O objetivo desse trabalho foi o estudo da utilização do carbonato de potássio para a absorção de CO2, tendo como principal foco o uso dessa tecnologia para o beneficiamento de biogás em instalações de pequeno e médio porte. O estudo foi dividido em três partes. Na primeira, realizou-se um projeto fatorial, baseado em resultados obtidos por meio de simulação via ASPEN Plus, com o intuito de quantificar a influência da vazão de líquido, da vazão de gás, da concentração da solução e da temperatura do líquido na quantidade de gás carbônico absorvida. Na segunda, foram realizados ensaios de absorção de CO2 em coluna recheada com anéis de Raschig de vidro, utilizando soluções de carbonato de potássio, com objetivo de comparar os resultados obtidos pelo projeto fatorial e estudar o seu potencial para o processo de beneficiamento de biogás. Na terceira, quatro substâncias foram separadamente utilizadas em mistura com solução de carbonato de potássio, de maneira a verificar seu poder como promotores da reação de gás carbônico com carbonato de potássio. Os resultados do projeto fatorial apresentaram a temperatura, vazão e concentração de líquido como as variáveis independentes de maior influência positiva na absorção de CO2, enquanto que a vazão de gás teve influência negativa de baixa intensidade. A quantidade de gás carbônico absorvida em solução sem promotores e em pressão ambiente foi baixa, como relata a literatura. A utilização de promotores possibilitou um aumento substancial da absorção, principalmente com o uso da piperazina. / The objective of this work is to study the use of potassium carbonate for CO2 absorption, aiming to use this technology for biogas upgrade for small and medium scale plants. The study was divided in three parts. In the first one, a factorial design was done, based in results obtained by simulation via ASPEN Plus, to verify the influence of four process variables, namely: liquid volumetric flow rate, gas volumetric flow rate, solution concentration and liquid temperature. Secondly, CO2 absorption experiments were run in columns packed with glass Raschig rings, using potassium carbonate, in order to compare the results obtained by the factorial design and to study the solution\'s potential for biogas upgrade. Lastly, four substances were separately mixed into potassium carbonate solutions, aiming to verify their potential as CO2 absorption promoters. The results of the factorial design presented the liquid temperature, the liquid volumetric flow rate and the solution concentration as the most positively influential independent variables in carbon dioxide absorption, while the gas volumetric flow rate had a negative influence with low intensity. The amount of CO2 absorbed in solution without promoters and in ambient pressure was low, fact that is mentioned by other researchers. The use of promoters allowed a substantial increase in efficiency of CO2 absorption, mainly with the use of piperazine.

Esse estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a viabilidade e qualidade in vitro do concentrado de hemácias felino (CHF), colhido e armazenado em bolsas e produtos nacionais, remanufaturadas, pelo Laboratório de Hemoterapia do Serviço de Anestesia da Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da Universidade de São Paulo, de acordo com normas definidas por órgãos regulamentadores como a ANVISA. Foram analisados parâmetros bioquímicos e hematológicos de 24 unidades de CHF nos dias 0, 14 e 21 de armazenamento. Utilizou-se sistema fechado para colheita e armazenamento do sangue com solução de anticoagulante-preservativa CPDA-1. A avaliação consistiu na mensuração de porcentagem de hematócrito, hemoglobina total, hemoglobina extracelular, porcentagem de hemólise, concentrações de potássio, lactato, glicose, ATP, pH, bicarbonato, pressão de CO2 e O2, inspeção visual da bolsa e cultura microbiológica aeróbia e anaeróbia. Os resultados obtidos foram avaliados estatisticamente por meio de testes paramétricos, sendo que as determinações de hematócrito, hemoglobina total não apresentaram variação significante nos 21 dias de preservação, enquanto os de potássio, lactato, pO2 aumentaram gradativamente de forma significante. Os níveis de ATP, glicose, pH, bicarbonato e pCO2 reduziram de forma significante com o decorrer do tempo. Não houve alteração à inspeção visual das bolsas de sangue, nem crescimento de microorganismos nas culturas realizadas. Por meio destas avaliações constatouse que o sistema remanufaturado com produtos nacionais pode ser empregado com segurança para obtenção de sangue felino tendo-se em vista que se manteve estéril, com eficiente conservação do concentrado de hemácias felino em CPDA-1 até o 21º dia de armazenamento. / This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and quality of in vitro feline packed red blood cells (CHF), harvested and stored in bags and domestic products, manufactured, Hematology Laboratory at the Department of Anesthesia, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo, according