Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering / Ronaldo G. Maghirang / This research was conducted to investigate the potential of charged-water spray in controlling dust in livestock buildings. Specific objectives were to: (1) develop a method to measure the electrostatic charge of airborne particles; (2) characterize the size distribution and charge of airborne particles in a livestock building; (3) evaluate the effectiveness of charged-water spray in controlling dust concentration in enclosed spaces under laboratory conditions; (4) model the effectiveness of charged-water spray in controlling dust in an enclosed building; and (5) develop and evaluate an electrostatically-assisted particulate wet scrubber (EAPWS). A dynamic Faraday-cage sampler was developed for measuring the net charge-to-mass ratio of particles. The device involves collecting particles on a filter and measuring the charge induced. The sampler was calibrated and then used to measure the charge of dispersed particles (i.e., corn starch, NaHCO3, positively charged water spray, negatively charged water spray, and uncharged water spray). The corresponding net charge-to-mass ratios were -0.11 (SD=0.07), +0.20 (0.001), +7.24 (1.6), -6.47 (0.9), and -0.30 (0.12) mC/kg. Characterization of dust in a swine building showed mean dust concentration of 0.89 (SD=0.45) mg/m3, geometric mean diameter of particles of 9.34 μm, and geometric standard deviation of 2.11. The Faraday-cage sampler was also used in the swine building; the net charge-to-mass ratio of particles was +0.68 mC/kg (SD=0.31 mC/kg). The effectiveness of charged-water spray in reducing dust concentration was investigated in an experimental chamber. Test particles (i.e., corn starch, NaHCO3) were dispersed into the chamber and then charged water was sprayed into the chamber. The charged-water spray was significantly more effective than either the uncharged-water spray or no water spray. The removal efficiency of the charged water spray (4 min spray duration, 120 mL/min), based on mass, ranged from 88% to 92% for particles ≤ 10 µm equivalent aerodynamic diameter (EAD) and from 34% to 70% for particles ≤ 2.5 µm EAD. A model based on coagulation was used to predict the particle concentration after spraying of charged water. Predicted values of concentration and removal efficiency agreed well with measured values. A prototype EAPWS was also developed. Laboratory and field evaluations of the EAPWS indicated that it had significantly higher particle removal efficiency than either the control (i.e., no water spray) or the uncharged wet scrubber.

Submitted by Maike Costa (maiksebas@gmail.com) on 2017-05-30T13:23:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 4122631 bytes, checksum: 3dbd65166aa3a3cad90e903290833e6a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-30T13:23:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 4122631 bytes, checksum: 3dbd65166aa3a3cad90e903290833e6a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-26 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The consumption of electricity in our social environment such as in houses, apartments, business, industries, hospitals, it’s achieved thanks to an equipment that makes the levels of tension and electric current acceptable as demanded by the standards, so we can benefit from electricity in a safe and efficient way, these equipment are the power transformers. Due your relevance, techniques that retard or avoid the failures in these equipment, aiming a better availability and a smaller number of maintenance stops, are the theme of several researchers and studies centers. A very common failure in medium and large transformers that are used in transmission and distribution of power, is the degradation of the insulating function of transformer's core that it is caused mainly by the adverse gradient of temperature that circulates in the core through the insulating oil. The present work analyzes the efficiency of a transformer's cooling auxiliary system, that aims dissipate the heat absorbed by the oil in a quick and efficient way, decreasing the degradation of the insulating function and increasing its lifespan. The system consist of water spray nozzles, that it will be installed in the transformer’s radiator, in front of the fans, in the same direction of the air flow. The water spraying in the air flow, will cause a temperature decrease and a humidity increase, due to a phenomenon known as evaporative cooling, where heat from the air makes the small drops of water evaporate quickly. It will be analyzed the water flow rate in the spraying, the amount and placement of the water spray nozzles through the radiator and the air flow of the fans. So the system has thermal and energetic efficiency. Will be used a control system that includes a variable-frequency drive (VFD), temperature sensors and a data acquisition board (DAQ), all monitored through LabVIEW. / O consumo de energia elétrica no nosso convívio social como, casas, apartamentos, comércio, indústria, hospitais, é conseguido graças a um equipamento que torna os níveis de tensão e corrente elétrica em valores aceitáveis exigidos por norma, para que possamos usufruir da energia elétrica de maneira segura e eficiente, esses equipamentos são os transformadores de força ou de potência. Visto sua importância, técnicas que retardam ou evitem falhas nesse