Thermomechanical interactions of particle bed-structural wall in a layered configuration. Pt. 1. Effect of particle bed thermal expansions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tehranian, F.

1995-01-01

Materials in the form of particle beds have been considered for shielding and tritium breeding as well as neutron multiplication in many of the conceptual reactor design studies. As the level of effort of the fusion blanket community in the area of out-of-pile and in-pile (ITER) testing of integrated test modules increases, so does the need for modelling capability for predicting the thermomechanical responses of the test modules under reactor environment.In this study, the thermomechanical responses of a particle bed-structural wall system in a layered configuration, subjected to bed temperature rise and/or external coolant pressure, were considered. Equations were derived which represent the dependence of the particle-to-particle and particle-to-wall contact forces and areas on the structural wall deformations and in turn on the thermomechanical loads. Using the derived equations, parametric analyses were performed to study the variations in the thermomechanical response quantities of a beryllium particle bed-stainless steel structural wall when subjected to thermomechanical loads. The results are presented in two parts. In Part I, presented in this paper, the derivation of the analytical equations and the effects of bed temperature rise are discussed. In Part II of this study, also presented in this symposium, the effects of external coolant pressure as well as the combined effects of bed temperature rise and coolant pressure on the thermomechanical responses are given.It is shown that, depending on the stiffness of the structural walls, uniform bed temperature rises in the range 100-400 C result in non-uniform effective thermal properties through the prticle bed and could increase the bed effective thermal conductivity by a factor of 2-5 and the bed-wall interface thermal conductance by even a larger factor. (orig.)

Effect of particle stratification on debris-bed dryout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gabor, J.D.; Cassulo, J.C.; Pederson, D.R.

1982-01-01

Significant work has been performed on debris-bed dryout on beds of either uniformly sized particles or particles of a wide size range which are well mixed. This work has provided an understanding of the mechanisms of dryout and an empirical basis for containment analysis. However, the debris bed resulting from a HCDA would not consist of uniformly sized particles and for certain scenarios the bed could be stratified rather than well mixed. Tests have been conducted on the effect of particle size distribution on dryout and concluded that not only is the mean particle size an important parameter but also the standard deviation of the distribution and change in porosity. The D6 in-pile test at Sandia with a 114-mm deep stratified bed resulted in a reduced dryout heat flux compared to a uniformly mixed bed. Because of the many questions concerning the dryout behavior of stratified beds of wide size distribution out-of-pile experiments in which metal particles in water pools are inductively heated were initiated at Argonne

Investigation of effective thermal conductivity for pebble beds by one-way coupled CFD-DEM method for CFETR WCCB

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Lei [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027 (China); Chen, Youhua [University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027 (China); Huang, Kai [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); Liu, Songlin, E-mail: slliu@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027 (China)

2016-05-15

Highlights: • A CFD-DEM coupled numerical model is built based on the prototypical blanket pebble bed. • The numerical model can be applied to simulate heat transfer of a pebble bed and estimate effective thermal conductivity. • The numerical model agrees well with the theoretical SZB model. • Effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds for WCCB is estimated by the current model. - Abstract: The mono-sized beryllium pebble bed and the multi-sized Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}/Be{sub 12}Ti mixed pebble bed are the main schemes for the Water-cooled ceramic breeder blanket (WCCB) of China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). And the effective thermal conductivity (k{sub eff}) of the pebble beds is important to characterize the thermal performance of WCCB. In this study, a one-way coupled CFD-DEM method was employed to simulate heat transfer and estimate k{sub eff}. The geometric topology of a prototypical blanket pebble bed was produced by the discrete element method (DEM). Based on the geometric topology, the temperature distribution and the k{sub eff} were obtained by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The current numerical model presented a good performance to calculate k{sub eff} of the beryllium pebble bed, and according to the modeling of the Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}/Be{sub 12}Ti mixed pebble bed, k{sub eff} was estimated with values ranged between 2.0 and 4.0 W/(m∙K).

Stabilizing effect of plasma discharge on bubbling fluidized granular bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Mao-Bin; Dang Sai-Chao; Ma Qiang; Xia Wei-Dong

2015-01-01

Fluidized beds have been widely used for processing granular materials. In this paper, we study the effect of plasma on the fluidization behavior of a bubbling fluidized bed with an atmospheric pressure plasma discharger. Experiment results show that the bubbling fluidized bed is stabilized with the discharge of plasma. When the discharge current reaches a minimum stabilization current C ms , air bubbles in the bed will disappear and the surface fluctuation is completely suppressed. A simplified model is proposed to consider the effect of electric Coulomb force generated by the plasma. It is found that the Coulomb force will propel the particles to move towards the void area, so that the bubbling fluidized bed is stabilized with a high enough plasma discharge. (paper)

Experimental measurement of effective thermal conductivity of packed lithium-titanate pebble bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandal, D.; Sathiyamoorthy, D.; Vinjamur, M.

2012-01-01

Lithium titanate is a promising solid breeder material for the fusion reactor blanket. Packed lithium titanate pebble bed is considered for the blanket. The thermal energy; that will be produced in the bed during breeding and the radiated heat from the reactor core absorbed must be removed. So, the experimental thermal property data are important for the blanket design. In past, a significant amount of works were conducted to determine the effective thermal conductivity of packed solid breeder pebble bed, in helium atmosphere, but no flow of gas was considered. With increase in gas flow rate, effective thermal conductivity of pebble bed increases. Particle size and void fraction also affect the thermal properties of the bed significantly. An experimental facility with external heat source was designed and installed. Experiments were carried out with lithium-titanate pebbles of different sizes at variable gas flow rates and at different bed wall temperature. It was observed that effective thermal conductivity of pebble bed is a function of particle Reynolds number and temperature. From the experimental data two correlations have been developed to estimate the effective thermal conductivity of packed lithium-titanate pebble bed for different particle Reynolds number and at different temperatures. The experimental details and results are discussed in this paper.

Development of Chinese HTR-PM pebble bed equivalent conductivity test facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ren, Cheng; Yang, Xingtuan; Jiang, Shengyao [Tsinghua Univ., Beijing (China). Inst. of Nuclear and New Energy Technology

2016-01-15

The first two 250-MWt high-temperature reactor pebble bed modules (HTR-PM) have been installing at the Shidaowan plant in Shandong Province, China. The values of the effective thermal conductivity of the pebble bed core are essential parameters for the design. For their determination, Tsinghua University in China has proposed a full-scale heat transfer experiment to conduct comprehensive thermal transfer tests in packed pebble bed and to determine the effective thermal conductivity.

Effects of bedding quality on lying behavior of dairy cows.

Science.gov (United States)

Fregonesi, J A; Veira, D M; von Keyserlingk, M A G; Weary, D M

2007-12-01

Cows prefer to spend more time lying down in free stalls with more bedding, but no research to date has addressed the effects of bedding quality. Bedding in stalls often becomes wet either from exposure to the elements or from feces and urine. The aim of this study was to test the effect of wet bedding on stall preference and use. Four groups of 6 nonlactating Holstein cows were housed in free stalls bedded daily with approximately 0.1 m of fresh sawdust. Following a 5-d adaptation period, each group of cows was tested sequentially with access to stalls with either dry or wet sawdust bedding (86.4 +/- 2.1 vs. 26.5 +/- 2.1% dry matter), each for 2 d. These no-choice phases were followed by a 2-d free-choice phase during which cows had simultaneous access to stalls containing either wet or dry bedding. Stall usage was assessed by using 24-h video recordings scanned at 10-min intervals, and responses were analyzed by using a mixed model, with group (n = 4) as the observational unit. The minimum and maximum environmental temperatures during the experiment were 3.4 +/- 2.2 and 6.8 +/- 2.5 degrees C, respectively. When cows had access only to stalls with wet bedding, they spent 8.8 +/- 0.8 h/d lying down, which increased to 13.8 +/- 0.8 h/d when stalls with dry bedding were provided. Cows spent more time standing with their front 2 hooves in the stall when provided with wet vs. dry bedding (92 +/- 10 vs. 32 +/- 10 min/d). During the free-choice phase, all cows spent more time lying down in the dry stalls, spending 12.5 +/- 0.3 h/d in the dry stalls vs. 0.9 +/- 0.3 h/ d in stalls with wet bedding. In conclusion, dairy cows show a clear preference for a dry lying surface, and they spend much more time standing outside the stall when only wet bedding is available.

Decreasing ventromedial prefrontal cortex deactivation in risky decision making after simulated microgravity: Effects of -6 degree head-down tilt bed rest

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Li-Lin eRao

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Space is characterized by risk and uncertainty. As humans play an important role in long-duration space missions, the ability to make risky decisions effectively is important for astronauts who spend extended time periods in space. The present study used the Balloon Analog Risk Task to conduct both behavioral and fMRI experiments to evaluate the effects of simulated microgravity on individuals’ risk-taking behavior and the neural basis of the effect. The results showed that participants’ risk-taking behavior was not affected by bed rest. However, we found that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC showed less deactivation after bed rest and that the VMPFC activation in the active choice condition showed no significant difference between the win outcome and the loss outcome after bed rest, although its activation was significantly greater in the win outcome than in the loss outcome before bed rest. These results suggested that the participants showed a decreased level of value calculation after the bed rest. Our findings can contribute to a better understanding of the effect of microgravity on individual higher-level cognitive functioning.

Numerical Simulations of the Effects of a Tidal Turbine Array on Near-Bed Velocity and Local Bed Shear Stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philip A. Gillibrand

2016-10-01

Full Text Available We apply a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model to consider the potential effects of energy extraction by an array of tidal turbines on the ambient near-bed velocity field and local bed shear stress in a coastal channel with strong tidal currents. Local bed shear stress plays a key role in local sediment dynamics. The model solves the Reynold-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS equations on an unstructured mesh using mixed finite element and finite volume techniques. Tidal turbines are represented through an additional form drag in the momentum balance equation, with the thrust imparted and power generated by the turbines being velocity dependent with appropriate cut-in and cut-out velocities. Arrays of 1, 4 and 57 tidal turbines, each of 1.5 MW capacity, were simulated. Effects due to a single turbine and an array of four turbines were negligible. The main effect of the array of 57 turbines was to cause a shift in position of the jet through the tidal channel, as the flow was diverted around the tidal array. The net effect of this shift was to increase near-bed velocities and bed shear stress along the northern perimeter of the array by up to 0.8 m·s−1 and 5 Pa respectively. Within the array and directly downstream, near-bed velocities and bed shear stress were reduced by similar amounts. Changes of this magnitude have the potential to modify the known sand and shell banks in the region. Continued monitoring of the sediment distributions in the region will provide a valuable dataset on the impacts of tidal energy extraction on local sediment dynamics. Finally, the mean power generated per turbine is shown to decrease as the turbine array increased in size.

Estimating the opportunity costs of bed-days.

Science.gov (United States)

Sandmann, Frank G; Robotham, Julie V; Deeny, Sarah R; Edmunds, W John; Jit, Mark

2018-03-01

Opportunity costs of bed-days are fundamental to understanding the value of healthcare systems. They greatly influence burden of disease estimations and economic evaluations involving stays in healthcare facilities. However, different estimation techniques employ assumptions that differ crucially in whether to consider the value of the second-best alternative use forgone, of any available alternative use, or the value of the actually chosen alternative. Informed by economic theory, this paper provides a taxonomic framework of methodologies for estimating the opportunity costs of resources. This taxonomy is then applied to bed-days by classifying existing approaches accordingly. We highlight differences in valuation between approaches and the perspective adopted, and we use our framework to appraise the assumptions and biases underlying the standard approaches that have been widely adopted mostly unquestioned in the past, such as the conventional use of reference costs and administrative accounting data. Drawing on these findings, we present a novel approach for estimating the opportunity costs of bed-days in terms of health forgone for the second-best patient, but expressed monetarily. This alternative approach effectively re-connects to the concept of choice and explicitly considers net benefits. It is broadly applicable across settings and for other resources besides bed-days. © 2017 The Authors Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Comparison of ANN (MLP), ANFIS, SVM, and RF models for the online classification of heating value of burning municipal solid waste in circulating fluidized bed incinerators.

Science.gov (United States)

You, Haihui; Ma, Zengyi; Tang, Yijun; Wang, Yuelan; Yan, Jianhua; Ni, Mingjiang; Cen, Kefa; Huang, Qunxing

2017-10-01

The heating values, particularly lower heating values of burning municipal solid waste are critically important parameters in operating circulating fluidized bed incineration systems. However, the heating values change widely and frequently, while there is no reliable real-time instrument to measure heating values in the process of incinerating municipal solid waste. A rapid, cost-effective, and comparative methodology was proposed to evaluate the heating values of burning MSW online based on prior knowledge, expert experience, and data-mining techniques. First, selecting the input variables of the model by analyzing the operational mechanism of circulating fluidized bed incinerators, and the corresponding heating value was classified into one of nine fuzzy expressions according to expert advice. Development of prediction models by employing four different nonlinear models was undertaken, including a multilayer perceptron neural network, a support vector machine, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system, and a random forest; a series of optimization schemes were implemented simultaneously in order to improve the performance of each model. Finally, a comprehensive comparison study was carried out to evaluate the performance of the models. Results indicate that the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system model outperforms the other three models, with the random forest model performing second-best, and the multilayer perceptron model performing at the worst level. A model with sufficient accuracy would contribute adequately to the control of circulating fluidized bed incinerator operation and provide reliable heating value signals for an automatic combustion control system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of near-bed turbulence and micro-topography on macroinvertebrate movements across contrasting gravel-bed surfaces (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Buffin-Belanger, T. K.; Rice, S. P.; Reid, I.; Lancaster, J.

2009-12-01

Fluvial habitats can be described from a series of physical variables but to adequately address the habitat quality it becomes necessary to develop an understanding that combines the physical variables with the behaviour of the inhabitating organisms. The hypothesis of flow refugia provide a rational that can explain the persistence of macroinvertebrate communities in gravel-bed rivers when spates occur. The movement behaviour of macroinvertebrates is a key element to the flow refugia hypothesis, but little is known about how local near-bed turbulence and bed microtopography may affect macroinvertebrate movements. We reproduced natural gravel-bed substrates with contrasting gravel bed textures in a large flume where we were able to document the movement behaviour of the cased caddisfly Potamophylax latipennis for a specific discharge. The crawling paths and drift events of animals were analysed from video recordings. Characteristics of movements differ from one substrate to another. The crawling speed is higher for the small grain-size substrates but the mean travel distance remains approximately the same between substrates. For each substrate, the animals tended to follow consistent paths across the surface. The number of drift events and mean distance drifted is higher for the small grain-size substrate. ADV measurements close to the boundary allow detailed characterisation of near-bed hydraulic variables, including : skewness coefficients, TKE, UV correlation coefficients and integral time scales from autocorrelation analysis. For these variables, the vertical patterns of turbulence parameters are similar between the substrates but the amplitude of the average values and standard errors vary significantly. The spatial distribution of this variability is considered in relation to the crawling paths. It appears that the animals tend to crawl within areas of the substrate where low flow velocities and low turbulent kinetic energies are found, while sites that

Decreasing ventromedial prefrontal cortex deactivation in risky decision making after simulated microgravity: effects of −6° head-down tilt bed rest

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Li-Lin; Zhou, Yuan; Liang, Zhu-Yuan; Rao, Henyi; Zheng, Rui; Sun, Yan; Tan, Cheng; Xiao, Yi; Tian, Zhi-Qiang; Chen, Xiao-Ping; Wang, Chun-Hui; Bai, Yan-Qiang; Chen, Shan-Guang; Li, Shu

2014-01-01

Space is characterized by risk and uncertainty. As humans play an important role in long-duration space missions, the ability to make risky decisions effectively is important for astronauts who spend extended time periods in space. The present study used the Balloon Analog Risk Task to conduct both behavioral and fMRI experiments to evaluate the effects of simulated microgravity on individuals' risk-taking behavior and the neural basis of the effect. The results showed that participants' risk-taking behavior was not affected by bed rest. However, we found that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) showed less deactivation after bed rest and that the VMPFC activation in the active choice condition showed no significant difference between the win outcome and the loss outcome after bed rest, although its activation was significantly greater in the win outcome than in the loss outcome before bed rest. These results suggested that the participants showed a decreased level of value calculation after the bed rest. Our findings can contribute to a better understanding of the effect of microgravity on individual higher-level cognitive functioning. PMID:24904338

Influence of length of interval between pulses in PDR brachytherapy (PDRBT on value of Biologically Equivalent Dose (BED in healthy tissues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomasz Piotrowski

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Different PDR treatment schemas are used in clinical practice, however optimal length of interval between pulses still remains unclear. The aim of this work was to compare value of BED doses measured in surrounded healthy tissues according to different intervals between pulses in PDRBT. Influence of doses optimization on BED values was analyzed.Material and methods: Fifty-one patients treated in Greater Poland Cancer Centre were qualified for calculations.Calculations of doses were made in 51 patients with head and neck cancer, brain tumor, breast cancer, sarcoma, penis cancer and rectal cancer. Doses were calculated with the use of PLATO planning system in chosen critical points in surrounded healthy tissues. For all treatment plans the doses were compared using Biologically Equivalent Dose formula.Three interval lengths (1, 2 and 4 hours between pulses were chosen for calculations. For statistical analysis Friedman ANOVA test and Kendall ratio were used.Results: The median value of BED in chosen critical points in healthy tissues was statistically related to the length of interval between PDR pulses and decreased exponentially with 1 hour interval to 4 hours (Kendall = from 0.48 to 1.0; p = from 0.002 to 0.00001.Conclusions: Prolongation of intervals between pulses in PDR brachytherapy was connected with lower values of BED doses in healthy tissues. It seems that longer intervals between pulses reduced the risk of late complications, but also decreased the tumour control. Furthermore, optimization influenced the increase of doses in healthy tissues.

Study on effective particle diameters and coolability of particulate beds packed with irregular multi-size particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thakre, S.; Ma, W.; Kudinov, P.; Bechta, S. [Royal Institute of Technology, KTH. Div. of Nuclear Power Safety, Stockholm (Sweden)

2013-08-15

One of the key questions in severe accident research is the coolability of the debris bed, i.e., whether decay heat can be completely removed by the coolant flow into the debris bed. Extensive experimental and analytical work has been done to substantiate the coolability research. Most of the available experimental data is related to the beds packed with single size (mostly spherical) particles, and less data is available for multi-size/irregular-shape particles. There are several analytical models available, which rely on the mean particle diameter and porosity of the bed in their predictions. Two different types of particles were used to investigate coolability of particulate beds at VTT, Finland. The first type is irregular-shape Aluminum Oxide gravel particles whose sizes vary from 0.25 mm to 10 mm, which were employed in the STYX experiment programme (2001-2008). The second type is spherical beads of Zirconium silicate whose sizes vary between 0.8 mm to 1 mm, which were used in the COOLOCE tests (Takasuo et al., 2012) to study the effect of multi-dimensional flooding on coolability. In the present work, the two types of particles are used in the POMECO-FL and POMECO-HT test facility to obtain their effective particle diameters and dryout heat flux of the beds, respectively. The main idea is to check how the heaters' orientations (vertical in COOLOCE vs. horizontal in POMECO-HT) and diameters (6 mm in COOLOCE vs. 3 mm in POMECO-HT) affect the coolability (dryout heat flux) of the test beds. The tests carried out on the POMECO-FL facility using a bed packed with aluminum oxide gravel particles show the effective particle diameter of the gravel particles is 0.65 mm, by which the frictional pressure gradient can be predicted by the Ergun equation. After the water superficial velocity is higher than 0.0025 m/s, the pressure gradient is underestimated. The effective particle diameter of the zirconium particles is found as 0.8 mm. The dryout heat flux is measured on

Study on effective particle diameters and coolability of particulate beds packed with irregular multi-size particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thakre, S.; Ma, W.; Kudinov, P.; Bechta, S.

2013-08-01

One of the key questions in severe accident research is the coolability of the debris bed, i.e., whether decay heat can be completely removed by the coolant flow into the debris bed. Extensive experimental and analytical work has been done to substantiate the coolability research. Most of the available experimental data is related to the beds packed with single size (mostly spherical) particles, and less data is available for multi-size/irregular-shape particles. There are several analytical models available, which rely on the mean particle diameter and porosity of the bed in their predictions. Two different types of particles were used to investigate coolability of particulate beds at VTT, Finland. The first type is irregular-shape Aluminum Oxide gravel particles whose sizes vary from 0.25 mm to 10 mm, which were employed in the STYX experiment programme (2001-2008). The second type is spherical beads of Zirconium silicate whose sizes vary between 0.8 mm to 1 mm, which were used in the COOLOCE tests (Takasuo et al., 2012) to study the effect of multi-dimensional flooding on coolability. In the present work, the two types of particles are used in the POMECO-FL and POMECO-HT test facility to obtain their effective particle diameters and dryout heat flux of the beds, respectively. The main idea is to check how the heaters' orientations (vertical in COOLOCE vs. horizontal in POMECO-HT) and diameters (6 mm in COOLOCE vs. 3 mm in POMECO-HT) affect the coolability (dryout heat flux) of the test beds. The tests carried out on the POMECO-FL facility using a bed packed with aluminum oxide gravel particles show the effective particle diameter of the gravel particles is 0.65 mm, by which the frictional pressure gradient can be predicted by the Ergun equation. After the water superficial velocity is higher than 0.0025 m/s, the pressure gradient is underestimated. The effective particle diameter of the zirconium particles is found as 0.8 mm. The dryout heat flux is measured on

Effectiveness of Bed Bug Pesticides

Science.gov (United States)

Before EPA allows a bed bug claim on a label, the product must be supported by data showing it will kill bed bugs when applied according to the label. Also consider factors such as extent of infestation, site preparation, and insect life stages.

Mass balance and isotope effects during nitrogen transport through septic tank systems with packed-bed (sand) filters

Science.gov (United States)

Hinkle, S.R.; Böhlke, J.K.; Fisher, L.H.

2008-01-01

Septic tank systems are an important source of NO3- to many aquifers, yet characterization of N mass balance and isotope systematics following septic tank effluent discharge into unsaturated sediments has received limited attention. In this study, samples of septic tank effluent before and after transport through single-pass packed-bed filters (sand filters) were evaluated to elucidate mass balance and isotope effects associated with septic tank effluent discharge to unsaturated sediments. Chemical and isotopic data from five newly installed pairs and ten established pairs of septic tanks and packed-bed filters serving single homes in Oregon indicate that aqueous solute concentrations are affected by variations in recharge (precipitation, evapotranspiration), NH4+ sorption (primarily in immature systems), nitrification, and gaseous N loss via NH3 volatilization and(or) N2 or N2O release during nitrification/denitrification. Substantial NH4+ sorption capacity was also observed in laboratory columns with synthetic effluent. Septic tank effluent ??15N-NH4+ values were almost constant and averaged + 4.9??? ?? 0.4??? (1 ??). In contrast, ??15N values of NO3- leaving mature packed-bed filters were variable (+ 0.8 to + 14.4???) and averaged + 7.2??? ?? 2.6???. Net N loss in the two networks of packed-bed filters was indicated by average 10-30% decreases in Cl--normalized N concentrations and 2-3??? increases in ??15N, consistent with fractionation accompanying gaseous N losses and corroborating established links between septic tank effluent and NO3- in a local, shallow aquifer. Values of ??18O-NO3- leaving mature packed-bed filters ranged from - 10.2 to - 2.3??? (mean - 6.4??? ?? 1.8???), and were intermediate between a 2/3 H2O-O + 1/3 O2-O conceptualization and a 100% H2O-O conceptualization of ??18O-NO3- generation during nitrification.

Two-Phase Flow Effect on the Ex-Vessel Corium Debris Bed Formation in Severe Accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Eunho; Park, Jin Ho; Kim, Moo Hwan; Park, Hyun Sun; Ma, Weimin; Bechta, Sevostian V.

2014-01-01

In Korean IVR-ERVC(In-Vessel Retention of molten corium through External Reactor Vessel Cooling) strategy, if the situation degenerates into insufficient external vessel cooling, the molten core mixture can directly erupt into the flooded cavity pool from the weakest point of the vessel. Then, FCI (molten Fuel Coolant Interaction) will fragment the corium jet into small particulates settling down to make porous debris bed on the cavity basemat. To secure the containment integrity against the MCCI (Molten Core - Concrete Interaction), cooling of the heat generating porous corium debris bed is essential and it depends on the characteristics of the bed itself. For the characteristics of corium debris bed, many previous experimental studies with simulant melts reported the heap-like shape mostly. There were also following experiments to develop the correlation for the heap-like shaped debris bed. However, recent studies started to consider the effect of the decay heat and reported some noticeable results with the two-phase flow effect on the debris bed formation. The Kyushu University and JAEA group reported the experimental studies on the 'self-leveling' effect which is the flattening effect of the particulate bed by the inside gas generation. The DECOSIM simulation study of RIT (Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden) with Russian researchers showed the 'large cavity pool convection' effect, which is driven by the up-rising gas bubble flow from the pre-settled debris bed, on the particle settling trajectories and ultimately final bed shape. The objective of this study is verification of the two-phase flow effect on the ex-vessel corium debris bed formation in the severe accident. From the analysis on the test movie and resultant particle beds, the two-phase flow effect on the debris bed formation, which has been reported in the previous studies, was verified and the additional findings were also suggested. For the first, in quiescent pool the

A prediction model for the effective thermal conductivity of mono-sized pebble beds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiaoliang; Zheng, Jie; Chen, Hongli, E-mail: hlchen1@ustc.edu.cn

2016-02-15

Highlights: • One new method to couple the contact area with bed strain is developed. • The constant coefficient to correlate the effect of gas flow is determined. • This model is valid for various cases, and its advantages are showed obviously. - Abstract: A model is presented here to predict the effective thermal conductivity of porous medium packed with mono-sized spherical pebbles, and it is valid when pebbles’ size is far less than the characteristic length of porous medium just like the fusion pebble beds. In this model, the influences of parameters such as properties of pebble and gas materials, bed porosity, pebble size, gas flow, contact area, thermal radiation, contact resistance, etc. are all taken into account, and one method to couple the contact areas with bed strains is also developed and implemented preliminarily. Compared with available theoretical models, CFD numerical simulations and experimental data, this model is verified to be successful to forecast the bed effective thermal conductivity in various cases and its advantages are also showed obviously. Especially, the convection in pebble beds is focused on and a constant coefficient C to correlate the effect of gas flow is determined for the fully developed region of beds by numerical simulation, which is close to some experimental data.

Tile Effect of P reconsolidation on the Thermal Conductivity of Particulate Beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weidenfeld, G.

2001-09-01

The thermal conductivity of particulate beds is an important property for many industrial handling processes as well as storage of particulate materials. This property can be affected by a few conditions, such as, temperature and external axial pressure. In the first part of this work, a background for the thermal conductivity of particulate bed is given. This includes a review of experimental and theoretical studies on the thermal conductivity of particulate beds. It is also a reviewed parameters that influence the thermal conductivity of particulate beds, such as, temperature. This study presents a new experimental apparatus that enables to measure the thermal conductivity in steady-state while the particulate bed is under axial consolidation stresses. The experimental apparatus was analyzed and characterized experimentally and by numerical simulations. An analytical model, that predicts the thermal conductivity of particulate beds under axial consolidation stress was developed. The model results were compared to the experimental results for 0.5 and 1 mm steel spheres and showed a good agreement. The experimental results showed a significant effect of the compression state on the bed and its pre-consolidation for 0.5 and 1 mm steel spheres. The effect of the compression state on the bed and its pre-consolidation was even more significant for limestone powder

The Effect of Bedding Structure on Mechanical Property of Coal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zetian Zhang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The mechanical property of coal, influencing mining activity considerably, is significantly determined by the natural fracture distributed within coal mass. In order to study the effecting mechanism of bedding structure on mechanical property of coal, a series of uniaxial compression tests and mesoscopic tests have been conducted. The experimental results show that the distribution characteristic of calcite particles, which significantly influences the growth of cracks and the macroscopic mechanical properties of coal, is obviously affected by the bedding structure. Specifically, the uniaxial compression strength of coal sample is mainly controlled by bedding structure, and the average peak stress of specimens with axes perpendicular to the bedding planes is 20.00 MPa, which is 2.88 times the average amount of parallel ones. The test results also show a close relationship between the bedding structure and the whole deformation process under uniaxial loading.

Influence of gas pressure on the effective thermal conductivity of ceramic breeder pebble beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai, Weijing; Pupeschi, Simone; Hanaor, Dorian; Gan, Yixiang

2017-01-01

Highlights: • This study explicitly demonstrates the influence of the gas pressure on the effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds. • The gas pressure influence is shown to correlated to the pebble size. • The effective thermal conductivity is linked to thermal-mechanical properties of pebbles and packing structure. - Abstract: Lithium ceramics have been considered as tritium breeder materials in many proposed designs of fusion breeding blankets. Heat generated in breeder pebble beds due to nuclear breeding reaction must be removed by means of actively cooled plates while generated tritiums is recovered by purge gas slowly flowing through beds. Therefore, the effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds that is one of the governing parameters determining heat transport phenomenon needs to be addressed with respect to mechanical status of beds and purge gas pressure. In this study, a numerical framework combining finite element simulation and a semi-empirical correlation of gas gap conduction is proposed to predict the effective thermal conductivity. The purge gas pressure is found to vary the effective thermal conductivity, in particular with the presence of various sized gaps in pebble beds. Random packing of pebble beds is taken into account by an approximated correlation considering the packing factor and coordination number of pebble beds. The model prediction is compared with experimental observation from different sources showing a quantitative agreement with the measurement.

Influence of gas pressure on the effective thermal conductivity of ceramic breeder pebble beds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dai, Weijing [School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney (Australia); Pupeschi, Simone [Institute for Applied Materials, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany); Hanaor, Dorian [School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney (Australia); Institute for Materials Science and Technologies, Technical University of Berlin (Germany); Gan, Yixiang, E-mail: yixiang.gan@sydney.edu.au [School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney (Australia)

2017-05-15

Highlights: • This study explicitly demonstrates the influence of the gas pressure on the effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds. • The gas pressure influence is shown to correlated to the pebble size. • The effective thermal conductivity is linked to thermal-mechanical properties of pebbles and packing structure. - Abstract: Lithium ceramics have been considered as tritium breeder materials in many proposed designs of fusion breeding blankets. Heat generated in breeder pebble beds due to nuclear breeding reaction must be removed by means of actively cooled plates while generated tritiums is recovered by purge gas slowly flowing through beds. Therefore, the effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds that is one of the governing parameters determining heat transport phenomenon needs to be addressed with respect to mechanical status of beds and purge gas pressure. In this study, a numerical framework combining finite element simulation and a semi-empirical correlation of gas gap conduction is proposed to predict the effective thermal conductivity. The purge gas pressure is found to vary the effective thermal conductivity, in particular with the presence of various sized gaps in pebble beds. Random packing of pebble beds is taken into account by an approximated correlation considering the packing factor and coordination number of pebble beds. The model prediction is compared with experimental observation from different sources showing a quantitative agreement with the measurement.

Equilibrium modeling of gasification: Gibbs free energy minimization approach and its application to spouted bed and spout-fluid bed gasifiers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarungthammachote, S.; Dutta, A.

2008-01-01

Spouted beds have been found in many applications, one of which is gasification. In this paper, the gasification processes of conventional and modified spouted bed gasifiers were considered. The conventional spouted bed is a central jet spouted bed, while the modified spouted beds are circular split spouted bed and spout-fluid bed. The Gibbs free energy minimization method was used to predict the composition of the producer gas. The major six components, CO, CO 2 , CH 4 , H 2 O, H 2 and N 2 , were determined in the mixture of the producer gas. The results showed that the carbon conversion in the gasification process plays an important role in the model. A modified model was developed by considering the carbon conversion in the constraint equations and in the energy balance calculation. The results from the modified model showed improvements. The higher heating values (HHV) were also calculated and compared with the ones from experiments. The agreements of the calculated and experimental values of HHV, especially in the case of the circular split spouted bed and the spout-fluid bed were observed

Loading and Unloading Weaned Pigs: Effects of Bedding Types, Ramp Angle, and Bedding Moisture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arlene Garcia

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The use of non-slip surfaces during loading and unloading of weaned pigs plays an important role in animal welfare and economics of the pork industry. Currently, the guidelines available only suggest the use of ramps below 20° to load and unload pigs. Three ramp angles (0°, 10° or 20°, five bedding materials (nothing, sand, feed, wood shavings or wheat straw hay, two moistures (dry or wet bedding; >50% moisture over two seasons (>23.9 °C summer, <23.9 °C winter were assessed for slips/falls/vocalizations (n = 6,000 pig observations. “Score” was calculated by the sum of slips, falls, and vocalizations. With the exception of using feed as a bedding, all beddings provided some protection against elevated slips, falls, and vocalizations (P < 0.01. Providing bedding reduced (P < 0.05 scores regardless of whether the bedding was dry or wet. Scores increased as the slope increased (P < 0.01. Provision of bedding, other than feed, at slopes greater than zero, decreased slips, falls and vocalizations. The total time it took to load and unload pigs was

The effect of 8 days of strict bed rest on the incretin effect in healthy volunteers.

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Signe Tellerup; Harder-Lauridsen, Nina Majlund; Benatti, Fabiana Braga; Wedell-Neergaard, Anne-Sophie; Lyngbæk, Mark Preben; Møller, Kirsten; Pedersen, Bente Klarlund; Krogh-Madsen, Rikke

2016-03-15

Bed rest and physical inactivity are the consequences of hospital admission for many patients. Physical inactivity induces changes in glucose metabolism, but its effect on the incretin effect, which is reduced in, e.g., Type 2 diabetes, is unknown. To investigate how 8 days of strict bed rest affects the incretin effect, 10 healthy nonobese male volunteers underwent 8 days of strict bed rest. Before and after the intervention, all volunteers underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) followed by an intravenous glucose infusion (IVGI) on the following day to mimic the blood glucose profile from the OGTT. Blood glucose, serum insulin, serum C-peptide, plasma incretin hormones [glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP)], and serum glucagon were measured serially during both the OGTT and the IVGI. The incretin effect is calculated as the relative difference between the area under the curve for the insulin response during the OGTT and that of the corresponding IVGI, respectively. Concentrations of glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and GIP measured during the OGTT were higher after the bed rest intervention (all P effect (P = 0.6). In conclusion, 8 days of bed rest induces insulin resistance, but we did not see evidence of an associated change in the incretin effect. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Effect of Bedding Material on Dust and Ammonia Emission from Broiler Houses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Harn, van J.; Aarnink, A.J.A.; Mosquera Losada, J.; Riel, van J.W.; Ogink, N.W.M.

2012-01-01

Ammonia emission, Bedding material, Broilers, Dust emission The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different bedding materials on fine dust (PM10 and PM2.5) and ammonia emissions from broiler houses. The effects on broiler performance and footpad lesions were also studied. The

Moisture diffusivity in structure of random fractal fiber bed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Fanglong, E-mail: zhufanglong_168@163.com [College of Textile, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou City (China); The Chinese People' s Armed Police Forces Academy, Langfan City (China); Zhou, Yu; Feng, Qianqian [College of Textile, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou City (China); Xia, Dehong [School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Science and Technology, Beijing (China)

2013-11-08

A theoretical expression related to effective moisture diffusivity to random fiber bed is derived by using fractal theory and considering both parallel and perpendicular channels to diffusion flow direction. In this Letter, macroporous structure of hydrophobic nonwoven material is investigated, and Knudsen diffusion and surface diffusion are neglected. The effective moisture diffusivity predicted by the present fractal model are compared with water vapor transfer rate (WVTR) experiment data and calculated values obtained from other theoretical models. This verifies the validity of the present fractal diffusivity of fibrous structural beds.

Effect of various drying bed on thermodynamic characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Motevali

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In this study thermodynamic parameter and energy consumption in drying of two plant dill and mint in three bed drying including fix, semi fix and fluid with using a hot air drying was investigated. Experimental was conducted in three bed drying including fix, semi fix and fluid and four levels temperature (30, 40, 50 and 60 °C. Maximum energy consumption in dill drying at 40 °C and fluid bed to be 16.41 MJ and minimum energy consumption at 30 °C and fix bed to be 2.77 MJ. Also minimum energy consumption in mint drying at 60 °C and fix bed to be 3.64 MJ and maximum energy consumption at 40 °C and fluid bed to be 28.65 MJ. The highest energy, drying and thermal efficiency for both mint and dill was achieved at 60 °C on the fixed bed, whereas the lowest efficiency was at 40 °C and on the fluidized bed. Also the highest power and specific heat consumption for both mint and dill was achieved at 40 °C on the fluid bed, whereas the lowest efficiency was at 30 °C and on the fluidized bed.

Experimental study of flow field characteristics on bed configurations in the pebble bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia, Xinlong; Gui, Nan; Yang, Xingtuan; Tu, Jiyuan; Jia, Haijun; Jiang, Shengyao

2017-01-01

Highlights: • PTV study of flow fields of pebble bed reactor with different configurations are carried out. • Some criteria are proposed to quantify vertical velocity field and flow uniformity. • The effect of different pebble bed configurations is also compared by the proposed criteria. • The displacement thickness is used analogically to analyze flow field characteristics. • The effect of mass flow variation in the stagnated region of the funnel flow is measured. - Abstract: The flow field characteristics are of fundamental importance in the design work of the pebble bed high temperature gas cooled reactor (HTGR). The different effects of bed configurations on the flow characteristics of pebble bed are studied through the PTV (Particle Tracking Velocimetry) experiment. Some criteria, e.g. flow uniformity (σ) and mass flow level (α), are proposed to estimate vertical velocity field and compare the bed configurations. The distribution of the Δθ (angle difference between the individual particle velocity and the velocity vector sum of all particles) is also used to estimate the resultant motion consistency level. Moreover, for each bed configuration, the thickness of displacement is analyzed to measure the effect of the funnel flow zone based on the boundary layer theory. Detailed information shows the quantified characteristics of bed configuration effects on flow uniformity and other characteristics; and the sequence of levels of each estimation criterion is obtained for all bed configurations. In addition, a good design of the pebble bed configuration is suggested and these estimation criteria can be also applied and adopted in testing other geometry designs of pebble bed.

On the heat transfer in packed beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sordon, G.

1988-09-01

The design of a fusion reactor blanket concept based on a bed of lithium containing ceramic pebbles or a mixture of ceramic and beryllium pebbles demands the knowledge of the effective thermal conductivity of pebble beds, including beds formed by a binary mixture of high conducting metallic pebbles and poorly conducting pebbles. In this work, binary mixtures of spheres of same diameter and different conductivities as well as beds formed by one type of spheres were investigated. The experimental apparatus consists of a stainless steel cylinder with a heating rod along the symmetry axis. Experiments with stagnant and flowing gas were performed. The pebbles were of Al 2 O 3 (diameter = 1, 2, 4 mm), of Li 4 SO 4 (diameter = 0.5 mm) of Al (diameter = 2 mm) and of steel (diameter = 2, 4 mm). Experimental values of the thermal conductivity and of the wall heat transfer coefficient are compared with the predicted ones. Modifications of already existing models were suggested. (orig.) [de

The effect of bedding system selected by manual muscle testing on sleep-related cardiovascular functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Terry B J; Li, Jia-Yi; Lai, Chun-Ting; Huang, Yu-Chun; Hsu, Ya-Chuan; Yang, Cheryl C H

2013-01-01

Different types of mattresses affect sleep quality and waking muscle power. Whether manual muscle testing (MMT) predicts the cardiovascular effects of the bedding system was explored using ten healthy young men. For each participant, two bedding systems, one inducing the strongest limb muscle force (strong bedding system) and the other inducing the weakest limb force (weak bedding system), were identified using MMT. Each bedding system, in total five mattresses and eight pillows of different firmness, was used for two continuous weeks at the participant's home in a random and double-blind sequence. A sleep log, a questionnaire, and a polysomnography were used to differentiate the two bedding systems. Heart rate variability and arterial pressure variability analyses showed that the strong bedding system resulted in decreased cardiovascular sympathetic modulation, increased cardiac vagal activity, and increased baroreceptor reflex sensitivity during sleep as compared to the weak bedding system. Different bedding systems have distinct cardiovascular effects during sleep that can be predicted by MMT.

Effect of heat bed temperature of 3D bioprinter to hardness and compressive strength of scaffold bovine hydroxyapatite

Science.gov (United States)

Triyono, Joko; Pratama, Aditya; Sukanto, Heru; Nugroho, Yohanes; Wijayanta, Agung Tri

2018-02-01

This study aimed to investigate the effect of heat bed temperature of 3D bioprinter toward compressive strength and hardness bovine bone hydroxyapatite scaffold for bone filler applications. BHA-glycerin mixed with a ratio of 1:1, and keep it for 24 hours. After the homogenization process acquired, bio-Ink with shaped slurry will be used as a material for a 3D printer. The printing process with a temperature variation have performed by setting up heat bed temperature. After printing process was completed, the 3D scaffold was detained on the heat bed for 10 minutes before being picked up. The test results in this study had the lowest hardness value of 9.82±0.62 VHN and the highest number of 24.32±0.99 VHN. The compressive strength testing had the lowest value of 1.62±0.16 MPa with the highest number of 5.67±0.39 MPa. Pore observation using a scanning electron microscope. The result shows that the size of the pores were not much different, that was ±100-200 µm. This observation also indicated that the pore form was square pores.

Psychological effects of acute physical inactivty during microgravitiy simulated by bed rest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petra Dolenc

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Long-duration weightlessness simulated by bed rest represents an important model to study the consequences of physical inactivity and sedentarism on the human body. This study evaluated changes of mood status, psychological well-being, coping strategies and physical self in ten healthy young male subjects during a 35-day horizontal bed rest. Participants were asked to complete psychometrical inventories before and after the bed rest experiment. The preceived satisfaction with life and the physical self-concept did not change during bed rest period and mood states were relatively stable during the experiment according to the Emotional States Questionnaire. The neurotic level was enhanced during the bed rest period according to the Slovenian version of the General Health Questionnaire. However, even after the period of physical immobilization, the expression of these symptoms remains relatively low and does not represent a risk to the mental health of the subjects. The results from Coping Resources Inventory indicated a tendency toward an increase of emotion focused coping and a decrease of problem focused coping strategies. The importance of this research was to provide evidence that the provision of favourable habitability countermeasures can prevent deterioration in the psychological state under conditions of physical immobilisation. Our findings have applied value in the field of health prevention and rehabilitaion.

Pressurizing Behavior on Ingress of Coolant into Pebble Bed of Blanket of Fusion DEMO Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daigo Tsuru; Mikio Enoeda; Masato Akiba

2006-01-01

Solid breeder blankets are being developed as candidate blankets for the Fusion DEMO reactor in Japan. JAEA is performing the development of the water cooled and helium cooled solid breeder blankets. The blanket utilizes ceramic breeder pebbles and multiplier pebbles beds cooled by high pressure water or high pressure helium in the cooling tubes placed in the blanket box structure. In the development of the blanket, it is very important to incorporate the safety technology as well as the performance improvement on tritium production and energy conversion. In the safety design and technology, coolant ingress in the blanket box structure is one of the most important events as the initiators. Especially the thermal hydraulics in the pebble bed in the case of the high pressure coolant ingress is very important to evaluate the pressure propagation and coolant flow behavior. This paper presents the preliminary results of the pressure loss characteristics by the coolant ingress in the pebble bed. Experiments have been performed by using alumina pebble bed (4 litter maximum volume of the pebble bed) and nitrogen gas to simulate the helium coolant ingress into breeder and multiplier pebble beds. Reservoir tank of 10 liter is filled with 1.0 MPa nitrogen. The nitrogen gas is released at the bottom part of the alumina pebble bed whose upper part is open to the atmosphere. The pressure change in the pebble bed is measured to identify the pressure loss. The measured values are compared with the predicted values by Ergun's equation, which is the correlation equation on pressure loss of the flow through porous medium. By the results of the experiments with no constraint on the alumina pebble bed, it was clarified that the measured value agreed in the lower flow rate. However, in the higher flow rate where the pressure loss is high, the measured value is about half of the predicted value. The differences between the measured values and the predicted values will be discussed from

Improvement of Combustion Characteristics in Fluidized Bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohamed, H.S.; El Sourougy, M.R.; Faik, M.

2009-01-01

The present investigation is directed towards the experimental study of the effect of a new design of the bed temperature on the overall thermal efficiency and heat transfer by conduction, convection and radiation in gaseous fuel-fluidized bed combustion system. The experiments are performed on a water-cooled fluidized bed model furnace with cylindrical cross-section of 0.25 m diameter and its height is 0.60 m. the fluidising medium used is sand particles with average diameter 1.5 mm. The bed temperature is varied between 700 degree C and 1100 degree C. Measurements f carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and oxygen concentrations are carried out by using water-cooled sampling probe, and infrared and paramagnetic analyzers. The results obtained show that the bed temperature, the total heat transfer to the wall and the bed combustion efficiency increase with the decrease of the air-fuel ratio. It is also found that 91% of the total heat transfer is in the fluidising part of the bed and most of this heat is transferred by convection from hot sand particles to the wall. Two empirical formulae for the calculation of the wall heat transfer coefficient and the particle convective heat transfer coefficient are proposed. A verification of the proposed empirical formulae is made by comparing the calculated values with the experimental results.

Infant's bed climate and bedding in the Japanese home.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura Ikeda, Rie; Fukai, Kiyoko; Okamoto Mizuno, Kazue

2012-06-01

to assess the bed climate of infants in their homes in Japan. descriptive, exploratory, non-experimental research design. the data were collected at the participants' homes under normal circumstances. nineteen healthy infants between the ages of two and five months. Their mothers, who joined a parenting class organised by a maternity clinic in Okayama, Japan, consented to participate in this study. we visited the infants' homes and interviewed their mothers concerning the types and use of bedding. The temperature and relative humidity of the bed climate at the back and foot of the bedding, and in the room were measured every minute for four consecutive days. Differences among the bed climates measured during three seasons (spring, summer, and autumn) were assessed by one-way analysis of variance. The bed temperature was higher for infants than for adults. No significant difference in temperature was noted among the three seasons. The bed temperature was about 36.0°C when waterproof sheets and futon mattresses for children or adult were used. The average relative humidity of the bed climate at the back was highest in summer, followed by that in spring and autumn; the differences were significant. The use of waterproof sheets and futon mattresses for children in summer increased the relative humidity to 80% or more. The use of infant beds, sunoko drainboards, and cotton futon mattresses in summer was effective in reducing the bed humidity. these results suggest that nurse-midwives should advise the parents on comfortable bed climates for their infants, as well as how to select and use bedding for them. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of patient migration in bed on torso elevation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiggermann, Neal; Kotowski, Susan; Davis, Kermit; VanGilder, Catherine

2015-01-01

Elevating the hospital head of bed (HOB) to at least 30° is recommended practice to reduce the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in mechanically ventilated patients. However, this common practice prescribes the position of the bed and not of the patient, which could be significantly different. The aim of this research was to determine the relationship between patient migration in bed and anatomic torso angle. Ten healthy participants were positioned in a hospital bed that was raised from flat to 30° and 45° HOB elevations. Prior to bed movement, participants were aligned to different locations along the length of the bed to represent different amounts of migration. A motion capture system was used to measure torso angle and migration toward the foot of the bed. The relationship between torso angle and migration was estimated by linear regression. Patient migration resulted in lower torso angles for both 30° and 45° HOB articulations. A migration of 10 cm resulted in a loss of 9.1° and 13.0° of torso angle for HOB articulations of 30° and 45°, respectively (for 30° articulations: (Equation is included in full-text article.)= -0.91, R = .96; for 45° articulations: (Equation is included in full-text article.)= -1.30, R = .98). Migration toward the foot of the bed flattens the torso. To maintain a torso angle that is likely to protect against VAP, healthcare providers need to manage both HOB angle and migration. Protocols and equipment that minimize patient migration will help support effective clinical practice. Future research on patient migration, as it relates to VAP or other outcomes, should measure patient torso angle to allow accurate translation of the results to care practice.

Effects of pressure drop and superficial velocity on the bubbling fluidized bed incinerator.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Feng-Jehng; Chen, Suming; Lei, Perng-Kwei; Wu, Chung-Hsing

2007-12-01

Since performance and operational conditions, such as superficial velocity, pressure drop, particles viodage, and terminal velocity, are difficult to measure on an incinerator, this study used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to determine numerical solutions. The effects of pressure drop and superficial velocity on a bubbling fluidized bed incinerator (BFBI) were evaluated. Analytical results indicated that simulation models were able to effectively predict the relationship between superficial velocity and pressure drop over bed height in the BFBI. Second, the models in BFBI were simplified to simulate scale-up beds without excessive computation time. Moreover, simulation and experimental results showed that minimum fluidization velocity of the BFBI must be controlled in at 0.188-3.684 m/s and pressure drop was mainly caused by bed particles.

Effect of Fluidized Bed Stirring on Drying Process of Adhesive Particles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Hoffman

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an attempt to optimize fluidized bed drying of wet and adhesive particles (with an initial diameter of about 580 mm with the use of stirring, and discusses the influence of stirring on the total drying time. The goal was to demonstrate the positive effect of stirring a fluidized bed to the drying time, to find the optimal parameters (stirrer design, speed, and size. Experiments were conducted on a drying chamber in batch operation. The objective was to evaluate the effect of stirring on the total drying time. The drying chambers were 85 mm, 100 mm, and 140 mm in diameter. An optimal stirrer shape and speed were specified. Our arrangement of the fluidized bed resulted in a decrease in drying time by up to 40 %.

Branched-chain amino acid supplementation during bed rest: effect on recovery

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, T. P.; Donaldson, M. R.; Leskiw, M. J.; Schluter, M. D.; Baggett, D. W.; Boden, G.

2003-01-01

Bed rest is associated with a loss of protein from the weight-bearing muscle. The objectives of this study are to determine whether increasing dietary branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) during bed rest improves the anabolic response after bed rest. The study consisted of a 1-day ambulatory period, 14 days of bed rest, and a 4-day recovery period. During bed rest, dietary intake was supplemented with either 30 mmol/day each of glycine, serine, and alanine (group 1) or with 30 mmol/day each of the three BCAAs (group 2). Whole body protein synthesis was determined with U-(15)N-labeled amino acids, muscle, and selected plasma protein synthesis with l-[(2)H(5)]phenylalanine. Total glucose production and gluconeogenesis from alanine were determined with l-[U-(13)C(3)]alanine and [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose. During bed rest, nitrogen (N) retention was greater with BCAA feeding (56 +/- 6 vs. 26 +/- 12 mg N. kg(-1). day(-1), P < 0.05). There was no effect of BCAA supplementation on either whole body, muscle, or plasma protein synthesis or the rate of 3-MeH excretion. Muscle tissue free amino acid concentrations were increased during bed rest with BCAA (0.214 +/- 0.066 vs. 0.088 +/- 0.12 nmol/mg protein, P < 0.05). Total glucose production and gluconeogenesis from alanine were unchanged with bed rest but were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) with the BCAA group in the recovery phase. In conclusion, the improved N retention during bed rest is due, at least in part, to accretion of amino acids in the tissue free amino acid pools. The amount accreted is not enough to impact protein kinetics in the recovery phase but does improve N retention by providing additional essential amino acids in the early recovery phase.

Combustion of peanut shells in a cone-shaped bubbling fluidized-bed combustor using alumina as the bed material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arromdee, Porametr; Kuprianov, Vladimir I.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We propose burning of peanut shells in a conical fluidized bed using alumina sand. ► We examine hydrodynamic, combustion and emission characteristics of the reactor. ► High, over 99%, combustion efficiency is achievable. ► Emissions of CO and NO from the combustor meet the national emission limits. ► Composition of the bed material undergoes significant changes during the combustion. -- Abstract: This paper reports experimental studies on burning peanut shells in the conical fluidized-bed combustor using alumina sand as the fluidizing agent. Prior to combustion tests, hydrodynamic regimes and characteristics of a conical alumina–biomass bed were investigated under cold-state conditions for variable percentage of peanut shells in the mixture and static bed height. With selected particle sizes (300–500 μm) and static bed height (30 cm), alumina ensured bubbling fluidization regime of the bed at operating conditions specified for firing biomass. Combustion tests were performed at 60 kg/h and 45 kg/h fuel feed rates, while ranging excess air from 20% to 80% at a fixed combustor load. Temperature and gas concentrations (O 2 , CO, C x H y as CH 4 , and NO) were measured along radial and axial directions inside the reactor as well as at stack in order to characterize combustion and emission performance of the combustor for the ranges of operating conditions. For firing 60 kg/h peanut shells, excess air of 40% can be selected as an appropriate value ensuring high, about 99%, combustion efficiency and rather low emissions of CO and NO: 520 ppm and 125 ppm, respectively (both on a dry basis and at 6% O 2 ). With reducing combustor load, the combustion efficiency and emission characteristics were improved to a little extent. No evidence of bed agglomeration was found during 30-h combustion tests on this conical fluidized-bed combustor using alumina sand as the bed material. However, the timescale effect on the composition of the bed material was

Relative effect of dose-rate values and fractionation on late responding tissues and tumours

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malgieri, F.

