Laser-induced agglomeration of gold nanoparticles dispersed in a liquid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serkov, A.A.; Shcherbina, M.E. [Wave Research Center of A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38, Vavilov Street, 119991 Moscow (Russian Federation); The Federal State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Moscow (Russian Federation); Kuzmin, P.G., E-mail: qzzzma@gmail.com [Wave Research Center of A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38, Vavilov Street, 119991 Moscow (Russian Federation); Kirichenko, N.A. [Wave Research Center of A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 38, Vavilov Street, 119991 Moscow (Russian Federation); The Federal State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Moscow (Russian Federation)

2015-05-01

Highlights: • Pulsed laser irradiation of dense gold nanoparticles colloidal solution can result in their agglomeration. • Gas bubbles in-phase pulsation induced by laser radiation accounts for nanoparticles agglomeration. • Time evolution of the size distribution function proceeds in activation mode. • The electrostatic-like model of nanoparticles agglomeration is in good correspondence with the experimental data. - Abstract: Dynamics of gold nanoparticles (NPs) ensemble in dense aqueous solution under exposure to picosecond laser radiation is studied both experimentally and theoretically. Properties of NPs are examined by means of transmission electron microscopy, optical spectroscopy, and size-measuring disk centrifuge. Theoretical investigation of NPs ensemble behavior is based on the analytical model taking into account collisions and agglomeration of particles. It is shown that in case of dense NPs colloidal solutions (above 10{sup 14} particles per milliliter) the process of laser fragmentation typical for nanosecond laser exposure turns into laser-induced agglomeration which leads to formation of the particles with larger sizes. It is shown that there is a critical concentration of NPs: at higher concentrations agglomeration rate increases tremendously. The results of mathematical simulation are in compliance with experimental data.

Fragmentation and bond strength of airborne diesel soot agglomerates

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Messerer Armin

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The potential of diesel soot aerosol particles to break up into smaller units under mechanical stress was investigated by a direct impaction technique which measures the degree of fragmentation of individual agglomerates vs. impact energy. Diesel aerosol was generated by an idling diesel engine used for passenger vehicles. Both the aerosol emitted directly and aerosol that had undergone additional growth by Brownian coagulation ("aging" was investigated. Optionally a thermo-desoption technique at 280°C was used to remove all high-volatility and the majority of low-volatility HC adsorbates from the aerosol before aging. Results It was found that the primary soot agglomerates emitted directly from the engine could not be fragmented at all. Soot agglomerates permitted to grow additionally by Brownian coagulation of the primary emitted particles could be fragmented to a maximum of 75% and 60% respectively, depending on whether adsorbates were removed from their surface prior to aging or not. At most, these aged agglomerates could be broken down to roughly the size of the agglomerates from the primary emission. The energy required for a 50% fragmentation probability of all bonds within an agglomerate was reduced by roughly a factor of 2 when aging "dry" agglomerates. Average bond energies derived from the data were 0.52*10-16 and 1.2*10-16 J, respectively. This is about 2 orders of magnitude higher than estimates for pure van-der-Waals agglomerates, but agrees quite well with other observations. Conclusion Although direct conclusions regarding the behavior of inhaled diesel aerosol in contact with body fluids cannot be drawn from such measurements, the results imply that highly agglomerated soot aerosol particles are unlikely to break up into units smaller than roughly the size distribution emitted as tail pipe soot.

Fragmentation and bond strength of airborne diesel soot agglomerates

Science.gov (United States)

Rothenbacher, Sonja; Messerer, Armin; Kasper, Gerhard

2008-01-01

Background The potential of diesel soot aerosol particles to break up into smaller units under mechanical stress was investigated by a direct impaction technique which measures the degree of fragmentation of individual agglomerates vs. impact energy. Diesel aerosol was generated by an idling diesel engine used for passenger vehicles. Both the aerosol emitted directly and aerosol that had undergone additional growth by Brownian coagulation ("aging") was investigated. Optionally a thermo-desoption technique at 280°C was used to remove all high-volatility and the majority of low-volatility HC adsorbates from the aerosol before aging. Results It was found that the primary soot agglomerates emitted directly from the engine could not be fragmented at all. Soot agglomerates permitted to grow additionally by Brownian coagulation of the primary emitted particles could be fragmented to a maximum of 75% and 60% respectively, depending on whether adsorbates were removed from their surface prior to aging or not. At most, these aged agglomerates could be broken down to roughly the size of the agglomerates from the primary emission. The energy required for a 50% fragmentation probability of all bonds within an agglomerate was reduced by roughly a factor of 2 when aging "dry" agglomerates. Average bond energies derived from the data were 0.52*10-16 and 1.2*10-16 J, respectively. This is about 2 orders of magnitude higher than estimates for pure van-der-Waals agglomerates, but agrees quite well with other observations. Conclusion Although direct conclusions regarding the behavior of inhaled diesel aerosol in contact with body fluids cannot be drawn from such measurements, the results imply that highly agglomerated soot aerosol particles are unlikely to break up into units smaller than roughly the size distribution emitted as tail pipe soot. PMID:18533015

Measurement of agglomerate strength distributions in agglomerated powders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ciftcioglu, M.; Aking, M.; Burkhart, L.

1986-01-01

Strength distributions of particle agglomerates in six different yttria powders were measured using a calibrated ultrasonic sound field. The density of sintered pellets was directly related to the agglomerate strength of each powder. No systematic relation to the sintered density was observed for bulk densities or pressure-density compaction data for the loose powders, or for pore size distributions or green densities for the pressed compacts

Kinetic energy density and agglomerate abrasion rate during blending of agglomerates into powders.

Science.gov (United States)

Willemsz, Tofan A; Hooijmaijers, Ricardo; Rubingh, Carina M; Tran, Thanh N; Frijlink, Henderik W; Vromans, Herman; van der Voort Maarschalk, Kees

2012-01-23

Problems related to the blending of a cohesive powder with a free flowing bulk powder are frequently encountered in the pharmaceutical industry. The cohesive powder often forms lumps or agglomerates which are not dispersed during the mixing process and are therefore detrimental to blend uniformity. Achieving sufficient blend uniformity requires that the blending conditions are able to break up agglomerates, which is often an abrasion process. This study was based on the assumption that the abrasion rate of agglomerates determines the required blending time. It is shown that the kinetic energy density of the moving powder bed is a relevant parameter which correlates with the abrasion rate of agglomerates. However, aspects related to the strength of agglomerates should also be considered. For this reason the Stokes abrasion number (St(Abr)) has been defined. This parameter describes the ratio between the kinetic energy density of the moving powder bed and the work of fracture of the agglomerate. The St(Abr) number is shown to predict the abrasion potential of agglomerates in the dry-mixing process. It appeared possible to include effects of filler particle size and impeller rotational rate into this concept. A clear relationship between abrasion rate of agglomerates and the value of St(Abr) was demonstrated. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pu-rich MOX agglomerate-by-agglomerate model for fuel pellet burnup analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, G.S.

2004-01-01

In support of potential licensing of the mixed oxide (MOX) fuel made from weapons-grade (WG) plutonium and depleted uranium for use in United States reactors, an experiment containing WG-MOX fuel is being irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). The WG-MOX comprises five percent PuO 2 and 95% depleted UO 2 . Based on the Post Irradiation Examination (PIE) observation, the volume fraction (VF) of MOX agglomerates in the fuel pellet is about 16.67%, and PuO 2 concentration of 30.0 = (5 / 16.67 x 100) wt% in the agglomerate. A pressurized water reactor (PWR) unit WG-MOX lattice with Agglomerate-by-Agglomerate Fuel (AbAF) modeling has been developed. The effect of the irregular agglomerate distribution can be addressed through the use of the Monte Carlo AbAF model. The AbAF-calculated cumulative ratio of Agglomerate burnup to U-MAtrix burnup (AG/MA) is 9.17 at the beginning of life, and decreases to 2.88 at 50 GWd/t. The MCNP-AbAF-calculated results can be used to adjust the parameters in the MOX fuel fission gas release modeling. (author)

Characterization of the geometrical properties of agglomerated aerosol particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, A.P.

1992-12-01

A method for the absolute mass determination of agglomerated aerosol particles is presented. Based on this method it is possible to determine simultaneously and in situ mass, exposed surface and mobility diameter. From these measurements the fractal dimension of aerosol particles can be derived. For silver agglomerates produced by spark discharge it was found that they are bifractal. The fractal dimension was 3 in the free molecular regime and 1.9 in the transition regime. By variation of the gas mean free path it was shown that the region where the agglomerate structure changes from close-packed particle to low density agglomerates depends on the Knudsen number. In the free molecular regime the fractal dimension was not at all affected by any change of the generation conditions. Only sintering caused an increase in the density which was attributed to mass transport within the agglomerate. In the transition regime the fractal dimension remained constant with increasing monomer concentration and with increasing flow rate, but it increased with increasing pressure, increasing Ar:He ratio and with increasing sintering temperature. For sintering this effect was explained by the minimization of the surface free energy. It was found that the structure changing rate is proportional to the product of sintering temperature and residence time in the sintering oven. By carefully adjusting the temperature it is possible to produce agglomerates of a well defined structure. In desorption experiments of 136 I from silver and carbon agglomerates it could be shown that the desorption behavior is different. It was found that the desorption enthalpy of iodine from graphite and silver particles were -142 kJ/mol and -184 kJ/mol, respectively. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the 136 I attachment to particles is different for silver agglomerates with the same mobility, but different structures. (author) 41 figs., refs

Prediction of mass fraction of agglomerated debris in a LWR severe accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kudinov, P.; Davydov, M.

2011-01-01

Ex-vessel termination of accident progression in Swedish type Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) is contingent upon efficacy of melt fragmentation and solidification in a deep pool of water below reactor vessel. When liquid melt reaches the bottom of the pool it can create agglomerated debris and “cake” regions that increase hydraulic resistance of the bed and affect coolability of the bed. This paper discusses development and application of a conservative-mechanistic approach to quantify mass fractions of agglomerated debris. Experimental data from the DEFOR-A (Debris Bed Formation and Agglomeration) tests with high superheat of binary oxidic simulant material melt is used for validation of the methods. Application of the approach to plant accident analysis suggests that melt superheat has less significant influence on agglomeration of the debris than jet penetration depth. The paper also discusses the impact of the uncertainty in the jet disintegration and penetration behavior on the agglomeration mode map. (author)

Effect of drug content and agglomerate size on tabletability and drug release characteristics of bromhexine hydrochloridetalc agglomerates prepared by crystallo-co-agglomeration.

Science.gov (United States)

Jadhav, Namdeo; Pawar, Atmaram; Paradkar, Anant

2010-03-01

The objective of the investigation was to study the effect of bromhexine hydrochloride (BXH) content and agglomerate size on mechanical, compressional and drug release properties of agglomerates prepared by crystallo-co-agglomeration (CCA). Studies on optimized batches of agglomerates (BXT1 and BXT2) prepared by CCA have showed adequate sphericity and strength required for efficient tabletting. Trend of strength reduction with a decrease in the size of agglomerates was noted for both batches, irrespective of drug loading. However, an increase in mean yield pressure (14.189 to 19.481) with an increase in size was observed for BXT2 having BXH-talc (1:15.7). Surprisingly, improvement in tensile strength was demonstrated by compacts prepared from BXT2, due to high BXH load, whereas BXT1, having a low amount of BXH (BXH-talc, 1:24), showed low tensile strength. Consequently, increased tensile strength was reflected in extended drug release from BXT2 compacts (Higuchi model, R(2) = 0.9506 to 0.9981). Thus, it can be concluded that interparticulate bridges formed by BXH and agglomerate size affect their mechanical, compressional and drug release properties.

Metal extraction by solid-liquid agglomerates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuller, E.F.

1980-01-01

Dissolved metal values are extracted from a liquid e.g. uranium from phosphoric acid by contacting the liquid with agglomerates for a time to load the agglomerate with the metal value, separating the loaded agglomerates from the liquid phase and stripping the metal value from the loaded agglomerate. The agglomerate may be made by combining finely divided solid particles with a binding liquid to form a paste, adding a suspending liquid to form a mixture, the suspending liquid and binding liquid being immiscible in each other and the solid particles being insoluble in the suspending liquid and shearing the mixture to form the agglomerate. (author)

Mechanical properties of individual MgAl2O4 agglomerates and their effects on densification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rufner, Jorgen F.; Castro, Ricardo H.R.; Holland, Troy B.; Benthem, Klaus van

2014-01-01

The presence of agglomerates during nanopowder sintering can be problematic and can limit achievable final densities. Typically, the practical solution is to use high pressures to overcome agglomerate breakdown strengths to reach higher packing fractions. The strength of agglomerates is often difficult to determine and makes processing parameters challenging to optimize. In this work, we used in situ transmission electron microscopy nanoindentation experiments to assess the mechanical properties of individual MgAl 2 O 4 agglomerates under constant indenter head displacement rates. Electron microscopy revealed highly porous agglomerates with pores on both the micron and nanometric length scales. Individual agglomerate strength, at fracture, was calculated from compression tests with deformation behavior correlating well with previously reported modeling results. Macroscopic powder properties were also investigated using green-pressed pellets consolidated at pressures up to 910 MPa. The unexpectedly high strength is indicative of the role agglomerates play in MgAl 2 O 4 nanopowder densification

Laser-induced agglomeration of gold nanoparticles dispersed in a liquid

Science.gov (United States)

Serkov, A. A.; Shcherbina, M. E.; Kuzmin, P. G.; Kirichenko, N. A.

2015-05-01

Dynamics of gold nanoparticles (NPs) ensemble in dense aqueous solution under exposure to picosecond laser radiation is studied both experimentally and theoretically. Properties of NPs are examined by means of transmission electron microscopy, optical spectroscopy, and size-measuring disk centrifuge. Theoretical investigation of NPs ensemble behavior is based on the analytical model taking into account collisions and agglomeration of particles. It is shown that in case of dense NPs colloidal solutions (above 1014 particles per milliliter) the process of laser fragmentation typical for nanosecond laser exposure turns into laser-induced agglomeration which leads to formation of the particles with larger sizes. It is shown that there is a critical concentration of NPs: at higher concentrations agglomeration rate increases tremendously. The results of mathematical simulation are in compliance with experimental data.

Microbial effects on colloidal agglomeration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hersman, L.

1995-11-01

Colloidal particles are known to enhance the transport of radioactive metals through soil and rock systems. This study was performed to determine if a soil microorganism, isolated from the surface samples collected at Yucca Mountain, NV, could affect the colloidal properties of day particles. The agglomeration of a Wyoming bentonite clay in a sterile uninoculated microbial growth medium was compared to the agglomeration in the medium inoculated with a Pseudomonas sp. In a second experiment, microorganisms were cultured in the succinate medium for 50 h and removed by centrifugation. The agglomeration of the clay in this spent was compared to sterile uninoculated medium. In both experiments, the agglomeration of the clay was greater than that of the sterile, uninoculated control. Based on these results, which indicate that this microorganism enhanced the agglomeration of the bentonite clay, it is possible to say that in the presence of microorganisms colloidal movement through a rock matrix could be reduced because of an overall increase in the size of colloidal particle agglomerates. 32 refs

Formulation of cilostazol spherical agglomerates by crystallo-co-agglomeration technique and optimization using design of experimentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Deshkar, Sanjeevani Shekhar; Borde, Govind R; Kale, Rupali N; Waghmare, Balasaheb A; Thomas, Asha Biju

2017-01-01

Spherical agglomeration is one of the novel techniques for improvement of flow and dissolution properties of drugs. Cilostazol is a biopharmaceutics classification system Class II drug with poor solubility resulting in limited bioavailability. The present study aims at improving the solubility and dissolution of cilostazol by crystallo-co-agglomeration technique. Cilostazol agglomerates were prepared using various polymers with varying concentration of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose E 50 (HPMC E50), polyvinyl pyrrolidone K30 (PVP K30), and polyethylene glycol 6000. The influence of polymer concentration on spherical agglomerate formation was studied by 3 2 factorial design. Cilostazol agglomerates were evaluated for percent yield, mean particle size, drug content, aqueous solubility, and in vitro dissolution and further characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The agglomeration process resulted in optimized formulation, F3 with mean agglomerate size of 210.0 ± 0.56 μm, excellent flow properties, approximately 15-fold increase in solubility than pure cilostazol and complete drug release in 60 min. Process yield, agglomerate size, and drug release were affected by amount of PVP K 30 and HPMC E50. The presence of drug microcrystal was confirmed by SEM, whereas FTIR study indicated no chemical change. Increase in drug solubility was attributed to change of crystalline drug to amorphous form that is evident in DSC and XRD. Crystallo-co-agglomeration can be adopted as an important approach for increasing the solubility and dissolution of poorly soluble drug.

Hole Defects Affect the Dynamic Fracture Behavior of Nearby Running Cracks

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R. S. Yang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Effects of defects on the dynamic fracture behavior of engineering materials cannot be neglected. Using the experimental system of digital laser dynamic caustics, the effects of defects on the dynamic fracture behavior of nearby running cracks are studied. When running cracks propagate near to defects, the crack path deflects toward the defect; the degree of deflection is greater for larger defect diameters. When the running crack propagates away from the defect, the degree of deflection gradually reduces and the original crack path is restored. The intersection between the caustic spot and the defect is the direct cause of the running crack deflection; the intersection area determines the degree of deflection. In addition, the defect locally inhibits the dynamic stress intensity factor of running cracks when they propagate toward the defect and locally promotes the dynamic stress intensity factor of running cracks when they propagate away from the defect.

An improved model for estimating fractal structure of silica nano-agglomerates in a vibro-fluidized bed

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A Esmailpour

2016-10-01

Full Text Available A study has been conducted to determine the effects of operating conditions such as vibration frequency, vibration amplitude on the fractal structure of silica (SiO2 nanoparticle agglomerate in a vibro-fluidized bed. An improved model was proposed by assimilation of fractal theory, Richardson-Zaki equation and mass balance. This model has been developed to predict the properties of nanoparticle agglomerate, such as fractal dimension and its size. It has been found out the vibration intensity increase leads to a slight reduction in fractal dimension of agglomerate. This Paper is also indicated that the size of agglomerate has the same behavior as fractal dimension with respect to vibration intensity changes. This study demonstrated that the fractal dimension of Silica nanoparticle agglomerate is in the range of 2.61 to 2.69 and the number of primary particles in the agglomerate is in the order of 1010. The vibration frequency is more impressive than its amplitude on agglomerate size reduction. Calculated Minimum fluidization velocity by applying predicted agglomerate sizes and experimental data are acceptable fitted.

Description of agglomerate growth

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schaafsma, S.H; Vonk, P; Segers, P; Kossen, N.W F

1998-01-01

Wet agglomeration processes have predominantly been investigated by changing operation variables of process-scale experiments. So far, most fundamental work concentrated on the strength of the liquid bonds in the agglomerate and its relation to the process. Previous studies on the relationship

An Automated Processing Method for Agglomeration Areas

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Chengming Li

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Agglomeration operations are a core component of the automated generalization of aggregated area groups. However, because geographical elements that possess agglomeration features are relatively scarce, the current literature has not given sufficient attention to agglomeration operations. Furthermore, most reports on the subject are limited to the general conceptual level. Consequently, current agglomeration methods are highly reliant on subjective determinations and cannot support intelligent computer processing. This paper proposes an automated processing method for agglomeration areas. Firstly, the proposed method automatically identifies agglomeration areas based on the width of the striped bridging area, distribution pattern index (DPI, shape similarity index (SSI, and overlap index (OI. Next, the progressive agglomeration operation is carried out, including the computation of the external boundary outlines and the extraction of agglomeration lines. The effectiveness and rationality of the proposed method has been validated by using actual census data of Chinese geographical conditions in the Jiangsu Province.

Powder agglomeration in a microgravity environment

Science.gov (United States)

Cawley, James D.

1994-01-01

This is the final report for NASA Grant NAG3-755 entitled 'Powder Agglomeration in a Microgravity Environment.' The research program included both two types of numerical models and two types of experiments. The numerical modeling included the use of Monte Carlo type simulations of agglomerate growth including hydrodynamic screening and molecular dynamics type simulations of the rearrangement of particles within an agglomerate under a gravitational field. Experiments included direct observation of the agglomeration of submicron alumina and indirect observation, using small angle light scattering, of the agglomeration of colloidal silica and aluminum monohydroxide. In the former class of experiments, the powders were constrained to move on a two-dimensional surface oriented to minimize the effect of gravity. In the latter, some experiments involved mixture of suspensions containing particles of opposite charge which resulted in agglomeration on a very short time scale relative to settling under gravity.

Study of crystalline defects in α-iron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunlop, A.

1981-01-01

We study here the configurations of the defects produced in ferromagnetic metals (Fe, Co, Ni) during low-temperature irradiations. In the first part we find an anomalous shape of the damage production rate curves Δrho(.)(Δrho) (Δrho: resistivity increase; Δrho(.)=dΔrho/dPHI; PHI: irradiation fluence) of iron and nickel during neutron irradiations. We propose the following interpretation: - stability of the defect configurations created during low-temperature self-ion irradiations of these metals; - instability of these defect configurations where there is a sufficient cascade overlap. This agglomeration leads to a decrease of the average resistivity of the defects. Using this model, we can reproduce the iron results with the following parameters: - characteristic volume for the recovery: 3.3 x 10 -18 cm 3 ; - division of the average resistivity of the defects by 2.3 to 3 when they agglomerate. In the second part we study the influence of irradiation defects on the longitudinal magnetoresistance of the samples. The increase in the number of scattering centers (n, e - irradiations) makes the resistivity anisotropy (deltarho=rho// - rho perpendicular) change gradually from a region in which the 'normal' magnetoresistance is predominant to another in which the spontaneous anisotropy dominates. This last regime is studied with the two-current conduction model in ferromagnetics [fr

A CONCEPTUAL APPROACH TO ECONOMIC AGGLOMERATIONS

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Mădălina-Ștefania Dîrzu

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Technological progress and rapid structural adjustments have characterized a lot of economies in the last century and they still feature pronounced structures. An important observation is that economic activities tend to agglomerate in space as a result of some kind increasing returns, forming eventually economic agglomerations. When various companies gather together, they establish specific forms of interaction. Increasing returns produce when this mutual interplay creates positive externalities for those firms which operate into an agglomeration. In this context, it is crucial to raise a question: what is an economic agglomeration and what do different scientists imply when using the concept? The phenomenon of agglomeration has attracted researchers from various disciplines employing a hybrid set of analytical perspectives. This whole framework is still puzzled with contradictory conceptualizations which are often used in an ambiguous way. Scientists tend to utilize notions such as agglomeration, cluster, territorial network, specialization, concentration somewhat interchangeably and with little concern about how to operationalize them. To shed a light on this issue, the aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive analyze of different theoretical framework in which economic agglomerations have been debated and researched.

Influences of Different Components on Agglomeration Behavior of MoS2 During Oxidation Roasting Process in Air

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lu; Zhang, Guo-Hua; Wang, Jing-Song; Chou, Kuo-Chih

2016-08-01

An agglomeration of the furnace charge always takes place during the oxidation roasting process of molybdenite concentrate (with the main component of MoS2) in multiple hearth furnaces, which greatly affects the production process and furnace service life. In the present work, a preliminary study about the influence of various components on the agglomeration phenomenon of pure MoS2 have been carried out. The results show that reaction temperature, impurity content, and air flow rate have significant effects on the agglomeration extent. Meanwhile, the impurity type added into the pure MoS2 plays a crucial role. It was found that CaO and MgO have a stronger sulfur-fixing effect and that the desulphurization of the roasted product was uncompleted. It was also concluded that the agglomeration is due to the formation of low-melting-point eutectics, including that between MoO3 and impurities and that between MoO3 and Mo4O11. It is suggested that decreasing the impurities contents, especially K, Cu, Pb, and Fe, is an effective method for reducing the extent of agglomeration.

Effect of agglomerate strength on sintered density for yttria powders containing agglomerates of monosize spheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ciftcioglu, M.; Akine, M.; Burkhart, L.

1987-01-01

The effect of agglomerate strength on sintered density was determined for several yttria powders made by intentionally agglomerating 0.1-μm, monodisperse yttriuim hydrocarbonate precursor spheres and calcining separate portions of the precursor at different temperatures to vary the strength of the intraaglomeate bonds. In this way, the effects of differences in particle morphology and other characteristics among the powders were minimized and the effect of agglomerate strength could be seen more clearly

Modeling of Particle Agglomeration in Nanofluids

Science.gov (United States)

Kanagala, Hari Krishna

Nanofluids are colloidal dispersions of nano sized particles (life of these nanofluids. Current research addresses the agglomeration effect and how it can affect the shelf life of a nanofluid. The reasons for agglomeration in nanofluids are attributable to the interparticle interactions which are quantified by the various theories. By altering the governing properties like volume fraction, pH and electrolyte concentration different nanofluids with instant agglomeration, slow agglomeration and no agglomeration can be produced. A numerical model is created based on the discretized population balance equations which analyses the particle size distribution at different times. Agglomeration effects have been analyzed for alumina nanoparticles with average particle size of 150nm dispersed in de-ionized water. As the pH was moved towards the isoelectric point of alumina nanofluids, the particle size distribution became broader and moved to bigger sizes rapidly with time. Particle size distributions became broader and moved to bigger sizes more quickly with time with increase in the electrolyte concentration. The two effects together can be used to create different temporal trends in the particle size distributions. Faster agglomeration is attributed to the decrease in the electrostatic double layer repulsion forces which is due to decrease in the induced charge and the double layer thickness around the particle. Bigger particle clusters show lesser agglomeration due to reaching the equilibrium size. The procedures and processes described in this work can be used to generate more stable nanofluids.

Urban Planning Problems of Agglomerations

Science.gov (United States)

Olenkov, V. D.; Tazeev, N. T.

2017-11-01

The article explores the state of the air basin of the Chelyabinsk agglomeration and gives the examples of solutions for the pollution problems from the point of view of city planning. The main features and structure of the modern urban agglomerations are considered, the methods for determining their boundaries are studied and the main problems are identified. The study of the boundaries and territorial structure of the Chelyabinsk urban agglomeration is conducted, and a general description of the territory is given. The data on the change in the volume of pollutant emissions into the atmosphere and the index of atmospheric pollution for the period 2003-2015 are given basing on the annual comprehensive reports regarding the state of the environment. The review of the world experience of city-planning actions on the decision of ecological problems is carried out. The most suitable ways for the ecological problems solving in the Chelyabinsk agglomeration are considered. The authors give recommendations for the ecological situation improving in the territory of the Chelyabinsk agglomeration.

Quantitative characterization of agglomerate abrasion in a tumbling blender by using the Stokes number approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Willemsz, Tofan A; Nguyen, Tien Thanh; Hooijmaijers, Ricardo; Frijlink, Henderik W; Vromans, Herman; van der Voort Maarschalk, Kees

2013-03-01

Removal of microcrystalline cellulose agglomerates in a dry-mixing system (lactose, 100 M) predominantly occurs via abrasion. The agglomerate abrasion rate potential is estimated by the Stokes abrasion (StAbr) number of the system. The StAbr number equals the ratio between the kinetic energy density of the moving powder bed and the work of fracture of the agglomerate. Basically, the StAbr number concept describes the blending condition of the dry-mixing system. The concept has been applied to investigate the relevance of process parameters on agglomerate abrasion in tumbling blenders. Here, process parameters such as blender rotational speed and relative fill volumes were investigated. In this study, the StAbr approach revealed a transition point between abrasion rate behaviors. Below this transition point, a blending condition exists where agglomerate abrasion is dominated by the kinetic energy density of the powder blend. Above this transition point, a blending condition exists where agglomerates show (undesirable) slow abrasion rates. In this situation, the blending condition is mainly determined by the high fill volume of the filler.

Production behavior of irradiation defects in solid breeder materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moriyama, Hirotake; Moritani, Kimikazu [Kyoto Univ. (Japan)

1998-03-01

The irradiation effects in solid breeder materials are important for the performance assessment of fusion reactor blanket systems. For a clearer understanding of such effects, we have studied the production behavior of irradiation defects in some lithium ceramics by an in-situ luminescence measurement technique under ion beam irradiation. The luminescence spectra were measured at different temperatures, and the temperature-transient behaviors of luminescence intensity were also measured. The production mechanisms of irradiation defects were discussed on the basis of the observations. (author)

Agglomeration of ceramic powders

Science.gov (United States)

Cawley, James D.; Larosa, Judith; Dirkse, Fredrick

1989-01-01

A research program directed at a critical comparison of numerical models for power agglomeration with experimental observations is currently underway. Central to this program is the quantitative characterization of the distribution of mass within an agglomerate as a function of time. Current experiments are designed to restrict agglomeration to a surface, which is oriented perpendicular to the force of gravity. These experiments are discussed with reference to: their significance to ceramic processing; artifacts which may be avoided in microgravity experiments; and the comparison of information available in real space (from optical microscopy) to that in reciprocal space (from light scattering). The principle machine requirement appears to be a need to obtain information at small scattering angles.

A multipurpose shopping trip model to assess retail agglomeration effects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arentze, T.A.; Oppewal, H.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

2005-01-01

Multipurpose shopping is a prominent and relevant feature of shopping behavior. However, no methodology is available to assess empirically how the demand for multipurpose shopping depends on retail agglomeration or, in general, the characteristics of retail supply, such as the numbers and types of

Effects of droplet size and type of binder on the agglomerate growth mechanisms by melt agglomeration in a fluidised bed.

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Anette; Holm, Per; Schaefer, Torben

2002-08-01

This study was performed in order to evaluate the effects of binder droplet size and type of binder on the agglomerate growth mechanisms by melt agglomeration in a fluidised bed granulator. Lactose monohydrate was agglomerated with melted polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3000 or Gelucire 50/13 (esters of polyethylene glycol and glycerol), which was atomised at different nozzle air flow rates giving rise to median droplet sizes of 40, 60, and 80 microm. Different product temperatures were investigated, below the melting range, in the middle of the melting range, and above the melting range for each binder. The agglomerates were found to be formed by initial nucleation of lactose particles immersed in the melted binder droplets. Agglomerate growth occurred by coalescence between nuclei followed by coalescence between agglomerates. Complex effects of binder droplet size and type of binder were seen at low product temperatures. Low product temperatures resulted in smaller agglomerate sizes, because the agglomerate growth was counteracted by very high binder viscosity or solidification of the binder. At higher product temperatures, neither the binder droplet size nor the type of binder had a clear effect on the final agglomerate size.

Modeling of particle agglomeration in nanofluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krishna, K. Hari; Neti, S.; Oztekin, A.; Mohapatra, S.

2015-01-01

Agglomeration strongly influences the stability or shelf life of nanofluid. The present computational and experimental study investigates the rate of agglomeration quantitatively. Agglomeration in nanofluids is attributed to the net effect of various inter-particle interaction forces. For the nanofluid considered here, a net inter-particle force depends on the particle size, volume fraction, pH, and electrolyte concentration. A solution of the discretized and coupled population balance equations can yield particle sizes as a function of time. Nanofluid prepared here consists of alumina nanoparticles with the average particle size of 150 nm dispersed in de-ionized water. As the pH of the colloid was moved towards the isoelectric point of alumina nanofluids, the rate of increase of average particle size increased with time due to lower net positive charge on particles. The rate at which the average particle size is increased is predicted and measured for different electrolyte concentration and volume fraction. The higher rate of agglomeration is attributed to the decrease in the electrostatic double layer repulsion forces. The rate of agglomeration decreases due to increase in the size of nano-particle clusters thus approaching zero rate of agglomeration when all the clusters are nearly uniform in size. Predicted rates of agglomeration agree adequate enough with the measured values; validating the mathematical model and numerical approach is employed

A Study of Defect Behavior in Almandine Garnet

Science.gov (United States)

Geiger, C. A.; Brearley, A. J.; Dachs, E.; Tipplet, G.; Rossman, G. R.

2016-12-01

Transport and diffusion in crystals are controlled by defects. However, a good understanding of the defect types in many silicates, including garnet, is not at hand. We undertook a study on synthetic almandine, ideal end-member Fe3Al2Si3O12, to better understand its precise chemical and physical properties and defect behavior. Crystals were synthesized at high pressures and temperatures under different fO2 conditions using various starting materials with H2O and without. The almandine obtained came in polycrystalline and single-crystal form. The synthetic reaction products and crystals were carefully characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, electron microprobe and TEM analysis and with 57Fe Mössbauer, UV/VIS single-crystal absorption and IR single-crystal spectroscopy. Various possible intrinsic defects, such as the Frenkel, Schottky and site-disorder types, along with Fe3+, in both synthetic and natural almandine crystals, were analyzed based on model defects expressed in Kröger-Vink notation. Certain types of minor microscopic- to macroscopic-sized precipitation or exsolution phases, including some that are nanosized, that are observed in synthetic almandine (e.g., magnetite), as well as in more compositionally complex natural crystals (e.g., magnetite, rutile, ilmenite), may result from defect reactions. An explanation for their origin through minor amounts of defects in garnet has certain advantages over other models that have been put forth in the literature that assume strict garnet stoichiometry for their formation and/or open-system atomic transport over relatively long length scales. Physical properties, including magnetic, electrical conductivity and diffusion behavior, as well as the color, of almandine are also analyzed in terms of various possible model defects. It is difficult, if not impossible, to synthesize stoichiometric end-member almandine, Fe3Al2Si3O12, in the laboratory, as small amounts of extrinsic OH- and/or Fe3+ defects, for example

Shapes of agglomerates in plasma etching reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, F.Y.; Kushner, M.J.

1997-01-01

Dust particle contamination of wafers in reactive ion etching (RIE) plasma tools is a continuing concern in the microelectronics industry. It is common to find that particles collected on surfaces or downstream of the etch chamber are agglomerates of smaller monodisperse spherical particles. The shapes of the agglomerates vary from compact, high fractal dimension structures to filamentary, low fractal dimension structures. These shapes are important with respect to the transport of particles in RIE tools under the influence electrostatic and ion drag forces, and the possible generation of polarization forces. A molecular dynamics simulation has been developed to investigate the shapes of agglomerates in plasma etching reactors. We find that filamentary, low fractal dimension structures are generally produced by smaller (<100s nm) particles in low powered plasmas where the kinetic energy of primary particles is insufficient to overcome the larger Coulomb repulsion of a compact agglomerate. This is analogous to the diffusive regime in neutral agglomeration. Large particles in high powered plasmas generally produce compact agglomerates of high fractal dimension, analogous to ballistic agglomeration of neutrals. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

Agglomeration Economies in Classical Music

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borowiecki, Karol Jan

2015-01-01

This study investigates agglomeration effects for classical music production in a wide range of cities for a global sample of composers born between 1750 and 1899. Theory suggests a trade-off between agglomeration economies (peer effects) and diseconomies (peer crowding). I test this hypothesis...

Study of the mobility, surface area, and sintering behavior of agglomerates in the transition regime by tandem differential mobility analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Kuk; Hogan, Christopher J.; Biswas, Pratim

2007-01-01

The surface area of nanosized agglomerates is of great importance as the reactivity and health effects of such particles are highly dependent on surface area. Changes in surface area through sintering during nanoparticle synthesis processes are also of interest for precision control of synthesised particles. Unfortunately, information on particle surface area and surface area dynamics is not readily obtainable through traditional particle mobility sizing techniques. In this study, we have experimentally determined the mobility diameter of transition regime agglomerates with 3, 4, and 5 primary particles. Agglomerates were produced by spray drying well-characterised polystyrene latex particles with diameters of 55, 67, 76, and 99 nm. Tandem differential mobility analysis was used to determine agglomerate mobility diameter by selecting monodisperse agglomerates with the same number of primary particles in the first DMA, and subsequently completely sintering the agglomerates in a furnace aerosol reactor. The size distribution of the completely sintered particles was measured by an SMPS system, which allowed for the determination of the number of primary particles in the agglomerates. A simple power law regression was used to express mobility diameter as a function of primary particle size and the number of primary particles, and had an excellent correlation (R 2 = 0.9971) with the experimental data. A scaling exponent was determined from the experimental data to relate measured mobility diameter to surface area for agglomerates. Using this relationship, the sintering characteristics of agglomerates were also examined for varying furnace temperatures and residence times. The sintering data agreed well with the geometric sintering model (GSM) model proposed by Cho and Biswas (2006a) as well as with the model proposed Koch and Friedlander (1990) for sintering by viscous flow

Improving the de-agglomeration and dissolution of a poorly water soluble drug by decreasing the agglomerate strength of the cohesive powder.

Science.gov (United States)

Allahham, Ayman; Stewart, Peter J; Das, Shyamal C

2013-11-30

Influence of ternary, poorly water-soluble components on the agglomerate strength of cohesive indomethacin mixtures during dissolution was studied to explore the relationship between agglomerate strength and extent of de-agglomeration and dissolution of indomethacin (Ind). Dissolution profiles of Ind from 20% Ind-lactose binary mixtures, and ternary mixtures containing additional dibasic calcium phosphate (1% or 10%; DCP), calcium sulphate (10%) and talc (10%) were determined. Agglomerate strength distributions were estimated by Monte Carlo simulation of particle size, work of cohesion and packing fraction distributions. The agglomerate strength of Ind decreased from 1.19 MPa for the binary Ind mixture to 0.84 MPa for 1DCP:20Ind mixture and to 0.42 MPa for 1DCP:2Ind mixture. Both extent of de-agglomeration, demonstrated by the concentration of the dispersed indomethacin distribution, and extent of dispersion, demonstrated by the particle size of the dispersed indomethacin, were in descending order of 1DCP:2Ind>1DCP:20Ind>binary Ind. The addition of calcium sulphate dihydrate and talc also reduced the agglomerate strength and improved de-agglomeration and dispersion of indomethacin. While not definitively causal, the improved de-agglomeration and dispersion of a poorly water soluble drug by poorly water soluble components was related to the agglomerate strength of the cohesive matrix during dissolution. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Particle agglomeration and properties of nanofluids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang Yijun; Oztekin, Alparslan, E-mail: alo2@lehigh.edu; Neti, Sudhakar [Lehigh University, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics (United States); Mohapatra, Satish [Dynalene Inc. (United States)

2012-05-15

The present study demonstrates the importance of actual agglomerated particle size in the nanofluid and its effect on the fluid properties. The current work deals with 5 to 100 nm nanoparticles dispersed in fluids that resulted in 200 to 800 nm agglomerates. Particle size distributions for a range of nanofluids are measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Wet scanning electron microscopy method is used to visualize agglomerated particles in the dispersed state and to confirm particle size measurements by DLS. Our results show that a combination of base fluid chemistry and nanoparticle type is very important to create stable nanofluids. Several nanofluids resulted in stable state without any stabilizers, but in the long term had agglomerations of 250 % over a 2 month period. The effects of agglomeration on the thermal and rheological properties are presented for several types of nanoparticle and base fluid chemistries. Despite using nanodiamond particles with high thermal conductivity and a very sensitive laser flash thermal conductivity measurement technique, no anomalous increases of thermal conductivity was measured. The thermal conductivity increases of nanofluid with the particle concentration are as those predicted by Maxwell and Bruggeman models. The level of agglomeration of nanoparticles hardly influenced the thermal conductivity of the nanofluid. The viscosity of nanofluids increased strongly as the concentration of particle is increased; it displays shear thinning and is a strong function of the level of agglomeration. The viscosity increase is significantly above of that predicted by the Einstein model even for very small concentration of nanoparticles.

Particle agglomeration and properties of nanofluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Yijun; Oztekin, Alparslan; Neti, Sudhakar; Mohapatra, Satish

2012-01-01

The present study demonstrates the importance of actual agglomerated particle size in the nanofluid and its effect on the fluid properties. The current work deals with 5 to 100 nm nanoparticles dispersed in fluids that resulted in 200 to 800 nm agglomerates. Particle size distributions for a range of nanofluids are measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Wet scanning electron microscopy method is used to visualize agglomerated particles in the dispersed state and to confirm particle size measurements by DLS. Our results show that a combination of base fluid chemistry and nanoparticle type is very important to create stable nanofluids. Several nanofluids resulted in stable state without any stabilizers, but in the long term had agglomerations of 250 % over a 2 month period. The effects of agglomeration on the thermal and rheological properties are presented for several types of nanoparticle and base fluid chemistries. Despite using nanodiamond particles with high thermal conductivity and a very sensitive laser flash thermal conductivity measurement technique, no anomalous increases of thermal conductivity was measured. The thermal conductivity increases of nanofluid with the particle concentration are as those predicted by Maxwell and Bruggeman models. The level of agglomeration of nanoparticles hardly influenced the thermal conductivity of the nanofluid. The viscosity of nanofluids increased strongly as the concentration of particle is increased; it displays shear thinning and is a strong function of the level of agglomeration. The viscosity increase is significantly above of that predicted by the Einstein model even for very small concentration of nanoparticles.

Effect of Cationic Surfactant Head Groups on Synthesis, Growth and Agglomeration Behavior of ZnS Nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehta SK

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Colloidal nanodispersions of ZnS have been prepared using aqueous micellar solution of two cationic surfactants of trimethylammonium/pyridinium series with different head groups i.e., cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC and cetyltrimethylpyridinium chloride (CPyC. The role of these surfactants in controlling size, agglomeration behavior and photophysical properties of ZnS nanoparticles has been discussed. UV–visible spectroscopy has been carried out for determination of optical band gap and size of ZnS nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering were used to measure sizes and size distribution of ZnS nanoparticles. Powder X-ray analysis (Powder XRD reveals the cubic structure of nanocrystallite in powdered sample. The photoluminescence emission band exhibits red shift for ZnS nanoparticles in CTAC compared to those in CPyC. The aggregation behavior in two surfactants has been compared using turbidity measurements after redispersing the nanoparticles in water. In situ evolution and growth of ZnS nanoparticles in two different surfactants have been compared through time-dependent absorption behavior and UV irradiation studies. Electrical conductivity measurements reveal that CPyC micelles better stabilize the nanoparticles than that of CTAC.

A model for the description of the evolution of PU agglomerates in MOX fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Federici, E [CEA Centre d` Etudes de Cadarache, 13 - Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Blanpain, P [FRAMATOME, Lyon (France); Permezel, P [Electricite de France, Moret-sur-Loing (France)

1997-08-01

In order to describe the irradiation behavior of Pu agglomerates under LWR steady state conditions in MIMAS MOX fuels, a model including the neutronic evolution of the heavy atoms and their diffusion processes between the agglomerates and the matrix has been developed. It leads to the calculations of Pu enrichment in the two phases and of the agglomerates size evolution during irradiation. The calculated distribution of the fission in the fuel gives access to the local power and burnup heterogeneity factor. Electron probe microanalyses (EPMA) have been carried out on fuels irradiated up to 45000 MWd/tM. Diametral and local distribution of Pu are used to calculate the enrichments of the agglomerates and the matrix, which are then compared to the results of the model. During irradiation, the Pu concentration falls markedly in the agglomerates and increases steadily in the matrix, leading to a homogenization of the fuel on a microstructural scale. Heterogeneity factors give an estimate of the deviation from homogeneity. Knowing the local fission rate and burnup in the agglomerates and the matrix enables the calculation of the local fission gas concentrations, which are compared to the xenon EPMA diametral distribution. Comparison with the calculated matrix xenon concentration at the edge of the pellet where there is no gas release, shows that some fission gas atoms which originated from the agglomerates, have been dissolved in the matrix by recoil. The calculated gas concentrations give an estimate of the quantity of gas dissolved. This work has been performed with the intent to improved fuel rod performance code estimates of fission gas concentrations retained or released in both the matrix and the agglomerates. (author). 4 refs, 7 figs.

A model for the description of the evolution of PU agglomerates in MOX fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Federici, E.; Blanpain, P.; Permezel, P.

1997-01-01

In order to describe the irradiation behavior of Pu agglomerates under LWR steady state conditions in MIMAS MOX fuels, a model including the neutronic evolution of the heavy atoms and their diffusion processes between the agglomerates and the matrix has been developed. It leads to the calculations of Pu enrichment in the two phases and of the agglomerates size evolution during irradiation. The calculated distribution of the fission in the fuel gives access to the local power and burnup heterogeneity factor. Electron probe microanalyses (EPMA) have been carried out on fuels irradiated up to 45000 MWd/tM. Diametral and local distribution of Pu are used to calculate the enrichments of the agglomerates and the matrix, which are then compared to the results of the model. During irradiation, the Pu concentration falls markedly in the agglomerates and increases steadily in the matrix, leading to a homogenization of the fuel on a microstructural scale. Heterogeneity factors give an estimate of the deviation from homogeneity. Knowing the local fission rate and burnup in the agglomerates and the matrix enables the calculation of the local fission gas concentrations, which are compared to the xenon EPMA diametral distribution. Comparison with the calculated matrix xenon concentration at the edge of the pellet where there is no gas release, shows that some fission gas atoms which originated from the agglomerates, have been dissolved in the matrix by recoil. The calculated gas concentrations give an estimate of the quantity of gas dissolved. This work has been performed with the intent to improved fuel rod performance code estimates of fission gas concentrations retained or released in both the matrix and the agglomerates. (author). 4 refs, 7 figs

High concentration agglomerate dynamics at high temperatures.

Science.gov (United States)

Heine, M C; Pratsinis, S E

2006-11-21

The dynamics of agglomerate aerosols are investigated at high solids concentrations that are typical in industrial scale manufacture of fine particles (precursor mole fraction larger than 10 mol %). In particular, formation and growth of fumed silica at such concentrations by chemical reaction, coagulation, and sintering is simulated at nonisothermal conditions and compared to limited experimental data and commercial product specifications. Using recent chemical kinetics for silica formation by SiCl4 hydrolysis and neglecting aerosol polydispersity, the evolution of the diameter of primary particles (specific surface area, SSA), hard- and soft-agglomerates, along with agglomerate effective volume fraction (volume occupied by agglomerate) is investigated. Classic Smoluchowski theory is fundamentally limited for description of soft-agglomerate Brownian coagulation at high solids concentrations. In fact, these high concentrations affect little the primary particle diameter (or SSA) but dominate the soft-agglomerate diameter, structure, and volume fraction, leading to gelation consistent with experimental data. This indicates that restructuring and fragmentation should affect product particle characteristics during high-temperature synthesis of nanostructured particles at high concentrations in aerosol flow reactors.

Coagulation of Agglomerates Consisting of Polydisperse Primary Particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Goudeli, E; Eggersdorfer, M L; Pratsinis, S E

2016-09-13

The ballistic agglomeration of polydisperse particles is investigated by an event-driven (ED) method and compared to the coagulation of spherical particles and agglomerates consisting of monodisperse primary particles (PPs). It is shown for the first time to our knowledge that increasing the width or polydispersity of the PP size distribution initially accelerates the coagulation rate of their agglomerates but delays the attainment of their asymptotic fractal-like structure and self-preserving size distribution (SPSD) without altering them, provided that sufficiently large numbers of PPs are employed. For example, the standard asymptotic mass fractal dimension, Df, of 1.91 is attained when clusters are formed containing, on average, about 15 monodisperse PPs, consistent with fractal theory and the literature. In contrast, when polydisperse PPs with a geometric standard deviation of 3 are employed, about 500 PPs are needed to attain that Df. Even though the same asymptotic Df and mass-mobility exponent, Dfm, are attained regardless of PP polydispersity, the asymptotic prefactors or lacunarities of Df and Dfm increase with PP polydispersity. For monodisperse PPs, the average agglomerate radius of gyration, rg, becomes larger than the mobility radius, rm, when agglomerates consist of more than 15 PPs. Increasing PP polydispersity increases that number of PPs similarly to the above for the attainment of the asymptotic Df or Dfm. The agglomeration kinetics are quantified by the overall collision frequency function. When the SPSD is attained, the collision frequency is independent of PP polydispersity. Accounting for the SPSD polydispersity in the overall agglomerate collision frequency is in good agreement with that frequency from detailed ED simulations once the SPSD is reached. Most importantly, the coagulation of agglomerates is described well by a monodisperse model for agglomerate and PP sizes, whereas the detailed agglomerate size distribution can be obtained by

Measuring agglomerate size distribution and dependence of localized surface plasmon resonance absorbance on gold nanoparticle agglomerate size using analytical ultracentrifugation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zook, Justin M; Rastogi, Vinayak; Maccuspie, Robert I; Keene, Athena M; Fagan, Jeffrey

2011-10-25

Agglomeration of nanoparticles during measurements in relevant biological and environmental media is a frequent problem in nanomaterial property characterization. The primary problem is typically that any changes to the size distribution can dramatically affect the potential nanotoxicity or other size-determined properties, such as the absorbance signal in a biosensor measurement. Herein we demonstrate analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) as a powerful method for measuring two critical characteristics of nanoparticle (NP) agglomerates in situ in biological media: the NP agglomerate size distribution, and the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) absorbance spectrum of precise sizes of gold NP agglomerates. To characterize the size distribution, we present a theoretical framework for calculating the hydrodynamic diameter distribution of NP agglomerates from their sedimentation coefficient distribution. We measure sedimentation rates for monomers, dimers, and trimers, as well as for larger agglomerates with up to 600 NPs. The AUC size distributions were found generally to be broader than the size distributions estimated from dynamic light scattering and diffusion-limited colloidal aggregation theory, an alternative bulk measurement method that relies on several assumptions. In addition, the measured sedimentation coefficients can be used in nanotoxicity studies to predict how quickly the agglomerates sediment out of solution under normal gravitational forces, such as in the environment. We also calculate the absorbance spectra for monomer, dimer, trimer, and larger gold NP agglomerates up to 600 NPs, to enable a better understanding of LSPR biosensors. Finally, we validate a new method that uses these spectra to deconvolute the net absorbance spectrum of an unknown bulk sample and approximate the proportions of monomers, dimers, and trimers in a polydisperse sample of small agglomerates, so that every sample does not need to be measured by AUC. These results

Theoretical studies on aerosol agglomeration processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lehtinen, K.E.J. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland). Energy Use

1997-12-31

In this thesis, theoretical modeling of certain aerosol systems has been presented. At first, the aerosol general dynamic equation is introduced, along with a discretization routine for its numerical solution. Of the various possible phenomena affecting aerosol behaviour, this work is mostly focused on aerosol agglomeration. The fundamentals of aerosol agglomeration theory are thus briefly reviewed. The two practical applications of agglomeration studied in this thesis are flue gas cleaning using an electrical agglomerator and nanomaterial synthesis with a free jet reactor. In an electrical agglomerator the aerosol particles are charged and brought into an alternating electric field. The aim is to remove submicron particles from flue gases by collisions with larger particles before conventional gas cleaning devices that have a clear penetration window in the problematic 0.1-1{mu}m size range. A mathematical model was constructed to find out the effects of the different system parameters on the agglomerator`s performance. A crucial part of this task was finding out the collision efficiencies of particles of varying size and charge. The original idea was to use unipolar charging of the particles, and a laboratory scale apparatus was constructed for this purpose. Both theory and experiments clearly show that significant removal of submicron particles can not be achieved by such an arrangement. The theoretical analysis further shows that if the submicron particles and the large collector particles were charged with opposite polarity, significant removal of the submicron particles could be obtained. The second application of agglomeration considered in this thesis is predicting/controlling nanoparticle size in the gas-to-particle aerosol route to material synthesis. In a typical material reactor, a precursor vapor reacts to form molecules of the desired material. In a cooling environment, a particulate phase forms, the dynamics of which are determined by the rates of

Theoretical studies on aerosol agglomeration processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lehtinen, K E.J. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland). Energy Use

1998-12-31

In this thesis, theoretical modeling of certain aerosol systems has been presented. At first, the aerosol general dynamic equation is introduced, along with a discretization routine for its numerical solution. Of the various possible phenomena affecting aerosol behaviour, this work is mostly focused on aerosol agglomeration. The fundamentals of aerosol agglomeration theory are thus briefly reviewed. The two practical applications of agglomeration studied in this thesis are flue gas cleaning using an electrical agglomerator and nanomaterial synthesis with a free jet reactor. In an electrical agglomerator the aerosol particles are charged and brought into an alternating electric field. The aim is to remove submicron particles from flue gases by collisions with larger particles before conventional gas cleaning devices that have a clear penetration window in the problematic 0.1-1{mu}m size range. A mathematical model was constructed to find out the effects of the different system parameters on the agglomerator`s performance. A crucial part of this task was finding out the collision efficiencies of particles of varying size and charge. The original idea was to use unipolar charging of the particles, and a laboratory scale apparatus was constructed for this purpose. Both theory and experiments clearly show that significant removal of submicron particles can not be achieved by such an arrangement. The theoretical analysis further shows that if the submicron particles and the large collector particles were charged with opposite polarity, significant removal of the submicron particles could be obtained. The second application of agglomeration considered in this thesis is predicting/controlling nanoparticle size in the gas-to-particle aerosol route to material synthesis. In a typical material reactor, a precursor vapor reacts to form molecules of the desired material. In a cooling environment, a particulate phase forms, the dynamics of which are determined by the rates of

Suppression of gold nanoparticle agglomeration and its separation via nylon membranes

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Ayyavoo Jayalakshmi; In-Chul Kim; Young-Nam Kwon

2017-01-01

Use of ultraporous nylon membrane is one of the most widely employed techniques for removal of hard and soft nanoparticles in the semiconductor industry,and the accurate determination of membrane pore size is necessary in order to avoid manufacturing defects caused by contamination.The gold nanoparticle has several benefits for the evaluation of polymeric membranes;however,the nanoparticles agglomerate easily on the nylon membrane and make it difficult to evaluate the membrane precisely.The properties of 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol (ADP) ligand in gold nanoparticle solution were systematically investigated,and ADP was utilized for improved evaluation of the nylon membranes.Nylon membrane used in this study was prepared by phase inversion techniques.Ultrathin dense layer on top of the membrane surface and Darcy structures in the microporous membrane support were observed.The gold particle rejection was carried out at various pH values from 4 to 14 and higher rejection was observed at pH 4 and 8.The suppression of gold colloid agglomeration using ADP and monodispersity of gold colloids was also analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM),transmission electron microscopy (TEM),and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).van der Waals interaction energy of the particles was reduced in the addition of ADP.The presence ofADP ligand in the gold solutions prevented the agglomeration of gold nanoparticles and reduced the adsorption of the particles on the nylon membrane surface,leading to precise evaluation of membrane pore sizes.

Soft- and hard-agglomerate aerosols made at high temperatures.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsantilis, Stavros; Pratsinis, Sotiris E

2004-07-06

Criteria for aerosol synthesis of soft-agglomerate, hard-agglomerate, or even nonagglomerate particles are developed on the basis of particle sintering and coalescence. Agglomerate (or aggregate) particles are held together by weak, physical van der Waals forces (soft agglomerates) or by stronger chemical or sintering bonds (hard agglomerates). Accounting for simultaneous gas phase chemical reaction, coagulation, and sintering during the formation and growth of silica (SiO2) nanoparticles by silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4) oxidation and neglecting the spread of particle size distribution, the onset of hard-agglomerate formation is identified at the end of full coalescence, while the onset of soft-agglomerate formation is identified at the end of sintering. Process conditions such as the precursor initial volume fraction, maximum temperature, residence time, and cooling rate are explored, identifying regions for the synthesis of particles with a controlled degree of agglomeration (ratio of collision to primary particle diameters).

Mobility and settling rate of agglomerates of polydisperse nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Spyrogianni, Anastasia; Karadima, Katerina S.; Goudeli, Eirini; Mavrantzas, Vlasis G.; Pratsinis, Sotiris E.

2018-02-01

Agglomerate settling impacts nanotoxicology and nanomedicine as well as the stability of engineered nanofluids. Here, the mobility of nanostructured fractal-like SiO2 agglomerates in water is investigated and their settling rate in infinitely dilute suspensions is calculated by a Brownian dynamics algorithm tracking the agglomerate translational and rotational motion. The corresponding friction matrices are obtained using the HYDRO++ algorithm [J. G. de la Torre, G. del Rio Echenique, and A. Ortega, J. Phys. Chem. B 111, 955 (2007)] from the Kirkwood-Riseman theory accounting for hydrodynamic interactions of primary particles (PPs) through the Rotne-Prager-Yamakawa tensor, properly modified for polydisperse PPs. Agglomerates are generated by an event-driven method and have constant mass fractal dimension but varying PP size distribution, mass, and relative shape anisotropy. The calculated diffusion coefficient from HYDRO++ is used to obtain the agglomerate mobility diameter dm and is compared with that from scaling laws for fractal-like agglomerates. The ratio dm/dg of the mobility diameter to the gyration diameter of the agglomerate decreases with increasing relative shape anisotropy. For constant dm and mean dp, the agglomerate settling rate, us, increases with increasing PP geometric standard deviation σp,g (polydispersity). A linear relationship between us and agglomerate mass to dm ratio, m/dm, is revealed and attributed to the fast Brownian rotation of such small and light nanoparticle agglomerates. An analytical expression for the us of agglomerates consisting of polydisperse PPs is then derived, us=(1/-{ρf/ρp})g 3 π μ m/dm (ρf is the density of the fluid, ρp is the density of PPs, μ is the viscosity of the fluid, and g is the acceleration of gravity), valid for agglomerates for which the characteristic rotational time is considerably shorter than their settling time. Our calculations demonstrate that the commonly made assumption of monodisperse PPs

Diffusion and reaction in microbead agglomerates.

Science.gov (United States)

Nunes Kirchner, Carolina; Träuble, Markus; Wittstock, Gunther

2010-04-01

Scanning electrochemical microscopy has been used to analyze the flux of p-aminonophenol (PAP) produced by agglomerates of polymeric microbeads modified with galactosidase as a model system for the bead-based heterogeneous immunoassays. With the use of mixtures of enzyme-modified and bare beads in defined ratio, agglomerates with different saturation levels of the enzyme modification were produced. The PAP flux depends on the intrinsic kinetics of the galactosidase, the local availability of the substrate p-aminophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (PAPG), and the external mass transport conditions in the surrounding of the agglomerate and the internal mass transport within the bead agglomerate. The internal mass transport is influenced by the diffusional shielding of the modified beads by unmodified beads. SECM in combination with optical microscopy was used to determine experimentally the external flux. These data are in quantitative agreement with boundary element simulation considering the SECM microelectrode as an interacting probe and treating the Michaelis-Menten kinetics of the enzyme as nonlinear boundary conditions with two independent concentration variables [PAP] and [PAPG]. The PAPG concentration at the surface of the bead agglomerate was taken as a boundary condition for the analysis of the internal mass transport condition as a function of the enzyme saturation in the bead agglomerate. The results of this analysis are represented as PAP flux per contributing modified bead and the flux from freely suspended galactosidase-modified beads. These numbers are compared to the same number from the SECM experiments. It is shown that depending on the enzyme saturation level a different situation can arise where either beads located at the outer surface of the agglomerate dominate the contribution to the measured external flux or where the contribution of buried beads cannot be neglected for explaining the measured external flux.

Agglomeration of microparticles in complex plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, Cheng-Ran; Thomas, Hubertus M.; Ivlev, Alexei V.; Konopka, Uwe; Morfill, Gregor E.

2010-01-01

Agglomeration of highly charged microparticles was observed and studied in complex plasma experiments carried out in a capacitively coupled rf discharge. The agglomeration was caused by strong waves triggered in a particle cloud by decreasing neutral gas pressure. Using a high-speed camera during this unstable regime, it was possible to resolve the motion of individual microparticles and to show that the relative velocities of some particles were sufficiently high to overcome the mutual Coulomb repulsion and hence to result in agglomeration. After stabilizing the cloud again through the increase of the pressure, we were able to observe the aggregates directly with a long-distance microscope. We show that the agglomeration rate deduced from our experiments is in good agreement with theoretical estimates. In addition, we briefly discuss the mechanisms that can provide binding of highly charged microparticles in a plasma.

Effect of Rubber Nanoparticle Agglomeration on Properties of Thermoplastic Vulcanizates during Dynamic Vulcanization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanguang Wu

2016-04-01

Full Text Available We previously reported that the dispersed rubber microparticles in ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM/polypropylene (PP thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs are actually agglomerates of rubber nanoparticles. In this study, based on this new understanding of the microstructure of TPV, we further revealed the microstructure-properties relationship of EPDM/PP TPV during dynamic vulcanization, especially the effect of the size of rubber nanoparticle agglomerates (dn, the thicknesses of PP ligaments (IDpoly and the rubber network on the properties of EPDM/PP TPV. We were able to simultaneously obtain a high tensile strength, elongation at break, elastic modulus, and elasticity for the EPDM/PP TPV by the achievement of a smaller dn, a thinner IDpoly and a denser rubber network. Interestingly, the effect of dn and IDpoly on the elastic modulus of EPDM/PP TPV composed of rubber nanoparticle agglomerates is different from that of EPDM/PP TPVs composed of rubber microparticles reported previously. The deformation behavior of the TPVs during stretching was studied to understand the mechanism for the achievement of good mechanical properties. Interestingly, the rubber nanoparticle agglomerates are oriented along the tensile direction during stretching. The TPV samples with smaller and more numerous rubber nanoparticle agglomerates can slow down the development of voids and cracks more effectively, thus leading to increase in tensile strength and elongation at break of the EPDM/PP TPV.

Temperature-Switchable Agglomeration of Magnetic Particles Designed for Continuous Separation Processes in Biotechnology.

