Order-lot matching is the process of assigning items in lots being processed in the make-to-order production system to meet the due dates of the orders. In this study, an order-lot matching problem (OLMP) is considered to minimize the total tardiness of orders with different due dates. In the OLMP considered in this study, we need to not only determine the allocation of items to lots in the production facility but also generate a lot release plan for the given time horizon. We show that the OLMP can be considered as a special type of machine scheduling problem with many similarities to the single machine total tardiness scheduling problem ( $1||\sum T_i$ ). We suggest dominance conditions for the OLMP by modifying those for $1||\sum T_i$ and a dynamic programming (DP) model based on the dominance conditions. With two example problems, we show that the DP model can solve small-sized OLMPs optimally. Full article

The optimum design of gas drainage boreholes is crucial for energy security and sustainability in coal mining. Therefore, the construction of fluid–solid coupling models and numerical simulation analyses are key problems for gas drainage boreholes. This work is based on the basic theory of fluid–solid coupling, the correlation definition between coal porosity and permeability, and previous studies on the influence of adsorption expansion, change in pore free gas pressure, and the Klinkenberg effect on gas flow in coal. A mathematical model of the dynamic evolution of coal permeability and porosity is derived. A fluid–solid coupling model of gas-bearing coal and the related partial differential equation for gas migration in coal are established. Combined with an example of the measurement of the drilling radius of the bedding layer in a coal mine, a coupled numerical solution under negative pressure extraction conditions is derived by using COMSOL Multiphysics simulation software. Numerical simulation results show that the solution can effectively guide gas extraction and discharge during mining. This study provides theoretical and methodological guidance for energy security and coal mining sustainability. Full article

YVO₄:Eu³⁺ nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by two methods, namely the sonochemical method and hydrothermal method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed the tetragonal phase of YVO₄ (JCPDS 17-0341) was indexed in the diffraction peaks of all samples. The samples synthesized by the sonochemical method had a highly crystalline structure (X-ray diffraction results) and luminescence intensity (photoluminescence results) than those synthesized by the hydrothermal method. According to the results of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the average size of YVO₄:Eu³⁺ nanoparticles was around 25–30 nm for the sonochemical method and 15–20 nm for the hydrothermal method. YVO₄:Eu³⁺ nanoparticles in the case of the sonochemical method had a better crystalline structure and stronger emissivity at 618 nm. The Eu³⁺ ions’ average lifetime in YVO₄:Eu³⁺ at 618 nm emission under 275 nm excitation were at 0.955 ms for the sonochemical method and 0.723 ms for the hydrothermal method. The security ink for inkjet devices contained YVO₄:Eu³⁺ nanoparticles, the binding agent as polyethylene oxide or ethyl cellulose and other necessary solvents. The device used for security label printing was an inkjet printer with an electrohydrodynamic printing technique (EHD). In the 3D optical profilometer results, the width of the printed line was ~97–167 µm and the thickness at ~9.1–9.6 µm. The printed security label obtained a well-marked shape, with a size at 1.98 × 1.98 mm. Full article

The trends and challenges of pyrolysis technology nowadays have shifted to low-temperature pyrolysis, which provides low-cost processes but high-yield conversion, with suitable H₂/CO ratios for performing gas-to-liquid technology in the future. The present study has developed a modified vacuum pyrolysis reactor to convert sugarcane bagasse to gas products, including H₂, CO₂, CH₄, and CO in the low-temperature process. The experimental design includes the effects of pyrolysis time, pyrolysis temperature, and applying a current as a function of the electromagnetic field. The result showed that 0.12 ng/µL, 0.85 ng/µL, and 0.31 ng/µL of hydrogen (H₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and carbon monoxide (CO) gases, respectively, started forming in the first 20 min at 210 °C for the pyrolysis temperature, and the gas product accumulated in the increase of pyrolysis time and temperature. In the absence of electromagnetic field, the optimum condition was obtained at 60 min and 290 °C of pyrolysis time and temperature, respectively, in which 20.98, 14.86, 14.56, and 15.78 ng/µL of H₂, CO₂, CH₄, and CO were generated, respectively. However, this condition did not meet the minimum value of Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, since the minimum requirement of the H₂/CO ratio is 2. Furthermore, applying the electromagnetic field performed a significant improvement, in which applying current ≥3A improved the gas product to 33.76, 8.71, 18.39, and 7.66 ng/µL of H₂, CO₂, CH₄, and CO, respectively, with an H₂/CO ratio above 2. The obtained result showed that applying electric current as an electromagnetic field provides a significant improvement, not only in boosting yield product, but also in performing the standard ratios of H₂/CO in the gas–liquid conversion of syngas to liquid hydrocarbon. The result proves that applying an electromagnetic approach could be used as an alternative way to obtain efficiency and as a better process to convert biomass as a future energy source. Full article