1995-01-01

There are currently available different facilities for radiotherapy also with regard to the dose-rate values (in the ranges LDR - MDR - HDR), sometimes used alternatively or subsequently for the same tumour. We have set up a 'unitary' L-Q model, based on Liversage's and Dale's works, that explicitly include also the dose-rate value and a correction factor of the β parameter depending on the sublethal damage repair time constant, on the length of time of each irradiation and on the time interval between following irradiation for to realize the effect of the incomplete repair when the time interval is short as, for example, in the PLDR. This 'unitary' L-Q model is, of course, usable in the same way both for external beam therapy and for curietherapy and make possible to compute and compare, for each kind of tumour and normal tissue, the relative effect of the different available modality of radiotherapy also with regard to the dose-rate. We show and discuss the resulting relationships of the ratio BED 'late'/BED tumour changing the time-dose parameters and the values of the biological characteristic parameters T p , α/β and μ, for defined size of tumour control and different value of the doserate

Effects of Fluidization Velocity and Bed Particle Size on Bed Defluidization during Biomass Combustion in FB boilers; Effekten av fluidiseringshastighet och kornstorlek paa agglomereringsrisk vid biobraensleeldning i FB-pannor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eriksson, Morgan; Oehman, Marcus [Umeaa Univ. (Sweden). Applied Physics and Electronics; Wikman, Karin; Berg, Magnus [AaF-Energi och Miljoe AB, Stockholm (Sweden)

2004-11-01

Studies on the effect of bed particle size and fluidization velocity on the agglomeration/defluidization risk during biomass combustion in BFB/CFB plants have not previously been published. Therefore, the objective of this project has been to determine the influence of these two parameters on the risk for agglomeration in typical biofuel fired fluidized beds. The study has also resulted in information on how variations in the coating characteristics of the bed particles are depending on the fuel ash content and the particle size of the bed material. Furthermore, the conditions at large scale commercial plants have been surveyed with respect to the choice of bed material, fluidization velocity, bed sand consumption etc. Bed materials have been sampled from seven full-scale boilers, four CFB and three BFB. The samples have been sieved to achieve sieve curves, analyzed with respect to the coating characteristics, and studied by experiments in a bench-scale fluidized bed. It could be concluded from the analyses that there are no significant differences in the coating thickness or the coating composition between fine and coarse particles in the bed samples. The bench-scale agglomeration experiments showed that increased fluidization velocity results in bed agglomeration at a higher temperature. This effect was stronger at relatively low fluidization velocities. The fluidization velocity has probably no significant effect on the risk for agglomeration at normal gas velocities in a commercial CFB boiler. Though, it could have an influence on the agglomeration in for example the recycling part of a CFB, where the gas velocity is relatively low. Also in BFB-boilers the fluidization velocity is often low enough to have a significant effect on the risk for agglomeration. By the experiments in this project it has not been possible to determine if the bed particle size has an influence on the agglomeration. Further studies with modified methods are required to find out if the

Modelling heat transfer during flow through a random packed bed of spheres

Science.gov (United States)

Burström, Per E. C.; Frishfelds, Vilnis; Ljung, Anna-Lena; Lundström, T. Staffan; Marjavaara, B. Daniel

2018-04-01

Heat transfer in a random packed bed of monosized iron ore pellets is modelled with both a discrete three-dimensional system of spheres and a continuous Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model. Results show a good agreement between the two models for average values over a cross section of the bed for an even temperature profiles at the inlet. The advantage with the discrete model is that it captures local effects such as decreased heat transfer in sections with low speed. The disadvantage is that it is computationally heavy for larger systems of pellets. If averaged values are sufficient, the CFD model is an attractive alternative that is easy to couple to the physics up- and downstream the packed bed. The good agreement between the discrete and continuous model furthermore indicates that the discrete model may be used also on non-Stokian flow in the transitional region between laminar and turbulent flow, as turbulent effects show little influence of the overall heat transfer rates in the continuous model.

Effect of Operating Conditions on Catalytic Gasification of Bamboo in a Fluidized Bed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thanasit Wongsiriamnuay

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Catalytic gasification of bamboo in a laboratory-scale, fluidized bed reactor was investigated. Experiments were performed to determine the effects of reactor temperature (400, 500, and 600°C, gasifying medium (air and air/steam, and catalyst to biomass ratio (0 : 1, 1 : 1, and 1.5 : 1 on product gas composition, H2/CO ratio, carbon conversion efficiency, heating value, and tar conversion. From the results obtained, it was shown that at 400°C with air/steam gasification, maximum hydrogen content of 16.5% v/v, carbon conversion efficiency of 98.5%, and tar conversion of 80% were obtained. The presence of catalyst was found to promote the tar reforming reaction and resulted in improvement of heating value, carbon conversion efficiency, and gas yield due to increases in H2, CO, and CH4. The presence of steam and dolomite had an effect on the increasing of tar conversion.

Exercise Effects on the Course of Gray Matter Changes Over 70 Days of Bed Rest

Science.gov (United States)

Koppelmans, V.; Ploutz-Snyder, L.; DeDios, Y. E.; Wood, S. J.; Reuter-Lorenz, P. A.; Kofman, I.; Bloomberg, J. J.; Mulavara, A. P.; Seidler, R. D.

2014-01-01

Long duration spaceflight affects posture control, locomotion, and manual control. The microgravity environment is an important causal factor for spaceflight induced sensorimotor changes through direct effects on peripheral changes that result from reduced vestibular stimulation and body unloading. Effects of microgravity on sensorimotor function have been investigated on earth using bed rest studies. Long duration bed rest serves as a space-flight analogue because it mimics microgravity in body unloading and bodily fluid shifts. It has been hypothesized that the cephalad fluid shift that has been observed in microgravity could potentially affect central nervous system function and structure, and thereby indirectly affect sensorimotor or cognitive functioning. Preliminary results of one of our ongoing studies indeed showed that 70 days of long duration head down-tilt bed rest results in focal changes in gray matter volume from pre-bed rest to various time points during bed rest. These gray matter changes that could reflect fluid shifts as well as neuroplasticity were related to decrements in motor skills such as maintenance of equilibrium. In consideration of the health and performance of crewmembers both inand post-flight we are currently conducting a study that investigates the potential preventive effects of exercise on gray matter and motor performance changes that we observed over the course of bed rest. Numerous studies have shown beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on brain structure and cognitive performance in healthy and demented subjects over a large age range. We therefore hypothesized that an exercise intervention in bed rest could potentially mitigate or prevent the effects of bed rest on the central nervous system. Here we present preliminary outcomes of our study.

Fluidized bed catalytic cracking regenerator model: grid effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Errazu, A.F. (Universidad Nacional del Sur, Conicet, Argentina); De Lasa, H.I.; Sarti, F.

1979-04-01

A grid model including thermal effects is proposed. The aim is the simulation of a fluidized catalytic cracking regenerator similar to the industrial unit of Destileria La Palta, YPF, Argentina. It is demonstrated that a simple C.S.T.R. model without bypass of gas feed entering the bed provides a good approach for representing the fluidized bed including the grid region. In addition, by means of the C.S.T.R. model, it is shown that there exist two characteristic operating regions: a zone where (C/sub 0//sup 0/ to C/sub c/) depends on the initial coke concentration and a zone where (C/sub c//sub 0/ to C/sub c/) is controlled by oxygen supply. 40 references, 6 figures, 5 tables.

The characteristics of bed agglomeration during fluidized bed combustion of eucalyptus bark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaivatamaset, Pawin; Tia, Suvit

2015-01-01

The bed agglomeration behaviors were investigated experimentally when eucalyptus bark was burning tested in a laboratory scale fluidized bed reactor. The focuses of this work were the influences of operating conditions and bed materials on the bed agglomeration tendency and the elucidation in the behaviors of fuel inorganic elements and the governing mode of the agglomeration. It was found that the defluidization caused by the bed agglomeration was clearly detectable from the decrease in measured bed pressure. The growth of bed particle and accumulation of agglomerates during combustion provided the partial to complete defluidization. The defluidization was promoted by the increase of bed temperature and bed particle size, and the decrease of fluidizing air velocity. The SEM-EDS analyses revealed that the bed agglomeration was mainly attributed to the formation of potassium silicate compounds as liquid phase during the combustion. This was initiated by the chemical reaction between the bed particle and the released ash constituents. In this study, the inorganic migration from fuel particle to bed particle was likely dominated by the condensation/reaction. The thermodynamic examination by ternary phase diagram analysis corroborated that the liquid phase formation of the ash derived materials controlled the agglomeration. The alumina sand prevented the bed agglomeration since it was inactive in the formation of viscous molten substances during combustion at the observed temperatures. - Highlights: • The behaviors of bed agglomeration were studied during the fluidized bed combustion of eucalyptus bark. • The increase in bed temperature and sand size, and the decrease of air velocity promoted bed defluidization. • The formation of molten potassium silicate compounds conduced to the bed agglomeration. • Condensation/reaction was the dominant inorganic migration mechanism from fuel particle to bed particle. • The alumina sand prevented effectively the bed

Environmental protection stability of river bed and banks using convex, concave, and linear bed sills.

Science.gov (United States)

Keshavarzi, Alireza; Noori, Lila Khaje

2010-12-01

River bed scourings are a major environmental problem for fish and aquatic habitat resources. In this study, to prevent river bed and banks from scouring, different types of bed sills including convex, concave and linear patterns were installed in a movable channel bed in a laboratory flume. The bed sills were tested with nine different arrangements and under different flow conditions. To find the most effective bed sill pattern, the scouring depth was measured downstream of the bed sill for a long experimental duration. The scour depth was measured at the middle and at the end of each experimental test for different ratios of the arch radius to the channel width [r/w]. The experimental results indicated that the convex pattern with r/w=0.35 produced minimum bed scouring depth at the center line whereas the concave pattern with r/w=0.23 produced the minimum scour depth at the wall banks. Therefore, the convex pattern was the most effective configuration for prevention of scouring at the center line of the river while the concave pattern was very effective to prevent scouring at the river banks. These findings can be suggested to be used in practical applications.

Exercise Effects on the Brain and Sensorimotor Function in Bed Rest

Science.gov (United States)

Koppelmans, V.; Cassady, K.; De Dios, Y. E.; Szecsy, D.; Gadd, N.; Wood, S. J.; Reuter-Lorenz, R. A.; Kofman, I.; Bloomberg, J. J.; Mulavara, A. P.;

The Effects of Long Duration Bed Rest on Brain Functional Connectivity and Sensorimotor Functioning

Science.gov (United States)

Cassady, K.; Koppelmans, V.; De Dios, Y.; Stepanyan, V.; Szecsy, D.; Gadd, N.; Wood, S.; Reuter-Lorenz, P.; Castenada, R. Riascos; Kofman, I.;

Effects of setting new source performance standards for fluidized-bed combustion systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1978-02-01

This study was undertaken for the US Environmental Protection Agency to examine the potential consequences of revisions in New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) on fluidized-bed combustor-based steam electric generators of greater than 250,000,000 Btu. A study of the appropriateness and differential effects of alternate regulatory approaches to the standards-setting process was made. Problems dealing with an emerging technology such as fluidized-bed combustion were emphasized. Finally, an examination was made of the potential benefits of fluidized-bed combustion (FBC) systems relative to conventional coal-fired systems equipped with scrubbers. Information is included on the relative advantages and disadvantages of utility-sized fluidized-bed combustors, the technical consequences of NSPS alternatives, policy implications concerning NSPS for steam-electric generators, and cost models for atmospheric and pressurized FBC systems. (LCL)

Bed slope effects on turbulent wave boundary layers: 2. Comparison with skewness, asymmetry, and other effects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fuhrman, David R.; Fredsøe, Jørgen; Sumer, B. Mutlu

2009-01-01

currents or undertow). The effects from each of the four components are isolated and quantified using a standard set of bed shear stress quantities, allowing their easy comparison. For conditions representing large shallow-water waves on steep slopes, the results suggest that converging-diverging effects......A numerical model solving incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, combined with a two-equation k-omega model for turbulence closure, is used to systematically compare the relative strength of bed shear stress quantities and boundary layer streaming under wave motions from four...... from beach slope may make a significant onshore bed load contribution. Generally, however, the results suggest wave skewness (in addition to conventional steady streaming) as the most important onshore contribution outside the surf zone. Streaming induced within the wave boundary layer is also...

Bed care for patients in palliative settings: considering risks to caregivers and bed surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Fragala, Guy

2015-02-01

Ensuring patients are comfortable in bed is key to effective palliative care, but when moving and positioning patients in bed, health professionals face an occupational risk of injury. The turning and positioning (TAP) system is a new method of moving patients in bed, that evidence has shown to reduce the risk of injury to caregivers. Providing the correct bed surface is another aspect of bed care essential to the comfort of the palliative patient, and to aid wound prevention and treatment. It is important to take a patient-centred approach when considering the most appropriate bed surface patients. This article provides an overview and discussion of these two aspects of bed care for palliative patients.

Uranium bed oxidation vacuum process system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McLeland, H.L.

1977-01-01

Deuterium and tritium gases are occluded in uranium powder for release into neutron generator tubes. The uranium powder is contained in stainless steel bottles, termed ''beds.'' If these beds become damaged, the gases must be removed and the uranium oxidized in order not to be flammable before shipment to ERDA disposal grounds. This paper describes the system and methods designed for the controlled degassing and oxidation process. The system utilizes sputter-ion, cryo-sorption and bellows pumps for removing the gases from the heated source bed. Removing the tritium gas is complicated by the shielding effect of helium-3, a byproduct of tritium decay. This effect is minimized by incremental pressure changes, or ''batch'' processing. To prevent runaway exothermic reaction, oxidation of the uranium bed is also done incrementally, or by ''batch'' processing, rather than by continuous flow. The paper discusses in detail the helium-3 shielding effect, leak checks that must be made during processing, bed oxidation, degree of gas depletion, purity of gases sorbed from beds, radioactivity of beds, bed disposal and system renovation

The effect of bed particle size and deposit morphology on the filtration of magnetite through granular graphite beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbieri, R.R.; Bercovich, E.J.; Liberman, S.J.

1980-01-01

Graphite filters are of great interest for water purification in nuclear power reactors' primary systems due to their possible operation at high temperature. The influence of the bed particle size on the retention of magnetite from aqueous suspensions at room temperature was studied. The filtration coefficient changes from 0.0 to 0.18 as the mean graphite particle diameter decreases from 1.2 to 0. mm. As the retention increases, there is also an increase in the differential pressure across the bed, so both effects must be considered in order to optimize filter's operation. The specific effective volume of the deposit was calculated with the Blake-Kozeny equation and the experimental specific volumes. These are much larger than the specific volume of solid magnetite. From the results, information regarding the morphology of the deposit in the filter is obtained. (M.E.L) [es

Effects of strict prolonged bed rest on cardiorespiratory fitness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ried-Larsen, Mathias; Aarts, Hugo M; Joyner, Michael J

2017-01-01

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis [International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) CRD42017055619] was to assess the effects of strict prolonged bed rest (without countermeasures) on maximal oxygen uptake (V̇o2max) and to explore sources of variation therein....

Evaluation of a clay-based acidic bedding conditioner for dairy cattle bedding.

Science.gov (United States)

Proietto, R L; Hinckley, L S; Fox, L K; Andrew, S M

2013-02-01

This study investigated the effects of a clay-based acidic bedding conditioner on sawdust bedding pH, dry matter (DM), environmental pathogen counts, and environmental bacterial counts on teat ends of lactating dairy cows. Sixteen lactating Holstein cows were paired based on parity, days in milk, milk yield, and milk somatic cell count, and were negative for the presence of an intramammary pathogen. Within each pair, cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments with 3-wk periods in a crossover design. Treatment groups consisted of 9 freestalls per group bedded with either untreated sawdust or sawdust with a clay-based acidic bedding conditioner, added at 3- to 4-d intervals over each 21-d period. Bedding and teat ends were aseptically sampled on d 0, 1, 2, 7, 14, and 21 for determination of environmental bacterial counts. At the same time points, bedding was sampled for DM and pH determination. The bacteria identified in the bedding material were total gram-negative bacteria, Streptococcus spp., and coliform bacteria. The bacteria identified on the teat ends were Streptococcus spp., coliform bacteria, and Klebsiella spp. Teat end score, milk somatic cell count, and intramammary pathogen presence were measured weekly. Bedding and teat cleanliness, environmental high and low temperatures, and dew point data were collected daily. The bedding conditioner reduced the pH, but not the DM, of the sawdust bedding compared with untreated sawdust. Overall environmental bacterial counts in bedding were lower for treated sawdust. Total bacterial counts in bedding and on teat ends increased with time over both periods. Compared with untreated sawdust, the treated bedding had lower counts of total gram-negative bacteria and streptococci, but not coliform counts. Teat end bacterial counts were lower for cows bedded on treated sawdust for streptococci, coliforms, and Klebsiella spp. compared with cows bedded on untreated sawdust. The clay-based acidic bedding conditioner

The effect of insecticide-treated bed net on malarial parasitaemia ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

AFRICAN JOURNALS ONLINE (AJOL) · Journals · Advanced Search ... nets sold by a social marketing project were used as the intervention group. ... Keywords: Insecticide-treated bed net, Effectiveness, Malaria control, South-South Nigeria.

Effects of turning on skin-bed interface pressures in healthy adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Matthew J; Schwab, Wilhelm; van Oostrom, Johannes H; Gravenstein, Nikolaus; Caruso, Lawrence J

2010-07-01

This paper is a report of a study of the effects of lateral turning on skin-bed interface pressures in the sacral, trochanteric and buttock regions, and its effectiveness in unloading at-risk tissue. Minimizing skin-support surface interface pressure is important in pressure ulcer prevention, but the effect of standard patient repositioning on skin interface pressure has not been objectively established. Data were collected from 15 healthy adults from a university-affiliated hospital. Mapped 24-inch x 24-inch (2304 half-inch sensors) interface pressure profiles were obtained in the supine position, followed by lateral turning with pillow or wedge support and subsequent head-of-bed elevation to 30 degrees . Raising the head-of-bed to 30 degrees in the lateral position statistically significantly increased peak interface pressures and total area > or = 32 mmHg. Comparing areas > or = 32 mmHg from all positions, 93% of participants had skin areas with interface pressures > or = 32 mmHg throughout all positions (60 +/- 54 cm(2)), termed 'triple jeopardy areas'. The triple jeopardy area increased statistically significantly with wedges as compared to pillows (153 +/- 99 cm(2) vs. 48 +/- 47 cm(2), P turning by experienced intensive care unit nurses does not reliably unload all areas of high skin-bed interface pressures. These areas remain at risk for skin breakdown, and help to explain why pressure ulcers occur despite the implementation of standard preventive measures. Support materials for maintaining lateral turned positions can also influence tissue unloading and triple jeopardy areas.

Bacillus cereus in free-stall bedding.

Science.gov (United States)

Magnusson, M; Svensson, B; Kolstrup, C; Christiansson, A

2007-12-01

To increase the understanding of how different factors affect the bacterial growth in deep sawdust beds for dairy cattle, the microbiological status of Bacillus cereus and coliforms in deep sawdust-bedded free stalls was investigated over two 14-d periods on one farm. High counts of B. cereus and coliforms were found in the entire beds. On average, 4.1 log(10) B. cereus spores, 5.5 log(10) B. cereus, and 6.7 log(10) coliforms per gram of bedding could be found in the upper layers of the sawdust likely to be in contact with the cows' udders. The highest counts of B. cereus spores, B. cereus, and coliforms were found in the bedding before fresh bedding was added, and the lowest immediately afterwards. Different factors of importance for the growth of B. cereus in the bedding material were explored in laboratory tests. These were found to be the type of bedding, pH, and the type and availability of nutrients. Alternative bedding material such as peat and mixtures of peat and sawdust inhibited the bacterial growth of B. cereus. The extent of growth of B. cereus in the sawdust was increased in a dose-dependent manner by the availability of feces. Urine added to different bedding material raised the pH and also led to bacterial growth of B. cereus in the peat. In sawdust, a dry matter content greater than 70% was needed to lower the water activity to 0.95, which is needed to inhibit the growth of B. cereus. In an attempt to reduce the bacterial growth of B. cereus and coliforms in deep sawdust beds on the farm, the effect of giving bedding daily or a full replacement of the beds was studied. The spore count of B. cereus in the back part of the free stalls before fresh bedding was added was 0.9 log units lower in stalls given daily bedding than in stalls given bedding twice weekly. No effect on coliform counts was found. Replacement of the entire sawdust bedding had an effect for a short period, but by 1 to 2 mo after replacement, the counts of B. cereus spores in the

Operating experience and data on revolving type fluidized bed incineration plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakayama, J.

1990-01-01

In refuse incinerators operating by revolving fluidization (Revolving Type Fluidized Bed Incinerator) a broad range of wastes, from low caloric refuse of high moisture content to high caloric value material including a wide variety of plastics, can be incinerated at high efficiency because the unit is outstanding in terms of distribution of waste in the incinerator bed and uniformity of heat. In addition, its vigorous revolving fluidization action is very effective in pulverizing refuse, so even relatively strict emission standards can be met without fine pre-shredding. Residues are discharged in a clean, dry form free of putrescible material. Data on practical operation of the revolving fluidized bed incinerator are presented in this paper

Generation of Composite Dose and Biological Effective Dose (BED) Over Multiple Treatment Modalities and Multistage Planning Using Deformable Image Registration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Geoffrey; Huang, T-C; Feygelman, Vladimir; Stevens, Craig; Forster, Kenneth

2010-01-01

Currently there are no commercially available tools to generate composite plans across different treatment modalities and/or different planning image sets. Without a composite plan, it may be difficult to perform a meaningful dosimetric evaluation of the overall treatment course. In this paper, we introduce a method to generate composite biological effective dose (BED) plans over multiple radiotherapy treatment modalities and/or multistage plans, using deformable image registration. Two cases were used to demonstrate the method. Case I was prostate cancer treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and a permanent seed implant. Case II involved lung cancer treated with two treatment plans generated on two separate computed tomography image sets. Thin-plate spline or optical flow methods were used as appropriate to generate deformation matrices. The deformation matrices were then applied to the dose matrices and the resulting physical doses were converted to BED and added to yield the composite plan. Cell proliferation and sublethal repair were considered in the BED calculations. The difference in BED between normal tissues and tumor volumes was accounted for by using different BED models, α/β values, and cell potential doubling times. The method to generate composite BED plans presented in this paper provides information not available with the traditional simple dose summation or physical dose summation. With the understanding of limitations and uncertainties of the algorithms involved, it may be valuable for the overall treatment plan evaluation.

Thermal Analysis of Fluidized Bed and Fixed Bed Latent Heat Thermal Storage System

Science.gov (United States)

Beemkumar, N.; Karthikeyan, A.; Shiva Keshava Reddy, Kota; Rajesh, Kona; Anderson, A.

2017-05-01

Thermal energy storage technology is essential because its stores available energy at low cost. Objective of the work is to store the thermal energy in a most efficient method. This work is deal with thermal analysis of fluidized bed and fixed bed latent heat thermal storage (LHTS) system with different encapsulation materials (aluminium, brass and copper). D-Mannitol has been used as phase change material (PCM). Encapsulation material which is in orbicular shape with 4 inch diameter and 2 mm thickness orbicular shaped product is used. Therminol-66 is used as a heat transfer fluid (HTF). Arrangement of encapsulation material is done in two ways namely fluidized bed and fixed bed thermal storage system. Comparison was made between the performance of fixed bed and fluidized bed with different encapsulation material. It is observed that from the economical point of view aluminium in fluidized bed LHTS System has highest efficiency than copper and brass. The thermal energy storage system can be analyzed with fixed bed by varying mass flow rate of oil paves a way to find effective heat energy transfer.

The effect of tapering on a magnetocaloric regenerator bed

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dallolio, Stefano; Lei, Tian; Engelbrecht, Kurt

2017-01-01

. Therefore, this paper investigates the effect of the tapering of the regenerators, which exhibit better air-gap utilization. Several simulations using a 1D AMR model were run to study the performance of the tapered regenerator, and the results were compared to the case of the straight regenerator bed...

Effects of sawdust bedding dry matter on lying behavior of dairy cows: a dose-dependent response.

Science.gov (United States)

Reich, L J; Weary, D M; Veira, D M; von Keyserlingk, M A G

2010-04-01

The objective was to determine the effect of sawdust bedding dry matter on the lying behavior of Holstein cows. Dry matter (DM) was varied systematically over 5 treatment levels to test how cows respond to damp bedding. This experiment was repeated during summer and winter to test if the effects of damp bedding varied with season. The 5 bedding treatments averaged (+/-SD) 89.8+/-3.7, 74.2+/-6.4, 62.2+/-6.3, 43.9+/-4.0, and 34.7+/-3.8% DM. Over the course of the trial, minimum and maximum temperatures in the barn were 2.6+/-2.0 and 6.8+/-2.2 degrees C in the winter and 13.3+/-2.5 and 22.6+/-4.1 degrees C in the summer. In both seasons, 5 groups of 3 nonlactating cows were housed in free stalls bedded with sawdust. Following a 5-d acclimation period on dry bedding, groups were exposed to the 5 bedding treatments in a 5 x 5 Latin square. Each treatment lasted 4 d, followed by 1 d when the cows were provided with dry bedding. Stall usage was assessed by 24-h video scanned at 5-min intervals. Responses were analyzed within group (n=5) as the observational unit. Bedding DM affected lying time, averaging 10.4+/-0.4 h/d on the wettest treatment and increasing to 11.5+/-0.4 h/d on the driest bedding. Lying time varied with season, averaging 12.1+/-0.4 h/d across treatments during the winter and 9.9+/-0.6 h/d during the summer, but season and bedding DM did not interact. These results indicate that access to dry bedding is important for dairy cows. Copyright (c) 2010 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A methodology to investigate the contribution of conduction and radiation heat transfer to the effective thermal conductivity of packed graphite pebble beds, including the wall effect

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Beer, M., E-mail: maritz.db@gmail.com [School of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520 (South Africa); Du Toit, C.G., E-mail: Jat.DuToit@nwu.ac.za [School of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520 (South Africa); Rousseau, P.G., E-mail: pieter.rousseau@uct.ac.za [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701 (South Africa)

2017-04-01

Highlights: • The radiation and conduction components of the effective thermal conductivity are separated. • Near-wall effects have a notable influence on the effective thermal conductivity. • Effective thermal conductivity is a function of the macro temperature gradient. • The effective thermal conductivity profile shows a characteristic trend. • The trend is a result of the interplay between conduction and radiation. - Abstract: The effective thermal conductivity represents the overall heat transfer characteristics of a packed bed of spheres and must be considered in the analysis and design of pebble bed gas-cooled reactors. During depressurized loss of forced cooling conditions the dominant heat transfer mechanisms for the passive removal of decay heat are radiation and conduction. Predicting the value of the effective thermal conductivity is complex since it inter alia depends on the temperature level and temperature gradient through the bed, as well as the pebble packing structure. The effect of the altered packing structure in the wall region must therefore also be considered. Being able to separate the contributions of radiation and conduction allows a better understanding of the underlying phenomena and the characteristics of the resultant effective thermal conductivity. This paper introduces a purpose-designed test facility and accompanying methodology that combines physical measurements with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to separate the contributions of radiation and conduction heat transfer, including the wall effects. Preliminary results obtained with the methodology offer important insights into the trends observed in the experimental results and provide a better understanding of the interplay between the underlying heat transfer phenomena.

The thermal conductivity of beds of spheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McElroy, D.L.; Weaver, F.J.; Shapiro, M.; Longest, A.W.; Yarbrough, D.W.

1987-01-01

The thermal conductivities (k) of beds of solid and hollow microspheres were measured using two radial heat flow techniques. One technique provided k-data at 300 K for beds with the void spaces between particles filled with argon, nitrogen, or helium from 5 kPa to 30 MPa. The other technique provided k-data with air at atmospheric pressure from 300 to 1000 K. The 300 K technique was used to study bed systems with high k-values that can be varied by changing the gas type and gas pressure. Such systems can be used to control the operating temperature of an irradiation capsule. The systems studied included beds of 500 μm dia solid Al 2 O 3 , the same Al 2 O 3 spheres mixed with spheres of silica--alumina or with SiC shards, carbon spheres, and nickel spheres. Both techniques were used to determine the k-value of beds of hollow spheres with solid shells of Al 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 /center dot/7 w/o Cr 2 O 3 , and partially stabilized ZrO 2 . The hollow microspheres had diameters from 2100 to 3500 μm and wall thicknesses from 80 to 160 μm. 12 refs., 7 figs., 4 tabs

Experimental investigation of multidimensional cooling effects on the coolability of a debris bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rashidi, M.; Kulenovici, R.; Laurieni, E.

2011-01-01

During a severe accident in a light water reactor, the core can melt and be relocated to the lower plenum of the reactor pressure vessel. There it can form a particulate debris bed due to the possible presence of water. Within the reactor safety research, the removal of decay heat from a debris bed (formed from corium and residual water) is of great importance. In order to investigate experimentally the long-term coolability of debris beds, the down-scaled non nuclear test facility DEBRIS has been established at IKE. The major objectives of the experimental investigations at this test facility are the determination of local pressure drops for steady state boiling to check friction laws, the determination of dryout heat fluxes under various conditions for validation of numerical models, and the analysis of quenching processes of dry hot debris beds. A large number of 1D-experiments were carried out to investigate the coolability limits for different bed configurations at various thermohydraulic conditions, and to validate numerical models which can be used in reactor safety studies. Analyses based on one-dimensional configurations underestimate the coolability in realistic multidimensional configurations, where lateral water access and water inflow via bottom regions are favored. This paper presents 2D experimental results, based on various kinds of water inflow conditions into the bed, boiling and dryout tests with different bed configurations and different system pressures. Preliminary results show that the system pressure has no significant effect on the fundamental shape of the pressure gradient inside the bed, whereas with increasing system pressure the coolability limits are increased

Visualization of bed material movement in a simulated fluidized bed heat exchanger by neutron radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umekawa, Hisashi; Ozawa, Mamoru; Takenaka, Nobuyuki; Matsubayashi, Masahito

1999-01-01

The bulk movement of fluidized bed material was visualized by neutron radiography by introducing tracers into the bed materials. The simulated fluidized bed consisted of aluminum plates, and the bed material was sand of 99.7% SiO 2 (mean diameter: 0.218 mm, density: 2555 kg/m 3 ). Both materials were almost transparent to neutrons. Then the sand was colored by the contamination of the sand coated by CdSO 4 . Tracer particles of about 2 mm diameter were made by the B 4 C, bonded by the vinyl resin. The tracer was about ten times as large as the particle of fluidized bed material, but the traceability was enough to observe the bed-material bulk movement owing to the large effective viscosity of the fluidized bed. The visualized images indicated that the bubbles and/or wakes were important mechanism of the behavior of the fluidized bed movement

Entomological determinants of insecticide-treated bed net effectiveness in Western Myanmar

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smithuis, Frank M.; Kyaw, Moe Kyaw; Phe, U. Ohn; van der Broek, Ingrid; Katterman, Nina; Rogers, Colin; Almeida, Patrick; Kager, Piet A.; Stepniewska, Kasia; Lubell, Yoel; Simpson, Julie A.; White, Nicholas J.

2013-01-01

In a large cluster randomized control trial of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITN) in Western Myanmar the malaria protective effect of ITN was found to be highly variable and, in aggregate, the effect was not statistically significant. A coincident entomological investigation measured malaria vector

Effects of high salinity wastewater on methanogenic sludge bed systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ismail, S.; Gonzalez-Contreras, P.A.; Jeison, D.A.; Lier, van J.B.

2008-01-01

The attainable loading potentials of anaerobic sludge bed systems are strongly dependent on the growth of granular biomass with a particular wastewater. Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of high salinity wastewater on the biological and physical properties of methanogenic sludge.

Biofilm Effect on Flow Structure over a Permeable Bed

Science.gov (United States)

Kazemifar, F.; Blois, G.; Aybar, M.; Perez-Calleja, P.; Nerenberg, R.; Sinha, S.; Hardy, R. J.; Best, J.; Sambrook Smith, G.; Christensen, K. T.

2017-12-01

Biofilms constitute an important form of bacterial life in aquatic environments and are present at the fluid-solid interfaces in natural and industrial settings, such as water distribution systems and riverbeds among others. The permeable, heterogeneous, and deformable structure of biofilms can influence mass and momentum transport between the subsurface and freestream. However, this interaction is not fully understood, in part due to technical obstacles impeding quantitative experimental investigations. In this work, the effect of biofilm on flow structure over a permeable bed is studied. Experiments are conducted in a closed water channel equipped with an idealized two-dimensional permeable bed. Prior to conducting flow experiments, the models are placed within an independent recirculating reactor for biofilm growth. Once a targeted biofilm growth stage is achieved, the models are transferred to the water channel and subjected to transitional and turbulent flows. Long-distance microscopic particle image velocimetry measurements are performed to quantify the effect of biofilm on the turbulence structure of the free flow as well as the freestream-subsurface flow interaction.

Long-Duration Space Flight and Bed Rest Effects on Testosterone and Other Steroids

Science.gov (United States)

Heer, Martina; Wang, Zuwei; Huntoon, Carolyn L.; Zwart, Sara R.

2012-01-01

Context: Limited data suggest that testosterone is decreased during space flight, which could contribute to bone and muscle loss. Objective: The main objective was to assess testosterone and hormone status in long- and short-duration space flight and bed rest environments and to determine relationships with other physiological systems, including bone and muscle. Design: Blood and urine samples were collected before, during, and after long-duration space flight. Samples were also collected before and after 12- to 14-d missions and from participants in 30- to 90-d bed rest studies. Setting: Space flight studies were conducted on the International Space Station and before and after Space Shuttle missions. Bed rest studies were conducted in a clinical research center setting. Data from Skylab missions are also presented. Participants: All of the participants were male, and they included 15 long-duration and nine short-duration mission crew members and 30 bed rest subjects. Main Outcome Measures: Serum total, free, and bioavailable testosterone were measured along with serum and urinary cortisol, serum dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and SHBG. Results: Total, free, and bioavailable testosterone was not changed during long-duration space flight but were decreased (P space flight. There were no changes in other hormones measured. Testosterone concentrations dropped before and soon after bed rest, but bed rest itself had no effect on testosterone. Conclusions: There was no evidence for decrements in testosterone during long-duration space flight or bed rest. PMID:22049169

Using multiple bed load measurements: Toward the identification of bed dilation and contraction in gravel-bed rivers

Science.gov (United States)

Marquis, G. A.; Roy, A. G.

2012-02-01

This study examines bed load transport processes in a small gravel-bed river (Béard Creek, Québec) using three complementary methods: bed elevation changes between successive floods, bed activity surveys using tags inserted into the bed, and bed load transport rates from bed load traps. The analysis of 20 flood events capable of mobilizing bed material led to the identification of divergent results among the methods. In particular, bed elevation changes were not consistent with the bed activity surveys. In many cases, bed elevation changes were significant (1 to 2 times the D50) even if the bed surface had not been activated during the flood, leading to the identification of processes of bed dilation and contraction that occurred over 10% to 40% of the bed surface. These dynamics of the river bed prevent accurate derivation of bed load transport rates from topographic changes, especially for low magnitude floods. This paper discusses the mechanisms that could explain the dilation and contraction of particles within the bed and their implications in fluvial dynamics. Bed contraction seems to be the result of the winnowing of the fine sediments under very low gravel transport. Bed dilation seems to occur on patches of the bed at the threshold of motion where various processes such as fine sediment infiltration lead to the maintenance of a larger sediment framework volume. Both processes are also influenced by flood history and the initial local bed state and in turn may have a significant impact on sediment transport and morphological changes in gravel-bed rivers.

Application of a model to investigate the effective thermal conductivity of randomly packed fusion pebble beds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiaoliang; Zheng, Jie; Chen, Hongli, E-mail: hlchen1@ustc.edu.cn

2016-05-15

In our precious study, a prediction model, which calculates the effective thermal conductivity k{sub eff} of mono-sized pebble beds, has been developed and validated. Based on this model, here the effects of these influencing factors such as pebble size, thermal radiation, contact area, filling gas, gas flow, gas pressure, etc. on the k{sub eff} of randomly packed fusion pebble beds are studied and analyzed. The pebble beds investigated include Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}, Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3}, Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}, Li{sub 2}O, Be and BeO pebble beds. In the current study, many important and meaningful conclusions are derived and some of them are similar to the existing research results. Particularly, some critters that under which conditions the effect of some influencing factors can be neglected or should be considered are also presented.

Effects of Starvation on Deltamethrin Tolerance in Bed Bugs, Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zachary C. DeVries

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L., are a major pest in the urban environment. Their presence often results in physical, psychological, and financial distress of homeowners and apartment dwellers. Although many insecticide bioassays have been performed on this pest, little attention has been paid to bed bug feeding status, which is closely linked to metabolism, molting, and mass. Therefore, we evaluated the toxicity of topically applied deltamethrin on insecticide susceptible adult male bed bugs fed 2 d, 9 d, and 21 d prior to testing. When toxicity was evaluated on a “per-bug” basis, there was no difference between 2 d [LD50 = 0.498 (0.316 − 0.692 ng·bug−1] and 9 d [LD50 = 0.572 (0.436 − 0.724 ng·bug−1] starved bugs, while 21 d starved bugs had a significantly lower LD50 [0.221 (0.075 − 0.386 ng·bug−1]. When toxicity was evaluated in terms of body mass, 9 d starved bugs had the highest LD50 values [0.138 (0.102 − 0.176 ng·mg−1], followed by 2 d starved bugs [0.095 (0.060 − 0.134 ng·mg−1], and then 21 d starved bugs [0.058 (0.019–0.102 ng·mg−1]; the LD50 values of 2 d and 9 d starved bugs were significantly different from 21 d starved bugs. These results indicate that feeding status plays an important role in the toxicity of deltamethrin. In addition, the lack of differences between 2 d and 9 d starved bugs indicate that the blood meal itself has little impact on tolerance, but rather it is some physiological change following feeding that confers increased tolerance to bed bugs.

Effect of distributor on performance of a continuous fluidized bed dryer

Science.gov (United States)

Yogendrasasidhar, D.; Srinivas, G.; Pydi Setty, Y.

2018-03-01

Proper gas distribution is very important in fluidized bed drying in industrial practice. Improper distribution of gas may lead to non-idealities like channeling, short circuiting and accumulation which gives rise to non-uniform quality of dried product. Gas distribution depends on the distributor plate used. Gas distribution mainly depends on orifice diameter, number of orifices and opening area of the distributor plate. Small orifice diameter leads to clogging, and a large orifice diameter gives uneven distribution of gas. The present work involves experimental studies using different distributor plates and simulation studies using ASPEN PLUS steady state simulator. The effect of various parameters such as orifice diameter, number of orifices and the opening area of the distributor plate on the performance of fluidized bed dryer have been studied through simulation and experimentation. Simulations were carried out (i) with increasing air inlet temperature to study the characteristics of solid temperature and moisture in outlet (ii) with increasing orifice diameter and (iii) with increase in number orifices to study the solid outlet temperature profiles. It can be observed from the simulation that, an increase in orifice diameter and number orifices increases solid outlet temperature upto certain condition and then after there is no effect with further increase. Experiments were carried out with increasing opening area (3.4 to 42%) in the form of increasing orifice diameter keeping the number of orifices constant and increasing number of orifices of the distributor plate keeping the orifice diameter constant. It can be seen that the drying rate and solid outlet temperature increase upto certain condition and then after with further increase in the orifice diameter and number of orifices, the change in the drying rate and solid outlet temperature observed is little. The optimum values of orifice diameter and number of orifices from experimentation are found to be 5

Multi-sphere unit cell model to calculate the effective thermal conductivity in pebble bed reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Antwerpen, W.; Rousseau, P.G.; Du Toit, C.G.

2010-01-01

A proper understanding of the mechanisms of heat transfer, fluid flow and pressure drop through a packed bed of spheres is of utmost importance in the design of a high temperature Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR). While the gas flows predominantly in the axial direction through the bed, the total effective thermal conductivity is a lumped parameter that characterises the total heat transfer in the radial direction through the packed bed. The study of the effective thermal conductivity is important because it forms an intricate part of the self-acting decay heat removal chain, which is directly related to the PBR safety case. The effective thermal conductivity is the summation of various heat transport phenomena. These are the enhanced thermal conductivity due to turbulent mixing as the fluid passes through the voids between pebbles, heat transfer due to the movement of the solid spheres and thermal conduction and thermal radiation between the spheres in a stagnant fluid environment. In this study, the conduction and radiation between the spheres are investigated. Firstly, existing correlations for the effective thermal conductivity are investigated, with particular attention given to its applicability in the near-wall region. Several phenomena in particular are examined namely: conduction through the spheres, conduction through the contact area between the spheres, conduction through the gas phase and radiation between solid surfaces. A new approach to simulate the effective thermal conductivity for randomly packed beds is then presented, namely the so-called Multi-sphere Unit Cell Model. The model is validated by comparing the results with that obtained in experiments. (authors)

Application of a Line Laser Scanner for Bed Form Tracking in a Laboratory Flume

Science.gov (United States)

de Ruijsscher, T. V.; Hoitink, A. J. F.; Dinnissen, S.; Vermeulen, B.; Hazenberg, P.

2018-03-01

A new measurement method for continuous detection of bed forms in movable bed laboratory experiments is presented and tested. The device consists of a line laser coupled to a 3-D camera, which makes use of triangulation. This allows to measure bed forms during morphodynamic experiments, without removing the water from the flume. A correction is applied for the effect of laser refraction at the air-water interface. We conclude that the absolute measurement error increases with increasing flow velocity, its standard deviation increases with water depth and flow velocity, and the percentage of missing values increases with water depth. Although 71% of the data is lost in a pilot moving bed experiment with sand, still high agreement between flowing water and dry bed measurements is found when a robust LOcally weighted regrESSion (LOESS) procedure is applied. This is promising for bed form tracking applications in laboratory experiments, especially when lightweight sediments like polystyrene are used, which require smaller flow velocities to achieve dynamic similarity to the prototype. This is confirmed in a moving bed experiment with polystyrene.

Effects of bedding systems selected by manual muscle testing on sleep and sleep-related respiratory disturbances.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Ling-Ling; Liu, Hau-Min

2008-03-01

In this study, we investigated the feasibility of applying manual muscle testing (MMT) for bedding selection and examined the bedding effect on sleep. Four lay testers with limited training in MMT performed muscle tests for the selection of the bedding systems from five different mattresses and eight different pillows for 14 participants with mild sleep-related respiratory disturbances. For each participant individually, two bedding systems-one inducing stronger muscle forces and the other inducing weaker forces-were selected. The tester-participant pairs showed 85% and 100% agreement, respectively, for the selection of mattresses and pillows that induced the strongest muscle forces. The firmness of the mattress and the height of the pillow were significantly correlated with the body weight and body mass index of the participants for the selected strong bedding system but not for the weak bedding system. Finally, differences were observed between the strong and the weak bedding systems with regard to sleep-related respiratory disturbances and the percentage of slow-wave sleep. It was concluded that MMT can be performed by inexperienced testers for the selection of bedding systems.

EPA-Registered Bed Bug Products

Science.gov (United States)

... rest or hide in hampers, bed frames, even furniture); Failing to treat adjacent areas where bed bugs ... to work (some pesticides, such as desiccators or growth regulators, may be very effective but take some ...

Characteristics of convective heat transport in a packed pebble-bed reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdulmohsin, Rahman S., E-mail: rsar62@mst.edu [Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, 400 West 11th Street/231 Schrenk Hall, Rolla, MO 65409-1230 (United States); Al-Dahhan, Muthanna H., E-mail: aldahhanm@mst.edu [Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, 400 West 11th Street/231 Schrenk Hall, Rolla, MO 65409-1230 (United States); Department of Nuclear Engineering, 301 W. 14th St./222 Fulton Hall (United States)

2015-04-01

Highlights: • A fast-response heat transfer probe has been developed and used in this work. • Heat transport has been quantified in terms of local heat transfer coefficients. • The method of the electrically heated single sphere in packing has been applied. • The heat transfer coefficient increases from the center to the wall of packed bed. • This work advancing the knowledge of heat transport in the studied packed bed. - Abstract: Obtaining more precise results and a better understanding of the heat transport mechanism in the dynamic core of packed pebble-bed reactors is needed because this mechanism poses extreme challenges to the reliable design and efficient operation of these reactors. This mechanism can be quantified in terms of a solid-to-gas convective heat transfer coefficient. Therefore, in this work, the local convective heat transfer coefficients and their radial profiles were measured experimentally in a separate effect pilot-plant scale and cold-flow experimental setup of 0.3 m in diameter, using a sophisticated noninvasive heat transfer probe of spherical type. The effect of gas velocity on the heat transfer coefficient was investigated over a wide range of Reynolds numbers of practical importance. The experimental investigations of this work include various radial locations along the height of the bed. It was found that an increase in coolant gas flow velocity causes an increase in the heat transfer coefficient and that effect of the gas flow rate varies from laminar to turbulent flow regimes at all radial positions of the studied packed pebble-bed reactor. The results show that the local heat transfer coefficient increases from the bed center to the wall due to the change in the bed structure, and hence, in the flow pattern of the coolant gas. The findings clearly indicate that one value of an overall heat transfer coefficient cannot represent the local heat transfer coefficients within the bed; therefore, correlations are needed to

Measurement of the heat transfer parameters in infiltrated binary beryllium beds. Comparison between the results with PEHTRA and SUPER-PEHTRA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donne, M. dalle; Piazza, G.; Scaffidi-Argentina, F.

2000-01-01

For the next generation fusion reactors with a ceramic breeder blanket the use, as a neutron multiplier, of either a binary bed of large (∼ 2 mm) and small (∼ 0.1-0.2 mm) beryllium pebbles or a single size bed made of 1 mm or 2 mm pebbles is foreseen. The heat transfer parameters of such a binary pebble bed, namely the thermal conductivity and the heat transfer coefficient to the containing wall, have been investigated previously in the experimental device PEHTRA available at FZK. The experiments allowed to measure the effect of the bed temperature and of constraint exerted by the containing walls. The constraint is defined by the bed interference, i.e. the difference in the radial expansion between bed and the constraining walls related to the bed thickness (Δl/l). However, with the PEHTRA experiments, it was only possible to achieve a Δl/l value of 0.1%. A new experimental rig (SUPER-PEHTRA) has been constructed at FZK, which allows to achieve Δl/l values of 0.3% and to measure the pressure of the expanding bed on the containing walls. First experiments with a binary bed have been performed. The present paper reports on further experiments with binary beds and the establishing of equations correlating the data obtained for the present binary beds and for the binary bed experiments described. (orig.)

Predicting fractional bed load transport rates: Application of the Wilcock‐Crowe equations to a regulated gravel bed river

Science.gov (United States)

Gaeuman, David; Andrews, E.D.; Krause, Andreas; Smith, Wes

2009-01-01

Bed load samples from four locations in the Trinity River of northern California are analyzed to evaluate the performance of the Wilcock‐Crowe bed load transport equations for predicting fractional bed load transport rates. Bed surface particles become smaller and the fraction of sand on the bed increases with distance downstream from Lewiston Dam. The dimensionless reference shear stress for the mean bed particle size (τ*rm) is largest near the dam, but varies relatively little between the more downstream locations. The relation between τ*rm and the reference shear stresses for other size fractions is constant across all locations. Total bed load transport rates predicted with the Wilcock‐Crowe equations are within a factor of 2 of sampled transport rates for 68% of all samples. The Wilcock‐Crowe equations nonetheless consistently under‐predict the transport of particles larger than 128 mm, frequently by more than an order of magnitude. Accurate prediction of the transport rates of the largest particles is important for models in which the evolution of the surface grain size distribution determines subsequent bed load transport rates. Values of τ*rm estimated from bed load samples are up to 50% larger than those predicted with the Wilcock‐Crowe equations, and sampled bed load transport approximates equal mobility across a wider range of grain sizes than is implied by the equations. Modifications to the Wilcock‐Crowe equation for determining τ*rm and the hiding function used to scale τ*rm to other grain size fractions are proposed to achieve the best fit to observed bed load transport in the Trinity River.

Better backs by better beds?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bergholdt, Kim; Fabricius, Rasmus N; Bendix, Tom

2008-01-01

mattresses have a positive effect on LBP, and especially a hard mattress is commonly believed to have a positive effect. METHODS: One hundred sixty CLBP patients were randomized to 1 of 3 groups, having a mattress/bed mounted in their sleeping room for 1 month. The beds were: (1) waterbed (Akva), (2) body......-conforming foam mattress (Tempur), and (3) a hard mattress (Innovation Futon). At baseline and after 4 weeks, a blinded observer interviewed the patients on LBP levels (0-10), daily function (activities of daily living, 0-30), and on the amount of sleeping hours/night. RESULTS: Because of dropout of 19 patients...... using the probably most relevant "worst case" data. There were no relevant difference between the effects of the water bed and the foam bed. CONCLUSION: The Waterbed and foam mattress' did influence back symptoms, function and sleep more positively as apposed to the hard mattress, but the differences...

Separate effects tests to determine the thermal dispersion in structured pebble beds in the PBMR HPTU test facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Toit, C.G. du, E-mail: jat.dutoit@nwu.ac.za; Rousseau, P.G.; Kgame, T.L.

2014-05-01

Thermal-fluid simulations are used extensively to predict the maximum fuel temperatures, flows, pressure drops and thermal capacitance of pebble bed gas cooled reactors in support of the reactor safety case. The PBMR company developed the HTTF test facility in cooperation with M-Tech Industrial (Pty) Ltd. and the North-West University in South Africa to conduct comprehensive separate effects tests as well as integrated effects tests to study the different thermal-fluid phenomena. This paper describes the separate effects tests that were conducted to determine the effect of the porous structure on the fluid effective thermal conductivity due to the thermal dispersion. It also presents the methodology applied in the data analysis to derive the resultant values of the effective thermal conductivity and its associated uncertainty.

Changes in markers of bone formation and resorption in a bed rest model of weightlessness

Science.gov (United States)

Lueken, S. A.; Arnaud, S. B.; Taylor, A. K.; Baylink, D. J.

1993-01-01

To study the mechanism of bone loss in physical unloading, we examined indices of bone formation and bone resorption in the serum and urine of eight healthy men during a 7 day -6 degrees head-down tilt bed rest. Prompt increases in markers of resorption--pyridinoline (PD), deoxypyridinoline (DPD), and hydroxyproline (Hyp)/g creatinine--during the first few days of inactivity were paralleled by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) with significant increases in all these markers by day 4 of bed rest. An index of formation, skeletal alkaline phosphatase (SALP), did not change during bed rest and showed a moderate 15% increase 1 week after reambulation. In contrast to SALP, serum osteocalcin (OC) began increasing the day preceding the increase in Hyp, remained elevated for the duration of the bed rest, and returned to pre-bed rest values within 5 days of reambulation. Similarly, DPD increased significantly at the onset of bed rest, remained elevated for the duration of bed rest, and returned to pre-bed rest levels upon reambulation. On the other hand, the other three indices of resorption, Hyp, PD, and TRAP, remained elevated for 2 weeks after reambulation. The most sensitive indices of the levels of physical activity proved to be the noncollagenous protein, OC, and the collagen crosslinker, DPD. The bed rest values of both these markers were significantly elevated compared to both the pre-bed rest values and the post-bed rest values. The sequence of changes in the circulating markers of bone metabolism indicated that increases in serum OC are the earliest responses of bone to head-down tilt bed rest.

A CFD model for biomass combustion in a packed bed furnace

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karim, Md. Rezwanul [Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, VIC 3122 (Australia); Department of Mechanical & Chemical Engineering, Islamic University of Technology, Gazipur 1704 (Bangladesh); Ovi, Ifat Rabbil Qudrat [Department of Mechanical & Chemical Engineering, Islamic University of Technology, Gazipur 1704 (Bangladesh); Naser, Jamal, E-mail: jnaser@swin.edu.au [Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, VIC 3122 (Australia)

2016-07-12

Climate change has now become an important issue which is affecting environment and people around the world. Global warming is the main reason of climate change which is increasing day by day due to the growing demand of energy in developed countries. Use of renewable energy is now an established technique to decrease the adverse effect of global warming. Biomass is a widely accessible renewable energy source which reduces CO{sub 2} emissions for producing thermal energy or electricity. But the combustion of biomass is complex due its large variations and physical structures. Packed bed or fixed bed combustion is the most common method for the energy conversion of biomass. Experimental investigation of packed bed biomass combustion is difficult as the data collection inside the bed is challenging. CFD simulation of these combustion systems can be helpful to investigate different operational conditions and to evaluate the local values inside the investigation area. Available CFD codes can model the gas phase combustion but it can’t model the solid phase of biomass conversion. In this work, a complete three-dimensional CFD model is presented for numerical investigation of packed bed biomass combustion. The model describes the solid phase along with the interface between solid and gas phase. It also includes the bed shrinkage due to the continuous movement of the bed during solid fuel combustion. Several variables are employed to represent different parameters of solid mass. Packed bed is considered as a porous bed and User Defined Functions (UDFs) platform is used to introduce solid phase user defined variables in the CFD. Modified standard discrete transfer radiation method (DTRM) is applied to model the radiation heat transfer. Preliminary results of gas phase velocity and pressure drop over packed bed have been shown. The model can be useful for investigation of movement of the packed bed during solid fuel combustion.

