Physical modeling of gas induced bath flow in drained aluminum reduction cell

A room temperature physical model was used to study the bubble behavior and gas induced bath circulation in a drained aluminum reduction cell. By passing compressed argon through the penetrated Plexiglas box bottom plate immersed in water, gas evolution at the anode bottom surface was simulated. Bubble behavior and liquid flow field were studied and analysis was presented. Bath secondary recirculation was observed in the interpolar gap not the net rising flow as expected. Liquid driven by the bubbles forms small vortices along the interpolar gap with small mean and turbulent velocities and accordingly poor mass transfer. Secondary recirculation also exists between the slot and interpolar gap, part of the flow in the interpolar gap go to the slot with the bubbles and fluid at the bottom of the slot enters the interpolar gap directly without going to the center channel. The existence of the fluid secondary recirculation is very unfavorable to the alumina dissolution and dispersion. Increasing the anode tilt or gas flow rate, or decreasing the anode-cathode distance can make the secondary recirculation in the interpolar gap weak, however, will intensify the secondary recirculation between the slot and interpolar gap.

Model reduction of fractional impedance spectra for time–frequency analysis of batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors

Joint time–frequency analysis is an emerging method for interpreting the underlying physics in fuel cells,batteries,and supercapacitors.To increase the reliability of time–frequency analysis,a theoretical correlation between frequency-domain stationary analysis and time-domain transient analysis is urgently required.The present work formularizes a thorough model reduction of fractional impedance spectra for electrochemical energy devices involving not only the model reduction from fractional-order models to integer-order models and from high-to low-order RC circuits but also insight into the evolution of the characteristic time constants during the whole reduction process.The following work has been carried out:(i)the model-reduction theory is addressed for typical Warburg elements and RC circuits based on the continued fraction expansion theory and the response error minimization technique,respectively;(ii)the order effect on the model reduction of typical Warburg elements is quantitatively evaluated by time–frequency analysis;(iii)the results of time–frequency analysis are confirmed to be useful to determine the reduction order in terms of the kinetic information needed to be captured;and(iv)the results of time–frequency analysis are validated for the model reduction of fractional impedance spectra for lithium-ion batteries,supercapacitors,and solid oxide fuel cells.In turn,the numerical validation has demonstrated the powerful function of the joint time–frequency analysis.The thorough model reduction of fractional impedance spectra addressed in the present work not only clarifies the relationship between time-domain transient analysis and frequency-domain stationary analysis but also enhances the reliability of the joint time–frequency analysis for electrochemical energy devices.

Rainfall-triggered waste dump instability analysis based on surface 3D deformation in physical model test

Landslide is the second largest natural disaster after earthquake. It is of significance to study the evolution laws and failure mechanism of landslides based on its surface 3D deformation information. Based on the rainfall-triggered waste dump instability model test, we studied the failure mechanisms of the waste dump by integrating surface deformation and internal slope stress and proposed novel parameters for identifying landslide stability. We developed a noncontact measurement device, which can obtain millimeter-level 3D deformation data for surface scene in physical model test;Then we developed the similar materials and established a test model for a waste dump. Based on the failure characteristics of slope surface, internal stress of slope body and displacement contours during the whole process, we divided the slope instability process in model test into four stages: rainfall infiltration and surface erosion, shallow sliding, deep sliding, and overall instability. Based on the obtained surface deformation data, we calculated the volume change during slope instability process and compared it with the point displacement on slope surface. The results showed that the volume change can not only reflect the slow-ultra acceleration process of slope failure, but also fully reflect the above four stages and reduce the fluctuations caused by random factors. Finally, this paper proposed two stability identification parameters: the volume change rate above the slip surface and the relative velocity of volume change rate. According to the calculation of these two parameters in model test, they can be used for study the deformation and failure mechanism of slope stability.