equipamento, visando a maior disponibilidade e com isso menos paradas para manutenção, são tema de estudo de diversos pesquisadores e centros de ensino. Uma falha bastante comum em transformadores de médio a grande porte que são utilizados na transmissão e distribuição de energia, é a degradação do papel isolante do núcleo do transformador, que é causada principalmente pelo gradiente adverso de temperatura que circula no núcleo através do óleo isolante. Logo o presente trabalho analisa a eficiência de um sistema auxiliar de arrefecimento do transformador, que visa dissipar o calor absorvido pelo óleo de maneira rápida e eficiente, diminuindo a degradação do papel isolante e aumentando sua vida útil. O sistema será composto por bicos pulverizadores de água, que serão instalados nos radiadores do transformador, em frente aos ventiladores, no mesmo sentido do fluxo de ar. A pulverização de água nesse fluxo de ar, irá causar uma diminuição da temperatura e um aumento de umidade, isso devido a um fenômeno conhecido como resfriamento evaporativo, onde as pequenas gotas de água recebem o calor do ar e se evaporam rapidamente. Será analisado a vazão de água na pulverização, a quantidade e o posicionamento dos bicos ao longo do radiador e o fluxo de ar dos ventiladores, para que o sistema tenha eficiência térmica e energética. Será utilizado um sistema de controle composto por inversores de frequência, sensores de temperatura e placa de aquisição de dados, que serão monitorados pelo LabView.

This thesis describes the work undertaken by the author in collaboration with Wyman-Gordon Forgings, USA, to assist in the development of a cooling system,based on air assisted atomised water sprays primarily for the quenching of aerospace components from high temperatures. The mechanical properties of forgings used in aircraft engines depend on the rate of cooling from the heat treatment solution temperature. It is well known that water quenching produces high cooling rate. Although, the severity of the quench can sometimes produce unacceptable distortion and high residual stresses in the component. For this reason water quenching is only used when a high cooling rate is definitely needed and it is often replaced by a less severe oil quench. However, over the last 10 years the trend to reduce manufacturing costs has led to the forging of parts that are closer to the net shape. In these cases even oil quenching can lead to residual stresses being developed that result in difficulties during the final machining of the engine component. Forced air cooling has been adopted in problem cases where the part is thin enough to attain the desired cooling rate. In many instances, however, the component is of intermediate size or varying in cross section and fan cooling cannot provide the cooling rate which is needed to obtain the desired mechanical properties, whilst oil quenching produces an unacceptable level of residual stresses. The use of air assisted atomised water sprays can provide heat transfer coefficients whose values lie between those for air cooling and oil quenching. Another advantage is that control of the air pressure enables the spray nozzle to operate with a much wider range of water flow rates so that the cooling rate can be readily controlled over the range. This study describes the investigation of the heat transfer characteristics of air assisted atomised water sprays to quench aeroengine components from temperatures of approximately 850°C. New data were obtained at high temperatures for air assisted atomised water sprays operating over a wide range of water mass fluxes, (8.01>w 0 >0kg/m2 .s). In practice the geometry of a component can be complex in shape. Therefore an investigation was also carried out into the application of spray cooling on recessed surfaces. It was found that the surface recess contributes significantly to the reduction in the rate of heat transfer at low and high water mass fluxes, but had little effect at intermediate flow rates. Pulsed sprays were investigated and proposed as a means of controlling heat transfer coefficients for both plane and recessed surfaces. The use of a pulsed spray makes it possible to control the amount of water impacting on a surface per second. It was found that "water off periods of 5 and 10 seconds resulted in a reduction in heat transfer coefficients at low temperatures and also reduced considerably the differences in cooling previously observed between plane and recessed surfaces. A finite element code was used to predict the residual stresses produced in a forged component for a range of spray parameters, and spray arrangements. The data were compared with cooling rates and stress patterns produced by both air and oil quenching. It was found that spray cooling resulted in cooling rates which met the mechanical property specification and provided residual stresses lower than those obtained during oil quenching. Furthermore, simulations of residual stress formation using two different spray arrangements in a typical forging indicated that spray non uniformities can substantially disturb the resultant residual stress patterns which could result in less predictable distortions during final machining. The study of spray cooling presented here suggests that the use of air assisted atomised water sprays has considerable potential and could provide the required cooling rate for individual forgings.

