Plant-to-plant direct competition for belowground resource in an overlapping depletion zone

In response to limited availability of soil resources in basal root zone, plant extends its roots into nearby resource-rich zones to fulfill essential resource demands for survival and reproduction. This root proliferation into that enriched zones occupied by other plants constitutes interplant overlapping rooting zones and thereby the overlapping depletion zones, causing reduction in resource uptake by neighboring plants. By incorporating this mechanism into the classic resource competition model, we study interplant direct competition through their rooting system in an overlapping depletion zone. The model results indicate an extension of Tilman’s R* rule that has already been proved true when plants compete indirectly through their effect on shared resources. The results reveal that plant’s direct competitive ability (i.e., the ability to occupy an overlapping depletion zone by excluding others) can be characterized by its R*-value, where a best competitor having lowest R*-value excludes others from an overlapping zone and occupies the zone by depleting the resource level to the lowest as in its non-overlapping depletion zone. By analyzing the model, we find a suite of traits that confers R* variation among directly competing plants. This suite of traits would be a useful proxy measure for R* that do not necessarily require to establish equilibrium field monoculture—a requirement for R* measurement in the field.

Study on Performance of Savonius Rotor Type Wave Energy Converter Used in Conjunction with Floating Breakwater

In the present study,the performance characteristics of a Savonius rotor type wave energy converter used in conjunction with a conventional double-buoy floating breakwater is investigated using physical model studies.The Savonius rotor type converter is suspended under the double-buoy floating breakwater to achieve wave attenuation while generating electricity,thereby enhancing the overall wave-elimination effect of the combination.The Savonius rotor is tested with different water submergence depths,and a reasonable relative submergence depth is determined within the scope of the research parameters.The hydrodynamics and energy capture performance of the combined breakwater with four different sizes of Savonius rotor under different wave conditions are studied,and the transmission coefficient of the experimental device is analyzed.The results show that when the optimal relative submergence depth is 0.65D,where D is the impeller diameter,there is a correspondence between the optimal performance of Savonius rotor with different rotor sizes and the wave period and wave height.The optimal energy capture efficiency of the wave energy converter reaches 17%−20.5%,and the transmission coefficient is reduced by 35%−45%compared with the conventional double-buoy breakwater.

Rate Equation of Small Particle-Air Bubble Attachment in Turbulent Flow of Flotation Cells

A rate equation of small particle-air bubble attachment in the turbulent now of flotation cells has beenderived. The equation, integrating both the collision probability and adhesion probability together, represents theprobability of attachment between particle and bubble in the turbulent flow. 'Capture efficiency' f(a) is introducedinto the rate equation to reflect the influence of energy hairier on the attachment rate. Three typical situations of particle-bubble interaction in flotation process have been discussed. For a completely hydrophobic particle-bubble system,f(a) = 1. This means that all collision leads to attachment. Whereas for hydrophilic particle-bubble systems, .f(a) =0. Thus no adhesion of particle on bubble occurs at all. In real notation circumstances, however, there always existsa certain energy barrier between the particle and the bubble. Therefore, f(a) = 0～1. In such cases, not all collisionsresult in particle-bubble attachment.

Direct capture efficiency of range hoods in the confined kitchen space

Range hood is a local ventilation device applied widely in residential kitchen for maintaining healthy environment. This study firstly defines the direct capture efficiency (DCE) based on the two-zone model in a confined kitchen space. A mass flux ratio of the secondary captured pollutant to the entrained pollutant from the room zone is proposed for the determination of DCE, where the distribution coefficient is firstly solved, and then its sensitivity analysis on the DCE is carried out. To validate the mass flux ratio and concisely identify the DCE, a virtual purification method that artificially sets the escaped pollutant to zero, is further applied. Compared with the newly developed DCE, the existing indexes, such as contaminant removal efficiency (CRE), total capture efficiency (TCE), fail to differentiate the direct capture from the total capture. Finally, the effects of such factors as makeup airflow pattern, exhaust flow rate, cooking source temperature and the individual occupied/unoccupied on the DCE are fully studied. It is confirmed that different makeup airflow pattern results in distinguished airflow distribution, which makes a significant difference of more than 30% in DCE. Over 50% increase of DCE can be achieved when the exhaust flow rate is increased from 300 to 600 m3/h. About 30% decrease of DCE is observed with the increased cooking source temperature from 100 to 300 °C, and 10% increase of DCE is appeared in the individual occupied case. This reasonable definition and determination of DCE would help to improve the real capture performance of range hoods.

