Design and Development of a Parabolic Trough Solar Air Heater for a Greenhouse Dryer

Design and Development of a Parabolic Trough Solar Air Heater (PTSAH) for a Greenhouse Dryer (GD) was done to improve the dryer’s performance. The materials used for the fabrication of the PTSAH included galvanized sheets covered with aluminium foil, an absorber tube made of GI pipe painted matt black to increase heat absorbance at the focal line, mild steel square tubes, shutter plywood, and an axial fan to push air through the absorber tube. Key geometrical parameters used for the design of the PTSAH were a rim angle of 98 degrees, focal length of 0.2608 m, height of 0.3451 m, length of 2 m, and an aperture width of 1.2 m. The PTSAH’s total aperture surface area was 2.4 m2, while its absorber tube surface area was 0.1587 m2. The PTSAH was experimentally tested to establish its thermal performance. It was found that the ambient air recorded an average value of 31.1˚C and that the air heater could increase the air temperature by 45.6˚C above ambient with a thermal efficiency of 5.3%. It can, therefore, be concluded that the PTSAH can significantly improve the performance of a GD by supplying the GD with air at a higher temperature than ambient.

Photoionization Mass Spectrometric and Kinetic Modeling of Low-pressure Pyrolysis of Benzene

Pyrolysis of benzene at 30 Torr was studied from 1360 K to 1820 K in this work. Synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry was employed to detect the pyroly- sis products such as radicals, isomers and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and measure their mole fraction profiles versus temperature. A low-pressure pyrolysis model of benzene was developed and validated by the experimental results. Rate of production analysis was performed to reveal the major reaction networks in both fuel decomposition and aromatic growth processes. It is concluded that benzene is mainly decomposed via H-abstraction reaction to produce phenyl and partly decomposed via unimolecular decomposition reac- tions to produce propargyl or phenyl. The decomposition process stops at the formation of acetylene and polyyne species like diacetylene and 1,3,5-hexatriyne due to their high thermal stabilities. Besides, the aromatic growth process in the low-pressure pyrolysis of benzene is concluded to initiate from benzene and phenyl, and is controlled by the even carbon growth mechanism due to the inhibited formation of C5 and C7 species which play important roles in the odd carbon growth mechanism.

Low-pressure pneumoperitoneum with abdominal wall lift in laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer:initial experience

AIM To evaluate the safety and feasibility of a new technology combining low-pressure pneumoperitoneum(LPP) and abdominal wall lift(AWL) in laparoscopic total mesorectal excision(TME) for rectal cancer.METHODS From November 2015 to July 2017,26 patients underwent laparoscopic TME for rectal cancer using LPP(6-8 mm Hg) with subcutaneous AWL in Qilu Hospital of Shandong University,Jinan,China.Clinical data regarding patients' demographics,intraoperative monitoring indices,operation-related indices andpathological outcomes were prospectively collected.RESULTS Laparoscopic TME was performed in 26 cases(14 anterior resection and 12 abdominoperineal resection) successfully,without conversion to open or laparoscopic surgery with standard-pressure pneumoperitoneum.Intraoperative monitoring showed stable heart rate,blood pressure and paw airway pressure.The mean operative time was 194.29 ± 41.27 min(range:125-270 min) and 200.41 ± 20.56 min(range:170-230 min) for anterior resection and abdominoperineal resection,respectively.The mean number of lymph nodes harvested was 16.71 ± 5.06(range:7-27).There was no positive circumferential or distal resection margin.No local recurrence was observed during a median follow-up period of 11.96 ± 5.55 mo(range:5-23 mo).CONCLUSION LPP combined with AWL is safe and feasible for laparoscopic TME.The technique can provide satisfactory exposure of the operative field and stable operative monitoring indices.

