Numerical investigation of granular mixing in an intensive mixer:Effect of process and structural parameters on mixing performance and power consumption

Discrete element method(DEM)simulations of particle mixing process in an intensive mixer were conducted to study the influence of structural and process parameters on the mixing performance and power consumption.The DEM model was verified by comparing the impeller torque obtained from simulation with that from experiment.Impeller and vessel torque,coordination number(CN)and mixing index(Relative standard deviation)were adopted to qualify the particle dynamics and mixing performance with different parameters.A method based on cubic polynomial fitting was proposed to determine the critical mixing time and critical specific input work during the mixing process.It is found that the mixing performance and energy efficiency increases with the decrease of impeller offset.The mixing performance is improved slightly with the increase of blade number and the impeller with 3 blades has the highest energy efficiency due to its low input torque.Results indicate that the energy efficiency and the mixing performance increase with the decrease of filling level when the height of granular bed is higher than that of blade.

Numerical study on mixing performance of screw elements in intermeshing counter-rotating and co-rotating twin-screw extrudes

The flow process of unplasticized polyvinyl chloride （U PVC） through the mixing zone of intermeshing counter rotating and co rotating twin screw extruders （TSEs） were numerically simula ted by the finite element method. Three dimensional isothermal flow field of U-PVC in two kinds of TSE was calculated. The mixing performance of the screw elements of the extruders was statistically analyzed by particle tracking method. The dispersive mixing performance was characterized by the mixing index, the logarithm of stretching, and the segregation scale. The distributive mixing per forulance was characterized by the resident time distribution. The results indicate that the counter rotating TSE can build higher pressure and generate higher axial velocity and shear rate, whereas the co rotating TSE has better performance in dispersive and distributive mixing.

Effect of aspect ratio of elliptical stirred vessel on mixing time and flow field characteristics in the absence of baffles

Elliptical tanks were used as an alternative to circular tanks in order to improve mixing efficiency and reduce mixing time in unbaffled stirred tanks(USTs). Five different aspect ratios of elliptical vessels were designed to compare their mixing time and flow field. Computational fluid dynamics(CFD) simulations were performed using the k–ε model to calculate the mixing time and simulate turbulent flow field features, such as streamline shape, velocity distribution, vortex core region distribution, and turbulent kinetic energy(TKE) transfer. Visualization was also carried out to track the tinctorial evolution of the liquid phase. Results reveal that elliptical stirred tanks can significantly improve mixing performance in USTs. Specifically, the mixing time at an aspect ratio of 2.00 is only 45.3% of the one of a circular stirred tank. Furthermore, the secondary flow is strengthened and the vortex core region increases with the increase of aspect ratio. The axial velocity is more sensitive to the aspect ratio than the circumferential and radial velocity. Additionally, the TKE transfer in elliptical vessels is altered. These findings suggest that elliptical vessels offer a promising alternative to circular vessels for enhancing mixing performance in USTs.

Premixed Gas Mixing Performance of Lobe-Forced Mixer at Different Configurations

The mixing process of pre-evaporated afterburner fuel at different positions upstream of the mixers and airflow was numerically simulated in a straight channel,with semicircular mixer,rectangular mixer,triangular mixer and chevron mixer respectively.The effects of vortices generated by mixers on fuel distribution and mixing characteristics were studied.The results show that:(1)The scale,strength and breaking speed of the streamwise vortex and the development speed of normal vortex are different downstream of the four mixers,which accelerate the mixing process of fuel and airflow.(2)The fuel distribution at the outlet of mixers,downstream of straight section and downstream of the crest and trough is mainly affected by secondary flow,the streamwise vortex and the normal vortex respectively.(3)The fuel mixing uniformity downstream of the four mixers is increased by about 80%compared with no mixer.In the limited distance,the mixing performance of chevron mixer is the best,while the triangular mixer is the worst Rectangular mixer has the fastest mixing speed and superior comprehensive performance.In addition,the effect of the channel wall on the mixing process downstream of mixers cannot be ignored.

A Simple Mix Proportion Design Method Based on Frost Durability for Recycled High Performance Concrete Using Fully Coarse Recycled Aggregate

Durability design of recycled high performance concrete（RHPC） is fundamental for improving the use rate and level of concrete waste as coarse recycled aggregate（CRA）. We discussed a frostdurability-based mix proportion design method for RHPC using 100 % CRA and natural sand. Five groups of RHPC mixes with five strength grades（40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 MPa） were produced using CRA with four quality classes, and their workability, 28 d compressive strengths and frost resistances（measured by the compressive strength loss ratio and the relative dynamic modulus of elasticity） were tested. Relationships between the 28 d compressive strength, the frost resistance and the CRA quality characteristic parameter, water absorption, were then developed. The criterion of a CRA maximum water absorption limit value for RHPC was suggested, independent of its source and quality class. The results show that all RHPC mixes achieve the expected target workability, strength, and frost durability. The research results demonstrate that the application of the proposed method does not require trial testing prior to use.

