Please read the abstract in the section, 00front of this document / Dissertation (MEng (Environmental Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Chemical Engineering / MEng / Unrestricted

Vacuum polarization by electric fields is a well established fact. Assuming that anti-matter has negative gravitational properties, the fluctating electric dipoles from the quantum vacuum may also have gravitational dipolar properties. A model is developed that describes how electric fields could gravitationally polarize the vacuum causing gravitational screening or anti-screening effects. This leads to a violation of the Weak Equivalence Principle or a general mass change most notabily for elementary particles, such as the electron or positron, below but close to measured boundaries. Also a gravitational vacuum torque is predicted to act on a charged capacitor perpendicular to a gravitational field. The predictions could be verified by future laboratory experiments that could contribute on our understanding of the gravitational properties of anti-matter.

Solar selective coatings based on carbon transition metal carbide nanocomposite absorber layers were designed. Pulsed filtered cathodic arc was used for depositing amorphous carbon: metal carbide (a-C:MeC, Me = V, Mo) thin films. Composition and structure of the samples were characterized by ion beam analysis, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The optical properties were determined by ellipsometry and spectrophotometry. Three effective medium approximations (EMA), namely Maxwell-Garnett, Bruggeman, and Bergman, were applied to simulate the optical behaviour of the nanocomposite thin films. Excellent agreement was achieved between simulated and measured reflectance spectra in the entire wavelength range by using the Bergman approach, where in-depth knowledge of the nanocomposite thin film microstructure is included. The reflectance is shown to be a function of the metal carbide volume fraction and its degree of percolation, but not dependent on whether the nanocomposite microstructure is homogeneous or a self-organized multilayer. Solar selective coatings based on an optimized a-C:MeC absorber layer were designed exhibiting a maximum solar absorptance of 96% and a low thermal emittance of ~5 and 15% at 25 and 600ºC, respectively. The results of this study can be considered as predictive design tool for nanomaterial-based optical coatings in general.

The erosion or dissolution of stainless steel grade 304 as base metal by molten brazing fillermetal was investigated using one nickel and two iron based filler metals. The difference betweentwo iron filler metal is 5 % Manganese content in one of the filler metal. The Wettability of fillermetal is effected by oxidation of base or filler metal for which high vacuum or non reacting gasis used as a furnace atmosphere to reduce the partial pressure of oxygen. The furnace parameterseffecting erosion of base metal was observed e.g. peak temperature and brazing time. The effectof filler mass was also observed. The erosion depth was measured by light optical microscope.All the three filler metal shows different erosion behavior in nitrogen atmosphere compare tohigh vacuum. In high vacuum some of the elements evaporates at brazing temperature whichchanges the properties of filler metal. This change of composition in filler metal was observed byEDX analysis. SEM analysis was used to identify different element rich phases.

