Thermodynamic analysis of combined reforming process using Gibbs energy minimization method: In view of solid carbon formation

Thermodynamic analysis was applied to study combined partial oxidation and carbon dioxide reforming of methane in view of carbon formation. The equilibrium calculations employing the Gibbs energy minimization were performed upon wide ranges of pressure （1-25 atm）, temperature （600-1300 K）, carbon dioxide to methane ratio （0-2） and oxygen to methane ratio （0-1）. The thermodynamic results were compared with the results obtained over a Ru supported catalyst. The results revealed that by increasing the reaction pressure methane conversion decreased. Also it was found that the atmospheric pressure is the preferable pressure for both dry reforming and partial oxidation of methane and increasing the temperature caused increases in both activity of carbon and conversion of methane. The results clearly showed that the addition of O2 to the feed mixture could lead to a reduction of carbon deposition.

Color Correction for Multi-view Video Using Energy Minimization of View Networks

Systems using numerous cameras are emerging in many fields due to their ease of production and reduced cost, and one of the fields where they are expected to be used more actively in the near future is in image-based rendering （IBR）. Color correction between views is necessary to use multi-view systems in IBR to make audiences feel comfortable when views are switched or when a free viewpoint video is displayed. Color correction usually involves two steps： the first is to adjust camera parameters such as gain, brightness, and aperture before capture, and the second is to modify captured videos through image processing. This paper deals with the latter, which does not need a color pattern board. The proposed method uses scale invariant feature transform （SIFT） to detect correspondences, treats RGB channels independently, calculates lookup tables with an energy-minimization approach, and corrects captured video with these tables. The experimental results reveal that this approach works well.

Energy-Minimizing Curve Fitting for High-Order Surface Mesh Generation

We investigate different techniques for fitting Bézier curves to surfaces in context of high-order curvilinear mesh generation. Starting from distance-based least-squares fitting we develop an incremental algorithm, which incorporates approximations of stretch and bending energy. In the process, the algorithm reduces the energy weight in favor of accuracy, leading to an optimized set of sampling points. This energy-minimizing fitting strategy is applied to analytically defined as well as triangulated surfaces. The results confirm that the proposed method straightens and shortens the curves efficiently. Moreover the method preserves the accuracy and convergence behavior of distance-based fitting. Preliminary application to surface mesh generation shows a remarkable improvement of patch quality in high curvature regions.

Design of Energy Efficient WSN Using a Noble SMOWA Algorithm

In this paper,the establishment of efficientWireless Sensor Network(WSN)networks has been projected to minimize the consumption of energy using a new Self-adaptive Multi-Objective Weighted Approach(SMOWA)algorithm for solving a multi-objective problem.The Different WSN nodes deployment policies have been proposed and applied in this paper to design an efficientWireless Sensor Network to minimize energy consumption.After that,the cluster head for each cluster has been selected with the help of the duty cycle.After configuring the WSN networks,the SMOWA algorithms have been developed to obtain the minimum energy consumption for the networks.Energy minimization,as well as the amount of day-saving,has been calculated for the differentWSNswhich has been configured through different deployment policies.The major finding of the research paper is to improve the durability of Wireless Sensor Network(i)applying different deployment strategies:(Random,S pattern and nautilus shell pattern),and(ii)using a new Meta-heuristic algorithm(SMOWA Algorithm).In this research,the lifetime of WSN has been increased to a significant level.To choose the best result set from all the obtained results set some constraints such as“equivalent distribution”,“number of repetitions”,“maximum amount energy storage by a node”has been set to an allowable range.

Improvement of energy model based on cubic interpolation curve

In CAGD and CG, energy model is often used to control the curves and surfaces shape. In curve/surface modeling, we can get fair curve/surface by minimizing the energy of curve/surface. However, our research indicates that in some cases we can＇t get fair curves/surface using the current energy model. So an improved energy model is presented in this paper. Examples are also included to show that fair curves can be obtained using the improved energy model.

Simulation of Polyhedral Crystal Growth Based on the Estimated Surface Energy of Crystallographic Planes

Polyhedral shapes can be found in crystalline materials ranging from macroscopic natural mineral solids to microscopic or nanoscopic particles. These shapes originate from the crystallographic properties of the constituting material, and the outer shape depends on several unique habit planes. In this study, polyhedral crystal growth was simulated considering the surface energy and crystallographic characteristics. A series of polyhedrons, including cube, truncated hexahedron, cuboctahedron, truncated octahedron, and regular octahedron, was targeted. First, the polyhedron’s static surface energy and dynamic energy variation during crystal growth were computed. Then, the crystal-growth process was simulated based on the energy minimization policy. Interestingly, when the simulation began with truncated hexahedral nucleus, the shape changed to a cuboctahedron;however, a certain type of truncated octahedron was obtained when starting with different types of truncated octahedrons. In addition, once converged cuboctahedron abruptly changed the shape to a truncated octahedron as the crystal became larger. These results were supported by the static and dynamic energy curves. Furthermore, the method was applied to different materials by assuming virtual parameters, yielding various morphologies.

