No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Gas, liquid and powder flow in the lower part of a blast furnace is complex phenomena. In order to understand the aerodynamics of the blast furnace properly, these phenomena must be included in their advanced form. Previous studies have shown that the conditions of blast furnace resemble the cold model experiments which have been done in decreasing gas velocities. Also, the recent studies have shown that liquid flow in a blast furnace can be represented more realistically considering it discrete in nature. In the current study, both the phenomena have been considered along with the injection of powder through a nozzle while studying the fluid flow behaviour in a packed bed. The situation resembles the lower part of an ironmaking blast furnace. In this study, gas flow has been modelled using k-ε turbulent model and has been coupled with previously developed stress model to calculate the raceway size. Coal powder is treated as continuum and has been modelled in the similar way as gas flow. After this gas and powder flow model were coupled with previously developed discrete liquid flow model. Liquid flow model has been considered for structured bed only. The governing equations for gas phase were discretized. Finite Volume method was used for the solution. Co-located grid is used for the simulation. Blending of upwind difference scheme and central difference scheme (deferred correction approach) is used to achieve the stability of upwind scheme and accuracy of central difference scheme. Similar treatment was employed for powder phase. For the solution of volume fraction of powder, powder phase continuity equation was used along with pseudo time step scheme. Results obtained from gas and powder models have been validated against published experimental data. Similarly, gas-liquid flow results have been validated against published experimental data on gas-powder flow. Results obtained by gas-powder-liquid model could not be validated against any experimental or theoretical data as they are not available in the literature. The effect of various parameters on the fluid flow (gas/liquid/powder) behaviour have been studied like the effect of increasing and decreasing gas velocities, flow rates of liquid, gas and powder, size of powder and packing etc. It is found that the above mentioned phenomena have significant effect on the fluid flow behaviour in a packed bed.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Today’s large-scale signal processing systems impose massive bandwidth requirements on both internal and external communication systems. Most often, these bandwidth requirements are met by scalable input/output architectures built around high-performance, standards-based technology. Several such technologies are available and are in common use as internal and/or external communication mechanisms. This paper provides an overview of some of the more common scalable technologies used for internal and external communications in real-time data acquisition systems. With respect to internal communications mechanisms this paper focuses on three ANSI-standard switched fabric technologies: RACEway (ANSI/VITA 5-1994), SKYchannel (ANSI/VITA 10-1995) and Myrinet (ANSI/VITA 26-1998). The discussion then turns to how Fibre Channel, HiPPI, and ATM are used to provide scalable external communications in real-time systems. Finally, glimpse of how these technologies are evolving to meet tomorrow’s requirements is provided.

abstract: Over the past decade, there has been a revival in applied algal research and attempts at commercialization. However, the main limitation in algal commercialization is the process of cultivation, which is one of the main cost and energy burdens in producing biomass that is economically feasible for different products. There are several parameters that must be considered when growing algae, including the type of growth system and operating mode, preferred organism(s), and many other criteria that affect the process of algal cultivation. The purpose of this dissertation was to assess key variables that affect algal productivity and to improve outdoor algal cultivation procedures. The effect of reducing or eliminating aeration of algal cultures at night, in flat panel photobioreactors (panels), was investigated to assess the reduction of energy consumption at night. The lack of aeration at night resulted in anoxic conditions, which significantly reduced lipid accumulation and productivity, but did not affect log phase biomass productivity. In addition, the reduction in aeration resulted in lower pH values, which prevented ammonia volatility and toxicity. Raceways are operated at deeper cultivation depths, which limit culture density and light exposure. Experimentation was accomplished to determine the effects of decreasing cultivation depth, which resulted in increased lipid accumulation and lipid productivity, but did not significantly affect biomass productivity. A comparison of semi-continuous cultivation of algae in raceways and panels in side-by-side experiments showed that panels provided better temperature control and higher levels of mixing, which resulted in higher biomass productivity. In addition, sub-optimal morning temperatures in raceways compared to panels were a significant factor in reducing algae biomass productivity. The results from this research indicate that increasing lipid productivity and biomass productivity cannot be completed simultaneously. Therefore, the desired product will determine if lipid or biomass productivity is more crucial, which also dictates whether the system should be operated in batch mode to either allow lipid accumulation or in semi-continuous mode to allow high biomass productivity. This work is a critical step in improving algal cultivation by understanding key variables that limit biomass and lipid productivity. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil and Environmental Engineering 2015