Accounting for porous structure in effective thermal conductivity calculations in a pebble bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antwerpen, W. van; Rousseau, P.G.; Toit, C.G. du

2009-01-01

A proper understanding of the mechanisms of heat transfer, flow and pressure drop through a packed bed of spheres is of utmost importance in the design of a high temperature pebble bed reactor. A thorough knowledge of the porous structure within the packed bed is important to any rigorous analysis of the transport phenomena, as all the heat and flow mechanisms are influenced by the porous structure. In this paper a new approach is proposed to simulate the effective thermal conductivity employing a combination of new and existing correlations for randomly packed beds. More attention is given to packing structure based on coordination number and contact angles, resulting in a more rigorous differentiation between the bulk and near-wall regions. The model accounts for solid conduction, gas conduction, contact area, surface roughness as well as radiation. (author)

Comparison of ingestion and topical application of insecticides against the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

Science.gov (United States)

Sierras, Angela; Schal, Coby

2016-01-01

Background The global prevalence of Cimex lectularius infestations has challenged current intervention efforts, as pyrethroid resistance has become ubiquitous, availability of labeled insecticides for bed bugs is limited, and non-chemical treatment options, such as heat, are often unaffordable. We evaluated representative insecticides toward the goal of developing a novel, ingestible liquid bait for hematophagous arthropods. Results LC50 values were estimated for adult males and first instar nymphs of an insecticide-susceptible strain for abamectin, clothianidin, fipronil and indoxacarb, after ingestion from an in vitro feeder. LD50 values were calculated based on the ingested blood volume. Ingested abamectin, clothianidin and fipronil caused rapid mortality in both life stages. Fipronil was ∼43-fold more effective by ingestion than by topical application. Indoxacarb and its bioactive metabolite decarbomethoxyllated JW062 (DCJW) were ineffective at causing bed bug mortality even at concentrations as high as 1000 ng mL−1 blood. Conclusions Fipronil, clothianidin and abamectin have potential for being incorporated into a liquid bait for bed bug control; indoxacarb and DCJW were not effective. Bed bugs are a good candidate for an ingestible liquid bait because systemic formulations generally require less active ingredient than residual sprays, they remain contained and more effectively target hematophagous arthropods. PMID:27766740

Experimental investigation of filled bed effect on the thermal performance of a wet cooling tower by using ZnO/water nanofluid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imani-Mofrad, Peyman; Saeed, Zeinali Heris; Shanbedi, Mehdi

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Effect of filled bed on performance of cooling tower with ZnO nanofluid evaluated. • Applying metal reticular bed is the best choice when ZnO/water nanofluid is used. • Metal reticular bed showed lowest fouling and agglomeration of nanoparticles. • Nanofluid improved cooling range, characteristic & effectiveness of cooling tower. - Abstract: This study deals with an experimental investigation on the effect of different types of filled beds on the thermal performance of a wet cooling tower by using zinc oxide (ZnO)/water nanofluid. Different concentrations of ZnO/water nanofluid were prepared through two-step procedure by using pure water with electrical conductivity of 2 μS/cm. First, by using ZnO/water nanofluid (0.08 wt%), effect of six different filled beds were investigated on the thermal performance of the cooling tower. Moreover, after each experiment the applied filled bed was reviewed in order to observe any aggregation or settlement of nanoparticles on the surfaces of the bed. It was found that applying metal reticular bed (Bed 1) is the best choice when ZnO/water nanofluid is used. In the other word Bed 1 results better thermal characteristics for cooling tower and less settlement of nanofluids. Then different concentrations of ZnO/water nanofluid in the range of 0.02–0.1 wt% is employed in the cooling tower by utilizing Bed 1. The results showed that by using nanofluids, cooling range, tower characteristic (TC) and effectiveness of cooling tower are enriched compared to water. For example, TC enhanced by 21.5% and 22.5% for ZnO/water nanofluid with concentration of 0.02 wt% and 0.05 wt%, respectively.

Feasibility Study of a Lunar Analog Bed Rest Model

Science.gov (United States)

Cromwell, Ronita L.; Platts, Steven H.; Yarbough, Patrice; Buccello-Stout, Regina

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of using a 9.5deg head-up tilt bed rest model to simulate the effects of the 1/6 g load to the human body that exists on the lunar surface. The lunar analog bed rest model utilized a modified hospital bed. The modifications included mounting the mattress on a sled that rolled on bearings to provide freedom of movement. The weight of the sled was off-loaded using a counterweight system to insure that 1/6 body weight was applied along the long axis (z-axis) of the body. Force was verified through use of a force plate mounted at the foot of the bed. A seating assembly was added to the bed to permit periods of sitting. Subjects alternated between standing and sitting positions throughout the day. A total of 35% of the day was spent in the standing position and 65% was spent sitting. In an effort to achieve physiologic fluid shifts expected for a 1/6 G environment, subjects wore compression stockings and performed unloaded foot and ankle exercises. Eight subjects (3 females and 5 males) participated in this study. Subjects spent 13 days in the pre-bed rest phase, 6 days in bed rest and 3 days post bed rest. Subjects consumed a standardized diet throughout the study. To determine feasibility, measures of subject comfort, force and plasma volume were collected. Subject comfort was assessed using a Likert scale. Subjects were asked to assess level of comfort (0-100) for 11 body regions and provide an overall rating. Results indicated minimal to no discomfort as most subjects reported scores of zero. Force measures were performed for each standing position and were validated against subject s calculated 1/6 body weight (r(sup 2) = 0.993). The carbon monoxide rebreathing technique was used to assess plasma volume during pre-bed rest and on the last day of bed rest. Plasma volume results indicated a significant decrease (p = 0.001) from pre to post bed rest values. Subjects lost on average 8.3% (sd = 6.1%) during the

The effectiveness of bed bathing practices on skin integrity and hospital-acquired infections among adult patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Veje, Pia; Larsen, Palle

2014-01-01

is: What is the effectiveness of traditional towel bed bath practice compared to other innovate bed bath practices on maintaining skin integrity, skin barrier function and reduction of pathogen microbial counts on skin among adult patients in all settings? Inclusion criteria: Types of participants...... practices, including all bag bath interventions, not limited to any specific type or brand. For the purpose of this systematic review, bag bath interventions include bathing patients with pre-packaged disposal washcloths by use of a different cloth to wash each part of the patient's body. The washcloths...... typically comprise rayon/polyester cloth pre-moistened with an evaporating no-rinse cleanser and emollients. Comparator: The comparator is the traditional bed bath (towel bed bath) intervention, regardless of type and frequency. For the purposes of this systematic review, traditional bed bath refers...

The Effectiveness of a Wireless Modular Bed Absence Sensor Device for Fall Prevention among Older Inpatients.

Science.gov (United States)

Subermaniam, Kogilavani; Welfred, Ridgwan; Subramanian, Pathmawathi; Chinna, Karuthan; Ibrahim, Fatimah; Mohktar, Mas S; Tan, Maw Pin

2016-01-01

Falls and fall-related injuries are increasingly serious issues among elderly inpatients due to population aging. The bed-exit alarm has only previously been evaluated in a handful of studies with mixed results. Therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness of a modular bed absence sensor device (M-BAS) in detecting bed exits among older inpatients in a middle income nation in East Asia. Patients aged ≥65 years on an acute geriatric ward who were able to mobilize with or without walking aids and physical assistance were recruited to the study. The total number of alarms and the numbers of true and false alarms were recorded by ward nurses. The M-BAS device is placed across the mattress of all consenting participants. Nurses' workload was assessed using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) score, while nurses' perceptions were surveyed. The sensitivity of the M-BAS was 100% with a positive predictive value of 68% and a nuisance alarm rate of 31%. There was a significant reduction in total NASA-TLX workload score (mean difference = 14.34 ± 13.96 SD, p  < 0.001) at the end of the intervention period. 83% of the nurses found the device useful for falls prevention, 97% found it user friendly, and 87% would use it in future. The M-BAS was able to accurately detect bed absence episodes among geriatric inpatients and alert nurses accordingly. The use of the device significantly reduced the total workload score, while the acceptability of the device was high among our nurses. A larger, cluster randomized study to measure actual falls outcome associated with the use of the device is now indicated.

Effect of standardized orders and provider education on head-of-bed positioning in mechanically ventilated patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Helman, Donald L; Sherner, John H; Fitzpatrick, Thomas M; Callender, Marcia E; Shorr, Andrew F

2003-09-01

Semirecumbent head-of-bed positioning in mechanically ventilated patients decreases the risk of developing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The purpose of this study was to determine whether the addition of a standardized order followed by the initiation of a provider education program would increase the frequency with which our patients were maintained in the semirecumbent position. Prospective, pre-, and postintervention observational study. A tertiary care, U.S. Army teaching hospital. Mechanically ventilated medical and surgical intensive care unit patients. The first intervention involved the addition of an order for semirecumbent head-of-bed positioning to our intensive care unit order sets. This was followed 2 months later with a second intervention, which was a nurse and physician education program emphasizing semirecumbent positioning. Data regarding head-of-bed positioning were collected on 100 patient observations at baseline and at 1 and 2 months after each of our interventions. The mean angle of head of bed increased from 24 +/- 9 degrees at baseline to 35 +/- 9 degrees (p 45 degrees increased from 3% to 16% 2 months after the standardized order (p patients with head of bed >45 degrees was 29% (p = NS compared with values after the first intervention). Data collected 6 months after completion of our education programs showed that these improvements were maintained. Standardizing the process of care via the addition of an order specifying head-of-bed position significantly increased the number of patients who were placed in the semirecumbent position. In an era of cost-conscious medicine, interventions that utilize protocols and education programs should be emphasized.

The odorant receptor co-receptor from the bed bug, Cimex lectularius L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Immo A Hansen

Full Text Available Recently, the bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. has re-emerged as a serious and growing problem in many parts of the world. Presence of resistant bed bugs and the difficulty to eliminate them has renewed interest in alternative control tactics. Similar to other haematophagous arthropods, bed bugs rely on their olfactory system to detect semiochemicals in the environment. Previous studies have morphologically characterized olfactory organs of bed bugs' antenna and have physiologically evaluated the responses of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs to host-derived chemicals. To date, odorant binding proteins (OBPs and odorant receptors (ORs associated with these olfaction processes have not been studied in bed bugs. Chemoreception in insects requires formation of heteromeric complexes of ORs and a universal OR coreceptor (Orco. Orco is the constant chain of every odorant receptor in insects and is critical for insect olfaction but does not directly bind to odorants. Orco agonists and antagonists have been suggested as high-value targets for the development of novel insect repellents. In this study, we have performed RNAseq of bed bug sensory organs and identified several odorant receptors as well as Orco. We characterized Orco expression and investigated the effect of chemicals targeting Orco on bed bug behavior and reproduction. We have identified partial cDNAs of six C. lectularius OBPs and 16 ORs. Full length bed bug Orco was cloned and sequenced. Orco is widely expressed in different parts of the bed bug including OR neurons and spermatozoa. Treatment of bed bugs with the agonist VUAA1 changed bed bug pheromone-induced aggregation behavior and inactivated spermatozoa. We have described and characterized for the first time OBPs, ORs and Orco in bed bugs. Given the importance of these molecules in chemoreception of this insect they are interesting targets for the development of novel insect behavior modifiers.

Effects of Bed Rest on Conduction Velocity of the Triceps Surae Stretch Reflex and Postural Control

Science.gov (United States)

Reschke, M. F.; Wood, S. J.; Cerisano, J. M.; Kofman, I. S.; Fisher, E. A.; Esteves, J. T.; Taylor, L. C.; DeDios, Y. E.; Harm, D. L.

2011-01-01

Despite rigorous exercise and nutritional management during space missions, astronauts returning from microgravity exhibit neuromuscular deficits and a significant loss in muscle mass in the postural muscles of the lower leg. Similar changes in the postural muscles occur in subjects participating in long-duration bed rest studies. These adaptive muscle changes manifest as a reduction in reflex conduction velocity during head-down bed rest. Because the stretch reflex encompasses both the peripheral (muscle spindle and nerve axon) and central (spinal synapse) components involved in adaptation to calf muscle unloading, it may be used to provide feedback on the general condition of neuromuscular function, and might be used to evaluate the effectiveness of countermeasures aimed at preserving muscle mass and function during periods of unloading. Stretch reflexes were measured on 18 control subjects who spent 60 to 90 days in continuous 6 deg head-down bed rest. Using a motorized system capable of rotating the foot around the ankle joint (dorsiflexion) through an angle of 10 degrees at a peak velocity of about 250 deg/sec, a stretch reflex was recorded from the subject's left triceps surae muscle group. Using surface electromyography, about 300 reflex responses were obtained and ensemble-averaged on 3 separate days before bed rest, 3 to 4 times in bed, and 3 times after bed rest. The averaged responses for each test day were examined for reflex latency and conduction velocity (CV) across gender. Computerized posturography was also conducted on these same subjects before and after bed rest as part of the standard measures. Peak-to-peak sway was measured during Sensory Organization Tests (SOTs) to evaluate changes in the ability to effectively use or suppress visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive information for postural control. Although no gender differences were found, a significant increase in reflex latency and a significant decrease in CV were observed during the bed

Electrodialytic treatment for metal removal from sewage sludge ash from fluidized bed combustion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pazos, Marta; Kirkelund, Gunvor Marie; Ottosen, Lisbeth M.

2010-01-01

Sewage sludge contains several potentially hazardous compounds such as heavy metals, PCBs, PAHs, etc. However, elements with high agricultural value (P, K or Ca) are also present. During the last years, the fluidized bed sludge combustor (FBSC) is considered an effective and novel alternative to ...

Experimental study and large eddy simulation of effect of terrain slope on marginal burning in shrub fuel beds

Science.gov (United States)

Xiangyang Zhou; Shankar Mahalingam; David Weise

2007-01-01

This paper presents a combined study of laboratory scale fire spread experiments and a three-dimensional large eddy simulation (LES) to analyze the effect of terrain slope on marginal burning behavior in live chaparral shrub fuel beds. Line fire was initiated in single species fuel beds of four common chaparral plants under various fuel bed configurations and ambient...

Toxicities of Selected Essential Oils, Silicone Oils, and Paraffin Oil against the Common Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Zha, Chen; Wang, Changlu; Li, Andrew

2018-02-09

The common bed bug [Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)] and tropical bed bug [Cimex hemipterus F. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)] resurged in the United States and many other countries over the past decades. The need for safe and effective bed bug control products propelled the development of numerous 'green insecticides', mostly with essential oils listed as active ingredients. Various inorganic and organic oils also were used for bed bug management. However, there are no published studies on their toxicities against bed bugs. In this study, we screened 18 essential oils, three silicone oils, and paraffin oil (C5-20 paraffins) for their toxicities against bed bugs. All the oils exhibited insecticidal activity in topical assays. Their toxicities varied significantly; all of the evaluated essential oils were less effective than silicone oils and paraffin oil. The LD50 values of the most effective essential oil (blood orange), paraffin oil, and the most effective silicone oil (dodecamethylpentasiloxane) are 0.184 ± 0.018, 0.069 ± 0.012, and 0.036 ± 0.005 mg per bug, respectively. Direct spray of 1% water solution of 3-[hydroxy (polyethyleneoxy) propyl] heptamethyltrisiloxane, the only silicone oil that mixes well with water, resulted in 92% bed bug mortality after 1 d. Results of this study indicate silicone oils and paraffin oil have the potential to be used as safer alternative bed bug control materials. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Bed Bug Infestations and Control Practices in China: Implications for Fighting the Global Bed Bug Resurgence

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Changlu Wang

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The bed bug resurgence in North America, Europe, and Australia has elicited interest in investigating the causes of the widespread and increasing infestations and in developing more effective control strategies. In order to extend global perspectives on bed bug management, we reviewed bed bug literature in China by searching five Chinese language electronic databases. We also conducted telephone interviews of 68 pest control firms in two cities during March 2011. In addition, we conducted telephone interviews to 68 pest control companies within two cities in March 2011. Two species of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L. and Cimex hemipterus (F. are known to occur in China. These were common urban pests before the early1980s. Nationwide “Four-Pest Elimination” campaigns (bed bugs being one of the targeted pests were implemented in China from 1960 to the early 1980s. These campaigns succeeded in the elimination of bed bug infestations in most communities. Commonly used bed bug control methods included applications of hot water, sealing of bed bug harborages, physical removal, and applications of residual insecticides (mainly organophosphate sprays or dusts. Although international and domestic travel has increased rapidly in China over the past decade (2000–2010, there have only been sporadic new infestations reported in recent years. During 1999–2009, all documented bed bug infestations were found in group living facilities (military dormitories, worker dormitories, and prisons, hotels, or trains. One city (Shenzhen city near Hong Kong experienced significantly higher number of bed bug infestations. This city is characterized by a high concentration of migratory factory workers. Current bed bug control practices include educating residents, washing, reducing clutter, putting items under the hot sun in summer, and applying insecticides (pyrethroids or organophosphates. There have not been any studies or reports on bed bug insecticide

Effects of application methods of metam sodium and plastic covers on horizontal and vertical distributions of methyl isothiocyanate in bedded field plots.

Science.gov (United States)

Ou, Li-Tse; Thomas, John E; Allen, L Hartwell; Vu, Joseph C; Dickson, Donald W

2006-08-01

This study was conducted to examine the effects of three application methods of metam sodium (broadcast, single irrigation drip tape delivery, and double irrigation drip tape delivery) and two plastic covers (polyethylene film and virtually impermeable film) on volatilization and on horizontal and vertical distributions of the biologically active product of metam sodium, methyl isothiocyanate (MITC), in field plots in a Florida sandy soil. Volatilization of MITC from field beds lasted for about 20 hours after completion of metam sodium application regardless of application methods. Virtually impermeable film (VIF) was a better barrier to reduce volatilization loss than polyethylene film (PE). Since water was not applied during broadcast application, MITC was mainly retained in the shallow soil layer (0- to 20-cm depth) and downward movement of MITC was limited to about 30 cm. Large values of standard deviation indicated that initial spatial distribution of MITC in the root zone (10- and 20-cm depths) of the two broadcast applied beds covered with PE or VIF was variable. Twice more water was delivered through the single drip tape than through individual tapes of double drip tape treatments during drip application of metam sodium. More water from the single drip tape likely facilitated downward movement of MITC to at least 60-cm depth, but MITC did not penetrate to this depth in the double drip tape beds. On the other hand, horizontal distribution of MITC in the root zone (10- and 20-cm depths) in the double drip tape beds was more uniform than in the single drip tape beds. More MITC was retained in the subsurface of the VIF-covered beds regardless of application methods than in the PE-covered beds.

Numerical modelling for the effective thermal conductivity of lithium meta titanate pebble bed with different packing structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Panchal, Maulik, E-mail: maulikpanchal@ipr.res.in [Institute for Plasma Research, Bhat, Gandhinagar-382428 (India); Chaudhuri, Paritosh [Institute for Plasma Research, Bhat, Gandhinagar-382428 (India); Van Lew, Jon T; Ying, Alice [UCLA, MAE Department, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1597 (United States)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • The effective thermal conductivity (k{sub eff}) of lithium meta-titanate (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) pebble beds is an important parameter for the design and analysis of TBM in ITER. • The k{sub eff} of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble beds under stagnant helium gas have been determined numerically using different uniform packing structures and random close packing (RCP) structures. • k{sub eff} of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble beds with different packing fractions have been reported as function of temperature; k{sub eff} of the RCP Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed is compared with reported experimental results. • The numerically-determined k{sub eff} of the RCP Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed agrees reasonably well with the experimental data and Zehner-Schlunder correlation. - Abstract: The effective thermal conductivity (k{sub eff}) of lithium meta-titanate (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}) pebble beds is an important parameter for the design and analysis of IN LLCB TBM (Indian Lead Lithium Ceramic Breeder Test Blanket Module). The k{sub eff} of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble beds under stagnant helium gas have been determined numerically using different uniform packing structures and random close packing (RCP) structures. The uniform packing structures of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed are modelled by using the simple cubic, body centered cubic and face centered cubic arrangement. The packing structure of the RCP bed of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles is generated with the discrete element method (DEM) code. k{sub eff} of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble beds with different packing fractions have been reported as function of temperature; k{sub eff} of the RCP Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed is compared with reported experimental results from literature. The numerically determined k{sub eff} of the Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebble bed agrees reasonably well with the experimental data.

Turbulent water flow over rough bed - part I

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ksiazek, Leszek; Bartnik, Wojciech; Rumian, Jacek; Zagorowski, Pawel, E-mail: rmksiaze@cyf-kr.edu.pl [Department of Hydraulic Engineering and Geotechnics, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Mickiewicza Avenue 24/28, 30-059 Krakow (Poland)

2011-12-22

Restitution of diadromic fish requires restoration of ecological continuity of watercourses, e.g. by building fish ladders. Directions for fish ladders require that ichthyofauna is granted accurate conditions of water flow. To describe them, average values are used, that do not convey e.g. turbulence intensity or its spatial differentiation. The paper presents results of research on the turbulent water flow over the rough bed. The measurements were carried out with high sampling frequency probe for three velocity components. Bed configuration, distribution of average velocities and turbulence intensity were defined. The range of bed influence for the discussed water flow conditions was ascertained to reach the maximum of about 0.25 of height and decline at 0.35. The lowest turbulence and relatively lowest velocities near the bed may promote successive stages of ichthyofauna development.

X-ray tomography investigations on pebble bed structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reimann, J.; Rolli, R.; Pieritz, R.A.; Ferrero, C.; Di Michiel, M.

2007-01-01

finding is also reflected in the calculated angular contact distribution. With increasing distance from the wall, the regular structure vanishes and the bulk values are approached after the 4th wall layer away from the walls. Concerning the sum of contact surfaces per pebble, it is shown that the component normal to the compression axis (normal to the heat flow) is approximately independent of the pebble location. For strongly compressed pebble beds, this implies that by extrapolation of the bulk value of k to the wall a further heat resistance might be neglected. Keywords: Fusion reactor blanket, pebble beds, granular materials, thermal-mechanical behaviour, thermal conductivity, microtomography, void fraction, co-ordination number, contact surfaces. (orig.)

Thermalhydraulics of flowing particle-bed-type fusion reactor blankets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nietert, R.E.; Abdelk-Khalik, S.I.

1982-01-01

An experimental investigation has been conducted to determine the heat transfer characteristics of gravity-flowing particle beds using a special heat transfer loop. Glass microspheres were allowed to flow by gravity at controlled rates through an electrically heated stainless steel tubular test section. Values of the local and average convective heat transfer coefficient as a function of the average bed velocity, particle size and heat flux were determined. Such information is necessary for the design of gravity-flowing particle-bed type fusion reactor-blankets and associated tritium recovery systems. (orig.)

Mechanisms for decreased exercise capacity after bed rest in normal middle-aged men

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hung, J.; Goldwater, D.; Convertino, V.A.; McKillop, J.H.; Goris, M.L.; DeBusk, R.F.

1983-01-01

The mechanisms responsible for the decrease in exercise capacity after bed rest were assessed in 12 apparently healthy men aged 50 +/- 4 years who underwent equilibrium gated blood pool scintigraphy during supine and upright multistage bicycle ergometry before and after 10 days of bed rest. After bed rest, echocardiographically measured supine resting left ventricular end-diastolic volume decreased by 16% (p less than 0.05). Peak oxygen uptake during supine effort after bed rest was diminished by 6% (p . not significant [NS]), whereas peak oxygen uptake during upright effort declined by 15% (p less than 0.05). After bed rest, increases in heart rate were also greater during exercise in the upright than in the supine position (p less than 0.05). Values of left ventricular ejection fraction increased normally during both supine and upright effort after bed rest and were higher than corresponding values before bed rest (p less than 0.05). After bed rest, increased left ventricular ejection fraction and heart rate largely compensated for the reduced cardiac volume during supine effort, but these mechanisms were insufficient to maintain oxygen transport capacity at levels during upright effort before bed rest. These results indicate that orthostatically induced cardiac underfilling, not physical deconditioning or left ventricular dysfunction, is the major cause of reduced effort tolerance after 10 days of bed rest in normal middle-aged men

Simulation of energetic- and exergetic performance of microwave-assisted fluidized bed drying of soybeans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ranjbaran, M.; Zare, D.

2013-01-01

The performance of microwave-assisted fluidized bed drying of soybeans was simulated (using a previously validated mathematical model) and analyzed based on the first- and second law of thermodynamics. The energy and exergy analysis were carried out for several drying conditions. The effects of inlet air temperature, microwave power density, bed thickness and inlet air velocity on the efficiencies and inefficiencies of drying process have been simulated and discussed. Generally, application of microwave energy during fluidized bed drying enhanced the exergy efficiency of drying process. However, the results showed that it was more efficient not to apply microwave energy at the first stage of fluidized bed drying process. The application of higher levels of drying air temperature led in higher exergy efficiencies. The values of mean relative deviations for the predictions of efficiencies and inefficiencies of drying process were less than 14%, compared with those calculated using experimental data. - Highlights: • Introducing a mathematical model to predict the efficiency of microwave-assisted fluidized bed dryers. • Energy and exergy analysis in microwave-assisted fluidized bed drying of grains. • Providing practical recommendations for efficient use of microwave power during drying

Control of the Bed Temperature of a Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler by using Particle Swarm Optimization

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AYGUN, H.

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Circulating fluidized bed boilers are increasingly used in the power generation due to their higher combustion efficiency and lower pollutant emissions. Such boilers require an effective control of the bed temperature, because it influences the boiler combustion efficiency and the rate of harmful emissions. A Particle-Swarm-Optimization-Proportional-Integrative-Derivative (PSO-PID controller for the bed temperature of a circulating fluidized bed boiler is presented. In order to prove the capability of the proposed controller, its performances are compared at different boiler loads with those of a Fuzzy Logic (FL controller. The simulation results demonstrate some advantages of the proposed controller.

Bed Bug Guidance for School Nurses

Science.gov (United States)

School nurses are often called upon to provide vital information to students, parents, teachers, and administrators. These tips on identifying, managing and preventing bed bugs will help you to effectively respond if bed bugs appear in your school.

Combustion of uraniferous lignites in fluidized bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morales, G.; Gasos, P.

1985-01-01

In this paper a description of the continuous fluid bed combustion pilot plant unit, installed in the Junta de Energia Nuclear facilities, is presented. Besides, this paper deals with some of the studies carried out in the pilot plant aimed at the recovery of uranium from lignites, high in sulfur and ashes, coming from Calaf basin (Barcelona). These studies include the recovery of the heating value of these lignites and the reduction of environmental effect of SO 2 . Based on these studies an application exercise is presented. 9 references, 5 figures, 5 tables

Bed Bugs

Science.gov (United States)

Prevent, identify, and treat bed bug infestations using EPA’s step-by-step guides, based on IPM principles. Find pesticides approved for bed bug control, check out the information clearinghouse, and dispel bed bug myths.

Comparison of the Effects of Fluidized-Bed and Fixed-Bed Reactors in Microwave-Assisted Catalytic Decomposition of TCE by Hydrogen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lili Ren

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Trichloroethylene (TCE decomposition by hydrogen with microwave heating under different reaction systems was investigated. The activities of a series of catalysts for microwave-assisted TCE hydrodechlorination were tested through the fixed-bed and the fluidized-bed reactor systems. This study found that the different reaction system is suitable for different catalyst type. And there is an interactive relationship between the catalyst type and the reaction bed type.

Cost and cost effectiveness of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets - a model-based analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pulkki-Brännström Anni-Maria

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The World Health Organization recommends that national malaria programmes universally distribute long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLINs. LLINs provide effective insecticide protection for at least three years while conventional nets must be retreated every 6-12 months. LLINs may also promise longer physical durability (lifespan, but at a higher unit price. No prospective data currently available is sufficient to calculate the comparative cost effectiveness of different net types. We thus constructed a model to explore the cost effectiveness of LLINs, asking how a longer lifespan affects the relative cost effectiveness of nets, and if, when and why LLINs might be preferred to conventional insecticide-treated nets. An innovation of our model is that we also considered the replenishment need i.e. loss of nets over time. Methods We modelled the choice of net over a 10-year period to facilitate the comparison of nets with different lifespan (and/or price and replenishment need over time. Our base case represents a large-scale programme which achieves high coverage and usage throughout the population by distributing either LLINs or conventional nets through existing health services, and retreats a large proportion of conventional nets regularly at low cost. We identified the determinants of bed net programme cost effectiveness and parameter values for usage rate, delivery and retreatment cost from the literature. One-way sensitivity analysis was conducted to explicitly compare the differential effect of changing parameters such as price, lifespan, usage and replenishment need. Results If conventional and long-lasting bed nets have the same physical lifespan (3 years, LLINs are more cost effective unless they are priced at more than USD 1.5 above the price of conventional nets. Because a longer lifespan brings delivery cost savings, each one year increase in lifespan can be accompanied by a USD 1 or more increase in price

Effect of 2 Bedding Materials on Ammonia Levels in Individually Ventilated Cages.

Science.gov (United States)

Koontz, Jason M; Kumsher, David M; Kelly, Richard; Stallings, Jonathan D

2016-01-01

This study sought to identify an optimal rodent bedding and cage-change interval to establish standard procedures for the IVC in our rodent vivarium. Disposable cages were prefilled with either corncob or α-cellulose bedding and were used to house 2 adult Sprague-Dawley rats (experimental condition) or contained no animals (control). Rats were observed and intracage ammonia levels measured daily for 21 d. Intracage ammonia accumulation became significant by day 8 in experimental cages containing α-cellulose bedding, whereas experimental cages containing corncob bedding did not reach detectable levels of ammonia until day 14. In all 3 experimental cages containing α-cellulose, ammonia exceeded 100 ppm (our maximum acceptable limit) by day 11. Two experimental corncob cages required changing at days 16 and 17, whereas the remaining cage containing corncob bedding lasted the entire 21 d without reaching the 100-ppm ammonia threshold. These data suggests that corncob bedding provides nearly twice the service life of α-cellulose bedding in the IVC system.

Effects of disking, bedding, and subsoiling on survival and growth of three oak species in central Mississippi

Science.gov (United States)

J. Paul Jeffreys; Emily B. Schultz; Thomas G. Matney; W. Cade Booth; Jason M. Morris

2010-01-01

A replicated split-plot design experiment to evaluate the effects of three site preparation methods (disking, bedding, and subsoiling plus bedding) on survival and growth of three oak species (cherrybark, Quercus pagoda Raf.; Shumard, Quercus shumardii Buckl.; and Nuttall, Quercus texana Buckl.) was established...

Effectiveness of a Reduced-Risk Insecticide Based Bed Bug Management Program in Low-Income Housing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Narinderpal Singh

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Bed bug (Cimex lectularius L. infestations are becoming increasingly common in low-income communities. Once they are introduced, elimination is very difficult. As part of the efforts to develop effective and safe bed bug management programs, we conducted a laboratory study evaluating the efficacy of a reduced-risk insecticide—Alpine aerosol (0.5% dinotefuran. We then conducted a field evaluation of a reduced-risk insecticide based integrated pest management (IPM program in low-income family apartments with young children. In laboratory evaluations, direct spray and 5 min exposure to dry Alpine aerosol residue caused 100.0 ± 0.0 and 91.7 ± 8.3% mortality to bed bug nymphs, respectively. Direct Alpine aerosol spray killed 91.3 ± 4.3% of the eggs. The IPM program included education, steam, bagging infested linens, placing intercepting devices under furniture legs and corners of rooms, applying Alpine aerosol and Alpine dust (0.25% dinotefuran, 95% diatomaceous earth dust, and regularly scheduled monitoring and re-treatment. Nine apartments ranging from 1–1,428 (median: 29 bed bugs based on visual inspection and Climbup interceptor counts were included. Over a 6-month period, an average 172 g insecticide (Alpine aerosol + Alpine dust was used in each apartment, a 96% reduction in pesticide usage compared to chemical only treatment reported in a similar environment. The IPM program resulted in an average of 96.8 ± 2.2% reduction in the number of bed bugs. However, elimination of bed bugs was only achieved in three lightly infested apartments (<30 bed bugs at the beginning. Elimination success was closely correlated with the level of bed bug populations.

Effects of bed-rest on urea and creatinine: correlation with changes in fat-free mass.

Science.gov (United States)

Bilancio, Giancarlo; Lombardi, Cinzia; Pisot, Rado; De Santo, Natale G; Cavallo, Pierpaolo; Cirillo, Massimo

2014-01-01

Bed-rest experiments are designed for investigation on catabolic effects of hypokinetic conditions and/or for microgravity simulation in on-ground aerospace research. Bed-rest effects include a reduction in fat-free mass and muscle mass. Urea and creatinine are catabolites of endogenous protein and of muscular energetic metabolism which are excreted mainly by the kidney. The study investigated on urea, creatinine, and kidney function during bed-rest. Twenty healthy young men underwent a 7-day adaptation period (day-6 to day-0) and a 35-day bed-rest experiment (day1 to day35) during normocaloric diet. Urine were collected from day-3 to day0 (baseline) and from day1 to day35. Blood samples and anthropometrical data were collected at day0 (baseline) and bed-rest days 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35. Bed-rest reduced plasma volume, weight, fat-free mass, and muscle mass (Pcreatinine, and no change in urinary creatinine. The overall integral of changes from day0 to day35 was on average +101.7 mg/dL for plasma urea (95%CI = +43.4/+159.9), +82.2 g/24 h for urinary urea (95%CI = +55.8/+108.7), -2.5 mg/dL for plasma creatinine (95%CI = -3.1/-1.9). Bed-rest reduced plasma cistatyn C also, which was used as mass-independent marker of glomerular filtration rate (-13.1%, P<0.05). Correlations with final reduction in fat-free mass and muscle mass were significant for the overall integral of changes in urinary urea from day0 to day35 (R = 0.706, P<0.001) and for early changes in urinary urea and plasma urea from day0 to day7 (R = 0.566, P = 0.009 and R = 0.715, P<0.001, respectively). Study results shows that urea is a marker of catabolic conditions secondary to hypokinetic conditions.

Udder health in a Danish compost bedded pack barn

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svennesen, Line; Enevoldsen, Carsten; Bjerg, Bjarne Schmidt

Besides welfare advantages of the compost bedded pack system (CBP) there could be a negative effect of the organic bedding on udder health. Our objectives were to evaluate the effects of a CBP on udder health compared to a free stall system (FS) with sand bedded cubicles. Within the same Danish...

Bed agglomeration characteristics of palm shell and corncob combustion in fluidized bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaivatamaset, Pawin; Sricharoon, Panchan; Tia, Suvit

2011-01-01

Bed particle agglomeration was studied experimentally in an atmospheric laboratory scale fluidized bed combustor using quartz sand as bed material. Palm shell and corncob were tested. The objectives of the study were (i) to describe the contributions of the biomass ash properties and the operating conditions on the bed agglomeration tendency in term of the bed defluidization time (t def ) and the extent of potassium accumulation in the bed (K/Bed) and (ii) to further elucidate the ash inorganic behaviors and the governing bed agglomeration mechanisms. Defluidization caused by the bed agglomeration was experienced in all experiments during combustion of these biomasses, as a consequence of the presence of potassium in biomass. The experimental results indicated that biomass ash characteristics were the significant influence on the bed agglomeration. The increasing bed temperature, bed particle size and static bed height and the decreasing fluidizing air velocity enhanced the bed agglomeration tendency. The SEM/EDS analyses on the agglomerates confirmed that the agglomeration was attributed to the formation of potassium silicate liquid enriched on the surface of quartz sand particles in conjunction with the high surface temperature of the burning biomass char particles. Thermodynamic examination based on the phase diagram analysis confirmed that the molten phase formation was responsible for the agglomeration. In this study, the high molten ash fraction resulting from the high potassium content in biomass promoted the agglomeration and thus defluidization. - Highlights: → Palm shell and corncob of Thailand are tested their bed agglomeration behaviors during fluidized bed combustion. → The increase of bed temperature, bed particle size and static bed height and the decrease of air velocity enhance bed agglomeration. → The formation of ash derived potassium silicate melts enriched on sand surface is the key process. → The collision between char and sand

Evaluation of sludge from paper recycling as bedding material for broilers.

Science.gov (United States)

Villagrá, A; Olivas, I; Benitez, V; Lainez, M

2011-05-01

Several materials have been used as bedding substrates in broiler production. In this work, the sludge from paper recycling was tested for its potential use as litter material and was compared with wood shavings. Moisture content, apparent density, and water-holding capacity were measured and characterized in both materials. Later, 192 male broiler chickens were distributed among 16 experimental pens, 8 of which contained wood shavings as bedding material and 8 of which contained the sludge. Growth rate, consumption, tonic immobility, gait score, breast lesions, foot pad dermatitis, hock burn, tibial dyschondroplasia, and metatarsal thickness were determined in the birds. Although the moisture content of the sludge was high, it decreased strongly after 7 d of drying, reaching lower values than those of wood shavings. In general, few differences were found between the materials in terms of bird performance and welfare and only the incidence of hock burn was higher in the sludge than in the wood shavings. Although further research is needed, sludge from paper recycling is a possible alternative to traditional bedding materials because it achieves most of the requirements for broiler bedding materials and does not show negative effects on the birds.

Relative Biologic Effectiveness (RBE) of 50 kV X-rays Measured in a Phantom for Intraoperative Tumor-Bed Irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Qi; Schneider, Frank; Ma, Lin; Wenz, Frederik [Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsmedizin Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim (Germany); Herskind, Carsten, E-mail: carsten.herskind@medma.uni-heidelberg.de [Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsmedizin Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim (Germany)

2013-03-15

Purpose: Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) with low-energy x-rays is used to treat the tumor bed during breast-conserving surgery. The purpose was to determine the relative biologic effectiveness (RBE) of 50-kV x-rays for inactivation of cells irradiated in a tumor-bed phantom. Methods and Materials: The RBE was determined for clonogenic inactivation of human tumor and normal cells (MCF7, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, normal skin fibroblasts), and hamster V79 cells. The 50-kV x-rays from the Intrabeam machine (Carl Zeiss Surgical) with a spherical 4-cm applicator were used. Cells were irradiated in a water-equivalent phantom at defined distances (8.1-22.9 mm) from the applicator surface. The 50-kV x-rays from a surface therapy machine (Dermopan, Siemens) were included for comparison; 6-MV x-rays were used as reference radiation. Results: At 8.1-mm depth in the phantom (dose rate 15.1 Gy/h), mean RBE values of 50-kV x-rays from Intrabeam were 1.26 to 1.42 for the 4 cell types at doses yielding surviving fractions in the range of 0.01 to 0.5. Confidence intervals were in the range of 1.2 and 1.5. Similar RBE values were found for 50-kV x-rays from Dermopan for V79 (1.30, CI 1.25-1.36, P=.74) and GS4 (1.42, CI 1.30-1.54, P=.67). No significant dependence of RBE on dose was found for Intrabeam, but RBE decreased at a larger distance (12.7 mm; 9.8 Gy/h). Conclusions: An increased clinically relevant RBE was found for cell irradiation with Intrabeam at depths in the tumor bed targeted by IORT. The reduced RBE values at larger distances may be related to increased repair of sublethal damage during protracted irradiation or to hardening of the photon beam energy.

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Particle Shape on Frictional Pressure drop in Particulate Debris Bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jin Ho; Kim, Eun Ho; Park, Hyun Sun

2014-01-01

To ensure the long-term cooling of corium in the reactor cavity, it is important to ensure the coolant ingression into the internally heat generated corium debris bed which is governed by pressure drop in porous media. For this reason, it is necessary to understand pressure drop mechanisms in porous bed to verify the feasibility of water penetration into particulate debris bed. According to the previous investigations on molten fuel-coolant interaction (FCI) experiments, it was found that quenched particulate debris bed was composed of irregular shape particles. Therefore, empirical or semiempirical models based on the Ergun equation (Ergun, 1952) for single-phase flow in porous media composed of single sized spherical particle were developed to consider the effect of particle shape on frictional pressure drop by means of adding a shape factor or modifying the Ergun constants etc. (Leva, 1959, Handley and Heggs, 1968, Macdonald, 1979, Foumeny et al., 1996). An experimental investigate on single-phase frictional pressure drop of water in packed bed was conducted in the transparent cylindrical test section with the inner diameter of 100 mm and the height of 700 mm to study the effect of particle shape on frictional pressure drop in porous media. This paper reports the experimental data for spherical particles with the diameter of 2 mm and 5 mm and cylindrical particles with ED of 2 mm and 5 mm. And also, the experimental data compared with the models to predict frictional pressure drop in particulate bed. The conclusions are summarized as follows. As a result of the experiment to measure frictional pressure drop in particulate bed composed of cylindrical particles the models predict the experimental data well within 22.11 % except the Handley and Heggs model when ED is applied to the models

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Particle Shape on Frictional Pressure drop in Particulate Debris Bed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Jin Ho; Kim, Eun Ho; Park, Hyun Sun [POSTECH, Pohang (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-15

To ensure the long-term cooling of corium in the reactor cavity, it is important to ensure the coolant ingression into the internally heat generated corium debris bed which is governed by pressure drop in porous media. For this reason, it is necessary to understand pressure drop mechanisms in porous bed to verify the feasibility of water penetration into particulate debris bed. According to the previous investigations on molten fuel-coolant interaction (FCI) experiments, it was found that quenched particulate debris bed was composed of irregular shape particles. Therefore, empirical or semiempirical models based on the Ergun equation (Ergun, 1952) for single-phase flow in porous media composed of single sized spherical particle were developed to consider the effect of particle shape on frictional pressure drop by means of adding a shape factor or modifying the Ergun constants etc. (Leva, 1959, Handley and Heggs, 1968, Macdonald, 1979, Foumeny et al., 1996). An experimental investigate on single-phase frictional pressure drop of water in packed bed was conducted in the transparent cylindrical test section with the inner diameter of 100 mm and the height of 700 mm to study the effect of particle shape on frictional pressure drop in porous media. This paper reports the experimental data for spherical particles with the diameter of 2 mm and 5 mm and cylindrical particles with ED of 2 mm and 5 mm. And also, the experimental data compared with the models to predict frictional pressure drop in particulate bed. The conclusions are summarized as follows. As a result of the experiment to measure frictional pressure drop in particulate bed composed of cylindrical particles the models predict the experimental data well within 22.11 % except the Handley and Heggs model when ED is applied to the models.

Stabilizing Effects of Bacterial Biofilms: EPS Penetration and Redistribution of Bed Stability Down the Sediment Profile

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, X. D.; Zhang, C. K.; Zhou, Z.; Gong, Z.; Zhou, J. J.; Tao, J. F.; Paterson, D. M.; Feng, Q.

2017-12-01

Biofilms, consisting of microorganisms and their secreted extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), serve as "ecosystem engineers" stabilizing sedimentary environments. Natural sediment bed provides an excellent substratum for biofilm growth. The porous structure and rich nutrients allow the EPS matrix to spread deeper into the bed. A series of laboratory-controlled experiments were conducted to investigate sediment colonization of Bacillus subtilis and the penetration of EPS into the sediment bed with incubation time. In addition to EPS accumulation on the bed surface, EPS also penetrated downward. However, EPS distribution developed strong vertical heterogeneity with a much higher content in the surface layer than in the bottom layer. Scanning electron microscope images of vertical layers also displayed different micromorphological properties of sediment-EPS matrix. In addition, colloidal and bound EPSs exhibited distinctive distribution patterns. After the full incubation, the biosedimentary beds were eroded to test the variation of bed stability induced by biological effects. This research provides an important reference for the prediction of sediment transport and hence deepens the understanding of the biologically mediated sediment system and broadens the scope of the burgeoning research field of "biomorphodynamics."

The effect of an acoustic field on the filtration efficiency of aerosols by a granular bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tavossi, H.

1985-06-01

A theoretical and an experimental study were developed in order to evaluate the parameters controlling the aerosol collection efficiency of a granular bed, i.e. all the chief collection mechanisms and the effect of acoustic waves on this efficiency. The action of acoustic waves of appropriate intensity and frequency increased the efficiency of the granular bed significantly for all aerosol sizes including those corresponding to the minimum efficiency. The theoretical prediction was verified by an experimental apparatus using a granular bed of glass of 2 mm diameter. Furthermore, our experimental results demonstrated the existence of a threshold in the acoustic intensity above which the collection efficiency of the granular bed increased rapidly. We also demonstrated a semi-empirical law relating acoustic capture efficiency of a spherical collector to frequency and acoustic intensity [fr

Branched-chain amino acid supplementation during bed rest: effect on recovery

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, T. P.; Donaldson, M. R.; Leskiw, M. J.; Schluter, M. D.; Baggett, D. W.; Boden, G.

2003-01-01

Bed rest is associated with a loss of protein from the weight-bearing muscle. The objectives of this study are to determine whether increasing dietary branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) during bed rest improves the anabolic response after bed rest. The study consisted of a 1-day ambulatory period, 14 days of bed rest, and a 4-day recovery period. During bed rest, dietary intake was supplemented with either 30 mmol/day each of glycine, serine, and alanine (group 1) or with 30 mmol/day each of the three BCAAs (group 2). Whole body protein synthesis was determined with U-(15)N-labeled amino acids, muscle, and selected plasma protein synthesis with l-[(2)H(5)]phenylalanine. Total glucose production and gluconeogenesis from alanine were determined with l-[U-(13)C(3)]alanine and [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose. During bed rest, nitrogen (N) retention was greater with BCAA feeding (56 +/- 6 vs. 26 +/- 12 mg N. kg(-1). day(-1), P BCAA supplementation on either whole body, muscle, or plasma protein synthesis or the rate of 3-MeH excretion. Muscle tissue free amino acid concentrations were increased during bed rest with BCAA (0.214 +/- 0.066 vs. 0.088 +/- 0.12 nmol/mg protein, P BCAA group in the recovery phase. In conclusion, the improved N retention during bed rest is due, at least in part, to accretion of amino acids in the tissue free amino acid pools. The amount accreted is not enough to impact protein kinetics in the recovery phase but does improve N retention by providing additional essential amino acids in the early recovery phase.

Effect of rolling bed on decubitus in bedridden nursing home patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Izutsu, T; Matsui, T; Satoh, T; Tsuji, T; Sasaki, H

1998-02-01

Decubitus is one of the most difficult management problems encountered in bedridden elderly patients. Relief of pressure over decubitus is the most important principle of the management. We developed a rolling air cushion bed which turns the patient to a 15-degree inclined lateral position with an inflating ripple mattress, a longitudinally aligned air inflatable tube. The position of the patients was changed between right and left laterals and to supine every 15 minutes automatically. Nineteen bedridden patients with decubitus used the rolling air cushion bed for 3 months and 12 bedridden patients with decubitus used a conventional bed and had their position changes every 2 hours by care givers. Severity of decubitus was divided into 4 grades and the decubitus significantly improved from 2.8 (S.E. 0.2) to 2.0 (S.E. 0.3) after 3 months in patients using the rolling air cushion bed, while in patients with conventional beds it changed from 3.0 (S.E. 0.2) to 3.2 (S.E. 0.2) (not statistically significant). We suggest that the rolling air cushion bed would be beneficial to decubitus relief in bedridden elderly and may relieve labor by care givers.

Experimental Study on Pressure Drop and Flow Dispersion in Packed Bed of Natural Zeolite

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Ruya Petric Marc

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The use of conventional correlation for pressure drop and dispersion coefficient calculation may result in inaccurate values for zeolite packed bed as the correlations are generally developed for regularly shaped and uniformly sized particles. To support the research on the application of modified natural zeolite as tar cracking catalyst, the research on the hydrodynamic behaviour of zeolite packed bed has been conducted. Experiments were carried out using a glass column with diameter of 37.8 mm. Natural zeolite with particle size of about 2.91 to 6.4 mm was applied as packing material in the column, and the bed height was varied at 9, 19 and 29 cm. Air was used as the fluid that flows through the bed and nitrogen was used as a tracer for residence time distribution determination. Air flow rates were in the range of 20 to 100 mL/s which correspond to the laminar-transitional flow regime. The pressure drops through the bed were in the range of 1.7 to 95.6 Pa, depending on the air flow rate and bed height. From these values, the parameters in the Ergun equation were estimated, taking into account the contribution by wall effect when the ratio of column to particle diameter is low. The viscous and inertial term constants in the Ergun equation calculated ranges from 179 to 199 and 1.41 to 1.47 respectively while the particle sphericity ranges from 0.56 to 0.59. The reactor Peclet number were determined to range from 5.2 to 5.5, which indicated significant deviation from a plug flow condition.

The effects of baffles and gas superficial velocity on a bubble fluidized bed reactor's applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghorbanpour, A.; Ghannadi Maragheh, M.; Mallah, M. H.

2008-01-01

Baffles are used for decreasing bubbles diameter in order to increase the conversion rate along the bubbling fluidized bed reactors. The appearance of this phenomenon is due to bursting of the bubbles during the pass of bubbles from baffles. In this work, a computerized modeling and simulation have been performed in order to obtain a fundamental knowledge of the influence of the baffles on the bubble diameter and the specific mass transfer area. The height of the bed is 5 meters and its diameter is 0.3 meter. Baffles are located at 1 and 2 meters from the bottom of the bed. A two phase model together with a comprehensive fluid dynamical description of bubbling fluidized is presented. The effects of baffles and gas superficial velocity on the operating behavior of fluidized bed reactors are considered. The results are compared to the previously reported documents, and the experiments which have been carried out. MATLAB software is used in this simulation

Thermofluid effect on energy storage in fluidized bed reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Mahfoudi, Nadjiba; El Ganaoui, Mohammed; Moummi, Abdelhafid

2016-05-01

The development of innovative systems of heat storage is imperative to improve the efficiency of the existing systems used in the thermal solar energy applications. Several techniques were developed and realized in this context. The technology of the sand fluidized bed (sandTES) offers a promising alternative to the current state-of-the-art of the heat storage systems, such as fixed bed using a storage materials, as sand, ceramic, and stones, etc. Indeed, the use of the fluidization technique allows an effective heat transfer to the solid particles. With the sand, an important capacity of storage is obtained by an economic and ecological material [N. Mahfoudi, A. Moummi, M. El Ganaoui, Appl. Mech. Mater. 621, 214 (2014); N. Mahfoudi, A. Khachkouch, A. Moummi B. Benhaoua, M. El Ganaoui, Mech. Ind. 16, 411 (2015); N. Mahfoudi, A. Moummi, M. El Ganaoui, F. Mnasri, K.M. Aboudou, 3e Colloque internationale Francophone d"énergétique et mécanique, Comores, 2014, p. 91]. This paper presents a CFD simulation of the hydrodynamics and the thermal transient behavior of a fluidized bed reactor of sand, to determine the characteristics of storage. The simulation shows a symmetry breaking that occurs and gave way to chaotic transient generation of bubble formation after 3 s. Furthermore, the predicted average temperature of the solid phase (sand) increases gradually versus the time with a gain of 1 °C in an interval of 10 s. Contribution to the topical issue "Materials for Energy Harvesting, Conversion and Storage (ICOME 2015) - Elected submissions", edited by Jean-Michel Nunzi, Rachid Bennacer and Mohammed El Ganaoui

The Safety of Hospital Beds: Ingress, Egress, and In-Bed Mobility.

Science.gov (United States)

Morse, Janice M; Gervais, Pierre; Pooler, Charlotte; Merryweather, Andrew; Doig, Alexa K; Bloswick, Donald

2015-01-01

To explore the safety of the standard and the low hospital bed, we report on a microanalysis of 15 patients' ability to ingress, move about the bed, and egress. The 15 participants were purposefully selected with various disabilities. Bed conditions were randomized with side rails up or down and one low bed with side rails down. We explored the patients' use of the side rails, bed height, ability to lift their legs onto the mattress, and ability to turn, egress, and walk back to the chair. The standard bed was too high for some participants, both for ingress and egress. Side rails were used by most participants when entering, turning in bed, and exiting. We recommend that side rails be reconsidered as a means to facilitate in-bed movement, ingress, and egress. Furthermore, single deck height settings for all patients are not optimal. Low beds as a safety measure must be re-evaluated.

STUDY OF GAS SEPARATION PROCESS BY DYNAMIC ADSORPTION IN FIXED BED

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ioan Solomon

2010-10-01

Full Text Available An experimental study of mass transfer at gas separation by dynamic adsorption in fixed bed of impregnated silica gel is presented in this work. By means of a mathematical model based on constants and coefficient easy to evaluate, the distributions of adsorbate concentration in gas and solid phases were determined as a function of time and throughout the height of the fixed bed, under isothermal conditions.With this aim, water vapors from air were adsorbed in a fixed bed of impregnated silica gel. The values of the volumetric mass transfer coefficient, Kv, were determined experimentally at several values of air superficial velocity, an air relative humidity of 69�20at 38 °C. The influence of the gas flow velocity and initial water concentration in adsorbent on the distribution of water concentration in both phases was established as a function of time and throughout the height of the fixed bed. The results obtained allow one to determination of the local adsorption rate.

