Hot-deformation kinetics analysis and extrusion parameter optimization of a dilute rare-earth free magnesium alloy

The fundamental research on thermo-mechanical conditions provides an experimental basis for high-performance Mg-Al-Ca-Mn alloys.However, there is a lack of systematical investigation for this series alloys on the hot-deformation kinetics and extrusion parameter optimization. Here, the flow behavior, constitutive model, dynamic recrystallization(DRX) kinetic model and processing map of a dilute rare-earth free Mg-1.3Al-0.4Ca-0.4Mn(AXM100, wt.%) alloy were studied under different hot-compressive conditions. In addition, the extrusion parameter optimization of this alloy was performed based on the hot-processing map. The results showed that the conventional Arrhenius-type strain-related constitutive model only worked well for the flow curves at high temperatures and low strain rates. In comparison, using the machine learning assisted model(support vector regression, SVR) could effectively improve the accuracy between the predicted and experimental values. The DRX kinetic model was established, and a typical necklace-shaped structure preferentially occurred at the original grain boundaries and the second phases. The DRX nucleation weakened the texture intensity, and the further growth caused the more scattered basal texture. The hot-processing maps at different strains were also measured and the optimal hot-processing range could be confirmed at the deformation temperatures of 600~723 K and the strain rates of 0.018~0.563 s^(-1). Based on the optimum hot-processing range, a suitable extrusion parameter was considered as 603 K and 0.1 mm/s and the as-extruded alloy in this parameter exhibited a good strength-ductility synergy(yield strength of ~ 232.1 MPa, ultimate strength of ~ 278.2 MPa and elongation-to-failure of ~ 20.1%). Finally, the strengthening-plasticizing mechanisms and the relationships between the DRXed grain size, yield strength and extrusion parameters were analyzed.

Reduction kinetics of iron oxide pellets with H_2 and CO mixtures

Reduction of hematite pellets using H2-CO mixtures with a wide range of H2/CO by molar （1：0, 3：1, 1：1, 1：3, and 0：1） at different reducing temperatures （1073, 1173, and 1273 K） was conducted in a program reducing furnace. Based on an unreacted core model, the effective diffusion coefficient and reaction rate constant in several cases were determined, and then the rate-control step and transition were analyzed. In the results, the effective diffusion coefficient and reaction rate constant increase with the rise in temperature or hydrogen content. Reduction of iron oxide pellets using an H2-CO mixture is a compound control system; the reaction rate is dominated by chemical reaction at the very beginning, competition during the reduction process subsequently, and internal gas diffusion at the end. At low hydrogen content, increasing temperature takes the transition point of the rate-control step to a high reduction degree, but at high hydrogen content, the effect of temperature on the transition point weakens.

Flotation kinetics performance of different coal size fractions with nanobubbles

The flotation kinetics of different size fractions of conventional and nanobubble(NB) flotation were compared to investigate the effect of NBs on the flotation performance of various coal particle sizes. Six flotation kinetics models were selected to fit the flotation data, and NBs were observed on a hydrophobic surface under hydrodynamic cavitation by atomic force microscope scanning. Flotation results indicated that the best flotation performance of size fraction at-0.125+0.074 mm can be obtained either in conventional or NB flotation. NBs increase the combustible recovery of almost all the size fractions, but they increase the product ash content of-0.25+0.074 mm and reduce the product ash content of-0.045 mm at the same time. The first-order models can be used to fit the flotation data in conventional and NB flotation, and the classical first-order model is the most suitable one. NBs considerably enhance flotation rate on coarse size fraction(-0.5+0.25 mm) but decrease the flotation rate of the medium size(-0.25+0.074 mm). The improvement of flotation speed on fine coal particles(-0.074 mm) is probably the reason for the improved performance of raw sample flotation.