The degree project was done at Södra Cell Värö with the purpose to investigate how the use of energy for pulp drying in a pulp dryer could be made more effective to decrease the energy consumption or increase the capacity. The pulp dryer is one of the machines that consumes the most energy at SCV. The air that dryes the pulp is heated by low pressure steam, and since the amount low pressure steam was limited, the purpose with the project was to investigate how the low pressure steam best could be used. If the drying capacity could be improved it could enable for an increase in production or a decrease low pressure steam consumption. The task was divided into: 1. Analysis of steam and condensate flows connected to the pulp dryer. Can they be adjusted to improve the drying capacity? 2. Investigation of possible sectors of application for hot air flows from vacuum pumps. 3. Investigation of the condensate system. Can condensate and flash steam be used in a better way to provide more steam to the pulp dryer? For task 1, air and energy balances were made ove the pulp dryer, then temperature, flow and moisture content were measured for all air flows in and out. To investigate how the consumption low pressure steam in the pulp dryer depends on the air flows in to the pulp dryer, tests were made where the rotation speed for the fans and the temperature for the air were varied. The result of measuring the air balance over the pulp dryer was that the same amount air was going in and out, which means that all the air was going in to the dryer preheated. The energy balance over the thermal recycling system showed that 40 % of the energy in outgoing air was being reused. Increasing the rotation speed from 750 rpm to 1000 rpm was favourable when the production was high. Increasing the temperature of the air in to the pulp dryer showed that the consumption low pressure steam decreased. Recommended rotation speeds: December – february: 1000 rpm, all levels of production mars – november: 1000 rpm for high production (over 3 bar low pressure steam to pulp dryer) 750 rpm for low production (below 3 bar low pressure steam to pulp dryer) For task 2, temperature, flow and moisture content were measured for all air flows out from the vacuum pumps. The air flows out from the vacuum pumps had a temperature of 40-50 °C, which was too low to be used for preheating of air to pulp dryer. For task 3, a mapping of the condensate system including all steam and condensate flows connected to the pulp dryer was made. The mapping was made in AutoCAD. Since the experiment with increased temperature of the air in to the pulp dryer showed that an increase in temperature caused the consumption low pressure steam to decrease, calculations of how much more the consumption low pressure steam could be decreased by switching to steam of a higher pressure for preaheating the drying air. By using only steam of higher pressure for air preheating, the amount available low pressure steam to the pulp dryer could be increased with 6 tonnes/h. / Examensarbetet utfördes på Södra Cell Värö med syfte att undersöka hur energianvändningen för massatorkning på torkmaskinen (TM) kunde effektiviseras för att ge lägre energiförbrukning eller högre kapacitet. TM är en av de mest energiförbrukande avdelningarna på bruket. Massan torkas där med luft som värms av processånga vilken utgörs av lågtrycksånga, och eftersom tillgången av lågtrycksånga var begränsad var det önskvärt att undersöka hur den kunde användas på mest effektiva sätt. Om torkkapaciteten kan förbättras kan det möjliggöra en ökning av produktionen alternativt en minskning av förbrukning av lågtrycksånga. Uppgiften delades upp i: 1. Analys av ång- och luftflöden kopplat till TM. Kan de justeras för att ge bättre torkkapacitet? 2. Undersökning av möjliga användningsområden för varma luftflöden från vakuumpumparna. 3. Undersökning av kondensatsystemet. Kan kondensat och flashånga utnyttjas på ett bättre sätt för att tillhandahålla mer ånga till TM? Till uppgift 1 ställdes luft- och energibalanser upp över TM, och sedan gjordes mätningar på temperatur, flöde och fukthalt på in- och utgående luftflöden. För att undersöka hur förbrukningen lågtrycksånga i torkskåpet påverkas av tilluften gjordes försök där varvtal på tilluftfläktar och temperatur på tilluft varierades. Resultatet av luftbalansmätningarna var att inget undertryck rådde över torkskåpet, vilket innebär att all tilluft gick förvärmd in till torkningen. Energibalans över värmeåtervinningssystemet visade att ca 40 % av energin i utgående våtluft återvinns. Försök med varvtal och temperatur på tilluft visade att en ökning av varvtal från 750 rpm till 1000 rpm var gynnsamt vid hög produktion, samt att en temperaturökning på tilluft minskade förbrukningen lågtrycksånga i torkskåpet. Rekommenderade körinställningar: December-februari: 1000 rpm, alla produktionsnivåer Mars-november: 1000 rpm vid hög produktion (över 3 bars tryck på lågtrycksångan till skåpet) 750 rpm vid låg produktion (under 3 bars tryck på lågtrycksångan till skåpet) Till uppgift 2 gjordes mätningar på temperatur, flöde och fukthalt på utgående luftflöden från vakuumpumpar. Luftflödena från vakuumpumpar höll en temperatur på 40-50 °C, vilket var för lågt för att kunna användas till att förvärma torkluft till TM. Till uppgift 3 gjordes en kartering av kondensatsystemet inkluderande alla ång- och kondensatflöden kopplade till massatorkningen. Karteringen utfördes i AutoCAD. Eftersom försöket med temperaturökning på tilluft visade att lågtrycksångförbrukningen i skåpet minskade med ökad temperatur på tilluft, beräknades hur stor en ytterligare besparing lågtrycksånga skulle kunna bli om all tilluft förvärmdes av mellantrycksånga. Genom att använda mellantrycksånga för att förvärma all tilluft till torkskåpet skulle mängden tillgänglig lågtrycksånga till torkskåpet kunna ökas med 6 ton/h.

This study has been focusing on a school located in the municipality of Laholm, South of Sweden. Employing an energy balance of the last five (5) years, a proposal for measures is made in terms of performance for comparison with the baseline of the current consumption trend. This comparison allowed us to narrow down the alternatives for the renovation with the potential to have a great impact on the school's energy use and indoor environment, but also on the preserved characteristics without any violation of the laws and regulations. A complementary analysis was used to analyze important variables for decision-making and implementation of improvements. This analysis consists of an exergy analysis which was utilized as a pre-design tool for an optimized building renovation proposal. Exergy losses were calculated to assess the performance of the systems. The study revealed that in relation to the use of new technologies and materials, aerogel and vacuum insulation panels bring relevant savings as their insulation mechanisms are the most efficient for such a building in a climate like Laholm. As for the heating system, it was evident that the use of a geothermal heat pump associated to PV panels brings considerable energy benefits when compared to the current oil boiler system and given that the village does not yet have a local district heating system. When the proposed measures are applied during 2022- 2023, the results will show that also older buildings can be energy efficient which is demanded of the buildings stock throughout the European Union.