Coolability of volumetrically heated particle beds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rashid, Muhammad

2017-03-22

In case of a severe nuclear reactor accident, with loss of coolant, a particle bed may be formed from the fragmentation of the molten core in the residual water at different stages of the accident. To avoid further propagation of the accident and maintain the integrity of the reactor pressure vessel, the decay heat of the particle bed must be removed. To better understand the various thermo-hydraulic processes within such heat-generating particle beds, the existing DEBRIS test facility at IKE has been modified to be able to perform novel boiling, dryout and quenching experiments. The essential experimental data includes the pressure gradients measured by 8 differential pressure transducers along the bed height as a function of liquid and vapour superficial velocities, the determination of local dryout heat fluxes for different system pressures as well as the local temperature distribution measured by a set of 51 thermocouples installed inside the particle bed. The experiments were carried out for two different particle beds: a polydispersed particle bed which consisted of stainless steel balls (2 mm, 3 mm and 6 mm diameters) and an irregular particle bed which consisted of a mixture of steel balls (3 mm and 6 mm) and irregularly shaped Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles. Additionally, all experiments were carried out for different flow conditions, such as the reference case of passive 1D top-flooding, 1D bottom flooding (driven by external pumps and different downcomer configurations) and 2D top-/bottom-/lateral flooding with a perforated downcomer. In this work, it has been observed that for both particle beds with downcomer configurations an open downcomer leads to the best coolability (dryout heat flux = 1560 kW/m{sup 2}, polydispersed particle bed, psys = 1 bar) of the particle bed, mainly due to bottom-flow with enhanced natural convection. It has also been shown that a potential lateral flow via a perforation of the downcomer does not bring any further improvements

Coolability of volumetrically heated particle beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rashid, Muhammad

2017-01-01

In case of a severe nuclear reactor accident, with loss of coolant, a particle bed may be formed from the fragmentation of the molten core in the residual water at different stages of the accident. To avoid further propagation of the accident and maintain the integrity of the reactor pressure vessel, the decay heat of the particle bed must be removed. To better understand the various thermo-hydraulic processes within such heat-generating particle beds, the existing DEBRIS test facility at IKE has been modified to be able to perform novel boiling, dryout and quenching experiments. The essential experimental data includes the pressure gradients measured by 8 differential pressure transducers along the bed height as a function of liquid and vapour superficial velocities, the determination of local dryout heat fluxes for different system pressures as well as the local temperature distribution measured by a set of 51 thermocouples installed inside the particle bed. The experiments were carried out for two different particle beds: a polydispersed particle bed which consisted of stainless steel balls (2 mm, 3 mm and 6 mm diameters) and an irregular particle bed which consisted of a mixture of steel balls (3 mm and 6 mm) and irregularly shaped Al 2 O 3 particles. Additionally, all experiments were carried out for different flow conditions, such as the reference case of passive 1D top-flooding, 1D bottom flooding (driven by external pumps and different downcomer configurations) and 2D top-/bottom-/lateral flooding with a perforated downcomer. In this work, it has been observed that for both particle beds with downcomer configurations an open downcomer leads to the best coolability (dryout heat flux = 1560 kW/m 2 , polydispersed particle bed, psys = 1 bar) of the particle bed, mainly due to bottom-flow with enhanced natural convection. It has also been shown that a potential lateral flow via a perforation of the downcomer does not bring any further improvements in

Numerical analysis of a heat-generating, truncated conical porous bed in a fluid-filled enclosure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakravarty, Aranyak; Datta, Priyankan; Ghosh, Koushik; Sen, Swarnendu; Mukhopadhyay, Achintya

2016-01-01

Analysis of natural convection in enclosures containing heat generating porous medium has important applications related to geothermal, chemical, thermal and nuclear energy such as in-vessel cooling of debris beds in nuclear reactors, cooling of coal stockpiles etc. The objective of the present numerical study is to characterise the pattern of fluid flow and energy transfer during steady laminar natural convective flow in a cylindrical enclosure with a centrally placed heat generating porous bed. Flow through porous region is modelled using Darcy–Brinkmann–Forchheimer model and local thermal equilibrium is assumed for the porous region. Analysis is carried out for a wide range of Rayleigh number (Ra), Darcy number (Da) and thermal conductivity ratio, as well as for different bed geometries. It is observed that in addition to Ra and Da, the bed geometry also plays a very important role in determining flow field and temperature distribution within the enclosure. Interestingly, a significant change is observed in energy transfer mode from the porous bed corresponding to specific values of bed permeability and bed heat generation rate. This is characterised in terms of Ra and Da. Further, it is observed that this change in energy transfer mode is highly dependent on Ra. - Highlights: • Natural convection is analysed in an enclosure with a heat generating porous bed. • Effect of dimensionless parameters as well as bed geometry has been investigated. • Energy transfer mechanism from porous bed changes with dimensionless parameters. • Bed geometry significantly affects fluid flow and energy transfer in the enclosure.

THE EFFECTS OF PROLONGED PHYSICAL INACTIVITY INDUCED BY BED REST ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING IN HEALTHY MALE PARTICIPANTS

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Petra Dolenc

2013-06-01

Full Text Available A growing body of scientific evidence indicates that physical activity beneficially influences cognitive functioning. Less thoroughly investigated are the cognitive outcomes of reduced physical activity levels. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of prolonged physical inactivity induced by bed rest on the participant’s cognitive functioning. Bed rest is a well-accepted method by which an acute stage of human adaptation to weightlessness in space flights is simulated, as well as an important model to study the consequences of extreme physical inactivity in humans. The subjects participating in the study consisted of fifteen healthy males aged between 19 and 65 years who were exposed to 14-day horizontal bed rest in a strict hospital environment. To assess the cognitive functions of the participants, a neuropsychological test battery was administered before and after the bed rest experiment. There was no significant impairment in cognitive performance after the 14-day bed rest on all tests, except in the measurements of delayed recall in the group of older adults. The results suggest that cognitive functions remained relatively stable during the period of physical immobilization. The obtained results have been discussed taking the possible contributing factors into account such as the practice effect, the relatively short duration of bed rest, and the choice of the cognitive measures administered. The study also provides evidence that favourable living and psychosocial conditions can protect one against cognitive decline in the case of extreme physical inactivity.

Effect of Wetting and Contamination of Granular Beds During Sphere Impact

KAUST Repository

Kouraytem, Nadia

2013-03-01

This thesis presents results from an experimental study of the impact of dense solid spheres onto granular beds. The overall aim is to further our understanding of the dynamical response of granular materials to impact. In order to do this, we will study both the initial penetration stages and peak acceleration exerted on the sphere by using high-speed imaging. Another critical part is to measure the penetration depth of the sphere and calculate the corresponding depth-averaged stopping force. Both of these main focal points will be assessed for not only dry, but wet and “contaminated” grains, whereby the granular bed will be comprised of two distinct size ranges of base grains. In doing so, we aim to broadly determine whether contaminated grains or wet grains are more effective at increasing the tensile strength of granular materials.

Fluidized bed roasting of molybdenite-effect of operating variables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doheim, M.A.; Abdel-Wahab, M.Z.; Rassoul, S.A.

1976-01-01

The results of an investigation on the fluidized bed roasting of molybdenite are reported. Molybdenite mixed with quartz was subjected to an oxidizing roast in a 22 mm diam stainless steel batch fluidized bed reactor. Enriched air (with O 2 ) or diluted air (with N 2 ) was used as the fluidizing and oxidizing gas. In addition to the MoS 2 content of the solids and the O 2 content of the gas, the effect of temperature and flow rate was also examined. For the range of variables investigated, it was found that the temperature influences the rate of the roasting reaction greatly. The gas flow rate affects the conversion favorably up to a certain fluidizing flow rate. An increase in the O 2 content of the gas and the MoS 2 of the solids results in higher conversion levels. The unreacted core kinetic model was applied to the results; and the energy of activation for the reaction was obtained from the Arrhenius plot as 31,100 cal/gmol of MoS 2 . The data obtained should be useful in the design and operation of larger scale roasting reactors

Utilization of salt ammoniacates in fluidized beds in energy conversion thermochemical systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romero, Jesus

1984-01-01

This research thesis notably reports the design and development of a thermochemical storage device involving equilibria of thermal decomposition of ammoniacates of strontium chlorides and calcium chloride in fluidized beds. The experimental study of this device allowed operating conditions and the most important concomitant effects of fluidization to be highlighted. The measured thermal exchange coefficient is about twenty times the measured value in equivalent devices using fixed beds. An irreversibility of the operation has been noticed, and seems to be associated with the irreversible change of grain size of solids. The author also reports a study of the properties of ammoniacates of metallic salts, and of the influence of fluidization on the performance of energy conversion thermochemical systems [fr

Advection and dispersion of bed load tracers

Science.gov (United States)

Lajeunesse, Eric; Devauchelle, Olivier; James, François

2018-05-01

We use the erosion-deposition model introduced by Charru et al. (2004) to numerically simulate the evolution of a plume of bed load tracers entrained by a steady flow. In this model, the propagation of the plume results from the stochastic exchange of particles between the bed and the bed load layer. We find a transition between two asymptotic regimes. The tracers, initially at rest, are gradually set into motion by the flow. During this entrainment regime, the plume is strongly skewed in the direction of propagation and continuously accelerates while spreading nonlinearly. With time, the skewness of the plume eventually reaches a maximum value before decreasing. This marks the transition to an advection-diffusion regime in which the plume becomes increasingly symmetrical, spreads linearly, and advances at constant velocity. We analytically derive the expressions of the position, the variance, and the skewness of the plume and investigate their asymptotic regimes. Our model assumes steady state. In the field, however, bed load transport is intermittent. We show that the asymptotic regimes become insensitive to this intermittency when expressed in terms of the distance traveled by the plume. If this finding applies to the field, it might provide an estimate for the average bed load transport rate.

7 CFR 2902.15 - Bedding, bed linens, and towels.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... PROCUREMENT Designated Items § 2902.15 Bedding, bed linens, and towels. (a) Definition. (1) Bedding is that... minimum biobased content is 12 percent and shall be based on the amount of qualifying biobased carbon in..., and silk are not qualifying biobased feedstocks for the purpose of determining the biobased content of...

Effect of flue gas recirculation on heat transfer in a supercritical circulating fluidized bed combustor

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Błaszczuk Artur

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on assessment of the effect of flue gas recirculation (FGR on heat transfer behavior in 1296t/h supercritical coal-fired circulating fluidized bed (CFB combustor. The performance test in supercritical CFB combustor with capacity 966 MWth was performed with the low level of flue gas recirculation rate 6.9% into furnace chamber, for 80% unit load at the bed pressure of 7.7 kPa and the ratio of secondary air to the primary air SA/PA = 0.33. Heat transfer behavior in a supercritical CFB furnace between the active heat transfer surfaces (membrane wall and superheater and bed material has been analyzed for Geldart B particle with Sauter mean diameters of 0.219 and 0.246 mm. Bed material used in the heat transfer experiments had particle density of 2700 kg/m3. A mechanistic heat transfer model based on cluster renewal approach was used in this work. A heat transfer analysis of CFB combustion system with detailed consideration of bed-to-wall heat transfer coefficient distributions along furnace height is investigated. Heat transfer data for FGR test were compared with the data obtained for representative conditions without recycled flue gases back to the furnace through star-up burners.

Observations of wave-induced pore pressure gradients and bed level response on a surf zone sandbar

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Dylan; Cox, Dan; Mieras, Ryan; Puleo, Jack A.; Hsu, Tian-Jian

2017-06-01

Horizontal and vertical pressure gradients may be important physical mechanisms contributing to onshore sediment transport beneath steep, near-breaking waves in the surf zone. A barred beach was constructed in a large-scale laboratory wave flume with a fixed profile containing a mobile sediment layer on the crest of the sandbar. Horizontal and vertical pore pressure gradients were obtained by finite differences of measurements from an array of pressure transducers buried within the upper several centimeters of the bed. Colocated observations of erosion depth were made during asymmetric wave trials with wave heights between 0.10 and 0.98 m, consistently resulting in onshore sheet flow sediment transport. The pore pressure gradient vector within the bed exhibited temporal rotations during each wave cycle, directed predominantly upward under the trough and then rapidly rotating onshore and downward as the wavefront passed. The magnitude of the pore pressure gradient during each phase of rotation was correlated with local wave steepness and relative depth. Momentary bed failures as deep as 20 grain diameters were coincident with sharp increases in the onshore-directed pore pressure gradients, but occurred at horizontal pressure gradients less than theoretical critical values for initiation of the motion for compact beds. An expression combining the effects of both horizontal and vertical pore pressure gradients with bed shear stress and soil stability is used to determine that failure of the bed is initiated at nonnegligible values of both forces.type="synopsis">type="main">Plain Language SummaryThe pressure gradient present within the seabed beneath breaking waves may be an important physical mechanism transporting sediment. A large-scale laboratory was used to replicate realistic surfzone conditions in controlled tests, allowing for horizontal and vertical pressure gradient magnitudes and the resulting sediment bed response to be observed with precise instruments

A randomized, double-blind, crossover comparison of novel continuous bed motion versus traditional bed position whole-body PET/CT imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schatka, Imke; Weiberg, Desiree; Reichelt, Stephanie; Owsianski-Hille, Nicole; Derlin, Thorsten; Berding, Georg; Bengel, Frank M.

2016-01-01

Continuous bed motion has recently been introduced for whole-body PET/CT, and represents a paradigm shift towards individualized and flexible acquisition without the limitations of bed position-based planning. Increased patient comfort due to lack of abrupt table position changes may be another albeit still unproven advantage. For robust clinical implementation, image quality and quantitative accuracy should at least be equal to the prior standard of bed position-based step-and-shoot imaging. The study included 68 consecutive patients referred for whole-body PET/CT for various malignancies. The patients underwent traditional step-and-shoot and novel continuous bed motion acquisition in the same session in a randomized crossover design. The patients and two independent observers were blinded to the sequence of scan techniques. Patient comfort/satisfaction was examined using a standardized questionnaire. SUVs were compared for reference tissue (liver, muscle) and tumour lesions. PET image quality and misalignment with CT images were evaluated on a scale of 1 - 4. Patients preferred continuous bed motion over step-and-shoot (P = 0.0001). It was considered to be more relaxing (38 % vs. 8 %), quieter (34 % vs. 8 %), and more fluid (64 % vs. 8 %). Image quality, SUV and CT misalignment did not differ between the techniques. Continuous bed motion resulted in better end-plane image quality (P < 0.0001). Regardless of the technique, second examinations had significantly higher tumour lesion SUVmax values (P = 0.0002), and a higher CT misalignment score (P = 0.0017). Oncological PET/CT with continuous bed motion enhances patient comfort and is associated with image quality at least comparable to that with traditional bed position-based step-and-shoot acquisition. (orig.)

A randomized, double-blind, crossover comparison of novel continuous bed motion versus traditional bed position whole-body PET/CT imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schatka, Imke [Hannover Medical School, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hannover (Germany); Charite, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Berlin (Germany); Weiberg, Desiree; Reichelt, Stephanie; Owsianski-Hille, Nicole; Derlin, Thorsten; Berding, Georg; Bengel, Frank M. [Hannover Medical School, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hannover (Germany)

2016-04-15

Continuous bed motion has recently been introduced for whole-body PET/CT, and represents a paradigm shift towards individualized and flexible acquisition without the limitations of bed position-based planning. Increased patient comfort due to lack of abrupt table position changes may be another albeit still unproven advantage. For robust clinical implementation, image quality and quantitative accuracy should at least be equal to the prior standard of bed position-based step-and-shoot imaging. The study included 68 consecutive patients referred for whole-body PET/CT for various malignancies. The patients underwent traditional step-and-shoot and novel continuous bed motion acquisition in the same session in a randomized crossover design. The patients and two independent observers were blinded to the sequence of scan techniques. Patient comfort/satisfaction was examined using a standardized questionnaire. SUVs were compared for reference tissue (liver, muscle) and tumour lesions. PET image quality and misalignment with CT images were evaluated on a scale of 1 - 4. Patients preferred continuous bed motion over step-and-shoot (P = 0.0001). It was considered to be more relaxing (38 % vs. 8 %), quieter (34 % vs. 8 %), and more fluid (64 % vs. 8 %). Image quality, SUV and CT misalignment did not differ between the techniques. Continuous bed motion resulted in better end-plane image quality (P < 0.0001). Regardless of the technique, second examinations had significantly higher tumour lesion SUVmax values (P = 0.0002), and a higher CT misalignment score (P = 0.0017). Oncological PET/CT with continuous bed motion enhances patient comfort and is associated with image quality at least comparable to that with traditional bed position-based step-and-shoot acquisition. (orig.)

Clinical evaluation of an automated turning bed.

Science.gov (United States)

Melland, H I; Langemo, D; Hanson, D; Olson, B; Hunter, S

1999-01-01

The purposes of this study were to assess client comfort and sleep quality, client physiologic response (skin and respiratory status), the effect on the need for caregiver assistance, and cost when using an automated turning bed. Nonexperimental, evaluative study. Twenty-four adult home or long-term care resident subjects who had a degenerative disease, spinal cord injury, stroke, cerebral palsy, or back surgery. Each subject agreed to use the automated turning bed for four weeks. Researchers completed a demographic survey and skin assessment, and assessed each subject for pressure ulcer risk and for the need of assistance of a care giver for turning before and after the four weeks of using the turning bed. Subjects rated the turning bed in terms of comfort and sleep quality. Subjects rated the turning bed as more comfortable than their own bed and expressed satisfaction at the pain relief attained when on the turning bed. While using the turning bed, there was a significant improvement in sleep quality. No skin breakdown or deterioration in respiratory status occurred. Fewer subjects required the assistance of a caregiver for turning when on the turning bed. This automated turning bed shows great promise in meeting a need for patients with limited mobility whether they are homebound or in a residential community. Future studies that further investigate use of the turning bed for postoperative back patients while still in the acute care setting are indicated. Replicative studies with a larger sample size are also indicated.

Comparison of correlations for heat transfer in sphere-pac beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fundamenski, W.R.; Gierszewski, P.J.

1991-08-01

The design of a tritium breeding blanket for a fusion reactor requires the knowledge of heat transfer within the blanket. In this paper three models for effective bed heat transfer are compared against the experimental database in order to choose a reference correlation to be used in blanket design. Two parameters are used to describe heat transfer in a packed bed: effective thermal conductivity of the bed, and a heat transfer coefficient at the bed-solid interface

Exploring the role of flood transience in coarse bed load sediment transport

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, C. B.; Singer, M. B.; Hill, K. M.; Paola, C.

2015-12-01

The rate of bed load transport under steady flow is known to vary both spatially and temporally due to various hydrologic and granular phenomena. Grain size distributions and riverbed properties (packing, imbrication, etc.) are known to affect flux for a particular value of applied flow stress, while hydrology is mainly assumed to control the magnitude of the applied bed stress above the threshold for bed material entrainment. The prediction of bed load sediment transport in field settings is further complicated by the inherent transience in flood hydrology, but little is known about how such flood transience influences bed load flux over a range of applied bed stress. Here we investigate the role of flood transience for gravel bed load transport through controlled laboratory experiments in a 28 m long 0.5 meter wide flume. We explore transient flow as the combination of unsteady and intermittent flow, where unsteady flow varies in magnitude over a given duration, and intermittent flow is characterized by turning the flow on and off. We systematically vary these details of flood hydrographs from one experiment to the next, and monitor the bed load as it varies with water discharge in real time by measuring sediment flux and tracking particles. We find that even with a narrow unimodal grain size distribution and constant sediment supply we observe hysteresis in bed load flux, different thresholds for entrainment and distrainment for the rising and falling limbs of a flood, and a threshold of entrainment that can vary one flood hydrograph to the next. Despite these complex phenomena we find that the total bed load transported for each flood plots along a linear trend with the integrated excess stress, consistent with prior field results. These results suggest that while the effects of transient flow and the shape of the hydrograph are measurable, they are second-order compared to the integrated excess stress.

Bed slope effects on turbulent wave boundary layers: 1. Model validation and quantification of rough-turbulent results

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fuhrman, David R.; Fredsøe, Jørgen; Sumer, B. Mutlu

2009-01-01

measurements for steady streaming induced by a skewed free stream velocity signal is also provided. We then simulate a series of experiments involving oscillatory flow in a convergent-divergent smooth tunnel, and a good match with respect to bed shear stresses and streaming velocities is achieved......A numerical model solving incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, combined with a two-equation k-omega turbulence closure, is used to study converging-diverging effects from a sloping bed on turbulent (oscillatory) wave boundary layers. Bed shear stresses from the numerical model....... The streaming is conceptually explained using analogies from steady converging and diffuser flows. A parametric study is undertaken to assess both the peak and time-averaged bed shear stresses in converging and diverging half periods under rough-turbulent conditions. The results are presented as friction factor...

in Spouted Bed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bronislaw Buczek

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Samples of active coke, fresh and spent after cleaning flue gases from communal waste incinerators, were investigated. The outer layers of both coke particles were separately removed by comminution in a spouted bed. The samples of both active cokes were analysed by means of densities, mercury porosimetry, and adsorption technique. Remaining cores were examined to determine the degree of consumption of coke by the sorption of hazardous emissions (SO2, HCl, and heavy metals through its bed. Differences in contamination levels within the porous structure of the particles were estimated. The study demonstrated the effectiveness of commercial active coke in the cleaning of flue gases.

Semi-dry flue gas desulfurization using Ca(OH)2 in a fluidized bed reactor with bed materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Young Oak; Roh, Hak Jae; Oh, Chang Sup; Kim, Yong Ha

2010-01-01

The main objective of present work is to reduce sulfur dioxide emission from power plant for the environment protection. The fluidized bed (FB) was used as the reactor with bed materials in a new semi-dry flue gas desulfurization (FGD) process to achieve high desulfurization efficiency (>98%). Fine powder of Ca(OH) 2 as sorbent and water were continuously fed separately to the bed reactor where bed materials (2 mm glass beads) were fluidized vigorously with flue gas (flow 720 Nm 3 / hr) using bench scale plant of stainless steel column. We have investigated different effects of water injection flow rate, Ca/ S molar ratio and weight of bed materials on SO 2 removal. The increments in the Ca/ S molar ratio and water injection flow rate have been resulted higher desulfurization efficiency with certain disadvantages such as higher sorbent cost and lower temperature of the treated flue gas, respectively. (author)

[Prediction model of health workforce and beds in county hospitals of Hunan by multiple linear regression].

Science.gov (United States)

Ling, Ru; Liu, Jiawang

2011-12-01

To construct prediction model for health workforce and hospital beds in county hospitals of Hunan by multiple linear regression. We surveyed 16 counties in Hunan with stratified random sampling according to uniform questionnaires,and multiple linear regression analysis with 20 quotas selected by literature view was done. Independent variables in the multiple linear regression model on medical personnels in county hospitals included the counties' urban residents' income, crude death rate, medical beds, business occupancy, professional equipment value, the number of devices valued above 10 000 yuan, fixed assets, long-term debt, medical income, medical expenses, outpatient and emergency visits, hospital visits, actual available bed days, and utilization rate of hospital beds. Independent variables in the multiple linear regression model on county hospital beds included the the population of aged 65 and above in the counties, disposable income of urban residents, medical personnel of medical institutions in county area, business occupancy, the total value of professional equipment, fixed assets, long-term debt, medical income, medical expenses, outpatient and emergency visits, hospital visits, actual available bed days, utilization rate of hospital beds, and length of hospitalization. The prediction model shows good explanatory and fitting, and may be used for short- and mid-term forecasting.

Threshold Criteria for Incipient Grain Motion with Turbulent Fluctuations on a Horizontal Bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan, M.W.H.M.

2015-01-01

The effect of turbulent fluctuations on the threshold criteria for incipient grain motion over a wide range of sediment size is investigated. In this work, attention is paid to the comparison of the critical Shields parameter θ_c profile obtained when the near-bed fluid forces induced sediment motion are oscillating-grid turbulence and a single idealised eddy of vortex ring. For experimental work, near-spherical monodisperse sediments were used throughout with relative densities of 1.2 and 2.5 and mean diameters d ranging between 80 and 1087 μm. The measured values of θ_c on a horizontal bed α = 0 (hence denoted as θ_c_0), were compared to the θ_c_0 profiles obtained by grid turbulence and vortex ring experiments. Although different in magnitude, the θ_c_0 profiles were comparable, that is the θ_c_0 were seen to increase monotonically for hydraulically smooth bed forms and to be approximately constant for hydraulically rough bed forms. However the limit of hydraulically smooth region was found to vary between the oscillating-grid turbulence experiments, where wider smooth region was found when the turbulent fluctuations used to calculate θ_c_0 is not the near-bed velocity. (author)

Spouted bed drying of Bauhinia forficata link extract: the effects of feed atomizer position and operating conditions on equipment performance and product properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. R. F. Souza

2005-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper the effects of feed atomizer position and operating conditions on equipment performance (accumulation rate, product recovery, elutriation and thermal efficiency and product properties (moisture content, size distribution, flavonoid degradation and flow properties during spouted bed drying of Bauhinia forficata Link extract are evaluated. The parameters studied were the position of the atomizer system (top spray or bottom spray, the inlet temperature of the spouting gas (80 and 150oC and the feed mass flow rate of concentrated extract relative to the evaporation capacity of the dryer, Ws/Wmax (15 to 100%. Higher accumulation rate values were obtained with the atomizer placed at the bottom of the bed. In this configuration, the accumulation rate increases with the increase in the Ws/Wmax ratio. The best drying performance was obtained for the top spray configuration.

Bed-To-Wall Heat Transfer in a Supercritical Circulating Fluidised Bed Boiler

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Błaszczuk Artur

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this work is to find a correlation for heat transfer to walls in a 1296 t/h supercritical circulating fluidised bed (CFB boiler. The effect of bed-to-wall heat transfer coefficient in a long active heat transfer surface was discussed, excluding the radiation component. Experiments for four different unit loads (i.e. 100% MCR, 80% MCR, 60% MCR and 40% MCR were conducted at a constant excess air ratio and high level of bed pressure (ca. 6 kPa in each test run. The empirical correlation of the heat transfer coefficient in a large-scale CFB boiler was mainly determined by two key operating parameters, suspension density and bed temperature. Furthermore, data processing was used in order to develop empirical correlation ranges between 3.05 to 5.35 m·s-1 for gas superficial velocity, 0.25 to 0.51 for the ratio of the secondary to the primary air, 1028 to 1137K for bed temperature inside the furnace chamber of a commercial CFB boiler, and 1.20 to 553 kg·m-3 for suspension density. The suspension density was specified on the base of pressure measurements inside the boiler’s combustion chamber using pressure sensors. Pressure measurements were collected at the measuring ports situated on the front wall of the combustion chamber. The obtained correlation of the heat transfer coefficient is in agreement with the data obtained from typical industrial CFB boilers.

Experimental results on the coolability of a debris bed with multidimensional cooling effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rashid, M.; Kulenovic, R.; Laurien, E.; Nayak, A.K.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: ► Performing of dryout experiments with a polydispersed bed for top- and bottom-flooding. ► Study of influence of different down comer configurations on the coolability of debris bed. ► Measurement of temperature profiles, pressure drops and determination of dryout heat flux. ► Observation of noticeable increase in coolability of debris bed with the use of down comer is observed. - Abstract: Within the reactor safety research, the removal of decay heat from a debris bed (formed from corium and residual water) is of great importance. In order to investigate experimentally the long term coolability of debris beds, the scaled test facility “DEBRIS” (Fig. 1) has been built at IKE. A large number of experiments had been carried out to investigate the coolability limits for different bed configurations (). Analyses based on one-dimensional configurations underestimate the coolability in realistic multidimensional configurations, where lateral water access and water inflow via bottom regions are favoured. Following the experiments with top- and bottom-flooding flow conditions this paper presents experimental results of boiling and dryout tests at different system pressures based on top- and bottom-flooding via a down comer configuration. A down comer with an internal diameter of 10 mm has been installed at the centre of the debris bed. The debris bed is built up in a cylindrical crucible with an inner diameter of 125 mm. The bed of height 640 mm is composed of polydispersed particles with particle diameters 2, 3 and 6 mm. Since the long term coolability of such particle bed is limited by the availability of coolant inside the bed and not by heat transfer limitations from the particles to the coolant, the bottom inflow of water improves the coolability of the debris bed and an increase of the dryout heat flux can be observed. With increasing system pressure, the coolability limits are enhanced (increased dryout heat flux).

The choice behaviour of pigs in a Y maze: effects of deprivation of feed, social contact and bedding.

Science.gov (United States)

Hemsworth, Paul H; Smith, Kenneth; Karlen, Marcus G; Arnold, Naomi A; Moeller, Steven J; Barnett, John L

2011-06-01

We examined effects of deprivation of feed, social contact and bedding on the choice behaviour in Y maze tests. Eighty pigs were used to study two main effects: feed (estimated voluntary feed intake (VFI) vs. 70% VFI) and bedding (presence vs. absence), experiment 1; social contact (full vs. restricted) and bedding (presence vs. absence), experiment 2; and feed (as in experiment 1) and social contact (as in experiment 2), experiment 3. Overall pigs consistently chose feed and social contact over bedding. While social contact was more preferred than feed in experiment 3, there was substantial variation between pigs in their choice behaviour. The overall choice behaviour in experiment 3 contradicts previous research, but differences such as the preference methodology as well as the level of deprivation, level of reward and cost involved in accessing reward, may be responsible. Average daily weight gain (ADG) was affected in experiment 3: both feed and social restriction reduced ADG. While the feed effect is expected, one interpretation of the social effect is that social deprivation, through stress, may have reduced ADG. These results provide limited support for the notion that deprivation of a highly preferred resource may disrupt biological function. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of Arterial Mechanics During Head-Down-Tilt Bed Rest

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, Morgan B.; Martin, David S.; Westby, Christian M.; Stenger, Michael B.; Platts, Steven H.

2014-01-01

Carotid, brachial, and tibial arteries reacted differently to HDTBR. Previous studies have not analyzed the mechanical properties of the human brachial or anterior tibial arteries. After slight variations during bed-rest, arterial mechanical properties and IMT returned to pre-bed rest values, with the exception of tibial stiffness and PSE, which continued to be reduced post-bed rest while the DC remained elevated. The tibial artery remodeling was probably due to decreased pressure and volume. Resulting implications for longer duration spaceflight are unclear. Arterial health may be affected by microgravity, as shown by increased thoracic aorta stiffness in other ground based simulations (Aubert).

Hydrogeochemistry and coal-associated bacterial populations from a methanogenic coal bed

Science.gov (United States)

Barnhart, Elliott P.; Weeks, Edwin P.; Jones, Elizabeth J.P.; Ritter, Daniel J.; McIntosh, Jennifer C.; Clark, Arthur C.; Ruppert, Leslie F.; Cunningham, Alfred B.; Vinson, David S.; Orem, William H.; Fields, Matthew W.

2016-01-01

Biogenic coalbed methane (CBM), a microbially-generated source of natural gas trapped within coal beds, is an important energy resource in many countries. Specific bacterial populations and enzymes involved in coal degradation, the potential rate-limiting step of CBM formation, are relatively unknown. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has established a field site, (Birney test site), in an undeveloped area of the Powder River Basin (PRB), with four wells completed in the Flowers-Goodale coal bed, one in the overlying sandstone formation, and four in overlying and underlying coal beds (Knoblach, Nance, and Terret). The nine wells were positioned to characterize the hydraulic conductivity of the Flowers-Goodale coal bed and were selectively cored to investigate the hydrogeochemistry and microbiology associated with CBM production at the Birney test site. Aquifer-test results indicated the Flowers-Goodale coal bed, in a zone from about 112 to 120 m below land surface at the test site, had very low hydraulic conductivity (0.005 m/d) compared to other PRB coal beds examined. Consistent with microbial methanogenesis, groundwater in the coal bed and overlying sandstone contain dissolved methane (46 mg/L average) with low δ13C values (−67‰ average), high alkalinity values (22 meq/kg average), relatively positive δ13C-DIC values (4‰ average), and no detectable higher chain hydrocarbons, NO3−, or SO42−. Bioassay methane production was greatest at the upper interface of the Flowers-Goodale coal bed near the overlying sandstone. Pyrotag analysis identified Aeribacillus as a dominant in situbacterial community member in the coal near the sandstone and statistical analysis indicated Actinobacteria predominated coal core samples compared to claystone or sandstone cores. These bacteria, which previously have been correlated with hydrocarbon-containing environments such as oil reservoirs, have demonstrated the ability to produce biosurfactants to break down

STUDY OF HYDRODYNAMICS IN FIXED BED OF COMPOSITE GRANULAR MATERIALS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stelian Petrescu

2010-12-01

Full Text Available This study aims at the experimental determination of pressure drop and friction factor at gas flow through fixed beds of granular silica gel, alumina and activated carbon, and establishment of an equation containing a modified friction factor Fm to calculate pressure drop. In order to calculate the modified friction factor, an equation was suggested.The experimental values for pressure drop and friction factor were determined using spherical grains of silica gel, cylindrical grains of alumina and silica gel, alumina and activated carbon impregnated with calcium chloride. By means of the suggested equation, the values of pressure drop in fixed bed were calculated and compared with the experimental values. A good agreement between the predicted and experimental data is noticed.

Petrology and geochemistry of samples from bed-contact zones in Tunnel Bed 5, U12g-Tunnel, Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connolly, J.R.; Keil, K.; Mansker, W.L.; Allen, C.C.; Husler, J.; Lowy, R.; Fortney, D.R.; Lappin, A.R.

1984-10-01

This report summarizes the detailed geologic characterization of samples of bed-contact zones and surrounding nonwelded bedded tuffs, both within Tunnel Bed 5, that are exposed in the G-Tunnel complex beneath Rainier Mesa on the Nevada Test Site (NTS). Original planning studies treated the bed-contact zones in Tunnel Bed 5 as simple planar surfaces of relatively high permeability. Detailed characterization, however, indicates that these zones have a finite thickness, are depositional in origin, vary considerably over short vertical and horizontal distances, and are internally complex. Fluid flow in a sequence of nonwelded zeolitized ash-flow or bedded tuffs and thin intervening reworked zones appears to be a porous-medium phenomenon, regardless of the presence of layering. There are no consistent differences in either bulk composition or detailed mineralogy between bedded tuffs and bed-contact zones in Tunnel Bed 5. Although the original bulk composition of Tunnel Bed 5 was probably peralkaline, extensive zeolitization has resulted in a present peraluminous bulk composition of both bedded tuffs and bed-contact zones. The major zeolite present, clinoptilolite, is intermediate (Ca:K:Na = 26:35:39) and effectively uniform in composition. This composition is similar to that of clinoptilolite from the tuffaceous beds of Calico Hills above the static water level in hole USW G-1, but somewhat different from that reported for zeolites from below the static water level in USW G-2. Tunnel Bed 5 also contains abundant hydrous manganese oxides. The similarity in composition of the clinoptilolites from Tunnel Bed 5 and those above the static water level at Yucca Mountain indicates that many of the results of nuclide-migration experiments in Tunnel Bed 5 would be transferrable to zeolitized nonwelded tuffs above the static water level at Yucca Mountain

Bed Bug Myths

Science.gov (United States)

Learn the truth about bed bugs, such as how easy they are to see with the naked eye, their preferred habitat, whether they transmit diseases, their public health effects, and whether pesticides are the best way to deal with an infestation.

Changes in nitrogen isotopic compositions during composting of cattle feedlot manure: effects of bedding material type.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Young-Joo; Choi, Woo-Jung; Lim, Sang-Sun; Kwak, Jin-Hyeob; Chang, Scott X; Kim, Han-Yong; Yoon, Kwang-Sik; Ro, Hee-Myong

2008-09-01

Temporal changes in delta(15)N of cattle feedlot manure during its composting with either rice hull (RHM) or sawdust (SDM) as bedding materials were investigated. Regardless of the bedding material used, the delta(15)N of total N in the manure increased sharply from +7.6 per thousand to +9.9 per thousand and from +11.4 per thousand to +14.3 per thousand, respectively, in RHM or SDM, within 10 days from the commencement of composting. Such increases could be attributed primarily to N loss via NH(3) volatilization and denitrification based on the very high delta(15)N values (greater than +20 per thousand) of NH(4)(+) and NO(3)(-) in the co-composted manure. The delta(15)N of total N in RHM was substantially lower (by more than 3 per thousand) than that in SDM, suggesting that the delta(15)N of the composted manure was affected not only by N loss but also by the type of bedding material used. Specifically, the higher N concentration in the rice hull than in the saw dust could lead to a greater (15)N isotope dilution.

Neutron physical investigations on the shutdown effect of small boronated absorbing spheres for pebble-bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sgouridis, S.; Schurrer, F.; Muller, H.; Ninaus, W.; Oswald, K.; Neef, R.D.; Schaal, H.

1987-01-01

An emergency shutdown system for high-temperature gas-cooled pebble-bed reactors is proposed in addition to the common absorber rod shutdown system. This system is based on the strongly absorbing effect of small boronated graphite spheres (called KLAK), which trickle in case of emergency by gravity from the top reflector into the reactor core. The inner reflector of the Siemens-Argonaut reactor was substituted by an assembly of spherical Arbeitsgemeinschaft Versuchsreaktor fuel elements, and the shutdown effect was examined by installing well-defined KLAK nests inside this assembly. The purpose was to develop and prove a calculational procedure for determining criticality values for assemblies of large fuel spheres and small absorbing spheres

On partial fluidization in rotating fluidized beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kao, J.; Pfeffer, R.; Tardos, G.I.

1987-01-01

In a rotating fluidized bed, unlike in a conventional fluidized bed, the granules are fluidized layer by layer from the (inner) free surface outward at increasing radius as the gas velocity is increased. This is a very significant and interesting phenomenon and is extremely important in the design of these fluidized beds. The phenomenon was first suggested in a theoretical analysis and recently verified experimentally in the authors' laboratory. However, in the first paper, the equations presented are too cumbersome and the influence of bed thickness is not clearly stated. In this note the authors present simplified equations, based on that paper, for the pressure drop and the minimum fluidizing velocities in a rotating fluidized bed. Experimental data are also shown and compared with the theoretical model, and the effect of bed thickness is shown. Furthermore, an explanation for the observation of a maximum in the pressure drop vs. velocity curve instead of the plateau derived by Chen is proposed

Tritium measurement technique using ''in-bed'' calorimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klein, J.E.; Mallory, M.K.; Nobile, A. Jr.

1991-01-01

One of the new technologies that has been introduced to the Savannah River Site (SRS) is the production scale use of metal hydride technology to store, pump, and compress hydrogen isotopes. For tritium stored in metal hydride storage beds, a unique relationship does not exist between the amount of tritium in the bed and the pressure-volume-temperature properties of the hydride material. Determining the amount of tritium in a hydride bed after desorbing the contents of the bed to a tank and performing pressure, volume, temperature, and composition (PVTC) measurements is not practical due to long desorption/absorption times and the inability to remove tritium ''heels'' from the metal hydride materials under normal processing conditions. To eliminate the need to remove tritium from hydride storage beds for measurement purposes, and ''in-bed'' tritium calorimetric measurement technique has been developed. The steady-state temperature rise of a gas stream flowing through a jacketed metal hydride storage bed is measured and correlated with power input to electric heaters used to simulate the radiolytic power generated by the decay of tritium to 3 He. Temperature rise results for prototype metal hydride storage beds and the effects of using different gases in the bed are shown. Linear regression results shows that for 95% confidence intervals, temperature rise measurements can be obtained in 14 hours and have an accuracy of ±1.6% of a tritium filled hydride storage bed

The Effects of Long Duration Bed Rest on Functional Mobility and Balance: Relationship to Resting State Motor Cortex Connectivity

Science.gov (United States)

Erdeniz, B.; Koppelmans, V.; Bloomberg, J. J.; Kofman, I. S.; DeDios, Y. E.; Riascos-Castaneda, R. F.; Wood, S. J.; Mulavara, A. P.; Seidler, R. D.

2014-01-01

NASA offers researchers from a variety of backgrounds the opportunity to study bed rest as an experimental analog for space flight. Extended exposure to a head-down tilt position during long duration bed rest can resemble many of the effects of a low-gravity environment such as reduced sensory inputs, body unloading and increased cephalic fluid distribution. The aim of our study is to a) identify changes in brain function that occur with prolonged bed rest and characterize their recovery time course; b) assess whether and how these changes impact behavioral and neurocognitive performance. Thus far, we completed data collection from six participants that include task based and resting state fMRI. The data have been acquired through the bed rest facility located at the University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, TX). Subjects remained in bed with their heads tilted down 6 degrees below their feet for 70 consecutive days. Behavioral measures and neuroimaging assessments were obtained at seven time points: a) 7 and 12 days before bed rest; b) 7, 30, and 65 days during bed rest; and c) 7 and 12 days after bed rest. Functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (FcMRI) analysis was performed to assess the connectivity of motor cortex in and out of bed rest. We found a decrease in motor cortex connectivity with vestibular cortex and the cerebellum from pre bed rest to in bed rest. We also used a battery of behavioral measures including the functional mobility test and computerized dynamic posturography collected before and after bed rest. We will report the preliminary results of analyses relating brain and behavior changes. Furthermore, we will also report the preliminary results of a spatial working memory task and vestibular stimulation during in and out of bed rest.

New proposition on performance evaluation of hydrophobic Pt catalyst packed in trickle bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, Masami; Kitamoto, Asashi; Takashima, Yoichi.

1983-01-01

On the evaluation of the performance of the hydrophobic Pt catalyst packed in the trickle-bed test column, the conventionally defined (Ksub(y)a) and the newly defined (Ksub(f))sub (G) are compared with each other as a measure of the overall D-transfer coefficient. The value of (Ksub(y)a) varies in a wide range in accordance with the length of the test column. On the other hand (Ksub(f))sub (G sub (l = L)) has a finite value in the test column longer than about 0.5 m. By considering the values of ksub(g) and ksub(l) which are the constituents of (Ksub(f))sub (G), it is possible to improve the hydrophobic Pt catalyst trickle bed and to design the H 2 /H 2 O-isotopic exchange trickle-bed column packed with this catalyst. (author)

Exercise countermeasures for bed-rest deconditioning

Science.gov (United States)

Greenleaf, John (Editor)

1993-01-01

The purpose for this 30-day bed rest study was to investigate the effects of short-term, high intensity isotonic and isokinetic exercise training on maintenance of working capacity (peak oxygen uptake), muscular strength and endurance, and on orthostatic tolerance, posture and gait. Other data were collected on muscle atrophy, bone mineralization and density, endocrine analyses concerning vasoactivity and fluid-electrolyte balance, muscle intermediary metabolism, and on performance and mood of the subjects. It was concluded that: The subjects maintained a relatively stable mood, high morale, and high esprit de corps throughout the study. Performance improved in nearly all tests in almost all the subjects. Isotonic training, as opposed to isokinetic exercise training, was associated more with decreasing levels of psychological tension, concentration, and motivation; and improvement in the quality of sleep. Working capacity (peak oxygen uptake) was maintained during bed rest with isotonic exercise training; it was not maintained with isokinetic or no exercise training. In general, there was no significant decrease in strength or endurance of arm or leg muscles during bed rest, in spite of some reduction in muscle size (atrophy) of some leg muscles. There was no effect of isotonic exercise training on orthostasis, since tilt-table tolerance was reduced similarly in all three groups following bed rest. Bed rest resulted in significant decreases of postural stability and self-selected step length, stride length, and walking velocity, which were not influenced by either exercise training regimen. Most pre-bed rest responses were restored by the fourth day of recovery.

Method for increasing the calorific value of gas produced by the in situ combustion of coal

Science.gov (United States)

Shuck, Lowell Z.

1978-01-01

The present invention relates to the production of relatively high Btu gas by the in situ combustion of subterranean coal. The coal bed is penetrated with a horizontally-extending borehole and combustion is initiated in the coal bed contiguous to the borehole. The absolute pressure within the resulting combustion zone is then regulated at a desired value near the pore pressure within the coal bed so that selected quantities of water naturally present in the coal will flow into the combustion zone to effect a hydrogen and carbon monoxide-producing steam-carbon reaction with the hot carbon in the combustion zone for increasing the calorific value of the product gas.

Gasification of torrefied Miscanthus × giganteus in an air-blown bubbling fluidized bed gasifier.

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, G; Kwapinska, M; Horvat, A; Kwapinski, W; Rabou, L P L M; Dooley, S; Czajka, K M; Leahy, J J

2014-05-01

Torrefaction is suggested to be an effective method to improve the fuel properties of biomass and gasification of torrefied biomass should provide a higher quality product gas than that from unprocessed biomass. In this study, both raw and torrefied Miscanthus × giganteus (M×G) were gasified in an air-blown bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) gasifier using olivine as the bed material. The effects of equivalence ratio (ER) (0.18-0.32) and bed temperature (660-850°C) on the gasification performance were investigated. The results obtained suggest the optimum gasification conditions for the torrefied M × G are ER 0.21 and 800°C. The product gas from these process conditions had a higher heating value (HHV) of 6.70 MJ/m(3), gas yield 2m(3)/kg biomass (H2 8.6%, CO 16.4% and CH4 4.4%) and cold gas efficiency 62.7%. The comparison between raw and torrefied M × G indicates that the torrefied M × G is more suitable BFB gasification. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of self-leveling on debris bed coolability under severe accident conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basso, S.; Konovalenko, A. [Division of Nuclear Power Safety, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Roslagstullsbacken 21, D5, Stockholm 106 91 (Sweden); Yakush, S.E. [Institute for Problems in Mechanics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ave. Vernadskogo 101 Bldg 1, Moscow 119526 (Russian Federation); Kudinov, P. [Division of Nuclear Power Safety, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Roslagstullsbacken 21, D5, Stockholm 106 91 (Sweden)

2016-08-15

Highlights: • A model for coolability of a self-leveling, variable-shape debris bed is proposed. • Sensitivity analysis is performed to screen out the less influential input parameters. • A small fraction of scenarios has initially a non-coolable debris bed configuration. • The fraction of non-coolable scenarios decreases with time due to self-leveling. - Abstract: Nordic-type boiling water reactors employ melt fragmentation, quenching, and long term cooling of the debris bed in a deep pool of water under the reactor vessel as a severe accident (SA) mitigation strategy. The height and shape of the bed are among the most important factors that determine if decay heat can be removed from the porous debris bed by natural circulation of water. The debris bed geometry depends on its formation process (melt release, fragmentation, sedimentation and settlement on the containment basemat), but it also changes with time afterwards, due to particle redistribution promoted by coolant flow (self-leveling). The ultimate goal of this work is to develop an approach to the assessment of the probability that debris in such a variable-shape bed can reach re-melting (which means failure of SA mitigation strategy), i.e. the time necessary for the slumping debris bed to reach a coolable configuration is larger than the time necessary for the debris to reach the re-melting temperature. For this purpose, previously developed models for particulate debris spreading by self-leveling and debris bed dryout are combined to assess the time necessary to reach a coolable state and evaluate its uncertainty. Sensitivity analysis was performed to screen out less important input parameters, after which Monte Carlo simulation was carried out in order to collect statistical characteristics of the coolability time. The obtained results suggest that, given the parameters ranges typical of Nordic BWRs, only a small fraction of debris beds configurations exhibits the occurrence of dryout. Of the

Health impact and cost-effectiveness of a private sector bed net distribution: experimental evidence from Zambia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sedlmayr, Richard; Fink, Günther; Miller, John M; Earle, Duncan; Steketee, Richard W

2013-03-18

Relatively few programmes have attempted to actively engage the private sector in national malaria control efforts. This paper evaluates the health impact of a large-scale distribution of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) conducted in partnership with a Zambian agribusiness, and its cost-effectiveness from the perspective of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP). The study was designed as a cluster-randomized controlled trial. A list of 81,597 cotton farmers was obtained from Dunavant, a contract farming company in Zambia's cotton sector, in December 2010. 39,963 (49%) were randomly selected to obtain one ITN each. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 438 farmers in the treatment and 458 farmers in the control group in June and July 2011. Treatment and control households were compared with respect to bed net ownership, bed net usage, self-reported fever, and self-reported confirmed malaria. Cost data was collected throughout the programme. The distribution effectively reached target beneficiaries, with approximately 95% of households in the treatment group reporting that they had received an ITN through the programme. The average increase in the fraction of household members sleeping under an ITN the night prior to the interview was 14.6 percentage points (p-value US$ per ITN to Zambia's NMCP. The results illustrate that existing private sector networks can efficiently control malaria in remote rural regions. The intra-household allocation of ITNs distributed through this channel was comparable to that of ITNs received from other sources, and the health impact remained substantial.

Numerical study of propagation effects in a wireless mesh test bed

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Lysko, AA

2008-07-01

Full Text Available The present layout of the indoor wireless mesh network test-bed build at the Meraka Institute is introduced. This is followed by a description of a numerical electromagnetic model for the complete test-bed, including the coupling and diffraction...

Local heat transfer coefficient in a fluidized bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Busoul, A. M.

1999-01-01

This paper presents an experimental study for the local heat transfer coefficient. The experiments was conducted inside a reactor with inner diameter (I D = 142mm) at atmospheric conditions (temperature mean value = 29 deg.) The bed was heated by means of a parochial electric heater with a diameter of (d h = 29 mm) and a constant power of 5W. The following factors varied: particles type and diameter, fluid velocity, bed height and heater position inside the reactor. The results were presented and discussed. (author). 15 refs., 7 figs

Bedding material affects mechanical thresholds, heat thresholds and texture preference

Science.gov (United States)

Moehring, Francie; O’Hara, Crystal L.; Stucky, Cheryl L.

2015-01-01

It has long been known that the bedding type animals are housed on can affect breeding behavior and cage environment. Yet little is known about its effects on evoked behavior responses or non-reflexive behaviors. C57BL/6 mice were housed for two weeks on one of five bedding types: Aspen Sani Chips® (standard bedding for our institute), ALPHA-Dri®, Cellu-Dri™, Pure-o’Cel™ or TEK-Fresh. Mice housed on Aspen exhibited the lowest (most sensitive) mechanical thresholds while those on TEK-Fresh exhibited 3-fold higher thresholds. While bedding type had no effect on responses to punctate or dynamic light touch stimuli, TEK-Fresh housed animals exhibited greater responsiveness in a noxious needle assay, than those housed on the other bedding types. Heat sensitivity was also affected by bedding as animals housed on Aspen exhibited the shortest (most sensitive) latencies to withdrawal whereas those housed on TEK-Fresh had the longest (least sensitive) latencies to response. Slight differences between bedding types were also seen in a moderate cold temperature preference assay. A modified tactile conditioned place preference chamber assay revealed that animals preferred TEK-Fresh to Aspen bedding. Bedding type had no effect in a non-reflexive wheel running assay. In both acute (two day) and chronic (5 week) inflammation induced by injection of Complete Freund’s Adjuvant in the hindpaw, mechanical thresholds were reduced in all groups regardless of bedding type, but TEK-Fresh and Pure-o’Cel™ groups exhibited a greater dynamic range between controls and inflamed cohorts than Aspen housed mice. PMID:26456764

The red bed-type and sandstone-type uranium deposits in the inland basins of the northwest China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Zhilong.

1988-01-01

On the basis of the study on the relationship between the red bed-type and sandstone-type uranium deposits in the inland basins of the northwest China, a classification of red beds based on sedimentary facies and redding origin is presented. Red beds in the inland badins can be divided into six types: 1. alluvial plain and 2. shallow lake red beds formed at the stage of continental disintegration; 3. fluvial alluvial red bed, 4. delta plain and 5. desert red beds formed at the diagenetic-epigenetic stage; 6. spattered red (secondaty red beds) formed at the hypergenic weathering stage. According to the characteristics, structural environments of these six types of red beds, and changes of various geochemical characteristic values (Eh, pH, Th/U, Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ , Sr/Ba, etc.) from host rocks to different kinds of red beds , the relationship between these values and sandstone-type uranium deposits was determined. it is an open system, the mobile uranium is easily leached, thus it is unfavoutable for mineralization; but when the rock reddens at the diagenetic epigenetic stage (closed system) that is favourable for mineraizaltion, the mobile uranium can be concentrated to form uranium deposits

Effects of alternative deep bedding options on dairy cow preference, lying behavior, cleanliness, and teat end contamination.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfe, T; Vasseur, E; DeVries, T J; Bergeron, R

2018-01-01

Cows spend more time lying down when stalls are soft and dry, and bedding plays a key role in the comfort of the lying surface. The first objective of this study (experiment 1) was to compare cow preference for 2 types of alternative deep-bedding materials, switchgrass and switchgrass-lime, using wheat straw on a rubber mat as a control. Nine Holstein lactating cows were submitted in trios to a 3-choice preference test over 14 d (2 d of adaptation, 3 d of restriction to each stall, and 3 d of free access to all 3 stalls). Cows were housed individually in pens containing 3 stalls with different lying surfaces: (1) rubber mat with chopped wheat straw (WS); (2) deep-bedded switchgrass (SG); and (3) deep-bedded switchgrass, water, and lime mixture (SGL). The second objective (experiment 2) was to test, in freestall housing, the effects of these 3 types of bedding on lying behavior, cow cleanliness, and teat end bacterial contamination. Bedding treatments were compared in a 3 × 3 Latin square design using 24 cows split into groups of 8, with bedding materials being switched every 4 wk. Lying behavior was measured with data loggers in both studies. During experiment 1, cows chose to spend more time lying and had more frequent lying bouts on SG (9.4 h/d; 8.2 bouts/d) than on SGL (1.0 h/d; 0.9 bouts/d). They also spent more time standing and stood more frequently in stalls with SG (2.0 h/d; 10.1 bouts/d) than in those with SGL (0.6 h/d; 2.6 bouts/d), and stood longer in stalls with SG than with WS (0.6 h/d). In experiment 2, the total lying time, frequency of lying bouts, and mean lying bout duration were, on average, 9.7 ± 1.03 h/d, 8.2 ± 0.93 bouts/d, and 1.2 ± 0.06 h/bout, respectively, and did not differ between treatments. No treatment effects were found for cow cleanliness scores. Bedding dry matter was highest for SG (74.1%), lowest for SGL (63.5%), and intermediate for WS (68.6%) [standard error of the mean (SEM) = 1.57%]. This may explain the higher teat end

Application and Discussion of Dual Fluidized Bed Reactor in Biomass Energy Utilization

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Haibin; Fan, Xiaoxu; Zhao, Baofeng; Yang, Liguo; Sun, Rongfeng

2018-01-01

As an important clean and renewable energy, biomass has a broad market prospect. The dual fluidized bed is widely used in biomass gasification technology, and has become an important way of biomass high-value utilization. This paper describes the basic principle of dual fluidized bed gasification, from the gas composition, tar content and thermal efficiency of the system point of view, analyzes and summarizes several typical dual fluidized bed biomass gasification technologies, points out the existence of gas mixing, the external heat source, catalyst development problems on gas. Finally, it is clear that the gasification of biomass in dual fluidized bed is of great industrial application and development prospect.