Targeted therapies of various diseases are nowadays widely studied in many biomedical fields. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) represents a modern treatment of cancer using a locally activated light. TMPyP is an efficient synthetic water-soluble photosensitizer (PS), yet with poor absorption in the visible and the red regions. In this work, we prepared size-selected and colloidally stable graphene oxide (GO) that is appropriate for biomedical use. Thanks to the negative surface charge of GO, TMPyP was easily linked in order to create conjugates of GO/TMPyP by electrostatic force. Due to the strong ionic interactions, charge transfers between GO and TMPyP occur, as comprehensively investigated by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Biocompatibility and an in vitro effect of GO/TMPyP were confirmed by a battery of in vitro tests including MTT, comet assay, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and monitoring the cellular uptake. PDT efficiency of GO/TMPyP was tested using 414 and 740 nm photoexcitation. Our newly prepared nanotherapeutics showed a higher PDT effect than in free TMPyP, and is promising for targeted therapy using clinically favorable conditions. Full article

Cities are becoming smarter by incorporating hardware technology, software systems, and network infrastructure that provide Information Technology (IT) systems with real-time awareness of the real world. What makes a “smart city” functional is the combined use of advanced infrastructure technologies to deliver its core services to the public in a remarkably efficient manner. City dashboards have drawn increasing interest from both city operators and citizens. Dashboards can gather, visualize, analyze, and inform regional performance to support the sustainable development of smart cities. They provide useful tools for evaluating and facilitating urban infrastructure components and services. This work proposes an interactive web-based data visualization and data analytics toolkit supported by big data aggregation tools. The system proposed is a cloud-based prototype that supports visualization and real-time monitoring of city trends while processing and displaying large data sets on a standard web browser. However, it is capable of supporting online analysis processing by answering analytical queries and producing graphics from multiple resources. The aim of this platform is to improve communication between users and urban service providers and to give citizens an overall view of the city’s state. The conceptual framework and architecture of the proposed platform are explored, highlighting design challenges and providing insight into the development of smart cities. Moreover, results and the potential statistical analysis of important city services offered by the system are introduced. Finally, we present some challenges and opportunities identified through the development of the city data platform. Full article

The main trough is a part of the blast furnace process for hot metal and molten slag transportation from the tap hole to the torpedo, and mechanical erosion of the trough is an important reason for a short life of a campaign. This article employed OpenFoam code to numerically study and analyze velocity, temperature and wall shear stress of the fluids in the main trough during a full tapping process. In the code, a three-dimensional transient mass, momentum and energy conservation equations, including the standard k-ε turbulence model, were developed for the fluid in the trough. Temperature distribution in refractory is solved by the Fourier equation through conjugate heat transfer with the fluid in the trough. Change velocities of the fluid during the full tapping process are exactly described by a parabolic equation. The investigation results show that there are strong turbulences at the area of hot metal’s falling position and the turbulences have influence on velocity, temperature and wall shear stress of the fluid. With the increase of the angle of the tap hole, the wall shear stress increases. Mechanical erosion of the trough has the smallest value and the campaign of the main trough is estimated to expand over 5 days at the tap hole angle of 7°. Full article

