CO hydrogenation combined with water-gas-shift reaction for synthetic natural gas production:a thermodynamic and experimental study

The hydrogenation of CO to synthetic natural gas (SNG) needs a high molar ratio of H2/CO (usually large than 3.0 in industry), which consumes a large abundant of hydrogen. The reverse dry reforming reaction (RDR, 2H2 + 2CO←→CH4 + CO2), combining CO methanation with water-gas-shift reaction, can significantly decrease the H2/CO molar ratio to 1 for SNG production. A detailed thermodynamic analysis of RDR reaction was carried out based on the Gibbs free energy minimization method. The effect of temperature, pressure. H2/CO ratio and the addition of H2O, CH4, CO2, O2 and C2H4 into the feed gas on CO conversion, CH4 and CO2 selectivity, as well as CH4 and carbon yield, are discussed. Experimental results obtained on homemade impregnated Ni/Al2O3 catalyst are compared with the calculations. The results demonstrate that low temperature (200-500 °C), high pressure (1-5 MPa) and high H2/CO ratio (at least 1) promote CO conversion and CH4 selectivity and decrease carbon yield. Steam and CO2 in the feed gas decrease the CH4 selectivity and carb on yield, and enhance the CO2 con tent. Extra CH4 elevates the CH4 content in the products, but leads to more carbon formation at high temperatures. O2 significantly decreases the CH4 selectivity and C2H4 results in the generation of carbon.

Recent progresses in the development of tubular segmented-in-series solid oxide fuel cells:Experimental and numerical study

Solid oxide fuel cells(SOFCs)have attracted a great deal of interest because they have the highest efficiency without using any noble metal as catalysts among all the fuel cell technologies.However,traditional SOFCs suffer from having a higher volume,current leakage,complex connections,and difficulty in gas sealing.To solve these problems,Rolls-Royce has fabricated a simple design by stacking cells in series on an insulating porous support,resulting in the tubular segmented-in-series solid oxide fuel cells(SIS-SOFCs),which achieved higher output voltage.This work systematically reviews recent advances in the structures,preparation methods,perform-ances,and stability of tubular SIS-SOFCs in experimental and numerical studies.Finally,the challenges and future development of tubular SIS-SOFCs are also discussed.The findings of this work can help guide the direction and inspire innovation of future development in this field.

Dynamic experimental study on rock meso-cracks growth by digital image processing technique

A new meso-mechanical testing scheme based on SEM was developed to carry out the experiment of microfracturing process of rocks. The microfracturing process of the pre-crack marble sample on surrounding rock in the immerged Long-big tunnel in Jinping Cascade II Hydropower Station under uniaxial compression was recorded by using the testing scheme. According to the stereology theory, the propagation and coalescent of cracks at meso-scale were quantitatively investigated with digital technology. Therefore, the basic geometric information of rock microcracks such as area, angle, length, width, perimeter, was obtained from binary images after segmentation. The failure mechanism of specimen under uniaxial compression with the quantitative information was studied from macro and microscopic point of view. The results show that the image of microfracturing process of the specimen can be observed and recorded digitally. During the damage of the specimen, the distribution of microcracks in the specimen is still subjected to exponential distribution with some microcracks concentrated in certain regions. Finally, the change law of the fractal dimension of the local element in marble sample under different external load conditions is obtained by means of the statistical calculation of the fractal dimension.

Theoretical and Experimental Study on the Performance of Hermetic Diaphragm Squeeze Film Dampers for Gas-Lubricated Bearings

Low damping characteristics have always been a key sticking points in the development of gas bearings.The application of squeeze film dampers can significantly improve the damping performance of gas lubricated bearings.This paper proposed a novel hermetic diaphragm squeeze film damper(HDSFD)for oil-free turbomachinery supported by gas lubricated bearings.Several types of HDSFDs with symmetrical structure were proposed for good damping performance.By considering the compressibility of the damper fluid,based on hydraulic fluid mechanics theory,a dynamic model of HDSFDs under medium is proposed,which successfully reflects the frequency dependence of force coefficients.Based on the dynamic model,the effects of damper fluid viscosity,bulk modulus of damper fluid,thickness of damper fluid film and plunger thickness on the dynamic stiffness and damping of HDSFDs were analyzed.An experimental test rig was assembled and series of experimental studies on HDSFDs were conducted.The damper fluid transverse flow is added to the existing HDSFD concept,which aims to make the dynamic force coefficients independent of frequency.Although the force coefficient is still frequency dependent,the damping coefficient at high frequency excitation with damper fluid supply twice as that without damper fluid supply.The results serve as a benchmark for the calibration of analytical tools under development.