MARKETING MIX BY BED OCCUPANCY RATIO (BOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Muhith

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Bed Occupancy Ratio (BOR in RSI Arafah Mojosari during the last three years are at under ideal rate and the lowest of the three existing hospitals in the area of Mojosari. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship marketing mix with Bed Occupancy Ratio in RSI Arafah Mojosari. Methods: This research uses analytic methods with crossectional approach. Variables in the study is marketing mix and Bed Occupancy Ratio (BOR. The population in this study were all patients hospitalized in the RSI Arafah Mojosari. Samples amounted 44 respondents taken by the Stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using the questionnaire and analyzed using Fisher's Exact test. Result: The results obtained more than 50% of respondents (59.1% rate well against the marketing mix is developed by the hospital management and the majority of respondents (79.5% are in the treatment room that has a number BOR is not ideal. Fisher Exact test test results obtained probabililty value=0.02<0.05 so that H0 is rejected, which means there is a relationship marketing mix with the Bed Occupancy Ratio in RSI Arafah Mojosari. Discussion: Hospitals which able to develop the marketing mix very well, can attract consumers to use inpatient services at the hospital, with that BOR value will increase as the increased use of inpatient services. Hospital management must be able to formulate a good marketing mix strategy that hospital marketing objectives can be achieved. Conformity between service quality and service rates must be addressed, otherwise it extent of media promotions can attract patients to inpatient services.

Simulation of a high efficiency multi-bed adsorption heat pump

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

TeGrotenhuis, W.E.; Humble, P.H.; Sweeney, J.B.

2012-01-01

Attaining high energy efficiency with adsorption heat pumps is challenging due to thermodynamic losses that occur when the sorbent beds are thermally cycled without effective heat recuperation. The multi-bed concept described here enables high efficiency by effectively transferring heat from beds being cooled to beds being heated. A simplified lumped-parameter model and detailed finite element analysis are used to simulate a sorption compressor, which is used to project the overall heat pump coefficient of performance. Results are presented for ammonia refrigerant and a nano-structured monolithic carbon sorbent specifically modified for the application. The effects of bed geometry and number of beds on system performance are explored, and the majority of the performance benefit is obtained with four beds. Results indicate that a COP of 1.24 based on heat input is feasible at AHRI standard test conditions for residential HVAC equipment. When compared on a basis of primary energy input, performance equivalent to SEER 13 or 14 are theoretically attainable with this system. - Highlights: ► A multi-bed concept for adsorption heat pumps is capable of high efficiency. ► Modeling is used to simulate sorption compressor and overall heat pump performance. ► Results are presented for ammonia refrigerant and a nano-structured monolithic carbon sorbent. ► The majority of the efficiency benefit is obtained with four beds. ► Predicted COP as high as 1.24 for cooling is comparable to SEER 13 or 14 for electric heat pumps.

Particle Bed Reactor scaling relationships

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slovik, G.; Araj, K.; Horn, F.L.; Ludewig, H.; Benenati, R.

1987-01-01

Scaling relationships for Particle Bed Reactors (PBRs) are discussed. The particular applications are short duration systems, i.e., for propulsion or burst power. Particle Bed Reactors can use a wide selection of different moderators and reflectors and be designed for such a wide range of power and bed power densities. Additional design considerations include the effect of varying the number of fuel elements, outlet Mach number in hot gas channel, etc. All of these variables and options result in a wide range of reactor weights and performance. Extremely light weight reactors (approximately 1 kg/MW) are possible with the appropriate choice of moderator/reflector and power density. Such systems are very attractive for propulsion systems where parasitic weight has to be minimized

Effect of packing fraction variations on reactivity in pebble-bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snoj, L.; Ravnik, M.

2004-01-01

The pebble-bed reactor (PBR) core consists of large number of randomly packed spherical fuel elements. The effect of fuel element packing density variations on multiplication factor in a typical PBR is studied using WIMS code. It is observed that at normal conditions the k-eff increases with packing fraction. Effects of secondary coolant ingress (water or molten lead) in the core at accidental conditions are studied at various packing densities. The effect of water ingress on reactivity depends strongly on water density and packing fraction and is prevailingly positive, while the lead ingress reduces multiplication factor regardless of lead effective density and packing fraction. Both effects are stronger at lower packing fractions. (author)

LBNP/ergometer effects on female cardiovascular and muscle deconditioning in 15d head-down bed rest

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lin-Jie

2012-07-01

Female has already been an important part of astronaut corps but gender characteristics in weightlessness and countermeasure effects still not clearly elucidated. In this study the LBNP/Ergometer effects on female cardiovascular deconditioning and muscle atrophy in 15d head-down bed rest were explored. 22 female university students were recruited as volunteers that participated in the 15d head-down bed rest. They were divided into control group (Con,n=8), LBNP exercise group (LBNP,n=7) and LBNP combined with ergometer exercise group (LBNP+Ergo, n=7). Grade negative pressures of -10,-20,-30,-40mmHg 20 or 55min were used in LBNP exercise. In ergometer exercises the subjects must maintain 60-80% VO2peak of pre-bed rest at pedal speed of about 70cycle/min for 15min and the entire exercise duration was 30min. LBNP were performed at 6th,8th,10th,12th,and 13th day and Ergometer were operated at 4th,5th,7th,9th,11th day during bed rest. Before and after bed rest, cardiovascular tilt test were performed to evaluate orthostatic intolerance, supine cycle ergometer were used to test the cardiopulmonary function, MRI tests were operated to examine the volume variations of leg muscle groups and isokinetic test were given to test the muscle strength and endurance of knee. 40% of female subjects did not pass the tilt table test after bed rest and exercises made no difference. Compared with pre-BR, VO2max and VO2max /body weight, VO2/HRmax, maximal power and duration significantly decreased in CON group and LBNP group. For the ERGO+LBNP group, there were no visible different in the parameters of cardiopulmonary function except that maximal power and duration decreased. Muscle maximal voluntary contraction and muscle (quadriceps, rectus femoris, gastrocnemius and soleus) volume decreasing in non-predominant leg was larger in Con group than in LBNP+Ergo group. It is suggested that LBNP combined with ergometer in some degrees can counteract the cardiovascular and muscle deconditioning

Effects of magnetic fields on improving mass transfer in flue gas desulfurization using a fluidized bed

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qi; Gui, Keting; Wang, Xiaobo

2016-02-01

The effects of magnetic fields on improving the mass transfer in flue gas desulfurization using a fluidized bed are investigated in the paper. In this research, the magnetically fluidized bed (MFB) is used as the reactor in which ferromagnetic particles are fluidized with simulated flue gas under the influence of an external magnetic field. Lime slurry is continuously sprayed into the reactor. As a consequence, the desulfurization reaction and the slurry drying process take place simultaneously in the MFB. In this paper, the effects of ferromagnetic particles and external magnetic fields on the desulphurization efficiency are studied and compared with that of quartz particles as the fluidized particles. Experimental results show that the ferromagnetic particles not only act as a platform for lime slurry to precipitate on like quartz particles, but also take part in the desulfurization reaction. The results also show that the specific surface area of ferromagnetic particles after reaction is enlarged as the magnetic intensity increases, and the external magnetic field promotes the oxidation of S(IV), improving the mass transfer between sulphur and its sorbent. Hence, the efficiency of desulphurization under the effects of external magnetic fields is higher than that in general fluidized beds.

Maternal and individual effects in selection of bed sites and their consequences for fawn survival at different spatial scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Moorter, Bram; Gaillard, Jean-Michel; McLoughlin, Philip D; Delorme, Daniel; Klein, François; Boyce, Mark S

2009-03-01

We examined the relationship between survival of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) fawns at Trois Fontaines, Champagne-Ardennes, France, and factors related to bed-site selection (predator avoidance and thermoregulation) and maternal food resources (forage availability in the maternal home range). Previous studies have demonstrated that at small scales, the young of large herbivores select bed sites independently from their mothers, although this selection takes place within the limits of their mother's home range. Fawn survival was influenced largely by the availability of good bed sites within the maternal home range, not by the fawn's selection of bed sites; however, selection for thermal cover when selecting bed sites positively influenced survival of young fawns. Typical features of a good home range included close proximity to habitat edges, which is related to forage accessibility for roe deer. The availability of bed sites changed as fawns aged, probably due to an increased mobility of the fawn or a different use of the home range by the mother; sites offering high concealment and thermal protection became less available in favor of areas with higher forage accessibility. Despite the minor influence of bed-site selection on survival, roe deer fawns strongly selected their bed sites according to several environmental factors linked to predator avoidance and thermoregulation. Fawns selected for sites providing concealment, light penetration, and avoided signs of wild boar (Sus scrofa) activity. Avoidance of sites with high light penetration by young fawns positively affected their survival, confirming a negative effect on thermoregulation due to reduced thermal cover. Selection for light penetration by older fawns was less clear. We discuss these results in the context of cross-generational effects in habitat selection across multiple scales, and the potential influence of the 'ghost of predation past'.

Is high-resolution inverse characterization of heterogeneous river bed hydraulic conductivities needed and possible?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Kurtz

2013-10-01

Full Text Available River–aquifer exchange fluxes influence local and regional water balances and affect groundwater and river water quality and quantity. Unfortunately, river–aquifer exchange fluxes tend to be strongly spatially variable, and it is an open research question to which degree river bed heterogeneity has to be represented in a model in order to achieve reliable estimates of river–aquifer exchange fluxes. This research question is addressed in this paper with the help of synthetic simulation experiments, which mimic the Limmat aquifer in Zurich (Switzerland, where river–aquifer exchange fluxes and groundwater management activities play an important role. The solution of the unsaturated–saturated subsurface hydrological flow problem including river–aquifer interaction is calculated for ten different synthetic realities where the strongly heterogeneous river bed hydraulic conductivities (L are perfectly known. Hydraulic head data (100 in the default scenario are sampled from the synthetic realities. In subsequent data assimilation experiments, where L is unknown now, the hydraulic head data are used as conditioning information, with the help of the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF. For each of the ten synthetic realities, four different ensembles of L are tested in the experiments with EnKF; one ensemble estimates high-resolution L fields with different L values for each element, and the other three ensembles estimate effective L values for 5, 3 or 2 zones. The calibration of higher-resolution L fields (i.e. fully heterogeneous or 5 zones gives better results than the calibration of L for only 3 or 2 zones in terms of reproduction of states, stream–aquifer exchange fluxes and parameters. Effective L for a limited number of zones cannot always reproduce the true states and fluxes well and results in biased estimates of net exchange fluxes between aquifer and stream. Also in case only 10 head data are used for conditioning, the high

Zebra mussel beds: an effective feeding ground for Ponto-Caspian gobies or suitable shelter for their prey?

Science.gov (United States)

Kobak, Jarosław; Poznańska, Małgorzata; Jermacz, Łukasz; Kakareko, Tomasz; Prądzynski, Daniel; Łodygowska, Małgorzata; Montowska, Karolina; Bącela-Spychalska, Karolina

2016-01-01

Aggregations of the Ponto-Caspian invasive zebra mussel ( Dreissena polymorpha ) constitute a suitable habitat for macroinvertebrates, considerably increasing their abundance and providing effective antipredator protection. Thus, the overall effect of a mussel bed on particular predator species may vary from positive to negative, depending on both prey density increase and predator ability to prey in a structurally complex habitat. Alien Ponto-Caspian goby fish are likely to be facilitated when introduced into new areas by zebra mussels, provided that they are capable of utilizing mussel beds as habitat and feeding grounds. We ran laboratory experiments to find which prey (chironomid larvae) densities (from ca. 500 to 2,000 individuals m -2 ) in a mussel bed make it a more beneficial feeding ground for the racer goby Babka gymnotrachelus (RG) and western tubenose goby Proterorhinus semilunaris (WTG) compared to sandy and stone substrata (containing the basic prey density of 500 ind. m -2 ). Moreover, we checked how food availability affects habitat selection by fish. Mussel beds became more suitable for fish than alternative mineral substrata when food abundance was at least two times higher (1,000 vs. 500 ind. m -2 ), regardless of fish size and species. WTG was associated with mussel beds regardless of its size and prey density, whereas RG switched to this habitat when it became a better feeding ground than alternative substrata. Larger RG exhibited a stronger affinity for mussels than small individuals. WTG fed more efficiently from a mussel bed at high food abundances than RG. A literature review has shown that increasing chironomid density, which in our study was sufficient to make a mussel habitat an attractive feeding ground for the gobies, is commonly observed in mussel beds in the field. Therefore, we conclude that zebra mussels may positively affect the alien goby species and are likely to facilitate their establishment in novel areas, contributing to an

Zebra mussel beds: an effective feeding ground for Ponto-Caspian gobies or suitable shelter for their prey?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jarosław Kobak

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Aggregations of the Ponto-Caspian invasive zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha constitute a suitable habitat for macroinvertebrates, considerably increasing their abundance and providing effective antipredator protection. Thus, the overall effect of a mussel bed on particular predator species may vary from positive to negative, depending on both prey density increase and predator ability to prey in a structurally complex habitat. Alien Ponto-Caspian goby fish are likely to be facilitated when introduced into new areas by zebra mussels, provided that they are capable of utilizing mussel beds as habitat and feeding grounds. We ran laboratory experiments to find which prey (chironomid larvae densities (from ca. 500 to 2,000 individuals m−2 in a mussel bed make it a more beneficial feeding ground for the racer goby Babka gymnotrachelus (RG and western tubenose goby Proterorhinus semilunaris (WTG compared to sandy and stone substrata (containing the basic prey density of 500 ind. m−2. Moreover, we checked how food availability affects habitat selection by fish. Mussel beds became more suitable for fish than alternative mineral substrata when food abundance was at least two times higher (1,000 vs. 500 ind. m−2, regardless of fish size and species. WTG was associated with mussel beds regardless of its size and prey density, whereas RG switched to this habitat when it became a better feeding ground than alternative substrata. Larger RG exhibited a stronger affinity for mussels than small individuals. WTG fed more efficiently from a mussel bed at high food abundances than RG. A literature review has shown that increasing chironomid density, which in our study was sufficient to make a mussel habitat an attractive feeding ground for the gobies, is commonly observed in mussel beds in the field. Therefore, we conclude that zebra mussels may positively affect the alien goby species and are likely to facilitate their establishment in novel areas

Effect of bedding control on amount of house dust mite allergens, asthma symptoms, and peak expiratory flow rate.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Inn-Sook

2003-04-30

This quasi-experimental study was designed to investigate the effect of bedding control on the amount of house dust mite (HDM) allergens, asthma symptoms, and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) in asthmatics sensitive to HDMs. The subjects in the study were drawn from patients receiving treatment at the allergy clinics of three university-affiliated hospitals in Seoul. Forty-two patients without prior practice of the bedding control used in this study were selected. They commonly showed bronchial asthma caused by HDMs, and exhibited strong positive points (more than 3 points) in skin prick test (D. farinae, D. pteronyssinus), and positive response in both fluoro-allergosorbent test (FAST), and PC20 methacholine test. Of the subjects, alternatively, 22 were assigned to the experimental group and 20 to control group. Bedding control consisted of the use of outer cotton covers, boiling them for 10 minutes fortnightly, and disinfecting bedding by sunlight fortnightly. The experimental group was under bedding control for 4 weeks. The data were collected from October 2000 to January 2001. The results were as follows: 1. After bedding control, the total amount of HDM allergens decreased significantly in the experimental group. However there was no significant difference in the decrease of the amount of HDM allergens between the two groups. 2. Of the asthma symptoms, there was significant difference only in the decrease of the frequency of dyspnea, and in the increase of sleeping disturbance between the two groups after bedding control. 3. After bedding control, PEFR increased in the experimental group whereas it decreased in the control group. However, neither change was significant. The above findings indicate that bedding control improved several asthma symptoms in asthmatics sensitive to HDMs. Accordingly, we suggest that bedding control is adopted as a useful nursing intervention in the field.

Flue Gas Emissions from Fluidized Bed Combustion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bramer, E.A.; Valk, M.

1995-01-01

During the past decades fluidized bed coal combustion was developed as a technology for burning coal in an effective way meeting the standards for pollution control. During the earlier years of research on fluidized bed combustion, the potential for limiting the S02 emission by adding limestone to

The influence of fine char particles burnout on bed agglomeration during the fluidized bed combustion of a biomass fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scala, Fabrizio; Chirone, Riccardo [Istituto di Ricerche sulla Combustione, CNR, P.le V. Tecchio, 80-80125 Naples (Italy); Salatino, Piero [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica, Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, P.le V. Tecchio, 80-80125 Naples (Italy)

2003-11-15

The combustion of biomass char in a bubbling fluidized bed is hereby addressed, with specific reference to the influence that the combustion of fine char particles may exert on ash deposition and bed agglomeration phenomena. Experiments of steady fluidized bed combustion (FBC) of powdered biomass were carried out with the aim of mimicking the postcombustion of attrited char fines generated in the fluidized bed combustion of coarse char. Experimental results showed that the char elutriation rate is much smaller than expected on the basis of the average size of the biomass powder and of the carbon loading in the combustor. Samples of bed material collected after prolonged operation of the combustor were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-EDX analysis and revealed the formation of relatively coarse sand-ash-carbon aggregates. The phenomenology is consistent with the establishment of a char phase attached to the bed material as a consequence of adhesion of char fines onto the sand particles. Combustion under sound-assisted fluidization conditions was also tested. As expected, enhancement of fines adhesion on bed material and further reduction of the elutriation rate were observed. Experimental results are interpreted in the light of a simple model which accounts for elutriation of free fines, adhesion of free fines onto bed material and detachment of attached fines by attrition of char-sand aggregates. Combustion of both free and attached char fines is considered. The parameters of the model are assessed on the basis of the measured carbon loadings and elutriation rates. Model computations are directed to estimate the effective size and the peak temperature of char-sand aggregates. The theoretical estimates of the effective aggregate size match fairly well those observed in the experiments.

COOLOCE debris bed experiments and simulations investigating the coolability of cylindrical beds with different materials and flow modes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takasuo, E.; Kinnunen, T.; Holmstroem, S.; Lehtikuusi, T. [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (Finland)

2013-07-15

The COOLOCE experiments aim at investigating the coolability of debris beds of different geometries, flow modes and materials. A debris bed may be formed of solidified corium as a result of a severe accident in a nuclear power reactor. The COOLOCE-8 test series consisted of experiments with a top-flooded test bed with irregular gravel as the simulant material. The objective was to produce comparison data useful in estimating the effects of different particle materials and the possible effect of the test arrangement on the results. It was found that the dryout heat flux (DHF) measured for the gravel was lower compared to previous experiments with spherical beads, and somewhat lower compared to the early STYX experiments. The difference between the beads and gravel is at least partially explained by the smaller average size of the gravel particles. The COOLOCE-9 test series included scoping experiments examining the effect of subcooling of the water pool in which the debris bed is immersed. The experiments with initially subcooled pool suggest that the subcooling may increase DHF and increase coolability. The aim of the COOLOCE-10 experiments was to investigate the effect of lateral flooding on the DHF a cylindrical test bed. The top of the test cylinder and its sidewall were open to water infiltration. It was found that the DHF is increased compared to a top-flooded cylinder by more than 50%. This suggests that coolability is notably improved. 2D simulations of the top-flooded test beds have been run with the MEWA code. Prior to the simulations, the effective particle diameter for the spherical beads and the irregular gravel was estimated by single-phase pressure loss measurements performed at KTH in Sweden. Parameter variations were done for particle size and porosity used as input in the models. It was found that with the measured effective particle diameter and porosity, the simulation models predict DHF with a relatively good accuracy in the case of spherical

Fluidization bed coating of copper bars with epoxy powder

OpenAIRE

Soh, Chiaw Min

2014-01-01

Fluidized bed coating (FBC) is a process where preheated material is dipped into a flowing liquid bed of powder. Although FBC has existed for more than half a century, however there is little knowledge about the fluidized bed design that gives excellent fluidization quality as well as reducing powder entrainment. The objectives of this thesis are to investigate the effect of two different types of distributor with different pressure drop on powder coating, hydrodynamics of fluidized bed coati...

Udder health in a Danish compost bedded pack barn

OpenAIRE

Svennesen, Line; Enevoldsen, Carsten; Bjerg, Bjarne Schmidt; Klaas, Ilka Christine

2014-01-01

Besides welfare advantages of the compost bedded pack system (CBP) there could be a negative effect of the organic bedding on udder health. Our objectives were to evaluate the effects of a CBP on udder health compared to a free stall system (FS) with sand bedded cubicles. Within the same Danish organic farm, 330 multiparous cows were randomly allocated to CBP or FS. During the experimental period (EP), December 2012 to May 2013, proportions of cows with blinded teats were registered monthly a...

Public hospital bed crisis: too few or too misused?

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Ian A

2010-08-01

* Increasing demand on public hospital beds has led to what many see as a hospital bed crisis requiring substantial increases in bed numbers. By 2050, if current bed use trends persist and as the numbers of frail older patients rise exponentially, a 62% increase in hospital beds will be required to meet expected demand, at a cost almost equal to the entire current Australian healthcare budget. * This article provides an overview of the effectiveness of different strategies for reducing hospital demand that may be viewed as primarily (although not exclusively) targeting the hospital sector - increasing capacity and throughput and reducing readmissions - or the non-hospital sector - facilitating early discharge or reducing presentations and admissions to hospital. Evidence of effectiveness was retrieved from a literature search of randomised trials and observational studies using broad search terms. * The principal findings were as follows: (1) within the hospital sector, throughput could be substantially improved by outsourcing public hospital clinical services to the private sector, undertaking whole-of-hospital reform of care processes and patient flow that address both access and exit block, separating acute from elective beds and services, increasing rates of day-only or short stay admissions, and curtailing ineffective or marginally effective clinical interventions; (2) in regards to the non-hospital sector, potentially the biggest gains in reducing hospital demand will come from improved access to residential care, rehabilitation services, and domiciliary support as patients awaiting such services currently account for 70% of acute hospital bed-days. More widespread use of acute care and advance care planning within residential care facilities and population-based chronic disease management programs can also assist. * This overview concludes that, in reducing hospital bed demand, clinical process redesign within hospitals and capacity enhancement of non

Waste form dissolution in bedded salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaufman, A.M.

1980-01-01

A model was devised for waste dissolution in bedded salt, a hydrologically tight medium. For a typical Spent UnReprocessed Fuel (SURF) emplacement, the dissolution rate wll be diffusion limited and will rise to a steady state value after t/sub eq/ approx. = 250 (1+(1-epsilon 0 ) K/sub D//epsilon 0 ) (years) epsilon 0 is the overpack porosity and K/sub d/ is the overpack sorption coefficient. The steady state dissolution rate itself is dominated by the solubility of UO 2 . Steady state rates between 5 x 10 -5 and .5 (g/year) are achievable by SURF emplacements in bedded salt without overpack, and rates between 5 x 10 -7 and 5 x 10 -3 (g/year) with an overpack having porosity of 10 -2

Coal-bed methane water: effects on soil properties and camelina productivity

Science.gov (United States)

Every year the production of coal-bed natural gas in the Powder River Basin results in the discharge of large amounts of coal-bed methane water (CBMW) in Wyoming; however, no sustainable disposal methods for CBMW are currently available. A greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate the potential to ...

Modeling the Effects of Reservoir Releases on the Bed Material Sediment Flux of the Colorado River in western Colorado and eastern Utah

Science.gov (United States)

Pitlick, J.; Bizzi, S.; Schmitt, R. J. P.

2017-12-01

Warm-water reaches of the upper Colorado River have historically provided important habitat for four endangered fishes. Over time these habitats have been altered or lost due to reductions in peak flows and sediment loads caused by reservoir operations. In an effort to reverse these trends, controlled reservoir releases are now used to enhance sediment transport and restore channel complexity. In this presentation, we discuss the development of a sediment routing model designed to assess how changes in water and sediment supply can affect the mass balance of sediment. The model is formulated for ten reaches of the Colorado River spanning 250 km where values of bankfull discharge, width, and reach-average slope have been measured. Bed surface grain size distributions (GSDs) have also been measured throughout the study area; these distributions are used as a test of the model, not as input, except as an upstream boundary condition. In modeling fluxes and GSDs, we assume that the bed load transport capacity is determined by local hydraulic conditions and bed surface grain sizes. Estimates of the bankfull bed load transport capacity in each reach are computed for 14 size fractions of the surface bed material, and the fractional transport rates are summed to get the total transport capacity. In the adjacent reach, fluxes of each size fraction from upstream are used to determine the mean grain size, and the fractional transport capacity of that reach. Calculations proceed downstream and illustrate how linked changes in discharge, shear stress and mean grain size affect (1) the total bed load transport capacity, and (2) the size distribution of the bed surface sediment. The results show that model-derived GSDs match measured GSDs very closely, except for two reaches in the lower part of the study area where slope is affected by uplift associated with salt diapirs; here the model significantly overestimates the transport capacity in relation to the supply. Except for these

Coolability of a 3D homogeneous debris bed, experimental and numerical investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atkhen, K.; Berthoud, G.

2001-01-01

Within the framework of nuclear safety analysis, we present here experimental and numerical results in the field of debris bed coolability. Experimental data are provided by the SILFIDE 3D experimental facility in which the debris bed is heated by induction, at Electricite de France (EDF). Numerical computations are obtained with MC3D-REPO which is a 3-phase and 3D code developed by the Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA). The uniform debris bed consists of 2 and 3,17 mm diameter steel beads contained in a 50 cm x 60 cm x 10 cm vessel. Water is used as a coolant and can be introduced either by the top or the bottom of the bed at a determined temperature. Due to heterogeneous power distribution within the bed, two definitions for the critical heat flux are proposed: the classical mean value and the local flux (much higher). Even in the first case, the measured dryout heat flux is higher than the Lipinsky 1-D flux. Temperature curve analyses show that the dryout phenomenon is very local, therefore one should be careful about the right flux definition to use. As the injected power is being increased stepwise, steady temperature stages above saturation temperature before dryout can be observed. A discussion is proposed. For some very high values of the induction power, some spheres melted together, leading to a bigger non-porous region. Even if the local temperature went over 1300 C, the bed was still coolable and the critical heat flux value was not impacted. Some parametric studies led to the following conclusions: bottom coolant injection leads to a twice time higher critical flux than by top injection, the influence of the height of the water pool above debris bed is negligible, a sub-cooled liquid injection has no influence on the coolability. Fluidization of surface particles is also discussed. The MC3D-REPO model assumes a thermal equilibrium between the three phases, which gives results in agreement with experiments until dryout occurs. (author)

Evacuation of Bed-bound Patients-STEPS Simulations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Anne; Dederichs, Anne Simone

2016-01-01

Fires in hospitals occur, and evacuation of bed-bound patients might be necessary in case of emergency. The current study concerns the evacuation of bed-bound patients from a fire section in a hospital using hospital porters. The simulations are performed using the STEPS program. The aim...... of the study is to investigate the evacuation time of bed-bound hospital patients using different walking speeds from the literature, and the influence of the number of hospital porters on the total evacuation times of bed-bound patients. Different scenarios were carried out with varying staff......-to-patient ratios that simulate the horizontal evacuation of 40 bed-bound patients into a different fire section. It was found that the staff-to-patient-ratio affects the total evacuation times. However, the total evacuation times do not decrease linearly and a saturation effect is seen at a staff-to-patient ratio...

Rats Housed on Corncob Bedding Show Less Slow-Wave Sleep

OpenAIRE

Leys, Laura J; McGaraughty, Steve; Radek, Richard J

2012-01-01

Despite the reported advantages of corncob bedding, questions have emerged about how comfortable animals find this type of bedding as a resting surface. In this study, encephalography (EEG) was used to compare the effects of corncob and aspen-chip bedding on rat slow-wave sleep (SWS). According to a facility-wide initiative, rats that were weaned on aspen-chip bedding were switched to corncob bedding in home cages and EEG recording chambers. Spontaneous EEG recordings obtained for 5 wk after ...

Gas dispersal potential of bedding as a cause for sudden infant death.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakai, Jun; Kanetake, Jun; Takahashi, Shirushi; Kanawaku, Yoshimasa; Funayama, Masato

2008-09-18

We assessed the gas dispersal potential of bedding articles used by 14 infants diagnosed with sudden unexpected infant death at autopsy. Of these cases, eight exhibited FiCO(2) values greater than 10% within 2.5 min, six of which were found prone and two supine. The results demonstrated that these eight beddings had a high rebreathing potential if they covered the babies' faces. We did not, however, take into account in our model the large tissue stores of CO(2). As some bicarbonate pools will delay or suppress the increase of FiCO(2), the time-FiCO(2) graphs of this study are not true for living infants. This model, however, demonstrated the potential gas dispersal ability of bedding. The higher the FiCO(2) values, the more dangerous the situation for rebreathing infants. In addition, FiO(2) in the potential space around the model's face can be estimated mathematically using FiCO(2) values. The FiO(2) graph pattern for each bedding item corresponded roughly to the inverse of the FiCO(2) time course. The FiO(2) of the above eight cases decreased by 8.5% within 2.5 min. Recent studies using living infants placed prone to sleep reported that some babies exhibited larger decreases in FiO(2) than increases observed in FiCO(2). While the decrease of FiO(2) in our model is still theoretical, CO(2) accumulation and O(2) deprivation are closely related. If a striking O(2) deficiency occurs in a short period, babies can lose consciousness before an arousal response is evoked and all infants could be influenced by the poor gas dispersal of bedding; the main cause of sudden death in infancy would thus be asphyxia. When the bedding is soft, the potential for trapping CO(2) seems to be high; however, it is impossible to assess it by appearance alone. We sought to provide some objective indices for the assessment of respiratory compromise in relation to bedding using our model. When a baby is found unresponsive with his/her face covered with poor gas dispersal bedding, we should

Numerical simulation for debris bed behavior in sodium cooled fast reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tagami, Hirotaka; Tobita, Yoshiharu

2014-01-01

For safety analysis of SFR, it is necessary to evaluate behavior along with coolability of debris bed in lower plenum which is formed in severe accident. In order to analyze debris behavior, model for dense sediment particles behavior was proposed and installed in SFR safety analysis code SIMMER. SIMMER code could adequately reproduce experimental results simulating the self-leveling phenomena with appropriate model parameters for bed stiffness. In reactor condition, the self-leveling experiment for prototypical debris bed has not been performed. Additionally, the prototypical debris bed consists of non-spherical particles and it is difficult to quantify model parameters. This situation brings sensitivity analysis to investigate effect of model parameters on the self-leveling phenomena of prototypical debris bed in present paper. As initial condition for sensitivity analysis, simple mound-like debris bed in sodium-filled lower plenum in reactor vessel is considered. The bed consists of the mixture of fuel debris of 3,300 kg and steel debris of 1,570 kg. Decay heat is given to this fuel debris. The model parameter is chosen as sensitivity parameter. Sensitivity analysis shows that the model parameters can effect on intensity of self-leveling phenomena and eventual flatness of bed. In all analyses, however, coolant and sodium vapor break the debris bed at mainly center part of bed and the debris is relocated to outside of bed. Through this process, the initial debris bed is almost planarized before re-melting of debris. This result shows that the model parameters affect the self-leveling phenomena, but its effect in the safety analysis of SFRs is limited. (author)

Effective thermal conductivity of advanced ceramic breeder pebble beds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pupeschi, S., E-mail: simone.pupeschi@kit.edu; Knitter, R.; Kamlah, M.

2017-03-15

As the knowledge of the effective thermal conductivity of ceramic breeder pebble beds under fusion relevant conditions is essential for the development of solid breeder blanket concepts, the EU advanced and reference lithium orthosilicate material were investigated with a newly developed experimental setup based on the transient hot wire method. The effective thermal conductivity was investigated in the temperature range RT–700 °C. Experiments were performed in helium and air atmospheres in the pressure range 0.12–0.4 MPa (abs.) under a compressive load up to 6 MPa. Results show a negligible influence of the chemical composition of the solid material on the bed’s effective thermal conductivity. A severe reduction of the effective thermal conductivity was observed in air. In both atmospheres an increase of the effective thermal conductivity with the temperature was detected, while the influence of the compressive load was found to be small. A clear dependence of the effective thermal conductivity on the pressure of the filling gas was observed in helium in contrast to air, where the pressure dependence was drastically reduced.

Cooling of an internal-heated debris bed with fine particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Z.L.; Sehgal, B.R.

2001-01-01

In this paper, an analytical model on dryout heat flux of ex-vessel debris beds with fines particles under top flooding conditions has been developed. The parametric study is performed on the effect of the stratification of the debris beds on the dryout heat flux. The calculated results show that the stratification configuration of the debris beds with smaller particles and lower porosity layer resting on the top of another layer of the beds has profound effect on the dryout heat flux for the debris beds both with and without a downcomer. The enhancement of the dryout heat flux by the downcomer is significant. The efficiency of the single downcomer on the enhancement of the dryout heat flux is also analyzed. This, in general, agrees well with experimental data. The model is also employed to perform the assessment on the coolability of the ex-vessel debris bed under representative accidental conditions. One conservative case is chosen, and it is found that the downcomer could be efficient measure to cool the debris bed and hence terminate the severe accident. (authors)

Complex nonlinear behaviour of a fixed bed reactor with reactant recycle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Recke, Bodil; Jørgensen, Sten Bay

1999-01-01

The fixed bed reactor with reactant recycle investigated in this paper can exhibit periodic solutions. These solutions bifurcate from the steady state in a Hopf bifurcation. The Hopf bifurcation encountered at the lowest value of the inlet concentration turns the steady state unstable and marks......,that the dynamic behaviour of a fixed bed reactor with reactant recycle is much more complex than previously reported....

Enriched-air fluidized bed gasification using bench and pilot scale reactors of dairy manure with sand bedding based on response surface methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nam, Hyungseok; Maglinao, Amado L.; Capareda, Sergio C.; Rodriguez-Alejandro, David Aaron

2016-01-01

Enriched-air gasification was performed in fluidized bed reactors using the processed dairy manure which was mixed with sand bedding. The effects of temperature, modified equivalence ratio (ER_m), and oxygen concentration on the gas products were investigated based on the statistical models using a bench-scale reactor in order to obtain empirical correlations. Then, the empirical equations were applied to compare the produced gases from a pilot-scale fluidized bed gasifier. The empirical and actual H_2 and CH_4 compositions were within a 10% error, while the sum of produced CO and CO_2 gases showed similar composition within 3% error. The most influential factors for the syngas heating value were temperature followed by the oxygen concentration and ER (equivalence ratio). The composition of H_2 (2.1–11.5%) and CO (5.9–20.3%) rose with an increase in temperature and oxygen concentration. The variation of CO_2 (16.8–31.6%) was mainly affected by the degree of oxygen concentration in the gasifying agent. The ranges of the LHV (lower heating value), carbon conversion efficiency and cold gas efficiency were discussed. An economic review showed favorable indications for on-site dairy manure gasification process for electric power based on the depreciable payback period and the power production costs. - Highlights: • Sand mixed dairy manure obtained directly from a dairy farm was processed and used. • Response surface methodology was used to investigate the enriched-air gasification. • Syngas results from bench and pilot scale gasifiers were compared and reviewed. • A highest LVH of 8 MJ/Nm"3 was obtained from the enriched-air gasification. • The power production costs were determined to be $0.053/kWh

Management bedding : vrijloopstal met composterende bedding van houtsnippers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boer, de H.C.; Wiersma, M.; Galama, P.J.; Szanto, G.L.

2015-01-01

In de vrijloopstal liggen de koeien meestal op een organische bedding en scheiden daar mest (feces en urine) uit. Om de bedding voldoende droog en schoon te houden wordt er regelmatig nieuw strooisel aangevoerd en wordt de toplaag bewerkt. Op basis van onderzoek- en praktijkervaringen tot nu toe

Scaling of Sediment Dynamics in a Reach-Scale Laboratory Model of a Sand-Bed Stream with Riparian Vegetation

Science.gov (United States)

Gorrick, S.; Rodriguez, J. F.

2011-12-01

A movable bed physical model was designed in a laboratory flume to simulate both bed and suspended load transport in a mildly sinuous sand-bed stream. Model simulations investigated the impact of different vegetation arrangements along the outer bank to evaluate rehabilitation options. Preserving similitude in the 1:16 laboratory model was very important. In this presentation the scaling approach, as well as the successes and challenges of the strategy are outlined. Firstly a near-bankfull flow event was chosen for laboratory simulation. In nature, bankfull events at the field site deposit new in-channel features but cause only small amounts of bank erosion. Thus the fixed banks in the model were not a drastic simplification. Next, and as in other studies, the flow velocity and turbulence measurements were collected in separate fixed bed experiments. The scaling of flow in these experiments was simply maintained by matching the Froude number and roughness levels. The subsequent movable bed experiments were then conducted under similar hydrodynamic conditions. In nature, the sand-bed stream is fairly typical; in high flows most sediment transport occurs in suspension and migrating dunes cover the bed. To achieve similar dynamics in the model equivalent values of the dimensionless bed shear stress and the particle Reynolds number were important. Close values of the two dimensionless numbers were achieved with lightweight sediments (R=0.3) including coal and apricot pips with a particle size distribution similar to that of the field site. Overall the moveable bed experiments were able to replicate the dominant sediment dynamics present in the stream during a bankfull flow and yielded relevant information for the analysis of the effects of riparian vegetation. There was a potential conflict in the strategy, in that grain roughness was exaggerated with respect to nature. The advantage of this strategy is that although grain roughness is exaggerated, the similarity of

Combustion of gases released from peat or biomass in fluidized bed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raiko, R. [Tampere Univ. of Technology (Finland). Energy and Process Engineering

1996-12-01

Temperature and gas concentration experiments have been conducted to determine at what temperature carbon monoxide, methane and propane begin to react within the particulate phase of a bubbling fluidized bed. The fluidized bed reactor used in these experiments was a stainless-steel tube with an internal diameter of 50 mm surrounded by an electric heater. Two different natural quartz sands were used (d{sub p} =0.35 mm and 0.6 mm). The bed height used varied between 100 and 260 mm (in unfluidized state). A porous plate distributor, made of kaowool, was used to avoid jets appearing at the distributor. The bed was operated at incipient fluidization (u = 5.9-9 cm/s). The bed temperatures used ranged from 600 deg C to 850 deg C. It was found that carbon monoxide, methane and propane react inside a fluidized bed, but often other conditions than temperature have a considerable effect on the rate of the reaction. The critical temperature was found to be 650 deg C for propane and carbon monoxide and 700 deg C for methane. With under-stoichiometric mixture of carbon monoxide and air the heat release can be over 2.5 MW/m{sup 3} when bed temperature is 650 deg C. According to these experiments it is obvious that the reaction mechanism for carbon monoxide oxidation inside a fluidized bed differs greatly from that of gas phase only. The results of our more than 1300 test runs show clearly the varying effects of the different bed materials. Even with the same bed material totally different results can be obtained. In order to elucidate the possible changes of particle surface, microscopic and porosimetric studies was conducted with both fresh bed particles and used bed particles. Also the effect of commonly used ingredients, like limestone and dolomite, was tested. A global model for carbon monoxide oxidation inside a fluidized bed was introduced. The model was tested against measured data from the laboratory-scale fluidized bed test rig. (Abstract Truncated)

Study of the Effect of Burnable Poison Particles Applying in a Pebble Bed HTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Chunlin; Zhao Jing; Zhang Jian; Xia Bing

2014-01-01

In pebble bed high temperature gas cooled reactors (HTR), spherical fuel elements pass through the core several times to balance the burnup process in the fuel region, resulting in an acceptable shape and peak factor of power density in the simulation analysis. In contrast, when fuel elements pass through the core only once, the peak of power density occurs at the top of the core and its value is too high to be safe. These indicators/parameters can be improved by incorporating burnable poison in the fuel elements under certain conditions. In the current study, burnable poison particles (BPPs) in fuel elements are evaluated. In spite of the strong absorption capability of "1"0B, BPPs can decrease the depletion speed and increase the duration of "1"0B because of the self-shielding effect, resulting in improved shape and peak factor of power distribution. Several BPPs with different radius are discussed in power distribution, following the calculation for a full-scale reactor core with modified VSOP code. According the result, applying BPPs on fuel pebbles is an effective means to improve the distribution of the power density under one-through fuel load in HTR. (author)

Effects of biomass on dynamics of combustion in circulating fluidized beds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tourunen Antti

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Fluidized bed technology is very suitable for the combustion of biomass Nevertheless substitution of coal with biomass affects boiler operation and especially dynamics and controllability. Non-homogeneity of biomass and fuel feeding disturbances cause process instability, such as variations in temperatures and pressures, which reduce lifetime of equipment and structures. Because of process instability higher air coefficient must be used in order to avoid CO emissions, which is not economical. Combustion profiles for coal, wood and peat, measured at the VTT Processes Pilot circulating fluidized bed reactor, have been compared. Process stability and char inventories have been studied by the measurements and the model. Biofuel are usually very reactive and their combustion profiles are quite different compared to coals. Because of high reactivity and low char content combustion process with biofuel is very sensitive for fuel feeding. Also low char inventory effect on load changes combined with combustion profile that differs from coals. Because of different combustion profile heat transfer can be a limiting factor in load changes despite the high reactivity and fast oxygen response.

Nutritional potential of green banana flour obtained by drying in spouted bed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolina Vieira Bezerra

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This study evaluated the chemical composition of peeled and unpeeled green banana Cavendish (AAA flour obtained by drying in spouted bed, aiming at adding nutritional value to food products. The bananas were sliced and crushed to obtain a paste and fed to the spouted bed dryer (12 cm height and T = 80 ºC in order to obtain flour. The flours obtained were subjected to analysis of moisture, protein, ash, carbohydrates, total starch, resistant starch, fiber. The green banana flours, mainly unpeeled, are good sources of fiber and resistant starch with an average of 21.91g/100g and 68.02g/100g respectively. The protein content was found in an average of 4.76g/100g, being classified as a low biological value protein with lysine as the first limiting amino acid. The results showed that unpeeled green banana flour obtained by spouted bed drying can be a valuable tool to add nutritional value to products in order to increase their non-digestible fraction.

Bed retained products in swept fixed bed (SFB) coal hydropyrolysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mastral, A.M.; Perez-Surio, M.J. [CSIC, Zaragosa (Spain). Inst. de Carboquimica

1997-12-31

The hydropyrolysis of a low rank coal in a swept fixed bed (SFB) reactor is carried out by fixing the hydrogen pressure (40 kg/cm{sup 2}), the hydrogen flow (2 l/min) and the residence time (10 min) at increasing temperatures (400 C, 500 C and 600 C) and coal bed heights (h, 1.5h, 2h, 2.5h and 3h). It is shown that the percentages of tars and char directly depend on the coal bed height and that there is not only a quantitative dependence, but also the height of the coal bed is very important and plays a relevant role on the nature of the conversion products. (orig.)

The NASA Bed Rest Project

Science.gov (United States)

Rhodes, Bradley; Meck, Janice

2005-01-01

NASA s National Vision for Space Exploration includes human travel beyond low earth orbit and the ultimate safe return of the crews. Crucial to fulfilling the vision is the successful and timely development of countermeasures for the adverse physiological effects on human systems caused by long term exposure to the microgravity environment. Limited access to in-flight resources for the foreseeable future increases NASA s reliance on ground-based analogs to simulate these effects of microgravity. The primary analog for human based research will be head-down bed rest. By this approach NASA will be able to evaluate countermeasures in large sample sizes, perform preliminary evaluations of proposed in-flight protocols and assess the utility of individual or combined strategies before flight resources are requested. In response to this critical need, NASA has created the Bed Rest Project at the Johnson Space Center. The Project establishes the infrastructure and processes to provide a long term capability for standardized domestic bed rest studies and countermeasure development. The Bed Rest Project design takes a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, integrated approach that reduces the resource overhead of one investigator for one campaign. In addition to integrating studies operationally relevant for exploration, the Project addresses other new Vision objectives, namely: 1) interagency cooperation with the NIH allows for Clinical Research Center (CRC) facility sharing to the benefit of both agencies, 2) collaboration with our International Partners expands countermeasure development opportunities for foreign and domestic investigators as well as promotes consistency in approach and results, 3) to the greatest degree possible, the Project also advances research by clinicians and academia alike to encourage return to earth benefits. This paper will describe the Project s top level goals, organization and relationship to other Exploration Vision Projects, implementation

Effects of long-term head-down-tilt bed rest and different training regimes on the coagulation system of healthy men.

Science.gov (United States)

Haider, Thomas; Gunga, Hanns-Christian; Matteucci-Gothe, Raffaella; Sottara, Elke; Griesmacher, Andrea; Belavý, Daniel L; Felsenberg, Dieter; Werner, Andreas; Schobersberger, Wolfgang

2013-11-01

Immobility plus preexisting chronic disease or acute trauma can activate the coagulation system, thus increasing the risk for thromboembolic events. The effects of long-term bed-rest immobility and microgravity on the coagulation system of healthy persons (e.g., during crewed Mars missions) have not yet been studied. The main objective of the second Berlin BedRest Study (BBR2-2) "Coagulation Part" was to investigate adaptations of the hemostatic system during long-term bed rest (60 days) under simulated microgravity (6° head-down-tilt [6°HDT]) and after mobilization in three different volunteer groups (randomly assigned to CTR= inactive control group; RE= resistive exercise only group; and RVE= resistive exercise with whole-body vibration group). In 24 males (aged 21-45 years), before, during, and after long-term bed rest, key parameters of coagulation were measured from venous blood samples: D-dimer (DD), thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT), and prothrombin fragment F1 + 2 (PT-F1 + 2). Additionally, modified rotational thrombelastometry (ROTEM (®) ) analysis was performed. Times of exploratory analyses were as follows: baseline data collection 2 days before bed rest (BDC-2); eight different days of 6°HDT bed rest (HDT1-HDT60), and two different days after reambulation (R + 3 and R + 6). We found significant changes in DD, TAT, and PT-F1 + 2 over the total time course, but no consistent effect of physical interventions (RE, RVE) on these parameters. Notably, no parameter reached levels indicative of intravascular thrombin formation. All ROTEM® parameters remained within the normal range and no pathological traces were found. Sixty days of 6°HDT bed rest are not associated with pronounced activation of the coagulation system indicative of intravascular thrombus formation in healthy volunteers independent of the training type during the bed rest.

In-bed accountability of tritium in production scale metal hydride storage beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klein, J.E.

1995-01-01

An ''in-bed accountability'' (IBA) flowing gas calorimetric measurement method has been developed and implemented to eliminate the need to remove tritium from production scale metal hydride storage beds for inventory measurement purposes. Six-point tritium IBA calibration curves have been completed for two, 390 gram tritium metal hydride storage beds. The calibration curves for the two tritium beds are similar to those obtained from the ''cold'' test program. Tritium inventory errors at the 95 percent confidence level ranged from ± 7.3 to 8.6 grams for the cold test results compared to ± 4.2 to 7.5 grams obtained for the two tritium calibrated beds

The Effects of Long Duration Bed Rest as a Spaceflight Analogue on Resting State Sensorimotor Network Functional Connectivity and Neurocognitive Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Cassady, K.; Koppelmans, V.; Yuan, P.; Cooke, K.; De Dios, Y.; Stepanyan, V.; Szecsy, D.; Gadd, N.; Wood, S.; Reuter-Lorenz, P.;

Biological aspects and ecological effects of a bed of the invasive non-indigenous mussel Brachidontes pharaonis (Fischer P., 1870 in Malta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. BONNICI

2012-06-01

Full Text Available No mussel beds were known to occur in the Maltese Islands previous to 2009, when a single bed of the Lessepsian immigrant Brachidontes pharaonis, first recorded from the islands in 1970, was discovered in Birzebbugia Bay. The population structure of B. pharaonis was investigated to assess its potential to spread and colonise new shores, while the biotic community at the mussel bed was compared to that present on uncolonised substratum to determine the effects of mussel bed establishment on the associated biota. Results indicate a lower species richness and slightly different community structure with greater small-scale heterogeneity at the mussel bed site compared to the adjacent rocky shore where mussels are present but where there is no bed formation. The B. pharaonis population had a peak density of 16550 ± 2051 ind.m-2 within the mussel bed and included recent recruits. These data suggest that the B. pharaonis population has the potential to expand. Establishment of extensive beds by this invasive mussel could change the structure of native rocky shore assemblages around the Maltese Islands and elsewhere in the Mediterranean.

Human thermoregulatory function during exercise and immersion after 35 days of horizontal bed-rest and recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Mekjavic, Igor B; Golja, Petra; Tipton, Michael J; Eiken, Ola

2005-10-01

The present study evaluated the effect of 35 days of experimental horizontal bed-rest on exercise and immersion thermoregulatory function. Fifteen healthy male volunteers were assigned to either a Control (n = 5) or Bed-rest (n = 10) group. Thermoregulatory function was evaluated during a 30-min bout of submaximal exercise on a cycle ergometer, followed immediately by a 100-min immersion in 28 degrees C water. For the Bed-rest group, exercise and immersion thermoregulatory responses observed post-bed-rest were compared with those after a 5 week supervised active recovery period. In both trials, the absolute work load during the exercise portion of the test was identical. During the exercise and immersion, we recorded skin temperature, rectal temperature, the difference in temperature between the forearm and third digit of the right hand (DeltaT(forearm-fingertip))--an index of skin blood flow, sweating rate from the forehead, oxygen uptake and heart rate at minute intervals. Subjects provided ratings of temperature perception and thermal comfort at 5-min intervals. Exercise thermoregulatory responses after bed-rest and recovery were similar. Subjective ratings of temperature perception and thermal comfort during immersion indicated that subjects perceived similar combinations of Tsk and Tre to be warmer and thermally less uncomfortable after bed-rest. The average (SD) exercise-induced increase in Tre relative to resting values was not significantly different between the Post-bed-rest (0.4 (0.2) degrees C) and Recovery (0.5 (0.2) degrees C) trials. During the post-exercise immersion, the decrease in Tre, relative to resting values, was significantly (P forearm-fingertip) was 5.2 (0.9) degrees C and 5.8 (1.0) degrees C at the end of the post-bed-rest and recovery immersions, respectively. The gain of the shivering response (increase in VO(2) relative to the decrease in Tre; VO(2)/Tre) was 1.19 l min(-1) degrees C(-1) in the Recovery trial, and was significantly

Fluid bed porosity equation for an inverse fluidized bed bioreactor with particles growing biofilm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campos-Diaz, K. E.; Limas-Ballesteros, R.

2009-01-01

Fluid Bed Bioreactor performance is strongly affected by bed void fraction or bed porosity fluctuations. Particle size enlargement due to biofilm growth is an important factor that is involved in these variations and until now there are no mathematical equations that consider biofilm growth. In this work a mathematical equation is proposed to calculate bed void fraction in an inverse fluid bed bioreactor. (Author)

Effect of secondary air injection on the combustion efficiency of sawdust in a fluidized bed combustor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. V. N. Srinivasa Rao

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Agricultural wastes like bagasse, paddy husks, sawdust and groundnut shells can be effectively used as fuels for fluidized bed combustion; otherwise these biomass fuels are difficult to handle due to high moisture and fines content. In the present work the possibility of using sawdust in the fluidized bed combustor, related combustion efficiencies and problems encountered in the combustion process are discussed. The temperature profiles for sawdust with an increase in fluidizing velocity along the vertical height above the distributor plate indicate that considerable burning of fuel particles is taking place in the freeboard zone rather than complete burning within the bed. Therefore, an enlarged disengagement section is provided to improve the combustion of fines. The temperature profiles along the bed height are observed at different feed rates. The feed rate of sawdust corresponding to the maximum possible temperature was observed to be 10.2 kg/h. It is observed that 50-60% excess air is optimal for reducing carbon loss during the burning of sawdust. The maximum possible combustion efficiency with sawdust is 99.2% and is observed with 65% excess air.