Capture efficiency and bias from the defect dynamics near grain boundaries in BCC Fe using mesoscale simulations

The capture efficiency describes the capability of a sink,such as a grain boundary(GB),dislocation,and void,to absorb point defects(PDs).The bias defines the difference in capture efficiency between the absorption of a vacancy and dumbbell at a sink.Complete kinetic information on PDs,including diffusion barriers and diffusion orientations,as well as accurate saddle points,are needed to determine the capture efficiency and bias at a sink accurately,which is computationally demanding.In the present study,the Self-Evolving Atomistic Kinetic Monte Carlo(SEAKMC)method was used to investigate the defect dynamics of PDs near different types of grain boundaries(GBs)(with both 100 and 110 families)accurately in body-centered cubic(BCC)iron(Fe).The capture efficiency,sink strength,and bias factor of different types of GBs were determined in Fe,which,different from traditional rate theory estimation,showed a distinct capture efficiency,sink strength,and bias in different GBs.The results demonstrate a strong positive correlation between the capture efficiency and the GB strain width,instead of the GB misorientation,GB energy,or GB-PD binding energy,which have been investigated previously.This work provides valuable insight into the radiation-induced microstructural evolution of GBs.

Novel design and simulation of curved blade oil scoop with high oil capture efficiency

As the load and working environment temperature increasing,high efficiency oil lubrication was urgently needed for the main bearing of aeroengine.However,the low oil capture efficiency of radial oil scoop affects the application of under-race lubrication structure with radial oil collection.In this work,a novel design of curved blade oil scoop for under-race lubrication is proposed to improve the oil capture efficiency.First of all,the principle of relative velocity optimization is proposed by analyzing the collision process between blade and oil jet for theoretical research.Then,the theoretical curve equations of blade inlet under three different oil jet incidence conditions are solved.After that,the monotonicity of the theoretical curves is analyzed.The effects of rotation speed,oil jet velocity,eccentric distance of oil jet,and include angle of curve are analyzed.The location of the collision points of proposed theoretical curves are also been optimized.Finally,a transient Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD)simulation of the novel oil scoop design was carried out.The simulation results show that the capture efficiency of curved blade oil scoop can be improved by 30%comparing to the traditional design.

Operando investigation of particle re-entrainment mechanism in electrostatic capture process on the lab-on-a-chip

Inhalable particle is a harmful air pollutant that causes a significant threat to people's health and ecological environments,which should be removed to purify air,but there exists limited removal efficiency due to particle re-entrainment.Here,Operando observation system based on microscopic visualization method is developed to make in situ test of particle migration,deposition and re-entrainment characteristics on a lab-on-a-chip to achieve the investigation in micro-level scale.The deposition evolution of charged particles is recorded in electric field region intuitively,which confirms the fracture of particle chain occurs during the growth process of deposited particles.It captures the instantaneous process that a larger particle with micron size due to the coagulation of submicron particles fractures from main body of the particle chain for the first time.The analysis of migration behavior of a single submicron particle near electrode surface demonstrates the direct influence of drag force on the fracture of particle chain.This work is the first-time visualization of dynamic process and mechanism elucidation of particle re-entrainment at the micron level,and the findings will provide the theory support for the particle re-entrainment mechanism and bring inspires of enhancing capture efficiency of inhalable particle.

Exhaust hood performance and its improvement technologies in industrial buildings:A literatu rereview

The pollutant control performance of exhaust hoods plays a crucial role in the indoor air quality and energy consumption of ventilation systems in industrial buildings.To better understand the impact of local ventilation on the industrial indoor environment,this paper presents a literature review of exhaust hood performance and its improvement technologies.To create an index for evaluating the performance of exhaust hoods,the capture velocity,capture efficiency,flow ratio of pollutant emissions and exhaust airflow and energy consumption are first introduced.A number of factors affecting exhaust hood performance are assessed such as hood type,hood opening size,exhaust rate,installation distance,pollution source emission and environmental disturbance.Compared to structural improvement methods,the use of active airflow is a more effective way to improve the exhaust hood performance.The most commonly used methods for determining the exhaust rate are the controlled speed method and the flow ratio method.The use of an exhaust hood with an appropriate exhaust rate and jet parameters(for an active air-assisted hood)can effectively improve the pollutant control performance and reduce the energy consumption that would be wasted on the redundant exhaust rate.With more information focused on exhaust hood performance,this work suggests more effective strategies for improving indoor air quality and reducing energy consumption in industrial buildings.

Mechanism of capture section affecting an intake for atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion

Atmosphere-Breathing Electric Propulsion(ABEP)can compensate for lost momentum of spacecraft operating in Very Low Earth Orbit(VLEO)which has been widely concerned due to its excellent commercial potential.It is a key technology to improve the capture efficiency of intakes,which collect and compress the atmosphere for ABEP.In this paper,the mechanism of the capture section affecting capture efficiency is investigated by Test Particle Monte Carlo(TPMC)simulations with 3D intake models.The inner surface smoothness and average collision number are determined to be key factors affecting capture efficiency,and a negative effect growth model is accordingly established.When the inner surface smoothness is less than 0.2,the highest capture efficiency and its corresponding average collision number interval are independent of the capture section’s geometry and its mesh size.When the inner surface smoothness is higher than 0.2,the capture efficiency will decrease by installing any capture section.Based on the present results,the manufacturing process and material selection are suggested to be prioritized during the intake geometry design in engineering projects.Then,the highest capture efficiency can be achieved by adjusting the length and mesh size of the capture section.