<p>U okviru ove disertacije su ispitane mogućnosti primene savremenih postupaka za dobijanje ekstrakata rtanjskog čaja (Satureja montana L.).<br />U ekstraktima dobijenim primenom superkritičnog ugljendioksida (različitih gustina) utvrđeno je prisustvo karvakrola kao najzastupljenije komponente. Ekstrakt sa najvećim sadržajem karvakrola je dobijen pri uslovima 350 bar i 50 &deg;C (60,82%), dok je najveći prinos karvakrola ostvaren pri pritiscima 325 i 350 bar i temperaturi 60 &deg;C, i iznosio je 2,4 g/100 g droge. Primenom ugljendioksida na većim pritiscima se ostvaruje efikasnija ekstrakcija karvakrola iz droge, kao i proizvodnja ekstrakata sa većim sadržajima karvakrola. Druge komponente prisutne u ekstraktima u znatno nižim koncentracijama su: p-cimen, borneol, trans-kariofilen, kariofilen-oksid, &gamma;-terpinen i linalool.<br />Da bi se utvrdila mogućnost unapređenja prinosa ekstrakcije superkritičnim ugljendioksidom, kao i pobolj&scaron;anja kvaliteta ekstrakata, ispitan je uticaj različitih predtretmana biljnog materijala. Ustanovljeno je da predtretman vodom najznačajnije povećava prinos ekstrakcije (za 25%), dok je ultrazvučni predtretman najadekvatniji izbor za dobijanje ekstrakata sa najvećim sadržajem karvakrola (66,46%). Međutim, najveći prinos ekstrakcije karvakrola iz 100 g droge postignut je primenom etanola i vode kao predtretmana.<br />Ekstrakti dobijeni primenom subkritične vode (uz variranje temperature i vremena ekstrakcije) su hemijski okarakterisani i radi utvrđivanja uslova ekstrakcije pri kojima se postiže najveći kvalitet ekstrakata u pogledu sadržaja polifenolnih komponenti, kao i antioksidantne aktivnosti, primenjena je metoda odzivne povr&scaron;ine (RSM). Utvrđena je prednost primene subkritične vode u odnosu na klasičnu metodu ekstrakcije u pogledu sadržaja polifenolnih komponenti i antioksidantne aktivnosti.<br />Suvi ekstrakti S. montana dobijeni spray drying tehnologijom su&scaron;enja (sa različitim koncentracijama maltodekstrina) su ispitani u pogledu fizičkih i hemijskih osobina. Takođe, radi ispitivanja mogućnosti primene u vidu funkcionalnih ili prehrambenih proizvoda, izvr&scaron;ena je senzorna analiza dobijenih suvih ekstrakata, i analizirana je njihova farmakolo&scaron;ka aktivnost u smislu ACE inhibitornog i antioksidantnog delovanja.<br />Ustanovljeno je da je najniža koncentracija maltodekstrina (10%) najadekvatnija za dobijanje suvog ekstrakta S. montana sa najvećim sadržajem polifenolnih komponenti, sadržajem etarskog ulja i u pogledu antioksidantne i ACE inhibitorne aktivnosti. Takođe, suvi ekstrakt sa 10% maltodekstrina ispunjava i ostale fizičko-hemijske parametre, kojima se osigurava kako efikasno su&scaron;enje, tako i kvalitet ekstrakta.<br />In vivo aktivnost odabranih ekstrakata S. montana ispitana je na modelu hepatotoksičnosti indukovane primenom ugljentetrahlorida. Analiziran je uticaj ekstrakata na funkciju jetre, enzimske parametre oksidativnog stresa i serumske parametre oksidativnog o&scaron;tećenja izazvanog ugljentetrahloridom i ustanovljen je hepatoprotektivni učinak ekstrakata S. montana. Takođe, ispitano je dejstvo ekstrakata na rast Ehrlich-ovih ascitnih tumora implantiranih mi&scaron;evima, kao i na biohemijske parametre oksidativnog stresa u ćelijama tumora i utvrđeno je da je vreme aplikacije ekstrakata od izuzetnog značaja.</p> / <p>This dissertation investigates the possibilities of applying contemporary processes for obtaining extracts of winter savory (Satureja montana L.).<br />Carvacrol was determined to be the most abundant component in extracts acquired by using supercritical carbon dioxide (of various densities). Extract with the richest content of carvacrol was obtained under conditions of 350 bar and 50 &deg;C (60,82%), while the highest carvacrol yield was produced under 325 bar and 350 bar pressures and at a 60 &deg;C temperature reaching 2.4 g/100 g of dry weight. By applying carbon dioxide on higher pressures, a more efficient carvacrol extraction from herbal material is performed, alongside production of extracts with higher carvacrol content. Other components in the extracts present in significantly lower concentrations are the following: p-cymen, borneol, trans-caryophyllene, caryophyllene-oxide, &gamma;-terpinene and linalool.