Science.gov (United States)

Paulus, Anja S; Heinzler, Raphael; Ooi, Huey Wen; Franzreb, Matthias

2015-07-08

The purpose of this work was the synthesis and characterization of thermally switchable magnetic particles for use in biotechnological applications such as protein purification and enzymatic conversions. Reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization was employed to synthesize poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) brushes via a "graft-from" approach on the surface of magnetic microparticles. The resulting particles were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis and their temperature-dependent agglomeration behavior was assessed. The influence of several factors on particle agglomeration (pH, temperature, salt type, and particle concentration) was evaluated. The results showed that a low pH value (pH 3-4), a kosmotropic salt (ammonium sulfate), and a high particle concentration (4 g/L) resulted in improved agglomeration at elevated temperature (40 °C). Recycling of particles and reversibility of the temperature-switchable agglomeration were successfully demonstrated for ten heating-cooling cycles. Additionally, enhanced magnetic separation was observed for the modified particles. Ionic monomers were integrated into the polymer chain to create end-group functionalized particles as well as two- and three-block copolymer particles for protein binding. The adsorption of lactoferrin, bovine serum albumin, and lysozyme to these ion exchange particles was evaluated and showed a binding capacity of up to 135 mg/g. The dual-responsive particles combined magnetic and thermoresponsive properties for switchable agglomeration, easy separability, and efficient protein adsorption.

Agglomeration of coal fines for premium fuel application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atalay, A.; Zaman, M.D.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on fine coal in liquid suspension, which can be agglomerated in a number of ways. One of the oldest procedures involves the addition of electrolyte to the suspension to cause a reduction in the zeta potential and allow colliding particles to agglomerate. A second method involves the use of polymeric flocculants to bridge between particles. Both of these technologies are being used in the wastewater treatment plants for removal of fine waste particles from contaminated water. A third method involves the addition of a second immiscible liquid preferentially to wet the particles and cause adhesion by capillary interfacial forces. While the bonding forces in the first two methods are small and result in rather weak and voluminous agglomerates, the third method is postulated to produce more dense and much stronger agglomerates. In the case of fine coals, the carbonaceous constituents can be agglomerated and recovered from the aqueous suspension with many different coagulants. Inorganic or ash-forming constituents are also agglomerated along with the fine coal particles. As the froth floatation, agglomeration using coal and colloidal dust to effect a separation. Froth floatation, however, becomes less effective where extremely fine particles of cal must be treated or if there is considerable clay-size particle present. In contrast, there appears to be virtually no lower limit on the particle size suitable for agglomeration uses

Multifrequency scanning probe microscopy study of nanodiamond agglomerates

Science.gov (United States)

Aravind, Vasudeva; Lippold, Stephen; Li, Qian; Strelcov, Evgheny; Okatan, Baris; Legum, Benjamin; Kalinin, Sergei; Clarion University Team; Oak Ridge National Laboratory Team

Due to their rich surface chemistry and excellent mechanical properties and non-toxic nature, nanodiamond particles have found applications such as biomedicine, tribology and lubrication, targeted drug delivery systems, tissue scaffolds and surgical implants. Although single nanodiamond particles have diameters about 4-5nm, they tend to form agglomerates. While these agglomerates can be useful for some purposes, many applications of nanodiamonds require single particle, disaggregated nanodiamonds. This work is oriented towards studying forces and interactions that contribute to agglomeration in nanodiamonds. In this work, using multifrequency scanning probe microscopy techniques, we show that agglomerate sizes can vary between 50-100nm in raw nanodiamonds. Extremeties of particles and Interfaces between agglomerates show dissipative forces with scanning probe microscope tip, indicating agglomerates could act as points of increased adhesion, thus reducing lubricating efficiency when nanodiamonds are used as lubricant additives. This research was conducted at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, which is a DOE Office of Science User Facility.

Mobility and settling rate of agglomerates of polydisperse nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Spyrogianni, Anastasia; Karadima, Katerina S; Goudeli, Eirini; Mavrantzas, Vlasis G; Pratsinis, Sotiris E

2018-02-14

Agglomerate settling impacts nanotoxicology and nanomedicine as well as the stability of engineered nanofluids. Here, the mobility of nanostructured fractal-like SiO 2 agglomerates in water is investigated and their settling rate in infinitely dilute suspensions is calculated by a Brownian dynamics algorithm tracking the agglomerate translational and rotational motion. The corresponding friction matrices are obtained using the HYDRO++ algorithm [J. G. de la Torre, G. del Rio Echenique, and A. Ortega, J. Phys. Chem. B 111, 955 (2007)] from the Kirkwood-Riseman theory accounting for hydrodynamic interactions of primary particles (PPs) through the Rotne-Prager-Yamakawa tensor, properly modified for polydisperse PPs. Agglomerates are generated by an event-driven method and have constant mass fractal dimension but varying PP size distribution, mass, and relative shape anisotropy. The calculated diffusion coefficient from HYDRO++ is used to obtain the agglomerate mobility diameter d m and is compared with that from scaling laws for fractal-like agglomerates. The ratio d m /d g of the mobility diameter to the gyration diameter of the agglomerate decreases with increasing relative shape anisotropy. For constant d m and mean d p , the agglomerate settling rate, u s , increases with increasing PP geometric standard deviation σ p,g (polydispersity). A linear relationship between u s and agglomerate mass to d m ratio, m/d m , is revealed and attributed to the fast Brownian rotation of such small and light nanoparticle agglomerates. An analytical expression for the u s of agglomerates consisting of polydisperse PPs is then derived, u s =1-ρ f ρ p g3πμmd m (ρ f is the density of the fluid, ρ p is the density of PPs, μ is the viscosity of the fluid, and g is the acceleration of gravity), valid for agglomerates for which the characteristic rotational time is considerably shorter than their settling time. Our calculations demonstrate that the commonly made assumption of

Effect of sp3-hybridized defects on the oscillatory behavior of carbon nanotube oscillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Taiyu; Ding, Tony Weixi; Pei, Qing-Xiang; Zhang, Yong-Wei

2011-01-01

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the oscillatory behaviors of carbon nanotube oscillators containing sp 3 -hybridized defects formed by hydrogen chemisorption. It is found that the presence of these defects significantly affects the kinetic and potential energies of the nanotube systems, which in turn affects their oscillation periods and frequencies. We have also studied the oscillatory characteristics of the oscillators containing sp 3 -hybridized Stone-Wales defects. Our results show that it is possible to control the motion of the inner nanotube by introducing sp 3 -hybridized defects on the outer nanotube, which provides a potential way to tune the oscillatory behavior of nanotube oscillators. -- Highlights: → sp 3 -hybridized defects increase energy dissipation. → sp 3 -hybridized defects arranged in a row have stronger effect than that in a ring. → sp 3 -hybridized defects reduces the effect of SW defects.

Effects of gas conditions on ASH induced agglomeration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ma, T.; Fan, C. G.; Hao, L. F.

2016-01-01

Agglomeration is a serious problem for gasification and combustion of biomass in fluidized bed. Agglomeration characteristics may be affected by gas condition, but the literature is quite vague in this regard. This study focuses on the effects of gasification and combustion condition...... on agglomeration tendency with two types of biomass ash, including rice straw and wheat straw ash. The agglomerates are analyzed by SEM-EDS for morphology and elemental composition. Defluidization temperature (Td) in those two types of gas conditions is quite different. Tdin gasification condition is much lower...

Novel Binders and Methods for Agglomeration of Ore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

S. K. Kawatra; T. C. Eisele; K. A. Lewandowski; J. A. Gurtler

2006-09-30

Heap leaching is one of the methods being used to recover metal from low grade ore deposits. The main problem faced during heap leaching is the migration of fine grained particles through the heap, forming impermeable beds which result in poor solution flow. The poor solution flow leads to less contact between the leach solution and the ore, resulting in low recovery rates. Agglomeration of ore into coarse, porous masses prevents fine particles from migrating and clogging the spaces and channels between the larger ore particles. Currently, there is one facility in the United States which uses agglomeration. This operation agglomerates their ore using leach solution (raffinate), but is still experiencing undesirable metal recovery from the heaps due to agglomerate breakdown. The use of a binder, in addition to the leach solution, during agglomeration would help to produce stronger agglomerates that did not break down during processing. However, there are no known binders that will work satisfactorily in the acidic environment of a heap, at a reasonable cost. As a result, operators of many facilities see a large loss of process efficiency due to their inability to take advantage of agglomeration. Increasing copper recovery in heap leaching by the use of binders and agglomeration would result in a significant decrease in the amount of energy consumed. Assuming that 70% of all the leaching heaps would convert to using agglomeration technology, as much as 1.64*10{sup 12} BTU per year would be able to be saved if a 25% increase in copper recovery was experienced, which is equivalent to saving approximately 18% of the energy currently being used in leaching heaps. For every week a leach cycle was decreased, a savings of as much as 1.23*10{sup 11} BTU per week would result. This project has identified several acid-resistant binders and agglomeration procedures. These binders and experimental procedures will be able to be used for use in improving the energy efficiency of

Three-dimensional simulation of viscous-flow agglomerate sintering.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirchhof, M J; Schmid, H -J; Peukert, W

2009-08-01

The viscous-flow sintering of different agglomerate particle morphologies is studied by three-dimensional computer simulations based on the concept of fractional volume of fluid. For a fundamental understanding of particle sintering characteristics, the neck growth kinetics in agglomerate chains and in doublets consisting of differently sized primary particles is investigated. Results show that different sintering contacts in agglomerates even during the first stages are not completely independent from each other, even though differences are small. The neck growth kinetics of differently sized primary particles is determined by the smaller one up to a size difference by a factor of approximately 2, whereas for larger size differences, the kinetics becomes faster. In particular, the agglomerate sintering kinetics is investigated for particle chains of different lengths and for different particle morphologies each having ten primary particles and nine initial sintering contacts. For agglomerate chains, the kinetics approximately can be normalized by using the radius of the fully coalesced sphere. In general, different agglomerate morphologies show equal kinetics during the first sintering stages, whereas during advanced stages, compact morphologies show significantly faster sintering progress than more open morphologies. Hence, the overall kinetics cannot be described by simply using constant morphology correction factors such as fractal dimension or mean coordination number which are used in common sintering models. However, for the first stages of viscous-flow agglomerate sintering, which are the most important for many particle processes, a sintering equation is presented. Although we use agglomerates consisting of spherical primary particles, our methodology can be applied to other aggregate geometries as well.

Acoustic agglomeration methods and apparatus

Science.gov (United States)

Barmatz, M. B. (Inventor)

1984-01-01

Methods are described for using acoustic energy to agglomerate fine particles on the order of one micron diameter that are suspended in gas, to provide agglomerates large enough for efficient removal by other techniques. The gas with suspended particles, is passed through the length of a chamber while acoustic energy at a resonant chamber mode is applied to set up one or more acoustic standing wave patterns that vibrate the suspended particles to bring them together so they agglomerate. Several widely different frequencies can be applied to efficiently vibrate particles of widely differing sizes. The standing wave pattern can be applied along directions transversed to the flow of the gas. The particles can be made to move in circles by applying acoustic energy in perpendicular directions with the energy in both directions being of the same wavelength but 90 deg out of phase.

The soundscape dynamics of human agglomeration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ribeiro, Haroldo V; De Souza, Rodolfo T; Lenzi, Ervin K; Mendes, Renio S; Evangelista, Luiz R

2011-01-01

We report on a statistical analysis of the people agglomeration soundscape. Specifically, we investigate the normalized sound amplitudes and intensities that emerge from human collective meetings. Our findings support the existence of non-trivial dynamics characterized by heavy tail distributions in the sound amplitudes, long-range correlations in the sound intensity and non-exponential distributions in the return interval distributions. Additionally, motivated by the time-dependent behavior present in the volatility/variance series, we compare the observational data with those obtained from a minimalist autoregressive stochastic model, namely the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedastic process (the GARCH process), and find that there is good agreement.

Hydrophobic agglomeration of apatite fines induced by sodium oleate in aqueous solutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bingqiao Yang

2018-06-01

Full Text Available In this work, the hydrophobic agglomeration of apatite fines induced by sodium oleate in aqueous solutions has been investigated through the measurement of agglomeration degree and fractal dimension. The results showed that the agglomeration degree of apatite fines and agglomerates morphology was strongly depended on sodium oleate concentration, pH, stirring speed and time. Better agglomeration degree and more regular agglomerates were achieved at sodium oleate concentration of 5 × 10−5 mol/L under neutral condition. The critical stirring speed for agglomerates rupture was 1000 rev/min, above which, prolonged stirring time would cause breakage and restructure of the agglomerates after a certain stirring time, resulting in lower agglomeration degree and more regular agglomerates. The agglomeration degree of apatite fines could be greatly enhanced with the addition of emulsified kerosene, but only if the apatite surface was hydrophobic enough. Keywords: Hydrophobic agglomeration, Apatite fines, Agglomeration degree, Fractal dimension, Sodium oleate

The low-temperature thermopower of Frenkel defects in aluminium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sieber, G.; Wehr, G.; Boening, K.

1977-01-01

The thermopower S has been measured in the temperature range 1.3 to 13 K (reference: superconductor) on aluminium containing Frenkel defects (FD), i.e. self-interstitials and vacancies of equal concentration c (maximum 850 PPM). The FD have been produced in varying concentration and configuration by reactor irradiation at 15 K ('isolated' FD) and subsequent annealing ('agglomerated' FD). A whole such cycle could be made on the same sample, and the measuring accuracy was very high. The theoretical law S = AT + BT 3 was always fulfilled below 8 K. The 'diffusion' coefficient A was shown to be qualitatively consistent with the Mott formula, determined only by the scattering anisotropy of various defect types (e.g. isolated or agglomerated FD), while the Al bandstructure was essentially unaffected by the defects. Applying the Nordheim-Gorter rule the specific coefficients of vacancies Asub(V) and interstitials Asub(I) were obtained. The 'phonon drag' coefficient B, however, was independent of the electron scattering anisotropy. This behaviour is unexpected from the Bailyn theory and obviously has to do with the exceptionally strong phonon scattering on the FD. (author)

Reaction products of densified silica fume agglomerates in concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diamond, Sidney; Sahu, Sadananda; Thaulow, Niels

2004-01-01

Most silica fume currently used in concrete is in the dry densified form and consists of agglomerates of sizes between 10 μm and several millimeters. Many of these agglomerates may break down only partially in normal concrete mixing. Examination of various mature silica-fume-bearing concretes using backscatter mode scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis shows that such agglomerates have reacted in situ and given rise to recognizable types of reaction products filling the space within the original outline of the agglomerate. One type is 'quiescent', and usually shows no evidence of volume instability. EDX spectra indicate that the product formed within such grains is C-S-H of very low Ca/Si ratio, with modest alkali contents. Other silica fume agglomerates may undergo a distinct alkali-silica-type reaction (ASR), with the reaction product found within the original outline of the agglomerate having significantly less calcium and usually much higher alkali contents than the quiescent type. Such reacted agglomerates show evidence of local expansion, shrinkage cracking (on drying), and other features common to ASR. Both types may be found within the same concrete, sometimes in close proximity. It further appears that exposure to seawater may convert previously formed reaction products of silica fume agglomerates to magnesium silicate hydrates

Feathering effect detection and artifact agglomeration index-based video deinterlacing technique

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, André Luis; Rodrigues, Evandro Luis Linhari; de Paiva, Maria Stela Veludo

2018-03-01

Several video deinterlacing techniques have been developed, and each one presents a better performance in certain conditions. Occasionally, even the most modern deinterlacing techniques create frames with worse quality than primitive deinterlacing processes. This paper validates that the final image quality can be improved by combining different types of deinterlacing techniques. The proposed strategy is able to select between two types of deinterlaced frames and, if necessary, make the local correction of the defects. This decision is based on an artifact agglomeration index obtained from a feathering effect detection map. Starting from a deinterlaced frame produced by the "interfield average" method, the defective areas are identified, and, if deemed appropriate, these areas are replaced by pixels generated through the "edge-based line average" method. Test results have proven that the proposed technique is able to produce video frames with higher quality than applying a single deinterlacing technique through getting what is good from intra- and interfield methods.

Agglomeration economies, competitiveness and entrepreneurial performance

OpenAIRE

Páger, Balázs; Komlósi, Éva

2015-01-01

This paper aims to elaborate the role of agglomeration effects on countries' competitiveness and entrepreneurial performance. Our research contributes to the understanding of the relationship that exists between a country's urban system characterized by spatial agglomeration (concentration) or deglomeration (deconcentration) processes, and its competitiveness and entrepreneurial performance, respectively. Urbanization economies refer to considerable cost savings generated through the locating...

Aerosol mass deposition: the importance of gravitational agglomeration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bamford, G.J.; Ketchell, N.; Dunbar, I.H.

1992-01-01

Sedimentation, Brownian agglomeration and gravitational agglomeration timescales are mapped out for a set of simple systems. Analysis of these timescales has highlighted when and why gravitational agglomeration becomes the dominant factor determining overall mass deposition rates in hypothetical severe nuclear reactor accidents. This work was funded by the United Kingdom Department of Trade and Industry as part of the General Nuclear Safety Research Programme. (Author)

Computer simulation of defect behavior under fusion irradiation environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muroga, T.; Ishino, S.

1983-01-01

To simulate defect behavior under irradiation, three kinds of cascade-annealing calculations have been carried out in alpha-iron using the codes MARLOWE, DAIQUIRI and their modifications. They are (1) cascade-annealing calculation with different masses of projectile, (2) defect drifting near dislocations after cascade production and (3) cascade-overlap calculation. The defect survival ratio is found to increase as decreasing mass of the projectile both after athermal close-pair recombination and after thermal annealing. It is shown that at moderate temperatures vacancy clustering is enhanced near dislocations. Cascade-overlap is found to decrease the defect survivability. In addition, the role of helium in vacancy clustering has been calculated in aluminium lattices and its effect is found to depend strongly on temperature, interstitials and the mobility of small clusters. These results correspond well to the experimental data and will be helpful for correlating between fusion and simulation irradiations. (orig.)

Novel Binders and Methods for Agglomeration of Ore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

S. K. Kawatra; T. C. Eisele; K. A. Lewandowski; J. A. Gurtler

2006-03-31

Many metal extraction operations, such as leaching of copper, leaching of precious metals, and reduction of metal oxides to metal in high-temperature furnaces, require agglomeration of ore to ensure that reactive liquids or gases are evenly distributed throughout the ore being processed. Agglomeration of ore into coarse, porous masses achieves this even distribution of fluids by preventing fine particles from migrating and clogging the spaces and channels between the larger ore particles. Binders are critically necessary to produce agglomerates that will not break down during processing. However, for many important metal extraction processes there are no binders known that will work satisfactorily at a reasonable cost. A primary example of this is copper heap leaching, where there are no binders currently encountered in this acidic environment process. As a result, operators of many facilities see a large loss of process efficiency due to their inability to take advantage of agglomeration. The large quantities of ore that must be handled in metal extraction processes also means that the binder must be inexpensive and useful at low dosages to be economical. The acid-resistant binders and agglomeration procedures developed in this project will also be adapted for use in improving the energy efficiency and performance of a broad range of mineral agglomeration applications, particularly heap leaching. The active involvement of our industrial partners will help to ensure rapid commercialization of any agglomeration technologies developed by this project.

Novel Binders and Methods for Agglomeration of Ore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

S. K. Kawatra; T. C. Eisele; J. A. Gurtler; K. Lewandowski

2005-09-30

Many metal extraction operations, such as leaching of copper, leaching of precious metals, and reduction of metal oxides to metal in high-temperature furnaces, require agglomeration of ore to ensure that reactive liquids or gases are evenly distributed throughout the ore being processed. Agglomeration of ore into coarse, porous masses achieves this even distribution of fluids by preventing fine particles from migrating and clogging the spaces and channels between the larger ore particles. Binders are critically necessary to produce agglomerates that will not break down during processing. However, for many important metal extraction processes there are no binders known that will work satisfactorily at a reasonable cost. A primary example of this is copper heap leaching, where there are no binders currently encountered in this acidic environment process. As a result, operators of many facilities see a large loss of process efficiency due to their inability to take advantage of agglomeration. The large quantities of ore that must be handled in metal extraction processes also means that the binder must be inexpensive and useful at low dosages to be economical. The acid-resistant binders and agglomeration procedures developed in this project will also be adapted for use in improving the energy efficiency and performance of a broad range of mineral agglomeration applications, particularly heap leaching. The active involvement of our industrial partners will help to ensure rapid commercialization of any agglomeration technologies developed by this project.

Study on the agglomeration kinetics of uranium peroxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertrand, M.; Mojica Rodriguez, L.A.; Muhr, H.; Plasari, E.; Auger, F.

2016-01-01

Considering the previous study dealing with thermodynamic and kinetic phenomena (nucleation and crystal growth) during the uranium peroxide precipitation, this work focuses on the agglomeration mechanism. It provides the results obtained from the experiments carried out in a mixed suspension - mixed product removal (MSMPR) mixer operating at steady state. The influence of the operating parameters on the uranium peroxide agglomerates was studied in order to identify the agglomeration kernel. The method is based on the resolution of the population balance equation using the method of moments and the experimental particle size distributions. The results lead to a size-independent kernel directly proportional to the crystal growth rate. Under the stirring conditions studied, the agglomeration appears to be significantly reduced by mixing which results in a kernel inversely proportional to the average shear rate. The agglomeration kinetic law obtained in this study will be used for the process modelling in a further study. (authors)

Study on the agglomeration kinetics of uranium peroxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bertrand, M.; Mojica Rodriguez, L.A. [CEA, Centre de Marcoule, Nuclear Energy Division, RadioChemistry and Process Department, 17171, Bagnols-sur-Ceze 30207 (France); Muhr, H.; Plasari, E. [Reaction and Process Engineering Laboratory, CNRS, University of Lorraine. 1 rue Grandville, BP 20451, Nancy 54001 (France); Auger, F. [Areva Mines/SEPA. 2 route de Lavaugrasse, Bessines-sur-Gartempe 87250 (France)

2016-07-01

Considering the previous study dealing with thermodynamic and kinetic phenomena (nucleation and crystal growth) during the uranium peroxide precipitation, this work focuses on the agglomeration mechanism. It provides the results obtained from the experiments carried out in a mixed suspension - mixed product removal (MSMPR) mixer operating at steady state. The influence of the operating parameters on the uranium peroxide agglomerates was studied in order to identify the agglomeration kernel. The method is based on the resolution of the population balance equation using the method of moments and the experimental particle size distributions. The results lead to a size-independent kernel directly proportional to the crystal growth rate. Under the stirring conditions studied, the agglomeration appears to be significantly reduced by mixing which results in a kernel inversely proportional to the average shear rate. The agglomeration kinetic law obtained in this study will be used for the process modelling in a further study. (authors)

The joint effect of demographic change on growth and agglomeration

OpenAIRE

Theresa Grafeneder-Weissteiner

2011-01-01

Recently, there has been wide interest in the "economics" of population aging. Demographic change has crucial consequences for economic behavior; it e.g. implies that consumption and investment decisions vary over the life-cycle. The latter has important implications for economic growth, whereas the former is decisive for the location of economic activity as emphasized in the New Economic Geography (NEG) literature. Both growth and agglomeration processes are, however, themselves interlinked,...

The self-preserving size distribution theory. I. Effects of the Knudsen number on aerosol agglomerate growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Dekkers, Petrus J; Friedlander, Sheldon K

2002-04-15

Gas-phase synthesis of fine solid particles leads to fractal-like structures whose transport and light scattering properties differ from those of their spherical counterparts. Self-preserving size distribution theory provides a useful methodology for analyzing the asymptotic behavior of such systems. Apparent inconsistencies in previous treatments of the self-preserving size distributions in the free molecule regime are resolved. Integro-differential equations for fractal-like particles in the continuum and near continuum regimes are derived and used to calculate the self-preserving and quasi-self-preserving size distributions for agglomerates formed by Brownian coagulation. The results for the limiting case (the continuum regime) were compared with the results of other authors. For these cases the finite difference method was in good in agreement with previous calculations in the continuum regime. A new analysis of aerosol agglomeration for the entire Knudsen number range was developed and compared with a monodisperse model; Higher agglomeration rates were found for lower fractal dimensions, as expected from previous studies. Effects of fractal dimension, pressure, volume loading and temperature on agglomerate growth were investigated. The agglomeration rate can be reduced by decreasing volumetric loading or by increasing the pressure. In laminar flow, an increase in pressure can be used to control particle growth and polydispersity. For D(f)=2, an increase in pressure from 1 to 4 bar reduces the collision radius by about 30%. Varying the temperature has a much smaller effect on agglomerate coagulation.

Urban Agglomerations in Regional Development: Theoretical, Methodological and Applied Aspects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrey Vladimirovich Shmidt

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The article focuses on the analysis of the major process of modern socio-economic development, such as the functioning of urban agglomerations. A short background of the economic literature on this phenomenon is given. There are the traditional (the concentration of urban types of activities, the grouping of urban settlements by the intensive production and labour communications and modern (cluster theories, theories of network society conceptions. Two methodological principles of studying the agglomeration are emphasized: the principle of the unity of the spatial concentration of economic activity and the principle of compact living of the population. The positive and negative effects of agglomeration in the economic and social spheres are studied. Therefore, it is concluded that the agglomeration is helpful in the case when it brings the agglomerative economy (the positive benefits from it exceed the additional costs. A methodology for examination the urban agglomeration and its role in the regional development is offered. The approbation of this methodology on the example of Chelyabinsk and Chelyabinsk region has allowed to carry out the comparative analysis of the regional centre and the whole region by the main socio-economic indexes under static and dynamic conditions, to draw the conclusions on a position of the city and the region based on such socio-economic indexes as an average monthly nominal accrued wage, the cost of fixed assets, the investments into fixed capital, new housing supply, a retail turnover, the volume of self-produced shipped goods, the works and services performed in the region. In the study, the analysis of a launching site of the Chelyabinsk agglomeration is carried out. It has revealed the following main characteristics of the core of the agglomeration in Chelyabinsk (structure feature, population, level of centralization of the core as well as the Chelyabinsk agglomeration in general (coefficient of agglomeration

Point defects behavior in beta Cu-based shape memory alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romero, R.; Somoza, A.

1999-01-01

A summary of positron annihilation spectroscopy data relating to the point defect behavior after quenching and to thermal equilibrium in β-phase Cu-based shape memory alloys Cu-Zn-Al and Cu-Al-Be is presented. Particular attention is given to the initial concentration of quenched-in vacancies as a function of the quenching temperature, migration of the retained point defects with aging temperature and time, and the vacancy formation and migration energies. (orig.)

Behavior of duplex stainless steel casting defects under mechanical loadings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jayet-Gendrot, S [Electricite de France, 77 - Moret-sur-Loing (France). Dept. of Materials Study; Gilles, P; Migne, C [Societe Franco-Americaine de Constructions Atomiques (FRAMATOME), 92 - Paris-La-Defense (France)

1997-04-01

Several components in the primary circuit of pressurized water reactors are made of cast duplex stainless steels. This material contains small casting defects, mainly shrinkage cavities, due to the manufacturing process. In safety analyses, the structural integrity of the components is studied. In order to assess the real severity of the casting defects under mechanical loadings, an experimental program was carried out. It consisted of testing, under both cyclic and monotonic solicitations, three-point bend specimens containing either a natural defect (in the form of a localized cluster of cavities) or a machined notch having the dimensions of the cluster`s envelope. The tests are analyzed in order to develop a method that takes into account the behavior of castings defects in a more realistic fashion than by an envelope crack. Various approaches are investigated, including the search of equivalent defects or of criteria based on continuum mechanics concepts, and compared with literature data. This study shows the conservatism of current safety analyses in modelling casting defects by envelope semi-elliptical cracks and contributes to the development of alternative approaches. (author) 18 refs.

Agglomeration of Celecoxib by Quasi Emulsion Solvent Diffusion Method: Effect of Stabilizer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maryam Maghsoodi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion (QESD has evolved into an effective technique to manufacture agglomerates of API crystals. Although, the proposed technique showed benefits, such as cost effectiveness, that is considerably sensitive to the choice of a stabilizer, which agonizes from a absence of systemic understanding in this field. In the present study, the combination of different solvents and stabilizers were compared to investigate any connections between the solvents and stabilizers. Methods: Agglomerates of celecoxib were prepared by QESD method using four different stabilizers (Tween 80, HPMC, PVP and SLS and three different solvents (methyl acetate, ethyl acetate and isopropyl acetate. The solid state of obtained particles was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR spectroscopy. The agglomerated were also evaluated in term of production yield, distribution of particles and dissolution behavior. Results: The results showed that the effectiveness of stabilizer in terms of particle size and particle size distribution is specific to each solvent candidate. A stabilizer with a lower HLB value is preferred which actually increased its effectiveness with the solvent candidates with higher lipophilicity. HPMC appeared to be the most versatile stabilizer because it showed a better stabilizing effect compared to other stabilizers in all solvents used. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the efficiency of stabilizers in forming the celecoxib agglomerates by QESD was influenced by the HLB of the stabilizer and lipophilicity of the solvents.

Competitive Advantages from Horizontal Relationships in Productive Agglomerations: perceptions of local agents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo Pinheiro Deboçã

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Objective – This paper aims to assess to what extent relational view assumptions can explain competitive advantages perceived in the industrial agglomeration contexts of small businesses. Design/methodology/approach – We used qualitative research; two furniture centers, Misassol (SP and Ubá (MG, were examined through comparative data analysis. Data was collected through interviews with executives from 40 companies and 13 supporting organizations. The relational view and its assumptions point to factors that generate competitive advantage resulting from collaborative relationships between companies. Moreover, agglomerations provide intense relationships and are encouraged by governance entities. Findings – No competitive advantages clearly established due to relational gains were identified. The behavior of entrepreneurs in both centers tends strongly towards individualism. What agents identify as competitive advantages corresponds to situational or contextual factors in these centers and do not result from the realization of relational view assumptions, escaping from this paradigm. Relational gains can result only from subgroups that are formed through affinity, with no intervention from governance. Practical implications – Despite an agglomeration tendency within companies belonging to the furniture sector, a strong inclination towards individualism creates barriers to obtaining additional advantages resulting from relational gains, whether due to market regionalization, access of sales representatives, or logistics and tax costs, among other issues. However, actions in small groups are an important governance mechanism for that context. Contributions – Evaluate the assumptions of relational view and its explanatory power for competitive advantages in agglomerations of Brazilian furniture companies.

An empirical study of an agglomeration network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yichao; Zhang, Zhaochun; Guan, Jihong

2007-01-01

Recently, researchers have reported many models mimicking real network evolution growth, among which some are based on network aggregation growth. However, until now, relatively few experiments have been reported. Accordingly, in this paper, photomicrographs of real materials (the agglomeration in the filtrate of slurry formed by a GaP-nanoparticle conglomerate dispersed in water) are analyzed within the framework of complex network theory. By data mapping from photomicrographs we generate undirected networks and as a definition of degree we adopt the number of pixel's nearest neighbors while adjacent pixels define a connection or an edge. We study the topological structure of these networks including degree distribution, clustering coefficient and average path length. In addition, we discuss the self-similarity and synchronizability of the networks. We find that the synchronizability of high-concentration agglomeration is better than that of low-concentration agglomeration; we also find that agglomeration networks possess good self-similar features

Prediction of Agglomeration, Fouling, and Corrosion Tendency of Fuels in CFB Co-Combustion

Science.gov (United States)

Barišć, Vesna; Zabetta, Edgardo Coda; Sarkki, Juha

Prediction of agglomeration, fouling, and corrosion tendency of fuels is essential to the design of any CFB boiler. During the years, tools have been successfully developed at Foster Wheeler to help with such predictions for the most commercial fuels. However, changes in fuel market and the ever-growing demand for co-combustion capabilities pose a continuous need for development. This paper presents results from recently upgraded models used at Foster Wheeler to predict agglomeration, fouling, and corrosion tendency of a variety of fuels and mixtures. The models, subject of this paper, are semi-empirical computer tools that combine the theoretical basics of agglomeration/fouling/corrosion phenomena with empirical correlations. Correlations are derived from Foster Wheeler's experience in fluidized beds, including nearly 10,000 fuel samples and over 1,000 tests in about 150 CFB units. In these models, fuels are evaluated based on their classification, their chemical and physical properties by standard analyses (proximate, ultimate, fuel ash composition, etc.;.) alongside with Foster Wheeler own characterization methods. Mixtures are then evaluated taking into account the component fuels. This paper presents the predictive capabilities of the agglomeration/fouling/corrosion probability models for selected fuels and mixtures fired in full-scale. The selected fuels include coals and different types of biomass. The models are capable to predict the behavior of most fuels and mixtures, but also offer possibilities for further improvements.

Colloidal agglomerates in tank sludge: Impact on waste processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bunker, B.C.; Martin, J.E.

1998-01-01

'Insoluble colloidal sludges in hazardous waste streams such as tank wastes can pose serious problems for waste processing, interfering with retrieval, transport, separation, and solidification procedures. Properties of sediment layers and sludge suspensions such as slurry viscosities, sedimentation rates, and final sediment densities can vary by orders of magnitude depending on the particle types present, the degree to which the particles agglomerate or stick to each other, and on a wide range of processing parameters such as solution shear rates, pH, salt content, and temperature. The objectives of this work are to: (1) understand the factors controlling the nature and extent of colloidal agglomeration under expected waste processing conditions; (2) determine how agglomeration phenomena influence physical properties relevant to waste processing including rheology, sedimentation, and filtration; and (3) develop strategies for optimizing processing conditions via control of agglomeration phenomena. Insoluble colloidal sludges in hazardous waste streams such as tank wastes can pose serious problems for waste processing, interfering with retrieval, transport, separation, and solidification procedures. Properties of sediment layers and sludge suspensions such as slurry viscosities, sedimentation rates, and final sediment densities can vary by orders of magnitude depending on the particle types present, the degree to which the particles agglomerate or stick to each other, and on a wide range of processing parameters such as solution shear rates, pH, salt content, and temperature. The objectives of this work are to: (1) understand the factors controlling the nature and extent of colloidal agglomeration under expected waste processing conditions; (2) determine how agglomeration phenomena influence physical properties relevant to waste processing including rheology, sedimentation, and filtration; and (3) develop strategies for optimizing processing conditions via control

The Influence of Particle Size, Fluidization Velocity, and Fuel Type on Ash-Induced Agglomeration in Biomass Combustion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gatternig, Bernhard, E-mail: bernhard.gatternig@cbi.uni-erlangen.de; Karl, Jürgen [Chair of Energy Process Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nuremberg (Germany)

2014-11-19

Agglomeration of the bed material is one of the main obstacles for biomass utilization in fluidized bed combustors. Especially, high-potential fuels such as fast growing energy crops or biogeneous residues are affected because of their high content of alkaline metals. Despite ongoing research efforts, the knowledge base on what fuels are affected is still limited. This paper describes the design and installation of two lab-scale reactors for the experimental determination of agglomeration temperatures. The reactor concept and measurement method were developed under consideration of experiences from existing test rigs published in literature. Preliminary tests confirmed a reproducibility of ±5°C for both new reactors. The results of an extended measurement campaign (156 test runs of 25 fuel species at a wide range of the operational parameters “bed particle size,” “gas velocity,” and “bed ash accumulation”), based on “design of experiment” (DoE) criteria, showed high-agglomeration tendencies for residues (e.g., dried distillery grains, corn cobs) while woody energy crops (e.g., willow, alder) exhibited very stable combustion behavior. The operating parameters influenced the agglomeration behavior to a lesser degree than different ash compositions of fuel species tested. An interpolation within the DoE factor space allowed for a subsequent comparison of our results with experiments reported in literature. Good agreement was reached for fuels of comparable ash composition considering the interpolation errors of ±32°C on average.

NOVEL BINDERS AND METHODS FOR AGGLOMERATION OF ORE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

S.K. Kawatra; T.C. Eisele; J.A. Gurtler; C.A. Hardison; K. Lewandowski

2004-04-01

Many metal extraction operations, such as leaching of copper, leaching of precious metals, and reduction of metal oxides to metal in high-temperature furnaces, require agglomeration of ore to ensure that reactive liquids or gases are evenly distributed throughout the ore being processed. Agglomeration of ore into coarse, porous masses achieves this even distribution of fluids by preventing fine particles from migrating and clogging the spaces and channels between the larger ore particles. Binders are critically necessary to produce agglomerates that will not break down during processing. However, for many important metal extraction processes there are no binders known that will work satisfactorily. Primary examples of this are copper heap leaching, where there are no binders that will work in the acidic environment encountered in this process, and advanced ironmaking processes, where binders must function satisfactorily over an extraordinarily large range of temperatures (from room temperature up to over 1200 C). As a result, operators of many facilities see a large loss of process efficiency due to their inability to take advantage of agglomeration. The large quantities of ore that must be handled in metal extraction processes also means that the binder must be inexpensive and useful at low dosages to be economical. The acid-resistant binders and agglomeration procedures developed in this project will also be adapted for use in improving the energy efficiency and performance of a broad range of mineral agglomeration applications, particularly heap leaching and advanced primary ironmaking.

Spatial Linkage and Urban Expansion: AN Urban Agglomeration View

Science.gov (United States)

Jiao, L. M.; Tang, X.; Liu, X. P.

2017-09-01

Urban expansion displays different characteristics in each period. From the perspective of the urban agglomeration, studying the spatial and temporal characteristics of urban expansion plays an important role in understanding the complex relationship between urban expansion and network structure of urban agglomeration. We analyze urban expansion in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration (YRD) through accessibility to and spatial interaction intensity from core cities as well as accessibility of road network. Results show that: (1) Correlation between urban expansion intensity and spatial indicators such as location and space syntax variables is remarkable and positive, while it decreases after rapid expansion. (2) Urban expansion velocity displays a positive correlation with spatial indicators mentioned above in the first (1980-1990) and second (1990-2000) period. However, it exhibits a negative relationship in the third period (2000-2010), i.e., cities located in the periphery of urban agglomeration developing more quickly. Consequently, the hypothesis of convergence of urban expansion in rapid expansion stage is put forward. (3) Results of Zipf's law and Gibrat's law show urban expansion in YRD displays a convergent trend in rapid expansion stage, small and medium-sized cities growing faster. This study shows that spatial linkage plays an important but evolving role in urban expansion within the urban agglomeration. In addition, it serves as a reference to the planning of Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration and regulation of urban expansion of other urban agglomerations.

Thermal buckling behavior of defective CNTs under pre-load: A molecular dynamics study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehralian, Fahimeh; Tadi Beni, Yaghoub; Kiani, Yaser

2017-05-01

Current study is concentrated on the extraordinary properties of defective carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The role of vacancy defects in thermal buckling response of precompressed CNTs is explored via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Defective CNTs are initially compressed at a certain ratio of their critical buckling strain and then undergo a uniform temperature rise. Comprehensive study is implemented on both armchair and zigzag CNTs with different vacancy defects including monovacancy, symmetric bivacancy and asymmetric bivacancy. The results reveal that defects have a pronounced impact on the buckling behavior of CNTs; interestingly, defective CNTs under compressive pre-load show higher resistance to thermal buckling than pristine ones. In the following, the buckling response of defective CNTs is shown to be dependent on the vacancy defects, location of defects and chirality. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radiation damage and defect behavior in ion-implanted, lithium counterdoped silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberg, I.; Mehta, S.; Swartz, C. K.

1984-01-01

Boron doped silicon n+p solar cells were counterdoped with lithium by ion implantation and the resuitant n+p cells irradiated by 1 MeV electrons. The function of fluence and a Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) was studied to correlate defect behavior with cell performance. It was found that the lithium counterdoped cells exhibited significantly increased radiation resistance when compared to boron doped control cells. It is concluded that the annealing behavior is controlled by dissociation and recombination of defects. The DLTS studies show that counterdoping with lithium eliminates at least three deep level defects and results in three new defects. It is speculated that the increased radiation resistance of the counterdoped cells is due primarily to the interaction of lithium with oxygen, single vacanies and divacancies and that the lithium-oxygen interaction is the most effective in contributing to the increased radiation resistance.

Acid agglomeration heap leaching: present status, principle and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng Yijun

2004-01-01

For extracting valuable metal from clay-bearing acidic ores of poor permeability, agglomerated acid heap leaching appears to be the most effective method, whereas conventional leaching and general heap leaching bring about unsatisfactory recovery and poor economic returns. The present state of research work on acid agglomeration worldwide and its basic principle are discussed. The first commercial application employing acid agglomeration-heap leaching in China is also introduced

Use of coal-oil agglomerates for particulate gold recovery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calvez, J.P.S.; Kim, M.J.; Wong, P.L.M.; Tran, T. [University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW (Australia). School of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemistry

1998-09-01

The underlying principles by which gold is recovered by coal-oil agglomerates was investigated. The effects of various parameters such as oil:coal ratios, agglomerate:ore ratios, pH and coal particle size on gold recovery were evaluated using synthetic gold bearing samples, bituminous coal, and diesel oil and kerosene. The effects of sulfides on gold recovery and the depth of gold particle penetration within the agglomerates were also investigated. Results showed that gold recovery was increased by increasing agglomerate:ore ratio, decreasing oil:coal ratio and decreasing coal particle size. There was no significant difference in gold recoveries at pH range of 4-12 and at up to 5% sulfides in the feed.

The Physics of Protoplanetesimal Dust Agglomerates. VIII. Microgravity Collisions between Porous SiO2 Aggregates and Loosely Bound Agglomerates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whizin, Akbar D.; Colwell, Joshua E.; Blum, Jürgen

2017-01-01

We performed laboratory experiments colliding 0.8–1.0 mm and 1.0–1.6 mm SiO 2 dust aggregates with loosely bound centimeter-sized agglomerates of those aggregates in microgravity. This work builds on previous microgravity laboratory experiments examining the collisional properties of porous loosely bound dust aggregates. In centimeter-sized aggregates, surface forces dominate self-gravity and may play a large role in aggregate growth beyond this size range. We characterize the properties of protoplanetary aggregate analogs to help place constraints on initial formation mechanisms and environments. We determined several important physical characteristics of these aggregates in a large number of low-velocity collisions. We observed low coefficients of restitution and fragmentation thresholds near 1 m s −1 for 1–2 cm agglomerates, which are in good agreement with previous findings in the literature. We find the accretion efficiency for agglomerates of loosely bound aggregates to be higher than that for just aggregates themselves. We find sticking thresholds of 6.6 ± 2 cm s −1 , somewhat higher than those in similar studies, which have observed few aggregates stick at speeds of under 3 cm s −1 . Even with highly dissipative collisions, loosely bound agglomerates have difficulty accreting beyond centimeter-sized bodies at typical collision speeds in the disk. Our results indicate agglomerates of porous aggregates have slightly higher sticking thresholds than previously thought, allowing possible growth to decimeter-sized bodies if velocities are low enough.

WP/084 Measuring Industry Agglomeration and Identifying the Driving Forces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Howard, Emma; Tarp, Finn; Newman, Carol

Understanding industry agglomeration and its driving forces is critical for the formulation of industrial policy in developing countries. Crucial to this process is the definition and measurement of agglomeration. We propose a new measure and examine what it reveals about the importance of transp......Understanding industry agglomeration and its driving forces is critical for the formulation of industrial policy in developing countries. Crucial to this process is the definition and measurement of agglomeration. We propose a new measure and examine what it reveals about the importance...... of transport costs, labour market pooling, and technology transfer for agglomeration processes. We contrast this analysis with insights from existing measures in the literature and find very different underlying stories at work. An exceptionally rich set of data from Vietnam makes us confident that our measure...

Investigation on the effect of atomic defects on the breaking behaviors of gold nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Fenying; Sun Wei; Wang Hongbo; Zhao Jianwei; Kiguchi, Manabu; Sun Changqing

2012-01-01

The mechanical properties and breaking behaviors of the [100]-oriented single-crystal gold nanowires containing a set of defect ratios have been studied at different temperatures using molecular dynamics simulations. The size of the nanowire is 10a × 10a × 30a (a stands for lattice constant, 0.408 nm for gold). The mechanical strengths of the nanowires decrease with the increasing temperature. However, the defects that enhance the local thermal energy have improved the nanowire mechanical strength under a wide range of temperature. Comparing to the single-crystal nanowire, the existence of the atomic defects extends the elastic deformation showing a larger yield strain. By summarizing 300 samples at each temperature, the statistical breaking position distribution shows that the nanowire breaking behavior is sensitive to the atomic defects when the defect ratio is 5 % at 100 K, whereas the ratio is 1 % when temperatures are 300 and 500 K.

CONSOLIDATION OF K BASIN SLUDGE DATA AND EXPERIENCES ON AGGLOMERATE FORMATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

HILL SR

2010-06-10

The formation of high sludge strength agglomerates is a key concern to the Sludge Treatment Project (STP) to ensure the sludge can be retrieved after planned storage for up to 10 years in Sludge Transport and Storage Containers (STSC) at T Plant. This report addresses observations of agglomerate formation, conditions that the data shows lead to agglomeration, the frequency of agglomerate formation and postulated physiochemical mechanisms that may lead to agglomeration. Although the exact underlying chemistry of K Basin sludge agglomerate formation is not known, the factors that lead to agglomeration formation, based on observations, are as follows: (1) High Total Uranium Content (i.e., sample homogeneity and influence from other constituents); (2) Distribution of Uranium Phases (i.e., extent of conversion from uraninite to uranium oxide hydroxide compounds); (3) Sample Dry-out (loss of cover water); (4) Elevated temperature; (5) Solubility ofU(IV) phases vs. U(VI) phases; and (6) Long storage times. Agglomerated sludge has occurred infrequently and has only been observed in four laboratory samples, five samples subjected to hydrothermal testing (performed for 7 to 10 hours at {approx}185 C and 225 psig), and indirectly during six sampling events in the KE Basin. In the four laboratory samples where agglomerates were observed, the agglomerates exhibited high shear strength and the sample container typically had to be broken to remove the solids. The total uranium content (dry basis) for the four samples (KE Pit, KC-2/3 SS, KC-2/3 M250 and 96-13) were {approx}8 wt%, {approx}59.0 wt%, 68.3 wt% and 82 wt%. The agglomerates that were present during the six sampling events were undoubtedly disturbed and easily broken apart during sample collection, thus no agglomerates were observed in subsequent laboratory analyses. The highest shear strengths measured for K Basin sludge samples were obtained after hydrothermal treatment (7 to 10 hr at 185 C) of high-uranium-content KE

CONSOLIDATION OF K BASIN SLUDGE DATA AND EXPERIENCES ON AGGLOMERATE FORMATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, S.R.

2010-01-01

The formation of high sludge strength agglomerates is a key concern to the Sludge Treatment Project (STP) to ensure the sludge can be retrieved after planned storage for up to 10 years in Sludge Transport and Storage Containers (STSC) at T Plant. This report addresses observations of agglomerate formation, conditions that the data shows lead to agglomeration, the frequency of agglomerate formation and postulated physiochemical mechanisms that may lead to agglomeration. Although the exact underlying chemistry of K Basin sludge agglomerate formation is not known, the factors that lead to agglomeration formation, based on observations, are as follows: (1) High Total Uranium Content (i.e., sample homogeneity and influence from other constituents); (2) Distribution of Uranium Phases (i.e., extent of conversion from uraninite to uranium oxide hydroxide compounds); (3) Sample Dry-out (loss of cover water); (4) Elevated temperature; (5) Solubility ofU(IV) phases vs. U(VI) phases; and (6) Long storage times. Agglomerated sludge has occurred infrequently and has only been observed in four laboratory samples, five samples subjected to hydrothermal testing (performed for 7 to 10 hours at ∼185 C and 225 psig), and indirectly during six sampling events in the KE Basin. In the four laboratory samples where agglomerates were observed, the agglomerates exhibited high shear strength and the sample container typically had to be broken to remove the solids. The total uranium content (dry basis) for the four samples (KE Pit, KC-2/3 SS, KC-2/3 M250 and 96-13) were ∼8 wt%, ∼59.0 wt%, 68.3 wt% and 82 wt%. The agglomerates that were present during the six sampling events were undoubtedly disturbed and easily broken apart during sample collection, thus no agglomerates were observed in subsequent laboratory analyses. The highest shear strengths measured for K Basin sludge samples were obtained after hydrothermal treatment (7 to 10 hr at 185 C) of high-uranium-content KE canister sludge

A Critical Study of Agglomerated Multigrid Methods for Diffusion

Science.gov (United States)

Nishikawa, Hiroaki; Diskin, Boris; Thomas, James L.

2011-01-01

Agglomerated multigrid techniques used in unstructured-grid methods are studied critically for a model problem representative of laminar diffusion in the incompressible limit. The studied target-grid discretizations and discretizations used on agglomerated grids are typical of current node-centered formulations. Agglomerated multigrid convergence rates are presented using a range of two- and three-dimensional randomly perturbed unstructured grids for simple geometries with isotropic and stretched grids. Two agglomeration techniques are used within an overall topology-preserving agglomeration framework. The results show that multigrid with an inconsistent coarse-grid scheme using only the edge terms (also referred to in the literature as a thin-layer formulation) provides considerable speedup over single-grid methods but its convergence deteriorates on finer grids. Multigrid with a Galerkin coarse-grid discretization using piecewise-constant prolongation and a heuristic correction factor is slower and also grid-dependent. In contrast, grid-independent convergence rates are demonstrated for multigrid with consistent coarse-grid discretizations. Convergence rates of multigrid cycles are verified with quantitative analysis methods in which parts of the two-grid cycle are replaced by their idealized counterparts.

Novel Binders and Methods for Agglomeration of Ore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

S. K. Kawatra; T. C. Eisele; K. A. Lewandowski; J. A. Gurtler

2006-12-31

Many metal extraction operations, such as leaching of copper, leaching of precious metals, and reduction of metal oxides to metal in high-temperature furnaces, require agglomeration of ore to ensure that reactive liquids or gases are evenly distributed throughout the ore being processed. Agglomeration of ore into coarse, porous masses achieves this even distribution of fluids by preventing fine particles from migrating and clogging the spaces and channels between the larger ore particles. Binders are critically necessary to produce agglomerates that will not break down during processing. However, for many important metal extraction processes there are no binders known that will work satisfactorily. Primary examples of this are copper heap leaching, where there are no binders that will work in the acidic environment encountered in this process, and advanced ironmaking processes, where binders must function satisfactorily over an extraordinarily large range of temperatures (from room temperature up to over 1200 C). As a result, operators of many facilities see a large loss of process efficiency due to their inability to take advantage of agglomeration. The large quantities of ore that must be handled in metal extraction processes also means that the binder must be inexpensive and useful at low dosages to be economical. The acid-resistant binders and agglomeration procedures developed in this project will also be adapted for use in improving the energy efficiency and performance of a broad range of mineral agglomeration applications, particularly heap leaching and advanced primary ironmaking. This project has identified several acid-resistant binders and agglomeration procedures that can be used for improving the energy efficiency of heap leaching, by preventing the ''ponding'' and ''channeling'' effects that currently cause reduced recovery and extended leaching cycle times. Methods have also been developed for iron ore

Coal beneficiation by gas agglomeration

Science.gov (United States)

Wheelock, Thomas D.; Meiyu, Shen

2003-10-14

Coal beneficiation is achieved by suspending coal fines in a colloidal suspension of microscopic gas bubbles in water under atmospheric conditions to form small agglomerates of the fines adhered by the gas bubbles. The agglomerates are separated, recovered and resuspended in water. Thereafter, the pressure on the suspension is increased above atmospheric to deagglomerate, since the gas bubbles are then re-dissolved in the water. During the deagglomeration step, the mineral matter is dispersed, and when the pressure is released, the coal portion of the deagglomerated gas-saturated water mixture reagglomerates, with the small bubbles now coming out of the solution. The reagglomerate can then be separated to provide purified coal fines without the mineral matter.

Defect generation/passivation by low energy hydrogen implant for silicon solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sopori, B.L.; Zhou, T.Q.; Rozgonyi, G.A.

1990-01-01

Low energy ion implant is shown to produce defects in silicon. These defects include surface damage, hydrogen agglomeration, formation of platelets with (111) habit plane and decoration of dislocations. Hydrogen also produces an inversion type of surface on boron doped silicon. These effects indicate that a preferred approach for passivation is to incorporate hydrogen from the back side of the cell. A backside H + implant technique is described. The results show that degree of passivation differs for various devices. A comparison of the defect structures of hydrogenated devices indicates that the structure and the distribution of defects in the bulk of the material plays a significant role in determining the degree of passivation

Free gold recovery by coal-oil agglomeration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kotze, W.; Petersen, F.W. [Cape Technikon Cape Town (South Africa). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

2000-02-01

The gold mining industry has mainly relied upon the use of highly polluting chemicals, such as mercury and cyanide to recover gold from its ores. The Coal Gold Agglomeration (CGA) process was developed some years ago and has the advantage in that gold is recovered by a procedure which has little or no negative impact on the environment. A gold ore containing liberated gold particles is contacted with coal-oil agglomerates, whereby the gold is recovered into the coal/oil phase. Laboratory scale batch tests were performed on an artificial mixture gold slurry and gold recoveries of up to 85% were found under optimized conditions. By recycling the coal/oil phase, it was found that the gold loading onto the agglomerates was increased. Tests performed on an industrial ore yielded slightly lower gold recoveries, and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis on the coal/oil phase showed that minerals other than gold were recovered into this phase. A comparative study was conducted whereby the CGA process was compared to mercury amalgamation. Gold recoveries obtained through amalgamation were 15% lower than by the agglomeration process, which indicates that this process can be considered favourably as an alternative to amalgamation. 16 refs., 2 figs., 6 tabs.

Large-Scale Molecular Simulations on the Mechanical Response and Failure Behavior of a defective Graphene: Cases of 5-8-5 Defects

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shuaiwei; Yang, Baocheng; Yuan, Jinyun; Si, Yubing; Chen, Houyang

2015-10-01

Understanding the effect of defects on mechanical responses and failure behaviors of a graphene membrane is important for its applications. As examples, in this paper, a family of graphene with various 5-8-5 defects are designed and their mechanical responses are investigated by employing molecular dynamics simulations. The dependence of fracture strength and strain as well as Young’s moduli on the nearest neighbor distance and defect types is examined. By introducing the 5-8-5 defects into graphene, the fracture strength and strain become smaller. However, the Young’s moduli of DL (Linear arrangement of repeat unit 5-8-5 defect along zigzag-direction of graphene), DS (a Slope angle between repeat unit 5-8-5 defect and zigzag direction of graphene) and DZ (Zigzag-like 5-8-5 defects) defects in the zigzag direction become larger than those in the pristine graphene in the same direction. A maximum increase of 11.8% of Young’s modulus is obtained. Furthermore, the brittle cracking mechanism is proposed for the graphene with 5-8-5 defects. The present work may provide insights in controlling the mechanical properties by preparing defects in the graphene, and give a full picture for the applications of graphene with defects in flexible electronics and nanodevices.

Visualization of acoustic particle interaction and agglomeration: Theory evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffmann, T.L.; Koopmann, G.H.

1997-01-01

In this paper experimentally observed trajectories of particles undergoing acoustically induced interaction and agglomeration processes are compared to and validated with numerically generated trajectories based on existing agglomeration theories. Models for orthokinetic, scattering, mutual radiation pressure, and hydrodynamic particle interaction are considered in the analysis. The characteristic features of the classical orthokinetic agglomeration hypothesis, such as collision processes and agglomerations due to the relative entrainment motion, are not observed in the digital images. The measured entrainment rates of the particles are found to be consistently lower than the theoretically predicted values. Some of the experiments reveal certain characteristics which may possibly be related to mutual scattering interaction. The study's most significant discovery is the so-called tuning fork agglomeration [T. L. Hoffmann and G. H. Koopmann, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 99, 2130 endash 2141 (1996)]. It is shown that this phenomenon contradicts the theories for mutual scattering interaction and mutual radiation pressure interaction, but agrees with the acoustic wake effect model in its intrinsic feature of attraction between particles aligned along the acoustic axis. A model by Dianov et al. [Sov. Phys. Acoust. 13 (3), 314 endash 319 (1968)] is used to describe this effect based on asymmetric flow fields around particles under Oseen flow conditions. It is concluded that this model is consistent with the general characteristics of the tuning fork agglomerations, but lacks certain refinements with respect to accurate quantification of the effect. copyright 1997 Acoustical Society of America

Advanced physical fine coal cleaning spherical agglomeration. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1990-09-01

The project included process development, engineering, construction, and operation of a 1/3 tph proof-of-concept (POC) spherical agglomeration test module. The POC tests demonstrated that physical cleaning of ultrafine coal by agglomeration using heptane can achieve: (1) Pyritic sulfur reductions beyond that possible with conventional coal cleaning methods; (2) coal ash contents below those which can be obtained by conventional coal cleaning methods at comparable energy recoveries; (3) energy recoveries of 80 percent or greater measured against the raw coal energy content; (4) complete recovery of the heptane bridging liquid from the agglomerates; and (5) production of agglomerates with 3/8-inch size and less than 30 percent moisture. Test results met or exceeded all of the program objectives. Nominal 3/8-inch size agglomerates with less than 20 percent moisture were produced. The clean coal ash content varied between 1.5 to 5.5 percent by weight (dry basis) depending on feed coal type. Ash reductions of the run-of-mine (ROM) coal were 77 to 83 percent. ROM pyritic sulfur reductions varied from 86 to 90 percent for the three test coals, equating to total sulfur reductions of 47 to 72 percent.

Fluid Bed Coating and agglomeration: Scale-up and process optimisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hede, Peter Dybdahl

2009-01-01

gradvist dannes et coatingslag på hver partikeloverflade. De fluidiserede partikler kan vokse i størrelse enten pga. overfladecoating eller pga. partikel-partikel agglomerering. Agglomerering opstår, når våde væskebroer dannes mellem kolliderende partikler. Hvis denne væskebro er stærk nok til at modstå...... efterfølgende partikelseparation, vil væskebroen størkne og et permanent agglomerat hermed være dannet. I coatingsprocesser er agglomerering typisk uønsket, og en række andre problemer i processen inkluderer spraytørringstab af de forstøvede væskedråber, slitage og brud af partikler og af coatingslaget......; agglomererings-tendens under coating og slagstyrke af de færdige granulater. Den udledte agglomererings-model indikerer faldende agglomereringstendens med stigende tørstofindhold af coatings-opløsningen såvel som med stigende dysetryk af atomiseringsluften. Tilsvarende indikerer slagstyrkemodellen stigende...

Development of systematic models for aerosol agglomeration and spray removal under severe accident conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kajimoto, Mitsuhiro

2008-01-01

Radionuclide behavior during various severe accident conditions has been addressed as one of the important issues to discuss environmental safety in nuclear power plants. The present paper deals with the development of analytical models and their validations for the agglomeration of multiple-component aerosol and spray removal that controls source terms to the environment of both aerosols and gaseous radionuclides during recirculation mode operation in a containment system for a light water reactor. As for aerosol agglomeration, the single collision kernel model that can cover all types of two-body collision of aerosol was developed. In addition, the dynamic model that can treat aerosol and vapor transfer leading to the equilibrium condition under the containment spray operation was developed. The validations of the present models for multiple-component aerosol growth by agglomeration were performed by comparisons with Nuclear Safety Pilot Plant (NSPP) experiments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and AB experiments at Hanford Engineering National Laboratory (HEDL). In addition, the spray removal models were applied to the analysis of containment spray experiment (CSE) at HEDL. The results calculated by the models showed good agreements with experimental results. (author)

Proceedings, volume 20, The Institute for Briquetting and Agglomeration, September 1987

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roth, D.L. (ed.)

1988-01-01

32 papers are presented covering aspects of briquetting, pelletizing and agglomeration of various materials, including coal, plastics, flue gas gypsum and fertilizers. Papers on coal included the start-up of the Petrofina coal briquetting plant (UK), coal and refuse agglomeration by extrusion, coal dust reduction, agglomeration of Brazilian coal fines, use of coal and briquetting in ancient Chinese metallurgy, cooking briquettes from lignites in developing nations, use of coal-dolomite pellets to eliminate sulphur emissions, extruded coal capsule flow characteristics, and oil agglomeration as a catalyst loading method in coal liquefaction.

Behavior of duplex stainless steel casting defects under mechanical loadings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jayet-Gendrot, S.; Gilles, P.

2000-01-01

Several components in the primary circuit of pressurized water reactors are made of cast duplex stainless steels. This material contains small casting defects, mainly shrinkage cavities, due to the manufacturing process. In safety analyses, the structural integrity of the components is studied under the most severe assumptions: presence of a large defect, accidental loadings and end-of-life material properties accounting for its thermal aging embrittlement at the service temperature. The casting defects are idealized as semi-circular surface cracks or notches that have envelope dimensions. In order to assess the real severity of the casting defects under mechanical loadings, an experimental program was carried out. It consisted of testing, under both cyclic and monotonic solicitations, three-point bend specimens containing either a natural defect (in the form of a localized cluster of cavities) or a machined notch having the dimensions of the cluster's envelope. The results show that shrinkage cavities are far less harmful than envelope notches thanks to the metal bridges between cavities. Under fatigue loadings, the generalized initiation of a cluster of cavities (defined when the cluster becomes a crack of the same global size) is reached for a number of cycles that is much higher than the one leading to the initiation of a notch. In the case of monotonic loadings, specimens with casting defects offer a very high resistance to ductile tearing. The tests are analyzed in order to develop a method that takes into account the behavior of casting defects in a more realistic fashion than by an envelope crack. Various approaches are investigated, including the search of equivalent defects or of criteria based on continuum mechanics concepts, and compared with literature data. This study shows the conservatism of current safety analyses in modeling casting defects by envelope semi-elliptical cracks and contributes to the development of alternative approaches. (orig.)