Abstract The blast furnace process is the most common way throughout the world to produce pig iron. The primary fuel and reducing agent in a blast furnace is coke. Coke is a fossil fuel and the most expensive raw material in iron production. Blast furnace ironmaking is an energy-intensive process, which results in high energy costs. Auxiliary fuels are injected into the blast furnace to replace expensive coke. They provide energy for the blast furnace operation and act as a source of reduction agents for iron oxides. Coke replacement with high auxiliary fuel injection levels leads to permeability changes in a blast furnace shaft, because of the increased amount of unburnt coal. In this thesis, fuel injection with two different auxiliary fuels, heavy oil and pulverized coal, was studied using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. The aim was to improve the combustion of auxiliary fuels by increasing the understanding of the phenomena in the blast furnace tuyere-raceway area. The atomization model for modeling the heavy oil combustion was selected and validated using the results of an experimental rig from the literature. The atomization model was applied to study the effect of different nozzles on heavy oil mixing with the air blast. In addition, the model was used to study the effect of lance position on the combustion efficiency of heavy oil. A pulverized coal combustion model was developed and validated with experimental data from the literature. Pulverized coal combustion was modeled with different lance positions to evaluate its effect on combustion efficiency. Based on the results, heavy oil mixing in the air blast can to a great extent, be boosted by the nozzle design. Furthermore, the heavy oil combustion is more efficient when the lance position is farthest from the tuyere nose. But the increasing temperature inside the tuyere causes ablation of the tuyere walls, which creates a constraint for the lance position. The results from the pulverized coal combustion study show that the model works well for the tuyere-raceway area. In addition, the effect of lance position on the combustion efficiency of the pulverized coal is very small, and the lance should be positioned as close to the tuyere nose as possible to avoid fouling of the tuyere walls and the ignition inside the tuyere. / Tiivistelmä Suurin osa maailman raakaraudasta valmistetaan masuuniprosessilla. Masuunin ensisijainen polttoaine ja rautaoksidien pelkistin on koksi. Koksi on fossiilinen polttoaine ja kallein raaka-aine masuunissa. Raudanvalmistus on erittäin energiaintensiivistä, joten valmistuksen energiakustannukset ovat korkeat. Lisäpolttoaineinjektiota käytetään masuunissa korvaamaan osa koksista sekä energian tuottajana että pelkistimenä. Injektiomäärät pyritään kasvattamaan mahdollisimman suuriksi, mutta injektiomäärien kasvaessa palamattoman kiinteän polttoaineen määrä kasvaa ja koksipatjan kaasunläpäisevyys heikkenee. Väitöskirjatutkimuksessa luotiin virtauslaskentamalli hormin ja palo-onkalon alueelle kahta lisäpolttoainetta (raskas polttoöljy, kivihiilipöly) varten. Sen avulla tutkittiin palamista hormin ja palo-onkalon alueella tavoitteena lisätä tietoa palamista rajoittavista tekijöistä. Pisaroitumismalli valittiin ja validoitiin kirjallisuusdatan perusteella raskaan polttoöljyn toimiessa lisäpolttoaineena. Mallia käytettiin tutkittaessa erilaisia suuttimia palamisilman ja polttoaineen sekoittumisen tehostamiseen. Lisäksi sitä käytettiin mallinnettaessa lanssin sijainnin vaikutusta raskaan polttoöljyn palamistehokkuuteen. Kivihiilipölylle luotiin palamismalli, joka validoitiin olemassa olevan kokeellisen datan perusteella. Tätä mallia hyödynnettiin tutkittaessa kaksoislanssin sijainnin vaikutusta palamistehokkuuteen. Tulosten perusteella voidaan todeta, että öljylanssin suuttimella on suuri vaikutus palamisilman ja polttoaineen sekoittumiseen. Lisäksi voidaan päätellä, että raskaan polttoöljyn palaminen tehostuu siirrettäessä lanssia syvemmälle hormiin, mutta syttyminen tapahtuu liian aikaisin ja kasvava lämpötila voi sulattaa hormin seinämät. Tämä aiheuttaa rajoituksen lanssin sijainnille hormissa. Kivihiilipölyn palamisen mallin todettiin toimivan erittäin hyvin hormin ja palo-onkalon alueilla. Tämän ohella havaittiin, että lanssin sijainnilla oli hyvin pieni vaikutus palamisasteeseen, jolloin lanssi kannattaa sijoittaa mahdollisimman lähelle hormin suuta, jotta vältetään hormiin kohdistuva ylimääräinen lämpökuorma ja hormin likaantuminen.