Bed rest and increased diuretic treatment in chronic congestive heart failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abildgaard, U; Aldershvile, J; Ring-Larsen, H

1985-01-01

To elucidate the effect of bed rest used as an adjunct to increased diuretic treatment, twelve patients with chronic congestive heart failure (CHF) had a 50% increase in loop diuretic dosage and were allocated to either continuous bed rest or bed rest during nights only. The 24-hour bed rest group...... is a reasonable adjunct to diuretic treatment in patients with CHF....

Effects of head-down-tilt bed rest on cerebral hemodynamics during orthostatic stress

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, R.; Zuckerman, J. H.; Pawelczyk, J. A.; Levine, B. D.; Blomqvist, C. G. (Principal Investigator)

1997-01-01

Our aim was to determine whether the adaptation to simulated microgravity (microG) impairs regulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) during orthostatic stress and contributes to orthostatic intolerance. Twelve healthy subjects (aged 24 +/- 5 yr) underwent 2 wk of -6 degrees head-down-tilt (HDT) bed rest to simulate hemodynamic changes that occur when humans are exposed to microG. CBF velocity in the middle cerebral artery (transcranial Doppler), blood pressure, cardiac output (acetylene rebreathing), and forearm blood flow were measured at each level of a ramped protocol of lower body negative pressure (LBNP; -15, -30, and -40 mmHg x 5 min, -50 mmHg x 3 min, then -10 mmHg every 3 min to presyncope) before and after bed rest. Orthostatic tolerance was assessed by using the cumulative stress index (CSI; mmHg x minutes) for the LBNP protocol. After bed rest, each individual's orthostatic tolerance was reduced, with the group CSI decreased by 24% associated with greater decreases in cardiac output and greater increases in systemic vascular resistance at each level of LBNP. Before bed rest, mean CBF velocity decreased by 14, 10, and 45% at -40 mmHg, -50 mmHg, and maximal LBNP, respectively. After bed rest, mean velocity decreased by 16% at -30 mmHg and by 21, 35, and 39% at -40 mmHg, -50 mmHg, and maximal LBNP, respectively. Compared with pre-bed rest, post-bed-rest mean velocity was less by 11, 10, and 21% at -30, -40, and -50 mmHg, respectively. However, there was no significant difference at maximal LBNP. We conclude that cerebral autoregulation during orthostatic stress is impaired by adaptation to simulated microG as evidenced by an earlier and greater fall in CBF velocity during LBNP. We speculate that impairment of cerebral autoregulation may contribute to the reduced orthostatic tolerance after bed rest.

Measurement of the bed material of gravel-bed rivers

Science.gov (United States)

Milhous, R.T.; ,

2002-01-01

The measurement of the physical properties of a gravel-bed river is important in the calculation of sediment transport and physical habitat values for aquatic animals. These properties are not always easy to measure. One recent report on flushing of fines from the Klamath River did not contain information on one location because the grain size distribution of the armour could not be measured on a dry river bar. The grain size distribution could have been measured using a barrel sampler and converting the measurements to the same as would have been measured if a dry bar existed at the site. In another recent paper the porosity was calculated from an average value relation from the literature. The results of that paper may be sensitive to the actual value of porosity. Using the bulk density sampling technique based on a water displacement process presented in this paper the porosity could have been calculated from the measured bulk density. The principle topics of this paper are the measurement of the size distribution of the armour, and measurement of the porosity of the substrate. The 'standard' method of sampling of the armour is to do a Wolman-type count of the armour on a dry section of the river bed. When a dry bar does not exist the armour in an area of the wet streambed is to sample and the measurements transformed analytically to the same type of results that would have been obtained from the standard Wolman procedure. A comparison of the results for the San Miguel River in Colorado shows significant differences in the median size of the armour. The method use to determine the porosity is not 'high-tech' and there is a need improve knowledge of the porosity because of the importance of porosity in the aquatic ecosystem. The technique is to measure the in-situ volume of a substrate sample by measuring the volume of a frame over the substrate and then repeated the volume measurement after the sample is obtained from within the frame. The difference in the

Feasibility analysis of color removal from textile dyeing wastewater in a fixed-bed column system by surfactant-modified zeolite (SMZ)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozdemir, Ozgur; Turan, Mustafa; Turan, Abdullah Zahid; Faki, Aysegul; Engin, Ahmet Baki

2009-01-01

In this study, the ability of surfactant-modified zeolite (SMZ) to remove color from real textile wastewater was investigated. Tests were performed in a fixed-bed column reactor and the surface of natural zeolite was modified with a quaternary amine surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB). The zeolite bed that was modified at 1 g L -1 HTAB concentration and HTAB flow rate of 0.015 L min -1 showed good performance in removing color. Effects of wastewater color intensity, flow rates and bed heights were also studied. Wastewater was diluted several times in the ratios of 25%, 50% and 75% in order to assess the influence of wastewater strength. The breakthrough curves of the original and diluted wastewaters are dispersed due to the fact that breakthrough came late at lower color intensities and saturation of the bed appeared faster at higher color intensities. The column had a 3-cm diameter and four different bed heights of 12.5, 25, 37.5 and 50 cm, which treated 5.25, 19.50, 35.25 and 51 L original textile wastewater, respectively, at the breakthrough time at a flow rate of 0.025 L min -1 . The theoretical service times evaluated from bed depth service time (BDST) approach for different column variables. The calculated and theoretical values of the exchange zone height were found with a difference of 27%. The various design parameters obtained from fixed-bed experimental studies showed good correlation with corresponding theoretical values, under different bed heights. The regeneration of the SMZ was also evaluated using a solution consisting of 30 g L -1 NaCl and 1.5 g L -1 NaOH at pH 12 and temperature 30 o C. Twice-regenerated SMZ showed the best performance compared with the others while first- and thrice-regenerated perform lower than the original SMZ.

Calibration of an experimental model of tritium storage bed designed for 'in situ' accountability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bidica, Nicolae; Stefanescu, Ioan; Bucur, Ciprian; Bulubasa, Gheorghe; Deaconu, Mariea

2009-01-01

Full text: Objectives: Tritium accountancy of the storage beds in tritium facilities is an important issue for tritium inventory control. The purpose of our work was to perform calibration of an experimental model of tritium storage bed with a special design, using electric heaters to simulate tritium decay, and to evaluate the detection limit of the accountancy method. The objective of this paper is to present an experimental method used for calibration of the storage bed and the experimental results consisting of calibration curves and detection limit. Our method is based on a 'self-assaying' tritium storage bed. The basic characteristics of the design of our storage bed consists, in principle, of a uniform distribution of the storage material on several copper thin fins (in order to obtain a uniform temperature field inside the bed), an electrical heat source to simulate the tritium decay heat, a system of thermocouples for measuring the temperature field inside the bed, and good thermal isolation of the bed from the external environment. Within this design of the tritium storage bed, the tritium accounting method is based on determining the decay heat of tritium by measuring the temperature increase of the isolated storage bed. Experimental procedure consisted in measuring of temperature field inside the bed for few values of the power injected with the aid of electrical heat source. Data have been collected for few hours and the temperature increase rate was determined for each value of the power injected. Graphical representation of temperature rise versus injected powers was obtained. This accounting method of tritium inventory stored as metal tritide is a reliable solution for in-situ tritium accountability in a tritium handling facility. Several improvements can be done regarding the design of the storage bed in order to improve the measurement accuracy and to obtain a lower detection limit as for instance use of more accurate thermocouples or special

Thermal-hydraulic analysis techniques for axisymmetric pebble bed nuclear reactor cores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stroh, K.R.

1979-03-01

The pebble bed reactor's cylindrical core volume contains a random bed of small, spherical fuel-moderator elements. These graphite spheres, containing a central region of dispersed coated-particle fissile and fertile material, are cooled by high pressure helium flowing through the connected interstitial voids. A mathematical model and numerical solution technique have been developed which allow calculation of macroscopic values of thermal-hydraulic variables in an axisymmetric pebble bed nuclear reactor core. The computer program PEBBLE is based on a mathematical model which treats the bed macroscopically as a generating, conducting porous medium. The steady-state model uses a nonlinear Forchheimer-type relation between the coolant pressure gradient and mass flux, with newly derived coefficients for the linear and quadratic resistance terms. The remaining equations in the model make use of mass continuity, and thermal energy balances for the solid and fluid phases

Experimental Investigation of Effects of Vibration upon Elastic and Cohesive Properties of Beds of Wet Sand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Alsop

1995-01-01

Full Text Available The transmission of sinusoidal vibrations through beds of cohesive particulate solids was measured. Results were interpreted in terms of a critical state model to predict the elastic swelling constant k, and the cohesive stress C. Factorial experimental design was used to identify significant parameters. Factors that affect k include percent moisture, bulk density, sample size, sample shape, the presence of a supporting membrane, and loading order. Factors that affect C include percent moisture and particle size distribution. Factors affecting k were interpreted in terms of their effects upon bed structure and factors affecting C in terms of an equivalent pore water pressure due to capillary and liquid bridge effects. The critical state model was modified to incorporate general relationships between axial and radial strains.

Fundamental Study of Bed Bath Technique : Subjective and Objective Evaluations of Epidermal Effects of Bed Bathing Using Bar Soap and Water-Dissolved Liquid Soap

OpenAIRE

月田, 佳寿美; 竹田, 千佐子; 長谷川, 智子; 白川, かおる

2003-01-01

Purpose: To clarify epidermal effects of bed bathing using bar soap and water-dissolved liquid soap (liquid soap). Method: The subjects were 33 healthy female college students. Subjects' arms were cleaned by two methods, using bar soap and liquid soap. The following objective data were collected from the subjects: skin sebum, moisturization, pH, and feelings of skin conditions (rashes, redness, itchiness, and irritation). Results : 1. Cleansing effects of both methods on oily dirt seemed no d...

Forces on stationary particles in near-bed turbulent flows

Science.gov (United States)

Schmeeckle, Mark W.; Nelson, Jonathan M.; Shreve, Ronald L.

2007-06-01

In natural flows, bed sediment particles are entrained and moved by the fluctuating forces, such as lift and drag, exerted by the overlying flow on the particles. To develop a better understanding of these forces and the relation of the forces to the local flow, the downstream and vertical components of force on near-bed fixed particles and of fluid velocity above or in front of them were measured synchronously at turbulence-resolving frequencies (200 or 500 Hz) in a laboratory flume. Measurements were made for a spherical test particle fixed at various heights above a smooth bed, above a smooth bed downstream of a downstream-facing step, and in a gravel bed of similarly sized particles as well as for a cubical test particle and 7 natural particles above a smooth bed. Horizontal force was well correlated with downstream velocity and not correlated with vertical velocity or vertical momentum flux. The standard drag formula worked well to predict the horizontal force, but the required value of the drag coefficient was significantly higher than generally used to model bed load motion. For the spheres, cubes, and natural particles, average drag coefficients were found to be 0.76, 1.36, and 0.91, respectively. For comparison, the drag coefficient for a sphere settling in still water at similar particle Reynolds numbers is only about 0.4. The variability of the horizontal force relative to its mean was strongly increased by the presence of the step and the gravel bed. Peak deviations were about 30% of the mean force for the sphere over the smooth bed, about twice the mean with the step, and 4 times it for the sphere protruding roughly half its diameter above the gravel bed. Vertical force correlated poorly with downstream velocity, vertical velocity, and vertical momentum flux whether measured over or ahead of the test particle. Typical formulas for shear-induced lift based on Bernoulli's principle poorly predict the vertical forces on near-bed particles. The

Fluidized bed selective pyrolysis of coal

Science.gov (United States)

Shang, Jer Y.; Cha, Chang Y.; Merriam, Norman W.

1992-01-01

The present invention discloses a process for the pyrolysis of coal which comprises the effective utilization of two zonal inclined fluidized beds, where said zones can be selectively controlled as to temperature and heating rate. The first zonal inclined fluidized bed serves as a dryer for crushed coal and additionally is controlled to selectively pyrolyze said coal producing substantially carbon dioxide for recycle use. The second zonal inclined fluidized bed further pyrolyzes the coal to gaseous, liquid and char products under controlled temperature and heating rate zones designed to economically integrate the product mix. The gas and liquid products are recovered from the gaseous effluent stream while the char which remains can be further treated or utilized in a subsequent process step.

Pebble-bed reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lohnert, G.; Mueller-Frank, U.; Heil, J.

1976-01-01

A pebble-bed nuclear reactor of large power rating comprises a container having a funnel-shaped bottom forming a pebble run-out having a centrally positioned outlet. A bed of downwardly-flowing substantially spherical nuclear fuel pebbles is positioned in the container and forms a reactive nuclear core maintained by feeding unused pebbles to the bed's top surface while used or burned-out pebbles run out and discharge through the outlet. A substantially conical body with its apex pointing upwardly and its periphery spaced from the periphery of the container spreads the bottom of the bed outwardly to provide an annular flow down the funnel-shaped bottom forming the runout, to the discharge outlet. This provides a largely constant downward velocity of the spheres throughout the diameter of the bed throughout a substantial portion of the down travel, so that all spheres reach about the same burned-out condition when they leave the core, after a single pass through the core area

The Safety of Hospital Beds

Science.gov (United States)

Gervais, Pierre; Pooler, Charlotte; Merryweather, Andrew; Doig, Alexa K.; Bloswick, Donald

2015-01-01

To explore the safety of the standard and the low hospital bed, we report on a microanalysis of 15 patients’ ability to ingress, move about the bed, and egress. The 15 participants were purposefully selected with various disabilities. Bed conditions were randomized with side rails up or down and one low bed with side rails down. We explored the patients’ use of the side rails, bed height, ability to lift their legs onto the mattress, and ability to turn, egress, and walk back to the chair. The standard bed was too high for some participants, both for ingress and egress. Side rails were used by most participants when entering, turning in bed, and exiting. We recommend that side rails be reconsidered as a means to facilitate in-bed movement, ingress, and egress. Furthermore, single deck height settings for all patients are not optimal. Low beds as a safety measure must be re-evaluated. PMID:28462302

Fluid-bed combustion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunt, G.; Schoebotham, N.

1981-02-01

In Energy Equipment Company's two-stage fluidized bed system, partial combustion in a fluidized bed is followed by burn-off of the generated gases above the bed. The system can be retrofitted to existing boilers, and can burn small, high ash coal efficiently. It has advantages when used as a hot gas generator for process drying. Tests on a boiler at a Cadbury Schweppes plant are reported.

Quantifying the Effects of Near-Bed Concentration on the Sediment Flux after the Operation of the Three Gorges Dam, Yangtze River

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li He

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The regime of sediment transport in the Jingjiang Reach has significantly changed from quasi-equilibrium to sub-saturation since the impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD, and vertical profiles of suspended sediment concentration (SSC have changed accordingly. Vertical profiles of SSC data measured at three hydrological stations in the Jingjiang Reach (Zhicheng, Shaishi, and Jianli, before and after the impoundment of TGD, were collected and analyzed. Analytic results indicate a remarkably large concentration in the near-bed zone (within 10% of water depth from the river-bed in a sub-saturated channel. The maximum measured concentration was up to 15 times the vertical average concentration, while the ratio in quasi-equilibrium channel was less than four times that. Concentrations normalized with reference concentration at the same height, and may decrease with increasing values of suspension index (settling velocity over shear velocity. In addition, concentration near the water surface may be larger than concentration in the near-bed region when the suspension index is smaller than 0.01. Sediment flux transported in the near-bed zone may be up to 35% of the total sediment flux in unsaturated flows. The relationship between deviations of estimating sediment flux when ignoring the near-bed concentration and discharge in flood season and non-flood season are different in unsaturated and quasi-equilibrium channels. Analysis indicates that, in the quasi-equilibrium channel, more attention should be paid to near-bed concentration during non-flood season, the same as measurements during flood season with larger discharge.

Fluid dynamics of air in a packed bed: velocity profiles and the continuum model assumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

NEGRINI A. L.

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Air flow through packed beds was analyzed experimentally under conditions ranging from those that reinforce the effect of the wall on the void fraction to those that minimize it. The packing was spherical particles, with a tube-to-particle diameter ratio (D/dp between 3 and 60. Air flow rates were maintained between 1.3 and 4.44 m3/min, and gas velocity was measured with a Pitot tube positioned above the bed exit. Measurements were made at various radial and angular coordinate values, allowing the distribution of air flow across the bed to be described in detail. Comparison of the experimentally observed radial profiles with those derived from published equations revealed that at high D/dp ratios the measured and calculated velocity profiles behaved similarly. At low ratios, oscillations in the velocity profiles agreed with those in the voidage profiles, signifying that treating the porous medium as a continuum medium is questionable in these cases.

Continuous cadmium removal from aqueous solutions by seaweed in a packed-bed column under consecutive sorption-desorption cycles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jafari, Seyed Ali; Jamali, Abbas

2016-01-01

Packed-bed column process efficiency for cadmium adsorption from aqueous solution was investigated under different bed heights (2.6 to 7.5 cm) and feed flow rates (15 to 30 ml min -1 ). The column was filled with brown seaweed, Sargassum angustifolium. Three simplified models, including Bed Depth Service Time, Thomas, and Yoon- Nelson were employed for describing the experimental breakthrough curves as well as achieving design parameters. Bed lifetime was also evaluated in several consecutive sorption-desorption cycles. Cadmium concentration of 0.005mg l−1, as a standard limit for potable water, was considered as the breakthrough concentration. The maximum column performance was achieved 81% at 7.5 cm bed length and flow rate of 15 ml min -1 . Indeed, increasing the bed height increased the sorption performance and service time, while increasing the feed flow rate had a negative effect. Maximum sorption capacity value remained almost constant by the bed height changes; however, increase in the feed flow rate slightly decreased it. The modeling results revealed that the Yoon-Nelson model was more accurate than Thomas for describing the experimental breakthrough data, especially at low flow rates. Column service time predictions were surprisingly achieved using the Bed Depth Service Time model even at extrapolations. 20% reduction in column adsorption efficiency was observed at the end of four consecutive sorption-desorption cycles; however, desorption efficiencies were achieved more than 99% in each cycle.

Continuous cadmium removal from aqueous solutions by seaweed in a packed-bed column under consecutive sorption-desorption cycles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jafari, Seyed Ali; Jamali, Abbas [Persian Gulf Research Institute, Persian Gulf University, 75169, Bushehr (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-04-15

Packed-bed column process efficiency for cadmium adsorption from aqueous solution was investigated under different bed heights (2.6 to 7.5 cm) and feed flow rates (15 to 30 ml min{sup -1}). The column was filled with brown seaweed, Sargassum angustifolium. Three simplified models, including Bed Depth Service Time, Thomas, and Yoon- Nelson were employed for describing the experimental breakthrough curves as well as achieving design parameters. Bed lifetime was also evaluated in several consecutive sorption-desorption cycles. Cadmium concentration of 0.005mg l−1, as a standard limit for potable water, was considered as the breakthrough concentration. The maximum column performance was achieved 81% at 7.5 cm bed length and flow rate of 15 ml min{sup -1}. Indeed, increasing the bed height increased the sorption performance and service time, while increasing the feed flow rate had a negative effect. Maximum sorption capacity value remained almost constant by the bed height changes; however, increase in the feed flow rate slightly decreased it. The modeling results revealed that the Yoon-Nelson model was more accurate than Thomas for describing the experimental breakthrough data, especially at low flow rates. Column service time predictions were surprisingly achieved using the Bed Depth Service Time model even at extrapolations. 20% reduction in column adsorption efficiency was observed at the end of four consecutive sorption-desorption cycles; however, desorption efficiencies were achieved more than 99% in each cycle.

Apparatus for controlling fluidized beds

Science.gov (United States)

Rehmat, A.G.; Patel, J.G.

1987-05-12

An apparatus and process are disclosed for control and maintenance of fluidized beds under non-steady state conditions. An ash removal conduit is provided for removing solid particulates from a fluidized bed separate from an ash discharge conduit in the lower portion of the grate supporting such a bed. The apparatus and process of this invention is particularly suitable for use in ash agglomerating fluidized beds and provides control of the fluidized bed before ash agglomeration is initiated and during upset conditions resulting in stable, sinter-free fluidized bed maintenance. 2 figs.

Effects of Different Corm Densities and Bed Types on Flower Yield Components of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Mollafilabi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction Saffron is among the most precious agricultural and medicinal plants of the world and has a specific placement in Iran exports. In Iran total cultivation area was 93000 ha in 2017 that from which about 96% devoted to two main provinces of saffron production including Khorasan-Razavi and South Khorasan with total production of 351 ton saffron. Saffron has unique characters including low water requirement, saffron irrigation in times that other crops do not need, farm utilization for some years, ease of transportation, lack of need to special machinery and complex technology, high capacity to use labor in time of picking flowers, occupation and in the end prevention from immigration and exchange income that make this crop becomes superior in those regions that lack of industrial perspectives and having water limitations. Organic fertilizers have effective role in saffron production including physical improvement of saffron soil, temperature relief, penetration improvement, porosity increase, and soil reducdtion in hardiness, and cause to saffron flowering. Several factors like climate, diseases, irrigation, storage, planting date, chemical and biological fertilizers and animal manure are very effective in saffron quantity and quality. Saffron yield depends on several factors like soil, crop density, planting method, corm size, geographical location, climatic factors like temperature fluctuations specially in time of flowering, rate of rainfall, cultural management and utilization period. The aim of this study was to determine possible effects of corm density and bed type on flower yield components and stigma yield of saffron. Materials and methods In order to evaluate effects of corm density and bed type on reproductive characters, yield components of flower and saffron stigma an experiment was conducted in the form of factorial as RCBD with three replicates at the research farm of Khorasan Science and Technology Part (KSTP during

Bed management team with Kanban web-based application.

Science.gov (United States)

Rocha, Hermano Alexandre Lima; Santos, Ana Kelly Lima da Cruz; Alcântara, Antônia Celia de Castro; Lima, Carmen Sulinete Suliano da Costa; Rocha, Sabrina Gabriele Maia Oliveira; Cardoso, Roberto Melo; Cremonin, Jair Rodrigues

2018-05-15

To measure the effectiveness of the bed management process that uses a web-based application with Kanban methodology to reduce hospitalization time of hospitalized patients. Before-after study was performed. The study was conducted between July 2013 and July 2017, at the Unimed Regional Hospital of Fortaleza, which has 300 beds, of which 60 are in the intensive care unit (ICU). It is accredited by International Society for Quality in Healthcare. Patients hospitalized in the referred period. Bed management with an application that uses color logic to signal at which stage of high flow the patients meet, in which each patient is interpreted as a card of the classical Kanban theory. It has an automatic user signaling system for process movement, and a system for monitoring and analyzing discharge forecasts. Length of hospital stay, number of customer complaints related to bed availability. After the intervention, the hospital's overall hospital stay time was reduced from 5.6 days to 4.9 days (P = 0.001). The units with the greatest reduction were the ICUs, with reduction from 6.0 days to 2.0 (P = 0.001). The relative percentage of complaints regarding bed availability in the hospital fell from 27% to 0%. We conclude that the use of an electronic tool based on Kanban methodology and accessed via the web by a bed management team is effective in reducing patients' hospital stay time.

INTENSIFICATION OF HEAT TRANSFER IN A HIGH-TEMPERATURED FLUIDIZED BED

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А. O. Redko

2017-10-01

is higher than for smooth ones. At pulsating fuel supply with frequency 1-2 Hz the heat-transfer coefficient gets higher from 10–15% till 25–30%. At a ripple frequency of 2 to 5 Hz, the heat-transfer coefficient varies from 510 to 570W/(m2K. With a further increase in the pulsation frequency, the heat-transfer coefficient decreases and amounts to 515–520 W/(m2K. A significant effect of the ripple pulsation from 0.8 to 0.3 is shown: the heat-transfer coefficient is increased by 30–35%. However, an unstable combustion regime of the gas-air mixture and the ejection of material particles from the layer are observed. The results of the experiments are presented in the form of a generalized relationship. Originality. The authors have presented the obtained experimental data about heat-transfer coefficients of finned tubes in fluidizing bed and pulsing fluidizing bed of coarse particles at the temperature of layer 800–1100оС. Practical value. The results obtained at the research help to develop furnace devices with low-temperature fluidizing bed in the process of immersion in a layer of finned tubes layers. The research data is presented in criterial view which is convenient for practical using.

Effect of interprofessional student-led beds on emergency department performance indicators.

Science.gov (United States)

Meek, Robert; Morphet, Julia; Hood, Kerry; Leech, Michelle; Sandry, Kate

2013-10-01

The study aims to compare ED performance indicators between patients managed by students in an inter-professional learning (IPL) programme and comparable patients receiving usual ED care. An IPL programme ran for five separate 2 week periods during 2012. Four student-led beds were managed by four final year students (two medical, two nursing). Four control beds were matched for patient acuity. Data were gathered electronically from the ED information system. Comparisons of baseline characteristics and a range of ED performance indicators were made between patients managed in the student-led and control beds. Patient satisfaction with student care was surveyed. Characteristics of the 369 study and 365 control patients were similar. Median times to being seen by a nurse and a doctor were not significantly different between student-led and control beds, at 50 (19-103) versus 45 (20-93) min, and 84 (28-162) versus 91 (41-165) min, respectively. Median time to inpatient referral for admitted patients was significantly longer in student-led compared with control beds, being 142 (65-249) versus 101.5 (48-200) min, respectively. Median lengths of stay were similar between the student-led and control groups, being 263 (201-343) versus 303.5 (204-384) min for discharged patients, and 866 (571-1238) versus 745.5 (487-1168) min for inpatient ward admissions. Patients reported high levels of satisfaction with student care. There was little difference in performance indicators between patients managed by student teams as part of an IPL programme and a similar group receiving usual ED care. © 2013 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

The effects of a newsletter on bedding control on house dust mite allergen concentrations in childcare centers in Korea

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Jeonghoon Kim

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Objectives Bedding in childcare centers (CCCs can hold house dust mite (HDM allergens. This study examined whether HDM allergen levels can be reduced through the distribution of an educational newsletter on bedding control to parents of CCC children in Korea. Methods All 38 CCCs were measured for Der 1 (sum of Der f 1 and Der p 1 concentrations on classroom floors and bedding before the intervention. Educational newsletters on children’s bedding control were sent to 21 CCCs by mail, and teachers were asked to distribute the newsletters to the parents of the children (intervention group. The remaining 17 CCCs were not sent newsletters (control group. The measurement of Der 1 concentrations in 38 CCCs was repeated after the intervention. Dust samples were collected with a vacuum cleaner and analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods. Results The Der 1 concentrations on the bedding were significantly higher than those on the floors in 38 CCCs at baseline (p<0.05. Although changes of the Der 1 concentrations for the control group (n=17 were not significant, Der 1 concentrations for the intervention group (n=21 decreased significantly from 2077.9 ng/g dust to 963.5 ng/g dust on the floors and from 3683.9 ng/g dust to 610.4 ng/g dust on bedding (p<0.05. Conclusions The distribution of educational newsletters on bedding control to parents may be an effective means of controlling HDMs in CCCs.

Experimental study of gas–liquid two-phase flow through packed bed under natural circulation conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Shao-Wen; Miwa, Shuichiro; Griffiths, Matt

2016-01-01

Dry-out phenomena in packed beds or porous media may cause a significant digression of cooling/reaction performance in heat transfer/chemical reactor systems. One of the phenomena responsible for the dry-out in packed beds is known as the counter-current flow limitation (CCFL). In order to investigate the CCFL phenomena induced by gas–liquid two-phase flow in packed beds inside a pool, a natural circulation packed bed test facility was designed and constructed. A total of 27 experimental conditions covering various packing media sizes (sphere diameters: 3.0, 6.4 and 9.5 mm), packed bed heights (15, 35 and 50 cm) and water level heights (1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 m) were tested to examine the CCFL criteria with adiabatic air–water two-phase flow under natural circulation conditions. Both CCFL and flow reversal phenomena were observed, and the experimental data including instantaneous and time-averaged void fraction, differential pressure and superficial gas–liquid velocities were collected. The CCFL criteria were determined when periodical oscillations of void fraction and differential pressure appear. In addition, the Wallis correlation for CCFL was utilized for data analysis, and the Wallis coefficient, C, was determined experimentally from the packed bed CCFL tests. Compared to the existing data-sets in literature, the higher C values obtained in the present experiment suggest a possibly higher dry-out heat flux for natural circulation debris systems, which may be due to the water supply from both top and bottom surfaces of the packed beds. Considering the effects of bed height and hydraulic diameter of the packing media, a newly developed model for the Wallis coefficient, C, under natural circulation CCFL is presented. The present model can predict the experimental data with an averaged absolute error of ±7.9%. (author)

Effect of fluidization number on the combustion of simulated municipal solid waste in a fluidized bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anwar Johari; Mutahharah, M.M.; Abdul, A.; Salema, A.; Kalantarifard, A.; Rozainee, M.

2010-01-01

The effect of fluidization number on the combustion of simulated municipal solid was in a fluidized bed was investigated. Simulated municipal solid waste was used a sample and it was formulated from major waste composition found in Malaysia which comprised of food waste, paper, plastic and vegetable waste. Proximate and ultimate analyses of the simulated were conducted and results showed its composition was similar to the actual Malaysian municipal solid waste composition. Combustion study was carried out in a rectangular fluidized bed with sand of mean particle size of 0.34 mm as a fluidising medium. The range of fluidization numbers investigated was 3 to 11 U mf . The combustion was carried out at stoichiometric condition (Air Factor = 1). Results showed that the best fluidization number was in the range of 5 to 7 U mf with 5 U mf being the most optimum in which the bed temperature was sustained in a much longer period. (author)

An experimental simulation study of debris quenching in a radially stratified porous bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sehgal, B.R.; Nayak, A.K.; Stepanyan, A.

2004-01-01

During a severe accident condition in a nuclear power plant, the core melt can fail the reactor vessel and relocate into the containment basement. In some accident management schemes, the vessel cavity is flooded with water. For these a particulate debris bed is likely to form on the cavity floor due to melt break-up in water. . In this situation, the coolability of debris bed on the containment floor is a crucial issue. This is because the debris bed still generates the decay heat and if it is uncoolable, it can eventually remelt and react with concrete basement generating a lot of noncondensable gases and pressurising the containment. Hence, it is important to cool the debris bed as an accident management programme. The main parameters affecting the coolability of the debris bed are its porosity which is a function of the size and shape of the particles which constitute the debris bed, the operating condition such as water flooding from the top or bottom of debris bed, water temperature and non-condensable gas generated during bed-concrete interactions. It is found from previous studies that the debris bed has a non-uniform particle distribution or a porosity stratification. This can happen both in radial and axial plane. For example, the bed can have a lower porosity at the centre and higher porosity at the periphery. It is of interest to investigate the quenching phenomena in such configurations so as to find an effective means of quenching the heat generating bed. While most of the previous investigations mainly concentrate on quenching of a homogenous or axially stratified particulate bed with volumetric heat generation, there are almost no studies on the above phenomena in a radially stratified porous bed. So the objective of this paper is to investigate the quenching phenomena in a radially stratified bed. To simulate the phenomena, we conducted experiments in an experimental facility named as POMECO (POrous MEdia COolability). The facility has a square

Combustion of palm oil solid waste in fluidized bed combustor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdullah, I.; Shamsuddin, A.H.; Sopian, K.

2000-01-01

Results of experimental investigations of fluidized bed combustion of palm oil wastes consisting of shell, fibre and empty fruit bunches high heating value of 17450 kJ/kg and low heating value of 14500 kJ/kg. The fluidized bed combuster used has a vessel size of 486 x 10 6 mm 3 , surface area of evaporation tubes and distribution air pipes of 500 mm 2 and 320 mm 2 respectively. It was found that a fuel feeding rate 160 kg/h is required to achieve a steam flow rate of 600 kg/h, with the combustion efficiency 96% and boiler efficiency of 72%, emission level of flue gas NO x at less than 180 ppm, SO 2 at less than 20 ppm are measured in the flue gas. (Author)

Bed-Deformation Experiments Beneath a Temperate Glacier

Science.gov (United States)

Iverson, N. R.; Hooyer, T. S.; Fischer, U. H.; Cohen, D.; Jackson, M.; Moore, P. L.; Lappegard, G.; Kohler, J.

2002-12-01

Fast flow of glaciers and genesis of glacial landforms are commonly attributed to shear deformation of subglacial sediment. Although models of this process abound, data gathered subglacially on the kinematics and mechanics of such deformation are difficult to interpret. Major difficulties stem from the necessity of either measuring deformation near glacier margins, where conditions may be abnormal, or at the bottoms of boreholes, where the scope of instrumentation is limited, drilling disturbs sediment, and local boundary conditions are poorly known. A different approach is possible at the Svartisen Subglacial Laboratory, where tunnels melted in the ice provide temporary human access to the bed of Engabreen, a temperate outlet glacier of the Svartisen Ice Cap in Norway. A trough (2 m x 1.5 m x 0.5 m deep) was blasted in the rock bed, where the glacier is 220 m thick and sliding at 0.1-0.2 m/d. During two spring field seasons, this trough was filled with 2.5 tons of simulated till. Instruments in the till recorded shear (tiltmeters), volume change, total normal stress, and pore-water pressure as ice moved across the till surface. Pore pressure was brought to near the total normal stress by feeding water to the base of the till with a high-pressure pump, operated in a rock tunnel 4 m below the bed surface. Results illustrate some fundamental aspects of bed deformation. Permanent shear deformation requires low effective normal stress and hence high pore-water pressure, owing to the frictional nature of till. Shear strain generally increases upward in the bed toward the glacier sole, consistent with previous measurements beneath thinner ice at glacier margins. At low effective normal stresses, ice sometimes decouples from underlying till. Overall, bed deformation accounts for 10-35 % of basal motion, although this range excludes shear in the uppermost 0.05 m of till where shear was not measured. Pump tests with durations ranging from seconds to hours highlight the need

Characterization of residues from waste combustion in fluidized bed boilers. Evaluation report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hagman, U.; Elander, P.

1996-04-01

In this report a thorough characterization of the solid residues from municipal solid waste combustion in a Kvaerner EnviroPower bubbling fluidized bed boiler in Lidkoeping, is presented. Three different end products are generated, namely bottom ash, cyclone ash, and filter ash. The bottom ash, consisting of bed ash and hopper ash, is screened and useful bed material recycled. In the characterization, also the primary constituents bed ash and hopper ash have been included. A chemical characterization have been performed including total inorganic contents, content of unburnt matter, leaching behaviour (availability tests, column tests, pH-static tests) and leaching tests according to certain standards for classification (AFX31-210, DIN38414, TCLP). Physical characterization have included grain size distribution, grain density, compaction properties and stabilization of cyclone ash with subsequent testing of comprehensive strength and saturated hydraulic conductivity. From an environmental point of view, the quality of the bottom ash and probably the cyclone ash from fluidized bed combustion as determined in this study, indicate a potential for utilization. Utilization of the bottom ash could be accepted in certain countries, e.g. France, according to their current limit values. In other countries, e.g. Sweden, no general limit values are given and utilization have to be applied for in each case. The judgement is then based, not only on total contents in the residue and its leaching behaviour, but also on the specific environmental conditions at the site. 7 refs, 17 figs, 12 tabs

Effect of a powered drive on pushing and pulling forces when transporting bariatric hospital beds.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiggermann, Neal

2017-01-01

Powered drives designed to assist with moving hospital beds are commercially available but no studies have evaluated whether they reduce the push and pull forces likely contributing to injury in caregivers. This study measured hand forces of 10 caregivers maneuvering a manual and powered bariatric bed through simulated hospital environments (hallway, elevator, and ramp). Peak push and pull forces exceeded previously established psychophysical limits for all activities with the manual bed. For the powered bed, peak forces were significantly (p pushing did not differ between beds. Powered drive may reduce the risk of injury or the number of caregivers needed for transport. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the hyperporous non-linear elasticity model for fusion-relevant pebble beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Di Maio, P.A.; Giammusso, R.; Vella, G.

2010-01-01

Packed pebble beds are particular granular systems composed of a large amount of small particles, arranged in irregular lattices and surrounded by a gas filling interstitial spaces. Due to their heterogeneous structure, pebble beds have non-linear and strongly coupled thermal and mechanical behaviours whose constitutive models seem limited, being not suitable for fusion-relevant design-oriented applications. Within the framework of the modelling activities promoted for the lithiated ceramics and beryllium pebble beds foreseen in the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed breeding blanket concept of DEMO, at the Department of Nuclear Engineering of the University of Palermo (DIN) a thermo-mechanical constitutive model has been set-up assuming that pebble beds can be considered as continuous, homogeneous and isotropic media. The present paper deals with the DIN non-linear elasticity constitutive model, based on the assumption that during the reversible straining of a pebble bed its effective logarithmic bulk modulus depends on the equivalent pressure according to a modified power law and its effective Poisson modulus remains constant. In these hypotheses the functional dependence of the effective tangential and secant bed deformation moduli on either the equivalent pressure or the volumetric strain have been derived in a closed analytical form. A procedure has been, then, defined to assess the model parameters for a given pebble bed from its oedometric test results and it has been applied to both polydisperse lithium orthosilicate and single size beryllium pebble beds.

Lead Biosorption by Self-Immobilized Rhizopus nigricans Pellets in a Laboratory Scale Packed Bed Column: Mathematical Model and Experiment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adela Kogej

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The biosorption of lead ions from aqueous solution on a self-immobilized Rhizopus nigricans biomass has been studied. Experiments were performed in a laboratory scale packed bed column at different liquid flow rates and biosorbent bed heights. Recorded experimental breakthrough curves were compared to those predicted by a mathematical model, which was developed to simulate a packed bed biosorption process by a soft, self-immobilized fungal biosorbent. In the range of examined experimental conditions, the biomass characteristics such as pellet porosity and biosorption capacity substantially affected the predicted response curve. General correlations for the estimation of the intra-pellet effective diffusivity, the external mass transfer coefficient, as well as axial dispersion were successfully applied in this biological system with specific mechanical properties. Under the experimental conditions, mass transfer is controlled by the external film resistance, while the intra-pellet mass transfer resistance, as well as the effect of axial dispersion, can be neglected. A new parameter α, the fraction of active biomass, with an average value of α=0.7, was introduced to take into account the specific biomass characteristics, and consequently the observed non-ideal liquid flow through the bed of fungal pellets.

An Investigation of the Restitution Coefficient Impact on Simulating Sand-Char Mixing in a Bubbling Fluidized Bed

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Xinjun Zhao

2017-05-01

Full Text Available In the present work, the effect of the restitution coefficient on the numerical results for a binary mixture system of sand particles and char particles in a bubbling fluidized bed with a huge difference between the particles in terms of density and volume fraction has been studied based on two-fluid model along with the kinetic theory of granular flow. Results show that the effect of restitution coefficient on the flow characteristics varies in different regions of the bed, which is more evident for the top region of the bed. The restitution coefficient can be categorized into two classes. The restitution coefficients of 0.7 and 0.8 can be included into one class, whereas the restitution coefficient of 0.9 and 0.95 can be included into another class. Moreover, four vortices can be found in the time-averaged flow pattern distribution, which is very different from the result obtained for the binary system with the similar values between particles in density and volume fraction.

Experimental and Computational Study of Multiphase Flow Hydrodynamics in 2D Trickle Bed Reactors

Science.gov (United States)

Nadeem, H.; Ben Salem, I.; Kurnia, J. C.; Rabbani, S.; Shamim, T.; Sassi, M.

2014-12-01

Trickle bed reactors are largely used in the refining processes. Co-current heavy oil and hydrogen gas flow downward on catalytic particle bed. Fine particles in the heavy oil and/or soot formed by the exothermic catalytic reactions deposit on the bed and clog the flow channels. This work is funded by the refining company of Abu Dhabi and aims at mitigating pressure buildup due to fine deposition in the TBR. In this work, we focus on meso-scale experimental and computational investigations of the interplay between flow regimes and the various parameters that affect them. A 2D experimental apparatus has been built to investigate the flow regimes with an average pore diameter close to the values encountered in trickle beds. A parametric study is done for the development of flow regimes and the transition between them when the geometry and arrangement of the particles within the porous medium are varied. Liquid and gas flow velocities have also been varied to capture the different flow regimes. Real time images of the multiphase flow are captured using a high speed camera, which were then used to characterize the transition between the different flow regimes. A diffused light source was used behind the 2D Trickle Bed Reactor to enhance visualizations. Experimental data shows very good agreement with the published literature. The computational study focuses on the hydrodynamics of multiphase flow and to identify the flow regime developed inside TBRs using the ANSYS Fluent Software package. Multiphase flow inside TBRs is investigated using the "discrete particle" approach together with Volume of Fluid (VoF) multiphase flow modeling. The effect of the bed particle diameter, spacing, and arrangement are presented that may be used to provide guidelines for designing trickle bed reactors.

Thermal fatigue and creep evaluation for the bed in tritium SDS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Woo-seok, E-mail: wschoi@kaeri.re.kr [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Yuseong, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Park, Chang-gyu [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Yuseong, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Ju, Yong-sun [KOASIS, Yuseong, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Hyun-goo; Jang, Min-ho; Yun, Sei-hun [National Fusion Research Institute, Yuseong, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • To evaluate the integrity of the ITER tritium SDS bed, three kinds of assessments were conducted. • The structural analysis showed that the stress induced from the thermal load and the internal pressure is within the design stress intensity. • The combined fatigue and creep assessment was also performed according to the procedure of ASME code Subsection NH. • A new operation procedure to obtain more integrity margin was recommended. • The other operation procedure could be considered which makes the rapid operation possible giving up the marginal integrity. - Abstract: The primary vessel of ITER tritium SDS bed is made of stainless steel. It is heated beyond 500 °C to desorb tritium. During this process the primary vessel is subject to thermal stress. And it is also subject to thermal fatigue by the iterative process of absorption and desorption. In addition, its operation temperature range is in the thermal creep temperature region. Therefore, the tritium SDS bed should have sufficient design stress intensity under the high temperature operating conditions. It should also be free of damage due to fatigue during the design life. Thermal analysis and structural analysis was performed using a finite element method to calculate the temperature and the stress distribution of the ITER tritium SDS bed due to the internal pressure and thermal loads. The thermal fatigue and creep effects were also evaluated since the tritium SDS bed was heated to hot temperature region where creep occurs. Based on the distribution of the primary stress and secondary stress results, two evaluation cross-sections were selected. The evaluation showed that the calculated value on the cross-sections satisfied all of the limits of the design code requirements.

Dryout heat flux experiments with deep heterogeneous particle bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindholm, I.; Holmstroem, S.; Miettinen, J.; Lestinen, V.; Hyvaerinen, J.; Pankakoski, P.; Sjoevall, H.

2006-01-01

A test facility has been constructed at Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) to simulate as accurately as possible the ex-vessel core particle bed in the conditions of Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. The STYX particle bed reproduces the anticipated depth of the bed and the size range of particles having irregular shape. The bed is immersed in water, creating top flooding conditions, and internally heated by an array of electrical resistance heating elements. Dryout tests have been successfully conducted at 0.1-0.7 MPa pressure for both uniformly mixed and stratified bed geometries. In all tests, including the stratified ones, the dry zone first formed near the bottom of the bed. The measured dryout heat fluxes increased with increasing pressure, from 232 kW/m 2 at near atmospheric pressure to 451 kW/m 2 at 0.7 MPa pressure. The data show some scatter even for the uniform bed. The tests with the stratified bed indicate a clear reduction of critical power due to the presence of a layer of small particles on top of the uniform bed. Comparison of data with various critical power (dryout heat flux) correlations for porous media shows that the most important parameter in the models is the effective particle diameter. Adiabatic debris bed flow resistance measurements were conducted to determine the most representative particle diameter. This diameter is close, but not equal, to the particle number-weighted average diameter of the bed material. With it, uniform bed data can be calculated to within an accuracy of 3-28% using Lipinski's 0-D model. In the stratified bed experiments, it appears that the top layer was partially fluidized, hence the measured critical power was significantly higher than calculated. Future experiments are being planned with denser top layer material to eliminate non-prototypic fluidization

Posttreatment Feeding Affects Mortality of Bed Bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) Exposed to Insecticides.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Narinderpal; Wang, Changlu; Cooper, Richard

2016-02-01

Insecticide sprays and dusts are used for controlling bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L. In natural environments, bed bugs have daily access to hosts after they are exposed to insecticides. The established laboratory insecticide bioassay protocols do not provide feeding after insecticide treatments, which can result in inflated mortality compared with what would be encountered in the field. We evaluated the effect of posttreatment feeding on mortality of bed bugs treated with different insecticides. None of the insecticides tested had a significant effect on the amount of blood consumed and percent feeding. The effect of posttreatment feeding on bed bug mortality varied among different insecticides. Feeding significantly reduced mortality in bed bugs exposed to deltamethrin spray, an essential oil mixture (Bed Bug Fix) spray, and diatomaceous earth dust. Feeding increased the mean survival time for bed bugs treated with chlorfenapyr spray and a spray containing an essential oil mixture (Ecoraider), but did not affect the final mortality. First instars hatched from eggs treated with chlorfenapyr liquid spray had reduced feeding compared with nymphs hatched from nontreated eggs. Those nymphs hatched from eggs treated with chlorfenapyr liquid spray and successfully fed had reduced mortality and a higher mean survival time than those without feeding. We conclude that the availability of a bloodmeal after insecticide exposure has a significant effect on bed bug mortality. Protocols for insecticide efficacy testing should consider offering a bloodmeal to the treated bed bugs within 1 to 3 d after treatment. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Method and apparatus for a combination moving bed thermal treatment reactor and moving bed filter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Badger, Phillip C.; Dunn, Jr., Kenneth J.

2015-09-01

A moving bed gasification/thermal treatment reactor includes a geometry in which moving bed reactor particles serve as both a moving bed filter and a heat carrier to provide thermal energy for thermal treatment reactions, such that the moving bed filter and the heat carrier are one and the same to remove solid particulates or droplets generated by thermal treatment processes or injected into the moving bed filter from other sources.

Bed Bug Epidemic: A Challenge to Public Health

Science.gov (United States)

Ratnapradipa, Dhitinut; Ritzel, Dale O.; Haramis, Linn D.; Bliss, Kadi R.

2011-01-01

In recent years, reported cases of bed bug infestations in the U.S. and throughout the world have escalated dramatically, posing a global public health problem. Although bed bugs are not known to transmit disease to humans, they pose both direct and indirect public health challenges in terms of health effects, treatment, cost, and resource…

In situ droplet size and speed determination in a fluid-bed granulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Ehlers, Henrik; Larjo, Jussi; Antikainen, Osmo; Räikkönen, Heikki; Heinämäki, Jyrki; Yliruusi, Jouko

2010-05-31

The droplet size affects the final product in fluid-bed granulation and coating. In the present study, spray characteristics of aqueous granulation liquid (purified water) were determined in situ in a fluid-bed granulator. Droplets were produced by a pneumatic nozzle. Diode laser stroboscopy (DLS) was used for droplet detection and particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) was used for determination of droplet size and speed. Increased atomization pressure decreased the droplet size and the effect was most strongly visible in the 90% size fractile. The droplets seemed to undergo coalescence after which only slight evaporation occurred. Furthermore, the droplets were subjected to a strong turbulence at the event of atomization, after which the turbulence reached a minimum value in the lower halve of the chamber. The turbulence increased as speed and droplet size decreased due to the effects of the fluidizing air. The DLS and PTV system used was found to be a useful and rapid tool in determining spray characteristics and in monitoring and predicting nozzle performance. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fluid flow with heat transfer in a fix-bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gasparetto, C.A.

1982-01-01

Tests with two different fluids, water and air, flowing in a bed with irregular particles of silica were done. The bed was confined inside a tube, which was heated by an external jacket. The bed is characterized by permeability and porosity. The tests showed a wall effect face to the relation between the tube diameter and the medium dimension of the particles. The results are presented as a relation between Nusselt number / Peclet number. (E.G.) [pt

76 FR 22019 - Safety Standard for Toddler Beds

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-20

... need to follow the assembly instructions, and the target audience for the message would be consumers... purposes and does not signify the comment's value, or importance, or the order in which it was received... firms currently known to be marketing toddler beds and/or convertible cribs in the United States. Of...

Fluidised bed combustion system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKenzie, E.C.

1976-01-01

Fluidized bed combustion systems that facilitates the maintenance of the depth of the bed are described. A discharge pipe projects upwardly into the bed so that bed material can flow into its upper end and escape downwardly. The end of the pipe is surrounded by an enclosure and air is discharged into the enclosure so that material will enter the pipe from within the enclosure and have been cooled in the enclosure by the air discharged into it. The walls of the enclosure may themselves be cooled

Intensive Exercise Training During Bed Rest Attenuates Deconditioning

Science.gov (United States)

Greenleaf, John E.

1997-01-01

Intensive exercise training during bed rest attenuates deconditioning. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 207-215, 1997. A 30-d 6 deg head-down bed rest project was conducted to evaluate variable high-intensity, short-duration, isotonic cycle ergometer exercise (ITE) training and high-intensity intermittent resistive isokinetic exercise (IKE) training regimens designed to maintain peak VO2 and muscle mass, strength, and endurance at ambulatory control levels throughout prolonged bed rest. Other elements of the deconditioning (adaptive) syndrome, such as proprioception, psychological performance, hypovolemia, water balance, body composition, and orthostatic tolerance, were also measured. Major findings are summarized in this paper. Compared with response during bed rest of the no exercise (NOE) control group: the ITE training regimen (a) maintained work capacity (peak VO2), (b) maintained plasma and red cell volumes, (c) induced positive body water balance, (d) decreased quality of sleep and mental concentration, and (e) had no effect on the decrease in orthostatic tolerance; the IKE training regimen (f) attenuated the decrease in peak VO2 by 50%, (g) attenuated loss of red cell volume by 40% but had no effect on loss of plasma volume, (b) induced positive body water balance, (i) had no adverse effect on quality of sleep or concentration, and 0) had no effect on the decrease in orthostatic tolerance. These findings suggest that various elements of the deconditioning syndrome can be manipulated by duration and intensity of ITE or IKE training regimens and that several different training protocols will be required to maintain or restore physiological and psychological performance of individuals confined to prolonged bed rest.

Carbon Shale Combustion in the Fluidized Bed Reactor

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Olek Małgorzata

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to present the possibilities of coal shale combustion in furnaces with bubbling fluidized bed. Coal shale can be autothermally combusted in the fluidized bed, despite the low calorie value and high ash content of fuel. Established concentrations of CO (500 ppm and VOC (30 mg/m3 have indicated a high conversion degree of combustible material during combustion process. Average concentrations of SO2 and NOx in the flue gas were higher than this received from the combustion of high quality hard coal, 600 ppm and 500 ppm, respectively. Optional reduction of SO2 and NOx emission may require the installation of flue gas desulphurization and de-NOx systems.

The effectiveness of a simulated scenario to teach nursing students how to perform a bed bath: A randomized clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Renata Pinto Ribeiro; de Cássia Lopes Chaves, Érika; Silva Lima, Rogério; Braga, Cristiane Giffoni; Simões, Ivandira Anselmo Ribeiro; Fava, Silvana Maria Coelho Leite; Iunes, Denise Hollanda

2017-10-01

Simulation allows students to develop several skills during a bed bath that are difficult to teach only in traditional classroom lectures, such as problem-solving, student interactions with the simulator (patient), reasoning in clinical evaluations, evaluation of responses to interventions, teamwork, communication, security and privacy. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a simulated bed bath scenario on improving cognitive knowledge, practical performance and satisfaction among nursing students. Randomized controlled clinical trial. Nursing students that were in the fifth period from two educational institutions in Brazil. Nursing students (n=58). The data were collected using the assessments of cognitive knowledge, practical performance and satisfaction were made through a written test about bed baths, an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and a satisfaction questionnaire. We identified that the acquisition and assimilation of cognitive knowledge was significantly higher in the simulation group (p=0.001). The performance was similar in both groups regardless of the teaching strategy (p=0.435). At follow-up, the simulation group had significantly more satisfaction with the teaching method than the control group (p=0.007). The teaching strategy based on a simulated scenario of a bed bath proved to be effective for the acquisition of cognitive knowledge regarding bed baths in clinical practice and improved student satisfaction with the teaching process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

WTP Pretreatment Facility Potential Design Deficiencies--Sliding Bed and Sliding Bed Erosion Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansen, E. K. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2015-05-06

This assessment is based on readily available literature and discusses both Newtonian and non-Newtonian slurries with respect to sliding beds and erosion due to sliding beds. This report does not quantify the size of the sliding beds or erosion rates due to sliding beds, but only assesses if they could be present. This assessment addresses process pipelines in the Pretreatment (PT) facility and the high level waste (HLW) transfer lines leaving the PT facility to the HLW vitrification facility concentrate receipt vessel.

WTP Pretreatment Facility Potential Design Deficiencies--Sliding Bed and Sliding Bed Erosion Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, E. K.

2015-01-01

This assessment is based on readily available literature and discusses both Newtonian and non-Newtonian slurries with respect to sliding beds and erosion due to sliding beds. This report does not quantify the size of the sliding beds or erosion rates due to sliding beds, but only assesses if they could be present. This assessment addresses process pipelines in the Pretreatment (PT) facility and the high level waste (HLW) transfer lines leaving the PT facility to the HLW vitrification facility concentrate receipt vessel.