Agglomeration Control during Ultrasonic Crystallization of an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bjorn Gielen

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Application of ultrasound during crystallization can efficiently inhibit agglomeration. However, the mechanism is unclear and sonication is usually enabled throughout the entire process, which increases the energy demand. Additionally, improper operation results in significant crystal damage. Therefore, the present work addresses these issues by identifying the stage in which sonication impacts agglomeration without eroding the crystals. This study was performed using a commercially available API that showed a high tendency to agglomerate during seeded crystallization. The crystallization progress was monitored using process analytical tools (PAT, including focus beam reflectance measurements (FBRM to track to crystal size and number and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR to quantify the supersaturation level. These tools provided insight in the mechanism by which ultrasound inhibits agglomeration. A combination of improved micromixing, fast crystal formation which accelerates depletion of the supersaturation and a higher collision frequency prevent crystal cementation to occur. The use of ultrasound as a post-treatment can break some of the agglomerates, but resulted in fractured crystals. Alternatively, sonication during the initial seeding stage could assist in generating nuclei and prevent agglomeration, provided that ultrasound was enabled until complete desupersaturation at the seeding temperature. FTIR and FBRM can be used to determine this end point.

Microstickies agglomeration by electric field.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Xiaotang Tony; Hsieh, Jeffery S

2016-01-01

Microstickies deposits on both paper machine and paper products when it agglomerates under step change in ionic strength, pH, temperature and chemical additives. These stickies increase the down time of the paper mill and decrease the quality of paper. The key property of microstickies is its smaller size, which leads to low removal efficiency and difficulties in measurement. Thus the increase of microstickies size help improve both removal efficiency and reduce measurement difficulty. In this paper, a new agglomeration technology based on electric field was investigated. The electric treatment could also increase the size of stickies particles by around 100 times. The synergetic effect between electric field treatment and detacky chemicals/dispersants, including polyvinyl alcohol, poly(diallylmethylammonium chloride) and lignosulfonate, was also studied.

Agglomerate behaviour of fluticasone propionate within dry powder inhaler formulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Le, V N P; Robins, E; Flament, M P

2012-04-01

Due to their small size, the respirable drug particles tend to form agglomerates which prevent flowing and aerosolisation. A carrier is used to be mixed with drug in one hand to facilitate the powder flow during manufacturing, in other hand to help the fluidisation upon patient inhalation. Depending on drug concentration, drug agglomerates can be formed in the mixture. The aim of this work was to study the agglomeration behaviour of fluticasone propionate (FP) within interactive mixtures for inhalation. The agglomerate phenomenon of fluticasone propionate after mixing with different fractions of lactose without fine particles of lactose (smaller than 32 μm) was demonstrated by the optical microscopy observation. A technique measuring the FP size in the mixture was developed, based on laser diffraction method. The FP agglomerate sizes were found to be in a linear correlation with the pore size of the carrier powder bed (R(2)=0.9382). The latter depends on the particle size distribution of carrier. This founding can explain the role of carrier size in de-agglomeration of drug particles in the mixture. Furthermore, it gives more structural information of interactive mixture for inhalation that can be used in the investigation of aerosolisation mechanism of powder. According to the manufacturing history, different batches of FP show different agglomeration intensities which can be detected by Spraytec, a new laser diffraction method for measuring aerodynamic size. After mixing with a carrier, Lactohale LH200, the most cohesive batch of FP, generates a lower fine particle fraction. It can be explained by the fact that agglomerates of fluticasone propionate with very large size was detected in the mixtures. By using silica-gel beads as ball-milling agent during the mixing process, the FP agglomerate size decreases accordingly to the quantity of mixing aid. The homogeneity and the aerodynamic performance of the mixtures are improved. The mixing aid based on ball

The Physics of Protoplanetesimal Dust Agglomerates. VIII. Microgravity Collisions between Porous SiO{sub 2} Aggregates and Loosely Bound Agglomerates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whizin, Akbar D.; Colwell, Joshua E. [Dept. of Physics, Center for Microgravity Research, University of Central Florida, 4111 Libra Drive, Orlando, FL 32816 (United States); Blum, Jürgen, E-mail: Akbar.Whizin@ucf.edu [Institut für Geophysik und extraterrestrische Physik, University of Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 3, D-38106 Braunschweig (Germany)

2017-02-10

We performed laboratory experiments colliding 0.8–1.0 mm and 1.0–1.6 mm SiO{sub 2} dust aggregates with loosely bound centimeter-sized agglomerates of those aggregates in microgravity. This work builds on previous microgravity laboratory experiments examining the collisional properties of porous loosely bound dust aggregates. In centimeter-sized aggregates, surface forces dominate self-gravity and may play a large role in aggregate growth beyond this size range. We characterize the properties of protoplanetary aggregate analogs to help place constraints on initial formation mechanisms and environments. We determined several important physical characteristics of these aggregates in a large number of low-velocity collisions. We observed low coefficients of restitution and fragmentation thresholds near 1 m s{sup −1} for 1–2 cm agglomerates, which are in good agreement with previous findings in the literature. We find the accretion efficiency for agglomerates of loosely bound aggregates to be higher than that for just aggregates themselves. We find sticking thresholds of 6.6 ± 2 cm s{sup −1}, somewhat higher than those in similar studies, which have observed few aggregates stick at speeds of under 3 cm s{sup −1}. Even with highly dissipative collisions, loosely bound agglomerates have difficulty accreting beyond centimeter-sized bodies at typical collision speeds in the disk. Our results indicate agglomerates of porous aggregates have slightly higher sticking thresholds than previously thought, allowing possible growth to decimeter-sized bodies if velocities are low enough.

Numerical study of agglomerate abrasion in a tumbling mixer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thanh Nguyen, [No Value; Willemsz, Tofan; Frijlink, Henderik; Maarschalk, Kees van der Voort

2014-01-01

A numerical simulation using the Discrete Element Method (DEM) was performed to investigate the phenomena concerning the abrasion and breakage of agglomerates in a diffusion powder mixer. Agglomerates were created by defining a single structure of particles with bonds of different strengths using

Hotel Performance and Agglomeration of Tourist Districts

OpenAIRE

Marco-Lajara, Bartolomé; Claver Cortés, Enrique; Úbeda García, Mercedes; Zaragoza Sáez, Patrocinio del Carmen

2014-01-01

This paper measures the impact on profitability of the geographical area where the vacation hotels of the Spanish Mediterranean are situated. It places a special emphasis on analysing the tourist districts existing in this coastal Spanish area and the extent to which the degree of business agglomeration at each destination affects hotel profit. Due to the characteristics of the service sector, and after a revision of the agglomeration literature, a ‘U’-shaped relationship is hypothesized betw...

Experimental study of acoustic agglomeration and fragmentation on coal-fired ash

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Guoqing; Huang, Xiaoyu; He, Chunlong; Zhang, Shiping; An, Liansuo; Wang, Liang; Chen, Yanqiao; Li, Yongsheng

2018-02-01

As the major part of air pollution, inhalable particles, especially fine particles are doing great harm to human body due to smaller particle size and absorption of hazardous components. However, the removal efficiency of current particles filtering devices is low. Acoustic agglomeration is considered as a very effective pretreatment technique for removing particles. Fine particles collide, agglomerate and grow up in the sound field and the fine particles can be removed by conventional particles devices easily. In this paper, the agglomeration and fragmentation of 3 different kinds of particles with different size distributions are studied experimentally in the sound field. It is found that there exists an optimal frequency at 1200 Hz for different particles. The agglomeration efficiency of inhalable particles increases with SPL increasing for the unimodal particles with particle diameter less than 10 μm. For the bimodal particles, the optimal SPLs are 115 and 120 dB with the agglomeration efficiencies of 25% and 55%. A considerable effectiveness of agglomeration could only be obtained in a narrow SPL range and it decreases significantly over the range for the particles fragmentation.

Kinetic energy density and agglomerate abrasion rate during blending of agglomerates into powders

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Willemsz, T.A.; Hooijmaijers, R.; Rubingh, C.M.; Tran, T.N.; Frijlink, H.W.; Vromans, H.; Maarschalk, K.V.D.V.

2012-01-01

Problems related to the blending of a cohesive powder with a free flowing bulk powder are frequently encountered in the pharmaceutical industry. The cohesive powder often forms lumps or agglomerates which are not dispersed during the mixing process and are therefore detrimental to blend uniformity.

Coating and melt induced agglomeration in a poultry litter fired fluidized bed combustor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billen, Pieter; Creemers, Benji; Costa, José; Van Caneghem, Jo; Vandecasteele, Carlo

2014-01-01

The combustion of poultry litter, which is rich in phosphorus, in a fluidized bed combustor (FBC) is associated with agglomeration problems, which can lead to bed defluidization and consequent shutdown of the installation. Whereas earlier research indicated coating induced agglomeration as the dominant mechanism for bed material agglomeration, it is shown experimentally in this paper that both coating and melt induced agglomeration occur. Coating induced agglomeration mainly takes place at the walls of the FBC, in the freeboard above the fluidized bed, where at the prevailing temperature the bed particles are partially molten and hence agglomerate. In the ash, P 2 O 5 forms together with CaO thermodynamically stable Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 , thus reducing the amount of calcium silicates in the ash. This results in K/Ca silicate mixtures with lower melting points. On the other hand, in-bed agglomeration is caused by thermodynamically unstable, low melting HPO 4 2− and H 2 PO 4 − salts present in the fuel. In the hot FBC these salts may melt, may cause bed particles to stick together and may subsequently react with Ca salts from the bed ash, forming a solid bridge of the stable Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 between multiple particles. - Highlights: • Coating induced agglomeration not due to K phosphates, but due to K silicates. • Melt induced agglomeration due to H 2 PO 4 − and HPO 4 2− salts in the fuel. • Wall agglomeration corresponds to coating induced mechanism. • In-bed agglomeration corresponds to melt induced mechanism

Rapid characterization of agglomerate aerosols by in situ mass-mobility measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheckman, Jacob H; McMurry, Peter H; Pratsinis, Sotiris E

2009-07-21

Transport and physical/chemical properties of nanoparticle agglomerates depend on primary particle size and agglomerate structure (size, fractal dimension, and dynamic shape factor). This research reports on in situ techniques for measuring such properties. Nanoparticle agglomerates of silica were generated by oxidizing hexamethyldisiloxane in a methane/oxygen diffusion flame. Upon leaving the flame, agglomerates of known electrical mobility size were selected with a differential mobility analyzer (DMA), and their mass was measured with an aerosol particle mass analyzer (APM), resulting in their mass fractal dimension, D(f), and dynamic shape factor, chi. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM) images were used to determine primary particle diameter and to qualitatively investigate agglomerate morphology. The DMA-APM measurements were reproducible within 5%, as determined by multiple measurements on different days under the same flame conditions. The effects of flame process variables (oxygen flow rate and mass production rate) on particle characteristics (D(f), and chi) were determined. All generated particles were fractal-like agglomerates with average primary particle diameters of 12-93 nm and D(f) = 1.7-2.4. Increasing the oxygen flow rate decreased primary particle size and D(f), while it increased chi. Increasing the production rate increased the agglomerate and primary particle sizes, and decreased chi without affecting D(f). The effects of oxygen flow rate and particle production rate on primary particle size reported here are in agreement with ex situ measurements in the literature, while the effect of process variables on agglomerate shape (chi) is demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge.

Generation of nanoparticle agglomerates and their dispersion in lung serum simulant or water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, B A; Moss, O R; Nash, D G

2009-01-01

Nanoparticles released into the atmosphere, due to their high diffusivity, will likely begin to agglomerate. The state of agglomeration upon inhalation and the potential to disperse back into nanoparticles may affect the toxicity of the inhaled material. In order to investigate particle dispersion, a system was set up to generate aggregates from agglomerates. Primary particles, composed of zinc, were generated using zinc rods in a spark generator (Palas GFG-1000, Karlsrhue, Germany). These particles formed agglomerates which were passed through a room temperature aging chamber or through a tube furnace (Carbolite HST, Derbyshire, UK). Agglomerate size was measured with a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS model 3936, TSI Inc., Shoreview, MN). When furnace temperature was set near the zinc coalescence temperature, instead of decreasing in size, agglomerate size increased up to 30%; a percentage increase duplicated with the room temperature aging chamber. Starting with an aerosol of primary zinc particles, equal concentrations of agglomerate and aggregrate aerosol were produced. The extent of breakup and dispersion of agglomerates and aggregates to individual nanoparticles in lung serum simulant will be assessed using transmission electron microscopy.

Urban agglomerations and transformations of medium-sized towns in Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Runge Anna

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This analysis investigates medium-sized towns in Poland, i.e. those with a population between 20–100 thousand, located up to 100 km away from the main city of the agglomeration. The aim of this article is to compare the level of socio-economic development of Polish towns depending on their location in relation to the main city in the largest agglomerations in 1998 and 2013. Three zones of distance from the main city of each agglomeration have been taken into consideration: a. the inner zone, reaching up to 25 km from the main city; b. the outer zone located at a distance of 25 to 50 km from the main city, and c. the peripheral zone, located at a distance of 50 to 100 km from the main city and including the medium-size towns located outside the agglomeration system. This analysis of the distribution of medium-sized towns and their level of socio-economic development has shown various levels of changes which depend on the distance from the main city of the agglomeration. In 1998, the highest level of development of the medium-sized towns was recorded in towns outside of these agglomeration systems, i.e. those located most remotely from the main city (peripheral zone. Most of the medium-sized towns are situated at a distance of 50–100 km from Warszawa, Kraków, Łódź, Lublin, Gdańsk and have developed their own local, or even regional labour markets and some of them have even provided administrative functions in the past as voivodeship capitals. Only in the Poznań agglomeration, the level of development of medium-sized towns was higher in the immediate surroundings of the main city (25 km. The medium-sized towns in all zones of the distance from the main city in the Wrocław agglomeration represented a similar level of development. By 2013, the level of development of the medium-sized towns in the peripheral zone in all investigated settlement systems had decreased, with a significant improvement in the level of development of the towns in

Investigation of melt agglomeration process with a hydrophobic binder in combination with sucrose stearate.

Science.gov (United States)

Heng, Paul Wan Sia; Wong, Tin Wui; Cheong, Wai See

2003-08-01

The melt agglomeration process of lactose powder with hydrogenated cottonseed oil (HCO) as the hydrophobic meltable binder was investigated by studying the physicochemical properties of molten HCO modified by sucrose stearates S170, S770 and S1570. The size, size distribution, micromeritic and adhesion properties of agglomerates as well as surface tension, contact angle, viscosity and specific volume of molten HCO, with and without sucrose stearates, were examined. The viscosity, specific volume and surface tension of molten HCO were found to be modified to varying extents by sucrose stearates which are available in different HLB values and melt properties. The growth of melt agglomerates was promoted predominantly by an increase in viscosity, an increase in specific volume or a decrease in surface tension of the molten binding liquid. The agglomerate growth propensity was higher with an increase in inter-particulate binding strength, agglomerate surface wetness and extent of agglomerate consolidation which enhanced the liquid migration from agglomerate core to periphery leading to an increased surface plasticity for coalescence. The inclusion of high concentrations of completely meltable sucrose stearate S170 greatly induced the growth of agglomerates through increased specific volume and viscosity of the molten binding liquid. On the other hand, the inclusion of incompletely meltable sucrose stearates S770 and S1570 promoted the agglomeration mainly via the reduction in surface tension of the molten binding liquid with declining agglomerate growth propensity at high sucrose stearate concentrations. In addition to being an agglomeration modifier, sucrose stearate demonstrated anti-adherent property in melt agglomeration process. The properties of molten HCO and melt agglomerates were dependent on the type and concentration of sucrose stearate added.

One-step aerosol synthesis of nanoparticle agglomerate films: simulation of film porosity and thickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maedler, Lutz; Lall, Anshuman A; Friedlander, Sheldon K

2006-01-01

A method is described for designing nanoparticle agglomerate films with desired film porosity and film thickness. Nanoparticle agglomerates generated in aerosol reactors can be directly deposited on substrates to form uniform porous films in one step, a significant advance over existing technologies. The effect of agglomerate morphology and deposition mechanism on film porosity and thickness are discussed. Film porosity was calculated for a given number and size of primary particles that compose the agglomerates, and fractal dimension. Agglomerate transport was described by the Langevin equation of motion. Deposition enhancing forces such as thermophoresis are incorporated in the model. The method was validated for single spherical particles using previous theoretical studies. An S-shape film porosity dependence on the particle Peclet number typical for spherical particles was also observed for agglomerates, but films formed from agglomerates had much higher porosities than films from spherical particles. Predicted film porosities compared well with measurements reported in the literature. Film porosities increased with the number of primary particles that compose an agglomerate and higher fractal dimension agglomerates resulted in denser films. Film thickness as a function of agglomerate deposition time was calculated from the agglomerate deposition flux in the presence of thermophoresis. The calculated film thickness was in good agreement with measured literature values. Thermophoresis can be used to reduce deposition time without affecting the film porosity

Agglomeration of amorphous silicon film with high energy density excimer laser irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Ming; Ishihara, Ryoichi; Metselaar, Wim; Beenakker, Kees

2007-01-01

In this paper, agglomeration phenomena of amorphous Si (α-Si) films due to high energy density excimer laser irradiation are systematically investigated. The agglomeration, which creates holes or breaks the continuous Si film up into spherical beads, is a type of serious damage. Therefore, it determines an upper energy limit for excimer laser crystallization. It is speculated that the agglomeration is caused by the boiling of molten Si. During this process, outbursts of heterogeneously nucleated vapor bubbles are promoted by the poor wetting property of molten silicon on the SiO 2 layer underneath. The onset of the agglomeration is defined by extrapolating the hole density as a function of the energy density of the laser pulse. A SiO 2 capping layer (CL) is introduced on top of the α-Si film to investigate its influence on the agglomeration. It is found that effects of the CL depend on its thickness. The CL with a thickness less than 300 nm can be used to suppress the agglomeration. A thin CL acts as a confining layer and puts a constraint on bubble burst, and hence suppresses the agglomeration

A phenomenological model for improving understanding of the ammonium nitrate agglomeration process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Videla Leiva Alvaro

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Ammonium nitrate is intensively used as explosive in the mining industry as the main component of ANFO. The ammonium nitrate is known to be a strong hygroscopic crystal matter which generates problems due to the creation of water bridges between crystals leading later to nucleation and crystallization forming an agglomerated solid cake. The agglomeration process damages the ammonium nitrate performance and is undesirable. Usually either organic or inorganic coatings are used to control agglomeration. In the present work a characterization method of humidity adsorption of the ammonium nitrate crystal was performed under laboratory conditions. Several samples were exposed into a defined humidity in a controlled chamber during 5 hours after which the samples were tested to measure agglomeration as the resistance force to compression. A clear relation was found between coating protection level, humidity and agglomeration. Agglomeration can be then predicted by a phenomenological model based of combination of the mono-layer BET adsorption and CNT nucleation models.

Magnetic Thermometer: Thermal effect on the Agglomeration of Magnetic Nanoparticles by Magnetic field

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Daeseong; Kim, Hackjin

2018-03-01

We have investigated the agglomeration of magnetite nanoparticles in the aqueous solution under magnetic field by measuring temporal change of magnetic weight. The magnetic weight corresponds to the force due to the magnetization of magnetic materials. Superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles are synthesized and used in this work. When the aqueous solution of magnetite nanoparticle is placed under magnetic field, the magnetic weight of the sample jumps instantaneously by Neel and Brown mechanisms and thereafter increases steadily following a stretched exponential function as the nanoparticles agglomerate, which results from the distribution of energy barriers involved in the dynamics. Thermal motions of nanoparticles in the agglomerate perturb the ordered structure of the agglomerate to reduce the magnetic weight. Fluctuation of the structural order of the agglomerate by temperature change is much faster than the formation of agglomerate and explained well with the Boltzmann distribution, which suggests that the magnetic weight of the agglomerate works as a magnetic thermometer.

Preparation of sustained release matrix pellets by melt agglomeration in the fluidized bed: influence of formulation variables and modelling of agglomerate growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Pauli-Bruns, Anette; Knop, Klaus; Lippold, Bernhard C

2010-03-01

The one-step preparation of sustained release matrix pellets, using a melting procedure in a fluidized bed apparatus, was tested in a 2(3) full factorial design of experiments, using microcrystalline wax as lipophilic binder, theophylline as model drug and talc as additional matrix forming agent. The three influence parameters were (A) size of binder particles, (B) fraction of theophylline in solid particles and (C) fraction of microcrystalline wax in formulation. The response variables were agglomerate size and size distribution, dissolution time, agglomerate crush resistance, sphericity, yield and porosity. Nearly spherical pellets comprising a smooth, closed surface could be obtained with the used method, exhibiting the hollow core typical for the immersion and layering mechanism. The reproducibility was very good concerning all responses. The size of agglomerates is proportional to the size of the binder particles, which serve as cores for pellet formation in the molten state in the fluidized bed. Additionally, the agglomerate size is influenced by the volume of the solid particles in relation to the binder particles, with more solid particles leading to larger agglomerates and vice versa. Dissolution times vary in a very wide range, resulting from the interplay between amount of drug in relation to the meltable matrix substance microcrystalline wax and the non-meltable matrix substance talc. The change of binder particle size does not lead to a structural change of the matrix; both dissolution times and porosity are not significantly altered. Agglomerate crush resistance is low due to the hollow core of the pellets. However, it is significantly increased if the volume fraction of microcrystalline wax in the matrix is high, which means that the matrix is mechanically better stabilized. A theoretical model has been established to quantitatively explain agglomerate growth and very good accordance of the full particle size distributions between predicted and

Effect of annealing on microstructure evolution in CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB heterostructures by positron annihilation

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Chong-Jun; Lu, Xiang-An; Zhao, Zhi-Duo; Li, Ming-Hua; Zhang, Peng; Wang, Bao-Yi; Cao, Xing-Zhong; Zhang, Jing-Yan; Yu, Guang-Hua

2013-09-01

As one of the most powerful tools for investigation of defects of materials, positron annihilation spectroscopy was employed to explore the thermal effects on the film microstructure evolution in CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB heterostructures. It is found that high annealing temperature can drive vacancy defects agglomeration and ordering acceleration in the MgO barrier. Meanwhile, another important type of defects, vacancy clusters, which are formed via the agglomeration of vacancy defects in the MgO barrier after annealing, still exists inside the MgO barrier. All these behaviors in the MgO barrier could potentially impact the overall performance in MgO based magnetic tunnel junctions.

Dynamic forces on agglomerated particles caused by high-intensity ultrasound.

Science.gov (United States)

Knoop, Claas; Fritsching, Udo

2014-03-01

In this paper the acoustic forces on particles and agglomerates caused by high-intensity ultrasound in gaseous atmosphere are derived by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Sound induced forces cause an oscillating stress scenario where the primary particles of an agglomerate are alternatingly pressed together and torn apart with the frequency of the applied wave. A comparison of the calculated acoustic forces with respect to the inter particle adhesion forces from Van-der-Waals and liquid bridge interactions reveals that the separation forces may reach the same order of magnitude for 80 μm sized SiO2-particles. Hence, with finite probability acoustically agitated gases may de-agglomerate/disperse solid agglomerate structures. This effect is confirmed by dispersion experiments in an acoustic particle levitation setup. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Encapsulation of hazardous wastes into agglomerates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guloy, A.

1992-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using the cementitious properties and agglomeration characteristics of coal conversion byproducts to encapsulate and immobilize hazardous waste materials. The intention was to establish an economical way of co-utilization and co-disposal of wastes. In addition, it may aid in the eradication of air pollution problems associated with the fine-powdery nature of fly ash. Encapsulation into agglomerates is a novel approach of treating toxic waste. Although encapsulation itself is not a new concept, existing methods employ high-cost resins that render them economically unfeasible. In this investigation, the toxic waste was contained in a concrete-like matrix whereby fly ash and other cementitious waste materials were utilized. The method incorporates the principles of solidification, stabilization and agglomeration. Another aspect of the study is the evaluation of the agglomeration as possible lightweight aggregates. Since fly ash is commercially used as an aggregate, it would be interesting to study the effect of incorporating toxic wastes in the strength development of the granules. In the investigation, the fly ash self-cementation process was applied to electroplating sludges as the toxic waste. The process hoped to provide a basis for delisting of the waste as hazardous and, thereby greatly minimize the cost of its disposal. Owing to the stringent regulatory requirements for hauling and disposal of hazardous waste, the cost of disposal is significant. The current practice for disposal is solidifying the waste with portland cement and dumping the hardened material in the landfill where the cost varies between $700--950/ton. Partially replacing portland cement with fly ash in concrete has proven beneficial, therefore applying the same principles in the treatment of toxic waste looked very promising

Effect of Pu-rich agglomerate in MOX fuel on a lattice calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawashima, Katsuyuki; Yamamoto, Toru; Namekawa, Masakazu

2007-01-01

The effect of Pu-rich agglomerates in U-Pu mixed oxide (MOX) fuel on a lattice calculation has been demonstrated. The Pu-rich agglomerate parameters are defined based on the measurement data of MIMAS-MOX and the focus is on the highly enriched MOX fuel in accordance with increased burnup resulting in a higher volume fraction of the Pu-rich agglomerates. The lattice calculations with a heterogeneous fuel model and a homogeneous fuel model are performed simulating the PWR 17x17 fuel assembly. The heterogeneous model individually treats the Pu-rich agglomerate and U-Pu matrix, whereas the homogeneous model homogenizes the compositions within the fuel pellet. A continuous-energy Monte Carlo burnup code, MVP-BURN, is used for burnup calculations up to 70 GWd/t. A statistical geometry model is applied in modeling a large number of Pu-rich agglomerates assuming that they are distributed randomly within the MOX fuel pellet. The calculated nuclear characteristics include k-inf, Pu isotopic compositions, power density and burnup of the Pu-rich agglomerates, as well as the pellet-averaged Pu compositions as a function of burnup. It is shown that the effect of Pu-rich agglomerates on the lattice calculation is negligibly small. (author)

Water droplet spreading and recoiling upon contact with thick-compact maltodextrin agglomerates.

Science.gov (United States)

Meraz-Torres, Lesvia Sofía; Quintanilla-Carvajal, María Ximena; Téllez-Medina, Darío I; Hernández-Sánchez, Humberto; Alamilla-Beltrán, Liliana; Gutiérrez-López, Gustavo F

2011-11-01

The food and pharmaceutical industries handle a number of compounds in the form of agglomerates which must be put into contact with water for rehydration purposes. In this work, liquid-solid interaction between water and maltodextrin thick-compact agglomerates was studied at different constituent particle sizes for two compression forces (75 and 225 MPa). Rapid droplet spreading was observed which was similar in radius to the expected one for ideal, flat surfaces. Contact angle determinations reported oscillations of this parameter throughout the experiments, being indicative of droplet recoiling on top of the agglomerate. Recoiling was more frequent in samples obtained at 225 MPa for agglomerate formation. Agglomerates obtained at 75 MPa exhibited more penetration of the water. Competition between dissolution of maltodextrin and penetration of the water was, probably, the main mechanism involved in droplet recoiling. Micrographs of the wetting marks were characterized by means of image analysis and the measurements suggested more symmetry of the wetting mark at higher compression force. Differences found in the evaluated parameters for agglomerates were mainly due to compaction force used. No significant effect of particle size in recoiling, penetration of water into the agglomerate, surface texture and symmetry was observed. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Coagulation-agglomeration of fractal-like particles: structure and self-preserving size distribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Goudeli, Eirini; Eggersdorfer, Maximilian L; Pratsinis, Sotiris E

2015-02-03

Agglomeration occurs in environmental and industrial processes, especially at low temperatures where particle sintering or coalescence is rather slow. Here, the growth and structure of particles undergoing agglomeration (coagulation in the absence of coalescence, condensation, or surface growth) are investigated from the free molecular to the continuum regime by discrete element modeling (DEM). Particles coagulating in the free molecular regime follow ballistic trajectories described by an event-driven method, whereas in the near-continuum (gas-slip) and continuum regimes, Langevin dynamics describe their diffusive motion. Agglomerates containing about 10-30 primary particles, on the average, attain their asymptotic fractal dimension, D(f), of 1.91 or 1.78 by ballistic or diffusion-limited cluster-cluster agglomeration, corresponding to coagulation in the free molecular or continuum regimes, respectively. A correlation is proposed for the asymptotic evolution of agglomerate D(f) as a function of the average number of constituent primary particles, n̅(p). Agglomerates exhibit considerably broader self-preserving size distribution (SPSD) by coagulation than spherical particles: the number-based geometric standard deviations of the SPSD agglomerate radius of gyration in the free molecular and continuum regimes are 2.27 and 1.95, respectively, compared to ∼1.45 for spheres. In the transition regime, agglomerates exhibit a quasi-SPSD whose geometric standard deviation passes through a minimum at Knudsen number Kn ≈ 0.2. In contrast, the asymptotic D(f) shifts linearly from 1.91 in the free molecular regime to 1.78 in the continuum regime. Population balance models using the radius of gyration as collision radius underestimate (up to about 80%) the small tail of the SPSD and slightly overpredict the overall agglomerate coagulation rate, as they do not account for cluster interpenetration during coagulation. In the continuum regime, when a recently developed

Quantitative characterization of nanoparticle agglomeration within biological media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hondow, Nicole; Brydson, Rik; Wang, Peiyi; Holton, Mark D.; Brown, M. Rowan; Rees, Paul; Summers, Huw D.; Brown, Andy

2012-01-01

Quantitative analysis of nanoparticle dispersion state within biological media is essential to understanding cellular uptake and the roles of diffusion, sedimentation, and endocytosis in determining nanoparticle dose. The dispersion of polymer-coated CdTe/ZnS quantum dots in water and cell growth medium with and without fetal bovine serum was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques. Characterization by TEM of samples prepared by plunge freezing the blotted solutions into liquid ethane was sensitive to the dispersion state of the quantum dots and enabled measurement of agglomerate size distributions even in the presence of serum proteins where DLS failed. In addition, TEM showed a reduced packing fraction of quantum dots per agglomerate when dispersed in biological media and serum compared to just water, highlighting the effect of interactions between the media, serum proteins, and the quantum dots. The identification of a heterogeneous distribution of quantum dots and quantum dot agglomerates in cell growth medium and serum by TEM will enable correlation with the previously reported optical metrology of in vitro cellular uptake of this quantum dot dispersion. In this paper, we present a comparative study of TEM and DLS and show that plunge-freeze TEM provides a robust assessment of nanoparticle agglomeration state.

Heat generation in agglomerated ferrite nanoparticles in an alternating magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima, E Jr; De Biasi, E; Mansilla, M Vasquez; Saleta, M E; Granada, M; Troiani, H E; Zysler, R D; Effenberger, F B; Rossi, L M; Rechenberg, H R

2013-01-01

The role of agglomeration and magnetic interparticle interactions in heat generation of magnetic ferrofluids in an ac magnetic field is still unclear, with apparent discrepancy between the results presented in the literature. In this work, we measured the heat generating capability of agglomerated ferrite nanoparticles in a non-invasive ac magnetic field with f = 100 kHz and H 0 = 13 kA m -1 . The nanoparticles were morphologically and magnetically characterized, and the specific absorption rate (SAR) for our ac magnetic field presents a clear dependence on the diameter of the nanoparticles, with a maximum SAR = 48 W g -1 for 15 nm. Our agglomerated nanoparticles have large hydrodynamic diameters, thus the mechanical relaxation can be neglected as a heat generation mechanism. Therefore, we present a model that simulates the SAR dependence of the agglomerated samples on the diameter of the nanoparticles based on the hysteresis losses that is valid for the non-linear region (with H 0 comparable to the anisotropy field). Our model takes into account the magnetic interactions among the nanoparticles in the agglomerate. For comparison, we also measured the SAR of non-agglomerated nanoparticles in a similar diameter range, in which Néel and Brown relaxations dominate the heat generation.

Business agglomeration in tourist districts and hotel performance

OpenAIRE

Marco-Lajara, Bartolomé; Claver Cortés, Enrique; Úbeda García, Mercedes

2014-01-01

Purpose – The present paper aims to analyze how the performance of hotels located on the Spanish Mediterranean coast (peninsular and Balearic) and Canary coast is affected by the degree of business agglomeration in tourist districts. If agglomeration affects hotels positively, then the externalities generated in tourist districts will be relevant when locating an establishment. Otherwise, the reason why hotels group together geographically would be more related to the suitability of beaches a...

Quantitative analysis of pigment dispersion taking into account the full agglomerate size distribution

OpenAIRE

Kiil, Søren

2017-01-01

This work concerns the development of simulation tools for mapping of pigment dispersion. Focus has been on the mechanical breakage of pigment agglomerates. The underlying physical mechanism was assumed to be surface erosion of spherical pigment agglomerates, and the full agglomerate particle size distribution was simulated. Data from previous experimental investigations with organic pigments were used for model validation.When the linear rate of agglomerate surface erosion was taken to be pr...

Positron trapping defects in free-volume investigation of Ge–Ga–S–CsCl glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klym, H.; Ingram, A.; Shpotyuk, O.; Hotra, O.; Popov, A.I.

2016-01-01

Evolution of free-volume positron trapping defects caused by crystallization process in (80GeS_2–20Ga_2S_3)_1_0_0_−_x(CsCl)_x, 0 ≤ x ≤ 15 chalcogenide-chalcohalide glasses was studied by positron annihilation lifetime technique. It is established that CsCl additives in Ge–Ga–S glassy matrix transform defect-related component spectra, indicating that the agglomeration of free-volume voids occurs in initial and crystallized (80GeS_2–20Ga_2S_3)_1_0_0_−_x(CsCl)_x, 0 ≤ x ≤ 10 glasses. Void fragmentation in (80GeS_2–20Ga_2S_3)_8_5(CsCl)_1_5 glass can be associated with loosing of their inner structure. Full crystallization in each of these glasses corresponds to the formation of defect-related voids. These trends are confirmed by positron-positronium decomposition algorithm. It is shown, that CsCl additives result in white shift in the visible regions in transmission spectra. The γ-irradiation of 80GeS_2–20Ga_2S_3 base glass leads to slight long-wavelength shift of the fundamental optical absorption edge and decreasing of transmission speaks in favor of possible formation of additional defects in glasses and their darkening. - Highlights: • CsCl additives in Ge–Ga–S glassy matrix lead to the agglomeration of voids. • Full crystallization of Ge–Ga–S–CsCl glasses corresponds to the formation of defect voids. • Gamma-irradiation of glass stimulates the creation of additional defects and darkening.

Biomass ash-bed material interactions leading to agglomeration in FBC

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Visser, H.J.M.; van Lith, Simone Cornelia; Kiel, J.H.A.

2008-01-01

-scale installations is "coating-induced" agglomeration. During reactor operation, a coating is formed on the surface of bed material grains and at certain critical conditions (e.g., coating thickness or temperature) sintering of the coatings initiates the agglomeration. In an experimental approach, this work...

Stone Dust Agglomeration for Utilizing as Building Material

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel Borowski

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In the paper we discuss the possibility of using stone dust for utilizing as building material. The tested material was amphibolite, found in the Sudeten Mountains and the Tatra Mountains in Poland. The chemical composition of dust was determined by means of spectrometry methods. Moreover, the basic physical properties of the material were designated. Stone dust was mixed with starch or cement binder. The binder addition was from 5% to 20% by weight. The water content was adjusted to about 25% humidity. The mixture was then compressed in a hydraulic press at 50 MPa. The results of the mechanical toughness of agglomerates were shown. On the basis of the results, acceptable toughness of agglomerates was found, with the addition of cement in mass share 20% and seasoning for 48 hours. However, starch was not suitable as a binder for agglomeration of amphibolite.

Agglomeration during wet milling of LAST (lead-antimony-silver-tellurium) powders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, B.D.; Case, E.D.; Ren, F.; Johnson, J.R.; Timm, E.J.

2009-01-01

LAST (lead-antimony-silver-tellurium) compounds comprise a family of semiconducting materials with good thermoelectric properties. However, the as-cast form of LAST exhibits large grain size and hence low mechanical strength. Powder processing can produce a fine powder particle size that enhances fracture strength, however the powders tend to agglomerate if the individual powder diameters are less than a few microns across. Dry milling or wet milling (hexane additions of 0 cm 3 and 10 cm 3 ) produced hard agglomerates roughly 40 μm in diameter while wet milling with hexane additions of 25 cm 3 , 30 cm 3 or 50 cm 3 resulted in small, porous agglomerates roughly 20 μm in diameter. Thus, by adjusting the amount of milling liquid used while milling LAST powders, one can shift from hard to soft agglomerates, where the literature shows that soft agglomerates are less harmful to the final, sintered product. Also, in agreement with the results from the literature on other materials, wet milling of LAST powders produced smaller particle sizes but required longer times to reach the grindability limit

Anomalous behaviors of E1/E2 deep level defects in 6H silicon carbide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, X.D.; Ling, C.C.; Gong, M.; Fung, S.; Beling, C.D.; Brauer, G.; Anwand, W.; Skorupa, W.

2005-01-01

Deep level defects E 1 /E 2 were observed in He-implanted, 0.3 and 1.7 MeV electron-irradiated n-type 6H-SiC. Similar to others' results, the behaviors of E 1 and E 2 (like the peak intensity ratio, the annealing behaviors or the introduction rates) often varied from sample to sample. This anomalous result is not expected of E 1 /E 2 being usually considered arising from the same defect located at the cubic and hexagonal sites respectively. The present study shows that this anomaly is due to another DLTS peak overlapping with the E 1 /E 2 . The activation energy and the capture cross section of this defect are E C -0.31 eV and σ∼8x10 -14 cm 2 , respectively

Crystal agglomeration of europium oxalate in reaction crystallization using double-jet semi-batch reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Woo-Sik; Kim, Woon-Soo; Kim, Kwang-Seok; Kim, Joon-Soo; Ward, Michael D.

2004-01-01

The particle agglomeration of europium oxalate was investigated in a double-jet semi-batch reactor over a wide range of operating variables, including the agitation speed, reactant feed rate, and reactant concentration. The size of the agglomerates was directly dictated by the particle collision and supersaturation promoting agglomeration and the fluid shear force inhibiting agglomeration. Thus, with a longer feeding time and higher feed concentration for the reaction crystallization, the mean particle size increased, while the corresponding total particle population decreased due to the enhanced chance of particle agglomeration, resulting from a longer residence time and higher supersaturation in the reactor. Agitation was found to exhibit a rather complicated influence on particle agglomeration. Although both particle collision and turbulent fluid shear were promoted by an increase in the mixing intensity, the crystal agglomeration of europium oxalate was maximized at around 500 rpm of agitation speed due to an optimized balance between particle aggregation and breakage

Molecular modeling study of agglomeration of [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester in solvents.

Science.gov (United States)

Mortuza, S M; Banerjee, Soumik

2012-12-28

The molecular interactions between solvent and nanoparticles during photoactive layer formation in organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells influence the morphology of the photoactive layer and hence determine the power conversion efficiency. Prediction of optimal synthesis parameters in OPVs, such as choice of solvent, processing temperature, and nanoparticle concentration, requires fundamental understanding of the mechanisms that govern the agglomeration of nanoparticles in solvents. In this study, we used molecular dynamics simulations to simulate a commonly used organic nanoparticle, [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), in various solvents to correlate solvent-nanoparticle interactions with the size of the agglomerate structure of PCBM. We analyzed the effects of concentration of PCBM and operating temperature on the molecular rearrangement and agglomeration of PCBM in three solvents: (i) toluene, (ii) indane, and (iii) toluene-indane mixture. We evaluated the agglomeration behavior of PCBM by determining sizes of the largest clusters of PCBM and the corresponding size distributions. To obtain further insight into the agglomerate structure of PCBMs, we evaluated radial distribution functions (RDFs) and coordination numbers of the various moieties of PCBMs with respect to solvent atoms as well as with respect to that of other PCBMs. Our simulations demonstrate that PCBMs form larger clusters in toluene while they are relatively dispersed in indane, which indicates the greater solubility of PCBM in indane than in toluene. In toluene-indane mixture, PCBMs are clustered to a greater extent than in indane and less than that in toluene. To correlate agglomerate size to nanoparticle-solvent interactions, we also evaluated the potential of mean force (PMF) of the fullerene moiety of PCBM in toluene and indane. Our results also show that the cluster size of PCBM molecules increases with the increase of concentration of PCBM and the processing temperature. To

Oxidation behavior of graphene-coated copper at intrinsic graphene defects of different origins.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwak, Jinsung; Jo, Yongsu; Park, Soon-Dong; Kim, Na Yeon; Kim, Se-Yang; Shin, Hyung-Joon; Lee, Zonghoon; Kim, Sung Youb; Kwon, Soon-Yong

2017-11-16

The development of ultrathin barrier films is vital to the advanced semiconductor industry. Graphene appears to hold promise as a protective coating; however, the polycrystalline and defective nature of engineered graphene hinders its practical applications. Here, we investigate the oxidation behavior of graphene-coated Cu foils at intrinsic graphene defects of different origins. Macro-scale information regarding the spatial distribution and oxidation resistance of various graphene defects is readily obtained using optical and electron microscopies after the hot-plate annealing. The controlled oxidation experiments reveal that the degree of structural deficiency is strongly dependent on the origins of the structural defects, the crystallographic orientations of the underlying Cu grains, the growth conditions of graphene, and the kinetics of the graphene growth. The obtained experimental and theoretical results show that oxygen radicals, decomposed from water molecules in ambient air, are effectively inverted at Stone-Wales defects into the graphene/Cu interface with the assistance of facilitators.

Simulation of deterministic energy-balance particle agglomeration in turbulent liquid-solid flows

Science.gov (United States)

Njobuenwu, Derrick O.; Fairweather, Michael

2017-08-01

An efficient technique to simulate turbulent particle-laden flow at high mass loadings within the four-way coupled simulation regime is presented. The technique implements large-eddy simulation, discrete particle simulation, a deterministic treatment of inter-particle collisions, and an energy-balanced particle agglomeration model. The algorithm to detect inter-particle collisions is such that the computational costs scale linearly with the number of particles present in the computational domain. On detection of a collision, particle agglomeration is tested based on the pre-collision kinetic energy, restitution coefficient, and van der Waals' interactions. The performance of the technique developed is tested by performing parametric studies on the influence of the restitution coefficient (en = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8), particle size (dp = 60, 120, 200, and 316 μm), Reynolds number (Reτ = 150, 300, and 590), and particle concentration (αp = 5.0 × 10-4, 1.0 × 10-3, and 5.0 × 10-3) on particle-particle interaction events (collision and agglomeration). The results demonstrate that the collision frequency shows a linear dependency on the restitution coefficient, while the agglomeration rate shows an inverse dependence. Collisions among smaller particles are more frequent and efficient in forming agglomerates than those of coarser particles. The particle-particle interaction events show a strong dependency on the shear Reynolds number Reτ, while increasing the particle concentration effectively enhances particle collision and agglomeration whilst having only a minor influence on the agglomeration rate. Overall, the sensitivity of the particle-particle interaction events to the selected simulation parameters is found to influence the population and distribution of the primary particles and agglomerates formed.

Behavior of deep level defects on voltage-induced stress of Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, D.W.; Cho, S.E. [Department of Physics and Semiconductor Science, Dongguk University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Jeong, J.H. [Solar Cell Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Cho, H.Y., E-mail: hycho@dongguk.edu [Department of Physics and Semiconductor Science, Dongguk University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-01

The behavior of deep level defects by a voltage-induced stress for CuInGaSe{sub 2} (CIGS) solar cells has been investigated. CIGS solar cells were used with standard structures which are Al-doped ZnO/i-ZnO/CdS/CIGSe{sub 2}/Mo on soda lime glass, and that resulted in conversion efficiencies as high as 16%. The samples with the same structure were isothermally stressed at 100 °C under the reverse voltages. The voltage-induced stressing in CIGS samples causes a decrease in the carrier density and conversion efficiency. To investigate the behavior of deep level defects in the stressed CIGS cells, photo-induced current transient spectroscopy was utilized, and normally 3 deep level defects (including 2 hole traps and 1 electron trap) were found to be located at 0.18 eV and 0.29 eV above the valence band maximum (and 0.36 eV below the conduction band). In voltage-induced cells, especially, it was found that the decrease of the hole carrier density could be responsible for the increase of the 0.29 eV defect, which is known to be observed in less efficient CIGS solar cells. And the carrier density and the defects are reversible at least to a large extent by resting at room-temperature without the bias voltage. From optical capture kinetics in photo-induced current transient spectroscopy measurement, the types of defects could be distinguished into the isolated point defect and the extended defect. In this work, it is suggested that the increase of the 0.29 eV defect by voltage-induced stress could be due to electrical activation accompanied by a loss of positive ion species and the activated defect gives rise to reduction of the carrier density. - Highlights: • We investigated behavior of deep level defects by voltage-induced stress. • Defect generation could affect the decrease of the conversion efficiency of cells. • Defect generation could be electrically activated by a loss of positive ion species. • Type of defects could be studied with models of point defects

Two-stage agglomeration of fine-grained herbal nettle waste

Science.gov (United States)

Obidziński, Sławomir; Joka, Magdalena; Fijoł, Olga

2017-10-01

This paper compares the densification work necessary for the pressure agglomeration of fine-grained dusty nettle waste, with the densification work involved in two-stage agglomeration of the same material. In the first stage, the material was pre-densified through coating with a binder material in the form of a 5% potato starch solution, and then subjected to pressure agglomeration. A number of tests were conducted to determine the effect of the moisture content in the nettle waste (15, 18 and 21%), as well as the process temperature (50, 70, 90°C) on the values of densification work and the density of the obtained pellets. For pre-densified pellets from a mixture of nettle waste and a starch solution, the conducted tests determined the effect of pellet particle size (1, 2, and 3 mm) and the process temperature (50, 70, 90°C) on the same values. On the basis of the tests, we concluded that the introduction of a binder material and the use of two-stage agglomeration in nettle waste densification resulted in increased densification work (as compared to the densification of nettle waste alone) and increased pellet density.

Quantitative analysis of pigment dispersion taking into account the full agglomerate size distribution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kiil, Søren

were in good quantitative agreement with experimental data. The only adjustable parameter used was an apparent rate constant for the linear agglomerate erosion rate. Model simulations, at selected values of time, for the full agglomerate particle size distribution were in good qualitative agreement...... distribution was simulated. Data from previous experimental investigations with organic pigments were used for model validation.When the linear rate of agglomerate surface erosion was taken to be proportional to the external agglomerate surface area, simulations of the volume-moment mean diameter over time...

Industrial agglomeration and production costs in Norwegian salmon aquaculture

OpenAIRE

Tveterås, Ragnar

2002-01-01

During the last decade, empirical evidence of regional agglomeration economies has emerged for some industries. This paper argues that externalities from agglomeration are not only present in some manufacturing and service sectors, but can also occur in primary industries, such as aquaculture. Econometric analyses in this literature have primarily estimated rather restrictive production function specifications on aggregated industry data. Here, cost functions are estimated o...

Application of acoustic agglomeration for removing sulfuric acid mist from air stream

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asghar Sadighzadeh

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The application of acoustic fields at high sound pressure levels (SPLs for removing sulfuric acid mists from the air stream was studied. An acoustic agglomeration chamber was used to conduct the experiments. The studied SPLs ranged from 115 to 165 decibel (dB, with three inlet concentrations of acid mist at 5–10, 15–20, and 25–30 ppm. The air flow rates for conducting experiments were 20, 30, and 40 L min−1. The concentration of sulfuric acid mist was measured using US Environmental Protection Agency Method 8 at inlet and outlet of the chamber. The resonance frequencies for experiments were found to be 852, 1410, and 3530 Hz. The maximum acoustic agglomeration efficiency of 86% was obtained at optimum frequency of 852 Hz. The analysis of variance test revealed significant differences between agglomeration efficiency at three resonance frequencies (p-value < 0.001. The maximum acoustic agglomeration efficiency was obtained at SPL level of 165 dB. High initial concentrations of acid mists and lower air flow rates enhance the acoustic agglomeration of mists. High removal efficiency of acid mists from air stream could be achieved by the application of acoustic agglomeration method with appropriate range of frequencies and SPLs. Keywords: Sulfuric acid, Mist, Acoustic agglomeration, SPL

Problems of Research, Projects and Mechanisms for Their Implementation in Chelyabinsk City Agglomeration

Science.gov (United States)

Bolshakov, V. V.

2017-11-01

The article analyzes the research and design methods of urban agglomerations in the context of the Chelyabinsk agglomeration from the point of view of correctness, objectivity and consistency of the results obtained. The completed and approved project of the Chelyabinsk agglomeration is analysed to provide architectural and planning solutions for sustainable social and economic development according to the theories that have been formed to date. The possibility of effectuation and implementation of the approved project of the Chelyabinsk agglomeration taking in account existing specific natural, historical and socio-economic factors characteristic for the territory under consideration is examined. The authors draw the conclusions the project of the Chelyabinsk agglomeration has been developed in line with the town-planning solutions that do not reflect modern approaches based on the competitive advantages of territories and do not form a space providing transition to a modernized and innovative economy. Specific town-planning decisions have a weak justification and an undeveloped methodology for pre-project analysis and methodology for designing urban agglomerations because of absence of a full study of the phenomenon of urban agglomeration and processes occurring in it today. It is necessary to continue research in the field of development of the Chelyabinsk agglomeration with the use of a logical and objective methodology to analyze the territory and design which can lead to the formation of an urban-planning information model that reflects all the system processes and allows for predicting project solutions.

Impact of biofuel in agglomeration process on production of pollutants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lesko Jaroslav

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Production of agglomerate in the metallurgical company belongs among the largest sources of emissions damaging the environment. Effects of coke breeze substitution by charcoal, pine, and oak sawdust there were sintering performed in a laboratory agglomeration pan with substitution ratios of 14 % and 20 % by the emissions of CO2, CO, NOx and NO. Variations in the gas emissions might have been affected by physical and chemical properties of the input materials and the technological parameters of agglomeration. It is important and necessary to seek other methods and materials with which it would be possible to optimize the production of emissions and protect the environment.

Influence of Casting Defects on S- N Fatigue Behavior of Ni-Al Bronze

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkar, Aritra; Chakrabarti, Abhishek; Nagesha, A.; Saravanan, T.; Arunmuthu, K.; Sandhya, R.; Philip, John; Mathew, M. D.; Jayakumar, T.

2015-02-01

Nickel-aluminum bronze (NAB) alloys have been used extensively in marine applications such as propellers, couplings, pump casings, and pump impellers due to their good mechanical properties such as tensile strength, creep resistance, and corrosion resistance. However, there have been several instances of in-service failure of the alloy due to high cycle fatigue (HCF). The present paper aims at characterizing the casting defects in this alloy through X-ray radiography and X-ray computed tomography into distinct defect groups having particular defect size and location. HCF tests were carried out on each defect group of as-cast NAB at room temperature by varying the mean stress. A significant decrease in the HCF life was observed with an increase in the tensile mean stress, irrespective of the defect size. Further, a considerable drop in the HCF life was observed with an increase in the size of defects and proximity of the defects to the surface. However, the surface proximity indicated by location of the defect in the sample was seen to override the influence of defect size and maximum cyclic stress. This leads to huge scatter in S- N curve. For a detailed quantitative analysis of defect size and location, an empirical model is developed which was able to minimize the scatter to a significant extent. Further, a concept of critical distance is proposed, beyond which the defect would not have a deleterious consequence on the fatigue behavior. Such an approach was found to be suitable for generating S- N curves for cast NAB.

SUBMICRON PARTICLES EMISSION CONTROL BY ELECTROSTATIC AGGLOMERATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrzej Krupa

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to develop a device for more effective treatment of flue gases from submicron particles emitted by power plants burning bituminous coal and by this way the reduction of environment pollution. Electrostatic processes were employed to this goal, as the most effective solution. The solutions hitherto applied in electrostatic precipitation techniques were designed for large particles, typically with sizes> 5 µm, which are easily removed by the action of electrostatic force on the electrically charged particles. In submicron size range (0.1-1 µm the collection efficiency of an ESP is minimal, because of the low value of electric charge on such particles. In order to avoid problems with the removal of submicron particles of fly ash from the flue gases electrostatic agglomeration has been used. In this process, by applying an alternating electric field, larger charged particles (> 1 µm oscillate, and the particles "collect" smaller uncharged particles. In the developed agglomerator with alternating electric field, the charging of particles and the coagulation takes place in one stage that greatly simplified the construction of the device, compared to other solutions. The scope of this study included measurements of fractional collection efficiency of particles in the system comprising of agglomerator and ESP for PM1 and PM2.5 ranges, in device made in pilot scale. The collection efficiency for PM2.5 was greater than 90% and PM1 slightly dropped below 90%. The mass collection efficiency for PM2.5 was greater than 95%. The agglomerator stage increases the collection efficiency for PM1 at a level of 5-10%.

Morphological characterization of diesel soot agglomerates based on the Beer–Lambert law

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lapuerta, Magín; Expósito, Juan José; Martos, Francisco J

2013-01-01

A new method is proposed for the determination of the number of primary particles composing soot agglomerates emitted from diesel engines as well as their individual fractal dimension. The method is based on the Beer–Lambert law and it is applied to micro-photographs taken in high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Differences in the grey levels of the images lead to a more accurate estimation of the geometry of the agglomerate (in this case radius of gyration) than other methods based exclusively on the planar projections of the agglomerates. The method was validated by applying it to different images of the same agglomerate observed from different angles of incidence, and proving that the effect of the angle of incidence is minor, contrary to other methods. Finally, the comparisons with other methods showed that the size, number of primary particles and fractal dimension (the latter depending on the particle size) are usually underestimated when only planar projections of the agglomerates are considered. (paper)

Characterization of defects in metals by positron-annihilation spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siegel, R.W.

1981-10-01

The application of positron-annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) to the characterization and study of defects in metals has grown rapidly and increasingly useful in recent years. Owing to the ability of the positron to annihilate from a variety of defect-trapped states in metals, PAS can yield defect-specific information which, by itself or in conjunction with more traditional experimental techniques, has already made a significant impact upon our knowledge regarding lattice defect properties in metals. This has been especially true for vacancy defets, as a result of the positron's affinity for lower-than-average electron-density regions in the metal. The physical basis for the positron annihilation techniques is presented in this paper; and the experimental techniques, lifetime, Doppler broadening, and angular correlation, are briefly described and compared with respect to the information that can be obtained from each of them. A number of examples of the application of PAS to the characterization of atomic defects and their agglomerates are presented. The particular examples, chosen from the areas of equilibrium vacancy formation and atomic-defect recovery, were selected with a view toward elucidating the particular advantages of PAS over more traditional defect-characterization techniques. Limitations of PAS are also pointed out. 98 references

Analysis on the Spatial-Temporal Dynamics of Financial Agglomeration with Markov Chain Approach in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weimin Chen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The standard approach to studying financial industrial agglomeration is to construct measures of the degree of agglomeration within financial industry. But such measures often fail to exploit the convergence or divergence of financial agglomeration. In this paper, we apply Markov chain approach to diagnose the convergence of financial agglomeration in China based on the location quotient coefficients across the provincial regions over 1993–2011. The estimation of Markov transition probability matrix offers more detailed insights into the mechanics of financial agglomeration evolution process in China during the research period. The results show that the spatial evolution of financial agglomeration changes faster in the period of 2003–2011 than that in the period of 1993–2002. Furthermore, there exists a very uneven financial development patterns, but there is regional convergence for financial agglomeration in China.

Agglomeration economies in manufacturing industries: the case of Spain

OpenAIRE

Olga Alonso-Villar; José-María Chamorro-Rivas; Xulia González-Cerdeira

2001-01-01

This paper analyses the extent of geographical concentration of Spanish industry between 1993 and 1999, and study the agglomeration economies that could underlie that concentration. The results confirm that there is major geographic concentration in a number of industries with widely varying characteristics, including high-tech businesses and those linked to the provision of natural resources as well as traditional industries. The analysis of the scope of spillovers behind this agglomeration ...

Comments on an Analytical Thermal Agglomeration for Problems with Surface Growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hodge, N. E. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-03-22

Up until Dec 2016, the thermal agglomeration was very heuristic, and as such, difficult to define. The lack of predictability became problematic, and the current notes represent the first real attempt to systematize the specification of the agglomerated process parameters.

Multilevel approaches and the firm-agglomeration ambiguity in economic growth studies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oort, F.G. van; Burger, M.J.; Knoben, J.; Raspe, O.

2012-01-01

Empirical studies in spatial economics have shown that agglomeration economies may be a source of the uneven distribution of economic activities and economic growth across cities and regions. Both localization and urbanization economies are hypothesized to foster agglomeration and growth, but

Cell agglomeration in the wells of a 24-well plate using acoustic streaming.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurashina, Yuta; Takemura, Kenjiro; Friend, James

2017-02-28

Cell agglomeration is essential both to the success of drug testing and to the development of tissue engineering. Here, a MHz-order acoustic wave is used to generate acoustic streaming in the wells of a 24-well plate to drive particle and cell agglomeration. Acoustic streaming is known to manipulate particles in microfluidic devices, and even provide concentration in sessile droplets, but concentration of particles or cells in individual wells has never been shown, principally due to the drag present along the periphery of the fluid in such a well. The agglomeration time for a range of particle sizes suggests that shear-induced migration plays an important role in the agglomeration process. Particles with a diameter of 45 μm agglomerated into a suspended pellet under exposure to 2.134 MHz acoustic waves at 1.5 W in 30 s. Additionally, BT-474 cells also agglomerated as adherent masses at the center bottom of the wells of tissue-culture treated 24-well plates. By switching to low cell binding 24-well plates, the BT-474 cells formed suspended agglomerations that appeared to be spheroids, fully fifteen times larger than any cell agglomerates without the acoustic streaming. In either case, the viability and proliferation of the cells were maintained despite acoustic irradiation and streaming. Intermittent excitation was effective in avoiding temperature excursions, consuming only 75 mW per well on average, presenting a convenient means to form fully three-dimensional cellular masses potentially useful for tissue, cancer, and drug research.

Agglomeration of dust in convective clouds initialized by nuclear bursts

Science.gov (United States)

Bacon, D. P.; Sarma, R. A.

Convective clouds initialized by nuclear bursts are modeled using a two-dimensional axisymmetric cloud model. Dust transport through the atmosphere is studied using five different sizes ranging from 1 to 10,000 μm in diameter. Dust is transported in the model domain by advection and sedimentation. Water is allowed to condense onto dust particles in regions of supersaturation in the cloud. The agglomeration of dust particles resulting from the collision of different size dust particles is modeled. The evolution of the dust mass spectrum due to agglomeration is modeled using a numerical scheme which is mass conserving and has low implicit diffusion. Agglomeration moves mass from the small particles with very small fall velocity to the larger sizes which fall to the ground more readily. Results indicate that the dust fallout can be increased significantly due to this process. In preliminary runs using stable and unstable environmental soundings, at 30 min after detonation the total dust in the domain was 11 and 30%, respectively, less than a control case without agglomeration.

A stochastic pocket model for aluminum agglomeration in solid propellants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gallier, Stany [SNPE Materiaux Energetiques, Vert le Petit (France)

2009-04-15

A new model is derived to estimate the size and fraction of aluminum agglomerates at the surface of a burning propellant. The basic idea relies on well-known pocket models in which aluminum is supposed to aggregate and melt within pocket volumes imposed by largest oxidizer particles. The proposed model essentially relaxes simple assumptions of previous pocket models on propellant structure by accounting for an actual microstructure obtained by packing. The use of statistical tools from stochastic geometry enables to determine a statistical pocket size volume and hence agglomerate diameter and agglomeration fraction. Application to several AP/Al propellants gives encouraging results that are shown to be superior to former pocket models. (Abstract Copyright [2009], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Multilevel approaches and the firm-agglomeration ambiguity in economic growth studies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Oort, F.G.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/107712741; Burger, M.J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/371741092; Knoben, J.; Raspe, O.

2012-01-01

Empirical studies in spatial economics have shown that agglomeration economies may be a source of the uneven distribution of economic activities and economic growth across cities and regions. Both localization and urbanization economies are hypothesized to foster agglomeration and growth, but recent

Bending analysis of agglomerated carbon nanotube-reinforced beam resting on two parameters modified Vlasov model foundation

Science.gov (United States)

Ghorbanpour Arani, A.; Zamani, M. H.

2018-06-01

The present work deals with bending behavior of nanocomposite beam resting on two parameters modified Vlasov model foundation (MVMF), with consideration of agglomeration and distribution of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in beam matrix. Equivalent fiber based on Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach is employed to determine influence of CNTs aggregation on elastic properties of CNT-reinforced beam. The governing equations are deduced using the principle of minimum potential energy under assumption of the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. The MVMF required the estimation of γ parameter; to this purpose, unique iterative technique based on variational principles is utilized to compute value of the γ and subsequently fourth-order differential equation is solved analytically. Eventually, the transverse displacements and bending stresses are obtained and compared for different agglomeration parameters, various boundary conditions simultaneously and variant elastic foundation without requirement to instate values for foundation parameters.

