas-liquid-solid three-phase flow.The specific research is as follows:Firstly,the effects of factors such as slurry flow velocity,hydrate particle density,hydrate particle size,and hydrate volume fraction on the stratified smooth flow were specifically studied.Orthogonal test obtained particle size has the most influence on the particle concentration distribution.The slurry flow velocity is gradually increased based on stratified smooth flow.Various flow patterns were observed and their characteristics were analyzed.Secondly,increasing the slurry velocity to 2 m/s could achieve the slurry flow pattern of partial hydrate in the pipeline transition from stratified smooth flow to wavy flow.When the flow rate increases to 3 m/s,a violent wave forms throughout the entire loop.Based on wave flow,as the velocity increased to 4 m/s,and the flow pattern changed to slug flow.When the particle concentration was below 10%,the increase of the concentration would aggravate the slug flow trend;if the particle concentration was above 10%,the increase of the concentration would weaken the slug flow trend,the increase of particle density and liquid viscosity would weaken the tendency of slug flow.The relationship between the pressure drop gradients of several different flow patterns is:slug flow>wave flow>stratified smooth flow.

Spatial variations of terrain and their impacts on landscape patterns in the transition zone from mountains to plains—A case study of Qihe River Basin in the Taihang Mountains

Terrain plays a key role in landscape pattern formation, particularly in the transition zones from mountains to plains.Exploring the relationships between terrain characteristics and landscape types in terrain-complex areas can help reveal the mechanisms underlying the relationships. In this study, Qihe River Basin, situated in the transition zone from the Taihang Mountains to the North-China Plain, was selected as a case study area. First, the spatial variations in the relief amplitudes(i.e.,high-amplitude terrain undulations) were analyzed. Second, the effects of relief amplitudes on the landscape patterns were indepth investigated from the perspectives of both landscape types and landscape indices. Finally, a logistic regression model was employed to examine the relationships between the landscape patterns and the influencing factors(natural and human) at different relief amplitudes. The results show that with increasing relief amplitude, anthropogenic landscapes gradually give in to natral landscapes. Specifically, human factors normally dominate the gentle areas(e.g., flat areas) in influencing the distribution of landscape types, and natural factors normally dominate the highly-undulating areas(e.g., moderate relief areas). As for the intermediately undulating areas(i.e.,medium relief amplitudes), a combined influence of natural and human factors result in the highest varieties of landscape types. The results also show that in micro-relief areas and small relief areas where natural factors and human factors are more or less equally active,landscape types are affected by a combination of natural and human factors.The combination leads to a high fragmentation and a high diversity of landscape patterns. It seems that appropriate human interferences in these areas can be conducive to enhancing landscape diversity and that inappropriate human interferences can aggravate the problems of landscape fragmentation.

Latitudinal differentiation and patterns of temperate and subtropical plants in the Qinling-Daba Mountains

Geographically,the Qinling-Daba Mountains serve as the main body of the north-south transitional zone of China.However,the transitional patterns of their plant species still need to be clarified.This study analyzed latitudinal variations of plant species richness,relative importance values(RIV),and plant species abundance based on plant community field survey data for 163 sample sites along three north-south transect lines in the eastern,middle,and western parts of the study areas.The difference in RIV between subtropical and temperate species(SND-RIV)was selected to reveal the latitudinal interlacing pattern of northern and southern plant species.Along the eastern(Sanmenxia-Yichang),middle(Xi’an-Dazhou),and western(Tianshui-Guangyuan)transects,the richness and RIV of subtropical plant species increased while those of temperate plant species decreased from north to south.In the eastern transect,temperate plant species richness and RIV were the highest at Shennongjia and Funiu Mountain,respectively,because of their high elevations.In the middle transect,subtropical plant species richness and RIV were the highest in the Daba Mountains.In the western transect,richness and RIV were higher for subtropical than temperate plant species from the south of Longnan.The crisscrossing areas of northern and southern plant species were∼180 km,∼100 km,and∼60 km wide for the eastern,middle,and western transects,respectively,showing a narrowing trend from east to west.For the eastern and western transects,decreases in subtropical plant species distribution from south to north could be attributed to a decrease in mean annual precipitation in the same direction.However,for the middle transect,mean annual temperature had a slightly greater influence on plant species’latitudinal distribution than the moisture index.This study provides a more solid scientific basis for future investigations of this key geographical boundary in China.

