Dual Pressure versus Hybrid Recuperation in an Integrated Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Cycle--Steam Cycle

A SOFC （solid oxide fuel cell） cycle running on natural gas was integrated with a ST （steam turbine） cycle. The fuel is desulfurized and pre-reformed before entering the SOFC. A burner was used to combust the remaining fuel after the SOFC stacks. The off-gases from the burner were used to produce steam in a HRSG （heat recovery steam generator）. The bottoming steam cycle was modeled with two configurations： （1） a simple single pressure level and （2） a dual pressure level with both a reheat and a pre-heater. The SOFC stacks in the present SOFC-ST hybrid cycles were not pressurized. The dual pressure configuration steam cycle combined with SOFC cycle （SOFC-ST） was new and has not been studied previously. In each of the configuration, a hybrid recuperator was used to recovery the remaining energy of the off-gases after the HRSG. Thus, four different plants system setups were compared to each other to reveal the most superior concept with respect to plant efficiency and power. It was found that in order to increase the plant efficiency considerably, it was enough to use a single pressure with a hybrid recuperator instead of a dual pressure Rankine cycle.

The riddles of number nine in Chinese medicine processing method

The“nine cycles of steaming and shining”,“nine making”,“nine turns”and“nine cycles of calcining and quenching”methods that are recorded and used since ancient times are merely one aspect of the unique processing methods of traditional Chinese medicine.Inducing the Chinese medicine processing method“nine cycles of steaming and shining”from historical review and summarizing the practical wisdom based on the canonical aspects of traditional Chinese medicine and the experiences of ancient Chinese medicine sages to promote the new development of traditional Chinese medicine.After the long-term and multiple“nine”processing,the materials of traditional Chinese medicine exhibit significant beneficial changes in terms of taste,efficacy,and chemical composition contents,thus emphasizing that Chinese medicine processing plays a significant role in their efficacy enhancement and toxicity reduction.Heshouwu(Polygoni Multiflori Radix),Dihuang(Rehmanniae Radix),Huangjing(Rhizoma Polygonati),Dahuang(Radix et Rhizoma Rhei),and Xixiancao(Herba Siegesbeckiae)are representatives of Chinese medicinal materials prepared using the“nine-system”processing method.This review discovers the aim and the molecular mechanism of“nine”processing of the abovementioned herbs from the viewpoints of modern pharmacochemistry and pharmacology to provide a theoretical support for the“nine”processing method of traditional Chinese medicine and to promote the international market of traditional Chinese medicine.