A model to estimate the size of nanoparticle agglomerates in gas−solid fluidized beds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martín, Lilian de, E-mail: L.DeMartinMonton@tudelft.nl; Ommen, J. Ruud van [Delft University of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering (Netherlands)

2013-11-15

The estimation of nanoparticle agglomerates’ size in fluidized beds remains an open challenge, mainly due to the difficulty of characterizing the inter-agglomerate van der Waals force. The current approach is to describe micron-sized nanoparticle agglomerates as micron-sized particles with 0.1–0.2-μm asperities. This simplification does not capture the influence of the particle size on the van der Waals attraction between agglomerates. In this paper, we propose a new description where the agglomerates are micron-sized particles with nanoparticles on the surface, acting as asperities. As opposed to previous models, here the van der Waals force between agglomerates decreases with an increase in the particle size. We have also included an additional force due to the hydrogen bond formation between the surfaces of hydrophilic and dry nanoparticles. The average size of the fluidized agglomerates has been estimated equating the attractive force obtained from this method to the weight of the individual agglomerates. The results have been compared to 54 experimental values, most of them collected from the literature. Our model approximates without a systematic error the size of most of the nanopowders, both in conventional and centrifugal fluidized beds, outperforming current models. Although simple, the model is able to capture the influence of the nanoparticle size, particle density, and Hamaker coefficient on the inter-agglomerate forces.

A model to estimate the size of nanoparticle agglomerates in gas−solid fluidized beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martín, Lilian de; Ommen, J. Ruud van

2013-01-01

The estimation of nanoparticle agglomerates’ size in fluidized beds remains an open challenge, mainly due to the difficulty of characterizing the inter-agglomerate van der Waals force. The current approach is to describe micron-sized nanoparticle agglomerates as micron-sized particles with 0.1–0.2-μm asperities. This simplification does not capture the influence of the particle size on the van der Waals attraction between agglomerates. In this paper, we propose a new description where the agglomerates are micron-sized particles with nanoparticles on the surface, acting as asperities. As opposed to previous models, here the van der Waals force between agglomerates decreases with an increase in the particle size. We have also included an additional force due to the hydrogen bond formation between the surfaces of hydrophilic and dry nanoparticles. The average size of the fluidized agglomerates has been estimated equating the attractive force obtained from this method to the weight of the individual agglomerates. The results have been compared to 54 experimental values, most of them collected from the literature. Our model approximates without a systematic error the size of most of the nanopowders, both in conventional and centrifugal fluidized beds, outperforming current models. Although simple, the model is able to capture the influence of the nanoparticle size, particle density, and Hamaker coefficient on the inter-agglomerate forces

SSG or SFM state in CoFe2O4 nano-agglomerates fabricated by micro-emulsion method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poltierova Vejpravova, Jana; Tyrpekl, Vaclav; Danis, Stanislav; Niznansky, Daniel; Sechovsky, Vladimir

2010-01-01

We report on magnetic properties of CoFe 2 O 4 nano-agglomerates obtained by micro-emulsion technique under specific conditions. The samples form a unique morphology as observed by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy investigations. Concerning magnetic properties, they exhibit a considerable coercivity of almost 1 T at 2 K, which continuously decreases up to the characteristic temperature, T g =350K. The temperature dependence of the zero-field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetization, respectively, is furcated at the T g , and the temperature dependencies of the a.c. susceptibility exhibit a frequency-dependent maximum at ∼T g . The observed behavior is discussed in terms of the super-spin-glass (SSG) and the super-ferromagnetic (SFM) regime considering the morphology of the nano-agglomerates.

Engineering development of selective agglomeration: Task 5, Bench- scale process testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-09-01

Under the overall objectives of DOE Contract ``Engineering Development of Selective Agglomeration,`` there were a number of specific objectives in the Task 5 program. The prime objectives of Task 5 are highlighted below: (1) Maximize process performance in pyritic sulfur rejection and BTU recovery, (2) Produce a low ash product, (3) Compare the performance of the heavy agglomerant process based on diesel and the light agglomerant process using heptane, (4) Define optimum processing conditions for engineering design, (5) Provide first-level evaluation of product handleability, and (6) Explore and investigate process options/ideas which may enhance process performance and/or product handleability.

Experimental investigation of acoustic agglomeration systems for fine particle control. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaw, D.T.; Lee, P.; Wegrzyn, J.; Chou, K.H.; Cheng, M.T.; Patel, S.

1979-10-01

The feasibility of using an acoustic agglomerator (AA) as a preconditioner in the upstream of conventional devices such as an electrostatic precipitator, a scrubber, a filter, or a cyclone are investigated. The objective is to agglomerate all finer particles into coarser ones in an acoustic agglomerator and then remove them more effectively by one of the conventional devices. Laboratory-scale experiments were performed using NH/sub 4/Cl and fly ash redispersed aerosols. Turbulence caused by intensive sound fields under standing-wave condition has been found to be extremely effective for aerosol agglomeration. The nature and the energy dissipation rate of the acoustic turbulence are determined by using hot-film (or hot-wire) anemometry and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) data processing equipment. The root-mean-square turbulent velocity, which is directly proportional to acoustic agglomeration rate, is experimentally found to have a I/sup 1/2/(I: acoustic intensity) dependence, but is relatively independent of the acoustic frequency. The results obtained from this program show that acoustic agglomeration is effective as a particle pre-conditioner which can increase approximately one order of magnitude in mean particle diameter (2..mu..m ..-->.. 20..mu..m). As a flow-through standing wave device, it can be used to facilitate the removal of dust particles in a subsequent inertia base separation device.

Preparation of soft-agglomerated nano-sized ceramic powders by sol-gel combustion process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Q.; Ma, X.H.; Yan, Q.Z.; Ge, C.C.

2009-01-01

The soft-agglomerated Gd 2 BaCuO 5 (Gd211) nano-powders were synthesized by sol-gel combustion process with binary ligand and the special pretreatment on gel. The mechanism of the formation of weakly agglomerated structure was studied in detail. The results showed that network structure in gelation process was found to be a decisive factor for preventing agglomeration of colloidal particles. The removal of free water, coordinated water, and most of hydroxyl groups during pretreatment further inhibited the formation of hydrogen bonds between adjacent particles. The soft-agglomeration of the particles was confirmed by isolated particles in calcined Gd211 powders and in green compact, a narrow monomodal pore size distribution of the green compact and the low agglomeration coefficient of the calcined Gd211 powder. Extension this process to synthesis of BaCeO 3 , BaTiO 3 and Ce 0.8 Sm 0.2 O 1.9 powders, also led to weakly agglomerated nano-powders. It suggests that this method represents a powerful and facile method for the creation of doped and multi-component nano-sized ceramic powders.

Substrate morphology induced self-organization into carbon nanotube arrays, ropes, and agglomerates.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jia-Qi; Zhang, Qiang; Xu, Guang-Hui; Qian, Wei-Zhong; Wei, Fei

2008-10-29

In this paper, hydrophobic carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays, ropes, and agglomerates were synthesized through self-organization on quartz substrates with different micro-structures under the same growth condition. On a flat substrate, a uniform woven structure was formed which resulted in a synchronous growth into an array. When the substrate with 10 µm round concaves distributed on the surface was adopted, the woven structure was sporadic and a CNT cluster was grown in the concave. With further growth, CNT ropes were self-organized. Subsequently, when the substrate consisting of irregular ∼100 nm gaps was used, the initial woven structure was high density, thus resulting in the formation of CNT agglomerates. Study results showed that CNT arrays grown on the flat substrate were of the highest purity and had a contact angle of 153.8 ± 0.9°. Thus, the self-organization behavior among CNTs was in situ modulated by different substrate morphology without further treatments. This provides us with an additional understanding of the self-organization of CNTs during growth, as well as strategies for the controllable synthesis of CNTs with fixed properties.

Substrate morphology induced self-organization into carbon nanotube arrays, ropes, and agglomerates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Jiaqi; Zhang Qiang; Xu Guanghui; Qian Weizhong; Wei Fei

2008-01-01

In this paper, hydrophobic carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays, ropes, and agglomerates were synthesized through self-organization on quartz substrates with different micro-structures under the same growth condition. On a flat substrate, a uniform woven structure was formed which resulted in a synchronous growth into an array. When the substrate with 10 μm round concaves distributed on the surface was adopted, the woven structure was sporadic and a CNT cluster was grown in the concave. With further growth, CNT ropes were self-organized. Subsequently, when the substrate consisting of irregular ∼100 nm gaps was used, the initial woven structure was high density, thus resulting in the formation of CNT agglomerates. Study results showed that CNT arrays grown on the flat substrate were of the highest purity and had a contact angle of 153.8 ± 0.9 0 . Thus, the self-organization behavior among CNTs was in situ modulated by different substrate morphology without further treatments. This provides us with an additional understanding of the self-organization of CNTs during growth, as well as strategies for the controllable synthesis of CNTs with fixed properties.

A new method to quantify fluidized bed agglomeration in the combustion of biomass fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oehman, M. [Umeaa Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Chemistry

1997-12-31

The present licentiate thesis is a summary and discussion of four papers, dealing with the development, evaluation and use of a new method to quantify bed agglomeration tendencies for biomass fuels. An increased utilization of biomass related fuels has many environmental benefits, but also requires careful studies of potential new problems associated with these fuels such as bed agglomeration/defluidization during combustion and gasification in fluidized beds. From a thorough literature survey, no suitable methods to determine bed agglomeration tendencies of different fuels, fuel combinations or fuels with additives appeared to be available. It therefore seemed of considerable interest to develop a new method for the quantification of fluidized bed agglomeration tendencies for different fuels. A bench scale fluidized bed reactor (5 kW), specially designed to obtain a homogeneous isothermal bed temperature, is used. The method is based on controlled increase of the bed temperature by applying external heat to the primary air and to the bed section walls. The initial agglomeration temperature is determined by on- or off-line principal component analysis of the variations in measured bed temperatures and differential pressures. Samples of ash and bed material for evaluation of agglomeration mechanisms may also be collected throughout the operation. To determine potential effects of all the process related variables on the determined fuel specific bed agglomeration temperature, an extensive sensitivity analysis was performed according to a statistical experimental design. The results showed that the process variables had only relatively small effects on the agglomeration temperature, which could be determined to 899 deg C with a reproducibility of {+-} 5 deg C (STD). The inaccuracy was determined to be {+-} 30 deg C (STD). The method was also used to study the mechanism of both bed agglomeration using two biomass fuels and prevention of bed agglomeration by co

Random Surface Texturing of Silicon Dioxide Using Gold Agglomerates

Science.gov (United States)

2016-07-01

a visual indicator of the formation of gold clusters on the SiO2 . The glass would make observing a color change in the gold film easier later in the...unlimited. 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT A fabrication process for creating a silicon dioxide ( SiO2 ) light-trapping structure as part of...even distribution of irregular agglomerates, also known as “complete islanding”. By using these gold agglomerations as a metal mask, the SiO2 can be

Coal gold agglomeration: an innovative approach to the recovery of gold in environmentally sensitive areas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wall, N.C.; Hughes-Narborough, C.; Willey, G. [Davy (Stockton) Ltd., Stockton-on-Tees (United Kingdom)

1994-11-01

Coal Gold Agglomeration (CGA) was developed by BP Minerals and involves the selective recovery of oleophilic gold particles from an aqueous slurry into coal-oil agglomerates. These agglomerates are allowed to build up to a high gold loading and are then separated from the slurry. The loaded agglomerates are burned and the gold is finally recovered from the ash residue by dissolution and precipitation or by direct smelting. 6 figs.

Agglomeration effects in the labour market: an empirical analysis for Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marusca De Castris

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Extensive and persistent geographic variability of the unemployment rate within the same region has been attributed to various causes. Some theories identify the “thickness” of markets as the source of positive externalities affecting labour market by improving the ability to match the skills requested by firms with those offered by workers. A recent paper by Gan and Zhang (2006 empirically confirms this hypothesis for the US labour markets. Agglomeration can be defined as aggregation of people, basically measured by city size, or as aggregation of firms, measured by cluster size (employment or number of plants. However, the population location and the industrial location are by far more similar in United States than in Europe and in Italy. Our paper aims to evaluate the effects of agglomeration on the local unemployment rate. The new methodological contribution of the study is the identification of both urban and industrial cluster agglomeration effects, using a wide set of control variables. Adjusting the system for the effects of sectorial and size shocks, as well as those relating to geographic structure and policy interventions, the results of our analysis differ from that for the United States. The study stresses the presence of negative and significant urbanisation externalities. We obtain, instead, positive effects concerning the geographic agglomeration of firms, and their thickness, in a specific area. Furthermore, positive and significant effects can be found in local systems with features of a district. Finally, the model distinguishes the negative effects of urban agglomerations (in terms of population density from positive firm’s agglomerations (in terms of density of local units.

Quasiparticle agglomerates in the Read-Rezayi and anti-Read-Rezayi states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braggio, A; Ferraro, D; Magnoli, N

2012-01-01

We calculate the dominant excitations for the k-level (k element of N) Read-Rezayi (RR) states and their particle-hole conjugates, the anti-Read-Rezayi (RR)-bar, proposed for quantum Hall states. These states are supposed to be built over the second Landau level with total filling factor ν = 2 + ν* with ν* = k/(k + 2) for RR and ν* = 2/(k + 2) for (RR)-bar. In the k-level RR states, based on Z k parafermions, the dominant excitations are the fundamental quasiparticles (qps) with fractional charge e* k = e/(k + 2), with e the electron charge, if k = 2,3. For k = 4 the single-qp and the 2-agglomerate, with charge 2e* k , have the same scaling and both dominate, while for k > 4 the 2-agglomerates are dominant. Anyway the dominance of the 2-agglomerates can be affected by the presence of environmental renormalizations. For all the k-level (RR)-bar states, the single-qp and the 2-agglomerate have the same scaling and both dominate. In this case, only the presence of environmental renormalizations can make one dominant over the other. We determine the conditions in which the environmental renormalizations of the charged and neutral modes make the Abelian 2-agglomerates dominant over the non-Abelian single-qps in the two models and for any value of k. We conclude by observing that, according to these predictions, the dominance of 2-agglomerates, at very low energies for the ν = 5/2, can be an interesting indication supporting the validity of the anti-Pfaffian model in comparison with the Pfaffian.

Corrosion Behavior of X80 Steel with Coupled Coating Defects under Alternating Current Interference in Alkaline Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhong; Li, Caiyu; Qian, Hongchang; Li, Jun; Huang, Liang; Du, Cuiwei

2017-06-28

The corrosion behavior of X80 steel in the presence of coupled coating defects was simulated and studied under the interference of alternating current (AC) in an alkaline environment. The results from electrochemical measurements showed that the electrode potential of the coating defect with the smaller exposed area was lower than that with the larger area, which indicated that the steel with the smaller coating defect was more prone to corrosion. The result of weight loss tests also showed that the smaller coating defect had induced a higher corrosion rate. However, the corrosion rate of X80 steel at the larger coating defect decreased gradually with the increase of the larger defect area at a constant smaller defect area. The corrosion morphology images showed that the coating defects with smaller areas suffered from more severe pitting corrosion.

Consolidation of Hierarchy-Structured Nanopowder Agglomerates and Its Application to Net-Shaping Nanopowder Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jai-Sung; Choi, Joon-Phil; Lee, Geon-Yong

2013-01-01

This paper provides an overview on our recent investigations on the consolidation of hierarchy-structured nanopowder agglomerates and related applications to net-shaping nanopowder materials. Understanding the nanopowder agglomerate sintering (NAS) process is essential to processing of net-shaped nanopowder materials and components with small and complex shape. The key concept of the NAS process is to enhance material transport through controlling the powder interface volume of nanopowder agglomerates. Based upon this concept, we have suggested a new idea of full density processing for fabricating micro-powder injection molded part using metal nanopowder agglomerates produced by hydrogen reduction of metal oxide powders. Studies on the full density sintering of die compacted- and powder injection molded iron base nano-agglomerate powders are introduced and discussed in terms of densification process and microstructure. PMID:28788317

Consolidation of Hierarchy-Structured Nanopowder Agglomerates and Its Application to Net-Shaping Nanopowder Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geon-Yong Lee

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This paper provides an overview on our recent investigations on the consolidation of hierarchy-structured nanopowder agglomerates and related applications to net-shaping nanopowder materials. Understanding the nanopowder agglomerate sintering (NAS process is essential to processing of net-shaped nanopowder materials and components with small and complex shape. The key concept of the NAS process is to enhance material transport through controlling the powder interface volume of nanopowder agglomerates. Based upon this concept, we have suggested a new idea of full density processing for fabricating micro-powder injection molded part using metal nanopowder agglomerates produced by hydrogen reduction of metal oxide powders. Studies on the full density sintering of die compacted- and powder injection molded iron base nano-agglomerate powders are introduced and discussed in terms of densification process and microstructure.

Technical application of agglomerated acidic heap leaching of clay-bearing uranium ore in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng Yijun; Li Jianhua; Li Tieqiu; Zhong Pingru

2002-01-01

The permeability of ore mass has a great influence on the leaching period of heap leaching and the leaching efficiency, hence the uranium ores with high content of clay is difficult to acidic heap leaching. The Research Institute of Uranium Mining has engaged several years studies on the cementing agents of acidic agglomeration, agglomeration conditions, as well as the curing measures of agglomerated balls. On the basis of these studies, several types of clay-bearing ores have been tested with good results. The technique of agglomerated acidic heap leaching has been successfully applied in a uranium mine. Since agglomeration has effectively increased the permeability of ore heap, its leaching period is decreased from 200 days to 60 days, the leaching efficiency is increased to 96% from less than 40% comparing with direct heap leaching program

Engineering development of selective agglomeration: Task 5, Bench- scale process testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-09-01

Under the overall objectives of DOE Contract Engineering Development of Selective Agglomeration,'' there were a number of specific objectives in the Task 5 program. The prime objectives of Task 5 are highlighted below: (1) Maximize process performance in pyritic sulfur rejection and BTU recovery, (2) Produce a low ash product, (3) Compare the performance of the heavy agglomerant process based on diesel and the light agglomerant process using heptane, (4) Define optimum processing conditions for engineering design, (5) Provide first-level evaluation of product handleability, and (6) Explore and investigate process options/ideas which may enhance process performance and/or product handleability.

In situ x-ray imaging of nanoparticle agglomeration in fluidized beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jenneson, Paul Michael; Gundogdu, Ozcan

2006-01-01

A high spatial (down to 400 nm) and temporal resolution (down to 1 ms) x-ray imaging apparatus has been designed to study the agglomeration of arc plasma synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (average diameter of 50 nm) in fluidized beds under different gas flow velocities. The mean volume distribution of the nanoparticle agglomerates was determined with x-ray microtomography and found to correspond to a lognormal distribution with a mean value of 0.70x10 9 μm 3 and a variance of 3.6x10 21 (μm 3 ) 2 . The average density of the agglomerates was found to be 2.9 g cm -3 compared to 5.6 g cm -3 for the individual nanoparticles. The powder assembly was then dynamically imaged using an x-ray image intensifier coupled to a digital camera using a field of view of 24.20 mm by 32.25 mm and a temporal resolution of 40 ms. Sequential frames were captured into computer memory for a range of gas flow velocities from 0.026 ms -1 to 0.313 ms -1 . The breakup energy of the agglomerates was calculated to be approximately 2x10 -8 J using a combination of dynamic observations and physical properties of the agglomerate system extracted from the x-ray microtomographic data

THERMODYNAMIC REASONS OF AGGLOMERATION OF DUST PARTICLES IN THE THERMAL DUSTY PLASMA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.I.Vishnyakov

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The thermodynamic equilibrium of thermal dusty plasmas consisting of ionized gas (plasma and solid particles (dust grains, which interact with each other, is studied. The tendency of grains in dusty plasmas to agglomerate corresponds to the tendency of dusty plasmas to balanced states. When grains agglomerate, electrical perturbations generated by each grain concentrate inside the agglomerate. The plasma is perturbed only by the agglomerate's exterior surface. The greater number of possible states for electrons and ions in plasma depends on the volume of perturbation of grains. The fewer are the perturbations the greater is the amount of possible states for electrons and ions in plasma. If the grains collected from a distance smaller than 8 Debye lengths, the total volume of perturbations is minimized; the free energy of the plasma is also minimized.

Application of acoustic agglomerators for emergency use in liquid-metal fast breeder reactor plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaw, D.T.; Rajendran, N.

1979-01-01

The use of acoustic agglomerators for the suppression of sodium-fire aerosols in the case of a hypothetical core disruptive accident of a liquid-metal fast breeder reactor is discussed. The basic principle for the enhancement of agglomeration of airborne particles under the influence of an acoustic field is first discussed, followed by theoretical predictions of the optimum operating conditions for such application. It is found that with an acoustic intensity of 160 dB (approx. 1 W/cm 2 ), acoustic agglomeration is expected to be several hundred times more effective than gravitational agglomeration. For particles with a radius larger than approx. 2 μm, hydrodynamic interaction becomes more important than the inertial capture. For radii between 0.5 and 2 μm, both mechanisms have to included in the theoretical predictions of the acoustic agglomeration rate

Effects of interactions between powder particle size and binder viscosity on agglomerate growth mechanisms in a high shear mixer.

Science.gov (United States)

Johansen, A; Schaefer, T

2001-01-01

A study was performed in order to elucidate the effects of the interactions between powder particle size and binder viscosity on the mechanisms involved in agglomerate formation and growth. Calcium carbonates having mean particle sizes in the range of 5-214 microm and polyethylene glycols having viscosities in the range of approximately 50-100000 mPas were melt agglomerated in a high shear mixer. Agglomerate growth by nucleation and coalescence was found to dominate when agglomerating small powder particles and binders with a low viscosity. Increasing the binder viscosity increased the formation of agglomerates by immersion of powder particles in the surface of the binder droplets. With a larger powder particle size, an increasing binder viscosity was necessary in order to obtain an agglomerate strength being sufficient to avoid breakage. Due to a low agglomerate strength, a satisfying agglomeration of very large particles (214 microm) could not be obtained, even with very viscous binders. The study demonstrated that the optimum agglomerate growth occurred when the agglomerates were of an intermediate strength causing an intermediate deformability of the agglomerates. In order to produce spherical agglomerates (pellets), a low viscosity binder has to be chosen when agglomerating a powder with a small particle size, and a high viscosity binder must be applied in agglomeration of powders with large particles.

Effects of regional agglomeration of salmon : aquaculture on production costs

OpenAIRE

Tveterås, Ragnar

2001-01-01

During the last decade empirical evidence of regional agglomeration economies has emerged for some industries. This report argues that externalities from agglomeration are not only present in some manufacturing and service sectors, but can also occur in primary industries such as aquaculture. Econometric analyses in this literature have primarily estimated production functions on aggregated industry data. Here, cost functions are estimated on firm level observations of Norwegian salmon aquacu...

Positron annihilation study of defects in electron-irradiated single crystal zinc oxide

Science.gov (United States)

To, C. K.; Yang, B.; Beling, C. D.; Fung, S.; Ling, C. C.; Gong, M.

2011-01-01

Pressurized melt grown zinc oxide (ZnO) single crystals purchased from Cermet Inc. were irradiated by 2MeV electrons with fluence of 6x1017cm-2. Isochronal annealing from 100°C-800°C was performed on the crystals under argon and air ambience. Variable Energy Doppler Broadening Spectroscopy (VEDBS) was carried out on both the as-grown and the irradiated samples at each annealing step. The migration, agglomeration and annealing of grown-in and irradiated-introduced defects were studied. It was observed that the grown-in vacancy-type defects concentration decreased at 300°C and 600 °C. For the irradiated sample annealed in argon, the positron trapping vacancy-type defect concentration decreased at 300°C and 600°C. Further annealing the as-grown and irradiated samples in argon increased the S parameter further. For the irradiated sample annealed in air, the vacancy-type defect concentration decreases at 300°C and 700°C.

Positron annihilation study of defects in electron-irradiated single crystal zinc oxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

To, C K; Yang, B; Beling, C D; Fung, S; Ling, C C [Department of Physics, University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong); Gong, M, E-mail: sfung@hkucc.hku.h, E-mail: edwardto04@yahoo.com.h [Department of Physics, Sichuan University, Chengdu (China)

2011-01-01

Pressurized melt grown zinc oxide (ZnO) single crystals purchased from Cermet Inc. were irradiated by 2 MeV electrons with fluence of 6x10{sup 17}cm{sup -2}. Isochronal annealing from 100 deg. C - 800 deg. C was performed on the crystals under argon and air ambience. Variable Energy Doppler Broadening Spectroscopy (VEDBS) was carried out on both the as-grown and the irradiated samples at each annealing step. The migration, agglomeration and annealing of grown-in and irradiated-introduced defects were studied. It was observed that the grown-in vacancy-type defects concentration decreased at 300 deg. C and 600 deg. C. For the irradiated sample annealed in argon, the positron trapping vacancy-type defect concentration decreased at 300 deg. C and 600 deg. C. Further annealing the as-grown and irradiated samples in argon increased the S parameter further. For the irradiated sample annealed in air, the vacancy-type defect concentration decreases at 300 deg. C and 700 deg. C.

Positron annihilation study of defects in electron-irradiated single crystal zinc oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

To, C K; Yang, B; Beling, C D; Fung, S; Ling, C C; Gong, M

2011-01-01

Pressurized melt grown zinc oxide (ZnO) single crystals purchased from Cermet Inc. were irradiated by 2 MeV electrons with fluence of 6x10 17 cm -2 . Isochronal annealing from 100 deg. C - 800 deg. C was performed on the crystals under argon and air ambience. Variable Energy Doppler Broadening Spectroscopy (VEDBS) was carried out on both the as-grown and the irradiated samples at each annealing step. The migration, agglomeration and annealing of grown-in and irradiated-introduced defects were studied. It was observed that the grown-in vacancy-type defects concentration decreased at 300 deg. C and 600 deg. C. For the irradiated sample annealed in argon, the positron trapping vacancy-type defect concentration decreased at 300 deg. C and 600 deg. C. Further annealing the as-grown and irradiated samples in argon increased the S parameter further. For the irradiated sample annealed in air, the vacancy-type defect concentration decreases at 300 deg. C and 700 deg. C.

Agglomeration processes in carbonaceous dusty plasmas, experiments and numerical simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dap, S; Hugon, R; De Poucques, L; Bougdira, J; Lacroix, D; Patisson, F

2010-01-01

This paper deals with carbon dust agglomeration in radio frequency acetylene/argon plasma. Two studies, an experimental and a numerical one, were carried out to model dust formation mechanisms. Firstly, in situ transmission spectroscopy of dust clouds in the visible range was performed in order to observe the main features of the agglomeration process of the produced carbonaceous dust. Secondly, numerical simulation tools dedicated to understanding the achieved experiments were developed. A first model was used for the discretization of the continuous population balance equations that characterize the dust agglomeration process. The second model is based on a Monte Carlo ray-tracing code coupled to a Mie theory calculation of dust absorption and scattering parameters. These two simulation tools were used together in order to numerically predict the light transmissivity through a dusty plasma and make comparisons with experiments.

Backscattering and negative polarization of agglomerate particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Zubko, Evgenij; Shkuratov, Yuriy; Hart, Matthew; Eversole, Jay; Videen, Gorden

2003-09-01

We used the discrete dipole approximation to study the backscattering of agglomerate particles consisting of oblong monomers. We varied the aspect ratio of the monomers from approximately 1 (sphere) to 4, while we kept the total particle volume equivalent to that of an x = 10 sphere for m = 1.59 + i0 and 1.50 + i0 and considered two values of agglomerate packing density: rho = 0.25 and rho = 0.1. We found that these particles do not display a prominent brightness opposition effect but do produce significant negative polarization over a range of near-backscattering angles. Increasing the monomers' aspect ratio can make the negative polarization much more prominent. We have noted also that decreasing m and p can reduce the amplitude of the negative polarization for these particles.

Development of a fluidized bed agglomeration modeling methodology to include particle-level heterogeneities in ash chemistry and granular physics

Science.gov (United States)

Khadilkar, Aditi B.

The utility of fluidized bed reactors for combustion and gasification can be enhanced if operational issues such as agglomeration are mitigated. The monetary and efficiency losses could be avoided through a mechanistic understanding of the agglomeration process and prediction of operational conditions that promote agglomeration. Pilot-scale experimentation prior to operation for each specific condition can be cumbersome and expensive. So the development of a mathematical model would aid predictions. With this motivation, the study comprised of the following model development stages- 1) development of an agglomeration modeling methodology based on binary particle collisions, 2) study of heterogeneities in ash chemical composition and gaseous atmosphere, 3) computation of a distribution of particle collision frequencies based on granular physics for a poly-disperse particle size distribution, 4) combining the ash chemistry and granular physics inputs to obtain agglomerate growth probabilities and 5) validation of the modeling methodology. The modeling methodology comprised of testing every binary particle collision in the system for sticking, based on the extent of dissipation of the particles' kinetic energy through viscous dissipation by slag-liquid (molten ash) covering the particles. In the modeling methodology developed in this study, thermodynamic equilibrium calculations are used to estimate the amount of slag-liquid in the system, and the changes in particle collision frequencies are accounted for by continuously tracking the number density of the various particle sizes. In this study, the heterogeneities in chemical composition of fuel ash were studied by separating the bulk fuel into particle classes that are rich in specific minerals. FactSage simulations were performed on two bituminous coals and an anthracite to understand the effect of particle-level heterogeneities on agglomeration. The mineral matter behavior of these constituent classes was studied

Comparison of diffusion charging and mobility-based methods for measurement of aerosol agglomerate surface area.

Science.gov (United States)

Ku, Bon Ki; Kulkarni, Pramod

2012-05-01

We compare different approaches to measure surface area of aerosol agglomerates. The objective was to compare field methods, such as mobility and diffusion charging based approaches, with laboratory approach, such as Brunauer, Emmett, Teller (BET) method used for bulk powder samples. To allow intercomparison of various surface area measurements, we defined 'geometric surface area' of agglomerates (assuming agglomerates are made up of ideal spheres), and compared various surface area measurements to the geometric surface area. Four different approaches for measuring surface area of agglomerate particles in the size range of 60-350 nm were compared using (i) diffusion charging-based sensors from three different manufacturers, (ii) mobility diameter of an agglomerate, (iii) mobility diameter of an agglomerate assuming a linear chain morphology with uniform primary particle size, and (iv) surface area estimation based on tandem mobility-mass measurement and microscopy. Our results indicate that the tandem mobility-mass measurement, which can be applied directly to airborne particles unlike the BET method, agrees well with the BET method. It was also shown that the three diffusion charging-based surface area measurements of silver agglomerates were similar within a factor of 2 and were lower than those obtained from the tandem mobility-mass and microscopy method by a factor of 3-10 in the size range studied. Surface area estimated using the mobility diameter depended on the structure or morphology of the agglomerate with significant underestimation at high fractal dimensions approaching 3.

Phosphate-enhanced cytotoxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles and agglomerates.

Science.gov (United States)

Everett, W Neil; Chern, Christina; Sun, Dazhi; McMahon, Rebecca E; Zhang, Xi; Chen, Wei-Jung A; Hahn, Mariah S; Sue, H-J

2014-02-10

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) have been found to readily react with phosphate ions to form zinc phosphate (Zn3(PO4)2) crystallites. Because phosphates are ubiquitous in physiological fluids as well as waste water streams, it is important to examine the potential effects that the formation of Zn3(PO4)2 crystallites may have on cell viability. Thus, the cytotoxic response of NIH/3T3 fibroblast cells was assessed following 24h of exposure to ZnO NPs suspended in media with and without the standard phosphate salt supplement. Both particle dosage and size have been shown to impact the cytotoxic effects of ZnO NPs, so doses ranging from 5 to 50 μg/mL were examined and agglomerate size effects were investigated by using the bioinert amphiphilic polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to generate water-soluble ZnO ranging from individually dispersed 4 nm NPs up to micron-sized agglomerates. Cell metabolic activity measures indicated that the presence of phosphate in the suspension media can led to significantly reduced cell viability at all agglomerate sizes and at lower ZnO dosages. In addition, a reduction in cell viability was observed when agglomerate size was decreased, but only in the phosphate-containing media. These metabolic activity results were reflected in separate measures of cell death via the lactate dehydrogenase assay. Our results suggest that, while higher doses of water-soluble ZnO NPs are cytotoxic, the presence of phosphates in the surrounding fluid can lead to significantly elevated levels of cell death at lower ZnO NP doses. Moreover, the extent of this death can potentially be modulated or offset by tuning the agglomerate size. These findings underscore the importance of understanding how nanoscale materials can interact with the components of surrounding fluids so that potential adverse effects of such interactions can be controlled. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parking lots, store chains and spatial agglomeration

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Noguera, Jose

2005-01-01

Roč. 84, č. 2 (2005), s. 145-158 ISSN 1056-8190 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70850503 Keywords : agglomeration * bid -rent * residential district Subject RIV: AH - Economics Impact factor: 0.475, year: 2005

Which Agglomeration Externalities Matter Most and Why?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Groot, H.L.F.; Poot, J.; Smit, M.J.

2016-01-01

This paper revisits the ongoing discussion on the importance of agglomeration externalities – specifically specialization, diversity and competition effects – that may contribute to innovation, productivity and urban employment growth. Previous meta-analyses suggested that the evidence on

Which Agglomeration Externalities Matter Most and Why?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Groot, Henri L.F.; Poot, Jacques; Smit, Martijn J.

2016-01-01

This paper revisits the ongoing discussion on the importance of agglomeration externalities – specifically specialization, diversity and competition effects – that may contribute to innovation, productivity and urban employment growth. Previous meta‐analyses suggested that the evidence on

Kinetic and Thermodynamic Effects on the Agglomeration of Magnetite Nanoparticles by Magnetic Field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, Daeseong; Kim, Hackjin

2016-01-01

The dynamics of agglomeration of magnetite nanoparticles studied by measuring the magnetic weight shows the kinetics of stretched exponential. During the growth of the magnetic weight, the structure of agglomerate fluctuates by temperature change. This fast relaxation that can be interpreted in terms of Boltzmann distribution indicates that the thermal equilibration is established promptly with the temperature change. Agglomerate of nanoparticles resembles protein in that both of them exist in complex structures of various conformations with different formation energies, which requires the energy landscape for understanding of dynamics in detail

Mathematical modeling of pigment dispersion taking into account the full agglomerate particle size distribution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kiil, Søren

2017-01-01

The purpose of this work is to develop a mathematical model that can quantify the dispersion of pigments, with a focus on the mechanical breakage of pigment agglomerates. The underlying physical mechanism was assumed to be surface erosion of spherical pigment agglomerates. The full agglomerate pa.......g., in the development of novel dispersion principles and for analysis of dispersion failures. The general applicability of the model, beyond the three pigments considered, needs to be confirmed....

De-agglomeration of thorium oxalate - a method for the synthesis of sinteractive thoria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ananthasivan, K.; Anthonysamy, S.; Singh, Alok; Vasudeva Rao, P.R.

2002-01-01

Thorium oxalate was obtained by precipitation in water and in non-aqueous solvents and de-agglomerated by ultrasonication in both aqueous as well as non-aqueous media. Sinteractive thoria (crystallite size 6-20 nm) obtained from the de-agglomerated thorium oxalate was characterised for residual carbon, crystallite size, specific surface area, particle size distribution and bulk density. Microstructure of the precursor and the product was studied using TEM and HRTEM. The morphology of the sintered pellets was studied using SEM. The reactivity of the calcined powders was determined by measuring the density of the sintered compacts. The solvent used for de-agglomeration was found to have significant influence on the microstructure of the powders. Thoria derived through aqueous precipitation route could be sintered to a density of 9.7 Mg m -3 at 1673 K. It was demonstrated that ultrasonic de-agglomeration could be a useful method for obtaining sinteractive thoria

Effect of sample container morphology on agglomeration dynamics of magnetic nanoparticles under magnetic field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jin, Dae Seong; Kim, Hack Jin [Dept. of Chemistry, Chungnam National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-12-15

The superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles have been used extensively in medical and biological applications, and agglomeration of magnetic nanoparticles is employed in the purification of water and proteins. The magnetic weight can be measured with a conventional electronic balance. Details of the experimental setup have been previously reported. That is, complex energy landscape involved in the agglomeration is changing with progress. Simulation of colloidal magnetic particles under magnetic field shows that the chain of particles is energetically more favorable than the ring and that the transition barrier between the chain and the ring is very low. The energy barriers among entangled nanoparticles of the agglomerate seem to be much more complicated than those among colloidal particles. The energy barrier distributions at 1000 min are similar for the two containers; however, the trend of blue shift and broadening is much more evident in the case of conical tube. These results indicate that the potential energy surface for agglomeration is modified more significantly in the conical tube which makes the agglomerate denser.

Magnetic agglomeration method for size control in the synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Huber, Dale L [Albuquerque, NM

2011-07-05

A method for controlling the size of chemically synthesized magnetic nanoparticles that employs magnetic interaction between particles to control particle size and does not rely on conventional kinetic control of the reaction to control particle size. The particles are caused to reversibly agglomerate and precipitate from solution; the size at which this occurs can be well controlled to provide a very narrow particle size distribution. The size of particles is controllable by the size of the surfactant employed in the process; controlling the size of the surfactant allows magnetic control of the agglomeration and precipitation processes. Agglomeration is used to effectively stop particle growth to provide a very narrow range of particle sizes.

The agglomeration state of nanoparticles can influence the mechanism of their cellular internalisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Halamoda-Kenzaoui, Blanka; Ceridono, Mara; Urbán, Patricia; Bogni, Alessia; Ponti, Jessica; Gioria, Sabrina; Kinsner-Ovaskainen, Agnieszka

2017-06-26

Significant progress of nanotechnology, including in particular biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, has resulted in a high number of studies describing the biological effects of nanomaterials. Moreover, a determination of so-called "critical quality attributes", that is specific physicochemical properties of nanomaterials triggering the observed biological response, has been recognised as crucial for the evaluation and design of novel safe and efficacious therapeutics. In the context of in vitro studies, a thorough physicochemical characterisation of nanoparticles (NPs), also in the biological medium, is necessary to allow a correlation with a cellular response. Following this concept, we examined whether the main and frequently reported characteristics of NPs such as size and the agglomeration state can influence the level and the mechanism of NP cellular internalization. We employed fluorescently-labelled 30 and 80 nm silicon dioxide NPs, both in agglomerated and non-agglomerated form. Using flow cytometry, transmission electron microscopy, the inhibitors of endocytosis and gene silencing we determined the most probable routes of cellular uptake for each form of tested silica NPs. We observed differences in cellular uptake depending on the size and the agglomeration state of NPs. Caveolae-mediated endocytosis was implicated particularly in the internalisation of well dispersed silica NPs but with an increase of the agglomeration state of NPs a combination of endocytic pathways with a predominant role of macropinocytosis was noted. We demonstrated that the agglomeration state of NPs is an important factor influencing the level of cell uptake and the mechanism of endocytosis of silica NPs.

Defects in electroplated Cu and their impact on stress migration reliability studied using monoenergetic positron beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uedono, Akira; Suzuki, Takashi; Nakamura, Tomoji; Ohdaira, Toshiyuki; Suzuki, Ryoichi

2007-01-01

Positron annihilation was used to probe vacancy-type defects in electroplated Cu fabricated using different electrolytes. Isochronal annealing experiments revealed that the agglomeration of vacancy-type defects in grains was observed below 200degC and that their concentration started to decrease above 300degC. The observed annealing stages of the defects agree with those for pure Cu irradiated with light particles such as electrons. The size and concentration of vacancies decreased with decreasing concentrations of residual impurities in Cu films. A decrease in the impurity concentration, however, increased the failure rate of Cu interconnects in a stress-induced voiding test. Thus, void formation related to stress-induced failure can be reduced through the introduction of vacancy clusters into grains. (author)

Effect of the primary particle morphology on the micromechanical properties of nanostructured alumina agglomerates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schilde, Carsten; Westphal, Bastian; Kwade, Arno

2012-01-01

Depending on the application of nanoparticles, certain characteristics of the product quality such as size, morphology, abrasion resistance, specific surface, dispersibility and tendency to agglomeration are important. These characteristics are a function of the physicochemical properties, i.e. the micromechanical properties of the nanostructured material. The micromechanical properties of these nanostructured agglomerates such as the maximum indentation force, the plastic and elastic deformation energy and the strength give information on the product properties, e.g. the efficiency of a dispersion process of the agglomerates, and can be measured by nanoindentation. In this study a Berkovich indenter tip was used for the characterisation of model aggregates out of sol–gel produced silica and precipitated alumina agglomerates with different primary particle morphologies (dimension of 15–40 nm). In general, the effect of the primary particle morphology and the presence or absence of solid bonds can be characterised by the measurement of the micromechanical properties via nanoindentation. The micromechanical behaviour of aggregates containing solid bonds is strongly affected by the elastic–plastic deformation behaviour of the solid bonds and the breakage of solid bonds. Moreover, varying the primary particle morphology for similar particle material and approximately isotropic agglomerate behaviour the particle–particle interactions within the agglomerates can be described by the elementar breaking stress according to the formula of Rumpf.

A complex network approach for nanoparticle agglomeration analysis in nanoscale images

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machado, Bruno Brandoli, E-mail: bruno.brandoli@ufms.br; Scabini, Leonardo Felipe, E-mail: leo.scabini@ufms.br; Margarido Orue, Jonatan Patrick, E-mail: jonatan.orue@ufms.br; Arruda, Mauro Santos de, E-mail: m.arruda@ufms.br; Goncalves, Diogo Nunes, E-mail: diogo.goncalves@ufms.br; Goncalves, Wesley Nunes, E-mail: wesley.goncalves@ufms.br [Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, CS Department (Brazil); Moreira, Raphaell, E-mail: moreira.raphaell@fu-berlin.de [Freie Universitat BerlinTakustr 3 (Germany); Rodrigues-Jr, Jose F, E-mail: junio@usp.br [University of Sao Paulo, CS Department (Brazil)

2017-02-15

Complex networks have been widely used in science and technology because of their ability to represent several systems. One of these systems is found in Biochemistry, in which the synthesis of new nanoparticles is a hot topic. However, the interpretation of experimental results in the search of new nanoparticles poses several challenges. This is due to the characteristics of nanoparticle images and due to their multiple intricate properties; one property of recurrent interest is the agglomeration of particles. Addressing this issue, this paper introduces an approach that uses complex networks to detect and describe nanoparticle agglomerates so to foster easier and more insightful analyses. In this approach, each detected particle in an image corresponds to a vertice and the distances between the particles define a criterion for creating edges. Edges are created if the distance is smaller than a radius of interest. Once this network is set, we calculate several discrete measures able to reveal the most outstanding agglomerates in a nanoparticle image. Experimental results using images of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) of gold nanoparticles demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed approach over several samples, as reflected by the separability between particles in three usual settings. The results also demonstrated efficacy for both convex and non-convex agglomerates.

Internal migration, regional labor markets and the role of agglomeration economies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mitze, Timo Friedel; Schmidt, Torben Dall

2015-01-01

are indeed key drivers of internal migration flows in Denmark. That is, while we obtain mixed evidence with regard to the role of traditional labor and housing market variables, most of the included proxies for agglomeration economies such as the region’s population density, patent intensity, endowment......We analyze the determinants and regional implications of internal migration flows across Danish municipalities in 2006–2012. Besides assessing the role of labor market and housing market factors in driving a region’s net migration rate, we particularly focus on agglomeration factors identified...... for the role of space–time dynamic adjustment processes and simultaneity among migration and labor market variables and finally test for heterogeneity in the migration response to regional labor market disparities among low- and high-skilled migrants. Our results support the view that agglomeration economies...

Industrial Agglomeration and Use of the Internet

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C-L. Chang (Chia-Lin); M.J. McAleer (Michael); Y-C. Wu (Yu-Chieh)

2015-01-01

textabstractTaiwan has been hailed as a world leader in the development of global innovation and industrial clusters for the past decade. This paper investigates the effects of industrial agglomeration on the use of the internet and internet intensity for Taiwan manufacturing firms, and analyses

Hydrodynamic perspective on asphaltene agglomeration and deposition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schutte, K.C.J.; Portela, L.M.; Twerda, A.; Henkes, R.A.W.M.

2015-01-01

In this work, we propose a detailed numerical model for asphaltene agglomeration and deposition, as induced by a resolved turbulent liquid carrier phase flow, in which transport, breakup, and re-entrainment are also taken into account. Asphaltene phase separation is represented by the appearance of

Agglomerates, smoke oxide particles, and carbon inclusions in condensed combustion products of an aluminized GAP-based propellant

Science.gov (United States)

Ao, Wen; Liu, Peijin; Yang, Wenjing

2016-12-01

In solid propellants, aluminum is widely used to improve the performance, however the condensed combustion products especially the large agglomerates generated from aluminum combustion significantly affect the combustion and internal flow inside the solid rocket motor. To clarify the properties of the condensed combustion products of aluminized propellants, a constant-pressure quench vessel was adopted to collect the combustion products. The morphology and chemical compositions of the collected products, were then studied by using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive (SEM-EDS) method. Various structures have been observed in the condensed combustion products. Apart from the typical agglomerates or smoke oxide particles observed before, new structures including the smoke oxide clusters, irregular agglomerates and carbon-inclusions are discovered and investigated. Smoke oxide particles have the highest amount in the products. The highly dispersed oxide particle is spherical with very smooth surface and is on the order of 1-2 μm, but due to the high temperature and long residence time, these small particles will aggregate into smoke oxide clusters which are much larger than the initial particles. Three types of spherical agglomerates have been found. As the ambient gas temperature is much higher than the boiling point of Al2O3, the condensation layer inside which the aluminum drop is burning would evaporate quickly, which result in the fact that few "hollow agglomerates" has been found compared to "cap agglomerates" and "solid agglomerates". Irregular agglomerates usually larger than spherical agglomerates. The formation of irregular agglomerates likely happens by three stages: deformation of spherical aluminum drops; combination of particles with various shape; finally production of irregular agglomerates. EDS results show the ratio of O to Al on the surface of agglomerates is lower in comparison to smoke oxide particles. C and O account for

Extreme enhancement of blocking temperature by strong magnetic dipoles interaction of α-Fe nanoparticle-based high-density agglomerate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kura, H; Takahashi, M; Ogawa, T

2011-01-01

High-volume fraction α-Fe nanoparticle (NP) agglomerates were prepared using chemically synthesized NPs. In the agglomerate, NPs are separated by surfactant and NP superlattice with a hexagonal close-packed structure is locally realized. Volume fractions of NPs at 20% and 42% were obtained in agglomerates consisting of 2.9 nm and 8.2 nm diameter NPs, respectively. The high saturation magnetization of α-Fe NPs and high volume fraction of NPs in the agglomerate provide strong magnetic dipole-dipole interaction. The interaction energy of the agglomerate became much larger than the anisotropic energy of individual NPs. As a result, the blocking temperature of the 8.2 nm NP agglomerate was significantly enhanced from 52.2 K to around 500 K. (fast track communication)

Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Agglomeration Influences Dose-Rates and Modulates Oxidative Stress Mediated Dose-Response Profiles In Vitro

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharma, Gaurav; Kodali, Vamsi K.; Gaffrey, Matthew J.; Wang, Wei; Minard, Kevin R.; Karin, Norman J.; Teeguarden, Justin G.; Thrall, Brian D.

2013-07-31

Spontaneous agglomeration of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) is a common problem in cell culture media which can confound interpretation of in vitro nanotoxicity studies. The authors created stable agglomerates of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) in conventional culture medium, which varied in hydrodynamic size (276 nm-1.5 μm) but were composed of identical primary particles with similar surface potentials and protein coatings. Studies using C10 lung epithelial cells show that the dose rate effects of agglomeration can be substantial, varying by over an order of magnitude difference in cellular dose in some cases. Quantification by magnetic particle detection showed that small agglomerates of carboxylated IONPs induced greater cytotoxicity and redox-regulated gene expression when compared with large agglomerates on an equivalent total cellular IONP mass dose basis, whereas agglomerates of amine-modified IONPs failed to induce cytotoxicity or redox-regulated gene expression despite delivery of similar cellular doses. Dosimetry modelling and experimental measurements reveal that on a delivered surface area basis, large and small agglomerates of carboxylated IONPs have similar inherent potency for the generation of ROS, induction of stress-related genes and eventual cytotoxicity. The results suggest that reactive moieties on the agglomerate surface are more efficient in catalysing cellular ROS production than molecules buried within the agglomerate core. Because of the dynamic, size and density-dependent nature of ENP delivery to cells in vitro, the biological consequences of agglomeration are not discernible from static measures of exposure concentration (μg/ml) alone, highlighting the central importance of integrated physical characterisation and quantitative dosimetry for in vitro studies. The combined experimental and computational approach provides a quantitative framework for evaluating relationships between the biocompatibility of nanoparticles and their

Iron oxide nanoparticle agglomeration influences dose rates and modulates oxidative stress-mediated dose–response profiles in vitro

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Gaurav; Kodali, Vamsi; Gaffrey, Matthew; Wang, Wei; Minard, Kevin R.; Karin, Norman J.; Teeguarden, Justin G.; Thrall, Brian D.

2014-01-01

Spontaneous agglomeration of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) is a common problem in cell culture media which can confound interpretation of in vitro nanotoxicity studies. The authors created stable agglomerates of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) in conventional culture medium, which varied in hydrodynamic size (276 nm–1.5 μm) but were composed of identical primary particles with similar surface potentials and protein coatings. Studies using C10 lung epithelial cells show that the dose rate effects of agglomeration can be substantial, varying by over an order of magnitude difference in cellular dose in some cases. Quantification by magnetic particle detection showed that small agglomerates of carboxylated IONPs induced greater cytotoxicity and redox-regulated gene expression when compared with large agglomerates on an equivalent total cellular IONP mass dose basis, whereas agglomerates of amine-modified IONPs failed to induce cytotoxicity or redox-regulated gene expression despite delivery of similar cellular doses. Dosimetry modelling and experimental measurements reveal that on a delivered surface area basis, large and small agglomerates of carboxylated IONPs have similar inherent potency for the generation of ROS, induction of stress-related genes and eventual cytotoxicity. The results suggest that reactive moieties on the agglomerate surface are more efficient in catalysing cellular ROS production than molecules buried within the agglomerate core. Because of the dynamic, size and density-dependent nature of ENP delivery to cells in vitro, the biological consequences of agglomeration are not discernible from static measures of exposure concentration (μg/ml) alone, highlighting the central importance of integrated physical characterisation and quantitative dosimetry for in vitro studies. The combined experimental and computational approach provides a quantitative framework for evaluating relationships between the biocompatibility of nanoparticles and their

Effect of Heterogeneity in Coal Ash Chemical Composition on the Onset of Conditions Favorable for Agglomeration in Fluid Beds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aditi B. Khadilkar

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Ash agglomeration issues that arise due to the sticking of slag-wetted, colliding particles have been creating operational difficulties and monetary losses for the fluidized bed combustion (FBC industry. Difficulties have been experienced in the detection of slag-liquid at the low operating temperatures in fluidized bed combustors (FBCs and predicting the agglomeration behavior of fuel. This study aims to study the effect of heterogeneity in ash composition on the detection of slag-liquid in FBCs. It quantifies the slag-liquid amounts at the particle-level, under oxidizing environments, by dividing the bulk fuel into density classes. FactSage™ thermodynamic simulations of each of the particle classes, along with experimental validation of the trends with thermo-mechanical analysis (TMA and high temperature X-ray diffraction (HT-XRD were performed. The results obtained can be used to estimate the stickiness of particles in the development of ash agglomeration models based on particle collisions. The study of these particle classes shows that particle classes with specific minerals can form low temperature eutectics and lead to onset of slag-liquid formation at temperatures below those predicted by bulk analysis alone. Comparison of the differences in slag-liquid formation tendencies under reducing and oxidizing environments is also presented.

Remediation of a heavy metal-contaminated soil by means of agglomeration.

Science.gov (United States)

Polettini, Alessandra; Pomi, Raffaella; Valente, Mattia

2004-01-01

The feasibility of treating a heavy metal-contaminated soil by means of a solidification/stabilization treatment consisting of a granulation process is discussed in the present article. The aim of the study was to attain contaminant immobilization within the agglomerated solid matrix. The soil under concern was characterized by varying levels of heavy metal contamination, ranging from 50 to 500 mg kg(-1) dry soil for chromium. from 300 to 2000 mg kg(-1) dry soil for lead and from 270 to 5000 mg kg(-1) dry soil for copper. An artificially contaminated soil with contaminant concentrations corresponding to the upper level of the mentioned ranges was prepared from a sample of uncontaminated soil by means of spiking experiments. Pure soluble species of chromium, copper and lead. namely CrCl3.6H2O, CuCl2.2H2O and Pb(NO3)2, were selected for the spiking experiments, which were arranged according to a 2(3) full factorial design. The solidification/stabilization treatment was based on an agglomeration process making use of hydraulic binders including Portland cement, hydrated lime and sodium methasilicate, which were selected on the basis of preliminary test runs. It was found that after 7 days of curing the applied treatment was able to efficiently immobilize the investigated heavy metals within the hydrated matrix. Good acid neutralization behavior was also observed, indicating improved matrix resistance to acid attack and decreased potential for metal leaching.

Effects of Al(OH)O nanoparticle agglomerate size in epoxy resin on tension, bending, and fracture properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jux, Maximilian, E-mail: maximilian.jux@dlr.de [TU Braunschweig, Institute of Adaptronic and Functional Integration (IAF) (Germany); Finke, Benedikt [TU Braunschweig, Institute for Particle Technology (IPAT) (Germany); Mahrholz, Thorsten [DLR Braunschweig, Institute of Composite Structures and Adaptive Systems (FA) (Germany); Sinapius, Michael [TU Braunschweig, Institute of Adaptronic and Functional Integration (IAF) (Germany); Kwade, Arno; Schilde, Carsten [TU Braunschweig, Institute for Particle Technology (IPAT) (Germany)

2017-04-15

Several epoxy Al(OH)O (boehmite) dispersions in an epoxy resin are produced in a kneader to study the mechanistic correlation between the nanoparticle size and mechanical properties of the prepared nanocomposites. The agglomerate size is set by a targeted variation in solid content and temperature during dispersion, resulting in a different level of stress intensity and thus a different final agglomerate size during the process. The suspension viscosity was used for the estimation of stress energy in laminar shear flow. Agglomerate size measurements are executed via dynamic light scattering to ensure the quality of the produced dispersions. Furthermore, various nanocomposite samples are prepared for three-point bending, tension, and fracture toughness tests. The screening of the size effect is executed with at least seven samples per agglomerate size and test method. The variation of solid content is found to be a reliable method to adjust the agglomerate size between 138–354 nm during dispersion. The size effect on the Young’s modulus and the critical stress intensity is only marginal. Nevertheless, there is a statistically relevant trend showing a linear increase with a decrease in agglomerate size. In contrast, the size effect is more dominant to the sample’s strain and stress at failure. Unlike microscaled agglomerates or particles, which lead to embrittlement of the composite material, nanoscaled agglomerates or particles cause the composite elongation to be nearly of the same level as the base material. The observed effect is valid for agglomerate sizes between 138–354 nm and a particle mass fraction of 10 wt%.

Effects of Al(OH)O nanoparticle agglomerate size in epoxy resin on tension, bending, and fracture properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jux, Maximilian; Finke, Benedikt; Mahrholz, Thorsten; Sinapius, Michael; Kwade, Arno; Schilde, Carsten

2017-01-01

Several epoxy Al(OH)O (boehmite) dispersions in an epoxy resin are produced in a kneader to study the mechanistic correlation between the nanoparticle size and mechanical properties of the prepared nanocomposites. The agglomerate size is set by a targeted variation in solid content and temperature during dispersion, resulting in a different level of stress intensity and thus a different final agglomerate size during the process. The suspension viscosity was used for the estimation of stress energy in laminar shear flow. Agglomerate size measurements are executed via dynamic light scattering to ensure the quality of the produced dispersions. Furthermore, various nanocomposite samples are prepared for three-point bending, tension, and fracture toughness tests. The screening of the size effect is executed with at least seven samples per agglomerate size and test method. The variation of solid content is found to be a reliable method to adjust the agglomerate size between 138–354 nm during dispersion. The size effect on the Young’s modulus and the critical stress intensity is only marginal. Nevertheless, there is a statistically relevant trend showing a linear increase with a decrease in agglomerate size. In contrast, the size effect is more dominant to the sample’s strain and stress at failure. Unlike microscaled agglomerates or particles, which lead to embrittlement of the composite material, nanoscaled agglomerates or particles cause the composite elongation to be nearly of the same level as the base material. The observed effect is valid for agglomerate sizes between 138–354 nm and a particle mass fraction of 10 wt%.

Characterization of size, surface charge, and agglomeration state of nanoparticle dispersions for toxicological studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Jingkun; Oberdoerster, Guenter; Biswas, Pratim

2009-01-01

Characterizing the state of nanoparticles (such as size, surface charge, and degree of agglomeration) in aqueous suspensions and understanding the parameters that affect this state are imperative for toxicity investigations. In this study, the role of important factors such as solution ionic strength, pH, and particle surface chemistry that control nanoparticle dispersion was examined. The size and zeta potential of four TiO 2 and three quantum dot samples dispersed in different solutions (including one physiological medium) were characterized. For 15 nm TiO 2 dispersions, the increase of ionic strength from 0.001 M to 0.1 M led to a 50-fold increase in the hydrodynamic diameter, and the variation of pH resulted in significant change of particle surface charge and the hydrodynamic size. It was shown that both adsorbing multiply charged ions (e.g., pyrophosphate ions) onto the TiO 2 nanoparticle surface and coating quantum dot nanocrystals with polymers (e.g., polyethylene glycol) suppressed agglomeration and stabilized the dispersions. DLVO theory was used to qualitatively understand nanoparticle dispersion stability. A methodology using different ultrasonication techniques (bath and probe) was developed to distinguish agglomerates from aggregates (strong bonds), and to estimate the extent of particle agglomeration. Probe ultrasonication performed better than bath ultrasonication in dispersing TiO 2 agglomerates when the stabilizing agent sodium pyrophosphate was used. Commercially available Degussa P25 and in-house synthesized TiO 2 nanoparticles were used to demonstrate identification of aggregated and agglomerated samples.

h-multigrid agglomeration based solution strategies for discontinuous Galerkin discretizations of incompressible flow problems

Science.gov (United States)

Botti, L.; Colombo, A.; Bassi, F.

2017-10-01

In this work we exploit agglomeration based h-multigrid preconditioners to speed-up the iterative solution of discontinuous Galerkin discretizations of the Stokes and Navier-Stokes equations. As a distinctive feature h-coarsened mesh sequences are generated by recursive agglomeration of a fine grid, admitting arbitrarily unstructured grids of complex domains, and agglomeration based discontinuous Galerkin discretizations are employed to deal with agglomerated elements of coarse levels. Both the expense of building coarse grid operators and the performance of the resulting multigrid iteration are investigated. For the sake of efficiency coarse grid operators are inherited through element-by-element L2 projections, avoiding the cost of numerical integration over agglomerated elements. Specific care is devoted to the projection of viscous terms discretized by means of the BR2 dG method. We demonstrate that enforcing the correct amount of stabilization on coarse grids levels is mandatory for achieving uniform convergence with respect to the number of levels. The numerical solution of steady and unsteady, linear and non-linear problems is considered tackling challenging 2D test cases and 3D real life computations on parallel architectures. Significant execution time gains are documented.

Agglomeration of Ni-nanoparticles in the gas phase under gravity and microgravity conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lösch, S; Günther, B H; Iles, G N; Schmitz, B

2011-01-01

The agglomeration of metallic nanoparticles can be performed using the well-known inert gas condensation process. Unfortunately, thermal effects such as convection are created by the heating source and as a result the turbulent aerosol avoids ideal conditions. In addition, the sedimentation of large particles and/or agglomerates influences the self-assembly of particles. These negative effects can be eliminated by using microgravity conditions. Here we present the results of the agglomeration of nanoscale Ni-particles under gravity and microgravity conditions, the latter provided by adapted microgravity platforms namely the European sounding rocket MAXUS 8 and the European Parabolic Flight aircraft, Airbus A300 Zero-G.

A kinetic study of the mechanism of radiation induced agglomeration of ovalbumin in aqueous solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuce, Zorana; Janata, Eberhard; Radojcic, Marija; Milosavljevic, B.H.

2001-01-01

The effect of concentration on the protein radiolytic damage resulting in a change in molecular mass was measured in the concentration range from 0.2 to 2 mmolxdm -3 ovalbumin in phosphate buffered solutions saturated with N 2 O. The electrophoretic analysis of samples on discontinuous SDS-polyacrylamide gels in the presence or absence of 5% β-mercaptoethanol showed an expected result, i.e. that the protein scission did not take place in the absence of oxygen. Only ovalbumin agglomerates, bonded by covalent bonds other than S-S bridges, were observed. The G-value for the formation of ovalbumin agglomerates increased linearly from 1.1 to 2.4 by increasing the ovalbumin concentration from 0.2 to 2 mmolxdm -3 . The result is interpreted as to be owing to the competition between ovalbumin agglomeration and some intramolecular reactions which did not lead to the change in the molecular mass. It was also found that the G-value is independent of irradiation dose rate. The result was rationalized as a kinetic evidence that the agglomeration is not a cross-linking process, i.e. it does not occur via recombination of the protein radicals produced in the interaction of ovalbumin and · OH radical. The result suggested that the agglomeration takes place via the process of grafting, i.e. it occurs in the reaction of ovalbumin radical and an intact ovalbumin molecule. The time-resolved light scattering experiments provided an additional proof, supporting the reaction scheme of radiation-induced protein agglomeration. The biological consequences of the proposed mechanism of protein agglomeration are also discussed

Evidence of zirconium nano-agglomeration in as-cast dilute U–Zr alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukherjee, S.; Kaity, S.; Saify, M.T.; Jha, S.K.; Pujari, P.K.

