An investigation on dissolution kinetics of single sodium carbonate particle with image analysis method

Dissolution kinetics of sodium carbonate is investigated with the image analysis method at the approach of single particle.The dissolution experiments are carried out in an aqueous solution under a series of controlled temperature and p H.The selected sodium carbonate particles are all spherical with the same mass and diameter.The dissolution process is quantified with the measurement of particle diameter from dissolution images.The concentration of dissolved sodium carbonate in solvent is calculated with the measured diameter of particle.Both surface reaction model and mass transport model are implemented to determine the dissolution mechanism and quantify the dissolution rate constant at each experimental condition.According to the fitting results with both two models,it is clarified that the dissolution process at the increasing temperature is controlled by the mass transport of dissolved sodium carbonate travelling from particle surface into solvent.The dissolution process at the increasing pH is controlled by the chemical reaction on particle surface.Furthermore,the dissolution rate constant for each single spherical sodium carbonate particle is quantified and the results show that the dissolution rate constant of single spherical sodium carbonate increases significantly with the rising of temperature,but decreases with the increasing of pH conversely.

X-ray Multiple Diffraction Topographic Imaging Technique For Growth History Study of Habit Modifying Impurity Doped Crystals

A novel crystal characterization instrument has been built up in which a combination of X-ray multiple diffraction and X-ray topography is applied to enabling the cross-correlation between micro-crystallographic symmetry and its spatial dependence in relation to lattice defects. This facility is used to examine, in a self-consistent manner, growth sector-dependant changes to both the crystallographic structure and the lattice defects associated with the action of habit-modifying additives in a number of representative crystal growth systems. In addition, the new instrument can be used to probe micro-crystallographic aspects(such as distortion to crystal symmetry) and relate these in a spatially resolved manner to the crystal defect structure in crystals doped with known habit modifiers.

XMT enabled prediction of structure and permeability of flocculated structures and sediments

3D visualisations of the microstructure of flocculated particulates and sediments using optical confocal laser mi- croscopy and high resolution X-ray microtomography (XMT) methods are described. Data obtained from in-situ measurements should enable direct computation of the properties of solids assembly (shape, size, contact area) and their permeability to fluids. A specific application relating to the formation of silica aggregates is described from which the behaviour of sediments containing these materials can be predicted on the basis of a bench-top test and the use of a Lattice Boltzman simulation. It is proposed that the method can potentially be used to predict trends such as the filtration behaviour of porous structures under different states of compression. This offers a significant benefit in assisting the formulation design of flocculated materials pertinent to a number of industrial sectors wishing to design optimal filtration or relevant operations.

Measurement of oil volume fraction and velocity distributions in vertical oil-in-water flows using ERT and a local probe

This paper presents the use of a high performance dual-plane electrical resistance tomography (ERT) system and a local dual-sensor conductance probe to measure the vertical upward oil-in-water pipe flows in which the mean oil volume fraction is up to 23.1%. A sensitivity coefficient back-projection (SBP) algorithm was adopted to reconstruct the flow distributions and a cross correlation method was applied to obtain the oil velocity distributions. The oil volume fraction and velocity distributions obtained from both measurement techniques were compared and good agreement was found, which indicates that the ERT tech- nique can be used to measure the low fraction oil-water flows. Finally, the factors affecting measurement precision were discussed.

Effect of carboxymethyl cellulose on dissolution kinetics of carboxymethyl cellulose-sodium carbonate two-component tablet

Sodium carbonate and carboxymethyl cellulose powders are compressed into two-component tablets with three mass ratios,97%:3%,95%:5% and 93%:7%.The dissolution tests for two-component tablets and reference pure sodium carbonate tablets are carried out at various temperatures.The dissolution process of each tablet is measured by electrical conductivity tracking method and the concentration of dissolved sodium carbonate is quanti fied with calibrated conductivity-concentration converting equation of sodium carbonate.The quanti fied dissolution data is fitted with both surface reaction model and diffusion layer model and the results clearly show that surface reaction model is suggested as the appropriate dissolution model for all measured tablets.Therefore,it is determined that carboxymethyl cellulose is a stable element to remain the dissolution mechanism of tablet unchanged.The dissolution rate constant quanti fied with surface reaction model presents that carboxymethyl cellulose-sodium carbonate two-component tablets obtain signi ficant higher dissolution rate constant than pure sodium carbonate tablet and higher proportion of carboxymethyl cellulose leads to apparent higher dissolution rate constant.The results prove for the usage of carboxymethyl cellulose in most practical applications at a relative low-level,the effect of carboxymethyl cellulose is effective and positive for two-component tablet to enhance the dissolution process and improve dissolution rate constant and this effect is speculated coming from its dynamic physical transforming process in water including dilation and conglutination.