Alkaline water electrolysis is a key technology for large-scale hydrogen production powered by renewable energy. As conventional electrolyzers are designed for operation at fixed process conditions, the implementation of fluctuating and highly intermittent renewable energy is challenging. This contribution shows the recent state of system descriptions for alkaline water electrolysis and renewable energies, such as solar and wind power. Each component of a hydrogen energy system needs to be optimized to increase the operation time and system efficiency. Only in this way can hydrogen produced by electrolysis processes be competitive with the conventional path based on fossil energy sources. Conventional alkaline water electrolyzers show a limited part-load range due to an increased gas impurity at low power availability. As explosive mixtures of hydrogen and oxygen must be prevented, a safety shutdown is performed when reaching specific gas contamination. Furthermore, the cell voltage should be optimized to maintain a high efficiency. While photovoltaic panels can be directly coupled to alkaline water electrolyzers, wind turbines require suitable converters with additional losses. By combining alkaline water electrolysis with hydrogen storage tanks and fuel cells, power grid stabilization can be performed. As a consequence, the conventional spinning reserve can be reduced, which additionally lowers the carbon dioxide emissions. Full article

Persiscaria tenulla, commonly known as Polygonum, is a plant belonging to the family Polygonaceae, which originated from and is widely found in Southeast Asia countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The leaf of the plant is believed to have active ingredients that are responsible for therapeutic effects. In order to take full advantage of a natural medicinal plant for the application in the pharmaceutical and food industries, extraction and separation techniques are essential. In this study, an emerging and rapid extraction approach known as liquid biphasic flotation (LBF) is proposed for the extraction of protein from Persiscaria tenulla leaves. The scope of this study is to establish an efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective technology for the extraction of protein from therapeutic leaves. Based on the ideal conditions of the small LBF system, a 98.36% protein recovery yield and a 79.12% separation efficiency were achieved. The upscaling study of this system exhibited the reliability of this technology for large-scale applications with a protein recovery yield of 99.44% and a separation efficiency of 93.28%. This technology demonstrated a simple approach with an effective protein recovery yield and separation that can be applied for the extraction of bioactive compounds from various medicinal-value plants. Full article

A new type of silica hybrid material functionalized with Schiff base-propyl-thiol and propyl-thiol groups (adsorbents 1 and 2, respectively) was synthesized using a co-condensation method. The synthesized materials and their starting materials were successfully characterized using a variety of techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area calculation method, the Barrett, Joyner, and Halenda (BJH) pore size calculation method, thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), and 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. The results indicate that the new material (adsorbent 1) has a large surface and possesses different functional groups (-SH, -OH, -C=O and –N=C). The newly synthesized hybrid materials (1 and 2) were investigated as potential adsorbents for removal of toxic heavy metals, such as Pb(II) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption results show that materials 1 and 2 have different sorption properties and were found to be effective adsorbents for Pb(II) removal from aqueous solutions. In addition, compound 1 exhibited a higher adsorption capacity for Pb(II) compared to compound 2. The results showed that the optimum pH for Pb(II) sorption was 6.5. Contact time was observed to occur after 30 min for 25 mg L⁻¹ Pb(II) concentration and adsorbent dose of 0.4 g L⁻¹ at 25 °C. Full article

With renewable generation resources and multiple load demands increasing, the combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) microgrid energy management system has attracted much attention due to its high efficiency and low emissions. In order to realize the integration of substation resources and solve the problems of inaccurate, random, volatile and intermittent load forecasting, we propose a three-stage coordinated optimization scheduling strategy for a CCHP microgrid. The strategy contains three stages: a day-ahead economic scheduling stage, an intraday rolling optimization stage, and a real-time adjustment stage. Forecasting data with different accuracy at different time scales were used to carry out multilevel coordination and gradually improve the scheduling plan. A case study was used to verify that the proposed scheduling strategy can mitigate and eliminate the load forecasting error of renewable energy (for power balance and scheduling economy). Full article