2014-01-01

Microstructure evaluation of as-cast and annealed U–Zr (Zr = 2, 6 and 10 wt.%) alloys has been carried out for the first time using positrons as a probe. The chemical signature in the matter–antimatter annihilation gamma and the positron lifetime data suggests that majority of positrons are annihilating from Zr sites in the as-cast alloys. The results have been interpreted as due to the presence of Zr nano-agglomerates in the as-cast alloys which have a higher positron affinity as compared to the rest of the U matrix. A minimum agglomerate size of ∼2 nm diameter has been calculated from the difference in positron affinity between the agglomerates and the matrix. Upon annealing, the Zr signature in the annihilation gamma photons vanishes suggesting that the Zr agglomerates diffuse out of U matrix and form micron-sized precipitates. This has been confirmed by scanning electron microscopy which shows a 3 times increase in the surface density of the precipitates in the annealed alloys as compared to the as-cast ones. Shorter positron diffusion length (measured using slow positron beam) as compared to precipitate separation has been invoked to explain the observed data

Defects in semiconductors

CERN Document Server

Romano, Lucia; Jagadish, Chennupati

2015-01-01

This volume, number 91 in the Semiconductor and Semimetals series, focuses on defects in semiconductors. Defects in semiconductors help to explain several phenomena, from diffusion to getter, and to draw theories on materials' behavior in response to electrical or mechanical fields. The volume includes chapters focusing specifically on electron and proton irradiation of silicon, point defects in zinc oxide and gallium nitride, ion implantation defects and shallow junctions in silicon and germanium, and much more. It will help support students and scientists in their experimental and theoret

Experimental studies of the gravitational agglomeration of aerosols. Pt. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ball, M.H.E.; Mitchell, J.P.; Kissane, M.P.

1990-06-01

Experiments have been performed to determine the extent of gravitational agglomeration between micron-sized airborne particles suspended initially as two discrete log-normal number-size distributions. These aerosols were generated from commercially-available glass microspheres using a standard dry powder dispersing technique. They were injected directly into a sedimentation vessel and their settling behaviour was studied using a TSI Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (APS33B) to obtain particle number-size data, and a deposition sampler to obtain the corresponding mass-based data. Additionally, samples were collected on membrane filters to measure total aerosol mass concentrations, and a Faraday-cup aerosol electrometer was used to determine the net average electrostatic charge of the particles. While mass-based techniques were not sufficiently sensitive to detect gravitational agglomeration, the process could be monitored with reasonable success by number-based methods. APS33B measurements were made in the presence and absence of larger particles. No significant increase in the rate of removal of the small particles was observed. These studies therefore indicated that gravitational agglomeration is small or negligible under the specified test conditions. (author)

Behavior of defective LWR-type fuel rods irradiated under postulated accident conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hobbins, R.R.; Croucher, D.W.; Seiffert, S.L.; Cook, B.A.; Kerwin, D.K.; Mehner, A.S.; Ploger, S.A.

1979-05-01

The irradiation experiments reported here have been conducted by the Thermal Fuels Behavior Program of EG and G Idaho, Inc., for the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the Power Burst Facility (PBF) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Five of the rods were irradiated in PCM tests and one in a LOC test. During these tests, the six rods lost cladding integrity prior to or during the transient phase of the test due to either manufacturing defects or intentional rod design and operation. Of the five defective rods tested under PCM conditions, one (Rod IE-008, Test IE-1) had a hydride rupture below the region of the rod, which was in film boiling during the transient; two (Rod A-0021, Test PCM-3 and Rod IE-019, Test IE-5) contained defects (a pin hole and a small axial crack, respectively) within the film boiling zone; and two (Rod 201-1, Test PCM-1 and Rod 205-8, Test PCM-5) failed by cladding embrittlement within the film boiling zone. Rod 312-3 was waterlogged before being subjected to LOC conditions in Test LLR-3

Measuring Agglomeration Forces in a Financial Center

OpenAIRE

Bourgain, Arnaud; Pieretti, Patrice

2006-01-01

Basing on Scitovsky's (1954) definition of external economies and applying the method of Caballero and Lyons (1990) to macro data of Luxembourg services industry, we find significant agglomeration forces between financial intermediaries (downstream industry) on the one hand and business services and computer industry (upstream industries) on the other.

Understanding Lateritic Ore Agglomeration Behaviour as a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Processing such ores through cost-competitive heap (4-10 m high) leaching as an alternative, requires successful agglomeration of the feed into robust and porous granules. To date, produc-ing of granules with desirable attributes poses a major geotechnical challenge to industry. In the present work, we investigate ...

Electron spin resonance signal from a tetra-interstitial defect in silicon

CERN Document Server

Mchedlidze, T

2003-01-01

The Si-B3 electron spin resonance (ESR) signal from agglomerates of self-interstitials was detected for the first time in hydrogen-doped float-zone-grown silicon samples subjected to annealing after electron irradiation. Previously this signal had been detected only in neutron- or proton-irradiated silicon samples. The absence of obscuring ESR peaks for the investigated samples at applied measurement conditions allowed an investigation of the hyperfine structure of the Si-B3 spectra. The analysis supports assignment of a tetra-interstitial defect as the origin of the signal.

A uHPLC-MS mathematical modeling approach to dry powder inhaler single agglomerate analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Pennington, Justin; Lena, John; Medendorp, Joseph; Ewing, Gary

2011-10-01

Demonstration of content uniformity (CU) is critical toward the successful development of dry powder inhalers (DPIs). Methods for unit dose CU determination for DPI products are well-established within the field of respiratory science. Recent advances in the area include a uHPLC-MS method for high-throughput uniformity analysis, which allows for a greater understanding of blending operations as the industry transitions to a quality-by-design approach to development. Further enhancements to this uHPLC-MS method now enable it to determine CU and sample weight at the single agglomerate level, which is roughly 50× smaller than a unit dose. When coupled with optical microscopy-based agglomerate sizing, the enhanced uHPLC-MS method can also predict the density and porosity of individual agglomerates. Expanding analytical capabilities to the single agglomerate level provides greater insights and confidence in the DPI manufacturing process.

Continuous agglomerate model for identifying the solute- indifferent part of colloid nanoparticle's surface charge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfimov, A V; Aryslanova, E M; Chivilikhin, S A

2016-01-01

This work proposes an explicit analytical model for the surface potential of a colloidal nano-agglomerate. The model predicts that when an agglomerate reaches a certain critical size, its surface potential becomes independent of the agglomerate radius. The model also provides a method for identifying and quantifying the solute-indifferent charge in nanocolloids, that allows to assess the stability of toxicologically significant parameters of the system. (paper)

Welfare benefits of agglomeration and worker heterogenity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Teulings, C.N.; Ossokina, I.V.; de Groot, H.L.F.

2014-01-01

The direct impact of local public goods on welfare is relatively easy to measure from land rents. However, the indirect effects on home and job location, on land use, and on agglomeration benefits are hard to pin down. We develop a spatial general equilibrium model for the valuation of these

Effect of hydration repulsion on nanoparticle agglomeration evaluated via a constant number Monte–Carlo simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Haoyang Haven; Lanphere, Jacob; Walker, Sharon; Cohen, Yoram

2015-01-01

The effect of hydration repulsion on the agglomeration of nanoparticles in aqueous suspensions was investigated via the description of agglomeration by the Smoluchowski coagulation equation using constant number Monte–Carlo simulation making use of the classical DLVO theory extended to include the hydration repulsion energy. Evaluation of experimental DLS measurements for TiO 2 , CeO 2 , SiO 2 , and α-Fe 2 O 3 (hematite) at high IS (up to 900 mM) or low |ζ-potential| (≥1.35 mV) demonstrated that hydration repulsion energy can be above electrostatic repulsion energy such that the increased overall repulsion energy can significantly lower the agglomerate diameter relative to the classical DLVO prediction. While the classical DLVO theory, which is reasonably applicable for agglomeration of NPs of high |ζ-potential| (∼>35 mV) in suspensions of low IS (∼<1 mM), it can overpredict agglomerate sizes by up to a factor of 5 at high IS or low |ζ-potential|. Given the potential important role of hydration repulsion over a range of relevant conditions, there is merit in quantifying this repulsion energy over a wide range of conditions as part of overall characterization of NP suspensions. Such information would be of relevance to improved understanding of NP agglomeration in aqueous suspensions and its correlation with NP physicochemical and solution properties. (paper)

Dispersion and Filtration of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) and Measurement of Nanoparticle Agglomerates in Diesel Exhaust.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jing; Pui, David Y H

2013-01-14

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) tend to form bundles due to their geometry and van der Walls forces, which usually complicates studies of the CNT properties. Dispersion plays a significant role in CNT studies and we summarize dispersion techniques to generate airborne CNTs from suspensions or powders. We describe in detail our technique of CNT aerosolization with controlled degree of agglomeration using an electrospray system. The results of animal inhalation studies using the electrosprayed CNTs are presented. We have performed filtration experiments for CNTs through a screen filter. A numerical model has been established to simulate the CNT filtration experiments. Both the modeling and experimental results show that the CNT penetration is less than the penetration for a sphere with the same mobility diameter, which is mainly due to the larger interception length of the CNTs. There is a need for instruments capable of fast and online measurement of gas-borne nanoparticle agglomerates. We developed an instrument Universal NanoParticle Analyzer (UNPA) and the measurement results for diesel exhaust particulates are presented. The results presented here are pertinent to non-spherical aerosol particles, and illustrate the effects of particle morphology on aerosol behaviors.

Economic agglomerations and spatio-temporal cycles in a spatial growth model with capital transport cost

Science.gov (United States)

Juchem Neto, J. P.; Claeyssen, J. C. R.; Pôrto Júnior, S. S.

2018-03-01

In this paper we introduce capital transport cost in a unidimensional spatial Solow-Swan model of economic growth with capital-induced labor migration, considered in an unbounded domain. Proceeding with a stability analysis, we show that there is a critical value for the capital transport cost where the dynamic behavior of the economy changes, provided that the intensity of capital-induced labor migration is strong enough. On the one hand, if the capital transport cost is higher than this critical value, the spatially homogeneous equilibrium of coexistence of the model is stable, and the economy converges to this spatially homogeneous state in the long run; on the other hand, if transport cost is lower than this critical value, the equilibrium is unstable, and the economy may develop different spatio-temporal dynamics, including the formation of stable economic agglomerations and spatio-temporal economic cycles, depending on the other parameters in the model. Finally, numerical simulations support the results of the stability analysis, and illustrate the spatio-temporal dynamics generated by the model, suggesting that the economy as a whole benefits from the formation of economic agglomerations and cycles, with a higher capital transport cost reducing this gain.

An SEM/EDX study of bed agglomerates formed during fluidized bed combustion of three biomass fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scala, Fabrizio; Chirone, Riccardo

2008-01-01

The agglomeration behaviour of three biomass fuels (exhausted and virgin olive husk and pine seed shells) during fluidized bed combustion in a lab-scale reactor was studied by means of SEM/EDX analysis of bed agglomerate samples. The effect of the fuel ash composition, bed temperature and sand particle size on agglomeration was investigated. The study was focused on the main fuel ash components and on their interaction with the bed sand particles. Agglomeration was favoured by high temperature, small sand size, a high fraction of K and Na and a low fraction of Ca and Mg in the fuel ash. An initial fuel ash composition close to the low-melting point eutectic composition appears to enhance agglomeration. The agglomerates examined by SEM showed a hollow structure, with an internal region enriched in K and Na where extensive melting is evident and an external one where sand particles are only attached by a limited number of fused necks. Non-molten or partially molten ash structures deposited on the sand surface and enriched in Ca and Mg were also observed. These results support an ash deposition-melting mechanism: the ash released by burning char particles inside the agglomerates is quantitatively deposited on the sand surface and then gradually embedded in the melt. The low-melting point compounds in the ash migrate towards the sand surface enriching the outermost layer, while the ash structure is progressively depleted of these compounds

Simulation of atomic layer deposition on nanoparticle agglomerates

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jin, W.; van Ommen, J.R.; Kleijn, C.R.

2016-01-01

Coated nanoparticles have many potential applications; production of large quantities is feasible by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on nanoparticles in a fluidized bed reactor. However, due to the cohesive interparticle forces, nanoparticles form large agglomerates, which influences the coating

Transport and Deposition of Welding Fume Agglomerates in a Realistic Human Nasal Airway.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Lin; Inthavong, Kiao; Lidén, Göran; Shang, Yidan; Tu, Jiyuan

2016-07-01

Welding fume is a complex mixture containing ultra-fine particles in the nanometer range. Rather than being in the form of a singular sphere, due to the high particle concentration, welding fume particles agglomerate into long straight chains, branches, or other forms of compact shapes. Understanding the transport and deposition of these nano-agglomerates in human respiratory systems is of great interest as welding fumes are a known health hazard. The neurotoxin manganese (Mn) is a common element in welding fumes. Particulate Mn, either as soluble salts or oxides, that has deposited on the olfactory mucosa in human nasal airway is transported along the olfactory nerve to the olfactory bulb within the brain. If this Mn is further transported to the basal ganglia of the brain, it could accumulate at the part of the brain that is the focal point of its neurotoxicity. Accounting for various dynamic shape factors due to particle agglomeration, the current computational study is focused on the exposure route, the deposition pattern, and the deposition efficiency of the inhaled welding fume particles in a realistic human nasal cavity. Particular attention is given to the deposition pattern and deposition efficiency of inhaled welding fume agglomerates in the nasal olfactory region. For particles in the nanoscale, molecular diffusion is the dominant transport mechanism. Therefore, Brownian diffusion, hydrodynamic drag, Saffman lift force, and gravitational force are included in the model study. The deposition efficiencies for single spherical particles, two kinds of agglomerates of primary particles, two-dimensional planar and straight chains, are investigated for a range of primary particle sizes and a range of number of primary particles per agglomerate. A small fraction of the inhaled welding fume agglomerates is deposited on the olfactory mucosa, approximately in the range 0.1-1%, and depends on particle size and morphology. The strong size dependence of the deposition

Engineering the size and density of silicon agglomerates by controlling the initial surface carbonated contamination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borowik, Ł., E-mail: Lukasz.Borowik@cea.fr [CEA, LETI, MINATEC Campus, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France); Chevalier, N.; Mariolle, D.; Martinez, E.; Bertin, F.; Chabli, A.; Barbé, J.-C. [CEA, LETI, MINATEC Campus, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France)

2013-04-01

Actually, thermally induced thin-films dewetting silicon in the silicon-on-insulator is a way to obtain silicon agglomerates with a size and a density fixed by the silicon film thickness. In this paper we report a new method to monitor both the size and the density of the Si agglomerates thanks to the deposition of a carbon-like layer. We show that using a 5-nm thick layer of silicon and additional ≤1-nm carbonated layer; we obtain agglomerates sizes ranging from 35 nm to 60 nm with respectively an agglomerate density ranging from 38 μm{sup −2} to 18 μm{sup −2}. Additionally, for the case of strained silicon films an alternative dewetting mechanism can be induced by monitoring the chemical composition of the sample surface.

Gravitational agglomeration of post-HCDA LMFBR aerosols: nonspherical particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuttle, R.F.; Loyalka, S.K.

1982-12-01

Aerosol behavior analysis computer programs have shown that temporal aerosol size distributions in nuclear reactor containments are sensitive to shape factors. This research investigates shape factors by a detailed theoretical analysis of hydrodynamic interactions between a nonspherical particle and a spherical particle undergoing gravitational collisions in an LMFBR environment. First, basic definitions and expressions for settling speeds and collisional efficiencies of nonspherical particles are developed. These are then related to corresponding quantities for spherical particles through shape factors. Using volume equivalent diameter as the defining length in the gravitational collision kernel, the aerodynamic shape factor, the density correction factor, and the gravitational collision shape factor, are introduced to describe the collision kernel for collisions between aerosol agglomerates. The Navier-Stokes equation in oblate spheroidal coordinates is solved to model a nonspherical particle and then the dynamic equations for two particle motions are developed. A computer program (NGCEFF) is constructed, and the dynamical equations are solved by Gear's method

Synthesis and characterization of magnesium oxide nanocrystallites and probing the vacancy-type defects through positron annihilation studies

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Anjan; Mandal, Atis Chandra; Roy, Soma; Prashanth, Pendem; Ahamed, Sk Izaz; Kar, Subhrasmita; Prasad, Mithun S.; Nambissan, P. M. G.

2016-09-01

Magnesium oxide nanocrystallites exhibit certain abnormal characteristics when compared to those of other wide band gap oxide semiconductors in the sense they are most prone to water absorption and formation of a hydroxide layer on the surface. The problem can be rectified by heating and pure nanocrystallites can be synthesized with controllable sizes. Inevitably the defect properties are distinctly divided between two stages, the one with the hydroxide layer (region I) and the other after the removal of the layer by annealing (region II). The lattice parameters, the optical band gap and even the positron annihilation characteristics are conspicuous by their distinct behavior in the two stages of the surface configurations of nanoparticles. While region I was specific with the formation of positronium-hydrogen complexes that drastically altered the defect-specific positron lifetimes, pick-off annihilation of orthopositronium atoms marked region II. The vacancy clusters within the nanocrystallites also trapped positrons. They agglomerated due to the effect of the higher temperatures and resulted in the growth of the nanocrystallites. The coincidence Doppler broadening spectroscopic measurements supported these findings and all the more indicated the trapping of positrons additionally into the neutral divacancies and negatively charged trivacancies. This is apart from the Mg2+ monovacancies which acted as the dominant trapping centers for positrons.

Analysis of aerosol agglomeration and removal mechanisms relevant to a reactor containment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiang, H.W.; Mulpuru, S.R.; Lindquist, E.D.

1995-01-01

During some Postulated accidents in a nuclear reactor, radioactive aerosols may be formed and could be released from a rupture of the primary heat transport system into the containment. The released aerosols can agglomerate and form larger aerosol particles. The airborne aerosols can be removed from containment atmosphere by deposition onto the walls and other surfaces in contact with the gas-aerosol mixture. The rate of removal of aerosols depends on the aerosol size, which, in turn, is related to the amount of agglomeration of the aerosol particles. The extent of the removal of the aerosol mass from the containment atmosphere is important in determining the potential radioactive releases to the outside atmosphere. In this paper, selected conditions have been assessed to illustrate the significance of agglomeration for situations potentially of interest in containment safety studies

Definition of settlement agglomerations in Slovenia according to water management aspects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leon Gosar

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Enforcement of the European Union’s legal order is bringing substantial expert involvement even in water management. The main act, the Water Framework Directive (WFD, is followed by numerous others. Substantial investments will be demanded even in Slovenia to comply with the Uniform Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD and Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive (IPPCD. On the operative utilities are dealt with by municipalities, while states have to fulfil national responsibilities to the EU. Timely achievement of goals demands coordinated activities based on expert guidelines. One of UWWTD’s basic parameters is the agglomeration, which is a uniform area of such compact settlement, to which special stipulations and dynamics from the directive can be applied. The criteria for compactness is population density per hectare. A suitable grid of square one-hectare cells was devised for Slovenia, with three types of settlement cells. Areas of particular agglomerations are formed by two adjoining cells whose population is most dense. The area of agglomerations is much smaller than settlement area in the register of territorial units, thus Slovene summary obligations from the directive are much smaller, as was shown in the expert guidelines for the National programme for collecting and treating waste communal and atmospheric water. These agglomerations are the basic element for planning and intervention even in other water resource planning (flood prevention measures etc. and could also be used for programmes of provision of utilities, as well as other physical development plans.

Method for producing ceramic particles and agglomerates

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Jonathan; Gleiman, Seth S.; Chen, Chun-Ku

2001-01-01

A method for generating spherical and irregularly shaped dense particles of ceramic oxides having a controlled particle size and particle size distribution. An aerosol containing precursor particles of oxide ceramics is directed into a plasma. As the particles flow through the hot zone of the plasma, they melt, collide, and join to form larger particles. If these larger particles remain in the hot zone, they continue melting and acquire a spherical shape that is retained after they exit the hot zone, cool down, and solidify. If they exit the hot zone before melting completely, their irregular shape persists and agglomerates are produced. The size and size distribution of the dense product particles can be controlled by adjusting several parameters, the most important in the case of powder precursors appears to be the density of powder in the aerosol stream that enters the plasma hot zone. This suggests that particle collision rate is responsible for determining ultimate size of the resulting sphere or agglomerate. Other parameters, particularly the gas flow rates and the microwave power, are also adjusted to control the particle size distribution.

Bifurcation theory for hexagonal agglomeration in economic geography

CERN Document Server

Ikeda, Kiyohiro

2014-01-01

This book contributes to an understanding of how bifurcation theory adapts to the analysis of economic geography. It is easily accessible not only to mathematicians and economists, but also to upper-level undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in nonlinear mathematics. The self-organization of hexagonal agglomeration patterns of industrial regions was first predicted by the central place theory in economic geography based on investigations of southern Germany. The emergence of hexagonal agglomeration in economic geography models was envisaged by Krugman. In this book, after a brief introduction of central place theory and new economic geography, the missing link between them is discovered by elucidating the mechanism of the evolution of bifurcating hexagonal patterns. Pattern formation by such bifurcation is a well-studied topic in nonlinear mathematics, and group-theoretic bifurcation analysis is a well-developed theoretical tool. A finite hexagonal lattice is used to express uniformly distri...

An analytical means of comparing the rates of different agglomeration mechanisms, and its application to a PWR containment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Payne, J.F.B.; Skyrme, G.

1993-01-01

In this paper, agglomeration behaviour is described analytically and this quantitative description is used as a means of comparing the rates of different agglomeration mechanisms. The comparison depends on the average particle size but does not require detailed knowledge of the particle size distribution. The method is applied to the agglomeration of an aerosol suspended in the atmosphere of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) containment building. The rate of turbulent agglomeration in the PWR containment depends upon the degree of turbulence at each point in the fluid, expressed as the turbulent energy dissipation rate, ε. An approximate model of the containment flow is solved to obtain a satisfactory estimate of the functions of ε needed in evaluating turbulent agglomeration rates. (Author)

Ab-initio study of magnetism behavior in TiO{sub 2} semiconductor with structural defects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zarhri, Z., E-mail: z.zarhri@gmail.com; Houmad, M.; Ziat, Y.; El Rhazouani, O.; Slassi, A.; Benyoussef, A.; El Kenz, A.

2016-05-15

Magnetic, electronic and structural properties of titanium dioxide material with different structural defects are studied using the first-principles ab-initio calculations and the Korringa–Kohn–Rostoker method (KKR) combined with the coherent potential approximation (CPA) method in connection with the local density approximation (LDA). We investigated all structural defects in rutile TiO{sub 2} such as Titanium interstitial (Ti{sub i}), Titanium anti-sites (Ti{sub o}), Titanium vacancies (V{sub Ti}), Oxygen interstitial (O{sub i}), Oxygen anti-sites (O{sub Ti}) and oxygen vacancies (V{sub o}). Mechanisms of hybridization and interaction between magnetic atoms are investigated. The transition temperature is computed using the Mean Field Approximation (MFA).Magnetic stability energy of ferromagnetic and disordered local moment states is calculated to determine the most stable state. Titanium anti-sites have a half-metallic aspect. We also studied the change type caused by structural defects in this material. - Highlights: • Green function technique is used to study disordered systems. • We used DFT to study electronic structure of TiO{sub 2} perturbed by defects. • TiO{sub 2} with titanium antisite defect posesses a magnetic behavior. • The transition temperature is computed using the Mean Field Approximation.

Field observations of artificial sand and oil agglomerates

Science.gov (United States)

Dalyander, Patricia (Soupy); Long, Joseph W.; Plant, Nathaniel G.; McLaughlin, Molly R.; Mickey, Rangley C.

2015-01-01

Oil that comes into the surf zone following spills, such as occurred during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout, can mix with local sediment to form heavier-than-water sand and oil agglomerates (SOAs), at times in the form of mats a few centimeters thick and tens of meters long. Smaller agglomerates that form in situ or pieces that break off of larger mats, sometimes referred to as surface residual balls (SRBs), range in size from sand-sized grains to patty-shaped pieces several centimeters (cm) in diameter. These mobile SOAs can cause beach oiling for extended periods following the spill, on the scale of years as in the case of DWH. Limited research, including a prior effort by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigating SOA mobility, alongshore transport, and seafloor interaction using numerical model output, focused on the physical dynamics of SOAs. To address this data gap, we constructed artificial sand and oil agglomerates (aSOAs) with sand and paraffin wax to mimic the size and density of genuine SOAs. These aSOAs were deployed in the nearshore off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida, during a field experiment to investigate their movement and seafloor interaction. This report presents the methodology for constructing aSOAs and describes the field experiment. Data acquired during the field campaign, including videos and images of aSOA movement in the nearshore (1.5-meter and 0.5-meter water depth) and in the swash zone, are also presented in this report.

Performance differentials of agglomeration and strategic groups: a test of incubation and new venture strategy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Amezcua, A.S.; Ratinho, Tiago; Jayamohan, P.

2013-01-01

Our paper investigates how nascent firms ‘performance is affected by strategic group membership and industrial agglomeration. Agglomeration is defined using geographical concentration while strategic groups are measured as incubated firms that belong to the industry most highly represented within an

Process for agglomerating fine coal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Austin, L J; Misbach, P

1976-06-24

The invention concerns a process for agglomerating black coal in mud or powder form in the presence of a mineral oil product dispersed in water. During this process, the nutty slack is added to a portion - approximately 5 - 15% of its weight in the case of anhydrous coal - of a bitumen emulsion and thoroughly mixed. The emulsion should contain mineral oil bitumen with a penetration value 25/sup 0/ less than 5, or a Conradson value of over 35. In a further finishing process the emulsion contains alkaline naphthenate.

Lattice defect investigation of nanostructured ECAP-Cu by means of x-ray line profile analysis, calorimetry and electrical resistometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schafler, E.; Steiner, G.; KEXrber, M.; Zehetbauer, M.J.; Korznikova, E.

2005-01-01

Full text: Cu rods have been deformed by Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) up to shear strains γ ∼ 5 while applying various deformation paths A, B c and C. ECAP processed materials show a microstructure with grain sizes in the nanometer range and a high density of lattice defects. X-ray Bragg Profile Analyses (XPA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) as well as Residual Electrical Resistivity (RER) measurements have been performed, in order to detect the densities of various deformation induced lattice defects and/or their arrangements. The results have been analyzed in terms of annealing of deformation induced dislocations and vacancies (vacancy agglomerates). Compared to conventional cold work procedures, deformation by ECAP achieves a strongly enhanced concentration of vacancy type defects. (author)

Molecular dynamics simulation on the formation and annihilation behaviors of radiation defects in Li2O

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takuji Oda; Satoru Tanaka; Yasuhisa Oya

2006-01-01

The influence of radiation defects is one of the main factors that determine tritium release behavior from blanket breeding materials in fusion reactors. Classical molecular dynamics simulation (MD) is a powerful technique to investigate the radiation damage processes, because it can provide atomic-scale information on the defects. In this study, we conducted radiation simulation for Li 2 O using MD and analyzed formation and annihilation behaviors of radiation defects, as a fundamental research for radiation response of Li-containing oxides. Buckingham type two-body potential model was used. In order to remove the unphysical impulsive force at short inter-ionic distances in Buckingham model, each potential function was connected to that of the ZBL potential models at around 0.8 A. NEV ensemble was employed with the initial simulation temperature of 0 K. 10 x 10 x 10 supercell consisting of 4000 Li 2 O was used as a unit cell under 3D periodic boundary conditions. Radiation simulation was initiated by introducing an energy of a certain direction to an ion, as a displacement energy. The lowest displacement energy by which a defect was created and survived beyond 5 ps was regarded as the threshold energy. 42 and 21 displacement directions were surveyed for Li and O, respectively, based on the symmetry of the Li 2 O crystal. In both Li and O defect formations, [100] displacement shows significantly lower threshold energy than [111] displacement. Li defects were easily created than O defects almost in all directions. In fact, the average threshold energy except [111] displacement, which possesses extremely high threshold energy, was 21 eV for Li and 49 eV for O. In some cases, no defect could survive beyond 5 ps even by higher displacement energies than the threshold energy, due to the self-annealing effect. The self-annealing completed basically within 1 ps after introduction of displacement energy. At around this time, velocity distribution of all ions in the system

Public Action and Innovationsupport Institutions in New Technological Agglomerations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borras, Susana; Bacaria, Jordi; Fernandez-Ribas, Andrea

2002-01-01

In all industrial and technological agglomerations several types of public and semi-public actors coexist. The same happens with the levels of government. Consequently, the daily reality of agglomerations is characterized by a wide diversity of innovation-support institutions more or less actively...... on the major efforts of different public actors in the territory since the 1980s, mainly through the establishment and enhancement of innovation-support institutions, and analyses succinctly their effects through selected successful and failed cases. Two normative statements are suggested from the analysis....... The first is that policy strategies should not try to be hegemonic. Instead, they should be elaborated seeking complementarity and coexistence. A second normative conclusion is the necessity of fostering the learning processes within and across institutions, by mobilizing collectively the assets of the area...

Disentangling the effects of polymer coatings on silver nanoparticle agglomeration, dissolution, and toxicity to determine mechanisms of nanotoxicity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zook, Justin M.; Halter, Melissa D.; Cleveland, Danielle; Long, Stephen E.

2012-01-01

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are frequently coated with a variety of polymers, which may affect various interdependent mechanisms of toxicity or antimicrobial action, including agglomeration and dissolution rates. Here, we systematically measure how citrate, dextran, 5 and 20 kDa poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) coatings affect AgNP agglomeration, dissolution, and toxicity. In addition, to disentangle the coatings’ effects on agglomeration from their other effects, we produce multiple stable agglomerate sizes of several of the coated ∼23 nm AgNPs ranging from singly-dispersed to mean agglomerate sizes of several hundred nanometers. These dispersions allow us to independently study the effects of agglomeration and polymer coating on dissolution rate and hemolytic toxicity. We find that both hemolytic toxicity and dissolution rate are highest for the 5 kDa PEG coating, and toxicity and dissolution rate decrease significantly with increasing agglomerate size independent of coating. This correlation between toxicity and dissolution rate suggests that both polymer coating and agglomeration may affect hemolytic toxicity largely through their effects on dissolution. Because both the AgNP dissolution rate and hemolysis decrease only moderately compared to the large increases in agglomerate size, AgNPs’ hemolytic toxicity may be caused by their large surface area and consequently high dissolution rate, rather than from other size-specific effects. At the silver concentrations used in this work, silver dissolved from AgNPs is expected to be primarily in the form of AgCl NPs, which are therefore more likely than Ag + ions to be the primary drivers of hemolytic toxicity. In addition, all AgNPs we tested are much more toxic to horse red blood cells than sheep red blood cells, highlighting the complexity of toxic responses and the need to test toxicity in multiple biological systems.

Disentangling the effects of polymer coatings on silver nanoparticle agglomeration, dissolution, and toxicity to determine mechanisms of nanotoxicity

Science.gov (United States)

Zook, Justin M.; Halter, Melissa D.; Cleveland, Danielle; Long, Stephen E.

2012-10-01

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are frequently coated with a variety of polymers, which may affect various interdependent mechanisms of toxicity or antimicrobial action, including agglomeration and dissolution rates. Here, we systematically measure how citrate, dextran, 5 and 20 kDa poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) coatings affect AgNP agglomeration, dissolution, and toxicity. In addition, to disentangle the coatings' effects on agglomeration from their other effects, we produce multiple stable agglomerate sizes of several of the coated 23 nm AgNPs ranging from singly-dispersed to mean agglomerate sizes of several hundred nanometers. These dispersions allow us to independently study the effects of agglomeration and polymer coating on dissolution rate and hemolytic toxicity. We find that both hemolytic toxicity and dissolution rate are highest for the 5 kDa PEG coating, and toxicity and dissolution rate decrease significantly with increasing agglomerate size independent of coating. This correlation between toxicity and dissolution rate suggests that both polymer coating and agglomeration may affect hemolytic toxicity largely through their effects on dissolution. Because both the AgNP dissolution rate and hemolysis decrease only moderately compared to the large increases in agglomerate size, AgNPs' hemolytic toxicity may be caused by their large surface area and consequently high dissolution rate, rather than from other size-specific effects. At the silver concentrations used in this work, silver dissolved from AgNPs is expected to be primarily in the form of AgCl NPs, which are therefore more likely than Ag+ ions to be the primary drivers of hemolytic toxicity. In addition, all AgNPs we tested are much more toxic to horse red blood cells than sheep red blood cells, highlighting the complexity of toxic responses and the need to test toxicity in multiple biological systems.

Disentangling the effects of polymer coatings on silver nanoparticle agglomeration, dissolution, and toxicity to determine mechanisms of nanotoxicity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zook, Justin M., E-mail: jzook@nist.gov; Halter, Melissa D.; Cleveland, Danielle; Long, Stephen E. [National Institute of Standards and Technology, Material Measurement Laboratory (United States)

2012-10-15

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are frequently coated with a variety of polymers, which may affect various interdependent mechanisms of toxicity or antimicrobial action, including agglomeration and dissolution rates. Here, we systematically measure how citrate, dextran, 5 and 20 kDa poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) coatings affect AgNP agglomeration, dissolution, and toxicity. In addition, to disentangle the coatings' effects on agglomeration from their other effects, we produce multiple stable agglomerate sizes of several of the coated {approx}23 nm AgNPs ranging from singly-dispersed to mean agglomerate sizes of several hundred nanometers. These dispersions allow us to independently study the effects of agglomeration and polymer coating on dissolution rate and hemolytic toxicity. We find that both hemolytic toxicity and dissolution rate are highest for the 5 kDa PEG coating, and toxicity and dissolution rate decrease significantly with increasing agglomerate size independent of coating. This correlation between toxicity and dissolution rate suggests that both polymer coating and agglomeration may affect hemolytic toxicity largely through their effects on dissolution. Because both the AgNP dissolution rate and hemolysis decrease only moderately compared to the large increases in agglomerate size, AgNPs' hemolytic toxicity may be caused by their large surface area and consequently high dissolution rate, rather than from other size-specific effects. At the silver concentrations used in this work, silver dissolved from AgNPs is expected to be primarily in the form of AgCl NPs, which are therefore more likely than Ag{sup +} ions to be the primary drivers of hemolytic toxicity. In addition, all AgNPs we tested are much more toxic to horse red blood cells than sheep red blood cells, highlighting the complexity of toxic responses and the need to test toxicity in multiple biological systems.

Effects of physical properties of powder particles on binder liquid requirement and agglomerate growth mechanisms in a high shear mixer.

Science.gov (United States)

Johansen, A; Schaefer, T

2001-09-01

A study was performed in order to elucidate the effects of the physical properties of small powder particles on binder liquid requirement and agglomerate growth mechanisms. Three grades of calcium carbonate having different particle size distribution, surface area, and particle shape but approximately the same median particle size (4-5 microm), were melt agglomerated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3000 or 20,000 in an 8-l high shear mixer at three impeller speeds. The binder liquid requirement was found to be very dependent on the packing properties of the powder, a denser packing resulting in a lower binder liquid requirement. The densification of the agglomerates in the high shear mixer could be approximately predicted by compressing a powder sample in a compaction simulator. With the PEG having the highest viscosity (PEG 20,000), the agglomerate formation and growth occurred primarily by the immersion mechanism, whereas PEG 3000 gave rise to agglomerate growth by coalescence. Powder particles with a rounded shape and a narrow size distribution resulted in breakage of agglomerates with PEG 3000, whereas no breakage was seen with PEG 20,000. Powder particles having an irregular shape and surface structure could be agglomerated with PEG 20,000, whereas agglomerate growth became uncontrollable with PEG 3000. When PEG 20,000 was added as a powder instead of flakes, the resultant agglomerates became rounder and the size distribution narrower.

Agglomeration and Deposition Behaviour of Solid Recovered Fuel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Morten Nedergaard; Jensen, Peter Arendt; Hjuler, Klaus

2016-01-01

formation, or accumulation of impurities. The combustion of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), wood, and SRF were studied in a rotary drum furnace. The combustion was recorded on a camera (60 frames per second), so that any agglomeration or deposition of fuel or ash...

Primary particles and their agglomerate formation as modifying risk factors of nonfibrous nanosized dust.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, J; Walter, D; Brückel, B; Rödelsperger, K

2013-01-01

The incidence of certain cancers correlates with the number of dust particles in the air. Nanosized particles differ from coarser particles by their increasing tendency to form agglomerates. The dissociation of biodurable agglomerates after deposition in the alveolar region resulted in a higher toxic potential. Biodurable dusts in the urban and workplace environment were analyzed to determine an effect-relevant exposure parameter. The characterization of the dusts relating to their number of primary particles (P(p)) and agglomerates and aggregates (A + A) was performed by electron microscopy. Diesel soot, toner material, and seven further dust samples in the workplace environment are composed of high numbers of nanosized primary particles (agglomerates. Primary particles of rock, kaoline, and seven further dusts sampled in the workplace are not nanosized. In a multivariate analysis that predicted lung tumor risk, the mass, volume, and numbers of A + A and P(p) per milligram dust were shown to be relevant parameters. Dose-response relationships revealed an increased tumor risk in rats with higher numbers of P(p) in nanosized dust, which occurs unintentionally in the environment.

Dissolution, agglomerate morphology, and stability limits of protein-coated silver nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Matthew N; Allen, Andrew J; MacCuspie, Robert I; Hackley, Vincent A

2014-09-30

Little is understood regarding the impact that molecular coatings have on nanoparticle dissolution kinetics and agglomerate formation in a dilute nanoparticle dispersion. Dissolution and agglomeration processes compete in removing isolated nanoparticles from the dispersion, making quantitative time-dependent measurements of the mechanisms of nanoparticle loss particularly challenging. In this article, we present in situ ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) results, simultaneously quantifying dissolution, agglomeration, and stability limits of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) coated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein. When the BSA corona is disrupted, we find that the loss of silver from the nanoparticle core is well matched by a second-order kinetic rate reaction, arising from the oxidative dissolution of silver. Dissolution and agglomeration are quantified, and morphological transitions throughout the process are qualified. By probing the BSA-AgNP suspension around its stability limits, we provide insight into the destabilization mechanism by which individual particles rapidly dissolve as a whole rather than undergo slow dissolution from the aqueous interface inward, once the BSA layer is breached. Because USAXS rapidly measures over the entire nanometer to micrometer size range during the dissolution process, many insights are also gained into the stabilization of NPs by protein and its ability to protect the labile metal core from the solution environment by prohibiting the diffusion of reactive species. This approach can be extended to a wide variety of coating molecules and reactive metal nanoparticle systems to carefully survey their stability limits, revealing the likely mechanisms of coating breakdown and ensuing reactions.

Agglomeration mechanism in biomass fluidized bed combustion – Reaction between potassium carbonate and silica sand

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Anicic, Bozidar; Lin, Weigang; Dam-Johansen, Kim

2018-01-01

Agglomeration is one of the operational problems in fluidized bed combustion of biomass, which is caused by interaction between bed materials (e.g. silica sand) and the biomass ash with a high content of potassium species. However, the contribution of different potassium species to agglomeration ...

Quantitative characterization of agglomerate abrasion in a tumbling blender by using the Stokes number approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Willemsz, Tofan A.; Nguyen, Tien Thanh; Hooijmaijers, Ricardo; Frijlink, Henderik W.; Vromans, Herman; van der Voort Maarschalk, Kees

2013-01-01

Removal of microcrystalline cellulose agglomerates in a dry-mixing system (lactose, 100 M) predominantly occurs via abrasion. The agglomerate abrasion rate potential is estimated by the Stokes abrasion (StAbr) number of the system. The StAbrnumber equals the ratio between the kinetic energy density

Ion species dependence of the implantation-induced defects in ZnO studied by a slow positron beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Z.Q.; Maekawa, M.; Kawasuso, A.; Naramoto, H.

2007-01-01

In this work, we implanted B + , O + , Al + , and P + ions into ZnO with energy of 50-380 keV and total doses of 4 x 10 15 cm -2 for each ion. The implantation-induced defects and their thermal recovery were studied using a slow positron beam. Vacancy clusters are produced in all the implanted samples. It is found that the thermal recovery of these vacancies induced by different ions shows much difference. In case of B + and Al + -implantation, the vacancy clusters agglomerate to much larger size and might evolve to microvoids during annealing. However, for O + and P + ions, which are heavier than B + and Al + , the vacancies show a much weaker agglomeration process. The mechanism of such difference is discussed. (copyright 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Compacting and sintering of agglomerated ultradispersed powders ZrO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galakhov, A.V.; Vyazov, I.V.; Shevchenko, V.Ya.

1989-01-01

Results of investigation into the change of porous structure of shapings of submicron powders under compacting and its effect on the sintering kinetics are presented. ZrO 2 + 3%Y 2 O 3 (molar share) composition powders, produced by coprecipitation from Zr and Y mineral salts are used. Reduction of specific volume of interagglomerated pores is linked with the destruction of large soft agglomerates at the initial compacting shift. At this stage the filling of a part of interagglomerated pores with large agglomerate crushing products takes place. As a result of such a process a part of pores transfers from the class of interagglomerated to the class of intraagglomerated ones increasing their specific content in a compact

Effect of whey protein agglomeration on spray dried microcapsules containing Saccharomyces boulardii.

Science.gov (United States)

Duongthingoc, Diep; George, Paul; Katopo, Lita; Gorczyca, Elizabeth; Kasapis, Stefan

2013-12-01

This work investigates the effect of whey protein agglomeration on the survivability of Saccharomyces boulardii within spray dried microcapsules. It attempts to go beyond phenomenological observations by establishing a relationship between physicochemical characteristics of the polymeric matrix and its effect on probiotic endurance upon spray drying. It is well known that this type of thermal shock has lethal consequences on the yeast cells. To avoid such undesirable outcome, we take advantage of the early agglomeration phenomenon observed for whey protein by adjusting the pH value of preparations close to isoelectric point (pH 4-5). During the subsequent process of spray drying, development of whey protein agglomerates induces formation of an early crust, and the protein in this molten globular state creates a cohesive network encapsulating the yeast cells. It appears that the early crust formation at a given sample pH and temperature regime during spray drying benefits the survivability of S. boulardii within microcapsules. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Combustion of metal agglomerates in a solid rocket core flow

Science.gov (United States)

Maggi, Filippo; Dossi, Stefano; DeLuca, Luigi T.

2013-12-01

The need for access to space may require the use of solid propellants. High thrust and density are appealing features for different applications, spanning from boosting phase to other service applications (separation, de-orbiting, orbit insertion). Aluminum is widely used as a fuel in composite solid rocket motors because metal oxidation increases enthalpy release in combustion chamber and grants higher specific impulse. Combustion process of metal particles is complex and involves aggregation, agglomeration and evolution of reacting particulate inside the core flow of the rocket. It is always stated that residence time should be enough in order to grant complete metal oxidation but agglomerate initial size, rocket grain geometry, burning rate, and other factors have to be reconsidered. New space missions may not require large rocket systems and metal combustion efficiency becomes potentially a key issue to understand whether solid propulsion embodies a viable solution or liquid/hybrid systems are better. A simple model for metal combustion is set up in this paper. Metal particles are represented as single drops trailed by the core flow and reacted according to Beckstead's model. The fluid dynamics is inviscid, incompressible, 1D. The paper presents parametric computations on ideal single-size particles as well as on experimental agglomerate populations as a function of operating rocket conditions and geometries.

Charged Semiconductor Defects Structure, Thermodynamics and Diffusion

CERN Document Server

Seebauer, Edmund G

2009-01-01

The technologically useful properties of a solid often depend upon the types and concentrations of the defects it contains. Not surprisingly, defects in semiconductors have been studied for many years, in many cases with a view towards controlling their behavior through various forms of "defect engineering." For example, in the bulk, charging significantly affects the total concentration of defects that are available to mediate phenomena such as solid-state diffusion. Surface defects play an important role in mediating surface mass transport during high temperature processing steps such as epitaxial film deposition, diffusional smoothing in reflow, and nanostructure formation in memory device fabrication. Charged Semiconductor Defects details the current state of knowledge regarding the properties of the ionized defects that can affect the behavior of advanced transistors, photo-active devices, catalysts, and sensors. Features: Group IV, III-V, and oxide semiconductors; Intrinsic and extrinsic defects; and, P...

Combining in situ transmission electron microscopy irradiation experiments with cluster dynamics modeling to study nanoscale defect agglomeration in structural metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Donghua; Wirth, Brian D.; Li Meimei; Kirk, Marquis A.

2012-01-01

We present a combinatorial approach that integrates state-of-the-art transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in situ irradiation experiments and high-performance computing techniques to study irradiation defect dynamics in metals. Here, we have studied the evolution of visible defect clusters in nanometer-thick molybdenum foils under 1 MeV krypton ion irradiation at 80 °C through both cluster dynamics modeling and in situ TEM experiments. The experimental details are reported elsewhere; we focus here on the details of model construction and comparing the model with the experiments. The model incorporates continuous production of point defects and/or small clusters, and the accompanying interactions, which include clustering, recombination and loss to the surfaces that result from the diffusion of the mobile defects. To account for the strong surface effect in thin TEM foils, the model includes one-dimensional spatial dependence along the foil depth, and explicitly treats the surfaces as black sinks. The rich amount of data (cluster number density and size distribution at a variety of foil thickness, irradiation dose and dose rate) offered by the advanced in situ experiments has allowed close comparisons with computer modeling and permitted significant validation and optimization of the model in terms of both physical model construct (damage production mode, identities of mobile defects) and parameterization (diffusivities of mobile defects). The optimized model exhibits good qualitative and quantitative agreement with the in situ TEM experiments. The combinatorial approach is expected to bring a unique opportunity for the study of radiation damage in structural materials.

Characterisation of silica nanoparticles prior to in vitro studies: from primary particles to agglomerates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orts-Gil, Guillermo; Natte, Kishore; Drescher, Daniela; Bresch, Harald; Mantion, Alexandre; Kneipp, Janina; Österle, Werner

2011-01-01

The size, surface charge and agglomeration state of nanoparticles under physiological conditions are fundamental parameters to be determined prior to their application in toxicological studies. Although silica-based materials are among the most promising candidates for biomedical applications, more systematic studies concerning the characterisation before performing toxicological studies are necessary. This interest is based on the necessity to elucidate the mechanisms affecting its toxicity. We present here TEM, SAXS and SMPS as a combination of methods allowing an accurate determination of single nanoparticle sizes. For the commercial material, Ludox TM50 single particle sizes around 30 nm were found in solution. DLS measurements of single particles are rather affected by polydispersity and particles concentration but this technique is useful to monitor their agglomeration state. Here, the influence of nanoparticle concentration, ionic strength (IS), pH and bath sonication on the agglomeration behaviour of silica particles in solution has been systematically investigated. Moreover, the colloidal stability of silica particles in the presence of BSA has been investigated showing a correlation between silica and protein concentrations and the formation of agglomerates. Finally, the colloidal stability of silica particles in standard cell culture medium has been tested, concluding the necessity of surface modification in order to preserve silica as primary particles in the presence of serum. The results presented here have major implications on toxicity investigations because silica agglomeration will change the probability and uptake mechanisms and thereby may affect toxicity.

Effect of agglomeration of silver nanoparticle on nanotoxicity depression

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bae, Eunjoo; Yi, Jongheop [Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Byung-Cheun; Choi, Kyunghee [National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Younghun [Kwangwoon University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2013-02-15

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used commercially in a variety of applications, including textiles, cosmetics, spray cleaning agents, and metal products. AgNP itself, however, is classified as an environmental hazard by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, USA) Nanotechnology White Paper, due to its toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative characteristics when exposed to the environment. We investigated the cumulative mortality and abnormalities in Japanese medaka (Oryziaslatipes) embryos after exposure to AgNPs. Free AgNPs in solution have a high activity with respect to biological interactions regarding blocking blood flow and distribution of AgNPs into the cells from head to tail of hatched O. latipes. Interestingly, the agglomeration of AgNPs (loss of nanosized characteristics) played an important role in the environmental toxicity. The present study demonstrated that when the AgNPs were exposed in the ecosystem and then formed agglomerates, nanotoxicity was reduced.

Effect of agglomeration of silver nanoparticle on nanotoxicity depression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bae, Eunjoo; Yi, Jongheop; Lee, Byung-Cheun; Choi, Kyunghee; Kim, Younghun

2013-01-01

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used commercially in a variety of applications, including textiles, cosmetics, spray cleaning agents, and metal products. AgNP itself, however, is classified as an environmental hazard by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, USA) Nanotechnology White Paper, due to its toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative characteristics when exposed to the environment. We investigated the cumulative mortality and abnormalities in Japanese medaka (Oryziaslatipes) embryos after exposure to AgNPs. Free AgNPs in solution have a high activity with respect to biological interactions regarding blocking blood flow and distribution of AgNPs into the cells from head to tail of hatched O. latipes. Interestingly, the agglomeration of AgNPs (loss of nanosized characteristics) played an important role in the environmental toxicity. The present study demonstrated that when the AgNPs were exposed in the ecosystem and then formed agglomerates, nanotoxicity was reduced

Experimental study of fluidized bed agglomeration of acerola powder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. C. Dacanal

2008-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to study the main effects of acerola powder on fluidized bed agglomeration. A 2(4-1 fractional factoring design was used to evaluate the main operating conditions (fluidizing air temperature, fluidizing air velocity, atomizing air flow and height of nozzle in the bed. The mechanical and physicochemical product changes were determined by analysis of particle diameter, moisture content, wetting time and bed porosity. The particle enlargement by agglomeration occurred when the relative humidity in the bed increased and, thus, the moisture of the product increased. However, the excessive increase in relative humidity resulted in a decrease in yield, caused by caking and product incrustation. The consolidation of small granules resulted in an increase in the instant properties, decreasing the wetting time and increasing the solubility in a short period of agitation.

Molecular dynamics simulations of the effect of waviness and agglomeration of CNTs on interface strength of thermoset nanocomposites.

Science.gov (United States)

Alian, A R; Meguid, S A

2017-02-08

Most existing molecular dynamics simulations in nanoreinforced composites assume carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to be straight and uniformly dispersed within thermoplastics. In reality, however, CNTs are typically curved, agglomerated and aggregated as a result of van der Waal interactions and electrostatic forces. In this paper, we account for both curvature and agglomeration of CNTs in extensive molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. The purpose of these simulations is to evaluate the influence of waviness and agglomeration of these curved and agglomerated CNTs on the interfacial strength of thermoset nanocomposite and upon their load transfer capability. Two aspects of the work were accordingly examined. In the first, realistic carbon nanotubes (CNTs) of the same length but varied curvatures were embedded in thermoset polymer composites and simulations of pull-out tests were conducted to evaluate the corresponding interfacial shear strength (ISS). In the second, the effect of the agglomerate size upon the ISS was determined using bundles of CNTs of different diameters. The results of our MD simulations revealed the following. The pull-out force of the curved CNTs is significantly higher than its straight counterpart and increases further with the increase in the waviness of the CNTs. This is attributed to the added pull-out energy dissipated in straightening the CNTs during the pull-out process. It also reveals that agglomeration of CNTs leads to a reduction in the ISS and poor load transferability, and that this reduction is governed by the size of the agglomerate. The simulation results were also used to develop a generalized relation for the ISS that takes into consideration the effect of waviness and agglomeration of CNTs of CNT-polymer composites.

Motion of Defect Clusters and Dislocations at a Crack Tip of Irradiated Material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, Won Jin; Kwon, Sang Chul; Kim, Whung Whoe

2007-01-01

Effects of defect clusters on mechanical properties of irradiated materials have not been clarified until now. Two radiation hardening models have been proposed. One is a dispersed barrier hardening mechanism based on the Orowan hardening model. This explains defect clusters as barriers to a dislocation motion. Generally the dislocation would rather shear or remove the defect clusters than make so-called Orowan loops. And the other is a cascade induced source hardening mechanism, which explains defect clusters as a Cottrell atmosphere for dislocation motions. However, the above mechanisms can not explain the microstructure of deformed material after irradiation and the phenomenon of yield softening. These mechanisms are based on an immobility of clusters. But we observed defect clusters could move into a specific crystallographic direction easily. Through 3 times of High Voltage Electron Microscope analysis, defect clusters have been observed to make one dimensional motion without applied external stress. If very small defect clusters could move under a stress gradient due to interactions between clusters, we can suggest that the clusters will move more actively when a stress gradient is applied externally. In-situ tensile test at TEM, we confirmed that kind of motion. We suggest defect clusters can move into crack tip, a stress-concentrated area due to tensile stress gradient and dislocations move out from the area by shear stress. Therefore radiation hardening can be explained agglomeration of defect clusters at stress concentrated area prohibits a generation of dislocation and make an increase of yield point

Agglomerate strength and dispersion of salmeterol xinafoate from powder mixtures for inhalation.

Science.gov (United States)

Adi, Handoko; Larson, Ian; Chiou, Herbert; Young, Paul; Traini, Daniela; Stewart, Peter

2006-11-01

The study investigated the role of agglomeration and the effect of fine lactose size on the dispersion of salmeterol xinafoate (SX) from SX-lactose mixtures for inhalation. Particle size distributions were characterised by Malvern Mastersizer S, Aerosizer and Spraytec, and imaging conducted by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Inter-particulate adhesion was quantified by atomic force microscopy. Deposition of SX was measured using a twin stage impinger. SX was analysed using validated high-performance liquid chromatography method (r(2)=1.0, CV=0.4-1.0%). Addition of fine lactose with a volume median diameter (VMD) of 7.9 microm to a SX-lactose carrier and carrier-free mixture resulted in significantly better dispersion (16.8% for 20% added fine lactose) than fractions with VMD of 3.0, 17.7 and 33.3 microm (less than 9.1% for 20% fine lactose). Using the carrier-free mixtures, particle sizing of the aerosol cloud using the Spraytec, coupled with the application of the Aerosizer using differing dispersion energies and SEMs of the samples, indicated that an open packed, agglomerate structure improved SX dispersion. The highest extent of SX dispersion occurred when SX and fine lactose were detached from the surface, usually in the form of loose agglomerates. The outcomes of this research demonstrated how agglomerate structure influenced dispersion and the key role of fine lactose particle size in SX dispersion from mixtures for inhalation.

Bed agglomeration in fluidized combustor fueled by wood and rice straw blends

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thy, Peter; Jenkins, Brian; Williams, R.B.

2010-01-01

Abstract Petrographic techniques have been used to examine bed materials from fluidized bed combustion experiments that utilized wood and rice straw fuel blends. The experiments were conducted using a laboratory-scale combustor with mullite sand beds, firing temperatures of 840 to 1030 °C, and run...... areas between bed particles, ultimately led to bed agglomeration. The interfaces and the presence of gas bubbles in the cement suggest a bonding material with a high surface tension and a liquid state. The cement films originate by filling of irregularities on individual and partially agglomerated bed...

Direct numerical simulations of agglomeration of circular colloidal particles in two-dimensional shear flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Young Joon; Djilali, Ned

2016-01-01

Colloidal agglomeration of nanoparticles in shear flow is investigated by solving the fluid-particle and particle-particle interactions in a 2D system. We use an extended finite element method in which the dynamics of the particles is solved in a fully coupled manner with the flow, allowing an accurate description of the fluid-particle interfaces without the need of boundary-fitted meshes or of empirical correlations to account for the hydrodynamic interactions between the particles. Adaptive local mesh refinement using a grid deformation method is incorporated with the fluid-structure interaction algorithm, and the particle-particle interaction at the microscopic level is modeled using the Lennard-Jones potential. Motivated by the process used in fabricating fuel cell catalysts from a colloidal ink, the model is applied to investigate agglomeration of colloidal particles under external shear flow in a sliding bi-periodic Lees-Edwards frame with varying shear rates and particle fraction ratios. Both external shear and particle fraction are found to have a crucial impact on the structure formation of colloidal particles in a suspension. Segregation intensity and graph theory are used to analyze the underlying agglomeration patterns and structures, and three agglomeration regimes are identified

FUNCTIONAL, SECTORAL AND REGIONAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE ECONOMY OF THE MISKOLC AGGLOMERATION REVISITED

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea KRISTÓF

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Among the segments of economic development and shifts in the Miskolc agglomeration the present study introduces some characteristics of the functional, sectoral and regional differentiation of economic transformation. The functional, sectoral and geographical distribution of business corporations in the 35 settlements of the Miskolc agglomeration in 2016 may help to interpret and assess economic processes adapted to local characteristics in the past quarter-century. During the research, only those operating businesses were considered that had net sales of 20 million HUF or more in 2015. An empirical study of 640 active businesses in 35 settlements reveals the regional inequalities and sectoral concentration of the economy. The intensity of the spatial structure of the economy is uneven within the Miskolc agglomeration and spatial specialization can also be observed in the economic hinterland of Miskolc. The economic development induced significant changes in the spatial structure of three towns (Felsőzsolca, Nyékládháza, and Alsózsolca. Services (e.g. personal, distributive, and services for other businesses as well as commerce, logistics and leisure functions concentrated in these towns strengthened their positions in the spatial structure. In addition, the technological and industrial parks of these towns are playing an increasing role. However, the towns of the agglomeration cannot or can hardly be regarded as economic competitors of Miskolc, i.e. the urban region has not become polycentric, and the inhabitants of these towns are not totally independent of Miskolc. In the case of Sajóbábony (due to its special situation and Szikszó (despite its economic recovery the functional, sectoral and regional transformation is not clear yet. Of the villages, only four (Kistokaj, Mályi, Szirmabesenyő, Hernádnémeti could significantly improve their economic positions, and were able to rival the dynamically transforming three towns of the

Development of import subtituting technologies for increasing productivity of sintering machines and strength of agglomerates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

В. Л. Трушко

2016-11-01

Full Text Available A problem of industrial fluxed agglomerates self-destruction in the process of cooling after sintering has been examined. It has been revealed that the main reason of strength degradation is polymorphism of dicalcium silicate Ca2SiO4 (or short designation С2S: β-Ca2SiO4 ® γ-Ca2SiO4. Ways for increasing the  agglomerate  strength by physical and crystal-chemical stabilization of the high temperature modification of C2S have been proposed and tested. Physical stabilization of C2S agglomerate is increased with its structure reinforcement due to thickening of walls between large pores that is achieved by increasing height of the sintered layer through improvement of its gas permeability. The task is addressed by substituting the previously used import sintering ore with the  polydisperse ore from the Yakovlevo field, which improves the charge  pelletizing by 3-4 times and helps to bring the  height of the sintered layer and the strength of the domestic agglomerate up to the international best practice standards, while eliminating a need to purchase import high-vacuum   exhausters. In practice crystal-chemical stabilization of C2S within iron-ore  agglomerate is ensured by adding an  opti- mal multicomponent additive in the form of the    waste product  generated in production  of alumina  from bauxites, i.e. the red mud, to the initial sinter charge. Thus mechanical strength of agglomerates and pellets is increased by 5-10 % and their hot strength improves by 20-40 %. The productivity of sintering machines and blast furnaces improves by 5-10 %. Specific coke consumption reduces by 2-2.5 %. In production of iron-ore pellets red mud is substituting the import  bentonite.

Ion species dependence of the implantation-induced defects in ZnO studied by a slow positron beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Z.Q. [Department of Physics, Wuhan University (China); Maekawa, M.; Kawasuso, A.; Naramoto, H. [Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Takasaki, Gunma (Japan)

2007-07-01

In this work, we implanted B{sup +}, O{sup +}, Al{sup +}, and P{sup +} ions into ZnO with energy of 50-380 keV and total doses of 4 x 10{sup 15} cm{sup -2} for each ion. The implantation-induced defects and their thermal recovery were studied using a slow positron beam. Vacancy clusters are produced in all the implanted samples. It is found that the thermal recovery of these vacancies induced by different ions shows much difference. In case of B{sup +} and Al{sup +}-implantation, the vacancy clusters agglomerate to much larger size and might evolve to microvoids during annealing. However, for O{sup +} and P{sup +} ions, which are heavier than B{sup +} and Al{sup +}, the vacancies show a much weaker agglomeration process. The mechanism of such difference is discussed. (copyright 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

A Two-Step Methodology to Study the Influence of Aggregation/Agglomeration of Nanoparticles on Young's Modulus of Polymer Nanocomposites

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xinyue; Zare, Yasser; Rhee, Kyong Yop

2017-12-01

A two-step technique based on micromechanical models is suggested to determine the influence of aggregated/agglomerated nanoparticles on Young's modulus of polymer nanocomposites. The nanocomposite is assumed to include nanoparticle aggregation/agglomeration and effective matrix phases. This method is examined for different samples, and the effects of important parameters on the modulus are investigated. Moreover, the highest and the lowest levels of predicted modulus are calculated based on the current methodology. The suggested technique can correctly predict Young's modulus for the samples assuming the aggregation/agglomeration of nanoparticles. Additionally, the aggregation/agglomeration of nanoparticles decreases Young's modulus of polymer nanocomposites. It is demonstrated that the high modulus of nanoparticles is not sufficient to obtain a high modulus in nanocomposites, and the surface chemistry of components should be adjusted to prevent aggregation/agglomeration and to disperse nano-sized particles in the polymer matrix.