An Experimental Study of In-Situ Phase Fraction in Jet Pump Using Electrical Resistance Tomography Technique

We perform the experiments to investigate in-situ phase fraction in a jet pump using the electrical resistance tomography （ERT） technique. A new jet pump with ERT sensors is designed to measure in-situ phase fraction and flow regime. The study is based on laboratory experiments that are carried out on a 50-mm vertical flow rig for various gas and liquid phase superficial velocities. The different flow patterns of gas liquid in the jet pump and vertical pipe are studied using the ERT technique. The results suggest that the ERT system can be used to successfully produce images of gas-liquid flow patterns with frames rates of 58 fps and the in-situ phase fraction with frame rates of 5 fps can be obtained. The visualizations of a rapid mixing process in the throat of a jet pump obtained in this work provide a reliable basis for theoretical study and optimal design of jet pumps.

Landmarks in the application of electrical tomography in particle science and technology

Selected milestones in the development and use of electrical tomography in powder conveying, slurry processing and multi-phase flow are highlighted. The ability to map concentration in opaque mixtures under process-realistic conditions was a major innovation for the method and has had far reaching implications. Subsequent developments have enabled velocity information to be abstracted resulting in the ability to measure component flux and motion.

气固两相流强化传热研究进展

在气流中加入颗粒,形成气固两相流。根据气流速度的不同,气固两相流分为鼓泡流态化、快速流态化、气力输送等形式。不同的流动形态,两相流内颗粒浓度及颗粒的运动规律不同,其传热特点也存在差异。通过回顾几种多相流流态的传热特点,总结了多相流与传热面换热的影响因素、气固两相流的传热机理与模型。气固两相流中颗粒浓度、颗粒运动对其传热起决定性作用,而操作参数(气流速度、床层压力、床层温度等)则主要通过改变颗粒浓度和颗粒运动影响传热。此外,通过气固两相流强化传热的应用实例——气固两相流与填充床的热交换,分析了颗粒在对流换热中所起的作用,并进一步提出了今后研究方向和难点所在。

电极结构及绝缘层对静电聚结器的影响

对原油进行电脱水处理是油田生产中极为重要的一个环节,然而现有电脱水设备已无法满足实际需要。本文对电场力作用下油水静电聚结分离进行系统深入地研究,详细分析了电极结构以及绝缘层对聚结效率的影响。并以此为基础,开发了紧凑型静电聚结器的室内试验系统和现场应用型静电聚结器。试验证明,其脱水效果和能耗都优于传统电脱水器,且运行稳定,具有较好的应用前景。研究成果对完善静电聚结机理及实际应用具有十分重要的意义。

Convective heat transfer characters of nanoparticle enhanced latent functionally thermal fluid

The latent heat of the microencapsulated phase change material(MPCM)increases the effective ther-mal capacity of latent functionally thermal fluid.However,researchers found that the heat transfer performance of such fluids was diminished due to the reduction of the low thermal conductivity of MPCM.For this reason,the nanoparticle enhanced latent functionally thermal fluids were formulated and the heat transfer behaviors of these fluids in a vertical circular tube at the laminar regime were conducted.The result showed that slurries containing 0.5% TiO2 nanoparticles by mass and 5%―20% MPCM by mass exhibited improved heat transfer rates in comparison with the conventional latent functionally thermal fluid and that the enhancement increased with the increasing MPCM concentration and up to 18.9% of the dimensionless wall temperature was reduced.