Experimental Study on Fatigue Performance of Gussasphalt Mixture

Four-point flexural fatigue test for Gussasphalt mixture specimen was carried out at a straincontrolled mode system. The results showed that the development of the tested stiffness modulus and phase angle of the mixtures with increasing load cycles exhibited three periods, initial generation, slow development and failure period. The fatigue crack generation zone formed in the third period, in which the macro mechanical properties were signifi cantly decreased. Moreover, we also analyzed the effects of asphalt content and mixing temperature on the fatigue life of the mixture. The results showed that the fi rst period when the specimen＇s initial stiffness modulus was reduced to 80% accounted for 5%-10% of the total fatigue life; the second period in which the reduction became slow and demonstrated a liner relationship with load cycles occupied 70%-85% of the fatigue life; and the third period was about 5%-10%. The results indicated that the lower the mixing temperature, the longer the fatigue life of Gussasphalt mixture. Besides, the increasing of asphalt content has a minor effect on the fatigue life of Gussasphalt mixture

Synthesis of Iron Nanoparticles by Thermal Decomposition of Diironnonacarbonyl in Ionic Liquid and Their Potential Use as Nanotracers for Mixer Studies in Liquids Feeds

Iron nanoparticles with dynamic light scattering median diameter around 10 nm have been prepared by thermal decomposition under a nitrogen atmosphere from diironnonacarbonyl (DINC) dissolved in n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIMBF). The effect of temperature changes in the range of 170°C - 200°C and changes in concentration of DINC in BMIMBF in the range of 0.1% - 0.9% on the properties of obtained iron nanoparticles has been investigated. The stable dispersion of iron nanoparticle in ethanol has been prepared after separation of nanoparticles from ionic liquid by centrifugation following by their re-dispersion in ethanol. The possibility of quantitative analysis of iron content in ethanol dispersion by deposition of ferromagnetic nanoparticles on the surface of plastic-protected neodymium magnet, dissolution of iron in hydrochloric acid and addition of ammonium thiocyanate solution following by spectrophotometric determination of iron cations at wavelength of 490 nm has been investigated. The feasibility of using the same approach in case of addition of ethanol dispersion of iron nanoparticles to the liquid animal feeds for evaluation of efficiency of their mixing has been discussed.

Performance Optimization of Dispersion-Managed WDM Systems Based on Four-Wave Mixing

We systemically investigate the interchannel four-wave mixing (FWM) in dispersion-managed WDM systems with arbitrary launch position. We optimize the number of fiber sections, and the dispersion ratio for the system performance.

Analysis of Hydrocarbon Mixture Performance of a Dual-Channel Swirl Engine

In order to understand and improve the oil and gas mixing performance of a dual-channel vortex chamber diesel engine,the BH175F dual-channel vortex chamber combustion system was used as the research foundation,and the oil-gas mixture process of the combustion system was numerically analyzed.By analyzing the cylinder temperature,cylinder pressure,mixing process and combustion process of the combustion system,the mixture performance of the combustion system was studied.Results indicated that:The mixture of the compression Top Dead Center(TDC)started to enter the main combustion chamber through the start-up hole;when the piston reached 4°After Top Dead Center(ATDC),the mixture started to enter the main combustion chamber through the connecting channels A and B,and the high-concentration mixture entered the main combustion from the start-up hole;when the piston continued running down to 20°and 25°ATDC,it could be seen that the main combustion chamber mixture was already relatively uniform;besides,when the equivalence ratio was between 0.8 and 1,the air-ftiel mixture was unevenly distributed in the main combustion chamber.It provides guidance for further improvement of the combustion system.

Combined static mixers for high viscous fluids mixing

A new static mixer Cross-over-Disc has been invented to strip off the boundary layer and to make strong radial mixing.The pressure drop of Cross-over-Disc is 12–26 times as large as that of empty pipe with equivalent diameter and length.The mixing performance of Cross-over-Disc with 14 elements has been investigated in the viscosity range of 190–250 Pa·s by decoloration method,and the gray analysis of images shows that mixing inhomogeneity is about 7.5%and 9.4%for the mixing ratio of 5∶1 and 10∶1,respectively.Furthermore,mixing inhomogeneity for a combination of static mixing elements(four from Cross-over-Disc and three pairs from Sulzer-type)can be decreased to 2.1%–3.1%within a reasonable range of pressure drop.