Effects of Diabetes Education on Emotional Distress in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes—An Experimental Study

Objective: It was to evaluate the effect of diabetes education on emotional distress in type 2 diabetes patients treated with oral medications. Methods: The experimental study took place in Albania and overall, 200 type 2 diabetes patients were enrolled (in both groups, intervention, and control) treated with oral medications, having levels of Glycated hemoglobin HbA1c > 6.5% as well the absence of associated diseases such as dementia and psychiatric disorders. Patients were randomly selected from the medical registry of family physicians in the Tirana region. Patients were screened for the emotional distress before and after the intervention with the self-administered questionnaire Problem Areas in Diabetes PAID 5. In addition, the levels of HbA1c in % were evaluated before and after intervention in both groups. Only intervention group underwent four diabetes education sessions offered by trained nursing staff while the control group continued the previous regime. The questionnaire reliability analysis was estimated by the Cronbach alpha coefficient. To compare the groups the t-test was used and the value of p Results: Mean age of patients in intervention and control group was respectively 54.03 ±9.57 and 55.82 ± 7.86. Before and after health education PAID 5 scores for the intervention group were respectively 11.3 vs. 8.75 while for the control group 11.9 vs. 11.35, p = 0.018. Levels of HbA1c% before and after education for the intervention group were 7.02 vs. 6.2 while for the control group 6.9 vs. 6.8, p = 0.001. Positive and significant correlation (r = 0.321, p = 0.001) was between level of emotional distress and the age of the patients. Conclusions: The study found that besides better control of diabetes, additional education of diabetic patients seemed to significantly improve the level of emotional distress due to diabetes in diabetic patients.

Wave uplift force on horizontal panels: a laboratory study

Accurate estimation of wave uplift force is essential to the designs of reliable coastal and marine structures.We presents a series of laboratory work here on the impact of regular waves on horizontal panels,from which an empirical formula to estimate accurately the wave uplift force on panels is established.The laboratory measurements show that the wave uplift force depends mainly on the incident wave height,the wave period,the wave length,the panel width,and the clearance between the subsurface of the panel and the still water level.Among these factors,the impact of the panel width on uplift forces is relatively complicated.Result shows that the relative panel width(i.e.,the ratio of panel width to wave length)plays a more important role in estimating the wave uplift force.Based on our comprehensive laboratory measurements,we further developed an empirical formula to compute wave uplift force on horizontal panels through dimensionless analysis.Compared with other empirical formulas,this formula uses dimensionless variables of clear physical meanings,thus can describe the interaction between waves and the panels in a better way.In addition,the efficiency of the formula to estimate wave uplift force on horizontal panels is verified against existing works.Therefore,the findings in this study shall be useful for understanding the mechanism of wave uplift force on horizontal panels and numerical model validation.

An Experimental Study of Thermophysical Properties for Quinary High-Entropy NiFeCoCrCu/Al Alloys

Two quinary high-entropy alloys （HEAs） with equiatomic concentrations formed by doping either Cu or A1 elements into the quaternary NiFeCoCr alloy are produced by arc melting and spray casting techniques. Their entropy of fusion, thermal expansion coefficient and thermal diffusivity are experimentally investigated with differential scanning cMorimetry, dilatometry and laser flash methods. The NiFeCoCrCu HEAs contain a face- centered cubic high-entropy phase plus a minor interdendritic （Cu） phase and display a lower entropy of fasion and the Vickers hardness. The NiFeCoCrAl HEAs consist of two body-centered cubie high-entropy phases with coarse dendritic structures and show higher entropy of fusion and the Vickers hardness. Both the thermal expansion coefficient and the thermal diffusivity of the former Cu-doped alloy are signitieantly larger than those of the latter At-doped M1oy. Although the temperature dependence of thermal diffusivity is similar for both HEAs, it is peculiar that the thermal expansion curve of the NiFeCoCrAl alloy exhibits an inflexion at temperatures of 860-912 K.

