The influence of pore characteristics on rock fragmentation mechanism by high-voltage electric pulse

High-voltage electric pulse(HVEP)is an innovative low-energy and high-efficiency technique.However,the underlying physics of the electrical breakdown within the rock,and the coupling mechanism between the various physical fields involved in HVEP still need to be further understood.In this study,we establish a 2D numerical model of multi-physical field coupling of the electrical breakdown of porous rock with randomly distributed pores to investigate the effect of pore characteristics(porosity,pore media composition)on the partial electrical breakdown of rock(i.e.the generation of a plasma channel inside the rock).Our findings indicate that the generation of a plasma channel is directionally selective and extends in the direction of a weak electrical breakdown intensity.As the porosity of the rock increases,so does the intensity of the electric field in the‘electrical damage’region—the greater the porosity,the greater the effectiveness of rock-breaking.As the fraction of pore fluid(S_(water)/S_(air))gradually declines,the generation time of the plasma channel decreases,and the efficacy of rock-breaking by HVEP increases.In addition,in this study,we conducted an indoor experiment utilizing an electric pulse drill to break down the rock in order to recreate the growth mode of the plasma channel in the rock.Moreover,the experimental results are consistent with the simulation results.In addition,the development of this type of partial electrical breakdown is confirmed to be related to electrode polarity and pore characteristics via the experiment of the symmetrical needle-needle electrode arrangement,which further demonstrates the mechanism of partial electrical breakdown.This research is significant for comprehending the process of electric impulse rock-breaking and gives theoretical guidance and technological support for advancing electric impulse drilling technology.

Effects of electric pulse modification on liquid structure of Al-5%Cu alloy

The electric pulse modification （EP, EPM） of liquid metal is a novel method for grain refinement. The structure of EP-modified Al-5%Cu melt was characterized by high-temperature X-ray diffractometry. The results show that the Cu-containing Al clusters remarkably increase in the EP-modified melt, furthermore, these clusters in that case tend to contract due to the decrease of relevant atomic radius and the co-ordination number. This kind of liquid-phase structure leads to a more homogeneous Cu-rich phase distribution in the final solidification structure. Differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） tests indicate that the solidification super-cooling degree of the EP-modified liquid phase is 2.36 times that of the unmodified. These facts suggest that the atom cluster changes in EP-modified Al-5%Cu melt would disagree with that by EPM model previously proposed in liquid pure metal.

Heredity of Aluminum Melt Caused by Electric Pulse Modification (Ⅰ)

The heredity of aluminum melt under the action of pulse electric field was investigated by means of the remelt experiment. A new hereditary criterion under this condition was proposed; in the meantime, the differential transferability of genetic carrier in activated melt among filial generations was validated with the aid of DSC.

Effect of electric pulse treatment on solidification structure of an Al-15%Si alloy

The effect of electric pulse modifying on the solidification structure of an Al-15%Si alloy was investigated. The result shows that the primary silicon disappears sometimes and the eutectic phase is refined after the treatrnent of EP （electric pulse） though there are different modalities in different treating durations. DSC （differential scanning calorimetry） analysis indicates that the super-cooling texture decreases and the freezing range narrows evidently after the electric pulse treatment.

Influences of electric pulse on solidification structure of LM-29 Al-Si alloy

The metallographic structure of LM-29 aluminum-silicon alloy modified by electric pulse treatment has been investigated and compared with those untreated.The solidification structure of LM-29 alloy has been analyzed by means of M1AP3 Quantimet image processing and analysis system,and then the solidification process has been analyzed by means of differential scanning calorimetry(DSC).The results indicate that the primary silicon phase was refined remarkably by electric pulse while the tensile strength and elongation properties increased accordingly.Electric pulse treatment can also increase the binding power between silicon clusters and alloy melt matrix,as a result,the precipitation of primary silicon phase is suppressed to meet the demand of supercooling degree for nucleating,correspondingly.The electric pulse modification has great influence on the size of silicon atomic cluster as well as its distribution in the melt,subsequently,leads to the refinement of solidification structure.