Process Optimization for AZ91 Mg-alloy Low-pressure EPC Process

The influence of a key process variable on the mold filling characteristics of AZ91 Mg-alloy was studied in the low pressure EPC process.The applied flow quantity of insert gas from 1 to 5 m~3/h associated with the pressurizing rate in the low pressure EPC casting process was considered for rectangle and L-shape plate casting. The experimental results show that there is an optimal flow quantity of insert gas for good mold filling characteristics in AZ91 Mg-alloy low-pressure EPC process. The optimal flow quantity of insert gas for the specimens is 3 to 4 m~3/h. Either less or higher than the optimal flow quantity of insert gas would lead to misrun defects or folds, blisters and porosity defects. The practice of hub casting confirmed that the low-pressure EPC process with an optimal processing variable exemplified as 4 m~3/h gas flow quantity was capable of producing complicated magnesium castings without misrun defects.

Numerical simulation and analysis of lithium plasma during low-pressure DC arc discharge

Alkali metal DC arc discharge has the characteristics of easy ionization,low power consumption,high plasma temperature and ionization degree,etc,which can be applied in aerospace vehicles in various ways.In this paper,we calculate the physical property parameters of lithium vapor,one of the major alkali metals,and analyze the discharge characteristics of lithium plasma with the magnetohydrodynamic(MHD)model.The discharge effects between constant current and voltage sources are also compared.It is shown that the lithium plasma of DC arc discharge has relatively high temperature and current density.The peak temperature can reach tens of thousands of K,and the current density reaches 6 x 107 A m 2.Under the same rated power,the plasma parameters of the constant voltage source discharge are much higher than those of the constant current source discharge,which can be used as the preferred discharge mode for aerospace applications.

An Experimental and Numerical Study on the Cleaning of Pleated Bag Filters Using Low-Pressure Pulsed-Jets

Pulsed-jet cleaning is recognized as the most efficient method to regenerate bag dust collectors traditionally used in industrial processes to control the emission of particulates.In this study,non-woven needle felt filter bags with and without a film coating material have been analyzed considering different geometries(different number N of pairs of pleated filter bag sides)in the frame of dedicated low-pressure pulsed-jet cleaning experiments.The flow structure inside the bag and the response characteristics of its wall have also been analyzed numerically through a computational fluid-dynamics/structural-dynamics(CFD-CSD)unidirectional fluid-solid coupling method.As shown by the experiments,the peak pressure(P_(0))on the wall of the filter bag with N=8 and 12 is higher,which indicates dust can be removed more effectively in these cases.The peak pressure on the wall increases first and then decreases along the direction of the bag length,while the peak pressure of the pleated filter bag with nonwoven needled felt film coating is greater than that without film coating.A comprehensive analysis of the time variation of acceleration,deformation,strain,stress and other factors,has led to the conclusion that the pleated filter bag with N=12 would be the optimal choice.

Effect of Low-pressure Carbonation on the Heat Inactivation and Cytoplasmic Acidification of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Effect of low-pressure carbonation （LPC） on heat inactivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated. The cell suspension was carbonated at 1 MPa and 4℃ for 15 min and subsequently heated from 51 to 61 ℃ and 5 s to 5 min （heating with LPC）. As a control experiment, cell suspension was heat-treated under atmospheric pressure without LPC （heating）. The inactivation ratio of heating at 53℃ and 55℃ for l rain with LPC was approximately 1 log order higher than heating alone. Extending heating time to 5 min did not widen the difference in the inactivation ratio between heating with LPC and heating alone at both heating temperatures. At 57℃, the difference in inactivation ratio increased from 1 to 2.5 log order with extending treatment time from 5 to 15 s. The results suggested that the enhanced inactivation effect by LPC was obtained at the higher temperature with short time treatment than the lower temperature with longer time treatment. Under fluorescence microscope observation of LPC-treated cell stained with LysoSensor probe, it seemed that LPC was hardly able to acidify the cytoplasm ofS. cerevisiae. It is considered that the ability orS. cerevisiae ceils to keep their cytoplasmic pH during LPC resulted in the inferior increase in heat inactivation ratio by LPC as compared with bacteria in the previous studies.