Efficient Construction of B-Spline Curves with Minimal Internal Energy

In this paper,we propose an efficient method to construct energy-minimizing B-spline curves by using discrete mask method.The linear relations between control points are firstly derived for different energy-minimization problems,then the construction of B-spline curve with minimal internal energy can be addressed by solving a sparse linear system.The existence and uniqueness of the solution for the linear system are also proved.Experimental results show the efficiency of the proposed approach,and its application in 1 G blending curve construction is also presented.

Optimized model-based control of main mine ventilation air flows with minimized energy consumption

In early 2018,the Boliden Garpenberg operation implemented an optimized control strategy as an addition to the existing ventilation on demand system.The purpose of the strategy is to further minimize energy use for main and booster fans,whilst also fulfilling airflow setpoints without violating constraints such as min/max differential pressure over fans and interaction of air between areas in mines.Using air flow measurements and a dynamical model of the ventilation system,a mine-wide coordination control of fans can be carried out.The numerical model is data driven and derived from historical operational data or step changes experiments.This makes both initial deployment and lifetime model maintenance,as the mine evolves,a comparably easy operation.The control has been proven to operate in a stable manner over long periods without having to re-calibrate the model.Results prove a 40%decrease in energy use for the fans involved and a greater controllability of air flow.Moreover,a 15%decrease of the total air flow into the mine will give additional proportional heating savings during winter periods.All in all,the multivariable controller shows a correlation between production in the mine and the ventilation system performance superior to all of its predecessors.

Multiple bifurcations and local energy minimizers in thermoelastic martensitic transformations

Thermoelastic martensitic transformations in shape memory alloys can be modeled on the basis of nonlinear elastic theory.Microstructures of fine phase mixtures are local energy minimizers of the total energy.Using a one-dimensional effective model,we have shown that such microstructures are inhomogeneous solutions of the nonlinear Euler-Lagrange equation and can appear upon loading or unloading to certain critical conditions,the bifurcation conditions.A hybrid numerical method is utilized to calculate the inhomogeneous solutions with a large number of interfaces.The characteristics of the solutions are clarified by three parameters：the number of interfaces,the interface thickness,and the oscillating amplitude.Approximated analytical expressions are obtained for the interface and inhomogeneity energies through the numerical solutions.

REGULARITIES AND SINGULARITIES OF THE ENERGY MINIMIZERS OF THE HEISENBERG GROUP TARGETS

In this paper, the properties of the maps for the Heisenberg group targets are studied. For u e∈W1,α(Ω, Hm), some Poincare type inequalities are proved. For the energy minimizers, the ∈-regularity theorems and the singularity theorems are obtained.

THE ENERGY FUNCTION WITH RESPECT TO THE ZEROS OF THE EXCEPTIONAL HERMITE POLYNOMIALS

We examine the energy function with respect to the zeros of exceptional Hermite polynomials. The localization of the eigenvalues of the Hessian is given in the general case.In some special arrangements we have a more precise result on the behavior of the energy function. Finally we investigate the energy function with respect to the regular zeros of the exceptional Hermite polynomials.

Numerical simulation of dense particle-gas two-phase flow using the minimal potential energy principle

A simulation method of dense particle-gas two-phase flow has been developed. The binding force is introduced to present the impact of particle clustering and its expression is deduced according to the principle of minimal potential energy. The cluster collision, break-up and coalescence models are proposed based on the assumption that the particle cluster are treated as one discrete phase. These models are used to numerically study the two-phase flow field in a circulating fluidized bed （CFB）. Detailed results of the cluster structure, cluster size, particle volume fraction, gas velocity, and particle velocity are obtained. The correlation between the simulation results and experimental data justifies that these models and algorithm are reasonable, and can be used to efficiently study the dense particle-gas two-phase flow.

A review of optimization methods for computation offloading in edge computing networks

Handling the massive amount of data generated by Smart Mobile Devices(SMDs)is a challenging computational problem.Edge Computing is an emerging computation paradigm that is employed to conquer this problem.It can bring computation power closer to the end devices to reduce their computation latency and energy consumption.Therefore,this paradigm increases the computational ability of SMDs by collaboration with edge servers.This is achieved by computation offloading from the mobile devices to the edge nodes or servers.However,not all applications benefit from computation offloading,which is only suitable for certain types of tasks.Task properties,SMD capability,wireless channel state,and other factors must be counted when making computation offloading decisions.Hence,optimization methods are important tools in scheduling computation offloading tasks in Edge Computing networks.In this paper,we review six types of optimization methods-they are Lyapunov optimization,convex optimization,heuristic techniques,game theory,machine learning,and others.For each type,we focus on the objective functions,application areas,types of offloading methods,evaluation methods,as well as the time complexity of the proposed algorithms.We discuss a few research problems that are still open.Our purpose for this review is to provide a concise summary that can help new researchers get started with their computation offloading researches for Edge Computing networks.