to standards set by regulatory bodies such as ANVISA. Were analyzed biochemical and hematological parameters 24 units of CHF on days 0, 14 and 21 of storage. We used a closed system for collection and storage of blood with preservative-anticoagulant solution CPDA-1. The evaluation consisted in measuring percentage of hematocrit, total hemoglobin, extracellular hemoglobin, percentage of hemolysis, potassium concentrations, lactate, glucose, ATP, pH, bicarbonate, CO2 and O2 pressure, visual inspection of the bag and aerobic and anaerobic microbiological culture . The results were statistically analyzed using parametric tests, and determinations of hematocrit, total hemoglobin showed no significant variation within 21 days of preservation, while potassium lactate, pO2 gradually increased significantly. ATP levels, glucose, pH, pCO2 and bicarbonate decreased significantly with time. There was no change to the visual inspection of blood bags, or growth of microorganisms in the cultures performed. Through these evaluations it was found that the system refilled with domestic products can be used safely for obtaining blood feline bearing in mind that remained sterile, efficient storage of red blood cells feline in CPDA-1 until the 21 th days of storage.

Master of Science / Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering / Hitesh Bindra / Storing excess thermal energy in a storage media that can later be extracted during peak-load times is one of the better economical options for nuclear power in future. Thermal energy storage integration with light water-cooled and advanced nuclear power plants is analyzed to assess technical feasibility of different storage media options. Various choices are considered in this study; molten salts, synthetic heat transfer fluids, and packed beds of solid rocks or ceramics. In-depth quantitative assessment of these integration possibilities are then analyzed using exergy analysis and energy density models. The exergy efficiency of thermal energy storage systems is quantified based on second law thermodynamics. The packed bed of solid rocks is identified as one of the only options which can be integrated with upcoming small modular reactors. Directly storing thermal energy from saturated steam into packed bed of rocks is a very complex physical process due to phase transformation, two phase flow in irregular geometries and percolating irregular condensate flow. In order to examine the integrated physical aspects of this process, the energy transport during direct steam injection and condensation in the dry cold randomly packed bed of spherical alumina particles was experimentally and theoretically studied. This experimental setup ensures controlled condensation process without introducing significant changes in the thermal state or material characteristics of heat sink. Steam fronts at different flow rates were introduced in a cylindrical packed bed and thermal response of the media was observed. The governing heat transfer modes in the media are completely dependent upon the rate of steam injection into the system. A distinct differentiation between the effects of heat conduction and advection in the bed were observed with slower steam injection rates. A phenomenological semi-analytical model is developed for predicting quantitative thermal behavior of the packed bed and understanding physics. The semi-analytical model results are compared with the experimental data for the validation purposes. The steam condensation process in packed beds is very stable under all circumstances and there is no effect of flow fluctuations on thermal stratification in packed beds. With these experimental and analytical studies, it can be concluded that packed beds have potential for thermal storage applications with steam as heat transfer fluid. The stable stratification and condensation process in packed beds led to design of a novel passive safety heat removal system for advanced boiling water reactors.

This thesis focus on the insolvency proceedings, which were performed in the company MOTORPAL, a. s. During more than seventy years of its history, this company built its strong position on foreign markets in the area of production of fuel injectors for diesel engines and also now belongs between the largest employers in the Region of Vysočina. Constantly deteriorating financial situation forced the owners of the company to take strong measures to restore the company, which led, with the support of secured and unsecured creditors, to preparation and drawing up of reorganization plan. The plan was attached to insolvency application of the company, which meant that company chose the pre-packed reorganization as a way how to solve its bankruptcy. The thesis analyzes the main steps of whole process and highlights all the prerequisites which led to successful completion of this insolvency proceedings and to renewals of financial stability of this traditional Czech manufacturing company.