Heredity of Aluminum Melt by Electric Pulse Modification (Ⅱ)

Heredity of high pure aluminum melts under different pulse electric field was investigated by means of repetitious remelt experiment. The results indicate that the genetic coefficient by measurement of grain size of cast structure has a close relation with pulse voltage. Moreover, the hereditary law accords with the function of In = 1＋ e^-an＋β. The stability of genetic carrier （cluster） comprises in the competition between repetitious cooling and heating impulse and the effect of electric pulse modification.

Casting structure of pure aluminum by electric pulse modification at different superheated temperatures

Electric pulse modification （EPM） is a novel technique that reduces grain size by altering the structure of a melt. It was investigated that the response of the casting structure of high pure aluminum to EPM in different superheated melts. The results indicate that the grain refining effect of a given pulse electric field holds an optimal temperature range, moreover, a lower or higher superheated temperature will both disadvantage the improvements of casting structure. It essentially lies in the cooperative action between the distorted absorption of clusters and the activated capability of atoms in the aluminum melt.

Effects of electric pulse on microstructure of Al-Si alloy in liquid and solid states

In order to investigate the change in liquid microstructure of Al-Si alloytreated by electric pulse (EP), X-ray diffraction tests with liquid Al-Si alloy and ZL109 alloytreated or not by EP were carried out. The results show that the number of Al-Si atomic clustersdecreases and that of Al-Al and Si-Si atomic clusters increases for the treated samples. The testswith ZL109 alloy indicate that a large amount of primary crystal Si appears in the solidifiedmicrostructure after treated by EP. It is found that EP can change the microstructure of liquidmetal by affecting the probability of electrons appearing in different atoms (Al and Si) in theliquid metal. The combining force of different atoms decreases relatively, and that of the sameatoms increases, which is the main reason of reducing the atomic cluster with different atoms(Al-Si) and increasing the atomic cluster with the same atoms (Al-Al, Si-Si). The increasing of theatomic cluster with the same atom cluster resulted in the increasing of Si activity and the higherpoint of eutectics in the phase diagram. It makes a lot of primary silicon appeared in ZL109 alloy.

ATOMIC SCALE MECHANISM OF RESTRAINED EMBRITTLEMENT IN AMORPHOUS Fe_(78)B_(13)Si_9 ALLOY BY ELECTRIC PULSE RAPID ANNEALING

The direct observations of the atomic arrangements in both conventional furnace annealed and electric pulse rapid annealed Fe78B13Si9 amorphous alloy have been conducted by the lattice imaging technique in a higt resolution electron microscope. The results showed that the embrittlement of the alloy was related to the extent of atomic rearrangements during the annealing processes. The embrittlement of the alloy after 1hour conventional furnace annealing at about 270℃ is caused by the sufficient atomic rearrangements which are characterized by the growth of some bct Fe3B-like atomic short range ordering regions already existed in the as-quenched structure. Electric pulse rapid annealing can effectively retard the above-mentioned atomic rearrangements and thus restrain the embrittlement. The embrittlement only occurs when certain amount of bcc α-Fe nanocrystals are precipitated in the amorphous matrix during electric pulse rapid annealing.

Further study on heredity of liquid aluminum modified by electric pulse

The remarkable heredity of liquid aluminum modified by electric pulse (EP, EPM) has been uncovered. For better understanding from all aspects on the hereditary properties, the present research deals with the heredity destruction and the secondary EPM procedure. It is shown that the secondary EPM is capable of preventing the heredity reduction of EP-modified liquid aluminum, and that the final refining effect has a close relationship with technique parameters of the secondary EPM. Furthermore, at a certain superheated temperature depending on the initial EPM technique parameters, the heredity relationship of EP-modified liquid aluminum can be cut off during remelting. High temperature X-ray diffraction combining with the DSC tests also indicates that the EP-induced structure changes have almost disappeared at an elevated remelting temperature.