Oxidative reforming of methane for hydrogen and synthesis gas production:Thermodynamic equilibrium analysis

A thermodynamic analysis of methane oxidative reforming was carried out by Gibbs energy minimization （at constant pressure and temperature） and entropy maximization （at constant pressure and enthalpy） methods,to determine the equilibrium compositions and equilibrium temperatures,respectively.Both cases were treated as optimization problems （non-linear programming formulation）.The GAMS 23.1 software and the CONOPT2 solver were used in the resolution of the proposed problems.The hydrogen and syngas production were favored at high temperatures and low pressures,and thus the oxygen to methane molar ratio （O 2 /CH 4） was the dominant factor to control the composition of the product formed.For O 2 /CH 4 molar ratios higher than 0.5,the oxidative reforming of methane presented autothermal behavior in the case of either utilizing O 2 or air as oxidant agent,but oxidation reaction with air possessed the advantage of avoiding peak temperatures in the system,due to change in the heat capacity of the system caused by the addition of nitrogen.The calculated results were compared with previously published experimental and simulated data with a good agreement between them.

The thermodynamics analysis and experimental validation for complicated systems in CO_2 hydrogenation process

Catalytic conversion of COinto chemicals and fuels is an alternative to alleviate climate change and ocean acidification.The catalytic reduction of COby Hcan lead to the formation of various products:carbon monoxide,carboxylic acids,aldehydes,alcohols and hydrocarbons.In this paper,a comprehensive thermodynamics analysis of COhydrogenation is conducted using the Gibbs free energy minimization method.The results show that COreduction to CO needs a high temperature and H/COratio to achieve a high COconversion.However,synthesis of methanol from COneeds a relatively high pressure and low temperature to minimize the reverse water-gas shift reaction.Direct COhydrogenation to formic acid or formaldehyde is thermodynamically limited.On the contrary,production of CHfrom COhydrogenation is the thermodynamically easiest reaction with nearly 100%CH4 yield at moderate conditions.In addition,complex reactions with more than one product are also calculated in this work.Among the considered carboxylic acids（HCOOH,CHCOOH and CHCOOH）,propionic acid dominates in the product stream（selectivity above 90%）.The same trend can also be found in the hydrogenation of COto aldehydes and alcohols with the major product of propionaldehyde and butanol,respectively.In the process of COhydrogenation to alkenes,low temperature,high pressure,and high Hpartial pressure favor the COconversion.CHis the most thermodynamically favorable among all considered alkynes under different temperatures and pressures.The thermodynamic calculations are validated with experimental results,suggesting that the Gibbs free energy minimization method is effective for thermodynamically understanding the reaction network involved in the COhydrogenation process,which is helpful for the development of high-performance catalysts.

Statistical physics of hard combinatorial optimization:Vertex cover problem

Typical-case computation complexity is a research topic at the boundary of computer science, applied mathematics, and statistical physics. In the last twenty years, the replica-symmetry-breaking mean field theory of spin glasses and the associated message-passing algorithms have greatly deepened our understanding of typical-case computation complexity. In this paper, we use the vertex cover problem, a basic nondeterministic-polynomi＇al （NP）-complete combinatorial opti- mization problem of wide application, as an example to introduce the statistical physical methods and algorithms. We do not go into the technical details but emphasize mainly the intuitive physical meanings of the message-passing equations. A nonfamiliar reader shall be able to understand to a large extent the physics behind the mean field approaches and to adjust the mean field methods in solving other optimization problems.

Reaction of nitrous oxide with methane to synthesis gas:A thermodynamic and catalytic study