Experimental Study on Aerodynamic Characteristics of the Model Wind Rotor System and on Characterization of A Wind Generation System

In order to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of 6-MW wind turbine, experimental study on the aerodynamic characteristics of the model rotor system and on characterization of a wind generation system is carried out. In the test, a thrust-matched rotor system and a geometry-matched rotor system, which utilize redesigned thrustmatched and original geometry-matched blades, respectively, are applied. The 6-MW wind turbine system is introduced briefly. The proper scaling laws for model tests are established in the paper, which are then implemented in the construction of a model wind turbine with optimally designed blades. And the parameters of the model are provided. The aerodynamic characteristics of the proposed 6-MW wind rotor system are explored by testing a 1:65.3 scale model at the State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Before carrying out the wind rotor system test, the turbulence intensity and spatial uniformity of the wind generation system are tested and results demonstrate that the characterization of the wind generation system is satisfied and the average turbulence intensity of less than 10% within the wind rotor plane is proved in the test. And then, the aerodynamic characteristics of 6-MW wind rotor system are investigated. The response characteristic differences between the thrust-matched rotor system and the geometry-matched rotor system are presented. Results indicate that the aerodynamic characteristics of 6-MW wind rotor with the thrust-matched rotor system are satisfied. The conclusion is that the thrust-matched rotor system can better reflect the characteristics of the prototype wind turbine. A set of model test method is proposed in the work and preparations for further model basin test of the 6-MW SPAR-type floating offshore wind turbine system are made.

Experimental Analysis of Radial Centrifugal Pump Shutdown

Centrifugal pumps are widely used in the metallurgy,coal,and building sectors.In order to study the hydraulic characteristics of a closed impeller centrifugal pump during its shutdown in the so-called power frequency and frequency conversion modes,experiments were carried to determine the characteristic evolution of parameters such as speed,inlet and outlet pressure,head,flow rate and shaft power.A quasi-steady-state method was also used to further investigate these transient behaviors.The results show that,compared to the power frequency input,the performance parameter curves for the frequency conversion input are less volatile and smoother.The characteristic time is longer and the response to shutdown is slower.The quasi-steady-state theoretical head-flow curves match the experimental head-flow curves more closely at low flow rates when the frequency conversion input is considered.Moreover,in this case,the similarity law predicts the hydraulic performance more accurately.

Full scale experimental study of a small natural draft dry cooling tower for concentrating solar thermal power plant

Concentrating solar thermal power system can provide low carbon,renewable energy resources in countries or regions with strong solar irradiation.For this kind of power plant which is likely to be located in the arid area,natural draft dry cooling tower is a promising choice.To develop the experimental studies on small cooling tower,a 20 m high natural draft dry cooling tower with fully instrumented measurement system was established by the Queensland Geothermal Energy Centre of Excellence.The performance of this cooling tower was measured with the constant heat input of 600 kW and 840 kW and with ambient temperature ranging from 20 ℃ to 32 ℃.The cooling tower numerical model was refined and validated with the experimental data.The model of 1 MW concentrating solar thermal supercritical CO2 power cycle was developed and integrated with the cooling tower model.The influences of changing ambient temperature and the performance of the cooling tower on efficiency of the power system were simulated.The differences of the mechanism of the ambient temperature effect on Rankine cycle and supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle were analysed and discussed.

Experimental and numerical study of buoyancy driven flow within a bottom heated vertical concentric cylindrical enclosure

The study of buoyancy driven flow within bottom-heated vertical concentric cylindrical enclosure was important with respect to the processes in chemical and nuclear industries. In this research paper, experimental and numerical study of the axial temperature gradient and the heat transfer mechanism within the enclosure were performed. The numerical simulations were validated by comparing the numerical results with experimentally measured axial temperature. The numerical results of the streamlines within the enclosure depicted the real picture of the buoyancy effects. Eighteen different experiments were performed by using inner cylinder of different materials and outer cylinder of different diameters within the bottom disc temperature range of 353 - 433 K. The CFD simulations were performed to study the buoyancy effects within the enclosure. At the bottom disc with temperature up to 393 K, the streamlines within the inner cylinder were almost the same for both con- figurations being independent of outer cylinder diameter, while at 433 K streamlines within the inner cylinders varied. With larger diameter outer cylinder configuration, the buoyancy effects in the outer annulus were stronger as compared to smaller one.