[Carbon footprint of buildings in the urban agglomeration of central Liaoning, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Yu; Yun, Ying Xia; Liu, Chong; Chu, Ya Qi

2017-06-18

With the development of urbanization in China, buildings consumed lots of material and energy. How to estimate carbon emission of buildings is an important scientific problem. Carbon footprint of the central Liaoning agglomeration was studied with carbon footprint approach, geographic information system (GIS) and high-resolution remote sensing (HRRS) technology. The results showed that the construction carbon footprint coefficient of central Liaoning urban agglomeration was 269.16 kg·m -2 . The approach of interpreting total building area and spatial distribution with HRRS was effective, and the accuracy was 89%. The extraction approach was critical for total carbon footprint and spatial distribution estimation. The building area and total carbon footprint of central Liaoning urban agglomeration in descending order was Shenyang, Anshan, Fushun, Liao-yang, Yingkou, Tieling and Benxi. The annual average increment of footprint from 2011 to 2013 in descending order was Shenyang, Benxi, Fushun, Anshan, Tieling, Yingkou and Liaoyang. The accurate estimation of construction carbon footprint spatial and its distribution was of significance for the planning and optimization of carbon emission reduction.

The measurement of mixture homogeneity and dissolution to predict the degree of drug agglomerate breakdown achieved through powder mixing.

Science.gov (United States)

de Villiers, M M; Van der Watt, J G

1994-11-01

Interactive mixing of agglomerates of small, cohesive particles with coarse carrier particles facilitate the deaggregation of agglomerates. In this study dispersion of agglomerates of microfine furosemide particles by such a mixing process was followed by measuring changes in the content uniformity and area under the dissolution curve. Interactive mixtures between agglomerates of different sized furosemide particles and coarse sodium chloride particles were prepared using different mixers, mixing times and mixer speeds. The dissolution rate of the drug from and content uniformity of the mixtures were measured, and degrees of dispersion were calculated. These degrees of dispersion were compared to the dispersion values obtained from the decrease in agglomerate size after mixing. An increase in mixing time led to an increase in dispersion. An initial fast deagglomeration, indicated by an increase in dissolution, increase in content uniformity and a decrease in particle size, was followed by substantially slower deaggregation of remaining agglomerates and smaller aggregates. For all mixtures studied the degree of dispersion estimated from dissolution measurements, when compared to equivalent content uniformity measurements, agreed closely with the degree of dispersion as indicated by the decrease in particle size. The use of the area under the dissolution curve to predict agglomerate breakdown proved useful and may find application in situations where it is impossible to follow directly deagglomeration through particle size measurements.

Improved tensile and buckling behavior of defected carbon nanotubes utilizing boron nitride coating – A molecular dynamic study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Badjian, H.; Setoodeh, A.R., E-mail: setoodeh@sutech.ac.ir

2017-02-15

Synthesizing inorganic nanostructures such as boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) have led to immense studies due to their many interesting functional features such as piezoelectricity, high temperature resistance to oxygen, electrical insulation, high thermal conductivity and very long lengths as physical features. In order to utilize the superior properties of pristine and defected carbon nanotubes (CNTs), a hybrid nanotube is proposed in this study by forming BNNTs surface coating on the CNTs. The benefits of such coating on the tensile and buckling behavior of single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) are illustrated through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the resulted nanostructures during the deformation. The AIREBO and Tersoff-Brenner potentials are employed to model the interatomic forces between the carbon and boron nitride atoms, respectively. The effects of chiral indices, aspect ratio, presence of mono-vacancy defects and coating dimension on coated/non-coated CNTs are examined. It is demonstrated that the coated defective CNTs exhibit remarkably enhanced ultimate strength, buckling load capacity and Young's modulus. The proposed coating not only enhances the mechanical properties of the resulted nanostructure, but also conceals it from few external factors impacting the behavior of the CNT such as humidity and high temperature.

Theories of estimation of differentiation for regulation of social-economic development of the city agglomeration

OpenAIRE

Anikina, Yu; Litovchenko, V.

2009-01-01

Theories of estimation of differentiation of social-economic development of territorial units in city agglomeration are discussed in the article. Approbation of the given methods helped find out successfulness of the regulation of municipal development of administrative-territorial units in Krasnoyarsk agglomeration, set the goals of regional policy on peculiarities of development of the phenomenon of differentiation.

Defect forces, defect couples and path integrals in fracture mechanics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roche, R.L.

1979-07-01

In this work, it is shown that the path integrals can be introduced without any reference to the material behavior. The method is based on the definition in a continuous medium of a set of vectors and couples having the dimension of a force or a moment. More precisely, definitions are given of volume defect forces, surface defect forces, volume defect couples, and surface defect couples. This is done with the help of the stress working variation of a particule moving through the solid. The most important result is: the resultant of all the defect forces included in a volume V is the J integral on the surface surrounding V and the moment resultant is the L integral. So these integrals are defined without any assumption on the material constitutive equation. Another result is the material form of the virtual work principle - defect forces are acting like conventional forces in the conventional principles of virtual work. This lead to the introduction of the energy momentum tensor and of the associated couple stress. Application of this method is made to fracture mechanics in studying the defect forces distribution around a crack [fr

A Comprehensive Quantitative Evaluation of New Sustainable Urbanization Level in 20 Chinese Urban Agglomerations

OpenAIRE

Cong Xu; Shixin Wang; Yi Zhou; Litao Wang; Wenliang Liu

2016-01-01

On 16 March 2014, the State Council of China launched its first urbanization planning initiative dubbed “National New Urbanization Planning (2014–2020)” (NNUP). NNUP put forward 20 urban agglomerations and a sustainable development approach aiming to transform traditional Chinese urbanization to sustainable new urbanization. This study quantitatively evaluates the level of sustainability of the present new urbanization process in 20 Chinese urban agglomerations and provides some positive sugg...

A two-stage treatment for Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI) bottom ash to remove agglomerated fine particles and leachable contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

Alam, Qadeer; Florea, M V A; Schollbach, K; Brouwers, H J H

2017-09-01

In this lab study, a two-stage treatment was investigated to achieve the valorization of a municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash fraction below 4mm. This fraction of MSWI bottom ash (BA) is the most contaminated one, containing potentially toxic elements (Cu, Cr, Mo and Sb), chlorides and sulfates. The BA was treated for recycling by separating agglomerated fine particles (≤125µm) and soluble contaminants by using a sequence of sieving and washing. Initially, dry sieving was performed to obtain BA-S (≤125µm), BA-M (0.125-1mm) and BA-L (1-4mm) fractions from the original sample. The complete separation of fine particles cannot be achieved by conventional sieving, because they are bound in a cementitious matrix around larger BA grains. Subsequently, a washing treatment was performed to enhance the liberation of the agglomerated fine particles from the BA-M and BA-L fractions. These fine particles were found to be similar to the particles of BA-S fraction in term of chemical composition. Furthermore, the leaching behavior of Cr, Mo Sb, chlorides and sulfates was investigated using various washing parameters. The proposed treatment for the separation of agglomerated fine particles with dry sieving and washing (L/S 3, 60min) was successful in bringing the leaching of contaminants under the legal limit established by the Dutch environmental norms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterisation of the de-agglomeration effects of bovine serum albumin on nanoparticles in aqueous suspension.

Science.gov (United States)

Tantra, Ratna; Tompkins, Jordan; Quincey, Paul

2010-01-01

This paper describes the use of nanoparticle characterisation tools to evaluate the interaction between bovine serum albumin (BSA) and dispersed nanoparticles in aqueous media. Dynamic light scattering, zeta-potential measurements and scanning electron microscopy were used to probe the state of zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) nanoparticles in the presence of various concentrations of BSA, throughout a three-day period. BSA was shown to adhere to ZnO but not to TiO(2). The adsorption of BSA led to subsequent de-agglomeration of the sub-micron ZnO clusters into smaller fragments, even breaking them up into individual isolated nanoparticles. We propose that certain factors, such as adsorption kinetics of BSA on to the surface of ZnO, as well as the initial agglomerated state of the ZnO, prior to BSA addition, are responsible for promoting the de-agglomeration process. Hence, in the case of TiO(2) we see no de-agglomeration because: (a) the nanoparticles are more highly agglomerated to begin with and (b) BSA does not adsorb effectively on the surface of the nanoparticles. The zeta-potential results show that, for either ZnO or TiO(2), the presence of BSA resulted in enhanced stability. In the case of ZnO, the enhanced stability is limited to BSA concentrations below 0.5 wt.%. Steric and electrostatic repulsion are thought to be responsible for improved stability of the dispersion.

Influence of moisture on the behavior of aerosols

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, R.E.; Longest, A.W.; Tobias, M.L.

1987-01-01

The behavior of aerosols assumed to be characteristic of those generated during light water reactor accident sequences and released into containment has been studied in the Nuclear Safety Pilot Plant located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It has been observed that in a saturated steam-air environment a change occurs in the shape of aerosol agglomerates of U 3 O 8 aerosol, Fe 2 O 3 aerosol, and mixed U 3 O 8 -Fe 2 O 3 aerosol from branched-chain to spherical, and that the rate of reduction in the airborne aerosol mass concentration is increased relative to the rate observed in a dry atmosphere. The effect of a steam-air environment on the behavior of concrete aerosol is different. The shape of the agglomerated concrete aerosol is intermediate between branched-chain and spherical and the effect on the rate of reduction in airborne mass concentration appears to be slight. In a related project the shape of an agglomerated Fe 2 O 3 aerosol was observed to change from branched-chain to spherical at, or near, 100% relative humidity

Carrier removal and defect behavior in p-type InP

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberg, I.; Swartz, C. K.; Drevinsky, P. J.

1992-01-01

A simple expression, obtained from the rate equation for defect production, was used to relate carrier removal to defect production and hole trapping rates in p-type InP after irradiation by 1-MeV electrons. Specific contributions to carrier removal from defect levels H3, H4, and H5 were determined from combined deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and measured carrier concentrations. An additional contribution was attributed to one or more defects not observed by the present DLTS measurements. The high trapping rate observed for H5 suggests that this defect, if present in relatively high concentration, could be dominant in p-type InP.

A Comprehensive Quantitative Evaluation of New Sustainable Urbanization Level in 20 Chinese Urban Agglomerations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cong Xu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available On 16 March 2014, the State Council of China launched its first urbanization planning initiative dubbed “National New Urbanization Planning (2014–2020” (NNUP. NNUP put forward 20 urban agglomerations and a sustainable development approach aiming to transform traditional Chinese urbanization to sustainable new urbanization. This study quantitatively evaluates the level of sustainability of the present new urbanization process in 20 Chinese urban agglomerations and provides some positive suggestions for the achievement of sustainable new urbanization. A three-level index system which is based on six fundamental elements in a city and a Full Permutation Polygon Synthetic Indicator evaluation method are adopted. The results show that China is undergoing a new urbanization process with a low level of sustainability and there are many problems remaining from traditional urbanization processes. There exists a polarized phenomenon in the urbanization of 20 urban agglomerations. Based on their own development patterns, the 20 urban agglomerations can be divided into seven categories. Every category has its own development characteristics. The analyses also show that waste of water resources, abuse of land resources, and air pollution are three big problems that are closely linked to traditional Chinese urbanization processes. To achieve sustainable new urbanization in China, four relevant suggestions and comments have been provided.

Reasons and remedies for the agglomeration of multilayered graphene and carbon nanotubes in polymers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rasheed Atif

2016-08-01

Full Text Available One of the main issues in the production of polymer nanocomposites is the dispersion state of filler as multilayered graphene (MLG and carbon nanotubes (CNTs tend to agglomerate due to van der Waals forces. The agglomeration can be avoided by using organic solvents, selecting suitable dispersion and production methods, and functionalizing the fillers. Another proposed method is the use of hybrid fillers as synergistic effects can cause an improvement in the dispersion state of the fillers. In this review article, various aspects of each process that can help avoid filler agglomeration and improve dispersion state are discussed in detail. This review article would be helpful for both current and prospective researchers in the field of MLG- and CNT-based polymer nanocomposites to achieve maximum enhancement in mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of produced polymer nanocomposites.

Assessing Agglomeration Impacts in Auckland: Phase 2

OpenAIRE

Williamson, John; Paling, Richard; Staheli, Ramon; Waite, David

2008-01-01

Agglomeration effects, or the productivity benefits that stem from high employment densities, are being achieved in Auckland's central business district (CBD). This provides support for Auckland's economic transformation. However, questions remain as to the nature of these effects, and whether other factors may help to explain the CBD's observed productivity premium. Using 2001 census area unit data, this paper examines to what extent the CBD's productivity advantages can be explained by sect...

Research approach and first results on agglomerate compaction in protoplanetary dust simulation in the Cloud Manipulation System

Science.gov (United States)

Vedernikov, Andrei; Blum, Jurgen; Ingo Von Borstel, Olaf; Schraepler, Rainer; Balapanov, Daniyar; Cecere, Anselmo

2016-07-01

Nanometre and micrometre-sized solid particles are ubiquitous in space and on Earth - from galaxies, interstellar space, protoplanetary and debris disks to planetary rings and atmospheres, planetary surfaces, comets, interplanetary space, Earth's atmosphere. Apparently, the most intriguing problem in the picture of the formation of planets is the transition from individual microscopic dust grains to kilometre-sized planetesimals. Revealing the mechanisms of this transition is one of the main tasks of the European Space Agency's project Interaction in Cosmic and Atmospheric Particle Systems (ICAPS). It was found that Brownian motion driven agglomeration could not provide the transition within reasonable time scale. As a result, at this stage top scientific goals shifted towards forced agglomeration and concentration of particles, targeting revealing the onset of compaction, experimental study of the evolution of fractal dimensions, size and mass distribution, occurrence of bouncing. The main tasks comprise 1) development of the rapid agglomeration model 2) development of the experimental facilities creating big fractal-type agglomerates from 10 to 1000 μm from a cloud of micrometre-size grains; 3) experimental realization of the rapid agglomeration in microgravity and ground conditions; and 4) in situ investigation of the morphology, mobility, mechanical and optical properties of the free-floating agglomerates, including investigation of thermophoresis, photophoresis of the agglomerates and of the two-phase flow phenomena. To solve the experimental part of the tasks we developed a Cloud Manipulation System, realized as a breadboard (CMS BB) for long duration microgravity platforms and a simplified laboratory version (CMS LV) mostly oriented on short duration microgravity and ground tests. The new system is based on the use of thermophoresis, most favourable for cloud manipulation without creating additional particle-particle forces in the cloud with a possibility

Agglomeration, isolation and dissolution of commercially manufactured silver nanoparticles in aqueous environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elzey, Sherrie; Grassian, Vicki H.

2010-01-01

The increasing use of manufactured nanoparticles ensures these materials will make their way into the environment. Silver nanoparticles in particular, due to use in a wide range of applications, have the potential to get into water systems, e.g., drinking water systems, ground water systems, estuaries, and/or lakes. One important question is what is the chemical and physical state of these nanoparticles in water? Are they present as isolated particles, agglomerates or dissolved ions, as this will dictate their fate and transport. Furthermore, does the chemical and physical state of the nanoparticles change as a function of size or differ from micron-sized particles of similar composition? In this study, an electrospray atomizer coupled to a scanning mobility particle sizer (ES-SMPS) is used to investigate the state of silver nanoparticles in water and aqueous nitric acid environments. Over the range of pH values investigated, 0.5-6.5, silver nanoparticles with a bimodal primary particle size distribution with the most intense peak at 5.0 ± 7.4 nm, as determined from transmission electron microscopy (TEM), show distinct size distributions indicating agglomeration between pH 6.5 and 3 and isolated nanoparticles at pH values from 2.5 to 1. At the lowest pH investigated, pH 0.5, there are no peaks detected by the SMPS, indicating complete nanoparticle dissolution. Further analysis of the solution shows dissolved Ag ions at a pH of 0.5. Interestingly, silver nanoparticle dissolution shows size dependent behavior as larger, micron-sized silver particles show no dissolution at this pH. Environmental implications of these results are discussed.

Agglomeration, isolation and dissolution of commercially manufactured silver nanoparticles in aqueous environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elzey, Sherrie; Grassian, Vicki H., E-mail: vicki-grassian@uiowa.ed [University of Iowa, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering (United States)

2010-06-15

The increasing use of manufactured nanoparticles ensures these materials will make their way into the environment. Silver nanoparticles in particular, due to use in a wide range of applications, have the potential to get into water systems, e.g., drinking water systems, ground water systems, estuaries, and/or lakes. One important question is what is the chemical and physical state of these nanoparticles in water? Are they present as isolated particles, agglomerates or dissolved ions, as this will dictate their fate and transport. Furthermore, does the chemical and physical state of the nanoparticles change as a function of size or differ from micron-sized particles of similar composition? In this study, an electrospray atomizer coupled to a scanning mobility particle sizer (ES-SMPS) is used to investigate the state of silver nanoparticles in water and aqueous nitric acid environments. Over the range of pH values investigated, 0.5-6.5, silver nanoparticles with a bimodal primary particle size distribution with the most intense peak at 5.0 {+-} 7.4 nm, as determined from transmission electron microscopy (TEM), show distinct size distributions indicating agglomeration between pH 6.5 and 3 and isolated nanoparticles at pH values from 2.5 to 1. At the lowest pH investigated, pH 0.5, there are no peaks detected by the SMPS, indicating complete nanoparticle dissolution. Further analysis of the solution shows dissolved Ag ions at a pH of 0.5. Interestingly, silver nanoparticle dissolution shows size dependent behavior as larger, micron-sized silver particles show no dissolution at this pH. Environmental implications of these results are discussed.

Derivation of kinetic coefficients by atomistic methods for studying defect behavior in Mo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Insepov, Z.; Rest, J.; Yacout, A.M.; Kuksin, A.Yu.; Norman, G.E.; Stegailov, V.V.; Starikov, S.V.; Yanilkin, A.V.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► A multiscale concept couples molecular dynamics (MD) with ab initio and kinetic rate theory. ► Evolution of a system of self-interstitial atoms and vacancies in Mo is studied by MD. ► Formation of di-SIA clusters and SIA–vacancy recombination is analyzed. ► 1D diffusion of self-interstitials at various temperature and defect concentrations were studied. ► This paper provides a powerful predictive tool for simulating irradiation of nuclear materials. - Abstract: A multiscale concept for irradiated materials simulation is formulated based on coupling molecular dynamics simulations (MD) where the potential was obtained from ab initio data of energies of the basic defect structures, with kinetic mesoscale models. The evolution of a system containing self-interstitial atoms (SIAs) and vacancies in crystalline molybdenum is investigated by means of MD. The kinetics of formation of di-SIA clusters and SIA–vacancy recombination is analyzed via approaches used in the kinetic theory of radiation ageing. The effects of 1D diffusion of SIAs, temperature, and defect concentrations on the reaction rates are also studied. This approach can validate both the kinetic mechanisms and the appropriate kinetic coefficients, offering the potential to significantly reduce the uncertainty of the kinetic methodology and providing a powerful predictive tool for simulating irradiation behavior of nuclear materials.

Colloidal agglomerates in tank sludge: Impact on waste processing. 1997 annual progress report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Virden, J.W.

1997-06-01

'Disposal of millions of gallons of existing radioactive wastes is a major remediation problem for the Department of Energy (DOE). Although radionuclides are the most hazardous waste con- stituents. the components of greatest concern from a waste processing standpoint are insoluble sludges consisting of submicron colloidal particles. Depending on processing conditions, these colloidal particles can form agglomerate networks that could clog transfer lines or interfere with solid-liquid separations such as settle-decant operations. Under different conditions, the particles can be dispersed to form very fine suspended particles that will not create sediment in settle- decant steps and that can foul and contaminate downstream treatment components including ion exchangers or filtrations systems. Given the wide range of tank chemistries present at Hanford and other DOE sites, it is impractical to measure the properties of all potential processing conditions to design effective treatment procedures. Instead. a framework needs to be established to allow sludge property trends to be predicted on a sound scientific basis. The scientific principles of greatest utility in characterizing, understanding, and controlling the physical properties of sludge fall in the realm of colloid chemistry. The objectives of this work are to accomplish the following: understand the factors controlling the nature and extent of colloidal agglomeration under expected waste processing conditions determine how agglomeration phenomena influence physical properties relevant to waste processing including rheology, sedimentation. and filtration develop strategies for optimizing processing conditions via control of agglomeration phenomena.'

Colloidal agglomerates in tank sludge: Impact on waste processing. 1997 annual progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Virden, J.W.

1997-01-01

'Disposal of millions of gallons of existing radioactive wastes is a major remediation problem for the Department of Energy (DOE). Although radionuclides are the most hazardous waste constituents. the components of greatest concern from a waste processing standpoint are insoluble sludges consisting of submicron colloidal particles. Depending on processing conditions, these colloidal particles can form agglomerate networks that could clog transfer lines or interfere with solid-liquid separations such as settle-decant operations. Under different conditions, the particles can be dispersed to form very fine suspended particles that will not create sediment in settle- decant steps and that can foul and contaminate downstream treatment components including ion exchangers or filtrations systems. Given the wide range of tank chemistries present at Hanford and other DOE sites, it is impractical to measure the properties of all potential processing conditions to design effective treatment procedures. Instead. a framework needs to be established to allow sludge property trends to be predicted on a sound scientific basis. The scientific principles of greatest utility in characterizing, understanding, and controlling the physical properties of sludge fall in the realm of colloid chemistry. The objectives of this work are to accomplish the following: understand the factors controlling the nature and extent of colloidal agglomeration under expected waste processing conditions determine how agglomeration phenomena influence physical properties relevant to waste processing including rheology, sedimentation. and filtration develop strategies for optimizing processing conditions via control of agglomeration phenomena.'

Humid storage conditions increase the dissolution rate of diazepam from solid dispersions prepared by melt agglomeration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Anna Cecilia; Torstenson, Anette Seo

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of cooling mode and storage conditions on the dissolution rate of a solid dispersion prepared by melt agglomeration. The aim has been to relate this effect to the solid state properties of the agglomerates. The cooling mode had an effect on t...

A proposed agglomerate model for oxygen reduction in the catalyst layer of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Xiaoxian; Gao, Yuan; Ostadi, Hossein; Jiang, Kyle; Chen, Rui

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We developed a new agglomerate model to describe oxygen reduction reaction. • We showed how to calculate the model parameters from catalyst layer structure. • We verified the agglomerate model. - Abstract: Oxygen diffusion and reduction in the catalyst layer of PEM fuel cell is an important process in fuel cell modelling, but models able to link the reduction rate to catalyst-layer structure are lack; this paper makes such an effort. We first link the average reduction rate over the agglomerate within a catalyst layer to a probability that an oxygen molecule, which is initially on the agglomerate surface, will enter and remain in the agglomerate at any time in the absence of any electrochemical reaction. We then propose a method to directly calculate distribution function of this probability and apply it to two catalyst layers with contrasting structures. A formula is proposed to describe these calculated distribution functions, from which the agglomerate model is derived. The model has two parameters and both can be independently calculated from catalyst layer structures. We verify the model by first showing that it is an improvement and able to reproduce what the spherical model describes, and then testing it against the average oxygen reductions directly calculated from pore-scale simulations of oxygen diffusion and reaction in the two catalyst layers. The proposed model is simple, but significant as it links the average oxygen reduction to catalyst layer structures, and its two parameters can be directly calculated rather than by calibration

Tests of Bed Agglomeration Tendency Using a Rotating Furnace; Roterugn foer bedoemning av sintringsbenaegenhet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larfeldt, Jenny; Zintl, Frank [TPS Termiska Processer AB, Nykoeping (Sweden)

2003-08-01

Bed sintering is a well known problem in fluidised bed boilers. In order to avoid bed sintering the bed material turn over ratio is high which leads a high consumption of bed material. This work aims at developing and evaluating a method for testing the bed agglomeration tendency of a FB bed material by using a rotating furnace. A rotating furnace has been designed and tests have shown that three temperatures describing the increasing agglomeration tendency can be evaluated; TA when several particles stick to each other and to the crucible wall, TB when half of the material sticks to the wall and TC when almost all the material forms a ball in the crucible. Comparison with bed agglomeration tests has shown that TA is between 80 deg C to 130 deg C lower than the bed agglomeration temperature from fluid bed tests. It is shown that TB is closer to the bed agglomeration temperature and finally that the temperature TC is higher than the bed agglomeration temperature. It is concluded that in the rotating furnace sticking of particles is visualised early, and that this sticking will not cause defluidisation of the bed until more than half of the material in the crucible is sticky. Repeated tests has been performed at a heating rate of 5 deg/minute and a rotating speed of 12 rpm and a furnace inclination of 20 deg was found to give distinct results in the evaluation. The evaluation has shown to be reproducible at lower temperatures. At higher temperatures, around 1,000 deg C, the evaluation was complicated by a poor picture quality which probably can be improved by proper cooling of the camera. It has also been shown that sticking of material in the rotating furnace could be detected at relatively low temperatures of 750 deg C that disappeared at higher temperatures. This is likely to be explained by melting salts that evaporates as temperature increase. At even higher temperatures the sticking reappeared until a ball was formed in the crucible. The latter sticking is

Comparing effectiveness of rhamnolipid biosurfactant with a quaternary ammonium salt surfactant for hydrate anti-agglomeration.

Science.gov (United States)

York, J Dalton; Firoozabadi, Abbas

2008-01-24

Natural gas is projected to be the premium fuel of the 21st century because of availability, as well as economical and environmental considerations. Natural gas is coproduced with water from the subsurface forming gas hydrates. Hydrate formation may result in shutdown of onshore and offshore operations. Industry practice has been usage of alcohols--which have undesirable environmental impacts--to affect bulk-phase properties and inhibit hydrate formation. An alternative to alcohols is changing the surface properties through usage of polymers and surfactants, effective at 0.5-3 wt % of coproduced water. One group of low-dosage hydrate inhibitors (LDHI) are kinetic inhibitors, which affect nucleation rate and growth. A second group of LDHI are anti-agglomerants, which prevent agglomeration of small hydrate crystallites. Despite great potential, reported work on hydrate anti-agglomeration is very limited. In this paper, our focus is on the use of two vastly different surfactants as anti-agglomerants. We use a model oil, water, and tetrahydrofuran as a hydrate-forming species. We examine the effectiveness of a quaternary ammonium salt (i.e., quat). Visual observation measurements show that a small concentration of the quat (0.01%) can prevent agglomeration. However, a quat is not a green chemical and therefore may be undesirable. We show that a rhamnolipid biosurfactant can be effective to a concentration of 0.05 wt %. One difference between the two surfactants is the stability of the water-in-oil emulsions created. The biosurfactant forms a less stable emulsion, which makes it very desirable for hydrate application.

Investigation of coalescence kinetics of microcristalline cellulose in fluidised bed spray agglomeration: experimental studies and modelling approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Peglow

2005-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper a model for fluidized bed spray agglomeration is presented. To describe the processes of heat and mass transfer, a physical based model is derived. The model takes evaporation process from the wetted particles as well as the effects of transfer phenomena between suspension gas and bypass gas into account. The change of particle size distribution during agglomeration, modeled by population balances, is linked to the heat and mass transfer model. A new technique is derived to extract agglomeration and nucleation rates from experimental data. Comparisons of experiments and simulations are presented.

Agglomeration in the European automobile supplier industry

OpenAIRE

Klier, Thomas; McMillen, Dan

2013-01-01

Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts production plants tend to exhibit a strong degree of agglomeration. This paper estimates a spatial model utilizing detailed plant-level data that is pooled across seven countries in Europe. The paper makes several contributions. First, we assemble a set of nearly 1,800 European plant locations of the largest motor vehicle parts suppliers, as well as the location of all light vehicle assembly plants operational in 2010. Second, we obtain detailed spatial d...

Agglomeration Economies and the High-Tech Computer

OpenAIRE

Wallace, Nancy E.; Walls, Donald

2004-01-01

This paper considers the effects of agglomeration on the production decisions of firms in the high-tech computer cluster. We build upon an alternative definition of the high-tech computer cluster developed by Bardhan et al. (2003) and we exploit a new data source, the National Establishment Time-Series (NETS) Database, to analyze the spatial distribution of firms in this industry. An essential contribution of this research is the recognition that high-tech firms are heterogeneous collections ...

Agglomeration Premium and Trading Activity of Firms

OpenAIRE

Gabor Bekes; Peter Harasztosi

2010-01-01

Firms may benefit from proximity to each other due to the existence of several externalities. The productivity premia of firms located in agglomerated regions an be attributed to savings and gains from external economies. However, the capacity to absorb information may depend on activities of the firm, such as involvement in international trade. Importers, exporters and two-way traders are likely to employ a different bundle of resources and be organised differently so that they would appreci...

Positron annihilation spectroscopic characterization of defects in wide band gap oxide semiconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkar, A.; Luitel, Homnath; Gogurla, N.; Sanyal, D.

2017-03-01

Annealing effect of granular ZnO has been studied by Doppler broadened electron positron annihilated γ-ray (0.511 MeV) line shape measurement. Ratio curve analysis shows that granular ZnO samples contain both Zn and O vacancies. Such defects exist as agglomerates of several vacancies and start to recover above 400 °C annealing. It has also been observed that due to annealing temperature difference of 125 °C (from 325 °C to 450 °C), huge change occurs in low temperature photoluminescence (PL) of ZnO. Significant reduction of free to bound (FB) transition ~3.315 eV is observed for increasing the annealing temperature. It has been conjectured that ~3.315 eV PL in ZnO is related to particular decoration (unknown) of both Zn and O vacancies. The methodology of revealing defect-property correlation as employed here can also be applied to other types of semiconductors.

Agglomeration, Innovation and Regional Development: Theoretical Perspectives and Meta-Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groot, de Henri L.F.; Poot, Jacques; Smit, Martijn J.

2007-01-01

Innovation and technological change are central to the quest for regional development. In the globally-connected knowledge-driven economy, the relevance of agglomeration forces that rely on proximity continues to increase, paradoxically despite declining real costs of information, communication and

The agglomeration, coalescence and sliding of nanoparticles, leading to the rapid sintering of zirconia nanoceramics.

Science.gov (United States)

Kocjan, Andraž; Logar, Manca; Shen, Zhijian

2017-05-31

Conventional sintering is a time- and energy-consuming process used for the densification of consolidated particles facilitated by atomic diffusion at high temperatures. Nanoparticles, with their increased surface free energy, can promote sintering; however, size reduction also promotes agglomeration, so hampering particle packing and complete densification. Here we show how the ordered agglomeration of zirconia primary crystallites into secondary particle assemblies ensures their homogeneous packing, while also preserving the high surface energy to higher temperatures, increasing the sintering activity. When exposed to intense electromagnetic radiation, providing rapid heating, the assembled crystallites are subjected to further agglomeration, coalescence and sliding, leading to rapid densification in the absence of extensive diffusional processes, cancelling out the grain growth during the initial sintering stages and providing a zirconia nanoceramic in only 2 minutes at 1300 °C.

Morphological and Physicochemical Characterization of Agglomerates of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Cell Culture Media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Verónica Freyre-Fonseca

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NP are possible carcinogenic materials (2B-IARC and their toxicity depends on shape, size, and electrical charge of primary NP and on the system formed by NP media. The aim of this work was to characterize agglomerates of three TiO2 NP by evaluating their morphometry, stability, and zeta potential (ζ in liquid media and their changes with time. Sizes of agglomerates by dynamic light scattering (DLS resulted to be 10–50 times larger than those obtained by digital image analysis (DIA given the charged zone around particles. Fractal dimension (FD was highest for agglomerates of spheres and belts in F12K, and in E171 in FBS media. E171 and belts increased FD with time. At time zero, using water as dispersant FD was larger for agglomerates of spheres than for of E171. Belts suspended in water had the smallest values of circularity (Ci which was approximately unchanged with time. All dispersions had ζ values around −30 mV at physiological pH (7.4 and dispersions of NP in water and FBS showed maximum stability (Turbiscan Lab analysis. Results help in understanding the complex NP geometry-size-stability relationships when performing in vivo and in vitro environmental-toxicity works and help in supporting decisions on the usage of TiO2 NP.

Effect of a Dispersant Agent in Fine Coal Recovery from Washery Tailings by Oil Agglomeration (Preliminary Study)

Science.gov (United States)

Yasar, Özüm; Uslu, Tuncay

2017-12-01

Among the fine coal cleaning methods, the oil agglomeration process has important advantages such as high process recovery, more clean product, simple dewatering stage. Several coal agglomeration studies have been undertaken recently and effects of different variables on the process performance have been investigated. However, unlike flotation studies, most of the previous agglomeration studies have not used dispersing agents to minimize slime coating effects of clays. In this study, agglomeration process was applied for recovery of fine coals from coal washery tailings containing remarkable amount of fine coal. Negative effect of fine clays during recovery was tried to be eliminated by using dispersing agent instead of de-sliming. Although ash reductions over 90 % were achieved, performance remained below expectations in terms of combustible matter recovery. However, this study is a preliminary one. It is considered that more satisfied results will be obtained in the next studies by changing the variables such as solid ratio, oil dosage, dispersant type and dosage.

Biomass equipments. Dryers. Drying, crushing, agglomeration of agro-industrial products; Materiels pour la biomasse. Les secheurs, sechage, broyage, agglomeration de produits agro-industriels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deur, O. [Promill (France)

1997-12-31

This paper describes the French Promill Company activity in the design and manufacturing of complete drying-crushing-agglomerating units for agro-industrial products (pulp of beet, lucerne, etc..). The paper focusses on the thermal and mechanical efficiency of the high temperature dryer and on the pulp granulating squeezer. (J.S.)

Electronic and magnetic properties of MoS2 nanoribbons with sulfur line vacancy defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Yang; Zhou, Jian; Dong, Jinming

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We performed DFT calculations on Sulfur line defects embedded MoS 2 . • The defects induced bond strains are larger in the zigzag (ZZ) edge ones. • The ZZ ones are metals, having two degenerate ground states FM and AFM. • The armchair ones are nonmagnetic semiconductors. • The defects can induce some defect states in the electronic structures. - Abstract: Motivated by the recent experimental result that single sulfur vacancies in monolayer MoS 2 are mobile under the electron beam and easily agglomerate into the sulfur line vacancy defects [Physical Review B 88, 035301(2013)] , the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of one dimensional zigzag (ZZ) and armchair (AC) edge MoS 2 nanoribbons with single or double staggered sulfur line vacancy defects (hereafter, abbreviated as SV or DV, respectively), parallel to their edges, have been investigated systematically by density functional theory calculations. It is very interesting to find that the bond strains induced by the sulfur line vacancy defect can cause a much larger out-of plane distortions in the ZZ edge MoS 2 nanoribbon than in the AC edge counterpart. Besides, the defective ZZ edge MoS 2 nanoribbons with SV or DV are both metals, having their two respective degenerate ground states with the same energy, among which one is ferromagnetic (FM “ + +”) and the other is antiferromagnetic (AFM “ + −”). But the AC edge MoS 2 nanoribbons with SV or DV are both nonmagnetic semiconductors, having very different gap values. Finally, the sulfur line vacancy defects would induce some defect states in the electronic structures of the defective MoS 2 nanoribbons. All these important results could provide a new route of tuning the electronic properties of MoS 2 nanoribbons and its derivatives for their promising applications in nanoelectronics and optoelectronics

Impact of Employment Agglomeration on Patented Innovation in U.S. Manufacturing Industries from 1986 to 2008

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdullah M. Khan

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This paper examines impact of employment agglomeration in fifteen U.S. manufacturing industries on their innovation activities measured by patent count. A count data model is employed in regressing patent count on employment agglomeration measures, measure of scale, and some control variables. Measures of employment agglomeration and market concentration are found to have negative impacts on innovation in U.S. manufacturing industries. Two agglomeration proxies -Gini index and Ellison-Glaeser index have a negative influence on U.S. patented innovation for the study period. This result implies that the external benefit of spatial agglomeration of similar firms has waned down. The impact of market concentration is also found to be a negative factor for innovation. This result implies that firms with larger plant size are less innovative than those with smaller plant size. Impact of ‘share of workers with post graduate degrees’ on innovation was found to be a positive but statistically not significant factor for innovation. The ‘goods pooling’ determinant displayed negative influence on innovation. These results are mostly consistent across fifteen manufacturing subsectors. Rising energy cost is found to be one of the most significant deterrents of innovation whereas, ethnic diversity is found to be a significant facilitator of it. Results of this research lend support in favor of regional economic development policies that promote coagglomeration of various interdependent and complementary industries and small scale industries, and supports ethnic diversity to spur innovation in U.S. manufacturing industries.

A discrete element and ray framework for rapid simulation of acoustical dispersion of microscale particulate agglomerations

Science.gov (United States)

Zohdi, T. I.

2016-03-01

In industry, particle-laden fluids, such as particle-functionalized inks, are constructed by adding fine-scale particles to a liquid solution, in order to achieve desired overall properties in both liquid and (cured) solid states. However, oftentimes undesirable particulate agglomerations arise due to some form of mutual-attraction stemming from near-field forces, stray electrostatic charges, process ionization and mechanical adhesion. For proper operation of industrial processes involving particle-laden fluids, it is important to carefully breakup and disperse these agglomerations. One approach is to target high-frequency acoustical pressure-pulses to breakup such agglomerations. The objective of this paper is to develop a computational model and corresponding solution algorithm to enable rapid simulation of the effect of acoustical pulses on an agglomeration composed of a collection of discrete particles. Because of the complex agglomeration microstructure, containing gaps and interfaces, this type of system is extremely difficult to mesh and simulate using continuum-based methods, such as the finite difference time domain or the finite element method. Accordingly, a computationally-amenable discrete element/discrete ray model is developed which captures the primary physical events in this process, such as the reflection and absorption of acoustical energy, and the induced forces on the particulate microstructure. The approach utilizes a staggered, iterative solution scheme to calculate the power transfer from the acoustical pulse to the particles and the subsequent changes (breakup) of the pulse due to the particles. Three-dimensional examples are provided to illustrate the approach.

Porosity of Lead Agglomerate as Function of CaO and SiO2 Proportion

OpenAIRE

, A. Haxhiaj; , A. Terziqi; , E. Haxhiaj

2016-01-01

Agglomerate porosity is correlated with strength of its pieces and it is main parameter for reductive melting process in Water-jacket furnace. Treatment is oriented toward achieving porosity and optimal strength. The paper deals with the process in te-mperature about 9000C and with less than 10% composition CaO in rapport with lead. In order to achieve optimal results of agglomerate porosity and quality, it is necessary during the roasting process of lead concentration to correlate the conten...

Models of agglomeration and glass transition

CERN Document Server

Kerner, Richard

2007-01-01

This book is for any physicist interested in new vistas in the domain of non-crystalline condensed matter, aperiodic and quasi-crystalline networks and especially glass physics and chemistry. Students with an elementary background in thermodynamics and statistical physics will find the book accessible. The physics of glasses is extensively covered, focusing on their thermal and mechanical properties, as well as various models leading to the formation of the glassy states of matter from overcooled liquids. The models of agglomeration and growth are also applied to describe the formation of quasicrystals, fullerenes and, in biology, to describe virus assembly pathways.

Experimental studies of the gravitational agglomeration of aerosols. Pt. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ball, M.H.E.; Longley, K.A.; Mitchell, J.P.; Ketchell, N.

1990-12-01

Experiments have been performed to investigate the influence of gravitational agglomeration as an aerosol depletion process in a small containment vessel. The resulting data will aid in the development of computer codes that describe aerosol transport processes following severe reactor accidents. (author)

Proceedings, volume 26, the Institute for Briquetting and Agglomeration, November 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roth, D.L. [ed.

2000-07-01

Topics covered by the 22 papers include: porosity of agglomerates, optimising roller compaction processing, determining velocity of powder in the roll rigs region of a roll press, binders, and briquetting for blast furnaces.

Vapb/Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 8 knock-in mice display slowly progressive motor behavior defects accompanying ER stress and autophagic response.

Science.gov (United States)

Larroquette, Frédérique; Seto, Lesley; Gaub, Perrine L; Kamal, Brishna; Wallis, Deeann; Larivière, Roxanne; Vallée, Joanne; Robitaille, Richard; Tsuda, Hiroshi

2015-11-15

Missense mutations (P56S) in Vapb are associated with autosomal dominant motor neuron diseases: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and lower motor neuron disease. Although transgenic mice overexpressing the mutant vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein B (VAPB) protein with neuron-specific promoters have provided some insight into the toxic properties of the mutant proteins, their role in pathogenesis remains unclear. To identify pathological defects in animals expressing the P56S mutant VAPB protein at physiological levels in the appropriate tissues, we have generated Vapb knock-in mice replacing wild-type Vapb gene with P56S mutant Vapb gene and analyzed the resulting pathological phenotypes. Heterozygous P56S Vapb knock-in mice show mild age-dependent defects in motor behaviors as characteristic features of the disease. The homozygous P56S Vapb knock-in mice show more severe defects compared with heterozygous mice reflecting the dominant and dose-dependent effects of P56S mutation. Significantly, the knock-in mice demonstrate accumulation of P56S VAPB protein and ubiquitinated proteins in cytoplasmic inclusions, selectively in motor neurons. The mutant mice demonstrate induction of ER stress and autophagic response in motor neurons before obvious onset of behavioral defects, suggesting that these cellular biological defects might contribute to the initiation of the disease. The P56S Vapb knock-in mice could be a valuable tool to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms by which the disease arises. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Investigation of the agglomeration and amorphous transformation effects of neutron irradiation on the nanocrystalline silicon carbide (3C-SiC) using TEM and SEM methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huseynov, Elchin M., E-mail: elchin.h@yahoo.com [Department of Nanotechnology and Radiation Material Science, National Nuclear Research Center, Inshaatchilar pr. 4, AZ 1073 Baku (Azerbaijan); Institute of Radiation Problems of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, B.Vahabzade 9, AZ 1143 Baku (Azerbaijan)

2017-04-01

Nanocrystalline 3C-SiC particles irradiated by neutron flux during 20 h in TRIGA Mark II light water pool type research reactor. Silicon carbide nanoparticles were analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) devices before and after neutron irradiation. The agglomeration of nanoparticles was studied comparatively before and after neutron irradiation. After neutron irradiation the amorphous layer surrounding the nanoparticles was analyzed in TEM device. Neutron irradiation defects in the 3C-SiC nanoparticles and other effects investigated by TEM device. The effect of irradiation on the crystal structure of the nanomaterial was studied by selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and electron diffraction patterns (EDP) analysis.

Multi-variable optimization of PEMFC cathodes using an agglomerate model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Secanell, M.; Suleman, A.; Djilali, N. [Institute for Integrated Energy Systems and Department Mechanical Engineering, University of Victoria, PO Box 3055 STN CSC, Victoria, BC (Canada); Karan, K. [Queen' s-RMC Fuel Cell Research Centre and Department Chemical Engineering, Queen' s University, Kingston, Ont. (Canada)

2007-06-30

A comprehensive numerical framework for cathode electrode design is presented and applied to predict the catalyst layer and the gas diffusion layer parameters that lead to an optimal electrode performance at different operating conditions. The design and optimization framework couples an agglomerate cathode catalyst layer model to a numerical gradient-based optimization algorithm. The set of optimal parameters is obtained by solving a multi-variable optimization problem. The parameters are the catalyst layer platinum loading, platinum to carbon ratio, amount of electrolyte in the agglomerate and the gas diffusion layer porosity. The results show that the optimal catalyst layer composition and gas diffusion layer porosity depend on operating conditions. At low current densities, performance is mainly improved by increasing platinum loading to values above 1 mg cm{sup -2}, moderate values of electrolyte volume fraction, 0.5, and low porosity, 0.1. At higher current densities, performance is improved by reducing the platinum loading to values below 0.35 mg cm{sup -2} and increasing both electrolyte volume fraction, 0.55, and porosity 0.32. The underlying improvements due to the optimized compositions are analyzed in terms of the spatial distribution of the various overpotentials, and the effect of the agglomerate structure parameters (radius and electrolyte film) are investigated. The paper closes with a discussion of the optimized composition obtained in this study in the context of available experimental data. The analysis suggests that reducing the solid phase volume fraction inside the catalyst layer might lead to improved electrode performance. (author)

Cu-Doping Effects in CdI(2) Nanocrystals: The Role of Cu-Agglomerates.

Science.gov (United States)

Miah, M Idrish

2008-11-22

Cu-doping effects in CdI(2) nanocrystals are studied experimentally. We use the photostimulated second harmonic generation (PSSHG) as a tool to investigate the effects. It is found that the PSSHG increases with increasing Cu content up to 0.6% and then decreases due to the formation of the Cu-agglomerates. The PSSHG for the crystal with Cu content higher than 1% reduces to that for the undoped CdI(2) crystal. The results suggest that a crucial role of the Cu-metallic agglomerates is involved in the processes as responsible for the observed effects.

Cu-Doping Effects in CdI2Nanocrystals: The Role of Cu-Agglomerates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miah M

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Cu-doping effects in CdI2nanocrystals are studied experimentally. We use the photostimulated second harmonic generation (PSSHG as a tool to investigate the effects. It is found that the PSSHG increases with increasing Cu content up to 0.6% and then decreases due to the formation of the Cu-agglomerates. The PSSHG for the crystal with Cu content higher than 1% reduces to that for the undoped CdI2crystal. The results suggest that a crucial role of the Cu-metallic agglomerates is involved in the processes as responsible for the observed effects.

Automated Manufacture of Fertilizing Agglomerates from Burnt Wood Ash

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Svantesson, Thomas

2002-12-01

In Sweden, extensive research is conducted to find alternative sources of energy that should partly replace the electric power production from nuclear power. With the ambition to create a sustainable system for producing energy, the use of renewable energy is expected to grow further and biofuels are expected to account for a significant part of this increase. However, when biofuels are burned or gasified, ash appears as a by-product. In order to overcome the problems related to deposition in land fills, the idea is to transform the ashes into a product - agglomerates - that easily could be recycled back to the forest grounds; as a fertilizer, or as a tool to reduce the acidification in the forest soil at the spreading area. This work considers the control of a transformation process, which transforms wood ash produced at a district heating plant into fertilizing agglomerates. A robust machine, built to comply with the industrial requirements for continuous operation, has been developed and is controlled by an industrial control system in order to enable an automated manufacture.

Modeling Urban Collaborative Growth Dynamics Using a Multiscale Simulation Model for the Wuhan Urban Agglomeration Area, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Yu

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Urban agglomeration has become the predominant form of urbanization in China. In this process, spatial interaction evidently played a significant role in promoting the collaborative development of these correlated cities. The traditional urban model’s focus on individual cities should be transformed to an urban system model. In this study, a multi-scale simulation model has been proposed to simulate the agglomeration development process of the Wuhan urban agglomeration area by embedding the multi-scale spatial interaction into the transition rule system of cellular automata (CA. A system dynamic model was used to predict the demand for new urban land at an aggregated urban agglomeration area scale. A data field approach was adopted to measuring the interaction of intercity at city scale. Neighborhood interaction was interpreted with a logistic regression method at the land parcel scale. Land use data from 1995, 2005, and 2015 were used to calibrate and evaluate the model. The simulation results show that there has been continuing urban growth in the Wuhan urban agglomeration area from 1995 to 2020. Although extension-sprawl was the predominant pattern of urban spatial expansion, the trend of extensive growth to intensive growth is clear during the entire period. The spatial interaction among these cities has been reinforced, which guided the collaborative development and formed the regional urban system network.

Influence of moisture on the behavior of aerosols

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, R.E.; Longest, A.W.; Tobias, M.L.

1986-01-01

The behavior of aerosols assumed to be characteristic of those generated during light water reactor (LWR) accident sequences and released into containment has been studied in the Nuclear Safety Pilot Plant (NSPP) located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). It has been observed that in a saturated steam-air environment a change occurs in the shape of aerosol agglomerates of U 3 O 8 aerosol, Fe 2 O 3 aerosol, and mixed U 3 O 8 -Fe 2 O 3 aerosol from branched-chain to spherical, and that the rate of reduction in the airborne aerosol mass concentration is increased relative to the rate observed in a dry atmosphere. The effect of a steam-air environment on the behavior of concrete aerosol is different. The shape of the agglomerated concrete aerosol is intermediate between branched-chain and spherical and the effect on the rate of reduction in airborne mass concentration appears to be slight. In a related project the shape of an agglomerated Fe 2 O 3 aerosol was observed to change from branched-chain to spherical at, or near, 100% relative humidity

The effect of alloying elements on the vacancy defect evolution in electron-irradiated austenitic Fe-Ni alloys studied by positron annihilation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Druzhkov, A.P. [Institute of Metal Physics, Ural Branch RAS, 18 Kovalevskaya St., 620041 Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation)], E-mail: druzhkov@imp.uran.ru; Perminov, D.A.; Davletshin, A.E. [Institute of Metal Physics, Ural Branch RAS, 18 Kovalevskaya St., 620041 Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation)

2009-01-31

The vacancy defect evolution under electron irradiation in austenitic Fe-34.2 wt% Ni alloys containing oversized (aluminum) and undersized (silicon) alloying elements was investigated by positron annihilation spectroscopy at temperatures between 300 and 573 K. It is found that the accumulation of vacancy defects is considerably suppressed in the silicon-doped alloy. This effect is observed at all the irradiation temperatures. The obtained results provide evidence that the silicon-doped alloy forms stable low-mobility clusters involving several Si and interstitial atoms, which are centers of the enhanced recombination of migrating vacancies. The clusters of Si-interstitial atoms also modify the annealing of vacancy defects in the Fe-Ni-Si alloy. The interaction between small vacancy agglomerates and solute Al atoms is observed in the Fe-Ni-Al alloy under irradiation at 300-423 K.

Heterogeneous skills and homogeneous land: segmentation and agglomeration

OpenAIRE

Matthias Wrede

2013-01-01

This paper analyzes the impact of skill heterogeneity on regional patterns of production and housing in the presence of pecuniary externalities within a general-equilibrium framework assuming monopolistic competition at intermediate good markets. It shows that the interplay of heterogeneous skills and relatively homogeneous land demand triggers skill segmentation and agglomeration. The core region, being more attractive to high skilled workers, has a disproportionately large share of producti...

Agglomeration of luminescent porous silicon nanoparticles in colloidal solutions

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Herynková, Kateřina; Šlechta, Miroslav; Šimáková, Petra; Fučíková, Anna; Cibulka, Ondřej

2016-01-01

Roč. 11, Aug (2016), s. 1-5, č. článku 367. ISSN 1556-276X Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) DAAD-16-18 Program:Bilaterální spolupráce Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : nanocrystalline silicon * porous silicon * nanoparticles * colloids * agglomeration Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 2.833, year: 2016

Growth mechanisms for spherical mixed hydroxide agglomerates prepared by co-precipitation method: A case of Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3(OH)2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Yue; Xu, Shengming; Xie, Ming; He, Yinghe; Huang, Guoyong; Yang, Youcai

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Anisotropic growth of Ni 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 (OH) 2 along the [0 0 1] direction was revealed. • DFT calculation results show crystal surface energies of (0 0 1) plane is highest. • A new model was proposed to explain the formation of spherical agglomerates. - Abstract: Spherical Ni 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 (OH) 2 agglomerates were synthesized by the co-precipitation method in the presence of ammonia. The results show that the growth mechanism of spherical agglomerates follows three-stages, i.e. nucleation and anisotropic growth of single crystals; agglomeration of polycrystalline crystallites agglomerated by single crystal grains as primary particles to form embryonic agglomerates; formation, growth and consolidation of spherical agglomerates or particles by agglomeration of embryonic agglomerates, continued growth of individual crystals in the agglomerates and further attachment of primary particles. The first two stages are very fast while the last stage takes almost the entire process to complete. The main reason for the anisotropic growth of Ni 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 (OH) 2 crystal is that crystal surface energy of E (001) , E (100) , E (101) and E (102) is different with E (001) being the highest. The morphology of the final spherical agglomerates is explained by partial re-crystallization of contacting primary particles. The growth process of spherical agglomerates was examined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and calculation of crystal surface energy using density function theory

The effect of particle agglomeration on the formation of a surface-connected compartment induced by hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in human monocyte-derived macrophages☆

Science.gov (United States)

Müller, Karin H.; Motskin, Michael; Philpott, Alistair J.; Routh, Alexander F.; Shanahan, Catherine M.; Duer, Melinda J.; Skepper, Jeremy N.

2014-01-01

Agglomeration dramatically affects many aspects of nanoparticle–cell interactions. Here we show that hydroxyapatite nanoparticles formed large agglomerates in biological medium resulting in extensive particle uptake and dose-dependent cytotoxicity in human macrophages. Particle citration and/or the addition of the dispersant Darvan 7 dramatically reduced mean agglomerate sizes, the amount of particle uptake and concomitantly cytotoxicity. More surprisingly, agglomeration governed the mode of particle uptake. Agglomerates were sequestered within an extensive, interconnected membrane labyrinth open to the extracellular space. In spite of not being truly intracellular, imaging studies suggest particle degradation occurred within this surface-connected compartment (SCC). Agglomerate dispersion prevented the SCC from forming, but did not completely inhibit nanoparticle uptake by other mechanisms. The results of this study could be relevant to understanding particle–cell interactions during developmental mineral deposition, in ectopic calcification in disease, and during application of hydroxyapatite nanoparticle vectors in biomedicine. PMID:24183166

Influence of germanium on thermal dewetting and agglomeration of the silicon template layer in thin silicon-on-insulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, P P; Yang, B; Rugheimer, P P; Roberts, M M; Savage, D E; Lagally, M G; Liu Feng

2009-01-01

We investigate the influence of heteroepitaxially grown Ge on the thermal dewetting and agglomeration of the Si(0 0 1) template layer in ultrathin silicon-on-insulator (SOI). We show that increasing Ge coverage gradually destroys the long-range ordering of 3D nanocrystals along the (1 3 0) directions and the 3D nanocrystal shape anisotropy that are observed in the dewetting and agglomeration of pure SOI(0 0 1). The results are qualitatively explained by Ge-induced bond weakening and decreased surface energy anisotropy. Ge lowers the dewetting and agglomeration temperature to as low as 700 0 C.

Electronic and magnetic properties of MoS{sub 2} nanoribbons with sulfur line vacancy defects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Yang [Group of Computational Condensed Matter Physics, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Zhou, Jian [National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China); Dong, Jinming, E-mail: jdong@nju.edu.cn [Group of Computational Condensed Matter Physics, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)

2015-08-15

Highlights: • We performed DFT calculations on Sulfur line defects embedded MoS{sub 2}. • The defects induced bond strains are larger in the zigzag (ZZ) edge ones. • The ZZ ones are metals, having two degenerate ground states FM and AFM. • The armchair ones are nonmagnetic semiconductors. • The defects can induce some defect states in the electronic structures. - Abstract: Motivated by the recent experimental result that single sulfur vacancies in monolayer MoS{sub 2} are mobile under the electron beam and easily agglomerate into the sulfur line vacancy defects [Physical Review B 88, 035301(2013)] , the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of one dimensional zigzag (ZZ) and armchair (AC) edge MoS{sub 2} nanoribbons with single or double staggered sulfur line vacancy defects (hereafter, abbreviated as SV or DV, respectively), parallel to their edges, have been investigated systematically by density functional theory calculations. It is very interesting to find that the bond strains induced by the sulfur line vacancy defect can cause a much larger out-of plane distortions in the ZZ edge MoS{sub 2} nanoribbon than in the AC edge counterpart. Besides, the defective ZZ edge MoS{sub 2} nanoribbons with SV or DV are both metals, having their two respective degenerate ground states with the same energy, among which one is ferromagnetic (FM “ + +”) and the other is antiferromagnetic (AFM “ + −”). But the AC edge MoS{sub 2} nanoribbons with SV or DV are both nonmagnetic semiconductors, having very different gap values. Finally, the sulfur line vacancy defects would induce some defect states in the electronic structures of the defective MoS{sub 2} nanoribbons. All these important results could provide a new route of tuning the electronic properties of MoS{sub 2} nanoribbons and its derivatives for their promising applications in nanoelectronics and optoelectronics.

Nucleocapsid Protein from Fig Mosaic Virus Forms Cytoplasmic Agglomerates That Are Hauled by Endoplasmic Reticulum Streaming

Science.gov (United States)

Ishikawa, Kazuya; Miura, Chihiro; Maejima, Kensaku; Komatsu, Ken; Hashimoto, Masayoshi; Tomomitsu, Tatsuya; Fukuoka, Misato; Yusa, Akira; Yamaji, Yasuyuki

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT Although many studies have demonstrated intracellular movement of viral proteins or viral replication complexes, little is known about the mechanisms of their motility. In this study, we analyzed the localization and motility of the nucleocapsid protein (NP) of Fig mosaic virus (FMV), a negative-strand RNA virus belonging to the recently established genus Emaravirus. Electron microscopy of FMV-infected cells using immunogold labeling showed that NPs formed cytoplasmic agglomerates that were predominantly enveloped by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, while nonenveloped NP agglomerates also localized along the ER. Likewise, transiently expressed NPs formed agglomerates, designated NP bodies (NBs), in close proximity to the ER, as was the case in FMV-infected cells. Subcellular fractionation and electron microscopic analyses of NP-expressing cells revealed that NBs localized in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, we found that NBs moved rapidly with the streaming of the ER in an actomyosin-dependent manner. Brefeldin A treatment at a high concentration to disturb the ER network configuration induced aberrant accumulation of NBs in the perinuclear region, indicating that the ER network configuration is related to NB localization. Dominant negative inhibition of the class XI myosins, XI-1, XI-2, and XI-K, affected both ER streaming and NB movement in a similar pattern. Taken together, these results showed that NBs localize in the cytoplasm but in close proximity to the ER membrane to form enveloped particles and that this causes passive movements of cytoplasmic NBs by ER streaming. IMPORTANCE Intracellular trafficking is a primary and essential step for the cell-to-cell movement of viruses. To date, many studies have demonstrated the rapid intracellular movement of viral factors but have failed to provide evidence for the mechanism or biological significance of this motility. Here, we observed that agglomerates of nucleocapsid protein (NP) moved rapidly

Insulating Behavior in Graphene with Irradiation-induced Lattice Defects

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jian-Hao; Williams, Ellen; Fuhrer, Michael

2010-03-01

We irradiated cleaned graphene on silicon dioxide in ultra-high vacuum with low energy inert gas ions to produce lattice defects [1], and investigated in detail the transition from metallic to insulating temperature dependence of the conductivity as a function of defect density. We measured the low field magnetoresistance and temperature-dependent resistivity in situ and find that weak localization can only account for a small correction of the resistivity increase with decreasing temperature. We will discuss possible origins of the insulating temperature dependent resistivity in defected graphene in light of our recent experiments. [4pt] [1] Jian-Hao Chen, W. G. Cullen, C. Jang, M. S. Fuhrer, E. D. Williams, PRL 102, 236805 (2009)

Study on transfer-free graphene synthesis process utilizing spontaneous agglomeration of catalytic Ni and Co metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyoshi, Makoto; Mizuno, Masaya; Banno, Kazuya; Kubo, Toshiharu; Egawa, Takashi; Soga, Tetsuo

2015-01-01

Transfer-free graphene synthesis process utilizing metal agglomeration phenomena was investigated by using carbon films deposited on Ni or Co catalyst metals on SiO 2 /Si substrates. As a result of metal agglomeration at high temperatures, multilayer graphene films appeared to be formed directly on SiO 2 films. The microscopic Raman mapping study revealed that graphene films were preferentially synthesized around areas where metal films disappeared at an early stage of agglomeration, and that they finally covered almost the whole surface. It was also found that the synthesized graphene films tended to have better structural qualities and lower layer numbers with the increase in the starting metal thicknesses regardless of the kinds of catalyst metals. Raman study also showed that they had good two-dimensional uniformity in the structural quality. (paper)

Predicting the Agglomeration of Cohesive Particles in a Gas-Solid Flow and its Effect on the Solids Flow

Science.gov (United States)

Kellogg, Kevin; Liu, Peiyuan; Lamarche, Casey; Hrenya, Christine

2017-11-01

In flows of cohesive particles, agglomerates will readily form and break. These agglomerates are expected to complicate how particles interact with the surrounding fluid in multiphase flows, and consequently how the solids flow. In this work, a dilute flow of particles driven by gas against gravity is studied. A continuum framework, composed of a population balance to predict the formation of agglomerates, and kinetic-theory-based balances, is used to predict the flow of particles. The closures utilized for the birth and death rates due to aggregation and breakage in the population balance take into account how the impact velocity (the granular temperature) affects the outcome of a collision as aggregation, rebound, or breakage. The agglomerate size distribution and solids velocity predicted by the continuum framework are compared to discrete element method (DEM) simulations, as well to experimental results of particles being entrained from the riser of a fluidized bed. Dow Corning Corporation.

Physical simulation of precipitation of radioactive element oxalates by using the harmless neodymium oxalate for studying the agglomeration phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lalleman, Sophie; Bertrand, Murielle; Plasari, Edouard

2012-01-01

Oxalic precipitation is usually applied in nuclear industry to process radioactive wastes or to recover actinides from a multicomponent solution.This paper deals with the development of methods adapted to a nuclear environment in order to study the agglomeration phenomena during actinide oxalic precipitation.These methods are previously set up with harmless elements that simulate the actinide behaviour: the lanthanides. A parametric study is carried out to quantify the influence of operating parameters on the agglomeration kernel and to determine a kinetic law for this mechanism. The experimental study is performed in a continuous-MSMPR precipitator at steady-state. The method is based on the resolution of two population balances using the moment approach, one for elementary crystals and the other for agglomerates. Provided that the kinetic rates of nucleation and growth are known, the agglomeration kernel can be obtained from a mathematical treatment of the experimental particle size distributions. Results point out that experimental crystal sizes are consistent with an independent kernel. It appears that the agglomeration kernel is directly proportional to supersaturation, increases with temperature but is limited by ionic strength and shear rate. (authors)

Diffusion mediated agglomeration of CdS nanoparticles via Langmuir–Blodgett technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, Nayan Mani; Roy, Dhrubojyoti; Gupta, P.S.