Performance of industrial dough mixers and its effects on noodle quality

The effects of different types of industrialized dough mixing units on the characteristics of noodle dough and noodle quality were investigated.The study involved four mixing units,including two horizontal mixers with double shafts and two continuous high-speed mixers.Of the four mixing modes,mixing mode I,which used a horizontal pin-mixer with a constant mixing speed,provided the worst performance.This finding was indicated by worse mixing uniformity and noodle quality,larger-sized dough crumbs,lower hardness and chewiness of cooked noodles,and lower sensory scores of both color and elasticity.Mixing mode II,which used a horizontal mixer with angled,large surface-area blades and adjustable-speed mixing,gave the best performance.The flour hydration was observed to be even,and smaller even-sized dough crumbs were formed.During boiling of the dried noodles,there was lower water uptake,less cooking loss,and the cooked noodles showed better stickiness scores with higher hardness and chewiness of TPA compared to the other mixing modes.Mixing mode III involved a vertical continuous high-speed mixer with a speed of 970 r/min and had better mixing uniformity compared to mixing mode IV,which involved a horizontal high-speed mixer and a higher mixing speed of 1440 r/min.No single mixer performed best over all three flours.Therefore,the final choice of mixing modes should be based on the major flour type used by the noodle manufacturer.

Performance comparison of aero-ramp and transverse injector based on gas-pilot flame

A direct performance comparison between the four-hole aero-ramp injector and single transverse injector in a dual-mode scramjet combustor was conducted.The mixing characteristics of two injectors were calculated by solving the three-dimensional(3-D)compressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations(RANS),with the help of the shear-stress-transport(SST)k-ωturbulence model.The numerical results show that the far field mixing efficiency of the aero-ramp injector is higher than that of the single transverse injector.High enthalpy vitiated air was heated to a total temperature of 1 200Kby hydrogen-oxygen combustion, entering the isolator entrance at a Mach number of 2.0.Non-reacting experimental conditions involved sonic injection of nitrogen to safely simulate ethylene injected into the combustor at a jet-to-free stream momentum flux ratio of 2.6.Schlieren photographs were obtained to analyze the shock structure around the injectors.Reacting test conditions involved sonic injection of ethylene at the jet-to-free stream momentum flux ratios ranging from 0.5to 2.7.High speed camera was used to capture the flame structures in the near-field combustion. The experimental results show that the aero-ramp injector produce sustained combustion over a wider range of fuel-air ratios than the single transverse injector.At the identical jet-to-free stream momentum flux ratio,the aero-ramp has a larger isolator margin than the single transverse injector,demonstrating a better ability for avoiding overflows.However,the air specific impulse and total temperature recovery of two injectors,which are calculated by the one-dimensional(1-D)performance analysis code,are almost identical.

Fluorescence spectrum, thermal properties, and continuous-wave laser performance of the mixed crystal Nd:Lu_(0.99)La_(0.01)VO_4

The fluorescence spectrum and thermal properties of the mixed crystal Nd：Luo.gvLa~.o1VO4 are determined. The strongest emission peak located at 1065.6 nm had a full width at half maximum （FWHM） of 2.1 nm. Continuous-wave （CW） laser performance is demonstrated by a compact planar planar cavity that is end- pumped by a diode laser. The laser output characteristics are investigated by using output couplers with different transmissions. A maximum CW output power of 8.09 W was obtained at an incident pump power of 19.4 W, which corresponds to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 41.7% and a slope efficiency of 54.6%. The dependence of optimum transmission on pump power is calculated theoretically and is found to be consistent with experimental results.

Effect of WOx promoter on Pt/ZrO2-HMS catalysts for n-heptane isomerization： Catalytic performance and kinetics study

Platinated W/Zr mixed oxides supported on mesoporous silica with various amounts of Si/Zr, namely PtWO_3/ZrO_2（[76_TD$IF]x）-HMS, were prepared and studied for n-heptane isomerization reaction at 200–350 C. The various methods such as XRD, XRF, FT-IR, UV–vis DRS, NH_3-TPD, H_2 chemisorption, nitrogen adsorption–desorption, Py-IR, SEM and TGA techniques were used for characterization of these materials. Kinetics of n-heptane isomerization was also investigated under various hydrogen. n-Heptane pressures and the influence of reaction conditions on catalytic performance were studied. The ideal catalytic performance was observed on HMS with 0.6%Pt/12%WO_3/ZrO_2 and Si/Zr = 10.