Environmental dynamics of nitrogen and phosphorus release from river sediments of arid areas

Human activities lead to the accumulation of a large amount of nitrogen and phosphorus in sediments in rivers.Simultaneously,nitrogen and phosphorus can be affected by environment and re-enter the upper water body,causing secondary pollution of the river water.In this study,laboratory simulation experiments were conducted initially to investigate the release of nitrogen and phosphorus from river sediments in Urumqi City and the surrounding areas in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China and determine the factors that influence their release.The results of this study showed significant short-term differences in nitrogen and phosphorus release characteristics from sediments at different sampling points.The proposed secondary kinetics model(i.e.,pseudo-second-order kinetics model)better fitted the release process of sediment nitrogen and phosphorus.The release of nitrogen and phosphorus from sediments is a complex process driven by multiple factors,therefore,we tested the influence of three factors(pH,temperature,and disturbance intensity)on the release of nitrogen and phosphorus from sediments in this study.The most amount of nitrate nitrogen(NO_(3)^(–)-N)was released under neutral conditions,while the most significant release of ammonia nitrogen(NH_(4)^(+)-N)occurred under acidic and alkaline conditions.The release of nitrite nitrogen(NO_(2)^(-)-N)was less affected by pH.The dissolved total phosphorus(DTP)released significantly in the alkaline water environment,while the release of dissolved organic phosphorus(DOP)was more significant in acidic water.The release amount of soluble reactive phosphorus(SRP)increased with an increase in pH.The sediments released nitrogen and phosphorus at higher temperatures,particularly NH_(4)^(+)-N,NO_(3)^(–)-N,and SRP.The highest amount of DOP was released at 15.0℃.An increase in disturbance intensity exacerbated the release of nitrogen and phosphorus from sediments.NH_(4)^(+)-N,DTP,and SRP levels increased linearly with the intensity of disturbance,while NO_(3)^(–)-N and NO_(2)^(–)-N were more stable.This study provides valuable information for protecting and restoring the water environment in arid areas and has significant practical reference value.

Control system design for a pressure-tube-type supercritical water-cooled nuclear reactor via a higher order sliding mode method

Nuclear power plants exhibit non-linear and time-variable dynamics.Therefore,designing a control system that sets the reactor power and forces it to follow the desired load is complicated.A supercritical water reactor(SCWR)is a fourth-generation conceptual reactor.In an SCWR,the non-linear dynamics of the reactor require a controller capable of control-ling the nonlinearities.In this study,a pressure-tube-type SCWR was controlled during reactor power maneuvering with a higher order sliding mode,and the reactor outgoing steam temperature and pressure were controlled simultaneously.In an SCWR,the temperature,pressure,and power must be maintained at a setpoint(desired value)during power maneuvering.Reactor point kinetics equations with three groups of delayed neutrons were used in the simulation.Higher-order and classic sliding mode controllers were separately manufactured to control the plant and were compared with the PI controllers speci-fied in previous studies.The controlled parameters were reactor power,steam temperature,and pressure.Notably,for these parameters,the PI controller had certain instabilities in the presence of disturbances.The classic sliding mode controller had a higher accuracy and stability;however its main drawback was the chattering phenomenon.HOSMC was highly accurate and stable and had a small computational cost.In reality,it followed the desired values without oscillations and chattering.

Thermodynamics and kinetics of hydriding and dehydriding reactions in Mg-based hydrogen storage materials

Mg-based materials are one of the most promising hydrogen storage candidates due to their high hydrogen storage capacity,environmental benignity,and high Clarke number characteristics.However,the limited thermodynamics and kinetic properties pose major challenges for their engineering applications.Herein,we review the recent progress in improving their thermodynamics and kinetics,with an emphasis on the models and the influence of various parameters in the calculated models.Subsequently,the impact of alloying,composite,and nanocrystallization on both thermodynamics and dynamics are discussed in detail.In particular,the correlation between various modification strategies and the hydrogen capacity,dehydrogenation enthalpy and temperature,hydriding/dehydriding rates are summarized.In addition,the mechanism of hydrogen storage processes of Mg-based materials is discussed from the aspect of classical kinetic theories and microscope hydrogen transferring behavior.This review concludes with an outlook on the remaining challenge issues and prospects.