Physical model investigation on effects of drainage condition and cement addition on consolidation behavior of tailings slurry within backfilled stopes

Estimation of stressses within the tailings slurry during self-weight consolidation is a critical issue for cost-effective barricade design and efficient backfill planning in underground mine stopes.This process requires a good understanding of self-weight consolidation behaviors of the tailings slurry within practical stopes,where many factors can have significant effects on the consolidation,including drainage condition and cement addition.In this paper,the prepared tailings slurry with different cement contents(0,4.76wt%,and 6.25wt%)was poured into1.2 m-high columns,which allowed three drainage scenarios(undrained,partial lateral drainage near the bottom part,and full lateral drainage boundaries)to investigate the effects of drainage condition and cement addition on the consolidation behavior of the tailings slurry.The consolidation behavior was analyzed in terms of pore water pressure(PWP),settlement,volume of drainage water,and residual water content.The results indicate that increasing the length of the drainage boundary or cement content aids in PWP dissipation.In addition,constructing an efficient drainage boundary was more favorable to PWP dissipation than increasing cement addition.The final stable PWP on the column floor was not sensitive to cement addition.The final settlement of uncemented tailings slurry was independent of drainage conditions,and that of cemented tailings slurry decreased with the increase in cement addition.Notably,more pore water can drain out from the cemented tailings slurry than the uncemented tailings slurry during consolidation.

Exploring the contribution of oxygen reduction reaction to Mg corrosion by modeling assisted local analysis

Oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)has been disclosed in recent studies as a significant secondary cathodic process during magnesium corrosion.This work elaborates on the contribution of ORR to the total corrosion process of pure Mg at different impurity levels in NaCl electrolyte with the assistance of local techniques.A finite element based numerical model taking into account the contribution of ORR during the corrosion of the Mg test materials has been designed in this study considering the local oxygen concentration.Respective computational simulations were calibrated based on the experimental data and evaluated accordingly.Finally,the simultaneous monitoring of local concentration of H_(2) and O_(2),and the combined modeling study reveal the relation between ORR and hydrogen evolution reaction.

The semi-analytical modeling and vibration reduction analysis of the cylindrical shell with piezoelectric shunt damping patches

By considering electromechanical coupling, a unified dynamic model of the cylindrical shell with the piezoelectric shunt damping patch(PSDP) is created. The model is universal and can simulate the vibration characteristic of the shell under different states including the states in which PSDP cannot be connected, partially connected, and completely connected to the shunt circuit. The equivalent loss factor and elastic modulus with frequency dependence are proposed to consider the electrical damping effect of resistance shunt circuits. Moreover, the semi-analytical dynamic equation of the cylindrical shell with PSDP is derived by the Lagrange equation. An experimental test is carried out on the cylindrical shell with PSDP to verify the vibration suppression ability of PSDP on the cylindrical shell and the correctness of the proposed model. Furthermore, the parameter analysis shows that determining the appropriate resistance value in the shunt circuit can achieve a good vibration suppression effect.

Hydrodynamic Performance of a Newly-Designed Pelagic and Demersal Trawls Using Physical Modeling and Analytical Methods for Cameroonian Industrial Fisheries

This study proposed the newly-designed Pelagic and demersal trawls for the fishing vessels operating in Cameroonian waters in pelagic and demersal fishing grounds. The engineering performances of both trawls were investigated using physical modelling method and analytical method based on the predicted equations. In a flume tank, a series of physical model tests based on Tauti’s law were performed to investigate the hydrodynamic and geometrical performances of both trawls and to assess the applicability of the analytical methods based on predicted equations. The results showed that in model scale, the working towing speed and door spread for the pelagic trawl were 3.5 knots and 1.85 m, respectively, and for the bottom trawl net they were 4.0 knots and 1.8 m. At that speed and door spread, the drag force, net opening height, and wing-end spread of the pelagic model trawl were 36.73 N, 0.89 m, and 0.86 m, respectively, and the swept area was 0.76 m2. Bottom trawl speed and door spread were 30.43 N, 0.38 m, and 0.45 m, respectively, and the swept area was 0.25 m2. The maximum difference between the experimental and analytical results of hydrodynamic performances was less than 56.22% and 41.45%, respectively, for pelagic and bottom trawls, the results of the geometrical performances obtained using predicted equations were close to the experimental results in the flume tank with a maximum relative error less than 12.85%. The newly developed pelagic and bottom trawls had advanced engineering performance for high catch efficiency and selectivity and could be used in commercial fishing operations in Cameroonian waters.