Economics and Performance of 10 Gb/s Metro Transport Over Mixed Fiber Plant of G.655 NZDF and G.652.C Zero Water-Peak Fibers

Using lower-cost lasers, 30% savings are possible for 10-Gb/s uncompensated metro transmission over NZDF, compared to G.652 fiber. We present WDM transmission results for a mixed plant of NZDF rings interconnected to G.652.C-fiber access laterals.

Numerical study of a trapezoidal bypass dual throat nozzle

Bypass Dual Throat Nozzle(BDTN)is a novel type of fluidic thrust vectoring nozzle.To improve the infrared stealth performance of BDTN,a nozzle based on BDTN is proposed and numerically simulated.Each cross-section along the x-axis of the novel nozzle becomes a trapezoid,which is named“BDTN-TRA.”The main numerical simulation results show that BDTN-TRA can produce a thrust vectoring angle when the upper or lower bypass valve is open.The angle difference between the two conditions mentioned above is usually approximately 1°-2°.Even if the two bypasses are closed,BDTN-TRA can produce a small thrust vectoring angle at around 3°-5°.When the sidewall angle increases from 60°to 90°,the thrust coefficient and thrust vectoring angle under each work condition usually decrease.A larger aspect ratio indicates better performance.As the aspect ratio increases over 7.2,the performance of BDTN-TRA is quite close to that of BDTN with rectangular cross-sections at the same aspect ratio.These features will benefit the control and trimming for future aircraft design,especially for the flying wing layout aircraft.Last but not least,BDTN-TRA has a more extraordinary mixing performance compared with BDTN.The distributions of static temperature and axial velocity along the x-axis of BDTN-TRA with sidewall angle of 60°decrease faster than those of BDTN.When the total temperature of the inlet equals 1600 K,the static temperature difference between BDTN-TRA with sidewall angles of 60°and 90°is over 360 K at twice the length of the nozzle downstream of the nozzle exit,which is the reflection for excellent infrared stealth for the fighter.

Utilization of inferior quality aggregates in asphalt mixes:A systematic review

Properties of aggregates are majorly influenced by parameters of source rocks viz.,formation process,chemical composition,impurities,volume of pores,and grain size.The study presents a review of aggregate treatment methods and its efficacy to enhance the quality of aggregate.Various aspects of aggregate treatment methods like processing temperature,the dosage of additives,adaptability in the field is studied for three treatment methods viz.,polymer coating,cementitious coating,and chemical treatments.The paper also presents an insight to understand the effect of different treatment methods on mix properties and performance parameters of asphalt mixes.The review revealed that the shape properties of aggregates can be enhanced by the incorporating suitable crushing process(two-stage or three-stage).Whereas,physical and durability properties of aggregates can be improved by various treatment methods like polymer coating,Zycosoil treatment.It was further inferred from the review that treatment methods can have moderate effects on the mechanical properties of aggregates,since,it is mostly dependent on properties of source rocks.

Use of Hi-resolution data for evaluating accuracy of traffic volume counts collected by microwave sensors

Over the past few years, the Utah Department of Transportation has developed the signal performance metrics （SPMs） system to evaluate the performance of signalized in- tersections dynamically. This system currently provides data summaries for several per- formance measures, one of them being turning movement counts collected by microwave sensors. As this system became public, there was a need to evaluate the accuracy of the data placed on the SPMs. A large-scale data collection was carried out to meet this need. Vehicles in the Hi-resolution data from microwave sensors were matched with the vehicles by ground-truth volume count data. Matching vehicles from the microwave sensor data and the ground-truth data manually collected required significant effort, A spreadsheet- based data analysis procedure was developed to carry out the task. A mixed model analysis of variance was used to analyze the effects of the factors considered on turning volume count accuracy. The analysis found that approach volume level and number of approach lanes would have significant effect on the accuracy of turning volume counts but the location of the sensors did not significantly affect the accuracy of turning volume counts. In addition, it was found that the location of lanes in relation to the sensor did not significantly affect the accuracy of lane-by-lane volume counts. This indicated that accu- racy analysis could be performed by using total approach volumes without comparing specific turning counts, that is, left-turn, through and right-turn movements. In general, the accuracy of approach volume counts collected by microwave sensors were within the margin of error that traffic engineers could accept. The procedure taken to perform the analysis and a summary of accuracy of volume counts for the factor combinations considered are presented in this paper.