Kinetics of the hydrogen absorption and desorption processes of hydrogen storage alloys: A review

High hydrogen absorption and desorption rates are two significant index parameters for the applications of hydrogen storage tanks.The analysis of the hydrogen absorption and desorption behavior using the isothermal kinetic models is an efficient way to investigate the kinetic mechanism.Multitudinous kinetic models have been developed to describe the kinetic process.However,these kinetic models were de-duced based on some assumptions and only appropriate for specific kinetic measurement methods and rate-controlling steps(RCSs),which sometimes lead to confusion during application.The kinetic analysis procedures using these kinetic models,as well as the key kinetic parameters,are unclear for many researchers who are unfamiliar with this field.These problems will prevent the kinetic models and their analysis methods from revealing the kinetic mechanism of hydrogen storage alloys.Thus,this review mainly focuses on the summarization of kinetic models based on different kinetic measurement methods and RCSs for the chemisorption,surface penetration,diffusion of hydrogen,nucleation and growth,and chemical reaction processes.The analysis procedures of kinetic experimental data are expounded,as well as the effects of temperature,hydrogen pressure,and particle radius.The applications of the kinetic models for different hydrogen storage alloys are also introduced.

Kinetics of phenol and m-cresol biodegradation by an indigenous mixed microbial culture isolated from a sewage treatment plant

An acclimatized mixed microbial culture,predominantly Pseudomonas sp.,was enriched from a sewage treatment plant,and its potential to simultaneously degrade mixtures of phenol and m-cresol was investigated during its growth in batch shake flasks.A 22 full factorial design with the two substrates at two different levels and different initial concentration ranges(low and high),was employed to carry out the biodegradation experiments.The substrates phenol and m-cresol were completely utilized within 21 h when ...

Apparent Kinetics for Electrosynthesis Process of Chromic Acid

A new green technique for producing chromic acid via an electrosynthesis method was studied.The kinetic experiments were carried out on the direct electrosynthesis reaction of chromic acid from sodium dichromate in a self-made electrosynthesis reactor with a multiple-unit metal oxides combination anode,a stainless steel cathode,and a reinforcing combination Nafion 324 cation exchange membrane.The apparent kinetic data were experimentally measured at different reaction time under different reaction conditions by relating many essential cell processes and their interaction,as well as their synergistic effect to the whole electrochemical synthesis process.The results show that the electrosynthesis reaction process follows a quasi-first-order reaction kinetic characteristic.The apparent kinetic model of the electrosynthesis reaction was established,and kinetic parameters were calculated.

Comparison of kinetic models for isothermal CO_2 gasification of coal char–biomass char blended char

This study investigated the isothermal gasification reactivity of biomass char （BC） and coal char （CC） blended at mass ratios of 1：3, 1：1, and 3：1 via isothermal thermogravimelric analysis （TGA） at 900, 950, and 1000℃ under CO2. With an increase in BC blending ra- tio, there were an increase in gasification rate and a shortening of gasification time. This could be attributed to the high specific surface area of BC and the high uniformity of carbon structures in CC when compared to those in BC. Three representative gas-solid kinetic models, namely, the volumetric model （VM）, grain model （GM）, and random pore model （RPM）, were applied to describe the reaction behavior of the char. Among them, the RPM model was considered the best model to describe the reactivity of the char gasification reaction. The activa- tion energy of BC and CC isothermal gasification as determined using the RPM model was found to be 126.7 kJ/mol and 210.2 kJ/mol, re- spectively. The activation energy was minimum （123.1 kJ/mol） for the BC blending ratio of 75%. Synergistic effect manifested at all mass ratios of the blended char, which increased with the gasification temperature.

Electroreduction Kinetics for Molten Oxide Slags

The oxygen-ion conductor, the reducing agent, and the molten oxide slag containing electroactive matter were used as constituent of a galvanic cell. Metal was directly electroreduced from molten slag using a short-circuit galvanic cell. The following galvanic cell was assembled in the present experiment： graphite rod, [-O]Fe-C saturated ｜ZrO2 （MgO） ｜ Cu（1） ＋ （FeO）（slag） , and molybdenum wire. The FeO electroreduction reaction was studied through measuring short circuit current by controlling factors such as temperature, the FeO content in molten slags, and the external circuit resistance. An overall kinetics model was developed to describe the process of FeO electroreductiono It was found that the modeled curves were in good agreement with the experimental values. The new oxide reduction method in the metallurgy with controlled oxygen flow was proposed and the metallurgical theory with controlled oxygen flow was developed.