Effect of electric pulse on the crystal structure of solidified copper ingots

To obtain advanced quality pure copper, the microstructure of solidified copper was optimized by imposing electric pulse on liquid copper in this study. Experiments were performed to determine the effect of electric pulse voltage, arrangement mode of electrodes, and energy input on the microstructure of solidified copper. The results show that, when the energy input of electric pulse is bigger than 28.95 kJ per ton copper, the percent of fine grains increases noticeably with the increase of energy input; but when the energy input of electric pulse is smaller than 28.95 kJ per ton copper, the percent of fine grains decreases with the increase of energy input. The influence order of above factors on grain refinement is electric pulse voltage 〉 arrangement mode of electrodes 〉 energy input. According to the above experimental results, the optimum process conditions are chosen as the voltage being 400 V and the energy input greater than 28.95 kJ per ton copper. Meanwhile, the best arrangement mode of electrodes should be that, one electrode is immerged in the middle of liquid copper in the crystallizer, and the other is connected to the inner wall of the crystallizer, which is divided into two electrode poles for the symmetrical electric field distribution.

Numerical simulation of high voltage electric pulse comminution of phosphate ore

Numerical simulation of the electrical field distribution helps in-depth understanding of the mechanisms behind the responses and the benefits of the high voltage pulse comminution. The COMSOL Multiphysics package was used to numerically simulate the effect of ore compositions in this study. Regarding phosphate ore particles shape and composition, the effects of mineral composition, particle size, particle shape and electrodes distance were investigated on the electrical field intensity and distribution. The results show that the induced electrical field is significantly dependent on the electrical properties of minerals,the feed particle size and the location of conductive minerals in ores. The angle of material contact surface with the discharge electrode is also an important factor in the intensity of electrical field. Moreover,it is found that the specific liberation effect at the disintegration of phosphate ore by electrical pulses is due to the locality of the electrical field at the interface of mineral components of the phosphate ore aggregates with different permittivities. However, the intensity of the electrical field increases with sharpening the contact angle. Besides, the electrical discharge in the samples is converted to the electrohydraulic discharge across the surrounding water by changing the distance between the discharge electrode and sample surface.

Calcium Phosphate Coating on Al_2O_3 Ceramics by a Biomimetic Method Using Electric Pulse Technique

The preparation of calcium phosphate （CP） coating on alumina ceramics using electric pulse stimulating methoe has been investigated. The cup-shaped alumina ceramics were soaked in a simulated body fluid （SBF）, and a square pulse potential with frequency of 1 Hz and voltage of 110 V was applied between the inner and outer surfaces of the alumina cup. Surface morphology of CP coatings during different deposition periods was observed by a Philips XL-30 scanning electron microscope （SEM）. Compositional analysis was examined by EDAX. The mechanism of nucleation and growth of CP coating was discussed. SEM result indicates that the coating comprises of a large number of tiny needle-like grains and has a porous microstructure. There is a strong bond between the deposited layer and Al2O3 substrate, which may be due to the gentle growth of the biomimetic method. The EDAX analysis indicates that main composition of the coating is calcium and phosphor. The formation of CP coating may be contributed to the stimulation of electric pulse and the high ions concentration which is 1.5 times of the concentration of SBF solution （1.5SBF solution）. Such surface functionalization method by electric pulse potential can be used to prepare CP coating on various electric-insulating bioinert materials for improving their bioactive character.

QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS ON CHANGES OF HEPATIC HEMODYNAMICS AFTER TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRIC PULSE STIMULATION OF LOCAL POINTS BY USING COLOR DOPPLER ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS

Objective: To evaluate the effect of transcutaneous electric pulse stimulation (TEPS) on hepatic blood flow and parenchymal microcirculation in patients with fatty liver. Methods: A total of 31 fatty liver volunteer patients were observed in this study. Changes of color Doppler energy (CDE) images before and after TEPS of local points nearby the liver were recorded by using color Doppler ultrasound diagnostic apparatus (ACUSON 128XP/10C). Sum of color pixel area (SCPA), average of color value (ACV) and SCPA×ACV (integral) of the hepatic flow images were analyzed by an image processing system, single blind method and paired t-test. Programmed TEPS (0.5- 150 Hz / 2 000 Hz , 10- 25 V ) was applied to the right Qimen (期门 LR 14)-Jingmen (京门 GB 25), Fuai (腹哀 SP 16)-Ganshu (肝俞 BL 18) respectively for 15 min. Results: Compared with basic values of pretreatment, SCPA, ACV and SCPA×ACV increased significantly (t=2.71, P<0.02; t=3.42, P<0.01; and t=8.15, P<0.001) after TEPS, meaning improvement of hepatic blood flow supply. Conclusion: TEPS of acupoints near the liver can improve hepatic blood flow and hepatic parenchymal microcirculation in patients with fatty liver.