Wind energy conversion systems are very challenging from the control system viewpoint. The control difficulties are even more challenging when wind turbines are able to operate at variable speed and variable pitch. The contribution of this work is focused on designing a combined controller that significantly alleviates the wind transient loads in the power tracking and power regulation modes as well as in the transition zone. In a previous work, the authors studied the applicability of different multivariable decoupling methodologies. The methodologies were tested in simulation and verified experimentally in a lab-scale wind turbine. It was demonstrated that multivariable control strategies achieve a good closed-loop response within the transition region, where the interaction level is greater. Nevertheless, although such controllers showed an acceptable performance in the power tracking (region II) and power regulation (region IV) zones, appreciable improvement was possible. To this end, the new proposed methodology employs a multivariable gain-scheduling controller with a static decoupling network for the transition region and monovariable controllers for the power tracking and power regulation regions. To make the transition between regions smoother, a gain scheduling block is incorporated into the multivariable controller. The proposed controller is experimentally compared with a standard switched controller in the lab-scale wind turbine. The experiments carried out suggest that the combination of the proposed multivariable strategy for the transition region to mitigate wind transient loads combined with two monovariable controllers, one dedicated to region II and other to region IV, provide better results than traditional switched control strategies. Full article

Virtual sensors, or soft sensors, have greatly contributed to the evolution of the sensing systems in industry. The soft sensors are process models having three fundamental categories, namely white-box (WB), black-box (BB) and gray-box (GB) models. WB models are based on process knowledge while the BB models are developed using data collected from the process. The GB models integrate the WB and BB models for addressing the concerns, i.e., accuracy and intuitiveness, of industrial operators. In this work, various design aspects of the GB models are discussed followed by their application in the process industry. In addition, the changes in the data-driven part of the GB models in the context of enormous amount of process data collected in Industry 4.0 are elaborated. Full article

Slug flow is a multiphase flow pattern characterized by the occurrence of long gas bubbles (Taylor bubbles) separated by liquid slugs. This multiphase flow regime is present in many and diversified natural and industrial processes, at macro and microscales, such as in eruption of volcanic magmas, oil recovery from pre-salt regions, micro heat exchangers, and small-sized refrigerating systems. Previous studies in the literature have been mostly focused on tubular gas bubbles flowing in Newtonian liquids. In this work, results from several numerical simulations of tubular gas bubbles flowing in a shear thinning liquid in microchannels are reported. To simulate the shear thinning behavior, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) solutions with different concentrations were considered. The results are compared with data from bubbles flowing in Newtonian liquids in identical geometric and dynamic conditions. The numerical work was carried out in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) package Ansys Fluent (release 16.2.0) employing the volume of fluid (VOF) methodology to track the volume fraction of each phase and the continuum surface force (CSF) model to insert the surface tension effects. The flow patterns, the viscosity distribution in the liquid, the liquid film thickness between the bubble and the wall, and the bubbles shape are analyzed for a wide range of shear rates. In general, the flow patterns are similar to those in Newtonian liquids, but in the film, where a high viscosity region is observed, the thickness is smaller. Bubble velocities are smaller for the non-Newtonian cases. Full article