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Diffusion mediated agglomeration of CdS nanoparticles are discussed. • Formation of CdS nanoparticles are confirmed by the change of chain length in XRD. • AFM shows the agglomeration of particles with a film swelling of about 5 Å. • UV–vis absorbance suggests that the grown particles show quantum confinement. • Hexagonal form of particle was confirmed by UV–vis reflectivity. - Abstract: We have reported a diffusion mediated agglomeration of cadmium sulphide (CdS) nanoparticles within cadmium arachidate (CdA 2 ) film matrix. The structural morphology and formation of CdS nanoparticles are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy techniques. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show a change in bilayer difference from 53.04 Å to 43 Å after the sulphidation. An epitaxial growth of the films by ∼5 Å after sulphidation is confirmed from atomic force microscopy studies. The particle size calculated form UV–vis absorption edges are found to be varying from 2.6 nm to 3.3 nm for the different layers. A lateral dimension of 72–80 nm from AFM measurements and a size of 2.6–3.3 nm have confirmed one side flat pseudo two-dimensional disk-like nanoparticles. UV–vis reflectivity peak at E 1 (A) confirms the formation of hexagonal CdS nanoparticles along the c-axis

Extended defects and hydrogen interactions in ion implanted silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Rangan, Sanjay

The structural and electrical properties of extended defects generated because of ion implantation and the interaction of hydrogen with these defects have been studied in this work. Two distinct themes have been studied, the first where defects are a detrimental and the second where they are useful. In the first scenario, transient enhanced diffusion of boron has been studied and correlated with defect evolution studies due to silicon and argon ion implants. Spreading resistance profiles (SRP) correlated with deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) measurements, reveal that a low anneal temperatures (TED at low anneal temperatures (550°C, the effect of hydrogen is lost, due to its out-diffusion. Moreover, due to catastrophic out-diffusion of hydrogen, additional damage is created resulting in deeper junctions in hydrogenated samples, compared to the non-hydrogenated ones. Comparing defect evolution due to Si and Ar ion implants at different anneal temperatures, while the type of defects is the same in the two cases, their (defect) dissolution occurs at lower anneal temperatures (˜850°C) for Si implants. Dissolution for Ar implants seems to occur at higher anneal temperatures. The difference has been attributed to the increased number of vacancies created by Ar to that of silicon implant. In second aspect, nano-cavity formation due to vacancy agglomeration has been studied by helium ion implantation and furnace anneal, where the effect of He dose, implant energy and anneal time have been processing parameters that have been varied. Cavities are formed only when the localized concentration of He is greater than 3 x 1020 cm-3. While at high implant doses, a continuous cavity layer is formed, at low implant doses a discontinuous layer is observed. The formation of cavities at low doses has been observed for the first time. Variation of anneal times reveal that cavities are initially facetted (for short anneal times) and tend to become spherical when annealed for

Knowledge Externalities, Agglomeration Economies, and Employment Growth in Dutch Cities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Soest, D.P.; Gerking, S.D.; van Oort, F.G.

2002-01-01

This paper extends the work of Glaeser et al.(1992) by looking at effects of agglomeration economies on employment growth in Dutch city-industries and in very small (postal) zip code-industries in the Dutch province of South-Holland. At both levels of geographic detail, findings are broadly

Two-dimensional peridynamic simulation of the effect of defects on the mechanical behavior of Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox round wires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le, Q V; Chan, W K; Schwartz, J

2014-01-01

Ag/AgX sheathed Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O x (Bi2212) is the only superconducting round wire (RW) with high critical current density (J c ) at high magnetic (>25 T) and is thus a strong candidate for high field magnets for nuclear magnetic resonance and high energy physics. A significant remaining challenge, however, is the relatively poor electromechanical behavior of Bi2212 RW, yet there is little understanding of the relationships between the internal Bi2212 microstructure and the mechanical behavior. This is in part due to the complex microstructures within the Bi2212 filaments and the uncertain role of interfilamentary bridges. Here, two-dimensional peridynamic simulations are used to study the stress distribution of the Bi2212 RWs under an axial tensile load. The simulations use scanning electron micrographs obtained from high J c wires as a starting point to study the impact of various defects on the distribution of stress concentration within the Bi2212 microstructure and Ag. The flexibility of the peridynamic approach allows various defects, including those captured from SEM micrographs and artificially created defects, to be inserted into the microstructure for systematic study. Furthermore, this approach allows the mechanical properties of the defects to be varied, so the effects of porosity and both soft and hard secondary phases are evaluated. The results show significant stress concentration around defects, interfilamentary bridges and the rough Bi2212/Ag interface. In general, the stress concentration resulting from porosity is greater than that of solid-phase inclusions. A clear role of the defect geometry is observed. Results indicate that crack growth is likely to initiate at the Ag/Bi2212 interface or at voids, but that voids may also arrest crack growth in certain circumstances. These results are consistent with experimental studies of Bi2212 electromechanical behavior and magneto-optical imaging of crack growth. (paper)

Performance, Defect Behavior and Carrier Enhancement in Low Energy, Proton Irradiated p(+)nn(+) InP Solar Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberg, I.; Rybicki, G. C.; Vargas-Aburto, C.; Jain, R. K.; Scheiman, D.

1994-01-01

InP p(+)nn(+) cells, processed by MOCVD, were irradiated by 0.2 MeV protons and their performance and defect behavior observed to a maximum fluence of 10(exp 13)/sq cm. Their radiation induced degradation, over this fluence range, was considerably+less than observed for similarly irradiated, diffused junction n p InP cells. Significant degradation occurred in both the cell's emitter and base regions the least degradation occurring in the depletion region. A significant increase in series resistance occurs at the highest fluenc.e. Two majority carrier defect levels, E7 and E10, are observed by DLTS with activation energies at (E(sub C) - 0.39)eV and (E(sub C) - 0.74)eV respectively. The relative concentration of these defects differs considerably from that observed after 1 MeV electron irradiation. An increased carrier concentration in the cell's n-region was observed at the highest proton fluence, the change in carrier concentration being insignificant at the lower fluences. In agreement with previous results, for 1 and 1.5 MeV electron irradiated InP p(+)n junctions, the defect level E10 is attributed to a complex between zinc, diffused into the n-region from the zinc doped emitter, and a radiation induced defect. The latter is assumed to be either a phosphorus vacancy or interstitial. The increased, or enhanced carrier concentration is attributed to this complex acting as a donor.

Spatial Welfare Economics versus Ecological Footprint: Modeling Agglomeration, Externalities and Trade

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grazi, F.; van den Bergh, J.C.J.M.; Rietveld, P.

2007-01-01

A welfare framework for the analysis of the spatial dimensions of sustainability is developed. It covers agglomeration effects, interregional trade, negative environmental externalities, and various land use categories. The model is used to compare rankings of spatial configurations according to

Biomass-Ash-Induced Agglomeration in a Fluidized Bed. Part 1: Experimental Study on the Effects of a Gas Atmosphere

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ma, Teng; Fan, Chuigang; Hao, Lifang

2016-01-01

. The agglomerates are analyzed by scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM–EDS) for morphology and elemental composition. Significant differences are observed on the defluidization temperature (Td) and agglomeration mechanisms in different gas atmospheres. Td in H2 and steam...

Structural properties of silver nanoparticle agglomerates based on transmission electron microscopy: relationship to particle mobility analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Weon Gyu; Wang Jing; Mertler, Michael; Sachweh, Bernd; Fissan, Heinz; Pui, David Y. H.

2009-01-01

In this work, the structural properties of silver nanoparticle agglomerates generated using condensation and evaporation method in an electric tube furnace followed by a coagulation process are analyzed using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Agglomerates with mobility diameters of 80, 120, and 150 nm are sampled using the electrostatic method and then imaged by TEM. The primary particle diameter of silver agglomerates was 13.8 nm with a standard deviation of 2.5 nm. We obtained the relationship between the projected area equivalent diameter (d pa ) and the mobility diameter (d m ), i.e., d pa = 0.92 ± 0.03 d m for particles from 80 to 150 nm. We obtained fractal dimensions of silver agglomerates using three different methods: (1) D f = 1.84 ± 0.03, 1.75 ± 0.06, and 1.74 ± 0.03 for d m = 80, 120, and 150 nm, respectively from projected TEM images using a box counting algorithm; (2) fractal dimension (D fL ) = 1.47 based on maximum projected length from projected TEM images using an empirical equation proposed by Koylu et al. (1995) Combust Flame 100:621-633; and (3) mass fractal-like dimension (D fm ) = 1.71 theoretically derived from the mobility analysis proposed by Lall and Friedlander (2006) J Aerosol Sci 37:260-271. We also compared the number of primary particles in agglomerate and found that the number of primary particles obtained from the projected surface area using an empirical equation proposed by Koylu et al. (1995) Combust Flame 100:621-633 is larger than that from using the relationship, d pa = 0.92 ± 0.03 d m or from using the mobility analysis.

The study of mechanical behavior on the interface between calcar-defect femur and restorations by means of finite element analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, X.H.; Jiang, W.; Chen, H.Z.; Zou, W.; Wang, W.D.; Guo, Z.; Luo, J.M.; Gu, Z.W.; Zhang, X.D.

2008-01-01

The mechanical behaviors of calcar-defected femur and restorations under physiological load are the key factors that will greatly influence the success of femur calcar defect repairing, especially the stress distribution on the bone-restoration interface. 3D finite elements analysis (FEA) was used to analyze the mechanical characters on the interfaces between femoral calcar defects and bone cement or HA restorations. Under the load of two times of a human weight (1436.03 N) and with the increase of the defect dimension from 6 mm to 12 mm, the maximal stresses on the surface of restorations are from 7.06 MPa to 11.89 MPa for bone cement and 2.97-9 MPa for HA separately. In this condition, HA restoration will probably be broken on the bone-restoration interface when the defect diameter is beyond 8 mm. Furthermore, under the load of 1.5 times of a human weight, HA restoration would not be safe unless the defect dimension is smaller than 10 mm, because the maximal stress (4.62 MPa) on the restoration is only a little lower than compressive strength of HA, otherwise the bone fixation device should be applied to ensure the safety. It is relatively safe for all restorations under all the tested defect sizes when the load is just the weight of a human body

Application of the novel mill tailings agglomeration technology for prevention of acid mine drainage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amaratunga, L.M.

1994-01-01

Acid generation and subsequent liberation of heavy metals results from the surface disposal of sulfide mineral bearing mill tailings. Most Canadian base metals such as Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb, as well as uranium and precious metal milling operations are producers of reactive mill tailings containing the major sulfide gangue minerals such as pyrite, pyrrhotite and arsenopyrites. A novel disposal technology by cold-bond tailings agglomeration process (CBTA) is currently being developed at Laurentian University. This process has been adapted to prevent acid mine drainage from reactive mill tailings. A preliminary study was undertaken to evaluate the application of the concept of agglomeration of reactive mill tailings using various alkaline binders and incorporating suitable chemical additives. The binders and additives are selected for their effectiveness in the prevention or retardation of the initial chemical and biochemical oxidation reactions of sulfide mineral leading to acid generation. Following a cold-bond, cold curing tailings agglomeration process, various types and dosages of chemical binders and their additives were employed. The additives under investigation were lime, sodium lauryl sulfate, potassium phosphate dibasic, sodium chloride and sodium benzoate. Some of these chemicals are well known acid neutralizers and others are inexpensive anionic surfactants, detergents and fertilizers acting as bactericides. Most of these additives have been reported in the literature as effective chemical agents used in the prevention and control of acid mine drainage from sulfide minerals. The paper also presents a leachate study to investigate the acid generation potential from each batch of reactive tailings agglomerates containing various binders and non-toxic additives

Spherical agglomerates of pure drug nanoparticles for improved pulmonary delivery in dry powder inhalers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Jun; Dong Yuancai; Pastorin, Giorgia; Ng, Wai Kiong; Tan, Reginald B. H.

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to produce micron-sized spherical agglomerates of pure drug nanoparticles to achieve improved aerosol performance in dry powder inhalers (DPIs). Sodium cromoglicate was chosen as the model drug. Pure drug nanoparticles were prepared through a bottom-up particle formation process, liquid antisolvent precipitation, and then rapidly agglomerated into porous spherical microparticles by immediate (on-line) spray drying. Nonporous spherical drug microparticles with similar geometric size distribution were prepared by conventional spray drying of the aqueous drug solution, which together with the mechanically micronized drug particles were used as the control samples. The three samples were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, laser diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, density measurement, powder X-ray diffraction, and in vitro aerosol deposition measurement with a multistage liquid impinger. It was found that drug nanoparticles with a diameter of ∼100 nm were precipitated and agglomerated into highly porous spherical microparticles with a volume median diameter (D 50% ) of 2.25 ± 0.08 μm and a specific surface area of 158.63 ± 3.27 m 2 /g. In vitro aerosol deposition studies showed the fine particle fraction of such spherical agglomerates of drug nanoparticles was increased by more than 50 % in comparison with the control samples, demonstrating significant improvements in aerosol performance. The results of this study indicated the potential of the combined particle engineering process of liquid antisolvent precipitation followed by immediate (on-line) spray drying in the development of novel DPI drug products with improved aerosol performance.

Spherical agglomerates of pure drug nanoparticles for improved pulmonary delivery in dry powder inhalers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu Jun; Dong Yuancai [Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (Singapore); Pastorin, Giorgia, E-mail: phapg@nus.edu.sg [National University of Singapore, Department of Pharmacy (Singapore); Ng, Wai Kiong, E-mail: ng_wai_kiong@ices.a-star.edu.sg; Tan, Reginald B. H. [Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (Singapore)

2013-04-15

The aim of this study was to produce micron-sized spherical agglomerates of pure drug nanoparticles to achieve improved aerosol performance in dry powder inhalers (DPIs). Sodium cromoglicate was chosen as the model drug. Pure drug nanoparticles were prepared through a bottom-up particle formation process, liquid antisolvent precipitation, and then rapidly agglomerated into porous spherical microparticles by immediate (on-line) spray drying. Nonporous spherical drug microparticles with similar geometric size distribution were prepared by conventional spray drying of the aqueous drug solution, which together with the mechanically micronized drug particles were used as the control samples. The three samples were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, laser diffraction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, density measurement, powder X-ray diffraction, and in vitro aerosol deposition measurement with a multistage liquid impinger. It was found that drug nanoparticles with a diameter of {approx}100 nm were precipitated and agglomerated into highly porous spherical microparticles with a volume median diameter (D{sub 50%}) of 2.25 {+-} 0.08 {mu}m and a specific surface area of 158.63 {+-} 3.27 m{sup 2}/g. In vitro aerosol deposition studies showed the fine particle fraction of such spherical agglomerates of drug nanoparticles was increased by more than 50 % in comparison with the control samples, demonstrating significant improvements in aerosol performance. The results of this study indicated the potential of the combined particle engineering process of liquid antisolvent precipitation followed by immediate (on-line) spray drying in the development of novel DPI drug products with improved aerosol performance.

A study on the behavior of defected LWR spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

You, Gil Sung; Kim, Eun Ka; Kim, Keon Sik; Suh, Hang Suck; Kim, Seung Jung; Ro, Seung Gy; Park, Chong Mook; Ji, Pyung Gook

1992-03-01

To investigate the storage behavior of the defective LWR spent fuel rods, the characteristic changes of fuel and cladding are to be measured and analyzed. In addition, the oxidation study in air on non-irradiated and irradiated U0 2 was performed. No changes were observed in the tested fuel rods after 30 month storage. The Cs-134, 137 released rapidly during the initial 3 months of storage, but remained in constant value after 3 month storage and the release was almost ceased after 30 month storage. The weight gain of non-irradiated U0 2 samples showed a trend of S type curves and the activation energies were 11OKJ/mol above 350 deg C. and 143KJ/mol below 350 deg C. But irradiated U0 2 showed a rapid increase at initial stage of oxidation and a decrease at later stage when compared with the results of non-irradiated U0 2 . (Author)

Recent Advances in the Development and Application of Power Plate Transducers in Dense Gas Extraction and Aerosol Agglomeration Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Riera, E.; Cardoni, A.; Gallego-Juárez, J. A.; Acosta, V. M.; Blanco, A.; Rodríguez, G.; Blasco, M.; Herranz, L. E.

Power ultrasound (PU) is an emerging, innovative, energy saving and environmental friendly technology that is generating a great interest in sectors such as food and pharmaceutical industries, green chemistry, environmental pollution, and other processes, where sustainable and energy efficient methods are required to improve and/or produce specific effects. Two typical effects of PU are the enhancement of mass transfer in gases and liquids, and the induction of particle agglomeration in aerosols. These effects are activated by a variety of mechanisms associated to the nonlinear propagation of high amplitude ultrasonic waves such as diffusion, agitation, entrainment, turbulence, etc. During the last years a great effort has been jointly made by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the company Pusonics towards introducing novel processes into the market based on airborne ultrasonic plate transducers. This technology was specifically developed for the treatment of gas and multiphasic media characterized by low specific acoustic impedance and high acoustic absorption. Different strategies have been developed to mitigate the effects of the nonlinear dynamic behavior of such ultrasonic piezoelectric transducers in order to enhance and stabilize their response at operational power conditions. This work deals with the latter advances in the mitigation of nonlinear problems found in power transducers; besides it describes two applications assisted by ultrasound developed at semi-industrial and laboratory scales and consisting in extraction via dense gases and particle agglomeration. Dense Gas Extraction (DGE) assisted by PU is a new process with a potential to enhance the extraction kinetics with supercritical CO2. Acoustic agglomeration of fine aerosol particles has a great potential for the treatment of air pollution problems generated by particulate materials. Experimental and numerical results in both processes will be shown and discussed.

Segregation of B lymphocytes into stationary apoptotic and migratory proliferating subpopulations in agglomerate cultures with ileal epithelium.

Science.gov (United States)

Alitheen, N; McClure, S; McCullagh, P

2001-09-01

The B lymphocyte-epithelial cell interactions that define the microenvironment of the ileal Peyer's patch, the primary B lymphocyte organ of the fetal lamb, have been replicated in tissue culture. Mixed suspensions of ileal epithelial cells, lymphocytes and fibroblasts from fetuses of 63-103 days of gestation organized into macroscopically visible agglomerates within 72 h. These agglomerates contained translucent spherical cavities and were enclosed within a marginal cell layer and surrounded by an expanding corona of emigrating cells. The lining of the cavities and the marginal layer consisted of well-differentiated, polarized columnar ileal epithelial cells. One population of B lymphocytes in the initial mixed suspension differentiated into two discrete populations reproducing the characteristics of intact fetal ileal Peyer's patches. B cells apposed to follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) within agglomerates underwent apoptosis. The other population of emigrant B cells proliferated and expressed the BAQ44A differentiation marker. Differentiation of ileal epithelial cells into FAE, typical of Peyer's patches, was markedly accelerated. The mutually inductive influences of intestinal epithelial cells and B lymphocytes in these agglomerates replicate normal mid-gestational fetal development of the mucosal immune system and afford new opportunities for its further investigation.

Impregnation/Agglomeration Laboratory Tests of Heavy Fuel from Prestige to Improve Its Manageability and Removal from Seawater Surface. (Physical Behaviour of Fuel Agglomates)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia Frutos, F. J.; Rodriguez, V.; Otero, J.

2002-01-01

The handling and removal problems showed by heavy fuel floating in seawater could be improved or solved by using materials that agglomerate it. These materials must fulfill the following conditions: be inert materials in marine environment, the agglomerated fuel/material should float and its application and removal should be done using simple technologies. Based on these requirements, clay minerals, pine chips, mineral coal and charcoal were selected. The preliminary/results on impregnation/agglomeration with the materials mentioned above of heavy fuel from Prestige at lab scale are presented in this paper. The results have shown that only hydrophobic materials, such as mineral coal and charcoal, are able to agglomerate with fuel, which is also a hydrophobic substance. Whereas the agglomerates fuel/mineral coal sink, the agglomerates fuel/charcoal keep floating on water surface. It can be concluded that the addition of charcoal on dispersed fuel in seawater could improve its handling and removal. In this sense, pilot scale and eventually controlled in situ tests to study the feasibility of the proposed solution should be performed. (Author) 2 refs

Electrochemical behavior of thin anodic oxide films on Zircaloy-4: Role of the mobile defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salot, R.; Lefebvre-Joud, F.; Baroux, B.

1996-01-01

The first stages of the electrochemical oxidation of Zircaloy-4 are investigated using simple electrochemical tests and modeling the passive film modifications occurring as a result of contact with the electrolyte. Variations in electrode potential (open-circuit conditions) or current density (potentiodynamic scans) can be simply explained by a high field (F ∼ 10 6 V/cm) assisted passive film growth. Under open-circuit conditions, this field does not vary with exposure time (in the 2 h to 48 h range). The minimum electric field for the onset of high-field behavior is also evaluated and found smaller than the theoretical value which can be explained by a variation in the concentration of mobile defects throughout the film. Measurements of the electrode potential decay after a potentiodynamic scan confirm this model, allowing interpretation of the film modification as a combination of two separate phenomena: film growth under a high electric field and point defect annihilation

Study on spatial-temporal change of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan urban agglomeration based on DMSP / OLS night light data

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mao; Li, Lel-in

2018-03-01

For the sake of curbing the spreading of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan urban agglomeration and spatial disorder in the process of urbanization development on the regional bearing capacity of land resources and ecological environment and assisting to plan the integration process of ChangZhuTan,this paper uses the DMSP/OLS night light data of Chang ZhuTan in 1992 to 2013 to invert the urbanization process index of ChangZhuTan urban agglomeration. Based on the two scales of time and space, this paper analyzes the average index of lights, the speed of urban expansion and urban compactness index et al and studies the temporal and spatial characteristics of ChangZhuTan urban agglomeration in this period.

Computer simulation of defect cluster

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuramoto, Eiichi [Kyushu Univ., Kasuga, Fukuoka (Japan). Research Inst. for Applied Mechanics

1996-04-01

In order to elucidate individual element process of various defects and defect clusters of used materials under irradiation environments, interatomic potential with reliability was investigated. And for comparison with experimental results, it is often required to adopt the temperature effect and to investigate in details mechanism of one dimensional motion of micro conversion loop and so forth using the molecular dynamic (MD) method. Furthermore, temperature effect is also supposed for stable structure of defects and defect clusters, and many problems relating to alloy element are also remained. And, simulation on photon life at the defects and defect clusters thought to be important under comparison with equipment can also be supposed an improvement of effectiveness due to relation to theses products. In this paper, some topics in such flow was extracted to explain them. In particular, future important problems will be potential preparation of alloy, structure, dynamic behavior and limited temperature of intralattice atomic cluster. (G.K.)

Soundscape design guidelines through noise mapping methodologies: An application to medium urban agglomerations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vogiatzis Konstantinos

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In the framework of the European Directive 2002/49/EC, from 2012 to 2016, several cities in Greece have completed noise strategic maps with noise action plans that usually define the main strategies to reduce the noise residents are exposed to and introduce and preserve “quiet zones”. Several medium urban agglomerations in Greece (Volos, Larissa, Chania, Heraklion, Corfu, Agrinio, Thessaloniki have been chosen to also analyse the sound qualities of the soundscapes of specific urban neighbourhoods in order to generate recommendations for the urban design of the soundscapes of these agglomerations in a manner that complements conventional noise mitigation measures. The general principle of this approach is to relate quantitative data (e.g., from measurements, acoustic simulations, urban forms, topography, and traffic model with qualitative data (e.g., from type of sources, interviews, reports on environmental noise perception by creating quantitative and qualitative maps. The aim of this study is to propose possible action tools to the relevant authorities aiming at diminishing noise levels in affected areas and also to provide solutions towards a sustainable sound environment both in space and time. This paper presents the main current methodology, selected important results proposed for the urban agglomerations of a typical Southeast Mediterranean country such as Greece.

An improved model for estimating fractal structure of silica nano-agglomerates in a vibro-fluidized bed

OpenAIRE

A Esmailpour; N Mostoufi; R Zarghami

2016-01-01

A study has been conducted to determine the effects of operating conditions such as vibration frequency, vibration amplitude on the fractal structure of silica (SiO2) nanoparticle agglomerate in a vibro-fluidized bed. An improved model was proposed by assimilation of fractal theory, Richardson-Zaki equation and mass balance. This model has been developed to predict the properties of nanoparticle agglomerate, such as fractal dimension and its size. It has been found out the vibration intensity...

Mesoscopic dispersion of colloidal agglomerate in a complex fluid modelled by a hybrid fluid-particle model.

Science.gov (United States)

Dzwinel, Witold; Yuen, David A

2002-03-15

The dispersion of the agglomerating fluid process involving colloids has been investigated at the mesoscale level by a discrete particle approach--the hybrid fluid-particle model (FPM). Dynamical processes occurring in the granulation of colloidal agglomerate in solvents are severely influenced by coupling between the dispersed microstructures and the global flow. On the mesoscale this coupling is further exacerbated by thermal fluctuations, particle-particle interactions between colloidal beds, and hydrodynamic interactions between colloidal beds and the solvent. Using the method of FPM, we have tackled the problem of dispersion of a colloidal slab being accelerated in a long box filled with a fluid. Our results show that the average size of the agglomerated fragments decreases with increasing shearing rate gamma, according to the power law A x gamma(k), where k is around 2. For larger values of gamma, the mean size of the agglomerate S(avg) increases slowly with gamma from the collisions between the aggregates and the longitudinal stretching induced by the flow. The proportionality constant A increases exponentially with the scaling factor of the attractive forces acting between the colloidal particles. The value of A shows a rather weak dependence on the solvent viscosity. But A increases proportionally with the scaling factor of the colloid-solvent dissipative interactions. Similar type of dependence can be found for the mixing induced by Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities involving the colloidal agglomerate and the solvent. Three types of fragmentation structures can be identified, which are called rupture, erosion, and shatter. They generate very complex structures with multiresolution character. The aggregation of colloidal beds is formed by the collisions between aggregates, which are influenced by the flow or by the cohesive forces for small dispersion energies. These results may be applied to enhance our understanding concerning the nonlinear complex

Effect of length of thinning area on the failure behavior of carbon steel pipe containing a defect of wall thinning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jin Weon; Park, Chi Yong

2003-01-01

The present study performed pipe failure tests using 102 mm-Sch. 80 carbon steel pipe with various simulated wall thinning defects, to investigate the effect of axial length of wall thinning and internal pressure on the failure behavior of pipe thinned by flow accelerated corrosion (FAC). The tests were conducted under loading conditions of four-point bending with and without internal pressure. The results showed that a failure mode of pipe with a defect depended on the magnitude of internal pressure and axial thinning length as well as stress type and thinning depth and circumferential angle. Both load carrying capability (LCC) and deformation capability (DC) were depended on stress type in the thinning area and dimensions of thinning defect. For applying tensile stress to the thinned area, the dependence of LCC on the axial length of wall thinning was determined by circumferential thinning angle, and the DC was proportionally increased with increase in axial length of wall thinning regardless of the circumferential angle. For applying compressive stress to thinned area, however, the LCC was decreased with increase in axial length of the thinned area. Also, the effect of internal pressure on failure behavior was characterized by failure mode of thinned pipe, and it promoted crack occurrence and mitigated a local buckling of the thinned area

Implications of the stability behavior of zinc oxide nanoparticles for toxicological studies

Science.gov (United States)

Meißner, Tobias; Oelschlägel, Kathrin; Potthoff, Annegret

2014-08-01

The increasing use of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles in sunscreens and other cosmetic products demands a risk assessment that has to be done in toxicological studies. Such investigations require profound knowledge of the behavior of ZnO in cell culture media. The current study was performed to get well-dispersed suspensions of a hydrophilic (ZnO-hydro) and a lipophilic coated (ZnO-lipo) ZnO nanomaterial for use in in vitro tests. Therefore, systematic tests were carried out with common dispersants (phosphate, lecithin, proteins) to elucidate chemical and physical changes of ZnO nanoparticles in water and physiological solutions (PBS, DMEM). Non-physiological stock suspensions were prepared using ultrasonication. Time-dependent changes of pH, conductivity, zeta potential, particle size and dissolution were recorded. Secondly, the stock suspensions were added to physiological media with or without albumin (BSA) or serum (FBS), to examine characteristics such as agglomeration and dissolution. Stable stock suspensions were obtained using phosphate as natural and physiological electrostatic stabilizing agent. Lecithin proved to be an effective wetting agent for ZnO-lipo. Although the particle size remained constant, the suspension changed over time. The pH increased as a result of ZnO dissolution and formation of zinc phosphate complexes. The behavior of ZnO in physiological media was found to depend strongly on the additives used. Applying only phosphate as additive, ZnO-hydro agglomerated within minutes. In the presence of lecithin or BSA/serum, agglomeration was inhibited. ZnO dissolution was higher under physiological conditions than in the stock suspension. Serum especially promoted this process. Using body-related dispersants (phosphate, lecithin) non-agglomerating stock suspensions of hydrophilic and lipophilic ZnO were prepared as a prerequisite to perform meaningful toxicological investigation. Both nanomaterials showed a non-negligible dissolution behavior

Properties of point defects either native or induced by irradiation in the 3C and 6H polytypes of silicon carbide determined by positron annihilation and EPR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerbiriou, X.

2006-02-01

Potential applications of silicon carbide (SiC) in micro-electronics have justified many studies on point defects, which play an important role in the electrical compensation. Moreover, this material has many assets to take part in the fissile materials confining in the gas cooled reactors of the future (4. generation). In this thesis, we have used Electronic Paramagnetic Resonance and Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy to study the properties of point defects (nature, size, charge state, migration and agglomeration during annealing), either native or induced by irradiation with various particles (H + , e - , carbon ions), in the 3C and 6H polytypes of SiC. The positron annihilation study of native defects in 6H-SiC has shown the presence of a strong concentration of non-vacancy traps of acceptor type, which are not present in the 3C-SiC crystals. The nature of the defects detected after irradiation with low energy electrons (190 keV) depends on the polytype. Indeed, while silicon Frenkel pairs and carbon mono-vacancies are detected in the 6H crystals, only carbon mono-vacancies are detected in the 3C crystals. We propose that these differences concerning the populations of detected point defects result from different values of the silicon displacement threshold energy for the two polytypes (approximately 20 eV for 6H and 25 V for 3C). In addition, the irradiations with 12 MeV protons and 132 MeV carbon ions have created silicon mono-vacancies as well as VSi-VC di-vacancies. Neither the particle (protons or ions carbon), nor the polytype (3C or 6H) influence the nature of the generated defects. Finally the study of the annealing of 6H-SiC monocrystals irradiated with 12 MeV protons have revealed several successive processes. The most original result is the agglomeration of the silicon mono-vacancies with the VSi-VC di-vacancies which leads to the formation of VSi-VC-VSi tri-vacancies. (author)

Agglomeration, accessibility and industrial location: evidence from spanish municipalities

OpenAIRE

Alañón Pardo, Ángel; Arauzo Carod, Josep María

2011-01-01

This paper deals with the location decisions of manufacturing firms in Spain. We analyse how agglomeration economies and transport accessibility influence the location decisions of firms at municipality level and in three industries. The main empirical contributions of this paper are the econometric techniques used (spatial econometric models) and some of the explanatory variables (local gross domestic product, road accessibility, and the characteristics of firms in neighbouring municipalitie...

Solution of the agglomerate Brownian coagulation using Taylor-expansion moment method.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Mingzhou; Lin, Jianzhong

2009-08-01

The newly proposed Taylor-expansion moment method (TEMOM) is extended to solve agglomerate coagulation in the free-molecule regime and in the continuum regime, respectively. The moment equations with respect to fractal dimension are derived based on 3rd Taylor-series expansion technique. The validation of this method is done by comparing its result with the published data at each limited size regime. By comparing with analytical method, sectional method (SM) and quadrature method of moments (QMOMs), this new approach is shown to produce the most efficiency without losing much accuracy. At each limited size regime, the effect of fractal dimension on the decay of particle number and particle size growth is mainly investigated, and especially in the continuum regime the relation of mean diameters of size distributions with different fractal dimensions is first proposed. The agglomerate size distribution is found to be sensitive to the fractal dimension and the initial geometric mean deviation before the self-preserving size distribution is achieved in the continuum regime.

Explore the influence of agglomeration on electrochemical performance of an amorphous MnO2/C composite by controlling drying process

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Mangwei; Kang, Litao; Shi, Mingjie; Xie, Lingli; Wang, Xiaomin; Zhao, Zhe; Yun, Shan; Liang, Wei

2017-09-01

Amorphous MnO2/C composite is prepared by a facile redox reaction between potassium permanganate (KMnO4) and commercial black pen ink. Afterwards, two different drying processes, air drying or freeze drying, are employed to adjust the agglomeration state of particles in samples and explore its influence on capacitive performance. Experimental results indicate that the air-dried sample demonstrates much better cycling stability than the freeze-dried one (capacity retention at 5000 cycles: 70.9 vs. 60.7%), probably because of the relatively strong agglomeration between particles in this sample. Nevertheless, strong agglomeration seems to deteriorate the specific capacitance (from 492 down to 440.5 F/g at 1 A/g) due to the decrease of porosity and specific surface area. This study suggests that agglomeration of primary particles plays an important role to balance the specific capacitance and cycling stability for electrode materials.

Formation of metal agglomerates during carbonisation of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated wood waste: Comparison between a lab scale and an industrial plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Helsen, Lieve [Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Division of Applied Mechanics and Energy Conversion, Celestijnenlaan 300A, B-3001 Leuven (Heverlee) (Belgium)]. E-mail: lieve.helsen@mech.kuleuven.be; Hacala, Amelie [Company Thermya, 1 rue Nicolas Appert, 33140 Villenave d' Ornon (France)]. E-mail: hacala@thermya.com

2006-10-11

This paper compares the results obtained by scanning electron microscopy coupled to X-ray analysis (SEM-EDXA) of the solid product after carbonisation of treated wood waste in a lab scale and in an industrial installation. These setups (lab scale and industrial) are characterized by different operating conditions of the carbonisation process. Moreover, the wood waste input to the processes differs significantly. From this study, it is clear that some similarities but also some differences exist between the lab scale study and the study with the industrial Chartherm plant. In both reactors, a metal (and mineral) agglomeration process takes place, even in the case of untreated wood. The agglomerates initially present in the wood input may serve as a seed for the metal agglomeration process during 'chartherisation'. The industrial setup leads to a broader range of agglomerates' size (0.1-50 {mu}m) and composition (all possible combinations of Cu, Cr, As and wood minerals). Some agglomerates contain the three metals but the major part is a combination of wood minerals and one or two of the three preservative metals, while all agglomerates analysed in the lab scale product contain the three metals. The separate influence of wood input characteristics and process conditions cannot be derived from these experiments, but the observations suggest that the higher the CCA retention in the wood input is, the easier is the metal agglomeration process during chartherisation of CCA treated wood waste. From the analyses performed in this study it seems that copper behaves differently in the sense that it agglomerates easily, but the resulting particles are small (<1 {mu}m)

Formation of metal agglomerates during carbonisation of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated wood waste: Comparison between a lab scale and an industrial plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Helsen, Lieve; Hacala, Amelie

2006-01-01

This paper compares the results obtained by scanning electron microscopy coupled to X-ray analysis (SEM-EDXA) of the solid product after carbonisation of treated wood waste in a lab scale and in an industrial installation. These setups (lab scale and industrial) are characterized by different operating conditions of the carbonisation process. Moreover, the wood waste input to the processes differs significantly. From this study, it is clear that some similarities but also some differences exist between the lab scale study and the study with the industrial Chartherm plant. In both reactors, a metal (and mineral) agglomeration process takes place, even in the case of untreated wood. The agglomerates initially present in the wood input may serve as a seed for the metal agglomeration process during 'chartherisation'. The industrial setup leads to a broader range of agglomerates' size (0.1-50 μm) and composition (all possible combinations of Cu, Cr, As and wood minerals). Some agglomerates contain the three metals but the major part is a combination of wood minerals and one or two of the three preservative metals, while all agglomerates analysed in the lab scale product contain the three metals. The separate influence of wood input characteristics and process conditions cannot be derived from these experiments, but the observations suggest that the higher the CCA retention in the wood input is, the easier is the metal agglomeration process during chartherisation of CCA treated wood waste. From the analyses performed in this study it seems that copper behaves differently in the sense that it agglomerates easily, but the resulting particles are small (<1 μm)

Stability of silver nanoparticles: agglomeration and oxidation in biological relevant conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Valenti, Laura E.; Giacomelli, Carla E.

2017-05-01

Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NP) are the most used nanomaterial in consumer products due to the intrinsic antimicrobial capacity of silver. However, Ag-NP may be also harmful to algae, aquatic species, mammalian cells, and higher plants because both Ag+ and nanoparticles are responsible of cell damages. The oxidative dissolution of Ag-NP would proceed to completion under oxic conditions, but the rate and extent of the dissolution depend on several factors. This work correlates the effect of the capping agent (albumin and citrate) with the stability of Ag-NP towards agglomeration in simulated body fluid (SBF) and oxidation in the presence of ROS species (H2O2). Capping provides colloidal stability only through electrostatic means, whereas albumin acts as bulky ligands giving steric and electrostatic repulsion, inhibiting the agglomeration in SBF. However, citrate capping protects Ag-NP from dissolution to a major extent than albumin does because of its reducing power. Moreover, citrate in solution minimizes the oxidation of albumin-coated Ag-NP even after long incubation times. H2O2-induced dissolution proceeds to completion with Ag-NP incubated in SBF, while incubation in citrate leads to an incomplete oxidation. In short, albumin is an excellent capping agent to minimize Ag-NP agglomeration whereas citrate provides a mild-reductive medium that prevents dissolution in biological relevant media as well as in the presence of ROS species. These results provide insight into how the surface properties and media composition affect the release of Ag+ from Ag-NP, related to the cell toxicity and relevant to the storage and lifetime of silver-containing nanomaterials.

Stability of silver nanoparticles: agglomeration and oxidation in biological relevant conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valenti, Laura E.; Giacomelli, Carla E., E-mail: giacomel@fcq.unc.edu.ar [Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ciudad Universitaria, Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico Química de Córdoba (INFIQC) CONICET-UNC, Departamento de Fisicoquímica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas (Argentina)

2017-05-15

Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NP) are the most used nanomaterial in consumer products due to the intrinsic antimicrobial capacity of silver. However, Ag-NP may be also harmful to algae, aquatic species, mammalian cells, and higher plants because both Ag{sup +} and nanoparticles are responsible of cell damages. The oxidative dissolution of Ag-NP would proceed to completion under oxic conditions, but the rate and extent of the dissolution depend on several factors. This work correlates the effect of the capping agent (albumin and citrate) with the stability of Ag-NP towards agglomeration in simulated body fluid (SBF) and oxidation in the presence of ROS species (H{sub 2}O{sub 2}). Capping provides colloidal stability only through electrostatic means, whereas albumin acts as bulky ligands giving steric and electrostatic repulsion, inhibiting the agglomeration in SBF. However, citrate capping protects Ag-NP from dissolution to a major extent than albumin does because of its reducing power. Moreover, citrate in solution minimizes the oxidation of albumin-coated Ag-NP even after long incubation times. H{sub 2}O{sub 2}-induced dissolution proceeds to completion with Ag-NP incubated in SBF, while incubation in citrate leads to an incomplete oxidation. In short, albumin is an excellent capping agent to minimize Ag-NP agglomeration whereas citrate provides a mild-reductive medium that prevents dissolution in biological relevant media as well as in the presence of ROS species. These results provide insight into how the surface properties and media composition affect the release of Ag{sup +} from Ag-NP, related to the cell toxicity and relevant to the storage and lifetime of silver-containing nanomaterials.

Colloidal agglomerates in tank sludge and their impact on waste processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tingey, J.M.; Bunker, B.C.; Graff, G.L.; Keefer, K.D.; Lea, A.S.; Rector, D.R.

1999-01-01

Disposal of millions of gallons of existing radioactive wastes in underground storage tanks is a major remediation activity for the US Department of Energy. These wastes include a substantial volume of insoluble sludges consisting of submicron colloidal particles. Processing these sludges under the proposed processing conditions presents unique challenges in retrieval transport, separation, and solidification of these waste streams. Depending on processing conditions, these colloidal particles can form agglomerated networks having high viscosities that could clog transfer lines or produce high volumes of low-density sediments that interfere with solid-liquid separations. Under different conditions, these particles can be dispersed to form very fine suspended particles that do not settle. Given the wide range of waste chemistries present at Department of Energy sites, it is impractical to measure the properties of all treatment procedures. Under the current research activities, the underlying principles of colloid chemistry and physics are being studied to predict and eventually control the physical properties of sludge suspensions and sediment layers in tank wastes and other waste processing streams. Proposed tank processing strategies include retrieval transport, and solid-liquid separations in basic (pH 10 to 14), high ionic strength (0.1 to 1.0 M) salt solutions. The effect of salt concentration, ionic strength, and salt composition on the physical properties such as viscosity, agglomerate size, and sedimentation of model suspensions containing mixtures of one or two of the major components found in actual wastes have been measured to understand how agglomeration influences processing. Property models developed from theory and experiment on these simple suspensions are then applied to explain the results obtained on actual wastes

New fundamental defects in a-SiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karna, S.P.; Kurtz, H.A.; Shedd, W.M.; Pugh, R.D.; Singaraju, B.K.

1999-01-01

Throughout the three decades of research into radiation-induced degradation of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices, investigators understood that point defects in the Si-SiO 2 structure (localized deviations from stoichiometrically pure Si and SiO 2 ) are responsible for many observed anomalies. Basic research in this area has progressed along two tracks: (i) differentiating the anomalies based upon subtle differences in their characteristic behavior, and (ii) precise description of the defects responsible for the anomalous behavior. These two research tracks are complementary since often a discovery in one area provides insight and ultimately leads to discoveries in the other. Here, the atomic structure and spin properties of two previously undescribed amorphous silicon dioxide fundamental point defects have been characterized for the first time by ab initio quantum mechanical calculations. Both defects are electrically neutral trivalent silicon centers in the oxide. One of the defects, the X-center, is determined to have an O 2 Sitriple b ondSi ↑ atomic structure. The other defect, called the Y-center, is found to have an OSi 2 triple b ondSi ↑ structure. Calculated electronic and electrical properties of the new defect centers are consistent with the published characteristics of the oxide switching trap or border trap precursors

2D Cross Sectional Analysis and Associated Electrochemistry of Composite Electrodes Containing Dispersed Agglomerates of Nanocrystalline Magnetite, Fe₃O₄.

Science.gov (United States)

Bock, David C; Kirshenbaum, Kevin C; Wang, Jiajun; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Feng; Wang, Jun; Marschilok, Amy C; Takeuchi, Kenneth J; Takeuchi, Esther S

2015-06-24

When electroactive nanomaterials are fully incorporated into an electrode structure, characterization of the crystallite sizes, agglomerate sizes, and dispersion of the electroactive materials can lend insight into the complex electrochemistry associated with composite electrodes. In this study, composite magnetite electrodes were sectioned using ultramicrotome techniques, which facilitated the direct observation of crystallites and agglomerates of magnetite (Fe3O4) as well as their dispersal patterns in large representative sections of electrode, via 2D cross sectional analysis by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Further, the electrochemistry of these electrodes were recorded, and Transmission X-ray Microscopy (TXM) was used to determine the distribution of oxidation states of the reduced magnetite. Unexpectedly, while two crystallite sizes of magnetite were employed in the production of the composite electrodes, the magnetite agglomerate sizes and degrees of dispersion in the two composite electrodes were similar to each other. This observation illustrates the necessity for careful characterization of composite electrodes, in order to understand the effects of crystallite size, agglomerate size, and level of dispersion on electrochemistry.

Preventing Crystal Agglomeration of Pharmaceutical Crystals Using Temperature Cycling and a Novel Membrane Crystallization Procedure for Seed Crystal Generation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Simone

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In this work, a novel membrane crystallization system was used to crystallize micro-sized seeds of piroxicam monohydrate by reverse antisolvent addition. Membrane crystallization seeds were compared with seeds produced by conventional antisolvent addition and polymorphic transformation of a fine powdered sample of piroxicam form I in water. The membrane crystallization process allowed for a consistent production of pure monohydrate crystals with narrow size distribution and without significant agglomeration. The seeds were grown in 350 g of 20:80 w/w acetone-water mixture. Different seeding loads were tested and temperature cycling was applied in order to avoid agglomeration of the growing crystals during the process. Focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM; and particle vision and measurement (PVM were used to monitor crystal growth; nucleation and agglomeration during the seeded experiments. Furthermore; Raman spectroscopy was used to monitor solute concentration and estimate the overall yield of the process. Membrane crystallization was proved to be the most convenient and consistent method to produce seeds of highly agglomerating compounds; which can be grown via cooling crystallization and temperature cycling.

Irreversible colloidal agglomeration in presence of associative inhibitors: Computer simulation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barcenas, Mariana; Duda, Yurko

2007-01-01

Monte Carlo simulation is employed to study the irreversible particle-cluster agglomeration of valence-limited colloids affected by associative inhibitors. The cluster size distribution and number of connections between colloids are analyzed as a function of density and inhibitor concentration. The influence of colloid functionality on its aggregation is discussed

Inter- and intra-agglomerate fracture in nanocrystalline nickel.

Science.gov (United States)

Shan, Zhiwei; Knapp, J A; Follstaedt, D M; Stach, E A; Wiezorek, J M K; Mao, S X

2008-03-14

In situ tensile straining transmission electron microscopy tests have been carried out on nanocrystalline Ni. Grain agglomerates (GAs) were found to form very frequently and rapidly ahead of an advancing crack with sizes much larger than the initial average grain size. High-resolution electron microscopy indicated that the GAs most probably consist of nanograins separated by low-angle grain boundaries. Furthermore, both inter- and intra-GA fractures were observed. The observations suggest that these newly formed GAs may play an important role in the formation of the dimpled fracture surfaces of nanocrystalline materials.

THE IMPACT OF TAXATION AND AGGLOMERATION ECONOMIESON FDI

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Silvia Golem

2013-07-01

Full Text Available This paper aims at extending the empirical literature on foreign direct investment(FDI determinants by examining how FDI reacts to corporate tax rates andwhether this reaction is conditional on some other economic factors, such asagglomeration economies. To that end, we gather the relevant data on developedmarket economies and employ an appropriateeconometric technique (PooledMean Group- PMG estimator which allows for both dynamics and parameterheterogeneity to be included in the model. Our results suggest that both taxationand agglomeration economies play an important role in attracting FDI.

Modelling Inter-Particle Forces and Resulting Agglomerate Sizes in Cement-Based Materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjeldsen, Ane Mette; Geiker, Mette Rica

2005-01-01

The theory of inter-particle forces versus external shear in cement-based materials is reviewed. On this basis, calculations on maximum agglomerate size present after the combined action of superplasticizers and shear are carried out. Qualitative experimental results indicate that external shear ...

First-principles study on oxidation effects in uranium oxides and high-pressure high-temperature behavior of point defects in uranium dioxide

Science.gov (United States)

Geng, Hua Y.; Song, Hong X.; Jin, K.; Xiang, S. K.; Wu, Q.

2011-11-01

Formation Gibbs free energy of point defects and oxygen clusters in uranium dioxide at high-pressure high-temperature conditions are calculated from first principles, using the LSDA+U approach for the electronic structure and the Debye model for the lattice vibrations. The phonon contribution on Frenkel pairs is found to be notable, whereas it is negligible for the Schottky defect. Hydrostatic compression changes the formation energies drastically, making defect concentrations depend more sensitively on pressure. Calculations show that, if no oxygen clusters are considered, uranium vacancy becomes predominant in overstoichiometric UO2 with the aid of the contribution from lattice vibrations, while compression favors oxygen defects and suppresses uranium vacancy greatly. At ambient pressure, however, the experimental observation of predominant oxygen defects in this regime can be reproduced only in a form of cuboctahedral clusters, underlining the importance of defect clustering in UO2+x. Making use of the point defect model, an equation of state for nonstoichiometric oxides is established, which is then applied to describe the shock Hugoniot of UO2+x. Furthermore, the oxidization and compression behavior of uranium monoxide, triuranium octoxide, uranium trioxide, and a series of defective UO2 at 0 K are investigated. The evolution of mechanical properties and electronic structures with an increase of the oxidation degree are analyzed, revealing the transition of the ground state of uranium oxides from metallic to Mott insulator and then to charge-transfer insulator due to the interplay of strongly correlated effects of 5f orbitals and the shift of electrons from uranium to oxygen atoms.

Discrete population balance models of random agglomeration and cleavage in polymer pyrolysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John E. J. Staggs

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The processes of random agglomeration and cleavage (both of which are important for the development of new models of polymer combustion, but are also applicable in a wide range of fields including atmospheric physics, radiation modelling and astrophysics are analysed using population balance methods. The evolution of a discrete distribution of particles is considered within this framework, resulting in a set of ordinary differential equations for the individual particle concentrations. Exact solutions for these equations are derived, together with moment generating functions. Application of the discrete Laplace transform (analogous to the Z-transform is found to be effective in these problems, providing both exact solutions for particle concentrations and moment generating functions. The combined agglomeration-cleavage problem is also considered. Unfortunately, it has been impossible to find an exact solution for the full problem, but a stable steady state has been identified and computed.

Gas-diffusion microextraction coupled with spectrophotometry for the determination of formaldehyde in cork agglomerates.

Science.gov (United States)

Brandão, Pedro F; Ramos, Rui M; Valente, Inês M; Almeida, Paulo J; Carro, Antonia M; Lorenzo, Rosa A; Rodrigues, José A

2017-04-01

In this work, a simple methodology was developed for the extraction and determination of free formaldehyde content in cork agglomerate samples. For the first time, gas-diffusion microextraction was used for the extraction of volatile formaldehyde directly from samples, with simultaneous derivatization with acetylacetone (Hantzsch reaction). The absorbance of the coloured solution was read in a spectrophotometer at 412 nm. Different extraction parameters were studied and optimized (extraction temperature, sample mass, volume of acceptor solution, extraction time and concentration of derivatization reagent) by means of an asymmetric screening. The developed methodology proved to be a reliable tool for the determination of formaldehyde in cork agglomerates with the following suitable method features: low LOD (0.14 mg kg -1 ) and LOQ (0.47 mg kg -1 ), r 2  = 0.9994, and intraday and interday precision of 3.5 and 4.9%, respectively. The developed methodology was applied to the determination of formaldehyde in different cork agglomerate samples, and contents between 1.9 and 9.4 mg kg -1 were found. Furthermore, formaldehyde was also determined by the standard method EN 717-3 for comparison purposes; no significant differences between the results of both methods were observed. Graphical abstract Representation of the GDME system and its main components.

Operational source receptor calculations for large agglomerations

Science.gov (United States)

Gauss, Michael; Shamsudheen, Semeena V.; Valdebenito, Alvaro; Pommier, Matthieu; Schulz, Michael

2016-04-01

For Air quality policy an important question is how much of the air pollution within an urbanized region can be attributed to local sources and how much of it is imported through long-range transport. This is critical information for a correct assessment of the effectiveness of potential emission measures. The ratio between indigenous and long-range transported air pollution for a given region depends on its geographic location, the size of its area, the strength and spatial distribution of emission sources, the time of the year, but also - very strongly - on the current meteorological conditions, which change from day to day and thus make it important to provide such calculations in near-real-time to support short-term legislation. Similarly, long-term analysis over longer periods (e.g. one year), or of specific air quality episodes in the past, can help to scientifically underpin multi-regional agreements and long-term legislation. Within the European MACC projects (Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate) and the transition to the operational CAMS service (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) the computationally efficient EMEP MSC-W air quality model has been applied with detailed emission data, comprehensive calculations of chemistry and microphysics, driven by high quality meteorological forecast data (up to 96-hour forecasts), to provide source-receptor calculations on a regular basis in forecast mode. In its current state, the product allows the user to choose among different regions and regulatory pollutants (e.g. ozone and PM) to assess the effectiveness of fictive emission reductions in air pollutant emissions that are implemented immediately, either within the agglomeration or outside. The effects are visualized as bar charts, showing resulting changes in air pollution levels within the agglomeration as a function of time (hourly resolution, 0 to 4 days into the future). The bar charts not only allow assessing the effects of emission

Control of nanoparticle agglomeration through variation of the time-temperature profile in chemical vapor synthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Djenadic, Ruzica; Winterer, Markus, E-mail: markus.winterer@uni-due.de [Universität Duisburg-Essen, Nanoparticle Process Technology, Faculty of Engineering and CENIDE (Germany)

2017-02-15

The influence of the time-temperature history on the characteristics of nanoparticles such as size, degree of agglomeration, or crystallinity is investigated for chemical vapor synthesis (CVS). A simple reaction-coagulation-sintering model is used to describe the CVS process, and the results of the model are compared to experimental data. Nanocrystalline titania is used as model material. Titania nanoparticles are generated from titanium-tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) in a hot-wall reactor. Pure anatase particles and mixtures of anatase, rutile (up to 11 vol.%), and brookite (up to 29 vol.%) with primary particle sizes from 1.7 nm to 10.5 nm and agglomerate particle sizes from 24.3 nm to 55.6 nm are formed depending on the particle time-temperature history. An inductively heated furnace with variable inductor geometry is used as a novel system to control the time-temperature profile in the reactor externally covering a large wall temperature range from 873 K to 2023 K. An appropriate choice of inductor geometry, i.e. time-temperature profile, can significantly reduce the degree of agglomeration. Other particle characteristics such as crystallinity are also substantially influenced by the time-temperature profile.

The role of nanoparticulate agglomerates in TiO{sub 2} photocatalysis: degradation of oxalic acid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ivanova, Irina [Leibniz Universitaet Hannover, Institut fuer Technische Chemie (Germany); Mendive, Cecilia B., E-mail: cbmendive@mdp.edu.ar [Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química (Argentina); Bahnemann, Detlef [Leibniz Universitaet Hannover, Institut fuer Technische Chemie (Germany)

2016-07-15

The simultaneous bimodal study of the photocatalytic oxalic acid degradation by aqueous TiO{sub 2} suspensions revealed that particular systems possess the capacity to protect a certain amount of oxalic acid from oxidation, thus hindering, to some extent, the photocatalytic reaction. While measurements of the oxalic acid concentration in the bulk liquid phase indicated full photocatalytic degradation; in situ pH-stat measurements allowed the quantification of the amount of oxalic acid remaining in the part of the nanoparticulate agglomerates where light could apparently not access. An explanation for this phenomenon takes into account the possibility of the formation of TiO{sub 2} agglomerates in which these molecules are hidden from the effect of the light, thus being protected from photocatalytic degradation. Studies of different TiO{sub 2} materials with different particle sizes allowed a deeper exploration of this phenomenon. In addition, because this property of encapsulating pollutant molecules by photocatalytic systems is found to be a reversible phenomenon, P25 appears to be more convenient and advantageous as compared to the use of large surface area photocatalysts.Graphical AbstractFig.: Deaggregation of TiO{sub 2} particle agglomerates upon UV illumination.

Growth mechanisms for spherical mixed hydroxide agglomerates prepared by co-precipitation method: A case of Ni{sub 1/3}Co{sub 1/3}Mn{sub 1/3}(OH){sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Yue [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Xu, Shengming, E-mail: smxu@stinghua.edu.cn [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Xie, Ming [The State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies for Comprehensive Utilization of Precious Metals, Kunming 650106 (China); He, Yinghe, E-mail: yinghe.he@jcu.edu.au [School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, James Cook University, Douglas, Queensland 4811 (Australia); Huang, Guoyong [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Yang, Youcai [The State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies for Comprehensive Utilization of Precious Metals, Kunming 650106 (China)

2015-01-15

Highlights: • Anisotropic growth of Ni{sub 1/3}Co{sub 1/3}Mn{sub 1/3}(OH){sub 2} along the [0 0 1] direction was revealed. • DFT calculation results show crystal surface energies of (0 0 1) plane is highest. • A new model was proposed to explain the formation of spherical agglomerates. - Abstract: Spherical Ni{sub 1/3}Co{sub 1/3}Mn{sub 1/3}(OH){sub 2} agglomerates were synthesized by the co-precipitation method in the presence of ammonia. The results show that the growth mechanism of spherical agglomerates follows three-stages, i.e. nucleation and anisotropic growth of single crystals; agglomeration of polycrystalline crystallites agglomerated by single crystal grains as primary particles to form embryonic agglomerates; formation, growth and consolidation of spherical agglomerates or particles by agglomeration of embryonic agglomerates, continued growth of individual crystals in the agglomerates and further attachment of primary particles. The first two stages are very fast while the last stage takes almost the entire process to complete. The main reason for the anisotropic growth of Ni{sub 1/3}Co{sub 1/3}Mn{sub 1/3}(OH){sub 2} crystal is that crystal surface energy of E{sub (001)}, E{sub (100)}, E{sub (101)} and E{sub (102)} is different with E{sub (001)} being the highest. The morphology of the final spherical agglomerates is explained by partial re-crystallization of contacting primary particles. The growth process of spherical agglomerates was examined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and calculation of crystal surface energy using density function theory.

Analysis of NSPP experiment with ART code for analyzing transport behavior of Aerosol and radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishigami, Tsutomu; Kobayashi, Kensuke; Kajimoto, Mitsuhiro.

1989-01-01

The ART code calculates transport behavior of aerosols and radionuclides during core meltdown accidents in the light water reactors. Since aerosols play an important role in carrying fission products from the core region to the environment, the ART code includes detailed models of aerosol behavior. Aerosols including several radionuclides are classified into many groups according to the aerosol mass. The models of aerosol behavior include agglomeration processes caused by Brownian motion, aerosol settling velocity difference and turbulent flow, and natural deposition processes due to diffusion, thermophoresis, diffusiophoresis, gravitational settling and forced convection. In order to examine validity of the ART models, the NSPP aerosol experiment was analyzed. The ART calculated results showed good agreement with the experimental data. It was ascertained that aerosol growth due to agglomeration, gravitational settling, thermophoresis in an air atmosphere, and diffusiophoresis in an air-steam atmosphere were important physical phenomena in the aerosol behavior. (author)

Multiperiod Hierarchical Location Problem of Transit Hub in Urban Agglomeration Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ting-ting Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available With the rapid urbanization in developing countries, urban agglomeration area (UAA forms. Also, transportation demand in UAA grows rapidly and presents hierarchical feature. Therefore, it is imperative to develop models for transit hubs to guide the development of UAA and better meet the time-varying and hierarchical transportation demand. In this paper, the multiperiod hierarchical location problem of transit hub in urban agglomeration area (THUAA is studied. A hierarchical service network of THUAA with a multiflow, nested, and noncoherent structure is described. Then a multiperiod hierarchical mathematical programming model is proposed, aiming at minimizing the total demand weighted travel time. Moreover, an improved adaptive clonal selection algorithm is presented to solve the model. Both the model and algorithm are verified by the application to a real-life problem of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region in China. The results of different scenarios in the case show that urban population migration has a great impact on the THUAA location scheme. Sustained and appropriate urban population migration helps to reduce travel time for urban residents.

THE PHYSICS OF PROTOPLANETESIMAL DUST AGGLOMERATES. VI. EROSION OF LARGE AGGREGATES AS A SOURCE OF MICROMETER-SIZED PARTICLES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schraepler, Rainer; Blum, Juergen

2011-01-01

Observed protoplanetary disks consist of a large amount of micrometer-sized particles. Dullemond and Dominik pointed out for the first time the difficulty in explaining the strong mid-infrared excess of classical T Tauri stars without any dust-retention mechanisms. Because high relative velocities in between micrometer-sized and macroscopic particles exist in protoplanetary disks, we present experimental results on the erosion of macroscopic agglomerates consisting of micrometer-sized spherical particles via the impact of micrometer-sized particles. We find that after an initial phase, in which an impacting particle erodes up to 10 particles of an agglomerate, the impacting particles compress the agglomerate's surface, which partly passivates the agglomerates against erosion. Due to this effect, the erosion halts for impact velocities up to ∼30 m s -1 within our error bars. For higher velocities, the erosion is reduced by an order of magnitude. This outcome is explained and confirmed by a numerical model. In a next step, we build an analytical disk model and implement the experimentally found erosive effect. The model shows that erosion is a strong source of micrometer-sized particles in a protoplanetary disk. Finally, we use the stationary solution of this model to explain the amount of micrometer-sized particles in the observational infrared data of Furlan et al.

Anti-Agglomerator of Tetra-n-Butyl Ammonium Bromide Hydrate and Its Effect on Hydrate-Based CO2 Capture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rong Li

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide (TBAB was widely used in the research fields of cold storage and CO2 hydrate separation due to its high phase change latent heat and thermodynamic promotion for hydrate formation. Agglomeration always occurred in the process of TBAB hydrate generation, which led to the blockage in the pipeline and the separation apparatus. In this work, we screened out a kind of anti-agglomerant that can effectively solve the problem of TBAB hydrate agglomeration. The anti-agglomerant (AA is composed of 90% cocamidopropyl dimethylamine and 10% glycerol, which can keep TBAB hydrate of 19.3–29.0 wt. % in a stable state of slurry over 72 h. The microscopic observation of the morphology of the TBAB hydrate particles showed that the addition of AA can greatly reduce the size of the TBAB hydrate particles. CO2 gas separation experiments found that the addition of AA led to great improvement on gas storage capacity, CO2 split fraction and separation factor, due to the increasing of contact area between gas phase and hydrate particles. The CO2 split fraction and separation factor with AA addition reached up to 70.3% and 42.8%, respectively.