Neutrons in a nanosecond low-pressure discharge in deuterium

Stable neutron generation with a yield of ~1.2×10^(4) neutrons per pulse was obtained during d(d,n)^(3)He reaction initiated by the high-voltage nanosecond discharge in a gap with a potential tungsten cylinder(anode)and a grounded deuterated zirconium plate(cathode)filled with deuterium at a pressure of ~10^(2) Pa.Estimated duration of the neutron pulse was ~1.5 ns.Less intensive neutron emission was registered without deuterated plate.Splashing of material of the tungsten electrode was observed during the high-voltage nanosecond discharge in the deuterium,hydrogen,helium and argon at pressures of 10^(2)-10^(4) Pa.

A LOW-PRESSURE AND ONE-STEP METHOD FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF ALKYLIDYNETRICOBALT NONACARBONYL CLUSTERS:RCCo_8(CO)_9

Metal clusters RCCo_3(CO)_9(R-H,C1,Br,CH_3,Ph) were prepared in 18.8-57.3% yields from the reaction of cobalt(Ⅱ)salt and RCX_a under mild PTC conditions(latm CO,25℃).The cobalt salt was reduced to Co(CO)_4 in the presence of Na_3S_2O_4.

The mechanism study of low-pressure air plasma cleaning on large-aperture optical surface unraveled by experiment and reactive molecular dynamics simulation

Low-pressure air plasma cleaning is an effective method for removing organic contaminants on large-aperture optical components in situ in the inertial confinement fusion facility.Chemical reactions play a significant role in plasma cleaning,which is a complex process involving abundant bond cleavage and species generation.In this work,experiments and reactive molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to unravel the reaction mechanism between the benchmark organic contaminants of dibutyl phthalate and air plasma.The optical emission spectroscopy was used to study the overall evolution behaviors of excited molecular species and radical signals from air plasma as a reference to simulations.Detailed reaction pathways were revealed and characterized,and specific intermediate radicals and products were analyzed during experiments and simulation.The reactive species in the air plasma,such as O,HO_(2)and O_(3)radicals,played a crucial role in cleaving organic molecular structures.Together,our findings provide an atomic-level understanding of complex reaction processes of low-pressure air plasma cleaning mechanisms and are essential for its application in industrial plasma cleaning.

Simulation of propagation of the HPM in the low-pressure argon plasma

The propagation of the high-power microwave（HPM） with a frequency of 6 GHz in the lowpressure argon plasma was studied by the method of fluid approximation.The two-dimensional transmission model was built based on the wave equation,the electron drift-diffusion equations and the heavy species transport equations,which were solved by means of COMSOL Multiphysics software.The simulation results showed that the propagation characteristic of the HPM was closely related to the average electron density of the plasma.The attenuation of the transmitted wave increased nonlinearly with the electron density.Specifically,the growth of the attenuation slowed down as the electron density increased uniformly.In addition,the concrete transmission process of the HPM wave in the low-pressure argon plasma was given.

Microstructure and Properties of Low-pressure Cold Sprayed Al-based Composite Coatings on Magnesium Alloy Surface

Pure Al and Al-30%Al_(2)O_(3)composite coatings are prepared on the surface of AZ31B magnesium alloy by low-pressure cold spraying.The morphology and structure of the coatings are analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM),energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS),and X-ray diffraction (XRD),and the effects of the addition of Al_(2)O_(3)on the microstructure of the Al-based coatings are discussed.The mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the coatings are fully evaluated by the micro-hardness tester,electronic tensile machine,and electrochemical workstation.The results show that the coating structure is more uniform and denser,and the porosity is significantly reduced after the addition of Al_(2)O_(3).The interfaces between the coatings and the magnesium alloy substrate are distinct,and the coatings and the substrate are mechanically combined.Compared with the pure Al coating,the microhardness of the Al-Al_(2)O_(3)composite coating is increased to 61.1 HV_(0.2),and the bonding strength reaches above 53.1 MPa.The self-corrosion potential of the two coatings is higher than that of the magnesium alloy,and the self-corrosion current density is significantly lower than that of the magnesium alloy substrate.The Al-based coatings prepared by low-pressure cold spraying have high hardness,good bonding strength,and good corrosion resistance,which can be used for the repair and protection of magnesium alloy structural parts.