Value Orientation among Tribal Future Teachers of B.Ed. Programme: Need for Curricular Interventions

Science.gov (United States)

Dasari, Rajendra Prasad

2016-01-01

Schools play a vital role in inculcation of values and development of values. It has become, of late, the central concern of teacher education. Teacher education programmes are the effective modes of transmission of values having a direct impact on the school education. A College of Teacher Education was established at Badrachalam exclusively for…

Discrete Element Modeling of the Mobilization of Coarse Gravel Beds by Finer Gravel Particles

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, K. M.; Tan, D.

2012-12-01

Recent research has shown that the addition of fine gravel particles to a coarse bed will mobilize the coarser bed, and that the effect is sufficiently strong that a pulse of fine gravel particles can mobilize an impacted coarser bed. Recent flume experiments have demonstrated that the degree of bed mobilization by finer particles is primarily dependent on the particle size ratio of the coarse and fine particles, rather than absolute size of either particle, provided both particles are sufficiently large. However, the mechanism behind the mobilization is not understood. It has previously been proposed that the mechanism is driven by a combination of geometric effects and hydraulic effects. For example, it has been argued that smaller particles fill in gaps along the bed, resulting in a smoother bed over which the larger particles are less likely to be disentrained and a reduced near-bed flow velocity and subsequent increased drag on protruding particles. Altered near-bed turbulence has also been cited as playing an important role. We perform simulations using the discrete element method with one-way fluid-solid coupling to conduct simulations of mobilization of a gravel bed by fine gravel particles. By independently and artificially controlling average and fluctuating velocity profiles, we systematically investigate the relative role that may be played by particle-particle interactions, average near-bed velocity profiles, and near-bed turbulence statistics. The simulations indicate that the relative importance of these mechanisms changes with the degree of mobilization of the bed. For higher bed mobility similar to bed sheets, particle-particle interactions, plays a significant role in an apparent rheology in the bed sheets, not unlike that observed in a dense granular flow of particles of different sizes. For conditions closer to a critical shear stress for bedload transport, the near-bed velocity profiles and turbulence statistics become increasingly important.

Empirical correlations for axial dispersion coefficient and Peclet number in fixed-bed columns.

Science.gov (United States)

Rastegar, Seyed Omid; Gu, Tingyue

2017-03-24

In this work, a new correlation for the axial dispersion coefficient was obtained using experimental data in the literature for axial dispersion in fixed-bed columns packed with particles. The Chung and Wen correlation, the De Ligny correlation are two popular empirical correlations. However, the former lacks the molecular diffusion term and the latter does not consider bed voidage. The new axial dispersion coefficient correlation in this work was based on additional experimental data in the literature by considering both molecular diffusion and bed voidage. It is more comprehensive and accurate. The Peclet number correlation from the new axial dispersion coefficient correlation on the average leads to 12% lower Peclet number values compared to the values from the Chung and Wen correlation, and in many cases much smaller than those from the De Ligny correlation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The application of radioactive tracers for determination of bed-load transport in alluvial rivers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomsen, T.

1980-01-01

Radioactive isotopes have been applied for determining the transport rate of bed load in an alluvial river on the basis of: centroid velocity of the tracer particles, size and material-transporting width of mobile layer. These parameters were found by detailed measurements in the field. Computed values were produced on the basis of Engelund and Fredsoee's model on sediment transport and on the propagation of bed forms. When comparing measured and computed values, the difference was about 25%. Finally, the applicability of tracer methods for solving practical problem is discussed. (author)

Forced Convection Heat Transfer of a sphere in Packed Bed Arrangement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Dong-Young; Chung, Bum-Jin

2016-01-01

This paper analysis and discuss the forced convective heat transfer from heated single sphere, which is buried in unheated packed bed, depending on Re d with porosity. The present work determines the test matrix for the packed bed experiment. And this study discuss difference of heat transfer according to the location of heated sphere and compared heated bed with heated sphere in packed bed and compared FCC (Face Centered Cubic), HCP (Hexagonal Closed Packed) structured packed bed with random packed. This paper is to discuss and make the plan to experiment the heat transfer for depending on location of heated single sphere in unheated packed bed, to compare single sphere in packed bed with heated packed bed and to compare the structured packed bed with random packed bed. The Nu d increase as heated single sphere is close to the wall and bottom because of increasing porosity and enhancing eddy motion respectively. The existing experiment of heated sphere in packed bed do not consider the preheating effect which decrease heat transfer on downstream. The heat transfer rate of structured packed bed is different from random packed bed because of unsteady flow in random packed bed. In this study, mass transfer experiments will replace heat transfer experiments based on analogy concept. An electroplating system is adopted using limiting current technique

Forced Convection Heat Transfer of a sphere in Packed Bed Arrangement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Dong-Young; Chung, Bum-Jin [Kyung Hee University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

This paper analysis and discuss the forced convective heat transfer from heated single sphere, which is buried in unheated packed bed, depending on Re{sub d} with porosity. The present work determines the test matrix for the packed bed experiment. And this study discuss difference of heat transfer according to the location of heated sphere and compared heated bed with heated sphere in packed bed and compared FCC (Face Centered Cubic), HCP (Hexagonal Closed Packed) structured packed bed with random packed. This paper is to discuss and make the plan to experiment the heat transfer for depending on location of heated single sphere in unheated packed bed, to compare single sphere in packed bed with heated packed bed and to compare the structured packed bed with random packed bed. The Nu{sub d} increase as heated single sphere is close to the wall and bottom because of increasing porosity and enhancing eddy motion respectively. The existing experiment of heated sphere in packed bed do not consider the preheating effect which decrease heat transfer on downstream. The heat transfer rate of structured packed bed is different from random packed bed because of unsteady flow in random packed bed. In this study, mass transfer experiments will replace heat transfer experiments based on analogy concept. An electroplating system is adopted using limiting current technique.

Astronomical cycle origin of bedded chert: A middle Triassic bedded chert sequence, Inuyama, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Ikeda, Masayuki; Tada, Ryuji; Sakuma, Hironobu

2010-09-01

Astronomical forcing is one of the main drivers of climate change, and astronomical cyclicity recorded in sediments provides a clue to understand the dynamics of the global climate system. Bedded cherts consist of rhythmic alternations of chert and shale beds. Although previous studies have hypothesized that the origin of bedded chert is related to astronomical cycles (e.g. Fischer, 1976; Hori et al., 1993), conclusive proof remains elusive. To explore this possibility, we established a continuous, high-resolution lithostratigraphy of middle Triassic bedded chert in Central Japan. The average duration of each chert-shale couplet is 20 kyr, similar to that of the precession cycle. Spectral analysis of a bed number series of thickness variations in chert beds was performed assuming that each chert-shale couplet represents a 20-kyr precession cycle. The results reveal cycles involving approximately 200, 20, 5, and 2-3 beds, corresponding to periodicities of approximately 4000, 400, 100, and 40-60 kyr, respectively. By further assuming that the 20-bed cycle represents a 405-kyr eccentricity cycle of constant and stable periodicity, we converted the bed number series to a time series. Spectral analysis of the time series revealed distinct periodicities of 3600, 117, 97, and 38 kyr, in addition to 405 kyr. Besides 3600 kyr, these periodicities agree well with the 120, 95, and 37 kyr periodicities for eccentricity cycles and the obliquity cycle during the Triassic. Moreover, we detected amplitude modulation of the approximately 100-kyr cycle of thickness variations in chert beds with a 405-kyr periodicity, which may correspond to amplitude modulation of 100-kyr climatic precession cycle with the 405-kyr periodicity. The approximately 3600-kyr periodicity described above and 1800-kyr periodicity manifested as the amplitude modulation of the 405-kyr cycle are correlated to present-day long-term eccentricity cycles of 2400 and 4800 kyr evolved by chaotic behavior of solar

Gruppebaseret behandling af BED - et faseopdelt behandlingstilbud

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laust, Jakob; Lau, Marianne Engelbrecht; Waaddegaard, Mette

2015-01-01

konsekvenser. BED blev i 2013 optaget i DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) som en selvstændig diagnose og BED forventes medtaget i den forestående revision af det internationale diagnose system, ICD-11. Sundhedsstyrelsen gav på denne baggrund satspuljemidler til erfaringsopsamling...... EDE-Q: 1,7 og ved EDI: 1,5), ligesom de generelle psykiske symptomer blev mindsket i høj grad (effectsize ved WHO-5: 1,0 og ved GSI meanscore: 0,8). I alt 82 % opfyldte før behandlingens start DSM-4’s diagnostiske kriterier for BED mod 11,5 % efter behandling. 52 % fik fuld remission (ingen...... accept af og tilfredshed med behandlingen. Der var stor effekt på antal overspisninger. Før behandling havde patienterne gennemsnitligt 23,7 overspisninger pr. mdr. mod 2,3 efter behandling (effect size: 5,4). Udbyttet i forhold til den samlede spiseforstyrrelsessymptomatologi var høj (effect size ved...

THE EFFECT OF THE THICKNESS OF A PACKED BED ON THE DYNAMIC AND THERMAL BEHAVIOR OF A SOLAR DRYER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S KHALDI

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Drying food in the sun is a safe, easy and economical way to preserve food, especially fruits. Cabinet dryers are the most popular equipment for fruit drying. Because of intermittent nature of solar energy, storage is required for uninterrupted supply in order to match the needs. The main objective of this study is to assess effectiveness of continuous solar dryer integrated with packed bed as thermal storage with natural airflow for drying figs (Ficuscarica. The cabinet dryer were envisaged theoretically (computational fluid dynamics (CFD. The distribution of the velocity and temperature of air within the solar dryer were presented during one day of August and under the climate conditions of Tlemcen (Algeria.  The effects of presence of a packed bed on the distribution of velocity and temperature of airflow and on the temperature of figs were analyzed. The results show that the solar dryer design, incorporating a packed bed enhances the capabilities and performance of the solar dryer, through increasing time of drying.

[The structural functional analysis of beds stock of curative preventive organizations of the state public health system of the Russian Federation].

Science.gov (United States)

Schepin, V O

2014-01-01

The article presents the results of comprehensive scientific analysis of size and structure of beds stock of medical curative preventive organizations of state and municipal health care systems of the Russian Federation. The issues of beds support of population on national, federal okrugs and federation subjects' levels including differentiation on different medical specialties are considered. The main indicators of functioning of hospitals, per capita consumption of hospital medical care and territorial characteristics and differences of these indicators are analyzed In conditions of on-going decrease of size of beds stock and amount of medical care in hospitals and against the background of stability of main indicators of beds use the expressed but not always objectively conditioned differences continue to be present concerning both population support with beds stock and indicators of consumption of medical care in hospitals. All these occurrences undoubtedly impact accessibility of this type of medical care to population and its resource capacity for the government. In 2012, beds support of population decreased from 85.7 to 84.1 beds per 10 000 of population. The value of indicator in federal subjects differs up to 2.9 times. In the structure of beds stock are prevailing specialized beds or groups of beds on such medical specialties as psychiatry, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology and therapy. The per capita use of medical care in hospitals decreased up to 2.609 beds-per-day that is 6.2% lower than standard value from the program of state guarantees of free-of-charge medical care support of citizen. The end values of indicator in federal subjects differ in 2.7 times. In federal subjects indicators of mean number of work of bed per year differ up to 1.2 times, of mean duration of treatment--up to 1.6 times, turn-over of bed--up to 1.6 times, hospital lethality--up to 5.9 times. The results of study confirm necessity of structural functional optimization of

Addition of Bacillus sp. inoculums in bedding for swine on a pilot scale: effect on microbial population and bedding temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Corrêa, E K; Ulguim, R R; Corrêa, L B; Castilhos, D D; Bianchi, I; Gil-Turnes, C; Lucia, T

2012-10-01

Thermal and microbiological characteristics of beddings for swine were compared according to their depth and of addition of inoculums. Bedding was added to boxes at 0.25 (25D) and 0.50 m (50D), with three treatments: control (no inoculums); T1, with 250 g of Bacillus cereus var. toyoii at 8.4 × 10(7) CFU; and T2, with 250 g of a pool of B. subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus polymyxa at 8.4 × 10(7) CFU (250 g for 25D and 500 g for 50D). Mean temperatures were 28.5 ± 3.9 at the surface and 35.2 ± 8.9 inside the beddings. The most probable number (MPN) of thermophilic bacteria was higher for T1 and T2 than for the control (P<0.05). The MPN of thermophilic bacteria and fungi was greater for D50 than for D25 (P<0.05). The use of 25D without inoculums is recommended due to the reduction of thermophilic microbiota. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The bedding of laboratory animals as a source of airborne contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaliste, E; Linnainmaa, M; Meklin, T; Torvinen, E; Nevalainen, A

2004-01-01

In work environments with laboratory animals, the bedding of animals binds the excreta as well as other compounds originating from the animals and their environment. These may be generated into the ambient air when the personnel handle bedding in different procedures. This study compares the dustiness of different types of six clean and four soiled beddings from rat or mouse cages. The dust generation of clean bedding varied from beddings decreased, increased or stayed the same, depending on the type of bedding and animal species. A decrease in dustiness was, however, more common. The levels in the soiled beddings varied from bedding, the contents of bedding used in mouse, rat or rabbit cages were analysed for mesophilic bacteria and fungi, mycobacteria and endotoxins. All of these contaminants were variably found in the bedding samples, the maximal concentrations for bacteria were >6 500 000 colony-forming units (cfu)/g, for fungi 212 000 cfu/g, and for endotoxins 6500 ng/g (81 000 EU/g). The results showed that the bedding of laboratory animals may contain biologically effective compounds, and that these may be distributed into the ambient air depending on the characteristics of the bedding material. The dustiness of different bedding types is an important factor affecting the amount and quality of the occupational exposure of the personnel to airborne contaminants.

Application of CaO-Based Bed Material for Dual Fluidized Bed Steam Biomass Gasification

Science.gov (United States)

Koppatz, S.; Pfeifer, C.; Kreuzeder, A.; Soukup, G.; Hofbauer, H.

Gasification of biomass is a suitable option for decentralized energy supply based on renewable sources in the range of up to 50 MW fuel input. The paper presents the dual fluidized bed (DFB) steam gasification process, which is applied to generate high quality and nitrogen-free product gas. Essential part of the DFB process is the bed material used in the fluidized reactors, which has significant impact on the product gas quality. By the use of catalytically active bed materials the performance of the overall process is increased, since the bed material favors reactions of the steam gasification. In particular, tar reforming reactions are favored. Within the paper, the pilot plant based on the DFB process with 100kW fuel input at Vienna University of Technology, Austria is presented. Actual investigations with focus on CaO-based bed materials (limestone) as well as with natural olivine as bed material were carried out at the pilot plant. The application of CaO-based bed material shows mainly decreased tar content in the product gas in contrast to experiments with olivine as bed material. The paper presents the results of steam gasification experiments with limestone and olivine, whereby the product gas composition as well as the tar content and the tar composition are outlined.

Biodegradation of phenolic waste liquors in stirred-tank, packed-bed, and fluidized-bed bioreactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holladay, D W; Hancher, G W; Chilcote, D D; Scott, C D

1978-11-01

The biological degradation of phenolic scrub liquors similar to those that arise in coal conversion processes was studied for symbiotic bacterial populations contained in a continuously stirred tank bioreactor, a three-phase packed-bed bioreactor, and a three-phase, fluidized-bed bioreactor. The conversions of phenol compounds were comparable in the three-phase, packed-bed bioreactor and the continuously stirred tank bioreactor; however, the packed-bed bioreactor degradation rates were as much as twice those in the continuously stirred tank bioreactor, and packed-bed bioreactor retention times were as low as one- tenth those of the continuously stirred tank bioreactors (minimum time was 12 hours).

The influence of temperature on limestone sulfation and attrition under fluidized bed combustion conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Montagnaro, Fabio [Dipartimento di Chimica - Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Complesso Universitario del Monte di Sant' Angelo, 80126 Napoli (Italy); Salatino, Piero [Istituto di Ricerche sulla Combustione - CNR, Piazzale Vincenzo Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli (Italy); Dipartimento di Ingegneria Chimica - Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Piazzale Vincenzo Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli (Italy); Scala, Fabrizio [Istituto di Ricerche sulla Combustione - CNR, Piazzale Vincenzo Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli (Italy)

2010-04-15

The influence of temperature on attrition of two limestones during desulfurization in a fluidized bed reactor was investigated. Differences in the microstructure of the two limestones were reflected by a different thickness of the sulfate shell formed upon sulfation and by a different value of the ultimate calcium conversion degree. Particle attrition and fragmentation were fairly small under moderately bubbling fluidization conditions for both limestones. An increase of temperature from 850 C to 900 C led to an increase of the attrition rate, most likely because of a particle weakening effect caused by a faster CO{sub 2} evolution during calcination. This weakening effect, however, was not sufficiently strong to enhance particle fragmentation in the bed. The progress of sulfation, associated to the build-up of a hard sulfate shell around the particles, led in any case to a decrease of the extent of attrition. Sulfation at 900 C was less effective than at 850 C, and this was shown to be related to the porosimetric features of the different samples. (author)

Community-wide effects of permethrin-treated bed nets on child mortality and malaria morbidity in western Kenya

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hawley, William A.; Phillips-Howard, Penelope A.; ter Kuile, Feiko O.; Terlouw, Dianne J.; Vulule, John M.; Ombok, Maurice; Nahlen, Bernard L.; Gimnig, John E.; Kariuki, Simon K.; Kolczak, Margarette S.; Hightower, Allen W.

2003-01-01

Spatial analyses of the effect of insecticide (permethrin)-treated bed nets (ITNs) on nearby households both with and without ITNs was performed in the context of a large-scale, group-randomized, controlled mortality trial in Asembo, western Kenya. Results illustrate a protective effect of ITNs on

Biologically effective dose for permanent prostate brachytherapy taking into account postimplant edema

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gellekom, Marion P.R. van; Moerland, Marinus A.; Kal, Henk B.; Battermann, Jan J.

2002-01-01

Purpose: To study the influence of radiobiologic and physical parameters and parameters related to edema on the biologically effective dose (BED) for permanent prostate implants and to determine the optimal timing of seed reconstruction for BED calculation. Methods and Materials: On the basis of the linear-quadratic model, an expression for the BED was derived, including the edema parameters. A set of parameter values was defined, and these parameter values were varied one at a time to examine the effect on the BED and the theoretically effective treatment time (t eff ). A ratio ε was defined to investigate the optimal timing of seed reconstruction. Results: The maximal BED decreases when the extent of lethal damage is smaller, the potential tumor doubling time is smaller, the half-life time of the seeds is shorter, and the magnitude of prostate volume increase is larger. For 125 I, the optimal timing of seed reconstruction is 25 days after implantation. Seed reconstruction 1 day after the implantation results in an underestimation of the BED of at most 43%, depending on the magnitude and half-life of edema. An overestimation of the BED of at most 22% is calculated when seed reconstruction took place at the effective treatment time. Conclusion: The maximal BED depends strongly on the value of α, the potential tumor doubling time, and the choice of isotope. If prostate volume increase due to edema is not taken into account, the BED will be underestimated shortly after the implantation and overestimated if the calculations are based on images taken several months after implantation. The optimal timing of BED evaluation for 125 I seed implants and typical prostate edema values is 25 days after implantation

SU-D-204-02: BED Consistent Extrapolation of Mean Dose Tolerances

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perko, Z; Bortfeld, T; Hong, T; Wolfgang, J; Unkelbach, J [Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: The safe use of radiotherapy requires the knowledge of tolerable organ doses. For experimental fractionation schemes (e.g. hypofractionation) these are typically extrapolated from traditional fractionation schedules using the Biologically Effective Dose (BED) model. This work demonstrates that using the mean dose in the standard BED equation may overestimate tolerances, potentially leading to unsafe treatments. Instead, extrapolation of mean dose tolerances should take the spatial dose distribution into account. Methods: A formula has been derived to extrapolate mean physical dose constraints such that they are mean BED equivalent. This formula constitutes a modified BED equation where the influence of the spatial dose distribution is summarized in a single parameter, the dose shape factor. To quantify effects we analyzed 14 liver cancer patients previously treated with proton therapy in 5 or 15 fractions, for whom also photon IMRT plans were available. Results: Our work has two main implications. First, in typical clinical plans the dose distribution can have significant effects. When mean dose tolerances are extrapolated from standard fractionation towards hypofractionation they can be overestimated by 10–15%. Second, the shape difference between photon and proton dose distributions can cause 30–40% differences in mean physical dose for plans having the same mean BED. The combined effect when extrapolating proton doses to mean BED equivalent photon doses in traditional 35 fraction regimens resulted in up to 7–8 Gy higher doses than when applying the standard BED formula. This can potentially lead to unsafe treatments (in 1 of the 14 analyzed plans the liver mean dose was above its 32 Gy tolerance). Conclusion: The shape effect should be accounted for to avoid unsafe overestimation of mean dose tolerances, particularly when estimating constraints for hypofractionated regimens. In addition, tolerances established for a given treatment modality cannot

Bed and bed-site reuse by western lowland gorillas (Gorilla g. gorilla) in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwata, Yuji; Ando, Chieko

2007-01-01

In this paper we describe bed (nest) and bed-site reuse by western lowland gorillas (Gorilla g. gorilla) in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, south-eastern Gabon. During an eight-month study 44 bed sites and 506 beds were found. Among these, 38.6% of bed sites and 4.1% of beds were reused. We analyzed the monthly frequency of bed-site reuse in relation to rainfall, fruit abundance, and fruit consumption by the gorillas. The different frequency of bed-site reuse in the rainy and dry seasons was not significant. More bed-site reuse was observed during the fruiting season than during the non-fruiting season. Results from fecal analysis suggested that gorillas ate more fruit in the fruiting season than in the non-fruiting season. The frugivorous diet of western gorillas may possibly cause gorillas to stay in some areas and, consequently, reuse their bed sites. Reuse of bed sites by gorillas suggests their frequent return to an area where preferred fruit is readily available. A higher percentage of arboreal beds may also affect bed-site reuse, because of the shortage of bed material.

Fluidised bed cereal cooking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jenkins, Simon Anthony

2002-01-01

Man has been cooking food for thousands of years for a number of reasons: to improve flavour and palatability, sterilise, increase digestibility, improve texture and colour. Increasingly more advanced techniques are employed today in food production plants to engineer foods with many different properties. With this in mind manufacturers are constantly seeking to improve processing techniques and apply new or different technologies (such as microwaves, RF and extrusion) to develop foods with new properties (like puffed texture starches) and to increase process efficiencies (energy efficiency, water reduction). This thesis reports on work undertaken to demonstrate the potential to achieve high temperature starch conversion of whole wheat grains in a fluidised bed, thereby reducing the amount of water required and processing time. Specifically, wheat from the farm at 14% water content is cooked in a fluidised bed. The fluidised bed heats the wheat quickly by convective heating. In addition, energy can be delivered directly to the grain by microwave heating during fluidisation. Degree of starch conversion is determined by measuring the reduction in size of endotherm of reaction as observed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry. The fluidising gas, processing temperature and starting moisture content were varied in order to investigate their effect on the cooking process. A mathematical model based on energy and species concentration equations was developed to help understand the internal grain processes. The model coupled the thermal energy equation with water diffusion. The effect of water evaporation was represented as a thermal sink in the energy equation. Popular kinetic models from literature were adapted to predict the degree of starch conversion. The model gives solutions consistent with experimental data and physical intuition. A commercial computational fluid dynamics package was used to study simple airflow and particle tracks in the fluidisation column. A

Effects of electrode geometry on the performance of dielectric barrier/packed-bed discharge plasmas in benzene degradation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Nan; Lu, Na; Shang, Kefeng; Li, Jie; Wu, Yan

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Benzene was successfully degraded by dielectric barrier/packed-bed discharge plasmas. • Different electrode geometry has distinct effect on plasmas oxidation performance. • Benzene degradation and energy performance were enhanced when using the coil electrode. • The reaction products were well determined by online FTIR analysis. -- Abstract: In this study, the effects of electrode geometry on benzene degradation in a dielectric barrier/packed-bed discharge plasma reactor with different electrodes were systematically investigated. Three electrodes were employed in the experiments, these were coil, bolt, and rod geometries. The reactor using the coil electrode showed better performance in reducing the dielectric loss in the barrier compared to that using the bolt or rod electrodes. In the case of the coil electrode, both the benzene degradation efficiency and energy yield were higher than those for the other electrodes, which can be attributed to the increased role of surface mediated reactions. Irrespective of the electrode geometry, the packed-bed discharge plasma was superior to the dielectric barrier discharge plasma in benzene degradation at any specific applied voltage. The main gaseous products of benzene degradation were CO, CO 2 , H 2 O, and formic acid. Discharge products such as O 3 , N 2 O, N 2 O 5 , and HNO 3 were also detected in the outlet gas. Moreover, the presence of benzene inhibited the formation of ozone because of the competing reaction of oxygen atoms with benzene. This study is expected to offer an optimized approach combining dielectric barrier discharge and packed-bed discharge to improve the degradation of gaseous pollutants

Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations of Gas-Phase Radial Dispersion in Fixed Beds with Wall Effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anthony G. Dixon

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The effective medium approach to radial fixed bed dispersion models, in which radial dispersion of mass is superimposed on axial plug flow, is based on a constant effective dispersion coefficient, DT. For packed beds of a small tube-to-particle diameter ratio (N, the experimentally-observed decrease in this parameter near the tube wall is accounted for by a lumped resistance located at the tube wall, the wall mass transfer coefficient km. This work presents validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD simulations to obtain detailed radial velocity and concentration profiles for eight different computer-generated packed tubes of spheres in the range 5.04 ≤ N ≤ 9.3 and over a range of flow rates 87 ≤ Re ≤ 870 where Re is based on superficial velocity and the particle diameter dp. Initial runs with pure air gave axial velocity profiles vz(r averaged over the length of the packing. Then, simulations with the tube wall coated with methane yielded radial concentration profiles. A model with only DT could not describe the radial concentration profiles. The two-parameter model with DT and km agreed better with the bed-center concentration profiles, but not with the sharp decreases in concentration close to the tube wall. A three-parameter model based on classical two-layer mixing length theory, with a wall-function for the decrease in transverse radial convective transport in the near-wall region, showed greatly improved ability to reproduce the near-wall concentration profiles.

Modes of heat removal from a heat-generating debris bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Squarer, D.; Hochreiter, L.E.; Piecznski, A.T.

1984-01-01

In the worst hypothetical accident in a light water reactor, when all protection systems fail, the core could be converted into a deep particulate bed either in-vessel or ex-vessel. The containment of such an accident depends on the coolability of a heat-generating debris bed. Some recent experimental and analytical studies that are concerned with heat removal from such a particulate bed are reviewed. Studies have indicated that bed dryout flux and, therefore, the heat removal rate from the particulate bed increases with the particle diameter (i.e., the permeability) for pool boiling conditions and can exceed the critical heat flux of a flat plate. Bed dryout in a large particle bed (i.e., a few millimetres) was found to be closely related to the ''flooding'' limit of the bed. Dryout under forced flow conditions was found to be affected by both forced and natural convection for mass flow rate smaller than m /SUB cr/ , whereas above this mass flow rate, bed dryout is proportional to the mass flow rate. Recent analyses were found to be in agreement with experimental data; however, additional research is needed to assess factors not accounted for in previous studies (e.g., effect of pressure, multidimensionality, stratification, etc.). Based on the expected pressure and particle sizes in a postulated severe accident sequence, a debris bed should be coolable, given a sufficient water supply

The behavior of xenon dynamic adsorption on granular activated carbon packed bed adsorber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chongyang Zhou; Shujuan Feng; Guoqing Zhou; Yuren Jin; Junfu Liang; Jingming Xu

2011-01-01

In order to retard radioxenon release into the atmosphere from nuclear power station or to sensitively monitor its concentration to ensure environmental and human safety, it is necessary to know the behavior of xenon dynamic adsorption on granular activated carbon pack bed adsorber. The quantities, including the dynamic adsorption coefficient (k d ), the amount of xenon adsorbed (q), the length of mass transfer zone (L MTZ ) and the length of the unused bed (LUB), used to describe the adsorption behavior, were sorted out and calculated. The factors, including xenon concentrations, pressures and temperatures, to affect these quantities were investigated. The results show that: (1) The values of k d and q decrease with increasing temperatures, but increase with increasing pressures, (2) The values of L MTZ and LUB increase with increasing temperatures or pressures, but are independent of concentrations. Knowledge of these quantities is very helpful for packed bed adsorber operation. (author)

Anaerobic fluidized bed treatment of a tannery wastewater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, S.J.; Li, C.T.; Shieh, W.K.

1988-11-01

The anaerobic fluidized bed system, in conjunction with neutralization and chemical coagulation/flocculation, was evaluated for treatment of a tannery wastewater produced from a chrome tanning operation. Neutralization with 1 N sulphuric acid was effective for removal of chromate, with complete removal achieved at pH=8.0. Chemical coagulation/flocculation with alum at a dosage of 200 mg/L was able to remove 97% of feed SS and 65% of feed grease. Evaluation of the performance of the anaerobic fluidized bed system indicated more than 75% of feed COD could be removed up to an F/M ratio of approximately 0.4 g COD/g TVS center dot day. The observed methane production rate was 0.221 of CH/sub 4/ produced per gram COD removed. The anaerobic fluidized bed system could provide an effective treatment of a pretreated tannery wastewater.

Sodium and steam leak simulation studies for fluidized bed steam generators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keeton, A.R.; Vaux, W.G.; Lee, P.K.; Witkowski, R.E.

1976-01-01

An experimental program is described which was conducted to study the effects of sodium or steam leaking into an operating fluidized bed of metal or ceramic particles at 680 to 800 0 K. This effort was part of the early development studies for a fluidized-bed steam generator concept using helium as the fluidizing gas. Test results indicated that steam and small sodium leaks had no effect on the quality of fluidization, heat transfer coefficient, temperature distribution, or fluidizing gas pressure drop across the bed. Large sodium leaks, however, immediately upset the operation of the fluidized bed. Both steam and sodium leaks were detected positively and rapidly at an early stage of a leak by instruments specifically selected to accomplish this

CFD Analysis to Calculate the Optimal Air Velocity in Drying Green Tea Process Using Fluidized Bed Dryer

Science.gov (United States)

Yohana, Eflita; Nugraha, Afif Prasetya; Diana, Ade Eva; Mahawan, Ilham; Nugroho, Sri

2018-02-01

Tea processing is basically distinguished into three types which black tea, green tea, and oolong tea. Green tea is processed by heating and drying the leaves. Green tea factories in Indonesia are generally using the process of drying by panning the leaves. It is more recommended to use the fluidization process to speed up the drying process as the quality of the tea can be maintained. Bubbling fluidization is expected to occur in this research. It is a process of bubbles are formed in the fluidization. The effectiveness of the drying process in a fluidized bed dryer machine needs to be improved by using a CFD simulation method to proof that umf < u < ut, where the average velocity value is limited by the minimum and the maximum velocity of the calculation the experimental data. The minimum and the maximum velocity value of the fluidization is 0.96 m/s and 8.2 m/s. The result of the simulation obtained that the average velocity of the upper bed part is 1.81 m/s. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that the calculation and the simulation data is in accordance with the condition of bubbling fluidization in fluidized bed dryer.

Experimental study on coolability of particulate core-metal debris bed with oxidization, (2). Fragmentation and enhanced heat transfer in zircaloy debris bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, Guanghui; Sugiyama, Ken-ichiro; Aoki, Hiroomi; Kimura, Iichi

2006-01-01

The oxidization and coolability characteristics of the particulate Zircaloy debris bed, which is deposited under the hard debris and through which first vapor penetrates and then water penetrates, are studied in the present paper. In the vapor penetration experiments, it is found that Zircaloy debris particles are effectively broken into small pieces after making thick oxidized layer with deep clacks by rapid oxidization under the condition that vapor with 20 cm/s penetrates for 30 to 70 min at an initial debris bed temperature of 1,030degC. It is also confirmed in the water penetration experiments that the oxidized particle debris bed has potentially of high coolability when water penetrates through the fully oxidized particle bed because of a high capillary force originating from those particles with deep cracks on their surfaces. Based on the present study, a new scenario for the appearance and disappearance of the hot spot in the TMI-2 accident is possible. The particulate core-metal core-metal debris bed is first heated up by rapid oxidization with heat generation when vapor can penetrate through the debris bed with porosities. This corresponds to the appearance of the hot spot. The resultant oxidized particulate debris bed causes a high coolability due to its high capillary force when the water can touch the debris bed at wet condition. This corresponds to the disappearance of the hot spot. (author)

An experimental study on quenching of a radially stratified heated porous bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nayak, Arun K.; Sehgal, Bal Raj; Stepanyan, Armen V.

2006-01-01

The quenching characteristics of a volumetrically-heated particulate bed composed of radially stratified sand layers were investigated experimentally in the POMECO facility. The sand bed simulates the corium particulate debris bed which is formed when the molten corium released from the vessel fragments in water and deposits on the cavity floor during a postulated severe accident in a light water reactor (LWR). The electrically-heated bed was quenched by water from a water column established over top of it, and later also with water coming from its bottom, which was circulating from the water overlayer through downcomers. A series of experiments were conducted to reveal the effects of the size of downcomers, and their locations in the bed, on the quenching characteristics of the radially stratified debris beds. The downcomers were found to significantly increase the bed quenching rate. To simulate the non-condensable gases generated during the MCCI, air and argon were injected from the bottom of the bed at different flow rates. The effects of gas flow rate and its properties on the quenching behaviour were observed. The results indicate that the non-condensable gas flows reduce the quenching rate significantly. The gas properties also affect the quenching characteristics

Experimental studies on the coolability of packed beds. Flooding of hot dry packed beds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leininger, S.; Kulenovic, R.; Laurien, E.

2013-01-01

In case of a severe accident in a nuclear power plant meltdown of the reactor core can occur and form a packed bed in the lower plenum of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) after solidification due to contact with water. The removal of after-heat and the long-term coolability is of essential interest. The efficient injection of cooling water into the packed bed has to be assured without endangering the structural integrity of the reactor pressure vessel. The experiments performed aimed to study the dry-out and the quenching (flooding) of hot dry packed beds. Two different inflow variants, bottom- and top-flooding including the variation of the starting temperature of the packed bed and the injection rate were studied. In case of bottom flooding the quenching time increases with increasing packed bed temperature and decreasing injection rate. In case of top flooding the flow pattern is more complex, in a first phase the water flows preferentially toward the RPV wall, the flow paths conduct the water downwards. The flow resistance of the packed bed increases with increasing bed temperatures. The quenching temperatures increase significantly above average.

The effects of applying silicon carbide coating on core reactivity of pebble-bed HTR in water ingress accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zuhair, S.; Setiadipura, Topan [National Nuclear Energy Agency of Indonesia, Serpong Tagerang Selatan (Indonesia). Center for Nuclear Reactor Technology and Safety; Su' ud, Zaki [Bandung Institute of Technology (Indonesia). Dept. of Physics

2017-03-15

Graphite is used as the moderator, fuel barrier material, and core structure in High Temperature Reactors (HTRs). However, despite its good thermal and mechanical properties below the radiation and high temperatures, it cannot avoid corrosion as a consequence of an accident of water/air ingress. Degradation of graphite as a main HTR material and the formation of dangerous CO gas is a serious problem in HTR safety. One of the several steps that can be adopted to avoid or prevent the corrosion of graphite by the water/air ingress is the application of a thin layer of silicon carbide (SiC) on the surface of the fuel element. This study investigates the effect of applying SiC coating on the fuel surfaces of pebble-bed HTR in water ingress accident from the reactivity points of view. A series of reactivity calculations were done with the Monte Carlo transport code MCNPX and continuous energy nuclear data library ENDF/B-VII at temperature of 1200 K. Three options of UO{sub 2}, PuO{sub 2}, and ThO{sub 2}/UO{sub 2} fuel kernel were considered to obtain the inter comparison of the core reactivity of pebble-bed HTR in conditions of water/air ingress accident. The calculation results indicated that the UO{sub 2}-fueled pebble-bed HTR reactivity was slightly reduced and relatively more decreased when the thickness of the SiC coating increased. The reactivity characteristic of ThO{sub 2}/UO{sub 2}-fueled pebble-bed HTR showed a similar trend to that of UO{sub 2}, but did not show reactivity peak caused by water ingress. In contrast with UO{sub 2}- and ThO{sub 2}-fueled pebble-bed HTR, although the reactivity of PuO{sub 2}-fueled pebble-bed HTR was the lowest, its characteristics showed a very high reactivity peak (0.33 Δk/k) and this introduction of positive reactivity is difficult to control. SiC coating on the surface of the plutonium fuel pebble has no significant impact. From the comparison between reactivity characteristics of uranium, thorium and plutonium cores with 0

Application of biological effective dose (BED) to estimate the duration of symptomatic relief and repopulation dose equivalent in palliative radiotherapy and chemotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, Bleddyn; Cominos, Matilda; Dale, Roger G.

2003-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the potential for mathematic modeling in the assessment of symptom relief in palliative radiotherapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy. Methods: The linear quadratic model of radiation effect with the overall treatment time and the daily dose equivalent of repopulation is modified to include the regrowth time after completion of therapy. Results: The predicted times to restore the original tumor volumes after treatment are dependent on the biological effective dose (BED) delivered and the repopulation parameter (K); it is also possible to estimate K values from analysis of palliative treatment response durations. Hypofractionated radiotherapy given at a low total dose may produce long symptom relief in slow-growing tumors because of their low α/β ratios (which confer high fraction sensitivity) and their slow regrowth rates. Cancers that have high α/β ratios (which confer low fraction sensitivity), and that are expected to repopulate rapidly during therapy, are predicted to have short durations of symptom control. The BED concept can be used to estimate the equivalent dose of radiotherapy that will achieve the same duration of symptom relief as palliative chemotherapy. Conclusion: Relatively simple radiobiologic modeling can be used to guide decision-making regarding the choice of the most appropriate palliative schedules and has important implications in the design of radiotherapy or chemotherapy clinical trials. The methods described provide a rationalization for treatment selection in a wide variety of tumors

Modeling of Seepage Losses in Sewage Sludge Drying Bed ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This research was carried out to develop a model governing seepage losses in sewage sludge drying bed. The model will assist in the design of sludge drying beds for effective management of wastes derived from households' septic systems. In the experiment conducted this study, 125kg of sewage sludge, 90.7% moisture ...

Experimental investigation of thermal conductivity coefficient and heat exchange between fluidized bed and inclined exchange surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Stojanovic

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The paper presents experimental research of thermal conductivity coefficients of the siliceous sand bed fluidized by air and an experimental investigation of the particle size influence on the heat transfer coefficient between fluidized bed and inclined exchange surfaces. The measurements were performed for the specific fluidization velocity and sand particle diameters d p=0.3, 0.5, 0.9 mm. The industrial use of fluidized beds has been increasing rapidly in the past 20 years owing to their useful characteristics. One of the outstanding characteristics of a fluidized bed is that it tends to maintain a uniform temperature even with nonuniform heat release. On the basis of experimental research, the influence of the process's operational parameters on the obtained values of the bed's thermal conductivity has been analyzed. The results show direct dependence of thermal conductivity on the intensity of mixing, the degree of fluidization, and the size of particles. In the axial direction, the coefficients that have been treated have values a whole order higher than in the radial direction. Comparison of experimental research results with experimental results of other authors shows good agreement and the same tendency of thermal conductivity change. It is well known in the literature that the value of the heat transfer coefficient is the highest in the horizontal and the smallest in the vertical position of the heat exchange surface. Variation of heat transfer, depending on inclination angle is not examined in detail. The difference between the values of the relative heat transfer coefficient between vertical and horizontal heater position for all particle sizes reduces by approximately 15% with the increase of fluidization rate.

Hydrogen sulfide release from dairy manure storages containing gypsum bedding

Science.gov (United States)

Recycled gypsum products can provide a cost-effective bedding alternative for dairy producers. Manufacturers report reduced odors, moisture and bacteria in the stall environment when compared to traditional bedding. Gypsum provides a sulfate source that can be converted to hydrogen sulfide under ana...

Design and performance of a trickle-bed bioreactor with immobilized hybridoma cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, H A; Scharer, J M; Bols, N C; Moo-Young, M

1992-01-01

A trickle-bed system employing inert matrices of vermiculite or polyurethane foam packed in the downcomer section of a split-flow air-lift reactor has been developed for hybridoma culture to enhance antibody productivity. This quiescent condition favoured occlusion and allowed the cells to achieve densities twelve fold greater (12.8 x 10(6) cells/ml reactor for polyurethane foam) than in free cell suspension. The reactor was operated in a cyclic batch mode whereby defined volumes of medium were periodically withdrawn and replaced with equal volumes of fresh medium. The pH of the medium was used as the indicator of the feeding schedule. Glucose, lactate and ammonia concentrations reached a stationary value after 5 days. With vermiculite packing, a monoclonal antibody (MAb) concentration of 2.4 mg/l was achieved after 12 days. The MAb concentration declined then increased to a value of 1.8 mg/l. In the polyurethane foam average monoclonal antibody (MAb) concentrations reached a stationary value of 1.1 mg/l in the first 20 days and increased to a new stationary state value of 2.1 mg/l for the remainder of the production. MAb productivity in the trickle-bed reactor was 0.3 mg/l.d (polyurethane foam) and 0.18 mg/l.d (vermiculite) in comparison to 0.12 mg/l.d for free cell suspension. This trickle-bed system seems to be an attractive way of increasing MAb productivity in culture.

Particle flow of ceramic breeder pebble beds in bi-axial compression experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermsmeyer, S.; Reimann, J.

2002-01-01

Pebble beds of Tritium breeding ceramic material are investigated within the framework of developing solid breeder blankets for future nuclear fusion power plants. For the thermo-mechanical characterisation of such pebble beds, bed compression experiments are the standard tools. New bi-axial compression experiments on 20 and 30 mm high pebble beds show pebble flow effects much more pronounced than in previous 10 mm beds. Owing to the greater bed height, conditions are reached where the bed fails in cross direction and unhindered flow of the pebbles occurs. The paper presents measurements for the orthosilicate and metatitanate breeder materials that are envisaged to be used in a solid breeder blanket. The data are compared with calculations made with a Drucker-Prager soil model within the finite-element code ABAQUS, calibrated with data from other experiments. It is investigated empirically whether internal bed friction angles can be determined from pebble beds of the considered heights, which would simplify, and broaden the data base for, the calibration of the Drucker-Prager pebble bed models

Can coarse surface layers in gravel-bedded rivers be mobilized by finer gravel bedload?

Science.gov (United States)

Venditti, J. G.; Dietrich, W. E.; Nelson, P. A.; Wydzga, M. A.; Fadde, J.; Sklar, L.

2005-12-01

approximately equal to the supply rate. Once the pulse has passed through the flume, bedload flux rapidly drops to background values, leaving few introduced grains on the bed. When the sediment feed is the median grain size of the subsurface bed material mixture, few armor grains are mobilized, although there is some exchange between the surface and bedload. Pulses composed of the fine tail of the surface grain size distribution are capable of mobilizing all grain sizes in the armor (including the largest grains) as finer bedload fills the interstices of the coarse surface layer. This suggests that gravel augmentation using fine gravel may provide an effective means of improving bed mobility conditions. Further experiments are underway to explore the effects of repeated fine gravel addition on bed state.

Supraesophageal Reflux: Correlation of Position and Occurrence of Acid Reflux-Effect of Head-of-Bed Elevation on Supine Reflux.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, David R; Simon, Ronald A

2015-01-01

Supraesophageal reflux of gastric contents can contribute to perennial nasopharyngitis, cough, and asthma. However, effective treatment strategies for supraesophageal reflux disease (SERD) remain inadequately defined. The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence and timing of SERD and to investigate the efficacy of head-of-bed elevation in its treatment. A retrospective chart review of patients seen at Scripps Clinic Division of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology was performed who had undergone overnight nasopharyngeal pH monitoring with a commercially available nasopharyngeal pH-monitoring device, Dx-pH Measurement System from Restech, San Diego, Calif. Subjects with reflux were classified based on the position of reflux as either supine only, upright only, or both supine and upright. In a subset of subjects with supine-only reflux, pH monitoring was compared before and after elevating the head of bed 6 inches. Adequate nasopharyngeal pH-monitoring data were obtained for 235 patients. Reflux was detected in 113 (48%) patients. The pattern of reflux observed was 62 (55%) supine only, 4 (4%) upright only, and 47 (42%) upright and supine. Sequential overnight nasopharyngeal pH monitoring before and after head-of-bed elevation was obtained in 13 individuals with supine-only reflux. Ten subjects demonstrated significant improvement, 8 of whom demonstrated complete resolution of supine reflux with 6 inches of head-of-bed elevation. This study provides new evidence that SERD frequently occurs in the supine position and that 6 inches of head-of-bed elevation is effective in reducing supine SERD. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gas and particle concentrations in horse stables with individual boxes as a function of the bedding material and the mucking regimen.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, K; Hessel, E F; Van den Weghe, H F A

2009-11-01

The aim of this study was to compare different types of bedding and mucking regimens used in horse stables on the generation of airborne particulate matter bedding material (wheat straw, straw pellets, and wood shavings) used for horses were assessed according to their ammonia generation. Each type of bedding was used for 2 wk, with 3 repetitions. The mean ammonia concentrations within the stable were 3.07 +/- 0.23 mg/m(3) for wheat straw, 4.79 +/- 0.23 mg/m(3) for straw pellets, and 4.27 +/- 0.17 mg/m(3) for wood shavings. In Exp. 2, the effects of the mucking regimen on the generation of ammonia and PM10 from wheat straw (the bedding with the least ammonia generation in the previous experiment) were examined using 3 different daily regimens: 1) no mucking out, 2) complete mucking out, and 3) partial mucking out (removing only feces). The mean ammonia concentrations in the stable differed significantly among all 3 mucking regimens (P bedding regimen without mucking out was evaluated with regard to gas and airborne particle generation. The ammonia values were found not to increase constantly during the course of the 6-wk period. The average weekly values for PM10 also did not increase constantly but varied between approximately 90 and 140 microg/m. It can be concluded from the particle and gas generation patterns found in the results of all 3 experiments that wheat straw was the most suitable bedding of the 3 types investigated and that mucking out completely on a daily basis should not be undertaken in horse stables.

Analysis of wall-packed-bed thermal interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorbis, Z.R.; Tillack, M.S.; Tehranian, F.; Abdou, M.A.

1995-01-01

One of the major issues remaining for ceramic breeder blankets involves uncertainties in heat transfer and thermomechanical interactions within the breeder and multiplier regions. Particle bed forms are considered in many reactor blanket designs for both the breeder and Be multiplier. The effective thermal conductivity of beds and the wall-bed thermal conductance are still not adequately characterized, particularly under the influence of mechanical stresses. The problem is particularly serious for the wall conductance between Be and its cladding, where the uncertainty can be greater than 50%. In this work, we describe a new model for the wall-bed conductance that treats the near-wall region as a finite-width zone. The model includes an estimate of the region porosity based on the number of contact points, and the contact area for smooth surfaces. It solves the heat conduction in a near-wall unit cell. The model is verified with existing data and used to predict the range of wall conductances expected in future simulation experiments and in reactor applications. (orig.)

Effect of humidity on thoron adsorption in activated charcoal bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sudeep Kumara, K.; Karunakara, N.; Yashodhara, I.; Sapra, B.K.; Sahoo, B.K.; Gaware, J.J.; Kanse, S.D.; Mayya, Y.S.

2014-01-01

Activated charcoal is a well-known adsorber of 222 Rn and 220 Rn gases. This property can be effectively used for remediation of these gases in the workplaces of uranium and thorium processing facilities. However, the adsorption on charcoal is sensitive to variation in temperature and humidity. The successful designing and characterization of adsorption systems require an adequate understanding of these sensitivities. The study has been carried out towards this end, to delineate the effect of relative humidity on the efficacy of 220 Rn mitigations in a charcoal bed. Air carrying 220 Rn from a Pylon source was passed through a column filled with coconut shell-based granular activated charcoal. The relative humidity of the air was controlled, and the transmission characteristics were examined at relative humidity varying from 45% to 60%. The mitigation factor was found to decrease significantly with an increase of humidity in the air. (author)

Effect of permethrin-treated bed nets on the spatial distribution of malaria vectors in western Kenya

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gimnig, John E.; Kolczak, Margarette S.; Hightower, Allen W.; Vulule, John M.; Schoute, Erik; Kamau, Luna; Phillips-Howard, Penelope A.; ter Kuile, Feiko O.; Nahlen, Bernard L.; Hawley, William A.

2003-01-01

The effect of insecticide (permethrin)-treated bed nets (ITNs) on the spatial distribution of malaria vectors in neighboring villages lacking ITNs was studied during a randomized controlled trial of ITNs in western Kenya. There was a trend of decreased abundance of Anopheles gambiae with decreasing

The development of a qualitative dynamic attribute value model for healthcare institutes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Wan-I

2010-01-01

Understanding customers has become an urgent topic for increasing competitiveness. The purpopse of the study was to develop a qualitative dynamic attribute value model which provides insight into the customers' value for healthcare institute managers by conducting the initial open-ended questionnaire survey to select participants purposefully. A total number of 427 questionnaires was conducted in two hospitals in Taiwan (one district hospital with 635 beds and one academic hospital with 2495 beds) and 419 questionnaires were received in nine weeks. Then, apply qualitative in-depth interviews to explore customers' perspective of values for building a model of partial differential equations. This study concludes nine categories of value, including cost, equipment, physician background, physicain care, environment, timing arrangement, relationship, brand image and additional value, to construct objective network for customer value and qualitative dynamic attribute value model where the network shows the value process of loyalty development via its effect on customer satisfaction, customer relationship, customer loyalty and healthcare service. One set predicts the customer relationship based on comminent, including service quality, communication and empahty. As the same time, customer loyalty based on trust, involves buzz marketing, brand and image. Customer value of the current instance is useful for traversing original customer attributes and identifing customers on different service share.

Effects of reduction temperature to Ni and Fe content and the morphology of agglomerate of reduced laterite limonitic nickel ore by coal-bed method

Science.gov (United States)

Abdul, Fakhreza; Pintowantoro, Sungging; Kawigraha, Adji; Nursidiq, Ahlidin

2018-04-01

As the current drop of nickel sulfide ore on earth, the attention to nickel laterite ore processing was inscreased in order to fulfill the future nickel demand needs. This research aims to optimized the process of nickel laterite ore extraction using coal bed method. This research was conducted by reducing low grade nickel laterite ore (limonitic) with nickel content of 1.25 %. The reduction process was carried out using CO gas which formed by the reaction of coal and dolomite. The Briquette of nickel ore, coal, Na2SO4 mixtures incorporated in the crucible with bed, then reduced for 6 hours at the temperature of 1200 °C. 1400 °C, and 1400 °C. The result of the research shown that the highest increase of Ni content and Ni recovery value was in the reduction temperature of 1400 °C with the increase of 3.44 %, and the recovery value of Ni equal to 86.75 %. While the highest increase of Fe content and Fe recovery value, respectively, was in the reduction temperature of 1300 °C with the increase of 22.67 % and 1200 °C with Fe recovery value of 89.41 %.

Thermal-hydraulic modeling of porous bed reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Araj, K.J.; Nourbakhsh, H.P.

1987-01-01

Optimum design of nuclear reactor cores requires an iterative approach between the thermal-hydraulic, neutronic, and operational analysis. This paper will concentrate on the thermal-hydraulic behavior of a hydrogen-cooled small particle bed reactor (PBR). The PBR core modeled here consists of a hexagonal array of fuel elements embedded in a moderator matrix. The fuel elements are annular packed beds of fuel particles held between two porous cylindrical frits. These particles, 500 to 600 μm in diameter, have a uranium carbide core, which is coated by two layers of graphite and an outer coating of zirconium carbide. Coolant flows, radially inward, from the cold frit through the packed bed and hot frit and axially out the channel, formed by the hot frit to a common plenum. A fast running one-dimensional lumped-parameter steady-state code (FTHP) was developed to evaluate the effects of design changes in fuel assembly and power distribution. Another objective for the code was to investigate various methods of coolant control to minimize hot channel effects and maximize outlet temperatures

Oxidation of tritium by hopcalite bed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nishikawa, Masabumi; Shinnai, Kohsuke; Matsunaga, Sohichi; Kinoshita, Yoshihiko

1984-08-01

Oxidation by the catalyst bed with a metal oxide and subsequent adsorption to the porous dehydrative reagents is supposed to be effective process for scavenging tritium from an inert atmosphere. Use of spongy copper oxide or wires of copper oxide is not recommended to use as the metal oxide catalyst from the view point of mass transfer because of sintering and of limited effective surface area. Use of hopcalites and copper oxide-kieselguhr are examined in this study and it is concluded that hopcalites are more suitable as the metal oxide catalyst because they not only remain the oxidation power on hydrogen isotopes even at an ambient temperature, but also show a negligible drop in oxidation performances with repeated regeneration. The effective temperature is about 400/sup 0/C for hopcalites and 300-600/sup 0/C for copper oxide-kieselguhr to use as the oxidation bed of tritium.