Trickle flow is encountered in a variety of process engineering applications where gas and liquid flow through a packed bed of stationary solid. Owing to the complexities of three interacting phases, a fundamentally exhaustive description of trickle flow hydrodynamics has not been achieved. A complicating factor in describing the hydrodynamics is the fact that the hydrodynamic state is dependent not only on the present operating conditions but also on their entire history, including fluid flow rate changes and pre-wetting procedures. This phenomenon is termed hydrodynamic multiplicity and is the subject of this work. Hydrodynamic multiplicity greatly complicates both the experimental investigation into the behaviour of a trickle flow column and the theoretical modelling of the observed behaviour. Broadly speaking, this study addresses hydrodynamic multiplicity on three levels. First, a conceptual framework is proposed that can be used to study hydrodynamic multiplicity with limited resources. It is based on the absolute limiting values that the hydrodynamic parameters can adopt for a certain set of conditions, and encompasses both flow rate hysteresis loops and pre-wetting procedures. There are 5 such hydrodynamic modes. When the existing literature is critically evaluated in light of this framework, it is established that the reported experimental studies have not addressed all the issues. Previous modelling attempts are also shown to be unable to qualitative explain all the existing data. Moreover, authors have suggested different (and often contradictory) physical mechanisms responsible for hydrodynamic multiplicity. Secondly, an experimental investigation intended to supplement the existing literature and illustrate the utility of the proposed framework is launched. This includes bed-scale measurements of liquid holdup, pressure drop and gas-liquid mass transfer for a variety of conditions including different flow rates, pressures, particle shapes, particle porosity and surface tension. The second part of the experimental effort uses radiography and tomography in new ways to visualise the temporal and spatial characteristics of the different hydrodynamic modes. The tomographic investigation incorporates advanced image processing techniques in order to culminate in a pore-level evaluation of the hydrodynamic modes that reveals additional features of hydrodynamic multiplicity. Thirdly, the experimental insights are condensed into a set of characteristic trends that highlight the features of hydrodynamic multiplicity. A pore-level capillary mechanism is then introduced to qualitatively explain the observed behaviour. The mechanism shows how the differences in advancing and receding contact angles and the characteristics of the packed structure (or pore geometries) are ultimately responsible for the observed hydrodynamic multiplicity behaviour. Lastly, the effect of hydrodynamic multiplicity on trickle bed reactor performance is discussed. It is established experimentally that depending on the reaction conditions, different modes yield optimal performance. The idea of optimizing the performance by manipulating the hydrodynamic state is introduced. In totality, this work advances the understanding of trickle flow hydrodynamics in general and hydrodynamic multiplicity in particular. / Thesis (PhD (Chemical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(エネルギー科学) / 甲第22087号 / エネ博第395号 / 新制||エネ||76(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院エネルギー科学研究科エネルギー基礎科学専攻 / (主査)教授 森井 孝, 教授 木下 正弘, 教授 片平 正人 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Energy Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

Wastewater treatment performance of three pilot-scale packed-bed anaerobic digesters with walnut shell medium was researched for treating dairy freestall barn flushwater. Reciprocation mixing was evaluated as a means to lessen channelization in the media bed and to improve biogas production and organic matter removal at ambient temperatures. Reciprocation has been used in biological nitrogen removal systems to introduce air into the system to repeatedly oxygenate nitrifying biofilm along with mixing (Behrends et al. 2003), but the anaerobic systems benefit from mixing. Two tanks were used in each system, where one was full and one was empty at any given time. Water was repeatedly pumped from one tank to the other and back again (reciprocation). A key research objective was to determine the minimum reciprocation frequency (between 0-10 per day) while still maintaining moderate methane production and treatment performance. Broken walnut shells with a specific surface area of 360 m2/m3 were used