Soil steam disinfection (SSD) technology is an effective means of eliminating soil borne diseases. Among the soil cultivation conditions of facility agriculture in the Yangtze River Delta region of China, the clay soil particles (SPs) are fine, the soil pores are small, and the texture is relatively viscous. When injection disinfection technology is applied in the clay soil, the diffusion of steam is hindered and the heating efficiency is substantially affected. To increase the heating efficiency of SSD, we first discretized the continuum model of Philip and De Vries into circular particle porous media of different sizes and random distribution. Then with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation technology, a single-injection steam disinfection model for different SP size conditions was constructed. Furthermore, the diffusion pattern of the macro-porous vapor flow and matrix flow and the corresponding temperature field were simulated and analyzed. Finally, a single-pipe injection steam disinfection verification test was performed for different SP sizes. The test results show that for the clay soil in the Yangtze River Delta region of China, the test temperature filed results are consistent with the simulation results when the heat flow reaches H = 20 cm in the vertical direction, the simulation and test result of the heat flow in the maximum horizontal diffusion distance are L = 13 cm and 12 cm, respectively. At the same disinfection time, the simulated soil temperature change trend is consistent with the test results, and the test temperature is lower than the simulated temperature. The difference between the theoretical temperature and the experimental temperature may be attributed to the heat loss in the experimental device. Further, it is necessary to optimize the CFD simulation process and add the disintegration and deformation processes of soil particle size with the change of water content. Furthermore, the soil pores increase as the SP size increases and that a large amount of steam vertically diffuses along the macropores and accumulates on the soil surface, causing ineffective heat loss. Moreover, soil temperature distribution changes from oval (horizontal short radius/vertical long radius = 0.65) to irregular shape. As the SP size decreases, the soil pore flow path becomes fine; the steam primarily diffuses uniformly around the soil in the form of a matrix flow; the diffusion distance in the horizontal direction gradually increases; and the temperature distribution gradually becomes even, which is consistent with the soil temperature field simulation results. Similar to the energy consumption analysis, the maximum energy consumption for SP sizes>27mm and <2mm was 486and 477kJ, respectively. Therefore, proper pore growth was conducive to the diffusion of steam, but excessive pores cause steam to overflow, which increased energy consumption of the system. Considering that the test was carried out in an ideal soil environment, the rotary tiller must be increased for fine rotary tillage in an actual disinfection operation. Although large particles may appear during the rotary tillage process, an appropriate number of large particles contributes to the formation of a large pore flow, under the common effect of matrix flow, it will simultaneously promote greater steam diffusion and heating efficiency. The above theoretical research has practical guiding significance for improving the design and disinfection effect of soil steam sterilizers in the future. Full article

This study aims to reduce the amount of specific energy consumed during the drying of fresh Murraya koenigii leaves by comparing four drying methods: (1) convective hot-air drying (CD; 40, 50 and 60 °C); (2) single-stage microwave-vacuum drying (MVD; 6, 9 and 12 W/g); (3) two-stage convective hot-air pre-drying followed by microwave-vacuum finishing–drying (CPD-MVFD; 50 °C, 9 W/g); and (4) freeze-drying as a control in the analysis sections. The drying kinetics were also modelled using thin-layer models. The quality parameters of dried M. koenigii leaves were measured including total polyphenolic content (TPC), antioxidant capacity (ABTS and FRAP), profiling of volatile compounds, colour analysis and water activity analysis. Results showed that CPD-MVFD effectively reduced the specific energy consumption of CD at 50 °C by 67.3% in terms of kilojoules per gram of fresh weight and 48.9% in terms of kilojoules per gram of water. The modified Page model demonstrated excellent fitting to the empirical data obtained. FD showed promising antioxidant activity. The major contributor of antioxidant capacity was TPC. The volatile compounds profiled by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, namely, β-phellandrene (31%), α-pinene (19.9%), and sabinene (16%) were identified as the major compounds of dried M. koenigii leaves. Colour analysis showed MVD’s high performance in preserving the colour parameters of M. koenigii leaves under all conditions. The colour parameters were correlated to the antioxidant capacity and TPC. Water activity analysis showed that the water activity of M. koenigii leaves for all drying methods indicating that the conditions were microbiologically and shelf-stable. Pearson correlation showed the colour parameters of the leaves had a strong correlation to TPC. Overall, MVD showed promising energy consumption reduction and recovery in TPC and volatile compounds. Full article

Charging directly affects the burden distribution of a blast furnace, which determines the gas distribution in the shaft of the furnace. Adjusting the charging can improve the distribution of the gas flow, increase the gas utilization efficiency of the furnace, reduce energy consumption, and prolong the life of the blast furnace. In this paper, a mathematical model of blast furnace charging was developed and applied on a steel plant in China, which includes the display of the burden profile, burden layers, descent speed of the layers, and ore/coke ratio. Furthermore, the mathematical model is developed to combine the radar data of the burden profile. The above model is currently used in Nanjing Steel as a reference for operators to adjust the charging. The model is being tested with a radar system on the blast furnace. Full article

Among the several methods of producing graphene, the liquid-phase exfoliation of graphite is attractive because of a simple and easy procedure, being expected for mass production. The dispersibility of graphene can be improved by adding a dispersant molecule that interacts with graphene, but the appropriate molecular design has not been proposed. In this study, we focused on aromatic compounds with alkyl chains as dispersing agents. We synthesized a series of alkyl aromatic compounds and evaluated their performance as a dispersant for graphene. The results suggest that the alkyl chain length and solubility in the solvent play a vital role in graphene dispersion. Full article