Reaction and deactivation kinetics of methanol-to-olefins process based on a special TGA reactor

Thermax 700 thermo gravimetric analysis （TGA） instrument is introduced for the investigation of the reaction and deactivation kinetics of Methanol-to-Olefins （MTO） process with SAPO-34 catalyst.By the use of a special sample basket,the TGA instrument can be viewed as a plug flow fixed-bed reactor,while the weight change of SAPO-34 during reaction can be recorded online.Kinetic data are acquired in the temperature range of 648.2？748.2 K and space velocities of 7.08？35.91 h^-1 （WHSV）.Catalyst activity is expressed with average coke content,and selectivity for different products is related as a function of coke content and temperature.Methane is also introduced into the lumping kinetic model,and power exponent function with first-order reaction is adopted for model deduction.Exponential function is tested to give the best fit for catalyst activity and product selectivity with the highest correlation coefficient.The nicely agreed results between experimental and calculated data suggest that the overall kinetic model would be meaningful in both product distribution prediction and reactor simulation.

Kinetic models of natural gas combustion in an internal combustion engine

In this study, combustion of methane was simulated using four kinetic models of methane in CHEMKIN 4.1.1 for 0-D closed internal combustion （IC） engine reactor. Two detailed （GRIMECH3.0 ＆ UBC MECH2.0） and two reduced （One step ＆ Four steps） models were examined for various IC engine designs. The detailed models （GRIMECH3.0, ＆ UBC MECH2.0） and 4-step models successfully predicted the combustion while global model was unable to predict any combustion reaction. This study illustrated that the detailed model showed good concordances in the prediction of chamber pressure, temperature and major combustion species profiles. The detailed models also exhibited the capabilities to predict the pollutants formation in an IC engine while the reduced schemes showed failure in the prediction of pollutants emissions. Although, there are discrepancies among the profiles of four considered model, the detailed models （GRIMECH3.0 ＆ UBC MECH2.0） produced the acceptable agreement in the species prediction and formation of pollutants.

The decay kinetics of residual chlorine in cooling seawater simulation experiments

To find out the decay character of residual chlorine （RC） in the sea water, the concentration of RC was analyzed by N, N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine （DPD） method under different simulation experimental conditions, in which salinity, temperature, and Chemical Oxygen Demand （COD） were selected. The water used in the experiment was the mixture of aging ocean water, coastal water and extracting solution of coastal sediment at appropriate level. Results are shown as follows： （1） Piecewise function can well reflect the decay dynamics of RC in the cooling seawater. Concretely, the decay dynamics of first 1 min is too rapid to ascertain using a specific kinetic function, and that of the time from 1 to 30 min is fit for the first-order kinetic model. （2） The results could be the foundation of the chemical behavior of RC in seawater, and be used as not only the guidance of the coastal power plants production and sea water desalting companies, but also the establishment of the correlative trade standard.

Modeling and Estimation of the Kinetics of Seeded Solvent-mediated Phase Transformation in a Batch Crystallizer

Modeling the kinetics of the preparing process is necessary to produce a product with the appropriate particle properties and minimum production cost.Owing to the lackness of crystal size distributor （CSD） information,however,solvent-mediated phase transformation encounters difficulty in modeling the kinetics as compared to solution crystallization.Consequently,a model was established by making the product CSD to move along by horizontal translation to obtain the CSDs of the stable phase in the process of transformation.Then the moment method was used to solve the popular balance equation,and the least square nonlinear regression method was applied to estimate the kinetics parameters.The model has been successfully used to simulate the transformation of CaSO4？2H2O to α-CaSO4？1/2H2O in an isothermal seeded batch crystallizer with different stirring speeds,and it is beneficial to producing high performance α-CaSO4？1/2H2O crystals which have the right particle characteristics.

Reaction kinetics for the heterogeneously resin-catalyzed and homogeneously self-catalyzed esterification of thioglycolic acid with 2-ethyl-1-hexanol

Producing 2-ethyl-1-hexyl thioglycolate(ETE)via esterification reaction with thioglycolic acid(TGA)aqueous solution as raw material by reactive-separation coupling technology is a promising process intensification method.To choose suitable reactive-separation coupling strategy,the kinetic studies of the esterification of TGA with 2-ethyl-1-hexanol(EHL)were carried out in a batch system.The commercial ion exchange resin was employed as an eco-friendly catalyst.The effects of temperature,catalyst concentration and molar ratio were determined.It was interesting to observe that the equilibrium conversion of TGA increased with the increase of catalyst mass fraction due to the adsorption of product water onto resin surface.The activity-based pseudo-homogeneous(PH),Eley-Rideal(ER)and Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Ho ugen-Watson(LHHW)models were used to fit the kinetics data of the resin-catalyzed reaction.The models of ER and LHHW performed better than the PH model.The kinetics of the TGA-self-catalyzed reaction was also determined.An activity-based homogeneous kinetics model could well describe this self-catalyzed reaction.These results would be meaningful to the selection and design of an appropriate reactionseparation strategy for the production of ETE,to realize the process intensification.