as the packed media. Digester influent, which was pretreated to remove large solids, had the following characteristics: total solids (TS) of 5.5 g/L, volatile solids (VS) of 2.8 g/L, 5-day carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (cBOD5) of 800 mg/L, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 4340 mg/L. Average digesting liquid temperatures ranged from 14.1 to 23.6 °C. At 6-day theoretical hydraulic residence times (V/Q where V is Lliquid, which is volume of liquid occupying the digester pores, and Q is total daily influent flow) and 1 reciprocation per day, methane production was 0.060 ± 0.10 LCH4/Lliquid-day and at 10 reciprocations methane production 0.058 ± 0.14 LCH4/Lliquid-day (mean ± standard deviation of measurements over time). COD percent removals were both 51% at 6-day V/Q. Since multiple reciprocations did not appear to make a difference in methane production and treatment performance, fewer reciprocations were used in subsequent experiments. Higher flow rates were also used in subsequent experiments to accelerate sludge clogging and channelization in the walnut-shell bed and thereby allow detection of any advantage provided by reciprocation compared to an upflow reactor. At 0 and 1 reciprocations per day and 0.35 and 0.50-day V/Qs, respectively, methane production was 0.24 ± 0.08 and 0.23 ± 0.08 LCH4/Lliquid-day and COD percent removal was 17 and 22%. Over the study period of 226 days, walnut shell porosities decreased due to sludge accumulation from 0.68 and 0.64 (start-up or clean-bed) to 0.31 and 0.24 in the 1 and 0 reciprocation per day reactors. Sludge accumulation and channelization did not appear to be affected by reciprocation mixing on the scale of this study.

Please read the abstract in the dissertation. Copyright / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In the area of forensic chemistry, improved or new analysis methods are continually being investigated. One common and powerful technique used in forensic chemistry is wall-coated open-tubular column (WCOT) gas chromatography with electron ionization single quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Improvements to and effectiveness of alternatives to this instrumental platform were explored in an array of parallel inquiries. The areas studied included the column for the chromatographic separation, the universal detection method employed, and the fragmentation method used to enhance molecular identification. Superfine-micropacked capillary (SFµPC) columns may provide an alternative to commercial packed GC columns and WCOT GC columns that combines the benefits of the larger sample capacity of packed columns and the benefits of the excellent separation capabilities and mass spectrometry (MS) flow rate compatibility of WCOT columns. SFµPC columns suffer from high inlet pressure requirements and prior reported work has required specialized instrumentation for their use. Fabrication of and chromatography with SFµPC GC columns was successfully achieved with typical GC-MS instrumentation and within the flow rate limit of a MS. Additionally, the use of higher viscosity carrier gasses was demonstrated to reduce the required inlet pressure for SFµPC GC columns. Recently, a new vacuum ultraviolet spectrometer (VUV) universal detector has been commercialized for GC. The ability of VUV detectors to acquire absorbance spectra from 125 nm to 430 nm poses a potential alternative to MS. As such, GC-VUV provides an exciting potential alternative approach to achieving excellent quantitative and qualitative analysis across a wide range of analytes. The performance of VUV and MS detectors for forensic analysis in terms of quantitative and qualitative analysis was compared. Analysis of alkylbenzenes in ignitable liquids was explored, which can be important evidence from suspected arson fires and are difficult to differentiate with MS. The VUV detector was found to have superior specificity and comparable sensitivity to the MS detector in scan mode. Addition of thermolysis (Th) as an orthogonal fragmentation pathway provides the opportunity to increase the differences between MS fragmentation patterns. Fragmentation has been widely established to aid in identification of molecules with MS by providing characteristic fragments at characteristic relative abundances. However, molecules with very similar structures do not result in sizable spectral differences in all cases with typical MS fragmentation techniques. A series of Th units were fabricated and integrated into GC-Th-MS instruments. Th-MS was conducted with the thermally labile nitrate esters across a range of instrumentation and thermal conditions.