Electrostatic Self-Assembly of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene/Cellulose Nanofiber Composite Films for Wearable Supercapacitor and Joule Heater

The titanium carbide nanosheets(MXene)hold great potential for fabricating high-performance electronics due to their two-dimensional layered structure,high electrical conductivity,and versatile surface chemistry.However,assembling the small MXene nanosheets into flexible macroscopic films for wearable electronics still remains a challenge.Herein,we report the hierarchical assembling of MXene nanosheets and cellulose nanofibers into high-performance composite films via an electrostatic self-assembly strategy induced by polyethyleneimine.Benefited from the nacre-like microstructure of MXene"bricks"and cellulose nanofibers"mortars"interlocked by polyethyleneimine via hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction,composite films possess integrated superior flexibility,high tensile strength,and stable electrical conductivity,which are advantageous for wearable electronic applications.To provide a proof-of-concept design,a symmetric quasi-solid-state supercapacitor with the as-prepared composite film as electrode is fabricated,which exhibits a specific capacitance of 93.9 mF cm^(-2)at a current density of 0.1 mA cm^(-2)and almost constant capacitive behavior under different bending states.In addition,the composite film possesses capacities of electrothermal conversion and complete degradation in a hydrogen peroxide solution.These results demonstrate that the electrostatically self-assembled composite films hold great promise in the development of highly flexible,mechanically robust,and environmentally friendly energy storage and conversion devices.

Optically pumped wavelength-tunable lasing from a GaN beam cavity with an integrated Joule heater pivoted on Si

Dynamically tunable laser sources are highly promising for realizing visionary concepts of integrated photonic circuits and other applications. In this paper, a Ga N-based laser with an integrated PN junction heater on Si is fabricated.The photoluminescence properties of the Ga N beam cavity are controlled by temperature, and the Joule heater provides electrically driven regulation of temperature. These two features of the cavity make it possible to realize convenient tuning of the lasing properties. The multi-functional Ga N beam cavity achieves optically pumped lasing with a single mode near 362.4 nm with a high Q-factor of 1394. The temperature of this device increases by 0–5℃ under the Joule heating effect. Then, electrical control of the lasing mode is demonstrated. The lasing resonant peak shows a continuous redshift of about 0.5 nm and the device also exhibits dynamic switching of its lasing mode. The lasing modulation can be ascribed to temperature-induced reduction of the bandgap. Our work may be of benefit for external optical modulation in future chip-based optoelectronic devices.

Simulation of Natural Convection Flow with Magneto-Hydrodynamics in a Wavy Top Enclosure with a Semi-Circular Heater

Natural convection flow in enclosure has different applications such as room ventilation, heat exchangers, the cooling system of a building etc. The Finite-Element method based on the Galerkin weighted residual approach is used to solve two-dimensional governing mass, momentum and energy-equations for natural convection flow in the presence of a magnetic field on a roof top with semi-circular heater. In the enclosure the horizontal lower wall was heated, the vertical two walls were adiabatic, inside the semi-circular heater, the wavy top wall cooled. The parameters Rayleigh number, Hartmann number and Prandtl number are considered. The effects of the Hartmann number and Rayleigh number on the streamlines, isotherms, velocity profiles and average Nusselt number are examined graphically. The local Nusselt number and the average Nusselt number of the heated portion of the enclosure with the semi-circular heater are presented in this paper. Finally, for the validation of the existing work, the current results are compared with published results and the auspicious agreement is achieved.