The HITCR-I:Evaluation on a free gait generation method for the hexapod robot on irregular terrain

The purpose of this paper is to present and evaluate a method of free gait generation for HITCRI,a hexapod walking robot.The HITCR-I is designed as a modularized structure of legs that is based upon a four-bar linkage mechanism and with force sensors in the tip of legs,distributed hardware structure and a modular software structure of the control system.Based on a set of local rules between adjacent legs,finite state machine(FSM) model is built to control the coordination of legs.An automatic smooth transition of gait pattern is achieved through deriving the mathematical relation between gait pattern and locomotion parameters.The disordered inter-leg phase sequence is adjusted to a regular state smoothly and quickly by the local rules based FSM,and the gait pattern can transform automatically adapting to irregular terrain.The experiment on HITCR-I has demonstrated that it can walk through irregular terrain reliably and expeditiously with the free gait controller designed in this paper.

HOW to Look at the ＂Migrant Worker Shortage＂ from an Economic Perspective

The ＂migrant worker shortage＂ which occurred several）pears ago and the recent ＂labor shortage＂ were both caused by an imbalance between the supply and demand of migrant workers. It is a periodical outcome of spontaneous adjustment by the migrant labor market. As rural welfare was greatly enhanced in 2009, migrant workers＇ opportunity cost of working outside their hometowns was raised. The connotation of migrant workers＇ ＂market price＂ is changing. The new generation of migrant workers, namely, those born after 1980, are becoming the mainstay of enterprises＇ employment. Being better educated, they have different lifestyles than previous generations. ＂Leisure and entertainment＂ have become part of their opportunity cost and reduced their labor supply. ＂Labor shortage＂ is an endogenous force that helps transform China＇s growth patter, upgrade the industrial structure and promote urbanization. The seasonal ＂return of migrant workers＂ and the ＂labor shortage＂ which appears around China＇s Spring Festival each year have grown into a unique b,t effective collective bargaining mechanism that helps increase migrant workers＇ wages. Facing labor shortages, governments should regulate the labor market pricing and orientate labor-intensive enterprises towards transition, continue to enhance the social security system for migrant workers and those in rural areas, and make an accurate forecast of the population trend and adjust population policies.

Flow excitation mechanisms of unbalanced impeller forces after pump power-trip of ultra-high head pump-turbines

To elucidate the dynamic mechanisms of unbalanced impellers in ultra-high head pump-turbines(PTs),this study employed a one-and three-dimensional coupled method to simulate the pump power-trip(PPT)process of an ultra-high head PT.The investigation revealed two novel pulsation frequency components,denoted as fDVand fINFT,associated with impeller forces.The pulsation intensities of these components were markedly higher than those of rotor-stator interaction frequency components in ultra-high head PTs.Notably,the fDVcomponents exhibited pulsations at 1–2 times the rated rotation frequency of the impeller,spanning the entire transition period.Meanwhile,the fINFTcomponents constituted a complex frequency band with various frequency values,primarily occurring near conditions(Q=0,n=0,M=0,and d M/dt=0).These two pulsation frequency components were predominantly linked to the unsteady evolution of dean vortices inside the volute and complex transitions of the flow pattern within the impeller,respectively.It is crucial to note that these unbalanced flow-induced impeller axial forces can elevate the risk of accidents where the rotor is subjected to significant upwind axial forces.These findings offer valuable insights into mitigating the risk of rotor lifting due to axial forces during PT events in ultra-high head PTs.