The aim of the present study is to explore the coherence of thermodynamic equilibrium predictions with the actual catalytic reaction of CH4 with N2O,particularly at higher CH4 conversions.For this purpose,key process variables,such as temperature(300℃-550℃) and a molar feed ratio(N2O/CH4 = 1,3,and 5),were altered to establish the conditions for maximized H2yield.The experimental study was conducted over the Co-ZSM-5 catalyst in a fixed bed tubular reactor and then compared with the thermodynamic equilibrium compositions,where the equilibrium composition was calculated via total Gibbs free energy minimization method.The results suggest that molar feed ratio plays an important role in the overall reaction products distribution.Generally for N2O conversions,and irrespective of N2O/CH4feed ratio,the thermodynamic predictions coincide with experimental data obtained at approximately 475℃-550℃,indicating that the reactions are kinetically limited at lower range of temperatures.For example,theoretical calculations show that the H2 yield is zero in presence of excess N2O(N2O/CH4= 5).However over a Co-ZSM-5 catalyst,and with a same molar feed ratio(N2O/CH4) of 5,the H2yield is initially 10%at 425℃,while above450℃ it drops to zero.Furthermore,H2yield steadily increases with temperature and with the level of CH4 conversion for reactions limited by N2O concentration in a reactant feed.The maximum attainable(from thermodynamic calculations and at a feed ratio of N2O/CH4=3) H2yield at 550℃ is 38%,whereas at same temperature and over Co-ZSM-5,the experimentally observed yield is about 19%.Carbon deposition on Co-ZSM-5 at lower temperatures and CH4 conversion(less than 50%) was also observed.At higher temperatures and levels of CH4conversion(above 90%),the deposited carbon is suggested to react with N2O to form CO2.

Numerical investigation for the suitable choice of bubble diameter correlation for EMMS/bubbling drag model

Mesoscale bubbles exist inherently in bubbling fluidized beds and hence should be considered in the constitutive modeling of the drag force.The energy minimization multiscale bubbling(EMMS/bubbling)drag model takes the effects of mesoscale structures(i.e.,bubbles)into the modeling of drag coefficient and thus improves the coarse-grid simulation of bubbling and turbulent fluidized beds.However,its dependence on the bubble diameter correlation has not been thoroughly investigated.The hydrodynamic disparity between homogeneous and heterogeneous fluidization is accounted for by the heterogeneity index,H_(d),which can be affected by choice of bubble diameter correlation.How this choice of bubble diameter correlation influences the model prediction calls for further fundamental research.This article incorporated seven different bubble diameter correlations into EMMS/bubbling drag model and studied their effects on H_(d).The performance of these correlations has been compared with the correlation used previously by EMMS/bubbling drag model.We found that some of the correlations predicted lower Hd by order of a magnitude than the correlation used by the original EMMS/bubbling drag.Based on such analysis,we proposed a modification in the EMMS drag model for bubbling and turbulent fluidized beds.A computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulation using two-fluid model with the modified EMMS/bubbling drag model was performed for two bubbling and one turbulent fluidized beds.Voidage distribution,time averaged solid concentration and axial solid concentration profiles were studied and compared with the previous version of the EMMS/bubbling drag model and experimental data.We found that the right choice of bubble diameter correlations can significantly improve the results for CFD simulations.

Novel Active Contour Model for Image Segmentation Based on Local Fuzzy Gaussian Distribution Fitting

A novel active contour model is proposed, which incorporates local information distributions in a fuzzy energy function to effectively deal with the intensity inhomogeneity. Moreover, the proposed model is convex with respect to the variable which is used for extracting the contour. This makes the model independent on the initial condition and suitable for an automatic segmentation. Furthermore, the energy function is minimized in a computationally efficient way by calculating the fuzzy energy alterations directly. Experiments are carried out to prove the performance of the proposed model over some existing methods. The obtained results confirm the efficiency of the method.

<i>Ab-Initio</i>Self-Consistent Density Functional Theory Description of Rock-Salt Magnesium Selenide (MgSe)

We report results on electronic, transport, and bulk properties of rock-salt magnesium selenide (MgSe), from density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We utilized a local density approximation (LDA) potential and the linear combination of atomic orbitals formalism (LCAO). We followed the Bagayoko, Zhao, and Williams (BZW) method, as enhanced by Ekuma and Franklin (BZW-EF), to perform a generalized minimization of the energy, down to the actual ground state of the material. We describe the successive, self-consistent calculations, with augmented basis sets, that are needed for this generalized minimization. Due to the generalized minimization, our results have the full, physical content of DFT, as per the second DFT theorem [AIP Advances, 4, 127104 (2014)]. Our calculated, indirect bandgap of 2.49 eV, for a room temperature lattice constant of 5.460 Å, agrees with experimental findings. We present the ground-state band structure, the related total and partial densities of states, DOS and PDOS, respectively, and electron and hole effective masses for the material. Our calculated bulk modulus of 63.1 GPa is in excellent agreement with the experimental value of 62.8 ± 1.6 GPa. Our predicted equilibrium lattice constant, at zero temperature, is 5.424 Å, with a corresponding indirect bandgap of 2.51 eV. We discuss the reasons for the agreements between our findings and available, corresponding, experimental ones, particularly for the band gap, unlike the previous DFT results obtained with ab-initio LDA or GGA potentials.