Nitrogen removal technologies can help dairy industries meet their nutrient management needs. This thesis investigated two separate treatment technologies for total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) removal: algae raceway ponds and aerated biofilm reactors. Six 1000- liter algae raceway ponds and four 1000-liter tote tanks, each equipped with 10 sheets of nonwoven geotextile (i.e., thermally bonded or needle-punched) biofilm substrate, were used to treat the effluent from a flush dairy in central coastal California (TAN = 251 mg/L, cBOD5 = 204 mg/L). For the algae raceway ponds (TAN loading rate = 7 - 35 g/m³-day among 7-, 10- and 14-day hydraulic residence times (HRT)), first-order removal rate constants (k) were ~0.2 day⁻¹ in the summer and 0.1 - 0.2 day⁻¹ in the winter. Removal rate constants had no correlations (R² < 0.1) with water temperature, weak to moderate (for 7-day ponds, R² = 0.55) correlations with insolation and weak to no correlations with biomass (i.e. volatile solids) concentration. During the winter, low insolation likely inhibited algal photosynthesis and biological TAN treatment. Ponds with 7-day HRT had distinct absence of nitrate and nitrite compared to 10- and 14-day ponds. Net productivities were ~20 g/m²-day in summer and 9 – 11 g/m²-day in winter; gross productivities were 120 – 160 g/m²-day in summer and 77 – 150 g/m²-day in winter. Productivities had no correlations (R² < 0.1) with water temperature and weak to moderate correlations (for 14-day ponds, net productivity R² = 0.56, gross productivity R² = 0.83) with insolation. Analysis of organic compounds in pond effluent showed dissolved volatile solids (~2300 mg/L) were mostly non-biodegradable (~98% of soluble oxygen demand). Dissolved organic nitrogen concentrations in the pond effluent were ~35 mg/L. For the aerated biofilm reactors, tanks with needle-punched geotextiles had greater first- order TAN removal rate constants (0.69 day⁻¹) than tanks with thermally bonded geotextiles (0.23 day⁻¹) while operating in batch mode. Needle-punched geotextile reactor also accumulated sludge faster and had higher attached to water column biomass (i.e. volatile solids) ratios (~0.08 g VS/g VS) than thermally bonded geotextile reactor (~0.04 g VS/g VS). Among the four tanks, mass of attached biomass was 150 – 340 g per tank while mass of biomass in the water column was 3290 – 5430 g per tank. Comparing the two treatment technologies, aerated biofilm reactors (removal = 64 – 77%, k = 0.2 – 0.3 day⁻¹, removal rate = 36 – 43 g-N/m²-day, 16 – 19 g-N/m³-day) had more removal and faster removal rates per square meter of land footprint compared to the algae raceway ponds (removal = 38 – 77%, k = 0.1 – 0.2 day⁻¹, removal rate = 4 – 5 g- N/m²-day, 13 – 17 g-N/m³-day), likely due to direct application of aerators in the reactors.

No description available.