Numerical simulation of sedimentation of microparticles usingthe discrete particle method

A mathematical model has been formulated based on the combined continuous and discrete particle method for investigating the sedimentation behaviour of microparticles in aqueous suspensions, by treating the fluid phase as continuous and the particles phase as discrete, thus allowing the behaviour of individual particles to be followed and the evolution of the structure of the particle phase to be investigated as a function of time. The model takes into account most of the prevailing forces acting on individual particles including van der Waals attractive, electrostatic repulsive, gravitational, Brownian, depletion, steric, contact and drag forces. A code has also been developed based on the model. This paper reports some preliminary modelling results of mono-dispersed microparticles settling in aqueous suspensions under various conditions. The results show the short time dynamics of the fluid phase, which has a similar order of magnitude to the particle phase. Such short time dynamics could bear significance to processes such as particle aggregation when their size becomes very small. Preliminary analyses of the results have also been carried out on the evolution of particle settling based on a newly proposed parameter, local normalised volume fraction （LNVF）.

Influence of interparticle interactions on the kinetics of self-assembly and mechanical strength of nanoparticulate aggregates

Computer simulations based on Discrete Element Method have been performed in order to investigate the influence of interparticle interactions on the kinetics of self-assembly and the mechanical strength of nanoparticle aggregates. Three different systems have been considered. In the first system the interaction between particles has been simulated using the JKR （Johnson, Kendall and Roberts） contact theory, while in the second and third systems the interaction between particles has been simulated using van der Waals and electrostatic forces respectively. In order to compare the mechanical behaviour of the three systems, the magnitude of the maximum attractive force between particles has been kept the same in all cases. However, the relationship between force and separation distance differs from case to case and thus, the range of the interparticle force. The results clearly indicate that as the range of the interparticle force increases, the self-assembly process is faster and the work required to produce the mechanical failure of the assemblies increases by more than one order of magnitude.

Large scale manufacture of magnetic polymer particles using membranes and microfluidic devices

Magnetic polymer particles have found applications in diverse areas such as biomedical treatments, diagnosis and separation technology. These applications require the particles to have controlled sizes and narrow size distributions to gain better control and reproducibility in use. This paper reviews recent developments in the preparation of magnetic polymer particles at nano- and micro-scales by encapsulating magnetic components with dissolved or in situ formed polymers. Particle manufacture using emulsification and embedment methods produces magnetic polymer particles at micro-scale dimensions. However, the production of particles in this range using conventional emulsification methods affords very limited control over particle sizes and polydispersity. We report on alternative routes using membrane and microfluidics emulsification techniques, which have a capability to produce monodisperse emulsions and polymer microspheres （with coefficients of variation of less than 10%） in the range from submicrometer to a few 100 μm. The performance of these manufacturing methods is assessed with a view to future applications.

Performance of slotted pores in particle manufacture using rotating membrane emulsification

This paper addresses the use of different slotted pores in rotating membrane emulsification technology. Pores of square and rectangular shapes were studied to understand the effect of aspect ratio （1-3.5） and their orientation on oil droplet formation. Increasing the membrane rotation speed decreased the droplet size, and the oil droplets produced were more uniform using slotted pores as compared to circular geometry. At a given rotation speed, the droplet size was mainly determined by the pore size and the fluid velocity of oil through the pore （pore fluid velocity）. The ratio of droplet diameter to the equivalent diameter of the slotted pore increased with the pore fluid velocity. At a given pore fluid velocity and rotation speed, pore orientation significantly influences the droplet formation rate： horizontally disposed pores （with their longer side perpendicular to the membrane axis） generate droplets at double the rate of vertically disposed pores. This work indicates practical benefits in the use of slotted membranes over conventional methods.

Electrode models in electrical impedance tomography

This paper presents different views on electrode modelling, which include electrode electrochemistry models for modelling the effects of electrode-electrolyte interface, electric field electrode models for modelling electrode geometry, and electrode models for modelling the effects of electrode common mode voltage and double layer capacitance. Taking the full electrode models into consideration in electrical impedance tomography (EIT) will greatly help the optimised approach to a good solution and further understanding of the measurement principle.