<br />In order to recognize the possibility of improving the extraction yield produced by employing supercritical carbon dioxide and enhancing the quality of extracts, the influence of several different pre-treatments was investigated. It was determined that the water pre-treatment raises the extraction yield the most (for 25%), while the ultrasonic pre-treatment was the most adequate choice for acquiring extracts with the highest content of carvacrol (66.46%). However, the highest carvacrol extraction yield from 100 g of dry weight was achieved by applying ethanol and water as pre-treatment.<br />Extracts which were attained with subcritical water (by varying the temperature and time of extraction) were chemically characterized and Response Surface Method (RSM) was applied for the purposes of determining conditions of extractions under which the highest quality of extracts in terms of content of polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant activity is reached. The advantage of employing subcritical water over the classical method of extraction in respect of content of polyphenolic components and antioxidant activity was demonstrated.<br />Dry extracts of S. montana obtained by using the spray drying technology (with different concentrations of maltodextrine) were examined in terms of their physical and chemical characteristics. Also, in order to investigate the possibility of their use as functional or food products, sensory analysis of attained extracts was performed, and furthermore, their pharmacological activity in terms of the ACE inhibitory and antioxidant effect was analysed as well.<br />It was determined that the lowest concentration of maltodextrin (10%) was the most adequate for obtaining dry extracts of S. montana with the richest content of polyphenolic components and essential oil, and in respect of antioxidant and ACE inhibitory activities. Also, dry extract with 10% of maltodextrin meets all other physical-chemical parameters, which provide efficient drying and quality of extracts.<br />In vivo activity of selected extracts of S. montana was examined on a model of hepatotoxicity induced by applying carbon tetrachloride. The influence of extracts on liver function, enzyme parameters of oxidative stress, and serum parameters of oxidative damage caused by carbon tetrachloride was analysed and hepatoprotective effect of S. montana extracts was determined. In addition, the influence of extracts on the growth of Ehrlich ascite tumors implanted in mice was investigated, and their impact on biochemical parameters of oxidative stress in tumor cells as well, and it was determined that the time of application of extracts is of great significance.</p>

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:09:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 1646.pdf: 3878244 bytes, checksum: 1b913364f7458c2e95fc16bda01f835e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-08-01 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / This research focuses the evaporative cooling by water aspersion on wavy cement fiber tiles in the city of São Carlos, SP, seeking to use it to reduce the buildings heat gains. A theoretical model was developed, based on classic equations of fluids mechanic, applied to iterative calculations of heat flows on the tile superior surface, considered as control surface. In the work development, this model was progressively adjusted to experimental data obtained in a test cell, exposed to the local climatic conditions, with the monitoring of superficial temperatures of both faces in two tiles, one maintained dry and other under intermittent aspersion of water. The research results indicated that, despite of still being susceptible to improvement, the theoretical model already presents quite satisfactory approach with the measured data. Applying a statistical adjustment to the proposed model of iterative heat flows calculation, it was obtained a correlation coefficient between measured and estimated temperatures of 0,999 and a standard deviation of 0,35 ºC. During the experiments, the average evaporative heat flow was 409 W/m2. Theaverage water volume evaporated was 0,7 