O principal objetivo deste trabalho foi a avaliação do potencial da utilização do dióxido de carbono proveniente da fermentação alcoólica no cultivo Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis, visando demonstrar a possibilidade do uso de um gás efluente na produção de biomassa microbiana de alto valor comercial. Para tanto, tal cianobactéria foi cultivada em tanques abertos, em escala laboratorial, em temperatura de 30 ± 1 °C e intensidade luminosa de 156 ± 20 &#181;mol fótons m-2 s-1. O estudo de diversas variáveis de cultivo levou à fixação das seguintes condições: concentração do inóculo de 400 ± 20 mg L-1; pH de 9,0 ± 0,3, controlado por meio da adição de dióxido de carbono proveniente de cilindros; meio de cultura Schlösser, modificado de maneira a conter 0,497 e 16,4 g L-1 de carbonato e bicarbonato de sódio, respectivamente, e apenas 5,9 mM de nitrato de sódio; adição de 7,5 mM de sulfato de amônio no decorrer de 13 dias, em quantidades diárias exponencialmente crescentes, através do processo descontínuo alimentado de cultivo. Sob tais condições foram obtidos os seguintes resultados: concentração celular máxima (Xm) de 2990 mg L-1, produtividade celular (PX) de 185 mg L-1 d-1, velocidade específica máxima de crescimento (&#181;m) de 0,42 d-1, fator de conversão de nitrogênio em células (YX/N) de 8,85 mg mg-1, teor final de clorofila (CLf) de 4,3 mg g-1, e teores de proteínas (PTN) e lipídeos (LIP) de 35 e 21 %, respectivamente. Com a finalidade de estimular o crescimento celular de A. platensis, optou-se por aumentar o valor da intensidade luminosa de 156 para 192 ou 252 ± 20 &#181;mol fótons m-2 s-1 no 5º, 8º ou 11º dia de cultivo. Os melhores resultados cinéticos (Xm = 3954 mg L-1, PX = 253 mg L-1 d-1) e de conteúdo da biomassa (CLf = 4,2 mg g-1, PTN = 28 %, LIP = 19 %) foram obtidos com aumento da intensidade luminosa para 192 ± 20 &#181;mol fótons m-2 s-1 no 8º dia de cultivo. Os ensaios realizados sob tais condições otimizadas, porém com dióxido de carbono proveniente da fermentação alcoólica, levaram à obtenção dos seguintes resultados: Xm = 3298 mg L-1, PX = 206 mg L-1 d-1, CLf = 4,0 mg g-1, PTN = 28 %, LIP = 17 %. Por fim, conclui-se viável a utilização do gás carbônico resultante da fermentação alcoólica no cultivo de A. platensis. Sugere-se um estudo mais aprofundado da influência desse gás efluente industrial no metabolismo e crescimento de tal microrganismo fotossintetizante, a fim de possibilitar a obtenção de resultados de concentração e produtividade celulares tão altos quanto aqueles obtidos quando do uso de gás carbônico puro. / The main objective of this work was the evaluation of the potential of using carbon dioxide from alcoholic fermentation on Spirulina (Arthrospira) platensis cultivation, aiming to prove the feasibility of applying an effluent gas in the production of high added-value microbial biomass. In order to do so, the cyanobacterium was cultivated in laboratorial-scale open raceway tanks at temperature 30 ± 1 °C and light intensity 156 ± 20 &#181;mol photons m-2 s-1. After the study of several cultivation variables, the following conditions were set: inoculum concentration 400 ± 20 mg L-1; pH 9,0 ± 0,3, controlled by the addition of carbon dioxide from cylinders; Schlösser medium, modified as to contain 0,497 and 16,4 g L-1 sodium carbonate and bicarbonate, respectively, and only 5,9 mM sodium nitrate; addition of 7,5 mM ammonium sulphate throughout 13 days, at exponentially increasing amounts, by the fed-batch cultivation process. Under such conditions, the following results were obtained: maximum cell concentration Xm = 2990 mg L-1, cell productivity PX = 185 mg L-1 d-1, maximum specific growth rate &#181;m = 0,42 d-1, cell to nitrogen conversion factor YX/N = 8,85 mg mg-1, final chlorophyll content CLf = 4,3 mg g-1, and content of proteins (PTN) and lipids (LIP) of 35 and 21 %, respectively. Objectiving further optimized A. platensis growth, it was chosen to increase the light intensity from 156 to 192 or 252 ± 20 &#181;mol photons m-2 s-1 on the 5th, 8th or 11th day of cultivation. The best results in terms of growth (Xm = 3954 mg L-1, PX = 253 mg L-1 d-1) and biomass content (CLf = 4,2 mg g-1, PTN = 28 %, LIP = 19 %) were reached with increasing the light intensity to 192 ± 20 &#181;mol photons m-2 s-1 on the 8th day of cultivation. The runs carried out under such optimum conditions, but using carbon dioxide from alcoholic fermentation, led to the following results: Xm = 3298 mg L-1, PX = 206 mg L-1 d-1, CLf = 4,0 mg g-1, PTN = 28 %, LIP = 17 %. Conclusively, the use of carbonic acid gas from alcoholic fermentation on A. platensis cultivation was found viable. It would be valuable to further study the influence of this industrial effluent gas on the metabolism and growth of such photosynthetic microorganism, in order to make it possible reaching cell concentration and productivity results as high as those obtained using pure carbon dioxide.