Advanced oxidation technology (AOT) has been used to destroy microorganisms in ballast water by breaking down the cell membranes. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of a ballast water treatment system that uses a combination of UV-C (λ=254 nm), Vacuum-UV (VUV; λ=185 nm) and photocatalytic titanium dioxide (TiO2) on a freshwater algae, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, and a marine algae, Tetraselmis suecica. The coupling of a semiconductor, such as TiO2, with a UV source is known as an advanced oxidative technology (AOT). To test the effects of TiO2 and wave length on algae, dose-response experiments were conducted to determine the species median lethal dose (LC50) for each of the following treatments: UV-light emitted at 254 nm (UVλ=254 nm), UV-light emitted at 254 nm in the presence of TiO2 (AOTλ=254 nm), and UV-light emitted at λ=254 nm (90 %) and 185 nm (90 %) in the presence of TiO2 (AOTλ=185 + 254 nm). In both species, TiO2 significantly increased mortality, most likely due to the biologically harmful radicals generated at the TiO2 surface. The addition of the 185 nm wavelength significantly increased cell mortality in P. subcapitata, but not in T. suecica. Across all three treatments, P. subcapitata was more sensitive than T. suecica. The secondary purpose of this study was to assess the applicability of ImageJ, an image analysis software, for highthroughput data to analyze the effectiveness of ballast water treatment. ImageJ has been used to rapidly and accurately perform cell Live/Dead analysis; however, several hurdles were identified.

Vacuum deposition techniques like thermal evaporation and CVD with their precise layer control and high layer purity often cannot be applied for the deposition of chemical or biological molecules. The molecules are usually decomposed by heat. To overcome this problem, the Electrospray ionization (ESI) process known from mass spectroscopy is employed to transfer molecules into vacuum and to deposit them on a substrate. In this work, a homemade ESI tool was used to deposit BSA (Bovine serum albumin) layers with high deposition rates. Solutions with different concentrations of BSA were prepared using a methanol:water (MeOH:H2O) mixture (1:1) as solvent. The influence of the substrate distance on the deposition rate and on the transmission current was analyzed. Furthermore, the layer thickness distribution and layer adhesion were investigated.

Baharestani M, Amjad I, Bookout K, Fleck T, Gabriel A, Kaufman D, McCord SS, Moores DC, Olutoye OO, Salazar JD, Song DH, Teich S, Gupta S. V.A.C. ® Therapy in the management of paediatric wounds: clinical review and experience. ABSTRACT Usage of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in the management of acute and chronic wounds has grown exponentially in the past decade. Hundreds of studies have been published regarding outcomes and methods of therapy used for adult wounds. This treatment is increasingly being used to manage difficult-to-treat paediatric wounds arising from congenital defects, trauma, infection, tumour, burns, pressure ulceration and postsurgical complications in children, although relatively few studies have been aimed at this population. Given the anatomical and physiological differences between adults and children, a multidisciplinary expert advisory panel was convened to determine appropriate use of NPWT with reticulated open cell foam (NPWT/ROCF) as delivered by Vacuum Assisted Closure® (V.A.C.® Therapy, KCI Licensing, Inc., San Antonio, TX) for the treatment of paediatric wounds. The primary objectives of the expert advisory panel were to exchange state-of-practice information on paediatric wound care, review the published data regarding the use of NPWT/ROCF in paediatric wounds, evaluate the strength of the existing data and establish guidelines on best practices with NPWT/ROCF for the paediatric population. The proposed paediatrics-specific clinical practice guidelines are meant to provide practitioners an evidence base from which decisions could be made regarding the safe and efficacious selection of pressure settings, foam type, dressing change frequency and use of interposing contact layer selections. The guidelines reflect the state of knowledge on effective and appropriate wound care at the time of publication. They are the result of consensus reached by expert advisory panel members based on their individual clinical and published experiences related to the use of NPWT/ROCF in treating paediatric wounds. Best practices are described herein for novice and advanced users of NPWT/ROCF. Recommendations by the expert panel may not be appropriate for use in all circumstances. Decisions to adopt any particular recommendation must be made by the collaborating medical team, including the surgeon and wound care specialist based on available resources, individual patient circumstances and experience with the V.A.C.® Therapy System.

Many babies are delivered by using the standard lithotomy birthing position. However, evidence shows several benefits to an upright birthing position. The purpose of this study is to discover birthing positions that lead to more positive outcomes in laboring women delivering in hospitals. This research was conducted by examining previous studies conducted on a similar topic. However, the studies found mainly focused on the benefits of squatting positions and the implementation of devices that helps achieve an upright position. All findings support an upright birthing position provides a more optimal position for birthing a child due to the force of a more natural pelvic expansion and gravity. One of the barriers of this area of study includes the lack of pregnant mothers willing to participate in a study skewing the reliability of many studies. In conclusion, the articles analyzed provide pertinent information that supports the intervention of nurses and midwives providing patient education to explore birthing options outside of standard practice that could lead to more positive outcomes.