Experimental study on dynamic gas adsorption

In order to predict the actual adsorption amount as gas adsorption reaches the equilibrium,this research designed a dynamic gas adsorption experiment under constant temperature and pressure,and also studied the isopiestic adsorption characteristics of coal samples with same quality but different sizes.Through the experiment,the study found the adsorption-time changing relationships under different pressures of four different size samples.After regression analysis,we obtained the functional relationship between adsorption and time.According to this,the research resulted in the actual adsorption amount when gas adsorption reaches the equilibrium.In addition,the current study obtained the relationship between adsorption and pressure as well as the effect of the coal size to the adsorption rate.These results have great theoretical and practical significance for the prediction of gas amount in coal seam and gas adsorption process.

Experimental study on discharge coefficient of a gear-shaped weir

This study focused on hydraulic characteristics around a gear-shaped weir in a straight channel. Systematic experiments were carried out for weirs with two different gear heights and eight groups of geometrical parameters. The impacts of various geometrical parameters of gear-shaped weirs on the discharge capacity were investigated. The following conclusions are drawn from the experimental study:(1) The discharge coefficient(m_c) was influenced by the size of the gear: at a constant discharge, the weir with larger values of a/b(a is the width of the gear, and b is the width between the two neighboring gears) and a/c(c is the height of the gear) had a smaller value of m_c. The discharge capacity of the gear-shaped weir was influenced by the water depth in the weir.(2) For type C1 with a gear height of 0.01 m, when the discharge was less than 60m^3/h and H_1=P < 1.0(H_1 is the water depth at the low weir crest, and P is the weir height), m_c significantly increased with the discharge and H_1=P; with further increases of the discharge and H_1=P, m_cshowed insignificant decreases and fluctuated within small ranges. For type C2 with a gear height of 0.02 m, when the discharge was less than 60m^3/h and H_1=P < 1.0, m_csignificantly increased with the discharge and H_1=P; when the discharge was larger than 60m^3/h and H_1=P > 1.0, m_c slowly decreased with the increases of the discharge and H_1=P for a=b 1.0 and a=c 1.0, and slowly increased with the discharge and H_1=P for a=b > 1.0 and a=c > 1.0.(3) A formula of m_cfor gear-shaped weirs was established based on the principle of weir flow, with consideration of the water depth in the weir, the weir height and width, and the height of the gear.

Study on Load Bearing Characteristics of Novel Expandable Deepwater Drilling Conductor Based on Laboratory Experiment and Field Test

A novel expandable conductor was designed and applied in deep-water drilling to improve the vertical and lateral bearing capacity with a significant reduction of conductor jetting depth and soaking time. The vertical and lateral bearing capability of expandable conductors was depicted based on the ultimate subgrade reaction method and pile foundation bearing theory. The load-bearing characteristics of a laboratory-scale expandable conductor were analyzed through laboratory experiments. The serial simulation experiments are accomplished to study the bearing characteristics(vertical ultimate bearing capacity, lateral soil pressure, and lateral displacement) during the conductor soaking process. The laboratory experimental results show that the larger the length and thickness of expandable materials are,the higher the bearing capacity of the wellhead will be. During the conductor soaking process, the soil pressure around the three expandable conductors increases faster, strings representing a stronger squeezing effect and resulting in higher vertical bearing capacity. Furthermore, the lateral displacement of novel expandable conductor is smaller than that of the conventional conductor. All the advantages mentioned above contributed to the reduction of conductor’s jetting depth and soaking time. Lastly, the application workflow of a novel expandable deep-water drilling conductor was established and the autonomous expandable conductor was successfully applied in the South China Sea with a significant reduction of conductor’s jetting depth and soaking time. According to the soil properties and designed installation depth of the surface conductor, the arrangement of expandable materials should be designed reasonably to meet the safety condition and reduce the construction cost of the subsea wellhead.

Experimental study of the temporary plugging capability of diverters to block hydraulic fractures in high-temperature geothermal reservoirs

The effective plugging of artificial fractures is key to the success of temporary plugging and diverting fracturing technology,which is one of the most promising ways to improve the heat recovery efficiency of hot dry rock.At present,how temporary plugging agents plug artificial fractures under high temperature remains unclear.In this paper,by establishing an improved experimental system for the evaluation of temporary plugging performance at high temperature,we clarified the effects of high temperature,injection rate,and fracture width on the pressure response and plugging efficiency of the fracture.The results revealed that the temporary plugging process of artificial fractures in hot dry rock can be divided into four main stages:the initial stage of temporary plugging,the bridging stage of the particles,the plugging formation stage,and the high-pressure dense plugging stage.As the temperature increases,the distribution distance of the temporary plugging agent,the number of pressure fluctuations,and the time required for crack plugging increases.Particularly,when the temperature increases by 100℃,the complete plugging time increases by 90.7%.