Acid deposition critical loads modeling for the simulation of sulfur exceedance and reduction in Guangdong, China

The current acid deposition critical loads in Guangdong, China were calculated using the PROFILE model with a 3 km × 3 km resolution. Calculations were carded out for critical loads of potential acidity, actual acidity, sulfur and nitrogen, with values in extents of 0-3.5, 0-14.0, 0-26.0 and 0-3.5 kmol/（hrnE.year）, respectively. These values were comparable to previously reported results and reflected the influences of vegetation and soil characteristics on the soil acid buffering capacity. Simulations of SO2 emission and sulfur deposition in this study showed that sulfur deposition core areas mirrored SO2 emission centers. The prediction of sulfur deposition after 20% and 40% reduction of SO2 emission suggested that the reduction of area sources contributed greatly to the decrease of sulfur deposition. Thus, abatement of area source emissions could be the primary way to mitigate sulfur deposition in Guangdong to meet both the provincial and national regulations of air pollution control.

LAGFD-WAM numerical wave model-Ⅰ. Basic physical model

The LAGFD-WAM wave model is a third generation wave model. In the present paper the physical aspect of the model was shown in great detail including energy spectrum balance equation, complicated characteristics equations and source functions.

Quantitative Damage Detection for Planetary Gear Sets Based on Physical Models

Planetary gear set is the critical component in helicopter transmission train, and an important problem in condition monitoring and health management of planetary gear set is quantitative damage detection. In order to resolve this problem, an approach based on physical models is presented to detect damage quantitatively in planetary gear set. A particular emphasis is put on a feature generation and selection method, which is used for sun gear tooth breakage damage detection quantitatively in planetary gear box of helicopter transmission system. In this feature generation procedure, the pure torsional dynamical models of 2K-H planetary gear set is established for healthy case and sun gear tooth-breakage case. Then, a feature based on the spectrum of simulation signals of the dynamical models is generated. Aiming at selecting the best feature suitable for quantitative damage detection, a two-sample Z-test procedure is used to analyze the performance of features on damage evolution tracing. A feature named SR, which had better performance in tracking damage, is proposed to detect damage in planetary gear set. Meanwhile, the sun gear tooth-chipped seeded experiments with different severity are designed to validate the method above, and then the test vibration signal is picked up and used for damage detection. With the results of several experiments for quantitative damage detection, the feasibility and the effect of this approach are verified. The proposed method can supply an effective tool for degradation state identification in condition monitoring and health management of helicopter transmission system.

PHYSICAL MODELLING OF ISOTHERMAL DIE FORGING PROCESS OF Ti-ALLOY STRUCTURAL AIR-FRAME PART WITH ETYPE CROSS-SECTION AND VARYING THICKNESS RIB

Isothermal flashless die forging process of Ti - alloy structural air - frame part with varying thickness rib has been modelled in this paper.The results of present study show that a upside - down trapezoid rib would be formed and buckling would occure as blank is reduced,if the thickness of billet is maller than or equal to the thickness of rib. During modelling process of structural air frame part with E type cross - section rib, the saddle or lap would be formed finally at the middle of transverse rib between ribs with increase in deformation.If metal is allowed to flow out at confluence of longitudinal and transverse rib, the lop defect would be eliminated,, but a pipe cavity is obvious on corresponding loca- tion of blank. of defect formation depends on distance of metal flow ,friction,temperature homoge- neity of the blank and complexity of the part.

Physical Modeling of Fold-and-Thrust Belt Evolution and Triangle Zone Development:Dabashan Foreland Belt(Northeast Sichuan basin,China) as an Example

Triangle zones, generally found in foreland fold-and-thrust belts, serve as favorable objects of petroleum exploration. Taking the Dabashan foreland belt as an example, we studied the formation and development of triangle zones, and investigated the effect of d^collements and the mechanical contrast of lithology by employing the method of physical modeling. Four experimental models were conducted in the work. The results showed that ＇sand wedges＇ grew episodically, recorded by deformational length, height and slope angle. The height versus shortening rate presented an S-shape curve, and uplifting occurred successively in the direction of the foreland belt. During the formation of the triangle zone, layer-parallel shortening took place at the outset; deformation decoupling then occurred between the upper and lower brittle layers, divided by a middle-embedded silicone polymers layer. The upper brittle layers deformed mainly by folding, while the lower sand layers by thrusting. As shortening continued, the geometry of a triangle zone was altered. We consider that the triangle zone in the Dabashan foreland belt was modified from an early one based on available seismic profiles and the experimental results. In addition, dccollements and mechanical contrast impose significant influence on structural development, which can directly give rise to structural discrepancies. More d^collements and obvious mechanical contrast between brittle layers can promote the coupling between the upper and lower brittle layers. Basal d^collement controls the whole deformation and decreases the slope angle of the wedge, while roof d^collement determines whether a triangle zone can be formed.