Producing ultra-high-speed nitrogen jets by arc heating in a low-pressure chamber

Pure nitrogen gas was heated with direct current arc, at input powers from several hundred Watt to over 5 kW, and then injected through a nozzle into a chamber at 1 or 10 Pa pressure, with the purpose of accelerating the gas to very high speed around 7 km/s. Various structures of the arc generator and gas expansion nozzle were examined. Results show that bypass exhausting of the boundary layer before it enters the nozzle divergent section can greatly increase flow speed of the jet, thus it might be possible to use nitrogen as a working gas in high speed gas dynamic test facilities.

CO_(2)电弧等离子加热器电热特性研究

对管状阴极轴线式CO_(2)电弧等离子加热器的电热特性进行了实验研究,得到了电流、气体流量、励磁电流和前电极长径比对电弧加热器的伏安特性和热效率的影响规律。采用相似理论模型,对实验数据进行回归分析,得到了加热器伏安特性和热损失系数的近似表达式。研究结果发现,CO_(2)气体流量和电弧电流对加热器的伏安特性和热效率都具有显著的影响,前电极的长径比和励磁电流则只对热效率具有影响。电弧加热器伏安特性和热损失系数的回归公式计算值与实验数据一致性较好,伏安特性回归误差<10.0%,热损失系数回归误差<18.2%。

家用空气源热泵热水器微通道冷凝器仿真研究

为提升家用空气源热泵热水器水箱外微通道冷凝器的性能,建立了家用空气源热泵热水器水箱外微通道冷凝器的准稳态模型,实验验证结果显示模型误差能控制在±9%以内。依据模型对微通道冷凝器的换热量、换热系数、压降等性能进行仿真研究。结果发现,微通道冷凝器为四流程时能够减小压降并保证换热量满足需要;关键参数微通道截面的最佳尺寸在1.6~2.6 mm^(2)系统性能最优,同时扁管内微通道数应控制在16~24根。研究结果为家用空气源热泵热水器微通道冷凝器的设计提供借鉴。

风机转速对CO_(2)空气源热泵热水器性能影响的试验研究

为了定量探究CO_(2)空气源热泵热水器系统性能随风机转速的变化规律,通过试验研究了不同工况下,改变风机转速对排气压力、过热度、CO_(2)质量流量、系统制热量、系统总功耗以及制热性能系数COP的影响;利用响应曲面法对试验进行了优化分析,同时利用试验数据拟合了COP回归模型,并进行可信度分析;通过回归模型预测了系统的最优运行工况并进行试验验证。结果表明:在压缩机频率和电子膨胀阀(EEV)开度一定的情况下,存在着最佳风机转速;在45~85 Hz范围内,随着压缩机频率的提高,COP先增大后减小,增幅最高可达8.97%,各频率下COP最大时对应的最佳风机转速不断减小;随着EEV开度在35%~55%范围内不断增大,COP先增大后减小,增幅可达到6.6%,各EEV开度下COP最大时对应的最佳风机转速不断增大;当压缩机频率为65 Hz、EEV开度为50%时,对应的最佳风机转速为1000 r/min,系统COP达到峰值(4.09)。本文所拟合的COP回归模型最大误差为4.5%;预测系统最优运行工况为:压缩机频率68 Hz、EEV开度52%、风机转速956 r/min,此时系统COP最大,可达到4.29,预测误差为3.7%。本研究可为CO_(2)空气源热泵热水器系统保持高效运行提供理论指导。

12Cr2Mo1VR在电站辅机产品中的应用及制造工艺优化

本文主要介绍采用12Cr2Mo1VR材料短筒身的高压加热器,在制造过程中出现裂纹问题,针对此材料进行研究并采取措施,包括优化工艺、改进设计结构等,从而规避风险,保证产品质量。