Due to the rapid development of powder technology around the world, powder materials are being widely used in various fields, including metallurgy, the chemical industry, and petroleum. The turbo air classifier, as a powder production equipment, is one of the most important mechanical facilities in the industry today. In order to investigate the production efficiency of ultrafine powder and improve the classification performance in a turbo air classifier, two process parameters were optimized by analyzing the influence of the rotor cage speed and air velocity on the flow field. Numerical simulations using the ANSYS-Fluent Software, as well as material classification experiments, were implemented to verify the optimal process parameters. The simulation results provide many optimal process parameters. Several sets of the optimal process parameters were selected, and the product particle size distribution was used as the inspection index to conduct a material grading experiment. The experimental results demonstrate that the process parameters of the turbo air classifier with better classification efficiency for the products of barite and iron-ore powder were an 1800 rpm rotor cage speed and 8 m/s air inlet velocity. This research study provides theoretical guidance and engineering application value for air classifiers. Full article

Scabiosa columbaria is a plant traditionally used to treat skin ailments, such as scabies, wound bruises, sores and hyperpigmentation. To find a novel skin depigmenting agent, the present study was investigated to determine the possible anti-melanogenesis, antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase effects of methanol extract of S. columbaria leaves. Cytotoxicity towards human dermal fibroblast (MRHF) cells was assessed using the live-cell fluorescence imaging microscopy. The inhibitory effects of the extract on tyrosinase, collagenase and melanin synthesis were also investigated using standard in vitro method, while ferric reducing power (FRAP) was used to determine the antioxidant potential of the plant extract. The effect of the extract on collagen content in MRHF cells was also investigated. The plant extract displayed no meaningful cytotoxicity towards MRHF cells and no significant cell death was recorded at all the tested concentrations. The extract (25–100 µg/mL) effectively decreased melanin content in B16F10 (mouse melanoma) cells with moderate inhibition of tyrosinase enzyme in a dose-dependent manner. However, the extract also demonstrated no significant effect on collagenase and collagen content in MRHF cells, but showed strong antioxidant activity at the concentrations tested. The results suggest that S. columbaria could be a promising candidate in the treatment of skin hyperpigmentation disorders Full article

Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is one of the most successful thermal enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods for cold viscose oils. Several analytical and semi-analytical models have been theorized, yet the process needs more studies to be conducted to improve quick production rate predictions. Following the exponential geometry theory developed for finding the oil production rate, an upgraded predictive model is presented in this study. Unlike the exponential model, the current model divides the steam-oil interface into several segments, and then the heat and mass balances are applied to each of the segments. By manipulating the basic equations, the required formulas for estimating the oil drainage rate, location of interface, heat penetration depth of steam ahead of the interface, and the steam required for the operation are obtained theoretically. The output of the proposed theory, afterwards, is validated with experimental data, and then finalized with data from the real SAGD process in phase B of the underground test facility (UTF) project. According to the results, the model with a suitable heat penetration depth correlation can produce fairly accurate outputs, so the idea of using this model in field operations is convincing. Full article

Moisture transfer characteristics of Alaska pollock (AP) surimi were investigated at various temperatures. The effective moisture diffusivity increased from 5.50 × 10⁻¹¹ to 2.07 × 10⁻⁹ m²/s as the temperature increased from 30 °C to 90 °C. In order to investigate the mass and heat transfer characteristics of AP surimi, the simulation model was developed and evaluated by root-mean-square error (RMSE) (<2.95%). Rheological properties of AP surimi were investigated at different heating rates (1 °C/min, 5 °C/min, 10 °C/min, 20 °C/min and 30 °C/min). As heating rate increased to 20 °C/min and 30 °C/min, elastic modulus (G’) significantly diminished. The diminished G’ could be explained by impaired gel during temperature sweep supported by the predicted temperature distribution in the simulation model. Changes in moisture content of AP surimi during temperature sweep were also measured and predicted by the simulation model. The results showed the decreased amount of moisture content significantly increased as heating rate increased. Full article