Physical model test and numerical simulation on the failure mechanism of the roadway in layered soft rocks

To explore the failure mechanism of roadway in layered soft rocks,a physical model with the physically finite elemental slab assemblage(PFESA)method was established.Infrared thermography and a video camera were employed to capture thermal responses and deformation.The model results showed that layered soft roadway suffered from large deformation.A three-dimensional distinct element code(3 DEC)model with tetrahedral blocks was built to capture the characteristics of roadway deformation,stress,and cracks.The results showed two failure patterns,layer bending fracture and layer slipping after excavation.The layer bending fracture occurred at positions where the normal direction of layers pointed to the inside of the roadway and the layer slipping occurred in the ribs.Six schemes were proposed to investigate the effects of layered soft rocks.The results showed that the deformation of ribs was obviously larger than that of the roof and floor when the roadway passed through three types of strata.When the roadway was completely in a coal seam,the change of deformation in ribs was not obvious,while the deformation in the roof and floor increased obviously.These results can provide guidance for excavation and support design of roadways in layered soft rocks.

Influence of Spur Dike on Hydrodynamic Exchange Between Channel and Shoal of Generalization Estuary in Physical Model Test

Widely applied in maintaining estuarial waterway depth, the spur dike has played an important role in currents and sediment exchange between channel and shoal and sediment back-silting in the channel. Through establishing a generalized physical model at a bifurcated estuary and conducting current tests under the joint action of runoff and tide, the influence of the spur dike length on current exchange between channel and shoal is analyzed. Results show that when the spur dike length reaches a certain value, the direction of the flow velocity shear front between the channel and shoal will change. The longer the spur dike, the larger the transverse fluctuating velocity at the peak of flood in the channel shoal exchange area, while the transport of the transverse hydrodynamics is obvious in the process of flood. There is an optimum length of spur dike when the shear stress in the channel and the longitudinal velocity in flood and ebb reach the maximum, and the flow velocity will decrease when the spur dike length is smaller or larger than the optimum. For a certain length of spur dike, the larger the channel shoal elevation difference, the larger the peak longitudinal flow velocity in the middle of the navigation channel in flood and ebb. However, the transverse flow velocity will first decrease and then increase. The transverse transportation is obvious when the channel shoal elevation difference increases.

A physical model study of shale seismic responses and anisotropic inversion

The seismic responses of the shale properties are critical for shale gas reservoir evaluation and production.It has been widely reported that the clay minerals have substantial influences on the seismic wave anisotropy and brittleness.Hence,knowing the seismic responses of the clay-rich shales and estimation of shale elastic properties are significant for the shale gas industry.A physical model containing two groups of shale blocks as the target formations is constructed in laboratory.The group S contains six shale blocks with different clay contents,and the group N contains six shale blocks with different porosity.The acquired 2D seismic data is used to analyze the seismic responses of two corresponding seismic lines.An anisotropic three-term inversion method is applied to one of the seismic inline to estimate the elastic properties the target shale blocks.The inversed attributes can be used to reveal the effects of shale clay contents.This study shows the substantial significance of using a physical model to observe the seismic responses of shale properties.The inversion results indicate that the anisotropic three-term inversion method could provide accurate results of elastic properties as well as the P-wave anisotropy parameter for shale formations.