Imaging protein crystal growth behaviour in batch cooling crystallisation

The temporal and spatial growth behaviour of protein crystals, subject to different cooling strategies in protein crystallisation was investigated. Although the impact of temperature and cooling rate on crystal growth of small molecules was well documented, much less has been reported on their impact on the crystallisation of proteins. In this paper, an experimental set-up is configured to carry out such a study which involves an automatic temperature controlled hot-stage crystalliser fitted with a real-time imaging system. Linbro parallel crystallisation experiments(24-well plate) were also conducted to find the suitable initial conditions to be used in the hot-stage crystallisation experiments, including the initial concentration of HEW lysozyme solutions, precipitate concentration and pH value. It was observed that fast cooling rates at the early stage led to precipitates while slow cooling rates produced crystal nuclei, and very slow cooling rates, much smaller than for small molecules are critical to the growth of the nuclei and the crystals to a desired shape. The interesting results provide valuable insight as well as experimental proof of the feasibility and effectiveness of cooling as a means for achieving controlled protein crystallisation, compared with the evaporation approach which was widely used to grow single large crystals for X-ray diffraction study. Since cooling rate control can be easily achieved and has good repeatability, it suggests that large-scale production of protein crystals can be effectively achieved by manipulating cooling rates.

Particle shape characterisation and classification using automated microscopy and shape descriptors in batch manufacture of particulate solids

It is known that size alone, which is often defined as the volume-equivalent diameter, is not sufficient to characterize many particulate products. The shape of crystalline products can be as important as size in many applications, Traditionally, particulate shape is often defined by several simple descriptors such as the maximum length and the aspect ratio. Although these descriptors are intuitive, they result in a loss of information about the original shape. This paper presents a method to use principal component analysis to derive simple latent shape descriptors from microscope images of particulate products made in batch processes, and the use of these descriptors to identify batch-to-batch variations. Data from batch runs of both a laboratory crystalliser and an industrial crystallisation reactor are analysed using the described approach. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons with the use of traditional shape descriptors that have nhwical meanings and Fourier shape descriptors are also made.

A method for assessing nanomaterial dispersion quality based on principal component analysis of particle size distribution data

Seemingly contradictory findings between studies are a major issue in nanoecotoxicological research and have been explained as a result of the lack of comparability between assay methods, with dispersion of nanomaterials being identified as a key factor. Here we show the use of a multivariate method, principal component analysis （PCA）, as a tool in protocol development and categorization of dispersion quality. Results show the significance of particle concentration within a protocol, and its effect on repeatability. Our results suggest that future studies should involve the use of PCA as a powerful data exploration tool to facilitate method development, comparability and integration of data across different laboratories.

Effects of laponite and silica nanoparticles on the cleaning performance of amylase towards starch soils

This work aims to understand the effect of nanoparticle-enzyme interactions and how such interactions affect starch based soil removal. Silica and laponite are used as the model nanoparticles, and s-amylase is employed as the model enzyme. The results show that, if the nanoparticles and enzyme are added simultaneously, laponite enhances the enzyme performance toward starch soil removal, whereas silica imposes a small effect on the enzymatic activity towards the same soil substrates. However, when nanoparticles are added first, the enzyme activity is not affected much by laponite but is hindered significantly by silica nanoparticles. Furthermore, sequential addition of the enzyme followed by silica nanoparticles improves soil removal. Electron microscopic analyses, measurements of the enzyme activity in suspen- sions of nanoparticles, and particle size characterisation suggest that dense coverage of soil surface by the silica nanoparticles be likely a mechanism for the experimentally observed hindrance of soil removal when silica nanoparticles are added before enzyme.

Use of multiscale particle simulations in the design of nuclear plant decommissioning

The application of a digital modelling method that can faithfully take account of three-dimensional shape and inherent physical and chemical properties of each particulate component provides an essential tool in decommissioning design. This is useful in handling of high, medium and low level radioactive waste. The processes involve making decisions on where to cut existing plant components and then how to pack these components into boxes, which are then cemented and kept for long term storage as the level of radioactive declines with time. We illustrate the utility of the method and its ability to take data at plant scale （m-scale） and then deduce behaviours at sub millimetre scale in the packed containers. A variety of modelling approaches are used as a part of this approach including cutting algorithms, geometric and dynamic （distinct element） force models, and lattice Boltzmann methods. These methods are applicable to other complex particulate systems including simulation of waste, building recycling, heap leaching and related minerals processes. The paper introduces the basic concepts of this multi-scale and multi-model approach.