<p><strong>Apstrakt je obrađen tehnologijama za optičko prepoznavanje teksta (OCR).</strong></p><p>Sumporni oksidi najče&scaron;će prisutni polutanti u atmosferi direktno utiču na zdravlje Ijudi i stvaranje kiselih ki&scaron;a ugrožavajući ekosistem. Razvijen je veliki proj postupaka odsumporavanja otpadnih gasova, dok je u naj&scaron;iroj upotrebi mokri neregenerativni postupak apsorpcije koji koristi jeftine hemikalije, kreč ili krečnjak. Zbog toga se posebna pažnja posvečuje i ispitivanju regenerativnih postupaka kod kojih se apsorpciono sredstvo delimično ili u potpunosti regeneri&scaron;e, a pri čemu su gubici apsorpcionog fluida zanemarljivi. Postupak sa limunskom kiselinom upravo ispunjava poslednji zahtev. Ostale prednosti ovog postupka su fleksibilnost, bez prisustva koplikovanih procesnih postupaka, mali oksidacioni gubici sumpor dioksida i netoksičnost reagensa.<br />Pri projektovanju kolone za odsumporavanje otpadnih gasova neophodno je poznavanje ravnotežnih podatka para-tečnost, hidrodinamičkih parametara (pad pritiska i količina zadržane tečnosti) i prenosa mase kao jednog od direktnih pokazatelja brzine apsorpcije ili ukupne brzine reakcije.<br />Izveden je matematički model ravnoteže za predvidjanje ravnotežnog parcijalnog pritiska sumpor dioksida iznad vodenog rastvora natrijum citrata za ceo opseg pH vrednosti pufera i temperature na osnovu eksperimentalnih vrednosti. Zaustavnom metodom je odredjena količina zadržane tečnosti u koloni. Analizirane su jednačine date u literaturi za predvidjanje pada pritiska i zapreminskih koeficijenata prenosa mase i odabrane one koje se mogu primeniti na odabrani sistem sumpor dioksid/citratni pufer.<br />Na osnovu eksperimentalnih podataka para-tečnost, hidrodinamičkih parametara i odabranih jednačina za prenos mase, izvr&scaron;en je proračun visine apsorpcione kolone sa Raschigovim prstenovima za izdvajanje sumpor dioksida iz otpadnog gasa i pokazano je da pad pritiska za eksperimentalno primenjene protoke gasa i tečnosti odgovara literaturno predloženom opsegu.</p> / <p><strong>Abstract was processed by technology for Optical character recognition (OCR).</strong></p><p>Control of sulfur dioxide emission has a relatively long history, especially in major industrial countries due to its common occurence and harmful effects. A number of dry and wet process comprising regenerable and throw-away process were investigated, but the wet throw-away process become the most widely accepted. The use of the flue gas desulphurization process with sodium citrate solution is recommended, as it is found that sodium citrate meets the specific needs of reversible sulphur dioxide absorption to buffer range as well as its capacity, chemical and physical stability.<br />Packed columns are widely used in the chemical industry for gas/liquid mass and heat transfer operations and they have found special use in small fractionating towers. Their use has also been found to be advantageous where corrosion control is essential. Fundamental steps necessary for design of absorption column for sulfur dioxide removal are:<br />- determination of vapor-liguid eguiiibrium data for the citrate buffer,<br />- determination of hydrodynamic parameters, i.e. holdup and pressure drop,<br />- determination gas-liquid mass transfer coefficients.<br />On the basis of the experimentally determined vapour pressures data, a model of the gas- equilibria was formulated. Holdups were measured for air/sodium citrate solution using the draining method. Also, literature-proposed eguations for determination of pressure drop, volumetric liquid-phase and gas-phase mass transfer coefficient in packed column were presented and chosen those that could be applied to flue gas/citrate puffer system. Therefore, on the base of obtained results the preposition for the design of packed column is presented.</p>