l/(m².h), corresponding to an average difference of temperatures among the compared tiles of 5,12 K, for the daylight period. Due to the growing need of energy consumption reduction, this procedure seems to be a good option to reduce buildings thermal load, if compared to conventional air conditioning systems / Esta pesquisa enfoca a refrigeração evaporativa por aspersão de água sobre telhas onduladas de fibrocimento, na cidade de São Carlos, SP, visando sua utilização para redução dos ganhos de calor em edificações. Um modelo teórico foi desenvolvido, baseado em equações clássicas da mecânica dos fluidos, aplicadas em cálculos iterativos dos fluxos de calor sobre a superfície superior da telha, considerada como superfície de controle. No desenvolvimento do trabalho, este modelo foi progressivamente ajustado a dados experimentais obtidos em uma célula de teste, exposta às condições climáticas locais, sendo monitoradas temperaturas superficiais de ambas as faces em duas telhas, uma mantida seca e outra sob aspersão intermitente de água. Os resultados da pesquisa indicaram que, apesar de ainda ser passível de aprimoramento, o modelo teórico já apresenta aproximação bastante satisfatória com os dados medidos. Aplicando-se um ajuste estatístico ao modelo proposto de cálculo iterativo dos fluxos de calor, obteve-se um coeficiente de correlação entre temperaturas medidas e estimadas de 0,999 e um desvio padrão de 0,35 ºC. Durante os experimentos, o fluxo médio de calor por evaporação foi de 409 W/m2. O volume médio de água evaporado foi de 0,7 l/(m².h), correspondendo a uma diferença média de temperaturas entre as telhas comparadas, para o período diurno, de 5,12 K. Frente à crescente necessidade de redução de consumo de energia, esta parece uma boa opção para redução da carga térmica dos edifícios, se comparada aos sistemas convencionais de condicionamento de ar

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:09:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissGRN.pdf: 2609082 bytes, checksum: 09147cf07533f0a088d8e1734fc80ee4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-12-09 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The cooling effect of evaporation is used in dry climates buildings since ancient times. Water evaporation can remove heat of roofs, cooling the interior of buildings indirectly. This study presents the measurement results of a test bed which received two identical tiles, one of them receiving water application and the other kept dry. Its objective was to investigate the effects that the evaporation provokes on internal surface temperature of ceramic tiles and fibrocement tiles. Using regression analyses, strong correlations were found among the falls observed in tiles internal surface temperatures and the climatic conditions. The evaporation provoked reduction of until 18,7 oC in the ceramic roof and until 17ºC reduction in the fibrocement one. / O resfriamento evaporativo de ambientes é conhecido pelos habitantes de regiões de clima seco desde a antiguidade. A evaporação de água sobre coberturas retira calor das mesmas, refrigerando indiretamente o interior da edificação. Este trabalho apresenta resultados de um estudo em que foram medidos os efeitos que a evaporação provoca sobre as temperaturas superficiais internas de telhas de barro e de fibrocimento, sujeitas às variações climáticas como o vento e radiação solar. Para tanto, montou-se uma bancada de testes onde foram monitoradas telhas idênticas, uma com gotejamento de água e outra mantida seca, em situações de inverno em laboratório e em situações de verão em campo. Por meio de análise de regressão, identificou-se fortes correlações entre as quedas observadas nas temperaturas superficiais internas das telhas e as condições climáticas. A evaporação provocou redução de até 18,7 ºC na temperatura superficial interna da telha de barro e de até 17ºC na de telha de fibrocimento. Os resultados indicaram que o gotejamento de água sobre superfícies externas de telhas de barro e de fibrocimento reduz a temperatura superficial interna das mesmas por meio da refrigeração evaporativa, sendo um potencial método de resfriamento passivo de telhados de barro e de fibrocimento na região de São Carlos-SP.