Oxidation of tritium by hopcalite bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishikawa, Masabumi; Shinnai, Kohsuke; Matsunaga, Sohichi; Kinoshita, Yoshihiko

1984-01-01

Oxidation by the catalyst bed with a metal oxide and subsequent adsorption to the porous dehydrative reagents is supposed to be effective process for scavenging tritium from an inert atmosphere. Use of spongy copper oxide or wires of copper oxide is not recommended to use as the metal oxide catalyst from the view point of mass transfer because of sintering and of limited effective surface area. Use of hopcalites and copper oxide-kieselguhr are examined in this study and it is concluded that hopcalites are more suitable as the metal oxide catalyst because they not only remain the oxidation power on hydrogen isotopes even at an ambient temperature, but also show a negligible drop in oxidation performances with repeated regeneration. The effective temperature is about 400 0 C for hopcalites and 300--600 0 C for copper oxide-kieselguhr to use as the oxidation bed of tritium. (author)

Cooling of a polyethylene tunnel type greenhouse by means of a rock bed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurklu, Ahmet; Bilgin, Sefai [Akdeniz Univ., Dept. of Agricultural Mechanisation, Antalya (Turkey)

2004-10-01

An experiment was conducted to cool a 15 m{sup 2} ground area plastic-tunnel-type greenhouse by the use of a rock bed. An identical greenhouse with no rock bed was also erected for control purposes. Two rock-bed canals, each with the dimensions of 3 x l.25 x 0.75 m, were dug in the soil of the experimental greenhouse. After the canals were filled with the rocks and insulated, the top surface was covered by a soil layer of thickness enough for the root development depth of the plants. Air was pushed through the rock bed by a centrifugal fan with a 1100 m{sup 3}/h flow rate. Energy stored in the rock bed during the day was dumped outside the greenhouse at night using the cooler outside air. The results of the measurements showed that the rock-bed system maintained air temperature 14 deg C lower at maximum in the experimental greenhouse than the control one. The temperature difference seemed to increase with increasing solar radiation and outside air temperature. Relative humidity during the day remained at about 40% in the experimental greenhouse and was always higher than that in the control one. The coefficient of performance (COP) of the rock-bed system was higher than 3 in general, and it was observed that this value increased with decreasing rock-bed temperature. The average solar collection efficiency was 38%. The rock-bed system seems to have a significant potential for cooling applications in greenhouses. (Author)

Energetic, ecologic and fluid-dynamic analysis of a fluidized bed gasifier operating with sugar cane bagasse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diniz Filho, Paulo Tasso; Silveira, Jose Luz; Tuna, Celso Eduardo; Lamas, Wendell de Queiroz

2013-01-01

This work aims to study the thermodynamic, ecological and fluid-dynamic aspects of a circulating fluidized bed gasifier using sugar cane bagasse as biomass, in order to estimate a model of its normal operation. In the initial stage was analysed the composition of biomass selected (sugar cane bagasse) and its lower heating value (LHV) was calculated. The energy balance of the gasifier was done, being the volumetric flow of air, synthesis gas and biomass estimated. Also the power produced by this gasifier was theoretically estimated. Then the circulating fluidized bed gasifier was designed for operation with approximately 100 kg/h of processed biomass. Cross-sectional area of the reactor, feeder size, diameter of the exit zone of the gases and minimum height of the expanded bed were selected. Some bed gasifier hydrodynamic factors were also studied. The minimum fluidization velocity, fluidization terminal velocity, and average fluidizing velocity were calculated, in order to understand the fluid-dynamic behaviour of gasification of this fuel. It was obtained a theoretical model that can support a possible prototype of circulating fluidized bed gasifier biomass. Finally, there were studied the ecological aspects of the gasifier, through an overall methodology. Ecological efficiencies were estimated for two scenarios: first considering the carbon cycle and thereafter disregarding the carbon cycle. In both cases, it can be proved the ecological viability of the project. -- Highlights: • we develop a methodology to size a fluidized bed gasifier. • we validate this methodology comparing to a fixed bed gasifier values. • we aggregate ecological efficiency to this methodology

Role of hydraulic retention time and granular medium in microbial removal in tertiary treatment reed beds.

Science.gov (United States)

García, Joan; Vivar, Joan; Aromir, Maria; Mujeriego, Rafael

2003-06-01

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the role of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and granular medium in faecal coliform (FC) and somatic coliphage (SC) removal in tertiary reed beds. Experiments were carried out in a pilot plant with four parallel reed beds (horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands), each one containing a different type of granular medium. This pilot plant is located in a wastewater treatment plant in Montcada i Reixac, near Barcelona, in northeastern Spain. The microbial inactivation ratios obtained in the different beds are compared as a function of three selected HRTs. Secondary effluent from the wastewater treatment plant was used as the influent of the pilot system. The microbial inactivation ratio ranged between 0.1 and 2.7 log-units for FC and from 0.5 to 1.7 log-units for SC in beds with coarser granular material (5-25mm), while it ranged between 0.7 and 3.4 log-units for FC and from 0.9 to 2.6 log-units for SC in the bed with finer material (2-13mm). HRT and granular medium are both key factors in microbial removal in the tertiary reed beds. The microbial inactivation ratio rises as the HRT increases until it reaches a saturation value (in general at an HRT of 3 days). The value of the microbial inactivation ratio at the saturation level depends on the granular medium contained in the bed. The specific surface area necessary to reach 2-3 log-units of FC and SC is approximately 3m(2)/person-equivalent.

Combustion of palm kernel shell in a fluidized bed: Optimization of biomass particle size and operating conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ninduangdee, Pichet; Kuprianov, Vladimir I.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Safe burning of palm kernel shell is achievable in a FBC using alumina as the bed material. • Thermogravimetric analysis of the shell with different particle sizes is performed. • Optimal values of the shell particle size and excess air lead to the minimum emission costs. • Combustion efficiency of 99.4–99.7% is achievable when operated under optimal conditions. • CO and NO emissions of the FBC are at levels substantially below national emission limits. - Abstract: This work presents a study on the combustion of palm kernel shell (PKS) in a conical fluidized-bed combustor (FBC) using alumina sand as the bed material to prevent bed agglomeration. Prior to combustion experiments, a thermogravimetric analysis was performed in nitrogen and dry air to investigate the effects of biomass particle size on thermal and combustion reactivity of PKS. During the combustion tests, the biomass with different mean particle sizes (1.5 mm, 4.5 mm, 7.5 mm, and 10.5 mm) was burned at a 45 kg/h feed rate, while excess air was varied from 20% to 80%. Temperature and gas concentrations (O 2 , CO, C x H y as CH 4 , and NO) were recorded along the axial direction in the reactor as well as at stack. The experimental results indicated that the biomass particle size and excess air had substantial effects on the behavior of gaseous pollutants (CO, C x H y , and NO) in different regions inside the reactor, as well as on combustion efficiency and emissions of the conical FBC. The CO and C x H y emissions can be effectively controlled by decreasing the feedstock particle size and/or increasing excess air, whereas the NO emission can be mitigated using coarser biomass particles and/or lower excess air. A cost-based approach was applied to determine the optimal values of biomass particle size and excess air, ensuring minimum emission costs of burning the biomass in the proposed combustor. From the optimization analysis, the best combustion and emission performance of the

Heat Transfer in a Fixed Bed of Straw Char

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fjellerup, Jan Søren; Henriksen, Ulrik Birk; Jensen, Anker

2003-01-01

A model for the thermal conductivity of a straw char bed has been developed. The model extends the work of Yagi and Kunii to describe heat transfer in a bed of cylinders, using a relationship between the interparticle distance and the external porosity. To verify the model, thermal conductivity...... the experimental uncertainty over the range of conditions investigated. The heat transfer model was used in a parametric study to evaluate the effect of gas flow rate, particle diameter, porosity, and temperature on the thermal conductivity in a straw char bed....... experiments were performed on shredded and un-shredded straw char samples, varying particle size, bed packing (loose or dense), and temperature. Predictions with the model, using the measured external porosity and particle diameter as input parameters, are in agreement with measurements within...

Numerical modeling of straw combustion in a fixed bed

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhou, Haosheng; Jensen, Anker; Glarborg, Peter

2005-01-01

. The straw combustion processes include moisture evaporation, straw pyrolysis, gas combustion, and char combustion. The model provides detailed information of the structure of the ignition flame front. Simulated gas species concentrations at the bed surface, ignition flame front rate, and bed temperature......Straw is being used as main renewable energy source in grate boilers in Denmark. For optimizing operating conditions and design parameters, a one-dimensional unsteady heterogeneous mathematical model has been developed and experiments have been carried out for straw combustion in a fixed bed...... are in good agreement with measurements at different operating conditions such as primary air-flow rate, pre-heating of the primary air, oxygen concentration, moisture content in straw, and bulk density of the straw in the fixed bed. A parametric study indicates that the effective heat conductivity, straw...

Elementary theory of bed-sediment entrainment by debris flows and avalanches

Science.gov (United States)

Iverson, Richard M.

2012-01-01

Analyses of mass and momentum exchange between a debris flow or avalanche and an underlying sediment layer aid interpretations and predictions of bed-sediment entrainment rates. A preliminary analysis assesses the behavior of a Coulomb slide block that entrains bed material as it descends a uniform slope. The analysis demonstrates that the block's momentum can grow unstably, even in the presence of limited entrainment efficiency. A more-detailed, depth-integrated continuum analysis of interacting, deformable bodies identifies mechanical controls on entrainment efficiency, and shows that entrainment rates satisfy a jump condition that involves shear-traction and velocity discontinuities at the flow-bed boundary. Explicit predictions of the entrainment rateEresult from making reasonable assumptions about flow velocity profiles and boundary shear tractions. For Coulomb-friction tractions, predicted entrainment rates are sensitive to pore fluid pressures that develop in bed sediment as it is overridden. In the simplest scenario the bed sediment liquefies completely, and the entrainment-rate equation reduces toE = 2μ1gh1 cos θ(1 − λ1)/ , where θ is the slope angle, μ1 is the flow's Coulomb friction coefficient, h1 is its thickness, λ1 is its degree of liquefaction, and is its depth-averaged velocity. For values ofλ1ranging from 0.5 to 0.8, this equation predicts entrainment rates consistent with rates of 0.05 to 0.1 m/s measured in large-scale debris-flow experiments in which wet sediment beds liquefied almost completely. The propensity for bed liquefaction depends on several factors, including sediment porosity, permeability, and thickness, and rates of compression and shear deformation that occur when beds are overridden.

Influence of turbulence on bed load sediment transport

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sumer, B. Mutlu; Chua, L.; Cheng, N. S.

2003-01-01

This paper summarizes the results of an experimental study on the influence of an external turbulence field on the bedload sediment transport in an open channel. The external turbulence was generated by: (1) with a horizontal pipe placed halfway through the depth, h; (2) with a series of grids......-bed experiments and the ripple-covered-bed experiments. In the former case, the flow in the presence of the turbulence generator was adjusted so that the mean bed shear stress was the same as in the case without the turbulence generator in order to single out the effect of the external turbulence on the sediment...... correlated with the sediment transport rate. The sediment transport increases markedly with increasing turbulence level....

Numerical modeling of pyrolysis of sawdust in a packed bed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meng, Qingmin; Chen, Xiaoping [Southeast Univ., Nanjing (China). School of Energy and Environment

2013-07-01

An unsteady, one-dimensional mathematical model has been developed to describe the pyrolysis of sawdust in a packed bed. The sawdust bed was pyrolyzed using the hot gas and an electric heater outside the bed as the source of energy. The developed model includes mass, momentum and energy conservations of gas and solid within the bed. The gas flow in the bed is modeled using Darcy's law for fluid through a porous medium. The heat transfer model includes heat conduction inside the bed and convection between the bed and the hot gas. The kinetic model consists of primary pyrolysis reaction. A finite volume fully implicit scheme is employed for solving the heat and mass transfer model equations. A Runge-Kutta fourth order method is used for the chemical kinetics model equations. The model predictions of mass loss history and temperature were validated with published experimental results, showing a good agreement. The effects of inlet temperature on the pyrolysis process have been analyzed with model simulation. A sensitivity analysis using the model suggests that the predictions could be improved by considering the second reaction which could generate volatile flowing in the void.

Agglomeration of bed material: Influence on efficiency of biofuel fluidized bed boiler

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryabov Georgy A.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The successful design and operation of a fluidized bed combustor requires the ability to control and mitigate ash-related problems. The main ash-related problem of biomass filing boiler is agglomeration. The fluidized bed boiler with steam capacity of 66 t/h (4 MPa, 440 °C was started up at the Arkhangelsk Paper-Pi dp-Plant in 2001. This boiler was manufactured by the Russian companies "Energosofin" and "Belenergomash" and installed instead of the existing boiler with mechanical grate. Some constructional elements and steam drum of existing boiler remained unchanged. The primary air fan was installed past the common air fan, which supply part of the air into 24 secondary airports. First operating period shows that the bed material is expanded and then operator should increase the primary air rate, and the boiler efficiency dramatically decreases. Tills paper presents some results of our investigations of fuel, bed and fly ash chemical compositions and other characteristics. Special experiments were carried out to optimize the bed drain flow rate. The influence of secondly air supply improvement on mixing with the main flow and boiler efficiency are given.

Estimating ICU bed capacity using discrete event simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Zhecheng; Hen, Bee Hoon; Teow, Kiok Liang

2012-01-01

The intensive care unit (ICU) in a hospital caters for critically ill patients. The number of the ICU beds has a direct impact on many aspects of hospital performance. Lack of the ICU beds may cause ambulance diversion and surgery cancellation, while an excess of ICU beds may cause a waste of resources. This paper aims to develop a discrete event simulation (DES) model to help the healthcare service providers determine the proper ICU bed capacity which strikes the balance between service level and cost effectiveness. The DES model is developed to reflect the complex patient flow of the ICU system. Actual operational data, including emergency arrivals, elective arrivals and length of stay, are directly fed into the DES model to capture the variations in the system. The DES model is validated by open box test and black box test. The validated model is used to test two what-if scenarios which the healthcare service providers are interested in: the proper number of the ICU beds in service to meet the target rejection rate and the extra ICU beds in service needed to meet the demand growth. A 12-month period of actual operational data was collected from an ICU department with 13 ICU beds in service. Comparison between the simulation results and the actual situation shows that the DES model accurately captures the variations in the system, and the DES model is flexible to simulate various what-if scenarios. DES helps the healthcare service providers describe the current situation, and simulate the what-if scenarios for future planning.

Autothermal gasification of low-grade fuels in fluidized bed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A.A. Belyaev [Scientific Center for Comprehensive Processing of Solid Combustible Minerals (IGI), Moscow (Russian Federation). Institute of Combustible Minerals Federal State Unitary Enterprise

2009-01-15

Autothermal gasification of high-ash flotation wastes of Grade Zh Kuzbass coal and low-ash fuel in a suspended-spouted (fluidized) bed at atmospheric pressure is investigated, and a comparison is presented of experimental results that indicate that the ash content of fuels has only slight influence on the generator gas heating value.

Comparison of Ocular Outcomes in Two 14-Day Bed Rest Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Cromwell, R. L.; Zanello, S. B.; Yarbough, P. O.; Taibbi, G.; Vizzeri, G.

2011-01-01

/D) ratio. For all measures, there was no significant difference between subject groups for pre-bed rest testing. Post bed rest values also remained similar between groups. Comparison of pre- to post bed rest testing within each group did not demonstrate any statistical differences. These preliminary results from 14-day bed rest studies suggest that the combination of exercise and horizontal bed rest as compared to 6 degrees HDT bed rest did not produce differences in the ocular response with regard to IOP and optic disc parameters. The ocular measures reported here only included pre- and post bed rest time points. Further investigation is needed to examine both the acute response and long term adaptation of structural and functional ocular parameters in the bed rest platform and determine its usefulness for studying spaceflight phenomena. From a clinical perspective, the ability to study ocular responses in the controlled environment of the bed rest platform can provide valuable information for the care of patients restricted to bed rest.

Seaweed beds support more juvenile reef fish than seagrass beds in a south-western Atlantic tropical seascape

Science.gov (United States)

Eggertsen, L.; Ferreira, C. E. L.; Fontoura, L.; Kautsky, N.; Gullström, M.; Berkström, C.

2017-09-01

Seascape connectivity is regarded essential for healthy reef fish communities in tropical shallow systems. A number of reef fish species use separate adult and nursery habitats, and hence contribute to nutrient and energy transfer between habitats. Seagrass beds and mangroves often constitute important nursery habitats, with high structural complexity and protection from predation. Here, we investigated if reef fish assemblages in the tropical south-western Atlantic demonstrate ontogenetic habitat connectivity and identify possible nurseries on three reef systems along the eastern Brazilian coast. Fish were surveyed in fore reef, back reef, Halodule wrightii seagrass beds and seaweed beds. Seagrass beds contained lower abundances and species richness of fish than expected, while Sargassum-dominated seaweed beds contained significantly more juveniles than all other habitats (average juvenile fish densities: 32.6 per 40 m2 in Sargassum beds, 11.2 per 40 m2 in back reef, 10.1 per 40 m2 in fore reef, and 5.04 per 40 m2 in seagrass beds), including several species that are found in the reef habitats as adults. Species that in other regions worldwide (e.g. the Caribbean) utilise seagrass beds as nursery habitats were here instead observed in Sargassum beds or back reef habitats. Coral cover was not correlated to adult fish distribution patterns; instead, type of turf was an important variable. Connectivity, and thus pathways of nutrient transfer, seems to function differently in east Brazil compared to many tropical regions. Sargassum-dominated beds might be more important as nurseries for a larger number of fish species than seagrass beds. Due to the low abundance of structurally complex seagrass beds we suggest that seaweed beds might influence adult reef fish abundances, being essential for several keystone species of reef fish in the tropical south-western Atlantic.

Wall roughness effects on flow and scouring in curved channels with gravel bed

OpenAIRE

Hersberger, Daniel S.

2002-01-01

Wall roughness effects on flow and scouring in curved channels with gravel bed In the narrow valleys in Alpine regions, rivers frequently flow across constructed zones, passing through villages and cities. Due to limited space, the protection from high floods often needs to be ensured by protection walls. During floods, these protection walls may be endangered by scour phenomena, especially if they are located in bends. In the past, the potential danger of underscoured structures was reduced ...

Investigation of heat transfer in bed and freeboard of fluidized bed combustors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitor, V.V.; Matsnev, V.V.; Sorokin, A.P.

1986-01-01

Experimental results for heat transfer between immersed bundles of bare tubes and fluidized beds are reported. The experimental results are obtained on industrial boilers with a bed area from 2,5 to 4 m/sup 2/ under conditions of long term operation. The bed temperature range has been 1073 0 K-1233 0 K, gas velocity between 1,8-4,5 m/s, mean particle size from 1,5 mm to 6,0 mm, freeboard furnace height of 2,3 and 5 m. The obtained data are compared with experimental results from literature

Oxygen Carrier Aided Combustion (OCAC of Wood Chips in a Semi-Commercial Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler Using Manganese Ore as Bed Material

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magnus Rydén

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Oxygen Carrier Aided Combustion (OCAC is realized by using an active oxygen-carrying bed material in fluidized bed boilers. The active material is reduced in fuel rich parts of the boiler and oxidized in air rich parts. Advantages could be achieved such as new mechanisms for oxygen transport in space and time. Here calcined manganese ore has been used as active bed material in a 12 MWth circulating fluidized bed boiler. The fuel was wood chips and the campaign lasted more than two weeks. From an operational point of view, manganese ore worked excellently. From the temperature profile of the boiler it can be concluded that fuel conversion was facilitated, especially in the dense bottom bed. The effect did not always translate to reduced emissions, which suggests that final combustion in the cyclone outlet was also influenced. Substituting 10% of the sand bed with manganese ore made it possible to reduce the air to fuel ratio without generating large amounts of CO. The use of 100% manganese ore resulted in higher emissions of CO than the sand reference, but, when combined sulphur feeding, dramatic reductions in CO emissions, up to 90% compared to sand reference, was achieved.

Radionuclide transport in running waters, sensitivity analysis of bed-load, channel geometry and model discretisation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jonsson, Karin; Elert, Mark

2006-08-01

In this report, further investigations of the model concept for radionuclide transport in stream, developed in the SKB report TR-05-03 is presented. Especially three issues have been the focus of the model investigations. The first issue was to investigate the influence of assumed channel geometry on the simulation results. The second issue was to reconsider the applicability of the equation for the bed-load transport in the stream model, and finally the last issue was to investigate how the model discretisation will influence the simulation results. The simulations showed that there were relatively small differences in results when applying different cross-sections in the model. The inclusion of the exact shape of the cross-section in the model is therefore not crucial, however, if cross-sectional data exist, the overall shape of the cross-section should be used in the model formulation. This could e.g. be accomplished by using measured values of the stream width and depth in the middle of the stream and by assuming a triangular shape. The bed-load transport was in this study determined for different sediment characteristics which can be used as an order of magnitude estimation if no exact determinations of the bed-load are available. The difference in the calculated bed-load transport for the different materials was, however, found to be limited. The investigation of model discretisation showed that a fine model discretisation to account for numerical effects is probably not important for the performed simulations. However, it can be necessary for being able to account for different conditions along a stream. For example, the application of mean slopes instead of individual values in the different stream reaches can result in very different predicted concentrations

Biologically effective dose (BED) for interstitial seed implants containing a mixture of radionuclides with different half-lives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Zhe; Nath, Ravinder

2003-01-01

Purpose: To develop a tool for evaluating interstitial seed implants that contain a mixture of radionuclides with different half-lives and to demonstrate its utility by examining the clinical implications of prescribing to an isodose surface for such an implant. Methods and Materials: A linear-quadratic model for continuous low dose rate irradiation was developed for permanent implants containing a mixture of radionuclides. Using a generalized equation for the biologically effective dose (BED), the effects of cell proliferation and sublethal damage repair were examined systematically for implants containing a mixture of radionuclides. A head-and-neck permanent seed implant that contained a mixture of 125 I and 103 Pd seeds was used to demonstrate the utility of the generalized BED. Results: An equation of BED for implants containing a mixture of radionuclides with different half-lives was obtained. In such an implant, the effective cell kill was shown to depend strongly on the relative dose contributions from each radionuclide type; dose delivered by radionuclides with shorter half-life always resulted in more cell kill for any given sublethal damage repair and cell proliferation rates. Application of the BED formula to an implant containing a mixture of 125 I and 103 Pd seeds demonstrates that the conventional dose prescription to an isodose surface is not unique for such an implant. When the prescription dose was based on existing clinical experience of using 125 I seeds alone, mixing 103 Pd seeds with 125 I seeds would increase the cell kill. On the other hand, if the prescription dose were based on existing clinical experience of using 103 Pd seeds alone, mixing 125 I seeds with 103 Pd seeds in the same implant would create radiobiologically 'cold' spots (i.e., an increase in cell survival) at locations where a major portion of the prescription dose is contributed by the 125 I seeds. For fast-growing tumors, these 'cold' spots can become significant

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.

Lignite air-steam gasification in the fluidized bed of iron-containing slag catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuznetsov, B.N.; Shchipko, M.L.; Golovin, Yu. [Inst. of Chemistry of Natural Organic Materials, Academgorodok, Krasnoyarsk (Russian Federation)

1995-12-01

The influence of fluidized bed of iron-containing slag particles on air-steam gasification of powdered Kansk-Achinsk lignite in entrained flow was studied in pilot installation with productivity about 60 kg per hour. Slag of Martin process and boiler slag were used as catalytic active materials until their complete mechanical attrition. Two following methods of catalytic gasification of lignite were compared: the partial gasification in stationary fluidized bed of slag particles with degree of fuel conversion 40-70% and complete gasification in circulating bed of slag particles. In the first case only the most reactive part of fuel is gasified with the simultaneously formation of porous carbon residue with good sorption ability. It was found the catalytic fluidized bed improves heat transfer from combustion to reduction zone of gas-generator and increases the rate of fuel conversion at the temperature range 900-1000{degrees}C. At these temperatures the degree of conversion is depended considerably on the duration time of fuel particles in the catalytic fluidized bed. The influence of catalytic fluidized bed height and velocity of reaction mixture on the temperature profiles in the gas-generator was studied. The optimal relationship was found between the fluidized bed height and velocity of flow which makes possible to produce the gas with higher calorific value at maximum degree of fuel conversion.

Numerical and experimental studies on effects of moisture content on combustion characteristics of simulated municipal solid wastes in a fixed bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Rui; Ismail, Tamer M.; Ren, Xiaohan; Abd El-Salam, M.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The effects of moisture content on the burning process of MSW are investigated. • A two-dimensional mathematical model was built to simulate the combustion process. • Temperature distributions, process rates, gas species were measured and simulated. • The The conversion ratio of C/CO and N/NO in MSW are inverse to moisture content. - Abstract: In order to reveal the features of the combustion process in the porous bed of a waste incinerator, a two-dimensional unsteady state model and experimental study were employed to investigate the combustion process in a fixed bed of municipal solid waste (MSW) on the combustion process in a fixed bed reactor. Conservation equations of the waste bed were implemented to describe the incineration process. The gas phase turbulence was modeled using the k–ε turbulent model and the particle phase was modeled using the kinetic theory of granular flow. The rate of moisture evaporation, devolatilization rate, and char burnout was calculated according to the waste property characters. The simulation results were then compared with experimental data for different moisture content of MSW, which shows that the incineration process of waste in the fixed bed is reasonably simulated. The simulation results of solid temperature, gas species and process rate in the bed are accordant with experimental data. Due to the high moisture content of fuel, moisture evaporation consumes a vast amount of heat, and the evaporation takes up most of the combustion time (about 2/3 of the whole combustion process). The whole bed combustion process reduces greatly as MSW moisture content increases. The experimental and simulation results provide direction for design and optimization of the fixed bed of MSW

Numerical and experimental studies on effects of moisture content on combustion characteristics of simulated municipal solid wastes in a fixed bed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Rui, E-mail: Sunsr@hit.edu.cn [School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92, West Dazhi Street, Harbin 150001 (China); Ismail, Tamer M., E-mail: temoil@aucegypt.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Suez Canal University, Ismailia (Egypt); Ren, Xiaohan [School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92, West Dazhi Street, Harbin 150001 (China); Abd El-Salam, M. [Department of Basic Science, Cairo University, Giza (Egypt)

2015-05-15

Highlights: • The effects of moisture content on the burning process of MSW are investigated. • A two-dimensional mathematical model was built to simulate the combustion process. • Temperature distributions, process rates, gas species were measured and simulated. • The The conversion ratio of C/CO and N/NO in MSW are inverse to moisture content. - Abstract: In order to reveal the features of the combustion process in the porous bed of a waste incinerator, a two-dimensional unsteady state model and experimental study were employed to investigate the combustion process in a fixed bed of municipal solid waste (MSW) on the combustion process in a fixed bed reactor. Conservation equations of the waste bed were implemented to describe the incineration process. The gas phase turbulence was modeled using the k–ε turbulent model and the particle phase was modeled using the kinetic theory of granular flow. The rate of moisture evaporation, devolatilization rate, and char burnout was calculated according to the waste property characters. The simulation results were then compared with experimental data for different moisture content of MSW, which shows that the incineration process of waste in the fixed bed is reasonably simulated. The simulation results of solid temperature, gas species and process rate in the bed are accordant with experimental data. Due to the high moisture content of fuel, moisture evaporation consumes a vast amount of heat, and the evaporation takes up most of the combustion time (about 2/3 of the whole combustion process). The whole bed combustion process reduces greatly as MSW moisture content increases. The experimental and simulation results provide direction for design and optimization of the fixed bed of MSW.

Reference repository design concept for bedded salt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carpenter, D.W.; Martin, R.W.

1980-10-08

A reference design concept is presented for the subsurface portions of a nuclear waste repository in bedded salt. General geologic, geotechnical, hydrologic and geochemical data as well as descriptions of the physical systems are provided for use on generic analyses of the pre- and post-sealing performance of repositories in this geologic medium. The geology of bedded salt deposits and the regional and repository horizon stratigraphy are discussed. Structural features of salt beds including discontinuities and dissolution features are presented and their effect on repository performance is discussed. Seismic hazards and the potential effects of earthquakes on underground repositories are presented. The effect on structural stability and worker safety during construction from hydrocarbon and inorganic gases is described. Geohydrologic considerations including regional hydrology, repository scale hydrology and several hydrological failure modes are presented in detail as well as the hydrological considerations that effect repository design. Operational phase performance is discussed with respect to operations, ventilation system, shaft conveyances, waste handling and retrieval systems and receival rates of nuclear waste. Performance analysis of the post sealing period of a nuclear repository is discussed, and parameters to be used in such an analysis are presented along with regulatory constraints. Some judgements are made regarding hydrologic failure scenarios. Finally, the design and licensing process, consistent with the current licensing procedure is described in a format that can be easily understood.

Reference repository design concept for bedded salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpenter, D.W.; Martin, R.W.

1980-01-01

A reference design concept is presented for the subsurface portions of a nuclear waste repository in bedded salt. General geologic, geotechnical, hydrologic and geochemical data as well as descriptions of the physical systems are provided for use on generic analyses of the pre- and post-sealing performance of repositories in this geologic medium. The geology of bedded salt deposits and the regional and repository horizon stratigraphy are discussed. Structural features of salt beds including discontinuities and dissolution features are presented and their effect on repository performance is discussed. Seismic hazards and the potential effects of earthquakes on underground repositories are presented. The effect on structural stability and worker safety during construction from hydrocarbon and inorganic gases is described. Geohydrologic considerations including regional hydrology, repository scale hydrology and several hydrological failure modes are presented in detail as well as the hydrological considerations that effect repository design. Operational phase performance is discussed with respect to operations, ventilation system, shaft conveyances, waste handling and retrieval systems and receival rates of nuclear waste. Performance analysis of the post sealing period of a nuclear repository is discussed, and parameters to be used in such an analysis are presented along with regulatory constraints. Some judgements are made regarding hydrologic failure scenarios. Finally, the design and licensing process, consistent with the current licensing procedure is described in a format that can be easily understood

Coarse grid simulation of bed expansion characteristics of industrial-scale gas–solid bubbling fluidized beds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, J.; van der Hoef, Martin Anton; Kuipers, J.A.M.

2010-01-01

Two-fluid modeling of the hydrodynamics of industrial-scale gas-fluidized beds proves a long-standing challenge for both engineers and scientists. In this study, we suggest a simple method to modify currently available drag correlations to allow for the effect of unresolved sub-grid scale

Design and simulation of a circulating fluidized bed to clean the products of biomass gasification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uchoa Neto, Moises; Carvalho, Yuri de Araujo [Dept. de Engenharia Mecanica. Faculdade de Tecnologia. Universidade de Brasilia, DF (Brazil); Oliveira, Taygoara Felamingo de; Barcelos, Manuel [Faculdade do Gama. Universidade de Brasilia, Gama, DF (Brazil)], e-mail: taygoara@unb.br

2010-07-01

The main goal of this work is to design a workbench circulating fluidized bed to study the cracking of tar in gases from the processes of biomass gasification. For this, a design methodology based on analytical results and empirical correlations for fluidized beds was employed. In parallel, a numerical code of open source technology (MFIX) for the solution of the transport equations of the multiphase flow in the column of a fluidized bed was used to give support to the choice of the design elements. The whole project of the workbench fluidized bed was completely developed, whose operation parameters such as bed geometry, gas velocity, circulating ratio and void fraction characterize a fast fluidization process. A preliminary mesh convergence study was executed with the numerical tool, that was validated comparing with analytical results. Among the most important results, the code computed the predicted value for the minimum fluidization. (author)

Start-up and performance characteristics of a trickle bed reactor degrading toluene

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Ondrej Misiaczek

2007-09-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to evaluate toluene degradation in a trickle bed reactor when the loading was carried out by changing the air flow rate. The biofiltration system was inoculated with a mixed microbial population, adapted to degradation of hydrophobic compounds. Polypropylene high flow rings were used as a packing material. The system was operated for a period of 50 days at empty bed residence times ranging from 106s to 13s and with a constant inlet concentration of toluene of 100 mg.m-3. The reactor showed high removal efficiency at higher contact times and increasing elimination capacity with higher air-flow rates. The highest EC value reached was 9.8 gC.m-3.h-1 at EBRT = 13s. During the experiment, the consumption of NaOH solution was also measured. No significant variation of this value was found and an average value of 3.84 mmol of NaOH per gram of consumed carbon was recorded.

Role of vision and mechanoreception in bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. behavior.

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Narinderpal Singh

Full Text Available The role of olfactory cues such as carbon dioxide, pheromones, and kairomones in bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. behavior has been demonstrated. However, the role of vision and mechanoreception in bed bug behavior is poorly understood. We investigated bed bug vision by determining their responses to different colors, vertical objects, and their ability to detect colors and vertical objects under low and complete dark conditions. Results show black and red paper harborages are preferred compared to yellow, green, blue, and white harborages. A bed bug trapping device with a black or red exterior surface was significantly more attractive to bed bugs than that with a white exterior surface. Bed bugs exhibited strong orientation behavior toward vertical objects. The height (15 vs. 30 cm tall and color (brown vs. black of the vertical object had no significant effect on orientation behavior of bed bugs. Bed bugs could differentiate color and detect vertical objects at very low background light conditions, but not in complete darkness. Bed bug preference to different substrate textures (mechanoreception was also explored. Bed bugs preferred dyed tape compared to painted tape, textured painted plastic, and felt. These results revealed that substrate color, presence of vertical objects, and substrate texture affect host-seeking and harborage-searching behavior of bed bugs. Bed bugs may use a combination of vision, mechanoreception, and chemoreception to locate hosts and seek harborages.

The Effects of Dinner-to-Bed Time and Post-Dinner Walk on Gastric Cancer Across Different Age Groups: A Multicenter Case-Control Study in Southeast China.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Le; Zhang, Xi; Lu, Jun; Dai, Jia-Xi; Lin, Ren-Qin; Tian, Fang-Xi; Liang, Bing; Guo, Yi-Nan; Luo, Hui-Yu; Li, Ni; Fang, Dong-Ping; Zhao, Ruo-Hua; Huang, Chang-Ming

2016-04-01

Gastric cancer (GC) remains a major killer throughout the world. Despite the dramatic decrease in GC over the last century, its etiology has not yet been well characterized. This study investigated the possible independent and combined effects of the dinner-to-bed time and post-dinner walk on the risk for GC across different age groups. A population-based, case-control study was conducted in southeast China, including 452 patients with GC and 465 age-, race-, and gender-matched controls. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect information on demographic characteristics, dinner-to-bed time, post-dinner walk, and other behavioral factors. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the effects of the dinner-to-bed time and post-dinner walk as well as their joint effect on the risk for GC across different age groups. Individuals with dinner-to-bed time 55 years old.

Practice Hospital Bed Safety

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... Home For Consumers Consumer Updates Practice Hospital Bed Safety Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More sharing options ... It depends on the complexity of the bed." Safety Tips CDRH offers the following safety tips for ...

Particle fuel bed tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horn, F.L.; Powell, J.R.; Savino, J.M.

1985-01-01

Gas-cooled reactors, using packed beds of small diameter coated fuel particles have been proposed for compact, high-power systems. The particulate fuel used in the tests was 800 microns in diameter, consisting of a thoria kernel coated with 200 microns of pyrocarbon. Typically, the bed of fuel particles was contained in a ceramic cylinder with porous metallic frits at each end. A dc voltage was applied to the metallic frits and the resulting electric current heated the bed. Heat was removed by passing coolant (helium or hydrogen) through the bed. Candidate frit materials, rhenium, nickel, zirconium carbide, and zirconium oxide were unaffected, while tungsten and tungsten-rhenium lost weight and strength. Zirconium-carbide particles were tested at 2000 K in H 2 for 12 hours with no visible reaction or weight loss

Continuous production of lipase-catalyzed biodiesel in a packed-bed reactor: optimization and enzyme reuse study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hsiao-Ching; Ju, Hen-Yi; Wu, Tsung-Ta; Liu, Yung-Chuan; Lee, Chih-Chen; Chang, Cheng; Chung, Yi-Lin; Shieh, Chwen-Jen

2011-01-01

An optimal continuous production of biodiesel by methanolysis of soybean oil in a packed-bed reactor was developed using immobilized lipase (Novozym 435) as a catalyst in a tert-butanol solvent system. Response surface methodology (RSM) and Box-Behnken design were employed to evaluate the effects of reaction temperature, flow rate, and substrate molar ratio on the molar conversion of biodiesel. The results showed that flow rate and temperature have significant effects on the percentage of molar conversion. On the basis of ridge max analysis, the optimum conditions were as follows: flow rate 0.1 mL/min, temperature 52.1°C, and substrate molar ratio 1 : 4. The predicted and experimental values of molar conversion were 83.31 ± 2.07% and 82.81 ± .98%, respectively. Furthermore, the continuous process over 30 days showed no appreciable decrease in the molar conversion. The paper demonstrates the applicability of using immobilized lipase and a packed-bed reactor for continuous biodiesel synthesis.

Experimental study of fluidized bed agglomeration of acerola powder

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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.

A survey of attitudes, beliefs, and behavior regarding tanning bed use, sunbathing, and sunscreen use.

Science.gov (United States)

Mawn, V B; Fleischer, A B

1993-12-01

Although cosmetic tanning and unprotected solar exposure are common, little is known about general attitudes, beliefs, and behavior regarding sunbathing, sunscreen use, and tanning salon use. We sought to determine the frequency of UV exposure in a select sample and to assess the knowledge and beliefs of the effects of UV irradiation. A written, anonymous questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 477 persons in a shopping mall, at a social gathering, and on a vacation cruise ship. The instrument explored demographic information, sunscreen use, sunbathing habits, tanning bed use, and cutaneous solar effects. Forty-two percent of respondents seldom or never used sunscreen, and 33% sunbathed at least once a week. Although the three sample populations differed in education, sunbathing habits, sunscreen use, and tanning bed use, they were equally informed about UV light hazards. Compared with those who had not used tanning beds, tanning bed users were more likely to be female and more knowledgeable about the long-term effects of UV. Tanning beds were most commonly used in tanning or hair salons, (mean 23 +/- 7 minutes at 2.3 +/- 1.1 times per week). Reported positive psychologic sequelae from tanning bed use were more common than negative physical sequelae. At least 10% would continue to use tanning beds if these were proved to cause skin cancer. In this select sample, sunbathing and tanning bed use were common. No group surveyed universally practiced sun protection and avoidance. Clientele of tanning beds may be aware of the damaging effects of the sun, but may not be aware that tanning bed use is associated with skin damage.

Statistical description of flume experiments on mixed-size bed-load transport and bed armoring processes

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, D.; Zhang, Y.

2008-12-01

The objective of this paper is to describe the statistical properties of experiments on non-uniform bed-load transport as well as the mechanism of bed armoring processes. Despite substantial effort made over the last two decades, the ability to compute the bed-load flux in a turbulent system remains poor. The major obstacles include the poor understanding of the formation of armor lays on bed surfaces. Such a layer is much flow-resistible than the underlying material and therefore significantly inhibits sediment transport from the reach. To study the problem, we conducted a flume study for mixed sand/gravel sediments. We observed that aggregated sediment blocks were the most common characters in armor layers - the largest sizes resist hydraulic forces, while the smaller sizes add interlocking support and prevent loss of fine material through gaps between the larger particles. Fractional transport rates with the existing of armor layers were measured with time by sediment trapping method at the end of flume. To address the intermittent and time-varying behavior of bed-load transport during bed armoring processes, we investigated the probability distribution of the fractional bed-load transport rates, and the underlying dynamic model derived from the continuous time random walk framework. Results indicate that it is critical to consider the impact of armor layers when a flow is sufficient to move some of the finer particles and yet insufficient to move all the larger particles on a channel bed.

Chaotic hydrodynamics of fluidized beds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van der Stappen, M.L.M. [Unit Process and Systems Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing Technology Group, Unilever Research Laboratorium, Vlaardingen (Netherlands)

1996-12-31

The major goals of this thesis are: (1) to develop and evaluate an analysis method based on techniques from non-linear chaos theory to characterize the nonlinear hydrodynamics of gas-solids fluidized beds quantitatively; and (2) to determine the dependence of the chaotic invariants on the operating conditions and investigate how the chaos analysis method can be profitably applied to improve scale-up and design of gas-solids fluidized bed reactors. Chaos theory is introduced in chapter 2 with emphasis on analysis techniques for (experimental) time series, known from literature at the start of this work (1990-1991). In chapter 3, the testing of existing and newly developed techniques on both model and fluidized bed data is described. This leads to the development of the chaos analysis method to analyze measured pressure fluctuations time series of a fluidized bed. Following, in chapter 4, this method is tested and all choices for the parameters are evaluated. The influence of the experimental parameters and external disturbances on the measurements and analysis results is discussed and quantified. The result is a chaos measurement and analysis protocol, which is further used in this work. In chapter 5, the applications to fluidized beds are discussed. It is shown that the entropy is a good measure for the characterization of the dynamical behavior of gas-solids bubbling/slugging fluidized beds. Entropy is applied to characterize the influence of the operating conditions, to assess regime transitions and to analyze dimensionless similar beds of different scale. Quantitative design correlations that relate entropy to the operating parameters (including the bed diameter) are described. Finally, it is discussed how the results of this work might be used in scaling up the chaotic dynamics of fluidized beds. The overall conclusions and outlook from this work are presented in chapter 6. 182 refs.

Comparison of packed bed and fluidized bed membrane reactors for methane reforming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gallucci, F.; van Sint Annaland, M.; Kuipers, J.A.M.

2009-01-01

In this work the performance of different membrane reactor concepts, both fluidized bed and packed bed membrane reactors, have been compared for the reforming of methane for the production of ultra-pure hydrogen. Using detailed theoretical models, the required membrane area to reach a given

Styrene biofiltration in a trickle-bed reactor

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V. Novak

2008-04-01

Full Text Available The biological treatment of styrene waste gas in a trickle-bed filter (TBF was investigated. The bioreactor consisted of a two-part glass cylinder (ID 150 mm filled with 25 mm polypropylene Pall rings serving as packing material. The bed height was 1m. Although the laboratory temperature was maintained at 22 ºC, the water temperature in the trickle-bed filter was slightly lower (about 18 ºC.The main aim of our study was to observe the effect of empty-bed residence time (EBRT on bioreactor performance at a constant pollutant concentration over an extended time period. The bioreactor was inoculated with a mixed microbial consortium isolated from a styrene-degrading biofilter that had been running for the previous two years. After three weeks of acclimation period, the bioreactor was loaded with styrene (100 mg.m-3. EBRT was in the range of 53 s to 13 s. A maximum elimination capacity (EC of 11.3 gC.m-3.h-1 was reached at an organic loading (OL rate of 18.6 gC.m-3.h-1.

Gas flow calculation with a turbulence model in a packed bed; Ranryu model wo mochiita juten sonai no gas nagare no keisan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takeda, K [Kawasaki Steel Corp., Tokyo (Japan); Lockwood, F

1996-06-01

For the rationalization of blast furnace operation, the gas flow in a packed bed is calculated using a turbulence model. For accurately determining the mixing of gasses, dispersion of particulates in a turbulence, turbulence diffusion, response rate, etc., in a packed bed, turbulence characteristics need be elucidated. For the calculation of combustion behavior of powdered coal blown into the blast furnace tuyere, in particular, the evaluation of gas turbulence behavior in the blow pipe and packed bed is indispensable. The dissipation rate of {kappa} has been defined from the mixing length Lm with the hydraulic diameter of the packed bed as its function and the turbulence energy ({kappa}), and now a {kappa}-Lm model is proposed, capable of evaluating the turbulence behavior in the packed bed. The parameters in the model may be determined using the actually measured values about diffusion behavior. The diffusion behavior of a tracer blown into the packed bed is simulated, and then agreement is found between the calculated values and measured values. Oxygen distribution under simplified raceway conditions is calculated. Once in the raceway, the radial concentration gradient of oxygen is much gentler suddenly, indicating the excellent mixture characteristics of the packed layer. 21 refs., 9 figs.

Staged fluidized-bed combustion and filter system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mei, J.S.; Halow, J.S.

1994-01-01

A staged fluidized-bed combustion and filter system are described for substantially reducing the quantity of waste through the complete combustion into ash-type solids and gaseous products. The device has two fluidized-bed portions, the first primarily as a combustor/pyrolyzer bed, and the second as a combustor/filter bed. The two portions each have internal baffles to define stages so that material moving therein as fluidized beds travel in an extended route through those stages. Fluidization and movement is achieved by the introduction of gases into each stage through a directional nozzle. Gases produced in the combustor/pyrolyzer bed are permitted to travel into corresponding stages of the combustor/filter bed through screen filters that permit gas flow but inhibit solids flow. Any catalyst used in the combustor/filter bed is recycled. The two beds share a common wall to minimize total volume of the system. A slightly modified embodiment can be used for hot gas desulfurization and sorbent regeneration. Either side-by-side rectangular beds or concentric beds can be used. The system is particularly suited to the processing of radioactive and chemically hazardous waste. 10 figures

Overflow Characteristic of Cylindrical Shape Crest Weirs Over Horizontal Bed

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Emad4 AbdulGabbar

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The most common types of weirs are the broad-crested weir, the sharp-crested weir, the circular crested weir and the ogee crested weir. Advantages of the cylindrical weir shape include the stable overflow pattern, the ease to pass floating debris, the simplicity of design compared to ogee crest design and the associated lower costs. In present study, it was investigated the overflow characteristics of circular weirs in laboratory for various cylinder radii of three sizes (11.4, 9.0, 6.3 cm, and the models fixed on the channel bed vertically to the direction of flow. The result shows that the increase in the ratio of head to weir radius ratio (Hw/R value causes an increase in discharge coefficient (Cd value for the same height of weir. It was observed that the cylinder size (i.e. radius of cylindrical weir (R has an effect on the (Cd. The flow magnification factor (qw/qs increases with an increase in (Hw/R value and values of (qw/qs were always higher than one for all values of (Hw/R, this means that weirs of cylindrical shape performed better than those of sharp crest for any value of weir radius tested in this study.

Comparison of Three Bed Bug Management Strategies in a Low-Income Apartment Building

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Changlu Wang

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Bed bug (Cimex lectularius L. infestations are currently controlled by a variety of non-chemical and chemical methods. There have been few studies on the comparative effectiveness of these control techniques. We evaluated three bed bug management strategies in an apartment building: (1 non-chemical methods only (n = 9; (2 insecticides only (n = 6; and (3 integrated pest management including both non-chemical methods and insecticides (n = 9. The apartments were one-bedroom units occupied by seniors or people with disabilities. Bed bug numbers in each apartment were determined by visual inspection and/or installing intercepting devices under bed and sofa legs. The median (min, max bed bug counts in the non-chemical methods only, insecticides only, and integrated pest management (IPM treatment were: 4 (1, 57, 19 (1, 250, and 14 (1, 219, respectively prior to the treatments. The apartments were retreated if found necessary during biweekly to monthly inspections. After 10 weeks, bed bugs were found to be eliminated from 67, 33, and 44% of the apartments in the three treatment groups, respectively. The final (after 10 weeks median (min, max bed bug counts in the non-chemical methods only, insecticides only, and IPM treatment were: 0 (0, 134, 11.5 (0, 58, and 1 (0, 38, respectively. There were no significant differences in the speed of bed bug count reduction or the final bed bug counts. Lack of resident cooperation partially contributed to the failure in eliminating bed bugs from some of the apartments. Results of this study suggest that non-chemical methods can effectively eliminate bed bugs in lightly infested apartments.

Integrated drying and incineration of wet sewage sludge in combined bubbling and circulating fluidized bed units.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Shiyuan; Li, Yunyu; Lu, Qinggang; Zhu, Jianguo; Yao, Yao; Bao, Shaolin

2014-12-01

An original integrated drying and incineration technique is proposed to dispose of sewage sludge with moisture content of about 80% in a circulating fluidized bed. This system combines a bubbling fluidized bed dryer with a circulating fluidized bed incinerator. After drying, sewage sludge with moisture less than 20% is transported directly and continuously from the fluidized bed dryer into a circulating fluidized bed incinerator. Pilot plant results showed that integrated drying and incineration is feasible in a unique single system. A 100 t/d Sewage Sludge Incineration Demonstration Project was constructed at the Qige sewage treatment plant in Hangzhou City in China. The operational performance showed that the main operation results conformed to the design values, from which it can be concluded that the scale-up of this technique is deemed both feasible and successful. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Monte Carlo simulation on influence of cutting beds on density log in the horizontal wells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Huawei; Sun Jianmeng; Li Xiaopeng; Zhang Qiongyao; Li Na

2009-01-01

Cuttings debris may be deposited in the bottom of a horizontal hole because of gravity of the earth. It has lower density than the formation, so cuttings beds can have a significant effect on the density log responses. Monte Carlo method was used to study the effect of cuttings bed on the computed log density, with various formation densities and cuttings bed thicknesses of 0-5 cm in the horizontal borehole.In order to guarantee the reliability of results, simulation results were compared to the experimental data. MC simulations show that the density measurement can be corrected using the ridge-rib graph, if the thickness of the cutting bed is less than 2 cm. Otherwise, it is difficulty to correct the effect of the cutting bed on the formation density measurement. Finally, the cuttings beds correction charts and formulas for DSDL-8723 double-detector density logging tool which is in the horizontal borehole are made preliminarily. (authors)

Improved Gasifier Availability with Bed Material and Additives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grootjes, A.J.; Van der Meijden, C.M.; Visser, H.J.M.; Van der Drift, A. [ECN Biomass and Energy Efficiency, Petten (Netherlands)

2013-07-15

In order to valorize several feedstock, gasification is one of the technologies developed over the past decades. ECN developed the MILENA gasifier. In order for MILENA to become a commercial success, the gasifier needs to be feedstock flexible, robust and economically sound, operating with high availability. One of the characteristics of MILENA is high efficiency but with a higher tar content, compared to some other Dual Fluidized Bed (DFB) gasifiers. In order to reduce the issues that are associated with high tar levels in the product gas, the effect of a number of primary measures was studied. This paper presents results obtained in the last two years, focused on improving the gasifier availability by conducting experiments in a 25 kWth lab scale MILENA gasifier. Amongst others, gas composition, tar content and calorific value of the product gas were compared. Scanning Electron Microscope analysis was used to investigate bed material changes. Results show that Austrian olivine can be activated by Fuel B as well as by Additive A and B. The water-gas shift reaction is enhanced and the tar content is reduced significantly, especially the heavy tars that dominate the tar dew point. Activated olivine has a calcium-rich layer. The results show that with MILENA, we are able to lower and control the tar dew point, which will possibly increase the availability of a MILENA gasifier.

Heat transfer between a fluidized bed and an immersed horizontal tube

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beasley, D.E.; Figliola, R.S.

1986-01-01

Reliable predictions will require a better understanding of the heat transfer mechanisms and bed hydrodynamics in the neighborhood of the submerged surface. In this investigation measurements of the instantaneous heat transfer between a submerged surface and a gas fluidized bed operating in the bubbling regime are presented. The experimental results are compared to existing predictive models for the particle convective and the overall heat transfer coefficients. For the range of particle size and flow velocity studied, the particle convective component of heat transfer dominates the overall heat transfer between the bed and the submerged surface. Experimental studies into particle size distribution effects on heat transfer suggest that mixtures augment the bed to surface heat transfer. Documentation of bed particle size distribution is necessary if heat transfer data are to be compared or predicted

The elution of erbium from a cation exchanger bed by means of the N-hydroxyethyl-ethylene-diamine triacetic acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amer Amezaga, S.

1963-01-01

A physicochemical study of the phenomena resulting when erbium is eluted from a cation-exchanger bed at a steady by means of the N-hydroxyethyl-ethylene-diamine-triacetic acid (HEDTA) is made. Two different retaining beds are used, a hydrogen bed, in which no ammonium passes through, and a zinc bed, which leaks ammonium ion. Good agreement between experimental and calculated values by using the equations deduced for the concentrations of the main species has been achieved, with errors around 1-2% in most of the experiments. (Author) 69 refs

Effect of ionization, bedding, and feeding on air quality in a horse stable.

Science.gov (United States)

Siegers, Esther Willemijn; Anthonisse, Milou; van Eerdenburg, Frank J C M; van den Broek, Jan; Wouters, Inge M; Westermann, Cornélie Martine

2018-05-01

Organic dust is associated with Equine asthma. Ionization should reduce airborne dust levels. To determine the effect of ionization of air, type of bedding, and feed on the levels of airborne dust, endotoxin, and fungal colonies in horse stables. 24 healthy University-owned horses occupied the stables. A randomized controlled cross-over study. Four units with 6 stables were equipped with an ionization installation (25 VA, 5000 Volt Direct Current). Horses were kept either on wood shavings and fed haylage (2 units), or on straw and fed dry hay (2 units). Measurements were performed with and without activated ionization, during daytime and nighttime, repeatedly over the course of a week and repeatedly during 4-6 weeks. Statistical analysis was performed using a mixed effect model with Akaike's Information Criterion for model reduction and 95% profile (log) likelihood confidence intervals (CI). Ionization did not alter concentrations of dust, endotoxin, or fungi, fewer. In the units with straw and hay, the concentration of dust, endotoxin, and fungi (difference in logarithmic mean 1.92 (95%CI 1.71-2.12); 2.86 (95%CI 2.59-3.14); 1.75 (95%CI 1.13-2.36)) were significantly higher compared to wood shavings and haylage. The installation of a negative air-ionizer in the horse stable did not reduce concentrations of dust, endotoxin, and viable fungal spores. The substantial effect of low dust bedding and feed is confirmed. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.