Analysis and Experimental Study on the Friction Force at the Binding Point of Flexible Cable on Satellite

Mainly for the problem that the friction force generated by the existing process of bind-ing,fixing and fastening the flexible cable on the satellite is unknown,the friction force analysis and experimental research on the binding point of the flexible cable are carried out.The equivalent model of the cable bundle bound by nylon cable ties is established,the force on the binding point is analyzed,and the empirical formula for calculating the friction force at the binding point is estab-lished.The formula shows that the friction force is related to the cable bundle diameter,the number of winding cycles of silicone rubber tape,the width of nylon cable ties,and the binding force.The friction force tests of the cable diameter of 5.06 mm,8.02 mm,24.02 mm,38.04 mm under different winding turns of tape were carried out,which was compared with the theoretical calculation value.It is concluded that the calculation accuracy of the theoretical model is more than 95%,which can estimate the actual friction force value accurately.This provides a reference and basis for the theoretical and experimental research on the friction force of the flexible cable binding point on satellite.

水对硅酸盐岩体系部分熔融行为的影响:第二临界端点的重要意义

水对硅酸盐岩体系的许多物理—化学行为有着非常重大的影响。具体对部分熔融过程来说,水可以显著地降低熔融温度、改变熔体性质、影响微量元素在固—液相之间的分配。近年来,科学家们就大量水对硅酸盐岩体系的部分熔融过程的影响进行了许多的高压实验,他们主要关注第二临界端点对熔融过程的重要作用:第二临界端点的出现极大地改变着部分熔融过程中的基本相关系。本文主要针对这些高压实验研究做一总结,并对未来研究方向做一初步探讨。

Knowledge and Perceptions of Hospital Care Staff towards Medical Internet of Things and the Role of Awareness Videos: A Quasi Experimental Study

Introduction: The healthcare industry continues to adopt and integrate smart technology into its operations. However, the adoption of the eHealth solutions has not been smooth in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) due to negative beliefs about the technology, lack of awareness and motivation and resistance to change. Thus, this study was developed to investigate the knowledge and perceptions of hospital care staff towards the Medical Internet of Things and to explore the role of awareness videos in changing negative perceptions. Methods: One group pre-test post-test quasi-experimental study design was incorporated, and 116 participants from Ministry of Health hospitals in Riyadh, KSA, were included. A series of four videos were developed to observe their influence on the knowledge and perceptions of mIoT. Results: The findings showed that participants had more knowledge about the individual components of mIoT (particularly wearable devices) compared to the processes or functions of mIoT. Similarly, just over half (56.0%) of the individuals think that the current systems in the hospital are enough to deliver mIoT. However, 90% think mIoT is the future of digital health. Similarly, PE, SI, BI, EE and CESE were considered facilitators and PTA and CC were considered grave barriers to mIoT adoption. The awareness videos positively influenced knowledge and perceptions of PE, EE, CESE and SI. Conclusion: The study concludes that hospital staff in Riyadh (excluding doctors) possess basic mIoT knowledge, consider various adoption factors as enablers, and awareness video can play a critical role in effectively introducing the technology to the hospital care staff.

Experimental Study on the Disease-preventing Model of Culturing Chinese Sucker( Myxocyprinus asiatius) in River Crab( Eriocheir sinensis) Pond

From 2015 to 2016,the hepatopancreatic lesion syndrome had a higher mortality rate,which caused great economic losses to farmers. In order to study the high-efficiency disease-preventing crab pond intercropping mode,an experiment was successfully conducted to intercrop Chinese sucker( Myxocyprinus asiaticus) in a crab pond in 2017. We optimized the traditional stocking mode,and mainly cultured river crabs when intercropping Chinese suckers. Meanwhile,the cultivation environment was strengthened,and the test pond was not affected by disease throughout the year. The results showed that the production benefits were river crab 115 620 yuan/hm^2,Chinese sucker 44 280 yuan/hm^2,and silver carp and bighead carp 5 418 yuan/hm^2,with a total output of 165 318 yuan/hm`2,and the output-input ratio was 1∶ 1. 72. The Chinese sucker-intercropping river crab culture mode promoted the improvement of pond culture environment,effectively controlled the occurrence of hepatopancreatic lesion syndrome,and significantly improved the economic benefits of crab pond culture.