A new method for identifying flow pattern of spouted fluidized bed by coupling Hilbert-Huang transform characteristics of differential pressure signals in different zones

On a cold spouted fluidized bed,this study compares the characteristic differences in intrinsic mode function(IMF)energy and Hilbert–Huang spectrum between the spout zone and annulus zone under different combinations of spouted gas and fluidized gas flow rates for five typical flow patterns.The energy distribution characteristics under different flow patterns are also analyzed.The Hilbert–Huang spectrum and IMF energy of pressure difference signals exhibit distinct variations in different zones as the flow pattern changes.Moreover,there exists a correlation between the energy in the middle-frequency range and the flow pattern.Leveraging the K-means algorithm,the middle-frequency range energy of IMFs in the spout zone and annulus zone is subjected to clustering analysis,leading to the identification of partition boundaries for each flow pattern.Based on this,a flow pattern identification method of spouted fluidized bed coupled with middle-frequency range energy in spout zone and annulus zone is proposed,which has very high identification accuracy.

Synchronization and bursting transition of the coupled Hindmarsh-Rose systems with asymmetrical time-delays

The study of synchronization and bursting transition is very important and valuable in cognitive activities and action control of brain as well as enhancement for the reliability of the cortex synapses. However, we wonder how the synaptic strength and synaptic delay, especially the asymmetrical time-delays between different neurons can collectively influence their synchronous firing behaviors. In this paper, based on the Hindmarsh-Rose neuronal systems with asymmetrical time-delays, we investigate the collective effects of various delays and coupling strengths on the synchronization and bursting transition. It is shown that the interplay between delay and coupling strength can not only enhance or destroy the synchronizations but also can induce the regular transitions of bursting firing patterns. Specifically, as the coupling strength or time-delay increasing, the firing patterns of the time-delayed coupling neuronal systems consistently present a regular transition, that is, the periods of spikes during the bursting firings increase firstly and then decrease slowly. In particular, in contrast to the case of symmetrical time-delays,asymmetrical time-delays can lead to the paroxysmal synchronizations of coupling neuronal systems, as well as the concentration level of synchronization for the non-identically coupled system is superior to the one of identical coupling. These results more comprehensively reveal the rich nonlinear dynamical behaviors of neuronal systems and may be helpful for us to have a better understanding of the neural coding.

Analysis of controls upon channel planform at the First Great Bend of the Upper Yellow River, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The 270 km long section of the Upper Yellow River at the First Great Bend is comprised of single channel and multiple channel systems that alternate among anastomosing, anabranching, meandering and braided reaches. The sequence of downstream pattern changes is characterized as： anastomosing-anabranching, anabranching-meandering, meandering-braided and braided-meandering. Remote sensing images, DEM data and field investigations are used to assess ahd interpret controls on these reach transitions. Channel slope and bed sediment size are key determinants of transitions in channel planform. Anas- tomosing reaches have a relatively high bed slope （0.86‰） and coarser sediment bed material （d50 = 3.5 mm）. In contrast, meandering reaches have a low slope （0.30‰） and fine sediment bed material （d50 = 0.036 mm）. The transition from a meandering to braided pattern is characterized by an increase in channel width-depth ratio, indicating the important role of bank strength （i.e. cohesive versus non-cohesive versus channel boundaries）. Interestingly, the braided-meandering and meandering-braided transitions are coincident with variable flow inputs from tributary rivers （Baihe and Heihe rivers respectively）. Theoretical analysis of the meandering-braided transition highlights the key control of channel width-depth ratio as a determinant of channel planform.

Numerical Study of Void Fraction Distribution Propagation in Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow

A dynamic propagation model was developed for waves in two-phase flows by assuming that continuity waves and dynamic waves interact nonlinearly for certain flow conditions. The drift-flux model is solved with the one-dimensional continuity equation for gas-liquid two-phase flows as an initial-boundary value problem solved using the characteristic-curve method. The numerical results give the void fraction dis- tribution propagation in a gas-liquid two-phase flow which shows how the flow pattern transition occurs. The numerical simulations of different flow patterns show that the void fraction distribution propagation is deter- mined by the characteristics of the drift-flux between the liquid and gas flows and the void fraction range. Flow pattern transitions begin around a void fraction of 0.27 and end around 0.58. Flow pattern transitions do not occur for very high void concentrations.