Mass Transfer, Gas Holdup, and Kinetic Models of Batch and Continuous Fermentation in a Novel Rectangular Dynamic Membrane Airlift Bioreactor

Compared with conventional cylinder airlift bioreactors(CCABs)that produce coarse bubbles,a novel rectangular dynamic membrane airlift bioreactor(RDMAB)developed in our lab produces fine bubbles to enhance the volumetric oxygen mass transfer coefficient(k_(L)a)and gas holdup,as well as improve the bioprocess in a bioreactor.In this study,we compared mass transfer,gas holdup,and batch and con-tinuous fermentation for RNA production in CCAB and RDMAB.In addition,unstructured kinetic models for microbial growth,substrate utilization,and RNA formation were established.In batch fermentation,biomass,RNA yield,and substrate utilization in the RDMAB were higher than those in the CCAB,which indicates that dynamic membrane aeration produced a high k_(L)a by fine bubbles;a higher k_(L)a is more bene-ficial to aerobic fermentation.The starting time of continuous fermentation in the RDMAB was 20 h ear-lier than that in the CCAB,which greatly improved the biological process.During continuous fermentation,maintaining the same dissolved oxygen level and a constant dilution rate,the biomass accumulation and RNA concentration in the RDMAB were 9.71% and 11.15% higher than those in the CCAB,respectively.Finally,the dilution rate of RDMAB was 16.7% higher than that of CCAB during con-tinuous fermentation while maintaining the same air aeration.In summary,RDMAB is more suitable for continuous fermentation processes.Developing new aeration and structural geometry in airlift bioreac-tors to enhance k_(L)a and gas holdup is becoming increasingly important to improve bioprocesses in a bioreactor.

Thermodynamics and kinetics insights into naphthalene hydrogenation over a Ni-Mo catalyst

Hydrocracking represents an important process in modern petroleum refining industry,whose performance mainly relies on the identity of catalyst.In this work,we perform a combined thermodynamics and kinetics study on the hydrogenation of naphthalene over a commercialized NiMo/HY catalyst.The reaction network is constructed for the respective production of decalin and methylindane via the intermediate product of tetralin,which could further undergo hydrogenation to butylbenzene,ethylbenzene,xylene,toluene,benzene,methylcyclohexane and cyclohexane.The thermodynamics analysis suggests the optimum operating conditions for the production of monoaromatics are 400℃,8.0 MPa,and 4.0 hydrogen/naphthalene ratio.Based on these,the influences of reaction temperature,pressure,hydrogen/-naphthalene ratio,and liquid hourly space velocity(LHSV)are investigated to fit the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model.It is found that the higher temperature and pressure while lower LHSV favors monoaromatics production,which is insensitive to the hydrogen/naphthalene ratio.Furthermore,the high consistence between the experimental and simulated data further validates the as-obtained kinetics model on the prediction of catalytic performance over this kind of catalyst.

Kinetics modeling for the mixed reforming of methane over Ni-CeO_2/MgAl_2O_4 catalyst

Kinetics model was developed for the mixed （steam and dry） reforming of methane, which is useful for the control of H2/CO ratio. The equilibrium constants of reaction rate were determined using the experimental equilibrium data at different reaction temperatures, while the forward reaction rate constants were estimated using the experimental data under non-equilibrium （high inert fraction and high space velocity） conditions. The comparison between calculated and experimental data clearly showed that the developed model described satisfactorily, and further analysis using the parametric sensitivity determined the wall temperature and CO2 fraction in the feed gas as effective parameters for the manipulation of CH4 conversion and H2/CO ratio of synthesis gas under the equilibrium condition. Meanwhile, the inert fraction, rather than the residence time, was selected as additional parameter under non-equilibrium condition.