Study on GIS Visualization in Evaluation of the Human Living Environment in Shenyang-Dalian Urban Agglomeration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kang Hou

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Analysis of human living environmental quality of Shenyang-Dalian urban agglomerations has important theoretical and practical significance in rapid development region. A lot of investigations have been carried for Shenyang-Dalian urban agglomerations, including 38 counties. Based on the carrying capacity of resources, natural and socioeconomic environmental factors and regional changes of human living environmental evaluation are analyzed with the application of geographic information systems (GIS software. By using principal component analysis (PCA model and natural breaks classification (NBC method, the evaluation results are divided into five categories. The results show that the human living environmental evaluation (HLEE indexes of Dalian, Shenyang, and Liaoyang are higher than other counties. Among these counties, the human living environmental evaluation (HLEE indexes of coastal counties are significantly higher than inland counties. The range of the human living environmental evaluation index in most of the study area is at III, IV, and V levels, accounting for 80.01%. Based on these results, it could illustrate the human living environment is in relatively suitable condition in Shenyang-Dalian urban agglomeration.

Gasification of palm empty fruit bunch in a bubbling fluidized bed: a performance and agglomeration study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lahijani, Pooya; Zainal, Zainal Alimuddin

2011-01-01

Gasification of palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) was investigated in a pilot-scale air-blown fluidized bed. The effect of bed temperature (650-1050 °C) on gasification performance was studied. To explore the potential of EFB, the gasification results were compared to that of sawdust. Results showed that maximum heating values (HHV) of 5.37 and 5.88 (MJ/Nm3), dry gas yield of 2.04 and 2.0 (Nm3/kg), carbon conversion of 93% and 85 % and cold gas efficiency of 72% and 71 % were obtained for EFB and sawdust at the temperature of 1050 °C and ER of 0.25. However, it was realized that agglomeration was the major issue in EFB gasification at high temperatures. To prevent the bed agglomeration, EFB gasification was performed at temperature of 770±20 °C while the ER was varied from 0.17 to 0.32. Maximum HHV of 4.53 was obtained at ER of 0.21 where no agglomeration was observed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modification of ferromagnetic nanostripe dynamic behavior by edge defects

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Bo; Zhao, Chunwang; Li, Yulian

2018-03-01

The dynamic spectra of ferromagnetic nanostripes with different edge defects are investigated using the three-dimensional object-oriented micromagnetic framework code. Two main resonance peaks are found in nanostripes due to nonuniformity of the static magnetization patterns. The higher peak can be identified by the precession of magnetization in the middle part of the nanostripes. The lower one can be identified by the sample end part. The values of two precession frequencies and linewidths can be modified using the edge defect to tune the magnetization of different parts of samples, which is important and useful in magnetic storage devices.

Agglomeration of Luminescent Porous Silicon Nanoparticles in Colloidal Solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Herynková, Kateřina; Šlechta, Miroslav; Šimáková, Petra; Fučíková, Anna; Cibulka, Ondřej

2016-12-01

We have prepared colloidal solutions of clusters composed from porous silicon nanoparticles in methanol, water and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Even if the size of the nanoclusters is between 60 and 500 nm, due to their highly porous "cauliflower"-like structure, the porous silicon nanoparticles are composed of interconnected nanocrystals having around 2.5 nm in size and showing strong visible luminescence in the orange-red spectral region (centred at 600-700 nm). Hydrophilic behaviour and good solubility of the nanoclusters in water and water-based solutions were obtained by adding hydrogen peroxide into the etching solution during preparation and 16 min long after-bath in hydrogen peroxide. By simple filtration of the solutions with syringe filters, we have extracted smaller nanoclusters with sizes of approx. 60-70 nm; however, these nanoclusters in water and PBS solution (pH neutral) are prone to agglomeration, as was confirmed by zeta potential measurements. When the samples were left at ambient conditions for several weeks, the typical nanocluster size increased to approx. 330-400 nm and then remained stable. However, both freshly filtered and aged samples (with agglomerated porous silicon nanoparticles) of porous silicon in water and PBS solutions can be further used for biological studies or as luminescent markers in living cells.

Defect CFTs and holographic multiverse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fiol, Bartomeu

2010-01-01

We investigate some aspects of a recent proposal for a holographic description of the multiverse. Specifically, we focus on the implications on the suggested duality of the fluctuations of a bubble separating two universes with different cosmological constants. We do so by considering a similar problem in a 2+1 CFT with a codimension one defect, obtained by an M5-brane probe embedding in AdS 4 × S 7 , and studying its spectrum of fluctuations. Our results suggest that the kind of behavior required by the spectrum of bubble fluctuations is not likely to take place in defect CFTs with an AdS dual, although it might be possible if the defect supports a non-unitary theory

Experimental and numerical study on the optical properties and agglomeration of nanoparticle suspensions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Otanicar, Todd, E-mail: todd-otanicar@utulsa.edu; Hoyt, Jordan; Fahar, Maryam [University of Tulsa, Department of Mechanical Engineering (United States); Jiang, Xuchuan [University of New South Wales, School of Materials Science and Engineering (Australia); Taylor, Robert A. [University of New South Wales, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (Australia)

2013-11-15

Nanoparticles have garnered significant interest because of their ability to enhance greatly the optical properties of the base fluid in which they are suspended. The optical properties of nanoparticles are sensitive to the materials used, as well as to the host medium. Most fluids exhibit refractive indices that are highly temperature-dependent, resulting in nanoparticle suspensions which also exhibit temperature-dependent optical properties. Previous work has shown that temperature increases result in decreased absorption in nanoparticle suspensions. Here, we expand previous work to include core–shell particles due to the potential spectral shifts in optical properties that will arise from the base fluid with temperature changes and the role of agglomeration under temperature cycling through both experimental and numerical efforts. Thermal cycling tests for silica and gold, the constituents of the core–shell nanoparticles used in this study, were tested to determine the extent of particle agglomeration resulting from up to 200 accelerated heating cycles. Optical properties were recorded after heating two base fluids (water and ethylene glycol) with multiple surfactants for silver nanospheres and silica–gold core–shell nanoparticles. It was found that the temperature results in a small increase in the transmittance for both particle types and a blue shift in the spectral transmittance for core–shell nanoparticles. Further, the coupling effect of temperature and agglomeration played a significant role in determining both the spectral properties—particularly the resulting transmittance—of the silver nanoparticle suspensions.

Effective delivery of sonication energy to fast settling and agglomerating nanomaterial suspensions for cellular studies: Implications for stability, particle kinetics, dosimetry and toxicity.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Joel M; Beltran-Huarac, Juan; Pyrgiotakis, Georgios; Demokritou, Philip

2018-04-01

Typical in vitro assays used for high throughput toxicological screening and measuring nano-bio interactions are conducted by pipetting suspensions of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) dispersed in nutrient-rich culture media directly onto cells. In order to achieve fairly monodisperse and stable suspensions of small agglomerates, ultrasonic energy is usually applied to break apart large agglomerates that can form upon suspension in liquid. Lack of standardized protocols and methods for delivering sonication energy can introduce variability in the ENM suspension properties ( e.g . agglomerate size, polydispersity, suspension stability over time), and holds significant implications for in vitro dosimetry, toxicity, and other nano-bio interactions. Careful assessment of particle transformations during dispersion preparation and sonication is therefore critical for accurate interpretation of in vitro toxicity studies. In this short communication, the difficulties of preparing stable suspensions of rapidly settling ENMs are presented. Furthermore, methods to optimize the delivery of the critical sonication energy required to break large agglomerates and prepare stable, fairly monodispersed suspensions of fast settling ENMs are presented. A methodology for the efficient delivery of sonication energy in a discrete manner is presented and validated using various rapidly agglomerating and settling ENMs. The implications of continuous vs. discrete sonication on average hydrodynamic diameter, and polydispersity was also assessed for both fast and slow settling ENMs. For the rapidly agglomerating and settling ENMs (Ag15%/SiO 2 , Ag and CeO 2 ), the proposed discrete sonication achieved a significant reduction in the agglomerate diameter and polydispersity. In contrast, the relatively slow agglomerating and settling Fe 2 O 3 suspension did not exhibit statistically significant differences in average hydrodynamic diameter or polydispersity between the continuous and discrete

Modeling charged defects inside density functional theory band gaps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schultz, Peter A.; Edwards, Arthur H.

2014-01-01

Density functional theory (DFT) has emerged as an important tool to probe microscopic behavior in materials. The fundamental band gap defines the energy scale for charge transition energy levels of point defects in ionic and covalent materials. The eigenvalue gap between occupied and unoccupied states in conventional DFT, the Kohn–Sham gap, is often half or less of the experimental band gap, seemingly precluding quantitative studies of charged defects. Applying explicit and rigorous control of charge boundary conditions in supercells, we find that calculations of defect energy levels derived from total energy differences give accurate predictions of charge transition energy levels in Si and GaAs, unhampered by a band gap problem. The GaAs system provides a good theoretical laboratory for investigating band gap effects in defect level calculations: depending on the functional and pseudopotential, the Kohn–Sham gap can be as large as 1.1 eV or as small as 0.1 eV. We find that the effective defect band gap, the computed range in defect levels, is mostly insensitive to the Kohn–Sham gap, demonstrating it is often possible to use conventional DFT for quantitative studies of defect chemistry governing interesting materials behavior in semiconductors and oxides despite a band gap problem

Optical detection of nanoparticle agglomeration in a living system under the influence of a magnetic field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Müller, Robert, E-mail: robert.mueller@ipht-jena.de [Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Str. 9, 07745 Jena (Germany); Stranik, Ondrej [Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Str. 9, 07745 Jena (Germany); Schlenk, Florian; Werner, Sebastian [Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Institute of Pharmacy, Friedrich Schiller University, Otto-Schott-Str. 41, 07745 Jena (Germany); Malsch, Daniéll [Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Str. 9, 07745 Jena (Germany); Fischer, Dagmar [Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Institute of Pharmacy, Friedrich Schiller University, Otto-Schott-Str. 41, 07745 Jena (Germany); Fritzsche, Wolfgang [Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert-Einstein-Str. 9, 07745 Jena (Germany)

2015-04-15

Nanoparticles are important in diagnosis and therapy. In order to apply their potential, an understanding of the behavior of particles in the body is crucial. However, in vitro experiments usually do not mimic the dynamic conditions of the in vivo situation. The aim of our work was an in vivo observation of particle transport in chicken egg vessels in the presence of a magnetic field by particle tracking. For that we demonstrate the spatial resolution of our observations in a vein and a temporal resolution by observation of the cardiac cycle in an artery. Microscopic images were recorded in dark field reflection and fluorescence mode. - Highlights: • Optically accessible blood circulation in hen's egg CAV model. • Observation of transport of magnetic particles in chicken egg vessels. • Irreversibility of agglomerates after removing the magnetic field.

Studies on agglomeration of colloidal suspensions in an alternating electric field; Untersuchungen zur Agglomeration kolloidaler Suspensionen im elektrischen Wechselfeld

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mueller, M. [Inst. fuer Mechanische Verfahrenstechnik und Mechanik, Univ. Karlsruhe (Germany); Loeffler, F. [Inst. fuer Mechanische Verfahrenstechnik und Mechanik, Univ. Karlsruhe (Germany)

1996-07-01

Colloidal solutions contain particles in the {mu}m range whose agglomeration and coagulation is of interest for certain applications. `Electrocoagulation` means that in an electric field droplets or particles in a disperse phase have higher kinetic energy so that the probability of overcoming repulsive forces and of forming bigger aggregates will increase. The electrocoagulation technique is applied for emulsion cracking of water-in-oil systems (desalination and dewatering of petroleum, petroleum cracking) and, in some cases, also for cracking oil-in-water systems. Removal of colloidal solids from aqueous solution during electrochemical waste water treatment is often carried out with the aid of dissolving aluminium or iron electrodes. The authors describe experiments in which the flow of an electric current, which would cause the electrodes to dissolve, was to be prevented. An alternating field was to induce oscillation of the particles, i.e. relative motion of the particles with respect to each other. (orig./SR) [Deutsch] Kolloidale Loesungen enthalten Partikel im {mu}m-Bereich. In manchen Bereichen ist deren Agglomeration bzw. Koagulation von Interesse. Unter dem Begriff der Elektrokoagulation versteht man im allgemeinen das Phaenomen, dass in einem elektrischen Feld Tropfen oder Partikel in einer dispersen Phase eine hoehere kinetische Energie besitzen, und dadurch die Wahrscheinlichkeit zur Ueberwindung von Abstossungskraeften und zur Bildung groesserer Aggregate steigt. Das Verfahren der Elektrokoagulation wird bisher zur Emulsionsspaltung von Wasser/Oel-Systemen (Entsaltzung und Entwaesserung von Erdoel/Erdoelspaltung) und z.T. auch zur Spaltung von Oel/Wasser-Systemen eingesetzt. Zur Entfernung kolloidaler Feststoffe aus waessrigen Loesungen bei der elektrochemischen Aufarbeitung von Abwasser wird haeufig mit sich aufloesenden Aluminium- oder Eisenelektroden gearbeitet. In den im folgenden dargestellten Untersuchungen sollte ein Stromfluss durch die

THE INFLUENCE OF FIRMS STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS ON THE DEGREE OF AGGLOMERATION ECONOMIES ENJOYED AMONGST FIRMS IN THE LAGOS REGION, NIGERIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

FAGBOHUNKA Adejompo

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Agglomeration economies is a potent tool in socio-economic revamping, rejuvenation and sustenance of regions, this is as a result of the impulse it transmitted through the multiplier effect it is capable of generated. Therefore, this paper underscores the influence of firms structural characteristics on the degree of agglomeration economies enjoyed amongst firms, using the Lagos region as a case study. The first stage in the collection of primary data involves the reconnaissance survey, thereafter one hundred and three questionnaire were administered in twelve industrial estates; one questionnaire in each of the firm. The paper reveals the following structural characteristics as germane to industrial enterprise; age of firms, areal plant size (m², capacity utilization (in percentage, and Labour size and firms investment. The paper has also found out those agglomeration economies enjoyed ranges from transportation, labour, power supply, to joint water supply. The Roy’s Largest Root test employed to test for the significance of the canonical correlations at 0.05 significant levels shows the calculated F-value 3.5247 and the tabulated F-value 2.90. This suggests that the degree of agglomeration economies enjoyed by firms is significantly explained by the size and structural characteristics of the firms. The paper therefore recommends more and active government participation in the industrial scene, given the necessary support for the expansion of firm’s structural characteristics which will lead to increase agglomeration economies enjoyed by these firms.

Comparative study of chemical cold agglomeration between two Brazilian phosphate fines: Patos de Minas and Catalao-Go, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendes, C.M.; Silveira, I.L. da; Scwabe, W.K.

1988-01-01

The viability for using the phosphoric acid as chemical binder for agglomeration of phosphate fines from Catalao, Brazil, based on the good results obtained for pelletizing phosphate fines from Patos de Minas, is studied. The granulometric and chemical characterizations by fluorescence spectrometry and X-ray diffraction were done. The results presented different physical and chemical properties, even thus the phosphoric acid could be used with advantages for chemical agglomeration of phosphate fines from Catalao. (author) [pt

Application of acoustic agglomeration to enhance air filtration efficiency in air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation (ACMV) systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Bing Feng; Xiong, Jin Wen; Wan, Man Pun

2017-01-01

The recent episodes of haze in Southeast Asia have caused some of the worst regional atmospheric pollution ever recorded in history. In order to control the levels of airborne fine particulate matters (PM) indoors, filtration systems providing high PM capturing efficiency are often sought, which inadvertently also results in high airflow resistance (or pressure drop) that increases the energy consumption for air distribution. A pre-conditioning mechanism promoting the formation of particle clusters to enhance PM capturing efficiency without adding flow resistance in the air distribution ductwork could provide an energy-efficient solution. This pre-conditioning mechanism can be fulfilled by acoustic agglomeration, which is a phenomenon that promotes the coagulation of suspended particles by acoustic waves propagating in the fluid medium. This paper discusses the basic mechanisms of acoustic agglomeration along with influencing factors that could affect the agglomeration efficiency. The feasibility to apply acoustic agglomeration to improve filtration in air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation (ACMV) systems is investigated experimentally in a small-scale wind tunnel. Experimental results indicate that this novel application of acoustic pre-conditioning improves the PM2.5 filtration efficiency of the test filters by up to 10% without introducing additional pressure drop. The fan energy savings from not having to switch to a high capturing efficiency filter largely outstrip the additional energy consumed by the acoustics system. This, as a whole, demonstrates potential energy savings from the combined acoustic-enhanced filtration system without compromising on PM capturing efficiency.

Application of acoustic agglomeration to enhance air filtration efficiency in air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation (ACMV systems.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bing Feng Ng

Full Text Available The recent episodes of haze in Southeast Asia have caused some of the worst regional atmospheric pollution ever recorded in history. In order to control the levels of airborne fine particulate matters (PM indoors, filtration systems providing high PM capturing efficiency are often sought, which inadvertently also results in high airflow resistance (or pressure drop that increases the energy consumption for air distribution. A pre-conditioning mechanism promoting the formation of particle clusters to enhance PM capturing efficiency without adding flow resistance in the air distribution ductwork could provide an energy-efficient solution. This pre-conditioning mechanism can be fulfilled by acoustic agglomeration, which is a phenomenon that promotes the coagulation of suspended particles by acoustic waves propagating in the fluid medium. This paper discusses the basic mechanisms of acoustic agglomeration along with influencing factors that could affect the agglomeration efficiency. The feasibility to apply acoustic agglomeration to improve filtration in air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation (ACMV systems is investigated experimentally in a small-scale wind tunnel. Experimental results indicate that this novel application of acoustic pre-conditioning improves the PM2.5 filtration efficiency of the test filters by up to 10% without introducing additional pressure drop. The fan energy savings from not having to switch to a high capturing efficiency filter largely outstrip the additional energy consumed by the acoustics system. This, as a whole, demonstrates potential energy savings from the combined acoustic-enhanced filtration system without compromising on PM capturing efficiency.

Dust Explosion Characteristics of Agglomerated 35 nm and 100 nm Aluminum Particles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong-Chun Wu

2010-01-01

Full Text Available In the experiment, nanoparticles of 35 nm Al and 100 nm Al powders, respectively, formed particles with average sizes of 161 nm and 167 nm in agglomeration. The characteristics of dust cloud explosions with the two powder sizes, 35 nm and 100 nm, revealed considerable differences, as shown here: (dp/dtmax-35 nm = 1254 bar/s, (dp/dtmax-100 nm = 1105 bar/s; Pmax-35 nm = 7.5 bar, Pmax-100 nm = 12.3 bar, and MEC-35 nm = 40 g/m3, MEC-100 nm = 50 g/m3. The reason of Pmax-35 nm value is smaller than Pmax-100 nm may be due to agglomeration. From an analysis of the explosive residue, the study found that nanoparticles of 35 nm Al powder became filamentous strands after an explosion, where most of 100 nm Al nanoparticles maintained a spherical structure, This may be because the initial melting temperature of 35 nm Al is 435.71°C, while that for 100 nm Al is 523.58°C, higher by 87.87°C. This study discovered that explosive property between the 35 nm Al and 100 nm Al powders after agglomeration were different.

The effect of bulk/surface defects ratio change on the photocatalysis of TiO_2 nanosheet film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Fangfang; Ge, Wenna; Shen, Tong; Ye, Bangjiao; Fu, Zhengping; Lu, Yalin

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The defect behaviors of TiO_2 nanosheet array films were studied by positron annihilation spectroscopy. • Different bulk/surface defect ratios were realized by annealing at different temperature. • It was concluded that bulk defects are mainly Ti"3"+ vacancy defects. • The separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes could be significantly improved by optimizing the bulk/surface defects ratio. - Abstract: The photocatalysis behavior of TiO_2 nanosheet array films was studied, in which the ratio of bulk/surface defects were adjusted by annealing at different temperature. Combining positron annihilation spectroscopy, EPR and XPS, we concluded that the bulk defects belonged to Ti"3"+ related vacancy defects. The results show that the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes could be significantly improved by optimizing the bulk/surface defects ratio of TiO_2 nanosheet films, and in turn enhancing the photocatalysis behaviors.

Defect CFTs and holographic multiverse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fiol, Bartomeu, E-mail: bfiol@ub.edu [Departament de Física Fonamental i Institut de Ciències del Cosmos, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08193 Barcelona (Spain)

2010-07-01

We investigate some aspects of a recent proposal for a holographic description of the multiverse. Specifically, we focus on the implications on the suggested duality of the fluctuations of a bubble separating two universes with different cosmological constants. We do so by considering a similar problem in a 2+1 CFT with a codimension one defect, obtained by an M5-brane probe embedding in AdS{sub 4} × S{sup 7}, and studying its spectrum of fluctuations. Our results suggest that the kind of behavior required by the spectrum of bubble fluctuations is not likely to take place in defect CFTs with an AdS dual, although it might be possible if the defect supports a non-unitary theory.

The roles of testicular nuclear receptor 4 (TR4 in male fertility-priapism and sexual behavior defects in TR4 knockout mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bao Bo-Ying

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Successful reproductive efforts require the establishment of a situation favorable for reproduction that requires integration of both behavior and internal physiological events. TR4 nuclear receptor is known to be involved in male fertility via controlling spermatogenesis, yet its roles in regulating other biological events related to reproduction have not been completely revealed. Methods Male TR4 knockout (TR4-/- and wild type mice were used for the sexual behavior and penile dysfunction studies. Mice were sacrificed for histological examination and corresponding genes profiles were analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR. Reporter gene assays were performed. Results We describe an unexpected finding of priapism in TR4-/- mice. As a transcriptional factor, we demonstrated that TR4 transcriptionally modulates a key enzyme regulating penis erection and neuronal nitric oxide synthese NOS (nNOS. Thereby, elimination of TR4 results in nNOS reduction in both mRNA and protein levels, consequently may lead to erectile dysfunction. In addition, male TR4-/- mice display defects in sexual and social behavior, with increased fear or anxiety, as well as reduced mounting, intromission, and ejaculation. Reduction of ER alpha, ER beta, and oxytocin in the hypothalamus may contribute to defects in sexual behavior and stress response. Conclusions Together, these results provide in vivo evidence of important TR4 roles in penile physiology, as well as in male sexual behavior. In conjunction with previous finding, TR4 represents a key factor that controls male fertility via regulating behavior and internal physiological events.

Assessment of Urban Ecosystem Health Based on Entropy Weight Extension Decision Model in Urban Agglomeration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qian Yang

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Urban ecosystem health evaluation can assist in sustainable ecological management at a regional level. This study examined urban agglomeration ecosystem health in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River with entropy weight and extension theories. The model overcomes information omissions and subjectivity problems in the evaluation process of urban ecosystem health. Results showed that human capital and education, economic development level as well as urban infrastructure have a significant effect on the health states of urban agglomerations. The health status of the urban agglomeration’s ecosystem was not optimistic in 2013. The majority of the cities were unhealthy or verging on unhealthy, accounting for 64.52% of the total number of cities in the urban agglomeration. The regional differences of the 31 cities’ ecosystem health are significant. The cause originated from an imbalance in economic development and the policy guidance of city development. It is necessary to speed up the integration process to promote coordinated regional development. The present study will aid us in understanding and advancing the health situation of the urban ecosystem in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and will provide an efficient urban ecosystem health evaluation method that can be used in other areas.

On the performance limiting behavior of defect clusters in commercial silicon solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sopori, B.L.; Chen, W.; Jones, K. [National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States); Gee, J. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1998-09-01

The authors report the observation of defect clusters in high-quality, commercial silicon solar cell substrates. The nature of the defect clusters, their mechanism of formation, and precipitation of metallic impurities at the defect clusters are discussed. This defect configuration influences the device performance in a unique way--by primarily degrading the voltage-related parameters. Network modeling is used to show that, in an N/P junction device, these regions act as shunts that dissipate power generated within the cell.

Current Trends in wastewater treatment in small agglomerations; Tendencias actuales en las tecnologias de tratamiento de las aguas residuales generadas en las pequenas aglomeraciones urbanas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferrer Medina, Y.; Ortega de Miguel, E.; Salas Rodriguez, J. J.

2012-07-01

Spain has a great number of small agglomerations. In fact from the 8.111 existing municipalities, 72% have less than 2.000 inhabitants and 47% of them (3.800) have less than 500 inhabitants. Concerning wastewater treatment in small agglomerations three periods can be distinguished. Before the 80{sup t}h, wastewater treatment plants were merely small reproductions of those applied in bigger agglomerations, and Extended Aeration was basically the only process. Due to their high energy and technical requirements, many of these small plants were left out of service. Extensive technologies appeared in Spain during the 80{sup t}h. Results were not as good as expected mainly due to design and construction failures. Nowadays, we are just starting to be aware that wastewater treatment in small agglomerations, need a new approach, more demanding concerning technical and management issues, to give an owner's to the origin of previous mistakes. This new approach offers a wide range of possible technologies (extensive, and mixed) each of them could be a good option depending on the specific characteristics of the agglomeration, and the discharge requirements. These paper reviews current trends concerning urban wastewater treatment is mall agglomerations, including consolidated technologies, emerging technologies and technologies which are still in development or in an experimental phase. (Author)

Diamond-like-carbon nanoparticle production and agglomeration following UV multi-photon excitation of static naphthalene/helium gas mixtures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walsh, A. J.; Ruth, A. A., E-mail: a.ruth@ucc.ie [Physics Department and Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork (Ireland); Tielens, A. G. G. M. [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Niels Bohrweg 2, 2333-CA Leiden (Netherlands)

2016-07-14

We report the formation of nanoparticles with significant diamond character after UV multi-photon laser excitation of gaseous naphthalene, buffered in static helium gas, at room temperature. The nanoparticles are identified in situ by their absorption and scattering spectra between 400 and 850 nm, which are modeled using Mie theory. Comparisons of the particles’ spectroscopic and optical properties with those of carbonaceous materials indicate a sp{sup 3}/sp{sup 2} hybridization ratio of 8:1 of the particles formed. The particle extinction in the closed static (unstirred) gas-phase system exhibits a complex and quasi-oscillatory time dependence for the duration of up to several hours with periods ranging from seconds to many minutes. The extinction dynamics of the system is based on a combination of transport features and particle interaction, predominantly agglomeration. The relatively long period of agglomeration allows for a unique analysis of the agglomeration process of diamond-like carbon nanoparticles in situ.

Shear-thickening behavior of Fe-ZSM5 zeolite slurry and its removal with alumina/boehmites

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiao-guang; Li, Yan; Xue, Wen-dong; Sun, Jia-lin; Tang, Qian

2018-06-01

A cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) technique was used to explore the shear-thickening behavior of Fe-ZSM5 zeolite pastes and to discover its underlying mechanism. Bare Fe-ZSM5 zeolite samples were found to contain agglomerations, which may break the flow of the pastes and cause shear-thickening behaviors. However, the shear-thickening behaviors can be eliminated by the addition of halloysite and various boehmites because of improved particle packing. Furthermore, compared with pure Fe-ZSM5 zeolite samples and its composite samples with halloysite, the samples with boehmite (Pural SB or Disperal) additions exhibited network structures in their cryo-SEM images; these structures could facilitate the storage and release of flow water, smooth paste flow, and avoid shear-thickening. By contrast, another boehmite (Versal 250) formed agglomerations rather than network structures after being added to the Fe-ZSM5 zeolite paste and resulted in shear-thickening behavior. Consequently, the results suggest that these network structures play key roles in eliminating the shear-thickening behavior.

A novel inspection system for cosmetic defects

Science.gov (United States)

Hazra, S.; Roy, R.; Williams, D.; Aylmore, R.; Hollingdale, D.

2013-12-01

The appearance of automotive skin panels creates desirability for a product and differentiates it from the competition. Because of the importance of skin panels, considerable care is taken in minimizing defects such as the 'hollow' defect that occur around door-handle depressions. However, the inspection process is manual, subjective and time-consuming. This paper describes the development of an objective and inspection scheme for the 'hollow' defect. In this inspection process, the geometry of a panel is captured using a structured lighting system. The geometry data is subsequently analyzed by a purpose-built wavelet-based algorithm to identify the location of any defects that may be present and to estimate the perceived severity of the defects without user intervention. This paper describes and critically evaluates the behavior of this physically-based algorithm on an ideal and real geometry and compares its result to an actual audit. The results show that the algorithm is capable of objectively locating and classifying 'hollow' defects in actual panels.

Impact of alginate concentration on the stability of agglomerates made of TiO{sub 2} engineered nanoparticles: Water hardness and pH effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loosli, Frédéric, E-mail: frederic.loosli@unige.ch [University of Geneva, Section des Sciences de la Terre et de l’Environnement, Group of Environmental Physical Chemistry, F.-A. Forel Institute (Switzerland); Coustumer, Philippe Le, E-mail: philippe.le-coustumer@u-bordeaux1.fr [Université Bordeaux 3, EA 4592 Géoressources & Environnement, ENSEGID (France); Stoll, Serge, E-mail: serge.stoll@unige.ch [University of Geneva, Section des Sciences de la Terre et de l’Environnement, Group of Environmental Physical Chemistry, F.-A. Forel Institute (Switzerland)

2015-01-15

The stability of engineered nanoparticles in natural aquatic systems is of high interest for environmental risk assessment since an already important quantity of these reactive species is entering aquatic systems. In the present study, an important issue is addressed by investigating (i) the influence of divalent cations and water hardness (Mg{sup 2+} and Ca{sup 2+}) in agglomerate formation and (ii) alginate concentration effect on the stability TiO{sub 2} agglomerates formed in environmental freshwater conditions (pH and total hardness) representative of Lake Geneva, France/Switzerland. Our results indicate that the presence of alginate at typical natural organic matter concentration strongly modifies the stability of TiO{sub 2} nanoparticle agglomerates by inducing their partial disagglomeration. Significant TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles redispersion and formation of small fragments are expected to be induced by alginate adsorbed layer formed at the nanoparticle surfaces within the agglomerates.Graphical Abstract.

A two-phase flow and non-isothermal agglomerate model for a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xing, Lei; Liu, Xiaoteng; Alaje, Taiwo; Kumar, Ravi; Mamlouk, Mohamed; Scott, Keith

2014-01-01

A two dimensional, across the channel, steady-state model for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is presented in which the non-isothermal model for temperature distribution, the two-phase flow model for liquid water transport and the agglomerate model for oxygen reduction reaction are fully coupled. This model is used to investigate thermal transport within the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) associated with the combinational water phase-transfer and transport mechanisms. Effective temperature distribution strategies are established aim to enhance the cell performance. Agglomerate assumption is adopted in which the ionomer and liquid water in turn cover the agglomerate to form the ionomer and liquid water films. Ionomer swelling is associated with the non-uniform distribution of the water content. The modelling results show that heat accumulates within the cathode catalyst layer under the channel. Higher operating temperature improves the cell performance by increasing the kinetics, reducing the liquid water saturation on the cathode and increasing the water carrying capacity of the anode gas. Applying higher temperature on the anode and enlarging the width ratio of the channel/rib could improve the cell performance. Higher cathode temperature decreases the oxygen mole fraction, resulting in an insufficient oxygen supply and a limitation of the cell performance. - Highlights: • The two-phase flow and non-isothermal model couple with the agglomerate model. • Oxygen diffusivity and solubility in Nafion ® relate to water content and temperature. • Higher anode operating temperature improves the fuel cell performance. • Insufficient oxygen supply limits cell performance at higher current densities

Production of defect-poor nanostructured ceramics of yttria-zirconia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sagel-Ransijn, C.D.; Sagel-Ransijn, C.D.; Winnubst, Aloysius J.A.; Kerkwijk, B.; Burggraaf, Anthonie; Burggraaf, A.J.; Verweij, H.

1997-01-01

For the production of nanostructured ceramics of yttria-zirconia four powders differing in agglomerate strength, agglomerate size and crystallite size are compared. An ultra-fine-grained ceramic with a final density of 98% and a grain size of 0.18 μm could be produced from a hydrothermally

Particle aerosolisation and break-up in dry powder inhalers 1: evaluation and modelling of venturi effects for agglomerated systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, William; Fletcher, David F; Traini, Daniela; Chan, Hak-Kim; Crapper, John; Young, Paul M

2010-07-01

This study utilized a combination of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and standardized entrainment tubes to investigate the influence of turbulence on the break-up and aerosol performance of a model inhalation formulation. Agglomerates (642.8 mum mean diameter) containing 3.91 mum median diameter primary spherical mannitol particles were prepared by spheronisation. A series of entrainment tubes with different Venturi sections were constructed in silico, and the flow pattern and turbulence/impaction parameters were predicted using CFD. The entrainment models were constructed from the in silico model using three-dimensional printing. The aerosol performance of the mannitol was assessed by entraining the agglomerates into the experimental tubes at a series of flow rates and assessing the size distribution downstream of the venturi via in-line laser diffraction. A series of parameters (including Reynolds number (Re), turbulence kinetic energy, turbulence eddy frequency, turbulence length-scale, velocity and pressure drop) were calculated from the CFD simulation. The venturi diameter and volumetric flow rate were varied systematically. The particle size data of the agglomerated powders were then correlated with the CFD measurements. No correlation between turbulence and aerosol performance could be made (i.e. at a Reynolds number of 8,570, the d(0.1) was 52.5 mum +/- 19.7 mum, yet at a Reynolds number of 12,000, the d(0.1) was 429.1 mum +/- 14.8 mum). Lagrangian particle tracking indicated an increase in the number of impactions and the normal velocity component at the wall, with increased volumetric airflow and reduced venturi diameter. Chemical analysis of the mannitol deposited on the walls showed a linear relationship with respect to the theoretical number of impactions (R(2) = 0.9620). Analysis of the relationship between the CFD results and the experimental size data indicated a critical impact velocity was required to initiate agglomerate break

Nanostructured natural-based polyelectrolyte multilayers to agglomerate chitosan particles into scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Emanuel Sá; Silva, Tiago H; Reis, Rui L; Mano, João F

2011-11-01

The layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition technique is a self-assembly process that allows the coating of material's surface with nanostructured layers of polyelectrolytes, allowing to control several surface properties. This technique presents some advantages when compared with other thin film assembly techniques, like having the possibility to coat surfaces with complex geometries in mild conditions or to incorporate active compounds. Tissue engineering (TE) involves typically the use of porous biodegradable scaffolds for the temporary support of cells. Such structures can be produced by agglomeration of microspheres that needs to be fixed into a three-dimensional (3D) structure. In this work we suggest the use of LbL to promote such mechanical fixation in free-formed microspheres assemblies and simultaneously to control the properties of its surface. For the proof of concept the biological performance of chitosan/alginate multilayers is first investigated in two-dimensional (2D) models in which the attachment and proliferation of L929 and ATDC5 cells are studied in function of the number of layers and the nature of the final layer. Scaffolds prepared by agglomeration of chitosan particles using the same multilayered system were processed and characterized; it was found that they could support the attachment and proliferation of ATDC5 cells. This study suggests that LbL can be used as a versatile methodology to prepare scaffolds by particle agglomeration that could be suitable for TE applications.

Fluidized-Bed Coating with Sodium Sulfate and PVA-TiO2, 1. Review and Agglomeration Regime Maps

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hede, Peter Dybdahl; Bach, Poul; Jensen, Anker Degn

2009-01-01

-TiO2. The coating experiments were conducted in a medium-scale top-spray MP-1 fluid bed, and many rheological experiments were performed on the coating formulations to support the interpretation of the fluid-bed coating results. In this first part of the study, a thorough introduction to the inorganic...... salt and polymer film coating is provided, along with a presentation of the equipment and materials being used in this and the following papers. Results from agglomeration studies over a broad range of process conditions are presented, showing that the tendency toward agglomeration is always less...

Kinetics of cluster-related defects in silicon sensors irradiated with monoenergetic electrons

Science.gov (United States)

Radu, R.; Pintilie, I.; Makarenko, L. F.; Fretwurst, E.; Lindstroem, G.

2018-04-01

This work focuses on the kinetic mechanisms responsible for the annealing behavior of radiation cluster-related defects with impact on the electrical performance of silicon sensors. Such sensors were manufactured on high resistivity n-type standard float-zone (STFZ) and oxygen enriched float-zone (DOFZ) material and had been irradiated with mono-energetic electrons of 3.5 MeV energy and fluences of 3 × 1014 cm-2 and 6 × 1014 cm-2. After irradiation, the samples were subjected either to isochronal or isothermal heat treatments in the temperature range from 80 °C to 300 °C. The specific investigated defects are a group of three deep acceptors [H(116 K), H(140 K), and H(152 K)] with energy levels in the lower half of the band gap and a shallow donor E(30 K) with a level at 0.1 eV below the conduction band. The stability and kinetics of these defects at high temperatures are discussed on the basis of the extracted activation energies and frequency factors. The annealing of the H defects takes place similarly in both types of materials, suggesting a migration rather than a dissociation mechanism. On the contrary, the E(30 K) defect shows a very different annealing behavior, being stable in STFZ even at 300 °C, but annealing-out quickly in DOFZ material at temperatures higher than 200 °C , with a high frequency factor of the order of 1013 s-1. Such a behavior rules out a dissociation process, and the different annealing behavior is suggested to be related to a bistable behavior of the defect.

Agglomerated novel spray-dried lactose-leucine tailored as a carrier to enhance the aerosolization performance of salbutamol sulfate from DPI formulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Molina, Carlos; Kaialy, Waseem; Chen, Qiao; Commandeur, Daniel; Nokhodchi, Ali

2017-12-19

Spray-drying allows to modify the physicochemical/mechanical properties of particles along with their morphology. In the present study, L -leucine with varying concentrations (0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, and 10% w/v) were incorporated into lactose monohydrate solution for spray-drying to enhance the aerosolization performance of dry powder inhalers containing spray-dried lactose-leucine and salbutamol sulfate. The prepared spray-dried lactose-leucine carriers were analyzed using laser diffraction (particle size), differential scanning calorimetry (thermal behavior), scanning electron microscopy (morphology), powder X-ray diffraction (crystallinity), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (interaction at molecular level), and in vitro aerosolization performance (deposition). The results showed that the efficacy of salbutamol sulfate's aerosolization performance was, in part, due to the introduction of L -leucine in the carrier, prior to being spray-dried, accounting for an increase in the fine particle fraction (FPF) of salbutamol sulfate from spray-dried lactose-leucine (0.5% leucine) in comparison to all other carriers. It was shown that all of the spray-dried carriers were spherical in their morphology with some agglomerates and contained a mixture of amorphous, α-lactose, and β-lactose. It was also interesting to note that spray-dried lactose-leucine particles were agglomerated during the spray-drying process to make coarse particles (volume mean diameter of 79 to 87 μm) suitable as a carrier in DPI formulations.

The electronic transport properties of defected bilayer sliding armchair graphene nanoribbons

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammadi, Amin; Haji-Nasiri, Saeed

2018-04-01

By applying non-equilibrium Green's functions (NEGF) in combination with tight-binding (TB) model, we investigate and compare the electronic transport properties of perfect and defected bilayer armchair graphene nanoribbons (BAGNRs) under finite bias. Two typical defects which are placed in the middle of top layer (i.e. single vacancy (SV) and stone wale (SW) defects) are examined. The results reveal that in both perfect and defected bilayers, the maximum current refers to β-AB, AA and α-AB stacking orders, respectively, since the intermolecular interactions are stronger in them. Moreover it is observed that a SV decreases the current in all stacking orders, but the effects of a SW defect is nearly unpredictable. Besides, we introduced a sequential switching behavior and the effects of defects on the switching performance is studied as well. We found that a SW defect can significantly improve the switching behavior of a bilayer system. Transmission spectrum, band structure, molecular energy spectrum and molecular projected self-consistent Hamiltonian (MPSH) are analyzed subsequently to understand the electronic transport properties of these bilayer devices which can be used in developing nano-scale bilayer systems.

Implications of permeation through intrinsic defects in graphene on the design of defect-tolerant membranes for gas separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Boutilier, Michael S H; Sun, Chengzhen; O'Hern, Sean C; Au, Harold; Hadjiconstantinou, Nicolas G; Karnik, Rohit

2014-01-28

Gas transport through intrinsic defects and tears is a critical yet poorly understood phenomenon in graphene membranes for gas separation. We report that independent stacking of graphene layers on a porous support exponentially decreases flow through defects. On the basis of experimental results, we develop a gas transport model that elucidates the separate contributions of tears and intrinsic defects on gas leakage through these membranes. The model shows that the pore size of the porous support and its permeance critically affect the separation behavior, and reveals the parameter space where gas separation can be achieved regardless of the presence of nonselective defects, even for single-layer membranes. The results provide a framework for understanding gas transport in graphene membranes and guide the design of practical, selectively permeable graphene membranes for gas separation.

Polymers under ionizing radiation: the study of energy transfers to radiation induced defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ventura, A.

2013-01-01

Radiation-induced defects created in polymers submitted to ionizing radiations, under inert atmosphere, present the same trend as a function of the dose. When the absorbed dose increases, their concentrations increase then level off. This behavior can be assigned to energy transfers from the polymer to the previously created macromolecular defects; the latter acting as energy sinks. During this thesis, we aimed to specify the influence of a given defect, namely the trans-vinylene, in the behavior of polyethylene under ionizing radiations. For this purpose, we proposed a new methodology based on the specific insertion, at various concentrations, of trans-vinylene groups in the polyethylene backbone through chemical synthesis. This enables to get rid of the variety of created defects on one hand and on the simultaneity of their creation on the other hand. Modified polyethylenes, containing solely trans-vinylene as odd groups, were irradiated under inert atmosphere, using either low LET beams (gamma, beta) or high LET beams (swift heavy ions). During irradiations, both macromolecular defects and H 2 emission were quantified. According to experimental results, among all defects, the influence of the trans-vinylene on the behavior of polyethylene is predominant. (author) [fr

Spatial Agglomeration, Human and Social Capital: The Case of Turkey Manufacturing Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Özer Karakayacı

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Over the last three decades, new economic theories explode the factors depending on space and spatial characteristics. In this process, it is developed the theories on social-cultural aspects and spatial characteristics of regions instead of traditional economic theories. These theories have been main strategy for economic development and growth. Economic development has not been considered independently from space by these theories and economic performance of a region was emphasized importance of economic actors, institutional and economic infrastructure as well as geographic features. Geography or spatial features contribute to increase not only skilled workforce, knowledge spillover and distribution but also social relations and interaction. In other words, the social-cultural and humanity factors relating with spatial and geography are major factors affecting on the development and also growing of economic activities. Especially, while industrialization as engine of regional development has been benefiting from the advantages offered by spatial features, clustering of economic activities and relationships among actors are shaped according to socio-cultural and human factors revealed spatial features. In this context, clustering of economic activities has been one of the new areas of interest in the theory of economic geography. Therefore, clustering of economic activities and human-social-spatial resources has been emphasized to play a major role in growth and development of regions by essays of the new economic geography. In that context, the aim of this paper is to determine the effects of human and social capital in the spatial agglomeration of economic activities in case of Konya-Turkey. In this study, the agglomeration tendencies for manufacturing industry in Konya, which have major potentials in terms of human and social capital and manufacturing industry potential, is analysed comparatively depending on secondary resources and using

Spatial Spillover Effects of Environmental Pollution in China’s Central Plains Urban Agglomeration

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Lichun Xiong

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Promoting the rise of Central China is one of the most important national strategies regarding the promotion of China’s economic development. However, the environmental issues in the central regions have become remarkably severe. It is therefore worthwhile exploring how economic development and environmental protection can be coordinated. Focusing on the 29 prefecture-level cities in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration, the authors empirically analyze the relationship between the economy and the environment from 2004 to 2014. The combined methods of the spatial autocorrelation model, the environmental Kuznets curve, and the global spatial correlation test are systematically employed. The results show that: (1 a strong spatial correlation exists between industrial wastewater discharge, industrial sulfur dioxide, and dust emissions in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration; (2 the relationship between the economy and the environment of this urban agglomeration reveals an inverted “U” curve, which confirms the classical environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. Industrial dust emissions have surpassed the inflection point of the Kuznets curve, but its spatial spillover effect still remains strong. This is caused by an accumulation effect and a lag effect; (3 the proportion of the secondary industry and population has a strong positive effect on pollution discharge; investments in science and technology have a certain inhibitory effect on industrial sulfur dioxide emission. Moreover, an increase in the number of industrial enterprises has a negative effect on industrial wastewater emission. At the end, the authors put forward policy recommendations regarding the establishment of a joint supervisory department and unified environmental standards at the regional level to deal with the spillover effects of pollution.

The effect of bulk/surface defects ratio change on the photocatalysis of TiO{sub 2} nanosheet film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Fangfang [CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Ge, Wenna [State Key Laboratory of Particle Detection and Electronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Shen, Tong [CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Ye, Bangjiao [State Key Laboratory of Particle Detection and Electronics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Fu, Zhengping, E-mail: fuzp@ustc.edu.cn [CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Lu, Yalin, E-mail: yllu@ustc.edu.cn [CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); Synergetic Innovation Center of Quantum Information & Stop Quantum Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China); National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui (China)

2017-07-15

Highlights: • The defect behaviors of TiO{sub 2} nanosheet array films were studied by positron annihilation spectroscopy. • Different bulk/surface defect ratios were realized by annealing at different temperature. • It was concluded that bulk defects are mainly Ti{sup 3+} vacancy defects. • The separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes could be significantly improved by optimizing the bulk/surface defects ratio. - Abstract: The photocatalysis behavior of TiO{sub 2} nanosheet array films was studied, in which the ratio of bulk/surface defects were adjusted by annealing at different temperature. Combining positron annihilation spectroscopy, EPR and XPS, we concluded that the bulk defects belonged to Ti{sup 3+} related vacancy defects. The results show that the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes could be significantly improved by optimizing the bulk/surface defects ratio of TiO{sub 2} nanosheet films, and in turn enhancing the photocatalysis behaviors.

Colloidal stability of suspended and agglomerate structures of settled carbon nanotubes in different aqueous matrices.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwyzer, Irène; Kaegi, Ralf; Sigg, Laura; Nowack, Bernd

2013-08-01

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are often processed in suspended form and therefore a release of CNT-suspensions into the aquatic environment is plausible. In this study, the behaviour of two physico-chemically very different CNT types in the presence of varying, environmentally relevant calcium-containing media was investigated, including the long-term colloidal stability and the sedimentary structures of settled CNTs. Calcium induced CNT flocculation, however, the stability of the CNTs in the medium did not monotonously decrease with increasing calcium concentration. At intermediate calcium concentrations (0.5-1.5 mM Ca) pre-dispersed CNTs were stabilized in humic acid medium to similar, temporarily even to higher degree than in the absence of calcium. Between pH 5 and 8 only at the highest pH an influence on CNT stability was observed by either promoting flocculation or stabilisation depending on the CNT type. Humic acid stabilized CNTs much better than fulvic acid. Generally, the colloidal stability of the long, thick CNTs with higher surface oxygen content was less affected by the media composition. An investigation of the settled CNT material using analytical electron microscopy revealed the presence of spheroidal, bundle-like and net like CNT-agglomerate structures. Calcium possibly acted as bridging agent linking CNTs in a network like manner, temporarily increasing the CNT concentrations stabilized in the supernatants due to the low density of these structures. With increasing settling time the CNTs formed a fluffy sediment layer at the bottom of the reaction vessels. Bundle-like CNT agglomerates were also observed within that layer of settled CNTs, possibly caused by calcium neutralizing the surface charges. Furthermore, the CNT suspensions contained spheroidal CNT agglomerates, most likely residues from the original dry powder that were not disaggregated. The analysis of settled CNT material is a novelty and illustrates CNT agglomerate structures possibly

Laboratory observations of artificial sand and oil agglomerates

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Robert L.; Dalyander, P. Soupy; Penko, Allison; Long, Joseph W.

2018-04-27

Sand and oil agglomerates (SOAs) form when weathered oil reaches the surf zone and combines with suspended sediments. The presence of large SOAs in the form of thick mats (up to 10 centimeters [cm] in height and up to 10 square meters [m2] in area) and smaller SOAs, sometimes referred to as surface residual balls (SRBs), may lead to the re-oiling of beaches previously affected by an oil spill. A limited number of numerical modeling and field studies exist on the transport and dynamics of centimeter-scale SOAs and their interaction with the sea floor. Numerical models used to study SOAs have relied on shear-stress formulations to predict incipient motion. However, uncertainty exists as to the accuracy of applying these formulations, originally developed for sand grains in a uniformly sorted sediment bed, to larger, nonspherical SOAs. In the current effort, artificial sand and oil agglomerates (aSOAs) created with the size, density, and shape characteristics of SOAs were studied in a small-oscillatory flow tunnel. These experiments expanded the available data on SOA motion and interaction with the sea floor and were used to examine the applicability of shear-stress formulations to predict SOA mobility. Data collected during these two sets of experiments, including photographs, video, and flow velocity, are presented in this report, along with an analysis of shear-stress-based formulations for incipient motion. The results showed that shear-stress thresholds for typical quartz sand predicted the incipient motion of aSOAs with 0.5–1.0-cm diameters, but were inaccurate for aSOAs with larger diameters (>2.5 cm). This finding implies that modified parameterizations of incipient motion may be necessary under certain combinations of aSOA characteristics and environmental conditions.

Assessment of Morphological and Functional Changes in Organs of Rats after Intramuscular Introduction of Iron Nanoparticles and Their Agglomerates

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Elena Sizova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The research was performed on male Wistar rats based on assumptions that new microelement preparations containing metal nanoparticles and their agglomerates had potential. Morphological and functional changes in tissues in the injection site and dynamics of chemical element metabolism (25 indicators in body were assessed after repeated intramuscular injections (total, 7 with preparation containing agglomerate of iron nanoparticles. As a result, iron depot was formed in myosymplasts of injection sites. The quantity of muscle fibers having positive Perls’ stain increased with increasing number of injections. However, the concentration of the most chemical elements and iron significantly decreased in the whole skeletal muscle system (injection sites are not included. Consequently, it increased up to the control level after the sixth and the seventh injections. Among the studied organs (liver, kidneys, and spleen, Caspase-3 expression was revealed only in spleen. The expression had a direct dependence on the number of injections. Processes of iron elimination from preparation containing nanoparticles and their agglomerates had different intensity.

Helium interaction with vacancy-type defects created in silicon carbide single crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Linez, F.; Gilabert, E.; Debelle, A.; Desgardin, P.; Barthe, M.-F.

2013-05-01

Generation of He bubbles or cavities in silicon carbide is an important issue for the use of this material in nuclear and electronic applications. To understand the mechanisms prior to the growth of these structures, an atomic-scale study has been conducted. 6H-SiC single crystals have been implanted with 50 keV-He ions at 2 × 1014 and 1015 cm-2 and successively annealed at various temperatures from 150 to 1400 °C. After each annealing, the defect distributions in the samples have been probed by positron annihilation spectroscopy. Four main evolution stages have been evidenced for the two investigated implantation fluences: at (1) 400 °C for both fluences, (2) at 850 °C for the low fluence and 950 °C for the high one, (3) at 950 °C for the low fluence and 1050 °C for the high one and (4) at 1300 °C for both fluences. The perfect correlation between the positron annihilation spectroscopy and the thermodesorption measurements has highlighted the He involvement in the first two stages corresponding respectively to its trapping by irradiation-induced divacancies and the detrapping from various vacancy-type defects generated by agglomeration processes.

Helium interaction with vacancy-type defects created in silicon carbide single crystal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Linez, F., E-mail: florence.linez@aalto.fi [CEMHTI CNRS, 3A rue de la Férollerie, 45071 Orléans (France); Gilabert, E. [CENBG, U.R.A. 451 CNRS, Université de Bordeaux I, BP120, Le Haut Vigneau, 33175 Gradignan Cedex (France); Debelle, A. [CSNSM, Univ. Paris-Sud, CNRS-IN2P3, 91405 Orsay Campus (France); Desgardin, P.; Barthe, M.-F. [CEMHTI CNRS, 3A rue de la Férollerie, 45071 Orléans (France)

2013-05-15

Generation of He bubbles or cavities in silicon carbide is an important issue for the use of this material in nuclear and electronic applications. To understand the mechanisms prior to the growth of these structures, an atomic-scale study has been conducted. 6H–SiC single crystals have been implanted with 50 keV-He ions at 2 × 10{sup 14} and 10{sup 15} cm{sup −2} and successively annealed at various temperatures from 150 to 1400 °C. After each annealing, the defect distributions in the samples have been probed by positron annihilation spectroscopy. Four main evolution stages have been evidenced for the two investigated implantation fluences: at (1) 400 °C for both fluences, (2) at 850 °C for the low fluence and 950 °C for the high one, (3) at 950 °C for the low fluence and 1050 °C for the high one and (4) at 1300 °C for both fluences. The perfect correlation between the positron annihilation spectroscopy and the thermodesorption measurements has highlighted the He involvement in the first two stages corresponding respectively to its trapping by irradiation-induced divacancies and the detrapping from various vacancy-type defects generated by agglomeration processes.

Spatial Agglomeration and Productivity of Textile and Leather Manufacturing in the Punjab Province of Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asim Iqba

2013-05-01

Full Text Available This study investigates whether spatial agglomeration of textile and leather industry facilitates to enhance its own productivity at establishment level in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The empirical analysis is based on the survey data for the years 1995-96, 2000-2001 and 2005-06 collected from the Punjab Bureau of Statistics (PBS. The production function framework has been utilized. The results of production function suggest that spatial agglomeration of textile and leather industry plays a vital role in determining the productivity of establishments. The impact of localization (specialization is positive and stronger than urbanization (diversification which implies that locating manufacturing establishments in a particular district leads to enhance the productivity of establishments. Therefore, government policy should be biased to promote localization of textile and leather industry.

Hydrophilic luminescent silicon nanoparticles in steric colloidal solutions: Their size, agglomeration, and toxicity

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Herynková, Kateřina; Šimáková, Petra; Cibulka, Ondřej; Fučíková, Anna; Kalbáčová, M.H.

2017-01-01

Roč. 14, č. 12 (2017), s. 1-4, č. článku 1700195. ISSN 1862-6351 Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) DAAD-16-18 Program:Bilaterální spolupráce Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : silicon nanoparticles * agglomeration * toxicity Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics OBOR OECD: Biophysics

Powder agglomeration study in RF silane plasmas by in situ polarization-sensitive laser light scattering and TEM measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Courteille, C; Hollenstein, C; Dorier, J L; Gay, P; Schwarzenbach, W; Howling, A A [Ecole Polytechnique Federale, Lausanne (Switzerland). Centre de Recherche en Physique des Plasma (CRPP); Bertran, E; Viera, G [Barcelona Univ., Dep. de de Fisica Aplicada I Electronica, Barcelona (Spain); Martins, R; Macarico, A [FCTUNL, Materials Science Dep., Monte de Caparica (Portugal)

1966-03-01

To determine self-consistently the time evolution of particle size and their number density in situ multi-angle polarization laser light scattering was used. Cross-polarization intensities (incident and scattered light intensities with opposite polarization) measured at 135{sup o} and ex-situ TEM analysis demonstrate the existence of non-spherical agglomerates during the early phase of agglomeration. Later in the particle time development both techniques reveal spherical particles again. The presence of strong cross-polarization intensities is accompanied by low frequency instabilities detected on the scattered light intensities and plasma emission. It is found that the particle radius and particle number density during the agglomeration phase can be well described by the Brownian Free Molecule Coagulation model. Application of this neutral particle coagulation model is justified by calculation of the particle charge whereby it is shown that particles of a few tens of nanometer can be considered as neutral under our experimental conditions. The measured particle dispersion can be well described by a Brownian Free Molecule Coagulation model including a log-normal particle size distribution. (author) 11 figs., 48 refs.

Powder agglomeration study in RF silane plasmas by in situ polarization-sensitive laser light scattering and TEM measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Courteille, C.; Hollenstein, C.; Dorier, J.L.; Gay, P.; Schwarzenbach, W.; Howling, A.A.; Bertran, E.; Viera, G.; Martins, R.; Macarico, A.

1966-03-01

To determine self-consistently the time evolution of particle size and their number density in situ multi-angle polarization laser light scattering was used. Cross-polarization intensities (incident and scattered light intensities with opposite polarization) measured at 135 o and ex-situ TEM analysis demonstrate the existence of non-spherical agglomerates during the early phase of agglomeration. Later in the particle time development both techniques reveal spherical particles again. The presence of strong cross-polarization intensities is accompanied by low frequency instabilities detected on the scattered light intensities and plasma emission. It is found that the particle radius and particle number density during the agglomeration phase can be well described by the Brownian Free Molecule Coagulation model. Application of this neutral particle coagulation model is justified by calculation of the particle charge whereby it is shown that particles of a few tens of nanometer can be considered as neutral under our experimental conditions. The measured particle dispersion can be well described by a Brownian Free Molecule Coagulation model including a log-normal particle size distribution. (author) 11 figs., 48 refs

Productive Agglomerations of Suppliers in the Automotive Industry: A Way to Maximize Competitiveness in Supply Chain Management.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patricia Guarnieri

2006-08-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to identify how the automotive industries maximize the competitiveness in supply chain management through the constitution of entrepreneurial productive agglomerations of suppliers. For this purpose, an applied research was carried out, and the technical procedure utilized was bibliographic review based in some researches about Brazilian industrial condominiums. Thus, through the constitution of entrepreneurial agglomerations of suppliers in automotive industry it is possible to obtain logistic advantages in the transporting, stocking and warehousing activities. Besides, it is possible to maximize the supply chain management competitiveness through the establishment of trust and lasting relationships between the components of the whole chain.

Scale Economies and Industry Agglomeration Externalities: A Dynamic Cost Function Approach

OpenAIRE

Donald S. Siegel; Catherine J. Morrison Paul

1999-01-01

Scale economies and agglomeration externalities are alleged to be important determinants of economic growth. To assess these effects, the authors outline and estimate a microfoundations model based on a dynamic cost function specification. This model provides for the separate identification of the impacts of externalities and cyclical utilization on short- and long-run scale economies and input substitution patterns. The authors find that scale economies are prevalent in U.S manufacturing; co...

Defect-vectors and path integrals in fracture mechanics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roche, R.L.

1979-01-01

It seems necessary to introduce the J integral without hypothesis on material behavior. The aim of this paper is this introduction and its consequences. Successively are presented: introduction to defect-vectors and defect-momentum, definition of J(K) and J(L) integrals, equilibrium and energy momentum tensor, energetic signification of the path J and L integrals, and local aspects of the criteria based on path integrals [fr

COMPARISON BETWEEN WOOD DRYING DEFECT SCORES: SPECIMEN TESTING X ANALYSIS OF KILN-DRIED BOARDS

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Djeison Cesar Batista

2015-04-01

Full Text Available It is important to develop drying technologies for Eucalyptus grandis lumber, which is one of the most planted species of this genus in Brazil and plays an important role as raw material for the wood industry. The general aim of this work was to assess the conventional kiln drying of juvenile wood of three clones of Eucalyptus grandis. The specific aims were to compare the behavior between: i drying defects indicated by tests with wood specimens and conventional kiln-dried boards; and ii physical properties and the drying quality. Five 11-year-old trees of each clone were felled, and only flatsawn boards of the first log were used. Basic density and total shrinkage were determined, and the drying test with wood specimens at 100 °C was carried out. Kiln drying of boards was performed, and initial and final moisture content, moisture gradient in thickness, drying stresses and drying defects were assessed. The defect scoring method was used to verify the behavior between the defects detected by specimen testing and the defects detected in kiln-dried boards. As main results, the drying schedule was too severe for the wood, resulting in a high level of boards with defects. The behavior between the defects in the drying test with specimens and the defects of kiln-dried boards was different, there was no correspondence, according to the defect scoring method.

THE PHYSICS OF PROTOPLANETESIMAL DUST AGGLOMERATES. V. MULTIPLE IMPACTS OF DUSTY AGGLOMERATES AT VELOCITIES ABOVE THE FRAGMENTATION THRESHOLD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kothe, Stefan; Guettler, Carsten; Blum, Juergen

2010-01-01

In recent years, a number of new experiments have advanced our knowledge on the early growth phases of protoplanetary dust aggregates. Some of these experiments have shown that collisions between porous and compacted agglomerates at velocities above the fragmentation threshold velocity can lead to growth of the compact body, when the porous collision partner fragments upon impact and transfers mass to the compact agglomerate. To obtain a deeper understanding of this potentially important growth process, we performed laboratory and drop tower experiments to study multiple impacts of small, highly porous dust-aggregate projectiles onto sintered dust targets. The projectile and target consisted of 1.5 μm monodisperse, spherical SiO 2 monomers with volume filling factors of 0.15 ± 0.01 and 0.45 ± 0.05, respectively. The fragile projectiles were accelerated by a solenoid magnet and combined with a projectile magazine with which 25 impacts onto the same spot on the target could be performed in vacuum. We measured the mass-accretion efficiency and the volume filling factor for different impact velocities between 1.5 and 6.0 m s -1 . The experiments at the lowest impact speeds were performed in the Bremen drop tower under microgravity conditions to allow partial mass transfer also for the lowest adhesion case. Within this velocity range, we found a linear increase of the accretion efficiency with increasing velocity. In the laboratory experiments, the accretion efficiency increases from 0.12 to 0.21 in units of the projectile mass. The recorded images of the impacts showed that the mass transfer from the projectile to the target leads to the growth of a conical structure on the target after less than 100 impacts. From the images, we also measured the volume filling factors of the grown structures, which ranged from 0.15 (uncompacted) to 0.40 (significantly compacted) with increasing impact speed. The velocity dependency of the mass-transfer efficiency and the packing

Agglomeration, sedimentation, and cellular toxicity of alumina nanoparticles in cell culture medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)