Effect of electric pulse rolling on plastic forming ability of AZ91D magnesium alloy

AZ91D magnesium alloy rolled under four rolling conditions,namely cold rolling,electric pulsecold rolling,hot rolling and electric pulse hot rolling,and the first principles calculation of Mg with or without external electric field carried out.The results show that:The application of pulse current in the rolling process of AZ91D magnesium alloy can effectively improve the edge crack of the sample,optimize the texture of AZ91D magnesium alloy and reduce its texture strength,promote the generation of tensile twins and the transition from small Angle grain boundaries to large Angle grain boundaries,and thus improve the plastic forming ability of AZ91D magnesium alloy.Make it more prone to plastic deformation.Compared with ordinary rolling,the microhardness ofα-Mg matrix decreases by 15%.The tensile strength and elongation increased from 137MPa and 3.4%to 169MPa and 4.7%,respectively.The results show that the stiffness of Mg decreases and the Poisson's ratio of Mg increases when the electric field applies.When the B/G value is greater than 1.75,the plasticity of Mg is improved.The fault energy at the base surface of Mg does not change much,while the fault energy at the prismatic surface of Mg decreases obviously,showing the external electric field mainly affects the prismatic surface slip of Mg,which makes the prismatic surface slip easier to start,and thus improves the plastic forming ability of Mg.

Fast strength-ductility synergistically adjusting of cold spray additive manufactured Cu deposits via electric pulse processing

Electric Pulse Processing(EPP)treatment was innovatively introduced to optimize the strength and ductility of the CSAMed Cu deposits.The results show that EPP is an efficient and fast post-treatment to improve the strength and ductility(within tens of seconds).The larger the pulse current and number of pulses,the better the mechanical properties.Interestingly,this research found that when the heat input determined by pulse current and number of pulses exceeds a certain threshold(pulse current intensity is 2000 A,number of pulses is 10),increasing the number of repeat time could also effectively improve the mechanical properties.A tensile strength of 210 MPa and a ductility of 14.0%could be obtained with reasonable EPP parameters(pulse current intensity is 2000 A,number of pulses is 10,and repeat number is 2),which is similar to those of conventional annealing(e.g.,tensile strength is 272 MPa,elongation is 28.3%).The microstructure evolution analysis shows that EPP can effectively improve the bonding quality between the deposited particles by recrystallization,promote grain growth and the formation of twins,which is the main reason for the improvement of mechanical properties.

Evaluation of genetic response of mesenchymal stem cells to nanosecond pulsed electric fields by whole transcriptome sequencing

BACKGROUND Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)modulated by various exogenous signals have been applied extensively in regenerative medicine research.Notably,nanosecond pulsed electric fields(nsPEFs),characterized by short duration and high strength,significantly influence cell phenotypes and regulate MSCs differentiation via multiple pathways.Consequently,we used transcriptomics to study changes in messenger RNA(mRNA),long noncoding RNA(lncRNA),microRNA(miRNA),and circular RNA expression during nsPEFs application.AIM To explore gene expression profiles and potential transcriptional regulatory mechanisms in MSCs pretreated with nsPEFs.METHODS The impact of nsPEFs on the MSCs transcriptome was investigated through whole transcriptome sequencing.MSCs were pretreated with 5-pulse nsPEFs(100 ns at 10 kV/cm,1 Hz),followed by total RNA isolation.Each transcript was normalized by fragments per kilobase per million.Fold change and difference significance were applied to screen the differentially expressed genes(DEGs).Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses were performed to elucidate gene functions,complemented by quantitative polymerase chain reaction verification.RESULTS In total,263 DEGs were discovered,with 92 upregulated and 171 downregulated.DEGs were predominantly enriched in epithelial cell proliferation,osteoblast differentiation,mesenchymal cell differentiation,nuclear division,and wound healing.Regarding cellular components,DEGs are primarily involved in condensed chromosome,chromosomal region,actin cytoskeleton,and kinetochore.From aspect of molecular functions,DEGs are mainly involved in glycosaminoglycan binding,integrin binding,nuclear steroid receptor activity,cytoskeletal motor activity,and steroid binding.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction confirmed targeted transcript regulation.CONCLUSION Our systematic investigation of the wide-ranging transcriptional pattern modulated by nsPEFs revealed the differential expression of 263 mRNAs,2 miRNAs,and 65 lncRNAs.Our study demonstrates that nsPEFs may affect stem cells through several signaling pathways,which are involved in vesicular transport,calcium ion transport,cytoskeleton,and cell differentiation.