The rotation speed of a mill is an important factor related to its operation and grinding efficiency. Analysis and regulation of the optimal speed under different working conditions can effectively reduce energy loss, improve productivity, and extend the service life of the equipment. However, the relationship between the optimal speed and different operating parameters has not received much attention. In this study, the relationship between the optimal speed and particle size and number was investigated using discrete element method (DEM). An improved exponential approaching law sliding mode control method is proposed to track the optimal speed of the mill. Firstly, a simulation was carried out to investigate the relationship between the optimal speed and different operating parameters under cross-over testing. The model of the relationships between the optimal rotation speed and the size and number of particles was established based on the response surface method. An improved sliding mode control using exponential approaching law is proposed to track the optimal speed, and simulation results show it can improve the stability and speed of sliding mode control near the sliding surface. Full article

This study investigates the interrelated parameters affecting heat transfer from a hot gas flowing on a flat plate while cool air is injected adjacent to the flat plate. The cool air forms an air blanket that shield the flat plate from the hot gas flow. The cool air is blown from a confined jet and is simulated using a two-dimensional numerical model under three variable parameters; namely, blowing ratio, jet angle and density ratio. The interrelations between these parameters are evaluated to properly understand their effects on heat transfer. The analyses are conducted using ANSYS-Fluent, and the performance of the air blanket is reported using local and average adiabatic film cooling effectiveness (AFCE). The interrelation between these parameters and the AFCE is established through a statistical method known as response surface methodology (RSM). The RSM model shows that the AFCE has a second order relation with the blowing ratio and a first order relation with both jet angle and density ratio. Also, it is found that the highest average AFCE is reached at an injection angle of $30$ degree, a density ratio of 1.2 and a blowing ratio of 1.8. Full article

In this study, the numerical conjugate heat transfer and hydraulic performance of nanofluids flow in a rectangular microchannel heat sink (RMCHS) with longitudinal vortex generators (LVGs) was investigated at different Reynolds numbers (200–1200). Three-dimensional simulations are performed on a microchannel heated by a constant temperature with five different configurations with different angles of attack for the LVGs under laminar flow conditions. The study uses five different nanofluid combinations of Al₂O₃ or CuO, containing low volume fractions in the range of 0.5% to 3.0% with various nanoparticle sizes that are dispersed in pure water, PAO (Polyalphaolefin) or ethylene glycol. The results show that for Reynolds number ranging from 100 to 1100, Al₂O₃–water has the best performance compared with CuO nanofluid with Nusselt number values between 7.67 and 14.7, with an associated increase in Fanning friction factor by values of 0.0219–0.095. For the case of different base fluids, the results show that CuO–PAO has the best performance with Nusselt number values between 9.57 and 15.88, with an associated increase in Fanning friction factor by 0.022–0.096. The overall performance of all configurations of microchannels equipped with LVGs and nanofluid showed higher values than the ones without LVG and water as a working fluid. Full article

More recent attention has been focused on the utilization of Jatropha curcas in the field of water treatment. The potential of Jatropha oil in the synthesis of membrane for water filtration had been explored, its performance compared to the addition of graphene oxide (GO) in the polymer matrix. Jatropha oil was modified in a two-step method to produce Jatropha oil-based polyol (JOL) and was blended with hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) to produce Jatropha polyurethane membrane (JPU). JPU was synthesized in different conditions to obtain the optimized membrane and was blended with different GO loading to form Jatropha/graphene oxide composite membrane (JPU/GO) for performance improvement. The synthesized pristine JPU and JPU/GO were evaluated and the materials were analyzed using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), contact angle, water flux, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Results showed that the ratio of HDI to JOL for optimized JPU was obtained at 5:5 (v/v) with the cross-linking temperature at 90 °C and curing temperature at 150 °C. As GO was added into JPU, several changes were observed. The glass transition temperature (T_g) and onset temperature (T_o) increased from 58 °C to 69 °C and from 170 °C to 202 °C, respectively. The contact angle, however, decreased from 88.8° to 52.1° while the water flux improved from 223.33 L/m²·h to 523.33 L/m²·h, and the pore distribution in JPU/GO became more orderly. Filtration of copper ions using the synthesized membrane was performed to give rejection percentages between 33.51% and 71.60%. The results indicated that GO had a significant impact on JPU. Taken together, these results have suggested that JPU/GO has the potential for use in water filtration. Full article