Investigation of the characteristics of particulate flows through fibrous filters using the lattice Boltzmann method

A fibrous filter is one of the most common systems used to separate suspended particles from air. Two important factors （i,e,, the pressure drop and capture efficiency） are usually used to evaluate the performance of this type of filter, This study considers three two-dimensional arrangements of fibers （parallel, staggered, and random） to geometrically model fibrous media, The lattice Boltzmann method is employed to numerically simulate fluid flow through the filter, The Lagrangian form of the equation of motion of a particle is numerically solved to track the path of each particle in the flow field, where a one-way interaction between the fluid and particles is considered. The effects of pertinent parameters such as the fiber arrangement, solid volume fraction, particle-to-fiber diameter ratio, particle-to-fluid density ratio, Reynolds number, Stokes number, and size of the fibrous medium on the pressure drop and capture efficiency are studied. The obtained results are compared with existing empirical and theoretical findings and discussed.

Performance of novel overhead crane fume-collecting hood for pollutant removal

In industrial buildings,the presence of overhead cranes severely affects roof exhaust ventilation systems when capturing and discharging fumes,resulting in severe deterioration of the indoor plant environment.In this study,an overhead crane-based ventilation auxiliary device,called overhead crane fume-collecting hood(CFCH),is proposed to guide pollutants blocked by the overhead crane back to the roof exhaust hood.The airflow characteristics and pollutant distribution under the three modes of no overhead crane,overhead crane,and overhead crane+CFCH were compared using numerical simulations.Subsequently,the effects of the CFCH length(a),width(b),and height(h)on the pollutant capture performance were determined through orthogonal experiments and computational fluid dynamics.Finally,the pollutant capture efficiency(PCE)of the optimal CFCH was investigated considering different exhaust airflow rates.The results showed that the pollutants captured by the CFCH can be classified into directly and secondary captured pollutants,with the directly captured pollutants dominating.In addition,with the introduction of different sizes of CFCH around the overhead crane girders,the PCE significantly improved by 49.9%–74.6%.The length,width,and height of the CFCH on the PCE were statistically significant,and the priority of the three factors was as follows:h>b>a.The PCE decreased with increasing a,initially increased and then decreased with increasing b,and increased with h.Subsequently,when the optimal CFCH was used,the excessive exhaust air rate had no evident PCE improvement.This provides a new concept for the control of pollutants in industrial buildings and provides a theoretical basis for the design of CFCHs.

Effect of correcting near-wall forces on nanoparticle transport in a microchannel

This paper studies the importance of corrections that account for the presence of walls on the forces act- ing on nanoparticles during their transport in microchannels.Theoretical and experimental investigations have reported anisotropic and hindered motion of nanoparticles near a microchannel wall. To investigate the influence of the near-wall effects, various conditions were examined. In particular, computer simu- lations were performed with and without the near-wall correction of forces. The corresponding capture efficiency and the average penetration of the captured nanoparticles were compared, and the importance of the near-wall corrections was assessed. Effects were evaluated for the nanoparticle diameter, the chan- nel width, the channel length, and the pressure gradient. The results indicate that the inclusion of wall effects is crucial for the analysis of nanoparticle transport in microchannels.

Combining push-pull airflow and top draft hood for local exhaust of tyre vulcanization process

This paper proposes a push-pull airflow combined with a top draft hood to conduct local exhaust in a rubber workshop.Field measurements are carried out to investigate the characteristics of the emission source,while numerical simulation is performed based on the measurement to test the capture efficiency and to further optimize various parameters including push velocity,hood height and exhaust air rate.Compared with the high-hanging hood,the low-hanging hood can effectively capture the pollutant generated by tyre with lower exhaust air rate.The capture efficiency of the low-hanging hood reaches 98.18%with exhaust air rate of 6000 m^(3)/h and push air velocity of 5m/s.The results indicates that the new ventilation appliance can effectively collect the pollutant at a relatively low exhaust rate.

Simulating orthokinetic heterocoagulation and cluster growth in destabilizing suspensions

Using direct numerical simulation, we investigate the coagulation behavior of non-Brownian colloidal particles as exemplified by Al2O3 particles. This yields the so-called capture efficiency, for which we give an analytical expression, as well as other time-dependent variables such as the cluster growth rate. Instead of neglecting or strongly approximating the hydrodynamic interactions between particles, we include hydrodynamic and non-hydrodynamic interactions in a Stokesian dynamics approach and a comprehensive modeling of the interparticle forces. The resulting parallelized simulation framework enables us to investigate the dynamics of polydisperse particle systems composed of several hundred particles at the same high level of modeling we used for a close investigation of the coagulation behavior of two unequal particles in shear flow. Appropriate cluster detection yields all the information about large destabilizing systems, which is needed for models used in flow-sheet simulations. After non-dimensionalization, the results can be generalized and applied to other systems tending to secondary coagulation