Characteristics of evolution of mining-induced stress field in the longwall panel:insights from physical modeling

The evolution of mining-induced stress field in longwall panel is closely related to the fracture field and the breaking characteristics of strata.Few laboratory experiments have been conducted to investigate the stress field.This study investigated its evolution by constructing a large-scale physical model according to the in situ conditions of the longwall panel.Theoretical analysis was used to reveal the mechanism of stress distribution in the overburden.The modelling results showed that:(1)The major principal stress field is arch-shaped,and the strata overlying both the solid zones and gob constitute a series of coordinated load-bearing structures.The stress increasing zone is like a macro stress arch.High stress is especially concentrated on both shoulders of the arch-shaped structure.The stress concentration of the solid zone in front of the gob is higher than the rear solid zone.(2)The characteristics of the vertical stress field in different regions are significantly different.Stress decreases in the zone above the gob and increases in solid zones on both sides of it.The mechanical analysis show that for a given stratum,the trajectories of principal stress are arch-shaped or inverselyarched,referred to as the‘‘principal stress arch’’,irrespective of its initial breaking or periodic breaking,and determines the fracture morphology.That is,the trajectories of tensile principal stress are inversely arched before the first breaking of the strata,and cause the breaking lines to resemble an inverted funnel.In case of periodic breaking,the breaking line forms an obtuse angle with the advancing direction of the panel.Good agreement was obtained between the results of physical modeling and the theoretical analysis.

Ultrasonic sensitivity-improved fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometer using a beam collimator and its application for ultrasonic imaging of seismic physical models

An ultrasonic sensitivity-improved fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometer （FPI） is proposed and employed for ultra- sonic imaging of seismic physical models （SPMs）. The FPI comprises a flexible ultra-thin gold film and the end face of a graded-index multimode fiber （MMF）, both of which are enclosed in a ceramic tube. The MMF in a specified length can collimate the diverged light beam and compensate for the light loss inside the air cavity, leading to an increased spectral fringe visibility and thus a steeper spectral slope. By using the spectral sideband filtering technique, the collimated FP1 shows an improved ultrasonic response. Moreover, two-dimensional images of two SPMs are achieved in air by recon- structing the pulse-echo signals through using the time-of-flight approach. The proposed sensor with easy fabrication and compact size can be a good candidate for high-sensitivity and high-precision nondestructive testing of SPMs.

Mathematical model of the direct reduction of dust composite pellets containing zinc and iron

Direct reduction of dust composite pellets containing zinc and iron was examined by simulating the conditions of actual production process of a rotary hearth furnace （RHF） in laboratory. A mathematical model was constructed to study the reduction kinetics of iron oxides and ZnO in the dust composite pellets. It was validated by comparing the calculated values with experimental results. The effects of furnace temperature, pellet radius, and pellet porosity on the reduction were investigated by the model. It is shown that furnace temperature has obvious influence on both of the reduction of iron oxides and ZnO, but the influence of pellet radius and porosity is much smaller. Model calculations suggest that both of the reduction of iron oxides and ZnO are under mixed control with interface reactions and Boudouard reaction in the early stage, but only with interface reactions in the later stage.

MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL MODELING OF INTERFACIALPHENOMENA IN CONTINOUS CASTING MOULD WITH ARGONINJECTION THROUGH SUBMERGED ENTRV NOZZLE

The study on the fluid flow, meniscus oscillation, slag entrapment in continuous casting mould was conducted mathematically and experimentally. The results show that the injection of argon into submerged nozzle enhances the meniscus oscillation, thus increases the probability of slag entrapment, and the critical argon blowing flow rate, which will give rise to slag entrapment, is around 10l/min. The trajectory of bubble is affected by the bubble diameter and the molten steel flow, and the bubble diameter is dominant. The bubble with diameter 1.4mm floats fastest with 0.47m/s terminal velocity.

Model-based Predictive Control for Spatially-distributed Systems Using Dimensional Reduction Models

In this paper, a low-dimensional multiple-input and multiple-output （MIMO） model predictive control （MPC） configuration is presented for partial differential equation （PDE） unknown spatially-distributed systems （SDSs）. First, the dimension reduction with principal component analysis （PCA） is used to transform the high-dimensional spatio-temporal data into a low-dimensional time domain. The MPC strategy is proposed based on the online correction low-dimensional models, where the state of the system at a previous time is used to correct the output of low-dimensional models. Sufficient conditions for closed-loop stability are presented and proven. Simulations demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed methodologies.