Phyllanthuse emblica polyphenols:Optimization of high-voltage pulsed electric field assisted extraction,an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in vitro

Background:The polyphenols extraction of Phyllanthus emblica is primarily carried out using organic solvents,and assisted by physical fields such as ultrasound and microwave for extraction.High voltage pulsed electric field technology(PEF)is a non-thermal processing technology that has high efficiency and minimal damage to thermosensitive substances.PEF has been applied to plant extraction in many studies,however,the extraction of polyphenols from Phyllanthus emblica using the PEF has still not been reported;Objective:This study explores the optimal extraction process of polyphenols from Phyllanthus emblica using the PEF,and investigates its relaxation and anti-wrinkle based on anti-oxidation and anti-inflammatory experiment,in order to develop a Phyllanthus emblica extract with substantial efficacy;Materials and Methods:The method of Phyllanthus emblica extract using PEF is established,and compared with a traditional extraction method.The experimental conditions,such as electric field intensity(0.5–6.0 kV/cm),pulse times(20−120),extraction time(0–60 min)and material concentration(0.5%∼3%),are investigated and optimized using orthogonal experiments;Results:the polyphenols in the Phyllanthus emblica extract were highest at the electric field intensity of 5 kV/cm,120 pulses,extraction time of 30 min,and 2%material concentration.The PEFcontained more polyphenols than the conventional water extraction and ultrasound-assisted extraction.The Phyllanthus emblica extract had substantial antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects,with a good clearance effect on DPPH(IC50 of 1.82%)and ABTS(IC50 of 1.80%)radicals.At the Phyllanthus emblica extract concentration of 1.25%,inflammatory factors(TNF-α)were reduced by 47.08%;and Conclusion:The PEF is a leading-edge and promising method for preparing Phyllanthus emblica extracts.

Application of a Pulsed Electric Field to Modify the Free Energy of the Active Site of an Azoreductase

The Gibbs free energy is strongly related to the stability and catalytic function of an enzyme through the energetic changes that occur in the chemical reactions the enzyme catalyzes. In this in silico study, a pulsed electric field was applied to an azoreductase, and its effect on the Gibbs free energy of molecular docking with two dyes was measured. We propose that certain stimuli from a pulsed electric field favor the structural stability of the enzyme by promoting an arrangement in the active site, potentially leading to an enhancement of enzymatic activity overall.

Demulsification Behavior, Characteristics, and Performance of Surfactant Stabilized Oil-in-Water Emulsion under Bidirectional Pulsed Electric Field

As a novel electric demulsification method,bidirectional pulsed electric field(BPEF)was employed to demulsify the surfactant stabilized oil-in-water(SSO/W)emulsion for oil/water separation in this work.The demulsification behavior,characteristics,and stages under BPEF were explored.It was discovered that BPEF drove SSO/W emulsion to move and form vortexes,during which the oil droplets aggregated and accumulated to generate an oil droplet layer(ODL).ODL subsequently transformed into a continuous oil layer(COL)leading to the demulsification and separation of SSO/W emulsion.The conversion rate of ODL to COL was defined and used to evaluate the demulsification process and reflect the coalescence ability and transformation efficiency of dispersed oil droplets into COL.Furthermore,the effects of BPEF voltage,frequency,duty cycle,ratio of pulse output time,and surfactant type and content on the demulsification performance were examined.The optimal values of BPEF parameters for demulsification operation were 400 V,25 Hz,50%,and 4:1.O/W emulsion containing anionic surfactant was apt to be demulsified by BPEF,nonionic surfactant took the second place and cationic surfactant was the most difficult.A high surfactant content was not conducive to the BPEF demulsification.This work is anticipated to provide useful guidance for oil/water separation and oil recovery from actual emulsified oily wastewater by BPEF.