Technoeconomic analyses using established tools such as SuperPro Designer^® require a level of detail that is typically unavailable at the early stage of process evaluation. To facilitate this, members of our group previously created a spreadsheet-based process modeling and technoeconomic platform explicitly aimed at joint fermentative‒catalytic biorefinery processes. In this work, we detail the reorganization and expansion of this model—ESTEA2 (Early State Technoeconomic Analysis, version 2), including detailed design and cost calculations for new unit operations. Furthermore, we describe ESTEA2 validation using ethanol and sorbic acid process. The results were compared with estimates from the literature, SuperPro Designer^® (Version 8.5, Intelligen Inc., Scotch Plains, NJ, 2013), and other third-party process models. ESTEA2 can perform a technoeconomic analysis for a joint fermentative‒catalytic process with just 12 user-supplied inputs, which, when modeled in SuperPro Designer^®, required approximately eight additional inputs such as equipment design configurations. With a reduced amount of user information, ESTEA2 provides results similar to those in the literature, and more sophisticated models (ca. 7%–11% different). Full article

Gas–solid cyclone separators are widely utilized in many industrial applications and usually involve complex multi-physics of gas–solid flow and heat transfer. In recent years, there has been a progressive interest in the application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to understand the gas–solid flow behavior of cyclones and predict their performance. In this paper, a review of the existing CFD studies of cyclone separators, operating in a wide range of solids loadings and at ambient and elevated temperatures, is presented. In the first part, a brief background on the important performance parameters of cyclones, namely pressure drop and separation efficiency, as well as how they are affected by the solids loading and operating temperature, is described. This is followed by a summary of the existing CFD simulation studies of cyclones at ambient temperature, with an emphasis on the high mass loading of particles, and at elevated temperatures. The capabilities as well as the challenges and limitations of the existing CFD approaches in predicting the performance of cyclones operating in such conditions are evaluated. Finally, an outlook on the prospects of CFD simulation of cyclone separators is provided. Full article

Pump annular seals can cause fluid reaction forces that have great effects on the vibration characteristic and stability of a pump system. For this reason, it is important to study rotordynamic characteristics of annular seals. In this paper, a new transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method with dynamic mesh is proposed to investigate rotordynamic characteristics of the pump annular seal. The reliability of the transient CFD method is validated by comparison with the results from the experiment and the bulk-flow method, and the relationship between the seal length and rotordynamic characteristics is investigated by the transient CFD method. The results indicate that direct stiffness decreases sharply even turns to negative as the seal length increases, this phenomenon may change the direction of fluid force on the rotor surface and affect supporting condition of the pump rotor. With the increasing seal length, the whirl frequency ratio gradually increases, which would weaken the stability of the pump rotor system. Full article

In this paper we have considered a staggered cavity. It is equipped with purely viscous fluid. The physical design is controlled through mathematical formulation in terms of both the equation of continuity and equation of momentum along with boundary constraints. To be more specific, the Navier-Stokes equations for two dimensional Newtonian fluid flow in staggered enclosure is formulated and solved by well trusted method named finite element method. The novelty is increased by considering the motion of upper and lower walls of staggered cavity case-wise namely, in first case we consider that the upper wall of staggered cavity is moving and rest of walls are kept at zero velocity. In second case we consider that the upper and bottom walls are moving in a parallel way. Lastly, the upper and bottom walls are considered in an antiparallel direction. In all cases the deep analysis is performed and results are proposed by means of contour plots. The velocity components are explained by line graphs as well. The kinetic energy examination is reported for all cases. It is trusted that the findings reported in present pagination well serve as a helping source for the upcoming studies towards fluid flow in an enclosure domains being involved in an industrial areas. Full article